"Forrin parts" dwellers - anyone around for a chat?

[Thumbwitch]

We've had these chat threads before for people who live overseas and post at odd hours but they tend to peter out so I thought I'd have another go!

I am in Australia, 1.5h north of Sydney, been here almost exactly 2 years (tomorrow) and have an Aussie DH and a DS who is 3.8.

And currently I have a cold and am Not Happy. :(

Hi, Dubai here....been up for hours due to dd being woken by ramadan call to prayer < yawn>

Sorry about your cold by the way, I'm 15 weeks pregnant and have been having bad dreams about losing this baby, bit shaken up this morning

hellooo on my lunchbreak here (south of Tokyo)

sorry to hear about the sniffles, Thumb - get well soon!

barbie - pregnancy dreams can be awful can't they I once dreamt I gave birth to a stick insect

its BOILING here at the mo - I usually go for a walk at lunchtime but its just too hot today (about 35 deg). We are due a bit of cooler weather from tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Tante, boiling here too....I can not wait for winter! Another 6 weeks of being housebound and hopefully it will be cool enough to go out again. 51 degrees yesterday
we are just waiting on news to see if we are returning to the uk for 15 months before heading out for 3 years in south Korea. 8 could be back in the cooler weather in as little as four weeks.

51 degrees OK you win the "who's hottest" contest

South Korea? we'll be practically neighbours

Snap to the cold. I am in Adelaide and lying in bed on my child free day, feeling sorry for myself watching reruns of greys anatomy!!

I'm in Melbourne.

Have so much to do, so of course I am procrastinating on here.

Cold and rainy here today so I am drinking a lot of tea.

Gotta go and get DD from school now. Have to leave super early to get a parking space (boo hiss).

Wow what a fascinating post from me....

waves Hi! Am in Louisiana, outside New Orleans. Am an incorrigible lurker but shall try to mend my ways.

Thumb, lived in Melbourne, then Manly (back in the day) Loved it but it is very far away. Felt v far removed, occasionally a good thing. Sometimes not.

Barbie, sorry you poor sausage. How long have you been expat? (Are we still allowed use that term? Perhaps a touch patrician for mums net?!) Do you have other kids?

Tante, how/why are you there? How is life post earthquake? Were you affected? Would love to hear.

Yes, v v hot here too but I don't mind too much really. In fairness -Thumbwitch might back me up here - unless you've lived Down Under you don't really understand hot. Honest! It feels so much hotter there, perhaps lack of ozone?

Mostly I like it, only thing that does my head in is the minus 6- hrs time difference. You really have to fine tune those drunken bonding sessions

Sorry, retract that Barbie - 51 degrees is taking the piss

51 degrees???

ok barbie you win - that's vicious! is it dry or humid though, I'm guessing dry? That makes it easier, doesn't it? I'd still have troubles with it though.

Lula, sorry to hear you are also under the weather. I am not in bed. I have to Carry On Regardless, despite the fact that DH works from home - it's Only A Cold, apparently. I have other things going on at the mo as well but he's conveniently forgetting about those :(

Hey Tante - nice to see you again! how's it all going in Japan now? Much the same or has everything calmed down and is normal service resuming?

I remember having one really weird pg dream - I dreamt that DH had let the baby fall out of bed - and then I woke up sweating and I was still pg. Most odd.

Esselle - procrastination rules in my house!

Hello WhoDat! Are you someone who moves around the world a lot then? sounds like it!

The sun here is vicious, and I think that is to do with the lack of ozone - if you stay in it you can feel it burning holes through your skin, almost regardless of temperature. But in the summer the killer is the humidity - can't move without breaking into a sweat. On the ~40deg days, we stay indoors in our underwear with all the windows and curtains closed and the aircon on full time. We are Not Unusual in this behaviour!

It's humid heat, normally dry but it's all a bit strange this year I haven't a clue what is happening with the weather, sure feels hotter than last year, but maybe it's because I am pregnant now, last year I just had a 6 month old.

I have been an expat for 3 years, really not looking forward to the uk move (if it happens) I enjoy the expat lifestyle too much!

Very glad inot the only one who has suffered bad pregnancy dreams, the stick insect one did make me giggle though!

I dreamed I gave birth to a guinea pig, who in turn gave birth to crickets!

Hi everyone! I'm here in Minnesota. :)

CY, that's bizarre!
Barbie - hope everything is ok with your pg but I'm sure it is. It's just pulling more fatty acids out of your brain than you can cope with in one go - have some oily fish!

The weather is strange everywhere - NZ have just had two enormous snow dumps again (they had one big one earlier this year that bust the roof of a stadium, can't remember which city though). It's mad! I am very :( for anyone living in Christchurch at the mo - they must think Mother Nature has it in for them just now, what with the earthquakes and now the snow/blizzard!

Hi Thumbwitch we are practically neighbours I am on the Central Coast !
Sat on the sofa waiting to start cooking dinner ...

Kiddies just in from school. Sunny but breezy here.

I am 19 weeks pregnant and feeling huge so sympathies for the cold !

Signing in but cheating as I'm currentlly in London escaping the 51 degrees... Barbie you are hardcore ! I wimped out end of June as soon as the kids went on summer hols

Hi Bonza! haven't seen you around much recently - we must get together at some point!

There is another Sydney meet up on 9thSeptember at the Aquarium (kids invited too) but you might not want to if you're pg; however if you do, hope over to the Sydney Meet Up thread and sign in!

We're also considering a Newcastle-ish (or Hunter Valley! ) meet up as there are a few of us up here now - Thatsnotmymonster is up in Newcastle
and I know of one other MNer who lives halfway between me and Newcastle.

Wordsonapage - can't say I blame you!

Wordsonapage, we have been to the uk an back again. Wish I had stayed back longer, this is pure hell!

Hi, I'll try to join and not peter out this time... if I have more than two regular threads going I tend to lose the plot and forget what I've said where :)

I'm on the West Coast of Canada, 45 mins outside Vancouver, where the Olympics were last year. It's currently 08:30 here, and looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day. Which we so need as we have had the shittiest summer. There was a ten-degree temperature difference between February and July, and it had been pretty much uniformly grey since Feb, too. My garden was just crap this year :(
But it's just gotten nice out, warm and sunny and cloudless during the day, just that hint of chill starting at 6 pm. If we couldn't have a scorching hot summer with lots of beach time, then this is a reasonable substitute.

Yes have been watching the Sydney meet up - but having 2 at school would be worried about getting back in time ?
Plus have not travelled alone - LOL what a scaredy cat I am !!

Have caught trains to Newcastle before - but only to have fish and chips on the beach / river front... one of my cravings !

Been to Hunter Valley area for a couple of picnics, would be nice to meet some adults as I have not met many people yet.

Trains are easy and cheap here, one bonus! Will PM you. :)

Hi! I'm here but not much to say :) Going to eat some chee-tos and watch some SVU... :o

CY - you killed it! Well nearly, I resurrected it. But now many people will be in bed (where I should be!)

Good Morning I am weather watching - to see if it is craft market weather or something indoors .... rain is predicted but sky is looking clear at the moment.