from our own correspondent

[teafortwo]

Old thread...
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/2423/576865?ts=1222265998268&msgid=12499051

New thread...

to be created below!

Enjoy!

FOOC Langley, BC, Canada

It's bloody effing cold here today!! Did some shopping over lunch and just about froze my butt off!!! But at least it's not raining. Have been glued to Yahoo News re the US election...
Nothing else earth-shattering to report, only a very trivial shallow moan: my skin has been horrible since I had DS!! It was wonderful while I was pregnant. Then, when he was three months old, it got oily, oily, oily, break-out-prone, and now I'm seeing fine lines where there were none before!!!! Is this normal??? I'm in my late 30 and DS is my first baby... is it simply raging hormones?? Whatever it is, it's pissing me off, I look like the world's oldest teenager.
On the upside... got a lovely bath products gift basket from a patient. Does anyone remember those hilarious Clairol Herbal Essences commercials where the chick moans orgasmically in the shower as she's washing her hair?? (PMSL!!!!) That was me this morning, lovely tea tree and mint shampoo...

Am now going to go be very silly somewhere else... !!!

BTW - anybody have any favourite skin care recommendations for hormonally challenged, oldest-teenager-in-the-world skin?? All suggestions gratefully received!!

FOOC Sydney

The weather has finally settled here and we're looking at mid-twenties with just the odd thunderstorm for the next five days or so.

I walked the kids to school this morning and then stopped at a cafe on the way home for a quick coffee with friends. The jasmine, jacaranda and bouganvillia are in full blossom and it makes any walk a real pleasure. The jasmine in particular tend to grow rampantly in Sydney and can perfume an entire street.

Yesterday's Melbourne Cup is today's hot topic, after the US election of course. It was a photo finish and the eventual winner was Bart Cummings, who is in his '80's and yesterday produced his 12th Melbourne cup winner 50 years after his first. Australia loves a sentimental winner, especially when it's the underdog.

DH put $2 on a horse for each of the dcs, and DD, 7yo, won $100! It was cause for huge celebration, as you can imagine. Her brothers are happily helping her plan how to spend it. Apparently she picked the winner because it's name, Viewed, sounded a bit like The Ood...

FOOC Auckland

Weather - psychotic, yesterday Melbourne Cup Day - freezing (I ended up forsaking best dressed prize at Ellerslie for winter bots, tights and a T-shirt under a tunic dress rather than the little booby sun number and heels I was intending to wear!) Today intermittently overcast, sunny with winds so high my little Barina was bobbing all over the motorway on the way into town earlier.

Anyway - Melbourne Cup via Auckland. Lindauer sponsored the event so for non-drivers (sadly not me [sad) there were bubbles galore. There was a special 'powder room' where for free you could get your make up touched up between races while quaffing free Lindauer. The young, rich and very beautiful were out in force strutting as much as the parading horses. In equal numbers were the older, perhaps richer and serious punters.

We were in a corporate tent. What can I say, as much as you could eat and drink. We had our own 'race guy' who was there to advise us on horses, form, betting proceedures, give away freebies, etc etc.

Amazingly I had a horse come in the first 3 in EVERY race apart from the biggy itself. I went with $20 in my purse and came away with over $160 . My technique - oooh that's a nice name or what a lovely jersey . Hd who was studying form was most put out and stopped betting. DH also was highly amused at my ability to shout -'gooooooooo onnnnnnnnnnnnn' at the very top of my voice to the horses as they thundered past while hanging over the rail. All in all very exciting and dh is now very concerned I may develop a gambling habit! Slightly sadly we had to leave half way through the proceedings to pick up the ds's. ALl in all fantastic.

I'm going to bed, but here's my update from America:

If you want play-by-play reading material, check out all the die-hard MN'ers that stayed up on [http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/641043-US-Election-Watch-we-39-ll-be-here-for-a this thread]

Wow, I've never botched a link before. I guess I'm too excited.

Try Again

FOOC Nairobi

Well there are huge celebrations here this morning with the news of Obama's victory. The President of Kenya has declared tomorrow a public holiday to celebrate the fact that the son of a Kenyan is now one of the World's most powerful men As ever, Kenyans are massively overexcited which resulted in an armed car jacking right outside a kindergarten next door to dd's prep school. We passed minutes before it happened and heard the shots as we entered school. The staff quickly closed all the kids into the school until we learnt what was going on. The thieves took the car and shot a local guard dead. Two local security cars chased them a couple of hundred metres away, blocked the car and the thieves ran off.... a scary incident for us all and an indication that emotions are running high. That's the penalty we pay for having such a wonderful lifestyle

FOOC in Chicago

I WAS THERE

I had high hopes but big doubts but am so happy to be able to say that I have MET the President of the United States.

Chicago is thrilled.

Congratulations America!

Congratulations America.

Superbunny
Was it the MNetter that persuaded you to go downtown after all? Just read the election thread, how exciting. lol at Ronald McDonald.

M&M
at the national holiday and celebration but how frightening for you re the car jacking.

Congratualtions America I feel like I can breath a hughe sigh of releif. I hadnt quite realised just how scared I was for my children about all this.

Phew

FOOC Nigeria

I'm feeling pretty freaked out at the moment, for two reasons. One is that over the past few days a number of men have been appearing unannounced on my balcony outside the kitchen. They are allegedly sorting the wiring for the penthouses above but do not have our permission to come into our apartment . A security guard lets them in!! I've just done a scary shouting act at them and they've gone for now. Dd says I was especially scary when I grabbed a mop and wielded it at them!!!

The other cause of freaking out is the number of black kites (birds, not the toy variety) that have appeared today. There are usually one or two around but this afternoon they are cruising past our eighth floor windows in two, threes and more, all looking a bit peckish.

Ohhh Nigeria that sounds a bit freaky. I'd be nervous too. But LOL at you grabbing a mop and wielding it at the men on your blacony!! Go mama!!

I am so glad that Obama won the election. We wached CNN last night until my eyeballs shrivelled up. And I woke up a few times in the night and each time I thought, "I am so relieved that he won". I'm not sure exactly why I'm feeling that way... I mean, not so I could explain it in tiny little details, but I think I was just terrified of what another Republican government of the US would do to the world.

Oops, forgot weather report. But you could just scroll back and see what it's been the last few days... just a bit colder. But here goes: FOOC Langley, BC, Canada: weather is pissy, grey and cold!!! And my DS is NOT adjusted to that hour we gained... he wakes at 6:15 am, cheery as a little bird, while we open bleary eyelids, feeling slightly less cheery.

Suedodim

I wouldnt be very happy about strange men anywhere near my balcony.

Also - please tell me the significance of the kites [thicko emotion]

So dow DO you pronounce "emoticon"?
Is it "emote - eye-con" or "emote - ick -on"??? I never know and have felt too stupid to ask...

FOOC Auckland

My poor ds's were subjected to watching the election results come in from lunchitme yesterday. At 4 and 8 I know the signigicance was wasted on them but still! Well, news this morning - how will it affect NZ. Obama apparantly is not too keen on the free trade deal that was about to be signed under Bush and McCain was agreeable to but I guess on the scale of things it will be the last thing on Obama's agenda. The world watches and waits..................

I also don't mean to be a prophet of doom at such a time but I hope his security is good. I see similarities with Kennedy hype and have visions of some looney redneck running amock although I truly hope not.

Another run up to the election broadcast last night here. Really very tame and unshow-worthy by US standards. Commentary this morning - why are they being so nice to each other . Well will keep you posted but we too could be in for a change of government by Sunday, it seems to be worldwide - first Aus, then US, maybe us, then who knows Britain doesn't seem to keen on Brown atm.

Weather - more rain .

FOOC in the Home of the New President!

A momentous day in a very proud city.

Well, as some of you may have seen from the other threads, last night I suddenly decided that I couldn't sit at home peering out at the twinkling lights over the city so dragged DS out of bed, stuck him in the Ergo and headed downtown. I didn't expect to get into the rally but I wanted DS to be part of what was going to be a big night. What I forgot was that Obama would be heading downtown at the same time so evertthing was at a complete standstill while the SS closed all of the main routes into the city. NO-one knew which road Obama would take and they all remained closed until he got home after the rally. As you can imagine, over a million people on the streets of a fairly small area of the city meant that it was chaos.But amazing. The atmposphere was electric. Television crews everywhere, police, important looking limousines and stretch hummers. Because of the road closures and the nightmare of getting all those peopel out of the city, DS and I stayed only for the announcement. By then, he was asleep and weighed an awful lot more than I remembered so we jumped on the first bus we could and made it home in time to watch the speech. It was either that or stay and watch it on a TV in a hotel lobby and then fight to get home. So, although I wish we could have stayed, it worked out well, really.

Today, my neighbourhood has been buzzing. Everyone is walking round muttering, "I can't believe it" I haven't seen or heard any news today but am about to go and see how other countries have reacted. I know Kenya was pleased!

All the security from last night has made me wonder about it in general. The Obama children go to school accross the street from my apartment. Anyone can walk through the doors and there is no security at all.I have often been shocked at this, given the measures that British schools take to ensure the safety of their pupils yet here, in the land of guns (especially this neighbourhood), anyone can walk through the doors of a school. Playgrounds are shared with the public. And this in the city where 36 school children were shot dead in the last school year.

PS: I say emote-ick-on

FOOC Japan

Superbunny - it must have been a fanastic night for you! was watching the thread yesterday...

Here in Japan, there were BIG celebrations in the little city of Obama, on the Sea of Japan coast! Before it got linked with the Presidential candidate, it was known as the town from which two Japanese nationals were kidnapped by North Korea during the Cold War.
Now though, they have really got the tourist thing going, with Obama burgers and Obama sushi! The mayor apparantly sent a letter to Barack Obama earlier this year, with a gift of some local produce. Obama wrote back saying "I understand Obama is a city of rich culture, deep traditions and natural beauty. We share more than a common name. We share a common planet and common responsibilities. I'm touched by your friendly gesture." What a nice man!! hey and one of our FOOCs has MET him - hurrah!

here is a link to a story on the town of Obama

How lovely, rose. Chicago is linked with the city of Osaka but I think we should be twinned with Obama too.

Just in case anyone else is interested, Xenia's posting from Iran

Superbunny strangely enough I was watching Dr Phil this afternoon - in my defence I would like to state I do not usually watch Dr Phil but was doing the ironing and there wasn't anything else on!!! Anyway it was about children being taken from American school playground or rather being handed over by teachers to abductors. While I obviously don't think this is a funny topic and heaven forbid it happening but one story did make me raise an eyebrow. An elderly gentleman pointed out a child in the playground that he said he'd come to collect. The teacher told the child to go. When he got home his wife pointed out it wasn't his grandchild. Apparantly he had over 50 grandchildren genuinly made a mistake and had to take the child back to school where the distraught parents were going frantic and bring home is real grandchild.

Fascinating thread - thanks for letting us know about it.

Crikey - that is scary. Thankfully the teacher sent the child with someone nice but the 'what if' doesn't bear thinking about. But it really is a very worrying issue that doesn't seem to be taken seriously. America has always struck me as a 'don't fix it if it ain't broken' kind of place i.e. things are changed until something bad happens. And even if something does happen, change doesn't always follow.

FOOC - North Yorkshire

It was a wet, but mild Guy Faulks in North Yorkshire and it was wonderful watching my two boys eyes light up and the oooooow and ahhhhhs of the Fireworks.

Brother had timed it just right, not too long and lots of rockets going off at the same time for maximum impact.

DS1 was a wizz at apple bobbing, managing to get one in 3 seconds the first time and 5 seconds the second time. DH thought it might be due to him having a big mouth like his mother , but really I had told him to look for ones with a long stem and to bite that. So a three year old won the apple bobbing

DS2 danced the night away in his pumkin outfit, refusing to even take off his hat. It was cute watching my two year old doing all the actions to the kitch songs like superman

So a great night was had by all, although DS1 couldnt get his head round why wwe celbrate someone not blowing something up - buy blowing things up!!!!

FOOC - London

Well, my return to the UK has been grey, grey and more grey. Bio-wetter = bored and grumpy. Actual wetter = Mostly cloudy, 11 degrees, feels like 11 degrees until March 09.

I'm pining for red maple leaves, a cup of coffee and a Boston Cream doughnut from Tim Hortons. Also experienced a bit of retail reverse-culture shock since returning. Namely: the outrageous prices in Sainsburys, since when was 8 dollars for 2 punnets of fruit a "deal" (2 for £4)? Got completely confused/frustrated in Mothercare and Babies R Us, when I couldn't find what I was looking for (flash-back to same frustration in Toronto when I first arrived there, minus surly customer-'service').

Cumulative Nov 5th celebrations since the weekend have worked their standard pea-soup-fog inspiring magic all over London town. We didn't venture out last night, but got some second-hand firework action from the big display in the park and some less-sociable neighbourhood fire-crackers at 11pm .

What a whinge-bag hey? In my defence, we've all been a bit under the weather. Luckily, am going off to have a week of Mediterranean sunshine (fingers crossed) soon, which should turn my frown upside down and I'll regain my London-mojo. It's quite a nice place really.