Also. Happy Birthday Dear Blog

It's now been five years that I've had this blog going. Just realized that.


Happy Birthday dear Banablog.... happy birthday to you.

How do I put in one of those stupid smileys with the party hat and the paper noisemaker?

Immediate Invasion

Well since the last update the family VISAs were approved near instantly and they have been rambling around Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Nova Scotia seeing friends and family and otherwise suffering the dance of displacment. Now they are just about here in England and I will be picking them up at the airport on Wednesday morning (this being Sunday). I cannot wait to have them in country and around the house and city.

Kate has let me know she will basically be hitting the couch with a book and a pot of coffee while I am out with the kids for the first five days in country. Something which I am sure will be a blast for all of us.

Today is Rigby's birthday and in keeping with our technological gifting pattern she recieved a new iPod touch for her 3rd. She loves owning her own now and Sebastian is immensley jealous over this. He on the other hand will be getting a PsP for Xmas so it'll be short lived. While sad that I am missing her birthday I can handle with knowing that after 60days I will be seeing them again right away.

The house has come together nicely and feeling like a place that I live in, once Kate arrives with our boxes of goods and we unpack it should become our family home again. That'll be nice.

Life in the Barracks

Well it's been about 3 weeks now since I moved in solo to our new place in London. The Woolwich area is not without it's charms and scary dark corners but on the whole I am liking this area immensely. I've done a little exploring and noticed that there is enough stuff here to keep the kids on their toes for months on end, including the puppy stream that goes by our windows. It seems that the only dogs that live near here are puppies.

The Royal Arsenal area is setup to be both modern and historical, there is 'Firepower' the Royal Artillery Museum about a block from our flat and the Greenwich Historical Society is next door. All around the development there are cannons and big gun placements that are left overs from the time when this area was exlusively under the Royal Artillery.

There is a nice pub in the grounds call the Dial Arch (www.dialarch.co.uk) and a set of cafes spread about. Also the usual stuff like a gym but extended with a Spa and wellness centre where you can go from aromatherapy to hot rocks and massage. I like the area and I think once the family comes over (probably November) this will be a place we may not want to leave to quickly....

 

 There is also the flat which has made this place what it is, a nice quiet building with great charm. I've met our western neighbours and they have a 5 year old boy - to which I am sure Sebastian will become attached. The Thames Clipper river service to my work has it's dock on the river right outside our windows. It's about a 30 minute ride in by boat but it's unbelieveably relaxing comparing to the DLR and Tube combination. 

Today is IKEA trip #1 day for the house. Time to get some of the other things we're missing in the place that fell outside of 'full furnished'. Our friends Jason and Tara are also submitting their paperwork for their flat, which is about a block away. Nice.