The first bumblebee of the year!

You know the seasons are turning when you see the first big fat fluffy bumblebee of the year zooming past your window! If you haven't seen a bumblebee there are some pics here - this page shows the results of a search on bumblebee images on yahoo so you get some interesting pictures in amongst the nature shots!!

I have a heavy cold (again) and was feeling quite grotty and miserable, but this little bumblebee has perked me up no end! Warm weather is on the way!!

We're spending Easter in Madrid

Hola! Yes, there was an horrific terrorist attack in Madrid a few weeks ago, I know, I wept over the news and saw it in the papers every day for a week. But we're going anyway. I live in a terrorist target. Every day the papers tell me that an attack on London is 'inevitable'. And if you live in any of the countries that suckered themselves to the Bush/ Blair behemoth during the attacks on Iraq or Afghanistan then you too live in a target. So you may as well get busy living and go and visit art galleries and laze about in old cobble-stoned Plazas in fabulous vibrant cities. And maybe even catch some flamenco. Well, thats what I'm doing anyway!

A day in the Prado is definitely on the list, perhaps a Real Madrid game (oooooh Beckham!), and some other galleries I'm not even going to attempt to spell here. Apparently on Easter Thursday and Good Friday there are street "processions of penitents"! I'm hoping we can squeeze a visit to El Rastro (a flea market!) in and perhaps also a visit to Palacio Real (the Royal Palace). Looking forward to the break...

Adios!

Chocaid.com
Chocaid is a new Not-for-Profit organisation that aims to:

"generate funds for world-wide hunger relief projects by redirecting part of the money spent on chocolate to men, women and children who can only dream of such an indulgence. There are a staggering 790 million people in the world who are hungry. 24,000 are estimated to die from hunger or hunger-related causes every day, three quarters are children."

The concept of me buying chocolate in order to give people enough food and water just to keep them ALIVE is challenging.

"To eliminate hunger and malnutrition" is the mission of Chocaid's partner charity Gorta .

So go on, buy someone (or yourself) some chocolate today and turn its luxury into something essential.

Hide 'n' Seek and Learn!
It was fascinating to watch the thought processes and ability to learn of an 'almost 4' year old while playing hide and seek over the weekend. Thomas initially 'hid' sitting in the middle of a room, then it was Stu's turn to hide so he covered himself with a bathrobe hanging on the back of the door. This initially really threw Thomas who couldn't find him without help, but once he had, he went straight back there to hide when it was his turn. Stu then lay on one of the beds and threw a blanket over himself, and even though there was a man-sized lump on the bed Thomas looked but didn't see him. Arthur (2), however, ran straight over and lifted the covers up! When it was Thomas' turn again he ran to his room, and attempted to cover himself with his blanket (left his feet sticking out!) - what an application of memory and knowledge! The next turn he went and sat in the corner of the bathroom with the fluffy blue bath mat over his head and shoulders - very comical! But still, he remembered the principle of covering yourself up with something and adpated and applied it. Fascinating! I wonder if he will remember that the next time we play?

Lauren Ellen Wood Update
Well from all accounts my niece and god-daughter little Lauren Ellen (the most gorgeous baby to ever be born) is settling into a routine at night and allowing her parents more than 45 minutes sleep in a 12-hour period. She is waking for (usually) two feeds and sleeping up to 4 hours in between. Her reflux seems to have settled with the help of medication which took a while to kick in. I can't wait to see her!

Unfortunately Lauren's Mum Roz has just had to spend 3 nights in hospital with an infection around the site of the ceasaerian (I can never spell that word!). Roz is allergic to penicillin so had to go on a drip. At least Brad got some sleep for three nights!

The Diary of Ivan Noble
I stumbled across the diary of Ivan Noble today. Ivan was diagnosed with a malignant aggressive brain tumour in August 2002. He is a Science and Technology writer for the BBC and has been keeping an online journal about his surgery, treatment and family since diagnosis. He is not sure he will make it to the birth of his second child and first son in July. It is heart-wrenching and humbling reading. All of his entires are available online. I am in awe of his approach to his life and illness. Please make time to read some of his journal. It will put your life into some sort of perspective. Then please ask whoever your God is to send him a miracle.

Stu's BT contract
Some good news on Stu's work - his contract was due to expire on April 4 and after initial mumblings about funding he was told it would be renewed for three months, maybe 6 at a push. It came through at the end of Friday March 19 for TWELVE MONTHS! You often don't realise you are carrying a weight on your mind until it is lifted. What a relief to know he'll have a contract until then... Next step, negotiating permanency.

Yay more violence
Well my neighbour was jumped at the downstairs security door at midnight last night. Apparently the new boyfriend of the lady upstairs was trying to get in and as the neighbour let herself in with her keys he tried to push past. As she told him to stay out because he didn't live in the block he grabbed her head and repeatedly bashed it against the door and wall before throwing her to the ground and letting himself in. I overheard all this from the policemen in the foyer outside our thin front door. There's a blood stain on the wall by the front door this morning. I have his description and think I saw him walking up the road towards the block this morning. Slim build, black but not very dark-skinned, dreadlocks, short. I wanted to slam him into a wall. The lady whose boyfriend he is had both of her children removed by social services last year so what did she do? Got pregnant and had another child earlier this year. Her boyfriend lives in the local male hostel and their residents aren't known for their mental stability. We are definitely moving when our lease is up.

On my God I'm aching
Bikram Yoga. 90 minutes of hard-ass yogic workout in a room heated to 41 degrees. This is isn't any of that namby pamby deep breathing, focus on your third eye type of yoga. This is hard core. Constant movement and when they say every muscle in your body will be stretched and moved they mean it. I ached for two days afterwards! But strangely, it felt good. I'm going back for more punishment this weekend! It's quite a release from the stresses of the week.

Interactions with a stranger
I bumped into Brian again on the way home last night. Brian is visually impaired. He can differentiate between light and dark and can kind of see large objects but not in any detail. I first met him last week when he left the train at the same station as me. He was heading straight towards the glass wall of the platform waiting room and although his white cane would have alerted him to the fact I thought I would offer my assistance in navigating the platform chairs, bins and puddles and the 30 or so steps and left and right turns required to exit the station. He accepted my help and it turned out how was going the same way as me so we ambled along the uneven pavement with his arm on mine and navigated our way over the road-works-ridden major intersection. Once we got to his turning he assured me he was fine from there so I left him to tap and shuffle his way slowly along the road. I was in awe of his courage and ability to get out and about in the world.

When I saw Brian last night I again offered my assistance after all the other commuters had rushed past him in their hurry to get home to their more important lives. I hadn’t expected him to recognize me and was very surprised when he asked if I was the lady who helped him last week. As we ambled up the hill we chatted and I described the progress of the roadworks and discovered he was on his way to meet a ‘lady friend’. It felt good to connect with a stranger, even if only for a few minutes. Living in a big city you are surrounded by thousands of people who don’t care to know you. Reaching, even briefly, into the life of someone new, feels good. I wonder if I’ll see Brian next Thursday?

Did you know I'm an Aunty and Godmother? Brad and Roz brought little Lauren Ellen Wood into the world on February 8, 2004. She is, of course, the most beautiful baby to have ever graced the earth with her presence :) Unfortunately she is lactose intolerant and is causing a few problems by refusing to settle or sleep. I'm not sure how people survive on 2 hours sleep in every 24 hour period but Brad and Roz are trying it. I am hoping Ngala might be able to help them. Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow (Thursday) we're forecast to hit double figures in the temperature for the first time in weeks. It's forecast to be 12 degrees. I can feel the sweat forming on my brow already. The BBC's Weather site will let you know how cold I am every day if you're interested.