We've found a place to live!!

To find our new home? walk through this gate...


Hello,

I know I haven't blogged recently but things have been so busy! And, not least, because we've found an apartment to buy.

Yes, I know that originally we were looking for a house but in the end we decided that an apartment was the simpler solution. Why? Because most of the houses in our price range would require some renovation work and Ben and I both realised what we're looking for at this point is simplicity.

So, we've found a quite adorable apartment at the entrance to Mutzig, a small town of 5000 people about 5 minutes drive from Molsheim. The apartment is part of an old house that has been subdivided into 8 sections and encircles a large court with parking places. The living room is large, has a wooden floor, and a lovely fireplace. The two bedrooms are comfortable and the kitchen is fully equiped. Also, there's a large cellar for the washing machine, bikes, and boxes. As with our current apartment, we can walk into town and to the train station. Photos will follow :-)

If everything goes okay, we should move in on May 25th 2006! So, watch this space for more news....

Hoping all is well,
love,
Robynx

My friend Jane, who has recently moved to the Ukraine has compiled some great “blue lists” - travel-related lists. Here are her entries:

An eclectic collection of Kyiv restaurants - Bluelist - Lonely Planet

Photographing Kyiv - some lesser known spots for snaps - Bluelist - Lonely Planet

Perfect Places to Pop the Question - Bluelist - Lonely Planet

Why not go along and have a look - you never know you might be tempted to visit someplace new after reading the first two, or you might be tempted to ask someone to marry you by the time you've read the last one!

hugs,
Robyn

How to be paid to trave!

Hello again,

Just to let you know that I've adapted a newspaper article I'm working on (for the P&J) into a bluelist entry.

It's called 'How to be paid to travel' and can be found by plugging 'money' into the search function.

See:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bluelist/index.cfm?fa=main.viewList&list_id=4077

Meanwhile, though, a HUGE THANK YOU to all those who have already voted for me! Both entries and now within the 'most popular entries' list... which can surely only be a good thing!

hugs,
Robynx

House Hunting

I've been a bit quiet for the last few weeks because things have been busy. Why? Well, work is keeping both Ben and I busy. Ben is traveling a lot and keeping up with his reports while the start of the year is always busy for Linguissimo. In addition, we're in the process of finding a house to buy - and are actually at the point of proposing a price for a house (or will be in ten days time, when the agent returns from holiday). It's a really cute house, with a garden and even a vegetable patch! We both really like it but are in no rush to buy something, so if our proposal works - great - if not, we'll just keep looking :-)

So, hoping alls well at your side,
love Robynx

Blue-Lists

If you're reading this and have some time to spare, why not consider entering the latest
Lonely Planet competition?

Here's the idea:

Write a list of things to do in an exotic place and win the chance to write for the Lonely Planet!
How? Well, after you publish your list all the other readers of the Bluelist 'vote' to say if it's any good. The lists with the most votes catch the eye of the judge and 'bingo' you're on your way to China for your first assignment!!

My first submission can be found under 'browse all keywords' and then the word 'swimming'.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bluelist/index.cfm?fa=main.viewList&list_id=3274

My second submission can be found under 'browse all keywords' and then the word 'paradise'.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bluelist/index.cfm?fa=main.viewList&list_id=3732

Have a look and then enter your own list!

hugs n smiles,
Robyn

Skiing!

Big smiles! Ben and I have just returned from a weekend in the mountains! Living just beside the Vosges hills, the recent low temperatures and snowy days have made me yearn for the slopes. When I was younger I went skiing all the time with my family and so winter has become connected with the desire to drink hot chocolate while talking about the latest run and snow conditions :-) Listening to my heart, Ben booked us into the 'Auberge du Lac Blanc' on Friday night. The only thing was, as soon as we arrived we knew we wanted to stay longer... and so quickly reserved for Saturday night as well. Which meant, after a great day's skiing on Saturday we came off the piste and then had the luxury of reheating at the hotel- (hot chocolate for me and coffee for Ben) . Which in turn meant that we could go for a snowy walk and enjoy the evening and all before dinner! Really, it was just ideal and only and hour and a bit's drive from the house. Hopefully, this'll mark the first of many weekends :-)

Returning home today we found a parcel from Sam containing... freshly caught.. wonderfully vegetarian... haggis! So tomorrow night - with neeps and tatties - we'll enjoy a feast fit for Scottish poets :-) Thanks girl!

my sweater

Hello,

A big thanks to Mum, Annette, and Juliette for helping me with not only this sweater but also with the couple of scarfs I've knitted/am in the process of knitting. Heaven knows I wasn't born a natural knitter, but that just makes me all the happier to have finished my first sweater. Next task? a woolen poncho! Here goes.....

ps/for those interested (Jane, Mary, Alena, Melanie etc) you can see my rather cluttered writing space behind - filled with photos and memories and, of course, empty cups of tea.

Oh brother!

Much to my delight, my brother Graham and I spent ages talking on the phone last night!! He's travelling around New Zealand at the moment and his phonecalls are fun because they go rather like this:

G: You know its 7.45am NZ time and I'm standing in a wee village.
R: Where?
G: Rotura.
R: (typing Roturainto google) http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/regions/rotorua.html Oh, Rotura, that's in the North island.
G: Yes, close to hobbiton.
R: What?
G: You know where the Hobbit village was filmed.
R: (typing hobbiton)http://www.hobbitontours.com/ That looks funny.
G: Yep, but I'm not going there as people say its a bit naff.
R: So, what are you doing today?
G: I'm going zorbing.
R: What? (typing 'zorbing NZ' into google.)
G: You know the hamster ball thing.
R: Oh: http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/attractions/adventure/zorbing/rotorua/
G: Only I don't know whether to do the dry run or the one with the bucket of water inside.
R: (reading the webpage) They say the dry run makes you feel less sick.
G: Well, I'll probably do the wet run then.
R: Yep, that sounds better. So, what have you been doing for the last few days?
G. Hiking my way through a national park, watching hawks dive on possum that have become roadkill, and listening to Kiwis scuffle about in the dark.
R: What does a Kiwi look like?
G: I was too cosy in my tent to go and look.
R:(typing Kiwi into google) Well, they say the Kiwi is 'The kiwi is canny, strong and stroppy, but it's vanishing from New Zealand at a rate of 5.8 percent every year. '
G: Yep, its a kind a silly, flightless bird.
R: yep, but you shouldn't mess with it because 'Despite its awkward appearance, a kiwi can actually outrun a human and have managed to survive because of their alertness and their sharp, three-toed feet, which enable them to kick and slash an enemy.'
G: Glad I stayed in my tent, then!

And so on and so on!!!

:-)

Cheers Graham, and watch out for those canny strong and stroppy Kiwis (as they sound awfully female to me!).

love,
Robynx

Molsheim

Here's a picture of Molsheim from the quite, quite, frozen vineyards!
(If you see the blog for October, you'll see quite a different picture of Molsheim!)

Snowy Walks

My friend Jane who has recently moved to the Ukraine just posted some snowy pictures on her blog. Not to be outdone, I thought I'd do the same!

As the temperature gauges read -5°C, I donned my thick socks and woolly scarf for a wintry walk through the local vineyards.

As the snow crunched underfoot, a kestrel circled overheaded and the distant sounds of children playing with their dog echoed all around. It was really lovely, as all the trees had frozen into place and so any colour or movement became really bright and important.

All the same, the nicest thing of all was to come back home and to settle down with some warm milk and a slice of Ben's homemade ham and nut bread!

Happy New Year!

Hello,

It's been a while since I last said 'hello' - so I hope alls well at your side and that you're enjoying the beginnings of the new year.

For my part, mum and dad came across for Christmas and so we visited the Christmas market in Strasbourg, Haut Keonigsbourg, and generally relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.

Then, for New Year, Ben and I drove down through Switzerland and Italy to Nice (where we used to live and where his parents currently live). Once there we caught up with some old friends and spent time with Jean Claude and Annette. On the first day of the New Year we donned our new roller blades and went for a skate and a skitter along the Cagnes promenade next to the sea!

The, phew, for Epiphany we went through to visit Juliette and Regis in Germany - where the girls knitted and the boys played 'Age of Empires 3'! It was all very enjoyable as we chilled out and had time for a wintry walk around the town.

Now, Ben and I are back in Molsheim and we - very importantly - have nothing planned for this weekend, except catching up with unfinished jobs around the house and contacting old friends.

So, here's hoping that you are well and that life continues at this happy and relaxed pace :-)

love n hugs,
Robyn

wintry colours

Hmmm...

I begin to wonder if I'm getting old. Why? Here are five reasons:

1. I finished knitting my scarf today. It's full of autumnal colours and very warm, in that knitted scratchy kind of way.

2. Ben and I are presently baking a yoghurt cake to use up some oldish pears.

3. Waking up late this morning, I read a little in bed before stumbling throughto the kitchen to enjoy tea and croissants with Ben.

4. Our Saturday ritual of visiting the mediatech feels comfortable, as we gleefully return to the house with an armful of CDs and books to pour over.

5. As the snow fell this week, I noticed how the sparrow hawks tucked their heads into their fluffy chests as they sat on bare trees watching the world; I saw how the orange of a fox running across an open field burned like a flame; and, I realised that whenever crows fly overhead in a flock of dark light I cannot help but remember how the bats swirled out of Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico and out into a different world than my own.

But, if these are the joys of growing old, may the world roll on.

St Martin

This Sunday afternoon we're back home to catch up on work and stuff but, before I start, I thought I'd tell you about our Friday night. You see November 11th in Germany is St Martin's day and in the evening all the children (and their parents) dress up warmly and parade through the streets while proudly showing off their 'lanterns.'
Who was St. Martin? He was a Roman monk who cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm. As the moon hung in the dark sky over Schwieberdingen, Juliette and Regis' home town, the parade was hence led by a Roman on a horse (that is, by St Martin) and finished in a church with a small reading of the history and, most importantly, with bretzels to munch on the way home!.

lac de pierre percée

Hello,

This Friday morning we're catching up on stuff so that we can bunk off for the weekend. Indeed, in a few hours we're heading through to Germany because its Antoine's 4th birthday tomorrow.
We have to arrive this afternoon because tonight we are joining in a 'German lattern parade' to celebrate (I think) a saint's day. I'll post more about that once we return.

Otherwise, the week has been busy for both Ben and I as work is keeping us occupied from dawn to dusk. No complaints, though, as we both really enjoy what we're doing.. which is, for my part, training various business man and women how to speak English. If this sets any of you off yawning.. imagine my day yesterday.

I left the house around 7am and drove through mist covered fields... where the silhouettes of trees stood out like charcoal sketchings on blank page. Upon arriving at Forexplo - a forestry company - I was offered the choice of a hundred different types of tea (they'd been shopping!) before I sat down to work with the first two clients. After about 3 hours of pleasant chatting and laughing it was time for lunch... which with this company means a little restaurant and a three course meal. Yesterday, though, after aperitif, starter, main course, apple pie desert, and - of course - coffee, they were slightly upset that the bill had come to as much as 15euros! Needless to say, I wasn't that upset given my lunch is - we could say - not usually that extravagent! Then, at around 2.30pm, the English work began again .. though, of course, in a slightly sleepier fashion than before! Now, all my days are not like this - indeed they tend to involve a lot of driving and additional preparation and the occassional swear word - but hey, nobody said the world was perfect!

Last Sunday was kinda perfect, though, - at least after a crappy start.

A crappy start? Yep, you know that nice shiny new car we spent loads of money on? Well, it came with a faulty battery (I can still hear Ziggy's laughter if I listen hard enough at night). So, the first part of Sunday was spent calling out a repair guy and then driving it to a garage before we headed off into the hills in Ben's Laguna!

Ah well!

The hassle was worth it... as we arrived at the (man-made) lake with enough time to enjoy a 2 hour walk around its border before the sun began to set over its sandy edges. As the air is beginning to chill (that's to say Ben and I are quite happy in our cosy pajamas at night, thank you very much!), the lake air felt fresh and clean. So, much of the walk was spent talking and laughing as the yellow flames of leaves danced through the air. All round, like a hearth as the last heat dwindles, the trees were becoming ashen and cold. But, we didn't mind as the pinks and oranges of the sunset cast their own light through the embers. Indeed, as we clambered back into the car to go home, we were already trying to plan the next time we could return.

Have a nice weekend, y'all!

Mont St Odile

As the French celebrated Toussaints and as we all had a day off work, Ben and I began the day slowly with home-made waffles and a lazy morning upstairs in the office. Then, as the afternoon rolled away the grey clouds and revealed some blue sky, we drove through the autumn trees and yellowing vineyards to Mont St Odile.

In 1000bc the Celts used this mountain top as a source of shelter and as a place to sacrafice, and even today you can see why. Standing sheltered by rich pines, you cast your eyes left and right trying to absorb the expanse of the plateau. Today you are also sheltered by the immense abbey which still welcomes nuns and which is decorated by numerous small chapels and recluses.

After exploring the main site, Ben and I wandered along wooded paths and over big square bolders. In fact, the bolders lying on the green moss made one rather imagine the Gods had left their dice on the gambling table and gone to bed.

Now we're home we're looking forward to raclette, relaxation, and the next national holiday in - oh - ten days time!

Strasbourg

In the tradition of all things Alsatian, this weekend was spent eating and drinking!

On Saturday we met the family in a brasserie in Strasbourg and tucked into the likes of tarte flambé (pizza like thing with cheese, cream, and lardons) and choucroute (cabbage and ham/am still learning how to spell it!) ; all the while, washing down a rather large amount of beer.

Yep, I could get used to this way of life!

Did I tell you that I drink a small glass of Kronenbourg beer each morning around 7.30pm and each evening around 6.30pm? No, then I didn't mention that I drive past the Kron. factory and that the wafts of beer pour themselves into my car each time!

Anyhoo, it was lovely to spend Saturday with 'the crowd' walking around Strasbourg and enjoying the sites... and to see juwt how fast Antoine and Charlotte are becoming little, delightful people.

brothers and cousins

A wee entry to celebrate my brother Graham and my cousin Kate!!

Kate's been traveling through Australia and New Zealand for just under two years now. Here's her last entry:
"last time i wrote, I was just leaving adelaide, where I'd been for 5 months, with many happy memories and heading westward across the huge expanses of the nullabor plain to WA. Well, since then Ive driven over 13000k (8000miles) seen many amazing things, and become awestruck at the sheer enormity of this dry, hot continent. a million miles away from scotland in many ways.

My first stop in WA after waving goodbye to my two nullabor companions was to do some woofing at an ecological community on the south western coast. A beautiful area, very green, with lots of trees, and an interesting coastline. The woofing was fantastic. Stayed with a lovely family who made me feel very welcome and were more than happy to share their extensive knowledge of sustainable living and community. I spent most of my time there in the veggie garden and as i was there for a month, got to see the plants growing which I'd sown- very satisfying. Amongst other things i also helped out at some elderly neighbours houses, did a few days work at the nearby centre for sustainable living and took part in community working bees.

The west coast is amazing...the bits I loved most were visiting Nigaloo marine park and snorkelling on the reef there- a bit like the great barrier reef but closer to shore. We snorkelled in a couple of different places, and despite my almost paralysing paranoia about sharks I managed to relax and enjoy it. Saw so many different coloured and shaped fishes and was just fantastic to get a glimpse into their little lives for a while. The last day we were there we went to an idillic snorkel spot in turquoise bay, we were just about to get out when Kevin tapped my shoulder and pointed- omg! a shark!! my worst fear, and my first thought was...oh, its not that big is it.it was a little reef shark. amazing to see it but i still got out of the water rather speedily. "

Now to be clear - she's one cool cat for having had such exeperiences. But, you know what? Even in Scotland she was an overall inspiring and envigorating person!

Meanwhile, my brother Graham has spent the last few months sailing from the Panama Canal towards Australia. Here's one of his last entries:

"We are currently en-route to theTuamotau Archipelago, but when we arrive in Tahiti, (10 days or so) I shalldefiantly be calling in. The Marquesas Islands ended up being a verypleasant refueling (both the boat and crew) point and both the islands wevisited were charmful and full of character and of course six days was notnearly enough. The first anchorage was called on a tiny island (pop. 1,000) called FatuHiva with a splattering of other yachts, including one registered inAberdeen. 38 feet, steel, ketch which left from Peterhead a couple of yearsago, sailed by Tam fae Kemnay who has a strong Aberdeenshire accent. Mad... "

Crazy, in fact!

much love,
Robyn

Molsheim

A thick layer of mist lay over Molsheim as I scurried out for croissants and pains aux chocolat this morning but all the same the sun was pushing its way through the silken layer, like a torch shining through water.

This weekend Molsheim is celebrating its fete des raisins but as the festivities don't really start until tomorrow Ben and I thought we'd go visit the recently harvested vineyards that lie just above the town. By this point, the sun was proudly shining in a blue sky .. and the only clouds were the flocks of joyful birds that were doing some harvesting of their own!

The New Car!

And, voila, here is our new car.
She is a Volkswagen Golf and comes with a bunch of toys: automatic gear box, air-conditioning, automatic wind shield wipers, and so on.
She's cute and I already love her (sorry Ziggy!).

Anyone wanting a test-drive just needs to come visit :-)

germany

I'm now at home eating kugelhopf and drinking gerwutztraminer, though not necessarily at spelling them.

Why? Because now when we take a trip to Germany it feels like visiting a home away from home (and not just because its cold and raining).

Anyhoo, we had a lovely weekend in Germany and not least because our new Golf drove us there (we cannot really say we drove, as we were too busy playing with the gadgets and listening to CDs to care about anything else other than the gear box was on automatic and the speed was on cruise control!!).

Once with Juliette and Regis, we helped unpack their boxes and play with the kids while generally relaxing and eating good food. Stressful, it was not.

Now we're back on the other side of the Rhine we're both busy working hard and enjoying life.

Indeed, it is - as they say - all good!