Friday, December 21, 2007

My daughter just looked at me and said, "John Lennon is the only member of the Beatles that's still alive, right mom?"

So far, my holidays have been surreal.
Today we woke up and the water pipes were frozen. I went into the shed and sure enough, the workers had forgotten to put the insulation back on the pipes. So, several hot towels and newspaper and a hair dryer later, we have water again. I have to go find where the workers put the insulation and tuck it all back in, but it's cold out there.
The temperatures will rise a little this week, but will plunge again next week. I love the cold when it's sunny out, and so far we've had glorious weather - bright, sunny, and cold.

My daughter is sick - the school called yesterday and sent us into a panic. The school nurse thought she might have menigitis.
So yesterday I'm in church listening to the children's choir for the private school in Montfort (Gorgeous church, Unesco site) and the cell phone rings, and it's my husband with the news about my daughter. I leave right in the middle of 'Angels We Have Heard on High' and sprint for the car. I was with my friend Andrea, so she had to drop me off. We rushed her to the doctor, who reassured me. It's just a gastirc flu. Causes headaches, muscle aches, and nausea. Poor kid is once again in bed (well, with the TV on, big fluffy pillows, and room service...) I do hate getting scared like that though.

Auguste is escaping again. (he goes through stages) Now he's learned to climb the stone wall on the right side of our garden. (Strange sight, a dachshund taking a flying leap at the wall, then gripping and scrabbling over it.) It would be funnier if I weren't so worried he'd get hit by a car once outside the garden. Silly dog.

Gabriele, I got the French version of the Deryni series, I didn't even check to see if it was in English. It's by Pocket books, so maybe they have a series in German? I know most of my German friends prefer to read books that are written in English in English. I'm always amazed at how well my German friends speak English.
I wish I came from a country with an educational system that thought learning a foreign language was important...

5 comments:

Gabriele Campbell said...

The German series is incomplete, too. I won't mind reading French, so if you come across a French version of The Bastard King ... I hate having the first two books of a trilogy but not the third. :)

Well, you can't expect Bush wanting people to learn more than he knows, and he doesn't speak English very well to begin with. :D

Bernita said...

Geese, you don't need heart-stoppers like that.

Stacia said...

Oh dear! Glad it's only a flu, but how awful to be sick for Xmas. Hope she feels better soon!

John Nez said...

I was just thinking the other day how being a parent means the extension of one's nerves to suffer vicariously for our children in ways most people can't imagine.

Yes... the shocks, the fears, the despair. It's all very mysterious how we get through it.

I understand the secret to this mystery is all revealed by becoming a grandparent!

Kate said...

UGH. Tis the season for sick kids...Poor pumpkin.

Hope she's on the mend and will be fine for the big event, whenever that is in your part of the world. (we were just listening to David Sedaris's 6-8 Black Men, all about the Netherland's version of Santa)