Ruby is 2!

Terrible two's await........................

January turns out to be a busier month than most?!?!!!  not sure how that happened.....shouldn't we all be recluses at home avoiding alcohol and waiting for the weather to get better and nights to get lighter!?!?!!!

Thankfully no repetition of last january when the kids seemed to spend the whole month sick!
Conor gets a day off school to play in the Luxembourg schools chess tournament - Conor is the only representative from the international school (chess hasn't managed to breakthrough there yet!) and does amazingly well to win the  U11 tournament and comes 7th in the total competition (up to 18 year olds and a total of 70+ entrants!!) Millie relishes in wearing his medal as Conor is too embarassed to show it off!!!

Another cultural little visit is planned and a few of us head off to Metz in France to go to the Pompidou museum and the Bivouac exhibition.



I manage to escape for a night with 3 friends and we head off to Belgium for a spa weekend :-)

It was really fun and we all chatted far too much for the other guests trying to relax and have some peace and quiet!!!!!!

Boozy lunch and dinner so not much of a "healthy spa" trip but i managed to sleep until 10am......my "roomy" Cathy woke up at 8am apparently and was reading but I was away with the fairies and she tells me as soon as i stirred at 10am she started chatting so I didn't get a chance to go back to sleep!!!!!   I'm sure I would have slept all day!  Can you believe after heading off home after lunch I felt exhasted when I got home??!  not sure how that works!!

The following weekend we head off to the mountains of Les vosges for a couple of days skiing with some friends!  This year we managed to miss the Friday exodus from Luxembourg to France and so 2.5 hours later we arrive and meet our friends for dinner and the obligatory too much wine associated with any skiing hols!!  The sensible thing would have been to rent skis that night to avoid the morning queues............ho hum.......how we wished we hadn't been so dismissive of the idea the night before!  we eventually got out on the slopes...............................

Having become fairly niftty at packing and unpacking from all our jaunts here and there I just have time to get it all sorted before Ruby and I head off to the UK for 3 days!  Having not seen my Nana since the summer who is due to turn 104 in a couple of weeks, we made the trip over to Leeds/Bradford.......although leaving Luxembourg is obviously not the most straightforward of journeys (and getting up at 4.30am never seems a problem when booking the flights but at the time seems like the craziest thing ever with an almost 2-year old in tow!) we have a wait in Amsterdam where I relish my Starbucks coffee ;-)))))  We arrive Friday morning and visit my Nana who is unfortunately in hospital but thankfully recognises me and in a chatty mood (kind of making my €450 trip and middle of the night waking truly worthwhile :-))  To top the whole thing, snow falls during Saturday and almost mucks up my Saturday night plans (my friends hubby save the day and comes to collect me in his 4-wheel drive :-)) and gets me worried that I won't make it home on Sunday!!  I do make it home late on sunday but have to say I don't ever remember so much snow unforecast overnight in north England......typical huh?!

A real white Christmas

October to December always seems to pass in a state of chaos and panic trying to keep up with all the birthdays, christmas events and school concerts / plays etc etc aswell as trying to get organised for christmas.  Since being here, this has been compounded by the fact that we always seem to be rushing to get away as soon as kids are out of school......this year no exception!

We had some great weather through the autumn and made the most of getting out and about with the scooters..........................Ruby now well in on the act and wants her own vehicle to manouvre........very slow progress made nowadays!!!!!   Anyway - here are some pics of a walk in the forest close to where we live.

Ruby in the shopping bag........    

Luxembourg Christmas Market is a big hit with the McCabes..........plenty of mulled wine and sausages............and the kids happy with the entertainment provided!   Ruby refused to get off........!!

We had a fleeting visit to the UK for a few days and got some shopping and outings in..........we managed a good night out in Harpenden involving too much wine and plenty of laughter...................



A visit to the Rainforest Cafe............................





After arriving back in Lux after a 4-day whirlwind trip we had a day to re-pack and then it was off to Les Gets in France for Christmas and skiing :-)    





Millie on Christmas Day morning opening her stocking and scoffing her chocs and sweets from the off!   Somehow it felt ok with the thought of skiing in a few hours!   Extra energy!!



The chalet we rented was fantastic..........with in-house chef to boot!  Amazing breakfast everyday with choice of breakfast cooked to order!!!   We were soon all out on the slopes............

and had AMAZING christmas weather............and Shaun was a bit hesitant beforehand about spending Christmas away skiing????!!?!!?!?!?  

Even Ruby loved her playing at the creche and in the snow :-)

Christmas Day afternoon we followed the lighted path to visit Santa's grotto in the forest........

One of Santa's little helpers.........

and it was then time to enter the grotto and get a peep at Santa................ssshhhhhhh......he's resting after his busy night :-)

 



bits and bobs

After our weekend in Paris, the birthday celebrations continue with a 40th lunch here in Luxembourg for a UK friend.......from which I have to leave 30 minutes early to collect Ruby, race to the airport and catch a flight to London to get up to Harpenden to celebrate Issadora's 40th at the Luton Hoo :-)

It was fun to celebrate and see everyone again!   We stayed at the Luton Hoo which was lovely and a shame we had to leave Saturday but we had to get back for Conor and Millie!!!! 

The rest of the weeks followed the usual routine of activities, french, gym etc etc etc. Of course I'm still having to spend a morning trudging off the the supermarket as internet and delivery of groceries still hasn't made it here :-((

We had the annual trip to Steinsel for "apple picking" which always involves cremant (local version of champagne) and sausages.......and pony rides for the kids!!!   We had great weather and it was a fun afternoon!

I organised an Amazon wives cultural outing to the Mudam museum which you can almost see from our house!   amazing building and structures inside........and obviously followed by lovely lunch in the museum after!!!!  Kind of thought I should do some of this cultural stuff before I leave and there's plenty to see!!!!!!

We spend a Saturday at  the local ice-rink which was hilarious given Shaun and Conor have never done it before!!!!   Millie and I kept our distance from them!!!!!!  daren't take the camera though so no pics :-(

Conor gets a fairly large part in the Grade4/5 school performance.  For all the faults with the school, their musical performances are second to none.......I'll bore you all with the DVD when I'm home......for now a few pics will suffice!!!!!



A few days in Germany.............

Half term arrived and I did not have enough energy to face a journey that involved anything but getting in the car and driving somewhere not too far away!   All you mum's with little ones on the move understand where I'm comnig from (or can remember vividly from last time around!!)

So I plan a trip to Germany to visit a couple of pretty towns - Heidelberg and Baded-Baden......much to Shaun's horror!   not quite the Barcelona or Milan he was hoping for!!!!! 

Anyway - we had a nice relaxing few days away (if that's possible with a 20-month old!!) and enjoyed some sunny strolls and general pottering! 

Stayed in a very central hotel which the kids loved as each room was a city name and it gave you the distance from Heidelnerg to these cities......always some learning to do along the way!!!!!  We were in Paris room :-)

A few autumnal pics..........................

At Heidelberg's historical castle..............

view of the rive from the castle

a tired mum.................