Oh boy was I happy to see my Sister last week.... I have loved every minute of this year with all of its ups and downs but being separated from my little Sister, who I now know is my best friend in the world has been harder than I could have ever imagined. The build up to Vicky and my Niece Laila arriving had me up and down... from -terrified of having to say goodbye again as I know it will open the 'miss you' wound to jumping up and down like a hyperactive teenager who just drank 8 cans of redbull. So off I went on the train to Lisbon to collect them last Tuesday... my eyes welling everytime I thought about the moment I would see them and looking like an unbalanced weirdo on the train and in the airport...... and then they were there..... and it was just amazing and totally normal like we had barely been apart. So I am one week in and have 5 more weeks to enjoy loving them face to face before they return to Australia....... (until next time).
Poor buggers were freezing when they arrived... -1 at night and around 7 degrees in the day for the first few days and now thankfully it has warmed up to about 17 / 18 again.... lucky really as there is not much meat on my little Sis to keep her warm. Fingers crossed ! So our little girls are back together again... giggling, bickering, babycino's and general mischief.....
Laila the Sydney city girl has been great company helping me feed the goats and the chickens.
On Sunday we went to the "chicken market" as it is referred to in our house (first Sunday of the month) in the pouring rain. We sat under the tarpaulin with an umbrella and still managed to get soaked (dead posh). Well worth the trouble.... that piri piri chicken is unbeatable.
Today I attended a parents meeting at Sienna's School. Ok so about 98% of the conversation went right over my head. Man these guys talk fast ! -when they are not talking to me slowly, like I am hard of hearing and a sandwich short of a picnic I really struggle... but I made the effort and managed to pick the important bones out of the conversation.
So despite the rain pouring, a brief taste of sub zero with no central heating ..... a house renovation with a long way to go and the burning question of how to earn a euro out here..... life is good and I feel very lucky indeed.
