Posts (page 2)
Last Saturday I participated in the "24 hours of Flickr" event and took a series of photographs recording the events of the day. Click this link to access the set of pictures and notes.
while walking along Ave George V with the dogs, V and GG. He looks just as charismatic in real life as in the movies. Too bad I don't even have the rudimentary French to go up to him and gush.
Also, the dogs drew lots of admiring glances from people. Not surprising, since they were also better dressed than us humans.
Latest pictures of Mimi and Rufus. They now wear clothes all the time because of the cold weather. And it is two layers, inside they wear a smaller tank or strappy t-shirt (like Mummy hehe). Mimi's angel outfit has wings that flaps when she walks, very cute.
Right, everything is now unpacked. The flat is clean again so there is no excuse. It is time to start quilting on this green quilt I finished for Mummy two months ago. I posted the pictures on flickr after it was done but forgot to blog about it so here it is. Will quilt simple loops by hand, I have no confidence in free motion machine quilting.
Here is the detailed view: the whole quilt was done by the slash and sew method. Strips are first cut, then sewn around the red window panel and cut to align. Reasonably quick but I was doing an asian king size version so it took me quite a bit of time. I am pleased with the neat finish and the way the colours mingle soothingly.
We finally realised what those ugly green crates are for. The awful memory is slowly fading, but one can never quite forget how one evening, just as we were settling into the now blissfully empty apartment, Uncle Peter with his tall body and limp (apparently a huge dog accidentally sat on his leg and broke his bone, oh dear) manouvred Rufus and I into the crates and drove us away in a white van. Daddy also came along, but soon we were separated from him and we found ourselves in a very dark place with lots of luggage. Then there was the loud noise and omg, i think we actually were flying. The luggage compartment was warm, Daddy said later he reminded the attendant to check that the pilot especially turned on the heater for us.
The flight took a seemingly long time, I was very scared and dared not make a sound. Then someone brought us out and we saw Daddy, boy were we pleased. Daddy looked very relieved to see us, we heard him say to the officer that earlier on, someone told him they could not find any dogs in the plane! Although I was pleased to see him I was still very frightened, and stayed well back in the crate. Rufus the silly boy was quite excited, I could hear him eagerly poking his nose out to lick Daddy's hand, Also, I couldn't help myself and pee-peed on my towel. Which was the first thing Mummy smelt when she suddenly appeared in the van with baby V and GG che-che.
The van took us to a white apartment. It smelled of new paint, and the first thing we had to do was pee-pee in our new toilet. Then GG gave us treat-treats. We sniffed around the place while GG and mummy cleaned the place up. In the evening we stayed at a hotel with very small rooms. We followed the humans to the restaurants but I was very nervous and barked to warn off strangers; Daddy was not pleased.
This new place is very cold. GG put on new clothes for us, Mummy even bought me a tres chic puffa jacket from BHV (she goes there a lot), it keeps me really toasty. Eventually more tall men in strange voices brought back all the furniture that we used to have in Singapore. Rufus and I happily reclaimed our sofas, sure beat the cold marble and parquette floors.
The humans were very busy, all the time. The apartment was a mess, they had to hoover and unpack. Baby V was also very naughty, Mummy caught her trying to plug in a hairdryer and she (Mummy, not V) freaked out. Unlike the rest of us, baby V is not afraid of the cold, she hardly winces when her bare feet touches the stone floor, and she actually laughs when she finishes her bath. Everynight she screams for her socks and blankets to be taken off, GG doesn't allow that, and V screams some more... it's a good thing we sleep with mummy in another room. But Mummy's room is very cold, Rufus and I need extra blankets and we still have to curl up into a tight ball for warmth. Poor Rufus, I think he doesn't like cold very much. Back home in Singapore he used to find the sunniest spot to doze in, here he is hopping from towel to carpet to sofa, his precious feet hates to touch cold floors. Don't tell him, but I don't like the cold too, fortunately Mummy is always happy to let me sleep on her lap when she is at her desk.
There were boxes everywhere but after about a week, two tall men came to remove the empty cartons. As you can see, the humans also packed lots of provision for baby V but they didn't forget us either. I know that there is plenty of treats in the lowest shelf in the pantry because I can smell them.
One other good thing that came with the boxes is the white paper that they used to wrap stuff in. We now use it for our toileting instead of newspaper, because daddy says newspapers are expensive here and the humans will have to read their news on the computer. But we don't mind, the white paper doesn't make our paws black and it is not so absorbent, which means our pee-pee doesn't run to many layers or everywhere. Of course this doesn't matter much to silly Rufus, he's been very naughty and started his nonsense of peeing and pooing all over the apartment. I think it is just his ploy to get treat-treats.
C yee-yee came to stay last week. She and Mummy went for lunch at a very nice fish restaurant in Alma Marceau and they took Rufus along, he told me afterwards that he could sit next to Mummy on the banquette seats and people said he is a petite mignon and generally cooed over him endlessly. Pfaah! But I didn't do too badly either. Last Saturday, I went with the humans to the outdoor market at Ave President Wilson. Standing inside my pink dog stroller I must have looked quite handsome, the fishmonger had to say loudly to Mummy, "attendre" (wait), so she could wave her husband over to have a good look at little ole me *blush*'. Mummy was proud of me because I did not bark at anyone, well there was that one small little growl once, but she considered that an improvement wor. She said she will take me out more often so that I can be more 'socialised', whatever......
I miss C yee-yee quite a bit. She bought some cheese and when she was packing up to return to London, she left the cheese on top of her bag. When she went to the kitchen, I managed to unwrap the package and ate a small bit of cheese. Yee-Yee was not pleased, oh no, she was quite upset.
Yee-Yee (to Mummy): Look what Mimi did to my cheese. So naughty. How ah? Would there be any problems?
Mummy: Should be OK lah, the cheese is salty which is not good for her kidneys but since this is an
isolated thing, she'll be fine.
Yee-Yee: Aiyah, I don't mean Mimi, I was referring to my cheese lah!!!
Mummy: *speechless*
Because there is still quite a bit of stuff to do around the apartment- pictures to hang on the walls, arranging the ornaments, etc. C, my fourth sister, came for a visit last night from London, she'll be with us until Sunday, until then she'll be my excuse for going out most days and hitting the sales.
Weather is mostly cool to occasionally very cold, especially some nights. Almost every day it rains a little bit. Next week I bring V to a 'lap sit', an activity that involves sitting child on one's lap while singing nursery rhymes. This would be the first time I would meet a local resident who is not the gardien (building concierge), delivery man or the postal worker. On Feb 8 I start my language classes at the Sorbonne, can't believe that I am going back to school but there we go.
Life is certainly changed for me. For one thing, I've taken to drinking coffee. It started with husband buying an old fashion Italian coffee maker which didn't work on our vitroceramic stove, I took pity on him and treated him to an espresso maker machine. He now has his morning espresso and I have a latte.
Since I am now officially an ah-soh I have also embraced duties like visiting the local market twice a week to shop for fresh produce. Instead of the big biweekly marketing spree, we shop often but little, buying enough to last a few days and planning meals around what's available. Which makes sense because the refridgerator space is limited. In the morning I sit with husband while he drinks his coffee and then locks the door after him (because the doorkob is dodgy and someone has to lock from inside), and he comes home most evenings to a homecooked meal. It feels a bit surreal, like masak masak.
Sometimes I escape from the flat and walk around the neighbourhood. The women here dress very sharply, to keep up I make sure I at least look smart and coordinated. No yoga pants or slouchy jumpers, I wear makeup more than often than in Singapore. We are also surrounded by constant temptation, all the major high street brands and luxury goods stores are within walking range, fortunately or unfortunately I do not have the income to splurge on them. All that walking though should be good for my fitness level, now if only I can restrain from purchasing cakes and pastries along the way. I also keep meaning to jump on the bus and see where it would go but there is always something else more important. Maybe next week, when things settle down. Next week, we'll go back to blogging, and quilting, and photography, maybe even make a complicated fish soup. Maybe. Until then my friends, bonne weekend to all of you!
We found an apartment. It is nice, with newly painted walls and crystal chandeliers. The 8/16er neighbourhood is a bit staid compared to the one we nearly signed up in the Boulevard Raspail/ Rue de Rennes area, but I can't justify village feel against 3 attached bathrooms/shower/toilet/bidet and 1 guest toilet and a decent sized kitchen. And the rent is within budget. Only thing is, we need to bring our own furniture, which means sleeping on the floor when the furniture is being shipped over (and back, when we return after the posting). And we'll have to figure out internet connection, telephone etc.
Two more nights in this overpriced hotel- we're only staying here because husband's office get a corporate rate which is still outrageous but then again I've not come across a reasonably priced parisian hotel. Being next door to the Musee du Louvre seems to imply it is OK to not give guests slippers and cotton buds unless they request it. There is no bottled water or tea facilities, a 75ml bottle of Evian is available in the mini bar at 7 euros each. And no duvets, only institutional orange blankets. The twin beds is literally two single beds and mattresses side by side. Front desk staff are invariably haughty, bureaucratic and patronising. It's been almost 15 years since Internet arrived but the hotel only has internet access in the bar and the adjacent corridor. No other access, dial up, ADSL or otherwise, even if one is willing to pay for it. So I find myself typing this in the chilly cigarette-stinky corridor. How ridiculous is that? In China, most hotels have free internet access....
We are missing Vera and the dogs. GG sms-ed that Mimi and Rufus spent the first night waiting for us to come home. Here in this city people take their dogs to the airport, office, meet clients, restaurants and even shopping centres. And there are far fewer dog doos too, people actually carry newspapers and little bags with them for such emergencies.
I've been good, have not spent silly money on clothes and fripperies, and we're eating well but not extravagantly, guess we exhausted most of the touristy stuff out of our system with the last visit on honeymoon 8 years ago, Eight years.... it was also about the same time, because like this day 8 years ago the new Boujeaolais was launched. In between the apartment hunting and walking around the arrondisements, I've been taking pictures- the soft morning light is especially kind and easy to work with. Have a look here if you like.
OK, my feet are freezing, I have to go back to the room.
Mimi and Rufus don't know it yet, but they are going to Paris next year. To stay. For three years.
I'll have to video Rufus's reaction the first time he walks the streets and sniffs all those doggy smells, he will go berserk I'm sure.
First things first, a Pet Relocator. A quick rummage through the internet revealed that there are not many of such operators in Singapore. I called Pet Movers first, because I've seen their vans driving around town and I think they operate the main and possibly the only animal quarantine facility in Singapore. A ballpark quote was more than $3000, Gulp! The next agent I called, name now forgotten, was too busy to answer my enquiries. More rummaging and a third name came up- Peter's Pet Services. Peter is a chatty and terribly helpful person, and he promised that it would not cost more than $800 even taking into account vet's fees, and he cited some impressive references. I remembered mentioning to the vet about our move and his assistant had given us a contact card so I dug in their medical files and reassuringly, it was also printed with Peter's details. Peter is also reasonably confident we can get both of them back into Singapore without going through the quarantine ordeal when the posting ends. Peter, we are depending on you for everything, OK?
My friend J had been urging us to get carriers for the dogs early so they can get used to being in them and of course, to rehearse for the long flight. So I asked Peter to send the crates early, he agreed that it was a good idea. But a 32 kg dog fell on his ankle and injured him so he was out of action for a while and was only able to deliver the crates last Sunday.
The crates come in two parts. We start with the lower portion, which we make more homely with towels and their favourite toys. But what makes them get into it is their favourite meat treats. Next week we'll try adding the roofs..
