The Good and the Bad

I have now been away from home for 9 days and am missing Mini Limey in particular.

The good news is that my permanant job offer and relocation package is now arranged, the bad news is that without my residence permit I can't do anything about renting somewhere so that the Limeys can join me here.

So tonight I sit here with mixed emotions. Happy that everything is coming together, sad and a bit frustrated that I still cant get an end date for the time apart.

The new role is fun, demanding, frustrating and challenging - so professionally I am feeling fulfilled. I just need to get my personal life sorted out with some concrete end dates.

Then I will be happy.

Mrs Limey Visits Geneva

I have been looking forward to this moment for a long time. We have finally managed to arrange for Mini Limey to stay with a grandparent so that Mrs Limey can come over and take a look at Geneva too.

Its all very well me taking a job here, but if the boss doesn't approve then the whole thing is an aborted mission.

So with some excitement I met her at the airport on Friday and we have spent the weekend doing tourist stuff and examining suitable areas to live.

The verdict is good - as Geneva is just like most of the other European cities we have visited or lived in, so the mission is still a go.

Its Sunday morning now and she is packing for the airport and I feel deflated and sad that its over so quickly.

The family out to be here by April time - and I for one can't wait. In the mean time here is a picture of Mrs Limey in front of the inevitable Geneva Fountain shot.

Talk about getting started young.

Mini Limey got a Fisher Price Kids Tough camera for Christmas.
Its only a low spec digital camera in a really tough body... See attached results from our outing today into the hills.

These images are a huge improvement on the usual ones. Since Christmas we have had about 3000 pictures of the TV showing her favourite cartoons from Nick Jr (R)!

The Christmas Fairy

Festive Look

Attached is Mini Limey's favourite toy in his most festive attire.

His look just sums it all up for me. Utter contentment mixed with a large measure of sleepiness,

Thanks go to Bunny C for posing for this entry.

Happy New Year to all my friends and Family where ever you all are in the world.

Mini Limey Tree

This is Mini Limey's own creation. You may notice in the badly shaken picture (no flash so the lights would shine through) a ChristMouse and a Christmas Komodo Dragon at the base!

Oh Christmas Tree - Oh Christmas Tree!

Whilst it is traditional for trees to be put up on December 12th, there is no point whatsoever in having an almost four year old if you cant get the tree up early.

Now whilst we may be telling all the relatives that its for the benefit of Mini Limey - the truth is that its actually to indulge ourselves.

Every year it kills me waiting for the supposedly proper time.

So this year - we have raced ahead.

Note the seasonal 'Roger the Racoon' atop our tree.

The tree to the bottom is Mini Limey's own creation. You may notice in the badly shaken picture (no flash so the lights would shine through) a ChristMouse and a Christmas Komodo Dragon at the base!

Krankenhaus

As those of you who know me will be aware I am a robust, strong and resilient individual that never ever, ever gets so much as a cold.

It is therefore with some surprise that I find myself with the worst bout of Man Flu known to man - or woman.

I would suspect that no one else has EVER had anything quite this bad in the history of mankind.

Mini Limey is fairly bad too, having turned into a human sleeping and vomiting machine.
Mrs Limey's minor sickness earlier is nothing compared - which is good really - as women folk are really not strong enough to deal with this sort of sickness.

Seriously - I do feel a little under the weather.

I'm just surprised that science has not isolated this unusually debilitating strain of flu. Could I possibly have bird flu already ?

Mrs Limey has just advised me that if I don't put the record straight then - she will cease mopping my brow!

So for the record - she was ALMOST this bad.

House of the Krank

Mini Limey was throwing up last night, I have a Man Cold and Mrs Limey is getting over a tiny inconsequential cold. Nothing like my Man Cold!

Its strange how men get such severe colds and flu and just somehow cope.

There again I'm playing with fire now as Mrs Limey is looking over my ssoulder as I make up this tissue of lies and exagerations.

We all feel very sorry for ourselves. I'm thinking of posting a biohazard symbol on the front door.

Thar be Dragons II

Thar be Dragons

Over the weekend I had my first application of colour and shading to my dragon .

I am feeling quite pleased with the results, and the arm itself is not too sore either.
Just need the final colours (green and yellow) to be applied on the 15th December now.

On a family note Mrs Limey and Mini Limey are both busy coughing up a lung like TB patients... Its not a pretty sight I can assure you.

Geneva is a confirmed start date of Monday 10th December 2007.
Cover for me in my existing role has finally been located.

I now need to do a lot of background reading on my new role and new location.

I do actually have a friend who already lives out there - so he is being 'pumped' for advice and support as you can imagine.

Geneva Pt II

My current boss and my new boss can't come to an agreement for me to start early in the new position so it looks like it will be December 10th that I first travel out to my new job.

I will be commuting weekly (Mon / Fri) to Geneva for the first 3 months to find a suitable permanent address out there to move the rest of the family to0.

Once upon a time when I had no kids this was simple. These days the choices and decisions seem a lot more daunting.

Let the adventure commence!

Playing

After a long rainy day, with Mini Limey feeling tired I finally agreed to read her favourite book....

Im so blessed.

Geek Alert

Mulder 2002 - 2007 RIP

It is with enormous sadness that I report the death of Mulder at the hands of a speeding car. Aged 5 he was my best loved, most loving and attentive cat.

The constant catching of inappropriate rare birds, the fighting with your sister, your willingness to sit on the most tricky of laps at the most inconvenient times - all made you my favourite.

I will miss you my friend - life will not be the same without you.

Weddings

We Limeys attended a friends wedding ceremony yesterday.

Photo's attached at the usual Flickr location (previews on right side of this page).

Now with the danger of sounding as though I swallowed at book of Barbera Cartland's greatest works - it just reminds me how lucky I feel to have a family that I cherish and love so much.

This whole Geneva move just underlines how supportive and understanding they are....

The Limeys are moving to Geneva

Its with much excitement I can reveal that we are relocating to Geneva to take up a nre role for my present employer.

The prospect of mini Limey learning a second or third language from a young age has held a lot of interest for some time.

I just didn't expect to turn the opportunity round in less than a week.

More details to follow.

Slacker

How impressive a blogger I am.

It has been almost a whole year since my last entry. If anyone still checks here I will give them a medal for something.

Anyway I have finally updated some picture on Flickr of our recent trips and activities.

Love always

Paul the Limey,

Her first pair

Mrs Limey and I have been converts to Timberland boots ever since our first winter in Chicago...

So like the fashion victims we are - Mini Limey now has her own little pair.

Now don't tell me that these are not cute.

Why am I surprised

I have always known that us men are easily manipulated by the fairer sex.

However I was not quite prepared for it to work so effectively from Mini Limey. She is very very keen on taking the car through the automated car wash.

So when she today began to suggest that the car was looking a 'little bit grubby' I was surprised that she had noticed. It was her follow up that as the car was grubby it should go through "bubbles" that knocked me sideways.

So although still less than 3 years old, she can construct scenarios to try and ensure I do as she wants... Impressive - quite; scary - definitely.

On a seperate unrelated note the king of Candy Mike & Ike's are finally being sold here in the UK. When we stumbled upon them in a local shop I had to be physically restrained from doing a little jig on the spot. My US based friends will be relieved to learn that future visits to The Limeys will only require the usual pharmaceutical orders from now on.....