Well I decided to take Mrs Macs advice and stop trying to enjoy myself so hard! So I had quite a quiet week, partially cause by Jar having to take the car unexpectedly to North Carolina for two days. I felt slightly deflated this week, I think this is because now that all the furniture and possessions are here and out in the house it is apparent that I am not on holiday and I think real life has kicked in a bit. Not complaining as I know I am very lucky to be in the position I am in but try telling that to the brains chemical imbalance at times. My yoga teacher also said that she has felt much the same and put it down to the barometric pressure in the air being all over the place. One minute it is gloriously sunny and the next there is an electric thunder storm. It is amazing how you can actually feel the difference in the thickness of the air when you try and breath it, so much more pronounced than I have ever felt elsewhere in the world.
Well will just give you some highlights from this week as it was very quiet and then I thought I would give you a guided tour of my new house with photos so everyone can actually “see” where I live now and because a couple of people have requested it.
We started the week off with a trip to the National Zoo in DC. It is based off Connecticut Avenue just after a place called Chevy Chase as you drive into downtown DC. It is a city zoo so is fairly small in it’s layout but they have made very good use of what space they do have. It is part of the Smithsonian Institiute and is always free to get in – which I think is fabulous.
I am fascinated by zoos because where else am I going to see most of these animals but I am also quite saddened at times as the animals in zoos always seem to have their spririt broken somehow. Can you imagine being locked in an enclosure when you are used to roaming the wilds of Africa! It would break my spirit as well. I read somewhere once that most Polar Bears in zoos are now actually mentally ill and when you see them pace about in their enclosures that is a mark of their mental illness and a form of Obsessive Compulsive disorder manifesting in the need to walk back and forward on the same route! I do find that very sad but I guess most zoos are actually helping to save species in the wild as well and a lot of the zoo animals now are actually born and bred in the zoo so don’t know any different.
I have uploaded some photos to facebook and they really tell the story of our day out better than I could.
This zoo has some Panda bears, which I have never seen before, so I was quite excited about that and as you can see from the photos I got a pretty good view of three of them. I also love elephants and had a giggle at the smaller of the three elephants playing with it’s pilates ball – even funnier when it’s willy came out and I thought it was going to have more fun with it’s ball!!
I have included the photos I took of the cockroaches especially for Anne Cater and the other girls on RISI after the discussion we had about cockroaches. They are ugly little buggers.
Trudie would have hated the butterfly house, which I wandered into without knowing and had a small panic when they were flying around my head. Luckily while I don’t like moths and butterflies flying around me it is not a phobia and once I knew where I was I was ok but I did have a chuckle at the thought of Trudie wandering in by mistake and then either cowering in the corner or pushing poor Adam out of the way as she ran out – lol! Sorry cruel but it amuses me.
Anyway the day out was lovely with the sun shining and Jarlath feeling a bit better once his antibiotics were kicking in.
The chore for this week was to go and register with a doctor. I am finding the whole health insurance thing so confusing as nobody has the same coverage and no-one can fully explain what is and is not covered. Soemtimes it even depends on your doctor what they choose to have covered or not. The good side of the health coverage is that it covers what I would class as more luxurious items like massage, chiropractor and acupuncture and other such things. So anyway, I had booked us both an appointment for Monday morning with a doctor up near Jars work to go for a meet and greet and an initial medical exam – a requirement to register. The lady we saw was very nice (eastern European accent I couldn’t place) and really made us both feel at ease. I had a full external physical exam and have to go and get some full blood tests in their walk in clinic. Quite interested in getting these and I don’t think I have ever had full blood tests, hope they don’t find anything. One thing she did find with me was that I had a heart murmur! She said just to watch and only to think about it if I get any pain in my chest, so she didn’t seem too worried herself so I won’t be as she is the expert. With hindsight I have felt my heart skip beats sometimes when I have exerted myself too much but always thought this was normal as I didn’t have anything different to refer it to.
On Monday night we started our ballroom dancing sampler classes. It was based in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo park (mentioned in previous blogs) and it was a beautiful building although it doesn’t have air conditioning so at the end of the class even I was sweating. This week we did the waltz and it was a bit boring for me as I know how to waltz but it was good as a couple because they really gave us lots of tips to improve our form. It was only an hour which was far too short as we were just getting into it when we had to stop and leave. Next week we are doing the Foxtrot.
Well the rest of the week just went by in a haze of yoga, gym , chores and waiting for the oven guy to come for two days. He eventually came on Friday with the part and got the oven partially fixed. I now have an oven but don’t have a broil (which is a grill). I can live with that though. Already started using it over the weekend and did a Greek Lamb Stew on Friday from Nigella Lawson book. Then over the weekend I baked a cheesecake to take to a BBQ on Sunday and a Quiche Lorraine for Sunday lunch – thanks to everyone for the lard help on RISI.
I also started my A to Z reading challenge in the week. Basically, I am going to read an author with the second name starting with each letter of the alphabet in order so I have already read A, B and C and started on D.
Alliott, Catherine – The old girl Network
Billingham, Mark – Lazybones
Chevalier, Tracy – The Virgin Blue
The reason for setting this challenge is to make me look through all my books rather than just sticking to the same predictable authors or new books coming in. My A and C books are two which I probably would not have read for years as there was always something else dropped into my lap first. Thanks to all the people from RISI who are joining me on this challenge and hopefully it will help us all re-address our TBR piles.
Ended the week on Saturday with a trip into Bethesda to have a wander round to see what it has and try and get my bearings while Jar went to his Karate Dojo. I booked myself a hardressing appointment for a cut and colour on Tuesday so will tell you next week how that went. We then had our usual game of tennis – Jar won this one 6 to 3 – but we both feel we are getting better at it and we had some really good rallies.
On Saturday night we were invited to a BBQ by one of the guys Jar had met in the pub. Neither of us really knew him or his wife but decided to go as that is the only way you get to meet new people. It was actually a fun evening as there were some other guys and girls there that we were on nodding terms with but now got to actually speak with them. I don’t think we will be great friends with Scott and Aude who were having the BBQ but at least it is another contact.
Well that ends a rather bland (in terms of blogability) week although I rather enjoyed just sitting around, reading, doing cross stitch and watching the whole second series of the Tudors! Now moved onto the third series which is free on cable on demand.
Will end my post for now and then will add another one with the guided tour of the house probably by tomorrow, cause I am going to cycle on my road bike up to the outdoor pool for a dip , a lay in the sun and a bit of a read. Have a good week. Xx
No comments:
Post a Comment