November

Alright, so nearly 2 months since a blog seems like a cause for concern, one might say. However, things happen quite slowly in this country and in 2 months not a whole heck of a lot has happened! The only thing that has happened quickly is the departure of both the Principal of the whole school and the Head of Primary. They were dropping like flies for awhile but things seem to be under control now.

We’ve made it through the first half term somehow and were able to enjoy a great holiday away in Oman. We’ve just returned and are back to work today – but only 6 weeks until Christmas holidays! We had some fantastic experiences in Oman and felt very lucky to get out of this dust swept abyss of Qatar. Even though Oman is not far from Qatar at all and is a Middle Eastern country we were shocked with the difference. The Omani people were incredibly kind and even had a sense of humour about them – something we have yet to see in Qatar. The country is also very beautiful with plenty of mountains, trees, and desert to keep anyone occupied. The 4 of us, Jen, Aaron, Barret and I stayed with some friends of Aaron’s parents in Muscat for a few nights. They took great care of us! They took us out on their boat where we could really get a taste of the good life Oman has to offer. From Muscat we drove south in our rental car and stayed in a really cool Dive Lodge. We got to sleep in these great little huts, surrounded by mountains and the sea. From there we headed to the desert! We had an Omani pick us up in a 4 wheel drive and drive us 45 minutes deep into the Wahiba Sands desert where we stayed in Bedouin style tents for two nights. Aside from the tents smelling like the camels wandering around, it was awesome! We had a relaxing two days playing on the sand dunes, playing games, and yes, riding camels. It was one of the things to do on my “bucket list” and now it’s been checked off. 10 minutes on one of those animals and I wondered why I ever wanted to do it in the first place… talk about discomfort! Anyway, it was a wonderful and well deserved holiday. I felt very lucky to spend it with my good friends and husband (it still seems crazy to call him that!)

I never thought I would, but I’ve taken up golfing. A bunch of us from school have been going for lessons throughout the week and it’s starting to become fun because I am actually hitting the ball. Ha! It’s not only the fun of playing, but to go to the golf course is a pleasure in itself. The landscape is beautiful, the grass is soft and green, the people are normal, and I somehow find myself having visions of retiring in Myrtle Beach as a leathery old lady driving a golf cart and dragging around some pink golf clubs. We’d better start saving I guess! Just outside Doha is an interesting course – it’s a sand course and where I played my very first 9 holes on Saturday. I even got par on the last hole! One of the main reasons I didn’t do as badly as one would expect, is because Barret was an unbelievably supportive husband and kept telling me I was doing well, even when I hit the ball in the water and got the golf cart stuck. What a gem. The possibility that I might actually get half decent at this game is fantastic - so much to look forward to wherever we go.

My birthday passed just before our holidays - 28 years old. Barret made sure I had all the DQ ice cream cake I could eat and organized thai food and bowling with our school friends so it was a lovely day - thanks again, B. Funny, I never noticed the time passing as a child, or hardly even as a teenager. I always looked to the future, not back at the past. But, somehow now I have all of these memories that seem so close, as if they only happened yesterday. One of my friends from the first cruiseship I worked on is happily married and pregnant, living in Abu Dhabi. When I think of her I think it was only a short time ago we met and were having a crazy time in the Caribbean - but it was over 7 years ago. I guess living each day to the fullest and taking every opportunity you are given is the most important thing to remember. I have much to be thankful for and as unclear as the future is I know it will be exciting. And it will include golf.

As much as living in the present is important, I can't help but think of where we might be in 6 weeks time. We have been looking into trips and will need to book something soon. Sri Lanka might have the best weather out of the places we've been looking. We don't have enough clothes to last us a week somewhere cold so we're going to stay away from Europe and keep our eyes east, likely somewhere in South East Asia. It would be great to visit some other countries where we might consider moving for work BEFORE we get jobs there. There is some excitement in going in blindly, like we did with Qatar, but I think it would be better knowing where what we are getting ourselves into before hand!

Well, I've updated you as much as possible as to what has happened in the last two months, sure not as much as the excitement we had in England, but it's good to be a bit more relaxed I suppose. I hope you are happy and healthy and are looking forward to the holiday season. I will truly miss Christmas adverts on TV, decorations in malls, and just the overall feel Christmas brings. I might miss the snow for 1/2 an hour, but that's it :)

My love to you all,

Amy

Our experience so far...

Yes, time for a new blog! Over the past few weeks things have all of a sudden become very busy. We went from lying in wait for something, anything to happen… and now we are overwhelmed with the amount of things we must do and try to squeeze in the things we want to do! We are into our 3^rd week of work and 2^nd week of having students – I have plenty to tell you!

When we first arrived and lied in wait for 2 ½ weeks during Ramadan in the +50 heat we truly thought we might shrivel up and die. The heat is exhausting and pretty well unbearable. Generally speaking I do enjoy the heat, I really do, but in Qatar my vital signs and bodily organs just want to take a vacation. They don’t cope very well. However the worst of it is over - it’s getting better day by day and I think we hover around +40 now. Another month and we’ll be laughing!

I have had some truly “unique” Middle Eastern experiences. Cultural experiences, if you will. One of these was being hauled off at 5am from a day of work to wait outside in a queue of hundreds of screaming women and children pushing and shoving at the government medical centre for a medical check up that I never got because I wasn’t registered as a teacher with the school and was told I would have to endure the experience all over again...I say that’s a “cultural experience” because nowhere in the western world would that have been tolerated. All I am thankful for is that Barret did not have to go through what us “women folk” went through, otherwise, I’m sure I’d be telling you this story in person!

Having said all that, I will say that I have had a wonderful experience at a private hospital on a personal level. Two weeks ago I was in a right state… I will not get into detail in order to remain dignified… but let’s just say food was not the first thing on my mind. Barret was starting to lose it and was getting very worried about me (such a good husband!) so he spoke with the principal of the school who arranged for a driver to come collect me and bring me to a private clinic. I had excellent treatment and had all my medications paid for. It was definitely reassuring after the fiasco I had experienced only days before!

So, school. Leaving Canada I was under the impression that I would be teaching grade 2. When I arrived in Doha one of the Heads of Kindergarten told me that’s what I would be teaching. However, a few days before school began the Vice Principal of the school and the Head of Primary knocked on our door, sat on our sofa, and asked if I’d like to teach PE on a full time basis. They said my resume jumped out to them… not because of any of my experience over the last two years in England, but because of my “sporty” personal life, experience teaching swimming, and camp involvement. I was slightly hesitant, but just said I would do it. And I am so glad! I have a fantastic, fun department and have a lot of freedom teaching. I get to teach swimming nearly every day of the week and can wear SHORTS and a TSHIRT to work everyday! That HAS to be the best part! Occasionally I teach a few lessons outside and boy, if I were wearing longer pants and shirts I would pass out. I am so very lucky and not taking my new position for granted. It sure is a change from last yea r though!

The students are very different from ones I have taught in the past. Most of these children are incredibly wealthy and they know it. At the primary level this is not really a problem, but the kids Barret deals with get more pocket money from their parents to spend at the shop than we do working our butts off! In my classes I have yet to meet any truly naughty children. The young ones are generally not poorly behaved but can be very high strung and their listening is not the greatest, not because they are bad, but because they are excited. However, the older the boys get the more they refuse to listen, especially to women. I was covering a class for a colleague and chubby boy said to me “Miss Amy, I am not going to play your games. I will sit here” and he refused to join. Had he been in my own class I would have dealt with it differently, however, I just told him “you are lazy. And rude”. And I walked away and left him in the corner. I don’t have time to be dealing with that! As these kids grow their respect for a)women b) foreigners dwindles day by day. They have all the money in the world and can’t justify in their minds why they need an education. Motivating these kids will be our biggest challenge. My second biggest challenge will be learning all their names! Last year I had 220 names that I learned within the first few weeks at school. This year I have about 320 and all of the names are the SAME!!!! Mohammed, Abdulla, Abdulrahman, Fatima, Al-Anoud, Lolwa, Noora… There are about 20 boys names and 20 girls names. That’s it. When I am taking attendance I sometimes I have to go through to their 3^rd name to find out who they are. Then I forget. I forget these names SO easily… it’s very strange. I can’t pronounce half of them either! The worst part is that they ALL know my name, even if I don’t teach them! They chase me down in the playground and say “hello Miss Amy!” and I just say “Hiiii…” back. It’s awful and I feel badly, but my brain is not wired for this, yet.

We’ve met some really fantastic people since we’ve been here. Jen and Aaron are a married couple that live above us and we spend a good amount of our free time with them. They are about our age and we have a lot of similar interests. Aaron is from New Zealand and teaches year 6 boys in the school. Jen from Philly and is an interior designer who is looking for work, for her sake I hope something comes through or the poor girl will lose her mind! We are very thankful to have them to relate to and to relax with. There are plenty of other people we see a lot at school and at home (since everybody lives on the compound) who we really like. A couple Canadians, a few Americans, a handful of Irish, Kiwi’s and Aussie’s and a whole truckload of South Africans!

Everyday we are learning new things about this culture and our ability to adapt to it. Patience is key in this country and it is being practiced on a daily basis in every place we go. Getting run over by an Arabic woman with her grocery cart is normal. We don’t get upset about it anymore, it just happens.

I hope this is enough of an update for now -

As always - all my love,

Amy

The new adventure has begun!

So here it is - the inaugural blog of my new life!

After an exciting last few weeks in London filled with good times and good byes it was off to Canada for wedding preparation and visiting family and friends. It was then to southern Ontario for our wonderful wedding, followed by a drive out to Fredericton and now here we are, in the middle of the hot, sandy desert in Doha, Qatar. To say it's been a whirlwind of summer is a gross understatement!

Our wedding was wonderful. It was too quick but was really fantastic! We had such a wonderful time - thanks to everyone who helped make that day special, we are so very thankful. We cannot wait to get some more photographs and will be posting any we can online. If you were there you know Ben was taking plenty of photographs and video and is making a wedding video for us. Once it's done I will be sure to post the link on here so you all can watch!

We left for Qatar unsure of many things. Unsure what to do with our documents to make sure they were valid, visas, our accommodation, what we would be teaching, clothes to wear, and how we would be getting around the city. There were so many things we didn't know it was impossible to even get our heads around it. We certainly knew less than more, if that makes sense! After an incredibly long flight, sitting apart, hot and sweaty - we arrived to a dark, hot place. Thankfully, our apprehension was soon alleviated as two wonderful staff members from our school met us at the airport with massive signs in hand! We both got welcome packs filled with information, including a pre paid SIM card for our phone as a gift from the school. We met some fellow Canadians and soon felt much better. We were dropped off at our compound (which, amazingly, is right beside our school) and found our apartment. We were shocked! The accommodations are HUGE! We have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a king size bed. The kitchen is not perfect, but it's pretty darn good for being free. We have all the basics and will slowly work to collect other things to make our place homey. We haven't fully unpacked yet but we are working on it!

We've had two tours of the city on a bus so far and are starting to get our bearings. It's a funny place. Everything is sandy and dusty, there are tiny patches of grass scattered throughout the city, but it's not common. The Qatari people have so much money that they just build places. Look up on google images the Doha skyline. These buildings are beautiful and the architecture is quite advanced. You'd be shocked to know that most of them are empty. The people here are anticipating growth and for good reason. Within the last few years the population has grown 9%. The vast majority of the population is expatriate, mostly being from India. The local people are easily recognizable with the women wearing traditional black covering from head to toe, some even covering their entire face with a black veil. The men wear a white covering from neck to ankle with a headdress that has several variations - I am in the process of finding out with the different things mean. It's very interesting. These men, however, do think they are better than the rest of the world. And definitely better than women. An Irish girl we've become friends with kept getting shoved to the back of the queue by Qatari men while trying to exchange money. However, so far I have not had any problems.

We had our first meeting at the school today. We received a lot of information and got to have a tour. It is an amazing facility! Huge indoor pool, gym, and everything a school needs. The best part is that we only have to walk through a gate to get to school! I still don't know what exactly I will be teaching. I was told it would likely be grade 2 and upon arrival I was told kindergarten. At the meeting today I asked for some clarification and now I've been told "no one knows for sure". Haha. So I will have to wait and see. I don't mind either way! There is a new principal and plenty of new heads of departments and whatnot - new, fresh ideas and determination - I think we will have a good time and will have our ideas listened to. I am truly looking forward to work!

Right now is near the end of the Holy month of Ramadan. The time of the year when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. We are not Muslim and are not fasting, however we must respect the culture and not eat or drink anything in public during daylight hours. Including water and chewing gum. It's very important for us to respect this for any hope of successfully blending in! The sun has nearly set so we are off to find some food nearby and get some other shopping done. Speaking of shopping - ANYTHING you want - you can get here! All American franchises are here:McDonalds, Subway, Burger King, Dairy Queen (that store wasn't even in London!) Ponderosa, Applebee's, Chili's... the list goes on! Anyway - I hope that's enough of an update for now - I will surely have plenty more to share as the days go on! I will likely blog again soon since we have a lot of time until school begins and cannot leave the country...

All my love,

Amy

2 weeks and counting!

Nearly 2 years have passed and I am fairly sure this will be my last blog from the UK. I fly home in exactly two weeks to the day and I have plenty to keep me busy until then.

Things at work have been very successful. All 220 reports have been signed and proof read, the art exhibtion is up and has been admired by doting parents, and I can nearly say "my work here is done". I spent all of yesterday on a ladder hanging things from the ceiling or hanging pieces of art on the wall. It was 32 degrees and no air conditioning! It was a completely exhuasting day but yesterday was all worth it. I have only 6 1/2 more teaching days at the best school in the world before I have to say goodbye - I am dreading it. I hate goodbyes and would rather just slip out the backdoor in this case. I hate the idea that I might cry in front of the children in assembly as well! I guess it will just show how much I loved my time here and how much they will be missed.

Admist all the work things going on there is also plenty of parties to plan/attend. This weekend is my "hen" night here in London. My great friend Jane from work is doing all the planning and really knows how to throw a party - I am very excited! I will likely be dressed up in pink feathers and a crown, but I think I'll accept that! I have no idea what she is planning but Barret knows and thinks I will truly enjoy it. Friday night is Canada Day (duh) and the big party in Trafalgar Square will be in full swing again. Blue rodeo is headlining this year so that's very exciting! I will be escaping work at soon as it's possible and heading down to the festivities. There will be Tim Horton's donuts and last year I didn't get any, so I'm on it this time!

Two weekends ago Barret and I had a nice weekend away in a place called the New Forest. It should be called the Old Forest, since we stayed in Charles II's old hunting home, built well over 400 years ago. It was unreal! Such an amazing hotel! It was quintessentially English with big leather chairs, massive fireplaces, afternoon tea, and a tartan rug. The hotel also had a beautiful spa that we could enjoy and we spent a good chunk of time there. It's a good thing because we spent the weekend biking in the cold pouring rain and needed a good warm up!

This past weekend Barret took me to see Glee Live in concert. Alright, laugh if you must, but it was AMAZING! It was possibly one of the best concerts I have ever been to! It was really entertaining and the music was fantastic. The cast was really excited to be in London as well, so it was a great atmosphere. Barret was worried he was going to be surrounded by screaming teenage girls, instead we were sitting with other couples our age! Poor suckers who were dragged by their girlfriends, fiancee's, or wives. I don't care what any of them say - they secretly LOVED every minute of it.

Between Barret taking me away for the weekend, attending the Year 6 play, taking me to see Glee Live, and coming to show his support at the Summer Art Exhibtion - he's been a real gem! Grumbling about it all inside I'm sure, but still there with a smile on his face for ME. Thank you Barret for being as sweet as humanly possible lately and really trying. I love you for it! So glad I'm marrying YOU!

Well, for now I think this will be it. I have so very much to do in the coming weeks I'm sure I wont have all the time in the world for blogging. I cannot wait to see everyone at home and I hope you've all enjoyed reading. Until Amy's Awesome Adventures - Part 3 - Life in Qatar begins, you'll have to pop round my mum's for a cup of tea and scones and we can chat face to face! From July 16th until August 3rd I will be there!

Much love,
Amy

Even MORE to do now!

London's pace is one of the quickest but somehow it seems to have hastened! I have so much on the go and literally days left here before I head home (33 to be exact!). The rush is on and even after an amazing holiday in Croatia I do not feel relaxed.

Croatia is a stunning country. It's still quite untouched and not being part of the European Union it feels quite foreign. We had fantastic weather, although it thunder stormed most evenings, which after a hot day was welcomed. We made some really great friends and saw some really remote islands. The highlights of the trip were pretty clear to me. When we first arrived in Zadar we took a ferry across to an island called Uglian where we hiked up to the highest point where the remains of a 14th century Venetian fort stands - it was an amazing view and really great exercise! After two nights in Zadar we hired a car and drove the new highway at 150 kph (only 20 over!) to Split then took the coastal road to Dubrovnik where we met our ship, the "Kneza". One of our first stops was an island called Mljet, a fairly remote and undiscovered place. In the middle of the island is a lake where we went swimming in the middle of the night. It was incredible! There was some kind of phosphorus element that made the water glow when you swam in it. It was incredible! The stars were shining so brightly in the sky and it felt like I was swimming in them too! As we sailed up the coast we stopped at an island called Korcula, where little did I know, Marco Polo was born! The whole trip was amazing - we saw such gorgeous scenery, had beautiful weather, enjoyed the company of good friends, AND most importantly - I didn't barf ONCE! I came close a few times, but didn't! Success!

So here I am again, supposed to be writing reports but begin distracted by my blog (or anything really at this point!). I have less than two weeks to get over 150 done and less than two weeks to sort everything for the Summer Art Exhibtion. I am not panicking yet but I probably should be. I cannot believe 4 weeks today is the LAST day I will spend with these children. I'm in shock it's gone by so quickly. Such exciting things to come though!

I have my final dress fitting on Saturday which I am very excited about - hopefully I can just get that out of the way and know it's all ready to go. Just about all of the big important things are sorted for the wedding! All of the small things I am leaving till the last minute when I get home where I have friends and family to help! Yes yes you will all be employed one way or another...lol.

I have to run to go teach a design class - sorry this update is rather short!

All my love,
Amy

So much to do, so little time!

The only reason I am not writing reports is because the only computer I could find for 1/2 an hour while I'm waiting for paint to dry does not have the report program installed - hence the few minutes I have to blog!

This week years 4, 5, and 6 are all out on school journeys across the UK and Europe. You'd think with the bulk of my classes being in those year groups I would have an easy week, with lots of time to write reports and get everything sorted that I need to. Well, not the case! Year 6 have a school play which they need the backdrop painted for (to be done by yours truly) however with the head of year 6 in Scotland and not agreeing with any ideas that have been come up with here, I'm sitting between a rock and hard place, just waiting for someone to say "paint!". I've covered the scene that was on there before and am now waiting for the okay and for what's there to dry. I hope the okay comes sooner rather than later! Since the whole upper school is out of classes there is space to paint, otherwise come Monday, I will be working outside and I'm sure it will be raining!

I am also teaching all of year 3's English lessons this week because their teacher has gone on a school trip. It's good practice for the fall I suppose - I've been blinded to what being an actual classroom teacher is like since I muck around in paint all day :) On top of a backdrop waiting to be painted, extra classes, reports looming, the school puts on what's known as the Summer Exhibition - an art exhibition that takes over the school for an entire week which features all of the work the students have done in Design and Technology and Art. The lady I work with, Helen, and I will be working our behinds off making sure everything is in presentable order and ready to be shown off come the week of June 27th. I know that's over a month away - but when you will be dealing with at least 1000 pieces of student work, you need to give yourself time!

We've been playing a lot of softball lately, well it seems like a lot! Each of us play at least once a week and try to go watch each other. Barret has also been umpiring other games to make a few extra £...we can take all the money we can get! Thanks for working so hard for us, Barret! I have a game tonight right near my school, so instead of going home I'm just going to camp out here and paint, write reports or do anything I might be able to get out of the way! Tomorrow night we don't play but we're going to some comedy show so still a night out!

Oh I have a request from ANY ONE! For the wedding we need to find some kind of something rather to show where we are supposed to stand and have the ceremony, ie - an arch, flower pots, something... Does anyone have any ideas? Anything lying around in your backyards? I am totally open to suggestions! As for the rest of the wedding plans, well, things are coming along. I made a list and so much of the stuff I have to worry about when I get back to Canada, so thankfully I can procrastinate! It will be crunch time when I get home, but it will all be fun!

I think we are going to Brighton this weekend. We've never been and it's definitely a place you have to visit if near London. It's a beautiful sea side town with quaint shops and lovely places to afternoon tea and watch the world go by. We were originally planning on going down to Dorset to see our family friends, the Rouse's, but that couple moves quicker than we do! They are all booked up for any free weekends that we have, so we are not able to go down, which is really too bad because we all wanted to meet up! I told them that not to worry as I was sure our paths would cross again (Barret and I plan on being in London for the 2012 Olympics and are waiting to find out which events we got tickets for!)

Only a week and half until we are off to Croatia! I cannot WAIT! I don't know why I feel like I need a break... I shouldn't! But knowing this is coming up the anticipation is really growing! I am looking forward to just lying around, taking in the sights, swimming in the clear blue waters, and loving time spent with good friends. Plus no work! (I get to leave early on the Friday as well to catch our plane!)

Speaking of planes... LESS than 2 months and I will be home!!!!!!!! I just got my itinerary - it's starting to sink in, but like the title of this blog says... so much to do, so little time!

Anyway, just a quick update, I've got to run - year 3 English calling my name!

Don't forget to leave a comment if you have an idea for something we can use for the top of the aisle!

Lots of love,
Amy

3 months until "I do"!

Slacker. Procrastinator. Lazy. Call me what you wish, blogging has clearly not been my priority lately! However, I have a few minutes now and would love to inform you of the latest happenings!

Our trip to Cornwall was BEAUTIFUL. I cannot believe I have been in England nearly two years and this was my first (and probably last) trip out there. It was AMAZING! The little towns in the county of Cornwall are what you picture the English countryside/seaside to look like: quaint, picturesque, and historic. We went to so many different places and travelled all around the coast, stopping at places like Mount St. Michael, Land's End, and St. Ives. Mount St. Michael was one of our favourite places and somewhere Barret wanted to go for a really long time. Its a beautiful castle high up on an island where when the tide is in is only accessible by boat. However, when the tide starts to sink away you can walk across a stone road that appears as the water receeds. It was SO cool! We did a lot of hikes and spent plenty of time outdoors. I have to give Barret's Great Aunt Bessie credit - she did almost as much hiking and climbing as the rest of us! She sure didn't slow us down and I hope I'm just as spritely and spirited at her age! The whole trip was made better because of the gorgeous weather we had - the Easter break was unreal for weather - constant sunshine and mid 20's in temperature. Easter weekend England had the best weather in all of Europe and even beat Miami! When we finished in Cornwall we spent a few more days in London and visited the London Eye and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. I've wanted to go there for ages but Barret said there was no way he was going in... well I guess I got my way! I also think Brittany and Bessie enjoyed the wax museum as well - who could not? It was so interesting - and a bit creepy. Barret still says he just wants to light a match to the whole place! Anyway, I think Bess and Brit's trip was a success and we were so happy to have them visit! Hopefully they'll be as keen to come visit us in Qatar...!

At the tail end of the Easter break was the Royal Wedding, of course you know that! Over 1 million people crowded the streets and parks of central London to get a glimpse of the newlyweds - including us! The night before we thought we'd grab our sleeping bags and camp outside Buckingham Palace so that we'd be up close the next day! What an experience... we were there for 14 hours but were able to get some great pictures, see the whole royal family in the flesh, and be able to say "I was there!" I got interviewed by CTV but it never got aired (booooooo!) It was a fantastic experience and I'm so glad we did it - the whole city and country was celebrating! It was amazing to see everyone in party mode and having such a good time together. And we were there :)

As the title of this blog indicates, three months until our wedding! Ive so far managed to botch the invitations by putting the wrong DAY but the right date... FRIDAY August 5th...not Saturday. I had to go through them all, OPEN the sealed envelopes and WRITE the right day in! How pathetic, sigh. I'm trying not to get worked up about anything with the wedding because it's pointless. My current concern are bridesmaid dresses. With my bridesmaids all over Canada and me on another continent, I've not quite worked it out! There are a few things brewing but with me not being able to physically touch or see a dress, how am I supposed to know?! So, if they end up being rather unexciting... (I'll look even better?!) Just kidding - I want everyone to look beautiful and I know they will!

It's been back to school for a week now, however only 3 more weeks until half term! The rest of this year is going to FLY BY! There is so much happening at work that the days just zip by! I am really excited for the next break because we are going on a sailing trip to Croatia. I know, I know... I'll probably barf - but it will be worth it! I will take plenty of pills and BE FINE! (If I keep telling myself maybe it will happen...) The weather should be beautiful and Croatia the same!

Well I better get back to doing some actual work - I hope the winter has finally started to give up back home! Miss and love you all,

Amy