UK/Europe/Middle East/ex-pats et al — August

[Ailuros]

My computer tells me it's August . I think the weather’s still in April!

Congratulations, Blondie, on the weight loss. How are the chickens doing?

[Kissa]

Thanks Ailuros, August but yes, not exactly hot.

We are off to the Olympic park today, yay! Sorry you are missing London, but you have lots of great compensations.

[lola5k]

Yay thank you ailuros. Pinch and a punch to everyone xx

[Junoesque]

Flying by... not much time to personalise, but from what I remember:

Blondie - WOOHOOOOOO!!! Congratulations. What an achievement.

Mint - YAY on the loss. And now I'm dreaming of curry...

Kissa, so glad you're enjoying the Olympics. And you know T is welcome here if it will help her.

Blotto - wow on the continued training willpower!! Enjoy the evening off.

Lola - great attitude, keeping everything crossed.

Ailuros, lovely to see you.

Everyone else, hello!

Just snatching a few moments... Update on French lover situation...

Gorgeous house, even if plumbing is 19th century and half of it is falling down etc etc. Lovely big garden. First day here got taken to Mont St Michel and fed oysters... French food, I have a kitchen to play with, and someone who loves to eat and drink... Yesterday evening sat out on the terrace in the sun drinking Monbazillac and enjoying F speaking French (his (bass) voice gets even deeper) and thought, oho this is the life!! To keep my feet on the ground, the weather is generally not good, the plumbing is a TOTAL challenge, we have embarked on painting the doors at the front (big task), I saw the garden and immediately had to find some shears to trim the topiary (middle-aged Englishwoman of a certain class, anybody?), and today my gorgeous young Frenchman asked me to strip and I had the wallpaper off the entire room and half the hall by the time he came back ;-) Romantic getaways - doin' it RONG!!! :-) Ah. I am living in the moment and content, which given how depressed I was last week is a total miracle.

Juno x x x

[Kissa]

You are living the dream Juno, all this and sx too..Ah yes, I remember it well.

[blotto76]

Oh Juno, your posts always bring a smile to my face! How fabulous to have a French lover, enjoy every moment - even if the price to pay is stripping walls!

Kissa, what did you see at the Olympics yesterday? How fab that we got our first gold metals, woo hoo - go Team GB!

Thanks for starting the new thread Ailuros and hello everyone else!

x

[Kissa]

We saw synchronised diving off the 3 metre spring board. GB came 5th. It was such fun just wandering about the park. We had lunch in the champagne and seafood tent, but I didn't have champagne. I did have wine though, lol.

[lola5k]

Hey everyone.

Oh Juno stripping I was getting quite excited until you got to the wallpaper bit. Mont St Michel is a majestic sight and eating oysters how decadant.

Kissa glad that you enjoyed the Olympics. We re sold our tickets back as we would have had to get up at the crack of dawn to get the train into London and it wasn't really an event we wanted to see. Might go down next week and have a wander and try to get in some of the "empty seat" events. Its so annoying seeing all those empty seats on events that we would have loved to see.

Hope that your girlies are enjoying Iftar etc etc.

Hi to everyone else, Mint, Ailuros la la la

Well I briefly touched the 64.7kg mark yesterday YAY but only for one day lol...bounced back again today to 65.2 lol but that's OK its no 69.

xxxxxx

[Kissa]

Nice number Lola, it will be back!

[MintQ8]

Hi All

Been head down *** up, preparing for a Business Writing workshop yesterday - have a repeat on Monday and then a short Customer Service Workshop on Tuesday...
So busy, busy, busy! Still not sure what I'm doing in the CS workshop - it's only 90 mins - so I don't follow the book - I try to do something that is based on the client's need/business.

Have made the decisiont to refocus my niche - which is good because I can now deliver more subject areas that I like! But it means quite a lot of work.

I have decided that I should be using my international experience (and a lot of reading!) and position myself as a Cultural Awareness Expert - trying to think of a clever title at the moment. Most businesses who focus on this look at 'doing business overseas' - whereas I want to help companies in Australia with their Communication/Customer Service issues that they encounter when dealing with overseas visitors from the ME/FE.

So loads to do! Rebranding, updated Website, Review Bio and more! I have a meeting with someone from the biggest Casino on the Gold Coast (fortunately an old friend) to find out what their 'pain' is, with overseas visitors and communication/customer service.

Plus am trying to get a Middle East campaign off the ground. Need to hit it right so that they don't think - oh yes, she's right - let's find a local company to deliver....

Food not going so well - but trying to refocus!

Lola - hugs!

Maryam - congratulations!

Mum - sounds like you're having a blast!

Ailuros - hope all is well with you!!

Juno - as always adore reading your posts - glad you're having a good time!

Blondie - UK (even London) isn't it all it's cracked up to be!!!!

[lola5k]

Mint that all sounds so exciting. Coming from a Training background myself I find it an exciting concept ESP the Aus lack of awareness re overseas customer service skills. Sounds like you are and will be mega busy.

Not sure if it's your birthday today.? But if it is. Happy birthday have a good one.

Weather still naff here and I got totally soaked yesterday in a torrential downpour. It's so depressing we've hardly had any summer boo hoo

Dentist for me today. Yay ....not !!!! Hygienist who I call Mistress of pain!!!

Have lovely day whatever all you lovelies are up to xx

[MintQ8]

Thanx - me & JFM burfday - Monday...

[Kissa]

I miss Junk!

[lola5k]

ooops never mind early greeting anyway lol

[Blondie Baby]

Juno - Your post always make me smile! I got a vivid visual of you stripping wallpaper in the nude!

Kissa - Glad you had a nice time at the olympics! And congrats to Team GB for their nice little collection of golds! I think the synchronized diving is so exciting and beautiful!

Lola - Not to worry! I always bounce up and down a few days before my body settles on the lower number! MABROUK!!!!!!

Mint - I find food easier when I'm super busy. Take a bit of time to plan your meals for the week. Then when you are super busy you don't even have to think about it, just check your menu and go!

Blotto - How is training. In my opinion it is too hot to do anything but sit inside in the A/C!!!!!

Good news is that after being on the phone with the IRS in the USA for over an hour I finally got the final paper DD1 needs to get her financial aid approved. And after the drama of housemaid missing her flight, she finally made it back night before last. So good to have a clean house and ironed clothes and still be able to get some rest!

[blotto76]

Kissa, so glad you enjoyed the whole olympic park experience. Aren't Team GB doing well!

Mint, sounds like you'll be busy! As Blondie says, it should help with your eating.

Lola, yay to the lower numbers! Hope your mum is doing as well as can be expected. And sorry about the pants weather - I do keep trying to send some sunshine your way!

Blondie, glad you got DDs finances sorted, and whoopee to having the maid back! Yes, it's super hot and humid out but sadly I can't let that get in the way of my training - I had to do a 10k outside and a 50k cycle over the weekend - YUCK!

Shy, Juno, Ailuros, Jan etc - hello!

x

[janj]

Happy Birthday Mint:jump joy: Hope it was an awesome day! Yay to all the work coming your way....

Hi to everyone else too - hope everyone's summer is going well. It's been hot and humid here but I'm enjoying having my friend and her daughter visiting from Scotland and showing them around.

Loving the Olympics - Go Team GB!!

Eating could be better, but JUDDD will forgive me

[Kissa]

Vicky, hope you had a good work day, it was good to have a quick chat.

Really, Jan, the Olympic successes are almost too much! Yay. Glad you are having fun with your friend.

[blotto76]

I'm loving the Olympics too - go Team GB!

x

[lola5k]

Yes me too loving the Olympics. . Hopefully it will be good for the country's morale. We are showing that we have excelled in sport so much over the years and are doing so much better as a country than ever before.

Went down to the Olympic park on the merest of chance that we might get a day pass into the park last Sunday ....wrong !! Hyde Park was also rammed so in the end we seemed to spend the whole day on public transport. The whole thing got off to a bad start when the train ticket machine only printed out one set of tickets even tho we had paid for two. Know what british rail and the ticket inspector said. .? Those machines never go wrong it must have printed your ticket.!!!! Nothing we can do....or more to the point nothing we are willing to do !!..No customer service not interested so had to buy another ticket !!! Luckily I had purchased the tickets online through a handling agent and emailed them. Couldn't be apologetic enough and will refund us money. That's customer service.

Still sitting at 65.1. But did drink a few glasses over the weekend. Have a good one xxx

[Kissa]

Sorry you didn't have a great London experience Lola, we are enjoying empty games lanes and being able to use them AND the bus lanes. It took us no time to drive to the National Theatre last tonight.

125 here, lowest since I went to Durham. I'd like to bet down to123 ish again.

[Blondie Baby]

I'm with all you - loving the olympics! Go Team USA! I would route for Team UAE but they suck! Our football team actually did make a valiant effort. My boys have decided they are going to be on the 2020 football team! Love watching all the American and British girls run!

Lola - sorry you didn't have a good day. Maybe you should have gone today. BBC said anyone could go to Hyde Park and watch the triathlon. British brothers are favored to win. I want to watch that!

Mint- hope you have a great day!

[Ailuros]

We’re an Olympic-free household .

[Kissa]

A calm and zen place, Ailuros.

I didn't expect to get swept up in it. But I am loving the whole circus, lol.

[MintQ8]

Thanks for the birthday wishes all!! Busy, Sick & Happy - so all good!!

DH = very naughty - he bought me an iPad for my birthday!! Finished teaching for this week - but have 2 full on 'work' days - and then off to listen to a motivational speaker on Friday! Then probably more 'work' over the weekend.

All good!!

[blotto76]

Yay, go Team GB! The triathlon was amazing yesterday, loved it! For any of you who saw it, I have to do double all that at the half iron man in December, eek! And so proud of Sir Chris Hoy, a true legend.

Mint, what a lovely hubbie you have!

Jan, hope you're having a great time with your friend.

Lola, sorry the London experience was a bit of disaster. As Blondie says, probably would have been better to go on a week day.

Blondie, we're almost catching up with you yanks!

x

[Kissa]

Originally Posted by MintQ8

Thanks for the birthday wishes all!! Busy, Sick & Happy - so all good!!

DH = very naughty - he bought me an iPad for my birthday!! Finished teaching for this week - but have 2 full on 'work' days - and then off to listen to a motivational speaker on Friday! Then probably more 'work' over the weekend.

All good!!

I don't think you are sick?

Blotto, Iron Man is a nightmare, you are so brave, just don't damage that lovely body of yours.

[MintQ8]

Well, I have a cold and am trying to lose my voice...

[Kissa]

Oh no! Be well, you need your voice!

[blotto76]

Get well soon Mint!

x