Toothpaste!

I read today that toothpaste shipments from China (to south America and maybe the US) might be tainted with Diethylene glycol, a nasty toxic substance. Well, count yourselves lucky that it's not called "Candida".... like the one we have. Who wants to brush with a yeast infection?

Only one post in May?

I suppose that could be taken as a good thing- we're settled enough now that I get caught up in day to day shenannigans and before you know it, it's bedtime. Today (Tuesday) is a prime example. Walter's travelling, both boys have stuff in the morning, and Allie has school in the afternoon. When Walter's away none of us sleep very well the first night. Last night was bang on target. 11:30- Allie comes downstairs wimpering "my nose has stopped working". He's got a cold. So I jolloped him up to the gills and sent him back, where he coughed for an hour. Toby managed to come into our room and go back upstairs to play at 2 am, before I woke up and put him back. He informed me that his wee soft toy 'Filca' told him to do it! We had to be up and out of the house at 7:30 this morning, to deliver Allie to class, then Toby to creche. I'm not sure how I filled the intervening hours- really! Then I raced off to pick up the boys at lunch time. We had less than an hour to eat, before walking Allie up the hill to school (no pedibus on a Tuesday). By this time, Toby was actually asking for nap! So I napped him for an hour, then we had to hump it back up to school. It's really hot and muggy (by my standards) right now, so a popsicle was called for on the way home. The boys gulped them back and off we went. Somehow, between popsicle and home Allie got a temperature and became miserable. He was in bed by 5, and Toby was asleep by 8. There was I, looking forward to a nice bath and an early night, when who should appear at 9:30- Allie. He was quite chipper and asked "Is it the morning after the night yet, mummy?". "Sorry, pet, it's still the evening before the morning. I was just about to go to bed". At this point he collapsed on me and wailed into my shoulder "Oh why does the earth have to turn so slowly?" He was eventually asleep by 10:30, and I followed shortly after.

PS- it's now thursday and Walter will be home in an hour. WooHoo!!!

Cali Tour "07, Part 2

Some more pics of our Cali. experience. Above, I'm getting artyfarty with the freeway.

About 45 minutes from RB is "Plaza Mexico". We met up with Sherry, Randy,Drew and Anna to do an 'Allie hand-off". Our big boy had a very successful sleep over with them :) The Plaza is a relatively new development, which is supposed to resemble the "Mexican shopping experience". It was certainly unlike all the malls I know. The interior was a hum drum of the type of stalls normally found outside, with everything you could think of for sale. I wish I'd taken a picture of the fruit and veg. stands. There was some stuff that was completely alien (and I thought I knew west coast food).

Is there another mall with it's own Christ on the cross, or Maddonna shrine????



Randy samples a 'nopales' plate. Cactus leaves!


The best tasting churos anywhere.


One major attraction of Plaza Mexico is the double deckered carousel. I didn't get a pic of the whole thing.


OFcourse, there was a Lucha Libre mask stand. I wish I'd bought one.


Does anyone recognise this church? Watch 'the Graduate' again ;) It's in Pomona.


Ahhh the pretty flowers...


Classic LA licence plates.



Norm and Helen met a very interesting couple, who live nearby. Helga is a petrified tree expert, and has amassed ~30 years of a collection. California (and the West in general) has some petried forests and specimens in the dessert.
This is just a small sample of what she had collected.


Helga points out her favourite piece. It's oak... really really old oak. Neither Walter nor I can remember the exact age. It's one of those things where the age really is incomprehensible.


I miss sushi... Norm and Helen very sweetly encouraged us to order some. The boys are now learning the art ofthe chopstick. Wasabi will come later.



Trying to do 'double nickels on the dime'.