Tom Selleck and I

The reader may wonder where I had this photo taken...Was it in my study? In my bedroom? Am I a hollywood actor chaser, perhaps even a star stalker? Just look at my innocent face and Tom's practised smile leaning out of the car's window. How do you know it's not him looking at me and beeping his car's horn to call my attention? Whatever the case this is a great shot and one I never expected when I went out for coffee today. The papparazzi are always ready.

El lector se preguntara donde me saque esta foto...fue en mi estudio? en mi dormitorio? Soy tal vez una fanatica de actores hollywoodenses o incluso una obsesionada de las estrellas. Pero presten atencion a mi cara inocente y la sonrisa practicada de Tom mientras se asoma de la ventanilla del auto a lo galan. Como sabe ud. el lector, que no es el mirandome a mi y tocando la bocina del auto para llamar mi atencion? Cualquiera sea el caso, y queda a su imaginacion, es una fantastica foto y totalmente insesperada de un domingo a la tarde al salir a tomar un cafe. Los papparazzi estan siempre listos!

Emiliana Torrini

One of my favourite musicians...and songs...enjoy

Happy birthday Vidito

I know that having to go to work today wasn't the best way to spend your birthday. No one should work on their birthday it's a sin. It's only one day a year that you get to celebrate such an important occasion. I wish all the best for you, I love you so much. Even though you don't want a cake and will have to blow the candles on top of an eggplant, I wish that whatever your birthday wish is it comes true.
Happy Birthday Vidi, how many did we spent together?

New CDs

A Sunday of rain in Melbourne, very unusual. We went to JB and purchased two Death Cab for Cutie cds: Plans and Narrow Stairs and we got one for free: Radiohead (the best of). I am very happy to own these cds. I had the music in my mp3 but I wanted to have the original package. After our bargain purchase we had a capuccino and went to look at some books at Borders. Everything is expensive now due to Xmas approaching. Every other time we went to Borders there were tables with bargain books and toys. Not today! The world of capitalism, I hate it! Today I spoke to my tiny niece Simona via Skype. She has so much energy and she is so beautiful. I adore her. I'm watching season 4 of Dexter, I like it. It's so much better than the books.

Un domingo de lluvia en Melbourne, muy raro. Fuimos a JB y compramos dos cds de Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs and Plans y nos venia uno gratis. Elegi Radiohead (aunque era un compilado). Estoy muy contenta de tener los originales de Death Cab for Cutie, tenia la musica en mi MP3 pero queria los originales. Despues de esta compra nos tomamos un capuccino y nos fuimos a ver libros a Borders. Todo esta carisimo por la aproximacion de Navidad. Cualquier otro dia que fuimos a Borders habia mesas con ofertas. Hoy NO! El mundo del capitalismo, lo odio! Hoy hable con mi sobrinita pequenisima Simona por Skype. Tiene tanta energia y es tan hermosa. La adoro. Estoy mirando la cuarta temporada de Dexter, buenisima. Es tanto mejor que los libros.

Hoy recorde el disco Pepsi

No se si alguien se acuerda del famoso disco Pepsi. Yo lo recorde hoy. Fuimos a la playa de Mentone (35 minutos de casa) y estabamos jugando con Anton en el agua con un disco y recorde que cuando yo era pequena...un ano se puso de moda jugar con el disco y en la television habia una publicidad de todos chicos y chicas jugando en la playa con el disco Pepsi. No se como, calculo que el disco Pepsi vino con una botella de Pepsi que mis padres compraron con el proposito de darnos el disco y llego a mis manos el tan ansiado juguete. Por supuesto no estabamos en la playa sino en la vereda. Mi hermana y yo con nuestras amigas vecinas nos tirabamos el disco de vereda a vereda cuando de pronto paso una camioneta y para nuestra sorpresa el disco aterrizo en la parte de atras, el chofer totalmente ignorante de tal evento (o al menos es lo que nosotros pensamos) siguio su camino llevandose nuestro disco Pepsi! Que recuerdo!

Today I remembered the Pepsi Frisbee whilst playing with a frisbee down at Mentone with Anton.

When I was young in Argentina, there was this commercial that advertised the Pepsi Frisbee. Everyone was talking about it and everyone wanted it because it promised hours of fun at the beach. Anyway, my mum might have bought some Pepsi so we could have the frisbee. Pepsi was not a drink that we usually had at home and the beach was faraway. But, finally we got a Pepsi frisbee and we went outside on the sidewalk to play: my sister, a neighbour friend and me.

There we were tossing the plastic disc to one another from sidewalk to sidewalk when all of the sudden when the frisbee was in midair a ute comes by and guess what??? to our amazement and disappointment the frisbee landed on the truck. The driver was completely oblivious to the fact that a UfO landed on this truck (or so we thought) and in the blink of an eye it disappeared down the road! What a memory!

Summer started today

Yes I know that it's not yet Summer, but for us it has started. We made the trip to the beautiful coastal town of Lorne and we spent the day at the beach. It was a bit cold, but I still could not resist the turquoise water. I took a deep breath and jumped in the sea. The water was a bit cold but it was perfectly tolerable. Anton and I played with a tennis ball and I exercised my shoulder. Later in the day we met Andrea and had some "mates" in the picnic area. It feels so nice when we get away. Lorne has such a special kind of energy that when I breath I feel every pore in my body cleansing.

Ya se que no es verano todavia, pero para nosotros empezo hoy. Hicimos el viajecito al hermoso pueblo costal de Lorne y pasamos el dia en la playa. Hizo un poco de frio pero asi y todo no pude resistir el agua turquesa. Respire hondo y salte al mar. El agua estaba un poquito fria pero perfectamente tolerable. Anton y yo jugamos con una pelotita y yo ejercite mi hombro. Mas a la tarde nos encontramos con Andrea y tomamos mate en picnic. Es tan lindo cuando hacemos este viaje. Lorne tiene una energia tan especial que cuando respiro siento que cada poro en mi cuerpo se limpia.

A quick escapee/ una escapadita

It was 33 degrees this afternoon when we decided to head to the beach to cool down. It took us 45 minutes and we got here, the bay. The water was cold, but it was so nice to relax in the crystal clear waveless sea. We spent 2 hours swimming, playing and sunbaking. Came back to a hot house to eat dinner and get ready for the week. Next weekend we think will be Lorne.

Hacia 33 grados cuando decidimos irnos a la playa a refrescarnos. Nos llevo 45 minutos llegar aca, a la bahia. El agua estaba fria, pero estuvo buenisimo poder relajarse en el mar cristalino y sin olas. Esstuvimos 2 horas nadando, jugando y tomando sol. Volvimos a una casa caliente a comer la cena y prepararse para la semana. El finde que viene creemos sera Lorne!

The advenure of LA CHUNGA

Oli miraba desde adentro como la Chunga no podia bajarse del techo y dele llamarla para que se acerque a la escalera, tardamos como media hora para hacerla bajar.

Oli was the espectator from inside. He watched as we struggled to get Chunga to come to the ladder. It took approximately 1/2 an hour to get her down from the roof.

The adventure of LA CHUNGA Finale

The adventure of LA CHUNGA part V

The adventure of LA CHUNGA part IV

Anton se prepara a agarrarla....Anton gets ready to catch her falling from the tree...

The adventure of LA CHUNGA part III

The adventure of LA CHUNGA part II

The adventure of LA CHUNGA

We call Fugui "la Chunga" sometimes, which is not a very attractive name but we feel that it fits her personality a bit more. You know, someone who doesn't care about her appearance and who does nothing all day but lay around, dirty and in disarray waiting for a plate of food to be filled out . This is who "la chunga" is. The other day, who knows why she was active and decided to show off her once athletic skills...here is the result: you have to start at this photo and move your way up!

A veces llamamos a la Fugui "la Chunga", no es un nombre muy atractivo, pero sentimos que es un nombre mas acorde con su personalidad: alguien a quien no le importa su apariencia, que no hace nada en todo el dia exepto estar hechada por ahi, sucia y desprolija esperando que alguien le llene el plato con comida. Esta es quien "la chunga" es. El otro dia, quien sabe porque estaba activa y decidio hacerce la canchera y demostrar aquellas abilidades atleticas que alguna vez ha tenido. Este fue el resultado: tienen que empezar en esta foto y seguir hacia arriba.

Cousins

Alan, Anton & Luca at the edge of the deep bush, waiting for us to leave to start their mischief.
A la entrada del bosque esperando que nos vayamos para empezar la travesura.

Mate @ Montrose

El lunes fue como un sabado porque hoy no se trabaja gracias a la Melbourne Cup (carrera de caballos) asique con Andrea y los chicos nos fuimos a un parque hermoso a tomar mate. Increible como la onda del lunes cambio tanto con solo cambiar la mentalidad y salir. Los chicos potrerearon en el bosque y se tiraron en culipatin por las lomas de pasto...a falta de nieve. Despues del parque volvimos de Andrea y comimos costillitas, chorizitos y hamburguesas en el BBQ. Hablamos de peliculas y de otras cosas. Thumbs up! Good Monday.

On Monday it felt like a weekend because today is a holiday thanks to the Melbourne Cup. Andrea, the kids and I went to a park in Montrose or Olinda or somewhere in between. Had some mates (traditional Argentinian drink) and talked about different things whilst the kookaburras flew over our heads and laughed. The kids played in the bush and slid down the grassy slopes on a tobogan. It was fun for them and us to watch them. At night we had a BBQ and talked about movies, especially Paranormal Activity: Luca may have nigthmares...sorry. Good Monday

The garden

My front yard is looking pretty with the freshly cut grass, the colourful flowers and the green bushes. When we first came to live here there were no plants at all in that garden bed, so it took a few years but now it looks kind of nice.

Mi jardin del frente esta re lindo con el pasto recien cortado y las plantas floreciendo. Cuando nos mudamos no habia ninguna planta en ese cantero, asique todo lo que se ve ahi lo plante yo. No es gran cosa y tardo sus anos pero ahora esta re lindo. La primer ventana es la de la oficina de Ricky y la otra la de nuestro dormitorio.

Paraisos

Quien dijo que no habia Paraisos en Australia? There's a road full of them and they are now in bloom. The perfume of the trees takes me back to my childhood, playing hide and sick on the road with my friends in the Summer time. The memories include chocolate milk and sponge fingers for afternoon tea and mosquito bites. It also includes picking up the tiny little balls (seeds) and squeezing them with my hands or stepping on them and crashing them against the concrete. I remember how much I enjoyed when I had a new summer dress to wear or new season's sandals, going out after school all dressed up was a treat. I miss those days, it would be nice to live them again but knowing how precious they are, so that every minute could be recorded not only the essence. How tiny our memories are that can only keep so many memories and discard so many other details. How ineficient! Anyway the trees are really nice and they give a lot of shade. Not sure what their scientific name is but in Buenos Aires we called them Paradise.

Esta lleno de Paraisos en una calle en Melbourne, el perfume me transporta a la ninez, jugando a la escondida con los vecinos en el verano. Los recuerdos incluyen la chocolatada y vainillas para mojar en la leche y picaduras de mosquitos. Tambien incluyen agarrar las bolitas de los arboles y apretujarlas con los dedos o pisarlas contra la vereda. Me acuerdo como disfrutaba salir a la vereda con un solero nuevo o con sandalias nuevas despues del colegio. Era re lindo. Extrano esos dias, seria lindo vivirlos otra vez, pero sabiendo cuan preciosos esos recuerdos son, vivirlos mas intensamente y recordar cada minuto, no solo la escencia. Que pequena que es nuestra memoria que solo nos permite guardar recuerdos fragmentados y descartan tantos detalles. Que ineficiente. Los paraisos son re lindos y dan mucha sombra en verano. No estoy segura como se llaman cientificamente pero en Buenos Aires los llamamos Paraisos...

Tomando helado de Trampolin

Esta foto es para Bettina que se reia del helado Trampolin. Yo pedi tres gustos: chocolate, vainilla italiana y naranja sangrienta. Anton pidio 4 gustos: chocolate blanco, vainilla italiana, banana y caramelo. Estuvo rico y refrescante.
Today was icecream at Camberwell instead of coffee. Although Ric kept the tradition and had a capuccino. Nice ice cream but not the best. The place was kind of empty, obviously a lot of people went away for the long weekend, we were not as lucky.

Comfy much?

Felipe had a nap yesterday after sniffing and eating grass outside in the hot afternoon. He slept on my bed, next to his new toy ( a long piece of ripped t-shirt) and probably dreamt of freshly cut grass and flies. Good on ya Felipe, sleep tight.

Un poquito comodo? Felipe ayer se durmio una siesta en mi cama despues de potrerear afuera en la tarde calurosa. Seguramente sono con pasto recien cortado y moscas. Que suenes con los angelitos.

Farewell Friends

Last night we said farewell to Miriam & Horacio, who are returning to Argentina after a year and a half of being here. Unfortunatelly during this time our busy lives got in the way of getting together more often. We always have fun and share a lot of ideas, laughter and memories. We had home made pizza, wine and nice conversation. Our dear friends will be missed, but hopefully will be back not far in the future for more shared times, laughter and pizza! Hope you have a safe trip and a lovely get together with families. Remember that we will be waiting for you to set up a blog so we can see the next adventure in your lives. Good luck! We will miss you.