I'm not kidding when I say we have the prettiest drive on our school run! Just imagine what it will be like in Fall. Portland is still basking in a late summer and we are feeling more and more settled which is nice.
Mu is over the moon as he finally got his new cyber-shot camera this week after months and months of saving. When he gets home from school I'll see if he'll let me post some of his pics - they're rather cute. R and I went out with a group of IB people last night which was fun - they're all really lovely. Our 'Back-to-School' night was fab. R and I are blown away by the level of schooling here and are so grateful that Turtle and Mu get to experience it. Among the many things their class is learning (piano, Spanish and Ice-skating(!?!)to name a few) they are 'learning' hiking and have a number of trips planned in the lead up to the OMSI camp.
While there are lots of things I miss about New Zealand - clear air anyone? There are many neat things here, eg:
- the little 'one car per green' traffic lights for the motor way on-ramps - so civilised.
- the abundance of green and trees. Oregon has the most amazing scenery.
- the ice cream selection - unbelievable.
- the low-cost of things - food, eating out, furniture and so on.
- the super-friendly people. OK I've met a few rude ones too but overall people are really nice.
- the access to such a diverse range of goods, services, classes.
- and yes the shopping - !
IB people from NZ are in town next week and they've asked if there's anything we'd like. The first three things that occured to me were -
Another warm sunny day. Most of which was spent battling my way through red tape in the never ending quest to get a social security number, and master the banking system. It's one thing being called a 'legal alien'. It's another one to feel well and truly alienated. The good news is that it's Friday and we're looking forward to a potter-y about kind of weekend with nothing much planned. Hope you have a lovely one too!
What a busy few days. Yesterday I spent the morning shifting the 'hired' dining table into Mu's room - and then shifting around all the furniture in his room - in preparation for the delivery of our new table. Sure enough it arrived. But it was securely fastened in a wooden crate! With R away overnight, and not being one to wait, I took it upon myself to open that crate and construct that table. End result - one sore hand from a large angry splinter, one hole in foot from standing on a nail, and one very proud girl with a lovely new table! It's quite amazing what you can do with a $9 screwdriver. Now we just need to find some nice chairs....
We've been having the most glorious warm weather. Everyone seems to be talking about Fall, but I'm quite happy for the temperature to stay how it is - at least for a while. We're feeling quite settled after just a week and are loving our little neighbourhood with all it's old wooden houses and beautiful trees. Turtle & Mu are very relaxed and enjoy wandering the neighbourhood with us in the evenings exploring. They are both enjoying school, and have some fun things coming up like the OMSI camp! Mu bounced out of class the other day and excitedly told me that their class is not only putting together a school newspaper, but they are organising the Fall Festival as well! We have a 'back to school' evening tomorrow so will know more then. And we are hoping to head out to the Oregon coast this weekend to explore.
