August 2006 Archives

Last night, Mark and I made applesauce.

Just so you know, to me, homemade applesauce is better than chocolate. I *heart* homemade applesauce. And the very, very best is that first bowl hot off the stove top.

I first made my return to homemade applesauce when I went back to parents' place last November to be with my mother through her surgery and recovery therefrom. It was one of the foods she could, and would, eat. Because it is so good, we couldn't keep our hands off of it, so I was literally making applesauce every day - sometimes twice daily. Yeah, it's that good. Good thing apples are native to our neck of the woods!

Once I returned to Haifa, I was hooked. I craved the homemade applesauce. However, I lacked a food mill, which meant I had to peel and de-seed all of the apples prior to cooking them. Hello, labor intensive! I only did that once or twice.

Then, in a most mysterious fashion, when we moved to our new flat a food mill suddenly appeared on our table. Happiness!

We've been away for a while, but now we're back - and thoroughly enjoying the fruits of our labors!

There are photos of Edinburgh, there are photos of London, there are photos of Prague!

Go check out Mark's (and some are mine, too) Fojalicious photos on Flickr! (this is also your friendly neighborhood reminder that he loves comments) :-)

Update! Update! For those seeking a Nathan extravaganza, there is now a veritable cornucopia of Nathan photos over at the Fojalicious Flickr site.

Blarg. Snarg. La. Pfft. Grog.

We're here. We're safe and sound...zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

And I've been reunited with chapstick. Ahhh.

After a lovely final evening out with Nathan (again!), his friends and their parents ... I can't get the blasted accent out of my head! That's right, I am thinking in a British accent! (I say British because the people we were with tonight had sort of an English/Scottish medley accent, I think).

In any case, Mark and Nathan are out playing Magic with some friends. I headed out with the 'girls' to do things which are strictly taboo in Israel. I'd never met them before, and they are good friends, but they totally swept me into their circle and we had an absolutely fab evening. They're off to dancing now, and I'm an old fuddy-duddy, so I'm off to sweet dreams.

Sigh. I will miss Edinburgh greatly. The people, the places, the weather. Ahhh, the weather. I'll miss you cloudy, drizzly, chilly sweater weather!!!! I will think fond thoughts of you as I sit, limpid, not wanting to move a muscle because of the amount of sweat it will produce, back in our cozy little flat in Haifa.

Anyone, particularly female anyones, within about 10 years of my age, remembers these fabulous shoes from her childhood.

You might have noticed a recent renaissance of these wonderful waterproof summer shoes. They were the shoes that were so cheap, I could buy myself 3 pairs with my babysitting money from just one evening. They ran about US$5 a pair. Really expensive ones might be $6.99.

Whehehehehelll! I tell you. Haven't times changed. I know inflation happens, but I just saw a pair of jellies - mind you they had rhinestones, but I'm pretty sure they were just rhinestones - that cost...I kid you not...£69.99. Yeah. That's ££££. Not $$$$. In US$ that is roughly $120. Give or take a few bucks. Seriously. No joke. Who BUYS that?! Who are they kidding?! I can not imagine a point of wealth that would not see that as, well, unholy!!!

Photos from the trip to London by Melanie!

Edit: (13 August) this link is even more applicable now, as Melanie has uploaded more photos of our trip to London.

We'll have to take some photos of Mark post-haircut. He was getting quite a mane in these photos :-)

For the uninitiated, Shoghi Effendi, whose gravesite we visited in London, was the great-grandson of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith. He was instrumental in developing the spiritual and administrative center of the Baha'i Faith, which is Haifa, Israel, where Mark and I are currently working. [we're still in Edinburgh visiting my brother, though] Okay, instrumental is sort of an understatement. After his grandfather's passing, and for the rest of his life, he did this very nearly single-handedly. And now there are over 600 staff members doing what was once 'his' work. He passed away in 1957.

No. Seriously. We have postponed our flight, again. This time it is because of the situtation in UK (I'm sorry, travel without a book or water? Hmm...). You can get the story at the BBC.

This makes two strikes. The first time we were supposed to fly was 13 July, and now again today. Nathan says "it's like someone is trying to tell you something". Sorry, Nae, either way, I'm pretty sure we're not staying in Scotland forever.

In other news, we took a trip to London recently. We stayed with the lovely Vince and Manijeh, went to Shoghi Effendi's gravesite, the Tate Modern, the National Gallery, Green Park, and, the piece de resistance for me, the Royal Gallery of Art to see an exhibition on Modigliani, whom I loooove. I got home and promptly got super sick with what we suspect was food poisoning, though from what I'm not sure.

An extra super huge thanks to Vince and Manijeh, who not only let us come and stay with them, but allowed us to bring a houseguest (Mel), and when she returned to Glasgow, allowed us to switch in Ksenia. Mel and Ksenia never met, but as I was dropping Mel off at the bus station, Mark waited for Ksenia at the underground (all part of the same station though, heheh). In addition - yes, there's more! - they drove us out to Oxford on Saturday, and we spent a lovely day there as well.

Anywho, I'm recovering. Yesterday we went to see an exhibition by Ron Mueck here in Scotland. Haven't heard of him? Click on the link! Very cool. Then we had a beautiful 'farewell' dinner in the evening, at which loads of fun was had. And well, I guess we can do it again next week - hahahaha!

Once Nathhan downloads the pictures, you will be able to see rapturous pictures of such things as Mark eating a deep-fried Mars bars. No seriously. I'm not kidding. Ugh.