Guest-less again

I just did some quick maths and in the last five months (really, the last four since we moved into the flat at the end of January), we've had eleven house guests. We've got another coming today and then my parents make it up for the London leg of their trip in early June...and more of James' family in July and on and on....

As a result of all this traffic, I've become pretty good at turning over our guest room and getting it up to scratch for the next arrival. I feel like I may have missed my calling in the hospitality industry...would you like mint for pillow?

While I certainly don't mind the constant influx of visitors, I'm going to have to get better at learning how to maintain my routine when guests come to visit. I cherish being able to get to the gym (and it's physio-related anyway, so I have to make it a priority) and also being on top of my game where our meals are concerned. I've noticed that when guests come I end up adopting their vacation mentality, which isn't going to bode well for me if our guest rate stays at this level. Just because people come to stay doesn't mean that my good habits should go out the window; I need to still make it a priority to take care of myself and James. I feel better when I take the time to care for myself and it isn't fair to me that I feel I can't take that time just because we have guests.

That said, I also need to get better at being a hands-off host. Obviously if guests want company for activities (and they ask me to accompany them) and they fit with my schedule, then yes, I'd love to go along. I've gotten to have some interesting experiences and learn some really neat stuff as a result of hosting so many different people for which I'm very thankful! It's been a fantastic by-product of this move and something I wouldn't give up for the world. But I need to learn that I can't make my guests' vacation into my vacation. I'm comfortable with the city, but I'm by no means a pro. I can't tell you what everything we pass happens to be or why something is the way it is...I'm still learning too! And aside from the whirlwind itinerary I'm planning for my folks, I can't feel pressured to making the plans for every guest who arrives at our doorstep. It's going to leave me feeling disappointed, upset and guilty and that's not cool. I can't take responsibility for everyone's vacation, nor should I feel obligated to ensure that everyone has a good time. That's out of my control.

So yeah, that's what I'm going to be working on in the coming months. Being a good host with reasonable limits. I suspect it will be much easier once I'm working since James' attitude is completely different and far more in line with the one I'd like to adopt.

I HAVE A BROTHER!

Hey! Did you know I have a brother? Yes! An honest-to-goodness real life little brother. I know, I'm as shocked as you are. I mean, I hadn't actually talked to him in five months, so I was starting to question his existence! Why haven't I talked to him in five months, you ask?! Beats me!

You see, I made sure, before I left Canada, that he and my parents each had a device that would be able to connect with us via FaceTime. So I thought we would have it all sorted with his iPhone. I mean, the kid has FaceTime and iMessage, both of which are free, so there's nothing stopping us, right? Apparently my younger brother leads such a busy and technophobic existence that making contact was incredibly difficult. I eventually forced a few iMessage conversations, but it wasn't really trucking along on the communication front.

Then I found out, through my parents (during a FaceTime conversation - they figured it out right away), that my brother was miffed at not being mentioned on this blog. Well, let me tell you, if you're not gonna contact your only sibling after she repeatedly emails and messages, well, you're not getting a mention until FaceTime happens. And that was my stance for a couple of months.

Thankfully my brother not only figured out how to use FaceTime, he also called me on it and we talked for nearly two hours! As pursuant to the terms of my grudge, Michael now gets a mention. And I've included some photos for everyone's amusement. Hopefully after this we are still talking. Hopefully on FaceTime.

Enjoy.

Poor Michael. I was trying to get a screen shot of our monumental FaceTime conversation, but he moved. Prior to this unfortunate image Michael had his head down (signing his tax forms) and looked like a person you would have coffee with...not someone you'd run from if they approached too fast.

Posing for a nice photo for mom (photo by James)

Michael and I on my wedding day (photo by the very amazing Lisa Marie)

Michael during his long hair phase which I adored.

And one of many photos where Michael attempts to deny that we are related. Matching shirts indicate otherwise.

My parent's vacation starts tomorrow

Whew! I intended to sit down and ramble out a bunch of posts (not about salt), but the day is completely running away from me. I also meant to give the bathroom a good scrub and have a soak in the tub, but I'm seeing that opportunity fade away too. (Note: I was so overtaken with guilt that I actually got up and cleaned the bathroom, less the tub since we're actually out of tub and tile cleaner. Now I'm back to writing this post).

My parents are leaving on their epic month-long European vacation tomorrow and so I've spent the bulk of the day having WhatsApp conversations, Skype calls and emails to help them sort out all of their last minute questions. We've covered everything from my UK phone number and how to dial it, to what their insurance policies are like in the event that they should die while on vacation. Yeah, it's been that kind of day.

Their trip is a long time coming and it will see them travelling, at various times, with up to eight other life-long friends and family. It will also be their first trip to Europe. Ever. I'm pumped just to watch that all go down. I also get a front-row seat for part of it as I'll be meeting them in France and then staying with them through Paris and up to London. So expect posts from the French countryside and Paris later this month and into June! I can't wait to get back to Chazieux.

Salt: Now it's just ridiculous

I honestly didn't think I'd be writing another salt post any time soon. There's already a book on the market (which, coincidently, I have read and thoroughly enjoyed) and I've written extensively on the topic in two other riveting posts. What more could I add?

Well, how about this photo:

THAT is the amount of salt I had to buy for the dishwasher. I put it beside our other comically larger bottle of salt to help drive home the scale of 3kg of salt. 3kg of salt. That I carried home from the grocery store in a carrier bag (Tesco, as you can see from the label). Had I known when I left the house that I'd be bringing home all of the groceries and 3kg of salt, I'd have brought my trolley. What is up with the salt in this country?!

On the plus side, I was having a rather out of sorts day and when I realised that this was the only option for dishwasher salt I got to have a much-needed laugh in the aisle at the grocery store. Yeah, nothing off-putting about a girl staring at the salt, alone, and laughing.

So, I bought the salt and dragged it home. It was only then that I re-read the directions regarding the salt. You know, the ones I posted to the blog not a week earlier?? Yeah, apparently I was so stunned by the dishwasher-needs-salt issue that I misread how much salt was actually required. I have highlighted this for the convenience of the tl;dr crowd:

How did I miss that!?!

Anyway, now we are fully stocked up on salt and the dishwasher is once again happen. And I will endeavour to never discuss salt again!

There was an election

As a resident I got to vote in the municipal election yesterday. Since I always vote, and I always make informed votes, I had a lot of catching up to do to get ready for the ballot. Thankfully this little brochure arrives with our registration cards so that I could scope the candidates out and spell their names correctly when I went to the Internet for further details.

Since I'd rather not discuss the people I voted for, and the process is so different from what I'm used to in Canada, let's talk about that.

First of all, candidates have party affiliations here, even at the municipal level. While I'm sure we can all guess most of the affiliations in Canadian municipal elections, they're not declared. That was new and meant I got a crash course in all the major (and a number of lesser known) parties. There were seven candidates for mayor, with seven different parties represented. 

The voting for mayor was probably the most interesting component of this process. You make a first choice and then you get to make a second choice! I know, this blew my mind too - what are they on about with a second choice?! Well, the idea is that if no one wins the first column votes by receiving more than fifty percent of the votes, the top two candidates move the round two and the second column votes for them are allocated. The winner is the person with the highest combined score. It made my head spin to think of the strategic possibilities, but I must admit, I didn't investigate the prevalence of strategic voting.

If you want to know more about the process, London Elects has details.

Anyway, after you vote for mayor, you get to vote for the assembly member for your borough. We're in Westminster so we had five options and, again, party affiliations abound. The assembly is made up of additional London-wide members, so once you've chosen your borough member you get your third ballot out and you vote for the party that you would like to give your vote to. Seats are then divided up based on votes.

See? I told you this party affiliation phenomenon was serious stuff!

Aside from the above differences, you know what else I noticed about the election? There were no election signs to be seen in our area. It was so refreshing not to walk by sign after sign or to see them blowing down the street or filling ditches.

The cutest part of voting was the actual building where we voted: we walked in through the kitchen and were met by two women with scratch pads in a sort of closet-type room. They asked our numbers and then sent us into a bigger room (with a really strange assortment of items piled into the one end...I noticed a faux military helmet on top of one box). In the bigger room we stated our names, then took our ballots to tables with little wooden make-shift dividers that were probably older than I am. Much like in Canada it was all over before we knew it, but unlike in Canada, we couldn't go home to watch the counts roll in or get the results. Polls didn't close until 10pm, so the winner is announced tonight. I suspect the second column has a lot to do with the delay too. 

There you go. We've voted in a new mayor....can't wait to find out who it is!!

Hmm, the dishwasher could use more salt

I wish I was joking, but I'm serious. The dishwasher needs more salt. The hard reality of hard water is that apparently the dishwasher requires special salt to operate. And, because they require special salt, it means that I can't just use my never-run-out-until-you're-dead-or-maybe-even-later* supply of salt. I have to BUY MORE SALT. Groan.

When we moved in I read all the manuals for the appliances and made a note of the salt issue, but I didn't give it another thought until I went to clean the dishwasher. James, however, beat me to it and actually cleaned the dishwasher himself just a day earlier (there may be hope for him yet on the cleaning front!). 

Anyway, as I was marvelling at the fact that someone else had gotten to the grubby dishwasher seals before me, I noticed the salt compartment and thought back to what I'd read. I fished out the manual and tried to figure out how the dishwasher would tell me it needed more salt. Apparently it uses an indicator light. In fact, it uses the light on the control panel that has been very brightly on since we moved into the flat. In January. Oops.

Join me, when I finally make it to the grocery store, for another riveting salt-filled adventure. Alternatively, if Finish, whose dishwasher tabs we already use, would like to just send me a packet, that would be awesome too.

Also upcoming: I will talk at length about hard water. I know, you can hardly wait!

*A little nod to Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch. Thanks to my parents for reading to me all the time as a child!