twennifer Posted Jul 28, 2009, 4:22 pm |
Hello there I'm Annie, I'm a doll from Fife, Scotland.
I'm small and cute. Sorry I've not got a picture yet, my Mum is working on that! Please host me! (: I'm excited to start my travels! My Mum is also eager to host your ToyVoyagers! Annie, xxx |
twennifer Posted Jul 29, 2009, 12:51 am |
![]() Yay, I have a photo now! (: I have my ID number and I am ready to start on my voyage! All I need now is a nice person willing to host me & I'm sorted. Today was a good day, I spent most of the day at my Mum's friend, Iona's house. It was raining outside so we didn't really venture out! I also met another ToyVoyager, which was very exciting! I met Cutie, who is staying with My Mum's best friend, Eilidh. My Mum says that I will maybe see Cutie again sometime when her and Eilidh next meet up. Here is a photo of My Mum, Cutie and I in Iona's bedroom. ![]() Iona's house overlooks Lundin Links Golf Course which is quite well known and many competitions take place there, I prefered to watch from the window rather than go out and play golf... ![]() Hopefully I will be going abroad very soon, as the weather here in Scotland is horrid! Love, Annie, xxx |
twennifer Posted Jul 30, 2009, 12:35 am |
I have had a very exciting day today! I visited Deep Sea World with My Mummy, her Sisters and some friends. We saw lots of fish and even some sharks! Ahh, they were scary!
![]() I made friends with a six year old girl, called Jessie today. She was very nice indeed and carried me around for a lot of the day. Jessie is Nicola's Uncle David's daughter. I grew quite attached to her. (: After visiting Deep Sea World, all nine of us went for a walk on The Forth Road Bridge, whick is very long and connects Fife with Edinburgh. The bridge was very busy with cars but had amazing views. Here is a photo of My Mum, Me and My new found friend, Jessie... ![]() Jessie is moving to France soon and wants me to go and stay with her for a while but, My Mum says that we will wait until Jessie is a bit older. We didn't stay on the bridge for long as it was quite windy and the bridge was shaking, we all got a little scared! ![]() The above photo shows; Les, Rachel, Me, Jennifer, Jessie, Ailsa, Nicola and Fiona. At Night I went to my first big Race with my Mum, it was very exciting! My Mum tells me that this week is 'The Tour of Fife,' where each runner competes in five races over 5 nights. Here is my Mum looking a bit worse-for-wear after the Race. ![]() We then went to a BBQ/drinks in the garden thing with Bob, Shona, Nicola, Rachel, Gail, Pamela, Neil, My Mum, Fiona, Ailsa, David, Les& Jessie, we had a good time! (: Love, Annie xxx |
twennifer Posted Jul 30, 2009, 11:08 pm |
Today was a very exciting day for me! My Mum's friend, Ellen bought a present for My Mum & guess what it was?!
![]() ![]() Love, Annie xxx |
twennifer Posted Aug 11, 2009, 9:17 pm |
Today I met Emil, a ToyVoyager my Mum will be hoasting for the next month or so, it was an exciting day for me, I've never met another TV! Here's Emil & I together at the beach in Lundin Links, near my home.
![]() And her I am playing in the sand! ![]() We had a lovely time at the beach but, as usual the Scottish weather put a premature end to our trip to the beach as it started to POUR with rain. Annie xxx |
twennifer Posted Aug 11, 2009, 9:22 pm |
This evening My Mum took Emil & I to her friend, Eilidh's house for a sleepover to celebrate the Girl's Exam Results.
Eilidh also hosts ToyVoyagers and I was able to meet two of them, Chance and Rocky. It was a bit of a ToyVoyagers Party! ![]() We had a nice night at Eilidh's, I hope to meet up with Chance and Rocky again soon. Annie xxx |
twennifer Posted Aug 11, 2009, 9:45 pm |
This evening I went out for Dinner in the famous town of St Andrews with My Mum, her family and Emil ofcourse! Here's me checking out the menu,
![]() St Andrews is very famous in the world of Golf. It boasts on of the best courses in the world, The Old Course. Where the Open has been played in the past. Many tourists come to St Andrews to play golf. Here's Emil and I on the grass by the 18th hole on 'The Old Course'. ![]() Mum also showed me 'West Sands Beach' which is where the opening scene for the film 'Charriots of Fire' was filmed, how exiting! ![]() The Sunset was very pretty so, My Mum took a photo of Emil and I infront of a picturesque sunset. ![]() We also had a walk past some of the St Andrews University buildings, here I am outside on of the Music Departments. ![]() St Andrews was a lovely place, maybe I'll go back oneday! Annie xxx |
twennifer Posted Aug 11, 2009, 9:54 pm |
Today was very exciting! Actually, today was VERY exciting, I had so much fun!
Mum told me she was taking me out for lunch today to the Hotel where she works with some of her colleagues/friends. Little did I know that I was about to be reunited with my long lost twin, Hallie! (: Ellen; My Mum's friend, has always looked after Hallie and we haven't been together for yeeeeeears. But today that was about to change. My Mum wanted Hallie and I to meet up before I began my voyage. The 'Big' Annie & Hallie came along too! So her it is, all four of us together, ![]() Hallie and I had a lot of catchiing up to do, we were both very excited to be meeting up. Hopefully Hallie will get her ToyVoyagers ID soon, so that she can travel too. We'll maybe even go somewhere together, how exciting would that be?! We didn't forget about Emil though, he was there too and I introduced him to Hallie. Here's Emil and I together in the Resturant. ![]() Whooow, what an exciting day! That's all for now, Annie xxx |
twennifer Posted Aug 11, 2009, 10:18 pm |
This afternoon, along with Mum's friends & colleagues, Anna and Ellen. I baked a cake! (:
We were baking for a lady at My Mum's work as it was her birthday. The cake's message was a joke between the staff at the hotel but I didn't really understand how it was funny! Nevertheless, here I am with the finished product!... ![]() I was quite proud of it & so were the girls! Love, Annie xxx |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 18, 2009, 6:21 pm |
Hurrah,
I've arrived safely with Steve & Helly. As the weather's nice I've had lots of photos taken already and I only arrived an hour ago!! Helly will update later, but it's just to let me Mum know I'm safe. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 23, 2009, 8:53 pm |
Here I am, just climbing out of my envelope.
Oh look, teddy bear passports . . . are any for me? Nope, they are for Pierre, Elephonse and Boris (who's waiting for his Toy Voyager ID) |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 23, 2009, 8:58 pm |
Hi again,
This is Murph. He's fifteen and very gentle. I did try to introduce myself to George, Steve & Helly's other cat, but he tried to play with me so Helly decided I'd better sneak up on him when he's asleep. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 23, 2009, 9:03 pm |
I thought I'd better say 'Hello' to some of Helly's home made Honeysuckle Bears. She makes them all herself. These ones take about sixteen hours to make, from the first cut to the final hug - a very important part of making a bear. Helly says it's the final hug that gives bears their soul and life. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 23, 2009, 9:08 pm |
This is Boris. He's going to be a Toy Voyager and live in Helly's new car, her Morris Traveller.
Boris who lives in the Morris! Boris was found on ebay in a very sorry state. He only cost £1.70. Helly did some repairs and gave him new life. While she was doing this she found out he was probably born in 1930 or 1940. You'll be able to read all about him once his Toy Voyager ID arrives. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 25, 2009, 4:06 pm |
Here I am in Helly's office. I came with Helly to her work in Wroughton. Helly works for a charity, the White Horse Care Trust - www.whct.co.uk - which has residential homes for people who have learning difficulties. Helly is the training manager for the trust and organises all the staff training - all 250 people!
I decided to help her with answering the phone - she gets lots of sales people ringing up trying to sell training! So I put them off. I also met Knit Wit, the pink pig, who lives in Helly's office and a bunny who's actually supposed to be a dog but Helly bought him thinking he was a rabbit. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 25, 2009, 4:18 pm |
While in the office I met some more of Helly's Honeysuckle Bears. www.honeysucklebears.com
Well, to be exact, they are Honeysuckle Bunnies and Hares. Helly's started creating them and I think they look very smart in their waistcoats, jackets and bow ties. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 25, 2009, 4:32 pm |
Wiltshire is famous for its White Horses. Not real ones but chalk ones, carved into the side of the hills.
This is Pewsey White Horse. Helly had to do a close up as it was difficult to see in the photo with me. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 25, 2009, 4:51 pm |
I'm off to Wales today with Pierre Bear and Elephonse.
However, first I must say 'Goodbye' to Boris as he's going to stay at home. He's very old and doesn't want too much excitement. Pierre Bear and I say 'Goodbye', just for the day. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 26, 2009, 1:46 pm |
Hurrah, I'm off with my friends Pierre and Elephonse. They're both seasoned travellers and they settled down to enjoy the journey. We're travelling in a very special car - Monsieur Alfonse. More of him later. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 26, 2009, 1:52 pm |
Nearly in Wales! We crossed the Severn Bridge and Steve did a 'how much?' when he saw the toll had gone up again! |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 26, 2009, 2:39 pm |
Welcome To Wales! |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 26, 2009, 2:46 pm |
We stopped at a service station in Cardiff to meet up with thirteen other 2CVs and Lomaxs. The three of us sat on Monsieur Alfonse's bonnet so we could get a good look at all the cars while Helly & Steve caught up with old friends.
I'm not sure what Steve's pointing at but I expect he was in conversation with someone! |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 26, 2009, 2:55 pm |
After our brief stop we set off in convoy. It was very exciting to drive all together and we got lots of attention from people at the services and lorry drivers who tooted at us. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 26, 2009, 3:10 pm |
We're here at St. Fagen's, a fantastic rural life museum.
However, first, Lyal showed us the modifications he'd done to his car, The Red Baron. What modifications! He has enormous speakers which play various sci fi music, including the famous 'Close Encounters of a Third Kind' tune. Then the car starts to lift into the air and then rotate! It's apparently even better at night as smoke and lights come out of the bottom and you can't see the hydrolically operated lift. Wow, I never thought I'd see that today . . . neither did most of the people here!! (Just before I leave for my next host I'm attending a big National 2CV event, hopefully I'll get a chance to see The Red Baron again, after dark!) |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 27, 2009, 6:35 pm |
There are lots of traditional buildings at this museum. The first three we came across were:
A beautiful very old cottage. the red paint was perhaps to see off evil spirits. Then we saw a traditional toll house, much nicer than the toll stations on motorways. Finally there was a traditional cock fighting ring. Not nice but there were swallows nesting in the rafters. They were fantastic to watch. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 27, 2009, 8:12 pm |
Look, a little house for a little doll.
This row of tiny houses demonstrates how houses changed internally. The first one showed a house in 1805, the next 1855 and so on, up to 1985. Look at the outside toilet, or 'Thunderbox'. In the 1950's sometimes a wooden extention was built in the garden to house the main living quarters. This room is in 1950's style. |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 28, 2009, 12:07 pm |
After exploring outside Pierre Bear got very excited about the farm machinary exhibition. Mmm, well, he dragged me on to a tractor and would have done more, however, thankfully Helly spotted the 'do not touch, video recorders and alarms in use'!! sign.
Thank goodness for that! |
Steve & Helly Posted Aug 28, 2009, 12:12 pm |
On the way back to the car Pierre & I sat on a Lomax. Pierre offered to whisk me away but I didn't believe he could really drive! Still, it was nice to imagine sitting in the car with the wind in my red hair.
A Lomax is a kit car, made using a 2CV engine and suspension. This one has three wheels, you can also get four wheeled ones. |
Steve & Helly Posted Sep 2, 2009, 9:27 pm |
I'm off for a weekend away at the English 2CV National. First however I thought I'd show you Steve & Helly's house. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 7, 2009, 3:59 pm |
I arrived in Switzerland and was greeted with a snack of local products like Ovomaltine (a malt/chocolate like pwoder to dissolve in milk), mint sirup and local produce.
![]() I had a quick look around the appartment. I had to check out some of the shoes... ![]() anything decorative... ![]() the means of relaxation... ![]() and the bathroom. ![]() I had a quick look at the neighborhood before retiring for an exhausting weekend ahead. ![]() |
Steve & Helly Posted Sep 7, 2009, 7:54 pm |
On the way to Cambridgeshire we passed Cherhill white horse.
Then we passed Silbury Hill. The largest man made monument in Europe, although no one truely knows why it's there. |
Steve & Helly Posted Sep 7, 2009, 8:19 pm |
Next we stopped at 'The Avenue', an avenue of standing stones which leads to Avebury Stone circle. We then drove through Avebury itself but couldn't stop as we needed to be getting on. |
Steve & Helly Posted Sep 7, 2009, 8:25 pm |
Finally, after a three hour drive, we arrived at our hotel.
This is it. I was really ready for a rest, so I settled down in this lovely chair. However, before I dozed off I thought I'd introduce you to Helly. |
Steve & Helly Posted Sep 7, 2009, 8:37 pm |
We arrived at the English 2CV National at 10.00am.
Wow, I may be a glam chick but there were some pretty glam cars. We parked up in the 'overflow' field and it took us hours to walk around, not least because Steve & Helly kept bumping into people they knew. Here are some of the cars we saw. Pierre was SO excited he could hardly contain himself. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 8, 2009, 7:19 am |
There was a big article in the newspaper about hiking in Switzerland and how it has become very popular again. Well, we agree. We drove to Niederrickenbach and took the cableway up to Maria-Rickenbach.
![]() There's a monastery of Benedictine nuns up there which is a place of pilgrimage. No road leads up, so the mail, groceries etc. are also brought up by cableway. ![]() Maria-Rickenbach is a bit above 1000m high. Our destination was the Brisenhaus at 1753m. ![]() ![]() |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 8, 2009, 7:42 am |
After walking a gravel road with some incline for a while, the way got really steep and was more a path through the cow pastures.
![]() ![]() It got colder when we got closer to the tree border and the clouds were hanging low. ![]() ![]() Up there behind me is the Brisenhaus. The way up there is scheduled for another 30min because it's so steep. ![]() On the way back down we had a look at the garden of the monastery. It was beautiful, very peaceful and had a great view. ![]() ![]() |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 11, 2009, 9:35 am |
We were off on another hike, taking advantage of the (still) good weather here in Central Switzerland. This time we took a small ropeway from Oberrickenbach to the Bannalp, Chrüzhütte and walked from there over mountains calles Walenstöcke to Engelberg. It's called the 'Walenpath'
Here they are: ![]() Zoomed in, these made a very nice picture, the way they lay there like ying and yang or something similar. ![]() I was fascinated by how nature worked those very artistic lines into the rock. The way was very steep in this part and the drop to the side was scary, I was happy to be carried. I thought it funny that my hosts walked to slowly, but they assure me that it's proper to walk slowly but steadily when hiking in the mountains. ![]() We still made very good time to the highest point of our hike where we broke for lunch. There at 1943m we had this view of Mt. Brisen, on the other side of which we walked last time. ![]() The cows have a lot fo freedom here and even when it's nearly silent otherwise, there's the sound of a cowbell from somewhere. ![]() And here I am looking out over Oberdorf. ![]() The higher of these two outcrops was the highest point of our tour. ![]() After 2 more hours of walking, first down and then up again (how annoying!), we thought we deserved a little rest with view of the Titlis glacier and Engelberg. ![]() ![]() We enjoyed the barefoot path at Brunni and made the steep descent to Ristis, where we took a big cableway to Engelberg. We had to hurry to the station to catch out train back to the car. ![]() The train switches to kind of a cog railway for the very steep passages. Here the paper travel tag came loose from my necklace. What shall I do about that? We don't have many things here to make a good and sturdy traveltag. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 18, 2009, 9:57 am |
The weather turned were cloudy. We hardly get out of them at the moment and I have't seen the sun in quite a while. Work for my host has been really busy but today we need to go grocery shopping. We walked the short distance to the shop and carried back many bags. LOok at the different kinds of Swiss cheese we got. And none of them really have a lot of holes. I don't know where that saying came from. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 21, 2009, 2:28 pm |
I woke up to another foggy day. Can you believe there's a big and normally very visible mountain there?
![]() On Saturday mornings there's a small famer's market on the town square. We went there and could see the boyscouts and a few people of the guard all dressed up. It was quite busy. ![]() After we were done with our shopping we went to Hergiswil to look at the glass ware that's produced there. ![]() Directly at the lake there are some big properties atht we could barely see from the road. ![]() We continued on the the supermarket... ![]() ![]() and then to Lucerne. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 21, 2009, 2:59 pm |
Then we drove on to Luzern.We were fascinated by the many bicycles parked outside the main station. But traffic in Lucerne is bad and one needs private parking spaces when living there.
![]() We made our way to the former bank building that now houses the Rosengart collection, a museum for Picasso, Klee and some other painters of the late 19th - early 20th century. (the building in the back, behind the IMPORT sign) ![]() TVs weren't allowed inside but we took some pics with the information and postcards of some of the paitings later on: ![]() ![]() A particular favourite of our host's is also Klee's drawing of 'The governess' previously entitled 'Das artige und das bösartige Kind' (The good and the mean child) seen on the lower left. Here we are in front of the famous chapel bridge: ![]() ![]() and the many swans. ![]() ![]() And with some of the old houses along the Reuss river. ![]() (the city hall) ![]() (Gutsch castle in the background) ![]() (the Jesuit church) In the old town: ![]() |
Apperveilchen Posted Oct 5, 2009, 5:08 pm |
Happy Birthday!
It’s my birthday and nearly time for me to leave Switzerland, so I will take this chance to show you where and how I’ve been living. This is where I arrived: ![]() Nearly at the center of the town: ![]() ![]() I like the gargoyles at the church and the colourful pictures on the church tower. ![]() ![]() I have to go shopping for my birthday dinner. See how the leaves are starting to turn colors on the Bürgenstock? ![]() At the supermarket there are these big baskets to return the plastic bottles to. Milk on the left, water and sodas on the right. ![]() Here’s the entrance to big bread selection: ![]() And this is only part of the chocolate isle, can you believe it?! ![]() I got some hard caramel for my birthday and of course cheese. I like the Heidi cheese a lot. Can you see the one with the flowers in it? The white one is soft cheese filled with chilli from the Engelberg monastery. But my favourite is the cheese with walnuts. ![]() ![]() In the evening my host had some blackforest cake (without cherries) for me and I got a candle for my first year as a toyvoyager. May there be many more! |
Apperveilchen Posted Oct 5, 2009, 5:29 pm |
Today I witnessed the Alpabzug(Swiss), Almabtrieb(German) from the window. This is where the cows are led from the mountain pastures to the barns in the valleys. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go down and see it from close-up. But you can see how the cows have extra big and festive bells, that don't allow them to eat and are decorated with flags of Switzerland and the cantons. Traditionally there are also flower-decorations on the cows. |
JaymeC Posted Dec 18, 2009, 2:20 am |
Dear Mommy,
I was horribly horribly afraid that I was lost in the mail! It took so very, very, very long to arrive! Jayme said she was quite worried too. So it was with great happiness that she opened the envelope one day and found me! And I was very happy to find she found me while she was cooking, after being in my envelope for so long I was quite hungry! We backed many cookies! ![]() Then we put most of the cookies in bags (we snuck a few that 'broke'). They are going to be stocking stuffers for the single Marines out here in Okinawa for them to take home after the Christmas party. You see, they're out here by themselves without their families so part of Jayme's job is to help them feel at the very least thought about and a little less lonely. Cookies always help with that, right? ![]() We bagged up about 100 bags of cookies and candies! ![]() Then we made some cakes as well, here I am with one of them. ![]() After that we headed over to the party. Unfortunately it was quite rainy so we had to do everything inside. Because it was so busy we didn't get to bowl, but it was at the bowling alley. Here I am at the party. ![]() And then we got to meet someone very special! Santa came to greet all the children, but he knows Jayme well so after he was through with the children he said he'd take a photo with all of us tvs! I was very happy to meet Santa. ![]() I'm glad that I arrived in time for Christmas at least! I'm sure we'll have lots of fun, and I'm glad I'm not afraid I'm lost any longer! I'll write more to you soon mommy, Annie |
JaymeC Posted Dec 26, 2009, 9:35 pm |
Dear Mommy,
I have lots of fun Christmas stories to tell you, but first I wanted to show you the decorations here at Jayme's house. She actually has two nativity sets. You see, she bought one the first year, but then realized her kids always wanted to touch it so she found one online that's a childrens nativity set that they can play with. Unfortunately she says this means there's almost always a piece missing, but at least now they don't try to get her set anymore. And it is pretty cute. ![]() Here's the adult nativity set. Its still pretty kid proof, but looks a bit nicer. ![]() Then there were the Christmas cards Jayme received! A few from toyvoyagers, a few from postcard friends, and a few from family. Not too many cards, but she put them out anyway. ![]() Finally there was of course the tree! I won't put up a big picture of the tree yet, you can see that on Christmas Day ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I hope you liked the pictures! I'll be sure to write all about Christmas very soon so you can see what fun we had! Annie |
JaymeC Posted Dec 31, 2009, 11:30 am |
Dear Mommy,
I'm sorry I didn't get my update up sooner to tell you about Christmas! But here it is now. On Christmas Eve our first priority was of course making Christmas cookies! The kids had lots of fun making them. We toys mostly stayed out of the way since we didn't want to get all floury or coated in icing. ![]() Here are the ones we left out for Santa. ![]() After getting every ready for Santa we went on out to the Christmas Eve light show! We got there quite early before nightfall. Here we are waiting and watching some shows near the stage. You can't really see the shows from here, but they just had people coming up doing short acts juggling or what not. ![]() They also had a small festival area for the kids with games and rides, so we took the kids over to do some rides while we waited. ![]() The best part of all for the kids though was that we got to see some real snow! Even though it was very warm that night (Jayme was in a tshirt!) they had a snow maker they kept running to build up snowmen, and igloos and other things. It was very, very packed in the snow area. Lots of children checking it out! Many of them will live on Okinawa all of their lives and not really have a chance to play in the snow. Here I am in a brief picture I managed to squeeze in while we were trying to carefully keep an eye on Jayme's children. ![]() Finally the lights came on! Aren't they pretty? They have a few very elaborate light set ups. ![]() ![]() Whew! After that we went home and put the children to bed and helped Jayme do some last minute wrapping. ![]() ![]() Finally we all got to bed and when we woke in the morning Santa had visited and brought more presents! Here we all are under the tree with the gifts. ![]() We spent Christmas Day at Jayme's house playing with the boys and their new toys. Maybe I can take some pictures of them later. For now, Merry Christmas Mommy! Hope you had a wonderful one! Annie |
JaymeC Posted Jan 11, 2010, 1:31 am |
Dear Mommy,
Its been quite rainy here recently, but we've been trying to get out whenever the sun is out. The children are quite restless from staying indoors and they need to get some energy out! So we headed to one of the giant slide parks on Okinawa. Jayme's children really love this slide. Here it is from the bottom, you have to walk up quite a few stairs ![]() And here's the view from the top looking down. Its a rollerslide so there are many rollers you slide down. The Japanese children go down standing up, but Jayme's children are a bit young for that so they go down sitting on a piece of cardboard. ![]() They also had a small beach nearby so the children tried to build a sand castle. ![]() More soon, Annie |
JaymeC Posted Jan 11, 2010, 3:28 am |
Dear Mommy,
Like I said in the last update, its been very rainy! And Jayme's children are even driving us toys a bit up the wall with too much energy, so we also headed to an indoor playground. Its a place called Mona Kids. Here is the entrance, isn't it cute? ![]() We had a snack inside ![]() And here's the play area for the children. There's lots of tubes and ball pits for them to play in. ![]() While the children were playing Jayme got to sit and rest and read a bit. I read some Lord of the Rings with her. ![]() More soon, Annie |
JaymeC Posted Jan 13, 2010, 12:34 am |
Dear Mommy,
I was quite excited when I woke up and it was actually sunny! Jayme said we were going to go out, but first we would make some lunches to take to eat in the car since it was going to be a bit of a drive. She said we were going to use these things called egg molds. First you boil and peel the eggs, then you put them in molds like this. ![]() Here we are with all the egg molds. ![]() Then you put them in the fridge until the cool, and when you take them out they've been molded and will hold their new shape. Neat huh? ![]() We packed them along with other snacks into a bento box, which is a boxed lunch. Bentos are very popular in Japan. Jayme says she makes "American" bentos because her family doesn't like eating rice when it gets cold, which is a traditional bento food, so instead she makes her own type of boxed lunch. But it does look yummy... you can see the eggs are wrapped in saran wrap and placed in with the other food. ![]() Then we headed off. It was a long carride up the coast until we arrived. Finally we arrived at the Busena resort! If you can see that pier far out in the distance, that's where we're headed. ![]() We took a nice walk along the way, I thought this anchor was kind of neat. ![]() And finally we made it to the pier. ![]() We walked to the end and they had what's called an Underwater Observatory. You go down 2M under the water and you can look out the portholes! The area is really rather small, with only about 25 portholes, but its very neat. We stayed there for a long time watching the fish go by. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Finally it was time to head home, but we did stop at the playground on the way to let the children run a bit more. Can you tell Jayme spends a lot of time at playgrounds? Here's a view of the playground from one of the many things to climb on. ![]() We toys took a rest on the rock wall. ![]() Whew! I'm glad we finally got to go out and have some fun, hopefully I'll have another neat update soon, Annie |
JaymeC Posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:06 am |
Dear mommy,
Sorry for the late update! We've visited a few places I'll tell you about, but Jayme hasn't had time to sit down it seems lately. First we celebrate Jayme's son Jacob's birthday! He's five years old. ![]() For his birthday he wanted to go visit the aquarium so off we went! Here I am outside the building. ![]() When you walk down to the entrance this is the view of the water there. ![]() We got to see many fish. The Churaumi aquarium has the largest salt water natural light coral tank. ![]() ![]() They also have the largest view screen to see whale sharks. Do you see him behind him? He's huge! ![]() We made a new friend at the aquarium. He said he wants to be a toyvoyager too! He still has to pick a name for himself though. ![]() Finally when we got home we decided to have some fun with the legos got for Christmas an his birthday. It took forever to put them all together! ![]() More soon, Annie |
JaymeC Posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:22 am |
Dear Mommy,
We also got to visit a ferris wheel! Here I am outside the ferris wheel. ![]() And here are all us toys who are visiting on the ferris wheel. ![]() Here's the view out the window. The water there is sunset beach. ![]() More soon, Annie |
JaymeC Posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:29 am |
Dear Mommy,
We also got to visit the grounds of Shuri-jo castle here in Okinawa. Shuri is the most famous castle on island. It was the main castle for the Ryukyan kings. It has been destroyed 5 times, most recently during WWII and they continue to rebuild it. Now you can visit and even pay a fee and enter the reconstructed castle. We only visited the outside today, but I thought you would like to see these photos of the outside of the castle and grounds. ![]() ![]() ![]() More Soon, Annie |
JaymeC Posted Feb 6, 2010, 7:33 am |
Dear Mommy,
Jayme told me we were off to do something very special today. We got in the car for a long car ride and finally got out at a castle to quite a surprise. Us toys hadn't realized it was cherry blossom season here in Okinawa! You see, in mainland it comes much later but since Okinawa is warm year round the cherry blossoms tree bloom very early. They're also a much brighter pink than most in the mainland because they're a slightly different variety of tree. One of the most popular spots to visit is here at Nago Castle. You walk up the stairs and just look at the cherry blossoms along the way. Here is our view as we were walking. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() On the way home we stopped by a spot called Manzamo Point to stretch, isn't it pretty? ![]() Hope we get to have another adventure soon! Annie |
JaymeC Posted Mar 6, 2010, 11:47 pm |
Dear Mommy,
Today Haggis arrived! We were very excited to meet him. ![]() We also stopped by quickly at the store today and got some cherry blossoms for Jayme's table. She was surprised to see them in the store, and we couldn't resist bringing them home. Aren't they pretty? ![]() Jayme says we'll be very, very busy in the upcoming weeks and she has many updates to write! Annie |
JaymeC Posted Mar 7, 2010, 12:01 am |
Dear Mommy,
Jayme says her parents are coming for a visit! Since they're going to be keeping everyone quite busy she thoguht it was only right for us to go take the kids out for some fun before they arrived. We went to two different playgrounds. The first was an outdoor playground, here you can see the playground behind me. ![]() And then we bought tickets for something called a Super Slide. ![]() Wow its big! Do you see the slide behind me? The children ride down it on sleds. ![]() After that the kids still weren't tired enough so we headed to an indoor playground. Here are two pictures from inside. ![]() ![]() Whew! I hope we don't have too much else to do before her parents arrived or I may be exhausted for the trip... Annie |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Jun 9, 2010, 7:05 am |
I've arrived at in Finland! I'm staying at the recently founded TV FosterCareHome ![]() ![]() |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Jun 13, 2010, 9:02 am |
My Foster Mom took us Foster Toys on a field trip to the Old Town of Porvoo! The Old Porvoo is a small part of the city, the part that was built first. Those red shorehouses are the most wellknown sight of Porvoo. Porvoo got its town rights in 1346. Now it has a bit under 50 000 inhabitants and an area of 654 km2. It's situated only 50km (less than 1h drive) east from the capital, Helsinki.
It was a fun trip! Foster Mom promised we'll go see the newer parts of Porvoo too ![]() |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Oct 30, 2010, 10:55 am |
Horribly happy Halloween! |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Dec 11, 2010, 3:30 pm |
Happy Independence Day Finland!
Finland declared independence from Bolshevik Russia December 6, 1917. |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Dec 26, 2010, 7:22 am |
Iloista joulua! Buorrit Juovllat! Merry Christmas! Nollaig chridheil huibh! God jul! Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Joyeux Noel! Q Ná merye i turuhalmeri! QISmaS DatIvjaj 'ej DIS chu' DatIvjaj! |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Dec 29, 2011, 2:09 pm |
Iloista joulua! Merry xmas! God jul! Buorrit juovllat! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! And so on!
And have a great new year - 2012! |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Jun 22, 2012, 8:13 am |
FosterCareHome Class 2012 group photo by the riverbank of Porvoo ![]() |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Nov 3, 2015, 3:54 pm |
Still hangiing around in Finland! I've gotten fluent in the language ![]() |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Dec 15, 2015, 8:55 am |
Today I arrived in Germany!
I'm so happy that I have a new home! |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted May 27, 2016, 1:36 pm |
I made a little trip with the car near the city of Bamberg.
Beautiful poppies ![]() View over Bamberg ![]() |
FosterCareHome FosterCareHome@web.de Posted Jul 9, 2016, 1:30 pm |
I'm on my way to the Netherlands ![]() |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:19 am |
Yay! I arrived in Delft. It was difficult to get outof my envelop, but a little horse pulled my legs. And then I was out! |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:25 am |
I meet Hollandia, the orange host bear, and Hanne, the little horse. They welcome me with some nice sweets. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:26 am |
And I also meet Keiko, one of Emjay's cats. She's sniffing at me ![]() |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:29 am |
It was a beautiful day and Hanne said: "Let's go to the beach!" We went to a cosy place called Kijkduin, which means "Watch dune". |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:31 am |
Behind us you see the watch tower, which isn't very high. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:40 am |
A view to The Hague and to the North Sea. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:43 am |
This is the "Beachcombers Hut of Uncle Jan". Uncle Jan collects stuff he finds at the beach. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:47 am |
Yay! We're at the beach and I see the sea! |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:51 am |
Look, a jelly fish! Hanne is afraid of it ![]() |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 10:52 am |
Bye, bye, sea! See you soon! |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 11:05 am |
Next day the weather was still fine. A bit cooler, though. We went to another beach at 's Gravenzande. That's a village near Hook of Holland. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 11:06 am |
Because I'm a redhead I like to stay in the shade. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 11:07 am |
There's the sea again. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 11:26 am |
All my love to everyone at the Foster Care Home! |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 11:28 am |
We've collected some shells. Maybe I can make a necklace. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 11:29 am |
Today Hanne says goodbye. She's going home. It was nice to have met her! She shares the last of her Greek sweeties with me. |
Emjay Posted Jul 30, 2016, 11:30 am |
Have a safe trip, Hanne! Hope to see you again somewhere in the world. |
Emjay Posted Aug 6, 2016, 11:47 am |
Hi everyone!
One of my life missions is to be at the Olympics. Well, I didn't get tickets to Rio. But watching the opening on tv is the next best thing! I even heard from someone who's been at the Olympics for three times that you can see the whole thing better on tv than being there yourself. Here are some things a saw last night. |
Emjay Posted Aug 6, 2016, 11:49 am |
Part of the show was about the danger of global warming and they showed a map of Amsterdam. The sea level will rise and as you know a big part of The Netherlands is under sea level. Luckily the Dutch are excellent builders of dikes. |
Emjay Posted Aug 6, 2016, 11:50 am |
And here's the Dutch delegation! Yay! But I also support the UK, Finland and Germany. Whoever wins the most medals ![]() |
Emjay Posted Aug 6, 2016, 11:52 am |
I was a bit tired being up that late to watch the opening ceremony. Next day a was awoken by a knock at the window. It was the postman, delivering a package. I wonder what is in it... |
Emjay Posted Aug 6, 2016, 11:54 am |
I had to use a pair of scissors to open it up and then four paws stuck out of the envelope. I pulled the legs and suddenly... there he was: a cute, cuddly tom cat! |
Emjay Posted Aug 6, 2016, 12:02 pm |
He brought some nice presents and a card. I'm glad I have a new friend!
Mar sin leibh! ("see you later" in my native language) |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:34 am |
Hi all!
Finally Emjay takes me to the city center of Delft. And it's a beautiful day for it! This is the New Church, although it isn't very new. It was built in the 14th century. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:35 am |
Delft is famous for it's Delft blue pottery. You can see examples all around the town. Like this Delft blue lamppost and Delft blue cow. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:37 am |
And here's a famous face in Delft blue: it's the Girl with the pearl Earring, from the painting by Vermeer. We could be sisters, right? |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:42 am |
And speaking of Vermeer: he lived and worked in Delft. One of his paintings is called "Little street" and recently a historian discovered that this is Vermeer's little street: the Vlamingstraat. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:43 am |
This is the oldest house in Delft and the town hall. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:45 am |
And this is the Old Church. You can see it has a leaning tower, just like the tower of Pisa. I think Delft is a beautiful town! |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:46 am |
I'm walking around in Emjay's garden, looking at the flowers. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:47 am |
Emjay's garden is very big.
Just kidding! This is the neigbourhood park. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:48 am |
We're here to pick brambleberries. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:50 am |
We're making brambleberry jam today!
I'm mixing the sugar in and now it has to cook. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:51 am |
Ok, it's ready! We put the hot jam into pots. |
Emjay Posted Aug 28, 2016, 9:51 am |
I wish you could taste it!
Bye, you all! |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:06 pm |
Hi there!
We're on our way to Cologne, or Köln in Germany! We're having a little break at the "rastplatz". |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:08 pm |
Approaching Köln. |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:09 pm |
Just to prove we are really there ![]() |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:15 pm |
We visit the largest photography exhibit in the world! |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:17 pm |
At the end of the day we had time to do a little sightseeing. Behind us is the famous Dom church.
I don't know why, but today we SAW a lot of pictures, but we didn't TAKE a lot of pictures. So this is all, friends! |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:21 pm |
It is a lovely autumn day today and we went to a town called Vlaardingen. |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:22 pm |
Vlaardingen is situated at the westcoast of the Netherlands. This channel is leading to the North Sea. A lot of boats go through it. |
Emjay Posted Oct 29, 2016, 3:23 pm |
And now it's time to play! |
Emjay Posted Dec 13, 2016, 9:25 pm |
Hi there!
We're celebrating Saint Nicolas Day. It's a Dutch tradition, much like Santaclaus. But Saint Nic comes earlier in the year. On the plate you see some of the traditional sweets: a "pepernoot" (peppernut), a "kruidnoot" (spicenut), a chocolate letter and a marzipan ball. Yummy! |
Emjay Posted Apr 17, 2017, 2:48 pm |
Hi everyone!
Have a happy second Easter Day! Love to my friends at the TV orphanage. Miss you xxx |