This is the Life!

A Sunday out with our friends (Dima's ex-students)- Otto, Ilia and Nika. Just the way we like it: good place, good people, good meat, good wine!!! Summer is back!!!

New hobbies: me and Dima both go swimming 3-4 times a week and Dima does b-ball every Wednesday night! Beating that "married couple" bulge!!!
Moments with Lily. BEing a mummy is the best thing in the world- one smile makes all negatives fade away!

Tsavkisi Update!

At last! They have fulfilled (-2%) their part of the deal... and the house is ours to play with. All we have to do now (at our extra cost) is clean up the paint flicks, put walls round it, put steps on the spiral stairs, put in doors and frames, put in flooring, put in plasterboard and light fittings, finish plumbing and install the bathrooms and kitchen, landscape the garden and make sure it has a good drainage system (they don't know what damp proofing is here, so we need to keep as much water from the house as possible!!), paint everything and dig a pool...er...yeah, so we'll obviously NOT be moving in there THIS year! Maybe next (and even then think refugees/campers- gas cylinder to cook with, water boiled on fire... hehe)!!!

Our first little visitor!

Walking n Talking

My Lily getting up and at 'em! Getting stronger and longer by the day and I love her more and more!!!

Out on a walk in the local hills with Dima, Lily and foreign friends. It was a rainy-sunny day but well worth the exercise!

Me and my new friend Bianca from Romania. We met through one of Dima's friends. Bianca will be in Georgia til September working with the Human Rights Organization on the Abkhazia issue.
Me and Dima out for much-needed clubbing one night (thankyou, Naira, for babysitting!!!)
A street picnic on a sunny spring day to bid farewell to one of our new Polish friends.
Party at Bianca's flat- Pasta Night (which meant she sadly spent most of the evening in the kitchen while we ate and danced!)
Pasta Night with Dima dancing and his Portuguese student Cicero playing DJ.

Into Spring

Lily takes up a lot of the pleasurable time I spend...but we've also done bbqs, gone on a short Easter break and attended our new Romanian friend's Pasta Night. Around 15 people came, all of different nationalities. We'll be meeting them again!

The house. Built and finished in 5 months. Damn Tsavkisi and our long wait for our dream! We shoulda bought land in the country and built our own!
All together- Sopho, me, Mari and Liza (holding puppy basset) the Twins, Taso and little Tina and Sopho's husband Levan.
Their fab rustic kitchen- and Lily hit it off with everyone there!
Spent most of the rainy Easter weekend playing cards. No cheaters and dares for the losers!!
A Kakhetian Ferrari.

Dima getting busy being a dad! ;-)

Dima at the official opening of the Japanese Learning Centre at Tbilisi State Uni- Dima was one of the techies in charge of setting it up. Good job!

Finally got myself in gear! A lot has changed since I last wrote on my blog- the biggest change being that I'm a mummy! Words can't describe how happy I am at mine and Dima's little creation- she's perfect, beautiful, so well-behaved, addictive... see more of our Lily on her blog: www.lilysteps.blogspot.com. We've also moved into a new and better flat. Still waiting for our Tsavkisi house to get done (painted and ready for interior fitting, but ominous cracks have appeared under the big window which need to be...ahem, discussed with the builders)- photos to follow. What am I up to these days? Mummying with a bit of teaching to bring nappy-money in! Both Dima and Naira are on holiday from university until March, which helps on the baby-sitting front and means Daddy gets time with his baby girl! It's been snowing on and off the past week so we've been inside aside from the occasional walk around Kustba, watching lots of downloaded movies... and getting itchy for barbeques and long walks in woods, hills and new villages...roll on spring!!! Photos show our new livingroom, bedroom and office/classroom (I set it up for Naira!)and me with Lily Mariami.

Christmas School Concert 2009

My second stint directing at Lingua House- and a much better show this Christmas with A Christmas Carol, Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer, Jingle Bells and much more...plus a visit from Santa with stockings for all!!!

november bbq

The fastest bbq we've ever had- chose a place by a wild lake, gathered a little of the plenty of wood that was lying around, lit the fire and in 10 minutes had lunch served- hotdogs au naturel!!!

Nicole's Birthday 09

Dancing and blowing bubbles- Buffalo Bill bar on Nicole's 29th birthday last October.

Halloween at school

My classroom at Lingua House at Halloween (I like to inspire the kids!);-)

Nick and Nana's Wedding- September

Dima's close friend Nick Cxetiani, married Nana in September in a civil and church ceremony in Tbilisi. A rainy but fun day! Dima was one of two best men (which automatically makes him godfather to Nick's future children).

Nick and Nana's Wedding

Traditional male Georgian singers at the wedding- the quality isn't as good on film, but, believe me, hearing it live brings out goosebumps- it's powerful tones they reach!! I even heard that one of the tones these kinds of singers reach is so unique and special that it was sent into outer space for aliens to pick up!!

Nick and Dima's First Dance

:-)

Nick and Nana's First Dance

Traditional first wedding dance in Georgia (man flirts, impresses woman; she gets him to chase her and then gives in to him). A beautiful gliding dance... one Dima and I will have to learn! :-)

Me when I was pregnant! - 5.5 months and 7 months