Will Dig Life

Once again we attended the Thursday morning playgroup. This is by far the toughest to get any interaction with the adults, and I did spend long stretches on my own - resisting the temptation to get the phone out and get a bit of socialising through social media - but here and there I exchanged a few words with various ladies. Better than nothing, and the kids like it there; also it's free and there's coffee and snacks. On our way home, the kids were a bit tired but still well behaved. We didn't get a seat with good views so N started kneeling on a seat to see outside. That's when the old lady sitting behind us got involved - complaining about dirty seats, kids not sitting still, overwhelmed mothers who don't care.... in typical Viennese passive aggressive fashion she wasn't talking to me, she was talking about me but in a way that I should hear and feel condemned. Oh well. The kids didn't even notice. I ignored her. And was glad that our stop ...

If you were thinking of skipping one of my blog posts, make it this one! Just kidding - but I really don't have much to say about today. We went to the same playgroup we've been to every week since we arrived. Familiar faces by now, I spent pretty much the entire time chatting with other mums!  In the afternoon we tried a new place that was advertised as a baby and child playgroup but it turned out to be pretty much babies only. Mine were by far the oldest and they stuck out immediately with their activity and noise levels! We stuck it out for nearly an hour but that was as much as we could manage. In other news, I'm really longing to go home by now. I'm missing my man fiercely.

What a gorgeous day we had today! Bright sunshine, blue sky, not too cold, but still some remnants of snow around. I had planned indoor activities and that was what we did, but I really hope the weather stays this way so we can go to the zoo sometime. This morning though we went to soft play again. Fun times, smoothies, happy kids.  This afternoon we met our friend F and went to Palmenhaus together. The kids quite enjoyed running around the place and finding goldfish in the ponds but it didn't hold their attention for long so we went out and took a walk through the Schönbrunn grounds as dusk fell. It was gorgeous, but the kids had way too much fun splashing in puddles and snow, resulting in cold wet feet and legs so the journey home was... challenging. They'll definitely sleep well tonight! Palmenhaus in the background

This day I have looked forward to ever since I booked the flight to Vienna: catching up with the couple who loved me into Jesus. Well, actually one of them was in England today so it was just one friend, but it was wonderful catching up with her. And my kids played with her kids and we ate chocolate cake and we just felt at home so easily. These guys loved me at a time when I didn't even know how to receive love, let alone do it. They accepted me as I was, and they put the first cracks into the walls I had built around myself. They'll forever have a very special place in my heart. And it's both fun and humbling to go back to see them whenever I can, because they are among the very few people who've witnessed the changes in me. I'm not the person I was, my entire personality and who I am is totally unrecognisable if you knew me at age 20! They understand what kind of miracle it is that I have a healthy and loving marriage, that I have kids and am loving it... non...

This morning we set out with my sister A once again, and on our quest to find indoor things to do as it's still quite cold we came across the Butterfly House . A small but amazing greenhouse in the heart of Vienna where all sorts of butterflies fly freely. One landed on a lollipop a lady was carrying, she gave it to N, and the butterfly then flew right in her face! Interesting though it was, this visit didn't quite fill our morning so we travelled home slowly, stopping to look at the nearby buildings and chasing some pigeons by the bus stop. In the afternoon of course we were at church again, kids enjoying the worship before going up to Sunday school. Where they had some sort of a horse theme. Great fun was had!

I really have been running myself ragged lately and this morning we relished the opportunity to just take it slow. A leisurely breakfast followed by a short stroll in the park (it was snowing!), grocery shopping, and a long bath at home. Joined by my sister A for the afternoon, we visited the Museum of Natural History - a huge, historic collection of all kinds of natural artefacts, many of which are over 100 years old. I remember many, many visits to this place when I was a child... and so many of the exhibits were exactly the same then. All sorts of animals from all over the world... you could spend hours in there, which of course we weren't able to do with the kids. But they did enjoy it, even if they did keep their distance from some of the larger animals - the sea cow, tigers and huge spider crab particularly. But of course there was a whole other floor below the animals ... that was the dinosaurs! That section had an update since my childhood...