Get out of my dreams...

Yay for Billie Ocean for inspiring me with my new title...

Thought it was time to write a week in review - although may not be interesting to anyone except us, maybe we will read this again in a few years!

Big news of the week - we have bought our own car - although it is number 3 for me (after bambi and the meteor) it is Tom's first. Keeping in typical Ingrid tradition, we have purchased a car only a little younger than ourselves for as little money as possible! It is a Nissan Micra, and we have named him (yes, this one is a boy) Gust (not an easily pronouncable name in English - the 'u' has a oo sound rather than an 'a' sound) due to his former owner having the name of Augustinus. Will post some photos when I feel the need!

Have started language school again - am in my final semester at uni - so after this, I should have it down-pat (or fluke my way through, which is likelier...). Have been racking my brain what to do after this finishes, and am choosing to to French and Portuguese - neither of which will be of any use in my future, but would still love to be able to converse with the Portuguese or the South Americans (when we eventually get there).

Other news - hmmmm... Plans are in place to head back to oz in July-August next year for 5 weeks. Thank god for Belgian holidays (only a few unlucky people have only 20 days - most of the rest have 30 or more. I have 31) and my Dad. He has generously offered to 'help' us visit and it is a much needed visit at that. In the 2 and a bit years that I have lived here, I have finally made some friends outside of Tom's circle (apart from the odd Aussie that I meet). It may sound strange, but when you think about it, most people have their best friends from when they were either in high school or early uni. It is easy to make friends along the way, but nobody who really knows you. I have been lucky enough to make 2 here - unfortunately one of them is a colleague who is about to go on maternity leave, so I won't see her much anymore (she lives a long way away in Belgian standards) and the other one just fell pregnant! Hope it's not in the water!

Anyway - I appear to be babbling, and I need to get myself ready - Tom has gone to the football tonight, and I am off to have dinner with some friends I made at language school - Germans!! (+ another Aussie, thankfully!)

You know the Devil's Water it ain't so sweet

Having trouble getting onto blogger at home, so this will have to be a rushed work-post...

Just finished a relatively relaxed weekend, with 2 memorable moments. Firstly, on Saturday night, we ate in the most classy restaurant I have ever eten, feasting on Goose Liver with poached pear (my favourite - I told myself that the Goose had a wonderful long life and they only took the liver out after it died of natural causes), something with salmon, something with calf, and something with chocolate, plus a full range of wines (no Tim, not complaining about the weather and football results). It was in aid of Tom's mum's birthday, so I dont think we will ever be able to pay for a dinner there again...

Second eventful activity was at the soccer - Tom and I went to see his team play another team in the Rivierenhof (remember last year mum?) - the other team is notoriously competitive (mind you, the people in this division are mostly office workers sporting a beer belly and smokers cough...) and the coaches (yes, more than one) were comedically vocal - to the point of running on the field and screaming in the ref's face. It became so bad at one point that one of 'our' supporters told one of the other supporters to pipe down and relax a little, which proved to be the wrong thing, as soonly after, fists were being thrown around! I couldnt believe it! I ended up trying to hold our guy back and before I knew it, the entire team was also joining us! How excitement - I have finally been in my first sport thug fight! Ultimately, nobody was hurt, but the entire team later asked me why I was in the fight (not realising that I was a peace worker!). Toms team eventually just won and there were no injuries so we were all happy!

Funny of the Week