Category Archives: Family

My man Murdo

Posted on 21 Jul 2015 by

I’ve written before about my ongoing investigations into the roots of the MacIver family tree. But despite many research hours spent in Lewis and Harris’s libraries, cemeteries, and family history center, I’d come away from previous visits unable to “cross the water.” On this trip I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Islands, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Scilly Isles

Posted on 5 Jul 2015 by

Our friend Julia enthusiastically recommended many beautiful places for Alekka and me to visit in Cornwall this summer, but chief among them were the Isles of Scilly. Julia and her husband liked it there so much there that they named children after two … Continue reading →

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Graduation Day

Posted on 23 May 2015 by

It was graduation day yesterday for my little Pookie. It’s trite, I know, but it seems like only yesterday she was reading Where’s Spot and illustrating Wolfy stories. Now she reads post-colonial Nigerian literature and writes up reports for USAID on agricultural development programs in rural … Continue reading →

Posted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Family, International Community School | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Senior prom

Posted on 10 Apr 2015 by

Senior prom, ICS Addis Ababa style. High school prom plans are often complicated, but perhaps even more so when you are an international student.  Alekka’s British boyfriend graduated from ICS last year; this year he is enrolled at a university … Continue reading →

Posted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Family, International Community School | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Dire Dawa

Posted on 6 Apr 2015 by

My son Kosta came to visit us in Ethiopia last week. It was his spring break – he’s a graduate student at University of Wisconsin – but unfortunately not ours.  I think we managed to keep him entertained pretty well … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethiopia, Family | Tagged | 2 Comments

Bonne année et bonne santé

Posted on 3 Jan 2015 by

Phase two of our tripartite winter holiday: New Year’s in Strasbourg. The weather was cold and there was snow on the ground. We sampled the things that France is famous for: great food, shopping, art The shopping district was beautifully decorated … Continue reading →

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Joyeux Noël

Posted on 30 Dec 2014 by

From Dubai, Alekka and I flew to the Frankfurt airport where Andreas soon joined us from Cairo. We picked up our rental car and made a run for the French border. We got to Mulhouse in time to visit the Christmas market (vin chaud!) followed by a … Continue reading →

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UCAS for Dummies (and Americans… not saying they are the same thing)

Posted on 2 Dec 2014 by

This is a very long post about how to apply to a UK college, a topic of immediate concern around our house. If this subject interests you, read on; if not, I won’t be insulted if you choose to skip … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere, Family | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lights out

Posted on 24 Nov 2014 by

Alekka filming a cooking video at home on “how to bake bread” for her Spanish class. Papi, encender el generador! Yup, this is pretty much how the baking has been going lately.

Posted in Addis Ababa, Family, Food, Home life | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Lest we forget

Posted on 11 Nov 2014 by

Virtually every village in Britain, no matter how small, has a World War I memorial monument in the town center which once a year on Remembrance Day is decorated with wreaths of red poppies. In the UK you can can … Continue reading →

Posted in Family | Tagged , , | 1 Comment