Hello, sorry!

Apologies for the lack of posting lately :) Update on my mom: she's recovering marvellously well, and has now been given the all-clear! Which is really good news. It was wonderful spending time in Pittsburgh, we had lots of fun despite the fact that I had to carry on working. My dad is currently on his way to Nairobi, he's going to a conference in Kenya. I was going to be coming back from Nairobi at the same time as him on my way back from a conference we are planning in Northern Uganda but i'm not going now ... so I'll just be doing the work from a distance. Basically it's a conference to meet the organisations we're potentially going to fund, to clarify our 'strategic objectives' etc. So work's pretty busy.
Funnily enough, Cate's going to meet my boss and lots of my colleagues in Zambia and Malawi at a similar conference next week... how cool is that?!
We are enjoying our new flat, especially the sunshine in the patio-garden where we had a nice bbq with my bro and Tom's sisters on Sunday. It's very cute.
Tom's still enjoying his new role, and has really good relationships with his work mates. We're getting to know people here in londinium, through St marks and other places, which is nice! Life seems pretty hectic, and two day weekends just seem far too short.
Fyi I haven't met Jed yet, that's coming up on the 1st May... which will include a fancy dinner, which only a few people are going to, but my translation skills are needed to help a man from Ecuador explain how the project we've funded prevents human trafficking. I knew Spanish would come in handy one day!!
Also, we'll be going up to Manchester the weekend of the 5th May (well I will, then Tom will join me later as he has the suit fitting for my bro's wedding)... So we'll see some of you then!
Loads of love, anna and the tom

Anna to meet Jed Bartlett

Tee hee I'm going to meet Martin Sheen at our House of Lords event! I'm so excited. I wish he'd run for President in real life!

Happenings...

Well my beloved sis-in-law, I'm so glad I could inadvertently be of assistance! Let me know if you need any more pics.
I'm going to close the dog discussion by updating you on a few family happenings.
My wonderful Mummy had an operation yesterday, to remove some cancerous cells, which was successful and she's now recovering in one of Pittsburghs excellent hospitals. My dad is looking after her, and has also shaved off his beard in order to raise money for a Guatemala medical trip.(http://www.pgh.anglican.org/news/local/henrybeardupdate)
My bro and I are popping over to Pittsburgh in order to generally be around to help, whilst Thomas is staying in Clapham, and going on a church men's weekend away.
We moved into a new flat on the weekend, the basement flat of the house we were already in ... it's tres nice, 2 beds 2 baths all in a small but very lovely space. The landlords left a sky box which no longer works, but picks up the free channels including.... THE WINE CHANNEL! Who knew there was such a thing! So I've been enjoying broadening my wine tasting vocabulary.
So it's all go go go down here, I'm actually meeting Tom later because our two worlds are colliding in a meeting at Parliament on Conflict and mediation issues...
ALSO - Watto and I saw Becoming Jane last night and girlies OH MY GOODNESS you HAVE to see that movie. Nuff said.
Love ya'll lots! Will write more from Pittsburgh - flying there Thursday.
One last thing regarding the buying local vs fairtrade debate (which i've had discussions with some people about) - I read recently that the 'carbon footprint' involved in the production of food is less about distance travelled (ie air miles), and more about the method of production. Fairtrade producers actually take up less carbon in their production than 'local food' does. I know, I know, boring political comment, but I do like to raise controversial issues on this blog, otherwise what's the point?!

Clarification on dogs and babies

Hello. Would just like to say, that by 'another one' I was referring to the infamous and not-to-be-repeated occasion when I actually did agree to have a dog in 2001.
And by the 'little London contingent getting bigger' I actually meant that there will be more people joining our company and office here in London... sorry to get you excited!

I love London

I just spent the morning meandering my way through the streets of London.. hitting Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Sq, Foyles independent book shop (where i bought an interesting book by a Turkish author), Chinatown and Soho, Oxford Rd... then I bought a Saturday Times and came home on my usual bus route, which takes in the lovely Westminster and goes over a pretty bridge. I love London! Tom was at his mediation training today, but we've spent quite a few Saturdays just wandering, and it's amazing what you can come across! I had a great time.
Thank you to all of you who've sent messages of support for my mum, I'm going over to Pittsburgh on the 15th March til the 25th, which will be good.
The job is going well, I recently had an idea about combining one of our programs which aims to eliminate 5 diseases in two countries with an arms amnesty, as they're both post-conflict countries. So we'll see what happens with that, but when I step back and look at what I'm involved in I never cease to be amazed! Our little London contingent should soon be growing, too, which will be fun.
Anyways, hope you are all well... and no we're NOT getting (another!) dog...

February update

Helloooo!
We are currently in lovely Hertfordshire living it up with the Ware Pienaaars. I'll be staying up near here next week for a conference with my work mates who are coming all over the world! It's going to be a training week for the new projects and initiatives in 2007, it's all very exciting.
A few nights ago I had the funniest time ever, when I got together with 5 girlie school mates to watch a video of a fashion show we did at school... wait for it... 10 YEARS AGO!! It was so completely embarassingly hilarious to see us all strutting our stuff on this stage, thinking we were so cool!
We will be moving down to the basement flat of the house we're in, in order to have another bedroom, which will make it easier for people to come and stay! (It's a small bedroom, so people with babies/kiddies may have to squash, but hey it's better than no bedroom!)
We're about to have a big brunch followed by a sunny wintry country walk.

London in the snow!

Hello! Well firstly sorry for the delay, and secondly I do apologise for causing you all to give in to the global domination of the Google empire by clicking on to this blog :)
I may think about switching to the non-google blogger site that Matt suggested, but the 'tomandanna' domain name is just too pretty...
Thirdly, I'm glad this has provided a reconnection with long lost friends! Tim and Simone - back from Holland, now living in... wait for it... Didsbury! Happy days.

So - it snowed last night here in London, which was a lot of fun. Although it's only 9am and as I look out on to Cavendish Square it's already almost all melted.

Life here is going very well, although the days seem to go by quite fast. Work obviously takes up a lot of time, and I find I'm not always able to switch off from it, especially when I'm working on things like Darfur. However, I continue to absolutely love it, and as we're slowly getting to know more people our social life is expanding also. I'm also perfecting the art of being one of those 'reading commuters' who in any tiny space on the tube or rocking bus seems oblivious to discomfort, and utterly absorbed in their book.

I've just started reading Winter in Madrid - having lived there and still being fascinated by the Franco era makes it v interesting. I'm also reading a very depressing book on Eritrea in my lunch breaks (my colleague Clare and I had the genius plan of reading a book relevant to our work for 20mins a day .. so far I've only managed that once). I gave up on War and Peace, I hate to admit, which I had optimistically taken with me on holiday to South Africa. Not recommended holiday reading.

This weekend we're off to sunny (?) Wales, to drop off a sofa and exchange it for our sofa bed, which will go in the second bedroom of the basement flat we'll be moving into on 11th March. So, after that time, we'll have room for people to come and stay! We're really looking forward to catching up with the gang over there. Hughes' - we'd love to catch up with you guys soon, unfortunately we've only got time to go to South Wales this time round.. when are you next in Caterham? (did you know Barbara's getting married? I hang out with Clare B all the time - we do 'street dance' classes together!)

So that's all our news.
Loving you all lots and lots!

Anna