Before and During Spain

HQ,

I know, I know!  My report is very, very late!  I think I am on the verge of a psychotic break!  Sometimes I´m Sasha, sometimes I'm Mitzi and sometimes........I'm both.  I am turning into Sybil!  It could be PTSD from withdrawl from the awesome purple lipstick that Sasha got to wear.

No matter what you say, I am not giving up the new purple lipstick and the hair color - it may be Sasha's but it makes me feel sexy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE REPORT

Edinburgh
My team managed to penetrate the defenses of Edinburgh Castle.  It was a dark and stormy day (when is it not in Edinburgh!!!) and I believe the enemy's morale was starting to show signs of wear (who´s wouldn´t if you lived in the god forsaken place :) ).  Anyway, I believed it may have aided our entry.

Once again, we doned the disguise of tourists (I am amazed at how well this works).  We did come under fire but the boys held up admirably (we were there for the 1 o'clock firing of the cannon).  Other than the one incident, we carried out our assignment without incident.

Spidey gets some rest in the prisoner's cots in the Castle
after the excitment of the shooting.

Earlier on in the day, I met with our local agent and was briefed on other potential target sites.  We
did some recon and hit the jackpot!  We found the lair of the enemy's leader - Tom Riddle (Harry Potter fans will know what this is about!)

A tombstone in Greyfriar's graveyard.

Yes, I too have joined the league of Harry Potter and we found the hiding spot of Tom Riddle (aka: Valdemort - but don´t say the last word out loud, that is a big no-no).  Apparently, the mastermind of the enemy organization, whom I will call JK Rowling, for the purposes of this report, actually sat in a cafe nearby while coming up with her dasterdly plan.  From her vantage point, she could see the school which inspired her to create Hogwarts.  And several of her spy's code names come from the tombstones in the cemetary that lies beside the school.

There is also some sappy dog buried in the same place known as Greyfriar´s Bobby.  Agents Mom and Sharon will recognize the location, as the cemetary is right behind the pub by the same name which we did recon on 2 years ago.

And..........Tom is not the only bad guy we found!  We also found the hiding place of ¨Bloody¨ George Mackenzie!

I was so taken with this that I felt the need to bring the boys back that night after touring the underground vaults of Edinburgh.  Unfortunately, we did not managed to encounter any of the enemies (dead or alive)!

Scary crypts in cemetary at night

London
Michel let his inner spy come out and so indulged in the Imperial War Museum.  He needs to work on his recon skills because he didn't take any pictures while in the museum. However, he did take some good pics of other potential target sites along the way.

Westminster Abbey

The London Eye - is watching

Parliment

Michel took this picture of the HMS Belfast (part of the
Imperial War Museum).  Just in case you may have thought
he was taking a picture of me!!!!  NOT!

I found my way to the Tate Modern and saw Picassos, Matisse, etc, etc, etc.  This is not a potential target - we would lose more than we would game if we took this site out.  However, took an interesting tour and learnt that Picasso sometimes "borrowed" painting methods from other painters. In university this would be called plagarism - in a vague sort of way.  I am a little disappointed in Picasso and if he were alive, would give him an F.

This is Picasso's
Femme nue assise.

This is George Braque's
Bottle and Fishes.

Wow, you take fishing line and 4 pointy sticks.  Then start
a pair of socks and give up.  Mount it in an Ikea
picture frame and it is considered art.

On the way to the Tate, I found a farmers market that was really cool and Monmouth which apparently is quite popular for it's coffee.  I didn't go in because I was not willing to wait in line - it was about 100 people long both times I walked by.  Londoners are crazy about coffee (not tea - pitty!).

I am going to have to have a talking to with Agent 008 again.  As her prelim report about the London Tower and Bridge was a bit confusing for me.  I was led to believe that the London Tower was the towery things that helped make up this very famous bridge and that the towers of the bridge had been used to house prisoners and the Queen's jewels.  Imagine my surprise when I found out this was not the case!!!

Veve does a great impression of the London Tower Bridge!

Soooooooo, anyway, the picture above is of the London Tower Bridge.  So called because one end of the bridge ends right at London Tower - that makes sense!

However, what doesn`t make sense is that you would call a huge complex that spans 18 hectares and contains a castle, church, barracks and many private residences.......a TOWER!  London Tower is anything but a tower and there isn`t even a tower within the walls.  At least nothing I would define as a stand alone tower!  It was lovely though.  We got to see the crown jewels and take a tour with an actual beefeater - he was a bit grumpy but then, I might be too if I had to wear that suit everyday!  All very interesting in a very touristy way!  But don't worry, although my mind kept wandering back to being just Mitzi and being a tourist, I kept my mission in mind!

Spidey really liked the Beefeater at the
London Tower. He did not serve us any gin but
still, Spidey is a bit fuzzy!

Is the big hat just to compensate for a
shortcoming somewhere else or is he
hiding something under the hat?

White Tower - which is actually a castle! 

And that was it for London and my report!


Spain (definitely no longer reporting as Sasha!)
The Oasis Backpackers Palace Hostel is brand new and VERY nice as hostels go.  Take a look at their pictures. However, the roommates for the first 2 nights..............OMG, I almost misused my spy powers and killed them.  Michel restrained me so there is no need to send in the "clean up" crew.

Seville has the world`s largest gothic cathedral so of course, being heathens, we went to see it.  It is awe inspiring and worth the trip. But, as heathens, we made many inappropriate remarks that will probably get us a one way trip to hell - should we be wrong and it actually exists!

Michel praying to the Oranges - they were every
where in Seville. Unfortunately, very bitter and
not used for eating.  A form of hell for Michel.

Down one side of the church.

A little artsy composition of the grave of
Christopher Columbus.  It is inside the church - just cause he
finds the new world, he warrants being buried inside the church??!!!

The keys to the church or maybe the gates of hell - what do I know?
This photo is for Grant - he likes old keys very much.

The high alter. I have to tell you, Sandi would be
aghast cause the church was filthy. This could
have been much more sparkly.

The enclosed garden of the church from the
bell tower - known as the Giralda.  The
cathedral is built on top of an old Muslim mosque
and the Giralda is the only part of the mosque that
survived the reconstruction.

Another view of the garden. I could have relaxed
there forever.

The gargoyles - Michel says it is Sandi and Sue!
Are you going to take that girls?

Other than that, there is not actually alot in Seville to do or see that we were interested in (bullfighting only happens in the summer).  So, we spent much time walking around soaking in the atmosphere and sitting on patios, sipping great coffee and watching people.  It was fantastic.  The tapas helped too.




Then it was off to Granada, kinda.  We actually had a late start because Michel had a moment...........when taking his morning medication, he accidentally included a sleeping pill.  So, we had an extra 4 hours in Seville while he had a nap. My sweety is so cute!

Granada
The Alhambra was amazing.  Unfortunately, I only took videos and I can't upload them right now so you will just have to wait!!!  Be patient, little grasshopper, good things come to those that wait (ancient Chinese proverb).  Or as Yoda would say, "Wait you must!"

We also took a tour of the town on Segways.  Once again, only video so that will be forthcoming.  It was awesome - want me one when I get back to the real world!

Oh, we also caught a flemenco show - I feel like a gypsy!  More video - I love the video function on my camera!

Then it was back to London for 1 night and then off to the farm!!  Where we have been for 5 days. 

DISCLAIMER
You will have to wait until this weekend to hear about what has happened at the farm cause this bedtime story has been very long and you are very tired.  Now, be good boys and girls and tune in early next week for the next installment!  Kiss, kiss, hug, hug...............Sweet dreams (Faite du bonne reve).

Love,

Sasha  NO, I mean Mitzi

Houston - The Alpaca has Landed!

We are at the farm!!!!!!

Sorry, the internet connection has been very sad over the last 2 weeks so no blogging or phoning.  I do check my email almost daily and funnily......not a lot of email from those I love - What's with that?

I have started to draft a long blog about our time in Spain and will post it in the next couple of days when I have some time to upload pictures.

Until then.............................I have been very busy in the last 24 hours becoming an experienced pooper scooper of alpaca poo pellets!!!!!!!!!!  I am so incredibly excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (standard overuse of exclamation points).  Sad, I know but I am not the only person in the world that gets excited about poo!

Change of Plans

The mission is not going as smoothly as I had hoped.

I can now confirm that Vimy Ridge is closed for the month of January as is the Royal Yacht Britania (unfortunately, your exploding message failed to include this information so we traveled in vain to the target)(This is not the first mistake Agent 008 has made and I am seriously thinking of taking her decoder ring away but will give her one more chance). As well, we can find no bagpipe concerts for Michel either!!!  Edinburgh has been a bust for him.

We did do a bit of recon on the National Gallery of Scotland today and managed to evade our advisaries by slipping Under the Stairs. 

Tomorrow, we have Edinburgh Castle scheduled for recon.  Is there any update regarding it's accessiblity?  Huh?  Don't send an exploding message if there is.

My recon report of the Castle will be my last.  I am tired of the powder burns from your messages and I feel it will once again be safe to resume my real identity.

As well, Michel, Spidey and I are FREAKING SICK of the crappy UK weather (it takes way longer to get sick of constant sunshine than constant overcast/rainy/cold) so we have changed our plans.

We will only be in London for 2-3 days and then we are flying off to sunny Spain on the recommendation of two complete strangers.....Ummmm, I mean agents.........that are also using the Edinburgh safe house. 

We are flying Ryan Air and it is costing less round trip to Spain than it would have roundtrip via train to Paris.

We will spend 9 glorious nights (5 in Seville - world's largest gothic cathedral - 4 in Granada - Alhambra, do I need to say anything else?) and 9 wonderful SUNNY days where the temperature will range between 15-20 degrees celsius!!!!  Don't weep too much - this is only payback for the exploding messages you keep sending.

Signing off while still wearing my toque (after being in the safe house for 4 hours!),

Sasha

Reconnaissance Report

HQ,

My recon of Roslyn Chapel two years ago paid off today!  They have made very few changes (new visitor's centre) so I was able to undertake the mission assigned me with ease. 

By the way, can we ditch the exploding messages?  Very dramatic and spy-like but when one is trying to stay undercover, it does not help to have things blowing up in public!!!!!

Anyway, yesterday, I expanded my recon to the glen behind the chapel and found the enemy's stronghold (Roslyn Castle).  Although they have made it look like it has been abandoned for quite some time (several hundred years - come on evil doers, I am not THAT gullible) I found many items of interest that I will be unable to disclose in this report due to it's sensitive nature.  I will review my findings with Agent 008 upon my return to base - at which point, I will have to kill her (you know who you are Agent 008!).

Today, under my cover as a mere tourist from Canada, I entered the Chapel and undertook my mission. If I was the evil person in this scenario, there would be a sinister laugh right about now!

The enemy will never know what hit them when the device is activated.

The Sasha Look!

A freaking tourist took me by surprise. It was
my natural response to pull my gun (ooops!)

Veve came along as part of my "disguise".  He may not
want to be a spy but it comes natural to him.

I have moved us to the safe house in Edinburgh and will continue my mission here.

Signing off for now,

Sasha

More Mission Impossible

HQ,

Cover has been blown.  Have "cleaned" the Alt safe house of all DNA, fingerprints, etc. Have moved to the "Chapel" Safe House and will collect documentation for new identity (Michel and Spidey don't want to play). Will communicate more later.

Sasha

If This Title Could Hum, You Would Hear the Theme to Mission Impossible

So, the depression hit a high the night before last.  I did the mistake of going onto the University website and there is a job I would have loved to apply for but we are still 5-6 months from coming home. If I was sitting talking to Sandi the F-bomb would be dropping alot (think the Blitz on London during WWII).  But because I am in England I dropped the B-Bomb alot (bugger).

Poor Michel had to deal with me.  Over the last 2 days, my favorite saying has been "Don't poke the bear!".  He poked a little too hard a couple of times and things got kinda tense but then.............we got out of the house to do a little shopping and saw "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (American version) and the day ended with me feeling a little better and Michel's life no longer in danger.

There is a lesson in this for all that love me.  When confronted with the bear:

• Give me a wide berth to allow the me to de-grumpify.
• Encourage me to do a LITTLE shopping.
• Get me to a movie!!!

After some contemplation, I think there have been many things bothering me:

• Missing my family and friends
• Missing a regular schedule (work)
• A lack of anything interesting going on over the last couple of weeks (ok, I know this is my fault! Don't poke the bear!)
• Feeling old and conservative (worst feeling)

Over Christmas, Michel and I watched all 3 Bourne movies (they will stand the test of time I think).  All that excitment and espionage has given me an idea to bring these feelings to a close.

Now, Rob may have an idea where this is heading (pun).....................I am off to get my locks cut and pick up hair dye. I AM GOING TO PLAY SPY!!!!!!!

I am not sure how we are going to alter Michel's and Spidey's appearances or if they even want to play along but stay posted.  For the next few days the blog will be all about my spy adventures.

Christmas Catchup

I don't really feel like writing today - am a little sad.  I think it was because we were alone for Christmas with no family around.  Don't get me wrong......we had a lovely day but it just wasn't the same.  I am hoping that by writing to all of you, it will put me in a better frame of mind.

So, I am just going to randomly talk about what we have been up to over the last week.

Before Christmas, Veve and I had a day to ourselves where we each headed into Manchester to go to a different museum.  Veve chose to go to the Imperial War Museum North.  This is an offshoot of the very large Imperial War Museum in London which he wants to go to when we are there.  He had a good time but I think he will like the London one better.

I thought this was an aesthetically pleasing picture of
the Imperial War Museum North.

Anyone who knows Veve will
understand why he liked this
museum!  TOYS!!!

And while Veve was off drooling over machines of war, I was at the Manchester Museum of Art.  Lately, I find myself drawn towards contemporary art (there was a time when I had absolutely no interest in this type of art) and particularly, functional art.  There were some interesting pieces. 

This chair is made from more than 200 pieces
of sheet metal, each individually cut.  The artist
somehow computer generated the chair in 3D and
then this was used to cut the sheet metal.

This chair (which is big enough to sit on) was
hand blown in 3 pieces.  Look at how thick
the glass is.  To blow this would have taken
incredible strength and stamina!

I have my own artistic moment.  One of the bathrooms in
the flat reflected in the doorknob.  Look close and you can
see me.

Christmas day was very quiet.  We slept in and then got some breakfast before heading to the living room to open pressies.  Spidey was guarding the presents.  He is so good to us - especially considering that we didn't get him any pressies!  Sorry Spidey, we are horrible friends.

However, Spidey did get a Xmas email from his two friends, Batman and Superman.  They are hanging out at Sharon's for the Xmas season and she helped them send the greetings (they are ludites - just look at Batman's weapon and why do they need help with email!!!!).

For Xmas dinner, we found a Turduken which apparently are much more popular in England than in Canada.  It was a small roast that came pre-stuffed and had a lovely orange marmalade glaze.  It only took 2 hours to cook so we didn't have to spend all day in the kitchen either.

English people also have funny stuffing.  I could not find bread cubes to make stuffing (no way was there enough in the roast for dinner let alone leftovers - my favorite) (My Mom will find this funny since I hated stuffing most of my life).  So, I think to myself "Not a problem.  I will find boxed stuffing and doctor it up."  Well, apparently there is only one type of stuffing in all of England and a box the same size that couscous comes in will somehow feed 6 to 8 people!!!!  When I opened it, it was bread crumbs!!!!! It did smell good though.  I added pecans, butter and water and hoped for the best.  It would never feed 6-8 people but it tasted good and was enough for Michel and I (with a bit leftover).

Our Turducken

Boxing Day saw us go to another Manchester United game.  They were playing Wigan Athletics.  It was a sad little game (my mood may not have helped) because Wigan was greatly outmatched.  It was like watching a high school team play professionals.  I don't play football/soccer but even I know you don't randomly kick the ball somewhere where there are no players on your team or to a team member that is being swarmed by the other team.  Wigan didn't even make one goal and if I had to guess, I think they only got about 4 attempts on goal.......very sad.

Very festive police horse on Boxing Day.

Today, I will be finalizing the details for the next few weeks and will update you once I have the accommodations booked.

Love and miss you horribly!!!!!