I'm dreaming of a white ...

It is actually snowing today!!! I was sitting at my work desk and glanced out of the window and the picture above is what I saw. I can't believe the snow is actually collecting on the window sill! It is so white Christmas :)

It is amazing that in a matter of minutes the streets are transformed from grey, wet and dirty to crisp, white and fluffy!


Having never really seen snow before (real snow anyway - when I went to Thredbo on my year 10 ski trip, they were actually using snow machines to pump out "snow"), I have been absolutely amazed that the illustrated interpretations of it are actually acurate. I always thought the beautiful snow flake shapes were just creative ideals rather than the real thing!

When we were sitting on the plane waiting to take off from Almaty, flying to Oskemen, snow flakes were falling on the plane and catching on the window. You could actually see all of the different shapes. While we were sitting on the plane, the snow was getting thicker and thicker. It was eventually covering the wings - Marty leans over and says that snow can actually bring planes down! Apparently it disables the plane's ability to lift up... So I started worrying a bit, but as I am having a quiet freak out, two trucks park on either side of the plane. Then a man sitting in a completely sealed glass box attached to the top of the truck, starts getting raised up - like in a cherry picker. Then we see a hose poking out of the box, and an orange liquid starts squirting all over the wings. The wings are a bright orange and steam is rising up. The liquid changes colour - to a bright, kermit green. Once the wings are covered in 'green', the plane is ready to take off. At least the snow is gone :)

 

Marty and I went to the supermarket the other night and I bought these beautiful biscuits. They are too delicious. I am trying to limit myself to one a day ... it is a struggle :)

There is an aisle in the supermarket that reminds me of my Babushka and Yaiyai's bedrooms. Their rooms were always mysteriously overstocked with lollies, biscuits, cakes, you name it - it was in there! It must be a European thing. If I had any lollies in my room, we would either eat them in our sleep, or the giant cockroaches would find them! The aisle at the supermarket is jam packed with mysterious but delicious looking sweets. Marty and I lingered in this aisle for quite a few minutes, mesmerised, before we snapped out of it and got out of there with just what we came for - toilet paper, a colander and detergent ... and maybe a packet of biscuits ...

I stepped outside on Monday to get a coffee from the local coffee shop before I started work - I wanted to be properly caffeinated. I changed out of my shorts and t-shirt (it is very hot inside the apartment) and put on socks, thermals, jeans, two shirts, a cardigan, a scarf, gloves, my eskimo jacket and knee high boots. I went down the seven flights in the lift, out the three massive metal doors, slipped and slided across the ice covered ground. I was practicing my Russian on my way - "Mozhna kof-fe prazhalsta" ... "spasiba". I arrived at the shop - walked through the Pizza Hut style restaurant on the ground floor, walked up a flight of stairs. I arrived in Cafe Blues, greeted the waitress "Stras-viche", went through my rehearsed order ... "Nyiet"... "what? Ko-fe," I say pointing at the picture in case my poor Russian was worse than I thought ... "Nyiet Ko-fe".

Apparently they don't make coffee until 11:30am ...

So, I have bought some (shudder) instant coffee and a giant coffee mug. I know it says 'I heart chocolate', but it was either this mug or another one that had sexy Russian ladies in suggestive poses all over it.

So I am now enjoying Nescafe in my giant mug with my delicious biscuits ... I mean single biscuit ....

I miss black star coffee ...

Lila
xx