Bluetooth Keyboard with an iPhone

I am typing this from a bluetooth keyboard into my Iphone. It feels quite odd to be able to type fast a freely on a real keyboard and see the words appear as they should. I could get used to this. The keyboard is nice a small as well. Portable I would say.

Dogs. Bad dogs.

The dogs shouldn’t need feeding this week. Why? They’ve been eating chickens and a lot of them. It’s like a satirical version of the children film “Chicken Run”.

 

First we fix a few holes on the Chicken Coup. Few bits of old Chicken wire and off we go. Thinking jobs a good’un and we just add Chickens and eggs come out the other end. Seems we were foolishly confident now. The chickens were bought by XY, from a dangerous end of town, and then placed in their new sweet Chicken home.

 

I went to see them the next morning. See how they had faired overnight in their new luxurious hotel. By looking at random feathers on the grass I would say not well. As I arrived at Hotel Hell it would seem all Chickens had been gobbled up. Not one was left. Dogs looked a bit sheepish I thought. I couldn’t quite believe it. The dogs had worried a piece of chicken wire open near a corner post and gotten in.

 

Dogs were reprimanded. Chicken carcasses that were left were tidied up and take 2 was planned. XY and I visited nearby hardware store. We bought newer thicker looking chicken wire and become overly confident.

 

XY and I made it back to the more dangerous end of town for more Chickens, and a nice Chinese lunch. This place, the chicken buying place, is a blog entry in itself.

 

I, with help of Kiwi Rob applied new Chicken wire to said Chicken hotel and we both looked on at our resplendent new reinforcements. No Dog, no matter how big, would get through all that chicken wire and nails and stuff. I even remarked that if they did get through this new defense then they deserved to eat them all. Words be damned.

 

The chickens were booked into Hotel Hell and all were put to bed. The same dreaded walk the next morning and some suspicious new feathers near the veranda of XY’s house put me on high alert. No. No. How could they. It was like bloody chicken wire fort Knox. As I arrived I saw four or more entry points into the hotel and no live chickens. Dogs mega sheepish now. So much so they would have grown wool and buggered off up a Scottish hill if they would have.

 

The dogs actually gnawed their way directly through the chicken wire in one place. All adults were amazed by this.

Didn't this hurt the dogs?

 

Hotel Hell 3 is now in the planning and it involves steel bars this time. More Physical Security than a bank branch coming your way.

Night of BBQ and bonfire.

Rob and Angela and their two boys came over to XY ranch. We had a lovely evening of bonfire and BBQ. 

We've just finished and rob and Angela are settling down in the tent for their night sleep. 

I'm knackered. Busy day fixing chicken coup with robs help. 

We also went into estacion central for Chinese and little chicks. Real little chicks. To replace the ones the dogs ate last night. See paragraph above about fixing chicken coup. 

Me out. Sleep. 

The smell of ...

The smell of fried mushroom is delightful. 

Forest Fires.

Today Santiago isn't blue skied or cloudy. Rather it's smoke filled skies we have. There are forest fires to the west and they are being blown over the city. 

It ain't blue skied. 

I wonder how bad it could get. You could smell it. But no longer. 

Got Me Haircut

It has been alleged in the press that I have had my haircut. Now whilst this maybe true, I would just like to say, if I have had my haircut, it is because of a new film I am starting to film shortly and for no other reason. You know what the press is like.

This is the photo XY took that was somehow leaked to the press.

The Unfair Life

Life sometimes is unfair. To me. To you. The person at the gym telling you their unfair story. To your hairdressers story of a clients story she was told yesterday. It's just downright unfair.

I know an unfair story. XY has a gardener. His story sounds unfair. He's lived in the area were XY's ranch is for all his life. He lives in a house were there are three generations living. We were told the house and the land, owned by another family member, has been sold out from under him. They all have to move and leave the house. The gardener is very much in the autumn or sunset of his life.

XY and I once walked around some derelict building near her ranch. We tried to imagine what they were for. We couldn't quite guess. We also saw the newer housing estates getting closer to her ranch. On the way back from the walk, or at another time, we met up with the gardener and asked what the buildings were for. The whole area he said used to be covered with Walnut trees. The building was were they processed them. XY has a walnut tree in her garden, one of the remaining ones. There aren't many walnut trees now.

There are new buildings, new housing estates getting closer. There is the gardener losing his house were he has lived most of his life. I cannot help this is all unfair for the gardener.

Around at Mr Wu's

For Xmas XY and I didn't want to spend the day cooking Xmas lunch. So we decided to go to a very good Chinese restaurant in Santiago. Mr Wu's it's called. But it was closed. Not only closed they'd shut it down. So they invited XY to their house today for dinner. So we are at at mr Wu house, not his restaurant. 

We've just eaten a lovely Chinese banquet at their house. I am surrounded by Chinese and language is a real problem. We all speak Spanish but really Chinese is the language here. So I am in observe mode. 

When I think about Ian of a kids age he would never have dreamt of such an evening. And then again in Chile. Who'd have thought it. 

The do have two dogs that have just had pups. Rotweiller and Alsatian mix. XY is thinking about having two sisters for the house. Looking at the dad they could be real big and menacing looking. Internet seems to say mix is ok too. 

Saturday morning golf

Thanks to XY we all went golfing this morning. Practise. I tell you what it was surprisingly hard. I would say I hit the ball almost correct five percent of the time but that included it going to the right. Only did I really get it to go straight twice. 

Everybody else was hitting away too. Robot finished his basket if balls. Ben got a little too hot. Seba hit some quite far ones and XY like me got knackered. 

Me doing it. 

All trying to get it on the green. 

Bucket list. One ticked off.

Do you know what's on your bucket list? Well I don't. I've never made one. Not felt the need.  The other day though one was ticked off on the none existent list.

It started with Indy and Sebastian attacking me in the water. A good old proper water wrestle. Then Luca and Ben got involved. Had Bebe been in the water I am sure he would have pushed me under and joined in with his brothers. I just had such good fun wrestling with them all in the water. Later I realised this is something I had wanted to do with my kids. It would be on a bucket list if there was one. A simple one.

Kidzania...

As a treat I decided to let Luca chose where he wanted to go on Saturday. 

Right now they are changing their cheques in the banco de chile of kidzania. It's like a little village. Everything is built to a scale. Maybe fifty percent of the real world. 

We entered and went to the bank and then they're off. No goodbyes and see you later. They're just off on their own. Being daddies  as Luca said. 

So I just met up with Luca. He's now a maintenance guy. He's had to press a button on a clock of something. We found the clock together. Then we saw Indy. He is taking money around the place. He's a money security guy. 

Luca the maintenance guy. 

Indy the money guard. 

All the shops are all makes and brands and names from Chile. The place is kind of fun. But very brand orientated. If I was a bank I would pay to have my branch here. Once you lock somebody to a brand they can stay quite a while. 

And I just got told off for setting up the pool table. It's only for kids. The "I am a kid" didn't wash with the woman telling me off. 

Just seen Luca being a detective. I was trying to do something illegal but couldn't find anything illegal to do. Anyway he noted down my name on his arrest form. 

Luca the policeman. 

Indy was just being an architect and putting a house together. 

It's actually all very interesting. 

Lots of time has gone bye. I was just following Luca around. He's now in the entel shop. I notice we the parents are all taking photos of our children doing grown up things. Even the most mundane of jobs we wouldn't want to do. I am trying to understand what this place is for and how it works. Mini-world. 

Luca has just been a dentist and Indy is now making my sushi. 

We did four hours in total and we were all tired. But a good afternoon was had. 

Boxing Day Walk

We went to Parque Campaña for a nice Boxing Day walk. We did the same curricuit I did with my mum and dad; Canista Circuit. It was a nice walk. 

A belonging to the woods which gave us the pleasant shade and the act of just being. The musketeers were more four by four. The kids were driven only slightly mad by the adults need to rest and recooperate before carrying on. 

We lunch at the place near Rockbed. Nice ribs and meet eaten. 

One highlight was a dead tarantula. I even squished it and juice came out. Poor thing. 

It would have been nice if Indy and Luca could have come but their mum didn't play ball. 

Xmas.

We had a good Xmas. Our boys, the five aside team of them, were at their other families for Xmas eve. XY and I had a nice quiet eve with lots of jigsaw and two films. Both Christmassy. 

On waking up I went to collect Indy and Luca and on our arrival here were met by the musketeers who were Christmas excited. 

Rapidly we got down to the business of opening presents. It wasn't an orderly affair. With five young boys I wouldn't expect it to be. 

All presents open and playing began with said new presents. Top hit was playmobil. Luca and Ben each got a ship of the line. Royal Navy frigates. Well that's what I thought they were. The building and then playing was almost the theme of the day. 

Lunch was at a nearby Chinese restaurants down chicereo avenue. Whilst it was ok it wasn't as authentic as some of the other Chinese restaurants we've been too it was ok and we know the boys like it there. 

Afterwards and quite a way through the day arrived back at the ranch and it was swim time. Well this time not for all. Ben had a speed boat which was cool. Indy and Seba did game console stuff. In the water was just Bebe and Luca and I. Luca excelled at swimming for his age. He could be another me in swimming. He was doing widths under water and racing against me over lengths. I am impressed at his swimming. 

XY was head down in the jigsaw puzzle which she eventually finished. I reckon I did thirty three percent. I'd never have thought I would enjoy a jigsaw puzzle. Who knew. 

Tea was quickly eaten. Boys played more game console. A bit of Mr Bean was watched and then bedtime. 

It was a lovely Xmas. 

Get into the Spirit of Xmas. I say.

So I went around to say hello to the boys. It's the night before Xmas. This is something written into an agreement between Andrea (the ex) and I. She made it as unpleasant as possible. 

First ,she said I was not invited today. Even though we had swapped emails about this period and this particular visit.  

Second, she said the boys didn't want to go with me tomorrow for Xmas day and that I could only visit, after I said I'll pick then up between 1000-1100h. Even though Luca very clearly asked of he could spend the evening here tonight Xmas eve) and Indiana had said it was ok to me already too. 

Third, she referred to my girlfriend in a derogatory term. What's the point if that. 

Andrea was insulting and annoying. In front of the children too. She even stopped Luca and I having a little kick around before I left. Something Luca likes to do. 

Luca had been talking to Diane outside and when he came in he asked if he could come over tonight and stay with Diane and I. 

So much for Christmas spirit. I had just had the thought to say hello to the kids and wish them a good night for tonight. I do hope they do have a good night. 

Chuck e Cheese is the Hunger Games

It's my theory that Chuck e Cheese is the Hunger Games. 

Why? Well the hunger games is all about the spectical of the games is so great it can control a population to the extent it wouldn't revolt against a corrupt and controlling government.

Can't you see Chuck e Cheese is just the same. I've been here two hours now and I cannot think straight anymore. I also cannot hear either. It's a place that takes your brain and minces your brain into a pulp. 

That said the kids love it and I rather do like the basket ball game. Of course wouldn't boast about winning 100 tickets on one game. 

Nice meal for two

XY and I had a rather nice meal for two last night at the place we call the Wooden Cow restaurant. It's down the road from the ranch on the right hand side. Yep that's the place. It's a wooden building and the logo has a cow. We don't know the real name of it actually, but its a nice place. Food was OK. They do need to concentrate on order. Starters before mains is normally how it goes.

This was after a rather stressful day of resting, swimming, exercising, present wrapping. We are in holiday mode. Yeah baby.

Life is precious

Life is precious is how the bl0g started many moons ago. The watch and the second handing speeding around at the speed of... of, well, time. So my second hand is moving fast and time has passed. I may start writing a bl0g again. It's about time I made a record of things. The old bl0g has been backed up, emailed away and now deleted. The act of doing so was cathartic. This is a new slate. I'll keep the name though... 2009365. Today it's 2013. What sort of things have happened...