I've been getting asked by the 2 or 3 people who still remember us, what life is really like on a daily basis and how has everyone settled in. Well, for me there really is no change. I am still flying all over Europe only the trips are of shorter duration and I am home on the weekends plus on the odd day during the week. I've officially flown over 100,000 miles this year which equates to an awful lot of time spent both in the air and in airports. The Prague airport is small at least and is precisely 30 mins from home so I can leave for some flights as late as 1.5 hours before hand and still have time to go to the lounge. I've also made Diamond level at Hilton which really only means that I get free internet and that the dude at the front desk is slightly more polite to me.

At home, I've figured out how to drive by myself to a few places without a map or a gps and can actually get to the kids school without getting lost. I can also walk Bailey the dog in the local park and can leave that map at home. I've got about 100 words in my Czech vocabulary and can actually ask someone how they are and would they like some butter. Progress by anyone's standards.

As for Stu and the kids, there has barely been a hiccup. Both kids have settled into school and have made some really nice friends, most of whom live in the neighbourhood so they can get on their bikes and go and fetch them. The weather is getting pretty crappy now so we find they are in the house more often. I say its the weather as I'm sure its got nothing to do with the fact that we actually have English television now. School is going well for them and they've both just received their mid term report cards. We are very pleased with their marks and their teachers comments.

As for Stu, he has turned 884 Pod Valem into a social hub with the usual 'come for dinner' or 'stop by for a beer' kinda stuff going on. He has managed to make friends in the neibourhood and has gotten heavily involved in school activities. Some things haven't changed. One thing different seems to be that both Stu and the kids have been sick with colds which they almost never were at home. We think it is the change in diet (for example we don't drink much orange juice any more) so we've started to supplement our diet with vitamin C pills and cranberry tablets. I've been lucky so far and I chock it up to just not being around as much.

We are very much looking forward to Christmas with both sets of parents arriving in about 3 weeks. We will spend some time in Prague and have then rented an apartment in Val Gardena, Italy where we will be for Christmas. The kids and Stu will ski while the rest of us will wander the villages and I'll do some snow shoeing. We'll go to Salzburg on the way through and see the city in the winter which is supposed to be spectacular. We'll then have some more time in CZ before they all go back to Canada. I'm just looking forward to being in one place for more than a day and actually relaxing, as much as I know how to any way.

I must say it hasn't been the easiest transition, especially for me, but I think for the most part we are pretty much there now. We know how to get groceries and how to visit a doctor. We can buy clothes if needed and have discovered the local Home Depot. We found pumpkins to carve at Halloween and Caroline went trick or treating. Haircuts are being dealt with and we can find used ski equipment. Things we would all do in Canada. Finally, we've got friends in the neighborhood that we can count on in an emergency and can always find someone to share a glass of wine with. We miss many many things and people from home but after 4 solid months of being abroad, we are finally settled.  There is a matter of the over the counter drug thing so if anyone wants to reach out and help me get some Advil Liqugels, Gravol and Benelyn ... please do so!  You can get an aspirin and chicken soup without a prescription and thats about it.

Finally, we can sleep 4-6 guests, in case anyone wants to visit and we've already had 4 sets of visitors from Canada who can attest to our tourist skills – so just drop us a line and let us know when you want to come!

And let me leave you with one last piece of advice from my travel experiences: never, and I mean never, have a meal that includes Brussel sprouts and then get on an airplane. It is hazardous to the environment. Just sayin.