Hi William,

You look so happy there in the sunshine. And Graeme was smiling too, did you tickle him? I love the castle too. Maybe one day we can go together there. Laura Jayne doesn't mind spending money once in a while so she will pay and just make Graeme go even if he is grumpy.

I had a great time at Laura Jayne's writing group. We wrote stuff and read stuff and met a writer guy who talked to us about writery stuff.

I was helping Laura Jayne make sure her words were all spelled right here, I am not the best speller but I try hard and that is what counts Laura says. And then later I wrote my own poem. Kathryn who is very nice and says to us what we might want to write about, said to think about reaching for something that you always know it is there and it not being there. That got me thinking about reaching for you William and so I wrote this.

His blue trunk I miss
huggling my wee pink trunk
My heart misses him

It is called a Haiku. You are usually supposed to write about nature and stuff, but we are elephants and we come from the wild so maybe that is naturey enough. Haiku have a certain number of sibbles. That is how things sound if you count them on your fingers. Like... el-a-phant has three sibbles. A Haiku has 5-7-5 sibbles and I counted them right for your poem William.

Huggles to you and I do miss you.
Martha

You are my sunshine... my only sunshine

Sunshine and Smiles...








Things are definitely looking up, in fact people are looking to the skies for the first time and asking "what is that bright yellow thing".. I took the opportunity to do some sunbathing in a nearby tree. When people visit Africa and wonder where all the elephants are, why do they never look in the trees?







Here's me in a normal tourist pose in Edinburgh with the castle behind me, "normal" tourists would then goto the castle, but apparently that "costs bl**dy money" which makes is impossible and made Graeme all grumpy when I pressed him!


However, sunlight is free, and we had loads today.. I'm not sure if Graeme is smiling because the sun is nice or because its cheap. (yes, that is a smile apparently)


Once it had turned all cold and dark again we went for Coffee and Cake with his friend , they saved me a bit of "carrot cake" but I just snorted at them - CARROTS - do I look like a donkey?? Nae fool me, I'll hold off until theres chocolate and peanut cake on offer.

So Martha, what did you write yesterday? Was it the fantasy of the elephant that can fly (we've both done that now) or was it a poem of Scotch Mist, or a song even - we haven't sang for so very long and as you know, we elephants can provide our own horn sections.

Writing Tomorrow

Hi William,

Tomorrow I get to go with Laura Jayne to her writing group. I am looking forward to it. I will let you know tomorrow how it goes. I hope we write poems then I could share it with you after.

What are you doing this weekend? Is it raining again there. It is raining here today.

Okay, time to go out to dinner.

Huggles,
Martha

Zamboni

Hi William,

I was so happy to see you again. You look cold and wet, but still the handsome elephant I miss so very much.

We had fun last night. Laura Jayne said it was a very long, very not happy week at work and that going out on Friday night for fun is part of what makes going to work all week and not having fun bearable.

We went to an ice hockey game. I had never seen this before. Skating on ice seems like it would be lots and lots of fun, but these boys slide all around on the ice chasing a little black thingy with sticks and they hit each other a whole lot. The object of the game is to get the little black thingy in the little net at one end of the ice by hitting it with your stick. But the other boys are trying to stop you from doing that. And they get mean sometimes too. They flip and slide and hit and hit some more. They smoosh each other on the edges of the ice where the people sit and the people get all excited (and sort of mean too). But once I understood that part of the game is to be mean, well I just decided if they wanted to play that way I would just sit back and cheer for them and hope no one got too owied. And no one did. They have lots of padding on and skate really good.

Part of the fun of the night was the getting to eat really good bad for you food. We had hot dogs and chippies and bubbly sweet drinks that tickled my trunk, and squishy pretzels with lots of salt, and more hot dogs (which really aren't dogs at all). Oh, and peanuts, I had a whole bag of peanuts all for myself. I had a wee tummy ache by the end of all of it.

I learned a new word last night too. Zamboni. It is a car like thingy that goes

round and round and round on the ice squooshing out water so the ice is all smooth again. Oh, and it was cooooolllldddd at the arena so that the ice wouldn't melt. Me and Laura Jayne shivered a

little bit, but not too much. She was silly and wore flippy-floppy shoes so she said her toes got cold.

Today we are going back to visit Hannah and Emma, Laura Jayne's nieces. It is Hannah's birthday party, she is three now. There will be games and cake. I am excited.

What are you doing today?

Huggles,

Martha

Nemo the Elephant

Martha - I'm not sure Elephants were meant for snow - surely your trunk was freezing? Or is the scarf warm?

The full size version of your scarf arrived here - G says "mmmmf mfff mmmf mm" when he goes out with it on, which I guess means "toasty cosy in here"

And cosy it has to be - he keeps taking me out and we have travelled the central belt of the Scotland looking for the mythical "dry bit" but as you can see, it is never to be. I let him get out of the car to test the waters, I'm nae so feel as they say!

I have been making a difference here Martha my quine, there are smiles on the loons face and a genuine laugh - everyone needs an Elephant, even if just to hold their brollies. If this keeps up, America..... and Martha.....

Snowman and Roses and Water Bottles

Hi William,

I heard that it is snowing in Scotland today!!! Yea!! Snow is so wonderful as long as you are all wrapped up warm. This is one last picture from the moutains. It was a pretty snowman the first day, but this is the second day and it sort of melted and lost its eyes and nose. Poor snowman.

We are back home now. I am keeping Hubby company as he is off work for a couple days. We went to antique stores yesterday and bought Laura Jayne a present. She has a BIG glass water bottle where she keeps all the roses Hubby ever gives to her after she lets them dry. Somebody, or maybe it was nobody, or maybe it was one of the doggies, well nobody is telling so not really sure, but nobody or somebody broke her BIG glass water bottle and all the roses were on the floor. So me and Hubby went and got her a new one and put every rose into the new bottle. Laura Jayne was very happy and gave Hubby big huggles for being so sweet.

Huggles to you William,

Martha

Out and About Today

Hi William,

We are having a nice time in the mountains even though it was cold and cloudy today. We went down into town. There were lots of people walking all over into the little shops where you can buy t-shirts, and silly stuff.

There are lots of big green trees that look like giant Christmas trees. And the clouds were very low and I was glad to have my new pink scarf. Brrrrr.

We went to the grocery store to get food to make to eat during the football game. Now don't get confused William, this is American football. The kind where you can touch ball a lot. Not the kind where you can only touch the ball with your feet that they call soccer here but I know they call football in Scotland. We got stuff to make chili, which isn't chilly at all it is really hot and spicy, and stuff to make guacamole, which is green yummy on chippies, and stuff to make corn bread, which doesn't look like it has corn in it.

I thought we should get some of these cuppy cakes that looked very yummy. But we didn't, darn it.

After the groceries we went and painted these cups at a little place that you pick out the bare white pieces of pottery and paint any pretty design you want. Laura Jayne and I worked on this one that looks kind of like a watermelon. Green on the outside and we painted it red on the inside.

When we got back from being out all day I was tired and me and the kitty took a really nice nap where it was very nice and warm.

Now we are eating chili and cornbread and watching football. We are cheering for the Chargers. They are the ones in blue. There is lots of yelling and cheering and clapping. Sports are fun and Laura Jayne and Hubby and Mom and Dad are having fun and I am having fun.

I hope you are having fun William.

Huggles and more huggles,

Martha

In the snow...

Silly William, elephants should not be drinking head hurting drinks. I hope you feel better very soon.

We went out and played in the snow. I went down a weeeeeeee hill on a sled all by myself. Then I made a snow angel.

Brrrrrr... snow is cold. But it was fun.

Is there snow in Scotland right now?

Ooooh Ma Heid

I'll read your message tomorrow Martha, I'm learning what a "stotter o a sair heid" is - it was this yellowish tea coloured drink but in such small glasses how could it hurt???

Read tomorrow when the room stops spinning.

Hic

New Year's Games

Happy New Year William!!!

I was so happy to get your message and to see all the fun you had when it became 2009.

You are the most handsome elephant. You will surely bring lots of good luck to Graeme and his family by being the first footie there in Aberdeen.

We stayed up late here and played cards. It was a game called Canasta. Oh, boy does Laura Jayne's family have fun playing cards.

We are up in the mountains at Laura Jayne's momma's house. It wasn't too long of a drive and Laura Jayne's Hubby let me share the front seat with him on the way. Weeeeeee we went as we drove on the ziggy-zaggy road. It takes exactly 22 minutes from the bottom of the mountain to the top mountain... back and forth, and back and forth.... weeeeee. I held on tight and only closed my eyes a couple of times when we went zaggy instead of ziggy. So we will stay for four whole days in a pretty town called Idyllwild. There is snow here William, in California. I will get to play in it tomorrow and I will send you some pictures.

So we had a really nice dinner and played cards with Laura Jayne's momma and daddy.

And they even let me shuffle the cards sometimes. It was great fun. We all laughed and had the best time.

Then we stayed up until midnight... and counted backwards, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1 (because the earth is slow and we got a whole extra second in 2008). And then everyone kissed and said HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Love you William and miss you and happy new year!!!

XXXXX,

Martha