27F

27F was my first (and hopefully only!!) experience of a full-blown earthquake. I was awake when the earthquake started despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. My wife and I had got back from a holiday in New Zealand visiting one of my brothers a couple of days earlier and our internal clock was still in another time zone. We went to bed at midnight but woke up at 2am. Neither of us could sleep. I was reading and my wife was on her computer. When the quake started I made a joke about being pulled out of the rubble naked and started to get dressed. As the intensity increased we both became alarmed and a little frightened. However, we both remained calm. After what seemed like a million years the quake subsided and we hugged each other. My wife tried to ring her mother and I went out to check that the neighbours were ok. There was no real damage in our flat (we live on the 3rd floor).A lot of books fell from the shelves and some other bits and pieces but luckily nothing valuable was damaged. Obviously we had no electricity or water for the first few hours but by midday everything was back to normal in our sector. We listened to the radio for news about how the quake have affected the rest of the country and tried to contact our friends. Some of my family from the UK managed to get in touch via mobile phone but the battery on my wife’s phone ran out quite quickly and mine wasn’t charged. If I remember rightly there were a lot of aftershocks which was a little worrying but after a while we got used to them. It was a very strange experience and I hope I don’t have to experience it again.
Write about your 27F Experience.
Say:
Where you were,
What you were doing,
Who you were with,
What you did,
How the quake affected you, your family and your friends.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 300 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

A Pet you have (or you would like to have)

I've had lots of pets in my time. I guess the strangest were my lizards, they were cool but not much fun. The pet I have at the moment is Kat, my wife's cat. We got him from a neighbour who found him as a kitten. He had been abandoned and attacked by dog, and had a bad paw, one closed eye and a crooked tail. At the time we lived in a flat so I was reluctant to bring an animal to live there but my wife insisted (promising to look after it....Huh!). So, Kat has been with us for about 13 or 14 years now. He's a bit of an oddball but I think it's because he doesn't realise that he's a cat. He has no social skills when mixing with other animals and spends a lot of time meowing to my wife or I to do things for him (usually to give him food but also to open the door or close the door or give him water or let him sit on our lap). He used to do tricks when he was younger but nowadays he spends most of his time sleeping and eating. For a long time he didn't leave the flat because he had a fear of going outside. However, since we moved home about 8 years ago he's been going out most evenings for a couple of hours. He chases other cats and can be quite sneaky (he hides behind a bush and ambushes other cats from the neighbourhood!). Kat loves eating, rolling in the dirt, and getting under my feet. He's a bit of a strange animal and I think he thinks I'm his mum!
Write about a Pet you have (had)
Say:
What it is,
Where you got it,
What it does,
What you do to look after it.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blog of at least 3 classmates.

A Special Meal

One of my favourite family memories was the year my family had Christmas dinner in an India restaurant. I honestly can't remember how old I was maybe, 12 or 13 I think. Family meals were always fun because I have 5 sisters and 3 brothers. If you include my mum and dad that was 11. Enough for a football team! Anyway, I don't really remember that much about the meal except that, in spite of the fact that we were eating Indian food, we kept all the usual traditions. We wore paper crowns and pulled crackers, although I don't think we went as far as to sing Christmas carols. I'm pretty sure I ate Chicken Korma, a mild curry made with coconut milk. Obviously, we all ate poppadum and nan bread and I'm almost certain we had banana fritters and ice-cream for dessert. At that time, we didn't eat out very often, I think because my parents couldn't afford it so that's why it's such a clear memory. Write about a special meal you remember.
Say:
Where you were,
What you were celebrating,
Who you were with,
What you ate,
Why you remember this occasion.
Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates. Here's a photo of my Mum and dad

Write about a Beach or Lake you have visited

I love getting out of Santiago and going to the coast. I love seeing the sea and getting some fresh air. Over Fiesta Patrias I went to Isla Negra. I'd been there before but I'd only really passed through, stopping by the beach close to the Neruda museum and then going on to Algarrobo or El Tabo. Anyway, this time I stayed with a friend and her family who live near a place called Cantaleo which is a piece of land owned by the Neruda Foundation which is a little park. I'd never been there before and I thought it was really nice. There were lots of birds: Loicas, Lapwings (Queltehue, hawks and some others whose names I'm not sure of. The day we went and walked along the coastline was beautiful, clear blue skies and warm spring sun. Later we went into the town centre and bought empanadas from Donde Florencia which were really (really, really good). I ate a seafood one and a Cheese and Olive one accompanied by a few glasses of wine. All in all it was a wonderful day that helped me forget stressful Santiago:) Write about a beach or lake you have visited. Say: Where it is, When you went there, Who you went with, What you did there, Why you remember the visit. Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of at least 3 classmates.