Jaq Greenspon's Blog, page 4

January 2023 Part One (Jan 6-Jan 9)

For the start of this story, we need to step into the “way back machine” all the way to 2010. Back then, due to circumstances, I had been applying for jobs in Europe. One of the gigs I applied to was teaching English to kids in Hungary. I got the job and the deal was … Continue reading January 2023 Part One (Jan 6-Jan 9)

The Coming of the Tree

It started a couple of days ago. Even though we’re non-religious, Rasa loves the Christmas season. She loves decorating the house and putting up the tree and doing all the stuff associated with the holiday. At least the non-secular version. To be fair, when I was a kid, I really loved going to friends’ houses … Continue reading The Coming of the Tree

A Visit from Nykstukas

That little elf to the left there, that’s Nykštukas. Now, in general, he’s only an elf. He’s used as a logo for various products and as the name for schools. He could be one of Santa’s helpers. In fact, the literal translation from Lithuanian is really any kind of small fantasy creature. Now, here in … Continue reading A Visit from Nykstukas

Palanga Trip 2022

After our recent trip to England, we weren’t sure we’d get another chance to go anywhere this summer. Rasa certainly wanted to maybe take a day trip to the beach, or we could hit the labyrinth park again, or really, just anything to get out of the house. Thing is, with the economy the way … Continue reading Palanga Trip 2022

Watchmaking

I don’t know about you, but I have always been fascinated by the inner workings of mechanical watches. They are a marvel. Any intricate mechanical devices intrigue me. I feel the same way about automatons. And puzzle boxes. I wish I had the knowledge and skill to design and build these things, but right now … Continue reading Watchmaking

And so it ends – England 2022 #6

Day 7 – June 30 Thursday was the last day we had anything planned or pre-booked. Today’s adventures were a boat ride to explore the “Jurassic Coast” and then meeting up with Rasa’s colleague Dai and his wife. The boat was leaving from Poole, a little bit further along the coast than Bournemouth (where we … Continue reading And so it ends – England 2022 #6

The World of Peppa Pig – England 2022 #5

Day 6 – June 28 Honestly, today was the day around which this entire trip had been planned. Today was the day we were going to Paultons Park, home of Peppa Pig World. I’m not sure where we first heard about it, but once we did know it existed, Monki was determined to get us … Continue reading The World of Peppa Pig – England 2022 #5

Something Fishy – England 2022 #4

Day 5 – June 28 Tuesday, after Legoland, was supposed to be a rest day. In our planning, we knew we’d have been going strong for several days, sleeping in four different places in 5 nights, and so we figured that we’d take it easy before heading off to Peppa Pig world on Wednesday. Except… … Continue reading Something Fishy – England 2022 #4

Legoland – England 2022 #3

Day 4 – June 27 Monday morning came and Amy had to go to work. Luckily, we were up early enough to say good-bye and thank her and Clive once again for their generosity. We also had to say goodbye to the cats. Then it was off to Legoland in Windsor, a relatively short (40 … Continue reading Legoland – England 2022 #3

Questions about History and Culture – England 2022 #2

Day 2 – June 25 Waking up in Nottingham, we had to figure out our plans. Before we had parted the night before, I had declined John’s offer of attending a birthday party for the child of a friend of his so we were definitely Oxford bound, it was just a matter of how and … Continue reading Questions about History and Culture – England 2022 #2