Here are my brain expanding lessons of the week:
A member of the British monarchy can not marry a Catholic.
Pickle is another name for relish. No idea what pickles are called here.
I am apparently seen as a disco queen in my son's eyes.
Owen can make coffee unassisted (this is just fantastic).
I know how to find my way home from an unfamiliar area across town at night without relying on street signs or a map.
A US voltage computer printer will literally fry if you try to plug it into a UK adaptor.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Driving
I have decided that driving in England is like living a loop of one of those movies you see in driver's ed. Today, as I came through the six-way intersection from St. Ed's Junior School, I experienced the following road hazards within a two-minute time frame, no lie.
- a woman pedestrian wandering into the road on my left
- a car swerving into my lane on my right to avoid a cyclist on his left
- a car pulling out of the gas station, trying to cross in front of me
- a man getting out of his car, opening the door into my lane
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mothering Sunday
Good morning, everyone! It is Mothering Sunday in the British Isles so that means I will be treated to TWO Mother's Days this year. Owen had his friend, Josh, over for a sleepover last night. When I found out that it was Mothering Sunday today, I called Josh's mum and asked her if she wanted to change the date. Her response was, "Not at all. This is a brilliant Mothering Sunday present for me!" She is a single mom of two boys and I can TOTALLY relate! Can I just say that Owen and Josh are friends for a similar reason - personality! But I just might ask her to take Owen overnight on the US Mother's day - heehee!
They awoke very early to fix breakfast in bed and woke me around 7:15 to serve it to me. So much for sleeping in on Mother's Day! However, I do want to say that my mini-me look alike eight year old is going to make some woman quite happy one day. I was served porridge soup (a little too watery milky instant oatmeal but edible and yes, Owen calls it porridge), four half slices of toast with butter and cherry jam, a cuppa tea with milk and sugar (just right actually) all on a tray with appropriate silverware and a napkin. I was duly impressed. It is 8:55 am and Craig is taking them for a bike ride until Josh's mum comes to claim him around 10 am.
Happy Mothering Sunday to all.
They awoke very early to fix breakfast in bed and woke me around 7:15 to serve it to me. So much for sleeping in on Mother's Day! However, I do want to say that my mini-me look alike eight year old is going to make some woman quite happy one day. I was served porridge soup (a little too watery milky instant oatmeal but edible and yes, Owen calls it porridge), four half slices of toast with butter and cherry jam, a cuppa tea with milk and sugar (just right actually) all on a tray with appropriate silverware and a napkin. I was duly impressed. It is 8:55 am and Craig is taking them for a bike ride until Josh's mum comes to claim him around 10 am.
Happy Mothering Sunday to all.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Warwick Castle
Last weekend we traveled to Warwick Castle where we met up with our good friends, Eric & Emma Block and their children, Alex & Ellie. It is a great example of a "real" castle - everything is as you'd expect it - and we all really enjoyed the tour and the kids appreciated the Sunday roast dinner at lunchtime. The weather cooperated for about half of the day and luckily the kids played at the adventure playground before entering the castle or we wouldn't have heard the end of it. Note: Most places boast an "adventure playground". Some are very cheesy and basic, but this playground was well-done and appropriate for a variety of ages (and adults!). Warwick Castle (pronounced 'warrick') is affiliated with Madame Tussaud's and has displays throughout of wax like figures depicting everyday castle life.
View as you approach the castle entrance
View from one of the turrets of the inner castle
A Mom can hope, can't she?
Owen trying on a helmet in the armory
The chapel
The Great Hall with lots of spears, swords, helmets, antlers, taxidermy animals, etc...
Family photo with our newest addition, Alex. He and the boys truly enjoyed one another. My kids were having younger cousin flashbacks & liked it.
Evan
Finn with the sword in the stoneWe then decided to follow the castle wall trail - about 500 steps up and around the outer walls of the castle, up into the turrets and around some very twisty spiral staircases - in other words boy heaven, Mom nightmare. Alex, who is two, and Eric, who recently broke his ankle, joined us. Craig returned to his days as a Dad of a toddler and carried Alex through the trickiest parts. We made it without incident, but it was a long haul.
View from way up high - Finn is the person at the top of the photo.
The River AvonThe rain began in earnest after the castle wall tour and we decided to leave. We want to return with visitors to see the grounds which looked gorgeous and they had a trebuchet which they demonstrate in the warmer months.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
Okay, so I have seen this post floating around on blogs and Facebook and I decided to do it because it's my blog and I can do whatever I want. So suffer through it if you choose to do so.
1. Perfume gives me a headache almost immediately. I hate those Body Shop stores and Crabtree & Evelyn.
2. I am allergic to latex.
3. I am really anal and know where just about everything is in the house, including boxes in the attic.
4. I hate housecleaning so I guess I am not that anal.
5. I really like my alone time.
6. I am a voracious reader.
7. I love math and I am like Rainman in my ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide but I don't like to figure out the tip or how much everyone owes when in a group dining experience.
8. When I turn 50, well... 45 - I want a little two-seater car that does not allow for carpooling. I REALLY hope that Fiat has a model of the 500 that complies with US specs by the time we move back, otherwise it's gonna be a Mini and I kinda don't want a Mini because it's a bit twee (too cutesy cute) and predictable.
9. I am afraid of high heights (not low heights - yes there is a difference) and especially big bridges. My hands get all sweaty...
10. I cry at the drop of a hat over sad TV shows, commercials, movies. I am a sucker for that stuff.
11. I hate when people butt in line or cut me off in traffic. It's irrational, I know, but geez it makes me mad and I tell people to their face when they are rude as they do it which embarrasses my husband to no end. It's okay though if someone is "saving" a place for a friend even though that is a pain too. But I do not get road rage, just road irritation slash exasperation.
12. I love Chick-Fil-A iced tea and McDonald's coke with ice, but really don't like Coke from a can and I won't finish McDonald's coke if the ice has melted. UK McDonald's coke is nothing like US McDonald's coke.
13. I like textiles - towels, rugs, sheets - fancy papers and pottery.
14. I love watching Survivor just to figure out the people and personality types which leads to...
15. I like sitting in public and watching people. I eavesdrop on conversations when we are out to eat and can carry on a conversation while eavesdropping at the same time.
16. I can not understand how people can not make a decision. Just make the decision and live with the decision you made. Or make a change, but decide to make the change and live with it.
17. I love playing the Yogi Bear Nintendo DS game. It is a mindless waste of time.
18. I wish I had a personal chef.
19. I yell at my kids - often.
20. I hate working out.
21. I love potato chips and should work out more often so I can eat them without guilt.
22. I really like to write but bad spelling drives me insane. I am thankful that my husband uses spell check.
23. I leave mugs of unfinished tea and coffee everywhere around the house. I won't reheat them after they are cold.
24. Music is very important to me and I adore my iPod. I wake up every morning with a "morning song" in my head and Craig and I compare ours every morning.
25. I am very thankful for my family (nuclear and extended) and appreciate everything about them even the "drives me crazy stuff" but they think I don't because I am very hard on them.
1. Perfume gives me a headache almost immediately. I hate those Body Shop stores and Crabtree & Evelyn.
2. I am allergic to latex.
3. I am really anal and know where just about everything is in the house, including boxes in the attic.
4. I hate housecleaning so I guess I am not that anal.
5. I really like my alone time.
6. I am a voracious reader.
7. I love math and I am like Rainman in my ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide but I don't like to figure out the tip or how much everyone owes when in a group dining experience.
8. When I turn 50, well... 45 - I want a little two-seater car that does not allow for carpooling. I REALLY hope that Fiat has a model of the 500 that complies with US specs by the time we move back, otherwise it's gonna be a Mini and I kinda don't want a Mini because it's a bit twee (too cutesy cute) and predictable.
9. I am afraid of high heights (not low heights - yes there is a difference) and especially big bridges. My hands get all sweaty...
10. I cry at the drop of a hat over sad TV shows, commercials, movies. I am a sucker for that stuff.
11. I hate when people butt in line or cut me off in traffic. It's irrational, I know, but geez it makes me mad and I tell people to their face when they are rude as they do it which embarrasses my husband to no end. It's okay though if someone is "saving" a place for a friend even though that is a pain too. But I do not get road rage, just road irritation slash exasperation.
12. I love Chick-Fil-A iced tea and McDonald's coke with ice, but really don't like Coke from a can and I won't finish McDonald's coke if the ice has melted. UK McDonald's coke is nothing like US McDonald's coke.
13. I like textiles - towels, rugs, sheets - fancy papers and pottery.
14. I love watching Survivor just to figure out the people and personality types which leads to...
15. I like sitting in public and watching people. I eavesdrop on conversations when we are out to eat and can carry on a conversation while eavesdropping at the same time.
16. I can not understand how people can not make a decision. Just make the decision and live with the decision you made. Or make a change, but decide to make the change and live with it.
17. I love playing the Yogi Bear Nintendo DS game. It is a mindless waste of time.
18. I wish I had a personal chef.
19. I yell at my kids - often.
20. I hate working out.
21. I love potato chips and should work out more often so I can eat them without guilt.
22. I really like to write but bad spelling drives me insane. I am thankful that my husband uses spell check.
23. I leave mugs of unfinished tea and coffee everywhere around the house. I won't reheat them after they are cold.
24. Music is very important to me and I adore my iPod. I wake up every morning with a "morning song" in my head and Craig and I compare ours every morning.
25. I am very thankful for my family (nuclear and extended) and appreciate everything about them even the "drives me crazy stuff" but they think I don't because I am very hard on them.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday the 13th
Got this from:
If Friday the 13th is unlucky, then 2009 is an unusually unlucky year. This week's Friday the 13th is one of three to endure this year.
The first came last month. The next is in November. Such a rare triple-threat occurs only once every 11 years.
The origin of the link between bad luck and Friday the 13th is murky. The whole thing might date to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune.
Here are five of our favorite Friday-the-13th facts:
1. Fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.
2. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor and some airline terminals omit Gate 13.
3. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.
4. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12." Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.
5. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number - 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.
Sounds harmless if you ask me... I'm not friggin' triskaidephophobic!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Some interesting tidbits
On Friday the 6th, Owen's homeroom performed the value of the week (appreciation) at the Friday assembly. His teacher said they needed to look nice for the performance and could dress in mufti (regular clothes). Owen took the instruction "look nice" to mean "dress up" so he wore an oxford shirt, tie, sweater vest and dress pants. He looked quite smart and was in his element because he really does love to dress up. The performance was very entertaining and very well-rehearsed.
Craig took the rest of the day off and we went to the closest Royal Air Force base where we have privileges to shop and mainly to get Craig's gas card. We get cheaper gas here but one has to go through an extremely ridiculous bureaucratic process to actually get the card to buy the gas. Anyhoo, the cards finally arrived so Craig needed to get his. On the way, a pheasant crossed the road directly in front of the car and I actually had to slow down for it to cross. They are like chickens here.
We arrived in Fairford early and the base shops were not yet open, so we decided to go into the town of Fairford since we always bypass it. We walked along the River Coln and we toured a beautiful church and cemetary, St. Mary's, which the town sign says is "World Famous". We learned that its fame stems from the fact that the church windows are all original and were not destroyed by King Henry VIII's crew during the Reformation and then were removed and hidden (buried) during WWI. It is the only church in England that can boast an entire set of original windows and they really are lovely. I don't want to be sacriligious but the Last Judgement window is amazing in its depiction of the devil and slimy creatures in hell.
The church also possesses another fine collection of medieval art in its choir stalls, which have shield-bearing angels on the arm rests and carved misericords under the seats. These helped the aging priests stand up during the long masses. They look like butt, excuse me "bum", shelves.
You should really check out this website which has good photos and a history of the church:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/fairford-church.htm
Evan has Food Tech class on Monday afternoons and he made a super delicious dessert, aka "pudding" yesterday. ("Pudding" is dessert; "custard" is actual pudding.) So far he has made a fruit cake, treacle tart, toffee squares and something else I can't remember - all were yummy and make up for the absence of a pudding-making Mum.
Finn was selected for the U11B Football team. They have their first match next Tuesday.
I am heading to a pub lunch with the ladies of the Anglo-American Women's Club (AAWC) this afternoon. It's a group of British women whose husbands have worked in the US and US women here whose husbands work here now - obviously. The AAWC plans activities every Tuesday. More old ladies in the Brit contingency, no old ladies in the US group, nice conversation and outings.
Craig is travelling the last week of March and that's about all the news I have. Ciao. Oh, we are trying to decide if we should go to Italy, Paris or Egypt for term break in April. I know, I know, what a tough decision!
Craig took the rest of the day off and we went to the closest Royal Air Force base where we have privileges to shop and mainly to get Craig's gas card. We get cheaper gas here but one has to go through an extremely ridiculous bureaucratic process to actually get the card to buy the gas. Anyhoo, the cards finally arrived so Craig needed to get his. On the way, a pheasant crossed the road directly in front of the car and I actually had to slow down for it to cross. They are like chickens here.
We arrived in Fairford early and the base shops were not yet open, so we decided to go into the town of Fairford since we always bypass it. We walked along the River Coln and we toured a beautiful church and cemetary, St. Mary's, which the town sign says is "World Famous". We learned that its fame stems from the fact that the church windows are all original and were not destroyed by King Henry VIII's crew during the Reformation and then were removed and hidden (buried) during WWI. It is the only church in England that can boast an entire set of original windows and they really are lovely. I don't want to be sacriligious but the Last Judgement window is amazing in its depiction of the devil and slimy creatures in hell.
The church also possesses another fine collection of medieval art in its choir stalls, which have shield-bearing angels on the arm rests and carved misericords under the seats. These helped the aging priests stand up during the long masses. They look like butt, excuse me "bum", shelves.
You should really check out this website which has good photos and a history of the church:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/fairford-church.htm
Evan has Food Tech class on Monday afternoons and he made a super delicious dessert, aka "pudding" yesterday. ("Pudding" is dessert; "custard" is actual pudding.) So far he has made a fruit cake, treacle tart, toffee squares and something else I can't remember - all were yummy and make up for the absence of a pudding-making Mum.
Finn was selected for the U11B Football team. They have their first match next Tuesday.
I am heading to a pub lunch with the ladies of the Anglo-American Women's Club (AAWC) this afternoon. It's a group of British women whose husbands have worked in the US and US women here whose husbands work here now - obviously. The AAWC plans activities every Tuesday. More old ladies in the Brit contingency, no old ladies in the US group, nice conversation and outings.
Craig is travelling the last week of March and that's about all the news I have. Ciao. Oh, we are trying to decide if we should go to Italy, Paris or Egypt for term break in April. I know, I know, what a tough decision!
Country Walk
Now that the weather and especially the temperatures have improved, we are getting out of the house. Last Sunday, we drove to Cold Aston, a very tiny village, to embark upon about a four mile hike in the afternoon. It was a nice walk through tilled fields and country lanes.
Evan is heading toward an old mill along the River Windrush.
The Glos Way passed directly through a beautiful group of houses perched along the River Windrush. The kids enjoyed a few turns on the swing and we played Pooh sticks at the bridge.
The hills are covered in snowdrops. They are easier to see if you click on the picture and then return to the blog with your back arrow on your browser.
A much needed break on the way back...
Almost there
We made it back into Cold Aston. I am reading the community news board in front of the "Village Hall".We piled back into the car and headed to Naunton, a very nice bigger than smaller village, to have two pints and three lemonades including crisps at a pub called The Black Horse. We will definitely return there.
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