My Baby is 9

Well, it happened. Owen turned nine. He had a beautiful Marylandesque day in the weather department which is exactly what he needed so he could run off some of that birthday energy!

One of the best presents he got was from Aunt Jenny and Uncle Kirk - the money in a maze cube kept Owen busy for a good portion of the morning.

Assessing the situation

Still working at it

We had dinner and cake at another American family's house (the O'Donnell's) as part of a "Welcome to England" party for the family we sponsored (the Andrews) who just arrived on Friday. It's been a whirlwind weekend and Owen has graciously agreed to postpone his party with friends until after our trip to Scotland and after our visitors have departed. In the meantime, we will celebrate with a lot of cake once all of the US ClanMcCarter have arrived because it was just Gran's birthday, Aunt Vic's birthday will occur when we are in Scotland and my birthday is at the end of July. Phew!

Now if the USA can beat Brazil in the Confederation Cup, Owen's birthday will be complete.

Gobsmacked

I don't know if anyone reading this blog is following the South Carolina governor's personal drama, but I just would like to know when the Bible became an instrument to rationalize adultery. This is an excerpt from an article I just read:

"About an hour after Jenny Sanford talked of her pain and feelings of betrayal, her husband brushed aside any suggestion he might immediately resign, citing the Bible and the story of King David — who continued to lead after sleeping with another man's wife, Bathsheba, having the husband slain, then marrying the widow.

"What I find interesting is the story of David, and the way in which he fell mightily — fell in very, very significant ways, but then picked up the pieces and built from there," Sanford told members of his cabinet in a session called so he could apologize to them in person and tell them the business of government must continue.

First of all, he didn't seem to worried about "the business of government" in Argentina. Secondly, he failed to show up for work which I believe is cause for termination from one's job. Thirdly, how about this apology - "I am an idiot." This man runs a state...

Three Icons

I had this poster.

I had these cards and think I still might have them in a box in storage.

I remember this man. He was a Marine.

Belas Knap

In mid-June, four of us travelled over to Winchcombe, the next little town over Cleeve Hill from Cheltenham, to hike to Belas Knap. (Owen was at a sleepover.) We wanted to go here mainly because of the cool, mysterious name, but also because it seemed interesting. From Wikipedia: "Belas Knap is a neolithic long barrow or burial place. Belas is possibly derived from the Latin word bellus, 'beautiful', which could describe the hill or its view. Knap is derived from the Old English for the top, crest, or summit of a hill. In 1863-1865, excavations revealed the skeletal remains of five children, aged between 6 months and 8 years, the skull of a young adult male, horse and pig bones and fragments of pottery and serrated flint blade. The passages leading to the chambers were roughly blocked with stones and clay. The lintels and much of the dry walling were rebuilt on the original lines in 1863-65, when the barrow was first explored. After the 1928-1931 work, the walling was secured, three of the chambers were covered and the contour of the mound was restored. Excavations in 1963 found the remains of 38 human skeletons, together with animal bones, flint implements and pottery from the end of the Neolithic period (New Stone Age), circa 2000 BC. These burials, however, occurred over a long period of time and it may be that none date to the time when the mound was built." So there you have it. The hike was uphill the entire way, but not steep and the trail meandered through beautiful countryside, sheep meadows and some forested areas. It was also a gorgeous day & on the hot side which sort of helped. We had a much-deserved picnic at the top and attempted to fly a kite but the wind died just as we began so we decided to head into Winchcombe for the obligatory pint/lemonade and crisps.

Walking through the long rapeseed field

Resting on the hike up

A local

Signs of Men
We really are on the right course.

Here is proof that we really did come here and I am not just telling lies.

An interesting tree trunk on the way down
It looks like a one-eyed troll with jagged teeth to me.

Happy Father's Day at the Three Counties Show

A belated Happy Father's Day to all of you Dad's and Dad's to be!

We spent most of Craig's Father's day at the Three Counties Show in Malvern which is in the county of Worchestershire (pronounced just like the sauce back home). It is a big farm show and was pretty much exactly like the Howard County Fair, except with many more vendors selling farming necessities and general British kit (wellies, vests, hats, etc.).


There were rides and food and animal-related events. We opted for the fresh strawberries and cream as soon as we entered. We watched dog training, a timed horseshoe making contest, petted ferrets, looked at the beekeeping area, and saw the bunny and poultry tents. We also saw a few of the Young Farmers Club's activities such as cheerleading (lame), tug of war (exciting) and the U10 and U8 pig showing (hysterical) and walked through their display tent which showed the results of their various competitions such as cake decorating and a somewhat life size diorama competition that adhered to the theme of "British Holidays" - very impressive stuff actually.

The Tug-of-War

They all wear matching shirts with padding under one arm to prevent ripping their shirt and special boots that looked a lot like ski boots. The teams have a water boy and a coach who walks the line and yells or claps to keep them in unison. I think it was the best two out of three was the winner, but the winning team always won two in a row, so we never saw if there were three rounds. The teams also switch sides after each round. There were all male and all female competitions.

This pig was ginormous, especially when compared to her handler.

I also bought my very own plaid Old Age Pensioner (OAP) trolley aka "granny trolley". These are pulled or pushed by grannies on shopping day and I have decided to start a new trend to show they are not for grannies anymore! I needed one because I tend to overshop in the grocery department when I am on foot and my shoulder is starting to hurt from carrying the load home.

The Malverns are a stretch of hills that give gorgeous views. The Three Counties Show is situated pretty much smack in the middle of three adjoining counties (Gloucestershire - our county, Herefordshire and the aforementioned Worchestershire) hence the name. It was a nice day even though it was overcast and we felt a few light sprinkles.


Finn is on the far right side of this ride.


Owen has his target in sight.

LOVE

Obsession or Infatuation?

Charlton Kings

Charlton Kings is actually part of Cheltenham but was it's own village prior to being incorporated into the big city. Today, after my Pilates class, I walked into Charlton Kings to go to the library and the small grocery store. It is an absolutely charming village. One enters the village and the first thing seen is the Church of St. Mary. It is a fairly large church with an awesome old cemetary. Behind the church is a town square. The square has a small fountain with mosaic decorations of marine life. There is the obligatory pub and coffee shop. A local primary school is right in the center of town and it's just so sweet. We will walk through the village when you come.

Stanway House

On Tuesday, a group from the Anglo-American Women's Club (AAWC) attended a private tour of the Stanway House and Gardens. This was organized by an American friend whose husband is the big cheese in our SUSLO community.

From Wikipedia: Stanway House is an example of a Jacobean manor house. The manor was owned by Tewkesbury Abbey for 800 years then for 500 years by the Tracy family and their descendants, the Earls of Wemyss (pronounces "weems"). Sir William Tracy was one of the four knights who murdered Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170 upon orders from Henry II.

It was an interesting day, but I was a little disappointed at the interior tour of the house. However, it is a private residence, so the areas we were allowed to see were few. Overall, the house is gorgeous, especially from the outside. The interior was a bit run-down if you ask me. Upkeep of a house so large definitely pulls on the purse strings. My favorite part was the Jacobean entrance with gate house and the tithe barn. The workmanship never ceases to amaze me especially when you look at the beams and construction of the ceilings. The photographs are accredited to another American friend who actually remembered HER camera! Thanks, Ann!



The scallop shell was part of the family's crest and it is seen in portions of the architecture everywhere. After killing Becket, Sir William de Tracy went on a pilgrimage for forgiveness and adopted the scallop as a remembrance of this pilgrimage.



The Tithe Barn




The final portion of the tour was a viewing of the fountain. It works via gravity only and once it's ready to spout, it shoots 300 ft. into the air for approximately 20 minutes. During the summer, people can come and view the fountain spouting and kids can run through the water spray that falls. We'll be back...

Mini Schmini

Looks like I will be getting my Fiat 500 upon return.
Please save one for me!!!!

From Yahoo! News:

Fiat 500

Fiat 500

Chrysler's product plan calls for a subcompact hatchback from Fiat to enter the market late next year. Chrysler could redesign the 500 a little and rebadge it as a Chrysler, but that probably wouldn't make a lot of sense. "I don't think they want to, because everybody loves that damned thing," said James Bell, publisher of the Automotive website Intellichoice.com. It also would also mean a lot of work to make this car anything other than a Fiat. The design is supposed to remind you of the cars you might have seen driving around Rome in the 1960s. Slapping a Chrysler badge on it just wouldn't make sense.

Chrysler's plan also calls for a plug-in electric mini car from Fiat to come out shortly before the gasoline-powered one. That could be a 500, or 500-based vehicle, as well.

While the Fiat may look cute, though, it's much smaller than most cars Americans are used to. It's about six inches shorter than a Mini Cooper. The 500 feels bigger once you're inside it, though, said Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend magazine. You don't sit as low to the ground and there's more glass to see out of than in the Mini.

"I think people would totally dig it," he said. "It's terminally cute."

Oh, that it is...., I say, terminally cute.

Opposite Side

For all of you non-Facebookers, I am blogging to tell you that the button on my new British jeans is on the opposite side from all of my American trousers. I woke up and got dressed right away in semi-stupor as usual and couldn't get my jeans to button and it wasn't because they didn't fit - so no snide comments! It only took me two hours to figure out why I had difficulty. I is smart, me.

Idle Chit Chat

Nothing of note has happened recently. The rain is back and it's chilly again.
Evan is halfway through his exams and they are going well, except for French he said. To his defense, this is his first year of Francais and everyone else has taken it since second or third grade. Thankfully, he doesn't need to take it next year, but Craig and I were speaking in French at lunch this weekend and Evan understood what we were saying. Smartypants.
Finn was organizing Pokemon cards this weekend and has decided to sell a bunch on eBay. He was also sewing a pouch for some purpose. He also attended Chess Club on Saturday afternoon. Otherwise, he was a grouch this weekend.
Owen actually allowed Craig and I to have a full uninterrupted two-hour conversation on Sunday morning. I have no idea what was keeping him occupied and I don't really need to know. He whittled a lot and rushed outside when the sun was out.
Craig and I did menial household chores and sort of relaxed. We all went out to lunch on Sunday and had a pint that knocked us for a loop. Not all of us had a pint, just to clarify. Thank goodness we no longer have toddlers.

Yorkshire

Last weekend, we drove up north to Yorkshire. It was a very nice trip and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I actually didn't even pack a pair of shorts or any "suncream" because I didn't believe what the weathermen were saying, but I should have because it was HOT! We all had a good time in the sun and I think a trip back to the city of York and also the beaches is on our list.

YORK

York is a beautiful city. It has Roman walls, Viking heritage and is just bustling. Evan said it reminded him of New York but more ancient and he is exactly right. New York didn't get it's name for nuttin'.

The main train station where we parked for the day - nice architecture

York Minster in the background
Why is is called York Minster, you say? Well, a "mynster" was the Anglo-Saxon name for a missionary church - a church built as a new center of worship - which was the original building in 627 AD. A cathedral is the mother church of a diocese. York Minster is both.
They have a very informative website and the virtual tour is really neat.

http://www.yorkminster.org/

The gray glass is called grisaille. "Gris" in French means "gray".

A couple of the gnarly old kings on the Quire Screen
There was a statue for 15 kings of England from William I to Henry VI - but no queen... The statues of the kings kept getting younger as time when on and beard's became shorter and then non-existent - a definite sign of the progression of fashion. Also, Henry VI's statue was the only one whose eyes had pupils, but that was probably because it was newer as the original was trashed in the Reformation. It was sort of creepy looking at statues with no pupils. They all looked blind or something.

The Quire
There were hundreds of quire seats and each had the crest and name of a Dean.

Cool dragon lamp base back by the Astronomical Clock

View from the Tower
You can go up into the Tower by climbing 275 very steep and windy steps. We all got our exercise for the day - better than a workout!

Halfway point - a much needed rest!

A monkey on a war memorial outside the Minster
"Haven't you always wanted a monkey?"

Leaving York

CAYTON BAY

The next day we ventured to the east coast to Scarborough and settled for the gorgeous cove of Cayton Bay.

View north
You can barely see Scarborough Castle on the very right tip of the coast.

Beach bums
We all acquired our first mild case of English sunburn - never thought I'd get to type that.

View south after the tide went out
We timed it perfectly again.

Whitby Abbey & Town

We headed to Whitby in the afternoon after eating at a roadside snack shack aka "roach coach". No really, the burgers were good and fast. These coaches are everywhere in roadside pull offs and the same coach generally has a claim to a certain pull off. It's the English version of old skool McDonald's.

Evan is contemplating the sheer beauty (or sheer boredom).

My Mom is not going to like these photos. I think my fascination with graveyards is rubbing off on some people.

Whitby Harbor from whence Captain Cook sailed.

Whitby street scene
It was PACKED!! The town reminded me of Annapolis for its oldness and seaside qualities, but also of Ocean City for its giant beach and amusements, although not nearly as grand scale. They did have this Trimper's ride arcade place that was straight from the OC boardwalk, hon. There were seafood vendors everywhere selling winkies, mussels, shrimp, some sort of snaily things, etc. that you could buy and eat as a snack out of a paper cup.

One of the two lighthouses

The next day, we headed for home with a few pitstops. The first was a trip back to Cayton Bay in an attempt to recover Owen's lost spectacles. Our attempt was successful as someone had handed them in at the surf shop right next to the toilets and changing room. You just gotta love honest and helpful people!

We are suckers for ye olde roadside sign. So our second pitstop was at the Kilburn White Horse in the Yorkshire Moors. These are a phenomena in Britain from like way back (Stonehenge time) and mostly south of Cheltenham. This one is much more "recent" (created in 1870's by a local schoolteacher and his students) but stunning. We are guessing the horse's head is on the ridge. As a note, the stone here is painted white. I think the older ones are actually white stone. We need to go look at the ones south of us for comparison.

We passed a glider club on the way to the White Horse and it turns out that they launch off of the cliff directly behind the horse. At least five gliders were towed out while we were there.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens

I just couldn't resist a place with the name Studley Royal so this was our third pitstop. Turns out no studly royals were there - awww shucks. The town just next to this was named Studley Roger. We should have visited him too.
Anyway, this is a National Trust Site so we got in for free as we are members. It was awesome and the kids even enjoyed most of it once they found the mill and the stream. The fountains were very nice and there were different temples and statuary interspersed, but we were all tired so no photos. Thank goodness for ice cream!

Finn propped himself up in the shade of a tree to read and be inspired.
The rest are photos of the 12th century Cistercian abbey.

After this we headed home which was just a long trip. However, our last pitstop was at a real pitstop where we had dinner while watching the final of Britain's Got Talent. The winner was a surprise and a shocker as Susan Boyle, Scottish spinster singer extrodinaire, was expected to win. Instead a group of city youth dancers won and I do think they deserved it because they were flawless. Ms. Boyle will be a star without winning the show. These kids needed a chance and Britain gave it to them - sniffle sniff...