When we got home we had cold cereal for dinner because I had a smashing headache and now the kids are in bed and I'm peacefully relaxed in my chair that reclines.
The legacy of Queen Victoria and her husband/cousin Prince Albert includes several museums, and the Museum of Childhood became the collection place in the 20th century for all things related to children and family life. We took the tube to Bethnal Green and spent THREE hours in the museum. It was a really fantastic set-up because each exhibit had an interactive space for the kids, which always gave me time to read while they played. A sandbox in the middle of a museum? Well sure! I've learned that Europeans are big fans of importing tonnes of sand and creating artificial beaches all over the city. (They do this in Paris too I've read.) But I told Richard that I think a beach is worthless to me without water. Apparently the kids disagree. We were all hungry and thirsty by the time we left the musuem so we stopped at a little market and got some snacks and drinks and took them to the Bethnal Green park. The kids had fun running around unrestrained- but it made for terrible timing. We ended up on the Tube during rush hour. We've done the trains during rush hour before- but only with Richard. Fortunately people were considerate and accommodating so we managed to get home without losing anyone. It was hot- but not as hot as the buses.
When we got home we had cold cereal for dinner because I had a smashing headache and now the kids are in bed and I'm peacefully relaxed in my chair that reclines.
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This week hasn't felt much like we are living in another country. Monday we spent entirely at home, doing laundry and chores around the house. Sometimes on Mondays I miss work- that day away to talk to adults. Sigh. Tuesday we met the Farmers at a cinema (movie theater) in Greenwich for a discount showing of dated movies. The movie for the day was Tarzan but it wasn't the Disney Tarzan I was expecting. It was a German version of Tarzan with the voices of American actors that was probably never released in America. Having never heard of it, I went back and read some reviews which pretty much summed up how I felt about it. "This computer-generated mo-cap version ... turns Edgar Rice Burrough’s loinclothed apeman into a tree-hugger defending his jungle against capitalists." Aside from an over saturation of cliches and man vs ape violence, it was nice to sit in an air conditioned theatre and relax a bit, and kids aren't usually too picky about their entertainment. After the movie we went to McDonald's for lunch and then did a bit of shopping. We rode the bus home and it was brutally hot so when we got back I let the kids put on their swimsuits and spray each other with the hose. It was exactly the kind of summer day we might have had in Kuna. Which felt nice and familiar. Except not familiar at all because everything here - including McDonald's and movies and transportation and backyards - is totally different. Today I planned to stay home all day in the hopes that our belongings would be delivered, but alas no such luck. When I realized it wasn't likely, I decided to go the library and run a few errands. We now are the proud owners of a rubbish bin and a broom. It's been a long three weeks without those two things! As some consolation, yesterday I ordered a dozen miscellaneous things on Amazon and they all came today. Free one day shipping for Amazon Prime! And virtually free shipping on everything else, even if it isn't Prime eligible. That's a perk I just can't get over. I suppose that some level of guilt is inherent to motherhood no matter where you live. I find myself feeling guilty that we aren't doing MORE to explore this amazing city. I know that two years will go by so quickly and at the end of it I will have regrets about things unseen or undone. Right now though I feel the restraints of limited energy, patience and finances. So I try to balance all those factors with my desire to maximize this experience for my children. I just don't have much confidence that I'm going a good job of it.
Our trip to Dover Castle was three weeks ago but I just hadn't gotten around to posting about it. We visited Dover Castle on our second day in Ramsgate, after we visited the Cliffs of Dover. Dover Castle has a "Great Tower" (see below) but the name refers to all the buildings enclosed within the castle walls. There are guard posts, churches, military barracks, and several other outbuildings.The English (and probably many Eurpean countries) spare no expense with their churches. They are all so beautiful. And I have a thing for biblical stories depicted in stained glass. The following pictures are all from the inside of the Great Tower. It was all decorated as it would have been during the time of Henry II. The kids had a great time exploring it. After we toured the Great Tower we took the kids to the shop and let them pick a toy. The boys all picked wooden swords and Miriam picked a crown.The view from the rooftop of the Great Tower.The highlight of the trip to Dover Castle wasn't actually the castle for Cameron and Eli. Down the hill, closer to the cliffs there are a series of tunnels that were used during WWII. We took a tour that had some neat film/sound/wall projections that are hard to describe but were really creative and interesting. I think this was the beginning of Cameron and Eli's WWII obsession.
The tour talked a lot about Operation Dynamo, which was the effort by the British government to rescue allied forces from the coast of France after they were cornered by the German army. It was a really interesting story and if you're in the mood for a bit of history, look it up. I didn't get any pictures of the tunnels because photography wasn't allowed during the tour. Wow Jo. A really somber and reflective post about a cemetery and memorial and then a totally superficial and silly post about fashion. What next?! Just a post about the before-and-after-cemetery that was our Saturday. At the beginning of the week last week Richard asked the kids if they wanted to set a goal to read scriptures and pray as a family every morning at breakfast. The kids got on board as soon as I offered crepes as a reward if we met the goal. Richard's work week is technically a 35 hour work week, Monday through Friday 9:30-5:30. Even though he has been going in earlier than 9:30, he is still around a lot more in the mornings than he ever was in Kuna. All told, I think his commute time here is actually a few minutes shorter than it was to Boise. The point being that we can eat breakfast as a family every morning. This is a big deal for me. One of our goals in taking this opportunity to move to London was to simplify our lives and spend more time together as a family. So far it's come together in this way even more than I imagined. I know that the longer we live here the more complicated our lives will get again, and it won't always be this easy. But for now, without friends or family to divide our time with, we just have each other. Richard pointed out last week that we ate two meals together as a family in one day, which was unheard of before. Anyway, we accomplished our goal so on Saturday morning we took a bus to Ladywell, about ten minutes away, and ate crepes at a place Eli and I have had our eyes on for awhile. After we got home from Le Delice we packed a picnic and loaded in the car for a drive to Cambridge. We visited the cemetery first and then we went and ate our picnic at Cambridge University. By the time we arrived at the university we were hungry so we picked the first parking spot we found and ate on the first grassy knoll we found. There weren't many buildings in sight, just a lot of huge trees. And stinging nettle. All four kids had their first experience with it. It looked like it stung alright, and they all had little welts on their fingers, toes and legs. After we finished eating we took a stroll to find some of the beautiful buildings I was imagining. As soon as we reached this bridge I fell in love. From where we were on the outside there wasn't much to see, but we cut through Clare College and all of the sudden we were in the heart of the university complex, like its own city. We walked down the main drag where there were lots of shops and restaurants and art studios and people. It was a fun and exciting place and there were all kinds of people there. There were also a lot of weddings going on and just a joyous and happening atmosphere. The kids kept saying how everything looked like a castle.
We stopped and got some treats and drinks and then we found our way back to our car so we could make the drive home. I love being able to visit these places. But sometimes they make me feel so small; like such a little person from Idaho who doesn't know the ways of the big, brilliant thinkers and intellectuals. I guess I'm content to just sit back and appreciate them for their contributions to our world, all those 80-something Cambridge alumni who have won a Nobel Prize... I've never read a fashion blog on purpose and I really have no sense for it. And I'm pretty sure everything I post here has been on fashion blogs for years. But I thought it would be fun anyway. I'm just going to post the popular trends I see as I wander the streets of London. This is all strictly based on observation so don't take me too seriously. But I also have to admit that as I Googled these outfits I felt validated in my observations of their popularity. And to my credit there is one fashion trend I've totally nailed and that is maxi skirts/dresses. But those are just so doggone convenient and comfortable it's no wonder they are taking over the world. Watch out Crocs- the maxi skirt has moved in. (Yes, I know, the maxi skirt moved in, like so five years ago.) And kudos to my fashionable friends and sisters who actually own and wear some of these products. (Except the see-through blouse. I still think that's just tacky.)
I'm really excited for Cameron and Eli's new passion about WWII because they are pouring over books and movies about history. But I've been worried that they are glamorizing war. I know it's normal for boys to get excited about guns and tanks and courage and heroes, and that's even okay with me. The other day I told Richard that I wanted to find a way to help them understand the horrors and tragedies of war without traumatizing them. Then I remembered that there was an American cemetery near Cambridge where American's who were killed or missing were memorialized and buried. We had a Saturday afternoon with nothing on the schedule and a tank full of petrol, so it seemed like a perfect outing. I had heard of the cemetery from a story I read when we visited a museum in Dover. The story was just on a yellow piece of paper slipped inside a sheet protector and taped to the wall, but I took a photo of it because I never wanted to forget it. It would probably be worth my time to type it up so it's easier to read, but I don't have time to do that right now. If anyone would like a copy send me an email and it will motivate me to get it done! (And hopefully it wouldn't be illegal.) If you have the patience and good eyes, I highly recommend reading it here. We packed a picnic and made the drive up to Cambridge. It only took an hour to get there once we got out of the city. And it was a really pretty drive. The cemetery is immaculate, just as the story described. It was also very peaceful. Richard gave the kids a little pep talk about reverence and respect and the hallowed ground of places like this. There was a Visitors Center that had a short video about WWII and the cemetery. It explained who was buried there and talked about America's involvement in the war. There were other displays and photos and a lot to read about America's relationship with the British and I was quite touched by the gratitude and respect the locals in Great Britain had for the American servicemen. There are 3,812 men and women buried in the cemetery, including military personnel and American civilians who lost their lives while working in England during the war. Then there is a wall of the 5,127 missing men and women who died at sea or whose bodies were never recovered. (Including the brother of John F. Kennedy.) It was a really sacred and meaningful experience for me, and I think it had the desired effect on the boys too. There were nearly 70 million people around the world who lost their lives during WWII. That number is impossible to comprehend for a 7 and 9 year old. But to see 3,000 headstones gave them a somber realization that war has a heavy price. I didn't want them to be depressed, just aware.
I'm personally grateful for the bravery and self-sacrifice of the men and women who lost their lives during this and other wars. I was also moved by the examples of unselfish service and genuine love and brotherhood that motivated many of the men who died. Richard and I talked about how military service can be rough around the edges. The men sometimes have a reputation of being vulgar and reckless or arrogant. But they exhibited levels of charity neither of us could claim to have and we were honored to read their stories. Mindy asked if we would be interested in swapping kids for a chance to go out and that sounded fantastic so last night we dropped off our kids at their flat and walked to Greenwich for dinner. It had been pouring rain all afternoon so it was misty and muggy but the view from the top of Maze Hill was still beautiful. We walked down the hill and into Greenwich Village and chose a Mediterranean place called "Papa Charlies". We tried to pick a place that looked the least family friendly, to really capitalize on our freedom. There was a family that came in though, with adorable tow-headed twins, a boy and girl just around John and Catie's ages and we sighed over them. Richard had Guvec and I had Mousaka and they were both delicious. Our server was a sweet and gentle girl from Italy, working in London for the summer, with a rhinestone in her lateral incisor that sparkled when she smiled and I wanted to ask her to sit with us during dessert because I wanted to know her life story. Richard was feeling left out since the kids and I had been to Greenwich park twice without him so we decided to walk back to the Farmer's flat by way of the park. It was so quiet and serene at dusk. Sometimes we can't believe this is our life. (GAG.) But really. As we were leaving the park Richard started to tell me about the Royal Post letter boxes throughout the city. I love postcards and have been trying to send them off to my dearly beloveds across the ocean so Eli has made a game out of finding letter boxes for me when we are out and about. Richard explained to me that he had learned that each letter box has the cipher of the reigning King or Queen from the time it was built/placed. Richard said he had seen quite a few already from Queen Elizabeth II, which is no surprise seeing as how she has been queen for the last 60+ years and Richard spends most of his time in Canary Wharf, a more recently developed part of the city. But no sooner had we left the park then we saw one- and this one has the cipher of King George V, who ruled from 1910-1936. Pretty old letter box, eh? Much to our delight, after we'd walked a block or so we came across another one. We didn't get a picture of that one because it was getting dark, but it was Queen Victoria, who ruled until 1901, which was the first year the letter boxes existed. A letter box that was 113 years old. We told Eli about this new discovery as soon as we picked up the kids and his eyes lit up. His game just became much more exciting. Aside from our one hour dates at IKEA when the kids played in Smaland this was our first chance to be together in a couple months. It was nice and the kids had a really good time playing at someone else's house for the first time in a couple months as well. In fact we laughed because when we dropped them off they were gone lickety-split without so much as a good-bye.
I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night and feel completely disoriented. What is this place? What day is it? Where am I? Why am I so sweaty? In Kuna when one of the kids would wake me up with their wailing in the dark of the night, I could recognize the voice, check with the child, and be back in bed without hardly opening my eyes. My subconscious is having trouble making the transition here. Our house is so hot. Very few buildings have central air conditioning here. And I don't think many homes do. People are telling us that this is an exceptionally hot summer, but it seems like people are saying that everywhere, and they are saying it about the winters too. Anyway, we sleep with the windows open and the curtains up to let the air come in. But that means the room is in full sunlight before 5:00 am and we get the pleasure of the morning noises. I actually don't mind the noises so much, particularly the sound of women's heels clicking down the sidewalk, or the new birds I've never heard or the chit chat of the neighbors. I can also recognize the sound of suitcase wheels rolling down the concrete. Nearly every day someone on my street is leaving or returning from travels. Anyway- this post is really supposed to be about the museum. On Friday morning we met the Farmers at the Greenwich playground again. We let the kids play for awhile but rain was on its way so we headed toward the National Maritime Museum which is right next to the park. The museum was full of interesting things but we had trouble keeping the kids interested. Fortunately they had some interactive/playful galleries. I told Richard we will have to go back with just Cameron and Eli. Museums are hard to appreciate if you can't read. As we left the museum I was stressed and tired and frustrated. The kids were getting wild and losing control of themselves, as was I. At the bus stop I lost my cool and told Mim and Si that they would not get ice lollies when we got home and they fell apart. So Miriam threw fits the whole way home. I had opted for the bus because the bus stop was right outside the museum, but then the heat and humidity from the rain just made us all more irritable. Public transportation loses some appeal when you can't let your child have a tantrum in the privacy of your own vehicle. I didn't get any dirty looks though, even from the patient man sitting in front of Miriam when she kicked the back of his seat in fits of four year old rage over ice lollies.
We survived the ride home and as soon as we walked through the door I hosed Mim and Si's sweaty and puddle-jumping bodies off in the bathtub and put them down for naps in their underwear. Cameron and Eli were banished to the garden and I came down from the ledges of my mind in peace and quiet, vowing to never take the kids anywhere ever again. This poor blog is horribly neglected when I become a gluttonous reader. I've read two books in the last week, which is exactly the same number of books I read in the last year. Yesterday I finished The Fault in Our Stars and if I had any book reviewing skills at all whatsoever I would offer my two cents. I'll just say that I read it gluttonously so I must have liked it. And as soon as the movie is available to me (don't ask me how or when that will be seeing as there is no Redbox here) I will watch it alone. On Wednesday we met up with our American friends, the Farmer family, at the Greenwich park playground. We live near the southwest corner of the park and the playground is on the north end of the park so we took a bus this time. But I told the kids we were going to walk home, back down through the park. After all those shenanigans and we drug Cameron away from the game, we began our journey to the other side of the park. It was really hot and humid and I had some cold drinks and cookies in my bag that I used to bribe the children up the hills. In the center of the park is the Royal Observatory which is the location of the Prime Meridian. But it sits on top of the highest hill in the park and I figured that was best left for a day when Richard could enjoy it with us. My friend Alison told me about these benches around London that have been painted "to represent a major landmark in literary history." I had forgotten all about it until we saw this one. It is the first one we've seen. It depicts We're Going on a Bear Hunt and it made me really excited to try and find more. We stopped and ate our cookies and drank our juice at the top of the hill. Then we stopped a few other places so the kids could play and I could find some shade and attempt to cease the perpetual sweating. No one told me London would be so hot!
The park is beautiful. We saw a flower garden and a gazebo but we still have yet to see the deer reserve and rose garden. So much to explore! By the time we got home we were all thoroughly exhausted. We licked ice lollies and lazed around and took naps and then went to dinner at Bucket Mouth because Richard had to work late. I'll write about Bucket Mouth another day. POST EDIT** I usually go back through my posts and read them for errors and flow and such. But this one was so boring I couldn't even read it a second time. Sorry. Part of Cameron and Eli's induction was a school tour, given to us by two "Year Fives". Bless their hearts, but as I bombarded them with questions I only became more confused. But this is what I've learned.
Nursery: For children who are 3 years of age when school begins. Nursery is comparable to a first year of preschool except it is government funded. Most or many primary schools (think elementary school) have a nursery too, but there are also a lot of private nurseries/daycares. The government sponsors 15 hours of nursery each week for children who are three years old. Some schools are flexible about which hours your child can attend, but at Lucas Vale it is run in AM/PM shifts. I decided to put Simon in the morning shift at Lucas Vale so he will attend school from 8:45-11:45 every day. He also has to wear a school uniform. I'll drop off all four kids at school every morning. ! Reception: For children who are 4 years of age when school begins. At first I thought Reception was comparable to Kindergarten, but it's really just a full-time preschool. It focuses on imaginary play and less structured curriculum and learning. Miriam will be in reception, which means that when we come back she will in fact be in the same grade/level as she would have been if we had stayed. Reception is a full school day, 8:45-3:45. Miriam doesn't start school until the end of September and the first week is just half days. They also give children the option to stay on half days for a longer transition period if the full days are too difficult. Miriam wears a uniform and also has PE once a week. The sad bit for Simon is that he will have a year of Reception (full time/all day school) and then come back to the states and go to part-time kindergarten. Poor kid. Or not. Poor me? Nursery and Reception are part of the "Foundation" category and operate under a different learning model than the subsequent years. I'm not exactly sure what that means but I'm just learning the vocabulary. Levels 1 and 2 are called "Key Stage 1" and levels 3-6 are "Key Stage 2." Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what it all means. Level 1: Children who are age 5 at the beginning of the school year. This would be the kindergarten equivalent. So the number of my kids level/grade doesn't match up with the number of the grade they would be at home. Level 2: First grade equivalent. Level 3: Eli will be a level 3. Level 4: Third grade... you get the idea. Level 5: Cameron will be a level five. The primary schools go up to level six, so thankfully all four kids will all be at the same school for the two years that we are living here. This is all really boring but maybe grandparents are still reading. The school year is divided into three terms, Autumn term, Spring term, and Summer term. They get a week of holiday at half term, and a longer break between terms. (Two weeks at Christmas, etc.) Their summer break is only 5-6 weeks. At the induction the school made it very clear that students are not allowed to miss school during term without a Dr. excuse or funerals. Sadly, we are scheduled to leave London in May of 2016 and so the kids will only get to attend two terms next year. I kind of have a knot in my stomach over this. I guess it can't be helped but I wish we had planned better. The uniforms consist of black or gray shorts/pants/skirts with a white polo or collared shirt and black shoes. They are required to wear the school sweatshirt every morning and they also have to have a matching blue backpack with the school logo. We went back to the school to buy the kids sweatshirts, PE kits, and backpacks and it was a pretty penny. And that doesn't include the actual uniforms. (Five days worth of pants and polos for four kids.) But they are all going to look so smart! I really liked all the teachers and staff I've met at the school so far. During the induction we had an interview with two members of the "inclusion team" who were really kind and answered all my questions. I don't really know what to expect, and I think all the kids (except Simon) are a little nervous too. But the opportunity for all four of my kids to attend the same school for two years will surely have some fantastic benefits. I don't know how to read in moderation. Just like I don't know how to eat peanut butter M&Ms in moderation. Or chat on the phone with Lori in moderation. I can only do these things in excess so I sometimes put them off (Sorry Lori!) for a long time which probably only makes it worse. I haven't blogged because I've spent the last three days engrossed in the book These is my Words by Nancy E. Turner. It was a going away gift from a friend and it gobbled me up. Then after I've done nothing but read a novel for days my thoughts start to run like prose and my life becomes dramatic fiction all in my head and I feel a little out of sorts and when I hear a British accent out my front window I'm terribly confused because my present moment is in the Arizona territories in 1887. Such are the joys of a book. But then the fall-out is a messy house and demons for children because how could I possibly be troubled to feed and discipline them when poor Miss Prine is fighting for her life against Apaches? Well to account for the last three days I'll write about the activities I reluctantly squeezed in between reading sessions. Friday night we went to Costco. When we got home, hours later, Richard and I vowed to never forget that a trip to Costco or Ikea is a four hour committment, at least. And it turns out, not just anyone can get a membership to Costco here. The woman at customer service kept asking Richard if he was sure we didn't already have a membership from the States that we could use. "Don't all Americans have a Costco membership?" she asked. But it also turns out that KPMG has an arrangement with Costco so we should be able to get one if we want. I think the only reason we seem to believe we can't live without one here when we managed to live without one in Boise is because the portion sizes of groceries in the stores here are so inadequate for a family of six, and we are hoping the Costco sizes will be a bit more like "normal" sizes back home. Saturday was cloudy and stormy and Richard took the kids to the church for an activity in the morning. Saturday afternoon is a blur... I'm not sure what Richard and the kids did... Sunday at church I got a calling. I am now the second counselor in the Young Women Presidency. There are a total of two young women who attend church regularly and I already adore them. This photo is Sunday's representation. It's mine and Richard's secret and most delicious treat. It's like the best strawberry lemonade you've ever had but to EAT. The strawberries here are so small but so flavorful. I don't know why we think we need to genetically modify all our produce to be bigger. It's not better. Monday morning Cameron and Eli had their induction at school and I asked in advance if I could bring all the kids and they said that would be fine. We took the bus this time.
I'll have to devote an entire post just to the school induction and everything we learned. We went back this morning to buy all the "PE kits", "jumpers" and backpacks. (There was a word for those too but I can't remember it.) I felt badly for the kids because everyone kept commenting on how small they are and how Eli must be on the brink of a growth spurt so we better buy a size bigger. Eli has never seemed to mind being small though and when Cameron looked disappointed the same woman said "You will have a growth spurt too!" On Monday after the induction we had to walk home because my Oyster card was broke and you can only top-up at stations or online and I haven't registered to do that yet. An Oyster card just looks like a credit card and you can use it on the tube, the DLR, the overground, and the rail and buses when you are in certain zones in the city. It's really convenient. It's so fancy that you don't have to scan it anywhere, you just touch it to the electronic pad and it scans it, gives you a green light and tells you your balance. Anyway it was really hot and past lunch time so we stopped and had doughnuts on a park bench. I would say I bribed the kids with doughnuts, but that would have just been bad parenting because they were so naughty at the school they didn't deserve anything. I forgave them because I wasn't smart to make an appointment at lunchtime and I blame the school for making me fill out pages and pages of paperwork that they could have sent home with me on the day I made the appointment. Here we are on Tuesday and I feel like we don't have much to show for the week so far other than that the kids are all registered for school and I finished a whole book. This might be one of those things where I have a blog idea and then it never pans out. But I want to write about the kids and how they are adjusting and what they seem to like and dislike about living here. Today I just happen to be thinking about Cameron and appreciating his curiosity. When I was in ninth grade my family moved to Virginia for a year. We visited a lot of Civil War sites and my brothers Evan and Darren became obsessed with all things Civil War. When we visited Dover castle a couple weeks ago we took a tour of the underground tunnels that were used in World War II, and the tour included a lot of WWII history. Cameron and Eli were enraptured, game set and match they are now obsessed with all things WWII. At the library they have chosen multiple books about the war and actually read them. I think this is fabulous except that sometimes I worry that they are glamorizing war, rather than really comprehending the destruction, sacrifice and hardships of it. But I'll be thinking of ways to address that... So lately Cameron is has been really interested in geography, and empires, and why the Japanese and Germans were so interested in conquest. He loves looking at maps and playing make believe war scenarios. I can already see the ways living here is changing him. Not changing his personality, or even necessarily his character. But his interests and passions are evolving in ways I feel grateful for. He has a new awareness about the world and countries and politics. I don't want to dramatize this or make it seem more significant than it is because he is still a nine year old with a bad attitude and a total lack of gratitude. But he is thirsty for knowledge and I am so excited for all the opportunities unfolding for him. Whenever we meet people from different countries, he wants to come home and look it up on the iPad. He asks questions all the time and actually listens to our answers. Richard is much more patient with him, and will take the time to give thorough explanations about people and ideas. He seems to just soak it all up. The other day I overheard him explaining to Eli about why we got into a war with Iraq over WMDs. I don't know how well Eli and Miriam and Simon will remember our time here, so I sort of have all my eggs in Cameron's basket so to speak, as far as this experience really making a difference in any of my children's lives. But I already feel hopeful for him, and hope that these curiosities stick with him for the next two years, and life. It hadn't occurred to me that there would be outdoor swimming pools in London. It doesn't get above 80 degrees for more than a couple weeks of the year, and I just assumed they wouldn't exist. Then a friend of mine told me about an article she read about places to swim in London and lo and behold- the LIDO! What a is a lido? It's a name for an outdoor public swimming place. It can be a beach or a pool, and lidos were wildly popular in the 1930's. There is one in London that was built as early as 1906, but I guess public swimming didn't quite come into it's own until the 20's and 30's. I also discovered that many of them are referred to as "art deco" lidos because of the decorating style during that time period. I found myself daydreaming about being a flapper in a stylish swimming costume with a fancy cap on. (Side note- they still call swimsuits "costumes" here. A parent told me that Cameron would need one for PE at school.) Anyway, once I discovered they existed I had to go to one! Friday was on track to be the hottest day of the summer so I found the closest one, Brockwell Lido near Dulwich. When we had narrowed down our house choice to two, it was our house and one in East Duwich. Dulwich is charming. It is quaint and picturesque, quiet and leafy green. The shops are classy and well-kept and the park, ohhhhhh the park. We obviously didn't choose that house, but Dulwich has a special place in my heart and I plan to spend a lot of time there. We took the bus, which was hot and long. It has been unbearably humid the last week or so. At first I didn't understand why every time I sat down my clothing felt damp, and why all the paper in our house felt flimsy and wet. Cameron gets so sweaty all the time, doing his active Cameron-ish things like imaginary football and real football. By the time we arrived we were all ready for a dive into the cool waters, but apparently we weren't the only brilliant folks to think of swimming on a hot day and the queue was daunting. Fortunately we were in line behind a couple Americans. A father, Paul, and his son who has lived in London for 11 years. (I never caught his name.) Paul was so great with the kids. He took them to sit in the shade, told them jokes, and listened to their jokes (the REAL kindness) while I chatted with his son, and eventually our conversation included the woman behind us. The son has a girlfriend who is due in a few weeks with their first child and they are moving to her home in Brazil, and the woman behind me in line was from Brazil, the daughter of a Brazilian and Greek. It was such a fascinating conversation, that despite the heat I was perfectly content to just absorb everything I was hearing while my children were entertained by the soon-to-be grandpa. It took nearly an hour to get into the Lido and by the time we did the kids were so friendly with Paul they were begging him to swim with them. The son wanted to do laps so he went on his way and Paul swam with the kids for a bit before going to swim some laps of his own. Okay, so maybe I'm a spoiled American, with our amazing water parks and public pools that are children-friendly. But I didn't really see what all the fuss was about. There was one, massive 50 metre pool and it was jam packed. The only swimming Mim and Si could do was jumping into the water, me catching them and returning them to the edge. The cool water definitely felt good, and Cameron and Eli had a good time retrieving pound coins that I tossed to the bottom of the pool, but otherwise we found much to be desired. We're not in Idaho anymore as far as swimsuits go. It's not like none of us have ever seen a string bikini, but none of us had ever seen a thong bikini. Cameron cracked up laughing when he saw the full visage of a large, black behind - which necessitated a conversation on the bus ride home about seeing people, especially women, as more than just their body and also not making jokes about bodies. It was so busy and the kids were a little intimidated by the crowds so we only stayed for a couple hours. The bus ride home was brutally hot and miserable. The kids were all exhausted and I spent several minutes trying to decide if it was worth the trouble. But it was a nice way to spend a hot afternoon all in all and I think we will check out a few more lidos before the summer is over. Yesterday. Oh yesterday. One of my favorite posts on the blog Momastery is when Glennon writes about that moment when her husband comes home from work and asks "How was your day?" And she thinks - "My day was a lifetime." Yesterday was a lifetime. It began with Miriam and I getting dressed up, me trying to look older and responsible and Miriam not trying at all but looking adorable, to go to her Reception Induction. I think those are just fancy words for kindergarten orientation. The event began at 9:45 but I decided to leave early so I could ask some questions and return some paperwork before it began. Google maps told me it would take eight minutes to get to the school. We left the house at 9:10. We arrived at the school, me feeling totally irresponsible, at 10:20. It took me an hour and ten minutes to make an eight minute drive. I'll summarize it like this. I got lost. So I turned around and came back to our street to start over but I got lost again. My navigation on my mobile wouldn't work because I have poor data coverage. I was afraid to call Richard because that's illegal and I can barely drive let alone talk and drive. I began to feel helpless and alone. I started to cry. I asked for directions and the stranger could see I was so upset that he suggested he drive me there instead. I insisted I was capable. Even though people were honking at me and giving me dirty looks. Eventually I called Richard with the handsfree/bluetooth and he talked me through it. But it was that moment. THAT moment. The one I've been dreading. The moment when I asked myself "WHAT AM I DOING HERE?" There was more to it (or at least in the drama of the moment it felt that way) than what I've written but this summary will suffice. Eventually we made it to the school and everyone at the school was very kind. They could see I was upset and they were accommodating and went out of their way to be helpful. At one point a woman started talking to me and she asked how my morning had been and I told her everything, opening my soul to this stranger. She listened patiently and then I had the presence of mind to ask her about HER morning. Did she have a child entering reception? "No actually I'm the Head Master of the school." Gulp. I just word vomited to the "principle" of my children's new school. Thank heaven's the woman was not the least bit pretentious and remained my companion for the duration of our visit to the school. I'll write more about the school next week, Cameron and Eli have their induction on Monday. But everything got better after we made it to the school. Richard had stayed home with the other kids, so as soon as we came back and he left for work I put everyone down for a nap/quiet time and I took a nap myself. I needed to escape reality a little bit and recover from the trauma of the morning. I promised the kids that if they were good during quiet time we would go back to the library. I only let them pick three books last time because I had to carry them all, and three books apparently didn't last long. So this time I was more prepared and had them bring their backpacks. The library is only about a ten minute walk, which is such a blessing. Richard and I were talking last night about how everything is so close. The Lewisham shopping centre (mall) is about a ten minute walk, the street market is a five minute walk, the train station is a ten minute walk and there are bus stops two-ten minutes away. I remember having a conversation with Lori about how much location mattered to her in terms of convenience and access and having lived in Kuna for so long I couldn't relate. Now I know how hard it will be to have to drive to all those places. The library check out system rocked. my. world. You lay your books on the glass table and the computer recognizes them and the titles show up on the screen. They must all have some kind of chip because you can stack 8-10 books on there and it will read them all. Then you scan your card and it prints a receipt and you are on your way.
The Lewisham high street has a street market every day. The setup their tents and tables every single day. And they usually close down by 6:00pm. There are produce stands, clothing, luggage, kitchen supplies, flowers, bakeries, and other goods. The fruit and veggie stands fill metal bowls and sell the contents of the bowl for £1. That is so cheap! They vendors shout to the crowd "One bowl one pound!" Or "One scoop one pound!" I know that a pound and a dollar are not equal on the exchange, but Richard gets paid in pounds so for the sake of simplicity just consider that what is worth a dollar there, is worth a pound here. (As evidenced by stores like Poundland and All a Pound = Dollar store.) At the end of the day they sell two bowls/scoops for £1.50. The price and convenience are hard to beat. We are a five minute walk from any fruit or vegetable I want for breakfast/lunch/dinner. When we got home the kids read their books while I made dinner, and then Richard left for a meeting and I put on a movie for the kids. While I was washing the dishes I just felt overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. Our life here is complicated in a lot of ways, but simplified in a lot of ways too. And now that we are finding a bit of a routine I just feel really happy where we are. Which was a far cry from the way I felt that morning.
Like I said, a lifetime. When we visited Dover Castle we let each of the kids pick something from the castle shop. Miriam chose a crown, but she had to have this British Flag too. The Union Jack is now her constant companion. All the kids loved the way the sunshine made blue and red patterns on the pavement. Just a little trivia- when we moved here there were English flags flying everywhere for the World Cup, but they were just white with a red cross. We were so confused until we did a little research and discovered that the flag of Great Britain is a hybrid of the English and Scottish flags, with the "Cross of Saint Patrick" superimposed to represent Northern Ireland.
On Sunday at church I met a guy named Tim Farmer, who had brought his three kids to church but it was a long walk and so his pregnant wife, Mindy stayed home. Desperate for a playdate I gave him my phone number and Mindy called me Monday morning. They are Americans here for six weeks, having just spent four weeks in Banbury, and four weeks in France. We made arrangements to meet up on Wednesday morning and take the bus to a new park. They came down to Lewisham on a bus, then we got on a different bus together and rode to Hilly Fields park. We were there for over four hours, which is a testament to mine and my children's need for social activity I suppose. Mindy was a delight to talk to. I think we covered everything from religion to politics, parenthood, living abroad, our families, our passions and nothing in any superficial way. The time went by so quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I only wish she and her family were staying longer! The yellow and blue poles on the other side of the fence are actually adult exercise equipment. Many parks have them and it's kind of fun watching how people use them. The parks are all so big that there are usually people jogging along the pathways and then they finish up with some pull-ups and such.
It was a really warm day for London. (Almost 80 degrees Farenheit.) Luckily Mindy and I found plenty of shade and we took a break for ice cream cones with sprinkles and a cold soda for the way home. The British seem to love flavored water, and they love sparkling water, and they love flavored sparkling water, and so do I! There are these Italian San Pellegrino citrus (aranciata and limonata) flavored sodas that are soooo good. After school got out the park was flooded with kids and Cameron found a group of boys playing football. He asked me if he could play with them and I told that was fine with me but he would have to ask the kids. I was so proud of him for having the courage to do it. He said they were all nice to him and asked him where he was from and what his name was. He played with them for a long time and I think it made his day. He even scored a goal!
If I had walked in my backyard in Kuna and taken 30 pictures and written a blog post about it I would have felt ridiculously self-important. I still feel a little silly - but I know there are people who are interested. And two years from now, five, ten years from now these pictures and this post will be valuable to ME. So without further ado, our garden! We quickly learned during house hunting that you don't refer to the space behind your residence as a "yard." When the British hear "yard" they think more along the lines of a courtyard; something brick and concrete. "Green spaces" as HHI likes to refer to them, are most often referred to here as a garden. (Not like a produce or flower garden, although most of my neighbors have both.) We REALLY wanted a garden of some sort and we turned down a really amazing house in the heart of Greenwich because it had no garden. (And it was on a busy road and a bit out of our price range, but Richard would have had about a 10 minute, really inexpensive commute!) There are two compost bins in the garden that are utterly disgusting. Suggestions? They are infested with mold and insects and I have no idea what to do with them! I thought the shed would be perfect for storing the suitcases but then I got all creeped out about spiders so I'm not sure what I'll do with it. It has a lawn mower and a set of golf clubs and a few other things in there. It's not a lawn mower like you are thinking, it's a small lawn trimmer that looks straight out of the 50's, but it's practically brand new. And the golf clubs are bonus, they are actually quite nice and Richard didn't ship his. From the upstairs windows I can see down into my neighbors gardens (go ahead and call me Mrs. Kravitz) and I've noticed that my neighbors on one side eat on their patio whenever weather will permit. It always looks so pleasant. So maybe we'll invest in some patio furniture. *Sigh.* More funiture. I know there are disadvantages to living in such close proximity to other people, you can hear their conversations if you listen closely. But I kind of love the community feel. I met one of my neighbors the other day and she invited me in immediately and went to make tea straightaway, but I told her I couldn't stay because I'd left my kids at home. Coming from a house made of the cheapest materials possible, plywood and vinyl siding, I can't get enough of the brick. It's so NOT uniform, NOT new, NOT plastic. The trees are huge and the six or seven gardens I can see from upstairs are all so different and full of character. Looking out the windows has become a favorite pastime of mine. The back of the house on the left side. The top window is Miriam and Simon's room and the bottom window is the downstairs WC, which makes using the toilet a little awkward if you don't bother to close the blinds. The white gate goes to a small alley-space between our house and the next one, where we store the rubbish and recycle bins. Coming from our spacious backyard in Kuna to this small green space would have been a tough pill to swallow, so I'm grateful that we had three weeks with only a patio for the kids to play on. No one has complained so far, and the nice thing about mild summers here is that when it's not raining the kids are so happy to be out there.
Yesterday I took the kids to the Lewisham Library. I took pictures at the library and of the Lewisham market, but I didn't realize that I didn't have my memory card in. Boohoo! So we'll have to do that again next week. For Family Home Evening last night we had a picnic at Greenwich park. Cameron has been asking to go play football at a park every day since we moved here. Our first football got kicked over the wall on our 20th floor apartment. But that story another time... So we finally replaced it with a new football and the kids were excited to use it. This is the Blackheath common. It's this huge expanse of land in the middle of the city. Some of it is lawn, but some of it is field like this. I'm grateful for it, don't get me wrong, but I'm surprised they haven't done anything with it. The English are all about preservation, so it's great that it hasn't been developed, but it's not exactly the lovely green park you'll find elsewhere. But maybe they like it that way. It's only about ten minutes from our house and it's a nice change of view. Simon perfected the "flop." Richard was giving Mim a hard time about dancing during the football game, but she said she wasn't dancing. She was being a helicopter. I was just experimenting with my camera and taking some action shots- which Eli found pretty impressive. And by that I mean he was impressed with his action, not my shots. It was a beautiful evening in the park and I'm looking forward to exploring more parts of it.
On Saturday afternoon I needed to get out. Alone. I left Richard with the kids and we planned a meeting spot for dinner. I wanted to do two things. I wanted to go to the market at Duke of York Square, which is right next to the Saatchi Art Gallery, which was the second thing I wanted to do. Unfortunately the gallery was closed for a private event so I'll have to go back another time. But the market was a sensory circus! There were booths everywhere stocked with culinary masterpieces from all over the world. The displays of quiches and tarts were works of art themselves, looking both beautiful and delicious. The smells at every turn had me walking so slowly I was becoming an inconvenience to the crowds. There were cakes and pastries and baklava. Sushi, empanadas, and ceviche. Soups, kebabs, and breads. Jams, sauces and drinks. I wish I had taken more pictures but I was totally absorbed in it all. I wanted to sample everything but since I was alone I just chose one thing, and settled on this lemon tart from a French girl who was kind and let me sample a couple other of her pastries. Since the gallery was closed I just wandered up and down the streets of Chelsea. Chelsea is the posh part of town. It's luxurious and clean. It is full of shops that are way out of my league. It was a nice evening so there were tanned and well-dressed couples dining on the patios. The other night Richard and I looked at properties for rent in Chelsea and it blew our minds. They are so expensive and so lavish and opulent. Of course there are more practical properties but even the rent for those is three times what we pay. It's such a beautiful part of the city though, I can see why it's so desirable. But it also has a reputation as being glitzy and exclusive. When we were house hunting with Jo we saw a house that was lived in by two young bachelors. I commented about how well decorated and clean it was for being a dude's residence. There were pictures on the wall of the home's occupants, athletic, blonde, attractive and surrounded by gorgeous women. After my compliments about the quality of the decor, Jo looked at the pictures and said "Of course! These guys were 'Made in Chelsea!'" After I'd gotten my fill of Chelsea for a day I took the train to Greenwich to meet the fam for dinner. As a side note- any town/area/name that has a "wich" is pronounced "itch". The "W" is silent. There is Woolwich (Woolitch), Dulwich (Dulitch) and Greenwich (Gren-itch.)
Goddard's at Greenwich is going to be a family favorite. It is family friendly, inexpensive, and just plain comfort food. They serve the traditional pie and mash, which is a pot pie with your choice of meat(s) and mashed potatoes; with either creamed peas (blech) or beans (think pork and beans). But the best is dessert- blackcurrant crumble with ice cream or custard. Mmmmmm. Yummmo. Greenwich is nice because it's just a couple train stations away from us and it always has a lot going on, fun ambiance, and cute shops. On Saturday morning there was a stake activity for the relief society sisters and the primary children at the London England Temple. For the last few years in our ward in Kuna the RS quit having "children's classes" at RS activities. (Meaning there was no longer a place to leave your children if you wanted to attend or participate in the activity.) I'd heard the reason given as an expectation for the husband's to take responsibility for the kids. During the years that Richard traveled quite a bit this was a problem for me. There was usually an option to call a member of the RS presidency and she would coordinate a babysitter for you, but this required advanced planning (which I'm no good at) and a phone call to arrange childcare (the bane of my existence, yeah?). I was thinking about this temple activity and wondering why the stake was offering childcare for the women to go to the temple, because shouldn't the husbands just take responsibility? Then I realized how many single mums there are in my ward, and probably the stake, and I felt really grateful for this inclusive and supportive gesture. Unfortunately my recommend is packed away in a bag that is still crossing the ocean, but I wanted to see the temple and wanted my kids to have the chance to also, so I decided to go and just tag along with the primary. We left Simon behind with Richard and Cameron, Eli and I rode with a new friend (Yay a friend!) of mine. It was so nice for me to chat with an adult woman again. She is from the U.S. and married to a Brazilian who has two British daughters from a previous marriage. She and her husband were actually sealed that morning. We arrived early so the kids and I just walked around for a bit while we waited for the primary activity to start. We made our way back to the Visitors Centre where we were supposed to meet for the activity. We sat there for nearly an hour, waiting for everyone to come, including the leaders who had an organized plan. Once everyone arrived we played a get-to-know you game out on the lawn. Then we took a tour of the temple grounds, the kids got to step inside the foyer and see the beautiful paintings there, and then we made our way back to the Visitors Center where we watched a couple videos. We finished it off with a picnic on the grass and Cameron jumped right into a football game. Sports are the best way to make immediate friends. By then it was a bustling, place, families having picnics all over. It was sunny and warm for the first time all week and we were all soaking it up. Miriam is still referring to "brown" people but I'm hoping that before our time here is all said and done this little Idaho girl won't be quite so aware of those things. (Idealize much?) Cameron has asked a lot of questions about different nationalities and I think he finally gets the concept of Indians actually being people from India. A couple conversations from the excursion that amused me.
1- There was a boy wearing a NY Yankees baseball cap. Me: "Are you a Yankees fan?" Boy: "What's that?" Me: "You have a Yankees baseball hat on. Do you like the Yankees?" Boy: "I don't know what that is." Me: "Where did you get your hat?" Boy:" J.D." Me: "Hmm. Okay." 2- I brought Miriam back to the Visitors Centre to use the toilet and some of the adults who had finished their sessions were sitting around. As I walked in several said "You're right Jo." I looked around confused and a few people repeated it exactly the same. So of course I said "What am I right about?" And they all laughed and said "No. Are you a'right?" After spending Monday at IKEA, Tuesday and Wednesday assembling furniture, and Thursday sitting around the house (in our pajamas) because of pouring rain, Friday morning we all woke up with serious cabin fever. The rain and cool temperatures and general gloominess were getting to me. I was longing for a hot summer day in Boise, spent at Eagle Island or Ivywild, or boating and cooking s'mores. I had a hard time getting out of bed, and facing another day with the kids. There was just a cloud of melancholy hanging over me, and therefore the whole family. I don't know how to DO summer vacation here. I know there are endless possibilities and places to visit but I didn't have the energy to look them up. Our belongings haven't arrived yet, which include the kids toys and a few books about London activities for children. The rain also made an outing less appealing. But someone from church had suggested Horniman museum, which is in our borough and only a bus ride away. I couldn't spend one more day cooped up in our pajamas so I decided to go check it out. The Horniman Free Museum was founded by the owner of the worlds largest tea trading business in 1901. It is best known for its large stuffed animal collection and its musical instrument collection. (By stuffed animals I'm not referring to beanie babies.) The kids loved the animals until we got to the dogs, and then that hit a little too close to home for Eli so I told him they weren't real. Eli, if you read this some day, I'm really sorry. Let's chat. I took these pictures with my phone because I was all self-conscious about pulling about my camera to take pictures of photography. There weren't any signs that said "No Photography" or else I promise I wouldn't have taken them. I'm law-abiding like that. Anyway, it was an exhibit of photographs of Siberian reindeer hunters over the last decade or so. These two were a couple of my favorites. The one on top is a man dumping BOILING water out of his mug, in -53 degrees Celsius. (Which is -63.4 Farenheit!!) Anyway, the water not only froze instantly, but made this awesome spectacle. The picture below is just an adorable little Siberian girl making friends with a reindeer. The exhibit kind of blew my mind. They live in tents made out of reindeer skin, and pack up and move all the time and it's just SOOOOOOO cold. No hot showers, no mattresses, no internet!? Wha?! The collection of musical instruments was really impressive. Some of them dated back to 800AD and they were from all over the world. They were all labeled with a number and a corresponding caption below that explained what they were, where they were from or anything else significant about them. I wanted to read them all! But the kids of course didn't have quite the attention span. I could have spent a couple hours just in that one hall. I didn't take many pictures because I wasn't sure if I was allowed to and there was also bad lighting and a bad glare off the glass. But this is just a small part of the woodwinds. There were are also brass, more trumpets that you could ever imagine, drums, organs, pianos, harps, strings, everything! It was a really foggy, misty day so you can't see very clearly. But the really pointy building you can barely make out is called The Shard. There are all kinds of quirky names for buildings here. There is also the Gherkin, the Cheese Grater and the Razor. I did a little reading about why the silly names, and it seems to be the public's response to the extreme designs that architects are using to try to out-do each other. More on that later- I'm sure. All of those buildings are fairly recent additions to the London skyline and so it's probably just a fad. There are signs all over on public transportation about being kind, offering up your seat to disabled people or pregnant women, etc. I really liked this one- if you can't see it the first guys says "I will not eat smelly food". Because it's awful when you're on the tube and it's hot and humid and you're packed like sardines and feeling ill and someone pulls out their leftover fish from lunch. *Heave.* On that note...
We stopped at a bakery on the way home for muffins and we were all feeling better. An important lesson I'm learning in life is that feelings rarely come before action. I rarely FEEL like running before I get my shoes on, but I'm always glad I did. That's sort of how my week went. I didn't FEEL like doing anything but the enjoyment came once I showed up. I had no idea so many people were reading this! I just want to say thank you for the comments, FB messages and emails of support. I write mostly for journal purposes, so we can look back and laugh at ourselves. But I'm glad that people who are reading haven't gotten bored with it. Yet. Or at least not the people who have spoken up.
Anyway- thanks again. KPMG gives us two options for a car. We can take an annual car allowance and purchase a car, or we can forfeit the allowance and use a car from the company's fleet. For convenience mostly, we decided to just lease a car from the company fleet. Unfortunately, (but not surprisingly) they didn't have a car in their fleet big enough to fit our family so they are going to acquire one. (Buying a car just for us! Yay!) In the meantime they have given us this VW Touran to drive until September. (It is a rental.)
It is so small compared to our van from the states. It's size hasn't been a problem yet, in fact it makes driving in the city so much easier, and this car is on the big side of things. I can't imagine trying to drive anything bigger than this. It seats seven, two in front, three in the middle and two in back. It's quite cozy. There is no way for me to "walk" to the back and hand out snacks like I could in our Sienna. Sorry kids! There are no aisles or very little legroom to speak of. But the biggest difference is the "boot" or the trunk of the car. It fit one suitcase, as opposed to the Sienna that could fit six or seven. A lot of things that are new to us with this car aren't unique to the UK, they are just new to us. For example, it's a hybrid, so whenever the car is at a standstill with your foot on the break for more than a few seconds it turns off. This is such a strange feeling! At first I kept thinking the car was dying over and over. It was unnerving and it takes some getting used to. To get the engine running again you just put your foot on the gas and it fires right up. It has no "oomph" at all. Which suits me. I've never had a need for speed and I do believe in being ecologically responsible so I'm willing to sacrifice that for fuel efficiency. And did I mention IT IS SO FUEL EFFICIENT! Here they call gasoline "petrol." And it isn't cheap. But our little road trip to Ramsgate and back only used about half a tank of petrol. Not too shabby. I was under the impression that all distances here would be measured in kilometers, and sometimes they are. But most of the time they are measured in miles. And all the speed limit signs are in mph. Time is usually done in what we call military time on digital clocks. 2:00pm=14:00. That is taking a little getting used to. And temperature is in Celsius, which I am still trying to make myself familiar with. 19 degrees Celsius is just barely starting to mean something to me. (That seems to be the average temperature of our house.) Anyway, the car is working quite well for us. Richard has already become an all-star parallel parker. And you can park on either side of the street, facing either direction. The problem is, the roads are so narrow that if you are driving in a neighborhood and someone is coming from the other direction, one of you has to pull over into a parking spot in order for the other one to get by. This usually goes smoothly and naturally, but sometimes it doesn't. Driving on the other side of the road takes some getting used to, I've had to remind Richard a time or two that he needs to be on the left, and as I mentioned I've had my own moment of mental lapse. We don't plan to use the car much. It's easier for me and the kids to get around by bus or train and Richard will never drive to work, all for the same reason which is parking. I will probably have to drive the kids to school because we chose a school that didn't happen to be very close. And by very close I mean that it is 1.3 miles away and my walking limit is one mile. (With the kids anyway.) And we will probably drive to church. Otherwise it will be used mostly for little day trips or weekend holidays. So that's that. Our {little} car. In the morning we drove to the White Cliffs. (After a tasty continental breakfast wherein I consumed multiple croissants and Simon consumed pork and beans. For breakfast? Seriously?) What you are actually seeing here is the English Channel, and you can barely make out the coast of France across the way. By late afternoon the haze had lifted and it was much clearer. I managed to get a picture in between ferries. It's very busy with boats and ferries going back and forth across to France.
There have been many things that have fallen short of the way I imagined them. Reality is sometimes disappointing. But the White Cliffs of Dover gave me the special experience of being better than I imagined them. They were majestic and I felt euphoric standing on the edge with the sea breeze blowing my hair and feeling on top of the world. They have their own beauty, sheer white cliffs so high it takes your breath away. And history too- I imagined what a welcome sight they were to many an Englishman sailing home from the mainland. I could have stood there, or sat down for a really long time if it weren't for hungry and tired kids, who probably needed to use a toilet. (Or poor Cameron's desperate pleas for me to come away from the edge.) The Dover Harbour. We didn't actually read any history about it but it seems to be old and brilliant. What a perfect way to protect the castle above. Richard did read that when the Romans first came to conquer England they docked their ships and wreaked havoc on the local people. But they were a land army and didn't understand the ocean. At night when the tide came in it crashed all their boats into the rock cliffs and badly damaged them. All they could do was repair their boats and go home. They didn't come back to the English coast for hundreds of years after that.
It took most of the morning to hike out to the viewpoint and back. There was a lighthouse Eli really wanted to walk to, but we were pushing our luck with the kids and so we didn't go for it. We grabbed lunch in the town of Dover and then went to the castle.
Once we found out we were getting a car I planned a little roadtrip. I was dying to see the ocean and we had to get out of that apartment. Someone at church had suggested Ramsgate, and then I saw on the map that it was close to Dover Castle and the White Cliffs of Dover. We packed light because of our little car and off we went! The traffic in London is terrible. The other day when it took two hours to get to IKEA, Richard said "Oh Eagle road. I'm so sorry for thinking you were so awful. You have never caused me as much grief and frustration as I am currently experiencing. Except maybe turning left onto you from McMillan." But in terms of distance it doesn't take long at all to get to the countryside. And it's so beautiful. So many trees! And sheep. All told, it only took about an hour and a half to get to the coast. The first night we drove straight to Ramsgate and ate dinner at a place called "Oh My Cod!" Talk about a hole in the wall. It was run by a family from Cyprus. (I love asking restaurant owners where they're from. It's a new hobby.) It was an older couple, their daughter and her husband and her little girl. She was also due any day with #2 and she served us in sweat pants. We had fish and chips and we had the restaurant to ourselves. They were so kind and chatted with us about our kids, where we were from, and of course the World Cup. Thank goodness for the World Cup! It's been an automatic ice breaker in so many conversations I've had including the Nigerian IKEA delivery guy, the Brazilian server, and the Turkish restaurant owners, just to name a few. Most everything else in the city was closed for the day so we just walked along the harbour and let the kids gaze upon the sea while we tried to force appreciation on them. Richard says he didn't see the ocean until he went on his mission at age 19. We checked in at our hotel where the concierge was American and gave us some great suggestions about where to go and how to get there. We had to get creative with sleeping arrangements because the room was so small but it was reallly inexpensive. It took a little while and some smacking but eventually the kids calmed down and fell asleep. Richard and I were forced to read books of all things because we couldn't watch t.v. But eventually it was relaxing and quiet, just as a holiday should be.
It's almost midnight here, what a day! Our internet access has been inconsistent because we haven't arranged for internet service yet, but you can pay a few pounds for temporary internet access through local hot spots. I'm not exactly sure how it works but I begged Richard to get me connected to the world again!
I have spent the last two days assembling furniture. My knees are sore and my back aches and my forearms are weary. But little by little our house is starting to feel comfortable. It won't really feel complete until all our belongings from the states get here. (Probably in a couple weeks still.) As a side note, when people ask where I am from I always say "The states." And they look at me confused. So I say "America" and they nod and say "Ohh. Okay." But I was once told that South Americans and Canadians resent it when Americans from the USA monopolize the term "American". But maybe that's all hogwash. (Side note to the side note- I'm sorry if my punctuation is bad tonight, or always.) Tonight I did two brave things. I drove for the first time! And I went to grocery shopping and bought more than ten items for the first time. It happened like this. The supermarket I went to is less than a mile from our house, and I would normally walk but it turns out when you move into a house with nothing there is a lot to buy. Let's face it, the Ramen-ish noodles from the Indian market could only go so far... I didn't want to send Richard because I wanted to get what I wanted to get, and he couldn't be trusted. (Sorry babe, love ya.) And because today was his first day of work, which meant my first day alone with the kids cooped up in this house with no toys and no t.v. all. day. long. All of that to say that I was forced to drive. Aside from trying to get into the car on the left side (something I laughed at Richard for doing) and not knowing how to turn it on, the drive to the store went quite smoothly. I need to write an entire post about the car but I'll save that for later. We had discovered at a previous supermarket that you need to deposit a £1 coin to use a "trolley" (cart) but I wasn't exactly sure how it worked and I didn't have the right coin anyway so I went inside to inquire at customer service. (I've determined that to be successful here I need to be assertive and ask questions.) The kind gentleman explained how to use it and offered to come out and assist me but I said I thought I could figure it out. But apparently I couldn't. I put my coin in and removed the lock and pulled and pulled on the trolley. I was about to go back in to find the kind gentleman, when a woman came to retrieve a trolley next to me. I asked for her help and she gave my trolley a good hard tug and of course it came right out and I felt very embarrassed. The first half of my trip through the supermarket was so lovely. I was having such a nice time (as moms often do) perusing the aisles in peace and quiet, AND I was seeing and selecting new things at every turn. It was quite pleasant. Until my trolley got full. The carts here are much smaller than the carts in the U.S. (Nearly everything is smaller here.) All of the sudden I became extremely self-conscious about how much STUFF was in my cart and I felt very American. My hypersensitivity increased as I went down the meat/poultry aisle and nothing resembled anything I've ever bought before in my life. You call THIS bacon? Wha? By the time I made my way to the checkout line I was feeling very insecure. Without even waiting for the person in front of me in line to finish her business I started explaining myself "I've just moved here and I have a large family and we have had nothing in our house and there are all these things I've discovered we needed and I have four kids and they love fruit and and and..." The cashier was an older black man, missing quite a few teeth but he was so kind and gentle with me. He just chatted me through it all, gave me some tips about shopping and asked me all about my kids. (Best way to a mother's heart!) Once everything was bagged and I was on my way, I was feeling relieved and brave again. I loaded my groceries in the very small "boot" (trunk) of the car and went to return my trolley. The coin is supposed to come back out after you lock up the trolley again but I couldn't manage it so I left it behind for the next chap. The drive home did not go so well. I needed to make a left turn but forgot that I was going to be turning into the left lane and didn't give myself enough space so I missed the turn entirely. Which meant I had to go through a roundabout which had me moderately stressed out for three seconds and then I was fine until I pulled up in front of our house and called Richard and asked him to come outside and park the car. And that is my really long post about going to the supermarket. |
JoAuthor and creator of this weblog; phase two of my internet chronicles of just your average middle class, "married with children" family life. Archives
February 2018
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