Birthdays, Boats and Ice Hockey?

TODAY IS GER'S 71st BIRTHDAY ! Happy Birthday Husband. His birthday gift from me was that I let him live another day. Being here in England we had decided to forgo gifts and cards and that is exactly what I did. Abby made Ger a card yesterday that she couldn't wait to give him so he got that at dinner last night. This morning Kyle and Abby gave Ger 2 tickets for the Windsor boat tour of the Thames. So after we got Abby off to school we headed into Windsor to sail up river for 40 minutes. It was a cool, cloudy day that threatened rain but the ride was enjoyable and we, and the 3 other people on the boat, gathered all sorts of trivia about the area and the river. Did you know there are 44 locks on the river Thames between its beginning and its end? Did you know that Eton College is the second greatest land owner in England? Did you know the river is actually quite clean up here? It just appears dirty because the river bed is clay. I could continue but I don't want to bore you any more than usual. After our sail we walked over the bridge into Eaton and had a nice lunch at "The George", one of many pubs that line the street. We then stopped to pick up a few cupcakes for the birthday boy's celebration and headed home for a short nap before getting Abby from school. The timing was perfect because just as we entered the house with Abby the sky opened and it poured. In the six weeks we have been here this is the first real rain that we have seen. In order to entertain ourselves during the rain storm Abby and I got playing ice hockey in the kitchen. We had started our game this morning before school. There is a long center island in the HUGE kitchen and Abby and I had gotten to hitting a bottle cap back and forth with our fingers. That progressed to using pencils to hit the cap, which then progressed to a game with rules and scoring. Because it was morning we didn't have that much time to play so as soon as Abby returned home this afternoon the game was on. The pencils were replaced with Hockey Knives (the dinner wear knife is the perfect shape for a hockey stick) and the bottle cap was replaced with an ice cube. INSTANT ICE HOCKEY !! The game was on . . . complete with a dish towel Zamboni to clean the surface when it got too wet. WE HAD A GREAT TIME ! The kitchen floor and counter are the cleanest they have been in 6 weeks and grandpa got to celebrate his birthday with a second nap on the couch.

I am going to miss this when I return to my quiet life in Florida.

England And The World Cup

This would be a very short blog if I were writing about England's bid for the World Cup but as it turns out the whole debacle has worked in my favor. I, and every other bargain hunter in this country, have been getting fantastic buys on "football", (soccer to us Yanks) paraphernalia. (Beware my grandchildren for you will all be showered with English football jerseys and such.) I mean, when I go in a shop and a soccer jersey is selling for 1 pound how can I not buy it? If Aunt Ann Marie were here she would be going crazy buying for all her grand kids.

It seems that since the English made such a poor showing at the World Cup they are anxious to rid themselves of all reminders of the embarrassing show. Selling EVERYTHING football for almost nothing just to get rid of the abundant supply. I guess they thought they actually had a shot at winning this competition and so were prepared for the entire country to be wearing the red and white proudly. I will say there were many many people cheering their team on with football jerseys and flags and banners but apparently not as many as the merchants anticipated. And so we have the sales of the century. With each passing week the prices are dropping lower and lower and lower. But how many jerseys, shorts, under pants, socks, hats, scarves, etc. can one person use?

Today Ger and I went into Windsor once again on a shopping spree for the family before our Saturday return to the states. Kaelin, you will be able to play on mom's soccer team because you will now have a soccer jersey. (or 2) Abby is shown in the above photo wearing her jersey, which she put on immediately and has not taken off yet. We couldn't find one in Roman's size so he may be the only lucky one in the family. Even our yet to be born grandson in Florida will be sporting the English colors. Not only will the grand kids get jerseys but they will also get a small English soccer ball to play with. Abby almost had a "Viking" soccer hat but the checkout couldn't confirm the 75pense price that was on the sign. (Abby is a "Roman" this year in school and next year will move up to "Vikings" so grandpa thought she needed a white and red Viking hat.) Thankfully there was a very impatient man in line in back of us so I chose to not wait for a price check.

We are wondering if there is as much of a surplus of American Soccer souvenirs in the states. My guess is you probably couldn't find an American World Cup Soccer jersey if you tried. And if you did manage to find one it probably cost and arm and a leg.

And now on a totally random note . . . There are many Muslim and Indian women shopping in Windsor. They are all dressed in their native costumes. My thought is ""Who are they shopping for? If they are wearing their native garb why are they shopping in the women's department in all the stores?"

Question 2 of the week . . . We passed a truck the other day that advertised pet food. Under the sign was the statement, "Not tested on animals!" Who then is the pet food tested on? People? Is there a guy some where forced to eat dog and cat food in order to find out if it is safe for animals?

Question 3 . . . If the pilgrims came from England how come we Americans drive on the right side of the road when our forefathers drive on the left? I know we didn't have cars way back then but when did the switch happen and why?

Nothing New

It was a quiet Monday in Windsor. The morning was quite cool and misty. A "Soft" morning as our Irish pastor back in NY used to call rainy days. We walked Abby to school after checking on the Internet to see which animal has the longest tail. (Care to guess?) I had made a scarf for Bridget and this morning we woke to find Abby wearing it as a tail, which then prompted Abby to ask the "animal tail" question. Isn't the Internet amazing!

After Abby went to school Ger and I walked down to the Bodega to get Ger his paper and then returned home for a nice quiet breakfast. We have to start emptying the fridge as we are all leaving on Saturday. After breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen Ger vacuumed while I did a couple of loads of wash and started to pack. It is strange to think we are leaving this place. It feels so natural to be here and yet I know I want my own bed back so I guess that means we have to leave and return to the states.

The day did include some reading, (still reading "The Pillars of the Earth". I remember the characters from the last time I read the book but I don't remember all the wonderful plots that intertwine throughout the book. It is a GREAT read!) And what would a quiet day be without a nap or two? We did manage to sneak in a few ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ's. When it was time to pick up Abby the day was much warmer and sunnier. When we came home we got talking with one of the neighbors and invited her and her 15 month old little girl in to see "The Manor House". People are fascinated with this house and all want to get a look inside. I could sell tickets at a pound a piece and make a small fortune. As usual she was quite taken with the size of the place. She said her husband had gone to school here when it was part of a boys school. We haven't been able to figure out just how it was set up as part of a school but the entire manor house certainly is big enough.

After the neighbor left Abby, Grandpa and I put some of the many apples in the fridge to good use. We went on line and found a recipe for apple cake. Together we baked the cake and prepared the potatoes and the burgers for dinner. Kyle arrived home to a busy kitchen and a hot apple cake right out of the oven. Abby suggested we skip the burgers and go right for the cake but we out voted her. Dinner and dessert were delicious and now Abby is sound asleep, Kyle is working and Ger and I are getting ready to call it a night.

Tomorrow may bring an adventure. We have a couple of things we would like to do before we leave so depending on the weather we may check out some gardens or take a boat tour of the Thames. You'll have to wait till tomorrow to find out.

Things The English Got Right

So we have been here 6 weeks and I have done my share of complaining about the British. I must say that the longer we are here the less the culture shock and the more we are adapting to some of the differences. Over this time we have also come to appreciate some things and would like to suggest the US of A adopt some of them.

FIRST and foremost . . . I Love English/British/European public toilets ! (Not enough to want to spend too much time in them but they have got it RIGHT!) Consider the toilet stalls in US public bathrooms. All over the country it is the same. They give the illusion of privacy when it fact you are doing "your thing" for all the world to see thanks to the HUGE GAPS in the walls and doors of the stalls. I have been in some public toilets in the US where the gap between the wall and the door is large enough for a small child to squeeze through. We are supposed to be so technologically advanced that we can split an atom and yet we can't build a bathroom stall where the door and the wall actually meet? In England (and other European countries) you go into a ROOM. The door closes and you are in a private room with no spectator viewing ports. (Not that I want to watch some one peeing but there are people who stand outside your stall to wait and actually stare at the door/gap.) I like my privacy and these toilets are great for providing just that.

SECOND . . . even though I have been complaining about the grocery stores I have to give credit where credit is due. The check-out isles are double sided and there are ALWAYS many many checkouts open. All stores provide plastic bags but almost all customers bring their own bags. Part of the check out procedure is to ask how many bags you brought and you get some sort of credit for each one.

THIRD . . . I hate to admit to this one but I must confess I LOVE the round-a bouts ! OMG did I just say that ? It is true. After driving here for 6 weeks I finally GET IT! The traffic keeps flowing and when you don't know where you are going you just keep going around and around until you figure out which exit you want! So simple and no idiots coming to screeching halts and backing up because they have missed their turn. It's a great way to see the country but you do tend to get a bit dizzy by the 6th time around.

FOURTH . . . THE PARKS ! OH MY, the parks are wonderful and they are everywhere. Within walking distance to Abby's house are 3 parks with the most amazing play equipment. I guess the English are not "law suit happy" like the Americans because I cannot imagine some of the play equipment making it in the US. One park has a ZIP LINE, another has a simulation of a skate board on a rail, all sorts of climbing things, and best of all a swing that looks like a birds nest.

I guess they don't have to worry about insurance coverage because the play grounds are FUN!

Remember being a kid and having FUN on a playground? Well, the English playgrounds are plentiful and FUN! I wish I was a kid again. But even besides play grounds there are PARKS. Just lots of green, grassy open areas where people bring their lawn chairs and picnic. There are toilets and often a snack bar but little else, depending on where you are. Today after church we stopped at a restaurant across from the River Thames and then went a bit further down to river to a community park in Runnymede. (I love that name, Runnymede) The park was a huge open area, a wading pool, 2 snack bars, a play ground and a small amusement area with a bouncy house and a carousel. The rides cost a pound but entrance into the park and parking was free. There were hundreds of people there with their children and their dogs and everyone was having a good time. The river had ducks, swans and geese to feed and house boats to wave at.

It was a wonderful day and we had a grand time, especially when we ended the day with a delicious soft serve ice cream cone with a "chocolate" in it.

Which brings me to the last thing that the English got right . . . Clotted cream and tea cakes. Unfortunately I have been enjoying the English pastry and dairy products a bit too much. They may not be able to make a decent pizza or anything that resembles a bagel but they sure did get the pastry and the dairy products right.

Play Date, Pizza and Pancakes

Good Morning ! It is actually afternoon here in Windsor but it is only 9 AM for all of you back home. Last night got away from us. After we got Abby to bed I crashed for the night and did not move until there was a little girl trying to wake me at 7:45 this morning. Right now Abby is watching a video so grandma has a few minutes of quiet. We tried to get Abby to take a rest on her top bunk but that wasn't happening. So we will settle for some movie quiet time.
Yesterday turned into a busy day. Abby went to school and grandma and grandpa went to the town of Slough to do some more shopping at the "big" Tesco. I wanted to find something special for Abby. These past several weeks have been very hard on her with mom and dad being away so much and all the changes happening in the family. Abby has been BETTER THAN FANTASTIC ! She has accepted all the changes and frayed nerves and emotions of all the adults surrounding her with her usual easy manner. She has continued to laugh at grandpa's singing and silly jokes and put up with grandma's groggy mornings and less than tasty cooking. So she deserved a little something special to let her know how much we appreciated all her help to us. The drive to Slough is short and simple, the parking lot at Tesco is a NIGHTMARE ! But we got in, got gas and purchases and got out. After school we stopped at the bake sale at school and picked up a few little items. (I do mean little. The cupcakes were the size of golf balls.) Then we came home for some milk and a snack (guess what we had for a snack) and then rested for a while. AT 5:30 it was time to clean up and walk over to Savannah's house. Savannah and family are the fellow Americans in the neighborhood and they had invited us all to come over to see their place, have some pizza and wine and let the girls play. Mom, Heather was concerned that the pizza was cold but it was the best pizza I have ever had in my life. I think it had something to do with the 2 glasses of wine and the enjoyment of talking with other adults, rather than a 5 year old and Abby. ER . . . I mean a 5 year old and Ger . . . It was such a nice evening talking with Savannah's mom and dad. The girls managed not to kill each other and kept themselves pretty much entertained. By 8:30 everyone was wilting thanks to the wine and the very hot day (with NO air conditioning) so we said our good-byes and walked home. I didn't know if Abby was going to make it home or not, she was EXHAUSTED !

Once we got home it was straight to bed with barely a tooth brushing. Even though it was HOT and she was sweaty there was no way she was going to stay awake for a bath or shower. Abby conked out by 9:15 and grandma was right in back of her.

Today dawned with a nice breeze but it has warmed up as the day has gone on. We went out for breakfast of pancakes at MacDonalds and then a stop at the park on the way home. Since then we're just hanging out till we head to the airport at 5:30 to pick up dad. FINALLY . . . dad is coming home to stay, leaving mom and Roman in Keiv. They hope to leave there on Wednesday to head to Atlanta where we will all meet them a week from today.

It doesn't seem possible that our stay in England is just about at an end. It seemed like we would be here forever and it is gone already. I guess what they say is true, "TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN" and pizza and wine.

WELCOME ROMAN

IT IS OFFICIAL . . . ROMAN LAWLOR IS NOW PART OF THE FAMILY ! B&K called this morning to say the judge gave them final custody of Roman and they were headed to his home town to pick up his birth certificate. They called again this evening so Roman could say hello to his sister Abby. Abby has not had too much to say about all of this. I guess it is all rather obscure to her but she does know that Roman is now a permanent part of the family and she will be seeing him back in Atlanta in about a week. Bridget and Roman will return to Kiev for Roman to have a physical exam and to get him a passport so he can leave the country. They hope to fly to Atlanta next Wednesday. Kyle is planning on returning to Windsor this Saturday and then he, Abby, Ger and I will all fly to Atlanta the following Saturday. Our holiday will be cut short by about a week and a half but since our soon to be born grandson in Fort Lauderdale seems to want to arrive well before his August 12th due date I think I would be delighted to be in Florida sooner rather than later. (Baby "S" is measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule so he may arrive by C section on the 31st.)
I will miss Windsor, as we have gotten into a comfortable routine and are enjoying our circle of "friends". Today Ger and I went into Windsor to do some souvenir shopping for family and friends back home. Kaelin made out the best because she will be visiting on the first of August and she just loves EVERYTHING ! Baby "S" got a few lovely hand made items and a few other things and even Abby got a couple of things. I told Ger that the way to get me to go walking with him is to take me shopping. We walked from one end of town to the other and had a great breakfast at a little Italian place on the walking street. It was a wonderful day and I think it will be hard to go back into our Florida routine. But then I doubt it will take me that long to return to sitting at the pool, reading, napping and having a "Drink of the Day" !

A Quiz for You

My Florida daughter-in-law is running a contest to guess the birth weight, day and name of her soon to be born son. It gave me the idea to quiz all you wives out there and see how well you do.
Only one question tonight . . .(besides the one asking "what the hell was I thinking when I married this man?") . . YOU ARE STAYING IN YOUR MOMS HOUSE AND YOU ARE EMPTYING THE DISH WASHER. THERE IS A PAN THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT GOES. YOU:
A. Leave it in the dish washer
B. Take it out of the dish washer and leave it on the counter top.
C. Open cupboards until you find one that has similar items and put the pan in there.

WRONG !!!!!!!! If you are me you pick up the pan, take it into the living room where my husband is watching TV and smash him in the head with it !!!!!!!!!

I feel so much better now, thank you for listening! It has been a long evening and,YOU GUESSED IT!, husband has done little to nothing to help. When I returned to the kitchen from tucking Abby into bed it was half cleaned up. Food still was out, counter filled with odds and ends and the dish washer standing open. (Ger helped by "cleaning" up the kitchen after dinner) I am now supposed to thank him profusely for all his help. There are a few choice words I would like to use profusely and they aren't "thank you".

In spite of this minor set back to my happy mood and good day, all has been going quite well. Talked to K&B tonight and it is court day tomorrow with a possible end to all the proceedings. Fingers are crossed and prayers are being said. We may talk with them in the morning before Abby goes to school and know the final word on when everyone is leaving the Ukraine. K&B are pretty excited that the end may be in sight. Abby is excited with the hopes of seeing mom and/or dad in the next couple of days and grandma and grandpa are just excited that everyone else is excited. Abby is doing great and she and I are having a wonderful time together. I wonder if she will remember these weeks? I sure will! I am so blessed to have had this opportunity to spend this time with her. Living a distance from our grandchildren we don't get to see them on a daily or even weekly basis so this time has really been special.

Yesterday Abby had a friend from school come over. Charley is in Abby's class and is apparently known as "Charley Girl". (Don't know if there is a "Charley Boy" but our visiting Charley is a girl.) The two little girls had a great time but had grandpa convinced we would be arrested. All was going well when the girls were on the play ground but then Charley wanted to see Abby's house. We came back to the house and the 2 girls took off to explore. Charley was fascinated with the place and kept running from room to room to look in all the closets and corners. The discovery of Abby's "dress-up" bag of clothes brought squeals of excitement and the plan to "dress up" and have a play. The preschool teacher in me kicked in and we all came down to the living room with the floor to ceiling curtains that can be opened and closed with the pull of a rope. It made the perfect stage, the bay window area behind the curtain was the perfect dressing room and the show was ready to go. (I closed the blinds on the bay windows so the girls could dress in private.) They had a great time, thanks to Abby's other grandmas sewing skills. There was a multitude of "old" Halloween costumes that Grandma Mary had made for Bridget when she was a child. They were the perfect size for Abby and Charley who produced and presented "The Rabbit and the that both little girls were fully dressed when Charleys mom came to pick her up. His concern was "half naked little girls and a camera" would result in his arrest and detainment in the Tower of London. If I had thought about it earlier I would have notified the police that there was a strange man with a camera and had the next 2 weeks with Abby in peace and quiet and a clean kitchen!