Family Staycation Day 4

Well, we took a day off. At least from big events. I'm posting midday even, because we have no plans to go anywhere this evening. The girls slept in (thank you very much!), and are down for a late nap (thanks again!)

We popped out this morning for a gift for a friend and I snapped a quick pic of our nice shopping centre at The Angel. If you ever feel like looking at a map of London, look for Angel, Islington. It's just a 15 min walk from our place!

Got a relaxed cup of coffee with some of my favourite people!

And then some chill time with the Squidge, who is getting more and more expressive all the time! (She's 10 weeks old now!)

I'm loving this week with my family! I'll keep you posted where we head next!

Family Staycation Day 1

Dads in England get two weeks paternity leave upon the birth of each child. Because of timing and visits from our parents, the hubby didn't take all his leave right when baby #2 arrived, so he is taking this week for some rest and family time. We girls are so excited!

Day 1 was just a rest day. Both daughters managed to have a great night sleep, and not wake up till 8:30, so Mummy and Daddy enjoyed a bit of a 'lie in.' A pot of coffee, sugary breakfast treats, and family play time meant a 'pyjamas till lunch' kind of day.

Fishy also started a new bedtime routine, including story time with Daddy, and she is now reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for the first time. We'll see how her attention span holds out!

A nice quiet family day was just what we needed to start off this family week. From here on out, we've got things to do!

A Visit with The Inklings

Well, as I took the month of October to focus on the 31 Days Challenge, I feel a bit out of the loop with my normal blog posts. However, October was a very busy month here in the UK, and I have lots to make up. I'm not sure how much I'll get in, as we're traveling again back home for the Thanksgiving holiday, but we'll sneak in a couple posts and see what we can do.


At the beginning of October, my friend, Danielle, came for a visit. We took a couple day trips during her stay, and one of those days found us in Oxford. Its an absolutely gorgeous city, so rich in history, it's almost mind-boggling! But I think the highlight of the day was our visit to The Eagle and Child, the pub where the Inklings used to gather.

For those who require a quick lesson, the Inklings were an informal literary discussion group whose most famous members include JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. I've read differing accounts on the details, of this being the location where The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was first read, or where perhaps Out of the Silent Planet, still in its infancy, was handed over for inspection, or even where The Lord of the Rings was introduced (apparently, to less than unanimous approval)! The details may be fuzzy, but some semblance of truth remains, and lends to its visitors a spirit of admiration and joy-- as do the writings these men left behind.

And it was lovely to share this with a dear friend. We may not have written any great prose, nor thought any truly great thoughts, as others before us have, but the time was sweet and the shared memory lovely.

In his book, The Four Loves, CS Lewis writes on friendship:

In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles [Williams] is dead, I shall never again see Ronald's [Tolkien's] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him 'to myself' now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald... In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious 'nearness by resemblance' to heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah's vision are crying 'Holy, Holy, Holy' to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have.

What a sweet description of shared friendships, and what a blessed expectation of our future adoration of the shared Christ!

"My happiest hours are spent with 3 or 4 old friends in old clothes tramping together and putting up in small pubs." CS Lewis

As Danielle and I left the pub, we passed a small group of tourists asking the staff "at which table the Inklings had sat" to which he quickly replied "Actually, at this table right here. Shall I wipe it off for you?"

As the Inklings met every week of the term for almost 30 years, (and the pub was renovated the 60s), I sincerely doubted his sales pitch. In fact, probably every tourist in there that day thought they were sitting at that very special table.

But we certainly enjoyed our table, enjoyed pondering the stories within those walls, and will treasure the memories we took with us as we went on our way into the grey Oxford streets.

Along the Thames & In our Memory

Last night, my husband took me for a walk along the river. I love this part of the city, and it shines in the golden hour!

We also spent some time outside the Tower of London.

The Tower is currently displaying an art installation, in remembrance of the First World War. Entitled "Blood Swept Land and Seas of Red", ceramic red poppies pour out of the tower and fill the moat surrounding the fortress.

Poppies have become a symbol of remembrance for those who lost their lives in service to their country, owing primarily to this poem written by a soldier in the First World War.

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place, and in the sky, 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly, 
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe! 
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high! 
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

-- Lieutenant  Colonel John McCrae

Though the poppies pouring across the grass are breathtakingly beautiful, the effect deepens when you realise each represents a English (or commonwealth) life lost in WWI. And they're still 'planting' more. By the end of the exhibit, 888,246 poppies will line those fields.

888,246 souls.

In remembrance, and in prayer for the souls in danger today.

Summer Travels -- *and a English grammar lesson*

Well, I've been gone a while, at least from writing. This summer opened with an amazing visit from my mother-and-sister in law. We had so much fun through the whirlwind two weeks! After that, I took a week of rest before falling ill* with tonsillitis. Then being the kind soul that I am, I shared my tonsillitis with my husband right before he started his summer module. Some recovery, changes in schedules, a week cooking at a Christian camp in Northhampton, and suddenly, the summer is flying by.
*Note: In England, normal colds, flus, etc. are referred to as being ill or unwell. Being sick involves vomit. Its actually a fairly handy distinction. However, sick can also be used to describe vomit itself. Correct usages would include "I was sick three times last night." or "There was a pile of sick on the sidewalk." Typical conversation would be as follows:
"I fell ill (yes fell replaces the American got, also used in context of falling pregnant) last week."
"Oh no! With what?"
"Oh, I was proper sick all Friday."
"I'm so sorry!"

But I digress.

Summer is actually just starting here in London. The schools in England are all on trimesters. Autumn term is Sept-Dec, spring term is Jan- March, and summer term is April-July, then August is summer holiday. Students get two weeks between terms, and a one week half-term break in the middle of each term. It's different to get used to, but not bad. However, it does mean that traveling Europe in August gets crazy, as EVERYONE is on holiday at the same time! But for me, it still feels like summer is coming to a close. So, before it gets too late, I realised I need to post my photos! Here are some pics from our travels outside London.

We took a day trip to see the White Cliffs of Dover, which were just lovely. The weather was still cool, but the sun was shining, the English channel bright, and the clouds lifted enough for us to see France in the distance. Loved it! (For adventurous videos, check out my previous post for Emily's hubby!)

I love this guy!!!

Then I snuck the girls over for 26 hours in Paris. We walked all over, and sped through the highlights, but this time, made it in a couple of the churches the hubs and I didn't brave queues to see! SO glad we did this time!

Notre Dame..... if you get the chance to go- check out the carvings around the building. Each statue is different, each face unique, everything telling a story. It's just brilliant!

We wandered some Paris streets again.... and again, it charmed my heart!

If you came via my Facebook page, you've already seen us girls on the Pont des Arts--- did I ever post the video we took? I'll have to check!

A Visit from Flat Stanley

Dear Andrew and the rest of the Class at Dickenson Elementary,

Thanks so much for letting Flat Stanley come and stay with me in London. As you can tell, we had such a fun time that I had trouble convincing him to go back home to America! He is on his way back, and should arrive sometime next week along with the information sheet. But I thought I'd share some of the pictures he took here on my website while he's on his way!

Flat Stanley showed up and immediately needed to go shopping for some warm winter clothes. Our winter is probably a little colder than yours in Florida-- not as bad as winter up north in Wisconsin or Minnesota, but still cold with lots of wind and rain. We wear wooly jumpers (thick sweaters), and lots of coats and scarves here. But the last few weeks have been warmer, so he's been able to take off some of those layers.

These are some of the first pictures we took when he arrived. One of my favourite things about living in London is that I get to meet so many people from all over the world. These are some of my friends- one is from England, the other from Germany (and one of the children's Dad's is from Scotland).

These friends are from Mongolia....

... and Isabela is from Brazil!

       

Then I took Flat Stanley out with me. We went to Trafalgar Square, where you can see Nelsons Column, and, way in the background, Big Ben. Its also the home of the National Portrait Gallery, where you can see lots of famous paintings by people like Vincent Van Gogh, and Edgar Degas.

 

For some reason, there's also a very large blue chicken at Trafalgar Square. Its some kind of art that I think is rather silly, but Flat Stanley insisted on getting a picture with it!

Then I took Flat Stanley to church with me. He tried to get up and preach, but I told him that is my pastor's job!

I took Flat Stanley to Covent Garden.... it used to be an old market, famous for its shops and some of the street performers (See if Ms Duncan knows about Punch & Judy- some old fashioned puppets that came from Covent Garden)!

This is Westminster Abbey- one of the most famous churches in the world! Do you know Prince William and Princess Kate (Middleton)? Their wedding was in this church! Its SOOOO big and beautiful!

And of course, Stanley wanted to get a picture with one of London's double decker busses. We rode these lots while he was here! My favourite way to get around London is to get in the front seat of one of these! You see above the cars, look down at the people on the sidewalk, and get to watch everything go by as you bus past London's busy streets! There's always SO much going on in London, sometimes its just nice to sit back and watch. Do you know the phrase "people-watching"? It's really fun! I told Flat Stanley about a game I play, where I see someone, and I make up a story about them... guessing where they come from, where they are going, why they are in London, and trying to figure out as much as I can about them just by looking! Its a fun game (though people are always full of surprises!) You should try it sometime- even just the next time you're at the mall!

Then, since my family was visiting, Flat Stanley came with us on a quick trip to Paris! We can take the train (the Eurostar) through England, through the English Channel- in something called the Chunnel (the Channel Tunnel), and through France to Paris. The trip only takes about 2 hours! That's quicker than you could drive to Miami! Can you believe it?! Flat Stanley loved Paris- though there are always LOTS of tourists!

This is the Notre Dame- a famous Catholic Cathedral. There's a Disney movie called The Hunchback of Notre Dame that is set here. I don't think its a true story- but it's cool to think about the people who have lived near this church for such a long time!

And this is the Louvre Museum. Do you know the painting called Mona Lisa (its the lady with black hair and a funny smile)? That painting lives in this museum! We didn't go in, as its quite expensive and very crowded, but we can say we saw it! (Flat Stanley is in the picture with my sister-in-law, Emily, who came to visit recently!)

And of course, we had to see the Eiffel Tower while we were in Paris! Its SO pretty when they light it up at night. In an earlier blog post, I took a video of it sparkling at night, but we couldn't take a night picture or else you wouldn't see Flat Stanley! But it was so fun to walk around and look up at it. The Eiffel Tower was originally built for the World Fair in 1889 (over 100 years ago). It was only supposed to be up for the fair and then taken down, but they realised it would help with radio signal- which had just been invented, so they left it up! (Remember, back then, electricity and telephones were still new, there was no television, and definitely no computers or internet!)

Of course, then we had to take one more picture back in London- with the famous Big Ben! Its kind of far away, making Flat Stanley look like a giant, but you can look through some of my older pictures to see more of London!

Stanley had so much fun looking around, he forgot to take pictures everywhere we went! But he travelled a ton, and said he'd love to come back to visit! Maybe some of you can come visit me someday too- I'd love that!

Well, I hope you have a great rest of the year at school- you're almost done, aren't you?! Kids here in England have longer Christmas and Spring Breaks, but they have school all the way through July and only get August off for summer break. Crazy, right?! But you get done in just a couple weeks, so Flat Stanley knew he had to get back. Thanks for letting him come visit me! We had a great time!

Bye!
Kate