Day-Trippin'

We spent a wonderful Saturday in Wales exploring several castles. First stop, White Castle (no jokes regarding hamburgers, please, Patrick exhausted that comedic line).
Then on to Raglan Castle, which was truly magnificent. It was built when castles were almost passe - mainly for pomp and show. You can still see how magnificent it must have been. There happened to be some Celtic dancing going on while we were there, which was fantastic. I wish the camera could catch the essence of the music and dancing - I was mesmerized!



And finally we hit Skenfirth Castle. Which is really just a ruin, but it is still worth exploring and set in the beautiful Welsh countryside. I want to point out, too, that we enjoyed the countryside just as much as the castle. It is just beautiful in Wales - every time we've been - whatever time of year. AND we had tea at a little tea shop and sampled our first Welsh Cakes which were fantastic.

Privacy

I am making my blog private. I have sent invitations to those of you I think read my blog regularly or even occasionally. Hopefully I did not miss anyone, but if I did, please e-mail me and I will add you to the special list!

More Things That Are Different

My recent post on things that are different here really got me to thinking. Some days I think I am so used to the differences now that I hardly notice them. I'm afraid that when Caitlin moves here she's going to say, 'You didn't tell me THAT!' when she notices something really different. And it will have been because I'm so used to things now! But I have still managed to come up with another list for the blog! Here goes ....

1. The children all wear uniforms to school here - even the public schools have their own uniforms. However, once in a while, the kids get to dress down for school and wear regular jeans/street clothes. But this is not called 'dress down' day or 'casual day' like it is called in the states. It is called 'mufti' day. I have no idea where that word comes from, but Patrick thinks it's a Turkish term .... we'll probably never know!

2. Training wheels on a bicycle are called 'stabilizers.' Although the word is actually probably spelled 'stabilisers.'

3. Gobsmacked! This is one of my new favorite words which means shocked, appalled, amazed.

4. The national anthem appears to be 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' as this is what you hear the soccer fans - sorry, football fans - singing in the pubs.

5. Doing the laundry is called doing the 'wash,' and when you hang it out to dry you are 'pegging the wash.' Thus, clothespins are called 'pegs.'

6. When someone asks you if you would like pudding, or if you are going to someone's house for dinner or a party and you ask what you can bring, and they ask you to bring a pudding, they mean for you to bring a dessert. Pudding = dessert. And pudding (the American kind) does not have to be part of the dessert at all!

7. Aidan now says, 'Mummy, does Gordon look cross?'

8. When the kids get in trouble at school (and not MY kids, mind you, but kids in general) it is said that they 'got told off.' Which I guess means they got yelled at. I haven't quite figured that one out, yet.

9. When you place an order at a restaurant - like a sandwich shop or fast food place - you will be asked if this order is for take-away. If you say it's "to go" you will get a strange look.

10. There are many things I love about this country and the English. This is one of them. When you are standing in line - anywhere - at the grocery store, the bus stop, at any shop, it is called standing in queue. And there are no cuts! Even at the bus stop. Whoever got there first is first in queue. And at the shops, if you were standing in queue and then another till opens up, if you were next in line then it is your turn. Did I just say till? Oh yes, I did. That's what it's called. And so there I go, pushing my trolley over to the next till. Then afterwards I will stop at the cafe for a spot of tea and make sure I use the loo on my way out ...

My Baby Isn't a Baby Anymore

Well, folks, I no longer have a baby. I barely have a toddler. Aidan turned three on Sunday, and he is as "big" a three-year old as they come. This probably happened because he is my youngest and mimics and follows his big brother and sister as closely as he can.
Not that he isn't his own kid - believe me, he is not lacking in the personality department. But he wants to be big so badly! I want him to stay little as long as possible.
We celebrated with a party - a joint party for Fathers' Day and Aidan's birthday. We had lots of friends around and we chowed down on appetizers, chocolate cake and homemade ice cream (thank you, Marmee, I brought my ice cream maker to England and love to use it!). Opening Fathers' Day and some birthday presents at breakfast time
Time to open presents!
Thank you, Marmee!
Party time! Aidan with his big buddy, Winston.
Time for cake!That was a yummy cupcake!
The girls at play: Gillian, Virginia, and Cora

All in all it was a wonderful day. The sun came out and warmed up the back yard. It was the perfect afternoon. To top it off, we were able to bring our new Kitty-Cat, Daisy, home with us that evening. More on that another time ...

Things that are Different

1. Sweaters are called 'jumpers.' This was a tough one for me to figure out when it came to Gillian's school uniform. But now I find myself calling her sweater a 'jumper.'

2. Napkins are called serviettes. If you use the term 'napkin' it is a huge faux pas as you would be referring to one that is sanitary.

3. At the end of a sentence, you wouldn't put a period. You would put a 'full stop.' So you would say, 'My e-mail address is blahblahblah@yahoo full stop com.'

4. Aidan says, 'Ready, steady, go!'

5. Aidan sings, 'Old MacDonald has a gahhhden (garden), E-I-E-I-O ...'

6. Patrick's input here: Men do not wear belts. It drives Patrick nuts. Men who are dressed to the nines and wearing suits, ties, nice shoes --- you will see that they look great but are not wearing a belt.

7. It is so true what you hear: The English really DO talk about the weather ALL the time.

8. When you go to a fast food restaurant, you do not clear the table. You leave your tray and food on the table and the people who work there clear it.

9. The garbage can is called the 'bin.'

10. This is my favorite recent new word. I saved it for last. There is a little story behind it. We had friends over last weekend and one of our badminton rackets got broken when big boys were using it to hit things other than birdies (like, big bouncy balls). Mind you, Joshua was a part of this crowd. Anyway, Gillian and I were walking home from school the other day when we walked by our local DIY. (This is a Do-it-Yourself shop that has anything you think you might need. Seriously, I had a special kind of light bulb burn out a few months ago and I tried all the big hardware stores and other shops and finally went to the DIY two blocks from our house and he had the light bulbs). The DIY man keeps many items on the sidewalk so you can check out the wares as you walk by. We eyed a badminton racket poking out of a large bucket and decided to see what he was asking. So we went into the shop where we learned the racket was for sale for 1 pound. Sold!

I said, 'By chance, do you have any birdies to go with the racket?'

And he looked at me with confusion on his face and said, 'Birdies?'

This is always the point where I realize I have used an American word that obviously doesn't mean the same thing in England.

'Yes, birdies, you know, you use them with the badminton rackets.'

'You mean, SHUTTLE COCKS?'

'Pardon?'

'Shuttle cocks. Shuttle cocks are what you use to play badminton.'

'Oh, yes, of course. Do you perhaps have any shuttle cocks for sale today?'

And he did. A 4-pack.

True Friends

Aidan has made a wonderful friend here named Jed. Jed had his first sleep over at our house last week, and the boys had a great time together. You really wouldn't know it from looking at Jed's face in these photos, but if you check out this link you'll be able to see just how Jed feels about Aidan.

Cat Name Snafu and Fat, Loud Birds

Well after some consideration regarding naming our new cat "Biscuit" we have had to change direction. Good thing this isn't anything terribly serious - the discussion the naming of this cat has caused in our family!

It comes down to several issues. First of all, someone anonymously (Linda, was it you?) reminded us through a comment left on my blog that there is a story-book character - a DOG storybook character - called Biscuit. And also the horse - Sea Biscuit. Neither of those things bothered me too terribly. The main issue was this: Every time we discussed our new cat, Biscuit, Aidan would pipe in and say, "IIIIII want a Biscuit!"

For those of you not familiar with English-speak here in England, a "biscuit" is a cookie. Aidan has learned this word from his days at nursery school and now calls a cookie a "biscuit." So, as a result, whenever we talk about Biscuit, the cat, Aidan thinks we're discussing cookies. And he always wants one. And the ensuing argument as to why he can't have a biscuit (cookie) is always long-lasting. And when we try to explain to Aidan that we're talking about the cat we are going to call Biscuit, he looks at us and says, "Cat don't want a biscuit."

SO. Much discussion occurred at dinner tonight regarding this situation. Good thing we don't actually have the cat, yet, or she would already be terribly confused.

Here is the clever name that Patrick came up with for our cat and I don't want to hear any arguments about this name: We are calling the cat C.B.
Short for Cat Biscuit - which really would be C-Biscuit. But because of the aforementioned reasons for not calling the cat Biscuit she is just going to be C.B. End of discussion.


On to the Fat,Loud Birds. Every morning the sun rises a little earlier than the morning before. At some point, I think near the end of June, the sun is never going to go down, it is light for 24 hours. Or so it seems.
Regardless, the light of the sun means the wakefulness of the birds. And they are loud. We don't need an alarm clock here because they are so loud. And it's not singing. These pigeons are so loud that they sound like human beings having a conversation. I have actually woken up many times since we moved here thinking that there are men outside our window having a conversation, but when I listen closely I realize it's just the fat pigeons talking to each other.

I don't know why they're so fat, either. But they seem to have a feast in our yard all day long - as long as the neighborhood cats aren't around. Whatever they're eating out there really does the trick. I will soon try to get a photo and post it. It shouldn't be a problem catching one hanging out - they're too fat to fly very fast.

Road-Racing in the UK

Today marks my first road race in England! And Joshua's, too. This was Joshua's 2nd road race, ever. He ran a 3K, ran without stopping, and came in strong at the end!

I finished strong, too! Woohoo!!Here I am with Joshua and my loyal running partner, Elizabeth, after we crossed the finish line:

So now that I've shared all the fun and exciting photos, I have to comment a little bit about differences here in England. Now, this is my first race here so I have nothing else to compare it to except road racing in the States.

First of all, in the States, I never had to park in a muddy cow-patty pasture, which is where we parked today. Which is totally fine, it's a part of England and living in this part of England. But it was stinky.

Second, bathrooms are normally clearly marked. If any of my readers have ever run a road race, you know how imperative it is to find a loo before you run. We found loos on the High St. that cost 20 pence per go, but it took Elizabeth's money and the door wouldn't open. She kicked it and got back 40 pence, so that was something!

We did finally find the portable potties provided for the race, after asking about 10 people and following the crowd. And I must say, the States could take a lesson from England in the port-a-potty department. They were the NICEST I've ever experienced! They truly flushed, they didn't stink, and there was running water with soap AND hand towels.

The race itself was amazing, I have to say, as far as the scenery. Running in the Cotswolds - there is nothing like it. The weather was dreary (this is England, after all), but it was a nice dreary - perfect running-weather dreary with a little drizzle. I felt good and ran a good race.

I really do have to comment on something else, though. I know I have mentioned before how quiet English people are. In our neighborhood, even though there are lots of kids, you never hear anyone but our kids outside yelling and screaming and playing and having fun. Our kids are the only ones playing out front, riding bikes, yelling, etc. It's weird to me. I wonder what all the other kids are doing. And if they are ever outside playing, why do they not make any noise?

Perhaps you can see where I'm headed with this commentary. Today, running the race, Elizabeth and I were the loudest people out there. With the exception of the hacking cough/clearing throat/spitting man who we just had to run way ahead of just so we didn't have to listen to that the entire race. But he was just making noise, not talking. No one was talking! There were people who were clearly running together but not speaking to each other. It was a quiet road race!!! I can state with confidence that you would never find such a thing in the whole U. S. of A. And funny thing - occasionally people would cheer along the sidelines for the runners, but this is what you would hear: clap, clap, clap, 'Well done there, mate! Carry on!' Sooooo different.

Well, it didn't stop Elizabeth and me. We are chatty, and we chatted with each other, we talked to other runners here and there. We always said "Thank you" to the marshalls who were manning the course. Isn't that what you do? It's what we did! And it was great!

I meant to mention - this was a 10K race today. My favorite racing distance. It felt so good to be back out there after taking so much time off after Aidan was born. But I have decided it's really only my favorite distance because I've never raced further than that. I have trained up to 10 miles at a time, but never raced it. So. On to the next challenge - a 1/2 marathon in October, perhaps? We shall see!