Guests, Modeling and Plenty of Art

November 15, 2009

It’s Sunday evening and the smell of pop corn is in the air as my husband happily tunes into an American football game.

Really we could be home…

My parents arrived yesterday, tired and relieved to have been spit out at the arrivals area after squeezing through the airline/immigration/luggage process.
Apparently they left a frigid Montana (think icy roads, below zero temps and a dead deer on the road) to arrive in rainy, windy (but relatively warm) London.

Ava and I made our way out to Heathrow via the tube (spending our time playing two truths and a dare en route, I might add) and whisked them home in a cab.

We then took a walk through our neighborhood, had coffee at my favorite French café and hightailed it home when it got dark (which is now at 4:30).

Today they (the visitors) elected to have a low key morning, then headed off to the Winston Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms with Joe while I delivered our eldest to a birthday party.

Incidentally, the birthday guest has decided we need to take Joe to the party spot – a paint your-own-pottery place (again, we could be in the U.S. doing that too) – for his birthday. No doubt he’ll enjoy spending his big day painting Christmas ornaments.

While Claire painted and ate cake, Ava and I wandered through West Hampstead (which has a lovely café scene; we’d ended up there accidentally once…too ambitious a walk on my part). This time we’d arrived by bus, then wandered a bit until we found the right café: nice buzz but not too loud, a table with bench perched overlooking most other customers in the place and, the most important thing, a three scoop ice cream dessert for A.

So that was our weekend in a nutshell. But let me rewind.

Since Halloween the highlights have included:

A talk by Khris Nedam, who led her 6th grade class to start a school in Afghanistan. She was delightful to listen to as she shared insights on the country’s war-torn history, life in typical villages, education, the school that she was instrumental in developing, etc.

Here’s the scoop on her school:

In 1998, a group of 6th graders in Northville, MI founded Kids 4 Afghan Kids, a Michigan-based non-profit organization. Its goal is to re-establish educational facilities for boys and girls in Afghanistan and to address the desperate health conditions in which the children and their families live. In three years, these students raised enough money under the guidance of their teacher and witnessed -- via videotapes, internet and cell phones -- the construction of a six-room school, a medical clinic, an orphanage, a bakery / kitchen, a guest house and community well for the residents of Wonkhai Valley, a mountainous area three hours southwest of Kabul.

I was able to attend a speech she made at a friend’s home, and later in the week she spent some time at the American School, speaking with students and to parents about her efforts. A book sale will be held at ASL later in the school year to raise money for her efforts.

On Nov. 3 I got to attend Claire’s presentation of a book about hummingbirds. Each 2nd grader wrote and produced a book complete with cover, table of contents, pictures, captions, etc. And each was about a type of bird. Very well done!

I also got to watch as Alan, the handyman for our property, painted parts of our walls damaged by water (voracious rainstorm). I mention this because the same walls are once again in a state of disrepair from this past week’s deluge…

Somewhere in early November I was in heaven (a.k.a. Whole Foods’ fresh soup department on an empty stomach). Their potato/leek soup is out of this world.

On Nov. 5 I met up w/ the Jane Austen ladies and we discussed Persuasion, which is my current Austen favorite. In another 10 years it will be Sense and Sensibility or Emma, no doubt. Austen novels seem to morph in how they’re enjoyed and interpreted as we move through time. (The world according to yours truly.)

That same evening I had my first opportunity to visit the Courtauld, which is SO fabulous.

The Courtauld Gallery is one of the finest small museums in the world. Its collection stretches from the early Renaissance into the 20th century and is particularly renowned for the unrivalled collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.

A group from ASL was invited to a reception there, so we met at the school and were bused to the place, wandered around looking at great art w/ champagne in our hands, then were turned over to 2 curators for in-depth discussions of permanent and visiting exhibits. Great art, great space, great presentations by both gentlemen.

On the 6th I had a lovely lunch w/ a friend at Soffra, a middle eastern restaurant in St. Johns Wood. All flavors were fabulous.

And that evening I managed, after more than an hour of waiting, tube hopping and walking, to meet up w/ a friend in town on business from Charlotte. Both victims of screwy Jubilee line transportation challenges, we eventually met up at the Tate Modern, the national gallery of international modern art. Located in London, it is one of the family of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day, and of international modern art.

After wandering around there getting another art fix (some great stuff, every once in a while some really weird, twisted stuff too), we headed up to the 7th floor for a great dinner overlooking the River Thames at a great table. So nice to catch up in such a memorable, pleasant environment.

On Nov. 7 Ava and I enjoyed her school’s Halloween party (seems so wrong to be doing Halloween in November, but whatever). The kids all seemed to have a great time with Mr. Lolly in charge of entertainment (think DJ, magician, lollipop purveyor, child entertainer used by Kate Moss etc.).

Sugared up, Ava left happy, scooting home dressed in pink ballerina costume and wings.

Later in the day our American friends (same in town on business types) joined us for dinner here, then we headed off with them to see “We Will Rock You” again. I think I enjoyed it even more the 2nd time.

And Sunday I had the pleasure of going to my favorite clothing store to try on clothes for a fashion show!!!

I got (happily) sucked into being a model by the shop owner, who knows me well enough (to Joe’s delight of course).

So I spent an hour or so with her, putting together various looks – casual to dressy – with fun hats, tall boots, cool belts, etc. – to model on Tuesday.

And Tuesday was great fun; I got to the site of the show in time to help unload bag after bag of outfits/accessories, put racks together, and settle us into our dressing room -- the library of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue.

With one small mirror for five women, we donned our first outfits and sashayed around the hall as shop owner Christian talked about the clothes. After two walks up, down and around the catwalk, we stepped off for the next model and made for that Jewish library like the place was on fire to change into the next outfit. Scrambles for necklaces, hats, the right bag, etc. “Any tags sticking out? Is the hat at the right angle? More lipstick?” What fun to be with a group of frantically happy women prepping for the stage…

The only downside to this whole deal (well there are two): I wanted all the clothes I showed off (and most of what the store has that I didn’t model) and now every woman I see on a regular basis knows where I shop.

I did chuckle at many of the comments generated by my appearance there, which included: “I had no idea you were a professional model.” (Somewhere I missed a calling…clearly they were being polite but I’ll take it. Though I must admit I’m too old and not bony enough for that job.)

"I didn’t know models ate cookies." (well hello, do I look like someone who’s going to pass by dessert just because I made a one off appearance on a make shift catwalk?!?)

What fun what fun!

The following day I had a lovely coffee w/ a friend who’d been in France for a couple of weeks; we tried a new coffee shop where the hot chocolate is like liquid brownie.

I also zipped off to an Italian lunch wherein a food writer presented various vinegars and olive oils (we had great fun taste testing).

And then, in a bittersweet way, our grand finale Austen class ended with a bus trip to Bath. There we spent some time at the Jane Austen Center, had a great pub lunch, then were shown around town by a Jane Austen guide. (Jane lived in Bath for several years, and many of her novels have references to Bath). Our guide was fabulous. A lovely city, a lovely day out.

Friday I scrambled to a book group meeting to discuss The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (good book, quick read, written in letter format so it was unique). The hostess made a lovely sweet potato quiche to parallel the book title.
In the evening our neighbors came over for drinks, then joined us for dinner at a neighborhood Thai restaurant. Nice way to end the week.

Halloween Well Celebrated in London

I'm beaming in to inform all interested parties that Halloween here for the Webers was great fun. Without Target, it did involve fewer costume and candy choices (think witches and goblins of all sizes, Mars and Milky Way galore).

Had I jumped on the Americana bandwagon and joined Costco no doubt we'd have been swimming in Halloween-ness. However, since we seem to operating just fine without whatever American food items we've been without for a year we'll continue on without them.

And on that note, can you believe it's been a year since we left Charlotte? It's been a great year of new experiences, and I like to think we've taken full advantage of our opportunity to live internationally. May we continue to enjoy the adventure!

Now back to Halloween...we got a jump on pumpkin carving so unfortunately by the time the big day rolled around ours had collapsed on themselves, looking moldy around the eyes and oozing whatever it is decomposing vegetables ooze.

HOWEVER, because the signal of Halloween participation here is a pumpkin, the kids insisted we leave ours out on the front porch. Clearly we win the grotesque house award. (Especially now that one is nearly flattened from some poor unfortunate kid sticking his foot in it.)

Claire and Ava both opted to be fairies this year because neither wanted to be a witch (at Sainsbury I sorted through all the ghoul and goblin outfits to find fairy props). So with plenty of pink, wings, wands, tiaras and sparkly shoes, they were costumed and ready to canvas the neighborhood in search of candy.

Joe took the kids out this time while I answered the door with, you guessed it, Mars and Milky Way in hand. (by the way, the mars don't have nuts in them; is that sacrilege or what?)

You cold tell the difference between the American and British trick or treaters; the former marched boldly up the stops with plastic pumpkin in hand, firmly called out trick or treat and, once treat secured, dashed off to the next house. The British kids came forward a bit more gingerly, many carrying plastic grocery bags for their candy, and most had to be prompted by parents to say "trick or treat." They seemed not to know what to do after they'd scored their candy.

Our kids and Joe came back an hour or so later with big smiles and plenty of candy. Apparently a few blocks over it was a Halloween fest, lines to get to doors and the whole bit. There's a larger concentration of Americans on some of those streets and in fact one British parent said his family drives over every year to trick or treat on that street because of the level of Halloween participation.

All of our Halloween visitors were on the young side, no egging or flour bombs or anything off color in our neck of the woods. (I'd been told and have been reading in the paper about pranks being problematic. Apparently not on our cozy little street, thankfully.)

In other Halloween goings-on this week, Claire's school had their Halloween costume parade Friday, which Ava and I attended. We also stopped in at the class party afterward. Ava, along with Claire and her classmaters, scored on a bag of treats, cupcakes and the like.

Halloween festivities will continue for Ava next week, as her school's Halloween party is November 7 (now that would clearly be a stretch in the U.S., though it's always good to get as much use out of the costume as possible).

She and I have a good fall break together. On Wed. we went to the British Museum for dead week activities. The place had some great crafts, so we hung out with friends and made all kinds of altar decor items (flours, skeletons, clay skulls, etc.). Sounds grotesque but they were all colorful and not terribly off-putting.

Claire got to hit the stables two days back to back last week, on Wed. for her lesson, Thurs. for pony day. Because she had the day off for parent/teacher conferences, she got to immerse herself in feeding, watering, washing, grooming, riding, shoveling manure, making straw beds, etc.

She and her friends were there from 10 to 4:30 and were happily exhausted -- and very smelly -- by the time we got home.

Meanwhile, I attended my Jane Austen class and Joe and I received a very good report regarding Claire's 2nd grade progress up to this point.

Ava got to spend some time at the park and ride her scooter with our lovely babysitter (who Ava's decided worries ALL the time). This would be because poor Miss Ewa is doing her best to keep her charge from falling into harm. Or falling period.

Yesterday Ava and I traipsed down to a slow food market near the Thames, sampled our way through (decadent truffles and incredible Polish salami among the highlights) and brought home some items for a chicken cacciatore dish.

Today...who knows what's on the agenda...

Blog Catch Up

Ok it’s 10:44 on Tuesday, Ava’s still in her nightie, just finished a tea party with her stuffed animals and is now working on a bead project.

I am patiently (well ok maybe patient isn’t the best word to describe me) waiting for my fine friend the refrigerator guy, who is supposed to be coming sometime between 9 and 1 to fix the infamous appliance which is downstairs dripping.

After a long discussion last week about whose fault it was that my Fri. fridge appt. was cancelled, I was apparently put in the books for 11-3 today…but then yesterday when I placed my 33rd call (yes it seems like that many) I was informed the engineer would come between 9 and 1 today.

Ai yai yai.

Now regarding the machine, (which I must reiterate hates me) in addition to not cooling, has been beeping at odd intervals for the past several weeks. And this past week a voracious hum has been emanating from it. Clearly it wants to die.

At the moment all is silent because I was told to defrost again before service call…thus the dripping downstairs. Let’s hope the guy shows up.

As for food preservation of late, I’ve relied on the freezer, which has been in an increasingly sad state, some shelves still freezing, some hitting fridge temps, ice maker gone to pot.

This exercise has really been a foray into what is relatively shelf stable (isn’t cheese all bacteria anyway…). I have been tempted to put things outside at night but I did spot a fox slinking through the neighborhood last week, and Lord knows cats stop into our patio enough as it is (ask Joe how much he enjoys seeing them come and go).

Enough on the domestic scene.

Since mid-October Claire’s enjoyed a few more horse riding lessons, Ava got to go to the cinema (Cindermouse) with her class and I’ve been steeped in Jane Austen.

Our Austen group met to listen to a speaker share information about women’s roles during the Victorian age (essentially it was critical they marry money). We also watched video clips about Jane Austen and her books, choice of characters, settings, etc.

On the 22nd we tripped off to see her home in Chawton, a cottage given to her and her mother and sister by her brother, who came into wealth via distant relatives who raised him.

It was here, at this cottage, that Jane spent the last eight years of her life and did the majority of her “mature writing.” (I apparently am still in my immature writing phase.)

The house is a lovely red brick building across the street from a dainty little tea shop with cups decorating the walls and hanging from the ceiling. There we had tea/coffee, then walked down the lane to the “big” house (that of Jane’s brother) to admire the gardens.

Prior to Jane’s death, she had been involved with the family’s project of taking the existing gardens and landscaping them, moving the earth to create vistas and whatnot. The result is a lovely expanse of green with gravel walkways (not a result of the Austen’s ambitions), scenic viewing spots and gorgeous trees.

Back down to the cottage we then went for a tour of Jane’s home, where we wandered through bedrooms and living areas, saw the tiny desk at which she wrote, along with other furnishings.

We then adjourned to lunch at a nearby pub (lovely goat cheese tart) and onto Chawton House (now known as Chawton House Library). The House (of which we got a partial tour) is over 400 years old, and the recorded history of the land on which it stands stretches even further back.

About Chawton House…

During the 13th century there were frequent visits to Chawton by King Henry III and then his son, King Edward I, the manor having become an important staging post for royal journeys between London and Winchester.

In April 1551 the land was sold for £180 to John Knight, whose family had been tenant farmers in Chawton since the thirteenth century and who had prospered sufficiently to acquire a large estate.

The freehold has remained in the Knight family since the sixteenth century, though on many occasions the ownership passed laterally and sometimes by female descent, requiring several heirs to change their surnames to Knight.

In 1781, Thomas Knight II inherited and adopted a son of the Reverend George Austen, who was a cousin of Thomas Knight's. The Austens had six sons and two daughters, and the Knights adopted the third eldest son, Edward.

Edward Austen Knight eventually took over management of the estates at Godmersham and Chawton in 1797, living mostly at Godmersham and letting the Great House at Chawton to gentlemen tenants.

In 1809 he offered a house in the village to his mother and two sisters Cassandra and Jane, and it was there that Jane Austen began the most prolific period of her writing life. Her career as a novelist took off with the publication of Sense and Sensibility in 1811, and she went on to publish a further three of her novels while at Chawton (two more followed shortly after her death). She lived in Chawton almost until her death in 1817, only moving to Winchester near the end of her life to be nearer medical care.

Today Chawton House is a library with a mission “to promote study and research in early English women's writing; to protect and preserve Chawton House, an English manor house dating from the Elizabethan period; and to maintain a rural English working manor farm of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, for the benefit of everyone.”

Chawton House Library is a recent charity founded by the American entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sandy Lerner, via the charitable foundation established by her and her husband Leonard Bosack, the Leonard X. Bosack and Bette M. Kruger Foundation. The Library’s collection of books, which focuses on women's writing in English from 1600 to 1830, is available to the public for use.

(The House is leased to the charity and remains in the Knight family.)

We got to see some of the very old books in the collection, several open to specific passages and pictures having to do with Austen’s books. Wonderful stuff.
The house is very grand from the outside, much wood and many nooks and crannies, window seats and lovely views of the grounds within.

Back at the bus, we resumed our Austen fest, this time watching Persuasion on the return trip. (We watched Northanger Abbey en route.)

I could get used to these Jane Austen outings.

Also recently, I attended the Frieze Art Fair, which is a HUGE event in Regents Park (in tents, some sculptures outdoors).

I went w/ a group that organized a tour so as to get a better handle on the fair given its enormity. (More than 150 contemporary art galleries exhibit, and special projects, talks and educational events are part of the affair, as well.)

It’s a great event, I’m very glad I went, very glad I took a tour and very glad we went early as by mid afternoon it was overwhelming (crowd + exhibits = overload).
After perusing the sculptures in great, sunny weather, I made my way back to the peace and quiet of home before school let out.

On Monday, Oct. 19, I headed off to the railway station to meet up with a group of women for a hike in the woods (really a chatty walk). It was so nice to get out of London and enjoy fresh air, good conversation and quite pleasant weather – not cold and a slight drizzle for maybe 45 minutes.

In the middle of our 8 mile walk we stopped at a pub for a leisurely lunch, then continued on through Seven Oaks & Idle Hill…here is the description:

This walk explores a very rural area of Kent and passes through a pattern of small woods and fields to reach Ide Hill, the only village on the route. Ide Hill is charming as well as being, at 800 feet, the highest village in the county. Henry VIII used to go hunting hereabouts when he was courting Anne Boleyn.

No doubt Anne has less romantic notions about the area now.

On Oct. 21st I met up w/ a friend for one of the infamous London Walks (walks of various parts of town, museums, etc., led by tour guides – generally 2 hours of insight). The one we chose was “Legal and Illegal London.”

This tour took us to the Inns of Court, a “warren of cloisters, courtyards and passageways set amongst some of the best gardens in London.”

We wandered through the four inns, peeking in gardens (some public, some restricted access), then into the Royal Court building, which is gorgeous. We caught glimpses of barristers in their wigs and gowns and learned a bit about the legal system.
Frankly I’m still a bit mystified…enjoyable outing nonetheless.

And that brings me to the end of last week (gee I’m doing pretty good here given it’s only Tuesday…am I (gulp) caught up on this blog for the time being???). We ended the week with dinner and drinks with friends at a local Italian restaurant we’ve enjoyed a few times.

Over the weekend Claire and I, together with two of her friends and another mom, went down to the British Museum for a group “backpack” activity(essentially a bag filled with various activities based on age/theme).

We opted for the Ancient Greeks, so our activities led us through various parts of the museum, where the girls put on costumes the Ancient Greeks would have worn, then struck poses like those in many of the statues, played knuckle bones (games played with the ankle bones of sheep and goats), put puzzles together based on architectural exhibits, discerned stories on pots and matched up depictions of modern day Olympic events with those of old.

It was a great outing and we’ll definitely seek out backpack activities at area museums again! (I’m thinking they should do the same for adults...)

On Sunday the time changed so we had a more leisurely morning (so how was it we walked into Mass late?!?). We then hit the Marylebone market for relatively shelf stable food and had lunch at a café in the area.

Yesterday was Ava’s first day of fall break so off we went to see Up. It’s a great children’s movie that everyone should see.

With errands, lunch at McDonald’s, library stop and Claire retrieval, it was a busy day out, and today has been a lazy one in.

As I wrap up this diatribe, I’m knocking on wood that the fridge is indeed up and running (the engineer visited a couple hours ago). I haven’t yet heard any beeps or buzzes from below…who knows if that’s good or bad at this point.

Cheers and may all your appliances be cooperating!

October and Germany

My Jane Austen class kicked off in early October; I slogged through Emma (preferred her other novels) but had a great discussion and a lovely day out at Box Hill, site of an important passage in the novel.

About Box Hill: it is a well known beauty spot in the North Downs of Surrey, England, close to the southern outskirts of London, overlooking Dorking to the south-west.

The hill is named after box trees which can be found on its steep southern and western flanks, notably around the "Whites", chalk cliffs cut by the River Mole.

It truly is a gorgeous place, especially on a sunny autumn day, like Oct. 8. We took a bus there, hiked around with a guide who shared a bit of information about the area's history, had a glass of champagne at the top of the hill overlooking the valley (why not toast Jane and her novel characters), then hiked down and had lunch at a lovely little restaurant in town (The Dining Room in Reigate). Then back to London with Clueless (updated LA version of Emma story) for entertainment.

Ava, too, had a field trip – hers to the Horniman Museum to check out masks, among other things. She also got to see CinderMouse at a puppet theatre in Hamstead. Outside of school, Ava’s enchanted with her ballet class, and she’s had some playdates with classmates.

For Claire’s class I am the art parent liaison. I’ve yet to determine what that means, but it sounds good to me (provided I don’t need to produce some fabulous work of art).

School is keeping her busy, and happy – she’s made some cool projects, including a rudimentary flashlight, in her Creative Construction class. She’s also enjoying her First Holy Communion prep class on Saturdays. I actually got sucked into church school Oct. 3; my big plan was to drop her off and hole up in a nearby coffee shop to read but alas was pulled into a Mom’s religion class at the same time as Claire’s. It was interesting, led by a woman w/ a doctorate in theology. The material paralleled what Claire is learning and referenced art throughout the ages, which I quite liked.

Later the same day we caught up with our neighbors, Tim and Richard, in their top floor flat. Over coffee they shared some insights on the neighborhood, as they’ve lived on our street for several years.

Early October also kicked off the International Cultural Committee’s cuisine club, with a British tea. Great event with 50+ people attending. We watched a demonstration of scone-making and sampled same, plus little sandwiches and tea cakes, all served, naturally, alongside tea.

A witty British woman gave us a historical account of the adaptation of tea drinking, and tea as a meal, in Britain.

Did you know that…
- it was not until the mid 17th century that tea first appeared in England.
- Portuguese and Dutch traders first imported tea to Europe, w/ regular shipments by 1610 (so England was a latecomer to the tea trade!)
- London coffee houses were responsible for introducing tea to England.
- One of the first coffee house merchants to offer tea was Thomas Garway, who owned an establishment in Exchange Alley. He sold both liquid and dry tea to the public as early as 1657. Three years later he issued a broadsheet advertising tea at £6 and £10 per pound (ouch!), touting its virtues at "making the body active and lusty", and "preserving perfect health until extreme old age".
- By 1700 over 500 coffee houses sold tea, which distressed tavern owners as their sales of ale and gin were cut, and it was bad news for the government, which depended upon a steady stream of revenue from taxes on liquor sales.
- By 1750 tea had become the favored drink of Britain's lower classes.
- Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3 pm and 5 pm. The custom of drinking tea originated in England when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1661 and brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon with her from Portugal. Nowadays, due to changes in social customs and working hours, most Britons only take afternoon tea on special or formal occasions, instead having a slice of cake, biscuits or some chocolate at teatime.
- Traditionally, loose tea is brewed in a teapot and served in teacups with milk and sugar. It is accompanied by various sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress, fish paste, ham and smoked salmon), scones (with butter, clotted cream and jam) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge).
- Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford (3 September 1783 – 3 July 1857) is credited as the first person to have transformed afternoon tea in England into a late afternoon meal rather than a simple refreshment. A lifelong friend of Queen Victoria, the Duchess found a light meal of tea and cakes or sandwiches helped fill the midday gap between breakfast and dinner. Isabella Beeton describes afternoon teas of various kinds: the old-fashioned tea, the at-home tea, the family tea and the high tea .
- The term “high tea” refers to an early evening meal (aka meat tea) that has been largely replaced by today’s dinner. It was served in a dining area as opposed to “low tea,” which is served at a coffee table mid-afternoon and was preferred by higher classes.

There. You're now up to speed on tea drinking. Fancy a cup?

On October 5 I hoisted my umbrella and joined a group of women at the University Women’s Club for a talk by a fabulous British speaker, who gave us insight on the club culture, its advent and importance in Britain. We then took a tour of the Club, which is in a lovely building in the Mayfair area of London.
- The University Women's Club was founded in 1883 when Miss Gertrude E M Jackson of Girton College, Cambridge, called a meeting at her Portman Square home, attended by 60 people, to discuss the idea of a club for University Women.
At that first historic meeting, it was agreed that the entrance fee be one guinea (£1.05) and the annual subscription be the same.

A number of meetings were subsequently held and in January 1887 the University Club for Ladies, as it was then called, opened premises at 31 New Bond Street with a drawing room, dining room, library and dressing room. The club moved and expanded over time, eventually ending up at 2 Audley Square, the premises we toured, in 1921
.

At the same time it adopted the name The University Women's Club.

Today, The University Women's Club is the only women's club in the UK to be wholly owned and managed by its Members. It remains true to the aspirations of its founders by providing a welcoming environment and pleasant accommodation in Central London for Graduate, Professional and Business women.

With 1,000 members, the Club offers “first class cuisine, social events and a place to relax away from the hubbub of the busy city.”

Great place to drink that tea noted in my prior diatribe.

Incidentally, Gentlemen’s clubs were the precursor of women’s clubs like the University Women's Club. They offered rooms for men to stay, some used for extended periods of time. A number of them still exist in London and have lengthy waiting lists, many with elite members on their rosters.

After our tour we had lunch in the dining room – very good food – before again braving the rain.

In the same week I met up with friends to attend the preview reception for one of London’s art fairs. After champagne, cheese and salami, we perused the art, an interesting collection of largely modern works, none of which I felt inclined to take home.

Amidst all these outings, my calls to the fridge people continued...because the fridge again ceased cooling. Eventually an engineer again showed up at the house to tell me it needed a part that of course must be ordered, but should be in within a week. Hmmm…

While waiting from 9 to 1 (which then became 9 to 2:30) for the engineer to come, I managed to sneak out and attend Ava’s book fair with her. She conned me into purchasing 3 books, 2 for her, one for Claire. We also perused her classroom bulletin board, as she was Star of the Week. (As such we'd pulled together a number of photos, created captions and delivered them to school for posting.
Ava also got to select a special book to read with her class, and she sported a star pin all week.)

Late that same week, I caught up w/ a friend for lunch on Marylebone High Street (great café/food area), then got ready for a short flight to Germany and a 4 day visit!

Germany

This time we tubed it to Heathrow (frankly faster than a cab in rush hour traffic and cheaper too, but more physical w/ steps, suitcases, tired four-year-old and crowded trains). It worked out fine and of course it’s hurry up and wait…the nature of airplane travel. Our flight was delayed getting out so we got into Stuttgart late, grabbed our little Mercedes rental and headed north to Landau-Godramstein, where Martin and Gabbi live. (Travel made easier with the calm voice of an English-speaking woman on our navigation system.)

En route we phoned to say we’d be late, but not a problem for Martin…he was planning to be up til 1:00 a.m. pressing grapes.

He and Gabbi settled us into Frau Metzger’s apartment, a few blocks from the Schweikart residence, and we crashed after a snack of nutella and toast. The kitchen was nicely stocked with breakfast goodies, plus Gabbi brought over grape juice, wine and water.

Saturday

We woke up to rain but braved the weather for some exercise – it was nice to be back here after 15 years. This area is gorgeous and hilly with vineyards surrounding picturesque little towns, windy roads here and there throughout. The fall colors were lovely.

Joe picked up rolls at the backerie I’d stopped at a few times after jogging years ago – they taste just as good as I remember, particularly the pretzel ones. We had them for breakfast, mine with swiss cheese, nutella of course for the kids.
Then we headed over to Martin and Gabbi’s for a chat and tour of the wine-making operation. We parted company with them to seek out lunch in a neighboring village, winding up at a pizzeria that served pasta. It had a lovely view of the green valley and vineyards below.

Back at Martin’s at 2:00 we hopped into his car, a new (used) black Porsche that he recently attained and is clearly pampering. I scrunched into the back as it’s clearly a two-person ride at best. Ava and Claire stayed with Charlotte, Martin and Gabbi’s elder daughter (Karina was in the US for a two week trip.)

Off we went to Baden Baden for some gambling at the casino there. It’s well known and has been a favorite of wealthy Russians for years, according to Martin.
Joe and I tried our hands at roulette – he did better than me so we left with pretty much what we brought to the table.

The casino is a lovely, huge place that was filling up as the afternoon went along. We also took a spin around town – very quaint with nice shops, lovely trees, parks, etc.

On the way back Martin had us going 240 km/hour. A very bold rainbow and lovely sunset over the Palatine made for great scenery as we hoped he didn’t swerve in the rain.

Our evening meal was pumpkin soup followed by onion torte and new wine, traditional combination and very tasty.

Sunday

After rousing Claire and Ava we headed to Martin’s for breakfast – a friend of theirs was in from the middle Rheine wine-growing region so we breakfasted with him, Martin and Gabbi. Delicious cheese, meats, breads, eggs, nutella, coffee. Then we drove around a bit, found a flea market to wander through – flea markets seem the same everywhere – old books, lots of tea cups, dated lamps, old dolls, linens…nothing worth taking home (though Ava definitely wanted to buy SOMETHING!).

At 1:00 we headed to Gabbi’s and piled into her car along with Charlotte and her friend Esther. Off we went to Neustadt for a new wine festival parade. Naturally the most challenging aspect of this event was finding parking. After ditching the car in a somewhat precarious spot we hauled a bench to a corner and set up camp with a tall glass and some new wine to pass around. (Not to worry -- water and juice for the kids.)

The parade had some 136 entries so we were there for three hours! Bands, dancers, floats, wine princesses (and 2 queens – 1 for Palatine, 1 for Germany), decorated tractors, teams of horses, an airplane with princess atop, some entries even sporting Halloween décor. The kids scored on candy and our glass was filled with new wine as pitchers were rolled out here and there from passing floats.

The rain never materialized so it was a great outing; we got back to Gabbi’s at 6:00 and threw together a meal of bread, cheese, meat and tomato salad, cake to finish.
At 7:00 Joe, Claire and I flew out the door with Martin, hopped on the back of his grape trailer and went to meet the harvestor in the vineyard as he had seven rows scheduled for harvesting at 7:30. Ava stayed at the house.

Joe and Claire rode on top first, Claire in the cab with Hans the driver. She looked precious perched way up there. Joe and I traded mid-way through (sat next to the cab atop).

Monday

Today we slept in, Joe and I taking turns walking through he vineyards and enjoying the views. As we left it started to sprinkle so we headed off to Speyer. We hit the Cathedral first. Speyer Cathedral -- officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen (and apparently generally referred to as the Imperial Cathedral of Speyer) – is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer and is within the Archdiocese of Bamberg.

Since 1925 it has been a minor basilica.

Construction began on this largest of Romanesque churches in 1030, with it serving as the burial site for Salian, Staufer and Habsburg emperors and kings, thus making it a symbol of imperial power.

Per wikipedia, the cathedral is considered to be “a turning point in European architecture," one of the most important architectural monuments of its time and one of the finest Romanesque monuments.

Into the 1100’s the cathedral was modified and expanded, becoming one of the largest buildings of its time in 1106. (Meanwhile the village of Speyer had only 500 inhabitants…apparently the enlargement of the building had become a political issue: provocation for the papacy.)

The last ruler was buried in Speyer Cathedral in 1308; all told eight emperors and kinds and several of their wives are laid to rest there.

In the 1600’s wartime ravages destroyed some parts of the cathedral, with some reconstruction occurring in the 1700’s. During the Napoleonic Wars (1803 to 1815) the cathedral was used as a stable and storage facility for fodder and other material.

In 1806 the French considered tearing the building down and using it as a quarry, which was prevented by the bishop of Mainz, Joseph Ludwig Colmar.

The cathedral is immense, lovely sandstone and simply adorned inside, with crypt and graves of emperors and their family members downstairs. The outside seemed a bit more disjointed to me, with some features clearly looking as though they weren't part of the original plan.

From the cathedral we wandered into the city centre’s pedestrian area, were wooed by a window full of scrumptious cakes to lunch at a buzzing little restaurant. After a hearty German lunch we tracked down dessert at a little café up the street (great tiramisu with liqueur drizzled over just before serving) then headed off to Speyer’s history museum, which had a great exhibit for kids centered around witches and witchcraft. Much of it was interactive, and the kids spent most of their time in a play area with a little house, slide, treehouse and small trampolines.

We then headed back to Godramstein, with a stop at a grocery store beforehand because it’s always critical to check out the grocery store, in my mind. Plus we needed a chocolate fix. (I know, the tiramisu should have been enough.)

We went out to dinner w/ Gabbi and Martin at a restaurant they hit occasionally – one of the few open on a Monday. We started the meal with vinegar tasting. Apparently a local guy, trained as a vintner (but not good at that, according to Martin) has made his fortune as a world famous vinegar maker.

Martin ordered us four samples, which were served in very cool glasses that we rotated around the table for tasting. They definitely made a taste bud statement.
For dinner I had the local Palatinate specialty, a meat and potato concoction served with sauerkraut. And to end the meal we had schnapps, again passing 4 glasses around for sips. Strong stuff; I didn’t get much past a small taste of each.

Tuesday

After walking through town and stopping at the Backerie for chocolate pastries – our finale vacation treat – we said our good-byes at Martin’s and headed off to check out Burg Landek. It’s a 13th century castle overlooking the Palatinate valley. With great views, it’s a lovely landmark for wandering around, with walls and stairways intact. We climbed up the highest point and enjoyed the view.

From there we made our way to the airport, driving along the Weinstrasse part of the way. En route to Stuttgart we stopped for lunch at a backerie/café for pretzel sandwiches, cakes and German style doughnuts. The kids were thrilled; they got to feed a customer’s dog their excess lunch meat inside the backerei. Pets in cafes…hmmm.

After ditching our rental we headed back home, retracing our steps from bus to airplane, airplane to tube, tube to St. Johns Wood…

Wrapping up September

No I haven’t given up blogging, just took a long break. Let me see if I can start to catch up…

Since I last wrote, we’ve been busy w/ school, school friends, fun mom stuff (though Ava is convinced I spend all my non-kid time shopping) and fighting w/ the refrigerator (it hates me, I’ve decided).

On September 17 I was lucky enough to take a tour of Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles, Camilla (the Duchess of Cornwall) and Princes William and Henry.

Built between 1825 and 1827 – and designed by John Nash – it was commissioned by William IV, who was known as the Duke of Clarence, before he inherited the throne in 1830. He preferred it to nearby St. James’ Palace, which apparently he felt was too cramped. It was then passed to his sister Princess Augusta Sophia, then to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (say that three times fast). She was the mother of Queen Victoria.

In 1866 it became the home of Queen Victoria’s sons at different times. Then it was used by the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance Brigade during WWII.

And finally then to Princess Elizabeth and hubby. After George VI died the Queen Mother and Princess Anne moved in. (Anne later moved to Kensington.)

In 2003 Charles moved in after a “massive refurbishment” following the death of the Queen Mother.

Clarence House has four stories, is pale stucco and lovely. The rooms we saw – a handful and none of the private quarters of the family – were warm and felt lived in.

Our guide, who was a delightful English chap, regaled us with stories of how the Queen Mother (when in residence) fed her dogs at 4:00 every day. She served tea to heads of state throughout the world in her library, and we got to take a peak at the fancy sofa where her pooches rested regularly. (Charles had it re-upholstered when he moved in.)

After our tour we had a glass of champagne as we meandered around the gift shop.

Friday evening Joe and I caught up w/ friends from his Dell days, which was great fun. They live in London now – and have for the past several years (after a stint in Ireland and then in France).

Odds and ends

Claire started her First Holy Communion preparation course, which she seemed to enjoy.

I snuck in a quick visit to the V&A’s fashion exhibit (the V&A is immense, and free, and one of those places I hope to return to numerous times throughout our stay here).

I also caught up w/ friends over coffee at my favorite café, Maison Blanc in St. Johns Wood (best pastries and hot chocolate this side of France).

And we had dinner w/ a friend from our subdivision in North Carolina, who was in town on business. Great fun to catch up w/ her.

Margaret's visit

On Sept. 24 our friend Margaret showed up on our doorstep, having mastered the Gatwick Express and tube. She and I made our way to Harrods, then on to Buckingham Palace, where she explored for a couple of hours.

The kids and I took her to St. Johns Wood and our favorite kid-friendly spot (Carluccio’s) for dinner. (It has pasta on the menu, need I say more?)

Friday found Margaret and me on one of the famed “London Walks,” wherein a tour guide takes you around parts of the city and provides insight.

We did the Westminster Walk (Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Changing of the Guard, Royal Park, 500-year-old St. James's Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Admiralty Arch…). And we had the perfect day for it – sunny and warm – with a great tour guide who let us meander our way through, stopping here and there to enjoy the views and hear anecdotes about London’s history, royalty, shops, etc.

From there we tubed it to the Borough Market, wandered through and picked up a small bottle of champagne to eat with grilled sausages (who wouldn’t pair those together).

Margaret headed off to the Tower of London for some Henry VIII insight and a look at the Crown Jewels, and we re-convened later, after playdates and ballet, to get ready for dinner. We met Joe at the National Portrait Gallery restaurant, which is on the rooftop and affords a lovely view of London. Good food, too!

Margaret and I continued our evening out at the Clifton Pub (and can you believe we shut the place down – and it was only 11:15). What’s wrong w/ these Londoners?
On Saturday she and I headed off to Notting Hill’s Portobello market, which seemed quite flea market-ish. Quite popular too; the crowd just kept growing and we kept wondering what we were missing?!?

From there we stopped at the British Museum for a wander around, then off to watch War Horse at a theatre on Drury Lane. I enjoyed my second time watching it as much as the first; this time I was intent on watching more of the puppetry involved in the horses’ movements. Quite complex.

From the play we headed home for dinner, then went to the Warrington for after dinner drinks. Very cool old English style pub.

And on Sunday Margaret went to St. Paul’s for services while we made it to Mass. We made our way to St. Pauls as her service was letting out, then wandered across the Thames for lunch at a pub. It was such a gorgeous day we sat outside, drank beers, ate sausages and fish and chips and enjoyed a quartet singing on one side of us, views of the Thames on the other.

From there Claire, Margaret and I caught a ferry to Greenwich while Joe and Ava headed home.

Greenwich is delightful, a lovely little village with charming shops and café and cool artsy market. We tooled around for a bit, then caught a bus back to Canary Wharf. Or at least the driver tried to take us to Canary but apparently had it all wrong and was soon corrected by an Australian passenger. (Australian? How did he know his way around?!?).

Anyway, after going in a big circle, we headed in supposedly the right direction, then the poor shmuck took another wrong turn, and was loudly informed he was in the wrong. At this point two men in the back got in a heated discussion. VERY heated. I would have hated to be the woman in between them.

Eventually, with a loud round of applause, we did get to Canary Wharf, then caught the DLR to the tube to home. Bit of a long winded journey.

Hopefully Margaret had fun; we certainly packed in as much as we could in 4 days!

Other news:

Late September found us checking out Westway Stables, which was recommended to us by a friend whose daughter has experienced Hyde Park stables and other riding resources in the area. They’ve been impressed with the one-on-one attention and value for money at Westway, which is bizarrely located under a busy motorway, behind a sport complex and near a trailerpark.

It clearly isn’t what you imagine when you think London English riding stable.
However, I was impressed with the lesson we observed – Mason, the instructor, was patient and thorough and appeared to have a nice rapport with Bouncer (short white child friendly horse) and pupil alike.

The stable owner, a woman, apparently has 44 horses and an office full of ribbons from equestrian events.

We signed up and Claire has enjoyed two lessons, will embark on her third Wed.

Also as Sept. ended I was able to snag a few minutes at the Wallace Collection, a national museum which displays works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess. It was bequeathed to the British nation by Sir Richard's widow, Lady Wallace, in 1897.

I then met up w/ a friend for a lovely quiche lunch in the courtyard of the Wallace. (Doesn’t quiche just scream lady’s lunch?)

And for fun I took the kids to Selfridges’ Icecreamists, the “ultimate ice cream boutique, which offers a wide array of unique-flavoured ice cream, fresh frozen yogurt and sorbettos.” The ice cream was fabulous, décor of the room great fun – black and hot pink w/ a cool old car parked inside, big silver throne chairs here and there.

Selfridges schedules bands, catwalk, other entertainment periodically at the Icecreamists, which closes sometime in November. If we have another urge for ice cream we’ll head that way again, though it’s getting rather chilly here so hot chocolate sounds a bit more inviting.

Next post...October stuff!

Blog revisited

I’ve fallen off the blog wagon, I guess.

The last two weeks have flown, all good – Ava is into the swing of things at Abercorn. I had to laugh; ASL kindergarteners ease into things w/ very short days week 1, then short days week 2, then finally regular days (still getting out earlier than all the big kids).

No so at Abercorn. She started last Monday, went full days everyday and swam on day one. (Well, she was supposed to swim on day 1 but since she made a fuss and several other kids didn’t get in the pool for one reason or another they let her off the hook. Week 2 swim seemed to go fine, though.)

We did have world war III over tights the other day. I don’t think my children have made the mental transition from warm climate clothing to London’s cooler fall/winter/spring weather. (May as well throw in summer while we’re at it.)

Regarding school, Ava’s happy with her teacher, is one of four girls in the class and seems to enjoy her new circle of friends. Plus she gets to see her pre-reception buddies plenty, as the classes interact throughout the day.

As for extracurricular activity, ballet started Friday; she woke up looking forward to it and was very focused and beaming throughout class. Claire and I got to watch and play cards.

Speaking of Claire, she’s definitely enjoying second grade, her friends and her teacher. She’s had several play dates and been to Canon’s Park twice already. (This is a facility the school uses to teach about nature and the environment. Yesterday they went for a demonstration by the Bird Man, which kicks off their unit on birds. Later they’ll dissect owl pellets. And they need 10 parents to volunteer for that project…as gross as it sounds, I’m told it’s very cool as you look for skeletons, skulls, etc. from unlucky owl prey).

On my end, I had a number of meetings last week – school stuff and women’s groups kicking off activities for fall.

I also got to hit the Serpentine Gallery with a group of ladies for a tour of paintings and sculptures from Jeff Koons’ Popeye series. An American artist, apparently he has “explored notions of consumerism, taste, banality, childhood and sexuality. He is known for his meticulously fabricated works that draw on a variety of objects and images from American and consumer culture.”

The exhibit we saw incorporates surreal combinations of everyday objects, cartoon imagery, art-historical references and children’s toys.

The latter Koons casts in aluminum but you’d swear they are the soft, squishy plastic we buy yearly for our kids. It’s one of those exhibits you want SO badly to touch. (So badly, in fact, there is a guard at every sculpture to prevent any handling.)

The “inflatables” are juxtaposed with everyday objects – chainlink fence, chairs, etc. The result: unusual, colorful and contrasting sculptures.

Paintings in the exhibit are also inviting to touch – they look textured and are extremely colorful, pulling in aspects of the sculptures displayed in the room. In several paintings, Popeye and Olive Oil are central figures (FYI Popeye turns 80 this year.) Our tour guide noted that Popeye, developed during the Great Depression as a character that could address hardship and injustice, is fitting in today’s period of economic recession.

Other information about the artist per the Serpentine Web site:

Koons was born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1955. He lives and works in New York, and his work has been widely exhibited internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include presentations at the Château de Versailles, France; Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, all in 2008.

I did very much enjoy going to the exhibit, though the art isn’t something I identify strongly with. The gallery is in a delightful spot, in the middle of Kensington Gardens. We had a lovely day to walk through the park to and fro, and getting some insight into Koons’ work and motivations through our guide was worthwhile.

Also on the cultural calendar…Friday evening Joe and I met at the theatre for Billy Elliott, which was fabulous.

Here is the gist and if you have a change to see it, do!

Billy Elliot the Musical is an inspirational story of one boy’s dream to realise his ambitions against the odds. Set in the North East of England against the background of the historic 1984/85 miners' strike, Billy pursues his passion for dance in secret to avoid disapproval of his struggling family.

On Saturday, which dawned bright, sunny and warm, we headed down to the Thames Festival, which takes place annually along the river. Bands, a market, food and beer stands, kids’ activities, book sale and more were in full force, and plenty of people were out and about. Nice way to spend a few hours.

We also enjoyed a little patio time, which I’m sure will be spare between now and spring, so I fired up the grill (ok flipped the switch).

And Sunday was my market day – the Marylebone High Street market is my favorite so far, with a number of farmers selling fresh meats, fruit, veggies, eggs, etc. And there are a few bakers, someone with flowers, a fishmonger…always something yummy and fresh.

On Monday I went with a group to Althorp, the family home of the Spencers (Diana’s family). Her brother, the current Earl Spencer, lives there with his family. We had brunch in one of the dining rooms, then toured the grounds and house.

Diana is buried in an unmarked grave on a small island on the grounds, a lovely, tranquil setting. Thousands upon thousands of people came to visit and mourn her death the first two years after she passed, and many still come, according to our guide.

About Althorp:

The Althorp Estate covers 14,000 acres of beautiful countryside in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Norfolk. It encompasses cottages, farms, woodlands and villages, which combine to give a rich mix of landscapes, habitats and activities.

The house, built in 1508, has been home to the Spencer family for nearly 500 years. Among other things, inside are 400+ paintings, according to our guide, among them works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Gainsborough, to name a few great artists.
John Spencer acquired a 300-acre estate around Althorp in 1508; and his grandson, another Sir John, made Althorp the principal Spencer home by the time of his death in 1586.

The house first erected at Althorp consisted of an enclosed courtyard with projecting wings on the south side. It is presumed to have been unaltered until Dorothy, long-widowed wife of the First Earl of Sunderland, roofed in the courtyard and installed the grand staircase across the central axis in 1660-62.

Then, the house was of red brick but the Second Earl of Sunderland wanted a more classic façade so Weldon stone Corinthian and Composite columns were added, and a balustrade placed on the elevation.

In the upstairs west wing he transformed the great hall - the ubiquitous living space common to Elizabethan houses - into a long gallery. The next additions were carried out by the Fifth Earl of Sunderland around 1730, when he decorated the hall. A Palladian design was drawn up by Colin Campbell.

However, he died in 1729, and it was left to Roger Morris to carry out the work. In 1772, part of the roof fell in. Years of benign neglect were compounded by the First Earl Spencer's prior interest in the construction of his London mansion, Spencer House. Only after his son's accession was an overhaul considered.

The architect taken on was Henry Holland. The external treatment given to Althorp reflected both the Earl's finances and fashionable imperatives. Rather than cover the existing walls in white brick, Holland substituted 'mathematical' or rebate tiles, so-called because of their precision fit, flush-mounted to look like brick.

Holland also added simple pediments to the north and south fronts, corridors to the projecting wings, and new dressings in the Roche Abbey stone from Yorkshire, and pilasters in local Kingsthorpe stone for the front entrance. The roof was lowered, the chimneys constructed anew. On the outside, the house is much today as Holland decreed, characterised by conscious restraint and a lack of ornament.

He relocated the state rooms to the west wing of the ground floor (in a reversion to pre-Palladian practice). The Long Library was extended and the gallery painted.

The then Lady Spencer praised the scheme as 'the image of comfort - so convenient, so cheerful, so neat, so roomy, yet so compact .' How deliberately the Holland alterations responded to family directives on this score is not clear.

Holland's last act was to extend the house to the east with offices screened by shrubbery.

His plans for the house were generally untouched for a hundred years. Two libraries on the north-east corner came - and went - according to the demands of book-buying Earls.

The present gardens, including the oval pond, were laid out in the 1860s by W.M. Teulon. In 1877 the Fifth Earl had J. MacVicar Anderson add the State Dining-Room, removing the anomaly of cooking and eating in opposite wings. He also enlarged the Saloon and opened up the west and north ranges more or less into the continuous reception suite seen today.

While at Althorp we were able to visit an exhibit commemorating the life and work of Diana. Six rooms feature audiovisual displays and exhibits containing her Bridal Gown, childhood letters, school reports and details of her work for charity.

The tour was excellent, and the property is gorgeous, surrounded by green pastures filled with cows and sheep. (Apparently the Spencers made their fortune with sheep hundreds of years ago, so I guess it’s fitting that they roam the estate today.)

Otherwise on the Weber front...

- leaky house due to a DELUGE of rain
- fridge misbehaving
- back to school night for ASL

Could someone send over the maytag man (or frigidaire guy, in this case).

and some very sad news --

We learned of a friend’s death on Sunday. She was 31 years old, a lovely, bright, talented young mother whose presence will be missed by many. Why her, why now, one wonders.

Her passing should serve as a reminder to all of us to make the most of the time we have and don’t put off what is important. Spend time with people we enjoy. Wear the good clothes. Use the china. Book the trip. Go! Do! See! Live! I’m doing my best to follow the mantra and hope you do the same.

School, Fall (already?), Oxford

Our little girl started second grade last week! And seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, aside from getting up at 7 (earliest they’re risen since coming back from the U.S. was 9:30. Parents’ dream).

Besides getting ready for that big event, we’ve played some catch-up since our trip – got the suitcases unloaded, toiletries stashed and all those doll clothes hanged up (hung up? I’m too lazy to research that one).

We also caught up w/ some friends for play dates. (I’ve decided they’re best held at a park or someone else’s house; I’m a play date hater – oh my gosh it’s out now -- no one will ever come to our house again...I take solace in the fact that another ASL mom confided same dislike recently. Much prefer the kids gathering spontaneously in our NC neighborhood. But I suppose that’s not the norm these days…)

Back to the last week of August!

Ava and I got our hair cut. Can I just say I really enjoy the new hair regime I’ve started since arriving here? Cheap cuts – to the tune of 9 quid (4 for Ava’s “fringe” trim) every 3 weeks, walk in and wait.

Generally that’s a 10-20 minute experience so I catch up on some glamour mag, get a quick cut by someone from Australia, Kosovo, Poland, Asia. So far I like all of them. Last week’s guy was from Kosovo, said he goes back yearly in August, along w/ all the other Kosovo-ans who’ve relocated. Apparently entire villages have transplanted themselves to various cities around the world so it’s a big meet and greet/photo swap when they all swarm in to visit.

Ava, by the way, loves getting her hair cut. She gets to admire her beauty in the mirror as she’s perched on a big cushion.

Last Friday we caught up w/ Ewa, our Polish babysitter who looked in on our house while we were out of the country. She held down the fort while Joe and I escaped for dinner and a movie.

Our plans for a pub meal were cut off by a sudden heavy rainstorm, which struck as we were a few yards from an appealing little Italian restaurant…so we ducked in there for a drink. They brought us towels for drying off, olives to whet our appetite so we opted to stay for dinner. Very nice meal a stone’s throw from the house so will have to stop in there again. Our movie pick: Funny People. (Sophomoric humor, but entertaining.)

On Saturday, a day that dawned sunny and gorgeous, we whisked Joe off to the zoo (well ok we stumbled out of the house at noon after peeling our children off the beds at 11). The animals were in fine form, we enjoyed ice cream, the animal show, merry-go-round, you name it. And we finished our day grilling pork chops from our local butcher. Not bad.

Sunday we got out the door a bit earlier and made our way to the train station for a trip to Oxford. Great day out and an easy train ride from London. Our first stop was at the doubledecker tourist bus office, train station. We hopped on a bus and had a great audio tour/overview of the city before getting off at the city centre, grabbing a quick bite to eat (Joe and I had warm chicken and steak pies, respectively), and heading to Christ Church to check it out. (Featured in Harry Potter, BTW.)

Oxford is a lovely city, winding streets in many areas, cobblestones, gorgeous architecture and old city walls and medieval buildings here and there. Beautiful green spaces, river running through the center – on a sunny day it must be heavenly. (It was gray and chilly when we visited; no one said England was known for lovely weather.)

Re: Harry P. Apparently many of the movies’ scenes were shot around Christ Church and in fact, the Great Hall was replicated in film studios to create Hogwart’s Hall.
We did visit the Great Hall with its lovely vaulted ceiling and its windows that feature Alice and other characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It’s a lovely, stately room with long wooden tables and chairs for student dining.

We then wandered through the cloisters in Christ Church, which were first built 1000 years ago. (Apparently monks left the Cloisters 500 years ago.)

About Christ Church Cathedral, which serves as the College Chapel for the College and the cathedral church for the Diocese of Oxford:

- It stands on the site of an ancient Saxon Church, founded in the 8th century by Saint Frideswide, the Patron Saint of Oxford. Nothing remains of the church now but a Saxon cemetery lies under the cathedral cloister, discovered in 1985.

- The present building was constructed in the last quarter of the 12th century as the monastery church for a community of Augustinian Canons.

- The monastery was called St Frideswide’s Priory; inside the church stood an ornate shrine on which were kept the relics of the saint. Pilgrims visited the shrine throughout the Middle Ages, including Catherine of Aragon, who, in 1518, came to pray for the birth of a son.

- In 1524, just prior to the General Dissolution of the Monasteries, Cardinal Wolsey gained permission from the Pope to close down St Frideswide’s Priory to build a vast new college for the university. He planned to include a new chapel for his ‘Cardinal’s College’ but died before the building was completed so the old monastery church was retained.

- When, in 1546, Henry VIII moved the first Bishop of Oxford into the church, he created a unique institution, ‘Christ Church’, for its chapel is also the Cathedral for the Diocese of Oxford.

The Cathedral is lovely, with various nooks and crannies, lovely architecture and stained glass windows. The kids, who were given a scavenger hunt upon entering, had fun looking for various icons and images throughout the place.

From Christ Church we wandered the city a bit, then had our fine DB bus drop us at the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Oxford University Museum Natural History. Both are great collections, Pitt has a ton of stuff in various dim cases – hard to take it all in.

And then we again doubledeckered it to the train station and headed home. Can I just say I much prefer train travel to airplanes? It’s more relaxing, easier in/out and great place to read the paper.

In other news of last week…it was a Banker’s holiday on Monday so we all slept in, did a little shopping, nothing major. Rather nice, actually.

Tuesday was Claire’s orientation, Wed. I escaped to the British Library, catching the Henry VIII exhibit before it leaves on Sunday. Great exhibit, chockfull of so much information. Beautiful, ceremonial documents rich with history. Maps, naval intelligence, documentation supporting Henry’s break from the church, portraits of his family and six wives…busy guy for having died in his 50’s.

On Thursday Ava and I hit Gandophi’s (dancewear place) for another ballet outfit (since she wears hers all the time we need a 2nd option as class starts next week), ballet shoes and ballet socks.

And of course for the shopping trip she dressed in her current ballet costume, complete with poufy skirt and bowties.(Our drycleaner oohed and aahed appropriately at her attire when he saw us on our way out shopping (he was ironing and watching the cooking show. I’m all about the latter, not so much the former).)

Then she proceeded to try on every costume in her size. Let’s just say we were at Gandophi’s for quite some time. She spent the evening modeling and twirling.
After securing a couple items for the uniform collection, we seem to have Ava ready to start her Reception year at Abercorn…and much to the kids’ chagrin, they’ll start swimming lessons on Wednesday.

Over the weekend Joe and I got together with some friends for dinner, and as a family we took advantage of great weather for a picnic and playtime in the park, ice cream at a neighborhood shake and malt place.

(Must take full advantage of sunny, warm days – since our return the weather has definitely been cooler – breezier, gray and I did see orange leaves rustling in the wind last week…I’m in mourning. Send some of that sunny Montana warmth for a few more weeks!!!)

Montana

As we made our way down the landing strip at the fine Bozeman airport, our plane passed Air Force I. Apparently Obama and family were enjoying some time in Yellowstone after one of his healthcare meetings.

At the rental car counter I was informed we got a free upgrade; I had to laugh when I got to the car: it was the size of a cooper. I wonder what they had us in before? A motorbike? Rickshaw?

Our time in Montana was good – we again stayed in the Meine cabin, where Carl Meini lived alone on and off for several years. Then it did not have running water or electricity. Today the amenities are quite nice, same solid wood timbers, covered porch and view (think Zane Grey’s avid descriptions of purple sage, rolling hills, craggy rocks, mountains and canyons, jack fence running here and there). Off to our right are Randy’s horses (close enough to hear the occasional whinny, far enough away to avoid odors and flies), to the left Kim and Randy’s home and a guest house.

The first couple days here were cool but remainder sunny and warm (you should have heard the complaints about the heat). As for me, I soaked it up. Sun sun sun.

The kids had a ball with Grace, who is now 12, tall and lovely and looking beyond her years already. When did pre-teens start looking like 17-year-olds?

They also had lots of fun visiting the horses, playing w/ Grandma’s kittens, the rabbit and Romeo’s dog, who loves to catch -- and chew up -- Frisbees.

We made use of our time and the local Y for swim lessons, pulling Abbey’s daughter, Ivy, into the fold. Given swimming instruction jerked to a halt last fall with our move, I’m taking whatever opportunity I can to re-engage the kids on pool skills.

Bonus on this Y business: I got to work out with weight machines for the first time since February! (Must say, it felt great. Well not so great a day or so later.)

In addition to catching up w/ Mom, Dad, David, Romeo and Grace, we had a nice evening w/ Abbey and Ivy, some picture-sharing and coffee with Kim and a good visit with Aunt Bonnie. The kids were in heaven at her house; Aunt Bonnie has continued to collect American Girl clothes and a few dolls as well. She passed one on to Ava, who is in seventh heaven.

The doll has already had her hair beautifully brushed several dozen times. She’s been changed regularly into all her fancy costumes – sun dresses, ball gowns, day dresses, a nightie, etc. Aunt Bonnie has accrued accessories for many of the outfits, so it’s a child’s (and adult’s) delight.

I loved hearing how Aunt Bonnie pops her laptop on her lap in the evenings and checks out e-bay for doll clothes and takes care of her new webkinz, among other things. I marvel at how ranch women like her and Mom have embraced the computer. I shouldn’t be surprised, given they’ve also driven tractors and taken on all kinds of technological advances in other aspects of their lives.

We also caught up with Marilyn and Aunt Estelle, who both seem to be doing well.

Other highlights:

- lunch at Wheat, Montana's fabulous deli. Bread that rivals even France's!

- 3 hours at Elkhorn hot springs, where cool water (and chlorine) have not been allowed into the water for some years now due to Forest Service or other government regulation. No doubt the person making that decision hasn’t been swimming in moss. Still, the water feels great and since we’ve been going to Elkhorn for as long as I can remember, it would be a shame to let a little lichen grind it to a halt. (Plus let’s face it; it’s cleaner than Wisconsin lake water any day of the week.)

- Dinner at the ski hill – great burger.

- Annual visit to Dillon’s bookstore – that woman runs a great independent book shop. We all left with something to enjoy.

- Likewise, annual visit to Patagonia Outlet. Great stuff, especially if you’re a trekker, mountain biker, skier, etc. Given I’m the London city chick, I didn’t find much I’d actually wear, other than a black coat that doesn’t scream sport. It just screams warm. Therein I’m now the proud owner. Great price, too.

- While we’re on the shopping topic, I did also make a stop at Walmart. I must say, Butte’s Walmart is the nicest Walmart I’ve ever been in. Clean, wide aisles, no long lines (at least not the day Claire and I whistled through). Our mission: toiletries we can’t find in the UK. (Reality is, we can find most things, but there are a few items sold here that I prefer – vitamins, Viactiv, children’s Tylenol, etc.)

30 minutes (can you believe I got out of Walmart that fast?!!) and several grocery bags later, we were done and on to Herberger’s (think Dillards), where we got a few things for the kids for fall. Now how about traveling w/ all this stuff?!?

- Coffee on the porch of our little cabin. It doesn’t get any better. Well, yes it does: kids sleeping in so I can enjoy coffee on the porch!

- A couple hours spent in the hay field not working but enjoying the view and watching the action as Romeo, David and Uncle Jules wrapped things up. I had a nice chat w/ Uncle Jules, and later in the evening we met up with he and Aunt Bonnie for a celebratory dinner at the Lion’s Den. It isn’t a visit to Dillon without one of their fillets.

- Plenty of my mother’s fabulous cooking – red meat fest!

- A great visit w/ Julie and her daughters at Crystal Park, where we picnicked (roasted hot dogs followed by s’mores are hard to beat) and dug for crystals. Kids had fun finding treasure.

- Another great, albeit too short, visit with Jeanette, Carson and Sean. As we flew out of Idaho Falls, we took the opportunity to stop in at her home in Chester, Idaho, where the kids got to play and she and I got to catch up a bit.

- Putting 1,100 miles on our little red rental...there is no better place to drive than out west. 80 mph on vacant interstates with views beyond belief.

And then we were headed home! Three flights and many hours later we landed at Heathrow. Now, at 10 a.m., the kids are still sleeping…

Wisconsin, continued…and on to Montana

Well we wrapped up Wisconsin with lots of laughs, great weather (apparently that hadn’t been the norm over the course of summer so we lucked out), a couple of bonfires and some delicious fish.

Jim surprised us all with a special guest, who seemed to jump right in and enjoy herself amidst the 35ish or so Webers.

Highlights of the week:

- Sarah found a leech. Stuck to her, I might add. She popped it off and it didn’t seem to deter her from further water enjoyment.

- Mike W.’s plans to bike to Bond Falls in Michigan were deterred by an ornery wheel, unfortunately. Still, his family, ours, the Riggs and the Thomes drove up for a great view. Mike R. and Matthew experienced the falls firsthand, the rest of us meandered up the path around them. And then we all enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch the annual Cathy’s ice cream fest was on.

- Waterskiing. Some of the little people tried it this year, John showed us how it was done with great persistence and the rest of us did our best to make a good audience.

- A few deer, some eagles, chipmunks, squirrels and other assorted wildlife were sighted throughout the week as we enjoyed kayaking, biking, hiking, swimming and just plain laying around.

- The kids moved from volleyball court to sand pit to beach to raft and seemed to thoroughly enjoy each other’s company.

- And dinners were tasty, low stress affairs. As it should be!

- Joe and I had a morning date – a nice hike around an area lake, followed by breakfast at the Wolfpack Café.

And suddenly it was Saturday! With some good-byes on Friday and several early departures on Sunday, the kids and I set off Bozeman, Montana. Joe left at 4:00 a.m. for Chicago. His early morning motivation: a Cubs game.

Jim and his guest graciously dropped us at the Rhinelander airport, where the check-in people watched as passengers used the self check in machine (what’s wrong w/ this picture…).

More R&R in Wisconsin

I must say yesterday was a terribly uneventful but delightfully relaxing day in Wisconsin...

I think a couple of fish were caught, the boat canvassed the lake a few times, Dave could be found on the same lawn chair in the same spot as years past, some people found trinkets and trash at the flea market...

In other news:

I started off the day w/ coffee cup in hand on the back porch and delighted in a hummingbird flitting over my head.

Joe and I collaborated w/ the Riggs to make a lasagne dinner which, I must say, waas topnotch. (You put enough cheese on anything and it's good.)

The power went off for an hour or so (thankfully we were entertained w/ a campfire at the time).

And the kids seemed to all have a ball. One highlight was watching John, Joe C., Gus and Scott engage them in duck duck goose in the volleyball court.

Beer & Brats

This post is for Ken: the brats were OUTSTANDING, as were all the potato salads and sides. Outrivals any 5-star.

Yesterday was a great Sunday in Wisconsin -- no rain, weather was lovely for the most part, my brother in law and I kayaked for a couple of hours through gorgeous lily pads and watched as a duck took flight over our heads.

Our other wildlife sighting was a very nonchalant deer watched as we returned from our Walmart load up. (Walmart hasn't changed one iota, not that I expected it to, in 8 mos.) Except maybe the patience of the customers behind us more tried. Oblivious to some woman's ire over the our slow and chatty clerk, I did not hear her yell at us to stop talking and speed it up.

The kids traveled like a pack from one spot to another around the lake compound, everyone oohed and aahed about the new baby and Joe caught the first fish. Oh, and we all enjoyed the Sunday evening welcome dinner of bratwursts, beer and a plethora of potato related sides.

Not a bad way to start the week! And Ken, if you're reading this, I'm sure your ears are burning because plenty of stories circled about you last night...all in good humor.

Little St. Germain

Saturday, August 8

After more sleep, we rolled out and hit the pool -- good waterpark entertainment for the kids -- then drove by the high school where Jack taught. We decided the track is still the same as when he coached there.

With Joan in the car, we drove onto the lake -- Little St. Germain -- and the Idle Hours resort (I use the term "resort" loosely; if you're thinking of booking a spa-like resort w/ big fluffy towels and robes to crawl into, champagne on ice awaiting you in your room, an expert massuese ready to remove all the travel pains you've accrued in your drive/flight here, succulent 5-course meals...you'll need to go somewhere else.)

We've got wood cabins, no towels, a TV with one or two channels on a good day, no restaurant, I can't even find a coffee filter, the huge decadent looking tub downstairs doesn't generate much hot water...you get the picture.

Still, we enjoy the place, the people who run it are good to us, the lake is gorgeous and immediately accessible, occasionally someone (other than myself) catches a fish and we pack ourselves into our cabins (typically 3, this year 2) so by the time the week ends we're all ready to go!

I must also add that, judging by stories of past Weber vacations, this place is 5 star.

Re: arrival -- we got in mid afternoon, unpacked, hit Mass, ate frozen pizzas and caught up with the half of the group that trickled in. On Sunday most of the rest will arrive. May the weather be friendly!

We're in the Midwest!

August 6 -- After 9 hours of flight time (which managed to go very quickly -- attributable, in my case, to three movies. Let's just say I haven't watched many films in the last year. Joe and I did manage to plow through all Seinfeld re-runs in triplicate while in India, though).

Anyway, 9 hours of flying later, Northwest 103 pulled into Minneapolis, we whipped through customs, got bags, grabbed the hotel shuttle and checked into some Holiday Inn.

All those points we accrued in the Crowne Plaza Gurgaon delivered: free chicken legs and carrots w/ ranch dressing. You too could shelp to India, check into a hotel for 4 months and enjoy the occasional room upgrade, free cholesterol packed snacks and Milwaukee light or old style or whatever the flavor of the day is in Minn.

With that snack, we hit the hay, woke up at 3:00 a.m. of course and laid there until it was a suitable enough time to get up. Thus we had plenty of morning in which to use the hotel pool, have our freebie points breakfast (again, you too could enjoy this Holiday Inn perk simply by hitting the CP in India, or somewhere else less third world, of course), pick up the rental car, etc.

Raining cats and dogs in Minneapolis (didn't we leave that behind in London, for pete's sake?) we went to the destination of all destinations: the Mall of America.

On a mission to find shoes, Joe scored, I found a few things on my mad dash through Macy's, we picked up a couple of cheap items at Old Navy (cheap and Old Navy in same sentence goes without saying), we had lunch at Bubba Gump Fish Company and enjoyed such friendly service. (Do love living in London but customer service in the U.S. is delightful.)

And then it was off to Pepin, Wisconsin. Once we got away from the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul the drive was spectacular -- wooded and hilly, and we followed Lake Pepin for several miles.

In Pepin, birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder (and one of Claire's favorite authors -- she's read all 9 books several times over) we stopped at the Pepin Museum, which is also home of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. (Since the Ingalls family moved around the midwest there is more than one museum, btw.)

We had fun checking out the place, which has old photos, trinkets, tools, clothing, etc. which belonged to her and to others living in the area during the same timeframe.

Then we drove out to the site of the original Ingalls cabin. (After any family sees the place downsizing comes to mind; who really needs 3,500 square feet to house 5 people and a dog?)

It's a pituresque little log cabin surrounded by corn fields and hills; one can envision Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace gathered outside to watch the sunset. Maybe I've seen too many Little House on the Prairie episodes.

From Pepin we drove on to Marshfield, Wisc., where Jack and Joan lived for several years. Their first 3 or 4 children were born there, I believe, and Jack was a high school teacher and coach at the time.

Joan's dear friend Ms. Chevy made us a lovely dinner, and we left the two ladies to reminisce while we checked into Holiday Inn number 2. (Apparently HI is a not ticket in Wisc. -- they seem to be in every town.)

Headed to US!

Today we fly to Minn/St. Paul and so will begin the annual Weber family vacation and Montana visit.

We've had a nice, albeit short, week in London...Monday we took Joan to St. Paul's Cathedral and spent the afternoon tooling around there. About St. Paul's:

A Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood on its since 604AD. The current one – the fourth to occupy the site – was designed by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. It is the cathedral of the Diocese of London.

Its architectural and artistic importance reflect the determination of the five monarchs who oversaw its building that London’s leading church should be as beautiful and imposing as their private palaces.

Since the first service was held here in 1697, Wren's masterpiece has been where people and events of overwhelming importance to the country have been celebrated, mourned and commemorated.

Important services have included the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the launch of the Festival of Britain; the Service of Remembrance and Commemoration for the 11th September 2001: the 80th and 100th birthdays of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, to Lady Diana Spencer and, most recently, the thanksgiving services for both the Golden Jubilee and 80th Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.


In the crypt are effigies and fragments of stone that pre-date the Cathedral, relics of a medieval world. From Wren’s original vision, Jean Tijou’s beautiful wrought iron gates of 1700 still separate the quire from the ambulatory; children still test the acoustics in the Whispering Gallery; and the 1695 organ which Mendelssohn once played is still in use.

The magnificent mosaics are the result of Queen Victoria’s mid-19th century complaint that the interior was “most dreary, dingy and undevotional.” The American Memorial Chapel stands behind the High Altar in an area that was bomb-damaged during the Second World War – a gesture of gratitude to the American dead of the Second World War from the people of Britain. An altar has now been installed on a dais in the heart of the Cathedral, bringing services closer to those who attend them.

Tuesday our outing for the day was tea at The Ritz, which is popular among tourists and London's upper crust.

So we put on our finery, hoisted umbrellas and enjoyed the opulence of the Ritz and its tea:

Served in the spectacular Palm Court, a choice of several varieties of tea, finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones, jam and clotted cream and a range of delicate pastries, combine to make for an unforgettable afternoon.

The kids went for the ham finger sandwiches, Ava ate all the cucumbers off the cucumber ones and licked as much butter off the bread as was possible. She also very much enjoyed the clotted cream (not so much the scone upon which she lathered it).

And of course the desserts were impeccable.

In one of our bathroom trips we discovered a tourist down there taking photos. Nice bathroom, BUT...

And yesterday we wrapped up some errands, hit the park, tried out a new gelato spot and are ready to head out!

Tourists in our town

July 23 - August 3

With Joe's mom and brother in town, we've been hitting many of the major tourist sites about town the last week and half.

On Thursday we jaunted on down to the Tower of London to spend a few hours perusing...

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower), is the oldest building used by the British government.

The Tower of London is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.

Its primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" (meaning "imprisoned"). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

The Crown Jewels have been kept at the Tower of London since 1303, after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey. It is thought that most, if not all, were recovered shortly afterwards. After the coronation of Charles II, they were locked away and shown for a viewing fee paid to a custodian. However, this arrangement ended when Colonel Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels after having bound and gagged the custodian. Thereafter, the Crown Jewels were kept in a part of the Tower known as Jewel House, where armed guards defended them.

Upon entering the Tower, our first stop was the Medieval Palace, which contains "fabulous" interiors used by medieval kings and queens during their frequent but short visits to their most important fortress.

We then oohed and aahed over the Crowned Jewels, which were pre-empted by videos showing some of them in use in coronations and parades. From there, we headed to the White Tower, where a special exhibit -- Dressed to Kill (described below) -- celebrates the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII.

Some of the world's rarest arms and armour have been selected from the treasures of the Royal Armouries and international collections. These spectacular objects have not been seen together since the reign of his daughter Elizabeth I. Part propaganda, part fashion, the exhibition conveys the power, majesty, wealth and psychology of the man, the icon and the king - who always ensured he was "Dressed to Kill."

Towered out, we hustled back home so Jim and Joan could head to Rome w/ Claire and Joe. Ava and I elected to stay home and order pizza.

On Friday, as Joe and co. checked out the Vatican and surroundings, Ava and grabbed umbrellas and headed off to Winsdor for Ava's first ballet performance. She and I were captivated by the English National Ballet's performance of Angelina Ballerina's Big Audition.

It was performed in the Windsor Royal Theatre, which is a beautiful, historic, very intimate theatre in downtown Windsor, right across from the castle (seems like everything is right across from the castle, given its size).

Very well done, with wonderful costuming and staging. All told, it lasted an hour, perfect for all the lovely little girls in the audience (there were a few boys and men, not many). I might add that Ava wore her pink ballet costume for the event.

We traversed our way back via train and tube, then embarked once again in the rain to have pasta at Cafe Med, a nice local restaurant with fireplace up and running to counter the drizzle.

On Saturday, which dawned sunny and gorgeous, we bussed it down to Victoria Station, grabbed a ticket from the machine and hopped on a train to Brighton, a well known beach town and destination for London's upper crust in the 18th century.

It's an easy town to wander; we found our way down to the pebbly beach right away, where we grabbed lunch and played in the water. Then wandered through some beach area markets and into a huge playground, where Ava spent plenty of time. Her favorite seemed to be the wading pool.

From there we checked out the pier, penny arcade and merry go round (have hit more merry go rounds in the past year than I would ever have imagined), then into the windy streets of downtown. We were in search of a dry dress, given Ava's was soaked from the beach. Eventually, after perusing every area of town (or so it seemed -- the place is filled with with restaurants, by the way), we found a Gap, got a little purple number and stopped for a drink before heading back toward the train.

Lovely, easy out of town trip, and so nice to soak up the sun, along with hundreds of other visitors.

On Sunday we headed down to the Covent Garden area for a performance of "Going on a Bear Hunt," Ava's first play. Again, a small theatre and we had great seats, not too close to the stage yet close enough (mid way through the audience, particularly those in front, got doused w/ squirt guns). So we were in drier territory.

The play was fun, with great music to set the tone, lots of audience interaction/participation and just the right length for the young crowd. Ava seemed to enjoy it very much. She and I then headed down to the Sunday market for some meat, veggies and bread, stopping at a sidewalk cafe for lunch on the way home.

Very nice weekend.

Our travelers returned Monday morning, with Joan electing to relax a bit, given a very early flight and lots of walking around hot Rome.

Jim headed down to the British Museum and around town to explore on his own.

Tuesday we tripped off to Windsor Castle and spent several hours wandering through. It's absolutely lovely, with much history and gorgeous, detailed decor, and it's also fun to see one of the properties that is actually lived in and used for various royal functions throughout the year.

Windsor is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen. Its rich history spans almost 1000 years. The Castle covers an area of about 5 hectares (13 acres) and contains magnificent State Apartments furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection, St George's Chapel (one of the most beautiful ecclesiastical buildings in England and the burial place of 10 monarchs), and Queen Mary's Dolls House, a masterpiece in miniature.

We checked all of the above out, with audio guides to give us some detail on what we were seeing.

Starving, we wolfed down some ice cream before leaving the place (the only food served in the place -- plan accordingly when you go!) and headed back to London via trains/tube. Great day out!

Wednesday found us at Buckingham Palace for a special tour of the State Rooms, which are only open to the public for a couple months of the year. That, too, was a great experience:

Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty The Queen, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today.

Today the State Rooms are used extensively by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions. During August and September when The Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland, the Palace's nineteen state rooms are open to visitors.

The State Rooms form the heart of the working palace and are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto; sculpture by Canova; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture.

As part of the Summer Opening of the State Rooms, an exhibition of dresses, jewels, photographs, and gifts presented to Her Majesty by the people of the Commonwealth is on display.

The Queen has travelled further than any other monarch in history and has made over 170 official visits to Commonwealth countries during her reign. The exhibition represents six regions of the Commonwealth: Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, The Caribbean and Central America, Asia (including India), Island Peoples and Pacific Realms. It highlights The Queen’s role at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings, of which she has attended 32, and some particularly important inward State Visits from Commonwealth countries.

On the way out we got to tour the gardens, which are gorgeous.

Back at home, the kids and I headed off to a birthday party while Jim and Joan relaxed a bit and got ready for the theatre -- they were off to see Jersey Boys at one of the historic theatres in Leicester Square.

Jim left Thursday; Joan, the kids and I spent a couple hours at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, which they love. After ice cream we wandered over to Kensington Palace to check out Lady Di's dresses and ended up wandering through the Palace rooms, which are lovely and very different from the other palace rooms we saw earlier in the week.

On Friday we took the tube down to Covent Garden and sat outside watching street entertainers and the big crowd gathering around them. It was a gorgeous day just to relax and wander -- we had cookies at Ben's, checked out the market, then made our way back to St. John's Wood to relax on the patio.

Joe, Joan and I had dinner at the Warrington, a gastropub in a lovely, very British building, formerly a hotel. The interior is warm, with much wood, lovely mirrors and decor. The restaurant upstairs serves very good English food, so we had beers in the bar, then moved up for our meal.

Saturday found us at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, a wooden round theatre with thatched roof, a replica of the original Shakespearean venue that was built in the 1500's. (It had burned down -- in the 1900's an American actor spearheaded re-creation of today's Globe, which hosts performances through part of the year -- April to October, I think. It's open air, with some wooden benches protected from the weather. As was done during Shakespeare's time, the "cheap" seats are for those willing to stand for 2 hours, rain or no rain, without umbrellas.)

We took a tour of the facility, wherein a guide showed us the theatre and gave us a bit of background, then shepherded us in to a couple of different vantage points so we could watch as a group rehearsed for Helen of Troy, opening the following evening.

No speakers are used, so the wood makeup of the theatre is essential for acoustics, as is the round shape of the building. Costuming is done similarly to how it would have been during Shakespeare's time. In short, the Globe works extensively to re-create the experience of old.

After the tour we wandered through the museum, which provides a great deal of history regarding London during Shakespeare's time, his plays, language, costumes, makeup, etc. Lots of interactive displays, which made it interesting for the kids (you could see how various stage effects were achieved, for example, or record yourself saying lines, then listen as they were incorporated with other actors' delivery).

One part of the facility has a stage and practice area, so small groups were fencing and practicing various other performance skills while we wandered through.

After a sandwich at the Globe cafe we headed home to relax a bit.

For Sunday Mass we made our way down to Westminster Cathedral. Joe and Ava escorted Joan up to the bell tower to look out over London, while Claire and I shopped for a cross for our house.

We then attended Mass, perused the church and came away with our lovely wooden cross.

After a quick bite at Pret (these places are all over London and are my favorite fast food venue -- grab and go sandwiches), we headed home and I hit the theatre for the 2nd movie I've seen since leaving the U.S.: Coco before Chanel.

I enjoyed it very much; it's a French film, subtitled, beautiful acting.

Upon my return we had a pizza making party!