The Week in Review

Well, we definitely have lots to report, as we haven't posted in over a week; so I'll try to do a quick daily update. We've had such a nice time connecting with Steven's family, which is one of the big reasons that we're here in the UK, that this is feeling more and more like the right thing to be doing. If we could just get Greta's school finalized, I would really feel positive about it all.

Last Sunday we met up with our old friend, Kevin, whom we met about 20 years ago through Alison. He came to stay with us in Montreal for the Jazz Festival, and we all had such fun and lots in common, that it was an easy friendship. Saw him a couple of times in the ensuing years, but lost touch for about the last 15. Never deterred by a long absence, I emailed him about our being in London, and we were thrilled to plan a day together in the city, reconnecting and renewing our friendship- it was great (and you all know that we could use a few friends in this town, since we're missing our dear ones back in Seattle).

We met at the Embankment tube stop and walked around for a good two hours, talking about the changes in London's architecture, politics, pub scene, etc. We had a latte on the go, and kept walking and talking, and we're hoping to see more of Kevin over the year. Steven is planning to go to the PJ Harvey concert at the Royal Albert Hall with him in October, too. Thanks, Kevin, for being amenable to picking up a 20-year old friendship where we left off.

That Sunday we also scored in that we bought bikes for Greta and Francesca, which we had been trying to do for weeks. I searched gumtree.com (similar to craigslist) every day, looking for used bicycles in our neighborhood (we had to be able to get there and walk the bikes home) for the kids, but there weren't many available and they were all rather pricey. Was thrilled to connect with a sweet Irish woman whose daughter had recently moved back to Ireland, and she had two bikes for sale. Steven and I took the tube to Clapham Common and went to get the bikes, then walked/rode them back towards Tooting. On our way, we stumbled upon a great little Farmer's Market, where we bought lots of fruit and veg to fill our backpacks, and where there was a Bike Doctor set up to do basic bike repairs for a modest fee. We got the new bikes in good working order and rode them home to our very pleased daughters. Monday then included a long bike ride through Tooting Bec Common, and we are thrilled to now all have our own bikes in London.

Tuesday we rented a VW Golf TDi and hit the road. We printed out maps ahead of time and prepared ourselves for some stressful driving getting out of the city (different car, driving on a different side of the road, sitting on a different side, manual gear, you get the idea), but all went smoothly and we were soon on the English Motorway zooming west. We stopped for a pub lunch in Ludgershall (nothing to write home about), and then walked up the hill to check out the remains of Ludgershall Castle, which was Henry III's hunting Lodge. Seeing something so old is still quite surreal at times, and in fact, the pub where we had lunch was older than any standing building in Seattle. Walking through the ruins was most impressive.

Then we continued on to Devizes, the historic market town where Steven's grandmother lives. We had a really nice visit with her, and were able to do some cooking and cleaning for her house, as well as some shopping, so that she'll be set for a while. Her health has been failing, so we're hoping that she'll be moved into a more suitable place by winter, as she can't manage the house she's in anymore. Her house is on the market, and the family is all really hoping that it sells soon, so that we can find a better situation for Grandma. It was great to spend time with her, playing games and talking. And we love walking by the canal behind her house into Devizes, which is a beautiful town.

After a couple of nights there, we drove up to Shropshire to stay with Susan, Robert, and David (Steven's cousins on his dad's side). It is their London house that we're renting, and they were wonderful hosts to us in their country house in Whixall. It really felt like the city mice visiting their country mice cousins, and we had a wonderful time. Almost every meal was made with fresh vegetables from their garden, the eggs were collected from their hens, and we made crumbles with fruit from their trees. The girls loved foraging for their own snacks (apples, plums, and rasberries), and had a great time playing with David, their 7-year old second cousin.

We did a gorgeous 6-mile hike up in Wales at the Vale of Clwyd to Lady Bagot's Drive. It included walking along a river, hiking through the forest, passing huge manor houses, and crossing fields full of sheep and cows- it was brilliant! And the people in Wales were some of the friendliest that we've met. When we went in to the Food Co-Operative to stock up on chocolate (always a necessity when hiking with kids), there was a woman of about 80 years who joked, "I've got a couple of friends here who all have walking sticks like mine, and we're not afraid to use them to get some sweets!" Then later we met a couple who had lived in Northern Wales all their lives, and they were telling us all about the beautiful walks in the area, repeating how lucky they were to live there, and inviting us to come back soon for another hike. When we got home, Robert was busy making us homemade pizzas in their outdoor pizza oven, which was excellent.

Another day up north, we spent in the city of Chester, which was bustling with people for both the upscale shopping and the horse-racing at the beautiful track there. We walked all around the Roman Walls of the city, watched the revelers at the races for a while, and did a little bit of shopping, then got the kids some dinner. The adults saved our appetites for our fancy dinner out at The Combermere Arms later that night, which was just fantastic. Greta stayed home with the little guys, and we were able to enjoy a really nice dinner and some fine local ales.

Our last day we spent relaxing at their comfy farmhouse, and enjoying more good cooking. We also went into Whitchurch to see the town, and hit a car boot sale, which was very successful: we scored two rubbish bins, a blender, hand-stitched napkins, a sugar jar, and some books, all for under 1o pounds. We were quite happy with those finds.

We got back to London on Monday afternoon, and had time to do a few errands while we had the rental car. We did another massive trip to Sainsbury's and went to the "tip" to get rid of the old toilet that had been sitting in our front garden. Yes, we now have a new toilet in the upstairs bathroom and that room will be our next home improvement project; and the old toilet that the plumber refused to take with him is now happily out of our lives forever!

That's the weekly update, and I should report that even after such a nice holiday up north, it felt really good to get "home." Our London house is feeling more and more cozy, and we were all happy to get back to it.