Happy New Year

Here is a link to a slideshow of the Dunne Year in Review...

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=4986d88b5ee3637beed96b&skin_id=406&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url


Enjoy and All of the Best for 2008!
Brenda

Happy boxing day! (and Happy Birthday to my sister Kathy!)

Thought you might like to see some pictures of Christmas at the Dunne household... So here goes!

This is George. Our Christmas tree. We decided to be earth-friendly and bought a potted tree this year. He was the best of a slightly sad looking lot.

This is George on Christmas morning. Zeke is thinking that the doggie stocking on the table is smelling might tasty.

We went to midnight mass and got home at 1:30, so the kids managed to sleep in until 6:45. Considering we had told them 6:30 at the earliest, it was pretty good. Unfortunately Tom and I hadn't managed to get to bed until 3:00 a.m., so we were dragging a bit.

Here is Tom in his brand new lounge suit. Thanks Mom and Dad Corey!

Delaney had asked Santa for a 'Maplelea Doll', which apparently is the Canadian version of the 'American Girl' dolls. Much to my surprise, Santa found the European version and left it for her, along with a complete set of doll sized English riding clothing. Delaney was thrilled.

Another big hit at our house was Delaney's 'Twister' game. We had a hoot playing last night and again today. Unfortunately I think I need a physio to help me recover from the strain. Maybe 'Twistersize' should replace the pilates craze...

All in all it was a great day. We're having a great time lounging in our new pj's, eating 'chili cheese roll' and yorkshire puddings, and taking a break from the business of life in England. We are very thankful for all of the wonderful things that have come our way, and hope our gifts got to you in one piece. We're hanging out here for a few days, and then will be off to France for a well deserved family vacation.

Much love to you all, and if I don't speak to you before, Happy New Year!!

Brenda and the Dunne Family

xo

(photo taken on Whitehorse hill Sunday afternoon)

Parties and Pantomimes, Ice Fog and Insulin

Christmas Eve

Amazingly, it's Christmas Eve day here in England. I cannot get over the speed at which time is moving along while we are here. It has now been almost five months since we touched down at Heathrow! The past few weeks, as always, have been filled to the brim with new experiences and family adventures. Some good, some not so good. Always adventurous though! Since my last blog Delaney has officially turned nine, we've gone to too many school related Christmas events to mention, we've delved into the topsy-turvy world of having a child with type 1 diabetes, and above all, we've had lots of fun! Downstairs our tree is almost hidden with all of the trimmings and presents, and the lights on tree and garland are sparkling happily. The kids are very excited, but not too boisterous. We have alot to be thankful for.

Kate Update

For those of you who didn't get a chance to read our last blog, I very hurriedly mentioned at the end that Kate, our 5 year old sweetie, had just been diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. I'm afraid I was a bit frazzled when I was blogging as we had just returned from two days in the hospital. She was diagnosed on the 5th of December, and it was a bit of a shock. Thankfully our little princess has made quite a remarkable recovery since beginning her insulin regime. She has gained back all the weight she had lost, but more importantly, her sunshine-y disposition has returned full force. You can just tell she feels soooo much better. She is currently on 4 insulin injections a day, and has accepted it like a real trooper. I won't deny that the past few weeks have been a bit draining. With all of the busy-ness of the pre-Christmas build-up, fitting blood testing, injections, diabetes community nurse visits and weekly diabetic clinic appointments in has pushed my organizational skills a bit!! I have been going to school at lunch time to do her blood tests and injections... I knew there was a reason for me not to go to work while I was here!

I'm sure there will be trials ahead, but for now we're just happy to have our girl happy and healthy. I would like to thank all of our 'military family' here in England for their wonderful help and support. I'd also like to say a special thank you to Kathy, Geoff and especially Austen for their open, honest accounts of living with juvenile diabetes. Its good to know we have someone who's 'been there' to call if we've got a question. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You can be sure we'll be at the mo-gi next year!!!!

Chrismas Plays and Parties

As I've already mentioned, we've been overwhelmed with school and activity related parties and events. In Britain they divide elementary school children into 'Key Stages' Kate is in Key Stage 1 and Shane and Delaney are in Key stage 2. Their plays and parties were divided this way, resulting in double the amount of 'mandatory attendance' events for parents!! Kate was a lovely 'Angel 4' in her school play 'The Bethlehem Bootee Company', and Delaney and Shane participated in the school choir/chorus of 'Cinders' a play on Cinderella set in Victorian times. They all did marvelously well, and the plays were funny and well produced. I'm afraid I got quite teary watching our healthy little Kate glowing in her angel costume. Shane and Delaney really enjoyed singing in the choir--they also got to participate in the ecumenical carol service held in the base chapel. Tom and I were very proud to see all of our bambinos doing so well.

They take their school Christmas parties quite seriously here. There were magicians, movies, Christmas crackers and TONS of junk food (making blood sugar management a bit interesting...) I helped out for both 'Key Stage' parties, mainly setting up for the 'Christmas tea' (junk food, junk food and more junk food!) and watching the sugar intake. To make things even more organizationally complicated, the parties lasted an extra hour after normal school time.

Then there was the 'Christmas Disco', again separated into two Key Stages on the same night. Dress for this event was 'Fancy Dress' which is Brit-speak means 'wear costumes'. If you remember from my Halloween blog, I can't take costumes lightly...but had no choice for this event as there was just no time!! Kate went as an ice skater, Shane as an elf and Delaney as an ice-princess. They all had a great time, danced like maniacs and ate lots more junk food.

The Canadian kids all worked together to present a 'Canadian Dance' at the school talent show on Friday. They worked really hard practicing and choreographing. I'll admit there wasn't much 'Canadian' about the dance as the music was a Hillary Duff Christmas tune and the dancing was...how shall we say... original? artistic in a Hollywood way? But the main thing is that they had a great time getting ready for it and spending time with their friends the Lutes kids. Although parents weren't invited to the show, I hear that the presentation went well and the applause was thunderous.

Delaney is 9!

December 16th was Delaney's birthday. Our beautiful girl is nine! Wow, do I feel old. We celebrated the day in a different sort of way this year. Our good friends, the Zioupos family, had invited us for an early dinner at their house. We had cheesecake, banoffee pie, and ice cream after the meal, and then (a surprise to the kids and a gift from the Zioupos-es) we all hopped in our cars and headed to the Wyvern theatre in Swindon to see their pantomime of 'Cinderella'. This was a true experience. Having not been to a British pantomime, I expected the usual--the audience sits and the actors act. Not so. A pantomime requires full audience participation. It was an absolute hoot. The actors were constantly asking 'Did you see him do that?', the kids would scream 'YES!', the actor would say "Oh no you didn't!", "OH YES WE DID!!", until the theatre was vibrating with noise. There were all sorts of silly jokes and gags, some so British we didn't even get the joke, but for the most part making fun of the British-ness we find funny. It was great fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Zioupos family for introducing us to another aspect of British culture we might have missed.

Soccer news...

Our little guy has been playing his heart out in soccer. Yes, we're still playing soccer here! Shane persists on wearing shorts to all of the games/practices, as he's a hot guy and a true Canadian! Last week, as a real treat, he was presented with the 'Man of the Match' trophy!! He was absolutely beaming as he has been working so hard. Soccer is so much part of the culture here that most kids are kicking before they can walk, I think, so he's had to do a bit of catch up. He's been loving it though, and will likely continue to play when we return to Canada. Congratulations Shane!

Ice Fog

Yesterday we walked to church in the morning. As has been the case for several mornings lately, the world was wrapped in a beautiful misty frost. I've attached a picture. I guess this is the closest thing to snow we'll likely get here!

Later in the afternoon we decided to go for a drive to Whitehorse hill to take Zeke for a walk. As the sun was already setting (it's full dark by about 4:30pm here) the fog was already lying in some valleys. The views from the hill were stunning. The full moon was rising on one side, and the sun was setting on the other. You could see why the hill has been inhabited/visited for thousands of years. It was beautiful. Again, I'll attach some pics.

Christmas Plans

So, for the next few days we are going to take a well deserved break. The tree is trimmed, the chicken (we're not turkey people) is thawing, the presents are wrapped and school is over for a few weeks. Yay! Tom is downstairs playing Christmas tunes on his trumpet with the kids. We'll be going to a carol service and mass tonight, and then spending the day relaxing tomorrow. If all goes well we'll be off to France in a few days, to spend some time in a 'Gite' (cottage) and do some sight-seeing with the kids. I'll let you know how it goes!

Merry Christmas!!

As expected, my Christmas cards are all happily sitting in their boxes, awaiting my time and hen-scratch. I may get to them over the holidays, but to tell the truth, I think it's unlikely. In lieu of cards this year, I'd like to say Merry Christmas to you all via blog. I sincerely hope that you and your family, wherever you may be, have a happy, peaceful Christmas, and a fun-filled new year. God bless,

Brenda

December is here!

Hello again from England! Things are starting to look a little bit Christmas-y around here, and the Christmas preparations are in full swing. The children are all in some sort of Christmas production, I've been doing a bit of Christmas shopping, and there seems to be less homework coming back from school. I've even managed to get a few parcels in the mail. The Christmas cards are a little slower going though. Hopefully I'll get to them in the next few days...

Before I go any further I'd like to say a quick hello to my Grandmother, Evelyn. I know she has been faithfully reading our blog from her hospital room, as she's been recovering from a few things. I hear that she is being well taken care of, and there's a physio paying her a regular visit. So... Hi Gram!! Hope you are doing well! We've been thinking of you lots and lots, and saying good words to the Big Guy Upstairs for you. The kids, Tom and I send our love, hugs and kisses to you and hope you'll be up and about again soon. (picture to right is 'Nana' with my nephew Zachary)

We had a visitor of a different sort at our house over the past few weeks... Mr. Influenza came to call. Kate was sick for four days, then a week later I was down for 2, and while I was recovering Shane caught it. Needless to say we were all a bit miserable, and our daily routine was knocked off kilter for a few weeks. The laundry never seemed to end (does it ever??). I'm happy to say that we're all healthy now, and are glad Mr. Influnza has moved on!

As some of you know, Delaney's 9th birthday is fast approaching. As the Christmas season is so busy, we decided to hold her birthday party a little early this year. On Nov 24th, our house transformed into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and 8 first years made it onto Platform 9 3/4 and entered the school. We paid a quick visit to Olivander's Wand Shop where the students made their very own wand (see pic above), and played Sorting Hat Sillies (my version of 'Gossip'). After a game of 'Who's Hedwig' we went by the 'Fat Lady' to potions class (see pic to right). Finally we were off to the Great Hall for Potter's pizza and Hogwart's cake. There were Bertie Botts' beans, and cauldrons filled with real quills, spiders and Harry Potter sitckers. Everyone had a great time, especially Delaney. Even Tom and I got into the spirit and were dressed as professors!

While I was languishing on the couch with the flu, Tom was off with the college on a trip to Poland to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp. It was part of the Ethics component of his course. As you can see by the photos it was a stark, bleak place. According to Tom, the anguish of millions of victims of the Nazi regime is still very palpable as you walk around the grounds. Although depressing, it's something everyone should see, and no one should forget.

On a lighter note, the morning after Tom returned from his trip I was up and en route to Germany on a Christmas Markets (Weinacht markts)tour. Thankfully I had recovered from my bug and ready for a little holiday on my own. The coach bus took us from London down to Dover area, and then onto the Eurotunnel train. This was really cool. The entire bus just drove into the end of a train car, and then down through the cars to where we were to stop. Then the train closed up, and the entire train was off. Down below the English Channel we went, and half an hour later up we popped into France. Quick and easy, but a little unnerving if you're claustrophobic.

We spent the rest of the day winding our way through the pouring rain down through France, in to Belgium and then across into Germany. Our main stopping place was Trier, on the Moselle river. Over the next two days we visited Markets in Cochem(see photo, below right), Bernkastle(above,right), Koblenz and of course Trier. You can see views of the Trier Market at: http://www.trierer-weihnachtsmarkt.de/en/ . As the markets tend to be up for several weeks, the stalls are generally made out of wood and decorated with pine boughs and lights. Even though we were getting rain instead of snow, they were all very pretty to see. We also had a wine-tasting experience at a small winery (see left), and a city tour of Trier. Trier is an old Roman city, and although time and war have taken their toll, there are still huge 2000 year old city gates as you enter the pedestrian streets, ruins of Roman baths, and portions of the city wall still standing. Everywhere we went to see the markets we saw beautiful churches, half timbered buildings and cobblestone streets. Lovely.

On the way back from Trier we spent the morning in a small town called Monschau. It was beautiful, nestled in between steep hills, with lovely market stalls and good food. I would highly recommend a visit if you're ever nearby. There's also a glass factory there with exhibitions of glass blowing techniques. http://www.monschau.de/tourist-information/ver_weihnachtsmarkt.php . Check out the pictures on the website to get an idea of the setting if you get a chance.

In kid news, Shane was chosen as one of 8 school children commissioned by the Defence Academy to make an angel for the large tree in the

Academy's forum building. He was very proud to be chosen as he loves crafting. The presentation ceremony was on Monday, and all of the 8 children were in attendance. I've attached a photo of them holding the angel. Shane is the only one in a light blue shirt and shorts (yes, he's still wearing shorts...)!

Delaney had entered a Christmas Card design competetion a few weeks ago. Her picture was picked as a 'highly commended' runner up, and was on the back of the cards with a few other runner ups. If I can get a copy I'll try to scan it and pop it on the blog. Both Delaney and Shane had successful auditions for the school choir and will be singing in several events over the few weeks. Kate was selected as 'angel 4' in her school play, which will be presented next week. All three children have been working very hard at all of their school work, coming home with more 'house points' than we can keep track of. All of them have been stepped up in both literacy and math work levels, and seem to be more challenged lately. They love school and continue to be happy there.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a shocker this week. On Wednesday (two days ago) I took Kate in for a check up as she had been loosing a bit of weight, which for Kate is concerning. The doctor had us do a urine sample before we left the clinic, just to be sure. Shortly after I got home and she was at school, I got a call from the doctor telling me to take her immediately to the hospital. We went, she had a few more blood tests, and by mid afternoon she had been positively diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes. Needless to say it's been a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. She is now home (well, at school right now...) and requires four insulin injections a day, and blood testing at least 4 times a day. For those of you who aren't familiar with this type of diabetes, it's a permanent, life long disease-- there is no known cure. She will always need the injections.

Kate has taken it all in stride, and we have adopted the 'nothing-we-can-do-about-it-so-let's-just-get-on-with-it' attitude. The blood testing is virtually painless, but she's not very keen on the needles. Nothing major, just a little anxious for a minute or so. The staff at the hospital were absolutely amazing. Kate didn't want to leave!! She did crafts, watched a magician show, and loved the hospital food. We have been hooked up with a diabetes care team at the hospital and have had tons of support and information. British national health care pays for all of the supplies, so that has been one less worry for the time being too. Our friends and family (at least those who we've had time to tell) have been incredibly supportive. Our local 'military family' have done everything in their power to help us, and we've been overwhelmed by offers of help and support. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

So, there is our life in a nutshell for the past few weeks! Life is never dull, that's for sure. I think we're all looking forward to a little break over Christmas. I haven't had time to even start decorating(let alone clean...) so that's what's on the agenda for the next few days. I hope you are all well, and are enjoying the preparations for the holiday season.

Cheers,

B

Catching Up!

Hello again all! It's hard to believe it is November 19th already! Somehow time has crept up on me again, and I find it's been several weeks since I last sat down at the keyboard. My excuse this time is the same as I'm sure it will always be-- things have just been very busy! Luckily for me(and possibly unluckily for you, the reader), this means I have lots of juicy bits of info to chew over as I type. Since my last spiel we've had Halloween, Rememberance Day, and International Families Day (explanation to follow), as well as several trips (Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, and Lydiard Park) and family events (Delaney's Brownie Promise and Kate's Rainbow Promise). My computer photo album continues to grow at an alarming rate- I may just have to give in and go get some of the pictures printed off soon.

I'll start with the most recent, as it's still vividly in my mind...Saturday, November 17th was International Families Day at the Academy. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Absolutely incredible. Over 50 countries, each proudly displaying their culture--complete with food and drink. There was everything from chocolate chip cookies to kangaroo steak, samosas to salami, cheese fondue to curried chicken, falafels to pickled fish. And that was just the food! There was wine of all colors and descriptions, beer from all over the world, ouzo, cider and let's not forget Canadian Moose Milk (see Tom pouring at right)! Mmmmm. What made it even more special as that between the children, Tom and I, we knew someone from almost every stall! It was wonderful to see all of our new friends in their international costume, and it gave us all a chance to show off our pride in our countries. I'm not sure how many people went through, but it was busy all day. The 1500 plus maple cookies we baked were gone, as well as several huge vats of moosemilk, 800 Nanaimo Bars, and large quantities of maple fudge. Kudos to our fearless organizer, A.J. for a job well done, as well as all of the Canadian contingent for countless hours baking, planning, decorating and working the stalls.

I think I'll go back to Halloween now, and fill you in on Halloween in England. It was remarkably similar to what we usually see and do in Canada... just a few less homes participating in trick-or-treating. As per usual I was sewing a costume right up to the day (Delaney's Hermione cloak), but I must admit I cheated a bit, and Kate and Shane's costumes were store bought except for a few finishing touches. We prepared about 80 treat bags (we were unsure of what numbers to expect) and the kids left the house about 5:30. As there is a large international contingent here some of the children we saw seemed to be a bit confused about it all (we had several wee ones knocking on the door wearing no costume, holding a plastic shopping bag), but the general spirit was one of fun and festivity. Our children's bags were full at the end of the evening and all of our 80 treats were gone by about 8:00. Our well sugared children were in bed just a little later than usual, their trick or treat mission complete. Mom and Dad took a deep breath, ate a few candies and put their feet up to recover from the day.

Kate's class had a field trip to Lydiard Park in Swindon (check out http://www.lydiardpark.org.uk/ ) on November 4th. I had volunteered to go as a parent chaperone and so off we went in two large coach buses. It was a lovely day in a lovely spot. Kate was in my group of four little ones, which made the day even more special. Lydiard was built in the 17th and 18th Centuries, and has a very old church, lovely gardens, and a beautiful old manor house on the grounds. There is also a large playground for the kids to explore. The field trip was meant to expand upon their current unit on the Victorian era, and we were guided through the house by a wonderful lady who explained to the children all about how children and families would have spent their days in Victorian times. There were even Victorian childrens' toys which they were allowed to play with, and dress up clothing for them to try on. I think I enjoyed the trip as much as Kate did!

For Rememberance Day this year, Tom had been invited (or should I stay volun-told) to lay a wreath for Canada at a memorial site in Stratford-upon-Avon. Although it's only a little more than an hour's drive from here, we decided to make a weekend of it, and booked a B&B room for both Friday and Saturday nights. We stayed at the Eastnor House (http://www.eastnorhouse.com/ ) as it had a room which would sleep us all (most hotels in England will NOT allow you to book a room for more than 4 people- you have to book two rooms!), it was walking distance to most of the major attractions in Stratford, and it was a great opportunity for the kids to have their first real B&B experience! Our hosts were very friendly, and they recommended a perfect local Italian restaurant for supper which I know we would never have found on our own!

The ceremony Tom took part in was at a beautiful cemetery where over 90 Canadian airmen were buried during the world wars. It was very sobering to see the headstones as most of them were younger than 25 years old when killed. The Stratford Air Crew Association were our gracious hosts for this event. The ceremony was simple, as only 5 wreaths were laid-- the City ceremony was to be held the following day. After the ceremony we went to the Falcon Hotel (see photo of Delaney in the window) for a small reception (see http://www.legacy-hotels.co.uk/legacy-thefalcon/home.asp for info). It was a beautiful Hogsmeade like building with huge fireplaces dripping with history. We got to chat with some wonderful people, including some who had trained in Canada. We also got to meet the Mayor, Cllr Donna Barker. See the town council website at:http://www.stratforduponavontowncouncil.com/mayoral.php for pics and info. She was very welcoming, and even invited our family to come for a tour of the Town Hall! Unfortunately we had already planned on heading out early the next day and couldn't take her up on the offer. Perhaps the next time we are in town... Anyway, a big thank you to Cllr Barker for her kindness and generosity. It was greatly appreciated!

The rest of our day in Stratford was spent sight seeing. We took the kids to go and see the 'Shakespearience' Show (http://www.shakespearience.co.uk/ ) so they could find out a little bit more about the local hero- William Shakespeare. After that we walked up to Shakespeare's Birthplace (see photo and http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/ ). This was very interesting as they had a small exhibition about Shakespeare's life before you went into the house. The house itself was like a living museum, set up as it was during Shakespeare's life. The kids were fascinated. Even though we were the last people through before closing, one of the costumed guides took her time to answer all of the questions the children had, as well as giving us a full tour of the house with lots of extras.

Sunday the 11th saw our family checking out of our B&B and heading towards Warwick to see Warwick Castle (http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/ ). This was one of the best expositions of a castle we've seen yet. It was almost Disney-esque in the different things you could see and do. We arrived shortly before 11:00, and made it to the courtyard just in time to observe a moment of silence, which was announced and closed by rockets being shot up into the air from the castle mound. It was impressive as everyone there stood quietly with their heads bowed for the entire time.

From that time on though, it was go-go-go, as there was lots to see and do. What was especially interesting about this castle was that Madame Toussaud's wax figures were placed throughout the building, dressed in period costume for the time in which that part of the castle was built. As parts of the castle are 1000 years old, it was a lovely way to experience how a castle is more than just a home, it's an ever changing historical monument. We spent some time before we left seeing the grounds. There were peacocks everywhere we went. There was a working trebuchet (like a catapult), a functional electricity generating water wheel, and lovely gardens to see as well.

Bear with me! I'm almost finished! I think these blogs are more like chapters in a book-- but there is so much to tell.

Kate and Delaney are now offically members of the British Girl Guiding movement. Kate did her 'Rainbow' promise ceremony shortly before Halloween, and Delaney did her 'Brownie' promise ceremony on the 6th of November. I've attached a photo of each so that you can see them in their uniforms. They were both very proud to display their new pins! Unfortunately poor Shane has been patiently (well, for him anyways) awaiting the news that there is a space for him in Beavers. He desparately wants to go, as he hears of all the fun things the girls are doing on a weekly basis. I've bugged the poor leader as much as I can, but he's still on a waiting list. He has been playing lots of soccer though, and is enjoying a few weeks of 'art club' at the school. Both Delaney and Shane came home on Friday with 'Gold Book' awards from school. These are like student of the week awards given by each teacher for good behaviour, hard work or acts of kindness. Shane was being rewarded for 'polite and kind behaviour to both teachers and students' and Delaney received her award for 'consistent excellent behaviour, hard work and attitude towards school'. Needless to say, we were very proud!

I've progressed to cantering in my riding lessons. Thrilling, but I must admit, I'm alot more cautious about the whole thing than the girls! My instructor is wonderful, and I've learned loads. Tom has been playing rugby with the 'Shags' team-- I know, the word seems a bit vulgar, but apparently it means the more 'mature' second team. They travelled to Salisbury area a week and a half ago and won their game by a large margin. It's a great outlet for him, but I haven't been able to watch a game yet-- the physiotherapist in me has difficulty with the no protective equipment bit!

Well, I think I'll sign off for now. Who knows what adventures await us in the next few weeks! Keep in touch!

Cheers,

B

Half-Term Break

This past week was 'Half-Term Break' for the kids. British children have a longer school year, but have a week off in the middle of each semester, and two weeks off at the end of each semester... add that up and they get about 7 weeks off!! Our kids had from the 19th to the 29th off -- they go back to school on Tuesday the 30th. Unfortunately Tom did not have the time off... in fact he had a rather busy week with a mess dinner, a rugby game (his team won 23-0 I think) an exam, his research paper topic selection was due... and to cap it off he received news that he is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (that's left-en-ant for you American folks... :) )!!! We are VERY proud. His rank was pinned on this past Thursday.

A Trip to Wales

Before the week got too busy we decided to take the kids on Saturday (the 20th) for a little day trip to Wales. We started early, hopped on the Motorway and crossed the border shortly after 11:00. Our first destination was Castle Coch (check out the info at: http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/wales/coch/coch_info.php ). This is a more modern reconstruction on the site of a 12th C castle. It looks very much like a fairy tale castle... with spires and gilded ceilings. A bit smaller than some of the places we've seen, but very well done. Tom and I agreed that we could definately handle a place like it- maybe on our next house-hunting trip...! It was also much more child friendly than some of the places we've been to lately. No dangerous craggy drop offs. We all loved exploring (and we parents loved using our CADW membership to get in free!!). We had a very nice lunch in the little cafe there. Unlike 95% of UK places serving coffee, they even had to go cups for their tasty latte's. We were impressed. We grabbed our 'take-aways' and headed off to our next stop.

Caerphilly Castle is actually quite close to Castle Coch. We only drove for about 15 minutes or so before we were parking and walking up to it. Caerphilly is mostly ruins, but has a few places where they've added exhibitions. One of the most interesting parts of this place was the tower that has half fallen away, and is leaning (somewhat precariously) towards the moat. Built 750 years ago, it covers about 30 acres, and obviously was almost indestructible. The defences were very significant. The castle even had it's own water run grain mill! There was a display of medieval war machines in one of the courtyards... a hit with the kids, especially Shane. You can see more photos at: http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/wales/caerphilly/caerphilly.php#castle .

Two castles were more than enough for one day, so we headed home. For a change of pace we pulled off at the exit for Bath, and meandered eastwards looking for a nice place for supper. We found this little place: http://www.roomattheinn.info/nr_chippenham_white_hart_inn.html , The White Hart Inn. The food was good and the atmosphere was warm and comfortable. One of the many, many White Hart pubs in England, I'd highly recommend this one. A stream ran right under one of the rooms through a large stone culvert. Very cool. The only thing we found a bit unnerving was the fact that it was already decorated for Christmas!! We've since discovered that this is the case across the country. And it's not even Halloween yet!

Lincoln

To give Tom peace and quiet to study (and go to all of his social events...) the kids and I decided to venture off on our own for a few days while they were off. Friends of ours from Greenwood, Sue and Graham, are also posted to the UK and we decided to go and visit them. Sue was a good friend of mine, as well as Delaney's 1st grade teacher, and their youngest son Matthew spent two years at 'Teacher Lori's' with Shane.

I braved two motorways, many, many roundabouts, and the general unknown for 3 hours with the kids in our Mazda on Tuesday morning to head north for a visit. With only one minor incedent (Kate's tummy didn't care for the many, many roundabouts) and a brief clean-up and bathroom break stop somewhere south of Nottingham, we did quite well! We loved listening to 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' on CD en route. We could all listen, while enjoying the scenery. I'll definately do that again.

(left: Kate checking out the toy store in Lincoln...the boys checking out the gutters...)

The Edwards' Family were VERY gracious hosts. Shane and Matthew were best buddies again seconds after our arrival. The other children played happily together too. I think Kate was a little sweet on Alec (7 years her senior)-- but to his credit he was very kind to her, something most pre-teens aren't willing to do. We spent the first day catching up and doing a little sightseeing in down town Lincoln. Lincoln is a medieval town, set on the hillside. There is a significant pedestrian zone, with lots of quaint old shops and cobblestone streets. We bought the kids some pastries at a bakery and had a quick pitstop before heading home again for the evening. On the second day we visited the Lincoln Cathedral. It was something to see. Even the kids were impressed. Building commenced almost 1000 years ago. For several hundred years it was the tallest building in the world! Amazing. http://www.lincolncathedral.com/ It seats 3000 people-- twice the population of my hometown! It also houses one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta.
(look very closely and see if you can spot Delaney at the front of the church...)

Unfortunately, Sue and Graham were jetsetting to Germany for a few days, so we headed home on Thursday. Thank you again for all of your hospitality! Can't wait to see you again.

Celebrations

To celebrate Tom's promotion we went to Fyfield to the White Hart there. A beautiful 15th C building, tastefully decorated and serving very tasty food, we were introduced to this place by the Canadians whom we replaced, Mario and Tina. It is well worth the trip to Fyfield. Their 'Sticky Toffee Pudding' is to die for. Mmmmmm. Check out their website at http://www.whitehart-fyfield.com/ . The kids loved Kay, as she was kind enough not only to find them crayons and coloring, but also to reward their hard work with extra chocolate fudge brownies!!

So, another week has come and gone. This week is sure to be a busy one with Halloween, back to school and all of the other activities... I'll keep you posted!

Cheers!

B