mending musings

These are my musings while I sat and did a simple chore that has been waiting for me to tend to it for almost one month.

When I was in eighth grade and supposed to be taking the practical arts block where I would be learning keyboarding, wood shop and home economics I wrote a letter to the powers that be to be able to take both choir and a full year of art instead. I will learn to sew...don't worry!

Well, I have tried to learn to sew, ever since, but I still wouldn't say that I can sew very well at all. I received a wonderful sewing machine for my 30th birthday, and I only used it a little before it had to be packed away and stored whilst we are living abroad...the plug is incompatible here and the motor would burn out even if we got a transformer. My heart gives a little sigh when I think of that sewing machine all boxed up.

Anyway, my son has been asking me if I would mend his "trousers" (pants in England are underwear, my kids always say trousers) which he tore when he fell off his scooter. They have been sitting in my to deal with pile for a month.

Tonight I fixed them with the sewing needles my mom gave me that had been her mothers, and maybe her mother's. On the package it says "Coat of Arms Needles...Finest Quality...Made in Redditch, England" It seems a little poetic to me that my grandmother, who would never have had trouble in simply mending a pair of trousers split at the knee, had these needles made in England in her possession and that somehow they made their way back here, where her granddaughter attempted to mend her great grandson's very favorite pair of trousers that were torn on English soil.
I thought I wouldn't go into this, but I will...it also is so poetic to me that we are here at all, when my ancestors --14 generations ago, came to America on the Mayflower...and here we are living in England. I feel a little bit of family connection in all this...though we are far away, there are reminders everywhere.

Black red heads and blondies, Queen Anne's Lace and God is stll good.

Waiting for our friends just inside the less popular gate at Kew Gardens, my boys sit on the bench and eat an oatcake. Nice clean little boys. We look at the tree and talk about what kind of tree it is (Indian Horse Chestnut) and what the leaves look like. After this the boys get up to look at the neighboring tree. "Mom feel the dirt, its so warm!" I touched the dark earth with my hand, it was warm...I could see what was coming. Within minutes their arms and faces are covered in black dirt. They look like the only red and blond haired black children I have ever seen. Love them. Love that they could do that.
Our friends who were meeting us arrive, the children greet one another with roars and dirt throwing followed by chasing through the tall grasses, bluebells and queen Anne's lace flowers (I think they were Queen Anne's Lace, though maybe not...light and white)
A caveat on Queen Anne's Lace, its a reminder flower for me...7 years ago when I was in a very rough patch, heading into a mild depression, I was driving myself north bound on 270 from highway 40 in St. Louis. Dark thoughts were rambling in my head in those days, and I remember looking to the side and seeing the Queen Anne's Lace blowing in the breeze. God is still good, they seemed to whisper gently, God is still good. Every time I see that flower I remember that, God is still good. Two years ago I was caught in a dark summer as I battled with overwhelming health issues and caring for new baby..."Todd, I'll give you a hint, see all that Queen Anne's Lace growing along the road, pick some for me." Well that year he didn't, but the following year he did. God love him, he came home with the roots, the dirt, the long stems and the puff of white flower on the top. The flower drooped all over...FYI much better on the road side where it tells you gently, "God is still good."
Anyway, here was our beautiful day at Kew, and we let the children lead the way for most of the day. They raced around the pagoda, they had a treasure hunt with pretend maps and instructions, they wandered through the flowers and had to be reminded not to pick them, we had a picnic on a blanket in the partial shade and partial sun. They found a small enclosure with a bench which became a house, a campfire, a "nest of fire", and even an office. The children pretended to be birds, flew to a picnic table, stood on the top and all of them flapped their wings while making up songs and dancing, then jumping off again. They dove into the deep grass, and pleaded with me to take a dive too. It was such a soft and warm bed of grass..."lay here until we tap you to get up." Tim laid on top of me, Ethan on my left and our other friend on the right.
While the children played, I chatted with my friend on the blanket, cuddled her baby girl and tended to our little ones as they came back for snacks, afterbite applications, snuggles or arbitration for disputes.
Somewhere in the midst of the day, I knew that even when things are difficult here, and they are difficult here, that God is still good.

Simple evenings at the playground...

Simple evenings at the playground, what a treasure. We all head to the playground, the boys racing off on their scooters. The air is cool and the sky is still bright, even after dinner. The playground is filled with children of all ages. People from different backgrounds and nationalities, its such a diverse and happy place. Many children still have on their school uniforms...skirts and jumpers (sweaters) or trousers with collared shirts, sometimes ties.
Our boys enjoy the zip line, Ethan likes a good sideways push, even Tim is able to hold on and ride down the line until the bump at the end. We play a game of family chase, Ethan often lingers too long on base and needs urging to get off. Tim doesn't really understand the game but loves all the running and excitement.
We cross over a small hill dividing the play area and Ethan is pretending we are in other worlds...Buzz Lightyear world, Tarzan world, Narnia world, Cheese Moon World...its hard to keep up.
We work out a way on the teeter-totter, with Poppa and Tim on one side and Ethan with me on the other side. In this way, we're able to bounce up and down and make one another linger in the air. (After we did this I saw at least 2 other families doing the same thing!)
The boys use their scooters and race around on the pavement outside the playgound, they want me to try and catch them. It doesn't take too much effort or pretending to get them to think I am on their tail and they dash off again.
With the sun still in the sky, we head home for baths and books and beds. Springtime is wonderful!

Some unofficial sites to see in London, from Ethan's Point of View

On a recent day trip into central London, my sons had such a wonderful time. I am sure the experiences they had are not in any tour guide, so I thought I would record them here for you, from their point of view.

After taking entirely too long getting ready--packing lunches, having a mega breakfast of scrambled eggs, rashers (which is sort of like my favorite food--bacon, but not at all and its really too bad because you can't get American style bacon here in England...if anyone would send me bacon, I can eat a lot of bacon) and oatmeal we are out the door and on to the train station. I love going on ahead on my scooter, and mom let me take my scooter today!

On the train, I want to sit with the seats where there are 3 in a row, but mom says no we have to stay where we are. I sit with Poppa, and Tim sits on Poppa's lap. In front of us is our friend, Rachel, who is visiting...Tim stands on Poppa's lap and surprises Rachel from above and then laughs hysterically. So I think that must be fun, and I do it too. So we both do that over and over and over, and it is fun. You should try it too.

When we get to the train station I love to put the ticket through and grab it when it comes out. the doors open and I walk through. I didn't get to do that when I was 4, but now that I am 5 I get to have a ticket each time we travel. Tim always wants to put a ticket in. Poppa gives him a "ticket" but its not a real ticket and he doesn't get to put it in. He cries about it sometimes. He is always thinking about the boy in the Polar Express who lost the ticket...or maybe its a girl.

We find our way out, and we keep having to stop and wait while my mom looks at the map.

We make it to Buckingham Palace and we see a bunch of people with big black furry hats and red jackets go by...they have real cool uniforms, that would be fun to have in my dress up box. I sit on my scooter and watch them go by, they are all marching at the same time, I can see them from down low looking through the bars on the fence.

There is something on today because a lot of people in fancy hats with feathers and veils and funny things sticking out go by, the men have top hats and canes. A lot of them are smoking cigarettes and I get the smoke in my face, because I am still sitting on my scooter. Poppa is holding Tim and Tim keeps saying "Funny Hats" I think he's doing this, because Momma told him he would see some funny hats, though she was really meaning the guards...and now here we are with an endless parade of people wearing truly funny hats.

We make our way over to this really cool fountain. Down on the lower part there is a statue of a guy and water is flowing out of his mouth. I like that because thats what I like to do in the bath, when mom is not in the room of course. I try to sit on the edge like Rachel is doing, Mom tells me I can't because my legs aren't long enough. She gives me a 2 pence coin to throw in, Tim throws in one too. Its just like Richard Scarry's "Pip Pip goes to London" We wander around the fountain and go up top and get to sit on the wall up top. We wave to Poppa. There are so many people and some big platforms with video cameras. Poppa asks why they are there, and I guess they were there because they can't figure out who is going to be the next prime minister, and they might figure it out any time, so those people have to sit there with their cameras all day.

Next we go through St. James' park, I ride my scooter down the hill 5-10 times. So much fun. You should try this too. Be careful though because after you do it a bunch of times and then you need to keep going with your mom and dad, you might be tired and they will say something like, "you had enough energy to go down the hill."

There are some really pretty flowers in St. James's Park. Here are some of them. My mom took this picture while I was doing the scooter thing on the hill. A great way to get your mom to let you ride on the hill is if she wants to take pictures of flowers or buildings or something.

There are these elephant statues in the park and all over London I guess, they are really fun to look at too.

We go over to the Admirality, where there are some guards. Before you get to the guards you should try and make a big pile with all the little rocks. I really could have stayed here all day, and you probably could too. Its so fun to play with rocks. We have some in our garden.

When you go through the arch way you can yell real loud and hear your voice come back to you. Try it.

Then you can get your picture taken next to a guard. he stands there very serious guarding and you can go up to him and he will not smile or move or anything. But his horse will look at you and thats what happened to this horse. It would have been a great picture to put here in the blog if my mom had had the lens open on the camera, but she didn't so thats that. We went back for the another picture but it just wasn't the same.

Next you can walk toward Big Ben, and just before you get to Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives, there is a barricade. I decide to ride my scooter on the other side of the barricade. I got in trouble for this though, so make sure your mom says its okay. There were security people and people with cameras there.

We have a picnic on the other side of Westminster Abbey, the building is all covered in ivy. Though we aren't sure you are normally allowed to do this, but nobody said anything to us. Poppa thinks someone was coughing about it, whatever that means.

This is Big Ben, well actually the bell is big ben, the building is St. Stephens Tower. I see it and say "Its Big Ben" Poppa says no the bell is Big Ben, but I still think I am clever for knowing its Big Ben.

And we try to pass by Parlimant, there are some tents set up on the lawn and someone is shouting and saying things and I tell Momma, "That's not very kind" She says its just grown up stuff and not to worry. There are so many people with cameras next to the houses of parliment its hard to get by, and there are all the tents and people shouting on the other side. Momma and Poppa have to push their way through. Right after we go through, a line of motorcycles and things go by. Later we find out that it was right about the time the new prime minister was announced.

Then we go for a ride on the tube from Westminster Station, There is a man playing violin in the passage way, I love listening to the music carry down the hall. There are signs all over the walls. One is a great big picute of someones face and arms. They have long hair and glasses, and there are these letters underneath.."OZZY". I tell my mom that "She has one ring to say where she lives and one ring to say that she's married." My mom thinks this is hysterical. Rachel says she wants to personally tell Ozzy Osbourne I said that.

We go to the National Gallery next, but Tim is asleep. At first I start to groan and moan about being here, but it turns out to be really great. I recommend using the toilet at the National Gallery because they have a really cool way to dry your hands. (So you have to wash your hands too) You put your hands in this thing and cold air blows them dry from both sides. I could still be in there! I did like to sit on the benches and look at the pictures...my mom would tell me whats happening in the pictures, kind of like a story. There is one really great room in the middle with soft benches--if you run and dive on to it, thats the best way to get up on it. You can lay there for a long time while your parents look at paintings.

We pass by Trafalgar square on the way back to the train station. Look here's a statue of Aslan, and that might be Jill Pole or Lucy or someone on top of it. I have to go home with my brother and my poppa because Momma and Rachel are going to the theater to see Les Mis. I don't like this idea, but I was good for Poppa so I got a surprise book.

That was my day in London, hope you got some good tips of things to do there!

I don't know what these are, but they are all over the place. Nobody ever uses them, there is funny thing in there with a cord. Any ideas?

This is a picture of my momma in front of the theater where she saw Les Mis. I don't know about that little girl in the picture, but my mom says one day when I am bigger I will absolutely love seeing this production. She couldn't stop talking about it and singing and humming. Things like, "Master of the "ouse." and "When the beating of your heart matches the beating of the drums." All day the next day she was in sort of a trance. She also thinks it would be great for me to have some drama lessons...

Little sighs, little hoorays...daily life in the UK

Little joys and little annoyances filled my day...many hoorays and sighs...



One joy is the delivery of groceries that are ordered online. Well, its a little difficult to get it all in the tiny fridge, though I managed. I shouldn't complain, we are blessed with an additional freezer. The fridge back home was enormous compared to this!

On my fridge I have some magnets---from the National Zoo in Washington DC, from Cedar Run Cattle on the Eastern Shore in Maryland (Where I used to get my fresh eggs and meat from, farmer Lou asked us to put his magnet on the fridge here) I have some pics of my family and Todd's brother's kids. I have some phone lists, including an emergency phone list I only had the sense to make about 2 weeks ago. Hooray for online shopping and the Tesco delivery chap!




Next sigh ...left the knitting out where the 2 year old who loves swords and string can find it. I recently have been learning how to knit, have a scarf I have been working on and because I am so enthralled with the idea that this is actually making something I carelessly left it out. I may need to call in help to salvage my project. Hooray for friends who can teach me new things!



Certainly the biggest sigh of the day happened when I went to register at the GP. (For my American readers, the GP is the general practioner, with the national health system everyone has to register at their local GP) This particular GP would not let us register until we had been here for 6 months. I went in March to register our whole family and I brought all our passports plus an item of mail for the last 6 months that had our name and address on it. Turns out I needed one piece of mail for each of the last 6 months with Todd's name and address on it and one for each of the last 6 months with my name and address on it. Now, because I am not working and do not pay the bills and many places send us our stuff over email, I had to scrounge to get these papers together, and 5 weeks later I return to register at the GP. So there I am with all my papers at the reception desk of the GP's surgery (yes, americans, the surgery is the doctors office, not the O.R.) The woman at the desk oohs and aahs about my American passport. I guess American passports are really patriotic and showy compared to other countries. They all come round to look at it. "There really is a picture on every page." Right, and each page has quotes like.."We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."

There are about 7 other people politely waiting in the queue behind me. Then someone, not really sure who, comes down and asks me some questions (that I would have deemed private) in front of this queue of people. This is slightly annoying to me, after working in America in a chiropractic clinic when HIPAA was launched and everyones personal health information became super hush-hush. So, slightly embarrassed, I leave the GP surgery knowing I have ticked off one other thing from my list and assured that I still have no idea what to do in this culture! Government run health care....hooray? (By the way, you may be wondering what private questions the person asked me today, and the only answer you are going to get is that they were private, and if those 7 other people have a blog or a facebook or a twitter, they may be sharing that information on their sites.)




Hooray and sigh for the sun staying up later! My children have a really difficult time sleeping when its bright outside. I love the light, its wonderful that now in the beginning of May it already stays light until 9 pm, so...we will have to get some black out shades. Hooray for sunshine and longer days!






I saw the sweetest elderly couple walking along the high street today. She was using a cane and he was carrying the groceries in a bag. They were holding hands and smiling, their white hair blowing in the breeze and their faces beaming. Beautiful people, I thought to myself. Hope Todd and I are like that when we are old.




I popped into a charity shop (thrift shop, Americans) on the way home and found a brand new book that Ethan will love. Hooray for charity shops on the high street!



Hooray also for bank holidays! Yesterday was a bank holiday and so Todd was home, and today was his normal day off so it was a wonderfully nice break for all of us! Hooray!