Deadlines and stuff

That journalism training from college really sticks with you. In News Writing 101, any story that was late go a flat out "F". I got the camp curriculum I've been working on to David Gill in the day before our agreed upon deadline. Was up late last night to finish, but I got it there. There are a couple more things I'm going to add, but the it's essentially done. Even when it's a volunteer job, I just can't miss a deadline if it can at all be avoided.

Now I have to turn my full attention to getting ready to leave on Saturday for 10 days in Ireland. Laundry, packing ( I think Skip is the only one of us who actually has 10 days worth of clothes), cleaning. I hate coming home from vacation to a messy house. Speaking of cleaning, I tried to convince Maddie that she needed to develop a love of picking up and cleaning since her mommy is no good at it. I told her we couldn't both be that way and it was up to her to turn it all around. She wasn't buying it and we ended wrestling and laughing on the floor of her room and it's still not picked up enough for me to vacuum. Think I'm just going to toss whatever is on the floor into a bag so I can get in there.

Obama is not having much fun here in London. Between Sarkozy threatening to walkout and Merkel calling the shindig only a start, I don't know that he's going to have time to catch any shows or exhibits at the museums.

My husband has gone off the grid while in the US. Totally incommunicado. I realize that he's a got a big new important job with big meetings and is in another time zone, but I need to get in touch to finalize our travel plans home this summer. He's not checking phone messages or answering e-mails. Perhaps he will read this BLOG! The bunny issue is throwing a kink in our travel plans and I need to know what he wants to do.

Looking forward to Ireland. We're taking the car and ferrying over. I hope the itinerary I put together is a good one. AND that the weather semi-cooperates!

Great and Busy Weekend

Saturday was our 11th wedding anniversary. Kind of weird to think that 11 years ago we got married outside under sunny and warm skies. I understand it was not quite that warm in Arkansas yesterday.

I got Skip a wallet to replace the one he kept together with duct tape. And he got me a great watch and some really nice earrings. He has blossomed into a fabulous gift picker-outer. That's what eleven years of good training can do!

Maddie had a Build-A-Bear birthday party to go to. That was the best birthday party ever---for me! I dropped her off at the store (in the mall) and spent the next two hours strolling around shops and visiting with all the other moms. Great party!

I had a babysitter who totally flaked out on us. Never returned any phone calls or texts to confirm time--not even when I left a message asking her to let me know if she had to cancel so I could make other plans. Odd. So my friend Pam rescued us with an invitation for Maddie to spend the night at her house. Maddie is in class with her son and takes dance with her daughter, so she was thrilled.

Skip and I went into London to see Mama Mia. What fun! I can see why people see it again and again. Much better than the movie version. And I was fascinated by the writer's ability to weave a story around the songs of ABBA or to weave the songs of ABBA into a story. We laughed a lot! One of my new goals in life is to play the role of the mom is a community theater production some day.

The downside to the weekend is that Skip had to catch an early morning flight to the States and this is the weekend that the UK springs forward. So it was a short night. The good news is that Skip will catch his parents on their last two days in Little Rock. He didn't think he'd get to see them until summer, so this eased the pain of having to make this somewhat last-minute trip.

This evening was mother/daughter Bunco night for Girl Scouts. After the last GS get together I reported on this blog, you can imagine that I was somewhat apprehensive about this event. But this time, woman in charge clearly spent a lot of time planning, had tables set up with directions of how to rotate around the room and gave very good instructions on how to play the game. It was quite raucous, but ran smoothly. When I complimented the leader on what good job she had done planning and executing the event, she said that she fell back on her old camp counselor skills. Should have known!

G-20 Summit

This note got passed along to me by a friend who's part of the American Women's Club here in London.

March 26, 2009

U.S. Embassy London Warden Message: Demonstration on April 1, 2009

This Warden Message is being issued to make U.S. citizens aware of a
march/demonstration scheduled to take place in front of the U.S. Embassy
in London on Wednesday, April 1, 2009, in connection with the upcoming
G-20 Summit. The march will begin in front of the Embassy then move to
Trafalgar Square for a demonstration. The number of demonstrators is
expected to exceed 5,000 people. While we anticipate that the
demonstration will be loud and disruptive but peaceful and well-policed,
access to the Embassy may be affected.

We remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be
peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.
American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of
demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the
vicinity of any demonstrations. American citizens should stay current
with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings
at all times.


I can see it now. On April 1, Skip is in the US and I inadvertently stumble upon a demonstration that turns into a riot and I land in jail with a black eye.

It is interesting that the consulate is urging Americans not to attend the protest and make it sound like a dangerous thing. I would love to see the e-mail that the people organizing the protest sent out.

Birds and Bunnies

Now that it's getting light out earlier, the birds are getting up earlier as well. For the last couple of mornings, I've been awakened at 5 a.m. by lovely, yet loud, bird song. They seem to quiet down around 5:30 so that I can grab another half-hour of sleep before the alarm goes off.

It's not looking good for the bunnies. I had agreed to bring the bunnies back with us IF we could carry them on the plane. They traveled via Pet Air coming from Germany to London, and it took them a week to recover from that short trip. Bunnies are nervous creatures who are also heat sensitive. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't survive a transatlantic flight in July under those same traveling conditions. I've seen people travel with dogs and cats and figured our bunnies would fit the bill of cabin-approved animals. Turns out airlines don't recognize bunnies as domesticated animals. It's really irked me. Our bunnies are smaller than most dogs or cats and don't make near the noise those animals can. Makes no sense. So, unless I can find a pet carrier who will actually care for our pets, we are going to have to find them a nice home here in London. I'm not sure Maddie or Skip can take that, but I think they'd take having the bunnies die in transit even worse!

On a London note, there's been a curious change on the tube. Just a week ago, as you pulled up to a stop, the recorded announcement would say, "The next station is Knightsbridge. Exit here for Harrod's Deparment store." or "The next station is South Kennsingtion. Exit here for museums." Now the voice say, "The next station is Knightsbridge. Alight here for Harrod's Department Stores." Alight? Why does the London Transit Authority feel the need to put on airs all of a sudden?

Fun with Vern and Beth--Part Two

Took Vern and Beth to the airport today, sure that we could have filled another full week of stuff to see and do in London, but confident we hit the highlights. We really enjoyed having them here. They are fun and laid back and very easy house guests.

Sunday we all went out to Anne Boleyn's childhood home that was also later home to the Astors (of Waldorf-Astoria fame). Defying all odds, Vern and Beth continued to enjoy SUNNY London weather. It was a classic English countryside kind of day. Lunch at a local pub, touring of a castle and then walking through gardens. When we arrived home, we were able to introduce Vern and Beth to Indian food. Beth may be a convert, but I don't think Vern is lamenting the lack of Indian takeout in their hometown.






But then Monday, they finally got to experience the real London--complete with cloudy skies and intermittent rain. It was a good museum day, so we hit the Natural History Museum and the V & A and then made a quick jaunt over to see Buckingham Palace. Today, we made it into Chiswick where Beth was able to obtain a proper English teapot.

The drive to Heathrow was so free of traffic, I got them there WAY early. Their flight should have taken off about 15 minutes ago. The jet lag didn't seem to slow them down coming here, so I hope they make the adjustment easily as they return to home and work this week. I do believe a good time was had by all.

Fulham Wins

Holy Cow! They were supposed to get crushed by Manchester United, but Skip's football team emerged victorious and he was there to see it. He was just a bit excited (classic use of English understatement).

Fun with Beth and Vern

Vern and Beth have been hitting it hard here in London. On Friday, we did Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, a ride down the Thames and the Tower of London. Then on Friday Skip took off work and they all went to Windsor Castle (where the Queen was in residence) and then headed into central London to see the 39 Steps, which they reported was quite funny.

Today, we are headed to Portobello Market and while Vern and Skip go to a football game, Beth and I will take a tour of Harrods.




Vern and Beth at the Tower of London with Tower Bridge in the background.



Vern at the Traitor's Gate at the Tower of London




On our ride on the Thames



Really inventive street performer




Vern and Beth and the London Eye



At Westminster Abbey (no photos allowed inside)




With Big Ben

First Day

Vern and Beth got here on time and safely. They have been troopers. After a quick trip home to freshen up a bit, we headed into London for a trip to the British museum. Before lunch they had already seen the Assyrian monuments, the Rosetta stone and Cleopatra's mummified form. Then we got to view all the pieces of the Parthenon the British swiped from Greece with permission from the occupying Ottomans back in the 1800's.

After that was a walk to Piccadilly Circus and a scenic ride home on the double decker 94 bus. We even scored the front seats up top. Cheapest tour bus in town. The 94 goes from Piccadilly all the way to Chiswick via Regent Street, Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Notting Hill and Shepherds Bush.

Tomorrow we're off to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Tower of London. So much to see. So little time.

Left my camera at home today, but tomorrow, all bets are off.

Good weather continues

Another beautiful day in London and the weather is supposed to stay nice through the week—so good news for Vern and Beth’s visit. Skip is going to put Maddie on the bus in the morning as I will leave early to pick them up at the airport. Maddie wants me to wake her up before I leave so that I can brush her hair and put it up in a ponytail for PE. We have failed in not training her father how to make a proper ponytail. Every father of a daughter should be able to do that blindfolded. I’m sending him to stay with Lile Choate for some post-ex-pat, wife-is-going-back-to-work retraining when we get back.

Speaking of Lile, yay for wife Andrea who just got notice that she was accepted into the anesthesiology residency program at UAMS. It's been a long road. I am so proud of her and her husband and her kids. It was definitely a group effort!

I have to say, as proud as I am that I can drive in London, I am growing quite weary of it. Just running one of Maddie’s friends (who lives almost within walking distance) is like maneuvering through an obstacle course. With so many roads that are designated two-way (but only wide enough for one car at a time) driving is a game of bob and weave all the while looking out for pedestrians, cyclists and motorbikes. Wonder if I’ll be better at video games after my time here.

Alcohol is the big news here in England. Drinking (particularly binge drinking) is becoming an increasing health problem here. An article in the Times today had a startling statistic that the average adult in England is consuming the equivalent of 120 bottles of wine a year. And that’s the average. But then, I guess that would be the equivalent to having a glass of wine every day—and a lot of people here do that. Plus the average wouldn’t be lowered as much as it would in the States (especially the South) by so many people who don’t drink at all.

The government is debating raising the price in order to reduce consumption. Some suggest a tax on all alcohol, and others are suggesting only raising prices on the cheaper liquor with the highest alcohol content that those looking simply to get drunk are most likely to choose. It’s become quite the hot bed topic. There are those who think it’s a no brainer because of the high rate of consumption and the direct and indirect (drunk driving, domestic violence) health problems. Then there are those who think that such measures are extreme and feel that raising prices will penalize stores and pubs who are already struggling in a difficult economy.

I have to wonder if price is the solution. Beer and wine here in England are already more expensive than in Germany, and while Germans certainly enjoy a nice beer, there weren’t the health concerns over excessive consumption that there is here in England. It seems like pricing won’t be addressing the root problem—although I don’t know what the root problem is.

It will be interesting to watch this play out and see what happens.

Great Weather in London

We are enjoying wonderfully sunny, cool, dry weather here in London. That's something I imagine people here don't get to say too often. I hope it will continue in to the visit from Vern (Skip's older brother) and Beth who arrive on Wednesday.

Discussion of the warm weather led to my Iranian dry cleaner to ask me about iced tea. She said, "I see people drinking it in the movies. The Bridges of Madison County. But I don't understand it. Tea is a hot drink. How do you fix it with ice?" I stood there with my dry cleaning telling her about the joys of sun tea, but explained that you could also just make a regular pot, let it cool and then pour it over ice. I told her it was the first thing I ordered in a restaurant when I made it back to the US. She said she would give it a try. By the way, the Iranian New Year is coming up--March 21. Make a good impression on any immigrant neighbors you may have and wish them a happy one.

On Saturday, Skip and Maddie and I went to brunch at Giraffe and then headed out to Hampton Court Palace--where Henry the VIII spent a great deal of his time. We learned a lot about Henry and his wives and about some of his successors. It is one bloody history. I just love that my seven-year-old knows that Anne Boleyn opted to be beheaded with a sword rather than the customary ax. I think Catherine of Aragon (his first wife) got the rawest deal of them all--even though she got to keep her head.

We got to "meet" Henry and his last wife, Katherine Parr, on the day of their wedding. The palace wasn't very crowded so we got to talk to several of the guides and learned that as a young man, Henry was quite dashing and was said to the finest calves in Europe. Apparently, a well-muscled calf was highly desirable in those days. We also learned that people of high standing got invited to come to the castle to watch the king dress. That was considered a high honor. Guess they all wanted a closer look at those calves.

On Sunday we headed to church and Maddie went home with a friend who was having a birthday party. Skip and I took advantage of a free (and sunny!) afternoon to wander the streets of London. Skip was hoping to find a couple of new light sweaters to buy, and began perusing the designer section of one of London's oldest department store. Poor man didn't realize what the name Marc Jacobs can do the price of sweater. Needless to say, we did not make any purchases, but had a really nice day.

Today, I've been attempting to get my ducks in a row in preparation for Vern and Beth's visit. We are looking forward to a really good time.


Here are some of our pictures from Hampton Court Palace

Ready to Come Home

Yeah, my husband tells me after he gets home tonight that he was in this zone on Thursday. Like his office in Amsterdam was behind the police tape that cordoned off the possible strike zone. Yikes!

Terrrorists foiled

The target was possibly the IKEA that is next to his office building. He figured if it was a real threat they would evacuate, plus his office was on the opposite side of the building from the IKEA. Good to know that he stayed until 7:30 p.m. and had to cross police lines to catch a taxi back to his hotel room.

Am hoping the Acxiom building in Little Rock will not face such threats.

Again...YIKES!

For the Dad...and the Grandparents

Since Skip is in the Netherlands to day and couldn't make it for Maddie's student-led parent conference, I made this video, so he could see some of it too.





Maddie did a great job. After the conference, we went shopping for new clothes. Maddie is outgrowing hers and I have literally worn out some of mine. That travel line from Chicos can only take so many years of abuse before holes begin to appear. And when you only have one pair of jeans and don't have a job that requires you to wear something other than jeans, they don't last as long as you might think.

We also went bowling and had less-than-satisfactory lunch at McDonalds. Ugggg. And then we went grocery shopping at Aldi where I started assembling ingredients for Vern and Beth's visit next week. My freezer is larger than the one I had in Germany (although not "American" sized), so now I can do a little buying ahead.

The news of the school shooting in Germany came on the car radio while we were out and about. So Maddie and I talked about it and how sad and awful it was. I told Maddie that I didn't want her to be afraid that it would happen in her school. She said, "Mom, I'm almost in 3rd grade now. I know that that's not usual."

I learned today that Albert Aloise has had a stroke. Those of you who visited 4th Church with us when we lived in Boston will no doubt remember Albert as the silver-haired man in the coat and tie who played the tambourine with the praise choir. He also taught art to the neighborhood children. He is a real treasure. Since we left, he has married and he and his wife have two young children. Please keep Albert and his family in your prayers.

Weekend Stuff

We had a nice weekend in London. Saturday, Maddie and Skip got to spend a lot of time together running some errands and going to see a movie. "Hotel for Dogs" was not as bad as Skip thought it would be. Then we all met up for dinner at The Mall. Recession, my foot. It was packed.

Then I preached at our church on Sunday and that went well. It was rough pulling it together after being out of practice, but it was nice to lead worship again.

At lunch, Maddie and Skip and I played "What We're Looking forward to When We Get Back to America". After being closer to friends and family, we all had different things. Maddie wants to go to Wild River Country, Purple Penguin, Chuckie Cheese. Skip is looking forward to watching American Football again and jogging in our neighborhood. I am the shallow one. I just want my big washer and drier, my own personal sink and my walk-in closet. So terribly spoiled, I am. Skip is not looking forward to the heat and I will miss being able to walk places. I think we'll all miss the diversity of people and cultures. Skip and I both are planning to eat a lot of Mexican food when we return.

Going to take our very pregnant friend out shopping today. She's not very tall, and the baby is so big now that if her seat is back far enough to fit behind the steering wheel, she can't reach the wheel with her arms.

Skip was home last week, but gone all this week. Maddie has a short week as Thursday is parent teacher conferences and Friday is a teacher work day.

I am trying to pull together this camp curriculum that I'm working on. We'll see how far I get this week.

Teachable Moments

This whole situation with Rhianna and Chris Brown has been really upsetting to me. I am so disappointed that it looks like she's going to take him back. But it has been a good time to talk with Maddie about domestic violence. She knows who both of the singers are, but she was kind of confused to learn that Chris had beaten up Rhianna. You can understand her confusion when you think about the men she's spent time with in her life. How could she imagine her dad or either of her grandfathers or uncles or Martin Kasten or Lile Choate or Rob Sanders hitting their wives? The idea is (thank you, God!) so foreign to her. But, it's never to early to teach your daughter that it's not okay for anyone to hit her...ever!

Maddie had a big treat last night. A friend of hers got to spend the night on a school night! Megan's parents are in Prague to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Going to Prague from London is about like heading to Chicago from Little Rock. I got to go there last year and it's one of my favorite places that I've been. Maybe Skip and I can get there for our 20th!

I thought I was going to sneak in two Mother's Days this year. Mother's Day in Great Britain is this month. So I thought my family could do something for me now and then again for the American Mother's Day in May. My daughter, who insists on harboring the belief that life is fair, said that we could not do that because it wouldn't be fair to Daddy not to get two Father's Days. Oh, well.

Been wrestling with a sermon this week. I'm going to preach at the church we attend while the regular pastor is away at a church officer training conference. I am so out of practice with such things. I've really struggled, but think I've come up with something to say. I was a little worried about my American accent and being understood, but then realized with the wide range of Scottish, English and Ghanan accents, everyone was used to everyone else sounding a bit different.

We're just hanging out this weekend. Maybe catch a movie with Maddie. There are a couple she wants to see. We're going to skip the sightseeing this weekend, but may be back at it next weekend. Those weekends are running out for us. We're trying to strike a balance between making the most of our remaining time here and not crashing and burning from exhaustion. Too many fun things to see and do and too many fun people coming to see us. We'll sleep when we get back to Little Rock.

Unsettling Day

I woke up this morning to the news of the attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan. Even though the casualty count is much lower, I think this attack is even worse than the one in Mumbai. To attack a sports club is like attacking a concert or an art show. Attacking the things that unite us in order to divide us is the worst kind of terrorist action. There are already calls to put an end to international cricket in Pakistan because it is just too dangerous. It's hard to draw an exact parallel, but it would be similar to telling Arkansans that there will be no more Razorback games because other schools won't send in their teams because of safety concerns.

Then I went into town to drop off Skip's dry cleaning. Sarah (our dry cleaner) and I have a system. I drop off on my way to run errands and then pick up last week's shirts on my way home. So after the drop off, I headed to the Kitchen and Pantry, a cozy little coffee shop/bistro to work on my sermon for this Sunday at our church (I'm filling in) and have a latte. I find I do better with the writing away from the house. Too easy to get distracted with laundry, dishes, etc. And then if I get stuck, it's easy to convince myself that a little television will clear my head. Yeah, right.

So I've got my latte and I've settled in to work on my sermon on discipleship. This week's lesson is that turning point in Mark where Jesus talks about taking up your cross and losing yourself. As I'm trying to communicate what I think this means, I hear someone talking and finally realize the person is talking to me. I'm sitting right near the condiment area, and I look up to find a skinny man with really bad teeth and a strong accent holding a fistful of ketchup and mayo packets saying, "Why did you come to London?" Just a quick look at his eyes and his manner tells me he is either mentally ill or high. So I say, "Excuse me?" And he asks, "Where are you from?" I tell him I'm from the States. He says that hunger has come to London and then he asks, "What has brought you to London?" I tell him it was my husband's job. He says again, "Hunger has come to London," and he asks if I am ever hungry and I have to admit that, no, I have never gone hungry. At this point, I'm starting to get a little nervous. I'm looking around the little bistro and seeing that I am in a room full of women. Not one big burly guy to be found. I figure this whole conversation will end in a request for money and I'm already thinking about what I have cash-wise, glad to remember that I have a 2 pound piece in a pocket and won't have to search around in my purse. As I am about to go for the coin, he starts becoming angrier and obscene. Not knowing what else to do (and a little irked, after all, I am about to give this scary guy some money and now he's turning nasty) I just say, "I'm sorry, but I really have to get back to what I'm working on," and turn back to my sermon. You know, the part where I talk about how following Jesus is often about doing things that make us uncomfortable.

When I look back up he's gone. Leaving me with the question--where is the line between being uncomfortable and actually being in danger? Which, I hate to admit, is a more pressing question for women than it is for men. I thought about trying to address the question in my sermon, but decided that was too much for a substitute preacher to try to address in one Sunday. So I left feeling creeped out and wimpy all at the same time.

Video Addition

Had trouble getting the video to post to the other entry. Maybe it needs its own.

Busy Weekend

On Saturday, Skip took Maddie to Kew Gardens where they explored and discovered and enjoyed the unusually great weather, while I headed to downtown London to represent Camp Ferncliff at a counselor recruitment fair organized by Camp U.S.A. We were the dwarf camp. The camp to my left in the hall was in the Poconos and runs two week sessions all summer long with 600 campers each. And for only $5000 a session, you, too, can go there. The camp to my right (qualifying for the it's a small world award) was from Wilmot, New Hampshire, just down the road from the struggling Camp Wilmot where I worked in seminary. You can spend 7 weeks there for just under $10,000. Let's hear it for Camp Ferncliff!

We scored one male and one female counselor that I think (hope!) will be good additions to the Ferncliff team.

Saturday night, our friends from Istanbul arrived. We met the Harwoods in Duesseldorf and they are some of our favorite people. Just like the Robinsons who were here last weekend, the Harwoods have three little girls.

Sunday we headed to the Natural History museum, but we didn't make the marathon day that we did last weekend. Naomi and Lexi are younger than Maddie and just a bit of age difference makes a big difference in stamina! We came back and let the girls watch Night at the Museum which takes place at the Nat. History Museum in New York and then had a feast of fish and chips--which are hard to come by in Istanbul.

This morning they are off in London running errands and they'll come back here for tea before heading to Bath to spend the rest of the week with relatives. Following are pictures and a short video of their time here.



Maddie investigates at the Natural History Museum




Natalie with the littlest Harwood, Naomi



Lexi and Emmy with the WHALE



The Whole Harwood Family




The ceiling of the mammal exhibition at the museum



Lexi, Maddie and Emmy