Hot Hot Hot

We got an extra fan in our hotel room today. It helps, but an extra window but be better!

Skip had a great time at the walk through on our house. Turns out it was an almost two-hour deal where they went through this ridiculously extensive checklist. I had asked him if he wanted Maddie and I to meet the people, and (both of us thinking it would be a quick thing), he said he would go. I'm kind of glad he did. Sorry he had to endure the long process, but after how unresponsive that same management company has been to all the problems we've had in the house, I think I really would have blown up if they had a problem with anything. I think we're in the clear on it all.

Oh, and this was his bonus. I had cleaned out the fridge, removed all the shelves and cleaned them--even put the acrylic door shelves through the dishwasher. It sparkled. In all of my efforts, I totally neglected the freezer! It was full when he arrived at the house this morning and he had to throw everything out! So he has had a super day.

Maddie and I braved the heat and the train systems and took an hour-and-a-half trip into the city. Living way out here in Teddington this week makes me so glad that we went for the smaller, closer-to-the-city house. We met Maddie's friend and her little sister and brother at the Museum of Childhood, where there is a special Roald Dahl exhibit and then we hit the Princess Diana Memorial Park. They had such a good time, in spite of the heat!

Maddie and I had to shower and change by the time we made it home after two tube lines and a train (all without air conditioning). They are making announcements and posting signs urging commuters to always travel with a bottle of water. We were so sweaty and dusty and gross by the time we made it home. We are going to arrive at my in-laws with a ton of super smelly clothes.

Getting There

Yesterday, Maddie and I went back to the house and let the bunnies run around in the rabbit run while I cleaned out the cage and got it out to the curb for pick-up. The bunny pick-up man arrived and took them away. It was only after I got all the debris swept up that Maddie began to cry. Even though I have severe concerns about how well the bunnies will fare on this trip, I thought I had kept those from Maddie. I told her that we've been away from the bunnies for a week before, but she's smarter than that. "Not when they have to travel, too." After she calmed down and I hoovered and mopped and cleaned the one shelf in the refrigerator that I had somehow missed on my first go-round.

Skip is going back today to meet the rental folks for a final walk thru and to turn in the keys.

From the house, Maddie and I went over to see her friend Ann and my friend (Anne's mom) Fin. We ended up spending the rest of the day with them and had a lovely time. Ann's dad was working from home, so Fin and I went to see the Ham House. Not what you might think, but rather a 400-year-old country home out in Richmond. Fin's background is in interior design and the history of decorative arts, so she knew all the right questions to ask. It was really interesting and probably nowhere I ever would have just gone on my own. The most interesting story was about the ice house. The Thames River used to freeze over and they would break off big chunks and store it in the icehouse and have ice all summer long to cool the wine for parties. This was back in the 1600s. Wild.

Skip had a late phone call, so Maddie and I didn't even come back to the sweatbox hotel room until late. She's sleeping in this morning, but will have to get up in a little while as breakfast at the hotel stops at 9. Today, we're meeting her friend Kara at the Museum of Childhood where there is a Roald Dahl exhibit and then hitting a playground. It's hot here, but it's not so bad outside (especially in the shade). It's the indoors and the public transport where there is no air conditioning that are so oppressive. They have signs up all over the tube stations encouraging commuters to keep water with them at all times.

I posted the following on Facebook on a night that I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd share it here, too. I think it helped.

So I'm in an un-air-conditioned, cramped hotel room with my husband and daughter. I can't sleep because someone is snoring. I have been a total Negative Nellie since this moving process began, so in my sleep-deprived state, I decided that a song was the best way to snap out of it.

Here's a little ditty I came up with. It's to the tune of "Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.

Wicked good theater and free museum passes
Finding a good spot and watching the masses
Big Ben, St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey
These are few of my favorite things

Big, bright red buses and matching phone booth-ies
Indian, dim sum and meals at Yo Sushi
Top Shop and Boden and Olive magazine
These are a few of my favorite things

When the rain falls
When the tube strikes
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

Hitting Portobello and avoiding Hamleys
Friends from all over who treat you like family
Kennsington park on a sunny day in spring
These are a few of my favorite things

V and A blending of fashion and history
Fortnum and Mason for afternoon high tea
Natural History museum (love the building)
These are a few of my favorite things

When I can’t sleep
When the pipes leak
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad


There. That should do it.

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

Most of the weekend didn't do much for adjusting my attitude. Every weekend the Tube has some line closures or partial line closures and this weekend, the closures were exactly on the lines that we needed to get all the places we needed to go. We employed some round-about routes that included buses, above ground trains, unfamiliar tube lines and car services. It was really ridiculous! But tomorrow, all lines should be up and running. Whew!

Saturday, we went and did some last detail things at the house and checked on the bunnies (who are being picked up tomorrow). Then Skip and Maddie headed to the Brit Oval for Skip's final cricket match.



Free Face Painting at the Oval



the pitch at the Brit Oval

Then we attempted to meet up at the Ealing Broadway station to head to the Mulgrew's house for their going away party. But two of the three tube lines that go to Ealing Broadway were closed. We eventually all three arrived. And made our way in the rain (which came up shockingly fast) to our friends' house. Fun evening with friends, and we avoided the trauma and drama on the way home by just calling up a car.

This morning, Maddie and were going to try to take a combination above ground train/bus to church, but we got the times wrong and ended up having to call another car. Ugggg. Our Ghanan friends from church gifted each of us with traditional Ghanan clothing and I even received a stole to wear with my robe. Maddie went home from church with friend Christabelle.

When they brought her back to the hotel, they stayed and visited for awhile and we learned a little more about life in Ghana. We'll have to add that to our travel list--although Skip was a little put off after hearing about all the shots required before you visit.




Maddie and her buddy Christabelle



Me and Christianne (Christabelle's mom)

Negative Nellie

Good grief! I am in desperate need of an attitude adjustment!

The movers (who should have been done by noon) left at 4:30 p.m. They almost couldn't get everything in the truck. To my shame and mortification, they were stunned by the sheer amount of stuff we had crammed into our little house. I TOLD the estimator guy about that, but clearly, he did not believe me. Our family needs a possession overhaul in the worst way.

Then Maddie and I catch a cab with six suitcases in tow to the hotel near where Skip works. When he first booked the hotel, I objected to a seven-day stay at a hotel with no pool and no gym. He said we could change if I wanted, but that the hotel was really convenient to work. He's had such a lousy commute during his time here, I figured he deserved an easy one for a week.

So we get here and find that not only is there no gym or pool, the hotel room is small, un-air conditioned and without a refrigerator (to house Maddie snacks and drinks). Even better, the room overlooks the outdoor restaurant/bar area which means that keeping the window open (a must with no air conditioning) is quite loud. I have done well through two days of movers, cleaning out of dingy corners and cupboards, dealing with bunny arrangements and trying to figure out what to pack to bring home, but after getting to the hotel, I just had to have a good cry.

I feel like Judy Moody. "Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood." I hate being in a bad mood. It is no fun at all, and not how I want to exit this European adventure. But I am hot and tired and cranky. Thank goodness I packed the Tylenol pm. Hopefully that will let me sleep through the noise (outdoor revelers and indoor snorers) and tomorrow will be a better day!

It always takes longer than they say

It's one p.m. here on Friday and the movers are still moving. Yesterday, they only worked until 3:30 because they had to have the truck back in "the yard" by 5 and apparently it takes that long to get to the yard in London traffic. They showed up here at 9 a.m. today to finish packing and begin loading. They still have a couple of odds and ends that aren't truck ready, but they've started loading the truck. They say they'll be done by half-past two, but I'm really doubting it.

Zaklina is here totally scrubbing the kitchen and is then going to hit the bathrooms. I'm hoovering all the carpet and working on baseboards and window sills. Nothing too horrid emerged when the movers starting moving the big stuff. Whew!
I am taking a break because I've cleaned all the places that are clear enough for me to clean. Fortunately there is a vacuum that came with the house and we'll leave our mop and mop bucket and cleaning supplies.

It took me three calls to car services to find one who had a big enough car available to carry me and Maddie plus four suitcases and assorted bags to our hotel for late this afternoon.

We'll leave the bunnies here with plenty of food and water and hay and then come back tomorrow or Sunday to feed them again before meeting the pet pick-up people on Monday.

I liked this house much better than I liked our Germany house, but I still don't feel sad about leaving it. Will be glad to be back in a home with central air to keep the dust down and my very own bathroom counter space.

Just paid the balance on the cost of sending the bunnies over via Pet Air. Am feeling a bit queasy. Was it the pizza I ordered for the movers or the price tag of the bunny trip? Hard to say at this point.

Movers are here

Holy cow! We do not have a place to put all this stuff when it arrives in the States. I am looking at the boxes and boxes and boxes and fighting the urge to panic. Actually, I don't have to fight all that hard. I really don't enjoy panicking. I do think the Interfaith Hospitality Network may need to have a U-haul ready when we arrive for the furniture we will be ready to donate.

We have three guys here wrapping, packing, taping and stacking. They will pack all day today and load up tomorrow. They are all really nice, so that makes the whole thing go more smoothly. I scored points when I ordered pizza for them. Nothing broken on my shipment!

My friend Pam was so nice to have Maddie over to her house to spend the night with friends Nick and Kate. How great is it to have friends who offer help you don't even know you need? Maddie was so excited that she could hardly be sad about the house being packed up. She does have this really big pillow that she is bummed can't make it into a suitcase and will have to go on the shipment, but I remember that being an issue when we moved to Germany as well. Other than that, she was able to fit what she wanted for the immediate future into the luggage alloted. Cool!

The movers are going to leave the bedding on our bed so that we can spend the night here tonight and then tomorrow we all head to a hotel.

Majorca Photos

No Dunkin Donuts here. The Spanish know what's really important!



In the capital city of Palma



Maddie and me by a really cool tree



The beach at our hotel in Illetas



Skip and Maddie in Valdemossa



The apothecary at the monastery at Valdemossa




view from the monastery at Valdamossa



the market at Palma



This flowering vine was everywhere. Who knows what it is? We want some!



Maddie holds her nose at the fish market



Skip dreams big!

I hate it when camp (or vacation) has to end

We've had a good vacation. It's been fun to be here with the Mobleys and their daughter. Sunday morning was overcast, so we hung around the hotel and the pool, but the sun came out around lunch time, so we headed down the road a bit to the public beach. We looked like something out a sit-com with all of our towels and beach pails and floaties. This was not the normal look for other people. Everyone else had a towel...period.

Monday, Skip and Maddie and I spent the morning in the mountain town of Valdemossa, about 25 minutes away. It's a beautiful little village who makes its way through agriculture and the fact that it is home to an old monastery that was privatized back in the 1830s. I didn't know this, but there was a time when something called "disentaillment" happened in Spain in 1835, and all the monks were expelled from the monasteries and the government seized the land and sold it to private interests. After this monastery was privatized, it was turned in to an artists colony and it is where Chopin and George Sand used to vacation together. Chopin wrote many of his pieces here and it is where Sand penned her account of "Winter in Majorca". Also, even after they expelled the monks they let the pharmacist remain along with the apothecary in order to serve the medicinal need of the village, and all the old jars and weights and counters are all still there. I have some great pics that I will post when I get home. The monastery, along with the unusual beauty of the village, have made Valdemossa quite a popular tourist stop, yet in spite of the many shops and restaurants, it doesn't seem tacky or over run. Apparently Michael Douglass has a house there, as well. But we didn't see him.

Another afternoon at the beach and this time we rented a paddle boat big enough for four with a slide attached. You could paddle out into the ocean and then slide off into the water, climb back in the boat and do it all again. The girls thought that was the best ever, and the grown-ups thought it was pretty fun, too.

Today we will stay around the hotel and enjoy the pools and the sun before we have to be off. Our flight isn't until 5 p.m., so we have some time. Then it's one day to do laundry and pack for the next week before the packers come on Thursday. Yikes. No easing back into life after this vacation!

My friend Katie (whose blog has a link on mine) is having surgery today. She's having her thyroid removed and will also be getting pathology results. Please keep her in your prayers. My mom is helping out with her kids today and the rest of the week. Everyone needs a Nancy Russ around!

Hotel Bon Sol and Happy Father's Day

Here is a link to our hotel's web site.

Hotel Bon Sol

We are having a great time. yesterday we went into the city of Palma and did some exploring there before our friends the Mobleys arrived. Palma is an oddly beautiful city. Lots of roads that kind of wind around and buildings that are from another time. We hit the main market with the fish and meats and the beautiful produce. We picked up a few unusual things--peaches that were flat and shaped like little donuts, green plums and little tiny strawberries. It was all so inexpensive. I wonder what the health stats are for people in Spain. The wonderful fresh food that is available is amazing.

Maddie picked out a "luxury float" from one of the shops near here. The kind that has head and arm rests and a hole toward the bottom so you can stick your feet in the water. I was out floating the waves on it yesterday. It was such a perfect feeling that I decided I needed to capture it in my memory so that I can access the feeling in the future. Am going to try float a little more today to make sure that the experience is firmly planted in my brain.

Last night, the hotel set up dinner outside by the pool and had entertainment--a guitar player, a singer and a set of four flamenco dancers. Maddie and her friend Megan were completely captivated by the dancers. The weather was just perfect.

I brought my camera, but failed to bring the card reader that allows me to upload them to my computer. Will have to share when I get home.

Today, I am grateful for my father and for my daughter's father. Maddie and I both have really great dads.

Ahhhh, Majorca

Blogging from Hotel Bon Sol in Illetas, Majorca. It's beautiful and it's just one of those places that makes you feel relaxed. The Spanish are not a people in a hurry.

I've come a long way, baby. When we first starting exploring foreign countries, I would get all sorts of stressed when we got lost as strangers in a strange land. But today, we rented a car at the airport and Skip asked to include a navigation system. The woman told him that those didn't work too well here. There are too many new roads. She gave him directions to the town where we are staying and told him, "It's not hard. It is a little island." We got to the town okay, but had to stop at a pharmacy to ask for further directions. The whole thing really didn't bother me. I knew we'd get here eventually. Maybe that was because for the first vacation in a long time, my husband was doing the driving (back on the right side of the road) and I was just along for the ride.

Our hotel s a resort spread out over several stories and even across a road. You actually walk through a tunnel and go under the road to get to the beach.

We got checked in to the hotel just in time for dinner. Lots of fresh produce and fish on the menu. Almost all the other guests here are British. While we were in the dining room Maddie said something that made me laugh. Most followers of this blog know how loudly I can laugh. So when I did, Skip observed the woman at the table across from us say to her husband, "They're American," by way of an explanation for my outburst.

Tomorrow, we plan to explore the beaches and the pools. We have plenty of sunscreen and plan to take full advantage of the warm, sun shiney weather.

Details, details

Maddie had her last day of school today and came home just boo hooing about how much she is going to miss her teacher. We met some friends at the Park club, and while they were celebrating, she was lamenting. She has been so fortunate with her teachers and her classmates. I'm hoping we can continue the trend.

Have finally finished the value inventory and all the customs forms that have to be filled out of the move. Am up later than I want to be because they all have to be scanned and then e-mailed to Houston. And the process is taking much longer than I anticipated. But they have to get in before we leave for Majorca tomorrow.

I think we can get there from here, but I'm not sure.

Skip and I decided that if we leave with our swimsuits, toothbrushes and passports, everything else is extra.

Sunday

We went to church and heard the pastor's wife preach as part of her lay pastor program. She is a delightful lady and she did a really good job. There were some visiting pastors from India there, but part of their visa states that they cannot preach while in the UK. We talked to someone after the service about that and were told that visas for clergy outside the EU often include that requirement to keep extremists and hate groups from coming in and causing problems.

After service there was a potluck lunch, which included all sorts of food from India (prepared by the guests) and Ghana and other places. I made pecan pie, which is not standard fare around here. One woman came up to tell me that she had never had it before, but really enjoyed it. Actually her exact words were, "It wasn't as sickly sweet as I thought it would be, it was actually quite nice."

After church we drove out west to take Maddie to a friend's house. There are only two-and-a-half days of school left, so she is actually spending the night and going to school with her friend. We told her over and over again that this is not "normal", but I'm sure once school starts up again, she'll use this as a precedent for sleep-overs on school nights!

It was a beautiful day, so Skip and I went in to Holland Park, near Notting Hill. Beautiful park that we hadn't made it to before. We've decided if we get to live in London again some day, we'll live in one of the Holland Park Mews houses. Mews are the places where the horses used to live and in areas of London, they've been converted in to really cool living spaces.

Then we came home and Skip went to work on the computer and I went to work on the house. Movers come a week from Thursday, but we'll be in Majorca for 6 of those days, so there's not much more time to get ready. And I'm not even going to be home much in the next three days. So it should all get pretty interesting!

Britian's Got Talent and We are Tired

Skip and I picked up Maddie at school on Friday and headed to Birmingham to see the very first performance of the Britian's Got Talent Live tour. It was really good. Very much a family night out for a lot of people. The first half they had most of the finalists come out and do what they had done on the show, and that was fun. But the second half, they mixed it up and had different acts perform together. They really pulled out some surprises and made some really good match-ups. We laughed a lot. The whole thing was really well done. Susan Boyle (who was rumored to have bowed out of the whole thing) was there and did a superb job, but the other folks were much more entertaining. Great dancers. Great kid singers. All of them were really excited to be there and kind of in awe that they have this opportunity. That made it even more fun to watch.

Maddie's favorite was dancer Aidan Davis. He is amazing and even better in person.

And the big winners this year are the dance troupe Diversity.

But our family favorite is the father/son team of Stavros Flatly.

I had my cultural assumptions kicked to the curb after watching the audience. Generally when I see Islamic women who cover their hair, I think about what an oppressive and sexist culture they must live in. But last night there were several groups of young women at the show together (all wearing headscarves). They were laughing and taking pictures and screaming with all the rest of the people. The kicker was the woman who topped her hijab with a pink, fur trimmed cowboy hat. So I learned that religious Muslim women are not without a sense of whimsy!

And as all our nights out and vacations in the UK seem to end--we hit construction and traffic on the way home. What should have been less than a two-hour drive home turned in to three-and-a-half. It was 1:30 in the morning before we pulled on to our street. Fortunately, Maddie slept in the car. I, however, not only drove home, but got up this morning and got back in the car to take Maddie to a friends birthday party that was almost an hour away. Ugggg.

This evening, we went and had dinner at the Park Club and Skip got to watch a local team play cricket and Maddie played on the playground. It's been a beautiful day, although, I've been a little too tired to fully appreciate it. Just finished making two pecan pies to take to church tomorrow for a potluck. Two pastors from India will be guests at church, and the pastor's wife will be preaching as part of the lay pastor program she is doing. Tony (the pastor) asked if, for the sake of their marriage, I could be the one to offer feed back afterward. :)

Winding Down or Just Getting Wound Up?

Trauma and drama this morning in the household. Today, Skip and I take Georgia the Fish to her new home with Maddie's buddy from Brownies. Her friend had to leave her fish in the US when they moved here this spring, so she is happy to provide our fish with a new home. Maddie has been crying all week about having to let go of Georgia. Never mind that Georgia would be long gone if she had been depending on Maddie to feed her. But true to her nature, Maddie didn't cry for too long and got on the bus this morning happy as a clam.

I've gone old school (sort of) getting ready for all our trips today. Have one set of directions to Georgia's new home. Another set to get us from that house to Maddie's school. One more set to get us from school to Birmingham and still another to get us back home.

Yes, we are headed to Birmingham to see the live show of Britain's Got Talent. The London shows will all be on when we're in Majorca, so we're making the trip to what Skip calls the Chicago of England. I'm glad we're doing it. Maddie is so sad about leaving everyone here and about school nearly being over, so I'm glad we can do something that she's so excited about that's not tied up in saying good-bye to someone. It's something we'll all really enjoy. Just not looking forward to driving back tonight. We decided that it was easier just to come on home rather than pack and pay for an overnight stay. Plus Maddie has a birthday party tomorrow that we would need to hustle back for.

Skip just got back from his last trip to the Netherlands where the staff surprised him with a reception and some parting gifts. He was really touched. Apparently, not only is he really good at what he does, he has the ability to help other people feel good about what they are doing. Over his time in the Dutch and German offices, he has had to say and do some difficult things, but the people who work for him have thanked him (in person and in writing) for the difference that he has made in his time there. The man has skills.

Still working at getting rid of some of the stuff we don't want moved home. Am hoping some more of it will go before the movers arrive. Still haven't finished that value inventory, but I'm close!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

Friends Jim and Glenn have offered to pick up Rosie and Riddles for us in Dallas. Talk about above and beyond! They say it gives them an excuse to head to Dallas, but come on! You need an international bunny arrival to justify a jaunt over to Dallas? I think they're just nice people.

The Bad

In our continued experience with the crime system in the Greater UK area, someone stole our navigation system out of the the glove compartment sometime over the last month. Don't know when it happened, but I needed it yesterday and it wasn't in the glove box AND the little arm it sits on that was stuck to the window was gone as well. The only thing we can figure is that I left the car unlocked at some point and someone just opened the car and took it. I think this is proof positive that I am not a detail person. I have no idea how long the little plastic arm that used to stick out of the windshield has been missing. Never even noticed. Friday and Saturday are going to be ugly as we have to be many different places and will have to get to them the old fashioned way (I know, you're crying me a river), but we're going to wait until we get back to the States to replace the system.

The Ugly

The weather is just cold and icky. It's June and I have on a wool cardigan today. And Maddie is crying almost daily over something, but then again, I pretty much am, too. For Maddie, today's melt-down was over having to transfer Georgia the fish to her new home on Friday. Mercifully, the crying does not last long. As I have said before, the child feels deeply but has trouble maintaining less-than-pleasant emotion for any length of time.


The Good and the Bad

The good: Here (mostly for the Grandparents) is Maddie's choir concert at school. The bad: I ordered a replacement for the video camera that was stolen from my last encounter with the local criminal element, but it's not exactly the same camera and the quality is just not as good. How long must I deal with the repercussions leaving my purse in the car to visit a cemetery????!!!!! On another good note, I finally got my replacement US driver's license.

(okay, having trouble loading the video. will try again later)

Duesseldorf

It was really nice to head back to Duesseldorf to see friends--even if it was a very quick trip. And even if it rained for most of the International Festival and in to Saturday night. If the weather had been beautiful with the sun shining, it might have been harder to leave. But we were reminded of why it's not more fun to live in Northern Europe. There are lots of fun things to do and beautiful things to see, but the weather is a real barrier to enjoying these things a large portion of the time!

After a week of sun, this weekend (in Germany and in London) was cold and rainy. We're talking jacket, scarf and closed-toe shoe weather. On the first weekend of June! Ick. But we didn't go for the weather, we went to see friends.

The Robinsons are almost going native there in Duesseldorf. They are going on a local contract and have even sold their house in England. Their girls are continue to flourish at ISD and Karen is going to go back to work part-time starting in the fall. They are getting ready for a huge US vacation, and I find it kind of funny that Maddie's English friends will see the Grand Canyon before she does.

Our friend Mary is getting ready to move back to Delaware. She and her girls will be in Oklahoma quite a bit this summer, so we may get to see them again depending on everyone's schedules and when the shipment of all of our stuff arrives.

We briefly visited with a number of people. A couple of folks are looking at moving to London and are going to be in touch about info on where to live, schools, etc. Another friend and her family are getting ready to move to Brisbane, Australia. Still another is about to head out to the Philippines. There are quite a few folks who have been in Germany for as many as five years who are getting ready to make the move home. It will be interesting to see how they and their kids (who don't remember living in US) will make the transition.

Skip and I did get to go back to our favorite Italian restaurant while Maddie spent the night with the Robinson family. It was nice to see the staff and have one last really great meal there.

It's time to hit is this week to get ready for the move. Still two-and-a-half weeks before the movers arrive, but we'll be gone part of that time. So really only the next week-and-a-half. Though the packers pack it all, I still have lots of stuff to go through. I also have to complete the inventory of stuff (which really brings it home how much stuff we have), get rid of all our food (going to have some interesting meals), finalize bunny transport plans and make the transfer of Maddie's fish to her new home. And I also want to see friends and hit some of my fav London spots one last time. We'll see how it all goes.

Maddie's last day of school is a week from Wednesday. She is awfully weepy these days. Excited to go home, but sad to leave. And without a whole lot of tools on how to handle mixed emotions. So, she just cries. Which is better than screaming or being mean or throwing things.

Field Tripping

Big Ben....Parlaiment



Striking a pose at Trafalgar Square


Class 2B on the London Eye




Following a Wednesday full of paying attention to detail, slogging through laundry and cleaning out closets, I hit the road with the second graders of ACS for a field trip into London to see the London Eye, Big Ben, Trafalgar Sqaure and St. James Park. It was a beautiful day. On a great day like this, when the sun is shining and a cool breeze is blowing and the crowds are not to bad, you wonder why anyone would ever leave London. Then you hit a day when it's pouring rain and cold and the Tube line you need is closed and you have to push your way through crushing crowds like a salmon swimming upstream trying to make your train, and you remember why some people opt not to stay forever. But today, was one of those perfect days when London seems kind of magical.

I was really impressed by how well all the kids did. We walked them all over down town London and they all stayed with "their adult" and no one complained about the walking or being hungry or having to go the bathroom right after we left somewhere there was a bathroom. It was a field trip miracle.

Maddie is plumb wore out. I've gotten her to sleep about 45 minutes earlier than usual without much effort.

After strolling around London with some of the other parents, I am glad we chose to live closer to the city rather than further out toward the school. Whereas I was familiar with all the places we visited, many of the parents who live further out in the burbs had never explored this part of London. Several of them had never been to the National Gallery that sits on Trafalgar Square and I've popped in there many times.

Am hoping to get most of the moving prep done before we leave for Duesseldorf tomorrow so that I can just enjoy being here next week.

Couldn't believe the coverage of the 20 year anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago.

Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh!

you would think that after moving to two different foreign countries that moving back to the good ole US of A would be a snap. But no.

things keep popping up. We're minus some paperwork we need to sell our car back to the dealership, so that was an issue that had to be worked through. The bunnies may now have to come through Dallas instead of Memphis, so now to add to the tab, we may be paying folks to drive them to Little Rock. I've just had to let go of that one. I've been so worried about the bunnies and whether or not they will survive this trip and about the state of my marriage if they don't. (I wanted to find them a nice British home). I've just had to let it go. Too much stress over creatures that don't even seem to recognize the person who feeds them and lets them roam free on a daily basis. What will be will be. If anything happens to them, I will grieve longer than Maddie.

Wednesday is trash day and normally we have two trash barrels and one or two bags of recycling. Tomorrow, I will be putting out all three trash barrels and SIX recycling bags. have been having a great time cleaning out the closets and cupboards. Am trying to a charity that will pick up some of the furniture I don't want to bring home, but all the shops I've contacted so far are too far out of our area to make a pick up. I am being thwarted.

Have finally had some inquiries about the televisions. These tvs will only work in the states if we plug them into a converter and only use them with dvds. They won't work with American cable and satellite systems, so if we could sell them, it would be a very good thing.

Am working on our inventory for the movers. I almost just want to tell a charity shop to come in and take it all and we'll start fresh in the US, but I don't think that would be a big hit with the rest of the family. Plus, apparently, we're not in an area that qualifies for pick-ups!

Planning on doing a gratitude exercise before going to bed tonight. The details of this move tend to put me in a foul mood, and I start to forget how fortunate I am. Amazing how easy it is to start complaining and to stop being thankful.