Nothing beats the sprinkler for cooling off!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Stone
Finding the "best pizza" in London has been, and continues to be, a journey. As we sit today, WIlliam's favoriate pizza place is in Kingston.
You might be wondering what criteria is considered when determining the "best pizza" in London. It's simple. If the boys (1 or more) eat the ENTIRE pizza, on more than one occasion - that is the best pizza.
The beginning.
The end.
Dad had to get coffee while William finished!
Stop by the next time you are in the neighborhood. (give us a call, we would love to see you too!)
Stone Restaurant
54 Fife Road
Kingston-upon-Thames
Surrey KT1 1SU
Monday, May 3, 2010
Bath Time
A wonderful day in Bath, but no bubbles! Bath, England is only about 1 1/2 hours outside London, but it feels like a world away. We were all pleasantly surprised to find this place that the whole family could fully enjoy.
Without sounding like a pitch for the local tourism board, Bath had everything from great places to eat, to an ennormous play park, to Roman Baths. (we don't recommend bathing in
the baths)
Start the day off in a small neighborhood park.
William and Patrick took turns going down this lovely slide, with a built in "run up" on each side. Complete with rubber mats built into the ground to prevent erosion, very thoughtful.
Once they tire from that, take it up a notch - maybe a 1/2 pipe for the skate boarders or a zip-line for the rest.
And yes, as Mark lets go he quickly realizes that if William is going to have a problem, it will not be on the way down, it will be at the top of that arc - launching him into space. As fate would have it, William held tight!
If you survive the park, which consists of about 5 other massive sections, take the family for a bath. As the guides told us, this was the lap of luxury. The green water is therapeutic.
Oh yes, those backpacks are sized for men.
Try one, you will never be the same.
Bath, England - 24 April 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
ok - it's been a while
and we are finally into the new house and settling nicely!
Oh the space! Oh the backyard!! Oh the separate rooms for the boys!!!
Now thanks to much improved sleeping arrangements for all, everyone is much better rested and going through the day better and better. (Including mommy)
Mark has his office at the top of the house and is working from home today for the first time. He really enjoyed having lunch with us, but being able to concentrate with some quiet while we all played downstairs for the rest of the day.
Since moving in, we have pretty much stayed in town, getting the house up to standard and arranging and arranging. William has two weeks off for Easter and term break, so we have headed out to Battersea Park where there is a little children's zoo and a boating pond right next to the Thames.
Weather continues to improve and the average is around 50 with a nice breeze most days. In a way, it feels like California with the cool mornings and the cool evenings. (still dropping to near 32 at night)
Gardening plans are in full swing and the tomatoes we started in the apartment are doing well along with a few basil and chive plants that will go outside in the coming weeks.
My other hobby is now baking bread once or twice a week. Even though the price of bread seems comparitvely low to the US, I am enjoying the easy recipe I found and can now get loaf ready for rising within about 20 minutes.
As always more to come...
Oh the space! Oh the backyard!! Oh the separate rooms for the boys!!!
Now thanks to much improved sleeping arrangements for all, everyone is much better rested and going through the day better and better. (Including mommy)
Mark has his office at the top of the house and is working from home today for the first time. He really enjoyed having lunch with us, but being able to concentrate with some quiet while we all played downstairs for the rest of the day.
Since moving in, we have pretty much stayed in town, getting the house up to standard and arranging and arranging. William has two weeks off for Easter and term break, so we have headed out to Battersea Park where there is a little children's zoo and a boating pond right next to the Thames.
Weather continues to improve and the average is around 50 with a nice breeze most days. In a way, it feels like California with the cool mornings and the cool evenings. (still dropping to near 32 at night)
Gardening plans are in full swing and the tomatoes we started in the apartment are doing well along with a few basil and chive plants that will go outside in the coming weeks.
My other hobby is now baking bread once or twice a week. Even though the price of bread seems comparitvely low to the US, I am enjoying the easy recipe I found and can now get loaf ready for rising within about 20 minutes.
As always more to come...
Monday, April 5, 2010
The promised land
What did we do before high speed internet? Only another day, or so we are told. Lots of activity, lots to update soon.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
I can't believe it's been four weeks!
Wow! We have had a nice and busy week. Getting back to routine is so comforting.
William went to preschool every day this past week to get settled in with the new kids and new school. Friday was the first full day (9-11:30) and he loved it. Playing in the garden, story time, guinea pigs, who wouldn't? We also have him set up for school next year. He will attend a private school call Willington 4 1/2 days a week from 8:20 to 3:20.
Yep, you read that right - all day! Here, children start kindergarten (or reception) from the year that they will turn 5. So even though he won't be 5 until June, he gets to start. It's all boys and they wear cute little uniforms. Oh, and the school year goes from September to July, with three term breaks. So I don't even have to look at summer camps or how to keep him occupied in June and July! It's more like year round school and I like that idea.
British words are already sneaking into his vocabulary. The other day, he told me, "That's a brilliant idea, mom!" Of course he knows the word "lolly" and chickens are gone, to be replaced by "hens".
We move into our house on Thursday and are anxiously awaiting the space for the boys to roam free. I'm not sure, but I think our apartment shrunk! That would explain the bouncing off the walls that seems to happen when we are home.
Patrick continues on as a smiley, happy joker. He loves to follow William around and torment him by hanging onto his clothes, pawing him, or pulling his hair. We try to moderate when it gets bad, but hey, they have to learn, right?
This past weekend took us to York - Mark will post photos later. It's north of London about 2 hours by train. We spent almost 3 hours at the British National Rail Museum and William says his favorite part of the trip was "pushing the elevator buttons"! (He also liked the Japanese bullet train and a train ride we went on.) We walked around a little but the museums were closing and the rain was pouring down, so the trip back was a bit earlier that expected. It was crazy on the trains for space. As if the entire student population of England had to get to London at that exact moment! After much searching for seats, to no avail, we headed to first class(smile) for upgraded tickets and a nice quiet ride back to the city.
For those of you that have asked about the healthcare system and such, stay tuned. I go tomorrow to meet my OB/Gyn and should have more answers for you. Looks to be somewhat similar to the US in some regard, in others, not so much.
Until next post...
William went to preschool every day this past week to get settled in with the new kids and new school. Friday was the first full day (9-11:30) and he loved it. Playing in the garden, story time, guinea pigs, who wouldn't? We also have him set up for school next year. He will attend a private school call Willington 4 1/2 days a week from 8:20 to 3:20.
Yep, you read that right - all day! Here, children start kindergarten (or reception) from the year that they will turn 5. So even though he won't be 5 until June, he gets to start. It's all boys and they wear cute little uniforms. Oh, and the school year goes from September to July, with three term breaks. So I don't even have to look at summer camps or how to keep him occupied in June and July! It's more like year round school and I like that idea.
British words are already sneaking into his vocabulary. The other day, he told me, "That's a brilliant idea, mom!" Of course he knows the word "lolly" and chickens are gone, to be replaced by "hens".
We move into our house on Thursday and are anxiously awaiting the space for the boys to roam free. I'm not sure, but I think our apartment shrunk! That would explain the bouncing off the walls that seems to happen when we are home.
Patrick continues on as a smiley, happy joker. He loves to follow William around and torment him by hanging onto his clothes, pawing him, or pulling his hair. We try to moderate when it gets bad, but hey, they have to learn, right?
This past weekend took us to York - Mark will post photos later. It's north of London about 2 hours by train. We spent almost 3 hours at the British National Rail Museum and William says his favorite part of the trip was "pushing the elevator buttons"! (He also liked the Japanese bullet train and a train ride we went on.) We walked around a little but the museums were closing and the rain was pouring down, so the trip back was a bit earlier that expected. It was crazy on the trains for space. As if the entire student population of England had to get to London at that exact moment! After much searching for seats, to no avail, we headed to first class(smile) for upgraded tickets and a nice quiet ride back to the city.
For those of you that have asked about the healthcare system and such, stay tuned. I go tomorrow to meet my OB/Gyn and should have more answers for you. Looks to be somewhat similar to the US in some regard, in others, not so much.
Until next post...
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