Anyone who knows us very well at all knows that Dave and I have been positively mad about each other since we were about 15.  Even when we were younger than our eldest 2 children are now we were so in love and talking  of growing up, getting married some day and having children.

I remember listening to this song back then and thinking about playing this for my children some day.  Somehow over the years I had forgotten about it but last night during one of my Blip.fm crazes  ( seriously, that thing is like a drug for me.  I am stupidly addicted. )  it suddenly came to me and I got to play it for Jess.  It brought a huge smile to his face just as I’d imagined it would.

Today I’m feeling grateful for all the abundance and blessings in my life.  In awe of all that Dave and I have created.  The couple of Kooks who fell in love in highschool have come a long way. We have  five beautiful, amazing children who humble us and make us feel privileged just to know them.   We’ve lived in three countries and are having a fabulous time exploring, learning and growing together.  Through all the ups and downs and curves that life throws us we just keep getting better, stronger and more filled with joy!

So, here it is.  Thanks, kids for taking a chance on a couple of kooks hung up on romancing.

Yes, we were a  free family in Paris* and after a rather shaky start to the trip we ended up having a splendid time.

This update is a bit past due ( I do not seem to be making improvement on this front at all)  but better late than never, right?    We awoke on the Friday of our planned departure to Aidan tapping on our bedroom door and announcing ” I puked”.  This isn’t my favourite way to start any day but especially not when we’re supposed to be leaving for France in about 2 hours.   Dave and I jumped out of bed and ran through the routine that all parents go through when they’ve got a barfing child. Aidan did what most 8 year olds do when they’re awoken by the urge to heave and barfed right next to his bed.  *sigh*  I ran to clean the mess while Dave tended to Aidan and we were both glad of having 2 parents on hand to deal with the mini crisis.  Any parent who has dealt with vomit duty on their own knows how glad you are to be able to divide up the tasks.
Once we had all of that done and Aidan was cuddling on my lap looking pale and sleepy we were faced with the big decision.  Should I stay or should I go?  Clearly the whole trip couldn’t be canceled because a) it was Jesse’s special birthday trip and b) we’d already paid so someone might as well go and enjoy it.    We went back and forth trying to decide and checking in with Aidan who just said that he didn’t feel well enough to go but he didn’t want to miss it either.  We  decided that if he and I stayed and then he got better by afternoon we’d both be bummed at missing the trip and if he was still sick I could help him away from home nearly as well as here.

The ordeal caused some grumpiness and arguing between Dave and I and culminated with my passport being tossed onto the desk in the study and all of us piling into the purple people mover and heading off to catch our train.    We needed to make a quick stop to pick up a motoring abroad kit  containing a bunch of things you need to drive an English car in France
We didn’t make it quite to the shop before Aidan started vomiting again.  We pulled over and cleaned him up the best we could and then headed to Halfords where as well as our kit we also grabbed some shop towels and a car shampoo kit which helped the clean up efforts considerably and then we were on the road and headed for the Eurotunnel.  Poor little Aidan just crashed after that and slept most of the way to the tunnel.

Poor wee Aidan and his bowl. He was such a little trooper!

We were feeling good and sure that the mishaps that plagued the beginning of the trip were behind us until I started to dig out everyone’s passports and realised that neither Dave nor I had remembered to grab mine off the desk.  D’oh!  Dave assured me that there wouldn’t be a problem and there wasn’t…going into France.  Coming back wasn’t so easy and after showing ID and getting reprimanded by the friendly man in the booth we were told that next time I would not be admitted back into the country without it.  Phew!

The Eurotunnel crossing was fun and easy!   We got out and stretched our legs and passed the time eating chocolate digestives ( a new favourite )  and the 35 minute ride was over before we knew it.    The drive from Calais was lovely and fortunately uneventful ( meaning Aidan didn’t need to use his bowl).

In queue to enter the train

It's almost our turn

the Purple People Mover is on the train!

Aidan in the Eurotunnel

Terran is chillin' out and enjoying the ride

It took a bit of driving around looking but eventually we found our hotel just outside Paris near Disneyland Paris ( we are already thinking of trip there next summer!)  in Marne la Hongre .  It wasn’t fancy but there were enough beds for everyone and for all the time we would spend there it would do.  We freshened up and hopped back in the van and headed into Paris for an evening look at the Eiffel Tower and some dinner.

We drove into Paris and found a nice parking garage to leave the PPM ( Purple People Mover ) in.  Aidan got out of the van and was feeling sick again.  (  Note ~To the man we saw the next day driving around the parking garage in Bercy on a little cart we’re sorry for the mess.)   Getting tickets for all of us at the Metro station wasn’t as straight forward as we would have hoped but between Dave’s use of french nouns and gesturing and my rather out of practice, spotty french and the very patient and helpful woman behind the counter we got it all straightened out. 7 day passes for the weekend, perfect!!  We headed to the turnstile only to be called back and told that we had purchased tickets for Saturday and Sunday…not Friday and Saturday as we thought.   We went through more gesturing and bad french and purchased tickets we could use and were on our way ( with much lighter pockets) .  When we got off the train it was freezing but we walked along by the The École Militaire and up to the Eiffel Tower.    We opted not to go up but had a good look around and then it was off to find some dinner and get warm.  We searched all around but in the touristy areas at that time of night** we just weren’t finding anything that seemed suitable for our large crew of picky eaters.  We chose to hop back on the metro and back to  Bercy to see what we could find around there.  We lucked out and in this quaint little square we found a Hippo which looked just right for us.  Hardly the height of French Cuisine but the the menus had english on them and the atmosphere seemed at least a little familiar to the kids so it was the right choice.  We had a nice meal and Aidan finally ate  ( chicken wings and ice cream is apparently the perfect cure for an upset tummy)  and we headed back to the hotel well fed and happy.

The tower at night

Saturday was Museum day and we were off to The Musée des Arts et Métiers,  We drove in again and parked in the same parking garage ( different spot …wonder why)  and had some breakfast at at cafe  before heading to the Museum.  Most of us loved the museum. Jess was in heaven.  A museum filled with water clocks, Jacquard  looms and steam engines is about as good as it gets for him.  Taija wasn’t thrilled but tried to make the best of it since it was Jesse’s birthday outing.  She was our coat check girl and went from sofa to sofa dragging our coats and bags along with her.  We did promise more excitement later in the weekend!

breakfast at the cafe in Bercy

the museum was originally a Priory. This is a picture of the ceiling of the chapel

The original scale model of Lady Liberty

After the museum it was off to the Arc de Triomphe and the the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and then a mad rush back to the tower so Taija could get a picture of it in the daylilght.  We decided that rather than tromp around in the cold anymore hunting for a french restaurant for dinner we’d head back to the little town where our hotel was and see if the area around Disney would offer anything the kids would like. We ended up choosing a really cute Italian restaurant that wasn’t busy and was very family friendly.  Dave and I got to enjoy a bottle of wine and the kids had yummy pizzas and pastas.  The service was friendly if a bit slow and we all managed to speak enough frenglish to get our point across.  It was a great ending to a super fun day!

Arc de Triomphe

walking around Paris

Taija in the Arc holding the rose Dave bought me at the Metro station ( it was Valentines day in Paris after all!)

you can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave

Snogging in Paris on Valentine's Day...how romantic ( or gross if we're your parents)

Sunday we knew we had limited time before we had to start driving back to Calais to get our train.  We finally decided on The Palace at Versailles as a nice way to get the kids outside running around and see something cool as well.   We left there a bit later than we should have and then tried to stop in a couple of little towns and find a shop where we could buy some ” road food ” but eventually gave up and plowed on.  We ended up stopping at a little rest stop along the motorway and getting baguette sandwiches and crisps but the extra stop made us late for our train.   We arrived at the tunnel and  things worked out perfectly and we were just in time to get on the next train , missing our booking was just fine.  After narrowly escaping being left in France all alone while my family went back to London for my passport we popped into the duty free shop for sweets for the trip home for the kids and wine for when we got home for mom and dad.

Our first look at the Palace

Old King Louie XIV sure had grand taste

Jess on a chilly Sunday in Versailles

Her face says it all...as boring as the museum and no leather sofas

Aidan feeling well enough to run around but still not interested in 'old boring buildings'

The gardens in February. I'm sure they're gorgeous in summer

Spence at the Palace giving me that " oh mum, do you have to?" look

Aidan checking out the fountain

Terran by some of the strange animal statues that are all around the grounds

A rare shot of the parentals together

We were all glad to get home and were greeted by the dishwasher beeping at us.  It beeps when it is finished but not just a couple of times. No, it beeps until you shut it off.  It had been beeping away here all alone all weekend.

Overall I’d say that the trip was fun but I’ve decided that I’ll plan a bit better next time and pack more familiar snacks for the kids so that they stay well fed which should help with them getting worn out and grumpy.  That’s what this is all about though, isn’t it?  Living and Learning!

Spence had a meeting in Central London on Monday and so we all went into the city with him and had a blast walking around, watching street performers and riding the carousel.  It was a glorious, sunny afternoon. Just the kind that lets you know for sure that spring is right around the corner.  Everyone was out walking around and enjoying the day and I saw so many smiles that day.

A nice shot from our side of the river

Close up of the London Eye

riding the carousel on a Monday afternoon

Aidan sword fighting with Zorro on the street~ great fun!

a very cool Dali statue near the aquarium

we walked past this cool building on the way to our bus and just had to take a picture,

After typing all of that and looking at the pictures it seems like we packed a lot into one weekend!  Again I’m reminding myself to get here and update more often.  I’ve got pics from the big boys’ birthdays and a great day at Crystal Palace to share.

* If you don’t get this lyrical reference the run right now and listen to all the Joni Mitchell you can get your hands on to redeem yourself.

**  It wasn’t until we were driving back to Calais on Sunday afternoon that I was reading through one of our travel books and discovered that France is an hour ahead of England and that we’d been carrying on all weekend with the wrong time.  Yes, we felt silly.

Our trip to Paris is 8 days away, and here’s where we are so far…

Our trip will begin at our house on the morning of Friday, 13 February 2009 and we expect to follow this route.

We have booked passage on the Eurotunnel Train from Folkstone, UK to Calais, FR and need to arrive there to check-in before 11:52 for our first trip under the english channel.  To read more about this incredible feat of engineering, Wikipedia is a good place to start.

Once we arrive in Calais…I of course will have to remember to stay on the ‘wrong’ side of the road…since in France, they drive on the right hand side of the road, just like in Canada.  This time of course, I’ll be driving my British Auto with right hand drive…so, it’ll be weird to say the least.

Our first destination for the afternoon will be Citea Marne La Vallée, which is a villa complex in the Brie region of France…about 30 kilometres from Paris.  We booked a couple of nights and got a great rate on Hotels.com at this highly recommended family accommodation.

Our plan is to head into the city for a little evening sight seeing and dinner, but details are to come.  Saturday we’ll visit the Musuem that Jesse wants to visit, the Musée des arts et métiers. We also expect to fill the day with some other activities.

Sunday morning is so far open, with our return trip through the ‘chunnel’ booked for 6:30 Sunday evening.

Now, on to the planning of the rest of the details for that trip…where to park, what to see, when to see it, and the like.

This morning the postman delivered our stuff from BT to hook up the internet. ( I say ’stuff’ because I honestly don’t know exactly what it was…just that it meant that I’d have internet at home again ) Dave managed to catch him before he went off with our parcel and got us all hooked up again in record time.  I’m not sure what I’d do if I had to sort this kind of thing out myself. Ask Spencer, most likely.

Dave has given a good overview of the time since we left Maida Vale but I’ll add some more deets and some pics as well.

The day we left the flats ( Dec 22 I guess that was)  we stopped by the house before we headed off to Wales and it was really good to see the place again.  When we came to see it with the agent I instantly loved it but oddly didn’t give it a really thorough looking over because somewhere inside me I thought it was too perfect and so kind of just wrote it off.  Silly me…I should know better by now.  It was perfect and meant to be!    I had been mentally planning where all our stuff would go and it was good to compare my very inaccurate memory of the rooms with the real thing so I could think about it over the Christmas holiday and be ready to start telling movers where to dump stuff when they arrived.

The trip to Wales was uneventful.  Our new Purple People Mover got us the distance with no problems.  The exhaust system issue does give it a distinctive sound  though and Dave will need to get busy replacing it soon.  ( It has a very “Slagathror-ish” sound for those of you who might remember the big car  we had back in ‘90…Slaggy was a good car but the noise it made lived up to its name)   Dave’s printed googlemaps directions  were good right up until we got to Carmarthen and nearish to the cottage and then it all went kind of wonky.  I’m not the best navigator and somehow I tend to get worse when the turns on the road don’t match up with those on the map.  After a bit of driving back and forth on very narrow Welsh dirt roads in the dark we found the cottage.  This was our first ” self catering” rental and it was a fabulous experience and something I’ll defintely do again.  The farm was fantastic. Really everything I wanted for Christmas.  Quaint, old, charming and cozy with animals to check out and country roads to walk and explore and then a roaring fire to snuggle up by on chilly evenings.

If we hadn't seen this sign, I'm not sure we would have found it!

The front door...a welcome sight

The cottage is a converted carriage house, lots of original stonework is still visible. I never did get to ask Fiona how old it is

Interior of the cottage

Jesse's shirt says it all! Wales is Okay!

Spence kicking back after the long trip

Terran getting some kitty love

Momma and her baby

One of the many horses living on the farm

Highland cattle are freaky and smelly. You know the 'wet dog' smell? Well, imagine if that dog was a cow

up close and personal with our shaggy friend

Aidan having fun with cattail fluff

Mud puddles and Wellies! I love the trees reflected in the puddle

Jess noticed this cool tree in the yard

One of the buildings around the cottage

Welsh signage, lots of fun!

This little piggy...

Packing up to leave Washington it was in my mind that we’d be spending the holidays without our stuff but somehow that didn’t translate to the idea that I should at least pack up the stockings and things.  Dave and I ended up finding the mankiest looking cheapo-cheapo stockings at Woolies at their big close out sale for 77p.  They are ugly but they did the trick! The kids and I had sort of feebly made an attempt at making some homemade tree decorations when we were in Maida Vale but posh flats aren’t the place for messy crafting and besides, we didn’t have our craft stuff either.  We settled on buying some baubles and lights when we got our tree at the B&Q in Carmarthen and decided that while it wasn’t like our usual tree, it was lovely in it’s own way.

Brother love in the Purple People Mover on our way to get a Christmas tree

Dave taking a break from getting the lights on our tiny tree

Introducing...Bruce ( the Spruce) named by Terran

The stockings were hung by the woodstove with care

Taija and Aidan hanging out

We had a fun Christmas and a nice big feast on Boxing Day and then decided to head out and see some of Carmarthenshire the next day.  It turned out to be the coldest day since we’d arrived but we bundled up in coats and boots and braved the wind. We had a blast reading all the signs in Welsh and Jess and I put our love and knowledge of language to use trying to figure out words and pronunciations.   Wales is just littered up with Castles all over the place so we ventured to check out a few of them.  Our first stop was Dryslwyn Castle which was built c1250. Only a portion of a few walls still stands but it was well worth the cold, windy climb up the steps to see it.

Jess exploring the ruins

Cold and windy, but worth it!

Aidan and I ducked into a little alcove along the wall to get out of the wind

The sun is so low in the sky even though it is pretty early in the day

We warmed up a bit while we drove the winding country roads of Carmarthenshire to get to Paxton’s Tower.  We all bundled up again and braved the freezing walk up to the tower.  The tower was built circa 1808-1815 and was dedicated to Lord Nelson.

up the stairs in Paxton's Tower

Dave noticed that in the wind the ancient wooden floor was moving and decided to head back down

So cool!

At this point all the little kids were feeling done with ” old boring buildings” and were cold and Spencer had twisted his ankle when he fell in a frozen deer track on the way back to the car but Dave and Jess and I were feeling adventurous, wanting to see more of the beautiful countryside and we like old, boring buildings ( even ruins of buildings) so we ventured on a little further to Talley Abbey.  This abbey was founded for the Premonstratensian order by the Lord Rhys, between 1184 and 1189.  We had a laugh at the sign on the gate directing us  that if we wanted brochures we could get them ” at the house opposite”.

The Abbey grounds

Jess checking things out

Aidan and Terran climbing the walls

Snuggled up in his new scarf trying to keep warm

A good shot of the stonework

It is hard to take a bad picture with scenery like this

Spence is heading back to the car...he's had enough

There was no convincing anyone to brave the cold any further so we headed back home for cocoa and dinner and board games and telly.

The next day I decided ( despite some protests) to venture out again and try to check out Dinefwr Castle but when we got there we found that the centre was closed for Christmas and the Castle itself was situated so far back from the car park that none of us had it in us to do the big walk in the cold again and at that point even I had to agree with the littles that one stone ruin is much like the next.  We opted instead for pints and cocoa at a 600 year old pub.   The White Hart Inn and Brewery was warm and welcoming and just what we needed.  Dave and I are lovers of a good pub and a good pint and this was just the place to be on our last afternoon in Wales.

This is my attempt at getting a picture of the high hedgerows along the narrow roads while we're driving. I was fascinated by these. They look even niftier at night

Yes! This is the place. Pints and Cocoa and a bite to eat

Dave getting our orders so he can go place them at the bar. There is plenty to look at while we wait...just look at the ceiling!

hot cocoa and fish & chips with peas for Miss Taija

Terran in his new hat, showing us his placemat

sampling the hot cocoa

Spence is warming up

somethig from the bar?

The next day Dave had us all up and organised bright and early  and on the road.  We got a teeny bit lost making our way back into London but still made it back in time to meet the movers.  All in all the move in went well.  There was only damage to a few items which we’re still waiting on getting  settled up but otherwise it was all good.  In just 2 weeks ( and a long trip to Ikea) we’re pretty well moved in and unpacked.  We’re still without a few items like a telly and a microwave which Taija is lost without.  You’d think I was asking her to build fire in the hearth with nothing but flint and steel to heat her food the way she carries on about the inconvenience of warming things without microwave technology.  How did we ever survive in the days when we had to reheat leftover mac and cheese without one??  This brings to mind the time when Spencer was young and asked me one day ” Mom, did they have toast when you were a kid”?…sheesh!

All the rooms are in order but we have accomplished this by filling the back garden under the pergola with all the crap that we don’t want or which needs to go in the shed which was full of stuff when got here and currently looks like someone picked it up and shook it upside down so none of our stuff is going in there just now.  We’ll get to that when we get to it though.  When the movers were here I told Dave ( in a moment of craziness!) that I’d be happy if we were all settled in by next January so I guess we’re well ahead of schedule.

Moving day at last!

A wall full of bookshelves in the study. They'll soon be filled!

We're loving the interesting details in our old house, like this vacant/occupied sign on the door of the loo

Trying to get the kitchen together the first night we quickly realised that the high cabinets were just not going to cut it

That's better! All we needed was 5 hours at Ikea

Taija hanging out in the kitchen looking to be fed

Dave had a birthday on Saturday. I would say he celebrated it but he refused any celebration or acknowledgment of it .  Yesterday we had a nice Sunday family outing to Brockwell Park which is just a short walk from the house.  It’s a great little park for the kids to ride scooters in and will be good for walking our dog ( when we finally get one).

Our thoughts now turn to Robbie Burns suppers at the local pub, Spencer’s upcoming birthday and a trip to Paris for Jesse’s birthday next month.

Now that I’m back online and pretty settled in I must get better at updating more often so I can spare  you, dear reader ( and myself!)  the these mondo-posts.

The last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy, so here’s a catch-up!  Tracy will likely be on later to get you all a more warm and fuzzy update along with pics.

22-Dec - Spencer and I headed out of the flat early with a Van load of all the stuff we were not taking to Wales for the holiday.  Our plan was to go to the lettings agent office, sign the final paperwork, and pick up keys for the house, then drop off our load, zip back up to Maida vale and pick up the rest of the family.  The only small glitch in our execution was that I got slightly turned around after crossing the Vauxhall Bridge.  We eventually found the place, and were still earlier than we needed to be…so plenty of time.  We got our keys, and Spence and I headed over to the house…he was pretty excited since he was the first of the family other than Tracy and I to see the inside of the house.  I gave him a quick tour, but we needed to get going since check-out time was upon us.  We left the cleaners in peace.

The kids were super excited to get to see the inside of the house.  We’d driven by the weekend before after we bought our new 1997 Toyota Previa, but it was dark and you couldn’t see much.  They all got to roam around a bit, and all agreed with the choices of rooms we had made for them.  The only hold-out was Taija.  She wasn’t happy at all with the house, let alone her rather small room.  Now, in fairness, she has a room that’s probably 10×11 (small for America, but could easily hold a double bed) and she has a loft bed (meaning, all of that 10×11 is hang-out space for her desk, chair, stuff)…she was disappointed because it had carpet (she wanted wood) and…oh, the reasons were endless.

Getting through that, we were ready to head out of the city to Wales.  The drive (according to Google) should be slightly under 4 hours.  We were getting away about an hour later than I wanted to be…but it was all good…we had a place to be for the holidays that had some furniture.  We found the way, and although I’m sure the drive was beautiful, it so overcast that the light didn’t last long once the sun went down at about 3:50…I hadn’t realized exactly how short the days are this far north of the equator.  We made our final 50 miles in darkness, which made navigating the single lane Welsh roads somewhat of a challenge.  We eventually found the place, key hidden under the flower pot, and settled in.  Since we hadn’t had room in the car for food, Taija and I took off to find a store in Carmarthen (apparently only a few miles away) that was still open to stock-up…luckily my urban planning skills held, and I found the giant Tesco Extra.

Anyway, we settled into life in Wales very easily…enough beds for all.  It was a little strange being on someone else’s farm, in the middle of horses and pigs and cats and sheep, but it was all we had expected…and perfect for what we needed.  We spent the first few days getting ready for Christmas, having Christmas, having our big boxing day feast (turkey and all the trimmings on Christmas day has fallen out of fashion for us).  After Boxing day, we headed out to explore a bit of Carmarthenshire, and we found the ruins of a castle not far away…one that had been built about 900 years ago, and destroyed by an attack by Edward I of England.  We also found a more modern monument to the glory of Lord Admiral Nelson (built in the 1700’s it was still pretty cool).  Then we moved on to a 1000 years old Abbey…we had a lovely day…although the bitter cold had settled in, so our time out of the car was briefer than we would have liked.

The day before we left we headed over to The White Hart Thatched Inn and Brewery for Sunday roast…which was brilliant.  The place was built 600 years or so, and it was pretty cool to be just hanging out there with so much history surrounding us…and our kind of history too…pub history!

29-Dec - Move in day!  We made it back to the house with 10 minutes to spare…the movers were already staked out in front of the house, and it didn’t take us long to get them working.  We all bundled up seeing that the heat in the house had been turned way down for a week, and the weather had turned bitterly cold…having the door open for the entire day wasn’t going to help things.  The movers unloaded our two trucks in the first day, and then returned to unpack some stuff, and assemble some others the next morning.

It took fully three days for the ambient temperature of the house to get up to a reasonable 20, and the thermostat to kick off.  I’ve programmed the boiler to stay on 24 hours for the next while until it stops being January weather.

30-Dec - Our first shopping trip for stuff for the house.  We spend an unbelievable 5 hours at IKEA…apparently just like casino in Vegas, the lack of windows must be accompanied by pure Oxygen to keep shoppers full of energy.  We got a bunch of stuff for Taija’s room and a whole heap of stuff for the kitchen in order to make it work for us.  We had plans to do some other shopping but when we got out (in the dark) and noticed it was 6 o’clock, the wind left our sails and we headed home to unload and get some dinner.

31-Dec - Tracy, Jesse and I headed up to find an ASDA (part of the Wal-Mart family) to get the hors d’œuvres for our New Years feast.  Exploring other areas of London has become quite a habit of ours.  That done (another 4 hours shopping) we settled into an evening of games, food, drink and cheer.  We were even able to enjoy some neighbour’s fireworks at midnight.

1-Jan - We’ve really spent the last week mostly just getting things unpacked, and working through the house room by room.  It’s really coming together very well, and very quickly.  The only unpacked boxes remain in the study which has become the catch all as we put the rest of the rooms in order.  The house is more amazing that we remembered from our brief visit, and the more we find out about our neighbourhood, the happier we are with our choice.  We seem to have found the biggest pocket of homeschooler’s in London, we have met a few of our neighbours already, and they’re all super friendly and happy here…some having lived here about 25 years.  There are decent shops on our local high street, and two blocks down the road on the other side of the tracks is West Norwood high street which is even better.  All the kids are super comfortable here, and the lack of a telly has been good for them for a while  The three littles got Nintendo DSes for Christmas, and we’re finding that having such easy access to a video game system has done exactly what I’ve been predicting…it’s just another thing to occupy some of their time.  They more often than we thought put them down to move on to something else.

We made it!  Tomorrow is the last day here in temp housing.  This is the 3rd time we’ve done the ‘ corporate housing’ thing and it never gets any easier.  We find it’s the same each time-  exciting and fun at first, like being on vacation, then we fall into a rhythm and it is fine but not exciting and then in the final week or two we’ve all had enough and find ourselves longing for our own digs and our own stuff.

Today we’re packing up in preparation for Monday when we’ll take whatever isn’t going with us to Wales over to the new house and let the kids finally see it.  We’re hoping to be heading off to Wales around noon on the 22nd.  We need to make everything that is going to the house fit in one trip and then somehow make everything that’s going to Wales fit in our new car with us along with all of us which is no easy task.   Yes, you read that right…we did get a car!   Dave found an awesome Toyota Previa on Ebay and went and picked it up last weekend.  It cost just over what we would have spent for a rental for our week in Wales and now we’ve got wheels to get us to France and to do some shopping for large items that we need to replace like a TV.

The new car! Not a good shot because I tried to get it at night in the pouring rain when the kids were getting in to go to the movies, but there it is.

Terran out for the first ride in the new van.

Jess out for a ride ( also this seems to be the last pre-haircut shot of him!)

We took the new van for a spin last Saturday down to Streatham to the cinema.  We all went to see Inkheart and drove the kids by the new house and around our new neighbourhood since they hadn’t see in.  Seeing the house made them even more eager to be able to go inside and check it out!

We’ve had a a lot of fun down here in the heart of the city and seen some fabulous sites.  We managed to take in a few attractions and museums and see a few cool things.

Some highlights

• The V&A Museum
• The Science Museum
• The Natural History Museum
• A walk along the Mall and up to Buckingham Palace
• Winterwonderland in Hyde Park as well as feeding birds and squirrels there.
• St. James Park
• Trafalgar Square
• We got to see the London Eye, Madam Toussaud’s and a bunch of other stuff but haven’t fully experienced those yet. They are still on the to-do list!

Here’s a massive photo recap of our time in Westminster.

Fun in Trafalgar Square

A rare shot of Mr Aidan looking happy about this whole adventure. A pic from one of the late night parties he and Terran have been having lately.

Sir Havelock in Trafalgar Square...not having a good day :)

Kids hanging out on one of the Lions in Trafalgar Square. There are so many people waiting to have their pics taken here that you have to queue up.

The Nativity Scene in the Square...who knew Uncle Jay was a shepherd?

The statue of Admiral Nelson as seen from below

The full view of Admiral Nelson

Our first glimpse of the Palace Guards on our walk along the Mall on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.

Palace Gates

The Canada gate at Buckingham Palace

Some of the kids walking around in front of Buckingham Palace

This shot pretty much sums up Aidan's feelings about " another day walking around looking at old buildings" Note all our shadows, that's us all standing around waiting for Aidan to cheer up and come get hot cocoa with us.

Terran was having a much better time than Aidan

Playing in St. James Park

Taija riding a snail in St. James Park...not the fastest way to travel

Aidan captured this action shot of the zillions of pigeons in the "bird feeding area" in St. James Park

Taija got this beautiful shot of Big Ben as we walked up the street

Dave got this great shot of the London Eye from the bridge in St. James park while the kids were checking out the waterfowl

Another great shot by Aidan

Another look at the London Eye from across the Thames. More of Taija's good camera work

Jesse walking the busy streets of London, totally in his element

The kids checking out the War Memorial at Victoria Embankment just before we headed home for the day. Dave and Aidan made Sunday Roast

Taija goofing around at the War Memorial...such a great shot!

We had an awesome Sunday afternoon strolling around the city. We started at Trafalgar Square and made our way up the Mall which is closed to traffic on Sundays and then to Buckingham Palace.  Aidan had had enough of ‘boring stuff’ so we walked to St. James Park where we found a nice little playground and a place to get some hot cocoa and Americanos for Dave and I.  We strolled with our bevvies up through the park and eventually made our way to Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster and then on to Victoria Embankment for a quick look the Thames before heading home on the Tube for our Sunday Roast dinner made by Dave and his eager sous chef Aidan and to curl up and watch Star Wars together.  It was a great day and I think even Aidan managed to have at least a little fun. ( though he’d deny it if you asked him)

In an attempt to fill our days here at the flats Jesse and I keep dragging the kids out to “boring museums full of old stuff”  We visited the Science Museum, The Natural History Museum and the V&A ( Victoria and Albert).  I discovered that the littles enjoy it slightly more if they can take pictures so we have lots of photos from our museum visits. Unfortunately our old camera died with photos from the first two museums on it so we’ve only got pics from the V&A to share.

A carving of the initials V and A in the railing

Taija's favourite dress from the exhibit

Taija actually enjoyed this museum as it houses an exhibit of the history of fashion and she is all about fashion these days!  She had a great time running around snapping photos of all the different dresses and shoes.  I’ve promised to take her back without her brothers so she can sit and sketch all the pieces while I sip an Americano and read a magazine.  That sounds like a perfect day!

A view of the V&A from the back garden

A HUGE piece of Chihuly glass hanging in the main foyer which was so cool to see here after just leaving the Tacoma area.

a beautiful and ornately carved archway that was in a big room that looked like it was full of a bunch of stuff getting ready for a new exhibit.

A very old chair made of entirely of antlers except for the seat. The kids were fascinated byt this one!

Aidan took this cool pic of the gorgeous tiled floor

I’ve completely given up on going back and catching up but I would like to start being better about updating here so starting today I’m going to *try* to get here and do at the very least a mini update about what we’ve been up to.  Jess says he’d update more often if he had “private Internet”.  Dave’s laptop, my laptop and Spencer’s laptop are all connecting and we had the kids’ shared desktop sent in partial shipment so they’ve got that set up but in true Jesse fashion, his laptop is too archaic for it to be able to connect to this network. He’s really missing being connected but ’tis his own fault…wanting a computer that makes noise. He just said the other day how he wished it went “clang and ding”. He’s quite an old man.

Current newsworthy developments

• We found a place to go for Christmas!   We’ve rented a cottage in Wales and will be spending Dec 22-29th there.  The farm is called Cwmcrwth Farm  and looks pretty fab.  Who needs vowels anyway?  We’re looking forward to putting up a wee tree and hanging out.  The littles  are very excited about the idea of being on a farm with piggies for Christmas.  Dave is talking of Christmas goose and I’m researching recipes for sticky toffee pudding.  It’s beginning to feel just a little like Christmas.

• We found a house!! This is a huge relief. We are out of temporary housing on Dec 20 ( hoping for an extension here or else we’ve got to move to a hotel for a couple of days).  We get the keys to the new house on Dec 22.  The plan is to go over there and drop off the stuff we got in partial shipment and any extra luggage and then head off to Wales for some Christmas Cheer.  The house is unbelievably fabulous, everything we were looking for.  I spent a lot of time creating a clear vision of what our ideal home would be like and then “leaned in”  ( as my dear friend Karen would say).  All my holding the vision seems to have worked a miracle yet again and we’ve found the perfect place.  It has 6 bedrooms, a study, a double reception, a fabulous bright conservatory/dining room and an extra prep kitchen. The loft has been converted to a wonderful master suite with opening skylights and a balcony ( for quiet morning coffee*sigh*) .  We’ve got a large ( by London standards) back garden and even a teeny front garden and a driveway.  To top it all off we’re in an area with a wonderful home schooling group, very active and so far ( over email) very welcoming and fun.  Dave’s commute and our trips in to central London for fun are made easier by being in Zone 2.    Our plan was to live as close to Dave’s office as we could reasonably manage but I never expected that we’d be this close.  I am holding a lot of gratitude in my heart and feeling amazingly good our new home.   It was only the sixth house we looked at and Dave and I found it on our trip down to Lambeth on a Saturday when we hired a car and left the kids home so they haven’t even seen it.
• Our stuff cleared customs today- which means that we’ve been able to schedule delivery for noon on the 29th when we get back from Wales. There was some concern that we’d be coming back from Wales to an empty house so this is very good news.  Delivery on the 29th and 30th and then unpack just enough on the 31st to do some New Years’ Celebrating and housewarming.  The rest of the unpacking can wait for the dreary January days.
• I’ve been spending some time at Jivamukti London and having a great time.   My practice was suffering with all the madness of moving and it feel so, so good to be attending classes again.  I love the energy of practicing with others and the inspiration of working with new teachers.  I arrived last week to attend my first class and as I was signing in I was overjoyed to hear Steve Gold’s So Much Magnificence playing. ( go, right now…cllick the link and give it a listen!  I love his rendition of Om Namah Sivaya and Anne Emilie’s harmonies are just too lovely )   Such an powerful song!  I’ve sung that song with Steve and Anne Emilie at Satsangs at Three Trees on many occasions and it was a great full circle moment for me to be standing there humming it in London.
• We’re thinking of buying a car.  We’ll have to hire one to take us to Wales and it would be handy t