We arrived in London on Wednesday. It took much longer than we expected. The train was late and then was so full that we had to stand in the connector for almost 3 hours. I finally put the children's backpacks on the floor and used them for seats for them. I was pretty angry that we had paid full fare to not be able to move our feet two inches and be crammed in the connectors between cars, like war refugees. But I felt a little better when I talked to the people who were sitting in the next connector and discovered that they had reserved, first class tickets. Thank goodness Don didn't pay the extra money for first class tickets for us.
Once we arrived in Euston Station, we had to find the correct subway line and figure out how to do tickets. It took me a while, standing in queue's for information, the route map, then again for tickets, not to mention getting through the gates once the tickets were in my hand. Along the way, my watch got stolen - ripped right off my hand with cut nuckels to boot. But I didn't discover the missing watch until much later. It's frustrating, though, not having a watch. I'm constantly pulling up my shirt sleeve and staring at my empty arm before realizing that there's nothing there.
Check-in at the hotel was 2 p.m. We were supposed to arrive around 1 and thought we'd try and check in early. By the time we changed trains a couple of times and found our way out of the tube station, then got our bearings and made our way about a mile down the road to the hotel, it was about 4:30, and we were just plain tired. We settled in, dropped off our luggage, and headed out for dinner, discovering that the person who had given us directions to the hotel from the tube had sent us the long way around, and the hotel was really only about 1/2 mile away.
Now to the good part. Don had booked a tour for us on a bus tour. The tickets were good for two days and included a free cruise of the Thames' River. We started out the day Thursday taking the tube to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, then hopped on our bus tour (on the second story of the open-top, of course) and did the entire loop around London to familiarize ourselves with the city. We planned to start seeing the sites first thing Friday, but we wanted to fit the cruise in on Wednesday after dark so we could see the lights of the city. We did all that, and had a wonderful time.
The highlights were Buckingham Palace. We had trouble seeing anything, although the Palace Guard band played showtunes during the whole ceremony, and that was fun. As the guards marched off through the Gate, some Spanish women who were right at the barricade called Dane up to get a front-row look. A belated officer came walking up to the gate and the bobby let him out, then turned to go back through the gate, when he saw Dane. He walked over and asked Dane if he had enjoyed the ceremony, then gave him a button that had fallen off the uniform of one of the Palace guards. Dane was floored. People gathered around to look at the button and oohed and aahed about the whole situation. It was pretty amazing.
By late last night, after we had dinner in town and were catching a bus towards home, we were surprised at how much we recognized about the city from our tour. We went down Fleet Street, past Prince Albert's ( a pub), and turned the corner at Trafalgar Square. "Oh, look, there's Trafalgar!" It was just bizarre - recognizing places in London. We got home to the hotel, exhausted, but happy. It was about 11:30 before we got the children to bed.
Another surprise was that our hotel serves breakfast. We had been told they didn't do breakfast, but it turns out a Continental breakfast is included, which means we can save a little money on food bills. This morning, we rose fairly late. Everyone except me and Daelyn slept in. Once we had all eaten and gotten ourselves together, we headed back into town. We started at the Tower of London, which was where all the children wanted to go the most.
We toured the Bloody Tower and saw the Crown Jewels, which are kept in the Tower. Then we went to the bathrooms and I pulled out dress clothes, dress shoes and nylons for Deanna, a suitcoat and tie for Don, and they changed. Don had purchased tickets for him and Deanna to see a Show and we kept it a surprise for her. We decided he'd take her, even though it was more MY thing than his, because she needed time with her Daddy. She was very excited, although she couldn't even begin to guess what the surprise was. We sent her and Don off to see "Wicked", then the boys and I spent more time touring the Tower. It is officially still a Palace of the Realm and all the 34 Yeoman Wardens live on the property. We spent quite some time talking with the Yeomen (Beefeaters) and found out some amazing things. Later, we saw two young Palace guards walking through the courtyard inside the tower and went to speak with them. I was showing Dane their coats and the buttons that looked just like the one he got at Buckingham when I noticed the guard I was talking with was missing a button. We laughingly told him our story. Turns out, he was on duty at Buckingham Palace the day before (Thursday) and was marching in the Changing of the Guard ceremony when he lost his button. HIS WAS THE BUTTON DANE WAS GIVEN. We couldn't believe it. The chance of being given a button from a uniform when Dane was just one of hundreds of thousands of people crammed into the square in front of the Palace was astronomical to begin with. Then to run into the very Guard who had lost his button at that ceremony the next day at a different palace is truly nothing short of amazing.
He kindly told Dane to keep the button and commented that if he had eaten less Christmas Dinner, he might not have popped his button.
Needless to say, we had a wonderful time. The boys and I then made our way to the London Eye, a ferris-wheel type observation point, that lifts you around 500 feet into the air in a glass capsule over the Thames'. We got there after dark but the view was beautiful and the boys loved it. Then we took off to meet Don and Deanna at Victoria Station.
We stopped at a little bakery stand for pasties for dinner and sat in a bus shelter to eat. Then we hopped on a bus and went to Trafalgar Square so I could look at the fountains and sculptures. Tomorrow morning, we're hoping to head for Westminster and, maybe, the replica of the Globe Theater. I can already see there's far more in this area that I'm going to want to visit than we have time for. Don pronounced tonight that we won't be going to Stonehenge - no time. Deanna wants to see St. Paul's, and I simply must walk through Piccadilly Circus.
We head for home Sunday, far sooner that I would like, but Don wants to get some rest before he has to go back to work on January 2. I'm sure glad we didn't try to cram Paris into this trip, as well. We would have had to really shorten our time in London, and I wouldn't have been able to see nearly enough.
London is a big city and, like big cities the world over, people are in a hurry and are much less friendly than up north. But there are more tourists here than natives, and we've found many very nice people. Lots have been kind and helpful, and then there were the Spanish women who pulled Dane up and the New Yorkers who squooshed us into their places at the fence so we could take pictures through the bars. People everywhere are kind is you just give them a chance.
It looks like we're not going to get to Bath or Stratford-upon-Avon this trip. The children and I will have to plan some day trips.
Deanna was thrilled with her Opera, the boys were delighted to see weapons of torture and the chopping block that was used for beheadings. I had a wonderful time talking with the Yeomen and the Palace Guards about Dianna, Charles, and Camilla, as well as Harry and William. According to the young Palace Guards, the Queen Mother used to bring glasses of ice water out to them on hot summer days. She was dearly loved by the young men who were honored to guard her and is deeply missed since her death in 2002. Public opinion about Camilla seems to be shifting and there's speculation that Charles may declare her the Queen once he's crowned King. Lots of interesting stuff to talk about over here.
Once we get home and sleep for a few days, I'll post again from the Culcheth Library. Don's been informed that the government has extended the time for companies to submit their bids (what he's over here doing) until Feb. 21, so we may be staying longer than anticipated. Don won't know anything for sure until the middle of January. I'm missing the puppy terribly and am just about ready to come home. I'm tired of being cold and muddy, very tired of 4 hours per load of wash, and am ready to get back to our real life, although this has been an amazing experience.
Hope all is well with all my family and friends and that each of you had a blessed Christmas.
One last funny story - on Christmas Eve, we went to the 5 p.m. family service at Church. It was a candlelight service and we were expecting somberness. Instead, we sang the Holy Hokey (to the tune of the Hokey Pokey) and some song about "Little Donkey". It was very different and not quite what I would consider serious and thought-provoking. But it was Christmas Eve, and not much would deter our excitement.
We had a wonderful Christmas. The children were all very pleased with their presents and surprised with how much they received. We were all very thankful.
God is good and His love for us is evident to us everyday. It's only because of his great love for us that we're in England now enjoying the marvels of his creation.
God bless you all and Cheerio until we meet again.
Friday, December 29, 2006
London Bridge is Falling Down
We arrived in London on Wednesday. It took much longer than we expected. The train was late and then was so full that we had to stand in the connector for almost 3 hours. I finally put the children's backpacks on the floor and used them for seats for them. I was pretty angry that we had paid full fare to not be able to move our feet two inches and be crammed in the connectors between cars, like war refugees. But I felt a little better when I talked to the people who were sitting in the next connector and discovered that they had reserved, first class tickets. Thank goodness Don didn't pay the extra money for first class tickets for us.
Once we arrived in Euston Station, we had to find the correct subway line and figure out how to do tickets. It took me a while, standing in queue's for information, the route map, then again for tickets, not to mention getting through the gates once the tickets were in my hand. Along the way, my watch got stolen - ripped right off my hand with cut nuckels to boot. But I didn't discover the missing watch until much later. It's frustrating, though, not having a watch. I'm constantly pulling up my shirt sleeve and staring at my empty arm before realizing that there's nothing there.
Check-in at the hotel was 2 p.m. We were supposed to arrive around 1 and thought we'd try and check in early. By the time we changed trains a couple of times and found our way out of the tube station, then got our bearings and made our way about a mile down the road to the hotel, it was about 4:30, and we were just plain tired. We settled in, dropped off our luggage, and headed out for dinner, discovering that the person who had given us directions to the hotel from the tube had sent us the long way around, and the hotel was really only about 1/2 mile away.
Now to the good part. Don had booked a tour for us on a bus tour. The tickets were good for two days and included a free cruise of the Thames' River. We started out the day Thursday taking the tube to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, then hopped on our bus tour (on the second story of the open-top, of course) and did the entire loop around London to familiarize ourselves with the city. We planned to start seeing the sites first thing Friday, but we wanted to fit the cruise in on Wednesday after dark so we could see the lights of the city. We did all that, and had a wonderful time.
The highlights were Buckingham Palace. We had trouble seeing anything, although the Palace Guard band played showtunes during the whole ceremony, and that was fun. As the guards marched off through the Gate, some Spanish women who were right at the barricade called Dane up to get a front-row look. A belated officer came walking up to the gate and the bobby let him out, then turned to go back through the gate, when he saw Dane. He walked over and asked Dane if he had enjoiy
Once we arrived in Euston Station, we had to find the correct subway line and figure out how to do tickets. It took me a while, standing in queue's for information, the route map, then again for tickets, not to mention getting through the gates once the tickets were in my hand. Along the way, my watch got stolen - ripped right off my hand with cut nuckels to boot. But I didn't discover the missing watch until much later. It's frustrating, though, not having a watch. I'm constantly pulling up my shirt sleeve and staring at my empty arm before realizing that there's nothing there.
Check-in at the hotel was 2 p.m. We were supposed to arrive around 1 and thought we'd try and check in early. By the time we changed trains a couple of times and found our way out of the tube station, then got our bearings and made our way about a mile down the road to the hotel, it was about 4:30, and we were just plain tired. We settled in, dropped off our luggage, and headed out for dinner, discovering that the person who had given us directions to the hotel from the tube had sent us the long way around, and the hotel was really only about 1/2 mile away.
Now to the good part. Don had booked a tour for us on a bus tour. The tickets were good for two days and included a free cruise of the Thames' River. We started out the day Thursday taking the tube to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, then hopped on our bus tour (on the second story of the open-top, of course) and did the entire loop around London to familiarize ourselves with the city. We planned to start seeing the sites first thing Friday, but we wanted to fit the cruise in on Wednesday after dark so we could see the lights of the city. We did all that, and had a wonderful time.
The highlights were Buckingham Palace. We had trouble seeing anything, although the Palace Guard band played showtunes during the whole ceremony, and that was fun. As the guards marched off through the Gate, some Spanish women who were right at the barricade called Dane up to get a front-row look. A belated officer came walking up to the gate and the bobby let him out, then turned to go back through the gate, when he saw Dane. He walked over and asked Dane if he had enjoiy
Thursday, December 21, 2006
A Very English Christmas
Cheerio! It's almost Christmas and the weather outside is frightful.
Father Christmas visited our cul-de-sac on his sleigh this week. The Rotary Club float goes around from neighborhood to neighborhood, playing Christmas music and Father Christmas hands out candy to all the children. He looks suspiciously like our Santa, but speaks with an English accent.
We were just sitting to dinner when there was a knock at the door and a man with a tin for donations told us that Fr. Christmas was on his way. The children ran out the door, coatless and shoeless, to see him. One of the neighbor children, Sam, had been just ready for his bath, so his Mum was carrying him, shirtless and shoesless (which made me feel way better about my kids).
Last Friday, we had a Christmas Tree Decorating Party. We invited folks from Don's office for an Open House, to start at 7 p.m. My worst fears were realized when there was a knock on the door at ten till seven, and I opened it to find a line of single-file people, all the way across our front driveway and out the gate, then turning down the sidewalk. There were about 20 people, all who showed up at the same time. Apparently, the bus that picks them up at work and takes them home to the hotel at night dropped them at our house, instead. The party arrived.
I began greeting people as they filed in the house, taking their coats and smiling. By the time I got to the fifth person, I realized I didn't recognize a soul. I got a little nervous. I know MOST of the people who work with Don, AND we went to that Christmas Party where I at least SAW everyone. But these people were total strangers. Finally, when I got to guest #7, I recognized a face, and everyone from there on. They must have stacked the deck to throw me off kilter.
At 9:00, a minibus showed back up and everyone said a quick good-bye and headed out the door - very busy and very crowded, but ended all too early. Thank goodness, we had also invited some friends of ours that we met over here, who showed up about 8:30, we they stayed and we had a wonderful time.
Several people brought ornaments for our lovely little tree and everyone seemed to bring presents for the children. They were in Seventh Heaven. I made Hot Buttered Rum and Hot Spiced Cider and had sodas on hand, NONE of which got drunk (but my Hot Buttered Rum's almost all gone).
We've had a low-key week, getting last minute stuff done for Christmas. Today, I'm taking the children in Warrington. They've set up an ice skating rink in Town Centre. We'll meet Don there for dinner and then go shopping. I had to stop at the library for recipes for Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie - the little things you take for granted at home. I'm just hopeful I can find all the ingredients I need.
Last year, we started a new tradition with the children. I've always wanted to have a Christmas Eve meal tradition, and last year we had fondue. It was a huge hit and the children definately want to continue it, but I wasn't sure I could pull it off over here. I was talking with a friend from church, Jill (the lady who's invited us over on Christmas Eve night), and her husband asked if I'd like to borrow a fondue pot. That evening, at the Festival of Carols at church, they brought the fondue pot and forks, the fuel for it, and a recipe so we can have our fondue. It was very kind.
When we come home, I'm going to miss 'single cream' and 'double cream'. Deanna's already bemoaning the loss of her plentiful gouda cheese, and the boys are upset about not being able to get toffee yogurt at home. We have fallen in love with England.
We found out you have to have a TV license to play a TV. Don bought a license - £350 for a year - a staggering $700 just to be able to watch TV in your home. The Company's paying for our license, since we'll only be using it for 6 weeks.
We're going to London for 5 days after Christmas. We were hoping to get to Paris, also, but the trainride was going to cost £850, which seemed a little steep for 3 days in Paris. So, we'll have to save up our frequent flier miles and plan a trip to mainland Europe soon.
We're hoping to get to Scotland in January but don't have any plans yet.
Don got me a pay-as-you-go cellphone, so I can make limited calls. Daytime calls (before 7:30 p.m.) cost 30p a minute (60 cents) and they charge by the second. Add to that the cost of the calling card for International use and it's fairly expensive. BUT (the big but) I've qualified this week for free weekend calls and my calling card is offerring free calls to the U.S. on Saturday between noon and midnight our time (7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Georgia time), so I plan on spending the entire day on the phone.
I can't figure out how to e-mail from the library - it's very difficult to get on bellsouth from over here - so I'm afraid I can't easily send notes to all my friends. This will have to suffice.
Mark and Rachel, thanks for the comments on my last post. It's wonderful to hear from our friends at home. Rach, I sure miss you and the boys.
Donovan's first birthday is Christmas. We sure are missing him. But Deanna says it's time to sign off now and head to the bus stop, so Merry Christmas to all out there in Bloggerland.
Anne, Kelly, Andree (thanks for the thoughtful Christmas card - we got a package from Michelle Scott, also, with a card, an ornament for Deanna, and gifts for the boys), Katharine, Becky, Heather, Rach, Sherrie, Karen, the Francis', Ken, and all my beloved family - MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Doughty's in Jolly ol' England. We love all of you and miss you.
Father Christmas visited our cul-de-sac on his sleigh this week. The Rotary Club float goes around from neighborhood to neighborhood, playing Christmas music and Father Christmas hands out candy to all the children. He looks suspiciously like our Santa, but speaks with an English accent.
We were just sitting to dinner when there was a knock at the door and a man with a tin for donations told us that Fr. Christmas was on his way. The children ran out the door, coatless and shoeless, to see him. One of the neighbor children, Sam, had been just ready for his bath, so his Mum was carrying him, shirtless and shoesless (which made me feel way better about my kids).
Last Friday, we had a Christmas Tree Decorating Party. We invited folks from Don's office for an Open House, to start at 7 p.m. My worst fears were realized when there was a knock on the door at ten till seven, and I opened it to find a line of single-file people, all the way across our front driveway and out the gate, then turning down the sidewalk. There were about 20 people, all who showed up at the same time. Apparently, the bus that picks them up at work and takes them home to the hotel at night dropped them at our house, instead. The party arrived.
I began greeting people as they filed in the house, taking their coats and smiling. By the time I got to the fifth person, I realized I didn't recognize a soul. I got a little nervous. I know MOST of the people who work with Don, AND we went to that Christmas Party where I at least SAW everyone. But these people were total strangers. Finally, when I got to guest #7, I recognized a face, and everyone from there on. They must have stacked the deck to throw me off kilter.
At 9:00, a minibus showed back up and everyone said a quick good-bye and headed out the door - very busy and very crowded, but ended all too early. Thank goodness, we had also invited some friends of ours that we met over here, who showed up about 8:30, we they stayed and we had a wonderful time.
Several people brought ornaments for our lovely little tree and everyone seemed to bring presents for the children. They were in Seventh Heaven. I made Hot Buttered Rum and Hot Spiced Cider and had sodas on hand, NONE of which got drunk (but my Hot Buttered Rum's almost all gone).
We've had a low-key week, getting last minute stuff done for Christmas. Today, I'm taking the children in Warrington. They've set up an ice skating rink in Town Centre. We'll meet Don there for dinner and then go shopping. I had to stop at the library for recipes for Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie - the little things you take for granted at home. I'm just hopeful I can find all the ingredients I need.
Last year, we started a new tradition with the children. I've always wanted to have a Christmas Eve meal tradition, and last year we had fondue. It was a huge hit and the children definately want to continue it, but I wasn't sure I could pull it off over here. I was talking with a friend from church, Jill (the lady who's invited us over on Christmas Eve night), and her husband asked if I'd like to borrow a fondue pot. That evening, at the Festival of Carols at church, they brought the fondue pot and forks, the fuel for it, and a recipe so we can have our fondue. It was very kind.
When we come home, I'm going to miss 'single cream' and 'double cream'. Deanna's already bemoaning the loss of her plentiful gouda cheese, and the boys are upset about not being able to get toffee yogurt at home. We have fallen in love with England.
We found out you have to have a TV license to play a TV. Don bought a license - £350 for a year - a staggering $700 just to be able to watch TV in your home. The Company's paying for our license, since we'll only be using it for 6 weeks.
We're going to London for 5 days after Christmas. We were hoping to get to Paris, also, but the trainride was going to cost £850, which seemed a little steep for 3 days in Paris. So, we'll have to save up our frequent flier miles and plan a trip to mainland Europe soon.
We're hoping to get to Scotland in January but don't have any plans yet.
Don got me a pay-as-you-go cellphone, so I can make limited calls. Daytime calls (before 7:30 p.m.) cost 30p a minute (60 cents) and they charge by the second. Add to that the cost of the calling card for International use and it's fairly expensive. BUT (the big but) I've qualified this week for free weekend calls and my calling card is offerring free calls to the U.S. on Saturday between noon and midnight our time (7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Georgia time), so I plan on spending the entire day on the phone.
I can't figure out how to e-mail from the library - it's very difficult to get on bellsouth from over here - so I'm afraid I can't easily send notes to all my friends. This will have to suffice.
Mark and Rachel, thanks for the comments on my last post. It's wonderful to hear from our friends at home. Rach, I sure miss you and the boys.
Donovan's first birthday is Christmas. We sure are missing him. But Deanna says it's time to sign off now and head to the bus stop, so Merry Christmas to all out there in Bloggerland.
Anne, Kelly, Andree (thanks for the thoughtful Christmas card - we got a package from Michelle Scott, also, with a card, an ornament for Deanna, and gifts for the boys), Katharine, Becky, Heather, Rach, Sherrie, Karen, the Francis', Ken, and all my beloved family - MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Doughty's in Jolly ol' England. We love all of you and miss you.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Liverpool and Manchester
Hello, friends. I'm writing from the Culcheth Library. They do have free Internet Access here, but I keep hitting a slashmark instead of the cap key.
We had a wonderful week last week. We went to Liverpool on Friday (Rachel, Deanna picked up a postcard for Ethan - I tried to talk her into a bumper sticker, but she couldn't seem to get past the fact that Ethan doesn't own a car) and visited The Beatle's Story and a Maritime Museum. Everything in Liverpool is free. We had a wonderful day and spent some time shopping in Town Centre. On the way out, we found a Disney store that Deanna wanted to look through and then a McDonald's. Deanna and Dane really wanted a good, old-fashioned American hamburger, so we ate there (although drinks over here are rather strange - all sodas are sugar-free). Daelyn discovered they had an upstairs, so we chose a window-side table and he stood up watching the buses drive by and enjoying the Liverpool nightlife from the 2nd story of McDonald's. Then we took a train for home. When the train arrived in Birchwood, we waited a while for the bus (I used my handy-dandy flashlight to check the schedule) before discovering that Birchwood is a business center and the buses don't run into the late evening. It was around 8 p.m. One of the Bobby's standing around offerred to call us a cab and, while we were waiting on it, my cellphone rang. I answered it to find my father on the other end. What a wonderful surprise!! I had just gotten it the day before, but Don had sent out an e-mail that morning with my number and Papa decided to put the International Calling Card I bought him before I left to good use. We didn't get to talk for long, though, before the taxi arrived and we headed for home.
The next day, some of the folks in Don's office needed a break, so the Company arranged for a bus to take anyone wanting to go into Manchester to Trafford Center, a HUGE high-end Mall, anchored by the English equivalent of Rich's. Don signed me and the children up but expected to be working, so we were going to try it on our own. When we got home Friday night from Liverpool, he told me that he had decided to go with us and had gotten himself on the bus, as well. I was thrilled - half a day with Daddy exploring Manchester. We were to meet at his office at 2 p.m. to board the bus and it would return at 9 p.m. Some of the Americans wanted to see a movie at the many theaters in Trafford.
When we arrived and disembarked in Manchester, I asked the man parking buses how to get a Metrolink Shuttle into downtown. He told me that the Shuttle stopped right where we were standing. We took it to the last stop, then picked up a Tram and headed into town. There was a European Market in Town Center. We wandered around, looked at booths, checked out the cheeses and bratwurst, watched them making German pancakes, bought some gingerbread from a Danish cookiemaker, had some spicy sausages for dinner, then decided to head back for Trafford. It was about an hour after dark and we were starting to get cold. As we were walking away, we heard a band playing and walked back to the edge of the market where 4 young men had set up their instruments and were playing Christmas carols. We sang softly along with them. The air was crisp and the wind was in our faces. We could smell the bratwurst and gleuwine in the air and the lights were twinkling around us. It was one of those precious moments in time. I put my arm around Deanna's shoulders and squeezed them. She looked up into my eyes and had tears in hers.
"Mama, this was worth the trip. I'm glad we're here."
This has been a hard time for her to be away from all her friends. She's missing her family and the festivities at home and every few days asks if she can call one of her friends to hear a voice from home.
Today, some friends from Augusta arrived - Andrea Prunier, for those of you who know her, and her sister. They'll be staying with us for a couple of days. We're trying to teach them some of the ropes.
We don't have any further travel plans before Christmas, unless something comes along that we can't resist. After Christmas, we're planning on doing London and, maybe, heading across the Channel. In January, we hope to visit Scotland.
A few more entries for our American/English Dictionary:
Vegetables - veg
Cup of tea - brew
yards - gardens
Sidewalk - pavement
bathroom - toilets
I'm sure there's lots more, but Deanna's late for tea with a friend, so we've got to go. I'll try and write again before Christmas.
We had a wonderful week last week. We went to Liverpool on Friday (Rachel, Deanna picked up a postcard for Ethan - I tried to talk her into a bumper sticker, but she couldn't seem to get past the fact that Ethan doesn't own a car) and visited The Beatle's Story and a Maritime Museum. Everything in Liverpool is free. We had a wonderful day and spent some time shopping in Town Centre. On the way out, we found a Disney store that Deanna wanted to look through and then a McDonald's. Deanna and Dane really wanted a good, old-fashioned American hamburger, so we ate there (although drinks over here are rather strange - all sodas are sugar-free). Daelyn discovered they had an upstairs, so we chose a window-side table and he stood up watching the buses drive by and enjoying the Liverpool nightlife from the 2nd story of McDonald's. Then we took a train for home. When the train arrived in Birchwood, we waited a while for the bus (I used my handy-dandy flashlight to check the schedule) before discovering that Birchwood is a business center and the buses don't run into the late evening. It was around 8 p.m. One of the Bobby's standing around offerred to call us a cab and, while we were waiting on it, my cellphone rang. I answered it to find my father on the other end. What a wonderful surprise!! I had just gotten it the day before, but Don had sent out an e-mail that morning with my number and Papa decided to put the International Calling Card I bought him before I left to good use. We didn't get to talk for long, though, before the taxi arrived and we headed for home.
The next day, some of the folks in Don's office needed a break, so the Company arranged for a bus to take anyone wanting to go into Manchester to Trafford Center, a HUGE high-end Mall, anchored by the English equivalent of Rich's. Don signed me and the children up but expected to be working, so we were going to try it on our own. When we got home Friday night from Liverpool, he told me that he had decided to go with us and had gotten himself on the bus, as well. I was thrilled - half a day with Daddy exploring Manchester. We were to meet at his office at 2 p.m. to board the bus and it would return at 9 p.m. Some of the Americans wanted to see a movie at the many theaters in Trafford.
When we arrived and disembarked in Manchester, I asked the man parking buses how to get a Metrolink Shuttle into downtown. He told me that the Shuttle stopped right where we were standing. We took it to the last stop, then picked up a Tram and headed into town. There was a European Market in Town Center. We wandered around, looked at booths, checked out the cheeses and bratwurst, watched them making German pancakes, bought some gingerbread from a Danish cookiemaker, had some spicy sausages for dinner, then decided to head back for Trafford. It was about an hour after dark and we were starting to get cold. As we were walking away, we heard a band playing and walked back to the edge of the market where 4 young men had set up their instruments and were playing Christmas carols. We sang softly along with them. The air was crisp and the wind was in our faces. We could smell the bratwurst and gleuwine in the air and the lights were twinkling around us. It was one of those precious moments in time. I put my arm around Deanna's shoulders and squeezed them. She looked up into my eyes and had tears in hers.
"Mama, this was worth the trip. I'm glad we're here."
This has been a hard time for her to be away from all her friends. She's missing her family and the festivities at home and every few days asks if she can call one of her friends to hear a voice from home.
Today, some friends from Augusta arrived - Andrea Prunier, for those of you who know her, and her sister. They'll be staying with us for a couple of days. We're trying to teach them some of the ropes.
We don't have any further travel plans before Christmas, unless something comes along that we can't resist. After Christmas, we're planning on doing London and, maybe, heading across the Channel. In January, we hope to visit Scotland.
A few more entries for our American/English Dictionary:
Vegetables - veg
Cup of tea - brew
yards - gardens
Sidewalk - pavement
bathroom - toilets
I'm sure there's lots more, but Deanna's late for tea with a friend, so we've got to go. I'll try and write again before Christmas.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
It's Raining Again
Don asked me last night to write a new post. Sorry it’s been so long. We’re awfully busy and this laptop is a pain to type on. Then Don has to retype everything onto a computer at work that is connected to the Internet.
First of all, we’re in our house. We moved into a 3-bedroom house last Thursday. A driver arrived at the hotel in a minivan to pick me and the children and all our luggage up to take us to Culcheth, a little burrough to the NE of Warrington. It’s only a 5-min. drive from Don’s office and there are several guys that work with Don who live in apartments nearby and can give him rides to and from work. It took the driver 2 trips.
We, however, have no transportation, no phone, and no Internet, so communication is a little challenging. The children and I have become very proficient at riding buses. You wait in front of the BP gas station (there is a bus shelter there) for buses going West, as to Leigh,
Yesterday, we schooled hard in the morning, then went into Leigh in the afternoon. They have a Mall and an indoor Market, which is my preferred way to shop for meat, fruit and vegetables. Market prices are very much cheaper than the stores, although we’ve found that everything in the grocery stores over here is marked with a end of display date (even potatoes and carrots), and once that date is reached, they mark the item down to next to nothing. We picked up a 5-lb. bag of the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten for 40 p (p is short for pence, 100 of which make up a pound.) That’s about $.80 American.
In general, prices seem to be about the same over here as at home (cheese is cheaper, though) but the dollar is making such a poor showing right now, with the exchange rate being at an all-time low, that in dollars, the price is twice what we would normally pay. We watch for bargains whenever we can – we pick up milk that is at the display date (got two 2-ltr. jugs last week for 60 p each), we found a pork loin cooked with rosemary, normally about 2 pounds per 100 grams, for 4.99 (lbs., that is) a kilogram, which is only 49 p 100 grams. We got 400 grams and had enough for wonderful sandwiches for all of us for lunch for 3 days.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Don took off and we went to
The children and I made it to
A funny story – I mentioned that we’re frequenting train and bus stations. Last night, we were sitting in the bus station in Leigh waiting for the bus home to Culcheth when an announcement came over the Intercom to keep your luggage with you at all times. Deanna turned and looked at me and said, “It sounds just like the announcements they make in the plane station.” I cracked up and reminded her that we usually call them airports, not “plane stations”. We also saw a funny sign inside a bus in
We live in a cul-de-sac and there are lots of children around. Although Friday was a little slow for the kids, on Saturday, the place livened up considerably, and our house seems to be the hubbub of activity. There’s Lucy and Sam two doors down (Lucy’s 7, Sam’s 4) and George and Lewis at the opposite end of the cul-de-sac (George is 7, Lewis is 5). Still haven’t found any girls Deanna’s age, but she enjoys playing with Lucy. The children are living outside and are delighted to have a backyard, a front yard and a huge ballfield in the center of the cul-de-sac. It’s not exactly center circle, and the children are picking up a few bad habits, but at least they have other children to play with, and what a difference that’s made. Lucy and Sam’s mother is Kim. She’s a delight and loaned us a salt and pepper shaker, brought us a big box of candy when she came for tea, and invited us to a Christmas Fair at Sam and Lucy’s school (which we attended on Friday night, thinking about the Fair Work Party and all our friends back home. By the way, no one’s written to tell us how the Fair went, except Katharina who said Andrew worked very hard at beignettes), coming and picking us up and walking with us. She’s married to Kevin, who works very near Don’s office, in Birchwood. He’s very fun and quiet and soft-spoken, like Don. But Kim and I make up for the quiet husbands.
We had Don’s work Christmas Party on Saturday night. Two older women that work with him, one who’s single and the other who’s a widow, came and babysat for us so we could go. We had a very nice time but didn’t get to bed until 1:30, so everyone went into work a little later on Sunday. Don got up early and went to 8:30 church at the
Don researched a home phone yesterday and it would cost $300 American to get it installed. We’ve decided to look into a pay-as-you-go cellphone instead. For now, we can be reached via e-mail. Don downloads our e-mails to the laptop a couple of times a week so I can read everything. We do have a mailing address now, though. It’s
The Doughty’s,
Culcheth
WA3 4JF
Packages and larger items can be sent to
Washington House
c/o Don Doughty
Birchwood Park Avenue
Risley
Warrington
WA3 6GR
Would someone please call my parents and tell them I love them and miss them and that I can’t call because we’re phoneless. It would also help if someone would print this Post and get a copy to them. Details would help ease the separation a little, I’m sure.
I wrapped Christmas presents last night and got all of Deanna’s done. Tonight, I’ll finish Daelyn’s and probably all of Dane’s. Pickin’s are slim for Don this year. I don’t have any ideas for him and almost no way of buying presents, unless I run into something in the Mall. I was hoping to have Internet and be able to order some things for him on-line. Oh, well. The best laid plans …
Give my love to our Support Group and tell them we missed them at their Christmas Party. All our love to the Francis Support Group and our friends back home.
One last note – our washing machine washes, then dries the clothes, although they never REALLY get dry. It takes roughly 4 hours per load. I’m already missing my washer and drier. It’s almost impossible to keep the laundry done when you’re making it as fast as the washer can work.
I thought I’d end this VERY LONG POST – sorry! – with a small dictionary. The first column is what we say, the second is the English word or phrase.
Traffic Circle Round-about
Detour Diversion
Take-out Take-away
Knee-length sweater Long Jumper
Margarine Flora (brand name for the best)
Santa Father Christmas
French fries Chips
Chips Crisps
Bathroom Toilet
Football Soccer
Sprite Lemonade
Alley Footpath
Ham Bacon
Bacon Streaky bacon
As you can see, some of these differences in terms can lead to confusion (like bacon, chips, and lemonade). But all-in-all, we’re getting along just fine and learning lots of new things.
The children are all better and Don seems more energized. They seem to have fallen into a workable routine at work and being able to come home to loved ones, a warm, cozy house, and a home-cooked meal has improved everyone’s health and outlook. Love to all. Write soon. Happy Advent.
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