Wolves in England

Tis the season to be coughing...Hack, hack hack hack....you get it! Apologies to anyone that has been waiting for a new blog. I've been a bit blogged down as of late due to various elements of WHOA!! Brian away, sickness, Christmas preparations and trying to read "The Golden Compass" before we take the girls to the movie. I told them that there will be NO viewing of movies until the books have been read. But, I must say that reading 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' by Truman Capote has been much harder than what I expected. I have actually seen the movie and the girls and I tried to rent it from the Bristol library, but instead of bringing up the movie from the vaults, they brought us up a very old edition of the book stating that this is the LAST copy available as the others have gone missing. Well, we couldn't very well say that we just wanted the DVD, so I feel that it is my obligatory obligation to read it.

So, on to life as we live it here. E and B and I have a new favorite cafe. It's called 'Woodes' and it is by the Bristol Library. After our second outing there, we awarded it the place that we most wanted to 'hang' out. It's an eclectic group of people who do 'hang' there. University second-hand shop students, those who used to be University second-hand shop students but now have money, and parents of those above mentioned. Funny, because we fit into no known catagory--mom, sometimes dad, and two kids who dress in frou-frou on the weekend because they can't dress that way during the week! What at beautiful feeling it is to be a mom and say to the girls, 'Wear whatever you please because during the week you're in uniform!' I swear that they come up with the most interesting outfits! No wonder we fit into Woodes cafe on Park Street. But, as routine would have it, we always sit under the stairs. Yes, there are nice, functional tables elsewhere, but the girls have chosen this as our spot. I don't think Grandpa is going to like sitting there when we take him!

Here is a frosty morning scene from our front door. We definitely do not miss the sub-zero temperatures of home!

Now, I bet you are wondering about the wolves. Well, 251 years ago, the last wolf was killed in England. How do I know this, you ask? As Brian left, my attentions turned to things that were perhaps overlooked when he is here. One, being the Shirehampton Weekly newspaper that is delivered well, somewhat weekly.

I was peruseing this fine publication when I noticed that the Cotswold Community Centre was holding a 'talk' for the community members about wolves. Hmm... I thought to myself. What could wolves be doing here in England that would arouse so much interest?

A Friday night, a community hall up on Dursley Road, with room for 30 and me dragging the girls for the mere cost of 2 quid. (I think that is how you spell that). Mostly the girls were digging in their heals. They would have preferred a Blockbuster and a pot of Cadbury's chocolate to eat. You can imagine the scene. I had to bribe them as they would be serving sweets and tea.

We paid and walked into the building. We've learned to keep our voices down so as to not draw attention. I have noticed that people here automatically label you as an American when you speak. Uh, excuse me, we're Canadian. Just as we say, 'Oh, you're from Great Britian'! What is it like there?' It's the same as them saying they've seen the Golden Gate Bridge! Yea, same continent, different country folks.

Somehow, someone heard us speak. Suddenly this lovely woman wearing turqoise silver jewlery and demin (dead giveaway--no one wears demin here!), turns to us and says, 'You must be American! Have you ever seen wolves?'

I reply, yes, we have in Yellowstone National Park, and also in Alberta Canada where we are from. She stops me dead in my tracks--literally puts her hand out and holds me there. 'Oh, Ian will be so amazed that someone from America is here! And you have seen wolves!'

Turns out Ian McCarthy is a BBC reported/film maker/researcher for the show BBC Natural World and this is is wife.

Ian shows up through the throngs of 20 or so people, to sit with us in the front row. He's very down to earth. He and his 3 legged dog, Dubo. We have a nice chat and it turns out that he and his lovely wife Anne have lived in 9-mile Valley for 6 weeks filming a wolf family on Andie MacDowel's ranch. These wolf pups were orphaned, and introduced to this wolf family on the ranch. I guess, by the sounds of it, they are all quite happy now. I ask where this ranch is and find out that it is just outside of Frenchtown where my Uncle Frank was running a parish.
It was very interesting to hear about wolves from his perspective. He compared them to normal every day dogs and explained how all dogs have come from the wolf family. But, he says, as our modern day pooches only have one or two characteristics that generally are sought out as a breed trait, like tracking, or herding, or eating...wolves have all traits. That is why humans are generally afraid of them. Ian even tracked wolves through the chilly Artic on Ellesmere Island. He said that out of two pups per season, usually only one lives, that is if they are lucky. We learned so much from him and his wife! The films that he showed were fascinating, even to us Americans who don't think about wolves too much. Finally, he said that people were talking about maybe reintroducing wolves to England. Hmm... with a 500km territory, I think that could be quite challenging here with the 50 million people populating this land!

These are some of our friends at the Gordano Horse Riding Centre where Bonnie takes lessons. Above, is Mr. Tibbs, aka Georgie, then there's Emma with the deaf dog who sign reads, and here's Dad's favorite, a horse that is a mirror image of Grover Cleveland. This is no lie! Horses here have moustaches!

So, in the last few weeks, we been enjoying the Christmas rush--an added element of craziness when you have school functions to add on to it! We had our Dundry concert--little infants dressed up as pigs and cows. Now, I know what you're thinking--INFANTS?!! Don't worry, that is what they call the 4 year old foundation stage children. I laughed when I heard this term as Jenny, the headmaster stated that we needed to figure out how to get all of the infants to the hall for the practice! I guess you'd be a baby when your 10 years old here, and then that would make me a mere teenager!!

Anyway, the concert was one to melt even the dampest of hearts. And then, my class trouped up to the Colston Hall, to sing in a choir of about 200 other students. This was very exciting as we got to sit up behind the stage. But, this was also very worrysome as a few of the boys in my class started to have a strop with a group of similar aged boys in front of them from another school. Once again, football enthusiasm ensued. When the 300 or so people weren't focusing on the choir, a few choice words were being passed to and fro. It's hard as a teacher to talk through clenched teeth, smiling and asking, 'Did you really just tell that child in front of you to do what I think you said?' The reply is the same, and always genuine, 'Sorry Miss, but he told me to...' SHHH!! We'll talk later!' Not much you can do when Frosty the Snowman starts up.


A happy performing group of Colston hall singers! Emma is in the back row as she had to accompany us as an imposter!

In Bath, there is a Christmas Market that attracts people from all over. In fact, so many people show up that it is virtually impossible to get into any of the stalls. We gave up quickly and decided to go on the merry-go round. I've always wanted to ride on a chicken!

My dad arrived safely last weekend with Brian. As Jenny told us to plan something fun for the last day of school, I organized a class wide science olypmics. Now, most of the time, this can be quite engaging, but I should have realized sooner that mayhem and madness were lurking around the corner. Thankfully, my dad wanted to visit Dundry and came up to help out. My beloved Belinda, our classroom teacher's assistant, ended up being out poorly--aka. sick day, and so Dad and I started the first event which was building towers out of uncooked spaghetti and marshmallows. Now, had someone kindly told me that marshmallows were more marshy than mallowy here, I would have been forever grateful. Well, ooo and goo everywhere. Kids with noodles stuck to everything they touched and sad little towers of 3-5 cm. Plus, enough noise to shake the earth.
I'm officially awarding Dad the trooper of the year award!

Here is the path that we walk to the Hall from Dundry School. We went up to the hall for the concert and also to have our PE classes. The other funnyy thing about the hall is that for every event they serve beer. I like this idea, but can't imagine what the St. Paul crowd at Emma and Bonnie's school would be like if beer were served at the Family Dance in February. Could become a football match!


Dundry Church and Dad in Dundry playground with E and B. It was actually a clear-ish day and he wanted to see the view from the school. It's an amazing view of Bristol.

I finally figured out Bristol's roads and streets! I am so happy to have discovered this! Imagine that you take a bucket of liquid roads, and pour it over hills. It runs every which way, this and that, ending at the bottom. That is the map of Bristol! Last Wednesday, as I was rather tired, I suggested to my dad and Brian that they take Emma to her violin lesson. It's a bit challenging, but with the satellite navigator, it can be accomplished with patience and great skill. So, Brian agrees, but then tells me that he gave the Sat. Nav. back to Darren. Oh my GOD!! That's it! We're housebound for the next 8 months!

Well, I figure out a nice little map and send them off. Two hours later, they call. We're lost and we're coming home. Now, I've heard this before so I brace myself. They get home an hour after that, and without words, walk in the door. Even Dad was speechless. All he could say was, Where's the brandy?

I'm happy to say the Ben's lovely partner Helen has left for Canada today. I can't imagine being all alone for 4 months, even with many people inviting you over for dinner and rodeos! The reason is, that you need someone to articulate your true feelings, frustrations and discoveries with. It's kind of a shitty thing to go to your neighbor and say, Damn, don't they sell bigger bags of flour here?

But, Ben and I, having each survived our first term, did do somewhat of a review for each other. My biggest challenges were classroom management and having the chills. I know that next term I will be more prepared. I'm buying some real wool sweaters, and I plan to adopt yet another installation of 'Boot camp' mentality at school with my voice hopefully holding up a bit longer than 3 days.

I have to say though, that this is an amazing experience. Unlike anything I've ever done and for so many reasons. Especially due to the fact that there is absolutely NO LIMIT to Cadbury's chocolate and that I finally saw my first fox.

Now, we're relaxing with our little potted Christmas tree, lovely Mousse, a balmy 8 degrees and dreaming of a white Christmas! Well, at least all of the seagulls are white!

And Brian WILL eat the brussel sprouts that I'm making for Christmas dinner.

Merry Christmas to you all!

beth

p.s. Markos won the 'stripping the willow' contest! Yes, it is a Celtic folk dance! Now, here's this week's quiz question: What is a Christingle?

Myrtle says Merry Christmas too!