Black Madge and the Edinburgh Visit!

We're back home! Well, home is now Bristol, so when we got off the train after spending 3 days in Edinburgh, Emma said, 'Wow, Mom, when do you ever get to go on a trip when you are on a trip?' True enough!

Let me start by saying that perhaps you can judge a city's fun factor by the amount of barf outside of pubs. Yes, Old town Edinburgh must be a great place to flex you beer drinking muscles because we found out the'Bonnie' way that there was vomit for everyone. My dear Bonnie! Even in the heart of Scotland she is not immune to disaster for as she skipped down the brick sidewalks, she slipped in a pile, of well, puke and wiped out. I swear that child's Guardian Angel is getting paid over time!

Otherwise, our trip to Edinburgh was fantastic. Here is a city of history and beauty that I have never come across before.

It all started when we left on the train Tuesday morning. Now, the train ride was very gentle and went through the country sides. I don't care how many sheep I see, they are all still so CUTE!!!

We arrived in Edinburgh at about 3 p.m. and checked into B and B. Then we headed out toward the harbour. I even asked for a repeat of directions 'just in case' Brian didn't quite understand. Well, after walking for a few kilometres and only seeing a rather industrial side of Edinburgh, we finally stopped some Scottish beer drinking punks and got proper directions! We ended up having a superb Italian dinner, one in which both girls were filled to pasta capacity! Good thing because we got supremely lost on the way home and ended up walking for at least 2 hours in many directions.

One thing I love about 'trying out' new cities, is getting my mental compass established. Well, I was having a hell of a time doing this--mainly due to lack of sleep and a shared bottle of house red.

So, we played a game. Girl children are always up for this! We would stop at a corner and the next brave person would get to choose which direction we would turn. But, of course, you would have to pay the price of being wrong and be lambasted until the next person saw a recognizable landmark. "I'm sure this is the way! I remember that Tesco Express! (a.k.a. the ubiqutious convience store)" Yeah, right. Thank God for those cab drivers that just take side streets once in a while. We finally flagged one down. After we got to the B and B he gave each girl a keychain with the taxi's phone number and said, 'Keep this in case your parents get lost again!' Hmmph.

The next day we ventured out to the Old Town of Edinburgh. This was a remarkable area of Edinburgh. The old 'Royal Mile' road of cobblestone, the Edinburgh Castle at one end and the Holyrood Palace at the other. The many little shops, museums and cafes along the way enticed us to stop and compare tartan prices! Bonnie was so impressed because she has never been able to find her name on things like pens and Christmas ornaments, but her name appeared everywhere! The best item was a thermometer with Nessie, the Loch Ness monster on it and Bonnie's name next to it.

Then, we walked the mile to the castle and had a splendid day learning about the history of Scotland. The girls were once again, most impressed by the Crown Jewels. The displays there were very informative and engaging. I didn't know that these jewels were hidden in the ground under a medieval latrine in WWII. They were sneakily placed to avoid theft and damage.

This castle sits atop an extinct volcano and at 400 ft. above the city and the Firth of Forth, it is a formidable structure. As we walked through with our audio phones listening to stories of the past, we saw a crowd gathereing. And in visitor style, we joined the fun only to find out that in a mere 32 minutes, a very loud gun would go off signaling 1:00 p.m.

Now, I'm going to tell you this even though Brian will get mad. At one, every afternoon, for the last 200 or so years, a gun has been fired atop of the castle to set the time for sea merchants, trains, etc. So, Brian approaches the officer and asks what time the gun will go off! AHHHHH!!!! I really don' t think that they are going to change the time after 20o years! We were given that look that is reserved only for the misled few.

After spending the rest of the day touring around, we had a pub dinner and then did the scariest thing of all. We took a tour of the underground bridge vaults.

Before I tell you what it is, I must describe the bridge first. As you can see from the picture, the bridge for the most part, is now underground. It spans 7 hills worth of rock. It's best if you do your own research on it if you want to know more. Check out this site: http://www.historic-uk.com/DestinationsUK/EdinburghVaults.htm

Underneath the South Bridge is called the Vaults. Now, these became the homes of very poor people during 18th century and it is reportedly the most haunted place in Britian. So, we decided to take Emma and Bonnie on a night tour of these vaults. Our tour guide arrived to find a group of Starbucks drinking visitors. We stood there rubbing hands and pacing back and forth to warm up and to diffuse our anxiousness.

She swished up in a black long cloak, old hat with net veil and captivated us instantaneoulsy with stories of the past. We were led through small 'closes'--little alley ways, and as we went along, she explained what it would have been like to be living there in the early days of Edinburgh. I would love to share some of the stories with you, but because they were so delightfully horrid in description, I just can't repeat them. She was a professional at her job though and as she watched the junior faces in the audience she realized when to 'put a lid' on the blood and gore stories. Thank goodness for those kids because I really don't think I could slept through the night after that!

Then, we ventured down damp, dark stairs to the vaults. OOOOO!!! Creepy!! Each seperate room came equipped with it's own resident ghost and subsequent stories of encounters. The guide has us all glancing over our shoulders. Black Madge, her name was, left a deep and dark impression on us all.

Now, onto cheerier things. The funny thing is that we didn't see any cats anywhere! Not one! But, we kept alluding to this fact and then we approached the Edinburgh Playhouse and stood out front saying 'Hey, finally there's Cats!' Well, this was our surprise to the girls. We took them to see the musical CATS. They simply adored it.


Grizabella singing 'Memory' brought me to private tears. I know that was one of my mom's favorite songs.


And you know you live with cat lovers when your children can name a cat in their own lives that reminds them of each of the characters in the play!


I just have to tell this funny story. We were sitting in this cafe having tea and this little boy, or should I say, rather rotund little boy walked up with his mom to the cafe. I noticed that he was carrying a bulging green bag, much like that of the Body Shop and I said, Ahh, that's nice. I bet he bought a nice gift for his mom at that store. Emma looked a little closer and then said, Mom, that is a bag from Fudge Kitchen! We giggled and went there after tea.


The girls loved the train ride home. Funny though because it seems like everytime we come home from somewhere, something happens.

Competing with University students returning home can be like shopping for underwear on Sale Day at Walmarts. And because it's a bank holiday on Monday, many students were travelling.




There we were waiting at Platform 3 and 1/2 in York to change trains, fairly oblivious to the crowds of ipod wearing laptop carrying students, when suddenly the train pulls in. Well, as a family of four + 2 suitcases, we didn't have a hope in hell. Needless to say, I think we got the better deal as we had a metal cargo car to ourselves, with one other young man who fell asleep. With his ipod on of course. So, B, E and I had a rousing game of balloon football whilst Brian pulled up some greasy metal to snooze against.


About half way through the trip, the young man's cell phone went off. Us four, stopped and waited for him to wake up and answer it. Especially because the ring tone was playing some dirty rap music! Well, he didn't wake. Nor, at the next stop, or the next.


As a mom, I'm thinking...someone is waiting to pick this exhausted lad up after his first few weeks at University, at some train station that he probably slept through, and now is phoning on his cell to demand to know 'Where the HELL are you?' and he's finally getting the best snooze he's had since leaving home. Right here at the end of the train. On the floor, with us playing Balloon Football.


When he does finally open his eyes, he looks at us as if we're aliens from another time zone. I smile and reassure him that, yes, you are still on the earth, but you have missed 2 urgent calls and probably slept through your stop. He did. He gets off at the next stop and smiles gratefully.


Gosh, you know you're getting on in years, when you are nuturing to a young handsome English university student, and not wanting his phone number. When did that happen??


On to other things...3 stories from Dundry school that left me laughing. First off, a few weeks back, there is a church tower which is directly behind our lovely school. Like I've said before, Edmontonians would travel miles to see something like this.


It was a Monday, rather subdued, when suddenly the church bells started to ring. At first, I thought what a strange day for a wedding. Then I thought, oh, must be a funeral. And, they were rather loud! So, the class and I listened momentarily, and decided that it was probably the latter. But, after a few minutes which turned into an hour, I thought about who would have died that needed bells to toll for a whole hour? Finally it stopped and we could hear ourselves once again.


The next day I brought up the subject in the staff room. Without wanting to offend anyone, I simply stated that the funeral must have been an important one.


But, it was the bell ringing club actually that was trying out the different bell tower for practice. This is a club we definitely don't have in Edmonton.


Then, this lovely church is surrounded by a cemetary. I was chatting with our school administrator whilst delivering the Harvest food collection. I noticed that many of the gravestones were knocked down. This made me sad. These are century old head stones, tall, thin and beautiful. In Edmonton, when you see markers pushed over, you know that some stupid drunk heads were on the premises.


But, to my surprise, Julie told me that the Health and Safety People--a curious group I am sure, came by and pushed them all over. It was a hazard, they decided, to have these upright stones. People could get hurt if those headstones were to tumble upon them. Oh, dear.


Then, this most precious scene. We ring the playtime bell. This is a handheld brass bell that we shake the sheesh out of! I love it!!


Anyway, all little children dressed in blue and white, rushed as word spread, to see under the upper classroom. The upper building, where my class is located and is raised up 2 or so feet. Underneath was a cat. Silly feline...what was she thinking?


I wish I had a picture of this! All of these little blue legs and black shoes laying down, peering and screaming under the building. I imagine that if I were that cat, I'd be thinking that this was an apocalyptic event. No getting out of. But, she risked one life and ran for it.


Being the teacher supervisor on duty, I watched as this stampede of 40 or so children in blue, ran down the stone steps, across the pavement and after this poor kitty. I have not laughed that hard in a loooonnng time. The cat escaped, unscathed. She jumped the enclosure to leap into the cemetary, only to be squished by a fallen headstone! Ok, I'm kidding about the headstone. Oh the sheer joy of it all.

Well, back to work on Tuesday. I'm thinking of trying out some of my Canadian teaching stuff now that I know the students better. Actually, I've talked my dear husband into coming to volunteer in some capacity at Dundry. We'll see how it goes.

And, I must say that the winner of last time's question was my dear friend Kim...all the way from Chilliwack, BC! Flytipping is emptying garbage on the run into some place that is not acceptable.

This week's question: What are the public bus seats all covered with in Edinburgh? (hint: it's NOT barf!)

Not too many pictures this time as the blog site is having a problem downloading them. I'll make a catchup picture site soon of Edinburgh photos!
cheers!
beth

Ps. A special 'HI' to my neice Lizzie from B,B,B and E! And Mousse of course, who is doing much better by the way!

Single Cream, Double Cream, Double Chin

Okay, I'm sad. Not one comment this week. That's it! I'm writing in the colour of blood red just to protest.

Well, partially my fault, as I've been in survival mode this week. Yes, just 'getting on' as they say here. We've been very occupied, both in terms of time and mental energy. Brian comes home tomorrow--PLEASE GOD LET HIS FLIGHT AND BUS NOT BE DELAYED!! I think you get the idea.

This is 'Grave yard cat'. She lives in the grounds around the Shirehampton Village Church and I'm sure she is a ghost!

I love dairy here. the town of Cheddar just around the corner. Cows here even look good enough to eat and all these different varieties of cream! Single, double, clotted and 20 more varieties I'm told. I think that the only thing we give so many catagories to in Edmonton is antifreeze!

Here's the only whole hedgehog I've been able to find. Emma made it when she went to Devon for her induction camp. By the way, it didn't stay whole for very long as Bonnie and I devored it! Much in the same way as the crows eat the fallen hedgehogs roadside here.

So, no huge discoveries this week, but the people postcards have been masterpieces! Let's start with last weekend.

The girls and I headed off to Bath which was stunning and beautiful in its autumn splendor. We love the street performers there. This guy in pink for example, was a unicyclist. I'm trying to convince Brian to wear an outfit like that. It's all the rage here, and as you know, European fashion is two years ahead of us in Canada! Gentlemen of Edmonton, get your tutus on!

Then, on Sunday, we had some very special times! Imagine this....Sunday afternoon, driving to Gloustershire. A hilly, winding road drive to Helen's brother's house. We approach, park and walk up the lane to their home. An old mill converted to houses. Theirs is the end and on the porch is a HUGE pumpkin--although, not like Canadian ones. This one has no telltale lines, like the ones all school kids draw on their scary jack-o-lanterns. I found that very interesting!

Then, we walk into this great stone kitchen (Nick and Andrea would probably say I'm being silly, but this is a kitchen that I might be able to actually create something edible in!) And then, after climbing not one, but two narrow staircases, we find lovely girl children!! Hooray!! Some new friends for E and B! Now, Emma and Bonnie see that these girls have a whole floor---converted attic--to themselves! This was most impressive! And the view of the Gloustershire hills! I`m sure that I would have a few more than necessary sick days if I lived here. Just so I could stare out the window drinking tea.

We had Sunday roast then. Please will someone just invent this in CANADA?!!!
Our walk afterwards went from their house, down through some lanes, up to their allotment (pigged out on Autumn raspberries--I'm not even gonna go there!) and through an alpaca and sheepfield. I'm happy to brag to you readers--this was truly an English experience. One in which only the most creative imagination could conjure up.

And, meeting Helen's brother and sister-in-law was so much fun! I'm just thankful that we have a whole year to meet again--actually we have plans to do a November sleep-over after a Celtic dance night at their hall. I'm bringing pasties for dinner just to let you know!

Then, after saying our good byes and getting home, we were following our noses to the next seating of another amazing dinner. This time with Ben's friend Ben. We got completely lost, but for some reason ended up fairly close to our destination. Ben came and rescued us and we followed with our tail between our legs to Montpelier, a very scenic and aMAZEing place...seriously, the roads through this part of Bristol are like a corn maze. But, we finally arrived and met another group of Bristolians (ok, I'm not sure that this is the correct term). In any case, Chris and her friend Stephane made this chicken and roasted vegetables. And with a giant glass of red wine, and great conversation, I truly thought that I could easily be Provence. Okay, I've actually never been there but after reading Peter Mayle's book, I'm pretty sure that it's a similar experience.

This gang of friends have it figured out. Each Sunday they meet at one person's place and that person is in charge of feeding everyone. I love this idea for many reasons! First of all, I'd be much more inclined to make a stunning meal for others on a Sunday--think leftovers!! Second, it totally alleviated the Sunday night dreads, and third, meeting everyone and just pilling through everyone's weekly gossip was so entertaining. I'm definitely adding this to my list of things that I will do when I get back to Edmonton. Anyone out there want to sign up? It'll give you a year to think about meal planning!

And, the people postcard factor was brilliant there! I've already been attached the moniker of the 'Canadian on Exchange' which suits me perfectly fine! Then there was Stephane, the orthopedic surgeon from France whose English is broken and perfectly charming, Chris, a physical therapist, Darren, an all encompassed computer/numbers guru who is awaiting his new contract, Ben another primary teacher, Ethina (sorry if my spellings are poor here), a Spanish student at U. of Bristol, her daughter Lola who is in year 8 and us. You can imagine us all sitting around this huge old table. Great fun!

Chris' house is a tall and skinny old, and I mean OLD, many story home. People in Edmonton pay years worth of salaries to make their houses look like this. The hardwood floors were foot wide planks, stone walls, interesting twists and turns. I guess there are no companies that can move houses overseas. Damn.

The last 2 weeks in school have been busy. Ok, very busy--I won't lie. At day's end, I'm pretty much pooped and my brain turns off around 8:00. Thank God for the continuous loop of old 'Friends' episodes. The thing about school here is that there are so many dimensions of differences. One thing that I'm really appreciating at the moment is NOT doing report cards. Sorry Ben. I should have warned you about that one.

I'm going to go out on a very thin limb right now. I think that we over assess students in my homeland. Now that I've worked without doing too many tests, quizzez, assignments I realize that kids don't have to be held accountable for every thing they learn. It actually does stick into their pliable little minds without the benefit of studying and regurgitation. Now, on the other hand, I wonder about the effectiveness of changing for phys. ed. classes in England. Ok, my limb is beginning to break. Change of topic. Here is a picture of the Bath Cathedral's main window with 56 scenes of Jesus' life. Wow!

Here's a sad, but true story from the natural world here in Cerney Lane. Each and every day, with the sun's rise, a crew of multisized gulls fly up from the Avon Gorge to line the street lamps and housetops. I thoroughly enjoy watching these little and big poopers arguing over pecking order and such. But I have learned something quite interesting about them. Here's the story.

Last Sunday, as we were walking back from our usual hourly trip to Connie's for treats, Mousse decided to be a road hump. (Yes, that's what they call them. In fact, you can see signs that say things like 'Humps for the next 3 miles'). Back to the story.

So, we approach the street and suddenly a Lurcher darts out from someone's yard. This dog has earned it's disposition let me tell you. So, there's Mousse the road hump, the lurcher breathing down over Mousse, drool dripping, teeth barred, and all time stands still. Now this is where the gulls come in. I'm not lying when I tell you this. Each and every gull stops, turns and with a slight cock of their heads, watches the Jaws and Claws scenario play out. I swear that they were placing bets, those cheeky things.

Seconds pass. No one moves. The gulls are silent and happy to be watching such an event. Rather like people driving by accidents on the road.

Suddenly the lurcher does what he's bred to do. Grabs a whole tailfull of fur and lifts poor dear Moussy off the ground. We all scream, the gulls start paying their debts to each other and Mousse climbs a tree.

The owner of the dog shows up, apologetic (but not really) and we rescue Mousse and hustle her off to First Aid. Both girls are horrified to have seen this, as am I. We're planning revenge on the Lurcher. Any ideas?

Friday night, our dear Darren came over with two prized items. A copy of the Disney movie, Ratatouille and 4 bottles of beer. Much needed and happily appreciated by all.

We are now off for a week. This is where I truly feel for Ben. Please someone, buy him extra ale for the weeks to come!!! He is settling in for a nice round of report cards and interviews, and we are off to Scotland. Hmm...where's the justice in that?

And, just to let you know, the Markos discovered the answer to last time's quiz. Something about a marble quarry. Sadly I'm not really sure of the answer myself now. The tourguide in London said that they had to go all the way to Alaska. Maybe he just made that up thinking that no one would really check it!

This week's quiz is a little easier. What animal made this poo? OH SHOOT!!! Someone erased my photo?! Now, who would do such a thing?

Ok, here's another question. What is fly tipping?

Here's a colourful shot of E and B sporting their new scarves from Marks and Spencer. That's what happens when Dad leaves--the mice will spend!

Here's a picture of me trying to teach E and B the etiquette of tea drinking at Sally Lunn's Bun shoppe in Bath. Notice the motherly look of reproach? Note to self: Don't give daughter the camera!

And, what would it be without a lovely picture of Mousse? She's a bit shy here after the story I told you.

Cheers,

beth

And, to leave you with a real head-turner...Literally!

This is Silver Man. Notice the glass ball in his hand.

Here are some pictures that E and B and I took today when we went for a walk to the Suspension Bridge. The one on the left is the Avon Gorge with the tide out. Below is a view of Bristol from the bridge.

The girls are just horsing around in these other pictures.

This is from Clifton Downs which runs along the top of the cliff looking at the bridge. It was really sunny and warm today!

Inspiration

Funny place this England! Every time you turn around, another thing hits you in the face that you want to record in brain's hard drive.

First and foremost, Brian is going home for his first 6 week visit. Hmmm...I realized quickly that he has become a fifties housewife with the exception of the deep voice and six o'clock shadow. It's funny how you can learn to take advantage of the services of your house husband quickly. No wonder all of those housewives burned their bras in the 60's! They had enough. I'll tell you that he has been our anchor here. Gets us up in the morning, makes us breakfast, sees us off. Then during the course of the day, does the shopping in the village, does the laundry, feeds Mousse, makes our dinner and handles all other affairs. Then, he still has his career to contend with. And from his improved PlayStation 2 Fifa World soccer standings, I assume he's been doing a bit of that. All in all, we will surely suffer here without him. If the way the girls cried at his departure this morning at 7:00 in downtown Bristol's bus station is any indication, I declare survival the skill of the week! Plus, he's cute to boot!

Ok, must apologize for the week long delay in blogspotting. Last weekend pretty much left me in brainfreeze, due to the overwhelming recovery of being in London with 2 girls for 48 hours! I must say though, before telling you of our adventures, that I have realized an important lesson. One in which I have been searching for...sorry for being so filosofical!


Here it is...London, noisy, monstrous, macrocosm of history, cultural treasure chest and Royal toursit shops--anything and everything. It offers an amazing experience for every perspective. WOW! But, compare this to the grade school boys next door who took us across into the grass the other night and taught us to play cricket with their all-in-one cricket kit. Now, that was priceless.


I wanted to give you a taste of our London experience, but my uber-organized house husband filed all of the pictures onto his laptop, which of course are in Edmonton! I'll include some next time.


Here's a run down of the weekend. Off to London on coach at 8:00, arrived and hooked up onto a 24 hour hop on hop off double decker tour. This definitely beats the old backpack tube to the nearest 'must see'. I actually understand the layout of London! And, let me tell you that it is not as complicated as it seems!


Our first hop off was Hyde park and prepacked lunch of squished sandwiches. Funny, we're sitting in these lovely beach like chairs, eating and talking about how we need to find a bank machine when who walks up? But the chair charger! Yes, in fact, the chairs cost 2 quid an hour. Dishonestly we say we'll be back to pay as soon as we find an ATM. So, back on the tour bus, with headphones included, through Picaddily Circus and then onto the Tower of London. We had a great time there learning about the history and the Ravens. Girls were quite impressed by Crown Jewels...opened up the opportunity to tell them to marry rich (hee hee). KIDDING!!! You guys are all so proper!


Then, ventured back to SoHo for some amazing pizza, a bottle of wine to calm mom and dad's anxiety, and then off to Hamley's. 5 floors of toys. Yes, boys and girls, this was an adventure of pure self control...for me. And, then Chinatown on Saturday night. The girls let me smell their clothes when we got home and I could identify the odor. Roast duck!!


The tube ride to the hotel was fun. There's poor Bonnie who didn't realize that you need to HOLD ON to something--she went flying down the car into someone's luggage. That kid sure knows how to pull herself together. For example, the other night we decided to all go on a night walk along Clifton Downs, a beautiful scenic view of the Avon Gorge, and she ran ahead to hide and pop out to scare us as it was dark. Little did she know, she hid in a pile of thorn ridden bramble arms, just waiting for a young juicy fleshy child to venture into, and with her knitted poncho and bare legs was hopelessly caught up. EWWW! The cry of a child entwined in bramble is not peaceful. Her legs are covered in scratches and gouges. Just like the time she fell face first onto the barnacles on Gabriola island.


But this is the point where I must interject with someone's 15 minutes of fame. On the tube ride, out to a rather obscure area of London, Brian chatted with an East Indian fellow. This man, probably in his early sixties, greying and missing a few teeth, was so kind. And real. He told us of his family and how some were living in Canada--maybe we know them? They are in Toronto? And how he lives here, runs a shop. Human postcards. That's what travelling is about.


Sunday morning, we're on the tour bus again. We actually made the cutoff to the Thames River tour, jumped off at the London Eye, spun around once to view the neverending landscape of brick and architecture. Then, wandered through the Big Ben and parliament buildings. E and B couldn't wait to see the Buckingham Palace. Only a few blocks walk through stunning old trees and giant squirrels (pictures to come) of St. James Park to end up at the Palace. You know, for all of the royal glitz and accolades, we maybe were just too tired, but even the girls were just plain unimpressed by this fortress. Ooohh.. that's gonna cause some fur ruffling.


A pub dinner and hopped on the coach to come home. Now, this is where the adventure starts. Halfway through the ride, someone approaches the bus driver and says, Excuse me. But where the hell are we? As we are sitting near the front, my ears perk up and as I assume most travel in England is efficient, I am eager to hear WAZ UP. So, the driver, in his broken English, yells, Can't you see I'm busy driving...bug off. Well, shit folks. We're in Birmingham. 2 hours north or so of Bristol. The bus suddenly gets wind of this. Mostly, University students coming back to Bristol, half sleeping/ half studying. A football game mentality prevails. Shit. So much for reading peacefully and getting home early.


Finally, with the leadership of a Survival episode canidate, a motherly lady in the front approaches the driver. Only to get the same '"£$%£^£%*£^£ Off' response. (Notice all of the Pound symbols?) Suddenly there's an army of cellphones being turned on and an eruption of people's voices saying that they'll be late. But, the motherly woman in the front calls the National Express bus line and explains what is going on. We are heading towards Birmingham, meant to be at Bristol, and the bus driver will not communicate what is going on. A global response to someone else's mistake ensues. What the?!! Who the HELL??!! What is this guy doing??!!


I'm actully quite amused at this point. I think to myself, Let it play out. Who cares if we are home at midnight. And, watching the crowd on the bus, panic, complain, and angry. I put myself in the driver's shoes. As it turns out, he has taken a different route--maybe a bit too different--due to an accident on the major highway. But, the motherly lady saves the day by passing out the Incident Number and gets us all free bus tickets for our next journey. That's why I was tired.





This week's been good at school for the girls. Emma's off to an induction camp on Tuesday to Devon. Lucky girl! They are going to a dairy farm and coming back Wednesday. Then, Bonnie and I have made it through another week.

I did my first parent/school assembly on Friday as Jenny (the Head of Dundry) left poorly (that means 'not feeling up to snuff' in Canada). It went well, as I introduced each class' performance but then passed the buck to the Kindergarten teacher to sing the Happy Birthday. I said that in Canada we sing it differently. I was sure of it! But, to my dismay, she sang it in the regular Canadian rendition. I looked towards Bonnie in the crowd and she gave me this puzzled look. Now, that wouldn't be such a problem, except that parents came up to me afterwards and asked what they sing in Canada for birthdays?


Now then, just to end things off, B, E, and I (minus the other B) spent the day at the Shirehampton library and village. We are going to read, watch movies, and make a less than 'up to snuff' Thanksgiving dinner.


Cheers!


beth



ps. I almost forgot--Jenna won the contest. A conker is a nut from a tree that you can throw at naughty people or you can play a game with.
Here's Emma and Bonnie's rendition of a Harry Potter Photo.

This week's contest...This is a hard one! In Trafalgar Square, there's this dude on a column. Nelson his name is. So, a few years back, his left arm was blown off by lightning. They decided to replace it, but the marble quarry that made the first arm has since closed. Where did they have to go to get the new marble for his new left arm? This one is worth a big prize.

New Neighbors are NOT a Good Thing

Ok, this is weird. A few days ago, a caravan of trailers and people arrived on the grassy space across from the row. They are called 'gypsies' and for all intents and purposes, are basically wandering people who pull into open spaces to live. Now, I consider myself a very tolerant and politcally sensitive person, but the only name that I could come up with to describe this group of people are A Society of Human Warts. I'm going to go out on a limb here because it SO MADDENING!!

Let me explain before you make judgement on MY judgement. Yes, the term 'gypsies' sends connotations of poor vagrant migratory workers in your head. But, these, dear friends, are not the same species. These are people that drive BMW's, have brand new big-assed trailers, wear nice clothes and have expensive dogs. Yes, I'm still talking about the caravan that moved into the grass where neighborhood children play football and dogs frolic for fun.

Now, after speaking with different members of this precious community, we are told that this is fairly common! These caravans pull into public or private property, set up residence, work at temporary employment and basically live for free. They don't pay taxes, children don't go to school consistently and they think that this is their God given right!

So, a 6-7 week stint is usually what they can get on their new grounds before the legal documents are produced and they are evicted. But, we got lucky! Heavens! Their unsupervised nastyassed little purebred dogs bit 2 children that were walking home from school and therefore, they received an emergency eviction to leave DAMN QUICK! We watched as they basically let their children roam and piliage for fun, threw their garbage into the river banks and established a makeshift highway through the neighborhood's grassy play areas. I can't say how this troubles me. They have absolutely no respect for other people, feel that they have rights to be wanderers, leave a stinkin' shabby mess and drive cars that I know I will never touch steering wheels with in my lifetime.

When all of the police showed up, they organized themselves into a freaking 'leaf-cutting ant' trail and blew out of here, with the wierdest smirks that I have ever seen on human faces.

That has had an impact on me this week. What societal sucking human warts. Ok, I'm done venting. At least we got our grassy field back. I know tread marks will grow over, but the treads in my faith in human kind will take a little longer.

Okay, now on to more pleasant stuff. Had a great week with the Dundry gang! We are making animated movies of Beowulf and once again I find myself having to learn before I can teach. I've heard of Beowulf, but if you had asked me who he was, I'd probably have said that he was a buddy of Nosferatu. A human monster or something. Good thing I did my homework.

And then, only a handful of bust 'em up fights took place. Brave, brave Jenny! She's the wonderful Headmaster with patience and wisdom that I can only aspire to. Her dealings with the kids are heartfelt, honest and effective. This is definitately like being back at University again, except I get to sit on the real life sidelines and figure out why this way of teaching and disciplining is somewhat foreign to me. Don't get me wrong, differences are not negatives!

Rough points about the week--Emma and Brian got lost for 2 hours on Thursday night coming home from a science open house at Emma's school. Now I can honestly say that I know how my parents must have felt when I didn't come home on time. After the first hour, I moved to sit on the stairs, then at 10:00pm, I moved into the front porch, and in the last half hour I started to pace. Even the lovely Mousse was feeling my anxiety. Finally they got home, safe and sound. Of course, the first thing I said to them was 'WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!!!" So much for missing them.

We also got slammed with a vagrant virus that us Canucks aren't resistant to. Bronchitis, flu, general blah-body hit last Sunday. Mostly we just got up to drink "Lemsip", our equivalent to NeoCitron. Did the trick.

Today we went to Wells. I love how the names of these cities are so very descriptive of what they have to offer. Wells, well, believe it or not, is built around a natural spring and runs underground throughout this beautiful town. It is also home of one of the few Medieval Cathedrals in England. We are SUCH tourists! We parked and then walked and came upon a beautiful church surrounded by lush green grass. I stopped to take pictures, and then realized as I looked above and beyond the tower, that there was another staring down upon that one, like it was a little buddy. Yes, I was only looking at a simple church (perhaps simple, but in Canada we'd drive big km's and pay big bucks to even see this one!). Stunning was the big brother that loomed overhead. Over 300 sculptures, the second oldest working clock in the world, and stained glass that would leave your eyes in a tizzy. And that was just the entrance. Check this one out, church lovers at http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/wells-cathedral.htm. It's worth the techno-trip.

Then, we wandered through markets and eventually drove to...brace yourself shoe lovers...the Clark's shoe Village. The actual shoe factory and wholesale store. I've told people here that Clarks in Canada, are only sold in expensive speciality shoe stores. So, beads of sweat formed. My heart raced and I turned to Brian said--I'll BE BACK. Two sets of shoes and 2 hours later, I returned, smiling at my accomplishment of buying not one, but two pairs of shoes (as compared to the measly one pair that I could afford in a year in Edmonton.)

Well, that would be it for this week. I would like to publicly say THANK YOU to Darren, Ben's friend who lent us his SatNav that led us in all of the right directions this week. That in itself is worth taking him on a cruise to Alaska or something.

Oh, and no one knew the answer to the yellow door--except Ben who can't win a Yorkie Chocolate bar because he's from England. It's Johnny Depp who lives there.

New question: What do you do with your conker? (No naughty answers please!)

Cheers and until next time.

beth

PS. Just leaving you with a few candid shots.

Emma and Bonnie on the SS Great Britian.

Me in a corset at the fashion museum. I'm not smiling--I'm grinning in pain as they tied me up too tight!

This is a funny shot of Emma in the Wells market. She found this pile of slushy ice and said, 'Look! They have snow!' Then, she picked it up and squished it between her fingers. I laughed though knowing that this snow came from the fish market behind her and I told her to smell her hands!

And of course, what would it be...without the lovely Mousse!

ON THE COUNT OF THREE, SUBMERGE

OI! I've learned that this is NOT the polite way to get someone's attention. If a child comes up to you and yells this, I think that it is equivalent to you saying "Yo Buster!"

I'm starting this week's blog off with something that has had quite an impact on me. That is swimming lessons here at Dundry School.
First we all load onto a very nice coach with overhead bins. Man, why can't yellow school buses be so nice? Then, we turn and wind our way down to the pool. Great views of sheep grazing lazily on the thick green grass! I'm used to cows, but 'furry bums' are SOOO much cuter. So, we arrive at the pool, and my blessed teacher's assistant helps me figure out what's happening. We get the girls changed in the dressing rooms, and then to the poolside.
Well, if I've never seen fear instilled so quickly! And, I'm so damn glad! Swimming with 9-11 year olds can be a frightening experience at the best of times!
The instructor who marches out to the deck is an awesome sight. Suddenly the whistle sounds and children are asked to line up in an order. Some are confused and I look into their eyes, knowing that if they step into the wrong lineup, that they will never be the same.
She shouts in decibels that are foreign to my ears. LINE UP!!! JUMP IN ON THE COUNT OF THREE!! SUBMERGE ON THE COUNT OF THREE!! SWIM ACROSS ON THE COUNT OF THREE!! Well, swimming does not mean splashing around and moving about. It's fierce, it's controlled and it works. Suddenly I am supposed to teach the least experienced swimmers. I fear for them and me. And, to boot, I'm not allowed to go in the pool, just instruct creatively from the deck. I'm thanking my dear parents for all of those years of swimming lessons. I do believe that this is the moment that I was planning for.

Right then, back to our week. I've been getting to know the class better. They are a colourful group, full of vivacious energy, similar to that of a crowd just before a game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Love 'em and still can't get enough of them saying...'But Miss, we's just doin' what you asked'. Then there's the boy who is ADAMANT that in England they do write 'Me and my Mum' and not 'my mum and I'. But, Miss, that's how's we say it in England! Hey, I thought that England is where English originated! And then, the dear little Sammy, from the neighborhood asks if our clocks tell time backwards and if women have babies out of their stomachs in Canada!

Emma has been doing Netball afterschool, joined the Roal Dahl quiz team and the science club. They will be making gunpowder and dissecting things. I guess then she'll be blowing up cow eyeballs!

Here's a picture of us travelling our lanes and our hangin' with our neeeigh...bor, Lady!

This week has been very fun. I figure, the Monday to Friday stretch is dedicated to my first priority here--teaching, and then on the weekend, we'll be tourists.

So, last Sunday, we headed off to the Bristol Gardens Zoo. There are many animals that we've never seen and their exhibits make the zoo in Edmonton look like a cheap habitrail. Here's a beautiful female Asiatic lion and a fruit bat. The bat enclosure was just an open place where you could walk into. Imagine this beauty with about a 2 foot wing span. I wonder if they let you have them as classroom pets.

Then, last Sunday, we went for a Tudor History walk in Old Bristol. The guide was dressed in era costume and along the way, people would jump out and be role playing the parts of vintars, merchants and rat catchers! Loved it! Emma and Bonnie are so kind...they gave an old beggar women all of their King Edward coins, even after the guards told all of the kids to not give money to the ragged street urchins!

And then today, ahh, today, we went to Bath. Just the sound of this should make one feel like they are sinking into a warm bubbly tub of relaxation. What a marvelous place the Roman Baths are. We were awestruck at the beauty and ingenuity of the Romans to create such a magnificent and complicated place. Over 1 million litres of hot water bubbles through this oasis daily. And the museum had personal audiophones to carry about, even equipped with a child's version of the history. This is almost as important accomplishment as the baths themselves, because not once did Emma or Bonnie complain about being bored! The next cat I get is definitely going to be named after the Roman goddess, Sulius Minerva--goddess of the Baths.

I don't think that the girls really comprehend the amount of time that has passed since people actually bathed here, but they did enjoy the pigeons that were refreshing themselves in the two thousand year old facility.

Then, we wandered through the narrow streets, exploring the goodies to be found like cornish pasties (still not as good as my grandmother's though), a rugby match, an Abbey, and century old trees.

Now, I must add this week's quiz question. Here is a picture of the only yellow door on the Royal Cresent in Bath. It belongs to a famous movie star. If you know who it is, I will send you a postcard of the Roman Baths.

And of course, what would be a post without a picture of the lovely Mousse! And, she has caused us some alarm today she got her collar off. Just to let you know, her cat door is activated with a little magnetic mouse on her collar and that is the only way she can get through the doors. Funny though, because it takes 2 people to get it back on her. Helen tried, I tried, then we finally succeeded by catching her up in Bonnie's poncho.

By the way, the Marko girls in Edmonton won the Cat's Eyes prize. They should be receiving their prizes in the next few weeks!

Now just to leave you with a little double decker bus car sickness, watch the video!

Well, hello there! Yes, we've made it through 'back to school' week and I think it deserves a celebration. Perhaps we'll crack open that bottle of champagne that Helen left in the fridge. Wouldn't want it to go to waste now!
That, my dear readers, was certainly a journey! Reminded me a little of the white water rapids trip we went on once. Slightly scary at first, then suddenly you are in big, damn raging rapids with little chance of surviving, and then pull into shore with the old expression of 'Let's do it again!' The whole range of human emotions been touched upon this week.
Let me start by saying that the girls have adjusted swimmingly. Maybe we could call it 'kid resilience' or some divine intervention--I think my mom has something to do with this. But, Emma and Bonnie went into the unknown and came out the other side with smiles on their faces!

Emma is certainly enjoying her beginnings at St. Katerines. She came home excitedly to tell me about all of the levels given for good behavior and also bad. One can almost attain sainthood if they achieve enough 'P's' and on the contrary, one can achieve a sorry state of exclusion if you follow the steps down the list of consequences, known as 'C's'. Of course, I'm allowed to be a bragging mom and proudly state that Emma has gathered 3 P's during the week!
Then, Bonnie, has joined me in Dundry Primary. I'm trying not to see her as my daughter whilst (an English word) I'm teaching, but every so often I look at her and think 'Thank God she's here to give me strength!' Here's a picture of her in front of the school on Day 1.
So, first impressions. Well, the students seem much more intense than Canadian kids. They need to learn fast and hard. I think they are used to a much more structured delivery of curriculum than I am used to. When I taught them how to do Chinese box origami, they seemed to find it distressing. And, the Canadian dodgeball game that I attempted to do in 'the pen' became a bit too competitive for my comfort zone, so I ended the game and a few eager young boys said, 'But Miss, we's only trying to play the game!' The faces and voices of these sweeties are going to be engrained in my brain for a long time to come! Much like those kids from a teacher's first year--you remember everyone because they made the first impression on you.
Yes, I think I must tone down my exuberance. I'm used to being a bit more free in my teaching, but I think that the big difference here is the structured lesson format. It will certainly teach me how to behave myself!
Last night I went to London for a conference of all Canadian teachers on exchange in England and Wales. In fact, it was actually strange hearing all of those Canadian accents! There were people from Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC. Now the surprising thing is that I even met a teacher from Richmond, BC. that teaches in the same school as my sweet neice!! What a coincidence.
We had a great day comparing notes about our new lives. We all had things we needed to share, both bad and good, but after the day was said and done, I realized that I am very fortunate in this exchange! A very supportive school, great people around and I CAN DRIVE!!

Thought you might enjoy this lovely picture of the scary staircase in the hotel in London. Top floor, 4 flights and this was the last one!

I love these little kids around here. Sammy, a little sweet redhead who comes around on her bike is like a story book character. She was going to walk us to see some horses and then said that if we're lucky, no one would catch us climbing the fence. I guess sometimes though, they get caught and yelled at. But, she said, 'It's worth it because you can smooth them! (the horses, of course!)' That's definitely the first time I've heard that expression! Now, Emma, Bonnie and I walk the paths to find animals to smooth.

Also, there is a farm in our estate. Yes, a full fledged chicken, duck, goat, horse and African Grey Parrot farm! We've been bringing Lady the horse some carrots and apples daily--but have learned the hard way to wear socks. Stinging nettle is NOT something to be messed with. We decided that you could play some pretty nasty April's Fools day tricks with that stuff.

Then, Myrtle the goat, the chickens, and the ducks all just graze around behind this big stone wall. The parrot though was quite the surprise! While we were 'smoothing' Myrtle, we heard the phone ring. Well, it was the bird of course. He has quite the reperatoire of songs, and interesting noises, especially living with all of those farm animals!

So, we're off to the zoo today. Thought we'd burn through all of the sites here in Bristol before attempting to go further. We'll post some zoo pictures later!

Cheers!

P. S. Sadly, there were no correct answers for the mystery item. It is a little pin that you use in the cricket game! All of your creative answers were impressive though! Maybe I will use it as a foot massager because I'm sure I will never play cricket!

Here's a new question that could win you a postcard or a can of mushy peas! What are cat's eyes?

And, of course, what would be a blog without a lovely picture of Mousse!