On to Enjoy Christmas!

I'm excited to enjoy the real meaning of Christmas tomorrow, and to savor it. I know it's crazy to say that since we are on the eve of a mad dash to rip everything open under the Christmas tree, but it's true.

This "season" has been filled (too filled) with Christmas festivities. There was something every afternoon at Lu's school to attend the last week before break--thank goodness it was only a 4 day week. We were on the receiving end of being handed so many Christmas cards which I am grateful for, but at the moment added to the busyness as I was trying to collect my children or have conversations. The kids were doing Christmas cards for all their classmates, something not accomplished fully. We had multiple engagements at church such as leading worship, taking care of the kids, or singing/soloing in the Christmas carol service. Then other's open houses. The list goes on and on--all good things of course but now I am longing for a slower pace. We've baked so much the last couple days and had friends over because my back aches from combining work with the huge expansion that my belly has also undergone lately.

I'd like to pause and remember all the ways in which it seems the kids have grown in the last couple months also, but I'm keeping it short so I can go to bed. However, Jesse has said something recently that I've been enjoying recalling every day recently. He says that Luci and he are going to get married and move across the street from us so we can visit each other when they grow up. They both love the idea of being together when they are older and love the sentiment that he wants to be so close to us. He in fact mentioned it again today and pointed to unattractive tower block that is the view out our front window. So sweet.

Got to advance in watching Lost. D is 1 1/2 episodes ahead and we are both very impatient when we are not on the same episode.

Merry Christmas to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, Dec. 13th!

In so many ways, life is not what is used to be. I'll leave it at that because a list of differences to our life in SF could go on and on. By and large the changes are overwhelming good, mostly encapsulated by our really good and more balanced home life here. However, at this moment I am lamenting the fact that I can't go to my closet (because they, first of all, don't exist as much here and they would be called cupboards) and pull out another kid's bubble bath, tube of toothpaste, facewash, bar of soap, and the list keeps going. We are out of so much stuff. I am down to using the dried up toothpaste, created by my children's indiscretions, that remains around the tip of the tube--my thumb can press out no more. I could have shopped a bit in the past few days but I have been sick and prioritized many other things such as slowing down. I hate to say this but sometimes I miss the impact that Costco had upon my life--the endless back up plan of a multi-pack or ginormous serving of something. But alas there is no space for that and I have to admit, we are more environmental because of it. It's not a car that goes to the shops here for us, it's legs or a bike.

Perhaps we have now located the camera cord but I will forgo that for now (I am tired) and get on with dispensing the details of our day.

You guessed it! Chocolate chip pancakes for starters. Then the kids worked on Christmas cards which is quite a huge deal here. They are given lists of their classmates and pretty much expected to bring in cards cuz that's what everyone does. We made some for Luci out of construction paper scraps because she had started off crying because of the inequity of J having some pre-fab and her having none. Well then Jesse was in awe of what we had made and wanted to get in on our making action.

But that's for another day with him because Darren and Jesse then worked on producing a cd of songs the kids had recorded, complete with me scolding them in the background for one movement. Jesse could not have been more into it (read impatient at some points) but overwhelmingly well-behaved and contributing to all of it. He is in at an interesting stage at this point. He is totally into joking. He doesn't say "I joked you" so much anymore but everything is part joke--like when you tell him he can't have anymore bananas, he says (with a twinkle in his eye and reaching hand) "okay mummy, I'll have another banana. Cute, but driving me crazy a lot because he doesn't actually get to the disobedience part but I have to repeat my statement to assure him I will not tolerate disobedience. He also does some good jokes and is lots of fun. But he also has carried the cutting board with bread and jagged knife next to it into the lounge to say "Okay, anyone want some bread" I am trying to teach him that it is not a joke if it involves disobedience or danger. But I love that he loves to be goofy. I just get tired of talking and sometimes I'd rather channel his energy (and mine) into some sort of tickle fight or wrestling..

Have a cough that involves wheezing sounds so I'm going to bed and hoping I have some scraps of a voice to sing in church tomorrow.

The Last couple Days

So to be honest, i don't know when I will post some pictures. So glad that we got our camera repaired and now we can take pictures after quite a hiatus, but now we can't find the cord. We'll work on that.

Luci and I have been sick with what i presume to be the same cold for the last couple of days. I've had 2 weekdays home with her which has been a nice break from the normal routine. On Monday her school actually wasn't in session because of Eid. She was a little bit under the weather but we managed to put dinner in the crockpot together (which Luci at this point loves more than making cookies because there are so many vegetables to dump in), bake cookies with dough Darren had put together the night before, and go visit our neighbors upstairs which had been a long time in coming since I hadn't seen them in a while. It was mostly a visit with the men of the family as the girls were upstairs getting dolled up in their Eid outfits. Luci loved the sparkly things all over their saris.

Today was an intense meeting at our place, and being that I was sick, I was wiped out by the end but then picking up Jesse from school was the next thing on the agenda, then an unexpected yet wonderful visit from my friend Noel and her son, Lu's classmate Rowan, who Luci calls Rowanny Bobowanny. Then we had to put together food for our community group even though I had decided that I was not going. And then the kid's babysitter showed up and I had a visit with her for a bit before she took off since I didn't need her, given my change of plans. Right now i am pooped, or knackered as they say here, and ready to slide into my bed with our new addiction Lost.

Rut

For 3 months I have been in a strange rut. I don't really enjoy any books I'm reading--I can think of a lot that I have started but none that I have finished. The newspaper even leaves me uninspired and usually I find some little interesting nook and cranky of the newspaper that is just so interesting whether it be about GM foods, a recipe, something weird about the local area. However, I haven't found much that inspires or stimulates me in a long time. First I thought it was the nature of the times--you know, all this yabber and blabber about the recession but now there are other topics in the newspaper. I feel I've also had a creative rut. For instance, it's only the other day that I have returned to blogging and I haven't even gotten out my sewing machine to do basic mending (which always generates a feeling of accomplishment), and cooking (I do it) but it also is so boring and uninspiring.

Now--I am not depressed. In fact, if there's anything I don't find humdrum, it's my ordinary routine of a few meetings, taking the kids to school and home, helping with singing at church...........Okay, I hate grocery shopping so much these past few months that I actually have to do it more often since I go on my bike and load up quickly with the necessities that arise frequently.

I don't know....does anyone else experience this? The most exciting art forms I've engaged in of late is knitting a scarf (all one stitch, and small), finally making one bowl of hummus, and looking forward to "Lost", something that D and I have recently discovered--we are in season one. I haven't made yoghurt (I have to spell it this way now) in a bazillion years. What is up? On the other hand, I am more ahead with my Christmas shopping than ever.......Hmmm, that is definitely weird.

Just Over the Week-end

It is now Monday and I have enjoyed a couple of Mondays without farmwork. It has given me a chance to have a cup of tea with a friend or stroll through Watney Market to see if anything is at the charity shop. It also has given me the opportunity to get a little more ahead on housework which, of course, I am sick of doing but enjoy the benefits of. I knew I would quit the farm when my stomach got unbearably big and I am not there yet but I don't think my tetanus is current so I felt I should stop now.

Our week-end had us successfully in the house all day. I say "successfully" because we realized (and the kids especially) that mobilizing for 6 out of 7 days a week (between school and church) gets old and we need the refreshment of staying in our pjs for however long we want to on Saturdays. It is actually a goal our ours to only go out for a newspaper of to walk Peanut. I did get dressed quite early on Saturday though as Rory, Anna, and a friend of theirs came over for pancakes. It was quite a nice day and I enjoyed watching J working very hard on writing Christmas cards for lots of friends. We didn't even get to the usual mom/Jesse crossword puzzle working.

Sunday was Thanksgiving for us here as we got to go to a friend's house and have Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of Brits and Americans. D did good making the green bean casserole, especially considering there is no French's onion topper though there is something a bit similar in the supermarkets. I made the stuffing from the box which is all I could handle yesterday after a morning of J not listening and getting them both to church. Our friends' house was so crowded with people, I was wondering how long it would last for us but everything got real neat and orderly when we sat down to eat (and quiet!) and it was awesome and delicious! Our kids were so well behaved. Jesse brought his homemade game along and made friends with the adults that way and Luci went around telling the adults to stop talking so that she could tune into the music and therefore dance.

And I almost forgot to mention that I went to a little presentation done by years 1 and 3 students at J's school on Friday. They handed out flyers for it the day before and, boy, am I glad I went. Jesse was star of the day in his class (given to the quietest usually every day) so he looked really cute on stage with a big yellow star pinned on him. He also delivered his line really well and then was awarded a special certificate from the author that had been working to put on this presentation with the kids. I haven't yet seen the certificate actually but I did see the 10 pound book voucher (gift card) as they say here. He was like, "But I already have a library card." So I had to explain that he would be able to pick out his very own to own.

Pictures to come, promise?

The Goose

For a while I've been wondering how to sort out Luci's hair problems--that it's ratty and that she never wants me to brush it and complains as if I'm ripping her hair out by individual strands. Well, on our trip to the U.S. I overheard my sis-in-law Sarah say that she tries to sit her daughter down everyday in her chair and do her hair while Addie, her daughter, looks at a book. I decided, hmmm......, I'll try this. Luckily we have a perfect pink camping chair that folds up under our couch which can be conveniently pulled out each day. We also, after our trip to the States, have a big container of bows and hair ditties that she can get into and choose from. She delights in this whole ritual as do I. The new behavior (as in not screaming) is so endearing. However, she tends to be over the top with her style. She dons loads of necklaces and bangles quite often and then wants to wear about 5 bows that don't really coordinate and a couple hair elastics. So I usually try to talk her into reducing it to about 2 bows and 2 hair elastics.

This goes even further. We were in our favorite supermarket a month ago when Lu asked me if sometime I could paint her eyelids. (I don't hardly wear make-up and so I wondered where it was coming from but she had noticed the cashier's blue shadow.) In J's school yard, I saw her commenting, to some lady, that her shoes were very pretty--They happen to be extremely spiky black patent leather heels on a woman in a micro mini with long legs. Then we were walking by a sketchy (read ladies of the night) type shop that had lacy items and really short tu-tus on the mannequins in the window. She said what she commonly says "Mommy can you get me one of those pretty things sometime?" Sometimes this girl wants to be under the tutelage of Tammy Faye I think. I often think of getting my ears pierced (cuz they are still not and sometimes I feel I need some sparkle especially as I age) and I think of how fun it would be because Luci would be so enamored with the bling in my ears. I just really don't want her to want to get her ears pierced right now.

Still Luci is developing quite cutely I think. Her teachers have definitely noticed that her hair is done more often and the head teacher commented that Luci was looking quite grown up lately. And, if I do say so myself, she is so cute as she cruises along on her pink scooter in her dresses (which are everyday attire, I really can't get her to wear pants) and her ribboned hair. She still does not have much of it but it is getting longer and we make the most of it. I really love getting her dressed everyday (i guess I am enjoying having a girl) and I keep thinking it is good that she is not wearing a uniform at this stage or her freedom of expression would be suppressed.

This reminds me to get my camera fixed soon so I can post some pictures.

Just a Few Words

You've probably guessed it by now, but we are back in London, having wound up our trip with a week at my parents in MA. It was fabulous for the kids to go to the beach, to see good friends, to see Uncle Ken (as in my brother Ken) and Aunt Sarah and celebrate the coming (as in future arrival at the end of September) of Jesse and Luci's Ethiopian cousins Fitsum and Melkamu. We cannot be more excited that they will be in K and S's family, and therefore ours.

I was pleased to come home to London and find that the boys had done us well by staying in our place--they had taken good care of Pea, who nevertheless was suffering withdrawal from being climbed on and having her hair pulled at regularly, I had a new yard--that is grass--thanks to Rory. I also had a whole bunch of green tomatoes on the vine--which I still have unfortunately. And our maisonette was impressively clean and welcoming. I feared I would have a bit of a spatial adjustment in our flat as we had stayed in quite spacious American arrangements on our holiday but our flat did not even look as small as I imagined.

Now, our bedroom. It has become smaller than I have ever imagined. I can't bear to deal with the organization of it or dressing in the small space alloted for this anymore and so I am looking forward to moving into our bigger bedroom as soon as D moves into his new office! I have so many organizational (and I don't mean IC) hopes pinned on this moved--it really is exciting. Just to think of simple dressing and to be able to have more than one ambulatory person in the room at once!

The kids have started school. The new changes regarding this school year is that Luci goes full-time until 3 (not sure I like this, but she does thus far) and that Jesse wears a white button-up shirt and tie with a v-neck sweater and ladies, he is so handsome. He thinks it is so cool that he gets to change for P.E. and I think that it is hilarious how obvious it is that they have had P.E. on a certain day because the children emerge with shoes on the wrong feet, dresses on backwards, other people's ties, and sweatshirts on tops of shirts and ties instead of the designated v-neck sweater. The productivity one can have as a parent during these days is amazing and it is great to not have to bolt from IC meetings now. However, it is a marathon twice a day to either drop off both or pick up at different schools, both close, but on foot. thankfully the kids have scooters but today I was hauling Luci's enormous artwork, her jacket, Peanut, and Jesse's scooter from Lu's school to J's, and trying to keep an eye on her and her scootering. This, I have decided is not my cup of tea. But still well worth it I think.

Suprise! to anyone who may be surprised but I am now 11 weeks pregnant with our 3rd and feeling a bit better. Food has often been a turn-off except for the 3 slices of buttery toast I had in the middle of the night last night. Some of you may wonder how we got to 3 and that is just another story....The kids are very excited--Jesse asked me if I could just put a pacifier in my mouth, chew it, and swallow it so that the baby could have it and Luci has volunteered to hold it at night, (It has already bothered me that I now see too much of that particular 3 year old at night lately.) For a while they would ask me if they could tell people our baby secret, usually in front of those people.

I am pooped from my two marathons and my 1 am visitor Luci, and my subsequent 3 pieces of toast that had to be consumed and cleaning the never clean kitchen and being a chatterbox today due to 2 cups of tea and one 1/2 cup of coffee, that I now must go to bed.

After the Wedding!

So my kids are watching gobs of TV here in Southern Cal while I finally get to compute.

The "Wedding" has been the InnerChange conference that we went to as a family. Darren planned it with another person but it was intense and so we referred to it as the "wedding" and couldn't wait for it to pass--the planning that is, the conference was GREAT! There was constant amazing childcare for the kids so much so that it was like a kid's camp for them and I could go to almost all the meetings which were really good with great speakers, some from interesting monastic orders. Anyways, there were a lot of late night phone calls D was doing in England to hammer down the details of this conference and I was so done with it and now we ARE done with it!

Prior to it though, I and the kids had a great family time in SF (D had meetings) seeing their friends, and some of mine, and really appreciating it. It was amazing to see how there was no arguing amongst my two plus their friend Bree for 3 days while we stayed with them. What a difference a year can make at this stage!

We are now in southern Cal with Darren's parents and are enjoying seeing everyone INCLUDING especially the cousins. And we are going in the pool everyday which assures my tan and disgusting hair and which also takes care of the bathing for the day, so to speak. It is a great time.

However, I miss my tea constancy desperately for it is not here--talk is all about coffee...........

Our kids are over their longing for the return of their car as they easily get carsick and seem to have no tolerance for even 30 minute drives. On the way to their Aunt Sarah's yesterday ( a 30 minute drive), J asked when we were gonna be there as we pulled out of the driveway. And the other thing is that J thinks that we are going too fast when we drive since he doesn't have much of a concept for driving and how fast cars go.

The Places We've Been

I've often thought a lot about what I would blog about when I get to blogging but I really haven't gotten to blogging and now can barely think of how to relay to everyone what's been going on.

Hard to believe it is just a couple of weeks 'til school holiday and that soon after that we will be in the States for 31 days!!!! I thought to myself that all my hard work (most of the work is in my mind) on my tomato plants will result in my friends Joel and Rory being around for the first productions, or the plants deaths.

Jesse is ever engaged with idea of being in Year 1. He and his class have already eaten lunch with the Year 1 students to see how it works and they have had play time out on the big kids playground as well. he is excited--I am not excited that the school day will start at 8:55 and go until 3:45. I think that is ridiculous and am considering homeschooling for a moment--oh wait, that moment is gone! But seriously.

The bunk bed (in parts) has been delivered to our house. It is still in pieces but we are in the process of getting it together. The first step was passing the frame of Luci's bed and the mattress of Jesse (the survivors) on to my friend for her little boy. Maybe tomorrow, we will find a taker on the pavement for the other seriously worn bed. It was a bit sad to get rid of them since they were so cute and Jesse has spent so much time in his. It was interesting how the kids wanted a bunk bed so badly but they hadn't contemplated, until a bit ago, that that would require getting rid of the other beds. Well, I think we've managed to get through this better than I had predicted a couple of days ago.

Luci has been keeping Jesse awake until too late at night and now after having a sleep deficit for a few nights, he has been so cranky. I finally put Luci in our guest room in her old bed even though our friend Rory, who is our guest, could be coming home anytime soon. But maybe she will be able to understand what I've been saying (threatening) about her not being able to share a room with J if she can't leave him alone to get some sleep in the evenings.

Luci has delighted me lately and made me laugh. She'll wrap her arms around my head and say, "Oh my cute beautiful wife! I love you so much, my cute wife." She really been doting on my lately.

Today, Luci and I went on my bike to the nearby leisure center to go into the pool with my friends. It is quite affordable but today and for a few days following, it is free. They have this amazing kid's pool that Luci enjoyed walking around in for a while and it was great to see the facilities because in my ideal world in my head I've been planning to be able to go for a decent run and then do a few laps (I am a really weak swimmer and would like to improve) and then run home, or maybe I could bike home and have myself a mini triathalon? This is quite ambitious since I haven't run in a long time. ( I saw my neighbor Jay this morning outside, then I saw him at the pool, then I passed him on my bike going home from the pool, and then I walked passed him when I was picking up Jesse from school. I love this relatively small community.)

I put a few pictures on my wall today and it makes me happy. Alas, I am off to bed.

Darren saw the queen on Thursday when he was in Windsor for his day off. He said they were basically within 5 feet of each other, of course with a car window in between and that as she was approaching people were discussing what she might be wearing. Oh the flurry of the queen! It was quite entertaining when, after he had told us of his brush with royalty, the kids were intent on making things and wrapping them for us to give to the king and queen. I'm glad that they have now forgotten of it. I can't imagine how I might have to tell them that the queen is not interested in seeing them or personally corresponding by post.

I was piddling around the house the other day when I stumbled upon the kids in the yard slinging mud against the back fence. I got some hilarious video footage of them singing and slinging. I can thoroughly enjoy this kind of playfulness as long as it's not every day and doesn't involve numerous outfit changes. It was bringing all of us such joy.

Luci still can't pronounce a lot of her words correctly--I love that she says lelling for yelling and that yesterday she paused, and smiling, said "what is that word?"

I hadn't gotten around to fully unpacking my luggage from SF til tonight. That was after Darren came down to report that Jesse had sleepily walked to the bathroom but in his stupor sat down on the luggage that was partially open. Luckily the luggage will fare quite well as I had enough clothes in their to absorb most of the liquid.

Being home in London has been great. The weather has sustained most of its wonderfulness. I have found a downside to it being light until 10 though--I think it's 7:30 when it's really 9:30 and then I get myself to bed way too late every night. To be honest, I am having a terrible time getting up in the morning.

Too ready for bed right now to fix the layout of this blog but this is a description of each picture: 1) Luci sleeping on couch with favorite doll (right now) that she calls Mango--this is significant because she loves everything mango--lassis, ice cream, etc. It's so perfect. 2) Luci with her school friend Rowan laying in front of her house. As a sidenote, Luci has no problem claiming instantaneous fatigue and laying down on the city sidewalks. 3) Jesse using a stick he found, and yarn, to make first a cross and then a bow and arrow. He's just churning out the art these days.

Resettling

D and I had a fabulous time in San Francisco. I saw lots of friends and was inspired to be around IC's summer interns as well. I'll have to give an update on how my artisan bread turns out--turns out 2 of my friends I saw are into this aritisan bread in 5 minutes a day thing! The kids did fine, if not great here, as well as Jennifer my wonderful friend who was willing to come and stay with the kids. I will have to post some pictures from before l left when I had some Jennifer time but who has time for that now? Still sharing computer with D. I almost forgot to say that we got to see the Prince family in So. California before we left. So great getting to hang with my nieces and nephews, without my kids actually, to get to know them. I now feel especially bonded to Gavin and Ben, the next oldest little people after Jesse. I won't mention to J what a good time I had with them though. And what a workout I had in the pool considering my body is not fit for exercise in the water at all.

Upon returning, we bestowed new toothbrushes (not that we can't buy them here) upon our kids and after a bit of inner working out, Luci was able to release the pink one that Jesse wanted into his hands so to speak. It hadn't been singled out for her though we knew what she would want but she was able to accept Jesse having it. What a big move for a girl who says she wants pink hair, and said today she wished the whole world was pink.

Yesterday night, the kids and I watered the tomato plants (will they survive?) and then stirred the compost and added dry stuff to that. I found that after the initial opening of the composter, I enjoyed the gradual disappearance of the ever present fruit flies. And Jesse enjoyed looking in there and dropping stuff in. Luci looked especially cute in her wellies and underpants in the garden. When I went in the kitchen, I realized that virtually all of the fruit flies from the composter had taken up residence in my kitchen. And we are still having fun with them today. Anyone know how to reduce the amount of fruit flies in my composter?

Bedtime is Coming!

It is so peaceful here....It is now after me painting some more walls yellow (such a beautiful cheerful success, thanks for your advice Deanna), , after cleaning up for my friend Jennifer who was coming, after she arrived, after we went on a date with Lu and Pea to Mudchute farm, after Lu got gently knocked over by a cow (she's fine and positive), after dessert at the cafe there that was way too heavy all around on the cream, after fabulous pasta that D made with our box's leeks and kale, after dishes, after a 25 minute run with Pea. And here I sit loving the relatively cleaned-up flat looking at my tomato plants and thinking of bed with the Saturday morining newspaper that never happened. I am so pleased that it is a quiet evening, just me and the newspaper. Darren is at a friend's show, Jennifer and kids fast asleep, and I must jump the next hurdle of a shower to get to my newpaper.

Looking Toward San Francisco!

On Monday, D and I will fly together on a 10 hour date to SF! I am excited to see my good friends. As I think about the pleasure that will be, I also find that I am stressed out a bit. Not to leave the kids but just in thinking about details. There's not much to cover here since my friend Jennifer is so competent and reliable, it's just that I didn't think that SF would come before the getting my garden into my garden (back yard), finishing my painting jobs, decluttering, making sure J's current on MMR, and the list goes on. Silly but yet pestering me interiorly. Hoping my tomato plants survive before they get replanted.

On another note, we had beautiful weather today, worthy of sunscreen. We had Lu's friend Rowan over for lunch and had lunch out front as the kids chatted and played with the big toy items, little tikes car, bike, soccer ball, not so big. When J came home from school, Luci and he were outside asking everybody going by, "Are you my neighbor?" The conversations and smiles it generated were so great.

Jesse told me not to kill a spider in my house today because they would eat all the evil bugs. Now must go, must share this computer, and I've already been on for a while discovering Facebook, something that will have to limited in my computing diet.

Recent Happenings

Seems my computer again is dead and this may likely be due to Cranky the Crane, a Thomas toy. Seriously, watch out for magnets that may approach your hard drive. I never saw Cranky make a connection with my hard drive but Luci was playing with it across from me the very day my computer bit the dust. Praying for a miracle, though D may be praying he gets to pass s on to me and get a new snazzier one.

Luci--always the princess, seems developmentally she is looking from real affirmation from the people important to her. I still don't wear much make-up or fancy clothes (and glitter/sparkle really appeals to Lu) but it is just crazy to me as I realize that Luci in some ways adores me for my grown-up princessness. This is evidenced in how she squeezed me so much last night at the dinner table adoringly going on with loving comments. She also seems to like to stroke my hair and when allowed into the "What should I wear" conversation she always votes for my dress-like blue shirt with gold trim.

Jesse--so full of laughter that guy is, which made half-term (one-week holiday from school) last week fabulous. We did not get sick of the kids at all, Darren was flexible with his work, and it was a fabulous time. We hung out with our IC friends and their kids, Zoe and Peter, and Jesse developed potentially a new crush. Well, let's just say he had a great time with Zoe romping on the amazing Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Hyde Park. It has all these seperate, sort of mystical little play areas all connected and thanks to the older Hayes girls, Savannah and Alexandra, the adults were able to chat for a long while pretty uninterupted. Jesse, as of last week was learning to not point with his middle finger (which really reminds me of my Dad for some reason....hmmm) and instructing Luci on his new knowledge. Jesse has also made an effort to follow Jesus in a more articulate, substantial way, and this is exciting. We felt his attitude was better last week and he was able to consciously connect it sometimes to God making his heart better. The teeny-tiny, yet important, milestones of faith and youth. Both children though began swimming lessons yesterday at a pool nearby. They had been much requested yet this did not spur either of them to overcome their fears or shynesses to get in the pool. To J's credit, all the kids were totally swimming in the class he was supposed to be in, which was Beginners for his age group. He cannot swim, yet the teachers hesitated to put him the easier class just because of his age. However, my hope is that next time the teachers and children will cooperate and that Jesse and Luci will be in the same class, which is just really about being comfortable in the water.

me--I love my outdoor life here. The air is humid, and even if it is not particularly warm, I can smell the growth of plants/flowers, and hear the birds singing--I love it. I love having the rythym of the farm every Monday--it is so helpful for me to be around the farm animals every week. I was thinking yesterday about how they are all so sweet. And this may sound sappy but they really are despite the signs saying "Animals my bite" and how far removed from farm animals we are that we tend to thing they are wild. I love that the sheep and pigs, and all of them are so simple and easy to be with. Peanut was being butted in the head by a little lamb and did not like it very much. It was funny to see Francesco yelling at the lamb to stop (he never did) instead of the usual situation of me yelling at Pea to stop chasing the goats.

Darren--he is enjoying blogging again and seems to enjoy Facebook. I peer over his shoulder and think, "I will do that someday". I'm sure there is much more to share about D but can't think of it just yet and will hand his computer back to him. But I can say that he LOVES biking around and we are extremely excited to be heading to San Francisco with no kids on Monday. And that is preceded by some time with our friend Jennifer who will take care of our kids while we are away.

A Few Posts in One

I Quit the Farm

Just kidding. Last Monday I went to the farm (as usual) and as I threw the 2nd bucket (the sheep always get 2) in to the sheep, I thought to myself "There are much fewer sheep faces here". Then I contemplated the fact that it was quite quiet on the farm and I hadn't seen anything of the goats (quite unusual) so I peeked down towards them before I went to the shed to gather their food. From a distance, it looked like a small number for sure so when I laid eyes on Francesco as he arrived at the farm I said, "Tell me did like half of the sheep and half of the goats go to the slaughter house this week-end?" He assured me that this was true, a fact I knew occurred from time to time but had yet to happen to me on my farm. It was a bit sad in a way because I really like the life of the farm which cannot be summed up any better than by the goats-- that hop inside food bins when you are not looking, or pyramid on each other just to get some of the food, or hop into the pig pens to eat the pigs' food undeterred by large snorting snouts. I just have to love them because they make me laugh even when I am pulling at their horns to get them out the food bin to no avail. It seems that pretty much baby (probably teenage) goats along with adults went off to the slaughter. But I could only pester with questions enough to find out that all 13 jumpers were cleared out. They will no longer eat the plants or cost so much money or be such a drain on the farm's resources. When I look at the sheep I also see the one beautiful curly horned ram that is the last man standing and think about the sheep who got her head stuck in a fence for a couple hours a few weeks back that Francesco pried free and it is just one of those ironies that we have cared for them so much and then cleared them out. If you are male, the odds are stacked against you. Life on a farm. A city farm at that, with no chance to make use of the meat, wool, etc. Just bye bye.


My chicken class

Last Saturday I attended a Chicken Keeping class at the Hackney City Farm. It was fabulous indeed. I feel at least armed with information to begin keeping a few hens when I can. The instructor passed around this beautiful ginger colored hen and I have to say I was feeling broody (a word used commonly here not just with chickens) to add her to my brood of ginger colored ladies. I don't know if and when hen keeping will happen for me but if I can get a garden up and running, then I will a) see how much money I have to start up such a venture and b) check with the council and neighbors. It was a fabulous day--I rode my bike, arrived early and helped myself to a coffee and newspaper, had the most amazing lunch, and got to catch some fine birds, a skill I wished I had had when one got loose at Stepping Stones farm. I was aglow.

My bike

How I love thee. It has taken me more places than I have ever imagined--I suppose that's because I never imagined I would really be a bike rider in a city. ( I do feel it is probably easier here than in SF even though I never rode there.) D and I split up yesterday before church to do coffee dates with our kids. I got Luci and it was pouring rain so I strapped her in her bike seat with her pink princess umbrella and we took off only to arrive at the same place Jesse and Darren were, and with me soaked. D had a meeting after church so I took the 2 kids home and he was to ride my bike home. However, the junky bikeseat that I had been blessed with from a bike thief a while ago was taken and D had no wallet to get it replaced at the nearby Cycle Surgery so I had to return for it later and pay 40 quid to get it fixed. On the way home I stopped at Argos to get some desperately needed garden tools and realized there was no way I was getting those home on my bike so I left it locked up in front of the store and bused home quickly. The kids, etc. kept us occupied for the afternoon so it was around 8 when D went back to get my bike. As he approached, my bike was in the process of being stolen by 2 homeless women. Darren went up to them and said "Um excuse me, you're not taking that because that it my bike and I am taking it home right now." I asked Darren how it was that they were stealing my locked bike and he said, "Rule number one: Do not lock your bike to a post that is 3 feet tall." Oh I see. He added that rule number 2 might be to make sure the post you lock it to does not come out of the ground. Ooohh, that's a good one too.

I Have Nothing To Do With This.

Luci must be in princess form from morning to night. (However, I will not worry myself with this obsessive behaviour since it seems to be a faze which many girls pass in and out of.) She puts her red princess dress on before breakfast and still has it on during bedtime stories. The complete ensemble really is the dress, a gold crown, a pink barrett, her ballet slippers, a neckace, and a bracelet, sometimes a tutu layered on top.

For tonight's video chat with my parents, she took it up a notch to include my strawberry-flavored lip gloss. She has been known to burst into tears when she takes so long gathering one part of the outfit from some corner of our house that she doesn't get to the next part she wants to show off before the her audience leaves. Oh the stress of being a high maintenance princess.

We were playing "Stuck in the Mud" last night on the grass area beside our building when she was compelled to have me take her home to get her bracelet, a maneuver I explained might make her miss out on her last chances to play for the evening. But she chose it anyways and then was tearful to not have time for more play or recycling/litter pick-up, the "game" D and Jesse had moved onto.

A Day Off in Heaven

'Twas my day off and it was fabulous. Went and had coffee with my friend Anna over in Hackney and met up there with 3 American girls and D who crashed here for about a day and a half. They all survived riding over on the canal in one long procession. Then went by Hackney farm and to see some Banksy art in the neighborhood on the way back to parking the bikes back at my place. I ran off to Mudchute Farm which was amazing, green pastures, animals at peace with lots of space. I even came home and went back on the train with Pea because I wanted my friend to enjoy it with.

Interesting fact--my friend John says that 2/3 of the world's rhubarb is grown in Britian. I have come to realize that the rhubarb plant in our back yard is not so special as there is rhubarb growing at the edges of parking lots here.

Can't explain pictures--must retire! Except I want to say that you can see financial district of Canary Wharf behind the green pastures! Amazing to see the cows and sheep against that backdrop and actually ASDA (actually Walmart with a different name) is also right beyond the green. What a contrast!

A Day Off in Heaven

Pictures (and there's more to come)

the regular princessing of Peanut around here







Long story, but last Tuesday Jesse fell and got cut to the bone in Stepney Green, not serious but spent 2 slow days at the hospital








J's 5th bday party at our house Saturday









pinata, which reminds me that we met a new Mexican family on Saturday at our house, it was thrilling to speak Spanish!









the cake--pink was requested by a boy who is questioning why his sister gets everything pink and he doesn't

Thank you, considerate Bike Thief

Some of you may know of my visit and stay at the A and E (the ER) with Jesse this week--that's another story. But when I left him briefly at the hospital to jump to our house and let out Pea, as well as make some phone calls, I decided to return by bike and parked it out in front of the hospital. Today was pretty much my first chance to easily get it. As I took a look at my bike, I had the feeling that not all was the same. Yes, I wasn't seeing things. Someone has not only stolen my very cushy and generous bike seat, but they had replaced it with another, a ripped skinnier version. I thought to myself, "Why how strangely considerate of this person" or that maybe they just wanted to look legit while they were doing "bicycle work" out in the open. However, as I surveyed the seatless bikes to the right and left of mine, I counted myself lucky.

There are a few posts following, the 2nd is rather intense if you prefer to skip it.