19 June 2012

Yesterday was a big day in the house.  Samson and Delilah turned 2 years old!  They have made amazing strides over the past 6 months, but the most marked changes have occurred in the past 2 months.

Samson has outgrown almost all of his naughtiness, and now his mischievousness nature is contained to games which he plays with us.  One of his favorite 'I'm bored' activities is to pull my socks off.  I make that more challenging by moving my foot about and making him have to work to 'catch' it.  Often he tries to give it back to me so we can play again.  He walked the back fields for over a mile off lead today, and he only scared me twice.  He disappeared around a tree to splash in a muddy creek and jumped off the side of the dam into swift running water luckily only up to his knees.  (So, very low..hehe..)

Delilah is having a false pregnancy, as you can see here, any puppy-like soft substitute will do.

Delilah with her Ty Beanie puppies.

I have become officially British.  In the sense that I managed to go out to a National Trust garden in the rain and walk about getting drenched with a dozen children and three other moms during half term.  We had a great day out though, most of the kids enjoyed the rain, and it was a lot easier to stomach with the Scone and Coffee I had at the cafe before we took to the pathway.

Nyman's Gardens soaking Walkabout

They had an activity at Nyman's garden where children could pay £2 to participate in a garden hunt and win a large Galaxy chocolate bar.  Well, it was raining so hard that the paper got stuck to the clipboard and the pencils wouldn't write, but the lovely activity coordinators gave the children chocolate anyway--probably for thier stoic British-ness in the face of the weather!

Samson and Delilah hoping Mike shares his Galaxy chocolate with them!

This past Saturday was very windy, and Leo tends to get very spirited in the wind, so Alex decided we best go out for a nice hack instead of an arena lesson.  Ever happy with my coffee in hand, we set off and it seems all three of us notice when a photo is being taken.  Neil struggled to get any of us looking natural!

Mike doing 'Scissors'--he has to use his arms to swing his body around the saddle and sit back down.

After 2 long years of Basset hounds, we have finally managed to get out with the  South East Basset Hound Club for one of their monthly walks.  Both Samson and Delilah were a little put off by all the dogs when we pulled up and took them out of the car at Gills Lap, Ashdown Forest (can you say Winnie the Pooh?).  Delilah proceeded to try and get to know every dog intimately thereafter, and Samson remained unbothered by the whole affair. We were hoping to take them off lead and let them run with 'the pack'.  However, when we did take them off, the first time Delilah just ran away and the 2nd time a jogger went by and they just ran off with him!  Both of these events culminated in one of us having to run, so we kept them on the leash thereafter.

Meeting the pack at Gills Lap in Ashdown Forest

Playing!

A pack of children!

Neil and Samson resting

Delilah making friends

A very long incline we had just scaled.

Too much gorgeousness for words!

 On Sunday, we were all set to have a fabulous Father's Day.  It may not seem like a lot, but we bought Neil a Terry's Chocolate Orange to celebrate.  This was because we have been very good with our diets, and we planned to have Father's day be a 'free day'.  It seemed only fitting then, that I get him something he could enjoy on this one day only!  He didn't look so pleased with it though, and later told me that he had bought one for himself the night before in anticipation of 'free day'.  It's good to know I got him EXACTLY what he wanted!  The three of us worked through them both, and they were delicious!

We had a big day ahead of us, as the WIGGLES were in Brighton, and Grandma D'yu D'yu had bought Michael tickets ("D'yu want some Wiggles tickets?" D'yu D'yu asked Michael)

Michael wanted to take his friend Noah to see the Wiggles--plus, 3 of the Wiggles were retiring and this is their last concert in the UK.

Two excited boys

Waiting for the show

Not only that, Greg Wiggle, the 'yellow skivvy' was retired for 5 years and only JUST returned, so Michael really wanted to see him.  Greg retired due to sickness, and unfortunately, he did so the evening before the concert that Mike and I had front row seats for in Charlottesville, Virginia 5 years ago.  Mike was not happy to see 'Sam' take his place, and never really let go of that disappointment.

Greg is BACK!!!!

Boys watch as Greg is introduced

 During the show, the Wiggles walk around and collect gifts for Dorothy the Dinosaur and Wags the Dog.  Michael approached Anthony Wiggle and had a whole conversation with him.  He told him his name, that he had always been a fan, and asked if Anthony remembered falling on stage and me asking if he was alright.  He also shook his hand.  Then Greg walked by, and Mike again raced to approach him.  He told him he was a fan since he was a baby and was glad he was back.  This was the best experience he could have hoped for and he enjoyed his final Wiggle show.

Noah stared intently at the show, and after the first four songs he turned to me and earnestly stated "I would like to meet the Wiggles again".  I smiled and suggested that we take his sisters next time.  He agreed that they would love it.

We left the concert all smiles and walked a few blocks to the American Diner where we had lunch, and ice creams, and watched Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Mint and banana milkshakes, respectively

 Til next time...

31st May 2012

Another few weeks have come and gone, and we have lot of news.

Michael participated in a Film Academy workshop, where he learned how to audition, the importance of your presentation, eye contact, and mannerisms.  For example, don't fold your arms, it makes you look guarded and not easily approachable.  A director will likely pick a child who has an open demeanor, as they seem easier to work with and more likely to take instruction eagerly.

The kids did a skit called the Polar Bear and the Eskimo.

On the way there we saw a news article about the Wiggles, Mike's (obsessively) favorite childhood band, show, and toy line from 6 mo to 6 years old.  The article told us that the Wiggles have announced their retirement, and the handing over of the Big Red Car keys to a new generation of Wiggles.  Michael started crying.  He was heartbroken at the thought of having no more Jeff, Anthony, Greg, and Murray out there performing shows.  After some consoling, and discussion about the importance of these Wiggles (aged 40 to 50's) to slow down and take care of themselves, he became more understanding and willing to embrace the passing down of the Big Red Car.  They are doing their last tour this year, and Grandma (D'you D'you) very kindly bought tickets for Mike to see their final show in Brighton.

At 10 years, all of this hit me unexpectedly.  I thought those days were over for him, but he obviously holds them close to his heart.  Talk about loyal!  While putting him to sleep last night, I noticed that the Lego 'Wiggles' were strewn over the dresser after being attacked by Joker, Bane, and a few other nefarious DC characters.  One can only hope that Batman will come to the rescue soon.

The Wiggles with custom instruments before the attack of the Joker

We had our first very convenient week for me to be off work, as we had the car cleaned and serviced.  One would think that after having it serviced, when you set out on your trip to Birmingham the next day, one would have working Air Conditioning.  One would be wrong.

One would also assume that their hotel room would be air conditioned.  Wrong again.

We did get to see a train on the motorway though...and that doesn't happen very often!

A train on the motorway

Friday evening we went to dinner at TGI Fridays with Jamie and Adi. Jaime works with Neil and it was great to be able to get together and meet them.  We had a great night of laughs.

TGI Fun!

We have not eaten in a restaurant, nor had any food outside of our respective diets, in about a month.  Neil stayed on track through the meal with a rib eye, and had a chocolate cake for desert which he didn't finish.  I had chicken fajitas, and only ate a quarter of it, but finished off with a gorgeous slice of cheesecake.  Speaking of food, as of this write up, Neil has lost an amazing 12 lbs since 5th May on the Dukan Diet!  I am so proud of him, he has really stuck to his guns with this diet.  I haven't stayed with Dukan, but have lost 6 lbs.  The boring details of my diet is in another blog...

The convention was a fun day, and Neil got to pick up a copy of the deluxe edition of Ankh-Morpork, containing wicked resin components.

The resin peices

The Board

Michael chilled out with some Dr Who's and Dolly the Dalek, and we found a new Dr. Who RPG game soon to be released that we have added to Mike's future gift list.

   


We picked up some new 12 sided die to replace the lost set from Killer Bunnies, and got to play a few games we hadn't tried before: Gem Dealer, Botswana, and Cloud 9.

Mike and Neil playing Cloud 9 at UK Games Expo in Birmingham

Of course, there were loads of people dressed in outrageous costumes, and we really like the storm troopers who were providing security this year.

Mike getting the 'Heathrow' treatment

No Humans beyond this point

We drove home Saturday afternoon and were home a bit after 6pm, so we called the Pat and Cush at the kennel and asked to pick up the dogs a day early, which they were fine with.  It was so nice to have the family together again!  Even a day without them seems too long to me.  Our dear pups have picked up a new habit.  When walking, it is perfectly acceptable to stop at any time and take a nap!

Sorry!  We aren't moving!

On Sunday, Michael and I took the convoluted trek to London for a Street dance Academy Video shoot.

Eating the mega ham and egg roll on the train.

After arriving and waiting a bit longer than Mike would have liked, the parents were ushered out of the studio and I took my seat across from another mom, basking in the unusually warm weather, and we chatted about boys and parenting.  When the kids came out for break, it appeared that Mike had struck up a friendship with the son of the mom I was chatting with, which was a nice coincidence, and when the filming was over, she gave us a ride to the station to catch our train home.  Mike said he had a great time doing the shoot, and he would even like to go take the Street dance Academy course himself.

Waiting to start the filming

Coming home from Studio

On Monday I dropped Michael off at school and took a long leisurely walk around the fields with "Frick and Frack" as I often refer to the dogs. Samson has become fast friends with the creek, and has taken to a game in which I throw a stick into the water and the creek carries it downstream.  He follows, and eventually catches the stick.  The water is shallow enough that it doesn't require him to swim.  I don't think he would like that much to be honest!

 When I picked Mike up in the afternoon he excitedly told me that he had won second place in the talent contest and would be performing at the Jubilee celebration on stage next week at school.

Listening to instructions at street dance 

 

Street dance pose

"What was your talent?"  I asked, puzzled.  A myriad of things ran through my mind.  Magic?  Jokes?

"I did the street dance routine I learned yesterday for the video!"  he beamed  "it was really good!"

I was grinning like a monkey no doubt.  I hadn't realized that he had learned a routine on Sunday, so it was doubly a surprise, and I was very happy for him.  Parents can't come to the Jubilee party next week, so I will have to take his word on his debut performance, and sadly, wont have photos.

Yesterday our Olympic tickets arrived. It comes with travelcards too, so our train fare is included! Yay!  We have invited Michael's friend along, and both boys are very excited to be part of the Olympic excitement.

Olympic Tickets!

 Til next time!

3rd May 2011

I flew into Washington Dulles to pick Mike up from his dad's in Virginia.  The flight was Virgin Atlantic, which has proved one of the most reasonable and the most comfortable companies around.  I have perfected seat selection to a fine science, situating myself at the end of a row, so that no person is sitting behind me; on the aisle, so I am free to get up as often as I like; near the restroom, so I never have to queue to get in; and most cleverly, I go see the flight attendant as soon as I enter the plane and request the pasta dish.  They always sell out of the pasta before getting to the end of the row, and because I have now entered a 'special request' I get served first and don't have to wait 45 minutes for the trolley to reach me.  I COULD order the vegetarian dish before flying, but the true vegan dish is reportedly quite vile (according to my friends in the sky (flight attendants).  So, as you can see, I take all of this very seriously.  It is all about managing my environment!!! :-)

My friend, Sue, picked me up from Dulles, and as always it was fantastic to get a chance to spend time with her.  We went back to her house, which was basically completely packed as she is moving, and then we went out shopping.  I bought a few new pairs of jeans, a shirt, and a pink sleeveless jacket for springtime dog walks. Clothing is much more reasonably priced in the US, and for some reason, I find it very hard to find clothing that fits me here.  It seems there is a general lack of smallish waists paired with thunder thighs on this side of the pond, where it is pretty obviously a 'normal' shape in the US.  All of my trousers here gap really wide at the waist.  It looks ridiculous.

Saturday we drove to Charlottesville to pick Mike up.  We met his dad and brother at IHops and had breakfast before driving back up to spend the night at Springhill Suites, where my mother was waiting for us.  It was great to have a chance to spend time with her, as we haven't had much time together in the past few years, and even chatting on the phone has been near impossible while I was working.  We got to stay in the same room that we had stayed in two years ago when we met up, which was rather odd.

The flight home was uneventful, it was pretty empty so I moved to another row and Mike sat alone.  This was for sleeping purposes, but he didn't sleep anyway!  We got home at 10:30, and Neil had already left to catch his flight to India.  How strange it felt to be chatting on the phone--he updating me on his progress getting to Heathrow--and my updating him on our departing!  After 24 hours of being awake Mike finally crashed, and he didn't wake up until noon the next day!  (No school for him!).

We did finally get back into schedule, and we are happily back into normality now.

Neil's trip to India was pleasant.  He was in business class and looked quite comfortable.

Unfortunately, it was truly a business trip, and he didn't have the opportunity to get out and discover what India had to offer.  It was very nice to have him come home, the dogs were especially happy to see him.  Lots of tail wagging and jumping around.  He brought us back some souvenirs, Mike got a Ty Beanie Elephant, and I got a dress and some Russian nesting dolls (I have a strange liking of them).

All is back to normal in our schedule, we have a few boys joining us, and the dogs are enjoying getting out for their twice daily school runs.  We haven't gone on our long walks yet, as it has rained nearly non-stop since we got home.  It is still raining, and seems no end in sight!

Finally, we are removing almost all sugar from our diet.  This comes after watching Sugar: The Bitter Truth on YouTube.

Its about an hour and half long, so don't bother watching if you aren't really interested!  I went looking for sugar information after I realized that if I spent most of the day without added sugar (biscuits, sugar in coffee, etc.) and then ate something with significant sugar, I spent the rest of the day really hungry and craving more and more sweets.  It just seems to me that that can not be normal.

So, now after much reading and thinking about it, I am on day 6 of 'no sugar added' living.  I am not getting cravings, and I have noticed that when I do 'crave' it is because I had high carbs.  We have decided to go to a high protein, low carbohydrate, no (or low) added sugar diet.  There is no intention to NEVER eat chocolate or cake again, BUT this will be something that will be a rare occasion.  Not a daily, or AT LEAST thrice weekly event, as it has been.

I'll update you on our success.  :-)

Happy Easter



The quintessential British Easter - giant chocolate eggs with Trademarked mugs

Happy Easter! 

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and had the chance to spend time with family and friends.  With Mike spending Easter in America, we expected a rather dull weekend, but as you will see, our week has ended up being full of good times and entertainment.

Before I go further though, we received the unfortunate news that my Grandmother passed away on Easter day.   My grandmother was the most independent woman I have ever met, and her influence on me was lifechanging.  Having suffered quite a lot from anxiety and fears, it was her example of fearlessness and independence that rallied me to become the person I am today.  The person who could move to another country--who will jump from the precipice--sometimes to my own detriment, but nevertheless, I WILL jump! I know that this example of strength was an influence on other women in her life, and I am very proud of her accomplishments.

My Grandma, Mary

We had a spring Basset Hound retreat when Bertie and Bella came to visit for a week.  It was fun having four dogs, and while it is full on busy, it is worth it.  Hounds are truly pack animals, so watching them in a 'pack' is interesting.  They really get on well, and sometimes they can get cranky but moments later are the best of friends.  Samson and Delilah did need some serious 'daddy time' though...which on a normal schedule they are completely unwilling to share with one another, but exceptional circumstances seem to change the rules.


Two bassets wanting individual attention



Left to Right: Bella, Delilah, Bertie and Samson all cuddled on the couch



"You have my attention"


We had a nice Easter at the Prestwood, having a picnic and Egg hunt.  I usually don't run..but I do when I am hunting chocolate..which I guess says something about my weight issues....

Easter Picnic at Prestwood



Pigs at Prestwood



Finding worms for the chickens at Prestwood



The Easter egg hunt at Prestwood



Mike's riding instructor showing how its done



Beautiful flowers from Bella and Bertie

Sadly, I left this post in draft for quite a few weeks, but had some gentle prodding, so here is Easter's blog
 :-)

26th March 2012

My first official volunteer stint is over. The school ran the Sports Relief mile, with all of the students doing at least 2 laps around the field. I was at point 6, defending the woods from thralls of truant school children dropping out of the mile and slinking into the woods with bad intentions at the forefront of their minds. Er....I mean....cheering on and encouraging these bright young minds to continue onward. I must admit, this is an area where my Americanism shines through in spades. We are masters in encouragement and cheering on.

The Mike's after the mile.

I at least feel I can practice what I preach. I have started using mapmywalk.com and have currently logged 47.45 miles over 19 days. The puppies love the long walks and often lead the way while I meander along through the woods following their noses over logs and through creeks.

Michael is visiting his dad in America. We planned the trip so that Mike would arrive right in time for his dad's birthday and he was delighted to be dad's "birthday present". We flew on the Virgin "Tokyo" from Heathrow to DC. I was fairly certain it was the oldest plane in Virgin's fleet. With ancient in-flight entertainment and a whistling sound screaming through the roof on landing which had me convinced the roof was going to peel off, I was loathe to learn that it was the plane which I was flying back to the UK on after dropping Mike with his dad. However, research has unearthed that it is merely the 5th oldest plane, at 15 years old, in the 75 plane strong fleet.

The Maiden Tokyo

Other than our unfortunate border detainment in 2009, I have not traveled round trip over a weekend but this trip entailed our landing in DC at 3:30pm, and I boarded the plane back to the UK at 6:30pm. Sadly I missed the Skype call with my in-laws updating us on the birth, and introducing us, to our new nephew, but Neil was very happy to have had the chance to catch up with them. .... I think it is time for Mike to fly as unaccompanied minor!

Mike is having a good time in Virginia. We called him last night and he was watching Batman and drawing. The drop off was easy. All smiles and tear free on both sides, I would never put the weight of my sadness on his little shoulders. The crush of him being away hit me last night when I passed his empty room. Only a month to go! Sigh....I love that kid!

My friend Christy surprised me with Herman, the German (Amish) Friendship cake. Herman is a sour dough cake, which requires tender love and care over ten days before being divided into 4 parts. One part you keep and bake yourself, the other 3 you pass on to friends with a set of 10 day instructions, which culminate in thier subdivision and passing on of Herman. In other words, Herman is a chain letter in cake form. The crux of Herman is yeast. Herman hails back to the days when yeast was grown by the baker and the recipe was passed between friends for frugality purposes.

Herman Batter

I unfortunately can't share this recipe with most of my friends and family, so I entrust you now, to use the information below and start Herman in my honour in your country.

"Billy No Mates
Cake"

retitled (by me!) "International Friends Cake!"

Ingredients
1 Cup plain flour
1 Cup caster sugar
1 Cup plain natural (live) yoghurt
Half Cup milk
1 small sachet fast-action dried yeast (breadmaker yeast)

Put all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Mix to a smooth batter-like consistency.

If the mixture is too thick to run off the spoon,
add a little more milk and re-mix.

Set aside for 24 hours, the mixture will be frothy and bubbly, smelling of alcholol/fermentation

Stir-- the froth will collapse, but remain bubbly.

This is your starter batter for International friend cake...now...Herman the German!

Measure out 1/2 pt (1.2 cups) and start day 10 on the instructions.... http://www.hermanthegermanfriendshipcake.com/

It is reported to be a very good cake, so give it a go! I'll let you know my personal verdict in a few days when my Herman is complete.

Finally, we went to Brighton after Neil picked me up from Heathrow and took a long walk with the dogs. Delilah enjoyed rolling around in oyster shells, and Samson smiled the entire walk through. They were two tired puppies when we got home.

Delilah loving the sea

Samson, Me, and Delilah with Neil (taking photo)

Samson after a great day in Brighton

Delilah after Brighton

Til next time....

6th March 2012

Happy Birthday, Michael! He turned 10 yesterday and he sure has grown up fast. I remember when he was born, looking at him and wondering 'Who will this person be?'. I have been delighted to watch him become a happy, independent, funny, and bright boy.

He didn't have a party with his friends this year, but he got some very exciting gifts, such as a JD Bugg Scooter, Lego Batcave, Batwing, and Superman and Lex Luther sets, plus other exciting gifts. He went to McDonalds for lunch and I made him a Dr. Who cake.

On Saturday, we went to Brighton for the Annual Saltdean Pasteboard and Plastics Boardgame meetup. I was looking for a picture for it and found this blog post, which amusingly has some pictures of Neil. However, it is from 2010!

http://kevinandgames.blogspot.com/2010/11/saltdean-pasteboard-and-plastic-13.html

The day was a resounding success from a fundraising perspective for the Scouts, and for us; as we had the chance to play Norenberc and Glory to Rome, which is one of my all time favorite games.

I pinched this photo from Little Metal Dog, so if you want some more info on the game, check out their review of the game here: http://littlemetaldog.com/2011/04/06/ch-check-it-out-glory-to-rome-review/

We were able to take off for a whole day of gloriously selfish gaming because our puppy sitting co-op was put into use. We met a local couple who also have two young basset hounds and now we are minding each others puppies for the odd day out and holiday. Samson and Delilah seemed to have an excellent time with Bella and Bertie. I think they both look quite tired in this shot!

(Left to right: Samson, Delilah, Bertie and Bella)

Tonight, Neil is in London playing Glory to Rome with some of his work colleagues. Every Tuesday evening they play a few games after work and it has been quite a success. In fact, they seem to enjoy it so much that for Neil's birthday they MADE a game for him. That is pretty special.

I am taking driving lessons. I have been driving for over 20 years, but there are different styles of driving and I need to learn a technique that undoes most of what I learned in the US. It is hard going, but I am making progress. The hardest part for me is learning the signs. Some don't seem to be obvious. --for example, if you are on a ramp entering a motorway (interstate) and you see a giant red X sign, would you think 'oops! this must be the wrong way?!?!?'...because, that is what I thought. However, it means.....Don't stop. Yeah...the big X means 'don't stop'....I don't think that is intuitive. Also, a round sign, with a red border showing a car and a bicycle. I would think...'Oh, that must mean only cars and bicycles', but it means 'NO cars and bicycles'. I personally would put a SLASH through things not allowed. But hey, I didn't make the rules, I just gotta learn them!

Parting thoughts, we are going to see Les Miserables in a few weeks as part of Michael's Birthday gift. (He has watched Les Miserables about 15 times in the past 2 months on Dvd. He loves it.).

The dogs are enjoying their walks to school and they are learning to follow commands such as ''Easy' (don't pull), 'Wait' (wait for me or wait at a street crossing). They are getting calmer with people and I am feeling more confident that they won't jump on everyone that walks within easy paw range.

Til next time.

16 January 2012 -- We're back!

We're back! I gave my notice at work and took on the role of stay at home mom/wife.  Both Neil and I working in London left the family short changed, and when we calculated the money I was taking home after we deducted all the expenses of my working, it just didn't make sense to continue.

My last day was 17th December, and we flew to South Africa the very next day for a 3 week holiday.  The details of the South Africa trip will be covered on Facebook through photos for the time being.  I don't have access to the bulk of the photos taken, but I will definately revisit it in the future. To summarize, we stood at the tip of Africa at Cape Point, swam with penguins (and almost swam with a shark!), had many great meals with family, walked the beach every day; watched the sun rise in the east over the Indian Ocean, and set over the Atlantic on the last day of 2011.  We went to a wedding, and a to a game farm, to the top of Table Mountain, and rode horses on Noordhoek beach.

I am very pleased to have met the bulk of my In-laws over the past month.  It has been a long time coming and I was touched by how kindly they treated me and Michael.  We are very lucky to be part of such a fabulous family.
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Now that I am staying home, I find I need a little help in the 'getting things in order department'.  The trusty Flylady is always available for inspiration, and little by little I am managing to get the house back to order.  Along with Flylady, is the handy Cozy Calendar application, which allows me to add events to my family calendar, make grocery and to-do lists with ease.  You would be amazed at how rusty I am at doing school runs and managing my time at home!

I searched around a found a brilliant leash coupler on Amazon by Company of Animals:

 Today was the first official school run with two very excited, very strong Bassets in tow.  (Actually, I was in tow).  I have no doubt that my upper body streangth is going to increase exponentially over the next few weeks, but they really love having two 1.5 mile walks a day and already show signs of feeling more calm in the house. (picture to come).

My favorite part of being home is having time to cook.  I love cooking, the whole process is very relaxing for me.  I bought a cook book Cook & Enjoy, in South Africa.  I made Bobotie, beef casserole and a pumpkin fritter so far, and I have two very happy guys here that appreciate and enjoy my efforts. I also bought a bread maker and already have made 3 loaves of brown bread.

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Michael has had a very good news from Lego; they have reinstated Lego Batman as Lego SuperHeroes!   He has already purchased this set.  He has paged through the Lego catalog so much the pages look old and worn and its only a week old.

Well thats it for now.  Til next time!