For My Mom

My Mom has built up the boys Geo Trax train set. Every now and again we get it out and set it up in the conservatory. (I feel like I am living in Clue.) We need Josh's help to get it all connected. Well, actually that is just what I tell Isaac and Luke to get myself off the hook.

The Bossy King

At Christmas time in England, it is tradition for every class, in every school to perform a Nativity. This year Isaac was a cow. The title of Isaac's nativity was, "The Bossy King." I was a little skeptical at first as to what sort of blasphemy may be contained in this nativity. I was happy when I went to watch it and found everything to be on the up and up. The only thing that was a little dodgy was all of the children were barefoot. Isaac has informed me that they do PE barefoot. Interesting...




One of Isaac's teacher assistants is my good friend, Fiona. We serve together in the primary and have lots of common interests like quilting. This is Isaac and Fiona.

On About Christmas

We went to York to meet Father Christmas at the top of Clifford’s Tower. The closer we got to York the thicker the fog became. Upon arrival, we climbed the steps up to Clifford’s Tower and then up the narrow, twisting staircase to where Father Christmas had finished telling stories to the boys, girls, and Asian tourists. Isaac and Luke were a little nervous, but managed to say hello. We walked with St. Nick along to top of the tower waving to all the people arriving for the St Nicholas Fayre Market.



I was able to take two days off of work for Dionne and I to travel down to Stratford-upon-Avon to attend Romeo and Juliet by the Royal Shakespeare Company. We visited the Anne Hathaway Cottage--the childhood home of Shakespeare's wife. The home was picture perfect as a quintessential old English cottage. Our tour guide had us sit on the settle seat next to the fireplace which tradition holds that William and Anne also sat while courting. This is suspect based on the piece being dated from a later time period and the fact that Anne was twenty-six years old and pregnant, while William was only eighteen when they rushed to marry. There was probably not an open courtship as William was a “boy toy,” our guide explained. Afterwards, we strolled in and out of the shops in Stratford on our way to the Courtyard Theatre.


Finally, we've had our first real snow since arriving in England. Five or more inches before Christmas. We built a snowman and used Hersheys Kisses for the eyes, biscuit for the nose, and pretzels for the mouth. As I was shoveling the walkway, I hear Isaac yell, "Daaaad, Luke ate the snowman's face!" Dionne made us hot soup and sandwiches for lunch with a few snowman eyes and noses for dessert.