School Mascot & School Yard Fun

Sierra's school mascot is a swan.  It's taken us a month or so to figure out the connection.  However, we found out that there are about 8 swans that populated the pond next to the school.  Desmond and I have recently had a great time feeding them while we wait on Sierra to get out of school.  Definitely couldn't have done that in South Carolina!  I included a few more pics from our school yard fun.  We get to wait about 15 minutes each day while Sierra gets out of school.  The kids love this bridge in the playground so much.  Sierra even got to paint watercolor picture in her class, and she painted the bridge in the playground.

 

Snowy Days

We have had a few beautiful snowfalls here, and the kids have been mesmorized.   I forget sometimes that they have spent the start of their young lives in South Carolina and have never had the privilege of seeing huge snowflakes fall from the sky.  They all love watching it and Sierra loves to play in it.  She will race to get her wellies at the first sign of snow.

House Projects: The Study

Zach lovingly spent nearly 8 hour assembling our desk and bookshelves that arrived in flat boxes for our study.  We love the result!  One of our favorite features is the antique-looking map of the UK.  We also love being able to look out into the garden while we work.  Sierra and Desmond have already been sneaking in to play a game they call "principal's office." We have some work to do with styling the bookshelves and we are probably going to get a new table and  lamp for the space beside the chair, but you get the idea.

Ludlow Part 1: The Drive

It promised to be a beautiful, sunny day in England, so we decided to take full advantage of the beautiful weather and drive about an hour southeast of Telford to the town of Ludlow.  The drive took us on the most beautiful road through the Shropshire hills and countryside.  It's hard to capture it on film, but you can get a sense of how green it is even in January here.  You will also notice there is literally no commercialization. Instead of gates, they opt for hedges which serves the purpose of a gate and from spring-fall adds even more greenery to an already gorgeous landscape.  Zach and I often find ourselves amazed at how the Brits have been able to preserve the countryside here.

Ludlow Part 2: The Castle

The main reason for our road trip was to visit the Ludlow Castle.  The pictures won't do it justice, but it is an expansive building with lots of towers, a chapel, a dungeon, and a great hall.  While they were not able to preserve all the interior walls.  You get a strong sense of the layout and structure of the building.

Moreover, it was a gorgeous day, and we were able to have a picnic lunch next to the moat.  Our favorite part was climbing the main tower. There is a steep, narrow winding staircase that takes you to the midpoint, another short walkway, and another spiral staircase to reach the top.  However, once you are up there the views were breathtaking.  There are green rolling hills and a babbling brook to your left, a mountain top overlooking the town to your right, and lush farmland straight ahead.

It took us two hours to explore all the castle had to offer. The kids loved the chapel and the great hall, peeking out of all the windows, and climbing the nerve racking staircases.

Our first trip to a castle had everyone daydreaming about future castles that we might see on our adventures in the UK.

Ludlow Part 3: Parish Church of St. Laurence

Next to the castle was a little hidden gem tucked away down a local side street.  The Parish Church of Saint Laurence was absolutely stunning.  Every detail in the church is gorgeous and ornate.  I took at least forty pictures and cannot upload them all, but you should be able to get a sense of how beautiful this church really is.  There was apparently an option to climb the bell tower which has amazing overlooks of the town and the castle, but the kids were too young to be allowed up the steps. It also gives us a reason to come back.  What is amazing to us as Americans is how much history is here compared to our relatively young nation.  For example, the church has been there for 550 year and has a written record dating back to 1199.  It has been beautifully preserved and was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Ludlow Part 4: Outdoor Cafe

We finished out our trip to Ludlow with a stop at one of the local coffee chains here called Costa.  They have a wonderful kids menu and even make kids' hot chocolate that comes in bite-sized cafe cups. Too cute! Even though it was cold (around 40 degrees) everyone still sits outside.  We opted for a table on the outside terrace and had a wonderful view of a winding cobblestone street spotted with Tudor style houses and picturesque shops.  All in all a great end to a fun family trip!

What We Do When It's Bitter Cold Outside...

That's right...you guessed it....create our own indoor playground.

Sully is 10 months old!

It is hard to believe, but our little guy is nearing one.  He is quite the little boy.  He is crawling, into everything, and loves to wrestle.  He is probably the biggest handful out of all three kids.  He is impossible to get dressed, loves to put his mouth on everything, and wants to be bigger than he is.  This combination often causes him to get a few bumps and bruises along the way.  We have therefore nicknamed him Bruiser and Bulldog because he inevitably has a bruise on his forehead and tries to bulldog his way into any situation.

This may sound negative, but he absolutely makes us laugh every day and we love our little Bruiser to the moon and back.

Bathing Beauties

Here are some cute and mostly appropriate recent bath time pics.

Britishisms

Here a few British sayings that I could recall from our first few months.  You may know a few or could teach us more. 

Bauble:  A stocking cap that has a pom pom on top.  For example, Sierra came home saying, "Logan has a hat with a bauble on it.  I thought they said bubble, but Ms. Preston says it is a bauble."

Loads:  Any time you would say "a lot" just replace it with the word "loads".   For instance, I have loads of chores to do around the house.  There were loads of people out on Boxing Day.

Takeaway:  It's not "to go" or "take out"  here, but instead it's takeaway.  Whenever I get my coffee, they ask if it is for drink in or takeaway.  Our neighbor brought us a bunch of takeaway menus when we first moved here.

Fiver:  Slang for money in this case a five pound note.  Tenner is a ten pound note.  Quid is a single British pound.  Overheard a girl at store where we were looking at the same sale rack tell her friend, "I could do that for a fiver." (referring to a dress she was looking at).

Queue: A line that you wait in.  Instead of lining up, people will say everyone is queuing by the door. Before Sierra's nativity show, a parent warned me that everyone was already queuing outside the cafeteria door.

Bookings:  You don't make reservations here.  That is when you feel anxious (i.e. have reservations about something).  Here if you want to reserve a table you call and make a booking.  Around Christmas, there were lots of signs that read "Now Taking Christmas Bookings"

Diary:  If you call a vendor here to book an appointment, they will have to check their diary not their calendar. The carpet cleaner told me he had to check his diary. Then responded, "Ok Mrs. Steele,  I have got you down in our diary."  I always think that seems a little personal.  You writing me down in your diary.  It takes my mind a minute to realize they mean calendar.

Cheeky Little Monkey:  A phrase used almost like "You handsome devil, you"  Most of the time, it is a term of endearment to little children.  Both boys have been called cheeky little monkeys.

Nan: the most common name for your grandmother.  Sierra came home telling me how Katelyn was going to visit her Nan.  Sierra: "She doesn't say Nana like we do."

Petrol:  Most of you know this is gasoline.  Just thought you would find it funny that Desmond argued down his teacher when he was pretending to drive a car on the playground.  The teacher asked him if he was going to get petrol, and the argument ensued.  He refused to call gas by any other name.

Fab:  Use any time you would say great.   That is a fab outfit, meal, game, etc.

Knickers: Another name for underpants.  We got a book by a British author called "Aliens Love Underpants"  and it referred to Mum's frilly knickers.  The kids couldn't get over it. Picture them saying "Knickers" to one another followed by giggling *pause waiting to see who was brave enough to say it again* Knickers * giggling * repeat all the steps above.

Sorted:  You say this when you solved a problem or figured something out.  A shortened version of sorted it out.  A forum around Christmas regarding a lot of the shopping deals would usual have at least one comment like, "Thanks for the post, Christmas present for my missus sorted."

Courgettes: The word for zucchini.  I thought it was in fact a different vegetable but learned later they just call it a different name.

Smart: This is typically when you are looking well-dressed.  "Don't you look smart today!"

Zed:  Poor Sierra.  They don't say Z they say Zed for the last letter of the alphabet.  This is in addition to the pronunciation of words and the new handwriting she has to learn while she tries to learn to read in a foreign country.

Bless:  If I had just made the comment above, most mothers would have responded "Bless"  Short for the very Southern "Bless her heart."

Brilliant: Most common way I have heard people use this is a way to respond to a question. "Would you be able to get the form back to me next week?  (When I nod affirmatively) Brilliant!  It's almost like the British version of cool.  I have heard it shortened to brill once or twice.   Here's an example from Urban Dictionary which gets the dialect a little better than I can:
I's brilliant in't it?
Right, yah, bloody brilliant. 
Wha' is? Oh, yah, right, brilliant. 

Favorite overheard conversation: 

I am in a card store in the Christmas card section on Boxing Day.  I over hear a mother talking to her older daughter about who to buy cards for next Christmas. All cards are 1/2 off.

Mother:  "Should I get Molly and "What's his name?"  a card for next year?"

Daughter: "It's James.  I don't know."

Mother: "I know!  She changes boyfriends like the bloody weather.  Ok it's sorted."

House Project: Sierra's Room

It's been cold and wet, so we have put our travels on hold to start another journey...home improvement!

Sierra knew the moment that she was moving to a new house with a new room that she wanted it painted purple.  When we got to England, we were so excited to show the kids the house and their respective rooms.  Sierra walked into her new room and said, "I thought it was going to be purple." The whole house was painted by our landlord about a month before we arrived.  He has been pretty adamant that the house does not need any additional paint. We prefer to agree to disagree on this.  Who doesn't love a little color? Plus, Sierra has been really patient with us.  If you know our daughter,  you know she is anything but patient.  So three months later, Zach and I committed the entire weekend to making sure she got her purple room with pictures added to her wall.

Here's how the room looked before.  It isn't exactly fair since we had everything bunched in the middle, but you get the idea.  About the only thing we did to the room was buy a bedspread.

The paint is a lot different in consistency than what were used to in the states, so it took Zach about three coats to get the room looking this amazing.

Sierra and I went today to pick out all the pillows and cushions for her room.  She gravitated toward anything soft and furry.   She and I are still working on filling in all of her picture frames.  Her dad strung Christmas lights across the top that can be switched to 7 different modes.  She has tried a new one out each night.  She told us tonight that she has the best room in the house! Mission accomplished.