Call It What You Want...

Laundry dry, and several minutes of Wii played (yesterday), today David and I were off to East London, first to the Ragged School, and then to Eltham Palace.

On the walk along the canal, we got to see a boat (and its two occupants) navagate one of many locks. That was kind of neat.

I got scolded in the ragged school for talking during lessons, but succeeded in writing the alphabet and other assignments right handed as instructed by the school teacher. (She actually said I didn't have to since it isn't really a Victorian school, but I naturally rose to the challenge.)

Eltham Palace was a 1930s building built onto a very old Great Hall. It had some very impressive Art Deco stuff throughout; I was very impressed with the flex maple paneling (very thin veneer glued on paper and used as wallpaper). We also stopped at a garden on the way that had the most impressive roses I've seen since the Portland Rose Gardens. Wow.

We came back by way of a double decker bus to the former Millenium Dome (now known as O₂) for a little snack and a long wait for the loo, then back on the Tube to Chateau David & Amanda for a little quick Wii and supper and the Mean and Nasty Horse Racing Game (a present I got them for Christmas a couple years back). I ended up winning £16,990,000 to a few hundred thousand each, all accomplished on the last race. (Fun game.)

Now it's some reality TV and off to bed, resting up for a day with Amanda tomorrow.

We returned from Bath about 11 p.m. yesterday after a nice weekend trip.

It really was very nice, albeit warm.

It wasn't long after our arrival that we saw the first pig. As the weekend progressed, it (of course) became a contest to see who would see the pig first. The pigs are a part of a public art project decorating the town. Pigs were chosen because King Bladud first discovered Bath (as legend has it) when, afflicted with leprosy and cast out to become a swineherd, he noticed that his pigs (also afflicted with leprosy) were healed after bathing in a certain wallow with warm, smelly water. He, too, bathed in the mud, and found his leprosy cleared. He went home, regained his crown, and went on to father King Lear. And we all know how he turned out.

Pictures will be added when I get home to my easy-adding thingy that Tim put on my blog.

We went to the Roman Baths, enjoying an audio tour. Very cool.

This is me and David beside the old Roman bath.

This is me, imitating a statue. Edgy, huh?

David thought it was hot. (It was; the water is about 113 degrees when it comes out of the ground.)

We got to sample the healing waters of Bath, as well, drinking a nice refreshing -- er, not so -- glass of the mineral-rich water. (Remember? It's 113 degrees. Mmmmmmm...)

Bath Abbey was also very nice. I was quite enthralled with the stained glass, though there were enough clear glass windows to leave the church bright and airy.

The Sally Lunn buns were huge and delicious, and the Sally Lunn kitchen museum was, er, free, since we had buns in the dining room.

The Fashion Museum was not as exciting as I hoped as there were some lightbulbs out and the text on the displays (yes, I slowed down to read the text) sometimes leaned very strongly toward the young reader.

They do have an interactive try-on part of the exhibit with these lovely items... Instead of busk clasps, which can be hard for the uninitiated, they have regular plastic clips like on your backpack. Easy to use! They're sturdy and washable! Hmmm...

No. 1 Royal Crescent was cool.

The Jane Austen Center, very nice, though there was a man dressed in olde-tyme clothes who was in the foyer when we arrived, but by the time we had paid our entrance fee, he was gone, never to be seen again. Amanda saw him, too, so I was not just imagining Mr. Darcy there. (Some Mr. Darcy souvenirs did appear in the shop.) David did not see him, because he skipped this site, and a good choice on his part as he would have NOT been interested.

The Baths are now open at the Thermae Spa, and we really enjoyed taking the waters in the spa, having steam in the four aromatherapy steam rooms -- and the rain shower, and dipping into the rooftop pool. (Now I just sound like the travel brochure, don't I?) I really liked this, as did Amanda.

The Thermae Bath Spa. On the roof, you can see people standing by the railing. That's where the rooftop pool was.

We ate food, played some games, walked around and saw lots of sights. There will be photos to prove it later, but I will say it was a very nice trip. And we got very tired. There are a lot of hills in Bath!

Amanda swoons in want of a drink, while David leans in for a sample. The fountain says, "WATER IS BEST."

It was also quite exciting to work on the ALL-NEW Nancy Drew story that is developing throughout this trip. The woman with a pinched face (always a villain) seemed to follow us everywhere, but fortunately there were good and helpful people willing to give us clues. (Yes, this part is made up...)

Today I am staying in and taking it easy, doing laundry and playing with D&A's Wii. Maybe by the time they get home I will be able to swing the tennis racket?

As they say here, Cheers.

Slept in until 10:30

Mid day at the Museum on London

Afternoon at St. Paul's Cathedral (the organ and choir were practicing for an evening service, very nice)

Evening at a Village Fete-slash-art fair at the V&A.

Packing now for Bath!

Good night everyone!

And I am not asleep.

I have long had sleep troubles, especially in a new or different bed. But usually when I arrive in Europe, I fall right to sleep due to exhaustion. Aaaah, not tonight.

I got here with no problems, with my luggage. Took the Tube to David's stop, where he met me at the station. Came here, had a short nap, then we went off and met Amanda at the Angel tube stop and then some of their friends at a pub for drinks and visiting. It was a lovely evening -- we sat/stood outside the pub for the visit -- and nice and cool.

We talked about things that I might do tomorrow, but I suspect I might get a late start. (I hope, since the walking tour I thought about doing is just 7 hours away and I haven't been to sleep yet.)

Wish me luck on getting my sleep in gear, and I'll keep you posted on what's up!

This afternoon, we saw what is probably the last phase of the road construction -- the "dirt paver" as Mark calls it.

Fortunately, I had been out minutes before to retrieve my newspaper, which my brilliant and efficient carrier had (once again, despite a thousand requests otherwise) dumped into the ditch between my yard and the new curb. Had I not gotten the paper when I had, it would have been unceremoniously buried beneath a foot of dirt.

Please note the nice asphalt on the street. Mission accomplished for the road people, I reckon. Now Mr. Smith across the street went and bought sod to fix his part... We'll see this weekend what we decide to do.

No Parking for Paving, read the sign on our street when we got back from visiting Grandpa and Grandma, On or after July 15.

This morning we almost missed it.

Mark, who was banished to his room for another temper tantrum, got to see it, but Adam and I missed them putting down the asphalt and rolling in front of our house. We did walk two doors down and got to see it.

They'll finish the other side of the street later; here's hoping we get to see that.

Someone in my family is laughing maniacally, and he knows who he is.

On the way down the highway, we passed what would be my childhood's favorite animal, which I pointed out to the boys (who like all animals).

"Yucky horses," Mark said.

"Horses aren't yucky!" I objected.

(Pause.)

"Mommy, can you eat horses?" Mark asked.

"No," I said.

"See? They're yucky."

Yeah. I see.

Mark informed Daddy this morning -- and then me, later -- that today is Doggy's birthday!

It was quite a day of celebration for our furry friend -- cake and ice cream (so Mark says) and "baby presents like rattles" because, despite having a birthday, Doggy is still a little baby. Doggy's Mommy (Clifford) gave him a baby excavator (construction equipment, not some way of digging up small children) to play with. Doggy was good to his Mommy, giving her a present for his birthday, too -- a bulldozer. And, of course, there was all the fun of celebrating. Doggy played with his baby excavator for a while while his mommy played with her bulldozer, and then Doggy got a turn to play with the bulldozer. "It was nice because everyone got a turn!" Mark announced.

Just in case you wondered, none of this really happened.

Or did it?

Mark feeds Doggy his first solid food, in the high chair, March 2007

Doggy plays in the baby seat, because, after all, he is a baby, March 2007. A year and a half later, he's still a baby.

We all know how Mark feels about his "precious Doggy."

Incidentally, we're pretty sure that Mark has no idea that he was given Doggy in July of 2005. Here is our first photographic moment of Mark playing with Doggy:

September, 2005.

Happy Birthday, little friend!

Oh when the six
Go Marching Eight
Oh when the six go marching eight
Oh I don't know the number
When the six go marching eight

Is it a surprise to say that Mark has become an expert at manipulating his brother?

Adam has a toy that Mark would really like to play with. Adam isn't interested in parting with it -- until...

Mark offers another toy, often something that is special to him in some way (example: Doggy). "Here you go," he tells Adam in a super-sugary voice.

Adam accepts the offered toy, sometimes (but not always) setting down the original item. Sometimes Adam even offers the wanted item to Mark.

Mark accepts the toy graciously and goes off to play with his new acquisition.

Adam thinks he really scored a deal with whatever he now has.

How long until Mark learns to say, "Trade-able?"