Day 55 - Bike Hire

Back to work for Scott today. I awoke really early to go to the gym before Scott left for work. It was a slow day as I was tired from our “holiday” in Scotland and waking up early. I eventually got motivated to get out mid-afternoon. We called down to a company that rents bikes on the Thames. So we took the bus down to this place and rented 3 bikes. We rode our bikes to Petersham Lane Playground. We felt like the locals riding our bikes along the path with the cows. Luckily, no cows blocked our way. We stayed at the playground for about 30 minutes and then decided to ride in the park. I told the girls we should ride to Ham Gate and back toward the house. Both thought that was SOOOO far but since we had rented the bikes for 2 hours, we had to kill time. When we got to the Ham Gate six minutes later, Emily couldn’t believe it was that fast. The bike that Ainsley got is the same as Emily’s bike at home. And Emily’s was slightly larger than the one she has at home. Even though the girls were both riding slightly larger bikes than at home, neither had a problem. (Guess we will be heading to Spokes for new bikes when we get back to the states.) Then I had them ride up to where the New Inn is located. Again, they were surprised. I chose a route that I had walked that I knew would eventually get us back to the river. Along the way, we ran into the people who rented bikes just after us. They were lost so they joined us. It started raining so we decided to return the bikes early and go to Tesco for some items we forgot last night. Then off to have dinner and go to bed. For dinner, I have been making some roasted potatoes that Emily has been very interested in. I hope they have similar seasoning packets that I use to make them as they are quite tasty.

Day 54 - Back to London

We awoke and headed for another delicious breakfast. Then Scott headed to the beach with the girls and I finished packing. Luckily I called the rental car place and discovered that we had to return the car in town, not at the airport. I quickly called Scott and told him to get back sooner, which he did. We said our goodbyes to Liz and her dogs and headed to return the car. We had no problems getting to the airport. Then we flew back to London. We flew on an airline that is associated with British Air. It was not as nice but we got back to Gatwick and then got a cab back to our house.

Travel tidbit – there are a few discount airlines that fly between the major cities in the UK. And they advertise great rates – L39. But they are not that great and the prices they advertise are not including tax, which adds a LOT to the price. One of these airlines is EasyJet – known as Sleezy Jet as they nickel and dime you for everything. Ryan air is another one that is not looked favorably upon by many.

Since it was still early when we arrived home, Scott went for a bike ride while I got all the laundry started. It is way better to do laundry with the new machines. Then, Scott drove us to the Big Sainsbury for some groceries for the next 3 days since the refrigerator was pretty bare or moldy after 1 week.. I do think that Scott may actually have been to more grocery store trips this summer than the last 3 years.

We got the essentials (like food for dinner, milk, etc.) and headed home for dinner and bed.

Day 53 – Nessie & Castles

Part 2 of our exciting highlands of Scotland tour took us to Lochness in search of Nessie. First, we had a delicious Scottish breakfast made by Liz. At first, we were the only people eating breakfast but then two more sets of guests arrived. After breakfast, we headed to Lochness. We got a later start than expected and I mistakenly read on the map that it was 8 minutes, not 8 miles away so we thought for sure, we would miss the ferry. Luckily an entire tour bus was late so the ferry company was holding the ferry and we just made it. We took the 30 minute ferry ride where we got to search for the Lochness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie. Shockingly, we did not see her.

At the end of the ferry ride, we went to Urquhart castle – also a ruins well preserved on the side of the Loch. We got to climb up some of the towers. One was 3 stories up a narrow twisty staircase that really needed a stoplight. People were going up and down at the same time making it quite difficult. The castle also had a bagpiper who we were talking to while we waited for our return ferry. Then we got another 30 minutes to look for Nessie to no avail. We did learn about John Cobb who died on the Loch trying to break a speedboat record. He did, but it doesn’t count because he crashed just before the finish line.

After Lochness, we decided to visit Cawdor Castle, the most Romantic Castle in Scotland. This castle is currently lived in so we weren’t able to see too many rooms. The girls hurried through because Emily couldn’t read as the plaques with information about the rooms were too high. At the end of the castle tour, Emily gave the castle a 2 out of 10. Then we went in search of the maze that we saw in the advertisement. Unfortunately, the maze is not open to the public as it is made of holly bushes, whose roots are very shallow and therefore walking over them would kill the bushes. Emily felt this was false advertising putting a maze in the brochure that no one can go into and it reinforced her 2 rating. Lastly, we walked around the gardens. This was more fun as the girls explored so the rating got bumped up to a 4. She would not recommend going to see it with kids.

We arrived back at the hotel around 4pm, early for us. Scott did some work and I took the girls for a walk to the beach. It was going well until it started to rain. We waited a bit on the beach but the rain did not seem to want stop so we headed back to the hotel. Upon recommendation from Liz, we went to the Classroom restaurant for dinner. It was quite good. The waitress was a teacher and we were doing some math questions when she came up to the table. She was quite impressed.

After dinner, the rain finally subsided and we just went back to the hotel for an early bedtime.

Day 52 – Castle, Castles and Whisky

Today was a whirlwind of visits. Shockingly, I awoke and was refreshed. We started our day off at 10:30 by visiting the castle ruins. I figured the girls might find it boring, but quite the contrary. They ran around all of the marked areas as we were the only visitors. They loved it! I couldn’t believe it. It was very nice but I was expecting them to maybe be bored.

After Kildrummy, we drove north for 20 minutes to Hunley castle. This too was also a ruin but it was more crowded and not as much fun. It was also a bit smaller than Kildrummy.

Next on the list was a visit to Glenfiddich Distillery for some whisky (that is how they spell it in Scotland). Again, we hoped it would not be too boring for the girls and that proved to be true. We watched a couple videos talking about the history of the distillery. Then we had a tour and at the end of the tour, we watched another video of how the barrels that hold the whiskey are made – Glenfiddich makes their own. And after the video, Emily had a question. While we walked to the end, several of the adults in the group remarked that they too were wondering the same question that Emily asked. At the end of the tour, the guide asked everyone if they wanted to sample three whiskys. Emily & Ainsley said “No” which illicited several laughs from the other people in the tour. The girls got to sample some “juice” and sat along with everyone else.

Then off to some shopping. Since we had been unsuccessful in our search for some Scottish sweaters, we drove north again to Elgin, home of the famous Johnston Wool Mill, We thought we would make it in time to see the tour of the mill but we forgot that it was Sunday and they were closed. Lucky for us, the shop was not closed. We bought kilts for the girls, a sweater dress for Ainsley, a coat of me and one for Scott as well. After we slapped down the credit card, we headed to Spynie Palace, also in Elgin. Spynie was another ruin. We did get to climb into one of the towers and see the underground dungeon area.

Our final visit was to Duffus Castle. It did not have early closing hours and the man at Spynie recommended it. As it was not included in our castle guide, we luckily navigated using an atlas lent to Scott by one of his coworkers. Duffus was built on a big mound of dirt that was man-made. Due to the softness of the ground, one of the towers had fallen, There were other kids at the castle rolling down the hill but we opted to stay clean and not to have the girls roll.

Finally we arrived at the B&B in Nairn – our home for the next two nights. It was spacious even for all of us being in the same room. The cottage was built in 2010 so it was very modern which was nice. Our hostess, Liz, recommended we walk along the beach to dinner at the GolfView hotel which we did. The girls ran around outside while we had an appetizer. We also got to people watch and saw an interesting group made up of young guys (late 20s/early 30s impeccably dressed all wearing very nice watches – Scott noticed the watches) The rest of their group was made up of older gentlemen, not as impeccably dressed. Scot surmised that they were here to play golf as a celebration for a deal as he figured the young guys may have been investment bankers. I heard a Texan accent a few times.

We walked along the road on the way back to the B&B which we went to B.

Day 51 – Crieff/Braemare/Kildrummy

Instead of heading out right away, we decided to hang out and enjoy some of the activities offered at the hotel. So we awoke and had some breakfast. Then I went to the spa and Scott & the girls headed to the outdoor chess game. It was overcast and would lightly rain for a few minutes and then stop again. After chess, we headed over to outside bowling. It was an interesting game. We got 1 white ball and 4 larger black balls. You start the game by having someone roll the white ball down down the “lane.” and then you get points for the person/team who then rolls one of the black balls (which are sorta lopsided) closest to the white ball. We broke into teams and Scott & Emily won. Next, we headed to a bouncy house/slide for 15 minutes. After the girls jumped for 15 minutes, Emily & Scott headed back to the stables for Emily’s turn at riding. Unlike Ainsley, because Emily was 8, she did not have to take a lesson and could “hack” by herself. (with Scott & a guide) While the were off on the hack, Ainsley & rented sone rackets and we played some tennis. Then we headed up to get a picture of Scott & Emily and their hack had arrived earlier than we were told so we missed out of getting a picture. We decided that we should get on the road so we could maybe see a castle.

So we drove and drove a drove through beautiful countryside. A few times we had to stop with the sheep crossing the road. We finally arrived at our first (and only) castle of the day – Braemer.

Braemer castle is owned by the town. The castle was a private residence for a long time before it finally went on the market. The people of the town decided to pool their money together and bought it and have been maintained the castle and giving tours. We arrived 5 minutes after the last tour began but we were able to sneek in to the tour group after receiving an abbreviated description of the first 3 rooms. This castle was nice because it hid a teddy bear in each of the rooms. While the guide discussed the house, the kids searched the room for the teddy bears. One of the more recent occupants was in the fashion business and was quite well known in Scotland.

We then drove to Balmoral but it was closed. That actually made a lot of sense. Balmoral castle is owned by the queen and when she is not at Buckingham, she is here. We read about Balmoral when we learned about Queen Victoria. It was her favorite vacation spot and her family spent a lot of time there. So we drove some more and finally arrived at Kildrummy Castle hotel. It is located right next to Kildrummy castle ruins. It was nice. We ended up having dinner when we arrived in the castle. We got a little nervous when we saw a woman dressed in a long velvet dress and her husband in a tux also going to dinner but we were ok. In speaking with the woman working at the reception desk, apparently that couple always dressed up and we were fine in the clothes we were wearing.

Dinner was very good. Everyone polished off their plates. And then off to bed. The girls room was around the corner and not attached to ours so I ended up sleeping with them and Scott got the room all to himself – (unlike Crieff, it was not too spacey). After he fell asleep, I went over to the girls room for my cozy sleep on 2 chairs pushed together.

Day 50 – Edinburg Part 3/Crieff

So today, we said our goodbyes to Nana & Pop at breakfast. Nana was not feeling so well so they stayed back at the hotel. We went back to the Scottish National Museum and both girls got to do a few new things. Emily stood in line for the race car which was too long on Wednesday. Ainlsey was not tall enough so she and I went to some other activities.

I called the next hotel in Crieff to see if the girls could ride on the horses. Unbeknownst to me, the hotel we stayed in Crieff was similar to the Homestead in VA. There were many activities that we could participate in. So we hurried to get our rental car so that we could be at the hotel for Ainsley’s horseback lesson at 3:30. Unfortunately, at the rental car agency, we realized that we left our booster seats back at the hotel. We luckily navigated back to the hotel quickly, grabbed the seats and headed toward the Crieff Hydro. The rental car was very low in gas so we had to stop to get some gas quickly. However, we could not figure out how to open the gas tank – we spent a good 20 minutes just trying to open it. Since I had been inside getting some snacks, I missed the original search to figure out how to open the gas tank door. After some time, I looked in the car glove compartment and low and behold there was a manual and we were finally able to gas up and head out. Luckily, we did not have any wrong turns and made it to the hotel 15 minutes before Ainsley’s lesson. Scott went with her while Emily & I checked in.

The front desk informed me that they had to give us an upgrade in the room and I really did not think that much about it until we got into the room – or should I say palace. It was HUGE. We could not believe how spacious it was and wished we could stay in this room the rest of our time in London. Alas, it was only for 1 night. Emily & I went to the pool and then when Ainsley and Scott got back, they joined us. We ate dinner in the hotel after the pool and then retired to our rooms – there were 2 with a living room and little family room in the back – for bed. Highly recommend this place if you are in Scotland!

Day 49 – Edinburg Part 2

So we awoke today refreshed. We went to the breakfast at the hotel this am as it was part of the room cost. We all feasted on a hearty Scottish breakfast. I even tried the Black Pudding, a Scottish delicacy and potato scones which were quite yummy. Then it was off for some sight-seeing.

First, we took a bus out to HolyroodPalace, a royal palace. And like other Royal palaces, it was very ornate. Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of the Queen (Prince William’s cousin) had her wedding reception here a few weeks ago. After the palace, Nana visited the gift shop and we all had some hot chocolate (Pop had coffee) and some shortbread which hit the spot. Given that the rain was supposed to subside in the afternoon, we saved Edinburg Castle til the afternoon.

We took a double Decker bus from the Palace to the Castle. But it dropped us off a few blocks to the castle and we had to walk. We walked right through the Fringe which is a dramatic Arts festival. We were bombarded with free tickets to shows put on by artists all over the world – one said he was from Texas. We finally made it to the castle and walked right through the stands we sat in last night at the Tattoo to the entrance of the castle. The castle is very large. Scott & Emily went with the tour and Nana, Pop, Ainsley & I walked around on our own. However, we kept running into one another and eventually Scott & Emily joined us. We went to see St. Margaret’s cathedral, which was not discovered for it true identity until fairly recently. During the tour, Scott said the tour guide said that the chapel was sought after by fathers for many weddings. The tour guide said that it may be because the chapel only seats 24 guests.

We split up and Nana & Pop went to grab some lunch, while we went to check out the dungeons. We learned that Americans were held here at the castle during the Revolutionary War. We all saw an American Flag carved in the wood in one of the holding blocks. We also saw a jail that was used during WWII. What a difference almost 2 centuries makes in accommodations!

After we were finished, we had to of course use the restrooms and who should we bump into but Nana & Pop. So we all left the castle together and got some pictures. They headed back to the hotel while we went to do some shopping. The shopping ended up being a bit too pricey since it was of course right in the tourist area, so we eventually gave up and headed back to the Hilton. Pop made reservations at one of the restaurants in the hotel and we met up there for a very nice dinner.

Then off to bed. This time Ainsley slept in with Nana & Pop and Emily stayed with us.

Day 48 – Edinburg Part 1

Today we woke up very early – at least for the girls and headed to Heathrow to fly up to Edinburg. We arrived well in advance and yet still ended up not getting breakfast due to too slow service. The plane ride was pretty uneventful – Emily was excited because she got to have tea.

We arrived at our hotel around 11 am and checked our bags and headed on the bus to the Britannia – the last royal yacht retired in 1997. Talk about decadence! The staff had to polish the silver everyday – whether or not the queen or any royals were there. There were pictures of Princess Di & the boys all over the boat as she loved the Britannia and it was where she and Prince Charles honeymooned. Interesting fact – The Queen & Prince Phillip had separate rooms whereas the only double bed was brought on board after Prince Charles & Princess Di were on their honeymoon.

After the Britannia, we took a bus back and checked in. The girls didn’t even bother to come to our room because Nana & Pop were already checked in and staying 2 doors down from our room. After visiting with them, we left them to nap and headed to the National Scottish Museum. This was not ranked too high in Trip Advisor but upon a recommendation from one of the restaurant staff in the hotel we met earlier, we decided to visit for an hour. It was amazing. They just went through a 47.4 million renovation. It had many interactive things – reminded me of a Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, sans the heart. We stayed there until it closed (and they started having everyone leave 10 minutes early so that at 5pm, it would be empty.)

Next, we went out to a nice, casual Italian restaurant a block from the hotel with Nana & Pop who we had slept through our knocking & 2 phone calls but luckily answered the door as we were leaving for the restaurant. The food was pretty good but it seemed like forever before it finally came out. We finished up dinner and ran out in the light rain to try to scalp tickets to the Tattoo.

The Tattoo is an 1 ½ hour music show put on by different military music groups and a group of dancing Scottish girls. The show is only put on for a few weeks in August. The show is right outside the Edinburg castle. As you walk to the castle, either side is flanked by stands with 26 rows (so pretty high at the top). It was a very good show except that it rained and rained and rained. Emily & I lasted an hour but Scott & Ainsley stayed the whole time. At the end of the show, a lone bagpiper plays in tribute to all the Scottish military men & women who have fallen during action. It is very moving according to Scott but after an hours of sitting in the drenching rain with no umbrella, comfort won out over moving – besides I can see it on BBC or probably YouTube in warmth and dryness. We walked into our hotel dripping wet – we were quite a sight to see given the fanciness of the hotel lobby. But when we said Tattoo, the staff just nodded as we were not the first to show up that wet.

After we all dried off and warmed up, we quickly went to bed. Emily slept in Nana and Pops room and Ainsley stayed with us tonight.

Day 47 – Pack & Play, English to English Dictionary

Today was a day in since we are leaving for Scotland tomorrow. So we did a lot of laundry to make sure we had everything. The girls played a lot with the legos we brought from home. Since there is not much to write about today, I thought I’d share in an English to English dictionary. It is an accumulation of words used in the US and their equivalents. In case anyone is planning a trip to the UK, this may be helpful – especially note “pants.” I used that word and got a laugh from our housekeeper.

US to UK English Translations

US Word	UK Word
2-lane	Dual Carriage
2 p.m.	14:00
Agents	Advisors
Appropriate, preferred	Proper
Awesome, cool	Brilliant
Bar	Pub
Bathroom/Restroom	Toilet/Loo
Boots	Wellies
Car Rental	Car Hire
Diaper	Nappie
Edge	Verge
Elevator	Lift
ER (Emergency Room)	A&E (Accidents and Emergencies)
Exit	Way Out
Exits (on highways)	Junctions (on motorways)
Fill-up	Top-up
Flashlight	Torch
For Rent	For Let
French Fries	Chips
Garage Sale	Boot Sale
Great	Lovely
Ground Beef	Mince
Hey	Oye
Highway	Motorway
Last Name	Surname
Lawyer	Barrister
Leash	Lead
Line	Queue
Mail	Post
Mailbox	Postbox
Man	Mate
Median	Reserve
Mom	Mum
Operating Room	Theatre
Pants	Trousers
Parking Lot	Car Park
Potato Chips	Crisps
Shoes	Boots
Shopping cart	Trolley
Shots	Pokes, Jabs
Shovel	Spade
Station Wagon	State Car
Steal	Nick
Stroller	Buggie
Sweater, Sweatshirt	Jumper
Tag	It
Thanks	Cheers
Traffic Circle	Roundabout
Trail	Footpath
Trash	Rubbish
Trash bag	Bin liner
Trash can	Rubbish bin or bin
Trash truck	Rubbish lorrie
Truck	Lorrie
Trunk	Boot
Umbrella	Brolly
Underwear	Pants
Vacation	Holiday
Watch Out, Beware	Mind the …
Wife	Misses
Yard	Garden
Zip Code	PostCode

Day 46 – Keys & Pool

So today, after 2 failed attempts to get another set of keys, we headed to a third (and thankfully last) security store to get a new set of keys for Scott (since his were stolen). We got to take a new bus to a new town that we have never been. Then we headed back to Richmond to go to the pool as we had not been in a long time. Emily met a girl her age and they played together. Ainsley played “It” in the Under 8 pool with another mom and her son. Unfortunately Emily’s new friend had to go and the lifeguard told Emily she could not go in the pool with Ainsley since it was only for Under 8 year olds. Emily came over to me crying and the lifeguard said he did not realize that she was with me and that it was ok for her to go into the pool. That made her feel better but then she and Ainsley got me into the water to join in the game of It. We were there for almost 2 hours but I was getting cold so I convinced them that it was time to go to the store for dinner and head home. Which we did.

Day 45 – Last Windsor bike ride, Buckingham Palace and Kate's dress

Today was the last ride for Scott out to Windsor as we would not be in London on a Sunday morning anymore. Luckily, it was sunny and warm and was a beautiful ride. Then he quickly got home and got changed and we headed down to Buckingham Palace for 2:45 appointment. Because Buckingham is only open to the public for about 2 months in the summer while the queen is in Scotland, it is quite busy and they set times for people to enter. Given that it closed at 5, we did not have a lot of time. We got tickets to see the Palace State Rooms, the Queens Gallery & the Royal Mews. Unfortunately, we only made it to 2 of the 3. We drove into the city and this time, it was not as easy as there was construction. We finally decided to park and take the Tube one stop to Buckingham Palace. Of course Scott’s good weather in the morning turned into not so great weather in the afternoon and it was raining for a good part of our walk to the palace. The rain had also brought the cold so it was not a fun walk. Finally we arrived and were greeted by a security guard with an American accent. She was from Boston. We went to the Gallery first. We saw a lot of artwork acquired by various royals throughout the years. It was really amazing. They even had a few Rembrandts. It really is amazing the amount of wealth the royal family has.

Next, we went to the state rooms. We got an audio guide that was for kids, since the adult guide was at a different speed. So the whole family was guided through Buckingham by Rachel and Charles. We got to see the rooms where the Queen holds official visits (just in case we aren’t ever invited by the queen herself we thought we should take a look). We saw where Prince William and Kate had their wedding pictures. But the part the girls were most excited for was the dress. Kate’s dress was on display. It was so funny. In the gallery where it was on display, there were two screens showing the seamstress who designed the dress. She was going into a detailed account of every section of the dress. (Scott would argue that it rivals this blog!) What amazed me was the amount of people that were sitting there captivated by this – women and men. Then we got to see the video of the royal wedding. The girls started to stop to watch and I reminded them that it was probably still on our Tivo at home. Then we turned the corner and there it was. It is very pretty. I think there were more people watching the video than looking at the dress. We also got to see her shoes and the royal cake – I guess they aren’t freezing the top part and eating it on their first anniversary. That marked the end of the tour. We did go and color and design wedding dresses in the family activity room. Then it was back outside, in the cold, but at least the rain had stopped. On our way out, we got our tickets stamped so that we could return for up to a year. Since we are still here for a few more weeks, I figure we might make it back down to see the Royal Mews. We actually haven’t seen the changing of the guard either so we can do both at the end of the month.

Then we headed back home. We were early enough that dinner was still being served at the New Inn so we stopped for some dinner there and then home to bed.

Day 44 – Bath, Stonehenge & Avesbury

We realized this week that today was our last day to drive somewhere outside London during the weekend. So we decided to head to Bath – about 1.5 hrs west of Richmond. True to its name, it has a bath – the Roman Baths. I did not realize this (or maybe I did a long time ago). The Romans actually occupied England during the Roman Empire. And they discovered some natural springs in the western part of England that they built a city and temple around. These Roman Baths were famous for their rejuvenating and healing powers. It was a bit crowded as a tour bus let out right before we arrived. There was a kid activity for the girls to solve as we walked through the various baths housed there. Unfortunately, we were unable to take a dip as the pools were no longer opened to the public.

After Bath, we drove to Stonehenge. Although Scott’s co-workers said that it really wasn’t that exciting, how could we come to London and not go to Stonehenge? So we walked around the big stones. The girls got some pictures. We actually saw a bunch of people doing silly poses – like pushing as if they were pushing the stones. The actual stones are roped off as tourists started defacing the stones and chipping off pieces as souvenirs. We learned that the word “henge” means trench and that a trench surrounded the stones and then the stones were put on top.

After we crossed that off the list, we went to Avesbury on the recommendation of the choir accompianist at church. Unlike Stonehenge, the stones are quite accessible. They actually go all around the “town.” So we walked around the 4 sections. And the henge was quite obvious here. So the girls went down into the trench because it was easier to walk. That was due to the fact that along with the stones, there were lots of sheep and goats who also liked the stones. So walking was very tricky as there was sheep doo-doo everywhere. You could definitely tell I am a city girl by the way I was hopping around the doo-doo. Most others were just walking straight ahead in flip flops no less and they didn’t seem to mind what they stepped on. When the girls went down into one of the trenches, Ainsley scraped a bush and was itching. Of course the bush she scraped was a stinging nettle. So she had bumps on her leg but luckily, they disappeared in 10 minutes. Scott knew the reaction as soon as he saw it because I started to get alarmed that it was an allergic reaction. We finished our exploring of the 4 sections with the stones and headed back to the car for our drive back to London.

We decided to go to a restaurant in Richmond on the way home. Scott had gone to one right along the water but on Saturday nights, it is no kids. So we walked a bit more and decided to head to Pizza Express. It is a chain, but the Pizza was really good. Hit the spot after a long day. Then it was back to the house and to bed.

Day 43 – Lollibop

On the way to work yesterday, Scott heard an advertisement for a festival for kids in London in Regents Park so today, we took the train to London to check it out. It was packed with kids and parents (surprisingly a LOT of dads)! We arrived about an hour after it opened so thankfully the lines weren’t too long. Our first stop was the trapeze where the girls learned some moves on a very low to the gound trapeze. After that, we went over to a BIG airslide. To get to the top of the slide, the girls had to climb up 8 “stories” of crisscross netting – a story being about 4 feet. They eventually made to it to the top and came down the slide. And the line had doubled in size from when they got on so we went to something else.

The something else was face painting since we had missed out yesterday. Both girls got butterflies on their faces. After the face painting, we decided to grab something to eat. They weren’t too enamored by the choices and then we found a baked potato stand that worked. After we were finished eating, we watch a little of the ZingZilla concert. It was packed with three year olds and their parents so we couldn’t really see. We were most interested in the theme song which they played right away. Since we have very limited TV, the ZingZillas are one of the few shows that aren’t too babyish to watch. And as I said, their theme song is quite catchy.

After watching ZingZillas, we headed over to an open moonbounce. I had never seen one like this. It was a huge inflated circle that was not enclosed. What was worrisome to me was there was no side and no mats so if you fell off, you fell 3 feet to the ground. I kept telling them to “Stay in the Center.” A mom sitting next to me said she was worried about the same thing and was surprised that they had set it up this way. I wonder if that is why the first aid was set up right next to it? Then we went on the trapeze again and while I waited in line, the girls went over to the science tent and played with slime and smoke bubbles. They loved it. Then we went to play with the swing balls and then headed home for dinner and bed.

Day 42 – Thumbs up – It’s Thursday

I got a brochure when we were at the Tenpin one of the times we went about some free kids activities in Kingston every Thursday during the school holiday. So we decided to check it out. Unfortunately it was raining so we decided not to go on the ferry ride in the rain. Instead we went to Bental Centre first. According to the brochure, they were having a build your own solar and rubber band cars. Unfortunately when we got there, we learned that they decided to change to schedule and had done that last week. But the girls did get to make spinning tops to take home.

Our next stop was TenPin for some Harry Potter magic. However that too proved to be a bit of a disappointment as it was a magician and all of the kids watching it were 3 years old. The magician didn’t even teach any tricks like it said in the brochure. We were getting pretty bummed trying to find the next activity but at least the rain had stopped. I was two strikes and almost to my third.

But the rain stopping was a good thing because we walked right by some Bungee jumping and both girls got to do that. So all was better! Ainsley just bounced because the straps around her legs were hurting her. Emily started doing back flips. So the day was not lost anymore. And we walked past a farmers market so we bought some fresh strawberries and cherries.

After the bungee, we headed to the last activity – making masks because we couldn’t find the face painting. As luck would have it, after they started decorating the masks, I found the face painting. It was supposed to be over at 4 pm so I got in the queue at 3:35. About 5 minutes into waiting, the woman doing the face painting gave a sign to the little girl in front of me that said no one beyond her would get to do face painting. I just shook my head. I couldn’t believe it. In the US, if you are already in line, before something closes, you get whatever you are in line for. Apparently, that is not the case with face painting. We tried another face painting but found the same thing – the queue was closed even though it didn’t end for another 20 minutes.

So that was the third strike and we decided to call it quits for the day. We walked over to the big Sainsbury for some cereal for tomorrow. Then we headed to the Tudor drive library to return some books that were due today. Finally, we headed home. I made some dinner, had some baths and then to bed.

Day 41 - New Washer & Dryer, last day of Horseback Camp and Bowling Part 2

Today was an exciting day for two reasons. First, the new washer & dryer came! Our landlord finally (Only 5 weeks after the first time the old one broke) decided to buy a new one & this time it was actually two machines, not an all-in-one. We were told that they would deliver between 7 – 10am and they showed up at 10:15am. (Guess delivery is the same everywhere:-) Although I told them to install it where I was told by the rental company, they said no and put the washer where they were supposed to put the dryer. Then they tried to put the dryer where the washer was supposed to go and of course it didn’t fit. I tried to explain that it was because the washer was supposed to go there but their comment was – “We were only paid to install the washer which we did” and they left with the dryer smack in the middle of the kitchen. They told me to just get an extension cord to connect it to the wall. How’s that for customer service? So when Scott got home, he and I were able to get the dryer into the space they couldn’t fit it into and 15 minutes later, it was all set. And I did my first real load of laundry. (Ok still not as big as I can do at home, but better than before.)

Today also marked the final day of horseback lessons. And it is a good thing. Even though the bus leaves us 4 blocks from the stables, it is tiring walking there then back to the bus and then back & forth again so I am glad it was over today. Ainsley once again had Trigger – he is officially her pony. And during the stable management part of the lesson, she got to brush TomTom another Shetland pony who is even smaller than Trigger. While Ainsley had her lesson, Emily & I hurried to the Kingston Tenpin to play 2 rounds of bowling. Shockingly, we got it done and rushed back to pick up Ainsley. And Emily scored only 7 points less than me – without the handicap because she too got a spare. We arrived 5 minutes late to the stable but Ainsley was hanging out with all of the stable people so she didn’t mind. And they all loved her American accent. We have actually gotten that a lot here.

Then we took the bus back to Ham and stopped at the Library (On Wednesdays it is open til 8 pm). Emily was very excited because the book she ordered from another library had arrived. Then on the way back, of course we had to stop at the Sandy Lane park before we went home for dinner and bed.

Day 40 – Horseback riding camp and Baskin Robbins part 2

Last week, Ainsley was quite upset that Emily got to go to camp for 4 days but she only had 2 days so I signed her up for another 2 day camp this week. Emily was excited because she then would have some alone time with me since Ainsley had some time alone with me the previous week. So Ainsley went to camp part 2 this week. This week, there were 3 kids in camp – Ainsley and twin 5 year old boys. (Her camp was from ages 5 to 7.) Emily and I stayed for about 10 minutes to watch her lesson, then it was a sprint to the bus to head into Kingston for some ice cream at Baskin Robbins. We ate our ice creams and then decided to head to 99P for some quick, inexpensive purchases. Then it was a quick hop on the bus and we were back at the stables to pick-up Ainsley after her lesson (we only had 1.5 hr unlike Emily’s 2 hours the week before). I decided that I didn’t want them doing anymore lessons because the back and forth was killing me!

Since I was “full-handed,” we headed straight home from the lesson. Since I had

some bottled water in the one bag, I wasn’t anxious to walk any more than I had to. We were surprised that as we walked from the bus stop, we met Scott walking from the car parked in the other direction. He had decided to leave when everyone else left work that day so he was home before 7. So we all got to have dinner together during the week – something that did not happen too often this past summer.

After dinner, it was off to bed for the girls and not too long after for us.

Day 39 – Ainsley's Birthday, V/A Museum & Harrods

Today is Ainsley’s Birthday. She turned 7 today. After she awoke, we made her birthday cake. We didn’t have any beaters but we had one of those plunge blenders. It did the job, only splattered a little bit. After the cake was cooked, we headed out to let it cool. We took the underground down to the Victoria & Albert Museum (Named after Queen Victoria & her husband.) The museum houses a collection of everything. We only got to see a small part of the block long museum. We went to the “Kids Create” program. Today, they created stained class windows. The aide gave us some clipboards and sent us into the museum to look for patterns that they might want to incorporate in our “window.” It REALLY reminded me of Grace Art at school. Then we returned and for another hour, worked on our windows. Emily did design her window similar to what she had seen. Ainsley decided to make hers with a bunch of triangles. (Obviously we did not use glass but clear & colored sticky cellophane.) It was very educational and fun.

Then we got a backpack full of kids activities and went to head for the American/British exhibit but we were side tracked by the courtyard, the fountain and ice cream and never made it to the exhibit. It was a beautiful day out and a bunch of kids were playing in the fountain so the girls rolled up their shorts and splashed around. They also had an ice cream cone.

After about an hour, we left to go to Harrods so Ainsley could buy something for her birthday. We bought some decorations for her dollhouse in VA and we bought a WebKinz – Pink poodle – Ainsley named her Rosie. Then we hurried home so I could make dinner and Ainsley & Emily helped make the icing for the cake. Then I iced the cake, we had dinner and cake & more ice cream. We got a few phone calls via Skype. Then Ainsley opened her other presents – a small game and a painting of two horses that Emily made at home and brought here. She knows that here big present will be at home when we get back – Kit Kittridge. She said it was a good day. As her Uncle Matt said – she is 6 American years old & 1 British year old. Then off to bed.

Day 38 – London Eye - take 2 and shopping

Given the ease of driving to the city yesterday (and the fact that the store we wanted to go to was closed), we decided to head back into town today. Scott went on his bike ride out to Windsor (had tea & cake again) in the morning while we just relaxed here. Then when he returned we headed back into the city. Our first stop was the store since we knew it would be open. We ended up buying a new laptop bag and discovered that we can actually get some of the VAT (the 20% tax on everything) returned. We were pretty psyched about that!

After we bought the bag, we decided to take the tube back over to the London Eye so that Scott could experience it during the day. (When he went in January, it was already dark out). It was the last day our Merlin Pass would work on the Eye as it was not valid on the Eye in the month of August. Much to our surprise, we got in the queue right away and we were on the Ferris Wheel in about 10 minutes. We couldn’t believe our good fortune as we were expecting to wait for at least an hour.

Since we were finished so soon, we decided to go out to dinner. We found a little restaurant near where we parked the car and had a nice, but pricey dinner there. Then we drove back to the house and it took 35 minutes. Then off to bed as everyone was exhausted.

Day 37 – Leeds Castle & London

Today we set off east to Leeds Castle, in Kent near the coast. Our initial plan was to visit a second castle, however we got off about an hour later than we had hoped and we somehow missed a turn which extended our trip another 30 minutes so that we didn’t arrive until close to noon.

We first went to see that castle. It is a working castle. If you want, you can stay overnight there. They have meetings and weddings there. When we toured the castle, we learned a bit about the history of its owners. Emily found one owner of particular interest – Lord Fairfax. It was like a light bulb went on – “Wait a minute – we live in Fairfax County.” She thought it was very cool that the same guy that so much is named after back home lived at the castle once upon a time – or owned it, not sure how much he came to stay.

The we headed to the Maze and playground – I think all castles or palaces have them here! The maze was very good. We got lost in it before one of the staff in the center pointed us in the correct direction. Thank goodness, we did not have to go back through the maze to exit. Instead, we went through a Grotto beneath the maze. After that we got a snack and the girls ran off for a quick trip to the playground. The right across from the snack bar, they were having a bird of prey display. The birds they showcased were all different from the ones we saw at Warwick. After the show, we went to the Aviary to see the exotic birds they had on display. These were all tropical birds – many parrots, toucans and a bunch of similar birds with different names. They were very neat. The girls were both very interested and kept trying to squeeze their way up to the front to see as the guide explained about the birds.

Given that we were not going to try to get to the other castle, we returned to the playground and got an ice cream as well. We closed the playground down (4pm) and headed back into London. We hoped to make it to a store so Scott could purchase a new laptop bag, however, with traffic, we missed it by 2 minutes. The doors closed at 7. So we headed to a sushi bar we had seen when we came to see Phantom of the Opera. It was so brilliant. It had the plates going around the bar and you picked up a plate you wanted. The girls loved it.

After dinner, we headed back home. Once we found the correct road, it was actually not a difficult drive back to Richmond. I was very surprised at how easy it was to drive in. We made a pit stop at the Sainsbury as it closed at 10 and wouldn’t open til 11am the next morning and we needed milk. Then Scott decided that I should really drive home so I made my driving debut. Didn’t hit anything although I gave Scott a scare once or twice. It was a pretty straight shot home, but at the end, everyone, including me, decided that it was actually best if I didn’t drive.

Then off to bed.