Deer, oh deer...continued

Tarah and her deer friend, enjoying each other's company. The amazing thing is that she and the deer are standing the same way. The wierd thing is that in the field, almost out of the shot, a deer is bending down just like on the other side of the fence where Brandon, almost out of the shot, is bending down. lol. Kayla is helping Britty feed the deer, Eliza is doing just fine on her own. Brandon Rhett helping Eliza Kayla and Tarah These deer were so excited to have the grass that grew on our side of the fence! If you look closely, this deer is not using his front feet to support himself, he is completely leaning on the fence in anticipation of the grass Rhett is picking. Aaaahhhh, finally the grass is ready to eat. My conclusion, sometimes the grass IS greener on the other side.

The Caspers and the Friendly Ducks

In June we went to visit Audley End House. It is a beautiful house with stunning grounds (pictures to follow this post). The day we went, the house happened to be closed and we were very disappointed. Before we left I noticed there were lots of ducks around the pond, so I went over to the fence to get a better look. I didn't stand at the fence longer than 30 seconds before some of the ducks started to migrate towards me. I was stunned, to say the least. I had never seen this behavior before in birds. It became clear that they were expecting me to feed them! I went to our van and got the only food we had with us, graham crackers, and returned to find even more ducks on their way. The funniest sight was to see some of them "running".

Send in the ducks!

After a while, a mother and her 11 ducklings waddled on over to get in on the action! The ducklings had an advantage the other ducks did not...

...they could fit through the slats in the fence. This is Kayla feeding the ducklings from her hand, and Rhett feeding them from his shoe. lol. The sweet little guys would peck at our shoe laces and finger tips, thinking they were food no doubt. Here are Tarah, me, Brandon, and Brittany feeding the ducklings. Their mother was never very far from the fence, watching closely; and if we picked one up it would cheep, at which sound the mother would come closer and quack to her baby. It was very sweet and made the whole trip worth it. We did go back to the house on a day it was opened, and that time we brought two bags of bread to feed our friends. Even the adult ducks were confident enough to eat right out of our hands. The white duck stole an entire piece of bread out of Brandon's hand then ran off to enjoy his spoil. Another duck had Tarah terrified and on the run, he wanted her piece of bread so badly!

Bonus London Pictures

I love this picture of my kids in the armory at the Tower of London.

They are standing next to a display of armor for a giant and a dwarf (which

I originally thought was matching armor for father and son - maybe that's

where Laura Ashley got the idea).

This is the best picture I could get of the clock tower at the Houses of Parliament. The position of the sun was working against me.

Standing on the south side of the River Thames, right next to the London Eye, we see the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, with one of the famous red, double decker busses crossing over, and the Houses of Parliament.

On the way out of the crown jewel exhibit, we ran into this fellow. I thought he was odd looking, but I liked the way his eyes are looking up. It actually looks like he is rolling his eyes. He's probably thinking, "If I have to be in a picture with any more silly kids today, I'll eat my own head. OOOOOhhhh nooooo, here come some more!!!"

London Bridge is Falling Down...

London Bridge is Falling Down :)

Ok, not really (and Rhett's not standing on the London Bridge in this

picture). This is Rhett with the London Eye behind him (which reminds me of the '80's song "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me", or, as my kids think the lyrics go, "I Want a Steamroller, Somebody's Watching Me"). This was our last stop of the day after spending several hours at the Tower of London earlier in the day. The building with the pillars in front is the London Aquarium. To the left of the aquarium is a park we rested at (well, we rested, the kids found the energy to run and play).

The lighting is a bit disappointing, but here is Rhett, Kayla, and the kids with the Houses of Parliament and the clock tower which houses Big Ben behind them. When I took the picture above we were standing on the bridge you see in this picture (the Houses of Parliament were behind me, and in this picture the London Eye is behind me). Behind the clock tower you can see Westminster Abbey peeking out. We didn't have time to see the Abbey or tour around the parliament buildings (it was already 5:30 in the afternoon and things were closing). This was our first stop during the day, the Tower of London. The Tower is right on the River Thames. This is the river walk right outside of the Tower, and the bridge behind us is the Tower Bridge. The sun seemed to be thwarting every attempt we made to take a decent picture. This is me, Kayla, and the kidlets at the entrance to the Tower of London. We were excited to learn that there was a free tour inside; we were less excited when we found out that we had to pay about $80 for our family to go through the gates to get access to the "free" tour.Finally, good lighting! This is Rhett in the yard at the Tower, with the Tower Bridge behind him. In the armory at the Tower; this is armor for a giant and a dwarf (although, I first thought it was matching father/son armor).

The kids standing in front of King Henry the VIII's armor.

London Bridge is Falling Down...(part II)

This is what happens when you let men decorate! They are now in the armory at the Tower of London, however these columns were actually in a home (forgive me, I forget which one, but I'm guessing it wasn't frequented by the Mrs.)

"Ok mama, I'll keep a close eye out for the Queen's Guard. Bright red coats and tall, bear skin hats? Got it, I'm watching closely! I'm sure I'll see them any second now." (just kidding) These guards are marching towards their next station, a small changing of the guards.

I don't actually know what they are guarding, and come to think of it, nobody told us. Hmmm...

On the way back from changing guards. This picture is in the keep yard of the Tower of London; it looks like a little town. There are homes, a church, a forge, and gardens.

The kids with the guard in front of the Crown Jewel display. Seeing that many diamonds made me a bit light headed! Brittany said, "So, when the Queen needs her jewels she can just drive down here to get them?" You wouldn't believe the size of the golden punch bowl she owns!

This was the main gate into the Tower of London, they would sail right up to it from the River Thames. It used to have a different name, but since many of the prisoners were sent to the Tower for treachery the gate was renamed "Traitors Gate". Today the river is blocked from reaching up to the gate. By the way, only those of noble birth were brought to the Tower of London, this was not a prison for the ordinary bloke.

This was our tour guide, a Yoeman, or Beefeater, as they were nicknamed. He is among a few hundred men who have served as these special guards since the Tower was built. The yoemen and their families are the only residence at the Tower today. They got the nickname of Beefeater hundreds of years ago when, as part of their pay, they were given beef joints on a regular basis. The common man, at that period, couldn't afford meat very often. The meat isn't included in their benefits today, but how cool would that be to give your address as "The Tower of London" ?

Coming and going

Recently, my sister-in-law arrived for an extended visit. She will be with us for at least six months, maybe more. After I picked her up at the airport I got to thinking about making the same trip to pick up other family members we hope will visit us while we live here. I thought I would jot down some of the thoughts I had, in hopes of making getting here (and me getting to you) easier. Kayla arrived at Gatwick, which is one of two international airports near London (Heathrow is the other, just in case you didn't know). I was quite nervous to go and get her, afraid of the traffic, affraid of getting lost, and things of that sort. However, just the opposite happened; I had an easy time getting to the airport, an easy time finding a parking spot, and a relatively easy time getting Kayla away from the over zealous immigration officers who seemed suspicious of her. From my experience and the advice from others, Gatwick is easier to get to than Heathrow is. Both airports are about 100 miles from us, but the closest international airports. It took me about two hours to get to Gatwick from my house; which brings me to my next point - arrival time. Kayla's flight was due in at about 9:30 am, which meant that I had to leave my house at about 7:30. I would just like any of you travelers to keep that in mind when scheduling your flights. Two hours driving time for us...that is not to say we would prefer you find your own ride out to our place, the drive is very beautiful and not difficult; it just takes two hours. I imagine if anybody arrived before 9:30, they would end up sitting in the airport for a while because any earlier would be REALLY difficult for me. :) For those of you who might be more adventurous and want to try to ride the tube (the London Underground) out of London and have us meet you, don't bother. I have heard, and it seems logical, that any thiefs would spot a wary traveller quickly and you might become a target. Especially being tired, slightly disoriented, and carrying lots of things with you. When we rode the tube into London to go sightseeing we had a great time and didn't feel endangered at all. However, after travelling for so long and being in unfamiliar territory, it would be easy to get robbed, harassed, or otherwise irritated. Save the ride on the tube for sightseeing. All right, that's all I have for now. I do have some tips for planning your sightseeing if anyone needs it; of course, with access to the internet you can find about anything! E

Every Day Life

Brandon's first scout camporee!!

Making a todem pole with his den.

Bridging from Bears to Webelos. Brandon got started late in the school year, he had about three months to complete his requirements; he and Rhett worked very hard, and he spent much of his spare time reading the Bear handbook and deciding what requirements to do next, and they were able to complete enough so Brandon could move on to Webelos with the rest of the boys. Cub scouts is Brandon's favorite hobby now. Brittany played soccer for the first time. Brandon was chosen to be in the Spirit Club at his school. The Spirit Club put on a show with songs and positive messages for most of the school. This first picture is Brandon standing with other Spirit Club members, Raggedy Ann and Andy (who were special guests) and Rocky, the Lakenheath Elementary mascot. A few classes of first graders put on a Mother's Day show, complete with hand gestures and sign language. Tarah is in the middle, with a green shirt on. Our Tarah sweetie.

Gloriously Odd Town Names

To start out, I thought I would change the name of the blog because...well, I was bored with the other name (which I chose hastily, for lack of a more clever title). Mind the gap is a phrase the Brits use to mean "watch your step". There are "mind the gap" signs posted all over the Tube stations and train stations. It is a typical British phrase, putting something just a little differently than we do. T-shirts with "mind the gap" written across them are popular. Then, there is, of course, the physical gap between us and those of you who read this blog, so...Bob's your uncle (another way of saying, "there you have it"). Now on to the Gloriously Odd Town Names... On our recent trip to Dover I had some time to kill while I waited for Rhett and the kids to finish up "extreme" hiking on the famous white cliffs. So, as is habit, I reached for a book. The only book available was an English atlas we had with us. I turned the page to the area we live and was lazily looking over the names of towns around us, when I saw Six Mile Bottom. What a great name! So I looked some more and kept finding these wonderfully wierd town and village names. Searching out these odd towns has become somewhat of an obsession, and has amused me for a few months. It doesn't seem too hard to figure out how some of these towns got their names, but for others, I am just left with a puzzled look on my face. I thought I would share some of the names I have found and hope it amuses you as much as it has amused me. Itchingfield Burnham-on-Crouch Bath (the cleanest place in England) Womenswold St. Just-in-Roseland (get him outside of Roseland and he trades his halo for horns!) Herodsfoot Crumplehorn Blubberhouses (but they have lovely personalities) Budge's Shop Botusflemming Notter (is that even English?) Slapton Boohay Coffinswell (is it, though?) Combeinteignhead (I am sure this is Olde English for "I got the comb stuck in my hair again") Budleigh Salterton (note to Jamie Melin: sounds like a great name for a little boy, and you know none of the other boys in school will have the same name) Beer (a real "man's" town) Great Weeke Rumps Point Headcorn (it's where the hair style "corn rows" originated) Denton Lower Peover Upper Peover Cross o' th' Hands Bunny (now that's just cute!) Hose Breedon on the Hill (stay away from that hill on Saturday nights!) No Man's Heath Sheepy Parva (by far, my favorite!!!) Barton in the Beans Blaby (we just can't stop talking about how great this town is) Bitchfield (the female version of being "in the dog house"??) Needingworth (a town full of people with self esteem issues) Upton Snodsbury (which is located right next to ...) White Ladies Aston (my second favorite :) ) Dummer Three Legged Cross (huh?) Droop (a town with less energy) Oxenpill (imagine the size of that pill!) Butleigh (which is next to...) Butleigh Wooton (so nice they named it twice) Hand and Pen Inkpen Hopes Nose (it's sooo green here) Newton with Scales (you laugh, but not everybody has scales... it's something to brag about) Much Hoole (again, huh?) Locking Stumps Ramsbottoms Turton Bottoms Dunnockshaw Love Clough (sounds like Celtic ebonics) Triangle (lol) Upperthong Netherthong (kind of put off by Upperthong, yet absolutely afraid of Netherthong) Holyland Nether Whatstandwell Near Cotton (a new form of polyester that's softer than before) Netheravon (where under achieving Avon ladies are sent; incidently, they are now accepting special cases from Mary Kay and Amway) Mary's Hoo Dumpton Broadstairs (now, them are braggin' rights) Bapchild Tong Goodnestone Old Wives Lees Upper Harbledown (say that ten times fast) Rough Common (not an easy place to grow up) Ratling Sandwich Barfestone Paddlesworth Bossingham (don't you hate it when your pig starts ordering you around?) Three Chimneys Smarden Bell Smarden (I don't get it) Pluckley Thorne *these next four towns are all close to each other* Dymchurch Newchurch Ivychurch Woodchurch Baldslow (who needs Rogaine when you can live here?) Barking Thong New Barn Locksbottom Elmer's End Tooting Tooting Bec Much Birch (but few oak) Much Dew Church Cross Ash (what you have left after a cross fire) Crickadarn Powderham (just add 'Waterloo', or the next town) Canworthy Water (water fit for watering the garden or rehydrating powderham) Broadwoodwidger (sounds like the name of a racehorse) Minions Portwrinkle Crafthole London Apprentice (it's a thankless job) Barripper Westward Ho! (seriously, it even has the exclamation point after it) Hole Sheepwash (sheepwax is extra) Virginstow (hummm?) Chaddlehanger Harrowbarrow (home of Henny Penny, Chicken Licken, Turkey Lurkey) Frogwell (yes, he's fine, thank you) Luckwell Bridge Four Forks (but no spoons) Swimbridge (doesn't invoke feelings of confidence) Wookey (the hometown of Chewbacca) Catsgore Little Load (is right next to) Long Load Tintinhull Odcombe Curry Mallet Burnworthy (the people weren't that impressed with this town from the get go) Axmouth (yikes) Exmouth (yeah, that used to be my mouth but we broke up) Jack-in-the-Green (as if a Jack-in-the-box isn't scarey enough, there's one waiting to pop up out of the grass) Lower Upcott Uplowman Craze Lowman Otter St. Mary (ooookay) Downhead Temple Cloud (just lovely) Chewton Mandip (an exclusive town, for members only, of female cannibals) Evercreech Beer Hacket Hamlet Piddletrenthide (obviously didn't hide it well enough if the whole town knows about it) White Lackington (don't tell anyone from the ACLU) Piddlehinton Hillbutts *these next five towns are all in the same area* Tolpuddle Puddletown Affpuddle Briantspuddle Turners Puddle Overcombe (where Donald Trump grew up) East Creech *these next three towns are all in the same area* Over Wallop (when your mom hits you just one more time because you made her so mad) Middle Wallop Nether Wallop (the wallop of no return) Well, I have more but I also have four kids, a husband, and a Kayla to feed, so I must go make dinner. I'll post some more from time to time.