Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Buckingham Palace

We went to Buckingham Palace today with the aim of seeing the changing of the guard. We got there early and walked around a while, then found a playground a stone's throw from the Palace. For some reason, I thought the changing of the guard started at 11:30, but apparantly it's at 11:00. These people started playing music just opposite the playground. They played for a good 10 minutes before they marched away for the guard changing. One of the selections they played was "I Will Survive." Yes, Gloria Gaynor. It was funny. Josephine slept through the whole marching band thing.




Friday, July 27, 2007

Millenium Bridge

We went over the Millenium Bridge today. It's this really gorgeous fotbridge that goes from St Paul's to the Tate Modern. The courtyard of the Tate has some lovely birch trees that are fairly thickly planted in several areas. It's a nice effect. The Tate is a cool building, and Josephine had a great time running around. We even spent 5 minutes or so looking at the art. Pascale is now busy reproducing the works of art using markers. I got some nice photos today.




Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Adventure Playground

We went to Battersea Park yesterday to go on the little train and play at the under-5 playground there. The Adventure Playground was also open. This place would be shut down immediately if it were in the US. It was filled with enormous plywood structures that look as if they should collapse immediately under their own weight, supporting the most dangerous playground equipment every conceived. I should have taken photos, but I was too busy keeping my children alive. Pascale especially liked the slide that started out at an 80-degree angle for the first 5 feet or so. Actually, that's the only piece of equipment I let her go on. The whole place looked like someone's crazed dad built it in the back yard.

The train there is one of those that does not run on a track, but it's just a little cart towing a bunch of other little carts. The driver crashed into a fence. It was my first train crash.

Rainy today again. Just a quick trip to the playground in the morning, hanging out at home in the afternoon.

Monday, July 23, 2007

The Rainiest Summer in British History

So it rained again today. We actually did manage to get to the playground this morning when it was only raining lightly. Then we spent the afternoon at the Science Museum. We went to the interactive Bob the Builder show. Pascale loves this show, and this is the third time she's gone. The first time she went, it was the three of us. Josephine kept wandering all over the place and the actors were getting kind of annoyed with her. This time, though, J wandered a little less, and the actors were OK with it. At one point, she went and sat where she should not have, and the pumpkin head character came and sat with her. Much better. Here are photos of them at the show (they make the kids carry soft furry sticks and things) and in the train at the playground this morning.

They say it's supposed to be 75 and sunny tomorrow. I'm not sure if I believe it.



Friday, July 20, 2007

My View

Here's the view from my kitchen window:

Torrential Rain

Man, did it rain today! It rained so hard it leaked in our windows. It rained so hard they closed the Science Museum due to flooding. Yes, that's right, we trekked to the Science Museum in search of diversion, and it was CLOSED. We went to the Natural History Museum instead, but it was a total mob scene there. I could not let Josie out of the stroller, because I was afraid I would lose her in the crowd, so she was really cranky. We found out that there's nothing in the Natural History Museum that would interest a 3-year-old who does not like dinosaurs, so we did not last long there. At least we managed to get out of the house. On the way home, we bought some hideously expensive takeout for dinner. Eventually I'll get used to the prices here.

Here they are in front of the Natural History Museum:

Fish

Our fish fillets for dinner the other night came from the Chelsea Fish Market. It's this hole-in-the-wall fish stand just steps from our building, so we walk by there all the time and Pascale sees the fish for sale. Pascale did not like the meal at all, and ate next to nothing. I, on the other hand, loved it. I was talking to Pascale about eating fish with the aim of getting her to agree to try it again. She said, "I want fish with eyes." So next time, no fillets.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Nice Weather again!

It was almost like summer today. We went to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and, unsurprisingly, it was a mob scene. The kids had a very good time regardless. We only left when it started raining.

I'm still getting my bank account stuff sorted out. The remaining piece is setting up internet account access. They sent me this special passcode that I need to call them with to get it set up. Just to get to the point where they ask me for the passcode, they need name, account number, relationship manager's name, date and place of birth, and mother's maiden name. So then they ask me for the passcode, and I read it from the letter, and they are like, no, that's not right. So now they have to send me another one, which they will get around to in 5 business days or so. These people would never stay in business in the US.


Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Battersea Park

We had a great time at Battersea Park today. It's right across the Thames from where we live, and it's a fairly large park. We've been there before, but only to go to the petting zoo, which is frankly rather grim. Today, we headed to the playground. It's really lovely. There is a seperate playground just for the under-5 set, so all the jungle gyms are fairly low to the ground. And there's a train that leaves from the playground and takes you around the park. Pascale was totally into the train. It was just leaving as we arrived at the playground, and the second it arrived back, Pascale had to secure a seat. She waited there patiently for a good 10 minutes before the train moved again. The train ride gave us a nice overview of the park. They have several rather wild areas with paths through them that look nice for strolling.


Here's Pascale with her masterpieces:

One thing I really like about living in a swanky area is that you can get really great stuff. I bought some fish at the Chelsea Fishmonger yesterday (approx. 20 paces from my front door), and it was the best fish I've ever had outside a restaurant. Just fantastic. Of course, the downside of living here is that everything is really expensive. Aaah, tradeoffs.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Sun

During one of the brief respites from the rain, Pascale said the other day, "I don't like the sun." I told her that she's living in the right place.

Settling In

We're still getting settled in the flat. Yesterday, I managed to get my sewing machine working. It's a vintage White that I use as my backup machine, but of course it has not been used in some time, so I forgot how to thread it. Thank goodness for the Internet and people who post scans of their manuals. By the time I got it working it was too late to start sewing. Maybe tonight. My sewing space is tiny, but in such an expensive city, I'm lucky to have it.

We went to our little playground this morning, then to the zoo this afternoon. It's not that easy to take the tube to the zoo. The nearest tube stop is a good 15-minute walk from the tube entrance. When we arrived at the zoo, Pascale asked, "Can we take a taxi home?" She's such a city kid! We actually have not taken a cab in a while, because the last time we took one, Pascale and Josephine both misbehaved. Today, though, Pascale behaved fine and Josie fell asleep. It was very restful.

Pascale likes the zoo, but she's much more interested in the little rides and things that are there than in seeing the animals. Here she is with Josehine in the bouncy castle:

Friday, July 13, 2007

The New Flat

Hey, we're in the new flat! The move went as well as a transatlantic move can be expected to go. We packed maybe half the stuff from our house in New Jersey, and we would have been better off packing one-quarter of the stuff. Fortunately, the flat comes with a rather large storage space, which is currently packed to the gills with unwanted furniture. The movers did mess a few things up, which is to be expected. although it's still disappointing. The half of the stuff that did not come here is in a storage space in New Jersey. I tagged everything before the movers came as to where I wanted it to go, but was too distracted when they were packing and loading to check every little thing. So my favorite sewing machine and my dress form both found their way into storage, and are not here. Somehow, another random sewing machine is here, so I'll make do with that one, and buy another dress form.

Our sofa is too big to make it up the stairs or in the elevator. The move coordinators are looking for someone who can take it apart and re-assemble it in the flat.

I realize that we have far too much stuff. Not just furniture, but clothes, dishes, toys, everything. I'm randomly discarding things as they annoy me. In NJ, I did laundry once a week. Here, my washing machine is so small that I have to do it every day or it piles up too much. But, if you're doing laundry every day, you really don't need that many clothes. So I think that as my kids grow out of their clothes, I'll only replace them sparingly.

People in London always complain about lack of water pressure. Not a problem in this flat. The bathtub fills in about 30 seconds, and the shower feels like a multi-prong water pik. It's actually painful. DH went and bought another shower head, so showering may become more pleasant.

My 2 favorite things about the flat are the location (on Chelsea Green) and the views. We have windows on 3 sides, and we're at the top of one of the tallest buildings around. I'll take some photos of the view and post them when I get a chance.



Sunday, July 8, 2007

move tomorrow

Eeek. I can't believe how much crap we've brought with us/accumulated in the past 5 weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing our stuff that we shipped, but I'm dreading the quantity. I know we brought way too much for the flat we've wound up in. DH and I were discussing over dinner, and really, the best case scenario I can come up with is all our stuff getting destroyed, we get insurance money, and we buy all new stuff that will fit well in our space. But that probably won't happen. Our internet access is set to arrive Friday, so we'll see you then!

Friday, July 6, 2007

Imminent Move

We move to the new flat on Monday! We may be without Internet access for a while, so I may not be able to post. Hopefully, there will be an open wireless connection that I can latch on to until we can get ours set up. But maybe it's not so bad to be without Internet because I'll have my sewing machine!! So exciting! I see all these great clothes to copy in store windows around here, and soon I'll be able to. I am lucky to have a flat that's big enough to allow me some dedicated sewing space.

Pascale and I toured a preschool on Friday, and since it's the only one in walking distance with open space, I think we'll go with it. All the preschools here are so much more academic than the ones in the States. I tried to conceal my horror when the teachers went through the workbooks that the 3-year-olds use to learn to read and do math. Pascale's resilient, and she probably won't suffer too much damage from excessive workbook use. She is desperate to get back to school to hang out with other kids her own age. She was very disappointed when we left the school after the tour. She said, "Why didn't we stay there?"

Kids here start their first year in school (equivalent to kindergarten) at age 4, so I also have to find a school for her for next year. I'm hoping to get that squared away for her in the next month or so.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Nice Weather!

It hardly rained at all today! Only a little in the afternoon. We went to the playground this morning, and there were not one but two moms there that I know and could talk to. I did learn some bad news, though. The playground will be closing from November to May of next year for renovations. It really does need some updating, especially replacing the hard blacktop that covers most of the playground surface, but I will miss having an easy place to go and hang out. The mitigating factor is that Pascale will be in school by then, so it won't be so important to have the playground to go to.

We hit 2 museums this afternoon. We went to the Victoria and Albert first so we could eat at the outdoor cafe there. Then we had to go look at the life-size silver lions in the silver gallery, which are Pascale's favorite items in the museum. Then we went to the Science Museum to play in the water table, etc. I was not in the mood to take pictures today (strange indeed for me), but here's a pic of the lions taken from the Victoria and Albert Museum web site.


This time next week, we'll be in our new flat! With our old stuff! That's right, the sea shipment has arrived, and is awaiting customs clearance. The lease on the new flat starts Monday, and they will deliver the stuff right away. I'm so excited. I really miss my knives and my warm clothes. Pascale misses her bed and the pictures that were hanging in her room. I'm afraid we will have way too much stuff, and we will definitely have to use the storage space that comes with the flat for overflow. It was hard for us to decide what to bring, since we did not know where we would be moving to. I'm sure it will all work out.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Happy Independence Day

So here I am in the land of the oppressors on the Fourth of July. Good thing they're no longer taxing us without representation. On our own turf, anyway.

We went to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground again today. It's in Kensington Gardens, next to Hyde Park. We were eating lunch at the cafe there, and this helicopter came in extremely low and landed just outside the playground! Josephine was sitting on the opposite side of the picnic table from me, and she jumped on top of the table and hurled her whole body at me, she was so scared. I could not see what was going on because of the trees in the way, but in light of recent activities in the UK, it made me more than a little nervous. It took off again maybe half an hour later. I tried to look at some of the news sites, but there was no mention of it that I could find.

It has not rained ALL MORNING!


Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Josephine breaks her vow of silence

Before we left for London, Josephine was talking about like a normal 15-month-old, with maybe 8 or 10 words in her vocabulary. Since we arrived, her vocabulary consists of a single word, "Ba!" It means pretty much everything. But today we were in the hallway outside our flat, and the timed lights went off. She said, "Dark!" It was so exciting! And the interesting thing is that the word dark was not part of her previous repertoire.

We went to the London Eye today. They were both completely enthralled. It is really neat, and a little freaky. It actually feels like you're flying and you could fall at any moment. Some nice lady snapped a pic of the 3 of us.


Monday, July 2, 2007

Wheels for Pascale

Since all the 3-year-olds in the nabe have scooters, Pascale needed one to fit in. She's really good at it, and loves it. I think it's much better for her to ride the scooter than to ride in the stroller. Here she is today, riding in her rain coat (pretty much a permanent accessory). And Josephine went on the big-girl swing for the first time today! She hung on really well, only falling off once. She learns fast.

I've thought of some other things I like about England.
1. Clotted Cream -- Need I say more
2. Big bath tubs with taps on them that you can manipulate with your toes.

One thing that happens here all the time that never happens in the US is that adults will speak directly to a child that they do not know. It kind of freaks Pascale out and she never says anything back. I explain that she's a little shy. I guess kids here are more comfortable with talking to strangers than in the US.



Josephine is wearing Pascale's jacket in this pic. She has a jacket of her own, but of course Pascale's is irresistable.