We were quite busy before Logan’s birthday, and we did not buy him a gift ahead of time. He had been visibly excited about playing the card game Set that daughter Lise showed him before she went back to Denmark. The day before his birthday, I told him that I would check with his parents. If no one was planning to give him the game, I would order it immediately. The package arrived a few days later. By then, his house was full of company – two aunts and a cousin. John saw the cousin outside playing and asked him to send Logan over. That is where this story begins.
John handed Logan the gift, which though wrapped, was not a surprise.
Logan turned to John to say thank you. Can you see the intensity in that straight back? He said the words clearly and with feeling. He couldn’t have practiced to say it more perfectly.
John nodded toward me as Logan was turning to repeat his thanks. Seeing the camera, he flashed a brilliant smile and posed with the game. Ah! A boy after my own heart! There were years of training behind that smooth, sincere expression of gratitude. Let’s have a round of applause for Shawn and Bob! Good job! Well done!
We’ve had a full week with my folks still here. We went to Wakehurst Place Gardens in West Sussex. The mansion seems to be unoccupied, but the grounds are gorgeous. The place is kept up by the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew and administered by the National Trust. I liked the water way where the little stream fell over rocks in many falls and rested in pools before continuing downwards. One pool had the largest goldfish I’ve ever seen in my life.
One afternoon we got the girls from school just as they finished lunch to go to a National Trust house that is close to here. [Judging by the photos, we must have seen Polesden Lacy.] Since the place only opens at 2, we couldn’t see the house and get back to Reigate by 3:15. Lisa was thrilled to be getting out of school even though they missed no classroom work; on Tuesdays they have triple games, meaning three periods that the whole school troops up to playing fields for organized games. Kate was a little concerned that she would miss a break in school, but she enjoyed changing out of her uniform and looking like a tourist. We had seen the house when we first came here, but my folks hadn’t. I saw things this time around that I’d missed before – traveling cosmetic box and a lady’s “necessary” (tiny sewing and repair kit). $ liked figurines displayed on his level and pushing his own stroller in the garden. He didn’t last too long in the house, so we went out to the entrance hall and chatted with the lady collecting tickets. She and her husband do the cleaning of the place! She was filling in for a vacationing ticket taker. She said, “We give it a proper do every Monday and Friday when the house is closed to the public.” The roses and the peonies in the gardens were superb.
Polesden Lacy and its rose garden
John and I both passed our stiff English driving test one day before the law stated that we had to. If you stay here for more than a year, you are supposed to have taken your test before that first year is up. We now feel like quite superior people! Mother and Dad have now “done time”; they kept $ from 9:15 – 11:45 during the tests and from 3 – 5:30 while I was getting Lisa’s new Dunottar uniform from the outfitters who supply the school. That poor baby would have become glued to his push chair if I’d had to drag him everywhere. At left is a photo of our having tea outside at our house.
We went a second time to the open air market, buying a few things for them to take home and enjoying seeing all that is for sale. We ate lunch at a National Trust house, Clandon Park. The lunch was delicious; $ behaved nicely until we went through the house, and my folks got a chance to wander through an historic building by themselves while $ and I gamboled on the lawn. His attention was soon riveted on two horses; he practiced saying “horse” until I think anyone could understand him.
Yesterday we drove to Bath (be sure to put “ah” in that name) and first went through Bath Abbey. For over 1200 years a Christian church has been on that site. St. Augustine was in Bath in 603! The present church was begun in 1499 and completed in the 17th century. Further back in history, the Romans built baths to take advantage of the only hot springs in Britain soon after AD 43. Amazing! These buildings were covered over with later construction and not discovered until 1878. We could see where excavating continues today along with displays of Roman coins, statues, and mosaic tiles. Most of the rest of Bath is Georgian – the time when it became a spa for the upper classes. The streets are unusually wide for England and the buildings much like those in the Federal style in the U.S.
Punch and Judy show
Family in Bath
Bath Crescent
A bridge in Bath
I particularly enjoyed seeing the Pump Room where people gathered to drink the waters and socialize and the Assembly Rooms where dances and concerts were held. These two places feature in almost every Georgian and Regency novel. I felt like I was seeing places where my friends had been! We tasted the mineral-laced water and were glad we didn’t have to drink much of it. Under the Assembly rooms is a museum of costume. Clothes were displayed beautifully on models, and many were grouped in room settings. The old court dresses looked as if yokes had dropped from shoulders to hips and were covered by the fancy dresses. Some were over a yard wide flaring out from 18 inch waists; from the side they appeared to be only five inches wide. There were quite a few things from the 1700’s up to winners of last year’s fashion awards. I thought the dresses from Queen Mary, the Queen Mother and the Queen were most interesting.
The ancient Roman baths were fantastic. We understand people are allowed to swim here one day a year.
On the way home we stopped to see a country mansion, Dyrham Park built by a minister of William III. The feature the children enjoyed most was a couple of 3-day-old peacocks. [At some point we saw a hand-cranked merry-go-round. I think this was near Hampton Court, and therefore out of order here.]
Mr. Clewes had told us that there was to be an air show this weekend, but of course we made no attempt to find out where it was to be. We saw some of it! Out on the open road, we happened to look round to see six to nine planes performing fancy stunts in the air.
Today we went to Westminster Abbey for the morning service. We sat in the second row in the nave; I was first in and so almost on the steps to the altar. I could have reached out and tickled the feet of the man reading the scripture lessons. The choir was superb, as usual. We did notice the novice choir boys dressed in red robes, but without the white tops, sitting near the organ console. We haven’t seen them there before. I saw the man in charge of them tap one boy on the shoulder during the service. Wonder what he did wrong. John said these very young boys were brought out of the service after the anthem was sung; they had black capes to wear over their red robes as they were marched back to their dorm.
The shortest and quickest way to London on Sunday mornings goes just on the edge of the suburb of Wimbledon. John kindly drove us by the tennis club since there were no games today and no traffic. Our neighbors who had seats on the center court said they spent an hour trying to get out of their car park! We noticed signs at the stadium stating the price of admission is two pounds. That is really cheap. You wouldn’t be allowed in the center court, but could wander around to any of the other 12 to 18 courts where many of the famous players would be playing. Of course, the best way to see tennis is to sit in front of the TV set where they broadcast hours and hours every day. I think they are on live from 2:30 until 7:30 and then begin the reruns of all the important games of the day. It was fun to see in person where all this activity takes place.
I’ve just listened to the first podcast of Perfect Pitch and want to recommend it to anyone and everyone. What a marvel! I first met Nick as a blogger who wrote Manuscript Notes on WordPress. The podcast is a sparkling version of the same magic. The link is here.
Nick talks about music in words everyone can understand, and he picks marvelous pieces to illustrate his points. In the first podcast he tells how he started listening to classical music and how he pronounced Chopin’s name. Included are selections of Bach, Schubert, Chopin, and Beethoven.
If I were a Victorian lady, I’d swoon over his lovely English accent. His words and the music he chose are superb. Please do listen and prepare to be entranced.
We knew neighbor Logan was going to spend the day with us while his parents had appointments, but we didn’t expect him to walk to the creek with us. He left his house wearing slippers on his feet and caught up to us at the top of the street. We waited as he ran back home for shoes and rejoined us. He has an inventive mind, so a walk with him instantly becomes a fun adventure. Did I say walk? Logan hardly ever walks. Here is a video clip of his running down the steep hill. By running ahead and coming back, he easily doubles the mileage we walk.
Once at the creek, Logan found a stick that became his silent saxophone for a few moments.
Sadie loves to play with Logan, even though he tricked her to pick up a stick. She won, because she stopped him from throwing it into the stream.
On the way home, Logan slid down a banister. Life is more exciting when his feet are off the ground.
Former neighbor Connie was here for lunch while dog Albert was being groomed. We turned it into a birthday party for Logan. Connie was telling him about her gift as he opened it at the table.
Logan waited patiently for us to sing Happy Birthday to him before we cut the cake.
I thought he would tumble to the fact that we were celebrating his birthday as soon as he came in the house, because the balloon was on the kitchen counter before lunch. As John fixed it to his chair, he asked, “That’s for me?” He assumed it belonged to John, along with the huge balloons that showed 80 for his future birthday. We all enjoyed the pre-birthday party, and now Logan is 11 years old.
Daughter Lise owns Birthday Month. Everyone who knows her has heard that she celebrates her birthday for a whole month. It was a family tradition, of sorts, because her grandfather’s patients brought him gifts for days before and after his birthday. She was the one who put a name to it, and it worked well, since her special day is near the middle of the month.
Sister Barbara and Thom stayed with us for a few days, then we drove to South Carolina to meet sister Chris and Steve. They had a surprise birthday celebration for John, since we won’t be together in September. That set a dangerous precedent. John now claims Birthday Season! The three posed for a sibling photo.
Chris, John, and Barbara
Barbara took what I think of as the official party photo of the birthday boy.
Birthday strings are attached!
The lighting wasn’t the best, but this one showed all of us.
When we got home, John agreed to pose with the pair of balloons that show his age, come September. He doesn’t agree with the number, though. At age 70 he started counting backwards, so he says he is approaching 11. He told grandsons David and Nathaniel that when he reaches age 2, he expects them to push him around in a wheelchair like he pushed them in strollers. I have yet to hear them agree to that.
Lise, you can still have your Birthday Month, but Dad beat you to Birthday Season.
John’s cousin Harold and wife Susan spent an afternoon here to visit with us and Barbara and Thom. You should have heard the laughter ring out from the back porch! The photo shows the first cousins – John on the left, Barbara in the middle, and Harold on the right.
It’s hard for me to think of Harold’s being retired. He was just a boy when John and I got married. Here he is at our rehearsal dinner 57 years ago.
Harold lived in Memphis, so I saw him almost every year when I went to visit my parents fifty miles from his home. He was all grown up when he visited us in England, so we didn’t see him often after that. We all had years to catch up on via funny stories and anecdotes.
Daughter Lise was a teenager when Susan married Harold. She idolized Susan and always loved being with Harold. I’m sure she would have given her eye teeth to be with us that afternoon.
Our agenda for family visitors included two waterfalls and lunch at Square Root in Brevard. We began at Sunburst Falls, a favorite of grandson David and me. Barbara and Thom entered into the spirit of the thing by posing with the falls.
Barbara went out on the boulders with David, while Thom stayed on the road to take videos. He caught the flighty action of two Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, natives of the region.
Shooting the falls
I took a shot of the pool below the falls. In this one, I can see the depth of the water that is missing from most of my photos of it. [Note to self: you are babbling. No one cares about this.]
When you look at the two desserts we shared, you’ll know why we try to keep moving. We had Key lime pie and a chocolate cake with a fanciful name that included Spoonful. It probably should have been called Calorie-laden.
Looking Glass Falls is always a stunner. As usual, I stayed at the top while others went down the switchback stairs to the base of the falls. The day was not hot, yet there were swimmers in that cold, cold water. Barbara and Thom put their fingers in to experience it. I think David would like to swim there on a hot day, but I don’t know if anyone else would want to.
John’s sister Barbara and husband Thom are always enthusiastic about walking to the creek with us. They had driven eight hours the day before and welcomed exercise. Knowing a photo at the creek is obligatory, they posed nicely. Dog Sadie was with us, too, and she behaved beautifully – sitting and staying seated whenever a car passed us. In 24 hours we had mentioned every sibling and all the children and grandchildren. If I had nothing better to do, I’d count them.
The creek doesn’t show, but it is there behind their elbows.
All six of us sat down for breakfast together. Son John $pencer exclaimed, “I have angel bacon!” and held it up to show us.
Cleaning was the number one project the day before. John $ pitched in to help, and John did most of the vacuuming. Poor Sadie distanced herself from the noisy machine, and she probably sensed something was about to change. I used toddler talk and tone to her, saying, “You don’t understand what’s going on, do you?”
From just around the corner I heard, “Right, Mom. I’m 41 years old, and don’t understand anything.” He and I both laughed.
This is how I know I’m slowly becoming a gardener. The state of the garden matters to me. I begged the roses to hang onto their full blooms until Barbara and Thom could see them.
Grandson David helped us bring in all the bags from shopping, and as soon as everything was unloaded, he said “I want to try setting up the cot.”
The camping cot caught David’s eye in Aldi’s. We have had very good luck with things we’ve bought there, and he thought the cot would be great for sleeping in the van. Evidently it was comfortable enough for playing games on the phone.
Sadie had to try it out, too. David is showing a new fashion in wearing a necktie. He is modeling a shoulder throw.
This time 17 years ago we were saying goodbye to my folks after our wedding. Today I said goodbye to John for a week and almost hello to my folks who arrive Tuesday for a two week visit. John will be in New York for a week.
Do you know how to tell someone here that he is crazy? “You’re a nut case!”
Had a crash course (not literally) to prepare us to take the very strict driving test here. Someone at the office suggested a 2-hour lesson, so we booked in for that at a driving school in Epsom. John kindly let me go first at 10:00 while he strolled $ around the town and ate at McDonald’s. At 12:00 John took his turn until 2:00. What a grueling thing it was! Before five minutes went by the tiny man said to me, “You just failed your driving test!” He was very pleasant – explaining that he wasn’t criticizing my driving, but preparing me for the test. I had failed to visibly check my rear view mirror every eight seconds. How picky they are here! It’s a fault against you if your wheels ever touch the curb. Each time you stop for a traffic signal, the handbrake must go on! He said I usually approached a stop too fast and took a little long to venture into traffic. By the end of two hours, I was almost afraid to go over 10 miles per hour, and that would have been a fault for not proceeding normally!
Kate brought a new friend home from school one afternoon. This girl moved to Reigate about six weeks ago, having lived in Yorkshire and Cornwall before.
John $ can now open the small oven of the cooker as well as fiddle with the controls of the dryer. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I always am, to open the dryer door when the cycle is finished and find the clothes sopping wet. He can put more wet clothes back in the washing machine than I can put into the dryer. He can also throw more stones onto the front stoop than I can sweep off.
Yesterday the girls worked all morning at the school fete. Kate’s class was in charge of the raffle tickets, and Lisa’s of a stall selling anything red, white or blue. There were several games of chance, second-hand clothes, baked goods, games, toys, books, and plants for sale. We bought a shirt for $ and a pair of almost new Wellingtons for 20p. John bought the girls little mirrors with the school emblem on the back. The playground was gaily decorated, the event very well attended, and it was great fun.
In the afternoon the two Johns stayed home while we went with the womenfolk next door to the village May Pageant. (It had been postponed.) The parade of floats, clowns and a small band went through the town and to an open area. The new May queen was crowned, the dance of the May pole was performed, costumes were judged, an award given to the shop with the best decorations, and a clown performed. There were a few stalls selling cool drinks, plants, ice cream and chances to win goldfish. It seemed as if the whole village turned out for the affair. It was quite warm bringing on great thirst, so we all came home to have tea at our house. I opened the biscuit tin to find all the biscuits gone and had to improvise by making toast and serving it with lemon curd. It was nice to have a chance to sit and talk with our house-mates.
John needed to pick up some things from the office before flying out today, so we went to Westminster Abbey for church. (It is within walking distance of the office.) The choir was really on its toes today, the counter-tenors being especially good. We drove to Epsom where we ate lunch and John caught a bus to the airport.
This morning I picked up my parents from the airport. I dropped the girls off at a friend’s home to go to school with her girls. Despite my making two wrong turns, we met in the airport only 10 minutes after they finished the formalities. Couldn’t have worked out better; I might just have had time to get lost in the airport had I gotten there sooner.
They took a short nap, we got the girls from school and went to Box Hill, the nearest National Trust property with a fantastic view when you can see it. Of the four or five times I’ve been there, this day was the clearest. So many times the weather can be gorgeous, but slightly hazy.
After setting Mr. Clewes to work one day we drove to Leith Hill, a protected area noted for rhododendrons. We were able to see all the lavender ones; all the others were through blooming. The plants are more like trees here – we’ve never seen such tall ones.
We drove to Epson Downs race track, Epsom, Leatherhead and on to Ripley, Surrey. [Ripley is the name of our home town in Tennessee.] The folks said their council had been in touch with our city government back in my grandfather’s day. Dad also mentioned that he and Mother had sent a care package to the town here in England after the second World War. We took one picture, got lost, practiced a few U turns, and came home. [That one picture is missing, either lost or mislabeled.]
We treated ourselves to a cream tea in a hotel in a neighboring village. It was a great experience except for the price – rather steep. Scones were served with clotted cream and jam, and we had a plate of cake wedges. I thought we wouldn’t have enough food to keep $ happy (he eats more than Kate at times), but a cat that looked just like one we had in NY kept him occupied. That black and white cat entertained us by strolling under tables and coming almost within petting reach. The resemblance to Tor was uncanny – the only thing different was that he had a tail.
We watched quite a bit of TV in the afternoon as the Queen and her party arrived each day at Royal Ascot in open landaus. That race course is near Windsor. I put up with the horse races to see the people. Lady Diana was the big feature this year. All the men have morning dress and gray top hats; the ladies wear short dresses and the fanciest of hats. Also on TV were the preliminary matches for Wimbledon which begins tomorrow. Any time we aren’t out, I’m sure the oldest and the youngest of us will be lured to the screen to watch the games. The next door neighbors were able to get two tickets for the center court tomorrow. They said the children will be allowed to wander about watching the outer courts, and they will all take turns sitting with a parent at the center court.
Yesterday John arrived home from New York looking slightly rumpled about the mouth. From the account of how little sleep he got, I’m surprised he wasn’t in one heap. He slept while the rest of us went to Chartwell, Winston Churchill’s home. He thought it would take us an hour to get there, but it was only half that. This time the girls and I saw much more of the garden than when we were there nearly a year ago.
Today we worshiped in St. Paul’s Cathedral and spent the afternoon at Hampton Court. $ learned how to get out of his push chair; he practiced getting in and out for an hour while I was walking him in the garden. Below is a sunken garden at Hampton Court.
Below, my parents at Hampton Court.
Mom and Dad
Note: for months I have added captions to photos. Today that wouldn’t work.
A blog about life challenges in mostly fictional writing based on some fact. I am trying this Blog thing out because I need a creative outlet and am amazed at everything my iPad can do to help me along the way. So why not, right ?
My name is Suki, my human is a writer, and this is about my world. The world according to Suki The Cat. My humans smell funny, look weird, and I can't understand a thing they say, but they feed me, so hey, what are you gonna do?
Mehrling Muse 