Some Natural History

First off, yes, I did post
three entries in one day. I do not expect that anyone will read and
comment on all three. But, it makes life nicer for me since Xanga is my
journal as well as my Xanga.

We had thought to go to London on Monday as the weather was to be lovely. But,  poor Hunter came down with the cold that’s been plaguing my kiddos. So, we deferred until Tuesday, and the weather was just as mild–in the 50s. But, the train to London was packed.  The boys and TGD stood the whole hour-long trip. LibbyK found the luggage rack to lean against. LittleMiss camped out under the luggage rack, and I sat next to her.

Our London destination this week was FREE museums!  We decided on the Natural History Museum for our first stop.  First stop in the museum was a bathroom break and to eat our packed-lunch sandwiches. TGD was excited to see that the tables all had the Mathematical Association of America symbol on them.  (What it meant to the museum, we have no idea.)

We laughed even more in the dinosaur exhibit when we saw a life-sized model of a dinosaur, but it was all white like a plaster mold. “This is an albinosaur, kids. It’s amazing how they found one fully intact with its skin still on it.”  What was even funnier was the expression of the guy behind us who thought TGD was serious–seriously deranged, possibly! 

        

Being England, they didn’t just have a building full of cool stuff. Nope. The building itself was gorgeous, too.

I didn’t mention standing in a claustrophobic line for about a half an hour to see a mechanical T-Rex (which was cool and scary) or the glass elevator or the gemstones or many other things we saw. But, you get the idea.  It was well worth it for a free museum!

The Science of Kensington

On our way to see the Peter Pan statue, we saw a real, live rat!  We are used to squirrels and pigeons and such, but the rat surprised us.  Plague! Plague!

The kids were not as impressed with the Peter Pan statue as I was and still am. Every time I take a picture of one of the fairies or woodland creatures on it, I’m disappointed. The magic doesn’t transfer to film.  I must need to sprinkle my camera with pixie dust.

We fed the birds, which was neat.  Gockle has been dying to catch a pigeon this trip. He stalks them down the crowed streets of Cambridge, and I reprimand him.  But, Tuesday, he got to pet a pigeon, and I think that will have to suffice. There were two pigeons that ate right out of the children’s hands and let themselves be petted.

 

And what good is a large, grassy area unless you can play Frisbee on it? Wit and Hunter take good advantage of the situation.

After we reluctantly left Kensington Gardens, we went to the Science Museum. We had an hour and a half before it closed. NOT enough time! We will have to go back.  The first thing we saw was a flight simulator ride. I thought that it would be fun, and at 1.50 gbp, it wasn’t a bad price. I knew better than to attempt the model roller coaster ride in space given how I reacted to 30 seconds of model earthquake, but the four who did it said it was jolly fun. (Actually, they said, “I’d like to do that again.”)

We spent the first part of our time looking through a hangar with displays on the history of flight. There were real planes, models, photos, and so much. We could have spent an hour or two just in that room alone.  The next room I wanted to head to was called “Launchpad.” I thought this would be about space exploration. It turns out it was a huge set of rooms with all sorts of cool hands-on experiments and activities. We watched the most amazing Rube Goldberg machine on a movie. It involved everything from a torch to a tank to pink, mechanical poodles.

Wit and Gockle race wheels to determine the best placement of weights on a wheel.

The family triumphant–a freestanding arch of foam blocks

This is a body heat sensor screen. That’s LittleMiss in the front with the frown mask.  One funny thing–the screen showed purple for cold things. The plastic masks, glasses, etc. showed up purple. And, my nose was dark purple!  I guess it was colder than I thought.

We rounded out our day by having supper at Burger King. (Our cashier and food-getter, Pintu, struggled–to put it mildly.) But, the food was good and the restaurant close to the train station. 

Saturday, February  9, 2008

A Trip to the Arctic

Once again, as we’ve done on all the other Saturdays we’ve been in Cambridge, we slept in, cleaned the house, had lunch, and headed out for a local adventure. Today, we were to see The Scott Polar Research Institute.  I went online to find out about it, and it looked great with pages outlining all the exhibits and such.  I started to get worried we’d run out of time to see it, as we were only giving ourselves two hours total.  This set me into, “Eat faster! Come on! Let’s go!” hyper-ness, but thankfully TGD calmed me down.

We caught the bus and made a stop at the Bookmobile first. (Why is there always a toddler with a smelly diaper at the Bookmobile when I am there? Gag!) I had requested 12 books online over the past week or so, one of which an email told me was in .  My eyes got rather large when all 12 books were presented–in addition to the other books the children had already chosen.  “Ah, honey? Can you go to Marks and Spencer and ask them for an extra bag?”

Then, it was time for the Polar Institute.  We went into the first room which was fascinating.  It was filled with letters, newspaper clipping, gear, photos, and things from numerous polar expeditions. They had clothing, sleeping bags, and coats actually worn by explorers. There were model ships, compasses, and even a ship’s organ!  When we felt we had explored that room, we were ready to head to the next. 

But, what was this? That room was the only one? Huh? What about all those things online?  It turns out that parts of the room were the displays. TGD thought it a grand joke that the museum turned out to be so small.  Still, it was nifty.

What I Miss

Today marks the one-month anniversary of our leaving the US.  I’ve been thinking about what I miss most being here in Jolly Old.  So, I thought I’d tell you.

I miss my minivan.

I love my Toyota Sienna. I love driving it and “boomin’ out the stereo.”  I miss hopping in the van and getting directly to where I want to go.  This longing was greatly emphasized on Friday night. Lib and Gock had a youth group party at a house about three or so miles from ours.  I went with them on the bus there, and then someone else brought them home.  I came directly home after dropping them off. From the time I left my door until the time I returned, it was TWO HOURS. Yes, I could have walked the six miles in two hours I realized later.  (Why two hours?  Add it up: walking to and from bus stops and homes–30 minutes,  waiting for buses to arrive (had to change buses in the middle)–65 minutes,  riding on buses–25 minutes.) 

I miss my American stationery supplies.

I long for my electric pencil sharpener. (I have a good one at home.) And, three-hole punched A3 paper cannot be found her.  My portfolios will be an interesting mix of paper sizes this year. Yes, I am very lame.

I should say that I miss my friends back home, but I’m not really doing that–yet.  I think my mind is still thinking I’m on vacation, and who misses home when they are on vacation?  Sometimes, at night, like a paper cut, wishing I were home will come upon me.  But, it passes fairly soon. I think Skype helps a lot.

I find myself heading to CNN headline news more and more often and bypassing the BBC feed.  And, today at the pub on TV, they had a whole thing on the election and Hillary and Obama and McCain and Huckabee.  And, I watched with rapt interest.  My country.  But, we are watching the Six Nations Rugby Tournament with great interest, too. (Currently, England is whomping Italy–whee!)

I’m glad we still have three and a half months left in our trip, van or not.   I will have a shopping list for you, though, flutemom38!

A True Xangan

SoccerLowen left me an intriguing comment:  “You’re a “True” member! Congratulations!”

badges are given to the best of Xanga. These Xangans receive this title
for being the most active users who really help make the community what
it is.

You should see a TRUE badge next to these Xangan’s
usernames when they leave comments. It’s kind of like the LIFE badge,
except you can’t buy this one. Only our best users are being chosen and
you can only get it if you’re a hardcore Xanga user. TRUE Xangans are
added regularly, so be on the look out to see if you’re a TRUE Xangan.

Who knew I was hardcore anything?

Little Bits of  Nonsense

The upstairs bathroom has a pull chain to flush the toilet. Even though we’ve been here almost a month, I still reach for the flush cord to turn off the light and for the light switch to flush the toilet.

I accidentally bought potato waffles thinking they were Eggo waffles made with potato bread batter. They are not. They are a mix between hash browns and a  potato pancake (in the shape of a waffle with holes in it). I love them and eat two almost every day for lunch. (With my Diet Caffeine Free Coke and an apple)

My mom mailed us a 56 ounce bag of peanut M-n-Ms. I have hidden them in my desk drawer and have not told anyone. Slowly, the bag is disappearing.  (Shhh…don’t tell my family.)

We’ve set a routine to our days. Monday is “Hunter and Wit Go to Youth Group Night.” Tuesday is “Field Trip Day.” Wednesday is “Sleep In Late Because We Are Wiped Out From Field Trip Day.” Thursday is “Pizza, Soda, and Movie Night.” Friday is “LibbyK and Gockle Go to Youth Group Night.”  Saturday is “Bookmobile and Something Field-Trippy in Cambridge Day.” Sunday is “Go to Church and Eat Lunch Out Day.” 
Every day is “Happy Day,” of course.

The boys brought Nerf guns with them. They took up an entire suitcase, but Gockle decided to sacrifice clothes for guns. (ha ha)  What a great thing they’ve been. They play a game called One-Shot.  They make the upstairs as dark as they can, and one person hides. The others wait downstairs for the call of “Ready!”  They get one Nerf dart per gun.   The idea is to shoot the hiding one before he shoots you.  They have taken mattresses off beds to make bunkers, climbed in suitcases to hide, and propped up a gun in the linen closet to fool the others into firing their one shot.

I’m getting used to the taste of the cheese balls here.

I am not sure how many little thrift stores there are in Cambridge, but I have counted 12 so far.  These are just in the downtown area.  And, they all sell books. Wheee!

It seems like every toddler/preschool girl I see resembles a  Wooden Soldier catalog model with chubby, rosy cheeks and curly hair. She is usually wearing a darling wool coat. Why is this? Don’t they have ordinary-looking, straight-haired children with polar fleece in England?

I’m sure I’ll think of more bits later.  Ta!

Too Many Pictures of Hampton Court

Our Tuesday Field Trip this week was to Hampton Court Palace. (Of course, I keep singing Southampton Dock, but that’s another matter.)  HCP is the home of Henry VIII and also of William III. Those two kings are a study in contrasts, for sure. There was the larger-than-life, handsome Henry with his six wives and boisterous zest for adventure. William III was sickly, short, anti-social, rumored to be gay, and not much loved by his subjects.

I think I’ll tell the story of the day in pictures with some comments.  First off, if you want to read a great book about Henry VIII, read Alan McDonald’s Henry VIII and His Chopping Block. It’s from the Dead Famous series, aimed for kids, but well worth reading by adults too. (And, the books in the series are amazingly funny.) 

First things first–we had to get there. We hopped a bus in Cambridge, transferred to another bus, and made it to the train station by about 10:00. An hour on the train, and we were at King’s Cross Station. We had to check in at Platform 9 3/4, of course. (And all you Harry Potter fans say, “Coo!”)

After a hop on the subway from King’s Cross to Vauxhall, we got on another train.  This last half hour trip gave us time to eat our sandwiches, crisps, and soda.  (Hooray for picnic lunches!)

We finally got to HCP by noon.  A quick walk over the Thames River, and we were there. I had hoped to be there sooner as I suspected we’d run out of time.  

The first bit to catch my attention were the mistletoe balls. Now that I know what they are, I’m so intrigued. I’m living where mistletoe grows in trees, just like in Druid times!

TGD making good use of that mistletoe.

The outside gates and fence of the palace had lots of these metal fellows on them. Some were dogs and dragons, and there were some unicorns.

They were doing some refurbishing of the palace, including the giant clock in the courtyard.  They had a picture of it on the tarp covering the construction. Not so impressive as the original, I’m sure. But, one tarp decoration that did impress was this picture of Henry himself. I’m not sure how large this was, but you can get some idea of scale from the archway underneath which was about nine or ten feet high.

If you put your back to Henry, this is what you’d see.

We took a tour with a guide and were the only ones on the tour. It was an unusual experience. The costumed guide treated us as if we were part of the court and would have known details of life and who was who and when things were. About halfway through the tour, another costumed lady came in, and she and our guide got into a verbal insult fit. It really gave one a good feel for court life and the gossip and intrigues, but as TGD said, “I felt sort of uncomfortable.”  What does one do when two women are spatting over court issues and you really just want to know who is in the painting over the fireplace?

After this tour, it was time to have a snack of Kit Kat bars and to go to the maze. The HCP maze is one of the most famous in England and is mentioned in many books, including Paddington Bear.  We spent some good time in it.

Which way should we go? I don’t know!

One interesting newer bit to the maze is the addition of sound effects. Chimes, a barking dog, and other noises go off when you walk by the sensors. I don’t know if these were to help you orient yourself (oh, I already went by the barking dog) or to provide atmosphere.

In the center of the maze, there was a lighted map-like thing and a silver spinning thing. (Thing, thing, thing.)

Wit and Gockle inspected it, but we just couldn’t figure out what it was or what it did.

After that, we strapped our audio guides back around our necks and headed to the Tudor kitchens. They had a wonderful recreation and explanation of what it was like to feed 600 people or more a day. My chilly body loved the fact that they had a roaring fire in the fireplace.  I also learned that one either boiled, roasted, baked, or made into a pie.  The pie was to have the top cracked open, the contents eaten, and the crust thrown out. They made pies because they didn’t have baking pans to cook things in, so they made their own. But, the crusts weren’t tasty, so they just pitched them. (I wonder if the poor tossed their pie crusts out, too?)

It would be worth a second trip to see all of it, but we have so many places to go and to see that we will have to content ourselves with one visit to Hampton Court Palace.

Hope you enjoyed the entry, Pat!

Candlemas

All was dark and quiet, except for the organ music.

Then, the organ stopped and everyone rose to his feet.  From behind the choir screen, rich, male voices began to sing.  They were joined by the pure, high notes of a boys’ choir.  It really was just like a soundtrack from a movie. You know the scenes where there is something really dramatic going on, like someone packing up to leave or dying in the rain or something and there is a haunting a cappella choir singing in the background? It was like that, but in person. And no one was dying.

Next, the procession of the priests (are they priests in the Anglican church?) and the choir occurred. The priests were in dark blue robes, and the choir was in red and white.  Not being familiar with a liturgical service, it took us a while to catch on to the fact that all the standing, sitting, and kneeling were clearly explained in the booklet left on the seat.  It also contained all the prayers and the things the choir sang with the English translations of the Latin.

I really enjoyed the pageantry and majesty of the service, but I was grateful that I go to a church that teaches the Bible and explains passages.  It really brought home to me why the Protestant Reformation happened. It would be hard to grow as a Christian if one didn’t understand what was being said at church. 

Conversation after the hour-long service–
Teacherperson: Did you enjoy it?
Hunter: Yes, but most of it was in Latin, so I didn’t understand much.
Teacherperson: All the translations were in that book. You could have read it and practiced your Latin.
Hunter: Yeah, but I wanted to soak it all in like a sponge.
Wit: (popping in his iPod) I must be a very small sponge. I could only soak it in for about 30 seconds.

I do not see a career in the Anglican Church in Wit’s future.