Recent Reads

During the past few months, I have read two books that I think are particularly blog-worthy: The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

I have read The Secret Garden at least two other times before; once when I was a child, and once again when I taught 4th grade. It took a long time for me to read it out loud to my class, but I remember that the kids really loved it (the girls, in particular). Anyway, someone suggested that I read it during my time here since it is set in England.

After reading just a few chapters, I realized that not only was this book set in England, but it takes place in Yorkshire- the very area that we are living in! Naturally, that meant nothing to me the last time I read it. But now, it really helped make the book more alive to me. First of all, I now know what a walled garden looks like since I have seen them first-hand. I know the types of flowers that they reference in the book because I have seen these flowers bloom in the spring time around here. The book also makes a lot of references to the moors, which we drive through every time we head north-east from here. The moors are a type of habitat that are characterized by low-growing vegetation such as heather (which turns a magnificent purple). It almost looks like a desert as there are no trees; just hills and brush. And of course, the book spends some time characterizing the different types of rain... all of which I have had the pleasure of experiencing! The only thing that I had trouble with was the Yorkshire accent spoken by Martha and Dickon. I couldn't quite hear it like I wanted to (probably because the local accent has changed some since the book was written).

I highly recommend this book to anyone, but I suspect that many of you have already read it. After reading the book, I watched the movie of it that was released in 1993. Most of this film of The Secret Garden was filmed in the local area, so it was really fun to watch.

I look forward to reading this book with my kids someday when we return to the US. What a delight it will be for me to reread it with them knowing that they have shared these experiences in this area.

The other book that I read was called The Thireenth Tale. A friend of mine who is in a local book club suggested that I read it since the author lives in Harrogate. I have to admit, at first I found that this book moved very slow for me. The author is very descriptive and contemplative, which usually turns me off. But the story line grabbed me from the start, and I was hooked! The story is about an author who has never told of her past before, but wishes to do so before she dies. She hires a local woman (who is living with her own secret) to write it for her. The book follows her biography, carefully revealing clues and secrets along the way. It is a mystery of sorts, and I enjoyed it very much.

The setting for this book is also in the moors, and again, I enjoyed the fact that I could relate to the scenery and weather!

I would love to hear any suggestions of other books that I should read during my time here (particularly ones set in England). I know... I know... Jane Austin. I have had a hard time getting into her books in the past, but maybe I could do it now. Leave your suggestions!!

Panto!

Last weekend, Tim, Maddie, Ethan, and I got to experience another British tradition: Panto! A Panto is a type of play that is traditionally put on each year around Christmastime. The Panto that we went to see was Aladdin.There are a number of characteristics that are typical of Pantos:

• The leading male character is traditionally played by a young woman (Aladdin was indeed played by a woman).(This picture is of Aladdin and his brother Wishy-Washy)
  
• An older woman character is usually played by a man in drag (Aladdin's mother was indeed a man... very funny! And hilarious costumes!!)
• The audience is encouraged to participate throughout the play. We would "Boooo!' the villain every time he came on stage and shout out warnings like, "He's behind you!," etc. The actors would prompt us with calls like, "Oh yes it is!" and we would have to shout back, "Oh no it isn't!"
• There is often a sing-off between the two sides of the audience. We had to sing "Wishy Washy likes Kung-Fu" to the tune of "Old McDonald."
• Pantomimes tend to include animal roles in their plays. Aladdin had a pet panda called Pandora.
• At some point during a panto, a character throws sweets out to the audience. Also, the villain typically shoots a water gun out at the audience. Our villain had a BIG water gun, but thankfully it didn't reach us!
  
• Often Pantos include a messy scene with some "goo" involved. In Aladdin, Wishy-Washy's character stood under a tube squirting out blue-goo!

It was so much fun for all of us. I couldn't help but be reminded of a year ago when I took Tim and Maddie to see Mary Poppins. Before we went into that show, Maddie had a complete meltdown. But this weekend, Maddie sat there and laughed and shouted and sang! It really was fun for people of all ages!

I should mention that we went to the Harrogate Theater to see the play. Harrogate Theater originally opened in January 1900 (and the first play that performed there was a Panto!). Since then, the theater has closed and re-opened many times due to lack of popularity (for example, it closed in the 1950s when the television became so popular!) The theater has also gone through a few refurbishments in the past century.

Last month, Maddie and I actually got to tour the theater with her Daisy Troop. We met a few of the actors, saw their dressing rooms, and saw the room where they make the costumes. We also got a closer look at the theater itself. When touring the theater, we got to see the view from one of the box seats. I was stunned at what a terrible perspective it was! You couldn't see the stage very well at all. But you did have a very good view of backstage and of the audience. Our tour guide told us that when the theater was built, the box seats (which she called "rubbish seats") were designed intentionally this way. The purpose of this layout was so that the audience could get a good view of who was sitting in them (and it was usually a person of some great importance who would go to the theater to be seen rather than to see the play).(The view from the box seats.)

Next year, Harrogate Theater will be putting on a Panto called "Dick Whittingdon" which was the first play ever performed in this theater. We may just have to go see it!!!

Sledging!

This has been the "winter of all winters" for England so far! There has been snow on the ground for over three weeks now, which is very rare for this area. For the past two winters, we have had occasional snowfalls which usually melted by noon-time. Last year we had one bigger snow storm that left snow on the ground for a few days. But this year, the snow seems to keep coming, and the temperature is staying low.

The kids were supposed to return to school last week, but only had school once! The roads really are terrible. There aren't many snow plows here, and they use grit instead of salt on the roads.

Anyway, back when we lived in Maryland and were deciding what things to bring with us to the UK, we decided to leave the kids' sleds behind. Someone had told us how England never gets a lot of snow, so we assumed the sleds would be useless. Boy, are we regretting that now! All this snow and no sleds.

Thankfully, our very kind friends and neighbors invited us to go sledging with them last week. We walked to a local field where there is a perfect hill. The kids had a blast, or course, sliding down the hill and building ramps to fly off of! I was so thankful for Kathy H. and Mickey S. who generously shared their sleds and patiently walked Maddie up that hill so many times while I had Collin on my back! (And for Kathy who brought us all back to her house for some hot cocoa afterwards.) Enjoy the pictures (also courtesy of my friend, Kathy)!

Christmas Card Ideas

I don't know about you, but I always feel guilty about throwing away the beautiful family photos that people send me at Christmas. I know that time, energy, and money went into getting that picture taken, getting all the kids to smile at the same time, outfits to coordinate, not to mention the cards to be ordered, addressed, stamped, and mailed. These pictures are precious to me as they represent the people that I love (and who love me), and now that we live out of the country, the people that we miss.

So, I've found an easy and purposeful way to use these photos: I make a collage. Last year, I bought one of those boards that have the pins and ribbon across them. And last week, I cut out all of the photos that were sent to us and stuck them into it. I did this last year, and I plan on doing it for many years to come. It is now hanging on our kitchen wall, and it always brings a smile to my face. I have also started recycling Christmas cards. This is a trick I learned from my Granny who has been doing it as long as I can remember. I rip off the front cover of all of the Christmas cards given to us, with the intent of using them next year as gift tags. To be quite honest, I never understood why my Granny did this. I always used to wonder why she wouldn't just go to the store and spend $1 on 100 sticker gift tags like the rest of us. But, I now really like this idea! It reuses the cards, therefore creating less waste, and it makes very unique and beautiful gift tags. And, it's free!

These are not very creative or original ideas... I know. But they are meaningful to me, and perhaps someone else could benefit from them.

Christmas Holiday Highlights

Happy New Year everyone! We hope that you all had a blessed Christmas!We had a very special Christmas this year. We traveled to Florida to be with my (Rebecca's) side of the family.

We flew out of Manchester Airport the Monday before Christmas, and we were so grateful when that plane took to the skies. Two days before, our area got hit with snow and ice, so a lot of the planes were grounded the day before our trip. The airport was a mad-house... people stranded everywhere! But fortunately, our plane took off.

It was a long flight (over 8 hours), and although some of the time was spent wrestling our 30-pound gorilla (Collin), we all survived. We arrived at Atlanta just fine, and after a 3-hour layover, we continued on to West Palm Beach. By that time, it was about 2am UK time, so we were completely exhausted. But, we made it, and it was so worth it.

What fun it was to be in Florida! My parents live in a development where the homes are arranged around a man-made lake. It's just perfect for the kids! They spent a lot of time riding their bikes around the lake, playing on the playground and in the sand court, fishing, and running the remote-control boats. My parents got a push-buggy for Collin to ride in, and he was so happy driving his "car" around the lake everyday. I especially enjoyed being outside and feeling the sunshine! Bliss!

It was wonderful being with family, of course. My brother Jesse flew down to be with us, and the kids had so much fun playing with him. My sister and her family live about a half-hour away from my parents, so we were able to spend a lot of time with them too. I especially loved being with my niece, Summer Grace, who kept us entertained with all of her animal impressions and faces! She is so full of life and joy-- I just love her!Some of the highlights of our trip included:

• Ethan got to go golfing with my brother Jesse and brother-in-law Eric. The course was located between the ocean and the intercoastal, so the scenery was great.
  

• Going swimming and decorating cookies at my sister's house.
• We went to an incredible Christmas Eve service at my parents' church, and celebrated Christmas Eve with family and friends.

• We received a phone call from my brother Jason, telling us of his engagement to his girlfriend Ashley! Congrats!
  
• Christmas morning! Toys and Games!

• Flying remote-control helicopters with Uncle Jesse.
  
• Christmas dinner with the Schultzes (my sister's family).
• A fun day at Lion Country Safari.

• Barnum & Bailey Circus!
• Date night for Ethan and I (we got to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie).
• Shopping kid-free at Jo-Ann's for some quilting fabric.
• A visit to the turtle hospital and time at the beach.

The "Low-light" of our trip was definitely the germs that infiltrated our fun. My mom and I both came down with sore-throats on Christmas Eve, and the kids each got a fever at one point. Unfortunately, it did put a damper on our fun, but we didn't let it keep us down.

Many, many thanks to you Mom and Dad, for a wonderful Christmas and vacation! We love and miss you already!