Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I am so pleased that the kids' school places a lot of value on drama! Last year, Tim's class performed two plays: A Christmas Carol at Christmas-time, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory towards the end of the year.

And who was cast as Charlie, you might ask? Well, that would be Tim. I'd love to be prideful and tell you that they picked him because of the natural acting ability he inherited from his mother; but he was actually selected because no one else wanted to play that role and he wanted to be helpful. That's my Tim.

Anyway, it was a wonderful production. They actually performed most of the script from the movie version I remember as a kid (without the songs). Here are a few pictures and clips from the performance:

• Tim as Charlie in the shared bed with his mum and grandparents
• A clip of Charlie opening his birthday presents from his family
• All of the Golden Ticket winners with Wonka in his boat
• A clip of Charlie and Grandpa Joe when they sample the Fizzy-Lifting Drink

I thought it was so clever how they portrayed that!

A few days after this play, the school held its annual Leavers' Ceremony. It's a graduation ceremony of sorts, where they say farewell to the Year 6s who will be moving onto high school the following term. This year, the school had 4 students graduating. Also, Tim's teacher, Mrs. Waller, was leaving the school for a teaching job that was taking her to Malaysia, and the school headmistress, Mrs. Buckton was moving on to another school as well. The ceremony was bittersweet. The children sang some songs (including "So Long, Farewell" from Sound of Music), and the Class 2 band performed songs on the musical instruments they had been practicing on all year. Here are two clips from the Leavers' Ceremony:


(So sweet to hear this song being sung by British kids).

And what first band concert would be complete without "Drunken Sailor?"
(And yes, that's Tim's teacher on the trombone. She took instrument lessons along with the kids. Doesn't that say so much about her as a teacher? We were so sad to see her go.)



I have to say, for such a small school, I am very pleased with all they do with the performing arts!

Summer Highlights

(I realize that I am months behind in my blog. So sorry.... I have been busy to say the least, with my new role as PWOC Pres., sewing with my friend in the afternoons, and just life in general. Anyway, I will do my best to get back into the swing of things....)

We'll start with some highlights from this past summer. We went home to the States for just two weeks at the end of June/beginning of July. Highlights included:

• spending time with Grandma Stryker and Uncle Luke at their home near Ithaca, NY
• boating and enjoying the nearby lakes
  
• going mini-golfing with Grandma
• playing in the inflatable pool and playing baseball in Grandma's back yard
• visiting with Great-Grandma Phelps
• going to the Corning Museum of Glass
• visiting with my college roommates, Tanya and Alyssa, and their families
• spending time with Grammy and Papa, Uncle Jesse, Aunt Babe and cousin Summer, Uncle Jay and (almost) Aunt Ashley, Aunt Katie and cousin Logan in East Hampton
• special time with my cousin Jane and her three kids, as well as my Granny
• lots of time in the pool and at the beach
• our annual family bivouac (including fishing and searching for crabs)

It was a very special time. Actually, since moving here, it seems like our time at home is all the more precious to us.

Sometimes, it's just the simple joys of being together...

Squirty Cream

Back in June, our church had it's annual barbecue at a local farm. It was organized by my friend Debbie, who is an American. She is fabulous at organizing our church's events, and tells how it has taken her years to "train" the Brits how to do church functions American-style!

This year for our church barbecue, Debbie decided that she would show our English friends what an ice-cream sundae bar was for dessert. She had people bring ice-cream and all different kinds of toppings. On the day of the barbecue, she asked me and a couple of other ladies to "man" the cans of Reddi-Whip (which the Brits call "squirty cream") so that the kids wouldn't use too much. (We all know what kids do with Reddi-whip --- they either squirt it wrong and waste all the gas inside, or they pour it down their throats without limit!)

So, there I was at my station at the toppings table, with the can of squirty cream in hand. I asked each kid who came up if they would like some. It didn't take me long to figure out that the American kids would ask for it, but the British children did not. In fact, I noticed that I was getting some strange looks for even suggesting it. One girl responded to me by saying, "Squirty cream on my ice-cream?...... NO!" (How preposterous of me for asking!)

I finally asked a British mother about it, and she told me that it is not customary for squirty cream to be put on ice-cream. Squirty cream was reserved for a few choice desserts like pie, but that was about it.

The kids seemed to have no problem with sprinkles (which by the way, they sometimes call "hundreds and thousands").... they heaped those one by the spoonful. And they also had no problem putting fruit on their ice-cream. My friend Debbie had a big bowl of cherries at her station, and the British people were trying to scoop them into their sundaes by the spoonful. Debbie had to politely teach them that they just get one cherry... on top, of course!

The ice-cream sundae bar was a hit! The kids and adults all enjoyed it. I even noticed a few British mothers who stood gaping at the sundaes saying things like, "I didn't know you could do this with ice-cream!" Leave it to us Americans to teach other cultures how to make something bigger and better.

Knaresborough Bed Race

I've heard of some unusual races back in the States, but never before have I heard of a BED RACE!!

The local town of Knaresborough has held a Bed Race for the past 45 years! This year, the weather wasn't just nice for the race,... it was actually beautiful! And we were determined not to miss it.

For the bed race, teams decorate a wheeled metal frame (not really resembling a bed too much), which they first display and then parade through town. Then for the race, the teams drop the decor, and then run the race through the village pushing their beds. The race eventually ends up in the River Nidd. The teams have to push their beds upstream for a little bit, and then heave their beds out of the river towards the finish line. Prizes are awarded to the team that is best decorated and the team that completes the race in the quickest time.

When we arrived in Knaresborough, we found a spot on the sidewalk to watch the parade (and found some friends to watch it with us!) It was so much fun! The town crier led it all off, and the beds came one after the other. Each year, the Bed Race Committee chooses a theme for the decorations, and this year's theme was: occupations. The floats were very clever- there was one that looked like a restaurant table, one made to look like a house with chimneys for the chimney sweepers, a boat with fishermen, a surgeon's table, etc., etc.The parade finished up near the starting line for the race. At that point all of the teams dropped their decorations and got into line for the race. Because there were so many teams (90 in all!), the teams began the race in 10 second intervals and were timed.

The teams pushed their "beds" through the town and wound up in the river. We were sitting on the edge of the river, near the finish line, so we were able to see the teams push the beds up and out of the river. It was not an easy task!! And the more teams that went by, the slippier the slope got!

As I mentioned before, the Bed Race has been a tradition in Knaresborough for 45 years! According to the Bed Race brochure, the first bed race was held in 1966, and had only 4 beds competing. Regarding the first-ever bed race, the brochure reads:

Things have changed these days as the occupants of the beds were described as 'each graced by a gorgeous girl in an eye catching frilly negligee.' Three of the four were actually beauty queens including Miss Yorkshire and Miss Italy.

I can only imagine those beauty queens' surprise when they were raced right into that cold river!

All in all, the Knaresborough Bed race was a lot of fun! It's one of those small town traditions that I would love to bring back to the States with me.

Day 7- Pisa

On our last day in Italy, I have to admit, we were feeling a little burnt-out. We had planned on visiting a walled-town like Lucca in the morning and then Pisa in the afternoon. But the thought of driving anywhere in the car for more than a half-hour with the kids was enough to make me start getting tics. Thankfully, Pisa was less than a half-hour away, so we decided to go there in the morning.

What fun it was approaching the city and spotting the Leaning Tower! When we entered the city center, the Leaning Tower was there to greet us, and we were ready to have some fun with it! For those of you who don't know the history about why the Leaning Tower leans, well....

The Leaning Tower was built to be a free-standing bell tower for the nearby cathedral. Construction began in 1173, but before the year was out, the tower was already showing a slight tilt. This was due to a poorly laid foundation and a very loose substrate (aka- a mucky soil underneath). At one point, architects tried to compensate for the lean by making the rooms on one side of the tower taller than the other side. This obviously didn't solve the problem, but it did result in a visible curve to the tower. In any case, the tower was finally completed in the 1300s. Towards the end of the 20th century, a lot of effort (and $) was put into making the tower more structurally sound. They ended up pumping tons and tons of soil out from under the tower, which has stabilized it sufficiently...for now.

Anyway, moving on. Pisa's Cathedral Square, also known as the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), houses three important buildings: the cathedral (Duomo), the baptistry, and the afore-mentioned bell tower.

We headed to the Baptistry next. Construction of the Baptistry began in 1152 and it was completed in 1363. The exterior of the Baptistry was lovely and ornate, compared to the rather bleak interior. Inside, we saw the carved pulpit, and the font, which was designed for performing baptisms. The most notable thing about the Baptistry is it's amazing acoustics. The ceiling is shaped like a dome, and sounds just seem to hang in the air (or bouce around, I suppose). Every half-hour, an employee of the Baptistry sings to demonstrate the acoustics. We were fortunately able to witness this. She would sing a note and it would remain for several seconds. Then she would sing another note, and then another, so that you could hear a perfect chord! Sung by just one person!! It was very cool!

We left the Baptistry, and then headed over to the Duomo (the cathedral). We were stunned by how ornately decorated the interior of the Duomo was... just beautiful!By the time we left the Duomo, the sky had turned a scary gray color, and it looked like a thunderstorm was threatening. We decided to make a run for it back to the car. It turned out to be a good decision. As Maddie likes to say, "It was chucking it down!"

We left Pisa, and drove to a nearby US Base called Camp Darby. It was delightful to go to their Commissary and load up on some American snacks. But, it was even more delightful to make our way to the Post Office on the base. We were able to mail a box of dirty laundry to our post box back in the UK for free! That way, we wouldn't have to worry about the weight limit that we barely passed when we flew to Italy. Phew!

We spent or last afternoon in Italy back at the hotel. Collin took a nap while the kids enjoyed the pool and water slide. Although, I must admit, it was a little stressful as the pool had no shallow end for Maddie and we didn't have floaties. And, get this.... they don't allow you to swim in public pools in Italy without swim caps. We hadn't thought to bring swim caps (of which we must have 20 at home). So, we had to shell out 4 euro per cap to let them swim (I actually only bought one, and told them to take turns. I know, I'm such a cheap meanie, but it was a matter of principal at that point).

Our last meal in Italy was at a delightful restaurant not far from the hotel. Pizza, risotto, pasta... and of course, we finished it all off with gelato.

Ciao Italy! Thank you for so many incredible and delicious memories!

Day 6- Florence

Our sixth day in Italy was dedicated to all things Renaissance- the city of Florence! We took the train into the city, and headed straight to the Uffizi Gallery when we got there. (Actually, first we stopped for some breakfast at an Italian bakery and bought some bomboloni, which is basically the Italian version of a doughnut! Yum!)

The Uffizi Gallery is the premier museum of Renaissance art in the entire world! Not unlike the Louvre in Paris, the collection is so big that it is difficult to take it all in in just a few hours.... especially with three young children in tow. The U-shaped building itself was an amazing masterpiece of architecture, and the ceilings inside were so ornately decorated. As far as the art is concerned, Ethan and I struggled with appreciating it as much as, perhaps, someone with an art history background, might. But, it was still a worthwhile time. I think my favorite pieces that I saw there were two Botticelli paintings: The Birth of Venus, and Primavera (both painted in the 1480s). They were both larger than life... just amazing!When we left the Uffizi, we headed over to see the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. As you can see, this bridge is lined with shops. It was originally built in Medieval times when the shops were occupied by butchers. But today, most of the shops sell jewelry.

We also walked to the Pitti Palace. Originally built in Renaissance times, it has been occupied mostly by weathly Florentines, but was once used as a power base for Napolean himself.

After some lunch near Dante's home (as in Dante's Inferno), we headed over to the Accademia Gallery, where we had an appointment to see David.... that's Michelangelo's David, of course. I have to admit, David was impressive. At over 17 feet tall, he was certainly a sight to behold. David was carved by Michelangelo between 1501-1504. In 1504, the statue was unveiled to the Florentine Republic and, because of what it represented (David standing victorious over a larger opponent) it boosted the Florentine's confidence as they faced their own larger opponents of rival city-states.

At the Accademia, we were able to see other statues of Michelangelo including a series of his called Prisoners. It was amazing to see how the figures emerged from the stone. We were also able to see a incredible exhibit about musical instruments that the kids especially appreciated.

When we left the Accademia, we headed to see the Duomo. But, not without stopping for some gelato first. (And by the way, if you haven't seen how they display gelato in the window, this is what it looks like.) I know... tempting.

The Duomo is a magnificent centerpiece to the city of Florence. Also known as the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, this cathedral was constructed from 1296-1436. The cathedral complex also includes the Bapistry which is one of the oldest buildings in all of Florence (constructed between 1059-1128). One highlight of the Baptistry is the set of bronze relief doors created by Lorenzo Ghiberti.Ethan and Tim decided to walk up to the top of the Cathedral Tower to get a better look at the city. Here are a few of their photographs.We finished up our time in Florence with pizza for dinner. And no, we were still not tired of eating pizza!Over all, we enjoyed Florence, but I think we would have appreciated it more if we had a better understanding of the historical significance of this Renaissance city. The city itself was pretty neat, but I think we were spoiled by the charm of seeing Venice first.

My next post will be my last Italy post (sniff, sniff). Get ready to LEAN!!