GOODBYE LONDON TOWN....

After five years in London, we are moving back to the States. Charles has obtained a position at a new firm in Chicago. We will be moving as of July 14th! We are sad to leave London but excited to buy a house. There are many things we will miss about London; it really feels like home to us. Here is a list of the things I will miss about London:

• The ease of travel to Europe and other destinations - I love that it is so easy to take a long weekend trip to Spain or Greece or wherever else. This is by far the thing I will miss the most!



• Great produce - London has great fruits and vegetables that I am afraid I won't get in the States.



• Parks - London has the most beautiful parks that are so well manicured with gorgeous flowers and gardens.



• The English Garden - The English take so much pride in their garden. It is a national trait and I really admire it.



• Being an expatriate



• The diversity - London is much more diverse than anywhere I have ever been (including New York, in my opinion). There are so many different cultures here, it is incredible.



• England in the sun - Even though we don't see much of it, when the sun is out there is nothing better. England is amazing in the sun!



• Daytrips to the country - We have had such lovely daytrips to the countryside here. The little villages are so picturesque and quaint. It is the best break from the fast pace of the city.



• My neighbor Estelle and her family - We have the best landlords/neighbors. They have been incredibly friendly and so nice. Estelle has been Abby and Sammy's Jewish grandmother. She is always giving them presents and spoiling them like her own grandchildren. She always just opens the gate between our gardens and lets them wander in and out of her house playing with the toys. Abby is always asking to go see Estelle.



• Mild Winters - I have never minded the winters here in England. We rarely get much snow if any and it isn't unbareably cold. It is a pretty mild winter if you ask me but then again, we moved here from New York City where I thought I would freeze to death if I stepped outside.
• Our friends - of course we will miss our friends here. Great friends are what make a place feel like home.

Well, that is my list for now. If I think of anything else, I will add it. Charles' last day of work is this Friday (June 13th) so we have a month to play before we leave. We have planned three fun trips to Germany, Istanbul and Croatia. Before I end, here are a few recent pics of the girls.

Sammy bathing her baby

Abby and Sammy watching shows with Daddy

playing in the rain

playing in the rain

Give a 90-Year Old Woman a Heart Attack

Today a friend of mine offered to babysit my children for the morning, so I set out to find a new swim costume (swim suit) for the summer and our upcoming holidays. After finding one I was very pleased with, I returned home. Before I could walk into my house however, my ninety-year old Jewish neighbour Edith approached me. We chatted a little and she said she was not feeling well. She asked if I could take her in my car just up the hill (literally about a block) so that she would not have to walk. I offered to take her all the way to her destination but she refused. So, we hopped in the car. As I pulled out of my driveway, she cautioned me to slow down. She began to chat with me as I drove. As you approach the roundabout at the top of my street, the one side of the road veers off to the left forcing you to turn right onto another road before approaching the roundabout. I have driven it a million times. However, this time when I approached the point where my side of the road veers off I decided not to go left (the way the road goes) but instead just went straight into the roundabout and into oncoming traffic. What in the world was I thinking? I got confused plenty of times when we were home in Utah recently having to adjust to driving on the right-hand side again. I was constantly pulling out into oncoming traffic but since we’ve been back and switched to the left-hand side again, I have had no problems. Why would I choose this moment to get confused? Unfortunately as well, there were quite a few other cars approaching or exiting the roundabout at the exact time so I got some understandable honks. My neighbour Edith freaked out - “What are you doing?” “My heart! My heart!” “Do you know what a dangerous driver you are.” “I should have walked.” “Oh my heart!” – were a few of the things she repeated to me after the incident. Yes, I felt like an absolute idiot! I was not even capable of driving this poor old woman one block up the road in safety! I am sure all our neighbours will know about the incident by this time tomorrow and I am doubly sure she will talk to Charles (who she told me she secretly admires and would steal from me if she were fifty years younger) about this event and tell him he should not allow me to drive. Oh well, I guess she won’t be asking for any more rides….

A Peaceful Evening

Charles is off with a friend to see the new Indiana Jones movie tonight, so in his absence I made fish which is what I always make when he is gone (he hates fish). Anyway, as I was preparing this lovely delicacy, Sammy smashed her finger in one of the kitchen drawers. She was crying and after I comforted her a bit, I changed her nappy. She was still sniffling when Abby came over to comfort her as well. She offered Sammy her hand to hold while I finished with her nappy and then talked to her in the sweetest little voice asking where it hurt and if she could help kiss it better. She then offered to help Sammy lie down. Sammy liked this idea so Abby took her into her bedroom and offered her bed to her. Sammy laid down and Abby put the blanket up over her. She ran to get Sammy's favorite stuffed bunny and then proceeded to read Sammy books for the next hour. She eventually got in the bed as well and continued reading. Abby loves to be a little mother to Sammy. She loves to play school where I drop Sammy off at school and Abby is the teacher. She also loves to play Sammy's mother. I come to their house (the closet) and knock on the door to see if Sammy can play. Abby always calls her Samantha when she is her mother. She is very protective of her but Sammy is quite an obedient child for her so she is lucky. Anyway, please don't think that every night at our house is like this because it certainly is not that is why this one was of special note. I loved quietly preparing my lovely fish meal as I listened to it all.

Here is a picture of my fish dinner. Please don't think that I cook like this all the time. I just thought I would treat myself tonight...

Here is a picture that Abby drew of our family recently. I believe it is the first picture where I can actually tell what she has drawn - four people with heads and sticks for bodies. I was very proud of her. However, I wonder which one I am...

Golders Hill Park

Golders Hill Park is one of London's many gorgeous parks. This one however, happens to be very near our house.

Back to Reading....

So, I started reading "I, Elizabeth" by Rosalind Miles a few weeks ago, which is a six-hundred page book about Queen Elizabeth. It seems rather interesting and will be a great read but I am just not in the mood at the moment. Charles makes fun of me for starting books and then not finishing but some books just don't do it for me at the time. I just need to put them back on the shelf and take them out at a future date. I have not been reading for the past couple weeks. I have just been lazy, surfing the internet and talking on the phone mainly. However, I finally got motivation again when I decided to order two new books off Amazon the other day. I ordered "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok and "The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham. I am excited about both books and they look like quick reads which is what I am totally in the mood for. I saw "The Painted Veil" movie and loved it and "The Chosen" is just a great classic book that I must read while I still live in Jewish London. We have a few trips planned in the next month or two, so I hope to have lots of time to read them. But then again, I may have them read before then because I have plenty of time at night after Abby and Sam have gone to bed to do that. Tonight for instance, Charles is headed to the movies with friends so it is the perfect opportunity to read. Then you may ask, what am I doing blogging???

Party House

This past Friday, I threw a party for our good friend Ana Perlini who just finished three years of university to get her bachelor's in sociology. It was a big achievement for Ana, especially since she is not a native English speaker. So, we had a party at my house in honor of Ana. Above, you can see me BBQ-ing. I don't need a man to BBQ, these days I do it myself. I take it very seriously and I must say, it feels empowering! However, I learned a vital lesson. After the party, the coals were burning so nicely that I decided to BBQ some chicken for dinner. I put five chicken breasts on the grill and promptly forgot about them. They were charcoaled. Lesson: you shouldn't BBQ and let things distract you. Fortunately, the kebabs for the party turned out great!


The food





Left to right: Ana's friend from Portugal, Emily, and Tracy

Sara Rovetto and the babies

Peggy and Ana's friend

Left to right: Jennifer Ross, Abby, Sammy, Tracy, Ian Gillings, Ana Perlini, Jack Ross, Jamie Hunter, Debbie Hunter and Lizzie Hunter

A different little "party" with Sammy and her friends - Sam Bishop and Lizzie Hunter

Tea party with Daddy

flowers in our garden

intellectual Sammy

Sammy Montage

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