June 18, 2006

Dear all,

I hope all you fathers out there enjoyed your special
day. We had a nostolgic day in the Forest of Deans
riding on an old steam engine. Aidan was in heaven!
Certainly one highlight was the gift store that had in
stock every Thomas the Tank engine thing you could
ever imagine. I cannot begin to describe Aidan's pure
joy. Look around your room right now. I can
guartantee that anything you can name has been made
with a Thomas the Tank Engine logo. Thankfully, we
were able to pull him away pretty easily when it was
time to watch the steam engine roll into the station.

Michael and Siobhan are packing for their overnight at
Cheltenham College. It is a camping experience quite
different from Prairie Crossing Charter School! The
list of items to bring is mind boggling despite the
fact that all camping equipment is provided! Posh,
posh! In Prairie Crossing, the kids are encouraged to
bring as little as possible on their camping trips.
They are there for the environmental aspect. They run
with sticks. Very old fashion. Here, for one night,
they need three sweatshirts, three pairs of pants,
shorts, pajamas, hat, mittens, camping pads, sleeping
bags, insect repellent (?) sun screen, bathing suit,
towel, toiletry bag, I could go on. They will have
fun, though, and are doing lifesaving and kayaking (in
the swimming pool) among other activities.

Ryan was able to play in two cricket matches this
week. He is rarely seen without his cricket bat. He
just loves the game. Aidan and Ryan share this love
and together they play cricket in our garden almost
every night. Aidan with a bat (albeit plastic) is
scary and downright dangerous, but Ryan is very
patient and I love to watch them play together. The
highlight of Ryan's week was playing in the away match
on Saturday: he got to ride on the coach busses!
Additionally, the tea at the school they played was
"the best". They served jelly donuts, chocolate
sandwiches, chips, popsicles (ice lollies), juice and
hot dogs.

Things around Cheltenham are still all about the World
Cup. Last time England played, I kept hearing this
low noise. Hardly audible, but irritating- like a
motor running constantly. I couldn't figure it out
until I went outside and walked down the block. The
noise was an entire city singing an unsynchoronized
chorus of the England Fight Song! After the win, the
shirtless men and their girlfriends sporting tissue
tee halter tops and fake tans stumbled down our street
singing at the top of their lungs. Aside from that,
the latest news is that the post man's bike was stolen
and a man named Paul John George Ringo Crawford was
charged with robbing a man outside the Burger King.
We must be in England.

Currently, we are having the hallways painted in the
house. The sherbert green walls that I honestly
thought I could live with haunted me. Had to go.
Couldn't do two years with them. Now they are a
beautiful historical white in keeping with the
Regency townhouse that it is. I can already feel the
house stretching and moaning and coming alive with its
makeover! It so badly wanted to be stately and
elegant again! The halls go up four flights so this
will be so much more cheerful and will be a nuetral
background for all our priceless art (note to self:
must buy priceless art...) Most importantly, it will
allow our french door that leads into our back garden
to really "pop". Currently, it is shrouded in green
and the beautiful garden out back is lost.


Our garden is very English. It is walled on all
sides. Ivory and pale pink roses, flowers in shades of
purple and at least four different types of ancient
ivy grow wild up the sides. Clearly this ivy has
remained undisturbed for generations until we moved
in. A few weeks ago, a cricket ball (larger than a
golf ball, smaller than a tennis ball) got lost in the
ivy and the boys ripped down a section in their
pursuit of it. Thankfully, I came out in time to stop
the massacre (and then started my own). Cricket balls
have now been replaced with cans of used tennis balls
(so as to ensure little to no bounce!) purchased at
the thrift store around the block.

We sit outside with a glass of wine at night and
listen to the church choir practice or the classical
music from the lovely and very civilized middle aged
couple's home next door. The cat who adopted us sits
at our feet. We drink in the fragrant roses and
flowers and relax. So peaceful. Then, like a needle
screeching across your favorite album, the children
discend with their sporting equipment and their needs.
The rest of the evening is spent guarding our drinks
and heads from various fly balls and disciplining
those that are still prone to throwing rocks. We have
just ordered a sweet bistro set (soft green). Not too
fussy and best of all, it will allow us to put our
drinks up on a table and at least LOOK civilized!

Ahh. I digress into an Under the Tuscan Sun moment.
Without the recipes. I miss my dad this Fathers Day.
We are looking forward to my parents arrival in a few
weeks. I was, at first, feeling pressure to find the
perfect pub for my dad to "get to know the locals".
Then I realized its always good to give guests a
job...

Jim is in the States this week so if you see a guy
that looks like him, it just might be him. An
emergency poker game has been called.

Love,

T