OK, we have been remiss on posting updates. The most common theme in recent questions from family and friends was the Royal Wedding - did we go (no), what was happening here (people made it a holiday weekend), how many items to do we have with Wills and Kate's faces (two), etc.
In summary, we had a low-key Royal Wedding celebration. The day was declared a bank holiday here and schools and many businesses were closed - expect Oundle School (sound familiar?). It was Mike's first day in the class he is teaching so we stayed put in Oundle. He was home by 10:45 - just in time for the first glimpse of Kate and The Dress - not sure it mattered to him. Before the wedding, most people here seemed more interested in the fact that they had a four-day weekend (Monday, May 2 was the May Day bank holiday) than in the wedding. That said, Jack's playgroup had a "fancy dress" party the day before and he got a commemorative mug (item 1 with Wills and Kate). Ian's school had a picnic and celebrated by wearing red and blue (no uniforms). And in the end, even the non-Royalists seemed to enjoy the hoopla.
Since we didn't go to London, here is a photo of the local bridal shop's Royal Wedding display (those are glittery strips of the Union Jack on the bodice):
Jack dressed and ready for his playgroup party:
It is hard to believe we have been gone for 1.5 months. Realizing we needed to schedule weekend activities, I bought a 99p Royal Wedding Calendar (item 2 with Wills and Kate). Our recent activities have included a "point to point" horse race where Mike bet on the winning horse three races in a row (and then we left before his luck ran out), several great playgrounds (Burghley House Garden of Surprises and Barnwell Park), our first (and probably last) monster truck show, a long walk in a beautiful forest carpeted with bluebells, and a trip to Oakham (home of another boarding school and castle grounds dating back to 1100s). And there was Mike's pilgrimage to Woolsthorpe - birthplace and childhood home of Sir Isaac Newton, complete with the apple tree. No joke, it was a pilgrimage! I am hoping for a stop at Jane Austen's home on our way to Portsmouth this weekend.
A little bit our of daily life. Our neighbors have a four-year-old boy and five-year-old girl and have become fast friends with Ian and Jack. Emelia and Ian scooter to school together with Jack keeping pace and the moms race walking to keep up. I head into London several days a week. The commute is long but manageable. Jack goes to a local playgroup three mornings a week and a daycare for two full days. We can walk to the schools and all the shops which is fantastic except on those occasions when I buy too many groceries. The school buildings are scattered throughout the town and kids pass through the center of town on their way to and from classes (which means quick stops into the local bakery and coffee shop). Mike's aunt and uncle live in town and have been taking great care of us, including babysitting until late hours so we could enjoy an adult dinner party. Today Ian and Jack started their weekly cricket lessons.
Holding owls at the truck show. These owls were rescued by a group called Berkley Owls which holds public education events at fairs and schools.
In the stockades in Oakham after misbehaving at lunch...
Oakham Castle's Great Hall built in 1180:
Woolsthorpe:
Laxton Jr.'s 6th year class in front of The Tree!
Dingley horse race reminded me of the Piston Cup with the spectators' cars parked stadium style up the hill. Can you see the horses just in front of the line of cars?
Full English breakfast - yumm.
I am not a birder but can't help be impressed that pheasants wander along country roads, peacocks torment diners at the local pub, owls woke us up the other day, and kites fly low overhead in search of food.
Water fun at Burghley House on Easter Monday:
