Christmas tree

I didn't think it was possible. We left all our Christmas decorations--even our Christmas stockings (what was I thinking?) in England. So I was skeptical about the possibility of having a tree. But we will be here for Christmas, and therefore we needed a tree. (Ok, I realize that 'need' is used pretty loosely here...) 

And there it is. We borrowed a tree stand and bought some lights. The children made some decorations, I strung some popcorn, and Lewis bought a few things. I found a use for a bit of tulle I had bought on clearance sometime in August. We managed. Eventually we'll get something for the top--we haven't got anything even in storage in England, though I can't explain why. Every year, we say, look, we haven't got a star or an angel or anything. We should do something about that. And then we say it all again the next year. 

Come to think of it, the whole thing was a bit easier without all the boxes of ornaments and lights to untangle. No digging things out of storage, no dust, no struggling with our old tree stand. And those stockings were huge--Santa always seemed to have difficulty getting them properly full...and then they wouldn't stay on their hooks... Yes, this Christmas-away thing has much to recommend it, actually.

This year, we hope for snow. Sledding and such, and a white Christmas. But as it's still Advent I won't jump to the traditional wishes. That will have to wait. 

In the meantime, I think it's time for more mulled wine.

November snow

What a surprise to find ourselves in the midst of a snowstorm when it was time for trick-or-treating on Halloween! That snow didn't last, but last Thursday's (13th of November) snow (which surprised everyone else here) is still around. I therefore learned to drive in snow the way that some people learn to swim: being chucked off the diving board in the deep end. I made it through without incident, though there were 144 traffic accidents in South Bend on that day.

I think we all prefer the colder, snowy conditions to the usual grey and rainy, just-above-freezing days that are so common through the late fall (autumn!) and winter months in County Durham. The kids found lots to do:

The weather this weekend will be more of what we'd expect back in England: cool (up to 52F) and rainy. What's left of the snow on our sledding hill will likely be gone by Monday.

But we're sure it will be back before too long.

Begging your pardon

Since returning to the US, I have been told time and time again that I have picked up an English accent. Although this was never my intention and I wish I could swap back instantly to a native Californian accent upon arrival, it doesn't surprise me greatly. There are two reasons for this, at least.

First, my husband is English. Not only that, but he likes the difference of my non-English accent and so enjoys teasing me when I say things like garr-den, Robin Hood, and, as recently as ten minutes ago Ber-nard (instead of Ber-nard). I love my husband dearly, but I hate being teased, and so I have learned to say Robin Hood, though I still pronounce the 'r' in garden, and clearly haven't worked out how to say Bernard.

Which brings me, in a way, to a second thing: my use of British expressions, liked 'worked out' (something we do more in the gym than in our heads here) instead of 'figured out', which is what I would have said in 1999. I confess that that expression is just habit--you hear it enough, and you start to say it. But there are other expressions that are so economical. 'Anything you want washing?' just takes fewer words than 'is there anything you want me to wash?' Of course, now I can't think of another... But sentence construction in general is essential to being understood. So here in the States, I am finding I have to rearrange my words, put them back in American order, and then inflect them properly. Or, hang on, should I say 'correctly' rather than 'properly'? Obviously I have been away too long.

Coming home (sort of--South Bend, IN, isn't Manhattan Beach, CA!), I find it strange that I enjoy things I never really missed. Who would have thought a Notre Dame football game would make me feel at home so profoundly? And NPR. I used to sometimes poke fun at the way topics were presented on programs like 'Fresh Air' (I had already gotten used to the way British journalists interview: no mercy!). But the sound of a familiar voice on the radio is oddly soothing.

I loved living in England, and I expect to return to England when our time at Notre Dame is over. By then, however, I do hope I'll have to remember to say "sorry" when Americans would say "excuse me" or, well, a whole host of other things. I'll probably never sound completely American again (see above re: husband), but I'm not likely ever to forget where I came from.

13

Anna's birthday cake: red velvet--her request

yummy!

first fried mozzarella sticks...what's not to like??

...and a visit from our friend Catherine to complete the celebration!

Anna is 13! We had cake before dinner, I confess. But why not? It's not every day that your eldest becomes a teenager. And supper at Legends (on Notre Dame's campus) was great--nobody's appetite was spoiled by a little cake.

Three moments

...in reverse chronological order

1. Anna has had her first practice session with the Special Olympics group. Go Anna! Next time I think I will get in, as well...and there won't be any photos of either of us.

2. Iain's last day of homeschooling. He and Lucy had a great time on the slide! Iain has just started at the Catholic Montessori school here, which is cantered on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. I am volunteering (while Thomas gets a lesson from his dad) at the school, assisting with the catechesis--a far cry from the teaching I have been doing for the last 8 years! More on that to follow, I think.

3. Walking out the door on game day (since we live a block from the stadium) requires the proper apparel. Notre Dame spirit wear is necessary, especially when the Wolverines (Michigan) come to town. (If you followed the game, you'll know that the Fighting Irish won't meet them again on the field for a decade or more, and that ND sent them home without letting them score a single point.)

 

The home stretch

By this time next Sunday, we'll be asleep (I hope) in a hotel in Isernia. Between now and then, there's a lot to do: move the rest of our things into storage and clean the house, finish marking and packing up my office, prepare for traveling, and get there. And there's sports day and the concert at the boys' school to attend this week, which can't be missed. (Iain's class are all learning to play the violin. Their performance is exactly what you would expect from 7 year olds who have a 15-minute lesson once a week during term time. Still, you'd think they were all Itzhak Perlman, we're so ridiculously proud of them.)

 

So we are moving on from our house in this little village in northeast England. I expect that there will be plenty of news in the next few months, as we settle in the Midwest and begin homeschooling. Stay tuned.

no news

While it may be true that no news is good news, it's not exactly so in this case. Not that the news is bad, but that 'no news' is a failure on the part of the reporter rather than the absence of news.

The news--now no longer so very new--is that we are on the move again. This time it is a temporary move, to South Bend, IN, where Lewis will be a resident fellow at Notre Dame's Institute for Advanced Study. We'll see how we weather the midwest winter, and discover the true meaning of those three little words we associate with the area: lake effect snow. Any complaints about the inclemency of NE England's winter will be forgotten by Christmas, I imagine.

In the US, we'll have plenty of other new experiences as well. Anna will discover the joys and tribulations of middle school, as a pupil in the special ed section. We hope that interacting with typically developing peers at school will be a good experience for her. Lucy starts preschool in September, having turned 3 (I can't believe it!) in May. Thomas, Iain, and I will embark on a very different kind of adventure, as we try homeschooling. The hope is that we can keep the boys basically on track to rejoin their year groups next May.

Lucy enjoyed her birthday celebrations, of which there were a few: presents in the morning (above), cake with her godmother on the day (right), and a lovely sweater from grandma (below). Being three hasn't diminished the cuteness, but the mischief factor seems to be increasing steadily. The naughty step has a new occupant, and Lucy is good at finding ways to get herself put there! Nothing out of the ordinary, though--and getting into stuff might be naughty, but it shows a healthy intelligence and curiosity, as well as a growing independence.

Next birthday, we'll be in Indiana, hopefully enjoying a warm spring. When we do return to the UK, we'll have a new address as well--and I will have a different job. I've given up my post and will return as a research fellow: less teaching, more writing.

We'll be sad to say goodbye to our little corner of the northeast, even if it isn't forever. It is a beautiful part of the world, and I will miss the gently rolling hills and the sheep I see on my way to work.

I promise to be more regular in updating this blog--lots will be happening.  So although I may fail to report sometimes, that doesn't mean there isn't any news!

To the lighthouse

 

 

 

It was windy along the cliff top!

 

Souter Lighthouse--with a very handy play area in front.

 

Lucy loves to slide:)

 

Inside, lots of dressing-up things keet us occupied and out of the wind.

 

Day trips

Our Saturdays have been taken up with football for the last 18 months or so. We used to visit castles on Saturday, quite often. After many weekends that seemed to involve mostly housework and trying to keep the kids from watching too much TV, we've gone to see some new things these past couple of weekends. Iain's class had a trip to Souter Lighthouse that captured his imagination; we went back to see it as a family last weekend and had a great time. Today we had a reprieve from football and went further afield, to Bamburgh Castle. Because Bamburgh is on the coast, just south of Holy Island (Lindisfarne), we have seen it at a distance a number of times. Finally, we went all that way and didn't go to Lindisfarne! And we were delighted with it. The castle is amazingly complete--usually we go to see ruined castles. Bamburgh has the distinction of being both very old (Lewis would remember the exact date it was first mentioned, but it is in the middle of the sixth century) and very well looked after.

Enough with the narrative, though. What you want are the photos. Go to Bamburgh Castle if ever you get the chance!

 

 

 

Rat fink

If you have ever played rat fink, chances are you haven't played it according to my family's rules. I googled it once, trying to remember all the details. Wikipedia and many other internet sources identify 'rat fink' with a version of Egyptian ratscrew. That is, it is a game like Hearts, with taking tricks and so forth. It has been so long since I played Hearts that I would need to be taught all over again.

But I remember playing rat fink, around the table at my grandparents' house, when I was old enough to play and young enough that my grandmother's aim was to help me win. You know that age. It was a lot more like Uno than Hearts, except without the possibility of reversing the direction of play. I was a terrible loser, so the experience of the game was often bitter. That wasn't the important bit, though. The important bit was the family, gathered around the table--cousins, aunt and uncle, parents, grandparents. There was hardly room to move in the room once we had all taken our places, all squeezed into the small dining area next to the kitchen.

I loved being there, even if I hated losing. Eventually, I started to teach the children to play--hence the internet search. (Somehow it was the middle of the night in California when I was trying to remember if an ace was really worth 20 points, and things like that. Otherwise I would just have called my dad.) And the kids took to it. It is a bit more difficult, since Lucy is still far too little to play, and would rather snatch the cards from my hands, and because it takes all 5 of the rest of us really to get a game going. There's potential there, though, for some family fun, not least because the person who seems keenest to play is Anna.

Out of the blue, she'll say, 'I want to play rat fink'. That's my girl--far better than I ever was, because she is a team player and is as delighted when someone wins, even when she isn't the winner. I can teach the rules, but I still have a lot to learn about playing the game.