local color

Iain's comment about the event to the left: 'I fell in the puddle'--indeed so. He did 'fall' in the puddle, but only in the course of running through it. Although he had been asked to stay out of it, once he was soaked there didn't seem much point in keeping him on dry land, so I got the camera. We were having a picnic just down the road from our house, and Iain was distracted from lunch by the pond-like puddle. Eventually the temptation proved too much for him! Someone observed that some wellies might have helped, but boots would have filled up with water--even before Iain fell--since the puddle was so deep. His crocs were just the thing!

We don't have to go far, though, to get into the water: the pond in which Thomas is 'fishing' is in the back garden. The children all love throwing things into the pond and splashing each other, both of which are strictly prohibited. Of course these rules are difficult to enforce! The pond is teeming with tadpoles, but we have seen only one frog so far.

By far the most popular local attraction is the ponies, who live behind the B&B a few houses down from us. Anna especially loves to visit the ponies, and--if they're close enough to the fence--to feed them. During the summer holidays we have plenty of opportunities to see the ponies and take the long way home--down the railway path and back through the field.

We're hoping to spend a little more time with some new friends. One of our colleagues in the Department of Theology and Religion has two daughters, aged 2 and 4. The 2-year-old will be three just a couple of weeks after Iain, so they play well together. Friends have been the missing element, of course, of the summer holidays so far. Today, however, we're off for a day out, headed north to Tynemouth on the recommendation of a local. Let's go!

walking

One of the great things about our new place is its location: very close to the walking paths that connect Durham to Ushaw Moor, Bishop Auckland, and Lanchester--just to name a few of the nearby towns. The morning walk is wonderful, especially with the sun rising so early. By eight, the sun is high, if hidden by clouds.

Summer in Britain is not hot and sunny. Mostly it is cool, often cloudy, and one can never depend on having a rainless day. But one can depend on great foliage, interesting skies and a ruined castle to visit on a nice afternoon. To the right is Prudhoe castle, which we visited a couple of weeks ago. The moat has been converted into a path around the castle, which was just the right length for the kids to walk. And we finished just in time to beat the rain back to the car.

jeans in july

My least favorite thing about summer in Atlanta was putting my jeans away, knowing it probably wouldn't be cool enough to wear them again until October or so. I know, native southerners can wear jeans all summer long. I don't know how they do it.

Durham, England is another story. Yesterday I was walking along Palace Green and saw a group of what looked like first-year university students heading toward the Cathedral. As it began to rain, I watched them don raincoats and put up umbrellas--and noticed that more than three-quarters of them were wearing jeans. And so was I. It did feel a little strange, to be honest. My expectations for July, having lived in the southern half of the US all my life, involve weather that is generally too hot for me.

Can this be July? O happy day!

shutterbug

Thomas and I took a walk yesterday. Iain was soaked from running through a puddle almost large enough to qualify as a pond, and the picnic lunch was over. So Lewis drove home with Anna and Iain, while Thomas and I explored Broompark Woods. The weather cooperated beautifully, although clouds had threatened earlier in the day.

Since my iPhone takes decent photos, I often record family moments or interesting views--as I did on our walk yesterday. Thomas was desperate to take some pictures, so I showed him how to use the iPhone camera and offered to be his first subject. He wasn't much interested in me, to be honest, but dutifully used the camera's guide (a square frame that helps you to compose the picture) to place me in the middle of the photo. Then he wanted to try photographing some scenery. This is the shot he took on the way home: "I want to take a picture of those two clouds in the sun," he said.

Not at all bad, really.

An English Day

Yesterday we had the first truly rainy day. It rained all day, the wind was cold, and we had a fire in the fireplace in the evening (for the second time this week). Anna, Thomas and Iain went off to their respective schools in the morning, and I headed out to do some errands in and around Durham's market square. With the kids taken care of and the weather discouraging, I thought it would be a great morning for shopping.

My first discovery was that the Monsoon half-yearly sale brings people (mostly women, some children, and a few bored-looking men obviously there for their packhorse skills) out no matter what the weather. My second discovery was that whatever my style is--and I am not sure I have one--Monsoon doesn't carry it. For babies and girls, though, the clothes cannot be beat--expensive, but beautiful. By the time I found something I might buy, the line (sorry--the queue) was too long for me.

I headed on to my most important errand: buy some good walking shoes. I found myself in Cotswold, a store that looks like a smaller version of REI. I breathed a huge sigh of relief--home. Maybe there is somewhere to buy clothes, after all. Not only that, but I had a conversation with someone in the shop--two someones, actually. I made my third discovery of the morning, which was that there is a fitness culture

in Britain: the other customer looking at shoes told me about a sprint triathlon he was doing on Sunday. Unfortunately, even over here triathlons seem to involve bikes with skinny tires. Oh, well. It's not like I was going to start training today--it's just nice to know that it's out there, and it will be there when I get there, whenever that might be.

Anna and Iain had their last day of school on Friday; Thomas goes until Wednesday of next week. Then the summer stretches before us, without a pool, camp, or vacation Bible school.

We'll be exploring the local woods and having picnics whenever the weather permits. On rainy days, I see lots and lots of arts and crafts happening over the next 7 weeks. Mostly, we'll be missing our friends in Atlanta, and remembering fondly afternoons by our pool with everybody. Oh, and we'll be sending you all postcards. Lots of them.

Sports day

Anna's school had sports day (as far as I can tell, it's the equivalent of field day in US elementary schools) last week, and she didn't enjoy it much. Too much noise, too many parents and kids, and far too much of the 'do this now' that cramps her individual style. (It should be noted, though, that the child who hated sports day is the same child who came in first in the 50m for her age group in a special olympics event in May!)

Thomas, on the other hand, had a blast. He got a first in one race, even, and a second and a third in others. He was so enthusiastic and determined to participate that he substituted for some less eager kids from his class. My grasp of the way these things work is hardly complete, but from what I could gather, the school was divided into four teams: blue, red, yellow and green, with children from each grade level on each team. Thomas' team came in first, I think, though I don't quite know how they calculated that! The important thing was that Thomas enjoyed the day thoroughly and succeeded at a school event, which pleased us all.

Next week the nitty-gritty of Anna's school assessment begins. She will be evaluated by the educational psychologist on Monday and be seen by a member of the pediatrics team at the local children's hospital on Tuesday. We don't expect anything earth-shattering; the local educational authority (which seems to be like a school district) simply wants to make its own assessment of Anna to accompany the information provided by her school in Atlanta.

Summer holidays begin the 17th of July. It is strange having the kids in school so late into the summer! We are planning some day trips rather than a longer vacation away from home. Durham still feels sufficiently away from 'home' that yet another new place seemed unnecessary. It was a hard choice, giving up the week we usually spend at the beach, though. Spending a day at Tynemouth just won't be the same!

monday

For most people, Monday means heading to the office. I didn't get to spend much time in my office yesterday, but today I actually did some work there. Iain went to nursery around 9:00, and I headed up the road, then up the stairs (three flights) to my new-to-me office. This is one thing to love about it:

It's on the top floor of one of the buildings (5 The College) in the cathedral close. While it's not especially close to Abbey House, where the Department of Theology and Religion offices are, the 5-minute walk isn't too terribly far to go to check my mailbox and get a cup of tea.

quite a day

1. How not to get lost in County Durham: (a) ask for directions; (b) retrace your steps. Today, since there was nobody around, and because it was less than two hours until the start of Mass, I chose option (b). Of course, I only resorted to option (b) after I had tried the public footpath that went through the stream and then in a direction I was pretty sure was wrong. Back through the stream, up the hill (squish, squish, squish) and onto the road, then back along the bike path, down the hill and up again to the picnic tables I ran (and walked some), and then noticed the sign telling me that the path I had wrongly chosen almost three-quarters of an hour earlier headed to Bishop Auckland. Oh, well. I suppose trial and error isn't necessarily a bad way to get to know a place. I saw a peacock and what appeared to be his mate, and ran past a farm that must have had a bull, judging from the sounds coming from the barn. All in all, not a bad morning. And we weren't even late for church.

2. After church, Anna had her own walkabout through the streets of Durham. Although everyone thought she had headed upstairs, continuing her exploration of the residence at St Cuthbert's, she had taken herself for a walk. Even Fr Tony got involved in the search. Fortunately Anna's guardian angel is really on the ball, and she was fine. Even found a new playground we'll try--together!!--some Sunday after church.

3. Not surprisingly, the search and rescue mission threw our lunch plans into a bit of a tailspin. Since the weather was nice (still! it's amazing!), we decided to try out the picnic area. After all the fuss, it was nice to spread out the blanket in the shade and have a bite to eat together. The kids actually sat (well, Iain wasn't stationary for long) and enjoyed the experience; then they climbed the tree. Lewis and I had a brief conversation, even. Imagine that! So the day ended beautifully despite my wrong turns and Anna's worrying, if brief, disappearance.

Just 8.00 and they're all asleep. We really did have quite a day.

sheep in the night

For a native of a small, southern-California coastal town, the bleating of sheep still comes as a surprise. Lying in bed at night (not in the darkness--we only have a few hours of that in July), with the window open, I hear sheep. Sitting out on the patio in the afternoon, I hear sheep. Taking a walk along the bike/pedestrian path, I hear sheep. 

Not only that: yesterday I found myself offering information about our local sheep, who occupy a pasture across the street. Lewis hadn't seen them in a few days, I suppose, and thought they still wore their thick winter wool. No, I said--they've been shorn. He looked at me quizzically. 'I saw them this morning,' I explained. 

It's a strange combination, sheep and seagulls. But it seems to be working for me.  

the weather

The rain seems to be working only part-time this week. Although we had an absolute downpour yesterday evening (complete with the lightning and thunder so common in the Southeast US), today began brightly, with warm sunshine and pleasant breezes. 

As I walked the footpath that leads to the disused railway line, I felt oddly at home. It is odd, partly, because I certainly don't look like I am at home. And it is odd because I have not lived anywhere this lovely in such a long time that I can't help but think I must be on vacation. Finally, it is odd because I am from somewhere that doesn't look remotely like the North of England.

And yet there's that sunshine--strange as it is for Durham--coupled with the cooling breeze. If weather were my only guide, I might guess I was back home in Manhattan Beach (in which case the seagull I spotted this morning would have served as evidence as well). The landscape says otherwise, of course. There are no sheep-strewn fields in my hometown, or stone-built houses; there were no Roman ruins to visit on a Saturday, and not a single medieval abbey or castle to see. 

No, this is definitely not 'home', not in the exterior particulars. Fair skin and nothern accents, hedgerows and good, thick mud, tea shops and newsagents--all these things tell me I am somewhere I don't belong. Not really. But then, a short girl with curly-crazy brown hair and poor volleyball skills didn't seem like a Manhattan Beach native--I have been told I don't 'look' like I am from California. But I liked it there, and I like it here, and I suppose that's what really matters.