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.

almost lost

...but not quite. Today I went for a little run, after the kids were off to school. Or so I thought. We have a lovely path behind our house--it used to be a railway line, and now is used by runners, walkers and cyclists. It runs for miles, and I thought I would explore it a bit this morning. So I headed out in the direction of Ushaw College, where I will be doing some teaching this fall, which is only a couple of miles down the road. I knew I wouldn't get all the way there and back this morning (being somewhat out of practice), and I knew that the path intersected with a road that would lead me back home.

Or so I thought.

I headed up the road confidently, expecting that I would soon see the familiar sights of Broompark to reassure me. Instead, I saw a sign welcoming me (and safe drivers) to Ushaw Moor. No problem, I thought, I'll just carry on and then head back toward the path; that should get me back to the B6302 (the road that runs in front of our little neighborhood). I ran up, and up, and up, gradually realizing that I was headed away from the B6302, and from Broompark.

Perhaps at this point I ought to have turned around. Or asked for directions.

Instead, I carried on, trusting in my innate sense of direction (really, I did well running in Paris, Austin, and a random town in Ohio--just ask Kelly). Eventually another sign welcomed me to Bearpark. Now Anna has a friend from school whose family lives in Bearpark, and I had intended to visit. But not this morning. At least I knew that Bearpark's main road headed back in the general direction of Durham, and how to get back to Broompark from there. 

Only it didn't. At least not in the way I thought it would. So I took the next public footpath (these things are great, if not signposted in great detail) that looked like it headed in the right direction. By this time I had been gone about an hour, and was a little concerned that Lewis might be worried. Since I was still on the map, so to speak, and recognized place names, I wasn't worried. When I came to the crossroads-of-sorts, I had to choose a direction: toward Bishop Auckland (to the south) or Durham city centre. Since I know how to get home from the city, I thought that made sense. 

Maybe so, but the road didn't look like I expected it to. I spotted a woman pushing a baby in a stroller, and thought I would swallow my pride and ask for directions. She looked a bit (ok, maybe more than a bit) suspicious when I stopped and said, 'Excuse me.' Who could blame her? I was outfitted for a run, and would have looked a lot less out of place on the Strand in my hometown. So I cut to the chase: 'I am completely lost,' I said. Turns out that's a pretty good way to disarm a stranger. 'Right,' she said. 'Where do you want to be?' 'Broompark,' I said. She directed me to continue on, down the hill and up again, until I saw the sign for Bearpark (yes, Bearpark), and take the public footpath...

well, I did. And she was right. How was I to know that at that crossroads-of-sorts I was supposed to take the lane that looked like it should only be used by tractors?

Durham, finally

Well, here we are. Anna, Iain and I arrived last Saturday. Fortunately Amanda, our longtime babysitter, was able to accompany me across the Atlantic. Although the flight was uneventful, Friday was incredibly busy and crazy. Thanks to lots of help from friends (one of whom we met by sheer good luck just after passing through security), we made it!

Anna is settling in, and enjoying her new school. She still misses her friends from Coralwood, and mentions them daily. Thomas has been in school since the 1st of June, and has made friends. Even Iain had a wonderful first day at nursery school! This week I have meetings about my job, and we are continuing to get our house in order. We'll post pictures as soon as I can get my own computer up and running!

cheers!