Iain

The photo says it all: he's moving, he's happy. He tells elaborate tales and remembers the names of movie characters, friends at school, our parish priest back in Atlanta. He scribbles, and explains his drawings in detail. He asks his siblings what they did at school, and poses questions like, 'What did you have for lunch today, Anna?' At church last Sunday he said the Hail Mary with the rest of the congregation (despite usually fidgeting and refusing to say prayers at home), and paid attention to the Eucharistic liturgy, making observations that were astounding. He loves school, and is happy to get home again. He puts things away. (That may be the biggest miracle of all!!) He really does seem to be growing up.

...but he's totally uninterested in potty training. Oh well, you can't win them all.

Farm shop

We visited a farm shop a couple of weeks ago. Lewis is running out of charcoal for the Big Green Egg, and I wasn't keen on another day trip to the Edinburgh area--which is where we picked up the last lot. Not that I mind Edinburgh, of course. Not only is it a lovely city, but it has a Starbucks. Still, it is a long way to go even for charcoal and a latte.

So he found a farm shop on the far side of Newcastle that seemed to carry just the sort of charcoal he needed. (If you want to know, you'll have to ask him, or check out the Big Green Egg website. It's hard to say which would represent the Egg and its surpassing greatness with more enthusiasm.)

Of course the farm shop itself, though really lovely, was not the ideal place for Anna, Thomas and Iain to let off steam. The end of a rainy morning inside is a good time for a trip to a playground or a walk on the railway paths. A neat and rather upscale farm shop--not so much. Lunch was not our greatest success, either. But the thing about Thomas, Anna and Iain is that they like being outside as much as their parents do. A path seems almost magical in its ability to bring out the best in all three children (not to mention their exasperated parents). And there are Anna and Thomas, doing on the path what they refuse to do on those occasions when a simultaneous smile in the direction of the camera is required.

So much for the cute Santa photo: this is about as good as it gets.

first frost

A couple of Saturdays ago, I went out for a morning walk, and the trees and grass sparkled with frost. Amazing--the fall is slipping away and I still have to get busy with the Christmas shopping.

Part of the reason the time is flying is that I started a new job on November 2. It's only half-time, but with what I was already doing, it fills up my schedule pretty completely. So I have neglected the blog, all my friends on Facebook, and the housework. The kids have each had a bout of illness, too, which doesn't help. Fortunately, their bugs were extremely short-lived and not passed on to the grown-ups.

What we have been up to otherwise is, of course, a long story, covering the last six weeks or so.

We carved pumpkins:

And we took a wonderful family trip (with Tommy) to Hadrian's Wall:

...and we keep on doing the usual sorts of things--building towers out of Legos and blocks, creating ever-more-intricate railroads, walking on the railway paths and playing at the picnic ground.

The next few weeks promise to be busy with work, birthday parties (two next Saturday and one on the 29th of November), and a Thanksgiving celebration on the 28th--we don't have Thursday off! Just in case you're wondering, Atlanta friends: we still miss you! Look for a card, eventually, and send us your address if you think we may not have it. We'll send you photos and love across the ocean in time for Christmas (and Hanukkah), I hope!

Anna draws

Anna didn't ask to watch television this morning. Usually, we have Dora, Diego and Maggie & the Ferocious Beast before school. But this morning, she began by brining in the magna-doodle and showing Lewis what she'd been drawing: faces. He offered her paper, keen to have some of this new work to post on his office door.

This is a real advance for Anna, who has been scribbling for years joyfully, tracing figures and copying them occasionally and with much prompting, and otherwise not being especially interested in forming shapes or coloring inside the lines. So today we were all smiles as she drew circle after wobbly circle and added eyes (usually two) and a mouth and nose. Eventually she added legs--just like Thomas used to when he first learned to draw people: a big circle with eyes, nose and mouth, and four appendages sticking directly out of the circle, for arms and legs.

The best thing about it was how pleased Anna was with herself. She's been watching Thomas draw--quite possibly his favorite indoor activity--everything from shapes to castles to houses with 'for sale' signs, and to write letters and numbers with increasing accuracy (and decreasing size). Now she can participate in that in a whole new way.

And Iain has decided he wants to join in the fun: today it was ovals. Thankfully on the paper, this time.

I speak English

No, not really, at least not as it is spoken around here. The children, however, are picking it up quickly. This morning, Iain announced that his 'nappy' needed changing. (I know: it's time he gave up nappies, or diapers, or whatever you want to call them. But we've been a little bit busy.) Anna's favorite part of school lunches (or dinners, depending on where you're from) is the 'pudding'. And no, in case you're wondering what flavor, that doesn't just refer to something you can make instantly with milk! She also looks for her 'diary' most mornings, checking to make certain it is in her backpack. (Nope, she hasn't started keeping one herself; she's talking about the calendar that goes to school and comes home again with notes from her teacher.)

And that's not all. Thomas has a new-found imaginary afterschool activity: rugby. I suppose it's not too unusual for him to pretend he has to rush off to rugby practice, given that one of his older friends plays tag rugby (which, as far as I have understood it, is a lot like flag football in the US). What is interesting is the way he says it: just like his friends who've lived here all their lives! Slowly, the children are beginning to say certain words and phrases that sound quite unlike their metro Atlanta equivalents.

Well, it is to be expected, isn't it? And I suppose it is my turn to be the one in the family who speaks English with an accent.

walking home

Alas, these last couple of weeks have been too busy to allow for the daily walk along the railway paths. Fortunately, the walk in to the University is pleasant, though a little bit long. From my front door to the office door, it takes about 40 minutes. Having only one car (though we've been offered another) means that I either pay £1.80 for the bus (which is ridiculous, by the way), or put on some comfortable shoes and get moving. Since the traffic yesterday was so heavy that I eventually caught up to the bus, I figured it wasn't worth the money, anyway. What I have found is that I don't mind a long commute to work, provided it's on foot!

Thomas goes to school about 8:15 and Iain goes along--always getting to his 'school' later than the 9.00 drop-off time. If we leave promptly (whichever of us is taking them), Thomas makes it to school on time. Lewis is courageous enough to drive up to Palace Green, the center of the University-Castle-Cathedral complex, and park there--we are fortunate enough to have a permit, and he has been lucky enough to find spaces!

About 8:30, the bus arrives to take Anna to school. I like the bus driver and the woman who helps the children on and of the bus. (I think they are brother and sister, which I find fascinating.) Sounds like a well-oiled machine, perhaps...but it isn't. The mad rush might make good reality TV some days, though, I suppose, if you like to see people slightly out of their organizational and motivational depth. (That is, trying to get the children interested in getting ready for school is beyond us: I turn off 'Maggie and the Ferocious Beast', which is a pretty entertaining show, and promise to turn it back on once everyone's ready. It's not popular, but it works.)

Once Anna is away, however, peace reigns again, and I am iPod-equipped and on my way. I enjoyed it so much going, I decided to walk home as well. I am addicted to the views and the solitude, the nobody-tugging-at-me and, of course, my own choice of music. (Just between us, I am losing my affection for the Wiggles and the Shaun the Sheep theme tune.) Durham is just hilly enough to make the walk good exercise and to allow for some pretty decent vista points.

Not surprisingly, I find myself suddenly resistant to the idea of a second car.

Saturday

Our Saturday castle trips have given way to adventures closer to home, now that classes have begun at the University. Since the kids went back to school in early September, things seem to be growing busier by the second.

Fortunately, the picnic ground just down the road is perfect for a Saturday romp. Thomas is ecstatic over his new football (that's a soccer ball, by the way, if you're in the US) and everyone likes throwing the frisbee, though none of us are especially skilled at it! A couple of weeks ago, in fact, we met some friends of friends in the park. The boys were kicking the football around, and Thomas's new friends' dad picked up the frisbee. Let's just say we weren't well matched! The poor man threw it with such accuracy, and there I was, hardly able to throw it as well as his 5-year-old!

But today it was just the 5 of us, kicking and throwing happily, and chasing the ball (or frisbee) as often as not. Iain took off for the tree, and has begun to climb: soon he'll be making it up to the lower branches and smiling down at me. I can't say that we've worked out all the kinks: we still end up late to school because of the unpredictable traffic, and the morning rush tends to make us all a little edgy. But it is starting to feel like home--in a bittersweet way, of course. We still miss our friends back in Atlanta, and wish we could meet for coffee and catch up!