Mrs. Tweedy

After two visits to the Cambridge Audi dealer, we are today the owners of a fleet of pre-owned cars (can two be a fleet? It's a lot as far as we're concerned). I never dreamed, DREAMED!, that I'd be the owner of a powder blue A4 wagon, but there she blows. (it is called "liquid blue" and in person, I swear it, it's more of a grey-blue, but I've always favored black...this is a distinct departure). And Harry very definitively named her Mrs. Tweedy, who, if you don't know, is the antagonist in 'Chicken Run,' which is set in England. It is absurdly fitting. Paul will soon be diving an A3 three-door. Black. Nickname to be determined. Harry just loved, loved, loved the dealership and the shiny cars and the strategically placed Lego table for just his ilk. "let's pick one!" he gushed at the cars, in just the right little-boy volume.

Once again, we fall over ourselves in praise for Aunty Bean, who provided the not-insignificant car deposits for we lame-o Americans who won't have bank accounts for another week yet. You can not possibly fathom (because we still can't) what an amazing resource and help she has and continues to be (after many long hours at the dealership negotiating and price checking with us, she procured us lunch in the rain, troubleshooted my broken iTunes account, got us renter's insurance price quotes, found us a tv at john Lewis, and is now, literally, setting up our online grocery list at Waitrose). My husband has never been the overly-effusive sort, but there are no compliments too flowery when it comes to the Bean, he says. She is currently ordering him beer. Need I say more? We have invited her and her fabulous boyfriend to live in the cupboard under our stairs.

We pick up the cars next week and sign our lease, which has been approved by all parties (!), on Monday. We're getting our act together, and in record time, Paul's employer reports somewhat incredulous. He recently talked to another American colleague who's been in the UK for three weeks and has yet to find short-term housing. Clearly she does not hang with Aunty Bean.