Gotta Dance...

I feel like a peeping Tom taking video from the crack in the door at Charlotte's modern dance class. I'm sharing this one because Charlotte's impersonation of an angst-ridden diva just slays me - the stroking of the throat is just so tortured, I love it.

Day Out With Thomas

We visited the Colne Valley Railway today for a Day Out With Thomas, where we took a slooooooow ride on Thomas and Daisy, ogled model trains and watched a quintessentially English performance that included Thomas and Mavis saving the day after a freight car caught fire. Sir Toppham Hatt, the Fat Controller, was on hand throughout the day (scaring the bejeebies out of Harry...the guy IS rather imposing).

 Harry had a super afternoon, racing around the platform singing "I'm so excited! I'm soooo excited!" It's enough to make a mom's cheeks ache with smiles.

Tickets, please....

Percy was pulling a Royal Mail car....perfect!

Love on the railway

Wells-Next-the-Sea

Our friends the Houdes let us in on a little beach secret, Wells-Next-the-Sea, which is 1:45 from our home on the North Norfolk coast. The beaches are sandy and expansive when the tide is out (and I mean WAY out...walking to the sea takes some serious effort).

So we had a picnic on the sand, frolicked in the tide pools and flew our kite. We picked a day when we knew the weather couldn't be beat and were rewarded by a truly lovely day. We'll be back again soon, maybe for a three-day weekend. 

Making sand CASTLES takes on extra meaning here. Ours is fortified with razor clam shells.

See that blob in the sky....that's our kite, courtesy Aunt Julie. Harry is becoming quite the pro.

The beach or the desert, you be the judge.

Tippy Toes

Charlotte was today formally enrolled in ballet School. We moms are banned from the dance studio (forced to watch from the confines of a waiting room and politely jostling for a chance to peek through a small window (I have very sharp elbows, God Bless America.

Charlotte will be a starfish (!) along with her  fellow ballerinas in the Nov. 20 show. Until then...a lot of practice. Charlotte is a mere pea compared to the other girls. What she lacks in dance acumen she makes up for in sheer "awwwww" factor.

Freaky Friday

As you can see, school has already provided a trove of parental entertainment (I fear our teacher got a shot of ME wearing this choice wig, but I'm certain Harry is much cuter in it).

On the Runway

Eliza and I snuck out Thursday night and attended a trunk show at one of my favorite UK shops, Jigsaw, where we were served champagne and nibbles, watched a kitschy fashion show and were offered a tempting 10 percent off discount. It was loads of fun.  Think: London Fashion Week hits Cambridge.

Cinderelly

Our would-be Cinderella

Because I love a challenge that can only be achieved by imposing on a beneficent soul, I decided that Charlotte would be dressed this Halloween as her idol, the one and only Cinderella, and I would finally realize my goal of leaning to read a pattern and sew with some measure of competence, all of this courtesy my mother-in-law.

Z is the undeniable brains behind this operation. 

So after spending an insane amount of money on powder blue satin and a Jandor sewing machine, we began yesterday to cut and sew. Charlotte is suitably excited, as am I. And grateful. Thank you Z.

Cutting the skirt poof

We all Scream for...

In Cherry Hinton Park on our school grounds

Nothing improves the mood like a scoop.

There's a reason the ice cream man camps out outside our school: My children.

Dance Fever

Why take one dance class when you can take two? We've enrolled in a ballet/modern dance class on tuesdays with our classmate Claudio and another little girl named Sophie. Our teacher Imogene is captivating. I snuck my phone through the curtain to snap a photo or two. The kids were getting very jiggy with it.

Being a jelly fish

Road Warriors

You're no one in this town if you don't have three wheels. Harry is particularly fond of his razor.

Thy Noble Steed

They may not be stallions, but these fellows are just one more reason to love the UK: walk into town to run an errand and BOOM, you find yourself atop a donkey.

True Lies

Most women, if they're going to lie about their age, generally subtract.  My daughter, so eager (desperate), to begin ballet, perpetrated a small fib in order to begin class a few weeks shy of her third birthday. In short, mother lied.

The teacher and her assistant took one look at my little pea ( a full head shorter than the 3 and 4-year-old girls in the class), and said that were she admitted after her informal audition, she would not likely partcipate in the November show. I nodded most agreeably, hoping upon hope that Charlotte would merely show enough maturity not to disrupt the class. 'Oh PLEASE pay attention,' I whispered to myself.

But Charlotte very ably acquitted herself, paying eagle-sharp attention to the teacher and very carefully mimicking the twirls and jumps and curtsies during the 45 minute lesson. After class an enrollment form was thrust in my hands with many smiles and the suggestion that my little girl would be very welcome to participate in upcoming performance.

Three cheers for Charlotte! We're so, so proud of her. As for me, I think I'm now formally disqualified from every running for public office.

Return of the Black Swan

Many thanks to Katie Barnett for the hand-me-down ballet costume.

Charlotte is ever-more frustrated that her ballet class has not begun (we're waiting for her to turn three, but alas, the clock ticks slowly on this score), we we dance at home for now.

The Wren Library

Photo: Andrew Dunn

While the kids were at school, the grandparents and I ambled over to the Wren Library at Trinity College to take in the very special collection. It was designed by Christopher Wren in 1676 and completed in 1695.

The library is only open to visitors two hours a day, only 15 people are allowed in at a time, but it is very much worth a visit. There is no photography allowed, no talking and no cell phones, a serious library, used primarily by visiting academics. Among the things you will see housed in glass cases:
 

• A. A. Milne's manuscript of Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.
• Isaac Newton's first edition copy of Principia Mathematica with hand written notes for the second edition.
• The Capell collection of early Shakespeare editions
• A collection of autograph poems by John Milton
• A 14th-century manuscript of The Vision of Piers Plowman
• Several works printed by William Caxton, including the first book printed in English and the first dated printed book produced in England
• Several notebooks written by Ludwig Wittgenstein
• Handwritten notes by Robert Oppenheimer describing the "Trinity" atomic bomb test in New Mexico, U.S.

Ladies' Lunch

At the "train park" on Jesus Green

Somehow she ate this mountain of "eggies".

While Harry was at school on Monday, Charlotte and I spent a windy afternoon together, playing at the park, shopping (she was awarded her first jewelry box with one of those twirling ballerinas, a classic!) and getting a bite at Valerie Patisserie. It was a lovely day with my precious girl.

First Term

A little cuddle before school

Holding hands (it's less scary that way)

One day of school and Charlotte goes cerebral.

After a week of shopping for a mountainous list of uniform pieces (grey socks, track pants, gym shorts, black polishable shoes, affixing labels and doing my best to shrink half of the things for our very little girl), we stepped off today for our FIRST day of school in a new country. For Miss Charlotte it was perhaps the biggest day - her first-ever day of nursery. Both of the kids bounded out of the house, eager, I think, to make new friends.

Charlotte was a bit worried when she realized she and Harry wouldn't be in the same classroom (I think she believed the whole school things was a big hoax, like we'd dressed her up but really it was only Harry going to school, but no, she did indeed find her class and the second she saw the open paint pots....)

There are a lot of new routines for us to adjust to - everything from bringing snacks to share (?) to obtuse pick-up routines and, on day one, ANOTHER list of items to buy (wellies and rain clothes that stay AT school. In England, the kids go out and play in the rain. No indoor playrooms for these children).

It was a very long day for Charlotte, who dove into the art project, literally, and was returned to me coated in the paint (hair, sweatshirt, legs, you name it). Her teacher, Mrs. Ransome, said she was enjoying the texture. Which I think is British polite for 'she was bathing in it.' She was tired when I fetched her, but very satisfied. She will be attending three days a week, Harry five.

Harry was still charged up at 3:15, explaining at great length about the 'bigger boys' that attend the school, the books they read and the self-portrait he worked on.


One day down....many, many to go.

Cashed out.

Our new Lego, a first-day of school treat.

Last Day of Summer

With 'Leeso' at Gog Magog

School begins tomorrow - a new country, a new school, and our baby girl's first day of class, ever. Suffice it to say I'm a little anxious. But we did our best today to close out the summer with a bang (or in this case a splash).

We returned to Gog Magog with the grandparents for lunch and a little horse lovin.'  Harry has named the brown one "Leeso," which I think is just delightful given the very friendly staff can't remember the horses' names (ever). 

After feeding them what seemed like half of a weeping willow tree, our crew walked to the River Cam for an hour of punting.

Wed at King's Chapel.....get naming rights.

Our guide Roman was charming and offered up a few choice tidbits I'd not yet heard: the reason there are cows on the King's Common green is that those ladies fortunate enough to wed at the chapel are offered a calf, which is bestowed with her maiden name, and lives its life out grazing on the turf. hmmm. I'm sure there were other things, but I was drinking Pimms at the time and it's all a bit blurry.

A Cozy Little Update

One half of the two-sided cozy.

The tea cozy is growing, if slowly. We hope to be coddling the teapot very soon. (yes, please try to contain your jealousy, not EVERYONE can knit for inanimate objects. It's a gift, I know).

London Zoo

Say "ahhhh."

We now know one thing for certain -- the DC Zoo rocks. We know this after a very pleasant afternoon at the London Zoo, a charming but sadly antiquated facility that does boast a few animals we don't see in DC (like the lovely giraffe), but overall it needs a little exhibit-lift.

 

While the adults may have noticed the differences, the kids were positively oblivious and had a super time at Penguin beach, checking out the big cats and riding the carousel. A big thank you to the grandparents for dreaming up the outing and taking us all out for a very fun day.

Don't go looking for giraffes in DC

Claudio!

Water balloon toss

Our friend Claudio, a newly-minted 3-year-old, wins the award for the first birthday party of our new and different life here in Cambridge. We attended his fete today, where we learned a host of new party games (the kids were MOST confused and intrigued by "pass the parcel" (am not making this up)....game is much like our Hot Potato, only when the music stops and you're left holding the wrapped blob, you peel off a layer to reveal a small favor.  There was a moon bounce, a home-made cake, cucumber finger sandwiches (!) and a some water balloons for tossing. And the kids were all just delighted.

Paul pitches in

Playing "pass the parcel"

Becky (right) and Claudio's cake (akin to a carrot cake)

Claudio blows out his candles

We met some lovely couples at the party (some of whom had already heard of us (!?!), which just proves how really small this town is). Happily, I felt like we made a few more connections (my mommy friends at home will be happy to hear I've been invited to join a new "moms night out" clique!). Paul even met a few dads he really like. We owe the Balzanos a debt for providing such a soft social landing pad.