Farewell England

Well, we've left that beautiful country of England and survived 6 days of Charlie driving on the left side of the road. Not too many "toots", but it kept us all on our toes! He did a great job.
We can't access the Internet from our laptop, so we won't be able to post any photos until later. The last stay we had in the UK was in a 14th century farmhouse outside of Salisbury with gorgeous gardens. I'm inspired to do more for my own lot at home, but it would cost too much to water it as much as needed. En route we drove through a torrential downpour which was the only thing that kept us from going inside a massive 'tithe barn' in Bradford-upon-Avon. Oh, that Oak Park should need such a large storehouse! There's a story here that the old priests used to have a method of collecting which may just work...they would tie a rope across the road and if they caught a girl or woman, the men in the family would have to buy them back. (No comments on how much they would fetch).
Another stop we made between rainstorms was to the longest hedge maze in England. The hedges were 10 ft. tall and it took Mary & Jane (winners of the race) 30 minutes to find the center.
Hollywood update: We visited the abbey where they filmed "The Other Boleyn Girl".
Have I mentioned it has been raining? We flew to Warsaw yesterday and were met by our Global Volunteers representative. We'll write more about the camp later, but our lodging is in a 200-yr-old building and the rest of the volunteer team seems wonderful (only three other people besides our family). Last night we turned out the lights to another thunder and lightening storm for added 'atmosphere'. It was hot & humid, but today it must be 15 degrees cooler.
This morning we went to a church service in the local village...all in Polish, of course. We recognized the cadence of the Lord's Prayer and thankfully, 'hallelujah' is universal. The priest never looked up, but we assume he gave a sermon. We miss you, Pastor!

You think they speak the same language... (by Jane)

Although people in the UK speak "English" like us, sometimes our questions or their statements are....lost in translation. Here are a few examples of American words translated into English:

movie - film
intermission - interval
fries - chips
chips - crisps
(dollar) bill - note
(sports) field - pitch
bathroom - toilet
tennis shoes - trainers
sweatshirt - jumper
underwear - knickers
line (the kind you wait in) - queue
exit - way out
to rent - to let
cookie - biscuit
trunk (of the car) - boot
hood (of the car) - bonnet
gasoline - petrol
pants - trousers
you're welcome - it's alright
biking - cycling
seat (of a bike) - saddle

here's the prime translation:
knocked up - awakened ("what time would you like to be knocked up tomorrow?" "oh, around 8 a.m. would be fabulous, thank you.")

England

We were beautifully cared for in the home of old friends for the long weekend and it was a wonderful visit. How could it not be when the hostess cooked magnificently and conscientiously, the kids matched our own's ages, the house was large enough to comfortably handle all five of us AND our huge suitcases, and the weekend gave us a glimpse into their life in rural England? I don't know an American who isn't charmed by a British accent, but now I know that even small family squabbles in such sound lovely.
Judy took us into London and gave us a quick overview of the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman influences of architecture and art before we visited the British Museum. It was good to help our minds get in gear. I've recently been amazed at Jane & Chase's exposure to a World History course...how do we think that can be accomplished in two semesters? All nations, all generations, all aspects of politics, art, and cultural affairs? Impossible, of course.
It doesn't matter, really. The kids may be exposed to St. Paul's Cathedral, but they are only interested once they hear that Mary Poppins' "feed the birds" happened on its steps! And the 12th century cloisters of a nearby abbey suddenly becomes relevant because much of Harry Potter was filmed there. So, no pressure on Charlie and myself to be great teachers.
I'm just as guilty in my own point of reference. We just toured the charming Cotswolds and I found myself thinking of Lin Hildeburn more than the quaint sights before me, because I was last here with her. But every turn holds another amazing view ~ we won't go on & on, but I really love the villages and country roads. And within a few miles we come across another treasure. Today, we visited Bath and learned about the Roman occupation in England during the first four centuries. Jane was amazed that the current city was built right on top of the old baths and temples, only unearthed in the past few centuries.
We're not catching much of the Olympics, unfortunately, and what we DO see has the British cast of characters in obvious emphasis. We have a new appreciation of archery & equestrian categories.
Reminder to self upon return: Plant more hollyhocks.

So Far...(by mary)

ITS RAINING!!!

Everything's good. We just finished our bike tour yesterday and it was REALLY hard!!! It was very fun though. Our last ride was in a huge valley. Right when we got to the top of the mountain, it started to pour buckets of rain. The rain was so hard you couldn't even see 5 feet in front of you. It was also kind of gross because it was a horse and buggy trail so we were pretty much riding through horse poop puddles that splashed in our face and our body. But for a half and hour, we rode in the rain. It was a blast! I loved it. Then we walked in to the b&b- drenched. Then, that night we went to a show called river dance. It was soooo cool. It was a tap dancing theatrical play that was so awesome. It was very loud and in sync. I threw up twice on the ten hour plane flight and lost binkey and my bag. Other than that, everything is great. The b&b's we've stayed at are cool and the hotels are awesome! Right now, I'm at a house in England thats called the old rectory which is were the priest used to live (the church is across the lane) that is 4 stories high, has a pool, a water slide, and there back yard is as big (probably bigger) than a football fields length. It has a hedge maze that goes on forever. its really fun to play hide-n-go seek. =) The family has four kids.
Blond Boy that's 10 years old= Lachlan (Locklen)
Dirty Blond Girl thats11 years old (my age)= Francesca
Strawberry Blond Boy that's 15 years old= Collum
And a REALLY pretty blond girl that's 17 years old= Charissa (Carissa)

P.S. My suitcase and my blanket (binkey) finally arrived so i'm having fun now.

P.S.S. I HATE POTATOES!!! not really, but in Ireland that's all they serve you.

Slainte

We left the Emerald Isle in such a memorable way! For our final ride we put the bikes on small boats near Ross Castle and embarked across three lakes. Charlie commented that it could be Hawaii for the intense green mountains with rock crevasses and dark, ominous clouds overhead. By the time we had lunch and rode to the top of the valley, the rain began. It POURED on us all the way down the other side and we'd never had so much fun!

Last night we saw Riverdance and, once again, appreciated the dance & music of Ireland. The O'Leary family gave us each a meaningful gift and we had to say our sad goodbyes. It was a very special week.

One indicator that Charlie is beginning to unwind is the fact that he has slept in past 7:30am. Good to see and with less schedule I hope to see it grow later still.

Ireland

Well, it's not as easy as we'd thought to find Internet access and keep this updated whilst on the road ~ apologies for infrequent postings!

But Ireland...'tis a beauty. And we wouldn't haven't seen it as gloriously if not for being on bicycles. My body is exhausted from the riding, but the scenery; the rock walls, the moss-covered tree forests, the ivy-covered ruins, the babbling brooks, the coast and wildflowers all surpass the expected. I spent my first two days frustrated with the pictures we captured, or rather, didn't capture. Now I want to pitch the camera, because we never seem to be able to stop and shoot something that quickly passes ~ however important those images are in the mind's eye.

We ride 30-35 miles a day and everyone in the family would report differently, but I, Colleen, am wiped out at the end of each day. Now, that is not to say that the accordion and guitar music in a pub can't revive me, but my thighs are aching!

We've connected beautifully with our host cyclists ~ a family from Kerry Pike (near Blarney) with children similar in age to our own. The giggles never cease and we'd recommend the week's adventure to any of our friends.

Tomorrow we ride for the last day before leaving Killarney and heading to England on Thursday. Bless you all. We miss you!

Letting Go (by Colleen)

I may have just played my last game of computer Solitaire. It's an addiction I have to pass away a few empty minutes at home. Since five of us will be vying for laptop time, I doubt Spider Solitaire will be a high priority. I suppose a lot of our habits will be broken. I know I have to let go of many conveniences and vanity comforts. We've spent the last week getting haircuts, teeth cleaned, toenails polished . . . I personally can't imagine living without having my eyebrows dyed. If we come back looking shaggy and bleached, you'll know why. Somehow I think we'll have another sort of glow, but that's just a guess.