We're Back!

The unthinkable happened - my camera ran out of battery and I didn't have the charger. So I'm relying a little on other people's efforts to explain our recent trip to Bristol. Why Bristol you ask? That is a good question. One that I may be hard pressed to answer, but I guess the short answer is "Why not Bristol?" We had a few days, it's relatively close and we've never been there. Taylore opted out of this trip immediately. Andrea relented but as you can see was not overly enthused, especially as her friend that was along for the ride was sick for most of the trip. But, for me, it was another adventure, a chance to discover and explore and I had a great time.



There were many sites along the way - Stonehenge, Bristol Cathedral, Wookey Caves, and the Bristol Bridge (the first of it's kind). We had a great time with friends, we ate, played games and even went to see Pirates of the Carribbean 3. What more can you ask of a blustery, rainy, weekend in May?



The caves were my personal favorite along with the papermill that was adjacent to the caves. Jeff tried his hand at making paper. Interesting note, this handmade paper will last 500 years.



Andrea and Camille had a room of their own and were far enough away from all parents that they could do as they wanted, sleep when they wanted and wake up when they wanted. There was a little pressure for them to get up at a decent hour if eating was on their priority list. Which sometimes it wasn't...



We rented a car and saw some beautiful country. I can't wait to explore my next little village/town/city.

What a Great Day... To Be in London

Today as I walked Jeff to work I felt that feeling that comes over me on occasion - "I can't believe I'm here!" Our daily route takes us through Hyde Park and Rotten Row.
Rotten Row was established by William III at the end of the 17th century. Having moved court to Kensington Palace, William wanted a safer way to travel to the previous St. James's Palace. He created the broad avenue through Hyde Park, lit with 300 oil lamps in 1690 — the first artificially lit highway in Britain. The name "Rotten Row" may be a corruption of the French 'Route de Roi' or King's Road.
The sand covered avenue of Rotten Row is still maintained as a bridleway and forms part of Hyde Park's South Ride. It is particularly convenient for the Household Cavalry, stabled nearby us at Hyde Park Barracks in Knightsbridge, who exercise their horses there. Members of the public can also ride there.
After crossing Rotten Row we head through the park and part ways by one of the many statues you can find in the park.










The flowers are in bloom and are constantly changing. There is always something new to see.










Cooper, check out all these great bugs we can see in the park! Aren't they cool?






This is one of my favorite spots - as I'm walking around the Serpentine, this is a fountain that has a great view.

COMING SOON...GUEST BLOGGERS!

We will soon be visiting Stonehenge on our way to rest and relaxation. I don't know much about this but I'm planning on doing a little research. Someone else has been doing their research. Check out this video on Youtube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=lRRDzFROMx0. Verrrrry interesting.

Hot Days Ahead

It won't be long before we will be wishing for this kind of weather. If experience serves me it usually goes from cool to HOT overnight. The problem we face here is that there is no air conditioning and we are right in the middle of the city. It reminds me of a story my mom used to tell me about when she and my father were in Nebraska? while my dad was in the service. It was so hot there that they used to sit in a cold water bath with a fan going behind a bowl of ice. That's one thing you can count on in these 200+ year old flats is that they keep the warm air in and the cool air out. Maybe I'll start freezing the ice right now - it might take a while in my little freezer.

Black Thumb

What is it about my thumb. I like to have plants in the house, I always BUY plants to put in the house and 9 times out of 10 they come out looking like this. There is one in my bathroom as we speak looking worse than this. The thing that really kills me is that someone will take this sad little thing home - feeling so sorry for it - and it will come back to life! I always hear about my resurrected plants from green thumb friends and it makes me crazy. What really worries me is what does this say about me? Am I unorganized, unaware, or do I have a subconscious indifference to what it takes to make a plant thrive. I know it needs water, food, a little light, and a little nice talking - kind of like kids, but somewhere along the line I just don't have what it takes. Hum, I wonder how I'd do with plastic???

Sleep Deprivation - A Work in Progress

My husband is definately sleep deprived. He's showing all the signs - skin palor, sunken eyes, sleeping whenever he sits down (which isn't often) and the fact that he didn't wake up during a 3-alarm fire about 20 yards from our home at 3:00 am. How can he do that? Twice in the last two weeks I've been roused out of a sound sleep by exciting events just outside our window. Won't go into details but I try to get my husband up and interested in what's going on and he can't be bothered. I will just let him sleep the next time we have a neighborhood raid - unless it's at our house...

The First One to Fly...

Meghan has flown the coop - two years ago. It's hard being the first one to leave home. You have to forge the way for those coming up behind. What you do will invariably impact those siblings left behind and so it is with a little trepidation and much anticipation that we are all watching and learning. We love Meghan!

She's got a heart of gold...really!

NEVER WITHOUT A BOOK

No matter where we go and what we do we can always count on Taylore dragging along a book. Whether we are in a castle in Germany (pictured) or relaxing in a piazza in Italy, Taylore will always have a book. She is a sophmore this year and has decided to go into the IB (International Baccalaureate) program next year at her school. That will be a lot of work. She also likes anime and manga (ask her)! She can get a little grouchy at times but don't let that scare you - just give her a big hug and kiss and she will melt.

Andrea's School Trip

Andrea is off for a week of 'educational pursuits' in the south of England with her buddies. They have a great itinerary planned which I will let her explain when she returns home. She's been packing for two days and I let her pack by herself. She's been packing in her own for some time now but I'm always there to pick up the pieces - if need be - but this time she's on her own. So if she doesn't have enough underwear ... oh well! I'm already missing her but I know this is good for her and she will have a great time! Cooper, can you pick Andrea out of this picture?

A recent photo of the Kirk Family (most of them) in the beautiful city of Edinburgh at the top of the Edinburgh Castle. There happened to be a wedding there at the time and it was sooooo fun to see all the cute guys in kilts!

I've Been Inspired - Thanks Julia!

Everyday, first thing, I check out 'Ferreland' and I'm hooked. I can't wait to see what's going on in Denver with my two, dear, little nephews. I feel like I'm getting to know them - thank you Julia. And, thanks for inspiring me to create a blog for the Kirk Family in London. Hopefully, you'll enjoy our blog from this side of the pond as much as we enjoy yours!