Rainhats & Carbombs

Still raining here alas. But just like in Oregon, we aren't letting it slow us down. First off, Kyle, back to your questions on the cottage (here is another photo). It is roughly about 400 years old. Made with crazy, wiggly beams all over the place, gathered up from the surrounding lot all those years ago during construction. I can't figure out how you make a house out of windy wood, a roof out of straw, and walls made out of horsehair and lime plaster survive in the pouring rain for four centuries. We can't even get our houses to last 50 years without major maintenance. Hmm...



Well, it's not all that easy I suppose. My mom and Lance have undergone a pretty dramatic restoration of portions of the house already. Below is the master bath, completely done by them. The space before was just 4 centuries of dirt and spider carcasses they said. Now it's pretty cool. But watch your head.



We went swimming yesterday, as promised to the girls, for hours at this place with a cool section of pool that just pushed you around and around in a circle. No swimming required. ;) Very relaxing, except that Elena had a death grip on my neck the whole time.



Played on a Swedish playground afterwards. Weird equipment. This one wound up a seat on a pole that you could then sit on and spin down. Sit and spin. Swedish style.



Lori and I rode the bus into Aylesbury last night for the big Friday night out. Little old village not far from my mom's place. We barcrawled the town, and mingled in crowds ranging from beer bellied soccer hooligans to punky Brit kids wearing bling and super super mini skirts, to toothless guys in nice suits...not sure what that was about. Great time, but the music being played and enjoyed almost killed us.... Shania Twain, Michael Jackson, Nellie...we didn't get it.

Rode the bus back home and heard a bunch of yelling from the pub across the street (the Bell), so we went over there. Karaoke party. Very drunk people singing equally horrific music.... "Can you feel the love tonight?", "I got you babe", "We are family".... yipes. Sucked back some warm cask pints of the Old Spotted Hen and wandered home. Need to take my bath now. More later... ;)

Oden's Hammer.....

Nice, just reading about the Blazers. Oh man, can I really come back to the Blazers after losing to the Lakers in Game 7 way back in 2000..... still haven't recovered. I remember it like yesterday, sitting with Brent & fam in a diner in Dayton Washington watching the Blazers squander an enormous lead from halftime...to the GD LAKERS!. AHHHHHHHHHHH! There it IS AGAIN!!! The PAIN!!!! Anyway, good for them. Let's exorcise the Sam Bowie demon with another big man.

Still raining (and flooding up north) in the UK today. But no matter. Going swimming in indoor world and such with the youngsters today. First full night of sleep. Feel much better.

John, thought of you when I saw this door. An alley door. Strange thing.

Amersham in my sights......

Ventured out to find the skatepark at Amersham, where I will hopefully discover my hidden abilities that will negate me being a barney at the skatepark back home. To be continued. On the way there we passed "Checkers", the retreat of the Prime Minister (i.e. Tony Blair, until yesterday). Beautiful joint on major acreage. Very British.



Stopped in old Amersham and let the girls burn off some steam in an old cemetary and garden area outside a church. The fun you see being had here was abruptly crushed when Marina bit it on a path outside the old church when Elena ran into her at full speed.


Anyway, we spent the rest of the day at the cottage, in the sun for a change, watching the girls hunt for fairies in the weeds. They never saw Brad though. ;) Going to rain big time the next few days so my skateboard party will have to wait. Probably going swimming and to some storytimes at the libraries with the chicks until the sun comes back. Jolly old England....;)




At least the beer is tasty and comes in big bottles......what I'm enjoying right now....mmmmm beer.

LIVE from Buckinghamshire!!!

Cheerio from the UK. We arrived safe and sound in Stoke Mandeville, BUCKS a couple of days back, and are slowly coming off the jet lag. The girls got up at 2:30 last night asking to "play"....Ugh.....but today looks promising. Sunshine and a trip outside this morning to hunt for the bunnies that inhabit my mom's garden. This is her house...."magpie cottage", built about 1650, and from what I can tell, the people back then were about 4 foot 5, as I've been banging my head on wood beams and doorways since we got here. A walk down the hall to the loo in the dark night may cause brain damage..... Anyway, more stories to come as we get on our feet here in the Queens country. Cheers!