London!

We made it! We saw a red double-decker bus! Funny how it didn't really sink in til that bus rolled by.

Our flight was fun. Started a bit late but was completely smooth. We didn't sleep much, but we enjoyed watching "Pride and Prejudice" (the one with Kiera from Pirates). Chloe and I kept cracking up laughing. Fortunately, most of our fellow passengers were also ensconced in headphones.

Customs and Heathrow were a breeze. We found an ATM and got a wad of pounds, then took the shuttle over to the rental car lot. After some pointers from the clerk there, we went out to the lot to pick out our car (really!). Then we hit the roads. I am proud to say that I survived my first driving lesson (as in "learning by doing"). The sitting on the right while driving on the left isn't so bad, but roundabouts are a terror. I'm sure there are rules that these people are following, but I've only got them partially figured out. One thing I do know: Once you get in the roundabout, you have the right-of-way and can stay in there, going 'round and 'round, for as long as you want. So when I'm in doubt, I'll just go in circles. :-)

Our car is a Ford something or other (not an American model). It's cute. Why aren't Fords cute at home???

The hotel we're in tonight is fine, if a bit, um, challenging. It took us several minutes to figure out how to turn on the lights! (Turns out you have to insert your room key card into a little slot by the door before anything will power up.) Now Chloe is zonked. I'm trying to resist sleeping, because I want to get onto London time fast. But it feels more like 4 in the morning than 4 in the afternoon. We'll see how I do.

Happy 80th Birthday to Queen Elizabeth today!!

Chloe's blog

It won't have any activity for a week or so, but Chloe's blog is here: www.summerhillchloe.blogspot.com

In other news, Mezza the rat had surgery on Monday to remove a tumor (benign, fortunately). She is one unhappy little rat now, because she has to wear one of those post-op cones around her head. It was so big at first, she couldn't walk, and even with it trimmed down some, she can't get her hands to her face, so we have to help her eat. She also can't bunk in with Snowball until her stitches come out, because Snowball would groom her incision for her. They're both pretty confused. But it's only til next Monday, when Frank and MJ will take Mezza in to get her stitches out.

And Chloe and I are off. I'll write when I get home to tell you all about our time with the Queen. Oh, here is our home base while we're there: http://www.suffolkcottageholidays.com/cottage.php?id=000005
Cute, huh?

A tale of taxes, vball, and trip prep

Just a quick update--

Trip prep is coming along, although I haven't had any time for packing yet. Lots of work, last-minute taxes, Emma's birthday party (Happy Birthday, Emma!!), and egg-related activities have to come first!

Oh, yes, and Coach Frank and player MJ's volleyball team had their first games today at the Boys and Girls Club. Everybody's skills are coming along great -- there were several volleys that had the audience on the edges of their seats. This is a 7th-8th grade division, so they play with the regulation (big) net, but the rules are still weird to force the games to go fast. The as-yet-unnamed team won one and lost two.

Chloe and I leave Thursday evening. We have to find some time to write her name on all her clothes, although we hear that there's not much chance she'll come home with the same clothes she takes. Evidently the communal laundry gets distributed to whoever needs something to wear. We're also going to figure out how to dump pictures from Chloe's camera to her computer so she can post to her as-yet-unpublished blog. (I'll share the address of that when she gives the okay.)

Grandma has flown south to have some bonding time, so she and Chloe have said their good-byes already. They had a shopping outing together. Chloe got a cute orange spring dress that she has been wearing almost nonstop.

Oh, and we are a Crocs family. I'll try to post a picture before we leave.

"Ta" til I get back from GB. Happy Easter!!

Ronnie

P.S. Baby pictures have been removed due to parental privacy concerns.