One year down, one year to go...
We are officially at the halfway point of our time in London! It really had gone by fast! We have seen so many incredible things, met a lot of great people, and really had a good time thus far. And, there is still so much we want to do and see.
If you are interested in visiting us before we leave, please let us know as soon as possible! There is still time to get your passport and fly over the pond! We will be home at the holidays for a quick 2+ week visit and then again in late April/early May for our house hunting trip, and we have guests in April and May and plan to travel a bit more ourselves...so please get on our calendar--we would love to have you! Cheers!
Our 12 Year Anniversary at the Isle of Wight
To celebrate our 12 year anniversary we decided to take a coach trip to the Isle of Wight for the day. The Isle of Wight is a small, diamond shaped island, measuring only 23 miles east to west and 13 miles from north to south. It is located about 5 miles off the southern coast of the England. Despite being so small the island has a variety of landscapes and coastal scenery--chalky downs, high cliffs, sandy beaches, woodland, meadows, vineyards and meandering rivers. The island is often referred to as "England in Miniature." The island also has a rich heritage from dinosaur remains and Roman villas to historic castles and thatched cottages (we loved these!).
The island was made popular when Queen Victoria made it her summer retreat and eventually her permanent home. She lived at the Osborne House which is Cowes. It was built in 1845-1851 and she died there in 1901. It remains much as it was during her life. 
The coach tour started for us at 8 a.m. after having missed our bus (I had a touch of flu and literally couldn't get out of the bathroom) and then taking two trains, we had 2 minutes to spare to meet the coach. Upon stepping on the coach we realized there was no loo (toilet/potty). Bad for me with a touch of the flu. Worse for Sophie (or Jeremy and I) and Miss Sophie decided after we booked this tour that she was done with diapers and wanted to be potty trained which then followed all last week. We decided to proceed.
After 3 hours of a coach ride we reached the ferry which was one hour to cross the English Channel and reach the island. A short bus ride and we stopped for 45 minutes in Godshill, a quaint city on the island. We had enough time to visit a small church at the top of a hill, stop in a few shops and have a look around, snap a few photos, and then back in the bus. Another short ride and we got an hour and a half to enjoy Shanklin. This city was once home to the poet John Keats, who also resided at a house in Hampstead, where we live. The city is separated from its sea-front by a steep and winding cliff walk. The beach looked gorgeous, packed with people, but beautiful. We didn't have time to make it all the way down. We enjoyed a quick lunch, the local shops, and a quick walk half-way down to the beach. We could not get enough of the thatched roofs! They are so unique and nothing like anything in Minnesota. Next we had more time on the bus sightseeing through the windows, an hour ferry ride, and 2 more hours to get back into London. All in all, we realized that we are not coach tour people. We loved the Isle of Wight, but for the amount of time we actually got to explore on our own to the amount of time on a bus, not worth it. Sophie did much better than we did! And, she had only two minor accidents, not bad for a 14 hour day after less than a week of potty training! Jeremy and I agreed that we did enjoy some of the tour, but we have to get a rental and visit England on our own time. This anniversary did not rank in our top ten...
For more pictures of the trip please visit our photo website.
Blackberries, mulberries and grapes
Wild blackberries have been growing in abundance in the Hampstead Heath like raspberries grow in Minnesota. We have taken advantage of this and picked and enjoyed a few berries almost daily. Sophie has fallen in love with the blackberries! One night we felt extra ambitious and picked enough to make a fresh blackberry pie. I used a special berry pie recipe from my great grandmother, and it turned out quite good.
On another berry note, our neighbors have a mulberry tree in their front yard. We were unaware of it until some strangers pointed it out to us. They were looking at it and jumping up on the ledge to pick some of the berries. They picked two for Sophie and me as well. They are delicious, but really juicy and red! My hand looked fresh with blood! The tree actually didn't produce all the many berries and they are so high up in the tree that you would really need a ladder to pick any amount of the berries. And, they make quite a mess on the ground.
Neighbors on the other side of us have a good size grape vine growing up their back wall and across our building right under our window. They don't look quite ripe yet, but when they are we are going to try them out :)
England has such mild weather which lends itself to some interesting plants and vegetation!
Theatre in the Rain
On Saturday we went to see Babe the Sheep Pig at the Regent's Open Air Theatre. I received five free tickets from another Women's Club member and Jeremy, Sophie and I invited our friend Justin and his mum Suzy to join us. I had been to the Theatre earlier this summer for a Shakespeare play, but it was nice to enjoy a family show.
Babe, The Sheep-Pig is a wonderful tale of high adventure in the farmyard, of humble beginnings and courageous triumphs, as one little piglet rises to become the world famous ‘sheep-pig’. The costumes of all the farm animals were fantastic! Sophie and Justin both seemed to like seeing all the animals. We had seats in an aisle where the characters were running through for a scene so Sophie was able to see Babe, up close and personal and though a bit startled she loved it!
Of course the weather in London is unpredictable, so we dressed accordingly for rain or shine. Sophie wore her wellies, rain coat, and brought her special fairy umbrella that her Grandma T. bought her at the awesome fairy shop in Hampstead called Mystical Fairies. It was our first opportunity to actually use the umbrella as the sun was shining yet it started to rain anyway! Thankfully it only rained a bit two separate occasions, not enough to stop the show. I talked to someone who had been at the show the day before and they actually got rained out and had to cancel the show--we lucked out and had a great show!
A Historic Model Village
Our friends invited us along to visit the Bekonscot Historic Model Village and Railway in Beaconsville. It is the world's oldest model village. It was spectacular and a perfect outing for Sophie! She just loved it and playing with her friends Sam and Harry! It is a "little piece of history that is forever England" and how true it is!
Bekonscot is different from other model villages; this is an entire miniature kingdom stuck firmly in an idyllic 1930s timewarp. There are six little villages in a 1½ acre miniature landscape of farms and fields, castles and churches, woods, lakes and rolling hills. Walking around, you’ll tower over the tiny population enjoying the fun of the fair, beaches, zoo and tramway, or lazily watching the cricket on the village green. Each village is linked by one of Britain's largest public outdoor model garden railways. The kids were mesmerized by all the trains coming and going throughout the village.
Bekonscot was created in 1929 as the hobby of one man, Roland Callingham. Since then, all our profits have gone to charity and £5,000,000 (at today's rates) has been distributed thanks to our 13 million visitors. In 2004, they celebrated their 75th anniversary as the world’s original Model Village. 
They also have a train that adults and kids alike can ride on for 50p--a bargain! This was a highlight for Sophie. The play area for kids was another highlight. She had so much fun with Sam and Harry, running around and playing. She didn't cling to me once during this trip which is quite unbelievable for us! Sophie is a great kid, but can be shy and stuck to my leg, hopefully we are breaking out of this mold...
Thanks Longhurst's for bringing us along for a great outing! We loved it!
Check out the Bekonscot website at www.bekonscot.co.uk for a 360 degree tour of the village to see it for yourself! And, for more photos from our visit see our Shutterfly photo site. Cheers!
What do classical music, opera and fireworks have in common?
On Saturday Jeremy and I were invited to the Music on a Summer Night concert at the Kenwood House with our friends the Longhursts and their friends the Hills. It is so exciting to get a babysitter for Sophie and be "real" adults.
The Four Seasons played and were incredible playing on a floating stage. There was a female solo violinist who was really good. Russell Watson, a popular UK Opera singer performed four songs in the second part of the program which was a highlight--what a fantastic voice! Fireworks during the last two songs topped off the night. The fireworks were impressive! We sat in deck chairs which were quite comfortable. There are thousands of people attending each concert, it really was something to see! There were probably 2,500 deck chairs or so, which is the reserved sitting, and thousands of people on blankets in a paid area, and then thousands in an unpaid, can't see anything area, but can hear the music. WOW!
The weather was perfect, comfortable, and to sit outside without mosquitoes buzzing in your ear and the smell of bug spray all around you it is really nice. Of course the company was fantastic too! We had a nice picnic supper with veggie quiche, chicken, salad, Pimms (Jackie I am in love with it too!), wine and very edible dessert that Jeremy and I bought from a local bakery (after checking out about 6 options in/around our high streets). The Kenwood House hosts 10 concerts throughout the summer, rain or shine, music on a summer evening...
