Packing up

Our trip is coming to an end. Although the weather here is unusually cool, rainy, and more like fall, we really had a good time. Seeing family members seem to provide warmth to the spirit. It is nice to visit other places outside of the U.S. and to see and even feel the difference. The people here seem to just accept their cool, cloudy, and rarely sunny days as a part of life. The experience here was fantastic.

A day on the English seaside

Yesterday my family and I took an interesting trip on the English seaside. We travelled there by coach bus. The houses and the farms that we saw en route were spectacular. The roads while narrow, offered smooth traveling. We visited a small seaside town called Eastbourne. Eastbourne is about two hours from London. It was a beautiful, sunny day with no clouds in sight. Of course it was a bit too cool and windy for us to go into the ocean. The beach was covered with smooth rocks of every shape and size. We had a picnic next to the shore. Afterwards we watched seagulls circle above waiting for us to feed them scraps from our lunch. Later we took the children by trolley to "Thunder Falls" which is an amusement park about a 10 minute ride away. I enjoyed this unique experience with my children. I rode on a few of the rides with them and we just had fun and enjoyed the day.

A walk around Dedford

Today I took a walk to the local town of Dedford, which is close to where we are staying in London. My husband and daughter joined me. I decided to place her in her "push chair" which we call a stroller in the states. The London weather can be unpredictable because when you look outside, the sun warmly invites you out. However, as we continued on our walk, the air was brisk and cool. On our way to town, I couldn't help but to whip out my camera and take a picture next to one of the smallest Mercedes Benz that I had ever seen. The roads here are so narrow that, the cars are made so small as well. As we looked around the town, it really was similar to many U.S. towns. Stores advertised their sales on signs and try to lure shoppers in with the promise of sales. We stopped at a local clothing store to examine adult and children's shoes with signs of 5 pounds and 10 pounds over them. We didn't buy anything but the children's shoes were cute. I couldn't help but notice the amount of fast food and eat in restaurants all around. No popular U.S. chains, but many fish and chips, West African, and Vietnamese establishments. The locals were obviously prepared for the weather because many had on jackets or sweaters. For a moment I thought that the bright sun which was briefly covered by clouds would give way to showers but that moment of cloudiness past. We decided to buy two orders of fish and chips and sat in the restaurant to eat. Walking back, I realised that a warming calm which transcended the weather took over me. I am really glad that we decided to take this trip.

A celebration in London

On Saturday the party went off without a hitch. I was a little late because my sister in law insisted upon having a special dress which was specially made for all of the in law wives. My dress had not been picked up at the tailor's as yet by the time the event began. Remember that anxiety that I spoke of when I was anticipating this trip? That was nothing compared to what I felt while getting ready for this party. As MY luck would have it, the dress, although finished in time was not able to be picked up. Time was running out for me to attend the party which started at 4pm. What was even worse was that everyone at the house left ahead of my children and myself because they had already picked up their outfits previously. This made me anxious, hot, and sweaty.
I was still waiting for my dress by 7 pm. My husband (who left ahead of me) returned to the house. He informed me that there was no more time, and that I should put on a dress that I brought from home. By this time I was so tired and sick of waiting, that I quickly put on a dress that I brought from home.
In typical London weather, it started to rain and the air was quite chilly that evening. There was a lot of people at the hall. Even though I was fashionably late, and missed the beginning of the festivities, I was greeted warmly. The place was packed. My children and I greeted my mother in law who was seated at the front of the hall (at the head table). I saw a lot of my husband's family members whom I hadn't seen in a long time. There was a live band playing upbeat and rhythmic tunes. Food and drink appeared from every direction. The food was catered and there were servers walking back and forth. The menu included scotch eggs (a type of boiled egg covered and baked with cornbeef and flour), spicy seasoned rice, baked chicken, steamed fish, tossed salad, and a type of bean casserole.
After dinner was served, the presenter offered a little program of appreciation to my mother in law which was followed by thoughtful words from her friends, relatives, children, and grandchildren. The highlight of this part of the evening was when my little three year old niece took the mic and said "Granny, I love you." (So cute, with her British accent!) The photographer took group photos of my my mother in law with all of the family members. After which the cake was presented. it was a three tier, vanilla sponge cake, covered with pink and white frosting.
I danced to a few of the numbers to the mostly upbeat music with my husband and kids. it was nice to see people smiling and having a good time. There were many gifts presented to the celebrant and party favors for the guests. We received party favors such as canvas bags, tea bags, slippers, soap, coffee mugs, and t shirts.
The party was over at 12pm and most of the guests started to leave almost immediately. It seemed like there was enough nervous energy to go around leading up to this event. That was evident in what happened next. As my brother in law (whom we were staying with) was determining which family members would be carried home in whose car, he discovered that he didn't have his house keys. His wife left her keys at home as well. You have to understand that it was early in the am, and that place was locked up like Fort Knox! As everyone put their heads together to determine what to do, we sat inside the hallway of the party hall to escape the cold. The owners were gracious enough to let us stay while they cleaned the hall. We snapped pictures and paced as we decided what to do.
After a while my brother in law discovered that his friend mistakenly took his house keys home, and he lived very far out into the "outskirts" of town. After numerous calls and no response to his friend, we decided to sleep on another one of my sister in law's couch. So my husband, children, and I camped out on the couch for the evening. You can't make this stuff up. Real life is definitely more interesting than fiction, but what a night! I will never forget it whenever I recall this vacation. I am glad that we had this time to spend with family and we loved every minute of it.

Summer in London

Hi ladies,
Here is another poem about my thoughts about what is happening all around me on this trip.

Summer in London
Cool air hits my face as I walk outside.
Family is all around.
I hear children's laughter as they play.
There is a strange sounding ambulance or police siren going by.
The roads are narrow here.
Much more narrow than I am used to on my American streets.
The houses and cars are very small.
People drive right hand cars.
Historic buildings are everywhere as I drive through Downtown London.
There are crowds of people walking everyehere.
There is so much to see and do.
Anticipation is bubbling all over.
Everyone is happy, friendly, and smiling.
Summer in London, an interesting experience.

Vacation abroad

We are in London, England. The weather here is a little on the cool side for summer. I am over my anxiety by now. (Thank goodness!) I am enjoying the time spent with family members as well as the restful vacation. Everyone is so excited. My children are getting aquainted and reacquainted with all of their family members. We will not have a chance to take the children sightseeing until after the party is over on Saturday. My mother in law's birthday party has developed a life of its own at this point. I am seeing all of the preparation that is going into this event. And I see that it is a big deal. A party hall has been rented and we are in the process of decorationing it. it is interesting to see how different cultures celebrate. I'll let you know how everything is progressing to the big event.

Summer time 2009

Hello fellow bloggers. This is my first attempt at blogging and at poetry. Enjoy.

Summer time
Warm muggy air
Warm sand sliding through my toes
Cool ocean waves reach the shore
Lazy days
Humid days
Dog days
Long days
Trip planning and family time
Long drives to no where in particular
Writing is coolant for the mind at any time
but I love it in the summer time.