Licensed to drive

I just got back from my driving test.

I passed!

Brad actually passed the test a month ago (I let him go first to check things out...) so now we are both legal to drive in this country.  

Its been going well so far...  Hopefully we can make it another year or so with no trouble!

Little luxuries

Shortly after we arrived and got settled into our new (first) house, I started this list of things I missed from before the move.  I thought it would be fun to revisit it now that we've been here for a year.

1.  Mixer taps - I still miss these terribly - the hot tap is very hot and the cold tap is of course cold...  even in the bathtub where they come out of one tap, the hot and cold are still separate, so you can't tell from putting your hand under it whether you have the right mix.

2.  Automatic garage doors (keypads are a bonus!) - I'm pretty much used to this, and since the garages aren't big enough to actually put a car in them, its not something I deal with very often anyway.

3.  Napkins readily available at grocery store - I've found some - they are either very inexpensive and almost worthless, or a bit pricey and something you would use at a party, not for everyday.  We make do.

4.  Commercial-free television for kids - I think we've found one channel like this - CBeebies - which the kids love.  Otherwise, they have sort of gotten past wanting everything they see on the telly.

5.  Large and efficient washers and dryers - I miss this terribly still, and its one thing I'll be very excited about when we move back!

6.  Garbage disposals - I'm used to this now and have no trouble scraping the plates, etc. into the bin, but they are certainly nice to have.

7.  Heated bathrooms (okay, maybe its just my house, but the bathroom I will have to shower in feels like a frig) - Moving helped with this - all three bathrooms have radiators, as they should.  We still have to open the windows when we bathe or shower as there are no fans.

8.  Closets - Again, moving to a new house helped with this, and they're wonderful!

9.  Window screens (to let the air in while keeping the bugs out) - These would be nice, especially with the warmer weather we are now having.  Screens just don't seem to exist here.  Have to be extra careful with upstairs windows and kids, though.

Overall we've become accustomed to the way things are here - it really doesn't take long.  We'll just appreciate these things so much more when we move back!

One year!

Today is the one year anniversary of our arrival in England!

Where did the year go?  I can't beleive its been that long already.  

I suppose we've been quite busy in that year...  We moved from temp living into our house, and then moved again to a different house...  We learned to drive (like being 16 all over again!)...  We took a few trips (Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland)...  We entertained some houseguests (Brad's parents, my parents twice, and Tamineh)...  And we just enjoyed living near London, which is really pretty amazing.

As fast as this past year has gone, I know that the next one will go much faster!

The Easter Bunny

At the park after school today (enjoying the lovely weather), I queried a friend about Easter traditions.  I was thinking they must be a bit different since the shops here are not full of Easter baskets, Easter grass, Easter egg dying kits, etc.

Then it occurred to me that there doesn't seem to be an Easter Bunny!  And I learned that, in fact, the children here do not receive baskets full of treats from the Easter Bunny (they traditionally receive Easter eggs, but not from the bunny.)  And kids here don't dye Easter eggs.  I think some kids have egg hunts (and I've seen a few advertised) but again, not the standard.

Instead, they make Easter bonnets, eat hot cross buns, and enjoy chocolate eggs.

I better get in touch with the Easter Bunny soon to make sure he makes a special trip to England to see us!

And hopefully the kids won't compare notes with their friends...

Easter bonnet

Susanna is modelling the Easter bonnet she made for a school assignment.  It was fun to see everyone's bonnets as they wore them into school.  I have to admit that a lot were better than Susanna's, but we were going for the "I made it myself" look.

Springtime in my garden

We've been enjoying some mild weather lately, and as a result, have seen lots of pretty flowers popping up in our garden!  Its fun to see what we get, since we haven't yet planted anything of our own.  

In addition to lots of daffodils, we have seen...

Based on my own experience, I think that no English garden is complete without an old, rusty wheelbarrow thrown in the hedges!  (Our other house had one too.)
The house behind us is coming along nicely, from what we can see.  As you can see, the house is right up against the hedge.  But we can only see the roof, so no peeking in eachother's windows.

Playtime

Its fun to see the differences in children's play here... or at least what I think are differences!

For example, instead of playing "house", the kids here play "mummies and daddies".  Instead of "cops and robbers", they play "goodies and baddies".  Ben is always dressing up as a "goodie", all ready to "fight the baddies"!  

Ben is currently into every kind of boy-themed play, including Power Rangers, Batman, Spiderman and knights.  Ben has one buddy who is particulary skilled with a sword, and they love to play knights together.  As you can see from our castle photos, he is more prepared than ever to play a good game of knights!

As the weather warms and playtime moves outside, it will be time to play sports in the garden, including rugby and cricket.  Ben still goes to football classes and enjoys them very much.  Susanna has recently started going to football on some Saturday mornings... unfortunately its mostly boys so she isn't as excited about it as she would be if there were more girls.

We are looking forward to lots of play time in the next two weeks as both kids will be off from school.