Out and About

We've been playing tourist again. The weather has been magnificent (who says the sun doesn't shine in England?) although we're told that these 14 degree sunny days are the best it gets as even though summer is slightly warmer, it is usually grey and wet. Last Saturday we took a drive to the Cotswolds and visited the wildlife park. It was great for the kids. Noah loved the penguins, Ethan loved the lions, Mark loved the lemurs and Meaghan loved the ice-cream.












On Sunday we went to Warwick Castle with some friends (an Aussie/Kiwi doctor couple working at the same hospital as Mark). This is an awesome medieval castle originally built by William the Conquerer in the 11th century. We visited the dungeons, walked the ramparts and climbed the 500 step spiral staircase to the top of the tower - incredible views. Unfortunately the jousting and firing of the enormous trebuchet (catapult) only occur in summer but we did see the falconer with his impressive eagles and hawks.

































Yesterday we took the train in to London for the day. Meaghan fulfilled her childhood dream of visiting Buckingham Palace but we were a bit insulted to learn that our invitation was not exclusive and the Queen had invited tens of thousands of other tourists. While we did catch a glimpse of the guards and the band marching along the Mall to the Palace, we couldn't seen any of the Changing of the Guard (we were warned but couldn't be bothered getting there an hour and half early to get a prime position). We then walked down to the Riverside and did the London Eye. Great views over London but the glaring afternoon sun actually made it difficult to see (never thought we'd be complaining about too much sun in England). Noah, who had been looking forward to the London Eye ever since we stepped off the plane, struck up a conversation with a woman in our capsule and spent the entire 30 minute 'flight' talking at her and never once looked out at the views below. From there we negotiated the hundreds of buskers (some quite innovative) and headed to the Tate Modern (not a great idea with exhausted kids but at least Noah can say he's seen a few Picassos). We ended up having a picnic in the gardens before tackling the London underground with stroller (this country is so stroller, sorry buggy, unfriendly). After hours and hours of walking yesterday, we spent today (mother's day or 'mothering sunday' in England) recovering.






























As for day to day life in Oxford, we've well and truly settled in and are throroughly enjoying it. Noah loves kinder, has made lots of friends, is learning French and bakes biscuits on Fridays! Ethan is thriving but is a cheeky little monkey. He grunts and points to demand things and shakes his head and waves his hands to say "no". Mark is enjoying work but is enjoying weekends more (when not on call). Meaghan is getting to know some other mums and has regular Friday morning coffees with a group of friends at the local pub. Can't believe it's already been almost 3 months........

Pigs and Palaces

A few more outings around Oxford these past couple of weeks. We had a great day at Blenheim Palace, an early 18th century palace built as a gift to the First Duke of Marlborough who led the Allied Forces to victory over the French during the Wars of the Spanish Succession. It is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and current home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough. The palace is set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland with landscaped gardens and a magnificent Lake. A miniature train links the palace to the 'Pleasure Gardens' which contain a butterfly house, the world's second largest hedge maze (quite a challenge to get out of), an adventure playground and more. Much of the new period movie 'The Young Victoria' (just released in UK - not sure about Aus) was filmed there.

At the other end of the spectrum, we visited Didcot Railway Centre, home to some old Great Western steam engines and visited by Thomas the Tank Engine on rare occasions (ie. last weekend). Not sure if it was the chilling wind, heavy rain or being surrounded by millions of snot-faced tantrum-throwing kids but this place just didn't do it for us. Not sure from the photo if Noah felt the same way or if he was just upset that part of his monkey balloon that we had just queued for hours for burst.













We dropped by Millet's farm, a bit like Collingwood Children's farm but with fewer animals and less to do. Highlights were the enormous pigs, especially the blonde, woolly Austrian ones that looked like a cross between pig and sheep (not the one in the photo).

For something a bit more cultural, we joined Jules and Anna for dinner before attending a classical music recital at Pembroke College. Can't fault the musical talent of these students but must admit it wasn't the most mind-blowing evening.

Monday was Purim and Meaghan took the boys to a party at the shule, Noah dressed as an English Bobby and Ethan wore his Ali G velour tracksuit (shame Meaghan forgot the camera as they both wore stick on moustaches - hilarious!).

Last night we went out to a place called the Nut Tree Inn for a wedding anniversary dinner (without kids). This charming restaurant in an old farmhouse was about 20 minutes drive from Oxford and accessed via a number of narrow windy dark roads with no lights or signs. Thank goodness for our sat nav. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star this year and the food was great although not sure if Meaghan's diarrhoea-filled day today had anything to do with their rich sauces.

And finally (for now), a happy birthday to Bobba Val for the 14th and happy 60th birthday to Mum/Booba/Sally for the 16th.