Preparing for Easter (April 3)

After some much-needed naps, we all started getting the Easter eggs decorated while Nanny and Granddad went to Saint George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for one last Evensong prior to heading home the next day.

The boys had a lot of fun decorating eggs, and Blythe had a lot of fun carrying around a red onion for an hour (no ... we couldn't figure it out either).

Blythe really likes to be in the middle of wherever the fun is!

After Nanny and Granddad got back, we had a 'lovely' dinner all as a family, and then read the Easter story in the Bible prior to the kids turning in (and the adults collapsing in exhaustion). A great day :)

A Walk along the Thames (April 3)

Following mini-golf, we went for a walk along the Thames. God was gracious enough to hold the rain at bay for the entire length of our morning out.


It was fun to watch the water-birds nesting along the river. We will have to keep an eye on the nests in the weeks and months ahead.

We got a 'lovely' view of the Eton bridge, which is the pedestrian bridge over which Daddy walks to the InterSystems office from Windsor. It is really all quite picturesque.

Mini Golf (April 3)

John and Mark were able to go mini-golfing with Nanny and Granddad.

Great fun for all :)


(It was a little bit of a challenge distractnig Blythe sufficiently so that she would not grab the balls that were in play!)

Copper Horse in the Rain (April 2)

The entire visit of Nanny and Granddad Spead was marked by rain, rain and more rain. Only a couple of days did we see any sunlight. Since Nanny Spead really wanted to see Copper Horse, we decided to just go for it on the last Friday of their visit. We made it about 45 minutes into the walk when it started to sprinkle. Then, it started to rain, and then it started to pour.

Fortunately, Blythe stayed dry (and sleeping) under her rain cover in her 'buggy'.


Despite the rain, Mommy, Nanny, John and Daddy (the brave crew who ventured on the journey) all had a good time, and they were glad that Nanny was able to see Copper Horse (even though we all got wet!).

English Breakfast for Lunch (April 1)

We watched the parade of the queen's guards through Windsor and into the castle. It's always a great time watching the marching brass band!

After the parade, we all went to a "breakfast all day" restaurant, and had a Full English Breakfast for lunch. Eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, toast, beans, mushrooms, etc.

Visiting the Castle Again (March 27)

We visited the castle with Nanny and Granddad. Because Granddad wasn't doing well walking long distances, we borrowed a wheelchair for the week, which ended up providing us with some perks at the castle. Nanny got free admission as his "pusher", and then we were brought through the back way and in through the private entrance in order to get to the "lift". They really enjoyed the castle, and it was especially neat to see the gardens just beginning to 'spring' into color.

Visit from Nanny and Granddad Spead (March 26 - April 4)

Just as we finished setting in, Nanny and Granddad Spead paid us a visit from NH. It was a great visit - a memorable time was had by all.

John and Mark's Snails (March 24)

(Written by John, typed by Dad)
These are our snails. John and Mark's snails. We love these snails but we let them go. We might find some more in the garden. We found then in our backyard. Their names are Bubbles and Ted. We made a habitat for them. We love the snails. We put leaves and water and a few apple slices in the habitat. But we didn't put milk and cookies, which most people like. We put slugs in the habitat also, but they are not in this picture because we hadn't found them yet. We found about 7, 8 or 9 snails in total. We went to bed, but before we went to bed, we put holes in the top of the habitat which had a cover of some sort, and the snails made one of the holes bigger. Then overnight they got out! Mommy thought that was pretty messy (but it really wasn't). The snails were just so slimy!

Love,
John and Mark

Journey to Copper Horse (March 21)

It only took a week and a half, but we were finally able to make it back to one of our favorite spots in Windsor - the Copper Horse situated at the end of the Long Walk in the Windsor Great Park. It is about 3 miles from out flat (3 miles due South of the Castle), and so a 6 mile trip to go and visit. We decided to do a Sunday evening picnic at Copper Horse, so we packed up and set off with the boys on their scooters.

Mark has improved tremendously on his scooter since last summer, and in fact was able to do most of the 6 miles scootering!

Blythe was able to explore much more than last time we visited the momument.

After a light picnic dinner, we started the 3 mile walk back to the flat. On the way we passed the herd of deer in the Deer Park (probably a couple hundred deer in all).

We made it home just as the sun was setting. A very enjoyable family memory.

A Vist to Windsoe Castle (March 20)

After taking a few days to settle in, we visited one of our favorite local spots - Windsor Castle. They updated the hardware for the audio guides since last summer, and the ear-buds made it MUCH easier to listen while corralling 3 kids (as opposed to a unit you have to continually hold to your ear).

The Queen was at home at the castle when we visited, as evidenced by her banner flying from the top of the Round Tower as opposed to the Union Jack.

After touring the State Rooms (and the Semi-State rooms which are not open in the summer so we had never seen it), we stopped for a little snack.

Before going home for the kids naps, we stopped to say hi and bye to the guard at the front guard station.

A very lovely visit to the castle, and doubtless the first of many on this spring adventure.

A Day Out in Windsor

After a day and a half of settling in, we finally felt as though we were back on our feet and back in the groove in Windsor. However, our celebration turned out to be a little premature. Friday night, after skipping afternoon naps, John and Mark went to bed and fell right asleep at 7:00 PM. We thought this to be evidence of their adjusting to the time zone until 9:30 PM when John came to our room and announced he was up and what time was it? I told him it was 9:30 and his response was "AM?" His body thought it had just completed its normal 2:00 - 4:30 PM ET nap! There was no way the boys were going to fall asleep anytime soon, so Daddy decided to do a "sleep-over" with the boys in the living room, and read them stories until 12:15 AM when the boys were finally ready to fall asleep.

Today went much better, and we were able to tire the boys out with a picnic trip to the Long Walk (just south of Windsor Castle):

View Larger Map


After a long nap, we went out again and played at the park until dinner. Now, we are sitting around the fireplace and Jen has started reading "The History of Scotland."

Spring 2010 England Adventure - Departure and Arrival

March 10th, 2010
A Daddy, a Mommy, 2 boys, 1 girl, 9 suitcases, 2 strollers, 4 backpacks, 1 car seat, a bag of pillows and a camera bag departed from Litiz, PA, bound for Windsor UK for a 3 month adventure :)

The trip through the airport was nice and smooth, and everyone was in a great mood and ready to enjoy the start of this family adventure.

Although the red eye flight did not contain as much sleep as we had hoped, God gracious granted us an extra measure of patience with each other for our first day in Windsor. We started to settle in at 15 Temple Road, and (after a very long afternoon nap) went out for a walk to see the Long Walk, the park, and had dinner at "The King and Castle" pub to celebrate our safe arrival.