Location, Location, Location

I would LOVE to have a photo to go along with this post but that will be thrown on the pile of frustrations. I forgot to bring the cord that would allow me to transfer pics from my camera to the computer. I hope to get one soon. I also forgot the charger for my computer so I won't have computer access for the next two days while Mark is in London with his. :-(

Yesterday we moved into our house. The reason I need a photo for this blog is simple. The view is absolutely stunning from the living room, the kitchen and the terrace. Yes, we have a terrace. We are looking out on the Solent, the water between the Isle of Wight and the mainland of England. We can see the lights of the mainland twinkling at night and can see landmarks on the shore by day. There are always large cargo boats, passenger ferries and sailboats drifting by. It helps relieve any loneliness when there is so much activity right outside your window. We are perched high atop a hill so the view is unobstructed. Most of the homes here have names similar to beach houses on the Gulf Coast. Our home is Folly Hill. It is a lovely home filled with antiques, paintings and books- SO COZY! Elise has her own room although she doesn't appreciate it and keeps asking to join the older girls. Both Sam and Mary Elizabeth were lobbying hard for that room. No luck! They are each sharing a room with a bunk bed, Mary Elizabeth with Anne and Sam with William. They don't mind too much because everyone is happy with the house.

There is a sun room off the living room (which they call the lounge). It is nice and warm in the afternoon for this Southern girl who isn't used to the constant chill. The heated bathroom floors are a nice touch. There is a lovely backyard with lots of greenery, which a gardener tends, and it backs up to a big public park complete with tennis courts and miniature golf! The stately oak standing just outside our gate transports me to Audubon Park.

With a house comes many appliance. The fridge is tiny by American standards and doesn't include a freezer. Thankfully we have another in the sun room and a separate freezer as well. There is a washing machine, dryer and dishwasher. The washing machine fits about 4 pieces of clothing. Okay, I admit I am exaggerating for effect. It fits 7 pieces! Now, imagine choosing between washing clothes at 30, 60 or 90 degrees Celsius with a spin cycle of 1200, 1000, 800 or 600. WHAT?! I loaded the machine, put in some tablets that I hoped were laundry detergent, pressed a few other buttons then held my breathe as I pressed start. The clothes survived and smelled clean so I guess I succeeded. After drying the clothes, I wasn't willing to tackle the dishwasher so I am washing by hand for now. Worked the toaster, stove and oven without much trouble, bringing the grand total to 5 appliances. Mark on the other hand, broke the first one he touched. Don't ask. Long, sordid tea kettle story. Suffice it to say, we will be buying a new one for the home after cleaning melted kettle bits from the stove. He's off to London tomorrow so all the appliances are safe for a few days.

Well, I have so much more to tell but I am out of time. Stay tuned for a trip to the grocery store, a $65 lunch at Pizza Hut and photos of the house.

Now that we have a house, come one, come all. Remember the terrace I mentioned? I'll serve you tea there with a fabulous view. Elise will happily give up her double bed to bunk with her sisters. Last one to visit us is a rotten egg!

New Orleans Classic, UK Style

We were eating at an American-style diner and there was an item on the menu called "chip butty". I couldn't imagine what that was so I asked the waitress. She explained it was chips on a sandwich. I told her we had those back home in New Orleans but we call them french fry po'boys. I told her that we even put gravy on it and she thought that was a little strange. You mean to tell me you are willing to put french fries on bread and eat it but you won't go the extra calorie mile and put gravy?! Geez, New Orleanians have to teach people to how to live a little, everywhere we go.

Have a good weekend!
Dina

Gripe Water

It is 1 am and I am awake because there was a false fire alarm at our bed and breakfast. The Fire brigade came, as they call it. Can't go right back to bed, so I am taking the time to stay connected on facebook, etc.

Wanted to tell you about the funniest thing I saw on the pharmacy shelf, in the baby section. It is called "Gripe Water". The box said, "For relief of wind and gripe." Anyone who has had a colicky baby knows about Mylicon drops. That is basically what gripe water is! I just thought that was the funniest way to describe it.

Hmmm... Wind and gripe? Anyone need me to send some for their husband?

Dina

Lingo and Give Me a Nudge

Hi, this is another post from Sam. I'll start with lingo. One thing about the U.K. is the language difference. Diapers are called nappies, and chips are called crisps. Mary E. isn't in on the lingo, she hates it when we call french fries chips. Pastie, what the heck is it? It is a pastry except instead of delicious sweet things inside, it is filled with veggies, meat or a mixture. I had one with cheese, onion, tomato & basil. Also, at Subway if they ask, "Do you want salad on this?" It means lettuce or no lettuce. "Give me a nudge," is what the slot machine said to me earlier. If I knew what that meant I could have won 1 pound. Anyway, you learn something new everyday whether or not it matters a lot, or the tiniest bit=) Thanks for reading, keep the comments coming please.

Sam

NFLess Sunday

Okay- is this what it took to get the Saints on the road to the Superbowl? Did we actually have to MOVE OUT OF THE COUNTRY?!!! Sundays are SO hard without the NFL. As soon as we get settled in our house, we will explore EVERY options to view ANY American football games. Dare I say I am desperate enough to watch the Dallas Cowboys? No. I am not that far gone. Try me again next month.

Yesterday we were eating at a place called Fat Harry's. Yes, you read that right. The guy serving us asked where we were from and when we said New Orleans, his immediate response was, "Oh, you've got a great football team!" I held myself back from leaping up to give him a big hug!

Please enjoy all the Black and Gold mania at home for us.

Love,
Seven Lonely Who Dats

Sunny Saturday

We found a house!!! The catch is we can't move in for another week. Oh well, there is a light at the end of the tunnel so I can just count down the days.

Today was a beautiful day. It was sunny and about 73 degrees. We walked all morning along the shore and had lunch at a lovely cafe. They serve pasties and jacket potatoes. Pasties are pastry stuffed with various fillings- chicken and veggies or maybe feta and spinach. Jacket potatoes are just baked potatoes in their skin. Isn't that such a cute name? Potatoes in their jackets! Some of the kids had fish tiddlers- little fish cakes. That name cracks me up.

Since it was so warm (for England) we brought the kids back to the beach in their suits in the early evening. It makes me happy to watch them run on the beach, play in the tide pools and collect rocks. Those are the simple kinds of things I have been looking forward to.

Hope you are having a good weekend. I cannot tell you how much your thoughts and prayers are helping.

Dina

Forty-Six Pence

Hi, readers. This is a post from Sam. First, you might be wondering about the title. It is called 46 pence because today I gambled and won 46 pence so I figured why not. Today was a good day, we nearly finalized the house rental, I gambled and won money, and I bowled. Now I am going to list a lot of surprises we've had over the past few days. Did you know that if I just walk a few blocks there is a restaurant called Chicken and Pizza Land which sells chicken, pizza, kebabs, and burgers. There are also 2 Chinese restaurants, and Indian restaurant, and a burger place. So it's not just fish and chips. Did I also mention that if you are able to put money into a slot and push a button you are allowed to gamble. In the words of my mom, "We won't be having a lot of Ben & Jerry's ice cream there." Guess what the airport was filled with? You got it, Ben & Jerry's vending machines. Plus, half of the houses we've gone to see were advertised furnished but weren't. Also, there are places called zebra crossings where cars must yield to pedestrians. Hope you enjoyed my thoughts. Please comment, Sam.