"Tis the Season

... for pumpkin hats!! Grandma Patty made these a few years ago - they're actually both the "grown up" sized hats, a bit roomy on the kids, but the baby sized one is too small for even Maddie now! They're so cute in them. I'm just really disappointed because we're here in Maine for Halloween weekend, and I've left the hats behind in NJ!!! And it's COLD here! Ah well, they did get quite a lot of use out of them this month, and we'll keep wearing them for a few more weeks, till we have to switch to super-duper warm hats.

Matzo

I don't think I've ever posted a photo of our cat, and since the blog exists partly as a way for us to look back on our lives in years to come and remember the good, the bad, and the furry (Andy would use other adjectives to describe Matzo) - I thought I'd better post a few now. Today we actually installed a new cat door to the basement, since the existing door did not meet with Matzo's exacting requirements (the new one has a soft flap; the old one had a hard plastic flap). We're hoping that he'll deign to use it so we won't have to leave the entire door open at night, wasting lots of good woodstove heat. Another reason for posting photos is that many of our friends think we may have an "imaginary cat," since they never see him... he goes into deep hiding when there are strangers around, although he has been known to make appearances. He's actually in deep hiding a lot - but as soon as the kids are napping or asleep at night, he appears, happy and meowing for his dinner. He's MOST happy when Andy is away on business, and he has me all to himself. He may seem standoffish if you don't know him, but when it's just me and him, he's so cuddley and sweet. I love you, Matzo.

October Farm Fun

We have had so much fun this month going to the local farms, especially Tranquilty Fams in Andover - nearly every weekend has been beautiful weather, and there's not much we'd rather do on those crisp, sunny days than dive into huge vats of corn! Seriously, it's awesome. Their hayride is so nice, although it starts off going right next to the pumpkin catapult area (see photo of Andy demonstrating his pumpkin hurling skills), so even though it's super fun to watch them get shot into the air towards a distant target (hopefully, not us) I'm always a bit afraid that we'll get pelted by a stray. That's the dramatic part of the ride; the rest of it is just nice, bumpy dirt road all the way to the pumpkin patch and back again through the woods. The first time we went we just enjoyed the ride, but then the pumpkins looked so good out there, we decided to go back the next weekend and actually get off the wagon and hunt for our own pumpkin. I may be wrong, but I think is be the first time I've ever done that! I felt bad for all the zillions of beautiful pumpkins out there that would never get picked, since there are just so many of them.

Turtleback Zoo

We had a really fun trip to the zoo yesterday, with Emily and her friend, Jacob. The ferris wheel and the train were big hits, as usual. :-)

Boy Cut

Yesterday I tried to cut Maddie's hair (as she wandered around, playing) and ended up giving her exactly the same cut that I always give Oliver. Bummer. Lesson learned: I can manage a boy cut, but not a girl cut!!

Walking Shoes

Our little walking girl!! Couldn't resist posting this, as I'm so excited that since Maddie has (finally!) started walking, she can start wearing dresses!! Kind of hard to crawl in them... She pretty much completely missed "sundress" season, so we'll have to move on to warmer ones. Last weekend we had a little window of opportunity, on another visit to Sky Manor Airport. I guess this may be the last time she'll fit into this cute little sundress... she does look happy in it!

High Point

They forecasted a very windy day today, so where did we go? High Point State Park, the highest place in NJ... where it was CRAZY WINDY!!!!! Just a beautiful day, gorgeous puffy clouds, great light, so many pretty fall leaves flashing their colors and blowing around. We took these pictures next to the big monument on the top of the mountain, and the wind was blowing so hard that you could barely breath, and it was actually blowing us around, and you could lean into it a bit... we all just laughed and laughed. Ollie loved it!! Maddie was a good sport, too, she seemed pretty impressed! Tomorrow is supposed to be even sunnier, and we're heading back to Tranquility Farms to have another hayride and choose a pumpkin. Yay!

England 2010: Part 12

Now that we're back in the US, memories come back to us unexpectedly: Ollie sitting with Grandma on the sofa as she reads him a story, or making fantastic paper airplanes with Granddad, Maddie's first solo steps, feeding Rusty, the neighborhood cat, fresh thick cream from a saucer on the back deck, cups of tea, pints of beer, morning crumpets, rain, drizzle, mist, having a "fun things to do" list that kept growing rather than shrinking, picnics with the whole family, stone walls, hot and cold water running from separate taps, vast countryside, feeding the ducks, ravishing squares of millionaire's shortbread, cobblestones, coal fires, cricket, Cadbury's, sheep (can't forget the sheep!)... and Ollie saying, "I love it at the holiday house! We can walk to the sweet shop!" We loved every minute of it, and the only sad thing is that now it's over and it will be a little while before we're back. In the meantime, we'll just have to appreciate our sunny fall weather here a little bit more, and look forward to many, many skypes with Grandma and Granddad and the cousins. We love you!

England 2010: Part 11

Our last day, boo hoo!! On our agenda was to finally get in a little train ride to Buxton, a nearby town with nice shopping and a wonderful park. We could just as easily drive there, but the point is - train ride!! After some final purchases on the main shopping street (including one of my favorite gift shops, Hargreaves & Sons!), we headed over to Pavillion Gardens for yet another nice picnic lunch. The kids had so much fun afterwards playing in the big gazebo, and having a singing contest that Grandma Carole had prepared for, complete with MEDALS (see photo)!! I think I have to teach Ollie more songs, as his entry was the "Wonder Pets" theme song. Then we headed over to the playground for a while, until we noticed that the sky was turning grey, then nearly black... so we started to hightail it back to the train station, but didn't quite make it. Halfway there it started to POUR, but all things considered, we only had about 4 minutes in the rain all day, so that was pretty good!

The rest of the day was dedicated to packing, and though we had planned a lovely dinner out at one of our favorite pubs, in the end we couldn't face it and just got a whole bunch of fish and chips from town and had them at home, picnic style. Since Carole and Maurice were staying overnight, Andy and I had the chance to sneak out later and meet Ian and Anne at the nice old pub at The George Hotel in town, which serves Jennings on draft!

England 2010: Part 10

Wednesday was the day of our much-anticipated trip to the National Railway Museum in York (a couple of hours from Hayfield). Needless to say, Ollie was pretty excited! We met everyone there - Carole & Maurice, Steve & Al and the girls, and also Alison's parents, who live in York. The museum is huge and filled with dozens of trains, some of which you can climb onto and explore, one that's set up with a walkway underneath so you can look at the underside (cool!), and some great gift shops! I think pretty much every generation of train that's ever been made is represented here, even Japan's speed-train. We spent a lot of time in the outdoor playground as well, where there was a little train ride you can go on with the kids (see below, the kids ready with their tickets!) - we all had a big picnic lunch and basked in the glorious sunshine. It was such a fun day out, I was just sorry that we didn't have time to visit York Minster while we were there... I think next time we're going to need an overnight in York.

After a great day out, we headed home and the kids fell fast asleep in the car. We had a nice walk around town later, and another trip to the local playground down the road. Andy taught Ollie the trick of "super fast sliding," using your jacket under your bum for extra speed and low resistance!

England 2010: Part 9

Finally, a sunny day!!!!! We were so happy to see the sun. We planned a big "outdoor day," starting with a very, very special walk up to Chinley Head, where Andy proposed to me just over 5 years ago. Awwwww. It's one of his favorite places on earth, and now mine, too. The walk starts just a mile or two away from Hayfield (when Andy and I went before, we walked from town), but this time we parked at the bottom of the hill. Ollie had his wellies on, which was good since there was quite a bit of mud, which he loved, of course. "It's really muddy here, Mummy." "Mummy, it's so muddy!" "Wow, mud!!" We weren't sure how he would be with walking a good long way, but he just kept on going, and at the very end, when the trail gets extra steep and bumpy, he sped up and I had to race to keep up! Maddie's happy squawks let us know that she was enjoying herself, too. It's amazing when you get to the top, because you can see for miles in every direction. Gorgeous!

After our beautiful walk, we met the whole family in Bakewell for a huge picnic lunch in the park. Then, Alison and I managed to sneak away for some girly shopping time while the boys (and Grandma!) took the kids to the nearby playground. A while later we all met up for tea, then headed home. Andy enjoyed the good weather well into the evening, meeting his friend, Steve, for a night ride in the high hills. :-)

England 2010: Part 8

During our last week in England, Steve was off from work and the girls were on a special "vacation" from school, so we got to see them every day! On Monday, we went to their house in the morning to play and to see all the renovations they'd been doing, which look really great. I stayed in the car for a while with Maddie as she napped in her carseat, but from what I hear, the kids played "grocery shopping/cashier" inside for ages! For a few days after that, Ollie had a pocketful of plastic pence and pound coins. Around midday we all headed out to Cheshire Ice Cream Farm where we had lunch in the cafe and then super yummy ice cream - you have to look at their list of flavors, it's insane! I had toffee fudge. With tummies full, we spent a couple of hours in their big "play barn," which had a big-kid section, and a toddler section. It was here that Maddie, a couple of weeks shy of her 18-month birthday, first walked about 5 steps on her own! We were all very excited! Yay, Maddie!

England 2010: Part 7

Sunday calls for Sunday Dinner! Granddad Maurice helped to organize a nice meal today with his cousin, Christine and her husband, Len. It was the first time I'd met them, and I was looking forward to it as they'd been so nice to send cards and gifts for our wedding, the kids, etc., but we'd never met! After a drive through the "Dark Peak's" bleak but interesting landscape, we met them around noon at the Rising Sun, a pub near Hope Valley that was about 50 minutes from Hayfield. A big family event, with Carole and Maurice, Steve and Al and the girls, and us. We were there for at least 3 hours, socializing first in the pub, then at a huge table in a big room that we had all to ourselves - which was lucky, as the kids needed to run around a bit by the end of it. I had wonderful lamb with all the fixings, mmmm.
Back in Hayfield later on, we had a great little walk up to "20 Trees," a grouping of trees on a hillside overlooking town (see first photo). Ollie had fun climbing over or around all the different stiles at the fences, and he trooped all the way up the hill without complaining! It was so nice, looking down at our pretty town from up there, and it was windy, too, as you can see!

England 2010: Part 6

On Saturday morning, we finally had a visit from Auntie Mavis, Carole's sister. She came by the house and we had a nice time catching up - always good fun seeing Auntie Mavis. After Maddie's morning nap, we all headed down the road to the Hayfield Country Show and Sheepdog Trials. It was just what you'd imagine a great English country fair would be -- a lovely farmer's market, sweet rides for the kids, crafts, animal demonstra- tions... and RAIN!! We got lucky in that the first hour we were there was only *threatening* rain, but then it started... and unfortunately for the fair, it continued straight through the following day and was so heavy that they had to cancel that second day of the fair. Their website (above) shows photos of the sad, muddy hillside that remained after all was cleared away. Poor Hayfield Fair! Nevermind, we had a great time - the first photo shows a cyclist doing some cool tricks on ramps, in a very small physical space. I love this shot because it shows how beautiful the setting was; the fair itself took place on a hillside, so you were always trudging up or heading down, and at the bottom of the hill was another hill - so pretty. Pushing Maddie in the stroller wasn't easy! The next photo shows a sheepdog doing its "sheepdog thing," trying to rally the sheep into a special fenced area in the most efficient way. And then here's Ollie, enjoying a good old bounce. Our little lamb.

Almost forgot! That night Carole and Maurice babysat again and Andy and I went to Ian and Anne's house for a dinner party! All the usual suspects in attendance - Steve and Sabina, AJ and Ute - only Nige and Camilla were missing. Wonderful dinner with great friends, but no camera!

England 2010: Part 5

After Andy got back from his morning bike ride, we headed to Lyme Park to meet Carole and check out the great new playground that has been built up along a hillside, making use of the natural inclines of the land... Ollie loved the big sandbox and digger, and Maddie loved the slide and swings. After a good long visit and a picnic lunch, we checked out the duck pond and then headed home. After some down time, we had a trip to the next town over, New Mills, and its fantastic Torrs Millennium Walkway - a gorgeous new bridge and walkway that winds itself along a huge retaining wall, past an old cotton mill c. 1788, over and around a river and waterfalls, and right past the New Mills screw generator that powers about 60 homes in the town and would really get Granddad Richie excited! A beautiful walk - I could have explored for hours, but Ollie had a pretty short attention span for some reason. The rest of the day was quiet as well - we had lovely fish and chips for dinner back in Hayfield at the Village Chippy, sitting on a bench outside the church in town, and then had a little bit of a walk around town. Nice day!

England 2010: Part 4

Wednesday was another big day, my big "date day" with Andy in Manchester! We forgot the camera, though! We wouldn't have taken many photos, anyway, as it was super windy and drenching rain again! But we didn't mind - a whole day to ourselves, with lovely Grandma and Granddad watching the kids back home! We took the train from New Mills to Manchester, did some shopping and then had lunch at the little-known Sculpture Hall Cafe in Manchester's Town Hall - we both had delicious soups and paninis. Then we made our way via tram and bus to the Lowry Theater to see Evita - Andy's birthday present from his mom and dad - it was a great show! Neither of us expected that Evita was actually pretty much a self-serving egomaniac, but that's how she's portrayed in the show. Interesting. Show's what I know! After that, bus and tram back to town, then trudged for ages to find an old pub Andy used to go to with friends, which apparently has changed hands and turned into a complete pit!! Made us laugh, though (despite sore feet). Then on, via a short bus trip, to the "curry mile" for a great Indian dinner - well, our dinners were so-so, but the appetizers were great and we loved it anyway.

So, the great photos here are from our big outing on Thursday to the viewing area at Manchester Airport. Andy's best friend and airplane enthusiast, Ian, came along, and we all eagerly awaited the arrival of the huge A380, which lands daily a little after noon. We also enjoyed watching all the other planes taking off and landing every few minutes. We had a nice lunch at the cafe there, right next to the Concord that's stored in a hanger on the site. Super fun monring, and nice blue skies! After that, we headed to Run of the Mill in New Mills, our favorite indoor playplace, for hours of fun with T & N - Granddad joined the fun, as always!

England 2010: Part 3

Tuesday was our first big day out, and very big it was!! We decided to go to Blackpool (a couple of hours away) to see the famous Illuminations, but that didn't start until dusk, so we added on a trip to Bowness, the closest lake in the Lake District. Carole and Maurice came as well, and we met up to walk to town together for a boat ride and some sightseeing. Bowness is supposed to be a bit less crowded than nearby Windermere, but it didn't seem like it on this day! We got on a boat quickly, though, and had a great trip out, even though the ever-changing English weather turned from happy sun to spooky clouds and light rain about 5 minutes after we set out! By the end of the journey, some of us escaped to the lower part of the boat, enclosed with windows and toasty warm. Afterwards, we braved the crowded streets and strolled through town, also braving Andy's harumphing (low crowd tolerance). :-)

Then we made our way to Blackpool, a seaside town that had its heyday in the 50s and 60s and now has a fantastic ambiance that walks the line between throwback cool and horrifying tackiness. There are miles of boardwalk, endless restaurants and "tat shops" (places to buy tat, not tattoo shops!), gorgeous peirs, a huge amusement park... it's just such an interesting mix of old charm and new sleaze. We started off with an early dinner of fish and chips at the famous Harry Ramsden's, which definitely hit the spot. Then we headed out to the very end of the nearest peir, and on our way out the skies darkened and the wind picked up, light rain began to fall, then heavy... it was so crazy out there at the end! Windy, high waves, dramatic skies - at the rounded end of the peir, it felt like you were at the bow of a great big ship in the middle of a storm. Ollie loved it! When the worst of the rain and clouds passed, there was a gorgeous rainbow that reached right to Blackpool Tower. We made our way back to the boardwalk and passed some time in the arcade, where the kids had a blast riding on little rides and playing games like the coin push, that only cost 2p to play. And finally - the Illuminations! Over 4 miles of the boardwalk magically lights up at 8pm, and every hundred feet or so is something different to see. People come from miles around to drive (or sometimes walk) these miles and see the beautiful lights. I think our favorite part was seeing the local tram-cars decorated with lights -- a train, a boat, etc. - the kids were transfixed with it all, and for Andy, it was a trip down memory lane.