Playing in Knickers

The past two days have been particularly exciting for the two kids. After returning from vacation, I sent out three texts to three parents I know from their school. One returned the text last week and we set up to play on Tuesday at her house.

Monday Lady Jane threw up for reasons unknown in the morning. Even sips of water. She felt better by evening though and started eating everything in sight. It was one of those illnesses that make you shrug and move on.

Tuesday we headed over to H's house. She has a son in Little Man's class, one of Lady Jane's boyfriends from her class, and a daughter that's about 3 years old. We spent lunch and the majority of the afternoon there at her house. They have a trampoline and dress up clothes and Lego's and toy food. The kids didn't realize it but they had fish fingers for lunch. After the kids ate the fish I told them what they'd eaten. Little Man claimed he hadn't liked them but had eaten them anyway. This coming from the boy that threw up to avoid eating mashed potatoes. Lady Jane wasn't too ecstatic about playing there as the boys tended to shut her out of what they were doing.

Wednesday Lady Jane's little friend from nursery's mom called to invite us over. She has three girls, one in Little Man's class, one in between, and one in Lady Jane's class. We were going to walk down to the bottom of the field next to their house and play by the stream running there. She had also invited two other mother's with children about the same age. This created a good passel of boys and girls. We got there after lunch and snacked all afternoon. The children ran around like heathens while we sat, drank some tea and talked. At some point, Lady Jane and her friend decided to wade in the stream without shoes on. Lady Jane got her dress a little wet. Her friend was a bit more adventurous and decided to take off her shirt. Well, Lady Jane thought that was so cool and wanted her dress off. We made them stop at their knickers. So these two little girls who are about the same size are playing in their underwear in the stream. Eventually we had to spoil their fun to pack up and go back up. I had brought Lady Jane a change of clothes, but they were short pants and a shirt. So she cried the entire way up the long, never ending, steep hill back to their house.

It was good for the kids to get to see their friends before term begins next week especially after the traveling we've done.

Happiness is . . .

A comfy chair, clean clothes and no where to go.

Luxury in Ireland – Day 7 in Ireland

Yes, you read that right. Luxury. This is what the camping was all about. We pulled ourselves together in the morning and left our final campsite at around 11:30. Heading north we made it to Kinnitty with only one fender bender. While we were eating lunch someone dinged the rental car. We arrived at Kinnitty Castle. After a slight mix up on the rooms, we finally settled in. We were able to take steaming showers one right after the other. Woot! Currently, Lady Jane is lounging in the tub. I can hear her, blub, blubbing under the water. Next we explore the grounds and then dinner at 7. It’s good to not be camping.

We finished our baths and wandered around the grounds of Kinnitty Castle. We walked down around the back and found their stone circle. I have to look at their website again when I get back to see if it’s “real” or not. Regardless, we had fun. I startled a little toad. We fed leaves to a horse. We got to wear sandals instead of our hiking boots for the first time in 7 days. We headed back to explore the inside of the castle and had a snack (chocolate fudge cake) and tea in the library bar.

We made reservations for dinner at 7. The kids had chicken nuggets and chips. Phil had a rack of lamb and I had a beef filet. Irish beef is worth having. We shared a bottle of wine (i.e. I had a half a glass, Phil had the rest – okay maybe not all of it). We left some wine on the table even though Phil tried not to let any food go to waste. Hey, it was expensive and the best food we’d had all week. If I’d had a bigger stomach I would have eaten more. As it was we all had some dessert as well. Then we climbed into our gigantic bed (two doubles pushed together). For the most part Little Man and I slept okay, it was the other two who kept waking me up in the night. Of course, given the history of the castle and the reported hauntings, I wasn’t getting out of bed for anything during the night. Nope no ghost sightings here.

Not so luxury in Ireland – Day 8

We left our castle estate with a full belly from the breakfast bar and drove to Galway to do some shopping. We found the city center, parked and had lunch at a Bagel Bar. The café was across the street from Faller’s Sweater Shop, our destination for the morning. We spent time browsing, picking up, putting on, and putting back before finally deciding on the proper sweaters for us. The children declined sweaters and got some Ireland t-shirts and Little Man got a scarf. Phil got a hand knitted Aran wool sweater, which is labeled as an heirloom sweater. Meaning he’ll pass it on to me when it shrinks in the wash. I got two of the least expensive sweaters and a wool hat for less than he spent on his, but I’ve also picked up some books (guilty pleasure) and a knick knack so we’re even.

We went on to Bunratty Castle. Good on paper but hard to see. Lots of narrow staircases with no crowd control. It would have been better as a guided tour or even letting people in at different times. I felt horrible rushed and with a beautifully furnished castle, which you rarely find a furnished castle, it made the experience less than ideal. By the time we came out of the Castle, Little Man and I were done playing tourist and not as interested by the village they had recreated in the park land around the castle. They had taken some cottages that would have otherwise been demolished and moved them to the site.

We piled back into the car and headed to our final resting spot (morbid.), the Jamaica Inn in Sixmilebridge. It’s a youth hostel with family rooms. Our room has an en suite bathroom, double bed, and bunk beds. Enough to squat in for the evening. They have a TV lounge and a fully stocked kitchen with the bonus of free food from previous guests. We used the salt and olive oil to go with the herb bread we had for dinner. We left behind the dish soap, laundry detergent, gas tank for the camping stove, lighter, and anything else that we wouldn’t be taking on the airplane or back to England. Now we’re just waiting for the kids to go to sleep and will shortly join them. Tomorrow is an early morning. We finally fly home to England.

Camping in Ireland Part III – Glen of Aherlow Day 1

The day dawned rainy (go figure) on our last day in Killarney. We spent the morning packing our wet tent and gear into the car. At last ready to go, we headed toward Blarney. I had picked up a map of stone circles in the area and we decided to try to find one. Unsuccessfully, the entire excursion cost us a little over an hour. We kept on toward Blarney. We arrived at Blarney Castle, which is actually a neat ruin to visit. It has not been restored like some of the Castles we’ve seen. We saw the famed Blarney Stone. But declined hanging upside down to kiss it. After seeing the cave under the castle, we climbed back in the car and headed toward where the campsite probably would be. All I had for an address was Glen of Aherlow. Not exactly easy to find. Jane (the Tomtom) had no idea that it even existed. I found it on the touring map and we made our way toward the little camper that indicated a campsite was there. Not knowing if it was our campsite or not. We had a reserved spot so it was definitely where we would be staying. We finally arrived and set up. Drove into Tipperary amid jokes from Phil on how far it was. I know, I know, I married him. We went to the supermarket got food and came back. Not a horribly exciting day unless you were here and had the fun of watching Phil walk around private property searching for a stone circle that may or may not still be there. In fact I kind of wish I’d seen that. I was in the car with the kids, but listening to him, he ran over hills and ducked behind things not to be seen. That would have been quite a sight.

Glen of Aherlow Day 2

After winds tried to take down the tent all night, we got going in the car about 11:00 am. Our first stop of the day was at Cahir Castle, an impressive castle that we could climb to all parts of including the dungeon. Then we decided to try to do a bit of shopping. The two towns nearby were Waterford or Kilkenny. We decided on Kilkenny. The shops were across from Kilkenny Castle. We bypassed the castle and looked through the shops, but found nothing that really peaked our interests. On the way back, we stopped at Tesco to get food for dinner. After dining and kids playing with another boy at the camp, we went to bed. Last night camping!!!! YEAH!!!!! If not for the torrential downpour and slightly leaky tent, last night would have been a great sleep. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Before I get into Ireland, this is my 100th post. Yeah! Okay back to our regularly scheduled program.

Camping in Ireland Part II
Killarney – Killarney National Park

We started at 8 in the morning. We spent the morning exploring the Cliffs of Moher. We found the tourist spot to go stand up on the side of the cliffs and take lots of pretty pictures. We drove along the ocean for a while to head toward Killarney. We spent a nice lunch in the car during the rain in a car park overlooking a beach. We had fun watching the surfers trying to catch a wave. Then back in the car to the ferry crossing. First ferry crossing for everyone in the family. Lady Jane slept. Finally we arrived in Killarney. Impressions from driving along the countryside: most buildings are amazingly newer, concrete built houses are in a multitude of colors, ruined buildings line the roads with no signs of preservation. We found our campsite and put up the tent as the sky alternated between raining (downpour) and sunshine. Currently sunshine, wait five minutes and it will start to rain. We went into the enclosed picnic area for dinner and found a tour bus/hotel had taken up almost all the tables. A couple, who had been in there earlier when the kids and I went in to make sure their snack didn’t get rained out again, were nice enough to give us half of their table. We had hot dogs, veg, and mini apple pies for dinner. We currently sitting in the game/tv room. It’s a nice campsite.

Day 3 in Ireland Day 2 in Killarney

Babbling brooks make great white noise generators. All the noises that bothered me the night before, I didn’t even hear last night. So we woke a little slower than the morning before. Phil and Little Man hit the showers first (we only brought one set of shampoo, conditioner and soap). So Lady Jane and I sat and ate our chocolate chip brioche. After the boys got back we hopped in to our 10 minute shower with time to spare (barely). Thank you very much. We spent the day in Killarney National Park. We rode a horse drawn two wheeled carriage type thing around the park. It was very nice. We got to see Torc Waterfall. Then we headed over to Muckross House and had a picnic with the bees and the blackbirds. We were probably very amusing to watch since we were eating our picnic standing up and moving around to keep the bees away. The birds were happy that the kids didn’t want their crusts and tried to shove all of it into their beaks before the other birds caught on. We began our tour of Muckross House. Shortly into it Lady Jane decided she didn’t want to play nice and Phil hauled her out of the house. Lady Jane lost her allowance to repay for daddy’s ticket. We drove to Ross Castle next which is a fine example of an Irish Medieval Castle. We took the tour again and fortunately, though not the best children ever; they at least made it through the tour with little complaint. We found an Internet café to check on our balance since everything seems to be in cash and not charge. We’re fine. On to the pizza place for dinner. And Hagendaas for dessert. Well everyone but me. Ice cream and I aren’t talking to each other anymore. We had a good relationship for a while, but after time I realized what a sickening friendship we had and decided it best to go our separate ways. Sure I take a small bite from time to time, but it only serves to remind me why we can’t be together. Anyway, back to reality. I’m currently sitting doing laundry in the laundry room at the campsite. Yeah, spend more money. Did I mention that the showers cost 1 euro for 10 minutes? Exchange rate is about $1.36.

Killarney Day 3 – 4 days in Ireland

Today we decided to do the Dingle Peninsula. We started out under overcast skies. We have realized that poor Jane (tomtom) is daft when it comes to Ireland. She alternates between thinking we’re on one road when we are actually on another or in the middle of a field somewhere with no roads to be found. So we followed the signs and a road map to the city of Dingle. Along the way we stopped at Inch Beach, a long piece of land that juts out into Dingle Bay. The skies were still overcast and it was decidedly chilly. We headed down to the beach and while I picked up small sea shells, Phil thought it would be fun to convince the kids that they should take off their shoes and walk into the frigid water. The kids loved it. Lady Jane’s ever present skirt was soaked from her kicking up water while running out of the incoming tide. Fortunately I did laundry yesterday and had a second skirt, dry and clean, in the car. We continued on to Dingle and ate PBJ’s in the car before going into the Aquarium. We got to see pretty fishes and pet stingrays, who actually wanted to be petted. We then piled into the car and took the scariest road ever to find an excellent view. We drove across a small stream of water across the road. The stream was about 4 inches deep. The next part was meeting a caravan in a narrow spot where the side of the mountain on their side and a short rock wall separating us from a straight drop to the ocean. We pulled out side mirrors in and I stuck my head out the window to make sure we wouldn’t scrape the wall. I think Phil closed his eyes while driving, but I was occupied so I can neither confirm nor deny the fact. When we pulled into the scenic outlook, it was gorgeous and the rain was coming down sideways. More of a penetrating mist than actual rain which was driven into your flesh by fierce wind. A car pulled in beside us and the guy got out and looked at the damage to the front and rear of his rental car. He didn’t have as much luck getting through the narrow piece as we did. Phil and I took turns going out and staring down into the ocean. Phil left me sitting with the two kids in the car. After 15 minutes I got worried and decided to give him another 15 minutes before going and looking for him. He came back within the next 10 minutes. Whoo. I really didn’t know what I would have done to find him especially with the two kids. We stopped at an ancient fort and we all got out in the misting rain. Again some amazing views of the cliffs and ocean. Then we piled back in and drove to another site, Gallarus Oratory. We covered ourselves in raincoats and rain parkas and walked out into the wind and driving rain. We went into the reception, bought tickets, and went to the 10 minute film on the site. Then we bravely ran our butts off to the ancient chapel and dove inside. The movie was right, it’s as dry inside as it probably had been when it was built. We took turns ducking outside to take pictures. Then we ran back to the car. The kids fell asleep while we drove back to the campsite with a slight diversion to the grocery store. We had a good dinner of spaghetti, a bit late, but it was good. Tomorrow, Cork and on to Tipperary.

Beginning August 14th

Camping in Ireland Part I

Doolin – Cliffs of Moher

The day broke gloomy and rainy. Phil and I took turns taking showers and finished packing clothing for our eight day excursion to Ireland. Around 9:25, Phil left to get a few last minute things at Decathalon (camping/sporting goods store). I alternated between last minute clean up and watching a movie on Boomerang with the kids. At around 10 am I put our individual steak pies in the oven for our early lunch. We ate at 10:30 when Phil came home and were out the door and packed in the car around 11:15. We were finally headed to East Midlands Airport outside of Nottingham (yes, we passed through Sherwood Forest). Our flight was schedules to leave at 2:05 pm. The airport was about 1 hour from our house. We started a bit later than we wanted to. But we figured even getting there at 12:15 we would have time. A little way out of Sheffield, Phil said he need to get gas. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem in America where there’s a gas station practically on every corner. England is not America. We get to Chesterfield and finally break down and ask Jane where there’s a nearby Petrol Station. 0.9 miles away on a detour that added 10 minutes to our estimated drive time. But by then we needed gas. So off we went. Let’s just say Jane didn’t expect them to tear down the Petrol Station to begin building some shopping complex. Okay the next Petrol Station was one mile away. We tried to follow Jane but she kept trying to take us down bus only lanes. We finally got to the Petrol Station and by the time we get back on course we’re scheduled to get to the airport at 12:49 pm. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Fearful of missing our flight we tore across the country side on the M1 and find the airport. Next we had to go to long term parking. Which is waaaayyy away from the airport front door. Lucky us. We parked and then had to go into reception. It’s now 1:05 pm. I called the airline and they said we had until 1:25 to check in for our flight. We hopped the next bus over to the airport. When we located the check in, the lines were forever. I figured at this point we were doomed. But just on the other side of the long lines was an open station for passengers going to Shannon. YEAH!!! We were checked in and heading towards the boarding gate by 1:20 pm. Talk about cutting it short. The airline is the cattle call that is Southwest Airlines. And we spent the remainder of the time standing in line. The plane ride took all of 1 hour. Lady Jane was especially excited to arrive in Shannon. We got our rental car and headed to Doolin which is situated on the Cliffs of Moher. It’s raining and Phil hurriedly sets up the tent. Then we go down to a pub for some Beef Stew in Guiness for me, Fish and chips for Phil, and chicken nuggets and chips for the kids. Then we went into a little shop and I picked up a knick knack. I didn’t need it. I don’t have a specific use for it. It’s just pretty. Then we came back to camp and noticed the wind trying to blow down our tent. After moving said tent, we are finally sleeping for the day. Well, everyone except for me that is. But I’m on my way. Yeah, Ireland!

What the Kids do When They Know You're Not Looking

Courtesy of Lady Jane's camera. I guess it's better than cutting each other's hair. How many times do you have to tell them? GET OFF THE FURNITURE!!!!!!!

*(&(&(*&(#&)@&$#)@&$#!!!!! Fountain

So today ended the month long stay in England for my in-laws with us. Technically their flight leaves tomorrow, but they decided to spend the night in Manchester next to the airport. After arriving back from London last week, we vegged for a few days before Phil left for the states again.

Wednesday we went to see Brodsworth Hall and Garden. It was an okay house. Victorian in styling and interestingly laid out. We spent some time wandering the house and then wandered the gardens a bit. Lady Jane decided to disobey a direct order and was court marshalled. She decided she wanted to go a different way and was properly told off and taken away from the garden.

Thursday we went to Roche Abbey ruins. The children were allowed to wander all about and climb on the stones. The ruins themselves were quite lovely. I've got some good photos that I'll have Phil post when he gets back. Sure I could do it, but I'd probably do it wrong.

Today we went to Chatsworth House. I took absolutely no photos. I purposely left my camera at home. My FIL picnicked with the kids by the water steps while my MIL and I toured the house. It was pleasant to tour the house without the kids whining at me. After the tour, we met back up and as promised, Mommy walked the slippery water steps with the kids. I had been taking great care to not do anything stupid which could potentially injure my hip again or cause the bursitis to come back again while we're in England. I don't think it would be easy to go to a doctor here and say "Please just shove a needle full of cortisone directly in my hip like my doctor does at home. I swear it works." So I walk up this nice flowing water stair step in frigid water even though the sun is brutally hot (gotta love the England cool breeze though). We carefully make our way up to the top. My feet slipped a few times but no pulling. Whew!

Wait there's more. We have to go back down. Now if you watch most people only go up the stairs and not down, but not us. Apparently we're smarter than the average bear and decide to walk down the flowing water stairs. Did I mention they're made of stone and are slightly slippery? We start down. Little Man slips and falls on his butt. Lady Jane slips and falls on her butt. Mommy slips but catches herself. Children still want to go down the water stairs. Little Man slips and falls on his butt. Lady Jane slips and falls on her butt. Little Man slips and falls on his butt. Mommy slips and catches herself but feels that awful pulling sensation in her hip. !&@(*&)^$*(&)&!!! Mommy's done. No more water fall for me. I walk along the side while the kids continue to fall on their butts.

The next few hours were spent driving back and forth to Manchester to get MIL and FIL on their way. The least I could do for all the fun they've given the family since they've been here. Aberdeen, Scotland. London, England. South Yorkshire, England. It was great having them here.

Next week we head to Ireland for a week. We're camping all but 2 nights. Hopefully I'll be able to rest my hip and it'll be better before we go.

Lost in London

Not really lost per se more casually distracted. Fortunately Phil's never lost even when I am. The kids, Phil and I rode the train down to London. The kids were happy with their crayons and coloring books and the treats we bought from Marks & Spencers. We arrived at the London station and then had to take the Underground to Victoria Station. Of course, it was packed. So, we stood with two kids and four bags (two small, two medium) as we raced under the streets of London to our final destination.

We met my in-laws and headed toward the Elizabeth Hotel. We had a two bedroom flat. The kids slept on the pull outs in the living room. The sun was shining when we arrived and we headed over to Hyde Park to let the kids play. They had row boats and paddle boats on the river which was fairly calm. We walked around the park for a bit before heading back to the grocery store and then the hotel.

The next morning the first thing to do was to go to the Tower of London. We took the Beefeater tour(Little Man's favorite), saw the Crown Jewels (Lady Jane's favorite), saw the Armor exhibit, saw the Raven's, ate at the cafe, explored the White Tower, and visited the torture exhibit.

We hopped a train and headed to Greenwich village. This was a purely Phil and FIL stop at the Royal Observatory. Can you guess why Phil was excited to go here? The Prime Meridian. My MIL and I both checked our watches against the time clock, but Phil and FIL didn't think about it. Phil was too entranced by the idea of being on the actual Prime Meridian and by the time museum to contemplate setting his watch. Meanwhile the kids and MIL and I sat waiting patiently for them to get through the multifloored exhibit. I fully expected the same the following day. After an interesting discussion on how to get back to the hotel, we headed back on the train.

The next day we headed to Buckingham Palace. This was where payback took place. After giving the direction of Lady Jane to my husband I happily went from room to room. Oblivious to my children I was able to enjoy a slow stroll through the palace. Normally I get drug through so fast I have to buy a guidebook just to see what I missed. The palace was lovely and quite over the top. The Victorians definitely loved their gilting.

We went back to the hotel for a much needed nap and then took a cab down to Westminster pier to take a boat tour on the Thames. We sat on the left side and the audio tour was geared toward the right side. Oh, well, we still enjoyed the ride and seeing all the buildings. We saw that the County Hall had some sort of Star Wars Exhibit on. I had tried to cheer Little Man up by pointing it out.

Guess where we went the next day to the tune of 45 pounds. Star Wars the Exhibition. Yeah, it was that cool. Little Man got chosen for Jedi training and got to fight Darth Vadar. Right after the battery crapped out on Lady Jane's camera which I was using and Phil didn't get a shot of him actually fighting Darth Vadar. We saw multiple models from all six movies, costumes, R2D2, 3CPO, and Han Solo in carbonite.

Afterwards we headed back to the little lake at Hyde Park and sat and watched the swans and geese. It was sunny and warm still. Then we boarded the train and headed back to Sheffield. Phil and I let Grandma and Grandpa sit with the kids, so the trip was very enjoyable.