Road Trip!

We're off to the Yorkshire Dales today for a party at Nigel and Antonia Young's house. Nigel was one of Sandy's profs at Colgate and he and Antonia have been mentors/role models since. Check out the Balkans Peace Park Project, which is one of Antonia's main projects these days: http://www.balkanspeacepark.org/. Nigel's editing the Oxford Encyclopedia of Peace.

Only drawback: we are looking at 4 hours in a car with 2 antsy boys..

Imagination

Joey: "When you eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bit of the jam comes out it looks just like when a dinosaur eats..."

Yuck. (He just watched the Walking With Dinosaur series--multiple times.)

I liked it better the other day when he created a spaceship that he said was taking all the atomic weapons and other bad weapons off the planet for ever.

Summer Fun

There are so many things that kids can play in the Summer. Here we have a fine example of homemade fun in the back garden. Two future Olympians playing "Olympic Diving Competition", inspired by Tolka who loves to watch the divers going "up high, round and round, splash!"




And here is another piece of Summer joy. Good Sir Joey and brave Sir Tolka are guarding their new castle. They are saving Damsels in Distress and have braved the depths of the Haunted Forest where they laid charms on a Fierce Dragon to make it a Good Dragon. (We got this today from http://www.freecycle.org/, which is a great website for the recycling of useful stuff that would otherwise be thrown out.)

And all this while Sandy sits and shivers and claims that a new Ice Age has started.

Scott's a Pro!

Our nephew Scott's been competing in a series of competitions with the Horse Power Tee Shot Tour, where pro golfers are teamed with Nascar drivers. (http://www.hpteeshottour.com/) It's televised on Speed TV (http://www.hpteeshottour.com/images/Speed-Schedule2.jpg). He's also going to be on a reality tv show (!) in Sept on Speed TV. I don't know about days/times (and can't see them here in England in any event..) He earned his place on the team after winning the national 2006 Pinnacle Exceptional Drivers championship (#1 of 7000!). http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/browse/7526-ESPN2-will-air-full-highlights-of-Exceptional-Driver-Championship

Go Scott! We are so proud of you.

Retracting the Eeyore Comment

In the spirit of transatlantic understanding (and intraButcher harmony), I hereby retract the statement about a nation of Eeyores. Sincerely, SIB

A New Family Member is on the Way!

Todd and Jen have a blog too: http://www.toddnjenifermoss.blogspot.com/

#6 is on the way. They make me feel lazy...

Meet the English Slug and the Runner Bean

OK Americans, have we ever seen these runner beans before? They are quite yummy, especially the ones from my in-law's garden. Martin's parents tried to get us started with some runner bean seedlings. But alas, Martin has let down his defenses this year, and the slugs have gone to town. (Last year he used to sneak out at nightime with a flashlight and fry the ugly things with salt. Or he'd let them drown in a tub of beer...) I don't think we had slugs like this in NJ...? Or am I blocking them out of my memory? Disgusting (especially when you find a dozen of them dead in a tub that you thought only contained rainwater!)

A Castle Adventure

The quest to find summer holiday activities for the boys continues. So while Sandy had to work Monday, Martin and the boys took a drive to Berkhamsted Castle.

The boys loved walking around the old moat and then climbing the 1000 year old earth mound on which William the Conqueror's brother built the first castle here.

We wrapped up the visit with boys trying to knock Daddy off his perch as King of the Castle, and him locking them in the 'dungeon' - the one surviving bit of building inside the castle.

Tolka was firm in declaring that 'I had fun today' and Joey has firm plans for playing knights when we go back again.

It Must Be in the Water

Scary how quickly they can leave merry olde england behind!

Tolka is in Heaven

Imagine. You are an active 4 year old who likes to MOVE. Your mum turns on the tv in the morning. You are expecting Tikkabilla and Thomas the Tank Engine. You're ready sing the same old theme songs. And suddenly, instead, it's everything you knew life could be. All you can do is stare and say "Look! Up high! Jump! Around and around. Splash!" Nobody telling them to stop climbing and to sit still. Heaven! Today it was the Olympic divers fascinating Tolka. Yesterday it was the gymnasts. "Around and around! Spin!" He has been practicing the moves (no broken bones yet). He should be ready to Go for Gold in 2024. Only question is which team he will choose...he has 3 options! I nearly took a picture of him watching gymnastics for the first time so they could show it when ABC or the BBC does a feature on him when he is competing in the Olympics himself!

Joey's First Poem

My Seaside Poem

I can see the crunching silver sharks,

I can feel the wet shells laying on the wet sand,

I can hear the ocean water crashing,

I can smell the salty sea,

I can taste the brown sausages.

By Joey

England! England!

Here they are, our two England fans (note the 'kit'). Loyalty to the tribe is already embedded in their psyches. Today, Tolka was watching the Olympics and was chanting "England! England!" I don't think there was a British entry in that particular swimming race. Speaking of the Olympics, he has been spellbound watching the divers. Our only fear is that he is going to try to copy them--using a bookshelf or the back of the couch as a platform. Joey can recognise most of the flags, and is very competitive that England must win. I see now how people on this island develop such a sense of futility. Let's face it, the Brits rarely ever do win. It's a land of Eeyores.