5 down, 4 to go.

It's hard to believe we've been here for 5 whole weeks. Even harder to believe, is that we'll be leaving in 4! Where has the time gone?! Seriously. Life in London has become so normal that we sometimes forget this isn't our 'real' life.  I'd like to think we no longer stick out like sore thumbs, but I'm pretty sure every time we step out the door there is a neon sign that lights up, saying 'Americans on the loose!'

In the past few weeks we have (in no real order):
--Had dinner with our friends the Subletts at a pub around the corner
--Made friends with a couple, Iain and Clare, who happen to live around the corner,  are great cooks and quite a lot of fun. We've had dinner with them twice in the past 10 days and Clare introduced me to the London Voices Choir*. We've also been to pub with said choir. It's what they do.
--Gotten the girls' hair cut. 'Bangs' are called 'fringe' here, by the way, and the glossary relating to dye jobs (aka, technical services) is long and confusing.
--Taken a paddle boat out on the Serpentine in Hyde Park
--Become members of the British Museum (it was cheaper than paying for the touring exhibits we wanted to see, plus we get special access and don't have to queue for tickets
         --Started using the word 'queue' for lining up. Have even told people who were trying to cut in    
           where the queue started
--Checked out the movies. You have to select seats when you buy your tickets and even if no one else is in the theatre you can't sit in the upgraded seats.
        --Discovered that popcorn in the movie theatre is sweet or salty but never buttery. Bummer.
        --They do serve beer at the movie theatre. Yay!
--Gone to Hampton Court Palace. That Henry VIII. He was kind of a jerk. Had a cool house though. He also had a pattern to his wives--just in case you weren't aware--divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, (he) died. I find him and his reign quite interesting.
--spent some time with Will's mom, Carol who has been visiting. We've shown her around a bit. She's gone off on her own a bit. She, Will and Ella hit the Harry Potter Studio Tour and liked it quite a bit. Julia and I went and played in a park that day.
--Taken in a couple of shows. 39 Steps, with Carol and then she and Will went to see The Commitments, which they thoroughly enjoyed and the girls and I saw Sequence 8, which was sort of a Cirque de Soliel-esque performance, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
--Discovered that 10 and under's ride free on most buses and all tube rides so long as they're with a paying adult. Spent a few hours sulking that we'd been paying for her for the first 3 1/2 weeks.
--Discovered that public transportation is pretty cool, but it really sucks if you don't check the status before you leave the house and find yourself at a closed bus stop or tube station.
--Learned some colorful slang and interesting rules of etiquette courtesy of Iain and Clare.
--Had dinner with a Detective Inspector of the New Scotland Yard, and a Neuroscientist, also courtesy of Iain and Clare.
--Realized there is no way I can bake anything if I don't have measuring cups of some kind or a kitchen scale. Not sure this is a real problem.
--Gone on the London Eye. Thought it was going to be cheesy, and it was, but also quite enjoyable. We've been told it's a bad idea to have a session at pub and then go on the Eye. Sounds like good advice.
--Found a gym and coach for Julia to practice with at least once a week. Once they got past the language barrier--certain skills are called different things--it went really well.
--Gone to Anne Boleyn's childhood home. We spent some time there today with friends' of the Nyberg's. Ali and Andy Etheridge have a son and daughter that are right around Ella and Julia's ages. We had beautiful weather, plenty of room for them to run and a water maze to boot. It was a lovely afternoon and the girls were absolutely thrilled to have kids their own age to talk to and hang out with.
--Been to the Natural History Museum. The Smithsonian is really damn cool, but this place is friggin' amazing! It doesn't hurt that we showed up on the one night a year that the museum is open late and some 150+ scientists are let out of their labs to educate the general public for Science Uncovered 2014. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. We got to see some really cool stuff and talk to really cool people!

There's been loads of other things, but this list alone is not bad for a couple of weeks...

Some of the Tall Ships from our near disastrous excursion to the festival where we met Iain and Clare.

Two of our favorites from Hampton Court Palace. 

The Boleyn Dragon and the Seymour Jaguar

Clearly this is the 'bang head here' spot, even though there isn't a sign.

So glad this is not my stovetop!

Ali and me, Hever Castle

The kids having 'a go' at archery…. 

You can't really see it, but that's a bullseye!

Ella, Julia, Edward and Caitlin after the water maze. It was possible to not get quite so wet…..

We just thought this guy was cool at the British Museum

One of the main entrances of the Natural History Museum.

If you see a dodo, you have to take a picture.

Unfortunately, this picture doesn't even begin to do justice to the expanse and beauty of the main hall. That's a statue of Charles Darwin way in the back.


**London City Voices is a really cool choir. It's a no-audition, pay by term and come when you can. All the arrangements are done by the director and currently they're working on some Queen, Paul Simon, and traditional songs. After practice they all go to pub (the same one each week) and inevitably end up singing some more. I'm taking video this week to share, but you can also check out the website www.londoncityvoices.co.uk