Happily Ever After...

When i first saw the budding spring i was absolutely dazzled by the rolling yellow fields. It was like sunshine was scattered like glitter. I had never seen anything like it. What are these glorious flowers...they are called Rape Seed. Now, i know that the name sounds kind of grim (believe me i know about the strange names, just up the road is "Barff Meadow" yes, that's right, Barff Meadow, its a street...makes you want to live there doesn't it?) Anyway, Rape Seed, lovely yellow flower. Rape Seed is highly prized for its super healthy oil (as a food) environmentally friendly uses for making diesel.

So...what else does Rapeseed make? It makes snot, by the bucketload. I actually thought that i was SICK! I was sneezing violently, to the point of nosebleeds. Coughing, watery eyes, i often sneezed mucus on my own face and hands. Yes, I'm admitting it! First, i didn't know that i could produce this much slime, and second, the sneezes and spewing were completely sudden and beyond my control. I'm not even embarrassed about snotting on myself anymore, its THAT beyond my control.

So, i hear through the grapevine that the popular opinion is that i have "Hey Fever"! When i considered this, i thought "You've got to be kidding me! Hey Fever? This has to be way worse than just Hey Fever!" Well, it seems hey fever is what this is, to a degree i have never seen before. I never thought i would receive an ass kicking by a little yellow flower!

Braeden and Khalid's school just had their May 1st celebration. It was a lively event with lots to do. Khalid ran in the "Busy Bees" nursery school relay race and came in fifth. All the children received a faux gold medal made of sturdy plastic and a tri-colored ribbon to secure around his neck. He is a champion indeed. He was so nonchalant about this race, stopping in the midst to wave to mom and smile, clopping along in his rain boots just enjoying being in the race.

The boys also had a great time with their face painting and horse back riding as part of the days events. The bouncy castle was set up inside and seemed to swallow the room.

Yet another family outing, we decided this time we would go look at the steam trains. While the experience as a whole was very fun, especially for the children, I have to say yet again I am unimpressed with the food. I've decided to rate food places as we go to them so everyone who reads this blog will understand just how bad standard fare is in the U.K. I am told that the U.K. has more 3 star restaurants than any other country…my questions is this…where the hell are they? I'm not the world's most dazzling cook and to be honest, there have been one or two "oops" in my kitchen. But even I, void of my magic wooden spoon, can whip up a meal better than these places that boast "seriously good food" on their sandwich boards decorating the sidewalks.

To begin our journey, we arrive in the little town of Lugborough where, after some shuffling and minor traffic jams we parked our car in a grassy area. Very similar to the grassy parking available at the local fairgrounds, only smaller. The day was very windy and somewhat cold and it seems everyone had come out to see the steam trains. There was your typical gentle pushing and shoving and I must admit the "I-have-to-be-first" Syndrome is a lot more acute than in the states.

We boarded a stationary dining car, and I use the word dining loosely. Sandwiches and tea/coffee were served. All the sandwiches coated in butter, the coffee was of course, INSTANT *gag* and cold. As we looked for a seat we noticed that many people had decided they would keep their table while waiting for the next train to come. Though they had no food, drink or anything else, and people were wandering around looking for a place to sit. The manners I've seen here make me wonder how any of us American's could buy into the civil graces and revere England for its manners when this is the is how the locals behave. Of course, it would be just as bad to ask someone to give up their table, so way back in the last car we found some rickety wooden folding chairs and some equally unsteady tiny tables to sit at and attempt to eat our food. I winced after two sips of coffee and decided I need to lose weight anyway, so no lunch for me.

We finally boarded the steam train, railway guards meandered around watching passengers board. The private cars (the sort you see in Harry Potter movies) were taken and held fast, so we found ourselves in the open public car rolling at speeds of 20 mph. The scenery was amazing and the children were both intrigued at the countryside. The train made slow clacking sounds as it progressed 5 or so miles to the next station. Of course we had a round trip ticket and enjoyed stepping off the train to enjoy the little village of our destination before making our way back to the grassy field where we parked our car. All in all, it was a good day. The children excitedly marched toward the car after raiding the souvenir shop. All in all it was a great experience and I love that we can say we've ridden on a steam train!