Back Into the Routine

This week has been quiet and uneventful, just another week of work and school. Alex's big project is done so he has been getting home a little earlier, Eric is adjusting to school and I've been sewing up a storm in preparation for this weekend where I'll be selling my things at a table during the weekend Market in Bury St. Edmunds. It's a pretty small venue and I'm not sure what to expect, but just want to get a little feedback from lookers and hopefully customers on my products and prices. Instead of loading up the truck with my tent, tent weights, heavy metal grid display along with tables and banners and a zillion other things and then driving at least an hour to a weekend venue like I used to do in the States, Eric and I will carry 4 Ikea bags full of purses up to town and set up on the tables provided. If it works out to be profitable at all I think I will really like the ease of this new set up. I'll report back.

In the meantime I've been collecting pictures of some entertaining signs we've come across.

First Sail on the Deben River

We took the boat out on the river this weekend for the first time since arriving in August.  We left early Saturday morning and got to Woodbridge around 9:00, in time for Alex to do a little maintenance before taking the boat out at 2:00 at high tide.
 The Tidemill Yacht Marina is great! The facilities are wonderful, the price is right, the people are friendly and it is situated next to a charming town full of shops, markets and restaurants but it has one downside: you can only get in and out of the marina for about 2 hours a day since the river is very tidal. The marina has a sill which keeps the water deep enough for the boats but when the tide goes out you can't get over the sill, so you have to plan your arrival and departures to co-incide with the tides and so does everyone else who wants to get out on the river that day. It turns the marina into a hive of activity for 2 hours and the narrow channel into a highway of boats. 

Saturday was quite a windy day, but we got the boat out of the slip without any major incident which is no small feat since the area behind the boat is barely wider than 40 feet and got her out into the river. The channel is quite narrow so you have to follow the markers very carefully in order to stay in enough water. After that you have to dodge all the numerous boats on moorings, the dingy racing that is going on in and out of the channel and through the moorings and the other sailboats that are sailing towards you in the channel and have preference.  I didn't get any good pictures of this, but I'm going to try to get some next time out, it is impressive. Most of you who know me, know that this was probably just a little bit stressful for me! Alex decided on the first day out not to sail since it was quite windy (about 15 - 20 knots) and  did not want to risk running aground. I was fine with that decision.

out on the river

beautiful landscape

going home after the race

We motored down the river looking for an anchorage that Alex had heard about where we thought we could anchor for the night. We found it, it was full with dingys and there were lots of people swimming, these Brits are tough! I had on 2 sweaters, a hat and gloves and there were people swimming in the water! 

dingy party

The dingy group had left by the time we anchored for the night and after the wind dropped, it was quite a peaceful evening. 

sunset at "the rocks' we didn't actually see any rocks

our flag did attract a lot of attention

In the morning we saw more people swimming, they must have been training for something because they were swimming in large groups up the river with a dingy chaperone. We also saw a large group of people walking, probably bird watching along the footpath, about a dozen or so people riding horses and people searching for shark teeth on the shore. We made a quick trip to shore to check it out and then back to the boat since Alex wanted to sail. 

Nani gets her sails up

We sailed for about an hour and a half where the river opens up a bit and then turned around to make it back up the river to get over the sill at high tide. It definitely was easier the second time around navigating the buoys and the boats, so I'm sure it will become second nature eventually. There were lots of kids and teenagers out on the river in dingys in shorts an T-shirts even in the rain on Sunday, so I guess they start them young turning them into tough hardy sailors. 

The boats on the river are all so colorful and interesting and most of them are in really good condition.  The long dark winters must be a good time for boat maintenance! We saw so many interesting boats, the pictures don't really do justice. 

dog in a dingy

beautiful boat

rafting up Deben style 

We made it back into the slip without a scratch (Alex was very happy about this!) and just before leaving saw this gorgeous rainbow. 

First Day Report

It seems that the first day of school went well! The head teacher appointed a buddy for Eric for the first few weeks to help him get around and get used to the new system. His  name is Josh, and he is from Texas and has lived in the UK for about 3 years, Eric said he had a bit of a British accent but not much.  I didn't get a lot of information as I suspected I wouldn't, but when he came home he was relaxed and in good spirits, so I read between lines as a mother of a teenager often has to do. Most importantly, he did not get lost  and did not have to eat lunch by himself, so I would say that was a very successful first day in a new school in a new country!

He will be walking or riding his bike to school everyday and it is literally a walk in the park. I took a few pictures last week while on my way to pick more blackberries. It really is a pleasant walk with lots of people walking their dogs, pushing baby carriages and lots of bunnies frolicking on the grass.  Except on the days when it is raining, like today. It's a good thing I have a pile of rain ponchos to dole out as needed.

First Day of School

Today is the first day of school for Eric here at the County Upper School of Bury St. Edmunds. He was nervous, but handling it quite well. He would NOT let me take his picture in the school uniform, but let's just say he looks exactly like these kids from the school brochure. 

He also has a complete PE uniform which is also new to him, in Spring he will learn Archery and Cricket! 

I rode my bike to the corner  for moral support (I did not turn the corner so as not to embarrass him unintentionally!) and saw lots of other nervous looking kids walking and riding their bikes to school. I can't wait to hear about his day, (as much as he will tell me anyway being a 14 year old boy) and I'll update later with whatever he'll let me say on the blog, although it might not be much! 

More Trip Pictures

As promised, here is another batch of trip pictures not really in any special order or theme this time, just a glimpse at the daily life during the first half of the trip.

Great Weekend

We had a great weekend in Hastings. Since arriving in England a month ago,  I have been focusing on getting to know my way around our stomping grounds of Bury St. Edmunds and Woodbridge and haven't ventured out farther than that. So this was my first trip out of town other than to Cambridge and I was surprised at how different Hastings is from where we live. It almost felt like a different country. It is a seaside town with lots of lots of tourists, antique shops, candy shops, a little carnival always up and running and always busy and completely different architecture than we have here. I found it very charming and interesting and it was nice to have a local show us around. It did have a feel of a city that is a bit past it's prime and from what I gather it used to be a real vacation destination but not so much anymore. We spent the weekend wandering around the antiques shops, took a day trip to Rye (which was wonderful) and celebrated my niece Matilda's birthday. On the way back we took Nani to the airport and said a sad good-bye, then stopped at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford where I had a lovely nap in the car and Alex and Eric spent hours looking at airplanes. Now it really feels like real life again with routine, work and school for Eric, which starts on Thursday!

Victorian Architecture

view from the top of Eva's street

really great pub on the way to Rye

Nani and the grandkids

Nani and her kids

beautiful view during lunch

just my size door

British humor

birthday girl

Matilda gets a little help

Matilda loves dots

dance party!

Sightseeing

Nani is here visiting and we've been out and about seeing the sights. First up, of course, we spent the weekend in Woodbridge at the boat.  Alex was very disappointed that we didn't get to take the boat out into the river, but alas the tides were not with us and his crew was not as willing to sail on a cloudy, overcast day as he was hoping for so we spent some time in the pubs, saw a movie, sailed the remote control boat and met a few more nice people in the marina.

Monday was a bank holiday so we spent the day in Cambridge. It was a gorgeous day, and it was SOOOOO crowded with tourists it felt like visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, only all the buildings actually were centuries old.  There were so many people taking pictures  with giant cameras that  I almost felt embarrassed by my small camera lens, I just snapped a few and put may camera away, I didn't want to feel so cliche.  It is an amazing city though, I plan to go back on a weekday, maybe when it is drizzling a little bit and take my time to see al the buildings properly. We popped in the Fitzwilliam Museum for a bit, I think the last picture says it all.

Tomorrow we will drive to Hastings to visit Alex's sister and spend the weekend. I'm excited to see another part of England and I'll be back on Monday with some pictures from that trip.