#2

This is just going to be a short post, i think, and not as lighthearted as last week's as i've spent all day dealing with one crisis after another, some minor and one in particular not so minor. My only goals for today were to school Andrew, do laundry, pack us up to part ways tomorrow, and catch up on communication (such as this post). School - check (except that i just realized that i packed the wrong logic book - one that he'd already completed :-(); laundry - check (although cause for one of the minor crises - i hate trying to figure out European washers - there's no logic to them at all!); packing=check (except for the clothes that are still hang-drying by the gas wall heater); communication=we'll see if i get this completed. Oh, and that little matter of figuring out what I'm going to do once R & A leave for their hike. That would be the not-so-minor crisis i've been dealing with most of today.

Their bus for Newcastle-upon-Tyne leaves in the morning at 9:05. They won't arrive till 3:30, so they'll have to start their hike on Wednesday morning. I'd always pictured that by now some super-cool opportunity would have popped up for me to do while they're gone, but alas, here it is 12 hours away and i have absolutely no idea what i'm going to do or where i'm going to go. I keep hitting walls everywhere i turn. Going back to London to spend more time with the Olivers & Sams is not an option because it'd be too expensive and because i still can't find any rooms available near them. It seemed to make sense to go on up to Annan, Scotland where R & A plan to end their hike, but there are several walls blocking my way there too. Fortunately i just found out a short time ago that i can continue to stay where i am in Northampton, so i may stay put for at least a couple more days. I'm just major-bummed; feeling very alone and stressed out.

As far as this last week, it's not been too bad. Here's a quick run-down of what we did since my last post:
Tuesday - went to the British Museum, then over to the Olivers' for one more visit before leaving town.
Wednesday - took the coach from Victoria Station to Southampton because another lady from my Christian, mostly-homeschooling, mums facebook group had invited us to come stay with her family. So we did. Nigel & Leonie have 5 children, 3 of them under 6. We slept in their loft schoolroom on air mattresses that had been loaned to her by yet another member from the fb group (but whom i didn't get to meet). I'm really loving English hospitality so far. These people, most of whom we'd never met till this trip, have rolled out the red carpet for us.
Thursday - Leonie took us to an abby ruin, Titchfield Abby to have a look around, and then to the English Channel beach near Portsmouth. She invited us to accompany their 15-year-old son, Brandon, to his "Cadets" meeting that evening, which was similar to our ROTC. Quite interesting, as that wasn't an activity that i'd pictured doing when we visited England. But it was good.

Friday - Brandon was preparing to make some brownies when he discovered that a bag of flour had spilled into the bottom of a cabinet. I have no idea how exactly it happened, but one thing led to another and i ended up spending the rest of the day and part of Saturday morning reorganizing Leonie's kitchen. My third kitchen in 3 weeks! I guess maybe just call me the kitchen fairy, i don't know. But i do know that she invited me to do it, i didn't just take over. She said they'd moved into this house 1 1/2 years ago when she was recovering from a c-section and couldn't do anymore than just quickly get stuff put anywhere, and has been so busy with her 5 children that she's never had time to go back and sort it all out.

The English use a lot of different flours!

Saturday - Leonie offered to drive us to Northampton because she could get us here so much faster than the bus could (see what i'm talking about - that English hospitality?) So we got here mid-afternoon, and since our friend Richard had plans till 5:30, he'd arranged for us to go to another church member's house till he could get by to pick us up. So Johnson and his 2 adorable children, Rachel and Darius, babysat us for a couple of hours, and honestly he didn't stop feeding us the whole time we were there. Then Richard picked us up, took us by his house for a few minutes, then took us over to his mother-in-law's home where we are house-sitting till tomorrow. Or later, for me apparently.

Those eyes! Can you EVEN?

And Rachel's smile!

Sunday - Richard had invited Randall to preach at the church in Northampton, so he happily did. The church was packed, which it normally is; they have 110+ members, i think. Wonderful service and wonderful people all around. Afterward, since his wife was sick at home, Richard took us out to a wonderful restaurant where we had a traditional English dinner of roast beef (roast turkey for A and roast lamb for R) and Yorkshire pudding. Then he took us to nearby Olney to the church where John Newton (Amazing Grace) and Thomas Cowper used to serve and write hymns.

Richard & Randall

The Church of St Peter & St Paul in Olney

So stay tuned to find out how the Big Hike goes, and what i end up doing while they're traipsing around the English countryside.