Celebrations, Farewells & Holidays

I forgot to mention that I was at the school's Award Ceremony on the 19th May to watch Tom collect a certificate for being an A grade student for the whole year. Proud Mama moment. Well done Tom.
On the Saturday 22 May Lily went to a farewell party for her and Nina (she was returning to Greece) and then it was a quick stop off at home to grab Nick & Tom and we were off round to Craig & Bernice's for a barbecue and to say farewell to them. It was a very busy weekend because on Sunday after sorting out the rest of what we had to get packed and shipped we dashed off to Tom & Sian's to celebrate Tom turning 40.

The children all ended up having a massive water fight to keep cool and much fun was had by all.

Finally, it was Monday and the packers arrived bright and early so I went out and got them some breakfast and then let them get on with the packing until it was lunchtime and I went out and got them some lunch too, then gave them a hefty tip and now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that all our stuff arrives home safe and sound, undamaged and not missing! A few extra things got packed by mistake but no major incidents occurred this end. Now all that is left to do is make sure what we kept back fits into our luggage for the final journey home...but of course we have one final holiday to fit in before we leave the US for good.

So on Wednesday 26th we got up early and jumped in the car (Nick's Ford Taurus as mine has been sold already) and drove up to Atlanta to catch a flight to Rapid City, South Dakota. Above is one of the sculptures that are on display along the walkways at the airport, so if you always take the transit train you miss these pieces of African artwork.

Stress Levels Rising

Nick and I went to the theatre last Friday to see 'All's Well That Ends Well' and then spent the rest of the weekend at home relaxing by the pool. Nick & Tom went golfing on Sunday afternoon and I had Krissy & Dorothy round for a glass or two of Pimms which was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
We went round to Mary's for dinner on Wednesday night and then Tom had a ball game on Thursday which was quite exciting due to the weather more than anything else. A thunderstorm was brewing up in the distance and as the boys play with metal bats and we sit on metal bleachers we were wondering when the game was going to be called off as we listened to the thunder and watched the lightning flashes getting closer and closer. Eventually the parents just got up and started calling their children off the field and someone finally called the game to a close, then it was a mad dash back to the relative safety of our cars for the drive home as the storm raged around us. Scary stuff.
Tom had an end of year class party at the skating rink on Friday and seemed to enjoy himself, Dorothy and I certainly did, we sat chatting and giggling like schoolgirls for the whole afternoon, very funny.
Nick was home when we got back from school so we started some more sorting of clothes/toys/stuff into piles for packing. This was when my stress levels started rising. So we did that for a couple of hours then Emily came round to spend the night and come and watch Lily at her baton twirling recital, so we had a reprieve from the packing.
The girls did very well at the recital and they all looked like they had fun, afterwards it was a quick trip to Burger King to get some dinner for the kids and then home to a glass of wine/beer for the adults. Unfortunately Emily decided she wanted to go home, so after a quick call to Colleen I put my wine back in the fridge and drove halfway to Union Springs to meet up with her and hand over Emily.
Today, more sorting of stuff beckons and then we have a couple of farewell parties to go to.

Home in 6 weeks

Tom's team lost their game last Thursday, but won on Monday night and now have 10 baseball free days before the next game, joy.
One of our sitters, Jessica, graduated from college last week and invited us to her graduation ceremony on Friday night, so off we went to that and then we popped across the road to Leks for a Thai meal before home to bed.
On Saturday we just puttered around the house and then Nick & I were off to Ray & Kate's dressed up as 'Noemi Dooyou' - a french resistance fighter and 'Gee I Joe' - an American serviceman for an evening of murder, mystery and mayhem.

Amy 'Nurse D Gently', Kate 'Frau Nalott', Barbara 'Mimi D'anjou', Marie 'Julie Noted', Sian 'Liza Witheni' Sarah 'Noemi Dooyou'.

The chef 'Frank le offal' is Nik our other usual sitter, seen here along with Pete 'Herr Flick' , Tom 'Gerry Basher', Nick 'Gee I Joe', Ray 'Phil Le Girth'/sausage man' and Shaun 'Luc Overlair'. What a fun evening that was with crazy french, american and german accents and plenty double entendres, mostly relating to sausages, thank you Ray!

On Sunday we had a more genteel meal out at Tim & Deanna's. Tim cooked up the most delicious steak, along with baked potatoes and salad - just perfect. To round it off, Deanna had made her famous Strawberry Pie and proceeded to cut the most enormous slices for everyone. Well, it would have been rude not to clear my plate, needless to say I didn't eat anything else the rest of the day. Got home full up, tired but happy. A great weekend.

A nearly election free zone

Thought I would update the blog whilst I listen to the election results, the pundits are now changing from forecasting a hung parliament to a Conservative win, doesn't look like it to me but enough for now, on with the blog.
Tom won his ball game last Monday but lost the Thursday game, then on Friday it was his school play about Alabama history. It was great fun to watch with characters ranging from Creek Indians to Hank Williams, Rosa Parks to Mia Hamm. Tom played the part of Alexander McGillivray - son of a Scottish Trader and Creek Indian Princess, Sehoy. He was very good and projected his voice well and read his lines slowly and clearly.

Indian boy, Alexander McGillivray, Pushmataha, W.C. Handy & Jesse Owens!

Lily was off on a sleepover on Friday night but came home early Saturday morning with a slight fever and a sore throat, so she was off to bed and pretty much stayed there the rest of the day. In the evening we had a nice steak for dinner and then watched the new Dr Who. On Sunday Lily felt much better which was good as we were having guests for lunch. The lizard was an uninvited guest who hung around in the sun room, here he is on our flyscreen.

Whilst Sian enjoyed a quick weekend up at Niagara Falls we entertained Tom and the boys along with another couple, Justin & Amy. After Justin & Amy left the boys all went outside for a quick game of cricket before having a splash in the pool.

After tidying up and having a quick bite to eat it was off to bed before a new week began. Up early on Monday for boot camp and then onto the Master Gardeners Helpline to work for the morning (a requirement to complete the course). I can't say I enjoyed that very much but I have another shift to do this coming Monday :( The weather was bad so the phone lines were quite quiet, it also meant Tom's ball game was cancelled that evening.

I had my final morning volunteering at Lanark on Wednesday which was bittersweet, I have enjoyed it very much and shall especially miss Marie & Anne. It was the first time I had gone there without my camera and the girls held an impromptu party for me which included a delicious cake with 'Farewell Sarah' inscribed on it and Janet had made pineapple punch which was very welcome as it was a very hot day and we were all very thirsty. We borrowed a camera and did get some photos, now I am just awaiting on them being emailed to me, Marie if you are reading this please remember to send them to me. After that it was off out for lunch with Margaret to Hamburger King where I had a fabulous cheeseburger.

Today I had to take my car to get fixed as the aircon was refusing to work, when it's 90F outside the aircon is pretty important. Talking of temperatures I thoroughly depressed myself by looking at the 10 day forecast for St Andrews. A high of 55F to look forward to, checking out later in the month the average high for the end of May reaches the balmy heights of 62F - this is our current overnight low. Ho Hum. Note to self - do not focus on the weather, think of all the things you are looking forward to...family, friends, Fisher & Donaldson Bakery, The Vine Leaf Restaurant, Bovril, fish & chips, bacon butties, decent sausages, curry...mmmm yum yum, and not forgetting my garden and greenhouse, the Lade Braes, the beautiful (if slightly chilly) beach at West Sands and the noise of the jets from RAF Leuchars.

Happy 8th Birthday Lily

Well, we've been quite busy with baseball the last couple of weeks, the team play well but unfortunately manage to lose more often than they win, they scored 10 runs in the 1st innings of a game last week but still ended up losing 19 -17 which was very disappointing for everyone.

I finished my gardening course last week although we are meeting again this Thursday to visit a
very well run greenhouse, should be interesting, and I am still going out to Lanark to help out there on Wednesday mornings. On Friday we went down to Destin for our final family floridian frolic however the weather was against us so it was slightly more of a flop than a frolic. That said, we did have fun and no one got sunburnt! Dorothy and her kids came with us so Friday night was spent catching up and drinking wine until around 1130pm with Saturday night being a more subdued affair (I think we all called it a night by 930pm). Paige & Lily found and adopted 2 hermit crabs which they named Bobby & Sally. They were very keen to bring them home but we finally persuaded them to put them back in the sea.

After a long day at the beach being buffeted by the wind and the excitement of the hermit crabs it was time for the kids to wind down with some munchies and the tv.

On Sunday we went out for breakfast and then drove home, Nick went into work for a few hours while I took Tom to a baseball practice. Then it was home for dinner and to let Lily open her presents a day early as we won't have time to do it on Monday because of school, baton and baseball. Lily gets to stay home this evening and have Nik look after her while I take Tom to another late ball game with team photos first. Our Nick will turn up later and then I have to work the concession stand for the evening so don't even get to watch the game. Hopefully we will be home and have Tom in bed by 10pm.

So poor Lily doesn't get much of a birthday celebration, I did manage to buy a cake today, havent had time to bake a birthday snack for her classmates though, that will be a job for tomorrow.

Happy 10th Birthday Tom

Well, I got to relax on Monday then on Tuesday I was at a seminar about Tomatoes all day, Wednesday I gardened, Thursday I was at class all day and Friday I was helping at school for the sports day - this included manning the cotton candy machine (and getting covered in sticky sugary flossy mess) and helping out with kickball. We had 2 nights out watching Tom play baseball (won on Monday , lost on Thursday) and then Nick & I got to go out properly on Friday night to the theatre to see 'Lettice & Lovage'. Then I was back up at Lanark on Saturday helping out with the plant sale at an open weekend until 3pm before rushing back to the ball field to collect Lily from watching Tom practice baseball so I could take her to Catherine's for a sleepover. Finally I got to go home and relax until Sunday.
The day started early with Tom opening presents around 6.30am, he was very pleased with everything he got especially the above Lego game (Pictionary with Lego instead of pencil and notepad) and his Waterworks science set - we have all now seen how a vortex works! After the vortex demo and a quick game of Creationary I was off out to collect Lily and get some shopping so I could create a culinary masterpiece for Tom's birthday. I had mentioned that my memory of turning 10 was having 2 cakes baked for me by my godmother, Ruth, a 1 and a 0 cake, so obviously I had to try and do the same for Tom (without helpful number shaped cake tins). As you can see, Martha Stewart/Nigella Lawson (delete as applicable depending on US/UK knowledge of tv chef personalities) has nothing to worry about.

It may not have looked good but it certainly tasted good and was all eaten up and enjoyed - at least I didn't see anyone gagging on it.

Before eating the cake Nick took the boys to the cinema to see 'how to train your dragon' and then came back with pizza and 6 crazy boys. They all jumped in the pool and then had a water fight (Tim, Deanna & I had filled round about 200 water balloons while the boys had been away at the cinema).

Nick setting some ground rules for the water fight and the water balloon fight in full swing. It's amazing how quickly 6 boys get through 200 water balloons!

Thankfully, it was soon 5pm and I got to wave goodbye to everyone and sit down and relax for a while before starting another (slightly less crazy) week tomorrow.

A Happy Easter

Baseball season arrived with gusto this week and Tom has played 2 games so far, with another 2 scheduled for this week (along with various practices) , unfortunately his team has lost both games but they have been very exciting and close run things.
Stephanie & Iain made it to Montgomery on Friday for the Easter weekend which was great and Lily & Grace were pleased to see each other again. As it was warm and sunny all the children ended up in the pool for the first time this year (Andrew being the eldest (and most sensible ) was first out and didnt go back in again all weekend!) Grace, Tom & Lily however, were in and out all weekend.
After a relaxed Friday afternoon we did a spot of sightseeing on Saturday morning, due to most of Montgomery being shut we managed to play at the playpark by Old Alabama Town before heading off to the Civil Rights Museum.

Then it was quickly home for Tom to grab a sandwich before heading off to baseball practice and then on to the IO Culture Day at Maxwell AFB to sample some cuisine from around the world.

So another busy day meant a nice relaxing evening at home playing games again. All too soon it was Sunday and after an egg hunt, a mini game of cricket, a splash in the pool for Grace, Tom & Lily and a bite of lunch it was time to say goodbye again until July when we shall meet up in St Andrews.

Now it's Monday and I have a busy week ahead of me with gardening stuff every day this week except Friday when I am at school volunteering at the Sports Day.