To Blenheim And Back Again: A Biker's Tale

Well folks, we finally did it. After our plans to visit Blenheim last November were thwarted by Will's mouth attack we have talked and talked about rescheduling our trip out there. And because we are people of action it only took us 5 months to do it! We packed a camera, 5 different tubes of sunscreen infused chapstick (because, like Napoleon Dynamite, "My lips hurt real bad!"), and bike tools and hit the trail. And by trail I mean sidewalk.

The weather started out chillier than uk.weather.com had initially advised (typical England) but the skies were clear and the wind was calm and I did my best to keep up with Will, all the while video taping and/or picture taking with one hand and steering with the other.

Yes, my confidence in my bike riding abilities has increased--slightly.

The scenery was incredible! Between the flowering trees and the beautiful skies and the green pastures... well, just have a look for yourselves.

The little green sign says "footpath." Don't mind if I do.

Just another of my many future English cottage homes.

I just can't get enough of these pink trees! If only I knew what their name was... anyone have any ideas?

Seriously people--if you know what tree this is let me know! I intend to plant them all around our future (imaginary) cottage.

Riding a bike AND smiling! Progress, people, progress!

After going through all of our pictures I decided that such a sunny day deserves an equally sunny video with sunny music. So here are the rest of our pictures in video form. Enjoy!

Springtime On A Sunday Afternoon

Spring has sprung! The weather has taken a turn for the glorious and, once again, I have discovered another season that I actually enjoy! First it was Fall and now Spring, too, has swept me off my feet. (FYI, I blame my Houston upbringing for my lack of appreciation or understanding of the seasons).

As the weather was particularly beautiful and inviting yesterday afternoon, we decided it was the perfect day for a spring picnic! While Will pumped tires and adjusted handle bars (my demon bike keeps attempting to kill me by turning things loose en route) I packed our springy sandwiches--roast chicken, pesto, mozzarella, and tomato--and we set off for Cutteslowe park and sunshine.

Sure, the bike looks innocent while chained up next to a tree, but don't let it fool you...

Our sunny picnic spot along the stream.

The daffodils are everywhere!

Spring rejuvenates the old bones. :)

Dad, Mom and Laura--when you come over in July we MUST go punting.

All this green refreshes my soul!

It wouldn't have been a Spring day at the park without an ice cream cone! Also, these soft whip cones need to go on the list of "Things Brits Do Better." A-ma-zing. Will and I have found a new Spring Sunday tradition...

Oh the poppies.

How I love the poppies!

Aside from the beautiful weather, the bright colors, and the warm sunshine, Spring has most surprised me with its transformational powers. I mean, I always thought of Oxford as picturesque... until Spring happened. It has multiplied Oxford's beauty to the tenth power. Will tells me that there is no such thing as multiplying beauty to the tenth power... but you know what I'm trying to say, right? Hey, I never claimed to be the mathematician in this relationship!

The Housing Crisis of 2011

Hello, my name is Caitlin and I am a first-born-child-drama-queen. Which is why I like titles with words like "crisis." Life is just more exciting when seen through a dramatic lens, dontcha think?

Back to our crisis.

Remember how we were homeless, oh, six months ago? And how a British angel by the name of Peppy took pity on us and allowed us to stay in her quintessential British home while we desperately searched for a place to live? And how there was nothing, NOTHING I tell you, available to rent in October, so we snatched up Flat #28 in Summertown House, courtesy of Oxford Graduate Housing?

Of course you do. How could you forget my trials and tribulations so quickly?

After the initial "hooray-we're-not-homeless-we-don't-even-mind-that-this-place-is-furnished-with-furniture-made-from-Lego-like-plastic" high wore off, we began to take a closer look at our abode. Not in the ungrateful kind of way, but in the weighing-our-options kind of way. We both agreed that we'd like to move come the end of our lease on July 31st and had hoped to find somewhere slightly closer to town, with slightly nicer furniture, a washer, and, if we were really lucky, a place with a smattering of English charm. I had casually begun exploring various letting agencies' websites for our future English flat when two weeks ago we received a notice from our landlord, aka the Oxford Graduate Housing Department, stating that we must give notice as to whether or not we'd be moving out by APRIL 11th! As in this coming Monday!!!

I have spent the last 2 weeks pouring over website after website, desperately hoping to find some charming yet cheap flat available in the summer and not way-the-heck out in the Oxford countryside. I have discovered some amazing (and some not so amazing) places to live but have been thwarted by price and move-in date: my two new arch nemeses. Places like these:

Feast your eyes upon this charming 2 bedroom flat located in Jericho (the cool part of Oxford)... which we will never inhabit as it is £1, 395 per month (excluding utilities and council tax, of course).

But wait! A charming 3 bedroom English cottage for only £775 a month? That is perfectly within price range... and only a mere 11.3 miles from Oxford. Next.

Could it be? Only 1.8 miles away from city centre, with beautiful floors, a washer/dryer, modern kitchen and bathroom at a very affordable £775 a month? So long, Summertown House and hello, new, beautiful... oh wait. Available now. And if we break our lease we have to continue to pay for our apartment until the end of July? Right. I'll just cry a little cry and move on then...

So here we are, on Thursday night--optionless, despondent (ok, maybe that's just me), and running out of time. Summertown House, you may be stuck with us for another year...

Where Am I Living Again?

No, I do not have amnesia. I have just been exposed to my third dirty and contagious ailment in the past month and am beginning to think that I am no longer living and working in a 1st world country.

It started out with worms... and not the "save the worms!" kind my Mom likes to rescue off of sidewalks after a rainstorm and return to people's flower beds. No, I'm talking intestinal worms. Like the kind our dog had when we rescued her from living on the street. Here's how this conversation went:

Megan (my boss): "Caitlin, would you make sure that Freya and William wash their hands whenever they come in from outside? We just discovered that Freya has worms."

Me: "Ummm... worms??"

Megan: "Yes, she has a rash and an itchy bottom so we have her on worm medication."

She then sees the look of shock and disgust on my face.

Megan: "It's no big deal--children get them all the time here. She probably picked them up from someone at playgroup. We just have to make sure she washes her hands so that she doesn't give it to William."

Me: frantically thinking of all the times when 3 year old Freya has touched my hands/handed me a toy/touched my face and how I didn't immediately wash my hands afterwards. Also beginning to wonder if my bottom is itchy, too...

No, I don't have worms. Thank goodness.

Next, we have the voice mail I received about 2 weeks later:

"Hi Caitlin, it's Megan calling. It seems that Freya has come down with a bad case of the chicken pox... spots everywhere and she's very itchy. She won't be allowed in to playgroup, so can you come early for the next week or so?"

Now I have had chickenpox before, but I have also known people who have had it twice. One friend had chickenpox as a child and when she was exposed to it as an adult she came down with shingles! Thank goodness my childhood chickenpox experience was severe enough--I didn't catch anything.

And now for the most recent exposure. I had just spent 9 hours with the kids while the parents were at a conference. We ran around at the park until they were so tired they couldn't walk in a straight line; then we came home and snuggled up with lots of books to read. Lots of close snuggling. Which is why my skin started to crawl when I got this voicemail:

"Hi Caitlin, it's Megan calling... I've just discovered that Freya has nits (British word for headlice)... her head is just infested with them... William doesn't seem to have them and I'm about to check my head but I wanted to let you know so that you can check your hair as well."

You have GOT to be kidding me!! Nits?!?

It was 9:00 pm and all of the drug stores were closed, so I had to wait until morning to run out and by a lice comb. Will and I both itched and scratched our heads all night long (just the thought of the lice made me want to cut my hair off!) and the next day picked and combed through each other's hair like a pair of chimpanzees until we were convinced that we were not infested. Now that, folks, is true love. It was definitely not the kind of moment you day dream about when engaged...

Oh I just can't wait to share my life with this person, but most of all I am especially excited for the day when we get to check each other for head lice. That will be so dreamy!

So, England, as lovely as you have been in so many other ways... I am officially grossed out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to comb through my hair again with the lice comb. Just to be safe.

Catch Up

Yikes! Is it really March? Have I really not blogged since February?? I wish I could say that my absence was due to my super exciting schedule, but that only makes up for half of my excuse. The other part is 15% writers block and 33% procrastination. Sprinkle in 2% of laziness and it's halfway through March. I have my work cut out for me.

So where did I leave you last? With the melodious sounds of bagpipes? Right! Scotland!

Edinburgh and I had a marvelous time getting to know one another. I found her rugged scenery and lilting accents enchanting. She (of course she's a she!) found my raptures over pretty much everything she had to offer endearing. Or so I think. I don't know if this could be considered infidelity to Oxford... but I definitely found myself wishing that Oxford were a bit more like Edinburgh. At least with some bluffs! I was wooed by the alluring bluffs! You must understand!

Thanks again for having my back, Google Images. Taking pictures in a moving car can be difficult.

Of course, my Scottish trip wouldn't have been the success that it was without the lovely Louise and the jubilant Jemima! I couldn't have asked for better roadtrip buddies (except for you, Willis. That goes without saying).

Perhaps the only picture where we are not being blown away by ferocious Scottish winds?

Louise went to the University of Edinburgh and she made a fabulous tour guide. Jemima and I followed her around the city gaping at the scenery and snapping pictures of the architecture, all the while uttering statements like "could it BE any more beautiful?" and "I LOVE EDINBURGH!" We ate amazing food (my mouth still hasn't recovered from the Oink sandwich), saw amazing sights, praised our amazing God for His amazing creation... and then laughed until we cried. I mean, I knew they were both funny people but put the two of them together and I was in stitches!

About to be blown off Arthur's Seat!

I could go on and on about Edinburgh... but I have more to catch you up on. So I will condense the rest of my trip in pictures and song (iMovie is the best!).

Moving along, we come to March! March brought the chicken pox for the family I nanny for (and therefore longer work hours for me!), it brought Dad back to England on BP business, and it finally brought Spring! Can you guess which one I am most excited about? Hint: itchy, grumpy 3-year-olds are not high on my list of favorite things.

Daddy-O!

Yes, I do recognize that we are being spoiled rotten by good ol' BP and their traveling demands... and I am loving it! This was Dad's 3rd trip to Oxford since we moved here in October and, since the man has seen most of Oxford by this point, we decided to take advantage of the glorious weather and go for a countryside walk. We replicated our very first English countryside experience by bussing 8 miles out of town and then walking back along the Thames River. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day!

Someone forgot his camera and had to resort to using his Blackberry...

Can't you just feel the warm sun on your face?

Some "sheepies" for you, Mamma!

Perfect day for a walk... or a climb...

Our calendar told us that Sunday marked the official start of Spring... and England did not disappoint! The daffodils and crocuses are in full bloom, as are several beautiful trees whose names I do not yet know.

Look at these beauties! They are covering the sides of the roads, filling in gardens and sprinkling the country side with color.

A pop of purple against all the stone.

Anyone know what kind of tree this is? They are everywhere!

...and I just can't get enough of them!

Time For A Quick Flashback To The Early '90s...

This week, I am paying homage to the early 90s PBS classic show, "Where In The World Is Carmen SanDiego?". Don't remember this epic television event? This might jog your memory...

In the spirit of Carmen Sandiego, I will give you a clue to my travels this week in video form. Before you get TOO excited, no, I will not be traveling in a neon jumpsuit. I am also not traveling back in time. Bummer, I know.

That's right--I'm going to the land of kilts, haggis and Braveheart! More pictures and stories when I return!

T.G.I.F.

I don't know about your Friday, but I'm so thankful that ours went a little something like this:

South Hinksey Village, courtesy of Google Images

Wytham Wood. Like Cameron Park... but a trillion times awesome-r.

Did I say a trillion? I meant a gazillion.

See what I mean?