So I am behind posting pictures from our trip. You go away for a bit and take a gazillion pics and then you come home and you just want to do other things for a bit. It's beginning to feel like spring around here and although it's a bit cool and windy I still appreciate it so much. The longer days make such a difference to me, and they are just getting longer. I am trying to make an effort to get out an do more and invite people over more. I am hosting a ladies morning twice a month for sisters from church who are home during the day. I am encouraging the kids to have friends come over on Fridays after school. I am getting out and going for 4-5 mile walks with friends a few days a week and some Saturdays as a family. It's a beautiful time to get out and see the flowers. I find out today which garden plot is ours at the allotments so then I will have to work on that. I am also trying to find ways to serve others. I helped a friend unpack her new house this week and have sore calves from all the stairs but it was a nice day. I was glad to help. I went to Bunco night last week with a bunch of the other American wives and it was fun. I had tried to make it before but it didn't work out. I am also meeting with some of the other wives to plan day trips to some of the cool places around here.
Lidia is doing riding lessons once a week. Yesterday was her first lesson and what she learned in UT is not how they teach English riding here. She may have been riding on an English saddle in UT but she wasn't riding English style. Here they want you to sit up straight and proper the whole time and learn to trot and cantor properly and over poles and such wheras is UT they were pushing her towards jumps right away. Form matters a lot here and it's different. Anyway, she will have a few more private lessons and then they will put her in a group lesson. Her teacher's name is Mel and she seems nice enough but doesn't seem to smile. She does know about horses though and that's what we are there for. Lidia is playing tennis this term and she is playing a tournament type thing. I don't know what they call it here, but she lost her first match. She practices with a friend during break and she is trying to see if there is a club time she can play as well. I guess the boys do tennis for PE after the girls are done.
Aiden is starting CCF. He gets his uniform today I think. This term is like a taster and then in the fall you officially join and buy your boots. Right now they get to wear their trainers. Aiden seems to be enjoying school here. He always seems to have more homework than Lidia though. I'm not sure if he is not making good use of his time or if he just gets more assigned because he is level two and Lidia is level three. They break each grade up into three levels, one being the highest. They don't call it that though. They just put you in a certain house and everyone in that house in that grade is the same level. However, that level may be a different house for a different year. Lidia does say that she tries to get her homework done at school anytime she has a break. I'm pretty sure Aiden is not doing that. He is a real procrastinator when it comes to school work. I have to ask him everyday if his homework is done yet and then stop him from playing and make him go do the work first. Otherwise, he's up till ten or eleven doing it because he waited till bedtime to start. Aiden made a tea cake at school this week. He did a good job and it tasted good but not like a super sweet American cake.
I was trying to encourage Tristan and Avery to do some after school activity like football, cricket, gymnastics, athletics etc. but they are not going for it. They think everything is either boring or too hard. Avery acted interested in gymnastics but then he said he only wanted to walk in the balance beam, nothing else. I would like them to give cricket a try so maybe I would figure out how it works. ;) I'm not forcing anything though because then it will be a battle everytime and not worth it. Avery and Tristan did very well on the 4.5 mile walk we did Saturday. That's what my kids like to do, explore nature. Tristan made friends with a little 5 year old girl and walked with her the whole time and then she ate lunch with us at our table at the pub after. She has a brother his age that will be going to school with him next year so we will definitely be getting them together. It will be great if they have a friend their year, adjusting to senior school will be a big change.
Well, housework is calling me... I'll eventually get caught up on pictures but there are tons on FB at least.
