The week before we left the UK my Dad gave one of his infamous family speeches. Those of you who attended our wedding will no doubt remember the creative way in which he dug himself out of a near divorce with my Mum! He clearly has a talent!
During his goodbye tribute he told us about heartstrings that stretch around the world, and his fond childhood memories of Westerns, where the cowboy would yell "Wagon's Ho!" before riding down into the canyon. He followed this by asking us to raise our glasses and toast "Wagon's Ho!" to our new life in America. Since then Dan, Annie and I have adopted the phrase to use when we have to do something that requires a deep breath and a bit of courage - something that might be a little outside our normal comfort zone!
Like driving down Lombard Street for example.
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| Look - no hands! |
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| Lombard Street - just driven down it. |
The street is famous in San Francisco for having eight sharp turns and is the crookedest street in the world, 1/4 mile long and designed to deal with the 27% natural grade of the slope. I was forced to drive down it by Staffordshire-based friends Liz and Rich Pilling who we met in the city last Friday. See it for yourself by Googling '1289 Lombard Street' and doubling clicking your way up the hill and then down the other side. At one point on the way up Rich told me to hit the gas as he didn't think the car would make it - my foot was already flat on the floor! And as we came up to the brow of the hill, I couldn't even see down the other side. It was driving blind. I had that rollarcoaster feeling; my tummy was flipping over; I was riding into the canyon - Wagon's Ho!
Several weeks ago we finally booked our driving tests. As in the UK, we had to sit a theory based test, and then a 'behind the wheel' test. Despite the nerves, it is actually a very difficult test to fail. We drove around the quietest residential area Ive ever seen for 15 minutes and were allowed to make 15 minor mistakes during that time. Seriously, one a minute! One of our British friends told us that his examiner was doing a Sudoku puzzle beside him during his test... so we are both now proud owners of a Californian Driving Licence.
Tom had his own 'Wagon's Ho' moment when he slipped in the bath and hit his head last month. It was just one of those things. We could have been watching him more carefully and I'm learning how active little boys can be compared to girls. It was a deep cut and whilst Dan remained calm and sensible, I ran around the house like a headless chicken.The guilt will serve as a constant reminder of how precious our children are. So for the fourth time in four months we walked into After Hours Pediatric Care and Dr Connie ushered us into her room. A Plastic Surgeon gave Tom 12 stitches, four internally and eight externally. The poor little man was strapped into a Velcro
vest to keep him still, despite which he still managed to kick his leg free in fury. Only moments before bath time we had been taking some photographs of the children in their Welsh sporting gear, and only hours later he looked like he'd been part of a Welsh Front Row! He has heartily improved, and the next day he acted like it hadn't
happened. We're told that the scar will fade over time; possibly by the time he gets his first pay cheque from the WRU!
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| I know its a football shirt by the way! The rugby shirt is a little big but we try it on for size regularly! |
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| Happy Boy |
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| Sad Boy with bandage |
Settling so well here, so quickly is something that Dan and I both attribute to the church community we've found ourselves a part of. Last month I reserved my place at a Ladies Retreat run by the church with the theme focused around gardening and 'blooming' through faith. And then I was approached to speak at the event about my own faith. It's a very personal topic for me, something I don't often discuss, so it was a bold step for me to talk to 80 ladies, many of whom are strong and experienced in their faith. I was very nervous, but as I took to the platform to speak I looked up and saw the room scattered with friends who were willing me on - Cat giving me the thumbs up from the back of the room, Melinda already in tears and smiling at me, Dana nodding comfortingly, Allison leaning forward in her seat, smiling and Chris who kept her eyes fixed on mine the whole time. And I suddenly realised that I have made some wonderful friends here and cemented some great relationships. A very emotional day, but through it I felt very empowered and even more connected to the people I've met here. Wagon's Ho and all that...
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| Talking at the 'In Bloom' event |
And talking of the church, Annie 'graduated' from her Sunday School class last week (Now, now! I can hear the "only in America" groans from here!!!) It is the only kind of school type structure Annie has had since we've been here and she has loved having some independence. It was very special watching her with her friends performing on stage for the parents.
Annie and I have spent several weeks looking at schools. I was already aware that children here start school later than in the UK and its something we have had to bear in mind. There are a range of options and Dan and I are happy with our choice of a state managed, but fee paying Montessori. pre-school It's a new school with a small class and offers a balance between social play and learning, which is what Annie needs. She starts in late August and is very excited.
And this week we've really felt 5,694 miles from the UK missing out on the Jubilee Celebrations. We might have had the sunshine, but you clearly had all the entertainment!! We have caught glimpses of it online, and are grateful to BBC America - the only TV channel worth watching here. But what a shame to not be in the UK for such a historic occasion! I wanted to mark the occasion here in some way and decided to invite some of our neighbours to our house for afternoon tea. We haven't had time to get to know many of them and I thought they might appreciate the British touch. A few weeks ago I scooped up Tom in my arms and knocked on doors introducing myself and inviting people. I had a mixed response. Most people were very kind and appreciated the invite. The Russian writer who lives opposite invited Tom and I in and gave me what I thought was a glass of water which turned out to be neat vodka! And a couple of people would only talk to me through the screen door, hesitant about my motives, with frowned expressions as I babbled on about the Queen. It was a real 'Wagon's Ho' moment as I walked down another driveway wondering what on earth I was doing. However, everyone turned up yesterday to celebrate, our house was filled with bunting, home-made scones and Big Band music on the record player and I ran out of chairs to seat people. A roaring success! Even more remarkable was that none of the neighbours had met each other before, some of whom have lived in the street for 20 years. Apparently it takes a 60th Jubilee celebration in the UK and a friendly Welsh girl to bring together neighbours in a tiny corner of San Francisco!
A couple of other photographs and video links for you:
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| Paddling in the Bay at Coyote Point |
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| Strawberries with chocolate on Mother's Day |
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| Surprising Dana on her birthday (L-R Melinda, Me, Dana, Baby Lilla, Kellie and Cat) |
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| Annie at the Exploratorium, based at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Fran |
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| Annie outside the Palace of Fine Arts |
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| Dana and Sean's children enjoying chocolate fondue with us after a spaghetti bolognase to remember! |
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| Foster City Wine and Arts Festival last weekend |
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| Garlic Noodles all round at the Festival! |
I don't know how long we're going to be living in America but its clear that we're going to get out of this experience what we are prepared to put into it. I know that after four months of living here my ironing pile is growing, the paperwork is starting to pile up and my garden plants need some TLC. Some days I think that what I really need to do is to stay at home and tidy up the house, sort through the children's cupboards and clear out the garage. After a very short time, I can see that life could easily get smaller here, for us to stay at home and not make the effort. But we didn't come over here to keep a tidy house, or to keep the ironing pile low (although let's be honest; my ironing pile is rarely low!) We came here to enjoy our life, to live an adventure and grow as a family. So, if you're sat reading this with a cup of coffee in your hand, or even a glass of wine, please join me in once again toasting "Wagon's Ho!" Because I don't want to ever forget the sentiment of my Dad's speech last January. After all Dad, a man's got to have a code, a creed to live by!
Happy Father's Day for the 17th Dad. I miss you heaps. This one's for you. x
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