San Frangriffco: Mind The Gap

Bad things now come in 'fours'. A couple of weeks ago I crashed Dan's car on the freeway. His car was only eight weeks old. I speak passively because the car is a write off - 'totaled madam'. Dan graciously reminded me it is only a car and that nobody was hurt.

The next day we lost Tom at a museum. The boy can accelerate quicker than I can into a truck! The panic was indescribable. Security found him playing with toy trains. It was at 3pm on the following Saturday in Muir Woods when I realized I hadn't picked up my engagement ring from the night stand in the hotel we had stayed at the night before in Sonoma. I don't blame Dan for not being gracious this time! Thankfully the hotel found the ring and FedEx kindly left it on our front porch all day in a box labelled 'engagement ring'.

Wine tasting in Sonoma with the ring

Being a merry Edwards without the ring

Finally, most of you will have received a delightful email from 'me' signposting you to a hoax virus link. I feel like I should thank those of you who trust me so much that you clicked on it! I had to get the hard drive of our laptop wiped and destroyed. I have had to borrow a laptop to write this blog in
order to download some photos onto it. So please 'mind the gap' between recent blog updates!

But now for the good stuff.

We received our first house guests! Our Scottish friends, Sam and Toni, came to stay for ten days earlier this month, and had a super fun time. Their daughter, Rhona, turned six whilst they were here It was a complete privilege to host this trip for them and we hope there isn't a big gap until our next drink with them! Cheer guys!

Rhona, Annie and Tom

Walking in the Redwoods

Crossing the Bay

Catching the Tram

During the past few months we have discovered a great place to spend lazy Sunday afternoons. Alice's is a family owned 'sustainably sourced produce' restaurant located on the Old La Honda road in the Santa Cruz hills. It's wooden shack appearance and large car park appeals to motorcyclists who use it as a pit stop at the four way junction on Highway One. Think hippy and handlebar moustaches! We have spent many Sunday afternoons drinking beer here, and watching the trucks and bikes drive past.

Outside Alice's Restaurant

It is therefore probably no coincidence that Toms vocabulary has expanded rapidly to include words such as Beer, Truck and Bike, as well as many other words including Clock. I do wish he pronounced the 'L' in clock when shouting it loudly and pointing to one in public! He is a strong lad. Last week, after putting him to bed in his cot, and having shut the door and turned out the lights, he surprised us by scooting into the kitchen on his bike. Whilst abseiling down the side of his cot is not a good thing, both Dan and I were smugly proud of this achievement!

Playing at Coyote Point

"Cheese"

Tom sleeping in his new bed.

It has been confirmed that Annie will start at the elementary school we wanted her to get into next September, which we are very happy about. We moved here concerned at the gap between UK and California curriculum standards. Over time this has become less of an issue for us. Whilst the gap still exists, we work with Annie at home to maintain her reading, writing and math(s). We also invest in private tutoring to compliment the state education she will start to receive. But her future won't rely solely on classroom based learning. Last weekend she wandered into a Spanish class at the local library, sat down with children she didnt know and started to repeat Spanish vocabulary. Last month we taught her about sustinable fishing by taking her to Half Moon Bay and showing her what the fisherman had caught. Later she asked if she could try one of Dans oysters, and swallowed it without a flinch. We moved here to experience a different way of life, and watching Annie and Tom taste this life is the richest curriculum we could have found for them.

Playing in the park in Sonoma Square

Some Daddy time

An Oyster lesson

Tasting time!

The view from Lands End, looking into the Bay

If you have ever worked with me then you will know how seriously I am taking my volunteering role at the church! I am leading an Alpha course which is a social dinner party based course over ten weeks giving people the chance to talk about Christianity. We have a team of 25 volunteers and my role has included developing a marketing plan, running the team, promoting the course with partners, training volunteers, talking to other churches to see how they have run it and drafting a team handbook for our church. Its been good to get my teeth into a project here, and I never need an excuse to wear heels and host a dinner party!

Finally, I cannot finish this blog without mentioning the huge gap between the scoreline of Wales vs England last month. These photographs tell the story! I wont rub it in any further!