Reasons to be Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.

I feel a little lost to be honest...I'm seasonally confused. When did Halloween and Fall end? There are still Fall like decorations and pumpkins in people's gardens. Leaves are still falling in their zillions. So does Fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas all roll into one? Festive lights are glowing everywhere and Christmas trees are popping up all over the place. What's the difference good American people? Does it all combine into the 'Happy Holidays'?

It was hard to find any sign of Christmas in India, so let's just say that it's certainly alive and kicking here - it just seems to be a tad too early. The radio station I listen to in the car to-ing and fro-ing to school began playing 24/7 festive songs 10 long days ago. It proudly announces every few minutes that it is the 'Triangle's Official Christmas Music Station'. I really wasn't ready for that amount of Christmassy stuff so soon. The kids are going to be in space orbiting Jupiter with the excitement by the time Father Christmas begins his journey. In a panic and in desperation thank goodness I found, purely by chance, BBC Radio 1 on a 5 hour time delay on my car satellite radio - Chris Moyles never sounded so good on the school run.

Having said that the new festive playlists do have their advantages and make some journey's easier and quieter...an argument or tantrum can quickly be diffused with a deft flick of a switch and there a couple of 'new to us' festive favourites that Ellie and I are enjoying listening to, Luke's easy as long as he can bop along to something...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihW56Xa3XGQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtqIM_bPTws

The day after Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday and marks the start of Christmas shopping with sales and bargains galore to be had apparently, wish I'd known that before I began the Christmas shopping. Imagine our Boxing Day and January sales BEFORE Christmas, I mean how much could you save? Only drawback is (I think?) these amazing and spectacular sales are just for one day only, shops open as early as Midnight, 2, 3, 4, 5am and it's the biggest US shopping day of the year apparently....I don't think I'll be going anywhere in any desperate hurry.

So, these are my totally shallow reasons to be thankful at this very precise moment in time...

• Ian finally gets home tomorrow after a very long, almost 3 weeks away.
• Luke only had two full scale tantrums today.
• Ellie has stopped throwing up and is feeling much better.
• My car 'scrape' has been fixed by a very nice man and thanks to Ellie I didn't do any damage to Ian's car as I was driving it in/out of the garage. She really is the most thoughtful daughter and diligently reminded me that damage was a distinct possibilty each and every time I drove out or reversed in. Once upon a time I had some confidence in my abilities!
• 3 days off school. How I thank you Pilgrim Fathers...No 6.15am alarm. No mad hair raising, teeth cleaning, uniform finding, hair faffing, face scrubbing, toddler negotiating, nappy changing, pyjama peeling, egg wiping, milk mopping dashes, no red lights at every turn and therefore hopefully no speeding tickets.
• The chance of a full dress rehearsal for cooking Christmas turkey and all the trimmings.

You Can Imagine Alot About People...

....and their pets, their hobbies, their perspective on life...not by the cars they drive (I don't have a clue what's hip and what's not) but by these stickers that get plastered on car rear windows. I see so many of these here and they really amuse me, especially when you peer inside the stickered car and see someone completely different to their car persona!

He works hard, she's glam and shops hard, firstborn plays hard, youngest is just 'well 'ard'

It's not so easy to snap things here while you're on the move, ie I'm driving here...no Kumar to ask to slow down, stop, turnaround or catch up and, there isn't as much interesting stuff to photograph anyway, but when I've had the camera with me I've managed to get a few examples in the school car pool line and in car parks....not that I'm a stalker or anything - honest. People watching is good for amusement lest we all forget.

How many kids? And another one on the way...do you think they'll update their stickers? Hope they finally get a boy! Dad has a pizza box under his arm!

The Dad actually driving this car did not look sporty in any way whatsoever and the eldest child looks after the baby while Mum shops (or maybe it's HER baby!)

How Would You Like Your 'Bangs'?

How indeed? I hear you ask.

Well, I'm talking about hair...what were you thinking about?

Luke was in desperate need of a haircut, being mistaken for a girl once was one time too many for Ian so reluctantly I took him to a hairdressers for a trim.

Hairdresser: " How do you want his Bangs?"
Me: "His what?"
Hairdresser: "His Bangs". Lifting up his fringe
Me: "Say that again...his what?"
Hairdresser: "His Bangs"
Me: "Never heard that one before...I'd call that his fringe"
Hairdresser: "His what?"
Me: "Fringe....the bit that covers your forehead"
Hairdresser: "We call it a Bangs, never heard of a fringe"
Me: "So we do all learn something new every day! Trim it.

Maybe I just got off the boat, maybe if I were a hairdresser, maybe, maybe...whatever, but I have never ever heard of a fringe called a bangs before! http://beauty.about.com/od/hairstylephotogalleries/ss/photosbangs.htm

Our House...inside

For those of you who have been asking....for a good while now. I finally had some time, a sunny day and fully charged camera batteries so here are some photos of the 'inside' of our home for (fingers crossed but don't hold your breath) the next 3 years.

Everything we had from England and accumulated in India fitted in perfectly, although I don't think I will ever ever forget our Indian Elves and Furniture Makers! http://madrasmater.blogspot.com/2008/12/elves-and-furniture-maker.html

The guest room has now been sorted out and is ready for visitors...just let me know dates and your flight details - we'd love to see you!

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The Boy Speaks...and drops me in it!

Luke is almost 2 and a half now. Unlike his sister he has been a little man of few words. I've worried. I've beaten myself up over the fact that he has been in too many different countries, with too many different languages and accents during his speech forming years and that it may have set him back.

This very week things changed. All of a sudden his one or two words together became three, four and even five. He has begun to 'chat' and I was loving and really enjoying his increased interaction and clapping my hands with joy...OK so he says 'Yes' like Sean Connery, has begun to say Uh Huh just like Elvis ALOT and on occasion calls me 'Mommy' but he's talking more, not allowing his sister to do it for him and I was...loving it.

Then something happened. We had to get some shopping. The aforementioned Ida storm was battering us. The kids were in the trolley in the shop car park as I packed the car. I'd asked Ellie to hold my purse whilst I put Luke in the car. A gust of wind took her and the trolley careering down the car park, so it was no wonder she dropped my purse in the circumstances.

We got home. I parked the car in the garage. Looked around me for everything and asked Ellie for my purse. Only she didn't have it anymore. We searched the car and as my panic rose I realised it was probably in the trolley...in the car park...in the torrential rain... with my money...my cards...my ID...my driving licence. And wouldn't you just know it - Ian is OUT OF TOWN. He left just the day before for England and then India for like weeks. Why do things like this always happen when you're (I'm) on you're own?

I rang the shop, explained the situation, that I knew where my purse was and if someone could just go and retrieve it for me I would be back in 5 minutes to collect it. The 'customer service' girl on the phone said...and these were her exact words 'It's raining real hard out there so I don't thaink anyone can go and see for ya'. What? Never seen or been in rain? You do dry out eventually you know. It would also explain the fact that on the very day you could do with and need 'help to your car' no-one is around and offering at the checkout like they usually are. Yep rain trumps tips!

I wasn't at my calmest for several obvious reasons as I drove back out of the garage to go back to the car park in the hope my purse was still there and as I pulled out I scraped my brand new, never had one, car. The noise was horrendous and I just wanted to cry...even Ellie buttoned up and was quiet for a few minutes. "Will Daddy be cross with you?" she eventaully asked.

In virtual unheard of silence we drove back to the store (did i just say store?!) In the torrential rain I found our trolley and there lying in the foot well was my sopping wet purse. Hallelujah something had gone right!

Later, much later the kids and I are eating dinner and Daddy phones. Luke is his chair with ants in his pants...'Daddy? Daddy?' I hand him the phone - he's 2 and a half and doesn't talk much remember and never on the phone...

"Heyo Daddy Mummy scraped car."

A History & Geography Lesson (over dinner)

This was going to be tough stuff for a 5 year old but Ellie's been trying to place herself in the world and she began asking questions over dinner and this is how things progressed...my geography and historical facts may be sketchy in places so I apologise if any of these facts are incorrect or more fanciful due to my imagination.

We have been living in the receding wake of Hurricane Ida this week, very heavy rains, high winds and trees down. The very word 'hurricane' has struck fear into her little heart (remember the Tomato Tornato conversation?) The local ice hockey team are 'The North Carolina Hurricanes', she heard those words mentioned on the radio in the car today and thought Ida was coming back and panic ensued!

The news was on while we were having dinner this evening and Ida has now moved and turned into a Nor'easter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nor and is battering Virginia and moving North...
Ellie: North. That's above us. Virginia? Is there a place above us called Virginia?
Me: Yes there is, and do you know that Virginia was named after an old English Queen, Elizabeth I?
Ellie: Wow! Really? But if her name was Elizabeth why was it called Virginia? (too quick for her own good)
Me: Virginia was her knickname (we'll save that part of the history lesson for when she's older!)
Luke: Mummy draw horse.
Ellie: ...and where's above there?
Me: (drawing a horse) Errr Maryland I think. (Guessing Mary Queen of Scots perhaps? Elizabeth I beheaded her after all)
Ellie: ...and where's above there?
Luke: Mummy draw cat.
Me: (drawing a cat) Errr New Jersey I think and guess what?...there is a place in England called Jersey.
Ellie: There's a place called New York, is there a York in England?
Me: Yes there is!
Luke: Mummy draw dog.
Ellie: Why are they called 'New' ?
Me: (drawing a dog) Do you remember at school in India you learnt about the brave Pilgrim Fathers on the Mayflower boat who sailed from England to the 'New' World, well maybe they were homesick for England and named places after their hometowns.
Ellie: I do! And they sailed for a long time and then they had a thanksgiving. What's up there next?
Me: Connecticut (struggled for a link on that one) and then New England and New Hampshire(technically Massachussets but you can understand my deviation there)
Ellie: New England?! You mean there is a New England? Wow! Can we go there? Is there a Kenilworth there?
Me: Yes there is (I only know this because I drove past it many years ago) but did you know than that across the road from your school there are some houses in a place called 'Kenilworth Court'.
Ellie: Mummy can I go there?!!

I'll bore you no more with the dialogue but finally I managed to bring the conversation back to North Carolina, whose capital city is Raleigh, named after Sir Walter, who returned to England after his New World tour to present Queen Elizabeth I who was guest of honour of her 'favourite' Robert Dudley aka Lord Leycester (and much more so rumour has it....no daughter of Henry VIII was ever going to remain so pure) at Kenilwoth Castle with tobacco plants and potatoes which were planted in the little Olde Worlde area next to the Castle that is called 'Little Virginia'. The tobacco died, the potatoes did not and that is how, legend has it, England got potatoes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenilworth

Part of 'Little Virginia' Kenilworth - Elizabethan houses - not may potato plants these days!

There are I'm sure many historical links to be discovered. One of them that intrigues me are the large number of Holt's here. Holt was my maiden name and I know that there is a Holt town in Norfolk close to where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail. I've traced my paternal line back to Norfolk but then I drew a blank...maybe it's time to research it some more....when I get some time!

Nee Naw, Nee Naw!

For Luke at the moment his life revolves around anything to do with fire engines, trains and balls...and occasionally dressing up with his sister.


In North Carolina (could be the same in other States I don't know) if you dial 911 the first response vehicle you get is always going to be a fire engine, whatever the reason for your call whether it be police, fire or medical emergency and there are alot of fire stations to cover this. The firemen are highly trained in all aspects of emergency work and hugely valued members of the community and generations of families proudly enter this career. Given the large number of wooden houses here they are also very active in educating the community and especially children with life saving advice. There are two fire stations located within 5 minutes of our house in the direction we generally go, there could be even more in the other direction. During our 25 minute drive to school we pass no less that 5 fire stations. Makes a mockery of the state of the fire service in the UK, and by that I mean the closing down of more and more fire stations in cost cutting exercises, not the dedication and value we place on our firemen.


One of our local fire stations recently held an open day and Ellie and Luke were particularly excited to go although Luke doesn't look like it in the photographs but that was more for the fact he'd just woken up from a nap and he's never at his best then!

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Pumpkin Day, Fall Festival & Halloween

Like most of the Northern hemisphere we are in the midst of Autumn or Fall. This is my favourite season and it's so nice to see one again after India's distinct lack of seasons, hers being hot, wet and hot, hotter and stinking hot.

North Carolina's vast amount of trees have been treating us to spectactular shows of colour over the last couple of weeks and there are so many trees here, it gives a new perspective on the saying 'Can't see the wood for the trees' here you 'Can't see a view for the trees'. One thing I have noticed as the leaf fall progresses is that we do actually have a couple of neighbours in the distance through the woods. We can also more easily see the Deer that visit our garden, Luke calls then Beers! We had hoped to make it over to the mountains in the West to see the colours but that hasn't happened this year but we did make it out to the beach for a days play in the sand.


With the onset of the Fall there have been a few events at school firstly Johnny Appleseed Day , a Pumpkin Party, an evening Fall Festival and of course everything was rounded off nicely with Halloween last Saturday.

For Ellie and Luke's first time Trick or Treating you'd think they'd been doing it since the moment they were born and they didn't need telling twice, I think the motivation of sweets and chocolate helped a little bit perhaps? Ellie was going to dress as a Snow Princess but changed her mind at the last minute and if you asked Luke what he was dressed as his answer was 'Choo Choo'.

I was quietly surprised by just how many people get behind the Halloween event here and make a real effort for the children and create quite a social event in their neighbourhoods by decorating their houses and dressing up. Of course the real winners at the end of the day with alot of $$$'s being spent are the costume shops, sweet companies and eventually the dentists!

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