I'm sorry I've been quiet on the blog for a while. Life has just been so busy recently, and I just haven't seemed to find the time to sit down and write a blog post....until now :-)
We're officially halfway through our 6-month home leave - gulp!
Highlights:
* Reconnecting with family and friends
* Everybody here speaks English - I don't have to worry about not being understood
* The huge (if not rather overwhelming at first) choice of food at the supermarket
* Being by the sea - yay!
* The chance to get a few health questions investigated by doctors
* Charis getting to take swimming lessons at the local sports centre
* Nathaniel's English is really taking off now that he's surrounded by people speaking it
* Sophie's reading is also really improving now that English signs and notices are all around us
* Having willing babysitters (a.k.a The Grandparents) just 15 mins away
* Getting away for 2 nights just the 2 of us - the first time we've been away from the kids from sunrise to sunset since Sophie was born 7 years ago
* the dinosaur bones in the National History museum
* the Wizard of Oz performed at the West End
* the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace
* lots of double decker buses (or ducker decker buses as Nathaniel says)
* the Queen. Ahem... yes.....we saw the Queen!!
Lowlights:
* We've done SO much travelling as family, visiting various friends and supporters, that we actually feel EVEN MORE tired than when we first arrived, if that's at all possible!
* The children are missing their Russian friends (and our dogs).
* The rain. We forgot how much it rained in England. To be fair, it was the wettest April in the UK since records began over 100 years ago. Trust us to be here for that :-)
* Yes, we did see the Queen, but we stood in the freezing cold for 2 hours and endured 2 hail storms (in May!!) only to see her decide not to walk past us but to get into her car instead. Well, I can't blame her.
Qu: Are any of you on home leave at the moment? Or if you travel a lot, what are your impressions when you come 'home'? As always I love to read your comments.
Abide in Him!
Linking up here:
We aren't right now, but were last year. I can relate to many of your comments, especially the exhaustion of travelling. We literally have to do a circle around the entire USA just to visit our supporting churches and immediate families! We often breathe a huge sigh of relief when we board the plane to head back overseas again. =) But, I do also enjoy the cultural opportunties that we are able to give our kids as we travel - we saw many museums and national parks (including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone) during our travels last year as well. So, I guess there are good and bad sides to everything. Blessings on your family as you wrap up your time back in the UK.
ReplyDeleteJen
Hi Jen,
DeleteYes, I'm often thankful that the UK is actually quite a small island compared to the USA!
Catherine