Happy Bday, Liane!!

It's Liane's bday today so hop on over to her blog and give her a high birthday five!! Three cheers for her! Hip, Hip, HURRAY! My poor little sleep deprived brain is too inept to come up with anything more lengthly or eloquent...sorry!

Okay, one more with your stick insects

No need to tell you what Arthur found interesting

The Spider's Web

Lexie and Amelia keep a safe distance

Lexie views the specimens

Bugs and such...

Today, a friend and I walked with our kids to the University Museum of Zoology here. They were having a special day for kids devoted to insects--displays, demonstrations and activities. They included a locust wind tunnel display (demonstration of how locusts fly), a Build a bug and colouring corner (ah, British spelling there) where kids could make their own bug with craft supplies, and add an insect to the giant spider's web displayed in one of the pics I'll post. There was also a "Ask the Entomologist & Live Insect Displays" which is where we spent half our time. You could see live insects, and ask questions about them. There were other activities we didn't get to, but in general we had fun making bugs and looking at them! I guess I can't say I enjoyed watching the creepy crawlies, but I enjoyed the fact that Lexie was interested. How I managed to construct a stick insect for Lexie while keeping a roving eye on a roving 1 and a half yr old, I'm not sure...Hurray for Cambridge, and all its glories.

Tea Party Hostess

It looks like a red onion...

but it's not! Any guesses as to whether this is a fruit or vegetable? Anyone know what this is called? I sampled this ____ for the first time on Sunday, and it's not bad, but very bland...Thought you might enjoy guessing...

Fruit or vegetable?

Sounds quaint, but it ain't

Better known as cocoa, or hot chocolate

Don't ask me what's American about it...

Otherwise known as saran wrap

Dry goods

You may think I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel, and well...maybe I am, but it occurred to me that the contents of my kitchen cupboards might be a source of amusement or at least novelty to many of you. Without further ado...

American fizz

Dandelion & Burdocks all round

Have a Dandelion and Burdock and a smile!

Yesterday we had some friends come for a bbq. They brought along some soft drinks, unfortunately both diet ones, one of which you will probably have never laid eyes on before. I have seen the dandelion and burdock soda, or pop or whatever term you prefer, but never had a hankering to sample it. I finally did taste a little tonite, despite it being a diet drink and full of the most wonderful and healthy additives you can hope to ingest. haha. It actually tasted like licquorice and wasn't too bad...The other pic I'm including is the "American" gingerale...thought you'd get a kick out of that.

The fam!

About 2 weeks ago, we had some family pics taken on the grounds of Charlie's college. The photo taking process, or I should say any photo taking process that involves a one yr old and a three yr old, is a rigorous exercise in patience and quick, creative problem solving. The whole process took place in one of the gardens by the river (Liane and Melissa will remember this place). It took about an hr, as we had a lot of them done, and was a great overall success despite the fact that Arthur almost succeeded in falling in the river, and Lexie enjoyed rolling around in the grass in her pretty borrowed dress.

Family Portrait

Cambridge Miniature Trains

This afternoon we had a nice little outing-about a 20-25 min walk up the road to see and ride on the miniature trains. They run in the summer twice a month on Sunday afternoons! It's run by the Cambridge model engineering society We had lots of fun...and here are some pics of our time:)

Hello folks!

Mr. Conductor

Say goodbye!

This one's for Mr. Railfan:)

Baby carriage description

The description reads: Baby Carriage Designed by William Kent, probably for one of the children of the Third Duke of Devonshire, c.1730

Antique Baby Carriage!

This was included in a display of baby carriages inside the house!

Cast gallery seen in Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Water feature

Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House is the most spectacular estate I have visited in this country, and I've seen quite a few. Mattie and I visited here last wkend before going to Haddon Hall which was only about 20 minutes away. It was a gorgeous day weather wise, and we had fun touring the house, and gardens. We even took off our shoes and walked across this water cascade in the picture here. Chatsworth is also seen in the new Pride and Prejudice movie. If you remember, there is one scene where Lizzie sees the bust of Mr. Darcy in the cast gallery. That is the cast gallery in Chatsworth which we got to see! AND...now that I've switched from Flickr to Photobucket,(you lose, Flickr) my pics are bigger and aligned in a normal fashion..finally.

Spot the buttercup

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Originally uploaded by yankeegal.

Mattie had the brilliant idea of including a buttercup in as many
pics as possible...:)

The Kitchen

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Originally uploaded by yankeegal.

The Chapel

The Chapel
Originally uploaded by yankeegal.

Another view

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Originally uploaded by yankeegal.

Buttercup's Abode

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Originally uploaded by yankeegal.

At last...This is Haddon Hall where Princess Bride was filmed. It is a National Trust property in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is in the Peak District here which is a beautiful, hilly region a couple hours north of where we live. I had never visited this part of the country until this past weekend, and it was spectacularly beautiful. My friend Mattie is moving back to the US in 2 weeks, and we decided to take a little trip before she left. She is a huge Princess Bride fan, and so we made this spot one of our stops. Parts of it date from 1066! Here are some pics...Stay tuned for more pics of more scenic spots from our trip....

Stay tuned for....tales of adventure

Hello dear readers...I must keep you hanging on, and returning by letting you know that I have just returned from seeing the home of Princess Buttercup! Ah, yes, I was there...at the very castle where Princess Bride was filmed. I just returned this afternoon, and alas, have no more time to write, as i need to climb back onto the great conveyer belt of life. I have fallen off, and fallen behind, but stay tuned...Not sure when I will have time to post the next installment, but keep coming back, as I promise....I will RETURN...with pictures!