My beautiful baby girl – a willing walking partner, a dedicated dancer, a gentle spirit. I am so glad you were born.
Author Archives: Kim Halloran-Fry
red
We do have sons. Boys sure tend to vanish when the camera appears though. They looked so bright against our first snow when they were bringing in my shopping bags I ran out to catch them as they are right now – one growing like a weed, the other finding all sorts of reasons to postpone that haircut another day.
The glitter-soft flakes have turned the farm into a snow globe but have had little impact locally other than to frost every surface beautifully. This kind of snow we won't complain about.
and just because this sort of thing happens a lot, a shot of the pheasant photo bombing.
: )
Manchester England, England
….across the Atlantic Sea….
The thing about the Manchester road trip is that I can't stop singing this song. I have Hair lyrics echoing in my brain everytime I go to write this post. Which has been a few times now.
Zach was fortunate enough to have a college friend in Manchester who had tickets to a Manchester United game. We haven't been to that side of the country so the girls and I decided to drive them up and make a couple days of it. The game drew a spectacular crowd which shut down the streets for blocks around. I dropped Zach and Megan near the stadium and then drove back out against the tide of bodies pressing forward to the entrances. It was like parting the Red Sea. That part of the trip however was a highlight for Z. He is sharing this video. Just remember this is England and it's a soccer game. I am not responsible for any language you might overhear. <g>
https://www.facebook.com/v/10151296547274381
Beyond that this was not the most wildly successful road trip to date. It was Boxing Day for starters. That's the British equivalent of Black Friday. While the stores were open pretty much nothing else was either that day or the following or apparently many of the days between Christmas and New Year's.
We didn't get to see some of the things Zach had on his list like the old library. We did get to walk around and stopped into the People's Museum which houses a collection of memorabilia from various labor movements. Some was fascinating. Some downright disturbing. Some made me chuckle, like the informational sign about "Tom Paine" who came off like a rabble rouser from the 'colonies'.
There was a very urban and industrial vibe there which isn't usually our thing. Ok my thing. Still, it was a legitimate adventure. The drive home was a challenge. It has been so wet some of the roads were closed due to standing water and our GPS doesn't recover well in those situations. We all fell into bed right quick afterwards. We did get to travel through some beautiful open farmland land while detouring on the way back. Way more my speed. I hope to share soon.
Quotidian
I am sitting on a ton of lot of travel pictures but night after night I don't get them up. The times we are all home together I just want to be with the rest of them and we are doing something til it's time to drop it seems. I am in a hedgehog sorta mood – hibernating when I can. <g> So, instead of the cohesive note I will probably never compose….
In brief, it snowed. The first snow we have seen in England. Not much, but delightful nonetheless.
We made these muffins (pic'd below) and chicken soup this past weekend. I could live on soup right now.
A fair amount of my binder is being transferred into our Cozi app. The Luddite in me has gone kicking and screaming into the Brave New World admittedly. But since we are in it, I am determined that it will serve us and not vice vs. This is a great example. My brain was just overflowing lately with travel, schedules, chore lists, practices, shopping lists that were never completely complete. So now we have one app, we all can tap into it and I can watch their checklists tick off from any room in the house. Love.
I finished Kim De Blecourt's adoption story. Chock full of intrigue and corruption and suspense. Many of the good online reads of late ended up on the friendfeed to your right fwiw. Some good stuff!
A very good short read is here. Hat tip to Rebecca for sending and mulling it over with me. I think I am often too indulgent with myself. We hear all the time that venting is a good thing. I am not so sure. Never have been. Bitterness isn't any better in small portions. I am resolved to do better at catching the little foxes and remembering that success rarely lies in a few landmark battles but rather in staying faithful through many small skirmishes.
These everyday things – they are the big things.
And that is that. : )
Embracing Idle Hours
"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour." – John Boswell
After a full and bustling December we are settling into a somewhat quieter January. Breath in, breathe out. It is a little window before things pick up again and I have learned to gather moments where they can be found. This week we have brought home into clear focus again, taking into account the things scheduled in coming weeks and months and balancing those with a steady rhythm in this house and a generous dose of idle hours. We need those too.
Walking the Fen
I remember many years ago when we lived in Ohio my friend called me at 8am when, I admit, I was just becoming functional for the day. "Hi!" she said.
"Uh, Hi," said I.
"The sun is out!!!" She gleefully pointed out it had been something like 21 straight days of clouds and drizzle that winter. She was from San Diego and wilted in the drippy midwestern winters. I didn't get it. I had grown up in the upper midwest and moved to Germany and then Ohio. Clouds were not all that noteworthy to me, at least not at 8am. Having since lived in the American west and southwest I do get it now.
When we woke to sun streaming in the windows after a similar stretch of drizzle I began pummeling my husband with pillows insisting we GO somewhere. Anywhere. Outside. And we did. We decided to hike the Lakenheath Fen. Despite the bright sun overhead it was still in the 40's and the wind was powerfully strong. The boys and I were covered in mud by the time we got back to the car due to the muddy lanes and off roading we tend to do.
Walk with me, if you have a minute. I want to show you. It was awesome. I really needed some open air.
There is a board where local bird watchers make notes of recent sightings. We didn't see anything too exotic but lots of ducks and swans. And birdwatchers. Hard core bird watchers. I admit to some camera envy. Holy cow. The equipment there rivaled the sidelines of an NBA game.
If you look closely you see the blonde backs of some lowland cattle grazing in the tall grass prairie.
My guys. This is where having some of each kind of kid is really nice. My daughters generally love to walk with me, but not in the mud. The boys are game for any kind of slop we may trudge through.
more tea please
I took some on the run to Heathrow this morning returning one son and his girlfriend to the States. Drank it while Agnes (the tempermental GPS) misbehaved on the two hour trip there, occasionally refusing to "calculate this route" altogether and worrying me about making them late for their flight. After much sweet talking, cajoling, beseeching – and unplugging – she ascquiesced. She did not return me in time to meet Alannah's afternoon appointment with the Human Resource office on base however.
After some quick rescheduling work, I stopped home instead for the feis dress. And more tea. Chai latte this time. And just missed the tailor who went home for the day before the alterations shop closed.
So Moira and I hit the library, dropped a boy off at Dad's office, and finally reached the grocery store around five. ish.
True story – the day out ended with this conversation…
Grocery clerk (male – late 20s): "What animal would you be?"
Me, looking up from the nether regions of my cart: "Pardon?"
clerk: "Animal. You know, like if you could be one. What would it be?"
Umm, yeah. No.
Not today thanks.
More tea please.
veggie tales
Our landlord has been puzzled by our family. Having mostly dealt with single airmen and working, childless adults he had come to some conclusions about Americans. One of those was that we don't like veggies. At least, not much beyond french fries, spaghetti sauce and salsa. He was surprised when we processed all those apples. Amused when we gleaned the onions. So he began to drop by with other things, like the carrots and leeks.
During our last visit we were discussing some local markets and farm stands and he was asking if we ate celery, 'beetroot', and so on. Then he thought for a moment and asked if we liked sprouts. I said, "Oh yes, we LOVE them!" Then he puzzled me by saying, "Do you now? I have a stalk right over here." I was trying to imagine who travels with alfalfa sprouts when he returned with these, commonly known as just "sprouts."
Fair enough. We actually DO like those too. In fact they were incredible steamed and buttered. (even though I let them sit a bit too long in the conservatory and had to peel away a few bad leaves seen here) They were so sweet and tender and not the least bit bitter, as frozen sprouts tend to be. I am going to have to track down this farmer.
Motoring through Britain
We couldn't let her leave without seeing the ponies after all.
“He stood staring into the wood for a minute, then said: "What is it about the English countryside — why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?"
-Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle
Starry Sky Journal 