We departed Cheltenham on a sunny Nov. 27, 2007, hearts a little heavy and a lot disbelieving that our time was really up.
Since our return we have indulged our wanderlust (because six months of touring the GB hasn't knocked it out of us) and relished the joys of living out of a suitcase pretty much constantly for the past almost two months. Our first two weeks back were spent with generous friends and family, then two weeks in an ex-smoking government rate hotel room in Laurel, MD (a.k.a. where stripmalls come to die), then off to Utah for The Holidays for a snowy-wondrous three weeks, and now back to Laurel in a slightly nicer part of town (a.k.a. where stripmalls are born) and a slightly less-smoker-stinky hotel room.
Why are we doing this to ourselves? Because we really really want to have free access to a slightly green pool. And now we have one. And daily maid service.
Since leaving the U.K. we desperately miss (a non-exhaustive list):
- rolling green hills speckled copiously with munching sheep, dotted with ancient stone cottages, and lined with winding hedgerows/stone walls
- dear friends
- our awesome primary kids
- English drivers (there are benefits to rigorous driver testing!)
- round-abouts
- country B-roads
- English talk (all of it: the accents, the completely different approach to the English language, the politeness, the charming, the everything!)
- smart school uniforms swarming all over town at 3:40
- queuing up at the bus stop...before the bus even arrives
- the stunning Regency and Georgian architecture
- history-infused everything
- toilet lids on all public toilets (making diaper changes possible in a land of very few baby changing stations, besides assuaging my irrational fear of experiencing a toilet geyser whilst trapped in a public bathroom stall)
- grocery shopping on Bath Road (the butcher, the baker, the fruit and veg shop)
- Cornish pasties
- cosy pubs
- sticky toffee pudding
- real chocolate
- public footpaths
- the pedestrian friendliness of city-, village-, and countryscapes
- ecologically-minded masses
- UK Television: Little Britain, QI, UKTV History, Sell this House, Saturday night countdowns on Channel 4
- mentally doubling all pricetags (maybe we don't miss that part)
At any rate, it is nice to be back home and get caught up with good friends and family. Here's to more adventures in 2008!
7 comments:
Hey, you make ME miss England and I'm still here! I need to start getting out more. I'll start with Bath Road.
It's funny that you just posted. I told Jeff tonight that I missed you guys and wondered how you were. Are you still going to church at Savage Mill? Or are you mixing it up? We always thought Laurel sounded so pretty until we visited. I love "where stripmalls go to die." That is SO Laurel!
we haven't had a sunday back in MD yet. we might stay with friends this weekend in falls church, so it might be a little while before we check in with the SM ward. we really liked it, tho. really nice folks (and i got gasps of excitement in RS when i mentioned that i knew you guys and the fullwoods :-)).
Hey--wish we could have gone to Elizabeth's English Bakery to get pasties together. Guess that will be next trip.
Miss all three of you! Glad your room doesn't stink of smoke like the last one....
Was only in England for a short ten days--but I can concur with your list of "missing."
Welcome home -- bienvenidos.
Did you go to Savage Ward? I so miss RS in SM, anyways i found your blog so send me your email address so i can add you to mine
The Fullwoods
tbfullwood@hotmail.com
James, where will you be based next?
We are in VA, for the time being. We're not quite sure what our next stop will be. -jms
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