Time to Party!

Yesterday Heidi worked her last day at ELC, followed by a lovely dinner at Nandos with fellow co-workers from the Debenhams store and Game department. Some of the other people were also leaving for other jobs, school, and maternity (Amy). It goes without saying that Heidi will not miss having to work, but will miss many of the friends that she has made while at the Early Learning Centre.
Today Mike submitted his dissertation with a hop, skip, and a jump (don’t let the revolving library door smack ya on the way out!) There are a number of things that he will miss (Caffeine breaks in the Blend, strange proletariat-style 60s architecture, listening to Lawrence talk trash about Billy Elliot, the GIANT a/v screen in 3.03, postgrad library privileges, Buffy talks with Mark Jancovich, anything with Peter Kramer, and sneaking personal entertainment into the library viewing rooms with Steve – Decalogue is on my wishlist now).
Now that there are no longer any obligations of responsibility, we can party like rock stars!

Heidi's Birthday at Blickling Hall

This past Sunday, Nick and Annette invited us to go and see Blickling Hall, a National Trust estate hall and gardens that dates back to 1057. The hall was absolutely awesome, and constantly reminded Heidi and I of the manor house in Gosford Park, with its upper and lower levels, servant (secret) passageways, massive dining hall and library, as well as the ornate tapestries, paintings, and woodworking that filled every available space. I wasn’t allowed to nab any pictures of the inside, so you’ll have to check out the NT site.

Following the walk through the house we wandered through the gardens. The weather started out rather ominous, but just before we were to leave the sun came out… So we had to linger a little longer and play a bit of croquet.

After all of that we went back to Nick and Annette’s and had dinner and birthday cake. Yipeee!

Holiday in York, vol. III

For our last full day in York Heidi and I just went to the city and wandered around. First off, we went to the York Dungeon, which we had wanted to do since arriving. Fortunately, Seth and Emma had given us a 2-for-1 voucher which helped to alleviate the outrageously priced £10 ticket. Since the Dungeon also tended toward the more theatrical rather than historical/informative (which is every bit as thrilling in the case of British dungeons as an enlightening discussion with Nick and Annette will reveal) the discounted admission price was quite nice.

After the dungeon we went in search of the city walls. By the time we found access to the top of the wall it was raining at a steady pace, which was nice because it drove most of the other people away from the wet battlements – but not us, sturdy, umbrella-wielding lot that we are. We ended up walking along most of the walls, stopping in at Mickelgate bar (not as in the drinking kind, but the blocking kind) and ending up back near Clifford’s tower. It was a nice stroll with a lovely view, but my arm was tired by the end from holding the umbrella against a wind that threatened to blow me off the wall.

This week was excellent. Cheers to Seth and Emma for having us along, and to Mike and Linda for letting us stay at their lovely home. We had a wonderful time.

The Swing Ball Tournament ended in expected fashion, with Dockrill clearly playing the best swing ball of the week. Smith had a few spectacular dives, but Dockrill’s steady play demonstrated why he is the best. At one point Smith even looked to be using the end of his bat like a complete clown. The tournament here at the Dockrill Lower Gardens Swing Ball Pitch was a well-received success and we look forward to a possible reunion match back in Norwich sometime in the near future.

Final score: Dockrill wins, 10-4
String fouls: 573
Injuries: Dockrill was hit in the face by what clearly looked like an intentional attack by Smith, although no yellow card was issued on the play.

To Scarborough

Friday we hit the road again. The destination: Scarborough. The Reason: to eat fish and chips. Ok, that wasn’t the only reason, but it was pretty high on the list. It was a lovely place: the ocean, the beach, the castle ruins on the hill next to rows of hotels. We took a nice stroll along the beach to the Sea Life Park. What had the looks of being a rather overpriced and rundown aquarium turned out to be really sweet (special thanks here goes to Mike and Linda Dockrill for sponsoring this little event). There was a really cool area with three or four different tanks with jellyfish, all outfitted with black lights so they looked super cool. Another had a tank with Japanese giant crabs that were about 1.5 meters wide. What was amazing was the fact that they can grow to be 5 meters! There was a cool seahorse exhibit and a tank with giant turtles and sharks. Unfortunately, we got more video than pictures, so you’ll have to imagine it all. I did manage to get one with Heidi playing with the penguins.

Following the Sea Life Park Seth and I played a quality game of mini golf after which we sat down to some fine tasting fish & chips. The chips weren’t anything special (nowhere near as good as the one in Norwich market, the blue one with no sign… that’s GONE!), but the fish was excellent and the portion was huge. A truly fine meal indeed.

Swing ball, Day 5.

… Honestly, I can’t remember what happened (talking about yourself in the third person is fun though). It’s all just a blur at this point. I must have taken a crack to the head (chalk that up on the Injury Report). I am pretty sure that Dockrill walloped Smith again, and that Smith hit nothing but air on about half of his swings, 25% hit the string, 13% made devastating contact with the surrounding foliage, and the rest may have actually hit the ball. A daring bee rescue was performed at some point during the match.

Final score: Dockrill wins, 5-something
String fouls: 743
Injuries: Smith hit himself in the leg with the bat. The medical examiner reports that it swelled up really bad, turned all heinous and blue, and made Smith complain profusely. It causes him great pain to this very day.

Till tomorrow!

Holiday in York, vol. II

Thursday we basically just took it easy and wandered through the York city centre. The weather was decent enough and we were able to see a number of the older buildings and churches that are everywhere. Many of them are ‘of no significant historical importance’ other than they are a few hundred years old. We are still at the point where we can just wander through the town, not having any real purpose or goal, and be totally entertained by the history and culture (a feeling that we also get just walking to Tesco Metro in Norwich). We also took a nice stroll through a park with Seth, Emma, and Emily. Mike, quite literally, fell on his head while doing an obstacle course with Seth… unfortunately, the photographer was laughing too hard to get a picture, but we do have a picture of the moment just before his complete display of muppetry. You’ll note how he balances himself on the chain with what appears to be deft ease, while sporting a smug look of self-assurance... Fell. On. His. Head. Although, not before doing this somersault/horizontal pirouette thing. Muppetry.

Today’s Swing Ball, the Sport Center / Match of the day version:
Who are we kidding; there really wasn’t any way that Smith could sustain the level of play he showed the night before. Dockrill, sensing this like a hawk, immediately swept in and broke Smith’s opening service. From there on out, it was all Dockrill, as Smith couldn’t seem to hit anything but the string.

Final score: Dockrill wins, 5-3
String fouls: 39
Injuries: Smith may have sustained a sprain in his hand as we saw the bat slip from his grip at one point in the match and sail through the shrubbery. As a result of this dangerous manoeuvre by Smith, Dockrill fell to the ground clutching his stomach. Reports from nearby supporters claim that this was from laughter, but our medical correspondent says it was more likely the result of ‘highly intense play’ by the young Briton.

Tomorrow: Scarborough, the Sea Life Park, and loads of lovely excitement!

From Preston to Windermere

Wednesday we left Preston and travelled to Windermere. The town was a nice little holiday type town with tons of little shops and parlours. Seth and I were seduced into buying ice cream while Hid, Emma, and Emily relaxed by the lake. What we were able to see of the Lake District was beautiful. Kids swam and waded in the water with little nets on long poles while others kicked a football or enjoyed a game of cricket. While we were there a WWII fighter plane (I’m pretty sure it was a spitfire) flew right over us and the lake.

Overall, the whole experience (minus the fighter plane) was like something out of a Seurat painting; people gathered along the waters edge, enjoying a holiday in the lovely country.

Wednesday also saw Day Three of the International Swing Ball Tournament (you knew this was coming). Due to scheduling conflicts from our local sponsors, the match was delayed until evening; however, the crowd wasn’t deterred and excitedly rose to their feet as the two champions took to the pitch. Today’s tilt was the fiercest that we have seen this year at Dockrill Lower Gardens, with each player dominating on the forehand. Fortunately, for the American supporters, Smith took an early lead and desperately held it to the finish.
Final score: Smith wins, 5-4
String fouls: 31
Injuries: Following the match Smith was panting like a dog, but the medical examiner reports that it was just an episode of exhaustion due to a lack of proper conditioning.

Still more to come!

Holiday moves to Preston

On Tuesday we left York and traveled to the Preston area. The temple was lovely as were the gardens and weather. We had a nice relaxing time and stayed the night in the accommodations on the temple grounds.

Tuesday morning also saw Day Two of the International Swing Ball Tournament. Smith made a slightly better showing, but was still unable to subdue the more experienced Dockrill on the backhand.
Final score: Dockrill wins, 5-3
String fouls: 37
Injuries: Smith experienced some sort of knee strain that left him whingeing for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow we move on to Windermere for loads of Lake District fun!

Holiday in York, vol. I

**In light of certain technical limitations, the highly anticipated ‘Holiday in York’ series will appear one week after it actually happened, so suspend your disbelief and get ready to party like rock stars.

Our holiday begins in York.

On Monday we went to the city centre and wandered around a bit (for the adventurous and technically inclined, here are the GPS coordinates for the Shambles car park, which is a nice starting point if visiting by car – N 53° 57.511’, W 001° 04.628’). The Minster is as big and beautiful as we could have imagined – even though they had one end of it all fitted with scaffolding for refurbishing. We then wandered through the Shambles, shopping for various fridge magnets and postcards. Fortunately, the preservation of this historical area of York didn’t include the smells of refuse and decay as it would have undoubtedly had years ago. Hid was most grateful for this modern adjustment. Needless to say, we didn’t make it to the Jorvik Viking Centre to smell what it would have been like 1000 years ago. Yikes!

Monday morning also saw Day One of the International Swing Ball tournament at the Dockrill Lower Gardens Swing Ball Pitch. Competition was quite stiff and the level of play can only be expected to rise as we follow the number two seed, three-time British All-Star, Seth Dockrill defending his title on the home court against the rising American hopeful, and this year’s number one seed, Mike Smith. Unfortunately, for the American, Dockrill handily whipped him. More to come!
Final score: Dockrill wins, 5-2.
String Fouls: 32
Injuries: Smith experienced a self-inflicted laceration to the middle finger of his left hand.

Tuesday we are off to Preston and then Windermere and the Lake District. Cheerio!

Pregnant Super Heros

Today Hid walked into the kitchen, walked out, then puked. I’m standing there making sandwiches, all perplexed as to what caused this.

*check my shirt, smell my armpits*
‘Hid, do you like, need me to hold your hair back or something?’ No. Ok, cool. ‘You still want a sandwich?’ Yes, she does. ‘I’ll just get you some more water then, and maybe a bag of crisps to go with it, okay?’ I’m such a pleaser.

Apparently what caused this was some undetectable odour in the kitchen. Undetectable, that is, by a mere ordinary being such as me. This isn’t the first time it has happened either; last month as we were getting ready to leave for London, she had a similar experience. Fortunately, it was just because of another smell rather than an overwhelming sickness and we were still able to enjoy a lovely day in London. What is remarkable, however, is that these smells do not register with my average senses at all. I think pregnant women have supernatural powers that enable them to detect certain things that we non-pregnant types never even know exist. It’s like living with a super hero, or an X-men, er… man… er… woman, whatever. I'm now the one who gets anything in the fridge, because she doesn’t deal well with the smell in it. To me it's just regular old ‘fridge smell.’ In the past, I have prided myself on being able to detect a funky smell in the fridge (just ask any former roommates) and, to me, it’s fine.

So, in addition to growing and packing two babies around inside of her, she can sniff out unsavoury odours and move with cat-like stealth and haste to the toilet to rid herself of previous meals. I have to say that it’s all a bit intimidating. I mean, I can play Unreal 2004 on the computer for a straight hour without blinking or my hand cramping, but she makes me look like a complete Muppet. We haven’t even approached the shape-shifting body or actual birth yet. I guess if I were going to be her arch nemesis and supreme baddie, I would have to make my lair next to the fridge because, my other super powers (the Silent Getaway, used in retail job situations, and my impeccable ability to fly below the social radar) are a bit random and, lets face it, rather unimpressive. Vampires and Werewolves have heightened senses of smell and lightning quick speed, not some lame knack of escaping when faced with responsibility. In a comic book climax, my pregnant wife would absolutely thrash me. Now she just needs a good super hero name…
-m