This past weekend, we decided to take it a bit easier with regards to sightseeing. My sister had a couple of papers due early this week, so she wanted to be able to do some homework. Saturday we went to the grocery store. Okay, that's not sightseeing, but it was a good accomplishment for us! Later that day, we went to Basildon Park House. It's just outside of Reading, so it was easy to get to. Very beautiful place. Unfortunately, there is scaffolding all around the exterior because they are cleaning the stonework. We were disappointed. This house was also used to film some of the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice. For those of you who know me well, I prefer the BBC version with Colin Firth. But it was cool to see this. Karen ... read more

This past weekend was a bank holiday weekend here in the UK. This means we had Monday off from work. It was a nice break for me. I decided to do a lot of sightseeing and even picked out a nice bed & breakfast so I could have more time for sights. I ended up spending my time mainly in Kent and a little bit in East Sussex (which is in the south east of England). I started out Saturday morning by going to Hever Castle. This castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the 2nd wife of King Henry VIII (she was beheaded by him). The castle then went through a bunch of different owners including William Waldorf Astor at the beginning of the 20th century. He was responsible for a lot of the ... read more

I want to wish my mother a very happy birthday! I wish I was there to help celebrate!... read more

I have decided that one of the best things about being in England right now is the close proximity of my brother and his family. I have been able to spend the day with them each of the two weekends that I have been here. It has been wonderful! I am only an hour away by car. I have never lived this closely to them, even in the USA. This past weekend, I was able to help them just after they moved. They had done a great job of settling into the new place in only 24 hours. But I got to watch the boys for awhile as they continued to unpack and I also helped my brother clean the old place. I look forward to more time with them during my time here. As an ... read more

Here are the promised pictures of my flat! Today, I also learned how to use the washer/dryer combo as well as the oven. I also picked up a few things for the flat, like a clothes hamper and some hooks to hang things on in the bathroom. Not a very exciting day, but a necessary one. Tomorrow I am heading to London to spend the day with my brother and his family.... read more