tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72935660439768807182024-03-13T05:07:26.258-07:00Our trip to EnglandBurdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-12343273201704687962009-01-09T13:06:00.001-08:002009-01-09T13:12:28.181-08:00Last day in LondonToday was our last day in London. It was sunny but very cold. We spent most of the morning riding tour buses to see some of the sights without having to walk everywhere with a three year old in our arms. We stopped at a cafe for lunch to warm up with soup and lattes. We finished the bus tour - it is the kind that let's you get off and on wherever and whenever you want.<br /><br />In the afternoon, we headed back on the Tube to the British Museum. We warmed up again with tea and scones in the museum cafe. Then we walked through the Egyptian, Assyrian, and Greek exhibits. There was a lot more to see but we ran out of time. We braved the cold to find our last English meal of fish and chips. We found a little fish and chips spot with decor from the 1950s. It was packed and we stuffed ourselves.<br /><br />We are all packed and heading to bed early since we need to get up very early to catch the Tube to Heathrow. Hopefully, we'll have an uneventful trip home. Thanks for keeping up with us on our blog.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-84192887199421072712009-01-08T12:33:00.000-08:002009-01-08T12:55:26.888-08:00Tower of London, Thames River and Westminster AbbeyWe had our first full day in London to tour a few of the famous sites. We began with our first experience on the "Tube" which is the name of the subway system in London. We bought our tickets for the next 2 days which allows us to travel by bus or the Tube as many times and as many places as we want to. It is very handy. Sierra enjoyed riding the Tube instead of having to walk to places.<br /><br />Our first stop was the Tower of London. We visited the Crown Jewels first. Sierra enjoyed all the sparkly jewels and purple material that is used in the royal crowns. Sierra noted that a very large golden punch bowl that was used at a coronation was large enough for her to swim in. It was very LARGE! Next, we joined a tour group headed up by a Yeoman warden also known as a Beefeater. He told lots of bad jokes and lots of interesting stories of the kings and queens who lived there or who were beheaded there. The last thing we visited was the White Tower which is in the center of all the towers. They had many displays of all the types of weapons that were used throughout the years in battle.<br /><br />It was past lunchtime, so we stopped at a open air French cafe right beside the Thames with a beautiful view of London Bridge. We did have to defend our food from attackers - namely the masses of pigeons and birds which are ready to gobble up any morsel of food that is dropped on the ground. We had yummy warm sandwiches and lattes.<br /><br />Next, we walked down the ramp to one of the boat cruises for the Thames. We rode it down to the Westminster Pier. We heard various facts about the bridges and buildings along the Thames. Right at the very end, we went up top to the open air part of the boat. As we docked we ended up being right at the base of Big Ben. It was a impressive sight. We took lots of pictures around Big Ben and the House of Parliament.<br /><br />Our final stop was a few blocks away at Westminster Abbey. We were impressed with the architecture and art work used to build the abbey starting in 1056. We walked around the abbey to see many of the tomb sights of famous English kings, queens, poets, politicians and writers. At the end, we visited the abbey museum and cloisters. Both Tim and I commented on how we enjoyed Westminster better than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Notre</span> Dame from our trip to Paris five years ago.<br /><br />We jumped back on the tube to return to the Penn club. We decided to find an Indian restaurant since many people have raved about the curries made in London. We found a quiet restaurant with great food. It wasn't busy so the waiters talked with us about America and our trip to England. They said business had been slow since Christmas was done.<br /><br />It was a busy day! We will fit one more day of sightseeing in before packing our suitcases one last time and heading to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Heathrow</span> on Saturday morning.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-87800636777125891292009-01-07T12:29:00.000-08:002009-01-07T12:42:34.643-08:00We made it to LondonOur taxi arrived right on time at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Woodbrooke</span> to take us to the train station. We picked up some sandwiches, fruit and lattes to eat while we waited for our train. We watched two other trains heading to London get cancelled, so we were relieved that our train was not cancelled. It was late, but come to find out the tickets we had purchased online the night before were actually first class tickets. So we were at the front of the train in nice comfortable seats. They had little tables all set up with cups and plates for eating and drinking. We were sitting there kind of shocked because we were expecting a crowded ride with so many trains getting cancelled. There were only about three other people in the coach with us, so it was quiet and peaceful. Soon, some staff came through with hot tea or coffee for us. Then they brought a food cart through and gave us choices of what we wanted - no cost. I guess we paid for it in the price of the tickets. We were still full from our sandwiches, so we just had some muffins with our hot tea. It was a very enjoyable ride. It started snowing again as we got closer to London.<br /><br />Once we arrived in London, we walked about 10 blocks to the Penn Club. It wasn't too bad and much cheaper than a taxi. Our room here has 3 twin beds in it and a shower across the hall. All the rooms face the garden in the back. We are served breakfast each morning, so we walked to a local restaurant for dinner tonight. It is a bit of a shock how expensive London is for everything. We are glad we only have to cover 3 nights here. We all have to go to bed at the same time otherwise Sierra won't fall asleep. We'll try and get to the Tower of London tomorrow.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-9322285974903538552009-01-06T11:55:00.001-08:002009-01-06T12:28:53.546-08:00Last day at WoodbrookeToday is our last full day at Woodbrooke. Tim surpassed his goal he had set for progress on his dissertation and is currently at 80 pages (only 220 more to go). He will likely not touch it again for this trip. He met with his advisor one last time today, and will resume progress on his dissertation after we are home and settled in.<br /><br />We will leave in the morning and head to the train station in downtown Birmingham. From there, it is an hour and a half ride to London. We will be staying at The Penn Club in London. It is a motel started by Quakers and still has ties with them. Since we know we are coming back to London in the future, we are just going to see a few sights and not wear ourselves out before getting on a plane for 11 hours.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-78875488316459864212009-01-05T01:26:00.000-08:002009-01-05T01:33:17.309-08:00Snow!I know the rest of you aren't excited about the word snow, but today we woke up to our first snowfall here in Birmingham. It has covered everything with a small blanket of white and it is pretty.<br /><br />Yesterday, I walked to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cotteridge</span> Meeting house for Sunday meeting. This meeting had about 45 people attending and I was greeted warmly by the people there. I walked back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Woodbooke</span> and freezing rain started to fall. We spent the rest of the day inside enjoying the warmth. Tim keeps plugging away on his dissertation. He will work on it more today and tomorrow and then meet with his advisor for the last time before we leave.<br /><br />Our plan is to leave for London on Wednesday morning.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-31999217155933853412009-01-03T08:51:00.000-08:002009-01-03T09:10:10.412-08:00Black Country Living MuseumToday we got up early to catch a bus then a train and another bus to the town of Dudley. That is where the 26 acre Black Country Living Museum is located. It was a sunny day but bitter cold.<br /><br />The museum has many different types of buildings which have been carefully reconstructed on this site from around the neighboring countryside. There is a underground mine exhibit which we skipped due to the cold, dark areas that would have frightened Sierra. We visited the general store, pawnshop, the toll booth, a chemist, the chapel, various homes and cottages and a silent movie cinema each having a person in a period costume telling us about their shops and wares. There was an 1830s school we walked through complete with a real Headmistress with slates and coal pencils. In the summers, they operate a small fairground with rides for kids. There is a small canal that goes around the edge of the property, but all the boat rides were frozen in the water. For lunch, we had fish and chips wrapped in a paper cone. They were delicious! You can see from the pictures that Sierra enjoyed it too. We stopped at the bakery to enjoy some cakes after the fish.<br /><br />They are adding on more shops to expand the place. It will be worth another trip back to see what else is added and ride the canal boats and the fairground rides, hopefully in warmer weather.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-84569987292872930322009-01-01T12:13:00.001-08:002009-01-01T12:22:36.868-08:00New Year's DayHappy 2009 everyone! Tim and I stayed up to watch London's countdown to the new year on the television. Big Ben rang out the first bells of the new year and then they shot off 10 minutes of fireworks off the London Eye. (That's the huge ferris wheel that sits right next to the Thames River.) It was quite a spectacle. We could hear people around Woodbrooke shooting off fireworks. Thankfully, Sierra slept through it all and got a good night's sleep.<br /><br />Sierra was ready to wake up at 8 AM this morning, while Tim and I were hoping to sleep in much later than that. We missed breakfast and munched on crumpets in our room. Tim spent the rest of the day working in the library on his dissertation. Sierra and I played in the room and did some more laundry since it was still bitter cold outside today.<br /><br />I'm feeling much better with my cold, but now Sierra and Tim are starting to get drippy noses. Hopefully, they will get a milder case than I did and be ready for our trip to the Black Country Museum tomorrow.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-9680213961886704252008-12-31T03:09:00.000-08:002008-12-31T11:33:04.306-08:00A quiet New Year's EveWe woke this morning to our first foggy morning since we've got here. On top of that, everything was covered with frost. The forecast is for temperatures to stay in the 30s.<br /><br />I am still battling this head cold which sucks all my energy as well. Fortunately, Tim and Sierra have managed to avoid it.<br /><br />We will try our trip to the Black Country Living Museum on Friday when temperatures warm up and give my cold a few more days of rest.<br /><br />This afternoon we did venture out for a short walk to the big duck pond. The pond had a thick layer of ice on it. The ducks would come in for a landing and then skid across the ice with their webbed feet. It was a funny sight to see!<br /><br />There is a group of 40 people staying here at Woodbrooke over New Year's. Woodbrooke staff invited everyone to a silent meeting from 11:30-12:10 AM to celebrate the new year. Then they will all go outside to the grounds and light a huge bonfire in the bonfire pit. Tim and I will stay up to see the New Year quietly in our <strong>warm</strong> room.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-68085907456645938982008-12-29T08:41:00.000-08:002008-12-29T09:06:41.746-08:00Leaving ClitheroeWe had a wonderful time at Ben and Wendy's. Sierra <strong>loved</strong> five days of continuous play with Florence. It was hard for both girls to say goodbye. Florence told Sierra she wanted her to come back.<br /><br />I've added more pictures to the blog of their wonderful house. The woodwork throughout the house was amazing. The pictures don't do the house justice. There are a total of 7 rooms and 2 bathrooms in the house. They have a large backyard with trees, a garden and an eight foot rock fence for security/privacy. They have tapestries hanging throughout the house with many antique pieces of furniture.<br /><br />Clitheroe is a great English town. I've included a picture of the castle. It has a lot of specialty shops from bread, toys, meat and chocolates. All of the roads are cobble stone, which is fun when you are trying to push Sierra in a stroller over all of them.<br /><br />Today, Wendy drove us to the Preston train station which is about a half hour drive from Clitheroe. The train was 10 minutes late and it was very cold waiting on the platform. Once we got all our luggage on the train, it was a sporting event trying to get all three of us to our reserved seats. Tim had to ask people to move out of our seats. The train ride ended up being 2 hours long. Fortunately, Ben had packed snacks for Sierra, so she was content. We got into Birmingham a half hour late. Then it was a madhouse free for all trying to get out of the platforms and to a restroom. When we found one, it costs us 30 pence each (45 cents) to use the restroom. Even the locals were upset about having to pay to use the restroom. By then it was 2:00pm and we were all starving. We found a Burger King and eat chicken nuggets and burgers. (Ahh...the taste of America) We splurged for a taxi rather than trying to lug all of our suitcases onto a double decker bus. We arrived back at Woodbrooke at 3pm where we greeted warmly and shown to the same room as we've had before. It doesn't look like too many visitors are here. It may be pretty quiet here until after New Year's.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-21138726318732232992008-12-28T12:20:00.000-08:002008-12-28T12:52:03.695-08:00Meeting in ClitheroeToday we went to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Clitheroe</span> Friends Meeting House that Ben and Wendy attend. The meeting house is four miles outside of town. The meeting house faces <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pendle</span> Hill which is the hill that in 1652 George Fox had a vision while at the top and that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">experience</span> was important to the early years of the Quaker movement. When meeting started, the children spent the first ten minutes with us though it was a challenge for them to keep silent for that length of time. I had a terrible head cold so it was hard for me to keep from sneezing and blowing my nose for an hour in silence. It was a small meeting but people were very welcoming. We enjoyed tea and cookies after meeting and talked with the attenders.<br /><br />After a lunch of egg sandwiches, Wendy decided that we would try another version of a crumpet recipe that was a little more clear with the amounts of ingredients. We had better success with this batch and all the crumpets were eaten at tea time.<br /><br />For dinner, we had a cheese and onion pie which was very tasty. We couldn't get Sierra to try this English dish. Instead our hosts spoiled her with black olives, slices of cheese and cherry tomatoes.<br /><br />In the morning, we will catch a train back to Birmingham since <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Woodbrooke</span> will reopen. I will try and post some pictures of Ben and Wendy's house and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Clitheroe</span> meeting house when I get back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Woodbrooke</span>. I am turning in early tonight and hopefully Sierra will go to sleep soon.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-12600202160275316482008-12-27T12:19:00.000-08:002008-12-27T13:04:52.976-08:00Making crumpets and other English culinary dishesYesterday, we were telling our hosts how much Sierra has enjoyed eating crumpets. So they pulled out their old English recipe book to find out how to make them. They have never made them before because they are only about 75 cents to buy in the grocery stores. Needless to say, the recipe was a bit vague about everything from the amount of ingredients to the temperature of the griddle.<br /><br />Today, since the stores were finally open, we went to the grocery store to gather the ingredients to make them. We needed flour, milk, yeast and a pinch of salt. We deciphered amounts as best we could and had Sierra and Florence help mix the flour, yeast and milk. Somehow we were all covered with flour after the three and four year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">olds</span> were done mixing it. We proofed the mixture next to the wood burning stove for 30 minutes. The batter doubled and we scooped it into metal rings that were heated on the griddle. After 10 minutes, we had to flip the ring and the crumpet to the other side. (That is quite a trick to master.) Last, we had to wiggle them out of the hot metal rings. The first 5 were doughy and flat. The next 10 were a little bit better but burnt on one side. The next 5 were thicker and had more bubbles in it which is a sign of a good crumpet. The final crumpet was the best looking by far and we joked it took the whole bowl of batter to get it right. Wendy expects me to perfect the recipe in the US and sell it for profit since you can't get crumpets in the US. We'll see....<br /><br />While we are on culinary topics, I'll add a few more tidbits. Around tea time we headed directly across the street from their house to the coffee and tea shop. We went upstairs to the tea room and had lattes in BOWLS (no handles attached) and scones with clotted cream and conserves. Sierra munched on a shortbread cookie. All of it was wonderful.<br /><br />For dinner tonight, we were served "Toad in the Hole." Wendy explained you make the same batter as a Yorkshire pudding and place sausages all over the pan. Then you bake it until the pudding puffs up. We had mashed potatoes and peas with it. Everything can be covered with a gravy, which is almost always on any English table for dinner. By the time the meal was done, we were all stuffed. Sierra loved the sausages and peas.<br /><br />I'll be bringing home recipes for Yorkshire pudding, Toad in the Hole, crumpets and any other tasty things we've sampled here.<br /><br />Sierra is having great fun playing all day with Florence, but is also realizing what it would mean to have a sister (sometimes ungracefully learning to share and not being the center of attention). I am sure when we go back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Woodbrooke</span> she will be greatly bored.<br /><br />Tim has spent the last two days working on his dissertation. He has crossed the 60<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> page, and will take the next three days off. As they say around here - Cheers!Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-70847760300282610352008-12-26T12:21:00.000-08:002008-12-26T12:34:00.747-08:00Boxing DayToday is a public holiday in England. The day was set aside to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">commemorate</span> St. Stephen who was the first Christian martyr. Later, it became a chance for the rich to give gift to the poor and the working class, especially any servants in the household. When I asked our hosts, Ben and Wendy, how it was celebrated today, they gave a couple of different descriptions. One said it has become the biggest shopping day with many merchants opening their shops with big sales. (We noticed that most of the shops in town here did not open up today). The other said that because Christmas day was viewed as a holy day, gifts were not opened because it was a day for worship. The following day Boxing Day became the day which everyone would open their gifts. Now even that has changed and it is a day to go and visit extended relatives.<br /><br />We stayed around the house today. It was sunny again but very cold. Temperatures are supposed to drop over the weekend, but no snow or rain for us. Tim worked on his <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dissertation</span>, while Sierra and I played with Florence. I have a little sore throat that I hope will go away.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-1895228893109604212008-12-25T11:51:00.000-08:002008-12-25T12:00:22.930-08:00Christmas DayWe <strong>all</strong> enjoyed a good night sleep last night. We woke up around 8 AM and Sierra unwrapped a few presents from Santa. After a warm breakfast of porridge and toast, Florence and Sierra opened the gifts Father Christmas had left in their stockings hanging by the kitchen's fireplace. Sierra received her own pretend set of tea cakes, a wooden racing lady bug, some pony tail holders, a dragon fly whistle and a satsuma. She has been playing with them all day.<br /><br />We bundled ourselves up to walk to the town's castle. It was sunny again but cold. Next to the castle was a children's playground. Florence and Sierra enjoyed swinging on the swings and going down the slides. We came back to their house to enjoy some hot coffee and a slice of the Yule Log cake. The rest of the afternoon we spent talking while the girls played with various toys and watched movies.<br /><br />We had a simple vegetarian meal for dinner and then a slice of Christmas cake. One of Wendy's friends had made it for them. So we are full of cake!<br /><br />We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas day.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-22693608650381277162008-12-24T13:00:00.000-08:002008-12-24T13:14:21.412-08:00Christmas EveWe made it to Preston this afternoon after a very eventful morning at Woodbrooke. At 5:30 AM we were awaken from our deep sleep by a fire alarm. We quickly got dressed and scooped up Sierra and walked downstairs. The few Woodbrooke staff who were left directed us to the backyard of Woodbrooke in the dark. After about 20 minutes, the alarm was turned off. The alarm was tripped in an unoccupied room so they don't know what caused it. After breakfast, we headed back to our room to finish packing and once again the alarm went off. We bundled up again and now knew right where to gather with the rest of the staff. Again another false alarm in another unoccupied room.<br /><br />The house we are staying at was drawn on a map in 1435. It has been updated to include three stories. The kitchen was added in the 1920s when the town got electricity. It has beautiful stained glasses windows as well. We'll try to take some pictures later.<br /><br />Tonight, we headed to St. Mary's for a crib service at 5:30pm. Florence and Ben joined Sierra, Tim and myself at the service. They were ringing the bells as we entered. The church had a very large pipe organ as well. We sang many carols and watched the children put on a nativity play told from the animals' perspective.<br /><br />Sierra and Florence have been having a grand time playing all over the house and getting to know each other. They were both ready for bed tonight at 8:00.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-51525258433714025492008-12-23T11:10:00.000-08:002008-12-23T13:00:26.490-08:00Laundry dayToday was a pretty quiet day. Sierra and I walked to the playground again to swing on the swings. Then we went to the bakery shop to pick up a yule log chocolate cake. We are getting ready to head up to Preston tomorrow with Tim's advisor from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Woodbrooke</span> named Ben. We'll bring the yule log along to share with his family. He has a four year old daughter named Florence so Sierra is looking forward to a playmate more her own age for the next five days. We spent most of the day doing laundry since we haven't done much since we got here. I tried taking a picture of the drying room set up with the rack and pulley. As you can see, the rack is filled with our clothes. Since they were slightly wet, they were much heavier and I had to have Tim help me raise it to the ceiling. At 5:00pm tonight, Sierra and I were trekking back to the laundry room to get out the last load of the day. We have to enter from an outside door to get to the laundry and suddenly my room key which opens all the doors at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Woodbrooke</span> stopped working. Sierra and I had to go tap on the library window to get Tim to let us in (not many people are left here due to the holidays). Come to find out, our keys were shut off at 5:00 because the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">administration</span> staff thought we were leaving today. In the end, we got the keys working again. We have to repack everything and either take it with us to Ben's or leave it in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Woodbrooke's</span> locked luggage room. We will leave for Preston after breakfast tomorrow. It will give us another chance to see the English countryside.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-12815840039815305002008-12-22T14:03:00.000-08:002008-12-22T14:32:22.563-08:00Warwick CastleWe started our day with a bus ride to Birmingham and then a 1/2 hour train ride to the town of Warwick. It took a while to walk to the castle grounds but it was another sunny day. The castle grounds was filled with evergreen trees and we zigzagged our way through the maze to see a princess, a Christmas elf and Jack Frost. Next we entered the Great Hall of the castle which had a 25 foot Christmas tree and musicians playing instruments. On the walls hung all sorts of armor and weapons. A full size knight in shining armor sat upon his trusty steed next to the fireplace. There was a women in costume who invited all the little girls including Sierra to dance with her. Sierra loved it! We wound our way through many bedrooms, dining rooms, libraries, and a chapel. Each room had a wax figure of someone (both royalty and servants) from a different time periods of English history. The periods covered in the castle were the medieval age, the Tudor age, the 17th and 18th century (for the history buffs out there). We stopped to get some sandwiches on the castle grounds and then tackled the steps to the towers in the castle walls. We were able to make it to most of them - over 700 steps total - all small spirals. There were beautiful views of the countryside up there. Our knees will be very sore tomorrow! We took a break from climbing steps and went outside the castle walls and watched a presentation on falconry. Sierra sat on Tim's shoulders while we watched a handler discuss the sport and send a falcon back and forth over the crowd. Next we went to the peacock garden which had more live peacocks wandering around than I have ever seen in my life. Even the shrubs were cut to look like peacocks. They had a trebuchet (catapult) which I guess they launch in the summer time. By this time, Sierra was beginning to get a bit bored, so we headed to the kid's playground on site (not a part of the original castle). It was a mad house of kids. Sierra was just content to laugh and swing on the swings. After a small lunch and lots of fresh air, we were ready for some hot tea and cakes. We found a great tea room just outside of the castle grounds. I enjoyed a wonderful Santa tea. We shared crumpets, cream cakes and fudge cake. We caught the train back to Birmingham.<br /><br />It was almost dinner time by the time we returned, so we decided to stay longer in downtown Birmingham. The streets were filled with shoppers and white and blue Christmas lights everywhere. After wandering for a while, we found Bella Italia. The place was crowded and lively. Sierra enjoyed a plate of spaghetti- no sauce. I had pizza and Tim had a burger. It was all very good. Right outside the restaurant in the street, they had a German market set up during December. There were many stands selling pretzels, chocolates, hand blown glass figurines, candied nuts, nutcrackers, hats and a huge lighted carousel.<br /><br />It was a great day! It will be hard to top that one.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-61191087844479849732008-12-21T07:37:00.000-08:002008-12-21T08:27:11.765-08:00Going to meetingWe had an OK night of sleep. Sierra still woke up several times throughout the night. When I came to wake her up for breakfast, she told me that baby Jesus came during the night and put his hand in her mouth to take away her cold. Her cold has been gone for a several days now, but we thought that was an interesting remark from her.<br /><br />Tim gave me the "day off" from watching Sierra so I could get a little time to myself. After breakfast, I walked to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bournville</span> meeting house. The duck pond that we pass on the way there had small remote controlled sail boats on it. The ducks were displaced for a while with the little boats on the pond. When I arrived at the meeting house, I was greeted warmly. I sat with a lady named Margaret. Things were a little different than usual because they had a group of about 30 "young friends" (high <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">schoolers</span>) from various meetings across England staying there for the weekend in a short retreat format. Meeting began at 10:30 and was an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">unprogrammed</span> or silent meeting. Four people shared out of the silence during the course of the next hour. The church across the street let its bells ring out every 15 minutes which seemed louder since the meeting was silent. The meeting room was very simple and beautiful with huge wooden rafters. After meeting, they had a short tea/coffee time in a small fellowship room. Margaret explained that usually the average age of attenders is in their 70s with one baby and one 3 year old for children. I had been surprised to see a large pipe organ in the main meeting hall. Margaret told me that Elizabeth <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Cadbury</span> purchased the large pipe organ for the meeting. Other Quakers have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">referred</span> to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Bournville</span> meeting as the "Quaker cathedral" due to the ornate pipe organ. It was a nice walk back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Woodbrooke</span> in the cold sunshine.<br /><br />I made another trip in the afternoon to get some more groceries. Sierra needs a little more variety than what they can offer here. Tim also needs some extra nourishment, so I picked up some microwave meals for him. One of the "tea spots" has a stove top, microwave and small oven to cook food.<br /><br />Today was the first time Sierra asked to go home. We wondered how long it would take for that question to come up.<br /><br />Tomorrow is our trip to Warwick castle...so I need to get planning on transportation there. Take care.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-49779935573520607402008-12-20T12:10:00.000-08:002008-12-20T12:21:19.570-08:00Nine hours straight - of sleepSierra slept nine hours last night with only a few times where she woke up sleep talking. I got about seven hours and Tim only managed two hours. He was dragging the rest of the day. As I write this post, he has already gone to bed.<br /><br />We spent the morning wandering around Woodbrooke and playing all the imaginary games Sierra dreams up for us. After lunch, we headed back to Bourneville. We pass a large pond which has lots of geese and ducks that Sierra likes to watch. The next stop is the children's playground just outside of the town centre. While Sierra was swinging on the swings, a nearby church was playing Christmas carols through its large bell system. We headed to their small shops and explored those for a while. We visited the bakery where Sierra enjoyed a gingerbread boy cookie and I tried the traditional mince pies. The visitor's centre had a fairground organ which played carols. Sierra loved listening to the music and watching the instruments play as she munched on her cookie. They also had a small steam engine which reminded her of Trevor from the Thomas the train series. We promised we would return soon.<br /><br />Tonight at dinner, Sierra was falling asleep sitting up while she ate her food. I will just keep her up until 9:00 and hopefully won't have any consequences of an early bedtime.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-74097149210704140212008-12-19T13:04:00.000-08:002008-12-19T13:26:01.222-08:00Mean Parents, Shopping & LaundrySo today we have tried a new strategy. We woke Sierra up at 9am which means she didn't get much sleep last night given her sleeping pattern (see previous post). All day today we have ran her ragged, denied her a nap, and are now trying to keep her up to 11pm our time. We'll see if it works, but if it doesn't we are going tomorrow to give her to the local hobbits.<br /><br />During the day time, Heather and Sierra caught a double <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">decker</span> bus (referred to Sierra as Bertie from her Thomas the Train collection) to downtown Birmingham and went shopping at the Bull Ring, a three story complex that was a mad house with Christmas shoppers (not unlike what you would see at any mall in America right now). They visited various toy stores and munched on sandwiches and fruit for lunch. Heather had a mocha from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pret</span> a Manger despite the fact that the mall did have two Starbucks. Sierra saw her first bobby in his tall blue police hat turning out the riff <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">raff</span> of the mall. The ride back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Woodbrooke</span> wound through more of downtown which was decorated with Christmas lights.<br /><br />To keep Sierra busy, we tackled doing some laundry with the machines available at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Woodbrooke</span>. While waiting for the clothes to finish, Sierra and Heather discovered the "Art Room." <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Woodbrooke</span> provides a large room filled with various art supplies to make all forms of art work. Sierra enjoyed cutting, pasting and coloring. It is a large enough room that she can run around without bothering others. When we returned for our clothes, we found they weren't dry yet and that someone else needed the dryer. So one of the handy man here directed Heather to the "drying room" which is also called the "tea spot." The tea spot has a small frig and all the supplies to make tea whenever you want. We have been in there several times and always wondered why it was so hot in there. Come to find out, the reason it is so hot in there is that they have a drying rack up in the ceiling which is lowered on a pulley system to allow you to dry wet clothes. Hence the name the drying room - mystery solved.<br /><br />Tim spent the entire day in the library. He was excited to have reached the 45<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">th</span> page of his dissertation.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-75255582577338155222008-12-19T02:05:00.000-08:002008-12-19T02:09:45.757-08:00Sleep neededSierra continues to go to sleep at 8pm each night and wake up at 11:30pm. Then she stays awake until 4-5am. This is really becoming a strain on our sleeping patterns. Tim and I can't adjust until she does. Any prayers about this would be appreciated. Other than that, all is well. We'll write more tonight. Enjoy the snow! It is cold but sunny again here.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-5178303520733803102008-12-17T13:24:00.000-08:002008-12-17T13:37:26.657-08:00Still jet lagging and chocolateWe still had a rough night of sleep last night. Sierra slept until 2 am before she was wide awake again. She fell back to sleep about 5:30am. Needless to say, we all stayed in bed until 10am and skipped breakfast. Hopefully the third night here is the charm and we can sleep soundly until 5 or 6 am. It was a cold but sunny day here today. Sierra and I explored the grounds of the Study Centre before lunch. After lunch, we all walked to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bourneville</span> which is the village that Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Cadbury</span> (the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">chocolatier</span>) built for his workers. There was a lot of wonderful architecture around and they had a playground which Sierra loved. We walked into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Cadbury</span> World (the factory) but skipped the tour because we had been told it was expensive and boring for a 3 year old. We did enjoy looking around the shop that sold all the various chocolates they made there. We sipped lattes while Sierra munched on chocolate covered animal crackers. We walked back through several small parks with duck ponds and saw a variety of water fowl. At one point, the ducks started following us because I was holding a plastic bag of chocolates and the ducks thought I would feed them something from the bag. I will try to attach a picture we took of Sierra in front of their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Cadbury</span> chocolate egg cars. We'll see what tomorrow brings.Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-80646312683746378992008-12-16T12:53:00.000-08:002008-12-16T13:19:02.301-08:00Jet lag, Christmas lunch and grocery shoppingLast night was difficult for all of us. Sierra slept from 8pm-11pm (thinking this was her usual afternoon nap) and then woke up for the rest of the night. Therefore, Tim and I were also up for the rest of the night. At 7 in the morning we rolled out of bed, having been awake for the last 8 hours. After a groggy breakfast we came back to the room and Tim and I just fell asleep on the bed without realizing it. For the next two hours we have no idea what Sierra was doing, but when we awoke, she was playing quietly on the floor.<br /><br />As soon as we woke up we realized it was already time for lunch. Today, Woodbrooke was having their annual Christmas lunch (an event not to be missed around here). We received a huge portion of roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, little sausages rolled in bacon (pigs in a piggy blanket), carrots, salads and Christmas pudding. Each place setting in the dining room had their own "crackers." When you pulled on the two ends of the cracker, they made a loud pop and out came a paper crown, a small prize and a bad joke written on paper. So throughout the meal, everyone was making their crackers pop and donning their paper crown. Sierra had one piece of cracker fly across the room and land in her water glass (those wild Quakers...). After consuming the food, we all went into this large room called the Cadbury room named after the famous chocolatier. We sat next to the real Christmas tree and sang Christmas carols, heard solos and a Christmas reading from the staff at Woodbrooke. Sierra listened and clapped the whole time.<br /><br />Sierra was wore out and laid down for a nap. Tim worked on his business stuff on the computer and I ventured out into Birmingham to find a grocery store. We had been told it was "just up the hill" from Woodbrooke. After walking a mile and a half, I stopped to ask a local where it was. He told me "it's just up on the RIGHT." So I turned right and walked another 1/2 mile passing the local hospital (now we know where to go if one of us gets hurt). I did not find any grocery store so I turned around and headed back. Suddenly as I looked across a major intersection, I saw the name of the grocery store in big orange letters. If I had only turned LEFT where I talked to the man, I would have found it right away. I hurried in and picked up some food that Sierra might like (not all English fare is to her liking) to eat. I returned to Woodbrooke to find that Tim had tried calling me several times because he was worried that I was taking so long getting, "just up the hill." Of course, as usual, my phone's volume was not turned up enough.<br /><br />The rest of the evening was pretty quiet. Tim met with his advisor who gave him about 20 research books to read in the next month, we ate a quiet meal, and then retired back to our bedroom. It's currently about 9pm and Sierra is out cold (hopefully for the night...).Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-46331596674200762892008-12-15T11:22:00.000-08:002008-12-15T11:40:12.234-08:00We made it!Hi everyone! We are firmly planted on English soil after a very long day of traveling. Tim and I were apprehensive about how Sierra would do on her first flight. We were delayed an hour in Seattle due to our plane waiting for the rest of their crew members to arrive from a different flight. When the plane took off Sierra giggled and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We found out that the take offs and landings were her favorite part of the plane ride. When we arrived in Washington D.C. for our connecting flight, we had another delay for an hour and a half while they tested a cockpit window that was having problems. We had our dinner at midnight (9:00 Pacific time) on the flight. All of us slept for a few hours on the 6 and 1/2 hour flight. They served us a light breakfast at 10:00 AM Monday morning (England time). When we reached Heathrow at 11:30, we had smooth sailing through customs and retrieving our luggage. We stopped for sandwiches and wonderful lattes (no, it wasn't Starbucks!) at the bus depot at the airport. Next, we boarded a bus that took us to Birmingham. Sierra slept all of the 2 and 1/2 hours on Tim's lap. Tim and I slept a little while trying to stay awake to see some of the countryside. There were a lot of sheep along the way. Once we arrived in Birmingham, we changed to our final mode of transportation - a taxi cab to take us to Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. We have been here for three hours and walked around the building a little. We ate dinner and are now going to bed at 8:00 PM (England time). We hope to explore the grounds tomorrow after a good night's rest. The adventure begins......Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7293566043976880718.post-53729074984161800722008-11-20T10:51:00.000-08:002008-11-20T10:56:56.515-08:00Getting ready<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Our trip to England begins in 23 days! We have our passports and suitcases. Sierra has packed her suitcase several times already. We'll use this blog as our site to keep everyone updated on our adventures in England over the Christmas holiday.</span>Burdick familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011185114441551604noreply@blogger.com1