London Day Four

Our day started when we were waken by Scott at 9:30am and asked if I was ready to go to the office. I slept in and did not plan on Bill’s plane to arrive 1 hour early. So a quick shower, hasty dress, and an apple for breakfast started the day.

I ate lunch with Bill, Scott, and Terry at a Chinese restaurant and had chicken Hong Kong style. It was good. The afternoon was spent on a long video conference with the US office. 3 back to back meetings then back to Scott’s house. We stopped by a fish and chips take out and took it back home.

Scott took us to our new hotel in a nearby town (pictured to the left) . Mandy and I are on the third floor. It is very small and has a cool window that drops down. The bed was made in or around 1450 A.D. and has rusty springs that protrude into the small of your back, the side of your face, and into the actual bone of your feet. If you dare to roll over, you will wake dogs in neighboring counties or set off car alarms.

We had great weather the first two days but now have typical London weather… soggy, foggy, damp, cool, and nippy. But It is sort of fun to experience knowing it is 92 and dry at home. We miss the kids but are enjoying our time together.

London Day Three

What a lot of walking. Scott did not tell us they didn't have cars or bikes around here. :) Just good old soles to pavement. Actually, we took the train into London, walked around all afternoon, visited old landmarks, and took 350+ pictures. I'll be uploading a lot, so take a look. Castles, Castles, and more Castles. London Bridge, Westminster, Tower of London, River Thames, etc.

It was a great day full of interesting and beautiful sites. I'll write more in the morning. We just walked in the door at 10:30 pm and are getting ready for bed. Here is a picture of a Beefeater guide at the Tower of London.

Slept hard and only woke up once.

London Day Two

Still have not gone to bed but it is almost 8pm here in Leatherhead. I am uploading images as I type this. We got settled in and took the train to King Henry's Castle. Hampton Court, I believe it is called. It was HUGE.

Took an audio tour through many rooms and saw original paintings, rugs, furniture, and relics. We also ventured through an outdoor garden maze. This guy must have been VERY rich.

We are still in a daze but plan to be on full alert by morning. A nice night with the Beans eating Indian food and catching up. What a wonderful family and home they have.

The kids go to school in the morning and we head to London Tower and to a local Pub for some fish and chips. The motherland is good!

(OK. I'm going to still consider this day 2 even thought it is 2am in the morning. I am not wide wake but I am awake and can't seem to go back to bed. Mandy is passed out beside me and I have played Bubble Breaker one too many times on my treo. On a side note...Is there something I need to know about British Toilets? The one upstairs will not flush. I tired atleast 15 times to get something to happen when the level goes down. Stay tuned.)

Extremely quiet house with no "noise fan." We were so tired going to bed, we did not even care. Now that I'm up I can hear the quiet..its very loud.

London Day One (sort of)

Not in London just yet but it still counts as day one of the experience. Mandy and I had a breeze getting through the ticket line and then through security. (We wont mention Mandy's left sandal and the need for it to go through security in it's own container). We ate at a Blue Mesa here at the airport. Mandy did not want to go into the Admiral's Club even though I had a pass. She said we were under-dressed and under other things. :)

We are on cloud nine after attending our son Zander's soccer game. It was hot and only 4 kids showed up for the game. The other team had 9 players. Our kids fell behind 2 to 0 early but then scored and gained some confidence. When it was all over an hour later, our Gunter Tiger team won 5 to 3. My son scored 3 goals and even more important, he never gave up hustling. From the starting to the final whistle, he ran hard, passed smart, and gave it his all under tough odds. We are so proud of him. The parents and coach of the other teams were full of congratulations at our victory and could not believe the fight our 4 kids put up for the entire game. They said they deserved to lose to our team.. with all the extra hustle our kids put forth. (I think the Sherman team always believed we would wear out and they would end up winning. Just didn't happen!)

Mandy is getting excited and is looking forward to trying to sleep on the plane. I hope we can get "some" rest in our two seats. I pray God blesses this trip. For IFL and for Mandy. I am so thankful God allowed us to combine work and our 10 year anniversary. God is good! Look out Queen, here comes the Turners.

London Weather

For a detailed look at weather, visit Leatherhead's Weather