Act XII- My Love, my Lovely

Hi everyone!

Our rain cover- yes the boys love it

Sorry for the long gap again. After Hanna and Nana left we settled back into our work routine with very little deviation. But enough time has passed now that we do have a few things to tell you about.
 First off though I want to tell you about a trend here in England that I would love to start in the US: the use of "My Love" or "My Lovely" in place of Ma'am or Miss. I know that I probably shouldn't in this #MeToo era but I really enjoy being called "My Love" by complete strangers. It just puts the whole interaction in a warm light for me and I am immediately charmed by whoever is speaking. I must say it worked to the school and school council's advantage when they were giving us the run-around over the boys' enrollment. My annoyance was always completely deflated when they would call me "my Lovely". This could all stem from my love of Jane Austen and the formal society she describes with its fast intimacies and terrible politeness. I  really like the duality of it. So when the construction worker who placed traffic cones right in my path, closing the road that I was planning to use and forcing me into a 3-block detour, said "Sorry, my Love," I was totally cool with it.


Speaking of Jane Austen! On the recommendation of our director/actor friend Chris, last night Kurt and I attended an improvised performance by the group Austentatious. This four-time "Sell Out Show" Edinburgh Fringe Festival Winner, is now a touring show where the troupe improvises a "lost" Jane Austen novel every night beginning with a title suggested by the audience. The cast of three men and women arrive on stage in full Regency era clothing with a handful of props which they use to craft a two hour comedic plot right on the spot. It was a pretty great show with moments of comic genius but I am guessing that it was not the group's finest performance. The problem was, for whatever reason, they went with a pretty convoluted title suggestion from the audience- "M.I.A" Perhaps it was a reference that we were missing or they just ran out of time picking a title but it did not seem to lend itself well to crafting a coherent improvised Jane Austen title. Still there were some very funny moments and it is obvious that the actors have been diligent in their study of Austen's true works and improv. And of course the costumes were fantastic. Watch out, Chris! I am going to be pushing for a Regency Era show for next season :)

 

Our only other big adventure these last few weeks was lovely visit to nearby Wimpole Hall, a 17th Century country estate first built by the Chicheley family. Though the property, which includes a working farm and a 3,000 acre park in addition to the grand house and stables, has had many owners over the years the most famous was probably Rudyard Kipling's daughter, who upon her death turned the estate over to the National Trust. Now it serves as a really enjoyable day out with the kids with plenty of opportunity to picnic and play while gathering some of the history of these types of manor-houses. We took a taxi out there (the roads are not wide enough to bike there safely) and met up with Naomi and Sam and their adorable kids. Naomi, who, if you will remember from previous posts, spent much of her childhood in Cambridge, told us stories of her visits to the place as a child and tips on what to see and do while all the kids tumbled about the grounds and farm.

  At the farm we met with some of the estate's gorgeous Shire Horses which you can apparently ride for a hefty fee (we did not) and we attended the pig feeding. When we saw the pig feeding on the farm schedule the innocent bullet point and bubble handwriting gave us no indication of the horror that was to follow. The Wimpole piggery is pretty substantial and for a few minutes we enjoyed marveling at the cute piglets and the enormous sows. But as more and more visitors arrived, the pigs, sensing that the hour was at hand put up such a racket that we had to cover the boys ears to keep them from fleeing the barn in terror. Here is a little clip so you can get the idea. Never have I been so viscerally reminded that while I don't eat mammals on principal, that they may not reciprocate in kind if given the chance.

  After the farm tour went moved on to the manor house. Sam and Naomi's clan, still on a two-year-old's time-frame, had to run through the place pretty quickly but we got to take our time enjoying all the opulently decorated rooms while the boys searched for the 12 metal spiders that were hidden about the place (we missed one). For the first part of the tour, the clock in every room we entered struck 12 indicating that we were following the path of whomever is in charge of winding all the clocks which of course renewed Kurt's determination to become Gettysburg College's official clock winder.
 

Before lunch we said good-bye to our friends as they had to get their daughter to a birthday party. After a quick stroll through the french gardens we had a delicious lunch at one of the cafe's while the kids played on the farm themed playground equipment. It seems every museum/attraction cafe in England serves some form of Victoria Sponge Cake. We have taken it upon ourselves to try a slice whenever we come across one so that we might compile an accurate rating for the area. Wimpole's I am sad to say with its copious amount of jam and lack of cream is at the bottom of our list but we enjoyed our visit nonetheless.

As I write this my sister and her husband are groggily touring London with their next stop being Cambridge. Check back soon to see about our tour of North Wales with Gena and Tim!