Exactly where have we been?

oustide flat
Originally uploaded by BeneathOurFeet.

Yes, it has been ages since we posted. So you wonder where we have been? Rather than go into the alternating dramas and doldrums that have been occupying our days , how about seeing where we live. Because that it what we have been doing...just living.

The flat is tiny. Less than 600 square feet for all 5 of us. It has been challenging on the best of days, sheer hell on the worst. Though it may be small, it is our home. (For the next few weeks anyway. We are moving to a HOUSE next month!)

Our Little School Girl

Anja started school last week. It was hard for us to see our baby going off to school, and I admit to shedding a few tears as she walked off with her teacher into the classroom. But Anja is loving every minute of it and thinks it is pretty funny that I got so sad. Here she is in her uniform all ready to go to school.




No word yet on Dylan and Kiah for school. We are stuck in limbo waiting to hear if they can make room for them since the school is officially full. Grumble Grumble... don't get me started on this one....

No more war!

Anja says NO MORE WAR!
Originally uploaded by BeneathOurFeet.

We were originally scheduled to attend a birthday party in London for Anja's friend, but her mother came down ill so they had to postpone it until a later date. Of course Anja was devastated, but she soon brightened up when she heard that meant we could go and call George Bush a Poo Poo head in a big peace march.

She begged to carry a sign, blew a whistle and chanted along with the rest of us. My little peace child! She marched the entire route from Parliament Square to Hyde Park. That is no short hike, let me tell ya! She especially loved the chant/song "Power To The People". That's my girl!

It was a great march. I am really glad we were able to go. All week I have been hearing about the big rally in Washington DC and the other ones around the country and feeling a bit melancholy about not being a part of it. If you know me at all you know how much I love a good demonstration. The official report said 10,000 people, which is a total crock of shit. I have been to marches in Portland with 50,000 people and this was much more than that. There were easily up to 100,000 people there. People from all over the world, from a huge variety of backgrounds. It was a real world demand for an end to the madness.

Riding the Bluebell Railroad

On the Bluebell
Originally uploaded by BeneathOurFeet.

During our first fews days exploring East Grinstead and the surrounding areas we rode on the Bluebell Railway. Its a restored steam train line from the old Southern line trains that used to run on the London to Brighton line. Real life Thomas The Tank Engine type trains.

Anja informed us we rode Percy, not Thomas. Percy is green and Thomas is blue. Either way she was thrilled by it all and couldn't wait to tell her cousin Seth all about it.

Dylan and Kiah were about as thrilled with it as a teenager could be about any touritst type activity, but even they could appreciate cool old windows in the train with the leather straps to pull them up and down. They would have preferred first class, but hey, what's a gal to do?

Well this is surprising

I sent out several CV's to apply for jobs a few weeks ago. Up until today I had only heard from one of them to say that they had already filled the position. Since I have not had a "real job" for 7 years (self employment and motherhood just don't count for much on the ol' CV) I really didn't expect much. So imagine my surprise when in the mail today was a big ol' packet with a bunch of paperwork because I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW! I know that chances I will actually get the job are slim, and it isn't exactly my dream job (medical secretary at the local hospital) but just getting an interview makes me pretty darn happy.

I am still going forward with my Childbirth Classes and Doula work (see my new UK website Golden Flower Birth) but until it picks up there are bills to pay. I can think of worse things than being a medical secretary.

Whatever works out will work out. I wonder what it will be?

Summer Day at Westminster

Summer Day at Westminster
Originally uploaded by BeneathOurFeet.

At long last - pictures!!

When we first arrived in London we hardly took any pictures, and the ones that we did were pretty crappy. Too little sleep and the stress of the whole move just didn't make for a good photo op.

When we were in London a couple weeks ago for The Stooges concert we took advantage of the time and did some revisting of the sights and took some photos this time.

Stay tuned for more as I finally get off my ass and upload more in the next few days.

i just wanna go to school already!!!!



♥

so, this is purdy cool i guess

So, I've got a MySpace righto?

well, I've found lots of people from East Grinstead and they all wanna hang out.

yeah.


On September 2nd I'm going to this gig in town and some people from online are going...


don't worry....they are not 40 year old perves.

Peace Out Stay Fresh
Much Love,
Dilly Goodness

Drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and FIGHT!

The Brits are idiots when they get drunk. Nothing like living in the center of town to give you an up-close and personal look into what people act like when they tip a few back. Right now there are a group of guys in the street below my window yelling and swearing about something. Not sure what. I am not sure they know what they are yelling about truth to be told. For all the decorum and formality displayed during sober hours, they really do turn into raving lunatics when you put a bit of alcohol into them.

There is this huge controversy right now about the extension of drinking hours that is fast approaching. Currently all alcohol sales must stop at 11:00pm. This seems ridiculously early coming from the land of 2:30am last calls. At first when I heard about the uproar surrounding the new law allowing for 24 hour sales (with most sellers applying for midnight to 1:00am cutoffs) my first thought was silly that everyone was in such a tizzy over it. But now that I have lived here, on the main street of town just doors away from several different drinking establishments, I can understand a bit better what the big fuss is all about. These people are fucking maniacs when under the influence. Seriously. They go fucking nuts. Some people say extending the drinking hours will let people drink more leisurely as opposed to getting in maximum quantity with which to fuel the rest of their night’s activity therefore cutting down on binge drinking. That thinking is optimistic at best. I predict what they will get is people drinking just as heavily but further into the night. The result of which is likely to be much more fucked up idiots yelling about who the fuck knows what later in the night. And vomit. Lots of vomit. Of course there is always the chance they will just pass out in the street. At least then they will be quiet.

Rockin' In the UK

We're going to see The Stooges in London next week! My birthday brought some unexpected sweet moola with directions to treat myself, so what bigger treat could there be besides seeing Iggy and the gang? A fitting tribute seeing as how The Stooges were formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1967 - as was I!

We have connection!

It is with great pleasure that I announce that we now have our very own connection to the internets (yes, all of them) in our own home.

Let the late night alocohol induced blogging begin!

Welcome to Domino's. How may I help you?

On Thursday I started my first part-time job at Domino's. They are not paying me a lot but it will bring some money home. Yesterday was my first experience with 4 drunken teenagers (18 or so) and 1 man. I could not understand a word. It's hard for me to understand English with a strong brit accent, just try when they are drunk. Nothing! I just did my best and smile. My Polish coworker did not understand a word because he's English is very poor (beginner).
In another note, I can't wait to start my course of Biodynamic Agriculture in Sept 5 at Emerson College. I received my schedule this week and I get to go to the Netherlands for a week (Nov 7) to learn how to drive a tractor. My teacher told me that the farm is near Amsterdam. Interesting.... I might check it out the coffee shops I mean the Cafe's... ehehee!!!!!
Well, I guess this is it for now and thank you for choosing Domino's today.

Cheers

Slowly But Surely

Each day brings a bit of progress in our efforts to settle and feel at home. This week saw several landmark steps... Monday our furniture was delivered from Ikea (after 2 failed attempts by delivery drivers who couldn't find their own asses). That alone has made a huge difference in feeling like we actually live here as opposed to camping out in a flat. (which we were almost literally doing with air mattresses, sleeping bags and a camping table). Thursday our fridge/freezer was delivered so we are able to purchase more than one meals goods individually saving both money and time. Friday our phone was installed and today it even rang when they called to tell us our washer/dryer will be delivered next Wednesday. Who would have thought that such seemingly banal domestic occurances would bring such delight! If nothing else, this exercise has taught me that our needs really are very simple. The rest is window dressing. Something to think about.

Oh - and I nearly forgot - the biggest achievment of them all - Axel has achieved official status by getting a bank account. This may seem like no big deal to those USA folks, but trust me when I say that it is no small matter here. Next step is for me to get my name added to the account, which should me relatively simple. Should being the key word. We shall see how it pans out in reality.

Today we are going for a tour of Sackville College. A 17th century almshouse that is just down the road and around the corner from where we live. It is notable for many reasons, my favorite being that it is where the carol Good King Wenceslas. was written. My woefully ignorant family has never heard of this lovely little ditty and could care less, but it has long been a favorite of mine and I am quite excited to be in proximatey of such history. I guess I am weird that way. What can I say.

As soon as we get better internet access I will be posting lots of good pictures of all the incredible architecture and gorgeous countryside we are surrounded by. It is truly a wonderous place where we live. There will also be no shortage of the bizzare, strange, and humorous as well. I am finally able to appreciate all the shows I have watched on PBS over the years for what they are. I swear that Hyacinth Bucket lives down the road, and today while sipping my coffee at the local cafe' the prototype for Patsy (a'la AbFab) was perched at an outdoor table taking long pulls on her cigarette as punctuating every sentance with a wave and a 'dahling'. Great stuff I tell ya. Great stuff.

The ever changing plan

After much discussion and crunching of numbers, we have decided that our grand camping adventure on the Continent (how's that for local lingo?) will have to wait. To go now would mean assuming that all will go smoothly in the realm of finding work and bringing in income. The way things have been going since we arrived - slowly - does not lend us to feel confident about that. So instead, we have decided to do the boring but responsible thing and hold onto our savings so we can pay bills if things don't happen very quickly. We are going to spend a bit of it on furniture and stuff for our flat. Ikea rocks my world and is allowing us to all get beds. That alone is worth at least a weeks vacation in my book. The air mattress we have been on for the past week is killing my back.

So for now our grand adventure will be limited to locations we can get by bus or train. Probably an excursion to Brighton if this damn English Summer (aka. rain rain rain)dries out for more than a few hours at a time. We had hoped to get a weekend in Amsterdam sometime this month, and that may still happen if we can find a cheap bus or airfare. But with 5 people cheap is a relative term. I am not holding my breath.

Its a bit diappointing, but honestly, the stress relief of having a bit of wiggle room in the income department is more importand than a road trip. Wait - did we just decide to do something responsible????? Miracles never cease I tell ya!

cheers until our next update!

Sorry for the delay

Hello everyone,
We apoligise for not updating our blog but we are trying to get settle down in East Grinstead at the moment. I can tell you that we got our small flat yesterday and our level of stress when from 1000 to 50 in one day... We are very happy to see things get done. As soon as we get our internet access from home we will write every day but for now we need to go to internet cafes or libraries to check the internet and it is NOT free.

Greetings from the Mother Land,

Zee German

PS: We are going to Europe sometime next week. EUROTRIP!!!

Checking in from London

We were supposed to have left London yesterday for East Grinstead but were unable to find a hotel there this weekend due to it being tourist season and there were a couple of huge weddings going on. So we had some extra days here to do some more sight seeing. Little did we know that would mean being much too close for comfort to todays events.

So no one worries - We are safe. As it turns out we were on a bus just a couple blocks away from on of the places when it happened. We didn't know anything had happened but there were lots of sirens and police cars which is unsual. I had a bad feeling. We walked up Whitehall and the PMs house was all barricaded off and there were soldiers with semi-automatics across the street. We thought it was because Tony Blair was there that they were doing that, and it very well may have been but shortly after we passed they stormed this guy and threw him on the ground and arrested him near 10 Downing Street. We still didn't know exactly what had happened at that point. We walked and found a place with a television and saw the news. After that it was the most eerie thing. We went in a pub to eat since they were just telling everyone to stay where they were. We ate fish and chips, drank some ale and watched the tv.

It is now 3 hours later and we are just getting back to the hostel. It took us forever to get here because the tube is shut down on the lines we need. We rode a bus but the traffic was crazy because all the people who would normally have been on the trains were not.

Scary, strange, surreal... But we are okay.

Never a dull moment!

We Are Here!

We arrived in London at 10:00am local London time today. We are all exhausted. Too exhausted to write a clever entry, that is for sure. But we are all well and all thrilled to be here. (Yes, even Kiah. Though don't expect her to admit it.)

More later after we get more sleep. This time change thing is kicking our butts.

From Stressed to Surreal

Its been a stressful week. The sort of week that tests one's resolve. I am happy to report our resolve is strong and everything is going full steam ahead. Today the house is mostly empty. Just the bags we are taking with us and boxes we are having sent over more or less. A few boxes of papers to do a final organizing of and then just random crap to pack up or get rid of.

We still have not sold the washer and drier, nor the bike rack. If you know anyone who needs a great washer and drier or a Yakima bike rack for a great price let us know!

I can actually see an end to this and the next step of our journey is coming into view. The stress has turned to surreal. Its like I keep stopping to look around and tell myself this is really happening. My head starts to spin if I think about getting on the plane Saturday. I am thankful to have a good foundation for practicing mindfulness. As hard as this all is, I am certain it would be more so if I didn't have my practice.

and Tina. I couldn't do this without Tina.

Ringing The Rosie

RingRosie
Originally uploaded by BeneathOurFeet.

Having been left alone next to the liquor table, the kids bust into a boisterous rendition of Ring Around The Rosie.

Twas a festive day to be sure. Tina so lovingly hosted a fabulous little get together for us to bid farewell to friends and loved ones. As usual, we took very few pictures because we were too busy having fun. The camera didn't get used until the last moments and half the guests are not pictured. But we know who was there, and we are thankful to have each and every one of them in our lives.

Stress release!

Finally, after 3 weeks of negotiation we got Dylan and Kiah parental permission paper to travel out of the country signed. It has been a roller-coaster ride for me and Katie. Katie and I are looking forward to leave this matter behind us and start our new adventure in Forest Row. Don't get me wrong I'm still stress out but not like before... Last, I will let Katie write more about this matter soon. She is with Dylan and Kiah doing girlie stuff. Anja and I are going to OMSI and then to Pioneer mall for food and see a John Lennon work... It is FREE!!!

25 Days

Almost to crunch time! We are finishing up with last minute (and some quite intense) business details. If all works out well we will have big news to post. Thats all I'm saying...

Our big going away celebration is on Saturday. Tina has been so incredibly generous in offering to host for us. I am most excited because I get to see Nancy and Charlie, her mom and dad again. I love them to pieces. Be on the lookout for great photos of various states of sobriety some time next week!

If there is any news we will pass it along. If there isn't - well, then, nevermind.

Zee German gave 2 weeks notice

So, I gave notice to Cingular on Friday 06/03 and they got the surprise of their life. I guess!!! Nowadays, I’m counting the days until I no longer need to come to work and being behind a desk… I’m so tired of this… My boss told me today that he sees a big smile everyday I come to work because I WON’T BE HERE ANYMORE YEAH!!! I’m ready for a change, I need it, we all need it… Back to Cingular, my last day is Friday 06/17 and I guess I’m going to miss everyone at work NOT! But at least a few of them like… you know who you are! PS: I’m killing some time at work… eheheheh!!!

Now this is love

treehug
Originally uploaded by BeneathOurFeet.

We visted Lopez Island in the San Juans Northeast of Seatlle this weekend. We visited Heaven. When we talk about living in a more rural area this is what we dream about. A place where folks smile, nod, and toss a quick wave as they pass each other on the road. Where the earth we live on is treated like a beloved member of the family.

We saw this baby tree hugging its mama tree as we hiked on Sharks Reef. If the cool new linky deal with flickr works then if you click on it, you should be able to see more pics....

So this is cool...

I just got back from a get-together of mamas that have met online. Zee German is very cool with me and by obsession with the internets. Have I told you how much I love him. Anyway... he went with me to meet with the mamas. I love a man who can chat with the girls. I love girls who can chat with a man. ;)

Makes me realize more that I have such strength and energy in my friends and even though I won't see them for a long time, they are with me. That holds true for us all. I hope that Dill and Chickadee-D can see at least a bit of that.


Oh - and nothing could be finer than what this weekend has in store... Tonight the Pixies with my girl Spicy-T. My sista. Tomorrow camping on Lopez Island in the San Juans with our favorite fiber muse.

I do love my life. That is so cool.

I'm Handling This Quite Well

Man I love my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.

I dedicate this to my beloved appliance.


But I still have to sell her. Thankfully I have the patron saint of moving sales at my side. The Blessed Bloody Mary. ::bows head:::

at last Zee German

Everyone in the family has written at least one post and I haven't... Well, get used to because I'm not the writer in the family. I will try to write more often but the problem I'll confront is the lack of time in the PC due to a family member using it. The family needs internet access 24/7 or someone could die. We can live without phone, cable even without TV or radio but if the internet is shut down --- CHAOS ---- So, I rather have them do all the typing while I ride my bike, or do something else.

Nowadays, I have been very stressed out because in no time 07/16 would be here. We need to sale a lot of stuff such as car, bikes, furniture, in other words a lot of CORROTOS (Stuff). So to start, tomorrow Sat 05/21 we are having a garage sale or moving sale to start getting rid off Corrotos.
Wish us luck!

Changing the topics, I will try to write in Spanish for those who are having some difficulties with the English language.

Cross you fingers, because I'm not sure when will be the next time I will write...

zee german (The Wife assigned me the zee german name because sometimes I'm grumpy)

Blech. I hate this part.

Frustrating development today. Nothing that can't be dealt with, but just not what any of us wanted. Apparently there are some extra steps to getting approval for Dill and Chickadee D to enter the UK. It turns out that sole custody isn't enough. The US Passport office had no problem issuing a passport, but the UK Consulate requires me to obtain a letter of permission from an absent parent or a court order stating it is okay for them to travel there as long as he has visitation rights. I don't think it should be do hard to get a court order given that it has been several years since their bio-father attempted any contact with them. None of us has a clue where he lives. I have a pretty good case of abandonment, which IMO should support a court order granting permission. Of course I have learned that the law and what makes sense often don't coincide, particularly in family law matters.

So like I said, not earth shattering, but we definately could have done without it.

Carry on....one step. one step. one step.

Update: Talked to an attorney and got clarification from the Brits. It looks like it is going to be okay and should not be too much of a huge hassle to get this squared away. Keep fingers and toes crossed that all works out smoothly.

So I guess we are moving.....

I don't know.......it all seems so surreal......right now it's not bothering me because something in my mind is telling me, " You're not moving. So fuggetaboutit." But I suppose we are.

My friends don't want me to move. Well, that's noit entirely true. They want me to go and have a good time and they want me to meet hot British guys and go clubbing and things like that. Things they can't do right now.
My friends say stuff like, "Dill, if I can't go, then you have to. And knowing you, in the next year, you'll have a hot French boyfriend who's uber nice and sweet and since he's French, he'll know how to french kiss very good."
Well. Ok. My friends are super awesome and all around cool to say stuff like that. hahahahaha.
Sooooo, I guess we're moving......ok. whatever.

europe?

ok... i made thiS HUGE post about europe and us moving there but it all got deleted. booo hoooo!!! so heres a sum up of it:

I am the 12 almost 13 yearold in the family.

friends sad me sad, friends move in summer * same time i do! * and i am happy now! but they can still see each other, i never see them again. Except, of course, for when i am rich and famous and i track them down for reunion!

moving= unfair= move 5 too many times. i want to go shopping in paris. send friends something from paris! yay!

yeah... that pretty much sums it all up....

The place where we live now

Yesterday we were supposed to be getting things ready for our big yard sale next week. Of course, as things tend to go around here, we did something completely different. An unexpected sunny(ish) and warm(ish) day lead us out to the farmer's market early in the day. I love the farmer's market. In my opinion that is what community is all about. People coming together to buy food for themselves and their families with those who have worked hard to grow produce, bake bread, prepare delicious treats. Musicians and dancers sharing the joy of their art. Children and adults laughing, smiling....living. True comfort food.

After the farmer's market we had an errand to run to drop some stuff off at a friend's house. And once again, as things tend to go, we got sidetracked. It just happens that the neighborhood she lives in was having their annual art fair. Not being one to pass up art nor neighborhood fairs - we joined in the festivities. Again we saw smiling faces. Lots of smiling faces. And people of all walks of life expressing themselves freely in art, dress, music. The parade featured a band riding on a bicycle pulled sofa. (Yes, I said sofa!) Kids riding unicycles , big tall - must be 6 foot high - bikes, stilt walkers, and a marching band in uniforms were as full of life as their music.

We wound up the day with a nice dinner in our backyard of treasures we acquired on our days journey. Grilled asparagus, a nice hearty sourdough bread, organic chevre, tomatoes, sorrel, basil, kalamata olives. The whole family sat together on blankets and lawn chairs, braving the jungle of our desperately needing mowed lawn. It was wonderful. My heart was swelling with such love for the beautiful family we have made together.

It was a perfect day.

As the day was coming to an end, I thought about how much I love the place we live now and the life we have. It seems almost crazy to be planning such a big change to it all. Yet, it is because of the happiness and love that we have in our lives that makes this the perfect time to do just that.

There is a Zen tale that I recall... A man was searching for a new home when he came upon the gates to a village. The gate keeper asked him what the people in his former home were like, and the man told him of horrible selfish, mean and nasty folk. The gate keeper told him that the people in the village were the same way - and advised the man to keep searching. Soon another man looking for a new home came upon the same village gates. The gate keeper asked the same question of this man. He described a life of love and happiness in the land he came from. The gate keeper smiled and told him that those who lived in the village were the same, and welcomed him in to join them. For whatever you bring with you is what you find. We bring with us a life of hope, creativity, and joy for living. And I trust that is what we will find wherever we go.

The first post.

Follow along with our family as we set off on our big adventure.

We will post updates, musings, photos, and random stuff as we leave our home in the US and set up house in the UK.

A little basic history -

We are a family of 5 - Mom, Dad and 3 girls. In July 2005 we are moving to England where Dad will be attending a Biodynamic Agriculture program at Emerson College in Forest Row, East Sussex. Mom is a Doula,Childbirth Mentor, and Fiber Artist. The kids are 14, soon-to-be-13, and 4 years old. Our teens waffle between excitement and dread. We understand their feelings, which they will certainly share with you, and hope and believe there will be many good times ahead for them. The youngest member of our family - who we will refer to as "Princess" is...well... she is our princess. Her royal proclomations will be dictated and posted accordingly.

Thats it for now. More to come as we take each step.