The Cromwell 'Hotel'

If you didn't know better you might think my parents are staying at a fancy hotel in Kensington... but then you might notice all the hospital equipment and remember otherwise. The building really is lovely though, it doesn't have the feeling of a hospital. The staff are really friendly and lovely and his meals always look delicious. We went up to visit on Wednesday to keep them company, and I helped to get my mom out of the room so the stern English nurses wouldn't have to throw her out.

This is his breathing device. He's got to breathe in and get the little ball to a certain place (which is marked by a smiley face) in order to see how strong his lungs are and how much he can breathe in.

These are his tubes that are sucking liquid out of his lungs. The amount in them didn't actually increase much while I there, and hopefully they will be taken out just after the weekend.

Playing with the toy from the happy meal we got. He is really liking milkshakes, so we had an excuse to buy lots of fast food.

Just thought we should prove that they are actually here in England, so wanted to include a couple photos from our walk. The area they are in is really beautiful. We walked up to Notting Hill today, and there are lots of shops and cafes to keep us occupied.

Looking into a cake shop.

Freddy is going to go back up to visit this weekend, and I'll be back on Wednesday when I've got another three days off. He seemed to be doing very well, the doctors always had very positive things to say. Hopefully he will only keep improving and getting better every day!

Wireless Festival

Freddy was just about the happiest boy around last Sunday afternoon (with the exception of still feeling a bit poor from his swine-flu run in). But what could be better than a warm sunny day outside with pizza and music? Not much. We went into London to Hyde Park to go to the Wireless Festival. We went last year and had loads of fun and so decided last minute to go again this year. We had a great time.

Swine Flu?

Hi everyone!

Realised I've been radio silent for a while and have, therefore, decided to reenter the blogosphere. Another reason (perhaps the real one) is that Im stuck at home with the flu :(, and its really boring!!! Especially as no one is supposed to visit me, as it may be the much publicised 'swine flu'. Unfortunately it is unlikely that we will ever know what is ailing me as the UK stopped testing people yesterday. Apparently their strategy of containment has now changed, and anyone with flu like symptoms has to call up the doctor. Then over the phone they decide if you get tamiflu or not.

I did. But I feel OK. My fever of 39 celsius has abated and my cough seems to be lessening. And I have also learned that tamiflu should be taken with a meal otherwise it causes you to be sick (and that is why one should always read the warnings that come with a medicine... which I also learnt this morning!).

Perhaps if Im bed ridden during the week I will blog some more.

Swimming with the Cows

English weather is beautiful at the moment. Warm, sunny, and the perfect weather for a swim. We recently discovered a lush place in Port Meadows... so i convinced Yasmin to go with me today. She doesn't like animals much... so she was in for a treat.

We brought our new floating devices we picked up in the states. We were the only people with them, and honestly looked a little ridiculous but it was great fun.

We got some very good sun and I am happy to report that my tan is looking fabulous. Tomorrow? Work. But we will be hitting up the roof on our lunch break, so I will keep you posted on how my golden brown tan is developing.

I Graduated (and even had a robe)!!

Hooray! I've graduated! Finally... it took a while, the process started five years ago in California, and has finally finished in Oxford. Woohoo. The day was slightly stressful. We got there at 7am - because I hadn't booked a robe or an extra ticket. So, we wanted to be there bright and early to make sure we could get them. It all turned out great in the end, and I'm happy to report I made it across the stage and back to my seat without falling over, so all is right in the world.

With my color-coordinated parents. Was lovely that they got to make it.

Having our iconic moment afterwards.

Having lunch afterwards with friends in town.

With my 'glamorous' mom in town afterwards.

We celebrated in the states before we headed back to England, that way Mike and Stephanie could have been there (you guys should have come out, they even had a room with games for people with kids under 7 - Grace would have loved it). We went to a great fondue place and all ate way too much...

It was so good though. My favourite was the chocolate at the end!

The night was so much fun - and even ended with a big surprise! I got the most lovely graduation present that I ever could have asked for: a new MacBook Pro. Oh, it is so beautiful and I love it. Lots of friends and family pitched in to help buy it. I am so thankful to everyone that did. I think it's great - and I'm going to be using it all the time in the fall when I start commuting to London to do my masters at London School of Economics. I can hardly wait!

The only place on the map... Burnsville.

So, we drove 11 hours in the car to Burnsville, North Carolina. 6 adults, two kids, and two dogs... all in one car. It sounds pretty tortuous, but it was actually so much fun. Lisa's house that we stayed in was beautiful and it was great to be right next to the creek. We did some sightseeing, went swimming, got to meet up with old friends, and even got to go on a ride on Thomas the Train. What more could you ask for?

Grace in the car with Juma.

Trying to keep Obie entertained.

The house we stayed in.

Playing in the creek.

Grace and Obie rocking on the front porch.

Mom and Aunt Ninee.

With Shane overlooking the waterfalls.

Walking in the woods.

Matt came to visit from South Carolina.

Grace was a little dare devil. She loved tubeing!

Echo: the dog who thought he lived in the house.

We stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way home.

Obie got hold of the butter.

St Charles

We just got back from Mike & Steph's house in St Charles this past week. We had such a fun time. It was great to see everybody. Grace and Obie had changed so much since we were last there. Here are just a few photos from our trip...

Obie liked playing dress up with my mom's glasses. He would put them on and get so excited and start waving to everybody.

My dad eating his favourite Culver's burger.

Fred and his Culver's burger.

Michael and his little mini-me.

Nana and Obie at the winery.

Stephanie and Dad.

Gracie and her Papa.

Everybody exhausted and asleep in the car.

Grace always has time to try on all the jewellry at the mall.