Headed to the San Juans...I mean the Isle of Wight

I just realized I am a bit behind on the blog updates! Over the past 2 weeks we all have been to the Isle of Wight for a long Bank Holiday weekend and I went to Paris the next weekend (that will be a separate blog post).

Lately I have felt like a travel agent. Scouring over websites, looking for accommodations and things to do in different places we want to travel. Similar to booking an unknown restaurant reservation for you and friends, I have a love/hate with booking accommodations. On one hand, I love looking for the perfect place but there is the pressure for it to be just right! I feel the same way about choosing the restaurant-you want it to be the perfect ambiance and delicious!

The Isle of Wight is small island (23 miles across) off the south part of England. It is an hour and a half away from us via car. It reminded us so much of heading up to the San Juans. The race for the ferry, leaving early enough not to hit traffic and the joy of making the ferry and relaxing for the 40 minute ride across. BUT the beauty of this ferry system is that you can make reservations for a specific ferry-how brilliant is that? Of course if you miss it you have to wait for the next available spot but don't think that is too big of a deal.

 Leaving Portsmouth

Arm wrestling on the ferry...like ya do

The Isle of Wight has a couple of towns on the west side that are very beachy and touristy and one on the east side that is very posh for the "yachting" set. I ended up finding a converted barn in the middle of the island that was fantastic. Three bedrooms and three baths - it was considered "self-catering" which was perfect for us. The bonus was since we were driving on the ferry we could bring as much crap as our car could hold!

The barn was on a farm called the Little Upton Farm...100+ acres of fields of sheep, a lake and gorgeous views of the island. The folks that owned were darling and train border collies to herd sheep. They had a trampoline, ping pong and left us the most delicious caaake on our arrival! Central location and close to everything the island had to offer.

Steam train that worked hard to get up the hill

View from our barn

Old barn things from yore

The Little Upton Farm

Sheep

Doing a little dance

We loved this tree

Waiting for the train

The road to the farm

The first day we went to Newport, the main town in the middle of the island. The owner of the Little Upton Farm recommend a great Italian restaurant to us for lunch...turns out to be the best food we have had since we had arrived in the UK! After lunch we headed to West Cowes (the yachty town) to find the beach and look for treasures. Cowes was charming, full of colorful buildings and had a great stretch of beach! We found tons of shells and sea glass! May was in heaven!

All fine yachtsmen must sail in pink pants and a navy blazer

Attack of clammy hands

Finding treasure

Popeye...I yam what I yam

On Sunday, Henry wasn't feeling great, so May and I set off to the more touristy side of IOW. We parked in Ventnor and walked all along the seawall in blustery rain! It was very beautiful but not really beach weather so May and I had high tea in Shanklin. Shanklin had some lovely thatched roofed cottages and a sea front esplanade (boardwalk) that really resembled the Jersey Shore boardwalk (never been there but I have, of course, seen the Snooki and Jwow version). There were rides and all sorts of touristy shops and attractions. Uh, no thank you. I am sure it is lovely in the warmer, summer months, but totally not our scene. Unfortunately the next town, Sandown, was the same way - a little Santa Cruz boardwalkish...

Ventnor beachwalking

Shanklin

When we got back, Henry was feeling better and ready for a walk. We walked all along the farm's perimeter, through the sheep fields and down to the steam train tracks. Simply gorgeous. We worked up and appetite and went BACK to the Italian restaurant's new location in Ryde. Simply delicious again! Highly recommend Olivo Italian!

May's new buddy

View from our deck

Seaglass Barbie by May

On Monday morning, the owner gave us a great demo of how her Border Collies herd sheep-think Babe the movie, but with a dog. Henry and May went out with her and Pete and I stood and watched under the umbrella. It was cool and we were able to explain the kind of dog training my dad does with his Labs.

We packed up and headed out to the northeast tip of the IOW where there are some beautiful walks to some dramatic chalk cliffs. Of course when we got there, it was an attraction-like environment (think carousel, mini golf, arcade games). We took a CHAIRLIFT down to the beach and then strolled the beach, checking for shells and sea glass along the way. There was some major erosion going on, all different colors of sand, and then culminated in a chalk white cliff. It was really cool.

Cool staircase and a cave in the side of this cliff

Eroding chalk cliffs

Riding the random chairlift

Water is white from the eroding chalk

After that we jumped on the ferry and headed back...a great mini-break to be had!

Movin' on Up...

to a deluxe, detached, 3 story house in the UK (sung to the Jefferson's theme song, please). The move is complete and we are in...even the king size bed made it up to the 3rd story master bedroom. Thank god. It feels so good to sleep in my bed, with my sheets and with my husband (sorry May, you squirmed too much!). The only thing that didn't make it up to the master bedroom was our big dresser, so currently all of our foldable clothes are down in Pete's office (on the 2nd floor). Not very convenient.

So far the house is great. While I waited 6 days for Internet/broadband to actually work, I had lots of time to unpack everything, put it away and then tweak it all over again. We actually have a lot of room and a two car garage to store all the stuff we don't have room for in the house. I would say the worst part of the house is the kitchen...it is small and doesn't have a lot of counter or cupboard space. But, that is what the garage is for-storing all my kitchen stuff! Other than that, the living spaces are big, have lots of closets and some character. As you can see in the pictures below we just need to hang all of our art and pictures!

It really is ISSAQUAH IN ENGLAND. Cul de sac, neighbor kids out playing and being loud-just like home. Across the street is the Loddon River (which is really high right now due to all the rain we had in the last week) and the Loddon Nature Reserve...2 rivers, 5 lakes and trails galore. I am in heaven...I just wish I had Stella to run with me! 5 minute walk to town, grocery store and the train station. 1 minute walk to 2 pubs and about an 8 minute walk to and from school. Pete is taking the train to Microsoft and I am driving the car only when I really need to go far.

How many Latvians does it take to unload a container of household items?

I don't know how that truck got in and out of here-it was HUGE!

My office...waiting for a bigger desk and good office chair

 (below)

The SMALL kitchen...only one person allowed in it at a time, please.

Laundry room! Small but SO DAMN happy to have a dryer!

Smallish dining room...good for 4 people only (cuz that's the number of chairs we have)

Conservatory-kind of a random room. Gets cold in cold weather and steamy in hottish weather.

May's room (and the guest room). Has its own full bathroom.

Pete's home office (with clothing dresser in it)

Kid's playroom/Xbox/movie room

Henry's room

3rd floor master bedroom with our HUGEASS bed. Don't think for a minute that we BOTH haven't hit our heads up there.

View from 3rd floor skylight-you can see the river/lake behind houses.

Master bathroom

 Lounge (really the living room/family room)

 More lounge

Other side of the lounge...only place for this couch to fit.

 

The kids are adjusting to full-time school just great. They both have made friends, had friends over and met the hood kids. Henry is playing baseball for the Windsor Bears (only had one practice due to rain), chess club and street dance (both after school clubs). May is searching for a gym, going to sewing club and street dance. Next week the school's outdoor pool opens and the kids then start swim lessons for PE 2x a week. Swimming is a big deal-they have inter-school contests/meets and house contests/meets which all culminate with a huge swim GALA in July! The last day of school is July 20 so the kids are making up for their 6 weeks off.

CLOG DANCE UPDATE: Apparently, Henry did not clog dance but learned to Cossack dance. So think Russian dancing, with lots of deep knee bends and kicking. He was SO sore afterwards. Oh and he didn't get out out of FLASH (family life and sexual health) class...apparently Year 6 does it this term...can't wait to see how the Brits tackle that subject!

It is another Bank Holiday on Monday so we are headed to the Isle of Wight which is south of us by about 90 minutes. You take a car ferry over and there are loads of beaches and lots of walking, rock collecting, looking for shells and tide pools. I think it will be similar to the San Juan Islands except you get to reserve your car spot on the ferry so no racing to get there to get on! We are staying in a converted barn with sheep, horses and border collies.

The following weekend my good friend Laura is going to be in Paris on business, so I am going to train down for the weekend and play!!

Cheers!