Bike Bonanza

Merrit rode his bike without training wheels (or stabilizers, as they say here)! Woo hoo! Go, Merrit! Here are some highlights of his big day:






Earlier in the day, Mike went on a 20-mile bike ride. Here he is getting ready to leave:

Mike here. There's a bike shop right across the street where I got some general maintenance on my bike done. They gave me a map of bike trails all over the northeast. So I picked a trail head that was close to our house and I really didn't have any expectations. 

I just wanted to get out and get some exercise. But what I found was an absolutely incredible bike ride that I could never have planned myself. It led through quiet long stretches between farmlands and fields, under bridges, and between  hedgerows. The path is used by the locals as a general footpath and as a horsetrail. It took me further north, and just on a whim, I took a right towards the coast. I ended up in the town of Seaton Sluice. I wasn't done yet...I didn't want to turn around. 

I continued north, all along the coast which was great because I had worked up a sweat and I was being cooled off by the North Sea breeze. The view was panoramic. All along the way, I was nervously passing horses, because I had never passed a horse on a bike before and didn't know what they'd do. 

I got up to the town of Blythe, which is an old port town, where they have a long stretch of windmills built onto a pier that stretches out into the ocean. 

I figured Blythe was a good place to turn around and head back. I followed the same trail all the way back to my front door. Twenty miles in all. I hope to post a video or photos of my next ride soon.

Finding Things....

We found three great things this week:

A babysitter. Woo hoo! Mike and I went out for dinner on Friday night in Tynemouth, while the boys stayed home with Brioni (pronounced like Bryan with an "ee" at the end; how that's a nickname for Victoria, I simply can't figure out).

She is a 19-year-old college student who's been background checked and grew up in a home with two older sisters. For the last six years, her parents have taken a series of foster children in and now Brioni wants to study child psychology because she has seen kids coming from all kinds of rough situations and wants to work with kids like that as her career. She really seems to have her head on straight and the boys liked her--and didn't give her too much trouble.

For our part, we were thrilled to be out and about without the kids. First time in six months. Here we are, taking goofy pictures of ourselves, so happy to be out for uninterrupted conversation!

A church. Sunday morning, we tried a new church and feel like it's going to be a good fit for us. Yay. It's close to our house--we could walk there but not with the two short-legs in the family (no, not ME...the boys!). So, it's about a four- or five-minute drive. The church is a small Baptist church that meets in an elementary school. They have about 60 members.

We both really liked the pastor. He was funny, transparent and very humble, and had a great message; the sermon was about how Onesimus went from being a slave to a Christian and helper of Paul to one of the first bishops in the church. The pastor also had a strong Scottish accent (love that, and could listen to it all the live long day). 

There was also a special visitor this past Sunday; a woman named Grace, who traveled down from Scotland for the day; she was an older woman who has been blind since birth. She shared her story--which was, surprisingly, hysterical...she was very funny--and sang / played piano twice. What a blessing she was! 

The families with kids were all pretty much absent, because it's summer break and everyone with school-age kids goes on holiday, so we met mostly the older crowd this past week. We couldn't believe how warm and friendly everyone was. Really. After trying a few other churches, this one really stood out as unusually friendly. We were invited to homegroups, introduced to the church during the service, and there was no way we could have walked out the door without staying for biscuits (cookies) and tea....we were hemmed in on all sides with friendly people who wanted to meet the boys and find out why we were here in the UK.

So, we'll be going back. 

A trainer. I also found a cool beach boot camp class that I'll be going back to. It only runs through the end of August so my only regret is that I didn't find it sooner. (Lisa and Tina: No it's not the scary, she-man trainer I sent you a picture of! LOL) I went this morning and had a blast. 

We jogged through loose sand while tossing a 10-pound medicine ball back and forth, we did partner strength moves (and even though I didn't know anyone, I was quickly paired up with a nice girl) for about 30 mins (killer) and then did a 4-move strength circuit (squats, push-ups, crunches, and bootstrappers--a new hamstring/calf exercise I didn't already know) for reps of 10, then, 20, then 30. Woah. The jog back through the sand was tough after all that!! 

But, I'll be back on Thursday morning, ready to pay for more pain. :)

Last thing...and this is something that we need to find. My passport! I took it with me to the bank on Friday and haven't been able to find it since. I remember putting it in my purse at the bank, so chances are it's here at the house...but please pray that I find it! 

All for now. Y'all have a great day! Er, I mean...Cheers!

Walk This Way

After three weeks of not walking 2 to 4 (or even more) miles daily, Mike and I both have sore leg muscles.

It goes to show you that your endurance builds up slowly over time, until walking everywhere every day doesn't seem like all that much exercise. Just 21 days away from that regimen, soreness results from jumping back in.

The pedestrian lifestyle is perhaps my favorite part of living here.

My legs are glad to be back.

On Distance

I run
the two miles
to the lighthouse

white and peeled

against the swirled

grey sky 

hovering above the

grey sea churning

I run, sure footed
across the sand

seaweed smell 

and stones smooth

for me to stride over 

past the man

in his heavy coat

and dog, wet

I move fast,

light, like the seagull feather

tumbling on the sand

I chase

the lighthouse crawls closer

the north sea
endless and grey
I run

St. Mary's Lighthouse in far left distance. North Sea.

I am participating in Five Minute Fridays, hosted by Gypsy Mama. This was fun, thanks for the prompt!

From the Coal Era to the Information Age

The coal era and the information age were like bookends at our visit to the Woodhorn Museum today.

Northeast England, like a lot of industrial areas--I'm thinking of North Carolina's textile mills--suffered when its primary industry, in this case coal, went away. Newcastle has spent the last 15 to 20 years trying to reinvent itself as a high-tech and media city. Video games have played a pretty significant part in reviving the area's economy. There's an exhibit on now at the Woodhorn Museum called Videogame Nation--and today we went to go see it.

Billed as "a fun-filled exhibition charting the meteoric rise of videogaming--from the geek-tastic realm of the bedroom programmer to the multi-billion pound industry it is today," the Videogame Nation exhibit was fascinating.

It was strange and nostalgic--even for me, not a big gamer--to see old video game console systems like the Atari on display as artifacts in a museum. The exhibit was a retrospective of the last 35 years of game development, told mostly from the perspective of Britain's contributions to the industry.

After the video game exhibit, we toured the rest of the museum, housed in a collection of old brick buildings that used to be the Woodburn Colliery. The coal mine opened in 1894 and was in operation until the mid 1980s. We all learned a lot about coal mining, the role that unions played in the mining industry here in the UK, and about the hard life that miners and their families lived.

After we saw it all, we had lunch in the cafe.

Then a short kiddie train ride along the old narrow gauge railway through the scenic Queen Elizabeth II Country Park.

Then a sleepy 20-minute drive home.

Then the boys all napped and I went for a run. I've entered a 10K that I'll be running in a couple of weeks; I need to keep training so that I don't end up barfing in the bushes on race day! Actually, today I ran the full 6.2 miles and felt great. I didn't run the actual course, just the correct distance. What a gorgeous day! I ran along the seafront, 3.1 miles down to Tynemouth and 3.1 miles back. Right by the Tynemouth Priory and Castle.

People were out in serious numbers today. It was 14 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit) and you would have thought it was the middle of summer! Shorts and flip-flops. Surfers in the water (in wet suits of course). Joggers. Bikers. People playing rugby on the beaches. Dog walkers. Kids eating ice cream. Even the main drag had bumper to bumper traffic, like Myrtle Beach in June.

Makes me wonder what summer will be like when it rolls around. I am excited to live in a beachside community. A first for me. I can't wait!

Meet-Up with Area Running Club

I went out tonight to run with an area running club. First of all, it was a great workout. We ran to nearby Cullercoats (about a mile there, a mile back). When we got to the Cullercoats sea front, the leader had us split into groups of five to ten and run intervals.

Interval 1: Jog down battery--walk down ramp--run up steps--jog back

Interval 2: Jog down battery--walk down ramp--sprint across sand--run up steps--jog back

Interval 3: Jog down battery--walk down ramp--sprint up ramp--jog back

By the third interval, I was sucking air! The whole workout took a little over an hour.

I found this picture online of the Cullercoats steps
down to the beach . Running these steps was no joke.

Cool: I met a few people. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming.

I was really blown away at the turnout at the track, when people met up at the start of the night. The group is huge. There are people at all levels. Marathoners to beginners.

My workout gear and cute exercise clothes are still being shipped. I did buy new running shoes last week, but of course that made me look like a total nube. I had the whitest sneaks in the room. How embarrassing. And I was wearing Merrit's socks. And Ollie's hat. I looked so ghetto. But, whatever. As my mom used to say, "It's not a fashion show, Mirsy." LOL

There are a lot of people in the group. From what I can tell, they are divided by interest (track and field, cross country, road running) and skill level (let's just say I am ranked as an amateur, and that's putting it nicely). I was totally impressed at the breadth of skill level and the overall size of the group.

I'll be hooking up with them again on Thursday. They're doing five 1K timed runs. I'm new to all of this, but I'm excited to have connected with a group of people. I just like being with people, even if I don't know them...it's good to get out (away from the kids), be with people, and do something healthy and active.

All in all, a good night. Feels great.

Omelettes, Roast, and Shopping, Oh My

Sunday morning omelettes did not disappoint. Merrit mixed up a delicious combination made with local ingredients. It was delicious. For more details about the ingredients and how today's omelette got its name, The Northumbrian, read Merrit's blog post.

We puttered around the house most of the morning, which was a satisfying way to spend the morning and early afternoon. Just good low-key family time.

We rode the Metro into Newcastle. 13 stops to the city centre. First order of business: Lunch.

We weren't terribly familiar with the restaurants nearby so we ambled about, following our noses till we found something that smelled promising.

We ended up at The Northumbrian Arms, an underground pub and restaurant. If there hadn't been a guy holding a big chalkboard advertising the Sunday roast, we'd never have found it. We ducked down a side alley, into an old granite doorway, down two flights of skinny steps, and into a low-ceilinged and cozy warm pub.

On Sundays, many restaurants here serve one thing, and one thing only. The Sunday roast and the traditional accompanying sides. This is our third time eating Sunday dinner. While the vegetables vary, the meal always has roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy.

What did I just post on Saturday about reasonable portion sizes?

The boys and I shared this huge plate of food.

The roast, which was delicious, and the Yorkshire pudding, which had a dollop of some sort of herbed stuffing inside it, and the entire plate of vegetables had a generous helping of gravy poured over it. The veggies included peas, sauteed cabbage, roasted turnips and potatoes, pureed rutabagas (yeah, Mom, you heard that right!), broccoli, and boiled potatoes (because just one kind of potatoes on a plate just isn't enough!).

Holy Moses, it was good. Mike and I decided that this is one place that we will have to bring his parents when they come to visit us. This was English comfort food, just the kind of big-hearted dinner that Delores serves up on Sundays in her neck of the woods.

I'm a locavore in spirit. The idea of eating local foods in season is, to me, both logical and romantic. Full disclosure: I am addicted to avocados, which grow no where near North Carolina OR Newcastle! Anyway, the food seemed to somehow taste better after I read this sign:

The sign reads: "Welcome to our place...

Sample a pint of cask beer,
enjoy a refreshing pint of ice cold
lager or cider.

Try a tipple from our superb wine menu
personally supplied by a local Wine Merchant.

Wherever possible, we only use locally sourced
ingredients from in and around the Northumberland area.

We go to the local markets for our vegetables.

We use an award winning, local family butcher
who source their meats from local Northumberland farms.

A local baker supplies our daily bread.

Our fish are caught from our coastal waters
and arrive fresh to us from the North Shields Fish Quay.

Local food made by local people!"

After lunch and a little walk around, we shopped for some stuff. A hat for Merrit to replace to one he lost in Tynemouth. Grey trousers for his school uniform. Black socks for Mike since no one here wears white athletic socks...how American! Running shoes and a reflective windbreaker for me. Yay! Hm, did Ollie even get anything? No, poor thing.

The boys were wilting, and I still needed a haircut so Mike took them back to Whitley Bay and I scouted around for a salon open on Sundays. I finally found an Aveda salon that could work me in and I got a great haircut WITH a complimentary head and shoulder massage. Aaaaaah.

Wrapped up the night with my first run in Whitley Bay. I don't have my iPhone provider switched over here, so I couldn't track distance or pace, but it was a good run. I'd guess I ran a couple miles and it felt great to get out there. I went out at about 7:30pm, and the village was very safe, people are out walking to the store,  the streets are well-lit, and other runners were out. It felt great to move my muscles again!