A new place

The flight over the Atlantic couldn't have gone better, with the girls sleeping almost the entire way. (Why is it that European-flagged carriers are so much better than American carriers when it comes to quality of service and comfort?) There was a moment of panic when our towncar failed to appear as scheduled at the airport, but we found an alternative and eventually made our way to Rannoch Road. Here's a picture of Cecily and Olivia on the front stoop the morning after our arrival. The house was all it promised to be. Small by American standards, we are told it is very large by London standards. It works for us. Today's challenges are all about the little things in life: how to turn on the TV, how to make the internet connect, how to run the washing machine (turn the dial to the correct setting), how to open the apple juice carton (eventually with scissors and brute force, the packaging instructions having escaped me totally) and how to make morning tea (I did eventually find a tea bag, putting to lie the myth that Brits turn their snoots up a anything other than loose tea.) The girls are learning lots of new words and concepts. Olivia now knows that she studies"maths" rather than math and that asking for a "biscuit" produces something much better than she might otherwise have expected! They have discovered that there is peanut butter to be had afterall, albeit of the sugarless and organic variety. Mom and Dad made a few discoveries, too. For one, the grocery store delivers (for a small charge). We're off for the rest of the day to explore the neighborhood.