Olympics have Begun!

Stayed up until 1 am last night watching the Opening Ceremony on TV. Kind of strange at times but overall interesting theme of the history of England. I loved the copper petals from each country all converging into the one Olympic flame. Also loved it when the queen sky-dived out of the helicopter -- yeah right!

This morning we walked down to watch the Men's Road Cycling event that came right through our neighborhood. There were a bunch of police motorcycles and police cars leading the way. There was a helicopter hovering above. Then there was a blur of the front of the pack speeding by. Then a bunch of cars with bikes on them, spares I guess. Then a second pack of cyclists sped by. I took pictures but didn't get a single one with a bicycle in it. That takes skill to completely miss the main subject that you are trying to photograph, right???

Here is what I ended up with:

This volunteer stood on the median to warn the cyclists  to go around.

Here he is waving the flag.

A volunteer told us when the guy started waving the flag that was when the bicycles were coming so have your cameras ready. I guess I snapped the picture a little too early.

Wait, is that a blur of a bike tire? Maybe just a shadow?

Awesome pictures, right? 

Lexi's boyfriend was positioned further up the road and got some good shots so I am stealing these from him:

Much better shots, huh?

Bikes getting a ride

"Served on a golden Cavendish"

Now I keep seeing people on bikes all over town. I wondered if the Olympics are getting people fired up to go out cycling. Then I realized it's probably just an easier way to get around than driving with all the road closures along the race route.

Young Games Maker

Our daughter is a Young Games Maker.

The official volunteers for the London 2012 Summer Olympics are called Games Makers. The Young Games Makers are kids between the ages of 16 and 18.

Lexi's American school here, TASIS, put together a team of about 20 students to apply to be volunteers. The team went through a tryout and interview session and were thrilled to receive the good news over the Christmas break that they had been selected. The team members must volunteer for a minimum of 10 days during the Games and attend at least three days of training.

Lexi in center with fellow teammates

The uniform, or what they called the "kit" over here comes complete with bag, water bottle, swatch watch, umbrella, 2 polo tops, 2 trousers, shoes and socks. Volunteers for the Beach Volleyball event were happy that shorts were also provided to wear instead of the trousers on hot days.

Training is going on this week. Meals are provided for the volunteers. Yesterday the hot entree was fish cakes or couscous with veggies. Lexi chose a chicken sandwich instead.

When Lexi got home she dumped out sand from her shoes. We now have Olympic sand in our driveway!

The Thatched Tavern

Birthdays call for a lunch out with the ladies. We celebrated Susan's and Pam's recently at a pub in Ascot called The Thatched Tavern.

It is a quaint 400-year-old beamed tavern with low ceilings. It is said that Queen Victoria's royal carriage was sometimes seen outside.

The pub is located on Cheapside Road. The name of the road is perhaps due to it being situated on the cheap side of the Ascot race course.

The low ceiling makes me feel tall!

The low beams are padded in places to avoid head bumps. "Mind your head!"

It was a warm sunny day so we sat outside on the patio. Here is the blackboard listing the desserts.

Note the traditional Sticky toffee pudding. Also the Mixed berry Eton Mess. That caught my eye. I was told it is a dessert of berries and whipped cream on a meringue that once got dropped at the Eton school and became a "mess".

Olympic Cycling Encirclement

Today I saw these cute decorated bicycles in a roundabout as I drove to a store near me.

Then I remembered that the Olympic Cycling event will come right through our county of Surrey.

Apparently the lavishly flowered cycles were created by one of my favorite stores here, Garsons.

Garsons is a garden center, gift shop, and pick your own farm. They also sell American food products that are not normally found here such as pancake syrup, American peanut butter, and Kraft Mac n Cheese. These imported foods are way overpriced. I find myself "needing" these products less and less now compared to when we first moved here.

Further up the road I found more cycles on display.

The excitement is building...

But here is a reminder of the disruption it will cause:

The route goes in a big circle around our town, effectively shutting us in with all the road closures. Thank goodness for the trains, they will be our only way out if we need to journey outside the area.

The Olympics are Coming

The London 2012 Summer Olympic games kick off this week with the Opening Ceremony on Friday. The city is abuzz.

 I arrived at London Heathrow airport today and these bright pink signs were everywhere.

Volunteers are standing by waiting to help out by providing information and directing visitors.

When I approached one of the signs to take a picture, I was immediately asked if I needed any help. The volunteer seemed a little disappointed that all I wanted was a photo.

Extra security seems to be in place. As I waited outside the terminal to be picked up, I think I counted four police cars driving by, more than you normally see.

Lexi will be a volunteer for the Beach Volleyball games. She is on a team of students from her American school that will rake the sand and retrieve balls. She is very excited to say the least.

Today was her first opportunity to wear her official "Young Games Maker" uniform when she attended a training session. A group of tourists saw the team in their uniforms and wanted pictures taken with them. The funny part was when the tourists asked the girls what sport they played in.

Thanks for your visit, Annie

Annie is here visiting us for 3 weeks and we are making the most of it. What a great excuse for us to be tourists instead of just England residents. Annie and Lexi have been friends since Kindergarten and we are so lucky that she was able to fly out here and spend time with us and share our experiences as Americans living in England.

Our 3rd anniversary of moving to England was last week. When we first moved here, it seemed like we  were eager to go out and take it all in. We attended plays in the West End, did a day trip to Cambridge, a weekend in Edinburgh for the Military Tatoo. We had Ryan here with us for just a short time before he headed off to college in the States so we wanted to enjoy our time together and the newness of being here.

Then Ryan left, school started, and we got in the rhythm of day to day existence. I finally learned my way around without using the GPS (or Sat Nav) all the time. Chris got busy with work. I got comfortable finding what we needed at the local grocery store for meals. Lexi met friends at school and got absorbed into studies, sports, and socializing. In short, we "settled in". Sure, we've taken amazing trips when Lexi has a break from school or is off on a sports tournament. But it's been fun just being tourists again while staying at home.

Annie and Lexi on one of the many train trips into London

We want to let Annie experience as much as she can while here and that gives us the excuse to break away from our routines and recall that feeling of being in a foreign country and wanting to take advantage of living abroad. Here are some of the activities we've shared with Annie that we might not otherwise have made ourselves get out and do:

• Afternoon Tea in London
• Tour Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
• Walk to the local pub and eat a meal outside watching the swans on the Thames River
• Wander through Harrod's (while our eyes bulge at the prices)
• Relax on the grassy bank of the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park on a rare sunny day and people-watch
• Take in the musical "Chicago" then eat shredded duck pancakes in China Town
• Tour the newly opened Warner Brothers "Making of Harry Potter" studios
• Take the Eurostar train to Paris for the weekend

Paris

Afternoon Tea at the Kensington Hotel

One day we had to choose between watching the Olympic Torch pass through a town nearby or watching the celebs arrive at the "Magic Mike" premier in London. Moms did the Olympic thing, girls chose to get up-close with Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey. All were pleased.

It was perfect that Annie went with us on the tour of the Harry Potter movie studios as Lexi and Annie had shared the joy of reading the books together so many years ago.

Getting ready to board train at our local station

So thanks, Annie, for reminding us to not take our temporary life here for granted.