November 20, 2007 - Tuesday
We are finally settled in and adjusted to the time difference over here in England. To be honest, it has been so dark
and wet and gray that it's hard to know what time of day it is, because we haven't seen the sun since the day we landed. The sun
comes up around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning, and makes the gray turn slightly lighter. It then proceeds to set around 4:00, meaning
that by 4:30 it is completely dark outside. Such is the way of winter in the UK!
The dark and wet has made it a little difficult to be outside much, but we have managed a few things. We took a walk along Poole Quay
(pronounced Pool Key) which is a park between the city of Poole and Poole Bay. The clouds were extremely dark and moody, but we didn't
get too wet. It was just nice to be outside and to get some fresh air.
Poole Bay from Baiter Park
Baiter Park Walkway
 Yesterday Steve's parents took us to lunch at a tea room / cafe at Cranborne Manor (www.cranborne.co.uk) which is the home of Lord
Cranborne. You cannot go in the house or onto most of the estate, but they do have a garden center and some shops and the cafe, which
was well worth it. If you have never known the delight of brie and bacon on a fresh baguette for lunch on a cold rainy day, you really must
remedy that!
The drive out to Cranborne Manor was also beautiful. The trees still have some fall leaves on them (though not as many as in North
Carolina) and were striking against a backdrop of the dark sky and green pasture land. In between the various fields were little old houses
and cottages that have been there for hundreds of years. Very picturesque, despite the bad weather. We were also surprised to get a
thunderstorm yesterday! Thunderstorms are very rare in the UK, but even more rare during winter. They usually get 1 - 2 storms per year and
almost always during the warmer months. It was very strange to have hail and thunder and lightning in the middle of November.
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| Gate in the Garden Wall | Cranborne Tea House |
Today is also the day that Steve's mum is meant to be going into the hospital. She has to be there the day before her surgery in order
for them to do the pre-op tests. She's a little nervous about the whole thing, just as I would be if it were me. I think in many ways she would
prefer to go into the hospital the same day as the surgery and get it all over at once, rather than have to stay overnight at the hospital thinking
about the surgery the next day. However, if she's already in the hospital she will be taken care of well and will be ready to go when the time
comes tomorrow for the surgery. For any of you out there reading this, all your prayers for comfort and safety would be greatly appreciated. Also
prayers that mum (and the rest of us!) would be free from worry would be great. We'll keep you posted on how things go tomorrow!
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