Shepreth Wildlife Park, Playground Edition

So, one of the most celebrated aspects of our day at SHEPRETH WILDLIFE PARK actually had nothing to do with wildlife.  Into this unassuming cafe, positioned between the lemurs and the lynx, we ventured to thaw our frozen-in-place appendages, when what to our wondering eyes should appear, but a magnificent room, all Nerf and good cheer!  Yes, we had just discovered the most elaborate indoor Nerf playground we had ever seen.  It was astonishing...like the first time you discover bubble gum inside your Blow-Pop...  Here, Daniel and Victoria are bombarding Caleb (armed ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM with his own launcher) with balls from these impressive Nerf cannons! Thus the war began...twas splendid. :)  

What would a playground be without a zip line across the "remains" of a sunken ship?!?  Do you see that Caleb's head is pointing DOWN in this shot--that is his HEAD with the black cap on.  Heaven help me.

...or without an enormous pirate ship, complete with tunnels, secret passageways, slides, and gangplanks?!?

So, all in all, memories were made here...the only thing that could have made it any sweeter is if friends like you had been with us...I mean that...

Now, on to some other very important breaking news:  have you ever had one of those moments with your children when you think, "Well done, our training and teaching are paying off!"?  I had one of those moments recently.  We were trekking thru town one day when the children, all three, grabbed me, and said, "MOM!!  LOOK!!"...and then proceeded to usher me into this shop.  "What in the world?!", thought I, and as I turned around, I realized that my remarkably astute children had ushered me into...the CAMBRIDGE FUDGE FACTORY!  I was so proud.  They ARE listening.  Living with me is making a difference.  :) 

This reminds me of a funny story, which I'll share after these mouth-watering shots of

 the Cambridge's own "Fudge Kitchen":

So,  here's the story.  Over here folks just don't understand home schooling, which I'm doing with the children.  Plus, in general, the British just don't take their kids out and about with them as much as Americans do.  These two things combined have resulted in some very confused, and quite frankly, disapproving glances, as my kids are the ONLY children we ever see during the day around town, when all other children are in a "proper" school.  So, an astute ally suggested that when I am asked about the children (which is almost daily), that I should speak language the English would understand, like, "these are the Green children, and I am their private tutor. Their father is studying abroad for several months, and they are in my care."  Then smile confidently and politely, as if to say, "any other questions?"   I'm seriously considering pulling this off sometime...Brad is worried...he knows I just might...:)

Shepreth Wildlife Park, Animal edition

Have you ever decided on an outing for the day, thinking, "This sounds like it might be fun."  And then it turn out to be more than you ever DREAMED it would be?  That describes our recent trip to SHEPRETH WILDLIFE PARK.  It was a cold, rainy Saturday, and it turned out to be the PERFECT day to visit:  few folks, countless critters (the aforementioned adjectives and nouns are dedicated to my son Daniel, who is learning about alliteration).

One of our first stops was to the "Bugs World" section.  Yes, that is yours truly holding a living, venom-intact tarantula!!  YIKES!!  One funny thing that happened as I was holding it was that it kicked off some of its leg hairs onto my hands.  The trainer said that it didn't like something about my hands--probably the scent left from hand lotion--and it was letting me know, and that I should wash my hands immediately or the leg hairs would irritate my skin and cause severe discomfort.  That little stinker!

Have you ever seen a blue lobster?  Blue is this species' natural color...dazzling bright blue...stunning!

Lots of good memories here...fruit bats dive-bombing Victoria in the bat house because she had fruit-scented shampoo...tigers hunting enormous chunks of raw meat hidden thruout their enclosure (you can just see some meat between the 2nd and 3rd tires in above photo), black swans (!), petting kangaroos, chasing  monkeys (they were free to roam!), and running from Billy Goat Gruff who wanted to see how my jacket tasted!  Brad and I both commented on how the children cherished our time there.  Perhaps because it had a familiar feel to it...at any rate, it was good for the children...and for us too...

Monday's Mid-Afternoon Distraction

SNOW!!!  Today we awakened to a beautiful blanket of white snow, which was all that was needed to turn an ordinary Monday into a memorable one!  Our plans for the day quickly changed as we discovered a winter wonderland just waiting to be enjoyed!  Here are a few of the highlights: 

Editor's note:  The rugby ball in the following 2 photos is being used by express permission of Caleb and Daniel Green.   The snowman was not harmed in any way during the taking of these shots.  No artificial snow was used.

So then, it was time to warm up, so inside we came, and Victoria and I nabbed some girl time to pamper each other a bit at "Di's Day Spa", where I chanced upon these two eager photographers:

Thankfully, their prices were reasonable, so I employed them to capture the moment as customers emerged from the day spa...

Hey, wait a minute...I thought the photographers were supposed to be BEHIND the camera!!

And then, upon leaving the Spa, homemade chocolate chip cookies were to be relished and remembered by all for years to come.  And they lived happily ever after.  The End.

...And More Museums

Only one museum to date has the distinction of a repeat visit from the Green family:  the Whipple Museum, named after Robert Whipple, who worked as an assistandt to Darwin's youngest son Horace.  In it is a fascinating array of scientific instruments dating from the Middle Ages to the present day.  The exhibit Caleb is exploring below explains and demonstrates Morse Code.  Victoria's favorite was in drawer #4, which was a microscope with a fly's leg on the slide.  If you'd like to see my seven year old daughter shudder, ask her to describe what a fly's leg looks like under a microscope! 

There was also this captivating device called a zoetrope, which Brad is

elucidating to the two Victorian-era clad children beside him.  The zoetrope was the first optical toy to produce an illusion of a lifelike moving image in the early 19th century.  Very clever indeed.

Our next museum of interest is known as the University Museum of Zoology.  With this huge skeleton of a finback whale (found washed ashore on the English coastline in 1865) visible from the street (!), this one is a real crowd-pleaser. 

Other sightings were this elephant, stoicly posing behind two children and two mamas, one of whom is within days of giving birth.  Considering the fact that one cannot tell WHICH of the mamas is 9 months pregnant, the mama on the left has decided that, uh, maybe she should cut back on Fitzbillies (bakery) runs. (ahem :) ) The pregnant one is actually Elizabeth Robar, and the little blonde cutie is her son Daniel, with whom we enjoy Friday afternoon classical concerts at a place called Kettles Yard, here in Cambridge.  Though ours are the only children there, these concerts are PERFECT for children--roughly 30-40 minutes each, with a different stringed instrument highlighted each week--a veritable gold mine in music ed and appreciation!

Doesn't Victoria look all grown up in this next shot?  She and the boys were GREAT with Daniel Robar, who is 3 years old and ADORES them.  She was explaining to him all the intricacies of the POLAR BEAR just beside them.

And, I've saved the best for last...let's see who can guess...this animal, which is extinct, has living relatives, which are:

1.  medium-sized mammals, who

2.  live in Central and South America, and are

3.  omnivores, with an

4. arboreal browsing lifestyle, and

5.  like to hang upside-down, and

6.  a common species has 3 toes

Did anyone guess ... toucans?  I hope not.  The real answer is a...SLOTH!!  Do you see the size of this thing?  I was dumbfounded.  Thankfully, they are/were slow-moving!  WHEW!!

Lastly, and this has absolutely nothing to do with museums, but Cambridge's newest landmark is quite the conversation piece around here.  Any guess what it is or how much it cost?  Well, for those of you who said, "Oh, it's a giant grasshopper sitting on top of a 1.7 million dollar clock nicknamed 'Chronophage', meaning 'time-eater', which Stephen Hawking unveiled in September 2008 ", you are EXACTLY right.  Well done.

And with that, I bring today's edition to a close...btw, did anyone notice that George Clooney is following the blog?  Wow...:)

Museums...

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Fitzwilliam Museum.  It is a grand museum here in Cambridge, one of eight associated with the University of Cambridge. It is one of the favored ones among children because it houses many full suits of armor from centuries past, complete with shields, swords, and all kinds of knight-like items.  This, and an extensive mummy collection from Ancient Egypt, easily won "Best of the Best" in our family.  Winning "Best Conversation Starter", however, was the exhibit entitled, "Treasure of the Month".  So, here we are in this renowned art museum which houses collections of works of art and antiquities spanning centuries and civilizations, and the treasure of the month was...are you ready?...I am not making this up..."Seven Glass SNUFF Bottles"---I was ROARING ....  I mean, we have the likes of King Tut's mummy over to my left, and gallant shining coats of armor to my right, and the treasure of the month... snuff bottles?!?!  I had not envisioned an explanation of snuff being part of our curriculum that day.   They wouldn't let me take a picture.  How I wanted to.  It was a moment. :)

This is just outside the Fitzwilliam Museum.  It gives a little better peek at what was once the watering trough for horses (the gutter-looking thing between the street and sidewalk) which ran thru the city.  In some parts of the city it has been partially covered with grates and things, but here it is as it was, I've been told, except now it has goo instead of running water in it.

Another one of our favorite museums has been the Cambridge Folk Museum, which is housed in a former 16th century inn and tells the story of local life and folklore in Cambridge and the surrounding area.  The two top finds in this museum were ingenious contraptions for trapping flies and beetles (ask us about these--I want one!),

 and a bonnet for horses that was actually worn to keep the sun off them!  (Notice holes for ears. :))

  Plus, the kids had fun bringing some rather "official" costumes up to date in the 21st century.

This just in:  we have had THREE different ENGLISH people stop us and ask for directions!!  This is the compliment of compliments.  Really?  We look like we know what we're doing?  Progress...yes...

Today's funniest sighting:  So, there was this car driving up and down our street looking for a place to park.  The driver couldn't find anything, as there were these giant interlocking pylons blocking off an area so they can bob/prune the trees, so, and I watched him do this, he got out of the car, MOVED THE PYLONS TO ANOTHER AREA, and parked his car right smack dab in the middle of  "no-no" zone.  Well, thought I, that's one way to do it.  I was laughing...and taking notes. :)

Stay tuned for more museum musings, plus the winning flavor from a contest held for a new flavor of potato chip.  You won't believe it.

Valentines Day Here We Come!

With Valentines Day just a few days away, my thoughts turn to sweets, and oh! how we've been enjoying all the goodies Cambridge has to offer...

Take for instance Newnham Bakery, a small, neighborhood, family-owned bakery just a 5-minute walk from Tyndale House, where Brad is studying.  My favorites are the chocolate croissants, but there are these flaky cinnamon butterfly-shaped creations that come in a close second.  We try to frequent their shop often!  Then there's Fitzbillies Bakery, which was listed as #9 in the most recent copy of the Cambridge City Guide of the Top 10 things you absolutely must do in Cambridge.  Their "Chelsea Buns" in particular are what made the list, and let me tell you, they are SOME KIND of scrumptious!!  They are a bit like dense and very sticky cinnamon rolls...Y-U-M-M-Y!!

The kiddos newest hot spot is called Mr. Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe, and they have almost 800 different kinds of candies and confections.  I have never in my life seen anything like it--they have two stories of cannisters with any kind of candy, chocolate, gum, you name it, on the planet.  It's a wonderful place to have discovered BEFORE Valentine's Day. :)

So, there you have it...a wrap-up of our favorite sweet spots and candy shops...I'm just thankful I have an excuse to NEED to go to at least one of these places before Feb 14th!

Duxford Imperial War Museum

One of our favorite outings to date has been to the Duxford Imperial War Museum.  Duxford is a small village just south of Cambridge, and this museum is "Europe's Premier Aviation Museum," with seven acres of indoor exhibition space, and almost 200 aircraft.  It is truly remarkable!  Here are a few snapshots from our most memorable day...

Our day began at the bus stop.  This was the children's first time to ride a city bus, and the anticipation was high!  We actually got to change buses a time or two, and we all felt very European. :)

Some of the kids' favorite parts were the ride simulators.  There were "hands on" simulators for so many different aspects of flying--I think they were geared towards children, but, well, we ALL enjoyed them!  We went to this one hangar that was a type of hospital for broken airplanes, and in it was a wealth of treasures.  In many ways this one was a favorite because many of the planes had not been cleaned up yet--they may have been crashed in WWII, and still were as they were found.  So, we each chose our favorite plane in the plane hospital, and below are the winners.  Points to anyone who recognizes any of them...

Can you read the name on the plane that Victoria chose?  It says, "Memphis Belle".  Interesting...a taste of home...  The next plane was the boys absolute favorite of the entire museum.  It was the Blackbird, the fastest plane ever flown (2193 mph), and the boys were completely mesmerized by it.  In fact, we have about 15 pictures of it, at various angles, compliments of son number one.  He and Daniel will happily give anyone who asks a full explanation. :)  And then, you may recognize the F15 in front of which are two people demonstrating right angles with the positioning of their feet.  :)

This next one has a great story with it.  Do you see what Victoria is standing in front of?   There USED to be a hangar, built in 1919, which housed all sorts of planes.  An interesting fact about this place is that part of the movie, "The Battle of Britain" was filmed right here at the War Museum.  For those who have seen it, do you remember when the hangar blew up?  Yes, you guessed it.  There was a hangar here that they blew up in the movie, and the reason the explosion looked so real was that it actually blew up in real life, too.  The guide told us that the folks here were not happy about it.  So, he told us that even though the airfield here was active during WWII, it received more damage from the making of the movie than during wartime.  Funny.  Anyway, Victoria is standing in front of where the hangar used to be.  It is now a parking lot.

WHEW!  What a day!! :)