After a long and wonderful month (in my opinion), without television service, the kids and Tony have overruled me and we, once again, are a part of the real world. The TV is back!!
Since we only have an American TV, we are unable to get British stations in our home (not that we are missing anything.) Eric has a TV in his room hooked up to the the PS2. The kids can play video games and watch movies in there. In the living room, we now have AFN!!
For those not familiar with it, you can read more at http://www.afneurope.net. I call it "Pot Luck TV" because you never know what you are going to get!! In theory, it's a great idea. We have approx. 8 stations. There is an AFN Sports channel. On it, could be anytime of sports program, including football (college or professional - any team), NASCAR, basketball, ESPN, etc. There is a AFN movie channel. This could be any movie, old or new, and any rating (but mostly family friendly.) There is a family channel (kids favorite one.) This will show any type of kid-friendly show. There could be Blue's Clues, Sesame Street, Sponge Bob or Hannah Montana. You get the point! There are no commercials (only military information, PR stuff, etc) and no syndication (it doesn't matter what network the shows normally air on.) The Prime channel could be any program that normally airs in prime time. Good Morning America is followed by the Today Show!
Now remember, we are quite a few hours ahead of you. Therefore we are usually watching shows from the day before (such as the late shows, Jay Leno, etc) or watching the morning shows in the afternoon/evening. We wake up with Letterman and spend the evening with Matt Lauer.
This past Sunday, the Cowboys played the late game. Therefore in England, it's the "wee hours of the morning game." The game started at 1:30 AM and, of course, Tony had to watch it. He came to bed at 4:30AM and the alarm went off at 6!! (Glad they won!) I laughed when I turned the TV on the next day and it was being replayed!!
It's nice to know what is going on in the states, it's nice to watch football again, and the kids love it!! For those wondering, there is no charge for the service. You buy the decoder box and satellite dish (we bought ours from someone on base) and have someone come out and install it. You must register, as only military are authorized to have it, but after that you can watch for free. That's better than cable!!
And as Al says, we're glad to know "..what's happening in your neck of the woods!"
Cheers!
*Funny side note, since there is only 1 box/decoder we can only pick up one station at a time. Therefore, if we connect the TV in our room, the person upstairs has to watch the same thing the person downstairs is. So much for channel surfing! :O)
Friday, 21 November 2008
Friday, 14 November 2008
Day at Cambridge
This Tuesday, we spent a fun day in Cambridge. We drove our CRV (yes, it arrived safely, modifications have been made and we are awaiting British plates,) to a Park and Ride station on the outskirts of the city, hopped on a double decker bus (Sarah's favorite part) and went to see the colleges. We had a 2 hour guided walking tour of the city (complete with a trip inside the chapel of Kings College,) ate at a local pub and attended the evening song service at Kings College. It was a great day and amazing to walk the same path as some of the great minds of the past (including Isaac Newton and A.A. Milne.) The river was beautiful, but too cold for a "punt" ride. We'll have to go back in the spring for that!
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Home Sweet Home!
As you can see, we finally got all of our computer gear up and running and I can now download some pictures for you to see.
Here is a photo of our new house. For those of you who like to use Google Earth, our actual British address is:
Here is a photo of our new house. For those of you who like to use Google Earth, our actual British address is:
42 Heatherset Way
Red Lodge
Bury St Edmunds
IP28 8JR
But please just use our APO address for letters. It's much cheaper!
We are finally getting down to the last few boxes and making our new house feel like home. We have had to downsize once again to make room for everything. I just took another load to the Airman's Attic today. It's amazing what you can live without when you need to.
Odd things about British houses:
The walls are made of cinder blocks. Therefore they are hard, like concrete, and difficult to hang things on. Tony had to buy a masonry bit and must first drill into the wall before inserting a nail. We will definitely be conservative when it comes to hanging things! Some people I have talked to are not allowed to hang anything or are charged 2 pounds (approx. $3.50) per hole they make!!
There are no electrical outlets in the bathrooms. The lights are turned on by pulling a string hanging near the door. No wall outlets at all!! Doesn't that make getting ready interesting? We are currently using our 4th bedroom as the "beauty parlor."
Electricity is VERY expensive. We must be very careful about leaving things on, especially the transformers and turning everything off and unplugging when not in use. The utility bills are a major reason that people chose to live on base. Of course, everything is 220 volt off base. Therefore all the plugs look much different and nothing American can plug into the outlets. We must use transformers (heavy black boxes about the size of a loaf of bread) to convert the electricity to 110 so we can use our American appliances. Our lamps do work with a converter plug and a 220 light bulb. We have chosen to buy some British appliances (coffee pot, hair dryer, curling iron, clocks, radio/CD player, etc) Many of these are dual voltage and can be brought back to the states. It's cheaper to use 220 appliances than to run 110 appliances with a transformer.
There are no street lights on our street. This is actually a positive thing. We are able to lay in bed and see a million stars in the sky. Since there are no screens on the windows, the view is amazing!
Usually British houses do not have closets (3 out of 4 of ours does.) Eric is the lucky guy without one. His clothes are hanging in the 4th bedroom. Feltwell does have wardrobes to lend out. But now that we have Eric's room all set up, we like it better without one.
British homes do not have doorknobs. I've heard this was some crazy tax thing of the past. You were taxed on your doorknobs. Therefore, we have a handle type door opener, but no circular knobs. Every lockable door (front, back, side, garage, etc) all have separate locks and separate keys. We have a key box in the kitchen and I have had to go through and color code all the keys. You must also use a key to lock from the inside.
Most homes do not have grass in the front yard (see photo above.) Since the roads are so narrow and parking is limited, most people just pull up into the yard and park in the gravel. You know how much I like to mow. This will take some getting used to. Our back yard does have grass though! And people mow 12 months out of the year I have heard. The grass is still green here, but many trees are turning colors and the leaves are falling. It's beautiful!
I will post more photos once the house gets a little more organized. It could not come fast enough for Tony!
Hope all is well with you. Lots of love from our new home to yours.....
Red Lodge
Bury St Edmunds
IP28 8JR
But please just use our APO address for letters. It's much cheaper!
We are finally getting down to the last few boxes and making our new house feel like home. We have had to downsize once again to make room for everything. I just took another load to the Airman's Attic today. It's amazing what you can live without when you need to.
Odd things about British houses:
The walls are made of cinder blocks. Therefore they are hard, like concrete, and difficult to hang things on. Tony had to buy a masonry bit and must first drill into the wall before inserting a nail. We will definitely be conservative when it comes to hanging things! Some people I have talked to are not allowed to hang anything or are charged 2 pounds (approx. $3.50) per hole they make!!
There are no electrical outlets in the bathrooms. The lights are turned on by pulling a string hanging near the door. No wall outlets at all!! Doesn't that make getting ready interesting? We are currently using our 4th bedroom as the "beauty parlor."
Electricity is VERY expensive. We must be very careful about leaving things on, especially the transformers and turning everything off and unplugging when not in use. The utility bills are a major reason that people chose to live on base. Of course, everything is 220 volt off base. Therefore all the plugs look much different and nothing American can plug into the outlets. We must use transformers (heavy black boxes about the size of a loaf of bread) to convert the electricity to 110 so we can use our American appliances. Our lamps do work with a converter plug and a 220 light bulb. We have chosen to buy some British appliances (coffee pot, hair dryer, curling iron, clocks, radio/CD player, etc) Many of these are dual voltage and can be brought back to the states. It's cheaper to use 220 appliances than to run 110 appliances with a transformer.
There are no street lights on our street. This is actually a positive thing. We are able to lay in bed and see a million stars in the sky. Since there are no screens on the windows, the view is amazing!
Usually British houses do not have closets (3 out of 4 of ours does.) Eric is the lucky guy without one. His clothes are hanging in the 4th bedroom. Feltwell does have wardrobes to lend out. But now that we have Eric's room all set up, we like it better without one.
British homes do not have doorknobs. I've heard this was some crazy tax thing of the past. You were taxed on your doorknobs. Therefore, we have a handle type door opener, but no circular knobs. Every lockable door (front, back, side, garage, etc) all have separate locks and separate keys. We have a key box in the kitchen and I have had to go through and color code all the keys. You must also use a key to lock from the inside.
Most homes do not have grass in the front yard (see photo above.) Since the roads are so narrow and parking is limited, most people just pull up into the yard and park in the gravel. You know how much I like to mow. This will take some getting used to. Our back yard does have grass though! And people mow 12 months out of the year I have heard. The grass is still green here, but many trees are turning colors and the leaves are falling. It's beautiful!
I will post more photos once the house gets a little more organized. It could not come fast enough for Tony!
Hope all is well with you. Lots of love from our new home to yours.....
Happy Halloween
Hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween. We did!
Yes, the British do go Trick or Treating. Since it gets dark here by 4:30, the little ghosts and goblins come out early. It is custom to set out your pumpkins and turn on your porch light if you wish to have guests. The little ones start about 5. We did have a few come to our house. Sarah always enjoys handing out the candy almost as much as receiving it! As the night goes on the kids get older. The little ones are done by 7 or so, and then the scary costumes come out. When you no longer wish to pass out candy, you turn off your light and bring in your pumpkins. I think it is a great idea. This way, the little ones are protected from the scary images.
Sarah was Queen Susan from Narnia this year, complete with her bow and arrow. Eric wanted to be something scary or gross. Since you know how much I dislike Halloween, you can imagine this was tough for me. It's not easy when you can no longer chose your child's costume and get them dressed as you wish! After much discussion and compromise, he decided on a skeleton. Both of the costumes were purchased here in England.
Around 6pm, we headed out for the base. There were tons of kids, both American and British, and lots of candy to be had. The temp was probably in the upper 40's, but no rain!! They both had a great time. We were home before 8!
Of course, I was reminded of the great Halloweens in the past. I thought of Fun Fest in Wichita Falls, Mario and Luigi, the parade at Hill Field and sitting on my front porch with Tonya and Rosie drinking hot chocolate. Michelle, remember Cody the spider from SD?
Thanks for all the great memories. Hope yours was happy too!
Week 2 Update
Hello all! It's hard to believe another week has came and went. At times it feels like we have been here for awhile, yet other times like we were in Utah only yesterday. We still miss you all and long to feel settled and comfortable in our new land.
Let me fill you in on our exciting week:
Found a house!! We hope to sign the lease on Monday and move-in (with what few things we have) sometime next week. Our house is in the town of Red Lodge (I know, a bit disappointing on the name. It sounds more like a town in Montana than England!) It is closer to the base and makes for a much easier commute for us all. The closest town (with British charm) is Newmarket for those of you who plan to Google it later. Red Lodge is known as 'Little America' by the guys at the school bus office, due to the large amounts of military kids who live there. This is good news for our kids who are hungry to meet other kids and make friends!
We will rent a 4 bedroom house with closets! It is an older house with lots of charm. I will send pics as soon as I can. Our landlord lives in Sweden and is very open to us painting, gardening and making the house feel like our home. Downstairs has a lounge (living room), kitchen, dining room, water closet (sink/toilet) and a converted garage with will be our utility/laundry/craft/storage room. Upstairs has 4 bedrooms, all about the same size and a family bathroom (no separate bath off the master bedroom - whichever room that may be.) The front yard is very small, but the backyard is nice and has a deck and small fish pond (like the Baker's but this one has fish!) The kids like it and hopefully will stay out of it when the newness wears off. We have met one of our neighbors (ammo guy) and his wife Caron. They seem very nice.
The kids started school this week and really like it. Eric will attend Liberty Intermediate School and Sarah will attend Lakenheath Elementary (websites available for both). Both of their teachers are grandma's and seem very nice. Sarah really likes Mrs. Hegstrom, who stands about 5 feet tall. They both have prep/special classes that they attend each day, like Hill Field. These classes include music, art, PE, and host nation (which they will learn about England and Great Britain!) Sarah also attends a Spanish class during the week, which she loves!
They will both ride the same bus to and from school (as their schools are both on Lakenheath) and the bus picks up/drops off only 150 yards from our house. They both think their schools are much different than Utah and more advanced. (Sarah has weekly spelling tests) But they are excited about the year and happy to go to school each day. When we move into our house they will be getting on the bus at 7:15 in the morning!! I will let you know then if their opinion changes :O)
Bought a British car. It is a blue 2002 Rover (you can probably Google this too). Very common British car and we got a super good deal on it. Steering wheel is on the right side. It still seems big to me, but at least we can get around. Well, I have yet to drive, but when Tony starts work next week I guess I'll have to start. Still nervous about that. The road system here is nuts!!
Tony finally goes to work next week!! Still not sure what his job will be. I will try to update you next week.
Went to the chapel last week on base for church. Very small congregation, not many kids. Plan to attend Brandon church of Christ tomorrow. We have friends of friends who used to attend there.
Went to Ely Cathedral today and Weeting Castle. The cathedral was amazing! (see photos above)
Went to a pub on Wednesday night. Finally had fish and chips!
The Hendersons may come for Thanksgiving!!!
Well, I guess that gets you all caught up on our lives. I'm off to the BX for a few things (walking as it is very close to our TLF - and I don't drive yet!) Hope this update finds you all well.
Look forward to an update from your worlds too! Hugs to all! Cheers!
Let me fill you in on our exciting week:
Found a house!! We hope to sign the lease on Monday and move-in (with what few things we have) sometime next week. Our house is in the town of Red Lodge (I know, a bit disappointing on the name. It sounds more like a town in Montana than England!) It is closer to the base and makes for a much easier commute for us all. The closest town (with British charm) is Newmarket for those of you who plan to Google it later. Red Lodge is known as 'Little America' by the guys at the school bus office, due to the large amounts of military kids who live there. This is good news for our kids who are hungry to meet other kids and make friends!
We will rent a 4 bedroom house with closets! It is an older house with lots of charm. I will send pics as soon as I can. Our landlord lives in Sweden and is very open to us painting, gardening and making the house feel like our home. Downstairs has a lounge (living room), kitchen, dining room, water closet (sink/toilet) and a converted garage with will be our utility/laundry/craft/storage room. Upstairs has 4 bedrooms, all about the same size and a family bathroom (no separate bath off the master bedroom - whichever room that may be.) The front yard is very small, but the backyard is nice and has a deck and small fish pond (like the Baker's but this one has fish!) The kids like it and hopefully will stay out of it when the newness wears off. We have met one of our neighbors (ammo guy) and his wife Caron. They seem very nice.
The kids started school this week and really like it. Eric will attend Liberty Intermediate School and Sarah will attend Lakenheath Elementary (websites available for both). Both of their teachers are grandma's and seem very nice. Sarah really likes Mrs. Hegstrom, who stands about 5 feet tall. They both have prep/special classes that they attend each day, like Hill Field. These classes include music, art, PE, and host nation (which they will learn about England and Great Britain!) Sarah also attends a Spanish class during the week, which she loves!
They will both ride the same bus to and from school (as their schools are both on Lakenheath) and the bus picks up/drops off only 150 yards from our house. They both think their schools are much different than Utah and more advanced. (Sarah has weekly spelling tests) But they are excited about the year and happy to go to school each day. When we move into our house they will be getting on the bus at 7:15 in the morning!! I will let you know then if their opinion changes :O)
Bought a British car. It is a blue 2002 Rover (you can probably Google this too). Very common British car and we got a super good deal on it. Steering wheel is on the right side. It still seems big to me, but at least we can get around. Well, I have yet to drive, but when Tony starts work next week I guess I'll have to start. Still nervous about that. The road system here is nuts!!
Tony finally goes to work next week!! Still not sure what his job will be. I will try to update you next week.
Went to the chapel last week on base for church. Very small congregation, not many kids. Plan to attend Brandon church of Christ tomorrow. We have friends of friends who used to attend there.
Went to Ely Cathedral today and Weeting Castle. The cathedral was amazing! (see photos above)
Went to a pub on Wednesday night. Finally had fish and chips!
The Hendersons may come for Thanksgiving!!!
Well, I guess that gets you all caught up on our lives. I'm off to the BX for a few things (walking as it is very close to our TLF - and I don't drive yet!) Hope this update finds you all well.
Look forward to an update from your worlds too! Hugs to all! Cheers!
Week 1 Update
It's hard to believe we've been here a week now. This time last week, we had just arrived and were fast asleep in our TLF. Today, we're still in TLF and still trying to sleep at the correct times. It is still hard getting the kids on a normal routine. They want to stay up late and sleep in. That will soon change as they begin to attend school once again. They just took their own 'fall break.'
We have spent the week house hunting, car shopping, set up a 'pound account' to pay our reoccurring bills in British pounds and access our money in pounds, in process, listen to briefings, take a driving class and get our British driver's license.
On Sunday, we did work in a visit to Norwich to visit a castle (see photo above), museum and a local mall. We have yet to eat 'fish and chips' or go to a pub. That will come in time.
We still have no house, no car and the kids are not in school. There are 2 elementary schools here. Which one you attend depends on where you live. Since we don't have a house, we are not quite sure which one they will go to. We did find a great house in the town of Thetford and placed a hold on it. However, once we enrolled the kids (to start on Tues) and contacted the bus office, we learned they would be on the bus 45 minutes to and from school each day (each way!) Since that seems very very long to me, we are continuing to look at other houses. Hopefully we will have reached a decision before they are scheduled to start on Tuesday. We don't want to start them and then have to re-start them at the other school, although both schools are equally nice.
Things we have learned this week:The British are in no hurry for anything. The lines are long, traffic is slow, things take forever and no one seems to mind. Even the internet is painfully slower than the DSL we are used to. OK, so I did want a slower pace....we found it!
On a positive note, everyone is super nice and talks very cool!
The commissary has weird fruit we have never heard of. Eric loves it and wants to try something new every time we go. Since the refrigerators are so much smaller, you are forced to go more often. The lines there are long too!
The washing machines take longer too. It takes about 2 hours (no joke) to do a very small size load. Good thing we don't have many clothes right now. I thought I could not get caught up in the states!!
The houses are much much smaller than American homes and do not have closets. We are looking at 4 bedroom houses to rent, but usually that means at least one of the bedrooms would not be large enough to fit a bed in. And you still need to fit wardrobes (closets with walls and a door - like Narnia, but not as fancy) in the room as well. We are struggling to find a house with enough space in our price range. Please pray we find something soon. Thanks!
It does not rain everyday. It has been sunny and nice for the last 3 days. We still wear light jackets, but it has been very pleasant.
The roads and driving is nuts!! Tony and I sat through a 3 hour class then had to pass a written drivers test to get our license. We both passed, but have yet to drive a car. We want to buy a British car (steering wheel on right side) to help with driving on the left hand side of the road. I'm sure once we get used to it, driving on the right side will seem odd. There are no red lights or 4 way stops, the British have 'roundabouts' which keep the traffic constantly moving in a clockwise motion. It actually makes sense, just hard to get used to. The roads are very narrow and usually have trees or bushes right up to the edge of the road. There are no shoulders on the smaller roads around base. We will either buy or rent a car this weekend, so we do not have to keep depending on Tony's friend to take us everywhere.
Our new adventure will take some getting used to. This PCS is like no other. And we thought Utah was another country! :O) But we know God has placed us in this beautiful land for a reason and we are blessed to be here. We will keep positive attitudes, open minds and encouraging thoughts. The kids are happy (of course, they are still on 'fall break!') and our family is together.
We miss all of our friends and family!! (but I am able to call the Henderson's via the switchboard and DSN for no charge!)
You are each a blessing to our lives and treasure our memories and friendships with you all. Please keep us in your prayers during our time of transition. Please pray we make wise choices regarding our housing, as this affects our children, their schools and future friendships there. I guess that is our main concern right now. It seems if we get that settled, as else will fall in place in time.
Thanks for your continued prayers and your gift of friendship. Cheers from England!
We have spent the week house hunting, car shopping, set up a 'pound account' to pay our reoccurring bills in British pounds and access our money in pounds, in process, listen to briefings, take a driving class and get our British driver's license.
On Sunday, we did work in a visit to Norwich to visit a castle (see photo above), museum and a local mall. We have yet to eat 'fish and chips' or go to a pub. That will come in time.
We still have no house, no car and the kids are not in school. There are 2 elementary schools here. Which one you attend depends on where you live. Since we don't have a house, we are not quite sure which one they will go to. We did find a great house in the town of Thetford and placed a hold on it. However, once we enrolled the kids (to start on Tues) and contacted the bus office, we learned they would be on the bus 45 minutes to and from school each day (each way!) Since that seems very very long to me, we are continuing to look at other houses. Hopefully we will have reached a decision before they are scheduled to start on Tuesday. We don't want to start them and then have to re-start them at the other school, although both schools are equally nice.
Things we have learned this week:The British are in no hurry for anything. The lines are long, traffic is slow, things take forever and no one seems to mind. Even the internet is painfully slower than the DSL we are used to. OK, so I did want a slower pace....we found it!
On a positive note, everyone is super nice and talks very cool!
The commissary has weird fruit we have never heard of. Eric loves it and wants to try something new every time we go. Since the refrigerators are so much smaller, you are forced to go more often. The lines there are long too!
The washing machines take longer too. It takes about 2 hours (no joke) to do a very small size load. Good thing we don't have many clothes right now. I thought I could not get caught up in the states!!
The houses are much much smaller than American homes and do not have closets. We are looking at 4 bedroom houses to rent, but usually that means at least one of the bedrooms would not be large enough to fit a bed in. And you still need to fit wardrobes (closets with walls and a door - like Narnia, but not as fancy) in the room as well. We are struggling to find a house with enough space in our price range. Please pray we find something soon. Thanks!
It does not rain everyday. It has been sunny and nice for the last 3 days. We still wear light jackets, but it has been very pleasant.
The roads and driving is nuts!! Tony and I sat through a 3 hour class then had to pass a written drivers test to get our license. We both passed, but have yet to drive a car. We want to buy a British car (steering wheel on right side) to help with driving on the left hand side of the road. I'm sure once we get used to it, driving on the right side will seem odd. There are no red lights or 4 way stops, the British have 'roundabouts' which keep the traffic constantly moving in a clockwise motion. It actually makes sense, just hard to get used to. The roads are very narrow and usually have trees or bushes right up to the edge of the road. There are no shoulders on the smaller roads around base. We will either buy or rent a car this weekend, so we do not have to keep depending on Tony's friend to take us everywhere.
Our new adventure will take some getting used to. This PCS is like no other. And we thought Utah was another country! :O) But we know God has placed us in this beautiful land for a reason and we are blessed to be here. We will keep positive attitudes, open minds and encouraging thoughts. The kids are happy (of course, they are still on 'fall break!') and our family is together.
We miss all of our friends and family!! (but I am able to call the Henderson's via the switchboard and DSN for no charge!)
You are each a blessing to our lives and treasure our memories and friendships with you all. Please keep us in your prayers during our time of transition. Please pray we make wise choices regarding our housing, as this affects our children, their schools and future friendships there. I guess that is our main concern right now. It seems if we get that settled, as else will fall in place in time.
Thanks for your continued prayers and your gift of friendship. Cheers from England!
We're Here!
Hello from England! Just a quick note to let you know we have arrived safely at Lakenheath. We survived the plane ride and bus ride and have settled into TLF (like a furnished apartment on base) until we find a house. We spent most of the day yesterday sleeping and most of today walking around on base (our car will not arrive until mid November.) The base is nice and the people are friendly (and the locals talk way cool!) It is cold and rainy here (in the low 50's.) We plan to spend the next few days looking for a house and car and learning the area. We hope to start the kids in school next week.
We will check our email often, tnsbomar@hotmail.com.
You may also write to us at:
PSC 41 Box 2473
APO, AE 09464
Just a regular stamp will get it here!
A big THANK YOU for all of you who helped make our last week so easy, so enjoyable and so memorable. Thanks for all the meals, cards and fellowship. We miss you all and you are each a blessing to our lives.
We will check our email often, tnsbomar@hotmail.com.
You may also write to us at:
PSC 41 Box 2473
APO, AE 09464
Just a regular stamp will get it here!
A big THANK YOU for all of you who helped make our last week so easy, so enjoyable and so memorable. Thanks for all the meals, cards and fellowship. We miss you all and you are each a blessing to our lives.
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