The Tudors!!

2/12/10

In Durham we walked along the river- very beautiful. I felt like I was reading Huck and Finn. The weather was kind of crappy, but we stuck it out for a while and had a few impromptu tech lessons while analyzing one buildings- and getting more than a few odd looks. We decided not to stay in Durham and went home. Emma bought the first season of the Tudors in Durham and we ended up watching the first four episodes tonight- we got sucked in!

2/13/10

So I think its safe to say I officially like coffee now. I never thought it would happen, but I can drink it black and I don’t mind it at all. Its scaring me!

We went to see a folly in Richmond today for Emma’s fourth class. Before Emma, Sara, and I went grocery shopping for dinner tonight- Lasagna, garlic bread and apple pie. I have to admit the folly was a lot nicer than I was expecting. It was all made of the vernacular stone and had a square bottom with a octagonal top. There were four floors and a tiny spiral staircase to take you up. Now they have renovated it and rent it out to people for a few days at a time. The views of the town were amazing and the renovation was extremely nice- I wouldn’t have minded staying there for a weekend. After we went into town and walked around the market- I was quite tempted by the cheese and sausage selection, but considering our limited refrigerator space I had to hold back. We went back to Kiplin and played soccer- I got killed. Dave stepped on my other foot and boy and I in pain. Then, since the field was muddy because it rains at least once a day, I got too close for comfort to pulling my groin. I got Jenny and Dave to run a cool-down lap around the lake with me so I cold get a good stretch in. I might have to take a break from soccer for a few days…I was then called to the kitchen to start on dinner- mom would be proud of my lasagna skills. For dinner we’re all dressing up because, well, why not? After we made the boys clean up and we continued to feed our new addiction to the Tudors- now I know what Aunt Linda was talking about all this time!

2/14/10

Today was a VERY early day. We left for Hadrian’s Wall at 8:30- it was well worth it though. The wall is massive and the topography it goes through is ridiculous. I fell walking down one of the hills- boat shoes was not the best choice for today, we were practically hiking. After we drove to New Castle and (after getting lost a few times around the city) took a look at Byker new town. It was….interesting. I definitely didn’t jive with the style of architecture of the place, but the idea was good. It was a development that essentially built a wall to block the sound from a nearby highway and built housing for lower income families. There was a school, a sport complex, a church, and a few community greens. Unfortunately because of the type of people that were living there it lacked a sense of community and it wasn’t kept up well at all- one of the major battles with urban planning. We walked down to the Millennium Bridge, and then called it a day- we had to get Emma and Dave back in time to go on their Valentine’s Day date. I made meatloaf for dinner- just like home :) I was able to get some alone time and read my book for a bit, and then we watch two more episodes of the Tudors and went to bed.

2/15/10

Went running this morning- I finally ran three laps around the lake! I’m going to try and work my way up every week. Today is a work day- finally- and then we have a tech review at 4 for the exam tomorrow. It’s so weird we haven’t been working non-stop all weekend! It’s a very different lifestyle from studio in cp- and I like it.