Summer, here we come!

It is officially summer here in London.  Alex had his last day of school on Thursday.  I took a couple of photos to show you how beautiful his school was on that day. 

It was a perfect 75 degrees with hardly a cloud in the sky.  If you look to the left in this picture you can see the Moms waiting outside for release-time.

Not a school bus, for sure.

This particular programme was started 20 years ago.  However, the building has been around since 1821 and has wonderful architectural bits both inside and out.

Here's Alex with his buddy Patrick and assistant teacher Ms. Bell.  She said she wouldn't dare miss the opportunity to say goodbye to her American students.

Oxford here I come!

Wimble-de-don 2008

Hey, look where we've been recently.  You know you are spoiled when you wake up in the morning and say, "Andrew, let's go to Wimbledon today, okay?"  And then you can get there within one hour.

We are sooooo lucky.

Wimbledon is one of the first things I thought of when we were talking about moving to London.  I knew it would be something I would see.  But then, we get here and find out that you have to sign up/be part of lottery starting in January, OR be related to Her Majesty in some form or fashion.

Which we ain't, for sure.

It also costs an arm-and-a-leg.  I really need mine these days so that is not an option at this point.  

However, we now know how it works......and next year John and I will go sans kids.

We lucked out this year with walk-up tickets.  We chose (1)a Wednesday, (2)a day slated for rain, and (3) a day that is not part of the finals.  In other words, cheap tickets; or at least cheap for London standards.  (I'm not converting, I'm not converting...)

Here is Andrew with his giant Wimbledon tennis ball.  It really is bigger than his head.  The grounds are beautiful with purple, lavender and aubergine flowers.  Hanging baskets everywhere.   Gorgeous.  Absolutely gorgeous.

And in keeping with tradition we had the obligatory strawberries and cream.  I had to explain to Andrew that "cream" was the same thing as melted ice cream.  He was quite willing to give it a try after that.

Scoreboard full of names I don't know.  (except for a couple of course)

 

With our ground-entry tickets we were allowed to hop in and out of matches.  Any match, that is, except Centre Court, Court 1 and Court 2.  Bummer.  Those courts actually had guards in full military uniform standing at the entrances so there was no sneakin' in.   This is an American in the Juniors league....Bradley something-or-other.

This is our first rain delay.  (we had 2)  The game was stopped and then all these little elves appear and work magic within seconds to cover up the grass courts.  It was just as fun to watch as the games;  amazingly organized, quick, and regimented.  

You've probably seen this view on t.v.   It is "the hill".  They run documentaries and live games on the big screen.

Note to self: 6 year olds are not entertained by tennis.

Andrew survives the day.  (pre meltdown) 

(see the hanging baskets above his head?) ( I've just got to get a telephoto lens....)

Tu parles fran§ais?

Guess what......

Alex won an award last night at Abercorn's Annual Prize Giving.  (yes, that's actually what they call it.)

An annual ceremony held at the end of the school term, the Prize Giving Ceremony is a BIG deal.

Unbeknownst to us.

At first we weren't even going to attend because John had another commitment with work and we had not been told we were even "in-the-running" for any award.    The ceremony was held at the beautiful Landmark Hotel and even included tea and biscuits prior to starting.

Quite posh and British, I say.

Luckily, I had dressed smart.  I had even been able to convince Andrew to change his shirt, which is an effort that deserves it's own award these days.

We were able to sit next to the McGee clan, who also had been through the same "change-your- shirt-or-you-will-loose-your-wii-privileges" discussion.

The ceremony started with a song which was sung by the entire TOGS (The Old Grammar School) student body and the upper school (Wyndham) campus.  

Don't forget, these kidos are in uniform......coat, tie, etc.

...singing in Latin!

It couldn't get any more "Harry Potter" than that.  Molly and I were stunned.

The TOGS campus includes Levels 4,5, and 6.  (grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th)  The Wyndham campus includes levels 7 and 8.  (grades 6th and 7th).  

Awards were given in each Level, for each subject.  Geography, English, Maths, Science, French.

You can't imagine how my heart jumped when they were naming the Level 4 awards.  "Alex Dames- French"

 I almost dropped my teacup.

So, out of approximately 30+ students in his Level, Alex was nominated by the French teacher for the award.  

I am immensely proud.  I think it says ALOT.  Yes, we did work at home on his pronunciation and spelling.  (My 1 semester at Purdue did us some good!)  But don't forget......the majority of the students had already had a couple of years of study!

I think his private Spanish lessons last year in Richmond may have had something to do with it.  But don't tell him that.

He received a certificate and a French dictionary, not to mention a handshake from the Chairman/Board of Directors.  All of this in front of 300+ people.

We're not in Kansas anymore, my friends.

The picture above was taken this morning, begrudgingly.

And I guess it confirms we know a little bit more than "croissants".