There were carnival rides in the town centre and down the side streets, mince pies and mulled wine at every booth, and familiar faces everywhere--it was like going to the Fremont Art & Wine Festival without having to call anyone to meet up! I volunteered at the Badgemore booth later on in the evening to help break things down and Stegen took the kids to one of Audrey's teacher's house on the main drag for an impromptu dad and kid playdate. I think we may have kept the kids out a little too late...?
Yesterday, Stegen got to take the train out to London after work and meet up with our friend, Chao, who was on the tail-end of his European vacation. Chao is officially our first friend to visit us in our new home country! Here are the guys having dinner at a pub and checking out Big Ben...again:
Our awesome friends sent over a little package with Chao and really made us miss home--thanks again for the shirt, Bill! Will and Anne, you definitely make life twice as good...we miss you both!
Speaking of awesome people, our landlords strike again! When Peter and Louise were over fixing the fence on Wednesday, Louise and I began chatting about Christmas and all of our preparations. We got onto the topic of Christmas trees--specifically about where to get one and how to huff it home since we still don't have a car. She had been under the impression that we had recently purchased a car, but when she found out that we were still carless, she immediately dropped everything and drove me to the beautiful Toad Hall Christmas Nursery, helped me pick a tree, and stayed until we found the perfect spot for it to surprise the kids. If I were in a Disney movie, Peter and Louise would definitely be our fairy godparents! Here's our little tree in the conservatory:
I think there might be more to say about the happenings of this week, but the mulled wine (which I've realized I'm not a fan of) and the exhaustion are making the words swim on this page. As I type this in the "warmth" of our house, my fingers are freezing and I'm pretty sure I can see my breath in front of me...and according to the folks of Henley, it's not even cold yet!
Amazing the sense of community you've found there. I'm starting to get the impression the move was a very good idea, especially for the kids.
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