COMPUTER MELTDOWN!!!

There's something very, very wrong with my computer keyboard. Every time I try to type a sentence, it comes out all gibberish-y. (DELL computers: Oh, how I hate thee.) If I type veeeeeery softly, the problem isn't as bad. So, I'll try my best to post. I have some stuff saved that I wrote before the crash that should transfer just fine, so I'll start with that tonight.

I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that all was well. I'm so sorry about all of the emails that I haven't answered and the days where I haven't been able to post. I miss everyone! Between the lack of internet connection and this stupid computer of mine, it's like all of technology has conspired against me.

Without email, the internet, and this blog, I'm going a little mad. I stare out the windows at the lovely English countryside, and wish for some sort of connection to civilization. A car? A working computer? A cell phone? American television?

MRRRRGH!!!

We're in the new house!!

We've been without internet access for the last few days, and I've been dying to get online to post a trip update. Matt got the computer all set up, though, and I'll report back with pictures later tonight.

For now, though, here's the scoop:

After a looooong travel day yesterday, we're finally in our Maryport house. Yay! It's very big, very old, and has a ton of character. More later!

Tree Huggers

My favorite part of the day was the hike that we took to the base of a giant old oak tree on the Longleat House grounds. One of the most favorite pastimes in the UK is hiking. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can totally understand the allure. Even though we only walked a fairly short distance, it was still really lovely. With the sunshine, the green grass, and the beautiful old trees surrounding us, I was completely blissed out. All three of us really enjoyed it. And check out this tree! Isn't it amazing??

Longleat Adventure Castle

Frankie's favorite part of the day was the kids playground that was attached to Longleat House. It was called the "Longleat Adventure Castle." I have to admit, it was a pretty spectacular playplace. There was a giant recreation of a medieval castle, filled on the inside with ladders, slides, trampolines, and all kinds of semi-hazardous activities.

Around the adventure castle, they had zip lines, rock walls, climbing towers, obstacle courses, rope spider webs, and... Well, honestly more activities than I can even remember.

If that isn't enough activity to wear you out, they also have a boating trip you can take around a lagoon (the lagoon is home to a family of sea lions), a miniature train trip through the woods, a hedge maze, and a  "safari adventure" where you can drive your car through a park where lions, zebras, hippos, and all kinds of other decidely non-British animals are lounging around.

I think Frankie would have just been happy riding that zip line up and down until the sun set.

Longleat House

The main attraction in Warminster is a place called Longleat House. It's a huge Elizabthean mansion set within 900 acres of seemingly endless, parklike grounds. 

I'm not sure that the enormity or the majesty of the house really translates in pictures. Walking around the lawns and gardens was a really amazing experience. It wasn't crowded at all, and at times it felt like we had the whole grounds to ourselves.

I'm not sure that Frankie was too impressed by the big house, but she sure did have a great time running around on the grass, challenging her dad to foot races.

Images From a Beautiful British Day

It was absolutely beautiful today: 60s, bright blue sky, no breeze, shining sun. It was the kind of day that makes you want to sit on a blanket in the grass, looking up at the sky.

To maximize the amount of time we could spend in the sunshine, we took a break from the city today, and drove through the windy countryside roads past Bath towards Warminster. It was, in a word, lovely.

A Day at the Zoo

"Grilled Cheese Incident" aside, we finally made it to the Bristol Zoo this afternoon. It was an interesting little zoo, with a nice mix of indoor and outdoor habitats. The indoor habitats were especially helpful, since it rained on and off all afternoon. It wasn't so bad, though. I went into this trip expecting it to be constantly rainy, so finally seeing the rain today seemed like the weather was fulfilling some sort of contractual obligation. I'm sure I'll get sick of it eventually, but it was actually kind of fun walking around in the English drizzle. It seemed so... appropriate. 

Another interesting thing about the zoo was that it was located in a fairly busy part of town, and was surrounded by a college and all kinds of multi-story townhomes. You could live near the zoo, and literally look out of your window and see the lion and monkey habitats. 

Also, the zoo let the visitors get surprisingly close to the animals. The flamingo and lemur cages, for example, were completely open to the public. You could walk into the habitat, and stand literally inches away from the animals.  The footpaths by the other exhibits were similarly designed for close encounters. Frankie actually brushed up against a capybara's fur, and could have reached out and touched a penguin.

Here's the most significant thing I learned today: pygmy hippos are adorable. Behold them if you dare...