Brighton Rocks

We went to Brighton today. Brighton is a popular getaway on the southern coast of England. It's about an hour train ride from London.

We walked around some cool shops and restaurants in an area of narrow streets called The Lanes. Then we walked down to the beach and spent some time on the Brighton Pier. There are arcades, rides, and fish & chips joints on the pier. Here's a video of me on the merry-go-round. I held on to the horses ears pretty tight just so Mama wouldn't worry. I wasn't scared at all...

After we rode on the merry-go-round, we walked around the pier a little bit. McKenzie was a little tentative walking on the planks. You can see the ocean underneath them.

After we spent a while on the pier, we walked along the beach. Here's a picture of Mama and me sitting near the beachfront. You can see catamarans lined up on the beach. That's the remains of the West Pier out in the ocean. It burned down a few years ago, after being closed for about 30 years before. I guess no one has the heart to tear it down all the way.

Science Museum

We went to the Science Museum yesterday. The Science Museum is in West London, near the South Kensington tube station. Admission is free. And not the kind of free where you're supposed to give a "donation" to get in, either. It's just free.

The museum is so big, we only saw three of its seven floors in the three hours we were there. We'll go back again later for the rest. We saw a bunch of airplanes, some cars, trains, and some other stuff that's cool for us kids. We also observed the principles of fluid dynamics by playing in the water.

Tower of London

We went to the Tower of London today. We took the tube to the Tower Hill station. Here's the view walking out of the station.

The Tower of London isn't much of a tower. At least not the way I build towers with my Lego blocks. It's more like a castle. There were lots of walls and stairs. And ravens too.

Here's a picture of McKenzie behind the White Tower. You can see the Tower Bridge in the background.

We also saw the Crown Jewels while we were there. They wouldn't let us take any pictures of the Jewels, so I can't show them to you. But take my word for it: somebody really likes diamonds.

After we explored the Tower of London for a few hours, we walked across the Tower Bridge. We saw some cool views from the bridge. Below is a picture of the Tower of London taken from the Tower Bridge, with the city in the background. The next picture is of the London Bridge (lit up in red) with the HMS Belfast in the foreground, taken from the Tower Bridge. Daddy took that picture, so it's a little blurry. Contrary to what the song says, the London Bridge is not falling down.

Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! Actually by now it's Boxing Day.

Happy Boxing Day!

We had a fun Christmas. We opened presents, played with toys, ate a good dinner, and opened crackers. Crackers are little wrapped tubes. Two people yank on each end until it pops. Whoever ends up with the middle part gets what's inside: a toy, a lame joke, and a paper crown. It's a British tradition. Check out the video:

In case you're wondering what I got for Christmas, I got a bunch of cool stuff, including new tracks for my train.

Christmas Shopping

We did some Christmas shopping London style last weekend. On Saturday we went to Oxford Street, one of Europe's biggest shopping streets. We took the tube to Tottenham Court Road and then walked down Oxford Street past Oxford Circus for a while before heading back. Oxford Street was packed with people, including these santas playing Christmas music.

On Christmas Eve we went into Croydon. There are a couple of malls there. While we were walking around Croydon, we stumbled onto the Surrey Street Market. It's a big street market with lots of vendors, mostly selling fresh fruits and vegetables. We got a fresh pineapple and some mangos and avocados. We ate them as soon as we got home. They were yummy.

Hyde Park

We went to Hyde Park last Saturday for the Winter Wonderland. We rode on the tube to get there. That's what you blokes probably call a subway. Winter Wonderland is a festival that runs through December in one of London's largest and most famous parks. They have rides and a some booths selling Christmasy stuff. After I rode on a few rides, we bought an ornament for Grandma. Don't tell her, though. It's a surprise.

Christmas Parties

A few weeks ago we had our Ward Christmas Party at church. The activities chairperson asked Mama if she would cook a turkey. So, we ordered a turkey online and had it delivered to our house. Mama cooked it up perfect. Only problem was, it's hard to get a turkey to church without a car.

We live walking distance from church, but walking distance carrying a turkey is a little longer than walking distance pushing a stroller. Unless you combine the two: put the turkey in the stroller. We wrapped it up in aluminum foil and a towel and secured it with Daddy's belt. About 15 minutes later, it arrived safely at the church.

The next week, we had our Stake Primary Christmas Party. We played games, sang songs, and got presents from Santa. Santa talks with a funny accent when he's in London...

Wimbledon

You haven't heard from me in a while because we haven't had internet access. The landlord was kind enough to let us free-ride on his old account for a while, but after a while he cut it off. It's back now and I'm back to posting.

One of our first weekends here we went to Wimbledon. The town, not the tennis courts. Wimbledon is about a 10 minute train ride away. Daddy had to do a little shopping there.

While we were walking down the street, we stumbled across this little kiddie ride right in the middle of the sidewalk. I made Daddy pay £6 so Mama, McKenzie, and I could ride it.

Fish & Chips

We got a taste of the local culture this week and went to a fish & chips restaurant. ("Chips" is what they call fries, here.) It seems to me that going to a fish & chips place here is like going to a burger & fries joint in the States. It's fast, greasy food. And the cheaper it is, the better it tastes.

My Toys Came to London!

My toys finally came to London. It's a good thing, too, since I was getting pretty tired of playing with wooden spoons and pots and pans.

It was like an early Christmas. As Mama opened each box I'd say, "Wow! We have this same thing in Atlanta." Mama explained that it's the same stuff from Atlanta. It just moved here. When McKenzie saw something she recognized, she shouted, "McKenzie's room!"

Anyway, it's good to see something familiar, not to mention have something to play with.

I've Been Medically Socialized

I experienced "socialized medicine" today. I've been sick for a few days with a cough, a temperature, and occasional barfing. Yesterday, we called NHS Direct. NHS is the National Health Service: the UK's government-provided health care. NHS Direct is a service you can use to get simple advice and help from a nurse. They asked Mama a few questions and then suggested she take me to a doctor the next day. They gave us the names and numbers of a few doctors, all within walking distance of our house. In the meantime, Daddy did some research that seemed to indicate that as a work permit holder, we'd be able to use the NHS without paying out of pocket.

This morning around 8:30, Mama called around. The first doctor's office she called wasn't yet ready to make new appointments for today so they suggested another office. She called the next office and her conversation went something like this:

"Hi. I need to make an appointment for my son." Mama started.
"Can you bring him in at 11:30?"
"Yes."
"What's his name?" asked the lady on the other end.
"Justin Eastman. He's not registered yet."
"You should come in at 11:20 then."
"Okay, great," Mama replied.
"See you then." That was going to be it.
"Wait. Does it matter that we're only here on a work visa?" Mama confessed.
"No."

That was it. Compare that to what it was like when Mama would call doctors' offices in the States. First, what are the chances we'd get an appointment only a few hours from the time we called? (Slim.) Second, the conversation would always include these questions: Who's your insurance provider? What's your policy number? Who's the policy holder? Et cetera. We're just not used to calling a doctor without having the first conversation be about how we're going to pay.

Anyway, we walked into the doctor's office at 11:20. Mama was handed a form to fill out to provide information to register me. If you're like me and Mama, you probably assume it would be a 2-3 page form that would take 30 minutes to complete. Nope. It was about a 5x7 inch card that had these questions:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• A few questions about whether I was having heart problems, breathing problems, broken bones, et cetera.

After Mama filled out the form, we waited for a couple of minutes (compare that to 1-2 hour waits we've had in doctors' offices in the States) and then my name flashed on a screen saying I should go to room 10 where the doctor was waiting. She checked me out, saying "lovely" after each check. She asked Mama some questions, made her diagnosis (I have a virus that will run it's course; no ear infection or anything serious), and prescribed something to help keep my fever under control.

After that, on our way out, Mama checked in with receptionist again.

"Do you need anything from us?" (Kind of like: "This is the point where we usually have a co-payment. Don't I need to pay you?")
"No. That's all," was the reply.

Next, we went in to a pharmacy. Mama handed the prescription to a pharmacist. A few minutes later someone brought us the medicine. Mama held the bag in her hand for a minute, wondering what to say next.

"Do I need to pay anything?"
"No."

Amazing, we all thought. Absolutely amazing. I got health care today and nobody cared a whit about money. It's all taken care of.

Granted, the UK income taxes Daddy pays are what pays for the health care I got today. But here's the kicker: the amount of money UK citizens pay for health care (via income taxes) is less than half of what people in the US pay (via employer health plan contributions, payroll deductions, deductibles, co-payments, et cetera).

When Mama told the whole story to Daddy, all he could say was, "I'm jealous of this country's health care system." Amen to that.

But the US has the best health care in the world, you might be thinking at this point.

My reply: You pay twice what they pay here; you probably wait for hours when you visit a doctor, even when you have an appointment; and one in six of your neighbors doesn't have any health coverage. What's worse: life expectancy is shorter and infant mortality is higher in the US than in practically every other advanced country, including the UK.

It's a Love/Hate Relationship...

... actually, it's more like a love/I'll-learn-to-live-with-it relationship. Like, I love Cheetos, but I live with the orange fingers they give me. Anyway, here are the top-five things that are a little "different" about living here:

1. Hot dogs come in a can. We've since learned that they also come the regular way. Don't try the ones in a can...
2. Macaroni & cheese comes in a can. Anyone have a good recipe for homemade mac & cheese?
3. Daddy had to pay 20p (pence for you out-of-towners) just so I could go to the bathroom in the London Victoria station. There are unsympathetic turnstiles in front of the bathroom. And since Daddy didn't have change, he had to pay ₤1 to buy some crisps (that's "chips" for you out-of-towners) to get some change. By the time I went, he was out ₤1.20, the equivalent of about $2.50. (In case you're wondering how you get change by paying ₤1 for chips: you give them a ₤10 bill and get back a ₤5 bill and 4 ₤1 coins. Then you put a ₤1 coin in a change machine that gives you 5 20p coins.)
4. You need a license just to watch TV, and it costs ₤135. That's separate from what you pay for cable, satellite, or whatever. If they know no one has a TV license at your address, they come to your house to make sure you don't have a TV. You pay less if you use a black and white TV and you don't have to pay at all if you only use your TV to watch DVDs. Luckily, that's all I do anyway.
5. The water tastes funny.

Here are the top five things I love about it:

1. Trains & double-decker buses.
2. You can get pretty much anywhere without a car.
3. Heated towel racks. Try putting your pyjamas on them before you take a bath. Ahhh.
4. Grocery shopping online is pretty cool. I just tell Mama I want something and she puts it in her online shopping cart for the next time she submits an order.
5. Daddy doesn't have to get on an airplane so much. He's home every night.

God Save the Queen

	We went to see the Queen's house today. We took the train to the London Victoria station, then walked up Buckingham Palace Road to Buckingham Palace. She had guards protecting the place so we weren't able to go in and say hi, but we're pretty sure she was there (apparently, if the flag is flying, which it was, she is "in residence").
Here's a picture of a princess in front of the Victoria Memorial, which sits right in front of Buckingham Palace. The other picture is of Big Ben, taken from the Victoria Memorial. St. James's Park is in the foreground. By the way, it was pretty cold today. It was only 7 degrees. It's not as cold as it sounds, though; that's 45 degrees Fahrenheit for you out-of-towners.

Settling In

Like any recently moved yuppie family (see, for example, this post) we went to IKEA today. To get there, we took the Southern train to Mitcham Junction, then we took the Tram to Ampere Way. I liked riding trains.

The coolest thing we got at IKEA was orange chair covers. They were only a quid each. (A "quid" is a pound, as in money, for you out-of-towners.) Now, I can spill on the landlord's chairs and they won't even know it.

Speaking of new words, here are some others I've learned:

• A tram is a cable car
• A trolley is a shopping cart
• When you ask for lemonade, they give you Sprite (I haven't figured out how to get actual lemonade yet)
• A refuse sack is a garbage bag
• A dust bin is a garbage can
  

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We didn't have a turkey dinner today, but at least I got some poultry (chicken nuggets at McDonald's). Yes, they have McDonald's here. And no, I won't eat there every day. We only ate there today because we don't have groceries yet. We ordered them online today and they'll be delivered tomorrow. Groceries without having to go to the store... I love this country.

We Made It

After a few days of packing and cleaning, an eight-hour plane ride, and an hour-and-a-half taxi ride, we're in London!

Here's a picture of us on the plane. We left Atlanta at 6:30 at night and arrived in London at 7:30 the next morning (there's a five-hour time difference). I slept solid for about six hours on the plane. McKenzie slept for about two.

After we landed, we stuffed our bags into a taxi and rode to our house. On the way, I must have seen 10 double-decker buses. They're everywhere!

Our house is cool. It's smaller than it looks in pictures, but it's just as cool. Here's a picture of me in my new bed.

After we arrived we walked to the park and then to the grocery store. I can already tell I'm going to be doing a lot of walking.

Raking Leaves

Daddy raked the leaves one last time today and I helped him. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say that he raked the leaves and I unraked them.

My Toys Moved to London

Some people came to our house yesterday and took our toys. Mama says they're taking them to London. I hope my toys have fun in London until I get there.

We're Going to London!

We're going to London! We're going to live there for a while so Daddy can go to work without having to fly for 9 hours, and so that McKenzie can learn to speak the Queen's English.

When Daddy was in London a few weeks ago, he found a place for us to live. He took a video so that we could see it before we move in. It's close to a train station and it's walking distance to church. I think it's jolly good. My bedroom is the one with the bed that has a ladder.

There's enough room for visitors, so book your tickets!

Trick or Treat

We had our ward Halloween Party a couple of weeks ago. I dressed up as a fireman. Here's a picture. That's my friend Benjamin on the left dressed up as a train conductor. Then me. Then my friend Isaac (Benjamin's little brother who's McKenzie's age) as a train engineer. Then McKenzie as a fairy. Then my friend Riley as Grover. Riley has the hots for McKenzie.

Here's another picture of McKenzie, because she's so pretty...

Ding Bell

I have a new skill: ding bell impersonations...

Children of the World Unite!

I protested today. Actually, it was more like a peaceful demonstration. Actually, it was a few people holding signs.

Let me start over: I represented the silent majority today. Bush vetoed a bill yesterday that would have provided health care to millions of uninsured children. Daddy says that a veto is when the president says no, like when Mama vetoes my consumption of candy before dinner.

Anyway, I wasn't too happy about it, so I took out my frustration by holding a sign. Power to the people!

Turkey Fish

Daddy grilled some salmon today, and Mama let me try some of hers. I really like it. I told Mama it tasted like turkey, so I called it Turkey Fish. You should try some Turkey Fish sometime. It's really good.

The Birds

McKenzie, Mama and I went to the park to feed the birds this week. There are a lot of ducks and geese at the park. The ducks are nice. The geese, we learned, are not.

As we started to feed them, the geese got pretty greedy. They kept inching closer and closer and barking at us for food. When they started taking food out of McKenzie's hand, Mama had to pick McKenzie up to protect her. That still didn't do it, and the geese got even more agressive. I had to throw my food pretty far to keep the birds at a good distance, but my aim isn't that great yet. The geese kept coming and coming until we decided we had to give ground and retreat. Mama picked us both up and we hightailed it out of there, screaming the whole way, the geese hot on our tail.

It was a pretty traumatic experience at the time, although it's kind of amusing in hindsight.

McKenzie's Elbow

McKenzie went to the doctor this week for a 16 month checkup (actually, it was a 15 month checkup that she was one month late for). Her doctor was blown away at how smart and athletic she is. The doctor said they've never seen a 16-month old that knows where her elbows are.

Chicago

We went to Chicago last week. It was so cool. I got to ride in an airplane, a train, a taxi, a trolley, and a city bus all in the same trip. McKenzie was so excited that she learned to say Chicago.

Our first day there we went to Navy Pier. McKenzie and I were almost tall enough to see the lake...

We had a better view when we went up in the ferris wheel.

The rest of the week, we went to the Shedd Aquarium and to the Thursday farmer's market in Daley Plaza. We also ate at a bunch of different restaurants: Italian, Thai, Mexican, Chinese, and Hot Dog place. On Friday, we went to Millenium Park. There's a really cool reflective "baloon" there.

Apparently, I've been to the balloon before. Here's a picture Daddy has from almost exactly two years ago.

When I saw this place, I said "Daddy, the baloon broke"...

There's also a really cool fountain in Millenium Park. Check this out:

On Saturday, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's the largest free zoo in the country. The coolest part was the polar bears.

Hogle Zoo

The last week we were in Salt Lake City we went to Hogle Zoo. We saw a lot of cool animals. Here are just a few.

My Birthday

We celebrated my birthday while we were in Utah. I turned three. I got a tractor baloon...

... puzzles...

... and cars and trucks.

McKenzie got a baloon, too, which she proceeded to destroy.