unfold your paper heart and wear it on your sleeve

This morning was, of course, Saturday morning, and Jan declared that we would get up when we got up, and that if Jack set an alarm, she’d… I think the end of her threat trailed off.

I woke at about nine, and by the time I had gotten ready they were up and around. I endeavored to fry myself an egg, but it did not go incredibly well. It is so hard to figure out what people are particular about and not. For instance, Jack and Jan put wooden utensils and china cups in the dishwasher, but heating a pan with nothing in it they do not do. And I couldn’t find what to flip it with that wasn’t metal, and the pan was non-stick, so I was endeavoring to be extremely careful, but then Jan gave me a wooden one, which I hadn’t seen. At any rate, I eventually finished making my egg, and my toast (which was cold by the time I started eating it) and I wished I had just had cereal. They have some extremely delicious muesli.

After that rocky start, however, the rest of the day was very enjoyable. After breakfast I went out for a cycle again – it was even more fun this time because I was much more confident in my ability to ride and my sense of direction. I went around two different – blocks? Well, if a block can be a mile by a half mile, then I suppose you could call it a block. And I went into Leverington on purpose this time - did you know that even cookie-cutter houses in England are pretty?

And I found a beautiful church and graveyard,

and a pretty culvert:

I looked under it for the troll, but he must have been away.

I went down another road where I found this house:

And I was able to look at the map whenever I wasn’t sure which way to go, and figure it out.Which made me feel very capable and adventurous.

There is nothing quite like turning from Gote Lane onto Fitton End, knowing that when you get back you’re going to have crumpets for lunch and then, later on, toad-in-a-hole (sausages in Yorkshire pudding) for tea.

Horses in England wear coats.

A ladybug in the snowdrops.

I had marmite on one of my crumpets – and guess what? I like it! – and homemade jam on the other. And then we had cherry pie drowning in warm custard, and then we discussed whether to do something in the afternoon, but Jan didn’t care to and I was feeling more like staying in since we were to go to a concert this weekend. So we stayed in and watched the rugby game and I slept for a bit and read.

Then Jan went to fetch Eleanor, her daughter, from the train station – she’s come because tomorrow is Mothering Sunday. And Jack finished making supper, and we had it. It was good.English sausages are nicer than American ones. They taste more like my mother’s meatloaf than anything else I can think of.

Then we went to the concert. It was at a small theatre, seating about 100. The first band was the best – they were called brokenfor, and they were three 10^th-grade-ish boys, and they were amazing. Wonderful music, wonderful songs that they wrote themselves. I really wished that they were playing in a different venue, or that we were singing their songs at Evensong - I really really wanted to be standing up and moving to the music and lifting my hands!

[I had lyrics posted here. And then I took them out. Because reading the lyrics is simply not the same as hearing the song, and it's no good trying to share the experience with you that way. It just doesn't work.]

I bought their CD for £6. I didn’t want to buy CDs of any of the others. They were okay, but just okay.

After the concert, Jack got the lighting guy, Steve, who was about my age, to take me up the ladder to the light booth and show me their lighting system and then their backstage and things and tell me all about the theatre.

Oh! And since Jan had the car, a man named Patrick, a world-traveling missionary, brought us to the concert. He was very nice and he and Jack together were hilarious.

Now we’re home, and Eleanor is here. She is splendid. So spunky and smart. We’ll probably go to bed pretty soon since it’s nearly midnight and we have church tomorrow. After church we’re going out for Chinese.

I tried to post my video house tour again. And it didn't work again. I'll try again tomorrow.