Harry Potter Fever!

Yes, I queued at five minutes to midnight on Friday night at the Chagford Bookshop to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and stayed up until 2 reading. Just finished it a little bit ago (but don't worry, Mama, I've spent the same amount of time this weekend working as I did reading!). Rowling is in top form, is all I'll say now, and the emphasis in this outing is on emotions -- both the characters' and the reader's. I'll post a review later, in case those of you who are fans haven't finished yet. 

Bomb Attacks in London

We've received lots of emails asking if we were affected by the bombings in London this morning. Thankfully, Devon is about as far away from London as you can get in southern England, and worlds away in terms of lifestyle. And we've heard from friends, family and students who are living or traveling in England today, and all are safe. But our hearts go out to Londoners, since we consider England our second home. As much as we rejoiced with London yesterday on winning the 2012 Olympics, we mourn for it today. Namaste, Shalom, Peace.

London

Last week, we made a 3-day trip to London to meet Ari's parents, who were en route from a 3-week European tour. We stayed in quiet, chic Kensington Park, near the Victoria & Albert Museum (which we didn't see -- Robin was not that into museums) and the Natural History Museum (picture #1)  (which we did see a bit -- Robin liked some of the dinosaurs but was a little scared of others). London "enjoyed" record heat while we were there -- temps soared to the low 90s, and London is mostly non-air conditioned. That chilly Chagford swimming pool would have been just perfect in Hyde Park! As it was, all the city parks were full of folks sitting with their feet in the fountains -- and a huge TV screen was up in Trafalgar Square so that people could watch Wimbledon. Walking was unpleasant (although Robin discovered an excellent strategy, #2), but the double-decker buses were worse, blazing on top and stifling inside! Even so, the on-and-off tour buses really are the best way to see the city, and Robin loved the view. We retreated to the relatively cooler British Museum (#3), where we enjoyed the King's Library (#4, 5). Robin especially liked the hands-on Rosetta Stone replica (#6) and the mummies (#7). Other highlights of London included outdoor cafes with friendly dogs, the gigantic animal statues on the Prince Albert Memorial, the nap-friendly benches in the Tudor Room of the National Portrait Gallery (for Robin, of course -- Ari and I took turns visiting our old friends Henry, Elizabeth, William, and Ben, and offering learned lectures in Tudor history to Mike, Susan, Lila, and Jules), ice cream from lorries (#8), and the five-story Hamley's Toy Shop in Regents Square. We had a great time (thanks again, Mike and Susan!), but were happy to return to our cool and quiet Devon farmhouse, which Robin now calls "home." (Speaking of which, see the "Furlong" entry below for some additional pix of the exterior of the house.)