Last Day of School and Prize Giving (also hottest day of the year)

When we woke up this morning we knew it was going to be a scorcher.  The temps reached 95 F, which is unheard of in London.  We also woke up to thousands of bees swarming outside of our flat.  We quickly closed all of the windows to keep them out - bearing in mind that we don't have air conditioning. We're not sure what happened, but thankfully all but one were gone by mid-day.

Anyway, the main event for today was prize giving, also known as speech day.  From Ryan's perspective, it means the beginning of the summer holiday.  Prize giving is a formal affair with speeches by the headmaster, musical and dramatic performances, etc.  It ends with prizes.  This is Ryan's last year at the Junior Branch, so it had special meaning.

The prizes are almost always books - and sometimes the occasional trophy or cup.  Ryan won one of the top 3 prizes (the last to be handed out) - for overall academic achievement.  It's called the Foundation Award.  Shockingly, he also won the Language Prize. One of the fathers sitting in front of us good-naturedly muttered something like, "But Americans don't speak foreign languages".  Garett responded by saying that Ryan is bilingual in English and American.

Ryan also celebrated because his house, Simmons, won the House Cup.  Like Harry Potter, this is something the four houses compete for all year.  The margin of victory was only 13 points (!).

After prize giving the classes gathered on Hampstead Heath for a picnic.  The wiser groups chose to sit under the trees, but Ryan's class was under the blazing sun.

The boys didn't have to wear their blazers today because of the heat - no AC 

The prizes - per tradition they are awarded as books

Ryan with his two prizes - a French dictionary and a book about natural disasters

Kevin Douglas, former headmaster, and Ryan after the ceremony.  I like Mr Douglas' seersucker jacket!

A gloriously hot day on Hampstead Heath, with Kenwood House in the background.  Ryan is in the green t-shirt standing in the middle.

Garett and Ryan at the picnic - notice the water pistol in Ryan's hand.  All of his friends brought them along and they had a great time.

Lovely flowers outside of Kenwood House

After the picnic we had a two hour appointment with Charlotte at a bath shop.  It took us awhile to realize that Ryan had fallen asleep in one of the showroom bathtubs.  It's actually the one we selected, so I guess it's appropriate!

London House Update - Week 8

Here are the latest pictures from the house this week...

 Ryan and a friend standing in Ryan's bedroom. Two skylights will be installed in the pitched roof to allow plenty of natural light into the room.

A view of Ryan's room looking back toward the doorway.  The old bathroom used to be in the corner where the smaller window is located. The bathtub was positioned between the two windows.  Previously, the wall between the two rooms was located to the left of the bigger window and there was a sink in the bedroom under the window.  Once completed, there will be a closet on either side of the door and the small windows will be bricked over.

This is the view from Ryan's bedroom looking down into the kitchen and the back garden beyond it.  The tarp is covering a long, narrow existing bathroom next to the kitchen.  This room will be torn out to make way for the bigger kitchen.  Additionally, the open space to the left will also become part of the new kitchen. We are on a narrow lot, so it's only 17 feet wide from one side of the property to the other.

On the top floor it appears the framing for the skylight has been positioned over the future stacked washer/dryer.  We need to talk with the builder about this one! You can also see where the builders have started reinforcing the brick walls with cement. 

The back garden is filled with building materials.  

Good news - the front reception room has been cleared.  But we're not sure how or why one of the doors has been nailed to the front window.  Security reasons?  Not to worry - the entire window needs to be replaced anyway.  We noticed the builders have taken out most of the windows on the upper floors.

London House Update - Week 7

We finally received planning permission and that means we can move forward with our building plans. There was only one thing that didn't get approved, but it was minor.  The builders have now torn off the roof and the new rafters are in place over Ryan's room and the top of the house.  A green tarp is covering everything for protection.  When we showed up on Saturday the builders were busy at work. Garett and I have also started looking at new materials for the house.

A green tarp is covering the open roof on two levels

This is the view up into Ryan's room from the stairs (the green tarp is over his bedroom)

Garett and I are debating the right finish for the wood floors throughout the house

And here is the master chef...he and 9 other boys cooked lunch for their teachers and parents at school this week.  They made starters, main courses and desserts.  Ryan made spaghetti al carbonara.

Ryan's School Play - Private Peaceful

This week Ryan's class put on the production, Private Peaceful.  The story is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo and it is about two brothers in World War I.  Ryan played two parts, Toothless Old Lady (see picture) and Lieutenant Buckland.

London Update - Week 5

It's been a busy few weeks for us.  Ryan went to Nice, France on a week-long school art trip, we moved into a new flat, Ryan advanced to the Gigafinals in chess and the house continues to be demolished piece-by-piece.  We're still waiting for planning permission before we can begin construction.  It will probably be another couple of weeks.

Here are the latest pics...

Our new flat - very quiet and private

The new (old) building

View from the kitchen window - serene back garden

The window has leaded-glass panes and wooden shutters

Yes! Somewhere beneath this scaffolding is the new house

Ryan and Garett at the back of the house

Is the sun really shining?  Ryan and Shelly in what's left of the original kitchen

Last week (week 4) - checking out the partially demolished kitchen

Inside the house every floor has been stripped out

Looking down at Ryan and through to the floor below

Grace's First Communion

Sorry everyone!  Here are some photos of Grace's special day.  The boy in the photo is Adam Hartz, our Godson.

London House Update - Week 1

The builders arrived on Tuesday, May 5th (the day before Ryan's 11th birthday) and the house project is now officially underway.  Today we stopped by the house to see how much progress they've made in 4 days.  Um...I don't think there's any possibility of going back.  See for yourself.

Our first surprise upon entering the house...the doorway to the living room is blocked by a mountain of debris.

This is the view from the adjoining room.  See the hole in the ceiling above the mountain of dirt and debris.  A hole has been knocked through every floor to make it easier to keep the upper floors clean.

Ryan's future room. You can't tell from this picture, but most of the ceiling is gone. The floor is a soggy mess.

Garett and Ryan standing in the guest room.  I love how you can see the staircase go all the way up to the top.

Standing on the landing looking between two floors - master bathroom on is the top floor and guest room is directly below.  Sadly, we're removing both fireplaces.  But 3 other fireplaces will remain.

The remaining fireplace in our master bedroom.

The future guest room.

Hole in the floor above the living room (note: there is another one directly above this one).