House...at least the outside

Hi all,

My parents and I celebrated a magnificent and restful Christmas day. I hope your celebrations were amazing as well! I'm sending out "Christmas cards/change of address cards"...unfortunately most won't likely get to you until at least New Year's Day or later. I didn't order them until I knew my new address and well, I've not been moving too quickly getting them addressed. Check your mailbox early and often...it'll be there soon!

Back to Christmas! Celebrating the amazing birth of our Savior was quiet around here, particularly without the Scaggs kiddos. It was bittersweet celebrations without them. My mom and I made cookies earlier in the week and delivered them to the gate guards on the two bases I frequent routinely. I hope they enjoyed them. I love to bake and it's nice to have a destination for my goodies other than my hips! It was wonderful delivering the goodies and we later had a terrific dinner of standing rib roast with horseradish and a mix of roasted brussels sprouts, parsnips and new potatoes. Yummy! Actually sounds a bit British! My dad is a good cook!!!

Today we joined in the tradition of celebrating "Boxing Day." This traditionally was a day when servants/tenants were given a day off to go visit families and they were given boxes full of gifts and leftover Christmas dinner to take along. We drove to some villages near Stansted Airport as my cousin Rhonda and her family were flying in from a holiday skiing in Austria. We visited a pub and then went to an Indian restaurant for some good food! I had my favorite, chicken Balti. My mom had a wonderful lamb and spinach mix and my dad ate something only those with asbestos tongues should attempt. I don't even know the name for it...I'm pretty sure it translates into English as "burn and then burn some more." He even ordered "chili" naan bread. Let me just say that it took two glasses of water and several hours before I could feel my upper lip again. I don't know how he does it. I enjoyed my plain naan.

Okay so to the meat of this blog. I went over to my bungalow yesterday when we were out and about and took some pictures of the outside of the place. I don't have a key yet so I'll send inside pictures when I can get them... here are a few shots.







The place is brand new so it needs some vegetation and a window box/hanging planter or something! I'll work on that later! You can see in one picture a little glass room. That is the "conservatory." In Texas we'd melt there most of the time but here, on a sunny day, I could probably warm my entire 500 square feet, er, bungalow. Also you may note that my house number is ONE (1). I think that's pretty cool.

Well, it's after midnight here and I'm going to have to get in bed. Soon, I'll be out of holiday/move mode and will have to get up at the crack of dawn (hours before it actually, as the sun isn't rising til 8am right now...makes for a short day 8am to about 3:45pm).

I hope you all had amazing, wonder filled Christmases. When you think how incredible it is that God sent His Son in human flesh you should feel nothing BUT awe.

Until next time,

Cheers from Christie and Sydney

What "wintering" on a farm brings...

Hi everyone!

I'm happy to report that I have found a house. It's a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom bungalow in the town of Thrapston. Some of you may recall my desire to stay at the Nene Valley Cottages when I was looking for temporary lodging. They wouldn't allow Sydney to stay there...but this town is about 2 miles from those cottages. A wonderful location for work and sight seeing! It's a brand new place but they've not got the access quite right. I've made an agreement with the owner that I'll pay for modifications up front but he'll pay me back if I'm in the place more than 18 months. It seems fair...and frankly for him, we're bringing the place into compliance with UK law regarding new builds. It's a win-win situation. I just need patience regarding timing and all. Here is what they are doing (it's a major list...) Widening the front door and making the threshold flat. Right now there is a lot of wasted space around the door frame. They're also widening the door from the kitchen to the garden and building a ramp to it so I can get in and out via a second exit. They're leveling the french doorway from the lounge (living room) to the conservatory (sun room). Right now they've (and every set of french patio-type doors here seems to have them) got what I call "knee knocker" doors. If you've ever been on a navy ship, you'll know what I mean. It's not just a step up or down to the next room but a step "up and over." They are also widening all interior doors. (I fit through them now barely...I'd scrape all the paint off the doors and that would get old). The garden gate is about 12 inches wide! There was no way I could use that door. The agent I've been working with has been terrific! He thought up making the gate doors set on an angle so we could work a wider doorway. And right now along the pathway there are only 16-18 inch concrete steps. They're going to double those from the gate to the kitchen doorway and on around the back garden. UPDATE: I just found out that we (owner on my behalf) could be eligible for grants to make these modifications. That would be much cheaper for both of us!!! Pray, please.

On another front...


We've been visited by a family of farm/field mice. I wouldn't particularly care that they are here if they'd stay away from me. However, their desire to become closer friends is what has put me off. I'm finding that mice are prolific on a farm. As you may recall, the owners here were a little concerned about Sydney coming and bothering the "working cats." Well, I'm not convinced Sydney's even noticed them. BUT, they've definitely noticed her and I fear she may be keeping the cats from working near my cottage. After having one mouse crawl out of the garbage bag I was taking out and onto my lap, leg, foot, then floor; one scurrying mouse get caught under my wheelchair, and one running into the guest bathroom when I opened the hallway door, I've decided to take the bull by the horns. Okay, I called the owner. In my defense, she picked up one full trap but was weirded out by a second and had to call her husband for reinforcement. The mousetrap he gathered up was near a hole. The little guy must have been snapped but not immediately killed as he was still able to reach the opening of a hole.

Yes, and it only gets worse. The owners laid two empty traps under the counters and then went back to their home. Minutes later, we heard a "snap!" Then for nearly 10 minutes we heard the poor thing scurring around under there. It was horrific! I gave them my introduction speech when I first met them..."Stay in your territory and not invade mine, you're good. But come to me, I'll have to 'take dominion' over you." Sigh. I have had horror dreams that a trapped mouse was able to "thump thump drag" himself to my bedroom to get me. Needless to say, I slept (??) with one eye open last night. Regardless, I still feel like a mouse murderer.

Just thought you might want to know how much fun I'm having!

New Car!!!

Hi everyone, I thought I'd share with you my amazing new car! It's an 1999 Audi A6 station wagon -- called an "estate" here in jolly ol' England. I love it! The door opens almost to 90 degrees and it's much easier for me to get in and out of!



And, as my parents have been here since Thursday afternoon, they've been able to just roll my chair into the back "boot."



I'm also just about set on a new home. We are deciding between two bungalows. I have a favorite that is just 7 miles from work (and very close to the cottages I had originally wanted to stay at...). I'm waiting for the "door guy" to let me know he can refit all the exterior doors (here their patio doors have a 3 inch "up and over" threshold...). The agent and owner have agreed to do whatever it takes to make the place accessible, which is fabulous! The contract will state that I pay for any changes up front and, if I'm there for more than 18 months, they'll repay that money. I think that is incredibly fair! So, I'll hear back on Monday about these changes. Please pray for a good outcome! I've already found a good pub, fish and chips place, and an Tandoori (Indian) Balti house there!!!

If that one doesn't work out, there is another great bungalow about 7 miles from the one I'm hoping to get. I'll take pics and let you know which I'm getting as soon as I know!

First Week in the UK

Hello Everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating my chronicles…it’s been a very busy week and one day!

In addition to the busyness, I have been out of internet range. They say they have Wi-Fi here at the Bed and Breakfast but I’m skeptical. I’ve gotten online a total of three times here. And each for about 20-30 minutes tops. I wonder if they somehow turn off the router?

So, I’ll do one big update now and post it the next time I can log in to the internet.

Leaving was very difficult. I knew it would be, but leaving the family I’d spent so many years getting close to nearly wiped me out. What put me over the edge were the tears of a most beloved nephew. He’s always so strong and spunky…I wept hard as I got on the flight. If you are reading/hearing this, Scaggs family, I love and miss you all dearly. I miss you too Mom and Dad and I’m so happy I’ll get to see you next week!

My flight was fantastic. My parents and the Scaggs family took me to the airport and we had fun chatting before I got loaded on to the plane. Can I tell you business class is the way to go? I’ve been in business class before on a 777 but never in the bulkhead row (first row of each class is considered the bulkhead…they reserve those seats for folks in wheelchairs and with service animals.) Normally, there’s no place for luggage in the bulkhead row and it all must go in the bins above. Not so with this plane: there was a huge cavern cut out in front of us for baggage and our feet when the seat reclined to a lying down position. Yes, I did say lying down. It was incredible! Add to all that, and I didn’t have anyone sitting next to me so Sydney got the entire cavern to herself!!! I’ll have to keep reminding myself of this flight the next time I say I hate to fly. The flight went smoothly but I didn’t sleep well, despite the incredible bedlike venue. I was nervous. We landed and the Animal Reception Center from the airport met us on the plane to check Sydney’s microchip, tattoo and paperwork. Wow. That went quickly and smoothly. I had help off the plane and my shuttle driver was waiting for me just outside customs.

I was a little nervous when the shuttle driver asked me how I planned to get into the shuttle? Ruh roh raggy! But it was just a Mercedes paneled van that wasn’t much higher than my Honda (correction: the Ball’s) van. The driver was so good to me. He allowed me to call my cousin Rhonda on his cell to let her know I’d arrived AND he pulled off to a service area (gas station and mini-mart) to allow Sydney to take care of some delayed business. Super service!

We made it to Highfield Farm B & B by about 10am (my flight landed at 730am). My cousin Rhonda met me there with a load of groceries. What a wonderful woman! I’m so glad she’s here, if only for a few more months. This is an incredible place to stay. If you are ever in the area and I can’t put you up, I highly recommend this place. It’s not cheap but well worth the money spent. There is one “master” bedroom, see photo below:




A second bedroom (oh, I use the term bedroom loosely…)
As you can see with the second bedroom, there is a twin bed that goes wall to wall. What you can’t see on the other side of the armoire is another twin bed. I have difficulty even getting into that room, let alone moving around. Mom and Dad will be able to hold hands when each is in a bed. Grin.

Here’s the kitchen and the “lounge:” what we call the living room:



Finally, here’s a picture of my bathroom and the outside (driveway/parking). My bathroom is a wet room. That means the entire thing is made of tile and there’s a drain in the center of the shower area to drain. It’s really done well! P.S. the shower is behind the door.




My cottage is straight ahead (the door on the right). It’s called “Ash.” I love it! Too bad I just couldn’t live here forever! Finally, I have a picture of a concrete path that is only open to farm traffic. They’re growing rapeseed (for oil). It’ll be GORGEOUS in late May!



Let’s see, what else? Oh, I’m frantically searching for a place to live permanently (where I am really is a hike to work). My first few days out were quite discouraging. I found “one level bungalows or apartments on the ground floor” with gi-normous steps into the front door. Some places in villages have parking on or really near the street. I was afraid to just get out of the car. Not that these villages are particularly busy, but these roads, though cars go in both directions, were built for one-way traffic, I SWEAR! One place I looked at was set up perfectly…it was in a planned community with walkways and ramps, ramp into the building but the door was too small for my chair. What? Yes. Sigh.

The past few days have been much more successful/hopeful regarding housing. My parents looked at a bungalow being built back in June. It’s in a village called, Burton Latimer. It’s brand new and does not yet have flooring down (save the tiles in the entryway, kitchen and bathroom). That gives me an opportunity to choose flooring if I like. It’s really a lovely bungalow and is my first choice but it’s a ways from work and quite far from my logistics base (16 and 31 miles respectively). Nevertheless, I would be very happy there, I’m sure! They have Indian food delivery!!! Who knew? I found another bungalow just a few miles from work. It’s really nice (and brand new) as well. It’s a little bit smaller (I’m guessing 500 square feet – the one in Burton Latimer is around 700…just to give you an idea of what I’m working with). All the doors are very tight but I can get through. The owner is willing to widen all doors and that’s hopeful. The only problem with this place is the parking. I’m driving a small car now (we’ll get to that later…) and I cannot open the door completely once I’m in my designated parking spot. Sadly, this could be a deal breaker. I’m going to look at a few other places this next week. The village I’d really like to be (Location! Location! Location!) is Brampton. It’s about 7-10 miles from work and about 4 miles from my logistics base. Also, it’s an incredibly flat village where I could walk (roll) around. I’m also still looking in St. Neots as they have a lot of new buildings going in…I ask for your prayers. I now have CHOICES. Isn’t God good?

Okay, I hinted above about my small car. I have a Toyota Prius. Small doesn’t begin to describe this vehicle. Thank God it’s only a rental!!! I cannot tell you how humiliating my first few outings were with this car. First, as you all know, I’m now driving on the left side of the road in the right side of the vehicle. (The Brits say we Americans drive on the right side of the road, they drive on the CORRECT side). Ha! Okay, back to my story. I’m on the wrong side of the road in the wrong side of the vehicle. As if that isn’t difficult enough, I’m given this HYBRID car. I’ve owned many cars but NEVER once did I have to actually read the instruction manual to figure out so much! Embarrassingly, when I first went on base for my in processing, I got befuddled at the main entry gate. While the guard was looking over my passport and orders, I accidentally turned the car off. HUGE mistake. When he was finished with my paperwork, I couldn’t figure out how to get the car started again. I sat there for at least 5 years…okay, well at least 5 minutes while he just snickered. Oh Lord, I must have needed a humbling! Whew! I’m now pretty set on most things Prius. And I love the gas saving-ness of it. But, I still hate it! The driver’s door doesn’t open very wide so pulling in and taking out my chair is NO fun! I haven’t looked much at cars (internet issue) as my dad is coming next week to help me look. However, I did go to a “lemon lot” near the base where my cousin Rhonda lives. I found that the “higher end” cars have doors that swing really wide. I’m looking for a station wagon (an “estate” here: one of the guys at my “welcome briefing” who was from the British Ministry of Defence said, “we are two nations SEPARATED by a common language. “ So true!) I looked at a BMW (coupe), a Jaguar (also coupe) and a Lexus (coupe). Any of those cars would be MUCH easier to get in and out of than this danged Prius. We’ll see. On the base where Rhonda lives, we saw an Audi “estate” for sale. My dad and I will look at it when he arrives on Thursday. It might work…

As for the job, so far it’s going nicely. I haven’t actually been into my building, as I’ve not been “read in” to the program I’ll be working on. US Forces Europe have to approve some more things before I can be read in. DANG! I don’t mind though, I’ve needed the time to look for a place to live. I’m still not sure what exactly I’ll be doing. I did go to a work party at a cool pub in BRAMPTON! (Didn’t I say I wanted to live there!!!)? I got to meet my new co-workers and my recruiter. That was very nice and the party was a blast. I can’t say it was “pub grub” though. I had an onion tart for my “starter” (appetizer), daube of beef (steak?) for my main course, and a chocolate ganache for my dessert. Yummo! It was all incredibly tasty. I even had some red wine. And do you know the coolest part? CACI (my contractor) paid for it! It was a delightful evening.

I’m a little embarrassed about work…not much to report, yet. I’ll keep you posted…

On one final note: the weather! I’m enjoying it tremendously! It does rain every single day. And it gets dark about 3:30 in the afternoon. I was looking over at the sun this morning. It’s funny how I can see it rise and set in the distance. The sun never gets above 45 degrees of the horizon. It comes up in the east and sets in the west but it’s in a very shallow arc. While it’s rainy and dark, I’ve had spectacular days. Most days I’ve been here, save ONE, the sun has come out for quite a while. Yesterday, in fact was GORGEOUS! It was 52 degrees and sunny during the morning. However, by mid day (along with the dark) clouds came in and it started to rain quite hard. This morning around 7am, it was raining HARD. Wake me up kind of hard rain. But a few hours ago, the sun came out and Sydney and I went out to play in the farm fields. I’ve taken some pictures on my camera phone but can’t figure out how to get them to my computer. I’ve got it plugged in via a USB port but I don’t know where to find them. I’ll figure these things out (or you’ll just have to wait until I get my camera back in a few weeks).

All in all, I’m having a wonderful time. I think this will be a fun two years. Right now I’m planning a trip to France (possibly with my cousin Rhonda and her family) to see the beaches of Normandy and Paris. I’d also really like to go to Scotland in August next year to see the “Tattoo,” an incredible sight I’m told. Who knows what else?

Should you want to reach me, my address is:

Christie Childers
PSC 46 Box 1299
APO AE 09469-5000

Or my cell number from the states is:
011 44 7849 699013
Or if you’re here:
07849 699013

Sorry this was so long winded but I had some time to do an update. Most in the future shouldn’t be so long…I miss you all and COME VISIT!