For the curious, I’m including some pictures of the place in which we’ll be staying until our house opens up in early November. It’s an apartment that was converted from a barn, just outside the town of Abingdon. Thus the interesting architecture; we’re essentially living in a converted hayloft, a very large, high-ceilinged room with lots of light. We’ll shortly be moving into a two-story house that has a number of small, closed-off spaces. Although I’m generally one for large, open spaces, we are guessing that the having of small children will make us quite interested in being able to shut some doors here and there!
Abingdon is a small village about six miles outside Oxford, with regular buses into town. We’re going to enjoy some country living for a little while longer. Plus, the grocery store (and other shops) is less than a ten-minute walk away! Oddly enough, that’s a shorter walk than we’ll have to the same grocery chain once we move into town–but they also have free delivery! We cross over the Thames on our way into town, and there are a number of large meadows, public parks, and river paths that we can take Katherine to when the weather is nice. Today it’s a cool, rainy day, and most things are closed on Sundays, so we’re enjoying some rest (and I’m experimenting with the small washing machine) before we venture into Oxford tomorrow.
She’s finally resumed reasonable sleeping habits, for which we are grateful. Perhaps most importantly, Katherine seems to really like this space. We haven’t had to say “no” much, since we blocked off the scary stairs to the outside door, and she’s been having a great time running around, exploring. She loves the little stairs that bridge the two halves of the room, and she’s enjoyed climbing on every couch and opening every cupboard door. I’m grateful that the washer has a child lock on it, and that we can turn the stove and oven off with a main power switch that’s up high.
Erin
Alan Schmierer