The heat is on!

I finally packed my winter sheets away on July 3rd.  Summer has finally arrived in London!  And just in time for the flurry of activity throughout July.  Our first round of guests this month arrived on July 2nd all the way from Quincy!  Josh's brother, Chris, and his friend Tony stayed with us until the 15th.  They spent a few days in London, then took trips to Paris and Venice and then headed back to London for a few more days.  I think that they really enjoyed themselves and I know Josh loved having someone from his side visit!

Chris, Josh and I having dinner at Masala Zone

Josh and Chris at the Redbull Soapbox Race at Alexandria Palace

Josh and Chris in Piccadilly Circus

Tony getting a pic with the iconic phone booths!

 Josh took a few days off to run around London with Chris and Tony.  He tried to be a good tour guide...but at one point he put Chris and Tony on a boat ride along the Thames, not realizing it was going to be a 2.5 hour ride!  The Saturday before the guys left, we all headed to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards and then to Portobello Market in Notting Hill to do a little shopping.  I headed back home early to get ready for my trip to Nice!  After a couple of hours of packing, Josh, Chris and Tony returned and I said my goodbyes so I could head to Gatwick airport for my early morning flight.

The next morning I was on my way to Nice to meet up with my SIL Amanda and her friend Erin who was visiting from Missouri.  Nice was beautiful!  The day we arrived we headed to our rented flat to drop off our bags and then headed out to find some food.  We then explored the city a bit, including a stop by the beach to dip our toes in the Mediterranean.  By midday we were tired and hot, so we picked up some snacks and wine and headed back to the flat to rest up.  After sharing some wine and girl talk we headed back out into Nice.  While out we saw some plane formations over the city and realized that the city was celebrating Bastille day, La Fete Nationale to the French.  Once it got dark we walked down to the beach, found a comfy spot and watched an amazing firework display!

The view from our flat.

Old town area of Nice.

Old Town Nice.

The beach!  And warm enough for swimming!

Rocks, not sand, but not too bad to walk on.

Amanda excited about the beach!

A selfie on the beach in Nice.  

Amanda and Erin.

A pic for my mom :)  Gelato!

A view of Nice from Castle Hill

Waiting for the fireworks

Happy Bastille Day!

We pretended it was Independence day fireworks since Amanda and I didn't get to see any on the 4th!

The next day we had a lazy morning, taking our time to wake up and start the day.  After packing ourselves a lunch we donned our swimsuits and headed down to the beach for some sun and relaxation.  It was glorious!

Beach time!

Finally in a swimsuit!  The last time I got to wear one on a beach was in Venice last July!

We saw lots of bare boobies on this beach.

Loving the beach!

My delicious lunch...and by the way, olive flavored chips are awesome!

After a few hours on the beach we went back to the flat for a rest and had a snack of fruit, cheese, olives and wine!  

Amanda and I at dinner.  

A huge bucket of mussels!  I almost couldn't finish!

Some delicious french patisserie from a shop down the street from our flat.  Yum! 

Amanda and Erin with their pastries!

Tuesday was our last day in Nice and our flight wasn't leaving until 8:30 that night, so we decided to do something wild and crazy...we went to another country!  Looking back it was probably a bad idea, but at the time it sounded like a great way to add another country to our list.  Monaco is the second smallest country in the world...second only to the Vatican.  It is bordered on three sides by France and the fourth side is the Mediterranean.  Monaco is famous for the city of Monte Carlo and the Monaco Grand Prix.  It is also considered a tax haven and a playground for the very rich and famous.  In fact, as we walked around the country it was hard not to notice that every store was super high end (Prada, Cartier, Tiffany's, etc.) and the cars were all Bentley's, Rolls Royces and Maserati's.  And the yachts...oh my those looked amazing.  

Yacht's in Monaco's harbor.

Monte Carlo casino

More Yachts!

I don't remember what this building was, but isn't it pretty!

Lush tropical gardens in Monaco.

A little church in the middle of the city.  There was a yummy gelato place just around the corner!

We ended up only having about an hour and a half to explore Monaco...which wasn't enough, but our trip there and back didn't go as planned.  We luckily made it to the airport in time for our flights back to London.  What a wonderful trip we had!  

Rachel

Better late than never...May and June

I know...I know...I am so far behind on updating this blog!  Life has been busy and it seems as if living in England has become "normal" and therefore sometimes I don't feel that what Josh and I do is "blog worthy".  But it really is a blog about us as a family, no matter where we are living or what we are doing.

At the end of April, Josh and I visited the Lake District with our Aussie friends, Alissa and Kieran.  It was a fun trip and while the weather didn't completely cooperate, it was a great weekend away from London.

This is lake Windemere in the heart of the Lake district.  

We took a ferry to the city of Ambleside.  

This was our lunchtime view from a restaurant in Ambleside.  

Josh and I in Ambleside

Alissa and I waiting for the ferry.  It was sunny, but cold outside!

Breezy winds on the ferry made us cold.  

The next day we took a hike around another lake in the district.  Here, Kieran and Alissa are watching the cute little lambs frolic about.  

There were new baby lambs all over the place!

Me taking a break along our hike.  

The morning was misty and a bit dreary, but the scenery was still absolutely stunning.  England really is beautiful.  

Josh and I on our Lake District trip.

Another beautiful shot of the lake.  

The end of our Lake District trip brought us into May, which ended up being an extremely busy month for the Bairds!  I was accepted as a "Show Maker" for the Royal Horticulture Society's Chelsea Flower Show, a show that is considered one of the most famous in the world.  I felt honored to be chosen to volunteer.  I had training for the show and was placed in the "Product of the Year" stand.  My job was to inform visitors of the products that had been shortlisted by the RHS for product of the year and to direct them to the stalls that sold the items.  I had a great time being involved in the show and I hope that it is something that I can do again.  Here are some pictures of the creative and innovative stalls at the show...

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I still haven't decided what this statue means...or what is is...the "person" has a mans face but a pregnant woman's body?  I don't know!

Pods for the garden.  

A display from Thailand

I loved the plane!

Yummy looking strawberries in some old boots...love it!

A sculpture by Marc Quinn specifically for the 100th Chelsea Flower Show Anniversary.

Flowers as a haberdashery!  

In May I was also accepted into the North London Master Gardener programme and attended a two day training course.  The programme is designed to promote organic gardening to people who are interested in growing their own food.  We offer advice and support to five households each throughout a year long period.  So far, I have set up two households and am working on a project with a community garden to offer growing space for elderly people.  The programme has been great so far and I am excited to be a part of it!

My Master Gardener training partners!

While I was volunteering at the Chelsea Flower Show, Josh had flown to Seattle for work for a few days.  I then caught my own plane to Chicago, met up with Josh and then together we flew to Springfield for a short visit with our families.  Josh wanted to surprise his mom,  so the day after we arrived in Springfield we got in the car and drove to Quincy.  Mary Ann was so surprised!  It was great!  We then met up with Josh's brothers and Jeff and had a nice dinner at the Tower.

Josh and I with MaryAnn and Jeff

Harley!

The next day Josh and I came into town to have lunch with some friends and then I stayed in Quincy to visit with my grandma's and other relatives.  It was a great jam-packed visit to Quincy!

Me and my Granny T!  

Granny T, Sarah and I.

Sarah and I on our way up to Quincy

My cousin Missy and her family.

Josh and I with my Grandma D!

Me with my Auntie Jill and her two kiddos, Lauren and Bryson.

My sis and I with our yummy beer!

My sis and I...and more alcohol :)

Participating in my moms favorite pastime...shoe shopping!

Drinks with my mum.  Love her!

Girl talk with Aunt Pat and SIL Amanda.

The guys enjoying their tradition...booze and cigars.

The family all together again!  The last time we were all together was at Samanda's wedding!

Siblings :)  I'm the favorite!

Our US vs. UK pic!  Mom and dad are Switzerland :)

Hazel with her yummy looking ice cream cone!

Hazel at Umi's the next day...celebrating Sam's promotion to Captain.

Captain Sam!

I had a fun night out with my friend Marla!  

Our trip to America was short and sweet...I think we had 6 nights.  So not nearly enough time to see everyone we would have liked to see, but I think we did a decent job!

In June, Josh and I took a trip to Great Yarmouth with Sam and Amanda.  It is not my favorite British city, a bit Branson meets the seaside, but I still had fun!

See you by the sea shore!

The beach at Great Yarmouth...actual sand!

Sam pointing out the nickname I used to call him...Quasar!

Trying out some Elizabethan dinnerware.

A really really really creepy dinner party.

Our brave men preparing for battle :)

Our day at the beach!  I was a little chilly still...temps were probably in the mid 60's

We had to get ice cream!  

Josh and I on our horse drawn carriage ride!

I think we need a fireplace this size in our next house!

Holy cow...I think I'm somewhat caught up with the last few months.  Except that I also need to blog about Josh's brother's visit and my girls trip to Nice!  I suppose that can wait for another day.
Rachel