July 17th, Exploring the greenery

In the morning Dan and I went for a ride. We rode past Hampton Court along the river and then accidentally found Bushy Park. Wow. Absolutely amazing. We saw deer, rode through meadows of ferns, and along the wide fields. There were some other cyclers and horseback riders. It was really cool. Running helps discover new places faster. Cycling takes it to the next level.

Then Irina took the kids to explore another royal implement: Kew Gardens for the whole day. They really liked it. She managed to get them through all the major attractions even though it was a pretty hot day. We will go over the weekend or sometime when we have guests (guests, please!!).

Meanwhile, I went to see another school on the list: Dolphin nursery, steps away from St. Lukes. They have a very impressive security: ID is required, video-monitored entrance. Teachers at the playground near the entrance looked pretty cheerless at but it could be the sunny weather everyone is unfamiliar with.

Friendly exec. assistant took me on a tour. Inside smelled like a cleaning solution. Good, they clean here! Computer room downstairs was very presentable. But then we went into the playroom and I lost my some of the interest. It had a small window right near the ceiling, and the artificial light was not sufficient. The carpet where kids normally would spend their time (there wasn't any other place to sit) was dirty and in much need of replacement.

After that we went to the pre-school class. 15-20 (?) kids huddled on the floor pretty much not doing anything. One of the teachers had rubber gloves on and a bucket nearby and was vigorously scrubbing a little boy in front of her. When I got closer I saw that she was actually rubbing on sunblock. I came over closer and asked the boy how old he was. The teacher answered "we are 4.5" while energetically covering the entire squirming face, eyes, and mouth. She continued: "we encourage independence and so now we can do our numbers and go to the bathroom by ourselves." The other teacher was doing the same.

Neither of their faces looked particularly excited, same for the kids involved, or those sitting down waiting for their turn. Maybe I came the wrong time and the same thing happened in our last schools as well. I don't know, but Isabella will definitely not be going to this school. Maybe others who have their kids there will disagree, but based on what I've seen it is a human kennel all right.

During lunch we tried to open a bank account at Barclays and ran into another local specialty. It is a law that you cannot open an account in the lucky day you decide you need one and show up at the bank. You have to provide your name, address and make an appointment for another day. I guess getting a bank account it is a bit like getting married - they really want to make sure you are ready for this decision.

Kitteh meant to be shared

Kids returned in the evening. We had another one of Dan's cooking masterpieces - he really works wonders with local spices. There is Asian supermarket nearby and other supermarkets are staffed pretty well but spices taste different. Jerk chicken, tandoori paste, and even satay sauce are unrecognizable - and we like local tastes. Finished off with some ice-cream and more bike riding. What a great day!!