Train Tripping

Hello!  It’s me, Wilfred!  I am still in London with my dad and poppy and still learning lots of new things at Ravenstone. 

This week in World Religions, we studied Hinduism.  Did you know that Hindus have a god with a head like an elephant?  Miss Moylan taught us that when Hindus finish praying, they say “om”.  That night, when I said grace before supper, I said “om” instead of “amen”.   Dad and Poppy looked at me funny. I explained to Dad, and he said it was good to know for when our Hindu friends come for dinner, but in the meantime, if I wanted, I could say both.

This week was also Ravenstone’s parent-teacher meetings.  I have only been at Ravenstone for three weeks but Dad and Miss Moylan still had lots to talk about.  In English schools they start reading and writing younger than Canada, but Miss Moylan said I was catching up. I still have things to work on, but Miss Moylan said she was well pleased with how I am settling in.   Dad told me that he was very proud of me for being brave and coming to a new school and another country when I am only six.  So for a reward, we were taking a weekend trip by TRAIN!

Daddy and Poppy decided we should go to York.  Poppy told me there was lots for us to see and do.  Dad said he wanted me to see York because my grandpa Storey’s great grandpa came to Canada from that part of England a long time ago. And me -- I was happy just to ride a train!

Saturday morning, we took the Tube from Gloucester Road on the Piccadilly line all the way to King’s Cross Station.  Poppy and Daddy found the ticket office and collected our tickets and then we found our track.  We took an East Coast train north.  It didn’t take long to get out of the city.  We went through a tunnel and the pressure made my ears go pop.  Further on, another tunnel - and suddenly, we were in the country!  I looked out the window the whole way.

We got to York two hours later.  York is very old, surrounded by a wall.  We took our suitcase to our bed & breakfast.  I told the lady at the B&B that we weren’t from around there and she said she already knew -- she said she could tell from my accent I was a long way from home. 

First stop, the Jorvik Viking Centre. Vikings once lived in York hundreds and hundreds of years back.  A few years ago, they were digging to build new buildings and found ruins from the old Viking city (called Jorvik).   Dad said that Grandpa Storey’s family lived in York over a thousand years, so there was likely a little Viking in me somewhere!  We went on a ride that went back in time and showed the old city the way it was back then.  After, we looked at exhibits and I tried on a Viking hat.

Next we walked through the “Shambles”.  The Shambles is an old, old street where all the buildings are tippy.  The top floors reach out over the street and nearly touch.  There are narrow alleys that look like Harry Potter streets, they call “snickleways”.  

 

We went down one snickleway called "Lady Peckett's Yard", because Dad wanted to show me the oldest business in York.  It is a cordwainer – which means a fancy boot and shoe maker.  And guess what name is on the sign! 

I told Dad Grandpa would like to see that!


Next, I wanted to walk on the walls of the old city.  Once, the walls kept invaders out, but there aren’t any invaders anymore –except sightseers.  It is a great place to get a good look around.  Especially if you have Poppy or Dad to give you a boost so you can see over.

We were hungry after all our climbing, so we went for tea in tea shoppe and Poppy ordered Yorkshire scones and jam and clotted cream…which is sort of like runny whipped cream with lumps in it… I just had the scones and jam.

After, we went to a big church.  At home, our church is called Eastminster, but in York, they just call their big church, “The Minster”.  It is the second biggest church in England.  We went inside and it is HUGE.  We could hear the choir practising for Evensong, so Poppy said we would come back another time.  I saw that people were lighting candles and I wanted to know why.  Dad said they lit a candle when they had troubles, or if they were worried about somebody, they could light a candle for them if they wanted God to watch out for them.   I asked Dad if I could light a candle for Grandpa, and Dad showed me how.

The next day, after a good sleep and a big breakfast, there was more to see and do.  Dad and I climbed to the top of an old castle built in Norman times (I got a sticker book, “The Normans are Coming!”).  It is called Clifford’s tower.  Then we went through the castle museum that had whole life-size streets built inside and we looked at York as it was a hundred and fifty years ago. 

 (me and Dad climb Clifford's Tower)

But Dad and Poppy were saving the best for our last stop before we left York.  Do you know what is there?  The National Rail Museum - THE WORLD’S LARGEST TRAIN MUSEUM!!  Can you even believe it?!

Next week, Poppy will be away in Bristol visiting the Old Vic Theatre School, so Dad and I will be on our own.  I will write then and tell you all about it. 

Wilfie

Ravenstone and a Big Bus Adventure

Hello!  It’s me, Wilfred!  In London I am living on a street called Elvaston Place with my dad and my poppy.  We will be living in South Kensington until the summer.

(This is my poppy outside our flat)

My school is called Ravenstone Preparatory.  In some ways it is very different than my old school in Toronto.  For one thing, at Jackman we have a principal and here we have a Head Mistress, Mrs. Heath. Every day, when we get to school, there is someone there holding the door open – helping all the children in.  Mrs. Heath puts a vase of fresh flowers on the landing and every morning she watches us go up the stairs to make sure that we do it properly.  There are lots of stairs at Ravenstone since it is tall and skinny and goes five stories up.

(This is Ravenstone)

I am learning lots of new things.  At Ravenstone, we have no playground or gym, so the whole school takes a bus (what the English call a coach) to Battersea Park on the other side of the Thames.  There we learn field hockey.  On Tuesdays, the school takes a coach to a pool, where we learn swimming and everybody, boys and girls, MUST WEAR SWIMMING CAPS. On Wednesdays, we go to the studio on the second floor to play Teddy Tennis.

We have music class where we play the recorder and I have already learned one song!  We also sing.  We have religious studies on Tuesday to learn about different religions in the world.  We are learning about Columbus and we are studying maths.  In maths, we are counting by twos, fives and tens, starting with odd and even numbers backwards and forwards from 100.  It is trickier than I first thought…

I am making more friends.  Vladic is from Russia.  He says his dad used to work at the Kremlin, but he works in London, now.  Another friend is Bella, who is English, and a girl, but she is very nice and likes boys.  She is a good friend to me and reminds me to behave and remember when not to talk. 

On the weekend, Poppy promised that we would take a double decker bus to Trafalgar Square.    We decided we would take the Big Bus Tour so that we would get to know London better.    

When Saturday came, it was the coldest day so far.  Dad said we were crazy, but Poppy kept his promise and I rode up on top of the bus outside through all of London.  There was someone talking explaining things, but I just liked looking around and enjoying the ride.  

For a while, I sat on Dad’s knee so I would be higher and see more, until Dad said he was FREEZING and went under the roof and sat by the heater... But Poppy stayed with me out in the London air the whole way!

We saw palaces and train stations.  We went past the Millennium wheel and over Tower Bridge and past the Tower of London where they keep the Queen’s jewels.  

 

We even went on a boat that went down the Thames from the Tower of London to the Houses of Parliament.  And guess what is there -- a war ship called the HMS Belfast!  

(Me and Poppy on the boat beside HMS Belfast)

But my favourite part was when we got off the bus at Trafalgar Square.  There are fountains and a big monument to an admiral who won a war for England and at the bottom huge LIONS! 

(Me and Dad)

(Me and fountains)

I have a book about London that says there are crowds and crowds of pigeons… but there aren’t so many anymore.  Dad said they are trying to get rid of them.  I think they just went to Hyde Park to live with the swans.

Next week, Poppy promises we will take a trip BY TRAIN!  Can you even believe it?  I will write more then.   Bye for now.  Wilfie

Ravenstone

Hello!  Remember me?  WILFRED!  I am six and three-quarters and for the next six months I will be living with my two dads in London, England.

 I used to be in grade one at Jackman Public School in Toronto, Canada (Hello Ms Csamer!  Hello Ian!  Hello Ruby!  Hello Harriet!  I miss all you guys!), but now I am in 2nd Form across the street from our flat at Ravenstone Preparatory.  

The day after we got to London, we waited for a delivery truck to bring my new school uniform.  It finally arrived in a big box.  At Ravenstone everyone wears exactly the same thing - the same grey shirt (for boys) and pants (what the Engish call trousers - "pants" are underwear!) and the same red sweater (what the English call a "jumper'), we even wear the same grey coat, gloves and scarf (what the English call a "scoff").  We even have the same red backpacks and swimming hats (I'll tell you more about that another day).

The girls wear something completely different -- dresses and long grey coats and big round hats just like the little girls in the books about Madeline.

Dad and Poppy walked with me under our big umbrella across the street and up the stairs to my class.  The stairs are steep and Mrs. Heath, the headmistress, told me the rule - "Children must hold the bannister with one hand and NO talking on the stairs."  Sometimes it is hard for me to remember the no talking part.

Kids go to Ravenstone from nursery school to Form 5 (grade 6).  It is in a tall narrow building -- just like our flat -- in a row with others attached on both sides.  We have a bright studio on the second floor with big windows (where we play teddy tennis and some kids do after school karate or ballet).  There is a computer lab and a library (much smaller than Jackman) and down in the basement a kitchen and dining room.

My class is smaller than at Jackman, too.  My teacher, Miss Moylan (who is going to have A BABY) only has 12 students to teach.  Before class starts we have play time.  I have already made two new friends, Thomas and Riley.  Then we have registration and class work starts.  Everyone talked about their Christmas vacations.  One of the children was on a safari and saw wild animals in AFRICA!  I told them that coming to England was my vacation.

Miss Moylan is very nice.  I think the reading is about the same in England, but the math is easier, so far.  We will take French (some of my classmates are from France) and in 3rd form they learn Mandarin (which is a kind of Chinese).  I told Miss Moylan that in Canada we don't have to do our school work if we don't want, but after school, Daddy and Poppy told her I was mistaken...

Ravenstone does not have a playground.  On rainy days (most days), we can play in the studio, but when it is nice we will have outdoor play at the park.

At lunch time, I went down to the dining room all by myself.  There were no names on the chairs or the tables and I didn't know where to sit.  I saw a little girl from my class, so I decided I would sit with her.  I watched the other children and did what they did.  I went to the counter and they gave me my lunch... pork and chips (which is what the English call French Fries) and beans.  I ate the chips.  And for dessert -- ICE CREAM and JELLY (which is what the English call Jello) -- and I ate that, too.

After school, Daddy and Poppy were very proud of me.  The headmistress had sent them an email during the day so they would know I was fitting in nicely.  To celebrate, we went for tea, then walked up to a big park just a couple of blocks from our house, called Kensington Gardens.  There is a palace there, where Queen Victoria lived when she was a girl and a big pond with swans and ducks!  The swans liked me and followed me around.  Dad said they thought I had bread crumbs in my pocket. 

                               (This is Dad and Poppy.  I took this picture!)

It was so much fun that we went again on Saturday (what the English call the weekEND).  There is a great playground there where you can climb on a pirate ship.  I went right to the top of the crow's nest! 

There is another park next to Kensington Gardens called Hyde park.  Another time, we walked the whole length of both parks, past a long skinny lake called the Serpentine, and guess where we came out?  At BUCKINGHAM PALACE where the QUEEN lives!  Can you even believe it?

I will write again soon and tell you more about Ravenstone and London.  Bye for now.  Wilfie

Wilfred In The UK

Hello!  My name is Wilfred and I am six and three quarters.  I usually live in Toronto Ontario Canada, but for the next six months I will be living in London, England!

My poppy and daddy and I flew all night on an Air Canada jet.  We left Toronto at 8 o'clock at night and arrived at Heathrow Airport early the next morning, British time.  Everyone was tired, but not me!  I was too excited.  We got into an English taxi, which was very roomy -- big enough for the three of us and all our luggage, which Daddy had to load in because the taxi driver said he had "emphaZEEmia".  When we were all in, the driver took off and we drove through the English country, which looked very green, even in winter.  It was very exciting, driving through the traffic on the wrong side of the road.

We arrived at our flat in South Kensington.   We are going to live on Elvaston Place, across the street from my new school -- Ravenstone Preparatory.  Every building looks the same on our street.  They are all connected, white brick, 5 stories high with iron fences out front.  Some of them have flags, because they are not houses anymore -- now they are embassies.

People had put their Christmas trees out on the sidewalk to be collected.  They are a different kind than we have at home -- kind of spindley on top -- and they had wooden bases nailed on.   We hauled all our suitcases up three flights of stairs and then had a long nap!

The next day, Poppy and I waited and waited for the delivery van to bring the uniform that I will wear to school.  Dad and I got tired of waiting, so he and I went across the street to visit Ravenstone.  We met the headmistress, Mrs. Heath, who is very nice and wears a pearl necklace.  She showed Daddy and me the whole school, which is in a building identical to our flat with a tall narrow staircase that goes up five floors.  There is a big room on the second floor, where we will have gym and put on concerts, and there is a dining room and kitchen in the basement. 

In Canada, I was in grade one at Jackman Public School in Toronto.  In England, they call grade one Second Form.  They have lots of different names for things.  A truck is a lorry, an elevator is a lift and you don't ask to go to the bathroom -- you ask to go to the lavatory!

My classroom is on the fourth floor.  I met my teacher -- Miss Moylan -- who is blond and very nice and GOING TO HAVE A BABY!  Dad says that someone else will be teaching my class after spring break.

After we saw my school, Dad took me to the Gloucester Road Tube station.  After we figured out how to use the ticket machine, Dad bought us a return fare.  We rode for about four or five stops and then Dad wanted to get off.  I wanted to go to the end of the line, but Dad said that was too far.  Besides, he had something to show me.  We walked up some stairs and came out on the street.  I looked across the road and THERE IT WAS!  Right there!  BIG BEN!  Can you even believe it?

I will write again soon and tell you about my first day at Ravenstone.  Bye for now.  Wilfie