Abbey Row

Put a poem in your pocket…..:)

Dear you, place a poem in your pocket. I share with you mine…..:)

You know it’s a typical mom day when…

The kitchen sink decides to take a break, clogging up with water and food debris reaching halfway up. A kitchen without a sink is like a car without wheels! The next day, you come home to find a DIY project in progress, complete with a gallon of drain cleaner and a toilet plunger sharing space with the dirty dishes in the other half of the sink. The house smells like an over-chlorinated pool, and the water level is threatening to spill onto the counter. You find yourself Googling rental properties and contemplating house demolition.

Your child shares their choice of outfit for the first day of school. It reeks of regret, but your attempts to suggest alternatives only seem to amplify the smell.

Your children have taken it upon themselves to correct your grammar. Thanks, kiddos!

Your kids overhear your last scam call ever. You let loose a string of expletives that would make a sailor blush.

You crave some alone time in your car, blasting Eminem & Joyner’s “Lucky You.”

Dirty socks are everywhere!

The mudroom is living up to its name.

Dust bunnies are multiplying, toilets need scrubbing, and you’re prepping for a colonoscopy while shuttling kids to various camps.

The sink is finally unclogged, but not without casualties. A pipe was twisted too far and broke, causing a leak. Now the pipe needs replacing, and you’re still without a kitchen sink. The demolition team is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Your sister had you on speakerphone during your rant.

You’ve collected more scars from cooking than any other life event. Burn marks abound, and you’ve lost feeling in the tip of your left middle finger due to a dicing mishap.

On the bright side, takeaway food isn’t so bad!

You’re genuinely tired of driving around the suburbs.

What would you add to your mom day list?

by Sarah Sexton, 20.06.21

Medley #6

The other evening, around 6 pm, I needed to make a dash to our city centre Tesco. The pigeon route was clear making way for me to walk the new path. Except! It was not.

Oddly tall was a very drunk man. He was skins on top and walking on stilts. He attempted to walk. He was as drunk as a skunk and could not stand steady and fell over time and time again. I thought, is this real. He was slurring words and there was a police officer in the car park staring at him. The police officer made a move when the drunk circus act started slurring on me.

It was as odd as seeing an owl after our first day of school. First day. First year in UK. We unlocked the door and there was an owl on our roof. A man started chasing it with a dead rat. Caroline said, where the heck are we?

Lisbon

Color me in sunshine…..! 🙂

Laundry Machine

By Sarah Sexton

27.04.21

I am the engine, the driving force behind the laundry, armed with magic, strategies, and daily experience.

Prepare to be amazed! The history of laundry is fascinating. Laundry has been around as long as clothes have. Even furs and fig leaves needed washing. People, mostly women, around the world have been involved in laundry. Laundry is both generational and historical. It’s the backdrop to the evolution of fashion. Just like the weather, laundry is a topic you can always turn to. And speaking of weather, sunny days are perfect for doing laundry.

In the past, laundry was a laborious task that took women an entire day of manual work. Washing and rinsing clothes in fresh water sources was a mindful process. Even today, in many parts of the world, the laundry cycle continues to mirror those early years. It wasn’t until the early 1850s that women worldwide were introduced to an advanced washing machine, and since then, washing machines have continued to evolve.

During our travels across Europe, we always saw lines of laundry drying outside. I often took pictures. Italy, Croatia – lines strung between windows and apartments with all sorts of clothing garments drying. In Ireland, they had adapted their outdoor drying to the weather. We stayed at a bed and breakfast that had about six rows of clotheslines with a roof overhead to keep off the rain.

Many homes throughout England and mainland Europe only have a washing machine. Some of these washing machines double as a dryer. We had one washer/dryer combo when we first moved here, but the clothes never dried properly. All the homes we looked at had the laundry in the kitchen. The kitchens had small washing machines for laundry. We were lucky to find a place with a small dryer. I still hang many garments on radiators throughout the house and if it does not rain, I have two pop-up drying racks I use outside.

Laundry is a never-ending cycle. Despite my feelings towards laundry, I always strive to do a good job and have systems in place. First thing in the morning yesterday’s uniforms are sorted and washed. I sort lights and darks. I know the water temperature and cycles for each batch. I pretreat when needed with Vanish (it’s an amazing stain remover!). I use laundry powder for the wash (no liquid detergent or pods). Sweaters NEVER go in the dryer.

Laundry takes a long time, but if I am doing it, I feel productive. I do complain, but I am happy my girls have clean uniforms, towels and sheets.

Laundry is a reminder that we are alive, so long live laundry!

Rope Course

By Sarah Sexton

05.05.21

Our tree top adventure and rope course were nothing short of breathtaking. It was a golden reward after Lockdown 3.0 to be out in nature, embracing the trees. We clung to trees not just as a prize, but also as a lifeline while navigating the course over Death Valley. Delicate bridges and tightropes led us from one tree hug to the next. I came to appreciate the focus and balance required to conquer these treetop courses.

However, I overlooked the danger warning. We embarked on the Adventure Plus Course, the most challenging of all. The course team didn’t equip us with helmets, leaving our skulls exposed. The worst part wasn’t the potential for head injury, but the risk of near-fatal falls from the zipline without a helmet. The zipline was our only exit from this treetop adventure.

We noticed a lack of adults on the course. All adults landed in a similar fashion. You’re high up in the treetops, and the zipline is quite long and high. Your landing is cushioned by scraping your entire body on the bare earth covered in sharp, splintered wood chips.

I’ve experienced several ziplines in my life, all of which had a brake system to slow your speed. Here, we slowed our speed by dragging our bodies across the woodchips. In previous ziplines, there was always a staff member who would guide you to the landing platform, ensuring safety. Here, we were left to plummet to the earth’s crust layered with dagger-like woodchips. Splinters were unavoidable, and it felt like being shot by a porcupine’s quills. I ended up with five splinters embedded in my hands. Applying hand sanitizer afterwards was more painful than any citrus juice in a wound or salted wound.

My three daughters struggled with their landings. My oldest did a backflip and quickly got up to run away. I thought she was embarrassed, but she was actually proud. My middle daughter started to stick her landings towards the end. She began running in mid-air before she hit the ground, which was the approach suggested by the staff from the treetop rope course.

I tried to land gracefully but my attempts were futile. I was zipping at such high speed that fear set in as I neared the ground. I braced for impact and it hurt just as much as I anticipated! It took me a few seconds to gather myself after each landing.

On my final zip, while waiting in line with my daughters, I joked that I expected to die on this one. My girls cheekily picked out the jewelry they wanted if such fate befell me.

If you live in the UK and are an adult considering this rope course, think twice! It’s painful! I spent three days on a heating pad and stretching after this adventure.

The memories we make are often from unexpected happenings. These moments of fun and bonding will carry you far in life. My family can laugh about it now, although I am on the lookout for a new rope course for our next adventure.

As I spend my last months in England living like a tourist, everything is new and beautiful. I am seizing every opportunity…

Caterina was raised in Sicily. It was one of our first destinations when we moved to England. My soul melted into this relaxed Island life rich with Italian culture. We stayed in a hotel with a balcony view of homes and the ocean. I thought, wow! I could live here, sit here and encompass the writing process.

I am eager for a happy return to meet-up with our Italian family. Our families both met as expats living in England. Our Italian family returned to their home country a year ago. Sextonfive will return to our home country this summer.