Our cottage was full to the brim in July, and I LOVED it. First my parents and youngest sister stayed with us for a week. We set up air mattresses in the office and in the living room. Every morning and evening we did a furniture shuffle in the living room to change from daytime use to a place for my sister to sleep. My parents had a murphy bed situation in the office, because they couldn’t move around the room unless the air mattress was tipped over on its side *cringe*. It was a tight fit, but I’m so glad they were happy to stay with us, and share meals around our underused dining table.
After my parents and sister left, my other sister and brother-in-law stayed with us. They had already been in Europe for a week by the time they made it to England to see us, so they took advantage of our washing machine. Then I convinced them to hang their clothes outside even though the grey clouds looked threatening. Yes, I’m completely reconciled to a dryer-free life now (but a dishwasher would sure be nice). It was so fun to share everyday moments with the people I dearly love, but really most of our time was spent gallivanting around London …which is why I don’t have any pictures of my family at our house. #Regrets. Anyways, here’s a few photos I took while they were here.
We went to the usual places in London. The Tower, Westminster Abbey/Parliament, and a few museums in Kensington. My sister also had a list of places she needed to see, mainly Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross. She had to patiently wait in a queue for over an hour for a photo, but you only live once I guess.
This picture makes me so happy, and I’ll tell you why. The last time my parents were in Europe, they were young and single touring with Continental Singers. My mom sang in the choir, and my dad played saxophone in the band. They fell in love, and by the end of the tour my dad proposed and she said yes. When I was little, I loved to look at my mom’s old photo album of their travels. At first all the photos were just of castles and cathedrals, but as their relationship developed, my dad was included in more and more pictures. Fast forward nearly three decades and four children later, they came back to Europe for round 2!
We had a chance to see a few new things with my sister, and brother-in-law. We went to Sky Gardens, rented bikes and cycled through Hyde Park, and went to Hampton Court Palace.
Hampton Court’s been at the top of my list for a long time, and I’m glad we finally made it over there. It’s lovely and right on the Thames.
Now I’m counting down until next summer when Andrew’s family is coming to visit!
C l a r i M i c h e l e 
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