I forgot to mention. Last Thursday, there wasn't much for me to do at Prospect, so I was sent on the train to drop off a camera with a woman in Nuneaton, an hour and a half outside London. It was a long day, but it was kind of cool to be able to travel by train for work. I now know how to take it to the Cadbury Factory in Birmingham, which I'm planning on visiting, because if I had stayed on the train I was already taking, I would have gotten there. This internship is teaching me a lot about traveling, and the research helps me learn some new and interesting things about the UK as well. I actually really enjoy it I think.

The past two days have been a complete whirlwind from one West English town to the next, but I got a feel for what the countryside is like. I saw some of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen, and it was amazing to be in a place that has thousands of years of history as opposed just 400 years. Thankfully, there was no rain, and even a little sun and blue skies, but it was bitter cold both days. We had to get up at 5:30 to meet the 7:00 am bus from ICLC for the trip, so there was a lot of sleeping on the bus, but I would gladly give up sleep to see the things we saw this weekend.

The first stop was the stone circle at Avebury. It is the largest in the world, and you cannot actually see the entire circle unless you are in the air. Both Avebury and Stonehenge date back to about 3000 BC. Although bigger, the stones at Avebury seemed smaller and the circle itself was less sofisticated than at Stonehenge. It is believed that the circle at Avebury was created as a way to promote fertility, and the Devil's chair, one of the entrance stones to the circle, is said to do just that when sat upon.



Next, we went to see the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. Glastonbury is steeped in Arhurian and Christian legend. It was once a part of an area called the Isle of Avalon as there was water surrounding it. Although there always existed a land bridge between Glastonbury and Street, Glastonbury was most easily reached by boat until the Romans drained the area. It is believed that if Arthur existed, this is the area he would have reigned over. Despite being in ruins, the Abbey was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. You really did get an understanding of how huge it must have once been. In 1184, the entire Abbey burned to the ground in a fire, and the monks had no money to rebuild. By chance, they found what they believed to be the remains of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere because of an inscription on their coffins. The skeletons, upon being exposed to the air, dissintegrated, but what was left was moved to a more central location in the church and a large tomb was erected. The money earned from pilgrimmages of people to go see the tomb was what paid for the new Abbey to be built. Unfortunately, Henry VIII, in attempts to gain all power for himself and to take the focus away from religious leaders, and even from the legend of King Arthur in this case, decided to dissolve the Abbeys during his reign. Glastonbury Abbey was one of those affected by Henry. All the wealth and relics were removed and the windows, doors, and roof was removed to be reused later. The abbey was then made into a quarry, and so Glastonbury is in ruins today. Still, a very beautiful and historic location. While in Glastonbury, we also took a hike up Glastonbury Tor. There is a tower there that was once a church, and it was the site where Henry VIII hung the abbott of Glastonbury Abbey. The views were spectacular from atop the hill.

Wells Cathedral was up next. It was a gorgeous and very large cathedral. There is a clock that rings ever 15 minutes, and like a cuckoo clock, makes theses two jousters on the top joust. The horses move, and the same man always knocks the upper body of the other one backwards onto his horse. It was very funny, but I'm not sure how appropriate it was for a chruch. Wells is also home to the oldest continually inhabited street in Europe, Vicar's Close. Speaking of streets, on the way to Bath I noticed one called Burridge Close (thought some of my family members might find that amusing).







Bath was our resting place for the night. We stayed at the 5 star bath YMCA, and it was actually pretty nice. I had fish and chips at Beluschi's, and it was really good despite the wicked long wait for the food. I roomed with Katie and Kaitlin, and aside from a malfunctioning fire alarm for a while, I think we all got some much needed sleep.

The next morning, we first went to the Roman Baths. Bath's motto is "water is best," so it was only fitting we see the baths first. The Celts had been using the hot springs at bath for a long time, but the Romans created a city called Aquae Sulis around the springs. It was a luxurious place for healing and relaxation, and it was dedicated to Sulis Minerva, a combination of the name for the Celtic and Roman goddesses of water. We got an audio tour of the Baths, and it was so interesting to see all that was still preserved. You really got a feel for what it must have been like to be at this place when it was the vast spa town that it once was. They tried to rebuild some of the old rooms to help you gauge the size of the place, but also much of the stonework was still intact, so you were walking on the original flooring that the Romans had! The main bath was hot, but there were several cold ones as well. There was also a sauna area and changing rooms. Some of the similarities with today were amazing. I suggest you look at the pictures because it's just something that cannot be described. I was also able to go into the pump room and taste the water from the baths. It was definitely sulfur water, and it tasted like egg as well. Not sure how much more or less healed I feel though :). After the Baths, many of us went on a walk with Bill to learn about the Georgian architecture and foundations of modern day Bath. The city is primarily attributed to 3 men: Allen (the business side of things), Bonash (the entertainment), and Woods (the architect). The signficant buildings and areas with Georgian architecture that we saw were the Pump Room of the Roman Baths, now a large restaurant, the Water Hospital (if you weren't healed at the Baths enough, you could seek extra help there), the National Theatre, Queen's Square, Gay Street, the Royal Circus (Woods the elder's masterpiece), the Royal Crescent (Woods the younger's masterpiece), and the Assembly Rooms. It was a nice walk to get to see a bit more of bath, and the Royal Circus and Crescent were very impressive.
While some people went to the fasion museum, Bill continued the walk down to Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon just to see some more of the sites. We then had some free time to walk around a very nice little Bath market area, which had an amazing candy store. I got Pork Pie and Eccles Cake from a vendor at the market. I wanted to try things I had never eaten before, and I was pleasantly surprised. Pork Pie is like a sausage in pastry/pie crust (very tasty!), and Eccles Cake was a sweet, flaky pastry crust filled with something like raisins (I can't remember the name). Last, we stopped at Bath Abbey, another impressive structure inside and out, just before boarding the bus to Stonehenge.


Because of the cold, we were not at Stonehenge long, but it is still an experience I'm glad I got to have. The stones were gigantic, and the way some are stacked on others makes you wonder how it was done. It just made me think about how pwoerful human beings can be. It was disappointing that you can't get very close to the stones, although I knew that was the case beforehand. I wish we had been able to get the audio tour of the area because I feel like I didn't learn that much about Stonehenge. We walked all around it, and I got the first charm for my travel charm bracelet there. Then it was back on the bus for home.

It was a great trip. It's great that the school offers these trips to take you to places that may be very difficult to get to otherwise.

1. The paper is all slightly taller than in the US. A bit of it always sticks out over the top of my folders.
2. They often talk about weight in "stones," which is 14 lbs.
3.  The various symbols keys on the keyboard are place slightly differently. The @ is but the enter key on the right. The " is on the 2. It's all a little strange.
4. They actually have people who clean the streets, the tube tracks, and the tube stations! It's so nice!
5. Friends is always on TV here.
6. They still play Everwood here! It got cancelled in the states at the beginning of high school! Incredible. Was my favorite show at one point.
7. People don't really speak on the tube.
8. There are a lot of people who wear shiny, puffy down jackets...not sure why this trend in particular, but then again I'm not really up on this season's fashion.
9. When there are people talking in books, the person is quoted with single quotes, not double. Then, if there is a quote within a quote the double quotes are used in the single ones. It's the exact opposite of the States.
10. All the jars are classes, even peanut butter.
11. I've been told there are no preservatives in the food. Interesting.
12. All the teachers ask for essays in word count instead of page number...weird.
13. Children LOVE scooters all around London. The younger ones have 3 wheeled ones that stay up on their own, like having training wheels on your bike, and the older ones have the regular two wheeled ones.
14. Nouns that should be plural are made singular. Example: Sports to sport. The opposite is also true. Nouns that are supposed to be singular are made plural. Example: Math to Maths. 
15. Nouns that are meant to have an "a" in front of them sometimes have an "an" instead. Example: a heart attack becomes an heart attack.

 At work today I ran some errands mostly, only did a little research. I got to take a trip down to the BBC to drop something off!!! It was gorgeous and kind of intimidating in there. I'm going for a tour with my class later on in the semester, so I can't wait.

After work, I took the tube to Covent Gardens to see War Horse at the New London Theatre. It's on DRURY LANE (hence the title of this post)! The play was fabulous. It's about a boy and his horse, and they use the most lifelike puppets I have ever seen. They were made out of wooden frames, and the puppeteers seemed as though they had studied horse movements for a long time. It was captivating and emotional, a great start to this semester. I'm so excited for Drama and the London Theatre. It's going to be an amazing class.

Today's walk went through the City of London, London's financial district and the original city that the Romans founded. We say St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Bartholomew's, and Cheapside. Much of the area was completely destroyed in 1666 by the Great Fire of London. St. Paul's for example is the 5th St. Paul's on that site because it has been rebuilt so many times. Before the fire, the Church was apparently much larger than it is today. It is also the symbol of London, and for many during the blitz of WWII, they maintained hope when they saw that St. Paul's was still standing in the morning.
St. Bartholomew's is the oldest church in London, and it was extraordinary (check out the photos page to see pictures). It has been featured in many films, including Shakespeare in Love.
The Cheapside area is interesting because it was a huge market area in the Middle Ages. Streets branching off it have names like Wood St., Milk St., and Bread St. I also thought it was cool that I was in an area that is from A Knight's Tale, but that's just me!
The entire City of London was walled off by the Romans with 7 gates. Today, there are very few gates still standing and only remains of the wall (we say another section of it on the first walk), but the areas that were once gates have names with "gate" at the end. London has such a vivid history. It's so amazing to walk down the streets and not only see skyscrapers.

After the walk, we met up with the rest of the group and went to Charlton in zone 3 for a football match between Charlton and Plymouth. The stadium was incredible, and we sat in the front row! Normally, I'm not very much into football, but I figured it was something I had to experience while I was in England, and it was only £5 for the ticket. It was actually really fun to be there, listening to the really excited fans cheering and chanting. Each of the teams have their own chants, but we couldn't really make out what they were saying. Still, there was an incredible energy, and I'm glad I went. Kaitlin took some really great pictures that I'll get from her to put up. Charlton won 2 to 0!

All in all, a very full but fun day. Tomorrow, I work at ICLC because I'm trying to get my two required weekend shifts out of the way early, so that I can travel as much as possible.

Go look at my photos! All the ones from the walk today have been posted. Also, if you click on them, there are descriptions that give more of the history from Bill.

I decided to get a little exercise and went on a run after work study today. Turns out that Hype Park goes straight from where I live to school, so I just run home from work. It was only about 1.5 miles, but it was a start. It was a beautiful day, nice and sunny, and there is a small pond in the park. This was my first run outside in the winter, but I was fine. I'll be trying to get in some more running as the semester goes on.

Work study was fun today too. I work in the office, answering phones and the door, making sure everyone is all set and that things are clean, and entertaining Claire. She's another member of staff at ICLC, and she's an IC alum. She's very nice, all the staff are, and great to talk to.

I think I'm going out to dinner and to a movie tonight with the roommates. We'll see.

Today, I had another full day of classes with European Mass Media and Drama and the London Theatre (DLT). Both seem like really interesting classes. In Mass Media, we get to take a BBC studio tour, and we are learning about the media in a TON of European countries. Knowing how things work all over the world will help me be able to more effectively communicate messages to those countries. It's like bridging a cultural gap. The professor for it is my internship coordinator as well, so it's nice to get to see him with questions about the internship as well. Drama and the London Theatre is the class I was most eager to take, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. There are 10 plays scheduled, none of which I have ever heard of, except Romeo and Juliet, but they all sound good. I love seeing plays as they help give me something to do and let me explore a little. The class is primarily discussion, and my professor is really nice and open to new feedback as well. I will update about the plays as I see them, but the first is next Monday, and it's called War Horse.

All the classes at the London Centre are focused on writing and class discussion, not as much on testing. For most, I just have a few real assignments due at midterm and during finals, so there seems to just be a lot of independent reading to be prepared to talk. It's a bit of a different system than at home, and the professors are really understanding about our need to travel. They all want to take us on field trips to see and experience the things we are learning about in the classroom, which will be a nice compliment to the class.

Thought it would also be good to mention that this is the first day I've actually been confident about being here. The first night I haven't gotten teary eyed thinking about home. I think I can actually do this. It was a hard week of adjustment, but I'm excited to go forward and see and do new things. I think that's a significant achievement, not to be too cheesy. Still though, I love and miss you all. Second day of my internship tomorrow. Hopefully, there are a lot of fun things for me to do! Goodnight.

Today was the first day of classes. I had Empire and Decolonization, my history class, and Contemporary British Fiction. Fiction was really great. Sounds like everyone is taking it because we want to read. Next week, we are analyzing Harry Potter! I think it's hysterical. We're reading some reviews of it now, which are actually really interesting. I'm glad we're looking at the books from a different point of view. We are also reading about 9 other books that sound really good throughout the course, and Trainspotting is one of them. Thought you might like that Gage. My history class was alright, but a bit different than what I thought. It seems that we will be covering all empires...not just the British Empire, but we'll see how that goes. Neither class seems to be much work, just papers at midterm and final times and a final exam. Not too bad. Weird random observation: they ask for word count instead of page number for essays here, and the paper is all slightly larger and doesn't fit into my folders nicely. Some really weird cultural differences, but I thought I'd mention.

Lastly, I believe all of my the pictures that I have so far have now been posted to the "photos" page (click the button at the top), so have a look!

Today was my first day at Prospect Pictures. The people were very nice to me, but it's not as production oriented as I thought my internship would be. I did a few things to help the development team, which comes up with new projects to produce. I also watched one of their documentaries called Autistic Superstars about autistic musicians and how music helps them. It was really great, and I think the work the company does is great. There wasn't much for me to do today, and I'm hoping that on Thursday there will be more to do and that I'll be able to go on shoots and do some production work like I thought.

In other BIG news, I COOKED FOR MYSELF TONIGHT! I modified Gage's packet chicken recipe to use what they had at the store here (I couldn't find beans and I used tomato sauce instead). It was really easy, so thanks Gage. I also bought these really awesome marshmallow chocolate cookies called tea cakes. I think it was a successful meal at least.

Forgot to mention that last night we went to Prince Alfred Pub again because they have live music Thursday and Sundays. It was really great. There were two guys, the singer was from New Zealand actually. They did covers of songs and it was a good time just hanging out there. At one point they were asking people where they were from, and when we said we were from America they were really surprised and asked us from where. Before that I had told the singer he sounded really good, and he said "Oh, bless you, love. Happy New Year." It was really funny and nice.

I'm very excited to start school tomorrow. I think I have some really good courses. I also work tomorrow at ICLC on work study in the office after classes get out, so I'll be there late, but that's alright.

This morning when I got up there was actually some blue sky! This was the first day it's not been overcast. I checked out of the hotel, had my last breakfast, and was off to meet Bill on Liverpool Street for his market walk. We were able to stop in and see 4 very different markets: Petticoat Lane Market, Spitalfield Market, Up Market, and Backyard Market. Petticoat Lane had a lot of very cheap clothes and jewelry, Spitalfield is a bit more up scale and is inside, Up Market is a mix of food from all over the world, and Backyard market was the smallest but had what looked like some nice stalls as well. All of these markets are located in the City of London I believe, or just outside it, on the east side. Bill told us that it is a very working class area, and many Jews migrated to that area specifically. The area is losing a bit of this history though as it now caters to a more Asian population and is becoming more gentrified. It also happens to be the place where Jack the Ripper committed many of his famous murders. It was a very interesting walk to a place that I probably would not have thought to go. These walks are really opening me up to London more.

All my things are moved into the flat and tonight will be my first night sleeping here. I went to the store and got groceries; not a pleasant experience because I had to carry the heavy bags pretty far. Hopefully now I can learn to cook. I think I'm mostly settled in, but I have a bit more to do. I also have to figure out where my internship is specifically, so I can be there at 10am tomorrow!

Last but not least, check out my new photos from the walks and my first few days in London!

Because I haven't actually been living at my flat, I've had lots of opportunities to taste the local cuisine, including the pubs. Cider will be my drink of choice here I think. So far, I think we've visited three pubs: Builders Arms (there are a lot of "Arms" pubs here), Prince Alfred's (live music Sunday and Thursday nights, a really great pub), The Black Lion. We also went for Thai food last night at a place near by. The Thai food here is really different from Thai food back home but in a way that's hard to describe, and I'm not sure I like it that much. We've been eating a lot at the convenience store, Tesco Express, because it has a meal deal, of a sandwich, fruit or crisps, and a drink, for £2. Tonight we went to Gormet Burger Kitchen, which had great burgers. I got a chocolate shake, and even the chocolate here is different, much more rich I think. There is a sandwich place by the London Centre called Patisserie that has good food and smoothies as well. I'm trying to budget, but it's hard when you have to eat all your meals out. I just thought I'd keep a record of the places I've been going that I liked.

Yesterday, Katie and I made the what should be short trek from Glouster Road where the hotel and ICLC is to Bayswater with all of our possessions. My suitcases were HEAVY and, lucky me, parts of the tube line that we would normally take were shut down. We had to take the most indirect route. There were some very nice people who saw my struggle and were willing to help me bring my suitcases up and down the stairs. Despite being a little sore today, all my stuff made it here safely and is unpacked. I'm washing the sheets that came on my bed...and I'm going to buy a new pillow...just a little grossed out by sleeping on old sheets and with an old pillow.

Bill, the director of the London Centre, held his first of about 5 walks today. He calls this one of the Two City walk because we are able to see both the political and economic centers of London. We met at Westminster tube station and walked all the way through Westminster to Trafalgar Square, over the Thames River, to Southwark and the City of London, and across the Tower Bridge. It was only maybe about a 2 mile walk, but we saw so many sights! It was incredible. Bill stopped to give us brief history lessons along the way. His walks are definitely a great way to check out the city and learn your surroundings. We saw: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, the equivalent of the State Department building, the Exchequer, the changing of the Guard at Horse guard (site of beach volleyball in the 2012 Olympics now, was once Henry VIII's tournament ground for jousting and tennis), the Globe Theatre and its original site, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. We were also able to stop at Burough Market, which has a lot of yummy food, and the South Bank Book Market, which reminded me a lot of the Harvard Square street book stands. I will have pictures up of everything shortly, but it was a really great day walk. There is another shorter one scheduled tomorrow to go check out some markets. 

Last night we had another orientation session as a check-in with us and to get more information about how the London Center works. The winners of the quizes Bill has been sending out since November were annouced. They've been all about London stuff, and I tried to answer them all because it's useful information that I didn't know before. I won 2 of the quizes, and I got £20 for it! More money to use on food! It's great because some of them were actually a time commitment. I was the only person to get the last question on the last quiz correct; it asked what HSBC could stand for asside from the bank pertaining to something from London, and the answer was the initials of the 4 staff members here at the London Center (Heather, Sarah, Bill, and Claire).
I had my work placement orientation today too. I will be working at Prospect Pictures, primarily documentary work I believe. I've contacted them, and I will be starting at 10am on Monday morning in Hammersmith. It sounds like it will be a great internship, and I'm happy to be getting into the routine early. I still have to look at maps and figure out exactly where I'm actually going.

...the tube does too! The circle line, which takes me to most of the places I will need to be going most often, is worst for this it seems. Figures that I live on the slowest lines both at home and here! Oh well, it's still very convenient, and at least the transport authorities here will announce on the trains and at the stations which lines are running slowly and why. Other than that, the tube reminds be of the MBTA in the a lot of ways. Americans are definitely easy to spot on trains because the English really only mutter to one another. The tube is generally quiet, so large groups of Americans are easy to spot, so I'm trying to learn to take it down a notch. I bought my £74 monthly student tube pass today for zone 1 and 2, which goes practically everywhere I will be going on a daily basis. I think it was a good idea to get it, and it will probably save me money down the line. I'm working on making my budget and learning what all the coin currency looks like here.

It is interesting to see what an international and diverse place London is. I have really only explored two areas of the city, but I hear a slew of different languages being spoken on the tube and in the streets. Every time I go downstairs for breakfast in the hotel, there is a new group of flight attendants and pilots in the lobby. It is so cool to see the difference in uniforms they wear depending where they are from. The food here is also very different. The hotel provides us with breakfast every morning, but even the food with the same name is different: scrambled eggs are wicked mushy, pancakes are more like crepes, frosted flakes are called frosties, and Belgian waffles are smaller and taste exactly like waffle cones for ice cream. It's strange, but I'll make the adjustment.

I had to buy internet service for 24 hours last night because I could not deal with the lack of connection to home. I can't believe most of the hotels here do not have free wifi; to me, it seems a bit behind the times. At least having the internet has allowed me to feel more secure and less homesick, but I think the sleep and eating better will help that as well. I've been trying to drink a lot and eat normally, but flat hunting got in the way of that for the past few days. I also really hate having to pay for lunch and dinner because it's so much more expensive than cooking for yourself, but at least it's only for the short term.

The other BIG news is that we found a flat!!! It was very nerve-wracking yesterday because we kept hearing that groups were finding places fast, and we had some landlords cancel appointments with us because the apartments had been taken already. We looked at 3 flats in the same building and 1 from a man, and then with all the cancellations, we didn't have any other contacts written down. We went to the London Centre to get more numbers and immediately met with a man who showed us 2 of his apartments in Bayswater. The first was more spacious but a bit older, and the other was smaller but more up-to-date. Both were the same price, and we decided to choose the more spacious one. It has three rooms, two to a room, and two bathrooms. Katie and I have the smallest room, but it is located down the hall closest to one of the bathrooms. Our building has a doorman for security and an elevator, and the apartment comes with utilities, tv, and internet as well as washer/dryer and dishwasher. It was a really great deal for only £133 per person per week. I'm staying in the hotel until Sunday because I get breakfast and it's been paid for, but we move into the apartment tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. I will be glad once I am settled in. I will be living with 5 other girls: Anissa, Amanda, Samantha, Katie, and Kaitlin.

Today, I had my work study orientation in the morning, and there aren't many people, so hopefully I will be able to make some money. I have my internship orientation tomorrow morning, but I found out I am working at Prospect Pictures, which is a documentary production company primarily it seems. Tonight we have another orientation section with free pizza provided for dinner. Talk to you all soon, and I'll try to get some pictures up too.

I've been up for something like 30 hours, which has not been easy, but I'm kind of going in and out of being tired at this point. I'm trying to kill the jet lag quickly.
The flight was alright, even though I didn't get any sleep. They gave us free socks, toothbrush, the smallest sample of toothpaste I've ever seen in my life, a pillow, a blanket, and a pen. Being at Logan reminded me of what a huge world is out there, seeing passports from all over the world. On the flight, I was sitting next to another girl doing study abroad at a different school in London, a girl from Sri Lanka, and a girl from Vietnam. It was really interesting to talk to all of them. I watched Eat, Pray, Love on the flight. I was surprised there was actually a good selection of new movies and tv shows, and there were even games to play. Still, this was my first international flight, and the longest one I've ever been on. I didn't get more than an hour of sleep because it was kind of cramped. We landed in Heathrow, and I had no problems at the border or finding my ride to the hotel.
From there we went straight to the IC London Center for orientation. It wasn't too long. We went on a city walk afterwards for a bit, and it sort of showed the area and the banks and the cell phone shop, but it was mostly long and boring. We had a talk with the London police about laws and how to avoid breaking them, and then Katie and I went to buy our cell phones, which we can't actually do a lot with or it will cost us a fortune. After that, Kaitlin, Samantha, and the two new girls who are now living with us, had lined up a few apartments to look at that were in the same building in Bayswater. They were nice, but we are looking at a few more places tomorrow, and we will hopefully decide on one either tomorrow or Thursday. 6 people is not what I expected, or really want, to live with, but I guess I'll have to figure something out. I just want to get started with seeing the city. I am a bit more homesick on the first day than I intended to be. It doesn't help that there is no free internet in the hotel, and I have to come to a starbucks across the street to do this. I need to move in to an apartment, so I can feel connected to everyone. It's hard right now, but hopefully things will be better in the next few days.

My flight leaves at 7:45pm from Logan tomorrow and arrives at Heathrow at 7:20am the next day. I'm all packed, and I've measured and weighed my bags, so hopefully no baggage fees. I've said my goodbyes for now to most of my friends and family, which was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I'll be home again soon.
I'm excited, but really nervous. I hope the first few days aren't as stressful as I'm imagining right now. Still, at least I'm not going to Ithaca for once. It will be nice to see the world and experience something new. Kaitlin is already there by now. I got a text this morning telling me she was on her plane. I'm excited to see her again.

The last bit of exciting news I had, which doesn't much pertain to London, but needs to be mentioned anyway. I'm getting a dog!!! I'm sad that I won't be here when she moves in, but we went to visit her today. She's a gorgeous 5 year-old English Golden (I guess it has a little to do with London) named Trixie. She's energetic and a lot of fun! She's just had her last litter of puppies a few weeks ago, and she'll be our dog in just 2 weeks! I'm so glad I got to meet her before I left. She's the best!