F-F-F-Falling

American Focus
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

It is getting a bit colder and the leaves have started falling in earnest; saying that it was warm enough for shorts and t-shirts on 21 November. There have been a few snow showers in the mountains and it has been cold enough for them to make snow as well.

We took advantage of the warm weather to put my new mountain bike through it's paces. We went a short way round the beltway to Wakefield park and took a trip around Accotink lake which was relatively easy but good fun, especially the short steep slope by the dam. On the way back to the park we spotted a buck whitetail deer following a doe and although the female was slightly spooked the buck wasn't concerned about us and we were able to get very close. Helen then took a break and I burnt up some fast wooded singletrack before disappearing into the deep dark forest for some nervy, gnarly, rooty singletrack.


For Thanksgiving we started the day quite early as we were running in a 10k which started at 0800; way too early! It was cool but not cold for the race, but the route was along the Mount Vernon Trail which was a bit windy with lots of changes in gradient. The worst part was that the half way point was nearer to our house than the finish and I was tempted to let Helen bring the car back. After relaxing at home we went over to Vick and Dave's in Arlington to meet up with other's from the Rugby club for a proper Thanksgiving dinner.

The temperature dropped dramatically over night and after a quiet morning for me (Helen went to yoga) we popped out on the mountain bikes to search out places to ride off road. We covered quite a few miles and found a quiet small park with a windy woody circuit.

Mellow

Mellow
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

First day of the season, first day boarding for Helen and Me. The base was deep but hard and there was a dusting of powder on top. There were two runs and two lifts open to the public which meant we could board down most of the mountain. We were very tired after both days and even more tired when we got home to Alexandria at 0130 on Monday morning. The residue of my cold is gradually clearing and the cycling to work is getting easier even if I spend the next half hour coughing like mad. The temperatures are much lower now and there may even be some wet snow on Friday. They are making snow up in the Appalachians, about 5 hours from here, and they expect to be open on the day before Thanksgiving. The nearer slopes are hoping to be open on 8 December; we're hoping for more cold weather and precipitation!

GSA 2007

Bruin the big blue bear
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

After getting back from the UK I had a few hours at home before setting off with Helen to Denver for the Geological Society of America's annual meeting. Things didn't start too well as it took us about two hours to do a one hour journey from home to Baltimore airport. It was only by diving off to a back road and relying on the GPS that we made it just in time.
It was 'plane' sailing from then on even though we did arrive very late in Denver. Helen has been working hard with meetings and presentations and I wandered about taking photos, driving a minibus and trying very hard not to learn anything.
On the Sunday we went on a field trip looking at the local geology including dinosaur footprints (pictures on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/). I went to a very interesting presentation on the health benefits of dark chocolate which included free samples; mmmmm free samples.
On Wednesday evening we drove to Frisco which is in the Rockies and it's lovely and cold here with lots of snow on the mountains.
Helen made me go running and the lack of oxygen and my cold I struggled badly. Oh well, snowboarding tomorrow!!!!

Fall?

Downy Woodpecker
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

Wow' it's really been a while since I last typed anything here!

Things haven't been that busy, but I have been easily distracted. We really enjoyed watching the Rugby World Cup even though a lot of the matches were shown a day or so later on our TV package. Couldn't believe England made it to the final and although I'm disappointed by the final result, I'm not upset. We must have confused the neighbours a bit by flying the flags of St George and the y Draig Goch in place of the Union Flag when England or Wales played.

We thought winter was on the way this week as temperatures dropped and we had to turn the heating on. But after a couple of days wearing long sleeve shirts on the bike it warmed back up enough to necessitate wearing shorts again.

There was much excitement in the populace on Friday as we had rain showers which was the first "significant rain" we've had in 34 days apparently! Although there wasn't that much rain by us the accompanying rain helped to bring down more leaves. We must be in a bit of a micro-climate as the fall colours (I'm happy to sat Fall but not spell colours incorrectly!) are only just starting to show in our garden but they are more striking a few miles south of us.

I'm currently at the airport waiting to go to Scotland and I'm back over to Bristol at the beginning of December. When I get back from this trip I'm tagging along with Helen to her conference in Denver and then we take a quick trip up the road to go boarding in the Rockies. Hope we get snow earlier in DC this year especially as Cat, Judy, Paul and Amy are over for Christmas.

Update from Helen
Hi! I thought I'd throw in a bit of an update of what I've been up to since I moved out at the beginning of August. The first couple of weeks of August I took as pure holiday (apart from a lunchtime seminar at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center). It was fab, two days after I arrived we went to the Virgin Festival in Baltimore and spent a couple of days in the hot sun, eating icecream, having free massages and watching various bands (some of whom I'd even heard of!) - saw Amy Winehouse, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beastie Boys, the Police and lots more that I can't remember now.

Kitty was here for about 10 days, we chilled out in the garden, swam in the pool, had a pool party with friends from Dave's work and the neighbours, and went to the Shenandoah mountains for walking, canoeing and, of course, the age-old American pasttime of eating. Also went down to Colonial Williamsberg and learnt a bit of American history.

After Kitty went home I thought I ought to start doing some work - obviously the thinking was too taxing as I came down with a bad cold for a week. Perked up by the weekend and went out cycling with Dave (I've bought myself a road bike but haven't got a chance of keeping up with Dave, fortunately he's happy to pootle when out riding with me. I'm getting on with it quite well and have only fallen off twice when I couldn't get my feet out of the cleats). Am really enjoying working from home though I miss the chats and camaraderie in the office.

I've found myself a women's rugby team: NOVA (check out http://www.novawrfc.org/). They're a really nice bunch of girls but there's loads of them! We get at least 40 at each training session (Tuesday and Thursday nights) which is a bit of a change for me. Our coaches are awesome and I've got about 15 different moves to learn, so I'm a bit apprehensive about my first game which is coming up this weekend. I've managed to perpetuate the myth that Britain is really small and we all know each other: there's another Brit in NOVA, Vicki, who I used to play rugby with at Trojans in Southampton.

I'm still hoping to do some volunteer work at Mason Neck State Park but have yet to hear back from them but I'm managing to keep myself pretty busy anyway with work, running, cycling, swimming and rugby etc.. Dave and I are still getting on really well - this living together thing seems to be working OK - we're a pretty good team and have worked out an appropriate division of labour (e.g. he mows the lawn and I go to the hairdresser). I'm settling in pretty well and have accessed all the amenities I need (excellent chiropracter, fab hairdresser, shop that sells Green & Blacks chocolate). I haven't yet succumbed to obesity or developed an American accent but I've only been here for 5 weeks :o)

Oooh we've also bought a Wii which is brilliant fun. If anyone else has one we can share Miis and (possibly?) play games together. We've got Residential Evil 4 (which Dave is now playing for the second time) and Rayman rabid rabbits. But I'm not playing much at the moment cos the rugby world cup is on so I'm watching that most of the time (thank goodness for Setanta Sports). I'm not missing UK tv too much, though we are watching a lot of DVDs due to the pants nature of American tv. I am forever grateful for my internet radio I got as a present from the Subject Centre managers, I can listen to 'Today' on Radio 4 and Zane Lowe on Radio 1 which satisfies my desires for British media. (and I get the Guardian Weekly and the THES so am still vaguely in touch with world news).

Anyway, thats plenty for now. Dave and I will return with more exciting updates when we've done something else worth writing about (we're off to an Aerosmith concert this weekend). If you want to see more photos of our American adventure check out Dave's Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/11463478@N00/ If you'd like to see a bit more of our house (including my new baby-grand piano - totally awesome) then have a look at the Adventures of Knitted Rabbit at http://www.flickr.com/photos/8237393@N03/

Can't stand the rain

Can't stand the rain
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

Just to make those of you in the UK feel better, it does rain here occasionally. We had a big storm yesterday with loads of thunder and lightning admittedly the air temperature and rain were warm. Oh well at least I don't have to top the pool.

I went for a ride on my new bike using the fixed gear on Saturday which was fun. It was difficult to get used to not coasting round corners and going down some of the big hills was crazy with my legs spinning round like mad.

An odd time

Lower Deck
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

The weather has mainly been hot and steamy with the odd storm passing through to clear the air for a day or maybe two. The cycling has been good and I've managed to swim every day, at the weekends I've been out playing on the computer under the shade of the tree and then plunging into the pool to cool down; bliss.

I had a meeting in Long Island and decided that it would be as quick, and more convenient, to drive as fly. So armed with the new GPS as an insurance I headed north. I was either brave or foolhardy and headed through mid Manhattan but apart from some heavy traffic it was a great experience. On the way back I tried the GW bridge (pictured) and the road was jammed through the Bronx until I got onto the lower deck of the bridge. The queue for the upper deck was massive, probably because lorries aren't permitted on the lower deck. The journeys were pretty boring because it was mainly freeway and apart from Manhattan, the most exciting thing was trying to find a restaurant that I could eat at on the way back.

This week I'm in the UK and I'm sat in the Virgin Atlantic lounge burning time before I get on the flight. I was with Helen the last time I left the US and it felt like a holiday, but this time, late on Sunday evening, it feels distinctly odd leaving home to go to the UK.

Hopefully I'll see some of you this week and please, if you're thinking of coming over, drop me a line or give us a call.

Squirrel Yoga

Squirrel Yoga
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

The fourth of July was interesting, I left the union flag flying alongside the stars and stripes and hoped I wouldn't get lynched by the locals. I had my first BBQ with Spencer from work and his wife Clare and then we went up to the Capitol building to watch the concert and fireworks. Little Richard rocked and it was odd watching Tony Danza host the show. It took us an age to get back home because the Metro was packed and the lines were different to a normal day.

I've been using the pool every day and it's great for cooling down after the ride home. It's a glorious day today very sunny and hot, I felt my skin crisping as I went outside to start the pool pump and it's only 0930! I'm sitting inside at the moment watching the Tour de France; I am delighted to see it's stopped raining in the UK. It's odd to see the riders going through London, which looks almost unrecognisable from the motorbike cameras.

Last night I had to boost the airconditioning because it is so hot at night, oh how I suffer ;o)

All done

All done
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

It's been a while since I last posted an entry, but it's been a busy time. I've gone back to the UK and up to Pittsfield for meeting meetings. As you can see, the maintenance company eventually decided they were fighting a losing battle and cleaned out all of the leaves from the pool, added loads of chemicals and topped it back up. I've just got to pop and and get some Sodium Bicarbonate to raise the PH and it should be good enough to soak in this afternoon. With the hot weather we've been having the pool should warm up quickly; it's quite cool at the moment.

The next job is to get a big pot to put loads of ice and beer in and then organize a pool party!

A US public holiday at last! It is Memorial Day weekend so we've been enjoying the fantastic weather. OK, so Yesterday we watched the three international rugby games on the TV, but Helen did go outside for a run.

Today, we went for a ride around DC, about fifty miles in total. It was very pleasant while we were moving, but the sweat poured off when we stopped. We stopped at the National Zoo for lunch, no not panda burgers, and to top up our water; I don't know about Helen but I'm looking forward to the big reward pizza tonight.

Nearly naked

Nearly naked
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

What a difference a week makes; last week it was raining most of Saturday, but that didn't matter because the conditions in the UK were great and Gloucester walloped Wasps to make it to the Powergen final at Twickenham.

This week it was wet in the UK and Gloucester struggled to play their fast paced game in poor conditions against a very strong Leicester side. We expended a lot of energy defending and were on the wrong end of some lenient refereeing in the Leicester 22 in the first half.

On the upside, it is warm and bright here, albeit with some high level cloud. So I'm sat outside with the wildlife, playing on the computer (oh, the joys of wireless and a cardboard box) and doing some light filing (on the bike). The main benefit, apart from the vitamin D is that I've just seen two male cardinals posturing and fighting and some sparrows getting very intimate!

As you can see the bike is completely stripped down and I've almost finished obliterating the braze-ons (cable guides etc). I've had problems sourcing suitable bakes and brake levers as well as the right size handlebars and seatpost. I've sourced the seatpost from the UK of all places and I've expended some elbow grease and refurbished the rest. Hopefully the frame should be ready for powder coating next weekend which will give me something to do while I'm waiting for Helen to fly in to Dulles.

Strip down

Getting there
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

It's been fun removing all the bits from the bike that I don't need and feeling the weight which I won't have to drag around. Everything came off smoothly and the general condition of the threads are very good. I did have trouble removing the right side of the bottom bracket, but that was only because I didn't have a large enough spanner. Matt from work lent me a pipe wrench and it came out smoothly. more importantly there is only slight corrosion on one of the threads.

It's been great fun working outside in the warm evenings and getting oily, working with my hands is a good way to wind down, believe me.

I ordered new brake blocks, brake cable, pedals and seat so all I have left to buy is a seatpost, stem, handlebars, front brake and brake lever and I can start assembling the bike for a test fit.

I've been asked why I'm building a single speed, by lots of people and here's a few reasons:

1. Inexpensive - It would cost at about $700 for all the extra bits like derailleurs, chainrings, cassette and shifters I'd need for a geared bike.

2. Easier to build - no fiddly gears to set up and cables to run.

3. Less maintenance - just move the rear wheel to adjust the chain tension, no rear mechanism to adjust and less fiddly moving bits to adjust.

4. Easier to clean - No dirt being trapped by the rear mechanism and chainrings. less bits to clean an easier access to the chain.

5. Less wear - Because dirt gets on the chain it wears and lengthens requiring it to be replaced. This also wears the chainrings and cassette and the jockey wheels in the rear mechanism on a geared bike. Replacing these bits costs lots of money.

6. Good training - Not only will I have to work harder, losing weight in the process, but because I only have one gear I can't put it in a granny gear and pootle up a hill but will have to speed up on the approach to maintain my momentum.

7. Better technique - Because I will have to spin (maintain a high cadence) as there is only one gear, the faster I want to go faster I have to pedal. Currently I mash the gears because I have big thighs; so I use a big gear and keep it turning over at a slow rate (low cadence). Not only does the spinning make me faster on a normal bike, but also reduces the wear on my knees - hey I'm getting old.

8. It'll be harder - Which means rides with Helen will be even more enjoyable. I won't be able to run a big gear and disappear into the distance as Helen will have a better gear set-up to go faster and be more economical over hilly ground.

9. No obsolescence - Like Microsoft, Shimano et al bring out new products and drop the old ones and funnily enough the new stuff is more expensive.

10. Cachet - Overtaking somebody, whether on the flat or a hill, or riding a tough hill with only one gear; need I say more?

11. It looks cool - Maybe it's just me, but without all the extra bits the clean lines of a single speed bike look elegant.

12. It's a challenge - Riding a fixed gear means no freewheeling so cornering and downhills are completely different. There is also the challenge of learning how to do a trackstand, balancing the bike, which makes stopping and starting at junctions easier.

13. Chill time - Not having to think about changing gears for climbing, descending, stopping and starting means more time to enjoy riding.

14 Fun - It's something different!

Helping with the lawn

Helping with the lawn
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

It's heartwarming when the neighbours make an effort to introduce themselves, but it can be annoying when they make themselves at home and then help themselves to whatever is in your pantry. At least Warren helped out in the garden, but was it veiled criticism at the state of my lawn? At least this makes a change from pictures of bikes, eh?

Don't forget, you can leave comments if you register; it'd be nice to get some feedback. You can also click on the photographs to see all the other photos we've uploaded, you can skip all the bike ones and there will be plenty!.

The project starts

The project starts
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

To keep me out of trouble, and numerous other reasons that I'll detail later, I've decide to build myself a single speed bike. It's a bit odd really because it was cool to have a bike with loads of gears when I was a kid. I remember having a sturmey archer three speed and being jealous of my friends who had ten and even twelve speeds leat alone the unheard of twenty-seven speed road bike I have now.

I bought some essential components in Boston last week from an awesome shop specializing in single speeds and track bikes:

- a pair of wheels - These don't have a quick release skewer like normal wheels as the rear wheel needs to be held firmly to keep tension as there is no rear derailleur. The rear wheel is what is known as a flip flop as it allows you to have a fixed gear one side and a freewheel on the other; you just lip the wheel around to change over.

- chain ring and cranks - only one ring needed as I only want one gear. This saves modifying a normal one; and it's nice and shiny!

- rear cog - this is fixed to the wheel so it rotates at the same rate so I cannot coast. This makes cornering and downhills interesting!

- rear freewheel cog - a single gear but able to freewheel so I can coast down big hills if I get tired.

- chain - rear gears are packed tightly onto a cassette to save space for the rest of the wheel and this requires a narrow chain. My chain can be wider as I only have one gear; this extra strength is useful for braking when using the fixed gear.

- bottom bracket - the cranks fit onto this and it contains nice sealed bearings. They threw this in for free considering how much the rest cost me.

I bought the bike for $40 from Fernando, a pre-law student currently studying for his finals. It was advertised on "craigs list" which is a local listing classified, which turned out a lot cheaper than ebay. His mum drove him and the bike to me at work which even saved me from navigating across Arlington. Most of the components are ropey, but I was planning to replace most of them anyway. The frame is in pretty good nick considering it is about twenty five years old, but importantly it does have diagonal rear dropouts which will allow me to tension the rear chain by moving the rear wheel.

Boston

Boston 02
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

This week I was mostly in Boston Thankfully the rain stopped and the weather warmed up so it was quite pleasant. Unfortunately it started raining again by the time I got to Pittsfield, which meant I had to run inside instead of around the woods :o(

The flight back from Albany was cancelled and I had to catch a later flight, but at least the roads were stil quiet.

I wussed out cycling on Friday because thunderstorms with golf ball size hail was forecast, but most of the storms held off until early Saturday morning.

Sunny (San) D

Sunny (San) D
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

I flew out to San Diego on Sunday for a meeting and the timing couldn't have been better. The weather in the East is abysmal; torrential rain in DC and snow in New England. As you can see it's nice and sunny here in southern California, although it is a bit cool in the evening without a jumper.

Being so close to Mexico, I've managed to have Mexican food for dinner almost every night; bliss.

The place we were working at this week trains dolphins and seals, the Navy seals (our version of the SBS) trained across the water, but I doubt they were as interesting or cute. We weren't able to get right next to the pens, but we saw the dolphins breaching and jumping; I think the seals were on their break.

I managed to get running again, it's easier when it's sunny, but the route given by the hotel was mainly on concrete pavements and roads. It's not fun running in a cycle lane on a 45mph road! Stupidly I ran the full six miles so I could get to the park and paid for it with aching thighs and calvesfor the next two days. Tonight I drove to the park and ran four miles on the grass - bliss!

I've brought myself a few presents including a new SD card for the camera. I've gone from 16meg to 2gig which means I can go from six high resolution photos to over 1000, so you may see some better photographs.

I'm off to have my cookies and milk, which the hotel delivered as a leaving present, before I ring Helen (8 hours ahead of me).

Posing
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

We woke up to a snow covered vista this morning and got out of the house nice and early and up to the National Zoo to check out the wildlife. It was well worth it and although we had planned to spend an hour or two there we didn't leave until well in the afternoon. The star of the show was Tai Shan the two year old Giant Panda romping around in the snow, but there were loads of other good exhibits; check out the rest of the photographs on Flickr (just click on a picture in any posting). Some of the animals were in insufficient environments and others a day in the DC snow wasn't appealing, certainly the African exhibits. But there were also some excellent exhibits including the Amazon environment complete with steam room; sorry rain forest, fully equiped with hidden macaws and poison arrow frogs.

Despite the freezing weather we made it to the ball game.

Nats Vs Diamondbacks
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

Having applied a little thought we bought a fleece throw to snuggle under and were relieved to see there were many duvets and blankets in evidence around the stadium.
As you can see we were seated right behind home plate which gave us an awesome view. Luckily there were also TV screens so we could keep track of the game and see why a strike had been given or not.
We picked up some of the rules and some of the tactics although a lot seemed to rest on whether you could hit the ball or not. The only downside of the evening was that we lost big time; our only score was a single, disputed, home run.

Free throw
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

We don't have any pictures from Titus Andronicus because of copyright issues and it would have annoyed the actors. It's probably a good thing anyway because, although it's not the bloodiest, it's probably the most violent of Shakespeares plays. The baseball was manic with loads of dancing, jumping, t-shirts, burritos and, course, some sport. We got free t-shirts and fan towels (you twirl them above your head to encourage your team). I think we needed more towels as the Wizards lost again :o(

Holy and Kitty spent yesterday afternoon being Mall Rats while I whiled away the time in a nice quiet bookshop.

Believe it or not there were snow flurries this morning and snow showers are forecast tomorrow, just in time for the baseball.

Weeping Cherry
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

Catherine arrived late last night and after a leisurely breakfast of home made blueberry pancakes we drove up to Crystal City and caught the Metro to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival. We overheard somebody compain about everybody admiring and photographing the blossoms in one place as there were "plenty of apple blossoms on the other side of the lake".

The weather was a bit overcast, and the crowds (near the car parks) were big but the blossoms have hit their peak and were breathtaking. We're now both tired and have aching legs from all the working, so were sat downstairs reading the Sunday paper and watching the squirrels running around.

We're having a quiet evening on Monday and then it's a busy week: Titus Andronicus on Tuesday, Basketball on Wednesday, Washington Zoo on Friday and Baseball and Mount Vernon on Saturday. I should have an easy night on Thursday as Kitty should be going shopping with Holly.

Licence

Licence
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

Hurrah, I passed my driving test ... again, but this time in America. OK, I failed the theory test first time as you have to get 100% on the signs section and I was too cocky and got the second question wrong and got kicked out of the test. I set things right the next day as I aced the tests and drove around the block without killing anybody to get my licence sorry, license.

I celebrated my newly won right to drive like an American by cycling into work and it was so warm that I was in shorts and short sleeves despite the wind.

The bad news is that the licence is only good for one year and I will have to renew it every year, I don't think I have to do the whole gamut of tests, but we'll see.

I'm not quite American yet, but with the License, gas guzzling car, huge house and Social Security Number, I'm getting there.

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

OK, so the snow has gone again and we've got beautifully sunny skies, although it's still cool out of the sun. I managed to gather up another six bagas of leaves with about a quarter of the back yad and all the front to go. The grass has gereened up quickly where the leaves gave been cleared. I think I hay just mow where the grass is longer as it will be hellish to rake the leaves out.

It's the first day of spring today, hmm, I wonder when the pool can be made ready for Summer?

Chores
Originally uploaded by
d_j_critchley.

It's been a weekend of ups and downs. Firstly, the last of the furniture was delivered, so apart from a few small things (and hanging the pictures) the house is pretty much there.

I thought it would be a good idea to clear up all the leaves in the yard, before getting the new mower out to do the first cut of the year. What a bad move! So far I have gathered up nine 45 litre bags pressed full of leaves and that's about a quarter of the area (front and back). As you can see it was cold and overcast on Saturday, but Sunday was gloriously sunny albeit slightly nippy.

Having done my chores on Sunday I settled down to watch the six nations matches not shown on the Saturday. Wales deserved the win - great passing by the English backs, but that's no good in the modern game if you don't break down the defence by taking the tackle! Scotland played well, but were outplayed by the French and helped by the ref, not least by sending their best player off in place of somebody else. Oh well somebody has to win the wooden spoon and, in that one match, Wales deserved to move up a place to nestle behind the Italians.

I think Ireland were slightly flattered by the scoreline considering the forward passes It must be gutting to have tried to get the extra score instead of kicking it out, have a great try run in against you and then narrowly lose the competition on point difference.

Perp #1
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

I'm a bit worried. I've got a pair of mallards in the swimming pool and a gang of squirrels running amok in the garden. The squirrels wouldn't be too bad, but they keep coming up to the windows and peering in, I think they are casing the joint. I won't be surprised to come home and find the TV, computer and peanut butter gone and nibble marks on the outside doors.

The weather has been very odd as I had all the windows open and was wandering around in shirtsleeves earlier this week and then it got colder and we got freezing rain and snow last night.

The last bits of furniture are being delivered at the moment and then I'll pop out for some exercise and provisions before settling down for the rugby. Unfortunately, although the games are shown in full there is only one on today at 1800 and the other two tomorrow evening - so no emails or calls about the scores please!

It's gone from sunny warm weather back to snowy & cold. I only managed to cycle in three times before the cycle track became icy again. On the upside, after my shipping arrived I picked Matt Nurse up from work and headed up to Whitetail for a spot of night boarding in four inches of light fluffy powder.

I've got to hang around on Saturday for some furniture to be delivered and then pop out and buy some more! Unfortunately the six nations is not live this weekend unless I go to a pub, and I don't feel like paying $20 to watch England get stuffed, so I'll watch the matches at home in the evening. Bizarrely the Gloucester match on Sunday is live!

The snow and ice have melted enough to allow me to cycle in for the first time. There were a few dodgy patches and I took my time, but it was worth it not just for the exercise, but for the gorgeous views of the sun shining on the Potomac. The Mount Vernon Trail was very quiet with only a few runners and cyclists and was very pleasant until I had to tackle the back roads of Alexandria. It wasn't too cold either, although I was well wrapped up.

We had a small house warming last night with the guys from work and their families. It was very different with the house full of people, at least upstairs, but did it ever feel empty when everyone left!

Helen flies home tonight so I'll be all on my own until Kitty flies out for Easter. I should be pretty busy though; putting up curtain rails, getting the imported stuff into the house and buying loads of furniture. The house should be in good shape and possibly the pool open and hopefully not all the healthy food or beer drunk!

Hopefully you can see and use the house calendar opposite. We will fill it out to show when people are staying. As we have a spare double, twin and single room there shouldn't be many occasions when we are toppers. There's also plenty of room to camp in the garden or sleep in the lounge if push comes to shove. So come on everybody, grab a cheap flight to Dulles and come and see us! Preference given to boarders, and OK, skiers during the winter;o)

Entente
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

Well, most of the snow has melted, but more is on it's way tonight! We've just got back from watching the rugby which has got us a bit down, but at least we're going boarding again tomorrow.

We've made a lot of progress in the last week as we have got a washer and dryer installed, TV and broadband, but most significantly we managed to register the car and get new plates.

We're having a house warming on Tuesday and then Helen flies back to the UK on Wednesday evening leaving me to fend for myself for a few months. At least I got out on the bike today, now most of the ice has gone, so it shouldn't be too much of a shock when I bike in on Monday.

Winter at home

Winter at home
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

Not only did we have bagels and streaky strips, yes Lawrie real streaky strips, for our first breakfast in our new house; but we woke up to find that the world had gone white overnight.

After clearing the drive and path like a citizens we ventured out to do our first big food shop and then to buy pots, pans, cutlery and stuff. I had fun playing in the snowy car parks with our little car and watching the big SUVs struggling to get around.

Unfortunately the plumber installed the dishwasher incorrectly and water streams into sink each time we use it and the gas has not been turned on to the cooker so we are being inventive with our food in the microwave. Don't worry this will be sorted out shortly.

Our phone is now connected (703-619-0041), but don't forget we are five hours behind the UK The TV should be sorted on Monday and we should be (legally) online on the 28th.

A busy weekend!

Dave at Wintergreen
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

As a break from all our running around we drove three hours to Wintergreen, a local slope. There are closer ones, but this looked the best at the moment; odd considering most of the rest of the east coast seems to be buried in snow! It's not a massive resort, but there was enough to occupy us for a day and a half; it would have been better with more snow, but hey a lot better than the resorts near Longwell Green.

Back to running around we're getting ready to move into the new house on Tuesday, unless the wintry weather prevents the funrniture pack from being delivered. Then on Wednesday it is off to Ikea at Potomac Mills!!!

Snow in Crystal City
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley.

As you can see we've had a slight sprinkling of snow, like the UK but not as much, although it hasn't got much above zero even without the wind chill.

We went house hunting on Tuesday; eight houses, ranging from the truly awful to the quite amazing. The house we chose is a spacious modernized split level house near Mount Vernon, if everything goes smoothly we should be moving in on Tuesday. The address is 2202 Yardley Court, Alexandria, Virginia 22308, you can find it on Google maps (http://maps.google.com/) by typing in the address, (or lat 38 43 21.71 Lon 77 04 9.48 on Google earth) it's the one with the huge pool.

On the way back from the realtor we did see an amazing sign which we just had to share with you.

The British are here. We landed at Dulles during a snow shower and it's been extremely cold! As you can see we've been checking out the sights of Washington, unfortunately Dubya wasn't willing to make us a warming cuppa.

The buildings around the National Mall are very impressive and the view from the top of the Washington Monument is quite incredible.

Lucky for us we found a pub to watch the rugby, not sure about the standard of the referee in the Wales Ireland match, but Ellis should have been the man of the match on Saturday! Just because Jonny scored the most points; he's the kicker!

Were going to check out the Superbowl today and a local fondue retaurant this evening. Unfortunately the Embassy hasn't found a house for us yet so we'll be moving into an apartment on Monday.

We managed to get rid of some of the cocktail cabinet at the weekend, but with forty odd bottles to start with it was a binge too far. We managed to get some of our guests to take a bottle or two which will make life easier.

it was going to be messy
Originally uploaded by Lawrie Phipps.

The estimator is here tomorrow to work out how much packing needs to be done for shipping and storage and then the house will be emptied on Monday!

We fly out to DC at midday on Friday and spend the weekend in Jurys Hotel before we either go to our new house or transfer to a temporary apartment on Monday.