my favorite ever book-poem

this is Shel Silverstein reading 'the giving tree.' Hope you enjoy this book. Love, Naya

(click on the words above)

Just a few more days in Oxford before we go for a month to Europe

Me, Freya, and Imo

My mum READING, reading, reading

some sheep near our house, if you click on this photo to blow it up and look really close you can see some babies--black and white lambs

having fun with curlers and the camera

a bridge i saw in Bath

in Bath

the fountain inside Christ Church

my mom's pigeonhole for her mail at Christ Church

the Bodleian library & Hertford college behind

mom's feet at Christ Church

cool shoes in a cool shoe store.  i took a really funny video of the shoes in this store but we can't figure out how to post it on the blog yet.

my mom's foot & my foot on a street in Oxford

This week, after my neck got better, I got to have my mom come to my school and give a presentation for science week on the Rocky Mountains and all the animals there and what it was like to be a backcountry ranger in Glacier.  It made me miss Montana and Ladybug & it made me feel smart because I know a lot about bears and wolves and that feels cool.

Then the next day I got to go to London without my mom with my whole class to a big science museum all day.  

I only have three days left now at New Hinksey-my school here.  Today my mom is picking me up early from school and we are going to see a play by Shakespeare in the town he was born and lived--Stratford-upon-Avon.  The play is Romeo & Juliet--my mom's favorite one.  My favorite one is A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I'm excited to go see Anne Hathaway's house, Shakespeare's wife.

Last night we ate for the last time in the Harry Potter dining hall.  We will both miss that a lot.  It was really really cool to go there every night the last three months.  I have learned quite a lot about manners.  (& not all the Oxford students have them!)

Next week my mom and I are going to go visit a sheep farm that is in lambing time.  That means lambs are being born every day and they let kids pet them and help them with bottle feeding.  We are also going to go visit the 100 acre wood, the woods that the Pooh stories were invented from.  So check back for some new photos from these adventures.  And send me some emails soon telling me about your life:  naya.ladybug@yahoo.co.uk

Bye!

Lord of the Dance & learning to sew

Here is a video of a cute old man singing a song that we are practicing at New Hinksey right now for Easter:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pRfNLW_K6Q

Also I learned how to sew and embroider yesterday from Helen, a nice friend we made in Oxford.  She is friends with Kirk and Harriet from the Unitarian church.  I know how to do the back stitch now, and also how to make little dresses out of felt for a wooden doll Helen gave me.

I am almost done in Oxford.  Soon we are going to Eurodisney and other places in Europe.  And then soon I'll get to see all of you again in Montana!

Love, Naya

Horrible Histories & Scary Swans

me outside the Bodleian library

I have a lot of videos to share of my life in Oxford, but we can't figure out how to put them on this blog yet.  Soon.  I had a good week this week.  My school got first place at a sport event we competed in with other schools.  I had to run really fast and jump the short jump and high jump.  My legs are still sore.  I had a really great sleepover at Imo's house, and then a whole bunch of us went to a place called Snakes & Ladders in Oxford that is like being in the game Chutes & Ladders with loads of slides, tubes, climbing, and fun.  Last night I went to my first opera.  It was really good, part of it was really funny, and the main singer was so pretty.  I still like being here but I do miss everyone in Whitefish and I miss my cat and dog a lot.  We are half way through our trip. 

 the swan at Christ Church meadows came a little too close the other day

 Just one more month in Oxford.  Then we'll travel around in France, Germany, Austria...for the whole month of April.  I'm excited to have a long break from school and to be with my mum.  She's been so busy with reading, but in two weeks she will be done with her degree.  I'm excited to take some trips here.  I don't like my school as much as I did at first here.  Some of the kids don't listen very much and our teacher has been very cross lately.  But I do really like my friends and I will miss them when we go.  I am going to send a package soon to my classmates at Muldown--thank you for my great Valentine!  You are all so nice.  One more thing--kids & Mrs. Argabright--I don't know if it will work from the US, but I watch some really cool British TV shows at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/categories/childrens/tv  One of my favorites is Horrible Histories.  They tell you all about history by acting it out and it is smart and also really funny.  My mom and I watched the one about the Romans, the Victorians, and the Egyptians this morning--it is gross and funny.  I hope you'll be able to watch it.

Bye, Naya

Me leaving the dining hall at Christ Church--where Harry Potter was filmed--We only get to eat here for two more weeks before they close for spring break and we will miss this so so much.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS HAVE A GREAT DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More British vs. American stuff

In England:                                   In America:
crisps                                               chips
going to the toilet                            going to the bathroom
what's your bit in the play?             what's your part in the play?
are you alright?                               hi, how are you?
cheers                                              bye
G.P. (general practitioner)               doctor
on the phone--please press hash      on the phone--please press pound
the States                                         America, US, USA
the Continent                                   Europe
coach                                               bus
pavement                                         sidewalk

& here when you dial the phone it rings like "rrrr..rrrr.    rrrr..rrrr.   rrrr..rrrr" while in the US it is just "ring.  ring.  ring."

& if there is an emergency you have to dial 999 here, instead of 911.

& in my school lots of kids speak French for their first language, and English for their second.  And some of the kids speak Hindi and Arabic, and some of their moms wear burqas.  And the school bully is really small and no one is really afraid of her, but she is mean.

Yesterday I stayed afterschool and helped with a fundraiser for Haiti by buying cakes and sharing them with my friends, Connor and Freya, at board games club.  Then Freya came over and played for hours and ate dinner with my mom and I, then we walked her home.  Today, my mom was in the town where Shakespeare was born, so I went home afterschool with Imo and got to go to dance class with her, and play with her little brother and sister who are twins.  Tomorrow night I get to have my second sleepover at Freya's house & I'm really excited.  Then Saturday, my Opa Duz is coming to Oxford for a week.

Still don't have a working camera, but soon.

Love, Naya

Mr. Bean

Does anyone else like Mr. Bean as much as my mom and I?  If you haven't seen an episode yet, try to watch one.  He's so funny.  We rented some Mr Bean episodes today from the library and are now going to watch one.  We have really full bellies from eating in Harry Potter's dining hall tonight.  Wish you were all here doing these fun things with me.

Love, Naya

P.S. a new word--at the grocery store here it is called Strip Cheese instead of String Cheese.