tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148402657600219790.post-86180607111953643502008-07-23T03:24:00.006+07:002008-07-23T03:55:59.342+07:00<div>Oh we had such a lovely time in Manchester. Turning up before our friends were home from work, we let ourselves in and it was just like arriving home. These guys are our ‘chosen family’ – the people we choose to be related to – and leaving them has been just as hard as leaving real blood relatives. Although the children and I have been home each summer, and been to Manchester, Husband hasn’t been home since Christmas 2005. (Our chosen family came to visit us in Thailand during Christmas 2006 – which was wonderful – but all eight of us getting together in England was long overdue.)<br /><br />As well as spending time with our chosen family, we spent time with these boys: </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZIv7Y5QSI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/xgq1fooxS6Q/s1600-h/Jake%26Elwood.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225944405843198242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZIv7Y5QSI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/xgq1fooxS6Q/s400/Jake%26Elwood.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZIwPlSbsI/AAAAAAAAAmY/JCcAcnS1rwg/s1600-h/Charlie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225944411263889090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZIwPlSbsI/AAAAAAAAAmY/JCcAcnS1rwg/s400/Charlie.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><div><br /><div><br /><div></div><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZIQ950jAI/AAAAAAAAAmI/caUim_-c1P8/s1600-h/Jake%26Elwood%26Charlie.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZIFdRrqYI/AAAAAAAAAmA/0aIMMDA8XKM/s1600-h/Jake%26Elwood%26Charlie.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div>On Sunday we split up: HPoP took all the children swimming, The Archivist, Husband and I went to Manchester’s <a href="http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/">Whitworth Art Gallery</a> to see <a href="http://www.annedesmet.com/">Anne Desmet</a>’s exhibition, <a href="http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/urbanevolution/">Urban Evolution</a>, which included print images based on the decline and regeneration of Manchester’s Victoria Baths which was the winner of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/restoration/2003/">BBC’s Restoration series</a> in 2003. We also saw ‘<a href="http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/neverland/">Neverland: Rediscovering Child Art?</a>’ which showed child art alongside famous artists trying to capture the spontaneity, naïveté and vibrancy of children’s art. (I’m not sure that they did.) Both of these were brilliant, but I particularly loved Anne Desmet’s work, and really wanted to buy one of the prints, but made do with two postcards.</div><br /><div>Resistant to admitting that our weekend was over, on Monday, we went for lunch to the most gorgeous café, <a href="http://www.qype.co.uk/place/80472-Cup-Manchester">Cup</a>, which the Archivist, was encouraging me to go to two months ago when I was in Manchester; coo, I wish I had. Lots of tea sets and cups to ogle, not to mention t-shirts and funky posters (oh how I wish I’d bought a ‘Make Us A Brew’ poster…) I bought this rather wonderful tin of tea which I’ll use as a caddy when I get back home to Bangkok. </div><br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZFkF_7pPI/AAAAAAAAAl4/fUGQH5RbzLg/s1600-h/DSC08710.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225940903997973746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZFkF_7pPI/AAAAAAAAAl4/fUGQH5RbzLg/s320/DSC08710.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>And I scored this present from HPoP even though it wasn’t my birthday or Christmas or anything... but just because she's lovely.</div></div><div><br /><div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZEVPFeKlI/AAAAAAAAAlw/tAw6_p8i5CI/s1600-h/PantoneOrange.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225939549227461202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZEVPFeKlI/AAAAAAAAAlw/tAw6_p8i5CI/s320/PantoneOrange.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PM99OF19jKg/SIZEVPFeKlI/AAAAAAAAAlw/tAw6_p8i5CI/s1600-h/PantoneOrange.jpg"></a></div></div></div>JJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/006402096366054109394pmteatime@gmail.com