OXFORD ON THE BRAIN

After spending considerable time repairing Ye Olde City Wall by throwing dirt and pebbles at the crumbling stones, here we find Mom, Maggie and Andrew taking a rest in New College Gardens.  Maggie and Andrew inspected the wall thoroughly, observing the crafstmanship that defines the upper and lower boundaries of the wall, and marveling at how they built it, "before they even invented the contemporary aggregate compunds now used in structural foundations."  A spot on observation, of course, for a wall built in the mid-13th century.

THE ABBEY

Roaming the grounds of Westminster Abbey put Andrew in a reflective mood.  He noted the "overwhelming sense of history that washes over me in the presence of so many centuries of kings and quuens."  Walking the same paths as the many Benedictine monks who first established the site almost a thousand years ago is both humbling and invigorating.  As Big Ben struck noon somewhere off in the distance, Andrew paused quietly in front of the old bard Chaucer's memorial and quoted him: "We little know the things for which we pray."

PUB TIME

Here we find Maggie with the world in the palm of her hand--or at least a London taxi.  One of the great joys in life is to sit in an English pub and share some sticky toffee pudding.  At 2:00am, Maggie was ready to close the place down after one more round of pudding (followed by a chips and cheese chaser), setting the record for most sweets consumed during a 6-hour period in the history of 5 year-olds.  The locals were impressed, re-naming her seat, "The Queen Maggie Toffee Chair."

A LITTLE FOOTY

After returning from across the pond, Maggie used the skills she learned from Coach David Moyes of the perennial Premiership Powerhouse and Best Team in England, Everton FC, to dominate the Pee Wee league back in Kansas City.  Her time training with Everton standouts Saha, Jagielka and her favorite player, Joseph Yobo, put her in an elite category as both an offensive threat and defensive stalwart during the late spring and early summer.  Gunning for her third Golden Boot award, Maggie appears up for the challenge.