Off to Ireland tomorrow!
I'm going to Ireland tomorrow with a few friends, and will be returning Wednesday evening, so I don't think I'll be able to post until Thursday, unless we have time to stop into an Internet cafe. But do check back fro stories and photos!
We tucked into an unbelievable Easter dinner at my house today: braised pork, red cabbage, roasted butternut squash, mashed potatoes, fennel, bread, cheese, chocolates, wine and more. Luckily I worked up an appetite this morning by helping with Easter activities for the children's department at my church. First we directeed 35 9- to 11-year-olds to build Easter gardens, complete with potting soil, live pansy and "empty tomb" made out of a paper cup. Then came large-group activities with more than 100 other children, including a special Easter presentation and an Easter quiz. I must admit I helped the small group of girls I was working with get special recognition for knowing the answer to "What annual sporting event is held every Easter on the White House lawn?" (The Easter egg roll, of course!)
I also discovered that English children don't receive Easter baskets. Although Easter is, on the whole, more widely recognized as a holiday here (most employees are off on Good Friday, and Easter Monday is a bank holiday), they don't give Easter baskets. Instead, children receive chocolate Easter eggs. I've yet to discover if British children actually hard boil real eggs and dye them, the way we always did at my house.
