Despite the “no computer” problem, we’ve been having a great time. We spent New Year’s Eve at a friend’s house, spent New Year’s Day at a fantastic park near the Penshaw Monument (photos coming soon!), and discovered a new family favorite recipe (Spanish Paella, which we’ve made and devoured twice since Christmas!). Oh, and our friends are super fantastic… one came by the house a couple days after Christmas and gave Darrell a new acoustic 6-string guitar! Life is good. We hope to talk to you all soon.

So, if you’re wondering how we are and what we’re up to, we haven’t died. We simply have no computer at home. This means we cannot make or take calls on Skype. We also won’t have ready access to email or this website. The new computer was just ordered, but isn’t expected to arrive until 15-16 January! If we can get a power adaptor for the laptop, that probably won’t arrive until arround then either. So, please bear with us over the next few weeks. I’ll try to stop in to a computer lab from time to time, but it’s not easy since the university is basically shut down until break is over in mid-January.

Happy Christmas from Durham, UK

The last few days Darrell, Reagan and Alanna have been ill, but we’re all doing fine this morning. So far we’ve been having a great time. We awoke to a bunch of presents from friends, family and Santa Claus! The kids each opened a single present early in the morning, and then we waited for our friend, Elizabeth, to come over for breakfast and present opening. The presents were great, and the kids often said, “Oh, Yes! This is what I wanted!!” Mom and Dad were also happy with their presents, so it’s been good. Breakfast was great too: american fries, bacon and eggs.

In about an hour, we leave for our friends’ (the Cavins) house for Christmas dinner. It should be a great time. We’ll post more later, and also start uploading our photos from the day (and backlog from the past couple of weeks). Until, then, we wish you all a very “happy Christmas!”

For a university that’s so focused on the research of its faculty, staff and students, this year’s RAE results are particularly welcome. Archaeology is not the only area where Durham comes out on, or near the, top. 90 per cent of all departments were in the assessment’s top 3 categories, and Theology and Religion joined Archaeology in taking top honors. These results demonstrate why the university’s international reputation has grown so dramatically in the last few years. It is well earned. It is also a key reason for my choice of Durham for postgraduate research. These results give me more hope for future funding, and also reinforce my conviction that Durham’s the place to be.

The skull was discovered, alone, inside a muddy pit. According to a press release offered by the University of York, the context of the find strongly suggests a date as far back as 300 BC, placing the remains within the pre-Roman Iron Age of northern Britain.

Rachel Cubitt, Finds Officer for York Archaeological Trust, noticed the brain material during cleaning of the skull. As she removed soil from the skull’s outer surface, something moved inside, leading her to look through the base of the skull. Inside she saw “an unusual yellow substance.”

“It jogged my memory of a university lecture on the rare survival of ancient brain tissue. We gave the skull special conservation treatment as a result, and sought expert medical opinion,” Cubitt said.

CT Scan of skull, (c) York Archaeological Trust

The skull was sent to York Hospital, where it underwent CT scanning. This scanning confirmed the existence of the brain. A Consultant Neurologist at the hospital, Philip Duffey, said: “I’m amazed and excited that scanning has shown structures which appear to be unequivocally of brain origin.” Beyond this confirmation, though, Duffey stresses the importance of investigating how and why the brain matter was able to survive. Adding to this, Dr Sonia O’Connor, research fellow in archaeological sciences at the University of Bradford, said: “The survival of brain remains where no other soft tissues are preserved is extremely rare. This brain is particularly exciting because it is very well preserved…and one of the earliest worldwide.”

This is not the first time York has been involved with ancient brain remains. In 1994, Dr. Keith Dobney and Professor Don Brothwell, of the Environmental Archaeology Unit at York, published a short report (PDF) on preserved brain material from a medieval skeleton at Magistrates Court, Hull. For excavations on the university campus, though, the new Iron Age brain is the second of two major discoveries at the Heslington site. The first, found earlier in 2008, is a Late Roman period male skeleton that may be one of Britain’s earliest victims of Tuberculosis.

It is believed the newly discovered skull may have been a ritual offering. Scientists now hope further tests may tell them more about the individual the brain belonged to by revealing why such brains survive death and burial and providing more information about Iron Age burial practices. As work continues, Professor Brian Cantor, vice-chancellor of the University of York, which commissioned the dig, said: “The skull is another stunning discovery and its further study will provide us with incomparable insights into life in the Iron Age.”

Here’s a map of our route, along with some important other locations and landmarks in town. You can click around, move the map, etc. So, enjoy exploring our little town.

I have a good time in school and I have a very nice class. I have 2 teachers. One is named Mrs. Tomaney. My other teacher is Mrs. Borthwick. They share the job teaching my class, and I get to see each of them a couple days a week. Today was my very first whole day at school!! I really liked it. I hope I have a good time at school tomorrow. I miss my teacher and friends at North Point, but I am having a good time here in Durham.

School rocks!!! I love you.

Here’s a picture of me all ready for school.

Reagan ready for school

On Friday, we only went to school for a half day. I had PE (physical education, which means “gym class”), and it was fun. We did gymnastics, and the type we did was group support. We had three people get on their hands and knees, holding two other people on their backs, and some groups had a final person get on the other two people’s backs to make a big pyramid. My group only had 5 people, but we still made a pyramid. It was a lot of fun! I have PE every Friday.

Today, we had our first full day at school. In the morning, we made grids, played outside, and watched a group of kids sing and play instruments for Christmas songs. In the afternoon, we played outside again, learned about Australia and went to the library for computer time (with desktops and laptops!!).

Tomorrow, my class is going swimming!! Actually, it will be for swimming lessons, but I’m still excited… even though I have to wear a swimming cap (boo hoo!).

I really like my new school, and think I’m going to have a good time in year 4 (I was only in 3rd grade back in the USA). I will write more as the year goes on.

Monday morning we all took a walk to Neville’s Cross Primary School, where the kids will be attending. With all of us, it took about 35 minutes from door to door. We handed in all the necessary paperwork (basically just old school records, an application form, and copies of birth certificates — no immunization records necessary), and tried to figure out the uniform situation.

On Wednesday, we took our first train ride, going from Durham to the Metro Centre in Gateshead, switching trains in Newcastle. Unfortunately, the trains between Durham and Newcastle were really too full for us to find 5 seats all together (plus the ride was only 10-15 minutes anyway), so we just stood in the area near the door. The Metro Centre is a very large shopping mall, much like the larger ones in America. Here we found the boys some trousers (what they call “pants” here) and white polo shirts, and Alanna some skirts and tights. We also spent a lot of time just exploring this big shopping center, which will probably be a nice place to find Christmas presents soon.

Thursday was American Thanksgiving, but that’s not a UK holiday. So, I had classes and meetings to attend, and ended up not getting home until about 5pm, when it is already dark outside this time of year. Traci had wanted to cook a turkey, but they are outrageously expensive here! So, we spent a smaller fortune on just a turkey breast, and added some mashed potatoes with gravy, homemade stuffing and corn on the cob. It was simple, and just us 5, but it was nice, and we were very thankful for everything God has given to us and done for us.

Friday was Austin’s 9th birthday, and also the kids’ first day of school. Since it was their first day, we decided (following the suggestion of the head teacher/principal) to have them just attend a half-day and get picked up after lunch. It was a tough walk to school, but the kids looked so cute in their nice new uniforms. Traci and I dropped them off, and went into town shopping for Austin’s birthday presents. A few hours later, we returned to get them, and Reagan asked quite angrily why he couldn’t stay for the full day! They apparently enjoyed the school, and they’re quite excited to begin full time on Monday.

Today was also busy for us. We had to go shopping for a large mixing bowl to make fudge and to double as a serving bowl for mashed potatoes. We were making both for a large American Thanksgiving meal being held in town. When we finally had it all ready, we rushed to the bus stop on the corner near our house… we made it just as the bus was approaching, and I tried to wave the bus driver to stop for us, but he just zoomed right past! We ended up walking the 2.5 miles from home to the dinner. Though we were quite tired and a little disgruntled about the whole thing, the evening ended up quite nicely. The food was excellent, and it was nice for all of us to enjoy the company of our fellow countrymen. The kids obviously had a good time playing with the dozen or so other kids.

I’ll try to make Traci and the kids post some more details about their experiences in Durham so far later this weekend or next week. As always, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Here are some photos to end:

Durham City at Night, about 5:30pm

Durham Cathedral from inside Cloisters

Boys in Uniform Before School

Alanna in Uniform Before School

First Day at School

Austin's Birthday Candle

Tonight, we are just having a simple Thanksgiving Lite dinner at home: a turkey breast with homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob. On Saturday, though, there is going to be a HUGE American Thanksgiving meal at Ustinov College’s family housing (Keenan House). At last count, 50 people have said they’ll be there, and we’re all bringing something… turkey, ham, potatoes, casseroles, salads, pies, etc. We cannot wait! We’ll be sure to take lots of photos, and post those this weekend.

In other news, tomorrow is Austin’s 9th birthday! It’s also the kids’ first day of school, which will only be a half-day. We’re gonna have a little at-home celebration, and we’ll let him post tomorrow what he got and how the day went.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. We miss you.