Well, here it is, my post about Christmas . . . over a month late. But as most of you now know, I have started in a new school where a permanent position is available, so therefore I have been working my little tush off to show my best as a teacher. I apologize for the delay, but I am sure you will understand.
Christmas in England . . . . . is everything it is in movies, books, and TV . . . . except without the snow. Mince pies that remind me of Mom's empanadas, mulled wine with a dash of cinnamon, sherry and port, the Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, people singing Christmas Carols, Christmas pudding everything.
I was very sick this Christmas so forgive my lapses in memory. The one thing I can tell you for sure is, it is a VERY big deal in schools. I came in from playground duty one day and there was the head, with some governors of the school, offering me a sherry and a mince pie. . . . THIS IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORK DAY PEOPLE! It wasn't any big deal, as long as none of the teachers indulged, which of course none of us did. We made Christmas biscuits (cookies) as a class, handed out Christmas cards to everyone in class like students do in America for Valentine's, and had a nativity play for the parents! It was a WHOLE new experience working during Christmas! A little stressful because of the shopping and Christmas cards. The post office insists on weighing EVERY card I send internationally . . .individually, so yes, it took some time. And remember, I am use to having Christmas off! I am use to taking my time and enjoying the entire month of December as my vacation!
Well, after Edinburgh, John and I headed to John's parents house again. We arrived Christmas Eve, in the afternoon, just in time for lunch. I then headed upstairs to take a nap, ( I was still very sick at this point), while everyone prepared for the Rivers' traditional neighborhood Christmas party. It was amazing. Everyone from the neighborhood came over and they sang Christmas Carols while people took turns playing the piano. There was wine, appetizers, and music everywhere. I was taken on a whirlwind tour by John's parents who couldn't wait to introduce me to everyone! I am sorry to say, me being in my feverish state at the time, I don't remember many of the people. I do remember sitting and talking to John's Nan for a long time. She just lost her husband in mid-October and I could tell she was sort of sad. I sat with her and we talked for a while of John, her family, the parties of the past. I brought her food and drinks when she wanted them, then Jackie, John's aunt came to sit with her. Suddenly John's dad dragged me into the room where the piano was. We sang "If I Loved You" from the musical Carousel, which he knows is one of my favourites, and "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's.
It was a lot of fun and John's dad is a riot, I adore him.
Then John and I crashed and woke up the next morning. Actually, correction, I woke up, threw a pillow down at John who was sleeping on one of those fold away beds that turns into a chair, remember those from like 1985, and woke HIM up, then wished him Happy Christmas! He said Merry Christmas! back to me and went back to sleep. I threw another one and finally he went over to open our door. Our stockings were waiting outside the door as John said they would be. We opened them and then went downstairs for coffee and toast.
Finally, in the early afternoon, Jackie and her two young children Stan and Imogen came over, along with Nan and Jackie's boyfriend Mike. Imogen had reindeer antlers on and was parading around, bells ringing from the ends. Seeing this, Janet brought out a bunch of different silly hats, including two more pairs of reindeer antlers. We all put them on and had them on the rest of the afternoon. I think, knowing me as you all do, you now will believe I am with the right family. Oh, and I still have both my crazy santa hats, including the one that lights up! :-) For Christmas lunch we ate a dinner of turkey, stuffing, and roast vegetables and potatoes. Then we opened up the Christmas Crackers! These are a lot of fun and I got another crown, which I put on over my antlers! I think I also got nail clippers and a joke. You always get a hat, a prize, and a joke. Very cool!
Next but not last, Janet brought out the Christmas pudding. Now, upon first seeing this I thought, fruitcake! Then, John Sr. poured Courvoisier over it and lit it up. My first reaction to seeing this was, "What would Jenny say about lighting up Courvoisier like that?", and my section reaction was, " Wow, pretty!" It was really neat to see! I tried the pudding and was immediately overcome with the amount of liquor in that thing! I think my eyes watered. A few more bites though and I was good to go . . . . I think I actually did have a second piece. Now, whether it was the alcohol or my fever . . . I guess we will never know. ;-)
After Christmas lunch we opened presents. John's parents and family took a lot of time and effort to get me the gifts that they did. They were all very well thought out, and I am so grateful. I also got to open my gifts from my family, thank you all if I haven't already. I got to call my dad and Jacquie and speak to them. I can't wait to see them next Christmas and John can't wait to see Montana! Next we played a trivia game, two teams of five, along with an A-Team bottle opener that played the show's theme every time you pressed a button, which Imogen proceeded to do every time, whether we got a question right or not. (Jimmie, you might like one of those, except you don't like beer!) Our team lost, but not by much, I'll take the loss . . this time!
We then proceeded to watch Meet Me in St. Louis and Dr. Who's Christmas Special, which I thought was lousy this year. Then I went off to bed until midnight when I planned on calling my mom and family. John's parents keep a projector in the room we were staying in so I could fall asleep watching a movie every night. They have a wide variety of the classics and musicals, Mom you would be jealous. I fell asleep watching Singing in the Rain. It was a wonderful Christmas, despite being away from my family. I have to say it wouldn't have been so without the kindness and generosity of the Rivers family. Thank you with all my heart.
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Edinburgh
Hello my faithful readers!
Well I know it has been a while but I have been out of town before, during, and after Christmas. Our first trip was to Edinburgh, Scotland. We took the train to make sure I got to see plenty of English countryside. I still cannot get over the beauty of it, even in winter. This time we went up through the Lakes District, the largest national park in England, and that in itself was amazing. It reminded me very much of Montana at this time of year, staggering mountains, valleys of grass, craggy cliffs. It definitely looked very much like it did in A and E's Pride and Prejudice, if you have seen that.
Once we got to Edinburgh it was already night. It is completely dark by 4pm everyday in England, and I am positive it was more like 3:45 in Scotland. I have learned to be nocturnal, as John puts it. Anywho, we went and walked around the German Christmas Market. The stalls and crafts were amazing. I also had a German pork steak roll and a hot dog. It was fun and we were starving from the train trip. We also went on the carousel and ferris wheel, but John refused to let me go on the Helter Skelter slide. Hmmm, there is one down here in Hyde Park! ;-) Then we went and had a beer at a pub called the Theater Royal. The beer was called Edinburgh Gold, and let me tell you, it was dangerously too easy to drink. I only had a couple but then I changed to something else because I knew it could spell trouble.
The next day we walked around Edinburgh, which was built on a hill by the way, lots of walking up hill, and made it up to the old city. The old city is built around a plateau, upon which sits Edinburgh castle. It is built into the cliffs of the plateau, and as we discovered later, the cracks of the plateau were used as dungeons. It was the most imposing castle I have seen so far. I know, I know, the Tower and all, but it isn't built into a mountain people! I thought I was looking at Dracula's lair instead of where Mary, Queen of Scots lived! After another long walk up the side of the plateau we made it to the castle. It was very impressive and had a tiny chapel about 1000 years old on top. While we were walking around the fog was rolling in, making the whole thing atmospheric. We also got to witness the 1 o'clock gun. The soldiers of the castle fire off a cannon at 1 o'clock everyday. John got a video clip of it, I will see if he can upload it to my blog.
For me the highlight of the castle was not seeing the paintings of Scottish kings and queens. Nor was it seeing the room that King James I of England was born in. For me, it was to see the Stone of Destiny. There are many rumours about this stone, that it came from Israel and was Jacob's pillow when he had his ladder dream. Part of it was supposedly given away to the Irish and used as the Blarney Stone, which I have already seen. The most important tradition with the stone was its importance in coronations. Scottish kings sat on it when they were crowned. When Edward I invaded Scotland, in 1296, he took the stone down to England and had a coronation chair built that would fit the stone underneath it. This is the same coronation chair that all monarchs have sat in since then, and the stone was only returned in 1996. It must return to England though, when Charles becomes king, but only for the coronation itself.
After that we walked down to a tour called Mary Kings Close. Basically, remember what I said about Edinburgh being built on a hill, well houses were built going up this hill until they reached the top. These rows of houses were all of six feet across from each other and the small streets that they formed were called closes. In the 1700's, in order to build a much larger building at the top of the hill, the town builders sheared off the tops of the houses, reinforced them, and used them as the foundation of the Royal Exchange building. The houses were left, covered over, underneath for hundreds of years. Now they actually take you down into these streets and tell you about the plague, the people that lived there, and of course, the ghost stories. It was very interesting to walk through these old houses and to hear about the sanitation, into the streets people, of the period. Here is a webpage with some pictures . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_King's_Close
After that we went and had dinner. I was determined to try haggis and so was John. It was overpoweringly spicy and filling but it was very tasty. It wasn't sausage looking or, well, stomach looking in anyway, I think they just served us the filling and not the casing. After dinner we were going to go on a literary tour but the cold was getting to both of us. It was freezing at night and near freezing during the day, with or without the fog. I was trying to make the best of it but I could tell that the cold was getting to John. We finally went and saw a movie in the evening instead of going on the tour.
The next morning I woke up with a cold. I am pretty positive I got it from riding on the ferris wheel in the fog and cold. I coughed and coughed, had a fever for about three days, and am still coughing a week and a half later. I haven't had a cold like this in years! Fortunately we were able to get earlier tickets home on the train and go down the Eastern coast of Scotland and England. I got to see Berwick-upon-Tweed, the northernmost English city. I also saw the North Sea and the Yorkshire moors mentioned in the book The Secret Garden. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime, a few more dreams coming true to check off my list.
Next . . . Christmas in England!
Well I know it has been a while but I have been out of town before, during, and after Christmas. Our first trip was to Edinburgh, Scotland. We took the train to make sure I got to see plenty of English countryside. I still cannot get over the beauty of it, even in winter. This time we went up through the Lakes District, the largest national park in England, and that in itself was amazing. It reminded me very much of Montana at this time of year, staggering mountains, valleys of grass, craggy cliffs. It definitely looked very much like it did in A and E's Pride and Prejudice, if you have seen that.
Once we got to Edinburgh it was already night. It is completely dark by 4pm everyday in England, and I am positive it was more like 3:45 in Scotland. I have learned to be nocturnal, as John puts it. Anywho, we went and walked around the German Christmas Market. The stalls and crafts were amazing. I also had a German pork steak roll and a hot dog. It was fun and we were starving from the train trip. We also went on the carousel and ferris wheel, but John refused to let me go on the Helter Skelter slide. Hmmm, there is one down here in Hyde Park! ;-) Then we went and had a beer at a pub called the Theater Royal. The beer was called Edinburgh Gold, and let me tell you, it was dangerously too easy to drink. I only had a couple but then I changed to something else because I knew it could spell trouble.
The next day we walked around Edinburgh, which was built on a hill by the way, lots of walking up hill, and made it up to the old city. The old city is built around a plateau, upon which sits Edinburgh castle. It is built into the cliffs of the plateau, and as we discovered later, the cracks of the plateau were used as dungeons. It was the most imposing castle I have seen so far. I know, I know, the Tower and all, but it isn't built into a mountain people! I thought I was looking at Dracula's lair instead of where Mary, Queen of Scots lived! After another long walk up the side of the plateau we made it to the castle. It was very impressive and had a tiny chapel about 1000 years old on top. While we were walking around the fog was rolling in, making the whole thing atmospheric. We also got to witness the 1 o'clock gun. The soldiers of the castle fire off a cannon at 1 o'clock everyday. John got a video clip of it, I will see if he can upload it to my blog.
For me the highlight of the castle was not seeing the paintings of Scottish kings and queens. Nor was it seeing the room that King James I of England was born in. For me, it was to see the Stone of Destiny. There are many rumours about this stone, that it came from Israel and was Jacob's pillow when he had his ladder dream. Part of it was supposedly given away to the Irish and used as the Blarney Stone, which I have already seen. The most important tradition with the stone was its importance in coronations. Scottish kings sat on it when they were crowned. When Edward I invaded Scotland, in 1296, he took the stone down to England and had a coronation chair built that would fit the stone underneath it. This is the same coronation chair that all monarchs have sat in since then, and the stone was only returned in 1996. It must return to England though, when Charles becomes king, but only for the coronation itself.
After that we walked down to a tour called Mary Kings Close. Basically, remember what I said about Edinburgh being built on a hill, well houses were built going up this hill until they reached the top. These rows of houses were all of six feet across from each other and the small streets that they formed were called closes. In the 1700's, in order to build a much larger building at the top of the hill, the town builders sheared off the tops of the houses, reinforced them, and used them as the foundation of the Royal Exchange building. The houses were left, covered over, underneath for hundreds of years. Now they actually take you down into these streets and tell you about the plague, the people that lived there, and of course, the ghost stories. It was very interesting to walk through these old houses and to hear about the sanitation, into the streets people, of the period. Here is a webpage with some pictures . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_King's_Close
After that we went and had dinner. I was determined to try haggis and so was John. It was overpoweringly spicy and filling but it was very tasty. It wasn't sausage looking or, well, stomach looking in anyway, I think they just served us the filling and not the casing. After dinner we were going to go on a literary tour but the cold was getting to both of us. It was freezing at night and near freezing during the day, with or without the fog. I was trying to make the best of it but I could tell that the cold was getting to John. We finally went and saw a movie in the evening instead of going on the tour.
The next morning I woke up with a cold. I am pretty positive I got it from riding on the ferris wheel in the fog and cold. I coughed and coughed, had a fever for about three days, and am still coughing a week and a half later. I haven't had a cold like this in years! Fortunately we were able to get earlier tickets home on the train and go down the Eastern coast of Scotland and England. I got to see Berwick-upon-Tweed, the northernmost English city. I also saw the North Sea and the Yorkshire moors mentioned in the book The Secret Garden. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime, a few more dreams coming true to check off my list.
Next . . . Christmas in England!
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Ulysses by Tennyson
I "discovered" this poem by Tennyson today. I really enjoyed it and found it inspiring. I hope you enjoy it and become inspired too.
Cory
Ulysses"
Cory
Ulysses"
Complete Text
It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades
For ever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.
There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark, broad seas.
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Saturday, 1 December 2007
Our First Party
Hello All,
Oh, and a special hello to Parnell, I miss my friend and am glad I heard from you. :-)
Happy Christmas as they say over here!
Last night John and I threw our first party. It was a Christmas/Thanksgiving/Housewarming party. I know that sounds odd, but all of our friends wanted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and a housewarming. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving isn't a national holiday over here, nor were all of his friends available last weekend and I was already in the Christmas spirit so it ended up being a combination of a bunch of different ideas held on December 1st.
Luckily, I have been trained well by my mother, being her assistant for several Christmas' and Thanksgivings. I knew to buy my ingredients ahead of time, especially the turkey, since it takes forever to thaw out. Now this became a little complicated because all my recipes are in standard measurement, not metric. Fortunately, I have a measurement conversion website saved on my PC as a favourite place. So I sat here, with my recipes, typing in measurements, and then looking for the closest possible package available on Sainsbury's Online. I love that they deliver!
I decided to make the turkey, the stuffing, and the yams. Then I proceeded to delegate who had what. Once my invite e-mail came out I had a surprising couple of questions to answer. A: What are yams? B: What is a White Elephant gift exchange? I tried explaining the gift exchange to people as we saw them out, it didn't work. I tried to explain what yams were, it didn't work. I finally wrote an e-mail explaining as best I could about both, but finally just said bring a wrapped present, £5 limit.
Next I had to come up with games. John had a pub quiz game that we decided to try. I'll explain more about that later. I found the Guess the Christmas Carol picture game online, that is always fun. For example, one picture has a knight putting his finger to his lips and going, "Shhhh!" Anyone? Anyone? . . . . Silent Night! How fun is that?
At the same time, we still hadn't gotten all of the furniture that I wanted for the living room, will put pictures up soon, so John and I had to make a mad dash to Argos to get the last big piece of furniture for the lounge/living room. John then proceeded to put it together, not a good idea to be in the same room, he gets frustrated easily and swears like a sailor. I think next time I'LL go to the pub and read for a bit. ;-)
Finally the morning dawned and I was up early cleaning house. My mom always cleaned house before guests came and that has stuck with me for a long time. I tidied up, moved stuff where people wouldn't see it, and put up some last minute decorations. Then I started to cook.
I made the Everyday Italian Turkey with Citrus and Herbs de Provence and also her infamous Ciabatta, Pancetta, and Chestnut Stuffing. For the yams I looked in my Joy of Cooking cookbook. I hold on to this cookbook because it was given to my parents when they were married . . . years ago. Mom told me once she missed it and knew dad had it. I bought her a new one but somehow ended up with Dad's copy years later. Some of the recipes are pretty complicated but everytime I try one, I have to tell you, it is delicious. So I pulled out the candied yam recipe, seemed very similar to the recipe my mom and stepmom follow. The only thing different was to add some lemon juice and lemon zest. I did that and I have to tell you, it was REALLY good! But I am getting ahead of myself. Since I had ordered a 20 pound turkey I had to time everyting, along with what everyone else was bringing as well. John also had to help me lift the damn turkey in and out of the oven, but all the while I was thinking, turkey sandwiches, turkey sandwiches! Come on, you all know that left over turkey is the best!
Everything was set up and ready to go. Chris and Dee were the first to arrive. They are just wonderful people but live out in the country so I don't get to see them often. They have dated for a long time but got married this year; John was best man. John and Chris are both from Winscombe and have known each other since school. When John's mom showed me pictures of him as a child there was Chris, the two teenagers with smug looks on their faces. They brought the Broccoli Casserole and the rolls. Two items down, ready to go, now we were just waiting for the rest.
Next came Nicola and Gid with Gid's infamous mashed potatoes. He finished them up by hand, without an electric mixer and they were still smooth and beautiful. I have to say I was impressed. A lot of Americans need mixers to make SMOOTH potatoes.
After that came Natalie, who has been in India for about three weeks for a wedding and to hang with friends. I missed her, she was my first girl friend in London and has been so good to me.
Finally, Steve, Natalie's boyfriend, Helen, and Dan showed up. This completed my guest list. Steve and Helen are also old friends of John's. He has known them since secondary school. Dan was someone Steve met a while ago, as a roommate, but he is becoming a close knit member of the group too.
Dan was in charge of the cheese and crackers or biscuits as they say over here. He brought them in and I asked him to put them in the center of the room so people could eat them. One of the girls said, "Oh are we eating them now, we usually eat cheese and biscuits after the meal." I never thought of that before, but it is true, cheese and biscuits are served before the meal in the US and after in the UK. But oh the cheeses Dan brought. OH, how I love England and their cheeses! We had brie, stilton, feta, another type of brie, a cheddar with chives . . . loads of cheeses.
People started to settle down, have their drinks, watch football. A typical Thanksgiving if you ask me, even if the football was a different kind over here. All the while I was fixing things, getting everything set up, finalizing the food set up. A lot of the people commented on how calm I was. I just said I have had lots of practice with my mom, she has trained me well. Haven't you mom? ;-)
Finally it was time to eat. Everyone served themselves in buffet style and sat around in the lounge. The turkey was perfect, the gravy was thick, the stuffing fantastic, the broccoli casserole cheesy, the potatoes amazing, and my yams were a big hit. What can I say, everyone was excited about the yams.
I started to put away the food but was told by all to leave it out, they would be coming back in for round two/three soon.
Soon after that we had our gift exchange. I had everyone pick a number and we chose gifts in that order. It was a riot how quickly they picked up on the idea of stealing. Gid, who was number 10, was funny in that he picked his own gift, a lottery scratcher. Steve, who was next stole it from him. Gid, cussing and complaining with good humour, worked out with me that if he stole his girlfriend Nicola's bottle of cider she had unwrapped, she could steal back the ticket from Steve. So he took her bottle and said, "Nicola darling, you know what to do!" Everyone was laughing hysterically as she received Steve's scratcher and poor Steve had to get another gift.
Then we played the Guess the Christmas Carol game. John didn't think they would be into it, but his friends were. The winning couple were Chris and Dee, and they received a beautiful bottle of bubbly for it. I started to clean up while everyone socialized but Gid came over, kicked me out of my kitchen, and finished washing up the dishes for me. What a sweetheart!
After that we played the pub quiz. I broke the group into three teams of three and John was quiz master. We had a white board to write our answers on for the different rounds/categories. I was surprised, despite a lot of the questions being English based questions, how well I was able to help. But, it was really funny when I cleaned house on the British Monarchs category. I think I only missed one out of eight. I put George I was from Hapsburg, not Hanover. Either way, our team still won and at the end of the night, Nicola borrowed my book on the Queens and Kings of England.
Next we had dessert. Treacle Tart, Mince Pies, and a Pecan Tart with ice cream and whipped cream. Trading Places with Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy was on and we sat around and watched that for a little bit. Then everyone went home, full, tired, and happy, especially Gid who had three turkey sandwiches after the whole meal!
I am pretty positive my party was a success. There isn't much of that turkey left, I KNOW, 20 POUNDS, nor any other item on the menu. We didn't run out, but had just enough. Now comes the clean up . . . . sweeping the floors, putting out the rest of the rubbish, etc. But, it was still all worth it and loads of fun.
Oh, and a special hello to Parnell, I miss my friend and am glad I heard from you. :-)
Happy Christmas as they say over here!
Last night John and I threw our first party. It was a Christmas/Thanksgiving/Housewarming party. I know that sounds odd, but all of our friends wanted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and a housewarming. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving isn't a national holiday over here, nor were all of his friends available last weekend and I was already in the Christmas spirit so it ended up being a combination of a bunch of different ideas held on December 1st.
Luckily, I have been trained well by my mother, being her assistant for several Christmas' and Thanksgivings. I knew to buy my ingredients ahead of time, especially the turkey, since it takes forever to thaw out. Now this became a little complicated because all my recipes are in standard measurement, not metric. Fortunately, I have a measurement conversion website saved on my PC as a favourite place. So I sat here, with my recipes, typing in measurements, and then looking for the closest possible package available on Sainsbury's Online. I love that they deliver!
I decided to make the turkey, the stuffing, and the yams. Then I proceeded to delegate who had what. Once my invite e-mail came out I had a surprising couple of questions to answer. A: What are yams? B: What is a White Elephant gift exchange? I tried explaining the gift exchange to people as we saw them out, it didn't work. I tried to explain what yams were, it didn't work. I finally wrote an e-mail explaining as best I could about both, but finally just said bring a wrapped present, £5 limit.
Next I had to come up with games. John had a pub quiz game that we decided to try. I'll explain more about that later. I found the Guess the Christmas Carol picture game online, that is always fun. For example, one picture has a knight putting his finger to his lips and going, "Shhhh!" Anyone? Anyone? . . . . Silent Night! How fun is that?
At the same time, we still hadn't gotten all of the furniture that I wanted for the living room, will put pictures up soon, so John and I had to make a mad dash to Argos to get the last big piece of furniture for the lounge/living room. John then proceeded to put it together, not a good idea to be in the same room, he gets frustrated easily and swears like a sailor. I think next time I'LL go to the pub and read for a bit. ;-)
Finally the morning dawned and I was up early cleaning house. My mom always cleaned house before guests came and that has stuck with me for a long time. I tidied up, moved stuff where people wouldn't see it, and put up some last minute decorations. Then I started to cook.
I made the Everyday Italian Turkey with Citrus and Herbs de Provence and also her infamous Ciabatta, Pancetta, and Chestnut Stuffing. For the yams I looked in my Joy of Cooking cookbook. I hold on to this cookbook because it was given to my parents when they were married . . . years ago. Mom told me once she missed it and knew dad had it. I bought her a new one but somehow ended up with Dad's copy years later. Some of the recipes are pretty complicated but everytime I try one, I have to tell you, it is delicious. So I pulled out the candied yam recipe, seemed very similar to the recipe my mom and stepmom follow. The only thing different was to add some lemon juice and lemon zest. I did that and I have to tell you, it was REALLY good! But I am getting ahead of myself. Since I had ordered a 20 pound turkey I had to time everyting, along with what everyone else was bringing as well. John also had to help me lift the damn turkey in and out of the oven, but all the while I was thinking, turkey sandwiches, turkey sandwiches! Come on, you all know that left over turkey is the best!
Everything was set up and ready to go. Chris and Dee were the first to arrive. They are just wonderful people but live out in the country so I don't get to see them often. They have dated for a long time but got married this year; John was best man. John and Chris are both from Winscombe and have known each other since school. When John's mom showed me pictures of him as a child there was Chris, the two teenagers with smug looks on their faces. They brought the Broccoli Casserole and the rolls. Two items down, ready to go, now we were just waiting for the rest.
Next came Nicola and Gid with Gid's infamous mashed potatoes. He finished them up by hand, without an electric mixer and they were still smooth and beautiful. I have to say I was impressed. A lot of Americans need mixers to make SMOOTH potatoes.
After that came Natalie, who has been in India for about three weeks for a wedding and to hang with friends. I missed her, she was my first girl friend in London and has been so good to me.
Finally, Steve, Natalie's boyfriend, Helen, and Dan showed up. This completed my guest list. Steve and Helen are also old friends of John's. He has known them since secondary school. Dan was someone Steve met a while ago, as a roommate, but he is becoming a close knit member of the group too.
Dan was in charge of the cheese and crackers or biscuits as they say over here. He brought them in and I asked him to put them in the center of the room so people could eat them. One of the girls said, "Oh are we eating them now, we usually eat cheese and biscuits after the meal." I never thought of that before, but it is true, cheese and biscuits are served before the meal in the US and after in the UK. But oh the cheeses Dan brought. OH, how I love England and their cheeses! We had brie, stilton, feta, another type of brie, a cheddar with chives . . . loads of cheeses.
People started to settle down, have their drinks, watch football. A typical Thanksgiving if you ask me, even if the football was a different kind over here. All the while I was fixing things, getting everything set up, finalizing the food set up. A lot of the people commented on how calm I was. I just said I have had lots of practice with my mom, she has trained me well. Haven't you mom? ;-)
Finally it was time to eat. Everyone served themselves in buffet style and sat around in the lounge. The turkey was perfect, the gravy was thick, the stuffing fantastic, the broccoli casserole cheesy, the potatoes amazing, and my yams were a big hit. What can I say, everyone was excited about the yams.
I started to put away the food but was told by all to leave it out, they would be coming back in for round two/three soon.
Soon after that we had our gift exchange. I had everyone pick a number and we chose gifts in that order. It was a riot how quickly they picked up on the idea of stealing. Gid, who was number 10, was funny in that he picked his own gift, a lottery scratcher. Steve, who was next stole it from him. Gid, cussing and complaining with good humour, worked out with me that if he stole his girlfriend Nicola's bottle of cider she had unwrapped, she could steal back the ticket from Steve. So he took her bottle and said, "Nicola darling, you know what to do!" Everyone was laughing hysterically as she received Steve's scratcher and poor Steve had to get another gift.
Then we played the Guess the Christmas Carol game. John didn't think they would be into it, but his friends were. The winning couple were Chris and Dee, and they received a beautiful bottle of bubbly for it. I started to clean up while everyone socialized but Gid came over, kicked me out of my kitchen, and finished washing up the dishes for me. What a sweetheart!
After that we played the pub quiz. I broke the group into three teams of three and John was quiz master. We had a white board to write our answers on for the different rounds/categories. I was surprised, despite a lot of the questions being English based questions, how well I was able to help. But, it was really funny when I cleaned house on the British Monarchs category. I think I only missed one out of eight. I put George I was from Hapsburg, not Hanover. Either way, our team still won and at the end of the night, Nicola borrowed my book on the Queens and Kings of England.
Next we had dessert. Treacle Tart, Mince Pies, and a Pecan Tart with ice cream and whipped cream. Trading Places with Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy was on and we sat around and watched that for a little bit. Then everyone went home, full, tired, and happy, especially Gid who had three turkey sandwiches after the whole meal!
I am pretty positive my party was a success. There isn't much of that turkey left, I KNOW, 20 POUNDS, nor any other item on the menu. We didn't run out, but had just enough. Now comes the clean up . . . . sweeping the floors, putting out the rest of the rubbish, etc. But, it was still all worth it and loads of fun.
Friday, 9 November 2007
Jenny and Larissa
Hello Lovely Readers!
Apparently, I am saying lovely a lot now since moving to London. It hardly seems almost three months since I moved here, it feels like forever . . . but in a good way! Larissa arrived in London last Friday evening and I walked down to her hotel to pick her up. We caught up quickly on what was going on in her life and what was going on in mine. It was nice to have her around, giving me the third degree, like a good older cousin/sister should. I think I passed the test and convinced her of my happiness. It shouldn't take much, I am truly happy here. I can honestly say I don't EVER want to go back.
We then proceeded to take the underground, something which Larissa had gotten a crash course in earlier, by taking it during RUSH HOUR! Way to go Larissa, I am proud, I avoid the standing room only crunch as much as possible.
We reached the airport after an hour of underground madness and finally a member of my family met my John. He was sitting in the airport pub, after seeing our two friends, Steve and Nat, off to India. He ordered us beer and chips/fries, as we were both starving. Then he proceeded to work his charm, the same that won me over, on Larissa. Soon, she was under his spell and he had her full stamp of approval.
Jenny arrived a little past 10, she walked out looking disgruntled, no surprise for Jenny, and we took the long train ride back to Tufnell Park, talking the whole way, John in the background, standing silently with Jenny's luggage under his guard.
We then went to the Boston, our local Irish pub, and since it was Keraoke night, Jenny proceeded to glance through the song book with Larissa, making fun of the available songs while having their first English pint. Having Jenny there was like a ray of sunlight. I missed her, my best friend, my twin soul, my sister. I am happy, but to have her sit there, meet my John, see my new home, and live my new life with me only made it even better to get up the next morning and every morning since then.
I walked them around the next day to Portobello Road, Notting Hill, the famous antique market. We then rushed down to Green Park to walk from Buckingham Palace to Westminster and have the girls do the basics. Here we met John, who proceeded to act as a tour guide, filling in with tidbits of history and fact. Yet again, he was his wonderful, charming self and won over Jenny and Larissa.
Saturday night we went to Alexandra Palace, a community center of sorts, to witness Bonfire Night fireworks. In the back of the humongous building there was a large grassy area on a hill that we all stood around. Apparently there were fifty thousand people there and I don't blame them. Not only could you see the fireworks show for the Ali Pali as we called it, but you could see shows all over London due to our elevation. I have to say, afterwards I hung my head in shame as an American. The fireworks show I saw was the BEST I have ever seen. I saw fireworks that I have never seen in America. They had trippy ones that would be shot up, spin in the air like a pinwheel while shooting off sparks for an uncanny amount of time, then explode in a rage of color. They had others that were just unbelievable, and indescribable unless you were there. Believe me, Jenny, who lives in Washington D.C, and has seen the Capitol's 4th of July celebration agreed with me readily, the fireworks were absolutely amazing. They were also coordinated to music such as the battle theme from the movie Excalibur, the Flower Duet, the Nutcracker, works by Beethoven, and other famous beautiful pieces of music. Yet still, I am telling you, the fireworks were more vivid, colorful, and overall, breathtaking than anything I have ever seen in America. Poor Guy Fawkes . . . and he was only the pansy.
http://www.bonefire.org/guy/index.php
After that Jenny got to meet a few of my new friends. Dan, who is from Liverpool, and his dirty but funny sense of humour. His friend Simon, who for once, was not playing the sulky silent type. My girls, Nicola and Helen, who despite their size and weight, surprised Jenny in their ability to drink a few. Jenny was the hit of the night and everyone adored my sister, as well they should because she is wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Sunday Larissa was suffering as I had once suffered when initially moving to England. We Los Angeleans think we walk, but really, we DON'T. We have no idea what it is to walk. I can confirm this by my experience with blisters, calluses, and new comfortable walking shoes. It has taken me three months to get use to the walking and still, sometimes I wake up with sore, crampy feet. We managed to make it to Regent's Park, which has beautiful Regency, Jane Austen time period, buildings surrounding it. Then we met up with Jenny and had a few pints along with the traditional Sunday English Roast. Then we got to see additional fireworks around town, since technically Guy Fawkes Night was on a Monday this year. . . . yeah, they lasted Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday people! Hello Americans . . why don't we do that!!!!!!
Overall I think the girls got to see the things I love most about this country . . .the humour, the history, the culture, the people, the pride . . . . and most importantly, my best friend and love, John. Both have said that they can't wait to come back and I told them, I am not going anywhere. I love it here and still pinch myself everyday . . . I am in London . . .living MY dream. . . . .living MY life
Next . . . I have no idea . . . but I will think of something interesting I am sure! ;-)
Apparently, I am saying lovely a lot now since moving to London. It hardly seems almost three months since I moved here, it feels like forever . . . but in a good way! Larissa arrived in London last Friday evening and I walked down to her hotel to pick her up. We caught up quickly on what was going on in her life and what was going on in mine. It was nice to have her around, giving me the third degree, like a good older cousin/sister should. I think I passed the test and convinced her of my happiness. It shouldn't take much, I am truly happy here. I can honestly say I don't EVER want to go back.
We then proceeded to take the underground, something which Larissa had gotten a crash course in earlier, by taking it during RUSH HOUR! Way to go Larissa, I am proud, I avoid the standing room only crunch as much as possible.
We reached the airport after an hour of underground madness and finally a member of my family met my John. He was sitting in the airport pub, after seeing our two friends, Steve and Nat, off to India. He ordered us beer and chips/fries, as we were both starving. Then he proceeded to work his charm, the same that won me over, on Larissa. Soon, she was under his spell and he had her full stamp of approval.
Jenny arrived a little past 10, she walked out looking disgruntled, no surprise for Jenny, and we took the long train ride back to Tufnell Park, talking the whole way, John in the background, standing silently with Jenny's luggage under his guard.
We then went to the Boston, our local Irish pub, and since it was Keraoke night, Jenny proceeded to glance through the song book with Larissa, making fun of the available songs while having their first English pint. Having Jenny there was like a ray of sunlight. I missed her, my best friend, my twin soul, my sister. I am happy, but to have her sit there, meet my John, see my new home, and live my new life with me only made it even better to get up the next morning and every morning since then.
I walked them around the next day to Portobello Road, Notting Hill, the famous antique market. We then rushed down to Green Park to walk from Buckingham Palace to Westminster and have the girls do the basics. Here we met John, who proceeded to act as a tour guide, filling in with tidbits of history and fact. Yet again, he was his wonderful, charming self and won over Jenny and Larissa.
Saturday night we went to Alexandra Palace, a community center of sorts, to witness Bonfire Night fireworks. In the back of the humongous building there was a large grassy area on a hill that we all stood around. Apparently there were fifty thousand people there and I don't blame them. Not only could you see the fireworks show for the Ali Pali as we called it, but you could see shows all over London due to our elevation. I have to say, afterwards I hung my head in shame as an American. The fireworks show I saw was the BEST I have ever seen. I saw fireworks that I have never seen in America. They had trippy ones that would be shot up, spin in the air like a pinwheel while shooting off sparks for an uncanny amount of time, then explode in a rage of color. They had others that were just unbelievable, and indescribable unless you were there. Believe me, Jenny, who lives in Washington D.C, and has seen the Capitol's 4th of July celebration agreed with me readily, the fireworks were absolutely amazing. They were also coordinated to music such as the battle theme from the movie Excalibur, the Flower Duet, the Nutcracker, works by Beethoven, and other famous beautiful pieces of music. Yet still, I am telling you, the fireworks were more vivid, colorful, and overall, breathtaking than anything I have ever seen in America. Poor Guy Fawkes . . . and he was only the pansy.
http://www.bonefire.org/guy/index.php
After that Jenny got to meet a few of my new friends. Dan, who is from Liverpool, and his dirty but funny sense of humour. His friend Simon, who for once, was not playing the sulky silent type. My girls, Nicola and Helen, who despite their size and weight, surprised Jenny in their ability to drink a few. Jenny was the hit of the night and everyone adored my sister, as well they should because she is wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Sunday Larissa was suffering as I had once suffered when initially moving to England. We Los Angeleans think we walk, but really, we DON'T. We have no idea what it is to walk. I can confirm this by my experience with blisters, calluses, and new comfortable walking shoes. It has taken me three months to get use to the walking and still, sometimes I wake up with sore, crampy feet. We managed to make it to Regent's Park, which has beautiful Regency, Jane Austen time period, buildings surrounding it. Then we met up with Jenny and had a few pints along with the traditional Sunday English Roast. Then we got to see additional fireworks around town, since technically Guy Fawkes Night was on a Monday this year. . . . yeah, they lasted Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday people! Hello Americans . . why don't we do that!!!!!!
Overall I think the girls got to see the things I love most about this country . . .the humour, the history, the culture, the people, the pride . . . . and most importantly, my best friend and love, John. Both have said that they can't wait to come back and I told them, I am not going anywhere. I love it here and still pinch myself everyday . . . I am in London . . .living MY dream. . . . .living MY life
Next . . . I have no idea . . . but I will think of something interesting I am sure! ;-)
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
John and His Work
Hello friends and family!
Just thought you might like to know a little more about what my man does. Here is the Harper Collins Blog site where he often contributes opinions, summaries of festivals, and commentary on all sorts of things. http://fifthestate.co.uk/author/johnrivers/
Here are also a few projects he has been working on to promote books published by his company.
This is about warfare in Afghanistan:
http://www.3-para.co.uk/
This website/quiz is lots of fun, I actually got a pretty high score, hint, some of the answers are just repeats of the questions.
www.thislittlebritain.co.uk
He also created a Facebook page for William Shakespeare and an upcoming book about him, but I can't find it now, he might have taken it down.
But I was able to find the one he created for Gidget . . .
http://apps.facebook.com/catbook/profile.php?id=765365
Anywho, just to give you an idea what a digital marketing manager does . . .
Just thought you might like to know a little more about what my man does. Here is the Harper Collins Blog site where he often contributes opinions, summaries of festivals, and commentary on all sorts of things. http://fifthestate.co.uk/author/johnrivers/
Here are also a few projects he has been working on to promote books published by his company.
This is about warfare in Afghanistan:
http://www.3-para.co.uk/
This website/quiz is lots of fun, I actually got a pretty high score, hint, some of the answers are just repeats of the questions.
www.thislittlebritain.co.uk
He also created a Facebook page for William Shakespeare and an upcoming book about him, but I can't find it now, he might have taken it down.
But I was able to find the one he created for Gidget . . .
http://apps.facebook.com/catbook/profile.php?id=765365
Anywho, just to give you an idea what a digital marketing manager does . . .
Monday, 22 October 2007
Gidget
Hello all,
Gidget is safe and sound. Sandy, Mom, and Jimmie thank you for taking such excellent care of her. She looks healthy and happy.
On Tuesday I called the Pet Travel Scheme and asked how Gidget would be when we picked her up at Heathrow. I discovered that they would not only clean her up should she make any messes during her journey, but they have private little rooms with cat runs where they would keep her when she arrived. They also said that she would be a little scared, not eat a lot, and take a few days to really settle back down into her routines.
When we arrived at Heathrow on Tuesday evening I was totally expecting a shocked and silent kitty. I was also expecting it to last for a few days. I was worried that she wouldn't remember me, that she would be scarred for life, and that I had done the wrong thing. These feelings did not last long. As soon as I asked one attendant to bring me my kitty, another one came out and told me how lovely and friendly my cat was. She had been playing and petting herself against everyone who came in contact with her. When I heard this, I knew that Gidget was okay. Most of you know how friendly Gidget is, and if she could be that friendly after going through the whole airplane ride ordeal, I knew she would be alright. Finally they brought her out. Her eyes were dilated to the point where you couldn't tell what color her eyes were. She also was as silent as a tomb, which most of you who have met Gidget will know is not normally the case. She is very talkative. I just held her while John called for a cab and kept talking to her. She didn't really acknowledge me and looking back, I still think she was in a daze. By the time we got her into the back seat of the cab she started to meow and recognize me, at least that is what I suspected. My suspicions were confirmed on the train ride home when she continuously moved inside the container to whatever side I was closest to on the outside. If I was near the right front, that was where she would move to.
We got her home and placed her by the litter box. She walked out of her container on her own and I immediately picked her up, showed her the litter box and her food. She wandered around, meowing and sniffing at all the parts of the flat. Finally, within five minutes, she had used her litter box, eaten her food, scratched on her scratching pad, and discovered her bed. They said days . . . it took only minutes and my cat was rolling on her back, loving her new home. The first night she slept right by me, which is unusual, she usually sleeps at my feet. Needless to say, she recovered quickly, is eating like a pig, and is happy to be with her mommy. She follows me around still, loving to be in the room I am in. Even John has noticed and said he understands now why I couldn't part with her. She and I are too attached to each other.
Speaking of John. He referred to her before she arrived as his lodger, with rolling eyes and a bit of sarcasm. Now, Gidget has her own Facebook page, created by John, her own picture folder on John's PC (these are all pictures he has taken of her by the way, not me), and Gidget is starting to sit next to him or go to him almost as much as she goes to me. I don't think she is just a lodger anymore. . . .
Gidget is safe and sound. Sandy, Mom, and Jimmie thank you for taking such excellent care of her. She looks healthy and happy.
On Tuesday I called the Pet Travel Scheme and asked how Gidget would be when we picked her up at Heathrow. I discovered that they would not only clean her up should she make any messes during her journey, but they have private little rooms with cat runs where they would keep her when she arrived. They also said that she would be a little scared, not eat a lot, and take a few days to really settle back down into her routines.
When we arrived at Heathrow on Tuesday evening I was totally expecting a shocked and silent kitty. I was also expecting it to last for a few days. I was worried that she wouldn't remember me, that she would be scarred for life, and that I had done the wrong thing. These feelings did not last long. As soon as I asked one attendant to bring me my kitty, another one came out and told me how lovely and friendly my cat was. She had been playing and petting herself against everyone who came in contact with her. When I heard this, I knew that Gidget was okay. Most of you know how friendly Gidget is, and if she could be that friendly after going through the whole airplane ride ordeal, I knew she would be alright. Finally they brought her out. Her eyes were dilated to the point where you couldn't tell what color her eyes were. She also was as silent as a tomb, which most of you who have met Gidget will know is not normally the case. She is very talkative. I just held her while John called for a cab and kept talking to her. She didn't really acknowledge me and looking back, I still think she was in a daze. By the time we got her into the back seat of the cab she started to meow and recognize me, at least that is what I suspected. My suspicions were confirmed on the train ride home when she continuously moved inside the container to whatever side I was closest to on the outside. If I was near the right front, that was where she would move to.
We got her home and placed her by the litter box. She walked out of her container on her own and I immediately picked her up, showed her the litter box and her food. She wandered around, meowing and sniffing at all the parts of the flat. Finally, within five minutes, she had used her litter box, eaten her food, scratched on her scratching pad, and discovered her bed. They said days . . . it took only minutes and my cat was rolling on her back, loving her new home. The first night she slept right by me, which is unusual, she usually sleeps at my feet. Needless to say, she recovered quickly, is eating like a pig, and is happy to be with her mommy. She follows me around still, loving to be in the room I am in. Even John has noticed and said he understands now why I couldn't part with her. She and I are too attached to each other.
Speaking of John. He referred to her before she arrived as his lodger, with rolling eyes and a bit of sarcasm. Now, Gidget has her own Facebook page, created by John, her own picture folder on John's PC (these are all pictures he has taken of her by the way, not me), and Gidget is starting to sit next to him or go to him almost as much as she goes to me. I don't think she is just a lodger anymore. . . .
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