In London

Hello world!

Yesterday, I hopped aboard a train to London to visit my good friend: Stefania! We visited the Natural History Museum (which is absolutely free to visit!) We saw an awesome exhibit about whales. They have this room with a life-size blue whale and a whole bunch of whale skeletons! I couldn't believe how massive they were! We also saw a pretty cool dinosaur exhibit, with a pretty alive-looking Tyrannosaurus-Rex. It was a bit frightening, but also awesome.

Afterwards, I got a tour of Stef's flat and she made some delicious moussaka for dinner. I also met a fellow med student of hers who actually did her undergrad in Toronto and knows my friend Melody! Of course, we shared our meal with Stef's lovely sister, Tina as well. And last, but not least, I met Stefa's wonderful boyfriend, Spyro! For all of Stef's friends at home: Spyro has a great sense of humour and he takes very good care of our Stef! You will love him (so, start making plans for a visit so you can meet him, too!)

We went to a house party hosted by one of Stef's doctor friends and I met everyone she goes to school with (including some Cambridge grads, oh la la!) There were quite a few Canadians at the party! I met a few Vancouverites and a young lady from Hamilton. It was a little more exciting to me than it should have been because they are the first Canadians I have seen (besides Stef) in a few months! Stef and I put ourselves in charge of the music and were soon playing everything from 'Pump Up the Jam' to 'Jump Around' to 'Sweet Child of Mine'.

Unfortunately, I locked myself in the loo at one point and had to lean out the window to yell at the smokers to send someone to rescue me. It was pretty embarrassing.

This morning, we slept in fairly late and then took a stroll around the V&A! We saw their photography gallery and a fabulous exhibit about live performance. My favourite part was a large wall of screen-printed posters advertising everything from a 'Sex Pistols' tour to a Victorian-era theatre company's upcoming shows. We spent some time in the shop, but didn't buy anything. I think museum shops have some of the most interesting things ever. There were so many awesome books about design and fashion and so many beautiful christmas ornaments, pieces of art nouveau-style jewellery and OMG the POSTERS!

We had a lovely pub lunch with Tina and Spyro and then, unfortunately, it was time for me to head back to Brum.

Dear Stefani: I had a wonderful time! Thank you so much for having me. See you soon, right?

I'll be home for Christmas…

(a shot of Newmarket's Main St @ Christmas time!)

So, I am REALLY excited to go home for Christmas. I will totally miss all my friends here, but man, am I looking forward to seeing my posse and my family and maybe even seeing some snow?!

I have been preparing for Christmas for the past few weeks, gathering gifts, making a list of the yummy British biscuits and chocolate I want to bring home to share and listening to Christmas music. I have even tried playing a few Christmas carols on my guitar. Tonight, I will start packing my bag (I know it's a bit early for that, but I can't help it!)

Last night, both The Mum and The Dad were very late getting home from work. I think there is something going on with the traffic lights and/or trains because the traffic has been extra horrendous for the past couple of days. That left me home alone with the children until about 20:00 (we use military time over here). I had some trouble with Middle, but Youngest was being quite good! He let me read to him and give him a bath and he went to sleep so easily! The Dad got home in time to say goodnight to Youngest before he drifted off to sleep and Youngest said that he missed me. Sooo cute! I mean, obviously he didn't actually miss me (I put him to bed 10 minutes earlier), but it is nice to have FINALLY built up a relationship with him. One down, two to go!! The girls are going to be much harder, I fear!

(Me and Stefa around this time last year!)

I am off to London town tomorrow to visit Stefa! It should be a good time… stay tuned for more!

P.S.

I'm working on some Christmas present ideas for the England family. I am thinking a mobile phone cozy and a phone charm for Oldest, a homemade sticker book for youngest and some homemade candy-cane brittle and almond brittle for the parents.

I am stuck on a gift for Middle, though. Her birthday is also coming up, and I'm going to get her a fabulous CD with some great Disney songs on it. But I still need to get her a Christmas gift… she's pretty girly… any suggestions?

Toxic Water

Today, Middle looked in the fridge and said "Mom, can you buy some more lemonade and toxic water?"

Also, Oldest has been interrogating me on our car-rides to and from school. She asks me 'what is the one thing you want?' 'If you could have one wish, what would it be?' 'If you could meet one dead person, who would it be and why?' Those are the philosophical questions. Then there are the questions about myself and Canada --although she says 'do you have this in America'. I always reply 'I'm not from America'-- like 'what kind of exams did you do in America?' 'What subjects did you study in America?' 'Did you have a uniform when you went to school?' 'Why aren't there as many private schools in America as in England?' It's ridiculous.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

So… dinner is lunch over here. I know that some people refer to lunch as dinner at home, too, mostly farmers and their families, but it's still confusing.

Anyways, Oasis Church organized a great event today that I thought was just great? How great? Mind-bogglingly great. The premise: some church-members signed up to host Sunday Dinners and others signed up to be guests. (Obviously, I signed up to be a guest.) So, my friends Bill, Aussie and I ended up at Bob's house with a few other people, all in our early-to-mid twenties. It was really great to sit down and chat to some new people! They had a bit of a laugh with me when we first sat down to eat. As I made some comment or other, one of the guys said "Oh, I like your American accent!" I probably had a horrified look on my face, as everyone burst into laughter (they knew I was Canadian and the previous 'compliment' about my accent was meant to be a joke).

After our yummy dinner of pizza, salad and garlic bread, we played a fantastic boardgame: 'Articulate'. The premise (I didn't mean to use the word 'premise' twice in one post, but I couldn't think of another word that was appropriate in this situation) of the game is similar to Hasbro's 'Taboo': describe the word on your card in such a way that your teammates will be able to guess what it is! We had so much fun playing 'Articulate'! We laughed a lot when we couldn't describe certain words that seemed obvious, or when we had no idea how to describe the people and things on our cards. It was a great way to just laugh with and get to know some new people.

So, here's to Bob and his hospitality! Thanks for having me over for dinner!

Today, I slept in really late and spent my morning and some of my afternoon making Christmas cards!

I went to a place called 'The Custard Factory', which is not, in fact, a factory that makes custard. It's a trendy neighborhood of studios, office spaces, galleries, shops, etc. I went with Aussie to check out a vintage clothing fair. It is a really cool spot, but it was just raining buckets, so it was a bit miserable being outside.

I spent my evening watching a fantastic film, 'Penelope'. It stars Christina Ricci and the sexy and Scottish James McAvoy, who has an incredibly passable American accent. It was a very cute and romantic movie. I was also able to tie up a lot of loose ends with my latest knitting project!

Cheese and Pickle Sandwich

When I come home for Christmas (in less than a month!), I will bring some British treats to share. Mostly, I will bring chocolate biscuits and chocolate bars and maybe some tea. But the Brits have one product over here that I MUST bring home, because I don't think I can get through my vacation without it. At first, I thought it would be gross. Cut-up pickles in a brown sauce? But I do like relish quite a bit, so I thought I would try it. The England family are always eating cheese-and-pickle sandwiches, so I thought I would, too. I did not regret it. This delicious pickle product is crunchy and sweet and perfectly compliments a soft chewy-ness of a fresh baguette and the creamy and savoury taste of a strong cheddar cheese.

Yum.

Roll up… Roll up for the Mystery Tour

Hello friends, hello family! Here it is, the blog entry you've been waiting for: my trip to Liverpool!

I had a great time this Saturday exploring Liverpool with my friends Aussie and Liverpool…hmmm, maybe I should change his name… how about Bill? Okay, so I went to Liverpool with Aussie and Bill! We took a train from our fair city to the birthplace of the Beatles. It took almost two hours, but it was well worth it! After some coffee and croissants, we hopped aboard 'The Yellow Duckmarine' for a tour of the city. The Duckmarine is one of those amphibious bus/boats that can travel on land and in water. I have never been on one before and whenever I have seen anyone in Toronto on one, I think 'haha, tourist!' But I guess that's what I am. It was a great way to hear a little bit about the city and get an idea of the main sites. I saw so many places that I wanted to get off and explore, but I eventually found that it was too much to see in one day. I learned some interesting facts on the tour:

• Charles Dickens worked as a constable in Liverpool and much of his writing reflects his experiences in the city
• The Titanic was registered with the White Star Line shipping company and many of the great ship's victims were from Liverpool
• Liverpool is in the county of Merseyside
• Liverpool is currently the 'Cultural Capital of Europe'
  

The Duckmarine took us out into the water of the Albert docks. Liverpool is known for being a port and the many docks were used for the import and export of rice, flour, etc. The amphibian was really cool, but it also felt a bit unsafe.

Unfortunately, it was raining for much of the day. Fortunately, we spent a good deal of it inside! After our trip out into the docks, we went to 'The Beatles Story'-- probably the BEST museum I have ever been to. It was spectacular. They had each section done up in the style of the era, with some rooms emulating Brian Epstein's record shop, a 747 jet and even a scene in 'Yellow Submarine'. You get a free audio tour, so we were able to hear different Beatles, their friends, family and co-workers speak about the band's history. The audio tour is narrated by John Lennon's sister. It was especially cool to see the mini-replica of 'The Cavern Club', which is famous for having the Beatles play there 292 times. I am a bit of a Beatles fan, so it was really fun for me to hum along to all the music. The museum includes a room dedicated to what each band-member pursued after the break-up of the Beatles. We had a great time taking photos at the Beatles museum. Check out our awesome wigs!

After our trip to the museum, we had lunch at a pub and  and took a walk to Matthew St, the location of the famous Cavern Club and the 'Harddaysnight Hotel'.  We quickly hopped on a train to get home. I have a feeling that there is MUCH more to see. I would love to go back to check out the Liverpool night-life! Think of what the music scene must be like!

This week has been pretty good so far (I mean, it's only Tuesday, but whatever). Sunday, I had a chance to check out the Birmingham Frankfurt Market, which is pretty cool! It's a whole little village with all these German crafts, food and products for sale! I had a white sausage and some roasted chestnuts (yes, roasted on an open fire, yum yum!) I will have to go back, though, because I went with the England family and we went through quite quickly.

Tonight I went to the quiz and we were doing quite well until the 4th round or so. We lost again, but we beat our all-time high score by 2.5 points! We got 45.5/80!

Holy moly, it's late! I'm off to bed! See you soon, Canada!

Today was a very interesting day.

This morning, The Dad sat me down to go over my schedule a bit in order to make it more flexible. Later on, after I ventured into the city centre to get myself a railcard! (This will hopefully save me about 30% of the ticket price very time I ride the train!) I also picked up some more wool so I can get working on my Christmas presents.

The Dad has recently unpacked his old turntables and stereo system and this afternoon, he broke out some of his house and dance favourites from the early-to-mid 90's. He had Youngest bouncing around and dancing on the sofa while he told me some stories from his life before having children when he lived all over the world. He told me about partying for 2 days straight in Ibiza (where he has insisted I take my friends next summer) and driving around in the U.S. listening to 'Jagged Little Pill'.

Our plans for visiting Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market were drowned by some regular old English rain. So I'll have to hit the market next week. Instead, I finished up some plans for tomorrow (I'm going to Liverpool with a couple friends) and then rented 'The Boat that Rocked' aka 'Pirate Radio', which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially the soundtrack.

More later, after my trip to the birthplace of one of the greatest rock bands EVER: The Beatles.

'It's been a hard day's night and I've been working like a dog,
It's been a hard days night! I should be sleeping like a log,
But when I get home to you, I find the things that you do,
Will make me feel alright!'

I LOVE Oxfam, ACTUALLY

Tuesday I did the quiz with Aussie and we lost again! But it was so much fun (as always). This week, there was a group that did much worse than us, but they left way before the quiz was over. I think they might be back next week, though!

On Wednesday, I decided to knit some more tea cozies, so I put on 'Love Actually', (which made me incredible happy and unfathomably homesick at the same time) and knit away. I actually got the DVD at Oxfam (yay). Unfortunately, I didn't have time to finish the movie as I had to go do my job.

I am all caught up on Being Erica! There is so much scandal this season I can't believe it! OMG Sam left Josh! Seriously, if you are at home in Canada, you should watch it. You can watch episodes online for free at the CBC website. Speaking of the CBC, I finally downloaded the plug-in that lets me listen to CBC Radio 2 online! It has been so nice to listen to Canadian music! The only Radio stations I have been able to tune into on my radio play the latest pop (JLS-- although I do like them--, Cheryl Cole, Alexandra Burke, Black Eyed Peas, Whitney Houston) or they remind me of EZ Rock… not my taste. Yay for the CBC! I miss you!

Today, I went to Oxfam in the afternoon. I know you are probably sick of hearing it, but I LOVE working there. Today, I got to chatting with some of the ladies and I discovered that one of them sings with a choir at the University of Birmingham on Tuesday nights! She has invited me to join her after Christmas. It means I'll have to give up the quiz, but I'm sure Aussie and I can find another one to join. This lady has even offered to give me a lift to rehearsal. I'm pretty stoked for that. It will give me something to look forward to.

Anyways, I'm off to get some shut-eye!

Mop-Day #8

Woah, these Mondays really tire me out! *yawn* Middle was home sick today, but I barely saw her for all of my cleaning and ironing! Oldest got a cupcake recipe book for her birthday, so they've been baking like mad! Today, they made delicious malt cupcakes with Marshmallow icing (my favourite so far)! I shall have to borrow the book for the holidays and make some.

I have been having tons of fun with youngest lately! He loves to be tickled and he just breaks out in fits of giggles any time I 'chase' him! I have learned lots of ways to cheer him up when he is upset and how to distract him in order to get him to let me clean his teeth or feed him his greens. He's such a cutie!

I went down to the pub tonight with Gail and a few people from Oasis. It was really fun to sit around and chat with them. We just talked about everything from Princess Diana's dodgy death to puberty videos to American accents to Jamie Oliver. It was a lovely evening!

A Cozy Sunday

Today, I slept in 'til noon! I haven't done that in months! I spent the rest of the day sitting around, watching TV, reading and knitting. I finally finished that tea cozy! It is fully functional, albeit rather lumpy and quite a bit too big for the teapot the England family has. But it is an excellent prototype for tea cozies to come!

I went to the evening service at church tonight, which is quite a bit smaller than the morning service. The message tonight was on Jonah 3, in which God asks Jonah (after the ordeal with the fish) again to go to Ninevah and give the people a message from God. So, Jonah goes to the city to tell them "In 40 days, Ninevah will be destroyed!" Seriously that's all there is! No details about how it would be destroyed or how the destruction could be stopped. But then, all of the people in Ninevah turned away from their ruinous ways of life and mourned for their lives and their city (the text says that even the animals had to mourn). It's just amazing the way that the whole city, including the King, believed God's message right away! And God, being loving and forgiving and full of compassion did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. He forgave the Ninevites. This message is great, because it illustrates God's desire for everyone to know Him and to know truth. It's not just a select group of people with enough money or anything, it's everyone.

Happy Birthday, Dear Aussie…

I had a pretty great day today!

First, I had a bit of a lie-in (I slept in) and when I got up, I went into King's Heath to check out the Farmer's Market. It wasn't very good. I was expecting so much better because the Moseley Farmer's Market is apparently phenomenal. I bought some apple juice and headed back home. Then, I went into Oxfam to steam my dress for Aussie's party and ended up staying for the rest of the afternoon to help out. We got so much done, it was great! But, when I left… I forgot my dress!! I didn't realize until about 45 minutes later, when I had come home and showered. By that time, Oxfam was closed! I didn't mind wearing something else, but it was ironic that I had forgotten the dress at Oxfam when the only reason I went to the shop in the first place was to steam the dress!!

Anyways, I had fun with my curling iron tonight (see left) and broke out the bronzer one last time before winter. We met with a group of Aussie's friends (most of them from Oasis) at an Indian restaurant in Moseley. The food was great, but the arrangements were not what Aussie had ordered. She had booked a private room upstairs, but they told her that another party was using that room and they set up a long table at the front of the restaurant… right by the door. We still had fun, though. One of the girls bought Aussie this thing that puts gems in your hair. She bought it as a joke gift, and we had a riot reading the instructions, but the jewels actually looked very nice.

After dinner, we went for drinks at The Cross and then Aussie, Liverpool and I got a ride into the city to go to the Jam House. The Jam House is FANTASTIC! Those of you who are coming to the UK while I am here must accompany me on an evening out at the Jam House. It took about 30-40 minutes for us to get in, but it was worth it. There was a live band, the Subterraneans and a great DJ. The band covered a whole bunch of different songs: Living on a Prayer, 1000 Miles, Vertigo, Sex on Fire… they were great! And the DJ was so different from anything I've ever heard at a club. He actually played full songs and it was a huge variety (not all to my taste, he played Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 at one point). Towards the end of the night, he pulled out some Elvis, The Foundations and even Dean Martin. It wasn't your typical club music, but it was so fun to dance to. It was a place the Pattersons would totally love to go and dance up a storm! I had a fabulous time!

Well, it is almost 4 am here, so I am off to dreamland (as opposed to daydreamland, where I spent most of my time)!

Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow… 

okay, it's morrow. Bye!

Remember, remember…

… the fifth of November.

Guy Fawkes, Or The Gunpowder Treason An Historical Romance By William Harrison Ainsworth. Published by G. Routledge, 1878, Original from Harvard University. Digitized Mar 25, 2008. 408 pages

So, today is Guy Fawkes Day… more commonly known as 'Fireworks Day' over here across the pond. Unfortunately, all I know about Guy Fawkes Day I learned from 'V for Vendetta', so I did a little research:

• Guy Fawkes was a member of a Roman Catholic party that wanted to displace Protestant power in England.
• The party planned to assassinate King James I of England by blowing up the parliament buildings during the State Opening (an event that marks the opening of parliament). However, this was a failed attempt! 
• There were quite a few men involved in the plot, but unfortunately, Fawkes was caught while leaving the room that he and his fellow rebels had rented to store their materials which included wood, coal and gunpowder.
• Fawkes was captured, questioned and tortured, but he never revealed the names of his co-conspirators unless they were already dead or captured themselves.
• After Fawkes and some of his fellows were tried for their crimes, they were hanged, drawn and quartered… heavy.

However, I haven't heard anyone mention anything about this history of Guy Fawkes day. Nowadays, it's 'Fireworks Day' or 'Bonfire Night'. Tonight, instead of small group, we all planned to meet up at the University of Birmingham to watch the fireworks show. Aussie, Liverpool and I drove to the Uni instead of meeting up with the rest of our group and we never found them among the thousands of students at the show. We still had a great time, though. I have this umbrella that is clear, so we were able to stay dry and see all the fireworks. They had them running in time (kind of) to music, mostly epic John Williamsish movie themes. It was a pretty fun night.

Today was also Oldest's birthday. I got her a corking kit (they call it french knitting over here). She said 'thank you' a bunch of times, but I hope she actually likes it. I think it's the kind of thing I would have liked at age 11. The Mum got this delicious Thornton's cake. It is so chocolatey!

I also went to Oxfam for a bit today. I am really, really enjoying working there. It's so relaxing! I get to put the radio on and just do my thing! Plus, the people are so nice! One of the older women… let's call her Aggie… always likes to chat to me about different things. Today she told me about her love for Shakespeare and her Irish son-in-law. Another lady, City, and I like to work together in the clothing room sorting. But sometimes, she has to work on the till, so I'm upstairs alone. Today, she found me this great shirt-dress! I'm really glad I started volunteering there. I wonder what kinds of jobs Oxfam has in Canada…

Anyways, I'm off to bed… after I watch another episode of Glee. Being a musical-comedy, it's no surprise that I am totally hooked. Check it out.

P.S. Did you catch the latest episode of Being Erica? That's some good ole Canadian programming right there.

Granny Days

Tonight was our worst quiz yet. It was horrible! We played our Joker (gets you double the points) on a round that we scored very poorly on and then answered another round brilliantly! I am going to blame our losing on our being foreign. The quiz is appropriately geared towards English people, so it's really not a surprise that Aussie and I do so poorly. But there were a few rounds when we only scored 1 or 2 out of 10! We'll have to watch more news, I guess. And maybe play a bit of UK Trivial Pursuit, if there is such a thing. It was fun, though!

I have recently been attempting to knit a tea cozy. It hasn't been going overly well. I have had to restart and untangle a couple times, but I think I am finally on the right track!

Today, I woke up with a sore shoulder. It got worse when I was ironing (I know, not the most strenuous activity). I took a couple of Ibuprofen and spent the afternoon on the couch activating and registering my bank accounts and insurance. I think it might be from lifting bags of treasure (clothes) at Oxfam, or perhaps from moving the couch in the kitchen when I mopped the floor yesterday. Anyways, it's pretty painful, so if it continues, I will have to go to the clinic to have it checked out.

I have just read the previous paragraphs and have realized that it' s quite a boring post. I mean, tea cozies and shoulder pain? You'd think I was a granny! I apologize, I guess my life hasn't been very exciting the last couple of days. But never fear, excitement is on the way! This weekend, I am going to a birthday dinner and then out to a place called the 'Jam House' for dancing. It will be pretty sweet! Also, Thursday is November 5… which means Guy Fawkes Day, more commonly known as Fireworks Day!

I love Sundays

So… Sundays rock. I get to sleep in a bit, go to church  and hear some great teaching (today, it was about getting rid of our idols) and be a part of a real community! Then, I get to do nothing!

I had a bit of a headache yesterday, so I just sat in bed. I had a bit of a nap, and then I started some knitting and then I watched some of this funny show (Plus One). I checked out a sermon by Bruxy Cavey of the Meeting House back at home. I even made these hilarious yearbook portraits of myself and some friends! Check out http://www.yearbookyourself.com/!

Later on, I went to see a movie with Hungary. All in all, I had quite an enjoyable Sunday.