Harry Potter weekend No.1 (of 2)

Our garden has suddenly exploded in a riot of colo(u)r. Here's an arial view of our hanging basket (planted with the M-i-L) and the begonias that we planted with Mom & Dad.

It was a glorious afternoon - we had laundry dancing on the line and I sat out in the back yard and read my book. We've had a bumper crop of coriander, so John and I are going to have a shrimp curry tomorrow to see if we can use some of it up.

Last night we had a bbq with F & T - we spent some time shooting at a tin can in the back yard. John says that the only time he's ever seen his father miss anything was when they were trying to shoot a rabbit in the dark (the garden was overrun with them) and John was shining a flashlight on the rabbit.



We stopped on the way home to take some pictures - the sunset was glorious.


So, Harry Potter, you ask? Indeed. We saw the movie yesterday morning, and I loved it. I really like OOtP anyway (although I tend to stop right before they get in to the Dept of Mysteries - I can't bring myself to read any further). The writing was the best so far - it condensed the book perfectly, removing the extraneous characters and plot lines, without adding any other random filler. Luna was perfect, Umbridge was deliciously awful (and her office was PERFECT), and the Room Of Requirement was only missing a few pillows. I agree with C about how anything that was added sounded like it was written by JK. And I LOVED the scene where Harry was talking to Dumbledore about the prophecy... "You mean, in the end, one of us has to kill the other?" Yup, Harry, and that's NEXT WEEK!!! Oh, and when did Daniel Radcliffe get to be so cute? I know he's 17, but still. Oh, and I'm going to get my 'the end' theory out now, so if you don't care, go read the Times or something.

Snape will help Harry (on purpose or not, I don't know) kill Voldemort. I think this has to happen, although seeing OOtP again calls his loyalty into question again. He DID tell the others that "He's got Padfoot, in the place where it's hidden," but that could still be part of his double-agentness.

I may have to steal HBP from James' room and reread it this week...

London II

Sunday in London was not quite as whirlwind as Saturday, but it was still a really fun day. I had a quick breakfast (chocolate croissant and cappuccino) at Bar Italia, then headed down to Sloane Square to go check out the General Trading Company.

On the way, I bought an Oyster card, as recommended by my parents' friend Charles. It's basically a cross between a Metrocard and an E-ZPass (for the newyawkers in attendance). For people like me, it's great - it's a prepaid card that adds up how many rides I've taken in a day and charges me for the cheapest combination. Neat! And yes, the government can track where I go and when...oh well. I've now waited in my last line at an underground station (at least to buy a ticket...)

Anyway, GTC didn't open until 12 noon (it was Sunday, in England, remember?) and since Peter Jones (part of John Lewis) opened at 11, in I went. I tested out some patio chairs and tables, sat on 'our' couch (yet to be ordered), and was on my way.

I had plans to meet up with Michelle but we hadn't figured out where - we ended up going to Greenwich, which was really fun. I took the Docklands Light Railway out (without realising I had to pay before I got on the train - oops!), and walked around for a while.

I read some more of The Nine Tailors (a Dorothy Sayers murder mystery about bell ringing in East Anglia, recommended by mom) while sitting in the park in front of the maritime buildings - it was so wonderful to be outside in the sun after all the rain we've had.

Michelle and I had a REALLY yummy lunch, walked around the markets for a while, saw these crazy puppets in a parade, and then climbed to the top of the hill to check out the observatory.





And in honor of Harry Potter, I found this 'golden snitch'-esque weathervane at the top of one of the observatory buildings. Love it.


I was then so comprehensively exhausted that hopped on a train back to the burbs where I showered off the London grime and tumbled in to bed. Phew.

London

As promised, I went down to London this past weekend. It was a completely insane weekend and I was totally zonked by Sunday evening. I got up super-early on Saturday morning and took the 7:30 train, getting to town about 9. I went out to Marble Arch to have my eyebrows threaded - without success. My mom found this website, where I then found some places that did threading. Apparently it's popular enough in London that you have to make an appt 2 weeks (!) in advance. But not so popular that there are walk-in places all over the city, a la NYC... And there aren't any places out near us - I'll just have to plan further ahead next time.

I went to Liberty next and found some glorious fabric - I bought two small pieces that I'm going to work in to various projects. The guy who sold me the fabric was a real prizewinner - he'd hit every branch on the gay tree when he fell out of it, and he was wearing a (beautifully handmade) shirt with a v. busy Liberty floral pattern, accompanied by a tie of the same pattern. It was...eye catching.

Then it was off to Covent Garden to check out the lunch place that my physio recommended - it's called Food For Thought and was quite yummy.

I also managed to find a little courtyard (Neal's Yard) just north of CG, where I had a pedicure. Lovely. And then I bought a pair of black Birkenstocks because my black teva flip-flops have given up and are no longer fit for public wear. So I got these, in black. And am in the process of breaking them in.


Next, I took my mom's recommendation to check out Little Venice. I took a walking tour with a fantastic guide, met a new friend named Robin (if you're reading this, email me!), and took a boat ride. Here's our guide, singing to us:


And here's one of the views of Little Venice.


And another one.



And at the end of the boat ride, PIRATES!


Phew...it was a busy day. More tomorrow.

Wimbledon

John's in London tonight, so I've parked myself in front of the tv for some awesome Wimbledon. The sun is finally shining and there were some fantastic rallies and upsets. I may have to find a cafe with a tv tomorrow afternoon...

We watched An Inconvenient Truth last night - it's something you should see, if you haven't. Al Gore is passionate about the damage we're doing to the environment, and he's got quite a pulpit to shout his message from. I've found a noticeable difference between the attitudes in the UK and in the US - everyone here is SO much more aware of the damage we've done to the environment and there's a much greater willingness to change our behavior to reverse the damage.

Red, White And Blue ...and Pink!

In honor of the 4th, here's a picture that my dad took:


And when I got home from the (mercifully short) meeting tonight, Mark presented me with some '4th of July flowers'. They're GORGEOUS. The light wasn't ideal but I wanted to post them, so here they are.

Leftovers!

I'm still working on the leftovers from our bbq on Sunday - we managed to find a small window of sunny weather and we fired up the grill! We ended up with 3 Americans and 4 Brits (all of whom were very gracious about the celebrating rebels), and lots of potato salad.

No, it's not going to turn into a recipe blog, but my grandma's potato salad is SO good that it needs sharing.

Thanks, Mom, for the recipe - I hope it's in time for any last minute 4th of July potato salad crises! Happy 4th to all the 'mericans in attendance! Tomorrow, rather than watching fireworks, I will be at the Bury Bach Choir annual meeting. AND to add insult to injury, we got an email from the NY office today reminding us that all the US offices would be closed tomorrow. Bah.

Enjoy the potato salad, anyway.

Ingredients:
*Potatoes (I used about 4 small potatoes per person)
*a BIG blob of Hellmann's mayo (don't use the other stuff)
*1 tbs red wine vinegar
*1/2 tsb dry mustard (or 1.5 tbs of dijon)
*A small white onion
*Parsley to garnish
*salt & pepper to season (I salt the 'tater water and find that's about all I need)

Boil the potatoes until they're tender, then drain and cool most of the way. Finely chop the onion, and mix with the mayo, vinegar and mustard. Toss with the potatoes, and serve with the parsley on top. You can substitute balsamic vinegar if you don't have red wine vinegar, but it turns everything a mocha-y color.

I'm going to ping down to London on Saturday to noodle around for the day - if anyone's around and wants to meet up, drop me a comment! I'm definitely headed for the Tate Modern to see the new exhibit and I think I'm going to venture further off the beaten path than I usually go - there's a limit to how many times I need to walk through Hyde Park (lovely though it is...). Suggestions gladly taken!

Saturday Morning

I love Saturday mornings - the whole weekend seems to stretch in front of me. John and I had curry last night (surprise, surprise), and then went to Blockbuster. We rented 'Cars,' which I'd been dying to see - I'd seen parts of it on New Year's Day, but it had made me queasy (or I was queasy anyway). I thought it was great, even though I find Owen Wilson (and his voice) incredibly annoying. I loved the cameo appearance from the Car Talk boys (Click & Clack!) as the announcers for Lightning's sponsors. And then they had Jeremy Clarkson as his smarmy British agent (only in the UK version).

I thought it was really great casting, and I was amazed at the tiny subset of people (expats, all) who would recognize those three voices. If anybody else did or knows who they all are, let me know. I'm sure I'm not alone, but it's got to be a small group.

AGES ago, Rebeka asked me for the lamb/tomato/zucchini recipe that I've found. As I was typing it out for her, I figured she might not be the only one who might like it!

Lamb Steaks with Tomato and Courgette Crush (adapted from BBC Good Food - June 07)
Serves 2
Prep 10 mins
Cook time 10 mins

Ingredients
* 2 courgettes
* herbes de provence
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
* handful chopped parsley or corriander
* 2 lamb leg steaks

1. Chop the courgettes into large chunks, then boil or steam until tender, about 5 mins. Tip into a colander and lightly press out as much liquid as possible using a potato masher or fork, then chop the courgettes into smaller pieces (or not, I don't bother with this)
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and tomatoes, then fry briefly until the tomatoes are just softening. Stir in the courgettes and heat through, then add the chopped parsley or coriander and stir through. Keep warm.
3. Season the lamb steaks, and cover with h.d.p. and olive oil, and grill for 3-4 mins each side. Serve with the tomato & courgette crush on the side.

We serve this with crusty bread for dipping (and make extra garlic/tomato/o.o. sauce to drizzle over). Yum!

The Final Box

Well, we're official. The LAST moving box is unpacked. It was a box of miscellaneous stuff from the front hall in the flat - hats, scarves, maps and other stuff. And it's all put away and the box is broken down! Woohoo!

I just turned on the BBC to watch a documentary on Paris, and the introducer said, 'If you're feeling adventurous or especially French, push the red button on your tv'. And off it went, in french. Amazing.

Weather, Wheels and Steam

We went off to the Wings Wheels and Steam festival at Rougham Airfield today - it veered back and forth between sunny and hot and pouring with rain. During the first sunny interlude, John took this picture:



In the second one, he took this (it's not every day you get to ride in a tank...notice James in the gunner spot):


We came home and then I went out to run some errands - I stopped at our favourite butcher's in Needham Market and got six GLORIOUS sausages and then went to the farm shop (again) for some strawbs and some blackberry-raspberry hybrids that I've forgotten the name of. I also went to the hardware store. You know the one - it's FULL of stuff and the only way to find something is to ask the storekeeper, who immediately nods and leads you into a dark corner to find the hybrid-double-ended-miniature-extendible whatever that you were there after. How these places have all the stuff they have AND ever manage to find any of it is beyond me. I got a washing line for the backyard, some eye-screws and green wire for the honeysuckle, a paper towel roll holder (to go under the cabinets), and a 1-amp fuse. Lucky me. I also got some screws for a broken Ikea nightstand - somehow all the screws from one side got lost in the move (how, I don't know - we didn't disassemble it...) and now it's all held together happily again.

Because I bought, assembled, and hung the washing line, and then did a load of laundry, we had this:


Hail. The size of marbles. Then it turned to rain and thunder...our backyard looked like a swimming pool. As it's clay-y soil (which we discovered when we tried to dig in it), it's all been absorbed and is fine again. Lovely.

Oh, and having read all the reviews for Ratatouille and getting all excited about it, its UK release is not until October 5th. OCTOBER. 5th. Where are we, the MOON? At least I have Harry Potter (a movie AND the Deathly Hallows) to tide me over part of the way until then.

Land of the 10pm Sun

OK, so it's not the midnight sun, but it'll have to do. Unless you live under a rock, you'll know that yesterday was solstice/the first day of summer/etc. Which never seemed like a big deal in NY, but here in northern Europe I find I really notice it. Last night we were zonked and went to bed at 10pm, and it was still light out. Dusky, but light. Glorious.

James is using his new Mets towel tonight (thanks, M & D) - he requested it specially and is v. psyched about it. 'Uncle Ed' had one when he was about the same age - Grandma bought us two - Mets and Yankees. It's a venerable tradition.

I'm feeling like I've turned a corner at work (which I'm always reluctant to blog about). I'm starting to really get a solid handle on my new job, although it's still crazy busy. Hopefully it'll calm down some more once I get grease on some more wheels.

I'm 'between books' again - I've started 19 Minutes (Jodi Picoult) but I can't seem to get in to it. I enjoyed Bill Bryson's Walk In The Woods, a few weeks ago, and I have Dorothy Sayers' Nine Tailors (Mom's recommendation) waiting for me at the library tomorrow.

I also splurged and ordered TWO craft books on Amazon (eek!) - I got an email that they've shipped today so they should be at the office on Monday. The books, if you're interested, are Simple Sewing and Bend The Rules Sewing. I can't wait!

Mom & Dad

Blogging has been a little light lately - my parents arrived on Wednesday evening and it's been pretty much non-stop since then. We had a pub dinner in Bury on Wednesday night, and then they came to Stowmarket to see the house. It's been given the seal of approval!

Thursday night we met them for dinner at the Ravenwood Hall Hotel near Bury, where we'd last been nearly 20 years ago in a blizzard. When I was a kid we used to go to Holland at school vacations - my dad had an office there. We always took the ferry over from Felixstowe to Zeebrugge, and one night we stopped in for dinner on our way to the night ferry. We remembered the food as being really good, and I've been meaning to go for ages. Mom suggested it and off we went. The food was gorgeous- dad and I split some mouthwatering beef (rare, of course), and then I had the world's best rhubarb fool for dessert. YUM.

Friday I took the day off work and we went to Ickworth (where I had to PAY - the new girl in reception was not responding to ANY amount of name dropping or mentioning of the fact that I was a full-time volunteer for a year), walked around for a bit, and then headed cross-country on teeny-tiny back roads to Lavenham. I'd only been there once for the choir concert in December, so it was really nice to see it in the daylight! It's such a funny little town - it's so old and there are no right angles to speak of.

Saturday we had John's parents over for lunch and then Mom and Freda and I went to the garden centre and bought some plants for our garden. There are bunch of begonias, expertly planted by Mom and James, and a bay tree, a honeysuckle bush, and something else that I can't remember. I'm preparing for a pitched battle against the honeysuckle - apparently they're fairly...er...enthusiastic.

Sunday was a train-fest - we drove up to Peterborough to ride on the Nene Valley Railway and the miniature railway at Thorpe Hall. The boys took lots of pictures (and videos - to appear soon). Here we are on the mini trains:



Phew.

I'm taking another half day tomorrow to see Mom & Dad and we're going round F & T's for dinner - it should be fun. Then I'm going to sleep - I'm totally zonked lately and I can't tell if it's general in-law wear and tear or what.

The Mac is Back

My mac came back today - they mailed it to me in a HUGE box with lots of padding (yay!) After much gnashing of teeth (by John), it is now connected to the internet, although it doesn't THINK that it's connected. Despite the fact that I'm merrily tippy-tapping away on Blogger. Hmmmm.

The BBC concert went pretty well on Saturday night - there were a few rocky patches but otherwise it was pretty good. This particular choir is much better at loud, exciting stuff than they are with the more subtle stuff.

Oh, and we were in town on Saturday morning, getting haircuts, and we stopped in to the flooring place to say hi to the owner and rave about our carpets. Teehee. Somehow we started talking about things going on in the town, and apparently the evil part of the bike ride in to town is soon to be no more- they're building a new bridge over the railway tracks. There's a random road to nowhere in our development (right near where we almost bought a different house, but not too close to where we are now, and it's apparently the first part of the bridge. And the plans have FINALLY all gone through so they're starting on it soon! Not that it's going to open any time soon, but it's coming!

We live in the country!

Firstly, the Bury Bach Choir is performing in St Edmundsbury Cathedral tomorrow night - we're singing Rossini's Messe Solenelle and it's going to be great. There are still tickets available - the details are here.

There's been a bit of delay in importing pictures - my mac is still at the mac-spital (they've ordered the airport card and I should have it back soon...)

When C was here last weekend, we made strawberry rhubarb crumble. We kind of invented a recipe - we put the rhubarb, strawbs, some sugar and lime juice, and a few tablespoons of water and covered it with some crumble mix that I bought (lazy StowmarKate). This is what the fruit looked like:

And here it is all bubbly and glorious:

Silly roomies!


Then this past weekend, we took James to the sheep-shearing day at Baylham House Farm, and had a great time. All the animals had great personality and were quite happy to be fed and talked to. Here are a few sheep:



And here's a very intrepid piglet:

A lazy goat...

And my ploughmans' lunch (homemade everything, including the cheese - yum!


We're having some furniture delivered this weekend, which includes 2 wardrobes. I'm hopeful that one of them will lead to Narnia...I'll keep you updated.

not newlyweds anymore

John and I have been married for a year. A whole year. Sometimes it feels like it's been about 10 minutes, other times I can't even imagine that there was a time before I knew him.

Rural Suffolk...

Today was the first real glorious summer day - James and I puttered around this morning and rode in to town on our bicycles. It's kind of a tricky ride- the bike paths up in the housing estate are really good and well-laid out,and then you suddenly get dumped on to a main road with a really narrow sidewalk with lots of overhanging branches. And then there are intermittent bike paths in the town, none of which lead anywhere. I'm not quite confident enough of James' riding to let him ride in the road with cars - people go REALLY fast and he can be kind of oblivious and wobbly some times. Mostly he's fine, but he randomly swerves. Edward and I basically grew up on our bikes, especially in Holland and when we lived in Peterborough, so I don't think mom and dad ever really worried about us wobbling too much.

Anyway, in the afternoon we went to the Alder Carr Farm in Needham Market. I suggested that we take the back way there - it was this gloriously winding country lane that went through two towns - Creeting St. Peter and Creeting St. Mary. I love the names...and the houses along the road were SO pretty.

It's also the perfect distance to go on a bike ride - it's about 3 miles each way and a little hilly but not too bad. We're going to save our pennies and see about getting some bikes - my parents have Gazelle bikes from Holland that are beautiful and run forever but they're WAAAAY out of our price range. They have some really funny tandem ones, although I think I'm too much of a control freak to let John steer...we'd crash before we made it to the end of our street.

Anyway, the farm was incredible- they had homemade ice cream (YUM!), strawberries (PYO and in baskets) that smelled amazing, and various other little shops. One of them was an earthy-crunchy eco-friendly shop (that sells mooncups!), so we bought some enviro-friendly laundry soap and toilet cleaner. The laundry soap is cool - we can take the empty jug back and they'll refill it at a discount. Oh, the thrill.

mac-spedition

The mac is going on a small field trip - its airport card (wireless interweb) hasn't worked for a few weeks, and apparently it's a hardware problem. It's connected to the wired internet but I really miss being able to take it around the house with me. So it's off to an 'Authorized Service Provider' tomorrow evening - I'm really hoping that they ping a new card in and I trundle home with it but something tells me it's not going to happen that way...

I'll be interwebbing on John's PC (if I'm nice to him), so I won't go through too much withdrawal.

We really need to move in to our study properly - we have our desks set up but there are no pictures on the wall (waiting for mom) and all the books are crammed on one small bookshelf (and the floor). We're John's torn between getting a cheap 'Billy' bookshelf from Ikea or waiting and getting one that we really love. I'm not that fussed about bookshelves - I'd rather have a cheap one and get the crap up off the floor - nobody's going to be looking at the shelf and we can always paint it if we get desperate.

I'm still trying to get my sewing corner set up as well - I think I need to do some more rearranging. In my infinite spare time, of course.

Ooh...and three more tomato plants arrived today - I think they're part of the ones that Freda ordered for me - I'll pot them tomorrow night and send them on their way!

Rest and recuperation...

After a really fun weekend with C, she headed home this morning. Back to London and then home to Boston. It was kind of strange to have her here - almost like worlds were colliding, but it was SO good to see her. Yesterday we watched Miss Potter (very cute but predictable) and The Fountain (redeemed by the fact that Hugh Jackman is hot but otherwise VERY strange). I'd had a fit of decadence at Waitrose and bought 5 different bags of 'odd flavor' British crisps - we had Thai Chili, Mango Chili, Sea Salt + Balsamic Vinegar, Spicy Lime, and Roast Chicken with Herbs. Yum-o! Not all at once, but over 2 days we managed to eat all the (little) bags.

I also planted some herbs in the garage which I then put out in trays in the garden and managed to COMPLETELY bugger my back. It wasn't my usual lower-back-twinge-oh-shit-I-can't-move... this was more of a hmm-that-doesn't-feel-good-ok-now-it's-killing-me-and-I-can't-sleep. Lovely. I was NOT a happy bunny when I woke up this morning and I spent most of the day 'on bed.' I managed to finish Digging To America and start in on The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Digging was not what I'd expected it to be - I thought it would be from a completely different perspective and I kept waiting for it to get 'good.' It wasn't bad, just not particularly memorable. And quite similar to The Namesake, which I also read recently. So far, Memory Keeper is pretty good, although I'm not terribly attached to the characters so I may give up. I still have 19 Minutes (the Jodi Picoult, signed) sitting on my nightstand...I think it's next in line after MK.

I'm also the newly appointed newsletter editor for the Bury Bach Choir - lucky me. I'll have to do some tinkering in Pagemaker or Scribus (the Linux version, on John's pc).

Tourists

I had a fab day in London with C and Ellie- we all managed to meet up at the American embassy at the appointed hour, and then trundled around the city. We went to Harrods, Hyde Park, the National Gallery, St James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, walked along the Thames, and then we went to Foyles and had curry in Soho. Phew. Here we are in front of the 'green' Trafalgar Square:


Then yesterday we went to Aldeburgh (after touring scenic downtown Stowmarket...). We had supremely chippy chips (and fish) and window shopped with the rich people.



We made a pit stop in Woodbridge on the way home to look at the boats, and then had a light-ish and very late dinner as we were all still recovering from the chips.

Wheee!

The King's Singers were really good on Friday night - they have really solid stage presence and their musicianship is unlike any other performers I've ever seen. They know exactly what the other ones are going to do, and when, and they blend SO well. We were sitting in the third row (thank you, free 'sponsor' tickets from work!), and it truly couldn't have been a better concert.

We took the boy to the Rougham Kite Festival on Saturday - it was super-windy and we all had a great time.



We James built a kite in the kids-build-kites tent.



It was WAAY too windy for it to fly so we...customized it a little. The tail needed more weight so we attached some hair clips that I had to the bottom and then it flew really well.

Here he is, flying it.



And here it is, with the other kites.



They were also running a ride-along thing with the kiteboarders - so we paid £1 and signed James' life away. He had a BLAST. We took a little movie of it - as soon as I figure out how to get it on YouTube, I'll post it.

Miscellany

John and I are off to see the King's Singers at the Bury Festival tomorrow night. I saw them with my parents some time in the early 90s in the UK (and have the t-shirt to prove it), and I can't wait to see them again. They're going to be singing mostly madrigals and early music - it's going to be SO good!!

I bought my Mom a notebook from Taylor Made Designs - it's similar to the one that I got Andrea for her birthday and I just couldn't resist. She's been carrying around an old cast-off notebook that I had written Keep OUT (in bubble letters, natch) on - it was time for something a little nicer and they're SO cute.

One other thing - if you're a guy, stop reading. Gone? OK. If you're still reading, check out the Mooncup (UK) or the Divacup(US). I bought a Mooncup after stumbling on a recommendation on another blogger's site about 6 months ago and I haven't looked back. The mooncup is kind of an odd thing to rave about (John's getting a little sick of it), but it's truly awesome - it's cheaper, better for the planet, better for my insides, and generally fantastic. Ok, infomercial over.

Men, you can come back now.

"It looks just like the picture!"

John and I had a particularly decadent food day today. I called my friend Elia this week and invited her and her husband (she's American, he's a Brit) over for lunch today. They called to confirm this morning and I suggested that they come over around 12:30 or 1. John asked what we were having for lunch, and I panicked. Elia was really funny when I talked to her in the morning - she basically said that "canned soup warmed up would be fine for them." I don't really like canned soup (too salty), so I attacked this month's Good Food for suggestions.

And found this:

We went to our favourite butcher in Needham Market this morning and got lamb steaks, which I broiled under the grill with some herbes de Provence and olive oil. Then I put it with the smushed tomatoes and zucchini that I'd sauteed in garlic. It was GLORIOUS. And Elia announced that it looked "just like the picture!" Success!

Then, for dinner, John and I wanted something light - I'd gotten some smoked trout and champagne as splurges at the grocery store yesterday - we had some vouchers and wanted to spend them on things other than juice and veggies. So we had the trout on the caraway and poppy bread that John made last weekend - it was amazingly good.






And we're having another beautiful evening - it's been raining on and off all day (and POURED during the hour that we decided to walk in to town...) I think I'm going to make this in to my new banner.

Roomies

It looks like I'm going to have 2 (count 'em, 2!) roommates in the UK in the next few weeks. Both C and Ellie are going to be here for various reasons. I definitely feel spoiled!

I got a new cell phone (same number) this week - Vodaphone called and said that my contract was up and did I want to renew and get a new phone. Um, yeah. So I'm now the proud owner of a sexy little blue Motorola Krzr. And I've moved my Indigo Girls ringtone (it plays 'Rise Up') on to it. What more could I want?

Oh yeah, ROOMIES!! In England!! And possibly Stowmarket!

Bread and Sky (2 kinds)

John made bread yesterday - he added caraway and poppy seeds, which was REALLY yummy. James and I made a box of American Betty Crocker brownies from the airbase, which went down very well. Here's the aftermath of all that baking:


It was really showery yesterday, and at one point in the late afternoon the sky was really dark and rainy on one side of the house, with the sun shining brightly on the other side.


And I even caught the rainbow:


I'm a sucker for rainbows, and they happen all the time in the UK because the weather changes so fast!

So the OTHER 'sky' in the title is Sky TV. For the Yanks, nobody here has 'cable'...you either have an aerial or you have satellite TV. Sky is essentially the only satellite provider, which is a bit of a bother. We ordered their cheapest, off the grid plan (all we REALLY want is BBC2 and the odd football/tennis match and dog show - and the TV is v. snazzy and we love it - thanks mom and dad!), and when the guy came to hook up the dish, he couldn't. Basically, they're only insured to drill through external walls. And as our TV isn't on an external wall he suggested we move it. We then pointed out that there was a TV point on the wall behind where the TV is. He looked at it and said that we'd have to hire an 'independent' (i.e. not Sky) to install, as he'd need to go into our loft space to hook up the already existing and perfectly functional except that it needs to be connected to a dish satellite plug. BAH. So now Sky are refunding our £ - hopefully - and we have to pay MORE money than we'd originally paid Sky to get the thing hooked up in the loft. So the fancy-pants pre-wiring of the TV that the builders did ends up costing us extra. Go figure. And it's going to be at least another week before they can hook it up.

My mother has a theory that everything that's done in England has to be done at least twice...it's shaping up to be true (although I haven't had the best of luck with Verizon/Cablevision/TimeWarner etc in NYC either...)

Thoughts, moral support, and invitations to come over and watch TV would be appreciated. :)

Post Mills -> Bury

First cool thing? Jodi Picoult signed my copy of Nineteen Minutes.

Second cool thing? She and I had what she referred to as a 'moment'.



I was about the 6th person in line for the book signing (behind 2 Americans), and when I got up to where she was sitting, she asked me how I was doing. "Great," I replied. "I think ALL the Americans in the whole county are here today!"

"Oh, where are you from?"

"New York"

"Really? Where?"

"New Rochelle...[a knowing nod]...but I've spent a lot of time up in Hanover [NH, where she lives - it's on her bio]"

"Oh wow - were you there for college?"

"Nope, I went to camp just down the road - in a little town called Post Mills."

"POST MILLS?! Which camp?"

So I told her. Much shrieking of recognition.

It turns out that her daughter has been a camper there for the last two years and is going back for her third summer this year. It's a teeny-tiny world. She thought it was really funny that she was meeting someone who'd been so close to home, so far away.

Jodi Picoult - in Bury tomorrow!

I'm psyched - when we were in Bury today for the America 400 festival that Ian suggested, I wandered into Waterstones' bookshop and noticed that Jodi Picoult (the crazy famous bestselling author) is going to be there signing her new book tomorrow (it's a 3-day weekend in the UK). WOAH!

I bought the book today (in hardcover, gasp!) and I'll be bringing it back for her to sign tomorrow. Pics, I promise!!

Message from the pancakes.

We made pancakes last weekend - I seemed to have a message in mine:


I WILL be posting more pictures of the house- I'm just supremely unmotivated at the moment. Silly house thing of the day - we were cold (it's a chilly spring evening and we're both wearing sweaters). So what did we do? Turn the heating on. And now, we're warm. AMAZING.

Here's our first bird in the garden. He didn't really want to have his picture taken, but what can you do?