More Canterbury Tales

It was the last day in England for the Rs and we wanted to do something fun. So we decided to take the train down to Canterbury, look around the village, the Cathedral, see where Thomas Becket was killed etc. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating. We woke up that day to a huge rainstorm. It was raining as hard as I have ever seen it. A bit of hail, some thunder and lightening and our trip was looking like it might not take place. Good thing for us that Mr. R. is pretty adventurous. He lobbied for going anyway, weather be damned. The worst that could happen would be that we would have a good train rain, a nice pub Sunday roast lunch and perhaps get little wet while absorbing some history. Sounds simple? Well no.

After we bought the tickets, we couldn’t find the train anywhere on the departures board. Turns out, there is no direct train to Canterbury that day because they are doing work on the track. So we need to take a train to Strood, get off, take a bus to Gillingham (pronounced Jillinghum) then get on the train there and get to Canterbury. Great. Maybe we can get a refund? Yes if we fill out these three forms, mail them in and then wait for a decision in the next 2-3 weeks. So once again, Mr. “it-will-be-fine” R and his friend, Chizz “I am sure I can find us pub there” W. suggest we sally forth. Which we do. The ride there is always fun. The kids were excited on the train and were very loud. The bus ride took us through Strood, which makes Slough the home of the UK “the Office” look posh. We also went through Rochester, which was very quaint and cute. It has a castle, cathedral and very adorable village that is hosting a Dickens fair next weekend. If I can get the kids organized, we might go – now that I know how to get there on the train.

We finally get to Canterbury. Walking from the train station, we came up on a little festival that mostly had food stalls. We sipped hot chocolate with brandy (parents only) and walked through the festival. The kids bought Madeleine cookies and gummy worms.

The cathedral at Canterbury is magnificent. There were services going on because it was a Sunday but we were able to see quite a bit of the church and hear one of the choirs sing. We saw the memorial to Thomas Becket, an Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered by monks in 1170 and wandered around the churchyard. We found a cute little pub called Simple Simon in Canterbury. It is one of the oldest buildings in Canterbury, believed to have been built in the late 14th or early 15th centuries. The atmosphere was great; wood fires, low ceilings, cold beer, good food.

See above bus-train route, go backwards. Pretty much the same except for some local boys on bikes trying to put the moves on the girls. Good thing they had Snake there because he “was getting ready to say something” to them.

Our time with the Rs was fun but over way too quickly. Since they had to get up pretty early the next morning, we said goodbye to them right there on the underground train. I am sure the other passengers were enthralled.

Now we don’t have any visitors coming for quite some time. Anyone want to visit London in January, anyone at all??

Buy Two T-Shirts and Call Me in The Morning

Bon Mots from our friend Emily. We were discussing the various places our visitors would like to see when they were here and the girls were discussing perhaps doing some shopping. One of the places Emily wanted to go to was Topshop, a very popular local store. She was lobbying, unsuccessfully as it turns out, for the shopping trip and suddenly comes out with “I would really like to go to Topshop. It was recommended by my doctor”. She said it in that commercially voice like “4 out of 5 doctors recommend Topshop”. Or “my doctor recommends I get more shopping in my diet”. Apparently during her last doctor’s appointment, Emily mentioned visiting London and the doctor told her about this store. Like everyone doesn’t already know that shopping helps you live longer--- just like red wine. Purely medicinal.

Skating London Style

Our friends from Boston, the Rs are visiting us. They have been to London several times before and have done quite a bit of the “usual” things to do here. So in our role as hosts we wanted to come up with some fun things to do that you couldn’t do just anywhere. I think we found it.

We knew the R girls liked to ice skate because when we all lived in California, we used to rent a ski house every winter. Usually one or two times during the ski season we would take the kids to Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe. At the top of one its mountains, Squaw had a skating rink and tube run. The kids loved the day off from the skis and went from skating to inter-tubing all day long, with a several hot chocolate breaks mixed in. So I heard that there were several ice skating places in London so I thought we could do that. But Chizz told me he heard something about skating at the Tower of London. So I checked into it and found they actually set up a skating rink in the moat! How cool is that? Wait, don’t answer – I will answer for you. Pretty darn cool!!! Here is a picture so you get the idea.


The kids skated for an hour with the Tower of London right in the background. Not many people can say they ice skated in the moat of the palace where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned or Anne Boleyn got her head chopped off . We got some great photos. In fact for those of you that know both us and the Rs, you might get the same Christmas card photo this year – deal with it!

Some Things I Am Thankful For

In the spirit of the day, I have been thinking of some of the things I am thankful for and because I feel like all my posts lately have been of a complaining nature, I thought I would share. In no particular order of importance:

- Most of my family, here and there, is generally happy. Oh sure, there are health issues for some, money issues for others, political concerns for a few but over all, I think most of us are pretty content.

- Free “newspapers” (tabloids) on the buses and tube

- Chizz loves his job. It is wonderful to see him enjoying his work, being challenged and knowing that he is making an impact.

- Some of our very best friends, the Rs are here from the greater Boston area. Chizz went to college with Mrs. R (MR) many, many, moons ago (sorry guys I call ‘em like I see ‘em). We reconnected with them about 5 years ago when we both lived in Northern California, only a few miles away from each other. They have 2 daughters, roughly our kids’ ages. The Rs plus a few other couples still in Northern California made up our “posse” for quite a few years. So it is like having some of our family with us for Thanksgiving. Holidays are always better with family around. Who else will do the dishes?

- Double Cream in England. Yuma (sorry Rachel), makes mashed potatoes even better.

- Kids are happily settled in school. They have good groups of friends and are in the swing socially.

- Mah Jonging twice in my last game

- Sticky Toffee Pudding

- Skype with our video connection. Is it perfect? No but it is pretty darn good when you think that it helps us stay connected to everyone so far away. We were able to see our niece walk today for the first time. (It wasn’t her first time, it was ours seeing her.) We miss everyone so much and this helps us stay in touch and close. Considering that it is free when we call computer to computer, it is pretty amazing.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!






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Buying a Turkey? Don't Forget Your Measuring Tape!

I went to the store to buy our Thanksgiving turkey. Of course, they don't really celebrate Thanksgiving here. After Halloween, it is Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. But our neighborhood has a lot of Americans, so the local merchants have adapted - urging us to order our turkeys early, stocking cranberries early, advertising the right wine to go with our turkeys. Since we don't have a car the shopping has to be done in stages. I can only carry home so much on the bus! Adding to the degree of difficulty is my oven. We have a smaller oven on top and only a slightly larger oven on the bottom. The top oven has worked but only can fit an 11 X 7 pan - hardly large enough for a chicken let alone a turkey. The larger oven has a broken temperature dial which I have been after our building repair man to fix since we moved here but although he is very kind, he seems to have lost our address because he hasn't made it here yet. I think I can get the oven up to 425 degrees so I am going to cross my fingers on Thanksgiving that it will all work out okay. So off I went to the grocery store. When I got there, the turkey bin was completely empty!!! Had all the Americans scurried down here and gobbled up all the turkeys? Did the early Americans get the birds? I spoke to the manager, with a slight shrill to my voice, I admit. No, not all the turkeys were gone but the refrigeration was broken in that bin. So he had to go to the back to get a turkey. So what size did I want? Well, I told him, pulling out my measuring tape - it could be no bigger than 38 cm because that was the biggest pan I could get in my oven. I showed him on the measuring tape. We looked at several turkeys, my friend Tony & I, measuring each turkey to see if it would fit. Tony took it all in stride. He confided he had alot of American customers but none had asked him up to this point to measure their turkeys. Finally we agreed that the fourth turkey was the perfect size and I brought it home. I wonder why Martha and Williams Sonoma don't have a measuring tape on their Thanksgiving checklists? Now I have to try and fit the turkey in my tiny, tiny fridge. Oh the glamour of an international life!

Chizz, I Have a Feeling We Aren't in California Anymore

One of the biggest news stories in London is the congestion charge. It is a charge instituted by the city that basically charges drivers for using the roads in central London. Right now the congestion charge is £8.00 per day for all vehicles except those who are exempted from the charge (alternative fuel vehicles, hybrids etc.). Recently the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has proposed an elevated congestion charge with a maximum of £25.00 per day. The new charges would be emissions based. The maximum rate would apply to the highest polluting cars (those that emit more than 225g per kilometer) such as 4x4s, SUVs, luxury sedans. Those people unfortunate enough to live in the congestion fee area can file for a reduced rate but are not exempted from the charge. Of course, those screaming the loudest are the ones that most likely can actually afford the congestion charge – the drivers of the SUVs and other luxury vehicles. I say luxury because the price of gas in London isn’t cheap. Currently the gas runs about 84 pence per liter. That amount roughly translates to about $5.75 per gallon. So if you are driving one of these huge cars, it costs approximately $125 to fill your tank. Londoners would love to pay the $2.25 per gallon I grumpily paid last summer.

Needless to say the papers have been talking about this for weeks. The new charges most likely wouldn’t go into effect for another 3 years or so but who knows. All of the major papers and the rags as well have had editorial after editorial on the subject. Most people like the idea of sticking it to the drivers of SUVs, who have become the most hated people on the planet. So I read with interest a column this week in London’s Evening Standard, a broadsheet that dabbles in news -- sometimes. I don’t particularly care for the columnist, Will Self. I find him pretentious. I read something in his ES column the other day that I found shocking. I had to look and make sure that it wasn’t satire. It wasn’t and I can only assume it is his true feeling. Let me quote the passage I am referring to: (I apologize for the length but I want to give some context)

“The same fury has met the extension of the congestion-charging zone to include Kensington and Chelsea; as if the only people who drove through the hallowed royal borough were Sloanes in Range Rovers. If only this were so! And if only it were also true that the rich alone drove high-emission vehicles. Then, taking £125 a week off them would be a painless way of raising revenue, given that they could well afford it.

But sadly, quite as many – if not more – people on lower incomes are equally hooked on their anti-social, paranoid, polluting status symbols. Round my way you see plenty of black drivers in their 4X4s – and I hardly think they’re on their way to the Hurlingham.”
(Note by WTF Hurlingham is a very exclusive polo club in London)

WHAT???!!!??? I had to read this about 6 times before I came to grips with the fact that this guy actually implied that the black drivers in his neighborhood must be poor and that they couldn’t afford the congestion fee. Racism is alive and well here in London. I have seen subtle and not so subtle signs of it. There was a very highly publicized case in London a few years back where the police shot a man at a Tube station because they thought he might be a terrorist connected to the failed tube bombings just the day before. It turns out that he was a Brazilian citizen and pretty much the police might have shot him because he looked Arabic. It was pretty much accepted that might be the reason. Assumptions are made here very often on the basis of race or color. Another highly debated subject is whether Muslim women should be allowed to wear the veil in the workplace. I am not sure I understand the different methodology of dressing in the Muslim faith when it comes to women. Some Muslim women wear western clothing but cover their heads. Some wear long flowing robes and veils but don’t cover their faces. Some wear veils that cover every possible bit of skin except the eyes. As best as I can figure out, the level of modesty correlates to how orthodox the believer is. But the debate has taken a slightly paranoid and, I think, racist edge. What are these women hiding? Why don’t they show their faces? Why do they have to is my question? I do think they should be required to for passports, drivers’ licenses and other methods of identification. But why does it matter if they wear a veil to work? Now if employers don’t choose to hire a woman wearing a veil that is their prerogative. No PC bull here in London. The only way to illegally discriminate in London is to do so based on gender or race. You can happily not hire any Muslim, Jew or Catholic. You can refuse to hire someone based on age or physical disability.

London is a very cosmopolitan city. I am not that naïve to believe racism has been abolished but I am amazed to find that it is tolerated. There has been no uproar, no outcry, no notice. Can you imagine that happening in the United States? Or California? That columnist would have been called to task and most likely fired. Careers have been ruined for less. A sports radio talk show host was fired for referring to slumping players by their nationality and comparing the team manager's mind to a hot breakfast cereal. I think the quote was "brain dead Carribean hitters" and his "mind has turned into Cream of Wheat". I think that radio host could possibly have a long career here calling rugby and football matches and say whatever he wants.

I will do my bit, I will pen an email to the editor voicing my objection and will probably not buy this paper for a bit. Somehow I think I am spitting into the wind. Ewwww. Exactly.

Did You See It??

Well, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. Remember a few days back, Auntie S. and her significant other, Matador were our first official visitors? While here they took a side trip to Paris and Matador became a lot more significant, they got engaged!! Very romantic. Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. The loyal readers of Wind the Frog were some of the first to know. Do you recall my post slyly called “Just a Little News"”? Go back and read it again. Now look at the first letter of each sentence. Here is the post again formatted in a more helpful way.

The house is a bit quieter.
Having four teenagers in the house increases the noise volume in the flat quite a bit.
Early yesterday morning Kiki walked the Belgian girls to the bus at the school

Yesterday, we all went to the Lord Mayors Parade.
All of us, Auntie S. & Matador (back from their quick trip from Paris), Chizz, Kiki, Snake & I.
Remarkably, the weather was quite good again.
Each trade and branch of the military had a float.

Everyone agreed a little parade goes a long way.
Next off to the pub (of course, because every outing with
Chizz involves a trip to the pub at some point.)
Good thing the parade ended right near the George; a pub across the street the Royal Courts of Justice.
After a couple of pints and some bangers and mash, fish and chips, steak pie and a BLT, we caught a bus back up Oxford
Street and saw the Christmas decorations.
Gosh the traffic was awful, it took an hour to go ½ mile but gave us ample opportunity to see the decorations up close and
personal.

Eventually we made it home and went on a pub crawl; four of our favorite pubs in the neighborhood.
Drinks and dinner were great and there are blackmail photographs!

See it yet? T. H. E. Y. A. R.E. E.N.G.A.G.E.D. I must credit both Chizz and Auntie S., they helped me when I was stuck for a word or two or sixteen. Now starts the part of the wedding process that Chizz loves the best, the planning and the talking about every single detail several hundred times. All of us at WTF (hey I just got that - it works!), Wendy, Chizz, Kiki & Snake are very happy for Auntie S. and Matador, soon to be Uncle M. or the Uncle formally known as Matador. We might have to work on that title a bit. Congrats!!!!

Harvest Festival with a Twist, Literally

As many of you know, I love a good harvest festival. Every year I have gone with my Aunt to the Harvest Festival in San Francisco. It is usually right around this time of year. If you haven’t been to a harvest festival before, it is a market where people bring their products for sale. It is usually things like decorative items, toys, and food products. Some of the things were really tacky, some were beautifully made, some food items we bought year after year after year. We loved it. We usually managed to do quite a bit of Christmas shopping at the Harvest Festival, but mostly for ourselves!! It was our tradition.

I was feeling a bit blue about missing it this year. It really signaled the beginning of the holidays for me and I miss my aunt. One of the women I met here invited me to go to a Christmas Fair at a local convention center. I didn’t know if it was much like the Harvest Festival but I decided it might be fun. It ended up being a lot of fun. It is very much like the Harvest Festival but I think it was bigger. I bought some Christmas decorations, pillow covers, a present or two, and a sticky toffee pudding. The food is always the best part of a Harvest Festival and this one was not a disappointment. In fact this one had something that makes it better in one respect: ALCOHOL!!! Yes, we were able to taste many different alcohol products. I tasted wine, sloe gin, wine, sloe whiskey, wine, rum, wine, whiskey, wine. You get the idea. This is definitely a country with a drinking culture. You can taste wine at the supermarket and the harvest festival. Your 15 year old can carry wine in her luggage.

All in all the Christmas Fair was a good substitute for the Harvest Festival with one notable exception. My aunt. So I think I need to start a new tradition, Harvest Festival in London every year. What do you think Auntie M???

Just a Little News

The house is a bit quieter. Having four teenagers in the house increases the noise volume in the flat quite a bit. Early yesterday morning Kiki walked the Belgian girls to the bus at the school

Yesterday, we all went to the Lord Mayors Parade. All of us, Auntie S. & Matador (back from their quick trip from Paris), Chizz, Kiki, Snake & I. Remarkably, the weather was quite good again. Each trade and branch of the military had a float. Everyone agreed a little parade goes a long way. Next off to the pub (of course, because every outing with Chizz involves a trip to the pub at some point.) Good thing the parade ended right near the George; a pub across the street the Royal Courts of Justice. After a couple of pints and some bangers and mash, fish and chips, steak pie and a BLT, we caught a bus back up Oxford Street and saw the Christmas decorations. Gosh the traffic was awful, it took an hour to go ½ mile but gave us ample opportunity to see the decorations up close and personal.

Eventually we made it home and went on a pub crawl; four of our favorite pubs in the neighborhood. Drinks and dinner were great and there are blackmail photographs!

No Room at the Inn

We are full to the rafters. The school is hosting the Girls Varsity soccer tournament and 12 teams from Europe and the Middle East are participating. Our school is in charge of finding housing for all of the girls and as parents of a girl soccer player, we are expected to come up with a bed or two for their use. We did, or Kiki did. It isn’t easy because the tournament is the same week Auntie S. and Matador are visiting, although they are on a side trip to Paris for a few days. It is crowded but we are making do.

The girls staying in our house are from Brussels. They go to the International School there and they are both lovely. One is German and the other is from Brazil. They both speak excellent English, unaccented to my ear. They are very friendly, outgoing, polite and sweet. Kiki was a little worried that she might not have a lot to say to these girls but it has been like a three night sleepover at our house, giggling, watching MTV and messaging friends – and that is just Chizz. Seriously, it shows that kids are pretty much the same everywhere. They like the same televisions shows, have Myspace pages, shop at the same stores, like some of the same music. The Brussels girls couldn’t wait to go to Starbucks the other morning, apparently they don’t have Starbucks in Brussels but it didn’t stop the girls from being very familiar with the red cups and have their own favorite coffee drinks. Tonight Kiki is taking them downtown to do a bit of shopping and see the Christmas lights which were officially lit earlier this week. They leave tomorrow after their final games.

Oh yeah, the soccer has been good too. So far the Brussels girls are 2-1, our school is undefeated but I understand the games have been very competitive. Kiki’s JV team won their tournament and finished the season undefeated and didn’t have one goal scored on them all season. No rest for the wicked, though swim team starts in 5 days!!

The Price to Pay (or Stay)

We have our first visitors! Yay! Auntie S. and her significant other, Matador, have come to visit us for a few days. We don’t charge any money to stay in our lovely abode but consideration is required. Consideration in the form of items missed from home. I sent Auntie S. a list and boy did she come through!! Take a look at this loot:


Now Matador gets credit for tracking down some of the items, most notably the Bells Poultry Seasoning. This is the secret ingredient (not so secret now, I guess) in my grandmother’s stuffing recipe. Not only do they not carry Bells here, which is not really a huge shock, I haven’t even seen poultry seasoning in any brand or form. So at least the stuffing will be the same. Of course, I may not have a turkey since my oven isn’t really working but that is another battle. And we will have pumpkin pie. I have seen canned pumpkin here but it is frightfully expensive so I asked her to bring a bit with her and she did!! Some of the other items; bleach pens, Mr. Clean magic erasers, microwave popcorn, chocolate chips, macaroni & cheese (Kraft of course), chili mix. There were a few other things in there but you get the gist. Now, if anyone can figure out how to sneak my nieces and nephews over in a suitcase, they can stay a month!!

It's Here!!!

Winter that is. The weather in London has been fairly mild up to this point. I usually only need a sweater or light jacket when going out - even at night time. Yesterday, Snake and I went to Kiki's soccer game. The games are in a nearby park. Before I left, I took a glance at our outside thermometer. 45 degrees at 2:15 p.m. A bit chilly so I added a scarf, gloves and a sweater under my coat. Snake insisted he was "fine" with his sweatshirt. When we arrived at the park, it was pretty comfortable but a bit brisk. Then the cloud cover came and it must have dropped 10-15 degrees. Snake jumped up and down to try and keep warm, even offered to go in a play for a bit if the coach needed him. Apparently the coach did not. Because the field does not have lights and the time change, the soccer game was abbreviated. So we were able to leave after about 1 1/2 hours. On the way home, Snake volunteered that he might just need a new jacket for our stay here. Right.

We walked very quickly to the nearest Starbucks for lattes and hot chocolate. (Side complaint - the red holiday cups are here. You know what that means, gingerbread and eggnog lattes. My favorite - pumpkin spice latte. THEY DON"T HAVE THOSE HERE!! I asked the barista and they told me that Pumpkin spice wasn't popular here and they haven't had it for years. Hmph!! I don't think pumpkin is very popular in any form - a few weeks ago I got three pumpkin candles, great smell, at 75% off. Anyway - I am rambling.) So when we got home the temperature gauge said 35 degrees. Cold, cold, cold. I have a feeling pumpkin spice latte or not, we will be seeing alot of Starbucks this winter.

By the way, Kiki's team didn't need Snake or, suprisingly enough, me. They won their game 8-0. So far this season no goals scored on them.

Auntie S. are you paying attention??