Monday - Was feeling a bit under the weather. I'm blaming it on the rapid temperature change between Sunday and Monday, causing a bit of Foehnkrankheit. Most interesting--one of my colleagues called out on Monday due to the same. I preferred to muddle through with an Advil.
Tuesday - Very exciting, I went my local branch of the Essex Library System and picked up a library card. I had already signed up online. Most interesting to me-they did not ask for proof of residence in Essex, or any identification for that matter.
For the record--I love the library! I am strongly entrenched in the American ideal that education is the great equalizer. It's something that I missed while living in Germany. (Yes, there are libraries in Germany.) But in Germany:
A) You need to pay to join. That one goes against the very core of a library's purpose to me.
B) The dollhouse-sized library in Tiny town of B had only 20 books in English--classics and Grisham.
C) For me to read a book in German, I need to be able to note things in the margin, so that knocked out the rest of the library.
But I digress...so my new Essex local library is a little on the small size considering it's a town of over 100k people, or maybe it's reflecting the local reading style demographics.
I always check out a few sections to be able to compare bookshops or libraries, and one of them is the foreign language section. A little disappointing on this point--they have a lot of audio language learning sets--basically from 1950-1980--on cassettes. Who still has a cassette player anymore?? In particular, I had looked at the Polish and Czech sections--nary a single cd. Big German and French language sections, and a handful of Esperanto books in addition.
What did I end up checking out? Only four books to start, including The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. Yeah, it overlaps into the WW2 genre. The past few weeks, someone has had the history channel on at night and someone else has gotten sucked into watching way too many WW2 documententaries. We've watched Rommel in North Africa, Gurnsey being evacuated, Warsaw uprising and at least a dozen more including two hours on Churchill's wartime strategy.
Wednesday - the great weather returned and I was back at the farm for another three hours after work. Current sunrise/sunset times are 05.21/20.20, so I'm in early at the office, out at a decent time to be able to fit in a few more hours at the farm which is 11 minutes away from the office. Today I trimmed chopped and trimmed bushes and hacked away at brambles.
What else? A very long to do list of small details which I won't bore you with any further. :-)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
The road to Dean's house
Dean lives on a lovely residential street where big puffy flowers filled the trees last week shouting 'spring is here!' Flower petals were gently fluttering to the ground in the relaxing summer-like weather and they softly blew away, sharing their pink goodness with the world.
Today, someone turned off the early summer weather. Went I went into the office the heat was on. Then it started to dump rain, along with wind, so most of the remaining petals gave up the ghost:
Because it was wet, however, there was no where for them to escape, but they are now sticking to the ground. So the street looks like a Pepto-Bismol truck tried to run over the Energizer Bunny--and I'm not sure who won...
Today, someone turned off the early summer weather. Went I went into the office the heat was on. Then it started to dump rain, along with wind, so most of the remaining petals gave up the ghost:
Because it was wet, however, there was no where for them to escape, but they are now sticking to the ground. So the street looks like a Pepto-Bismol truck tried to run over the Energizer Bunny--and I'm not sure who won...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Scenes from the London Marathon 2009
The weather was perfect and the company lovely.
All photos from around miles 23 or 25:
All photos from around miles 23 or 25:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Update on the side hustle
The last few days in England, the weather has been absolutely glorious. It's been more like summer weather than April weather. Although it finally cooled down again last night and it supposed to drizzle tomorrow for the London Marathon.
Fortunately, I've had the opportunity to spend my after-work hours outside on the caretaker gig/side hustle, and we've now moved onto outside things as the super weather over the past week has caused all of the overgrown things to grow even more, and because the owner wants to put it on the market in a month.
This week I've focused on cutting the lawns and trying to make heads or tails of flower beds which haven't been touched in at least a year. It's such a beatiful place, and they just bought a new Union Jack flag which completes the look--doesn't it have curb appeal?
I have a task list while the owner is away; I look at the weather and the hours I have (so that a task will be completed, not partially done) and the mood I'm in and I choose something from it. She had compiled the list and together we gave time estimates in hours to each item. There's hours and hours of tasks, some of which are 'regular' such as mowing the lawns, so I have plenty to choose from and the list is always increasing. Then I give an email update after each visit so the owner updates her copy of the list so that she is remotely up-to-date on where things stand.
There is a giant flower bed in the back which is visible from the kitchen. It's one of those English gardens, a gentle gathering of a pine tree, ornamental trees, shrubs, bushes, flowers, etc. However, none of it is really noticeable because the ivy and nettles have taken it over and are in a battle to be king of the flower bed. Not really sure which was winning--but they are both strong contenders--I was hacking away, pulling out ivy that was six foot long, nettles which were holding their own at three foot long and up the tree, and on and on.
I suddenly had a vague feeling that I was being watched. I am always cognizant in the back of my head--she has a tenant on-site in the barn whom she is trying to evict, so I always have half an eye open. However, I had not heard the woman's car. When I looked up, this is who I saw:
There are a small handful of farms on this road--perhaps 7 all told, over the course of a mile. None of the houses have numbers since there are so few of them. Yesterday, a black lab had the audacity to do his business on the lawn I.had.yet.to.mow, so I was not pleased. Nevermind that I'm not so fond of dogs in the first place.
There are a small handful of farms on this road--perhaps 7 all told, over the course of a mile. None of the houses have numbers since there are so few of them. Yesterday, a black lab had the audacity to do his business on the lawn I.had.yet.to.mow, so I was not pleased. Nevermind that I'm not so fond of dogs in the first place.
However, if I were to ever get a dog, it would be a greyhound. This fellow was eyeing up my activities cautiously, and careful to watch me from a distance. I think if I were to have beckoned him over, he would have come. However, I'm not a dog person, and I was by myself in the middle of no where really, with no one to check on me later. So I continued on my merry way, and this retired fellow rambled off on his rounds. When I looked up again, I saw him entering the house through the open back door.
Yes, really--he just waltzed in. Why was the backdoor open? It's always open when someone is there to get air into the place, and because the door requires a good slam to shut it. So now I put down the garden tools and hiked up to the gigantic house, figuring I'm really going to have some difficulties to explain...by now he had wandered into the living room, looking for someone to talk to, I guess. I walked to the other side of the living room, freeing up the doorway and pointed. He figured out the options and walked out the way he came in. Add another point to the list of 'why Heather never wants to live in a farmhouse--random dogs wandering in the house'!
So my Saturday morning coffee is now complete, out and about to start the weekend...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A cultural comparison: the office kitchen in USA, Germany and the UK
It's been a few years since I've worked in the US, although I still go back to Benevolent company J's headquarters at least once a year. I find office kitchens in the US to be very basic. There's usually a microwave and maybe a refrigerator (with a sign saying 'all food left here Friday night will be thrown out by the cleaning crew), and perhaps a drip coffee maker or an automatic machine which will dispense something powdered at the touch of a button. Usually coffee and tea are free, but they aren't much to brag about and the optional extras are sugar and those tiny plastic containers of creamer which don't require refrigeration.
Because there is a microwave, some people will bring lunch, although I don't think it's such a popular American custom. If people do bring food, it tends to be a packaged microwave meal, or perhaps a hot breakfast food like oatmeal or an afternoon snack of microwave popcorn.
For the most part US office kitchens are clean and there's not so many issues there mainly because they are mostly used for morning beverages, and often there's a very limited skeleton collection of guest mugs and spoons. Often you cannot find forks, plates or knives, unless there are some plastic ones left over from someone's birthday cake celebration.
Without a doubt, however, the biggest office kitchen issue while I worked in the US was the mircrowaving of 'smelly' food. Because so few people microwaved anything further than a Chicken Parm Lean Cuisine, and because America is often not so diverse in some places, when someone would microwave something strong-smelling, it tended to be noticed and would cause a negative reaction. Specifically, Asian specialities including fish and Indian dishes (I lived in California where these foods were popular) would often cause an uproar among non-Asian or non-Indian populations who were not used to the smell.
Then, handwritten passive-agressive notes would appear commenting upon this use, causing HR to have to get involved. Usually 'Cultural diversity - foods of the world!' would then become a 'Lunch and Learn' session and an official memo would come out from HR celebrating our differences, and would everyone please be sure to wipe down the microwave after using it.
When I came to Germany, I arrived with the above background in my pocket, so I microwaved my Indian food with trepidation, lest a cause a German to meltdown. However, I needn't have feared. The Germans are the most curious lot when it comes to food. I'd say 80% of the time, someone would comment positively as we overlapped in the kitchen, and never once was it negatively commented upon. Further, it would usually play out like this:
Random German: Ah! Smells...interesting!
Heather: Yes! It's homemade.
RG: Really? (peers at it) Spinach and...and...?
Heather: (Gives detailed instructions)
RG: (Listens closely) Well! Enjoy!
Further, the Germans are an industrious lot. Even though we have cleaning staff at Benevolent company J, that wouldn't stop a German from scrubbing down the countertop, simply because it looked like it needed doing while waiting for the kettle to boil. When things would happen to go off, it was quickly settled. For example, we had a bit of a problem that people were taking the last of the coffee and not making new. Sure as God made little green apples, an offical memo from management went up and the problem stopped. Why? Because someone official told them what to do. Problem solved. The same thing happened with people stacking dishes on the counter instead of putting them into the dishwasher. Once the official memo goes up, problem is magically solved.
The funny thing about the German kitchens though, was the little tiny refrigerators and the fact that so many people brought lunches. Granted, I spent part of the time in an office with no cafeteria so the refrigerator usage was definitely higher, but it was a little crazy at times. In multiple office locations, we only had the 'typical' German freezer (aka one the size of a US college dorm fridge) and it would be packed solid. You'd have to jockey things around to fit yours in, which was ok. But interestingly, if someone's food went bad, like they forgot about it or went on travel--and it went moldy, no one would do anything. So they would touch your items to fit in theirs, but they wouldn't throw out moldy chicken sharing the space. Go figure.
In the UK, I've been interested to see how things would play out here. On a good note, I make the office coffee at 07.20 and the pot lasts until about 10.20 since 98% of the office are tea or instant coffee drinkers. We do, however, have a plethora of management produced signs, but they don't have the same effect as in Germany. It started with a "Your mum does not work here, please clean up after yourself' note--how standard.
That didn't secure the desired effect, so a second kitchen note went up earlier this week: "If you want your plates, bowls, cups, etc. to be washed, put them in the dishwasher. Any item left in the sink will be thrown out." Sure enough, when I walked in late lunchtime, there were dishes in the trashbin. Someone comes in to make his tea and makes the comment 'Oh, looks like (Facilities guy) is throwing the toys from the pram again. He then proceeds to take the dishes from the trashbin and to load them into the dishwasher.
A. I was surprised that there was actually follow through here on the sign threat.
B. I was more surprised that Fellow A actually picked all the dishes out of the trash.
I cannot see either of the above two actions ever happening in the US or Germany. Although that is perhaps because the US has no kitchen dishes and Germany has a sign warning people to use the dishwasher therefore they do. :-)
Because there is a microwave, some people will bring lunch, although I don't think it's such a popular American custom. If people do bring food, it tends to be a packaged microwave meal, or perhaps a hot breakfast food like oatmeal or an afternoon snack of microwave popcorn.
For the most part US office kitchens are clean and there's not so many issues there mainly because they are mostly used for morning beverages, and often there's a very limited skeleton collection of guest mugs and spoons. Often you cannot find forks, plates or knives, unless there are some plastic ones left over from someone's birthday cake celebration.
Without a doubt, however, the biggest office kitchen issue while I worked in the US was the mircrowaving of 'smelly' food. Because so few people microwaved anything further than a Chicken Parm Lean Cuisine, and because America is often not so diverse in some places, when someone would microwave something strong-smelling, it tended to be noticed and would cause a negative reaction. Specifically, Asian specialities including fish and Indian dishes (I lived in California where these foods were popular) would often cause an uproar among non-Asian or non-Indian populations who were not used to the smell.
Then, handwritten passive-agressive notes would appear commenting upon this use, causing HR to have to get involved. Usually 'Cultural diversity - foods of the world!' would then become a 'Lunch and Learn' session and an official memo would come out from HR celebrating our differences, and would everyone please be sure to wipe down the microwave after using it.
When I came to Germany, I arrived with the above background in my pocket, so I microwaved my Indian food with trepidation, lest a cause a German to meltdown. However, I needn't have feared. The Germans are the most curious lot when it comes to food. I'd say 80% of the time, someone would comment positively as we overlapped in the kitchen, and never once was it negatively commented upon. Further, it would usually play out like this:
Random German: Ah! Smells...interesting!
Heather: Yes! It's homemade.
RG: Really? (peers at it) Spinach and...and...?
Heather: (Gives detailed instructions)
RG: (Listens closely) Well! Enjoy!
Further, the Germans are an industrious lot. Even though we have cleaning staff at Benevolent company J, that wouldn't stop a German from scrubbing down the countertop, simply because it looked like it needed doing while waiting for the kettle to boil. When things would happen to go off, it was quickly settled. For example, we had a bit of a problem that people were taking the last of the coffee and not making new. Sure as God made little green apples, an offical memo from management went up and the problem stopped. Why? Because someone official told them what to do. Problem solved. The same thing happened with people stacking dishes on the counter instead of putting them into the dishwasher. Once the official memo goes up, problem is magically solved.
The funny thing about the German kitchens though, was the little tiny refrigerators and the fact that so many people brought lunches. Granted, I spent part of the time in an office with no cafeteria so the refrigerator usage was definitely higher, but it was a little crazy at times. In multiple office locations, we only had the 'typical' German freezer (aka one the size of a US college dorm fridge) and it would be packed solid. You'd have to jockey things around to fit yours in, which was ok. But interestingly, if someone's food went bad, like they forgot about it or went on travel--and it went moldy, no one would do anything. So they would touch your items to fit in theirs, but they wouldn't throw out moldy chicken sharing the space. Go figure.
In the UK, I've been interested to see how things would play out here. On a good note, I make the office coffee at 07.20 and the pot lasts until about 10.20 since 98% of the office are tea or instant coffee drinkers. We do, however, have a plethora of management produced signs, but they don't have the same effect as in Germany. It started with a "Your mum does not work here, please clean up after yourself' note--how standard.
That didn't secure the desired effect, so a second kitchen note went up earlier this week: "If you want your plates, bowls, cups, etc. to be washed, put them in the dishwasher. Any item left in the sink will be thrown out." Sure enough, when I walked in late lunchtime, there were dishes in the trashbin. Someone comes in to make his tea and makes the comment 'Oh, looks like (Facilities guy) is throwing the toys from the pram again. He then proceeds to take the dishes from the trashbin and to load them into the dishwasher.
A. I was surprised that there was actually follow through here on the sign threat.
B. I was more surprised that Fellow A actually picked all the dishes out of the trash.
I cannot see either of the above two actions ever happening in the US or Germany. Although that is perhaps because the US has no kitchen dishes and Germany has a sign warning people to use the dishwasher therefore they do. :-)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
UK 'polite' signs
I've seen this heading on a number of signs here, 'Polite Notice'.
I've yet to see an 'Impolite Notice' though. ;-)
I've yet to see an 'Impolite Notice' though. ;-)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Eavesdropping in Polish
While out at the bar on a lazy Saturday night and having a few beers, we were in a cozy little pub, just perfect for chatting with closely aligned but not overly crowded seating. There were two young ladies, perhaps in their early to mid 20's at the table next to us, having a lively conversation in Polish. I was hearing bits and pieces and trying to guess what part of the country they hailed from as the accent was difficult for me.
Mid-way through the evening, one takes a photo of the other, and then hands over the camera, and the second takes a photo of the first. D and I see this--and I always feel obligated to offer to take a photo of the people together. D asks if he should take their photo and they immediately agree. He has to ask them where they are from (Poland) and what they are doing in the UK (working and studying). The one's English is much better than the other's and she continues the conversation like a pro, and it branches onward when he asks her why she chose to come to England, and not, say, Germany as it is a closer country to her native homeland.
'Oh no, it's not for me, I wanted to speak English'. Although she has Polish friends in multiple English speaking countries (Canada, USA, Australia, etc.) so it wasn't necessarily anything with England in particular except that she found an appropriate school program, and hearing that I was from the US spawned further conversation. Gradually we drifted back to our original conversations...
Later in the evening, the barmaid is coming around collecting glasses. The barmaid says something to her and she laughs and then responds. Then she says a little louder gesturing to us, 'Don't worry, they don't speak Polish'. She then turns to us to explain this inside joke--the barmaid had learned some dirty Polish words and apparently could pronounce them quite well, so they share this little joke that the barmaid speaks Polish. (Teehee).
At which point I had to respond straightfaced: Ja mówię po polsku.
I then watched both Poles instantly freeze and the barmaid looks on confused.
Their conversation for the rest of the evening was racheted down a few notches in volume after that.
Mid-way through the evening, one takes a photo of the other, and then hands over the camera, and the second takes a photo of the first. D and I see this--and I always feel obligated to offer to take a photo of the people together. D asks if he should take their photo and they immediately agree. He has to ask them where they are from (Poland) and what they are doing in the UK (working and studying). The one's English is much better than the other's and she continues the conversation like a pro, and it branches onward when he asks her why she chose to come to England, and not, say, Germany as it is a closer country to her native homeland.
'Oh no, it's not for me, I wanted to speak English'. Although she has Polish friends in multiple English speaking countries (Canada, USA, Australia, etc.) so it wasn't necessarily anything with England in particular except that she found an appropriate school program, and hearing that I was from the US spawned further conversation. Gradually we drifted back to our original conversations...
Later in the evening, the barmaid is coming around collecting glasses. The barmaid says something to her and she laughs and then responds. Then she says a little louder gesturing to us, 'Don't worry, they don't speak Polish'. She then turns to us to explain this inside joke--the barmaid had learned some dirty Polish words and apparently could pronounce them quite well, so they share this little joke that the barmaid speaks Polish. (Teehee).
At which point I had to respond straightfaced: Ja mówię po polsku.
I then watched both Poles instantly freeze and the barmaid looks on confused.
Their conversation for the rest of the evening was racheted down a few notches in volume after that.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday in the UK
Since the car is in the shop, had a day at home catching up on things. Started the day with a proper coffee. This is my baby French press, purchased while in Guildford. It makes one cup. Usually I think it makes sense to try to do things as people do them locally, to experience how others live...but this is one of my few concessions to my American-ness. I will no longer tolerate instant coffee. When I lived here previously I actually gave up coffee, rather than continuing to live the lie that instant coffee is.
Late morning, made some mushooms on toast, topped with crumbled goats' cheese. Nothing too fancy, I sauteed them in olive oil and added some pepper and dried mixed herbs.
Late morning, made some mushooms on toast, topped with crumbled goats' cheese. Nothing too fancy, I sauteed them in olive oil and added some pepper and dried mixed herbs.
I reviewed the remaining mushroom stockpile, and set the majority in the freezer.
I messed around a little in the garden as the weather here was lovely in the early afternoon...
While I was outside, I had the washing on inside. In America, I don't know anyone with a drying rack. In Europe, I don't know anyone without one. The UK ones uniformly go upward rather than the Germany ones which go horizontal. Not sure that one design is any better than the other...
Caught up on some housecleaning with all of the windows open. When the sky went overcast around 15.00, I nipped over to Asda, which is open on Sunday from 10-16. Was off in search of some fresh cleaning supplies, which I found. I was also seeking breadcrumbs to top my cauliflower, but those I didn't find. Not sure if they sell what I'm looking for in the UK, will need to investigate that one further online.
Caught up on some paperwork, assembled lunch for the office tomorrow. Feeling relaxed and set for the work week.
Caught up on some housecleaning with all of the windows open. When the sky went overcast around 15.00, I nipped over to Asda, which is open on Sunday from 10-16. Was off in search of some fresh cleaning supplies, which I found. I was also seeking breadcrumbs to top my cauliflower, but those I didn't find. Not sure if they sell what I'm looking for in the UK, will need to investigate that one further online.
Caught up on some paperwork, assembled lunch for the office tomorrow. Feeling relaxed and set for the work week.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Cheeseman and frugal mushrooms
After work I took advantage of my carless state this week and the warm weather and walked into town. Friday afternoons and Saturdays there is a market in the downtown area and I wanted to buy more of that goat's cheese I had bought last time I was there, as well as to stop in at Oxfam and look at the books.
After book shopping, I stopped by to have a chat with the cheeseman. He remembered me from before, even before I opened my mouth (well played cheeseman!). I was expecting to be remembered only after he heard the accent. (Am finding not so many Americans in this immediate area.) He had sold out of the one I bought last time, so I went with a different, but similar, goat's cheese. Last time he had mentioned, he could bring me other varieties of goat's cheese if requested in advance, he just doesn't usually bring so many to this market as it's not his biggest seller. So next Friday he'll be bringing a herb-crusted goat's cheese and keeping it under the counter for me. Super, I have a 'local dealer'. ;-)
After that, I stopped by the main veg stand. I've bought a few things there, they are a better value than the supermarket, but they are still not completely local. At the end of the stall, they have the '1 Pound' bowls. It's a collection of things they'll sell off for a pound--things that are reaching the end of their sellable life, or maybe the last of the box of something they're selling, etc.
As it was nearing closing time, it was a great time to visit, as they were dropping the prices on things to clear them out. Stopping by the 1 Pound area, I was pleased as punch to find a super deal on mushrooms (tough to see these are about 2-3 inches across), 2 Pounds for a very large box:
After book shopping, I stopped by to have a chat with the cheeseman. He remembered me from before, even before I opened my mouth (well played cheeseman!). I was expecting to be remembered only after he heard the accent. (Am finding not so many Americans in this immediate area.) He had sold out of the one I bought last time, so I went with a different, but similar, goat's cheese. Last time he had mentioned, he could bring me other varieties of goat's cheese if requested in advance, he just doesn't usually bring so many to this market as it's not his biggest seller. So next Friday he'll be bringing a herb-crusted goat's cheese and keeping it under the counter for me. Super, I have a 'local dealer'. ;-)
After that, I stopped by the main veg stand. I've bought a few things there, they are a better value than the supermarket, but they are still not completely local. At the end of the stall, they have the '1 Pound' bowls. It's a collection of things they'll sell off for a pound--things that are reaching the end of their sellable life, or maybe the last of the box of something they're selling, etc.
As it was nearing closing time, it was a great time to visit, as they were dropping the prices on things to clear them out. Stopping by the 1 Pound area, I was pleased as punch to find a super deal on mushrooms (tough to see these are about 2-3 inches across), 2 Pounds for a very large box:
They're looking a little worse for the wear from a long trip home, but overall they are divine.
How many mushrooms did I get for 2 Pounds (2.26 EUR/2.97 USD)?
-->46!
To give you some perspective, a package of three to five of these runs just under one Pound at Asda.
Here, my cost per mushroom is about 4 pence GBP/5 cents EUR/6 cents USD, nevermind the fact that I love mushrooms.
6 of them were sliced and given a quick boil to go over tonight's fresh pasta. Now only 40 more to figure out. I'll be looking into some freezable recipe options by Sunday night lest I turn into a mushroom myself from unadulterated consumption this weekend. :-)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The outside garden so far
Garlic:
Garlic, onions, and potatoes. The potatoes are in small pots on a temporary basis until I get to more permanent digs.
Garlic, onions, and potatoes. The potatoes are in small pots on a temporary basis until I get to more permanent digs.
Pretty pleased with how things are turning out so far...
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Germany shopping list
Last week, while I was 'vacationing' at my work colleague's flat, she had asked if I wanted anything from Germany. She goes back on a regular basis, normally the car is almost empty on the UK to DE leg, but full on the return, mainly to take advantage of cheaper prices in DE.
(On the Easter weekend trip they took English mustard and 7 of those gigantic UK chocolate eggs from the UK to Germany, and enough food to survive the drive/ferry over.)
I thought long and hard of what I would be missing from DE which I could not find here. OK, so there's no Koelsch in my immediate vicinity, but plenty of other German beers if I feel the urge. I'm an hour plus north of my colleague and I was coming home before her return, so it needed to be something which would keep for some weeks until I see her again.
What could I possibly need from Germany which is not available in the UK??
-->German pillows!
I am so psyched. My DE pillows were at the end of their natural life when I was leaving, so I tossed them. Currently I'm on borrowed bedding for a few more weeks, so I haven't had to purchase UK ones...and nothing against the UK pillows, they're ok, but....
They are not the big marshmellow squares of fluffy goodness that is Germany pillows.
For example, here is an Ikea Germany version, 80x80: http://www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/30125273
Its Ikea UK counterpart, 50x80:
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70129113
And notice the weight difference--Germany's 1230 g vs. the UK's 1065 g.
I am very lucky to have good friends...I received a call on Thursday while at the office...we're in the store in the pillow aisle, here are your options...so two 15 Euro pillows, plus dark pillowcases were purchased and got to take the ferry ride over from Dover and are currently relaxing in Guildford until such time that the drop-off can be exchanged. :-)
(On the Easter weekend trip they took English mustard and 7 of those gigantic UK chocolate eggs from the UK to Germany, and enough food to survive the drive/ferry over.)
I thought long and hard of what I would be missing from DE which I could not find here. OK, so there's no Koelsch in my immediate vicinity, but plenty of other German beers if I feel the urge. I'm an hour plus north of my colleague and I was coming home before her return, so it needed to be something which would keep for some weeks until I see her again.
What could I possibly need from Germany which is not available in the UK??
-->German pillows!
I am so psyched. My DE pillows were at the end of their natural life when I was leaving, so I tossed them. Currently I'm on borrowed bedding for a few more weeks, so I haven't had to purchase UK ones...and nothing against the UK pillows, they're ok, but....
They are not the big marshmellow squares of fluffy goodness that is Germany pillows.
For example, here is an Ikea Germany version, 80x80: http://www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/30125273
Its Ikea UK counterpart, 50x80:
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70129113
And notice the weight difference--Germany's 1230 g vs. the UK's 1065 g.
I am very lucky to have good friends...I received a call on Thursday while at the office...we're in the store in the pillow aisle, here are your options...so two 15 Euro pillows, plus dark pillowcases were purchased and got to take the ferry ride over from Dover and are currently relaxing in Guildford until such time that the drop-off can be exchanged. :-)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Easter wrap-up: US vs UK chocolate goodies
Apparently the Easter bunny must have special sources of information, because he sent a delegate with dark chocolate on Easter Monday who was able to find me to deliver even though I wasn't at home. ;-)
Most interesting to me in the UK--gigantic Easter hollow chocolate eggs own the show (note my 2 liter water bottle for size comparison purposes):
Most interesting to me in the UK--gigantic Easter hollow chocolate eggs own the show (note my 2 liter water bottle for size comparison purposes):
In the US, I don't recall ever seeing such giant eggs. As a norm, the US has chocolate bunnies, like this, which sometimes are filled with something like caramel in the smaller ones:
(Courtesy of Amazon)
(Also from Amazon)
Also noticeably missing in the UK from my US point of view: Peeps.
But overall it was a very nice Easter in a pleasant location with good company.
...and one can never complain about a four day weekend in any event! ;-)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Signs from the South
I spend too much time studying signs. In Germany no office ladies toilet is complete without a cartoon toilet brush ordering one to use it correctly.
My favorite kitchen sign last week is from below:
If case you have difficulties to read this, here is the text, but converted from all uppercase to mixed case:
Milk is provided for tea and coffee.
With the exception if you commence work at 7 AM or before. You may use on cereals.
In the UK last week there were no such cartoons, but this one stuck out for me because of the use of the word 'please' and 'now':
The US version would look a little more like this:
My favorite kitchen sign last week is from below:
If case you have difficulties to read this, here is the text, but converted from all uppercase to mixed case:
Milk is provided for tea and coffee.
With the exception if you commence work at 7 AM or before. You may use on cereals.
If not Please provide your own milk.
This one interests me because we have a similar sign in the Essex office, to not use milk on cereal, but it does not have the 7 AM exclusion.
I'm not sure why this sticks out to me except that:
-I've never seen such a sign in the US.
-Probably because we don't have gallons of milk in the office fridge.
-Probably because we're not proper tea drinkers, and the only milk for coffee drinkers is often coffee-mate or those little packets of cream which require no refrigeration.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Easter weekend travel foibles
I'm beginning to think that I should lock the doors and shut the shades and lay low for the four day Easter weekend.
Last year, I had gone camping in lovely Austria. I had returned Easter Sunday to a car which wouldn't start at the train station. As it was Easter Sunday, it had taken me over an hour to get by train from the airport (usually a quick 32 minute door to door trip) so I was already cranky.
As it was Germany on Easter Sunday, I knew that to call the car helpline would be useless as it wasn't a car emergency. The car was safely parked at the train station. Plus, I didn't feel like battling the helpline people who would skewer my crap German. So I decided just to take the bus home as nothing was open Easter Monday where I would need to drive, and then to have my work colleague deal with it on Tuesday.
Of course I just missed the 'once per hour Easter Sunday schedule' bus. As I was considering my options, it was hella cold and it started to spit flurries. Fortunately, I had not yet eaten and the Turkish pizza was open, so I went there to burn 45 minutes. Upon coming back to the bus station, a little crowd was waiting for the bus. A young man comes up to me and says something.
Not feeling in the mood, I claimed ingorance, of only speaking English, sorry. He seems stymied for a moment as he walks away and starts looking for something in his bag. He comes back in two minutes--perhaps this is better?
Yes, it was the Watchtower (the Jehovah's Witness publication), in English. Fortunately, he had his school English, and was now mentally prepared to give me the song and dance, in English, including the info that there are English meetings in Cologne.
I looked Heavenward, pondering the state of life.
Easter Sunday in Germany--probably no way to get someone to fix up the car as it's Easter Sunday in Germany--not willing to stress myself out trying to log the case in German--stuck in the freezing cold waiting for the bus on a commute which became 2,5 hours when it was normally 1 hour 10...and someone is trying to convert me.
-Fast forward, Easter 2009
Today, I was out and about shopping. I had a whole little circuit planned to maximize my time. What I didn't plan for was my driving ineptitute, and managing to whack a curb on the highway while going at highway speeds. If you were behind me on the highway, you would have thought I was drunk driving at 10.30 AM--no, just 'American driving'.
I made it ok to my destination after that. (OK meaning, if the trip time is estimated at 30 min, I add on one third of that to get lost.) I managed to give a good gash onto the hubcap. This is actually the 3rd time I've done this to a Benevolent Company J car, mind you. My only car incidents in my life are bumping curbs. For some reason, I can parallel park to within an inch either up or down hill, but God forbid I have a wide turn to make, all bets are off.
After shopping, I noticed that the tire was a teeny bit deflated. Considering how I whacked it, this was not surprising. I popped into a tire place on the way out to see what they had to say. They were able to look at it on the spot, and yes, that is an issue.
(Around this time, I was pondering how this would have worked in Germany...here's how it looked in my head:
-No, we cannot look at anything for the next three weeks, we're booked.
-Heck, they would have been closed Easter Saturday at 13.00 in any event.
-How did you manage to do this (insert withering stare here, of disbelief at such stupidity).
-Tsk tsk. or Haw-haw-haw, stupid American woman driver.)
Returning to reality....three guys looked at it. The one had mentioned, it probably needs a new tire, but how about they put on the spare so that I can get home? Duh, I hadn't thought to that angle. I was pondering that I would be trapped in Southeastern England, and today is the day I am scheduled to go home.
I am directed to a waiting room where I watch three of them zip to it, and 7 minutes later, it's done. (That included removing the case of local organic apple juice I had just bought out of the trunk to get to the tire.) As he looks in the boot for the tire, he doesn't say anything about the tray of tomato seedlings I have resting on the back shelf, although I see him giving it a quizzical look. "Sorry, I'm hauling around all this crap." His answer-->No worries, that's what a trunk is for, to haul around crap (smile).
They pop back into the office--all done. I ask, what's the damage. The answer? No cost, we only put on the spare tire for you. -->Are you serious?? Yep, for us that's hardly work (smile).
I adore this country.
Last year, I had gone camping in lovely Austria. I had returned Easter Sunday to a car which wouldn't start at the train station. As it was Easter Sunday, it had taken me over an hour to get by train from the airport (usually a quick 32 minute door to door trip) so I was already cranky.
As it was Germany on Easter Sunday, I knew that to call the car helpline would be useless as it wasn't a car emergency. The car was safely parked at the train station. Plus, I didn't feel like battling the helpline people who would skewer my crap German. So I decided just to take the bus home as nothing was open Easter Monday where I would need to drive, and then to have my work colleague deal with it on Tuesday.
Of course I just missed the 'once per hour Easter Sunday schedule' bus. As I was considering my options, it was hella cold and it started to spit flurries. Fortunately, I had not yet eaten and the Turkish pizza was open, so I went there to burn 45 minutes. Upon coming back to the bus station, a little crowd was waiting for the bus. A young man comes up to me and says something.
Not feeling in the mood, I claimed ingorance, of only speaking English, sorry. He seems stymied for a moment as he walks away and starts looking for something in his bag. He comes back in two minutes--perhaps this is better?
Yes, it was the Watchtower (the Jehovah's Witness publication), in English. Fortunately, he had his school English, and was now mentally prepared to give me the song and dance, in English, including the info that there are English meetings in Cologne.
I looked Heavenward, pondering the state of life.
Easter Sunday in Germany--probably no way to get someone to fix up the car as it's Easter Sunday in Germany--not willing to stress myself out trying to log the case in German--stuck in the freezing cold waiting for the bus on a commute which became 2,5 hours when it was normally 1 hour 10...and someone is trying to convert me.
-Fast forward, Easter 2009
Today, I was out and about shopping. I had a whole little circuit planned to maximize my time. What I didn't plan for was my driving ineptitute, and managing to whack a curb on the highway while going at highway speeds. If you were behind me on the highway, you would have thought I was drunk driving at 10.30 AM--no, just 'American driving'.
I made it ok to my destination after that. (OK meaning, if the trip time is estimated at 30 min, I add on one third of that to get lost.) I managed to give a good gash onto the hubcap. This is actually the 3rd time I've done this to a Benevolent Company J car, mind you. My only car incidents in my life are bumping curbs. For some reason, I can parallel park to within an inch either up or down hill, but God forbid I have a wide turn to make, all bets are off.
After shopping, I noticed that the tire was a teeny bit deflated. Considering how I whacked it, this was not surprising. I popped into a tire place on the way out to see what they had to say. They were able to look at it on the spot, and yes, that is an issue.
(Around this time, I was pondering how this would have worked in Germany...here's how it looked in my head:
-No, we cannot look at anything for the next three weeks, we're booked.
-Heck, they would have been closed Easter Saturday at 13.00 in any event.
-How did you manage to do this (insert withering stare here, of disbelief at such stupidity).
-Tsk tsk. or Haw-haw-haw, stupid American woman driver.)
Returning to reality....three guys looked at it. The one had mentioned, it probably needs a new tire, but how about they put on the spare so that I can get home? Duh, I hadn't thought to that angle. I was pondering that I would be trapped in Southeastern England, and today is the day I am scheduled to go home.
I am directed to a waiting room where I watch three of them zip to it, and 7 minutes later, it's done. (That included removing the case of local organic apple juice I had just bought out of the trunk to get to the tire.) As he looks in the boot for the tire, he doesn't say anything about the tray of tomato seedlings I have resting on the back shelf, although I see him giving it a quizzical look. "Sorry, I'm hauling around all this crap." His answer-->No worries, that's what a trunk is for, to haul around crap (smile).
They pop back into the office--all done. I ask, what's the damage. The answer? No cost, we only put on the spare tire for you. -->Are you serious?? Yep, for us that's hardly work (smile).
I adore this country.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Perspective
I am a strong believer in:
"Change your location, to change your perspective, to change your thoughts."
(I imagine others would spin it from the other direction:
"change your thoughts, to change your perspective, to change your life")
I studied English and Spanish Literature as my undergraduate degree. I had to take one 'Modern Literature' requirement to fulfill the requirements--I chose 'Modern Literary Criticism'. It was the one of the best things I have ever fallen into, having fought it a little prior to sucking it up and succumbing to it. My primary reason for choosing it was that I didn't like the 'primary' Modern Lit professor, so I wanted something from the 'secondary' one, and this fit the schedule as well as making me more well-rounded, as it was my final year and I had no such course earlier.
One of the main items I took away from this course was the point of one of the essays, to paraphrase:
"All great works of art (literature, music, painting, etc) only come after turbulent historical times. Strife creates emotion which creates art."
It proceeded to give multiple examples, such as Picasso and others in connection to WW2, and other historical examples along the same vein.
I believe that holds true overall in life. One cannot create greatness without having to overcome something in the process. Great things do not come after steady times, they only come after strife where one can truly find oneself.
I had a few different seats this week, so I met some different people and had a chance to see and talk to different people than usual....
Most interesting to me this week--there is a woman at Benevolent Company J who is very close to my age, perhaps in a similar career level in a different area, who is an expat over here in the UK. I had met her about five years ago or so in the US. We could not be more different as she has a very different personality and style from me. Nothing against her personally, we have pleasant enough conversations, but we are exact opposites in personality and style so we have very little common ground.
She came to the UK almost two years ago as an expat for benevolent company J and has decided to go home after her two year assignment here. A few key points:
-I spent the first five months of my company J career in the UK.
-In retrospect, I would have loved to stay here instead of going to DE.
-Going to DE made me a lot stronger, so it's not necessarily bad.
I was interested to hear why she was going home. After having to jump through a lot of hoops to make the UK happen for myself, I was curious as to her incentives to go home, as Benevolent company J would have preferred that she stay another year or more.
"It's just too hard here!"
Most interesting. And I do mean that quite seriously, I like to try to understand what people say, and why they say it.
Tonight is the Thursday of Easter weekend. My DE colleagues--I'm sure you battled the crowds today to shop as the stores are closed tomorrow. They're mobbed again Saturday, and then (shudder) closed Sunday and Monday. (Thus the source of my annual exodus to the Netherlands.)
-->Do you want to know the UK schedule for the big supermarkets?
Open Thursday (normal hours)
Open Friday
Open Saturday
Closed Easter Sunday
Open Monday
I would never have appreciated this properly, had I not lived in DE where everything ground to a halt this weekend. Or worse, I had to leave this weekend, because DE was shut-down in effect, for visiting with family (of which I had none in DE).
"Change your location, to change your perspective, to change your thoughts."
(I imagine others would spin it from the other direction:
"change your thoughts, to change your perspective, to change your life")
I studied English and Spanish Literature as my undergraduate degree. I had to take one 'Modern Literature' requirement to fulfill the requirements--I chose 'Modern Literary Criticism'. It was the one of the best things I have ever fallen into, having fought it a little prior to sucking it up and succumbing to it. My primary reason for choosing it was that I didn't like the 'primary' Modern Lit professor, so I wanted something from the 'secondary' one, and this fit the schedule as well as making me more well-rounded, as it was my final year and I had no such course earlier.
One of the main items I took away from this course was the point of one of the essays, to paraphrase:
"All great works of art (literature, music, painting, etc) only come after turbulent historical times. Strife creates emotion which creates art."
It proceeded to give multiple examples, such as Picasso and others in connection to WW2, and other historical examples along the same vein.
I believe that holds true overall in life. One cannot create greatness without having to overcome something in the process. Great things do not come after steady times, they only come after strife where one can truly find oneself.
I had a few different seats this week, so I met some different people and had a chance to see and talk to different people than usual....
Most interesting to me this week--there is a woman at Benevolent Company J who is very close to my age, perhaps in a similar career level in a different area, who is an expat over here in the UK. I had met her about five years ago or so in the US. We could not be more different as she has a very different personality and style from me. Nothing against her personally, we have pleasant enough conversations, but we are exact opposites in personality and style so we have very little common ground.
She came to the UK almost two years ago as an expat for benevolent company J and has decided to go home after her two year assignment here. A few key points:
-I spent the first five months of my company J career in the UK.
-In retrospect, I would have loved to stay here instead of going to DE.
-Going to DE made me a lot stronger, so it's not necessarily bad.
I was interested to hear why she was going home. After having to jump through a lot of hoops to make the UK happen for myself, I was curious as to her incentives to go home, as Benevolent company J would have preferred that she stay another year or more.
"It's just too hard here!"
Most interesting. And I do mean that quite seriously, I like to try to understand what people say, and why they say it.
Tonight is the Thursday of Easter weekend. My DE colleagues--I'm sure you battled the crowds today to shop as the stores are closed tomorrow. They're mobbed again Saturday, and then (shudder) closed Sunday and Monday. (Thus the source of my annual exodus to the Netherlands.)
-->Do you want to know the UK schedule for the big supermarkets?
Open Thursday (normal hours)
Open Friday
Open Saturday
Closed Easter Sunday
Open Monday
I would never have appreciated this properly, had I not lived in DE where everything ground to a halt this weekend. Or worse, I had to leave this weekend, because DE was shut-down in effect, for visiting with family (of which I had none in DE).
So it's nothing against the DE way of life, or my US colleage for going home...but I am so very happy to be over here right now. I think I tend to appreciate it more having seen other options...and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing...
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
How to humor me
While on the drive South today I stopped for a coffee from a little stand along the highway. My expectations were rather low, for a coffee stand which is brought along behind a car which seemed to be in the 'wrong' directions for the commute. Imagine my surprise to see a 60+ gentleman in a full white outfit including the hat, who asked 'what would you like today, Sweetheart?' upon my walking up. Obviously he loves what he does--as I was getting back in the car and on the cell phone while still parked, I caught him waving to some cars and trucks who beeped to him. Genuinely being called Sweetheart and served real (not instant) black coffee what a super start to the morning.
Part of my trip to Guildford this week was to visit the Portsmouth area office for a day as it was only an hour or so from here. During the past six years, I've probably visited 30 or so offices of Benevolent Company J. It can be quite interesting, because on one hand Company J is a large American company, but on the other hand, it's interesting to see how various offices in different countries conduct business, crafting solutions to similar problems through local protocols.
I've visited a few offices where parking is at a premium or non-existent. Mainly there are workaround such as parking at another location or catching a ride from another colleague. Here in Southeastern England, I got a named visitor parking spot for the day, the first time I've ever seen such a solution at one of our offices. The front desk controls reservations so my colleague managed to get me on the list for one of the four visitor spots:
I was here doing some work for this main colleague today, along with a newer, local fill-in colleague for a second piece.
Colleague 1: Do you think you can work with this like Heather has it, Colleague 2?
Colleague 2: I think so. Although it would be better if it included x and y. Although if that's too hard to do, that's ok...
Colleague 1: Say it if you want it while "the Wizard" is here with us today.
Heather (muttering): I am 'The Wizard'??
Colleague 1: (under her breath) of course, you make the magic happen!
Colleague 1: Yes, Colleague 2, 'the Wiz' will try to sort that for you, but you won't get won't you won't ask for, so speak up.
I had such a great time in the South being humored with such special nicknames and rock star parking that I'll go back on Thursday as I need a place to sit that day. If I manage to remember the right highway point, I'll try to stop off at the same place for coffee too.
Part of my trip to Guildford this week was to visit the Portsmouth area office for a day as it was only an hour or so from here. During the past six years, I've probably visited 30 or so offices of Benevolent Company J. It can be quite interesting, because on one hand Company J is a large American company, but on the other hand, it's interesting to see how various offices in different countries conduct business, crafting solutions to similar problems through local protocols.
I've visited a few offices where parking is at a premium or non-existent. Mainly there are workaround such as parking at another location or catching a ride from another colleague. Here in Southeastern England, I got a named visitor parking spot for the day, the first time I've ever seen such a solution at one of our offices. The front desk controls reservations so my colleague managed to get me on the list for one of the four visitor spots:
I was here doing some work for this main colleague today, along with a newer, local fill-in colleague for a second piece.
Colleague 1: Do you think you can work with this like Heather has it, Colleague 2?
Colleague 2: I think so. Although it would be better if it included x and y. Although if that's too hard to do, that's ok...
Colleague 1: Say it if you want it while "the Wizard" is here with us today.
Heather (muttering): I am 'The Wizard'??
Colleague 1: (under her breath) of course, you make the magic happen!
Colleague 1: Yes, Colleague 2, 'the Wiz' will try to sort that for you, but you won't get won't you won't ask for, so speak up.
I had such a great time in the South being humored with such special nicknames and rock star parking that I'll go back on Thursday as I need a place to sit that day. If I manage to remember the right highway point, I'll try to stop off at the same place for coffee too.
Monday, April 06, 2009
The American influence in Guildford
The writing may be difficult to read here. It says:
Inkwell & Ivy The OFFICIAL apparel of the IVY LEAGUE
Rare and cult American imported brands
I haven't been to one of these in at least 10 years. Curious about the local menu?
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Eating in Guildford
On Saturday, I spent a few hours downtown exploring Guildford's High Street. I wasn't feeling up to either the Dutch pancakes or the German sausage. True to form, the German stall was selling jarred hotdogs and the Dutch lady (in the photo, she was on the way to talk to the German guy) had not only an orange apron, but also orange shoes.
I had a feeling that in a town like (upper crust and posh) Guildford, I'd be able to find somewhere with a strong vegetarian bent. Sure enough, found The Fooderie on Swan Lane just off of the High Street:
They have a tiny corner bar area for eating (where I caught the girl in the photo), but mainly it's a take away sandwich place. I had a lovely chat with the owner, she had started it about a year ago as a vegetarian/vegan sandwich place, but she had to expand outward a bit as business just wasn't good enough. So she also sells sandwiches with local free range eggs and local meats. She'll be expanding into an upstairs area to have actual seating.
I had asked for a recommendation for a hot vegan sandwich. She suggested grilled veg with hummus. My photo doesn't really do it justice, the sandwich was superb, so much so that I sucked down half of it before remembering to take a photo:
A work colleague had recommended to check out the Guildford Saturday market, knowing that I am a vegetarian. I had stumbled upon it early in the day but didn't want to have to carry things around, so I made it my last stop before leaving.
Overall, I thought it was OK, better than shopping at Tesco I guess. I was a little lucky, it was the end of the day and they were starting to drop the prices a bit to sell things off. Mostly they were selling pre-bagged items, the bags were around 1 or 1.20 GBP, but by the time I was there they were dropping most to 1 GBP if they weren't already. I bought 2 bags of tomoatos, zuchinni, mushrooms and pears. (And there are two bottles of organic wine, coffee, and a book I bought at Oxfam.)
Ever curious as to the source of my food, I was pleasantly surprised to find UK sourced spinach (OK, from Lancashire, not exactly from around the corner, but at least from on the happy island.) I was not so impressed upon inquiring about the asparagus....it came from Mexico, so I decided to skip that one. Not so impressive when you consider that Europe's asparagus season is almost upon us.
I had a feeling that in a town like (upper crust and posh) Guildford, I'd be able to find somewhere with a strong vegetarian bent. Sure enough, found The Fooderie on Swan Lane just off of the High Street:
They have a tiny corner bar area for eating (where I caught the girl in the photo), but mainly it's a take away sandwich place. I had a lovely chat with the owner, she had started it about a year ago as a vegetarian/vegan sandwich place, but she had to expand outward a bit as business just wasn't good enough. So she also sells sandwiches with local free range eggs and local meats. She'll be expanding into an upstairs area to have actual seating.
I had asked for a recommendation for a hot vegan sandwich. She suggested grilled veg with hummus. My photo doesn't really do it justice, the sandwich was superb, so much so that I sucked down half of it before remembering to take a photo:
A work colleague had recommended to check out the Guildford Saturday market, knowing that I am a vegetarian. I had stumbled upon it early in the day but didn't want to have to carry things around, so I made it my last stop before leaving.
Overall, I thought it was OK, better than shopping at Tesco I guess. I was a little lucky, it was the end of the day and they were starting to drop the prices a bit to sell things off. Mostly they were selling pre-bagged items, the bags were around 1 or 1.20 GBP, but by the time I was there they were dropping most to 1 GBP if they weren't already. I bought 2 bags of tomoatos, zuchinni, mushrooms and pears. (And there are two bottles of organic wine, coffee, and a book I bought at Oxfam.)
Ever curious as to the source of my food, I was pleasantly surprised to find UK sourced spinach (OK, from Lancashire, not exactly from around the corner, but at least from on the happy island.) I was not so impressed upon inquiring about the asparagus....it came from Mexico, so I decided to skip that one. Not so impressive when you consider that Europe's asparagus season is almost upon us.
My colleague had mentioned that I should eat any of the cheese, veg or bread in the house which would go bad before her return, so I went a little creative here with some different things. My work colleague is German, so of course there was no jar of pasta sauce here. However, everything was here that I needed to make my own.
She had left half a yellow bell pepper. I combined it with garlic and half an onion, and added the market tomatos. I then sliced in a few of the mushrooms and one zuchinni and simmered it up. I had brought along the spinich ravioli and some goat's cheese from the Essex farmer's market. I put the whole thing on a bed of Italian watercress which I found in the fridge. Overall, I'm pleased the way this one turned out:
Next up, more Guildford adventures...
Saturday, April 04, 2009
From Guildford
I'm living the good life this week. Here are my temporary digs (my work colleague's flat):
My view from where I sit with the PC:
The view from the window, of where I may sit with a book tomorrow, depending upon the weather:
I had a great day exploring downtown Guildford today, which is worthy of a whole post itself. That will be next up...
My view from where I sit with the PC:
The view from the window, of where I may sit with a book tomorrow, depending upon the weather:
I had a great day exploring downtown Guildford today, which is worthy of a whole post itself. That will be next up...
Thursday, April 02, 2009
The past two nights
I took to the backyard for some fresh air. I think the first night had some frost overnight and was a little chilly. The second reminded me of the Faroes, to wake up to a swift wind in the morning and a grey sky. It was later explained as a North wind here.
In the afternoon it was quite pleasant when I took the tent down and spent an hour or so setting up the remaining garden things I needed to do at this time. The first two outside plants have appeared at the same time, here is one of them, a garlic:
Currently, I'm enjoying a work colleague's comfortable sofa in Guildford (having driven two hours South tonight) feeling very relaxed under a fluffy duvet and with a German pillow (yes, one of the big square ones imported in!).
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