Cows.
They predict weather you know. Yesterday morning driving into work I found it strange that all the cows (several, in fact) were all sitting down in the pasture. At one time Roger had told me that when it begins to rain, they sit down to ensure a warm, dry patch to be on. So all day long I predicted it was going to rain, even though it was hot, hot, hot. When it clouded over, everyone thought it would just stay warm and dry, however, I stuck to my prediction it was going to rain. And it did - with big cracks of thunder and ever-so-much (another British phrase) lightening! I must admit, I like it when I'm right. :)
Mad rush to B & Q last night (sister to Home Depot - you'd swear it was one and the same) to get a window for the kithen. Had to cancel my driving lesson as the urgency was it had to be done today or not for awhile as the builder would not be available for the next week or so. The previous window we had custom made turned out to be too small, so we panicked. Never mind, all's well, as far as we know anyway - we'll find out tonight when we return home. As I know that the subject of windows is probably not as noteworthy as, say, Magnum ice cream bars in 90 degree weather, it IS what is happening in our lives at the moment.
By the way, as you probably know certain words used over here are pronounced differently then in the U.S. Not just tomatoes and potatoes - for example, the words Contribute and Distribute. We put the accent on the 2nd syllable. In England, they put it on the first. Or words we would normally use a "Z" in they put an "S" - such as Organise. Or even the world Enrollment, they spell with one "L" only. I find these differences - well -
different. So if I say to you "Wow, it's really hot today - it's in the 30's!" - don't look at me strange. It's only the celcius version of temperature.
Watch this space for more interesting facts and figures of the English language. After all, Roger does point out that it is called
English for a reason, and politely reminds me that we didn't know we existed until THEY found us.......
hrumph!
So........did I mention I'm learning to drive??
Something I thought I'd never do but chalk one up for me! You would think, a little thing such as having the steering wheel on the opposite side of the car would not be that big of a deal - WRONG! I mean, you just do everything opposite, right? It's incredible how, after 33 years of driving, I managed to hit the curb (spelled
kerb over here) several times and not be able to reverse or parallel park for anything. As it's been several years since taking my driving lesson in the U.S. I have no idea what they teach now. Here you have to "feed the wheel", which is a series of turns of the wheel with your hands never leaving it. Also, certain preliminary procedures must be followed on the actual driving test in order to pass. Get in, close the door, adjust your seat, then your mirrors, seat belt on, car in gear, hand brake down and go. Coming to a stop remember to slow down, stop with handbrake on, look both ways, when light turns amber (in anticipation of it turning green), handbrake down and off you go. The stop lights change from green-amber-red-amber-green. And you have pedestrian crossings known as "puffin crossings" and another crossing with things that look like lolipops on either side called "belisha bekins" - which I always think of as a porn star's name. There's nothing like taking a nice little practice run on the country roads that have no middle line to guide you. I have often found myself wondering why the guy coming towards me was on
my side of the road! Obviously, old habits die hard. And the ROUNDABOUTS!! Need I say more?? Actually, they are all right, just remember to get in the correct lane if you want to leave it otherwise you'll find yourself going round and round aimlessly, looking somthing like "Little Black Sambo" turning into a flat pancake (that is how the fable goes, doesn't it?). At any rate, I have a driving lesson tonight and my theory part of the test (done online now) is scheduled on August 5th. So please remember me in your prayers.
I ventured into the city on Saturday (driving again of course) and had a day shopping. I met a friend for lunch near the market place, which is more commercialized these days (the market, not my friend). They have old buildings of course which no one seems to pay attention to, but I, on the other hand, am constantly finding myself asking Roger how old they are. He dutifly answers "oh not much - 'bout 500 years old" . Even the church we had our blessing in is 1000 - can't beat that. My friend had been to Afghanistan in June to help her friend do ministry work. She spoke of wearing a birka and meeting secretly in different locations every night. She even was taken to a house in the hills where supposedly Bin Laden has hidden out at one point. I would never have the guts to do what she did!
On Sunday I met another new-found friend for lunch. She is a 27 year old Methodist Minister from Missouri and it was great to speak to someone from the "new world". We met at a pub/restaurant called "The Cock" (no comments please). She drives too, in case you're wondering. She has 4 churchs in various parts of the area but the problem here is that there are mostly senior citizens who attend. The British public in general seem to have no interest in it, which I find surprising. So, how does one get a younger crowd attracted then? Better yet, how does one attract eligible singles? She has her work cut out for her. I had to duck into the store before meeting up with her for bbq items/food as it was then 3pm and all the stores here close at 4pm on a Sunday. A far cry from the States where everything is 24/7, yet still rather quaint.
So after enjoying 2 bbq's over the weekend we have also had french doors put in and plastered walls as well as scraped layers of tiles off the floor. Lovely blue and white checkered lino - I told Roger we could have a game of checkers on it. He didn't laugh.
Oh yes - last night we ate our very first home grown tomato off the vine!
Well, after watering our yard for nights on end, as I currently look out the window I think I can safely say...
tut tut, it looks like rain. :)
Jill
I've discovered mint Magnum ice cream bars. YUMMM! Having just enjoyed a half pint of Stella (whats her name) ale from the uni pub on my lunch 45-minute hour, I'm feeling better on this Friday afternoon. My husband and I spent a lazy time discussing what we'd do on our vacation next month. I have declared I wish to bring back items I can't find here. Such as......graham cracker crumbs. I have looked and looked for these things and when I ask in the stores if they carry them, I get a blank stare. Ok, so how about onion soup mix? They tend to stare even harder. Or baking cocoa? Well, after searching and searching, it's found where? Not in the baking section but - wait for it - in the coffee and tea section. I don't get it. Ok, so I know my husband will read this, so let me just say for the record that there ARE things I like over here that make up for it. Example: Vanilla Slices (pastry with gooey artificial sweet cream), and battenburg cakes (almond frosting to die for), bacon cheese thingys that are savory and totally rich. It's not always food items - like in atumun when the leaves change color - it rivals the Rockies. And May bank holidays in addition to the 4 weeks vacation at work you just GET without having to earn it as you go.
Which reminds me - I'm going into the city tomorrow to buy early Xmas presents. They don't know about "Christmas in July" sales over here so I may just get away with commercial-free bargins. I also need to get a few item's for Roger's Day.......my husband's answer to Mother's and Father's Day: a day created just for him. The first Sunday in August has been declared to celebrate. After all, it's only fair, right? :)
Oh, yes - on the 4th of July, I made cupcakes with tiny american flag toothpicks in them to celebrate at work. I may be celebrating American independence day but also my return to the motherland. No one seemed to care, as long as there was food. I still have my "proud to be American" posters up in my office. Funny how when you leave your country you suddenly feel very patriotic. Now I know how my mom must've felt when she left England for the States in 1945 as a war bride. Strange to think we've almost swapped lives.
TGIF.
My GMTV debut!
Roedich Dr. after
2006
Roedich Dr. before
2005
Wedding!
Coronado Beach, Ca.
Oct. 1, 2005
Jingle, international cat
Jill and Roger Oct.1979
Another day another 50P.
It's sultry out today - a bit strange for England, none-the-less, welcomed.
Last night was a "one off" as they say over here. I put laundry in the machine and, because I neglected to notice it wasn't hooked up to the drain (due to the house construction), I quickly noticed the flood coming my way. It was like, wash, wash........FLOOD! The cat sat by quietly confused and I could see the word
bimbo flashing over and over in her eyes. Of course, wouldn't you know, the only time my other half is out participating in a fishing tournement this would happen. I went next door to our neighbor who was able to drag the machine just that little bit closer to the sink to allow the hose to drain, thus allieviating my ignorance level just enough to regain some composure.
I then had wine.
"Who is she.....who IS she????!!!"
..........a quote made popular by Nikki, Britain's latest evicted housemate on Big Brother. Yes, sigh....... sad, but true..............I have become a victim of realty T.V. But only British, not American, which makes one ponder. Still the question begs - who am I?? I'll start at the beginning.....
My name is Jill. Born and raised in Juneau, Alaska until age 12, my parents and I moved to Aurora, Colorado where I spent the rest of my growing up years. My mother, being from England, met my dad during WWII and immigrated to the States. My father worked for the airlines which allowed us to travel frequently. We often visited relatives in England and it was on one of these occasions, that in 1979 - at age 22 - I met the love of my life, Roger. He was a friend of my cousin and we enjoyed a whirlwind relationship of 5 days before I had to return home. We continued our new-found love by corresponding over the summer with letters, phone calls and cassette tapes. In October 1979 Roger visited me for a month in Colorado, and I then returned to England to spend Xmas with him and his family. As it happened I ended up staying, finding work and spent almost a year living as a Brit. In June of 1980 we went on "holiday" to Greece with friends where I learned I loved Souvalki and hated Ozou! But, as my time was limited due to visa rules and regs, I returned to Colorado and we ended our relationship soon thereafter. To say I was heart-broken is an understatement.
So what did I do?
What every girl should do - I moved to San Diego, California, home of sea and sun, beach and boogy boards, glamour and glitz. I found a job, and ultimately a short-lived marriage (to an Englishman to boot!) and out of it came a beautiful bouncing boy, my son, my pride, Kellan. I was divorced when Kellan was 7 months old and lived most of his life as a single parent. Times were difficult financially as it wasn't until Kellan was 12 that we received our first child support check. After years of only dreaming to afford a trip to McDonalds (no lie!) we had enough money to take us on two trips that year - one to Maui, Hawaii and the other back to England! Now don't get your hopes up here.........I only visited with Roger's parents. He, I found out, had been married in 1987 and was happily so. Not that I thought anything could happen, but you always wonder about your first love, ya know?
Fast forward to 2004. The internet had made it's arrival in our home about 8 years before and both my son and I enjoyed surfing the web daily. It was on one of these occasions that, on a whim, I decided to look Roger up on the web. It was a perfect way to get back in touch with his sister with whom I had corresponded with occasionally and lost contact after she moved. I boldly thought "oh what the hell??!" and punched in his email address. After a day or so I was shocked to find an email waiting for me saying how nice it was to hear from me after all these years and how was I??? After learning he was now happily divorced, the next couple years found me living my life on the pc. where we could talk daily with mics, the next best thing to the phone, and it was
free. Between that and texting we would spend nothing short of 5 hours a day discussing simple every day ordinary things in our lives, comparing tomatoes and tomatooos and becoming familiar with the 8 hour time difference. If it was 10pm San Diego time, it was 6 am English time - it's a date! Roger came over to visit me in October (spookily so as it paralled the time frame of our relationship of 1979) and I went over for Xmas and stayed thru till March. After 26 years apart, we were engaged on the steps of the Norwich Cathedral on Valentine's Day 2005 and married on Coronado Beach, San Diego, California Oct. 1st, 2005! After a honeymoon in Kauai, I relunctantly left my son, now age 20, behind to live his life with family friends - his choice.
So where am I now?? Living in Taverham - a village/town outside of Norwich, England! We have a ranch style home ("bungalow" they call it here) that we have gutted and started anew. Everything - and I mean
everything - needs replacing. We are currently living with a foot-wide trench through the middle of our kitchen for plumbing. After living in the 70's we have torn the original cupboards down and made way for french doors to be put in where there was once an outside wall. There's dust and dirt covering the place including the oven which now proudly sits on the lovely white plastic picnic table we once used for dining on. We have managed to make the front yard/garden look fanstastic after removing 40 ft. trees whose roots were damaging the water pipes. Now the chaos has moved inside and I must say, Jingle, my cat, has remarkably done well putting up with having her food/water dishes repeatedly moved from room to room. But then, after an international plane trip over I think it's safe to say she could deal with most circumstances. At age 17 - what a trooper!
In February 2006 we were featured on Britain's answer to "Good Morning America" - a program called "GMTV". I answered a request for love stories which included obstacles in getting together. Suffice to say we were chosen, along with 3 other couples to be interviewed (one couple per day) and were given an all-expense paid trip to London for the weekend. Our 15 minutes of fame - I'll be giving autographs shortly.
I'm working at the University of East Anglia in the Science Faculty Teaching Office and recently passed my 3 month probationary period. Safe to say they like me. I have my own office which looks out over the broads (rivers - get your mind outta the gutter). England is now entertaining a "heat wave" that rivals San Diego temps. While I'm lovin' it, everyone is hating it. We will be returning to the States for a 3 week visit end of August and I can't wait.
So that's my life so far. Moral of the story? "Never say never"! I'll endevour to keep you updated as my life progresses. I like this blog stuff. :)
Cheerio for now!
Jill
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