Lesson number 1...

Last week for a few days it was just me and the kitties while my recently adopted family was away.
So, I had some time to finish getting over jet-lag, do a little more exploration of Henley-on-Thames, (more about that later, along with some photos), and get settled in a bit more.

Since I arrived the weather has been unseasonably sunny and warm I'm told, though there have been a few grey skies and a bit of rain here and there. One day as I was leaving to walk down to town it was looking a little grey, and having gotten quite wet on one or two occasions previously, I remembered this time to grab an umbrella... there was a forest green one and a hot pink one...  my backpack being hot pink and me, with the propensity for co-ordinating things, like clothing or accessories I grabbed the hot pink one and went on my way.

By the time I got to the first roundabout I thought I felt a sprinkle-by the second roundabout I was sure about it. A little further and it was full on raining. Thinking I was all prepared and feeling pretty proud of myself too, I pulled out my trusty umbrella only to discover that it did not work! So, there I stood in the pouring rain, fooling with the umbrella. The trouble was that not only would it not fully open, but also, the little thing-a-ma-jig that makes it stay opened was broken. 'Just hold it in place' I thought and proceeded on. Almost immediately, a gust of wind messed with that idea... so another stop, another attempt at figuring something out. Just then a royal mailman rode by on his bike looking at me curiously. "Umbrella doesn't work" I said. As if it wasn't obvious, and don't ask me why I felt I must explain. He just nodded and gave me a 'oh, that's too bad' look, but, I suspect he had a good chuckle when he was out of earshot.

At that point, I was pretty much soaked and decided to backtrack to the bus stop not far away... I closed up the umbrella, turned around and headed back. When I reached the bus-stop I realized it would be at least 20 minutes before the bus came by, there was no shelter, and the rain was continuing at a steady pace...

Hmmm.

At that point, I wondered if I should just bag it and come home or keep going since I was already wet... I chose the later and turned once again towards town... Where I would be arriving in just a few minutes if I had only kept going in the first place and not spent so much time fooling with the umbrella or backtracking or standing at the bus stop in the rain! I'll bet I had not taken more than twenty steps when the rain died down, and in another twenty it had stopped completely!

So...
Lesson number 1: It's probably more important to make sure the umbrella you are borrowing actually works than it is to co-ordinate the color with your backpack! (The green one works perfectly).
Lesson 1a: Getting wet won't kill you - unless of course you happen to be the wicked witch of the west from the Wizard of Oz.
Lesson 1b: In England as in life, choose a direction and then...Whatever storms may come... Keep. Moving. Forward... No matter what!

sending love,
susie

Tea for Two... Hundred and Forty

Well, we all know England is tea country, right? I had my first 'cream tea' Saturday (October 23) in London at an Italian restaurant of all places... It seemed a little bit strange to me to find it on the menu, and yet, this is the land of tea... so perhaps it's not all that strange.


In case you are not as into tea as me, here's a little lesson, thanks to Wikepedia...


"There are regional variations as to how a cream tea should preferably be eaten. The Devonshire (or Devon) method is to split the scone in two, cover each half with clotted cream, and then add strawberry jam on top. Traditionally it is important that the scones be warm (ideally, freshly baked), and that clotted (rather than whipped) cream and strawberry jam, rather than any other variety, are used. Butter is generally not included, and the tea should be served with milk.


Clotted cream (sometimes called clouted cream or Devonshire cream) is a thick cream made by indirectly heating full-cream cow's milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms 'clots' or 'clouts'. It forms an essential part of a cream tea. Although its origin is uncertain, the cream's production is commonly associated with dairy farms in South West England and in particular the counties of Cornwall and Devon."


It was lovely. Italian restaurant and all. I mean... I was in London. L-O-N-D-O-N! How could it not be?


Monday I was at the grocery store for the first time since I got here and found my two favorite English Teas that I get back in VT! PG Tips and Yorkshire Gold... except that they were the hugest boxes of tea (of any kind) that I have ever seen!! Not a puny little box of 40 teabags. Oh no. Try 240 teabags. This is my kind of place!

"leavin' on a jet plane..."

"...don’t know when I’ll be back again…"

Well, okay, I do know when I’ll be back since I have my return ticket, but, I’ve been thinking about that song for a number of days and wanted to include it.

I fully intended to add a post or two over the last couple months, but, well, life has been busy… so, here I am writing en-route... October 17, 2011.

The storage unit is full, all that could be sold is sold, all that could be given away has been given away and the house is, for the most part empty. I was there yesterday to pick up a couple things and it was almost surreal… hearing my footsteps echo as I walked through each room, lots of memories and hopes and dreams came flooding in. And then, almost exactly eight years from the joyous date of our closing to buy our home I found myself closing and locking the door behind me for the very last time.

Eight… the number of new beginnings.

This last couple years has been a time of letting go for me…inch by inch… and it feels like I have finally made it, and reached a milestone.

The last weeks and months have been so, so busy in preparation for this very day… and I can hardly believe it is finally here! Honestly I’m not sure that it has fully sunk in yet, but I am writing from gate 5 at JFK in New York City as I wait for my flight to London at 22:45 tonight.

And so, though I am bone tired and stuffy headed, I say…

 Let my very great adventure BEGIN!!!

love,

susie