Say What?!

A few days before Christmas my husband received an invite to attend a movie with a friend, in the email he requested that he not be left "Billy no mates" two days before Christmas. Now deductive reasoning allowed me to conclude that he was asking not to be left alone in the theater on Christmas Eve Eve but it was a blatant reminder of how often I am left feeling a little clueless when being spoken to here. My daughter has had similar issues and recently told me of a school mate that referred to being "On her Larry", meaning of course on her own. Billy, Larry, why are the men in this country always so lonely? I am left so often feeling just a bit dim as I have to either ask a person several times to repeat themselves until I finally defeated tell them I don't know what they mean, or I have to pause for much longer than is comfortable while I work out in my head the correct response. Once they see the glazed look of someone slightly slow on the uptake cross your eyes they will slow down and try to use small words you are likely to understand, although this does very little to help you feel clever especially when they end the sentence with, "Now-Where-Are-You-From?". They insist that we in fact speak the same language but I find myself constantly asking, eh? Tea instead of dinner, pudding instead of dessert, lorries rather than trucks, mate not friends, crisps in place of chips because of course chips are what I would call fries. My very Canadian brain still answers their standard greeting of, "Hiya, all alright there?" with "fine" which I know is wrong but I am still very much expecting "Hi, How are you?".  When someone tells me they are chuffed my knee jerk response is to ask what is wrong, chuffed sounds like an annoyed word to me, it's not. Someone is chuffed when things are going smoothly, in fact my husband tells me that his coworkers are 'chuffed as nuts' when things work and run well on a projects. I have never really thought of a nut as being happy or sad but on the other hand we Canadians use nuts to refer to someone who's gone a bit crazy. Perhaps it is some strange mash up of the two idioms and what it means is that the speaker is as happy as a person who has lost their mind?

Don't get me wrong, so much of the slang and differences in our languages I find charming. There is something so much more welcoming about a sales clerk leaning over the till and calls out, "can I help?", rather than the much more aggressive sounding "Next" we would use across the pond. I still can't help but smile when I hear someone ask, 'Are you having a laugh?'. Seems more fun to say than 'are you joking?'. I have adopted the extremely common 'cheers' but still can't shake the Canadian habit of using thanks as well and end up mashing the two together in quick succession which probably leaves those helping me with a sense that I am very very grateful. So I guess my point is that there is absolutely no doobt aboot it, I am Canadian, eh?! On the other hand I am chuffed as nuts to be here and I am most definitely not having a laugh.

Happy New Years Everyone!

Christmas at Blenheim Palace

Having a yearly pass to the Palace was made worth while just for getting to visit at Christmas time. The entire Palace and much of the grounds are completely decked out with Christmas trees, ornaments, and music. You can't turn many corners before you run into more of the most impressive trees you've ever seen. If you fall in love with the wonderful scented trees, you are able to purchase a fresh cut from right on the grounds version to take home with you. 

They celebrate the season here by honouring Charles Dickens and using quotes from his 'A Christmas Carol' and donning the halls with period appropriate ornamentation. I have a very good friend who happens to think Dickens is one of the very greats and I couldn't help having her run through my thoughts as we toured the various displays. 

 

Not one to over look an opportunity to daydream something more romantic, I couldn't help picturing the spirits of the festively decorated busts waiting for the castle to clear out so they can creep from the shadows and toast the season themselves. It was hard not to be carried to a time when ladies in large hoop skirts and gentlemen in pressed suits would have been greeted in the entrance hall by their hosts. 

We were welcomed by the sounds of a choir trying with gusto to fill the building with beautiful Christmas music and when the needed a rest were replaced by a multi piece brass band. Although they filled the hall magnificently the sheer size of the Palace means that before too many turns the music is lost to the walls. 

While we were in the Palace that day they had a large staff of people preparing the massive library for an upcoming party to be held there. There were many more trees, tables and little nutcrackers peeking out from their napkin resting place. I wondered momentarily what one has to do or be to be invited to this kind of event, I suspect be willing to pay large amounts of money for whatever they were planning to put on that plate.

Finally we found our very own Dickens to read excerpts from his famed story leaving me with the desire to rush home and reread it myself. Visiting Blenheim at this time of year can't help but lift the spirits, make you feel very festive, and leave you wondering how in the world you get the job of decorating all those trees!

    

Countdown to Christmas

So here's the story, I worked at Fossil for quite a long time and besides falling in love with watches, purses and people, I fell in love with the display pieces. They would often use cute vintage boxes and wooden benches in the window and shelf displays and most of them were easy to fall for. A little known secret is that after the visual merchandisers decided that they would never use these display items again they were added to a toss sheet. this meant shopping for the staff who worked there, in fact usually as soon as a particularly nice one would come in one of the staff would stick a long piece of tape on in somewhere and write their name on it, claiming it for whenever it would be added to that list. When this shelf came in there was nearly a blood bath trying to be the first to get a name on it. There were several discussions about how they would be used and I took one look at it and said, "Advent calendar!". I am proud to say that one got me the right to claim it, and even though I had left the company before it made it to the throw out list my good friends still working there had my back.

 

 

I will admit when I first saw it, and knew that it would make a great advent calendar, I dreamt about how great the treats would be that I could fit in those slots. For the record you can fit four full sized chocolate bars in each space, or four kinder eggs or I imagine many of your preferred options. However as we got closer to the first time I would pull it out and use it I got slightly more sentimental and saw the potential for something a little different. I decided that I would give us an activity countdown instead, each day wrapped in a little present to be opened and then done as a family. In a fit of pride at it's completion I took a picture and posted it to Facebook. Most people took absolutely no notice, but a couple of people got very interested in what we did each day. One of these people was my sister in law who insisted that it would make a great blog topic, so this one is for her. I suppose since I did bring the thing across the ocean, it should get some recognition.



So the first thing I do is create a long list of activities that I think would be fun to do with the family, movie nights, picnics by the Christmas tree, and so on. I look on line, pinterest is one of my favorites but a general google search or checking out what's going on in your community are also great places to start. Then I write out a list of the days of the month and what other activities we have going on in December all in an attempt to not over extend ourselves on any given day.

 

 

This also helps me remember what activities are coming up so that when they open the box I am ready for whatever it says and things run a little smoother then. This becomes the thing I look at most through December I think. Once this step is complete I make the boxes. This year I didn't have any Christmas colored origami paper and so I used white paper that I squared off and drew designs on myself.

 

 

 

The next step is to fold them into box shape, truthfully this takes longer than you think it might. If you opt to do something similar I suggest Christmas carols and hot chocolate, this really helps me stay festive feeling. Okay shameless plug, my good friend Maren Ord has a tune available to buy called, "The King is Born", buy it! It is my favorite, friendship aside, honestly I listen to it over and over.

 

 

 

 

Eventually you end up with a beautiful pile of boxes that looks something like this. As they are pulled off each day and opened they reveal what we will be doing that day.

 

 

 

The last thing that I do is go to the grocery store and pick out the goodies that will fill the few days I selected to just have something sweet. Last year we had them only on the weekend but somewhat wiser, well more experienced, I chose days that were our busiest with other things. Then I load them into the shelf.

 

 

 

I am always a tiny bit sad when we start emptying it out because I enjoy the way it looks all full. As I really enjoy the quality family time this forces us to have I sacrifice the finished product. I would love to hear some of the things you guys do with your family, might be inspiration for me next year. I will try to post later in the month with pictures of some of the things we did together, in the mean time, only 23 sleeps to Christmas!!









 

Six Month mark

As hard as it is for me to believe we have been here for six months already. The time has slipped by with incredible ease full of the mundane and the spectacular. As I reflected over the half year I am surprised at how much we have done and seen and how dreamlike it all has been. I came over here hoping that I could perhaps become some better version of myself, that all the culture and change would in some way develop some extraordinary maturity and grace. Although not totally abandoning the hope I will acknowledge that it seems that it will take longer than six months.  However as I peruse the memories of these days and weeks I feel that perhaps I have learned a couple things about myself and this place that I felt I would like to share with you all.

1. This country is easy to fall in love with.
Between the rolling country side, the ancient architecture, the history, and it's people there is very little not to love. It is no wonder that movies and books are inspired from those visiting, living and dreaming of this beautiful place. I am no exemption, I am inspired. Maybe not to great novels but to be better, to be changed by this place.

2. Things are just Things
Okay I admit it, I have said this before and have meant it to varying degrees but the reality is that I am far less attached to things. One thing about moving the way that we did is that you learn very quickly to evaluate the stuff we carry with us. Even with a house now fully furnished I have far less things than probably most other times in my life. I have found this liberating in a way, and I have also learned to truly appreciate the few things still left in my world. I am particularly found of a teal kettle that I splurged on simply because I loved the color. Every piece of furniture and decoration has been carefully chosen and put in place and then promptly reminded that it is not really important.

3. The value of good friends
I think that it is possible that when surrounded by all my family I took for granted all of my many friends. It was easy to turn to them in times of need and spend my spare time in their company, in times putting on the back burner beloved acquaintances. Since moving to a place where this is far from an option I have learned to appreciate the need for great friends. Since being here I have been embraced, welcomed, helped and guided all by people who I can't call family, instead I will call them loved. I would want all my friends in North America to know that I feel the same way about you despite my inadequacies at showing it.

4. At any age there things to learn about myself
I really thought I was the brave adventuring type, I believed that once a great adventure presented itself I would obviously leap into it with grace and dignity. This is possibly not a true fact about myself, a difficult thing to discover considering the adventure I took. Not as brave as I thought and not as good at adventuring as I had hoped, and still discovering more things that I didn't know about myself. It is somewhat disconcerting to be as old as I am and find that I really don't know myself at all. I am choosing, though, to see this as a challenge. I can still be whatever I want to be.

5. You never outgrow being a suck for your family
As I prepared to leave Canada I said many goodbyes to friends and family alike. As the time for actual departure drew nearer and nearer the reality of what I was doing hit me rather hard. In fact in the final moments on Canadian soil I found myself wrapped in the arms of my eldest brother with tears streaming down my face and thinking very seriously of climbing back into his van and moving back into his basement. Everyday I think of how far away my family is and wonder how I will possibly make it without them, sometimes questioning why I am not still hiding in the protective care of a big brother. Obviously that is not an option as I am almost a grown up, but it does remind me that I will always be the kind of girl who needs her family. 

Six months, that's a long time, imagine what I may be able to find when its a year or years. I think I have much to take away from all this, I hope that it will make me better, wiser. I will continue to share my journey with you and thank you for coming along with me.

Time in Paris

I have to start by saying that I have learned that even when you are willing to walk for hours every day, a week is not enough to see everything you want to in Paris. My brother spent two years in this area and provided me with an impressive list of must see attractions and and must try delicacies, sadly neither of which I was able to get through. Thanks to the impressive train system though we did manage to explore much of the city and were able to cross many items off our list.

Day one we spent learning to use the rail lines, visiting cathedrals, and seeing the city on foot. We found Sainte Chapelle quickly as it is right outside a metro station but were unable to get inside to see it, obviously under repair of some sort as the tower was embraced by scaffolding.

From here we set off in the direction of Notre Dame, sort of, and found ourselves walking along La Seine. The river walkway was lined with picnicking couples and groups enjoying wine on a sunny day. Admittedly we passed some clearly urine soaked underpasses but once back in the fresh air it would be hard not to enjoy people watching, passing boats and the surrounding view. As we came up from the waters edge we found the chain link fences covered in 'lovers locks'. Romantics come with marked locks and attach them to a vacant spot along the wall and hook theirs on and toss the key over into the river below symbolizing their undying connection. 

Still heading somewhat in the direction of the famous cathedral we found ourselves enjoying this area of the city. I was surprised to find that parking here was even tighter than in England with several instances of bumpers actually touching. I was tempted to sit and wait for someone to return to their car so I could witness first hand how one would get out of such a spot. We enjoyed some amazing architecture and the kids marvelled at the two story carousel.

Finally we made it to Notre Dame, difficult to get a good picture of but easy to stand in awe of. Outside the chapel is a set of permanent bleachers where hundreds of people can sit and observe the great building and listen to the bells when they ring. Out of respect for the religious nature of the interior and in some cases the services in progress you are asked to avoid taking photos inside. It is a shame though as the interiors are even more moving than outsides. It was hard not to think of the workman with their limited tools creating the massive structure.

Our last stop of the day was at Sacre Coeur, another beautiful cathedral right in Paris. I will say that I thought this was probably the most amazing building I saw, possibly on my whole trip. Set on hill, which we walked up many many sets of stairs to get to, it stands as a beacon that you can see for miles. Inside you can enjoy some of the most spectacular stain glass and woodwork, smaller than Notre Dame it still leaves a haunting memory that we all agreed was our favourite of the day.

 

The next day we headed to the Louvre, which was on my husbands must see list, however somewhat daunted by the immense line we opted to tour the inside another day. This left us wandering down the street, through an art filled park that eventually spit us out on the Champs-Elysees. We wandered down this famous street taking it all in before stopping for lunch.

After lunch, because we were so close we continued over to the Arc de Triumph. We braved the many stairs to get to the top and enjoyed a view of the city that was well worth the climb. We stopped and tried in our small way to honour the Grave of the Unknown Soldier while we were there and used this time to force a little history and learning on our kids.

From here we hopped back on the train and made a quick visit at La Defense, which truthfully I can't tell you anything about except that it's impressive to look at and on the list my brother gave me. Then our last stop of the day was at Palais Garnier, which I am told is the opera house that the Phantom is based on. I am also informed that it is a must see at Christmas when they show the Nutcracker but as I am unlikely to be back at that time of year I will have to be content for now with walking around the outside. We did a very inadequate tour of the Galeries Lafayette, which is like a very high end department store on crack. It has every insanely overpriced brand you can think of, with price points to match. Already well on it's way to being completely decked out for Christmas with the crowds to match it was a place I wish I hadn't been too tired to enjoy.

A relatively quite day in comparison, we spent the next day getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower where we enjoyed the most breathtaking view of the city and the most bracing winds. Once back on the ground and lunched we headed over to the Rodin Museum so that my son could see the famous 'Thinker', which he had been asking about since arriving in Paris. Due to the long lines and the time spent at each place we were surprised to find the whole day had passed just visiting these two landmarks.

Our last day actually spent exploring Paris we finally faced the crowds and visited the Lourve. Which although is filled with room after room of amazing talent was actually a bit overwhelming. We did manage to find the Mona Lisa and Venus De Milo, both which were impressive in their own way. I got elbowed and shoved and generally manhandled more in the few minutes I was near these art pieces than any other place I have visited likely. We couldn't leave Paris without tracking down a Grec as directed by both my brother and my bother in law so much of this afternoon was spent on the hunt for one that lived up to the hype. Not a meat eater myself I did not sample the famed sandwich but my husband practically purred when he finally found one.

Our last couple of days were spent shopping at the outlet centre near our hotel and taking the kids to Disneyland Paris. We spent Halloween night at the 'party' the park puts on for the holiday and we enjoyed the decorations, the costumes, and the Halloween themed parades. Friday was to be our full day in the parks and we woke to find it pouring rain and wind whipping around in a frenzy. Already paid for though, we faced the weather and spent most of the day trying to find rides and shows that would take us inside, but I think I have only now properly warmed up and dried out.

   

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

When I was living in Canada I often caught myself looking up the planes as they passed overhead. I would imagine where they were going or where they were coming from and dream about travelling to that place. When I was in Edmonton we lived very near an airport and so this tradition could occur several times a day depending on my schedule. The other night my husband and I were travelling home from Bicester (which deserves a blog all of it's own. Ladies the Best shopping area there is) I noticed in the dark night skies the familiar lights of a plane flying over us and speculated that it was likely heading into the Bristol airport which was the closest to where we were. As I watched it until it left my line of sight I realized that I had not thought about where it might of been nor had I got the somewhat wistful ache of wishing I had been there. More surprising still was the fact that I hadn't done that even once since we landed in this country. Now that could simply be because any airport is nearly an hour drive away from us and so planes just don't fly over me as much, but maybe this hopeless wanderer has met her match. Perhaps I have gone an adventure big enough that, at least for the time being, I don't need another one. What I truly hope is that I was learned to love the sky I'm under, which I think would show a great deal of maturity.

On the other hand, maybe the medium of travel is in fact the only thing that has really changed. True I no longer look to the skies but if I am going to be totally honest every time I see one of the many trains they have here racing across the country side I mentally run through all the places I know that they can take me. It is not uncommon in those moments for me to think to myself 'I should run into Bath tomorrow' or 'If I leave right after I get the kids off to school I could spend the day in London' and 'I think it takes less time on the train to get to Cardiff than to drive'. So maybe I haven't learned total maturity yet, but at least these adventures are far more cost effective, that's something right?

Actually, probably not, because we all know that the cheapest mode of travel would likely be by car. Sadly I still have yet to drive here. I know that at this point I have simply built it up in my head to a deranged phobia but I find it terrifying to get behind the wheel and drive on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road. Even more than driving on the foolishly narrow roads with strangely high speed limits is parking on those same roads. What you need to understand is that this county holds more population than Canada and could fit into that great country something like forty times. That is a lot of cars to park in not very much space. So I have not really matured, I still dream of the places I have yet to explore, or want to explore again, and I will probably not do said exploring in the cheapest way possible, but I don't wonder where those planes are headed.

Doctor Who?

I live with two, well three really, intense Doctor Who fans, I mean they are proper Whovians. Based off the title of any given episode they will very likely be able to give you a thorough run down of the entire hour in minute detail. My daughter is anxious to visit any venue where dressing like a companion or gender swap doctor would be totally appropriate. My son can't walk by any Doctor Who paraphernalia without stopping to check out the offering and every time one of their new magazines reaches stands he points out he hasn't got that one. Although my husband may be slightly more tame in his enthusiasm he also has favourite episodes and is often trying to put them on to help me see the true genius behind the show. As unconvinced as I have so far been I too am beginning to learn the lingo and know the actors who have played the Doctors and even most of the companions names. Despite not jumping on board this particular train I had no doubt that the perfect gift to give my son for his birthday was a trip to a museum focused solely on this British program.

His response to getting tickets to the 'Doctor Who Experience' was exactly what I had hoped for, and I am not convinced that my daughter and husband weren't equally excited. I admit that if someone hadn't mentioned to me long ago that such a place existed I am not sure I would have believed it. How could there be enough fans of this show to justify an entire museum dedicated to it?  

Once you enter the doors however you realize very quickly to subdue any derogatory comments you may have been inclined to express. Inside these walls he is a hero, he is beloved, he is an icon. Interestingly enough The Doctor also seems to appeal to the widest range of individuals you can imagine, from small children who are in terror of Daleks, to teenagers who come fully decked out in costume, to a much older crowd who may have been watching since it's original air date. Yes here, I was the outsider.

I can say that I couldn't help but be impressed by the immense detail that goes into creating all the sets and costumes, many of the actual props and clothing being stored in this Experience. If the presence of staff hadn't been so obvious I may have been tempted to pick them up for closer inspection or try on some of the fine garments that hung around the place.

With insights into how things were built and filmed, and characters in the show placed all around you it was hard not to get caught up a little in the mania that this program seems to instil in people.

If we are going to be totally honest I did not leave the museum a changed women, I did not rush home to watch Doctor Who. I have had moments of regret at taking them when I have to listen to the entire experience retold in a detail that would imply that I hadn't been there myself. I can say though that I learned to respect the show runners, I stand in new awe of the foresight that goes into constructing their sets and the craftsmanship that goes into every detail on the show. Is it cheesy, absolutely, but it has become beloved by millions through several generations so who am I to say anything. It was a cool place to see, I may even be willing to go again, enough said.