Our House, is a Very, Very, Very Nice House....

But, instead of two cats in the yard, it's two dogs.

Now that you'll be singing that song the rest of the day....

I never showed you photos of our house, did I?

When I travel, I don't really like to do the attractions. I'll do a few, but my real interest is the local people and local surroundings. What do the houses look like? What do they look like on the inside? What about stores?? And I don't mean the tourist garb, postcard kind of stores. I mean, where do locals shop for clothes, groceries and everyday items. Well, I will indulge you with pictures and a description of our little house to fulfill the voyeur in you.

We're not quite sure the age of the structure. We asked our landlord and he just said it was over a hundred years old. Not much more elaboration than that. And I know that's probably not that old to the English, but to Americans... it's pretty damned old. We tear things down and build newer and bigger without a second thought. But no matter how new or big, it can't replace the charm or history.

That said, charm is getting COLD. Along with a 100-year old structure, we have 100-year old windows. However, the interior has been recently updated and we have all the modern conveniences that a new house might have (except double-glazed windows). There are still period features that make you like the place, but then there are things like a side-by-side refrigerator that make you like it even more.

Our place is furnished almost exclusively with IKEA furnishings. Filling in with things I've picked up at other stores. We didn't ship any of our furniture from home because when looking online, most places were furnished. Leave it to us to go with one of the few that wasn't. Besides, our furniture would not have fit anyway. The rooms are much smaller and I find that big bulky, oversized pieces just don't work or fit. Going from 2,500 square feet to less than 1,000 means I got to buy all new stuff. Ikea was great because it fit the bill. Short-term and cheaper than most. Though, I must admit, I'm really impressed with the quality for the price. And I can now work a hex key like no other (I'm stealing that line from Kai). The only furniture we did ship was Will's crib and changing table. I'm so glad that we did because cribs, or cots as they are called here, are much shorter and styled differently than I had imagined his nursery.

We have what is called a semi-detached house. In Texas, it would probably be called a quadplex. Maybe in the northern states, it would also be called a house or maybe a row-house (think San Francisco or NYC), but not sure. Four houses share one roof. Well, the number varies, but in our case, it is four. Each house is individually owned, and each one has their own front and rear garden space. We are "semi" detached because our house is on the end. Also, I think it is called a house because we occupy both the lower and upper floors. I found out that a two-floor conversion (once a house, now two separate living spaces) is referred to as a flat. Detached houses are not as common, but I've noticed that a lot of the newer structures are detached. In London, detached is very rare and I'm sure for the very rich. In areas like Chiswick, what were once detached houses are mostly two-floor conversions... you know, flats.

We are enjoying our time here on the Tilt... and hope that a lot of you might get the opportunity to see our little place in person!

I'm not sure how many photos I can put on the blog, so I'm attaching a link to my flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrtx1/sets/72157625080013090/

A Few Observations

I've been trying to remember to jot down things that, even though they aren't big things, are just kind of bizarre to Americans. At home in the US, I'm sure we have quirks and oddities that are just a way of life, not a second thought to it. But a foreigner might roll their eyes at and question it. Of course, I can't think of a single one... because we have it right. (I'm saying the word "sarcasm" in my sing-song voice, but not quite sure which font to use to get that point accross.)

(Or am I??)

DISCLAIMER: To any British friends (if they read this), these are not insults. Just differences and slight irritations. Insert winking face here.

I hate not being able to go to the grocery store late at night. At home, it was an early Sunday morning ritual. Though I was never a late shopper, I enjoyed having the convenience of shopping late if I wanted to or needed to (night before Thanksgiving comes to mind). But now because of a baby, I would prefer to go at night when Scott is home.

Unfortunately, the grocery stores close at 8:00PM (4:00PM on Sundays) and if you wait until closing time, odds are you won't get some items on your list because that stuff is G-O-N-E. There is one store called Tesco, in another village a short drive away, that advertises to be open 24-hours. However, we discovered that on Sunday, 24-hours means they close at 4PM and weekdays it means 10PM. WTH??

I also miss the convenience of one-stop-shopping. I mean, as a small business owner (at one time), I kind of appreciate the fact that the grocery stores in England aren't trying to dip into everyone else's business. However, when the other stores shut down at 5PM, it makes me not really give a crap. If the other stores want the business, they would extend their hours. Households with two working adults must really be out of luck, because I know they aren't getting home before 6PM. Oh, in things in London aren't much better. I think stores pretty much shut down at 7PM. I guess London is a town that sleeps.

Another thing that is slightly irritating is the tv selection. I'm noticing this more now that I'm in the house with an infant. We went with satellite to get the most channels, yet there is nothing on. I know, I know... we say this at home, too. But, there seems to be a lot of repeats. And I'm not talking replaying the shows once the season is over. I'm talking playing three episodes of one show, then seeing the same three on another channel and THEN the same three played on the first channel later that afternoon. And these are shows that probably have about ten seasons or more. I don't get it! Family Guy comes on at night, two episodes in a row. I can almost bet you twenty-dollars that if you watch it all week, you'll see at least one episode twice, maybe three times.

Still scratching my head at some of the way things are done with NHS. I now take Will in for bi-weekly weigh-ins. This is fine and dandy, but these clinics are once a week and about a 2-hour window. If you don't get an appointment, then you are driving to another village. Also, Will has his 8-week GP appointment in a couple weeks. But, I have to take him in for his weight and measurements the day before. They can't do this during his appointment?? I'm glad I'm not a working mom. Though, in the UK, I think there are no working moms at 8-weeks. They are fortunate that they get a very long maternity leave. Still completely freaked out about having to carry his records with me. What if I lose them? What if we have a house fire? What if a tornado blows through? What if the dog eats them??

Okay, gripes over. Here are the hearts:

Towel Warmers. Enough said.

Flowers are cheap. I buy flowers at the grocery store every week. For once in my life, I have fresh flowers on the table all the time. And this is coming from someone that has either owned a flower shop or worked in the industry. For all of her adult life.

I love how green it is here. And not just the grass outside... I'm talking about the environment. EVERYONE uses their own bags at the store.

If you don't compost, you have food bins to keep under your sink so that the county can compost your old food scraps - not filling up landfills with old food and putting it to good use. The selection of cleaning and everyday products that are enviro-friendly seem to be larger here than in the US. Garbage is only picked up every other week, so you either have to think of ways to cut back on garbage, or take it to the dump yourself. And that place was impressive. You have to sort your own waste so that as much can be recycled as possible.

Here are some of my new food loves. At our first farmers market, we discovered Anila's. Anila's has a really large selection of curries, pickles and sauces. My mother is hooked on her Chili Pickle. That stuff is hot. Finally, someone says something is hot and means it. My favorite is the Tindoori Pickle. I bought a jar and put it on everything. By day two, the jar was gone and I found myself on her website hunting down the other area markets she attends because I couldn't wait a month to get another jar. Here's her link:

http://www.anilassauces.com/

Sweet corn season has hit. It seems really strange to be buying really fresh corn in late September. At home, this season is around July. But, it is SWEET and it is GOOD. Because I've rarely see it in the stores until now, we are having corn like once a week.

Custard. Wow. This stuff is good. Not at all what we call custard at home. It's a much thinner consistency. It tastes like warm vanilla pudding right off the stove. Except you buy it in a carton at the store, warm it and pour it over cake or fruit. I like it cold and could easily sit and eat the entire thing. I haven't yet, but I know I'm quite capable of it.

People, Americans and Brits, keep asking me what I miss most. Besides the obvious friends and family, I always draw a blank... so, I must not be missing that much. However, on occasion I think of things and I try to make note. I'll list a few now, and save some for future posts:

-a garbage disposal (yet, this contradicts my composting statement above)

-American toilets (some of you might know what I'm talking about, Willis)

-REAL shopping malls

-Nordstrom's shoe department

-Longhorn football - we have perfect football weather (even puts me in the mood)

-Seeing the Rangers play in person (of all years, dammit!! Thank goodness for ESPN-US)

-the MINI. Not liking the Peugeot driving experience.

-USDA beef (but, you can't beat the lamb here)

-Sprinkles, Marco's & Scotty P's.

-a sprayer on the kitchen sink

Like I said... just a few from my list (gripes, loves and misses). I'll save some for another date.

Let's see... it's 9:45AM. Let's see how long William might give me to get dressed this morning. I'm betting I get about 10-minutes before he decides he's hungry. I had better hurry!

Bopka & Pop

Just a quick update on our past week. My dad and step-mother came for a visit. Daddy and Pat arrived on Sunday and left the following Saturday. I was so afraid that they would not make the journey over. Pat hates to fly on long flights. My dad prefers the road trip, despite the fact that he served in the Air Force. Of course, that could be the reason. He discovered Southwest for quick trips to Albuquerque, but prior to that, I think his last flight might have been during his service years.

Scott and I decided to pick places to take the folks to that involved us going by car. With a baby, this is just the easiest way to go. I haven't maneuvered the train yet with a stroller, and I'm not looking forward to it. With most of our trips being by car, this also knocked London out (for all of us to go). Scott is an excellent driver, but even he refuses to drive in London. And as for me... let's just say that I haven't tapped my side mirrors on anyone else's car, but that doesn't mean I'm ready for London driving, either. So, we chose Windsor Castle and Bath as our two day trips. Windsor was great and I highly recommend it, as long as it's times where the Queen IS NOT there. From what I understand, the state rooms are not open during her presence. And those are what you want to see. Bath was a very pretty town, and of course there are the Roman Baths. But, my favorite part was the drive there. The stretch between the highway and the actual town was amazing. I'm ready to go back with my camera.

Scott took Daddy and Pat into London for a day while I stayed home with William. It sounds like they saw a lot of things in one day and I think their favorite part was Abbey Road. It was one of the few things my dad requested to see and I'm so glad they made it up there. And yes, they took pictures crossing the street.

I'm so glad that Daddy and Pat got to see William before he got much older. Even though my dad is already a grandfather, he's glad there's finally a boy to "take on all those girls." Talk of golf lessons are already on the table and I'm sure the first set of clubs will be in Will's near future. Grandparents are great and it's nice to have them here to help out. I'm sure William will enjoy his stays at Bopka & Pop's. That poor tire swing and Pop will never get a break.

And William. Wow. He is changing so fast! He has started to become a little animated. Working up his first smile - and then pulling it off for real! I got pictures of the event... and can I tell you that I have to look at that picture all the time. It melts my heart. If I weren't in love with him before, then I am now. He doesn't sleep much during the day, and somehow that prevents Mommy from getting much done. Some days that includes getting dressed. I keep promising myself morning walks, but somehow snuggling in bed sounds a little better. Mornings are getting a little nippy and babies are just so warm.