Fall is certainly here. The leaves are changing & the temps are getting cooler. We have had the heat on pretty much since the middle of October. We need it to take the chill out of the air. Time changed this past weekend so now there is only about 9 hours of daylight & this time will get shorter. I am not looking forward to that! I like my sun and really haven't seen enough of it in the past couple weeks. We took a ride to the top of Cwmcarn Forest this past weekend and saw some wonderful fall colors.
Aaron & I are still getting out and seeing the sites. We went to the Tintern Abbey and Chepstow Castle. Both were amazing. I still need to post those pictures on Facebook. We also went to Bath, England for a beer festival. The beer festival was very small. The fall beers here are dark, heavy, & bitter. Not my cup of tea but Aaron sure enjoyed it. We saw the touring company of Thriller Live. The show is based out of London's west end. It's only in production in the UK. It was great celebration of Michael Jackson and his music from when he was just a lad up to his death. You can see more about it by going to www.thrillerlive.com. Per the website, it looks like there will be a world tour. If that is the case & you are a fan of MJ, this is a must. I want to see it again. It was brilliant!
Sunday we went to London for the NFL game that is played here annually. The Denver Broncos vs. the San Francisco 49ers. It was the battle of the 2 worst teams! (sorry Josh) The game was penalty free for the 1st half which was amazing to me. There were several Americans there which was nice. It was a great taste of home. I think we both realized we like to go to college football games vs. the professional. It was chilly!! We are glad we went. Next year, it will depend on what teams are playing.
I have started baking a lot and from scratch. There just aren't the pre-packaged items like in the States here. I've been successful!! So far nothing burned or horrible. Damn, I just jinxed myself!! I am also planning out menus and making healthy meals every night. And I did get a crock pot so I am super excited to make chili and roasts. I made my Italian beef this past weekend and it tasted exactly the same thanks to my Mom mailing the dry Italian dressing. (Thanks Mom!)There was even pepperchinis here! Woot woot!
The boys are doing great. Hardee has now developed a fear of his kennel which is not good. We are trying different things with him to get him to calm down. While in his kennel, he shakes and shreds his blankets. I am working with our vet on options. I am going to take the holistic approach first. Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup was finally upon us. Years of planning in Wales is now coming to "go" time. The buzz in the air was fantastic but nothing compared to a ND home game! Jason and Amy had a wonderful time. Aaron was having a good time until Saturday afternoon. And myself, well, it could of been better. I was sick for entire event. I got a horrible sinus infection with a fever. I worked on Tuesday then was off until Saturday. Upon coming into work on Tuesday, I did run into the American team practicing and saw Tiger hit his drive & saw golf on Saturday morning but other than that, I saw nothing up close and personal. It was all on TV. I haven't been this sick in quite a while. It was not fun & I am sure it wasn't fun for Aaron & our guests.
On Saturday, Aaron fell at the course. From all the rain on Friday, the spectator area was a muddy mess. The mud, to me, was almost mud volleyball like. Although on Saturday it didn't rain, the course had no time to dry up. People were covered with mud and sliding all over the place. Aaron was on the way to the meeting place where I was to meet him when I was done with my shift. Part of the temporary walking path sunk into the mud and he sprained his right ankle pretty bad and pulled his left leg. He saw the paramedics while at the event and they wrapped up his ankle and said he had a shin splint in the left shin. I felt so bad for him. He was covered in mud and even had some in his hair. It wasn't until Sunday that his left leg really started to bother him. He did go to the doctor here and has been told he has a torn ligament in his left leg. Aaron was unable to go back for any Sunday or Monday play. Someone is going to hear about this at the Ryder Cup!
Anyways, I have learned a valuable lesson. I will not work an event like this again. The middle of the day shift wasn't the best. It didn't give enough golf watching time. It was hard work for the free ticket. I think I will save this for the younger kids. :)
On Saturday, Aaron fell at the course. From all the rain on Friday, the spectator area was a muddy mess. The mud, to me, was almost mud volleyball like. Although on Saturday it didn't rain, the course had no time to dry up. People were covered with mud and sliding all over the place. Aaron was on the way to the meeting place where I was to meet him when I was done with my shift. Part of the temporary walking path sunk into the mud and he sprained his right ankle pretty bad and pulled his left leg. He saw the paramedics while at the event and they wrapped up his ankle and said he had a shin splint in the left shin. I felt so bad for him. He was covered in mud and even had some in his hair. It wasn't until Sunday that his left leg really started to bother him. He did go to the doctor here and has been told he has a torn ligament in his left leg. Aaron was unable to go back for any Sunday or Monday play. Someone is going to hear about this at the Ryder Cup!
Anyways, I have learned a valuable lesson. I will not work an event like this again. The middle of the day shift wasn't the best. It didn't give enough golf watching time. It was hard work for the free ticket. I think I will save this for the younger kids. :)
It's been a while....
Hello all! Sorry it has been so long since my last post. The past 2 months seemed to have flown by. August started out by us going to London for the Great British Beer Festival. There were 100's of real ales to try. We went on the last day so a lot of beer was out of stock. It was a good event none the less. We then made a trip back to the States for Kari's wedding & to tie up more loose ends. Upon returning to the UK, it was off to the races to get as much done as we can before I started working for the Ryder Cup. Those last days in August are a blur. On Sept. 6th, I started working. It was a manual labor job which I have figured out that I am in no way, shape, or form to do that. The days were long and I was tired when I got home. It took about a week to be able to adjust. It was good to get out of the house & interact with humans vs. dogs. The college kids I worked with were fun. I hope to keep in touch with a few of them. We went to Paris on Sept 22rd for the Jimmy Buffett concert on the 24th. Paris was wonderful. The Buffett concert was awesome. It is in my top 5 best concerts of all time. The opera house held under 2500 people. All of the people we met at the concert were ex-pats. We have made connections and will be visiting. I can't wait for the concert next year! Jason & Amy met us in Paris and came back to Wales for the Ryder Cup. This event deserves a post of its own.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
My car
After a lot of searching, I found a car I would like to purchase. It is a 2002 Nissan Primera. It's a 4 door automatic with only 24,000 miles on it. It was city car for sure since it has such low miles on it. It was clean and didn't smell like cigarette smoke. (Just about EVERYONE smokes here. I needed to make sure I had a car that smelled good!) It also has Sat Nav with it. Now I can get out & about.
Getting insurance here for the car was a pain in the butt. Not many companies would recognize my American license as valid. The few companies I did find wanted to charge me the equivalent $3500 American dollars to cover me. I was a wreck. I then finally found a company that would take my license & take into consideration my 7 yrs of clean driving record from the States. I was able to obtain a letter from my auto insurance company showing I had no claims for 7 yrs. I was so happy. I was able to get my insurance for the equivalent of $750 USD. I was dancing for joy!!
Watch out Wales! I'm loose! But at gas 1.15 GBP per liter, not sure how much driving I will be doing.
Driving lessons
We were told by former ex-Pats to take driving lessons so we can pass the UK driving test. With that being said, we listened and took the advice. We can drive on our American license for a 1yr before we will have to have a UK license. Pretty much you have a year to get the license or u are screwed. And the test changes in October. It will be harder so we thought we better get started.
We were recommended a driving instructor from a gal Aaron works with. He's been an instructor for 20 yrs so we knew we had a pro. We scheduled our lessons on a Friday. Mine at 2pm, Aaron at 3pm. Before I get going, please note I have only driven here ONCE before taking the lesson & 95% of the cars are stick shifts. I am so thankful I know how to drive a stick shift as the instructors car is a stick.
The instructor gets here. Peter is an older man with a nice Ford Fiesta, a very popular car here. I advise him that I have only driven once since I've moved here. He misunderstood and thought I said I have never driven. Once that got cleared up, he had me drive out of my house to town. I'm freaking out & super nervous. We drive around a bit and he asks me to pull over. He tells me I know how to drive but not good enough to pass the test. Peter's job is to get me to break my bad American habits long enough to pass the test. I know this in my head but DAMN! I didn't use the stick shift correctly. I crossed my hands when turning right on the steering wheel which will have me fail the test. He keeps pointing out everything I am doing wrong. This is the 2nd time I have drove! We get to a point where he says I almost hit a car. I lost it. I had to compose myself. I was either going to hit this dude right in the face OR cry. I chose crying. I was so frustrated I wanted to just get out of the car and walk home. After my breakdown, we came home and it was time for Aaron to drive.
Aaron had the same issues as I did; stick shift & turning. However, Aaron drives every day for work & on the weekends. I need a car to practice driving how I need to drive here. We were both super frusterated after the lesson. So we went to the pub, had a beer & came home.
We each have 5 lessons with Peter. He says we should be good to go by then because we can drive but just not like how the UK gov't wants us to!
We were recommended a driving instructor from a gal Aaron works with. He's been an instructor for 20 yrs so we knew we had a pro. We scheduled our lessons on a Friday. Mine at 2pm, Aaron at 3pm. Before I get going, please note I have only driven here ONCE before taking the lesson & 95% of the cars are stick shifts. I am so thankful I know how to drive a stick shift as the instructors car is a stick.
The instructor gets here. Peter is an older man with a nice Ford Fiesta, a very popular car here. I advise him that I have only driven once since I've moved here. He misunderstood and thought I said I have never driven. Once that got cleared up, he had me drive out of my house to town. I'm freaking out & super nervous. We drive around a bit and he asks me to pull over. He tells me I know how to drive but not good enough to pass the test. Peter's job is to get me to break my bad American habits long enough to pass the test. I know this in my head but DAMN! I didn't use the stick shift correctly. I crossed my hands when turning right on the steering wheel which will have me fail the test. He keeps pointing out everything I am doing wrong. This is the 2nd time I have drove! We get to a point where he says I almost hit a car. I lost it. I had to compose myself. I was either going to hit this dude right in the face OR cry. I chose crying. I was so frustrated I wanted to just get out of the car and walk home. After my breakdown, we came home and it was time for Aaron to drive.
Aaron had the same issues as I did; stick shift & turning. However, Aaron drives every day for work & on the weekends. I need a car to practice driving how I need to drive here. We were both super frusterated after the lesson. So we went to the pub, had a beer & came home.
We each have 5 lessons with Peter. He says we should be good to go by then because we can drive but just not like how the UK gov't wants us to!
The doctor
We met our general practitioner about 2 weeks ago. Upon walking into the office, we were greeted by a touch screen to check in. Very simple. You could also check in with a live person if you wanted to. Waiting room was very plain. There were toys there to keep the little ones busy. Waiting for our GP was just like waiting in the States for your doctor....u get there on time and the doctor is running late.
Aaron was called in first. We brought our prescriptions with us so we can get them filled here. Prescriptions are free in Wales so since we are paying in for medical care, we figured we should take advantage of it. It was a quick meeting. Aaron came out and went to another window. I was called immediately after.
Upon walking into the office, it was not what we are use to. It was dark and the carpet was old. White-gray is not the only color u see here. The doctor actually took my blood pressure and entered all the information into the computer. There was an examining table in the room which I was not asked to sit on. I sat in a chair right by him. He was able to track down most of my prescriptions except my muscle relaxer. They use valium here for a muscle relaxer. NO THANKS! I'll get my goods refilled upon my next visit home. I was then given a post it note to go have my height & weight & blood pressure taken. I looked at him and said, "excuse me. Where do I go do this?" He told me to lab window. okay...weird....We are use to having our weight & blood pressure taken immediately. And then the post it!!! Are you kidding me?
Aaron is waiting in the area for the lab. He looked at me with a disgusted look. I could tell he wasn't happy. He told me that we have to make an appointment to have our height, weight, & blood pressure taken. I think my eyes may have bugged out of my head. The gal was trying to have us come back on Monday to get this completed. Aaron was able to talk his way into getting it done the same day. We found out that all patients have to be documented in a time slot. All the time slots were filled but she found somewhere to put us. OKAY...weird...but this is the way they do things here. We both waited about 20 min to get weighted, etc.
It was such a weird experience. The emergency room was more what we were use to vs. the doctors office. We both hope we don't get sick. We have no clue how you get in to see the GP when you are sick. I am sure I will be the 1st one to get sick. I always am. I will certainly post on that debacle!
Aaron was called in first. We brought our prescriptions with us so we can get them filled here. Prescriptions are free in Wales so since we are paying in for medical care, we figured we should take advantage of it. It was a quick meeting. Aaron came out and went to another window. I was called immediately after.
Upon walking into the office, it was not what we are use to. It was dark and the carpet was old. White-gray is not the only color u see here. The doctor actually took my blood pressure and entered all the information into the computer. There was an examining table in the room which I was not asked to sit on. I sat in a chair right by him. He was able to track down most of my prescriptions except my muscle relaxer. They use valium here for a muscle relaxer. NO THANKS! I'll get my goods refilled upon my next visit home. I was then given a post it note to go have my height & weight & blood pressure taken. I looked at him and said, "excuse me. Where do I go do this?" He told me to lab window. okay...weird....We are use to having our weight & blood pressure taken immediately. And then the post it!!! Are you kidding me?
Aaron is waiting in the area for the lab. He looked at me with a disgusted look. I could tell he wasn't happy. He told me that we have to make an appointment to have our height, weight, & blood pressure taken. I think my eyes may have bugged out of my head. The gal was trying to have us come back on Monday to get this completed. Aaron was able to talk his way into getting it done the same day. We found out that all patients have to be documented in a time slot. All the time slots were filled but she found somewhere to put us. OKAY...weird...but this is the way they do things here. We both waited about 20 min to get weighted, etc.
It was such a weird experience. The emergency room was more what we were use to vs. the doctors office. We both hope we don't get sick. We have no clue how you get in to see the GP when you are sick. I am sure I will be the 1st one to get sick. I always am. I will certainly post on that debacle!
Friday, July 9, 2010
The boys favorite spots
The dogs are living the high life here. They have the opportunity to go outside a lot now. We are lucky enough to have an enclosed patio on the front of the house.
Hards loves the sun and takes every opportunity to lay in it. Cabs loves just being outside. Here are some pics of the boys.
Our town Risca
Here is the town we live in, Risca. It's a nice, small town. We enjoy it so far. Nice shops and nice pubs. We found a chiropractor here as well as a place to get our hair cut. It's an easy walk to get to train & town. The park is about a mile from the house. The walk back from town is crazy. We live on a hill. These hills are worse than my parents driveway (for those of you who know what it looks like). Aaron did a good job finding our house and a lovely town. For those of you who would like to know more on the town and its history, please follow this link to wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risca
Sunday, June 27, 2010
I thought we had a deal with the birds!
June 25th...It was a beautiful Friday. The sun was shining & it was warm. Another non-typical Wales summer day. The locals keep telling us this weather is not normal. Generally, there are only 2 weeks of summer, meaning sun & warm weather, & the rest of the time it rains. We are in week 4 of wonderful weather. It was around 1:30pm. The boys needed to go out and take care of some business. We have been taking out the dogs on their retractable leashes each time they needed to go out as Aaron hasn't decided where the best place was to put out the outside tie out. I got the boys ready to go; Cabo's leash in my left hand, Hardee in my right. I open the door. Cabo takes off with me behind. Cabo pulls me out of the door. His retractable leash is locked. He jumped from the door to the yard over the retaining wall. I get slammed into the retaining wall of our garden.
As you can see, there is a lip. My entire left hip got slammed into the wall. My left shoulder is pulled by Cabo's 55lb pull. I look up and there is a pigeon in the back yard. It's on the ground. One would think the thing would fly away. Not me! Nope, the pigeon waddled towards the back of the property where there is an exit to the other yard. I'm thinking in my head, "Fly, damn you, fly! We have a deal!" Since the pigeon was still in the yard and Cabo hasn't killed it, he's still after it. I do not recall how I got into the back yard, but once I got Cabo's attention (meaning the pigeon is gone) all got quite on the western front. The whole time I held onto Cabo's leash. Hardee, I let go. Since Hardee is such a chicken, he cowered in the yard and never moved. Both dogs proceeded to do their business & we went back into the house.
Once in the house, I took inventory of myself. Hip, in pain. Shoulder, in pain. Clothes, filthy. I have scrap marks on my right side. I am just in shock of everything that happened. I get the phone to call Aaron as he is still at work. I can't get ahold of him. I get myself situated in the living room watching mindless TV to keep my mind off the pain. Everytime I move my left hip, it hurts like nothing I've felt before. The dogs leave me alone. Finally, an hour later, Aaron calls. I told him what happened and he's on his way home.
Aaron gets home and we are on our way to the Hospital. Thank God Aaron knows where he is going. We get there & of course we have no clue where to go. Aaron walks around & finds where we are to go. I get car side service to the door and am greeted by a man and a wheelchair. I go inside and get registered. We wait. There appeared to be a few people infront of us. It was HOT in the hospital. Air conditioning is not hospital wide.
I didn't have to wait long to get my initial consultation. I give my vitals. They ask me my pain level. 1-10 scale where 1 is not much and 10 is well, we all know. As much pain I was in, I said 9. That was MY pain level not the scales. Needless to say, I got some good drugs to take away the pain. Morphine, my friends, I got morphine, but it was called something else. Nurse wanted me to have this so by the time the Dr. sees me, they can do a full examination with minimal pain on me. Well, the Dr. saw me 5 min after taking the morphine. Examination occurred & I needed an xray. We had to go OUTSIDE to get to the Xray facilities. It was weird, but the Xray facilities are air conditioned. Please, oh please, let me wait as long as I can in this area. Nope. Pretty quick to get the xray done. By the time the xray is done, the drugs are kicking in full gear. I am giggling & feeling no pain. Back to the HOT waiting room to wait to see the Dr. again. Not a long wait. Nothing broken but huge bruise that will be deep and painful. We are almost out of the place. We had to go and wait for my prescription in the HOT waiting room. (In Wales, the prescriptions are free. After 5pm, all prescriptions are distributed from the hospital.)
The waiting room is HOT. I am still in the wheelchair. Wimbleton is on. I start feeling like I am going to get sick. I ask Aaron to take me to the bathroom. I start sweating like crazy. I get into the bathroom (handicap) & splash water on my face. I look in the mirror and I'm white as a ghost. Aaron already saw that I was going to pass out so he got a nurse and the Dr. who both came & pulled me in back. I got immediate attention & some oxygen. I started to come around. A wonderful side effect to the morphine. What what!! I rock!! NOT! Since I felt nauseated, the nurse gave me shot to help. The shot was in my right thigh in the meaty part. (yes, I have a meaty part to my thigh!)OMG, that hurt! Once I felt better, I was given the okay to go as Aaron was given my prescription. I also received a wonderful pair of crutches. Not the under the armpit kind, the ones where you use your hands. I almost fell leaving the place. Again, I had doorside service and we went home.
I slept great that night. I did feel like I got beat up and was hung over on Saturday morning. But what really bummed me out is Linda, a friend of Carrie Obert, was in town. She called & I wasn't able to make it to hang out with her. A lot was going on in Cardiff. It was the Armed Forces Day parade. Prince Charles was in town. There was a bunch of things going on in the Bay too. Not to forget Paul McCartney was in town Saturday night. I spent a beautiful Saturday on the couch rotating ice off of my hip.
This morning...this is what we woke up to:
Birds and the Potters are not friends right now!
As you can see, there is a lip. My entire left hip got slammed into the wall. My left shoulder is pulled by Cabo's 55lb pull. I look up and there is a pigeon in the back yard. It's on the ground. One would think the thing would fly away. Not me! Nope, the pigeon waddled towards the back of the property where there is an exit to the other yard. I'm thinking in my head, "Fly, damn you, fly! We have a deal!" Since the pigeon was still in the yard and Cabo hasn't killed it, he's still after it. I do not recall how I got into the back yard, but once I got Cabo's attention (meaning the pigeon is gone) all got quite on the western front. The whole time I held onto Cabo's leash. Hardee, I let go. Since Hardee is such a chicken, he cowered in the yard and never moved. Both dogs proceeded to do their business & we went back into the house.
Once in the house, I took inventory of myself. Hip, in pain. Shoulder, in pain. Clothes, filthy. I have scrap marks on my right side. I am just in shock of everything that happened. I get the phone to call Aaron as he is still at work. I can't get ahold of him. I get myself situated in the living room watching mindless TV to keep my mind off the pain. Everytime I move my left hip, it hurts like nothing I've felt before. The dogs leave me alone. Finally, an hour later, Aaron calls. I told him what happened and he's on his way home.
Aaron gets home and we are on our way to the Hospital. Thank God Aaron knows where he is going. We get there & of course we have no clue where to go. Aaron walks around & finds where we are to go. I get car side service to the door and am greeted by a man and a wheelchair. I go inside and get registered. We wait. There appeared to be a few people infront of us. It was HOT in the hospital. Air conditioning is not hospital wide.
I didn't have to wait long to get my initial consultation. I give my vitals. They ask me my pain level. 1-10 scale where 1 is not much and 10 is well, we all know. As much pain I was in, I said 9. That was MY pain level not the scales. Needless to say, I got some good drugs to take away the pain. Morphine, my friends, I got morphine, but it was called something else. Nurse wanted me to have this so by the time the Dr. sees me, they can do a full examination with minimal pain on me. Well, the Dr. saw me 5 min after taking the morphine. Examination occurred & I needed an xray. We had to go OUTSIDE to get to the Xray facilities. It was weird, but the Xray facilities are air conditioned. Please, oh please, let me wait as long as I can in this area. Nope. Pretty quick to get the xray done. By the time the xray is done, the drugs are kicking in full gear. I am giggling & feeling no pain. Back to the HOT waiting room to wait to see the Dr. again. Not a long wait. Nothing broken but huge bruise that will be deep and painful. We are almost out of the place. We had to go and wait for my prescription in the HOT waiting room. (In Wales, the prescriptions are free. After 5pm, all prescriptions are distributed from the hospital.)
The waiting room is HOT. I am still in the wheelchair. Wimbleton is on. I start feeling like I am going to get sick. I ask Aaron to take me to the bathroom. I start sweating like crazy. I get into the bathroom (handicap) & splash water on my face. I look in the mirror and I'm white as a ghost. Aaron already saw that I was going to pass out so he got a nurse and the Dr. who both came & pulled me in back. I got immediate attention & some oxygen. I started to come around. A wonderful side effect to the morphine. What what!! I rock!! NOT! Since I felt nauseated, the nurse gave me shot to help. The shot was in my right thigh in the meaty part. (yes, I have a meaty part to my thigh!)OMG, that hurt! Once I felt better, I was given the okay to go as Aaron was given my prescription. I also received a wonderful pair of crutches. Not the under the armpit kind, the ones where you use your hands. I almost fell leaving the place. Again, I had doorside service and we went home.
I slept great that night. I did feel like I got beat up and was hung over on Saturday morning. But what really bummed me out is Linda, a friend of Carrie Obert, was in town. She called & I wasn't able to make it to hang out with her. A lot was going on in Cardiff. It was the Armed Forces Day parade. Prince Charles was in town. There was a bunch of things going on in the Bay too. Not to forget Paul McCartney was in town Saturday night. I spent a beautiful Saturday on the couch rotating ice off of my hip.
This morning...this is what we woke up to:
Birds and the Potters are not friends right now!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I have to recycle food waste!!!
This country is very, very big on recycling and reducing waste all together. We have a 3 page document explaining the differences in our refuse collection.
1)Recycling. It's a little different here. You just don't have to look at the number on the plastic, pretty much all plastic can be recycled unless specifically told on the packaging. Most packages tell you if you can recycle it. Some containers state that the plastic part cannot be recycled but the paper shell can be. It's a pain but I'm all for it. Working for the sanitation dept for the City for those years did teach me a lot & that's a lesson (and smell) I will never forget. Paper & the like are the same.
2)Trash. This is the regular items that you cannot recycle. It's pretty much the same except for one thing: food waste.
3)Food Waste. Yes, we HAVE to recycle our food waste here. We have been given 2 caddies. One is for the house which is smaller. The second is a larger and stays outside. The larger caddie locked so vermin and animals cannot get in it. There are compostable baggies that can be purchased at the post office to try & keep things tidy. Good luck! OMG, it is the one recycling item that makes me want to hurl.
Food waste & recycling get picked up weekly. Trash gets picked up every other week.
There was a story on the BBC news that Wales wants to increase recycling to 70% by 2025 & recycle all waste by 2050. There are some European countries that are already at recycling 67% of its waste. Wales is at approx. 53%. Local governments are fined if items are entered into the landfill that shouldn't. I like the fact that I live in a place that pushes this "green" lifestyle. Aaron & I recycle more than we generate regular trash so it's not an issue for us. If fines were put in place in the States for fines, I bet South Beloit would be able to recycle curbside!
1)Recycling. It's a little different here. You just don't have to look at the number on the plastic, pretty much all plastic can be recycled unless specifically told on the packaging. Most packages tell you if you can recycle it. Some containers state that the plastic part cannot be recycled but the paper shell can be. It's a pain but I'm all for it. Working for the sanitation dept for the City for those years did teach me a lot & that's a lesson (and smell) I will never forget. Paper & the like are the same.
2)Trash. This is the regular items that you cannot recycle. It's pretty much the same except for one thing: food waste.
3)Food Waste. Yes, we HAVE to recycle our food waste here. We have been given 2 caddies. One is for the house which is smaller. The second is a larger and stays outside. The larger caddie locked so vermin and animals cannot get in it. There are compostable baggies that can be purchased at the post office to try & keep things tidy. Good luck! OMG, it is the one recycling item that makes me want to hurl.
Food waste & recycling get picked up weekly. Trash gets picked up every other week.
There was a story on the BBC news that Wales wants to increase recycling to 70% by 2025 & recycle all waste by 2050. There are some European countries that are already at recycling 67% of its waste. Wales is at approx. 53%. Local governments are fined if items are entered into the landfill that shouldn't. I like the fact that I live in a place that pushes this "green" lifestyle. Aaron & I recycle more than we generate regular trash so it's not an issue for us. If fines were put in place in the States for fines, I bet South Beloit would be able to recycle curbside!
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Post Office
Going to the post office here to mail a letter is nothing like the States. In the States, you go in, get your postage, have a nice chat with the mail person, pay & leave without much hassle. Here, it's not so much the same.
The Post Offices here handle much more than mail. You can purchase crappy souvenir cups, toys, mail items & purchase other tangible items. You can also pay for your car taxes there. I was told that the post offices in the UK are different than the US but I didn't expect this. While standing in line, I thought these were the only items that were sold. The line is horrible. The PO is small & hot. As I get closer to the register, I see there are 3 available check out clerks. All of them are behind thick glass with the pass through slots at the bottom on the counter (like the ticket booths). Each station has a scale on the outside to weigh the mail. There was an older gentleman in front of me in to mail a letter. I was watching what he does so when I got to the register, I would have some resemblance of I knew what I was doing because at that moment I felt lost. The man purchased a stamp & was getting ready to leave when the clerk asked him if he was going on holiday this year. The man said he was going to Egypt for 2 weeks. LET THE SALES PITCH BEGIN!! It was like being trapped at a time share presentation in Mexico when they say it will only take 2 hours...2 Mexico hours! The Clerk was trying to sell this man travel insurance. (Over here, you pretty much want insurance for everything so you can CYA whenever possible.) The man kept telling the clerk that he has insurance and doesn't need his. The clerk kept hammering him that the Post Office has the cheapest rates. When the man won the insurance battle, the clerk was then asking him about using credit cards abroad saying the Post Office gives you better rates than your credit card and we don't charge you fees. I wanted to step in to save this old man. He doesn't have time for this. None of us do. We just want to mail our crap and leave.
The old man finally got his way and got out of there without purchasing anything other than his postage. I was so lucky but to get the same clerk the old man had. Of course, I have my American accent so I knew I was screwed when stepping up to the window. I told the clerk I had no clue what I was doing and he helped me. He was actually nice. After I paid I thought to myself, I am actually getting out of here without a sales pitch. Why did I have to think that? The clerk then asks me if I call the States. I wanted to say no but I know he wouldn't of believed me. I said yes. He then went into some tangent about calling cards. I told him I had everything covered when calling home. He then went on to tell me that the Post Office offers home phone service and I could get unlimited free calls all weekend to the States. The first thought was the Post Office sells home phone service! I was taken aback by that. I told him I have it handled and just left at that point. I dread the next visit to the Post Office. I will have to go on a Saturday morning so Aaron can experience this debacle.
The Post Offices here handle much more than mail. You can purchase crappy souvenir cups, toys, mail items & purchase other tangible items. You can also pay for your car taxes there. I was told that the post offices in the UK are different than the US but I didn't expect this. While standing in line, I thought these were the only items that were sold. The line is horrible. The PO is small & hot. As I get closer to the register, I see there are 3 available check out clerks. All of them are behind thick glass with the pass through slots at the bottom on the counter (like the ticket booths). Each station has a scale on the outside to weigh the mail. There was an older gentleman in front of me in to mail a letter. I was watching what he does so when I got to the register, I would have some resemblance of I knew what I was doing because at that moment I felt lost. The man purchased a stamp & was getting ready to leave when the clerk asked him if he was going on holiday this year. The man said he was going to Egypt for 2 weeks. LET THE SALES PITCH BEGIN!! It was like being trapped at a time share presentation in Mexico when they say it will only take 2 hours...2 Mexico hours! The Clerk was trying to sell this man travel insurance. (Over here, you pretty much want insurance for everything so you can CYA whenever possible.) The man kept telling the clerk that he has insurance and doesn't need his. The clerk kept hammering him that the Post Office has the cheapest rates. When the man won the insurance battle, the clerk was then asking him about using credit cards abroad saying the Post Office gives you better rates than your credit card and we don't charge you fees. I wanted to step in to save this old man. He doesn't have time for this. None of us do. We just want to mail our crap and leave.
The old man finally got his way and got out of there without purchasing anything other than his postage. I was so lucky but to get the same clerk the old man had. Of course, I have my American accent so I knew I was screwed when stepping up to the window. I told the clerk I had no clue what I was doing and he helped me. He was actually nice. After I paid I thought to myself, I am actually getting out of here without a sales pitch. Why did I have to think that? The clerk then asks me if I call the States. I wanted to say no but I know he wouldn't of believed me. I said yes. He then went into some tangent about calling cards. I told him I had everything covered when calling home. He then went on to tell me that the Post Office offers home phone service and I could get unlimited free calls all weekend to the States. The first thought was the Post Office sells home phone service! I was taken aback by that. I told him I have it handled and just left at that point. I dread the next visit to the Post Office. I will have to go on a Saturday morning so Aaron can experience this debacle.
American furniture + UK sized homes= A little bit of stress
We got our furniture & things yesterday. We were very happy to finally be settling in. It didn't rain at all which was brilliant. (that's right, I used it!) There was a lot of boxes and really wasn't sure what was in them. However when it came to our furniture coming into the house, we knew we were in trouble.
We brought our brown living room furniture; the couch, love seat, and the chaise. The couch & love seat takes up a good chunk of space to begin with. When you add a radiator sticking out of the wall, it makes things HARD. Needless to say, the chaise is not currently in the living room area. It's actually in the dining room which Aaron says is going to be the game room. Everything on the 1st floor fit except kitchen items and I'll get to that in a bit.
Our Cali king bed.....the UK doesn't have that size bed here. The largest bed is the equivalent to our king. Aaron has been saying the mattress would not fit up the stair case. (The staircase curves. It's not a good design when moving furniture or carrying laundry.) The movers were doubtful that the mattress would make it up the stairs. Well, they got it up there. I had to leave the area as this mattress cost us a pretty penny & any dirt marks or rips voids the warranty. (I'm completly sure taking the mattress across the ocean voids any warranty but a girl can dream.) Well, the mattress has a rip on the underside and there is some dirt marks on it. 10 yr warranty voided in 10 min. There was also some damage done to the stair area. Builders still use plaster here, no sheet rock. There are a couple chunks out of the ceiling that call for repairing. I think we will call in the professionals to fix this.
The kitchen....I would hope that I am like most women when it comes to the items in their kitchen that it's very hard to decide what you are going to use in the next 3yrs. I pretty much brought my pots & pans, a lot of my Pampered Chef stuff, & well, WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!!! The movers unpacked for us and just put everything on a surface for us to clean/put away. And for anyone who has had professional movers move them you know how much paper you end up with. It was a blessing they took all the cardboard and paper. After about an hour of the guy in the kitchen, I decided to go check on him. I walked in the room and about fell over. What was I thinking? The cupboards here are much smaller in width & depth & there are not that many. I don't have a pantry like I did in Roscoe. I'm so screwed. None of my cookie sheets fit in the oven. I wish someone would of told me that the ovens here are smaller. I do have a box of kitchen stuff that needs to come back to the States at some point. I am thankful I have a dishwasher. They are rare for these parts. If I had to wash all this crap by hand, I would not be a happy camper.
Clothes....We both went through our clothes and shoes before coming here. Aaron even left clothes & shoes at home. (You know he can't part with basketball shoes!) The movers kept bringing in boxes marked clothes. Since there are no closets here, we planned on turning the smallest bedroom into a closet. Great plan for not that many clothes. For the amount we have, we are in some serious trouble. We are going to have to go through everything again.
We look at all the stuff that came with us. These are the things we needed to live for 3 yrs. We only brough a 1/4 of our stuff. The other 3/4 is in storage. It makes you ask yourself, do we really need ALL those things to live? I think of how much stuff we hardly used and didn't come with us. And then I look at all this kitchen stuff!!! I think I should start taking cooking lessons & put this crap to good use!
We brought our brown living room furniture; the couch, love seat, and the chaise. The couch & love seat takes up a good chunk of space to begin with. When you add a radiator sticking out of the wall, it makes things HARD. Needless to say, the chaise is not currently in the living room area. It's actually in the dining room which Aaron says is going to be the game room. Everything on the 1st floor fit except kitchen items and I'll get to that in a bit.
Our Cali king bed.....the UK doesn't have that size bed here. The largest bed is the equivalent to our king. Aaron has been saying the mattress would not fit up the stair case. (The staircase curves. It's not a good design when moving furniture or carrying laundry.) The movers were doubtful that the mattress would make it up the stairs. Well, they got it up there. I had to leave the area as this mattress cost us a pretty penny & any dirt marks or rips voids the warranty. (I'm completly sure taking the mattress across the ocean voids any warranty but a girl can dream.) Well, the mattress has a rip on the underside and there is some dirt marks on it. 10 yr warranty voided in 10 min. There was also some damage done to the stair area. Builders still use plaster here, no sheet rock. There are a couple chunks out of the ceiling that call for repairing. I think we will call in the professionals to fix this.
The kitchen....I would hope that I am like most women when it comes to the items in their kitchen that it's very hard to decide what you are going to use in the next 3yrs. I pretty much brought my pots & pans, a lot of my Pampered Chef stuff, & well, WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!!! The movers unpacked for us and just put everything on a surface for us to clean/put away. And for anyone who has had professional movers move them you know how much paper you end up with. It was a blessing they took all the cardboard and paper. After about an hour of the guy in the kitchen, I decided to go check on him. I walked in the room and about fell over. What was I thinking? The cupboards here are much smaller in width & depth & there are not that many. I don't have a pantry like I did in Roscoe. I'm so screwed. None of my cookie sheets fit in the oven. I wish someone would of told me that the ovens here are smaller. I do have a box of kitchen stuff that needs to come back to the States at some point. I am thankful I have a dishwasher. They are rare for these parts. If I had to wash all this crap by hand, I would not be a happy camper.
Clothes....We both went through our clothes and shoes before coming here. Aaron even left clothes & shoes at home. (You know he can't part with basketball shoes!) The movers kept bringing in boxes marked clothes. Since there are no closets here, we planned on turning the smallest bedroom into a closet. Great plan for not that many clothes. For the amount we have, we are in some serious trouble. We are going to have to go through everything again.
We look at all the stuff that came with us. These are the things we needed to live for 3 yrs. We only brough a 1/4 of our stuff. The other 3/4 is in storage. It makes you ask yourself, do we really need ALL those things to live? I think of how much stuff we hardly used and didn't come with us. And then I look at all this kitchen stuff!!! I think I should start taking cooking lessons & put this crap to good use!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Are you from America?
This is the question we get asked everytime we go somewhere. Aaron has started asking, "what gave it away?" We found out that there are not many sushi restaurants in these parts. I only found 3 within the Cardiff area. When Aaron asked at work where a good sushi restaurant was, he was told they don't like to eat raw fish here. Okay, but do you know where we can get some? As luck would have it, we found a restaurant by the Cardiff Central railstation. We were not given the sushi menu & had to ask for it. After we got our drinks, we were asked the wonderful question. We were told it was the way we said pot. Okay, really, I don't believe you but if this is the nicest thing you can say, I'm okay with it.
Our most favorite one, at this time, is from Saturday and the Wales Open. We were walking out of the golf course to the shuttle bus. We were just walking and not talking. A passing golf cart backfired & it could of resemble a gun shot. It made everyone around us jump including us. The man who was next to us said, "You should be use to that sound from where you come from." We weren't even talking and we were pegged as Americans! We were dressed normal. I don't believe any Cub gear was with us. It also made us feel super good that Europeans know there are a lot of guns in the States. We were so proud of that. NOT! That is something that just needs to change.
Our most favorite one, at this time, is from Saturday and the Wales Open. We were walking out of the golf course to the shuttle bus. We were just walking and not talking. A passing golf cart backfired & it could of resemble a gun shot. It made everyone around us jump including us. The man who was next to us said, "You should be use to that sound from where you come from." We weren't even talking and we were pegged as Americans! We were dressed normal. I don't believe any Cub gear was with us. It also made us feel super good that Europeans know there are a lot of guns in the States. We were so proud of that. NOT! That is something that just needs to change.
In the beginning.....
In moving to the UK, we were not sure what to expect. We were happy that we share English as a language, however, it is very different. Like when someone says goodbye, I believe they say, "ta da," or it could be, "ta ta," but not sure. Brilliant means awesome. Fit means hot like you are sexy hot. We both still have a hard time understanding folks with the Welsh accent. It seems we can understand people from England better.
The size of things are different here. Everything is bigger in America & it's not just the cars it's the people. For example, the size of the shower. With Aaron being so big, he just doesn't fit well. I am also curious as to how women shave their legs. I feel like an awkward teenager making out because my arms hit the glass doors & the tile walls constantly. It's like I have no clue what I am doing! The standard specs of height here must be that most people are no taller than 5'10". The house is smaller. The cars are smaller. The tables at restaurants are smaller. I feel like a giant at times. Aaron feels like a super giant.
McDonalds actually has a month of American food at the stores. (Um, McDonalds IS American food. I've had the Big Mac. It's exactly the same.) It's the month of May. The commercial cracks me up. It starts with American football players vs. Soccer players. Of course, the football team is much larger. The next cut is to a Baywatch reference with several men & women dressed in their orange best running through a community pool. This one is my favorite as some "things are much larger." Then to the monster truck with a bobby (copper) trying to put a ticket on the windshield. What upsets me most about this shot is that there is a IL plate on the monster truck! Is that what they think of Illinoians? The last shot is the sandwich of the week. It usually consists of a hamburger & bacon. It looks like the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. Never ate one of the speciality sandwiches. It's just NOT American. The names are pathetic; Miami Melt, New York Griller...Can someone please be a little more inventive?
The size of things are different here. Everything is bigger in America & it's not just the cars it's the people. For example, the size of the shower. With Aaron being so big, he just doesn't fit well. I am also curious as to how women shave their legs. I feel like an awkward teenager making out because my arms hit the glass doors & the tile walls constantly. It's like I have no clue what I am doing! The standard specs of height here must be that most people are no taller than 5'10". The house is smaller. The cars are smaller. The tables at restaurants are smaller. I feel like a giant at times. Aaron feels like a super giant.
McDonalds actually has a month of American food at the stores. (Um, McDonalds IS American food. I've had the Big Mac. It's exactly the same.) It's the month of May. The commercial cracks me up. It starts with American football players vs. Soccer players. Of course, the football team is much larger. The next cut is to a Baywatch reference with several men & women dressed in their orange best running through a community pool. This one is my favorite as some "things are much larger." Then to the monster truck with a bobby (copper) trying to put a ticket on the windshield. What upsets me most about this shot is that there is a IL plate on the monster truck! Is that what they think of Illinoians? The last shot is the sandwich of the week. It usually consists of a hamburger & bacon. It looks like the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. Never ate one of the speciality sandwiches. It's just NOT American. The names are pathetic; Miami Melt, New York Griller...Can someone please be a little more inventive?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Welcome!
This is our blog to document our lives while living abroad. This is all new to me so please be patient.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)