Packaging that Speaks to Me

"It's me, Parmesan!  And I'm freaking out!"

I love how our Parmesan cheese is a cross between Mr. Bill and a tennis ball.  In our American fridge, this probably would have gone unnoticed . Here, our fridge is quite short, so any item in the door is frequently seen from above.

Pirate Day at St. Peter's Primary

St. Peter's has been celebrating Creativity Week this week.  The kids got to dress as pirates today.  Even the Headteacher and staff were dressed as pirates!

St. George's Flag has been replaced by a pirate flag!

I walked Anna's class of pirates back to school from the local public library where they did pirate themed activities.  I had to quickly take the photo below because the site amazed my American eyes.  Thirty children, two grownups, curvy roads with narrow pavements and blind road intersections.  You can't see or monitor every child let alone five at a time.  To everyone here, these roads are normal and typical.  They are a fact of life and everyone learns to navigate them naturally.  I'm the only one freaking out.

Ahoy there! Mrs. Coupland says stay on the pavement, me hearties!

Why I Love British Garden Centres

An ornament in the shop (photo by Anna)

Like pubs, Garden Centres are a staple of British culture.  Think Dixieline or Nurseryland in the US, but more family friendly.  First, you must traverse an enormous store full of nice quality toys, books, gourmet housewares, and home and garden decor to get to the flowers and plants.  I like valid excuses to shop, and I'm guessing that their prime target markets are not just gardening-types but also grandparents, moms of young kids, and self-identified "homemakers".  Garden Centres usually have a large coffee shop with lunch items, tea time snacks, kids' meals.  There might also be a kids' playground in back or animals roaming around.  Whereas American children are begrudgingly dragged to Dixieline on a Saturday morning, English parents and grandparents take their young ones to Gordale just for fun (and maybe get that grass seed or potting soil on the side).  Oh, and there is a big adjacent parking lot out in front, undeniably another value in a country where parking is at a premium.

Anna, Grandma and I went to Gordale together yesterday.  The three of us had such a nice time browsing in the store, and looking at the flowers and displays.

A peacock!

I like how someone at Gordale has thought about how to make the nursery itself visually interesting.  It is not Dixieline.  Among the flowers and plants are a lot of animal statues and ornaments to spot.  Occasionally, signs ask people to smell certain flowers as if to say don't forget, this is a leisurely outing!

Gardenias that say "Please smell"

One benefit of living in a rainy country is that even a little gardening can yield a big payoff.  So gardening is a big deal.  On my parents' recent visit, my Dad marveled that no one irrigates regularly here.  That was something that I struggled to comprehend too, as sprinklers and garden hoses and setting timers are just a fact of life in Southern California.  Also, the terms "frontyard" and "backyard" are not part of the vernacular; instead, people have a "frontgarden" or "backgarden", which captures the smaller size and assumption that yes, there will be flowers.  Flowers are also more noticeable in a smaller space, so why not plant them?  As a parallel, I often buy indoor flowers here because you really see and can appreciate them when you walk into a room.  In our open-plan American house, flowers can get a bit lost.

A little San Diego on the Wirral

Speaking of America, I like how Gordale has a warm indoor room with plants that look distinctively San Diegan-- bougainvillea, gardenias, hibiscus, cacti of every description...  I imagine these survive as greenhouse or indoor plants here.  John's mom said that when she first flew into San Diego to visit my parents, she thought she "landed in Gordale!"  

After our leisurely shop around (which included me trying on some quilted jackets), we went to the cafe for tea and cake.  We left tired but happy, and with a box of grass seed for Grandpa.

Little animal ornaments to entertain the kids

Harrogate Then and Now

Michael (age 1), sabbatical #1

Michael (8) and Anna (6), sabbatical #2

Betty's (Nov. 2005)

Betty's (March 2013)

Michael and friend (2006)

Michael and friend with siblings (2013)

Anna's British Accent

Anna's American accent has been slowly replaced by British-sounding words and inflections.  She was 5 when we arrived in Heswall, and she is now 95% of the way there, or "theh-ah", as she'd say.  I especially like how she pronounces the word chocolate as "choh-co-lt" and tulip as "tyulip".  She is also very "fond of" a lot of things, as she says, "Isn't it lovely?", pronouncing each "t" as a passing whisper.  

Michael, who was nearly 8 when we arrived still sounds very American.  I recall learning that age 8 is the cutoff for learning languages readily, that language is absorbed more easily in younger years.  So theh-ah you have it.  

Marketing the "Great British Summer"

Marks & Spencer has changed the packaging on some of its food to reflect the season-- "Great British Summer".  I bought teacakes back in January, and this packaging is now charming its way back into my shopping basket.

Heaven in a package.  (Next to Triscuits.)

P.S.  If you don't know what teacakes are, they are a little slice of heaven.  Marshmallow on a chocolate biscuit/cookie, enrobed in chocolate.  They are individually wrapped in colorful foil, thank goodness, to slow you down.

New Norms

Having lived here for eight months now, here are a few things I do seemingly automatically these days:

• Look to the right first when crossing a road;
• Go to the driver's side door when driving and the passenger's side when "passenging";
• Drive on the left, probably a good one to normalizet;
• Park with wheels up on the curb;
• Recognize and count coins without freaking out at the cash register;
• Bag my own groceries (and not place bags on the conveyor belt as I would at Wegmans);
• Eat with the fork in left hand with tines down and cut with the right;
• Leave without bussing my own table;
• Label dates with day/month/year;
• Apologize when someone else bumps into me;
• Apologize and thank at any opportunity available;
• Turn on the kettle;
• Ask guests if they'd like a cup of tea;
• Comment on the weather.