Day in West Sussex
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
It's Tuesday. It's 2:22 pm. I am at home eating pistacios and listening to the radio. I've turned it off now so that I can concentrate.

No longer employed, I had pictured myself out and about in London or in a park, or at least drinking coffee al fresco. Pah! We're being punished for such a mild winter and for the past few days it has been chilly, grey and overcast and raining. I can certainly put up with it for a few weeks more, and all told we've been lucky these past four years. With global warming, we've experienced more sunshine and less rain than the previous hundreds of years. So I musn't complain. Well, I will complain, but about logging and coal burning!

Brrrr...just had to close a window...got a cuppa and some digestives...now, where was I?

Not working has enabled me to plan out next week's trip to Cornwall. Unlike our trip to Wales, I've booked accomodation for 3 nights, and printed out directions from the AA website, which shows how long each journey should take.

So on Monday we'll pick up the ol' Vauxhall Corsa and drive the 4 hours 44 min. to Padstow in Cornwall. This is right on the coast in the Camel Estuary. We'll stay here 2 nights in a B&B that's close to the harbour. After our breakfast the next morning, we'll rent bicycles for #10 each and cycle around (weather permitting--I do have a plan B--if it's raining we'll go to the haunted Bodmin jail.) and if time in the afternoon, drive up to Tintagel & have dinner. On Wednesday we'll make our way to Tavistock, which is on the edge of Dartmoor, and probably sightsee along the way. We're staying in a garden cottage in Tavistock for one night, and the following day, again weather permitting, we'll explore Dartmoor before ending up in Woking again.

We'll see how much of this goes according to plan!

I realized today that we never posted pictures from our trip last week to Arundel and Bognor Regis. It was last Sunday our South African friend, Debbie, picked us up on a grey and overcast day & we drove south for about an hour until we reached Arundel, a very pretty town with a stunning cathedral and castle punctuating the hilly village.

This is Arundel castle, one of the oldest inhabitted country homes. I repeat, this is a country home!

And here is Stephen & Debbie in front of a gate:

So we went inside the "house" and saw the result of a very old and very greedy family...lots of opulance and relics of past riches. Lots of old portraits by well known painters. The drawing room was so huge and the ceiling so high, the grand piano in the corner looked dwarfed.

Afterwards we strolled through the gardens....

and came upon the second private chapel which had its own little garden and a pond that spewed black water. Now even though we had to pay #12 each to just look at this family's stuff, there weren't any guide books to explain anything...so legend has it that this pool gets its waters from the depths of hell...

And Stephen outside the chapel:

And the door into the chapel captured my fancy perhaps more than it should....

From the castle gardens, you get this view of Arundel's catherdral:

We ate at a nice pub in the village and then set out to Bognor Regis. Debbie thought a friend had recommended it but we know realize it was probably Lyme Regis....for Bognor Regis, well, lets just say it reminded me of an American sea side, but more run down.

There were misspelled shop signs, mothers yelling at their children to shut-up, and a very unwelcoming vibe. Turns out it is a major hub of the British National Party.

Anyway, we didn't stay long and had a good diversion driving through beautiful Chichester, then up through the south downs and back to Woking.

__

Stephen is working again, today and sleeping in tomorrow...I've already bitched at him, but hey, if he enjoys it...this Saturday we're going drinking in London, but otherwise, blissfully there are no plans.

Just a quickie
Topic: Stephen Says
Because there's not too much to say - Elisabeth finished work on Friday and spent the day pissed, and we went out to our favorite Italian resaurant to celebrate and she smashed a wine glass.

At some point on Friday, Elisabeth claims that I was talking about my secret chocolate stash which is news to me, but she promptly scoured the flat looking for it. Now I have some explaining to do.

Oh, and we're planning a few days in Cornwall.
Happy Mother's Day and all that.
Ciao!

'Ello, 'ello, 'ello!
Mood:  cool
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Wednesday morning. It's Stephen's last day of work. I have 3 more days.

Things are heating up: the landlord & estate agent have been and gone & seem happy with the condition of the apartment.

We're planning to go to Cornwall for a few days in a couple of weeks. We've a weekend in Brighton planned, a karaoke farewell party, and then a trip down south to see Stephen's family.

It hit me just yesterday the realization that we've no more paychecks in GB pounds. This means we've got to start thinking about the exchange rate again. For instance on Mon. night we saw Diamanda Galas in concert at the Barbican in London. The show tickets= 40 pounds total. The train tickets were 16 pounds total. Cornish pasties from a street vendor = 6 pounds total. Pre-show drinks = 15 pounds. Then some beer, water and crisps for the train journey home = 8 pounds. TOTAL GBP = 85 pounds for an evening out.

With monthly paychecks, this can easily be absorbed. But start thinking in Canadian dollars and that's $185 Canadian for an evening out. Ludicrous!

When we think of how much farther our money will go in just 1 month, it doesn't seem like such a hardship to pull in the financial reigns a bit. Viva la Canada!

If I am to wear clothes and makeup to work without looking like a sweaty-grease monkey, I'll have to go now and take a shower.

Over and out.

Oops
Topic: Stephen Says
I was going to blog for the sake of blogging but have only just looked at the blog and seen that Elisabeth blogged a few days ago and I hadn't bothered to check. If only real life was like a book, with our blog reaching an exciting crescendo instead of petering out as we go on with other things. Ah well, we've still got 4 weeks here - anything can happen.

Bits & bobs:

-As Elisabeth mentioned, I engaged in a camping trip last weekend. A relatively surreal thing since the camp site was in a field with no privacy between the locations where people pitched their tents. An appropriate metaphor for the British psyche: No real privacy yet everyone going about like they were invisible & alone, doing their best to ignore everyone else around them being irritating and not understanding why they're so stressed out and miserable.

-Again, as mentioned below, we're off to see Robert Lindsay (Our current favoirite tragi-comic actor in the Whole Wide World) in John Osborne's The Entertainer at the Old Vic. It's my first West End play so I'm prepared to be generally irritated by the fartsy crowd. It's the kind of affair that I'm actually going to bother shaving for.

-Last night I bore witness to the kind of event that I will miss when I'm back in Canada: Some dude biking excrutatingly slowly along on the sidewalk, not bothering anyone when a rent-a-cop turns around and starts shouting at him to get off his bike. The dude just turns around & looks at rent-a-cop and continues to amble along, totally ignoring the whole situation while rent-a-cop just stands there, shouting at him until he's out of ear shot. The word 'impotant' comes to mind.

-I'll have some culture shock to deal with when I'm in the T-dot (Does anyone still use that term in anyway other than in an ironic one? Or is ironic use of it even passe?). I was watching a documentary the other day, lamenting how stupid the American accents on the interviewees made them sound, when I realized they were all Canadian (Granted, they were from the Yukon). I was also flummoxed by the constant casual use of the word 'eh?' They were bandying it around the way a Brit uses the word 'cunt.'

What? We Haven't Blogged in a Week!
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Sacrebleu! Quel Frommage! (I mean dommage!)

What's been happening that we've been too busy (ahem, lazy) to blog?

Friday night Stephen went camping with his work, then he slept in at work on Sat. night while I went to a BBQ at the South African queen's house. --I got totally blotto, came home and watched Sense and Sensibility, stoicially resisting being sucked in emotional, that is until Emma Thompson miraculously breaks down at the end...ah...sacrebleu I cried and cried.

And as of Monday, Stephen is no longer a full time employee! He's doing some relief shits, but he's out man!

I have 7 days left.

Things to look forward to: Thurs. We have tickets to see Robert Lindsay in The Entertainer at the Old Vic in LDN.

These are exciting times. Oh oui!

A personal best:
Now Playing: Cult of Luna - The Beyond
Topic: Stephen Says
We have 2 of our books in the front display of our local Oxfam (The Woman's Health Bible & Michael Palin's Diaries for those who care).

Can't Trust that Day
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: BBC Radio4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Another week begins. We've had our porridge oats, and are heading to work. Saturday night our friends drove us into London (2 hours is normal to get from Woking area to Brockley, South London), to go to one of their friends' parties. At 4 am we decided there was no point in going to sleep, but by 5am we were asleep. At 7am we got up and travelled to Camden Town for a scrumptious breakfast at Solo (Inverness Street). That journey took almost 2 hours, which again is normal. But it was worth it. After re-fuelling we took the Northern line three stops north to Hampstead, yes we actually made it! The weather was perfect, and we easily found our way to Hampstead Heath, an impressive expanse of greenland on a hill that overlooks London. We did not see one person without white skin. Lots of very self-important people walking dogs, jogging, etc... we began to seriously fade and didn't stay long. But at least we got a sense of the snobbery and elitism of Hampstead, and saw some beautiful homes.

We headed back to Camden Town to buy some cds and anything else. After we just couldn't stay awake any more, we headed back. Once home we set the alarm and slept a few hours. Then, a quiet evening at home.

This week (except for work) holds: NOTHING!

To Do List
Mood:  happy
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

1. Haircuts
2. Manicure & pedicure (for Elis) but this usually gets left off the list...
3. Take out the recycling
4. Bring a few bags of books/clothes to Oxfam
5. Fill a suitcase of books, and cart them into Mailbox etc. to ship with Fedex or something.
6. Say goodbeye to my pizanno...it's being collected this afternoon
7. Get on a train & meet friends in LDN for a partay.

Hopefully tomorrow we'll be collected enough to explore Hamsptead...

Things are just marching along!

Weekend Away
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

I realized I haven't blogged yet about last weekend's visit to see my parents in Vaxjo, Sweden.

All in all it was a very good trip, even though I only had Fri. night, Sat. & Sunday morning.

The travel was uneventful, barring a delayed train in Malmo, where I walked out of the train station and took a picture:

Once arrived at Alvesta, I met my parents & we walked through the quiet Fri. night downtown to a pizza palour, where they make combinations like curry, strawberry and pinneapple. You know, those crazy Swedes!

It was good to relax & chat, and then I tried driving the Saab home driving on the right side of the road. Funny feeling.

Saturday, the weather was beautiful. You can see the flawless sky in this picture of my parent's house.

We ate pancakes for breakfast & then my mother & I walked into town to shop at the market & got side tracked by a patio-cafe, and spend a good while chatting.

Once back, my mom made a Greek salad, and we ate out in the garden.

After lunch my father & I went for a cycle ride through the back streets and ample cycle-paths to reach a cafe/hotel situated on a lake. More coffee & Swedish confectionary, and we chatted for a good long while. Very ideal.

Once back at home, reading in the garden on a hammock. Then I chatted with my mom while she prepared dinner and my father worked in the garden.

Our fresh salmon from the market was delicious.

Sunday I went to church with my parents, saw a very sweet baptism, got all emotional in church singing an Irish folk tune, and then had more cake and coffee in the church basement, where I got to meet some of my parent's friends.

Zipped out a bit early to the train station to catch the 12:12. I got home around 9pm, where Stephen had dinner & a clean flat waiting.

In other news, we are stressed. Stressed because we have to be. We have so much to do, and many things we just won't be able to do before we leave 9th June. This Fri. we're having some friends over, Saturday I must get a hair cut, as it's been since early Feb. since the last one...then "sniff" my co-worker is going to collect my digital piano. "Sob" and I'll be without music for a while. Sunday I want to go to Hampstead Heath with Stephen if the weather's cooperative.

Otherwise, we have lots of things to ship and give away, as well as notice to give to the landlord, trips to plan, people to see, and plans to be made.

I find it impossible to contemplate ever moving away from Toronto once we're settled in. Moving sucks!

Yet more comment on the Virginia school shootings
Topic: Stephen Says
A part of me is loath to wade into the morass of commentary on this subject, for the most part due to the fact that the BBC is reporting that the shooting is being most widely dealt with via millions of blogs, so I’m committing the self-same act that I’m criticizing.

I’m also loath to wade into this subject because the point that 30 people murdered in a mass killing such as this is considered a ‘good day in Baghdad’ is being made over and over again on blogs as well; the implicit message being: Western lives are more important than non-Western lives.

(The secondary message being that global coverage of what is, essentially, a local news story serves as a means to bury more relevant news that doesn’t have such sensational aspects.)

But seeing as it’s the lead story in America, Canada, Great Britain and, I’m sure numerous other countries, it bears comment because once again, the root cause of the shooting will not be explored, giving way to sensational testimonies and simplistic tales of survival (The Triumph of Good over Evil) and the ultimate vilification (Most certainly deserved) of the perpetrator. I’m certain that someone in Hollywood is already drafting next-seasons moving of the week, considering Ryan Gosling as the lead.

So since the blame game is already starting, I’d like to throw my hat into the arena and blame Michael Moore. After all, he made a movie about school shootings that the killer probably saw (Or was at least aware of) and this probably planted the idea in his head. Sure, this is wild, sensational speculation, but so is most of what I’ve heard and read this morning.