American Gal's Survival Guide to Life in England

Dogs returning to USA from UK

2010-10-25T06:01:00.003+01:00

Quick note to supplement the dog travel section: I checked the requirements for bringing my dog back to California for next spring when we bring him here, and the only item needed for booking the flight is the dimensions of the crate, and the addresses of the shipper and receiver.

In addition, I need to bring an Export Health Certificate signed by a local, UK vet (a 'fit to fly' letter) dated within ten (10) days of his flight when he I check him in at the airport. Simple huh? I don't think the price goes down on the way back, but I will let you know when we get there......

Virgin Atlantic UK Pets Shipping: +44. (0)844.873.8000

2010-08-15T01:31:00.002+01:00

Hey Everyone! It has been months since I posted anything....mostly because I'm not sure what to write about now that I'm back in California and my Englishman is moving here. The UK immigration system made things too difficult for us, and I couldn't really take any more time off from my career without a ring on my finger, so I needed to head back to the USA and get back to work. I have been job hunting since March, but think I am finally about to land a couple of offers!

D has been trying to arrange his life in the UK to be away in the US for 6+ months, and he finally has everything in order. His B-2 tourist visa was granted last Wednesday, and he arrives on August 26th in San Francisco to join me! We may still end up back in Los Angeles depending on where I end up getting a job, but it will be so nice to see his face in 3-D after almost 6 months on Skype! Now we have 6 more months to decide whether to take the big plunge...

I will post a bit of info on his B-2 visa process for anyone interested once he gets here....don't want to jinx anything before then :)

Location Update, Part 2.

2010-03-25T06:02:00.002Z

Seems some of you have been having trouble posting comments to my blog. I actually can't seem to post a comment myself, so I don't know what's up....what kind of problems are you having with the comment function? I read all the comments, so let me know if there's something specific you'd like to discuss. My email is laurenhaleybrock@hotmail.com. In the meantime I will contact blogger and find out how to get the comment function working...

I did see that the Visa rules are changing, but since it's now been 9 months since I have been employed part-time, and 14 months since I have worked full time, my prior earnings have fallen too low to get enough points in that area. February was the last month I could have made it to a high enough prior earnings level....so even now that the rules are changing, I don't think I'll be eligible for another 6-8 months once I get a new job ;(

Location Update

2010-03-23T19:15:00.003Z

Well, I've taken a break from the blog since I am now back in California, and I couldn't decide whether to keep up with writing while I am away from England for this indeterminate period.

My tourist visa ran out and D and I aren't quite ready for the marriage commitment, so with the Tier 1 visa option closed to me for the time being, my only option was to return home. D and I haven't lived together long enough to qualify for the co-habitating partners option. Luckily, my sister has headed to Singapore for 2 months for work, so she has graciously lent me her apartment in San Francisco for the time being.

It's great to be back here in a city that I love, and the sun has not really stopped shining since I've been back, but I really miss D and our dogs, and the routine of our life there together. D is still in England for the time being, looking after the doggies and trying to find a new project for his electrical company. Once he gets everyone sorted out over there, he hopes to come over here in May and join me for awhile, but it's hardest not having a date on the calendar yet!

We are surviving on Skype calls once a day and some text messaging, but it's no substitute for the real thing. I met a cute Canadian girl last week (while we were both enjoying some frozen yogurt in the sunshine) who was visiting her Canadian boyfriend--she's in Toronto and he's been here for the last 3 years! Yikes!

I know I'm not the only one out there struggling with the downsides of an international long-distance relationship. Anyone have any suggestions?? I'd love to hear your inspiring, happy-endings right about now! ;)

US Home & Beauty items not found in the UK

2010-02-17T10:16:00.002Z

I've been lucky to find most of the beauty items I used at home in the drugstore chains (Boots & Superdrug)--thank god for my Pantene Mousse for Curls!--but there are a growing number of items that I'm afraid I haven't been able to locate in my 6 months here:

Crest Toothpaste

Cetaphil products (cleanser, moisturizer)

Ponds Make-Up Remover Wipes & other Ponds products

Cover Girl Make Up

Sonia Kashuk Make Up (Target brand)

Coppertone sunscreens

Bullfrog sunscreens

SwimEar (ear drops for swimmers) -- 1/2010 update: finally found 1 Sainsbury's in B'ham that carries it

Also have not been able to find comparable products for these household items:

Goo Gone (removes residue from stickers, etc.)

Swiffer Duster and Swiffer Wet Mop

rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)

travel adapters that fit USA plugs to UK plugs (the ones here all fit UK plus to something else)

Method-brand liquid hand and body soaps

Dryel (dry-cleaning sheets to use in your own dryer)

Woolite Delicates wash (limited availability in some supermarkets)

Do you have any US items to add to this list?? Let me know....

To Drive or not to Drive...

2010-02-12T10:15:00.004Z

I'm having dreams about my old Audi convertible, and cruising down the PCH in the sunshine with the top down....ahhh....

I haven't yet driven a car here in the UK during these past 7 months because our sole vehicle is a large work van with manual transmission, and I only know how to operate an automatic car. Even if I could learn to drive stick, the thought of driving around a huge van on the tiny lanes around our house without the aid of a rear-view mirror is fairly daunting.

I drove a rental car in Australia for a couple of days when I lived down there, so the "wrong-side" stuff doesn't scare me much, but there are plenty of hills around our house, and I have visions of myself sliding backwards down them as I slam on the clutch and search for gears.

Since I'm now job hunting, if I get a job offer for a position that pays decently well or requires me to drive to work, I'm pretty sure that it would be worth it to spend some money to get my own car. That's put me to thinking about whether or not I actually CAN drive here without a UK license.

I took a look at this site on Directgov.com to find out what the government says. Apparently most drivers who are visiting the UK, or relocate here, and hold a valid drivers' license in their home country, are permitted to operate a normal vehicle (up to 8 passengers) for up to 12 months after arriving in the UK as a visitor, or up to 12 months from the date of taking up residency. There are some slightly different parameters if you come from a Commonwealth country such as Australia & New Zealand, where they also drive on the left and probably have the same signage, and those instructions can be found here.

Before the 12 month period is over, you must obtain a provisional UK drivers license and pass a driving test. If you do this, you can skip over having restrictions such as "L" (Learner) plates on your car, having to be supervised by a qualified driver, or being restricted from driving on the freeways (motorways).

If you fail to obtain the provisional license before the 12 month period is over, all of the UK's provisional license restrictions will apply, and your car will be branded with the dreaded "L" (Loser).

So go on, get organized, and make sure you have all the documents you will need to exchange your foreign license for a shiny, new UK one, by taking a look at the requirements here.

Me, I'm gonna be shopping for a new, tiny, automatic car....and I'll be keeping the roof up to stay warm, thank you very much.

Beware All Lawyers: Changes to Immigration Rules

2010-02-07T10:34:00.008Z

I'm starting to feel like the UK Border Agency is personally out to get me! I haven't found the time or the energy to post anything new over the past week because we got some bad news about my UK visa and it's put me in a proper mood!

After spending the last 2 months dutifully preparing my Tier 1 General Migrant Visa for the Highly Skilled Worker category, and preparing a trip back to California to apply for it, I got a major shock last Monday. The one step in this process that I had made an assumption about was that my Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from 3 years of law school in the USA would be considered at least equivalent to a UK Masters degree (which only takes 1 year to obtain), and might even pass for a doctorate degree (Ph.D.). And until about 4 weeks ago, the UK government agreed with me.

In previous years it was possible to qualify for a Highly Skilled Worker category by only having a Bachelors Degree, plus previous employment with a high level of pay and some cash funds in the bank. Obviously, most USA lawyers working for private firms would easily qualify on those terms. However, in November 2009, the UK Border Agency further restricted the Tier 1 Work Visa category to only those with a Masters Degree or Ph.D. (i.e., "higher education"). Despite this change, I still assumed I'd be OK since I had a Bachelor's degree plus my 3-year J.D.

Unluckily for me, in January the UK NARIC (the UK's national university accreditation board) decided to change about 10 years of precedent and re-categorize a J.D. degree from the USA as equal to only a UK Bachelors degree, rather than a Masters degree. They gave no reason for this sudden decision, but it now effectively precludes any of the thousands of lawyers who practice in the USA from moving to England and looking for work under the Highly Skilled Worker category of the UK's Points Based System. It really makes no sense--basically, if I had spent 1 year at Tulane and obtained an LLM (Master of Laws) instead of spending 3 years and getting a JD, I'd be allowed in!!

So for all of you out there who have professional degrees that took years after college to obtain, but do not have a shiny diploma that calls that degree a "Masters", then look out. The UK doesn't really want you, or your brains or your potential--seems like kind of a bad move for one of the last EU countries to come out of the recession, no?

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you decide to try for a Tier 1 General Migrant Visa, before committing I'd recommend calling UK NARIC for an over-the-phone evaluation of the degree that you have, whether or not it says "Masters" or "Ph.D" on the degree title just to make sure that you and they are in agreement about it. The phone calls cost about 10p per minute from the UK, but that 11 minute call saved me from spending GBP 40 on the written evaluation and wasting 2 more weeks thinking that I could get the Visa I wanted.

London! - A Weekend in Pictures

2010-01-27T11:53:00.023Z

I spent last weekend in London with a girlfriend from college who was here on work and we had a fantastic time cruising the town and checking out some new spots! It's been awhile since I enjoyed the comforts of a corporate charge card! Thanks Liz!

Richmond Hill Hotel, Richmond-Upon-Thames

Liz's company put her up here in this cute boutique hotel in Richmond-Upon-Thames, at the end of the Tube's District line, to be close to the film production she's working on. The hotel was charming, it served alcohol all night, and had a great hillside view over the Thames.

SoBar in Richmond-Upon-Thames

We stopped at this cute spot tucked down an alleyway in Richmond for our first drink of the evening. The nibbles and drinks were excellent, and the place got pretty busy between 5 and 6pm while we sipped our drinks. It was a little on the noisy side by the time we left, but the jazzy beats playing over the stereo were nice.

Oscar Bar at Charlotte Street Hotel, SoHo

This place was around the corner from our dinner restaurant, so we stopped here for a drink around 8pm. Every table was full and the bar was packed. Liz had an espresso-tini that was out of this world--like a spiked Starbucks frappuccino!

Fino Restaurant, SoHo

We met two of Liz's work colleagues here for a 9:30pm dinner on Saturday--they are film editors working on a new Disney/Pixar feature that's filming here in London. Amazing pork belly, tuna tartare and classic tortilla, plus some fabulous Spanish wine.

Fish Works Restaurant, Richmond

We needed something greasy when we finally rolled out of bed at noon on Sunday, but breakfast was already over, so the fish & chips at this cute seafood brasserie fit the bill.

Camden Markets

We went to hunt for some antique tidbits for Liz's mom's new restaurant in San Francisco, but mostly found lots of tacky t-shirts and cheap souvenirs. The whole trip was worth it for the small stall we discovered selling Brazilian-style Churros (large tube-shaped doughnuts dusted in cinnamon & sugar and filled with dulce de leche). Delicious!

Claridge's Hotel Bar, Mayfair

We had a couple of hours to kill before our dinner reservation, so we sat at a cozy table in this bar and ordered some frou-frou cocktails. I had a Vanillita--cranberry & lime juice mixed with fresh strawberries, Vanilla vodka and honey, served over crushed ice. C'est bon!

Cecconi's Restaurant

We were excited to get a last minute 8pm reservation for Sunday night, and got great seats by the front window. Loved the mint green accents to brighten up the black & white retro vibe. Also loved the buffalo mozzarella & cherry tomato starter and the fresh crab & avocado salad. My Venetian fritelle dessert with zabaione cream was heavenly--glad I ate light & saved room.

Glastonbury Dreaming...

2010-01-15T13:01:00.001Z

The lineup for 2010's Glastonbury Music Festival has begun to be announced, and of course it made me reminisce about attending the festival last June with D and another couple who are two good friends. The 2009 festival began 2 days after I arrived in England last June, and we made the decision to go at the last minute, so our only ticket option was buying passes on ebay from ticket-holders who looked similar to us (since the tickets bear photos). I was nervous about spending the money on poached tickets, but D was convinced it would be OK, so we went for it, and it worked OK for us.

Here are my top 5 tips for Glastonbury survival if you are lucky enough to go:

1. Camping vs. Caravans. If you have got re-sale tix, like we did, plan to camp inside the festival grounds as it is too risky to go in and out to your car, camper van or mobile home past security every day. Once you get in--stay in! If you have valid tickets, I'd recommend camping once to get the "real" experience, and then try booking a caravan camping spot outside the festival grounds the next year. This will allow you to eat your own food for the whole weekend, sleep on a bed or sofa, bathe and use your own (hopefully cleaner) toilet facilities at least twice a day.

2. Get there early! If you are camping, plan to arrive at the festival grounds as soon as possible after the gates are opened on Wednesday morning. The traffic heading into the grounds is horrendous, and all of the good camping spots get taken up by Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Yes, it's a pain to take an extra 2 days off of work when there are no musical acts organized, but it's worth it--the poor sods we saw arriving on Friday in the mud wandered for hours before finding any decent patches of dirt big enough for a tent. Anyways, we found that by the time we actually set up our campsite, had a few drinks, a bite to eat, and a walk on Wednesday, it was already late evening. The bars are open, and many of the stalls and stages have some random performances on, so there are definitely things to do. If all else fails, read a good book and enjoy a long nap--once the party starts, resting gets hard to come by!

3. Choosing a Campsite. You should have an idea of which camping area you want to aim for and try to park your car in the parking lot closest to the desired area, since you will likely have to carry everything with you over 1 k from your car to your campsite. In choosing a campsite, there are 2 main objectives:

1) If you are over 30, like D and I, chances are that you can no longer handle going 48-72 hours without sleep, which means that you will be looking for the quietest place possible to camp. Unfortunately, there are no truly quiet places at Glastonbury, only "loud" and "really loud"; therefore, D and his friends have established a tradition of camping in the "Family Camping" area, which falls into the merely "loud" category. Now, since we do not have children, this means that we had to sneak into the family area by staggering our entry--my female friend and I went in first, claiming that our husbands had gone in ahead with the kids, while the boys came in 10 minutes later, claiming the opposite. One note--sleeping in the kiddie area does mean that you will have to keep the partying 'round your tent fairly tame, and may have to endure some loud tantrums from time to time, but at least most of the neighbors are asleep by midnight.

2) The 2nd objective in campsite selection is proximity to toilets and the milk-man route: you should be close enough to the loos that a post-midnight toilet run won't seem like torture, but far enough away so that the stink doesn't haunt you; and close enough to the milk-man route that you can hear them coming past with fresh supplies in the morning, but far enough away that your tent doesn't get trampled by folks coming to the truck in the morning,or splashed on by tottering children with full cartons of milk and yogurt.

4. Hauling your Gear. This one is pretty simple--you need a sturdy wheelbarrow (be sure to check the tire is pumped full and has no holes) and a few strong & chivalrous men to make it into the festival with a weekend worth of gear intact. Since the car park is so far away from the campgrounds, it is advisable to try and take everything with you in one trip. Luckily for me, D and his buddy were happy to fill the roles of wheelbarrow pushers, so we ladies carried as much of the less awkward gear & luggage over our shoulders as we could, and they pushed the rest. Now, experienced campers may find that they can fit all they need into massive camping backpacks, but we don't have ultra-light, ultra-portable cooking equipment, so we were relying on bringing in full-size camping burners and ice chests to help store our food and cases of beer & cider. The more food and drink you bring in, the more money you save (cuz the food at the festival is $$$), but obviously you can lighten your load if you only bring in a tent, sleeping bags, clothing & toiletries.

5. Packing Essentials: Wellington boots (for the mud, in case it rains--and it probably will--and for braving the public toilets and port-a-loos), hand sanitizer gel (loads), sunblock (when it's not cold and raining, it's HOT), toilet paper (I carried a roll in my backpack at all times), a good rain-proof poncho or a few disposable ones (handy, but less enviro-friendly), a fleece jacket for cold nights, a swimsuit or board shorts (for outdoor bathing or sunbathing on sunny days), sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat (to keep the sun off your face and your view of the stages from being blocked by glare), a good camping tent with a proper rain fly (one that provides cover to a front and back storage area will be best), summer weight sleeping bags, Thermarests or inflatable mattresses, head lamps or flashlights/torches (for your tent and the toilets in the dark), camping chairs (to sit on outside the tent, above the mud), a small basin that you can fill with water to wash yourself and your dishes (better than wasting concert time waiting in the 2-3 hour shower line), extra camera batteries and a solar-powered charger that can power your cell phone and ipod (otherwise, once the batteries die you are screwed--the line at the "cell phone charging tent" were horrible after Friday night).

Bringing Your Dog to the UK via PETS scheme

2010-01-11T10:26:00.011Z

After months of planning, spending half of my bank account, and an 11 hour flight from Los Angeles, my dog, George, finally arrived in England on Saturday night! I began the process to bring George here back in April, so all in all it took nearly 9 months to get all the vaccines, paperwork, and finances in order, and it was exhausting, but worth it! He's now adjusting to peeing on the snow and getting to know his new house-mate, D's dog Mia, but being reunited has been great. I decided to share some of the finer points of the process for those of you considering moving to England or travelling here with a pet.

1. First things first: make sure that your dog is not on the list of prohibited breeds that the UK won't allow to be imported at all (currently includes Pit Bull Terriers, American Pit Bulls, American Staffordshire Terrier, Dogo Agentino, Japanese Tose or Fila Braziliero), or on the list of snub-nosed breeds that some of the airlines won't allow to be flown as cargo (all pugs, Boston terrier, Brussels Griffin, English Toy Spaniel, Japanese Spaniel, Pekingese, English and French Bulldogs or Shih Tsus). Check your dog's breed with the airlines who are qualified to fly into the UK on your chosen route (current list of non-EU routes here), as policies vary by airline. My dog, George, is a Puggle (part pug, part beagle), but only 1 of the 2 airlines that are qualified to fly dogs from LAX to London-Heathrow would accept him because he is crossed with a snub-nosed breed (pug). Virgin Atlantic accepted him, but British Airways would not, so I had only one option and no chance of price-shopping the flight.

2. Start saving money now! Although Los Angeles is one of the most distant points of entry into the UK from the US, I was blown away when I was told that the cost to ship George in his new crate would be over $900 for the one-way flight alone, plus a $175 handling fee in the U.S., and a GBP 310 ($470) fee for customs clearance on the UK end. In addition, the USDA charges $111 per dog for providing the required paperwork approvals, so in the end, the up front costs were nearly $1700. Add to that the cost of all the vet visits to get him micro-chipped, vaccinated, de-wormed and blood-tested (another $300 easily), the cost of buying him a replacement bed, leash, collar, and food bowl for the UK (since his US items couldn't come with him in the crate), and the money I paid my brother to feed and look after him for 6 months while I went ahead to England (another $600 at least), and the grand-total comes to somewhere around $2,500. Ugh, it actually makes me sick to think about it (since I only paid $200 to adopt him in 2007). The things we do for love!

3. Follow the P.E.T.S. scheme as closely as possible. This program from DEFRA involves 4 major steps: a) your dog must 1st be micro-chipped with a UK-approved brand (George had a 10 digit AVID Friend Chip); b) your dog must receive a rabies vaccine after being micro-chipped--no vaccines prior to the micro-chip insertion will qualify; c) 1 month after the vaccine, the dog must have blood taken and sent to the USDA approved lab in Kansas to check that the rabies antibodies are at the right level; d) if the blood test comes back OK, the dog will be approved for travel from the date that is 6 months after his blood was drawn. This means that you should start the PETS process at least 7 months before you actually want to leave the country; otherwise, your dog will be placed into quarantine at Heathrow, which sounds awful for the pet. You do not need a "Pet Passport" if your dog is coming from the USA--all you need is the third country Veterinary Certificate, which is available here for free. Do NOT be lured into paying for this form or a pet passport by some of the online pet travel websites.

4. Buying the crate. It was pretty easy to find an IATA-approved animal crate in Los Angeles because the crates have special labels at the pet stores, but it was a little harder to guess which size we needed because we didn't have the dog with us at the time. The general requirement is that the dog should be able to stand up inside the crate without his nose or tail touching either end, or his head touching the roof. This should allow the dog to stand up and turn around comfortably during the flight. The crate needs to be ventilated on all sides, and the roof, and must have a metal gate at the front, with an adequate water dish that attaches to the front grate. We also bought a padded crate liner to fit inside and make it more comfortable since he was going to be flying for such a long time. My brother started introducing George to his crate about 2 months before the flight, and put treats inside frequently so that George would think it was a 'good' place to be, and he seemed OK with getting into it for the flight.

5. The final days before flight. The final DEFRA requirement is having the dog treated for ticks and tapeworm by his vet within the 24-48 hour period prior to his flight. Additionally, the dog's paperwork must be taken to a USDA office for certification within 10 days prior to the flight, and the office locations are limited. The USDA office in Los Angeles is located next to the airport, and is only open between 7:30am and 11:00 am Monday to Friday, so we had to carefully coordinate the flight time around these other appointments. Be sure to check that all the paperwork is completed fully and to the exact requirements of the PETS scheme; we had to have our rabies certificate reprinted at the vet's office because it didn't have George's microchip number shown on the certificate, or the time of treatment (based on a 24-hour clock).

George's flight landed only 30 minutes late on Saturday (despite the snow), but our vet failed to fill in one piece of information on his Veterinary Certificate, and so we nearly missed our chance to pick him up on Saturday evening while we waited for the vet office to open in California and correct the mistake. It was stressful, but the DEFRA agent was very patient (thanks Andrew!) and the Virgin Atlantic rep was super helpful (thanks Dean!), so they helped us make it happen at the last minute.

Warwick Castle Visit

2010-01-05T13:31:00.015Z

Castles always bring me back to Disney-driven childhood fantasies of being a princess carried off by a handsome prince on a white horse, so I was thrilled when a coupon/voucher offering 2-for-1 admission to Warwick Castle arrived in the mail a few months ago. Although D grew up near here, he had never been to visit it as a child, so he was interested in it too. The castle, which claims to be England's best preserved Medieval castle, is only 25 minutes drive from where we live in southern Birmingham, so when New Years Eve day arrived bright and sunny, we decided to drive over and give it a go.

When we first entered the grounds around noon it was still fairly quiet, but I was nervous that the whole experience would be boring for adults since there seemed to be prams everywhere, and a Disney-esque quality to some of the displays. Luckily, once we passed through the courtyard and entered the main castle building through the Great Hall decked out with Christmas decorations, I was pleased to see the traditional hallmarks of a Norman castle in full display--swords, armor, massive antique furniture--and not a Swashbuckling Micky Mouse in sight. Many of the rooms featured wax 'mannequins' dressed in period clothing and they were so life-like that in my photos the rooms appear to be filled with costumed performers!

We wandered through all of the rooms in the castle, then walked up the "Mound" to the original castle ramparts for a better view of the grounds. Behind the castle walls we watched as the falconry master flew several hawks and falcons over our heads and demonstrated medieval hunting techniques using birds of prey. Following the demonstration we wandered through the Peacock Park and got closer to a dozen peacocks than I have ever been in my life! After a stroll along the castle waterfront, and through the old water-wheel/electric mill, we hiked back up to the castle entrance and took the stairs up onto the castle ramparts.

Winding up about 100 stairs in the highest castle turret was a little claustrophobic, but the view was worth it--we could see all of Warwick town and the surrounding villages. All in all it was a great way to spend a couple of hours--even on a bitterly cold day.

Since it was New Years' Eve, we didn't want to stay too late, but went for a late lunch at a charming pub in Warwick village called The Zetland Arms Hotel before heading home. The room was cozy and the food turned out to be fantastic--D had a plate of faggots & peas with mashed potatoes, and I had a grilled sausage & stilton cheese panini sandwich. We were two very satisfied customers!

Bonus #1: The castle admission office was doing a promotion giving away a voucher for an extra visit in 2010 with every adult ticket purchased in 2009, so I can go back again in the spring when it's warmer.

Bonus #2: I got to ride away from the castle with my very own price charming beside me.

Good Morning 2010 - Nice to See You!

2010-01-01T12:09:00.007Z

I've survived my first holiday season in England! There were a few notable differences between this year's holiday fun and what I normally experience at home in California:

1. Opening crackers (not the Saltine variety, but the strange parcels that nobody loves and everyone buys for the Christmas dinner table) and wearing paper crowns during our Christmas meal. For you Americans out there, a "cracker" is a small Christmas parcel containing a paper crown, a joke and a small, cheap trinket (like a dice or nail clippers) which is tied at both ends like a Tootsie Roll, and it opened by two people simultaneously pulling on either end of the parcel--whoever ends up with the largest section of the cracker wins the goods inside. Someone asked me why this long-standing English tradition didn't make it over to America with the Pilgrims, and I have a feeling it's got something to do with the whole "crown = king" thing, which the early Americans weren't too keen on. Just a guess....

2. Snow in the backyard instead of palm trees. On December mornings in L.A. I used to wear my Ugg boots occasionally to walk the dog because they were easy to slip on and marked the trend started by celebs a few years ago. I've had the same pair of Uggs since I was 18 years old, and until this year they still looked brand new because I rarely wore them. Now I wear them everywhere--to the movies, to the mall, to the gym, to dinner at a local restaurant--and they are practically falling apart. The snow and cold weather really added a special element to the Christmas Day atmosphere, but my feet have not actually been warm since September.

3. An extra national holiday for Boxing Day on which there is neither a boxing match, nor the boxing up of any particular items. I have yet to find an English citizen who can give me a clear explanation of why December 26th is a holiday and how it came into being. Not that I'm complaining about the additional day off, but think about it--shouldn't we just be honest with ourselves and call it Shopping Day (as a nod to the post-Christmas sales which create an even bigger consumption frenzy than Christmas itself), or Sleeping-It-Off Day (an indication of what everyone who's not hitting the sales is doing after the Christmas dinner food and alcohol binge)?

It's not the first time I have spent Christmas away from my family, but it is the first time in many years that I didn't do any travelling over the holiday period. During the past 5 years I have spent the holidays driving down Mexico's Baja Peninsula, roaming the jungles of Costa Rica, lying on the beach in Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), skiing fresh powder in Idaho, and trekking in Nepal & India. I do miss the excitement that travel brings, and the escape from all the holiday nostalgia and/or inevitable family drama, but this year there were no bags to pack, planes to catch, freeways to navigate, or airports to run through, and I have to say that on the whole this made the experience MUCH more relaxing.

Happy New Year! Here's to all that 2010 has in store!

Sunsets in the afternoon?

2009-12-21T10:51:00.007Z

I've never experienced a sunset before 4:00 pm before--except for, well, yesterday--when the sun set at 3:54 at our home here in Birmingham. Today the sun is scheduled to set at 3:53pm in England, which means it will be nearly dark by 3:45 or so. It's the Winter Solstice--the shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that our minutes and seconds of daylight will gradually begin to increase again after today (thank god!). Although it's not really speeding towards summer-time's gloriously long days; tomorrow is only longer by a mere 2 seconds, and Wednesday will be a scant 7 seconds longer than that!

Equally strange is the late sunrise, which today occurred at 8:04am, and by a strange trick of science is still continuing to get later, even though the days are getting longer. By next weekend, the sunrise will occur at 8:07am. I feel terribly for D at this time of year. He gets up at 5:30am when it's still the dead-dark of night, and begins his workday at a reasonable 7:30am, when daylight has not yet even scratched the surface of the horizon. Meanwhile, I'm barely able to scrape myself out of bed at 8:00 when the light starts to peek through the windows. This photo was taken yesterday from our bedroom window--from the slant of the light, it looks like the early hours of morning, but I think it was actually taken closer to 10am.

Although we had snow this weekend for the first time this winter (beautiful!) and are having a terrible cold-snap, the sun has been shining for more hours of the day than in previous weeks, which has been great for taking quick runs and walking the dog. I'm trying to get outside for at least 30 minutes a day to make sure I get a vitamin D infusion from the sunlight and avoid the symptoms of Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) experienced by so many northern-dwellers. So far, I haven't felt too bad, and am looking forward to the sun rising on Friday at 8:06am over the first "White Christmas" I've ever had without leaving home.

Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market

2009-12-17T10:35:00.003Z

Beer, sausage, cheese & chocolates. The Germans sure chose a fine selection of foods to become internationally known for! D and I made a visit to Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market in the city center one night last week with some friends and felt obliged to pay homage to German culture by taking part in some of the hearty eating and drinking that was going on.

With over 2 million visitors a year, the market is the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany or Austria, and apparently Frankfurt is Birmingham's "partner city" under some EU sister city program. The market here opened mid-November in Victoria Square and runs until December 23rd (although I have heard rumors that the city council are considering leaving it open until February, since it has brought so much life to the central business district). It's open all day, from 10am to 9pm, which has allowed me to nip over during my afternoon holiday shopping outings for a mug of mulled cider or a hot Bratwurst sandwich.

The shops are found in cute little timber huts which have been erected around Victoria Square and down part of New Street, all covered in pine boughs and holly. About 1/2 of the stalls are food oriented, selling roasted nuts, marzipan loafs, chocolate treats, hard candies, soft pretzels, Germans sausages, German breads, and of course beer, mulled cider and mulled wine (Gluhwein). The remaining stalls sell mostly craft-work or handmade gifts, including ceramics, candles, glasswork, jewellery and Christmas decorations. A number of stalls also feature traditional German items such as wooden toys, nativity scenes and marionettes.

I found out that the origins of the Christmas Market in Frankfurt can be traced back to 1393. In Medieval times, Frankfurt originally apparently held the Christmas Market exclusively for the burghers (members of the governing class), while the city craftsmen reserved their finest wares for local people.

Most of the crafts for sale aren't really my cup of tea, but there's definitely some fine handiwork on display. I really enjoyed seeing people out during their lunch hours having mugs of beer and hot cocoa, watching children from some of the local schools sing Christmas carols up on the small stage near the top of Victoria Square. In the evenings workers crowd around the beer stalls drinking in groups and avoiding their holiday to-do lists. It feels altogether cheerful considering the weather and the economic climate that would otherwise be dampening spirits at this time of year. As the German's say: Froehliche Weihnachten!!

Train-Riding Etiquette for Beginners

2009-12-16T22:37:00.004Z

There's nothing more relaxing than a quiet hour spent reading a good book in the nearly empty coach of a train passing through the English countryside, listening to the dull rattle of the train moving over the tracks or the rain splashing on the windows. I have really come to enjoy train-riding here. A majority of the time the experience is thoroughly enjoyable and the journey passes quickly. However, after visiting London on several train trips over the past few months, I have a few simple requests for all my fellow train-riders:

1. Please preserve the peace & quiet that others are enjoying around you, especially if you choose to sit in one of the "Quiet Zones" that are now available on many trains. If you are in a Quiet Zone, that means no talking on your mobile or to other passengers, listening to music on your iPod (see # 6 below), or even sending text messages on your mobile or Blackberry unless the tones are turned off on your keypad and the new message alert is silenced. If you choose to talk in other areas of the train, please keep the volume to a whisper and the conversation length to a minimum. Your life is not that interesting. Funnily enough, I haven't heard any loud Americans on the train in England yet, but there does seem to be a corresponding increase between the volume of non-English speakers and the distance from England of that language's origin (i.e., French, Germans and Spaniards are on the quieter end of the scale, but things get louder as you move towards the Russian, Arab, Chinese and African dialects).

2. If a woman is travelling alone and carrying 3 or 4 huge bags (especially on the Tube), you should definitely offer her your seat or at least a place to stand where she can set the bags down during transit without causing severe trauma to the feet of her fellow travelers.

3. When there are signs posted in narrow passageways or stairwells in train or Tube stations asking travelers to "KEEP LEFT" to allow movement in both directions, if you choose to ignore said signs, you immediately lose the right to protest when travelers traveling in the correct manner whack into you as they pass or shove you out of their way. They are rushing to get on the train platform as much as you are rushing to get off of it.

4. Bringing hot french fries onto the train at any time is a definite sin. It is completely disrespectful of all dieters on the train and may cause more than 1 rider to 'fall off the wagon' and rush into the nearest McDonalds in shame upon exiting at their destination.

5. Do not travel on the Tube at rush hour unless you are willing to be a human sardine and will not complain about it or attempt to prevent it. If there are 2 inches of space left in your car, surely you can fit at least four more people in.

6. If you insist on listening to your iPod or music player at full volume, please invest in a good pair of in-ear earphone buds or Bose-type silencing headphones that prevent your music from being shared with the entire coach full of train travelers. Just because you are enjoying your new playlist, doesn't mean we want it to be the soundtrack to our day.

7. If you intend to use the lavatory while traveling on the train, it is best not to travel with a group of your drunken friends on a stag do (i.e., bachelor party). These types are known for opening the door to the toilet while you are taking a leak and attempting to expose your modesty to every hapless woman traveler passing through the corridor. You are also not likely to leave the bathroom without a puddle on the floor, which will not likely be a welcome sight to the next toilet seeker.

Bon voyage!

Sunday Night Showdown: X-Factor v. Snooker?

2009-12-14T11:05:00.007Z

Sometimes I just have to laugh at what I'm willing to spend time watching on television here in England! This weekend, we spent at least 3 hours between Saturday and Sunday watching the finals of Simon Cowell's UK talent show hit, "The X-Factor", just to find out who 10 million English teenage girls would prefer to see crooning at them in tight black pants and a skinny tie. Seriously, neither of the two finalists has a voice or a look that appeals to me personally, yet I was held captivated as the entire country screamed and shouted over them in a massive love-fest. During the last 2 nights, the singers were even joined onstage by Michael Buble, Robbie Williams, George Michael, Leona Lewis, JLS and even Sir Paul McCartney--wouldn't these stars rather be dueting with someone who's already a famous singer rather than a teenage hopeful? iTV must have deep pockets!

Although the 18 year old winner, Joe McElderry, has a strong voice, he looks about 12 years old, is super short, and would get eaten for breakfast by the likes of Justin Timberlake or even Chris Martin in terms of stage performance ability. Although the winning acts from the past two years of X-Factor have done well commercially on their own (Leona Lewis has gone world-wide, and JLS is popular here), I don't really see little Joe ever reaching an audience outside of his X-Factor support base. The runner-up, Olly Murs, has a ton of stage personality, but a weaker singing voice, and he seems like he'd be more suited to musical theater.

Also dominating prime-time last night was the UK Snooker Championships. Seriously, does anyone in America even play snooker? It's definitely on the list of questionable 'sports' along with table tennis, car racing and shooting. I have never met anyone who has a snooker table or knows the rules in my whole life--it's a bit like pool, but with a larger table and twice as many balls. I don't even like to say the word "snooker" (pronounced "snU-ker" here)--it sounds like something a cranky old lady would carry around in her purse. D was of course aghast that I have spent my existence in ignorance of this important UK 'sport', so we watched the final match last night while he tried to explain the rules. Before falling asleep I managed to learn that the players must alternate between trying to sink a 'colored' ball and a 'red' ball, the former being worth a varying amount of points, depending on which colored ball is sunk. The colored balls are brought back out onto the table after being sunk, but once all the red balls have been pocketed, the player with the highest score wins.

Maybe next week I can sneak in a few minutes of Sunday Night Football on ESPN America to bring me back to reality!

Wherefore art thou Shakespeare?

2009-12-09T17:30:00.002Z

I admit it. I actually paid 17 GBP to ride around on one of those super-touristy, hop-on hop-off, double-decker tourist buses on my first visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon with D in February, and I had a good time. Normally I try to stay away from those types of tourist traps, but in this case we only had a few hours of the afternoon left to see the city, and it was freezing cold out, so the idea of finding our own way through the town and possibly getting lost was about as appealing as frostbite. On that visit D and I didn't pay to visit any of the Shakespearean homes, but we did at least see them all from the outside. We passed by the vacant outdoor tables of cozy teahouses, past sleepy canals with boats shuttered and docked for the winter, and past white-washed Elizabethan buildings fronted by the characteristic raised, black wooden beams.

After I moved over to England in June, I went back a few more times during the summer. On the first summer visit I took part in a city walking tour organized by Stratford Town Walk, that started near the waterfront and meandered past most of the city's major landmarks during the 2 hour stroll. Our guide was quite well informed, and after 2 hours, I knew lots more about the city's history and felt like I could navigate the town fairly easily on my own. Being on my own, I decided against lunch and instead stopped into Benson's Tea Room and had a delicious cream tea while reading my book.

One of the benefits of the Stratford Town Walk was that we were given 5 coupons/ vouchers good for discounts at several dozen restaurants and tourist establishments around town, including the Shakespeare homes operated by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Using one of my vouchers I bought a ticket to visit all five Shakespeare homes (good for 1 year) on the next visit back (for GBP12 instead of the normal GBP 17 price). In about 3.5 hours, I was able to visit three of the homes: Shakespeare's Birthplace, New Place and Hall's Croft. The Birthplace was the most interesting of the 3, with live guides in some of the rooms giving you information about what you saw inside, and costumed actors out in the gardens performing scenes from some of the Bard's most famous plays. Hall's Croft was also fairly informational and well-signed, but New Place was a little on the boring side. If you only have 1 day in Stratford, focus on the Birthplace and adjoining museum and skip the remaining homes. Since my ticket is good until next July, I decided to leave the last 2 houses, Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Mary Arden's House, until sometime next year.

Today I went back for a little mooch (i.e., English-speak for 'a look around') in some of the boutiques and shops in anticipation of Christmas and came across a few cute places:

- Vinegar Hill (http://www.vinegar-hill.co.uk/) a cute shop with jewelry, decorative accessories for the home, party accessories, cookbooks, journals and other small gifts.

- Aspire (http://www.aspirestyle.co.uk/catalogue) a funky shop selling fashion, jewelry and gifts

- Havilands Tea Room (5 Meer Street, Stratford Upon Avon, CV37 6QB), a cute delicatessen with attached tea room - great home-made sausage rolls for 60p!

- Revital Wholefoods (http://www.revital.co.uk/Revital_Health_Shop_Stratford_on_Avon) found a great well-priced selection of organic and asian cooking staples (some of which I'd only seen previously in London), as well as the usual vitamins and supplements.

- Chadds Sandwich Bar (6c Union Street, Stratford Upon Avon CV37, Tel:+44(0)1789 294 044) discovered the most delicious, fresh baguette sandwich I've had yet in England: Thai Red Curry Chicken Sandwich with cucumber, onion and lettuce on a wheat baguette for GBP 2.50. The filling was tasty and the bread was still warm from baking in the oven. Far better and cheaper than Baguette du Monde, Greggs, Subway, Pret a Manger, or any of the other chain shops!! I'm gonna try and replicate the sandwich filling at home and make my own.

English Words Explained!

2009-12-08T09:28:00.032Z

One of D's favorite sayings when we're turning in for the night is "You coming up the apples?" It took me about 2 weeks to figure out that this was short for "You coming up the apples & pears?", which was actually Cockney rhyming slang for "You coming upstairs?"

Without even touching on the difficulties of understanding Cockney rhyming slang, I wanted to run through a few of the most commonly used English words that differ from US terms, or are not used in America at all. I plan to add to this list whenever I hear a new word, so keep checking back or subscribe to an RSS feed for this page!

People & places

Babb = darling, dear (for a woman), used informally

Son = buddy, pal (for a man), used informally & for those older than you

Bloke = man (informal)

Brummie = someone from Birmingham, England

Bluenose = a supporter of the Birmingham Blues Football Club

Jock = someone from Scotland

Geordie = someone from Newcastle region

Manc = someone from Manchester region

Cockney = someone from East London

WAGs = wives and girlfriends (usually of football/soccer players)

The Old Bill = the police

Bobby = a policeman

Gaffer = (slang) old man; (informal) boss, football manager

Pikey = a derogatory word that used to refer to Irish travelers; now generally used to refer to someone whose life is characterized by itinerancy, theft or regard for authority, without reference to national origin

MOT = Ministry of Transport (like DMV in America), MOT Test = annual vehicle roadworthiness test

OAP = Old Age Pensioner, senior citizen

Poof = derogatory reference to a homosexual male

Off-license = store for the sale of alcohol to take away and consume at home; liquor store

Clothing

courts = high heeled pumps

jumper = sweater

vest = tank top

trainers = running shoes or sneakers

body = bodysuit (usually with snaps in crotch)

braces = suspenders

pants = underwear, underpants

kecks = underwear

knickers = women's underpants

Y-fronts = men's briefs or jockey shorts (i.e. tighty-whities)

trousers = pants

nappy = baby's diaper

plaited = braided

swimming costume = swimsuit

suspenders = garter belt for holding up ladies stockings

wellies = rubber rainboots, Wellington boots

Items or Things

fag = cigarette

rubber = eraser for pencil

flat = apartment

pavement = sidewalk

petrol = gasoline

bin = wastebasket

queue = line up

arse = buttocks

pram = stroller, baby carriage

pushchair = forward facing stroller for a small child

dummy = baby's pacifier

artic lorry = semi trailer truck

blues & twos = slang for an emergency vehicle w/ lights & sirens

bog roll = toilet paper roll

boiled sweet = hard candy

building society = a savings & loan association

fanny = a woman's genitalia (i.e., the English say "bum bag", never "fanny pack" for a bag worn around the waist)

butty or sarnie or sarny = a sandwich

caravan park = trailer park

coach = bus

carriageway = lanes of auto traffic on a road

central reservation = lines dividing traffic on highway (i.e., median strip)

cashpoint = ATM

council flat = public housing

dole = welfare

dosh = (slang) money

dress circle = seats in the first balcony of a theater (balcony or loge)

stalls = seats in the ground floor level of a theater (orchestra section)

estate car = station wagon

flannel = washcloth (for the face)

fairy lights = Christmas lights

fortnight = 14 days, or 2 weeks

fringe = bangs, describing the hair covering the forehead

hash sign = the pound key (#)

high street = the primary business & shopping street in a town

hob = stovetop burner; the hot surface on a stove

pelican crossing = pedestrian crossing with traffic lights operated by pedestrians

varruca = a wart on one's foot, a Plantar wart

Actions & emotions

argy-bargy = (informal) pushing & shoving or outright fighting

blag = (v.) to obtain or achieve by deception, to bluff, to rob or (n.) a tall story, bluff

chuffed = proud, pleased or satisfied

to 'pull' or 'cop off with' = to successfully engage the company of a potential sexual partner, or to fornicate with

to snog = make out with, to French kiss

to fancy = to like someone or something, to have a desire for

fit = highly attractive, hot

have a kip = take a nap

minging = dirty, rotten, smelly, unattractive

parky = cold, usually with reference to the weather

to row = to have a fight

skint = out of money, broke

to slag off = to badmouth, defame or speak badly of someone

take the piss/take the mickey = to make fun of someone, or to transgress beyond what's acceptable, as in "the increases in car taxes are taking the piss"

to go 'tits up' = to suddenly go wrong (mildly vulgar)

to whinge = to complain or whine about something

Profanities and Vulgarities

sod (as in "Sod it!"), sodding = f--k, f--king

Sod off! = Get lost, go away

bugger (n.) = a--hole, jerk, or more innocently ('a cheeky bugger' = a rascal)

bugger! = Damn! or Shoot!

bugger it (v.) = screw it

I buggered it = I screwed it up

We're buggered = we're thwarted, in a predicament, screwed

Bollocks = literally refers to male testicles, used as "Bollocks!" (i.e. "Dammit!") or "That's a load of bollocks."

git = a scumbag, idiot or annoying person

tosser or wanker = a no-good waster, a jerk

Black Country Speak

2009-12-07T13:08:00.020Z

After having been told that the dish D requested last month (faggots & peas) originated in the Black Country region of the West Midlands (called faggits & pays there), I followed up with D's stepfather, Ian, who provided me with a wealth of information on the Black Country dialect. Even though the region is about 30 minutes from where we live and the language is technically English, on nights out with his former Black Country co-workers, Ian reports that he often couldn't follow a word of what was being spoken. Here's why:

"Ow we spake" (Black Country Dialect): Compiled from various sources by Ian Beach

The dialect of the Black Country area remains perhaps one of the last examples of early English still spoken today. The word endings with 'en' are still noticeable in conversation as in 'gooen' (going), callen (calling) and the vowel 'A' is pronounced as 'O'as in sond (sand), hond (hand) and mon (man).Other pronunciations are 'winder' for window, 'fer' for far, and 'loff' for laugh - exactly as Chaucer's English was spoken. This "dictionary" is Black Country in general and not particularly Sedgley in origin. Local dialect was (and probably still is to a lesser degree) quite distinctive between the different towns and villages of the Black Country.

Dialect Word	Meaning
Ackidock	aqueduct
Agen	again
Airk	as in belly ache, stomach ache etc.
Ait	eat
Aks(axe)	ask
Anunst	against, next to, eg "The housen anunst hisen"
Ar	Yes as in "Ar I am"
Ay or A	haven't or isn't. "Is it just the way we speak or lazyness which enables us to phase an entire sentence in single letters such as I A A I (I haven't, have I)."

Babby	Baby
Backerds (backeds)	Backwards
Barly	a truce. Sometimes "Arley-Barly" is used. (Possibly a corruption from the French "Parlez" to talk?)
the Baggies	West Bromwich Albion Football Club
Bai or bay	am not, eg "I bay gooin' ter tell yow agen"
Bally	Belly, stomach
Bamboozle	puzzle, bemuse
Barmpot	A silly person
Barmy	Daft, silly
Bawk	hinder or confuse. Probably from 'balk'
Bay or Baynt	am not
Beezum	a broom of birch, also playfully used to refer to a pert young woman
Bibble	A pebble
Bin	been, have been, are, have I bin affirmative reply to question
Bist	are, eg "how bist yow?" = How are you?
Bisn't	aren't, opposite of Bist. E.g. "Bisn't gooin up the shaps?" for "You're not going up the shops?"
Blaberen	to talk idly
Black Bat	Black Beetle
Bladda or Bladder	Balloon
Blart	cry - from "the bleating of sheep"
Blether	to talk nonsense or talk incessantly. "Blether yed" blether head = someone who talks nonsense (fool)
Blobmouth	blabbermouth eg "'Ers a right blobmouth. Tell 'er terday, the world knows tomorrer"
Blubren	crying, eg "Ar kids blubren agen"
Bobhowlers	Any large moth
Boffle	hinder
Bonk	bank or small hill. Pitbonk = hill made from mine waste
Bost	broken or burst, past tense ‘Bosted’
Boster	something big or possibly something good
Bostin	literally "bursting" but actually "very good indeed" e.g. "We 'ad a bostin time" or "Ers a bostin wench"
(on the) box	off work, sick
Bowk	A very large recepticle like a skip
Breffus	breakfast
Brummagem	Birmingham
Bunny-fire	bonfire
Buz	Bus

Caggy or caghanded	left-handed - all the best people are!
Cag-mag	Bad or rotting meat
Camplin	gossiping
Cant(in)	gossip(ing)
Catlick	hasty wash
Caw or cor	cannot, eg "I cor goo the'er terday"
Chawl	Pork
Chops	mouth or cheeks
Chimdy or chimly or chimbly	chimney
Chuffed	pleased
Chuck	Throw
Chuky or chooky	chicken, fowl (children's word) also Chooky Egg
Chunter	grumble under one's breath
Clack	uvula, eg "Just stop yer clack"
Clarnet	idiot, fool. "Yo' daft clarnet!"
Clane	Clean
Clemmed or clammed	starved or hungry
Clobber	clothes or possibly to hit someone
Clomber	climb
Cocka/Cocker	mate, friend
Cockaver	a smack
Codge	a poor job, eg "He's made a right codge of it"
Cog-nogger or Cog-nocker	Thick Sandwich (variation on Noggin)
Coddin	joking, kidding, e.g. "Goo on, yum coddin me"
Coost	could you?, also negative "thee coosnt"
Coot	coat
Cor or cort	can't
cork-aiver or cog-winder	a good punch
Cost	can you ?, also negative "I cosn't" - I cannot
Cotter	have no cotter with 'im (have nothing to do with him)
Crack	fun, entertainment
Craw	crop of a bird, as in "that sticks in my craw" - I cannot believe it
Croddle	huddle together
Craunch	crunch
Cuckoo	Sweetie (affectionate term)
Cuff	a cough
Cut	canal
Cutherin'	to huddle together, Cuddling?

Dahb	daub, smear
Dare-cent	dare not
Day	did not, eg "I day see 'im comin"
Desay	dare say, very likely
Dishle	cup of tea
Ditherin'	meaning to shiver with cold, or to hesitate.
Dock	to stop or hold back wages
Doe	do not, reply to question "I doe"
Dollop	large quantity, usually of food
Donny	hand (children's word). Possibly from theFrench "Donnez" to give?
Dowl	down, soft hair on the face
Drap	Drop
Duck	evade, dodge
Dun	Do, as in "What dun yo want?"

'E	he, pronoun used to describe the husband or household head
Ess'ole	Fireplace. I think this may be a corruption of 'ash hole'

Fairce	face
Faggots	Black Country dish made from pig's organs, onion, sage, bread crumbs
Fai(r)ther	father
Fettle	excellent condition
Fittle	food, victuals
Fizzog	the face
Flen	fleas
Flics	cinema
Flirter	catapult usually made from elastic (rubber) bands
Fode	Enclosure. A back yard to a house
Forid	Forehead
Franzy	irritable, particularly fretful children
Frit	frightened, eg "doe be frit"
Frowtsy	dishevelled
Fun	found
Fust	first

Gaffer	master, employer, perhaps husband
Gain	Useful, As gain as a glass eye
Gamgee	Cotton Wool. From its inventor Dr. Samuel Gamgee, who originally called it "gamgee-tissue." Dr. Gamgee was born in Birmingham.
Gammitin	playing the fool
Gammy	lame
Gamp	Umbrella (after a Dickensian character named Mrs Gamp who always carried a large black umbrella)
Ganzy	guernsey, jumper, cardigan
Garn	Go on
Gawby	a simpleton
Gawk	an ill dressed person, or to stare eg "Who am yow gawkin' at ?"
Gawp	open mouthed, staring
Gleed or Glede	A cinder.
Gob	to spit, or the mouth itself, eg "Shut yer gob" or "'Er's got a right gob on 'er"
Goo	go, eg "Am yow gooin' ter the flics?" = Are you going to the movies?
Graunch	"To suck a hard sweet and rattle it in ones teeth" for example ". ..'ark at 'er, 'ers 'avin a grate time with that sweet - graunchin' it."

Haiver	something big, eg "It's a real haiver"
Hoss road	The street. "Get out the hoss road!" = Get out of the way!

Ivver-ovver

hesitate, eg "Stop yer ivverin' an'
ovverin' an' get on wi'it"

Jeth (jed)	death (dead)
Jiffy	brief moment, eg "E woe be a jiffy"
Joobus	suspicious, dubious

Kay-li	Sherbet powder (confectionary)
Kaylied	Drunk
Kay	Key
Kell	the lining around a faggot
Keckle	Kettle
Ketch	catch
Kissa	the face

Lamp	to beat or thrash, eg "Ee giv' 'im a right lampin'"
Larrupin' or larussin'	Also to beat or thrash, eg "Ee giv' 'im a right larrupin'"
Lather	ladder
Lather	upset or excited as "In a bit of a lather"
Lezzer	a meadow. From the old english Leasowe
Lickle	little
Lief	as soon as
Loff	laugh
Lommock (or lummock)	clumsy, lumbering, eg "Yow big lommock"
Lover	common term of endearment to children - m'lover
Lugole/Lughole	Ear or ear hole
Lungeous	play roughly, inclined to horseplay

Madden	to make wild, annoy
Maitrum	matron (of a hospital)
Maulers	hands
Maunch	to chew carefully (as with no teeth)
Maygrums	Faces as in Pullin' maygrums = Pulling faces.
Miskin, Midden or Mixen	Rubbish heap or dustbins (garbage bin) From the Anglo-Saxon for dung
Moach or mooch	to idle about in a bored fashion or search
Mucker	confusion, e.g. "All of a mucker", can also mean a mate as in "me old mucker"
Mun	must
Myther	to bother, to irritate, or be irritated by

Nairun	none, not one
Naither	neither
Natty	tidy, neat
Niggle	to find fault in insignificant things
Node	known, eg "I've nowd 'im for 'ears"
Noggen yedded	stupid
Noggin	thick piece of bread or the head
Noo	new
Nous, Nowse	"Hav yo no nous?" meaning are you dumb or have no intelligence
Nuss	nurse, eg Nit Nuss (checked school children for head-lice)

Ockerd	awkward
Ode	old, eg "Th' ode lad" - the devil
Odge	push, eg "Odge up" - move up a bit
'Ommer	hammer
'Ond	hand
Ood	would
Ooman	woman
Oot	will you
Opple	Apple
Oss	horse
Ote	hold, eg "Ketch ote on it" - take hold of it
O'thatnin'	in that way
O'thisnin'	in this way
Ow	how
Owamya?	how're you?
Ow bist?	How are you?
Owern	my husband, my son, my daughter, often used by women to denote member of family, e.g. “Owern Judy”

Pail	Beat as in I'll give yo' a pailin'
Pie-can	Silly, daft as in "Yo' pie-can"
Piece	Slice of bread or a sandwich, often spread with jam or dripping
Pikelet	Crumpet
Pisey	Spiteful
Pon	Pan, as in saucepan
Poorly	sick, ill. 'Ers proper poorly
Puk	pick, as in pick up
Pus	purse
Purler	A fall as in "cum a purler" fall down

Reasty	Off, as in food gone bad or dirty as in "Your hands are reasty".
Rennin	Raining
Riffy	Dirty or unclean

Sad	heavy, as in bread that does not rise.
Saft	stupid, soft (in the head)
'Safta	Shortened version of "this afternoon." eg. See ya this safta.
Saided	sated, glutted remains left after rendering lard
Sailin'	Ceiling as in "up on the sailin"
Scrag	To beat up as in fight
Scrawmp	To have a good scratch
Scratchings	Black Country delicacy - pork rind deep fried
Scrumpin'	pinching fruit (usually apples) from someone's orchard
Shek, Shekin	Shake, shaking
Siden	Out of perpendicular, crooked. See photo of the Glynne Arms, aka The Crooked House or Siden House
Skraze	graze, scratch
Skrobble or scromble	a tangle of wool, string, and the like
Sheed	to spill a liquid
Shed	spilled/spilt
Siken	to sigh (from the Old English 'Sican' )
Spake	speak
Splod	flat-footed
Spockle	to cover with drops of moisture
Spottle	splash
Soople	to soften, make supple
Steen	stew jar or earthenware pot
Suff	sewer or drain, eg "Up the suff" - down the drain
Suck	Sweets (candy to the Yanks, lollies to the Aussies)
Sup	to sip, a sip, drink
Sustifikut	certificate
Swaits	sweets
Swelth	swelling
Swilker	to spill or splash
Swole	swollen
Swopson	a heavily built woman, used in a semi-humorous sense

Tack up	improvement in the weather, eg "It'll tack up tonight"
Tacky-bonk or Tocky-bonk	a pit mound
Tararabit	Bye for now
Taters	potatoes
Tai(tay)	tea, also "it isn't"
Tek	take
Tek after	to resemble, look like physically, mentally, or emotionally
Tewthree	a few, two or three, always used as a noun preceded by "a"
Thaten	that one
Thissen	this one
Thrial	group of three, used only in the card game of Cribbage
Thrape	thrash. Give I'm a good thrapin'
Tiswas	Confused, "getting in a tiswas"
Tizzicky	having an irritating dry cough
Tittle	tickle
Tranklements	small possessions, bits and pieces, paraphernalia, precious possessions.
Trapes	walking aimlessly about, e g "Trapesin' in an' ott like a dog at a fair"
Trussen	to trust
Tummy	a snack, especially a collier's mid-morning snack
Tunky	a fat pig, eg "As fat as a tunky"

Unkyoothe

uncouth

Volve

valve

Waggin	Playing truant from School
Wag Mon	The council official employed to round up errant children who were "Waggin"
Wammel	Dog
Wassin	Throat. "Get it down yer wassin" From the Old English "wasend" meaning gullet.
Weem	We are. Eg. "Weem gooin out tonight" - We're going out tonight.
Welly	nearly, eg "Welly clemmed to jeth"
Wench	girl, still commonly used by parents towards daughters. From the Anglo- Saxon "Wencel" meaning child
Werrit	Worry
Whimsey	pit head winding gear
Wick	Nerves - as in 'Yow'm gerrin' on me wick.'
Wik	week or weak
Woa	won't, eg Yow woa
Wool	whole, often of a brick : "A wooly 'un"
Wool	will, eg Yow wool
Wurse or Wuss	Worse
Wum	home. "I'm gooin' wum"

Yamp(e)y	Useless, hopeless (as in "He's a yampy player)
Yawle or Yaup	bawl, shout or cry loudly
Yed	head
Yo(w)	you
Yoewer	your

Zowk	yelp, cry out
Zad	the letter Z

Grocery Update! Some new local finds at House of Fraser

2009-12-06T19:03:00.003Z

Went Xmas shopping this afternoon in Birmingham near the Bull Ring and made a stop at the House of Fraser up near the B'ham Cathedral. We were looking for some cooking equipment (which by the way is RIDICULOUSLY expensive compared to US prices), and went downstairs to the lower level where there also happens to be a food hall/gourmet market similar to the one at Selfridge's.

Turns out, House of Fraser also has a small selection of 'American' food items like that at Selfridge's, with a few key additions: Heinz Chili Sauce, Heinz sweet pickle relish, Mezzetta Deli-Sliced pepperoncini rings, peanut butter M&Ms and Hershey's chocolate sauce, cocoa, and fudge sauce were all available, along with some different sauces and condiments. They also carried cans of Libby's Pumpkin (and were GBP 2.39, so not as cheap as Whole Foods, but cheaper than Selfridge's). I didn't get to scope out the entire food hall, but they seemed to also have a large selection of gourmet olive oils, vinegars, and mayo.

I suspect that only the larger House of Fraser stores with Food Halls have this market feature, as I didn't see anything like that at the Solihull location, but it's good to know I won't have to go back to London for those items anytime soon. I'm looking forward to seeing some peanut butter M&M's in my stocking in a couple of weeks ;)

Christmas Tree Shopping!

2009-12-05T16:37:00.008Z

Cut, potted or stands? These options aren't normally associated with Christmas tree shopping in California, so I was a little bit confused about all the options I kept reading about on the local tree farms' websites in Birmingham.

Normally, the only decision our family ever made when picking out a tree was what height the tree should be--type of tree wasn't even an option. I think my mom always had a preference for Noble Firs, so that's what we had, and it became our family tradition. We always headed straight for the Noble Fir section of the tree lot and if they had a meager selection of acceptable (read 'full') trees, we moved on to the next lot a few minutes drive away.

Typically, the trees I encountered in California's lots were pre-cut, with a wooden "X" nailed to the bottom, and were displayed standing in neat lines like soldiers waiting for inspection. No excessive handling of the trees was required--we simply strolled down the rows of trees to see which trees were the right height and fullness.

This afternoon D and I drove over to Wood Farm's Christmas Tree Farm, near Shirley, to pick out a Christmas tree for the house. There don't appear to be too many large Christmas tree lots around our neck of town (or generally in the city), so we are lucky that this place is only about 5 minutes from our house. Upon arriving at the tree farm; however, I soon realized this may not be as easy an experience as I was used to.

First, there was a choice between cut, potted or stand trees. The "cut" trees were most like the regular American trees, but instead of having an "X" base on them so they could stand up freely on their own, they were lying all over the place, ungrouped by height at all--some were lying on the ground in loose stacks, some were leaned against fences several trees deep, and others were in small metal stands over a foot off the ground, so the trees' true height wasn't discernible until you removed it from the stand. These 'cut' trees were difficult to evaluate because so many of the trees were hidden behind or beneath the stacks, and getting to them was such an effort.

We went inside to check out the other tree options, and discovered that you could also buy a 'potted' tree with it's roots potted inside the soil of a bright red bucket, or a 'stand' tree, with the roots all showing, that you screw into a special stand and allow the roots to spread out inside the bowl. Apparently, you can attempt to replant either of these tree types in your own garden after the holidays, but the tree farm won't guarantee that the tree will survive. Although this was an attractive 'eco' option, we don't have any space in our garden for another large tree and the trees weren't grouped by type or height or price inside, so we kept wandering and wandering without being able to hone in on the type we wanted.

We ultimately wandered back outside and (to D's relief) I finally settled on a 6 foot, cut Noble Fir and a cheap stand. It needed some trimming down with the clippers at home, because it's really full, but we figured too full was better than too sparse! Now for the decorating....

Bring from Home!: US Food Items Not Generally Available in UK

2009-11-30T12:16:00.005Z

After months of research and hunting around Birmingham I have compiled this list of items that are tough or impossible to find here, and I stock up on the non-perishable items on visits back home:

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (dry and bottled)

Good Seasonings Italian Dressing mix

Lipton Onion Soup Mix (for dips and recipes)

Lawry's Taco Seasoning

Accent seasoning

Pepperjack cheese

Corn tortillas (available here, but not so good)

Veleveeta cheese

Mezzetta Brand pepperoncinis, cocktail onions, gardiniera

Mr & Mrs T Bloody Mary Mix

Salsa con queso/spicy cheese dip for tortilla chips

Crystal Light lemonade and iced tea packets

Chicken Rice a Roni

Sourdough bread

Canned chopped green chiles

Chipotle peppers

Pequillo peppers

Wheat Thins crackers

Zatarains Jambalaya Mix

Wonton wrappers

The following items are available at Partridge's Grocery store in Kensington in London (thanks for the tip Allison!), but are not readily available in Birmingham (or I assume, in other cities outside of London generally)--also watch out for the very high prices!!:

Motts Applesauce - regular and unsweetened

Stove Top Stuffing Mix

Lawry's Seasoned Salt, Garlic Salt and Lemon Pepper

Zatarain's mixes - Dirty Rice, Red Beans and Rice and Creole Gumbo (no Jambalaya)

Bisquick Pancake Mix

Heinz Chili Sauce

Graham crackers and graham pie crusts

Crisco vegetable shortening & canola oil

Betty Crocker cake & brownie mixes

Heinz Dill pickles - chips, spears and relish

Vlasic sweet and dill pickle spears

Pop Tarts

Hershey's Chocolate syrup

Light and dark corn syrup

Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips (most UK grocers carry only milk or dark chocolate chips)

Skippy Peanut Butter

Old Bay Seasoning

Libby's canned pumpkin

Quaker corn meal

Baker's semi-sweet chocolate chunks for baking

Jiffy Corn muffin mix

Progresso Italian style breadcrumbs

Various american cereals (fruit loops, apple jacks, grape nuts)

I also found these items at Whole Foods in London on Kensington High Street, but have not seen them anywhere else:

Tarragon vinegar

Green tomatillo salsa

Libby's canned pumpkin

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Raw pearl onions

Smoked mozzarella

Spanish tuna in olive oil

Hiking in the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire

2009-11-29T22:23:00.002Z

One thing I really miss about Los Angeles is the abundance of day-hikes. From my old apartment in Hollywood I could walk out the door and in 15 minutes be alone up on the pathways of Griffith Park, with only the sunshine and my dog, George, for company. Whenever visiting friends and family were in town, we inevitably drove the 5 minutes up Beechwood Drive to the Hollyridge trail-head and followed the steep, dusty horse-trail to the lookout above the landmark Hollywood sign--a good hour-long power walk. Alternately, on clear, sunny weekend days I often drove for 30 minutes over to the Pacific Palisades and spent a happy hour doing a loop on the hiking trails in Temescal Canyon for views of Malibu and the Pacific.

Since the Midlands district of England is mostly flat to moderately hilly, there aren't really any hikes I can get to on a regular basis for a quick workout, but D has promised to take me to some of the different spots that are within an hour or two of us on the motorway. Hopefully when winter is over, there will be a few more nice weather days for us to venture out and see them!

Before winter attacked, we did have a chance to spend one sunny Saturday afternoon hiking in the Malvern Hills. After driving for about 45 minutes south west from our house in Wythall with D's dog, Mia, we arrived in the quaint village of Great Malvern, and then wound our way up through the trees above the town to a carpark where we found one of the many trailheads providing access to the Malvern Hills. During the first 10 minutes of hiking, we wound our way uphill through a grove of dense trees, but finally came out at the top of the ridge to find mostly grassy hilltops with small bushes of wildberries scattered alongside.

We let the dog loose on the trails and walked for about 25 minutes up to the highest point in the hills. The view was amazing as we could see in all directions, but I was a little disappointed to learn that the highest point was a mere 1395 feet! After hitting the viewpoint we wandered down and around the hills across some of the different trails that seemed to go on endlessly, but finally made our way back to the car after about 2 hours. On our way home we stopped at a picturesque pub on the banks of the River Severn just outside of Worcester for a beer and some sandwiches in the sunshine--it was almost enough to transport me back to the LA sunshine!!

A Survival Guide to English Foods and Ingredients

2009-11-26T12:22:00.003Z

Here is a list of some commonly used American ingredients with their UK equivalents:

Eggplant = aubergine

Arugula = rocket

Cilantro = coriander

Zucchini = courgettes

Belgian Endive = chicory

Bok Choi = Pak Choy

Green Onions = Spring onions or salad onions

Canadian bacon = back bacon

Ground Beef = beef mince (same with other meats)

Thick sliced ham (like Honey Baked Ham) = gammon

Cookies = biscuits (sweet)

Crackers = biscuits (savory/for cheese)

French fries = chips

Potato chips = crisps

Butty = sandwich (esp. chip butty or bacon butty)

Cornstarch = cornflour

Light cream = single cream

Heavy cream = double cream

Half & half = use half milk, half single cream

Graham crackers = use sweetmeal digestive biscuits

Dessert = the word 'pudding' refers to any dessert, not just custard, with notable exceptions being "black pudding" and "Yorkshire pudding", which are savory items

Granulated brown sugar = demarara sugar

Jell-O/Gelatin = jelly

powdered/confectioner's sugar = icing sugar

cake flour = sponge flour

Kool-Aid or flavored drink mix = squash

Baked potato = jacket potato

Tomato Paste = tomato puree

Ladyfingers = use sponge fingers or boudoir fingers

Shortening = use solid vegetable oil

Cheddar cheese = cheddar is usually white here; Red Leicester is closest to American cheddar

Swiss cheese = use Jarlsburg or Gruyere

Tomato Sauce (no seasonings) = try tomato juice or jarred pasta sauce & adjust seasonings

Minced garlic = 'easy garlic'

sugar sprinkles for cakes = hundreds and thousands

Below are some English dishes that I've seen on more than a few menus, but didn't know exactly what I'd be getting if I ordered it:

Welsh rarebit = is a savoury sauce made from melted cheese and various other ingredients and served hot over toasted bread, sometimes with the addition of ale, mustard, ground cayenne pepper or ground paprika and Worcestershire sauce

Bangers and Mash = a dish of mashed potatoes & sausages, usually with an onion gravy

Bubble and Squeak = leftover vegetables and meat from a roast dinner pan-fried together with mashed potatoes until mixture is browned on all sides

Toad in a Hole = a dish comprising sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter (see definition below), usually served with vegetables and gravy

Faggots = a meatball traditionally made from pig's heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavouring and sometimes breadcrumbs

Black pudding = a type of sausage made by cooking blood with a filler (meat, fat, suet, bread) until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled.

Cottage Pie = a pie with a mashed potato crust and cooked beef filling

Shepherd's Pie = a pie with a mashed potato crust and cooked lamb/mutton filling

Scotch Egg = sausage in breadcrumbs wrapped around hard boiled egg and deep fried to crispy

Pork Pie = minced pork and pork jelly baked inside a firm pastry crust, sometimes with cheese & pickle, and usually served cold with spicy mustard

Cockles = a type of small, edible, saltwater clam

Crubeens = Irish dish of salted pig's feet or trotters, usually served boiled with cabbage

English trifle = a dessert dish made from thick (or often solidified) custard, fruit, sponge cake, fruit juice or, more recently, gelatin, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers with fruit and sponge on the bottom, and custard and cream on top.

Stargazy Pie = a Cornish dish made of baked pilchards (a type of fish), covered with a pastry crust. The pilchards are arranged with their tails toward the centre of the pie and their heads poking up through the crust around the edge, so that they appear to be gazing skyward.

Bacon Butty = bacon rashers served on a soft roll, usually with brown sauce or ketchup

Yorkshire Pudding = a savory, well-shaped pastry made from batter (usually cooked in muffin tins, like popovers) and served with roast meat and gravy

Spotted Dick = a steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit (usually currants) commonly served with custard

Lancashire Hotpot = a stew consisting essentially of lamb or mutton, onion and potatoes left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat

Marrow = a type of squash or large zucchini

Angels on Horseback = poached oysters wrapped in bacon rashers w/a seasoned prune puree

Jaffa Cakes = a popular type of English cookie that consists of three layers: a sponge cake base, a layer of orange flavoured jelly and a coating of dark chocolate.

Cornish Pasties = seasoned steak, potatoes, onion, carrot and turnips baked inside a pastry case

Victoria Sponge = traditionally consists of jam sandwiched between two sponge cakes; the top of the cake is not iced or decorated. Named for Queen Victoria, who favored sponge cake with her afternoon tea

I miss American TV

2009-11-23T17:38:00.000Z

English TV kinda sucks. After 6 months of trying to get into Emmerdale, Coronation Street and the other UK nighttime soap dramas, I've pretty much given up. Unlike the soaps in America, who tend to make the lives of nearly all their characters look at least upper-middle class and somewhat glamorous, most of the UK soaps seem to focus on average, middle-class and lower-middle class folks, which offers little of the escapism that American TV provides.

The only prime-time shows I've followed here are the reality-TV hits 'Britain's Got Talent', 'X Factor' and 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here', mostly because the judges and hosts are so entertaining, and because they are on so frequently that it's hard to escape them.

Since we aren't getting the new fall series of 'Grey's Anatomy', 'America's Next Top Model' or 'Big Love' here in England yet, I have to console myself by watching 'The Hills' and 'The City' on MTV. When I'm watching them it feels like I'm back on my couch in L.A., and staying in touch with what's hot at home. It's kind of sad, because those shows are actually so disconnected from reality. Luckily we have the current season of 'Gossip Girl' and 'Project Runway' on right now, and we are only a week or so behind the US seasons, but I'm not sure if we will get 'LOST' or the new season of '24' yet. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

The Pumpkin Puree Discovery!

2009-11-22T15:16:00.000Z

Since I'm planning a huge, traditional Thanksgiving dinner for a few friends here in England at the end of the week, I have been on the hunt for cans of pureed pumpkin to use in the pumpkin chiffon pie that our family's favorite, but kept coming up empty until about a week ago.

Selfridge's Department Store in London and here in Birmingham both stock Libby's Canned Pumpkin during the holiday seasons every year, but apparently the pumpkin harvest wasn't great this year, so production was a bit delayed, and the store's shipments arrived later than usual. I bought 4 cans of pumpkin when it finally arrived at Selfridge's here, then bought some more last week in London where I found it at Whole Foods for about 1 GBP cheaper per can than at Selfridges.

Now that I'm well stocked in pumpkin puree, I decided to use a 1/2 can to make some pumpkin bread to nibble on this week. Here's the recipe I used (measurements are in UK equivalents):

INGREDIENTS

250g pumpkin puree

210g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

200g sugar

1 tsp baking soda

120ml (1/2 c.) olive oil

2 eggs, beaten

60ml (1/4 c.) water

1/2 tsp. each nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice

100g coarsely chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift together the flour salt, sugar and baking soda in a large bowl or food processor.

2. Combine the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, water and spices with the dry ingredients using a wisk or wisk attachment on the food processor. Stir in the nuts, then pour the mixture into a well-greased loaf tin and bake at 180 C (350 F) for about 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

3. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Mince Pies, Toad in the Hole & Other Oddities

2009-11-22T12:41:00.000Z

Last week I was in for a bit of a shock when D requested 'faggots' for dinner. I'd never heard that term used in America except as a derogatory, anti-gay remark, but I knew D doesn't share the beliefs of those who use the word that way, so I was puzzled. It turns out that faggots are a kind of English meatball made from some leftover pig. I didn't think I could handle chopping up pig heart, belly and liver, so we opted to buy a 4-pack of pre-made faggots from the neighborhood butchers. We baked them for about 50 minutes, and served them with baked potatoes (called 'jacket potatoes' in the UK) and mushy peas. They were in fact very similar to meatballs, but tasted a little too gamey for me so I don't think I'll ever eat them again.

Since it's now the holiday season, we've been seeing mincemeat pies everywhere in the supermarkets. They look like mini apple pies, but are filled with something that tastes a bit like the filling in American Fig Newton cookies. In Victorian times, the pies originally contained actual meat, but now the only meat element is suet (a hard fat found around beef or sheep liver), and most pies now use vegetarian versions of suet. I've read that the 'mincemeat' filling is actually made from a mixture of various nuts, currants, raisins and spices, along with some brandy, but have not made the filling from scratch yet. Here's a recipe from the BBC if you are keen to try it out for yourself: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/christmasmincemeat_8893.shtml

Another classic English pub dish that I've seen on menus everywhere is Toad in a Hole. Apparently it's nothing more than a few sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding-type pastry, but the name is so intimidating that I've never tried it. It is usually served with an onion gravy and vegetables. D has a Gordon Ramsey cookbook with a recipe I plan to try, but I also saw this one on the BBC website that looks pretty basic: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/beefsausagetoadinthe_86522.shtml.

When it comes to cooking other strange English foods, I've experimented a bit more in the dessert category since I don't usually eat that much meat. I have yet to try cottage pie, fisherman's pie, or anything containing liver, but I have made treacle tart with clotted cream (a shortbread pastry crust with a syrupy, breadcrumb filling), rhubarb crumble, a pomegranate pavlova, and a chocolate chip bread pudding from scratch.

I'll include an actual Guide to English Foods in another post soon with a list of American equivalents for strange UK foods, or definitions of those items I haven't come across in America at all.

Here's the recipe for Treacle Tart that I found on the BBC website:

Treacle Tart

Ingredients

For the sweet pastry
250g/9oz plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
175g/6oz butter, plus extra (melted) for greasing
75g/2¾oz icing sugar
2 free-range egg yolks
1 tbsp cold water
For the filling
150g/5oz day-old brown or white bread, crusts removed
650g/1lb 7oz golden syrup (like corn syrup in US)
150g/5½oz unsalted butter
1 free-range egg
50ml/2fl oz double cream (heavy cream in U.S.)
2 lemons, zest only
large pinch salt
clotted cream or double cream, to serve

Method

For the sweet pastry, in a bowl, rub together the flour and butter using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar, egg yolks and cold water and mix until the mixture comes together as a dough. Wrap the dough in cling film, then chill in the fridge for two hours, to rest. Grease a 23cm/9½in loose-bottomed tart case with melted butter, then dust with flour, gently knocking out any excess. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and place the prepared tart case on top. Once the pastry has rested, discard the cling film and roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface to a 4-5mm thickness. Lift the rolled pastry by rolling it loosely around the rolling pin, then lower it into the prepared tart case and press into the tart case to mould it to the sides and bottom. Trim off any excess pastry using a sharp knife. Chill the tart case in the fridge for a further 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. When the tart case has rested, remove it from the fridge and prick the base several times using a fork. Line the base and sides of the tart case with greaseproof paper, then fill it with baking beans. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until crisp and pale golden-brown. Discard the greaseproof paper and baking beans. For the filling, blend the bread in a food processor until it has formed breadcrumbs. Set aside. Heat the golden syrup and butter in a pan over a low to medium heat until the syrup and the butter has melted. Set aside to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and cream until well combined. Pour in the syrup and butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and salt until well combined. Pour the filling mixture into the cooked pastry case, then return the tart to the oven and cook for a further 40-45 minutes, or until the filling is dark golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes before serving to allow to cool slightly. Serve warm, with clotted cream or whipped cream.

Grocery Stores in England

2009-11-20T14:13:00.000Z

There are a large number of supermarket chains in the UK, but they vary widely in quality and selection of foods depending on what neighborhood they are located in. I've shopped in many of them over the past 6 months, and can evaluate them below:

The largest supermarket chains are Tesco and Sainsburys, followed closely by ASDA and Morrisons, who all carry own-brand products but also stock a large number of name brand foods, as well as a growing number of international foods. Morrison's and ASDA seem to be newer chains, doing what they can to catch up to Tesco and Sainsburys. Tesco and Sainsburys both have clothing lines and homewares departments (similar to Walmart or Target in America), and both "Rewards Card" programs that provide the opportunity to amass points from shopping in store, as well as from buying gas at their store-owned pumps. Since I wind up shopping at both chains frequently, I have opted to enroll in both programs and earn points no matter where I shop. ASDA and Morrisons may also have these features, but they have fewer store locations, and their products are not as well publicized as those of the larger chains. Tesco and Sainsburys also both operate a large number of small, neighborhood grocery outlets (i.e., Tesco Express and Sainsburys Local) in urban centers or residential neighborhoods where space is at a premium, that carry only essential grocery items and have a small produce section.

Other national chains are ALDI, Lidl, Somerfield, Iceland, Waitrose and Marks & Spencers. ALDI, Lidl and Somerfield seem to be at the cheaper end of the scale in terms of quality and selection, so it's a better choice for food staples than for gourmet or hard-to-find items. Iceland is primarily a "frozen food" supermarket, and I don't believe they stock any fresh produce, so again, it is best for stocking up on freezer staples like pizza and dessert items. Waitrose seems to be a higher-end store with higher average prices (similar to Whole Foods in the U.S.), and their stores are usually smaller than Tesco & Sainsburys, but I've found many gourmet & hard-to-find items there when I thought hope was lost!

Marks & Spencers has become one of my favorite grocery chains, but I mention them last because they are not a traditional grocery store. Their grocery outlets are always attached to a larger Marks & Spencers (M&S) department store that stocks all the traditional clothing and home items carried by stores like JCPenny or Macys in America. M&S grocery stores also do not carry any outside brands, so their non-perishable sections are very small, and they tend to stock only basics (some canned meat, canned vegetables, tinned fish, pasta sauces and frozen items), as well as some dry baking goods and lots of sauces and condiments. They usually have a basic fresh produce department (although few items are sold loose--most are pre-washed, chopped and or packaged), and a good bakery, but their star feature is a huge selection of fresh, pre-packaged food and ready-meals, many of which are restaurant quality. Their prices are a bit high (more like buying food from a take-away restaurant), so I can't shop there all the time, but I've come across a few great items, the most recent of which was their canned Chicken Tikka Masala. It's the closest I've found to my favorite recipe for the dish in America, and it's easy to serve with basmati rice, green veg and naan for a quick meal.

NOTE: Whole Foods has recently opened in London, and I've only been there once on a brief visit, so I'm not sure how many common American foods or brands are available there, but I'm hoping they will bring the chain the Birmingham soon!

Finding a Job with a Licensed Employer

2009-11-20T11:03:00.000Z

I'm currently aiming to find a job using the Tier 2 - Skilled Worker category of immigration (because it has lower thresholds for maintenance funds and is less expensive to apply for), and will start my search with companies who are already Licensed Sponsors under the Tier 2 Register of Sponsors. I found the register of sponsors here:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/pbsregisterofsponsors

I think it is updated fairly frequently--this one is current as of today!

If I find an employer on this list who will hire me and issue a certificate of sponsorship, then I don't have to go through the process of persuading them to become a License Sponsor with the UK Border Agency in the first place, which I hope will be easier.

There don't appear to be many companies registered in Birmingham (mostly local government, universities and sporting agencies), but if nothing pans out there, I'm hoping I can find a company registered elsewhere who may need to hire someone for there Birmingham offices, or for a remote position. Working from home is an option, but I'm really hoping to have a physical work-place so I can actually meet some new people and get out of the house at least a few days a week.

Visa Frustrations

2009-11-19T09:52:00.000Z

The last time I came into the UK in October, immigration control at Heathrow instructed me that since I had already spent nearly six months in the country this year on a tourist visa, my entry clearance this time would be granted on the condition that as soon as I left the country, my permission to "visit" would be revoked. I was directed to secure a more formal visa before attempting to enter the country again.

Thus began my renewed efforts at understanding the myriad of UK visa options available to American citizens. Because I don't really want to spend any more money on tuition for more education at this point, and because D and I are not quite ready to get engaged, I have determined that there are only 3 visa options that really make sense for me:

1) Long-term visitor visa: This visa allows a visitor to enter the UK as frequently as they like for up to six months in any 12 month period for either 1, 2 or up to 5 years without being questioned by immigration control. It would only buy me six more months here in 2010, but it only requires an applicant to demonstrate that they have an address in the U.S., that they are employed or self-employed and have a sufficient income to maintain themselves while visiting the UK. For more info, see http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/aboutus/features/premiumvisa.

2) Highly Skilled Worker visa (Tier 1 General Migrant): This visa (which carries and application fee of nearly GBP 650) permits a visitor to enter to look for work, and to remain in the UK for up to 3 years if they secure paid work within the first 12 months of entering. An applicant has to score a minimum number of points in 3 different categories (attributes, English language and maintenance funds) in order to qualify for this visa. The most points are scored in the attributes category for applicants who have been awarded a Masters Degree or PhD in the United States, and who have earned at least GBP 40,000 per annum in the 15 months prior to applying from employment. If you are a citizen of the United States, you automatically will score 10 points in the English language category. Lastly, to score the required 10 points in the maintenance category, you have to provide bank statements that show your accounts never fell below GBP 2,800 (about $4,700) during the 3 months prior to the date of the visa application. For more information, see http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf21pbsgeneralmigrant.

3) Skilled Worker Visa (Tier 2 General Migrant): This visa, which carries an application fee of GBP 215, permits a visitor to enter the UK to undertake a specific job for the period of time indicated on the applicant's certificate of sponsorship from a UK employer. This basically means that a valid job offer from a qualified UK employer is required before submitting a visa application. Unless an applicant has secured a job listed on the current UK Occupation Shortage List (mostly medical professionals, manufacturing and construction engineers and/or social workers), then the potential UK employer will have had to become a licensed employee sponsor, and will also have had to meet the resident labor market test (usually by advertising the job locally for at least 2 weeks in approved publications without finding a successful candidate). Once securing a job offer and a certificate of sponsorship, an applicant also has to qualify through several other categories including higher education (a Masters or PhD score the most points), English language (again, all U.S. citizens automatically earn top points) and expected earnings (maximum points for a UK job that will pay an annual income over GBP 20,000). Finally, the applicant must show a minimum of GBP 800 in their personal cash accounts at all times during the 3 months prior to submitting the application. For more information, see http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf26pbsskilledworker.

As you can see, none of them are really simple and straightforward. I REALLY wish someone had advised me to take another look at the details of all of these visas six months ago when I still had my own apartment in California, recent payslips documenting income from my former employer, and a full savings account. At that time, I would have had ample evidence to qualify for either of the 1st 2 visas because I was still working in my highly paid role as a commercial real estate lawyer and had full savings and bank accounts. Even though it would have been costly to buy the work visa up front when I didn't know if my relationship with D would work out, at least I could have been monitoring my bank accounts and calendars to know when my "window of opportunity" for qualifying was closing.

Now applying for the visas will be more challenging as the last 15 months have also included 6 months of part-time legal work, and nearly 6 months of not working at all, plus, my savings have dropped dramatically as I have relied on them for my living expenses.

How did I wind up here?

2009-11-18T17:32:00.000Z

Almost 12 months ago I decided to transition out of my job as a commercial real estate lawyer in Los Angeles and find a new career--either a new branch of the law or a new field entirely. To kick off my adventure and energize me for the changes ahead, I booked a 5 week trip to Nepal and India for myself. The trip began with about 2 weeks in Nepal on a hiking trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp (about 17,500 feet), and then took me to Delhi to join a 2 week food-lovers tour of some of India's major sights, ending in Goa.

One of the members of my trekking group in Nepal wound up being a chivalrous Englishman near my age, we'll call him "D", and during the course of the 2 week trip we fell in love. We spoke on the phone every day for the rest of my trip and D flew out to California to visit me 5 days after I arrived home from India. Things went well, so I then flew back to England 2 weeks later for Valentine's Day to visit D in his hometown of Birmingham. I'd been to the UK a half-dozen or so times before, but only for very short trips, and I'd never been to Birmingham before.

It was February, and freezing cold, but D took me to visit the home of Shakespeare in nearby Stratford-upon-Avon (which is utterly quaint and cute, despite the tourists everywhere with cameras slung around their necks), and showed me around his favorite haunts in Birmingham. We went out for drinks in Moseley and Harborne, and went shopping at the new Bullring Center near the New Street train station. At the end of my trip we went to London for a night and met some friends of mine for a fancy dinner at a Gaucho, a popular steakhouse. I was loving it!

In March I came back for another 10-day trip, and during my 3rd trip back in April, we spent a weekend down by the ocean in Devon, in a cute seaside town called Brixton. By May we decided that I should move over to England for awhile so we could try out life together--my month-to-month apartment lease was becoming expensive since I was only working part-time, and my car lease was up, so I had a window of opportunity to leave the US without having to get out of too many obligations.

After moving all my personal goods and some furniture into a giant storage unit, I came over with 2 giant suitcases of clothes in the middle of June, and have been living here at D's house in Wythall (a suburb of Birmingham) ever since, aside from a month home in California during September to attend a few weddings. I'm still working as a lawyer part-time whenever I can get the work from US clients, because I'm not allowed to work here yet.

D and I are still happy as ever, but we're not quite ready to tie the knot, so now I'm looking for a way to get a work visa, and I'll address that topic on another post!

Hello world! Welcome to England!

2009-11-18T08:32:00.000Z

Welcome to my first post! After not meeting any other American expats during the first 5 months of living in England, I felt like I had no one to turn to to answer many of my questions about life in the UK. From the simple, mundane questions (“Can I drive here with my US drivers license?”, or “Will I be able to find my favorite Pantene hair mousse?”) to the frustrating, complex questions (“What’s the best way to try and work while living in the UK?”), I kept wishing I had a general resource with all the answers–someone to turn to who’d been through it all already, so I decided to write a blog about life in England from an American woman’s perspective, which will include as much useful information as I can think of, as well as my ongoing thoughts about life here.

Although many things about life in England are comfortingly similar to the United States thanks to our common language and common heritage, there are differences that crop up every week, some of which are quite humorous, and others which are honestly frustrating. For example, today I went into town to return a pair of earrings that I had ordered from a national retail chain online, and I discovered that English retail stores are prohibited from accepting returns on earrings sales due to sanitary concerns.

This makes sense on many levels, since earrings that may have been pushed through an earlobe by the buyer are potentially carrying some new germs, but I’d never heard anyone discuss this fact before, and the store’s website did not indicate that earring returns would not be accepted (either on the earrings description page, on my ’shopping cart’ page, or on the checkout page). Also, similarly to America, there don’t appear to be any restrictions on customers trying on earrings in the store before purchasing them, so the argument about protecting the cleanliness of the earrings for the ultimate consumer seems a bit weak. If I’d bought the same pair of earrings in the shop instead of online, chances are they’d already be more contaminated than the pair I received direct from the warehouse and tried on once. Luckily for me they were inexpensive earrings, and I did not have to learn this lesson on an ‘investment’ piece, but I still balked at the policy in front of the store clerks and felt embarrassed for not having this knowledge already.

Right now I’m currently struggling with some visa issues, as well as where to find some Thanksgiving food staples in England, so I’ll probably be back online later with more on those topics.

Let me know if you have an suggestions for topics or questions you’d like answered. I’m a big researcher so I’ll go digging around if I don’t have the answer.

Cheers!