Zermatt

The British love their holiday. They have holidays more often than Americans do and they don't feel the smallest amount of guilt. I love that. When a school vacation comes, almost everyone jets off on holiday. It has taken me a little while to get used to this wonderful mindset~ but I think I am there!

I have declared 'our best vacation ever' to be this year to Zermatt, Switzerland. Our travel was smooth. We stayed in the same place for 7 days. The town was sparkling with little lights. The food was amazing. The views were spectacular. Each day we got out skiing and then had relaxing evenings. We did half board with our hotel. Each night we had a 5 course dinner that was so delicious I can't even describe it. Yummy!! After dinner we snuggled up in front of the fire and relaxed. I had enough down time that I finished the new Dan Brown novel ~ loved it!

The views of the Matterhorn mountain as we were skiing are breathtaking. I couldn't get enough. I think I photographed it from every angle I could. We had two days when the weather was nice enough that we were able to ski from Switzerland into Italy and have lunch at an adorable little Italian place.

We had such a lovely time. I hope I have found the magic formula for a perfect vacation!

Hanukkah

This post is a bit late, but I need to go back and record our wonderful holiday season. Lenny and I had a field trip to Golders Green a week before the first night of Hanukkah to pick out a menorah (also called a Hanukkia) We found this adorable little dreidel menorah! Every night that we could, all three of us gathered around our dreidel menorah and sang the blessings together. It is an amazing process feeling ourselves become a family unit.


Lenny and I both had a hard time finding each other a Hanukkah card. Lenny went into one shop and they said they were too small to have any hanukkah cards. So, he went into the largest card shop in Richmond. They didn't have any cards out in the store, but in the back room they did have a few. When Lenny said that Hanukkah was still going on so they should keep the cards out longer, they said they didn't have room. However, they did have room for at least 600 Christmas. The shop I went into, even had a sign in the window for Hanukkah... but they let me know hanukkah was over. Hum, interesting. I thought it was 8 days! Silly me.



The best night of hanukkah 2009 was the 8th night. We had our closest friends over for dinner. Lenny made amazing latkes using his mom's recipe. I made homemade applesauce to go with them. Truely amazing. Who knew potatoes could be so good! For dinner we had a classic brisket that has started to become a bit of a family tradition. As I was getting ready for everyone to come over, I was filled with the most wonderful feeling. I really felt like family was coming. I felt relaxed and excited. Emily, Jayme, Rebecca, and Dave are some of the most amazing people I know. I really love them to bits. The brisket didn't come out right at all, and I wasn't too upset. I knew if we needed to we would just order pizza! It was family, and they really didn't care what we ate. You know that feeling? It is so wonderful.

Kingston

Forecast: Saturday evening ~ light rain. Sunday ~ heavy rain. Monday ~ light rain. Tuesday ~ heavy rain. I think you know where this is going.

So, Saturday afternoon we decided to make the most of the time before the rain and take a walk.... to Kingston! I had been wanting to do that walk for some time. I imagined it would be a lovely walk along the Thames River through Twickenham & Teddington into Kingston.

I was right! It was a great walk! As I look back at the pictures, I laugh because they don't look like such a wonderful day! But, I guess it is all relative. I really had a lot of fun. It was the first time I got out of the house for some recreation with Lenny in almost a month (remember the blog about being sick?!) I know by all the mud that Chula also had a great time!

Snapshot of the day: Walk along the river. Hold hands with my husband. A few photo opportunities. Dinner at our favorite Mexican place in Kingston.

Biggest surprise of the day: Chula got to come into the restaurant with us! Many of the pubs out in the suburbs will allow dogs, but I had not even ever asked in a restaurant. By the time we got to Kingston, it had been drizzling for a while and we wanted to eat inside. To my shock, they had no problem with her joining us! Now, it is even more of a favorite place!!

I also had a fun new toy ~ a pedometer! Our walk turned out to be 6.33 miles! Not too bad.

Houdini

Here's a riddle? How does a dog get out of an apartment with all the doors and windows locked? This Friday we wondered that when Lenny got a text message from our landlord saying "Nikki has your dog."

Nikki is our upstairs neighbor. Our first thought was, how did she get Chula?? We had a chuckle when we realized that she was wondering the same thing! Apparently she saw Chula in her back garden as she was getting into the shower. By the time she got out of the shower, a woman was holding Chula in the front yard looking all around. Long story short ~ Nikki had a visitor until we got home from work that day.

The big question is... how did Chula get out? While that remains a mystery, I think it is safe to assume that just like Houdini... Chula had a secret trap door that let her slip out. How often have we said, Chula is smaller than some cats.

Some people like to call it a 'cat door' but we have renamed it. Whatever you call it, in addition to re-checking that it is locked.... we have also taped it closed!

November blues

Since November 1st, I have been fighting a cold. Yes, it has really been a month. This is a picture of my shelf where I get ready for the day! Here are a few of the things I have been doing to try and fight this cold:

1. 3 visits to the doctor

2. A course of antibiotics

3. Chicken Soup

4. Vicks on my chest, throat, and feet.

5. Hot bowls of Olbas oil.

6. Airborne

7. Berocca

8. Daily muli-vitamin

9. Cod liver oil

10. Lemon, honey, and ginger drinks

11. Night Cough Nurse and Day Nurse

12. A herbal remedy made at an apothecary

13. And through it all.... tons of sleep!

We have most of the same medicines here, but they all have different names. They do the same thing.... Nighttime coughing, sneezing, so you can sleep = Night Nurse. Going to the pharmacy was quite frustrating. I am barley standing and trying to describe my symptoms. The woman says-You need Olbas oil. Me- what? Her- Olbas oil. Me- I'm sorry, what? Her- Olbas oil. Me- I'm sorry, I hear you. But I can't tell what you are saying. Her- Olbas oil. Me- What is that?!! Her- I'll show you. Me- Thanks.

It has been a solid month. I am ready to be healthy.

Forcast: Squally Rain

Two funny things happened before 8 a.m. today. That is a guaranteed good day no matter what!

First: This morning, I went to take Chula for her morning 'run'. When we opened the door, I realized there was wet in the air. Two years ago, I would have called it rain. One year ago, I might have said mist. Today, I didn't even turn back for a raincoat! I had a hat on; Chula would get wiped down when we got back....so, out we went! It was kind of fun. I know that is sick and twisted for a California girl. But, I have learned to love that wet. I didn't know that it would start raining- for real rain. But, as I said earlier... I did have on a hat... and Chula did get wiped down. So I still say~ a fun time!

Second: I have started watching BBC Breakfast for some news in the morning. Today, they did the weather forecast as "squally rain". What?! When I got to work and asked someone about it, she had to look it up on Wikipedia! Here was a picture we found... The really funny thing is that I looked almost exactly like this on my way to work this morning!

So, I can tough the wet. And, I can tough a squall. All in all, a great morning.

Pheasant Dinners

This is a pheasant. Isn't he beautiful. Beautiful colors. Beautiful bird. But, as a farmer's daughter I can acknowledge that something is beautiful... and yummy! I have grown up all my life knowing that my daddy is a pheasant hunter. His home state, South Dakota, has wonderful pheasant hunting. The hunting season opener is practically a major national holiday in our family; all the available Fjellands come from near and far to enjoy a weekend together. My family (by that I mean the extended family) even has a Fjelland Fjeasant Fjort. It's a small 'man cave' that is all fixed up for to stay in when everyone is in town for opening weekend. The best part of hunting is.... they come away with tasty pheasant birds! Pheasant dinners are a special night at our house. It is hard to make and takes my dad hours of work, but it is really yummy!



This year for Christmas/ Hanukkah gift I suggested a quilted table runner for my folks. My mom had the idea of a pheasant dinner themed table runner ~ She recently picked up some amazing ultra suede placemats in fall/pheasant colors. With four days home sick last week, I managed to finish this table runner. To tell you the truth, I really love the fabrics. I think the real reason I quilt is because I'm addicted to the fabrics! This project has sleek, modern fabrics ~ which is just like my parents. And a fairly modern look (Ironically, I learned this pattern is called flying geese.) On top of the gorgeous fabrics, I think this little guy turned out good enough to go on a table! The corners and points are almost exactly where they should be. After about 20 quilts, I finally feel like I might be 'an intermediate' quilter.



The hardest part of living so far away is that I had to pack the precious little bundle into an envelop and trust it to Royal Mail. However, I did take a flip video and asked my parents to watch the video while they were on the phone with me so I could hear the initial ohh and ahh. I hope they enjoy this splash of color on their table this year. Wish I could be home for the tasty pheasant dinner too!

Autumn in Richmond Park

I love several things about Richmond, but I do have a favorite! Richmond Park. Richmond Park is one of the neatest places I have ever seen. It has been around since 1272, is 2500 acres, and has 650 free roaming deer. Royal Parks say that Richmond park has changed little over the years~but I disagree! I see it changing day to day and month to month. If I went to the park every day I would never tire of a route or path because it never feels the same!

Chula is a great excuse to get outside and go walking in the park. I have even started jogging with her before work. (Sunrise in the park is really amazing... but that feels like the subject for another blog!) This Saturday I made the most of a few sunny, glorious hours with Chula and a camera. A photo is supposed to be worth 1,000 words... but these just don't do justice to the real beauty. Chula, do you agree?

Budapest ~ Tony & Sarah

Tony and Sarah used to live down the street from us in Richmond. There were times when we would spend almost the whole weekend together. But a few months ago, they moved to Budapest, Hungry and we miss them terribly. To finish up our half-term trip, we flew from Baltimore to Budapest! One of my favorite moments of the weekend was the hug from Tony when we first saw them!! (Tony is an amazing hugger!)

What's that? You wonder why they moved to Hungry? Me too!! :) Sarah accepted a new job with her company and Tony is starting a MBA program. Even with these great opportunities, I was nervous about how the transition would be for them. I can't imagine moving to a country that speaks Hungarian and trying to make friends and feel at home. I quickly learned that all my fears were miss founded! They are doing so wonderful it filled my heart with joy!

We had an amazing weekend filled with sight seeing, delicious food, and meeting some of their new friends. Even though it was hard to say goodbye, I know the next time we are together it will feel like no time has passed! Thank you to Tony and Sarah for a memorable weekend together!

Anna and Lucas

This week we are taking advantage of my Autumn half-term to visit some very important people. Lenny and I are in Annapolis this week with Hedi, Bruce, Ted, Susan.... and the twins! This is my first trip out to meet the twins, but they are already 7 months old! It is so amazing to see them meeting their world on a daily basis. The way they stare at colors and lights. I can just imagine them saying, 'Wow! That's cool! Where did that come from?!' We all are trying to discover the next best thing... what will it be? a loud kissing sound? a song? a clap or dance? I have tried them all! But, when that little laugh comes out.... to quote Visa... priceless! I love the little laugh. I love it so much that I crack up myself when I hear it! I will admit, the little smile will also keep me going... but the little joy giggle is my real baby crack. That is what I come back for time and time again. :)

We have had a wonderful time so far. This trip we are staying with Ted and Susan to get the most baby time possible. Lenny and I are doing a diaper competition. (yes, strange... but if you caught it... that means Lenny is changing diapers and I support anything that encourages him practicing that skill!) He has not heard the story yet, but at the moment I am the big winner for the worst diaper award. When I win the award, my thank you speech will be for..... Anna! Lenny has been adorable (um, I mean handsome... or studly!) helping out and is putting all his baby skills to good use. He does a great job calming the kids down and in typical Lenny fashion, he can bust a move and put an instant smile on the babies faces!

When I first came to meet the Bromberg family, we went for dinner at the family favorite restaurant Timbuktu. I was thrilled to be with the Anna and Lucas for their first dinner there too!

A huge thank you to all the Brombergs (especially Ted and Susan) for their hospitality while we are visiting. We miss you so much!

Signs

Every country has some unique signs. I try to be watchful for interesting signs here. I have seen a few that I love... but this one is hands down my favorite.Yep~ this is the old people warning sign! It is usually placed on the side of the road outside an elderly home or place where 'the old folks' will be crossing the road. The first time I saw this sign, I thought it must be a joke! I did a full double take. Now, I see it all over. I still have a chuckle. But, who am I to laugh at the elderly sign? After all, I come from a state with this sign...

Reading

I find that I read much more living in London. I have several neglected pastimes and reading is typically one of them; but lately, I have been a bit of a book worm. I can think of two reasons that I am reading more: 1) I have more time on buses/trains...and waiting for buses or trains! It is really great to have a book tucked away in your purse for daily travel. 2) We don't have Tivo here~ not that we couldn't have it, but if I don't have programs saved and 'waiting' for me to watch, I tend to not want to watch as much television.

In the past few months, I have read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, William Gibson's classic SciFi novel Neuromancer, The entire Twilight Saga (Twilight, The New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn); the His Dark Materials book trilogy by Philip Pullman (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass); The Host another novel by Stephanie Meyer and now I am starting Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol. Lenny has been so wonderful and listened to me retelling most of these stories with incredible passion. He is very kind to indulge me ~ bless him.

I hope this new trend in my lifestyle will continue even when I am not waiting at a bus stop!

Le Creuset eat your heart out!

One of our constant struggles has to do with possessions. We moved to England in suitcases and got a furnished apartment. As we come across something that we need/want we ask ourselves... is this something that we want to get a cheap version of (which we will get rid of when we move back) or is it something that we want to bring to the states. For nearly a year, I have been thinking of buying a casserole pot (a la Le Creuset) and I finally did.... from Ikea! It is wonderful~just look at it! I spent two days cooking up a storm and freezing several meals for Lenny and I to eat during September~ the first month back at school is always a difficult one. We had an amazing Red Wine Chicken over mashed potatoes the other night. I look forward to the other meals that are waiting in our little freezer and my next evening cooking up a storm. Isn't this just an adorable pot??

35

This week I turned 35. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Not that I thought it would be hard, but didn't feel like celebrating while I was so far away from my friends back home. In the midst of my despair, a wonderful thing happened... I realized I am surrounded with friends from here!

Lenny and I decided to have a Margarita/Mexican themed party for our birthdays. We went all out. It was a blast! I was cooking for three days. We had 7 layer dip, Mexican fudge, homemade Pico de Gallo, chicken or beef tacos, enchiladas and coleslaw. In the middle of the party, everyone went outside and we did a pinata! Dessert included carmelitas, brownies, and ice cream. Overall, it was a ton of work... but SO much fun! I felt so surrounded with friendship and joy, it was a brilliant evening. I feel blessed to have met such wonderful people to celebrate with, thank you. Would I do it all again ~ yes! But.....probably not for another 4 years when Lenny turns 35!

Mont Saint Michel

As a child, I loved many hobbies and crafts. I remember shrinky dinks, latch hook, and various crafts that involved melting crayons. If we are lucky, these childhood joys follow us into our adult life. I now love quilting and cross stitch. I can't count how many baby quilts I have made for my friends; each one gives me hours of pleasure.

My adorable husband also has a hobby that he still loves... puzzles! We did one puzzle together about two years ago. Lenny has been reminiscing about how much fun it was ever since. We have hunted the internet and London for another similar puzzle to no avail. Being the good wife that I strive to be, I started to hit the pavement. Where was I able to find a puzzle good enough for Lenny?.... The Mall of America, Minnesota! Not only is it the largest mall in North America, it also has two puzzle shops! I found this really cool puzzle of Mont Saint Michel. Lenny and I loved Saint Michel when we went there last spring. For almost a week, Lenny had a real labor of love. He stayed up late, looked at the puzzle in passing, and thought of it when he was away (okay, that last part is poetic licence.) These puzzles are no child's play~ 1000 pieces that all look the same to me! But, in Lenny's hands....the final product is beautiful.

Isn't it fun when we get to connect with our inner child?

L'Shana Tova

This weekend was Rosh Hashanah ~ Jewish New Year. Lenny and I are trying to establish our Jewish home together while we are living in London. But, when you live in London (probably this is true in most of Europe) around 70% of the synagogues are Orthodox. Basically our choices for services are totally-orthodox, mostly-orthodox, or pretty-much-orthodox. :) Lenny and I went to services at the local temple in Richmond; it is pretty-much-orthodox. What does that mean? Women and men sit separately. The entire service is conducted in Hebrew. Every woman wears a skirt and most of them wear hats... but not all of them! That is how you know it is ONLY pretty-much-orthodox and not totally orthodox. Oh, I had one other clue... of course the rabbi would not shake my hand, but the man at the gate who is a member of the congregation did shake my hand. See what I mean? Very liberal!

Overall, the congregation is amazing; they are really nice, very welcoming. But, my baby Hebrew skills struggled to hang in there for 4 hours. What's that I said? Oh, are you re-reading because you think you mis-understood? Yes, I really did say 4 hours. Let's just talk about that for a minute, shall we? 4 hours is a long time. Okay, a really long time. But I did make it. I didn't need to go back the next day.... but I will go back in a week for Yom Kippur. A moment of truth ~ I didn't follow the service for all 4 hours (The full service is actually 5.5 hours) I was reading a Rosh Hashanah survival guide! Seemed appropriate.

Thank you to the Richmond Synagogue for welcoming us to join you. You are a lovely congregation.

Comfort foods

You don't realize what your comfort foods are until you want one of them and can't get it. Such was the case for me!

I recently had a bit of an upset stomach. The next day I really wanted French toast, pancakes or waffles for breakfast~none of which are readily available in England. We found a place that offered English Breakfast, Full English Breakfast, or Vegetarian English Breakfast. All of those options basically include roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, eggs and toast (maybe a few other extras depending on which breakfast you get).

Since I couldn't get my breakfast comfort food...I then wanted an evening comfort food! Tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich. I don't think moms know all the little things that daughters pick up, but I am starting to realize there are about a million of them. My mom once put a lid over the sandwich to help the cheese melt.... I now do the same! Lenny said that his comfort food was sauerkraut & turkey sausage on a baguette smeared with Gulden mustard ~ that is thanks to Momma B.

Home is where you hang your hat

Home for the last two nights was a wonderful, cozy tent perched on a ocean front cliff outside of Happisburgh. Emily and Jayme's friend throws an annual camping birthday party. This year, Jayme, Emily and Baby Rebecca headed up early for a family vacation... and they invited us to join the party!

Friday night: We arrived at the campsite when it was already dark. Emily warned us to put Chula on a lead because of the ocean front cliff! (It was good advice!) We all curled up behind the windbreak and enjoyed some late night time with friends. After a bit, we snuggled into our temporary home. You know those white noise machines with ocean waves? We had the real deal. I woke up a few times during the night but was lulled back to sleep by the crashing waves just a few feet away from us.

Saturday: We woke up to a glorious sunny day and... an amazing view! Jayme and Emily took care of us with coffee and breakfast; I had my first ever bacon sarnie. Yummy! While the boys went to the store for all the BBQ goodies, the girls went down to the water for a bit. As the day went on, more and more people arrived. By the late afternoon, there were 2 sleeper vans and 5 tents pitched in our area. The evening progressed with a little visit to the pub, a BBQ, our best attempt at Smores with British ingredients, and of course... we had a few pints! I finally declared the evening too cold when I had on silk REI thermal long johns, a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt pulled over my head, a windbreaker, a campfire.... and I was still chilly!

Sunday: After a very, very, very windy night.... we woke up to a dark sky and impending rain. We all packed up, gave thanks for a glorious Saturday, and made our way home. A fun time was had by all. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Warwick Castle

Both Lenny and I grew up going to Renaissance Festivals. I clearly remember all the actors and the scenes set up at the Festival. Maybe my favorite memory is of the flower wreath that I got to pick out each visit and wear around my head like a princess. In a land scattered with castles, the English have brought all the pompes and circumstance to castle life. It is really a sight to see!

Lenny and I stopped at Warwick Castle on our way back from the Lake District. They have actors playing scenes as blacksmiths, archers, house servants, and soldiers. Little boys get shields and swords and the little girls go to the princess tower and walk around with either pink shields and swords (a fact that I love!!) or princess hats. In the center field, the children play a 'rat' throwing game! All around are tents with scenes, shops, and sporting events. What fun!