Waking up to...

November 23, 2008
Waking up to….

SNOW!!! This morning I woke up, looked out the window, and was pleasantly surprised to see about 1 inch of snow covering the ground and cars outside my window. I didn’t know if I would get to see any snow while I was in England so this was such a nice surprise!

A time to be...thankful

November 21, 2008
A time to be….thankful
Last night I had an early Thanksgiving dinner with 13 other people. There were a total of four Americans there; myself, my supervisor Kim, Sara from Texas, and another girl from Texas. We each brought a dish so that the traditional Thanksgiving dishes were covered; turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It was really funny to watch the non-Americans try some of the food which they are not accustomed too; the pumpkin pie was approached with apprehension but I think they all enjoyed it in the end. I left the party with a couple extra pieces of pumpkin pie when the hostess discovered that it is my favorite. It was an indescribable experience to spend an American holiday in another country with a mixture of Americans and non-Americans. It helped put into perspective the history behind Thanksgiving, what I have in my life and in my country for which to be thankful. Since most of you will have not celebrated Thanksgiving yet, I hope that you can all begin preparing your hearts and minds prior to the day to think about the founding of our country and the men and women who desired freedom to worship God and establish a country based on Biblical principles. Also, contemplate on how God has moved in your life and blessed you in unexpected ways over this past year. It is so easy to become tired every year in all the expectations to have a big meal and decorate the house and uphold family traditions that I start to feel tired and almost dread the holidays a bit. I pray that you would spend some time in contemplation and thankfulness this Thanksgiving.

A time to be...sick

November 17, 2008
A time to be…sick

I’ve felt it coming on all weekend and finally it hit me full force this morning. The typical head cold crud. Not one to ever stay home from work, even though I probably should have today, I rolled out of bed landing with a thump on the floor sure to wake the person below me. We are very short staffed at work now with co-workers calling in almost daily saying that they are ill and unable to work so I was not about to abandon my patients due this pestering cold. Somehow managing to dress myself and make it out the door and to work, I stumbled through my appointments this morning. I called a hearing aid a battery for most of ten minutes, not understanding why my patient was looking at me like I’d lost my mind until I finally realized what I’d been saying and was at least able to laugh at myself. I knew I should finally go home when I tried to put right hearing aid in the left ear of the next patient. One of the “higher up” audiologists took pity on my and sent me home early afternoon. I went promptly to bed and slept until this evening. I am feeling a bit better now. With the stress of trying to get through our waiting lists by Christmas, we are all feeling a bit tired and stressed so please pray for good health for myself and the whole department.

Modern day jokers

November 16, 2008
Modern day jokers

Today I experienced what I call “modern day royalty acting royal”. There are so many old traditions in which the royal family partakes and while watching Prince Charles 60th birthday on the television, I was witness to one of these events. In the old days of knights, kings, princesses, and stone castles, there were also court jesters. The function of these men was to entertain through riddles, music, and political satire. Today I watched modern jesters entertain the prince and the royal family during his birthday celebration. Comedians such as John Cleese, Robin Williams, Joan Hart, and other British comedians joked and amused the royal family with their antics. I’m not sure why I found this so amusing-probably because of the sense that this is such an old tradition and I was able to experience it in this old country full of tradition.

Swingin' in Saltburn

November 8, 2008
Swingin’ in Saltburn

Last night I had the enjoyment of traveling out the Saltburn and listening to a local Big Band concert at the Saltburn Golf Club. Several weeks ago, I met another American (probably the only one beside myself and Kim in this part of England :) ) from Texas who moved here six years ago as a missionary. Sara sings with this big band and it was such an enjoyment to hear these amateur musicians and Sara perform some of my favorite Big Band music; Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Rosemary Clooney, Gershwin. I was definitely the youngest person there but it was still a lot of fun and during the break, we were even given steak pie and mushy peas which is traditional food for Northeast England. A fun way to end a week!

Hot Cross Buns

October 27, 2008
Hot Cross Buns

There are several things that American children want to experience in their life, or at least for me this is true. I grew up hearing the nursery rhyme “Hot Cross Buns” and always wondered what they looked like and if they were as tasty as my young mind envisioned. Yesterday, I was at the corner market and looking through the reduced and day old items when I came across Hot Cross Buns!! I was so excited that I purchased them, walked quickly home, and proudly displayed them in front of Jane. I’m sure that she just attributed my behavior to some strange American mental state as I’m sure she often does when I have these strange outbursts over seemingly ordinary and unexciting objects. I set the package on the counter and then stared at it. She asked if I was going to eat one and I replied with “I don’t know how!” Amused, Jane told be that she prefers to toast them on the grill and then put butter on them. I tried that but decided that I prefer to have them straight out of the package. Hot cross buns are very similar to cinnamon rolls but have more spices and are not as gooey. Yum!

Roseberry Topping

October 26, 2008
Roseberry Topping

Today my flatmate, Jane, and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and somewhat warmer weather than we had previously been experiencing to hike up Roseberry Topping. This is a hill with a half-round cliff and one can hike to the very top and is one of the highest peaks where I live in the North York Moors. The name “Roseberry” came from Old Norse for ‘rock or crag’ (Odin) and “Topping” from the word ‘hill’ (toppen) so when combined the word Othensberg means Roseberry Topping in Old Norse. The explorer James Cook, whose childhood home is at a farm in nearby Great Ayton, also enjoyed climbing up the hill. Because the hill is ‘tall’ compared to the surrounding Moors, it can be seen from sea, and likewise, the sea can be seen from the top. An old rhyme says “When Roseberry Topping wears a cap, let Cleveland then beware of a clap!” as the appearance of the hill gave indication of the weather conditions. The climb begins with walking through woods and brush, then reaching a clearing where a shooting shelter was erected for gentlemen to take cover during poor weather during a hunt. The rest of the climb is up sandstone and brush where sheep graze so one must be careful where one steps! There are several gates to pass through known as ‘kissing gates’. I stood and waited for a nice English bloke to come by but alas no one stopped. Once at the top, we clung securely to our mittens, hats, and scarves as the wind tried to rip them from our hands. Not staying long at the top, we then trudged our way through the mud and brush back home. The flat top of the rock makes it a perfect location for a picnic so hopefully next spring when the wind is not as severe, we will go again and enjoy a picnic.

Penny for the guy?

October 19, 2008
Penny for the guy?

Today a lad came up to me and said “Penny for the guy?” Under any normal circumstance, I would have been completely confused by this question, but my British friends have been kind enough to not leave their American correspondent or Colonial friend (as I am often called) in the dark about an upcoming holiday unique to the UK. Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire Night as it is most often referred to, is November 5 but usually celebrated on the weekend. In my opinion, it is Britain’s excuse for being able to set off fireworks as the night involves setting off fire works and having a large bonfire on which a homemade ‘man’ representing Guy Fawkes is tossed once the bonfire has reached it’s most ravenous state. Guy Fawkes legend is of a man who conspired with the Duke of Northumberland (of Alnwick Castle) to blow up the house of parliament while it was in session. The Catholics in England had been persecuted under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and then James I who took power following her death in 1603. The intolerance towards Catholics led 13 men to the decision to blow up parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder. His planned was foiled possibly by a letter sent warning of the attack and he was caught under the House of Lords with the gunpowder which led to his arrest, jailing, and then hanging. Penny for the guy is what children say a few weeks before Bonfire Night in order to raise money to buy the parts needed to put the man together. I will be celebrating Bonfire Night in Manchester with my flatmate, Jane, and will be enjoying some traditions such as toffee apples and other delicious English sweets!