Pictures!

Ok, sorry I've missed the past few days but I have been off collecting pictures and wonderful experiences that I can share with you. Linda and the girls have been away all week so the girls at the office have been taking me off to see all sort of great things. Wednesday I went home with Teresa and she took me through all sorts of little towns. The weather wasn't great and it ended up raining but I was able to get some photos taken before the bad weather.

This is a picture of us going across a bridge. It kind of looks like a castle entrance







Speaking of castles, we were able to stop by two castles. How cool that I can work all day and then spend the evening looking at castles!!
Our first stop was Middleham Castle which was home of King Richard III in the 1400's





























A real life English telephone booth!! (Haha, I'm such an American)












Next stop, Bolton Castle. A cool castle in the mist! Home of Richard the II.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next night I went on a walk with Sabine and her dog up to The Kilburn "White Horse" that was cut into the mountain in 1857. We took an hour walk up and around the mountain. At the top, planes would take gliders up into the air. One took off right over our heads! We caught some amazing sights of countryside. After our nice walk we went back to Sabine's house where she taught me how to make wonderful Shepard's Pie!


This is the White Horse from far away. We were hiking up along the top of the mountain above it.


The hike began with a straight flight up stairs to get to the top! But it was well worth the huffing and puffing.


One of the planes with a glider that took off while we were there
Sabine and I on our way back down the mountain
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip because I love to hike so much and it was amazing to see so much of the countryside from the top. We are already planning another trip down the other side of the mountain to a lake.

Linda and the girls have just arrived home and we already have a busy weekend planned!

Real English Weather

The weather has been so beautiful since I got here that I began to doubt the bad weather that everyone talked about, but it came around today - dreary and cold. I guess I have been fortunate until now. I almost got out my wellies!

It was a quiet day at the office with a lot of staff out but we worked hard and drank our tea and coffee to keep us warm. I came home and ate some warm chili and had scones with jam and cream for pudding. I can't complain about the weather with food like that!! Nothing really exciting to report today. The first Sing Live show since I arrived is this coming weekend so I am excited about that new experience!

Being so far away from those I love is hard but it's nice to be away from all the stress that comes with daily life. There's only so much I can do this far away. I'm hoping to come back refreshed and ready to hit the ground running (after I recover from the jet lag!!)

Lazy day

Not much to report today. I've had a nice quiet day to myself to relax. Besides doing some laundry I've just been sitting around watching the telly. Sounds like a boring day but it has actually been quite nice since I hit the ground running when I got here and haven't really stopped sense. It will be back to work tomorrow so I'm enjoying it while I can

This is a picture of the view from where I sit on my computer. Nice huh? You can't really blame me for enjoying my boring day when you get to look at this the whole time!

Shopping!

It was another day of shopping in York today. I really liked York because there was a little bit of tourism and sightseeing along with the shops. Linda must know some pretty high up people in England because everywhere that we go there is something special going on. (I think she is setting it all up :-) There were all sorts of street performers that we very interesting to watch. I made a few small purchases (I hate the exchange rate where everything cost double for me) and have also started a collection of carrier bags (or shopping bags as we would call them.)
As I mentioned yesterday I went to Betty's Tea Room today! What an experience. We had to wait in a line to get in but it was well worth the wait. We had Welsh Rarebit which was a much yummier version of toast with a cheese sauce on it and some wonderful pudding. I will be going back to York when the Sing Live USA group comes in a couple of weeks so I am excited about going back and maybe seeing more of the tourist side of everything.
To continue with my experience today Linda and the girls made me a traditional English Tea with Current Scones, jam, and cream. It was so yummy!!
One of my many experiences today was hanging the wash out on the line. I didn't do a very good job but I learned. Sometimes we forget that there is a nationality barrier and that we in America use dryers, not drying on lines.
Tomorrow for the holiday I have no specific plans!! My only plan is to have a lie in in the morning (sleep in) and then we will see what the day holds!
Good Night!

Finally . . some sight seeing

Well today I finally have pictures to share with you all. Georgina had a regatta today at Nottingham and so we took a little excursion along the way to Sherwood Forest (Yes, the forest from Robin Hood). We took a picnic in a field

And went to see The Great Oak.



And there was a special Medieval Camp (they must have know I was coming and set it up all just for me)

It was very fun to see another area of England. Georgina's regatta ended up getting canceled because of high winds so it wasn't a good day for her, but the afternoon turned out to be nice for us.

Tomorrow we're going to York to do some shopping and eating at the Famous Betty's Tea Room. More exciting stuff to report tomorrow!

Missing Home

The irony of the phrase "across the pond" is starting to hit me. Pond implies a small body of water, and I do not feel that I am only a small body of water away. I'm having fun here but it's weird not seeing anyone that I have know for more than 10 days (besides Linda). I am having fun learning about so many cultural difference and about Sing Live.

I have a fun weekend planned to go see some other towns this weekend so hopefully I will have some pictures by the end of the weekend to post.

I learned a new game to play while eating pudding the other night. We had plum crumble that still had the stones (pits) in it. So when we ate it we saved the pits and counted how many stones we had. And the saying goes Tinker, Taylor, Solider, Sailor, Doctor, Lawyer, Indian chief. So if you get three stones you're going to marry a Soldier. I only got one stone in my first bowl, so the girls enticed me to have another serving and I got to Sailor. (I was going for Doctor, but I was too full to eat more!)

Someone told me that I had a very heavy accent today and I was hard to understand because I was talking to fast! It's weird to think that someone thinks I have an accent. That is how I felt when I first got here but I'm getting a little better and understanding everyone.

Have a good Memorial Day, or bank holiday as they call everything over here.

Girls Night

Linda is in London tonight so it's just me and the girls. The girls have a lot of revising (studying) to do though so a pretty typical night. The oven was not my friend tonight and was determined not to cook anything on time. I had everything coming out at the same time only to pull the ham out after an hour and it be almost raw! The girls were very patient and helpful and we ended up having a lovely tea and once the pudding finally cooked we enjoyed that too! For pudding we had plum crumble that I helped Linda make last night. Yet another recipe that I will be bring home with me because it is very delicious! The girls gave me a little French lesson during tea but I'm not sure how much of it i actually retained.
They have so many unique chocolates and such over here so I have decided to start a wrapper collection of all the sweet treats that I have never heard of before. I had a gold bar today which was a crispy wafer covered in white chocolate that was a gold color.
Today was a quiet day at the office with about half of the people out for different reasons but it was a nice productive day to get things done. We made some fun plans for the coming week that I am very excited about. My experience for the day was learning how to use the monstrous copy machine. It has all sorts of cool tricks to it and I was very proud of myself for learning some of them today.
A common phrase over here is "i can't be bothered". I finally asked Linda what this meant because it translates very differently in American language. In England it means that you don't feel like doing something. It's been a little weird getting used to that phrase.

A busy day at the office

After working till about 11 last night, things were still crazy at the office today! I'm definitely getting a real feel for how crazy it can be. It will be a quite day tomorrow with a lot of people out for different reasons, but there is still lots to be done!
Carson has been begging me to send pictures but besides my shopping trip to Leeds, I haven't been much of anywhere to take pictures. So today Linda pulled something out of the pantry that I just couldn't help taking a picture of. This is not something that I have ever seen on an American grocery shelf.
The label looks like something that you would find on a ketchup bottle but it's purple and chocolate! We did not get to enjoy this mystery chocolate sponge pudding tonight but I am intrigued but the prospect of it in the future. Also, while reading the back of the can, I discovered directions on how to cook in on a Hon. Word for the day! A Hon is a stove. That is one that I wouldn't have guessed.

Tonight for pudding the girls kept asking me if I had tried all different sorts of their chocolate bars and other foods. I think I had a little too much pudding, but I discovered some delicious chocolate!!

This evening for tea I helped my the Yorkshire Salad which has become one of my favorites! Who wouldn't like salad with sugar on it! I've decided that I'll have to collect some of the receipes so I can make them when I come home. I'm already planning to make another benoffee pie when John come back over because I've learned that it's one of his favorites.

Catching up

So yesterday was such a relaxing day that I didn't even think about blogging. It was a get caught up with everything not work related day. We had a wonderful day of household chores and it was actually quite nice. I know you guys are probably thinking I'm daft (crazy) but is has been so long since I've had nothing to do but sweep driveways and wash cars. My experience for Saturday was going to the market. It actually wasn't too different from the grocery stores in America except for the different brand names. Linda made a wonderful dinner last night of roast beef, parsnips, yorkshire salad (which has sugar on it..yummy), and Yorkshire pudding. It was an entire meal of new things (except for the roast beef but it was especially good)
Today has been a very busy day and I've been working for most of the day, even now late into the evening. The information pack is almost ready to go out to the USA group that is coming over. I am very excited about all of this because I have been able to research the places that I will travel with the USA group to. There are some exciting places on the itinerary that I cannot wait to visit!
I am getting some great experience making tea over here. I'm sure Carson will be happy when I come back and use my tea making skills for him. My new food of the day (or condiment you might say) was chutney. It was delicious!
While walking into town the other day with the girls from work I learned an interesting piece of history. We walked down a street with little walls infront of the houses that were about knee high. These walls had holes in them which I learned used to be where iron gates were. These gates were cut down for World War II and melted down to make bullets and ammunition. Most of these were not replaced because the cost of iron is so high.
Ok, time for bed so I can be prepared for work in the morning!

What a day

I didn't think it could be done, but Linda has worn me out shopping. We had an amazing day in Leeds and I learned so many new things. There were just a few familiar stores that I recognized. We went to Harvey Nichols to see what the most expensive handbag we could find. When my mom was here earlier this year at the one in Manchester she found one that was 7000 pounds!! We didn't have that much luck this time but the most expensive handbag we found at 2900 pounds was made of python skin and injected with silicon to make it soft!! Silicon in a purse... who would have thought! I came away with a Harvey Nichols bag. I guess I shouldn't tell you that it was just a market bag that will be good for carrying my lunch. Oops

One of the fashion terms that I learned today is a facinator. It's the new fashion piece which is replacing the hat. It's such an fun piece!! I found a beautiful white one that would be perfect for my wedding. Haha, just kidding.

Today I have experienced a little bit of true English weather. It has been so beautiful since I've been here I doubted that it existed. We had cold, dreary weather for our shopping trip, so we came home and enjoyed a nice cup of tea.

Linda and the girls have a sweet tooth just like me so Linda picked up some wonderful Almond Tarts tonight after tea. It was delicious.

I learned an interesting term today. My word for the day is Molly. Over here, Molly means frumpy. Like "does this make me look Molly?" (Is how Linda used it toady) It is my personal goal to prove that wrong. I guess Linda and I better do some more shopping :-)

Now as we end the day relaxing and watching the telly a new show for me, Britian's got Talent (With Simon from American Idol).

Too much more to wait for another day

Ok so my last few posts have been kind of drab. So here is some humor for you. Sorry if it doesn't make much sense. It's kind of just a bunch of rambling.

Yesterday Linda pulled the Ketchup (or tomato sauce) out of the pantry and I just knew everything was going to be alright. Ketchup to me is like water to a fish. I'm not quite sure that's even an expression, I promise I haven't gotten into the wine tonight.
I was just thinking that I had beaten the jet lag, however, I've got the giggles tonight like you only get when you're utterly exhausted.

I finally won a game of Friends "Scene It" last night with the girls. They have been giving me some great competition.

More words for the day. Petrol as in gasoline, and a cash machine as in an ATM. We're stopping by both in the morning to make sure that we are fully prepared for our SHOPPING trip!! woot!

I was talking to Carson tonight on Skype and trying to explain how I eat with a fork and knife like they do over here. I ended up using markers and showing him on my webcam. I think he's still a little confused so he'll just have to wait till the end of summer when I can show him in person. However, it made for some fun laughs this evening. I should do a UTube video or something to illustrate my amazing and fabulous and wonderful dining impressions with markers. Would you all watch that??

Make sure to leave me lots of comments. I have become a comment whore and check all of the time. I love hearing from you all.

Like I said, I'm kind of out of it and might completely regret this post in the morning.

Cheers!

A day of MANY new experiences. . .

Today I almost made it to the office on time. I think I’ve finally beat my jet lag, and I’m feeling almost completely normal today. That sure feels good!! I love being here! Today was a busy and exciting day at the office and we got some big things accomplished. I took my first trip into town today with two of the girls from work. We did some window shopping and I saw only two stores that I recognized: Claire’s and The Body Shop. Now that I’ve gotten a little taste of the stores, I’m ready to dive in and do some serious shopping. Linda is taking me to Leeds tomorrow to a shop called Harvey Nichols that is so expensive you just go to look!!

I also had my first English Fish and Chips today for tea. It was fabulous!! Over here everyone eats with their fork and knife, by holding their fork in their left hand no matter what their eating. I’m starting to get the hang of that too although eating with my left hand feels a bit awkward!

I learned a couple of new words. Crisps are what we call chips in America and Chips are what we call French fries in America. Also, the pharmacist is called a chemist. I can actually understand what people are saying now and it’s making me feel much more comfortable.

At the office I’m working on the information packets for the USA group coming over next month. I am thoroughly enjoying doing that because I get to research places for them to visit while they are here, which is helping me learn more about the surrounding areas! What a great way to learn whilst I’m accomplishing work.

More tomorrow after my first shopping excursion!

Finally Getting Adjusted

First a little background. My parents work for a group in Orlando called SingLive USA. The parent company that started it all, SingLive UK is based in Northallerton, UK. I am over here to work with Linda, co-founder and prepare for the 10^th anniversary ball that is next month. Northallerton is in North Yorkshire in the countryside. It is a beautiful town and I am quickly getting adjusted. Once I learn how to use the power converters I’ll be even better!

My day started a little earlier this morning. Linda has been very understanding with my jet lag and I feel like I’m finally catching up. Today felt somewhat normal. I’m starting to understand what people are saying and feel more comfortable here. Linda is a wonderful hostess and really making me feel at home.

I have had many quiries (questions) today as I feel like I am learning more and more. My experience for today was learning to make tea. There was so much pressure but one of the ladies in the office, Julie, was kind enough to help me and show me her cheat sheet on how everyone likes it. We had someone in to talk about merchandise today and I learned that tea with milk and one means one sugar. Linda has learned my look of when my eyes kind of glaze over and she knows that I don’t understand.

I finally got a chance to unpack after work. And then one of Linda’s friends came over for tea and we had a wonderful time! I’m sure I’ll be seeing Julie again on a shopping excursion.

Cheers!

A Dinner Party. . .

Linda (my boss) was very gracious and let me sleep in this morning so I slept for 13 hours! It was much needed sleep. So after an afternoon working at the office on table seating for the ball it was back home again to prepare for all of the girls at the office to come over for Tea & pudding (dinner & dessert for all you Americans) so I could get to know them better. Things are so busy at the office that we don't get much chance to talk. One of the girls suggested that I rent a car while I'm here. That thought scared me to death. I would be such as hazard on the road!
I cooked my first England pudding tonight all by myself. Linda had to go pick up her daughter from school so she left me with no recipe or exact measurements to make a Banoffe Pie, something I have never even heard of. It was my "experience" for the day. The pie turned out pretty well for my first time, but was a little to runny. Everyone was polite and said that it was good.
The weather here has been beautiful which I hear is a rare occurrence. Yet another special greeting just for me.
Well I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep so this post isn't as long. I'll do a further explanation of why I'm here and stuff for people reading that I have no clue what I'm talking about. I enjoy all your comments. . . I'm missing home!

molly

Finally Here. . .

My first day in England!! I’m not sure that I can fully grasp it all seeing as I had two hours of sleep on the plane and feel like I might fall over any minute. The plane ride over was uneventful and when I touched down in Manchester there were a lot of people lined up along the tarmac with what looked like binoculars and cameras. How nice, my own personal greeting party! I mean, the queen wasn’t on my flight so they must have been there for me! What a nice way to arrive. (Only to have Steve burst my bubble later and tell me that they always do that but I choose not to believe that) The customs line was a little long so I made Steve sweat a little thinking he was in the wrong place, but he got to talk to some lovely Russian people in the mean time.

The 2 hour drive to Northallerton was a beautiful ride on the wrong side of the road! Driving is completely different over here and all the cars are so small, except for the lorrys (aka trucks for all of you back in the states. . . I’m starting my personal English/American dictionary) I always go to the wrong side of the car.

I was so nice to meet everyone in the office and I am looking forward to spending the next seven weeks with them. I think we will have lots of fun while keeping very busy. I already have work all over my desk. I finally got to meet Georgina (my new roomie who is nice enough to share her room with me) and we, along with Alex, have already had fun playing a game of Friends “Scene It”. They beat me twice. (I would like to blame that on the lack of sleep and will demand a re-match later. J)

I feel like I missed most of what was said today because people talk so fast over here. I am definitely already going through culture shock and am looking forward to a good nights rest so I can hopefully keep up tomorrow. Linda is being very gracious and letting me sleep in tomorrow to get back on track.

Linda prepared a wonderful meal tonight which was a nice way to end the evening... and very welcome after all the not so yummy airplane food. :-P

Off I go. . .

My first trip over sea’s and I’m going it alone. I’ve had a great start to my trip with the terminalI'm in being under construction and my flight being delayed. I think that they are unaware that it is summer and the need to turn the air conditioning. I feel like I already need a shower and it’s going to be a long time before I get one! I hope I smell decent by the time I get there. They might kick me out of the office! That would fine with me.. I’m going to have major jet lag. I'm so excited to meet everyone and get started though.
This morning was filled with stress but now that I’m here and checked in at the airport the full excitement is finally kicking in and I’m very anxious to get there!

Update from Newark: "This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy had roast beef. and this little piggy had none. And this little piggy went wee wee wee. ." the entire plane flight to Newark. I had a one year old sitting behind me and that was her favorite song. She also served as my personal back massager. A quick meal and then it's on to the plane that will take me to my final destination!!
Next post will be from the other side!
Molly