Merry Finds a Snacky Snack

Tim brought the cat food home, and although the bag was NOT opened, the cats were still mysteriously interested. I wonder if they recognize the same familiar bag! Well, then Tim opened the bag (to see what would happen I guess) and voila! Cat in Bag! Sorry this is just a short silly post because I am practicing writing short little anecdotes for my future publication of The Adventures of Merry and Pippin! Unfortunately so far, the adventures have been mostly Merry and not Pippin. I will have to try to get Pippin out more, but I am sure he is very much more adventurous at night (because that is when he starts pawing at all the doors that are closed because he suddenly feels an uncontrollable urge to get behind that door! Silly Puss! So When he does that on our closet doors, I chuck pillows at him.

Tim Takes Merry For a Walk

Yes, Merry has been given a little trip outside with a leash. The only problem is that in this picture, he does not know he is on a leash. Merry thinks Tim is just following him around for no reason. What followed this scene was not photographed, but Merry, realizing that he had something attached to his neck, freaked out, ran inside and ended up running straight into the glass door of the kitchen and bumped his head. After that he seemed a little stunned, but as soon as I took the leash off of him, he was much happier. Incidentally, I tried to put him on the leash and let him outside with me today but he was not having any of it! He is just a cat who is born free! Why he would want to be on a leash anyway is beyond me! He's not a dog, and even dogs don't like it very much, but cats, they're another story. They make the rules and if there were leashes involved, we'd be wearing them and not them. They know who is really boss!

Great South Run and Pompey All in One Day

On Sunday, we had a pretty busy day. We woke up early in the morning and headed off to watch Phil run 10 miles in the Great South Run in Portsmouth. Phil is pictured above when he saw us waving at him running past at the beginning of the race. It was a rainy and cold day, so Tim and I were kitted out in our waterproof clothing and wellies so we could stand outside the whole morning and enjoy watching the 19,500 people run in the race. There were many runners dressed up including the likes of Borat (in his bathing suit), Paddington Bear, a Bride and Groom, a pair of Devils (one blind) and Batman and Robin. Phil finished in an hour and a half which was pretty good. We didn't run but we had to take a ferry from Southampton to Portsmouth and walk a couple of miles from the ferry to the start of the run and back again and then we did some more walking on the way to the Portsmouth football match so we got our exercise in anyway. The picture above is Tim and I standing in front of the Portsmouth Stadium. The nickname for Portsmouth is Pompey, so the whole game, we were singing the famous, "Play up Pompey, Pompey play up!" Unfortunately, the score was 1:1 against Fulham. We sat right next to the Fulham supporters (because away supporters are always seated in a particular section with stewards patrolling in between the sections), so they were getting rowdy along with one girl in the crown who kept sticking up two fingers at the Fulham crowd and singing "F*&% off Fulham". It was a crazy day spent mostly outside that ended with some Indian take away at Phil's house before we drove home. I had to sleep in until almost 11 am to fully recover.

My NEW new haircut

.....Just a quick note to say, yes, I did cut my hair again, this time it is super short and easy to manage.....

*Photo taken by Phil Webb

Souff Hampton

Next came Saturday when I didn't go the gym and instead slept in and got up in just enough time to shower and get ready to head to Southampton with my mum-in-law to visit my bro-in-law for the day. We toured a bit around the old town of "Souff Hampton" as they often say in Southampton. Phil and I are standing here in front of the old city gate that now lead to the older parts of the city. Parts of the wall are still standing, so we did a little mini walk around part of the city wall that faces the sea. It was very windy. We had a nice lunch in a cafe and visited the Titanic museum where they have information about the British people who were on the ship as well as some of the general stuff you find out in the history books. It was very interesting. Then that night we all (meaning in-laws and Tim and I) stayed in the Southampton Holiday Inn (in separate next door rooms not unlike our home living situation) although the next morning, we were awoken by a phone call from our next door "neighbor" to inform us that a cruise ship, Independence of the Sea, had docked overnight and was waiting right outside our window. It was very surprising. Incidentally we were staying in Southampton because that is where Phil lives, and we went to visit him at his house for a bit until Tim and his dad met us down there after the Barnet game. Overall it was a very nice day.

Chelmsford Musings

On Friday I went to Chelmsford with Tim to have my appointment to get a National Insurance Number which is like a social security number so they can tax you etc. So you need one if you are going to begin working. I definitely have time to get one, but thought I would get that done while I am waiting for everything else. So I spent the day in Chelmsford with Tim (well not really with him, since he was in class all day), and I read my book and worked on my knitting. Elise, if you're reading this, I hope you like the color of that yarn! So I had a pretty relaxing day with lots of walking around by myself and sitting reading and knitting which gave me lots of time to ponder my life and everything really. I decided that I am pretty sure that there are loads more things that I would like to have control over besides which books I read and what I decide to knit etc. It is really tough when your existence comes down to pretty much choosing just those things. I depend on others for transportation, financial support and the rest is just details really. My life revolves around what I have access to be able to do which is not a lot at the moment....So I knit and read and exercise. Ah the joys of life! I would like to do a lot more things though and I decided I may one day write books. So I will be starting soon with The Adventures of Merry and Pippin to help me get my feet wet since I am still green, but helping Tim writing his papers for "Uni" has reminded me that I do have some talent. Yay!

Healing

I am confused about my food intolerances, but the best that I can say is that since I was prayed for 2 Sundays ago, I seem to be healed from them. Normally when I have wheat and sugar etc. I would feel really bloated and full and yucky, but since then I have tested it out on some food here and there, and I have felt fine. Now I am just waiting for the rest of my body to catch up with my healing i.e. my skin and my weight. When I learned about my food intolerances, I was told that they could have contributed to my acne and weight difficulties. So I am hoping for a quick recovery from all of that. I have a good few pounds to drop to be back to my comfortable weight and hopefully soon my skin will clear all the way up. We just started going to a church where people seem to get healed every week of lots of things, so I am excited, but now the whole doubt is starting to set back in. I am scared that if I am not totally healed then, me eating all these foods is actually harming my body. But I guess, the blind guy did not question when Jesus told him to wash his eyes out with mud, and then he was healed. So I should trust that if God healed me, then I should really embrace the healing and live by faith. I have had a hard time doing that my whole life, so it is still hard especially now in a new country surrounded by all new things and people and completely out of my comfort zone. It is funny because as I have been writing this post, the sky went from being completely gray to pretty sunny, so it's kind of like the rainbow promise after the flood. If I trust that healing is there, then everything will follow just like the lovely sunny day. If I trust that God will get me through this, then I will see the sun come out again! This is a tough lesson for me, since right about now I am not really in control of anything in my life and leaving the healing of my body up to God is something scary because since the rest of my life is out of my control, sometimes I think it would be nice to have my body under my control. But I have to give it all up! I am crying as I write this even though it's sunny out. It is really tough these days.

Cambridge Market

Yesterday I went to the market in Cambridge with my mother-in-law. It was really cool. They have a much larger market than we have in Bishop's Stortford and I was able to get some more rare veggies that I was missing. I also grabbed a few Christmas gifts while I was there. both of us got bargains at the book stand because the guy was selling practically new books (which we new because they had just come out recently) and we got them at book stand prices i.e. £2 for a hardback and £1.50 for a paperback. We were very happy about that. We also found out a very interesting tidbit of information about the town called Grimsby (which the fish seller told us not grim at all). The word Grimsby actually stand for Great Rimsby, and "rimsby" means small town by the sea. How interesting, so I told the fish seller I would put it in my blog, and here it is. Along with the market shopping we of course when to have coffee in a cafe and had a nice chilly walk around the town a bit. I liked shopping in Cambridge. I think it will be my new Montclair! The only thing is, I may have to take a train and then a bus to get around there if I try to go alone. We shall see, and maybe I can convince someone else to come with me who can drive.

Wellies

As of yesterday I have purchased my very first pair of Wellies known originally as Wellington boots. That is because these were made popular by the Duke of Wellington. Basically they are the American version of galoshes. Now I don't know about you, but I never actually owned a pair of galoshes. I just had snow boots but nothing rubbery like this. Well, over here absolutely everyone owns at least one pair. They are generally an olive green color or even black which are the traditional colors. But of course with the fashion trends always changing and updating, these days you can get them to suit your own fashion style. I have seen ones with chocolate candies all over them or polka dots or butterflies or camouflage, but since I was at the store with just a couple of varieties, this was what I chose. Mine are actually (and this is actually pretty amazing really) made by Laura Ashley. Now I know what you're thinking, Laura Ashley? Doesn't that usually mean very conservative and classic clothing for ladies. Well yes it does, but apparently in England, wellies are so popular that every brand feels compelled to come out with their own. I just thought it would be cool to get the fashionable ones. Fortunately they did actually fit me, because in the past I have had considerable trouble getting knee boots for myself due to my rather annoying foot to calf size ratio. basically my feet are much smaller than my calves, so that if a boot fits my foot, my calf will not make it in the boot, and if my calf fits in the boot, my foot will be swimming. The great thing about these wellies that did fit, was they were a bit larger for the calf area than other ones I tried and with their design, you need some room for your feet anyway while at the same time wearing nice thick socks to help keep you warm. So I lucked out! Now the next time I go walking in Hatfield Forest or looking for shells on the beach, I will have my wellies to wear!

Garden Centers

Apparently garden centers are very popular in this country. I have been to a few so far (with my mother-in-law), and they all seem to have a little cafe and are very touristy I guess. The truth is that all the little old ladies and gentlemen like to go there to have a little walk around the garden centers and buy some plants and have a little lunch or cup of tea. It is thus very popular with the older generation of this country. So this particular picture was taken on Thursday at Van Hage's which is a Dutch garden center (which can be guessed by the name). We love the Dutch. Well, along with the garden center and very nice shop, they also had a tiny little wildlife sanctuary. They had some birds, rabbits, goats, and even some meercats. It was very nice. This is a naturally occurring shape of this type of shrub I am told. I think they call it the bronto-shrub or something. Anyway along with the garden center that day I also went to Hertford as in "In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen." to meet with a director of speech and language therapy about the field and possible employment opportunities. That was very good, and hopefully we will be able to work something out as soon as my paperwork arrives.

Merry, The Outdoor Puss

This is Merry Puss. He desperately wants to be an outdoor puss. He loves the smell of fresh air, loves looking at the birds and trying to catch and play with bugs and also, sniffing and tasting the grass. He spends most of the day watchin out the windows in the conservatory at all the exciting things that go on out there. He loves having the windows open and has actually tried to climb out of the windows in the bathroom and my in-laws' bedroom (into which he is forbidden, so I don't know how he got in there). Tim and I have been struggling to parent him correctly by either forcing him to stay in or allowing him a bit of outside time once in a while. The trouble is his attitude. Well, Merry has been out on occasion to help me hang out the washing, but as soon as he gets back in the house, he meows and meows saying things like, "Please let me go back out. I want to be an outdoor puss!" Just like that I swear! So what are we going to do? Any suggestions? We have already thought of an outdoor playpen, a collar with a leash (which he doesn't really like at all) or just never letting him out, but the problem is now that he knows what it is like out there and meows even when he hasn't been outside recently. He certainly is much different that Pippin, The Closet Puss.

The Post

I have been recently sending out lots of post(mail). The word is used in exactly all the instances we Americans would say mail i.e. I will post the letter. Put it in the post. The postman dropped it off. etc. Well I have been recently posting my certification paperwork (with lots of money) as well as my application for membership in the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists RCLST (British professional organization for SLP/SLTs like the American Speech Language and Hearing Organization ASHA) also with lots of money. That was sad to see the money go, and I am hoping the paperwork comes back with my valid registration to work as a speech therapist here. I have also posted letters home which is nice. I have only really gotten 2 letters in the post so far, one from my mom and one from my grandmother. I would love to get some more post from home because it makes me feel like I am still in connection with home. I think the computer is great, but honestly a real letter of "snail mail" as you could call it definitely means a lot to a transplant like me. So if you are free to write a short note or anything, please don't hesitate to put it in the post. I will definitely respond with some post of my own since I am not short of time these days. By the way this photo is the postbox literally outside our front door. It is set into the stone wall that also holds a notice board where people pin up things like "Lost Dog" or some event flyer. other post boxes look like this.......

Audley End House

Here is where Tim and I went on Saturday for our outing that we try to do every other week when Tim is not at a Barnet game. So this week, we went to Audley End House and Gardens. There is a huge estate there, but this is the actual house. The location of the house is where there used to be an old monastery which was then torn down and a huge palace built in its place that was about 3 times the size that it is now. But the very expensive house is named after Sir Audley who was very good friends with King Henry XIII and as a lawyer was actually the person responsible for the legal cases of the annulments, divorces and executions of all of King Henry XIII's wives. Very interesting fact! The house on the inside is gorgeous with some very nice architecture and style etc. The kitchen and gardens were also nice, but the grounds are so vast that we will have to go back and walk around the rest of the area. Next time!

The Conservatory

Here are some pictures of the conservatory where Tim and I spend a lot of our time because we have our own couch and tv and can relax in there in the evenings. Merry spends most of his time there during the day meowing and asking to be let outside (which we have indulged a few times). But, Pippin does not go in there much at all because he spends most of his day sleeping in the closet (wardrobe) in our room. It is way to bright for him in the conservatory so he usually waits until night time to go in. We are currently teaching the boys to use the cat flap from the kitchen to the conservatory so they can come in out as they please.

Virtual Tour

Hello from The Webbs! This is where I live. I have had some requests for a sort of virtual tour of the Webb household. So here it is.

Here is the bedroom which is pretty small for two people and the stuff that comes with two people one of them being a woman!

Here is how you get up to the bedroom!

Here is the kitchen!

This is the front area after the foyer which is sort of a sitting room hallway.

The Manuden "Fun" Run

Tim, Phil and I ran in the Manuden Fun Run which was a 10K involving some hills and a bit of off road running. It wasn't too bad of a run considering that we really didn't train that much for it, but the not so great thing was of course (drum roll please...) The Weather! Of course it rained during the whole run, and although it is not that cold out here at the moment, so it was not as bad as it could have been. Tim and I ran together so I am sure I slowed him down about 10 minutes because Phil finished about 10 minutes ahead of us which was my goal time, but oh well. Because of the weather, we think less people came out for the race, and as a result, there were no walkers so Tim and I actually finished about 3rd to last of the over 100 runner who did show up. Having said that, some people ran the 5K so there were less people doing the 10K. The great thing was that they were giving free massages before and after the run. So that was a pretty good deal. The pictures of us are after the race all wet and after the race wearing our race t-shirts and medals. We are glad we finished it and we are now back and warm and dry.

Trip to Horsham to Visit Grandma

Yesterday I went to my mother-in-law to visit her mother in Horsham. Tim and his dad were at Barnet, so we went to help Grandma with her shopping and went to the house and gardens pictured here called Nyman's. First we did the shopping in the outdoor market where I got a nice spelt loaf of bread and a gluten free chocolate cake as well as a bunch of kale. It was very exciting! It was a pretty wet day by the time we got to Nyman's, but we went anyway. It was a nice visit and Grandma made us lunch of shepherd's pie and baked apples for dessert (with custard), but I actually didn't have the custard because it has milk and sugar in it. It was so cold in Grandma's house though, and she didn't even feel that it was cold. We were freezing, and we had to turn up the heat so we could warm up a bit. She doesn't feel the cold because she was used to so long of being in the war and not having enough heating etc. so needless to say I will have to remember to just wear more clothing to Grandma's (I always seem to forget that especially at Christmas). Oh yes, and I did try the chocolate cake, and it was pretty good.

Home with the Sweet Boys

Here are the boys having cuddle time on the bed. I spend most of the day with Merry (right)wandering around looking for attention while I am stuck in the house, and then Pippin (left) spends his day in his special spot: inside the wardrobe. He is a Closet Puss and Merry is an Outside Puss. Oh yes, Merry always wants to explore the outdoors, and at every open door opportunity usually comes running. Whereas Pippin is content to spend the entire day asleep in the wardrobe or sometimes on top of the wardrobe and really only coming down when it is evening to get some food and hang out with his brother. Then they get ready for playtime all night but before that it is Bedtime for Pussycats, which is the ritual of the cats running up the stairs after us to bed to get brushed and have their treats. Pippin is very affectionate even though it may seem he is a bit of a loner, but Merry also like to do his own thing and will tell you when he feels he is being neglected and needs attention. Well these are the Sweet Boys looking very cute. They are so cute that even the in-laws are falling for them!

Mystery

This is a picture of me and my brother-in-law, Phil, taken the day before I cut my hair (obviously not after because it doesn't grow that fast!). Well we were actually doing Sudoku together, and he was teaching me how to do it. It took us nearly and hour to do the whole thing with him giving me strategies to try to work it all out. I decided I don't like Sudoku! It seems fun, but not if it takes you an hour. I am much better with words although the crossword puzzles still get me most of the time, but in theory I still like them better. Phil was here for the funeral of Jack from next door and stayed the night in the room adjacent to me and Tim. He actually has to go through our room to get to his and then stay in there until morning, when he says, "Is it allright if I come out?" What strange times we live in! Well anyway, in this picture I am wearing my favorite zip-up hoodie. And I regret to inform you that it is the last time I was seen wearing it because as of Sunday night, it went missing. The mystery began with allegations that Tim moved it, or Phil maliciously stole it because he knew it was my favorite. But it was all solved when the truth came out that Phil had indeed not even packed his bag before leaving, in fact, it was none other than my mother-in-law who actually packed Phil's bag for him (I know what you're thinking, he is probably big enough to do that himself, well you would think so but then you would understand if you knew my mother-in-law) and she accidentally put it in with the rest of Phil's clothes. But the good thing is that Phil is coming back up this way for our race on Sunday so I will be reunited with my favorite hoodie!