The Body Shop Job

Hello there, I am a recently hired and then postponed employee of The Body Shop! Yes, I applied, got offered the job and then, there was a freeze on hiring Body Shop Christmas staff before I could start work. So now, I am forced to wait until they call me back to find out when I can actually start working. The main problem is that the Christmas trade is not picking up at all yet, and many retail businesses are not hiring Christmas staff yet due to the slow sales. So keep praying that business will pick up soon so I can work a little before Christmas. I was hoping I could get some part-time work in while I waited for my certification to come in so I can do my real job, but it still may be some time before that happens. It would be great to get this job started soon! I would like to get started buying some of my favorite things there and maybe a few Christmas presents too!

Remembrance Day

Here in Britain, it seems like everyone actually participates in Remembrance Day which is like our Veterans Day except in the US, nobody does anything for it. Here, in the weeks leading up to November 11th, people are making donations and receiving a poppy to wear on their clothing as a sign that they are remembering those who died in the wars. They also have special services and parades at war memorials where people spend 2 minutes of silence. It is supposed to be at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, but they now do it on the Sunday closest to the 11th of November. So that was today. We went to a service in Bishop's Stortford at the castle gardens around the war memorial that is there. The service was led by a minister from a local church and we were following a procession into the area and out afterwards that was made up of different organizations wearing their uniforms and carrying flags. It was very reflective, and I even saw a young lady wipe her eyes at the end which surprised me. These Brits usually don't shed a tear, but they do seem to want to really remember and honor those who gave their lives to provide freedom today. Incidentally I did not actually wear a poppy...Maybe next time.

Guy Fawkes

On the 5th of November, 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes tried to burn down the Houses of Parliament but was caught and then executed. For this reason, every 5th of November the English celebrate the memorable event also called Bonfire Night when they light fireworks and create a Guy out of old clothes and newspapers and sew on some kind of head (ends up looking like a scarecrow I guess) and burn him on a huge bonfire. The man is infamous and gets burned to death every year just top make the point and punish him all over again. There is a saying that says, "Remember, remember the 5th of November!" And the advice there is never try to burn down the Houses of Parliament because you will get caught and humiliated well after your death! Well anyway, we actually did not have a guy on a bonfire but did go to see some fireworks last night and also set off some fireworks at one of Tim's friend's house on Friday which was fun. I am so used to having fireworks on the 4th of July that the cold weather and all seems very different to me. It was fun anyway, but I have to say the fireworks were not as big and spectacular as they are back in the States but still a fun evening out.

Our Ship Came In

Here is our shipment of everything we own being delivered to the house this morning. It has been a long day of unpacking, but let's just say that although we have too much stuff, it is nice to have our stuff with us finally. I am exhausted and can't really think of much inspiring to write, but you would be proud of the way me and my mother-in-law unpacked pretty much all the clothes and I organized and put them all away as best as I could. It has been a busy day. As my grandfather always says, " We'll sleep good tonight!"

Poor Little Birdie!

Yesterday morning, I was in the kitchen looking out the window through to the conservatory when there was little long tailed tit who didn't realize that the conservatory was a window and flew right into it. So my mother-in-law and I put our rubber gloves on and went out to rescue it. Fortunately it was not dead! He was just a little stunned. So she picked him up and stroked him a little until he started blinking and looking around. We didn't want to leave him there for the neighborhood cats to find, so we waited a few minutes and then he just flew right away. Hopefully he has found his family by now. Poor little birdie...BTW this is not the actual bird, my camera was out of battery.

Pippin, The High Puss

Pippin is our little shy puss who is very affectionate despite wanting to spend most of his time in the closet during the day. But he also enjoys being up high where he can purr loudly as he looks down at everyone else to watch what is going on. Pippin is pictured here in the book shelf that we just cleared because we are getting ready for our shipment to arrive tomorrow! Finally! On the other hand, we are totally not ready in that we have almost nowhere to put the clothes and books that are coming. Either way, Pippin is not worried, he thinks that he has just been given a new high place to sit. Little does he know that is most likely going to be the spot for some of my clothes and we will have to figure out a way to block off the side of the bookshelf so that he doesn't make a bed out of them. That is all I need, more clothes covered in cat hair! But, I don't know what we expect, they are sweet boys!

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

Recently, I have been learning how to crochet using plastic bags. To date, I have only made one bag for myself, but have started collecting more bags to use for the same purpose. The great thing is that these bags can be used for anything. You can make large to medium to small bags using plastic yarn "plarn" and you can even line them with fabric to extend their life. I think it is a great idea. Just look at this picture from the Daily Mail. This family is going to take all those bags home about once a week right, and then what will happen to the bags, they will end up getting thrown in the garbage and eventually harm innocent animals through very bad garbage disposal systems that seem to be a trend these days. Check out this article if you think crocheting plastic bag yarn is a waste of time. http://www.icis.com/blogs/icis-chemicals-confidential/files/2008/02/banish-the-bags-uk-newspaper-c.html
For me, there is little I can do about the birds and sea animals who are getting killed by these monsters (plastic bags) or about proper and ethical garbage disposal, but I can do my part and let everyone I know to either recycle your bags with the plastic recycling stuff or donate your bags to a crafter like me who will lovingly reuse them into something useful and fun. Currently I am collecting orange Sainsbury's grocery bags, and I have a bunch that I will be using to create some bags and pouches. Keep Recycling!