An adventurous day with Roxy

It all started this morning with a bad hair day. I had a big meeting this morning at work that I intended to be early to as I was co-chairing the meeting. Because I spent too long trying to make my hair presentable I was running late, which meant I would only be a few minutes early (if the traffic was nice to me) or I'd be just on time to my meeting. As I was rushing to work in my car, Roxy (my car) started making an unusual noise. Said unusual noise ended up being a flat tyre. This meant I wasn't going to make it to my important work meeting on time, let alone early. As I was only a mile and a half away from work, I ditched Roxy on the side of the road and high-tailed it to my meeting. I arrived a mere 15 minutes late.

After the meeting an extremely kind colleague of mine not only gave me a lift back to Roxy, but he also put the spare tyre on for me. What a hero!

Adam putting on the spare



I made a few phone calls from work and managed to find a tyre place that had a tyre that would fit Roxy in stock. The tyres Roxy uses are not the most common size and thus hard to find and expensive. After work I headed to the tyre place. My tyres have a special nut that requires a special bolt thingy to get off (some kind of security feature so my tyres are harder to steal). I could not find it when I got to tyre plae. I emptied out my boot and my hand bag and glove box and and and. I called the colelague who changed the tyre, he couldn't find it in his car or jacket. 30 minutes minutes after the search began I found the bit hiding on the side of the parcel shelf. Excelent. Mister tyre man began fixing tyre. I tres to restore my car to the state it was in before I tore it apart looking for the bolt.

Because I wasn't in the safest of areas, I locked the car while I reassembled the boot. As I needed both hands to tidy the boot, I put my keys on the parcel shelf (you see where this is going, don't you?). After boot was tidy, I closed the boot. About a milisecond after the boot closed, I realised that my keys were in the boot. My boot was locked. Seriously?! A flat tyre and locked keys in the car ON THE SAME DAY?!!

The man at the tyre place tried to get in my car.




He made a valant effort and even managed to flick the door unlocked and open the handle from the inside. This is when he asked me if I deadbolted the car. "Deadbolt the car, how do you do that?" I asked. "Click the lock button twice", said he. "Oh. Quite possibly", groaned I just before I dialed the car recorvery service.

30 minutes after they said they'd be there and 2 hours after I arrived at the tyre place and 30 minutes after the tyre place closed, the recovery man turned up.





15 minutes later after a few attempts, the recovery guy pulled my keys out of a very securely locked Roxy. I drove home starving (I missed breakfast and lunch, my only nurishment for the day had been a yoghurt), frusterated and sad that I was now running too late and had to cancel my evening plans (I was due to go into north London and pick up a hand bag that I have been waiting 3 weeks to pick up!). **Sigh**

Silver lining for the day:
*it wasn't raining today while I walked to work or when I changed the tyre or while I waited for the recovery man.
*the tyre man waited behind to make sure I got in my car safely.
*my flat tyre happened close enough to work that i could walk.
*the flat happened today and not tomorrow (tomorrow I'm driving 4 hours north for a wedding).
*the recovery man was able to get my keys out of my locked car (my spare key was also in my car so if he wasn't successful I would have had to break (and pay for a replacement) window).
*I learned how to deadbolt my car door.
*my car is very secure from potential thiefs

Andrea's back!!!

My friend, Andrea, has come back to London - yea! I met Andrea in 2005 when I lived in the midlands and she was working with the church for a couple of years. She's come back to visit for a couple days and then a week last year, this is trip number 3 and she's staying for 3 months - super yea! My hope is that she falls in love with London and decides she needs to get a job and stay and be my roommate!

Andrea has claimed the chair by the window as her spot. I often find her playing Suduko or reading here.





Last Friday (the day after she arrived) we went out to one of my favourite Japanese restaraunts in the Palace. I couldn't help snap a picture at the fun way Andrea attacked her noodle soup!


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Work goodness

A couple weeks ago I was at one of the academies I support to help them out for a few days. They decided to buy me a bunch of flowers to say thank you for my help. How sweet is that?!!




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It's hard for me to keep up with myself!

Where does time go?! I'm enjoying my social life, but it's so hard to keep track of where I'm going! Last week: Tuesday I was out with Claude (enjoying desert!)







Wednesday I went out with my neighbour Alex. It was actually the first time we'd ever gone out (we've been neighbours for 4 years!), and I had a great time! Thursday morning was slightly hard as I didn't get in bed till 2am on Wednesday night. Although I still managed to go out with my friend PC Paul. Friday I had a few drinks after work and then home for an early night, but I was back to socialising Saturday when I went up to visor Hayley in London.

Sunday Mary Hennelly and I went to see Vernon Kay's All Star Family Fortunes recorded (for those Americans, Family Fortunes = Family Fued). Lots of fun catching up with Mary! During the 3 hour queue wait, Mary posed for a picture with Alan Carr's (a comedian) hands:





Monday night was my night in before I was off socialising again (otherwise known as laundry night). Yesterday Tracy and I went for some Sushi in Crystal Palace. Tonight I met a former colleague from my days at Serco, now good friend, Reena. Tomorrow I'm due to meet my friend Jess... sheesh! You think it's hard to keep up with me - now you know why: I can't keep up with myself!

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My very first London friend

Claude was my very first friend in London. If it weren't for our weekly Monday trips to the Harvestor, I wouldn't have had a social life at all. For several months we would make our weekly trips to Harester until they became every other week and then once a month until life took over and our trips were no more. Harvestor Mondays with claude are such good memories for me. Tuesday Claude and I met up again at te Harvestor for old times sake and it was another great night. I'm so lucky to have Claude as a friend!

I never knew how much Claude loves apple crumble with custard!


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Cat sitting

For the last two weeks I've been cat sitting for some friends of mine. I have cat-sat for my neighbours quite a few times so thought nothing of saying "yes" whn my friends asked this time. Let me tell you, this is a different experience to my neighbours cats. My neighbours have indoor cats that never leave the flat and are right next door to me, so no travel is required to cat-sit. My friends live 30 minutes away so I've been staying at their house, and their cats are outdoor cats so I never know when I'll see them. Pauline is the black cat and she's older and is usually around. Rocky has given me much to worry about as I don't see him much. I didn't see him for 3 full days when my friends first left: I was so nervous something had happened to him and I was going to have to explain that I had lost him! Luckily I've seen more of him in recent days and my friends are due back Saturday. I'm almost there... just have to make it through 2 more days of keeping the little darlings alive :-)





Rocky got very affectionate tonight and decided to make himself at home on me.









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You can take the girl out of Texas but not the Texas out of the Girl

I received a belated birthday gift from my sister yesterday. When I moved to England, my mother sent me lots of Texas and Paris Texas gifts, I think so I didn't forget where I came from. Since my mother moved to Kansas I get American gifts rather than Texas ones (I guess Texas nik naks aren't readily available in Kansas - go figure). My sister ha joined in to the themes gift giving with Paris memorivilia (sp?). This year a Paris pillow. I think it accents my chair very well! (unfortunately it cost her twice as much to post it than it cost to purchase... it's one special pillow!) Thanks Seester.



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RIP my twenties!

That's right, I have officially entered the next decade of my life ... my 30s. It's odd - when I was entering the last decade of my life (eg when I was turning 20) I was engaged to be married and had my life all planned out, now I'm entering my 30s single with no idea what tomorrow will bring let alone having my "life planned"! How life changes in a decade!!!


Apparently life doesn't start until my 30s,
My 30s are for rectifying the mistakes of my 30s,
and although growing older is inevitable, growing up is optional (we all know I'll opt out of that for many more years to come!!)
...all great stuff I've been told today!


I went out (on a "school night" - I must be made) with a few friends.... it turned out to be great night out! A great start to my thirties! Thanks all who made it out tonight, you helped make the start of my 30s brilliant!

Claude and Hayley

Claude and Mary H

Lindsay being a bit silly! Love her!!

Hayley, Lindsay and I

Lots of people came and went but I was too busy talking (surprise surprise) to remember to take pictures!

....This is the end of the eveing hard core people left (and late comers :-)

Neighbour Alex pulling a fantastic face, me and Lindsay

Andrew (Hayley's other half), Adam, neighbours mark, Neil, and Alex, me and Hayley

Same group, but Adam's taking picture instead of Lindsay this time!

How far would you travel to eat at Taco Bell?

... would you spend an hour and a half driving there and 2 hours getting back home for the yummy goodness of Taco Bell? I certainly would!!!

Matt enjoying his first few bites of taco Bell yumminess (I don't think he enjoyed his first experience at Taco Bell as much as I enjoy it, but he was certainly a good sport!)






Many times I've posted pictures of me eating Taco Bell, but this particular picture of me eating bean burrito at Taco Bell might be the best ... It's me eating a bean burritto from Taco Bell in England!





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I'm at Taco Bell!!

It's Taco Bell... in England!!!!



Matt ordering


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Good day to come!

Yep... Taco Bell is back in England! I am SO super excited. Even more super excited because Matt and I are going to Taco Bell tomorrow! Yep, I'm easy. What do I want as a birthday present ... to visit Taco Bell! Whoop whoop, Taco Bell here I come. SO excited :-)

What a goon!

My friend, Paul, came over last night and afte. A drink and some destressing work talk (sometimes you just need to get it out!) we went out for a japanese dinner. Yum yum! As Paul lives a fair way out but work across the road from my flat he stayed the night.

I left him to fend for himself this morning as he had a late start today. I came home to find he had left little "surpises" for me dotted about the flat: there was a bear ornament in a drinking glass in the cupboard, an angle figurine (sp?) in the refrigerator and a picture of me as a 19 yr old in my bowls (I have no idea where he found that!). What a goon he is. SO much fun though!

Somehow after we got back from dinner, Paul managed to rearrange my lounge furnichure... how dis my chairs end up in the middle of the lounge?! Neither one of us could recall!


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Girls' night in

Two weeks ago Claire and Mary H came over for a girly night of pamering, gassing and movie watching. A great night in! Lots of laughter and silliness!






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Happy 4th of July!!

This weekend I went to the Midlands to celebrate the 4th of July with my second family. Jenny, John & Patty's eldest daughter, and her family have moved back from the States to live in England. So this trip was extra special to get to catch up with them too!

As it was the 4th, I donned my American flag shirt (and American flag flip flops that my motet gave me for Christmas). I thought I should get a picture in this get up while eatig a slice of watermelon (can't get much more 4th of July, right?). Patty took a couple pictures of me eating the watermelon, but this one amused me the most (and it's the only one where you can see the American shirt :-)




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First BBQ of the year

Paul and I have been friends for a few years now but I've never been round to his place, which I often harrass him about. He works across the road from where I live so we often go out somewhere around my flat. I also harrass him about the fact that he's had several (last minute) BBQs but never invited me. So he found himselflf with a free Sunday during our lovely 2 weeks of summer (England generally has only 2 weeks of good summer weather) and invited me round to his for a BBQ.

He has a lovely house in a "suburban" area on the outskirts of London. It was very surreal for meo be in the quiet burbs rather than the traffic congested, every bustling and noise infested London.

We had a great BBQ lunch, watched England loose spectacularly in the World cup game, then chatted for a few hours and took a stroll around the area. A great Sunday afternoon by my account (well it was afternoon and evening as I didn't leave til about 9)!

Paul at the BBQ... he dropped the same burger through to the coals twice - SO funny! For me at least.


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Challenge: 2 mountains, 2 days

More to come, but I couldn't resist a quick blog entry. I was crazy enough to comit to a Twin Peaks challenge about a month ago ... Hike 2 mountains in 2 days and get people to donate money to sponsor you to do this. I said, "That sounds like fun!!" Oh how silly I am.

I did it though, and lived to tell the tale.

Day 1, mountain 1. On the sumit of Mount Snowdon in Wales (1085 meters - tallest mountain in Wales)




Even found energy for some jumping jacks!!






Day 2, mountain 2. The Glyders (999 meters high).




My legs are telling me that they climbed 2 mountains! I hear them loud & clear!!

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Trash Day

Wednesday morning is apparently trash day here, so I took out the trash bags tonight. As I grabbed one of the bags I was greeted by a started creature living in the trash...




(it's a frog)


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Happy Hour

Monday night my grandfather to me that 10pm was happy hour at the McFarlands. Apparently the doctors had advised him that 2 alcoholic beverages a day is good for the body (I think the heart?). He asked if this health benefit was extended to a third beverage; it is not. Anyway, thus began the tradition of Happy hour. I think it's a good yradition for my grandparents, and it is certainly fun to enjoy it with them :-)

This picture is from Tuesday's happy hour. Whisper, the cat, joined in this evening.


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Hel-hen's night

Last night I went to my friend (and former flatmate's hen night). Such a good night out!!! There were 8 of us in total; we met for a drink and then headed for tapas. Really good tapas I might add! Such a good night! I headed home after the meal as I had a flight to catch today. (I'm currently writting this blog in Newark, NJ airport waiting for my next flight.)


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A small taste of Canada

My route to visit my grandparents in Virginia included 3 flights: London to Ottawa, Canada; Ottowa to Newark, New Jersey; Newark to Norfolk, Virginia. In Canada I had to clear Canadian customs then go outside and check in to clear US customs (very paculiar I thought), but that's what I had to do. On my brief (5 minute) trip on Canadian soil i got to see a half dozen Mounties still past. I thought it was pretty cool, and very blog worthy!



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