While it was Memorial Weekend in the US, we here in the UK had a ‘Bank Holiday’…which literally means the banks close and people hit the streets for some fun.
Of course, most Americans hit the beaches...we here in chilly NE England hit the pub…
Well, most of the time, at least. Actually, this weekend, we had quite a diverse range of fun. Our excitement started on Friday evening, when we all went to our friend Rob’s house for delicious bbq, whisky, cigars, and some exciting poker. It was my first time playing poker, and I’m happy to say that I won a few times. We each put £5, and I left with £1.50 2 hours after we started playing, so not too shabby, I think. The experience was complete: Rob even played some American Blues in the background…I felt like a drunken Sea Captain trying to make a few extra dabloons on the side…or something equally sleazy…it was great!
On Saturday, after a tormenting trip to the taylor’s (the Adolfo Dominguez dress my mum got me doesn’t fit!- my ribs are too fat), Bret and I went on a neighbourhood adventure. We found a geocache in Ouseburn, then went to The Cumberland Arms in Byker where I had a half pint of cider, and then we took a stroll ‘round the beautiful park nearby. I cooked a simple pasta dinner with Red Pepper/Limoncello sauce, and we headed out to the newly refurbished Tyneside Cinema to see Persepolis. The cinema is fantastic- gorgeous interiors, two bar/cafés, and excellent indie movies. Persepolis was funny and sad and interesting, though the beginning was a bit hard to follow with all the Iranian politics…
On Sunday, Bret and I started the morning in the Quayside Market, where we got tshirts, vine leaves, and good smelling bath bombs. After our decadent purchasing, we headed over to the gym, and I did the workout my personal trainer gives me (a tough 1 hour with 20 minutes floor/arm work, 20 minutes cross trainer on level 6 Kilimanjaro, and 20 minutes little elliptical on level 8 cardio) while Bret did some horrible, killer exercises. To replenish ourselves, we had lunch at the Royal Café- me a delicious celery/carrot/ginger juice and Chicken terrine with red pepper chutney and Bret a salmon/egg bagel.
Finally on Monday, we had the most exciting day of all: we went to the Northumbria County Show in Corbridge. The town is a half hour train ride from Newcastle, very beautiful with lots of trails surrounding. Because it was an unusually gorgeous day, the festival was packed! Almost everyone had a dog and/or baby with them. Needless to say, my cuteness cup got full pretty fast. And I haven’t even mentioned the actual show animals yet. We saw bunnies, horses, cows, alpacas, and sheep. I discovered that cows are skittish and slobber a lot. When I would pet them, they would often whip me with their tails (I think they noticed I was wearing a leather jacket- I know, how insensitive of me!). The alpacas were very soft and fairly friendly. And the sheep (poor sheep) were being sheared at record speeds. There was an ongoing sheep shearing competition, truly amazing to watch, in which men had to shear 5 sheep in under 5 minutes. After we saw a contest, we went round back to take a closer look at the sheep. The furry ones were quiet, but the sheared ones were baaing non-stop. They had lots of nicks from the shearing, some looked half-slaughtered to be honest, but overall, the shearers really did a great job. After 5 hours, we felt we were animalled-out and we headed back to Newcastle for some of Bret’s amazing chorizo chicken and lemon asparagus.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Late Shows
Hello everyone. Well Bret and I have settled into Newcastle quite well. Even though we live a bit outside city centre, we live in the arts quarter called Ouseburn Valley (think Miami's Design District, minus the prostitutes and robberies) so there are lots of cool pubs and art galleries nearby. Bret goes into work 2-3 times a week, and works from home the other days. I'm about to finish my third temp job (it's a bohemian life, indeed). I've got 2 interviews lined up, but if they prove unsuccessful, I'll simply temp part-time, so I can write more.
Anyway, so as I was saying, living in Newcastle has proven to be quite good for our social lives. There are always lots of events, festivals, shows, and there are lots of restaurants to try. Last weekend was particularly fun because we went to a shindig called The Late Shows. It's a yearly event in which all the museums and art galleries stay open until 11 pm. There is free wine, a free bus service taking you to the next gallery, and there's no cover charge.
Bret and I started the nite with our friends at Nancy's Bordello, an artsy gastro-pub with fab decor and lots of plants. We had ordinary pub food, but it was pretty tasty. Full and happy, we headed off to our first stop on the art tour: The Biscuit Factory. I had frequently seen signs for this place, but I had not bothered to investigate as I thought it was literally a place where biscuits were made.
However, as I soon found out, this was not Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! The Biscuit Factory is a wonderful large art gallery with lots of contemporary art work on display and for sale. I'm really into knit decor right now (I have a thick wool crysanthemum in my house) so I was particularly drawn to the cashmere cupcakes and cashmere bonbons. But there was also lots of wall art as well. I loved the thickly textured, brightly coloured acrylic still lifes, the primitive story-book farm scapes, and one artist's glittery weaved hens with their baby chicks.
Our next stop was Art Works, just a few blocks away. There we viewed more interesting contemporary stuff, but we were starting to feel the sensory overload. So, we opted for a switch: the science museum!
The Life Centre is a large museum, usually packed with small, snotty children. But for one nite, the children were asleep, and it was the adults that came to play. And what fun we had! We went through numerous exhibits about the arctic, world population, ageing, stem cells, the science of motion, and nutrition. Bret really wanted to see an astronaut special with Ewan McGregor, but we were too late.
To end the nite, we decided that we should head over to Jazz Cafe and wind it down with a sexy cocktail and some smooth tunes. But there was a cover charge, so unfortunately, we had to settle for an old unglamourous pub called Rafferty's. After our beers and ciders, Braudia parted ways from the others and headed home for a cosy nite of sleep...
Anyway, so as I was saying, living in Newcastle has proven to be quite good for our social lives. There are always lots of events, festivals, shows, and there are lots of restaurants to try. Last weekend was particularly fun because we went to a shindig called The Late Shows. It's a yearly event in which all the museums and art galleries stay open until 11 pm. There is free wine, a free bus service taking you to the next gallery, and there's no cover charge.
Bret and I started the nite with our friends at Nancy's Bordello, an artsy gastro-pub with fab decor and lots of plants. We had ordinary pub food, but it was pretty tasty. Full and happy, we headed off to our first stop on the art tour: The Biscuit Factory. I had frequently seen signs for this place, but I had not bothered to investigate as I thought it was literally a place where biscuits were made.
However, as I soon found out, this was not Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! The Biscuit Factory is a wonderful large art gallery with lots of contemporary art work on display and for sale. I'm really into knit decor right now (I have a thick wool crysanthemum in my house) so I was particularly drawn to the cashmere cupcakes and cashmere bonbons. But there was also lots of wall art as well. I loved the thickly textured, brightly coloured acrylic still lifes, the primitive story-book farm scapes, and one artist's glittery weaved hens with their baby chicks.
Our next stop was Art Works, just a few blocks away. There we viewed more interesting contemporary stuff, but we were starting to feel the sensory overload. So, we opted for a switch: the science museum!
The Life Centre is a large museum, usually packed with small, snotty children. But for one nite, the children were asleep, and it was the adults that came to play. And what fun we had! We went through numerous exhibits about the arctic, world population, ageing, stem cells, the science of motion, and nutrition. Bret really wanted to see an astronaut special with Ewan McGregor, but we were too late.
To end the nite, we decided that we should head over to Jazz Cafe and wind it down with a sexy cocktail and some smooth tunes. But there was a cover charge, so unfortunately, we had to settle for an old unglamourous pub called Rafferty's. After our beers and ciders, Braudia parted ways from the others and headed home for a cosy nite of sleep...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Second Class Citizens
Well folks, in case we haven't reminded you enough, England is a very expensive country. Everything is much pricier here, making it quite difficult to enjoy the things that middle class americans take for granted. Restaurants are terribly costly, the taxes are horrible (especially the local ones, uuugggghhhh), and rent is through the roof. We are undoubtedly, second class citizens. Despite what would be an extremely comfortable salary in the US, Braudia lives paycheck to paycheck, trying to make ends meet.
But if that's not bad enough, we get constant reminders of our second classness, so to speak. For example, the train. In every train, there is a first class car, while the rest are 'second class.' Further, in the stations, there is frequently a 'First Class Lounge' which us untouchables cannot contaminate. I find this all quite weird. Class is a big deal here in the UK, bigger than it is in America. Braudia does not fully understand the concept of 'poshness,' which we vaguely assume to be wealth, but not really because it seems there is an arrogant attitude that goes along with it. On the flip-side, you've got 'chavs'...which we have been told is something like 'white trash'...which brings me to my tale...
When I first arrived in the UK, I had very little clothes, as I could only bring 2 suitcases weighing 49 lbs each. So, first on my list, was to get some exercise clothes, as it was quite cold and I wanted to go jogging.
So I bought a Lonsdale tracksuit.
Lonsdale is a common brand that I had seen around quite a bit. The tracksuit was cheap and baby blue, so I was quite pleased with my buy.
But as I wore it more and more, I noticed that people were looking at me a bit funnily. I wasn't sure why, but I started noticing people's clothing. You see, if you go work out in England, you change out of your clothes immediately after you finish. You do not walk around in a tracksuit, unless...
I started to notice the kinds of people who did walk around in Lonsdale tracksuits. girls with huge hoop earrings, girls with bad English, pregnant girls smoking and drinking beer, girls who couldn't be more than 17 pushing strollers...
Finally, I learned- I was wearing the chav uniform! Wearing workout clothes in England does not mean you work out, it means you live in a Council House!!!
I have stopped wearing my Lonsdale tracksuit out in public. Going out in 'scrubby clothes' has a lot more significance here than it does in the US!
But if that's not bad enough, we get constant reminders of our second classness, so to speak. For example, the train. In every train, there is a first class car, while the rest are 'second class.' Further, in the stations, there is frequently a 'First Class Lounge' which us untouchables cannot contaminate. I find this all quite weird. Class is a big deal here in the UK, bigger than it is in America. Braudia does not fully understand the concept of 'poshness,' which we vaguely assume to be wealth, but not really because it seems there is an arrogant attitude that goes along with it. On the flip-side, you've got 'chavs'...which we have been told is something like 'white trash'...which brings me to my tale...
When I first arrived in the UK, I had very little clothes, as I could only bring 2 suitcases weighing 49 lbs each. So, first on my list, was to get some exercise clothes, as it was quite cold and I wanted to go jogging.
So I bought a Lonsdale tracksuit.
Lonsdale is a common brand that I had seen around quite a bit. The tracksuit was cheap and baby blue, so I was quite pleased with my buy.
But as I wore it more and more, I noticed that people were looking at me a bit funnily. I wasn't sure why, but I started noticing people's clothing. You see, if you go work out in England, you change out of your clothes immediately after you finish. You do not walk around in a tracksuit, unless...
I started to notice the kinds of people who did walk around in Lonsdale tracksuits. girls with huge hoop earrings, girls with bad English, pregnant girls smoking and drinking beer, girls who couldn't be more than 17 pushing strollers...
Finally, I learned- I was wearing the chav uniform! Wearing workout clothes in England does not mean you work out, it means you live in a Council House!!!
I have stopped wearing my Lonsdale tracksuit out in public. Going out in 'scrubby clothes' has a lot more significance here than it does in the US!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
LL part deux
So Saturday I had my monthly book club, and I couldn't go out to the museums with LL. Bret took them to the Discovery Museum to learn about Newcastle history, and then to the Laing Art Gallery (which I had recently gone to). It was a gorgeous day (yet again!! where are we, California?) and I got so hot, I had to give my Uggs to a Charity shop and buy sandals! I got home just in time to catch the horse races. Inspired by their fierce speed, I decided to go out for a jog- in shorts! But as you might imagine, one a beautiful Saturday afternoon, what would Brits be doing but...drum roll please....sitting out drinking! Needless to say, I was extremely out of place jogging while the rest of the country drank themselves to a stupor. But I knew I had to put in a bit of jogging, cuz Bret was preparing a hearty dinner of lamb shank, and I do not want to get portly.
Anyway, so when I returned, Bret was covered in blood. Ok, maybe not, but he might as well have been cuz, as it turns out, Tesco gave us something like 'Sheep's ribs and hips', rather than lamb shank. Bret was very disappointed he could not fit the slab of meat anywhere, so he threw it away and we bought pork steaks instead. His meal was quite delicious despite the impromptu preparation.
The next day, we all headed over to the Quayside market to sample the sundry items. There were more winkles and whelks, purses, books, and decorations. I bought some sweets, a torquoise wool pin and some lavender 'bath bombs'- fizzy good-smelling things that you put in the bath. We also stuffed ourselves with freshly fried sugar doughnuts and German Brats.
After moseying around a bit more, watching the boat races, and checking out a very weak exhibit in the Baltic Museum, we decided it would be best to head over to South Shields and check out the coast. Amazingly, it was like 15 degrees colder there, veeerrrrry foggy, and cloudy. So we cut the beach time short, and played some put put golf. Larry was the best, and Braudia needs to practice. Linda just took pics. Frozen from our putting, we opted for some world famous South Shields Indian, which we discovered is delicious and extremely affordable.
For our final day of fun, Bret and I took LL to see Jesmond, a leafy suburb of Newcastle, and Beamish, the historical outdoor museum (and my personal fave!).
Jesmond seems like a lovely place to live (if you have a car). There are posh boutiques, upscale restaurants, and old homes with lots of potential. Best of all, it's quite lush. But after meandering quite a bit through the shops and eating a lovely Italian meal, we decided to take a bus outside of Newcastle and experience the much talked-about town of Beamish.
Let me tell you, this is the cutest place in the world. first of all, there are lots and lots of big trees and thickly forested trails. This is very rare for England, and we were amazed to find such a fresh-air haven. Secondly, there is a 'museum' there. It's basically a giant outdoor space broken off into eras. You just walk or tram to the different times- the first a typical home from 1825, complete with people dressed up in period clothing, rabbits hanging from the ceiling, candles, old books- the works. There were horses that you could pet, a gross massive hog, geese- everything. We saw both a middle-upper class house, and a lower-middle class house. It was just incredible to see how today, even a poor person lives so much better than a rich person lived back then. Fascinating...
Our next stop was the 1913 town. Again, amazing! There was a grocery store, a freemason's lodge, an old Barclay's bank. Best of all, we got to see inside typical homes of the period. We saw the decor, baby high chairs, a bathroom, a dentist office. I was amazed...
But the best part was going to the 'home farm' of 1913. Here I got to pet baby lambs! I wanted to see inside the farmhouse, but it was already time to go...exhausted, we went back to Newcastle, had all you can eat Mongolian, and rested the night away...
Anyway, so when I returned, Bret was covered in blood. Ok, maybe not, but he might as well have been cuz, as it turns out, Tesco gave us something like 'Sheep's ribs and hips', rather than lamb shank. Bret was very disappointed he could not fit the slab of meat anywhere, so he threw it away and we bought pork steaks instead. His meal was quite delicious despite the impromptu preparation.
The next day, we all headed over to the Quayside market to sample the sundry items. There were more winkles and whelks, purses, books, and decorations. I bought some sweets, a torquoise wool pin and some lavender 'bath bombs'- fizzy good-smelling things that you put in the bath. We also stuffed ourselves with freshly fried sugar doughnuts and German Brats.
After moseying around a bit more, watching the boat races, and checking out a very weak exhibit in the Baltic Museum, we decided it would be best to head over to South Shields and check out the coast. Amazingly, it was like 15 degrees colder there, veeerrrrry foggy, and cloudy. So we cut the beach time short, and played some put put golf. Larry was the best, and Braudia needs to practice. Linda just took pics. Frozen from our putting, we opted for some world famous South Shields Indian, which we discovered is delicious and extremely affordable.
For our final day of fun, Bret and I took LL to see Jesmond, a leafy suburb of Newcastle, and Beamish, the historical outdoor museum (and my personal fave!).
Jesmond seems like a lovely place to live (if you have a car). There are posh boutiques, upscale restaurants, and old homes with lots of potential. Best of all, it's quite lush. But after meandering quite a bit through the shops and eating a lovely Italian meal, we decided to take a bus outside of Newcastle and experience the much talked-about town of Beamish.
Let me tell you, this is the cutest place in the world. first of all, there are lots and lots of big trees and thickly forested trails. This is very rare for England, and we were amazed to find such a fresh-air haven. Secondly, there is a 'museum' there. It's basically a giant outdoor space broken off into eras. You just walk or tram to the different times- the first a typical home from 1825, complete with people dressed up in period clothing, rabbits hanging from the ceiling, candles, old books- the works. There were horses that you could pet, a gross massive hog, geese- everything. We saw both a middle-upper class house, and a lower-middle class house. It was just incredible to see how today, even a poor person lives so much better than a rich person lived back then. Fascinating...
Our next stop was the 1913 town. Again, amazing! There was a grocery store, a freemason's lodge, an old Barclay's bank. Best of all, we got to see inside typical homes of the period. We saw the decor, baby high chairs, a bathroom, a dentist office. I was amazed...
But the best part was going to the 'home farm' of 1913. Here I got to pet baby lambs! I wanted to see inside the farmhouse, but it was already time to go...exhausted, we went back to Newcastle, had all you can eat Mongolian, and rested the night away...
Fun with Larry and Linda part 1
Bret's parents arrived in Newcastle last Wednesday, and we had them running up and down the Northeast. Here's what we did:
Wednesday:
After an exhausting 5 million hour flight, Linda and Larry (hereon after referred to as LL) arrived in the sunny, yes sunny, city of Newcastle. In order to ensure that they did not sneak any naps, Bret walked around with them all over Newcastle. I was at work, so I couldn't join in the fun. But I met up with the crew for dinner at the Slug and Lettuce where LL ordered traditional British fare: Linda fish pie and Larry steak pie. Bret and I, having already sampled Brit gastronomical goodness, opted for Duck and Lasagne.
Thursday:
Another day of work for me, while LL and Bret headed into the quaint city of Durham. From what I heard, the weather was in the 70s, and the sun was shining bright. Bret told me that in the Spring, Durham gets really 'cutified' with all the flowers and outdoor sitting areas. While they walked, Bret continued the education that he had started the previous day. Linda wrote down all the unusual words: toilet (not restroom), swede (not turnip), way out (not exit). They had a traditional pub lunch, walked around some more, and then came back on the train to Newcastle. I joined them for a delicious dinner at The Big Mussel where Bret had mussels for the starter, while we had the crab and 'cado, and Linda and I had Salmon, while Bret and Larry had chorizo stew.
Friday:
Finally, I get to enjoy the gorgeous days because I opted to take 'holidays' on Friday and Monday and party with LL. Though the weather was beautiful, we decided that going to the Metrocentre was a must-do. Bret and Larry went to the bookshops, so that Linda and I could hit the clothing stores. We started at the department store House of Fraser, where I got a bohemian hot pink blouse for just 10 quid! Then we hit the high street shops, but we found Zara's to be the best one at the moment. However, the gorgeous floral tops were a bit over my temp salary budget, and so I just got a cute shirt for 6 quid.
For lunch, we remet the gents for a tasty meal in the Debenhams food court. Most of us had the lamb shank (so good, fell right off the bone), and Linda had the Leak/ham/chicken pie (also very good). Exhausted from all the shopping, we headed back into city centre to check out the Grainger Market. Bret and I tried some winkles from the seafood section (they're little snails), which we thought were quite delish. We have discovered that they sell these funny little critters in all the outdoor markets, so next time, I'll definitely grab a batch. For dinner, I cooked a lentil soup with butternut squash and some creamy pasta with asparagus and ham. We finished off the evening with a challenging game of Carcassone.
Wednesday:
After an exhausting 5 million hour flight, Linda and Larry (hereon after referred to as LL) arrived in the sunny, yes sunny, city of Newcastle. In order to ensure that they did not sneak any naps, Bret walked around with them all over Newcastle. I was at work, so I couldn't join in the fun. But I met up with the crew for dinner at the Slug and Lettuce where LL ordered traditional British fare: Linda fish pie and Larry steak pie. Bret and I, having already sampled Brit gastronomical goodness, opted for Duck and Lasagne.
Thursday:
Another day of work for me, while LL and Bret headed into the quaint city of Durham. From what I heard, the weather was in the 70s, and the sun was shining bright. Bret told me that in the Spring, Durham gets really 'cutified' with all the flowers and outdoor sitting areas. While they walked, Bret continued the education that he had started the previous day. Linda wrote down all the unusual words: toilet (not restroom), swede (not turnip), way out (not exit). They had a traditional pub lunch, walked around some more, and then came back on the train to Newcastle. I joined them for a delicious dinner at The Big Mussel where Bret had mussels for the starter, while we had the crab and 'cado, and Linda and I had Salmon, while Bret and Larry had chorizo stew.
Friday:
Finally, I get to enjoy the gorgeous days because I opted to take 'holidays' on Friday and Monday and party with LL. Though the weather was beautiful, we decided that going to the Metrocentre was a must-do. Bret and Larry went to the bookshops, so that Linda and I could hit the clothing stores. We started at the department store House of Fraser, where I got a bohemian hot pink blouse for just 10 quid! Then we hit the high street shops, but we found Zara's to be the best one at the moment. However, the gorgeous floral tops were a bit over my temp salary budget, and so I just got a cute shirt for 6 quid.
For lunch, we remet the gents for a tasty meal in the Debenhams food court. Most of us had the lamb shank (so good, fell right off the bone), and Linda had the Leak/ham/chicken pie (also very good). Exhausted from all the shopping, we headed back into city centre to check out the Grainger Market. Bret and I tried some winkles from the seafood section (they're little snails), which we thought were quite delish. We have discovered that they sell these funny little critters in all the outdoor markets, so next time, I'll definitely grab a batch. For dinner, I cooked a lentil soup with butternut squash and some creamy pasta with asparagus and ham. We finished off the evening with a challenging game of Carcassone.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
link farm
Hello all,
I thought you might want to check out some websites that I have found interesting.
Humour:
Funniest fake news ever
www.theonion.com
Crack up stupidly with these anthropomorphized cats
www.thelolcats.com
Aesthetics:
Cheap, stylish, good
www.ikea.co.uk
High fashion at low prices
www.zara.com
My fave scents
www.penhaligons.co.uk
spend hours looking at interior decorating ideas
www.hgtv.com
Life:
Great way to keep your legacy alive
www.whenwordsmatter.com
Useful advice for anyone
www.quickmba.com/mgmt/7hab/
Just fun news
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/
You won't believe it, but it's true!
www.newsoftheweird.com
Get cultured, get literary
www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html
I thought you might want to check out some websites that I have found interesting.
Humour:
Funniest fake news ever
www.theonion.com
Crack up stupidly with these anthropomorphized cats
www.thelolcats.com
Aesthetics:
Cheap, stylish, good
www.ikea.co.uk
High fashion at low prices
www.zara.com
My fave scents
www.penhaligons.co.uk
spend hours looking at interior decorating ideas
www.hgtv.com
Life:
Great way to keep your legacy alive
www.whenwordsmatter.com
Useful advice for anyone
www.quickmba.com/mgmt/7hab/
Just fun news
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/
You won't believe it, but it's true!
www.newsoftheweird.com
Get cultured, get literary
www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html
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