Expat to Expat Q&A - Season Edition

Today, I'm linking up with two other American Expat Blogs,  Found Love, Now What?   and The Hemborg Wife.  

They've started a new monthly link-up called Expat to Expat Q & A that I'm really excited about.  I hope you will take a look and join in.  This is a great way to get to know some other expats scattered all over the globe.  And to learn about some of the cultural differences that we all experience living away from our home countries.  

This month the questions are about Seasons.  


What was your favorite season back home and is it the same now; why or why not?  

In Texas, there is really only one season and that’s obviously Summer.  It’s either hot, hotter or surface-of-the-sun hot.  In London, my favourite has to be Spring.  (Holy cat, I just spelled favorite with a U.  What is happening to me?)  London and Springtime are perfect together.  The weather is mild.  The sky is blue.  Everyone is outside.  The days are getting long.  The Cherry Blossoms are blooming.  It’s just magic. 

Is there a place you would want to move to based solely on the weather?

I think Australia would have to be pretty high up on that list.  I haven’t been yet, but Matthew lived there for about six years and even has dual citizenship.  He raves about it and would love to get back there someday.  I do love hot weather as long as there is a body of water close by.  The lifestyle that I've read about in Australia is very appealing; beaches and barbecues.  

What is an article of clothing that you had to buy for your new home due to the weather?

I must have worn low-heeled boots and a scarf every single day for 5 months.  And coats and jackets in a variety of weights were definitely needed for layering.  I’ve now hidden the boots in the back of the closet and hope to actually have the opportunity to wear a pair of flip-flops very soon.  

Have you found the weather stereotypes of your new home to be true?

Of course, I’ve heard all the fuss about England and rain.  But, we’ve had some really beautiful days in the past 18 months.  The rain isn't that big of a deal.  It never really pours.  Most of the time, it’s just an annoying mist.  As long as you are dressed for it, it’s not (always) horrible.  What I was not prepared for was the darkness.  When we had less than 6 hours of daylight, I almost went nuts.  Add a low cloud cover into the mix, it can get very claustrophobic.  It really affected me much more than I had anticipated.  

Is there somewhere you would never live based solely on the weather?

I probably would never live anywhere further north so as to avoid the dark days.  And I don’t love snow on any long-term basis.  A flurry is nice and white snow is pretty, but I know from residing in Indiana for many years, that it’s not much fun to live with.  

What are you looking forward to most this spring?

Daylight! Sunshine!  And being out in it as much as possible is the plan.  We have a long list of things to do this Spring.  Our weekend strolls around London are always fun.  And I’m also looking forward to taking pictures with blue sky backgrounds instead of the low light of Winter. 

Where you live, what is your go-to outfit for spring? 

Ballet flats or Converse sneakers are the norm.  I haven’t worn heels in ages and even flip-flops are tricky in London.  I’ve come to like the scarves so I have some nice warm weather options.  I always carry a light jacket with a hood for the occasional rain shower. The hood works much better than a bulky umbrella, especially on a crowded London street.  Those things are dangerous.  And my camera case is usually slung across my body with a small purse.  

What is one thing or event that you miss that happens back home at this time of the year? 

I might need a moment here to gather myself.  I am missing Fiesta San Antonio!  Sob!!!  Fiesta is a huge, massive, wonderful party that dates back to 1891.  Local charities fund amazing events and concerts all over town over a period of 11 days.  There is even a parade along the Riverwalk which is amazing.  So much food!  And Music!  And Fun!  And Cascarones!!

I’m all Verklempt.  Talk amongst yourselves.  

If your hubs could bring home a bouquet of any type of flower, what would you pick?

A big, fat bouquet of yellow roses (of Texas) and some Texas Bluebonnets would be perfect right now. 

What does your perfect Saturday look like?

Matt and I waking up whenever we wanted to.  And then a stroll over to the pub for lunch.  Oh and we would have a dog with us!  (I’ve been begging Matt for months).  Lunch would be followed by a walk along the South Bank all the way to Westminster Bridge.  Then we would have dinner with friends some place fun.  And if it was a completely perfect day, my daughter Jessica would be with us.  

Bonus:  Are there any special holidays in your new country in the month of May?

We get two bank holidays in May which is a treat.  I see a weekend on a Portugal beach in our future.  I’ll be whipping out the flip-flops!  Finally.

I hope you join in on the Link-Up!

How are you enjoying Spring where you live?

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I Spy Friday

On one of my last few days at work, I came up from the tube station into a light rain.  As I pulled up my hood, the rain suddenly turned into big, fat, fluffy snowflakes. I walked to the bus station and instead of getting under the shelter, I stood on the sidewalk and imagined myself in a London snow globe.

It was dusk.  London must have the best lighting specialist.  Even on the worst days the lighting at dawn and dusk can take your breath away.  I was in a movie, standing on a London sidewalk with magical snow falling from the sky.  Everyone was rushing by, hunkered down under black umbrellas, anxious to get into a warm pub.  I looked out over the Thames and had a moment.  London in the snow is beautiful.  I tilted my head back to catch a snowflake on my tongue.

It landed on my eyeball. 

Aaaaand... moment over.  

Sorry, but that's kind of what my last few weeks have been like, the good, the bad and the fluffy.

The Good.

I'm done with the job.  My coworkers were so sweet I almost regretted leaving (almost).  They took me out for a curry, gave me wine and chocolate.  I was surprised at the effort considering I was only there for a few months.  It made my day.

I've attended some great blogging events recently and I'm learning so much about the technical stuff.  I have a new URL for my site.  It's www.SelenaThePlaces.com.  (I've updated my badge.)  I also installed Disqus for my commenting.  I'd love your feedback.  Please let me know if you have any trouble. 

I had some friends over for lunch last weekend which was fantastic!  It was the first visitors we've had to our apartment (great excuse to get it clean).  Friends are definitely the last piece of the Expat Puzzle and probably one of the most important ones.  It was such a fun day.  I didn't want them to leave.   

The Bad.

There was a 4am phone call that makes every mother bolt straight out of bed.  It's amazing what one can discern from that one shaky word "Mom."  My mind instantly knew this is more serious than a fender bender but less serious than an ambulance ride.  "I think I broke my foot."  And she was right.   

I could easily insert a rant here.  About US retail companies that don't give their employees full-time hours (even after 6 years of service) so that they don't have to give them health benefits.  About how expensive health insurance is in the US.  About how my daughter has had to live life without health coverage for the past 5 years.  About the orthopedist who refused to see my uninsured daughter without $500 up front, spent 5 minutes with her and then told her to come back in two weeks (with another $150).   

She just started a new full-time job a few weeks ago and her health benefits kick in in a few months.  Luckily, her new employer has been extremely helpful and it looks like she will only be out for a few weeks.  She is working so hard to get her life going and I hate to see her face these challenges.  It sucks being away from her in times like this!  But, she is one tough cookie.

I had such big plans for this first week at home.  I had lists!  But, instead I've spent the week curled up on the couch under a blanket with a chest cold.  The week has gone by in a blur of hot tea and tissues.   

And I hate to go there, but the weather is so not helping!  Spring is dragging her feet and everyone is just over it.  I just want the feel of sunshine on my skin.  Is that too much to ask?  I think I'll just end this here before it turns into a foot-stomping, full-on hissy fit.  

Here are a few more London in the snow photographs from a few weeks ago.  Hopefully, this will be the last of it. 

 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Has Spring arrived yet where you are?

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P.S.  You might have noticed I've added a few BlogLovin buttons!  Have a click!!
 

I Spy Friday Autumn Edition

Autumn is in full swing.  I still call it Fall, but you know what I mean.

We haven't had to crank on the heat just yet, but today is pretty cold. 

I'm chillaxin' under my wooby. 

(I can't believe I just typed that.  I need to get a job.)

The biggest adjustment is how short the daylight hours are getting.

It's dark until almost 8 am and dark again before 6pm.

We're seeing less sunshine and more grey skies.

It definitely makes you want to hibernate.

We are trying to stay busy.  TE knows how bored I am at home all day,

so we are keeping the calendar full.  Unfortunately, TE has been sick all week. 

Monday, as you know, is Ironing Day. ::insert eye roll here::

The only good thing about it is that I use the time to get caught up on my American TV shows.

Glee, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, etc.

A few months ago, I was contacted by UnoTelly and they were nice enough

to give me a subscription to their proxy service.

Now I can use my Netflix, Hulu and Pandora accounts.

I can access all of US websites that were blocked once we moved to the UK.

Makes me very happy! 

They have an 8-day free trial, if you are interested.

Monday I went to see

comedian Sarah Millican.  

It was just a small venue and she was

trying out

material for her new series and Christmas Special.  

She is hysterical! 

One of my new UK favorite things.

You can check her out on 

YouTube here and here and here.

 Last night, I went to the

Hammersmith Apollo to 

see another of my new favorites,

Irish comedian Dara O'Briain.

You can see him here and here and here.

(Fair warning, they can be a bit naughty... 

don't follow the links

if you're easily offended.)

I was getting so excited about "the holidays" coming up, but then I

realized they don't really do Halloween here and the Brits certainly don't do Thanksgiving.

That would be silly.  So that just leaves Christmas.

 I managed to get a pumpkin at the market and we're planning a

London Ghost Tour next week for Halloween.  So excited!

We also have fun plans for Thanksgiving.

So, we will be celebrating the full range of holidays over the next few months.

I've also been working on the cutest cross stitch project lately.

It's the Hope Tattoo Tapestry by the Emily Peacock Collection.

Isn't it pretty?  I love the colors and the large canvas makes it easy to do.

They have some really cute stuff.

Oh, and I saw this yesterday while we were out.

Short and sweet.  I like it.

Art class, drivers license and job search are all ongoing.

Hopefully, I'll have some updates soon.

Tonight we have a wine tasting and tomorrow we're going to a wedding.

Perfect excuse for a new dress!

I hope you each have a great weekend.

Thanks for stopping by for I Spy Friday!

What did you spy this week?

xoxo

Selena

This is not a sponsored post, but UnoTelly was nice enough to give me a subscription to their service to try out.  I paid full price for the cross stitch kit and the tickets for the shows.  All opinions are just mine. 

I Spy Friday featuring Taste of London 2012

But, before we get to the Taste, let me catch you up on a few other tidbits.  

Last weekend I attended a two-day bloggers conference called Brit Mums Live.  There were several wonderful speakers and I attended some very informative sessions on blogging.  I met up with a group of Expats who were just wonderful.  I learned a lot and made new friends.  But for some reason, this was the only picture that I took to share with you.  Go Figure. 

I've been having a reoccurring dream lately.  No, not about him.  It's about a huge, shiny, gorgeous, front-loading washer and dryer combo.  Why?  Because of this...  

Those are my freshly washed and dried jeans.  The little white box clothing torture chamber in the photo is the washer/dryer cooker combo that abused them into such a state.  Basically, it wads up your clothes and then heats them up to a thousand degrees.  It also eats sweaters (or "jumpers" as they call them here).  I've lost three so far this month (don't even get me started on why I'm still wearing sweaters in June).  It actually chews them as it heats them to nuclear temperatures.  This really deserves its own blog but I'm so aggravated that I can't even bother.  

But, check out this cutey pie.  

This is Winston from our local pub.  He is a French Bulldog (I think) and an incorrigible beggar.  But, how can you resist that face?!

Ah... visions of home.  

Love spotting things like this Mustang from the good ol' USA.  And look at the steering wheel!!!  It's on the correct side!!  I need a moment. 

Lastly, I will leave you with pictures from the Taste of London 2012.  It's an annual 4 day food festival at Regent's Park.  I was lucky enough to go twice.  Loved it!  

I won tickets for Thursday night from Club Gascon on Twitter.  I took a girlfriend and we spent a few hours exploring, eating and toasting... a much needed Girls Night Out.  I had my 3rd celebrity spotting when Wolfgang Puck strolled by in his white chefs coat.  TE and I returned on Sunday with the VIP tickets we purchased.  It was well worth it and such a fun day out in London.  

The VIP package included a terrific cookbook, champagne and entrance to a nice lounge when we needed to escape the crowds.  

Pulled pork and a Barbecoa Slider from Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa Restaurant's booth.  Nummy!!!

We had pretty good weather with just a few quick showers.  But the on and off rain had left the grounds a bit muddy.  They had plenty of walkways with purple carpets to help you avoid the mud.  

Or you could just embrace the mud and wear your wellies like this British Airways Flight Attendant. 

 She looks quite smart, doesn't she?

The Taste of Thailand area was a favorite stop.  

Please be aware that the Blue Diamond Almond Booth may contain almonds!!

"The drink's pure.  It's your mind that's the problem."  Seriously?

(It's an energy drink and actually tastes pretty good.  No comments from the peanut gallery.)

When we were there on Thursday the booth was empty.  Crickets.  But, the two of us decided to be brave and have a taste.  We were immediately followed by about a dozen other people who wanted a try.  Leave it to the two American girls to lead the way and break the ice.  

Maker's Mark AND Pabst Blue Ribbon?  Does it get much better?

I had to visit the Club Gascon booth to say "thank you" for the free tickets.  Their booth was always packed!    Check out this award winning menu...

 Duck and popcorn?  Who'd have thunk?

And take a look at this...

We are SO THERE!!

That's it for another edition of I Spy Friday.  Have a terrific weekend!!

xoxo

Selena 

Disclaimer:  I won the tickets from Club Gascon on a random twitter giveaway by retweeting.  There was no agreement that I'd mention them in a blog post.  In fact, I'm sure they have no idea I even have a blog. 

I Spy Friday featuring Folkestone

I haven't posted all week and I feel so guilty.  Lazy blogger!  

But you know how sometimes you just want to retreat into a good book and disconnect from the world for awhile?  That's been me this week.  I haven't even picked up the camera.  But, today the sun is shining, we've had some good news and it's time for I Spy Friday!

Folkestone has again been home for the past month.  A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to have a visit from some new friends I met through the blogging world.   Melizza from Pincushion Treats makes THE cutest clothes.  Mandy from Emm in London has been so sweet in welcoming me to my new life as an expat.  They both, along with their husbands made the trek down from London.  

I was so excited and dying to show them Folkestone.  But, the weather was NOT cooperating at all.  Shocker.   

 The skies were grey and the view of France across the channel was elusive.  The wind was cold, sharp and relentless.  They were such troopers as we dragged them through the elements.  

We visited the Battle of Britain War Monument and rode the old Victorian Leas Lift.  We viewed the white cliffs of Dover and explored along the coast to see the Martello Towers and the WWII bunkers.  And then we ducked into a Tea Room to get warm.  We ended down at the harbor for fish & chips.  The company was warm, even if the weather was cold.  It was a great day in spite of the English weather.  

I took a few pics that day, but instead I'll share the Folkestone that I so wanted to show them.  These photos were taken last summer during my first trip to England.  

Folkestone is a quaint little town in Kent on the Southern Coast of England.  Matt's childhood home is right on the cliffs and we are spoiled with the most gorgeous view of the channel, complete with France in the distance on a clear day.  It's perfect for a day trip from London (on a clear warm day, anyway).

The word for the week is "home", it seems.  

We've had an initial offer on the house in Texas.  It feels good to be moving forward and getting it sold.  But, I'm a little sad.  It was a great home where we spent our first year of marriage together.  There are so many good memories with family and friends in that house... holidays and pool parties.   I hold those memories especially dear since we've moved away. 

And we've found a new home in London.  Well, for a short while anyway.  It's another temporary lease that will take us through July.  It's the cutest little place in Kensington.  We move in next week.  It will feel good to get back to London.  And we're looking forward warmer weather and fun Summer activities.  

One of my favorite bloggers, Sarah at The Salad Days posted this post and haiku about "Home" today and what it means to her.   That needs to be embroidered onto a pillow, don't you think?

xoxo

Selena