"Turn that frown upside down!"

... admonished Amrie.

"(rude, deleted items)" replied H, with accompanying facial expression.

This greatly amused man across aisle on Tube. We were rather amused ourselves.

************
Such a fun weekend in one of my favorite places! And where would that be, kids? YAAeeeYySSSS, London! And London with Helene is fabulous fun, especially when you meet people claiming to be Scottish who have no apparent ties to Scotland.

So, my planned 3 hours door-to-door travel on Saturday was actually more than 4 hours. And then we had to rest and watch Catharine Tate before beginning ice skating excursion to Alexandra Palace. This is on a hill in North-ish London and the view is really amazing (as is the wind)! But this cannot be even remotely captured on camera. I tried. Here is another interesting item (yes. it is a blue plaque. we all know am silly and touristy, but i forget things!).

45 minutes was a little less than Helene had hoped for, but in the end it was Just Right, because: a) have not skated in close to 10 years, b) there are some wierd muscles that one forgets about c) Helene had been skating 2 days before and thought she was recovered and d) i was wearing a skirt (? i know...) and had the session lasted any longer, the chances of my derriere sustaining substantial injury would have increased exponentially by the second, beginning at 45 minutes, 1 second. Fortunately, stayed within the zone of fooling fate and am terribly proud to say that did not fall ONCE and even did cross-overs (!), although this was miracle as there were LOTS of Speedy McSkaterton ASBOs whizzing around us in very alarming manner. I felt O-L-D.

Saturday night had lovely night out for curry in Brick Lane with H's friend, Paola and the evening ended with a spirited discussion on talent/lack thereof and business sense/lack thereof of Madonna. No semblance of unanimity was reached.

Sunday, we were good girls and made it to 11.00 at St. Bartholomew the Great. It was founded in 1123 and has a lovely atmosphere (if you have for some reason never heard me go on about it). This was the third time (a charm) to have tried to take people to see it relatively recently -- the other two times, it has been closed. Encouraging not to be locked out of a church three times in a row... Lovely wine reception afterwards that we were shuttled into as we were trying to mosey out door quietly, and were invited to lunch at the pub by a darling gentleman named Nicholas, but as had hearts set on breakfast food, just went for 1/2 pint after. Sadly we arrived as they were leaving. But we managed and went on with the day :)

Then went to Holland Park area to The Castle. Lovely, comfy place to spend an afternoon by the fire visiting, reading, people watching... And, if you are with meeee,...

(idea for film scene)

Two girls are sitting on sofa by fire solving problems of life, the universe and all that.

Couple arrives, looks for place to sit; requests to sit on other sofa at coffee table.

Cosmopolitan, yet kind-hearted girls smilingly oblige.

Separate conversations continue for several minutes.

More people come into room searching for places to perch.

Man approaches table and mutters request if he can sit at small puffy stool across coffee table.

Couple obliges for all current occupants and returns to smoochy conversation.

Man sits and stares at beverage.

After approx. 92 seconds, man twitches neck in alarming jerky manner.

Man sits and stares at beverage.

Man looks at intensely conversing girls across table (we are solving problems here) and asks, "So, are both of you originally from London?"

Girls pause with raised eyebrows and reply politely to the negative, providing countries of birth.

Reply is greeted with silence and fierce staring at beverage.

Southern girl ventures, "So, are you from London?"

"No. (pause, pause, pause) I'm Scottish. (pause, pause, pause)"

"Oooh, and where in Scotland are you from?"

(pause, pause, pause) "I grew up in Southwest London" the Scotsman replies.

(pause, pause) "I see. So, your parents were from Scotland?"

(pause, pause) "No. (pause, pause, pause) They are from London..."

"Ooooooooh, I see...."

fin

************
Monday and today, visited several schools, the Fulbright office in London and the Methodist offices in London.

Yesterday (Monday), was on a site that I was told is one of the oldest Christian sites in England, with artefacts dating from 44 AD. However, cannot verify this at the moment. It was a really old church that the counselor told me was built in the 10th century. Sadly, it was locked. But at the same time, did not have camera with me, so it is just as well. Should return. BTW, this is in Thorpe, next to TASIS (and here is an interesting site of other historic destinations).

Last night, met Helene's friend, Siobhan, and the 3 of us had a grand time in Smithfield! (It was unexpectedly pleasantly surreal to be looking at the same buildings that I saw approx. 5 years ago on my first visit to the UK and have that be a normal part of my life instead of viewing those buildings as a tourist. 5 yrs ago this Easter season! Life is odd.) Anyhoo, many more problems of life and the universe were solved. Our plans will be implemented shortly.

*************
Trip back home with last day that BritRail passes were good. So sad, but got a great run from them!

Apparently the train today took a detour through Watership Down. There were millions of rabbits in the fields! Okay. Well, maybe not millions. But hundreds! Okay, dozens. It amused me.
Also, snow! Wheeeee!

*************
And today was St. David's Day celebration. St. David is the patron saint of Wales. So, actually, St. David's Day is tomorrow -- March 1; but as tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, that takes precedence over saints' days and so it had to be celebrated today. The Queen will be in Cardiff tomorrow for the opening of the new Welsh Assembly Building (the one that caused a big kerfuffle with being over budget and unnecessary). On St. David's Day, you are supposed to eat lamb and Welsh cakes (this is my short-hand version of it), so the event planners ordered massive quantities of lamb for dinner. Until the Queen realised that it was the first day of Lent, and all the lamb orders had to be rescinded and fish ordered instead!

**************
Probably have more fascinating tidbits of trivia, but don't want to overburden.

Eloise Ogden MAY very well have arrived by now!

AND daffodils have bloomed in Wales but not in London.

See, she just goes on and on...

Final Friday in February

There is a Friday afternoon show on Radio 4 that is a sort of radio obituary -- it is called The Last Word.
Peter Ladefoged was one of the lives highlighted today. He was the phonetics consultant on My Fair Lady and it is his voice that is heard in the recordings of vowels on the grammophone! His life was very interesting should anyone want to read about him. Additionally, from the first picture on the page, which is him in a wet suit with a surf board, to the travelling adventures of his career, he seems like he would have been a fascinating and exhuberant person to know.

Further notes from the week:
The Inca week lasted 9 days -- 8 days for work and one for Market Day (also the day that the King would change wives(!)).
Passed Quantitative Statistics! (breathe)
Got a picture of my kitty friend (this was difficult as she kept weaving around erratically and not looking at the camera. she also has a bobbed tail, which cannot be seen here).
Going to London tomorrow to toodle around with Helene for the weekend and recruit on Monday and Tuesday!
James dislikes Subway smell, too (although am not convinced that his hatred is quite up to appropriate level).
Hiroko's birthday pressie (to L).
Three people have been arrested for the 50m GBP robbery.
Some mad man has gotten prison for life for beating his baby son to death, because he was jealous of the attention that was being diverted from him. (errrrrrrr! When Lisa and I establish our.....)
More birthdays from the week: Virginia's is today -- she is 21! and Mari's was Monday...
It would really be wise to avoid watching anything that Georgia the Greek tries to show you on her phone if you are any sort of sensitive soul :)
Am quite disappointed that collective noun for llama is merely 'herd'. However, next time you order breakfast, you could ask for a 'pandemonium of porridge'!
Six Nations rugby update: Ireland plays Wales on Sunday.

Quote of the week:
"...but first I'd like to caress this rusty kettle."
(Salad Fingers)

bank heists and birthdays

Wouldn't it be nice if you were the recipient of money from a bank heist ON your birthday? anyhoo....

Apparently, the posting of Maurizio's update was only a day late for his birthday... slightly bizarre.

And, since it was Maurizio's birthday on Tuesday, this hints that Hiroko's birthday was yesterday (am worst, most self-absorbed co-habiter ever). Thanks to the alertness of Fabiana (who is tonight going to interview the President of Khazakhstan!!!! OMG!), instigated immediate emergency intelligence search and, after personal testimony from Maurizio through IM, found suspicious entry on Hiroko's blog indicating receipt of a card yesterday. hmmmm. Well, we might be slow, but once we have strong evidence, there must needs be celebratory activity of some kind in the Hobbit Hole!

Additionally, a massive robbery took place today in Kent -- one of the largest in Britain's history. Radio 4 reports that the amount may be closer to 50m GBP instead of the 40m reported in the Independent article.

It is cold and rainy and my projects over the next three weeks will be: one Lexis paper, one Issues in Language Teaching paper, and two (yes, count them: 2) research proposals for dissertation. eek. Happy St. Patrick's Day to me!

Maurizio update

It has come to my attention that a housemate update is needed.

Maurizio had an emergency appendectomy on Christmas Day, during Hiroko's visit. This rather ruined his holiday. Then he was in the hospital for two weeks, i think.

He's been at home since then, and has sounded quite weak when we have all talked to him on Skype. Since a second surgery is apparently required in Italy (this is the most bizarre thing and i have told him that he needs a new doctor), he has been waiting for a date. Now he has one -- March 15 --so he will not be back to Cardiff any time soon. So sad.

Kath (his girlfriend) has been to visit once and is going again next week.

(Relative to image, Maurizio is also an electrical engineer.)

To the moors and back

Not quite to the brink...

Am still slightly unsure what exactly classifies a moor -- the taxi driver stated that it was a big barren area and then later amended it as also having things like heather and stunted trees. Well, I did get to see both Dartmoor and Exmoor today, but was not sure what part of the landscape to look at, so didn't really see them as was speeding through country. Except that the part of Exmoor that was covered with snow was pretty clear... (AMB, Lover of the Obvious, Misser of the Less Obvious. Or Sublte.).

Today I went to Shebbear College for a visit. When one plans a visit to a locale, one should not assume that getting there will be easy if it is not directly next to a train station or to a town that has one. Shebbear is in the middle of the countryside in Devon (lovely drive with rolling hills, the tallest hedgerows you have ever seen, sheep and clouds). Had mistaken assumption that surely there would be a train that went to the closest reasonably-sized town on my road atlas, Bideford (which is pronounced 'bid-uh-ferd' if you are speaking with Cardiff people OR 'biddy-ferd' if you are speaking to Devon natives. 'Bye-d-ford' tells people you don't know what you are talking about and causes much amusement.), 7 or 8 miles away. Deregulation caused train station in Bideford to close, so the closest station is Umberleigh, a mere 15 miles away.

This mere 15 miles away does not translate into 15 minutes, or even 20... and there is no cab service in Umberleigh. There is really not much in Umberleigh (although in it's favor, it is cute and has a river. And a tack(horseriding, for my city friends)/antique shop. (?smile) Tea room/B&B is closed for the winter. And the pub is not open to shelter cold people waiting for late afternoon trains; but I digress.). Kind post office lady helped me find a cab (from the next village) and had a kind cab driver who agreed to come back and collect me two hours after my drop-off and return me safely to Umberleigh (this is the entire village; village hall is the red bldg to R, antique/tack shop immediately to L, pub/hotel to L of that and Tea Room/B&B and post office to far L.).

Sadly, since there was not much to hold me in Umberleigh for the night, have returned home. And was so proud of self to have packed for overnight in very small shoulder bag (I mean, only brought 2 books and no knitting!).

On an intriguing note, 'they' have turned the former train route into biking trails through Devon, so that sounds like a fun outing -- The Tarka Trail. And, if anyone needs a pheasant for any reason...

I suffer from a chronic addiction to looking out the train window until forced to turn away from brief bouts of nausea brought about by dizziness. However, saw some interesting things:
at least 42 pheasants (OMG!!!!!! Have no recollection of ever, ever, ever seeing a real live pheasant before and so was mildly overwhelmed. They are really very pretty sitting so perkily and brightly in the green grass.)
1 deer in woods
2 deer on a hill
13 llamas
27 snowflakes (i counted them!)
1 dead badger (still have yet to see a living one)
a massive hawk in a cage in someone's backyard
3 flocks of swans in people's fields
3 rabbits
3 rainbows
a stump that looked like a 4-foot tall squirrel
innumerable sheep and lambs (would like a pet lamb, please.)
a thatched-roof house that I need to live in, outside King's Nympton.

What is a nympton? And why would a King need one? smirk.

There are no raccoons in the UK. Who knew?

subway & mustafa

The trans-continental, and I would even venture to say universal, sameness of the odor of Subway sandwich shops should raise suspicions of alien-produced plastic 'food' product (either that, or a government experimental conspiracy). It is an assault on the senses and makes my stomach turn every time I walk past. You try to hold your breathe, but the olfactory reach of those baking molecules is pretty pervasive to at least 1000 feet either side of the shop (because of course the wind changes as soon as you walk past to allow the smell to follow you). Helene is the only other person in my acquaintance who shares my disgust for the wafting smell. Am quite disappointed in British culture at large for allowing this travesty to thrive.

Additionally, it would be great if random people from Turkey or Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia would stop requesting me to be their authorised friend on Skype. I am not a character from The Lion King, and so do not wish to talk to people who are.

Bird flu is approaching.

On a positive note: am going to Denmark in three and a half weeks! Hoorah! Am quite proud of travel search skills. (Now begins the three-week stretch where constant worry about missing busses and planes takes over my psyche and causes me to grind my teeth in my sleep.)

3 girls + 1 box of chocolate

Random box of holiday chocolates sitting on counter for two and a half months (we are all so polite). Until Fabiana had to rock the boat tonight by asking whose it was. No one knows. So now it is free-range chocolate, ready to be stalked, hunted and voraciously consumed.

(insert consecutive images: Italian running through hall shrieking "Eeeeeeeeat SOME!", Japanese fleeing "Noooooo!!!!!", American meekly after Italian chocolate invasion into lair "Weellll, no. Well, okaaaaaaaaay.... I'll take THAAAT one.").

After all, did inclined pushups to Def Leppard earlier until arms shaking, so that kind of cancels out evil, right?

Am getting old as was unable to bend mind to possibility of not going out to Batucada event until 10 pm (instead of 8, as had in original plan). Grumpy, frumpy lady does not wish to make initial foray into sociological laboratory environment at such late hour.

Good night, my lady friends!
(we are most certainly some of those!)

Gestalt

is quite the coolest thing ever. Problem is, am having problems holding grasp onto it (or perhaps it is that book mentioned below is an extension of theory?). Have deep sense of great truth loitering just beyond stretch of my brain; and we're reaching...

Have moments of glimmeration (a word that fits the feeling. and yet signifies nothing.). Must keep going... this is so fascinating.

Reason am reading this is am (trying to think of dissertation topic) attempting to relate cognition and patterning with spelling and possibly use of formulaic language (Katharine, please tell me if this is total.... rubbish? Dust; dust? Anyone, dust?)

Some quotes from The World in Your Head (Lehar, S., 2003):
"Kant argued that there are in fact two worlds of reality, which he called the nouminal and the phenomenal worlds. The nouminal world is the objective, external world, which is the source of the light that stimulates the retina. This is the world studied by science... The phenomenal world is the internal perceptual world of conscious experience, which is a copy of the external world of objective reality, constructed in our brain on the basis of the image received from the retina. The only way we can perceive the nouminal world is by its effect on the phenomenal world. Therefore the 'world' we experience as external to our bodies is not actually the world itself, but only an internal virtual reality replica of that world generated by perceptual processes within our head...
**(okay, got it.)**
According to this view, consciousness is indeed directly observable... for the objects we experience as being in the world around us are the products or 'output' of consciousness rather than the 'input' to it, and the experience of a three-dimensional object occupying some portion of perceived space is also a direct observation of consciousness; only in a secondary fashion is that percept also representative of an objective external reality. ...
**(okay, sort of close to getting it)**
There is a curious paradox in this view of the world you perceive around you as a double entity, which is identified simultaneously with both ends of the causal chain of vision. I propose an alternative mental image to disambiguate the two spatial contexts that are so easily confused: Out beyond the farthest things you can perceive in all directions, that is, above the dome of the sky, and below the solid earth under your feet, or beyond the walls, floor and ceiling of the room you see around you, is located the inner surface of your true physical skull. And beyond that skull is an unimaginably immense external world of which the world you see around you is merely a miniature internal replica. This can only mean that the head you have come to know as your own is not your true physical head, but merely a miniature perceptual copy of your head in a perceptual copy of the world, all of which is contained within your real head in the external objective world."
**(must think. Think, think, think...)**

Reasons for typing this out were: a) to help it stick in my head; b) to share as find this immensely intriguing; and c) to see if anyone is equally as intrigued.

Successfully was able to perceive staircase in coffee shop as two dimensions (as suggested in book -- because you just look at it and think of it as if it were a painting, and WOW!). But once it came to the whole room, failed utterly. Katharine is going to explain it all to me tomorrow. In the coffee shop. Her boy, John, got it straight away... (at the coffee shop, tonight) Or actually, I think he already knew it. If anyone has any helpful hints for wrapping one's (read: my) brain around this, please share. Why didn't I pay more attention in Senior Seminar in English?

Also, have already consulted Wikipedia and it was helpful.

Now have 7 friends on MySpace. And Virginia has left a particularly amusing trifle on the comment section.

Rotary Quiz Night

It is slightly (way) past my bed-time. Well, not really -- just past my Worship of the Pajamas time. (j'adore les pajamas!)

Cardiff Bay Rotary has beaten Llandaff Rotary in the semi-finals and will now face Cardiff Rotary for the privilege of going to regionals. My role was Switzerland and overtly supported neither team as would have felt like betrayal of friends either way. As well, I would have been risking my ride home since it was with a Cardiff Bay person, even though am attached to Llandaff. Tricky business, you know. This was a very serious Quiz Night. Teams were not just willy-nilly, everyone is involved -- three members serve on each team and the remainder of us were in the audience. No faffing about and cracking jokes (unless you whispered -- we are being vewwy, vewwy quiet).

Questions were madly impossible. The first traffic lights were installed in Detroit in 1919. (will now be able to remember that since Oma was born in 1919! quite proud of self for coming up with mnemonic device.). Romania was the only former Soviet Bloc country to participate in the 1984 Olympics in L.A. DVD does not stand for "Digital Video Disk". A Mr. Sutter started the California Gold Rush in 1848 (it was phrased really obtusely or i would have known it). I did know that: the Battle of Antietam was in the American Civil War; the Great Plague in London was in 1665; and (although a guess, it still counts) for a 20th wedding anniversary, you get china.

Additionally, the Quiz Master was the picture of Al Ogden in, oh, 30-40 years. Quite eerie; and yet amusing! This can be a father-daughter practice-for-retirement activity after Eloise arrives in -- eek! -- less than 2 weeks? She'll be a brilliant child.

Have been invited to another Quiz on Saturday night. Shall have to see if can mentally and schedule-ly manage. We'll think about that tomorrow.

Although this is not me (to R), it is how I feel after eating crisps, pastys, tiny sausages, finger sandwiches and beer for dinner. Is actually picture of Emily's cat, Ollie, with tongue out, on a very hot day in the 'Port.

Other points of interest:
two people have told me today of their engagements. (if anyone else is loitering around to make it a trilogy, just go ahead and get it done with, so it can be catalogued in an orderly fashion in my head. at the moment, am looking at everyone quite suspiciously... Hoorah, though, to Katie B and Sam! May Katie not pick a horrid color of taffeta.).

the brown smudge is almost gone from my forehead.

With a song in your heart

Maybe that song should just stay in your heart where it belongs.

Am not sure who told the garage guy next door that he could sing, but that was such a mean thing to do. Both for him and for others. At the moment, it sounds like a seal is dying a slow, painful death.

On another note, there is a brown smudge dyed onto my forehead. My chive plant is looking rather poorly. Woke up to tiny hail pellets tapping my window this morning, and now the sun is shining in a very cheerful manner. Left-over, day-old coffee is really not all it's cracked up to be -- Oma does consume it in admirable quantities, but my opinion of it is not so high. I wish someone would go to the Tesco and bring me some milk. And perhaps some yoghurt. Here is a commentary on MySpace (which link was sent in response to my rant of yesterday. This also supports decision not to post my picture on there. Warning: some slightly uncivilised language.).

In more news:
Tesco is coming to America (to the west coast)
smoking has been banned in clubs and pubs (yesterday's news)
The Kaiser Chiefs have won some awards
Women really want to wear men's clothes
Britain is experiencing a drop in university applications

Good day!

What possessed me?

To watch An Affair to Remember. Am now terribly despondent as have never watched it before. Although, really those singing children were a bit much.

It is interesting how lots of children in 50s movies are syruppy and annoying. And on t.v., too; sometimes you just want to smack that Beaver Cleaver.

(syruppy looks incorrect, but I just can't be bothered with trivialities in my melodramatic state.)

NO more!!!!

After much urging, have joined YET ANOTHER online thingy. This is the last one. I mean it. I HATE completing the same profile information over and over again and then not being able to format the blasted page to get rid of those stupid ads with talking Smileys OR upload an image (not of myself, so as not to encourage MORE attention from idiots), because of technical errors -- which have been sent to the Technical Division -- OR make any changes whatsoever to profile entries, because of technical errors -- which have been sent to the Technical Division -- OR view my own profile in its entirety, because of technical errors -- which have .......... been sent to the Technical Division.

For anyone who is interested to see this particular cause of my vexation, am now a MySpace member and my name is: amrie (big shock). The one friend listed is apparently the Technical Support guy who automatically appears when you sign up.

Although, now that I am trying to find it to create a bleeding link, cannot find that my profile exists in their stupid database at all. gggrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

This interaction does NOT make me feel a cohesive part of a community.

Perhaps irritability is from fact that my only meal of the day has been cereal. And that was quite a while ago. Perhaps I should go and improve my attitude with some nosh.

Conversations with Idiots

When Virginia told me that I needed to see Conversations with Idiots, my first thought was: "Has someone written an unauthorised biography of my life?". But no, thank heaven; that is still free to be profited upon by myself when money decreases to tragic level.

This is hysterical documentation of online conversations of a girl in Virginia's acquaintance. Get a tissue out before reading them or you'll have to stop midway through and go get one as you will be weeping with laughter. Will link this in menu to (R) for your future convenience.

We can all identify with this.

Can't we?

Happy Valentine's Day.

Have an absolutely joyous Day.

If no one has bought you chocolate, you will just have to get yourself out of your pink stripey pajama funk (don't forget to brush your teeth) and go get your own. Be brave.

Happy, happy day. (And yes, am quite aware that this picture is from Christmas-time, but it amuses me.)

Croci or Crocuses?

Both forms are actually correct. Well, either way, they are popping up in gardens all over -- yellow, purple and white. And snowdrops have been out for more than a week. There is even a saucy purple iris that bloomed in a garden on my morning walk two weeks ago, now.

Perhaps Spring has sprung? Even though my calendar says this is not until March 20th.

Scottish invasion

It actually began on Friday, but now there are hundreds and hundreds of kilted men roaming Cardiff!

On the way to the bus station this morning, Helene and I saw three kilts with bagpipes walking towards St. Mary Street from the train station. It is all quite exciting and bustle-y in the city centre, but am attempting to be responsible and study instead of being sociable and meeting lovely, charming kilted chaps (although perhaps I will read in front of BBC1 for a little while). 3pm is the kick-off for Wales' Game 2 of Six Nations Rugby. Last weekend's opener against England was quite a tromping and Llandeilo was a sad place to watch since the English captain is from Llandeilo (many cries of, "traitor!") -- final score: 47 Eng-13 Wales. Wales were last year's Six Nations Champions.

FABulous weekend with Helene (even though she was seasonally snuffly and not feeling the pinnacle of health, she was quite brave to be sociable and outdoorsy):
cornbread (naturally) and dirty rice (why IS it called 'dirty'?) on Friday night followed by brief outing into Cathays' culture (innit?);
excursion to St. Fagan's yesterday, where we spent the day outdoors in the chill -- not really what sick people should be forced to do. Resourceful sickly people, however, are able to console themselves with handmade Welsh fudge. (Also, this was my first attempt at navigating local bus system, not brave enough to attempt alone. one should make note to one's self if one is catching a bus from St. Fagan's that time tables are meaningless -- a time listed merely signals general 15-minute window of time that the bus might decide to run. we missed the first bus back, because it was.... 10 MINUTES EARLY ??????? The only thing to do was have another pint and go to the stop 15 minutes early for the next one. I mean logically, of course. Bloody Welsh buses.);
Indian food and movie last night;
and delicious diner breakfast this morning (with black pudding (mmmmm!!!!!), which H was more than a bit leery of, but you just can't think too hard about these things and it will all be fine!).

Bizarre item in the Sunday Times:
"American immigration officials have arrested a Haitian woman after baggage screeners found a human head in her luggage at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida. Myrlene Severe, 30, said the head was to ward off evil spirits." riiiiiiiiigggght.

Something on my forehead?

Georgia thinks there is something on my forehead that telepathically encourages people to attach themselves to me in a conversatory manner. She asked Katharine a few weeks ago, "Is this because she is from the South?" to which Katharine indicated strong opinion in the affirmative :)

And now for something completely different: This morning on Woman's Hour, was an intriguing discussion on the intimidating factor of humor and cleverness of women, this, in turn, intimidating and discouraging most males against relationship establishment. Males apparently like to have their own jokes appreciated but are not too keen on accepting the predation of females into their turf, as it were. So, girls, I suppose we will have to become glazed, humourless dimwits if we must have a man. Naaaahhhhhhh.....

Free thought #2 (or 3, whatever): Recommend that everyone read a little more about Knaresborough. Readers may discover for themselves what the Bed Race is.

Then: Dolly Parton was interviewed this evening -- quite a lot of fun.

AND...... Helene comes to visit tomorrow -- hoorah!!!

Note: have now attempted to correct huge verb tense problems from yesterday, except for the incorrect ones that i liked. apologies for any trauma caused to readers, but it just had to be purged from the brain at the time.

UV-A

Unsolicited Verbal Assault

But we'll get to that later.

Having now showered and recovered (with milk and biscuits) from the long train ride back home so foolishly anticipated by me earlier today, must catch self up (so will have credible and interesting diary entry to tell people when I am old).

SATURDAY
We learned a lesson. The lesson being: "If there is more than one train at the platform, it is probably the train at the front in the logical direction one will be travelling that one should notice first."
Did herself follow this wisdom?
No.
Was herself aware of her surroundings?
No.
Looked at the little train schedule board, read 'Expected 6 mins.', sat on a bench and rested from my walk (at 8.00 a.m.) and tried to get on the last train (i.e., wrong train) that pulled up to the platform just in time for my train to leave. So, as my train was pulling out, am running down platform with luggage clumsily flopping along on its wheels behind me, as in a slow motion film moment where the "NOOOOOOooooooo!" track is slowed down and becomes very much a bass voice. Except my voice was very tiny and whimpery and high-pitched.
The nice train man offered me tea, which I foolishly declined, as I sat on the opposing platform freezing myself in punishment for another hour until next option arrived (which nice train man had kindly instructed me to take).

This took me to the station at Llanelli, whereupon I attempted to read Sociolinguistics while surrounded by the most intriguing menagerie of randomness. It was rather challenging. Also, Saturday was the first game of Six Nations Rugby games and there was quite a lot of red being sported. As an outsider, my sweater was maroon.

Three and a half hours later, caught the train to Llandeilo to see Ms. Gatten. Arriva Trains Wales needs to wash their windows. Sadly, I was not able to photograph the sheep with a magpie resting on his (or her) back. This struck me as hysterically funny.

It was actually a good thing that I missed my train in the larger world-view: a) it was entirely TOO cold to be tromping 4 miles to a castle; b) would not have gotten to watch rugby with nice aide from the nursing home and his wife at the Torbay Pub in Ffairfach; and c) would not have gotten a ride from same to bed and breakfast, thereby reducing another 4 mile walk to 0!

Battlefield Britain is an excellent show.

SUNDAY
Nice B&B people kindly gave me a ride to the station. Train was late and met the loveliest couple from Cardiganshire, West Wales. When train finally arrived, the wife and I got on to the melodious sounds of.... a jazz band of some sort that was playing on the train. Playing on the train! As for me, I turned right and headed into the next car and Jackie followed me. So we rode through the beautiful Brecon Mountains and had the lovliest conversation and I now have hints regarding good towns to visit on that line and an invitation to Cardiganshire!

Made it to York and trundled along to the Old Grey Mare. What more could one want than Indian food, pub and lodging all in one place? And excessively reasonable rates. Seriously. Yes, it is clean and en-suite! Sadly, they only had room for me for one night, so on...

MONDAY
gathered self and went to Harrogate, where had a school appointment (on the train-ride there, passed the Yorkshire Tea factory -- so exciting!). And, again, this turned out for the best, since found reasonable place to stay on advice of kind taxi man and had time to explore Harrogate just a little. Will have to go back. Found yarn shoppe (danger!). Ate Chinese at a place called the Cambridge Cafe (hee hee), on advice from the yarn shoppe lady and it was excellent. Went to Evening Prayer at St. Peter's to atone for sin of yarn hoarding.

TUESDAY
Took slight detour backwards to Knaresborough, which is between York and Harrogate. Perched on a bluff over the River Nidd, it is definitely a place I will try to visit again when am not lugging clackity-clackity in conspicuous manner through streets. There are an awful lot of dog-lovers in Knaresborough. Dogs in this country are so well-behaved. Perhaps it is their British upbringing, but I am so impressed with unannoying and civilized canine manners. :)

After being buffetted violently by wind on top of castle hill (well, had to take 27 pictures, didn't I? One would think one would give up trying to curl hair if one is just going to go and stand in middle of gale, but...), got train to Leeds to Bradford. Exited train station wrong way and walked about a mile around the station and construction zone to find food and then back, across street this time, to station for taxi to another school appointment.

High blood pressure from taxi ride back to station (with same nice taxi driver, who lectured me on Western civilization and how much he dislikes life here. But he really was nice.) and arrived just as train pulling up to platform. Relax. At next change, Preston, train 30 minutes late, making me miss one connection to Colwyn Bay and then was totally panicking about missing next train and thought I had, when I exited the slowest train in the world in Warrington Bank Quay, in utter despair. So as I hauled suitcase down flight of stairs, heard something crackling on the speakers about "...next train... blah, blah, blah... Colwyn Bay .... aaaand Llandudno". At which point, suitcase, carry-bag and self go tearing down pedestrian subway to other two platforms (because it can't be where my train had just arrived), sprint up stairs in absurd fashion to find no train. Look at board. Train is scheduled to arrive in less than 1 minute at the platform across from where my train just came in. Spastic procedure in reverse. And success! Second hypertensive episode took considerable time to recover. Foolishness.

Upon debarking (that word makes me laugh) and exiting station, was literally BLOWN along with luggage across parking lot to taxi stand. No, was not walking to hotel in that in the dark.

TODAY
Perfectly beautiful weather. The whole range. Including a small, yet impressive hail storm. Sunny and bright most of the day. Visited my favorite school so far -- Rydal Penrhos (looks a little like Hogwarts inside the grounds).

Got mixed up between Dingle Hill and The Dingle on way to beach. And who wouldn't? However, as may be evident, Dingle Hill leads to Dinglewood (with lovely quiet path and tragically garbage-filled stream), ending at small group of homes (one is available, pictured, if anyone should want to purchase it and have me as caretaker. has a view of beach through highway bridge pillars.)

Walked down beach and around town until my train. My peaceful ride, planned to be intelligently spent reading. Instead, this is what happened:

Had time to get self and belongings stowed, got out book, was startled by conductor who sneaked up on me before booming "Tickets, please!" and then apologising after my jump, turned cell volume down so as to be courteous to others, gazed longingly out at the sea view rushing past my window, when random guy approaches and rubs every inch of table except for that containing my book and phone before settling himself diagonally across table from me. He then opened 'conversation' with a note on how clean the table was. Mmmm. Look out window.

Alas, that doesn't work.

He then proceeded to ignore my body language in which am attempting to melt through the back of my seat into the two-seat section; this is generally done by extreme psychic power and with an incomplete crossing of the arms (so as not to appear dreadfully shrewish and rude, although internally feeling extremely shrewish and rude). After my negative answer to inquiry if am from Wales and subsequently finding out am from America, situation only exacerbated. (NOTE: this is not a frightening person, just someone a few crayons short of a box -- to avoid anyone getting into a tizzy of worry about this. Mama.)

He told me that I really needed to get off train at Chester and get on another train, despite repeated assurances that I knew which train was needed and since the train we were on was headed to Cardiff, that would probably be fine. Not believing me, he proceeds to bellow at any passenger unfortunate enough to get within three feet of him in inquiry on my behalf. This was annoying. We repeated this conversation about my need to change trains about every 14 minutes for an hour.

In addition to this scinitillating topic, he attempted to continue the conversation without much help from me (mmmhhhm). Melting technique had completely failed by this point and so became inwardly despondent and prayed would get to Chester in record time never seen before by an Arriva Train. Instead, there was trouble on the line, so we got to sit next to Ye Olde Chemicale Plante for a while.

As he spoke Scouse (Liverpuddlian accent), much of thrilling monologue was lost on me -- similar to 'mimble-wimble' style of speech which has already discussed with some of you. He seemed to be unable to remember that I have not been to the Continent and so proceeded to inquire one by one if I had been to various cities there and elsewhere (Copenhagen, Berlin, Munich, Dublin, Warsaw, Blackpool, etc.). (mmm-mm). And then kindly gave me instructions on which trains to take when visiting there. Wherever 'there' is.

Was told of manifold wonders and marvels that are Disney World, Epcot, Universal Studios, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Niagara Falls, the whole of Canada. (thank you).
I now know that one should take the #250 bus from Piccadilly Circus in Manchester to somewhere.
When am in Poland, will need to take a train from Krakow to somewhere else that does not have the same name in English and Polish.
London is a nice place.

Also covered were: Vancouver, Holland, The Taliban, Lake Louise, the train change at Chester, bin Laden, the Northern Alliance, France, chemical plants, the fact that he "doesn't like the drink" and the Chinese flag.

Thank Gawd, he debarked at Chester... after bellowing inquiry at the platform attendant and then bellowing in to reassure me that that train would be going to Cardiff. Thank yeeewww!

Cautionary Tales

Let this serve as a warning, for this is what happens when certain persons become edgy and/or vexed with Questions of Life (especially on Wednesdays).

Should anyone in your acquaintance begin to demonstrate this level of internal turmoil, you should bring them many offerings of chocolate. Perhaps even a nice chamomile tea. With honey. If you are calm and caring in this act of supplication, they might not stab you with the sharp objects in their hands. And maybe they will even make you something. Or maybe not -- particularly if you are not really a 'purse' sort.

More on Candlemas

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight.
If Candlemas Day be shower and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again.

(Traditional lore)

Happy Thursday!

And, what a lovely Thursday it is -- even if it IS bloody freezing and cloudy outside! Hiroko thinks I am quite mad to be so happy it is cold. We have a bit of a passive argument over the water-heater controls in the bathroom -- she sets it to 'Scald' for her showers and i set it back to 'Somewhat Less Than Scald' for my showers :) Personally, am not sure how she does not have second degree burns.

Second Statistics paper is in (YAY!) -- not from a class called 'Second Statistics' (although that would be the class i ought to have been in, as it would potentially have made more sense than the higher order 'First'). It is not due until tomorrow, but if it spent another night in my house, might have become completely unhinged. On Tuesday night, I knitted an entire purse out of vexation with the silly thing. And that makes sense. The paper even made me force myself to miss Godfather II last night.

Second semester classes began for me today. Turned 19 shades of red in class (Discourse) that am just sitting in for the semester when professor was alarmed by mine and Laura's presence since we are not registered for it (we are only allowed to take 6 modules for credit -- NO MORE -- and people have been sitting in on classes the whole of last semester, so is it so wrong to want to attempt to install further info in one's brain? We all know how much I love confrontation.). But we were allowed to stay in the end, although it traumatised me ('they're all gonna laugh at you! they're all gonna laugh at you!')

Leaving Saturday morning for Llandeilo again :) Now that toe has narrowly escaped amputation from last excursion into Wild Wales, it is time to attempt another toodle into the countryside. This time, I may walk to Talley Abbey, but it does look quite far. Carreg Cennen looks to be a little closer on the map, though. And don't really feel like crippling self second time. This time, will be taking suitable pajamas so that don't wake up tense from trying to stay warm.

Sunday night, go back to York (LOVE York. Plus have found extremely reasonable lodging. AND there is a yarn shoppe called 'Sheepish' that I might need to visit again.) and will visit some schools at the beginning of the week next week in Harrogate, Bradford and Sheffield -- for recruiting for Centenary. Tuesday night, go to Colwyn Bay, in very North Wales for one more school visit on Wednesday.

So far, the blasphemous Muhammed cartoons have not been published in Great Britain, but as it is a major source of commentary on Radio 4 every day for the past week, am sure it is a matter of time. HUGE Freedom of Speech discussion.

Note: heard very interesting story on Bansang Hospital Appeal on radio the other night. There are some good people left in the world.

Note 2: Have just heard news that Punxatawney Phil has seen his shadow. Am thrilled. How do they get him to come out? Peanut butter?

Note 3: Today is Candlemas.