Weather woes

I haven't written for a while because I haven't really been inspired to. Life is becoming more normal, if you can call it that, and I'm adjusting to the differences pretty well, I think. However, one of the areas that does cause some disappointment and frustration is the weather.

Weather in Texas is unpredictable, to say the least. It could be snowing in the morning and then in the low 60s by afternoon with tornadoes popping up that night. I'm used to not really knowing what's going to happen with the weather hour by hour and day by day. That's not really the problem here. The problem is, what many of you have probably already guessed - the rain.

My friends from the Pacific Northwest will know what I'm talking about for sure (and maybe have some suggestions as to how to deal with it). Coming from Texas, where we've been in a drought since becoming a state (it seems), having to deal with so many days of rain is quite a new experience for me. I have always liked the rain - the sound of it, the act of cozying up on the sofa during it, falling asleep to it - but here it's a little different. There ARE those times when it's a steady pitter-patter, but for the most part it's just drizzle or sprinkles, which is just annoying. It's not really enough to use an umbrella, but if you're out in it too long, you do get soaked. Plus, when it's in the 30s and 40s, you feel like you might just die.

Then there's the wind that comes with it. No matter how hard it's falling, when the wind is involved, it's completely miserable. You can't hide yourself anywhere to avoid the wind and your umbrella ends up getting turned inside out, which is truly the worst. Needless to say, my love of rain is waning (no pun intended).

Now, let's talk about how this effects the public transportation systems. You would think that a country that has been dealing with this weather since it's creation would have a better system of how to deal with it. There have been numerous times when Caleb and I have been on the train into Guildford and it's delayed or slowed because of a landslide. Why hasn't this been addressed YEARS before now? Surely they have civil engineers in this country that can shore up the areas around the tracks to make sure that there isn't erosion that causes landslides. And don't get me started on my 30 minute train delay yesterday because a train crew employee was late to work "due to the weather". Come on!

To be fair, I have been told that we moved here at the worst time of the year, and I've been here in the summer many time,s so I know that there is hope of less rain. I just need that hope to hurry up and become a reality. 

Food, glorious food!

Anyone who has known Caleb and I for any length of time knows we like food. Anyone who has traveled with us knows we like to try any kind of food from haggis to Icelandic hot dogs (which are A-MAZING, by the way) to cuy (cooked Guinea pig). Moving to England, you might think that there wouldn't be a big difference, if any, in the food, and you'd be partially right. The food isn't as strange as cooking a household pet, but haggis actually comes from Scotland, which is less than 400 miles away. (I LOVE haggis, by the way. 😃) But there are some differences so let's begin.

England has their traditional hearty breakfast, or "full breakfast" as they like to call it, just like the US. The difference is in what they offer. There's toast (normal), eggs (normal), sausage (pretty normal but not the type of breakfast sausage that the US has), streaky bacon (pretty normal - think similar to Canadian bacon), tomatoes and mushrooms (now we're getting weird), baked beans (getting more weird, especially because the beans are typically served on the toast), and black pudding. (One of the most deceiving names for a food ever! It's nothing close to pudding but actually a blood sausage made with pork blood, fat (either pork or beef suet) and a cereal like oatmeal or oat groats.) The beans on toast sounds weird but it oddly works. I can't eat it very often, though. I think it's just a mental block that beans are meant for lunch or dinner, not breakfast.

Another trick name for something here is a "flapjack". Here is is NOT a pancake but a cereal bar made of oats, butter, brown sugar and golden syrup. They are one of my favorite go-to breakfasts or snacks, especially if it has chocolate chips! They're VERY filling but still relatively healthy. Definitely a must-try for anyone who hops the pond.

Now, I think everyone knows about the difference between US "chips" and UK "chips". They do still have "fries" here, though. "Chips" are the thick-cut potatoes, like steak fries back home, but "fries" are the shoestring type. Caleb and I both have adapted to calling each the correct type, especially Caleb with him being around food all day at the pub, but if I slip up when we're out and I say, "fries", I'll still get some good old-fashioned fried potatoes. Now if you're wanting US chips, then you have to ask for "crisps". Now, luckily, they do have Dorito's, albeit in some weird flavors, but they do have cool ranch; it's just called "cool original". 😆 And they have Pringles, which are my personal favorite, so all is not totally lost where food is concerned.

"What about 'cookies' and 'biscuits'?" you may ask. What we call "cookies" back home the Brits call "biscuits". There are some larger, softer cookies that are actually called "cookies", but when you have tea, you're going to have British biscuits with it. Now, what we call "biscuits", they just call "bread". That may not seem too strange, and it really isn't, but it's just another example of how we're technically speaking the same language but not at the same time.

So Caleb and I haven't really changed our diet any since moving here, although there are a couple of dishes that we love, like bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and treacle sponge pudding (a super delicious dessert that STILL isn't a pudding but a steamed cake with a special syrup - the treacle - on top and all served with custard). And there are MANY things that we miss that we can't find or have decided to make ourselves because the British version isn't the same, like salsa. They have Dorito's and Old El Paso brands, as well as British brands, but when it says "hot" it is NOT. Also, macaroni and cheese is one that I personally miss. They don't have KRAFT mac and cheese and the brand that I tried was just weird. They do have it in a can, which surprisingly isn't too bad, but I miss the old school powder in a box kind.

All in all, while there has been some adjusting to the local and national cuisine, it isn't nearly as difficult as if we went somewhere like France or Germany or even Iceland. Thank goodness for that.