tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-342830112024-03-07T18:37:35.054+00:00Attack of the C'lonials2 colonials, moving to Britain. The saga begins...ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-48116035250535831602012-06-01T13:59:00.000+01:002012-06-01T13:59:06.479+01:00Jubilating with the JubileeIt's a very festive time around Cookham right now. With the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, there's loads going on. We went a couple of weeks ago to the Long Walk to watch the Armed Forces Parade and Muster and Flyover for the anniversary. We were too far away to properly enjoy the parade, but the flyover was really impressive. Here's a little video I took of it:
On ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-64590443996043984162012-02-20T10:55:00.001+00:002012-02-20T10:55:20.346+00:00How to be a Polite Pinner - Dos and Don'ts for Pinterest
This post is a bit different to my normal "Life in the UK" type posts. This is a more general one for everyone on the Internet. At least, everyone on Pinterest.
If you haven't heard of Pinterest, you probably will soon. It's a cool website that works as a way of visually bookmarking websites. I tend to use it for craft projects, things to do with my kids, recipes I might like to try and ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-66530137230008926282012-01-21T21:39:00.000+00:002012-01-21T21:40:08.203+00:00Hear me, see meThis post is about Mitchell. Mitch is nearly two and a half at the moment and he's great fun to be around most of the time. He's very talkative, but one issue we have with him is how difficult it is to understand him sometimes. Of course, most children are somewhat unclear when learning to talk, but I had the feeling this was something a little more than average difficulties, so I took him to theZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-89105833817179262062012-01-04T21:01:00.000+00:002012-01-04T21:04:26.432+00:00New "Toy"This arrived for me today:
There is slight debate in the household as to whether this is a "toy" in the sense it's just a pleasure item. I have been told it's a hobby. I point out it saves us money; that it's an investment. Time will tell. But in the meantime, isn't it shiny and fabulous??
I don't even know what most of these stitches are for yet, but it looks impressive.ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-74174777249883565442011-12-30T15:44:00.009+00:002011-12-30T16:55:05.512+00:00Visiting the Neighbourhood CastleWe have been extremely sedentary during the Christmas school break. Partly because I think Lena needed to recharge her batteries with some time off, partly because there was a 5th birthday and a Christmas to organise and partly because I am lazy. So today I decided was the day we would DO SOMETHING. Lena was keen on going swimming, but I'm not so fond of taking the two swimming on my own. I ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-80751237516813768282011-12-30T15:36:00.005+00:002011-12-30T15:44:12.922+00:00Almost a New Year - Time for ResolutionsI explained before why I wasn't updating this blog much. Things just aren't that new and different here to me anymore. So instead, I've decided to try and just do more day to day blogging on this blog, of the regular course of our lives. Many people have commented that they do enjoy my blog and that makes me happy and also motivates me to keep writing, so I will. So rather than waiting until ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-86995135175895583312011-10-11T19:56:00.002+01:002011-10-11T20:13:40.101+01:00Could you stay with Life in the UK?As I mentioned in my last post, it's been nearly 5 years since we moved to the U.K. This means that we are now eligible for permanent residency. To get this, you need to pay a big heap of money (like a couple of thousand pounds) and you need to pass a 24 question test entitled, "Life in the UK". This is a variety of questions about Britain's history, demographics, holidays, politics and etc. It'sZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-15869617529490422162011-09-09T20:29:00.003+01:002011-09-09T21:05:41.330+01:00Off to SchoolTime has done its one-way linear trick of making 5 years pass since I started this blog. I now have a daughter old enough to go to school in Britain. This will probably bring about a whole new set of posts about how things are different. But it's a question as to whether things are different because of location or different because of the passage of time. For example, when I was little, I walked ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-6634252588672532862011-07-18T21:42:00.005+01:002011-07-18T21:58:33.234+01:00Why so few updatesI'm sorry. Really, I am.I haven't been updating this the way I should. One of the main reasons that I haven't been doing it is simply because all those funny British habits, products, customs and names no longer are so strange. We've been here long enough that most things are (or seem) normal now. A friend said, "Haha! Your assimilation is complete!" in a joking victorious tone. I responded that ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-38110287853695084362011-02-08T17:53:00.005+00:002011-02-08T18:10:57.520+00:00Reverse Culture Shock - Let me charge you more.Ah, the best laid plans of mice and moms. I thought I would have blogged more in the past few months. Well, let's try again, shall we?We were in Australia for the holidays. Well, we left the UK on Christmas Eve (December 24) and arrived Boxing Day (December 26) in Sydney. We weren't delayed by the snow in the UK, we actually planned the trip that way. It was £100 cheaper per seat and it only ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-40291213412028665892010-10-24T13:47:00.011+01:002010-10-24T15:47:37.147+01:00Halloween Hints for Beginners.Halloween is starting to become bigger here in the UK and I thought I would share some ideas and tips for those who aren't used to doing anything for Halloween. I know the idea of Halloween started on this side of the Atlantic, but believe me, the other side in North America has truly expanded upon the concept. 1. Pumpkin. First, get yourself a pumpkin. Now is a good time to find one, about a ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-80252160689458808882010-10-01T20:55:00.007+01:002010-10-01T21:19:12.456+01:00Red Tape at its Finest - The DVLAI'm feeling a lot of anger towards the DVLA today. DVLA stands for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. They are the people who issue UK driver licenses. And they are useless.I'm finally changing my Canadian license to a UK one. This should have been done a few years ago according to my insurance and they are a bit ticked off it wasn't done before. Ticked off enough to strike me off our car ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-61056487266920285292010-09-01T23:46:00.005+01:002010-09-02T00:10:30.657+01:00End of Summer UpdateI can't believe I haven't posted in 3 months. Twenty lashes with a wet noodle for that. Well, the World Cup came and went, with all 3 teams I was willing to cheer for going out. May, June and July saw absolutely gorgeous weather here in southern England, which makes me not exactly happy with the lousy cold and damp August, but more willing to forgive and forget it. We had a very nice "staycation"ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-64509693320847640502010-05-22T20:33:00.007+01:002010-05-22T21:09:13.403+01:00General UpdateNo big news today, just a quick note.It seems I have missed one of the main events of the Cookham social calendar. Let's Rock the Moor is happening as I type this. I thought it was free in the afternoon, only costing in the evening. This was incorrect and you need tickets for the whole thing. By the time I realised this, they were sold out. It was starting to become embarrassing, with everyone I ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-21090374387868903112010-05-06T10:12:00.003+01:002010-05-06T10:50:59.829+01:00Election DayToday is the general election in the United Kingdom. It's the first time EVER that I have been living in a country and allowed to vote in the election, which actually made it a bit exciting for me. In case you are wondering, all Commonwealth citizens residing in the UK are allowed to vote. So both colonials in this house have voted. I had just moved to Germany when the first election happened in ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-11681965748699389942010-04-09T23:07:00.005+01:002010-04-10T00:03:45.985+01:00Taking PartI have been thinking about the subject of this blog post for a few days now and it's rumbled around long enough that I felt the need to put it down on paper. Well, not paper, on electrons perhaps is more accurate. Please bear with me while I give you some background information.When I first moved to Munich, I ended up joining a Bavarian oom-pah-pah band. I was a member of the Pullacher Blasmusik,ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-55547783934265775072010-03-28T12:27:00.004+01:002010-03-28T12:42:30.891+01:00See the LightI blogged a few months ago about how it's dark too early in the evening in the UK and also too bright early in the day. Finally, there is an organised group who agree with me and I am only too happy to lend my little blog space to shout their praises.http://www.lighterlater.org/ is a campaign to push British time back one hour, throughout the year. Meaning going onto the equivalent of central ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-81348059187857606812010-01-29T09:45:00.008+00:002010-02-08T09:45:02.073+00:00The GameIt's 2 weeks until the 2010 Winter Olympics start in Vancouver, Canada. Thanks to my friend Cristy for showing me this ad which really captures a bit of Canadiana. Even my Canadian friends who aren't sports fans will understand this ad.For me, this really captures how I sometimes feel about hockey. Nowadays, living away from Canada, I don't get to watch much hockey. I did have a very exciting ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-10774168793248228262010-01-18T20:36:00.002+00:002010-01-18T20:48:22.907+00:00Michelin Star for The Royal OakI just noticed that The Royal Oak, Paley Street has received a Michelin Star in today's new Michelin guide. Congratulations to them, that is great news. I'm guessing the reviewer didn't eat there the same day I did, as I had a slightly different review of The Royal Oak, but it pleases me that it seems my experience there was very much a one-off. I'll be happy to go back at some point.ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-84566026087589800072010-01-13T22:16:00.004+00:002010-01-13T22:37:38.469+00:00What's Gender got to do with it?(singing the title of this post to a Tina Turner tune...)Just a short little comment about some of the inherent sexism there is around raising children that I've noticed in the UK. It's all about Mummy. Some many groups for young children and adults to go to are called "Mums and Toddlers" or a variation of that, but not varying on the Mum or Mother bit. Yes, I would agree that mothers are still ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-59328454275157494682009-12-22T14:43:00.002+00:002009-12-22T15:02:20.792+00:00Spot the CanadianBack in February, I blogged about snow in a mild climate. Well it has snowed again here in southern England and once again there is chaos on the roads. I will cut slightly more slack for yesterday, when it rained in the afternoon which slowly turned to snow as the temperature dropped. That, on top of the snow that has been around since Friday made for very slippery conditions. People in the ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-28367887406202975072009-12-02T16:29:00.003+00:002009-12-02T18:40:49.625+00:00Dark and LightThere's several things that I don't understand about the UK, but the one that plagues me the most is why they insist on being in a different zone than most of the rest of Europe. Right now it's 4:30pm here and with the rain, it's horribly, horribly dark and depressing. If it was 5:30pm, like it is in France and Spain, due south of here, it might be almost tolerable. But no, being an hour later ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-16088074820450246362009-10-16T14:01:00.007+01:002009-10-16T14:43:37.102+01:00Mission planWe have a mission. We have the attack clones, now we have our mission. We've decided while we are here in Britain, to try and spend the holidays that take place in this country visiting the various British major island groups. So far we have been to the Isle of Wight and to the Inner Hebrides; specifically, the Isle of Mull. That takes care of two of them. What do we have left? Well, the Outer ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-55345003051357404642009-09-28T10:07:00.005+01:002009-09-28T10:34:33.438+01:00The 2nd Invasion ForceSorry I was so quiet over the summer. It was a busy time, with lots of long-term visitors and also the birth of our next clone/colonial, Mitchell. He's a wonderful little guy and I will post some recent pictures in the next day or two, but I'm guessing most readers of this blog will have seen pictures of him already, hence my lack of urgency about this. I have lots of ideas for new posts, so ZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34283011.post-83822737227007255202009-04-28T21:23:00.007+01:002009-04-28T23:33:17.793+01:00A Package to the FutureWe are redoing the floors in our house, replacing the carpet with new floor boards. G and his dad found a few pages of newspaper under the boards in the living room dated May 31, 1974. It's from the Maidenhead Advertiser, the local once a week paper. The pages are quite interesting. Let me quote you one of the ads of a house for sale: "COOKHAM DEAN: This charming semi-detached cottage is situatedZeeBridehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694346818619809215noreply@blogger.com5