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Published: February 15th 2008
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I have a snow day today so I've decided to take some time and tell you what I've been up to recently.
Just after the first of the year, I was having difficulty finding a renter through the couple places I had advertised, so I decided to post my extra room on one more site. It was a winner. My post included details about the room and rent, and also a few specifications as to the person--non-smoker, female, etc. But, a guy emailed me. His name was Fred and he told me that he had just arrived from France to start the MBA program at Wake Forest University. Knowing how hard it is to come to a different country and get everything sorted, I gave him a chance to come see the room--and give myself a chance to meet this guy and see what kind of vibe I got from him. Everything seemed okay for him and for me, so now I have Fred the Frenchman as a boarder until May or so. He's quite busy with school and keeps a different schedule than I so I don't see him much...which in my book is about the best flatmate for
Snow Day
My front yard during the biggest snow we've had so far! which a girl could ask!
For the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend (Jan 18-22), I decided to go to England! I booked my flight about a week before I left so it was definitely a last minute whim. I stayed with my friends Ruth and Cris at their house in Horsham. They've been re-doing it and it's coming along nicely--I was the first person to sleep in the house! They had been sleeping in the caravan outside but, since my trip over, have been sleeping indoors! They've done a WHOLE lot--since the picture of the house was taken, new windows, garage door, front door, painting, and other projects have been completed.
As it was such short notice that I was going to be in London, I didn't get to see a few people who I would have liked to see, but I did get to see my flatmate Claire. She moved to Paris at the same time I moved back to the States and I really didn't expect to get to see her, but she happened to be in town for business so we were able to meet up for dinner and a chat.
I also
made it to Enfield to visit with the girls from EYSI and we spent a lovely afternoon in The Robin Hood pub. Talked about anything and everything and it didn't feel like I'd been away for 17 months! Now, if we can just get their work to pay for them to come to a conference in the States to visit me.... ;-)
After getting back from Enfield, Ruth, Cris, and I went to a great Indian place and ate fabulous curry. We all ordered something different--but all decided lamb was the choice meat for dinner--and shared.
Then, on Sunday, Ruth and I set off for Brighton while Cris stayed home and worked around the house. Brighton is on the south coast of England so to get there, we drove through the South Downs which were very pretty. It was only about an hour's drive. We drove around a bit to see the sights and then found a parking garage not far from the beach. We walked down to the beach and it was strewn with lumber. :-/ Not really sure why, but it definitely wasn't just branches and limbs and such--it was definitely sawn lumber. Mostly 10 meter/33
Claire and me
Getting ready to depart from St. Pancas Station after our dinner foot lengths of 2x4s. Kids were out playing with it either making their names or sculptures, or just walking on it. We didn't play, but it did make for some interesting photos.
As we walked along the pebbly beach, we saw what remains of the West Pier. It opened in 1866 and was Britain's finest seaside pier. It then closed in 1975 because of structural concerns. In 1982, it was given Grade I historial status. By 1998, 15 million pounds ($30mil) had been set aside for the stabilization and restoration of the entire pier. But at the end of 2002, the Concert Hall partially collapsed and then in January 2003, it futher collapsed. Then in March and May 2003, two separate arson attacks occured. The burned out shell of the partially remaining Concert Hall is all the remains of the West Pier...but since it is listed as Grade I, there is a standstill over what to do with the remains.
The next stop on our walk was the Penny Archade Museum. It is the UK's only public vintage penny arcade and it uses the old pennies that were big like the current 2p coin. We then headed out
The EYSI girls
Zeena, Maria, me, Dawn, and Gina after our afternoon in the pub to explore the wonder that is Brighton Pier. We saw the typical archade games and walked out to see the rides. So as not to go against tradition, Ruth and I got doughnuts. They were wonderful and warm and one of the seagulls obviously thought so as well! It came down and landed on Ruth's hand, knocked her doughnut onto the pier, then hopped down and ate it. It was very distressing.
After walking around the pier a bit more, it was time to eat lunch so we had fish and chips in the Palm Court restaurant. Then it was time to find our next/last stop on our tour of Brighton--The Royal Pavilion. It was built by George IV, along with Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. A lot of the buildings in Brighton also fall into the Regency style of architecture. They reminded me of a lot of the buildings in Paris cos of the long windows and window railings, and the pillars.
After the original Marine Pavilion was built, it was transformed in the 1820s by John Nash into the Indian style building of today and he also added gardens on the North and West sides. It
was getting dark by the time we got to the Pavilion, and it was also mid-January, so the gardens were not as spectacular as I'm sure they typically could be. We got back to the car and headed home. Back in Horsham we ended the evening with pudding at the pub, but not until after we figured out why there was lumber all along the beach.
Turns out that there was a Greek ship called the Ice Prince which got caught in bad weather and became disabled about 26 miles off the coast. It eventually sank (after the crew was rescued!) but it was carrying about 6,000 tons of lumber. And what happens when wood goes in the water? Yep, that's right, it floats. About 2,000 tons of the wood was released from the ship when it sank thus creating a woodslick which eventually washed ashore from Ferring to Hastings along the Sussex coast. The rest of the wood was in the hold and is now at the bottom of the ocean. They are still cleaning up wood even now, a month later. In addition, the ship has now started to leak oil which is affecting wildlife. What a
Shingle
The beaches on the South Coast are rocky--no sand--but the word that is used to refer to this type of beach is Shingle. day to go to the beach!
The next day I headed back into London to see my friend Kerri and meet her baby Phoebe. We spent the day just talking and catching up and having a good time. We went out for lunch at Pizza Express (another one of my must-haves while I was in England) and then I came back for one last dinner with Ruth and Cris. We went to a great pub and I had Bangers and Mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and we just sort of chilled on the sofas there.
The next morning, we all got ready and Cris took me to the train station on his way to work. I flew home and all was well. Didn't really have jet lag when I was in England or when I got back here, but it certainly helped to have a 2 hour delay for school on Wednesday morning.
The next weekend I went on a multipurpose trip to Durham and on the way there I met up with Leslie for lunch. Then went on to Durham to see friends Jen and Ryan. We went to a great Indian restaurant in Durham, even
though it was in a quite shady and mostly deserted shopping center. Spent the night at their place and then on the way back, I met up with my friend Joni for dinner. Lots of fun and chatting that weekend!
When I got back, I figured I needed a project so set to work repainting my bedroom ceiling and walls. It is much improved now!!! In addition, I finally have bedroom furniture. My bedroom and bathroom are now mostly completed (except for the little projects I dread doing like painting baseboards and trim).
That's my past month or so in a nutshell. Hope all of you are well and are enjoying your Valentine's Day. Have a piece of chocolate for me! Mary
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Donna Henley
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hi mary
mary, i do so enjoy reading your adventures! i love looking at your photos! take care, Donna