Living in London

Moving back to Canada

2007-03-03T15:09:00.000Z

Well I guess it's about time to tell people that we have decided to move back to Canada. Sorry for waiting so long to tel you all. We had a fabulous 2 and half years and highly recommend the experience.

Take care and please keep in touch.

B&R

Just trying to blend in.....

2006-08-23T21:48:00.000+01:00

We are proud immigrants! This was on the front page of the Independent paper today. Good to know we aren't the only foreigners living here!

R

Foody Night at the Turks

2006-08-08T23:05:00.000+01:00

B went to a Foody night at the neighbours a few weeks back. The group gets together about once a month or so and shares good food. We are lucky as the events are at our neighbours and we B does not have to travel far to get there. You notice how I said "We" are lucky. "We" inluding "me" as I get care packages sent up to me so that I can taste the cuisine as well. I just happened to be leaning our our kitchen window for this shot and was invited down for a snack. "Oh really, I do not want o impose, but yes I would love to try your grandmother's Sicilian meatball recipie. I will be right down!"

R

Happy Anniversary

2006-08-08T22:42:00.000+01:00

Well its hard to believe that we have been living here for two years. But today is the anniversary of our arrival, so I guess that confirms it. I wished B a Happy Anniversary as she was feeding little J. I gave her a peck and start blogging. I guess we should have celebrated. But we honestly forgot until tonight. Been a pretty busy week with work on my end. B on the other hand has been lunching with the mums in the neighbourhood. She is becoming a local. We just came out of a heat wave that was unforgettable. Must admit I didn't do so well. Little J held up ok. The problem is our flat gets so hot. Even in the nights when everything else cools down, our flat doesn't. Our bedroom is in the loft and that were it really jump in temperature. So we have been sleeping in the extra room with little J. B noticed today that she can no longer breast feed him as easily as before. As his senses are starting to develop, he gets distracted easily during the feed. He like to pull off, take a look around and then start sucking again. Makes the feed longer. I guess it can only get worse once he starts yapping too. Oh well, its coming....

R

Have boob will travel

2006-07-12T18:11:00.000+01:00

Well I thought I'd share some of the interesting locations where my breastfeeding has taken me. A couple weeks ago on Canada Day we ended up in Trafalgar Square. I proceeded to feed baby amongst the goths, roughhousing teenagers with the smell of potsmoke in the air. That was definitely the most interesting. Yesterday I was propped up at the pizza hut at the mall. They were actually very good to me there - they let me sit in the closed section so I could have some privacy and feed baby and eat my pizza buffet in private. haha. People who know me would know this is definitely not something I would normally do but when your baby's hungry you need to make do. Other than that it's been lots of parks (including Hyde Park with the Foo Foo Fighters playing in the background and about 200 of the queen's horses going by at one point), lots of cafes and restaurants. I've been very lucky so far with no one saying anything negative to me. It's not easy nursing in public and I have respect for all the women that need to do everyday along with me!

The Beauty of the Boob........

2006-05-20T15:18:00.000+01:00

Ahh the silence...................

We have this parenting thing licked..........

2006-05-14T09:08:00.000+01:00

Well here we are in London, actually let me start again......Here we are in our front room, the room we can't seem to leave...the nursing headquarters for the new baby. We have been in this room for days and days. In fact everytime we try to leave it, we find ourselves back. I mean why would you leave it. It has all the amenities for the new Mom. The nursing station, the computer (i.e. stereo, internet, blog, pictures, DVD, home movies, TV, email), baby swing, vibrating baby swing. And best of all, the front room is situated right next to the baby room which is the mother-load of all the baby's needs (change table, nappies, clothes, blankets, wipes, creams, powders, etc). We sit here together. I will say "You feed, I'll blog!" or "You feed, I will download pictures from the digital camera."

But are trying to get out and about. We went for a walk yesterday and sat near the duck pond. B fed J and I drank coffee. B is going to a baby shower today for a friend who just lives down the road from us. She is having twins.

So the goal is to get the little gaffer a birth certificate and a passport very soon. We want to try a trip soon - but something mild. Perhaps a train ride (via the Eurostar) to Paris. But if all else fails, we will simulate Paris in the infamous front room. We will sit on our couch, put on the French Cafe CD, bake some escargot, conjegate irregular french verbs and watch a slide show from our previous trips to Paris. Nah, on second thought, were going!

R

Revenge of the Baby Monitors....

2006-05-06T19:23:00.000+01:00

One of the good things about having a baby is that you get to purchase all sorts of new toys and gizmos. This is a good thing as you really have nothing else to buy yourself. Well one of things we just purchased was the TOMY Baby Monitors which allow you to monitor the audio of your child while you are in a different room. For example, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and your baby is in the bedroom (2 floors up), then the baby monitor allows you pick up on any squeals or cries which you may not hear.

Well, this is fantastic, but - as we discovered - has a drawback or two. While being pregnant, your sex life slows as your wife body goes through 9 months of changes. It starts out as a chemical changes (first trimester), then in the second trimester, they tend to get a little frisky, but not for long, and finally in the third trimester, the physical realities kick in and your wife does not like the smell of you, the look of you, the sound of you. And oddly enough, you get used to it. You stay on your side of the bed and reside there until the baby is born. You never venture across the bedline. Then, the baby comes.

Well a week after the baby was born, my wife started giving me the "I like you again" look. Well this morning, while in our room, she tendered the look and I reciprocated with a little "dirty talk". As the "dirty talk" rolled of my tongue, my peripheral vision caught a blue light flickering next to the bed side. This little blue light in its flickering brilliance instructed my brain - in a matter of nanoseconds - to trigger the release of the appropriate amount of adrenaline. The release of this adrenaline was intended to initiate the well needed anxiety attack that I should have when my "dirty talk" makes its way onto the "live" baby monitor. Further hyper-ventalating would ensue as my blasphemous "dirty talk" was transmitted down stairs to the other "live" baby monitor in the kitchen, where my wife's mother (who is staying with us)was having her morning coffee!

You can imagine my horror. I shouted madly, ",,,Ah sender would like to unsend the transmitted "dirty talk"....Its a joke, nothing going on up here....ah.......honey did you hear what the baby said...come quick"

Technology - bringing people closer together.

R

Jacob Enters the World

2006-04-26T13:21:00.000+01:00

The Canadian Expat community welcomed in open arms the birth of Expat
Canadian Jacob Alexander early this morning.

Little Jacob was born at 1:00AM Wednesday morning after a few days of
letting us all know he was on his way. Jacob and mummy spent the night
at the hospital and will likely be there for a few more days while
mummy heals. Mummy had to have an emergency C-Section as Jacob was not coming down
the pipe in the best position. 8 days late and still wanting to come
out just the way he wanted.

Plan on heading down to the hospital in a few minutes to vist with mummys mummy!

R

Sent home from the hospital......

2006-04-24T21:46:00.000+01:00

Well we went off to the hospital today with contractions. However, we were turned away as B was only 1 cm dialated (even though she had been in labour for 17 hours and was having contrations every 3-4 minutes). You need to be 3 cm dialated before they will keep you in the hospital. As such we had to get another taxi and return home. The ride was rough as B was still having contractions and the black Hackney cabs do not really have great suspension.

So now 9:45pm we are over 30 hours into the labour now and the contractions are starting to slow down. Go figure. So I think we are just gonna play it by ear through the night and see what happpens. Unbelievable...

R

Problems with BlogSpost Posting

2006-04-24T17:07:00.000+01:00

Been trying to update all day long. But Blogspot has been having problems...

Still at home with contractions.

2006-04-24T11:32:00.000+01:00

Still at home with contractions. B wa up all night with contractions spaced at 25 min apart. Will not be off to hosipital until we have 3 contractions in 10 min period and they have to have been occuring for 1 hour. Will call taxi at that point and head off to hospital. Its a 15 min ride.

R

Contractions continue.....

2006-04-24T09:55:00.000+01:00

Well its 9:53 AM the next day and B is still contracting. Every 10 minutes. She was up all night contracting every 25 minutes. The hospitals here do not want you to come in until you are having 3 contractions within a ten minute period. And they want you to have been having these for up to an hour. So we are waiting for the frequency to increase and then we will call the midwife. Upon deciding that we should go to the hospital, I will then call a taxi and the three us of us (B, B and Me) will head of. Its a 15 minute car ride.

R

Emergency Plan......

2006-04-23T20:37:00.000+01:00

As the contractions intensify it makes me think of the one thing I have not had in a while - a pint. That's right, I have not consumed any pint/spirits/wine during the last month of the pregnancy. The idea being that as it could happen anytime, I have to be able to mobilize on a dime. Well, as we are now overdue, I have to put together a pint plan. It will need to be a swift transition. I will put together the strategy tonight to ensure a flawless deployment after we finally meet the little gaffer!

R

Houston, we have contractions........

2006-04-23T17:22:00.000+01:00

They have arrived, little bursts of tummy turmoil. Will keep you informed.

5:25 pm UK time

R

Yo! Get out here!

2006-04-19T23:47:00.000+01:00

When is this kid coming? Talk about drama. I had everybody convinced last week that I would be disappearing for a week. Oh the panic. Now I am sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Talk about self centered kid. Oooh the big entrance - when no one's expecting it - Ooooooh. Get out here-right now!

R

Still waiting for baby!

2006-04-19T14:19:00.000+01:00

Ok - even TomKat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) had their baby! And we're still waiting... Although I'm glad baby didn't come Easter weekend because I had a terrible head cold and that would have been no good during labour. So we continue to wait... We went to the hospital on the weekend because I thought my waters might have broken - wishful thinking - they didn't. But I did get in minor trouble for not going to the hospital after falling on the sidewalk last weekend. So for all future preggos that read this blog - if you fall while pregnant - you're supposed to go to the hospital to get baby checked out. Good to know. My mom arrived on Monday night to hang out in London for the next month to hopefully help out with baby. We mostly relaxed yesterday but we did get out for a little shopping. We also stopped at Crumpet, my favourite baby-friendly cafe, near our house for a teatime snack. I had a lemon cake and hot chocolate and mom treated herself to scones and a latte. Yum! We'll continue to keep you posted on baby news.

Officially going crazy now

2006-04-13T12:10:00.000+01:00

Ok I'm officially going crazy now. How many naps can one person take??? I've never been so relaxed in my life. I don't know what Rob and I are going to do if baby doesn't come this Easter weekend. Rob has four days off work and I'm unable to do to much because of obvious discomfort. Hopefully we're not sitting around twiddling our thumbs all weekend - we'll drive eachother crazy - not good before going into labour! We were out last Saturday and I must have been too tired. Well I tripped and fell. I don't think I hit my stomach at all - I broke the fall with my hands and knees. A whole bunch of people swooped in to help me get up. One guy was even brushing me off. I heard one man gasp when I finally got up and he saw how pregnant I was... Well once I was up I started to ball. And I balled off and on for the rest of the afternoon, evening and night. It was just so shocking. Everything seems to be fine though. You'd think that would kickstart labour - but baby kaz says 'nope!' And yesterday I got a cold, a really bad scratchy sore throat that's keeping me up at night. I can't believe it. I'm eating well, sleeping like crazy and just taking it easy. Why do I get a cold?? Oh well, hopefully baby kaz makes an official appearance this weekend and we'll be happy!

Busking the Day Away

2006-04-06T19:48:00.000+01:00

One of the best parts about living in London is the quality of buskers. Every bus/tube station has seriously talented musicians. I am always tempted to stop on the way home and listen to people perform. More often than not, I am too busy to stop. Except on Sundays........

R

Maternity leave continues

2006-04-03T15:59:00.000+01:00

I've completed two weeks of maternity leave now and I'm ready for baby kaz! I've run out of things to clean, buy and optimize. I'm just sleeping, reading, watching movies and being a good wife to my man (he's even getting meat once a week)... Rob and I spent the day at Borough Market on Saturday - it's a huge foodie market every Friday and Saturday (picture below). We take the train to Waterloo station and then walk along the river to the market (picture above). Normally the walk would take about 25 minutes but on Saturday I think it took us about an hour both ways. I'm sure moving slow but Rob's being very patient. Although he ditched me yesterday (Sunday) so he could explore London at regular speed. I was so exhausted after Saturday anyway. I find if I go out for even a couple hours it completely drains me. We went with our friends Basak and Ozgur (our downstairs Turkish neighbours) to a restaurant called Maze on Saturday night. It's one of Gordon Ramsey's (a very famous British chef) restaurant's. It was AMAZING! It was done in tapas style so we ate a fabulous seven courses. We also did a tour of the kitchen - it was interesting to see how many people were involved in the cooking - I'd say about 30. And the kitchen was clean as a whistle - you could eat of the floor!

Maternity leave

2006-03-20T17:29:00.000Z

It's my first official day of maternity leave. Amazing! I decided to head to where R works to meet him for lunch because he's been constantly braggin' about his side of town and about all the nice cafes he goes to for lunch. The first thing I did was take a picture of him in front of his new office building. He wasn't too impressed. He was like a kid that's embarrassed when his mom pulls out the camera in front of his friends. I thought he'd be happy I brought the camera. Oh well, I guess this is good practice for me when we have kids. So anyway, I asked my honey where he was taking me for lunch. And he says "well I was thinking I'd just take you to Pret." Now for all the people that don't know what Pret is - it's a sandwich eatery that's about as common as McDonalds. It's pretty much on every street corner in London and I definitely have one a hop, skip and a fart away from my work. So this was no special deal for a preggo who came all the way downtown on her first day of maternity leave. So I told him so and we headed to wagamama instead - not bad but not exactly what I was expecting. The good places that he braggs about were supposedly packed already for lunch because I came to late. I told him that I'm going to come see him once a week during my maternity leave and he looked slightly worried (again the embarrassed kid thing). And he says 'you better be careful, your water might break.' I took that to mean maybe every two weeks. And that was it for my lunch with my honey on my first day of maternity leave!

Wankers....

2006-03-06T21:23:00.000Z

I just got the new Nokia 6100 mobile phone. The picture you see is the picture that was on the box that the phone was in. Don't these guys look cool? I mean could they look any cooler. The guy on the left looks like he's taking a shit. They guy on the right looks like he is so embarrassed of his friend (the guy taking the shit) that he has decided to initiate the friendectomy. His two fingers are shaped like the medical instrument that will sever him from his friend's embarrassing look. What a bunch of tossers.....

I wonder what the North American version of this phone has for its picture. The North American advertising tends to have one REALLY cool guy or women. Its interesting how the European advertising tends to have two or more people in focus. Car commercials are a great example. The European commercials usually have many people driving the car in question and then they meet on the beach. The undertones usually suggest the concept of community, belonging, peer pressure, or a group of people. The North American car commercials would usually focus on one driver stressing independence or the concept of ONE. So the long and short of it is that the North American version of the NOKIA 6100 likely only has one guy who is ultra cool, but is shitting by himself in the city centre.

P.S. I just started a new job. And the new job is great! Really liking it. See you soon.

R

MP3 Mania

2006-02-01T21:36:00.000Z

Alright all. I have officially backed up most of our CDs onto MP3s. I currently have 16.9 days worth of music. I think I will go to the local coffee shop, buy 10 bags of coffee, then go over to the local corner store, pick up 120 cans of John Smith bitter and maybe some food to - chips - and plan a 16.9 day listen-a-thon. Oh yeah, and take 16.9 days of holidays (can't forget that). The entire library back to back!

OK maybe I will not do that. But I will be the annoying guy who you visit who has obscure song lists programmed into his ITunes that meet every carnal emotional urge. "Are you looking for something obscure, European, and with a little bite? I think I have exactly what you are looking for. How does Skunk Anansie sound!

R

iPoddy

2006-01-25T23:02:00.000Z

I think if the iPod makes it into the bathroom stalls we will have the final step in a cultural revolution. I am just waiting for the day I sit in a stall and here the muffled music though the walls of the stall next to me. The ultimate tune out!

Its not far fetched, I went for lunch the other day and this kid sitting next to me pulled out his Sony PSP Portable Gaming System and starting playing while I was finishing my meal. I almost grabbed the game unit and tossed it across the room.

Mobile Phone Potty

2006-01-25T23:00:00.000Z

Furhter to the last post, I thought I would also share this little tid bit. I heard a guy on the phone the other day while sitting in a bathroom stall. That's right, I heard him answer the phone and carry on a conversation while fully engaged in the stall. What next?

R

The Good Samaritan (Toliet Talk)

2006-01-25T22:00:00.000Z

I had a good samaritan moment today at work. At about 2:30pm I ventured towards the restroom for my scheduled post-lunch afternoon break. I casually entered one of the two private stalls and began to close the door for my usuall sit down. As I went to close the door, I just happened to glance at the tissue dispenser on the wall and noticed that it was empty. Close call. I gingerly, exited the stall and proceeded to take up refuge in stall #2 with its abundace of tissue.

So I sat, relaxed, and just let the process take its course. As I was sitting, I could hear the bathroom door swing open, the footsteps of another make its way towards my stall, a nudge on my locked door, then steps over to the other stall. The thought that ran through my head was - "check for tissue before you make any big commitments!" I heard the stall door swing open, the steps into the stall, and then a moment of silence. Then abruptly, the sound of the stall door swinging back open, footsteps back toward the bathroom door and the exit. This fellow had checked for tissue and upon seeing none, left the bathroom and likely went looking for another stall on another floor. Smart man.

A few minutes later, another man in need made his way into the bathroom. The bathroom door swung open, rushed steps towards my stall, a push on my locked stall door, a sidestep over to the next stall door, the opening of second stall door, and the quick decision to close the door. I was confident that this user was just as smart as the first guy and would notice the general lack of tissue. There was a slight pause, then I heard the dreaded belt buckle unclick followed by the dropping of the trousers to the ankles. I was starting to stress. Should I say something. But men do not talk in the bathroom - especially cross stall chatter. How could I say anything?

Then my thoughts were interupted by the sound of the toilet lid lifting and the sound of a his body sitting down on the platic toilet seat. "Shit. He sounds committed - but he will see..he will stop. Now that he is sitting, he will be at eye level with the tissue dispenser and abort while still in the safe zone!" There was a another slight delay and then the worst sound of all - the period plunking and splashing of water in the toilet bowl itself. Fuck. He's in. There is no way out for him now. What is he going to do? I could just see his dilemma. He would finish his deed, look to clean up and the the horror of the empty tissues dispenser would stare him cold in the eyes. Then he would likely have to wait until the coast was clear, wait for me to leave, open the stall door with his trousers at his ankles, and slide into my empty stall and grab tissue. What a nightmare this would be.

I struggled with the right decision. Do I say something? Or should I simply let him suffer and learn his lesson? He would clearly never forget this lesson. I mean thats how I learned it. I check for tissue - full stop! Meanwhile the pluking and splashing continued with sighs of relief which just made me cringe. At this point, I was finishing up. I cleaned up and dressed and had decided to simply leave the bathroom and let the poor guy learn his lesson. Then at the last moment realised that I could not leave the bathroom in good conscience.

I struggled to get the words out, "uh..ummm..you will shortly be confronted with the immediate horror of nothing to clean yourself up with as there is not a single piece of tissue in your stall...." There was a pause. You could tell that the conversation in his head was something like this, "that little fucking cleaning fuck did not clean and restock the fucking bathrooms again today. I am going to get that little toad sacked!"

But of course, the muffled response that actually came through the stall wall was refined and polite - "Now that's what I call team work mate....jolly good....cheers. Just through it over the top of the stall. I quickly raided my tissue dispenser and rained tissue down over the wall creating a white tissue Xmas in his little stall.

Lucky boy.

R

Happy New Year

2006-01-10T15:23:00.000Z

Happy New Year. Well we had a chance to go home for Xmas to see family and friends. It was a rushed trip as it entailed 4 destinations in 10 days. Lots of jet lag, Xmas food and good times! Sorry if we missed any of you during the brief visit. We ended if off in the mountains in Canmore for New Years with the Dishes/Dudes. Great visit with great friends!

Been home sick for two days. Have cold/flu/?. Decided to get up an actually leave the bed for once in two days. Went for a walk and came straight back home as it felt like I was doing the Weeble Wobble walk-thing. Currently drinking tea (Bangle Spice) and drinking pint after pint of water. Have been watching Carl Sagan Comsmos DVDs the whole time. Have two more episodes left to watch.

Weather here has been pretty drab lately. Just makes you want to stay in inside and ..... drink tea and watch Carl Sagan Cosmos!

Later for now.

P.S. Just got our new pram (baby stroller). Put it together the other night. Looking sharp. May have to take it for a dry run to the grocery store and test the shocks!

R

Stereophonic live at Alexandra Palace

2005-12-18T20:52:00.000Z

Saw the Stereophonic (www.stereophonics.com) at Alexandra Palace on friday night. Needless to say, the show was amazing. B could not go as it was standing room only and she can't stand for long. The opening act was a band called the Subways. Ony three guys in the band. Amazing show. Could be my new favourite band.

R

Weekend in Geneva (Switzerland)

2005-12-07T22:07:00.000Z

We were in Geneva two weeks ago to visit some old friends of mine. When I told my friend that we post on a blog, we was wondering about privacy issues. To create a sense of comfort for him, I will not use his real name. All you need to know is that he is an old room mate. I will refer to him and his family by their secret Swiss Code Names. The Swiss Family Carsons (Ari, Sally, Jermome, and Sue - oh yeah and the dog Anwar). It was good to seem them. We had not really seen them since our wedding. And B had not formally met either of them except for that 2 minutes allocate to them at the wedding! It was nice to see them with thier kids. We just hung out and relaxed. I actually did not really get a chance to see alot of Geneva but it worked out well. Actually B saw more than I as she went shopping with Sally after Ari and I had a night on the town after his 4 soccer matches. We stayed home with the kids and hung out all day. Then B and I took off back home to London for Sunday night. It was a night of travelling hell. Trains/Planes and more trains and some late night walking. All in all the travell time door to door was almost 7 hours even thought the flight itself was only 1.5 hours. I need my own private jet and air strip close to our flat. It would be so much more convenient.

Later

R

Motherhood........

2005-12-05T23:08:00.000Z

Day Off Part 2

2005-12-02T00:54:00.000Z

As I was wondering around on Kensington High Street, I walked past the GAP clothing store. I heard some music seaping out the front door as I walked by. I turned around and peeked my head in the door and saw the following......

R

Week off in London

2005-12-02T00:32:00.000Z

So I have had the entire week off. I have devoted the entire week to do acting like a tourist. This has entailed going on walking tours, taking pictures, and shooting movies on the handy cam. Its been great. This movie included int his posting was shot early in the week as I wandered through Picadilly, Soho, and the South Bank. Its been pretty relaxing. I have simply been getting up in the mornings, getting a coffee, and just hanging out. I could do this for a living if someone would pay me to do it!

R

New Favourite Pregnancy Gripes

2005-12-01T22:25:00.000Z

Yes, as the male in this relationship, I have to be very patient and watch my wife endure the challenges of pregnancy. I need to stay objective, but still be patient. In the midst of this, B has some new evolving gripes/questions. We discuss them regularly. Here are a few:

1) You are walking too fast!
2) Don't swear - the baby can hear you!
3) Can we talk tonight about something very serious?
4) Why won't you tell me what sex you think the baby is going to be?
5) Do you think you will actually be able to give your full self to the baby?
6) I don't think my stomach is getting bigger!
7) How many times today did you think about the baby?
8) How come you have not come up with any baby names yet?
9) Pregnant women don't have to say excuse me when they belch, they would be sayin it all day long.
10)You do know that after the baby is born, I do not want to go back to work.

Here is what the patient side of me says:
1) Sorry honey.
2) I mean Frick honey.
3) Of course honey.
4) I get to excited honey.
5) Yes honey.
6) I am sure all is well honey.
7) As many as you honey.
8) I want them to be special names honey.
9) Do whatever you like honey.
10)Nor should you honey.

Here is what the less patient side of me is thinking:
1) We have two options: freeze in the rain, get home and not freeze in the rain.
2) I didn't know we were giving birth to Lindsay Fucking Wagner and her bionic ear!
3) No
4) I fucking told you last night. What did I say last night?
5) No. I am an only child. However, if you need me, I can be reached at the pub.
6) [Don't fall for it - this is a trick question........]
7) It was my day off today.
8) Shit....
9) Just say it, people are staring.
10) You mean like right after the baby is born - right?

Oh Prego.

R

Scan #2

2005-12-01T21:50:00.000Z

So we had our second ultra sound on Thursday. All went well. The pictures they gave us do not have super detail but we will take what we can get. You can see from the shot that the chin is now separated from the torso. This shot is a close up and does not give you the detail of the rest of the body. The results of the check up were all good. We then went out with B's friends from work and went to see a pantomine (Cinderella). I had never been to a pantomine before. Supposedly very English. In English pantomines, Prince Charming is always played by a women. Yeah that's right Prince Charming is played by an attractive women, and Cinderella is played by another attractive women - and they fall in love. Nice little saucy Xmas play.

It was actually done very well, and definately worth seeing. It was at the Guild Hall and was only £5 each. It was peformed by Drama students. Very entertaining.

R

Pregnancy Question #1

2005-12-01T21:44:00.000Z

Yeah I was just wondering if it's common for pregnant women to become really gassy? Just wondering.....

R

24 hour Pubs......

2005-11-23T21:44:00.000Z

The liqour laws change tonight at midnight. The Brits have decided that closing the pubs at 11:00pm causes binge drinking. This just means that I can stay out at my local (100 steps out my front door) just a little longer! I would happy if just stayed open to 1:00AM!

As I have said before........

2005-11-21T18:54:00.000Z

Its not just me that struggles with this town!

R

Life in the Fast Lane

2005-11-14T20:33:00.000Z

Well we have had friend (Deborah)in town for the last few weeks. I introduced her to the pub down the street. We spent a few nights there drinking ales and ciders. We showed her the markets (Bourough, Spitafields, and Camden), and I also took her to Kensington Hyde Street for the infamous "Church Walk" and a stroll by the embassies. We actually started the day going to the French market that was going on down the street from us. About three times a year, they set up a French market where all the French vendours come out and put there food and crafts on display. They have these big skillets of potatoes, cream and bacon on display. They also have jewellry and purses and other nick nacks. It was cool. I bought some spiced Mead (Wine made from honey). I think I will guzzle it as soon as I get cold! We also went to one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been too on Friday (Thai Square). My new favourite restaurant.

Other than that my little prego is staring to expand like a hot air balloon. Still in bed at 8:00pm every night. I send her off and start blogging.

Bye

R

Happy Ramadan!

2005-11-03T22:06:00.000Z

B and I had our neighbour over for dinner tonight. Our neighbours (Ozgur and Basak) were celebrating the muslim holiday of Ramadan. Basak had been fasting for the last month. This invlolved not eating during daylight hours. She made it through the month and was finally able to eat when she wanted today. They came over and we snacked for a few hours. We had not seem them for a few weeks as we had all been busy. When I say they are neighbours, I mean they literally live in the flat below us. Its a big house with three flats in it. As we had not seen them, we didn't know what each other had been up to. Basak told us that she had been reading our blog to keep in touch. I thought this was funny as the purpose behind the blog was to keep in touch with people back at home in Canada. Just goes to show how hectic people schedules can be when neghbours, living in the same house, have to read each others blogs, to get updates!

R

My birthday cupcakes

2005-11-01T21:05:00.000Z

Hello everyone it's me again. I wanted to show the picture of the cupcakes I made for my work colleagues last week. They have a tradition in my office that on your birthday you need to bring in something homemade, although I think I'm the first person to actually make something. Most people just stop at Marks & Spencer on the way to work to pick up some sweets. But I made cupcakes (or as they call them Fairy Cakes). They were quite the hit I must say! I outdid myself again!

Brandy is going to start blogging!

2005-10-31T20:25:00.000Z

Rob and I have just been talking about blogging and cleaning. We've decided that I'm going to start blogging more and Rob's going to start cleaning more. Sounds like a deal to me! So for every post that I do - that's one hour of Rob's scrubbing! YAHOO! Okay, on to better things. Happy Halloween everyone from London! We spent the night handing out candy (they call them sweeties)to all the kids in the neighbourhood. I couldn't believe how many kids we got. I think the whole trick or treat thing is fairly new here but I enjoyed myself. I put a couple of glass pumpkins outside so the kids knew that we were home. I would say for every house that hands out sweeties, there are about 10 (or more) that don't. It would be hard for the kids walking around with so many houses not handing out candy. Anyway, that's it for now. I'll talk to you tomorrow, while Rob's vacuuming! love b.

How the English use the word "Sorry".

2005-10-30T16:08:00.000Z

I went for brunch today by myself. B and her friend Debora (visiting from Canada)were off at the flower market enjoying their Sunday.

Anyways, I ordered my toasted sausage sandwich and coffee and read the Sunday Times paper. I came across this article on English mannerisms. There was a small piece on how the English use the word "Sorry". I almost fell off my seat laughing while I read it. I could have not put it better myself. I have experienced this repeatedly while living here. Here's the excerpt.

"....Sorry is a prophylactic word. It protects the user and the recipient from potntially explosive consequences of the truth."

"Being able to apologise without meaning it, without therefore losing face, but at the same time allowing the other person to back down, having got their apology, is a masterfully delicate piece of verbal engineering.

The Engilish arrived at a way of being furious without being rude. If you listen to them complain in shops or restaruants or about service in general they almost invariably start with "sorry". You know that the customer sending back his soup saying "sorry", this isn't very nice isn't apologising, and the waitress replying "I'm sorry you didn't like it", isn't either.

If you speak English as a native tongue you decipher these nuances wihtout thinking. If you've learnt the language abroad or don't speak it very well, then you just think the English are cringingly, obsequiously apologetic all the time and are possibly the politest people in the world.

The only other word that comes with so many meanings is "f***". And if you don't understand the incredibly fine and expressive definitions of that - from explosive pain to happy surprise, to simply punctuation - then you might also imagine that the English are contrarily at the same time both the rudest and the politest people in the world. And as it happens, both assumptions are equally true."

This could not be any clearer!

R

Dream Theatre Live at the Hammersmith Apollo

2005-10-30T11:19:00.000Z

Well I had a chance to see Dream Theater on their Octavarium tour last week. They were in town celebrating the band 20 year anniversary. I actually did not know that they had been around for that long. The show was fantastic. They are like a modern day version of the bank Rush or Yes. Highly technical players. And every member of the band is amazing. The guitar player (John Petrucci) needs no introduction. He is basically a guitar god. The Bass player (John Myung) is phenominal. I read somewhere where someone said "I have never seen anyone practice as heard as him ". The drummer (Mike Portnoy) has a drum kit that dwarfed that of Neil Pert from the bank Rush. The keyboard player (Jordan Rudess) was on fire all night. And of course the singer (James LaBrie) hit every note perfectly.

The show was impressive in that they pulled off every song without a hitch. They played two sets. During intermeission you could hear an acoustic version of Erotomania playing over the sound system. It playing quietly in the background. Very suttle, sneaky and cool. If you have ever heard Erotomania, its difficult to thing what an acoustic version would sound like. I am not sure this has ever been released to the public.

R

Weekend in Stockholm (Sweden)

2005-10-23T23:05:00.000+01:00

So for B's birthday, we jetted off to Stockholm Sweden. We had been looking forward to this trip for some as it involved visiting old friends of mine. I studied a year of my undergraduate degree in Sweden. As such, I have a few friends I have been dying to see for some time.

The first night we arrived at the central station and were picked up by my friend Lisa. She took us to our hotel, which she recommended to us. And I now recommend to you. It’s called The Lady Hamilton (http://www.lady-hamilton.se/). It’s in the heart of the old town in Stockholm (Gamla Stan- http://www.photo.net/sweden/stockholm/gamlastan). It effectively a hotel which sports antiques from the era of Lord Nelson. The hotel itself is pricey but we thoroughly enjoyed it. And considering we flew return for £8 pound each (I think it was £45 return in total for both of us with tax), we had some extra room for swank! The hotel is ideally situated and our room was amazing.

We then went out for dinner with Lisa. We found this great little restaurant which served Swedish reindeer. I ordered it immediately. It was a super night. Brandy had never met Lisa and this was a great night to do so. We finished off with coffees and then walked back to the hotel.

I had another friend I was looking to see (Anni). Anni was the reason I ended up in Sweden in the first place. She was a Swedish exchange student I befriended while in University in Canada. She encouraged me to go on my exchange program and ultimately is responsible for me ending up in Sweden. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with her as well. I received a message at the hotel saying to call her to confirm we could make it for dinner the next night. We spoke briefly on the phone. She then informed me that she had two children. Now I was excited. We were going to see them when we came over the next night. The next day we shopped all day and I tried to practice my Swedish. Then night fell upon us and we jumped on the subway and rode out on the Green line until we reached the stop called "Angbyplan". We then walked out front, called Annie and then awaited our pick-up. I was really excited. I said to B, "If she shows up in a Volvo station wagon I will die". Well, close enough, she showed up in a Volvo 4X4 (like a RAV 4). She pulled up in front of the curb, jumped out, gave me a hug, and simultaneously hugged Brandy and was introduced to her by me. Anni then looked at me and said, I brought my kids, they are in the back of the car! I ran over to the car and in the back of her little SUV were too little blonde smiling Swedish kidlets. There was 4 year old Lina and 2 year old Henrik. We hopped in and rode up to her house about 10 minutes away. We then met her husband (who I had met 11 years ago when they were dating). We then sat up, drank, ate and told jungle stories all night long. A truly amazing night. We then hopped into a cab and went home as my little prego began to yawn.

The next night, we were invited over to Lisa's for dinner. We hopped the subway and took the Red line south. Lisa had sent us instructions to the hotel so we used them like a treasure trail map. We knocked on here door and heard little pitter patter feet race to the door. The door opened, and a little blond kidlet answered. This was Lisa'a daughter Klara. I had not yet met Lisa'a husband or daughter so we were equally excited about this dinner too. Lisa had just returned from New York. She had been working for the United Nations. She packed up her little girl and husband and relocated to Manhatten a few year back. They just decided to have another baby and thought it would make sense to come back to Sweden to do so. Lisa had promised to cook us a Swedish meal. And that she did. We had potatoes, pickled herring, meatballs, cheese, Kalles caviar, and the best artichoke we have ever had. She then finished off a desert of ice-cream, chocolate and meringue! Yum. We then sat around the table and talked about just about everything. Lisa and I then wrote my grandma a post card. Lisa had met my grandmother years ago and has kept in touch over the years. So we thought it only right to jointed write her a post card. My prego began to yawn and this was our signal to get her home to bed. We arrived home and I was not yet tired. So I dropped her off and for a little walk around the corner of our hotel where there was an Irish pub. There was a live band in the cellar playing blues. So I ordered a few beers and sat and watched the band the rest of their set. Then I made my way down the picturesque cobblestone back up the winding path to the hotel.

When we were at Anni's Brandy fell in love with some of the artwork in the house. Anni had work by Joseph Frank (http://www.birgerjarl.se/eng/svenskt_tenn.html). As my mom sent B some money for her birthday, we went off to buy some Josef Frank artwork. So we stumbled upon a store on Strandvagen called Svenskt Tenn (http://www.svenskttenn.se/). And low and behold they had his artwork in textiles. So B bought some pillow cases with pillows, and some other small items. And then I had to carry them for the rest of the day!

Then we were off for our day of trains planes and subways. The flight itself is only 1.5 - 2.00 hours back to London. But the travel from hotel to our door step was about 6.0 hours. These weekend trips are great but the travel to and from the airports is the killer. We arrived home, B crashed, and I started writing on the blog.

Good Night.

P.S. B says she can feel something lightly tapping inside here stomach. She said that she is not sure if its nerves or early signs of kicking. We will keep you informed.

R

Steve Vai Live at the Hammersmith Apollo

2005-10-20T00:13:00.000+01:00

I saw Steve Vai tonight. His band was playing at the Hammersmith Apollo. He played od goodies from his solo albums. He had Billy Sheehan (ex bassist from David Lee Roth) playing with him and Tony McAlpine (ex metal guitarist). The guy is amazing. He told a story about Frank Zappa (Steve Vai used to play with Zappa in the 80's). Apparently Frank was on a talk show on night. The talk show host was a bit of shit disturber and thought he would take a shot at Frank. This particular host had a wooden leg as well. When Frank sat down, the host says:

"With that much hair, that oughta make you a women."

Without missing a beat, Frank replied:

"With that wooden leg, that oughta make you a table...."

Brilliant!

R

Planet London: In Search of Space

2005-10-17T23:17:00.000+01:00

Some days can really test your patience in a large city like London. The population density does funny things to people. You spend a lot of time just trying to retain control of the one thing you do not have - space. It starts in the morning as you walk to the train station. People blow by you and give you the elbow just to let you know that they are in a hurry. Then you race to the platform which is already full of people.

The platforms are like sinks. The analogy is as follows: Sinks fill up with water and the drain taketh away. Platforms fill up with people and the trains taketh away. If the drain doesn't work you have water all over the floor. If trains are late, you really bitchy people and crammed platforms. So you enter the crammed platfor and then fight your way onto the train. Then, you have to deal with all the people you want to get off the train. And this is where they get irrational. It doesn't matter that you are closer to the door. People will actually say "Excuse Me" with absolutley any comprehension that they cannot go anywhere as you are both already kissing the door.

Then you get off at the platform and race down to the Tube (subway). And if you are really lucky you get to ride the Northern Line - one of London's oldest lines. It even has its own weather system - hot, muggy, sweaty, gross, and grimy. So you are already wound up, bitchy, and your deodorant has breached the safe zone. You end up at work looking like you just wrestled in a Battle Royal wrestling match.

But the bitchiness doesn't just exist on public transporation. We went for a walk in the park on the weekend. A runner who was running towards me tried to dodge me and we went back and fourth trying to get out of each others way unsuccessfully. She sneered at me and rolled her eyes and sighed as she ran around me. B yelled at her! Then we went to bakery where you had to fight your way into line and hope that no-one would bud - and they do. And the best part is that they assume that you will not say anything. Because thats what Brits do, they don't say anything (most of them). Or they assume that because its a big city that they will not see you again so no loss.
Or its part of the moral code of not saying anything impolite but that does not always extend to non-verbal queues.

So yeah, thats the downside of living in city like London. The endless search for your space, while trying to cope with everyone else's shortage of it, can make you a little mental.

R

Happy Anniversary

2005-10-11T22:09:00.000+01:00

B and I celebrated our nuptials tonight at a little French restuarant down the street. We went there last year as well. We had our escargot, duck/pork and garlic potatoes and carb overloaded peasant dishes! And then washed it down with Merlot and finished it off with rich vanilla ice cream and chocolote sauce. I barely made it home. B collpased the minute we entered the house. My MSN messenger started flashing as B's mom was wishing us a Happy Anniversary. B's been feeling better the last few days which is good. Hope you all are dong well. We are looking to start posting our videos on-line soon. Will keep you all informed.

B announced she wanted to have the baby at home today. Apparnetly you can do that here. Stay tuned........

R

Some Days Your the Bird, Other Days Your the WindShield

2005-10-08T00:28:00.000+01:00

So I was sitting having a coffee today in Borough Market and I felt something fall onto my back. Then it felt warm. I was sitting next to a coffee shop. My first reaction was that someone had thrown warm coffee grinds out the window and it hit my shirt. But oh no. This was nothing more than good old fashion bird shit. Thats right. Wet, warm, green oozing bird sheet. You see, I had the day off, I thought I would relax, drink coffee, hang out. The bird shit on my back was not actually part of the agenda. The best part was that it looked so gross that I had to put my jacket on to cover it up. Then I went looking for a clothing shop so that I could buy a t-shirt. Not a shop in sight. I had to go all the way home, so I could go to a shop near our flat. I bought a shirt and wore it out right out of the store. I felt better and went for another coffee - in doors!

Then I waited for B to get home and we went out for Thai Food! Yum.

R

B's Visit to the Mid-Wife

2005-10-05T22:01:00.000+01:00

B had her visit with the Mid Wife today. It was essentially a meeting to discuss the details surrounding the birth of Baby K. They had to iron issues like, where does R get to sit during the event (at pub, at hospital etc)? Who gets to announce sex of baby (Doctor, or bartender at pub on phone with Doctor while serving R)? Does she want to be lying down, standing up, in water or in the pub?

In all seriousness, from her account it was a rushed meeting where they made her fill out paper work and asked some key questions. Overall it went well. Next ultrasound is end of November. A colleague of mine at work today told me that in France they give expecting mothers ultra-sounds every month. B would live that! B's boss has been refering to Baby K as "The Passenger". Another boss called her fatso, "Hey Fatso". I almost fell of the couch laughing when she told me that. She has been pretty sick the last few days.

I think she may actually have the flu on top of the regular prego sickness. Hope she gets better soon. She has been bed-bound for some time. We had tickets to go see Billy Elliot (theatre) the other night and we had to cancel. We have a busy months coming up. We have our anniversary, a birthday, a trip to Sweden, and another friend coming to visit from back home (Deborah). Deborah and me may be at the pub if the yawning prego can't stay up later than 8:00pm!

R

Privacy..............Be Gone!

2005-10-02T21:41:00.000+01:00

I have been hearing alot about privacy issues regarding Google for some time now. So when my mother-in-law came to town and downloaded the Goolge Tool Bar in my browser (without my knowledge!) I got all squirly on her. Here is a link to a website that covers the issues that many have with Google and their tool bar, their Gmail and their general industry practices.

http://www.google-watch.org/

Scary stuff!

R

Made in England....................

2005-09-30T19:12:00.000+01:00

B and R just wanted to announce that they have to make room for a new flat mate in their London flat. Baby K can now offically be talked about. B is offically 13 weeks prego. We have been holding on to the news for some time. Uh about 13 weeks. We finally had the scan (ultra-sound) today and could not wait to share the news. Due date is expected around April 17th. Will keep you all updated on the condition of mom and child.

We were able to see the baby's heart beat and circultion in the scan. As you can tell from the pics, the kid has his/her legs up high and is currently just hanging out.

We are going out tonight to celebrate offically. I can hear B yapping to someone on the phone thinking she is getting pizza. Nope. The kid and I are getting a curry!

Bye for now.

R

New Book

2005-09-19T22:53:00.000+01:00

I bought this book on the weekend. Its the history of Curry. Each chapter is based on a different curry. Each chapter provides a lengthy history of the regions where the curry originated and then also provides a recipie or two.

1) Chicken Masala
2) Biryani
3) Vindaloo
4) Korma
5) Madras Curry
6) Curry Powder
7) Cold Meat
8) Chai
9) Curry and Chips
10) Curry Travels the World

Couldn't resist. Not so much a cook book but a history book with Foody undertones. See the link for snippet on the book!

R

Back Home

2005-09-10T22:04:00.000+01:00

We are back at home now from Turkey. The trip was great and will never forget it. We picked up some little gifts to remind ourselves of this fantastic holiday.

R

Leavıng Kaş

2005-09-09T15:18:00.000+01:00

B and I are spendıng our last day here ın Kaş. We are both very sad to be leavıng. We actually do not want to leave. I haven't had that feelıng ın long tıme. We may even try to come back next summer. In fact, I thınk I would even just take a job ın a restaurant here and work for the summer. Ah..... maybe I wıll just buy the restaurant and own ıt ınstead............

Anybody who ıs readıng thıs blog should take our advıce and come to Kaş. Truly amazıng. And remember to stay at the Begonvıl hotel. Wıll be back ın London tomorrow mornıng at 6:00AM.

We hope everyone ıs well and thınk about you all often.

R

In Kaş (Part 2)

2005-09-08T13:11:00.000+01:00

OK. I spent an hour thıs mornıng tryıng to wrıte thıs story. Then the computer crashed and I lost the entıre story. So here ıs round two:

.....we left Çhalış beach (Fethiye) yesterday. Our hotel's manager asked her brother to drıve us to Kaş. It ıs about 1.5 hours away. Rodney (not hıs real name, but name he uses wıth engısh tourısts - real name Rejap), toured us through the Turkısh seasıde/mountaıns. He provıded commentary about the regıon and how each area was unıque based on the agrıcultural products they sold.

The seasıde was tourquoıse blue and the temperature hıgh (35C+). We stopped several tımes to see the many fıelds (tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes, cotton and watermelons). There were many roadsıde restaurants. They dotted the entıre hıghway all the way to Kaş. Most of the lıttle restaurants are nothıng more than tables under canopıes wıth lıttle makeshıft ovens and freezers for food and drınk. These lıttle restaurants have a unquıre feature. They all off a water servıce for cars pullıng ın from the hıghway. They have these bıg ırrıgatıon tubes about 6 ınches ın dıameter whıch hang about 6 feet off the ground. They pour water onto the ground underneath. The ıdea beıng, that you and your hot car drıve off the hıghway and under the stream of water. It's almost lıke a mını car wash. Except the ıdea beıng to cool the car down on hot summer days. I taped our epısode as we drove under the stream of water.

We arrıved ın Kaş and hıt the beach ınstantly. Thıs town ıs very dıfferent than Çhalış. It buılt ınto the hılls and very pıcturesque. And the best part ıs that the prıces are about one half to one thırd of last town. I thınk thıs ıs becuase Çhalış ıs prıced for Brıtısh tourısts (£). Here there are Turks and Germans. As such, our pounds go further here.

We went for dınner last nıght and spoke Turkısh wıth our waıter. He commended B on her Turkısh. We have been very dılıgent about not speakıng Englısh ıf at all possıble. We have lıved out of our phrase book for 6 full days.

B ıs lookıng pretty tanned. She has not had make-up on the whole tıme we have been here. She has a nıce tanned brown/red hue to her. She has been prancıng around town wıth her summer dresses, sun hat, and ostentatıous sun glasses (looks part ıtalıan, part Brıt!).

Our hotel ıs very nıce. When we arrıved they had pıcked pınk flower pedals from teh vınes outsıde our balcony and put them all over the bed. In whıte room wıth bleach whıte accessorıes, ıt looked nıce. B was very happy. She just layed down on the bed on the flowers and sıghed. There are lemon/lıme trees growıng outsıde of our balcony. We passed a pomegranıte (sp?) tree on the way ınto the market as well.

The heat here ıs overwhlemıng. My shırt ıs lıke a bıg wet salt rag. I am lıterally meltıng as we speak. The keyboard ıs wet from my hands and the smoke from the kıd workıng the cafe (sıttıng next to me) ıs stıngıng ın my eyes. Everyone smokes here (chaın smokıng actually). He ıs askıng me alot of questıons about englısh grammar as I am wrıtıng. "how you say........prınter........engeleez"? "I runnıng, he runnıng they runs.......?" And I am doıng the exact same wıth hım ın Turkısh. He wıll send an emaıl descrıbıng my questıons to hıs frıends after I leave the cafe!

We may just hang out ın the aır condıtıoned room from 5-7pm tonıght and then go out tonıght. The market square comes alıve after 7pm when the sun goes down. A cool breeze blows ınto town and the shade ıs very welcome. Only sılly tourısts stay ın the sun all day. The locals don't necessary sıesta lıke the spanısh or ıtalıens. They just stay ın the shade. Thıs can be under a tree or behınd a buıldıng or under an umbrella. We are just startınga to apprecıate WHY.

We arrıve back ın London at 6:00AM on Saturday mornıng. Yıkes! Long nıght ahead of us. Wıll have to keep lady B entertaıned all nıght long. Then I am off to Manchester Sunday nıght for a Monday mornıng work meetıng.

Later and wıll post some pıcs when we get home.

Cheers!

Check out the prevous post for a vıew of the town of Kaş.

R

We are ın Kaş

2005-09-08T10:17:00.000+01:00

I just spent the last hour wrıtıng an message about our stay ın Kaş. I then lost then entıre pıece! We are here, very happy and leavıng Saturday mornıng at 3:00AM. Wıll try to post agaın.

The lınk shows pıctures of Kaş. Our hotel ıs: www.hotelbegonvıl.com

R

Turkish Boats and Turkish Shaves

2005-09-06T16:05:00.000+01:00

So we are doıng well here today at 35C. We have been havıng a lot of fun. The other day, I left B on the beach and went ınto town to a fısh market. In thıs market they let you pick the fısh you want from a bıg market stand and then you pay for ıt, ıts cooked, and they brıng ıt too you at a table ın a square. I don't even know what kınd of fısh ıt was but ıt was probably the best piece of fısh I have ever had. While there,I met a Britısh women who has lıved ın the small town for 17 years. She gave me some tıps on what to do. She came here for a holiday she had booked for her and her husband. He died rıght before the trıp, and she decıded to stıll come by herself. She arrıved, stayed for a few weeks and then decıded to stay permanently.

The next day we booked a boat to tour the 12 islands off the coast. Lady B read a book all day as the boat smashed through the waves. I ran back and for from stern to bow takıng pıctures and movıes. They served us dinner and stopped frequently for swım breaks near the shores of the many islands. The water was crystal blue and very warm. Both B and I swam. It was a full day and only £10 each. We then arrıved back at the dock and I went for a proper Turkısh shave. I have never been to a barber for a shave. I was one of the must-do thıngs before you dıe. They lathered me up probably 4 separate tımes. When ıt fınıshed, they lıt a lıtte Q-tıp (flamıng Q-tıp), and sporadıcally touched ıt too my face. Just watching was dramatic enough! Then we came home and ate dınner at a nearby restuarant.

Tomorrow we leave for Kaş.

Take Care!

The link shows the beach we are staying on.

R

Turkey Day 2

2005-09-04T10:53:00.000+01:00

Well I didn't put sun screen on my full body yesterday and am offically a rock Lobster! We went into the market last night for dinner. We took a little bus they call a Domus (prounced Dolmoosh)The restuarant we went to has this dish which is a clay pot filled with meat and potatoes and they cook it and bring it to the table, break it with a hammer, and let you eat from there!

We hung out in the market and then left as B was getting tired. We arrived home at about 9:00pm. B went to bed and I went to one of the many bars that line the beach and had a Raki (locorice liquere served with water) and watched the football match between Turkey and Denmark. In the midst of the match at the Turkish guys were slagging the Danish team. One guys looked at me and said "I hope you are not from Denmark."

Gotta go. Lady B is currently eating grapes and plums on the beach under an umbrella. I think I can hear her ringing her bell........

R

Holiday in Turkey!

2005-09-03T13:16:00.000+01:00

We are in Turkey! Well we have been on the beach all day today. We are currently just outside a town called Fethiye. It must be at least 30C out. When we arrived last n1ght (3:00AM th1s morning) we could hear something outside our patio window. Like a crashing sound. We guessed it was likely the water. But becuase it was dark out we could not see what it was. When we awoke this morning, I looked out the window. Our Hotel 1s right on the ocean front. It literally 50 meters from the water. We have spent the whole day eating fruit, swimming, and sleepping on the beach. The water is amazing. Will l1kely do a boat tour of the islands tomorrow and go and see the ruins. The heat is overwhelming. I th1nk it was 40C here yesterday. Thankfully we have a room with AC! Later for now.

R

New Toy

2005-09-01T21:42:00.000+01:00

Just picked the coolest little guitar effects processor the other day. It's this little handheld unit that I plug my guitar into and it is loaded with multiple special effects. I then plug headphones into it and I can walk around the house and play the guitar and hear it all in the headphones. What's even cooler, is that it also has a multi track recording studio built into it as well. May try to do some recording and see if I can post the tracks on the blog.

This is clearly the coolest guitar toy I have ever purchased!

R

P.S. Check the link below to see the unit.

The beauty of the pub................

2005-08-24T22:13:00.000+01:00

"...The rules of pub arguments also reflect the principles enshrined in what might be called the 'unwritten constitution' governing all social interaction in this special environment. The pub constitution prescribes equality, recipocity, the pursuit of intimacy and a tacit non-agression pact. Students of human relations will recognise these principles as being among the foudations of all social bonding - and it seems that social bonding is indeed the underlying purpose of the pub argument."

Kate Fox (page 102, "Watching the English")

Top Ten Best/Worst Moments in London

2005-08-21T15:03:00.000+01:00

Top Ten Best Moments in London

1. Hearing Shirley Manson (lead singer of the band Garbage) sing Happy Birthday to her Dad - who was in the audience - at their live show at the Brixton Academy.

2. Touring the all the guitar shops off Tottenham Court Road near Leicester Square.

3. Finding yet another type of Bitter (beer) that I like.

4. Having BBQs in our Turkish neighbor garden (backyard).

5. Knowing that we can go to Paris Friday night after work on a high speed train and know we can arrive back Monday morning at 9:00AM and continue on to work.

6. Choosing ethnic restaurants on our street by closing my eyes, spinning myself into a random circles and deciding by saying Eenie Meenie Minee……..Indian Food!

7. Calculating my pound salary in Canadian Dollars, taking pictures of our flat with a wide-angle lens, and telling jungle stories to friends back home suggesting that I regularly partied with Bono from U2 in nightclubs in Berlin!

8. Getting up early on Sunday mornings buying: fresh croissants and cappuccino from Misen Place, and newspapers from the local newsstand, with the intension of doing nothing at all, all day long!

9. Coming home after work to see our newly arrived guests who are in town visiting for a few short weeks.

10. Calling everybody I know at midnight London time (afternoon Canada time), and expecting them to engage with me in my beer laden undertones – even if they are: breast feeding, working, sleeping, or simply not interested in talking to me because I called the night before or even better yet because I slipped a digit on the phone keypad and have accidentally called Boston.

Top Ten Worst Moments in London

1. Realizing that I could not calculate my pound salary in Canadian dollars as I was unemployed, realizing my flat was not as big as it seemed through my wide-angle lens, and realizing Bono stopped hanging out in Berlin nightclubs after U2 recorded Achtung Baby!

2. Dealing with London Headhunters.

3. Dealing with London Letting Agencies

4. Dealing with the humidity while commuting in a suite an hour in each direction.

5. Going a month without internet after it was transferred properly by the internet provider (BT).

6. Finding a black mouse in or first flat and having to listen to him and his family behind our fridge!

7. Buying a new umbrella at least once a week due to the fact that I keep forgetting it at home.

8. Realizing that although London is a major metropolis, a lot of shops are closed on Sundays.

9. Having to become the computer expert due to the fact that we now rely heavily on our PC (tv, stereo, pictures, email, movies, news, games).

10. Bombs on trains.

Pubbing with Me Aunt and Rolling Over Our Work Visas

2005-08-20T09:41:00.000+01:00

Woke up with a bit of a hang over this morning. Took my aunt down to the pub last night. Its about 100 steps out our front door (Depending on you ability to count). I have been trying to break into the crowd, but as their all locals, I have some work to do before I get my pewter mug. We sat and drank a bitter beer (called London Pride) an sat with the pub owner's dog. It's this big black lab that meanders through the pub like he owns it (he sort of does via his owner). Anyways we stayed and had a few drinks and talked about old times. Then we came home and I threw a Wood Allen movie in (Love and Death) and drank one last beer and called my mom. We are taking my Aunt to Camden market today. She leaves tomorrow.

On another note, B and I were also able to roll our UK work visas over. The originals expired in August. They extended our leave to 2007.

Later All

R

Happy Belated Bithday Tiffany!!!!!!

2005-08-18T22:50:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the late birthday wish Tiffany. Will send you a home movie soon!!!!!!

R

Hot Summer Nights (again)

2005-08-18T22:04:00.000+01:00

Its a smoke tonight. My aunt has been staying with us and she has been in the room on teh main floor. We have been luck so far as it as not been hot. We had been sleeping in that room during the heat wave a few weeks back. When my aunt arrived, the weather settled down and we went back up to our regular room. However, tonight the heat is back and we are sleeping up in the oven. Currently have two fans making marginal contributions to our enjoyment of sleep. I have had beads of sweat on my forward all day. The ride on the tube tonight from work was to say the least - gross. I may have to start carry a handkerchief to wipe my face off.

We say the movie Crash tonight. Holy intense. Probably one of the most intense movies I have seen yet. Kept the heart racing.

Just caught a reflection of myself in the window. I look like a sweaty rock star. Might even jump up and do the windmill strum of the air guitar to give the look some legitimacy. Ooops - neigbour's watching......Later.

R

Stratford Upon Avon

2005-08-11T16:12:00.000+01:00

We went to Statford Upon Avon this weekend (home of Shakespear). Toured the Cotswalds and sent to Stow - a little town which has the UK's oldes pub (900 AD). We then toured across the country side and went back into town. We caught some live theatre (Shakespear of course), and ate like royalty! We stayed in a little cozy B&B about a 15 minutes walk from town centre.

R

Me Wife just took the Wrong Train!

2005-08-10T18:14:00.000+01:00

Just got a call from me wife telling me she caught the wrong train and that it is not stopping for another 40 minutes. She is currently sailing through the English country side pissed off and completely unable to turn around and come back. I promised to have dinner waiting for her when she arrives in 80 min (40 min * 2) - if she is lucky : (

R

Talk for free on Skype

2005-08-08T19:57:00.000+01:00

Hey all, we just found this softare that lets you talk for free on your computer. Goto the website: http://www.skype.com/

Get a head set and give us a call!

R

Liesl and Jim are getting Married Today!!!!!

2005-08-06T10:28:00.000+01:00

Liesl and Jim - Congratulations on your wedding day!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish we could be there. We are with you in spirit!

R&B

Aunt in Town Visiting

2005-08-06T10:23:00.000+01:00

So my aunt is in town this weeking visiting. We are talking her off to Burough Market today. We will show here the little vendour who makes the worlds best raclette dish. He fries potatoes with onions, and the shaves melted racletted cheese on them just when its right to do so. You then go in sit on the curve near the pub across the street and enjoy! They also sell various types of food and are famous for their chorizo saugase sandwiches. Can't wait.

I took her on a walking tour of London last night. We did the Haunted London tour for £5 each. We followed our ghouly guide in an around the back alleys of central london. Good times. We end the night off by eating at a little italian restaurant near our house with a bottle of red wine. Nice end to a night!

R

B's top 10 favourite books

2005-08-03T21:56:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone --

I was suddenly inspired to jot down my top 10 favourite books. We're always reading about what celebrities favourite things are so I thought I'd start adding my thoughts. These are the books that have made a lasting impression on me -- probably the only books that I would read twice. These are the books that if I was ever stranded I would be quite content if I had them with me...

1. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies (I often say to people that I love this book so much I could eat it. Whenever the main character Dunny would appear in some other books of Robertson Davies and I would always get a big smile of endearment)

2. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (this book took me three tries to get into it but once I did, oh my)

3. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant -- (I loved it the first time and I definitely need to read it again cause it came and went so fast -- I need to savour it once again)

4. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (I don't know why but this is my favourite Margaret Atwood book - I just loved the characters)

5. The Republic of Love by Carol Shields (Again probably an unusual choice for a favourite from Carol Shields but I loved the love story)

6. She's come undone by Wally Lamb (After I read this I was desperate to read a book just like it. I wanted it to be replicated but alas I've never been able to find the same kind of book - I think it was the only Oprah book that I liked -- the rest were so depressing)

7. I capture the castle by Dodie Smith (A very recent addition -- if you haven't read this yet - READ IT)

8. Ten Thousand Lovers by Edeet Ravel (set in Israel in the 1970's it gave me a small but intense perspective of what it would have been like to live there during this time... lovely)

9. Return to Love by Marianne Williamson (a non-fiction 'self-help' book that really did change my life. I read this in December 2000. Most people know the story that after I read this book I changed my thinking to choose love instead of fear. I surrounded myself in love -- romantic books, movies, songs, hearts everwhere, pink sheets etc. I told my mom that I was going to fall in love that year (in 2001). And sure enough I met R on Valentine's Day no less -- the day of love. I always return to this book when I need a reminder to choose love)

10. REBAR cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz (what can I say -- out of my many, many cookbooks this one if my absolute favourite. My goal is to cook everything in it eventually. It's my 'if I lived on a deserted island' cookbook. The recipes take a while but boy are they worth it)

okay I had to add one more

11. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (my absolute favourite kids book. Everytime I have turkish delight I think of this book. I remember forcing my brother to listen while I read the book aloud to him... he didn't, what a shame)

Well that's it for now. You never know it might change throughout the years. But these are the ones I still think about. I'd love to hear your favourite books - send me a list.

Love B (the booklover)

Castle in Edinburgh

2005-08-01T22:32:00.000+01:00

Check out the castle in Edinburgh.

This was the castle we spen most of our time touring around while in Scotland. The city was nice to walk through. The old city is upon the hill behind the castle. While the new city was down below where I was taking the pictures. They festivals throughout the month of August. As we were leaving on the Sunday, they were having a jazz festival. Its a nice city to do a weekend trip to.

R

Emergency Alarms

2005-08-01T21:10:00.000+01:00

I recieved this email from our security department at work the other day:

*********************************************************
"Due to the recent terrorist activity it has been decided to sound ALL theemergency alarms tomorrow, Tuesday 26 July.

1. The first emergency sound will be the FIRE BELL (Continuous Bell). This will sound at 10am.

2. At 10:05 the second emergency sound will be the BOMB ALERT(Intermittent Klaxon).

3. At 10:10 the third sound will be the BOMB EVACUATION (Continuous Klaxon).

4. At 10:15 the final sound will be the CHEMICAL ATTACK (Siren). If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me or thefirewarden on your floor. Regards"

*********************************************************
Well I must admit it is a little confusing to know which alarm is actually ringing. They all pearce your ears like hot spike. If its a chemical attack you are supposed to go up, if a bomb or fire, you go down. And as they truly rip out the guts of your eardrum when they ring, you seem to not notice if its the Continous Klaxon or the Intermittent Klaxon or a fucking english freight train that just happend to find its way onto the third floor of my office! Its likey hiking in the woods and not knowing if the bear bells you are wearing matter as you cannot remember which bear shits them (Black Bear or Brown Bear).

Well anyways, the practice alarm went off without a hitch. Then the next day we had a real alarm. They evaculated the entire building and brought in bomb sniffer dogs right at the base of our building. We all had to march out on the lawn and meet at a safe place. Anways after about 30 minutes, we were able to go back to the office. All was well. So I then chose to evacuate my ass off to the pub and have two big Bitter beers.

Later that evening, we went out for dinner to a Turkish restaurant with three other friends. We ordered a few drinks, and a couple of appetizers. I went off the bathroom for a pee break. As I was washing my hands, the bathroom door was kicked open by an english bobby (policeman) who shouted, clear the bathroom, the entire restaurant is being evacuated. Now you have to realise that there were likely 100 people in this restuarant. They marched us all out the door, down the road to the end of the block and closed the street down. People were not allowed to clear there bills. The chefs were forced to leave the kitchen without any notice. All this was done as a suspicious package was found nearby. Nobody went back. The restaurant must have lost thousands of pounds in revenue that night. The owner was running around asking the police for information. I felt bad for her.

We decided to go home an have a BBQ with our neighbours. We approached the owner, gave her our business cards and said we would come in the next day an pay our bill. I didn't see anybody else make the same gesture. So we then went home and BBQ'd. As our neighbours are Turkish, we ate Turkish food with them and drank Turkish anisette in their back yard. What a day. All ended well!

R

Weekend in Cadiff Wales

2005-07-31T16:17:00.000+01:00

Spen the weekend in Cardiff with my aunt and B.

R

A Weekend in Edinburgh (Scotland)

2005-07-31T10:58:00.000+01:00

Well B and I took off for Edinburgh Scotland friday night. We jumped on a train at 6:30 pm and arrived very late at midnight. We were going to fly up but wanted to relax and read. The train is suppose to take about 4.5 to 5 hours. A flight is usually 3.5-4.0 hours. It was a long ride but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I drank beer, read listened to my Ipod and played Sudoku. Sudoku is similar to a crossward puzzle but it uses only numbers. Its all the rave here. Every newspaper has Sudoku puzzles in them. We spent Saturday touring around in the misty rain and thorougly enjoyed the city. Its small and very picturesque. Almost magical with the castle up on the hill. We stepped in from the rain at a scotch whiskey store. I picked up ....ah....whiskey! Later in the day we went to a lounged called the Albanach which boasts over 60 different types of scotch. I grabbed a quick one and then we headed off for dinner. Currently we are at an internet cafe. We are going to go for a walk and then scoot back to the hotel and get our things and run off to the trains station to get back to London. Just recieved my cappucino...Gotta go. Bye! R.

Hello from Edinburgh. We've had a very nice stay here -- although it was very cold and wet here yesterday but I think that just suited what we thought Scotland would be like. I am grateful that the sun is out today! Yesterday we cruised the Edinburgh Castle, walked and walked through the city, and I was the one who picked the restaurants we went too so guess what I picked -- their best known veggie restaurants. R was all ticked when we first got there but I just ignored him... haha. I love picking from an all veggie menu. And last night I actually ate Haggis -- veggie haggis that is with grapes and whiskey, with roasted veggie and peanut/mint mashed potatoes (which they called tatties). We're just about to go for a walk through the 'meadows' sounds nice. Well talk to you soon. love B

Yet another day of drama

2005-07-23T00:23:00.000+01:00

Hey! I really want to get back to the mindless sarcasim that I usally employ. But we had a mixed day today. I was off to a funeral for a work colleague today. As mentioned a few postings back, he past away on Sunday (leukimia/heart attack). When I returned from the funeral, I heard that a guy had been shot at a tube station near our house. Of course no details were given except that he was a suspect. When we left for work this morning we passed a police van parked on a side street with about 5 or 6 plain clothes cops on it. They were all wearing bullet proof vest under golf shirts. They stared at us as we were walking by. The newspaper footage of the guy who was shot showed plained clothes police carrying automatic weapons. It reminded me of the pack we saw this morning.

I was about to leave the office early today 5:00pm and as I was leaving, i could hear a warning bell outside. As I said in an earlier post, my office is located at a large train station. The warning bell indicates that they are evacuating the train station. This meant no trains again. So again I as off on foot. Found my way onto a train eventually and B and I met at a train station. As the subway was closed down all over this part of the city, we hopped into a cab and went to a movie! We zoned out for a couple of hours and then walked home. Its a nice warm nice with a comfortable breeze.

When we arrived home, our neighbours were having a BBQ in their garden (back yard). We are on the second floor. I always open our kitchen window and holler down to them to say hello. They invited us down. We spent a couple of hours with the and then came back up. Nice end to the day. Good neighbours - good times.

R

Bombs Again

2005-07-21T23:15:00.000+01:00

I was out having lunch today at this little kebab shop near my work. Its in a Muslim area of town. The stree is littered with little kebab houses and curry restaurants. I go there quite a bit as one of my co-workers is Muslim and can only eat food prepared in the Halal fashion. Anyways, as he can only eat at this one place, we eat there. I was there by myself trying to wolf down a quick lunch. The restarant has about 5 tables and had about 10 people in it. The entire staff and clientelle (except for me) was East Indian, and or Pakistani. And you can assume they all eat there because of the way the food is prepared. I like the wings!

At one point, the guy in the kitchen yelled out Shhhhhhhhhh! Everyone stopped talking while he turned up the radio. The radio began to announce that three blasts had gone off. The entire restaraunt went quiet. The guy sitting next me (East Indian) sighed and said "I can't handle this anymore". Other ran out and started calling people on their mobiles. Then people started coming into the restaruant with updates. I then tried Brandy on my mobile phone and to no surprise the mobile network was down. So then I decied to text her on my phone and once again am struggling trying to send a message. I painstakingly wrote:

"I am ok - bomb" [not exactly a calming message]

Shortly after she rang and we talked. She was fine and calm.

As the restaurant is in muslim neighourhood, a lot of locals come by to simply talk. Its like a little community coffee shop. Everyone had a different story. You have to remember to that the stories you hear real time on the street can often be exaggerated or inflated or not detailed etc. Its not like a news story where (you would think) they had checked their facts. So it takes some time to piece it all together. One of the guys in the kitchen had said his wife was coming up from Hackney as she was picking up thier little boy from school. Then moments later we heard that there was an explosion on bus coming up from Hackney. He was noticably stressed. As I left the restaurant, the guys in the kitchen shouted out, "Stay safe mate".

As it turned out, there were not any fatalities. The train lines were closed so I and about 3,000 people walked all the way to Waterloo and picked up Brandy from the hairdressers.

This bomb thing is starting to smell kinda funny. The stories/motives are not adding up. The token response is "its not supposed to add up - these people are crazy". Perhaps plausible but also convenient. Everyday in the press earlier statements by authorites are rebutted. First the bombs are professionally made, then they are homemade with a link to a chemist to Egypt. Then the guy in Egypt is not a suspect, then pictures of suspects that were released are retracted as they are not the right person. Then they were not suicide bombers, then they were, then they are not again but may have been tricked. Then you have one more set of blasts, and - as I hear it - it just so happens to occur on the last day before parliment closes for the entire summer prompting a late night emergecy session to quickly pass legilsation before the break. Will be interesting to see tomorrow morning what has been passed. I will bet it went through with lightening speed. Why wouldn't it. We all had to walk to home from work today in the muggy heat.

Makes you think.......

R

More bombs?

2005-07-21T22:24:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone -- There were more explosions in London today. But they were very confusing. They said they were dummy explosions with detinators - whatever that means. When I said to my colleagues what it was everyone seemed to understand except me. I guess I don't understand bomb lingo being from Canada. I'll wait to hear more news tomorrow in the newspaper to give an update of what really happened.

We went for dinner tonight to our new favourite restaurant called Ev. It's Turkish and amazing! It's under a train track close to Waterloo train station. It under three arches and surrounded by beautiful potted plants. It feels like you're in Turkey for the evening. And the food is wonderful. Any visitor that comes to see us is guaranteed a trip to Ev!

Well I'm going to look into flights for coming back to Canada for Christmas vacation. In case you didn't know we're planning to come to R's hometown (hopefully around Dec. 22 to Dec. 25) and B's hometown (Dec. 26 to Jan. 1). So we'll keep you posted on our plans. We're also planning on having some sort of get together in Calgary for our friends. love b.

The passing of a colleague

2005-07-19T22:26:00.000+01:00

Well just when I thought the drama was subsiding here, another major event took place today. A colleague of mine that I work with passed away this weekend. We had been working on a project together for the last few months. This is the project I was working on during the day of the bomb attacks. My colleaque was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with leukimia about three weeks ago. He had been in treatment and died of a heart attack last night. We found out this morning at the office. Tough day.

With regards to the project we were working on. It settled out of court last week which we viewed as major success. We were commended for a job well done today. The manging parter of our group told me and my other colleague that we could take our wives out for dinner to any one of London's finest restaurants - and the firm would pick up the tab.

Otherwise, its another cool night which means good sleeps! I cooked dinner for my gal tonight. Potatoes, cumin, garic, red onion, all covered with raclette cheese with a topping of sweet corn relish and chili flavoured mayo. It was pretty good.

We booked a trip to Scotland. Will likely visit some friends while we are there. Can't wait!

R

No Humidity Tonight!!!!!

2005-07-18T23:54:00.000+01:00

We have not been able to sleep the past few nights as the humidity has kept us wide awake. Drenched in sweat and eyes wide open listening to you heart beat ALL NIGHT LONG.........All the fans do is blow the sweath around your cheeks...bubble...bubble. Then you wonder out for a drink of water at about 2:30 AM in a delusional state. I was going t0 hang a mosquito net above the bed so that I could pretend I was on a safari. Oh how fun.

Tonight, however, there is nice wind and the temperature is managable. Can't wait to have a good night sleep.

P.S. Made an english sausage and grilled cheese sandwich the other night. To die for! I bought the cheese at a speciality cheese shop down the road. They have about 50-60 different cheeses. My goal is to try them all. Every Saturday I plant on picking up 2-3 small ones.

Good night.

R

REM Concert

2005-07-17T01:14:00.000+01:00

B and I went to the REM concert tonight at Hyde Park. Some friends of our had two extra tickets. We jumped at the opporunity to go. It was an amazing show. We went out and bought a picnic back pack and packed a massive lunch. We ate like kings/queens and watched Michael Stypes of REM jump around all night. As it was generial seating, we simply brought blankets and sat in front of 1 of the big jumbo monitors at the back of the outdoor venue. A good time was had.

R

2 Mintues of Silence

2005-07-14T20:47:00.000+01:00

London had 2 minutes of silence today. B's office ground to a halt and everyone stopped working and bowed their heads. At my office it was announced a few days back. When it happendined today, I missed it. At one point someone said, "What are all the people doing outside?" Most of the people in my firm were out in the square outside. Not my group. We were not even aware it was going on. Are you starting to see a pattern in my groups work psyche? Not that it matters. I have had plenty of time for reflection all week long.

There was some speculation a few days back that the bomber that blew up the bus had actually intended to do so on the Northern Line at Euston station. I take the Northern Line everyday to Euston station. In fact my firms building is on top of Euston Station. The reason he chose the bus was that the Northern Line was down. He switched plans and jumped on the bus. The explosion went off at 9:47 AM. I usually get to the station at about 9:30. Given all the confusion, if things had gone as planned, and I had actually been working at the office, I would have likely have been just getting off the train when he was doing his deed. As I said in an earlier post, I was at an off-site meeting. I NEVER have off site meetings.

We live in a large house with three flats in it. One of our neighbours has an apartment in France on the coast and she is there for the summer. She called last night to see if were ok given the drama. It was nice. Our other neighbours were in Paris when the blast occured. They actually called me from Paris on my mobile to make sure we were ok. We do not know a lot of people so the calls were meaningful. The neighbours that were in Paris are a young couple from Turkey. They are helping us plan our trip to Turkey in the fall. We have gone over for dinner few times. They have the garden (back yard) of the house. As such, they provide the BBQ, we provide the beer. It works out well! They are really nice.

Still quite warm here today. We have both fans going full blast. We didn't want to cook tonight because the kitchen would get even hotter than it is. We are instead eating salads, olives, pickeled herring, cheese, popsicles (ice Lollies), and beer! Yummy.

Later Gaters!

R

A hot and muggy London day

2005-07-13T19:35:00.000+01:00

It's a very hot and muggy day in London. I think the temperature is about 30 but the humidity is like a thick cloud of moisture holding me down. And as a born and raised Western Canadian, this is not my forte! To top it all off, my office's air conditioning was broken today. We had to keep talking to eachother to make sure we're still awake. Everyone was hogging the few fans available. Unfortunetley I wasn't there yesterday when the air went off so I have no fan. I just wait for people to go to meetings and then I steal their fan for an hour. We can't sleep in our upstairs bedroom during these nights because it's honestly like a sauna up there (although it might be a good way to lose some lbs). And I don't like to keep the windows open at night because they don't have screens (!!!) and you hear about burgalars climbing into open windows at night (!!!). Well I hope you're all having a nice summer (but without the humidity)! love b.

Back to Work - Back on the Trains

2005-07-12T21:55:00.000+01:00

I went back to work today. I worked from home yesterday. It was pretty unnerving on the London Underground (subway). People are pretty scared and you can sense it. Everyone is watching each other looking for just that one distuingushing feature that tells them you are carrying a bomb. Everytime someone got of the train, people would be scanning the floor where the person was standing to see if they left something behind. It's like being jammed into compartment with 50 people looking to have the same anxiety attack. It was not an easy ride. My firm sent out an email today reminding everyone that the firm through its benefits package offers counciling services. You can bet that there will be people taking them up on it. Otherwise, there is always the pub.

Went for a walk at lunch. The bus that blew up exploded right out front of my office. They have the entire area blocked with a forensic curtain. There is a church nearby that had its stairs covered in bouquets. I read some of the notes attached to the flowers. Its going to take some time getting used to this. We have to ride the trains everyday. I may just have to start putting on my IPod headphones and zone out.

Take care

R

What we experienced on July 7th in London

2005-07-10T22:18:00.000+01:00

As you all know, there was a bomb attack in London. We thought we would give you a breakdown of what happened. We both experienced it differently. So we will provide both versions of the story. Note that neither of us were hurt or harmed in any way. These stories simply highlight how we were pulled into the drama/hysteria that most of London experienced on July 7th.

R’s Version of July 7th, 2005

The bombs hit in the middle of a very challenging work period for me. I have been involved in an international arbitration case with a London law firm. My firm was hired by this law firm (who is representing the government of a third world country) to value an asset in an arbitration dispute. As the arbitration case is based on large sums of money being awarded, and it will receive a lot of press and attention, my colleagues and I have been working very long hours (12-15 hour days, weekends, cancelled holidays etc.) for the past few months to ensure that our clients (lawyers) win the case. So in the midst of this incredibly challenging work load, we have the bomb attacks. I started my day (Thursday) making my way to the lawyer’s office. There was a meeting planned where we were prepping an expert for a pre-trial meeting. It was a meeting that was to take place the next on Friday, July 8th. We had 24 hours to get our expert up to speed so that he could meet the expert from the other side of the litigation in a formal meeting. As we only had 24 hours, the intention was to use every hour wisely and not leave until the work was completed. Twelve of us showed up at the meeting. We prepped for about 2 hours (now 10:00AM) when my phone went off. I couldn’t make out who it was and decided not to answer it as we were in the middle of an important discussion which was likely going to last all day. Shortly afterwards, the lawyers in the meeting started getting phone calls on their mobile phones. They were taking the calls but it did not seem as though anything was wrong. And they did not let on to us that anything was wrong. This went on for about another 2 hours (now 12:00 noon). Then the lawyers, who were running the meeting, recommend that we split up into two groups and relocate to another location for logistical reasons and reconvene later to wrap up the day. One of the lawyers said, “We should pRably tell you all what has been going on.” At this point I thought what they were going to say was that the court case had been settled behind the scenes and we were going to be able to stop all our work. However this was not the message. He stated, “There have been several bomb blasts at or on trains in London. They are saying that there could be up to 20 fatalities.” Then he went on to say that this had happened sometime between 9-10 AM. I then decided to call my wife B to see if she knew what was going on. At this point, the LAN lines (phones), and mobile phone network went down. The mass hysteria in London generated many phone calls which the phone networks could not handle. Communications were at a standstill. I kept trying to call B on both her work phone and her mobile. Every attempt failed and I started to think that maybe this was more serious than I had originally thought. I then checked my voice mail. It turns out she had been the person that had called back at 10:00AM. She had called right after the attacks and started worrying about my whereabouts. As I was not in my office, she did not know where I was and more importantly, what train line I had traveled on to get to my current location. As London has may train stations and train lines, I could really have traveled any number of routes and been at any number of locations. One of the ways people communicate in London is via texting on their mobile phones. It’s like email on your phone. You type in a simple message and send it to you the person by dialing their number. It’s a quick way to communicate and can sometimes be an alternative to actual calls themselves. An if the phone lines are pRlematic, texting may be easier. So after receiving her voice message and concluding that I could not return the phone call due to network pRlems, I texted her: “I am ok” She responded with: “I am so relieved but still worried about what is happening” At this point I did not really know where she was. As I was texting her on her mobile, she could be anywhere (office, on a train, home etc). In the midst of this, the twelve of my colleauges started relocating to another office. We were going to continue working on the court case. This was confusing as I was starting to get the impression that most people were likely leaving work or going home given what was going on. But as we were not, I was not sure what to make of the situation. The case was important and there was a lot of money at stake. Accordingly, we had decided we would push on with work. As we were on our way to the new location, a guy out in the courtyard of the office we were in said he saw a double decker bus explode on the street. He was noticeably shaken up buy it. We listened to his story and hurried off to the other office. We decided to stop and get a coffee at a Starbucks. At this point, we were on a busy street with a lot of traffic. The entrance to the subway station was closed off – which by the way never happens. The subway system is the backbone of London. You would never close this down unless there was an emergency. I was starting to get the feeling that things were not going well at all. I then decided I should try B again. But I still could not get through to her by phone. At this point I texted her again: “Stay calm. Will call Where are u” She responded: “im in my office i miss u” I could tell she was scared. But still was not sure about her situation. Was she alone? Was there a blast near her office? Was she in shock? At this point one of us received a call from my firm’s office saying that the bus that had exploded did so, right in front of our office. They were not letting any of our co-workers out of the office for safety reasons. They were advising that everyone in the building draw their blinds to minimize the risk of glass being blown into the building if another bomb went off. So I was now assuming that B must still be in her office for the same safety reasons. The pRlem with texting on a mobile phone is that it takes a long time to type the message so you rarely can ask detailed questions and rarely get detailed answers. We then made it to the new office and believe or not got stuck in an elevator. Luckily the fire department was nearby and four fire fighters got us out of the elevator. From here we made our way up to the floor we were supposed to be working. At this point I was thinking, should we be working at all? The staff in the building we were in had all gone home. They had decided that they did no want to be there. So we were going to continue working yet everyone else was going home. This office had live internet connections and a TV. We then started to see the reality of what had happened as Tony Blair had given his speech and pictures of the bomb blasts were being shown. Phone lines were still down. I then received another text message from B: “whats your moms #? ill call her” At this point the phone lines started to clear up. Then the firm we were in starting getting bombarded with calls. People relatives wanted to know where they were. The firms international offices were calling to see what was going on. At this point (3:00pm London time), the people back home (Canada/USA) were just waking up. North America was waking up to the news. I then was able to use someone else’s email at this firm’s office and send a proper email to B. My colleagues and I then had to meet up again with the rest of the group at a hotel to finish off the work. We talked for a bit and then all decided that we should pRably go home. I took one of the few train lines that was still running and went home. When I arrived, B was still really panicked. She had mentioned that she had sent out emails to everyone. I decided to shoot a quick digital video and send off another email letting everyone know we were ok. My day was different then B’s. I had been isolated for most of the day when the news broke. I really did not know what was going on until early afternoon but was still really unsure of what was happening. Being kept in the dark meant that I was not exposed to the mass hysteria that most people experienced directly or indirectly. B on the other hand, had been informed all morning and had more reason to be upset.

B’s version of July 7, 2005

I got to work at about 8:15 a.m. on Thursday July 7, 2005 no pRlems. At about 9 a.m. we started getting calls from coworkers saying that they were having pRlems getting into work because pRlems with transportation. People started coming into work late complaining about the tube saying that everything was backed up. I started to hear mumblings about an explosion at one of the tube stations. Supposedly it was a power surge and that’s why the transportation was all backed up. We heard that there were some injuries. Everyone punched in http://www.bbc.co.uk/ to see what was happening. There wasn’t much news – just that there had been a couple of explosions on different tubes and they still thought it was a power surge. Something didn’t seem quite right. People in the office were starting to look worried. Right away I started to worry about R. He had gone to a meeting this morning and I wasn’t sure where the meeting was. Normally I would ask him what tube station he was heading to but since he left so early this morning I forgot to ask. I called his mobile but I just got his voice mail. I kept calling but just got his voice mail. About this time we heard there was a bus explosion too. Now everyone knew that something was very wrong. BBC started to report possible terrorist bombs. The mood in the office was very strange. We were supposed to be working but how could we? Many of us were starting to call our friends and family in London. I called R’s work but they had no idea where he was. They didn’t even know he had a meeting off site so I knew I wasn’t going to get any information from them. By this time people were starting to get really panicked. Everyone was tuned into websites and radios trying to find more information. We hooked up the TV at work to watch the incoming news. At about 11 a.m., our director said a few words to our team. He told us that the safest place to be right now is in the office building. He said our impulse might be to go home but we really shouldn’t be on the streets right now. But he did say we were free to go home if we wanted. I was really starting to panic. There were a couple of us in the office that couldn’t get a hold of our spouses. We didn’t know where they were and we didn’t know if the bombs were going to stop. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes. I was just sick to my stomach with worry. I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I just wanted to talk to R and make sure he was ok. I tried to keep calling but now all the mobile phone networks were down. And we couldn’t make phone calls from our land lines. It was impossible to communicate with the outside world. Now it was official – there were terrorist bombings happen across London and there were numerous casualties and two confirmed deaths. We kept watching the television, and checking the website to see if there was any new information. We started to hear about more bombings – but they must have been false alarms. Everyone was starting to worry about how they were getting home. And trust me, this is the time where you want to be home. There was an announcement over the building intercom telling people that the police had advised that no one leaves the building. People continued to worry. You start thinking about how am I going to eat, am I going to have to sleep here tonight, am I going to see R tonight. I finally heard from R at about noon. I got a message on my mobile saying that he was ok. I had tears in my eyes from the relief. I hadn’t heard from R for three hours. The worst three hours of my life. We still couldn’t connect on the phone but over the next few hours we could squeeze text emails through on our mobiles and he could get the odd voice mail through to me. But we still hadn’t talked on the phone. But I was still worried about what was going on in the city and whether it was going to stop. I was also very sad for the people who had not been so lucky. Although we didn’t know the full effect of how bad it really was yet. I sent out an email to all our friends and family to let them know we were ok. My fellow Canadian colleague had a got a call from her mom in Toronto crying with relief when she talked to her. I thought it was better if I reached everyone before they woke up to the news telling them about the bombings. The day continued at a slow pace. At about 3 p.m. people started leaving because they didn’t know how long it would take for them to get home. I left at about five with my fellow Canadian friend. There were so many people walking along the river. The mood was very somber. I was going to walk all the way home, which would take about two hours but my train was running normally. I thought I’m going to have to get on that train eventually so it might as well be now. Besides I just wanted to get home. The night was hot and muggy, and along my road the pubs and bars were just overflowing with people – way more than normal. I guess that’s what most people wanted to do during this time. Me, I just wanted to go home and be with R. When I finally saw him, I hugged him hard, and I never wanted to let him go. We’re now seeing it in the news everywhere. The deaths are rising. And we’re starting to see pictures of the missing people in all the newspapers. I can’t even imagine what those people’s friends and families are going through. Being a Calgarian, I never thought I would go through something like this. You really need to live each moment though no matter where you live, because you never know what could happen. Everyone keeps asking us if this wants to make me move back to Calgary. I was talking to R about it today. It’s not that I’m scared of riding the tubes or the buses (ok I’m a little scared) but more importantly it made me realize that I want to be close to my friends and family. That’s what life is all about. So I think we’ll pRably stay here for another year, which was our original goal but I think we’ll eventually end up with the ones we love.

Hello everyone

2005-07-09T18:07:00.000+01:00

*****Note this was originally written on July 7th, 2005*****

Hello everyone --
We're home safe and sound. Thank you so much for all your thoughtful emails - we really appreciate them. It's been an emotionally draining day for us Londoners. There are still police everywhere and you can hear sirens all the time. It seems like things have calmed down a little but everyone's looks pretty down. And in typical London style, the pubs are packed!
I'm just glued to the bbc site to find the latest news. The stories are horrifying. I can't imagine being on the underground subway and explosions happening. It would have been terrifying. I'm just thinking about all the people that didn't make it and the people who are injured.
Well we're attaching a clip of our smiling faces (well actually not so smiley today). Take care and hug your loved ones tonight.
love brandy and rob

Hi everyone --

2005-07-09T18:05:00.000+01:00

*****Note this was originally written on July 7th, 2005*****

Hi everyone --
Just to let you know that R and I are ok!!
You might just be hearing on the news that there are terrorist attacks in London right now. There have been a few bombings at underground train stations and a bus during rush hour. We've been told to stay in our buildings as it's the safest place right now. All transportation is down so most people don't know how they're getting home. It might be about a two hour walk for R and I tonight.
It's a strange time right now in London. Everyone's a bit freaked out. But we're all trying to stay calm and we're worried about the people who have died or are injured. There are also people still trapped on the trains underground. It's very sad because we just heard the great news yesterday about London winning the 2012 Olympic bid.
We'll keep you posted if anything else happens.
Lots of love! B&R

Weekend in Barcelona

2005-06-11T16:04:00.000+01:00

Spent the weekend in Barcelona for a work getaway. My entire group held an offsite meeting their. B joined my Thursday evening and then we spent the weekend eating, walking in the sun, and stumbling our way through Spanish. Loved the architecture. Must go back. And yes the tapas were amazing too.

R

Cathedal in Spain

2005-06-01T22:38:00.000+01:00

This was the Gaudi Cathedearl in Spain. It was overwhelming just standing beside it. We ended up there on a bus tour. We hung out and ate ice cream cones. The weather was amazing.

R

Weekend in Amsterdam

2005-04-28T23:04:00.000+01:00

A friend of mine was in town and we shot off to Amsterdam for the weekend to celbrate Queen's Day. We had a blast. It was a nice break from the grind in London. We spent a 8 hours in 1 pub. Den Burkerde Suster (The Converted Sister). It was an old monestary coverted into a pub.

R

Weekend in Dublin

2005-04-11T16:00:00.000+01:00

Spent the weekend in Dublin with B and my best friend who was in for the weekend. We went on a literary pub tour, ate amazing food, and yes, drank beer. We had an amazing time. The picture was taken on the river that runs through the city.

R

Weekend in Hamburg Germany

2005-02-11T16:08:00.000Z

B and I went to Hamburg for the weekend. We stayed in this B&B that was on the top level of an Art Studio. It was right by the Train Station - great location. We flew into Lubeck and caught a shuddle to Hamburg. We toured the town and wen to the fish market. It was very cold. We actually did not have proper winter clothing. Froze our asses off!

R

Weekend in Paris with Mom

2004-10-11T15:41:00.000+01:00

We spent the weekend in Paris with my mom. We shot out friday night after work from Waterloo Station and arrivedin Paris at about 10:00pm. We stayed at the Hotel Eugenie which was modestly priced and very central. We had a good time. We stayed in the Latin Quarter and ate gyros all weekend long. We then pranced around the centre of town and window shopped on St Germaine. We then got up early monday morning and arrived back in London by 9:00AM and simply jumped on the tube and went straight to work. What a weekend!

Check out the link to the hotel.

R

Monestary in Brugge Belgium

2004-09-01T22:42:00.000+01:00

This was a tranquil court in Brugge Belgium. This area had a wall around it. We wandered in not really knowing what it was. Shortly after this shot was taken, a group of nuns slowly marched across the grass gracefully. It was serenity at its finest. I tried to video it but they did not want to be on tape. We had this picture on our desktop of our computer for ages. It makes a nice picture on the flat screen!

R