Fuel for the Fire

Now that the weather has turned, it is time to start preparing for winter. We ordered coal and logs to help supplement our use of oil for heating this winter. Not only will it keep me warm inside, it did a good job of keeping me warm outside as well. It was delivered in these bulk bags to the front of the house. Our storage area is in the back of the house up some wonky steps. When this picture was taken I had already moved coal bucket by bucket for about an hour (probably about 45 buckets worth). The bag was filled to the top like the logs when I started at 0930. By 1330, I had finished moving the coal and started the logs. Thankfully not long after I started moving the logs some friends showed up and helped me make very short work of the rest. I built a fire that evening and it was lovely and warm without the central heating... Lets hope it lasts through the winter now!! Fingers crossed its a mild one.

First Frost

'Tis the season to be...cold. After living in Florida for 14 years I have experienced my first full year away. We turn on the heating daily, light fires regularly, and I wear layers of clothes when I am inside, you should see me when I have to be outside. Has anyone seen "A Christmas Story"? Ralphy's little brother, enough said. Everyone asks don't you like the snow in the winter? I shoveled through the PGH blizzard of 2010, 3 feet of WET snow in about 12 hours. It was fun for a little while, we made the best of a bad situation. I am not looking forward to another season of snow though. Good thing blizzards don't typically happen every year and rarely happen in the UK. All I have to say is 1324 more days until I am back in the Sunshine State as a permanent resident! Until then I might just stay in hibernation...

Getting around

Since coming to the UK, we have been struggling to decide what my mode of transportation would be. Currently we have one car, a business car, which I am not insured to drive. For now, if I want to get out of the village, it is on 2 wheels and pedal power! It is not so bad as long as I do not have to go anywhere in the rain and we haven't had terribly cold weather yet. There are several small villages within a couple of miles, but most of them have fewer amenities than my village. The next town is only about 4 miles away and I try to cycle there at least once a week for physical and psychological well being. Part of the ride is through a farmers field and the remainder is on a fairly quiet road. It is relatively flat in this part of the UK, which I am thankful for! I only got lost once and that was on the way back from town I missed a turn in the fields. I came to a dead end and it took me a few minutes to figure out where I had gone wrong. Fortunately I could see the village church in the distance which helped me get my bearings and head the right direction. You should have seen me in the middle of these fields trying to figure out where to go! Since then I make the trip routinely and have had no problems. So remember when you are driving out there to watch for bicycles! Or just leave your car at home and pedal, it is good for you and the environment!

Purple Pasta

One of my important job as a stay at home wife to be in a foreign country is to find a healthy meal for us. This night is purple pasta. It is actually "drunken pasta" by Rachael Ray. The pasta was cooked in red wine. To add to the purple color, grated beets, sauteed with garlic and onions. A healthy serving of Parmesan cheese grated on top made this a great dinner. My other half was a bit nervous eating beet root and purple pasta, but he was pleasantly surprised. He even had a second helping! That is the true indication of a meal well done!

Roman Baths

A recent trip to the Roman Baths. We did 1150 miles around the UK and this was just one of the many stops of a sight seeing filled week.