Thanksgiving 2011

I admit, when I first saw the invite list for Thanksgiving dinner this year I thought it was nuts.  Sixty people?  Making dinner for 12 is stressful enough!

However, the expat gang is so fortunate that our group has grown considerably over the last year ... significant others, newly relocated, and a growing number of Brits that enjoy our company as well (well, maybe it is more Cheryl's cooking).

With the discovery of a nearby church with a kitchen, it was decided!  Thanksgiving for all this year!  We had just under forty confirm and turn up, all toting dishes and wine to pass.  My contribution was a turkey, stuffed with Mom's recipe, and some darn good gravy, if I do say so myself.  Also, the test run of the butter mould I purchased in Germany was a success, so I contributed some pretty butter as well (maybe too pretty, as nobody touched it!).

There were different varieties of sweet potatoes, home-made mac-n-cheese, garlicky mashed potatoes, corn casserole, stuffings, cheese, bacon-wrapped dates, empanadas, roasted vegetables, rolls, salad, and the deserts - pecan and pumpkin pie, carrot cake, brownies and tons more that I simply had to chose not to see for fear or exploding.  So fun to taste everyone's dishes!

And of course, we did have to share "what I am thankful for".  Each guest wrote down on a note card their thoughts and put them into a basket.  We each drew one and read it aloud.  It's a touching exercise to express what it is that you are thankful for.  It is clear that expat crowd does not take for granted their great fortune in living in a wonderful city and having found a pseudo-family to help ease the home-sickness, if only for just a short time.

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Update from Kitty

Mom took me to the doctor this week ... though she was scared I would freak out, I behaved quite well (Doc even said so).

They clipped my nails, which feels oooooh, sooo good.  However, it does make jumping up on the bed more challenging.

And, I have a clean bill of health, though I have lost weight in my old age (who doesn't?).  15 years old now!

P.S.  I like Sundays best.

The Price of Lights ...

Seriously, what is the deal with the price of X-mas lights in this city??  70 quid for a string that would hardly show up on a tree or round a window ... that is $115 USD people !!!!   What?  What???

Even the cheap light set is 35 pounds ... $55 USD !!!

Am I hallucinating or did I pick up 100 light strings for 99 cents after X-mas a few years ago??  I mean even the triple-overpriced lights pre-Christmas in the U.S. are like $10 bucks, right?

And what is the deal with this tiny LED light things?  I want huge globes!

This is so anti-father Christmas and my holiday home glow is suffering.  No wonder not a home in London has lights (well, maybe aside from Kensington).  Boo.

Delivery Please ...

Recent studies report the number of cars per adult in the city of London is 0.48.  That means 48 cars per 100 adults... less than 1 car for every two adults (trust me, I'm a statistician).

I ask those of you in America, how many adults do you know without a car?  Certainly not half.  Only perhaps in New York do we get to those levels.  In Chicago it feels like it is nearly one per adult, only possible as low as .80.  So guess what that means for Londoners?  Delivery!

One difference from home that I still struggle with is the lack of the big box ... now, let me be clear, I prefer the small, local shop-owner to the big box, but I could not figure out for quite some time where one buys an iron or lawn furniture or wine glasses, as alas there is no Target (or Crate & Barrel sniff, sniff).

On top of that - even if I found it, how would I actually get it home?  Seriously, all the walking is doing my legs and buns some good, but my shoulders, neck, and back are screaming a bit from the lugging.  Delivery!

Everyone does delivery.  You can get anything overnight ordered online delivered to your door.  Sure, sure you can get this in the US, but here it is simply a necessity - a way of life.  The act of buying without seeing must be accepted.

In fact, the location I finally discovered, the one everyone responded with when I asked "where do you buy ____ ?" = Argos.  Even if you do go into one of their locations, you will find nothing but aisles and aisles of catalogues where you simply point out what you want from the glossy page.  This is normal.

I am opening up to this gradually, and this Thanksgiving offered up the perfect opportunity to splurge.  Since I will be roasting one of the expat turkeys, I needed a roasting pan.  Lo and behold John Lewis was having a 25% off sale on Le Creuset.  Oooooooh  Leee Creuuuuseeeet.  Wi Wi!

Well, since you're delivering, you might as well throw in that wonderful teal casserole I have been lusting over for forever as well.  Free of shoulder pain!  Woot!

The Black Forest

When I was a child my grandparents on my father's side had a cuckoo clock.  On my mother's side, my grandmother's speciality just happen to be the Black Forest cake.  Add in Black Forest ham, one of the best wine regions in Germany, and the autobahn and this weekend was a no-brainer on my must-do list.

Enhanced by the fall colours in the trees, pretzels, micro-breweries and what could have possibly been the best surprise view out of my hotel in the morning (see photo of market in the square), this trip certainly lived up to my hopes.

Planned for a weekend trip, we got ridiculously cheap airfare to Stuttgard, Germany where we picked up our cute little Mercedes and were on out way down the autobahn on to the "Schwarzwaldhochstrabe" a.k.a. the Black Forest Mountain Road.  (Now that I look at it in writing, the German translation is not all that more complex than the English!)

c/o Ms. Fin.

The Fall colours were stunning, and as we wove our way up the winding roads in altitude we passed in and out of dense patches of fog, laced with the aphrodisiac of smoked ham.  I read about the wine region there, but I did not expect it to be as stunning as it was.  High hills, stratified with rows of plateaus supporting the vines, stained with their bright red autumnal leaves.  Wow.  The pictures I have do not do it justice.

And the village Freiburg, where we decided to stay, was great.  Smack dab on the main square around the stunning Gothic cathedral, it was cobblestoned streets laced with hanging vines supporting "bierstubes" and "weinstubes" with a particularly delicious micro-brewery.  On the first night I had a delicious cordon bleu pork and on the second night fresh trout (which had I had less to drink may have been a bit more freaked out by the presentation).

Throughout the days we visited Triberg, known for the origin of the cuckoo clock and its picturesque waterfall, of which the hike to in the fresh air was invigorating and provided for some fine practice with the camera (isn't that pic amazing??)

We concluded the journey with an authentic (and gigantic) slice of Black Forest cake, liberally laced with Kirsch (the cherry liquor the region is known for) in a VERY local cafe on a Sunday afternoon (avg. age 66, no English).

From there we "flew" back to the airport on the Autobahn.  180 km/hr is our official max.  Swear that rental had us restricted!

Loved it.  Loved it.

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Autumn Color

In front of my flat

 Though the hot summer sun on my face and shoulders is still the best, there is a bittersweet beauty to Fall.

The crisp air, changing colors and butternut squash all bring a smile to my face.

Continuously bountiful Borough Market

Just a little sampling of the many leafy shots I have taken!!

Bonfire Night, reflection on trees

Finsbury Park Saturday AM