Things I miss...Things I'm loving

Let me preface this post by saying above all else I miss my family and friends the most.  I am so grateful for Facebook, Skype, texting and all other things electronic that have enabled us all to stay in touch.  What a remarkable age we live in!

That being said, as of today we've been here a month and have come to really love it here.  But, with leaving a lifestyle that you've become accustomed to for so long (not that I'm THAT old) there are some things that I miss.  They are, in no particular order, the following:

1. Salad.  People just don't each a lot of it here.  Every restaurant back home I would know exactly which salads they offered.  I even brought my own dressing to make it healthier.  My salad friends...you know what I'm talking about!  Even fast food places had awesome and (at times) healthy ones.  You can buy all sorts of leaf (that's what they call lettuce here) at the markets, so obviously people make them at home.  I guess restaurants figure when people go out they don't want to eat salad because they've eaten them all week?

2. My pantry.  My pantry was home to not just food, but also all my appliances, kids craft supplies, etc.  Right now most of our food fits in the 2-door, under counter cabinet, but I haven't really stocked up on essentials yet.  I do have extra bags of crisps, a bag of potatoes and a couple of cases of Diet Coke already shelved in the garage...so I guess that's always an option to set up a pantry there. 

3. My closet.  I really miss my walk-in closet.  And it's not really that I'm a clothes horse or anything, but I used it for storage of suitcases (which we now have 12 of, remember?), Christmas wrapping paper, all our linens, etc.  Plus sharing one with Steve reminds me of how untidy the fella is.  Back in our old house I could just shut his closet door and pretend it was clean.

4. A garbage disposal.  I really, really miss a garbage disposal.  Having to scoop food bits out of the sink strainer into the garbage is nasty.

5. A downstairs bathroom.  I have ADD (not doctor diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure) and when I come downstairs from doing something upstairs and realize that I forgot to use the bathroom, it's annoying to have to trudge back up.  Not that I really have far to go...but still.

6. No outlets in the bathrooms.  It's actually against code here to have electrical outlets in the bathroom.  Even the light switches have to be placed on the wall outside the bathroom.  So now I have a "dressing area" in our bedroom where I can do my hair.  How very 1950's of me!  Pretty soon I'll be drinking a gin and tonic while I'm putting hot rollers in my hair.

7. Having packages, if they are too big to fit in the mailbox, left at my front door.  Here I have to trek to the central post office to pick them up...after a two day waiting period.

Things I'm loving....

1. Having a house that's so small it only takes me a couple hours to clean top to bottom instead of a few days like our old one.

2.  Being able to walk 20 minutes into town to get to the gym, library, hardware store, grocery store, bank, post office, etc.  This makes eating all the chocolate possible.

3. Depending on which direction, traveling by car will get us to the coast, downtown Newcastle and countryside....in only about 15 minutes.

4. Polite people. 

5. Polite people.  I had to say it again because everyone seems to be so nice here.

6. The accents.  I've always been a sucker for a Scottish accent and being so close to Scotland is great.  I could listen to a Scot talk all day (mostly because it would take me that long to actually understand what the heck they're saying.)

7. No traffic.  Morning radio news blurbs are practically void of traffic accident/road congestion notices.  These roundabouts are scary, but I really do think they help with the flow of traffic.

8.  Getting my mail delivered right through the slot in the front door.  Scared the bejeezus out of me the first day though...I thought someone was trying to break in!

I'm sure both lists will grow the longer we stay and the more we experience/do without.  I'll update them when I can.

Warkworth Castle

A couple of weeks ago we ventured up the coast to Warkworth Castle.  Steve had been there on his business trip back in November and said the kids would love it because was a ruin and they could run around the open area and not risk breaking anything.  Um, apparently he has not met Mark yet.

When we got there, we noticed that they were closing in an hour so we didn't have too much time.  But as we were buying our tickets we were asked about joining the English Heritage society.  This membership would entitled us to free access so numerous historical sites around the UK.  And with a 12 month membership paid upfront we received an extra 3 months for free.  It was a deal that we couldn't pass up and we can't wait to travel to each location.  It was windy and freezing that afternoon, so having only an hour to visit suited us just fine.  Plus we knew we could come back anytime for free. 

The first thing we came across upon entering from the parking lot was of course the drawbridge over the (now dry) moat and the gates. 

 

Immediately after entering the gatehouse, the kids saw the sections where the guards were able to keep watch over who was coming to the castle.  I explained that the cutouts in the stone or machicolations (no I didn't know that word, I came across it on Wikipedia) were so they could shoot their arrows at intruders.  Of course they thought that was cool.  "Unless you were the one getting shot at" said Jack.



The area in front of the actual castle (or keep) is called the bailey.  Basically it's the little village that supported the castle and it's inhabitants.  The curtain wall, which surrounds the bailey dates back to the early 13th century.  The bailey contained a stable, chapel, kitchen, pantry, great hall and withdrawing chambers.  Of course just the exterior walls and some stairs remained so they had artist renderings of what it looked like with the roof and interior walls still intact.  It was truly awe inspiring.  The image above shows the actual castle at the top and bailey below.  Everything, with exception to the actual castle which was on a hill, was surrounded by the moat.

The Lion Tower (shown to the right) was the entrance to the north end of the great hall.  Above the archway through the tower are symbols of the Percy earls' power. The lion at the bottom was the emblem of the earls.  Above the lion (but severely damaged) were the ancient arms of the family and the arms of the Lucy family, whose property the Percys had inherited in the 1380s.

Below is a layout of the ground floor of the castle.  The left most room is facing North over the town of Warkworth.

1. Vestibule

2. Hall

3. Chapel

4. Great chamber

5. Kitchens

6. Pantry and buttery (yes, the buttery...I think I would've spent most of my free time in this room)

The second floor contained all the bedrooms and withdrawing chambers.

A brief history of the castle

(thanks to the brochure, castle signs and the web)

Warkworth Castle is located in Warkworth less than a mile from England's north-east coast.  The exact date the castle was founded is unknown.  Most notably it has been referred to by Prince Henry of Scotland in the mid 12th century, although it may have been built by King Henry II of England when he took control of England's northern counties. Warkworth Castle was first documented in a charter of 1157–1164 when Henry II granted it to Roger fitz Richard. The mostly wooden castle was considered feeble (I'm sure the person who built it took offense), and was left undefended when the Scots invaded in 1173.

Roger's son Robert inherited and improved the castle.  The castle remained in the family line for the next couple of centuries.  Twice in 1327, the Scots tried to invade the castle without success.  In 1345, Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy, took control of Warkworth Castle.  The fourth Percy earl remodelled the buildings in the bailey.  The last Percy earl died in 1670, and the castle found its way into the hands of Hugh Smithson who adopted the name "Percy" and founded the dynasty of the Dukes of Northumberland.  Ownership of the castle descended this route.

In the late 19th century, the dukes refurbished Warkworth Castle and Anthony Salvin was commissioned to restore the keep. Custody of the castle was given to the Office of Works in 1922.  Since 1984 English Heritage has taken care of the property.

In the fireplace of the Great Hall

 


The fireplaces in the kitchen 
I can almost smell the wild boar roasting away




Medieval loo
I'm assuming the grate was added as a safety measure for visitors and not actively
used when the castle was in commission; otherwise that would be gross

 

We can't wait to come back to the castle on a warmer day.  Maybe pack a picnic lunch and let the kids explore more.  I'll be in the Buttery if anyone needs me.

The gym really is a "Leisure Centre"

Today I went the the gym, that I joined on Friday, for the first time.  I decided to go for a swim just to see how rusty I was after not stepping into water (other than a shower) since the Half Ironman in September.  After about 15 minutes there, I knew it was worth much more than just a Facebook "check in" post and that I needed to dedicate a blog entry to it.

First off, I walked to the gym.  It's only about 20 minutes away and thought it would be a good way to burn off all this chocolate.  Once I got there I was told by the front desk that an water aerobics class was about to start, but not to worry because they only block off the shallow end of the pool.  The pool was 25 meters, so I lost about 10 meters with the class in session.  It would still give me enough room though, but I was bummed that I wouldn't get that "push off" from both sides that I've been accustomed to.

I found my way into the locker room and starting seeing more and more pensioners (that's what they call seniors here) arrive.  I thought to myself that's going to be one big class.  I made it to the pool and was surprised to see that there were no lane markers.  No biggie I thought, I would just follow the tiled lines at the bottom of the pool.  As I started swimming it got busier and busier with only a handful of people actually taking the class.  And it became really clear, really fast to me why they call this a leisure centre....outside of the class everyone just, well, leisured.  After speaking to another swimmer, who has been visiting this particular pool since she was "a wee child" (not kidding...those were her exact words) she informed me to try and stay to the ladies side otherwise the men might begin to wonder. ???  As I looked around it occured to me that all the ladies seemed to congregate to one side of the pool and all the gents stayed to the other.

With no lane markers in place it was really difficult to find my way through the crowd.  Not only were people swimming all over the place with no regard to the lanes tiled at the bottom of the pool, but some were even swimming the width of the pool.  What?  I actually felt like I was in a race where I had to dodge people to either side.  But I had to be sure not to splash too much with my strokes/kicking so as not the wet the hair of the ladies to either side of me who didn't dare go under the water.  If they go under the water, then how are they going to catch up with each other on the weeks events?

And the lifeguards?  They looked like they were just taking space up in a chair.  They were fully clothed and wearing shoes!  I guess with no one really exerting themselves and just floating about, there was no real need to rescue anyone?

After about 30 minutes of this, I gave up.  I was laughing so hard inside I couldn't keep a straight face.  But I was frustrated at the same time.  I guess I need to find a better time to go.  Maybe at 4...when they'll are having dinner.

The history behind our address

The name of the street we live on is called Chapel Close.  And I'm pretty sure that unlike any other street we've lived on there is a meaning behind the name.  Here's why.

In the middle of the neighborhood there is a green space with stately oaks and, get this....the ruins of a medieval chapel.  The chapel (presently called North Gosforth Chapel) contains reused Roman material and at one time contained a Roman alter stone.  It was built in the late Norman or early medieval times.  The earliest reference to the chapel is in 1256, when it was used as a place of worship.  It was also used as a burial ground.  Some of the gravestones are medieval and some date back to the 17th century.

The last recorded use of the chapel was in 1604.  By 1663 the chapel had been derelict for two years, although the surrounding grassland was still in use as a burial site.  The chapel is thought to have been destroyed by fire in 1690 and never rebuilt.  The site of this ancient chapel was known to residents of Melton Park who helped to uncover it after houses were built in the 1950's.

Now you know the meaning behind the word "Chapel" in our address.  The meaning behind the word "Close" is because it is literally 15 steps from our house.  The picture below is taken from our front door.

And here's our house.  See the garage?  It's the white door right in front of the car.  Can you see it?  Can you? :)

You can plan all you want...

Moving day...number three?!  On Monday we departed our beautiful cottage in Ingoe and headed into town to move our things into our house.  The plan was to meet the inspector at the house around 10.  He would've picked up the keys from the letting agent at that point and begun his inspection of the property noting anything wrong or out of sorts so we wouldn't be held accountable upon moving out.  Then our furniture from the rental group would be delivered in the afternoon.  Sounds like a great plan, right?

Well, here's how it went down instead.  Prior to us even leaving the the States, a deposit for the rental was to be made from Steve's company to the letting agent.  This was never done.  So...surprise...they didn't have the keys ready for us Monday morning.  Why this was not realized until then, I have no idea.  We found that the house was unlocked so we took the chance of moving some of the suitcases into the garage (which by the way isn't really big enough for 12 suitcases and a bike box, much less a car).  While we scrambled to figure out who dropped the ball and with Steve running to the bank get try to get a certified check, the inspector got started anyway.

After lunch, still without keys and legally not even allowed in the house...who shows up?  Why the movers with the temporary furniture of course!  Still trying to get money to the letting agent to release the keys, I had to have them wait in the driveway.  Nearly 45 minutes later, the money made it to where it was supposed to and Steve had the keys in hand.  He headed back to the house so I could leave to get the kids from school (that's right...no buses!)

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, sanitizing and finding places for things only to be moved several more times to find just the right spot.  We are operating on just the basics for now...3 beds, 1 couch, 1 end table, etc.  It's all fine, but I'm really ready for my things to get here.  Being in a strange house, without your own things and learning to find your way around town in a strange car is almost too much to bear at times.  But when the neighbors come by to introduce themselves and welcome you to the street with a card and a bottle of wine, it makes it all worthwhile.  As my Grayson neighbor would say "Jane, don't forget...you wanted this!"  Thanks, Regina. :)

Still trying to figure out our car situation.  That's a posting in itself!  Kids are adjusting nicely to school...another separate posting.  We've already been to two castles, yet another posting.  Oh, and I have no clothes dryer.  And we have the strangest shower set up in our bathroom.  I have my posting work cut out for me the next couple of days I guess.

Until then!

We have arrived!

I have no idea how many people actually read my blog, but I have been waiting patiently to update it.  If only to get my thoughts written down to clear my head for new stuff.  But, we've had no internet connection for the laptop (no wi-fi to tap into when your neighbor has stone walls about 3 feet thick) and there was no way I'd be able to type as much as I wanted using a cell phone (spotty service at best).  Fortunately a nice chap at Steve's work has lent him a wireless internet dongle so now we have a connection while we are in the middle of nowhere.  So, let's start from the beginning.....

Checking in at the Atlanta airport was interesting.  With two kids, 12 suitcases, 4 carry-on's, a bike box and 4 heavy coats (we came prepared for the cold when we would eventually land) it took about half an hour at the check-in counter.  Boarding was also interesting (see above note pertaining to kids, carry-on's and coats).  Unfortunately, Steve and Mark were not seated next to Jack and myself.  But with the efforts of all the French flight attendants, they found a couple of passengers that were willing to switch.  Merci!

Shortly after take-off they served dinner and I have to say, I have never seen Mark so giddy.  He gets excited anytime food in served (like his Mama) but to have a tray with all these little compartments containing various items, he was beside himself.  The same thing happened when breakfast was served before we landed in Paris.  "Jack! Did you see the cheese?!"  "Jack!  Did you see the hot chocolate?!", etc, etc.  So cute.

When we arrived at the Newcastle airport we were supposed to have a driver pick us up with a van.  My biggest fear was that they didn't get the note that we'd have as much luggage as we did and would show up driving some speck of a car like a Fiat.  But, no, it was a van.  Unfortunately the driver didn't wait for us as long as a family of four, with 33.58% of their worldly possessions, would take to get through customs and baggage claim....so he left.  But after a couple of phone calls he made it back and we begun our journey to the picturesque English countryside.

Can I just say that I almost tossed my cookies driving to this picturesque English countryside?  All those roundabouts and driving on the opposite side of the road?  Ugh.  Plus, don't forget he was a taxi driver after all, and they're known for being a little more spirited while driving.  Luckily we made it in one piece with a clean shirt for myself.  The town we are staying in at the moment is actually a hamlet...too small to be called a village believe it or not.  It is called Ingoe and it is truly something.  As I stated on FB, the cottage is a renovated farmhouse.  Four separate living areas for four farm families (that worked the land) have been combined into one, open plan home.  The home that the owners live in right next door was where the people that owned the land lived....over 300 years ago.

We were invited to spend a few hours on New Year's Eve with the Scott-Bells (the owners) in their home.  The first question I asked was "Is this place haunted?"  Just kidding...it was, like, the third thing I asked.  Just making sure people!  Their kids, Thomas (12) and twins Tess and Anna (11) were so polite and were excited to hear about America.  Naturally, we were excited to hear about England so we spent a good bit of time swapping stories while we we hung out in their family room putting a puzzle together by the fireplace.  A great night.  I even had some champagne.  I know...shocker!

Over the past couple of days we have stayed busy exploring, learning to drive (I'll create a separate post for that!) and running errands.  Which, funny enough, the kids hate doing here as much as they did in the states!  Go figure!  Steve started work Wednesday, the kids start school Friday and we move into the house (in an actual town this time) on Monday.  Busy days ahead, but I will post as often as I can.  I have tried to upload some pictures with the blog, but connection speed is so slow I will have to later.

Cheers and Happy New Year!