Longing for Wolverhampton*

Home two weeks and still wish we were there. The hardest adjustment upon our return hasn't been the jet lag; it's the resumption of adequate fruit and veggie intake. 

It's time to wrap up this wonderful trip and our beloved blog with a list. Therefore, 

Top Ten Things About the U.K.:

1. Beautiful glossy paint on doors, often in black, or fun colours. 

Added bonus: crisp, polished brass on doors and signage. 

2. Scottish strawberries.  Tiny and sweet. Who knew the climate could grow them?  Grocery stores Tesco and Sainsbury's sell them with the grower's name and location on the package. 

3. Gorgeous expanses of land. 

4. Copious sheep and cows. Shock of shocks: no photos!!!

5. Cream for tea and coffee. The lightest we found had 15% milk fat. Helped give us energy to walk, I swear; we feel so slow without it. 

6. Fun, different architecture. Being a history buff, I love how very old most structures in Britain are. There's so much character. It made me see Vancouver as a giant strip mall. 

Added bonus: mews:

7. Traffic lights: when they're red, they turn yellow before they turn green. It's very helpful. 

8. The tea, because it just tastes better (even if you just put good old milk in it).  

9. 220 volt power. POWER!  Kettles boil in mere seconds, I swear. And the water is hot. 

10. British tans. We blended in with the indigenous folk during the summer months. 

Pasty rules!

Stay tuned for concluding thoughts. 

*Longing for Wolverhampton is the title of Adrian Mole's novel in progress. 

Virtual Venn Diagram

Two days into our reluctant return, and I can't stop thinking about the wonderful UK.  I love the energy and history in Scotland and England; Vancouver seems so dull. Some similarities and differences between there and here stand out:

- way more smokers in the UK, and worse, they aren't required to steer clear of doorways, so you're liable to walk through several nasty wafts wherever you go --I don't miss that

- WAY fewer gyms/fitness establishments

- thus WAY fewer people in yoga wear (I found that oddly refreshing)

- fewer people carrying coffee cups and/or travel mugs, despite a surge in number of coffee establishments since we were there in 1997 (but > # of coffee places does not = better coffee)

- same number of folks carrying cell phones

- more awareness and emphasis on nutrition here (though Scotland is doing better than England in this regard); "local" is celebrated, but fruit and veg are not as available and popular as they are here

If I could fly back right now, I would, but in the meantime, it was really great to have a home cooked meal courtesy of my personal chef tonight. Here's the riffraff on the deck for dinner (heavy on the veg). 

The (Street) Art of the Chicken

FJ and I had an amazing time on the street art tour on our final day in London. The sheer amount of artwork in a 2 mile radius is mind boggling. Our tour was nearly 4 hours and we covered a fraction of what can be seen. As far as I know we have nothing like it in Vancouver. Tour guide has a deep knowledge of the subject and we received a terrific tutorial including the important distinction between street art and graffiti writing.

Here's a very small sampling and special collection for my darling.

Gahd, you're not too bright!

Jeezus Christ, lady!

This guy used to live in the middle of the financial district, but the bankers objected and he was moved!

A collection of my faves from Frenchman Gregos, some meant to jump out at you, some a statement about Nicholas Sarcozy.

One of the most beautiful, but easiest to overlook (which adds to it, I think):

Two other pics

Got my Bowie moment in Heathrow. 

Got my Reverend moment when I got home. 

Not quite the same as seeing the real thing in Edinburgh, but this way we can enjoy him every day. I wouldn't have wanted to interrupt him skating in Texas, that hub of winter sports. 

Homecoming

It's 3:55 am Vancouver time, 11:55 am London time. I'm all topsy turvy!  Can't sleep, so I'll blog. 

Departure from London was seamless. The sight of police walking about in Heathrow with mega guns was a bit jarring, but I guess that's the norm these days. Interestingly, I found Heathrow way quieter than other airports. 

Air Canada served us well. I didn't have to pay for a beer, so I was very satisfied. 

Imagine our delight as we came through the doors at YVR and saw Scott's parents, Karen and Jim, smiling and waving to us.  That was an unexpected bonus. I'm mad at myself for not getting some pics of that!  

After hugs and kisses and catch up, we piled our now 6 bags into a cab and headed home. Look what greeted us!

Fresh scones from the Bachs. We needed those!

And this fabulous card from the Brookeses:

Luke the Duke had been working his magic, too. Check out the Scotty Potty (man cave lair biffy):

Not sure if you can see, but the lights are Kerr jars. 

 It's good to be home!

I know what you're thinking

You're thinking, "3 weeks away and no chickens?"  

I've just been saving them up. 

At Ripley's Believe it or Not. I believe it. 

Street art. 

Hello, we have two tea towels in this pattern.  This was in our London flat. 

This one was by the door in our Edinburgh flat. Meant to be!

See, poultry has global appeal. 

Fond farewell

Our London flat was awesome. Apart from the fact that its decor was uncannily like ours and my sisters', its location was really good. We were in the Paddington part of town, and to go anywhere was so easy by tube. The Paddington and Lancaster Gate tube stations were each about a 4 minute walk from us. There was a wee grocer around the corner, so we were set for sundries. 

2 1/2 bathrooms with the absolute best water pressure you've ever felt. 3 bedrooms, mod cons... it worked so well.