You've most likely heard of Big Ben, an icon of England and London. It's often thought to be seen in pictures of London, movies that involve the city, and on calendars. It's even more notable that the 30 St Mary Axe, and has been in London far longer. What you may not know is that Big Ben is not the name for the tower: it's the name of the bell for the clock, and it's inside the tower.
That's right: the tower, which itself is really the icon that everyone is familiar with, is actually called the "Clock Tower". The bell inside is what is called "Big Ben"; however, due to the misunderstanding being widespread, when people refer to "Big Ben" they almost always mean the entire tower, rather than the bell. Don't worry...I also didn't know about the bell, until my parents told me about it.
This link and this one have more information about Big Ben and the Clock Tower.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Salad and ice cream
Today has been one of the brightest and clearest days we've had so far here in North East Cambridgeshire: temperature-wise, it actually feels cooler than other days we've had, but the brightness of the sun definitely makes it feel warmer than it really is, especially if you're indoors.
It seems a little soon to blog about food when I blogged about it a few days ago, but I do think of salad and ice cream on days like this! Salad is a healthy and cool meal ideal for the weather, and ice cream is just a nice thing to eat when it's hot out. I rarely eat ice cream, and am not likely to eat any at the moment, but weather like this does make me think about it.
However, when I went downstairs a few minutes ago, I found out that we will be having salad as part of our dinner! I'm really pleased. :D
It seems a little soon to blog about food when I blogged about it a few days ago, but I do think of salad and ice cream on days like this! Salad is a healthy and cool meal ideal for the weather, and ice cream is just a nice thing to eat when it's hot out. I rarely eat ice cream, and am not likely to eat any at the moment, but weather like this does make me think about it.
However, when I went downstairs a few minutes ago, I found out that we will be having salad as part of our dinner! I'm really pleased. :D
Monday, 13 June 2011
Packing
The (re-, re-)packing of our (unpacked) belongings is well underway. We spent this afternoon packing some paintings, as well as sorting out a couple of boxes that were already packed but could be packed more efficiently. When you've moved as many time as we have recently, you get skilled at packing, re-packing, and moving boxes.
It's fortunate that the majority of our stuff is still packed away in boxes in the garage, as our current house is small and it all couldn't have fit in it. It would be very difficult to re-pack everything in less than a month, especially when in Oregon we had over a year to pack all our items.
With the exception of the time we spent at my grandparents, we have been surrounded with boxes containing our belongings for the last two years: it will be nice when we can open those boxes, which will hopefully be soon. They may just be things at the end of the day, and they are, but it will be good to have them again.
It's fortunate that the majority of our stuff is still packed away in boxes in the garage, as our current house is small and it all couldn't have fit in it. It would be very difficult to re-pack everything in less than a month, especially when in Oregon we had over a year to pack all our items.
With the exception of the time we spent at my grandparents, we have been surrounded with boxes containing our belongings for the last two years: it will be nice when we can open those boxes, which will hopefully be soon. They may just be things at the end of the day, and they are, but it will be good to have them again.
Sunday, 12 June 2011
The otter and the toddler
I came across the following video of an otter and a toddler playing. I knew that otters were playful animals among themselves, but I wasn't aware that they could do this:
You learn something new and watch a nice little video at once! Glad I heard about this one.
You learn something new and watch a nice little video at once! Glad I heard about this one.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Late nights
Prior to June 2010, I normally went to bed about 10:30, but for the half-hour before that time I would have been listening to the radio, and would still be listening for another half-hour to an hour afterwards before turning the radio off and going to sleep. Only on Sunday nights would I be listening until 12:00, as there was a radio program on where young people/young adults phoned for advice, and I didn't mind hearing what was said on that until the show ended for the night. I would normally be tired in the morning, but once I was fully awake I was fine. Therefore, my late nights took place on a Sunday, and 12:00 was when the radio went off.
Then, during our final week in the United States, there was a film on at night that my brother and I watched, and it went on until for over two hours, past 12:00 and ending at 1:00. We laughed about it, complimented ourselves, reckoned that staying up until 1:00 would be unlikely to happen again soon, and then we went to bed. Really, we thought that watching until 1:00 was the limit, and wouldn't happen again for a long time...
At our grandparents house, to begin with we went to bed at 10:00, and listened to the radio for a little over an hour before we turned it off and went to sleep. One evening, my grandfather decided to watch Stargate SG-1 from the beginning, and so he, my Dad, brother, and I all watched it. We watched it one episode at a time at first (this in itself took us to 11:15 on average), but soon we were regularly watching three, sometimes even four, episodes of Stargate SG-1 in the evenings after dinner! Going to bed at times between 12:25pm - 1:15am, once unthinkable, was happening on a regular basis! There were even a few occasions where my brother and I were up with our grandfather past 2:00, though that was normally because we were watching TV until 1:00/1:30, but would talk for a while afterwards. Going to bed at 12:00 became an "early night" for some time.
Since moving to our own place, we are often still awake at 12:00, but that's mainly because we've been talking and listening to the radio again, and therefore resting, rather than watching Stargate SG-1 and other shows until crazy hours. We've definitely been going to bed earlier and getting a lot more sleep, and we shall be keeping it this way. Those late nights were fun while they lasted, but they couldn't go on indefinitely.
Then, during our final week in the United States, there was a film on at night that my brother and I watched, and it went on until for over two hours, past 12:00 and ending at 1:00. We laughed about it, complimented ourselves, reckoned that staying up until 1:00 would be unlikely to happen again soon, and then we went to bed. Really, we thought that watching until 1:00 was the limit, and wouldn't happen again for a long time...
At our grandparents house, to begin with we went to bed at 10:00, and listened to the radio for a little over an hour before we turned it off and went to sleep. One evening, my grandfather decided to watch Stargate SG-1 from the beginning, and so he, my Dad, brother, and I all watched it. We watched it one episode at a time at first (this in itself took us to 11:15 on average), but soon we were regularly watching three, sometimes even four, episodes of Stargate SG-1 in the evenings after dinner! Going to bed at times between 12:25pm - 1:15am, once unthinkable, was happening on a regular basis! There were even a few occasions where my brother and I were up with our grandfather past 2:00, though that was normally because we were watching TV until 1:00/1:30, but would talk for a while afterwards. Going to bed at 12:00 became an "early night" for some time.
Since moving to our own place, we are often still awake at 12:00, but that's mainly because we've been talking and listening to the radio again, and therefore resting, rather than watching Stargate SG-1 and other shows until crazy hours. We've definitely been going to bed earlier and getting a lot more sleep, and we shall be keeping it this way. Those late nights were fun while they lasted, but they couldn't go on indefinitely.
Friday, 10 June 2011
North East Cambridgeshire (again)
Here are two images I took this nice, sunny (with a few clouds) morning here in North East Cambridgeshire during a walk I had. The first picture is of a local footpath:
The other is of a nearby field, with trees and buildings in the background. To the far left of this image the tallest tower of Ely Cathedral can be seen:
It was a beautiful morning! As of this writing, it is cloudy (more so than in the above picture), with rainclouds in the air.
The other is of a nearby field, with trees and buildings in the background. To the far left of this image the tallest tower of Ely Cathedral can be seen:
It was a beautiful morning! As of this writing, it is cloudy (more so than in the above picture), with rainclouds in the air.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Another nice dish
To my knowledge, the most well-known British dish around the world is fish and chips. There are several countries that serve fish and chips, which either include the dish mixed with some of their own cuisine, or they just try to re-create the dish as close to the British original as much as possible. You ask someone to name a British dish, they'll likely say fish and chips (at least it has been the case in my experience anyway).
Off the top of my head, I cannot think of another British dish that is as famous around the world as fish and chips. However, I can think of a dish within the UK that is nearly as popular as fish and chips, is a very similar meal (it's take-out), but in my opinion, it is tastier: pie and chips.
Pie and chips is a wonderful meal: I first had it over here when my Dad, brother, and I were having fish and chips for the first time since moving back, but Mum had pie and chips instead. She couldn't finish her meal, so I finished it for her, and when I did I thought the pie was the better of the two dishes. So far all fish and chips take-out places I've been to or know about serve pie and chips, with the most popular types of pies being steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom, and beef and onion.
Fish and chips is still a great meal, despite the fact that I think pie and chips is the better of the two. I won't discourage you from eating fish and chips if you either like it or want to try it, but pie and chips is certainly a good alternative!
Off the top of my head, I cannot think of another British dish that is as famous around the world as fish and chips. However, I can think of a dish within the UK that is nearly as popular as fish and chips, is a very similar meal (it's take-out), but in my opinion, it is tastier: pie and chips.
Pie and chips is a wonderful meal: I first had it over here when my Dad, brother, and I were having fish and chips for the first time since moving back, but Mum had pie and chips instead. She couldn't finish her meal, so I finished it for her, and when I did I thought the pie was the better of the two dishes. So far all fish and chips take-out places I've been to or know about serve pie and chips, with the most popular types of pies being steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom, and beef and onion.
Fish and chips is still a great meal, despite the fact that I think pie and chips is the better of the two. I won't discourage you from eating fish and chips if you either like it or want to try it, but pie and chips is certainly a good alternative!
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
North East Cambridgeshire
As I'll be moving again soon, I thought I'd blog a little about where I currently live! I am residing in North East Cambridgeshire, a district in the county of Cambridgeshire.
To begin with, it's one of the flattest places, if not the flattest place, I have ever lived; ironic, because Southern Oregon, where we lived before, is a mountainous part of the United States. The highest points around here excluding water or bell towers, or Ely Cathedral, are the levees holding back the river (the "Ouse"), which our house is on a lower level to! Of all the places I've so far been to in the UK, this area has the least amount of trees around (by British standards, as there are still quite a few trees around), but that's likely because it's agricultural: when I look out the front windows I can see farmland behind the nearby houses.
As for the town we are in, Littleport, we live on the outskirts next to both a railroad and the aforementioned levees that contain the Ouse: when I first heard that we were going to live near a railroad I expected it to be very noisy, but surprisingly enough despite trains going past every half-hour or so, they're not annoying in the slightest and they can easily be tuned out. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the town has a lot of footpaths to explore, and these paths are always fun. At least one crosses the railroad!
The central area of our town has a few shops, including a handful of grocery stores (plus at least one on the opposite end of the town to us), a couple of hardware stores, a bakery, and some others. The nearest pub was converted to both a restaurant and a bar, both of which we have tried and are very nice, though the bar area isn't as relaxed as the restaurant. The main take-out place around here is the local fish bar: despite the designation, they do serve more than fish (burgers, kebabs, etc.), and the food there is great! In all, Littleport is a decent place to live.
We're not too far away from a place called Ely: Ely has a population of about 15,000 or so people, but has city status, and thus, is the third smallest city in England and sixth smallest in the United Kingdom overall. Ely Cathedral is the tallest structure in the region as far as I'm aware, and it can be seen for miles. You can see it from our town, and would probably be able to see it from my bedroom window if other houses weren't in the way. :) Ely itself, especially the central area, is a beautiful place, and the cathedral is impressive up close.
I was going to post a picture or two of the area, but I found that I haven't taken any yet! (The pictures taken are all my brother's.) I'll see if I can get a few before we leave. It's really green at the moment, and the farmland I can see from the bedroom window looks pretty. I think I'll take a picture right now.
To begin with, it's one of the flattest places, if not the flattest place, I have ever lived; ironic, because Southern Oregon, where we lived before, is a mountainous part of the United States. The highest points around here excluding water or bell towers, or Ely Cathedral, are the levees holding back the river (the "Ouse"), which our house is on a lower level to! Of all the places I've so far been to in the UK, this area has the least amount of trees around (by British standards, as there are still quite a few trees around), but that's likely because it's agricultural: when I look out the front windows I can see farmland behind the nearby houses.
As for the town we are in, Littleport, we live on the outskirts next to both a railroad and the aforementioned levees that contain the Ouse: when I first heard that we were going to live near a railroad I expected it to be very noisy, but surprisingly enough despite trains going past every half-hour or so, they're not annoying in the slightest and they can easily be tuned out. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the town has a lot of footpaths to explore, and these paths are always fun. At least one crosses the railroad!
The central area of our town has a few shops, including a handful of grocery stores (plus at least one on the opposite end of the town to us), a couple of hardware stores, a bakery, and some others. The nearest pub was converted to both a restaurant and a bar, both of which we have tried and are very nice, though the bar area isn't as relaxed as the restaurant. The main take-out place around here is the local fish bar: despite the designation, they do serve more than fish (burgers, kebabs, etc.), and the food there is great! In all, Littleport is a decent place to live.
We're not too far away from a place called Ely: Ely has a population of about 15,000 or so people, but has city status, and thus, is the third smallest city in England and sixth smallest in the United Kingdom overall. Ely Cathedral is the tallest structure in the region as far as I'm aware, and it can be seen for miles. You can see it from our town, and would probably be able to see it from my bedroom window if other houses weren't in the way. :) Ely itself, especially the central area, is a beautiful place, and the cathedral is impressive up close.
I was going to post a picture or two of the area, but I found that I haven't taken any yet! (The pictures taken are all my brother's.) I'll see if I can get a few before we leave. It's really green at the moment, and the farmland I can see from the bedroom window looks pretty. I think I'll take a picture right now.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Inflatable beds
I have been sleeping on an inflatable bed (also known as an "air mattress") for the last several months, and I can honestly say that they are the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on. They are firm, but soft to lie on; comfortable when lying on your side, back, or front; and I've found it easy to get to sleep quickly on them. From what I have read, they are good for people with bad backs. I have overslept more times on inflatable beds than on any other type!
The main disadvantage with them is that a lot of them don't seem to be designed for long-term usage, only occasional. They either start losing air via the valves; or the chambers inside that store the air "pop": this doesn't burst the bed, but rather, causes the area around the popped chamber to bulge; however, I suspect if enough chambers popped it would ultimately cause it to burst. Apparently, there are inflatable beds designed to deal with the popping chamber problem, though we haven't come across any yet.
Regardless, they are still fantastic beds. If you get the chance to sleep on an inflatable bed, I recommend it.
The main disadvantage with them is that a lot of them don't seem to be designed for long-term usage, only occasional. They either start losing air via the valves; or the chambers inside that store the air "pop": this doesn't burst the bed, but rather, causes the area around the popped chamber to bulge; however, I suspect if enough chambers popped it would ultimately cause it to burst. Apparently, there are inflatable beds designed to deal with the popping chamber problem, though we haven't come across any yet.
Regardless, they are still fantastic beds. If you get the chance to sleep on an inflatable bed, I recommend it.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Ventomato
One funny yet silly thing I've seen before was a tomato growing behind the mesh of a vent. It was at my grandparents' house, as my grandfather likes to grow vegetables; in the summer of 2010, he was growing tomatoes, and one managed to grow within the mesh of a nearby vent for the house! Interestingly enough, while all the other tomatoes were going bad by this point (the tomato season was coming to an end), this one was the lone fresh-looking tomato, despite being the same age as all the others!
In the end, I was able to get it out from behind the vent, so it never went bad, but it did get eaten: in addition, I think the vent it was growing near was for the fireplace, but fortunately my grandparents don't use theirs. Here's a video I took of "Ventomato" ("vent tomato"). It's silly, but funny in its own little way:
In the end, I was able to get it out from behind the vent, so it never went bad, but it did get eaten: in addition, I think the vent it was growing near was for the fireplace, but fortunately my grandparents don't use theirs. Here's a video I took of "Ventomato" ("vent tomato"). It's silly, but funny in its own little way:
Sunday, 5 June 2011
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco has long been a structure I have admired, and it is easily my favorite bridge. I would easily rate the famous images of the bridge with the city of San Francisco in the background as one of the best views in the world. Whether it's foggy or clear sunlight, day or night, the bridge looks good all the time.
I have walked on the Golden Gate Bridge before, but I don't think I appreciated it at the time, though. I was seven when I walked on the bridge, and do remember being on it, but back then I don't think I understood the significance of getting to walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. It's one of those experiences I've looked back upon and come to appreciate as I've learned more.
I have walked on the Golden Gate Bridge before, but I don't think I appreciated it at the time, though. I was seven when I walked on the bridge, and do remember being on it, but back then I don't think I understood the significance of getting to walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. It's one of those experiences I've looked back upon and come to appreciate as I've learned more.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
"Pack Up" - Eliza Doolittle
I've decided to do something a little different for this post: to mention a song that I like. "Pack Up" by Eliza Doolittle is a great song, and an earworm! It has a fun sound to it, and Eliza's voice is very good. One of my favorites from the last year.
Hope you like it too!
Friday, 3 June 2011
It's been a year!
We have now been back in the United Kingdom for a whole year! It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago this moment we had been at my Dad's parents' house for less than three hours after a day-long trip up the I-5 from Medford to Portland (we made multiple stops along the way, and we were in a hotel prior to the main flight), a 9-hour flight from Portland to Amsterdam, an hour-long flight from Amsterdam to Manchester, and finally a two-hour minibus ride from Manchester to the Nottingham area (the minibus ride was the worst part of the journey, as I was sat where the window couldn't open, the sun was on me most of the way, and it was a hot day).
Despite being here a year, that doesn't mean we have totally settled in yet: neither of the two places we've lived at since we've been back were intended to be long-term places. The majority of our belongings are still packed away, and are likely to be for at least a couple more months or so...but I remain optimistic that these will all be sorted out over time: it's important to be positive! We haven't stopped and won't stop missing the United States: we think about it often and do care about it, as it was our home for a long time.
It has certainly been an interesting past year, and definitely a major change from the past few years. While we moved a year ago, and moved to our own place here a few months ago, we are currently in the process of moving house again. I'm looking forward to it, and I'll be sure to blog about it!
Despite being here a year, that doesn't mean we have totally settled in yet: neither of the two places we've lived at since we've been back were intended to be long-term places. The majority of our belongings are still packed away, and are likely to be for at least a couple more months or so...but I remain optimistic that these will all be sorted out over time: it's important to be positive! We haven't stopped and won't stop missing the United States: we think about it often and do care about it, as it was our home for a long time.
It has certainly been an interesting past year, and definitely a major change from the past few years. While we moved a year ago, and moved to our own place here a few months ago, we are currently in the process of moving house again. I'm looking forward to it, and I'll be sure to blog about it!
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Chess
I like board games, especially Mastermind, Battleship, and Monopoly, but my favorite is easily Chess. I've had a Chess set since I was nine, and even when I didn't understand the rules of Chess properly (my brother and I called the games we had of Chess during this time "Cheat Chess"), I still thought it was a good game. Whether it's a short or a long go, it's fun to play, though I prefer the long games, as they involve more thinking (wiping the other player out does get tedious after a bit, but that's the same with any game).
While I did like it early on, my interest in the game really picked up when some friends taught my brother and I how to play Chess properly (for example, teaching us that the Queen can go in any direction and keep going in that direction until she reaches the end of the board or another piece, but she can't change direction; or showing us how to castle). We played Chess a lot more often after this, and I am glad they helped us.
Even though the vast majority of my opponents have either been my brother, followed by the computer, Chess has never got old nor lost any of its fun to me. I've heard on occasions that Chess is "predictable" and/or "boring", yet I've not found either of those two terms to be true whenever I've played it, and in fact, I've found it to be the opposite: I love how unpredictable Chess can be...you could be headed for an easy win, but then your opponent makes a couple of strong moves, and suddenly they're the ones going for an easy win; at that point, you have to think really hard about your next moves to avoid defeat, and that clearly eliminates the "boring" aspect.
My Chess set has been packed away for a long time unfortunately. I have been able to play Chess on the computer, both against it and a human player (Chess Titans on Windows 7 is pretty good), but the board game is much better. Hopefully I'll get my Chess board back soon!
While I did like it early on, my interest in the game really picked up when some friends taught my brother and I how to play Chess properly (for example, teaching us that the Queen can go in any direction and keep going in that direction until she reaches the end of the board or another piece, but she can't change direction; or showing us how to castle). We played Chess a lot more often after this, and I am glad they helped us.
Even though the vast majority of my opponents have either been my brother, followed by the computer, Chess has never got old nor lost any of its fun to me. I've heard on occasions that Chess is "predictable" and/or "boring", yet I've not found either of those two terms to be true whenever I've played it, and in fact, I've found it to be the opposite: I love how unpredictable Chess can be...you could be headed for an easy win, but then your opponent makes a couple of strong moves, and suddenly they're the ones going for an easy win; at that point, you have to think really hard about your next moves to avoid defeat, and that clearly eliminates the "boring" aspect.
My Chess set has been packed away for a long time unfortunately. I have been able to play Chess on the computer, both against it and a human player (Chess Titans on Windows 7 is pretty good), but the board game is much better. Hopefully I'll get my Chess board back soon!
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
30 St Mary Axe
Have you ever heard of a building in London called the "Gherkin"? (or "Bullet" or "Cucumber Building".) It's real name is the 30 St Mary Axe, and it's a skyscraper in London known for its bizarre shape, and due its shape it's one of the easiest skyscrapers to spot in the London skyline, possibly even the easiest; I have seen it from a distance when visiting the outskirts of London.
It's supposedly a very energy-efficient structure as well, with the shape of the building helping towards that. However, it is not the tallest building in London: that title goes to One Canada Square, although it will lose that status over the next few months to a year as taller buildings than it finish construction.
It's supposedly a very energy-efficient structure as well, with the shape of the building helping towards that. However, it is not the tallest building in London: that title goes to One Canada Square, although it will lose that status over the next few months to a year as taller buildings than it finish construction.
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