On Strike

In the UK, we are having one of the largest strikes in decades.  The media has been talking about it for weeks.  The strikers are from different parts of the workforce.  There are border workers, hospital workers, teachers and weather forecasters.

How has it affected me personally?  No much at all.  When I was out shopping today, it was busier then normal.  There are a lot of kids out of school right now, I heard that about 1/2-3/4 of all state schools are out.  I don't think that my kids know that, and since their school is a private school we are not affected by the strike and for our teachers, it is a business as usual kind of day.  It has affected Super Handsome more as some of his co-workers have had to take a personal day if their kids are not in school.

The workers are striking in protest at measures that the government is taking to shore up its debt.  The government is pushing back the retirement age to 67 starting in 2026, and the workers are also being required to contribute more money into the pension fund and receive less.  Their current wages have been frozen for 2 years and now pay raises will be 1% until 2014.  The government made these decisions because the UK economy did not grow at the 2.5% that was predicted, instead it only grew 0.07%.

The strike really seems to just a way for the workers to make a point that they are unhappy about the cuts.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the future between the government and the labor leaders.  The labor leaders in the 80's battled with Margaret Thatcher and it being wondered if it will happen again.  The UK has a large debt load and is second in the world to the US.  The government is trying to make good, yet unpopular decisions to shore up their problems and stabilize their economy.  Which is really a good thing, especially with things in Europe looking so bleak right now and two major governments are asking for bailouts again.  There are now talks that the fiasco with Greece and Italy may set the world economy back into recession and affect other nations like France.   Spain is projected to have problems again as well.

I think that the next year will be interesting.....

When the Rubber Band Snaps....

Long time friends.  We all have them.  The person that you haven't talked to in ages and then you pick up the phone and you just fall into easy conversation with, like you have never been apart.  I refer to it as the rubber band phenomena.  You go on with your life with your family and other friends and the bond (or rubber band) that separates you and your friend stretches.  At some point it can't stretch any further and you pick up the phone and call them, write on their FaceBook page, text them or whatever you need to do to communicate with them.  If you are not able to communicate with them, like I have not been able to with my friend from Sweden, you just think about them.  I am lucky that I have a few of them.  I was also lucky to see H yesterday (28 Nov 2011).

H was an exchange student that came to Belmond when we were seniors.  She's from Stockholm, Sweden.  We became instant friends, it was just that simple.   We have been in and out of contact through the years as life has taken us on it's winding path.

I had always promised myself that I would make it to Europe to see Hanna.  I did not quite make it to Europe, but I made it across the pond and she made it to England.  From there, with a little help from the school (for me) and with a little help from her wonderful in-laws, we were able to spend a few hours together in the afternoon.

H took the train to meet me.  I really had not let myself get too excited for our meeting, because my plans to Paris got nixed and I was very disappointed.  I could not bare another disappointment.  But, as I was in the car on my way to see her, I got very excited.  I arrived at the train station and sent her a text and figured out she was running late.  So, I parked the car and then got lost trying to get back to the station.  I finally figured out where to go and as I was walking up the ramp to the station, I saw her.  I have to admit that I started crying a bit, it was just that amazing to see her again!

We wandered a bit and finally settled on a little coffee shop.  We just sat and talked until reality and our kids became to large to ignore.  But, we left with plans for us (or maybe just me) to come and see her in Stockholm during the summer months.  I can't wait to see her again.  The impact that we left on each other's lives is still very evident and I am so thankful that she is my friend and that we are back in contact again.   Now, that we have better ways to keep in contact, I plan to get my rubber band firmly in place!  

Oldest Son turns 15

Oldest Son had the honor of being the first Beary to celebrate his birthday here in the UK.  We decide to have a party for him and invite the kids in his year.  The problem then became that there were kids that he really did not want to invite, but because the school was so small we felt that it was not a good option.  We instead assured Oldest Son that those kids would probably really not come anyway.  (and I might add, we were correct!)

Little did we know that when Oldest Son handed out the invitations, that the party would go viral.  The invites were intended for year 10's only.  There are a few year 8 girls that are a bit, umm, crazy.  They somehow got a hold of the invitation, copied it and distributed it.  The funny part of it all was I had inadvertently put the wrong phone number on the invitation.  I had also purposely not put the address of our home on it either, figuring that I would give it to them as they RSVP'ed.

That day I received an email from Oldest Son's form teacher, she requested a meeting with me.  I met with her that day and I have to say that when I left she had me wondering what I was getting myself into!  Apparently, there are at least 2 boys that are very wild in his year.   Oldest Son had also been talking to several of the guys and drinking seemed to happen at some of the parties as well.  He went back to school the next day and told the kids that asked that there would be no drinking or drugs allowed at his party.  Then, we sat and waited.

As the party grew closer, very few kids had RSVP'ed.  I had one call from a concerned mother, she would only let her son come to parties if she knew exactly what was going on.  I did not blame her after what I heard from the teacher.

The day of the party arrived and we were nervous.  We had a total of 5 kids that had RSVP'ed.  One then canceled and another was not expecting to make it.  The morning of the party, 4 other girls emailed me to let me know they wanted to come.

So, as the evening approached, we started preparing for the kids to come.  I cooked up a storm.  Oldest Son's favorite cornflake chicken, kale chips and baked beans.  The start time for the party came and went.  So, we sat and started to get a little nervous.

Apparently they had all coordinated to arrive late, as at 6pm, cars started rolling in and kids started arriving.  We ended up with Oldest Son, one other guy and 6 girls.  I served the food that I had prepared and Super Handsome started on the pizzas.  Meanwhile the kids had started with watching The Sorcerers Apprentice, which ended after about 30 mins.  They all just joked around and ate and fought with the balloons that were all over the room.

They played a bit of Rock Band and then giggled their way through one more movie (Princess Bride) before it was time to go home.  All and all I think that it was a good time had by all.

Happy Birthday to my Oldest Baby!

Thanksgiving

I had not really planned on celebrating Thanksgiving while here in the UK.  I really do not see the point, here it is just another day.  The boys don't need to miss any school, they have barely been in school one full month!

So, as the day as gotten closer, I have found as I have read on Facebook about all the preparations that my friends and family has been making, that I am kind sad about missing it.

I was asked to talk to the 4 year old's at the boys schools about our Thanksgiving traditions.  I think that it might have been rather boring for them to hear.  The teacher has described it of a Christmas time without presents.  Which as many of you know, isn't exactly right.  It is a time for a lot of preparation of food.  In particular with my family, I share the cooking with my mother and I cook most of the side dishes and a pie or two.  This year, I have turned to making a pumpkin pie from scratch, which is particularly interesting since I am not a fan.

I did bring the kids a bit of the pumpkin pie to try.  All of the kids were brave little souls and tried it, even without the dream whip.  It was wildly anticipated by the staff and I passed out little pieces to them as well.

I am not exactly sure how we are going to celebrate this American holiday.  We had talked about going to Toby Carvery for dinner.  They serve turkey, gammon, roast beef and pork with yorkshire pudding (which is kind of like a biscuit).  The dinner will be missing some of the traditional things, like yams with marshmallows,  cranberries and the pies (here they are called tarts or crumbles, pies are savory).

We are also planning on trying to Facetime with our families in the US.  We look forward to seeing them at their gatherings, if we can catch them!

Quick update on our friends’ daughter:  She is out of surgery and settled into ICU.  Keeping my sparkles on and fingers crossed for some good news about the surgery now.

The Sadness in Life....

This really has been a great experience so far, even with all the financial headaches (that are still ongoing).

The boys and I have been really, really lucky and we have found some very wonderful friends so far along the way.  Along with joy, sometimes you find about the sadness.

Yesterday, was a shattering day, particularly for myself.  I found out about our friend daughter, who is the same age as Youngest Son has brain tumor.   I have been in tears on and off.  I heard the news from a mutual friend.  Her friend has been keeping me informed of what is happening.   The little girl is currently at Addenbrooks in Cambridge because there were no beds available at Great Ormond in London.  Her tumor is quite embedded and entangled in her brain so the consultants are carefully plotting the surgery.  She is taking steroids to help reduce the swelling in her brain and to build her up a bit for the surgery.  The surgery will be next week.

Her brother  is Son 3’s  good friend, is currently in Oxford with grandparents.  But he will be back this weekend and back in school next week.  I hope to be able to help the family out more, anyway that I can.

As many of you read on my FaceBook account, I am also planning a birthday party for Oldest Son.  Here at our home, it now, now referred to as the party gone "viral".  More about that in another post.  Yesterday, we have our first RSVP.  It was from a really nice Mom who really cares what her kids are doing.  In talking to her last night, I found out that her husband died last year.  He went in to the hospital for back surgery, during surgery the doctor severed a major artery and he died a week later.  With already an emotional day under my belt, lets just say, tears flowed.

In talking to her, she shared a lot of wonderful things with me not only about her and her family, but also about her son.  Last night after I got off the phone her I went to talk to Oldest Son about what she shared with me.  I know that Oldest Son has a different perspective about her son now, particularly since Oldest Son had categorized him as a troublemaker, because he hangs out with the kids who cause trouble. The boy also got more points (at least in our house) because apparently, as he handed the invitation to his mom, he said that she needed to call me because he could go to this party as their would be no alcohol served!  The drinking age here is 18, but parents are already allowing their children to drink at parties in their homes.  Something that his mom (and this mom) does not support.  She shared with me that he is not allowed to go to parties where is it served.  She talks to the parents to ensure that underage drinking will not be happening at the parties and if it is, he does not go.

She also shared with me that her husband was Canadian and that they lived in Canada for awhile when her son was young.  She has 4 children, and her son that is Oldest Son's age is her 3rd, her youngest daughter has cerebral palsy.   She shared with me that loosing her husband has been hard in the ways one would except, it has also been hard because he was an equal partner when it came to the care of their youngest daughter.

This morning in the car Oldest Son and I talked a little bit about what a somber day yesterday was, today, like yesterday is a sunny day.  I am so, so grateful for the sun right now, without it I am not sure I would be able to pick myself up with all the sadness.  But, really we all do it, my friend is staying strong for her daughter and family.  The other mother, is staying strong and moving on without her husband.

We all hear the stories about the sad diseases and tragedies of those among us and around us.  We are all affected and it touches us, individually.  I know that I am just not able to read all the stories because emotionally I can't bear it all, none of us can.  We all have our own emotional well to delve into and when it runs dry, it is dry.  We all have these moments where we look around and are very glad for what we have and we fiercely hug our family members and love them extra-specially.  This is definitely one of those moments for me.

I know that you will all be doing the same.

Dinner--Pork and Bean Pot

Dinner tonight!  I was lucky enough to have my landlady leave me her cook books.  This is the second recipe that I have tried, the first was Shepard's pie.

It actually was much darker after it cooked, but it received thumbs up from the boys.  Super Handsome kept asking where the meat and such was (inside, honey, just eat it!)

I served it with crusty bread.  I had a salad and the boys munched on some raw carrots.

Here is the recipe:

1 bag of pinto beans, soaked in water overnight
1 pound of pork
1 pound of bacon
8 oz of pork sausage (not Italian, I used a sausage that was flavored with onion, I would recommend using a summer sausage or kielabasa)
3 celery sticks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons each:  fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley
OR
2tsp of each dried
16oz can of chopped tomatoes
salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
1.25 cups of stock (I used a pork bullion cube, I suggest beef or chicken if you can't find pork))

Drain the beans.  Chop the sausage, bacon and pork into pieces.  Brown them in a pan, scoop all the meat out and leave the grease in the pan.  Add the onions, garlic and celery to the pan and cook until they start to become translucent.

Combine the herbs with the chopped tomatoes.

In a casserole dish layer 1/3 of the meat, 1/3 of the onion & celery, and 1/3 of the beans and 1/3 of the tomato mixture.  Repeat until you have used all the ingredients.  Pour the stock into the pot. Make sure your beans are covered (you may have to add more stock)

Bake at 350 2-3 hours.

Somethings that I did different, I used 2 14oz cans of tomato.  I cheated and did not soak the beans long enough.  So, I cooked it twice for about 2 hours each time.  I checked on the beans to make sure that they were done and I had to add additional liquid twice.  Upon tasting it, I found it rather bland and added quite a bit of garlic salt at the end.

It was a hit and the boys asked me to "put it in my book”.  Oldest Son who has an endless stomach, actually filled up after 1.5 plates full.

We followed it with homemade pumpkin pie for dessert.

I am on the hunt for a recipe that will be similar in texture and taste to Mrs. Smith's frozen pumpkin pies, which are Super Handsome's favorite in the US.  My quest is further complicated by the fact that canned pumpkin is almost impossible to find (I have not found any).  So, I had to start from scratch with sugar pumpkins.

 The pie recipe that I made was not quite what Super Handsome was looking for, but I am going to try a different recipe with 2 eggs instead of 3.  He felt that it was not the right consistency, he prefers his pies creamy.

  

Remembrance Day

November 1, the kids and I noticed that the news anchors on the BBC and people on the talk shows were wearing a red flower.  Then, on Monday I looked it up online and then one of my sons came home with one pinned to his blazer....

In the UK the red flowers that they are wearing are poppies, it is worn in preparation for Armistice Day, or what we call Veterans Day.  It is observed on November 11 as the end of Word War I. The armistice with Germany was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  The poppy has become the symbol of the day due to the following poem called In Flanders Field:

In Flanders fields the poppies glow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

It was written by Major McCrae a Canadian solider after a nasty 17 day battle at Ypres.  After the first World War, poppies were observed growing on the freshly dug graves of the soliders in France and in Belgium as well.  Major McCrae died in 1918 due to injuries sustained during battle.

An American Ms Michael was inspired by his poem and wrote her own poem.  She resolved to wear a "Flanders Poppy" every year in remembrance.   Ms Michaels' idea was taken back to France by Madame Guerin, and the tradition spread quickly through Europe.  The two women met at a YMCA conference in New York City.  Ms Michaels gave then gave them out to ex-service men and her co-workers at her office in the YMCA of New York.

"We Shall Keep The Faith"

Oh! You who sleep in Flanders’ fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew;
We caught the torch you threw;
And holding high we kept
The faith with those who died.
We cherish, too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valour led.
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders’ Fields.
And now the torch and poppy red
Wear in honour of our dead
Fear not that ye have died for naught
We’ve learned the lesson that ye taught
In Flanders’ Fields.

The poppy was officially adopted 2 years later by the American and British Legion.  But now, it is mainly seen in Commonwealth countries.  The funds raised are used to help disabled and injured soldiers.  This year the British Legion is hoping to raise £40million.  There is a poppy  factory that was started in 1922 in the UK, and it has been moved once.   It is still in production today.  The factory only employs former serviceman.

The poppies are sold for 5p in the schools and at the local supermarkets.  Because the paper flowers are not very robust, I went to a local grocery store found the pins that are not paper and I bought all of us one to wear and to take home for our own remembrance.  I bought my poppy pin from a little gentleman, who is part of the British Legion.   I was rewarded with a M'Lady and as you may know, I was completely delighted to hear that salutation!

In the US where the tradition started, it has been greatly diminished, I am not sure that I have seen one worn or sold in my life time.

Thank you to the all soldiers that have served and still are serving....