Harrogate Stray Fair
Topic: Harrogate
Today I took Ryan for a walk in his stroller and saw that the carnival that had been setting up the day before was now up and running. It's called the Harrogate Stray Fair, and goes from today until Sept. 3. It had just opened not too long before we got there, and not everything was in full swing yet. However, it was shaping up to be fun. It was closer to midways I've seen in the States than to ones I've seen in Germany, style wise. There were the usual carnival type rides. What was nice is that the Fair is very family oriented. There's no alcohol, and there are tons of rides for little kids. Ryan's a bit too little for pretty much all of them. However, there was one that I could go on and hold him. The photo on the left was taken while we were on the ride. The one on the right was taken in front of the ride. Both were taken with my camera phone. Fun with phones! The ride was a very tame version of the buccaneer type ride.
There were lots of games to play. Before we went on the ride, I won Ryan a stuffed cougar from a dart game. The way the games are set up, you are basically just paying for the prize, but that's nice because no one gets skunked.
There were also plenty of food concessions, of which I amazingly did not partake. There was one that had fresh donuts, which I did stop at. However, they wouldn't be ready until later on in the evening, so I didn't get to have one. I guess that was God saying, "Don't do it!" There were food stands advertising "American style" hamburgers and food. I thought that was funny. Of course instead of fries, they are called "chips." I hadn't heard of "chip butties," though. I ought to have asked. Another difference in food nomenclature is "candy floss" for cotton candy. I hadn't heard that one before.
All in all it only took me and Ryan about fifteen or twenty minutes to walk though the Fair, but for kids a little older there was a lot to do. (The photo on the left shows only one side of the Fair. The left row of attractions is actually the middle, and there's another whole row to the left of that. I took the photo from pretty far down the stretch, but behind me there are still a few more attractions.) There are going to be fireworks on Wednesday night, but that's probably way after Ryan's bedtime. We'll see what happens. Maybe we'll get lucky and be able to see them from our house.

The Valyermo Fall Festival
Topic: Featured Link
I've decided to add a "Featured Link" section to this blog. (See the bottom of the side panel for the link.) In a month, St. Andrew's Abbey will have it's 48th annual fall festival, located in Valyermo, California. This festival is truly near and dear to my heart. I've been going to the festival as long as I can remember. I went with my parents and grandparents as a small child. As an adolescent I performed there with my dance school. I went with friends as a teenager, and with my husband as an adult. As much as I enjoy living overseas, something always tugs at my heart in late September, because I know I'm missing the Fall Festival. It started out small - at the time the Abbey was a Priory. Now it's become quite a large festival. I feel like we've grown up together. What's truly amazing about the Festival is that even though it's grown, it still retains its humility and serenity. St. Andrew's Abbey is one of the most tranquil places I've ever been. I always feel relaxed and recharged after a visit there. I highly, highly encourage anyone anywhere near Valyermo to go to this festival. It's one of my most favorite things and I know that anyone who goes will have a wonderful time. I'm looking forward to the day I can take Ryan there, and share the tradition with him.

Drive to Base and a Long Walk
Topic: Harrogate
This morning it was really rainy and windy and icky. I had an appointment, then drove to MHS. I am very pleased to report I got there just fine, without mishap or missed turns! However, when I went to check my mail, I could not get my box open, and had to get help. A very nice lady kindly showed me the trick to dialing in the combination correctly. In my defense, the way you open it is really different from the way we opened our box in Germany!
In the afternoon, the sun came out (the wind stayed). I took Ryan in his stroller for quite a walk. Ryan really enjoys going for walks, and especially enjoyed the wind on his face. He was "talking" happily and bouncing up and down. He was master and commander of his stroller, gripping the front tray like a helm. We started off our walk towards The Stray.It was beautiful out, and the wind felt quite refreshing. From there we walked to the Victoria Shopping Center. I'm not sure how far it was, but it was quite a ways. I somehow wound up at Starbucks. *grin* It had been at least four or five days since my last infusion!
In and around the Victoria Shopping Center and the Montpellier Quarter, there's something called the "Floral Trail." I haven't been able to find any specific information on it yet, but I will keep looking. There are white roses painted on the sidewalk marking the path. Apparently Harrogate is known internationally for it's flowers. There's a huge fall festival which unfortunately I'm going to miss (it's the weekend Ryan and I are going to Germany for his birthday). Hopefully we'll get to see it next year.

The good, the bad, and the ugly
Topic: Harrogate
I figure if I am going to do this blog, I might as well throw in the not-so-great moments in with the good ones. Nothing all that bad happened, I just did some stupid driving tricks. I drove to the base today and took a wrong turn and ended up at the exit instead of the entrance. Then I missed the turn for the entrance. After I turned around, I wondered why there was a car coming towards me in my lane, then realized that I was on the really wrong side of the road! Oh well. I'm sure that happens at least once to everyone used to driving on the opposide side that they're currently on. The whole thing did sort of make me want to cry - but I didn't!

Beautiful Day at the Park
Topic: Harrogate
Yesterday was very eventful. In the morning Larry left out of the airport at Leeds. I drove back home without incident, or even a wrong turn! It was a gorgeous day and I didn't want to stay inside. I figured there must be something going on downtown on a Sunday. I put Ryan in his stroller and headed out the door towards the shopping area. I made my way to the Montpellier Quarter, which I hadn't explored before. There were so many wonderful shops and sidewalk cafes. One shop in particular caught my attention: Farrah's Food Hall. They had all sorts of chocolates and gifts, as well as a delicatessen in the back. I enjoyed browsing. From there I stumbled upon a wonderful park called, "Valley Gardens." Our Day Out In Harrogate (Click here for our photo album of our afternoon.) Ryan and I wound up having quite the afternoon there. At first I just thought the park would be a quiet, beautiful place to walk through. Then I heard music. My ears led me to a brass dixieland jazz quartet playing in front of a garden show. There were all sorts of booths and displays outside. There was face painting and also a competition for kids to make fanciful figures out of vegetables, with various sequins, beads, and whatnot for decoration. Inside there were all sorts of items on display for competition: flower arrangements, vegetables, jams, pies, quiches. As I walked back outside, a lady from a booth offered Ryan a balloon and bubbles to blow. Ryan loved the balloon. I blew the bubbles for him. We found a spot on the grass where Ryan played for a bit. There were all manner of places tucked here and there in the park to get refreshments. The park was really amazing. It was beautiful with flowers everywhere, plenty of sun AND shade, and had something for everyone. There were plenty of benches to sit on spread out over the park. There were lots of paths, grass, and trees. There was a duck pond, as well as a pond specifically for remote controlled boats. There was a tennis court and miniature golf or, "putt putt" as I think it's called here. There was a fun childrens' area that had a splash pool in it. There must have been only about an inch of water in it, but enough to splash around and have a great time. The area was fenced off, and had lots of playground equipment in it. Ryan is a bit small yet, and would probably get run over by the bigger kids, so we contented ourselves to just watch. It was warm and we'd been walking quite a bit, so I got a soft serve ice cream cone for me and Ryan to share. What a day - balloons, bubbles, ice cream! It was a very enjoyable afternoon.

Today we've been having more of a rainy day. I suppose the sun couldn't last forever! I wound up driving around a bit looking for the clinic Ryan and I were supposed to register with. It turns out it was only five minutes down the street, but it took me about an hour to find it! Oh well. That's how you get to know a place.

Dishwasher
Topic: The House
We got our dishwasher yesterday. It's almost exactly like the one we had in Germany, only a little smaller. It works really well, too. Yay! As far as the washer/dryer goes (did I mention it's in the kitchen?), I think we're going to find somewhere to put a dryer and have one delivered. It just takes way too long to dry things, especially considering how small the loads are.

I still haven't sorted through all my stuff yet. I think that's going to take a while. At least I've got my suitcases unpacked!

Topic: Harrogate
Yesterday evening I went for a walk. On the way home, this particular side street evoked a mood I wanted to capture. I love late afternoon sunlight. I took these pictures with my new cell phone. They don't quite do the scene justice, but they aren't bad considering it's a cell phone.





Also yesterday I saw this "Holly Cottage." Of course I had to take a picture! I looked around online to see if I could figure out what this place was, and found out that the phrase, "Holly Cottage" is used a lot to describe bed and breakfasts. I still need to do some digging to find out about this particular one.

Mostly the last few days have been spent running more errands and taking care of Ryan. Yesterday I picked up my driver's license. Look out Britain! I heard a bit of trivia from the fellow who gave me my license. We heard a siren in the background and I commented that it was interesting how the sirens sound the same here as they do in the States. I figured in Britain they would have the European sounding ones that I heard in Germany. The man told me that someone told him that the police can change their sirens and use different ones depending on where they are, because different sounds get a better reaction in different places. I thought that was interesting.

Tomorrow Larry leaves for a month for FLTCE (foreign language training center Europe) in Garmisch, Germany. Ryan and I will be on our own. Should be interesting. I will definitely keep you posted!

Appliances
Topic: The House
I was spoiled in Germany, to an extent. I had an American washer and dryer, and it was good. I also had an American fridge. My oven and stove were a weird hybrid that had a German design, but was as big as American ones. The range was electric - which I hate - and the oven was marked in degrees that seemed to match up with neither Fahrenheit nor Celsius. You also had to turn about three different knobs to just the right settings to actually work the thing. I knew people who lived on the economy who had German appliances, and the main thing I heard about them was that they were a lot smaller than American ones, and took a lot longer to do their jobs (with the exception of ovens, which were still smaller, but cooked things in a fraction of the time). Here, I have a gas range which is great, but a tiny oven. Larry had to buy smaller cookie sheets since the ones we had wouldn't fit. The thing that's really been vexing me is our washer/dryer. Yep. It's a combo. We don't have instructions for it, so that makes it all the more interesting. (I need to see if I can find some online.) The washer/dryer has a very small capacity, about what most Americans would consider a small load of laundry. It doesn't take too long to wash, but it takes FOREVER to dry. We don't know how to add fabric softener (although as I write this it occurs to me that we could add a dryer sheet at some point during the drying process), so the clothes come out wrinkly and full of static. There also doesn't seem to be a delicate cycle. I am by no means complaining, simply describing. I am happy to at least have something, and I consider this an adventure! As far as the fridge goes, the only thing besides space constraints is that it seems to either freeze things when it shouldn't, or not keep things cold enough. Oh well. We'll get it figured out. Also, the freezer is on the bottom. I know some units in the States have that arrangement, but I never have had a fridge like that before. While I'm at it, I have to mention an oddity in one of the bathrooms. Instead of a light switch, there's a knob hanging from the ceiling that you pull. I think that's sort of funny. We're supposed to be getting a dishwasher tomorrow. I'll let you know what that turns out like!

Lots of errands and firsts...
Topic: Harrogate
(You may have noticed that entries can be sorted by topic. I've decided that "Harrogate" will pretty much cover anything having to do with the local area and our experiences pertaining to it.)

Wow. Today I've been here a week. I can't believe it. Time is flying by. I wish I could remember how long it took in Germany to go from feeling like a stranger in a strange land, to looking around and feeling like I was home.

It's been a busy couple of days. Monday I actually drove here for the first time. It's the first time I've ever driven on the "wrong" side on the road (on purpose, anyway!). I drove from Menwith Hill Station (where Larry works) back to our home on Dragon Parade. I made it without being in or causing any accidents! I still have yet to drive a right hand drive car, since we have our Honda still and aren't planning on buying another car anytime soon. I'm told it's easier to drive over here with a right hand drive car. I would like to get a chance to find out sometime. For now though, driving our Honda around doesn't seem so bad. Today I took the written test to get my driver's license for here. I passed. I get to pick up my license on Friday. They give you a study guide, which is nice. I had to laugh a little because even though I know they spell some things differently here than they do in the States, I didn't know "curb" was spelled, "kerb!" I also didn't know until last night that what we call a sidewalk is a "pavement," here. So when the study guide said not to drive on the pavement, I had to scratch my head at first!

The day before yesterday I went for another jog in the stray. Larry showed me a map that revealed the name of the stray: "The Stray or Two Hundred Acre." I have no idea as to the logic behind it. (If anyone out there knows, please share!) On the way home from my jog, I noticed a business called, "Stephen King Auto Services." Now there's a thought!

The weather has been really gorgeous. Today was warm enough for shorts. I'm really enjoying the cooler temperatures (compared to the desert) along with sunny skies. I know this nice weather isn't going to last, so I am taking advantage while I can.

The area we live in is nice because we're not really in a big city, but there's a really nice shopping area within walking distance. We are also right near a lot of agriculture. On the way to Menwith Hill Station or, "The Hill," as they call it, there are a lot of cattle and sheep. There are green fields segregated by long, low stone walls. Larry told me it takes something like an entire day to build six feet of a wall like that. When I see all the lengths of wall everywhere, I think of how much time and labor must have gone into it all.

The last couple days we've pretty much just been taking care of errands on base (I will refer to Menwith Hill Station most of the time as "base," as in air force base, or "MHS" for brevity). I realize I was spoiled in Germany on post there, because we had one of the biggest PXs and commissaries in USAREUR (USA Army Europe). MHS is very small and there just aren't very many amenities. On the bright side, local shopping is within walking distance from our house, and there isn't the same kind of language barrier. One thing I did notice in the commissary on base that I thought was interesting was that there are German products on the shelves. I expected that in Germany, but in England? Odd. In a way, it was kind of a deja vu!

Today for the first time Ryan and I walked alone to the shopping area. We'd been with Larry several times before, so I knew where I was going. It was good to get out and around and explore a little more. I'm starting to get the lay of the land a bit and that feels good.

Beulah Street
Topic: Harrogate
Larry and Ryan and I went out in the early evening yesterday. Larry had Ryan in the stroller and I went for a walk/jog. (I haven't run much this year, but am hoping very much to get back into shape.) It was an absolutely gorgeous evening. The sky was clear and the evening sun threw everything into relief between shadow and golden light. We were in what they call here a "stray," which is like a green belt, park-like area with big stretches of grass bordered with trees and a paved path. There was a bit of a breeze and the temperature was perfect. It felt good to get out and move around, especially in such a picturesque setting.
Today Larry and I took Ryan for a walk in his stroller to Beulah Street (the photo on the left). It's a pedestrian zone with lots of shops and cafes. It's only about a five minute walk from our house. There's a church in the middle of the shopping area, which I thought was funny until I remembered that there's a church in the middle of the marktplatz in Wuerzburg. (I'll be comparing England with Germany a lot, simply because I lived in Germany for five years and it's interesting to see the similarities and differences. England is a lot like Germany in many ways, only the signs are in English and everyone drives down the wrong side of the road.) Most businesses were closed since it's Sunday, but a few more were open than usually are in Germany. One of the things here I love is that everywhere you go there are flower arrangements in public places. It's so pretty.

We turned down Cambridge Street (the photo on the right - and yes, that's a Starbucks on the left side) and went into a little place called Cottage Bistro and Coffee Bar to get something to eat. I ordered the day's lunch special, lasagne. I've never seen lasagne served with french fries and cole slaw before! Larry had a hamburger. Both our plates came with a small salad with no dressing. Our food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I don't think we'll be going there again. Of course we stopped by Starbucks on the way home.