Happy Birthday, Emily

This week, my niece Emily [who looks just like her dad] will turn 11. She is an avid soccer player, loves Webkins and stuffed animals, penguins, her i-Pod, and has a place for everything.

Below, I've included a video of her on her visit to the UK where she told me about a pig with a birthmark.

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Savoury Holiday-inspired snacks

Why-?

"Savoury", meaning salty.
Turkey & Stuffing flavoured crisps [potatoe chips].

Wish I could say that I have broadband...

But I can't! Can't make this up. I tried a new tactic a couple of weeks ago and called Sky and just tried to order broadband outright. I decided I have been thinking too much like an American by thinking that I can have my account transferred. That doesn't work, clearly. So I called and ordered it. Figured reconciling two bills would be the easier than what I have experienced.

I made call number 8 to Sky on 3rd of Jan. The call centre was in Scotland and I had an interesting interaction with the customer service agent when he asked, "Do yu require a roo'er?" I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't understand." He repeated, "do yu require a roo'er?".

Yeah, that's a router, I finally figured out. Nope. I have one of those.

A few days later I got a letter saying that my broadband would be active on the 15th of Jan. A couple of days later, my router stopped working, so I knew they were working on something.

On the 13th of Jan, I got a letter saying that I needed to call my previous broadband carrier and request the "MAC code". They are my previous broadband carrier, so I am not assured that I won't have my broadband on the 15th.

I called yesterday, the 18th [the 9th phone call], a Saturday when I finally have time. The line is up and working. The "roo'er" is now dead. They'll have to post me another one. That'll take 3-5 days and it has to be signed for, so it will be forwarded to the mail pick up station [different than the Post Office], so it will likely be two weeks before I have it. When the post man can't deliver something [I won't be here], then he forwards it to the mail station and that takes a few days. You have to wonder why since it's right down the street, but mine is not to question why.

In the meantime, the dogs and I have been spending some quantity time on the Commons. The picture above is of the girls and I dressed alike in our warm, don't-hit-us orange. Pedestrians [and dogs] don't have the right-of-way in intersections unless there is a marked zebra [pronounced zeb' ra] crossing. Otherwise, it's cross as fast as you can. The dogs have learned to run when we get to the pavement.

We had a cold snap here last weekend, and the pond froze. There was all sorts of crazy behaviour, people with children and dogs, out on the ice. It had been cold here ... coldest in 30 years, from the holidays until this last week with temperatures dropping down into the teens. That's below zero in Celsius, so folks have been a little worked up. We're back to normal now; weather in the 40's.

Yesterday and today we walked for a total of six hours and the dogs came back to the house with a lot of the Commons in their fur. They got baths and a big lunch and have been sleeping ever since.

I am back into the swing of my job, so am spending a lot of time on trains. I was in Leeds on Friday and will be in Barnsley tomorrow, three hours in each direction on the train for both. All of the sudden this island seems big!

By for now!