I previously wrote about the window displays at Harrod's. I took some photos (some BAD ones, as it turns out! Sorry, especially to all the photographers out there!)I've never seen Dorothy or the Tin Man quite like this...
We finally had a visit by the schools to verify our residence. At 8 pm! And we have been staying home all DAY... I wonder how many evenings or weekends they showed up? Now, let's see if they can get it together to get the kids into school when it resumes in January.....
Well, after just talking with the schools, I'm not convinced that they are going to make this happen. Apparently, it is "normal" for a child to be waiting for a few months if the schools are full. "Normal" and ACCETABLE are two completely different things! They have apparently assigned Gray to the school in the borough that is the farthest from our house: 5.5 miles and an hour and a half by bus ONE WAY! We can appeal that, but they have 30 days to respond to the appeal. So, we are busy writing every government official we can think of.
On Friday evening, I went shopping for those items we want for Christmas breakfast and dinner which are not available in grocery stores here: Karo syrup, canned pumpkin, Log Cabin type syrup and marshmellow fluff (for fudge). They have pumpkins, which I could cut up and cook, but frankly, I don't have the time to do that. They have NO corn syrup that I can find. They sell pure maple syrup, imported from Canada- at an outrageous price. (Though it's probably about the same as I paid for the fake stuff they imported from America...) I also picked up some Kraft Mac and Cheese and some microwave popcorn-- neither of which are readily available (in any brand or form). So, just as an example: both the Karo and the Log Cabin syrups cost 4 GBP each-- that's about $7! I could have ordered them from Ebay for about 8 GBP, or about $15 each. Good thing Christmas only comes once a year! There is a website where we can order American food. Prices are as outrageous, and there is a shipping charge on top of it. (www.americansoda.co.uk) We did get a Christmas pudding to serve. A little of America, a little of England.
An interesting note about Christmas pudding: it's not really pudding as we know it. It's more of a really moist cake. Also, to make a proper Christmas pudding, it takes about 6 weeks! There is even a Sunday designated to begin preparing your Christmas pudding. Since we missed that, we have bought one. We'll let you know how it goes...
We found a church we are excited to visit. It is Hillsong Church. It meets in one of the theatres in central London. (The one that is playing, "We Will Rock You," with the music of Queen...) Hillsong publishes a lot of Christian music. One of the questions in the FAQ section of the website was: "I am concerned about the sound level in the Dominion Theatre." Sounds like our kind of church! We'll let you know about it.
My Spanish co-worker explained today that Santa/Father Christmas/Chris Kringle doesn't visit Spain. Christmas Eve is the big deal, but focused on a big meal with family, followed by a day of relaxation on Christmas Day. (Or a day of recovering from gluttony!) The gifts come out on January 6, on Epiphany. The Three Kings are the "mascot" for Epiphany.
We have offered to host dinner on Christmas Day for the American social workers. The interesting thing is, there is no transportation on Christmas day (other than cabs, which will charge double fare), so folks are spending the night on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us and/or another American who lives nearby. So, while it's not family, we will have a crowd for Christmas. We will sure miss being with family on Christmas!!!
The day after Christmas is Boxing Day-- also a holiday. (I need to remember the significance of this day.) But, it is the shopping day like Black Friday in America. People line up (though not as early as in America) to get all the good sales. It seems a little backwards to me. I want the sales for buying presents! I will have to adjust...
We should have real internet access by Christmas, so we will be able to Skype on Christmas. We look forward to talking with some of you!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Taryn and I currently work in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. I've been here since the end of July. I seems that y'all have started to settle in. I just want to let you know that you can find canned pumpkin at the Waitrose in Canary Wharf. The Americans in LBBD had a Thanksgiving get-together and I searched everywhere for it to make pumpkin bread. I found it there at Waitrose. If you haven't tried Texas Embassy yet, it has decent Mexican food. It is located near Trafalgar Square. Anyways, just thought I would share what we have found.