Last day at The Bridge

Yesterday was our last day to work in the Bridge Tea Shop in the village. We are not going back the states for another month, but with my parents coming for a visit next week and then the preparing for the movers and the two weeks of travel in Europe we have planned, we had essentially run out of time for helping out there.

I certainly enjoyed volunteering in the tea shop. I don’t think the kids enjoyed it as much as I did, but they did a good job helping out. We said goodbye to the lady that works before our shift every week and to the people who come in on a regular basis and the fellow that works in the Parish Council Office upstairs.

Word Play – Diary

To most Americans, a diary is a place to write down thoughts and things going on in your life. Something that teenaged girls scribble in. Here in the UK, a diary is a calendar. So, rather than “check your calendar and let me know” you get “let me look at my diary” or “has everyone got their diary so we can set a date for the next meeting?”

What do they call what we would call a diary? A journal. Let’s see…

Dear Journal,
Today Joe Bob asked me to the prom! He’s so cute! We’re going to have the best time ever! Suzy is going to be so jealous!
Love,
Fiona

Hmm. Doesn’t sound quite right to me.

Martime Museum

Saturday afternoon we spent about an hour in the Maritime Museum in London.

After closing time we walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory. At the top we took a few minutes to catch our breath (okay, it was just me catching my breath) and to take a picture or two of the prime meridian line. The view of the surrounding area was very lovely.

I hope we can go back sometime and give the Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory the attention they deserve.

(note on the photo: the line is the Prime Meridian line. The sign overhead says Greenwich Meridian then East Longitude over Steve and West Longitude over me. The line went down the wall and across the pavement.)

Jailhouse Rock

Saturday evening we all went to see the musical Jailhouse Rock at the Picadilly Theatre. It was loud, but fun.

Jailhouse Rock The Musical is a new stage musical version of the classic 1957 Elvis film Jailhouse Rock. The show also charts the development of rock’n'roll from its roots in blues and country music and will feature a mix of musical styles alongside a host of popular rock’n'roll hits which will appeal to all theatregoers, with plenty of classic hits to satisfy Elvis fans!

Featuring a rich catalogue of 1950’s rock’n'roll classics, Jailhouse Rock The Musical tells the story of Vince Everett, a young man from the wrong side of the tracks who discovers his own unique musical talent whilst doing time in jail and emerges to become the world’s greatest rock n’ roll star, only to discover that he isn’t ready for the pressures that money and fame can bring.

Source: thisistheatre.com

On the train

On the train ride home after the musical I took a couple of pictures. Here is what Cara thought of me taking her photo!

Fair Trade Fortnight 1 – 13 March 2005

Before coming to the UK, I had never heard of Fair Trade. The more I hear about it, the more I think it is a good thing to support. So, as Fair Trade Fortnight is coming to a close, I thought I would post a little bit of information about Fair Trade.

When commodity prices fall dramatically it has a catastrophic impact on the lives of millions of small scale producers, forcing many into crippling debt and countless others to lose their land and their homes. Too many farmers in the developing world have to contend with fluctuating prices that may not even cover what it costs to produce their crop.

Development agencies recognised the important role that consumers could play to improve the situation for producers. By buying direct from farmers at better prices, helping to strengthen their organisations and marketing their produce directly through their own one world shops and catalogues, the charities offered consumers the opportunity to buy products which were bought on the basis of a fair trade.

Fairtrade Labelling was created in the Netherlands in the late 1980s. Max Havelaar launched the first Fairtrade consumer guarantee label in 1986 on coffee sourced from Mexico. Today, there are now 19 organisations including the Fairtrade Foundation, that run the international standard setting and monitoring body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO).

Producers registered with FLO receive a minimum price that covers the cost of production and an extra premium that is invested in the local community.

In the News – Comic Relief

Comic Relief on Course to Break Record

LONDON (Reuters) – The Comic Relief charity appeal has raised more than 37 million pounds for projects at home and in Africa and is on course to beat its own fundraising record set two years ago. Organisers are hoping to beat the 2003 total of 61 million pounds.

Comic Relief, held every two years, was set up by British comedians in 1985 with a live BBC broadcast from a refugee camp in Sudan. It has since raised more than 337 million pounds.

Each appeal sees children across Britain don red noses while a host of stars donate their time to raise money. Lenny Henry, Rowan Atkinson, Elton John and Stephen Fry starred in the BBC 1 show on Friday, with Fry also making a guest appearance on the BBC Radio soap ‘The Archers’ in a special edition written by comedienne Victoria Wood.

Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman won the Fame Academy singing competition over EastEnders actress Kim Medcalf and DJ Chris Moyles and his team embarked on a week-long road trip from John O’Groats to Lands End to raise funds.

More than six million red noses were sold for the event.”

Red Nose Day 2005

Today is Red Nose Day here in the UK. There was a lady at Sainsbury this morning who had made gingerbread men with red noses that she was selling to raise money for Red Nose Day. Sainsbury was also selling plastic red noses as a fundraiser as well.

Red Nose Day is a UK-wide fundraising event organised by Comic Relief every two years which culminates in a night of extraordinary comedy and moving documentary films. It’s the biggest TV fundraising event in the UK calendar. On Red Nose Day everyone in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is encouraged to cast inhibitions aside, put on a red nose, and do something a little bit silly to raise money – celebrities included. It is an event that unites the entire nation in trying to make a difference to the lives of thousands of individuals facing terrible injustice or living in abject poverty.

Lovely Bits of England – Cloth Shopping Bags

Another of the things I really like about the UK, and Europe in general, is the cloth shopping bags. Many people (though certainly not all) carry their own cloth reusable shopping bags rather than collecting a new plastic bag at every shop they stop into. There is something quite lovely in my mind about a person making the effort to use a shopping bag that does not end up adding to some landfill somewhere. I especially enjoy seeing the older people walking about town with their grocery bags that they’ve obviously been using for years and years.

Wedding Stamp

Here is what the wedding stamps will look like:

Looks like they could have worked a bit harder to get all of Camilla’s head in on the 68p stamp.

And, just for comparisons sake, here is the wedding stamp from 1981: