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- Our new place
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- The living room
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- Our kitchen
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- The bathroom
We are looking forward to moving into our new flat this week. Some of our friends and family are surprised by our moving yet again since we arrived in England. Although we don’t enjoy the moving process, we are so thankful that the Lord has answered our housing prayers.
Our new place boasts it’s very own off street parking spot (a first for us over here in England- we are moving up in the world, tee hee) as well as double glazed windows (also a first for us over here.) These small things are a very big reason to move. We will no longer have to hop up onto the sidewalk and park in between bollards. Additionally, the double glazed windows and electric radiator heaters should lower our utility bills during the winter months.As an even better added bonus the bathroom is equipped with an extractor fan (yet another first!) and something we were looking for specifically when we were house hunting.
We are also thrilled because Colin will be able to use the small second bedroom for his office and workspace during the day. That means for the first time since we moved to England, we will actually have our very own bedroom! The flat is a bit larger than our cottage as well as having a lot of natural light, which will also help during the gray and dark winter days ahead.
We will miss the beautiful views from our cottage windows and we will miss the aspects of living in the village. However, we are more than happy to say goodbye to drafty windows, spiders and their food, and all the nooks and crannies in this current place.
We will post updated pictures once we have actually settled and moved into the flat. We already know where we want to put all our furniture and decorating ideas abound! Thanks for all of you who have been praying with us and for us about our housing situations.
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A
“All right?”- commonly used phrase that we hear, and now say all the time, used in greeting others when you make eye contact with them. An answer to this question is not required.
A to Zed - the book of maps available for major cities in England. You will get lost. This book is essential to any outing!
“A and B roads”- used to describe “main” roads and to differentiate roads for neighbourhood streets.
B
Bisto – a granular instant gravy mix that makes for yummy roast dinners.
Boots – the shoes you wear to play Football. Also a pharmacy store. In the singular fo: the trunk of your car.
Biscuit – a crunchy cookie, usually dipped in your tea.
Bonnet – nope not an oldfashioned hat; the hood of your car. “Have you looked under the bonnet?”
Bangers – sausages. “Would you like some bangers with breakfast?”
Bin Liner – a garbage bag.
Bristolian – a person who comes from Bristol. The dialect spoken here.
C
Cream – you can purchase all sorts of creams: single cream, double cream, creme fresh, Devon cream
Castles – which we love to visit, and really, around just about any corner.
“Cheers!” – used to say “thank you” and “goodbye”
Curry- the only spicy food that most Brits eat. “Do you want to go out for a curry?”
Chips- masquerading as french fries.
Cream Tea- having tea along with scones, jam, and devon cream.
Crisps - potato chips.
Cello-tape- scotch tape.
Cottage – a small, old house usually in a village. Where we live!
Cash Point- an atm.
D
DIY Shop- a “do-it-yourself” shop, or home repair center.
Diversion- sounds nicer than it it is: a detour.
“Dogey”- phrase pronounced “daw-gee” meaning something is possibly unsafe or not such a great idea. “That area is a bit dogey”
E
Estate- a housing development.
Excess- the deductible for your insurance.
Engaged- when someone is busy.
Easy Peasy- term used by kids and teachers to mean that something was a “snap!”
F
Football- known to Americans as the sport: soccer.
Full stop- the punctuation mark at the end of most sentences, a period.
Fish n’ Chips- important to know where these are in the neighbourhood for a quick dinner option.
Fizzy Drink- soda pop.
G
Grace Church -our church here in Bristol, England
Garage- pronounced “gare-aj” is the place you fill up your car, a car dealership, or an auto shop.
“Get it sorted”- phrase to mean, “we will get it figured out, don’t worry.”
Garden- back yard.
“Go for a walk”- really means, “hiking”
“Get told off.”- phrase meaning to have been in trouble with an authority figure.
H
“Hiya!”- a common way of saying hello
Hob – the term that means stove
Home Groups- we love being in Matt & Lizzie’s home group in our church.
“Have a word”- indicating you wish to speak with someone.
Holiday- a vacation.
I
Inverted commas- also known as quotation marks.
Indicator- turn signals.
Icing sugar- powdered sugar.
J
“Joint”- term used to mean a cut of meat for roasting.
Jumper- a sweater or sweatshirt.
Jam- is really jelly.
Jelly- is really jell-o. You can imagine my confusion when we sing the “Peanut butter and Jelly” song.
K
Mrs Kipling Pies- which Colin must eat every week. He prefers apple flavour.
Kayak- the search engine we use to look for plane tickets to go back home.
King size bed- queen size bed in the States.
L
Lost- you will be getting lost on a regular basis because streets aren’t properly signed.
Lorry- a semi-truck.
Lead- cord connected to anything electric.
“Lush!”- a phrase used to mean “really nice!”
M
Museli- Colin’s favourite breakfast cereal here.
Metric System- the measurement system used here.
Marj & Nathan – our good friends here!
“Mate”- a friendly term.
Motorway- term used to mean highway or freeway.
Minced Meat- ground beef.
” Mind!” -phrase used to mean “watch out!”
N
Narrow roads- at almost all times.
Normal- the word used by most to mean “regular”
Number plate- your licence plate on your car.
O
Off licence- a store that sells alcohol.
Overtake- to pass someone on the road (which you’d better not do if there is a queue)
P
Pub- local restaurant for families.
Parallel Parking- just learn to do it, because you’ll have to do it almost all the time. The Brits are brilliant at it!
Paracetamol- the equivalent of tylenol.
Pitch- sports playing field.
Pudding- dessert of any kind.
Primary School- an elementary school.
Petrol- the fuel you put in your car.
Pants- underware.
Post- mail.
Q
“Quite”- a word used to mean “a little.” Example: “It was quite nice.” translation: “It was kind of nice.”
Queue- a line to wait in, not to be subverted!
R
Round Abouts- those circular intersections!
Radiators- the central heating system in almost all houses here. Also used to dry clothes here as the average family does not own a clothes dryer.
Reusable Bags- found in all grocery stores and most other stores to be used in place of plastic bags.
Rubber- an eraser.
S
Skype- the internet phone service that keeps us in touch with our friends.
Saloon- a style of car, a sedan.
Slip road- an exit from a road.
Scones- biscuits. You would never eat these with dinner.
Skip- the dumpster.
Spanner- a wrench
“Sorted!”- phrase used to mean, “finished!”
Sweeties- candy.
Semi-detached- a house only attached on one side to another house.
Secondary school- high school.
Squash- concentrated juice to be diluted with water. A common cold drink here. Also a game played similar to racket ball.
T
Tea- what everyone drinks all the time. It is courteousy to offer tea to anyone who enters your home, friends, relatives, or fix-it and repair men.
Take Away- cheaper than eating out, also known to Americans as “Take out”
Torch- flash light.
Tip- the dump.
Terraced- a house in a row of houses attached on both sides.
U
Unexpected obstacles in the road- at all times, in any direction.
Umbrellas- haven’t really been that necessary over here compared to Oregon.
V
Virgin Media- the company that provides our internet service.
Village- a very, very small town with just a few shops. We live in a village it has: one restaurant, 2 realesatate agents, a tatoo shop, a music shop, two churches, a car repair garage. You can drive through it in two minutes, England time– that means it’s tiny!
W
Wales- one of our favourite places to visit.
Wellies- rubber boots. Often worn when you “go for a walk” or “go into the garden.”
Whinge- to complain about something.
Wardrobe- most places don’t have built in closets, so you will need to buy a wardrobe.
X
When you “tick” a box.
Y
Year One- the grade that Sadie teaches equivalent to first grade, only the students are 5 years old.
Yorkshire pudding- essentially extra crispy pop-overs.
Z
Zed- the last letter in the alphabet.
Zebra crossing- cleverly marked pedestrian crossings in the raod with black and white stripes and flashing lights.
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This is what a true Bristolian sounds like! Sadie gets to hear it everyday, and she can vouch for it!
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Pretty nutty fares here. Eugene to anywhere international for under $600 is a great price. How much better when it means coming and staying with us in our country cottage?
Sadie would be on vacation during this time as well. Extra bonus!
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- Church next to our house
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- Peeking out our window into the church yard.
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- Church in our backyard
The other day, when Colin and I took a stroll down the lane by our house, we were thrilled. It was an idyllic walk, past the church that chimes the time for us each hour and on into the nearby farmlands that our kitchen window looks out onto from the garden. We commented on the stone walls, hedges, and local manor houses that we passed. However, it wasn’t until this morning that we were able to find out a little more about our village.
We love waking up to the pleasant chimes that come from the church located just “kitty corner” behind our house. In fact, our bedroom window peaks into the churchyard. It was fascinating to find out that the church is actually build on the site of a chapel called St. White, which is most likely why the village was named Whitchurch. The tower of the church is Norman, dating from the 12th century and was presumably built when the people moved from an old village (referred to as Filton) to the present village. It was also incredibly interesting to find out that there are acutally underground passages connecting the church, manor house and former inn.
Yes, we have discovered some special things since we’ve moved here. We are most certainly and definitely Oregonians, and sometimes that makes us stand out here in England. Why? Well, you can figure it out.
We use the statement “sun break” and know what it means. Although, most British folks don’t (amazingly enough, rainy country that it is!)
We know more than 10 ways to order coffee. Which doesn’t come in handy living here in the land of tea drinkers.
We feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant. Enough said.
You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette. But, get funny looks if we refer to any of these places.
In winter, we go to work in the dark and come home in the dark—while only working eight-hour days. It’s getting dark here at 4:15ish right now, so nothing new in this department since the move.
We never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho. But, we have discovered that ” camping” here in England is an entirely different experience which really means setting up a tent in someone’s backyard, which you had to reserve, which is near a store and restaurants. It’s totally roughing it!
We are not fazed by “Today‘s forecast: showers followed by rain,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: rain followed by showers.” The rain here is usually so wimpy and sporadic, we don’t bother with the forcast now.
We know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind. And we’ve told people about it!
We think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or people from California. Especially with the wimpy rain here, seriously folks!
We buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time. So, true!!
We measure distance in hours and minutes. Oh, yes, and the Brits laugh, they laugh at us so hard!
We know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall).
Our grandparents drive at 65 mph through a rain storm without flinching.
We blame everything that’s not right on ex-Californians. But, not any more, oh no, not anymore!
Subaru Legacy Outbacks make us think of home. We remember when we saw those cars at every stoplight.
We only honk your horn if collision is imminent and never for anything else. But, we are trying to learn this new flash-your-headlights thing in Britain.
We consider something a “hill” (not a mountain) if it doesn‘t have snow on it or has not recently erupted, regardless of its altitude. There are no real mountains here in England.
We consider “etiquette” a foreign word. And are a little freaked out about it here, social fopas here we come!
Every day is casual Friday. Except that here, it isn’t.
Hear the word “ferry” and think of boats and long waits. Now, we also think of fairy cakes!
We believe swimming is not a sport but a survival skill to prevent boating deaths.
We think downtown is “scary” because you were panhandled there....once... Oh, it’s all so scary!
We know that Kindergarten Cop and The Goonies were filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach, respectively. And we tell people!
We love the smell of a fresh rain.
We go out of state and wait in your car for someone to pump your gas. But, not any more. Colin taught Sadie how to pump her own fuel, but has been kind enough to always do it for her.
We are more concerned about packing a sweatshirt or a jacket when going to the beach than packing a bathing suit.
We say “pop” instead of “soda.” And now, we say “pop” instead of “fizzy drink”
We smile at people you don’t know as you walk by them on the sidewalk. Which gets us some funny looks now!
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Dear Tesco, Asda, and all other self-proclaimed “24 Hour” buisnesses:
There appears to be a problem, here. You see, your sign says in giant letters that you are open 24 Hours.You see, where we come from, this kind of sign means that you are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.However, we have found that not to be the case here in England. Your signs clearly say “24 hours” but, that is in fact not the case. Because in small print your sign also states that you are in fact closed during many hours of the evening. This is false advertising and highly aggravating. It would be more accurate to have a sign that says “Open the same as everyone else and maybe a bit extra.” I realize this would take up extra room, however, it is in fact the more correct statement. You are NOT open 24 hours a day. Ever.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
The Americans
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Toad-in-the-Hole
What is life if not defined at least partially by the food we eat! We have really enjoyed discovering some of the interesting names for British specialty foods over here.
Toad-in-the-Hole: which has nothing to do with toads at all. It is sausage baked into a puff pastry like casserole.
Bubble & Squeak: leftover potatoes and vegetables fried up together
Cornish Pasty: a pastry in a half circle filled with yummy meat and potatoes.
Fairy Cake: a much cuter name for a cup cake!
Jacket Potato: otherwise known as a baked potato.
Soldiers: finger sized slices of toast, usually dipped in soft boiled egg.
Yorkshire Pudding: similar to pop-overs, only WAY better.
If you’d like to try your hand at any of these recipes, you can visit the Brittania Cooking Website.
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While our lives here are continually on-the-go, we try and take the time to relish our surroundings and embrace the opportunities to visit nearby places. We also, are trying to convince you to come and visit us here!
Bristol is in an excellent location to visit many historical sites, and being in the South West has generally amiable weather. It really doesn’t rain here (not proper rain) as much as it does in Oregon! So, here’s our list (so far) of great things to see and do in the Bristol area within a short drive:
* Bath, UK- see the Roman Baths, visit Jane Austen’s home, and browse the wonderful shopping district!
* Wells, UK- visit the Cathedral and enjoy a good cuppa at a nearby coffee shop, or see the local market.
* Chipping Sodbury, UK- Sadie just really likes this Cotswold town!
*Gloucester- the Cathedral is a must see (picture left)
Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my heads, there’s loads more to do than just that! We’ve really enjoyed visiting those places and are planning more adventures ahead after we get our housing situation settled (again!)
Anyway– all of that is just to say: Come visit!
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Thanksgiving with Caitlin
Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with my friend Caitlin and her family! It was absolutely wonderful, perfect, and best of all tasted just like home. It would be a significant understatement to say that we are thankful for the friends the Lord has given to us here. They have welcomed us and made us feel at home countless times. We are so blessed by their hospitality and friendship!
The Feast!
Oh, just looking at this picture reminds me of how yummy it all tasted! It was a complete thanksgiving right down to every detail: turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. P.S. Colin was there, we were just seated across from each other so he isn’t in any of these pictures. All of the ones that I took turned out blurry (go figure!) Anyway, from our family to yours, we hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving.
A few of the things we are thankful for this year:
*Our Savior– who is the beginning of all our thanksgiving, because He rescued us from our sins!
*Our family back home–we miss you and are so glad that you keep in touch with us on Skype!
*Our friends here– you are so special to us!
*Our church– for all the ways in which we are encouraged, challenged, and supported!
*Being married– we love being together!
