HUMP DAY HISTORY!

Before I get into this week's history lesson (oh it's a doozy, stay tuned :-D  ), just a quick update on what I've been up to this week/last weekend.

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, though it started out a bit foggy.  We opened the windows and were immediately greeted by music coming from the Lido (beachside sunny entertainment area) and the sight of loads of people on the beach and walking around in the sunny weather.

Most of the weekend I was stuck inside working on my PowerPoint presentation for my interview on Tuesday, but on Sunday afternoon Kieran and I ventured out to enjoy the fresh air and summer scenery.

Kieran and I had a lovely walk along the sandy part of the water as the tide had gone out and strolled back home for dinner.  Such chill afternoon, I love it!

Well Tuesday came along and it was time for my first interview here.  A bit scary to be honest.  The hubs made it a bit easier on me by renting a car for the day and driving me there and back (so sweet!) and waited for me in the parking lot for me to get finished.  The job isn't too accessible by public transport so if I'm lucky to get it, we will have to get a car but it would def be worth it.  The interview was a bit of a mixed bag.  I did well on my PowerPoint presentation and a few of the case studies but some of the questions caught me a little off guard and I tried my best.  Plus, the interviewers were nice but had their poker faces on so it was hard to read how I was doing.  All in all, not terrible.  I'm trying to be hopeful and I will hear soon.  Meanwhile, back to submitting more CVs and making phone calls.

Whatever is meant to be, will be.  There's a job out there with my name on it and I will find it  :-D

Thanks to my friends, family, and fellow bloggers for all their well wishes.  It's good to know I've got support where I need it.

I'll keep you posted.



Random point:
If you're looking for your yummy summer lemonade, be careful how you order it in England.  Their "lemonade" is different.  Take a look!


"Cloudy Lemonade"



VERSUS



"Regular Lemonade" (Sprite-like)

























You have been warned!

HUMP DAY HISTORY LESSON:

COCKNEY SLANG

"I don't know what she's rabbiting about"

"Use your crust, lad"

"She has such long bacons"

What on earth is this all about and where did it come from?  These are remaining phrases from Cockney Rhyming Slang.  This language, which was popularized in the 19th century, is primarily associated with working class Londoners, especially in the East End. 

The term "cockney" was started early as the 14th century in the word "cockeneyes" literally meaning a small, mis-shapen "cock's egg" and by the 1500s it was used by rural people in a derogatory manner towards city dwellers.

The first detailed account of this secret language was outlined in 1859 in Slang Dictionary, written by John Camden Hotten.

Why come up with a secret language?  Perhaps those who invented it were trying to conceal information from outsiders, including the police.  Or maybe it was just a bit of linguistic fun.  Both theories are widely purported. 

No matter the reasons for its initial invention, it's safe to say that the influence of cockney slang has spread beyond East London and has been incorported into common language for Brits. 

I thought coming to England would be somewhat easy cause after all, they speak English here.  Right?  Not quite.  I still have a lot to learn!

Ta ta!

Amanda

The Dessert that Changed My Life

Okay not really but it was DAMN GOOD.

Hold on tight, here we go!

No graham crackers here so I used "rich tea biscuits"

Huge strawberries are perfect for filling!

Slice off the bottoms so they stand upright...easier for filling!

I took a little artistic license and added some strawberry preserves to the mixture

Ready for piping!

Crushed biscuits

Ready for the chocolate garnish!

Get in my belly!!!

Will you marry me??

It was a yummy dessert to go with the Beef Wellington that the hubs whipped up.  I love weekends!

Later, peeps :)

FOODIE FRIDAY!

The saw the most AMAZING recipe today, I think I will try it over the weekend and report back!

It's Strawberry Season and British Strawberries are SO YUMMY!  We've devoured three cartons since I arrived here.  Thus, I feel this recipe is fitting for the summer season.

Courtesy of Nutmeg Nanny
Direct Link to this recipe:  Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Source

You will need:

• A large carton of fresh strawberries
• 8 oz pkg softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 sleeve of graham crackers

If you're feeling extra sweet, why not melt some chocolate chips over the outside?  Go on, be bad!

Steps:

1. Use a small knife to hollow out each strawberry
2. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth
3. Use a food processor or good 'ol hammer to crush the graham crackers
4. Use a piping bag (or just a plastic baggie with a corner cut off) to transfer the cream cheese filling precisely into the strawberries.  The filling should peek over the top of the strawberry slightly
5. Sprinkle with the graham cracker crumbs
6. Chocoholic?  Melt those chocolate chips and drizzle over your final product.

And voila!

Can't wait to post pics of my own strawberry delciousness!


P.S. Today I was talking on the phone to my mom and I used the word "rubbish" in a sentence.  Where did that come from?  Oy vey.

HUMP DAY HISTORY!

This week's topic: the British National Anthem!

"God Save the Queen" is the national anthem of the United Kingdom.  For those of you who aren't familiar, this is the tune:

 

Although there are three verses to the song (some alternative versions have six verses!), most people only know and sing the first verse.

I was curious about where this song and lyrics came from so I did a little research.

The origin of the tune and the lyrics are still unknown.  In fact, the lyrics have had several versions and revisions over the years. Although the first verse remains consistent, the subsequent verses have different lyrics in different orders to this day. 

The phrase "God Save the King" itself is older than the song itself, seen several times in the King James Bible and used in the 1540s as a watchword of the Royal Navy.

The original song was in response to the 1745 Jacobite uprising lead by Charles Edward Stuart (AKA "the The Young Pretender").  The Jacobite Rebellion was a political movement to restore the House of Stuart to the throne in Britian.  Charles' troops invaded Scotland and posed a serious threat to the monarchy at the time, which was led by King George II.  Although initially successful, the Jacobite movement inevitably failed a year later.

The first performance of the original song was in London in 1745 when it was sung in support of King George II.  It was performed at the Theatre Royal in London after the staging of the play The Alchemist.

The original lyrics were:

Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.

The anti-scottish sentiments reflect the Scottish background of the House of Stuart (which was behind the Jacobite Rebellion) and Marshall Wade was an officer in the Royal Army sent to stop the Jacobite troops in Scotland

Obviously the lyrics were changed once the song became the National Anthem for Great Britain (which includes Scotland, of course).

Today's version is performed at sporting events, traditional formal events (such as Wimbledon and the Royal Ascot), greeting the monarch and the royal family when they are present at events, and used to be played at the end of the day's programming on the BBC.  It is also sung in other countries in the Commonwealth, including Australia and Canada, over whom the British monarchy reigns. 

My fellow Americans will notice the tune is the same as our "My Country 'Tis of Thee" written in 1832. 

Sources:
http://www.know-britain.com/songs/national_anthem.html
http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/NationalAnthem.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen


I hope you enjoyed this little history lesson as much as I enjoyed learning about it for this post!

xxxx

Observations of a professional TV watcher

Not gonna lie, I have a deep love for the television.  I love nothing more than watching a good episode of Spongebob Squarepants on a lazy Sunday with a bowl of cereal.  Ahhh.  Well, being abroad has shown me several differences in British TV vs. American TV.  As expected, there are loads of my favorite programs I can't see anymore :'(

Seinfeld
Modern Family
Pretty Little Liars
The Nanny
Golden Girls
Ohhh the list continues but it's depressing me, I can't go on!

 However, I have noticed a lot of parallels in TV shows.  Whether it's Americans copying the British or the other way around (I'll leave you readers to duke that one out for yourselves), it's quite entertaining

Made in Chelsea

Source

VS

The Hills

Source

The Office UK (the original)

Source

VS

The Office US

Source

Geordie Shore

Source

VS

Jersey Shore

Source

Skins UK

Source

VS

US Skins

Source

The Marriage Ref UK

Source

VS

The Marriage Ref US

Source

Shameless UK

Source

VS

Shameless US

Source

Not to mention the countless talent shows:  American Idol, Pop Idol, America's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, the X Factor, Dancing with the Stars, Skating with the Stars, etc. etc.  Those all blur together cause even the American versions have Brits on the panel of judges!

I suppose in the TV business it's all about marketing a popular idea to people in different countries.  It can be entertaining but a bit repetitive.  Let's get some new ideas out there, people!!


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The other day, I was admiring how far out the tide was and fancied a walk.  The hubby said he would show me how to go "rock pooling" where you look at the shallow pools of water around the rocks for wildlife and turn over rocks to try and find cool little fellas like crabs and fish.  I should have stuck to my instincts and waited til I had a nice pair of wellies, but hubs insisted I'd be fine with my tennis shoes.  Well, at the end of the day, my shoes got soaked and smell like seafood.  Oh well.  It was still a lovely and beautiful adventure!

Just hours ago the water would be far over our heads! It's cool how close we can get to the pier at low tide!

Last night we had a special treat and had Kieran's parents and sister over for dinner for a belated Father's Day get-together.  It was our first real dinner entertainment night in our new (nearly fully furnished) flat!  I made lasagne and my favorite dessert--  CUP OF DIRT

Source

It was a little difficult without JELL-O brand pudding and I couldn't find gummy worms but I did my best with strawberry laces, custard, and oreos--and it tasted yummy!  Success!


The parents-in-law brought us some lovely flowers to spruce up the living room.  Lillies and irises are my faves! 

GOOD NEWS!  I got my first job interview, scheduled for next week.  More details to come!  Glad to just get to this stage.

Ta ta!

Sunny Saturday

The weather said it was going to storm all day today but so far it's been sunny and very blustery!  So I am pleasantly surprised.  This morning I woke up to this outside my window:

I have no idea what this cute parade was about.  It was mostly school aged children with their parents/teachers and it had an alien/space theme to it.  Oh and there were drums.  Lots of drums.  That's what woke me up.
See for yourself:

update: my hubby has just informed me that this is the 4th annual Worthing "Children's Parade."  The internets tell me that this year's theme was outer space, hence the cute decorations.  Poor things were holding on for dear life in the wind, it was pretty strong out there.

Some other random things . . .

shepherd's pie and beans, made by me!

A cute snail I saw on a walk in the neighborhood

Anyways, not much going on today besides chores and chillaxin. Hope everyone has a great day!

A

My first experience with the NHS

http://www.nhs.uk

What kind of expat blogger would I be if I didn't write about some of the boring practical things that often come up?  Thus, I will tell you about my first ever visit to the doctor in England.

Don't worry, I'm not ill.  I just needed to get a doctor so he/she can refill my meds.  The first step was to register with a doctor's surgery (as I briefly mentioned in a previous post).  There are a few in my neighborhood but I went with one that has like 8 doctors with hopes that getting an appointment wouldn't be too painful.  I just filled out about 5 pages of forms (including a survey about alcoholism which I passed, hehe), handed them in, and waited a few days to make an appointment.  Last week I booked myself an appointment and got my NHS registration card in the mail.

Simple as that.

Nothing like waiting for health insurance companies to get back to you about your pre-existing conditions and then sending you the wrong paperwork or a member card with your name spelled wrong.  I'm not bitter.  Moving on...

I turned up at the surgery today and there was a nifty little touch screen computer in the doorway where you can digitally sign yourself in.  It was kind of cool.  15 minutes later I am paged overhead by my doctor (kind of reminded me of my days of working in a hospital or nursing home) to come to surgery room 1.  I sit in a nice office and the doctor asks me a few questions about my medications and medical history.  After 10 minutes he hands me a three month supply presecription of my meds. Which, I might add, will be F-R-E-E when pick them up from the pharmacy. 

As I left the doctor's office, I awkwardly blurted out, "geez, it's weird leaving an appointment without paying you" which sounded awful and American and I immediately wished I had just left it at "thank you."  The doctor just shrugged and said that I pay via my taxes.  BWAHAHA little does he know I am currently unemployed so I'm just freeloading at the moment.  Thankfully I kept that tidbit to myself and left quietly.

In the states my meds could cost me between $100-200 per month cause my insurance was crap.  And that's with generic brands! Imagine if I had name brands.  That's still nothing compared to people with serious long-term illnesses and elderly people who sometimes have to choose between food shopping and their heart medication.  It isn't right.

Well, all-in-all, I had a pretty great first experience, albeit not an emergency scenario.  I think the quality of your country's medical care really comes into play when you REALLY need it.  Which I hope I won't have to experience, but you never know. 

Speaking of the lovely NHS, I just submitted an application for a job I really want at an NHS Trust in the area.  It's a great opportunity and I REALLY hope I get an interview.   When I hit the "submit" button, I had butterflies in my stomach and wanted to barf.  In a good way.  Send your positive thought vibes my way!  I'll keep you posted.

Tonight we're going out to dinner with "Nan Worthing" (as opposed to "Nan London" who is equally awesome) so I better tidy up the flat so we can have her over for a cuppa (cup of tea) afterwards.  Wow that sentence sounded very English. 

Laters!
xoxoxox

HUMP DAY HISTORY!

this week's history lesson:  Brighton's Royal Pavilion

SOURCE

Brighton is the closest major city to where we live, a beautiful and vibrant seaside location with great nightlife, culture, shopping, and business (and maybe job opportunities, I haven't gotten that far yet).  It's very modern but also has a rich history, including that of its eye-catching landmark, the Royal Pavilion.

Beginning in 1787, the Pavilion was built and added to in three phases:

1)  The Prince of Wales (later to become King George IV), first became interested in Brighton in 1783 after visiting his uncle in this very fashionable city.  He was advised by his physicians that the seaside had medicinal effects and might cure his gout.  Shortly after, George acquired some land and a farmhouse in the area.  In 1787, when George got a raise in income from the House of Commons, he hired Henry Holland to build and expand the property into the Marine Pavilion.  Prince George also purchased the surrounding land where he built stables for over 60 horses.

This is what it might have looked like under Henry Holland's original design:

source

2) In in early 1800s, George started to feel that the Marine Pavilion lacked the size and functionality for large social events he liked to host.  In 1815, John Nash was hired to expand and transform the small residence into the brilliant palace it is today.  The design of the exterior domes and interior decor borrowed heavily from Indian, Chinese, and Islamic architectural influences.
George spared no expense in this expansion to make sure the palace was modern and comfortable, including interior lighting, heating, and sanitation.
George's presence and the construction of his massive palace brought prosperity and people to Brighton.

3) When King George died in 1830, his brother William became king and inherited the palace. Only seven years later, King William died and the palace was passed on to his niece, Queen Victoria.  In 1837, Queen Victoria made her first royal visit to Royal Pavilion, which pleased the residents of Brighton greatly.  However, Queen Victoria, being a much more frugal Queen than her uncles before her, didn't care for the extravagance of the palace and soon found it to lack the space and privacy she needed for her growing family.  In 1850, Queen Victoria sold the palace to the town of Brighton for approximately £50,000 and moved her family's summer home to the Isle of Wight.  Assuming that the Royal Pavilion would be demolished by the town, she ordered that all of the internal fixtures and furniture be removed from the palace and divided amongst the other royal homes.  Years later, Queen Victoria and her royal successors returned much of the removed items which were useful in future restorations of the historic building.

Since the 1920s, the building has undergone several renovation and restoration projects to bring King George's original vision of the Royal Pavilion back to life.  Today, the Pavilion is a major tourist attraction in the south with approx. 400,000 visitors every year.

For about £10 you can go inside the palace and get a tour.
The Royal Pavilion Official Website

source

I must admit I have only enjoyed the Pavilion from the outside but I hope to be able to cough up a few quid in the next few months to get a tour of the interior!  You know I'll be reporting on it when I do so keep reading!

Peace xoxo

Rain, Shine, and Job Hunting

England is notorious for its bipolar weather.  One minute it's "pissing it down" . . . .

. . . . And the next it's beautiful!

You never know what's in store here!

The job hunt continues.  Amongst other things, I'm in the middle of a MASSIVE application for a job I REALLY REALLY REALLY want.  Literally I wrote a 6 page essay outlining why I have what it takes.  It would be a fantastic job opportunity.  I've having mom edit it tonight before I submit it.  I've also sent out my background check paperwork so hopefully if something permanent doesn't come through soon (sad face) maybe I can get some temp social work stuff.
Otherwise I'm just making phone calls and perusing websites trying to find something.  Something has to give.

BIG NEWS we finally got our living room furniture and this place is starting to look like a proper home.  So I decided to do a cheeky video tour of the flat!  I know it's shakey and gives you motion sickness but you get the idea:

Ta Ta!
A