My Eye's Anthology

Life up date mostly in pictures

2011-06-05T04:13:00.000-07:00

In Jan i got a personal best in a 10k in Telford. Mum was there to support me which was really cool.

My fisrt triathlon. I fell off my bike 1/4 mile before the end of the bike leg. I sat for 10 minutes but then was determined to finish. I felt ok will i took a shower and hot water on my face was the most painful part of the fall. Really enjoyed it but i was so nervous before the start the swim was quite horrible and i was glad it was over. Though i got a great time! Shame i lost so much time on the bike leg!

This is from my second triathlon. It was soo much better tan my first race, for starters i didn't fall off my bike but over all, it felt better. I didn't almost throw up in the pool as i was much calmer. The bike ride was fun and i managed a really decent pace for the run. I have one more triathlon scheduled which is twice as long as this and i'm scared. I was totally spent by the end of this. Need to learn how to hold it back on the bike a bit more.

My second Triathlon

I went on holiday with Mum and Dad on a narrow boat in Wales by the Brecon Beacons. IT was lovely to spend time with them. Shame Jeff wasn't there too though, but he was back in America.

I have been sewing. I can't afford to buy clothes right now so i am making them. Really enjoying creating too.

Silver shirt. Those pleats were worth it, i'm really pleased with the shirt.

Trying to fix my washing machine. The bearings need changing which requires basically the whole machine to be taken apart. Bit ridiculous really! But it was do it myself, wait for Jeff to get back to try it or replace it as i wasn't going to spend 150 quid on having someone else fix such an old machine. Costs so far are minimal, though i did find out that the drum has worn away the heating element so that needed to be replaced also. I'm a bit stuck as i can't unscrew the pulley, its jammed on tight and i think it may need two people to unscrew it. I may be waiting for Jeff to get back in the end anyway. I have now gone 4 weeks without a working machine. I have washed only my sports wear in the bath but now i really am running low on underwear and clothes!
I'm too tight to go to the laundry, its so expensive here.

Meme - ABCs of me.

2011-03-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Thought i'd join in with the rest of the internet......

(A) Age: 33 still, for 4 more days
(B) Bed Size: US Queen UK king - same size different names
(C) Chore You Really Dislike: Vacuuming
(D) Dogs? No never, dislike, husband is scared of.
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Clean knickers
(F) Favorite Color: Red or green or teal
(G) Gold or Silver? Silver
(H) Height: 5'7
(I) Instruments You Play: well, can i count the Clarinet i gave up at age 13?
(J) Job Title: Senior Orthotist
(K) Kids: Hoping for them very soon
(L) Live: Oswestry, Shropshire
(M) Mom's Name: Monica, she doesn't like it that much. Her chosen grandparent name - Mony (she is yet to have grandkids)
(N) Nicknames: Sweet-tits - by Jeff only
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? none
(P) Pet Peeve: Unnecessary use of windscreen wipers when i'm in the passenger seat.
(Q) Quote from a Movie: Hope that was a fart! - Cheech and Chong: Up in somke
(R) Right or Left Handed? Sinister
(S) Siblings: Elder sister, younger brother.
(T) Time You Wake Up? 5 minutes before my alarm 7:16
(U) Underwear: Boyshorts
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: None I can think of.
(W) What Makes You Run Late: Husband. though i am not a tardy person when i'm on my own.
(X) X-Rays: Toe at 10 yr old. Hip just this year.
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Muffins, marmalade, Thai fish curry
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Penguins and Otters.

Marmalade Making – Dark and Chunky

2011-02-18T11:27:00.001-08:00

3lbs Seville Oranges, 2 lemons, 5lbs sugar.
Scrub the fruit and poach it for a few hours whole with a tight lid on to not loose any liquid. Cool and scoop out the innards in to a pan, pips and all. Add a pint of poaching liquid and boil for 10 minutes. In the mean time, shred the peel to your preference. Discard the lemon though.

Pour the pith innards/pips in to a colander lined with muslin and allow to cool. When its cool squeeze out all the pectin and add to the poaching liquid. Squeeze and squeeze – in my case till my hands hurt. I was a little scared of it not setting. In hindsight, i would have been fine with the amount i had squeeze before the pain set in, but really squeeze it! You can then leave this overnight covered. This first part will have taken about 4 hours already so doing it over two days is nice.
The next day warm the sugar in the oven and warm the poaching liquid. Once warm add sugar and dissolve. Do not allow to boil until all sugar is dissolved. Once it is, boil for 3 plus hours. After the 3rd hour start testing it to see if it will set. Put a little on a fridge cold plate. If after a minute in the fridge it forms a skin the wrinkles when pushed then its ready. Mine was first time. If not check every 15 minutes.
Leave it to cool before pouring in to sterilised jars. Oven heat them for 15 minutes and boil the lids for 3 minutes to do this. Don’t jar until the shred looks like it will stay in the marmalade well distributed. If it all rises to the top of the pan, it will do the same in the jar. Allow to cool until it stays suspended. Label and enjoy!

Mine made 11 jars. I need more! Remember, you can only get Seville oranges in January and February so make enough for the year!

GO PACK GO!

2011-02-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

I am smiling under that helmet! It is signed by Donald Driver Number 80!

Very jealous of folks in the States partying with friends for this amazing day, wish i could share it with someone. As it is, i will be getting up at 5am to watch it before work so no one spoils the result for me. I can't believe how many people are talking about it over here. Its all over the radio and it being aired on BBC1. Unfortunately i don't have a tv, or a tv licence so i have to watch it on NFL game pass which i can only get after its been aired. Hope the pack do well or it will be a sad Monday and a long week till Jeff arrives.

GO PACK GO!!!

Fishy Habits

2011-01-16T10:18:00.001-08:00

For new years eve we visited Becca and Stuart. We managed to arrive in time to see Wilfred before his grandparents took him for the night. He was high strung after not napping that day, but still a delight. We had the new years eve i have been hankering for for a few years. A good meal, good friends and a quiet transition in to the new year. It was just the four of us and i thoroughly enjoyed it.

Stuart cooked steak, dauphinoise potatoes and green beans. I was bringing desert but cheated. Mum had given me the rest of her lemon polenta cake as she found herself with too many baked goods in the house after Christmas was over. I whipped some cream and it went down a treat. We then indulged ourselves in cheese to accompany the wine. We were still sat at the table at midnight – to my surprise – and when Stuart started counting down to the new year i was baffled how the evening slipped by so fast.

As usual, when i have been drinking and i think especially when i drink red wine, i don’t sleep well. I was awake at 7am and up by 7:30 for laying in a deflated airbed is so not comfy. I got up and made a cuppa tea and grabbed a few cook books off the shelf.

I had bought Jeff Meat by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for Christmas (which i had discovered on the same bookshelf i was now reading from actually) and came across River Cottage Everyday, another of his books. I had seen a couple of episodes of his show before i gave the tv back to mum. I made myself comfy and started flicking through.

I had decided that i would not eat meat when Jeff isn’t here a few months ago. Eating either vegetarian or fish dishes. The reason was more to do with learning to cook these better and more interestingly. I suffer from the boiled, steamed or fried syndrome when it comes to vegetables and i’m getting sick of it. With regards to fish, i love the stuff, but stick to the same easy dishes.

So i focused my attention on the veg and fish section and was impressed by both. I found that for most recipes i would only have to buy the star of the dish, the veg or fish its highlighting. So i decided to buy the book. Half price on Amazon – i couldn’t say no.

It was this book that drew my attention to fish sustainability. I had never really thought about it before. I try to buy British veg, for what is the point in buying a New Zealand potato, which has to be shipped here, when we grow them right here in Brittan. I buy free range chickens and eggs, or at least barn ones and i but my meat from a butchers where its most likely to be local. But i have never thought about where my fish comes from.

Hugh highlights which fish are sustainable, which to avoid. Thankfully most of my favourite fish are on the ‘eat’ list. I also happened upon a film called End of the Line on Love Film which was so interesting and also eye openingly scary. To think what we are doing to the wild fish stocks of the world!

I had no idea that cod was basically an endangered species. As is blue fin tuna. I quite possibly ate some in Japan, but if i were served it today, i would have to say no. Its fine not consider where your beef is reared, where your chickens are cooped, or how the lamb came to be on your plate, as those are all animals that we breed for food. But fish, they are wild. We do not breed them. Even the ones that we do farm are not sustainable. It takes 5lbs of anchovies turned in to fish food to produce 1lb of salmon. Now where is the sense in that?

So i have made a decision to only eat sustainable fish. There is a lot to find out but there is also a lot of information out there. Hugh is currently doing a tv show on this subject called Hugh’s Fish Fight on Channel 4 – wish i had a tv!

The only way to help is to change what we eat. Fishermen/companies will not fish something if there is no market for it. We are the ones who can make this change.

And if we don’t, the consequences will be felt by our children and grandchildren. It has the potential to do lasting harm. If we fish a fish out of existence, nothing is going to bring them back again. We have to act before its too late. And the time is now. Its happening in our life time. We have to change.

Here are some websites i will be using to help me.
http://endoftheline.com/ Website to the film
http://www.fishonline.org/ The search engine to read about the fish is great.

Muffin Crazy

2011-01-12T07:30:00.001-08:00

I was always under the impression that baking was a science. Precise amounts of flour to to eggs, baking powder to cream of tartar. In my first year of living gluten free, i only baked pre-mix bread and i soon got tired of that. I didn’t bake anything for a few years after that. I occasionally made Cheebie bread, though calling it bread is stretching the definition of the word in all honesty. it does make good bread sticks mind.

So i move to England, where i get my GF food on prescription and a whole new world opens up to me. I have all this bread mix, which is versatile and time on my hands (being unemployed – though i prefer the term, looking for work). With the Juvela range they send you a recipe book with the starter pack, which shows you how to use the bread mix for many different foods. And its pretty darn good too.

I started with the book recipes scones and breads. Then started modifying the breads to include seeds and fruits. Then i even tried the crumpets. Those actually tasted like crumpets too – i could hardly believe it in all honesty. Especially when the store bought GF crumpets are so expensive.

Then one day before Christmas, i just wanted to make some muffins. I looked up some recipes (not GF) and tried to get a general idea of what quantities i should use. The just got on with it. Plopping in a cup of this, half cup of that. A teaspoon of this a pinch of that. The first batch turned out great! Since then i have been rolling with it. I have a general idea of what quantities i need of what. I have ben writing it all down, making comparisons, changes in in quantities to try to get the perfect muffin. All have been totally edible, most have been very tasty, though none have that muffin consistency as yet. But the elusive muffin texture – i can live without it.

So far, to please the requests, i have done sweet ones, but today i went for both. Mango & crystallised ginger and Caraway & cheese.

I feel totally confident now with regards to muffin making. And i love it. The only problem is that i have to eat them!

Sitting around, diagnosing.

2011-01-12T06:36:00.001-08:00

So today i have the day off work as i had my MRI on my hip. First i had an arthrogram where they inject the synovial cavity with anaesthetic which has a dual purpose. It is a contrast element for the MRI as well as a diagnostic tool. The aim is that after the MRI and i’m sent home, that i try to illicit the pain i get. If i can’t then it proves that its in the joint – i think this has more to do with arthritis than what i have possibly got. If i can, well, i don’t necessarily know what that means, but i assume it mean that i have the bony impingement.

So as my pain is from sitting flexed at the hip for extended periods, that is what i must do. I got home by 10:30 this morning and started preparing for my sitting around. That included doing a bit of baking: caraway and cheese muffins and mango and ginger muffins. More on those later. I find that I can sit around in the evening, but during the day i find it tough. For this reason, i have to have enough to keep me occupied, if i get bored of one thing, i can do another. So i prepared: socks to darn, spices to label, books to read, movies to watch, Packer game to watch, internet nice and close and plenty to drink. I’m in hour 2 right now. I’m watching the game and i have labelled the spices and i need to pee. My hip hurts.

Erddig Christmas Market

2010-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

So Judy - the MIL - wanted to buy my mum some nice chocolates for Christmas, but unknowing left it a little bit late. Oswestry isn't the hub of chocolatiers and on a Sunday - you'll be lucky!! but I did the dutiful thing and searched the internet for potential places we could go. I happened on a website that said she had run out of chocolate, but to call. I called, it turned out she was at the Erddig Christmas Market. I had previously thought that it would be nice to go there when i picked up some leaflets trying to plan a few days of things to do, but totally forgotten about it, so was pleased to have the reminder and the excuse to go.

It was cute. Little wooden huts with hand made goods. from chocolate to soap and furniture. German sausages, welsh cakes to marmalade and cheese. I treated myself to some ginger fudge and ginger cheese - bought from two different huts. Jeff and Judy indulged in German sausages and Judy found the girl with the chocolates. Mum will be pleased!

I wish i had photos to show you. I forgot my big camera (and i broke my little one in September when in the States). Its getting VERY annoying not having a little camera. I am going to buy one in the January sales. I just can't live like this!!

Goodness, December the 18th Already!

2010-12-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Blimey, its so close to Christmas. I'm super excited about spending it with my family in Scarborough. Its been a few years now and i have missed it. I do love Christmas day a lot, we play silly games and there is literally never a slow moment. Its exhausting. Its fun. Its tasty and happy.

Boxing day is just as good, but with a difference. Its slow moving, late lunching and walking on the beach. There aren't as many 'almost pee yourself laughing' moments but its good quality family time, a recovery day from the antics of Christmas madness.

With the traditional Harbour Bar stop - its an ice cream parlour where you can get a hot drink and stand on the pavement huddled in a group; to stay warm and keep out of the way of heavy foot traffic - and a kick around with the football, with many posed and candid photos taken. Then on to the evenings entertainment - the biggest drinking night of the year - though we have become lightweights over the years and go out later and later each year. I used to go at 9am, then 10, I hopped to 2pm (after a delicious food coma inducing lunch) now its closer to 7pm (food coma now has more of an affect). Its a day I hate to miss out on as much as if i missed Christmas.

Roll on Friday 3ish pm when i can start the hopefully-not-snowy journey home to Yorkshire.

A few photos

2010-12-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

Just up the road from me, like a 10 minute drive.

Found a cafe that has GF bread

Pontcysyllte aqueduct

In Shrewsbury

Snow capped Shrewsbury

2010-12-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to make new years resolutions but have been thinking about the up coming year a lot. There is so much i want to achieve i feel i need to write it all down, get a list going to get it sorted in my head. To prioritise what's the most important to me and what things can wait.

So, in the order that things spring to mind, here is the start of said list.

Compete in a standard distance Triathlon (which means i need to probably do two Sprints before that).
Cook more meals when i'm alone (with Jeff being away for weeks at a time, its easy not to cook - which in turn makes my diet poorer as i don't eat as much veg - though i do also eat much less meat which i think is probably healthier).
Read more - novels, history and news.
Spend less time on the internet.
Make a baby.
Sell a lot of my belongings - i have too much stuff in my life.
Design and sew some tops, sweatshirt type things but with style.
Learn French.
Appreciate the local area by researching, walking, running and shopping the area. Using farmers butchers.
Make marmalade and chutneys.
Grow veggies.
Visit friends and family.
Show Jeff the UK
Re-upholster a old fashioned chair.
Get my hip sorted.

Reading it through, its an odd list. Some things will just happen, like getting my hip sorted. I will soon have an appointment with the hip specialist and things will just go from there, not much i can do to take control of that. But that has to be sorted out before i can think of getting pregnant. In the mean time i can keep training for Triathlons and hope that i manage to compete this season. I wouldn't like to put off my hip getting sorted to enter a Tri, at the same time, i will be annoyed if i train then loose every gain i have made coz i end up having surgery. If i do have surgery, i want to get my body and fitness back to pre surgery before i get pregnant so i will have an easier pregnancy and will be able to train through out it.

Other things on the list, like reading more and less internet time go hand in hand. Give up one gives me more time for the other. Jeff and i are really looking forward to growing veggies and our garden has a plot at the back of the garden already to go. This in turn will make my veg in take increase when i'm alone. Until then though, probably just getting our kitchen equipment and spices will make me cook more.

I managed to get 2 weeks off in May and hope to convince Jeff to go camping around England and Wales to enjoy the great British countryside. Perhaps throwing a visit to some friends and family while we are at it.

In January Jeff is not here at all and Seville oranges are in season, so marmalade making will take place then. Though the chutneys will probably wait until we have an abundance of veg from the garden.

I wonder if i will ever learn a second language? I was thinking if i was off work for any amount of time, it would kill some time eh, like post op, or maternity leave. Some time, one day....

The chair will have to wait for the house.We are hoping to get a house in summer next year, so perhaps thats not too distant a project. And hopefully moving house will inspire me to sell stuff. I won't be unpacking anything unnecessarily, so i guess, if i haven't unpacked it - do i really need it?

As for making clothes, now i have found an amazing fabric store, right here in little Oswestry - Textiles Express - where mum and Alison would both move here to live by, i may actually feel creative one day, while i'm trying to fill the time in when Jeff is away.

So all in all, a lot depends on my hip. other things depend on me making small choices and other things are project i totally enjoy, which i just have to keep at the fore front of my mind to remember to start them.

Did that help me? Yes, it certainly did. It's not a plan per say, but a guide for 2011.

I Love My Job THIS Much.

2010-11-27T03:02:00.000-08:00

I just have to say how much i love my job. This much.

That's quite a lot you know.

I know that i love it so, as the weeks just fly by. Its all over so fast and come 4pm on Friday i'm almost sad it went by without me noticing it zooming by.

I think it has something to do with it being so varied. Mondays and Thursdays i work all day in ORLAU (Orthotic Research in Locomotion and Ambulation Unit) where the patients are challenging and i work with physios and consultants. I'm constantly running to the workshop - which i have to go outside for, not so much fun in the snow and rain - to adjust braces, add a strap that was forgotten or trim a toe plate so it fits in shoe. They are my my favourite days. Tuesdays i work in the main hospital orthotics department. Either an all day clinic - where i see patients for assessing, casting, supply or review - or i do a half day seeing patients then the afternoon would be none patient contact (NPC) where i can catch up on paperwork and other things that need doing. Wednesdays are the same but if i had a NPC on Tuesday i wouldn't have one Wednesday and vice versa. And Fridays are normally a clinic in the morning and NPC in the afternoon. Fridays we finish at 4pm which is nice too.

Every day is different and not just because i'm in different department, but because every patient is different. Patients are the spice of life. LP the graduate has been in my clinics a few days over the past fortnight getting the feel of things. I have been letting her treat the patients while i just sit there as a safety net. I can see how much confidence she has gained in just this last week. She needed to be allowed to do the work. I make her make the decisions, next week she will be on her own so she needs to. I have really enjoyed the time with her. She does all my work!!

We don't just open boxes us orthotists, we clinically assess the appropriate device, cast or measure, adapt if necessary, fit and sometimes fabricate. Being called a surgical fitter is the biggest slap in the face. My bug bare is also calling braces/orthoses splints. I can't bare it. But its the norm in the UK. I will not change though.

I normally find that i don't have a lot to do in my NPC. I have always been good at time management and perhaps i have been lucky that my clinics haven't run over. At most i have 2 hours a week to catch up on, but i get 7 a week. I have been using this time to brush up my knowledge. I've been reading podiatry sites and JPO papers. Its nice to have the time to educate myself in work hours. I do need to start writing all the reading down that i do so compile my CPD folder - though i think i will make it digital until it is called upon from the HPC. No need to print stuff if not necessary.

Anyway, just wanted to get it out there how satisfying being an Orthotist is. How thankful i am to have a career i love. Thinking of training in something - you can't go wrong with Orthotics.

Plodding Along

2010-11-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

Almost another weeks has gone by. Its now less than two weeks till i see my DH. Our furniture is due to land in port in 3 days. I can't tell you how excited i am to be getting our sofa. Kinda sick of being on this bed. Perhaps that is why i spend so much time at the gym.

Work is great. We have two new Orthotists. One is a graduate who i enjoy having in my clinics learning from me (i can mould her to my way of thinking, which is the right way of course). The other is a girl that was a couple of years behind me at uni. I hate having folk in with me when i feel they are analysing my work. She's a lovely girl, i just don't like to be watched. Thankfully, its only once or twice then she will just be doing her own clinics.

Alison and Jamie visit this weekend. It will be lovely to host them, just a shame that we will probably need to spend all the time out of the house. I'm sure a good hike will happen and a nice meal with few drink in the evening. Sunday, i'm sure will be organised around lunch.

Shopping was fun last weekend. Chester is lovely, and now I don't know what to take Alison. She may have been to Chester though, so i may stick with my original plan of Shrewsbury. It is lovely after all.

I did well in my holiday request. I got 17 days off for just 7 holidays. Thank you Royal wedding for the extra bank holiday. The only problem is, i have nothing to do with it. Jeff will only be around for half of it. We can't afford to go away anywhere, i don't have a house to renovate. I think i need a project. I can enjoy time off alone, if i have company in the evenings, but a week off work with no one at home at all - what did i do??? So, i plan to find a piece of furniture or something that will take me time to renovate. Not sure right now, i'm merely thinking out loud. Any ideas?

Bullet Points

2010-11-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

Well it's been 6 weeks, but I'm finally settled and now have internet access at home.
So to make this easy i think bullets points are in order.

New house - nice little 2 bedroom with conservatory and lovely garden - even has a veg patch.
Living less than a mile to work so walk there which is nice.
Husband still isn't living here, due to arrive early Dec and i can't wait.
House still empty bar a bed i bought, my clothes, wedding crockery and some kitchen stuff.
No TV and just getting internet leaves me plenty of free time.
I barely put the heat on as i'm barely in the house. I go to the gym every night. When i'm home, i get in bed and turn my electric blanket on.
Decided with the gym being so lovely and i go every night, i don't need to put my hot water on, i shower there every day.
Work is going really well. Thoroughly enjoy every day. I have lots of freedom and work closely with the consultants.
Unlike many consultants with god complex's i work with fun, down to earth approachable ones. Totally awesome i can tell you.
I asked one of them about my hip pain. He diagnosed/guessed that its 'anterior femoral impingement (afi)' sent me to my GP to get an x-ray and recommended a consultant who does young adult hips.
I had my x-ray today. Have to wait about two weeks for the radiologists report. Argh the waiting game.
If it is afi then i would need surgery. ARGH!! I'm too young for hip surgery. Trying not to panic.
Its hard not to panic as my symptoms are spot on with the description, just like when it was suggested i had coeliac disease. It all made sense. It turned out to be true. The same here, it all makes sense. I must wait though.
In the mean time, i will continue to train for triathlons. My symptoms are caused when i sit in flexion for extended periods so cycling in race position is not ideal. But i can still do spin classes and some cycling as long as i'm not getting pain.
I have fallen in love with swimming. I used to swim as a child. I don't recall how i felt. I wonder if i did it coz i felt like i do now.
Its been lovely being so close to home. I went to Scarborough for the weekend. My sister and brother were there too. It was really really nice, its been a while since we were all together at home. I missed Jeff though.
Alison visits me in a week also. Then two weeks after that Jeff arrives, then two weeks after that its Christmas!!! And i have the whole week off. I am SUPER excited.
I go shopping with the girls from work tomorrow to Chester. I'v not been there yet. It'll be a nice day out. Back in time to swim too.
And last but not least - apparently i sound rather odd. several people have asked me where im from as my accent is all mixed up. America, Scotland, Sweden.... what did you do to my lovely Yorkshire accent?

Ta ta for now.

Arrived in Os

2010-10-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well I'm here, in Os. I arrived on Sunday to stay with a guy in his house till i find a place. Its cheep and cheerful. The place is pretty clean for a guy living on his own (gilf occasionally stays) but in saying that, he had never cleaned the tin opener, it was gross. But, i had the bed made with sheets on, a few towels and a blanket on the bed. A little basket of soaps and stuff and a TV. I really cant complain for £55 a week with no commitments. Well, he has a jack russel that goes mad when I'm there, so much so he has to keep it on a lead. So i try not to be there too much and do hang out in my room. Much less awkward.

Oswestry is small. I already know it. It's nice, petite, clean and seems quite friendly. It has a ridiculous number of pubs to population, I'm not sure what that says about the place.

Work is fine so far. I did two days of induction which was typical boring stuff. Pension, pay holidays, IT, manual handling, fire safety, infection control etc blah blah blah. I was surprised to find out that the hospital has no case of MRSA in over 7 years. That is an AMAZING statistic in the UK (or so it seems to me). All the infection statistics in the hospital are great.

Today i did a morning with the girl I'm replacing. Work is work, orthotics are orthotics the world over. Its just the systems i need to learn. In saying that, I do know that i will be increasing my knowledge of KAFOs considerably. To think that i did perhaps 10 in total in my 6 years in Milwaukee, i will now be coming across them weekly. Eeek!!

I found a place to live, now the application then I can move in to an empty house and wait for my lover, my life, my husband. They are all the same thing btw not individuals!

I'm gonna go trail running on the weekend and visit Shrewsbury which is a lovely town just 20 minutes down the road.

The Three H's

2010-09-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

House hunting, hair cuts and hip pain.

Oh so much to say, where to start? But i'll try to keep it brief.

I went to Oswestry (Os) but I failed to find a place to live, so i have to rent a room in a house while i look for a house. That's cool though, as at least i will have furniture to live with/on for a while. I did find a lovely cottage on a gorgeous country estate but it was just too small. If only we didn't have so much stuff.

I had lunch here. A sweet little place.

New hair cut.

I desperately needed a haircut and wanted to start the search for a new hairdresser in Os so made an appt at Toppers. It looked cool and the prices didn't make me run. Zoe was my stylist, a sweet young girl with 3 yrs of experience and she cut my hair just right. I really like it. I had some layers put in to reduce the bulk. The fringe isn't perfect but i will go back to her next time and be more specific.

Today i was on a course 'Biomechanical screening to improve your orthotic prescription' in Loughborough. It was totally amazing. I love going to courses where you actually learn something of benefit. They actually teach this course to all sorts of disciplines from physios, orthotists, training coaches, personal trainers, the US military, sports scientists and therapists. Its really interesting and very practical. Its a 'ah-ha' course that has take home information and skills easily translated in to your assessment practice.

We actually did unit 2 of a 9 unit course. In its entirety its a diploma course and i plan on finishing it. I am now a qualified grade two biomechanical assessor. Also, i plan on using some things i learnt to help my hip issues. When i sit in a car, particularly driving, for over an hour i get significant hip pain. It slowly gets worse and only standing and stretching out can relieve it. Its like a cramping, throbbing pulling pain and only in my left. That hip also suffers from cramp frequently and when i run its the one that hurts after 6-8 miles. This is a long standing issue.

So we did all these tests and i test positive in all of them for dysfunction in one or both hips. SURPRISE! Not! they gave us exercises to prescribe patients if these signs are positive as i am, so i plan to complete them to see if they help. I can't tell you how awesome it would be to fix my hip pain, especially for driving, but also running. I was assuming as i got used to running the longer distances that i would eventually get rid of the pain. But now i'm not so sure. I think i have to sort out the imbalances i have. Unlock my pelvis and get normal motion for the pain to go away. I don't fully understand where the pain comes from when driving but i'm willing to give this a try to see if it will fix it.

Lots still to do with regards to moving. Not much time.

Beautiful Children Everywhere

2010-09-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

My friend has just had her first baby. A beautiful boy named Alexander James. Congratulations Laura and Jim E.

My cousin had her first baby a few weeks ago, Aaron Alexander (and in an odd almost coincidence his last name is James)

Above is my friend Amanda's first baby, Alexis Renee
And of course below, Wilfred Henry Weston

Weekend with the Lee's

2010-09-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Family baking time


Hammering.

Wilfred and Daddy's tool box.

My wonderful friend and amazing mother Becca

Go Pack Go!! Pack Steph Pack!

2010-09-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today the Packers kicked the Bills asses.

A great game to go to.

My last one in a long time.

Now i just need to finish packing as i leave tomorrow.

Matt and Amanda

Jeff and I - Jeff's favourite thing of all time. Home games.

Pre game tailgating.

I bought a new cap which i will use to run in.

Apparently I'm a Dumb Ass

2010-09-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

So, if you look at the post below, you will see its called Five Things Friday. Unsure why i decided to go that route, given it was Saturday!

Eh, what can i say, i was hungover.

Five things Friday

2010-09-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

1. Not surprisingly, I woke up with a hangover.

2. I bought 6 bags of oats today. I can't not buy them when they are half the price than at home. I need to have certified GF oats and although these aren't 'certified' because i bought them at the farmers market and was able to actually ask the farmer who grew them if he crop rotates with any gluten grains - he does not, then i feel safe eating them. So i now have 9lbs of oats all neatly vacuum sealed and ready to be shipped with all our stuff in a few weeks.

3. I did my last work on my house today. It's not finished but my work is done. I feel weird and bad and sad. I never leave something so huge unfinished. I feel terrible for flying home and leaving Jeff to do all the little jobs, that all add up. To give you an idea, he needs to plumb the new kitchen sink, silicone the tub; install the bathroom sink and tap and toilet; paint the bathroom window and put it all together again; install the kitchen fan/light; remove all the stuff we took to do all the work. Remove the cement board that we bought too much of. There is still many hours work. And i'm sad i don't get to see the finished product. I will in photos, but not in real life.

4. Tomorrow we are going to see the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. I can't wait. I'm stoked that i get to go to a game this season. I have been to a game every year i've been here. I love home games, but much more when its cold. If i had the choice i would go to a cold game. I prefer tailgating with snow on the ground.

My first game - it was so cold that
the beer froze around the bottle neck.

Wrapped up and happy.

5. I keep looking around our house and thinking about those poor packers we are hiring to ship all of our stuff. I also fear that i will be unpacking boxes of crap. Some things i just wouldn't pack and bring with us. You know when you move you reconsider many things and end up selling and pitching lots of stuff you no longer need and want. Well as i'm not packing it i don't get to make those decisions, so it will get boxed, shipped and i have to deal with it on the other end. Consider this. We are packing more than half of a 40 foot container with our stuff. The rest of the container is Jeffs '67 Firebird that he insists on bringing. Now that's a lot to unpack.

Love Friends

2010-09-18T00:53:00.000-07:00

So just a quick note, i'm little drunk btw.

But don't you just love it when friends wait unit you have opened your front door to make sure you are safe home, before they drive off?

I love you Anne, Amanda and Scott. xxx

Update!!

2010-09-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

So I know its been a while (Curt) but i suppose i have stuff i can add to this now. I think i got all sick of this site after spending so much time uploading so many photos to it. And i actually didn't even finish adding all of Japan. But now its over. I have moved on.

..................................

Since my travels i have been living with my parents, which has been wonderful. I could live there for years, if they let me!! But i am happy to be starting a job very soon in Oswestry, Shropshire and finding a place for Jeff and I to start our UK life together.

I am currently in Milwaukee renovating my house. My tenants left it in a horrible state and the bathroom had come to its end. In all honesty the bathroom has been at the end of its life for years, but its a big job and i didn't have the inclination to do it before. Not on the grand scale it needed.

So here are a few pictures of that i have been up to the last two weeks.

This bathroom was stripped down to the studs. I can't access the old pic's right now, but just imagine NASTY

I have a lovely large medicine cabinet - brushed nickel to go in that slot.
Its surprisingly deep so is very good storage.

New tub. This was the most important thing in here. The last steel tub was rusty.
A couple of years ago stripped it and re-enamelled it, but 3 years of tenants turned it to crap

I love tile. There is no better option. None of those plastic tub surrounds.
I also love subway tile, its timeless and fashionable. The strip of glass tile add some pizazz.
I love to tile, but hate doing the grout. But for 3 days work, it transforms the place.

Today i am stripping the wood for the window.
Getting rid of the 10 layers of paint before reinstalling it.
We would have loved to put glass block in there, but neither of has done it before,
and this just wasn't the time to try a new project.

We also tackled the kitchen. It had no counter space apart from the sink unit so i did some rearranging and we are moving the stove to the centre of the wall and adding counter top either side. We have put in a new sink counter and also a new sink. I decided to tile the back-splash of the sink area and WOW did that make this kitchen special. I FOUND paint in my basement that is the perfect compliment to the tile.

I can't find the old photos of this kitchen but here is the new sink area.

The stove was pushed up against that wall and the fridge next to it, with no counters.
I am not adding more cabinets to above thee stove as there is a large pantry so no need to do more work!

ok, i'm off to do stuff. More updates as we go....

Ginza - where posh folks shop

2010-06-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

We had lunch here, looking at the abundant rose gardens surrounding us. Really pretty.

Cool building

Reflection of cool building from its other side.

Pock marked

De Beers. Yes Please!!

We went to the Advertising museum in this building.

Inside Caretta Shiodome

Possibly the best shop in Japan. Over 3600 types of Sake.

The Palace is in Ginza. It was closed except the east gardens, so we took a wonder in the rain.

These knives were probably 4+ foot in length

That yummie egg i love so much. This weighed about a pound. We went to the fish market early and i bought this intending it to be my breakfast. But then we found a sushi train, and where better to eat sushi than in the fish market?

Mmmm egg.

Asakusa Festival

2010-06-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Sanja Matsuri at Asakusa Shrine takes place on the third weekend of May. During the festival mikoshi (portable shrines) are paraded through on the streets, held by some slightly underdressed men, as well as other men, women and children who are a little more modest.


This chap was one of the pertier, more enjoyable behinds. There were plenty that ruined Jeffs day!

I think they take it in turns to carry the shrine

This was awesome to watch. He heated the sugar/syrup then added a tiny bit of egg(we think) and stirred with the piece of wood, it foamed up and then he let it cool. Took about 5 minutes in total. It tasted as you may expect - sugary and crumbly.

These shoes remind me of people who split their tongues for some reson.

The place was heaving with on lookers.

Everyone claps and chants. Each Shrine has different outfits.

The Asakusa Shrine

Chocolate coated banana on a stick

After all the sweet stuff, I could not resist some fish on a stick

Honest, i'm really enjoying it. Tasty salty fish.

The almost complete Sky Tree

We were staying in a small place - to say the least.

Our part of town, Asakusa (A-Sak-Sa) Tokyo - day one.

2010-05-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

The golden poo

The big red lantern.

Japan is home of the charm

Lucky cat shop

not sure what they are, they were ok but i didn't chose to eat them again.

This is the shrine of Love

I offered my pennies, rang the bell and rubbed his cheek. God of Happiness. At least that's what we're calling him.

Two days in Osaka going up tall things

2010-05-26T02:12:00.000-07:00

On the way to the castle

Outside Osaka Castle

I love this reflection

Now they are some BIG stones

Lovely gardens

My wonderful man and the Castle

View from the top of the castle

That night we went up to the Floating Garden Observatory.

This was looking up to the observatory. Really cool building.

And this is what we saw

It was windy but beautiful

And they had black lights up there which gave Jeff a funny glow.

And the floor too

173 - the relevance we assume, is the height of the viewing platform.

We also went up the Hitachi Tower and found the God of things how they ought to be. Our favourite God so far.

What a cutie

Wishes from the faithful (or superstitious)

Apparently its his feet that a lucky.

I'll have some of that luck too please.

Our hotel somewhere close

Its in English on the other side - the Hitachi Tower

Our beacon letting us know we were almost home

We also headed up the World Trade Center the day after

Pretty sweet view.

Looking straight down

There was a convention going on, or at least a lot of people dress up. Shes posing, not singing.

I'm guessing 1/5 of the money Jeff spent went in to vending machines!

The other 4/5 on sushi from a train.

Kyoto for a Day

2010-05-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

we were shooed out of this temple.

We started off looking around a palace. The inside has squeaky floor boards to warn of intruders. It was rather cool. and very old.

Palace Entrance

Just in case you have a particularly nice umbrella - lock it up.

Ringing-a-bells

We have rung a lot of bells and offered quite a few pennies, er Yen to the gods

How I imagined Kyoto to be.

We did a lot of bus traveling in Kyoto

Geishas - on their way to work.

The train station - leaving.

Some more Osaka - A temple and grave yard.

2010-05-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

A friendly dragon

There were about 3 times this amount.

I just liked it.

And some sushi - on a train :)

Strolling after dinner one night.

Osaka

2010-05-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

mmmm raw fishy

This is one of my faves. Tuna with raw quails egg yolk and welsh onion

I didn't bother with these guys.

Opps, yes that is two sake bottles!

We loved this place.

Jeffs lunch

These are coins that were in water under the Ferris wheel

The Aquarium

I watched this guy clean himself for about 5 minutes. It was the cutest thing EVER

My favourite shark - the hammerhead

I didn't quite capture how weird it is to see a load of crabs all standing up. I'm so used to seeing them crunched up in boxes or just plain dead.

I'd love to keep Jelly fish. They are so pretty and relaxing to watch.

And you can pet the sharks. Some were slimy, some not so.

Behind the aquarium (not the Ferris wheel we went on)

From the Ferris Wheel

Ferris Wheel capsule

Vietnam

2010-05-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

We eventually got to Vietnam, but sadly missed out on Hanoi due to flight cancellations. Big crappy story but in the end had to fly in and out of Ho Chi Minh City. We spent 3 days there, did a day in the Mekong Delta, a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels and headed to Vung Tao for 3 days R+R by the sea.

Mini replica of Notre Dame

Very typical moped load

10 mopeds to every car in HCMC

He got in the hole to show how they hid in the tunnels

Then i HAD to give it a go.

Jeff saod Andy M would appreciate this door trap.

We then got to walk through the tunnels. Jeff got about 5 feet and had to drop to his hands and knees.

We stopped here for a spot of lunch

The oddest religion in existence. Caodaism

Creepy eye.

Their saints - Sun Yat-Sen, Victor Hugo, yep thats what i said! and Nguyen Binh Khiem

Very distinct churches/temples or what ever they want to call it.

It was surrounded by lovely gardens.

Boat trip on the Mekong

Opening up coconuts for us to drink

We stopped for tea and fruit

And they entertained us with traditional music and song.

On a horse and cart to the coconut candy factory.

Via a snake!

We learnt how easy it is to make delicious coconut candies and bought a couple of packs.

Hada traditional lunch of fried elephant ear fish

It isnt battered so i could eat it.

We arrived in Vung Tao a day later. Mini Brazil!

Lovers lane

Though a little cheesy in taste the room was awesome for the price. The hotel was amazing.

The hotels private beach

View out of our window

This is Vietnamese lemon soda. A glass of sugar, soda water and lemons. I choose not to add the sugar!

Lunch by the sea

Amazing sea food, sitting right down by the rocks. We went twice in 3 days as it was so good.

What beeping your horn means in

2010-05-03T10:29:00.001-07:00

What beeping your horn means in Vietnam

I'm on your left
I'm on your right
Move over please
Move the hell over now
Go faster
Don't brake so hard
I want to overtake but you're driving in the middle of the
road!
I'm going around you even of there's no room to do so.
I have a rediculous load* on my tiny moped so please take care.
I'm going to manover this rediclous load* so watch out.
I am going to cross three lanes of traffic and stop in front of you.
I'm riding my bike in the wrong direction, so you crossing the road
and only looking left, beware.
Hello!
I'm a taxi if you need me?
Holy crap don't do that!
I'm coming up behind you, incase you didn't see me!

*these rediiclous loads are generally three to five times wider than
the bike. Are often stacked to over head height. Consist of anything
from collections of plastic tubs of all shapes and sizes, huge baskets
full of fruit or veg, multiple propane tanks: normally 2-3 5 gallon
ones, 12 foot ladders and other tools, a family of 5, glass panes,
flat pack furniture or any other combination of goods that typical
westerner may hire a van to move.

Sent from my iPod so please excuse the formatting!

Surprisingly fabulous airport meal.

2010-05-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

We had to wait a while in the airport in Hong Kong with the whole debacle of our flights being canceled when we got there. So we had to quest for food. Of course its easy for Jeff, but me, unprepared in an airport. Not good. There was nothing in the restaurants i could eat so i crossed my fingers as i headed across to the 7 eleven. And WOWzers! I found awesome food.

Only in Asia will you find sardines in a can in a 7 eleven! Accompanied with potato salad and parma ham, a piece of individually wrapped sushi and a ginger soybean desert, which was like really soft tofu, in fact you could drink it through a straw i bet and only slightly sweet, just perfect. Yum

Hong Kong by Night and by Skytram.

2010-05-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

The Skytram took us about 15 minutes to get there. These guys were walking the path. I can not imagine how long it took. Up and down at least 4 mountains

This was about 8/10s of the way there. Doe this give you an idea of how far they had to walk?

At the top, just a little jaunt for us to see the Budda

Oh he's so small

Just a few steps to the top!

This fog kept rolling in. By the time we were leaving you couldn't see more than 20 feet.

Yup, that's a fake sun ;)

High Five!

I just like this warning sign.

Watching the light show.

Elements

Hong Kong By Day

2010-04-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Avenue of the Stars

School trip

Bruce Lee

We went to the walled garden which used to be a park before it was built up to a crazily packed city. then the buildings were torn down to make an amazing walled park.

This is the remains of the original south wall

This is a cross section of the buildings. there were practically no spaces between them.

The city which was torn down.

And i love me some free wifi - available all over the park.

We crossed in the ferry to Hong Kong Island

Budda anyone?

The police Station

The Bank of China. With all its contradictory to Chinese belief architecture.

But still a cool building.


Us in a park. Oh the joys of 70 degree weather. Hair down and long sleeves. Love it!

Last of Bangkok

2010-04-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

A quick respite out of the heat in a lovely little coffee shop

We headed to the flower market but found a food market, which was awesome.

Mouse shit chillis - yes thats right, mouse shit.

Sleeping amongst the limes.

We eventually found the flowers

Then we headed to China town

And Jeff got some sharks fin soup

The National Museum

One of my favourite treats - bbq in its skin peeled and stabbed.

Love that you can't smoke or drink in the parks. Well okay, love that you can't smoke. But with no beer i can drink, the no booze isn't really an issue i guess.

If this is VIP...

2010-04-22T08:15:00.001-07:00

Unlike Europe traveling around Thailand is best done by bus. They are faster and cheaper and more direct. There is nominal difference between 1st class and VIP prices about 100 bhat /$3. So we chose VIP of course. Our first experience was from Phuket in the south to Cha-Am located in central Thailand on the skinny part between the north and south. This was a 11 hour drive and we took the day bus. We were sat right at the front on the top deck which was great for the views. Unfortunately it also meant we were under the tv which they played dubbed movies and terrible karaoke. Thankfully for only about two thirds of the trip. We had a few hours respite ona couple of occasions. The speakers were right in front of us but my iPod could drown them out with out deafening myself. It was tolerable. The coach was air-conditioned and not unpleasantly so as was expected. We were given a bottle of water offered coffee and handed some snacks immediately and maybe half way we got a box juice and wasabi peas. The seats were spacious and comfy and as we were at the font we had tons of leg room. Bar the annoying tv it was a pleasant trip.

Our second trip was from Cha-Am to Chiang Mai. This was an over night trip and we set off at 6pm. Again we were given water, snacks and a juice box. We were also painfully insulted by terrible karaoke blaring from the speakers, a few hundred decibels too loud for the confined space we were in. Once we set off another dubbed movie disturbed us as we tried to watch Breaking Bad on the laptop. Why it needs to be night club loud in a room the size of a peanut shell is beyond me. Thankfully this was a night bus so we were sure we would get only one movie and they would shut it off. Not so. They played that damn karaoke again. Eventually we had peace and quiet. That was until someone fell asleep and snored the WHOLE WAY THERE. Usually I can sleep anywhere, cars are easy, my annoyingly regular spot being in front of the tv during a favourite program. So with seats that recline to almost flat, a blanket and the motion of the bus I couldn't believe that I barely slept.

But the worst was to come. A good 45 minutes before our arrival at 6:30am the lights were turned on, as was the terrifying music and this time it felt so loud I had to put ear plugs in. I understand the need to wake folks up but there are nice ways if doing so and there are out right horrible ones. I can't imagine that anyone on that bus wanted or needed that crap high pitched teenage neon pink pop at 5:45am.

Our return trip to Bangkok in a couple of weeks, we er I, accidentally booked the first class not the VIP on confirming with Jeff that this was ok before we left the station we both agreed it would be worth the risk for it may not have a tv. Fingers crossed.

........................................................

The suck!

Yep that's right this damn bus has a tv too. Though this time it has only played one tv show and then they put on the karaoke tv channel. And typically, loud enough that my iPod is at 3/4 volume, which is getting to the uncomfortable point.

The more I think about it the more it pisses me off. Do I really need to listen to provided music in this day and age? Why do we need to be entertained at all? Can't we just sit for a few hours? And if not, then can it not be assumed that you will bring your own form of entertainment? With the price of portable DVD players and mini laptops, mp3 players and phones that store music, can't we get by on our own? For a measly 12 hours? And over night too, where hopefully we will catch some zzz's. I mean come on, read a book! Oh yeah, I can't, the light isn't working - thanks!

I sit here, not reading, wondering how many of the Thais on this bus actually enjoy the chosen music. If we were to vote, who would choose to keep it on? Or who would, at least, choose to change the volume?

So with the disappointment of having provided entertainment, with the snack and juice provided the only difference between VIP and 1st class I see is no movie and no neck pillow and a broken light. I can live with out the former two, for the $5 each savings, but would love to kill some time reading.

The suck.

A Wee Boat Trip and The Queens Gallery

2010-04-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

We took a little boat trip to a floating market.

So why aren't these carp jumping out of the water and knocking us about? Must be happy in their home territory.

Long tailed speed boats

The Kings Palace

We spent an hour in the cool of the Queens Gallery. I really liked the art on show there. Here are some of my favourites.

They love their King

The Golden Mount and my Favourite Wat

2010-04-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

Looking down mid way from the winding steps of the Golden Mount

Part of the 360 view from the Golden Mount

Moi

Monks are tourists too


Donggg-g-g-g-g-ggg

Down from the mount, we headed towards the Democracy Monument which isn't particularly spectacular in the day, so no photos, too boring. But we passed these beautiful Wats and took a wee look around.

As much as I love the Traditional Wats and all their dazzling golden and multi-colour splendor, this is definitely my favourite one so far. Simple red black and white. With details on the iron gates, intricate gables and fancy spires.

All around the building were these gates. We arrived as it was closing so didn't get to peek inside.

A Wat Walk - Chiang Mai

2010-04-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

We did a little tour of 6 temple ruins

Not that you can tell, but i am sweltering in the mid day heat.

The hole saw Budda - according to Jeff

This has 64 figures around it to represent the builders 64 wives.

Gold gold and more gold

The wall around Chiang Mai

These contain the blessed coins of the faithful. They bless them with water and add them to as many of these pots as they can.

A little like a wishing well i suppose

The intricate detailed mosaic in one of the temples

The sand is brought by the people to replace the ground that they will have taken away from the temple over the year.

A typical street sign in Chiang Mai


A coutyard of words. " Selfishness is the real enemy of peace" So true.

They look like medicine balls. Wonder if they work out with them?


I wish i could capture the real shimmery-ness of this wall.

We happened upon Miss Songkran 2010 as watched for a little bit.

Starving hot and tired after the Wat walk, we found a restaurant, but it was a Chinese one, so didn't have the regular Thai food i knew i could eat. I have to be super careful of MSG in Chinese places and unfortunately i had left my restaurant card in the pocket of shorts i had packed. So this was the only thing i could eat.

Plain rice for me, roast chicken for Jeff.

Songkran is.....

2010-04-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

wet, really really really wet. Its the Thai new year celebration and a Nation wide water fight. People flock to Chiang Mai from across the country and the world to throw bucket after bucket of water at each other. I'm not sure I will be able to explain the relentless nature of this celebration.


Just purchased our wepons

Ready? He is!

Moped rider being attacked.

You may think that dry people are the biggest targets, like I did, but there is no one who is a better target than the next. Though Jeff suggested we should target smokers, who I think are brave to light up and I'm surprised they manage to finish them.

We of course bought weapons. Mine a pump action super soaker and Jeff a backpack style squirter. In no time we were drenched, not a millimeter of dry. It wouldn't surprise me if I got the runs from all the river/moat water I inevitably ingested from the gallons thrown on and at me. It's supposed to be a two day festival but we were soaked when riding the moped up to the golden triangle a week ago.

The Taepae Gate

One large gun wasn't enough for this guy.

Chiang Mai has an old center which is surrounded by a square moat and what is left of the wall. This moat is where most of the action is played out. But by no means where it ends. Everyone through out the city has drums, buckets and hoses of water to throw at you. Pick up trucks carry gangs of kids and adults with 55 gallon drums of water. Buckets in everyone's hand tipping, throwing, chucking, spraying and launching, sometimes iced water, at anyone they pass. No one can escape dry, not tuk tuk drivers or passengers, not moped riders- in fact these are fun targets, not heavily laden backpackers or even the elderly, nothing will save you so you better be prepared!!

Thankfully I had a dry bag for my camera and Jeff one for his wallet. I mistakenly took a back pack out the first day thinking water pistols couldn't soak me that much, thankfully it has a rain cover but in Songkran you meet downpours from sideways directions so it didn't really do much good. I got bucketed again and again. Lesson learned, leave EVERYTHING at home, except the waterproof camera.

The city hooks up these blue water dispensers, you just need to add a penny to get a load of water. They were constantly running. Or folks were just using moat water. Not clean!

Or you could just steal water from the kids

The whole moat around the city, on both sides of the road was lined, often two or three deep with people.

One of hundreds of trucks filled with wet folks

I think she missed me, but i was already super wet.

Cute, little umbrella water pistol, didnt keep her dry though!

Soaking, in only 5 minutes.

Yup, really soaking!

He hopped off and attacked us

Even the monks join in.

Happy New Year!

Food thoughts

2010-04-15T04:51:00.000-07:00

With my ceoliac status I obviously need to be careful when ordering my food. It's not always easy, even in the states where we speak the same language. I always tell them it's an allergy so they take me seriously. As gluten is hidden in so many foods and cross contamination is so easy i am quite specific. And even then I often get served the exact foods I stated I could not eat.

Now, add in to the mix being in Asia where I know not one word, though a lot of people speak English, which is fantastic but who would learn the word gluten?

Sour pork soup at the Chiang Rai night market

Thankfully I purchased restaurant cards which come in several languages and I have used them with phenomenal success. On one side is it in English and the other Thai, Japanese or Indian etc. And they are specific to the cuisine too. It does restrict me to going places that will take the time to read it, but i have even had success at small street stand and carts.

So it has come as a surprise that the issue I have had with food have not been gluten ones, but instead I got food poisoning and the runs from two separate meals Singapore, not what I expected from a city known for it's food. There have been several places that didn't want to feed me shell fish or eggs, they hear allergy and panic I think. But they have always asked giving me the chance to correct their mistake.

Jeff cooking in Chiang Rai

Duplication.
When in an airport it's usually pretty impossible to get food (so i always come prepared) but Tiawain airport is not full of fast food places like a typical US one. I found a place serving chicken curry amongst other things, which was number two on the menu. So I breezed up there gave the international sign for two and confirmed it with "number two, a chicken curry please". Jeff was at another stand getting food I actually wanted to eat; beef noodle soup. He offered the 'meal or just dinner' option and i chose the dinner, not wanting the drink they offered. He swiped my credit card and I signed thinking "oh they add some tax here too" as the bill was bigger than I expected, more than the meal option, or did I confuse what he'd asked? I had been traveling for 34 hours by this point and my brain was functioning on par with Jeff's noodle soup. I took three steps away from the counter before reading the receipt '180 #2 DINNER' '180 #2 DINNER'.

Oh crap I ordered two. In a flash of genius I asked for one to go, but I never ended up eating it. I didn't want to try to explain the mistake and all I hoped was these weren't typical US prices and I'd just spent $30 on microwaved chicken curry.

Green Chicken Curry i made at the cooking class in Chiang Mai

In Singapore we ventured out for food one evening ending up in a Japanese noodle house. With my food restriction as it is and my love of trying new things I ordered what the waitress described as a homemade drink, named Bali on the menu. It's not as if it's gonna be barley I said to Jeff. Well of course, that is exactly what it is. Sweetened water with the bottom third of the glass filled with puffy white barley grains. Unbelievable. Really, that's a drink? Thankfully I worked that out prior to drinking any.

We went to this restaurant twice in a row and both ordered

the same food we had last time, it was THAT good

I ordered my food, initially wanting the fish and veg soup but the waitress' portion description when I noticed I was ordering off the 'sides' page made me change to a rice and fish dish. When the food arrived we thought she had put them in the wrong place as Jeff fried food was nowhere to be seen and I knew mine came on a plate as opposed to a bowl ,as everywhere has pictures on menus over here. But with no other table it could have been, we started eating. A few mouthfuls in and she brought me what I actually wanted, the rice dish. What went wrong? I had ordered two meals again! She didn't catch the 'oh no I want something bigger than a side' and assumed I wanted both. And the side was big enough for a main, clearly made for multiple people to share. Not small as she described at all. Jeff's dinner just wasn't fried as we thought it, they meant pan fried.

I ordered this twice, so flipping delicious

Portion control.
Apart from the obvious deliciousness of the food, the thing I love is that the portion sizes are an actual portion. Not two or three like in the states. You get a plate of noodles meat and veg and it's just fine to polish off the whole thing. And when I have gobbled the meal I'm satisfied but not stuffed, just perfect. I grew up with the finish what's on your plate mentality and that is a really hard habit to break. In my weight loss quest I have been addressing my portions, making sure what is on my plate is just the right amount of food. Too little and I go back for more and over do it. Too much and I eat the lot, even if I'm stuffed. I'm sure this has helped me loose some of the weight that's slipped off. That and the exercise of course.

Sour prawn soup i made at the cooking class

Really, I did eat that.
Singapore is known for it's availability of a large verity of food, i'm sure due to it being a melting pot of different cultures and each making it's mark on the culinary landscape. A landscape that is entirely urban and you could cycle across in about 4-5 hours(if you were fit enough!) It's 4 million inhabitants made up of primary Chinese (77%) with a dose of Malaysians(14%) and a smattering of Indian(7%) offer food at almost every corner you pass. You won't go hungry there. And there are very few homeless or folks who do. Ten percent of Singapore's populous is temporary, there is so much work to go around every one can find a job, I'm guessing a good percentage in the food service industry.

Lamb curry in an Indian restaurant in Singapore.

So when it comes time to choose what to eat you are over whelmed with choice. I was sorely tempted by the pig organ soup and thought I'd have it for breakfast the day after first spotting it, but my bout with the runs turned me to a simple pig soup which was delicious and consisted of ribs and some other muscle group in clear broth with a side of rice. I was sad I wasn't more adventurous but I really needed food to stay in me that morning.

Pork soup i had to replenish myself. Breakfast by the way.

After enjoying the food from the night Market our first night in Chiang Rai we were happy to go back and explore the food stalls once more. We had a huge breakfast and therefore a late lunch, which we cooked ourselves after shopping in the fresh market that morning. Jeff made a fabulous green curry with baby aubergine, pork and mushrooms.

Me eating crickets

So when it came to dinner time I wasn't that hungry. I remembered seeing fried bugs and really wanted to give them a try. My only requirement was that they weren't juicy. So I chose a plate of crickets. They were the smallest and looked very crisp. Without hesitation I stuck one in my mouth and was delighted. They were tasty, really tasty. And they were fried food I could eat. Fried food is pretty much off the menu for me as even if I can eat the product, the oil in which it is cooked is normally contaminated. I couldn't tempt Jeff but he did eat the tempura fish heads that night, baby steps, he told me, baby steps. I'd rather eat crickets than fish heads! did get them again the next night, they were that good.

Crickets for dinner

Mmm Crickets.

The Bargains.

Chiang Rai.

I'd read most travelers stop at Chiang Mai and not venture much north of there apart from tours to see the sights. But I'm already glad we did. The hostel is a beautiful old house, gorgeous hard wood floors, big rooms, ours has windows on three sides. We were exhausted from the over night journey and lack of sleep but headed out to get some real food in us before we took a nap. We ended up just around the corner at a place where there are trays of food to choose from. A worker helped me choose food I could eat and I was satisfied with the rice, broccoli and fried egg I got, which I spiced up with pickled pepper juice. Jeff went up for a second plate and we both had a bottled water. And how much did this cost us? Well just 60bhat. That is $1.85/£1.20 for two!! Granted I would want more for an evening meal but come on, that's bargainlicious!

Makin' Bacon - Disqualified!

Tiger Kingdom and Maesa Elephant Camp

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We hired a tuk tuk to take us to the Mesa Elephant Camp, about 30 minutes out of town. He asked us if we wanted to go to the tiger Kingdom, i was hesitant but Jeff liked the idea. You could choose what size animal you wanted to get in the cage with, again, i left this choice to Jeff, and he chose wisely. He opted for the babies.

I wasn't as excited as Jeff, who was like a little kid, but when we got in there, i was completely taken with them. It was so damn cool. They were so damn cute!! They were sleepy, as they sleep in the day, but one was active and the sleepy one accepted us moving him and being placed on our laps. I cant tell you how much fun this 15 minutes was. I left in love with baby tigers. We then walked around to see the medium and big ones. After seeing folks in with the big ones, i'm very glad we were in with babies. There was much more contact with the babies, than you could have with the big ones, and much less likely to be maimed or die!

Yeah, i know lots of tiger photos. But who doesn't like Tiger pictures?

Now on to the elephants. We went on a ride which was slooow but enjoyable. Then we watched the show. It was really rather funny, they really have personalities that you sense when they are playing. They played football and painted. this disturbed Jeff as one did a self portrait. Pretty cool to see.

Yes, that is 6000Bhat for a painting the elephant did. Though i have to say, its better than i can paint!

Hill Tribes and Tea Plantations

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The air around the hills and actually around the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai region as a whole is a haze of smoke from the fires, burning the hills and rice paddies. I feared that we wouldn't be able to see the Golden Triangle, but that wasn't a problem. It does make for moody photographs of the hills and tea plantations though.

Being a good Brit, i had to see some tea plantations while here. And apparently i have been making tea wrong all these years! But i don;t care, my tea actually tastes of something. The tea we tasted was just a tad too weak. Though i'm sure Jeff appreciated that face, not being a tea drinker. In fact he calls it Nast-tea.

We also visited a hill tribe. It wasn't what i expected, no fancy traditional costume, no tribal dancing. No, i'm kidding, i wasn't expecting dancing, but i was half expecting the traditional costume and local trinkets to be peddled for high prices by children who are hard to say no to. So it was a surprise and to be honest, i'm glad that it was much more bland. We entered the first village with a 3000 population, through a gate which all villagers must do to become a resident. We walked past satellite dishes and free roaming chickens. Then it was a 40 minute hike to the other smaller village. We met the Chief and he gave us tea - poor Jeff, he also did a cotton ceremony for us blessing me with health and good travels and Jeff the same with a bit of good business too.

Checking my pulse

The Golden Triangle

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Where we are now staying, Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand, was the heart of the opium country not too long ago. We didn't head out until the afternoon and with the length of time it took to get to the GT, sadly we didn't have time to go to the opium museum. So I wanted to read up on it and I found this site. http://www.opioids.com/timeline/. The history of opium is totally fascinating.

Looking north towards Myanmar and Laos to the right.

I had no idea that is where they first got morphine from, for starters, but here are some points I found rather interesting. I tell you what, Brittan has a right sordid history.

1601 Ships chartered by Elizabeth I are instructed to purchase the finest Indian opium and transport it back to England.

1620s -1670s Rajput troops fighting for the Mughals introduce the habit of taking opium to Assam. Opium is given daily to Rajput soldiers. From 1637 onwards Opium becomes the main commodity of British trade with China.

1793 The British East India Company establishes a monopoly on the opium trade. All poppy growers in India were forbidden to sell opium to competitor trading companies.

1803 Physicians believe that opium had finally been perfected and tamed. Morphine is lauded as "God's own medicine" for its reliability, long-lasting effects and safety

1841 The Chinese are defeated by the British in the First Opium War. Along with paying a large indemnity, Hong Kong is ceded to the British.

1856 The British and French renew their hostilities against China in the Second Opium War. In the aftermath of the struggle, China is forced to pay another indemnity. The importation of opium is legalized.
Opium production increases along the highlands of Southeast Asia.

1895 Heinrich Dreser working for The Bayer Company of Elberfeld, Germany, finds that diluting morphine with acetyls produces a drug without the common morphine side effects. Bayer begins production of diacetylmorphine and coins the name "heroin." Heroin would not be introduced commercially for another three years.

Early 1900's The philanthropic Saint James Society in the U.S. mounts a campaign to supply free samples of heroin through the mail to morphine addicts who are trying give up their habits.

1910 After 150 years of failed attempts to rid the country of opium, the Chinese are finally successful in convincing the British to dismantle the India-China opium trade.

1950's U.S. efforts to contain the spread of Communism in Asia involved forging alliances with tribes and warlords inhabiting the areas of the Golden Triangle, (an expanse covering Laos, Thailand and Burma), thus providing accessibility and protection along the southeast border of China. In order to maintain their relationship with the warlords while continuing to fund the struggle against communism, the U.S. and France supply the drug warlords and their armies with ammunition, arms and air transport for the production and sale of opium. The result: an explosion in the availability and illegal flow of heroin into the United States and into the hands of drug dealers and addicts.
Clever huh?

1995 The Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia is now the leader in opium production, yielding 2,500 tons annually. According to U.S. drug experts, there are new drug trafficking routes from Burma through Laos, to southern China, Cambodia and Vietnam.
So like, just 15 years ago!

December 2002 UK Government health plan will make heroin available free on National Health Service "to all those with a clinical need for it". Consumers are skeptical.
WHAT???

There is a lot more interesting info on the opium time line, you should take a look if you don't know anything about it. But on to our trip...

Banging the Gong

The ship like structure

Ship Shop Shape

We decided to avoid the high priced tours and do it on our own by renting a moped for the day 250bhat/day. First heading up to Mai Sai then shooting off on 1290 the GT. The first 60km were on highway 1, a straight shot north on a Tarmac road. Then east on 1290 for perhaps 20km. But this road is more of a B road a lot bumpier and windier and a huge section was being renovated creating red dust everywhere. It took us 2 hours to get there which was a surprise as I read on line that morning that Chiang Rai to the GT was 18 miles. Don't you just hate being misinformed?

When we arrived we had a little snack and downed couple of bottles of water like we hadn't drank in days. And by this point my ass was so sore I didn't want to sit to eat.

Gold Fingers

Offerings

I need to research these structures as they are the same as the ones in Chiang Rai

Jeff at the end of the ship

Purchase your offerings here

The GT area is small but full of shrines, statues of elephants and Buddas. And one HUGE Budda. It's on what is supposed to look like a ship. It's pretty cool. The GT includes Burma, Laos and Thailand and you can see all three countries from this point. It was a flying visit but we saw what we came to see. Unfortunately we then had to make the trip back. Another 2 hours on the moped. OMG my poor ass! I definitely had a dinosaurs butt: Megasoreass. But it was worth the trip.

Chiang Rai and the fresh market, with a little bit of Wat.

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Entertainment at the night market

We Instantly recognised that Chiang Rai was cheaper when our tuk tuk costing 150bhat took way longer than we imagined. Our hostel is a beautiful old house, we have a lovely room with a big comfy bed. Shared clean bathroom with a proper flushing western loo. All for $20 a night inc. breakfast.

Night time clock tower


Day time Clock tower

Last night we browsed the night market. I'm considering sending half my clothes home and just buying more here. Soooo cheap!! I wouldn't normally buy clothes from a market but there is some really nice stuff. Even the shops are super cheap. DHL here i come! We also ate at the market and plan to do it again tonight.


Fresh and dried fish

Chilli pepper and fish things

Breakfast this morning was cooked by our host and included a mango. Shame I didn't know that as before eating we hit the fresh market just minutes away and I bought sticky rice which you get with coconut milk and a mango. I could at this every day for the rest of my life. The mango's are so so delicious. I had this for breakfast along side the fried egg they made me. I miss out on the sausage and toast which is why we went shopping prior to eating.

Choco in pieces.

One side of the fresh market

This police man was just about to give someone a ticket after a moped driver told on a parked car.

Eventually i managed to buy the not so hot pepper paste, but it took a while.

We also decided to use the cooking facilities here and bought food to make what we will call Thai food but they may not! Shopping was fun and confusing. We were trying to avoid the hot hot hot pepper base and I think we managed. We'll see at lunch! When picking the baby aubergines Jeff was told he was picking the wrong ones for the rest of the Ingredients we had bought, so he changed to the ones slightly larger versions. Apparently you don't get to change the recipe to your liking, and honestly I'm fine with that, Thai food is so good, I'll take their advice. We actually plan to take a cooking class but we found the one we want in Chiang Mai so that's next week. I'm sure we can work it out, both of us enjoy cooking Asian food at home but our host was surprised we were going to give it a try. I haven't braved eating bugs yet but they sell them at the market so I may try some tonight.

I must remember a scarf, i couldn't go it as i was baring my shoulders.

A different Wat.

Photos of the king are everywhere. They love their royal family.

Wat window

Jeff went in and took some photos

The biggest navel i've seen so far.

Over all I really like Chiang Rai so far. Its chilled, even though its hot, but not scary hot like was forecast, its 'only' 34c/93f today. We are heading out to the golden triangle tomorrow and the opium museum. We are staying here a week so will have time to see the village tribes and tea plantations too.