The Cottage, Alfresco Lunch and Hiking

Qimmiq and Billy.
(Cottage on the left, barn on the right.)

The Cottage
When I arrived at the cottage it was raining a bit and totally dark. The light shining out of the cottage windows was enchanting - I'll try capturing a photo one of these nights.

The front of the cottage has vines and roses growing on it so when I look out the windows, many of them are framed with a border of twigs or leaves. Romy has decorated the place with objects from her travels so there's lots of interesting stuff to check out.

The cottage used to be a barn so it's made up of many little rooms, big wooden beams, and the walls on the lower floor are exposed rock. Upstairs the floor boards move and creak as I walk around, and in a corner of my room I can see light from downstairs through the cracks. This makes it sound like the place is falling apart, but it really is beautiful and not rustic in a nasty way.

The bathroom situation is a little odd... there's a toilet upstairs in a tiny "closet" in the open area between the three bedrooms, another room across the hall with a bathtub and sink, and one of the bedrooms has a full washroom with a shower, toilet and sink. There's also a sort of laundry room/mud room off the kitchen and there's a toilet tucked in the corner - handy if you're mucking around outside.

Alfresco Lunch
My first full day here was on Sunday and Romy had invited three couples over for lunch. Romy's friend, Bernie, used to be a pub cook and she hates cooking so he did the honours. He made a delicious spread and I was assigned tasks like setting the table, picking blackberries (was stung by nettles twice), and sat in the sunshine peeling apples and plums for pie. First thing in the morning there was a heavy mist but the sun soon burned it away and we had a warm day with full sunshine - I was told it does nothing but rain here so I felt quite spoiled.

The guests included Pippa and her husband Rob. When Pippa introduced herself I thought she said her name was "Pepper" so I asked her again and they got a kick out of me not understanding the accent. Pippa and Rob live on a nearby farm.

Enjoying drinks before lunch.

Judy and Chris Menges also attended - he is a famous cinematographer and Romy warned me that he's very quiet and would likely disappear... which he promptly did upon arrival. He likes to wander around the property as a way to avoid the crowd. Really nice couple - I chatted with Judy for a while and they said they'll invite me over to their place while I'm house-sitting. Romy says Judy keeps Chris's two Oscars in the chimney because he doesn't like the attention of having them out... hopefully they'll let me see them!

Looks more like Italy than Wales!
(L-R: Chris, David, Pippa, Judy, Pippa's husband, Penny.)

The other couple was Penny and David and they were both adorable and friendly. Penny said she'll take me out to show me the area and take me to Powys Castle while I'm house-sitting. They asked if I'll be going into Europe and told me I can use their cottage in Italy!

Such a friendly group and everyone I've met in the UK has countered everything I've read online about people here being snobby and aloof. I've spoken to a number of people on the trains and I haven't been punched or picked up even once (I read in many places that eye contact should be avoided as it invites a pickup or a punch... maybe that only applies to the Tube in London... I'll have to experiment).

Oh - speaking of meeting people on trains, a girl in her late teens or early twenties sat across from me on the train on my way here and she started chattering away - not an accent like Julie Andrews, more of an accent where she says, "everyfing" instead of "everything". I told her I recently arrived in England and she immediately said (read this part out loud with a dramatic English accent and it should work), "Oh well, den you'll be wantin' to know some slang, yeah? If you say, 'ow gaw-on?' it's like sayin' 'How's it going?' yeah? It's sorta like black people talk, yeah? I'm good at talkin' like vat, ya' know. Like, I fink it's good to be able to talk to all sorts of people in de way vat dey talk, ya know."

Yes, she was quite a multi-cultural woman.

The Hike
Romy, Bernie, Qimmiq, Billy, and I headed up the hill behind the cottage for a hike after everyone left. Bit of a trek with beautiful views. We heard someone doing a lot of shooting near the top so we took an alternate route - heard today that the neighbour's grandson was shooting clay pigeons up there. Much of the walk was along little sheep tracks (they're not sheep trails, I was emphatically informed when I apparantly used the wrong term) in the side of the hills. Lots of heather and many different kinds of moss. Such a beautiful place. But Qimmiq is a bit of a brute on a leash so I'm not sure how walks are going to work with him and he chases sheep so he can't be off-leash.

Romy, Bernie, Qimmiq and Billy.

Billy after rolling around on the crazy-steep hill.

On the way up the hill.

The view from close to the top.

Are you Amanda from Canada?

The train arrived in Caersws (basically pronounced CARES-use) about 15 minutes late and Romy, the homeowner who I was to house-sit for, was nowhere to be seen. She told me she would be waiting in her old 2CV, the car I get to use while I'm staying here, but there were only new vehicles in the parking lot.

There was a man waiting for the next train and I asked where I could find the nearest pay phone. His response was to laugh at me and say, "Ah, you're at the back of beyond" before he gave the instructions.

I went into the village (population about 600-800) and found the phone. I tried Romy's cell - no answer so I left a message. I tried her home - no answer so I started leaving a message and a woman picked up the phone and said, "Are you the lady Romy is picking up from the station?"
"Yes, that's me!"
"Ah, yes, well there's been a terrible accident on the road between here and Caersws and she's been trying to reach you but hasn't been able to. Her friend Bernie is coming to fetch you by taking the long route around the hills, but he may be a while."

I told her I would wait at the train station and hung up.

On my way back to the station I was met on the road by a little old woman who looked at me strangely and asked, "Ah, are you Amanda from Canada?"
She held out a little note with "Amanda (Canada)" written on it and told me Romy had called the garage and I was to wait at the tea house and she would take me there. Along the way she explained that the man at the garage thought she lived along the way past the station but she didn't but she didn't mind fetching me before walking home.

When we opened the door at the tea house/grocer/deli the woman behind the counter asked, "Are you Amanda from Canada?"
She told me I was to wait at the tea house and Romy was sending someone to fetch me because there had been a terrible accident.

A man soon walked in with "Dave" written on his name tag.
"Are you Amanda from Canada?"
He asked the woman behind the counter what time the tea house closed and she said 5:00 but that they do cleanup until 5:30 so I could stay until then. He told me I was to come to the garage next door when the tea house closed and Bernie would fetch me there.

About 25 minutes later Bernie arrived at the tea house and laughingly said, "What the h*** are you doing here? I need a pint woman - you're supposed to be waiting at the pub!"
I burst out laughing and said, "You must be Bernie."

We left the tea house and Bernie asked a man on the street about alternative ways to avoid the accident site. The guy said stuff like, "If you turn right at the S-curve near ...insert unpronounceable Welsh word... you'll head up the hill. Take a left before ...insert farmer's name... cottage and continue round the bend until you reach... blah-blah-blah."
Bernie smiled and nodded as if he knew exactly how to follow the instructions. I later asked if he had any clue what the guy was talking about and he said he had no idea. We just drove through the hills until he figured out where he was.

Bernie's car was parked outside a pub and he asked, "I don't suppose you drink? I could really use a pint before the drive back."
I told him I don't drink and I started to get the feeling he didn't need another pint to add to the ones already affecting him.

The car was a frightening sight. It was an old Volvo and the trunk/back seat area was piled high with all manner of junk. He opened the passenger door and a huge Golden Retreiver jumped out. Romy had told me about her friend Bernie and his dog Billy when I first spoke with her about house-sitting so the twosome wasn't a complete shock. The floor in the front seat was covered in junk and he told me to just flip the blanket over on the seat so I wouldn't be covered in dog hair. I got in the car and it reeked so badly... smelled like a combination of smelly dog, chicken coop and alcohol. Thankfully Bernie rolled the windows down a bit and I kept mine down for the entire trip, occasionally stifling my gag reflex. I glanced at the dashboard and noticed a huge hunting knife. I kept thinking, "I don't know if I should laugh or be absolutely terrified."

As we drove out of the town a couple waved to us from the doorway of another pub and called out, "Is that Amanda from Canada? You found her alright?"

Bernie chattered away and eventually revealed that when Romy phoned him to beg him to pick me up (he was closer to Caersws than she was) he was sitting in a pub after dinner, planning to get right hammered as it was a Saturday night (she told me later that she had no idea about his state). He said he had already had a pint too many so needed to avoid the police while driving. I don't mind being around people who are having a glass of wine or something, but I hate hanging around with drunk people and I'm terrified of being in a car with them.

We pulled up to Romy's gate (finally) and she had hung a big cardboard sign that said, "Welcome Amanda! (you made it!)" She greeted me in the front yard with a big hug and we have laughed many times about the little adventure that got me to the cottage. She asked me to tell everyone at lunch today (there were nine of us here for lunch - stories and photos coming soon) and they all got a kick out of it.

Bernie and the welcome sign.

From the reaction of the people in Caersws I figured that's where Romy did all her shopping so everyone knew her. I discovered today that Romy doesn't know anybody in Caersws - she just started calling any shops she could find, gave them a sob-story about a girl travelling alone from Canada, and the people in town did a wonderful job of taking care of me and making me feel welcome. I love small towns!

Billy in the front doorway of the cottage.

House-Sitting in Wales

I arrived in Wales safe and sound this afternoon after about four hours of travelling on four different trains. The homeowner is "lovely" as they say over here. I had my first Piechnik adventure upon arrival and the entire town of Caersws (the place where I got off the train) knows who I am.

"Ah, so you're Amanda from Canada? You know there's been a terrible accident on the road and you're to wait at the tea house?"

It was quite the little adventure and I'll tell all about it on Sunday or Monday when I have a chance... maybe even not until Tuesday as that's when the homeowner leaves.

The cottage is incredible - 250 year old stone cottage nestled amid hills and flocks of sheep and a little creek nearby. Even better than I'd imagined it. Beautiful and plenty of photo ops.

I'll be here until November 6 while the homeowner is in Aruba (I found her online). I'll be taking care of Qimmiq, the husky with plenty of personality (he vocalizes and it's quite hysterical), and Pudge, a cat who lives in the barn... not even sure if I need to feed it or if he/she just eats mice all day.

Shopping Adventures and Ordeals

Yesterday I went to the station in Hook to catch a train to Basingstoke to do some shopping (10 minutes away by train). I missed the train so I wandered over to the grocery store to grab something for lunch. Since I had about an hour to waste, I figured I'd wander around the store to see what kinds of quirky things I could find.

There were some items where the name simply changed – whole wheat bread is called whole meal bread. There were odd storage methods – eggs are stored on the shelf instead of in a cooler. The ice cream section has a sign reading, “Ice Cream and Lollies”. There's an aisle with one entire side dedicated to wine and the other side has a small area with bottled water and the rest is beer. The pop aisle only gets half an aisle. Reveals the priorities over here as if it weren't already obvious! Most of the honey packaged in soft bottles instead of jars have the words, “Squeesy Honey” on the labels... I don't know why, but I found that comical.

My friend Lindsay told me that there are weird chip (known as “crisps” over here) flavours in other countries so I figured I should check out their flavours... strangest one was “Cheshire Cheese and Chutney”. A few had chutney listed... how do you put chutney in potato chips? Isn't that a chunky sauce type of thing? Hmmm... might have to buy a bag of crisps sometime and give it a try. The thing I find most impressive is the variety of pre-packaged sandwiches. I counted over 60 different labels for the sandwiches and wraps! And they don't taste half bad! Some of the flavour combinations sound intriguing and others just sound a little sketchy.

Folding Fork.

Okay, I know this is weird, but I was impressed by this folding fork and had to share it. I bought a little cup of fruit and inside was this folding fork in a little packet. In the photo it's partially opened. The little bump on the handle clicks into a hole near the tines to keep it folded flat. Just below the tines you can see a little hinged flap on the back with two holes in it for clicking the top and bottom parts of the fork into place. It's a brilliant design and creates a rather sturdy fork. I know... nobody cares... but I loved it!

I eventually made it to Basingstoke for shopping. First thing was to check for a cell phone. Certainly a new world over here with countless companies and options to choose from! I'm still trying to decide.

Once I had collected several brochures and peppered the cell phone shops with questions I decided to start looking for clothes. You know those girls who always look so put together with cute tops, high heeled shoes, chunky jewelry, the layered look and everything? Yeah... that's normal here. I'm discovering that those of us used to t.shirts and jeans with the occasional cute top or jacket apparently belong on farms or at campgrounds. Shopping just got a lot more complicated.

I tried on a couple of things but decided to just look through the shops and try to figure out average prices, good shops vs. the cheap shops, and just try not to get too overwhelmed. What do these girls wear for going on long walks and hikes? I only found one or two shops with t.shirts but they all had some kind of frilly detail like sequins or a plunging neckline or were just cheap cotton.

And another thing! The salespeople are just gathered in clusters chattering away and I only had two salespeople in the entire mall greet me. I happen to be one of those crazy people who likes to use the style and stock knowledge of salespeople but nobody seemed to want to help me spend my money... until I hit the last shop – French Connection – and the girl was so helpful! She's from the northern part of England so I could barley understand her at times but we had a good laugh about it.

We chatted for over half an hour and she answered my questions about how the girls put their outfits together, which shops are worth going into and which should be avoided, and what the key trends are right now. I asked her why the stores seem to have 6 or 8 as the lowest size when back in Canada they go down to 0. She pulled out a sizing chart... turns out back in Canada I was about a size 6 for tops but over here I'm a 10 or 12. I told her it's like I gained 20 or 30 pounds just getting on the flight and she laughed and told me I need to gain that much just to stay warm in the winter.

When she told me that skinny jeans tucked into boots is “on-trend” right now my response was that it may look fine with boots, but all but the skinniest girls look like ice cream cones when they take the boots off. She laughed so hard she had to wipe tears away... seems the girls over here are oblivious to those concerns and just think about the fads. Another style is what she called “boyfriend cardis” (oversize cardigans that look like you just pulled them from your boyfriend's closet) and I just don't get it... who looks good in that? I mean, if you're just hanging out at home, okay; but to spend $130 CAD on an ill-fitting cardigan... I don't get it! I think I'll go back sometime and have salespeople at a couple of the high end shops put together an outfit or two for me so I can try it on and see what this stuff would look like all put together. I'm sure I'll get used to it soon.

I'd say shopping was my first taste of culture shock.