Catching Up

How lax I've been on keeping this blog updated! Rather than bore you all with a play-by-play of these past several weeks, a few lists for your consideration:

Things that are fabulous about Edinburgh;

• Mom and Dad's 12-night vacation with me
• over 17h of daylight
• moving into my own - spacious - flat
• finding the perfect piece of (modestly priced) furniture to finally complete the living room organization
• ordering the ideal (somewhat modestly priced) bistro set for the balcony
• a view of the water
• orange roses from the market (an universal truth)
• Paris within a 90 minute flight
• meeting the very lovely (Seattle) Sara and family for three nights in Paris
• increased responsibility at work ... also sometimes less than fabulous
• whisky (I think we can all agree...)
• business trips to work with the London team
• birthday parties on a boat docked on the Thames
• skype, social networking, etc.
• streaming video (how terrific is The Good Wife? Cougar Town? Friday Night Lights?)
• a terrific hair salon (no comparison to Simone at Wild Root in Seattle, of course!)
• new friends
• golf. in Scotland.
• more company 'reserved' for later this month
• an August holiday scheduled at Craigrownie Castle
• the Royal Wedding
• a new baby on the way for dear friends
• Meghan and Tim's wedding in the fall

Things that are less fabulous about living here

• May's average high temperature of 13c (55.4f)
• gale force winds off the North Sea
• an 8 hour time difference to the west coast
• 55-60 hour work weeks (only a few weeks each quarter, thankfully)
• interviews. seriously, so tedious...can't the perfect candidate just walk through our door?
• cleaning my own spacious flat (yes, I've been spoiled for 5 months)
• my golf swing (not exclusive to leaving here, clearly)
• hard to find items: peppermint patties (apparently not here at all), good coffee, maple syrup, chocolate chips in cookie-baking volumes
• what is InBru anyway?
• Haggis? tbd.

Slàinte Mhath [Good Health]

Gettling Settled in Edinburgh

Since moving to Edinburgh, I have made one trip back to London (for business) and discovered I fell in love with the city without noticing. I move into my own furnished flat this week and look forward to entertaining my first guests, Mom and Dad, the following week. =)

Rather than another view of the historical sites I am surrounded by, I thought I'd take this opportunity, four weeks after moving to Edinburgh, to share some unexpected experiences.

Scene; my last evening in London (March) on my usual path home from work along the exterior of the Tower Castle: Football practise at the Tower

I wonder if either this father or daughter will look back at this experience and this, "wow, we were playing football on the site of so much of our culture's history!!"

Scene; Saturday night in Edinburgh. My friend Josie (via a Christmas-party introduction from my coworker Ann) works with Andy, the alto sax played in the bank Pygmies of Jazz (as opposed the Giants of Jazz, obviously). A local photographer invites various performers to play gigs in his living room/photo studio every few weeks. Guests bring their own beverages and contribute £10 each, a 'cover' that is paid directly to the band.

the setting

Josie has set herself a pretty high standard by opening with "Let's go check this out...but it might be weird or terrible."

From Russia with Love

Adventures in Surrey: Runnymeade, Windsor and More...

 

Coopers Hill Slopes



Last weekend, my friend (and co-worker) Tamryn invited me to get out of town and join her and her partner David at their flat in Weybridge for some time in suburbia. We had a lovely (though somewhat soggy) visit touring several National Trust sites!

First stop: Runnymeade for tea, the Magna Carta and John F. Kennedy memorials.

The tea portion of our journey didn’t quite sort out as planned in Runnymeade, but we were able to get some nice scones with cream and jam (so delicious) from the cafe as they were closing up around us...then we wandered across a soggy field to the John F. Kennedy Memorial.

 

American soil



The Memorial was unveiled by HRM Queen Elizabeth II in 1965 (Jackie and children were in attendance) and reads "Let every National know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty": from the inaugural address of President Kennedy, January 1961.' The land it stands on has been granted from the Crown to the USA - for these 20 minutes or so, I had returned to American soil!



  

The JFK Memorial



A few hundred yards away stands the Magna Carta Memorial. It is believed that the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215 by King John here in Runnymeade as it the mid-point betwee Windsor Castle and London. “It has since formed the basis of the constitutions and statues of many other countries in the English-speaking world, including the United States of America. It underlines the Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which goes well beyond its original purpose as a definition of the limitations of royal power.” 

Next we stopped into the Air Forces Memorial, also in Runnymeade. It’s a lovely space, with stunning views, for reflection on the sacrifice of those who lost their lives fighting for the country.

Finally, we took a drive into Windsor for some whirlwind shopping (my whirlwind, excellent investments, all), a proper tea at The Crooked House and - due to limited time - some exterior views of the Castle. The tea house sits adjacent to Windsor’s Guildhall (site of Prince Charles’ wedding to Camilla). A secret passage (now blocked) to Windsor Castle is “reputed to have been used both for the illicit meeting between King Charles and his mistress, Nell Gywn and for taking provisions to the castle kitchens.”

 

The Crooked House





 

  



Windsor at dusk



Sunday morning broke deceivingly sunny (!!). Tamryn, her mother Heather, and I enjoyed a traditional British breakfast at St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club. The setting (including regulations on proper attire on the Courts) was everything I envision when I hear “Lawn Tennis Club.” The ladies tol me the courts here are the second oldest in the nation, after Wimbledon.

Heather very kindly invited me along to join her in a (presumbly sunny) afternoon out with her and her mother Kitty in the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Garden Wisley. Suffice to say, the rain did not hold off - but I explored the gardens under the protection of my sturdy rain hat while the ladies enjoyed a light lunch and, you can probably guess, tea!

To wrap up the afternoon, we collected Tamryn and went to a small art museum, The Lightbox, in Woking. Not surprisingly, after taking in the exhibits, we enjoyed a bit of tea. =)

Each Day - Closer to the Next Move...

The date for my official relocation to Edinburgh is fast approaching (4 weeks from today, if the plan stays in place), and it occurs to me that I’m overdue for a Life in Plaid update...so, allow me to highlight some adventures of the past several weeks.

1) Work...and lots of it: month-end, quarter-end and year-end reports; auditors anxious for investment details to scrutinize...many hours of resolving issues and trying valiantly to meet expectations (my own possibly highest of all) and deadlines accurately and without yelling and/or crying.

Happily this crunch has passed and we’re down to tying up stray requests and reporting on January. Subsequently, I’ve been able to become more involved in overseeing some of the initiatives that will bring work in my team (Client Reporting, in both Edinburgh and London) from other teams.  Essentially, this is the scope of work I said ‘yes’ to taking on when I came over to the UK, and I’m pleased to finally dig into the new challenge of assessing the big picture and mapping a plan that will (hopefully) ensure we’ll achieve our goal on-time and with limited trauma.

2) Winchester: late in January I took a one-hour train ride south to the historic city of Winchester. I met there a friend and colleague of Moorestown neighbors, Colin, who very graciously shared his day with me. The big draw (for me) is Winchester’s Cathedral:

 

There has been a Cathedral in Winchester since about 648 AD. The foundations of the  current Cathedral were laid out in 1079 by Walkelin, the first Norman Bishop. To this new building (consecrated in 1093) the relics of St. Swithin were solemnly transferred, 15 July, and the `Old Minster´ was torn down. The Norman cathedral measured 535 ft (164m) in length, the longest then in existence.

http://www.cityofwinchester.co.uk/cathedral/cathedral.html

 

The Cathedral has also been remodeled and extended over time. It features stunning carved wooden screens. The beautiful stained glass West Window was destroyed during the English Civil Was in the 1600’s. The Window seen today was pieced back together by the locals using glass they were able to recovered after this destruction.

 

Winchester Cathedral's power and influence came to an end with the Reformation in the 1500s and the Dissolution of the Monasteries during Henry VIII's reign. The scale of the Church's power can be imagined when it is considered that it controlled one third of the country's wealth before Henry VIII stripped it of much of its lands and privileges. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/architecture_cathedral_01.shtml

Fun Fact: in the early 1900’s, the Cathedral was saved for imminent collapse (as it was sinking into the peat), by the efforts of a diver, William Walker. 235 pits were dug on the southern and eastern sides of the building, where Walker dove 6 hours a day in complete darkness, in depths up to 20 ft, to shore up the foundation with concrete and bricks. Once stabilized, the groundwater was pumped out and the foundations restored.

3) Musical Theater: Also in late January, I attended a concert at the Garrick Theatre, in the West End, to celebrate the release of Lance Horne’s CD, First Things Last.  I didn’t know Horne at the time - though he is an Emmy award winner - but was drawn in by the headliner Alan Cumming.  Cumming is an Olivier and Tony Award winner you might know from stage (Cabaret), TV (The Good Wife, The Tin Man) or film (X-Men 2, Sweet Land, The Anniversary Party). He is a charming Scotsman, chock full of talent, and it was a joy to be in the intimate setting of a small theater for his performance, along with about a dozen others talented artists from Broadway and the West End.

4) Miscellaneous fun! It seems it’s finally sunk in with my teammates that they constitute the majority (if not all) of my social invitations, and they’ve decided I’m a worthy companion. =) I’ve been invited to tag along to birthday drinks for a colleague in another team, and several happy hours for less official reasons (ie, Fridays). I’ve seen new pubs, wine bars, restaurants and a club. The kind of club that most women over the age of 25 or the size of 4 decline to attend: our names were on guest list, there was a steep cover charge and even steeper cost to drinks, loud music and pulsing neon lights. Definitely an experience outside of my norm!! It’s  a pleasure to get out and about and get to know my teammates in a new, social, light. I am hoping that many of them will visit me in Edinburgh for more adventures.

With any luck, I’ll soon have a new flat to show you, including guest room for friends and family...who’s ready to see Scotland?!

Let the Sunshine In!

To open, I'd like to share that London enjoyed something quite unique since my arrival this weekend: sunshine! This unexpected delight provided me this simple pleasure:

My explorations this weekend took me to two outdoor markets within a nice walk of my flat; Petticoat/Brick Lane and Spitalfields/Brick Lane.  I agree with the London Tourism website when is day Petticoat's "day is passed" - it is a bit dreary. In contrast, Spitalfields was, bustling, extensive and lovely!

On my route to and from these markets, these architectural beauties caught my eye:

The Leadenhall (well-preserved) Victorian food market:

The Bank of England:




And these examples of various eras of architecture built up around each other;



St. Helen's Place - note the SwissRe Building -
"the Gherkin" - towering above!



 and on Bishop's Gate:

Finally, I was able to recover these few photos of Hampton Court Palace:

More soon!







Happy New Year, etc!

Hello friends, family and miscellaneous readers - Happy New Year! 

Since my last post, I enjoyed three company Christmas parties over three days in two cities. I have travelled to Edinburgh and back, followed fours days later with journey to Moorestown and back again. In both cases I happily missed the worst of snow delays (ie cancellations). Now I am happily settled in London for as long as they need me here - or until I can't survive yet another week without accessing the remainder of my worldly belongings, which have cleared customs and await their rescue from a storage unit in Edinburgh.

To celebrate the New Year, I enjoyed a Brazilian dinner and dancing with my friend Shannah (from Seattle) and her beau Lucian, followed by a very posh breakfast at Claridge's Hotel! To wrap up my long weekend (thank you  for the extra day off United Kingdom), I took in the sites at Hampton Court Palace. Sadly, the batteries on my digital camera were spent; however, I took several brief videos of the sites with my new Flip video camera (thanks again Santa!!). I promise that my film making skills will improve with practice!

"Over 800 years of history can be explored through this magnificent [Hampton Court] palace whose previous owners include Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

Visitors are offered an introductory exhibition, a guide through Tudor kitchens, a costume guide tour, and the opportunity to see the Queen's state apartments, the King's apartments and the Wolsey and Georgian rooms. One of the most impressive sights is the Great Hall, England's last and greatest medieval hall, decorated with sumptuous tapestries.

Outside you can try not to get lost in the worlds most famous maze or visit the Privy garden restored to its 1702 glory."~ almost certainly copyrighted text by Tourist Information UK: Hampton Court Palace

The grounds from across the River Thames:

The exterior of the Castle:

The Great Hall of King Henry VIII:

For more (officially sanctioned) info on the Castle and grounds, go to

Historic Royal Palaces: Hampton Court Palace

Tower of London Castle

The Tower of London Castle was built by William the Conqueror (or, as the British refer to him, William the Bastard) in 1078. It was one of the first buildings in London built in stone.


Bishop Ranulf Flambard was the first know prisoner in 1100. Flambard was loathed by the English for exacting harsh taxes. Although he is the first recorded prisoner held in the Tower, he was also the first person to escape from it, using a smuggled rope secreted in a butt of wine.

Traitor's Gate - entrance for the accused, including Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, the 2nd and 5th wives of Henry VIII.

A password - updated daily - is required to enter or leave the Castle premises after it is closed to the public. These guards are on their way to disclose the password.

Hampstead has long been known as a residence of the intelligentsia, including writers, composers, ballerinas and intellectuals, actors, artists and architects — many of whom created a bohemian community in the late 19th century. After 1917, and again in the 1930s, it became base to a community of avant garde artists and writers and was host to a number of émigrés and exiles from the Russian Revolution and Nazi Europe.

This former hospital has been converted to higly coveted (and expensive) flats in Hampstead. Residents are said to include both Sporty and Scary Spice.

Christmas Tree in Holly Brush - the first pub on our tour -

and more Chrismas cheer -