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 -

Hampstead Village

My adventures last night took me on a pub crawl of Hampstead Village. Originally a Saxon Village, it developed rapidly in the 17th century as the wealthy from London moved out of the city to escape the plague and then the Great Fire. It has been known for it's health properties of clean air and water (imagine!) and now - apparently - is the home to the most UK millionaires per capita. Residents currently include Ridley Scott, Boy George and Ewan McGregor...formerly have included Dame Judi Dench, Elizabeth Taylor & Robert Burton, Winston Churchill and Keats. Sites in and around Hampstead are featured in several well-known movies, and the world premiere of Moulin Rouge was held at the village's art-house theater. Quite simply, it a lovely village in the midst of the city.

As my photos are all a bit dark & grainy, follow this link for more on Hampstead Village:
http://thevirtualtourofhampstead.co.uk/hampsteadvillage.htm

One of the many benefits to a pub crawl was meeting several interesting fellow-crawlers from Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and (of course) Britain. Our last pub included a casual game of Trivia Pursuit, resulting in two Americans and a (quite sauced) British grandmother kicking the trivial-tush of the young Brits, Kiwi and South African. Not a bad Saturday night!

O Magnum Mysterium

A little Latin to kick off this post? O Magnum Mysterium, arranged by de Victoria, was one of several choral pieces I performed today in a workshop with John Rutter. As an aside, the English translation:

O great mystery,

and wonderful sacrament,

that animals should see the new-born Lord,

lying in a manger!

Blessed is the Virgin whose womb

was worthy to bear

Christ the Lord.

Alleluia!

This piece struck a chord with me (tee hee) because ages ago I knew it by heart. I learned it in high school to perform with the Madrigals and am almost certain I have also performed it since (with King's College? St. John's?). It's a beautiful piece, soaring and reverent. And today I performed it in a drafty English church built in the 12th century by the order of crusading monks to protect pilgrims on their journeys to and from Jerusalem - under the direction of a world famous composer and founder of the Cambridge Singers. If you are familiar with choir music, you would likely recognize Pie Jesu from his Requiem.


Geeky choral facts aside, today I walked into a room full of strangers for the chance to do something I love to do - and happily, felt reconnected to friends and memories from decades gone by.


Sadly, I forgot my camera today, so I have included links to a few interesting pages about the Church and John Rutter.


Temple Church - History
John Rutter - Biography

Thanksgiving Day

  

Tower Bridge



It's been a few weeks and my initial post to this blog is sorely overdue. My dearest friends, family and loved ones are together today to share thanks for "fruitful fields and healthful skies," as Lincoln so aptly declared. My experience today is quite a bit different: a very lovely co-worker, Tamryn, took me on a brief journey to find the equivalent of my Thanksgiving meal here in the City of London. A photo will follow, assuming we can extract it from her mobile phone.



The Borough Market



It is an understatement to say I am thankful for her - as I am for so many who supported me in the choice to make this journey to the United Kingdom that began on a whim. I was sent off from Seattle in style by my dear friends from graduate school and by my Seattle team, who encouraged me throughout my decision-making process and surprised me with the increasingly popular business text Amazon's Guide to the Working World: What Would Wonder Woman Do? As if that were not fantastic enough, I opened it to discover that the covers were, well, covered with their well-wishes and encouragement. Not uncommon in a case like mine, but caught up in the details of packing my life away to donate, sell or ship to a new continent, it took my breath away.



Market bounty

Two weeks later: I am settled in London for the time being and slowly acclimating to the culture, the weather and the idioms (yesterday I only researched two)!

My team of just over twenty people is a diverse one; among others, we are from Poland, South Africa, New Zealand, Great Britain and (now) America. Dry-humoured, fligthly, charming, stuffy and perpetually (adorably) flustered...somehow they capture the full scope of what we (that is, I) think of when I think "London."





Westminster Abbey





Outside of my team and thanks to happy, holiday timing, I have met several smart, engaging women at a networking presentation and have been invitied to several choral events. Invitiations I clearly accepted!

So there it is, my first entry to this live, shared journal. As I explore, learning more about this city (and myself in the process), I'll do my best to keep you posted - so to speak. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving from across the pond.

~c