It was rather fun to have a go at this and make a cloud from our time so far in the USA - if you want to have a go, checkout Tagul!
Monday, 20 May 2013
Life as a Cloud ...
It was rather fun to have a go at this and make a cloud from our time so far in the USA - if you want to have a go, checkout Tagul!
Thursday, 16 May 2013
Trends from Brimfield for home decorating
There were some things at Brimfield which I've seen already in magazines and are what you could say are on trend at the moment.
I saw lots and lots of large letters in metal and plastic in a wide variety of colours and sizes. There was a seller who actually had new ones pre-made into words and painted but it was the old ones which I think are more popular. They've been cropping up in magazines for ages starting with the oversize letters which appeared on mantelpieces but now they are from store fronts.
Fisherman floats were around a plenty - lobsters ones and the large green glass globes were the ones I saw most of. Not entirely convinced they had all seen the sea but perhaps they just clean up well!
Oddly, I did see at least three huge industrial bellows. In one case it was just one side of the bellow which had been turned into a table.
The item I saw most of at the show was industrial carts with wheels - there were hundreds of them! Some had been varnished and some where much rougher looking. I've seen similar in the Restoration Hardware catalogue so perhaps that has helped with their popularity.
I saw lots and lots of large letters in metal and plastic in a wide variety of colours and sizes. There was a seller who actually had new ones pre-made into words and painted but it was the old ones which I think are more popular. They've been cropping up in magazines for ages starting with the oversize letters which appeared on mantelpieces but now they are from store fronts.
Fisherman floats were around a plenty - lobsters ones and the large green glass globes were the ones I saw most of. Not entirely convinced they had all seen the sea but perhaps they just clean up well!
Oddly, I did see at least three huge industrial bellows. In one case it was just one side of the bellow which had been turned into a table.
The item I saw most of at the show was industrial carts with wheels - there were hundreds of them! Some had been varnished and some where much rougher looking. I've seen similar in the Restoration Hardware catalogue so perhaps that has helped with their popularity.
Brimfield Antiques Show - an amazing experience
Yesterday I was up at 6am and out of the door quick smart to get to the Brimfield Antiques Show. Those who know me will be stunned at this as I am not a morning person at all. I didn't even have my normal cup of tea to get me going.
To back-track slightly; we went to the Brimfield show in the Autumn/Fall last year and were blown away but the size, scale and variety of what was on sale. We went on a Saturday and even though we arrived around 10am, the length of time we spent in traffic was not good. So lesson learnt for this year hence the early start.
Paul was working and took care of getting the dogs to the Ruff House for the day so we were all set in case I was late getting back.
Once again TomTom worked its magic with its directions and I was parked up by 7.35am and ready to start the show. Another lesson from last year was that it was no fun carrying heavy and awkward things so I had bought a shopper trolley for the occasion from HomeGoods - a bit like T.J.Maxx/T.J.Maxx but for home items.
The Brimfield Antique Show totally takes over the town of Brimfield on either side of the main road which runs through it. To get an idea of the size have a look at this map. From the website:-
SO WHAT IS THE BRIMFIELD SHOW??? Only the largest outdoor antique show in the world, held since 1959 in Brimfield, Massachusetts, three times each year, with thousands of dealers attending! Brimfield is an easy 1-hour ride west of Boston.
I was able to park by the Church (show by the cross on the map next to the common) for $8. There was quite a bit of parking and enterprising local organisations and people open up their gardens/yards.
First thing was a steaming hot cup of coffee as it was rather cold. Very glad I had packed some gloves and a scarf in my trolley but before long the sun started to warm the air and it turned out to be a great weather day for shopping.
The stalls open very early; lots of them start at daybreak which I think is amazing. The fields are huge and go way back. It is almost impossible to say what's at Brimfield but if you cannot find what you want there, you've probably not looked close enough. It's not a car boot or yard sale. Most items are genuine but there are reproductions in some places but they are easy enough to see and in plain sight. There are a few sellers of new items as well as recycled and repurposed items.
I saw everything from pulpits to airplane parts, petrol pumps to mannequins, cola coolers to puffa fish and more. So what did I buy? An enamel garage light shade for $10 (the cheapest I could find and a total bargain) to sort of match one we have already, an art glass scarab for $75, three old wooden coat hangers from USA hotels to hang our visitors coats on $10 and a green Lucite cast from by Norman Mercer for $10.
So nothing too huge or major but I had a really super time. I was there just over 5 hours when I knew I had to go - I was shattered! Even though I had my trolley, kept up with fluid intake and eat a egg, bacon and cheese sandwich (hot) my legs did not want to go any further. So I left before 2pm and beat all the traffic on the way back which was great.
Not sure if I will go to the July show as it will undoubtedly be silly hot but I will aim to go to the September show and another early start will be in order!
To back-track slightly; we went to the Brimfield show in the Autumn/Fall last year and were blown away but the size, scale and variety of what was on sale. We went on a Saturday and even though we arrived around 10am, the length of time we spent in traffic was not good. So lesson learnt for this year hence the early start.
Paul was working and took care of getting the dogs to the Ruff House for the day so we were all set in case I was late getting back.
Once again TomTom worked its magic with its directions and I was parked up by 7.35am and ready to start the show. Another lesson from last year was that it was no fun carrying heavy and awkward things so I had bought a shopper trolley for the occasion from HomeGoods - a bit like T.J.Maxx/T.J.Maxx but for home items.
The Brimfield Antique Show totally takes over the town of Brimfield on either side of the main road which runs through it. To get an idea of the size have a look at this map. From the website:-
SO WHAT IS THE BRIMFIELD SHOW??? Only the largest outdoor antique show in the world, held since 1959 in Brimfield, Massachusetts, three times each year, with thousands of dealers attending! Brimfield is an easy 1-hour ride west of Boston.
I was able to park by the Church (show by the cross on the map next to the common) for $8. There was quite a bit of parking and enterprising local organisations and people open up their gardens/yards.
First thing was a steaming hot cup of coffee as it was rather cold. Very glad I had packed some gloves and a scarf in my trolley but before long the sun started to warm the air and it turned out to be a great weather day for shopping.
The stalls open very early; lots of them start at daybreak which I think is amazing. The fields are huge and go way back. It is almost impossible to say what's at Brimfield but if you cannot find what you want there, you've probably not looked close enough. It's not a car boot or yard sale. Most items are genuine but there are reproductions in some places but they are easy enough to see and in plain sight. There are a few sellers of new items as well as recycled and repurposed items.
I saw everything from pulpits to airplane parts, petrol pumps to mannequins, cola coolers to puffa fish and more. So what did I buy? An enamel garage light shade for $10 (the cheapest I could find and a total bargain) to sort of match one we have already, an art glass scarab for $75, three old wooden coat hangers from USA hotels to hang our visitors coats on $10 and a green Lucite cast from by Norman Mercer for $10.
So nothing too huge or major but I had a really super time. I was there just over 5 hours when I knew I had to go - I was shattered! Even though I had my trolley, kept up with fluid intake and eat a egg, bacon and cheese sandwich (hot) my legs did not want to go any further. So I left before 2pm and beat all the traffic on the way back which was great.
Not sure if I will go to the July show as it will undoubtedly be silly hot but I will aim to go to the September show and another early start will be in order!
Friday, 3 May 2013
Certain signs that it's Spring ...
So much has happened over the last couple of weeks in the great outdoors. The daffodils are out and the tulips too. Grass is growing so quickly that it will soon have to be cut twice a week!
The storm door has been replaced with the screen door to keep out the flies. There are butterflies and bees aplenty and some different birds are visiting the gardens.
New mulch is being put down at the commercial buildings by contractors and we will be doing our share at home this week.
The trees are full of blossom and the new leaves are on the way. The air conditioning units are having their covers taken off and servicing is needed on ours as well.
Weeding and feeding the lawns is in full swing and I am wondering how long it will be before we have to put on the irrigation systems.
The garden centers have got a wonderful display of tempting plants ... still having to be aware that there may still be a frost but hopefully we are more or less past that now. We are no longer able to burn any garden rubbish so we are really pleased to have got our rubbish burnt before the deadline.
We had been told that the Spring here is quite short and it will be summer in no time at all and with these temperatures and lovely long light days we can quite believe it!
The storm door has been replaced with the screen door to keep out the flies. There are butterflies and bees aplenty and some different birds are visiting the gardens.
New mulch is being put down at the commercial buildings by contractors and we will be doing our share at home this week.
The trees are full of blossom and the new leaves are on the way. The air conditioning units are having their covers taken off and servicing is needed on ours as well.
Weeding and feeding the lawns is in full swing and I am wondering how long it will be before we have to put on the irrigation systems.
The garden centers have got a wonderful display of tempting plants ... still having to be aware that there may still be a frost but hopefully we are more or less past that now. We are no longer able to burn any garden rubbish so we are really pleased to have got our rubbish burnt before the deadline.
We had been told that the Spring here is quite short and it will be summer in no time at all and with these temperatures and lovely long light days we can quite believe it!
Monday, 8 April 2013
Here comes the sun ... time to sort out the garden!
Well here we go into Spring and it's not a moment too soon!
Buds are beginning to sprout, the birds are out and about and there's even life coming along in the daffodils. Wonderful.
One thing that is a challenge however is that we are only able to burn rubbish such as branches and trimmings before 1 May so we have to get a move on. In our town, Westford MA, you have to apply either in person or online for a 'brush burn permit' and then you have to activate it on the day you want to have the fire which is only possible if the weather conditions permit. Due to the amount of wooded areas and the construction of the homes being from wood, fire is not a friend if not managed well.
We've wimped out a bit and have bought a bin to burn in rather than have it on open ground which is much more normal. If all else fails there is a collection day on the Saturday before 1 May when you can take any brush to the town for disposal for $10 a load. Hopefully we'll not need to do that this year if all goes well.
Buds are beginning to sprout, the birds are out and about and there's even life coming along in the daffodils. Wonderful.
One thing that is a challenge however is that we are only able to burn rubbish such as branches and trimmings before 1 May so we have to get a move on. In our town, Westford MA, you have to apply either in person or online for a 'brush burn permit' and then you have to activate it on the day you want to have the fire which is only possible if the weather conditions permit. Due to the amount of wooded areas and the construction of the homes being from wood, fire is not a friend if not managed well.
We've wimped out a bit and have bought a bin to burn in rather than have it on open ground which is much more normal. If all else fails there is a collection day on the Saturday before 1 May when you can take any brush to the town for disposal for $10 a load. Hopefully we'll not need to do that this year if all goes well.
Monday, 11 February 2013
New England Blizzard 2013
We know we'd been very lucky so far with the weather we'd experienced since we arrived in December 2011. Looks like that has now changed.
There had been a bad winter the year before we arrived which had drifts of snow so high that neighbours had effectively had a tunnel of snow to drive out of to get to the road as the blown snow and drifts were so high.
There had already been snow before and after Christmas and it's impressive how efficiently it is handled and things get back to normal so quickly, particularly the transport aspects.
There are fleets of gritters and plows as you might expect but here are some things I hadn't come across before:-
Snow farms - as I understand it, these are vacant lots around the cities where snow collected from the roads is taken and dumped to keep the roads and sidewalks clear.
Roof rakes - long and lightweight, used to pull the snow off the roof. Necessary as if it rains after the snow, the weight of the snow increases. Snow weighs 3 pounds per cubic foot. Rain soaked snow weighs 21 pounds per cubic foot. Our roof rake is a 21 foot one made by Garelick and it worked really well.
Snow blowers - for domestic use. There are many different sorts but the key thing is that they cut the snow up in the front and blow it out of a movable funnel. You want to keep well out of the way when they are being used and never Never NEVER get tempted to clear any obstructions with anything other than the metal pole that comes with it after turning it off. There seem to be stories aplenty of nasty injuries caused by these but they are a great and necessary item to have and find space for in the garage.
Warming centres. In the summer the city of Boston and most of the surrounding towns have cooling centres for people to go to if their homes get too warm and in the winter they have warming centres for the reverse. http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x2082689466/Shelters-and-warming-centers-open-across-region These are in addition to the homeless shelters operated by the city and during this recent weather, it was considered an acceptable 911 call if someone appeared to be homeless and in need of help.
Additionally there was a high level of co-ordination at the Massachusetts level led by MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency) which we thought was really impressive. The news and weather services really played their part too and to see the weather teams out at various locations throughout the blizzard being bashed and battered in order to get the latest information to us was great.
There had been a bad winter the year before we arrived which had drifts of snow so high that neighbours had effectively had a tunnel of snow to drive out of to get to the road as the blown snow and drifts were so high.
There had already been snow before and after Christmas and it's impressive how efficiently it is handled and things get back to normal so quickly, particularly the transport aspects.
There are fleets of gritters and plows as you might expect but here are some things I hadn't come across before:-
Snow farms - as I understand it, these are vacant lots around the cities where snow collected from the roads is taken and dumped to keep the roads and sidewalks clear.
Roof rakes - long and lightweight, used to pull the snow off the roof. Necessary as if it rains after the snow, the weight of the snow increases. Snow weighs 3 pounds per cubic foot. Rain soaked snow weighs 21 pounds per cubic foot. Our roof rake is a 21 foot one made by Garelick and it worked really well.
Snow blowers - for domestic use. There are many different sorts but the key thing is that they cut the snow up in the front and blow it out of a movable funnel. You want to keep well out of the way when they are being used and never Never NEVER get tempted to clear any obstructions with anything other than the metal pole that comes with it after turning it off. There seem to be stories aplenty of nasty injuries caused by these but they are a great and necessary item to have and find space for in the garage.
Warming centres. In the summer the city of Boston and most of the surrounding towns have cooling centres for people to go to if their homes get too warm and in the winter they have warming centres for the reverse. http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x2082689466/Shelters-and-warming-centers-open-across-region These are in addition to the homeless shelters operated by the city and during this recent weather, it was considered an acceptable 911 call if someone appeared to be homeless and in need of help.
Additionally there was a high level of co-ordination at the Massachusetts level led by MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency) which we thought was really impressive. The news and weather services really played their part too and to see the weather teams out at various locations throughout the blizzard being bashed and battered in order to get the latest information to us was great.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Does it feel like home yet?
A good question. One that was asked several times by friends and family on our trip back to the UK for Christmas and the New Year.
The thing is, I really felt extremely happy to be back in the UK with everything that is totally familiar around me. The first bit of driving back on the left side of the road was a bit of a leap of faith but it all quickly settled back into place. Our hire car for the fortnight was a Seat Leon which was great fun but smaller than our USA car.
It was easy to just blend in and get on with things. Though to be fair we did have to make sure we had all the right power adapters with us for any USA electronics we had with us ... the amount of cables was impressive.
It was so good to see friends and family and thanks to the internet, phone calls, Skype, letters and cards it felt that we had kept in touch thoughout the year. Even so there is nothing so valuable as a hug or as welcome as someone being there when you need and want to have a proper chat. Perhaps the distance made me more emotional than usual at times but it was so important to have time with people but I wish we could have fitted in more visits.
We did have to do a lot of living out of our suitcases but I think I had actually packed very well for the trip and had the right things with me - my case was, to be fair, just on the right side of the baggage allowance thank goodness.
On the food front we have found lots of great things in the USA but have struggled to find good lamb and pork with skin on to make crackling. Funny the things you miss isn't it! I also really prefer small prawns and shrimp not the large 'tiger' ones so having a real full on retro prawn cocktail with juicy and favourful prawns was a treat. It just happened to be on the menu at one of the pubs we stopped at on our way to Wales.
I did stock up with a competition level amount of Dairy Milk chocolate for us and Gravy Bones for the dogs for the trip back. Thankfully our tea supply is still good - I do love my PG Tips. It's not that we cannot get Cadburys and PG here, it's just the price is prohibitive.
I think I personally did the right thing in waiting a year to go back to the UK. It has given me time in our new environment to settle in and feel more comfortable. It meant that at the end of our stay I was ready to go 'home' so that was good and a bit of a relief that I felt the USA was now our home.
The thing is, I really felt extremely happy to be back in the UK with everything that is totally familiar around me. The first bit of driving back on the left side of the road was a bit of a leap of faith but it all quickly settled back into place. Our hire car for the fortnight was a Seat Leon which was great fun but smaller than our USA car.
It was easy to just blend in and get on with things. Though to be fair we did have to make sure we had all the right power adapters with us for any USA electronics we had with us ... the amount of cables was impressive.
It was so good to see friends and family and thanks to the internet, phone calls, Skype, letters and cards it felt that we had kept in touch thoughout the year. Even so there is nothing so valuable as a hug or as welcome as someone being there when you need and want to have a proper chat. Perhaps the distance made me more emotional than usual at times but it was so important to have time with people but I wish we could have fitted in more visits.
We did have to do a lot of living out of our suitcases but I think I had actually packed very well for the trip and had the right things with me - my case was, to be fair, just on the right side of the baggage allowance thank goodness.
On the food front we have found lots of great things in the USA but have struggled to find good lamb and pork with skin on to make crackling. Funny the things you miss isn't it! I also really prefer small prawns and shrimp not the large 'tiger' ones so having a real full on retro prawn cocktail with juicy and favourful prawns was a treat. It just happened to be on the menu at one of the pubs we stopped at on our way to Wales.
I did stock up with a competition level amount of Dairy Milk chocolate for us and Gravy Bones for the dogs for the trip back. Thankfully our tea supply is still good - I do love my PG Tips. It's not that we cannot get Cadburys and PG here, it's just the price is prohibitive.
I think I personally did the right thing in waiting a year to go back to the UK. It has given me time in our new environment to settle in and feel more comfortable. It meant that at the end of our stay I was ready to go 'home' so that was good and a bit of a relief that I felt the USA was now our home.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Some useful information sources
As I mentioned before, I think it is important to celebrate and appreciate our differences and I am interested in finding out good sources of information that can help with this.
I came across this Blog recently http://toriaburrell.blogspot.co.uk/p/burrells-book-of-brilliant-britishisms.html which made me smile. It's easy to see why there are often confusions when we talk to friends and neighbours here.
The BBC have a good website called Mind the Gap where contributors talk about their experiences and receive comments - there's some interesting things on there. The Telegraph also has an Expat area in it's Life section and no doubt there are others I've not yet found from the British press.
Tipping is important and I must mention the Bitchy Waiter as a great source of humour and advocacy for servers and wait staff. He also has links to other bloggers who are talking about their own areas of work.
There are Expat information sources too such as Expat Women, Expat Blog, Expat Forum - I think it may have been helpful if I had spent a bit more time on these before we made the move but they are proving useful now too.
Happy to hear of any others ...
I came across this Blog recently http://toriaburrell.blogspot.co.uk/p/burrells-book-of-brilliant-britishisms.html which made me smile. It's easy to see why there are often confusions when we talk to friends and neighbours here.
The BBC have a good website called Mind the Gap where contributors talk about their experiences and receive comments - there's some interesting things on there. The Telegraph also has an Expat area in it's Life section and no doubt there are others I've not yet found from the British press.
Tipping is important and I must mention the Bitchy Waiter as a great source of humour and advocacy for servers and wait staff. He also has links to other bloggers who are talking about their own areas of work.
There are Expat information sources too such as Expat Women, Expat Blog, Expat Forum - I think it may have been helpful if I had spent a bit more time on these before we made the move but they are proving useful now too.
Happy to hear of any others ...
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Getting the house painted - 2012 catch-up
So having had the roof shingles replaced and a generator installed in case of power outages, the next most important task before the Winter was getting the house painted.
It was useful to have Angie's List to get recommendations for who to ask to do the work and we had quotes from two different companies. It was a real education to walk round the house with the experts and see what they pointed out as needing replacing and filling.
Reassuringly the house passed the 'sniff' test - so there was no water being held in the woodwork. One of the chaps said he has been to properties in the past where he could take a pencil and poke a hole in the woodwork and water would actually come pouring out! Not good and certainly not anything we would experience back in the UK with our brick built homes.
Once the quotes had been received and we'd made a decision it was just a question of waiting for our expected date for the work to start and hoping the weather was kind and things didn't slip too much. Well as luck would have it, we had a call about a month later to see if the following week would work and so all was underway.
Even with all the preparation there was still a surprise. When the shutters were taken off, it turned out that the last time the property was painted the shutters were left on and painted around - something our painting contractor had NEVER seen before in over 25 years in the business. Goodness!
Additionally, there were lots of old wasps nests behind the shutters and one active one. As it was near the end of the season they weren't very active and didn't cause any problems for the painters.
The painting team were a delight and it was great to see the transformation underway. Even so we did manage to get the door colour totally wrong ... as good as it is to have a swatch it is amazing how different things can look when they are in place! The painters put on another 'red' colour which was much better but I've now repainted it myself - asking to put another colour on would be just too much!
So all in all an interesting experience. I'd say it does get a bit tiring to be at home and constantly aware that there are people working on the house ... I felt very guilty sitting down and watching TV whilst they were working for example and using the bathroom required lots of checking to make sure I didn't give anyone a fright.
So after about a week we had the finished result - we had to hold our nerve until the shutters were put back up and we are really happy with how it all worked out. Still lots to do though - including straightening up the rather wonky lamp at the front of the photo!
On a related note, we were able to subscribe to Angie's List for a great rate at a show to try it for a year. Even thought we've had a lot of work done, we are still not sure we want to subscribe as it is much more expensive than the bargain rate we got (and I paid by cheque so there was no automatic renewal).
It was useful to have Angie's List to get recommendations for who to ask to do the work and we had quotes from two different companies. It was a real education to walk round the house with the experts and see what they pointed out as needing replacing and filling.
Reassuringly the house passed the 'sniff' test - so there was no water being held in the woodwork. One of the chaps said he has been to properties in the past where he could take a pencil and poke a hole in the woodwork and water would actually come pouring out! Not good and certainly not anything we would experience back in the UK with our brick built homes.
Once the quotes had been received and we'd made a decision it was just a question of waiting for our expected date for the work to start and hoping the weather was kind and things didn't slip too much. Well as luck would have it, we had a call about a month later to see if the following week would work and so all was underway.
Even with all the preparation there was still a surprise. When the shutters were taken off, it turned out that the last time the property was painted the shutters were left on and painted around - something our painting contractor had NEVER seen before in over 25 years in the business. Goodness!
Additionally, there were lots of old wasps nests behind the shutters and one active one. As it was near the end of the season they weren't very active and didn't cause any problems for the painters.
The painting team were a delight and it was great to see the transformation underway. Even so we did manage to get the door colour totally wrong ... as good as it is to have a swatch it is amazing how different things can look when they are in place! The painters put on another 'red' colour which was much better but I've now repainted it myself - asking to put another colour on would be just too much!
So all in all an interesting experience. I'd say it does get a bit tiring to be at home and constantly aware that there are people working on the house ... I felt very guilty sitting down and watching TV whilst they were working for example and using the bathroom required lots of checking to make sure I didn't give anyone a fright.
So after about a week we had the finished result - we had to hold our nerve until the shutters were put back up and we are really happy with how it all worked out. Still lots to do though - including straightening up the rather wonky lamp at the front of the photo!
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