sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

September 26, 2005


five things i meant to do in england, but didn’t
posted by soe 3:35 pm

1. Watch the Changing of the Guard — I got the dates wrong on this (okay, the guide books from 2001 got the dates wrong . . . and I believed them).

2. Visit Devon and Cornwall — I’ve heard the Fairy Country of England is beautiful, but we just absolutely ran out of time and the coastline was the part of the trip that got condensed. (We also missed the Long Man and Avebury, so there’s lots to do still on the list for next time.)

3. Drive — Last time we went to Britain, I took over the driving on our first day of exploring the mountains of Wales late at night when I was tired. And it was such a miserable experience, I didn’t drive again that trip. And by the time I felt comfortable enough this time, we’d hit London and weren’t really driving anymore. So I missed out. Next time I’ll just have to take the bull by the horns on the first day when I’m too tired to be nervous.

4. Buy tea spoons — I know, I know. I don’t really need them. But they’re so cute and fit much better on a saucer than your normal spoon. Something to come by next time.

5. Eat Welsh rarebit — One of my favorite British dishes, I somehow missed out on it this time. I ate a great many other lovely things (including Branston pickle, which isn’t, in an American sense, a pickle at all), but consumed a cheese and tomato toastie and fish and chips while I was in Wales instead of the one dish I was after . . .

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ninety minutes
posted by soe 6:47 am

I will live to regret this decision later tonight, but when my body (or, possibly, the cats) decided I should be awake at 5 a.m., I decided to agree with it. So I’ve been sitting here in the dark coolness of the living room, lit only by the intermittently working backlight of our laptop, for the last 90 minutes. And I have to say it hasn’t been that bad. In fact, it’s been quite peaceful.

This morning was scheduled to be cloudy here in D.C., so it hasn’t gotten light with the sunrise, but periodically I peek at the Andrus Field cam at Wesleyan to see how sunrise (and early morning activity) progresses elsewhere. They are much more diligent than I, as they are all wearing more than a bathrobe and are doing industrious things like walking, driving, and turning on and off lights. (Oh, wait, I did most of those things this morning, too… Nevermind…)

The alarm clock just started beeping to tell us to wake up. Maybe I will make some tea. Or maybe I will just sit here a few more minutes and enjoy a little bit more tranquility before the Burrow starts bustling with back-to-work activity.

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