Found in Surrey, England

My lovely friend, Kim, took me out to lunch today and we ended up in a pretty little village called Godalming.  

Have I already mentioned that the charity shops in England blow my mind?

Books, really good secondhand books, start at .50p and don't go higher than 2 pounds.  And they're all in English. 

I have been living outside of English for so long that I still find this stunning, even after a month in this world.

It was foggy today but beautifully, autumly, foggy.  The light was divine and, for the first time in a long time, I felt my passion for photography rise up and demand time.

Kim stopped at a church, somewhere in the hills of Surrey, so that my camera and I could play for a while. 

The lunch was delicious.  We discovered Grills and Greens, and were served by a lovely guy from Rome.  My tagliatelle funghi, mushrooms and cream sauce with fresh ground black pepper, was rather divine.

Things I'm Enjoying About England ...

This Nature Reserve ... I was introduced to it yesterday.  Thank you, Andy.

And then there's the people, who have been incredibly kind and polite so far.   Yesterday I wandered into a pub.  They had 'Rugby' written on the board outside.  I asked if they were screening world cup rugby matches, and yes, they would be screening the rugby world cup, and yes again, when I asked them about sound.  Previous experience: 2 world cup matches viewed locally, without much sound, made me check about commentary.

But nicer still, the woman behind the counter asked me if I was a Kiwi ... her husband comes from Palmerston North.  I shall return there soon. 

Sainsburys has continued to surprise and delight me.  It's a lovely destination for that daily walk I now feel compelled to take.  Pukka Pies remain my pie of choice, on the odd occasion I buy.  Lovely, after so many years away from good pies.  I don't need a lot but some is good.

The air seems relatively clean here and is currently all about autumn and woodsmoke and damp vegetation ... but in good ways.  Ways that take me back to New Zealand.  Chinook helicopters often fly over, we're on one of their flight paths.  I love the sound of their heavy beat overhead.

I'm drinking tap water, after years of viewing the Antwerp water with a deep suspicion that left me drinking bottled sparkling water.  It's still quite odd to simply open the tap and fill a glass when I need a drink.

I am missing my Nespresso machine but it's okay ... I'm missing Genova too, and would much prefer the coffee found there in the city. Starbucks is okay for a single espresso, occasionally.

I am loving the buses.  People wait for all passengers to leave the bus before climbing on, exchanging greetings, asking questions ... which are always answered, by the drivers.    And when they're not in service, the illuminated message on the front of the bus begins with 'Sorry.'  

Really!  All this courtesy just blows my mind.

People in shops and official places have been so nice that I come away stunned and bemused.  When I had my National Insurance appointment, the woman told me of spending 30 minutes with the Dalai Lama some years ago.   We chatted of other things, while we filled out the forms.  Opening a bank account ... same kind of friendly, helpful service.

The woman at the recruiting office couldn't have been more helpful.  And the local rugby club have said I can go along on Saturday night and watch the All Blacks play there ...   I'll head to the NZer's pub on Sunday, for the Australian game.

And I don't even know where to begin when talking of the friends I am staying with, and their friends, who have gathered me in in ways that stun and humble me.

So times are challenging and the future is slightly unclear at the moment however ... England is a truly lovely country and I'm feeling quite lucky to be here.

This is my song at the moment ... I think it so often.  I Wasn't Expecting That.

Sainsburys ...

I try to keep the wonder-filled child out of sight, quietly hidden inside of myself, when I wander the aisles of Sainsburys in these early days.  I've been 12 years out of the English-speaking world, 12 years far from home and all that is familiar, including the English-influenced food down in New Zealand.

And that's been fine.  I loved so much about Turkey that there was always some thing that would delight and/or surprise me.  There was the food that became favourite food ... the Dil Peyniri, (string cheese) was divine.  I loved every kind of Börek, and İskender kebap was pretty much my idea of heaven.  I loved most of the food I found there.

Then fast-forward to Belgium, and the outdoor Saturday Market was my new place of delight and wonderment for a while.  The cheeses from France, the crusty breads, the olives, the fresh fruit and vegetables ... the market was that place we always meant to go Every Saturday, not just with guests, as it turned out.

I had favourite chocolate shops, of course.  And that restaurant, in Grote Markt, serving good Flemish cruisine was the place where I liked to take friends.

But Sainsburys ... it's kind of like being back home, with foods and ingredients not seen in a long time.  I'm making a Carbonara tonight and had to buy bacon ... but which bacon became the big decision.  Then I found a garlic crusher, on sale, for 2pounds 50 ... just after giving up, imagining they didn't carry them.  I went to buy cheese but ended up with a President Brie, from France.  A brand known to me because there were a million other choices ... choices that read divine but I was overwhelmed by it all and played safe.  This time.

They stock my new breakfast of choice food - Warburtons thin plain bagels.  Lovely with butter and raspberry jam ... or with the President brie, it turns out.

Don't start me on the biscuit and chocolate selections, also so very familiar to me ... and anyway, I'm resisting almost all of them.  But they're there, and I seem to slip back in time when I wander that aisle, remembering those early morning cups of tea at Nana's - with shortbread and similar biscuits to those seen on the shelvesin Sainsburys.

The wine guy is a lovely bloke.  Half Italian, a quarter English and Irish.  He's so passionate about his wines, and knowledgeable, of course.  He was helpful when I found myself bewildered by a whole new selection of reds, all completely unknown to me.  No old friends to be found on those shelves.

And the people ... they've been lovely.  Of course.  It's England.  So far, so good with the people.

There's a Starbucks on site and, much as I can't stand their coffee generally, the espresso is okay when no other espresso is possible.  I'm quite the monster about coffee ...

I had imagined I might give it up over here, without my beloved coffee machine.  And while I was at it, I've been thinking about stepping away from the red wine too however ... perhaps a little bit sometimes is more realistic.  And kinder.

My CV is written.  First draft.  I would definitely get me in for an interview.  Actually I would hire me too :-) 

Today's image is light on a leaf, captured as I made my way to Sainsburys.  As I write this, it's overcast and windy now, with light rain.  Peri the cat is having a crazy moment and flying around the room in pursuit of invisible creatures ...  She makes me smile.

So that's today, so far, in England. And yeah ...I think Sainsburys is kind of fabulous.

The Problem of Writing a Brilliant CV ...

One of the more difficult things about beginning this new life is writing up my CV ... telling the story of me and my work experiences so that people think it a good idea to hire me.

And I want to stay with the truth while remembering that it is about marketing.  Modesty isn't really the way to go ...

So how do I define what I have done these last few years.  How do I present my experience.  And myself.

I'm not sure that I quite fit any pre-defined box but perhaps that's a good thing.

I have a working title for my job description but it's only a working title.

So, with my head broken after a morning of study and much thinking, I wandered off to visit with one of the neighbours - friends of my lovely friends, Kim and Andy. 

What a delightful way to spend a couple of hours!

Diana is one of those wise women, a person I felt I had known a very long time.  And Steve is kindness itself.

I have returned to my work station refilled and replenished.

So yes, it's all about me. 

I photographed their 17th century wall yesterday, in the exquisite Autumn afternoon light ... there's a story to come about it all.  Of patents, inventors and brick-laying inventions.


The Story of 3 Birds That Rescued Themselves ...

My favourite cafe was closed the other day and I ended up at a nearby restaurant, hoping the espresso would be drinkable, knowing I didn't want to wander too much further in my search for good coffee.

Sitting there I noticed a rooster totally owning the small garden beyond the hedge in the grounds of the restaurant.  It amused me.  This was centre-city Antwerp.

A few minutes later I watched him visit with the pigeon you see in the series of photographs.  And honestly, they seemed to be greeting each other. 

I asked Vitaliy, the waiter, about them when he returned with a second, spresso and he told me the loveliest story.

The restaurant is called De Markt and the Bird Market is held weekly in the square nearby. Christoph the Rooster arrived first, after escaping the market, and set up home in the garden.  They named him after the manager I was told.

Then Micheal the Pigeon arrived and he stayed too.  He's named after the restaurant's Italian chef.  Vitaliy told me, smiling a little, that Christoph the Rooster often 'shouts at' Micheal the Pigeon ...

And finally, I think that third bird is a Crow.  He's quite motley but he moved in too and I love that.  How did those birds know they could set up home in the garden of a restaurant in the city of Antwerp.

And they've stayed

I loved the story.  I'll go back soon, I'll take Miss 11 with me.  She's visiting this week.  We have plans.