Finding that Perfect Pub ... here in England

It's like Cinderella's prince finding the foot that belonged to the glass slipper.  Or Goldilocks, perhaps.

I found 'something like home'  tonight, the third pub I've tried. 

The People!!!!  So kind.  A plumber bought me a drink.  The welder, the builder, and some others too, made me almost die laughing there at the bar.

The publican ... he is brilliant.  Like a stage manager, keeping an eye out and making sure that everyone is safe, that man who is incredibly kind.

And then there was the army chef and his beautiful wife ... they filled me in.  Invited me to play golf with them sometime.

My birthday's tomorrow, so different to last year ... with the photography exhibition and friends flying in from all over Europe.  Tomorrow, I shall go this pub that I've found ... the one that serves good wine and much kindness.

Thank you to everyone, who doesn't actually know about my blog, but ... who made me so welcome in this part of England where I currently am.

Oh ...!  And the recruiting center phoned me today and I missed that call, as you do!  So tomorrow, who knows, perhaps there is good news.

Meanwhile some the guys there gave me some contacts to check out in the days ahead.  Who knows where this Kiwi is watching the All Blacks play on Saturday but that lovely pub is surely calling me.

I was on my way back from here, yesterday, when i found the pub ... just btw.

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.

Home ...

I suspect this is the face I most regularly wear in these days.  I believe it might be a problem-solving kind of expression I'm wearing there.

I made pumpkin soup for lunch today but realised I was missing my small vegetable knife.  I have a brand I particularly like.  I missed my cupboard full of known ingredients.  My kitchen too.  And later I missed my bread and my place at that old oak table I used to adore.

There are hours like this out here in my new life.  Not days or weeks ... just hours.  I really am okay with missing things, mostly.  I began moving house when I was 20, and haven't stopped anywhere longer than that big old Belgian house just left, after something like 6 years.  The previous record ... maybe the airforce house back in New Zealand.  4 years, non-stop, in the same place.

But it's not a desire of mine, to constantly move.  It's just my life. 

My sister has lived differently and I love visiting her when I go back to New Zealand.  She has lived in her home for years now.  I'm not sure how many but if I 'go home' to anyplace, then it's her place.  I love the familiarity I find there - I love her pantry, the smell of the house, but mostly, I love the people that live there.  It's as close as I get to my childhood spaces ... 50 Green Street, the home I grew up in, or Nana's place, at 101 Islington Street.

But mostly, over all these years and moves,  I've learned to make the unfamiliar familiar, as quickly as possible.  The walk to the supermarket is a daily one now.  Starbucks has become 'the place' where I buy my espresso.  The walk there and back has become that time for deep thinking while I exercise.  And I can feel myself getting stronger each day. 

The first day I walked there I thought I was dying.  The second day, I went out again, just to test it, and wondered if it wasn't some kind of anxiety attack.  On the third day I began to feel better.  Mmmhmmm, I might have been completely unfit.  It's much easier now.  Increasing the distance seems like a good idea.  Let's see it.

But mostly I'm spending these days preparing myself for whatever is next. And the photograph ... taken by my lovely Australian client, Gabrielle, at Genova's Douce cafe,  on one of those lovely photography workshop days last summer.

They were beautiful days.  I'm glad that I had them.

The Days ...

The days continue to pass here in England.  I feel like I'm refining ... or perhaps, redefining, myself. 

I have rewritten my CV.  Mostly because it needed rewritten and after days of slaving, I am beginning to 'see' more of what I have achieved, and lived, and experienced.  It almost broke my mind trying to pull it all out, and there is more, but this is okay for the moment.   And I see that I've worked hard oftentimes but it has been fun too.  Some great adventures with extraordinary souls. 

And there I am, wanting to write somewhere on my CV, 'willing to learn'.  I'm always willing to learn, to study, to grow.

That has to go out sooner, rather than later.  I also spent time on LinkedIn, refining my profile there.  It's still not done but I have given a better idea of some of the truly sublime assignments I've done on this journey, so far.

I found a Sports Bar for the Rugby World Cup game, between New Zealand and France, last night.  It was stunning.  I felt like I had the privilege of seeing a new rugby legend emerge.  Julian Savea's performance won't be forgotten for a long time ...

There's a link to some video at the bottom of the article I linked to above, under the rave reviews that have gone down.  62-13!!  The game was exquisite last night.  It did my heart good after so long away from this scene.

Ravings aside ... Andy took me over to visit a local Antique store yesterday.  What an amazing place.  Multiple floors, at least 34 rooms ... more perhaps.  Here's a small glimpse.  It was divine.

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.