Sei sulla pagina 1di 3

from the edge Volume 1, Number 3

December 1992

We thought we’d give everyone a summary of what we liked about living in


England and what we miss in Canada, based on our experiences so far.

Things we Like… Things we Miss


o Not working (Y) o Sunshine
o No TV (M&Y) o The cost of living
o School uniforms (Y,M,K) o Microwave nachos (A)
o Footpaths…leading to pubs (Y,M) o Snow (C)
o An adventure very week o Bear (who went into storage by
o Mike gets and takes more holidays accident)
o A 5 minute drive to work (M) o People who speak Canadian (K)
o Wonderful letters from our family and o The old school (A)
friends o Autumn colours
o No snow o The Blue Jays winning the World
o Learning to play the piano (K) Series
o Learning to play the flute (A) o Roads that are straight, wide and have
o New school friends (K,A,C) shoulders (Y)
o The house (C,A,K) o Free parking (Y)
o The Aga (Y) o The Park Avenue (car)
o BBC1 Breakfast Show (A,K) o Our friends and family
o Radio news (A) o Not wearing a uniform (A)
o Hiking ©
o No junk mail (The initials belong to the contributors)
o Mail delivery 6 days a week (Y)
o Wine/beer in the grocery store (Y,M)
o Expanding our horizons, especially for
the children
o The school
o Castles

Places we have been… Readers’ Quiz


o 9 castles Can anyone tell me what the relationship is
o North Wales – phenomenal scenery between Sir Isaac Newton and the phrase:
o York – overrated by the locals Richard of York Galloped Back in Vain??
o The Peak District – my favourite
o Edinburgh – stunning Winners will receive a free ticket to Jodrell
o Nottingham – nothing like the story Bank…the largest radio telescope in the world,
and it’s just down the road from us (Airfare not
o Liverpool – lots going on at the docks
included).

I now feel like the Queen must as she sits down to


compose her Christmas message. Ahem…my
faithful readers…well, so much for that. I want to
thank those of you who have told me how much you
enjoy these newsletters. I really enjoying doing
them, and trying to give you the flavour of what our
life is like here. It’s different, but not that different, if
you know what I mean. We are still in the western
from the edge Volume 1, Number 3

world, and they do speak English (sort of), so it’s not been as big a cultural shock
as if we had gone someplace more exotic. We are all settling into our daily
routine, and can get around without the use of a map. People don’t pause when
they hear my Canadian accent anymore, or at least I’m not as self-conscious
about it any longer. We’re adapting our vocabulary. We can drive on the left
side of the road without cause for panic. All in all, we’re a pretty happy lot, and
are looking forward to the next 2+ years.

Any new readers wondering how to get on the mailing list, it’s very simple. Just
write and tell us what you’ve been up to...then we write back.

GUY FAWKES AND THE GUNPOWDER PLOT, 1605

When James of Scotland and England was King, there was a group of Catholics
who plotted to kill him and the leading men of the country when they assembled
for the opening of Parliament. They hired an explosives expert named Guy
Fawkes, who was able to hide 36 barrels of gunpowder in a storeroom right
underneath the House of Lords. One of the plotters sent a note to his kinsman
advising him to stay away. The letter was circulated on Nov. 4 th, and the fuel was
discovered during the ensuring inspection. Guy, who was left to guard it, was
arrested and taken before the King where he declared that he intended to “blow
the Scots back to Scotland”. This was a dumb thing to say. They tortured him to
find out who the plotters were, but he didn’t fess up. So, he was put to death.

So, now on or about Nov. 5th, the people of England celebrate with fireworks and
a bonfire of quite large proportions. And on the top of the bonfire, there is a
stuffed effigy of Guy himself. There was even a contest at school for the best
“Guy”. (He is exactly like those stuffed people we put out at Halloween). We all
quite enjoyed taking part in the celebrations, but we are still trying to convince
Christopher that it wasn’t a real house they were burning, but a pile of pallets.

SHEEP (I promised). (Sheep farming began sometime between the 12th C and
14th C.)

The reason there are 43 million head of sheep and lambs in Great Britain is
because they thrive on pastures not good enough to support other types of
livestock. There are all kinds of breeds of sheep each suited to a particular
terrain. The Hill Sheep are hardier and more agile. Lowland sheep are larger
than hill sheep with shorter, thicker coats. The lambs fatten more quickly for
meat. This is their No. 1 use, with wool being secondary. Sheep are skittish, so I
haven’t been able to get close enough for a good photo of one. I think you
probably have some idea of what they look like in the “wild” anyway.

A quick explanation of sheep dipping: Once or twice a year the sheep are dipped
in a bath of insecticide to protect from diseases and parasites.
from the edge Volume 1, Number 3

Raddling: This is the process of strapping a harness into a ram with a coloured
piece of wax attached to it around the ram’s chest. When the ram does his thing,
he leaves a smear of the colour on the ewe’s rump. The farmer changes the
colour every three weeks so he can then tell roughly when a ewe will have her
lambs in the spring. (Unless of course, they are practicing safe sex without the
farmer’s knowledge).

Shearing: As the weather gets warmer, ewes naturally shed their wool. So the
farmers try to get a jump start on this process to make some extra money.

And last but not least, THE SHEEPDOG. He has the sheep’s utmost respect.
His main task is to gather the flock and drive them in the right direction. A good
dog can also divide a flock, or separate out a single sheep. The End.

DECEMBER is shaping up to be a busy month. Christopher is a sheep (what


else?) in the Infant School Nativity production. The girls are practicing hymps
and carols for the Christmas Service. Christmas parties are looming ahead, as
well as the mandatory weight gain associated withthem. I have just returned
from Toys R Us…it’s the usual zoo. We hope everyone is having a wonderful
Christmas Season…we’ll be thinking of you.

Happy Christmas,
Yola

Potrebbero piacerti anche