April 2009

It's been ages and ages since I've written, and I'm sorry! I hope everyone hasn't given up on me. I've been horribly busy at work, and for April and May I was studying for an exam to get certified in international accounting standards so all of my time outside of work was taken up with studying. But anyway, enough excuses.

I went home for about a week and a half at the beginning of April - to KC for about two days then to Ohio for Easter and to just chill (well, unfortunately a larger proportion than I would have liked was spent studying). On the plane on the way to the US I sat next to a marine who had been in Iraq for four years and was returning to the States for good. He was a massive person - I'm not exaggerating when I say that his forearms were the size of my thighs. He was very nice though, and interesting to talk to. Once again, it was nice to be back in the States and surrounded by all of the American accents. I won't be home again until Christmas, mainly because most of my family is coming to Europe this summer to visit.

After my return from the States I dove right back into work and have been busy ever since. I haven't decided which is worse - to work longer hours but for a shorter period of time like in the US firm, or to continually work 45-50 hours for six months of the year, like in the UK firm. I won't lie, I'm weary of work.

Also in April James (MJ's real name - everyone knows about us in the office now) took me to his hometown of Harrogate, in north Yorkshire (a county in north-east England). Once again, I was completely enthralled by the quaintness of the English countryside, and Harrogate was lovely. His family has since moved elsewhere, but he still has quite a few friends there. Harrogate was discovered to have sulphur springs years ago, so back in the day it was the place that all the royals and posh folks went to have healing baths and such nonsense. James and I went through the little museum for the springs/Harrogate (extremely random and overpriced, but funny due to the randomness), and got to taste the sulphur water (disgusting - no idea how they used to drink it. I mean I'd have to be really bloody sick and think that it was going to work miracles to drink the stuff). We also went to a famous teahouse called Betty's and had a proper cream tea (tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream). Yummy! I bought some delicious tea there to fill out my collection that's growing in my cupboard - seriously I'm becoming a proper English tea-drinking girl!

We met up with James's friends from school (primary/high school) on the Saturday night and went to a few pubs/clubs. We were all pretty far from sober by the end of the night but it was a really good time and James's friends are lovely. We met up with them again the next night for curry for one of the girls's birthdays. On the way back from Harrogate we stopped in a town called Knaresborough with an idyllic view of a bridge high over a river, and a ruined castle high on the hill. So gorgeous. If you are on facebook, all of our photos are on James's page. We also stopped in York, the largest city in north Yorkshire, and went to see the cathedral there and had a few pints in a pub (of course).

Later in April we went to Burnham for James's granny's birthday, and I met the parents...gasp! It was fine though, his family was so nice and fun-loving. His aunt's house, where the birthday party was held, had the loveliest backyard ("garden" as they call it here, and a proper English garden at that) with amazing landscaping. I made beer bread - James was assigned to brings chips (crisps in England), but I couldn't 't show up with just a bag of chips to meet his parents for the first time - and it was such a hit! Now he gets to meet my parents at the end of July when they come to visit...

Well, unfortunately that's about it for April, what with the studying and working bits, but I won't bore you with that. I'll write May and June entries this week, I promise!

xoxo,
Heather