“Taking the waters” has long been a popular activity for those living on the Isle of Great Britain. In fact bathing in special springs has been said to have healing benefits even before the Romans arrived on the island. By Queen Victoria’s reign, however, doctors began to suggest that inhabitants of the island venture to…
Tag: Expatlife
Seven Things I Didn’t Experience Until I Moved to England
The weeks are flying past (or crawling… depending on the day) and we are rapidly approaching the third anniversary of our expat status. As I reflect on this I’ve started thinking about all the new experiences I’ve had while living in England. Of course there are plenty of exciting things to share like traveling, driving…
Trekking to Tintagel Castle
On our first overnight trip since lockdown Tim and I stayed relatively local (by American standards) and drove to the south of England for a few days. Our friends have a lovely guesthouse in Torquay and we spent some beautiful days basking in the sun, walking on the beach and generally enjoying the coastal scenery….
Roma: A photo blog
Hello from the farm! It occurred to me the other day that while I include photos in my blogs about the places I go, I don’t share nearly the amount of photos I take on my travels. Given that I won’t be traveling any time soon, I thought now was the perfect time to share…
Social Distancing and Anxiety
It’s been a long time since I accepted my brain and all it’s quirks. After years of therapy, my therapist helped me realize that I need to challenge my brain’s anxious thoughts and tell them they are wrong. She used to say to me, “FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real” and that’s something I have…
A Socially Distant Expat
So here we are. Officially asked to socially distance ourselves from others to help reduce the spread of the Virus Which Shall Not Be Named (from here on out known only as VWSNBN). I had already planned on kind of self isolating in an attempt o stay healthy for my birthday this Friday, but for…
Magnet Fishing on the Canals
Long before there were lorries bringing our goods to market, long, shallow boats transported goods throughout England on man-made canals. Begun in Roman times and expanded during the Industrial Revolution in the 17th and 18th centuries, canals were efficient ways to get heavy loads of goods throughout the island. Long, low boats were initially pulled…
Grief as an Expat
“Grief is like the ocean, it comes on waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” Vicki Harrison On December 16, 5400 miles from where I was, my grandfather passed away quietly in his sleep at nearly 90 years old and…
The Adventures of Miss Kitty: Ep.1
It was a dark and stormy night and we had just solved two murders… …at a murder mystery dinner in Wadenhoe. The rain pelted down as we ran to Kitty, our 1958 Trafalgar Blue Morris Minor. It was her first big outing since we brought her home in mid September. She got us safely all…
Five Edinburgh Restaurants for Expats Missing Home
Now, it’s not that pub food isn’t delicious… but England and the UK in general aren’t really known for their amazing cuisine options. Hailing from the state that has some of the most amazing restaurants in the country (including 29 of the top 101 best American restaurants), I am big lover of food. California, and…
Fernweh Findings 