Summer in Britain is glorious, while Brits will tell you it is “red hot” or “boiling” outside, in most parts of Britain it rarely gets above 80º F and even that is pretty rare. A normal “hot” summer day in Britain is in the low to mid 70′s. Sure you need to remember to put on your sunscreen, but it’s comfortable to stroll around and enjoy the sun without getting unbearably hot and ducking into the next air conditioned building you find. Here are the top 10 best things about Summer in Britain:

1. Ice Cream

A typical British summer afternoon usually involves stopping into a seaside shop for an ice cream or running for the ice cream van. The quintessential British ice cream treat is the 99 Flake or sometimes just called a “99″. It’s a regular soft serve vanilla ice cream cone with a Cadbury Flake stuck into the top. Most shops and ice cream vans usually offer the option of topping your 99 with “monkey’s blood” which is simply a raspberry syrup. Cadbury sells regular sized Flake bars, but the 99 Flake is specially produced by Cadbury for this ice cream application. There are many speculations about where the name “99″ comes from and according to Cadbury it has been “lost in the mists of time” but regardless of the origins of the names it’s a simple, delicious and very British thing.

2. Fish & Chips

Right next to the seaside ice cream shop where you get your 99 you will usually find a fish & chip shop. On a nice day here in Seaton Carew you walk down the main street and there are two fish & chip shops, one “on the left” and one “on the right”. Over the years the people from the town have come to regard “the one on the left” as the best chippy in Seaton Carew, being a local and living just down the street I’ve actually discovered this commonly held idea is actually false and “the one on the right” is much better. Even though “the one on the left” has changed owners at least once since I’ve moved here, people still line up out the door at this chippy convinced that it’s the best. I would imagine this is a fairly typical situation in other seaside towns and villages across Britain. On a nice summer day people fill benches and squat on curbs with the curiously shaped “chip fork” in hand and a styrofoam carton of greasy fish and chips. It’s an essential ingredient to the British summer.

3. Going to the Beach

In the North of England going to the beach isn’t what it is in the US or in the warmer Southern parts like Cornwall. Here you must go to the beach fully clothed most days, there isn’t much sunbathing to be done and many people will bring with them a kind of half tent or simple bit of tarp attached to some wooden poles that act as a wind screen. You will see children darting in and out of the freezing cold water, but for the most part going to the beach here in the North East means sitting fully clothed on the sand and taking in the views. It might sound boring but there is no need to reapply sunscreen every twenty minutes after sweating it off, there is always a refreshing breeze coming off the water, it’s great people watching and there are lots of opportunities for outdoor activities like playing a game of soccer on the beach or some of the best kite flying conditions you’ll ever find.

4. Late Sunsets

I sometimes forget how far North I truly am until the winter when the sun rises after 9am and sets at around 3:30pm or in the summer when the sun rises at 4am and sets at 10pm. The British summer day is LONG and it’s one of my favorite things about living this far North!

5. Music Festivals

There are several outdoor music festivals over the summer, the most famous of course being Glastonbury but there is also Cream Fields, the V festival and many other small local festivals that will crop up anywhere you can find an open bit of land and permission to plop down a stage. For the second year in a row Hartlepool had its own music festival called Pitch Invasion which was organized by the music charity I volunteer for, Red Dreams. It was fairly small with about 6,000 people attending over the two days, but it definitely had the festival vibe and gave local bands a chance to participate in this British summer staple.

6. Parks & Gardens

Britain has some gorgeous parks and public gardens, even the smallest in the humblest of towns are lovingly maintained and groomed. Here in Hartlepool the largest is Ward Jackson Park which has a bit of something for everyone, there is a little “woodland walk” which is a dirt path that winds through the trees and brush, there is a traditional landscaped typical English garden area with perfectly manicured flower beds and there is a duck pond where hobbyists often bring remote control boats to zoom around on the calm water. There is also a children’s playground and lots of open space for playing frisbee or just lounging on the grass. Having a stroll through a well maintained park is one of the best parts of the British summer.

7. Barbecues

If you are lucky enough to have a back garden or know someone who does, a barbecue on a summer day is a great way to relax. A British barbecue isn’t much different from an American one although it’s definitely a lot more relaxed. Where American men usually have a state of the art grill or smoker or other very manly outdoor appliances and maybe plan ahead by marinating meat and other impressive culinary tricks, Brits like to keep it simple with a small grill and simple burgers and sausages and jacket potatoes (baked potatoes if you’re American) with all the fixins’ on the side. There will always be lots of cold lager and cider to go around as well!

8. Beer Gardens

When the weather starts to heat up in the Spring the first thing I start to look for is the beer gardens opening up. On a sunny afternoon pubs’ beer gardens are packed with people relaxing. It seems no matter the day of the week or time of the day, if the sun is out and it’s warm enough to sit outside there will be people in the beer garden enjoying frosty beverages. I’ve walked into a Wetherspoons pub at noon on a Tuesday for lunch to find the beer garden brimming with people enjoying a pint in the middle of the day. There is just no keeping people away if the sun is out and there is a beer garden nearby.

9. Caravan Parks

All over the UK you will find holiday caravan parks. Caravan parks are a collection of “caravans” or basically trailers that are specifically for the purpose of renting for a week like a cabin or hotel room and then in the middle of the caravan park there is usually a pub and lots of stuff for kids to do like pools and arcades. I haven’t been to one yet since I’m more of a tent and campground kind of person, but for families it’s a great way to get a camping-like experience in a more comfortable and kid-friendly environment.

10. Camping

The North of England is dotted with prime camping areas. The Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, The Pennines, and even just here in the Cleveland Hills. Britain has some serious campers and the natural beauty of this country is ready-made for some of the best camping experiences. The one thing about camping here that is much different from the US is that in this day and age it’s incredibly difficult to find a campground that has fire rings. I was shocked last summer when I was looking for a place to camp and only found a handful of places in the area I wanted to go that allowed fires. Blame the culture of Health and Safety, but I just can’t imagine a campsite without a fire at night for roasting marshmallows and telling stories.

That is my lineup of the Top Ten of the British Summer, it’s a bit late but we’ve still got a few more warm days to squeeze out of Summer 2010 and there is always next summer!

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The final process of filling out all the paperwork was by far the easiest part, the hardest part for me was parting with £840, especially since we are living on my husband’s income alone and have to live on a pretty tight budget. The Life in the UK test wasn’t exactly difficult, just very time consuming but still more difficult than filling out the application .

The Form SET(M) that I had to fill out was only 18 pages, including notes and definitions and the cover page. After all was said and done, in total I only filled out about 10 pages, and some of those were just ticking boxes and making declarations. As I mentioned in Part II, we had to provide 6 pieces of correspondence that were addressed to both my husband and me from 3 different sources. We sent two council tax bills, two utility bills and two letters from our bank for our joint account so it was quite easy for us since my name was added to all our utility bills while my husband was deployed a year ago. We also had to include the previous three months of bank statements, I didn’t have all of these in my records but it was quite easy to just go to the bank and get them to print me out what I needed. We also had to send in photos of both of us, two of me and one of my spouse. There are machines all over where you can get passport photos taken, so this part was also just a matter of going out and getting them done. From start to finish it only took my husband and me a few hours to fill out the form.

After I sent out the application form I’ve never been so nervous about anything in my life. There was just so much at stake and it was totally out of my hands. First I was worried that if I made a mistake and they rejected my application, the application fee was non-refundable. I was also worried about what I would do if my application was rejected. All of the far-fetched worst case scenarios ran through my head as I waited for my application to be processed. In the back of my mind I knew that I was a shoe-in and the Border Agency had absolutely no reason at all to reject my application, but when so much rides on getting that sticker on my passport its easy to let your imagination run wild and consider the possibility of something going horribly wrong.

To make the waiting all the more stressful, in the days before I filed my application a job opportunity opened up. The employer didn’t want to move forward until I had my visa in hand. The entire time I was hoping that the turn around time for my visa would be miraculously fast but in the back of my mind I also knew they wouldn’t wait for me. While I did get my visa back incredibly quickly, within less than two weeks of when I filed my application, it wasn’t fast enough and the opportunity came and went as I sat waiting for my visa. I have to believe it wasn’t meant to be, the job was just a temporary contract so its nothing to get upset over, and I’ve already had new possibilities opening up for me. Still, the possibility of employment hanging over my head as I sat waiting made it seem like the longest two weeks of my life.

Now that its over and I have my visa, it seems like everything has changed. I’m hoping that this will open some doors for me and I’ll be a more attractive candidate to potential employers. Its something that I can’t explain, its kind of like when people tell you that everything changes when you get married and it changes your relationship. It is almost as if the two year temporary residence visa was like an engagement, a time for me to plan for my life together with Britain, and getting my permanent settlement and indefinite leave to remain is like being married to Britain. My whole attitude has changed, and I think its even noticeable to people I meet. There aren’t many Americans up here, so when I meet people they are always curious and ask the same questions. Before I got my ILR visa, people would ask me all the time if I was planning to move back to the US. Now, in only the past few weeks, people ask me if/when I think my accent will change. I don’t know why, but people seem to accept more that I’m here to stay without even knowing anything about my immigration status and only that I’ve been here for two years. Maybe its a “vibe” that I’m putting out that is different, but it does feel like this little sticker on my passport has changed so much in my life.

The next step is of course to become a British citizen. I’ve looked into it and I am eligible for citizenship at this time next year. However, the application fee for that is another £735 and I can think of more important things we could spend that money on over the next year. Really the only difference between an ILR visa and a British passport is that I can’t vote or freely go to Cuba, so at this point its not really worth it to get citizenship right away when I could live on this visa for the rest of my life with very little difference. I know we’ll make that extra step eventually, but unlike getting this visa, when I go for that scarlet passport it will be on my timeline and when we can afford it. Its good to know that after next year it will be something we can do when we are ready for it.

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• Dispatches from the North: Path to Settlement in the UK- Part I

I realize this is a long post, so I’ve split it into two parts for your benefit, first about the experience in general, and then specifically about my brief appearance.

Behind the scenes of BBC Question Time

The entire experience was amazing from start to finish and something I’ll never forget and always feel privileged I had the opportunity to participate in.

Let me start from the beginning, before the show every audience member must submit one question that is “provocative, and reflecting the main news of the week” which last week was difficult as a lot of the news was pretty intense foreign policy news. People love to talk about education, the economy and other close to home issues, but I think a lot of the week’s news was pretty intimidating and many were afraid to ask questions about the war in Afghanistan and David Cameron’s visit to the White House which dominated the headlines.

When we arrived we checked in and were given another card on which to write a second question relating to the day’s news. As the audience members enjoyed complimentary beverages and snacks in the pub, David Dimbleby walked in, grabbed a chair and stood on it to address the audience. He started out by commenting on the history of the Hartlepool Borough Hall which most of us didn’t realize used to be a police station, jail and magistrates court. I was really impressed that he took such an interest in the place and wasn’t “just passing through” and in his little pep talk he was exactly the same witty personality you see on TV.

He encouraged us to get involved, debate, argue with the panelists and each other and if we had something to say please say it. He also told us to treat it as a pantomime and if someone said something we liked to cheer and clap and if someone said something we disagreed with, by all means boo. I was left feeling positive about the whole experience I was about to be a part of.

I had a few expectations going in, first being that certainly it wasn’t a free for all and that the BBC carefully selected the questions and the people from the audience who got a chance to speak and challenge the panelists. This was not the case at all, the only thing the producers had control of was selecting which audience members got to ask their questions to set the topics. This wasn’t done to control the content, questions were selected to make sure this show was current and didn’t cover things that had been covered in previous shows. It honestly was no holds barred and they spent quite a bit of time with the audience getting us warmed up and ready for a lively debate. It is exactly as it appears on TV with no gimmicks and no restrictions.

I also had expected that since we were to be there for 3 1/3 hours that we would spend a couple hours recording the show and debating and they would cut the show up and choose which comments to air. This wasn’t the case at all, the entire broadcasted show is recorded in real time and nothing is cut or excluded from the show.

At 7:15 we were led into the main hall where I saw the set, which looked so different without all the studio lights turned on. After we sat down the Floor Manager came out and requested that 5 audience members volunteer to come down and sit in the panelists’ seats. At this point, everyone was reluctant to get involved and it took some time for 5 people to volunteer themselves to come sit in the hot seats. Then the lights came on, the set came to life with stand-in panelists and the Floor Manager sat in David Dimbleby’s seat to act as the chairman. At this point he brought out a question from the previous week that hadn’t made the show so we would have something to debate with each other. The question was about child obesity in the UK and if child protection orders should be served on parents who allow their children to become obese. The audience spent the next hour debating this single question, with audience members standing in as panelists and this method worked like a charm because it really got the audience warmed up and the group who had been sitting silently and afraid to speak were suddenly getting into a lively debate with each other, all off camera. Then it was announced which audience members would get the opportunity to ask their questions and by the time the panelists were brought in, the audience was fired up and ready to go.

The panelists were brought in one by one, and the audience actually booed every single one of them. I think people were just excited that they had been encouraged to boo politicians and took the opportunity to boo them all whether they agreed with them or not. After the politicians were seated and their microphones pinned on (and Bob Crow’s bald head liberally dusted with powder by the makeup girl) we started with a test question which wasn’t recorded and gave the camera crews a chance to practice getting the angles they needed. After we discussed the practice question we were told we were about to record and then it all started.

It was exciting sitting in the audience and there were some very entertaining arguments between Conservative MP Damian Green and Labour MP Sadiq Khan. Bob Crow seemed to go on tangents about things that seemed to have nothing at all to do with the questions (like Mill Wall football?), Ruth Lea found a way to make her responses as boring as possible and don’t even get me started on the ridiculous behavior of Nigel Farage.

This is Where it gets Interesting…

The show was winding down, I’d managed to go through nearly the whole show without needing to throw my hat in- and then Nigel Farage opened his mouth with some of the most inaccurate and patronising generalizations about the American people I have ever heard. Here is a clip which starts with his ignorant comments and then finally I was called on to speak and give him quite a shock.

Click here to view a larger version.

I honestly think Nigel Farage thought he could get away with what he said relying on the assumption that no Americans would see it, and if they did, certainly none of them would be there in the audience to challenge him. His mistake was to underestimate not only me, but Hartlepool as well. Throughout the night he continually spoke to the audience in a patronising tone, attempting to flatter us and drop in comments like “walking down the high street in Hartlepool” (Hartlepool doesn’t actually have a proper high street) and other such instruments politicians are accustomed to using to woo voters and supporters. He tried to “come down to our level” and figured he could tell us anything and we would buy it, but his comments about America didn’t go unnoticed by the audience. I was also further offended that as I was speaking and challenging him on his ignorant comments he attempted to talk over me, and David Dimbleby actually had to tell him to be quiet and let me have my say. Nigel underestimated the people of Hartlepool, and he certainly didn’t plan on me.

I’ve had the very surreal experience of being able to read about myself on Twitter. I’m quite happy to report that about 99% of Tweeters seemed to be cheering me on, but there was a handful of people who decided to focus on me “forgetting” about Wales (trust me, I didn’t forget I had only a few seconds to get my point across and couldn’t find all the words in the very high pressure heat of the moment), one Tweeter thought I was planted in the audience by the BBC, and then there were a few others who missed the point completely and drew conclusions that I was taking an opposing position to Nigel Farage on the issue.

This was not my aim, I was poking holes in Nigel Farage’s (very weak) argument and what I didn’t actually do was assert any opinion of my own on the topic. I wasn’t going to allow him to fabricate justifications for his point of view while insulting me and all Americans as a means to support his argument. If he thought that nobody representing the UK or Scottish government should be sent to answer for the release of al-Megrahi, I have no problem with that, but to base that argument on a belief that Americans would be confused by devolution of the UK government (a system uncannily similar to state governance in the US) and that we don’t care about anything going on outside our borders is a totally ludicrous way to support such an argument.

I think some people assumed that because I was disagreeing with the premise of Nigel’s argument that they could draw a conclusion that I think Kenny MacAskill and Alex Salmond should be sent to the White House when I didn’t say that at all. I can honestly understand and relate to both sides of the issue, but thats not even what the question was. The question that was asked was whether Alex Salmond should be the one speaking to Obama instead of David Cameron. I do think if anyone at all is going to go it should be whoever was responsible for making the decision and it makes no sense for David Cameron or any member of the current Coalition government to be answering for decisions they had nothing to do with. This would be akin to Barack Obama being asked to answer for a decision that Arnold Schwarzenegger made in California 3 years ago.

As for the comments that Bob Crow made after I spoke, I didn’t really take them as directed at me at all. That was his one chance to speak on the issue and it was clearly a rehearsed answer (and a bit of a red herring if I’m being completely honest). All of the panelists would have known this might be one of the questions and he would have said that in response to any question on the topic regardless of whether I had been there or not.

Overall it was an unforgettable experience, and I like to think I used my 15 seconds of “fame” to defend my fellow Americans, and the cherry on the top was the priceless look on Nigel Farage’s face.

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Following last week’s Question Time they mentioned the next stop was going to be Hartlepool so I went online and applied to be part of the audience. I got the call yesterday that I was selected! I had to submit one question in advance and then tomorrow when I go I have to bring another question. Both questions have to relate to the week’s news. I am really excited to be a part of this, it is one of those once in a lifetime things. I love watching the show so I’m so excited to be a part of it.

Be sure to watch on BBC One at 10:35 PM tomorrow night! I’ll write a full follow up post next week and tell you all about the experience.

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• Dispatches from the North: The BNP on Question Time
• A Pint of Bitter: London, England
• Talking Telly: Never Fear Fans, John & Edward On Way Out On ‘The X Factor’
• A Little Brit History: Britain – The Natives are Revolting!

The way the study materials are set up made it quite easy for me to study, but I did have to put in a lot of time. Because the book is aimed at people with a proficiency in English but who are not primary English speakers the materials were very easy to read and understand and just the basic facts without confusing or unnecessary information. I started off reading the required chapters of the book and went through and highlighted the statistics and figures I would need to memorize. After reading everything I utilized an online service at flashcardmachine.com to make my own flashcards using the stats and figures that I had highlighted throughout the book.

Using flashcards to study was really helpful for me as there were so many specific figures to commit to memory.  As I went through the flashcards I was able to “flag” the ones I needed to review over and over again which made it very easy to sort out what I needed to concentrate on and what I had firmly committed to memory. Here is a link to the flashcard set I made using Flashcard Machine, you are welcome to use them for studying or if you are just a curious Anglophile and want to see a rundown of the material covered in the book you can check them out.

Life in the UK Test Flashcards

If you are studying for the Life in the UK Test you may find these helpful, although of course these are things I felt I needed help to remember, so while I think it is a fairly complete set it isn’t necessarily “one size fits all”. This is by no means an “official” study tool but the numbers were taken directly from the Second Edition book. I did find that many of the stats and dates in these flashcards did appear on the actual test, so I know from my experience that these flashcards are a good study tool and relevant to the test. I hope that anyone out there preparing for their test can use this set of flashcards to study and pass on the first try!

My next step is to fill out the application form and submit the necessary documents. As I’m going through the application I can see how the various documents required can help weed out anyone trying to commit fraud. If you remember the movie Green Card, Brontë and Georges went to quite a bit of trouble to try and fool INS into thinking they were a genuine couple. Here they would have trouble getting past the first step, as spouses applying for an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa are required to provide 6 “letters” addressed to both spouses ranging over the 2 year period of living in the UK from at least 3 different sources, this means things like utility and council tax bills addressed to both people.

One good thing that came out of my husband’s deployment was that we had to go through and put my name on all of our accounts before he was deployed in case I needed to call and make any enquiries. I was able to go through our records and easily pluck out 6 documents, but for some couples I can see how this might be a challenge. If one spouse moves here and the other has already established a life and home they might not think to immediately put both names on accounts, and in some cultures having the wife’s name registered on bills might not be customary. I would definitely advise anyone planning to move to the UK with a spouse and plans to settle to be sure to get both names on bills as soon as possible to make it easier when the time comes to apply for settlement.

In my next and (hopefully) final installment of the Path to Settlement in the UK series I’ll go a bit more in depth about filling out the application and applying for settlement.

Please note this post is only a reflection of my personal experience and does not represent any official views/advice from the Home Office. If you are uncertain about anything related to immigration or settlement, you should contact the Home Office directly.

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• Dispatches from the North: Path to Settlement in the UK- Part I

With this summer’s biggest music festival Glastonbury now passed, Hartlepool and Red Dreams are looking forward to our own home-grown music festival, Pitch Invasion, on the 21st and 22nd August at Seaton Carew Cricket Club. Pitch Invasion features a few tribute headliners and dozens of local bands and acoustic acts.

Here are just a few of the top bands and singer/songwriters and other musical acts that I’ve heard through my involvment with Red Dreams. You can check out more songs at Red Dreams’ MySpace Music Page and check out some great performance videos on their YouTube Channel.

Rayne

Rayne is one of the North East’s biggest up-and-coming bands, having made it to the final of Live and Unsigned at the O2 Arena on July 10th. I saw Rayne perform at a recent awards show for Red Dreams, and I was really impressed with them. They played a couple covers, but their original song “Against the Natural Order” was my favorite of their set. Check out their music at their MySpace page.

Up!Down!Strange!

Up!Down!Strange! made the town’s headlines a few months ago when they beat out thousands of bands nationwide and made it to the finals to compete for a spot at Glastonbury. These young lads also made it to the semi-finals of this year’s UK Songwriter Contest for their original song Cliffs of Fiction. Check out their music at their MySpace page.

Chloe Gibson

Chloe Gibson is by far the most talented teenager I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing perform. Chloe is only 13 and writes and performs her own music. I see very big things in Chloe’s future. She has already been awarded a semi-final ranking in the UK Songwriter Contest (again, at 13!) for her original song “Breathing and Beating” and also won the solo artist Rising Star award at the Red Dreams Music Awards which was an award chosen by a leading UK record label. She is definitely the one act to watch coming out of Hartlepool. Check out her music at her MySpace page.

Samantha Durnan Band

Samantha Durnan is a very talented and versatile female artist from Teesside. Samantha does acoustic gigs on her own, but also performs with a band of very talented musicians. The Samantha Durnan Band has a very sophisticated and deep sound, with Samantha’s vocals and acoustic guitar at the forefront. Check out Samantha’s MySpace page to hear their music.

Lost State of Dance

Lost State of Dance (or LSD for short) is an innovative indie/techno group. They’ve got a very creative and versatile style and a great mix of male and female vocals as well as a range of both live instruments and electronic sounds without slipping too far into the pop or electronic genre. Check out their music here on their Myspace Page.

I could go on and on, this really only scratched the surface of the great young bands coming out of the North East! I’ll be sure to do another North East Music Round Up again and feature some more great local artists.

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A few months ago when I first started gathering the information I needed I got pretty overwhelmed. I’ve been out of full time work since moving here and my husband and I are on a fairly tight budget since we survive on his Navy income alone. I also found the description of the test very daunting, the website says that about 1 in 3 fail, and most British people couldn’t pass it. Also the application process falls within a tight window, you have to submit your application within 28 days of the expiration date of your temporary residence visa but applications filed prior to the 28 day window won’t be accepted. Also it is important to note that the application fee (currently £840) is not a fee to pay for the visa but to apply for it meaning that if the application is rejected the £840 is non-refundable and if I wish to apply again its another £840.

It sounds pretty serious and scary, but now that I’ve set up a timeline for studying and completing all the necessary steps it seems much more manageable. Also the process here is fairly straightforward and relatively affordable as any average person can complete the process without needing to hire an immigration lawyer. Immigrants in the US can’t tackle the American Immigration system without the aid of a lawyer and the process is extremely complicated, expensive and easy to make a mistake and be penalized, so in comparison I suppose I’ve got it pretty good. It also helps that I have a friend nearby who came to the UK just a couple months before me and she has just gone through the process successfully and received her visa and also passed on her study materials to me so I don’t have to go out and buy the books myself.

I began delving into the study materials for the Life in the UK Test earlier this week and have developed my own study strategy. Some of the information is fairly basic and relates to things that are either standard on both sides of the pond or much to my delight things I have learned within the past couple years through my personal experience of “life in the UK”. Then there are other questions that aren’t quite so easy, questions like “How many people in the UK are Muslims” or even as obscure as “In the 1950s in which country were centres set up to recruit bus drivers to come to the UK.” There is a wide variety of very specific information that I have to cram into my brain, so much that I am creating a set of flashcards for myself for all of the statistics that I can use to study the week before my test.

I also half expect this test to be like the driving theory test which I studied for intensely only to show up and find that none of the very difficult questions from the study materials were on the actual test and I felt I wasted my time learning specific following distances in different conditions and what the legal tread depth for a tire was. At least this time around I know that its possible none of the complicated questions will be on the test, so I’ll learn them anyway and just be satisfied to know that if I went on some Life in the UK version of QI, I would be racking up lots of points.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress over the coming months and hopefully in my final installment of this “Path to Settlement in the UK” series I’ll be reporting that my ILR Visa is in my hand!

Related Posts

• Dispatches from the North: Path to Settlement in the UK – Part III
• Dispatches from the North: Path to Settlement in the UK Part II
• Britain’s Door to Close a Little Tighter
• One Woman’s Journey to British Citizenship

If you aren’t familiar with the Eurovision Song Contest it is an annual event that has been running since 1956. Under the current platform the nations that fall under the European Broadcasting Area (which includes some countries outside of Europe such as Israel, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan) are eligible to participate and if they wish to, they submit a new original song. Every country has a different selection process. Some countries put forward their biggest stars and other countries now are creating reality shows to choose the act to represent their country.

This year there were 39 countries entered in the competition and there were two semi-final shows where all 39 entries were narrowed down to 25. Only 34 countries participated in the semi-finals as there are five countries which automatically get a spot in the finals every year. There are the “big four” countries who finance the contest so they are guaranteed a spot (UK, Germany, France and Spain), and the previous year’s winner/host country also gets an automatic spot. In the two semi finals shows 10 countries went through each night. I found it interesting to watch the semi-finals because the political nature of the contest is truly revealed in the semi-final when you see some great songs eliminated and some of the absolute worst go through.

The politics behind the Eurovision Song Contest are three fold. Obviously one contributing factor is the relationship different countries have with each other, and countries that don’t “get along” often won’t vote for each other. Also countries that have a great many expatriates living abroad all over Europe usually do quite well, citizens living abroad get around the “you can’t vote for your own country” rule and are able to vote for their own country since they are calling from outside its borders. Another factor is countries which are ethnically linked but are different nations, for example Greece and Cyprus always vote for each other and the republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro always vote for each other since in the past they entered together under the soviet “Yugoslavia” before the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and still share culture and media. Each country no matter how small has the same amount of votes to cast so many of these small countries that stick together end up doing very well.

I had a hard time narrowing down which songs I thought were the very best and which were the very worst. There were very few good ones, and an overwhelming amount of really diabolical ones. I’ll start with the good ones. I suppose I should include the winner, it wasn’t that bad but it certainly wasn’t my favorite.

WARNING: EXCESSIVE USE OF WIND MACHINES AND FLASHING LIGHTS

The Best

Germany- “Satellite” by Lena

I wasn’t crazy about this song, it was mind-numbingly simple and I also found it strange that this girl could speak perfect nearly unaccented English but her singing seemed to be heavily accented, which is fairly uncommon and it usually goes the other way around. Still, it is catchy and has a certain Kate Nash/Lily Allen quality to it so I think it was a good choice to win.

Belgium- “Me And My Guitar” by Tom Dice

I thought this guy was really good and has a good career ahead of him, he came in 6th place which was quite a good placement considering most of the top 10 got there based more on politics than song quality.

Ukraine- “Sweet People” by Alyosha

Okay, I admit this is a questionable choice and might not be your cup of tea. What I liked about it is that first of all, Alyosha has a really amazing voice, reminiscent of Amy Lee from Evanescence. I really liked that it wasn’t really cheesy like many of the songs often are and it broke far from the Eastern European “club anthem” format. It is a bit dark, but I think its a genuine effort (unlike the other “rock” entries from Turkey and Bosnia that seemed a bit forced) and something very different.

The Worst

Serbia- “Ovo Je Balkan” by Milan Stanković

This was by far the worst, and a perfect demonstation of how the former Yugoslavian countries supported each other and got their horrible songs into the final. Apparently this guy has a “cult following” and he actually placed 13th with this song.

Moldova- “Run Away” by Sunstroke Project & Olia Tira

Words can’t really describe this, but this is just marginally worse than all of the other Eastern European club anthems that made it into the finals.

Russia- “Lost And Forgotten” by Peter Nalitch & Friends

I just don’t get this, its a truly awful song. Nuff said.

Honorable Mentions

Most Expensive Production: Azerbaijan- “Drip Drop” by Safura

On the surface it might look not all that expensive, but they brought in Beyonce’s choreographer JaQuel Knight to put this together. Also add to the tab her flashy light up dress, that light up staircase and other large set items. They spent into the millions of euros on this. I think it was a waste of money, JaQuel Knight must have been having an off day because this choreography definitely isn’t the same caliber as “All The Single Ladies”. This entry was the bookies’ choice to win, and ended up coming in 5th place.

Staying True to Culture: Armenia- “Apricot Stone” by Eva Rivas

Warning: This song will get stuck in your head! Its not the greatest song, but I like that they’ve got an 83 year old man playing a traditional Armenian instrument and the dancing and the song kind of tell a story that relates the the culture and heritage of Armenia. I never knew that apricots were so important to the Armenian people, so I learned something too!

Use of Props: Belarus- “Butterflies” by 3+2

When you first turn this on you will probably be wondering what on earth I’m talking about, just fast forward the video to about the 2:20 mark and you will quickly see what I’m talking about.

You might be wondering where the UK fell in the final results. Well, they came in dead last with only 10 points (Germany won with 246). I don’t blame Europe for not voting for the song, it was the most sickly sweet variety of bubblegum pop and the final performance was awful (the video below isn’t of the final, but still pretty bad). One of the background singers couldn’t seem to find the correct key and the headliner Josh missed some big notes at the end, he immediately commenced drinking glasses of wine as soon as his performance was over so I’m pretty sure he knew he didn’t have a chance.

United Kingdom- “That Sounds Good To Me” by Josh Dubovie

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My husband at work, imagine if that was the view out your office window?

Despite the close proximity I’ve only been to Scotland twice, once four years ago when I first visited Britain and then again last week. They tell me that the weather there is usually cold, gray and rainy but both times I have been there the weather has been clear, sunny and warm. I’m thinking the Scottish Tourist Board should consider hiring me to come up and visit during major events because I seem to bring unusually gorgeous weather with me when I visit Scotland. I feel quite privileged that I have seen Scotland only at its very best.

Last week my husband needed to drive up to HMNB Clyde in Faslane so he could pick up all of his gear that had been shipped back after he returned from his last deployment in the Persian Gulf. Instead of making the 4 hour drive on his own and turning right back around we decided to make a little vacation out of the trip. We booked one night at a RSR (Royal Sailors Rest), also known as an “Aggie” which is a kind of retreat/B&B that can usually be found in the areas surrounding Britain’s Naval Bases. The RSR is a faith-based charity geared toward giving sailors and their families a relaxing refuge in an alcohol and smoke free environment. The RSRs were created by Agnes Weston (hence the term “Aggies”) for the Victorian Navy at a time when the Royal Navy was plagued by alcohol abuse among its sailors. The RSRs were started as a “pub with no beer” and provided respite for sailors in a Christian environment. The RSRs still provide spiritual, alcohol-free recreation and accommodation for serving Royal Navy personell and their families. This RSR Hotel, Braeholm, was open to the public as well but Royal Navy and Royal Marines personell receive 20% off the room rate which also includes a delicious breakfast in the morning.

RSR Hotel Braeholm in Helensburgh, Scotland outside HMNB Clyde

We had such a relaxing stay at Braeholm and a lovely drive around Gare Loch where HMNB Clyde is situated. After one night at RSR Braeholm and an amazing breakfast in the morning we headed out for home. There is something about Scotland that gives my husband and me a sense of adventure. On our first trip to Scotland we stayed one night in Edinburgh which turned into a drive up into the Highlands and lunch at a game lodge which had been converted into a B&B which then turned into another night staying there in the middle of nowhere up in Highlands. This time around as we were driving we passed one of those familiar brown road signs pointing the way to a landmark or attraction which you see all over Britain. My husband mentioned he had passed this sign for Drumlanrig Castle nearly every week for years and had never actually gotten off the motorway to see it. So we immediately put on our indicator, exited the motorway and took a little detour in search of this castle.

Even if the castle had been a disappointment, which is wasn’t, the drive there on a long winding road through the Southwestern hills of Scotland was breathtaking. It was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on and totally worth the detour. We pulled along the side of the road to snap some photos and visit some Scottish sheep.

On the way to Drumlanrig Castle

After this pleasant, winding drive we finally arrived at Drumlanrig Castle. It was nothing like I expected, and although smaller and less opulent, it instantly reminded me of Versailles with the long tree lined drive and carefully maintained hedges and gardens. As soon as you turn the corner to the long drive leading up to it you suddenly feel you should be approaching by horse and carriage. I felt I should at least have a pair of coconut shells to bash together for effect.

The long whimsical drive up to Drumlanrig Castle

We didn’t have the time to go inside the castle, but exploring the grounds was definitely worth the trip out.

From the back garden of Drumlanrig Castle

I hope it won’t be another four years before my next visit to Scotland, but I do hope that the sense of adventure strikes us each time and we discover more of Scotland’s hidden gems in visits to come.

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Corus steel workers braced for mass redundancies

Read the story from BBC News

National unemployment figures may have shown signs of improvement, but one community on Teesside is braced for mass redundancies as 170 years of steel making comes to an end… The steel-making part of the company (Corus) is due to be mothballed and 1,600 people are now looking for work.

Jobs blow for Garland North East call centre staff

Read the story from BBC News

Garland Call Centres, based at Hartlepool Marina, Middlesbrough and South Shields, announced it had gone into administration on Monday. The centre employed 1,158 people – 178 based in South Shields, 621 in Hartlepool and 359 in Middlesbrough.

Town ranked the second cheapest place to live

Read the story from the Hartlepool Mail

Hartlepool has been ranked second in a league table of the cheapest places to live. The average price of a property in the town is £119,577, which is a 2.63 per cent increase on last year’s value.

These are just three of the biggest stories in the North East, but massive job losses and a stagnant housing market are effecting nearly every business and family in the area. With a few more thousand people out of work in this region, it hasn’t made my two-year-long job search any easier. I’ve been registered with local recruiters since 2008, and they seem almost embarrassed to report that there is just nothing coming across their desks. It is hard to say if the recession in the North East is going to get better or worse from here on out. Many of the surviving jobs in this area are in the public sector, and with the new Chancellor George Osborne promising to review the budget, it could mean even more job losses in the North East.

Those of us up here in the North East can only hope that as the economy improves elsewhere in the country businesses will see the opportunity for investing up here. With plenty of space for business and industry wide open to new investors, hopefully the rock-bottom cost of investing in this area will attract businesses in the South that are beginning to experience growth again and looking for more affordable options for expansion.

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This morning the sun rose on a new government in Westminster, after 13 years of a Labour government Britain is now under a new era with Prime Minister David Cameron leading a Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government the likes of which haven’t been seen here since 1945.

I should probably briefly explain my position when it comes to politics, as any commentary on politics is bound to be colored with bias. Simply put I have no party affiliations whatsoever. In the US I’ve voted both blue and red (sometimes both on the same ballot) and whenever I take one of those online “Which political party are you?” surveys I always end up smack dab in the middle in the unrecognized Centrist party (although I would never join that party, its just not my thing). I don’t see politics as black and white, and really see the philosophies of every major political party as equally effective under the right conditions. My decision making process usually has more to do with the direction of the parties than actual politics. I think both the left and right approach to solving current problems have the chance of helping if they get it right so I make up my mind based on who I think has a better chance of doing it with the candidates they put forward.

The North of England is a Labour stronghold, although this past election after so many jobs have been lost in the North East most constituencies showed a large chunk of votes go to the Conservative party even if Labour retained most of their seats. Historically Labour candidates in the North East are shoe-ins, but this time around the numbers were much closer. Now that the chips have fallen, many people in the North East are pretty pessimistic about the future and I find this attitude very disappointing.

I respect the fears of many Northerners that a Conservative government could mean public sector job losses and I definitely don’t blame Northerners for distrusting Conservatives after what a mess Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government made of the North. Still, I believe the recent Labour government has done enough to earn the distrust of the country and the people of North should really look beyond their party loyalties and recognize why so many people have lost faith in Labour to get the job done. The thing about party politics that bothers me the most is the extremist “I’m right, you’re wrong” philosophy and for people to believe nobody but Labour could get this country out of a recession seems very close minded, especially considering that the banking crisis and recession and record job losses in the North happened on Labour’s watch. From my position I think change is a good thing, and having a fresh set of eyes on the problem could be just what this country needs.

I did find the bargaining of the last few days very undemocratic. I think it is a bit messed up that the politicians themselves were responsible for working out what the new government would be. That being said, since I am fundamentally against the idea of a single ruling party I find the formation of a coalition government to be a positive thing. I don’t like the idea of one party functioning on its own independent of scrutiny from people with differing viewpoints so this Tory/LibDem mix will hopefully mean a government with a system of checks and balances and a bit of diversity.

Many Brits are worried that a hung parliament won’t be able to get anything done, but this would be a disaster for both the Tories and Liberal Democrats so they have every reason to make it work. They got a bit of a lucky break this General Election and for them to waste that opportunity by not getting anything done would be political suicide. If there is anything that motivates politicians it is their own legacy and success and at a time when there is simply so much to be done, both sides have a lot to prove and huge opportunities to establish the validity of their parties in modern-day Britain. I don’t see the point in ill-wishing this new government since this country has very little else to lose and everything to gain.

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Instead I’m going to talk a bit about SPAM. I don’t mean junk emails, I’m talking about canned meat.

Photo by Matthew W. Jackson

I was really quite disgusted and a bit confused the first time I walked into an English fish and chip shop and saw “SPAM Fritter” on the menu wedged between Haddock and Chips and Jumbo Sausage. The word SPAM just seems out of place on any menu. Truth be told, I’ve never once tasted SPAM. The idea of meat molded to the shape of a metal tin turns my stomach and to me it looks a bit like cat food.

So why exactly is SPAM an acceptable menu item in Britain? SPAM was first brought to the UK from the US as part of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 to supply Allied troops. During World War II fish was scarce so in fish and chip shops across Britain SPAM was substituted and served up alongside the usual mushy peas and chips with a generous shake of vinegar and salt. The British seem to have developed a taste for SPAM so while its popularity has dwindled in the US, through classic fish and chip shop dishes like the SPAM Fritter it has has outlived the WWII rationing that brought it to the forefront of British cuisine.

The internet is rife with British recipes using SPAM, and on the Official SPAM Website you can find many recipes from the Official SPAM Cookbook by Marguerite Patten as well as some submissions from British celebrities and media personalities. Here is a link to the Official SPAM Fritter recipe direct from Hormel Foods. You can also find more adventurous and exotic applications for this retro canned meat like SPAMBALAYA, SPAMish Rice and SPAM Curry.

Perhaps I don’t know what I’m missing and should really open my mind to using SPAM in my kitchen, but for now I think I’ll leave it to the fish and chip shops to serve up the SPAM fritters.

Random Posts

Our Max the day we brought him home from Dogs Trust, so skinny and needing lots of love!

Banned Breeds

There are four breeds of dogs that are illegal to own and breed in the UK. These breeds were banned through the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991 and include the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa and Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero (aka Argentinian and Brazilian Mastiffs). These are dogs associated with being bred for dog fighting. I am of the school of thought that there are no dangerous dog breeds, only dangerous and irresponsible dog owners, but I will save that argument for another day. These breeds have a deep stigma in the UK which is reflected by legislation so they are not allowed here.

Identifying Your Dog

Sadly the UK government hasn’t done much to ensure dogs are properly identified. Dog owners are legally required to indentify their dogs through ID tags on their collars, although this law is loosely enforced. Dog charities like Dogs Trust are working hard to encourage new legislation to make microchipping compulsory for dogs, an action that I fully support to reduce the number of abandoned dogs and hold dog owners accountable for their pets. Dogs can be microchipped at a vet’s office for around £20-30 and discounted microchipping is available at all Dogs Trust rehoming centres in the UK and also many local councils sponsor reduced cost microchipping events to encourage the public to take this extra step in being responsible for their pets.

Restraining and Cleaning Up After Your Dog

Every council has different rules and regulations regarding keeping your dog on a leash and cleaning up after your dog. Most councils will fine you for having your dog off a leash in unauthorized areas and there are also fines for not cleaning up after your dog’s waste in public. Here in Hartlepool there are strict rules about keeping dogs on leash in parks and fouling laws that cover the whole town. Not cleaning up after your dog here can cost you £80!

Pet Insurance

This is probably the biggest difference I have found in owning a dog here in the UK, the cost of getting doggy health insurance is very affordable so it is more common for dog owners to take out insurance policies to cover vet bills for their pets. There are several companies that insure pets at different levels. The cost of insurance depends on the size and breed of your dog and if they have existing health problems. It is more expensive to insure a pure bred dog, and the cost goes up from there if your breed of dog is prone to certain health conditions. The cost is also higher for breeding dogs. Our Max is a neutered mutt so we only pay £12 a month for his coverage and he is covered for any vet bills over £75. It is a small price to pay to know that if he needs an operation or gets injured that vet bills won’t be a worry.

Bringing your Dog to the UK

The UK has some of the most stringent guidelines for bringing dogs into the country. Simply put if you are moving to the UK for an extended period of time (over a year) it might be worth it to jump through all the hoops and bring your canine companion along, but if you are only coming for a few months it is best to find a friend or family member to care for your dog until you return from your stay here. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has set out a kind of “pet passport” program called the Pet Travel Scheme (or PETS for short) which allows certain pets to travel to the UK without quarantine. However the process is extensive and requires quite a bit of planning and attention to detail. If you choose not to follow PETS or fail to correctly complete the process, your dog must stay in quarantine for 6 months.

Under PETS dogs are required to be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and also blood tested. These processes must be carried out in a certain order and within a certain amount of time so this isn’t something that can be undertaken on short notice and you should allow about 6 months to go through the whole process to prepare your pet to come to the UK and meet the requirements of PETS. There are also specific procedural guidelines for how the vaccinations and blood tests must be carried out and any small discrepancy could land your dog in quarantine. More details and factsheets related to PETS can be found here on the Defra website. Animals must also travel on specific routes meaning you don’t have much choice of which flight you take and it could cost significantly more for you and your pet to travel to the UK and require you to travel far out of your way to get onto an approved route.

I think the biggest downfall of PETS is that animals traveling to the UK by air are required to travel as cargo. I would never allow my dog to travel as cargo as it can be a traumatizing experience for an animal and many animals that travel this way can end up injured or killed from shifting cargo and fluctuating temperatures in the cargo hold of the plane. I find it puzzling that a scheme aimed at protecting animals in the UK requires animals to travel in such an unsafe and high-risk manner. The only exception to this rule is for guide or service dogs which are allowed to travel on approved routes if the airline allows service animals in the cabin.

If you are planning to move to the UK and are a dog owner, carefully consider your options and plan well in advance.

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Living in Chicago for three winters where I walked everywhere in the bitter cold, Spring was such a reprieve from a seemingly endless winter and the moment the snow melted and the sun came out it was like the whole city was celebrating. I love that jubilation in the people of Chicago when the weather starts to warm, but here in Britain it seems like even the ground celebrates the coming of Spring. Daffodils grow everywhere, along the side of the road and in every park and garden they sprout up like weeds. You can buy bundles of British daffodils at every grocery store, fruit stand and farmer’s market for less than a pound and they just seem to flourish everywhere.

One of my favorite places to see Spring flowers is Alnwick Castle in Northumbria. The groundskeepers have planted literally fields thick with daffodils that start coming up every year in late March and early April.

Here are some of my favorite Spring photos that I have taken here around the North East. Even on a cloudy, rainy day the sight of Spring flowers in Northern England instantly brightens any day.

Daffodils on the Alnwick Castle Grounds, April 2009

Thousands of yellow and white daffodils blanket the grounds of Alnwick Castle, April 2009

A sea of daffodils edge the Town Wall surrounding the York City Centre, April 2009

Pink hyacinth and other spring flowers flourish at the base of this Roman Wall, built in York circa 300 AD, April 2009

The pungent aroma of pink, white and purple hyacinth fills the air at this War Memorial on the site of the WWI bombardment of the Hartlepool Headland, April 2009

A bunch of British daffodils in a water jug, simple Spring beauty on my windowsill, April 2010

No British Spring is complete without lots of rain and of course rainbows, March 2010

Random Posts

The true story was ready-made for TV adaptations. ITV made their own documentary a couple years ago called One Man And His Canoe which was filmed here in Seaton Carew, interviewed locals and told probably the most complete version of the story. I watched the documentary and although I was a bit disappointed in the way Seaton was portrayed, in retrospect and in light of BCC’s attempt I have to give ITV credit for telling the story accurately and most importantly for filming on location.

BBC Four's "Canoe Man" starring Bernard Hill and Saskia Reeves as John and Anne Darwin (image from BBC)

The release of BBC Four’s Canoe Man a dramatization starring Bernard Hill and Saskia Reeves, was met by the people of Hartlepool with low expectations as it became clear before it even aired that none of it was filmed on location in Seaton Carew. When the program finally aired, the poor choice of location was only the beginning of what was wrong with the dramatization. Throughout the entire program, the words “Seaton Carew” or “Hartlepool” were never even mentioned, and it seemed almost deliberate that the location was left out. It is disappointing that even though the village received extensive coverage on BBC News while the story was unfolding, when it came time to make this into a feature program and show what a lovely place this is they seem to have forgotten it exists and used an inadequate substitute instead. Considering that Hartlepool is classed as a hot spot for unemployment, I can’t imagine that the change of location had anything to do with cost. The people in the area would have been happy for the BBC to invest some money into the local economy and shoot this film in Hartlepool.

A change in location might have been understandable if it wasn’t for the awful attempt leading lady Saskia Reeves made at a Hartlepool accent. What was the point of deliberately writing Seaton Carew and Hartlepool out of the story and then giving your leading lady a North East accent? In the end it seemed like she must have studied Geordie accents thinking it was all the same. People who aren’t from the North East assume everyone who lives in this region north of Yorkshire, east of Cumbria and south of Scotland sounds like Cheryl Cole. In reality the Geordie accent is very specific to Tynesiders and people throughout the rest of the region have a number of vastly different accents and Hartlepool is no exception. Reeves’ poor attempt at a regional accent was really distracting and made the whole performance really unbelievable. I think Reeves was focusing so much on the accent, which wasn’t even the right one, that her acting really suffered.

I also had some serious problems with the way that Anne Darwin was portrayed in this dramatization. I understand that the director wanted to shed some light on the complex relationship between Anne and John Darwin but I believe he took it too far. She was made out to be an innocent victim, forced by her overbearing husband to commit fraud and lie to her children. I thought this was really disrespectful to the people who were effected by her fraud. In truth it was Anne who was tasked with carrying out the fraud. John may have been the mastermind, but Anne phoned in the missing person report to the police and would have sat completely alone and watched out her sea front window as a full-scale sea search for her husband involving life boats and coast guard ships and helicopters took place. She witnessed with her own eyes people risking their lives as a result of the false report she made, and I can’t believe that she was completely innocent and only acting under the influence of her husband. I don’t think she could have pulled off the fraud so smoothly if she was motivated only by fear and not by her own greed and ambition as well.

The whole drama was also terribly written. The story involved scenes of Anne Darwin dropping wreaths and flowers from a pier into the North Sea every year to play the part of the grieving widow. This is something that the BBC made up, as there is no pier in Seaton Carew and no reports of Anne Darwin doing anything like this. The dialogue was a hurried succession of depressed reflection and emotional outbursts and none of it flowed together coherently. The writing was very awkward, melodramatic and full of embellishments. This always seems to happen when a true story is dramatized, but the diversions from the truth in the BBC retelling were confusing and didn’t serve any purpose.

Overall the entire production from dialect, to writing, to location even down to Anne Darwin’s horrible wig was appallingly shoddy. After the program aired last week it was the subject of much conversation throughout town, with many people telling me they shut it off after the first 15 minutes because it was just so awkward to watch. Of all the things wrong with the program, the local people were mostly disappointed that Seaton Carew was completely written out of the story and many were downright offended at the mockery that Saskia Reeves made of the Hartlepool accent. I was really disappointed as I would have expected more of the BBC who used funds we paid through our TV license to create this waste of time and money. The BBC have a reputation for creating the highest quality programming, but with Canoe Man it seemed like they didn’t even put forth a good effort to do the story justice which made it all the more disappointing.

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Back in August the IOC finally voted to open up the sport of boxing to women for the summer games (see the BBC article here), with the inaugural matches to take place at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games. I can’t believe it has taken this long for this sport to become recognized as an Olympic Event, but I’m thrilled the door has finally opened to bring the sport of women’s boxing to the Olympic arena.

Since the announcement was made in August, the area has been abuzz with rumors about Hartlepudlians representing Team GB at that first event in the London games. This is a boxing town, and the local female boxers have a great following. Two local girls were named in the top twelve back in January and this week the national team has been whittled down from those twelve to the “magnificent seven” with both female boxers from Hartlepool making the cut. Savannah Marshall, age 18, is a contender for the middleweight under 75kg class and Amanda Coulson, age 27, is vying for a spot in the lightweight under 60kg class. No, the last name is no coincidence, Amanda is my husband’s cousin so we are very excited and thanks to Jonathan’s link last week I have already put in my interest for tickets to London 2012.

Hartlepool's own Amanda Coulson

Since the announcement was made last year, the local boxers have both set their sights on making the team. It would be so special for the town if two of our girls represented Team GB in the first ever women’s boxing event, and it is made even more special that they could be involved in marking this historic event on home turf here in Britain. In the coming months both girls will train hard and fight for their spots on the final national team roster. I wish both of them luck and hope they make the final team in 2012 and do this town proud. Watch this space for updates!

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I was speaking to an older friend of mine about American wedding showers and explained to her how couples go to certain stores and use a little scanner gun to register for what they want and most of the gifts are brought to a wedding shower before the wedding. Valerie is quite a proper Geordie woman and she never hesitates to share with me her traditional Northern views. Here in the North of Britain, “the list” is becoming more and more popular although many in the older generation find the idea of a wedding list very uncouth. Traditionally the guests choose the gifts themselves and bring them to the wedding. When I explained to  Valerie the way we do it in America she conceded that it made a lot of sense and was a wonderful tradition, but it is definitely not how they do it here.

She was also explaining to me about a wedding invitation she had received from some family friends down South where the couple were asking guests to donate money to their honeymoon. I’ve heard of this before and since the first incidence of it that I have heard I’ve regarded it as very tacky, but Valerie was absolutely shocked and appalled that a couple would even consider such a thing and even commented that she was considering not going to the wedding. I’m glad we have some shared idea of what is really too much. Valerie might find the idea of a registry a bit unorthodox but she understood and respected the sentiment, but we could definitely both agree that asking guests to donate money to a honeymoon is really crossing the line of what is acceptable on both sides of the pond.

Nearly all of my friends have children and this weekend at a birthday party I was discussing American traditions for receiving a new baby. I explained to one friend that parents-to-be do a registry and have a baby shower before the baby arrives. She thought it was the most wonderful tradition and she went on to explain that while friends and family bring by gifts for new babies, they bring them by to the house as soon as the baby is born. She explained to me that the day she brought her baby home from the hospital she immediately had a constant stream of visitors coming to drop off gifts, help out around the house with chores and of course to see the new baby. This parade of people went on for two weeks before she had to put her foot down and set some boundaries for visitors. I feel that in America most people are very considerate of new parents and are reluctant to stop by the house until they get the word that they are ready to receive visitors.

There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both ways of doing things, on one hand I think its great to have everything ready and set for the arrival of a baby with the baby shower, and I definitely think the American way of doing things is the best for the new parents because it gives them time to get the baby settled in and start a normal routine. I also think it is a great idea to receive gifts for the new baby after the birth. It is becoming increasingly popular to wait to find out the sex of the baby so it certainly makes gift giving easier post-birth and I also wonder if what first-time parents register for is in reality what they actually need. I think the idea of leaving it up to friends and family to choose gifts makes sense, especially if they themselves are parents. After the baby is born it might become a bit more clear what is really needed and it is certainly nice to have help around the house. Still, the idea to me seems very invasive and as I like to entertain I would find the experience very overwhelming because I would feel compelled to be a perfect hostess. I can’t imagine bringing a new baby home and trying to establish a routine with a house full of guests.

When it comes to weddings and babies people up here in the North tend to stick with traditions. In America people are constantly pushing the envelope to try to be different, so I find it quite refreshing that even the younger generations here are content to follow suit and celebrate these wonderful milestones in their lives in a way which suits the older generations as well. Even though the traditional way of doing things might not be the most convenient, my peers here in the North seem to approach these events unselfishly and understand the importance of involving the whole family. It might mean you end up with 3 gravy boats and a house full of people when you bring your first child home from the hospital, but just having the family together and celebrating is at the forefront.

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BBC iPlayer is available for download on the Nintendo Wii

Last week I downloaded the BBC iPlayer Channel onto my Wii console. I recently saw an advertisement for the Wii promoting the improved BBC iPlayer Channel and other downloadable features and decided to give it a shot.

The first step is to make sure your Wii console is connected to your WiFi connection, all you need to do is to go into the Wii settings then go the Internet section and find the access point. Its basically the same as connecting a laptop to WiFi, a list of available networks will come up and you just choose yours, enter the network key and you are online. You can also use the WiFi connection to play some of the Wii games online with other players around the world and download a web browser that allows you to use your Wii to surf the web.

Once I got connected to the WiFi the rest was also fairly easy to do, although I wasn’t clear at first how to access the download area, but its kind of like the iTunes App Store. Some “apps” for the Wii are free (like the BBC iPlayer, an internet browser channel and a handful of other channels) and others you have to purchase points for like games and other activities. To access the Wii “apps” go to the Wii Shop Channel on the main menu, then go to the channel downloads section and BBC iPlayer is at the top of the list. Wait a few minutes (and listen to the annoying sound of Mario running across the screen collecting coins) and you will have BBC iPlayer on your Wii console!

Previous versions of the BBC iPlayer for the Wii have been a bit underwhelming and got bad reviews, but this one is pretty much the same as the web-based version. Although just like the web version, sometimes you have to give the content some time to load. That was the only downfall (and probably has more to do with our slow broadband connection) otherwise I was really impressed with the organization of the BBC iPlayer Channel and also the range of programs available to watch. I like that I can watch all the same BBC iPlayer programs in full screen on my TV whenever I want from the comfort of my couch without needing to use my laptop.

I would definitely recommend that if you are in the UK and you have a Wii that you download the BBC iPlayer. Its free and easy to navigate and you can catch up on all your favorite BBC programs right on your television whenever it is convenient.

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The journal was written in 1881 by a William Shirley Day who was setting out on a journey on the Elpis ship from West Hartlepool to New York in the USA.

The iron steam ship was built at the town’s William Gray and Co shipyard in 1878 for Ropner and Company.

It was launched in 1879, but reported missing at sea in 1903. Chris, a 56-year-old teacher and keen historian who lives in Reading, said the diary covers a journey from Hartlepool to New York and then overland to Texas.

Photo of the discovered diary from the Hartlepool Mail

To read the full story “From Pools to New York in 1881″ in the Hartlepool Mail, click here

It reminded me of a story I heard from a friend of mine, Fred. Fred is soon approaching his 85th birthday and has lived in Hartlepool his whole life. Before I passed my driving test in October Fred used to give me rides to choir practice and during these rides he would always tell me the most fascinating stories from his life. One that sticks in my mind was a story he told me about when he was working for one of Hartlepool’s shipping companies. As a young man he worked in the records office of the shipping company and his job was to run from ship to ship collecting fees.

He told me an interesting tale about going through some old record books from the late 20s and early 30s while at work one day and he discovered that during prohibition in the United States that this Hartlepool-based shipping company had a fleet of ships in the Great Lakes, all which had been aprehended and seized in the act of bootlegging and bringing alcohol illegally from Canada to locations all over the Great Lakes. It is amazing that he remembered this one detail from perusing record books so long ago and that at the time it was interesting enough for him to remember it, not knowing that one day he would meet a young lady from the very place those ships were operating in. Being from the Great Lakes region I grew up hearing tales of bootlegging all throughout the region and the unique role that Metro Detroit and Chicago played in the prohibition era and Fred’s story really brought those local legends full circle for me.

I would love to do some research and find out more about the transport routes between Hartlepool and America and also about other links between the Hartlepool shipping industry and the US. Sadly, I think much like this story many of the details were probably written down in old ledgers that are long since lost and these stories may only live on in the oral tradition of Fred’s generation.

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Eddie the Eagle has a fascinating tale which really would only happen in Britain (or the movie Cool Runnings). Michael “Eddie” Edwards was a downhill skier who didn’t make the team for the 1984 Olympics, but since winter sports aren’t a huge deal in Britain it gave Eddie an idea. He switched to an event that had no other competitors in Britain- ski jumping. Eddie was completely unfit for ski jumping being a bit pudgy and not very aerodynamic and severely far sighted requiring him to wear glasses while competing which fogged up and made him barely able to see. Eddie still managed to squeak by and qualify for the Olympics and after less than 4 years training as a ski jumper he competed in the 1988 Winter Games and finished last in every event. The ski jumping community wasn’t very happy about Eddie’s show at the Olympics or the media coverage because they thought it made a mockery of their sport. After his embarrasing show at the 1988 Winter Olympics, the IOC introduced a new rule , known as the “Eddie the Eagle Rule” which tightened entry requirements and stipulated that competitors finish in the top 30% or top 50 competitors in an international event to qualify to compete in the Olympic Games.

This year Team GB has sent 50 athletes competing in 8 sports, compared to 216 American athletes that are competing in 15 sports and the 311 athletes that Great Britain sent to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. So far Team GB has only claimed one medal by Amy Williams who won the gold in skeleton

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