It has been awhile since I’ve posted an update on my pregnancy. Things are so busy and I recently took a very long trip stateside, but now that I am back home in the UK and find myself taking a bit more time off my feet, I can finally make a little update! I’m glad I got to take a trip home and thoroughly discuss my antenatal care with friends and family, it has brought to my attention so many misconceptions about the NHS and antenatal care in the UK and I am happy to get the opportunity to clear up some of those misconceptions here.

Again, before I get started I think it is important to point out that each woman’s experience will vary quite a bit depending on which NHS Trust is treating them through their pregnancy and what facilities and services are available in their area. While one of the big advantages of the NHS is that a lot of the advice and care is similar, my experience could be very different than a woman living in a different NHS Trust.

I’ve read many varying accounts of experiences with the NHS here, some very negative and some very good. However, I have found that most women who have had negative experiences find out after the fact that there is a specific problem within their NHS Trust and there are steps being taken to resolve these issues, so their experiences aren’t indicative of a system-wide problem. Even in some cases I have read, many women who have negative experiences having their first child find that by the time they have their second child the issues within their NHS Trust have been identified and resolved.

I also wanted to start out by clearing up a common misconception that I encountered quite a bit during my trip home, many of my friends who had heard me referring to appointments with a midwife assumed that midwife = home birth. This is most certainly NOT the case. In the UK all basic antenatal care is provided by midwives, they are medical professionals who provide the majority of care to pregnant women and babies in the UK, both in the hospital and at home. In my Third Trimester post I will go into more detail about different birth plans and options, but midwives deliver babies in hospitals, in midwife-staffed birthing centres, and at home. Most births the midwives oversee in the UK are in the hospital. Some women also see obstetricians, but only if there are specific risks and issues that require extra care. Basically midwives are the primary caregivers, and OBs are involved as consultants.

16 Week Appointment

During the second trimester most mums-to-be visit their midwife every 4 weeks. My 16 week appointment was amazing because it was the first time I got to hear my baby’s heartbeat. We got to see the heartbeat on the screen during the 12 week dating ultrasound, but it wasn’t until my 16 week appointment that I got to hear that miraculous sound. It was such a reassuring appointment, as many mothers will probably agree that the beginning on the second trimester can bring with it a bit of uncertainty. The first trimester symptoms have usually subsided, as they did for me, and you don’t “feel pregnant” since there isn’t much of a bump to speak of, the flutters and thumps of fetal movement haven’t started yet, and you pretty much feel normal. Hearing my baby’s heartbeat was such a wonderful reassurance as I looked forward to my 20 week ultrasound.

At this appointment my midwife also went through all of the test results that came back from screenings during my 12 week scan and my first appointment at the antenatal clinic. (I was referred to the antenatal clinic because of my above average BMI.) The obstetrician ran some additional tests and my midwife entered these into my handheld notes and explained the results to me.

This is another place where I have found my care very different from friends in the states. My friends have had A LOT of babies over the past 3 years and they all seem to know every little detail of every step of their pregnancy. Here in the UK, unless you are seeing a fertility specialist, midwives don’t typically get into the details of test results unless something comes back abnormal. Basically, I am told that my tests came back in the normal range, sometimes shown a chart of where I fall within the “normal” range and that is it.

Now some people might see this as a disadvantage, certainly more information should be better. However, I feel that in the hands of someone without medical training, these numbers and figures in many cases can be cause for unnecessary worry and comparison. I hear a lot of my American friends comparing hormone levels and other test results, and even though their results are completely normal, it can cause a lot of unnecessary worry if their numbers don’t match up with someone else’s. I think this goes back to the more natural approach to childbirth in the UK. Pregnancy isn’t treated as a medical procedure, so while some medical tests and checks are necessary to be sure the pregnancy is progressing as it should, I’m not burdened with medical details as long as everything is normal. I’m left to enjoy my pregnancy without obsessing over this or that hormone level.

20 Week Anomaly Scan

My next appointment was at the hospital maternity ultrasound department. Again I came equipped with my handheld notes so the ultrasound technicians could enter their findings. My husband and I decided quite early on that we wanted to know the sex of our baby if we could find out (and no, as much as people loved telling me I am going to ruin the surprise, I don’t think knowing is going to dampen the experience of meeting my child for the first time). This experience was one of the best of my life, the 12 week scan was great for peace of mind, but on this scan my baby looked like a baby and was moving around, squirming and wiggling. We were lucky to have a very clear shot of “the area in question” and the technician told us that she didn’t see anything between those little legs, so our baby is most likely a girl. Everything was checking out normal, but because she was curled up they couldn’t get the view they needed of the chambers of the heart so they scheduled me for a second scan the following week in hopes that she would move. We came in the following week and the technician was able to see what she needed to see and also got another very clear look and double confirmation that I’m carrying a baby girl! Most importantly though, all of the measurements came back fine and they did not find any abnormalities.

Our baby at 20 weeks

As long as everything continues to progress as it should, this was the last time we would “see” our baby girl until her birthday. Most women in the UK just have 2 ultrasound scans, one at 12 weeks to date the pregnancy and another at 20 weeks to do a thorough check for abnormalities. (Parents who want one of those new-fangled 3D scans can get one, but they aren’t provided by the NHS and you have to go to a special centre and pay for it.) Some women will have more scans if they previously suffered a miscarriage or are seeing a fertility specialist, or if early on if there are any complications in the first trimester, or  a growth scan may be required later in pregnancy if there are any concerns about how the baby is growing. This is certainly much different than in the US, but for women with a normal pregnancy free of complications, 2 scans is really all that is necessary. From here on out my midwife will use palpation to check the growth of my baby as well as listening to the heartbeat and measuring my uterus.

 Maternity Clothes

My search for maternity clothes in the UK was pretty fruitless. I found a lot of stuff both unattractive and expensive. There wasn’t a single store in my town that sold maternity clothes, so I had to drive to a nearby retail park to look, and I still didn’t find much. Some major high street brands like Next and New Look do carry maternity lines, but they are pretty limited. I found a lot of the New Look stuff seemed geared toward VERY young mothers, tight fitting snug-to-the-belly tops that had tacky slogans printed across the belly, so I didn’t find much other than a couple very basic items. Next had a bit more mature styles, but the prices were just too much for things I was going to wear for just a couple months and the fit wasn’t great.

I decided to wait until I got to the US to buy maternity clothes and I am glad I did, I found plenty of stylish and comfortable maternity clothes in US stores and got enough to last me through. For pregnant expats I would definitely suggest finding a way to get some American maternity clothes shipped over from friends and family if you can!

24 Week Appointment

After returning from a 3 week trip the the US, and receiving tons of adorable baby girl clothes from friends and family, I had a glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes and my 24 week appointment with my midwife. The glucose tolerance test was no fun, but my results came back normal so I am glad it is over with! At my 24 week appointment my midwife felt my uterus to make sure everything is growing as it should and we had another listen to Baby Girl’s heartbeat. Then we sat down and briefly went through the findings of the ultrasound scan and confirmed that everything is looking as it should. We also booked my next couple appointments, which after 28 weeks go from every 4 weeks to every 3 weeks and I will also have some additional appointments with a health visitor and at the antenatal clinic. I’ll also have a visit to the hospital maternity unit and then I can begin thinking more in detail about my birth plan. I’ll be updating on all of these appointments in the Third Trimester post.

Maternity Leave

Of course one of the first things my American friends want to know is how much maternity leave I can get. It is widely known that European maternity leave is typically pretty awesome. There are some variations depending on how long you have been working for your employer, your income, and specific policies, but I will try to break it down to the basics as much as I can, and how they apply to me specifically.

In accordance with UK law and my employer’s policies I could take up to 52 weeks off from work. Of these 52 weeks, the first 39 weeks are paid. The first 6 weeks are paid at 90% of my average earnings and the additional 33 weeks are paid at the statutory maternity rate which is adjusted annually by the government. It is up to me how long I want to take, but I am required by law to take the first two weeks following the birth of my child. My average earnings are determined using the wages I earned between my 17th and 25th week of pregnancy. If you would like to know more about maternity leave and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) in the UK, the UK government website has a very good comprehensive guide to all things related to pregnancy and maternity rights in the workplace.

I had to notify my employer by my 25th week of pregnancy when I planned to begin my maternity leave and when I planned to return to work. Since I work in retail I decided to start my maternity leave at 36 weeks (December 28th) and I will be taking about 32 weeks off, returning to work in early August. I’m really looking forward to spending the time I need with my child while still getting at least a bit of basic income until I’m ready to return to work!

Thanks for reading, in my next update I’ll tell you all about my first meeting with a health visitor, my visit to the hospital maternity ward and my preparations for the fast approaching big day!

Dispatches from the North: Pregnancy in the UK- The Second Trimester is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Several months ago I took a sabbatical from blogging, mostly because I found I was well settled and there were very few things that were new to me anymore. Well all that changed in mid-May when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I’m 13 weeks pregnant today, and already have been thrust head first into the thick of the NHS.

I should preface this series of posts by pointing out one thing, each woman’s experience will vary quite a bit depending on which NHS Trust is treating them through their pregnancy and what facilities and services are available in their area. While one of the big advantages of the NHS is that a lot of the advice and care is similar, my experience could be very different than a woman living in a different NHS Trust.

I’ll start at the beginning, after taking a pregnancy test (okay, three) I rang my GP, and they referred me directly to the midwife service. Here in the UK, most antenatal care is given by midwives. For women who have no risk factors or need for any extra consultations, they may never even meet an obstetrician. This is probably the single biggest difference between antenatal care in the UK and the US. After the brief call to my GP, I called the midwife service and booked a date for an “early bird” appointment the following week.

My “Early Bird” Appointment

When I was only 5 weeks pregnant I had my “early bird” appointment. Depending on where you live in the UK, your appointments with your midwife could be at a Children’s Centre, in the antenatal unit of a local hospital, or wherever your local midwife service might be located. In my case, my appointment was at a Children’s Centre which is such a different vibe than a doctors office. I quite like it, instead of going in and sitting on an examination table, my appointments with my midwife are in a very comfy and laid back setting. This first appointment was just a 20 minute intro where I was given lots of stuff to read and the main purpose of this visit was to meet my midwife and also for her to explain to me about the Down’s Syndrome screening test, identify the section of the information packet I needed to read and to prepare me for my “booking appointment” where I would need to make decisions about what tests I wanted.

One thing that is paramount in NHS antenatal care is choice. Women are encouraged to make informed decisions and must consent before pretty much anything is done. The early bird appointment is just to make sure the mother has enough time to consider all the information and make informed decisions at the booking appointment when the tests must be ordered and scheduled. Not a single scan will be taken or vial of blood drawn without the mother being completely aware of why and giving consent.

Another thing I was given at this appointment was the NHS packet on pregnancy. This booklet was extremely informative. It would be a great tool for a woman who maybe can’t afford to go out and buy a bunch of baby books, this packet has all the information needed from a week by week guide of pregnancy, to information on different options for birth plans, and explanations about each appointment and what to expect. It is incredibly well written and illustrated and I found it great to have early in my pregnancy before investing in my own baby books, and I still refer to it as a resource along with other books I’ve purchased.

The other thing that is included in the packet is the NHS list of what woman should and should not eat during pregnancy. I found this especially helpful because there is just one list, and every pregnant woman in the UK will get this same list. I have heard so many of my American friends going around and around about the list from their OB, and I’m glad it isn’t something I have to worry about. Every OB seems to have their own recommended list of foods to avoid, and it can be very confusing for a woman. They often are left thinking “Well, my friend can eat this, why can’t I?” or else the even more worrying question “My friend has been advised by her OB to avoid this, should I be eating it even though my OB says its fine?” I don’t envy women who are left with these types of contradictions and its nice that the NHS makes this simple for women and its quite black and white.

My Booking Appointment

My booking appointment took place when I was 8 week pregnant, again with my midwife at the Children’s Centre. At my booking appointment (the name comes from a time when women had to literally book their bed in the hospital to give birth) my midwife took a full medical history of myself and my husband and asked all the relevant questions. All of this information was entered into my handheld notes. This is a binder that I will carry with me to every appointment from now until well after the baby is born, so instead of the midwife and hospital staff passing around information, I carry around one folder and they all fill in the information at each appointment to build my file. It is definitely a new concept to me, but I like that I’m in control and not reliant on the various people who I will see to communicate with each other.

After this she took blood samples (again explaining to me what each vial of blood was testing for and asking me to sign off on the tests before taking the blood) and after about an hour of questions and tests and generally getting to know me and my husband, my booking appointment was complete and I was left to await a letter in the mail confirming when I would have my first ultrasound scan.

The Twelve Week Scan

After what seemed like the longest four weeks, my husband and I finally showed up for the twelve week ultrasound scan last week. It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. The ultrasound scan took place in the women’s wing of my local hospital, I brought my handheld notes with me for the ultrasound techs and midwife assistants to fill in all the necessary measurements and sign off on tests that were run after I had blood drawn. We were also given the expected due date of January 25, 2012! And of course, we got to take home the first photo of our little one.

After about three months now in the NHS antenatal care system, I’m left with a few conclusions. First of all, the approach to antenatal care is a very natural one. For women who need extra care it is there, but for women who have low-risk fairly typical pregnancies, care consists mostly of regular appointments with a midwife and very little time spent in a hospital or doctor’s office.

Also, pregnant women are very well taken care of through both the NHS and other government agencies. During pregnancy and for a year after the baby is born pregnant women receive free prescriptions and NHS dental care. Also, policies regarding pregnant women in work are excellent and go to great lengths to protect women and their jobs, and maternity leave is also excellent, something I’ll touch on more in later posts.

I’m really looking forward to sharing my experiences with you over the coming months!

Dispatches from the North: Pregnancy in Britain- The First Trimester is a post from: Anglotopia.net

On Valentine’s Day, I took myself out for a single girl’s date in London. I figured the most romantic thing I could do was to see “Sexual Nature,” a temporary exhibit about the mating habits of animals. The exhibit features pictures, video, and animal sex taxidermy!  We all knew the British were “stuffy” about sex …

You can see and hear my experience at the museum in the video below. “Sexual Nature” is at the Natural History Museum until October 2011. Take your sweetheart!

Animal Sex at the Natural History Museum

Dispatches from Milton Keynes: Animal Love at the Natural History Museum is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Since my last update a month ago I’ve learned so much about my family’s past. So much that I don’t think I could begin to fit it all into this blog. A few weeks ago my husband and I, equiped with nothing more than a camera and a few names and dates, took a short trip up to an area north of Hexham in Northumberland. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, when I set off on the journey I told myself that even if I didn’t find a shred of evidence of my family that just being there in those places they were from would be an amazing experience in itself and well worth the trip.

I packed some sandwiches, snacks and drinks for the road, printed out some documents I’d found and maps and we set off early on a Friday morning not sure what to expect. The plan was to visit a string of villages, all which were associated with the Parish of Chollerton through the 19th century. First we visited Chollerton, then Barrasford, Gunnerton, and finally a bit of a treck up to Northumberland National Park and some small rural farming communities of Falstone and Thorneyburn.

First stop was Chollerton, I was able to find stacks of baptism records from the 18th and 19th centuries in the Durham Diocese Bishop’s Transcripts on the website FamilySearch.org. Most of the baptism records I found for my family were from Chollerton’s St. Giles Church, which up until the 19th century was the only church serving the villages of Chollerton, Barrasford, Gunnerton and other surrounding villages. We pulled up and had a quick chat with the Vicar and he welcomed us to take a look around. I took a little wander through the church cemetery and while I found plenty of Dodd surnames on headstones, nothing I found matched first names and dates that I had. Still, it was amazing to walk into the tiny church and be in that place where many generations of my family were baptised and married. I left a donation and took home a little guide about the church, explaining a brief history of the church which has been in the area for centuries and has records dating back to the 17th century.

St. Gile's Church, Chollerton

The baptismal font in St. Gile's Church

After our brief visit to the church in Chollerton we set back on the road toward Barrasford. Barrasford was listed as the birthplace for several generations of the Dodd family so I knew this village was going to be most important of our journey. We arrived in the little village and had a wander around, walking down the main lane that runs through the village and checking out the scenery of rolling mossy hills and Haughton Castle, a country mansion that lies next to the village. After a little walk around we decided to rest our damp feet in the local pub and inn, the Barrasford Arms. This is where I made my first discovery of the day.

Obligatory photo with the village sign

As I was coming out of the ladies room I was checking out all things hanging on the walls of the corridor when I spotted a survey of the village from 1813. The hand drawn survey included a map of the properties in the village as well as a key identifying who each property belonged to. On this survey I saw the name of my Great Great Great Grandfather John Dodd, as well as the occupation of shoemaker which was a great indication this was the right John Dodd (a frustratingly common name in this part of the country) and I was able to see which property on the key had been his.

John Dodd's name on an 1813 survey of Barrasford

This was a really amazing thing to find just on the wall of a little pub! Unfortunately the building no longer exists, but seeing that my descendants are a permanent part of the history of this place was really special.

After having some hot drinks in the cozy pub and a lively conversation with the barmaid who was amazed by my story and what I’d found, we got back in the car and set off on the rest of our adventure. To put the entire day into one post would probably be a bit much so I will save the second half of the day for the next instalment. As I walked around Barrasford I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to leave this gorgeous place, but experiencing how remote these villages were gave me a lot of insight into their reasons for moving to Gateshead in the mid 19th century and then onto Detroit after that. Getting from village to village even by modern day means was a lot of driving down winding country lanes and I can only imagine what these journeys would have been like with horses as the main mode of transportaton.

In my next instalment I’ll reveal some of my amazing findings up in the very remote rural communities of Falstone and Thorneyburn and finally our enlightening visit to the Heritage Centre in Bellingham.

Dispatches from the North: Visiting My Family Past- Northumberland Part I is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A few months ago a mysterious advert featuring Dustin Hoffman rattling on about great stories went to air, advertising Sky Atlantic was “coming soon”…

Well it is here, Sky Atlantic is a new channel which is free to all Sky subscribers (for the moment) and features HBO programming (with commercials of course) along with some other selected top American network dramas, most shows starting from the very first episode of the first season. I was pretty excited about it, I used to pay for HBO and Showtime in the states because I loved the shows so I was pretty excited that it was coming and I wouldn’t have to pay anything extra since I’m already a Sky subscriber.

Bringing HBO programming to the UK and releasing it to the masses (or at least the millions of Sky subscribers) presented a couple problems. Firstly, because HBO programming is paid for by subscriptions and not advertising, HBO shows are all made to run 30 to 60 minutes with no commercial interruptions. This makes for some strange run times, for example an episode of Boardwalk Empire with commercials is 73 minutes long. The other problem of course is the content, one of the big differences with premium channels like HBO and Showtime is that the content of the shows is much more “adult” with strong language, violence, drug use and scenes of a graphic sexual nature, but lets be honest thats part of the reason why we love HBO! Because of this these shows can’t start until after the watershed at 9pm.

Sky Atlantic has adapted to these problems well by featuring one program each weeknight starting at 9pm. During the day when HBO content isn’t suitable for little eyes and ears, other American shows like Lost and 24 are aired to fill the time. So far it seems to be working. The only problem is that everything seems to be starting at once, there are too many good shows and at least one every single night! Things like Six Feet Under and Battlestar Galactica that I always wanted to watch but kind of came in half way through I can now start watching from the beginning. Luckily I’ve got Sky+ so I can set the shows to record so I’m not missing anything (and I can fast forward through the commercials which makes a 73 minute show much more tolerable) but after less than two weeks on the air my DVR is already filling up quickly with Sky Atlantic shows!

I’m really enjoying Sky Atlantic so far, I’ve caught up on new shows like Boardwalk Empire and I’m discovering some new ones I never knew I wanted to watch. I just really hope that it stays free to Sky subscribers, my fear is that they are offering it for free now with plans to get us hooked on the shows and then make it a premium channel. I guess time will tell but for the time being, I’m tuning in!

Dispatches from the North: Welcome to my telly Sky Atlantic! is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A few weeks ago I posted about how I didn’t quite know what was next for me. Since then I’ve gone ahead and started doing some further digging into my family’s past, particularly my maternal grandfather’s line.

Years ago my Uncle Tom- who passed away a few days before I moved to England in 2008- did a lot of research (and this was long before the internet made the process a piece of cake) and he was able to trace my Grandpa Dodd’s ancestry back to 1791 in a small village outside Hexham, which is less than an hour’s drive from Hartlepool up near Hadrian’s Wall. I’m in a very unique position that most Americans never find themselves in where my family history is just a stone’s throw away from me. I think its amazing that only three generations of Dodds were born in the US after my great grandfather moved over, and now I’ve just moved straight back again!

My Uncle Tom did most of the hard work for me, so now I want to build on what he started and visit these places, literally walk the lanes they walked over a century ago and experience just being in that place. Through some fancy Googling I did manage to uncover something amazing yesterday, not much is known about my great grandfather Robert Dodd because he died when my Grandpa was 16, and my Grandpa died when I was only 3 so not much information about our English roots has been passed down. My Uncle Tom uncovered that he was born in Gateshead, but yesterday I stumbled across this English Census record from 1901, listing his mother as well as him and his 5 brothers living at an address in Gateshead!

My Great Great Grandmother Elizabeth Dodd listed with her sons

Its a wonderful start to this journey. Unfortunately the street listed no longer exists under the same name so I’ve enlisted the help of a friend who has been doing genealogy as a hobby for about three decades and hopefully she can assist me in trying to track down where this address is located.

I’m very excited about going to visit theses places and to see the way my family lived for generations before going to America. Watch this space as I share what else I uncover and hopefully photos of these places where they lived!

Dispatches from the North: Visiting my Family Past is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Breaking News up here in Seaton Carew! You really can’t get much closer to the story than I am, as I live only a few doors down from where the Darwins lived while he was hiding out in a bedsit adjoining their seafront home.

This morning as I took my dog for his morning walk I noticed a couple news crews parked along the sea front here. Immediately, I wondered if it might be related to John Darwin, as news crews in Seaton Carew and John Darwin always seem to go hand in hand.

I then opened up the daily local newspaper and saw that it is reported he was quietly released from Moorland open prison in Doncaster sometime in the last few days, some sources even claiming he was slipped out a side door. Prison officials aren’t revealing much about his release, which comes about half way through his six and a half year sentence.

Local news sources are claiming he stayed at a hotel here in Seaton Carew and some locals are claiming they’ve seen him out and about here, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

It is also claimed that his wife Anne, who was given a longer sentence, will be released sometime in the next six weeks.

I’ll update as I learn more! 

Dispatches from the North: John Darwin Released from Prison is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This year I will be celebrating my third anniversary in Britain. I’ve now been blogging about my life in Britain for over two years. There was a time when I could barely contain all the new interesting things I was experiencing into one blog post a week. A lot happens in two years, I’ve learned to grocery shop, use metric measurements, cope with having no electric outlet in the bathroom, had my first (and second) holiday season spent in Britain, learned to drive a manual transmission, got my UK driving license, took little trips all over this island, studied for my life in the UK Test, acquired my Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa, became a community radio presenter, appeared on BBC Question Time, got a job with a consummate English company…

So I find myself in this first month of 2011 wondering what is next for me. I don’t in any way feel that all of those things lead to one conclusion at which point I can sit back and never seek to learn anything new or experience new things. I simply lack concrete goals of what to do now. It used to be quite simple, get license, get IRL Visa, get job, the rest was just stuff that happened along the way to some pretty clear goals. This is what I have been working toward for two years and almost as quickly as it began, it seems to have wrapped itself up in a neat little package.

So now I find myself in a peculiar situation where I have to get creative. I have the challenge and the opportunity of finding new adventures and projects for myself. Do I want to futher explore community radio? Shall I dive into researching my family’s history (they conveniently come from about 50 miles away outside of Hexham)? Maybe I should task myself with trying every traditonal British recipe I can find. Maybe I will do all of these or none of these or a whole other set of theses, but at the moment I’m left with a bit of a blank page but a wealth of resources and people and experiences to help me write the rest of my story.

This may be the most pointless blog entry I’ve ever written, but much like a commencement speech, its important to mark the end of one chapter in my expat journey and muse about the unknown possibilities ahead.

Dispatches from the North: What’s Next? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

In my 2 1/2 years in Britain I have had to learn a whole new set of vocabulary for grocery shopping, cooking and baking. I think the biggest variations come in the baking area where nearly everything has a different name and measuring is much more precise. At this time of the year when you may decide to try your hand at maybe a Christmas pudding recipe or some other traditional British Christmas goodies, this quick guide to British baking could help decode those recipes for you.

Sugars

One of the biggest differences I’ve found is the variety of sugars and their names. We’re used to basic white/granulated and brown sugars but here they seem to have a greater variety and they have different names.

Granulated Sugar: Like in the US this is your typical white sugar, its normally referred to as granulated as opposed to white.

Caster Sugar: Also known as superfine sugar. This is similar to granulated sugar but its a finer grind than granulated. It dissolves very easily and is used a lot in baking. If you don’t have caster sugar it can be made by grinding regular granulated sugar in a food or coffee grinder until it is a finer consistency.

Demerera Sugar: This is a natural brown sugar, as opposed to brown sugar which is made by adding molasses to refined sugar, Demerera sugar is made by only partially refining cane sugar. The term Demerera comes from the origin of this sugar in Guyana.

Brown Sugar: Just as in the US, brown sugars come in darker versions and softer versions.

Icing Sugar: Confectioners or powdered sugar

Treacle: Also called Black Treacle, basically this is the same as molasses. If you’re in the US and have a recipe that calls for treacle, use molasses and vice versa in the UK.

Golden Syrup: This is something quite unique to the UK and is often found in flapjack recipes (a kind of bar cookie made with oats). It is a type of pale treacle with an almost honey like taste. If you are in the US and need a substitute for golden syrup the closest thing is corn syrup, maybe with a tiny bit of molasses added for a bit of flavor and color.

Other Cooking Ingredients

Bicarbonate of Soda: Sometimes in recipes you might even see this as simply “bicarb” (also TV chefs like to throw it out there) but this is baking soda.

Double Cream: This is heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, thats the closest you will get in the US although true double cream has a slightly higher fat content and is very decadent. If you are using it in a recipe, heavy cream will definitely do the job.

Single Cream: This is the British term for half and half.

Sultanas: Golden raisins, although I’ve seen regular raisins labeled as sultanas as well.

Measurements

Eggs: In America we really do everything bigger, and eggs are no exception. I find I need to add an extra egg to many American recipes for them to work if the eggs are the main rising agent. A large British egg is about the size of a medium egg in the US and there is nothing that really comes close to the size of a large or extra large American egg. I usually try to use my discretion when adding eggs but if I’ve got an American recipe that calls for 2 eggs I normally add an additional medium egg to make up the difference. On the flip side, if you’ve got a British recipe that calls for 2 eggs, the best thing to do is to opt for a smaller American egg variety from your grocery store instead of the typical extra large so you’re working with eggs that are closer in size to British eggs.

Dessert spoon: Some recipes, especially older traditional ones will call for a dessert spoon measure. This is an anitquated measure that is equal to 2 teaspoons or 2/3 of a tablespoon.

Metric units: Most British recipes use metric units of measure which result in much more precise measurements ideal for baking. I wouldn’t try to eyeball this, and as all ingredients will have different densities and pack differently there is no good way to convert to cups. I actually prefer this method since it takes the guess work out of whether to tightly pack something into a measuring cup or leave it loose, and don’t get me started on “heaping” measurements you often find in American recipes.

Once you’ve gotten used to cooking with weights you will find it is easier to anticipate how much you are going to need and if you have a baking recipe in metric units that you would like to try, it is worth it to get yourself some kitchen scales and carefully measure your ingredients. I now use my kitchen scales nearly every day for things like measuring pastas and meats to be more precise in the portions I’m cooking and avoid waste, so if you don’t own one yet it is a great tool for your kitchen!

Degrees Celcius and Gas Marks: Most British recipes give heating directions in Celcius or Gas Marks. This is a very handy chart I use for the gas marks, but I also have found the same chart in the index section of some of the American and British cookbooks that I own so its worth a look to see if you’ve already got a handy reference somewhere in your cookbook collection!

This covers a lot of the basic differences, but I’m sure there are probably some things I may have left off so if you’ve got a question please feel free to ask in the comments section and I would be happy to answer you, and if I don’t know the answer I know loads of great English cooks who would be happy to give me an answer! Also, if you can think of any useful nuggets of baking wisdom to add to this post, please share in the comments section!

Dispatches from the North: The Anglophile’s Guide to Baking – Guide to British Baking Differences is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This week of all weeks I had to head down to The Cotswolds for a two day training session for my new job. I did have quite an ordeal getting down by train on Sunday and arrived 4 hours later than I had expected, but most of my time that day was spent waiting in the cold at train stations. When Tuesday rolled around and it was time for me to head home it became clear that there was a good chance I could end up stranded if I set off on the train again, so I was able to hitch a ride with another coworker also down for the training session who lives nearby in Stockton.

My coworker and I set off from Malmesbury, Wiltshire just after 4pm on Tuesday afternoon for a 250 mile journey which did not quite go as planned.

The first three hours were fairly smooth sailing, a bit of snow here and there but the roads were mostly clear. Then at about 7:30 we hit Derbyshire on Britain’s biggest motorway the M1 just south of Shefflied and traffic slowed down to a crawl before coming to a complete stop. We sat there in one spot not moving an inch for an hour, so we turned off the engine for a bit because we had less than a quarter tank of fuel and weren’t sure how long we would be sitting there. We moved a couple times but never more than a few feet and we kept turning off the engine to save the gas, as did pretty much everyone around us.

We got out our phones and started calling around and trying to get some read for what was going on. Our loved ones on the outside were able to look up the travel update websites and saw that there was a report of two broken down vehicles (later we found out it was two lorries who got stuck on an incline on the motorway) about a mile ahead of us and the travel authorities were saying it would be cleared up at about 10:30. So we held tight for a further two hours and sat there waiting for 10:30 and hoping we would be able to get on our way again.

Then at about 10:30 we got the news that some travel websites had been updated to say that all three lanes of the M1 Northbound were closed completely and wouldn’t reopen until 1 AM! At this point both of us kind of freaked out a bit. My coworker knew he didn’t have enough fuel to keep us warm in the car until 1 AM, we had no food, we both had to use the bathroom and it was just an incredibly scary situation as we sat in a sea of dark cars being buried in the fast falling snow. We both started frantically grabbing what clothes we could find from our bags and got as warm and bundled up as we could. The prospect of being stuck there in the cold for another 2 1/2 hours with no food, toilet or heat was nothing short of terrifying. Nervous jokes about cannibalism were exchanged and for much of the time we sat there in complete silence trying not to reveal how frightened we both were.

Luckily the travel updates were wrong and at about 11 the traffic finally started moving again and we felt the relief leave our bodies that we wouldn’t be stranded in that spot any longer. At this point all of the other motorists in this massive traffic jam started lining up at the nearest service station because many people were low on fuel, hungry and desperately needing the toilet.

When we arrived at the Woodall Services there was already about 6 inches of freshly fallen snow. We headed in and had a bit of food and used the facilities and got back in the car and started getting in line to get out of the parking lot and drive down to the gas station to fill up before getting back on the road. Then we stopped again as we waited to join the line of cars trying to leave the service station, but nobody moved for a about 20 minutes. I decided to get out and trudged around in the snow to see if I could identify the hold up but couldn’t see anything so I asked some other people outside of their cars who told me that a vehicle was stuck. Then we heard someone come back and say it was a lorry (semi truck) that was stuck on the single lane road that led to the gas station and back out onto the M1. My coworker got out and walked down the row of cars and came back a bit later to report that the lorry was stuck in a narrow bit of road left where two lorries had double parked along the road and there were about 20 men trying to dig it out fighting against the fast falling snow and trying to rock the truck out. My coworker went back to join the group of men and lent a hand with the effort as when the police were contacted they said they couldn’t spare anyone to come out and help the people who were now trapped in the service station car park.

Finally 2 hours later, they got the lorry free and the cars could start slowly making their way toward the gas station or out to the exit. As we approached the gas station another lorry in front of us got stuck on the approach to the pumps so we had to go around and the cars had to take turns going in the exit a couple at a time, filling up, leaving the same way they came and then letting another couple go up the exit. Everyone was helping direct people and getting out of their cars to help each other and eventually everyone got on their way. Finally at 2 AM we got back on the road and were able to set off to complete the journey. It was rough in several places especially in South Yorkshire with conditions I haven’t seen in a very long time and it was my coworker’s first time driving in that much snow but he did an amazing job, stayed calm and got me home safe.

Photo taken from my iPhone of the poor visibility and terrible road conditions in South Yorkshire

The entire 250 mile journey from Malmesbury, Wiltshire up to Teesside took us a total of 12 hours, 6 of which were spent within a three mile stretch of the M1. Its definitely an experience I will never forget as long as I live, or the terror I felt while I was stranded on the motorway unsure if I’d be able to keep warm or when I would get home. Mostly I just feel really grateful that my coworker got me home safely even if it wasn’t until the wee hours of the morning.

Dispatches from the North: Stranded on the M1 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Over the next two weekends cities, towns and villages across Britain will be switching on their Christmas lights! Here is a guide to most of the Christmas Lights Switch On festivities I’ve found across the North East. The best things about these events are that they are free to the public, great for all ages and what could be a better way to start off Christmas than seeing the centre of one of the North East’s beautiful towns illuminated by thousands of bulbs?

Gateshead Christmas Tree and Millenium Bridge

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Date: Thursday 18th November 2010

Location: Grey Street (Town Centre)

Time: 5:30-6:30

Special Guest: Former Coronation Street star Tupele Dorgu (Kelly Crabtree)

Click Here for More Info

Gateshead

Date: Friday 26th November 2010

Location: Baltic Square (Town Centre)

Time: 6:15

Special Guests: Mayor of Gateshead

Entertainment: Silver Singers from the Sage Gateshead

Click Here for More Info

Sunderland

Date: Thursday 18th November 2010

Location: City Centre

Time: 6:00

Special Guests: Mayor of Sunderland and Sunderland footballer Darren Brent

Entertainment: Sun FM Roadshow, winners of the City Sings Choral Competition

Click Here for More Info

Middlesbrough

Date: Thursday 18th November 2010

Location: Town Centre

Time: 5:30-6:15

Special Guests: Colin Roberts as Dame Durden and Daisy the Cow from Middlesbrough Theatre’s Pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk

Hosted by: TFM’s Wayne and Amy from Wake Up With Wayne

Click Here for More Info

Durham

Date: Sunday 21st November 2010

Location: City Centre

Time: 5:45

Special Guests: Emmerdale’s Cain and Marlon Dingle and Rhona Goskirk

Click Here for More Info

Darlington

Date: Sunday 21st November 2010

Location: Town Centre

Time: 4:30

Special Guest: David Essex star of this year’s Darlington Civic Theatre pantomime, Peter Pan

Click Here for More Info

Stockton-On-Tees

Date: Sunday 28th November 2010

Location: High Street

Time: 4:00-6:00

Special Guests: Coronation Street’s Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly), Sportacus and Stephanie from LazyTown

Click Here for More Info

York

York does not have an official switching on event listed in their extensive “A York Christmas” guide, however York is definitely one of the best places in all of Britain to visit for a bit of Ye Olde Christmas whimsy throughout the festive period. Check out their website and download their Christmas 2010 guide for a full listing of the dozens of events happening all over York from the end of November up through Christmas!

Click Here for More Info

Metro Centre

Europe’s largest shopping centre, the Metro Centre, is located right here in the North East! Its one of the best places in Europe to do your Christmas shopping so no North East Christmas Guide would be complete without including some info on the Metro Centre in Gateshead.

Click Here for More Info

Dispatches from the North: North East Christmas Lights Switch On Guide is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Two Saturdays ago I had the pleasure of attending a wedding in the Scottish village of Gretna Green. Gretna Green is perched right along Scotland’s border with England, about 20 minutes North of Carlisle in Cumbria. I didn’t know much about Gretna Green or its reputation for runaway weddings before we journeyed there, but at first glance I could tell these people were serious about weddings.

My husband and me outside the Old Blacksmith's Shop in Gretna Green

There are lots of stories that mill around about why Gretna Green has become so famous for being the place to tie the knot, but according to Wikipedia:

Gretna’s famous “runaway marriages” began in 1753 when Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act, was passed in England; it stated that if both parties to a marriage were not at least 21 years old, then parents had to consent to the marriage. This Act did not apply in Scotland, where it was possible for boys to marry at 14 and girls at 12 years old with or without parental consent. Many elopers fled England, and the first Scottish village they encountered was Gretna Green. The Old Blacksmith’s Shop, built around 1712, and Gretna Hall Blacksmith’s Shop (1710) became, in popular folklore at least, the focal tourist points for the marriage trade. The Old Blacksmith’s opened to the public as a visitor attraction as early as 1887.

The local blacksmith and his anvil have become the lasting symbols of Gretna Green weddings. Scottish law allowed for “irregular marriages”, meaning that if a declaration was made before two witnesses, almost anybody had the authority to conduct the marriage ceremony. The blacksmiths in Gretna became known as “anvil priests”.

While Gretna Green is famous for eloping, its become a popular place for traditional weddings and although we did see a “First House in Scotland Marriage Room” as soon as we drove over the border, most of the weddings in Gretna Green these days don’t reflect the village’s “runaway” past. Some of the legends and symbolism remained with “Anvil” and “Forge” being the most popular business names around the village and the tradition of getting married “over the anvil” is still worked into ceremonies.

The wedding we attended was in a beautiful building called Anvil Hall. The people at Anvil Hall do so many weddings each year they have it down to an art. The chapel is decorated with dozens of beautiful candles and this converted church is purpose fit for both civil and religious weddings creating an amazing ambiance. At first mention Gretna Green seems like a bit of a Vegas style wedding, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. While places like Anvil Hall often host multiple weddings a day, it didn’t have a “conveyor belt” kind of feeling. We arrived about 30 minutes early for the 1:30 wedding and while we did see the wedding party from the previous wedding, it was just the tail end of the photos being taken of the wedding party and the previous wedding was long gone before most of the guests arrived and the groom made his entrance in a cream VW microbus, a little touch I loved.

Since the place is already beautifully set up for weddings, its quite easy to do multiple weddings a day without spoiling anyone’s day. I especially loved the officiant’s message about the blacksmith forging together two pieces of iron, it made such a hard and rough object like a blacksmith’s anvil have a new more romantic meaning really quite appropriate for marriage. Being in Anvil Hall really made me want to get married again so I could do it this way, and being led down the aisle by a bagpiper seemed like such a special way for a bride to make her entrance.

The wedding breakfast and reception were held at the beautiful Smith’s Hotel. Again, it was clear that there were multiple weddings going on in this hotel, but I couldn’t tell you where the other wedding was. Upon our arrival for cocktail hour I saw a couple women entering the hotel with bridesmaids dresses in bags clearly arriving for a wedding that afternoon, but that was all I saw of this wedding which was taking place in the hotel at the same time. One thing very clear about the wedding biz in Gretna Green is that proprietors have taken great care not to allow the high volume of weddings they host to dampen or cheapen the experience for anyone and to make each wedding special. I was really impressed with how well organized and coordinated the whole wedding operation is in Gretna Green.

While we were there we stayed at the Kirkcroft Guest House, the owners were so nice and while the room was reasonably priced, it was spacious, clean and comfortable and they seemed to think of everything. My husband didn’t have any shoe polish at home but then when we arrived at the hotel there was a little shoe shine packet in with the toiletries as well as other things helpful for us as we got ready for the wedding. I always appreciate when a hotel or B&B anticipates the needs of their guests, and the owners of Kirkcroft exceeded my expectations. Our breakfast was lovely and much needed after having a very good time at the wedding reception and before making the drive home. It was a lovely stay and I hope I get to attend another wedding in Gretna Green in the future so I can experience it all again!

Dispatches from the North: Gretna Green- A Place For Weddings is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This guide isn’t just for expats themselves, it is really a two way street and keeping up traditions takes a little planning on both sides of the pond. So really, this is a guide to gift giving for expats as well as their family and friends back home.

Living abroad is an amazing experience in so many ways, but clearly the one major downfall is that you are away from many of the people you love. It has honestly taken me a couple years to really get into a good rhythm of getting gifts out in time, so here are some of my lessons learned.

Greeting Cards

I like sending cards, but I have to admit I tend to think of them a bit too late. At home if I left things a little late, I could get a cute “Happy Belated Birthday Card” but that card is not nearly as cute when it arrives a couple weeks late. To be safe, I recommend mailing cards at least 2 weeks in advance. It takes a bit of planning to be sure to send them on time, so I try to set up alerts on my computer or mark my calendar for 3 weeks before someone’s birthday to ensure that I have plenty of time to purchase and send their card.

It is also important to plan out your year and make sure the kinds of cards you will need will be available at that time of the year. For example, Mother’s Day happens in March in the UK, so when May rolls around and you realize you’ve got to send your mom a greeting card it is pretty difficult to come by one. If you normally send someone a card at a certain time of the year it is a good idea to compare special dates in the UK against those in the US and make sure you take the opportunity to get what you need when it is available, like buying your Mother’s Day card in March and stashing it away until May.

The Holidays

Like most people you are probably annoyed at the Christmas trees and decorations popping up in stores at the beginning of October next to the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations. However, for expats the planning for the holidays has to start in October and November. The Royal Mail has published the Christmas Delivery posting dates for 2010 and recommends all mail bound for the USA be posted by Friday, December 10th. I usually like to try to beat the cutoff date by at least a week and try to have all of my gifts and cards posted by the first week of December.

The key to making everything go smoothly is to plan ahead and be organized. If you are planning to purchase things at home and ship them through Royal Mail be sure to start your shopping in November to give yourself plenty of time to find what you’re looking for and pack it up.

When packing up gifts try to keep your boxes as close to 2 kilograms as possible. Royal Mail rates for packages over 2 kg jump up sharply in price, so it is much more cost effective to pack up your gifts in smaller boxes rather than one big one. If you don’t have a scale (I just use my digital kitchen scale) it is a good investment as you don’t want to be caught out at the Post Office trying to shift things between boxes and repackage them or end up paying more than you should. The best value for the Royal Mail are boxes that are as close to 2kg as possible without going over.

It is also a good idea to stop at the Post Office before you start packing boxes and pick up customs stickers. You will need to identify the contents of each box on a customs sticker and the easiest way is to put the stickers on the empty boxes and fill them out before sealing them. If you forget to stop by the Post Office you can also put a post-it on each box and write the contents on the post-it before you seal them so you can quickly fill out the customs stickers for each box when you go to the Post Office without having to try to visualize what is in each one of those sealed identical looking boxes.

I also try to get as many gifts as possible online, which I go into more detail about below. Although it is easier and usually cheaper, you also must pay attention to cut off dates for Christmas delivery on each website to make sure you aren’t shelling out more money for express delivery. I tend to designate one person to help me, usually my mom, and have gifts shipped to her and she makes sure the gifts get to their intended recipient.

Shipping

International shipping is ex-pen-sive. It will often cost you as much or more as the value of the gift to ship something overseas. I tend to only make a couple boxes up a year to send home, sometimes packing up things for multiple occasions. Before purchasing something that you intend to package up and ship, consider the weight and the value of the item. I try to avoid anything of any great value because it will cost more to ship expensive items and be able to track the package to its destination. Royal Mail and the USPS are usually the cheapest, but it is almost impossible to track a package from door to door with this method so I keep my gifts as inexpensive as possible when using this option.

Online Shopping

Purchasing gifts at home and then packaging them up to ship is definitely not the only option. I’ve used e-commerce to do everything from sending flowers to my mom for Mother’s Day to having a gift wrapped present complete with a personal card delivered. You may not have realized that many US online retailers will allow you to order using your UK accounts so items are shipped directly from the retailer to the recipient just as if you were ordering from within the US.

The limiting factor here is whether the online store accepts credit/debit cards with international billing addresses. The only time I’ve ever really run into a problem with this was with Babies ‘R’ Us when I attempted to purchase a shower gift from a friend’s registry. I’m sure it is not the only retailer out there that doesn’t allow international billing addresses (and having retail stores in the country you live is no indication, as there are Babies ‘R’ Us stores in England) but more often than not the online retailer will accept international billing addresses. If you find that the store you are trying to order from won’t accept your billing address, search for the item on other sites as you can often find an item on multiple online stores.

A whole different and wonderful monster of online shopping is Amazon.com. Amazon has separate dedicated UK and US sites, and I have accounts on both. I use the UK account for my own personal use, and then when I need to send a gift to someone in the US I use my account on that site. Not only does it do all the wonderful stuff like save my billing info and the addresses of people I frequently ship to, it also allows me to pay in GBP which is what I love the most about it. No unexpected charges for foreign currency transactions, no exchange rate surprises or any of the other things that can go slightly awry when you’re charging your UK accounts in USD. Also, (for a price) Amazon will gift wrap your item for you and include a personal message you type out.

Dispatches from the North: The Expat’s Guide to Gift Giving is a post from: Anglotopia.net

"An Idiot Abroad" photo courtesy of Sky

I’ve been excited for this autumn to see what new television programs would fill the void of many great series that came to an end last season. One program I was especially excited about was a documentary orchestrated by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant called “An Idiot Abroad”. They send their friend Karl Pilkington on a culture-immersed tour of the Seven Wonders of the World. Sounds like a typical documentary but with Ricky and Stephen involved you know there must be a hilarious twist.

We all know that person so comfortable in their own bubble, resistant to anything foreign or unfamiliar and generally unwilling to try new things. Its the guy who refuses to check out that new Thai restaurant with you, or the girl who would rather go to Vegas for the umpteenth time rather than venture somewhere like Costa Rica or Italy. Karl Pilkington is one of those guys.

Ricky and Stephen realized how brilliant it would be to force Karl out of his comfort zone and immerse him deep in cultures outside of comfy Britain. Karl is the guy who probably orders chips and gravy from his local Chinese take away and this documentary has Karl welcomed to dine with a Chinese family where toad is the only thing on the menu for lunch. The great thing about Karl is that when he gets uncomfortable and frustrated, he is brilliantly hilarious. Karl vents to the camera thoroughly confused, dumbfounded and aggravated and often has me in stitches.

The first two shows had Karl first visiting China where he saw most of the Great Wall of China and also experienced Chinese public toilets, weird and wonderful Chinese cuisine and having his fortune told. Then he travelled to India where he saw first hand the squalid conditions many Indian people live in, takes an 8 hour bus ride to the largest religious festival in the world and visits the Taj Mahal.

The next instalment of An Idiot Abroad is this Thursday on Sky 1 where he travels to Jordan. If you get a chance to check it out, it is a must see!

Dispatches from the North: Sky 1′s “An Idiot Abroad” is a post from: Anglotopia.net

HMS Trincomalee

When you arrive in Hartlepool, one of the first things that you notice is that unlike your typical English town of this size, the steeples of churches aren’t the only thing you see rising above the roofs of houses. Here in Hartlepool, the closest thing we have to a skyline are the masts of HMS Trincomalee. This retired Royal Navy ship currently floats in a Historic Quay museum and the silhouette of the ship is unmissable when you arrive in Hartlepool.

Earlier this week the National Museum of the Royal Navy, which is currently undergoing a complete rebranding, named HMS Trincomalee as the first official affiliate of the museum which is based in Portsmouth. Today HMS Trincomalee will be inducted into the National Museum of the Royal Navy, and in a special ceremony the flag of the NMRN will be hoisted up onboard HMS Trincomalee to mark the occasion. According to an official press release from Hartlepool Borough Council:

The affiliation aims to increase the understanding and importance of the Navy to Britain’s heritage and to display the relationship between HMS Victory in Portsmouth (a first-rate ship of the line) and HMS Trincomalee (a frigate of the same period), typical examples of the British Fleet in the 18th and 19th centuries.

HMS Trincomalee in Hartlepool is in the Core Collection of the National Register of Historic Vessels of the United Kingdom because of her importance to the maritime heritage of the UK and has the proud claim of being the oldest British warship still afloat. Built in Bombay, India in 1817, the Trincomalee was brought to Hartlepool in 1987, where it took over 10 years to restore the ship to her former glory. She is now the premier attraction at the Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience, attracting more than 54,000 visitors a year.

I’ve visited Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience once with my family, and the opportunity to board HMS Trincomalee is really an experience unlike any other. You truly get to experience the conditions sailors of this time worked in with very low ceilings and sloping floors. It was a wonderful day out and an attraction that was enjoyable for all ages. It’s an amazing experience and I definitely think HMS Trincomalee deserves pride of place as an affiliate of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

The restoration of HMS Trincomalee was overseen by the Duke of Edinburgh himself and as the patron of the vessel he visited Hartlepool last spring to inspect the restoration work that had been done on the ship. Prince Philip flew in by helicopter for a few short hours and after having a good poke around he praised the work done to restore HMS Trincomalee.

As part of the new affiliation, the NMRN has loaned out some important diaries to the HMS Trincomalee Trust which were actually written onboard the ship but have been stored in the NMRN’s archives for over a century. To read more about this special exhibition, here is a report from BBC Tees about the journals and today’s special ceremony.

Crew diaries reunited with HMS Trincomalee on Teesside

After the Tall Ships Races earlier this summer which drew hundreds of thousands of visitors, Hartlepool Borough Council is hoping this new affiliation will be another boost to the area’s tourism, attracting vistors to this very unique piece of history we have floating in our Historic Quay.

Dispatches from the North: Royal Honor for HMS Trincomalee is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I realize that I’m posting this right at the end of the summer, possibly not the best timing for a post such as this but I’ve had so much excitement this summer from the process of getting my ILR Visa to the Tall Ships Races here in Hartlepool and Red Dreams Pitch Invasion music festival last weekend that I just haven’t had the opportunity to finish this post and publish it. Well, a bit late but I suppose it can serve as a tool for reminiscing or for planning for next summer.

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!

Dispatches from the North: Top 10 Best of the British Summer is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I’ll cut to the chase, I received my Indefinite Leave to Remain visa just a little over a week ago and I am now permanently settled in the United Kingdom!

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.

Dispatches from the North: Path to Settlement in the UK – Part III is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I came, I saw, I had my say.

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.

Dispatches from the North: My Appearance on BBC Question Time is a post from: Anglotopia.net

BBC One’s Question Time is visiting Hartlepool this week, and even better- I’m going to be in the audience!!!

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.

Dispatches from the North: BBC Question Time is coming to Hartlepool! is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Well let’s get right to it- I PASSED! Yes, on my first try I passed the Life in the UK Test. I found it quite simple really, although I can understand where the challenges lie for people who come from different cultures and don’t speak English as a primary language. It took me less than 10 minutes to finish all 24 questions and review my answers and I was the first one in the group that finished with my test. I was 100% sure about all of the questions except one, which was probably the easiest one as it was about film ratings!

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.

Dispatches from the North: Path to Settlement in the UK Part II is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Through my involvement with Hartlepool’s local radio station Radio Hartlepool I’ve also become connected to a local charity called Red Dreams that supports young musicians in the town. I volunteer for Red Dreams as a vocal coach and also have the privilege of being exposed to the music and creativity this newest generation of muscians from the North East have to offer. I’m so impressed by the talent of the young people of this town, there must be something in the water.

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.

Dispatches from the North: North East England Music Roundup is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I can’t believe I’ve been here for nearly 2 years. Now that my UK Spouse Visa which gave me temporary residency is running out, the next step  to permanently settle in the UK is to apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) Visa. The process for this visa requires another hefty application fee as well as passing a Life in the UK Test. I’ve now booked my Life in the UK Test at a nearby test centre and will be sitting the exam in three weeks on Tuesday, July 6th.

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!

Dispatches from the North: Path to Settlement in the UK- Part I is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Last year was my very first experience with the Eurovision Song Contest, and I was hooked immediately. It was so ridiculous and thoroughly entertaining. I have been looking forward to this all year long and it definitely delivered lots of great entertaining moments and a few full on nearly rolling off my couch belly laughs. I’m not sure what is the best part, how truly awful the songs are, or how political the voting system is.

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

Dispatches from the North: Eurovision Song Contest 2010 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

In my opinion one of the biggest advantages to living in the North of England is that you are just a short drive from Scotland. My husband has worked in Scotland for over a decade stationed at both of the Royal Navy bases in Scotland, Rosyth right outside of Edinburgh on the East coast of Scotland and Faslane just outside of Glasgow on the West coast of Scotland.

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.

Dispatches from the North: An Adventure in Southwest Scotland is a post from: Anglotopia.net

If you listen to most of the London-based headlines it is easy to believe that the recession is over and the UK is on its way to recovery. This may be true in the South East of the country which has rebounded quickly. However, the reality up here in the North East is much harsher. Northerners were the first into the recession and it seems we will be well behind the rest of the country in getting out  of it. We aren’t even halfway through 2010 and already the North East has experienced massive blows to the economy. Here are a few more realistic headlines to highlight what has become a desperate situation in Hartlepool and the North East.

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.

Dispatches from the North: Recession Woes is a post from: Anglotopia.net