This morning we woke up to gray skies and rain. Since we did a lot of sightseeing yesterday (and I am still sore), we decided to have a leisurely breakfast and just spend the morning talking. We watched a British cooking show with Jamie Oliver and he ended up visiting Los Angeles to learn about traditional Mexican cuisine. Of course that made me really hungry for burritos (which I haven’t had since leaving the US)!! We also found pictures online of all the beautiful places that Aurore and James could visit in Oregon (the Colombia Gorge, Crater Lake, the Oregon Coast, Mt. Hood and Portland, etc.) if they come next summer. And, of course, the Oregon Country Fair is a must!
Photo: Aurore holds amazing chocolate cake with custard!
After lunch, Aurore and I walked to the Free Bus stop by her house and rode down to the central bus station. The Free Bus works a lot faster when it’s not rush hour! Aurore and I said goodbye, promising to see each other again soon, and I boarded the bus. It wasn’t until we’d left the station that I realized I’d forgotten my cheddar in the fridge back in Aurore’s flat. I had only spent the entire morning reminding myself (out loud) not to forget it!! Sigh. Oh well, now it’s a housewarming gift!
The bus ride was only about 2 hours long and I read for most of it. I’ve been reading “A Woman of Substance” by Barbara Taylor Bradford—a recommendation from my mom. It’s all about a really poor English girl who (through her own determination and hard work) becomes a really successful businesswoman, owning many mills, newspapers, and department stores. It starts in the early 20th century and continues through the late 60s. I found it very interesting to be reading it while traveling through England!
My bus arrived in Sheffield about 30 minutes late, but Grace and Elara (her 7 yr old daughter) were there to pick me up! On the way home, we stopped at an organic food store to pick up some vegetables. I also managed to nab a can of black beans! They don’t exist in France, so I’m really excited to bring them back with me!
When we got home, I met Grace’s older daughter, Miranda, who is 12 yrs old. Both of Grace’s daughters are really friendly and fun to be around! I also met Grace’s sister, Karin, and her daughter, Emily (11 yrs), when they stopped by to grab some pasta for dinner. Their family had just driven up from where they live (near Wales) for a visit. They are staying with Grace’s mother (who lives one house away) and will come for breakfast tomorrow, so I’ll meet the rest of the family!
Grace and I spent the next few hours processing the veggies she’d bought at the store and making dinner. They normally eat dinner at 6pm, Elara’s bedtime is 7pm, and Miranda’s bedtime is 8pm. That seemed really early to me because in France we eat dinner at 8pm and Margot (who is 10-yrs-old) doesn’t go to bed until 9:30pm. But, I soon discovered that they typically get up sometime between 6-7am! Yipes! Talk about morning people!
We had a lovely dinner (just the “girls,” as Kim, Grace’s husband, was out of town for work) of potato and zucchini patties and cooked onion and fennel with blueberries in yogurt for dessert. I’d brought some chocolate and a package of gummy Smurfs from France, so we sampled some of those as well… :)
After the girls had gone to bed, Grace and I had tea and cleaned up the kitchen (with all the food processing, we’d made quite a mess!). It was great getting to talk to her about everything ranging from family to politics to our jobs. We headed to bed around 9pm, but I’ll probably end up reading for a bit before actually going to sleep…
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