Jet Lag

I always seem to suffer from prolonged jet lag when I come back to the US from the UK.  I've been back for a few days now, and I'm still all out of sync - waking up early, feeling tired by the afternoon and dozing off in front of the TV in the evening.  I never seem to suffer the same way when I travel in the opposite direction.  At least not to the same extent.  I guess this is just one of the idiosyncrasies of the direction you travel in in relation to the time difference. 

El Nino

Some good news on the weather outlook for this winter, courtesy of the El Nino forecast.  The Pacific Northwest definitely seems to get the best of it.

Internet Searches

I'm all for pushing an alternative to Google to carry out internet searches.  I'm not a big fan of Bing, so what other options are out there?  There is one that I've started seeing some adverts on TV for recently.  But it has such a stupid name, that I don't think I'll ever use it.  DuckDuckGo.  I mean, really.  Who thought that name will work?  Surely someone in marketing/commerical had to speak up.  I don't care if it has a better search engine.  Which I don't even know if it actually does.  Apparently it's derived from the children's game Duck, Duck, Goose - but I've never heard of that game before.  It's origin is definitely not British (a quick Google search reveals that it is actually Swedish).  Either way, change the name otherwise Google will continue to dominate the market.   

Sea-Tac

Note to self, from now on I must give myself a lot more time to get through arrivals at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.  The queues were horrendous when I flew back today.  It looks like they've entirely changed the process since the last time I flew back around Christmas.  The first indication that something was different was that we weren't given a customs form to complete.  And on arrival, the first thing we had to do was pick up our checked baggage - which is also new.  And then with our baggage in tow, we were greeted by these enormous queues to get through passport control.  As a permanent resident, at least I didn't have to join the visitors queue which seemed incredibly long and slow - but the wait to get through the American citizens/residents queue was still one of the worst I've ever experienced here.  However once you're finally through passport control then you don't have far to go to exit the airport (I think it was a train ride away before).  I believe it is a newly built international arrivals hall, which I'm sure is supposed to streamline the process - and although the actual process seems to be much simpler (I've always thought that the customs form we had to complete was a total waste of time), the time to get through it seems to have substantially increased.

The Wicker Man

Look what arrived today, just in time for my return to the US:

Yep, that's a 50th anniversary collector's edition of the greatest British horror movie ever made (the less said about the Nicolas Cage starring American remake the better).  I look forward to watching all 3 versions of the film in glorious 4K. 

Bayswater to Belgravia

The last of the London walks I'm doing during this trip, this seemed like the busiest walk out of them with only a few sections where you can escape the crowds.  Perhaps this was because it was a weekend, perhaps because we didn't set off earlier, but mainly because the walk takes you to some very popular areas: Kensington Gardens (Albert Memorial and Albert Hall), the museum area of South Kensington, Knightsbridge (Harrods) and Belgravia.  Because I was with company - good to catch up with some old friends - I maybe didn't take as many good photos as I probably would have done if I was by myself.

Blankety Blank ...

... with Bradley Walsh.  That's a hard pass.  Of all the previous presenters, makes me miss Les Dawson the most.

Richmond

I'm trying to fit in some of these London walks before I head back to the States, so I did another one today.  Not so much a London walk as a Greater London walk, as I went to Richmond.  Or is it Richmond upon Thames?  Either way, this is a walk that I've done before that I don't think has changed in the updated book.  And this was a long one - 3 hours, 4.5 miles (at least).  It took me to Richmond Green, Richmond Hill, Richmond Park, Petersham, Ham and back to Richmond.  That's a lot to cover, which I maybe shouldn't have done all in one go - I was sore and exhausted by the end of it.  But I like Richmond, it's an attractive and historic area to visit despite the obvious wealth and exclusivity.

Lambeth and the South Bank

I've finally got an updated book of London walks - the one I've used before was from the 90's - and today was the first walk I've done from it.  And this was exactly what I like about these walks - it takes me to some unfamiliar and interesting parts of London close to areas I've been to plenty of times before (this morning - Waterloo Station and Lower Marsh, South Bank, Waterloo Bridge, Somerset House).  And once you escape the hoards of tourists (particularly around the London Eye), I'm reminded why I like London so much - the history, the energy, the diversity, the culture.  I will never tire of visiting London. 

Mystery

One of the great mysteries of our time - of all the high street closures, how on earth is WHSmith still in business?  I don't get it all.  As far as I can tell, it doesn't sell anything meaningful - and nothing that you can't get cheaper at other high street retailers or newsagents or one of the supermarkets.  Or online.  So who still shops there?  And what do they buy?  Stationary?  Books?  Really?!  I used to buy magazines there long ago - but when I popped in one the other day, the selection was pitiable.  I get it, magazines are dying out (as are, arguably, stationary and books).  So what else is there?  And yet, I see that they still have over 500 high street stores.  I can perhaps understand that WHSmith has more of a market as a convenience store at places like airports and railway stations.  But as a high street retailer?  Nope.    

TV Theme Tunes #48

Something a bit more American and a bit more contemporary.  From one of the few shows that I never watched when it first aired, but have managed to binge watch every episode. 

UK Sports

It is interesting to note that when I'm in the UK, I think I follow UK sports - notably football and rugby - a lot less than I do compared to when I'm in the States.  For example, I barely acknowledged the weekend's football results and didn't watch any highlights.  Whereas in the US, I will record whole games.  And apart from catching some of England's pretty dreadful performance against Japan, I haven't watched or followed any of the Rugby World Cup.  Mind you, I wasn't following that much in the US either.  I think that's a reflection of England's standing right now, and my current indifference to their game.  They are simply not a good side and don't have a chance in hell of winning the World Cup.  The national team is just a microcosm of the club game in England, which is a shambles.  But generally, most sports in the UK are only found on Sky Sports - and if you don't subscribe to that then you miss out.  The days of watching Grandstand on BBC1 on Saturdays are long gone and sorely missed.  But still not showing live football games on UK TV on Saturday afternoons is antiquated nonsense. 

Frensham Little Pond

Per the National Trust website: "medieval bishop's fish pond in tranquil wildlife haven amidst precious heathland".  Yep, it's a pond.  I'm not sure you'd find a pond in the US given equivalent status.  But not a bad place to take the dog for a walk, as the numerous other dog walkers we encountered would attest to.  However, seriously messed up the planned walk by heading anti-clockwise around the pond rather than what should have been clockwise.  No wonder the directions didn't make sense!  As a result, ended up just circling the pond and definitely missed out on some better ridge line views.  Next time...

My Mum, Your Dad

It seems I have an uncanny ability to time my visits back to the UK for some truly trashy television.  Last time it was The Traitors , and this time it is My Mum, Your Dad.  And My Mum, Your Dad is incredibly lame, and tame (I've never watched a single episode of Love Island, but I imagine this is a very watered down version of that).  Both shows share a weird dynamic of gentle solidarity between contestants, when more competitiveness and combativeness might make for better TV.  And a dating show featuring older contestants is not unique nor a particularly great selling point.  My god, even the long-running Bachelor franchise in the US is currently gearing up for The Golden Bachelor season coming up, featuring a 72 year old bachelor looking for love.  As if it couldn't get any worse.      

East Wittering

A nice sunny day today - maybe one of the few remaining whilst I'm back - so what better time to take a trip to the Sussex coast.  Only an hour away - East Wittering is a pleasant little coastal village.  In many ways, the quintessential English seaside village - uncomfortable shingle beach, lots of cafes, full of old people and a dog-friendly beach walk.

Temptation

A trip to Sainsbury's today, and the number of foods that I craved but couldn't/shouldn't have because of their high sugar content was tragic and overwhelming.  My cravings were bad.  All the kinds of foods that I can't easily get in the States, if I can get at all.  Foods that I normally have, or bring back with me, when I visit.  Chocolates.  Cake.  Biscuits.  Etc.  I especially craved flapjacks today.  I must do my best to resist these temptations.  It might be tough.  But I must take my diabetes seriously.  Or perhaps track my sugar intake a lot more vigorously so that I have some idea of what wriggle room I might have to treat myself.  At the very least, moderation is key.       

TV Theme Tunes #47

Not long that I'm back, and happened to catch the news that the matriarch from this sitcom died recently.  I remember very little about the show, but I'm sure I must have watched at least some of it as a youngster because the theme is remarkably familiar and memorable.

No blog post today

 … I’m traveling.  And quite stressed out (some diabetic symptoms are rearing their ugly head at the most inopportune time).

Flying

It's a good job I didn't book a flight back to the UK today.  I notice that this evening's Seattle to Heathrow flight was cancelled.  I have no idea why, I couldn't find the reason for cancellation anywhere - is this a 9/11 thing?  Let's hope there aren't any issues when I fly tomorrow.  I was able to check in, but I don't know if that means anything.  What I do know is that I wasn't able to change my seat - for these long haul flights, I tend to prefer an aisle seat over a window seat.  Let's hope I can change it at the airport tomorrow.  

Yardlife

Apparently I put my trail cam at a much higher angle than I thought, but still caught some action.  I guess hummingbirds are just too small for the camera to pick up, but not the larger birds.  And that coyote is actually on my patio, which is a little bit disturbing. 

Housing Market

The For Sale sign went up today on the house that they've been working on near my mailbox.  My landlord had told me that they were thinking of renting it out, but I guess that situation has changed.  And it is an ungodly amount of money they are asking.  $1.3 million.  For an old 3-bedroom house that hasn't been lived in for the entire time I've been living here, and I can't believe it's in good shape no matter how much cosmetic improvements they've been making.  But that's the housing market round here for you.  No wonder I haven't bought a place of my own, and probably never will for as long as I live in the Pacific NW.  I know my landlord was interested in the property - but probably not at that price!  Something that caught my eye was that the listing mentioned "available 1 gig fiber internet".  That's interesting because I didn't think fiber internet was available to me, so perhaps I need to double check as that would make a good alternative to what I currently have (and I'm, finally, very close to cutting the cord).             

Auction

A load of Freddie Mercury's belongings were sold at auction this past week, and the prices some of these things went for was truly ridiculous/extraordinary.  $12.2 million total sales.  Some chopsticks that had an estimate of $50-$75 went for $1,500.  And the silver mustache comb from Tiffany - previously featured in this blog - had an estimate of $500-$750 and went for nearly $45,000.  I guess I won't be buying any Freddie Mercury memorabilia anytime soon - I'll stick to the modest James Bond stuff.     

Another Prop Replica

Something I had pre-ordered nearly 2 years ago arrived this week.  I had almost forgotten that I'd ordered it!  I now own a replica of a Moonraker laser.  I haven't taken it out of it's box yet, but this is what it is supposed to look like:

I went for the very limited edition black variant - that was used in pre-production and promotional photos, but not in the actual film.  And, if I remember rightly, I got this at a much cheaper price on the US website relative to the UK website - but it's still another overpriced addition to my collection of James Bond prop replicas.