Lots to report...

As all of you avid readers of the Bremer Blog may have noticed, we've been on hiatus for a little while... Lots happening over here in the old Blighty (which, according to Wikipedia is a term of endearment for Britain). We had our very first visitor, Ric's mom, I chopped off my hair, we booked a trip to Paris for the weekend, booked our anniversary trip to Italy, and have gotten further adjusted to life across the pond. So, in attempt to make up for lost time, here are a few updates/observations:

1. Having visitors is great - we want more. Please come see us. We love showing people around our neighborhood and it's really hard to picture what the place looks like until you've seen it in person. Ric's mom can attest to that. We had wonderful, hot sunny weather, went to two different market (one shopping, one food), saw the Lion King (which I HIGHLY recommend) and had some wonderful meals, the best of which at a restaurant called Fredrick's where we ate on a garden table in the back lawn: http://www.fredericks.co.uk/

2. My hair is really short. Not much to say here, so I'll just show you a picture:

Before (with Tillie)



After



3. London is different than America. Here's why:

a. They don't do online shopping. The big Walmart equivalent here (called Argos) sends out a catalogue twice a year that you can order from. Think back to the Sears catalogue and you'll get the idea. No cute little websites for clothes shopping either. I'm having to adjust.

b. British men take their shirts off in public when the weather gets warm. And I've been told that they keep them off while riding on the tube, but have luckily not witnessed that myself yet. Can't imagine the smell.

c. They read more - I'm not sure if this is actually true, but there are a TON of advertisements and billboards for new books. I don't know if I've ever seen a book advertised in the US other than Harry Potter. This must mean that people read more (on the tube?) otherwise the companies wouldn't spend so much money on advertising.

d. They don't work in the summer - I've always been told this, but it's actually true. Not a whole lot gets done. We've had a hot water issue this week and had to call three plumbers before we could find one who's not on holiday. We've also been told that many of the shops and restaurants in Paris may be closed because Parisians leave for the entire month of August...

e. They go to the pub every single night of the week - another stereotype that we've been able to prove the validity of. And it's not actually just during the nights or evenings. When the weather's nice, people start gathering at noon. I'm not actually sure whether they ever make it back to work or not.

Hope everyone feels back in the loop on Bremer happenings... I'll check in again when we get back from Paris!