Armistice Day

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the end of WWI - the 'Great War', the 'War To End All Wars'. The armistice was signed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and we observed a 2 minute silence this morning to honor the fallen soldiers from this war and those that have followed.

Many events took place this past Sunday (Remembrance Sunday), including parades and special church services. Henry Patch, who lives in Somerset and is 110 years old, was at a parade locally on Sunday. The oldest living veteran is Henry Allingham, who is 112! (FYI, this year also marks the 90th anniversary of the Royal Air Force.) Here's an article about Allingham, who is a founding member of the RAF:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/06/oldest.veteran/
index.html

In Britain, Armistice Day is proceeded by a 'poppy appeal.' I confess, I was confused by people wearing paper poppies (that look like a first-grader made them in art class) on their lapels. But the matter was quickly cleared up and I learned that the poppies serve as a reminder of the fallen soldiers. Apparently, when people returned to the battle fields where so many men died, they were covered in poppy flowers. This red flower has ever since been associated with the blood shed and the lives lost in WWI. So, each year the veteran association makes these paper poppies for the public to buy and wear as part of their remembrance, and the monies raised go towards care for veterans. I bought one for a pound, and wore it on Saturday. Above is a picture of a large poppy on the front of a building in the center of Bristol. And I don't know if you can tell, but I'm wearing a poppy in the picture below- standing in front of a pub with a great name! :)

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

So Wednesday was Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night. This is a holiday in England celebrated with fireworks, bonfires, and the burning of Guy Fawkes effigies. I was at a welcome dinner with people from Christ Church on Wednesday night, at the home of Simon and Margaret. Their home overlooks the Clifton Suspension Bridge (more on that later) and we could see people setting off fireworks on the grass across the street. So, who was Guy Fawkes?? Here's some information from the website http://www.bonfirenight.net.
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In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up
the Houses of Parliament. Among them was
Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor.

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.

A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists.

To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.

But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. Was the letter real?

The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators.

Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.

It's unclear if the conspirators would ever have been able to pull off their plan to blow up the Parliament even if they had not been betrayed. Some have suggested that the gunpowder itself was so old as to be useless. Since Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators got caught before trying to ignite the powder, we'll never know for certain.

Even for the period which was notoriously unstable, the Gunpowder Plot struck a very profound chord for the people of England. In fact, even today, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year, on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the Opening, and according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster. Nowadays, the Queen and Parliament still observe this tradition.

On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, on November 5th, 1605, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.

Some of the English have been known to wonder, in a tongue in cheek kind of way, whether they are celebrating Fawkes' execution or honoring his attempt to do away with the government.

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Historic Election

I feel proud to be an American as the Presidential election has drawn to a close. It was a long and hard-fought campaign between two dignified candidates, both of whom I respect. New vistas were opened for women by the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin - two women differing in personalities, approaches and ideologies but similar in their conviction and drive. As a result, the word feminist - in the best sense - can be grasped and used by all women proudly. And the clear victory by Barrack Obama is special not only for it significance in this country's long battle with racism, but also for his inspiration of young and old, for providing disconnected and cynical people with hope. My sister mentioned to me that when she went to vote, there were 3 older gentlemen at the polling station voting for the first time in their lives. That is a beautiful thing. If you have not done so yet, watch both Obama's victory speech and McCain's gracious concession: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05elect.html?em. We can be proud of both men and be grateful that they continue to serve in our government. I have read some of the world's response to this election, and it's exciting. I am also proud of the good voter turn-out (68% by one poll - which would be the highest since 1908!). Thank you to all who voted (I voted absentee), and may we all stay connected - and hopeful - as the euphoria of election night fades and the harsh reality of our current situation faces us. We have a voice, let's not forget that.

Flashback, pt.1: Moving into Bristol

Thought I'd go back in time and catch you up on our move into the Bristol apartment. Our container arrived the end of August and the goods were delivered Sept 2. Ian was working so my in-laws came and spent the day helping out (thanks Mum and Dad!). Things were off to a promising start when the lorry (truck) driver arrived on time with the container. However, they had put a 20' container on a 40' truck bed, which meant the driver couldn't navigate the narrow roads to actually deliver directly to our building. So, the unpacking crew had to shuttle our boxes from the container (parked down the street) to the building using their small van. It took three trips in all, and amounted to much more lifting and carrying for them. But they did a great job and I was pleased. They unpacked everything except a dozen or so boxes of books/kitchen goods/knick-knacks and fragile stuff - as there was no place to put those items until I had put away the rest of the stuff. I spent the rest of the week unpacking the remainder. Here are some pictures of the day (well, at least of all the boxes) - enjoy!





Oh, I almost forgot to mention that our unfurnished apartment was lacking not only in furniture (as expected), but also in appliances!! So we had to buy a fridge (being delivered above) and washing machine in the first week as well. We decided not to get a dryer, so all laundry gets line-dried. There is a funky clothesline apparatus in the bathroom that is getting much use now that it's too cold to hang the clothes outside. And while I'm thinking of it... washing clothes in the UK is a bit different. First, all the cycles on the washing machine are _very_ long. 70 min is typical! (There is a fast-wash option which is only 50 min). Second, there are a million wash cycle choices!! I have to look at the list of programs before each load I wash 'cause I haven't gotten the hang of it yet. But, the best feature is by far the delay timer. I can delay the start of a wash cycle for 2 h, 4 h or 9 h. This comes in very handy as I don't have time for the long wash cycles most weekdays, and I don't want to spend an entire Saturday just doing laundry. So I've found that I can load the machine at night (by 9 pm), delay it for 9 h, and the wash will be done by 7 am. Then it's just hang the clothes to dry and head out the door for school. Not bad, eh?

Cold ! ! !

Well, it is officially winter here in England. Woke up yesterday to the first frost of the season and by the end of the day the temperature had dipped to below freezing. Spoke with Ian while I was waiting for a bus home and he said it had snowed (!) in St. Albans. (I didn't believe him, but he sent a picture from his iPhone to prove it.) So this morning I dutifully turned on my central heating. The apartment is a bit drafty, which we will try to sort out this coming weekend, but it's not too bad as I can shut the doors to all the rooms and sleep quite comfortably under my duvet. :)

Hope it's warm where you are!
cheers.

I finally have internet!!

Hi friends,

My apologies for not updating this blog in the last month, but sadly it has taken that long to get internet into our Bristol apartment. And I haven't wanted to use internet at the university for personal stuff too much. But I can now start posting all these fun things that have been happening to catch you up on life across the pond.

A couple quick things that you may or may not be aware of....

First, it was brought to my attention that not everyone reading this blog may be aware of why exactly I have moved to England. Ian and I moved here so that I could pursue a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Bristol with Varinder Aggarwal. The program is three years long and should be quite challenging. My initial project is applying the Aggarwal group's lithiated carbamate/ boronic ester homolgation methodology towards the total synthesis of the natural product kalkitoxin. Translation for the non-chemists: the group has developed a methodology, or way of making, new carbon-carbon bonds that I will use to make a particular molecule (named kalkitoxin). This will demonstrate how useful the method is and we will publish the results in a chemistry journal (if all goes well). For those of you who are keen to read all about it, here is a journal reference that explains the methodology: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2007, 46, 7491. Another reason for studying in England rather than in the US is that Bristol is close to both Ian's parents (Weston-super-Mare) and his sister (Glouster). Ian's brother is just a short plane ride away in the Canary Islands. So we are looking forward to spending time with the Hallett clan over the next three years.

Second, Ian was working for the now-bancrupt Lehman Brothers firm in London. His division has been bought by the Japanese bank Numora. Ian received a contract with Numora, so we have some stability short-term with that. Obviously, things aren't settled in the financial industry, so we are trusting God for provision with this whole situation. Ian keeps sending me emails about job openings for snowboard instructors ... alas England is not known for its mountain ranges! (There is an indoor ski slope in Milton Keynes - we may just have to check it out for a laugh. I'll definitely post something if we do!)

More posts and pics soon!
Cheers! :)

Cultural observations

Well, it has been a fun past few days. On Friday I accompanied our friend Chris to a wedding for one of his long-time mates (friends). The ceremony was at St. Stephen's church in St. Abans and the reception in a the nearby town. But of course the day started in the pub across the street from the church, where we gathered with the groom and other friends for a quick pint or two (to settle the nerves...). The wedding followed the traditional Anglican order of service and yes, we did sing Jerusalem as the closing hymn. Then it was on to the reception - held at a place called the Hunton (I think), which is a hotel with beautiful gardens. We had a drinks reception out in the gardens - and the sun was out! - and then moved into a marque (tent) for the sit-down dinner. After dinner, we had the speeches. Father of the bride, groom and then the two best men did a tag-team speech. All the speeches were funny and good, but sadly I did not win the pot for the length of the best men's speech. I bet on two time slots, 19 min 30 sec and 22 min 10 sec, but the official time recorded was 20 min 40 sec. Too bad, as the pot was £84! After the speeches, the cake was cut, and then dancing commenced. Ian joined us when he got home from work, about 9 pm, and we stayed until midnight. Then the party moved inside to the hotel bar. We finally called a cab to head home at 2 am. The wedding was fun, but felt long to me as I didn't know anyone but Chris (and later Ian).

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing in St. Albans. Saturday Ian and I tried out a new place called the New York Bagel Bar in St. Albans for breakfast. The bagels weren't bad - think Dunkin Doughnuts quality - the atmosphere was good. Several pictures hung on the walls - Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan featuring the Empire State building, and a skyline. Upon closer examination of the skyline, it proved to be of Seattle - not NY - as it had the Space Needle in it! When I mentioned this to the owner, he was shocked. He had bought the print on Ebay and was assured it was of NY. He asked us not to let the word out in St. Albans, as most customers probably wouldn't know the difference. ;)

Sunday we moved our stuff out of Colin and Jo's house and into Chris's place. We then headed to the cinema (movies) to watch Hellboy 2, which just came out here. Monday was a bank holiday here in England, but unfortunately Ian had to work (the European markets were open). He does get to take another day off as compensation though. I headed into London to meet up with another friend, Bill. He and I visited the Tate Modern (a cool museum) and waked along the embankment towards Big Ben and Westminster. We met up with Ian about 4 and got a beer in a pub. Then we headed to SoHo and had an Italian dinner there. We headed back to St. Albans on the 8:10 train. A fun day.

Today I caught a coach (bus) from Victoria Station in London to Bristol, where my inlaws, Keith and Jill, met me. I'll be staying with them in Weston-super-Mare until Friday, when Ian and I move into the Bristol apartment. I got a call from the relocation company today, so hopefully all is well with our container. Will let you know how that goes!

Cheers!

First Impressions...

Hello friends,

Well, I've decided to try my hand at a blog. No promises for the timeliness of updates, but I'll try to keep you posted on our time here in England. I've been here nearly two weeks (Ian's going on 3 wk). The biggest change has been the weather: it was summer in NJ when I left, and now it's more like March! Of course, I packed all my summer clothes in the suitcases I brought on the plane, so I've had to be a bit creative with my outfits each day. :) When the sun is out, it is gorgeous. We've been having blustery showers most days though. I am glad I had some time at the beach in NJ before coming across!

I flew on August 6 with my friend Sarah and her twin boys, Sean and Thomas. They are 4.5 months, and handled their first transatlantic flight remarkably well. Sarah and the boys (and dad Steve, shortly) will be visitng with the grandparents for a few weeks.



Ian and I are staying in St. Albans with his friend Chris's parents, Colin and Jo. They have been fantastic hosts and have helped us much in this akward transition time. St. Albans is an old Roman city north of London with a train connection (so Ian can commute for his job with Lehman at Canary Wharf). I have been exploring the city and have attended the Friday noon mass at the Abbey (an ecumenical service - Roman Catholic in an Anglican church, with all denominations attending). Alban was England's first martyr, having been executed by the Romans in 250 AD for his Christian beliefs.



We have use of an old car - a GTI - to get around. I've been cleaning it up and it should serve us well, once we sort out a few problems. It has an alarm that can immobilize the engine which has been acting up - so we can't currently drive it! I have taken it out previously though, as we drove it to Weston-super-Mare our first weekend to visit Ian's parents. I am proud to report that I successfully negoitiated the motorways as well as a fair number of round-abouts! It still feels wierd to drive on the left - I tend to walk to the wrong side of the car - but I am getting the hang of it.



While we were in Weston, we drove over to Henbury (4 mi from Bristol city center) to see Wesley College, where I have rented a ground-floor flat. We saw one similar to the one we will rent and it is a nice setup. One and a half bedrooms, a nice sized lounge (with patio doors and a football pitch behind), small kitchen and a bath with a shower head. We will once again need to be creative with storing our stuff, but Hoboken was good practice for that! Move in date is August 29.

We also were able to see Richard, Angela (Ian's sister) and Amy (pictured below) on the Sunday. We are all looking forward to being able to see Hallett family more often!



This past weekend, we negoitiated the bus (coach) system for a trip up to Coventry and a visit with Ian's university buddy Pete and his wife Sam (we flew to England for their wedding last Oct). It was a fun, relaxing weekend and we were also able to see anther friend Joe and his 3-yr-old son Alex. Alex and I had fun climbing on the jungle gym. :)

All in all, we are doing well. Ian has been adjusting to his new role with Lehman, as well as the longer hours and longer commute. The hardest part is just waiting to settle in. Once Chris's current roommate moves out, Ian will take up residence in the second room of Chris's home (hopefully soon!). I've been trying to read some chemistry and fill my days, but it's hard to focus. There are things to be done, but most of them need to wait until we both move into our respective new homes. Watching the Olympics, cleaning the car, going for a run - these are the things I do most days.

Well, that's all for now. My email addresses have not changed if you'd like to get in touch. We have new UK mobile phones, so I'll get that info passed along as well. It was sunny this morning, but - oh, what a surprise - showers are now coming through. :)

Cheers!
Gayle (& Ian)