Tea, Crumpets and Other Uncanny Things

Other countries are weird. Not "more odd" than any other country, as if there was a scale for that sort of thing, just different than the United States. Some people would say that's a good thing! Perhaps the more different you can be from the good ol' U. S. of A. the better - with all our consumer-marts and supersized anythings. So beyond the insane amount of work we had planned for the week, I was kind of excited for a last minute business trip to the United Kingdom. And without any colleagues to lean on this time around, I decided to rent a car and experience some of what Britin had to offer.

I noticed at the grocery store, and meandering around the neighborhood I got lost in on the way to the grocery store, that everything was a lot smaller here. Houses and streets were a bit smaller than my humble abode, and items inside the grocery store seemed a little shrunk. Mostly one litre drinks, not two litre, and snacks and boxes we're not like the plump sizes I've use to at Wegman's. I even saw someone buy a packaged cucumber half, a sight unheard of June - August at home. I paid in pounds, and weighed down my pockets with my change in return. Getting rid of the one dollar bill would be a silly decision if you'd ask me.. A certain benifit to this country, as opposed to most others, is that (the Queen's) English is the primary language. Talking with people or reading road signs is much easier when you can actually understand what they're saying (not that speaking slower and louder isn't a good option ; )
The highlight of this trip was renting a car, sitting on the 'wrong' side and driving in the 'wrong' lanes all over the country side - and for as packed-in as I think of the U.K., there was a good amount of country side from London to Portsmouth. I say "Left, left, left" whenever I get into the car to make sure I stay in the right proper lane and the mental switch isn't so bad once on the road. The hardest part for me has been aligning myself in the lane and staying there. Typically one would keep their body left-of-center, but when the wheel is on the right side of the car, left-of-center leaves the car stradling the lane or scrubing the curb! I'm learning quick though, and maybe one of these times in the car I won't be considered the weird one.

Hands Down, It's Cute

I think you can tell a lot about a person by their hands. Not everything, and I certainly wouldn't suggest that is your only measure of a person, but often the hands say quite a bit. Dirt under the finger nails might mean someone was doing some dirty work, while painted nails likely suggests the opposite (or someone was trying to cover up the dirt! : ) Some hands are really smooth and some have calluses and veins from being used quite a bit.   Many first impressions start with handshakes, and many show choir performances end with them ("Jazz Hands!").  My index finger kind of twists away from my thumb, I think because of using a computer mouse a little too much.

I remember my grandfather's hands. They were so worn and had kind of a leathery skin to them from years of labor and work. Computers weren't in homes by the time he retired. letting 'em stay soft wasn't really an option. If they could talk, not counting sign language (hey ooh), I'm sure there would be many stories to tell. Some dangerous, like serving in the war or a weird scar from some chemical (no, my grandfather was not Tyler Durden), and some quiet times at home or plowing his garden. I know there were countless stories of family and provision, hugs and horsey rides. Just one look at the hands said a lot, and I still hope my hands would be used half as much.

A few weeks ago Hugh was able to grasp things with his hands. Not just a finger or toy placed in front of him, but a small item that he wanted to grab. There are these melt-in-your-mouth (literally) puffs for babies that have some sort of flavor and about no nutritional value. At seventy pieces per serving, they are basically just air, but Hugh loves to eat them. The concentrated look while his hands try to surround the puff, fingers fully spread apart, is so cute. He's so happy when he gets one - and then it goes right toward his mouth. His little hands are working hard, he's getting better each day, and it's the start of many more stories to come.