Tea with Mum

Dear Mumsy and I were invited to afternoon high tea in London over the weekend. Some lovely friends had purchased tea for 4 through a Groupon deal. I would never pass up an opportunity to spend some precious time with my mum, and anyway my friend Monica would be there, so away we went.....  I'll let my wonderful mum describe it for you.....

Well, yes, as my sweet daughter says, we were invited to the traditional English Tea with American friends that just moved here earlier this year. It was their first experience and we were happy to accompany them. The venue was a place called Altitude 360. It is on the 29th floor of the Millbank Tower in the Westminster area of London. The views of the city are breathtaking. It's so pleasant to sit there and enjoy tea while taking in the scenery through the surrounding windows.

Teen/Mum Tea for Four

Spectacular view: Thames River with London Eye and Parliament

Here is a picture of the delectable 3-tiered serving platter they bring out to the table. Finger sandwiches on bottom, scones on top, sweets in the middle.

And of course here is the cup of tea. You have a choice of several herb-infused teas, black teas, chai, or green tea. I went with the traditional English tea.

The teacups were so large I was holding mine with two hands, making it difficult to do the proper pinkies-up grasp.

There was an assortment of sandwiches including:

• Cucumber
• Salmon
• Prawn (shrimp)
• Egg salad
• Chicken
• Cheese with caramelized onion
• Ham and (strong) mustard

The scones can be topped with lemon curd, clotted cream, and jam.

Dessert included:

• Profiteroles (cream puffs)
• Shortbread
• Chocolate cake
• Meringue

As you can see in this "After" picture below, it was all quite tasty!

We noticed that there were no forks provided, just knives. That settled the question of whether it was okay to eat with our hands, it was all finger-food.

Afterwards we walked back to Waterloo train station along the river just across from the iconic Parliament building and the Big Ben clock tower. It was a picture perfect ending to a delightful afternoon tea.

Trip Back Home

It's summertime and that time of year that families living abroad like us travel "back home". School is out so it's a good time to head back to visit family and friends. Quite commonly, the company pays for one trip back home a year, a sweet deal!

First the trip must be planned, airplane tickets bought, arrangements made for where to stay, what dates for the trip, etc. It's similar to planning one of the many vacations we take while living over here but with the added excitement of reconnecting with friends and family and getting to go to America! One of the must-do's is to compile a shopping list of what to buy while in America to bring back to England. If you're interested here are the items I brought back this time:

Things you can't easily buy in England:

• Lipton Onion soup mix - I like cooking simple meals with it
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese - a family favorite comfort food
• Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning - we're addicted
• Sloppy Joes Seasoning mix
• Ear drops for drying water-clogged ears after swimming - it's mostly alcohol so they don't sell it here
• Abreva cold sore medicine
• Melatonin pills - to help regulate sleep when jet-lagged

Items that I prefer the quality of from America:

• Glad Cling Wrap
• Ziploc freezer bags

Lexi brought back a whole sack load of American candy such as Reece's Peanut Butter Cups that she misses. Supposedly she brought some back for her British friends, that is if she doesn't eat it all herself!

There's plenty more things we'd like to bring back but you do have to be careful not to pack something messy like pancake syrup that might spill in the suitcase.

I was worried about driving in the States now that I'm used to driving on the left side of the road in England. But I drove in the States for so long that it just comes naturally to get back on the "right" side of the road. The streets are wider and well-marked in America so I find it much easier to drive there. I love being able to pull up in a huge parking lot, find a space easily, and not have to pay for parking.

People are friendlier in the States, it's a bit of an adjustment to actually have strangers say hello, wave in the streets, and start up a conversation.  It feels so good to hear American accents all around you and to not feel self-conscious when I start speaking with my American accent.

Shopping is almost overwhelming with so much selection to choose from. We couldn't resist buying some frozen corn dogs, toaster strudel, frozen waffles, and Blue Bell ice cream, yum. I ate lots of yummy Mexican food, can't get good Tex-Mex in England.

Texas was having a record-breaking heat-wave while we were there. But honestly, the sun and heat felt so good to Lexi and me as we really miss it in England.

We tried to see as many friends as we could but it's hard when you can't see everyone. We enjoyed visiting with our English friends that live in Missouri City now. They are like our counterparts in this living abroad experience and we have fun swapping stories about the differences of the two cultures.

Before you know it, it's time to say goodbye, which is so hard. But it's time for our "trip back home" to England.

Here are some photos from our trip, including a visit to Texas' Largest Beach Bar in South Padre Island, a sunrise jog on the beach, and just kicking back relaxing.