The Latest from Tesco

It's been a while since I've talked about Tesco. And you guys love those posts with all of the food pictures, so here's a long awaited update on what I saw shopping today.

First of all, you know that if something is important, it takes up the whole aisle. Here are three aisles covered up with what the British love.

Kettles and toasters for tea and toast, of course.

Biscuits (aka cookies)

Baked beans

I love sending my nieces these little packets. They're like magazines, but they have prizes like stickers and paints and other little fun things. They have them for all ages and interests. 

Here's a boy one with Thomas the Train.

Every card in the card section is individually wrapped in plastic, and they have cards for every occasion. This is the "congratulations on your new house" section. However the "blank inside" section is made up of about three cards.

These are Sharpies. Yes, right. They're 14 POUNDS!!! That's $21.11 according to today's exchange rate. I don't know why, but school supplies are ridiculously expensive here.

I thought the sunscreen advertisement was ironic. If I didn't see it on TV every once in a while, I wouldn't believe that the sun exists.

Because everyone needs 460 bags of tea at once. Those are my keys to show scale, by the way.

This is marmalade. I thought the names were funny.

I was on the jam aisle and saw these "mocktail" preserves. One is a cosmo flavor, and the other is daiquiri flavored. I've never heard of this in my life.

Sponge is cake, but I think I would have a really hard time ever purchasing sponge mix.

These are the only chocolate chips in the store. They're 1.69 ($2.50) and the bag is only half full. I'm guessing there's enough for half a cup. That's why I import mine.

Another surprise product: jelly in a bottle. I think this is supposed to be drizzled on ice cream or something.

Blech. What IS this?

One slice of spongy pizza, anyone?

And at the checkout, there are no magazines, gum, candy, etc. Just insurance advertisements and stuff. It's weird, but I don't miss the temptation to make impulse buys.

Have you seen anything strange at your grocery store lately?

YouTube Party Picks

Whenever we get together with friends, at some point the conversation devolves into talking about YouTube videos and we huddle around the table on somebody's laptop laughing our heads off. Instead of feeling guilty about this, we went the opposite extreme. We invited people over for the sole purpose of watching YouTube videos... with a little food on the side. 

So, we had our much anticipated YouTube party a few weeks ago, and I completely neglected to take pictures. Not that it matters, really. You probably aren't interested in seeing pictures of people watching YouTube videos with a projector in our living room. Anyway, we feasted on chili and cornbread and went to town. Here are the funniest ones I can remember. I apologize to Aline right now because I can't remember how to look up her videos in German. :)

Here is the original "one pound fish"...


And here is the glammed up version... Nathan and I have been singing this non-stop.


I think these girls are amazing. I want June and Winnie and to do something like this. Maybe Papa Mike Bear can work on that...


So, our English friends didn't get this one as much, but our American friends were dying with laughter...


They didn't really get this one either. Maybe it's lost in translation.


I love this one. Nathan and I are working on it...


Nathan's fave. He's a simple man.


And finally one to represent the genius of the British wit (not for the kiddies)...


We finished the night by watching PEOPLE ARE AWESOME!


Would you ever consider having a YouTube party? What YouTube videos are you into these days?

The Golfers' Mecca

Anyone who knows anything about golf knows that St. Andrews is the motherland. Nathan was really excited to see The Old Course, the birthplace of the game. Todd took us there on Saturday afternoon, and we were able to watch a few people on the 18th hole.

These guys looked about 17, and one of them lit up just before he teed off, but golly, he drove the ball to about 4 feet from the hole. I guess there's magic in them cigarettes.

Nathan's shadow, the 18th fairway, the clubhouse (on the left), and a Macdonald hotel (on the right, the same kind of hotel we stayed in but in North Berwick)

Here's a close-up of the clubhouse.

Nathan talked a lot about that little stone bridge. He's seen a lot of videos of famous golfers walking over it.

Behind the golf course is that famous Chariots of Fire beach. And now the song is stuck in your head. Sorrynotsorry.

A new sand trap is in the works, I see.

On Sundays the course is closed to golfers and open to the public. People take walks, have picnics, etc. out there. Can you believe that? I think that's amazing.

Here's my love by the 18th hole.

Todd and Elizabeth's son, Evan, took this picture. Pretty good, eh?

We had such a great time with our gracious hosts. They fed us amazing food, tour-guided us, entertained us, and let us sleep in a really comfortable guest bed. Like, really comfortable.

Here are Jack and Evan being boys. Their mom told them to stop horsing around on each other's shoulders because it was dangerous, but after I snapped a quick picture she whispered, "Will you send me a copy?" I love that.

St. Andrews/Whitefield Reunion

After our free Tesco holiday in North Berwick, Nathan and I drove around the Firth of Forth and paid a visit to our friends the Shivelys. On the other side of the pond Todd and I taught English together at Whitefield Academy in Atlanta. The kids would always ask him what his first name was (S. Todd Shively) and he would reply "Sir." I don't know why but I think that's really funny.

Whitefield reunion in the UK! The only one missing was our dear Alicia Stark (former Whitefield drama teacher) down in Wales (busy getting her PhD).

Todd and his dog Wyn were great tour guides.

Here are some pictures of the remains of a cathedral...

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and some very cold people.

Here we are in a quad of a college. I pictured Prince William and Kate picnicking on the grass in their university days. :)

More beautiful architecture

Nathan was very cold so he borrowed my hat. And he's standing next to a sign that talks about the first Scottish Reformation martyr, Patrick Hamilton. Hence the grim face.

Here is this stone brand where the poor guy was burned at the stake. This was the only picture Nathan requested I take. Graveyards and libraries and martyrdom spots. He is a strange one.

Next up, the famed Old Course with the whole Shively gang, a golfer's dream come true, and the real Chariots of Fire beach.

Scottish Holiday (Thanks Tesco!)

So, Nathan and I saved up our Tesco points and traded them in for a two-night stay in a four-star hotel in North Berwick, Scotland. It sounds a lot more straightforward than it really was. It was a huge hassle, but it was FREE!

We started out in this room. The standard room. It was amazing, but it looked at the street instead of the Firth of Forth. After dinner, however, there was a nasty smell coming from the bathroom, and lo and behold - a plumbing problem. We got upgraded to the top floor sea view. It was smaller but cozier and just more "us," as if we have an "us" at nice hotels! 

Nathan was immediately glued to golf on TV even though he could have watched golf live out of our window.

We had amazing breakfasts at the hotel (again, for FREE!). So amazing that we didn't eat lunch. Dr. Parker is really into his granola. 

Here is the view from our window!

And here are some crazy penguin looking birds with long pointy orange beaks on the golf course.

We went exploring on the beach, and I just had Chariots of Fire stuck in my head all day. I know that the Chariots of Fire beach is actually in St. Andrews, but this really reminded me of it.

Classic pose

Dum dum dum dum duuum duuuuuum... ch-ch, ch-ch (that's the Chariots of Fire song, in case you didn't know).

Amongst the craggy rocks

Another classic pose

We went to an amazing Italian restaurant for dinner two nights in a row. Yes, I know I look windswept and that my scarf doesn't mach my shirt. Our waitress the first night was from Newcastle. She gave herself away when she said, "I can take them plates away fo' yus." Everybody else in Scotland just made me think of Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey, especially the hotel staff who asked us what we'd be having for "brrreakfehst."

Next up, our time in St. Andrews. Lots of pictures of The Old Course and our friends, the Shivelys, coming up!