The turning of a page

Age is a funny thing. It seems the older we get, what we once thought as 'old', no longer is. Some embrace it with a sense of pride while others accept it just because they have to. I turned 30 this week and I can honestly say that I am not only accepting it, but embracing it with open arms.

While there is that sense of home sickness during a special occasion like this, it is nice to know that my new friends have made such an occasion memorable. I woke up on Wednesday to find the house decorated with some balloons and banners. It was a very nice surprise! I spent my birthday walking the streets of London, had lunch and went to the theatre to see 'Sister Act'. To top it off, my housemates made Paella and for desert we had Mississippi Mud Pie. It was a really nice gesture and I am blessed to have such nice housemates. It further gave us an opportunity to know each other for who we are, rather than just someone we live with.

My housemates from left to right: Ana, Felipe, Louise and David.

Yesterday night (Friday) the celebrations continued at Las Iguanas. This Latin American Restaurant is a very good place and served nice food. Most importantly, the sangrias went down real well!

The celebrations carried well on into the night.

Habana Gateau. This chocolate sponge cake filled with fresh, sweet fruit was delicious!

So, thanks to everyone in London (David, Ana, Felipe, Louise, Dan, Emma and Sonia) for helping me celebrate this important milestone. A big thank you must also go out to my family and the Crestwood staff for my birthday cards.

Here's cheers to me being 30! No one knows what the next 30 years will have in store for me, but what I do know is that I will try to make the most of life now and enjoy it!

The English way

So, how do you deal with stress? Do you reach for that bottle of wine and chocolate (or both)? Do you call a friend and whinge? No matter what you do, we all have different ways of dealing with stress and all is of equal value and importance.

I had to laugh to myself a few weeks ago while I was at work. Here I was in the staff kitchen minding my own business when one Year 3 student came in bawling his eyes out because someone or something had hurt him in the playground. After a teacher lovingly gave him an ice-pack and placed it on his forehead, he didn't say he wanted his mum or his favourite toy, but a cup of tea. Can you imagine a kid saying this? I just think it is a very English thing to say!

Similarly, since being here, I have picked up on some sayings:
* To greet one another you say, "You right?"
* We don't say school excursion, we say "School journey."
* It's 'trousers', not 'pants'.
* When a mistake is made in pen, liquid paper is known as 'Tippex'. My Teacher's Assistant told me this!

Can anyone think of anything else that is the English thing to do or say?