11-3-2015 <— Please note, British dating practices. I must get used to this, I keep getting confused when anyone asks me to date things!

Well, the sheep knuckles were a bust, I think I found the building, but no such luck on the actual courtyard where they are supposedly used in the paving. I’m quite disappointed about this. It started to rain after my failed adventure and I headed home for goat cheese and crackers for lunch – so at least there were farm animals one way or another. Our neighbor, Greg (a nickname), who rescued me on my lock out adventure when I first arrived here, invited me over for tea yesterday afternoon, she thought I might want some company, as I’m home alone all day, which was sweet and definitely true. I listened with absolutely no clue when she and another neighbor, Roseanne, discussed British and Wantage politics and then nervously debated what to say when she turned and asked me, “Well, what do you think of Obama?” I think it was a Royal You type situation and I hope I gave a decent answer on behalf of all-of-the-Americans. But, I’m not holding my breath. She also waxed on again about how much we need a car, because being out in the country like this it’s the only way we’re going to effectively see much – I wasn’t sure she was right the first time she said this (a couple weeks ago), but I’m starting to come around to it now, although I’d even settle for a bike, there’s only so far that I’m going to meander carrying what all on my back. Oh well, we’re getting there, the life accoutrement is coming along, so I guess it’s just a ‘be patient’ situation for now. Tomorrow, I’m going to take the dogs for a walk just on the edge of Wantage, Matt said the field views are gorgeous from the rise behind our little close. Close is something akin to neighborhood, subdivision, cul de sac (FYI).

I’m back in the coffee shop this morning and every single person sitting around me has a tray with tea service in front of them. Why? You may not be asking, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. The ‘coffee boiler’ is being serviced and tea and food are the only things they can still serve until they get it fixed. And, many people are leaving because they don’t want tea. I felt rude continuing to use their wifi without buying something, so I bought tea and the most amazing almond goo filled croissant that has ever happened. The farmers market is in full swing in the market square, which is just outside the window from me and I’m going to go check it out again when I leave here, and the charity shops, and the hardware store (if it is open, I’ve walked passed it three times and it has never been open). It’s a little errand kind of day today as we keep finding little things that we hadn’t noticed we needed until now, drill bits, a can opener, envelopes, etc. It’s weird the everyday items that you can go ages not needing and then be totally stymied without. I don’t imagine we’ll ever again do such a start-from-scratch move as this one has been, but I’m glad we did, it’s really interesting (also annoying and challenging, but you…) to be constantly on the back foot reassembling working order in our daily lives. Like, I’ve had the same credit card since I was 18 and now we can’t have one based over here for another couple months because we don’t have enough English credit history or something. And, I no longer know what the political parties are or what they’re about here, so in conversation, when Greg said, “Here’s my problem with he conservatives…” I had no frame of reference for what that meant. It was also ridiculously hard to assemble enchiladas the other night because Mexican food is non-existant here, I’m going to have to order enchilada sauce over the internet if I want to make chile verde at all while we’re here. That would have been unfathomable to me before we got here. But, somethings have proved universal – the Post Office may be just a counter inside a convenience store here, but the lines are still ridiculously long. We moved into another rental that did not come with a toilet paper or hand towel holder in the bathroom. There is nothing on the television worth watching… Please note, I don’t actually know this, I was informed of it by our next door neighbor, Iver, an older gentleman who approves of technology in general but has no use for it personally. I just needed a third universal thing…

Observations: Wantage is adorable, but nothing here opens until after 9 or even 10, this wont usually be a problem for me, but was inconvenient this morning when I was actually out early. Also, everything closes by 6. British people (at least in the small towns) definitely must be head-straight-home-after-work types. Because nothing but a few pubs stay open.

It’s also really not diverse here, which is an adjustment after LA. I kind of miss the challenge of diversity and the opportunities it forces on you.

More to come.

– alaina