And the Winner Is:

Best Meal in England:

It's a tie between:
a sort-of-quiche-like dish with a sweet tomato chutney sauce on top; eaten at the little cafe at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. I had never tasted anything like the yummy little sauce, and oh, it was mighty tasty! The portion was very teeny, so it left me wanting more, which is good!

And, in Edinburgh Scotland, at a Beefeater's Restaurant, I had the most delicious sort of burrito which featured spinach, cheese, and carmelized onions. Oh, wow, that was so good. Unfortunately, that was a very generous portion, and I ate every bite!

Best Day Trip in England:

Another tie:
Blenheim Palace left me incredulous; not only the grounds, the palace itself, but the fascinating history of it. I just loved being there and learning about the Churchill family; Sir Winston, who was such a remarkable figure. It was a great outing, made even better by a delicious little luncheon; (see above)

the Wedgwood Factory....wow, wow, wow! My mother always loved fine china and things like that. I was never interested in it, or really saw its value. I'm sure that was a big disappointment to my dear perfect mother, but I repent now. Mom, I hope you know how I've seen the light. Seeing those master craftsmen at their work absolutely fascinated me! And, learning about Josiah Wedgwood, his passion for his craft, his concern for his workers - long before it was fashionable to be interested in the labour force, and his devotion to making each piece of Wedgwood perfect left me astounded. It was wonderful to be there and see it all. Sad side note: no one wants to take the time to make china the way it has been done in the past, so each factory is floundering, and in fact, the Wedgwood factory - in existence since the 1700s was just bought out by an American company.

Best Overnight Trip:
Oops, another tie;
I loved our trip to the Preston Temple; we went through a temple session for three days, then went to see church history sites in the Preston area; then went to work on family history at the family history center. It was a peaceful, pleasant, inspiring three days.

But, for sheer beauty, nothing could match the Lake District. It was indescribable, so I won't even try.

Most Fun City:
Oh, now that is a tough one! It's a tie:
Edinburgh, Scotland and the Royal Mile...that was just a fun walk and so interesting to see all the Scottish "stuff."

Chester: I wanted to go back here. It had a vibrancy about it that was intriguing! We walked around the city on an ancient Roman wall, and it was just so fascinating! But, to tell the truth, after awhile, all the cities sort of run together in my mind; so sad!

Best Book Read while in England:
Easy answer, Sense and Sensibility, which incredibly, I realized while reading it, that I had never read it before...what was I thinking?!?!? Loved it. Although I also read a Rumple book, which I dearly love, and am almost finished with a Dickens book, so I was really into Brit Lit while there!

Most Interesting Event:
Sad to say, we missed the horse races, so I felt really disappointed about that, but we went to Newborough, a little village very close to Abbots Bromley for a well dressing. It's a centuries old celebration where the town vicar blesses the well(water) and the people of the village. It's a little bit like our county fair; lots of booths, food, dancing, celebrating, fun, and frivolity.

Worst Part of the Trip:
Easy answer: the long flight going and coming!

Thanks, Tony and Agnes, for allowing us the use of your car, your home, and for being part of the village for five weeks. It was a JOY!

America and England

Seen in America, but not in England:
Big, bold, garish, gaudy billboards along every highway, byway, and little roadway.

(Okay, so I have seen a sign for Taco Time while driving in California or Idaho or Utah, and used it to guide me there. But I love the scenery along the roads here in England and not having to view the gorgeous green between big huge advertisements of food, wine, and furniture stores!)

Seen in England, but not in America:
Names of homes, cottages, apartments, etc by most front doors:

Woodside Manor, Toad Cottage, Yew Tree Cottage, Lakeside Manor

Seen in America, but not in England:
Big, bold pickup trucks and SUVs. It's a good thing they aren't here because they would cause a roadblock on these little teeny roads. The English all drive little cars, and sometimes even littler cars.

Seen in England, but not in America (YET):

This is my personal English favorite:
Funky flavors of crisps (potato chips). The Walkers Company is having a contest to see which flavor is voted on by the public, but first, here are some of their potato chip flavors that are not part of the contest:
Tomato Ketchup

Worcestershire Sauce

Cocktail Prawn

Ham and English Mustard

Now, here is a copy of the official ballot for residents of the UK to vote on for their next favorite flavor of potato chips:

So, while eating your hamburger, you can enjoy chips that taste just like your breakfast! Or you can have chips that have squirrel flavor!

People tell me that the chips taste just like the flavor marked on the package; I'll take their word for it!

Some Pictures from Merry Olde England

This is the front of the home where we are staying...isn't it lovely? It's just as appealing on the inside also.

Essay: What I Appreciate About England

1. I absolutely LOVE how green England is! I guess that living in a desert makes me appreciate it even more. I am awed every day by the beauty of this country.

2. I think their speech is lovely! It is just fun to listen to the people speak...sometimes, truly, I cannot even understand a word they are saying, and it's the same language!

3. I love how they appreciate the OLD; the history of this amazing country. We recently visited a castle that originally started being built in 1066 - imagine 1066! Of course, it had been added onto, and restored, but part of the original was still there.

Contrast this with America. While we were in New York last fall, the original Shea Stadium - home of the New York Mets -was torn down; too old; too outdated...and when was this old stadium originally built - 1964! It had stood for 48 years and was too old.

Allen has told me for years about the English and how they relish the past; it's beautiful, really. In the town where we are staying: Abbots Bromley, if you build something new, it has to reflect the era of all the other buildings in town. There is a very old girls's school in town, and one day, as a joke, some of the girls put a sign in front of a famous very old landmark; the sign read - Future Home of McDonald's. Not knowing it was a joke, some of the residents were - needless to say - incredibly upset! No McDonald's for them in their lovely little farming village; that would be heresy and ruin the quaintness of this centuries' old place. I really appreciate their ties and love of the past.

And those are a few of the reasons I like England!