Superbowl, super beer and super people!

I tell you, there is nothing more satisfying that dancing to Pappilon (Editors) whist sweeping/dancing on a shiny hard wood floor. Magic......

Thanks to everyone for making sure that we hadn't died of starvation during the SNOMG! Much appreciated. Luckily, we do have provisions, and a snow shovel, and even more luckily, we have 2 legs and feet. Amazing where you can go when you put one in front of the other. Not sure these Americans have yet got the hang of this.......

.......which was definitely the case when we decided to go for a walk! It was BEAUTIFUL!! The snow was diamond white, the sun a shining, blue sky, and warm. Paul wanted a beer. Typical man wants to go and spend time in a dark place when nature is at its nigh!! But at least we had to walk somewhere. I was thinking I may of seized up due to the shovelling - trust me, I never even knew i had those back muscles, even with all the running/exercise I've done in my life! So we go a walking. It was fine until we got to the end of our sidewalk.....to a barrier of 27" snow! So yes, we had to wade through the snow to the road in order to be able to continue walking. We have pictures of our escapades, however we can't upload them onto here, as the files are far too big and will slow this already slow machine down further! At the top of the road we meet a some lovely ladies, one a social worker just returned from a 2 year stint in Canterbury! We get chatting - they are singlehandly shovelling the road so they can get their cars out for work tomorrow! We had a chat and then they invited us round later to watch the Superbowl (BIG thing over here - pansies in stuffing and tight trousers. RUGBY ALL THE WAY!!).

WOW

Can you IMAGINE an American couple walking around in Clifton, meeting some Brits for 3 minutes who then invite them round to watch the final in the FA cup......

??

NO!!

We were super pleased and slightly dazed. So with promises to come over later (with cheesy puffs and beer) we continued our walk to the pub. It makes me laugh thinking about it - it was MENTAL!! So funny. The snow ploughs had decided to clear the roads, but they ploughed the snow ONTO the sidewalks, which meant we couldn't get to them! They were taller than Paul! So we had to walk on the main road in the slush with cars shooting by - scary! We did decide to do one safer detour, which was again fun wading through ass high snow. We eventually arrived at the Sweet Water Tavern. These guys brew their own beer - and what beer it was - super fine! I had a half liter (that;s how they spell it here) of a 9.97% stout. Red cheeks ahoy! The barmaid was nice (Nicky) and she was super chatty. The atmosphere was great. We discovered that for a down payment of $15 (about GBP9.60) you can purchase a glass 2 liter jug of whatever beer you want, and then you can refill this for a max of $8.50. Considering my half liter cost $5 alone - BARGAIN!! I know my Dad will be happy when he arrives! Let us know if you want us to bring a few in before you visit! We can also get dirt cheap booze for your visit too - GBP7.50 for a liter of Bombay Sapphire gin - whoop whoop!

We ventured back - me weaving slightly - and met the lovely ladies again, who again said we should come round. I don't need to be asked twice - reticent English my ass!

This was also the first time we let the puss cats out. I kinda figured that they couldn't go too far as the snow was way too deep, so we could contain them on the veranda. Bless, they didn't like the snow but were curious. I don't think we'll have many problems when they finally do go out.

So off we trudge to the house up the end. 4 ladies house share together. It was so much fun! Watching the Superbowl with Americans was ideal. We 'rooted' for the Saints, and they won! Fab. Learnt lots about American vs English culture. As Kerry (social worker) had just returned from the UK it was good to compare and be understood. She frequently said - you won't be understood if you say that phrase - it doesn't translate!! Like "have you sorted the hummus" = blank looks. "have you fixed the hummus" = "why yes we have - it is lovely!"

I can tell we are going have some problems......

So we have made some new friends, and I have made a new running friend. Kerry is about my size, and runs at about the same speed. She has done many more races than I, but she hasn't run since Nov, like me, and is keen to get back into it! YAY! So I'm just waiting for my gear to get here now!

I really appreciate our neighbours making this transition so easy for us. They are so helpful, so informative and so generous. I am already thinking that it will be hard to leave, and we are only 3 weeks in!

So I will leave you now. Paul has gone to Florida, his flight being rescheduled. It is only about 14 in temp, so I'm not too bothered......!! He'll return on Thursday eve. I have scheduled a week of cleaning to stop the boredom. Love it!

So pip pip. Til the next time.....

DC 101 ROCKS!!