The first line of the Choral Society website says, “The Choral Society welcomes new members, especially tenors.” Think they might be glad to see D. coming? Since the first rehearsal is this Thursday night, I guess we’ve already found a reasonable temporary substitute for the Chancel Choir back home. It won’t be the same without the pink — er, dusty rose robes and gray stoles, but we’ll do our best to get by with tuxedos and black dresses… We’ll be rehearsing for a December performance of Haydn’s The Creation.
Meanwhile, here’s another tidbit you may not have heard — there are student unions at this university — real ones, with the power that Student Senate has in many colleges in the US. Of course, the very first day, Mr. Student got himself elected faculty liaison, as his classmates looked at him and found someone… coherent, and not afraid to get up early to attend a few extra meetings. It’s very funny to me that even away from home, some of us manage to get voted to sweet talk the brass!
A trip to the doctor today was amusing, as we stood on a scale that measured kilograms and …stones. No pounds. We go back tomorrow to see a doctor (today was for the district nurse – if you need a prescription for anything, it’s a separate visit), and hope they can be talked into providing a few more immunizations.
Our shipment is meant to arrive this Friday — we hope that next time we chat, we can show you photos of the disaster formerly known as our flat. We look forward to decent mixing bowls — and a few more pans, and our long awaited bikes and boots and gloves (WHAT were we thinking, shipping the gloves!? The little WeatherGoth in the corner says it’s forty five degrees! It’s not even winter yet!). Meanwhile, we’ve been warned to expect cornstarch to be called corn flour in the store, cornmeal to be milled so finely as to be mistaken for flour (it’s a great soup thickener, though; you have to admit), and molasses to be called ‘black treacle.’ We are now on the hunt for unsulphured molasses — having forgotten that one can buy sulphured, in the US, but there’s normally a choice or a default to unsulphured – not so here. Oh! – Happily, the green grocer down the street has promised to go on the hunt for Thai lime leaves (also called magrut leaves). He says he gets Freshman shoppers usually, so he carries good fruits and vegetable, but usually no one wants anything but stir fry ingredients. Had to chuckle at that — at least the “Freshers” here eat vegetables. I believe we tried to subsist on ramen noodles and bagels…
We can now report that the mint plant is bouncing back, thanks to Mary’s timely rescue of some soil (flung frantically in a shopping bag before we raced out to catch the last bus back to Glasgow), a trim and a new pot. It’s showing frantic new growth, and the basil, rosemary, thyme and varied mints rooting on the sink will hopefully follow it into little pots as well. Meanwhile, I’ve already warned my sister that I’m going to have to steal some of my plants back when I visit next…
Thanks, everyone, for the birthday cards, the welcome-to-the-UK keepsakes and all the email, good wishes and great advice. You’re making our lives much sweeter!
– D & T
*Postcard by Jim Byrne ©2000.
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