Only in the UK

Ok, I think I am ready to create this monstrosoty of a post. Hey, I might even be longer that My trip to Wal Mart!

On friday we started our road trip to Scotland. That morning I had just got a package that had a couple of new books for me. They were called: Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging. Celandine and Knocked out by my nunga-nungas. (I know they sound disturbing, but they are so hilarious!) And I also got a new CD. Anyway, we hadn't booked a B&B (bed and breakfast) wich was CRAZY of my Mom because it was bank holiday weekend. Besically bank holidays are, you get the day off. I don't exactly know why, probably something to do with banks. So I was a little nervous about not findinga B&B and I was imagining us sleeping in the car.

I got settled in the back seat with my pillow and blanket and books and bag and we were off. Actually it wasn't as smooth as that, I kept going back inside to get things while my Mom was finding her keys or something. Anne-Marie was navigator that day, so she got the privelage of sitting in the front. At first I was listening to music. Then I started reading my new book/s. So I was basically not in the car the whole time I was in the car because I was reading. If you know what I mean.

I got sucked into my book just like that and never journeyed back to reality for quite some time. Until I had to go to the bathroom. We took a bathroom break and then headed out again. About an hour later my Mom started giggling at all of the funny names like Ramsbutt or something. Then we came across 2 towns which I had to look up from my book to see why everyone was laughing. Now you have to believe me about these 2 names, AND they were right next to eachother. Ready? Wigglesworth and Giggleswick.

Only in the UK

After a while we passed the border to scotland and just kept on agoin. By the time we were ready to stop and look for a B&B, it was about 6pm. We went passed a couple with vacancies but my Mom kept driving on. We were all starting to worry at about 8pm. And we were all in a bad mood because we were hungry. We stopped at a pub and asked about vacancies and of course, none. So we just ate there. Anne-Marie got bangers and mash.

Only in the UK

After we ate we were asking everywhere for vacancies. My mom said it was like
when mary and joseph couldn't find an Inn. Finally my Mom decides, 'If there are none at this place, we are driving home.' Katherine walked in and asked the guy. Since the rest of us were in the car (I forgot to tell you, my Dad didn't come. He stayed home to watch the stinkbutts(cats)). She was standing in there for about 15 minutes. And we finally figured out that the guy was calling around to see if there were any vacancies. FINALLY Katherine came out with a piec of paper. The guy came out too, and told my Mom how to get to this place that he finally found. Then we raced down there. My Mom kept saying how much of a sweetheart he was.

Not usually in the UK.

We all assumed that the only place left was going to be pretty crap. When we got there, I figured out that it was a nightclub/ hotel. AHHHHHH! It was a friday night so lots of people had come to partae! We walked in to the bar with all of our luggage (and my bright gold bag) and EVERYONE was staring at us. As soon as we walked in all eyes were on us, and they weren't off of us till we left the room. (I'm typing without watching my fingers for the first time!!!!!) Anyway, long wait short, we got our room key and shot upstairs like Edwin would do if he saw a moth.

The beds were lumpy and if you lay on the edge you would roll into the middle. On the upside, I got the double bed and Katherine got the single. It took me a while to get to sleep, but eventually I did...

2:30am: DUN DUN DUN DUN DIDDLE DUM DUM DUN DUN (BASE) CONSTANTLY! REPEATEDLY! OVER AND OVER AND OVER!

Katherine woke up too and said it wont stop till 3:30. nooooo!
Luckily it stopped at 3. Phew. But it took me a while to get back to sleep.

9:00am:Mom banging on the door. Katherine in the shower. I hobbled over to the door. The door is locked. I unlock it and try and open the door. Doesn't work. I try again. No. Again. Again. Again. 'Push the lock back and don't touch the door nob.'
'Mom I know, it's not working.' I finally saw a little tiny button thing under the lock. I pushed it, then pulled it, then I slid it up. I tried the lock again. Voila!

My Mom then screamed at me because it was obvious I just woke up. She asked where Katherine was, she was in the shower. Then she said, 'Be down for breakfast in 5 minutes!'

Then I hobbled back to my bed and screwed on my brain so I could think properly. Clothes - gold bag. Ther Other Junk - Backpack. I pulled on my clothes and put then walked to the bathroom (by that time Katherine was out). I slapped some cold water on my face and then told her that she had to be downstairs in 30 seconds. I had to essplain the whole conversation to her because of the noisey shower water.

I brushed my hair then stole the key then walked downstairs. Mom already looked in a happier mood. She even saved me some raspberry jam :-) We were all talking and then we ordered breakfast. My Mom and I got the full English, and Katherine and Anne-Marie got something similar. Katherine walked in and my Mom started telling her about how it took me 10 minutes to open the door. My excuse was 'The light wasn't on' pretty pethetic huh? Anyway, we were all laughing about that for a while.

After a few more minutes the waitress who had been to California came with our food. Full english = Sausage, english bacon, fried egg, grilled tomato, mushrooms, toast and usually black pudding. Covered in an inch of grease.

Only in the UK
(And the REALLY English thing to do, is dip your toast in the egg yolk.)

After that, we packed up and went on the road again. All day. Katherine was navigator of the day. Every once in a while I would giggle (cause my book was SO funny). My Mom thought I was just being retarted. But then she said 'OH! Your READING!' Durr.

We stopped at an art gallery for a while. We were gonna get some cute posters of animals, but all the cute posters were gone. I really liked this painting of a girl sitting on a chair just looking at the window, it was moslty white. My Mom got a few postcards, and she bought me a shoe. It was called 'Struttin' (I collect little scultpures of shoes, I have about 7 so far).

About 5 o' clock we stopped in Avimore. My Mummykins went to a tourists information centre (that IS how they spell center here) that did a service where they found B&B's and hotels. Clever. We ended up in a teeny weeny itsy bitsy (yellow pokatdot...)bungalow.

There was one bedroom, a small kitchen a table chairs and a couch. And a bothroom. My Mom and Anne-Marie took the bedroom, katherine got the foldout couch (which WAS a double bed so I could have shared) and I got the floor. I thought it wouldn't be so bad because I got the couch cushions and Katherine got a 1 inch thick matress.

We went to the store to get some grub at Tescos'. Oh Tesco's. Anyone in their right mind could see that Tesco's is taking over the world!!!! There are tiny Tesco's, Wal mart size Tesco's, gas station tesco's, tesco's car insurance, tesco's clothes, suitcases, food (it started off selling just food), loans. etc. etc. etc. It's just like WalMart except America is so big, there is room for Walmart I guess, I dunno it's just, they are everywhere! England is not big enough for Tesco's. Maybe it's just implanted in my brain about WalMart and America, but Tesco's is cramping England's stlye! Ok I'll stop being demented and get on with my story...We went in and there was a few people there.

We walked around picking up random things and throwing them in the basket. But before long Tesco's started filling up. It was like all the food distributers in the world had gone on strike and the only place selling food. Me and Anne-Marie couldn't find my Mom for a long time.Eventually we made our way to the 30 minute long line then went to our bungalow.

We had dinner and then went to bed...

That night was the most coldest most uncomforatablist night of all!!! I was either up because I was cold, or uncomforatable and cold! Ahhh

The next day I got up and walked to the bathroom, hands dragging behind. Went to the bathroom, got dressed, had breakfast blah blah blah. That day, I was navigator! Yay. We were going to Findhorn, which is at the very tippety top of Scotland. It took about an hour to get there. We walked into the 'town' although nothing was open except a weird fairtrade shop and an antique shop.

We were browsing in the antique shop for a while. And I found some houses (I collect houses too) I eventually went up to ask her how much they were. She said 'That one is a pound and the small one is 50p' So, I was going to buy them. I got one 50p one and the one she said 'That's a pound' about. She wrapped them up and said ' That's £2.50'

(I think I have run out of 'Only in the UK's)

Anyway, we went into the wierd fairtrade shop after that, and mooched for a while. But it was really expensive!!! Anyway, after that, we asked somebody where the real fun was. So we went there, It was this place, with stuff in it.

It was a big bit of land that had caravans, a park, houses, a shop, pottery place, an art place etc. etc. Katherine was being a teenager, so my Mom wasn't liking her very much. So she went around herself and we were stuck with a moody teenager and a hyper 10 year old. So we went to the park and I attempted the monkey bars, which gave me momories of 1st grade recess. I was a monkey back then!!!

By the time I actually manuvered Katherine off the ground III was in a mood, so I just walked off because I wanted to see all the little workshops Katherine kept saying, 'Your going the wrong way!!!' And every time I thought that a biulding was a workshop she said, 'That is someones house!'

After a billion years of Katherine being a poo, we found Mom. We looked at the neighbourhood. It was AMAZING, it was so colourful and modern and most of them were B&B's, and the flowers and plants in fron were SO cool. And it was like a little privats thing, there was one that was blue one side, green the other, red the other, orange the other :-)

We also went to the Hobbit house which was really cool, it was so COOL!!!!Ohmygosh, it was tiny and the windows were curvy, and it was inside a hill. I would put a picture in but the only camera we had was on Katherines phone, and I haven't the foggiest how to get that onto here. PLUS, Angela said it was really hard anyway. So I won't try.

The hobbit house was actually a shrine. The whole place was a buisness, but it was all really woo woo. Some of it wasn't but they sold kinda wierd stuff and the Hobbit house had cushions in a circle around this really wierd thing.

Anyway, on the wasy home it was pretty much the same as the way there, except Katherine some how legally got into the front seat for half of the way. She takes illegal showers though (I'm being a tattle-tale now).

I REALLY con't be bovvered to read through this whole blob of words and check spelling, so umm, ya that's it. Boy, that was hard work. Sorry it took my ages! I went to Scotland, what? about 2 weeks ago? I dunno

What got me out of bed this morning

This morning I was lying in bed and telling myself that I sould really get up now. When Anne-Marie and Katherine we saying that there were window cleaners cleaning our windows! I wasn't too bothered because they had done it before. Katherine came in and said that Dad called blah blah blah. Then she went out and then the window that was close to the foot of my bed was being cleaned. I froze, and was trying to hide my head without being too obvious. Then when he came down the ladder and was going to clean the window next to me, I jumped out of my bed so fast, that I surprised myself. All the while Katherine was watching and laughing.

Anyway, we went to Scotland for 3 days and I'm going to do a post on it. It may take a few months :-) though so that's why I'm telling you there is something on the way... And it invovles a book called 'Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging'

Mormon camping and going Ape

On wednesday at YW's we were planning what to bring to our camping spot. I said that we had a big 8 man tent and sleeping pads and stuff like that. Then we made a list of things to bring.

The next night my family and I went to McDonald's because with every large meal, you get a blue, pink or green coke glass. So we are going once a week to get 3 of each colour. And on the way back I was asking my Dad if he could come with us to set up the tent. But he was going camping that weekend too but he didn't know which day. So I asked 'Could a bunch of girls set up the tent?' He said 'Ya' but then I rephrased the question and said 'Could a group of blonde girls set up the tent?' He never answered. Although the car of laughing people gave me the answer :-)

Also, my Dad was thinking out loud 'I wonder how long the McDonald's flem will last?' Because we all started *ahem* ing. Then Anne-Marie said 'I don't think I have any *ahem* flem yet.' And she didn't do that on purpose! My Dad was saying that my Mom is funniest when she isn't trying to be, too.

So on Friday, Katherine my Dad and I went to help set up the tent. There were 4 people putting up the tent to they didn't have a job for me yet. But then I found the mallet! We decided to have camp names. Mine was Hammergirl. It didn't stick, but neither did anyone elses.

After my Dad and Katherine left, we were just relaxing, but then we had to go observe nature for 30 minutes. We went to sit on a hill and since on girl was ALWAYS hyper, we had no choice but to play some games. We did things like What animal/flower/part of the earth would you be? Answers were: cloud, lion, bluebell, tulip, golden finch, rock, sea, daisy, sun, monkey, dolphin etc etc.

Then, we went to find the bathroom (we were staying at a caravan sight, so we had a toilet)*. We found it, and the shower. I was going to have a shower in the morning. But after seeing it, I had second thoughts. In the caravan opposite the bathrooms, there was a HUGE dog that was watching our every move, I think it was a St. Bernard.

When we were walking back Kirsty (our leader) remembered the guy said there was a park. We went in search of it. And we found in the middle of the caravans there was a small bit of land with a baby swing and a normal swing.

We attemted making smores afterwards but we couldn't make a fire, no grahm (i dunno how you spell that) crackers. We had a gas stove, marshmallows and I had some chocolate. Some other people had loads of cookies, so we were experimenting with everything. Chocolate sanwich, ring cookie sandwich, jaffa cake sandwich, marchmallow with chocolate stuck in it, ya know, stuff like that.

We went back in our tent, read scriptures then got ready for bed. Nobody bothered to brush their teeth. We just did our own thing. Laura went to the bathroom after she finished her juice, but never came back to our side of the tent. Candi and Danielle were just talking. And Candi was texting Damien, her love of the month. And I got out my CD player and CD mix and sang along to all my songs :-)

After I was done singing, I was going to go to sleep and I moved to the bottom of the tent so I wouldn't keep slipping off my mat! Then Candi was quizzing me on Life in America. She was like 'So, you went to school there?' 'So, did you have american friends?' 'So, ...' Funny.

It was a LONG night. I was listening to a tranquility CD and was asleep for 1 hour. Then Danielle woke me up and warned me that I would get tangled up in the wires. I sorted myself out then I dropped off again. Then I woke up at 5:38am. My alarm was set for 6:55am (which by the way, I need to change because it keeps waking me up 3 hours before I want to get up).

When the time came, we read scriptures again, packed up, put the tent down and loaded into the small car. They had come without me so when I went in the car, with my luggage and my big tent and 5 sleeping pads. It was no-room-kingdom. We had barely enough room to breath. We kept fogging up the windows. And Laura and I were the ones with the wet tent on our laps (it was England, raining of course).

We went to a forest where there was a course called GO-APE! which was like high ropes, except you did all of your safety yourself. We had about an hour of training and our trainer had a thick Scottish accent. It rocked! I SO want to go again. It was about 40 feet in the air and what you had to do was get from platform to platform with all the obstacles in the way. And there where 5 zip wires. And they had the longest one in England! It kept going on and on and on and on.......

*That toilet thing reminded me of something I heard on the radio about a year ago. They were saying that there was major traffic jams due to a portable toilet that fell of a truck! hahaha random!

Birthday memories

It was Anne marie's birthday a couple days ago and we went to a theme park called Camelot for the first time. She had 2 friends that came with her: Hetty and Natalie AKA: Nat and Het. We walked to the back of the park and decided to go on rides at the back of the park to the front.

First we grabbed some lunch. We all got cheeseburgers because besically in the whole food court there was cheeseburgers, hamburgers, chicken burgers and a tiny bakery stall. The beef was nasty and the fries were swimming in grease. And the one size drinks were too tiny to wash down the food. Katherine and I had to share a drink because she forgot to get one for me.

Anyway after our atrocious lunch, we went on our quest for dessert. 3 of us wanted a 'slurp' which was a thick chocolate/strawberry milkshake. But the line was 3 years long. After Katherine waited in line for 30 seconds, she came back and said she wasn't going to wait in the line. I thought it wasn't that big so I waited in line. After 3 minutes everyone wanted a cookie instead, so I reluctantly gave in. So we went to the bakery stall and there was no one in line. They had chocolate chip cookies and chocolate sprinkled donuts. I immediatly say I want a donut (you know how I am with donuts). When I got it, I noticed that there were only about 10 sprinkles on it. I took a big bite and first of all it was stale, then I noticed the yellow icing and how it tasted like bubblegum. I thought it was SO gross, so I took one more bite and chucked it in the bin.

While we were waiting in line for our first ride, Katherine was eating her donut and figured out that it was banana! I was like huh? So we got on the ride and I was texting my mom saying: I just had a crappy banana donut, who makes banana friggin donuts? She thought it was pretty funny.

After that we had a good time. We decided to go on this ride called Excaliber 2. You had to sit in a circle at the bottom and it was a long flat 'stick' type thing that went vertically up. It flung you up and twisted and spinned everywhere. Anne Marie and Hetty wanted to go on it. At first I didn't, but then I went in line. Then I chickened out, then I went back in line. Phew! For some reason I felt nervous, not because I was scared of the ride but somethine was niggling me. Woooo. We went on and these 2 teenage boys were doing a terrible job running the ride. We were sitting in our seats for about 5 minutes before they came around and checked everyone was secured.

The ride started and we were getting all excited and giggley. It turned us upsidown then spun us down to the right, it did that twice. Then it flipped us upsidown and kept us up then spun us down to the left. SCRAPE! I heard a big scrape close to us on the fence and the people stopped the ride. We were sitting slanted in mid air for a while. Then we saw some big guys with tools boxes walk by. Ooo. They let us off finally and we went down to see Katherine and Natalie. They told us that there was also a seat rocking back and forth as well as the scrape.

Katherine was saying that you usually see rides closed, but now you can say you were on the ride when it closed and you know why it closed! That was cool. Well, it wasn't a good thing but it was still amazing.

The rest of the day was fine. In the end we went on that ride when it was fixed and it was so totally awsome! Then we went home and ate some cake. We had just got a sunflower cake mould so Katherine used that to make the cake. We all agreed it looked deformed :-) but it tasted good. As all Smith/Leishmaan cakes do. I remember my 9th birthday. OH MY GOSH. That was a nightmare for my Mom...

Long story short: She was making a chocolate cake and she had to run to the store to get some ingredients. On the was back she needed some gas, so she got gas and left her wallet on her car and drove off without paying. Police track her down. She gets her wallet back and pays.

Then she turns up at my school, where I was totally unaware of the days events, with my cake and says that it is SUPPOSED to look like a pile of mud, because my birthday is earthday! It looked terrible but it tastes terrifico.

Well, I'm meeting up with my friend I haven't seen for a year and we are gonna see the break up. Then tommorrow I am going camping with YW, so that should be interesting. I'm sure I will HAVE to blog about that. Busy busy busy!

Stagecoach

Only 3 days back from America and I'm already working as and actress :-) I'm doing this stagecoach thing with Anne-Marie. Nobody I knew was going so I was a little nervous. But then I saw a girl from my old school and her cousin. So I was hanging out with them. I hadn't seen her for about 3 years. She changed a lot! Make - up wise and stuff. To tell you the truth they were kind of umm... tarts. They wore revealing clothes and like to play manipulative games with boys, like if they want some candy, they have to give both of them a kiss or a hug. I mean, I think they are cute but I don't go that far!

Anyway, they were fun. We were doing Fame in the chorus line. Which is I think 2 plays, I was Mel. Millie and Polly (the gals I was talkin about) were Star and Katy. People wer finally getting up the nerve to ask me where I used to live and things like that on the penultimate day (long word for a blonde!). One boy surprised when he asked me because I go to stagecoach with him every week! I'm making friends with a couple more down-to-earth girls.

Anyhoo, the day of the play we were all giddy and when it was time to get ready we were even more so. But we had to put on lots and lots of make up. Tonnes of blush. Well, I didn't put much on but the dance teacher who was putting make up on people were looking like clowns by the end of the 2 1/2 minute make over.

While we were waiting in a room before going on stage, I was standing next to Millie and she was sitting next to 2 boys. It was then that they saw me for the first time with make up on. And they started chatting to me about stuff. They never did before. My Mom said it was the make up :-P

Well, the show was great. I have another blog on the way but now I have to go to YW!

News of the fantabulous Erica

I stayed with Sara for a day and a bit and we went to a water park! The lazy river was so much fun! I wish I could have stayed longer. :-( On the other hand I got mail today! Do you know how rare that is? Well, I guess if your gone for 2 months there is bound to be SOMETHING in the mail for you. Sara, tell me more about this size 6 1/2 free shoe thing. I found out how my clean room was kept while I was gone. All I can say is, never employ AnneOmarie to be your maid. Well, no that's not true. She doesn't mind cleaning as long as it is never her own room. Ok, my eyes are starting to jump all over the place so I better stop before I make a mess with my words.

I have to go to the bathroom now

When I get on my last plane and get un-jet-lagged, I'll start blogging again. I have a couple up my sleeve but I can't write them now because I am sniffing up my last hours in America. Miss you Angela!!