Cricket

Cricket

We attended our first international sports event.  This was a big deal for us.  I have not been to even a Titans game.  The SEC regular season games are about as high as I have ever gone in the sporting events hierarchy. 

Hal’s colleague, Neil Scarlett, invited us to the Cricket match between Pakistan and England.  Neil is devoted to the sports teams in this area.  He loves his family and his dog but he also loves Cricket and the Leeds Rhinos, a rugby team.

As the week progressed and we were looking forward to the Cricket match, there was great controversy here in England.  The news proclaimed that it was likely the Pakistan team were cheaters.  Every Englishman I spoke to said it was certain, except for Neil.  He has sympathy for the Pakistan players.  They cannot even compete in their own country due to the unrest.  They will play their regular season next year in Leeds. 

I knew NOTHING about Cricket, still don’t, but I tried.  I just kept comparing it to baseball.  I expected that the players would wear white.  Evidently, that has changed to make the game more entertaining.  Also, American baseball has influenced the game in that the players slide when making plays even are now “laying out” to catch a ball.  Neil said that was something new and until recently that would have not been proper Cricket. 

Walk out songs are also played.  One player even had Thomas’s walkout song.  When they run, they carry their bats.

Pakistan was up first.  What that means it that they bat until somewhere around 50 overs are achieved.  The English team plays defense until these overs are achieved.  I still don’t understand the game but I think Scoring takes place when the ball bounces over the barrier (like a ground rule double) or soars over without a bounce (like a homerun).  The team gets 4 for the ground rule double and 6 for the homerun.  When either of these things happen there is great celebration, music is played, horns sound and everyone holds up an 8 x 11 card with a 4 on one side or a 6 on the other side.  Well I was for England so I was reluctant to hold anything up for Pakistan!  The English are so polite.  They clap, cheer for the Pakistan team.  I had a hard time with this.  At one point when Pakistan scored Neil said, “Karen, hold up your number.”  I said, “But I am for England.”  He answered, “We are for everyone.”  Hal could not do that.  I told him that Neil said we were supposed to be for everyone.  You should have seen the look of disbelief on Hal’s face.  Stunned he said, “I’m not!”  After all we are from the SEC, for crying out loud!

After the required overs are reached the game breaks for lunch.  We had a lovely 4 course lunch and then we were back at it and it was England’s turn to bat.  The outfielders on both teams sign autographs in the field, during a play.  It is such a friendly game.  I can’t imagine one of Coach Mincher’s players signing autographs in the outfield.

Of course, tea is served around 2. 

It was a beautiful day for a cricket game and we had a great time.  Oh by the way, it was an upset.  Pakistan won.  The English people in my area, clapped and said, “Well done.”  Hal did not clap.  There were some Pakistan fans that sat in the box with us and one Pakistan fan, a gentleman, invited us to dine with him that night and go to his casino.  We declined his invitation,  but some of the group did go and said he was a wonderful host. Before we left the game he whispered in Hal’s ear, “We are not all terrorists.”

Charity Stores and Skype

Thrift stores in England are a must see.  They are not tucked away on a low rent district.  In Ilkley there are at least 6 charity stores and they are right next do to a high end retail store like Clark stores or J Crew.    Anna Katherine and I discovered these as way to decorate our home.  Our home is brand new.  We are looking for items to hang on the walls.  We rented furniture from a company named David Phillips.  Included in our rentals are silverware, dishes and pot and pans.  The charity stores are fantastic.  They cannot accept or sell lamps. 

Even though I am not working I stay very busy so far.  I gave up my great sales job for this adventure.   However, I held on to some volunteer jobs including PTSA President of the best high school in the world, Huntsville High School.  GO BIG RED!  HHS has an amazing PTSA board and I knew that would do outstanding job supporting HHS with or without me in the USA.  We will be skyping our meetings.

Skype is an amazing technology.   When I was a child in Huntsville and attended one of many field trips to the Space and Rocket Center I remember the exhibit of the 2 TV sets where you and a buddy would try to communicate with each other.  There was a lot of static and the picture was anything but clear.  The tour guide said, "Just think, one day you will be able to communicate from house to house with this technology."  That day has arrived..   Before we left, Anna Katherine downloaded Skype on my dad's computer.  My mother was very sad that now we have decided to move to England.  In my lifetime I have rarely lived outside my 35801 zip code.  When Anna Katherine demonstrated Skype by skyping with Hal, my mother felt a lot better.  They can see and talk to us.  We Skype our sons.  Ben is at UNA and Thomas is at Auburn.  I love seeing them even though I am thousands of miles away.

This may be old news-all this Skype talk but it has made this journey so much easier.  Anna Katherine missed homecoming at HHS.  She Skype with her friends while they got ready then when they had their picture made they picked up the laptop and Anna Katherine appeared in several of the pictures and got to see all the girls, dates and parents.

Early impressions of England

For people who have rarely lived outside of their 35801 zip code, England was the best country for us  to live.  The people here are so charming.  We have lived in 3 locations so far.  Finally we have settled into our home in Burley in Wharfedale.  In each location the landlords have been so kind and helpful  I Shipley we lived in a restored old mill converted into apartments.  We had lovely views but Anna Katherine and I felt claustrophobic.  Bob and his wife at Victoria Mills were so kind, I worried if I would find kinder landlords.  Then we moved to Ilkley.

Ilkley is my favorite city of all the cities we have visited and I truly wanted to live there.  Gary was the owner landlord at the Moorview Holiday Apartments. He and his dad and other family member, Emma, run the place and I would have lived there for all our time here except for the fact that there was only 1 bathroom and no dryer.  The Holden family was always there to help.   I had to hang our clothes once they were washed.  The weather is England calls for rain every day.  When I had my clothes on the line and was gone on an errand, Gary and family would pull them off the line before the rain.

 Ilkley is reminds me of Maine.  It is called a spa town.  Wonderful shopping opportunities are in this village.  It is surprising.   It has an expensive but fantastic grocery store, Boots.  We realized after a couple of trips that it was like shopping at Fresh Market in Huntsville.   Anna Katherine and I have found so many shops that we cannot wait to visit.  One of the stars of Ilkley is Betty's Tea Room, a Yorkshire tradition.

In our first few days there are so many surprises.  Learning to drive on a different side of the road must be hard.  Hal has done a great job missing sheep on narrow roads etc. It  has been hard for me to ride on different side as well.  The traffic signs are interesting.  The yellow caution signal appears at both prior to the green light and red light.  Cars begin rolling as soon as the yellow signal appears before the green.    Anna Katherine and I are on foot and depend on bus and train for our transportation so this has been something we have had to remember.  Also,  in American we looked Right, Left, then Right again.  Over here you reverse that otherwise you may get hit by a car.  Signs are different as well.  Exit in train stations are "Way Out."  Yield signs are "Give Way." 

We have travelled through many cities in our journey to find a place to live.  Burley - in -Wharfedale is a quaint lovely village and close to my beloved Ilkley.  By close, I mean the Ilkley bus runs right in front of my house.  I can also get to Otley,  Menston, Guisely, Bradford and Leeds via train and bus.  Otley is the home of Chippendale.  Yes, the same as the furniture.  They is a statue of him in the town of Otley.  Otley has a great Market on Friday and Saturday.  I have visited a man who has frames.   Speaking of which, I will close now as the bus to Otley should be arriving out side my door any minute. 

Cheers!

Karen