I was bummed to find out that I didn't get the job that I wanted (for which I'd interviewed early in the week), but figure that all things happen for a reason. That may just not be the right fit for me. Another one will come along, though let's surely hope soon!To cheer me up, Steve Mafia invited me up to The Tup to join him, South African Anton and Canadian Rob for a drink and the Arsenal/Liverpool game. Anton was already in the spooky Halloween spirit and had morphed into a ghoul during the game. Yay! The holiday was truly upon us...
What better way to celebrate in an old, haunted city like London than to go on a haunted ghost walk? A special walk was scheduled through Wimbledon on Friday, just up the street from my lil' Colliers Wood. Steve said he'd be up for it, so we made plans to meet up at The Prince of Wales pub, which is just across from the tube station and bus stops, as Steve was coming straight from work. They were rather decked out in Halloween decor, and I could feel myself smiling and getting more excited at the prospect of hearing ghostly tales in a few moments' time...
The tour itself was just o.k. It was guided by an American woman wearing a pointy witch hat. Sigh. Somehow, a ghost tour in London just isn't the same when an American is telling the tales. Heck, I felt as though I were home -- and that's not really the point of it, is it?She led us through various streets of Wimbledon, pausing here and there to point out locations (pubs, homes, construction sites) and to provide us with the spooky stories of the ghostly spirits that haunt them.
One, for example, was The Alexandra, a large pub with a wine bar ("Smart Alex") attached in the back. Apparently, the building is haunted by a screaming child that yells out for her mummy. Indeed. That would be an awful haunting to a girl like me...Yikes.
The highlight of the tour was our stop at St. Mary's Church. As we muddled across half-buried
tombstones in the churchyard to get a better look at the estate home nearby, we could smell the wonderfully autumn scent of burning leaves and a creepy male figure leaning against a rake in the firelight. "Wow," I thought, "they really went all out on props for this tour." Um...No. It was actually a caretaker...just standing quite still. He was something out of a Dickensian novel and added to the eerie feel of the evening perfectly. (Not sure you can make him out in the pic, but...meh, it was worth a shot.)
After an hour and a half of trolling around with this large group of 50 or 60 ghost hunters, Steve and I were both hit with a horrible case of ADD and quietly escaped the rest of the tour in lieu of a quiet bite of Italian dinner in Wimbledon Village. Shh...They'll never know we left, we thought, as we scrambled down the footpath in the opposite direction of the tour. (winks)Saturday was my day of days, Halloween. Hooray! Ghouls! Ghosts! Goblins and witches! Ah, how I love it. Steve took me to his sister's and brother-in-law's house (Maz and John) where a group of us could celebrate John's birthday and watch the Arsenal/Tottenham game. Oh, how interesting this game could've been, as I was pulling for
Arsenal (if only because I went to a game once, courtesy of Julian) and Steve was pulling for his Spurs. I'm pleased to report that an argument did not ensue...though Arsenal pulled it off, 3-nil.John and Maz had carved a pumpkin days before and all in the room seemed to question when I'd noted, "No, no -- it's a pumpkin before it's carved, but a jack-o'-lantern after." Let's not go up against an American when it comes to Halloween, particularly this one!
Maz was the hostess-with-the-mostest, making a tasty lunch of roast pig and crackling and John entertained us by passing around the game controls to the group in order to play match-ups of Street Fighter. Hehe...Good times. Now, if you've never had, nor heard of, crackling -- I never had heard of it until last week -- it is the tastiest thing on earth. It's basically the crunchy, chewy skin...or fat...or something. Regardless, it's awesome. Maz served the roast pork with her own homemade applesauce. Oh, the recipes I have yet to learn!
We returned home so that I could take Star out and get ready for the evening. Later on, Steve and I met at the tube station and we continued John's birthday festivities with the group at the Leather Bottle in Earlsfield. What a lovely time! Added to the fact that I was able to break out some of my ol' goth gear of yore (jewelry, black velvet shawl, etc.), it seemed everyone was in the spirit. The pub had lots of Halloween decorations and even the pub staff were in costume, some even wearing those spooky contact lenses that made them look like wolves or vampires...or the undead. All of us 'round the table laughed and smiled all evening long. (As a side note, one of John's longtime friends was there with his girlfriend -- another girl named Andrea. She and I were the only ones that were dressed Halloween-y. Must be something about the name..?)
At one point, I was outside, and when I turned 'round, I saw a guy in a kilt. Hmm. Now there's a pickle. Is he really just Scottish or is he just dressed up for the holiday? Figuring the former, as most folks aren't really into the costume thing here, I wanted to snap a 
stealthy pic. Steve joined me outside a few moments later and I instructed him to stand in line of the kilt-wearer so I could take a pic. "It's too classic not to," I reasoned. Yeah... Then Steve simply took the bull by the horns and just asked the guy if we could take his pic. Um. O.k. That works, too, I guess. We even were able to get a pic of us snapped in return whilst outside, enjoying the relatively warm October-nearly-November air.Back inside the pub, everyone was all smiles, munching on crisps and enjoying their pints. John seemed to full-well enjoy his birthday gathering, and Maz was the hostess-with-the-mostest, having made us lunch that afternoon and then arranging the pub outing for her hubby. Anywho, one can easily tell how happy they are as they donned Frankenstein masks in celebration of the holiday. Aww, aren't they a cute couple of monsters?
After leaving the Leather Bottle, Steve, Tree, and I hopped down to pick up some Chinese take away, which we brought back to Tree's house before calling it a night. Interesting: They don't have egg rolls here, just spring rolls. I think I've yet to see egg rolls on any Chinese menu. The spring rolls are good, but have an earthy taste (no, not quite like dirt). I can't place the spice used, but it's oh-so-familiar...
...Which brings me to tonight's dinner. One of the most fantabulous traditions that this country has is that of its Sunday roasts. Whether eaten in a pub with friends or cooked at home and enjoyed, roasts are the quintessential Sunday meal. Now, it must be said that I fully adore Sunday dinners. I suspect it's a throwback to my own upbringing, as Sunday dinner was always special and time for the family to gather 'round the table.
In keeping with my familial traditions and also adopting those of my borrowed country's, I made a roast this evening. I'd picked up the smallest chunk of beef sirloin I could find, as I worried that Star and I would be eating it until Christmas otherwise. The recipe from my Nintendo DS's "Cooking Guide" game was easy enough: just salt the lil' guy and stick 'im in the oven. Admittedly, I cheated on the Yorkshire puddings and used frozen ones, as I don't have my cupcake tins here, and am not really up for buying moulds. (Note: I do know how to make them! Really!)
I figured I'd need a veggie to go along with my dinner, so I hopped to the convenience store next door to pick up something. There, outside, were the longest, craziest string beans I'd ever seen. Seriously. These puppies were like, a foot and a half long. Meh, as , Ithis experience is all about trying something new picked them up, half afraid they'd be some Asian pepper or otherwise. They were tasty...not quite as crunchy as the string beans with which I'm familiar, but good nonetheless. I love trying new stuff...and I love seeing new stuff. This move has already proven that there's so much more for me to learn. It's actually a really cool feeling. Yay!Up next..? Steve's birthday gathering. Another tradition here that confuses me a bit is that of arranging your own birthday party. That is, if it's your birthday, you're expected to choose the location, date, time, and handle the invites to those who you wish to attend. I guess we're similar in going out like that, but it does seem a bit more formal and organized here. Now the question remains of a gift...sigh...and I am the worst gifter ev-ah...unlike my brother, who can always pick the perfect gift. Wish I could get a quick trans-Atlantic lesson from him right now...(winks)
Heh. You're obviously not a native southerner! Cracklin' is pretty common down here! Not that I eat it being veggie, though! Looks like you are having fun!
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