more house pictures

Since the last blog I figured I would put up pictures of other things that make the house old, besides the fact that this is an old Victorian home.

This is the sink for the downstairs bathroom (a pretty rare thing for a Victorian home to have, 2 bathrooms). I like the design, it's pretty.

The door window has a pretty etching.

Yes the washer is in the kitchen and it is small.

This is the water heater.

This is the bathroom doorknob and lock. The lock doesn't work and yes that is a bobby pin that is keeping the knob together.

Kitchen sink. I told my roommate Rachel that we have two sinks in the USA and she says, "Why do you need two sinks?" Why don't you need to sinks? English people do not rinse the soap off the dishes after they washed them. Gross!

This is the upstairs bathroom sink. It looks exactly like the bathroom sink in my Grandpa and Grandma Riding's house, which was built in the 1930's. It's time to upgrade.

This is the shower water heater. Don't ask how it works, I've read the instruction manual and it made me more confused. Anybody seen one of these before?

Yep that is a radiator! Not only that, but my landload calls this central heating.

Friday night Dave and I babysat for our friend's kids. One of them was sick, therefore Dave and I got sick. Saturday was bad for me and today is Dave's bad day. Since my roommates refuse to turn the heat on, I had Dave pick me up so I could stay warm at his flat. So I took a picture of his tv. Another example of "boys and their toys".

oven/stove

I had to buy matches to start the oven and stove. My Mom says her Grandma Amy had one of these. One of the drawbacks of living in England, they are behind in technology. They still use radiators to heat houses. About 2% of the population has a dishwasher, Dave doesn't even know how to load one. Most people still hang their clothes up to dry instead of using a dryer. #1 reason I am not staying in this country after I graduate.

I like this quote

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain-

Day Trips Saturday Peak District

Saturday Peak District

Dave had to sleep on the air mattress in the playroom, it was funny when I made the kids go in and wake him up. It was like being at my brother’s house with kids waking up early to play before breakfast. After breakfast we headed to Hathersage. I had found online a walk that covered the Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen and Little John sites. Unfortunately Dave’s ankle was bugging him, so we just walked up and down main street, which has the George Inn where Charlotte Bronte used the pub owner’s name, Morton, in Jane Erye.

A look up the main street in Hathersage.

Street sign in Hathersage. They actually have a swimming pool, there's not too many of them here in England.

We were in time to go to the Farmer's Market, but they are not the same as in the US.

We didn't stay for the show, but we will have to come back next year.

Which way? Hathersage or Eyam?

After that we went to Eyam. When the plague came to England in 1665 the town of Eyam was wiped out except a few. I saw a PBS special about this town and a genetic mutation the survivors had. They happened to have a town festival and it was busy, so we didn’t stop we just drove through and took pictures.

They had floats and everything.

I think the Peak District is my favorite place in England so far. Now I know why the Brontë’s and Jane Austen wrote about it!

We have more adventures planned, Dave wants to go to Paris in October.

Day Trips Friday Nottingham

Friday Nottingham

Driving into town we drove by this big factory. I've never been this close up before, so I took a picture.

So we have been meeting Dave’s friends, now it is time to meet mine. Karen and Duane. Karen was the first person I taught the gospel to in South Africa that got baptized. She was already dating Duane (my Mission President’s nephew), so a few months later they got married and now they have four kids and live in Nottingham. They took us to Rufford Abbey, which has some pretty walks and playground for kids. Then we went to dinner with Karen and Duane and Dave’s friends, Ross and Katie. We went to an American style diner close to Ross and Katie’s house. Since Karen and Duane have two cats and I am allergic we stayed with Ross and Katie.

Wandering though the forest.

Finally got a good picture of Dave.

The red head on the left is the boys friend, because red is not Karen's natural color.

The boys bugging Karen while she is trying to take a picture.

Aren't we cute? :)