Julia

This is another one our UK friends that makes our life interesting. Julia is an inmate from cell block C in our building. We met early last year and have had a lot of laughs together. As I was doing my best to learn how to drive, Julia could only offer expert tips of how not to drive. She shared this speed camera picture of her that landed her in court last year. But lucky for her, being a natural blond, the court gave her a one time "Dumb Blond Break" thinking that nobody could be that crazy to drive like that and maybe it was a camera error. You just can't help but love somebody like her!

The Boat Race

This is another one of the many British events that is all about tradition. On March 12, 1829 the University of Cambridge challenged the University of Oxford to a rowing race. Since then it has been an annual event, now viewed by millions. In central London on the Thames River this 4 mile race goes from Putney to Mortlake with up to 350,000 people watching from the banks. After Oxford won the race today, Cambridge has a slight lead of 79 to 75 wins.

UK Driving License

It's now official, I've passed my Practical Driving Test. "YEA". In the last 3 weeks I took about 12 hours of training with a licensed BSM driving Instructor. BSM is the British School of Motoring, and is the largest and oldest driving school in the UK. This morning I was picked up by my instructor and taken to the testing center. The test was done in the same car I trained in with the Examiner in the front and my instructor in the back. My biggest driving headache has always been the roundabouts, as there's no two of them the same. Knowing that the test involved several, I was totally convinced that I wouldn't pass. With only 40% pass rate the first try, I was as nervous as when I took the US test at 16 years old. Since our car has an automatic transmission, I chose to take training with the same. Now my UK license only allows me to drive a car with an automatic. I've been driving on an International license that any licensed driver can get at AAA for $30.00. That is no longer valid but now I'm legal again. So it's a done deal and now I have a license to drive on either side of the road.

Red Nose Day

This has turned into a very popular fundraising event in England. Combined with some comedy and celebrity interaction , this raises funds for fighting poverty at home and abroad. This year several UK celebrities climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain, and were very successful in raising several million pounds for aid to Africa's poor. The total raised so far this year is 59,187,000 pounds. Amazing... The theme this year was to "do something funny for money". We did our part and celebrated here with one of our neighbors Alicia.