reflections &c.

:: I was at a charity shop recently looking for bowls (we had none) and trying to find more cheap english china when I caught a glimpse of this lovely antique fisheye mirror for only £5. I wasn't going to buy it because it is big and heavy and unnecessary and I was on my bike. Well, I found a set of really cheap bowls but I couldn't use my credit card unless I spent more than £5 so I HAD to buy something else to put me over (we still had no way of getting cash so it was the credit card or nothing). I spent over a half an hour trying to find something else in the shop that was small and useful but I couldnt find ANYTHING. So I had no choice but to buy the mirror! I told the guy that I had no idea how I was going to bike home with it, but that I would figure something out AND I DID! I used the belt from my sweater and tied it through the handles on a big reusable grocery shopping bag making a big loop, then hung it over my shoulder and biked home! Now the big wall in our flat isn't so barren - and I can keep an eye on brandon without his knowing it.

This situation reminded me of the time I fixed my car with the belt from a sweater. Sweaters are like duct tape apparently.

:: We FINALLY succeeded in transferring money from our US to British bank account this week! We have had a bit of trouble doing so, including having a check rejected and sent back to us with no explanation. For nearly a month now we have had no way of getting cash (except when Alissa and Jonathan took some out for us - thanks guys!) and every time we logged in to our British account online to see if the money had gone through we saw the word "NIL." That's right, it said NIL, how insulting is that?

:: In church today we sang the Mr. Bean "Alleluiah" song from the episode where he was in church! I could not help but crack up through most of it, especially near the end when the congregation actually messed up the Alleluiahs a lot like Mr. Bean did. :)

:: This week I learned how to knit.

I started going to a craft group for newcomers and visiting scholars with Jill and Philly on thursday mornings. A nice British woman is teaching us how to knit. I completely failed the first time, but this week I think I got it! I think I can say I learned how to knit.