Week Eleven

Hello Everyone,

I'm typing this email with Libby snuggled up next to me on the couch. She is such an affectionate dog with a very distinct personality. She'll scoot up next to me and lay her head right in my lap. I made some whole wheat dog biscuits for her and Tess yesterday in the shape of mini Christmas trees. They seem to like them a lot. This was my last full week in Wales. I will be heading to Birmingham by train on Wednesday where I will spend the night in a Bed and Breakfast. My plane leaves out of Birmingham International Airport at 6:30 am. I should arrive in Boston by the early afternoon of the 20th. It sounds like I'm missing a major snowstorm back home; it will be a white Christmas for sure!
This week Phil worked hard on some big two part bottles plus some smaller things. Towards the end of the week his shoulder was really bothering him so he decided to give the larger things a break until after Christmas. On Wednesday, Lynne and I had a girl's day out. We went to Hay-on-Wye which is a great village with tons of bookshops and other small stores. It is very quaint with winding alleys and mossy rooftops. We met up with Pauline who is one of the women Lynne went to NYC with. She is a funny lady. She used to be an actress and worked in tv for a while. She eventually found pottery and still makes things. Pauline's daughter Rachel stopped by with her three year old son and we all had lunch at this great pub that was in a very old building. After we finished eating we wandered around because it was not busy. The upstairs was a large room partitioned into two spaces by a large fireplace. The building caught fire in the early 1900's but they managed to save most of the original beams. It was a lovely place. I had a great time in Hay. I found some good pottery books and bought a few Christmas presents. There was a big old castle in the middle of the village. I could have spent a few days there just looking around.
On the way home we stopped ]to buy a Christmas tree. Lynne bought a small one that was potted. This way, they can plant it when Christmas is over instead of just throwing it away. I liked that idea. We decorated it on Friday. Lynne has a lovely garland with painted eggs she bought in Prague. We hung it above the fireplace and it looks very festive. Lynne hung all the cards they've been getting on the doors.When it gets closer to Christmas day she will put holly and greenery around the fireplace. It is such a great house to decorate this time of year because it is old and rustic.
Phil's new car got delivered on Friday. It is a 2004 model with low mileage and all the bells and whistles. The only problem with it is that the seat does not go back as far as his old one did. Being 6'5" he has trouble getting comfortable in the driver's seat. Besides that it is very good. There was a little lantern parade in town on Friday night but I was feeling a bit ill so I did not go. One of the customers who came to the Christmas Sale invited us to her house for a little pre-Christmas party on Saturday. We carpooled with Pam and Jeremy, the neighbors who have the horses. It was a little awkward as most of the people were new to Lynne and Phil and almost all new to me. Lynne says I must be going a bit stir-crazy being around older people all the time. It is true that I have not met any young people in Rhayader.
We did not stay at the party too late because we had to be home in time to watch The X-Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, the British equivalents of American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. It was the finale for X-Factor where the winner would get chosen. It was between three artists-a brother/sister duo from England called Same Difference, a young man from Scotland named Leon and a young man from Wales named Rhydian. Rhydian clearly had the best singing voice. He never made mistakes, he was dynamic and his voice was very strong. He lives not too far from Lynne and Phil. So it was the three countries versing each other. Regrettably, Leon the Scotsman won. I have to say his voice was often flat and he did not have the same stage presence as Rhydian. I think he got the teeny bopper vote because he was the youngest. Oh well! I don't watch much tv back home but here in Wales I watch quite a bit with Lynne and Phil. Phil has got me hooked on these two soaps called Coronation Street and East Enders. They are on every night except Saturday. Lynne teases Phil and me because we are very loyal about watching them, we hardly ever miss an episode. It was awful when Phil was in hospital and I had no one to watch it with. I don't know what I'll do when I'm home for Christmas and I can't watch them...perhaps Phil can tape them for me. When I return to the states for good I will go back to my sparse tv watching habits.
Tomorrow I am going to learn how to make Christmas pudding. It is a steamed cake with lots of dried fruit and raisins inside. Right before you eat it, you soak it with brandy and light it on fire-a pyromaniac's dessert! Tomorrow night Lynne organized a little get together with their friends to sort of send me off with warm wishes. It should be a nice time. There will be about ten people coming. I did some baking today to get ready for it.
This week the house has thrown some problems our way. The roof was leaking into Lynne's office. Andy the builder who did all the kitchen renovations had to crawl up into the attic through my room to inspect it. After climbing onto the roof he found one of the roof tiles had a hole in it. The next day, the shower stopped working. Andy came by again and discovered the shower pump was broken. I think he will come by tomorrow to put in a new pump. In the meantime I've had to take baths. Its been absolutely horrible having to soak in hot water in a tub that's so big it could qualify as a small swimming pool. I love taking baths. Poor Lynne and Phil; I guess its all part of owning and maintaining a very elderly house. Anyway, I will write again in mid-week to tell you about the rest of my journey.

Take care,
Kari

PS- I only have two words this week

Baubles- Christmas ornaments
Faf- a big elaborate or tedious task