First off, I don't know if this is an England thing, a winter thing, or just something random, but it's been REALLY windy here for the past few days. Like so windy I wonder if my windows will hold up. Since half my wall space is windows, they better. I blame the wind for my lack of doing much of anything yesterday (except a walk with Bambi on the bike path)...was going to go into town, but didn't feel like trekking around with heavy bags and getting bits of dirt blown in my eyes.
Today I had no choice, I had to go into Norwich to get food. My friend Pascoe came with me (always nice to bring a friend along on outings), and we ended up doing some pretty cool stuff. First we went into the mall to find a pharmacy (had to pick up something I forgot to take with me on the plane), then sampled some fudge at a nearby table. Got a small bag of chocolate fudge, and I have to say it was exquisitely chewy and delicious. I like the US variety of peanut butter chocolate though. Next we stopped at a church in the center of town (I thought it looked cool) and we went inside.
I'm an atheist who loves going into churches to look at the grand architecture and decorations. While I was busy looking up at he arches and stained glass windows, Pascoe was staring at the floor. Wondering what he found so interesting down there, I glanced down to see we were standing on, and surrounded by, polished gravestones. The entire floor of the church was covered with them! Not being used to graves inside, I felt a bit uneasy, kind of like I was invading dead people's personal space. How deep down were they buried anyway? The few Pascoe read out to me were from the 1700's, these people had been here a long time. There was one stone which listed a father, mother and son. The father, a confectionery baker, died in his 70's (very old for the time), his wife died in her 50's (that's more like it, back then you were an old maid after you turned 30), and the son died when he was 20. We joked that he ate too many of his father's creations. I doubt many people were obese back then, but diabetes was most likely around.
Here are some pics from the inside of the church (no gravestones)
We then decided to go to the outdoor market; to be honest going anywhere that didn't involve stepping on dead people would have been fine with me at that point. Looked at the fruit and veg vendors first, then moved on to the butchers. What an interesting selection! Since I am in meat and potatoes land, I thought I'd get adventurous with my purchases. I walked away with: 4 Italian sausages (familiar, get those at home all the time), pork chops (again, familiar), a couple pigeon breasts (come on, a New Yorker has to try it at least once), and 4 duck and venison sausages (whoa...it was too strange NOT to pass up).
Pascoe and I parted ways at the bus stop, I had to continue on to the grocery store. Went to Morrisson's and enlisted the help of a nice elderly chap from the customer service desk to help me find things. We took a basket (if I had a cart I would get carried away and not be able to get it all home) and picked up everything I needed. When you're blind/visually impaired it is really nice to have someone who a. can see the things and b. knows where in the store they can be found, help you get your shopping done. It took so little time and effort, better than shopping online because you can see exactly which fruits and vegetables you're getting.
Got back to the dorm and made the chicken soup I was raving about in a previous post again. Came out even better this time, although I did add too much pasta.
Went upstairs and called my friends John and Ewelina. They're puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes who just gave their puppy named Breezy back to the school yesterday so she could complete formal guide dog training. Even though they're first time raisers, these guys really know they're stuff. Breezy is an excellent dog, and I feel extra confident that she will make a fantastic guide dog. Learned that they got a new puppy just a few hours after dropping Breezy off, this new girl is named Gucci (how classy). She's black like Breezy and Bambi, so it's hard to tell them apart unless you get real up close and personal with them, and learn to identify them "the blind way" by touch. Dogs have many features which makes each one different. Head shape is one, as well as, fur type, tail shape, collar worn, and types of tags. I can't wait to meet Gucci and to attend Breezy's graduation!
Special note to John and Ewelina: STOP PAYING FOR THINGS! This is turning out to be a very expensive friendship (for you), and I feel guilty that you never let me pay for anything. Next time we'll use up my international minutes. Spend your money on your new bundle of fluff, she needs twice as many toys as her college bound sister. : )
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