Christmas

Well this post is long overdue! Apologies for that. The build-up to Christmas at the Grouse & Ale was absolutely manic. We had Christmas parties, which require much more set up and later finishes, on the daily. It's been very tiring, but I've still managed to have a great time and make more special memories over here.

At the start of January my friend Aaron came to London for a night to visit me. He came from Ireland, where he'd been visiting his girlfriend who was doing a university exchange in Limerick. Not long before he came to Europe he'd returned from a 7 month deployment in Iraq with the NZ Army, so it was really nice to see him and hear about what Iraq life had been like (incredibly hot and boring, by the sounds of things!). I met him at Gatwick Airport and we got the train from there to Victoria station, then walked to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and on to Leicester Square where we stopped for a spot of lunch. We went to Jamie's Diner, the american style diner owned by Jamie Oliver. I had the pulled pork with cornbread and coleslaw and Aaron had a basket of roast chicken with chips and coleslaw. Very tasty!!

My lunch at Jamie's Diner, Leicester Square.

While we were there our other friend Ricky, who lives in Bracknell (Ricky is also ex-army so knows Aaron as well) met up with us. It was cool to see how stoked they were to see each other. Once we left the diner we went to the Ripley's Believe it or not museum just across the road. This place was awesome - heaps of weird and wacky displays and you're allowed to touch everything too. There's also a mirror maze, spinning vortex thing to walk through and a lazer maze at the end which was a lot of fun. 

This model of Tower Bridge is made out of TOOTH PICKS! Amazing huh?!

Taking selfies in the mirror maze

Buddies

After that, we all went back to the hostel we were staying at, had showers and then ventured out to Hyde Park for the Winter Wonderland Carnival. I'd been to this the week prior during the day with Ricky, and we'd both said we'd have to come again at night. And I'm so glad we did because it's 1000000x better at night when all the lights are on, everyone is in high spirits, the smell of fresh waffles, bratwurst, and crepes is all around, there's live music playing and all the rides are in full swing (quite literally for some haha). Winter Wonderland has been one of the best things I've seen/done in London so far. It was so much fun. The boys loved it too, and were having a great time playing all the fairground games. An Australian girl I met in Edinburgh, Amelia, was also in London that night so came to join us too. It was nice having a little crew of friends to experience it with. 

The carousel bar - yep that's a bar in a rotating merry-go-round.

Pretty lights, great markets, good times!

The best part of Winter Wonderland, in my opinion, was the Bavarian Village. It's a section that's been done up like a wooden German village. It looked so awesome! Beers are served in steins and at night, as we discovered, a huge hall is erected to replicate the tents at Oktoberfest. There was a stage with live music at the front, then just long lines of tables that everyone was sitting at, and all the drink and food stalls around the rim (but still inside the tent). The four of us went in here and had a few drinks and were just blown away by how busy it was and how awesome the atmosphere was. It was a Wednesday night yet it was packed to capacity. So many people were in Christmas jumpers (which is a BIG thing over here) and it was just such a cool buzz. 

This quick (terrible quality, sorry) video gives you an idea of what it was like inside the Bavarian village hall. 

Aaron gave me this teddy he won in a fairgound game, and this is it on the train back to High Wycombe with me. It was such a pain to carry on the train that I took it into a charity shop in Wycombe so I didn't have to cart it on the bus back to Lane End. I haven't told Aaron yet, hopefully he doesn't mind! I'm sure a little kid would love it more than me anyway, so hopefully it made a nice xmas present for a little one :)

The next day we checked out, went to the train station, had breakfast and then Aaron had to leave to head back to Gatwick for his flight back to Ireland. It was a quick visit but it was so much fun! Cannot wait for more visits from friends and family next year!

I was dreading Christmas day a bit this year because I had to work and I knew it was going to be insanely busy and hard and tiring and all that. But it actually wasn't too bad! We had plenty of staff on and I got to do the bar with Ron which was a nice change. It was stupidly busy but we coped. Apparently we did 150 people. Afterwards, 7 of us stayed on for a Christmas meal. There was Kevin (head chef), Ewan (sous chef who lives-in), Alison (waitress), Carlos Posse (used to work at the G&A and came back to help for the day), Kas (our Lithuanian floor manager), Costin (Romanian dessert chef who lives-in) and myself. Usually the owners Carlos and Joy work on Christmas day and sit down with the staff but this year they were with family because Carlos's brother is very sick with cancer. The meal was delicious! We had carrots, brussel sprouts, roast potatoes, mini bread loaves, stuffed turkey wrapped in bacon, red cabbage, braised beef, pork belly and all the relevant sauces and trimings. It was GREAT. And for dessert we had chocolate mousse in brandy baskets, christmas pudding with brandy sauce, panacotta and cheese. Lovely company as well.

Our dinner spread - not the best lighting but the food was excellent, trust me!

My kiwi friend Biana came in to the pub on Christmas eve and gave me this kiwiana cracker! (Sorry I don't know how to rotate the picture on here). I also got a christmas gift from Costin, Linda and Tamsin and cards from Ian, Sue, Tamsin, Ron, Linda, Jaclyn, Carlos&Joy and Mum &Dad. Mum and Dad also sent me a lovely Christmas present which arrived on Christmas Eve! 

I also had to work boxing day, but only from 11-5pm which wasn't so bad. It was quite busy though! Going to the pub is such a big thing over here, regardless of whether it's Christmas or not. Even on Christmas day we had all the regulars popping in for pints. Not staying as long as usual, but still popping in. Boxing day night Costin and I went round to Linda's home for another Christmas dinner. It was really yummy, we had roast turkey and lamb, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, peas, yorkshires and all the trimmings. Then chocolate cake and cheesecake for dessert! Linda has a beautiful family and their hospitality was so nice. We played UNO and Trivial Pursuit afterwards which was fun.

Even though I've been away from my friends and family this Christmas, and I miss them terribly, it's still been great. I'm so thankful for the friends I've made over here. They're some of the warmest people I've ever met and I feel really blessed to have them in my life. CHEESY I know, but very true.

xx

Linda

I've met some really great people over here in England, but there's one lady who I've made a special bond with. Her name is Linda, and she's a 61-year-old, chain-smoking waitress/dishwasher with a heart of gold and a terrible chocolate addiction. I'm not quite sure why Linda and I became so close, I suppose we just clicked and she was so kind and welcoming towards me from the outset that I think I may have clung to her a bit! But now we call each other 'girlfriend' and go jiving together on Wednesday nights and she comes up to my room to vent to me about various things when I've got the night off, so it's a full-blown friendship, and I'm so grateful. 

I will try and describe Linda. She's a tiny wee woman, about 5'3 or maybe even less, with shoulder length dyed-red hair and zero derriere. Not even kidding, it's pancake flat. What she doesn't have in the rear department she makes up for in the chest region though! She's got skinny wee legs and a deep, raspy smokers' voice. When she works in the kitchen she wears leggings and usually a polka-dot top, and when she's doing front of house she wears a nice black dress and tights. She usually gets a ride in to work with Ron, who works on the bar, and sometimes even comes in when she's not working, just to hang out and have a drink. When I finish my shift on Sunday I usually sit down in the bar and chill out with Linda for a while, sometimes we do a crossword together. And sometimes I'll just sit in the bar and chat with her after I finish my shift on a week night, if she's also been working. 

Linda is even more addicted to chocolate than I am. She and Ron used to work at a gas station and she said they'd both have two double mars bars every day. Now whenever she comes in to work she has at least two chocolate bars in her bag that she gets through and often will bring in a box of malteasers or quality street chocolates that she puts behind the bar for all the staff to share. It's so funny.

Linda is married to a man named Pete, who is a nice chap. He's a bit quiet, but I suppose that probably works quite well because she's not quiet at all. Pete is her second husband. She has three sons, one of whom lives in Oxford, the other two live with her. And she has a daughter as well. And a few grandkids. She has a terrible diet consisting of tea, white bread sandwiches, biscuits, cake, potatoes, chocolate and cigarettes. I've asked her whether she eats any fruit or vegetables and she says she'll eat potatoes and the occasional banana. What about salads, green vegetables and fruit? Nope, she just screws up her nose. 

From our various conversations I've found out that Linda has had a very tough life. She has spent time in prison (I didn't think it appropriate to ask what for) and her oldest son has been in and out of prison for the majority of his life, which has taken a toll on the rest of the family. He's constantly asking her for money and when he seems to be doing well he falls back off track and ends up in prison again. Linda says she's had to distance herself from him a bit, because it's too painful. In addition to this, Linda's first husband beat her. She was in a violent relationship with him for years and tried to leave him a few times, but he managed to hunt her down. He is now dead.

I admire how strong Linda is, and how happy and bright of a person she is, considering all she's been through and had to deal with. She has such an infectious personality, which I love about her. She's the kind of lady you can't help but love. She's blunt and hilarioius. Loud and sometimes obnoxious. But she's so caring. She's made me feel so welcome and gone out of her way to include me in outings with her family, invited me over for dinner, taken me to jive class, given me boy advice and cared for me when I've been under the weather. She is simply a fantastic human.

The lovely Linda in the middle - the grouse girls went out for her birthday last week.

Linda and me taking a break from jiving. Not a great photo of either of us! 

xx

The regulars

The pub culture over here is something else. Pubs are everywhere, and rather than being a place where people go on the odd occasion, or once a week, going to the pub seems to be part of the daily routine of a lot of English people. Well, in my experience anyway.

At The Grouse & Ale we have quite a number of 'regulars' who come into the pub every day. It's quite an eclectic group of individuals, and they all know each other which makes for a nice atmosphere. I thought I'd share a bit about our regulars in this post, to give a better sense of the people I have met during my time at The Grouse.

Wayne and Jannina - Wayne is a short, ruddy-faced blonde man with a really rough English accent. He comes in every day, without fail, and orders a fosters with a dash of lime cordial. The way he speaks is very emotive, he's expressive and always laughing. I think he's a landscaper of some sort. His wife Jannina is also short and blonde, but she always looks like she's sour about something. You never know what to expect from her - whether she'll be in a good mood or whether she'll snap her order at you (which is always a white wine spritzer, soda, no ice). I think she's a teacher. They both smoke like chimneys.

Ollie - Ollie is a lovely 50-something Irish man with a great big bulb of a red nose. He's one of the kindest customers, always saying 'and would you like a drink for yourself, Dale?' when he orders his pint of fosters. He has a son called Dayle, which he told me not long after I started working here. He often brings his gorgeous little brown and white cocker spaniel Georgia in with him (Yep, dogs are allowed in our pub. Actually, dogs are allowed in most places in England. It's weird), who is very well behaved and just sits there watching him the whole time. Sometimes she even gets up and sits on one of the chairs and stares out with her big brown eyes. She's a lovely little dog. And it's clear that Ollie and Georgia are the best of friends because if Ollie passes her lead to someone while he goes to the bathroom, she gets all anxious like 'where is my master gone?!' until he gets back. Ollie reckons the All Blacks are going to win the RWC.

Smed - I have no idea what Smed's real name is, but he's a very friendly little tubby man who works as a builder. He kind of reminds me of one of the 7 dwarves. lol. He always gets a pint of guiness and often brings his dog Willow in with him. Now Willow isn't quite as welcome as Georgia because Willow is a GREAT DANE. She doesn't bark or cause any mischief but she's just so big it's a pain to get around her at times!

Kronenbourg Phil - Phil is a big, bald guy with an even bigger beer-belly who comes in most days for his pints of Kronenbourg. He's about to get married so all we've been hearing about lately is his stag do and the wedding, which half the pub is invited to. I think a lot of the other customers find him irritating, from the looks I've seen them exchange, and the comments I've heard. He's not too bad, but not a favourite of mine.

Marina and Dave - Now this couple is one of my favourites. Marina is a short, fat Irish woman with a blonde bob and a heart of gold. She's so friendly and always greets me by name and calls me darling. She made sure to tell me when she drove past the All Blacks on the M40 the other day too! She's an avid rugby fan - supporting Ireland, of couse, and came in wearing her green Irish rugby jumper the other day when they were playing. She's a gem. Her husband Dave is great too - he tries to copy my accent (terribly) and pokes fun at me, playfully, which is fun. Marina always gets a small chardonnay and Dave gets a fosters.

Graeme and Nicky - I wasn't quite sure about these two at the start, but I've warmed to them. They come off as a bit posh, and apparently they sometimes complain that the music is too loud, or that they can hear the washing machine upstairs, so they are a bit high maintenance. Graeme is a very articulate man in his 60s who gives an air of being very well-to-do and wealthy. Yet he drinks fosters - the cheapest beer! haha. He's friendly enough though, and greets me by name. I don't know what he does for a living but I reckon he's an accountant or something like that. I'll ask Ron. Nicky is a bit quieter but she's also nice and greets me by name now. She drinks strongbow - the cider we have on tap.

Two-pint Steve - This guy is everyone's favourite. He got his nickname because he always comes in for two pints of guiness and two packets of crisps. And he always comes in around 10.30/11pm and stays until closing. He's a decorator by trade and has 2 daughters, and grew up with 3 sisters, so my workmates say he comes in to get away from the women for a bit. He's a really good guy, Steve. I did a couple of closing shifts on my own when another staff member was away and everyone was saying to me 'oh you'll get two-pint coming in around 10.30' so I was very curious about meeting this guy. And, embarassingly, when he did come in, another customer told him I was excited to meet him. lol. But Steve is really nice and easy to talk to. He's very interested in sport so we talk about rugby a bit, and he's always interested in what I've done while I've been over here. Ron and Linda always toy with him and give him grief, but he loves it. He's a bit of a silver fox too - good looking for an older man! haha.

Skels - His name is Dave Skelsey but everyone calls him Skels. He's this super tall, chubby bald man with a very distinctive (and loud) voice. He's a really playful, cheeky guy who always stands at the end of the bar, blocking the staff exit on one side. Sometimes I'll go up to him and say excuse me but he purposly won't move, just to be a pain. It's all in good fun. He drinks fosters too and sometimes brings wifey in with him. She's a riot as well - seriously all she does is laugh when she comes in. You can hear her laughter from a mile away (and from upstairs in my room it's particularly noticeable). They're both lovely people.

Colin - Awwww Colin. He's an old dear that one. Comes in as soon as the pub opens every day for his pint of deuchars IPA. He always says 'Hello Dale' and 'Bye Dale' when he leaves, and gives me a great big smile. His son died about a year ago in a car accident, poor old thing. Ron said he has aged a lot since that happened. He only ever gets one pint, so I think he just comes in for the camaraderie. His son left him some money and when he was alive he wanted to buy his Dad a car, so Colin has honoured that and bought himself a nice new red Kia with the money his son left him. Sometimes Colin orders ham egg and chips, but can't have them without vinegar!

John - Wears a flat-cap and is a terribly heavy smoker (seriously, sooooo many people smoke over here, it's terrible). He's a bit of a seedy old chap, making off-hand comments towards me sometimes. But I know to just ignore him. And he's told me to ignore him! He's only got about two top teeth left. And he's always laughing and picking fun at people, and talking to all the customers that come in, whether or not he knows them!

So I don't have any photos of the regulars, cause that would be weird. But I do have a couple to share..

This is my Romanian workmate Costin, who I talked about in my previous post.

These are some typical English houses in Lane End - always brick and always joined together. Each of the houses in this picture is effectively two houses. 

That's all folks!
xx