1. Bloggers! Send me a sample entry, why you want to blog for this lil’ blog & how often you think you’ll be able to post and I’ll get you hooked up.  This can be an amazing collaborative lil’ blog and help build your blogging portfolio.  Sadly, there’s no cash in it – but hey, that could change one day. 
2. I let it die.  Oh! Death of a blogger – you make me so sad.  I’ve been blogging for 6 years now and hate to see  a blog die a sad & miserable death.  But if I can’t blog with passion, consistency & care – then I figure it’s best to just move on. 
3. Any other ideas?  I’m open!  Please leave your comments here & let me know what you would do if you were in my shoes.  THANKS!

Hey, you're not THAT great...

I love Groupon, the group-discount concept that was really taking off in the States before I left. The idea is that there is a deal (say, dinner for two at a great restaurant for $25 instead of $75). If enough people sign up for the deal, the deal is ON, hence the concept of a group discount or coupon (get it? “Groupon”!). It’s great and the deals really are amazing- sometimes up to 90% off. It’s not only for restaurants, but beauty and spa treatments, lodging, concerts, shops, and more.

So imagine how happy I was when I discovered that Groupon released this concept here in the UK as well. I was (and am) thrilled. So far I’ve gotten discount haircut, movie rental, and eyebrow threading deals, not to mention cheap Express train tickets from Paddington to Heathrow (£6.50!).

Now here’s where the self-promoting comes in. I’m so excited to let you guys know that I am now also blogging for Groupon! It’s great to be able to love a company and get to work with them. I am mostly covering fitness topics, so quite different from the posts I’ve written thus far for this blog.

Hopefully you’ll check out- and follow- my posts (http://blog.groupon.co.uk/author/kristin/), get some helpful fitness tips, and hopefully even find some great deals while you’re there.

Here’s the latest: http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2011/01/19/movies-to-get-you-moving/

Happy savings!!

Why can’t you take a turkey to Church?

Because they use such fowl language!

"'Fowl'...? Me?!?"

OK, sorry. I wouldn’t have busted that out if… well, if I wasn’t getting into the Thanksgiving spirit (and if I didn’t have the sense of humor of a six-year-old). But alas, a bad joke always makes me smile and so does Thanksgiving, even if it’s spent far from home.

Fortunately, being in the UK around American Thanksgiving does not mean a lack of celebration.

• Many restaurants offer Thanksgiving meals (though some sound a little less than traditional). It seems that the majority listed on the web are in London, however…
• Towns such as Plymouth, Devon have big plans throughout the weekend, including a pipes band (playing the American National Anthem nonetheless), and a traditional dinner at The Glassblowing House restaurant.
• The BBC has a Thanksgiving recipe page up on it’s website, for those of you who plan to cook:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/occasions/thanksgiving
• And, Amazon UK is offering Black Friday deals, for those of you who equate Thanksgiving with shopping and bargains!

There will also be a non-denominational service at St. Paul’s, hosted by the American Church in London:

http://london.usembassy.gov/culture/thanksgiving_service.html

Just keep that fowl-mouthed turkey at home.  

According to Time Out London, there will be no official switching-on ceremony, but other sites are mentioning music and a “switching on”. Either way, it’s FREE and there is plenty to see, so check it out…!

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/carnaby-christmas-lights-article-8843.html

As anticipated, there have been quite a few challenges to moving and getting things up-and-running. There are typical moving challenges (i.e., “how did I accumulate so much STUFF?” or “the deposit is HOW much?!”) to the challenge of learning about a whole new country.

A slightly shallow example is TV and Broadband service.

In the States, I must admit that my husband and I may have been the only people still living without cable TV. We don’t spend a lot of time in front of the television, so despite the fact that we ended up being out of touch with certain elements of pop culture (not always a bad thing- Jersey Shore), we just never found it necessary. We also have used mobile phones in lieu of a landline for several years.

London has already changed both of these scenarios. In terms of television, we were quite surprised at the price of a license (required “if you watch or record TV as it’s being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder.”) At the price of £145.50/year, it comes with a bit of sticker shock.

We also turned on our TV to find that we have absolutely NO channels without subscribing to some sort of provider.

Life as a couch potato?

There are free channels, but even they seem to need some type of viewing card. I still need to do some research around this, but as of now, we’ve gone with Sky TV and have way more channels than we need. Deep down, I say, “YaHOO!”

When it comes to phone service, we planned to get new mobiles and call it a day. This has proved to be difficult so far as well. First of all, we want broadband in our flat. The only option I’ve found that will offer this without a BT landline is Virgin Media. They require a contract and from what I can tell so far, having the landline with broadband service will be less expensive. We also can opt for a landline service (again with Sky) that allows unlimited calls to the US, Canada, and 20 other international destinations for £5/ month. (I’ll check this one out and let you all know if there’s any hidden charges!)

In addition, we’ve had trouble getting new mobiles so far based on limited (no) UK credit history. I should’ve prefaced this by saying that we are trying to get iPhones and as they are expensive, the provider wants proof that we can pay the contract. Not easy without a credit history…

I’ve been using a pay-as-you-go, which is fine to some extent, but seems to run out of credit at the worst time!! I think that this problem will correct itself with a bit more leg work, it’s just one of the funny things we didn’t expect…

Anyway, after all of this (plus the delay of getting someone out to set up the TV, the phone, etc.) here I am sending this blog using my new broadband service, which is serviced through my new landline, next to my 10-billion channel TV.

And despite what sounds like a lot of grousing, it feels pretty great!

It just so happens that I got a really interesting Facebook message today from a friend George who just moved back to England after spending (I believe) 16 years in the US. In the name of athletic awareness, I thought it would be worth sharing.

George writes, “Had a meeting with Finley’s (her son’s) new teacher, to find that ‘conkers’ is on the PE curriculum! Gotta love England”
Conkers?!? What the heck is conkers, and why is it part of PE? After a little googling, I found out what conkers is… though I’m still not sure about why it’s considered Physical Education!

It turns out that a conker is the nut of a horse chestnut tree.

Conkers

The game Conkers involves two children (or adults, I guess, if that’s what you’re into) each with a conker that has been threaded with string. In essence, the players take turns hitting each other’s conker. Whoever manages to destroy the other’s conker, wins. There are actually quite a few rules and variations as well…

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/conkers.html

I love the strategies behind choosing a conker!!

And according to Wikipedia, conkers has a “fine history” and it’s still being played in schools, despite the fact that, “In 2004, several schools banned Conkers over concerns that they may cause problems (such as anaphylactic shock) for pupils with nut allergies.”

Don’t worry- it seems that the only symptom is typically a mild rash

Here’s Kristin’s very first blog post for “Canadians & Americans in the UK” blog:

Shopping in London

If you’ve recently relocated to London, chances are you won’t be shopping with much of a budget to speak of (if you’re lucky enough to have a “quid” to your name at all).  Even if budget is limited, London has great shopping options- and even better browsing. Of course, shopping isn’t limited to just clothing- London is also home to amazing food markets, furniture stores, and any other category imaginable!
One of the most fun places to explore is Borough Market.  This food market is home to excellent fresh seafood, meats, produce, artisan-crafted prepared foods, and even cheap lunch! A couple of tips: try the fire-melted raclette with pickle for a decadent lunch and go at Christmas time- it’s positively a page out of Dickens!
Different neighborhoods in London offer very different shopping vibes. Join the well-heeled shoppers of Chelsea on Kings Road for a variety of shops including names familiar to Americans (Anthropologie and Gap) and those with a distinctly British flair (Cath Kidson and Jigsaw). Recommended shops of interest are Bluebird (trend-right mix of designer clothing, tasty restaurant, and spa) and Designer Guild (the print-mixing interiors store filled with modern furniture, wallpaper and bed and bath decor designed by Tricia Guild). These might fall into the “just browsing” category for most of us, but they are great fun nonetheless!

 In Notting Hill, the famous Portobello Road antiques market might be more tourist fun than an antiques- lover’s dream. Regardless, it’s still a cool place to stroll away a Saturday and perhaps pick up a bargain in the meantime. Most vendors, selling anything from jewelry to vintage fly-fishing treasures are willing to haggle… Portobello Road is also lined with storefronts that offer anything from sewing and craft supplies to edgy fashion to home goods. Definitely worth a visit.
It would be easy to go on forever about different neighborhoods that are great in London (Brick Lane in the East End- so cool!), but you know that London is cool- that’s probably why you’re here in the first place. So what about just some recommended stores? 

- M & S (Marks and Spencer)- what you’d expect from a department store, but hipper (is “hipper” a word?), with a great food department. Sticky toffee pudding… Sublime.
- Urban Outfitters- yes, UO exists in Canada and the US, but in London it’s even cooler. They do a great job mixing the funky Urban labels with “boutique labels”… labels like Paul and Joe Sister and Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood, well-selected to compliment the Urban collection.
- Topshop and Topman- this uber-trendy shop has made it’s way to the US, but again, the British version just seems better. Count on having to spend time weeding through the racks- some pieces are cheap (read: trashy) looking, without a cheap price tag. Others are extremely well-priced, spot-on trend, and beautiful. Topshop also boasts a supermodel Kate Moss-designed line.
To even scratch the surface of shopping in London it would take a lifetime of entries, so stayed tuned for more shopping posts. In the meantime, let me know your questions, I’m glad to keep shopping in the name of “research”!

What’s happening this week in London for Canada Day festivities 2010

CANADIAN BLAST! Here’s the rundown:
June 29th:
@ The Union Chapel – CANADIAN TENORS + SUPPORT

June 30th:
@ 229 (big room) – HAWKSLEY WORKMAN + THINK ABOUT LIFE + ELEPHANT STONE
@ 229 (small room) – JULLY BLACK + THE ART OF FRESH + RADIO RADIO
@ The Lexington – PLANTS AND ANIMALS + DAN MANGAN + THE MIGHTY LOW
@ The Wilmington – RUTH MINNIKIN + MAYOR MCCA + MATT EPP
@ Blackheart – GHOSTCAT + DIAMOND RINGS

July 1st:
@ Puregroove – PLANTS AND ANIMALS + ELEPHANT STONE (1PM)
@ Village Underground – RICHIE HAWTIN (Canada Day Special – produced by Shake It from 11PM 5AM)

Full info and tickets here:
http://www.canadianblast.com/Page.asp?PageID=924&SiteNodeID=1443

Canada Day London!

Celebrating its 5th year Canada Day London in Trafalgar Square is shaping up to be a hit. A full day of activities including the annual street hockey tournament, several screenings of the Canadian hit Bon Cop, Bad Cop by The Canadian Cine-Club and of course a full line-up of Canadian music artists throughout the day! There will also be pavillions with Canadian food, and, of course, Tim Hortons will be there serving Ice Capps!

Full info about the day can be found here:

http://www.canadadaylondon.com/

Have fun everyone!  Please send me pictures & videos for me to share your Canada Day in London on this lil blog of mine. 

Also, I’ll be in Seattle on the 4th of July – having a real American time in an American city – a first for me! I’ll be taking loads of pictures of apple pie, picnic blankets & fireworks.  Or at least that’s what I imagine the 4th of July celebrations to be anyway.

In the meantime, please check out Blogmella’s 40 Random Facts About the UK for Americans (and as a Canadian, I can add that this list also helps us folks above the border as well).  She’s funny and so right.

If you like film, and you like Canada, then don’t miss this fun event in the UK.  You are bound to meet other amazing Canadians living in the UK.

Here are the details for the upcoming Banff Mountain Film Festival Events in the UK: