Red Nose Day Comic Relief

A few weeks ago when I shopped at my local supermarket, I noticed that they were selling red noses. I realised that it was time for the Red Nose Day Comic Relief. It happened on 15 March this year.

The fundraising show transmits one night in March on BBC channels. They normally show a series of comic sketches and encourage people to donate. Some British people would do something unusual or funny to ask for the donation, for example, some schools allow students to wear something red on the day, some wear the red noses and dance on the street. My colleagues took this opportunity to organise a cake sale.

I do bake, but compare to my colleagues, they are better and create much more interesting cakes. So, I did what I do best - donated and 'helped' to eat them! :P

Some cakes had the red nose or comic relief symbol to remind us the reason of the cake sale. I took some cakes and ate it at my desk. We raised £150, which was great!

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Snowing!

Got up at 07:55 this morning. Opened a blind and found that everywhere was covered with the white stuff. I immediately went onto my work website and found a message: 'Due to severe weather, we are closed today'. It was so good that I didn't need to go to work!

Compare to northern European countries, Britain has less snow fall. Statistically, Bristol is one of the UK cities which doesn't have much snow. It is mainly to do with the location and geography. As I was already awoke, my husband and I went out for a walk and enjoyed the snow.

When arriving at a park, there were many families busy making the snowmen, or having fun with the sleigh rides. As for me, I preferred to have a snow fight, so I threw a lump of snow to my husband instead. The snow fight made me laugh out loud again.

Because I suddenly had an extra day off, I sorted out my staff at home after the walk and packed my luggage ready for my skiing trip to France tomorrow. I nearly didn't have time to make a snowman. But I managed to make a little one at the evening, who is guarding my house now.

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The UK Christmas Dinner

Since I have lived in the UK, I noticed that the Christmas period is a bit like the Chinese New Year: instead of red pocket money, people exchange gifts. They also eat a vast amount of food which you don't normally do at any other time. Nowadays, I visit my husband's family for Christmas. My sister-in-law used to cook turkey for Christmas. However this time, when she took out the bird from the oven, I thought: what is that?

She had decided to get something different: a 'three bird roast' instead, which consisted of goose on the outside, pheasant in the middle, and chicken innermost. Comparing to the traditional turkey, this was much more interesting and it tasted really good!

Vegetables are always part of the meal. Roast potato is a must, but she had also made some mash potato, roasted parsnips, boiled Brussels sprouts and red cabbage... Even if you are a meat lover, you would be attracted by the colourful veg in front of you.

In my husband's family, we normally pull the Christmas crackers just before the meal. Whoever gets the larger portion of the cracker is the winner. Then we wear the paper hat, read the jokes and study the contents inside, it is usually a small toy.

Oh, I've nearly forgotten to mention that British people open their Christmas gifts on 25th, not on  Boxing Day (26th). I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year, see you next year!

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Different Kind of Fruit Tea

Last month, I talked about English people with their tea. However, I don't follow this tradition. It's because tea has caffeine. I won't be able to go to sleep after. Whenever I stay at a B&B, or when my friends or colleagues buy me a drink, I don't know what to get. If I know the person well, I may ask for the hot chocolate and feel a bit embarrassed. But if the B&B doesn't provide my favourite hot drink, or I don't really know the person, I may end up having water instead. 

I remember there was a time I used to drink mint tea. I discovered it has caffeine, so I didn't bother drinking any kind of tea. Until last year, my friend came to visit me in the UK. She bought many souvenirs for her colleagues, especially fruit tea. I started drinking it because it doesn't have caffeine. I normally buy Twinings. It is because there are many different type of favour available. The most unusual one is Cranberry & Sanguinello Orange. It tastes like a kind of fruity soft drink without gas. Also, it is hot, not cold. Very interesting indeed.

Nowadays, when people offer me a drink, I have an extra choice of beverage.

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