The Long and Winding Road . . . .

Welcome to our long and winding road! We have been on this new journey for almost 1 month now. Could that be right, seems like we just arrived!  We have help as we make our merry way in merry old England . . . in the form of an Angel sent to us by some very special friends . . . she'll look after us for certain and for her being there we say thank you!

Here's our Angel garding us in our temporary lodgings at night!

Here's the Angel again . . . near that weirdly positioned steering wheel!

As you will recall the day we left the US we were on the edge of a hurricane (amazing weather after 80 degree heat at 8pm on the previous day!) and you can take that both literally and figuratively! Our pilot took a second and third look at the wind and rain conditions before deciding it was safe for us to take off...the last plane out of Philadelphia before they closed the airport. It was a little bumpy going up (OMG) but soon calmed down when we reached flying altitude and we arrived 10 minutes early.

After two days without wheels were we glad to have a Piucasso!

Since then we did a lot of walking through car sales lots and finally came upon a little silvery green Peugeot hatchback that just looked perfect (cost was right as well). We took her for a spin and put her on the list. We returned and took her for a second and longer ride, she put a smile on our faces, she ran well, has ac and a cd player - we managed to get some new tires and a good checking out of her mechanicals and the deal was sealed. Betty was ours to take home! (Her name is Betty so it would be good to remember that for future reference!) She has been owned by two ladies from Wales so her registration was partly in Welsh!

The beauty that is Betty!

As well as feeling pleased with our acquisition of Betty, we've been able to go for the odd walk or two. The other day we went to Congleton Park, a beautiful place even though we say so ourselves. It seems beautifully looked after and the River Dane runs by it and this wonderful feathered friend came to say "hey up!" to us . . . .very cute in its own way!

Very pictureesque!

Duck on the Dane!

 Life in Congleton has been weird for both of us. It's been strange for Linda to readjust to life in a new country and it's been equally strange for Eddie to get used to being back in his homeland after five years in the States. What's helped has been the familiar sight of the pub! English food has a bad rap in the States, yet Linda will tell you don't believe a word of it! Traditional pub food here in Cheshire is delicious.

Chicken and Ham Pie from the De Trafford Arms in Alderley Edge

Of course, no plate of delicious English "pub grub" would be complete without the traditional "pint" to wash it down with. Linda has rediscovered the joys of having a "shandy" (which is beer and fizzy lemonade mixed -very quenching) and Eddie has greeted with glee the sight of pint glasses with words like "Marston's Pedigree" on it!

We promise - it wasn't warm!

On the subject of food, we’ve had ample opportunities to compare and contrast English and American supermarkets. We are, and always will be, big fans of Stop and Shop. So, we were interested to see how its UK counterparts fared. The choice of products offered in places like Tesco isn’t as broad as in the USA, but the quality of the products offered is better. However, we do miss the hand scanners at Stop and Shop – those suckers are really missed! There are no baggers to help you pack your shopping. You have to do it yourself. Also, the cashiers at supermarkets sit down . . . Stop and Shop and Big Y you have been warned!

A wonderful store that needs a little fine tuning from Stop and Shop!

Congleton has a nickname – Beartown. We’ve felt quite at home as the town is festooned with colourful bears wherever you go! It’s like Easthampton has been transported across the pond.

Da bear with Eddie's honey!

One of the main reasons we came back to England was for family. We felt it was time to know our two nephews Arthur and Robin Finney. Another contributory factor was to be close Eddie’s Mum. We had a lovely meal with her at Heath Farm, a family pub in the West Heath part of Congleton, where Eddie grew up. It was nice to chat and have a lovely meal together. 

The two Mrs.Kennedys in Eddie's Life!

Mother and Child Reunion . . .



Uncle Eddie and Arthur

Last weekend, we visited nearby Macclesfield, where Eddie’s sister Bridget, her husband Gareth and their two lovely little lads Arthur and Robin live. We hadn’t seen Arthur since he was three months old, and as you can see, he’s changed quite a bit in three years.  

A Happy Aunty Linda and a smiling Robin

Live sport does play a prominent part in our lives. Whenever we’ve been able to go to a game, we go. After the delights of seeing Manchester United live in Foxborough seeing Congleton Town play Runcorn Town at Booth Street certainly was a change in surroundings and a culture shock but great nonetheless! If you want to read more about that adventure, check out Eddie’s blog www.motdusaway.blogspot.com

On the subject of sport, we’ve bought a digital radio. This allows us to listen to more stations than we would be normally able to listen to. One such station is called BBC Five Live Sports Extra. Why do we mention this? This wonderful station covers the NFL! We were tucked up in bed last Sunday night listening to Tom Brady and the boys working their magic!

This trip has not been one big vacation. We’ve devoted a lot of time to Eddie’s job search. On Tuesday of this week we went to Manchester, our favourite city in England, so Eddie could be interviewed by a recruitment agency. We drove into Manchester, as we know the area pretty well, with us having visited the city together many times and also due to the fact that Eddie worked there once upon a time and also our favourite football team plays there! We parked at Old Trafford Cricket ground (where we stayed once in 2005): it's about 1/2 a mile from Old Trafford football ground.

Old Trafford Cricket Ground - home of the Champions!

Old Trafford Lodge - our homefor a week in 2005!

There is a position that the Recruitment Agency  are seeking for Eddie. It's working in a Customer Service role for the Automobile Association. It all seemed positive, so fingers crossed! Eddie is also due to be interviewed by an Insurance company, Direct Line, shortly.

Before we left hot and humid Hatfield for chilly Congleton, we mailed several boxes full of our clothing and memorabilia. As yet, we’re still waiting for one box – the one with all the sweaters in!

It really is weird that a month has gone since we left the USA; slowly but surely we are adjusting to life in England, and we look forward to sharing our adventures with you.

Miss you all and hope you will keep in touch with us as well,



Serenity Now,

Linda and Eddie