Almost started... packing

Romney, spray tans, and the unemployed

Gordon and I are in good spirits. We will post some holiday snaps (i.e., vacation photographs) later today. In the meantime, we found a great story and headline in the Metro newspaper while eating lunch on the Royal Mile - see below for the photograph I took of the actual newspaper. Admittedly, the original article didn't come with an accompanying image, so I selected an image (a meme?!) that added the most context to the story. Some of the timelessly and telling quotes from the article include: "We want to give people that extra confidence... to give people the incentive to find work", "[i]t will recognise those who are doing their utmost to to find employment by giving them a beauty treatment", and "... sometimes people need to feel and look the part when they are going to a job interview". However, there were some negative reactions to the new scheme. For example: "It's... skills that will secure a job, not how bronzed you are...

The English Lake District

The Lake District National Park is a national park full of approximately 94 lakes , though in typical and peculiar English fashion only one of those lakes is actually called "lake", Thus the Lake District actually consists of a single lake (Bassenthwaite Lake) and dozens of meres, waters, and tarns. Go figure. This is Bowness on Windermere, an example of a lake that is specifically not called a lake. The Lake District requires a lot of input water (rain) to maintain itself, and today the weather obliged. Like the Yorkshire Dales, Lake District farmers have four staple things they grow: grass, sheep, cows, and stone walls. This is a stone wall. Stone walls are an unpredictable crop. They love to make roads look very not-wide and do not play well with cars. These are boats for hire in Bowness for rowing on Windermere. Although Gordon was slightly keen on rowing, there were several reasons to not hire these boats. These reasons included: it wa...

The Gordon has landed

Here is Gordon on the plane. He is wondering why I am taking his photo. Now he knows why. I am sporting my flannel shirt, now known as "layer #2" for the next 11 days. Gordon on the plane The journey to London was almost entirely painless. United Airlines (to London) serves tea with real milk (yes, real actual cow's milk). This was perhaps the highlight of the plane journey. Gordon in Romford And here is Gordon in my parents kitchen. England is treating Gordon well. The cup of tea was ceremoniously attached to his right hand as we passed through passport control at Heathrow. The new appendage will be well used in the next 11 days.

Gordon's Big Trip

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