Busy Sunday/Sue's Back

Sunday dawned chilly but bright. After two days spent mostly inside, I was eager for a walk. Without a specific plan, I headed towards the city center. Leicester has a major Indian population, so the streets were decorated for both the upcoming feast of Diwali [in November] and Christmas. Realizing my time in England is winding down, I decided I should have a jacket potato experience. I stopped at Spuds-U-Like, offering a "special" of Coronation Chicken (???). My resolve faltered as I watched the folks queued up ahead of me get their spuds: baked potato with a scoop of cold, canned pork and beans, baked potato with cheese and cole slaw, baked potato with shrimp salad and two slices of lemon. (My first week here I watched an English cooking competition on TV, and one of the judges insisted that lemon never goes with potatoes. I would have to agree...) I made the most innocuous choice possible, cottage cheese and chives. As you can see in the photo, the topping was rather dry and mashed. And there was no butter available. I managed to eat most of it, but I think I'll have my next baked potato back in the States.

On the way home, I couldn't resist stopping in TKMaxx. Same shopping experience, just with a different initial. (Which made me wonder if there's a TFMaxx or whatever elsewhere in the world.) The skies had turned dark by the time I left the store, and soon I was walking through a sleet storm. My first, but certainly not last, white of the sabbatical. Brrr!

Sue returned from two weeks in Syria by late afternoon. Some of the first words out of her mouth were, "The whole country was dry. We're going to the pub tonight. My treat." We had a nice evening, although it was hard to go back out in the cold. I thought with Sue back that the house would warm up, but I was wrong. She turned the thermostat DOWN, and it was 53F in my room this morning. Flashbacks to camping...