My Life in Leicester

I've been in Leicester for a week now. The jetlag has subsided, and I'm settling in nicely. My weekdays are taking on a familiar pattern. After a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and tea, I'm off to the uni, as they say here. My 45-minute walk takes me through neighborhoods, a commercial district, and a lovely park. I spend some time at my desk before lunch, which is typically a sandwich or perhaps soup from the library caf. (I really should break away and go to the many Indian restaurants that surround the campus.) I am enjoying my new colleagues, and I look forward to my first teaching gig next week. I also plan to participate in some student fieldtrips to museums throughout England. By late afternoon, I start my walk home, frequently stopping at a market to pick up a bag of groceries. Although it's officially tea time when I arrive, we tend to forego it at our house. Sue is a member of Weight Watchers, so there are no "bikkies" [treats] in the house, and I am already reaching my limit on tea. (I enjoy a cup or two on a chilly morning, but I've never drunk it throughout the day.) Most evenings, we each make our own dinner. I'm not set up to do a lot of cooking here, so I tend to eat "ready-made" ethnic meals. They come in a great variety--many options I can't get at home--and have a lot of veg. Last evening, for instance, I had a curried sweet potato stew with beans and sweet peppers. Sue has put away her dining table, so we eat on our laps, either in front of the doors overlooking the garden (daytime) or in the living room in front of the fire (evening). She just purchased a flat-screen TV, so she is enjoying watching Beeb (BBC) programs while she reads. I spend a bit of time with her and then retreat to my room to work on my computer. Sue leaves for Syria on Sunday, so I'll be taking care of the home and Milly for a couple weeks. We are currently having a battle of wills with the cat. She will go through both of the cat flaps to go outdoors but refuses to come in the first cat flap on her own (she's fine with the second). She is outside this morning, waiting for assistance. I have sprinkled bikkies inside the problematic flap. We'll see what happens...