Cricket

 Ahhhh, the infamous game of Cricket in England. I will try my best to explain the game as I am lucky enough to have a friend who loves this sport and taught this dense American how to play. Keeping in mind I'm used the rules of the American Baseball--I'll do the best I can to explain and compare the two brilliant games (Mum this is for you, I know you're reading and have always been slightly confused by 20 some guys running amok on the field).  ;-)

Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players. Each team has its own captain, multiple batsmen, multiple bowlers and other players acting as fielders. It is a bat-and-ball game played on a roughly elliptical grass field, in the centre of which is a flat strip, called a pitch. This is where the bowler (Baseball--pitcher) will bowl (pitch) the ball to the other team's striker (baseball--batter). Bowling is definitely I skill I have yet to master. At this point, I'm just trying not to look like an orangutan with my apish arms circulating about my head calling to all other monkeys. (Don't laugh, it takes pure concentration on my part to swing my arms 'round in different directions at the same time--it's like patting your head with one hand and using the other in a circular pattern to rub your tummy--go on then, try it...I know you're going to)...

Got that out of your system now? Okay, continue...your goal is to hit the wicket to gain an out. Wickets are placed on the field--one set behind the bowler and the other behind the striker. Each wicket has three stumps that stand side by side. At the top of the stumps are bails that connect the stumps. A wicket keeper (baseball = catcher) crouches behind the striker with the gloves and waits for the ball to be hit and is the only fielder that has gloves. (In baseball ALL players wear gloves....but then I canna blame them..I wouldn't want to field a 88 mph ball coming at me without protection).

The method of 'batting' is a wee bit different as well...firstly, the "bat" is shorter and flatter than the American Baseball bat and the swing is a cross between a baseball swing and posh golf swing. ;-)

Playing and Scoring

Hit the ball and both the batsmen run to try to reach the opposite popping crease. When both successfully touch, by body or bat, the ground behind the opposite crease, a run is scored. Depending on where the ball is they may try to score another run by running back to the starting popping crease. This must be done before the other team's fielders knocks the bails off the stumps with the cricket ball, which is an out.

 Score six runs by hitting the ball over the boundary without touching the ground. If the ball reaches the boundary and touches the ground in doing so, the batting team is granted four runs. These runs are automatic unless the runners have scored more.There are some extra runs as well. If the bowler oversteps the crease while bowling it is called a 'no ball'. It gives the batting side an extra run and at the same time the ball wont be counted and the only way a batsman can lose his/her wicket on a no ball by getting run out. If the bowler bowls the ball beyond the reach of the batsman in either sides or above his height, it is called a 'wide ball' and will give an extra run to the batting side and the ball won't be counted. End an inning when ten of the batsmen are out, or the score required to meet is reached. Or when the game has just done your head in with all the rules and regulations and you canna keep up anymore--(possibly that's just me). Seriously good fun!

Ya dig?

Today's adventure led to an ancient Roman ruin called Silchester. Ever feel like being an archeologist or playing Indiana Jones? Here's your chance.

The students from the University of Reading are out here all summer long working on their tans and getting free mud make overs whilst digging away at history.

Sleeping policemen

Aha! Now I get it! What American's call speed bumps the Brit's call sleeping policemen. *Slaps forehead*.

It has just occurred to me that one of my first American guests will be arriving in less than a month, so I must prepare (or rather prepare them  for some....differences).

This is one of the first signs I saw upon my return to England, I will admit that here in the street my maturity level dropped to Zero as I snapped this photo after having a good chuckle.

For the record Americans call sleeping policemen, Sleeping policemen and they are usually caught napping in their squad cars. :-P And actually I want to know how this term "sleeping policemen" came about. It's not as though bobbies went about throwing themselves on the ground in order to slow traffic right? So where does it come from???

Always time for tea

My adventures of learning how to live as the English woman I was born into and the American I grew into, perplexed me by just how different these two cultures can be. Take for example, a cup of tea. Easy enough, eh? Not so! Growing up in the States (and yes, Americans will call the USA, "the States", whilst the British will call it "America"--like it's the New world or land of opportunity or something crazy). PS. I'd like to point out at this time that American's have knicked a few things from the Britons whilst trying to claim their independence...for example...they wanted freedom to do what they wanted then why call the new world after the old one? England---> cross the pond---> New England. DOH! Oh, I give up. And don't even get me started on the Boston Tea Party...Right so back to tea....

The English way to make a cuppa tea: First, boil the kettle(even if it's just for one cup--also do not EVER let your British housemates catch you using the microwave to heat the water--they will be appalled--not that I'm speaking from experience or anything), add your milk to the mug, apply tea bag to boiling water, then sugar (if you take it). Remove tea bag (which if you're really posh should be Earl Grey tea or something similar). Stir with spoon and then promptly burn your tongue. Now that's a proper cup o' tea.

However, I grew up on American tea. Which implies you dump some water in a mug add a tea bag, sugar and pop it in the microwave for a minute or so, then remove it and add lemon--no milk. (the milk and lemon lesson I learned on my own--I was trying to have the best of both worlds---aye, the milk curdles--who knew?)

I'm still doing my best to learn what the difference is between my everyday tea and a "high" tea or cream tea. And also why I feel I have to hide my mug in the microwave and 'nuke' it when no one is looking (I mean come on, I'm just trying to save on the electricity bill and can't see putting on the kettle for one little mug). As curious as all this is, my mum gets up religiously every morning and has her tea the "English" way with milk after putting on the kettle and she's lived in the states now for years, so maybe there is hope for me yet.

International Pancakes

Ever wonder why there is a chain restaurant that serves breakfast all day (clearly it's a wonderful idea- but can be awful misleading)? Recently my English housemates wanted American pancakes. I scoffed at the idea... pancakes known around the world--surely they aren't only an "American" food. Then I began to ponder...IHOP. Those chain restaurants you find peppered through out the states, but rarely seen anywhere in Europe. So can they really call themselves the International House of Pancakes? Pancakes are not an international food. Sure in France they use the same ingredients...(less flour i think) and they call them crepes. These are generally eaten with jam spread and rolled up like a burrito (yum another "Mexican/American treat for a later date). So breakfast rules state if it's flat, it's a crepe and if it's fluffy, a pancake and when made with Canadian maple syrup; call it a flapjack. I'm not even going to go into details with traditions of adding blueberries and bananas to the batter for all out other sorts of flapjacks. And as my (very American) brother will tell you, no pancake is better than a chocolate chip pancake with whipped topping!

In case you were wondering just how to make "American" pancakes, I have included the recipe below: (to me though, we don't call them "American pancakes" we just call them pancakes (kind of like Brazilian nuts---in Brazil they just call them nuts..hehe)

American Pancake  aka. Betty Crocker recipe

1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp salad oil or  shortening (aka Lard--all the Brits just scratched their heads puzzled) 
1Tbsp sugar ( here in the UK this gets complicated---find whatever they call the finest ground sugar bits)
1 c. (self rising) flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda (Lord help me if I know if it's called by any other name --sodium bicarbonate--possibly?)

Mix first 3 ingredients well, then add dry ingredients. Batter will thicken upon standing.  Pour batter into  heated skillet or frying pan that has been coated with butter or oil to 'fry' pancake. Flip once and waa lah, you have yourself a flapjack! (If added bananas, smush them into batter and mix before putting in pan--also add blueberries or chocolate chips into batter after mixing all above ingredients). Enjoy! Get creative!

bon appetite!