It's official...

Apparently I have a Saucy Blog!

What an honour, thank you and a big welcome to my home to the SITSta's. Not sure what I'm on about, then click above or on the pink 'The Secret is the Sauce' button on the left.

This blog is all about a Brit' living an unlikely life in rural Okieland!

Exiled!

Cal-Jo's crime?

She was caught jumping down from the top of that 6ft fence around the garden on Friday night. It appears she had been for an off-limits wander of the neighbourhood and so for the time being her outdoors time is somewhat restricted!

Feel no pity, she has a huge garden to run in, but decided to roll the dice with the strays and highway instead!

They do have their uses ;-)

Clean Sweep

This weekend I will be cleaning house ALOT. Work has just been so busy this past month, I am ashamed to say I have let things seriously slide at home.

Now I am not a lover of housework, unlike my mum who seems to have a special gene that makes her love cleaning. That's not to say my home is ever dirty, but it get very untidy at times and this is just such a time.

Mid-week I did have this wonderful plan of cleaning a room each night after work. The first night I did the main bathroom, that was Tuesday and here I am at Saturday with no further progress. I mean it is a great plan, get my whole house done one room at a time each day and keep cycling it, then my home is always clean and tidy.

One slight problem, this means I clean everyday and reality tells me that ain't ever going to go over longterm!

So today will be a cleaning day with my trusty friend my Dyson DC15 Ball. Yesterday our school cleaner called me just to say "Sarah I got my new vacuum and I LOVE IT! I mean I really LOVE IT!" A little later I bumped into her hoovering a classroom and guess what she had - a Dyson. I told her immediately I totally understood her need to call having been a Dyson girl for 10 years myself. I think her hubster will be hearing about the work Dyson regularly until she has one at home.

It broke my heart to leave my first one in England, and what with a new house etc, it was a year before we could afford my new one. The hubster could still relate how happy I was the day the Dyson arrived and my rapturing for weeks after I cleaned. He is also now a Dyson convert, having initially thought they were over-priced.

They just get so much more dirt up and if you have pets as we do, I really think you're missing out if you don't have a Dyson. That first time we used it here, the amount of hair it got up was scary considering we swept every week before!

So I am off to clean, whilst the hubster is going be doing the male equivalent and change the oil in our vehicles!

Role playing at work!

Every morning at work I get to pretend I am one of the stars of my all time favourite movie, Grease.

You see after the bell goes each morning, our Principal calls me from the gym and asks me to play our school song down my phone and across the intercom system. Then all the kiddo's get to sing-a-long to the song as I sit there alone in my office humming along (very quietly) and tapping my foot.

Without fail everyday an image of Blanche the school secretary in Grease pops into my head, with the 50's equivalent - a xylophone playing across Rydell High's intercom and campus!

So far I haven't got a little carried away with enthusiasm like Blanche did, but y'all never know, one day they may get a surprise ending ;-)

Skywatch Friday

I decided it's about time I joined in the fun of Skywatch Friday, especially with my sky and cloud obsession.

So here's my first offering, a beautiful wispy cloud as night falls over Okieland. If you'd like to join in go to the Skywatch official site.

Here's where I USED to work!

Aren't our bloggy friends just the best - be warned, I am about to ramble at great length!

Yesterday Dabrah a fellow Brit' who blogs from across the pond, shared piccies from her recent visit to Eton & Windsor. First I have to credit her with the photo above and then I urge you to go and see her other Windsor piccies, you'll love them.

So I worked in Windsor for many years, right next to the river and the bridge between Eton and Windsor. That building above on the left with the blue awnings, is an extremely posh restaurant that I used to frequent with my clients for lunch. They were always impressed by the riverside setting and wonderful view of the castle.

The building I worked in was just over the bridge on the left, I can actually see it's slightly higher roof in front of the castle. We were directly opposite the smartest hotel in town, The Christopher and during Ascot week we would have a great view of all the wealthy patrons heading to the course all togged up in big hats and stunning frocks.

I was a Customer Service Manager for a corporate relocation company, basically we arranged for large relocating business' employees to sell their old homes fast and move to the new location. I started off as part of the customer service team and after a few years, ran my own team with our own big clients, like The Post Office, British Airways, Eastern Electricity. It was a great job, a young vibrant company and in a fabulous location.

The benefits of working in Windsor were numerous. Fabulous historic and natural beauty all around me everyday. The castle literally towered over our building and we had a balcony on the top floor with stunning views across to it. I was a stones throw from the Eton River and got to watch boats and swans drift past and coxless rowers from Eton practicing, as I ate my sandwich on the riverbank at noon. We would have regular 'Riverboat Shuffles' from work, when we would hire a big open boat for a party with music after work on the river - fun days.


We had the town centre of Windsor a short but steep climb up the hill, with an excess of great department and independant stores to while away a lunch hour. There was always somewhere great to go for lunch with work colleagues, or friends visiting the town who would meet me for lunch.

Across the bridge I could escape into the 'olde world' charm of Eton's narrow winding main street, with it's wonderful choice of antique shops, artists and pubs. The Eton schoolboys were on lunch at the same time, and they would stride past in their tail-coats and top hats. A few times a young Prince William walked past me with friends and twice I passed him alone, exchanging a smile.

The day Windsor Castle caught fire our office was at the centre of it all in 1992. One of my collegues had a very well-known newscaster father working for the BBC. The very first interview about the fire was given by Andrew down the phone to his father and we watched it in a newsflash. The rest of that day was surreal, I have never heard so many emergency sirens going on for so many hours, I think eventually there were over 100 fire engines present.

The fire was on our side of the castle and we all watched in shock, sadness and horror as the fire spread gradually lighting up the windows as we watched. It was so odd to stand in our boardroom watching all the news on the big TV and then look across the street and see history happening in front of us. Later that night I actually drove my then husband back to Windsor and we stood in the park opposite in awe of the sight before us. It's hard to put into words how much that day affected me, seeing a building I loved and our history burning uncontrolled for hours.

I walked straight past Prince Philip one day in a narrow street by the castle and got to go out and wave a flag during the Garter ceremony, as the Queen went past in her carriage.

Of course then there were the summer days when every trip into town was a nightmare as I fought the throngs of Japanese and American (sorry!) tourists blocking the pavement as they took piccies. Many times I was called upon to take a picture and give directions.

But there's just something very special about working in the shadow of one of your country's greatest and best-loved sights. It was one of the very first places I took the hubster to see on his visit to England. He loved it and was just in awe of the castle and it's surroundings, and it was great fun to introduce him to my favourite old work stomping grounds. Plus my stories mean't I could give him an insiders insight into his surroundings.

I have to say the scenery has never been quite so inspiring, from anywhere else I have worked since!

Really trying

....yup I am 'home alone' well not counting the excellent feline company and I am actually CHOOSING to watch American Football!! The Redskins vs The Giants, no clue where they're from but they must be big to be on Primetime.

So I am really seriously trying to understand and get into this sport now, even if I have no clue what's going on! ;-)

Okay, so maybe I AM a little quirky!?

Thanks to fellow Brit' Brenda at Butlers Abroad for tagging me for this fun and different meme.

These are the rules,
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Mention the rules.
3) Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself.
4) Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.

I asked the hubster for his input on these and he initially left the room without comment, not sure what that tells you!

1) I have always worn my wristwatch on my right arm and I am right-handed. I can't tell you why, it just makes sense to me and I have always got lots of comments about it and rarely met anyone else who does this.

2) I eat everything on my plate one thing at a time until finished, before moving on to the next thing. The hubster still shakes his head in disbelief everytime we have a MacDonald's and I eat all my fries first! I wonder if any of our teachers have noticed this yet?

3) I have a wierd thing going on with the number 4. All my life if I can do anything times 4 then I will always take that option. I line things up in 4's, count in 4's, it's just my favourite number.

4) I never set my alarms on my clock, wrist watch etc...exactly on the hour or obvious times, like 15 past. My alarms are always set for 12 minutes, 18 minutes past or to etc!

5) I absolutely hate odd numbers - if the hubster kisses me I have to have an even number. If he refuses, which he does just to drive me nuts, I will literally chase him around until he gives in, or sulk! I JUST realised our house # is 103!! But actually that's great as 1+0+3=4 ;-)

6) I have always drunk some water just before I get into bed, then I have to get up at least a couple of times a night to pee. But each time I return to bed I will have another drink of water, I just can't stop myself. I am always worrying I won't have access to a drink of water and carry a bottle with me at all times - I make sure I drink 70 ounces a day. My theory = in a past life I was stranded somewhere without water and maybe died from dehydration, so my sub-conscious is making me do it as a survival instinct!

And there I was thinking I would struggle to think of six quirky things I do, I think I'll quit now before you all know I'm nuts for sure!

So who do I think has 6 quirky things going on:

Rhea quirks galore I suspect!
Pam no doubt, having spent hours together!
Roland a fellow wacky Brit' so say no more!
Daryl a very quirky New Yorker
AFF may even have me beat I suspect!
Stevyn a fellow Brit' who admits to being odd

The woman has taste...

Well we were very impressed with her speech. But the moment I knew she had me came later, when I visited Roland and spotted that not only do we share the same name....but more importantly we share the same taste in GORGEOUS snowboots!

Any woman who has this much class, style and is only a lipstick application away from being a pit-bull (her own words) - might even have got my vote had I been eligible!

Not such a bright spark!

That would be a reference to myself! I thought I'd share with you one of my extremely blonde moments from last winter.

I am a big fan of candles and have them all over the house. On cold winter nights I love to light my candles and enjoy their scent and glow.

On just such a night I thought I would introduce a little romance into our bedroom by lighting the candles in there, before the hubster headed into bed. The hubster was relaxing in the sitting room watching TV, as I set off with my candle lighter into our bedroom.

The lights were off, but I was confident I knew where the lavendar candle was on the hubsters bedside table. So in I headed flicking on the lighter as I headed for the candle and then lowering it into the candle to light it.

Huge mistake - I had unwittingly forgotten I had removed the candle and replaced it with one of those squat square boxes of kleenex. So imagine my SHOCK, closely followed by HORROR as the kleenex sticking out of the box catches light and immediately starts to burn.

What was my immediate reaction - well just what any blonde would do....I BLEW ON IT OF COURSE!!

WHOOSH the flames leapt and then disappeared down into the body of the kleenex box as I screamed "FIRE" at the top of my voice.

I did the only thing I knew to do....I grabbed the box, which was only alight inside and ran for the front door (directly outside our room), yet again YELLING - "FIRE"!!

I yanked the door open and threw the fully alight box out onto the front lawn, as the hubster came loping casually out of the sitting room, asking "where's the fire"?

I won't repeat the various expletives I tossed in his direction as I pointed to the flames on our front lawn and asked where the hell he'd been as I yelled fire repeatedly??!! "I thought you mean't outside, like the neighbours or something, not our bloody house - WHAT DID YOU DO??!"

Of course then I had to explain how I'd been wandering around the bedroom waving a live flame in the general direction of our possessions.

As I said - not my greatest moment ever!

The Purrrfect Life!

My secret obsession

The dramatic huge Oklahoma skies but especially the clouds, the hubster will confirm I am constantly snapping clouds these days!

Often we are too busy rushing about our daily lives to appreciate the beauty forming above us....take the time to look heavenward today.

My education starts here!

With the start of September comes my renewed campaign to understand and take seriously the sport of American Football.

You see I now work for the school with the Class C State Champions for 5 years running, so I have to learn to love this sport! This weekend I invested in an 'Indians' supporters magnetic badge for my Mazda and right now I am watching College football on ESPN. I'm really trying people!

Let me explain why it's so hard for a Brit' to love this sport in one word - RUGBY! You see our rugby players don't need all that padding and all those breaks during the game. It's just full on all out war for 40 minutes, with rare stoppages and constant brutal action. We Brit's just like our sport a bit more bloody!

But enough - I am beginning to see all hope is not lost. There are some definite similarities in the games, enough that I am beginning to get an idea of what the devils going on. I am trying to look past all the padding and see the athletes underneath, I am appreciating the catching skills a little more and the finesse of the plays. Ladies I have also noted how cute their buts look with a little padding! ;-)

As they say - I have the team, the shirt, the bumper sticker and now all I need is the knowledge and finally the passion.

So help me out if you're a football fan and share the important/interesting things I need to know to love this sport?

I have 25 days and counting to our first home game.