British Slang

I've always been totally lost listening to Brits speak.. When I worked in Spain for a summer 4 years ago it was me and all Brits at first I had no idea what they were talking about. Every word was different. Their slang is quite something. Nothing sounds remotely close to what its suppose to be.
After living in England, many British friends and 1 boyfriend later I finally get about 30% of what they are saying..

This article on Buzzfeed has a few of their slang words.. Buzz Feed

Some weird ones

 

Butchers - take a look  Ex: Take a butchers at ...

                Chinese Whispers - When a story gets changed from person to person

   http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml

A summer crayfish dinner

 

AKA kräftskiva. The girls and I had a Crayfish dinner in the very back of my property. It's always a fun dinner, loads of Crayfish, quiche, strong cheese, potato's, fresh bread and snaps!   The crayfish is usually boiled in beer, dill, salt and sugar.  The first contact with these little guys is sucking their salty belly, then eating their claws and tails.  Its a fun way to eat and celebrate summer.

 

 

 

 

Britt does not look too sure about these guys

 

Location: Vernon BC

Photo: Heather Walmsley

Date: Monday August 19, 2014 

 

 

Long Lives Vang Vieng

Lauren and I paying close attention to the front of the bus and the curving mountain road we were flying up on. We were riding a local Laos bus en route of Vang Vieng, the acclaimed backpackers paradise. 

We heard such great stories of this village that was situated along side beautiful Karst Limestone Mountains that tower over The Nam Song river . What did all the young people come to Vang Vieng for? Well, to get liquored at 9 am while riding in black rubber tubes down the river. Locals were pulling us into bars by long bamboo poles along side the river. Lauren and I grabbed on to each and every one of those long bamboo poles and headed in for a bucket or two! A bucket?  Yes a sand castle bucket, usually a bright yellow, blue, orange or what ever colour that bucket may be at that time in the morning.  Filled with 1 red bull, 1 coke and a mickey of whiskey! Ouch... I was mostly seeing buckets on my journey through South East Asia. The River ride would maybe be half hour but getting out at ever bar and attending the notorious mud wrestling parties it could take you up to 3 or 4 hours.

When we were not riding down the river we would relax in one of the many restaurants with Thai Coushins laid out on the floor while eating amazing food costing us $2 or $3 and watching the Friends sitcom episodes play over and over.

During evening time the night life was centered around a few different bars along the river, screaming some kind of techno music.
We were just 22 years young and enjoying the time of our lives and spent it well, we both knew when we came home to Canada there would be no 9 am buckets of whiskey waiting for us along side a river back dropped with beautiful Laotian mountains.

Our first bucket of the morning

I learned in the last few years that this town has stopped the river float, torn all the bars down and has not advertised for backpackers no longer. Their was 22 young people that drowned in the river in 2011.  After that with all the drugs and heavy drinking, the government felt that the Laos culture was at state in this beautiful little town.  Tourist were coming to Vang Vieng for the wrong reasons.  Not to enjoy the culture and beautiful bliss of the village, but to drink, take drugs and float down a river aimlessly.

I am sure glad that Lauren and I got to experience it some time ago now.  Even though I saw the danger and that maybe it was not the most responsible thing to do in such a lovely place, I will not only remember Vang Vieng for the party but for the beautiful landscapes, food, and locals that made the village spectacular.

Lauren arriving to the end of the river float almost dusk

We were the only one left on the river ...



In the evening at the Smile Bar

Photo: Heather Walmsley
some taken from Internet

The Top 100 films that inspire travel

I read this on Telegraph UK this morning and realized that films have such a big impact on travel.  I usually choose films that are based somewhere I have been or always wanted to visit.  I tend to watch international films to keep myself always travelling and learning new cultures.

British Airways has compiled a list of the 100 greatest films that inspire travel, based on recommendations from celebrities and passengers.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom helped select this list.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10139260/The-top-100-films-that-inspire-travel.html

I have marked the ones I have seen and hope to see them all in the next year.

The top 100 films

A Good Year *

A Room with a View

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Amélie * +

Anchorman – The Legend of Ron Burgundy *

Annie Hall +

Around the World in 80 Days

Australia *

The Beach * +

Before Sunrise *

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel *

Blue Hawaii

Braveheart *

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

To Catch a Thief  +

Casablanca

Casino Royale (2006)

Chariots of Fire

City of God

Cocktail  +

Coming to America

Crocodile Dundee

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon *

The Darjeeling Limited

The Dark Knight *

The Da Vinci Code *

Dirty Dancing *

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Dr. No

Eat Pray Love *

E.T. *

The Endless Summer (1966)  +

Enter the Dragon

Evita *

Forrest Gump *

Four Weddings and a Funeral

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Ghostbusters

Gone with the Wind

Gorillas in the Mist

The Hangover *

Havana

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Holiday

In Bruges

Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indecent Proposal  +

Into the Wild * +

It Started in Naples

It’s All Gone Pete Tong

Jaws *

The King and I

La Dolce Vita

L.A. Story

La Vie En Rose *

Lawrence of Arabia

Life of Pi

Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Lost in Translation *

Mamma Mia *

Manhattan +

Memoirs of a Geisha *

Miami Vice

Midnight in Paris *

The Motorcylce Diaries *

Moulin Rouge! *

National Lampoon’s European Vacation

Notting Hill *

Ocean’s Eleven (1960)

Out of Africa

The Piano  +

Planes, Trains and Automobiles  +

Pretty Woman *

Quadrophenia

Roman Holiday +

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen *  +

Searching for Sugar Man

Sex and the City 2 *

Seven Years in Tibet *

Shirley Valentine

Sideways

Skyfall

Sliding Doors

Sleepless in Seattle *

Slumdog Millionaire *

Somewhere

The Sound of Music *

South Pacific

The Spy who Loved Me

Stand by Me

Summer Holiday

The Talented Mr Ripley *

Thelma & Louise *

Top Gun

Under the Tuscan Sun *

Up

Up in the Air *

When Harry Met Sally *

24 Hour Party People

Flowers in your hair

A few amazing times spent in Sweden during Midsummer.

Summer Solstice happens June 21 and Swedes escape the cities to their beloved summer houses to rewind, drink schnapps, eat pickled herring, sing, and dance with flowers in their hair



Every Swede has a red and white house

My first experience with the Midsummer tradition was spend near Gnesta back in 2009.  I lived in Stockholm as an Au Pair and this was my friend Philly's Families summer house.

Philly and I stroll





Picking my seven wild flowers

Meatballs and I'm in charge

Song and Dance around the May Pole

Finally after 3 years getting to venture back to Sweden while living in London I made it for the very special  Midsummer.  These summer house where North of Stockholm near Edsbyn.

Front doors are lined with wellies for the un suspected Swedish weather

Fredrik surprising his dad with a new boat for a birthday gift

Enchanting Swedish forest

Mirre in a sit still moment

If your not a Converse wearing Swede then bless you for standing out

Nothing better then hard bread for every single meal



Midsummer lunch   Potatoes, Smoked Salmon, Hardboiled Eggs and always a caviar dill crème freiche sauce



Why wouldn't you have lunch in your wood shed?

Fredrik & I

A Swedish Siesta food coma

Midsummer smorgasbord dinner

Looking for Grizzly bears

Edvin and I strolling

Lovely Martina

Fredrik Olov

The sociable Swedes much more sociable after a box of Rose

As dark as the sky will get tonight

a barn social since 1845

Loka, Matpotatis and an old wood burning stove

Snug up to you Sheep

a traditional Swedish dance

Always one ball hangs lower

Swedish Midsummer cake for breakfast the morning after

Photo: Heather Walmsley