Swiss Thanksgiving

Is the word adventure or hassle? I've not decided for our current state of affairs. Either way, knowing a nice, well-outfitted house is only 4 weeks away makes the current quarters liveable. The problem lies in the fact that we haven't much of anything, while having everything we 'need'.

So, for example:
We have mugs. 8 of them, in fact. Meaning we have fulfilled the need of something to drink out of. It also means that we have tea, juice, wine, beer, and water out of the same mug. However, I do feel as though we 'need' glasses. But there is no point in buying glasses since we'll have them with the house we're renting in 4 weeks.

There is a laundrette down the road. So, for our need to wash clothes, we can pile them into a backpack and trundle down during opening hours (10am-7pm) to wash our clothes. However, I do feel as though we 'need' a washing machine. But there is no point in buying or pushing to get a washing machine since we'll have one with the house we're renting in 4 weeks.

We have a Swiss army knife. We have, therefore, a mostly sharp item to cut food with. It is however the only sharp knife we have, meaning all things that need cutting are cut witht he same knife. It also opens our wine (it has a corkscrew).. or, any bottles which aren't twist off (I know, classy). Still, I can't help but feel the 'need' for one or many sharp knives for cooking. But, as you may be realising, there is no point in buying a nice knife since we'll have one with the house we're renting in 4 weeks.

So there we sat on a sunny but windy afternoon at a coffee shop in Henley, drinking out of their mugs. Jacqui was with Ange, Anna and I. (She's been with us for a week sleeping on a borrowed futon, because it isn't worth getting a proper futon when we'll have an extra bed in the house we're renting in 4 weeks.) Collectively, we decide that despite Ange not having the Monday off, Jacqui and I will make Thanksgiving dinner.

The British food selection has improved greatly since we were last here. Either that, or we're not shopping at the wrost grocery store in England anymore. Regardless, we found a pumpkin for pumkin pie, got sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, broccoli, parsnips and chicken. Turkeys are more difficult to come by and the chicken was bought from the butcher really inexpensively. They were grain fed by farmer John Something-or-other in Yorkshire. It's crazy I know that. Anyway, it was a fabulous dinner, thanks largely to Jacqui. I met a British guy who married a Canadian girl from Smithers and we invited them along to join us. It was great.

Of course, when it came time to set the dinner out, we had no table. So it was a lap thanksgiving. Also, 'carving' the chicken is a whole new art with a one inch Swiss army knife blade. It was more tearing and ripping and prying than carving. But it tasted great. John did a fabulous job brining up the chickens and Jacqui did a lovely job cooking the pumpkin pie. It was a lovely dinner!

Happy Thanksgiving!