Transatlanticism (or follow your heart or how to jump through the hoops of the UK Visa system)

It's been nearly two years since I turned up in the UK with little more than the rucksack on my back and the overstuffed suitcase full of English grammar books and lesson plans from my year teaching English in Eastern Europe. The G and I had met two years prior to that, we knew that we wanted to be together and were completely and utterly frustrated by the long distance love affair we'd been suffering through. As an American, I wasn't able to work legally in the UK (or anywhere in Western Europe (the EU) for that matter) and we were faced with a mounting pile of paperwork and confusing immigration laws and a sinking feeling that there was no other way but marriage to solve the mess we were in. So in the end, he said 'what the hell, baby, let's get hitched.'

I don't mean to suggest for a minute that we wouldn't have gotten married if not pressured into it by our geography and border control, but it certainly happened a lot sooner than either of us would have ideally wanted it to be. I think it caught my friends and family a little off guard, truth be told, when I left Seattle bound for a teaching job in Poland in November and returned a year later with an engagement ring and wedding bells in my ears. Nevertheless, we managed to pull it off in the end and I'm happy to report that neither of us regret rushing into it to this day.
Thinking back on that six months or so that I was here in England, not able to work and trying desperately to find my feet while wading through the ocean of information about work permits and fiancee visas and marriage visas cloaked in codewords like K-1's and INF4's and mysterious terminology such as 'indefinite leave to remain' and 'present and settled' and asking myself am I a 'highly skilled migrant worker'? is enough to make my head spin even now.

I thought I'd lay out what we did to sort through it all, so that maybe it'll make it just that much easier for someone else to figure it out should you find yourself in love with an Englishman (or woman). I'm about to get really specific so you may be a little bored, dear reader, if this stuff doesn't apply to you.I don't know it yet, but he's about to propose! There's champagne in it that backpack and everything!

The easiest way to accomplish marrying your beloved Brit, is to have the wedding in the States while he/she is visiting on their passport - the visa waiver programme gives UK residents 90 days in the US without any special permits and doesn't require any special visa to have a wedding in the States - then to return to England on a UK marriage visa.

The UK requires a special visa to have a wedding in Britain. This can take up to 6 months to obtain. You can also enter the country on a fiancee visa for 6 months- however you can't work and you still need the wedding visa to get married here. This is obviously an option, but an expensive one - keep in mind that each visa has a minimum fee of around 100 pounds sterling. Also US citizens are allowed 6 months in the UK without a visa anyway.

Note: I can only speak with any authority about how to marry and settle in Britain. I think settling in the US is whole lot more complicated and I am heartily postponing that mess for a few more years.

From the UK government website (www.ukvisas.gov.uk) :

You can obtain a marriage visa to settle in the UK if

• you are legally married to each other or are in a civil partnership recognised in the UK
• your husband, wife or civil partner is present and settled in the UK (see the next section)
• you both intend to live together permanently as husband and wife or as civil partners
• you have met each other before
• you can support yourselves and any dependants without any help from public funds
• you have suitable accommodation, which is owned or lived in only by you and your household, and where you and your dependants can live without any help from public funds
• your husband, wife or civil partner is not under 18, and
• you are not under 18.

Remember the key bit of information, you don't need a wedding visa to get married on US soil, so the next time your fiancee comes to visit make a quick trip to Vegas and have a drive through wedding in a pink cadillac. Next step; you've got to prove your love to The Man!! There are only three UK embassies in the US that process visas and they are located in New York, Chicago and L.A. You will need to schedule an immigration interview, you can do it online at the embassy website. It's very important that you keep all records of your relationship for your immigration interview - that means keep all those letters, e-mails, photos, cards, and add a couple of letters of support from family and friends just to be on the safe side. You will also need provide both of your passports though only the immigrant can attend the interview, bank statements for both of you to prove that you can survive in Britain without needing public assistance, any job offers and copies of your CV and diplomas to show you're employable, contracts from your landlord or copy of your property deed. Don't let the interview scare you, but do take it seriously. While I was in LA for mine, two other women were denied entry into the UK by the immigration office - so it can happen. Just make sure you have your ducks in a row and you'll be fine.

There are a couple of expat/travellers web forums that I found useful when I was researching how to do this marriage visa thing; easyexpat.com and justlanded.com where you'll find other people who are going through the same hair pulling process as you. Another informational website is globalvisas.com though stick to the government websites like the homeoffice.gov for the final say and to double check fees and everything.

This can be a really expensive process - it's not only the cost of moving overseas with all of my belongings, but the visas themselves are very expensive, not to mention the cost of flying to LA and holing up in a hotel for a few days while my passport was processed, and having to prove you have enough money in your bank account to live in Britain without recourse to public funds!! After 2 years, a landmark I am now approaching, I must apply for indefinite leave to remain which is fancy-talk for permanent residency and costs 510 pounds! After three years I can take the test to be naturalised as a British citizen and have dual citizenship which sounds so smarmy.

I'm sure most of this is nonsense for the casual reader of my blog, but if someone desperately seeking answers comes across it, I hope this helps! I remember finding comfort in learning that other couples managed to get through the other side, it's a stressful process, but well worth it in the end.

Biliary Blues (and a recipe for low fat chocolate zucchini cupcakes)

So things haven't gone exactly to plan after my emergency gall bladder surgery nearly two months ago. There's some sort of mystery pain that has had me in and out of the hospital ever since. There are a couple of possible explanations - one being that there's a stone left somewhere in the ductwork in my liver and the other being something elusively called post-cholecystectomy syndrome which basically boils down to spasms of the ductwork in my liver. Bummer.

In the meantime, it means I've had a lot of time off work. One more reason to embrace being an expat in Britain: Sick Leave. Even in my first year of employment with the college, I've been given 1 month sick leave at full pay and another at half pay. After I complete the first year, it'll be 6 months of full pay and a year at half pay. Have you ever heard of such a luxury in the US? (Have you seen Michael Moore's 'Sicko' yet? It compares health care in the US with that in Britain, France and Cuba of all places. It's a really important and eye opening film. Do go out and watch it, will you?)

I've had to make some serious changes to my diet as well, since I'm absolutely not able to tolerate any fats without horrible pain and vomiting and nausea. Wonderful. You see, that's what bile does - breaks down fats. Now that my gall bladder's gone, there's no bile available to digest it with so it just makes me sick. That's actually been fairly easy to cope with when it comes to main meals, but desserts are another ball park altogether. So I've been experimenting....

Confidential to anyone who's dieting out there: this one's for you!


Fit and You Know It Chocolate Zucchini Cakes

1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/3 cup granulated/caster sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose/plain flour
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini/courgette
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dessicated coconut

The thing about zucchini is that you can't even taste it once it's in a cake, but it adds so much moisture and texture to your cake you won't be able to stop yourself.

Preheat your oven to 350 F/170 C and turn on Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope CD and start bopping to Fidelity. While you're singing along, insert cupcake liners into your tin. In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, eggs, orange juice and almond extract. Beat well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Mix well. Fold the zucchini, chocolate chips and coconut into the batter.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

For the Icing:
1 1/3 cup confectioner's/icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup fat free sour-cream
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well with an electric mixer until smooth. If it's a little runny, you can add more icing sugar until you get the consistency you want. This will not be a hard set frosting, (there's no fat!!) so be prepared for it to run off the edges of your cakes or go with a less is more policy. Adorn with dried berries, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds and gobble greedily without guilt.

How To Make A Bad Day Better

Step 1: Give that tummy a rub.Step 2: Get some dirt under your fingernails.

Step 3: Notice the things that go unnoticed.

Step 4: When all else fails, add chocolate.

Inspiration this Bank Holiday Monday

He actually thinks he's helping.

I spoke too soon about all this sunshine and summer and eating al fresco business.... Man, what a crappy long holiday weekend. Giving me time for this bit of quilting - dueling quilt projects- that is. The blue one was started with my Mama, the quilt master, while I was in Tucson. I pulled it out when I got home and decided it was probably too hard for me - since I've never really sewn before and there's a lot of folding and circles involved. It's from the book Quiltagami! Origami inspired quilts. Fun.
Did I mention that my Mom gave me a sewing machine while I was visiting and I actually brought it back on the plane with us? Feeling a little guilty for not using the sewing machine that I hauled 6,000 miles yet, I started this little lap quilt instead that is inspired by the one in Doodle Stitching and will be embroidered with fun little birds and swirls. Looking out the window today and listening to my teeth chattering in the cold, I bought some down batting to keep my lap warm.

Project 52 (15 of 52)

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.
~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

Postcards from Tucson

Springing

Languorous Lazy Summer Sunday Opulence (and a recipe for Lazygirl Luxury Linguini)

One thing I love about these lazy summer Sundays is how late it stays light at night. We've got a sunset at around 9:00 these days, it's almost takes me back to those endless summer nights of my Alaskan childhood where it never got dark. Wait a second.... Summer? What's with all this glorious weather we've been having? England? Is that you?

We managed somehow to bring the sunshine home with us from Tucson. Record temperatures in the high 20's (80's to you and me) and in May! It seems England lusciously burst into full spring regalia while we were away. Mix one part torrential rains with one part unseasonably warm weather and Voila! Summer comes early. To celebrate I spoiled my husband with his favorite pasta dish for our patio dinner.
Have I mentioned how lazy I am when it comes to cooking in the summer? It's too hot to be in the kitchen, so this one's quick and easy enough for a weeknight. What you need:
Lazygirl Luxury Linguini

Your favorite pasta - I like Tagliatelle or Fetuccine with this one (but linguini sounded better in the title)
1 bunch asparagus
2 portabello mushrooms
1 zucchini (courgette)
2 cloves garlic (tsp pre-minced stuff)
1 tin crab meat
1 tbsp low fat cream cheese
splash white wine
olive oil

Turn on Alison Krauss' Lonely Runs Both Ways and prepare your veg. With lines like 'you're at your best with that ache in your chest and that worn out song that you play' or 'the people who love me ask me when I'm coming back to town and I say, quite frankly, when they stop building roads' you'll be singing along while your heart is quietly breaking. Anyway, back to preparing your veg:

My mom showed me this trick with asparagus to get the best out of it. That's right, make your asparagus work for you. If you hold a spear with an end in each hand and lightly bend it until it breaks, it will always separate at the toughest point - throw the tough, chewy ends in the compost heap and enjoy the tender tip bits with your pasta. (I prefer to steam my asparagus separately for this recipe, only because I find it gets too soft if I sautee it with the rest of the veg. Your choice.) Scrape out the gills of the mushrooms with a teaspoon - I find that if you scrape gently sideways, against the grain, the gills just peel easily away.


So you've got asparagus steaming and you're chopping the zucchini and mushrooms into bite size pieces. Meanwhile heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and add the garlic as soon as the oil starts to pop. Bring water to a boil, add the pasta. See why this is a weeknight special?


My Dad taught me this trick with pasta to keep the pot from overflowing. You just leave your grandmother's wooden spoon in the pot as it boils - the water's surface tension on the spoon prevents it from overflowing somehow. I don't really get it, but it seems to work. Wise old Dad.

Sautee the veg in the olive oil until the zucchini starts to brown and the mushrooms soften. For the sauce - add the entire tin of crab, including the juice to the pan. Then a glob of cream cheese and a splash of white wine. Mix well as the cream cheese starts to melt and bring to a slight bubble. Drain the pasta and mix it in, adding a little olive oil if it sticks. Add the asparagus and serve immediately.This recipe is best enjoyed on the patio on a hot summer's day with a nice glass of pinot grigio and fur shark looming in the background.


And for dessert..... Raspberry Love.

Add to the blender: fresh raspberries, a banana, plain fat free yogurt, a splash of milk, a splash of vanilla essence, and about a tbsp of cinnamon. Blend and enjoy!

Did you notice how low fat this meal is? The crab is what makes the pasta sauce taste so luxurious, the cream cheese is just there to turn it white so it looks like an alfredo or other decadent pasta sauce. (For even more decadence add extra cream cheese or sour cream/creme fraische and loads of yummy parmesan. ) This makes a good meal for those of you who've just had your gallbladder out and aren't able to tolerate any fats. Or those of you with IBS. And those of you trying to diet. And for the rest of you too. Enjoy.

Project 52 (14 of 52)

Okay, now I can see a difference in our friend the oak tree. How spring has sprung. Do you see that Warwickshire Gold in the background?
Here's a better view. The whole of our county is a patchwork of gold and green. Beautiful.

B is for Beautiful

I often like to pretend that no one I know actually reads this blog thing and that it is more of anonymous bit of whinging and reminiscing. Though more and more I'm realizing that most everyone who knows me in the real world has tracked this blog down (though you never comment! eh hem!) and I thought it was time I actually acknowledged that you're probably interested in what I've really been up to. Not all this making this and baking that mumbo jumbo.

So here's a photo my sister sent me recently that has knocked my socks off. How gorgeous are they?! Does anyone else find it a little strange that Zoe looks more like me than my sister does?

What else can I tell you? I'm leaving tomorrow for Tucson - Woo Hoo! I'll be there through the 1st and then head off to Seattle to catch up in a long overdue trip to my old stomping grounds. There's an old school BBQ revival planned, so if anyone got missed in the e-vites, please contact me and get yerself over there on Friday night!!

My surgery went well, I'm recuperating for the most part though a bit achy breaky here and there and, quite frankly, amazed by the amount of sunshine poo one girl can produce. That's right, I'm talking about my bowel movements online. AGAIN. Geesh. Sunshine poo, I mean it, it's bright yellow. It's amazing. I guess that's where all the bile goes without a gallbladder to store it in anymore....? I'm finding that I can eat foods that I haven't been able to eat in years. Tomatoes? Oh yeah! Cheese? Yum. Carrots, peas, pineapple and grapes? So far so good! It's a liberation of sorts. Can't wait to hit the mexicana cucinas in Tucson and have salsa and guacamole for the first time in years! Yee Haw!

Bisbee is also making a strong recovery. Crazy Legs has begun joining us in bed at night again and is stretching out in front of the fire in the evenings instead of hiding under beds or refusing to leave the safety his cage. We hope to let him back out to freedom when we return from our trip. A big thanks to Zoe next door for looking out for him while we're gone.

Things will probably be quiet on the blog for a couple of weeks, though I will try to post a postcard or two. And I'm afraid I've sort of fallen behind with project 52. The week in the hospital and the last week of house-arrest have kept me away from our dear oak tree. Now that I'll be abroad for the next couple of weeks I'm afraid I'll completely miss out the spring time exuberance of the oilseed rape fields in the background. But I'll make an effort to get a photo at least once a month from here on out......

So long. xx Bee

The Road To Recovery

After spending a week in the hospital, an emergency gallbladder surgery and an 'interesting' national health service experience, I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am to be laying prone on my sofa in my own sunny living room with a whole day of George Clooney to look forward to on Film4 this afternoon. Wow, what a week! I had a 4 mm stone blocking my bile duct and causing all manner of chaos in my body. They say gallstones are as painful as child birth - I appreciate you mamas out there all the more now. It's absolutely astonishing how something so small, merely 4 mm, not even a 1/4 inch, not even a garden pea, maybe a lentil? can cause so much trouble! I really appreciate the way my body works in harmony with itself most of the time, it really doesn't take much to throw it off track. Geno said this morning that seeing me in hospital has made him vow to himself to get his body back into tip top shape, so at least there's a positive out of all this suffering.

My road to recovery is paved with Arizona red rock. We've been planning a trip to see my family in Tucson next week and it's been most worrysome that this little stone might have put our holiday in jeopardy. But, I think if I can manage the flight - thankfully it's direct! - I'll recover poolside in the Arizona sunshine and leave the miserable English April showers behind! See ya later, alligators!

'My Baby's Gonna Make A Mint' Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

He did it! He passed his final exam! For the past three years, the G has spent all manner of spare time studying for his accountancy exams. CIMA to be exact, which is international management accounting which is different, er... somehow. I'm no expert, but my baby's got letters after his name now! Woo Hoo!

To celebrate, what else but cupcakes!

'My Baby's Gonna Make A Mint' Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

for the cupcakes
2 cups / 225 g cake/self-raising flour
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups / 225 g sugar
1 cup / 225 g butter
4 eggs
3 1/2 oz (100g) chocolate chips

for the icing
1/2 cup / 115 g butter
2 cups/ 225 g confectioners/icing sugar
1/2 tsp peppermint essence
green food coloring
3 1/2 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F/ 160 C. Place paper baking cases in muffin tins. In a medium bowl sieve the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Set aside. Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture light and glossy. Add the flour mixture gradually, stirring until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into the cases and fill about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 minutes or until a poker comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing to a rack.

Meanwhile, get started on the icing. Mmmm, icing. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a small bowl until smooth and the sugar is no longer lumpy. Stir in the peppermint and just enough food coloring to turn the icing a mint green. Decorate with chocolate chips or other implements of chocolate destruction.

Store without icing in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months!

For variations try these....

For Superbad Super Minty cupcakes, try using crumbled chocolate mints in the cake batter, like After Eights or Andes, those hotel pillow mints.

For something really crazy, how about chocolate orange minty cupcakes? Break a chocolate orange and crumble it into the cake batter or on top of the icing.

Did you notice our new kitchen fish? Introducing Moby Snoop Fish!! He's got his mind on his money and his money on his mind.

Sorry he's so blurry, but he's really fast. Really.