Summer Has Arrived!

I apologize that I didn't post yesterday, but yesterday was a holiday in both the US and the UK so that lets me off the hook, right?

We have had the most picture perfect weekend. It was about 80 degrees and sunny both Sunday and yesterday and this weekend Seaton Carew played host to the Thunder Cat boat races which of course were directly outside our front window! It was really exciting to watch the boats race and the beach was packed which is great for business down here. I hope the great response from the locals and the beautiful weather encourages the Thunder Cats to return to Hartlepool in the future. 

Jason and I also experimented with letting Max off of his leash on the beach for the first time and it was so wonderful. The only time we had to run after him was when a labrador tried to steal his ball, which you can see from the photos below he doesn't like to be without. Even though he ran off after the dog I am still proud of him for being civilized and not barking or growling at him. We had such a great time and he really got to let loose and run.  

I have to admit that this weekend for the first time I experienced my first real pangs of home sickness. I heard reports from friends about the beautiful weather in Chicago and reminisced about the camping trip my friends and I took Memorial Weekend last year I was really missing that time with my friends and family. Luckily on Sunday the weather turned into the most beautiful day I have experienced here to date and Jason and I had a great time out on the beach with Max and everything just kind of came together and my homesickness soon passed. 

I am really looking forward to this summer, and especially looking forward to not sweating when I step outside the door and not needing air conditioning. Jason and I are planning a camping trip probably sometime in July and I am looking forward to my first time camping here. I will share more details when we have planned our camping trip.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Weekend!

This Week's British TV Review:

How Clean Is Your House?

You may have seen this show on BBC America already, so bear with me as I rave about it if you have already seen it. I love this show, and it always inspires me to go clean some room of my house after I have watched it. Britain's cleaning goddesses Kim and Aggie descend upon the homes of some of the most disgusting people who haven't cleaned their homes in literally years and bring along a full cleaning crew to clean and sterilize the house from top to bottom. They also teach the homeowners cleaning tips to cut down the time they spend cleaning and make the tasks seem less daunting.  

I have seen shows that are about cleaning up clutter, but I like this show because it focuses on true cleanliness. When they visit the homeowners they "scare them straight" by taking swabs of places all around the house and coming back and showing them the types of bacteria that they have found thriving on the kitchen counters and bathroom floors. They have all kinds of interesting gadgets that can guage the number of colonies of bacteria on a surface and really give these people an idea of how their lifestyle can seriously damage their health.

If you get a chance to watch this on BBC America, definitely take the time out to watch it. Kim and Aggie are so fun to watch and you can also pick up some great cleaning tips for your own house!