Springing Into #ShEvo!

There's this blazing orange ball in the sky. I seem to recall something like that in Arizona. We called it "The Sun". But it sure seemed a lot hotter over there.

Signals from ShEvo - Newsletter #9

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Greetings from Knutsford! 

Apparently, someone told England that spring is just 2 weeks away, because the temperature finally made it to double-digits. Celsius. Which means it's getting warm enough to only require one coat. We can occasionally leave the heavy gloves and scarves at home, too! With luck, it'll stay that way for a week. But we're not counting on it.

Warmer weather means longer and better walks with the pooches. We've met a lovely local named Lise who's been showing us the best places to take the dogs on long, beautiful walks. They get to play in the mud, go for a swim, and burn off a little energy. Sheila gets to take loads of pictures of the gorgeous country side. The trees and shrubs are starting to bud, so we may even get a few flower shots in before we depart the area, assuming the weather holds.

Last week we made the short drive to Manchester, a sprawling town with a rich history that we're looking forward to exploring more of. So far, our excursions have been limited to shopping (Sheila's downsizing her suitcase and her laptop power cord broke) and drinking (Brew Dog Manchester and Pi are two places worthy of a stop!), so there's a whole city left to explore. Their town hall was impressive, so we need to get back and prowl around to see where we wind up.

Speaking of beer... we're still on the hunt for beer we're used to. There's a big "Real Ale" movement over here that the Knutsford pubs completely buy into. Yeah... it's not for us. We've also discovered a different (opposing?) movement called #CAMRGB -- the campaign for really good beer. Now to find the places in Knutsford (or the towns nearby) that support the movement. Or we're going to be stuck traveling back to the fancy-schmancy grocery store and raiding their bottle selection. Which is pretty darned good!

Where we're headed next

We don't switch assignments for another two weeks, but already have some excursions planned for next week. Taking center stage will be our trip to the Thailand consulate in Birmingham, as we've a three-month assignment there that starts in late May. Thailand only lets visitors stay for 30 days without a visa, and only grants visas for 60 days. So it requires a trip to the consulate to figure out what we need to do to stay longer. 

But for now, more England. Speaking of that...

Cheers from Knutsford!