From a distance, this thing looked like a spider, but it was actually a Louise Bourgeois sculpture at the Tate modern. We swung by London on the way to...















The Nettlebed region- home of most vegan-friendly pub this side of the Thames and former home of SML. We were taken for a ride on a river in this punt.















Our hearty crew of rowers on the river led by Laura, our gracious host and future CEO of "The Nettlebed Experience Co."















While in Nettlebed, we saw some guys dissing the Fawkester, so Stephanie burned them at the stake. Vengeance was served, and Stephanie was kept warm. Some would say this was merely an early Nov. 5th bonfire party- but you know better...

We made banners for the Greensoc's Green Week















I painted "Green Week" in the font of "Green Lantern."















Other Greensoccers were involved.















Stephanie did most of this one. I did the "This Green Week" part, and the mushroom to the left of "Connect." Our friend Hannah did the flowers at top. Stephanie did everything else. She's awesome! She also did the design on paper for this banner and the Green Lantern font one so we'd know what to paint.


















Here's Stephanie right after the Gulu walk. She raised over $50, so she got a shirt. The colour of her tongue indicates her health and was meant to contrast the sad state of public health in Northern Uganda. She had it stuck out for the whole walk. Photo- Sita Loi, capturer of raised eyebrows extrordinaire...

Pubs, plays, and plans

Saturday night and...
we're home. Weirdly, there tends to be more on on weeknights for us lately. BUT today's Gulu walk made for a full day... There were a nice jolly group of folks- and dogs- walking 5 miles to raise money for kids in Uganda- we took a side route, an extended Gulu walk if you will, and visited an amazing riverside pub with the head of the Global Centre. Then we reconvened with the group at another pub (all about the pubs...) for some drumming- Andrew got really into the drum circle.
We're going to Amsterdam! But not anytime soon. A group of 12 of us are going at the beginning of December and I am excited. Our hostel provides free ice skates and we plan on trying a different veg. restaurant every night. And going skating wearing our Halloween costumes!
A response to Mel's question- Stand Up Speak Out is actually an international event- ppl standing up against poverty to show world leaders that we care and that they really need to get on these Millennium Development Goals! It happens like a Mexican wave across the world... anyway, I was just in a drama sketch about clean water. A comedy with a dark edge.
Next week promises some Green Soc. promoting, Halloween costume prep (Boogie Nightmares- that's right), "Poetry in Performance", and talking up Fair Trade.
Some people have mentioned that I don't mention my academic life on here. Wednesday morning's class was some gruelling but exciting swing dancing. I spend most hours at school in the drama studio. My current reading is "creativity and mental growth" and we're all still trying to answer the question of What is Art? I'm enjoying it and beginning to feel less guilty for having such a "fun" masters. I know swing dancing doesn't change the world but...
Andrew, meanwhile, is selling smelly soapy things at Lush very part time while seeking bigger and better things. My baths are about to hit a whole new level. He's also got a really cool internship (unpaid) at the Global Centre involving research and compilation of socially/politically progressive comic books from around the world and has been in contact with a Ugandan graphic artist this week.
Hope you enjoy the photo posts- all those scenic shots are from a rollerblade adventure near our house.
Ta ta!

This is s whole new post, so I thought I'd be less lazy and turn the picture right side up.

This dude was from Germany, and he thought that maybe he had bought his shirt in Spain, but he didn't know that he was wearing a Tiger-cat logo, or that it was an out dated one. He had never even heard of the CFL.















This is the river Exe, the river that's just behind our house.














Even though Stephanie's rollerblading and clearly not watching where she's going, she's not afraid of falling and biting her tongue off.
















More river Exe.

Stephanie is snob mode at "Stand Up Speak Out" Event (drama sketch).

Stephanie's giant bag of fair trade dried papaya.

Here we are walking to a farm to WWOOF for the day.




Ah, the countryside.




A conversation over garlic.  (We planted all those rows with garlic).



Having farmed, we are now armed - with free veg for our labours.




A brass band.  Who doesn't love a Sousa-phone?

Hello friends near and far!
Quick update from we who are temporarily lacking home internet access.
Exeter continues to treat us very well indeed. We went to a local organic farm today and harvested squash, ate lovely fresh veg., and learned a lot about organic farming in Devon.
On the farmy note, our first CSA box arrived yesterday and we washed the soil from our very fresh produce with glee.
Last night, I (Steph) went to a neat concert involving a big brass band and some excellent spoken word. Live music strikes again.
In other news, I did my first restaurant reviewing expedition as 'The Hungry Vegan' last night. I'll let you know when you can catch the online edition of my article. Perhaps it will help you plan your eating when you come visit us!
My cooking show is also in the works. I need ideas for names and title sequence songs... anything to do with food/competition/secret ingredients. I'm not rushing this thing. One episode done by Christmas would be grand.
Anyway, check back for photos, anecdotes, and merriment soon. Thanks so much for all your comments and keeping in touch. I've gotten over missing Franks red hot (discovering a local chilli sauce maker) but still miss you all very much.
xo

Stephanie talks to Hannah (sp?) at a Greensoc meeting.  Greensoc is the University of Exeter environment club.  I (Andrew) was there, too.  Apparently I can be in the club, even though I’m not a student.

Andrew's Pictures and thoughts

The whites are in South Central.















Closer up on the riders.















Apparently Seitan is only the saviour of dogs over here.



















Stephanie is amused in front of a Cathedral.















This is a urinal. No joke. Imagine this at the end of a Tiger-Cats game instead of urinals that clearly let you know how many people should be using them at a time. There would be riots. Smelly, wet riots.

Andrew's Pictures and Thoughts 2 (pictures posted twice. I love Blogspot)

So, they admit that this changing of the guard is enough of a joke that they can have these guys with red tassles coming out of the tops of their helmets, but then they also post a guy with an assault rifle. I'd like to blame my puzzlement on cultural misunderstanding on my part, but I can easily imagine this kind of thing happening in Canada.




















The clock tower in Exeter.



















The clock tower in London. I know I've said this before, but I don't think Big Ben is all that big. And neither clock towers lives up to what I've come to expect based on Castlevania. I'm disappointed.















A black swan confirms my idea that Europe is a haven for all things macabre.















A neat building.

Stephanie grabs a snack in everyone's favourite room, the kitchen.















Stephanie's college in the morning light. See? It doesn't always rain.




















Another sunny day photo op in Exeter.















Love the pine - like the one on Steph's spine - on the campus of mine (Steph's).














Andrew survey's the scene in Cathedral yard.















Suspicious Steph in a colourful London yard.



















We forgot to photo the food itself. It demanded to be eaten immediately.

Mug shot

This from the Green Society:

"Stephanie Long is spearheading a new Green Soc project to get re-useable
travel mugs sold in Guild outlets to replace disposable cups."

Yes I am... inspired by the Envirowestern's campaign (that may be the first and last time I ever use "inspired" and "Western" in the same sentence).

Wish me luck- long live the travel mug!

Hello all...

Thanks for your comments on our other blog posts- in answer to Mel's original comment, hells yeah I went to the folk dance! I didn't choose footwear well for it and kept sliding along the floor on my tights- sometimes into the next group of doh-see-dohing crazies... good times.

My program has begun! My first assignment is a reading on reflective jounaling... and a reflective journal entry on the readings and my first impressions of the course- how reflexive on so many levels. Yesterday's class involved mapping our journeys as artists. A typical Masters this is not. My only beef (or seitan, as it were) with the program thus far is the amazing mix of international students means I have to slooow down my speaking and avoid colloquialisms, as do the teachers, one of whom I wish came with a fast forward button.

The G8 (Great Eight)- Recent Discoveries-
1) Heaven in Devon- a vegan desert complete with rich vanilla ice cream, custard, brownie and strawberries
2) That I am finally getting used to looking the proper way when I cross the street
3) That our flat actually does have heat- it's still a somewhat mysterious heating system but at least we don't need to huddle up so much with tea, blankets, and the wonders of polar fleece
4) A cycling path from right by our house all along the river- perfect for weekend morning rollerblading (a sidenote- English people look at me like I'm a freakshow when on rollerblades- I provoke chuckles, shakes of head, and many lunges by shocked canines)
5) The giant room upstairs at a place called the Boston Tea Party- giant tables, mismatched chairs, and high ceilings- great place to drink tea and finally do those pesky readings
6) I will have a dance class every Wednesday at 9am (my program gives us a chance/makes us dabble in each art form to get hands on experience discovering new forms of creative expression). It has promised to be sweat inducing.
7) My supervisor is very grandmotherly in a lovely way. She's offered to help connect me to mentoring/internship opportunities in arts therapies in the local community.
8) Severus Snape teaches at my university. Really- Rowling went here and based a few teachers on Profs here. Apparently, he's in Classics.

The future may hold- hosting a vegan cooking show? An oxfam benefit concert? More Sunday night pints at the Old Firehouse Pub? A job for Andrew with one of the two places that have taken an interest in hiring him? A boring welcome message from the dean? Well, okay so that last one is unfortunately a certainty arising in approximately 1.5 hours but as for the rest- time will tell!

Missing you (and franks red hot sauce) muchly,
Stephanie and Andrew