Freezing in England =GOOD / Freezing in America =BAD

I am very jealous today, and not just because I'm still sat trying to do work for tomorrow at quarter to 9 at night when I've been at it all afternoon no. I am very jealous becasue here it is very cold, a dry cold, and the wind makes it worse, but word come to me from across the pond that that's where all the weather is at. Snow in fact. SNOW IN OCTOBER! I wish there was some here and it would make the cold all the worth while.

It's all about my family

This week was Rob's 21st birthday. To celebrate we went out to a restraunt called Himalayan and had a curry buffet. I can't say it was the best curry I've ever had but it wasn't bad. He opened all his cards and presents, an Elmo live that does just about everything, but Rob loves Sesame street and was really pleased and a DVD of Sixth Sense. Then the waiters brought out the cake we'd bought and decorated and they gave him a lay made of blue feathers and a sikh hat to wear when we sang happy birthday to him.

On friday I went ot my host familie's house, Sandy and John, for a Jack O'lantern carving party, it was really messy but good fun and everybody brought a different dish for dinner. There was salads, rice dishes, very spicy buffalo wings, cabbage wraps which were very tasty and korean bean and pumkin soup for main courses and chocolate browies, a pancake dish, cookies and my scones for dessert, all that I tried was really good and some one even asked for the recipie.

Today was the friends of internation students family cookout, there was a BBQ with out the grill and you cooked your hot dogs on a long, thick wire over the flames and I managed to burn a prefectly staight line across one of my finger tips. There were alsorts of relishes things to go on top but I was a little sceptical. Then we all had to make a S'more which is 2 graham crackers sandwiching together chocolate and toasted marshmallows, they are supposed to be called S'mores because you want more but I really didn't, they were so sweet I'm not sure I could have physically managed another one, that and Hershey's chocolate has nothing on a bit of Cadbury's Dairy milk. We also had an interesting conversation trying to describe exactly what a crumpet is.
I keep being introduced to new people by my host family as Katy, who speaks proper english, from England, most people can really tell I'm English and so I'm not entirely sure what other language they really expect me to come out with to warrant this comment, but it is fairly amusing.

There will be some pictures of saturday coming soon too but I need to get them off Sandy first.
Until then I'll leave you with the knowledge that I will definately be coming home for Christmas!

Home Coming parade

Today was the Homecoming Parade, I'm still not entirely sure what homecoming is about but they invite all the alumni back and all the Fraternity and Sororities get to gether and make floats for a parade. It was suddenly very warm again today and was excellent weather for the parade but very hot. This is the Sooner Schooner being pulled by the ponies Boomer and Sooner.
OU's Pride the marching band
The flowers in South ovel are all out for homecoming, can you see the overlapping letters of OU in them?
South Oval
Me with all the flowers in South Oval.

It was a really good day with lots of university chants and clapping.

BOOMER.....!
........
....SOONER!

Thunderbirds are GO!

Last week there were are few storms so we went storn chasing only it wasn't that good. We did see some interesting cloud formations and lots of lightening and got stuck in lots of very heavy rain, but I could have seen the lightening at my apartment was was slightly dissappointed.



From one thunder to the next, yesterday afternoon we took a short 20 minute drive out to Lake Thunderbird for a lazy sunday afternoon. It is a really huge lake and we found a jetty to relax on. The weather was warm again and its supposedly as warm as its supposed to be at the beginnign of September.

Kadoo Ka Shorva = yum

Yesterday I finally got round to cooking the soup which I tried at my host familiy's house. Kadoo Ka Shorva is a cream of pumpkin soup and comes from India. The recipie makes for 6-8 people. It's really tasty but I would try adding more curry powder to it until you've made it once.
Ingredients:

2lb pumpkin/ butternut squash

2 tbsp butter

2 yellow onions (chopped)

2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp sugar

750ml chicken stock

375ml milk

1 1/2tsp salt

2 tsp lemon juice

125ml double cream (optional)

2 tbsp sliced pistachios

Method:

> Peel the pumkin/ squash, scrape out the seeds and cut the flesh into 1" pieces.

> In a deep saucepan over a medium-high heat , warm the butter. When hot, add the onions, curry powder, ginger, and cinnamon and cook, stirring occassionally until the onions begin to brown for about 8 minutes.

> Sprinkle with sugar and cook for 1 minutelonger. Add the pumpkin/ squash and chicken stock and bring to the boil.

> Reduce the heat tp low, cover and ximmer until the pumpkin/ squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

> Remove from the heat and working in batches puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return the soup to thepan and stir in the mil and salt.

> Heat until piping hot then stir in the lemon juice.

> Garnish with pistachios and a lemon wedge, and cream if desired.

My 21st Birthday

I had a really lovely day on monday to celebrate. The start of the day I was greeted by everyone and Rob Warren who plays bass guitar in a band at home played Happy Birthday to me, and upon my return from lectures another Rob appeared along with some balloons and a banner. After my lectures had finished I had some lunch and opened all of my cards and got a couple which I wasn't expecting which was really nice and I had a lots of messages to read from all of my friends.

I spent the afternoon going to Walgreen's, a shop which I've wanted to visit for a while, a quick trip to the liquor store, the first time I was allowed into the shop, let alone buy anything which was quite exciting. A bit like turning 18 all over again, and then we stopped off at a shop called Braum's which does drive through ice cream although we went in the shop to have a look around.

Upon my return we all went out to the pool and did a bit of swimming and sun bathing and the temperature got upto 87F so it was good to have a bit of a bask before the temperature starts to drop, which it already has done at quite a scary rate for 3 days.

In the evening the 8 of us, Becky, Emma, Laura, Pete, Rob, Rob, Rob and I all went out to campus corner to a thai restraunt called Padthai and the food was excellent but there was so much that we stuggled to finish it all off, I also got chance to open my presents and got some lovely things from everyone. Thank you very much! A sedate walk home then with our stomachs temporarily full, but when we got back there was birthday cake and everybody sang.

I really did have a fantastic day and want to thank everyone for all the wishes and for making my birthday a very happy one.