Some spooky stuff going on around here...

We have had two very strange events happen here in the past few weeks, both of which have happened at our favourite local restaurant--Bill's. As I mentioned in my last blog entry, our friends from America were visiting a few weekends ago. We took them to Bill's for lunch where they snapped a few pictures of us and recently forwarded them on via email. Imagine my total jaw dropping sock when I saw the picture below:

Look really closely...Scharlatt family members should be staring in utter disbelief. The rest of you are probably wondering what on Earth I am talking about. The woman directly over Jeff's shoulder is the identical twin of my sister--or possibly her. Strange though that she would have come all the way to Brighton and not at least called! I wish you could see this picture in a bigger size. EVERYTHING about this woman is screaming Stacey. I can't believe we didn't notice her while we were there that day!

Well, then today we had another very strange experience at Bill's. After we had eaten our usual healthy salad and soup lunch, the waitress mentioned to us that the dessert special of the day was Banoffe Pie. Now for those of you who have never experienced a dessert at Bill's, let me tell you, it is not something to take lightly. Committing to dessert at Bill's is committing your stomach to a culinary experience that will last the rest of the day. The desserts are gorgeous, huge, and seriously delicious. We usually pass on dessert, but today we were tempted to take the plunge specifically because they were serving Banoffe Pie. Banoffee Pie is a very British dessert that is quite popular and very much talked about because people either love it or hate it--kind of like Marmite. We were skeptical, however, because, much like Marmite, we have yet to eat any British cuisine which has not made us ill--or want to be ill. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I think British food may well be the worst I have ever had in my life...until today that is. Banoffe Pie is by far one of the most amazing desserts I have ever tasted. The Brits have finally gotten something right in the world of food. Imagine this--a cookie and chocolate crust layered with Banana, toffee, chocolate and whipped cream---topped with more chocolate and drizzled with espresso. Wow. I wish I had a picture to share with you. Mia just glazed over--face covered with sticky toffee and whipped cream. 4 hours later and we are all still recovering from the experience.

We went to Lewes today--a small village about 30 minutes away. Gorgeous, quaint little village with a canal, castle and the little cobblestone streets that make British villages so wonderful. There was even a street accordion player and some men in strange costumes. Not sure what or who they were, but it just added to the quaintness of it all. We had a lovely time.

Lewes Castle

There is another village called Alfriston a short bus ride outside of Lewes which is supposedly one of the most beautiful villages in England. We will hopefully check that out another day. These trips are a bit more difficult now that we don't have a car, but we manage pretty well by train. Jeff has a bike and I will get one soon so that we can bike around the countryside this summer with Mia on the back.

Hope you all have a great weekend!