Pygmy goats, pig racing, falling off bikes and getting stuck in a bush and I threw myself off a mountain...with the aid of a bit of fabric of course. Yes, I experienced the joy of paragliding off Tiger Mountain. I was treated to views of the Olympic mountains and lake Sammamish and even got to fly us for a while. It was a great experience and provided me with a chance to add to my great quotes of my trip, with my instructor (who for all fans of the OC looked scarily like Jimmy Cooper) yellling, "right Emma just run as fast as you can down the grass off the edge of the mountain." Er right ok I trust you. This actually got me to thinking of all the other unusual or amusing things said to me over the last month:

At the food stand at the football:
"I would like two big dogs please"

Man on the pier:
"You can hold my crab if you like"

Man in Seattle:
"You have a ticket....slaps a sticker on me.....i'm from the happiess police and you weren't smiling... now would you like to sponsor my soup kitchen?"

About 8 different people:
"So where you from in England"

Me: "Birmingham"

"and whats it like living in London"

Random man at the market:
"thats the walk of a woman who can't cope with the heat"

Me: "Leave me alone, i'm British, I was brought up in the rain"


Oh the heat, I was just becomming accostomed to the cloud & rain that permanently resides over Washington when a heatwave brought temperatures of between 90-100 degrees for 3 days to terrorise me. When out fruit picking on Saturday I was positive I had in fact turned up in Nevada or Arizona, there were clouds of dry dust and I actaully sweated off my suncream I was so hot (I hope you weren't eating when you read that). Anyway I needn't have worried as a thunderstorm saw away the hot weather and its now back to cloud and being cold, normaility resumed in Seattle again.

My main tourist trip for the week was a visit to Mt Rainier National park, home to the mountain seen in the background of the Seattle skyline on the seldom existant non cloudy days. I hiked up (well I lie, really we drove up to 2,600 feet and walked about half an hour to a viewing plateau) and saw the snow caps.

Wednesday night took me to a Seattle Sounders "soccer" match, which left me in no doubt that the Americans should leave such things to the English or in fact all of Europe, South America, the Aussies, anyone but the states. It was an intersting experience that would break the heart of any football fan. The following day I took a visit to the museum of flight, getting to mooch around both Concorde and Air Force One planes and as is my trait I attractived a peculiar fellow who wanted to thank me personally on behalf of Europe for giving the world Concorde. Then told me Britain is too expensive but he wants me to say hello to it for him anyway. Following this I went to a summer fair where I really wanted to adopt a pygmy goat but wasn't sure it would go down to well when asked if I had anything to declare at customs. Despite my disappointment at not getting a goat, I can now officially say I have watched Akaskan pig racing. I shall add it to my CV....

That aside I have been spending the evenings blackberry picking to make jams and pies and spectacularly knotted both my jumper and my hair into a thorn bush making it impossible to escape. To thank my 6 year old cousin for releasing me, I zoomed round a field in the dark pretending to be a plane, only for her to ask if I was alive in the olden days getting 10 cents a week pocket money. When I told her i'm actually 21 she replied oh so you are old.

Here I leave you with my fact for the week: In Washington state it is legal to turn right on a red light, strange eh? But then this is the place where they have drive through post boxes...