Travel Tuesday

I'm going to narrow down my dozens of pictures from our trip to London. They are not in any particular order. Here goes:

One day we went to Canterbury. Here we are in front of the Canterbury Cathedral. So much history here. 

Here we are on our "rock and roll" walking tour.

I've included this picture just so my daughter, Sandy can see if we had the same tour guide (on the left). He was quite a character.

Here I am at the Rules restaurant--oldest in London--since 1798. The food was delicious. We had the BEST mussels. They were stuffed with bread crumbs and cheese. I always say that the thing with mussels is you just can't look at them when you eat them. They don't look particularly appetizing.

We're at the White Cliffs of Dover. This was part of the tour that took us to Canterbury. Butch felt like we would have seen them better from the water. He expected them to be more like the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. They are definitely "whiter."

We took a tour of the "Royal Mews." For those wondering what that is, it's basically the garage and stables of Buckingham Palace. This was something new for us, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One of my favorite things to look for while traveling is seeing different birds. This is a magpie--so pretty and all over! It's a pretty large bird. My pictures weren't very good so I pulled this from the internet.

This was another favorite--the Himalayan Parrot. They were all over in St. James Park. Even though I've been to this park many times. I had never seen them. Our tour guide brought some peanuts so they would take them right out of our hand. Janet didn't want to do it, so she was supposed to take a picture of me. She missed it! Birds are too darn fast.

This was our first time to Highgate Cemetery. It was the most beautiful cemetery I've ever been to. We had the added bonus of so many flowers in bloom. It was so pretty and a very interesting tour. 

Afterwards, we went to the Camden Market. The street food looked amazing, but I have a problem. I want to be able to sit down when I eat. I don't know how you can possibly juggle everything--plate, drink and actually eat at the same time. That's just not for me. Instead we found a good restaurant. After lunch we browsed the shops. That's where I found my sweatshirt. A fun day.

I forgot to mention that Janet and I went to London first. After 5 days, Butch arrived. He made reservations for us at The George--the only remaining galleried inn. We went specifically for the Sunday Roast. Our reservations were for 6:30 p.m. There were 3 types of Roasts--but they were all sold out. In addition most of the chicken dishes were gone too. Butch was "bummed" but since he loves fish 'n chips, he was fine. I don't remember what Janet got. I ordered the mushroom chili. It was unusual and good enough, but I probably wouldn't order it again. Still, I was happy to be at another one-of-kine place with so much history.

I later found out from my friend, Diane--that Sunday Roast is eaten mostly between 12 & 2. No wonder it was sold out!

After touring Kensington Palace, Janet and I walked to The Gore Hotel. We had drinks in the bar where The Rolling Stones celebrated the launch of their Beggars Banquet album in 1967. I have to admit, I am not familiar with that. I didn't have money for records. 

After our drinks, we had a "cream tea" in the library of the hotel. A "cream tea" is just scones, clotted cream, jam, and tea. We didn't want the full afternoon tea since we had dinner reservations. That was okay with me since the scones are my favorite part of a tea!

When Janet and I toured The Tower, they were putting in the poppies in preparation for VE Day. They weren't for sale yet, so I didn't get to buy one.

We stopped in Hatchard's Book Store--the oldest in London--1797!

In preparation for VE Day and all the parades, the flags lined the streets.

"The Mall" is the road leading to Buckingham Palace. It was a beautiful sight to see it lined with the Union Jack! They were all over. It was an exciting time to be in London.

Another bird. We got this picture at the Camden Market. 

This one is called a Pied Wagtail. Isn't it pretty? Birds in England are larger than the ones we're used to.

This is St. Bartholomew the Great Church--the oldest in London--dating back to 1123. It is still an active parish. Can you tell that we love seeing the oldest of everything? I'm enthralled with ALL of it. That's why I love London so much. Everywhere you turn there's something new (old) to see. Or, you might be walking around and all of a sudden you see some of the old original Roman walls! It's all so exacting to me. Especially this:

One of the first public drinking fountains from 1860. I take everybody to see it, but I don't think anybody is quite as excited as I am! It's just so cool!

Butch and me from the top of the Sky Garden.

That's The Shard in the background.

Here we are at the Swallow Falls in Wales.

The water level was low, so we were a little disappointed. We have better falls right here in Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains. Still, it was fun to get another picture.

Janet and I taking a "selfie" in front of Henry VIII Hampton Court Palace. This was Janet's favorite place--it's one of mine too.

Our view from The Sky Garden down the Thames. 

The Tower is on the left with the Tower Bridge behind it.

At The Tower.

When Janet and I arrived in London, our taxi driver was warning us to be careful of our phones because people were stealing them. Then, one of our tour guides told us the same thing. She said that people on bikes will literally snatch it out of your hand as they go by. Well, I did not doubt them, but this plaque set into the concrete affirmed it.

"A member of the public had their phone stolen here." Someone added, "The police didn't help though." Really, what can they do? Anyway, Butch and I came across this in front of St. Bartholomew's church.

And last, I have to end with this. 

The crud from just one set of suitcase wheels. 

Clean your wheels people!!

I love London so much. It's my favorite place in the world. England and I go way back! I've always loved English literature. My Aunt Marie gave me a copy of Jane Eyre for Christmas when I was 8 years old! I was thrilled to have it, but I didn't read it until I was 10. Then there was Agatha Christie when I was 11. Next, The British Invasion. I love it all--the history, the beauty, the books, the shows--all of it! Oh and definitely the tea! I do love pomp and circumstance! I cannot wait to go back!

Me on Monday

I've admitted this before. I’m spoiled. But you might not know that I can throw bratty fits. Not the kind where I throw myself on the floor kicking and screaming, but more the kind where I go silent and become unreasonable. I know this, but when I'm in the midst of it, I can't talk myself out of it. I want what I want and I want it NOW! 

I had an "episode" this week. 

First, the background. You know I like white. White makes everything look clean and fresh--until it's not. Our house is trimmed in white and we have white columns. In the spring, everything is disgustingly filthy. Everything white is dirty. Besides the dirt, everything is covered with thick, sticky, pollen. Everything has to be cleaned--and I mean everything. 

There is so much work to be done to get the pool, patio, and porch ready for the season. Here's the list:

Clean out the pond.

Pressure wash the patio.

Pressure wash the pool deck.

Clean out the pool shed.

Blow up the floats.

Clean all the furniture.

Clean and put out cushions.

Move plants from the sunroom to the patio.

Wash all the window frames to get rid of spider webs, pollen and general dirt.

Buy flowers and plants.

Re-pot plants.

Fertilize.

That's just out back.

In the front, the porch has to be cleaned.

The 6 white columns have to be cleaned.

Cushions need cleaning.

Furniture needs cleaning.

The 4 sets of French doors need cleaning to remove dirt and spider webs. Which leads top mopping up the mess inside since the doors are not air tight. It's a mess!

So here's what happened last week. 

Butch and I were having Happy Hour on the front porch. I started to "wig out" about how filthy everything is. I also freely admit, I am over-the-top about this. But, I was getting myself worked up feeling like there's so much work to do and we're way behind. Nevermind that we were in England for the past two weeks--or at least I was. I guess I thought Butch would have it all done before he met me there. Well, he didn't and that's when I had my "fit." I was feeling so overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done, that I got myself all worked up and took it out on Butch--as usual. It's unfair and I know it. But when I get like that, I can't help it. 

So, we started in the next day and got quite a bit of it done. But, I hated doing it. My back was killing me--it even cramped up on me in bed that night. We're too old for all of this back-breaking work! I've hired Mitchell to come do the pressure washing out back. 

Also, I need to remember that it's pretty typical of me to feel tired and defeated at night with all that needs to be done. In the morning, I'm ready to tackle the world. I don't know how Butch puts up with me, but he has for nearly 54 years now. I'm so glad he does. 

And then there's this. I've always talked about how well he takes care of me. My favorite thing he does is serving my tea in bed in the morning so I can read for about an hour before I get my day started. He does it in hotel rooms too. 

Anyway, when we were in England, we were out and about. My hands were feeling dry. I asked Butch if he had any hand lotion--not really expecting that he would. I mean, I didn't have any since I use a smaller purse when traveling. How did I think he would? He pulled this out of his backpack:

OMG! He pulled this out! Not only did he have hand lotion, he also had mosquito repellent and a wet towelette! I've always said he can live out of his car with all the stuff he carries--including snack bars and water. Truly it's a survival kit on wheels. Well, I guess now I need to add his backpack to that list. One of these days, I'm going to make a list of everything he has in there. Oh and did I mention he has Equal in his backpack too? Like I said, he does a good job of taking care of me! 

I need to quit being such a brat! 

Something for Sunday

I thought I'd share a few pictures of Stephanie and the girls. She and Morgan went out to visit Jordan in LA.

They went to Disney.

This slinky dog headband is so Jordan! I think it's adorable.

I love this picture. They all look so cute.

I'm so happy they were able to sneak in a long weekend. I hope they make it an annual tradition!

Scrapbook Saturday

This is the layout I did a couple weeks ago after our trip to NYC--just the girls, Butch and me.

Friday Funnies

Kids these days are soft

I’m pretty sure I died once 

when I was 7 and my mom 

made me walk it off!

Five Things Thursday

1. My Crown Jewels! 

I thought I'd share my collection. Even though I wear these now and then here, it's all I wear in England. Clockwise: Those "B" earring are from the Anne Boleyn collection. I can get away with the "B" since most people presume it stands for Barb. The flag earrings and necklace came as a set. I never wear the necklace. Now I'm thinking I'll take off the charm and add it to the bracelet. The earrings are of my favorite book: Wuthering Heights. And the London map earrings--I wear these the most because I wear a lot of mint green.

2. My collection of teapots, cups and plates from England.

It's hard to see, but the juice glasses on the left came from a friend who handles estate sales. She said she thought of me right away. They have Harrods in gold on them. For anyone who might not know, Harrod's is the famous department store (very upscale) in London.

3. This was the black cherry gin that was so good. 

I had never heard of this brand. I'm going to look for it. I have seen the elderberry tonic but never knew what you would mix with it.

4. When Janet and I arrived in London, our taxi driver told us to beware of people stealing cell phones. One of our tour guides warned that bikers will ride up and snatch your phone out of your hand. I didn't doubt either of them. But when I saw this, I realized it was a real problem.

It's a plaque mounted on the sidewalk. It says, "A member of the public had their phone stolen here." from the police. Someone wrote in chalk, "they didn't help though." Actually, what can the police do? Seems to me that just spending money like this to warn people is doing something!

5. When Janet and I were walking through Kensington--a "posh" part of town (for us "yanks" that means "fancy"), we came across this:

Apparently someone is being evicted and all their stuff was put out. Or...

...given the actual content, it's a single home and this is how the owners are getting rid of their junk! After all, when my favorite cousin, Chrissy just moved, she said that's how she got rid of anything she didn't want. She just put it on the curb and it was gone! I was tempted to grab that giant Pokemon' for Jordan!

What I Buy Wednesday

Well, I always say that I don't need anything---and, in fact, I am trying to get rid of stuff. But, somehow, I always manage to find things I cannot live without! 

Here's the haul I brought back from London:

This is the overall view. I ended up getting quite an assortment. And, I resisted buying more tea. Instead, I got another tea cozy. I already have two, but one is Christmas. This way, when I have my tea parties I can still make two pots. This is my first London sweatshirt. I nearly bought the pink one Janet got, but didn't like how it fit--too long for this vertically challenged girl! And I couldn't resist the socks which I actually wore while there. The two cute birds in the picture are from a garden shop in Wales.

I love Sipsmith lemon gin which I cannot get here in the US--so I always bring that back. Well, this time, I could not find that in the "duty free" shop. Instead, I opted to bring home two new ones that I tried this trip. I had the blood orange gin with Janet and it was very good. Then, I just had to try the rhubarb & ginger. It was good too. There was one more--black cherry gin with elderberry tonic which I liked. But we could only handle two bottles. I have no idea if I can get any of these here, but I'm going to look. I'll also look for the black cherry. I'll miss the Sipsmith, but I might be able to find another brand of lemon gin. The way I'm going on about gin, you might think I'm a huge drinker. I'm not, but I do like unusual things. Plus, don't these bottles look so pretty? I do love pretty things.

I got a new oven mitt which I actually need. I added a charm bracelet and a sparkly gemstone bangle to my personal Crown Jewels. 

I usually always get a teapot, but I have quite a few now. So I opted for the Coronation and Jubilee mugs to add to my collection. Plus they were on a good sale---2 for £10! There's a spoon rest and two tea towels. I might have bought the second one for the cute London ribbon it was tied up with. Scrapbooking is always on my mind! I might even share it with Janet!     Wait a minute! What the heck! What is that green thing?

OMGosh! How did that get in my picture? That's Butch's souvenir--a pin from Wales for his backpack. He should make his own post rather than intruding on mine! This is supposed to be about ME! 

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What Barb didn't say is that after all her "spending" I only had enough money to buy a £3 pin! Butch!

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Okay, that's fair. He's always been the one to "make the money" while I'm the one who spends it! Works for us!