Sometimes Your Day Starts Out Bad and Just Goes Downhill From There!

I'm pasting this post directly from the email I sent to Butch and the girls.

This is all about Day 2 of my Downton Abbey Tour trip to England. Now remember, the main thing I wanted to do with my free time was to visit Hampton Court---home of King Henry VIII.

OMGosh! Where do I begin. This day has been terrible—and yet just being here is so much fun!!

We started our day with the vintage double-decker bus tour. It was pretty chilly to be up top and I forgot my sweater. I stayed down, but Karolyn and her sisters ended up coming down because even with jackets they were cold. The microphone didn’t work. Since most of the people were on top, the tour guide stayed up there and tried to yell over all of the city traffic. People told us that you couldn’t hear him any way. At least I’ve already been here, so knew quite a few of the attractions.

Next up was the Thames River Cruise. It was just that—a cruise—exactly what I did yesterday with my friend. Except, my friend pointed out interesting things all along the way. There was no commentary today.

We got back on the bus to head over to Buckingham for the changing of the guard. The guide let anybody that wanted to get off the bus for a 15 minute photo opportunity. I stayed on the bus since I already had these photos. By the time they got back—which was a half hour later—we got stuck in traffic and MISSED the changing of the guard!!! I cannot tell you how crowded it is here with tourists. I felt so bad for all the newcomers.

Buckingham Palace was the end of our tour for today. Karolyn’s sister had gotten us tickets to tour Buckingham. Elizabeth said since it was only noon, we had time for lunch before our ticket time. I said, “what? I was planning to leave for Hampton Court by 1 p.m.” I was planning to spend 3 hours at HC. The Buckingham Palace tour was to be an hour. Elizabeth never mentioned that our tickets were for a set time. I opted not to go on that tour since I’ve already seen it. Wasted 30 bucks---oh well. We had a very nice lunch near the tube station. I got to the tube station at 1:20 p.m. Now this was the main priority of my trip—Hampton Court—home to Henry VIII. I was only 20 minutes off my schedule, but still had plenty of time—or so I thought!

I DID NOT ARRIVE UNTIL 4 P.M. It took me 2 1/2 hours to get there! By then, I did not have time to tour it at all since I had to be at the theater (you know I love the theater and could not resist seeing a show in London) at 7 p.m. for the Beatles show Let it Be. I was so upset!!! Hampton Court is only 10 miles outside of London. According to the information that I had and confirmed with the hotel concierge—it was a 30 minute train ride. I WAS NEVER ON A TRAIN!!

I wrote down the instructions given me by the tour guide:

These direction were the most direct. Had I followed them, I think I would have been okay. Take the tube to Victoria Station from Green Park. Switch to the grey line to Waterloo and catch the train.

Instead, I asked the "information guy" at the tube station. He called someone and gave me this information. I figured they would know best. The tube instructions are on the right. The left are a few notes about the trip.

I did not make any mistakes—unless you call listening to the information people that are supposed to know—was a mistake—which it was!! It seems to me that people go to Hampton Court every day and they would know exactly what you should do. I was on 3 different tubes—transferring each time to get to Richmond where I was to get on the train. When I got there, that information guy said “oh no, you just need to hop on the bus.” Well, by this time I thought maybe I was only a couple of miles away. I was on the bus for an HOUR!!! After awhile we had a driver change who had to go through her checklist. We were on our way again for about 10 minutes when the bus driver announced that---this bus was going out of service. We were dropped off on the sidewalk and told to wait for another bus. That was only about a five minute wait. Finally, I arrived at Hampton Court. But too late to do anything.

I literally got there, took a picture of the outside and then started trying to figure out how to go back.

My friend yesterday said the boat was a really nice way to go, but that it would take 2 hours. I decided to do that. I did not want to get on that bus again! I saw an ice cream stand and bought one---I figured I deserved it! I asked where the dock was and was directed down the drive that runs along side Hampton Court—pedestrians only---second entrance. I’m thinking, “oh well, it’s a gorgeous day, I’ve seen some awesome flowers and houses, ornate  and ancient buildings and unusual birds. That’s not so bad—I’m in this wonderful country—Butch will just have to come back with me.”

As I’m walking down, I pass the first pier to "King-something." I continue on. After a bit, I’m thinking, I don’t even see another pier. Can you tell by this picture the clue I missed? Then I got distracted because I was at the back of the palace and could look through the fence at the gorgeous gardens. 

I continued to go down the road—now I’ve walked at least 15 minutes. I finally ask a couple of bikers and they tell me that the pier is on the OTHER SIDE of the main road—although I was walking in the direction that the ice cream man pointed to!! The clue I missed? There was no one else on the road. If there was a pier in that direction, most likely other people would be heading towards it! 

I walked back—another 15 minutes—now I’m panicking because it’s 4:40. I have no time to spare to get to the theater. 

I MISSED the boat!! The last one left at 4:30. OMGosh! I was about ready to start crying right then.

So now, I took a deep breath. I asked a resident—no professional information person this time—where the train station was. It wasn’t too far, so I walked there and got the information to get back to London. My plan was that once I got there, I would go straight to the theater. I got on the train at 5 p.m. I asked a guy how long it took to get to London. He said, “Well, this is the slow train.” And it was—other trains were zooming by on both sides. I about died!!! Then he said," it will take 40 minutes.” I’m like “whaattt?” That's why I should have been on the train to begin with. Now I was able to relax.

When I arrived in London---the Waterloo station where I should have started from---I decided to take a cab. I was tired of walking all over tarnation in the tubes---upstairs and downstairs! The cab only cost 4 pounds and I was at the theater at 6 p.m.!!! I went to an Italian restaurant and sat outside. I had spaghetti and meatballs, a big glass of Chianti and people watched. It was so nice. Again, I counted my blessings.

I went to the show—which was awesome! It was a concert!! I was surprised at how young the crowd was. I expected more people my age, 75% were way younger—even kids and teenagers. The problem with that?? Just like a regular concert, they stood, danced and sang nearly the whole time. They all seemed to know the words. Of course, I knew all the words too. My legs were really tired to be doing all that standing. I’ll have to count how many songs they did, but it was at least 30. It was 2 1/2 hours long.

The only thing I didn’t like was that the “guys” didn’t look anything like the Beatles. They had costume changes and they sounded exactly like the Beatles, so that was good. Better that way than the other way around—look like them but not sound like them.

So basically, I spent the whole day riding around the country side just to get to the theater.

Okay, my feet are really tired. I’ve already had my shower. It’s midnight and I’m about ready to go to bed. I half way considered skipping the tour tomorrow to try to get back to Hampton Court, but decided against it. I’ve paid for the tour—I need to do that. I’ll just walk around Bath and look at things I didn’t look at before. Plus, I am looking forward to Stonehenge.

I'm still grateful to be here---and I really am enjoying myself!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

My trip to England had a bit of a rocky start. A few of the events were a bit unfortunate.

1. I left my Kindle in the pocket on the plane on the way to Newark. Luckily, the Southwest agent in the baggage claim area retrieved it for me. I'm blaming this on Karolyn. I'm not one to leave things behind. We ended up talking the whole time. I always read on a plane. This time, I never had it out of the pocket which is why I forgot about it. Usually the only time it's in the pocket is when I'm settling in and putting on my seatbelt. If I had been unable to get it back, I guarantee you I would have bought another at the airport! And I wouldn't have cared how much it cost!! I cannot be without my books!

2. Our flight was delayed by 2 hours which put us sitting in the Newark airport for 8 hours. That didn't bother me. They had a half hour of free wifi. I paid 8 bucks for the rest of the time. The time flew by.

3. We arrived an hour and a half late in to Heathrow. The walk to customs was a mile and a quarter. Luckily for us, a little golf cart picked us up. That allowed us to sail through a special line too! Now we know how the queen feels!

4. The drive to the hotel was 2 hours. Just our luck, there was a tube strike the day we arrived. That meant that ALL the people that are usually underground were above ground, walking, riding bikes, buses or taxis. The traffic was crazy! And tons of tourists. The one and only time I've been here before, was in September. It was perfect---not too crowded and all the kids were back in school.

5. We arrived at the hotel around noon. Our rooms were not ready, so we had to check our bags. Then I needed to get my bag back to get out my shoes. I went up to the desk at the hotel to request change so that I could give a tip. The clerk looked at me and said, "These are euros, love." Well, first off, ya' gotta' love that---"love!"

"What???  Euros??" I requested pounds but my bank gave me euros. And yes, I'm sure I requested pounds. I had to find a money-changer.

I sent Karolyn and her sisters on while I assessed my situation. My phone needed charging, so I sat down and took a deep breath. I figured out how I would change my plan. Instead of going to Hampton Court today (my original plan when I thought we'd be at the hotel by 9:30 a.m.), I'd do it tomorrow when we finished with the first part of our tour at noon. I called my blog friend who I had planned to meet after my trip to Hampton Court. We set a time to meet.

6. AFTER I changed the money and paid a 5% charge, Butch suggested I just keep the euros for my sisters trip to Italy. Great idea, just too late.

Luckily for me, the day really started to look up! I had 3 goals in mind when coming to England. Actually there were 4---having high tea---that's a given. I wanted to go to Hampton Court---my main objective, Twinings Tea and Selfridges department store. The first and last time I was here, Butch surprised me by taking me to Twinings---the original store since the 1600's. I just had to go back and restock my tea supply.

I met up with my blog friend around 3:30.

That was truly the highlight of my day! She really had to go out of her way to spend time with me. We went for a cruise on the Thames. We walked around while she pointed out interesting sights. She took me through a beautiful little park/garden outside the Savoy hotel. Our destination was Twinings Tea. I made my purchases. She helped me buy an "oyster" card---for public transportation. She got me on the bus heading in the direction of my hotel. It took me an hour, but I had a nice time just people watching and enjoying the day. I'm so grateful she took this time with me!! She certainly turned this series of unfortunate events around to a pleasant day. Thanks, W...

When I reached my destination, I asked the bus guy---I don't really know what to call him---he wasn't the driver---he was at the rear of the bus. Anyway, I asked him for directions. I started walking. A few minutes later, the bus passed me. The bus guy was waving to me and yelling, "turn around! You are going the wrong way!" I did an about-face in one smooth motion! Just like those Buckingham guards!

When I got back to the hotel---around 6:30, I decided that I was going to wait for Karolyn and her sisters. If they weren't back by 7, I was leaving without them. They got back just in time. We took a taxi to Selfridges (we love that show). Traffic was still crazy. I finally told the cab driver that we were getting out when the meter reached 27 lbs. That would make it 10 lbs. each with tip. When we reached 27 lbs. the man was so nice---he took us the rest of the way for free!!

 The store looked amazing!!! It takes up an entire block. The architecture is so cool.

By the time we got there, I thought we only had 45 minutes as the store was to close at 9:00 p.m. One of the sales clerks told me that during the tourist season and holidays, they are open until 10! What a relief!!

Karolyn with her sister, Elizabeth. Her older sister, Nell stayed behind as she was exhausted.

 We went downstairs to Harry Gordon's bar for a drink---and dinner for me.

I got the Mr. Selfridge---how could I NOT. It came with a black bendie---I learned that lingo for straw in Scotland!

The drink was really good. The problem, is it's hard to remember the conversion rate. I looked at this and saw $12.00 when in reality it's about $18.00. This has to be the most expensive drink I've ever had!! Still, just the total experience was worth it. I always try to be aware of how lucky I am to be having these most awesome experiences. That optimism will come in handy for my exploits tomorrow!

We shopped just a little. I had my souvenir picked out months ago.

Is this not the cutest thing? It's about 4" tall and has champagne in it. I love the little key with a crown on top.

We just about closed the store. We decided to take the bus home. Some young girls helped us figure out what we needed to do. We found the people so nice and friendly. I learned that very first day that if you just hold your map and gaze around with a puzzled look on your face, someone will ask you if you need help.

Anyway, we got on the jam-packed bus for the ride back to our hotel. At each stop, no one got off, but more people crammed in. If there was ever a "packed like sardines" situation, this was it. It was sooooo hot!!

After an hour and a half (yes, you read that right)---we realized we had over-shot our destination. We got off the bus, asked another bus driver for directions and began walking. When we got to the hotel, it was part of our hotel chain---but not our hotel! At this point, we hopped in a cab and were home by midnight! Just a little glitch among many!! Who cares anyway???

Gosh I just love this place!!!

Boy, Do I Have Stories to Tell!

It was a whirlwind trip to England. I knew that blogging from there would be a challenge as we didn't get in until 11:30 p.m. every night and were off again by 6:45 a.m. every morning. We were on a Downton Abbey tour with a packed schedule. Just got back last night---and boy, do I have a lot of stories to tell. Be patient---it's going to take a few days.

But for now---just a few little things:

I am such an idiot! One day, I had an adventure all by myself (that's an entire story all by itself). I started at this "tube" station in Green Park. When I got to the escalator, there were 3 of them. I needed to go down and noticed it was out-of-order. I started the long trek down. I got about 10 steps in when I took this picture. Then I continued the trek. Notice anything unusual? NOT ANOTHER SOUL WAS ON IT!! That should have been a clue.

Pretty soon, I noticed that ALL of the people coming UP were staring at me. Then, I noticed that to their left was another escalator that was working and was loaded with people going DOWN! Now, I'm feeling pretty stupid. But, did I think to just turn around and walk back UP 10 steps? Well, heck no! I continued down--enduring the humiliation of staring eyes. Once I got to the bottom, I snapped this shot so you can see how darn many steps there were---they go on to infinity! This is for sure the longest humiliation I suffered for being such an idiot. I'm very sorry to say, I gave Americans a bad name that day!

I snapped this shot and sent it to Butch and the girls with a caption: "Just my luck! But on the other hand, whoever thought I'd be "sitting" in Oxford!" I always try to look on the bright side!

This sign was in the bathroom area of The Albert Pub. I saw a similar one in the bathroom at a place we were having lunch at near Green Park. When I got back to the table, I told my friends about it. I said, "there weren't any other people down there besides me. What, do people just hang out down there waiting for people to use the bathroom and catch them at their most vulnerable?" Karolyn said, "Barb, I think they mean the greater area---not just the bathroom!" Well, duhhhh!

Like I said, an idiot!

On the Move in More Ways Than One!

My friend, Karolyn just moved recently. I couldn't wait to help! My favorite thing is making order out of chaos. We accomplished so much and her house is beautiful. When I got home after my first day of helping, I came in and told Butch. "I'm really good at this"!! I was tired, but pumped! I just love to organize and decorate. When it's someone else's stuff, it's especially rewarding. I love seeing their things in a different way. I felt like I was shopping---just choosing from among the things they already had! Soooo much fun. I freaked Karolyn out a few times by having to put more than one nail in the wall. But all in all, she and Bruce were good sports about it all---remember, I can get really bossy. Bruce was a good sport to move furniture around. The next day, he made plans to play golf with Butch. I might have been a little too much for him!

Karolyn even took one suggestion to heart---I told her to get all black hangers for their closet so everything would look nice. She's particular about nail holes, but not about a bunch of mis-matched hangers!! You don't see nail holes behind pictures, but mis-matched hangers---right in your face! I always tell my friends that when I'm in my "work" mode they can't get their feelings hurt---it's nothing personal. It's just how I see things! I figure that's why they "hire" me (not really, I'm free labor)! They want things to look the best they can be---on that we all agree! I'll let the results speak for itself (I'm not taking all the credit here---they did so much on their own. It was a huge job!).

I have a lot of awesome pictures, but I've picked just a few to show off.

The house is a shotgun style---meaning it's long and narrow. The landscaping is so lush and gorgeous. This house is quite a bit bigger than their old house.

I love the front porch. They had a really nice porch in their old house. They plan to add another on the back of this one, but for the time being, this porch is very inviting.

Bruce and Karolyn did the gallery wall on their own. It turned out great.

The dining room is pretty big. There's a bar/butler's pantry on the left.

 This is my favorite bathroom. The tile has a latticework pattern.

Karolyn got rid of a lot of her scrapbook stuff so that her room would not look so cluttered. One side is scrapbooking and the other side is her sewing machine and supplies.

 We grouped all of her "k's" inside an old window.

This is her work area. As I see the photo, we need to put something on top of the shelves---looks a little bare up there. Maybe some completed albums would look good there. (Side note: I'm going to St. Louis in a couple of weeks to set up Janet's scrapbook room---can't wait for that!)

The kitchen, family room and breakfast room are all one huge space. I love the wrought iron detail of the stairs. They have a lot of really neat antiques that work remarkably well in this modern house.

 This is the family room side of the room. They have a lot of really cool light fixtures throughout the house. I love the old suitcases on top of the shelves.

 There are so many built-ins throughout the house.

There are three bedrooms upstairs. Karolyn has designated one for each of her children.

We're on the move in more ways than one! Karolyn and I along with two of her sisters are hopping a plane on Wednesday for a "Downton Abbey tour". We'll spend time in London, Bath, Oxford and the Downton film locations including Highclere Castle---home of Downton Abbey. Since this is the last year for the show, it was perfect timing for us to go.

Karolyn is on the left, Nell in the center and Elizabeth (from Texas) on the right. You might be wondering why I would be going on a sisters trip with them. But the truth is---Karolyn invited me first! When her sisters found out, they wondered (maybe "whined" is a better word) why she didn't invite them. I told Karolyn to ask them---the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. I'll just be one of their sisters!!

See you on the other side of the pond!!

A Few Things

Recently, I went to a new dermatologist. I love my regular dermatologist (well, except for the day he came in wearing Crocs---that was just wrong). But according to my friends, I needed to have a head to toe "mole check." I had never heard of it and didn't know I needed one. Well, there is no way I could go see my regular doctor. We've been together too long. I could not stand in front of him in my underwear. So, I went to a female doctor---the one my friend, Nancy goes to. I really liked her. She says everything looks good. I got the bill the other day. Instead of "office visit" it said "encounter." Doesn't that sound odd? I've never heard of that before. Encounter sounds somewhat mysterious and dangerous to me. I guess if the news had been bad, it would have been.

Speaking of things I've never heard of before, I spotted these at the grocery store:

 Say what??? I cannot imagine.....

 Seriously---this is Greek to me!

 Come on this is the only one that really makes sense. This sounds like someone was eating a reuben sandwich along with chips and thought---"hmmm how about we forget the sandwich and just put it in the chips! That would certainly save a lot of time." It looks like they even included the pickle.

I'd say this sign just about has it right.

This tag is perfect for a friend of mine! She does her married daughters laundry and ironing! I don't even iron for myself. Luckily, my girls would probably think something was wrong with me if I did theirs! Wouldn't want them to worry about that.

 When Mindy and I went dress shopping, this sign greeted us.

And this is how Mindy asked her sisters and nieces to be in her wedding---they received personalized Coke bottles saying: Maid of Honor (Mindy found out later that it should have said "matron"---but we don't worry about things like that around here), Elizabeth's says---"junior bridesmaid" and Victoria's says---"bridesmaid." Mindy has a lot of very clever ideas---stay tuned!

Lastly, my mirror fell off the wall 3 weeks ago. Luckily it didn't break, but I wonder if it will take 7 years to get it back on the wall?

Sleeping Habits

After nearly 44 years of marriage our sleep habits have changed. Actually, they changed about 5 years ago when Butch retired. I guess that's only natural since he didn't have a particular schedule to follow---nor did I---being an empty nester---no longer revolving around school schedules.

When we first married, we always went to bed at 10 p.m. on "work" nights. We/he watched the news in bed. I've always been a reader before bed. When we left St. Louis on January 1st, 1977, we moved east and to eastern time. We still went to bed at 10 p.m., but never saw the news again---or Johnny Carson or Saturday Night Live---since everything started after 11 p.m. on eastern time. The point is, we always went to bed together.

So, about 5 years ago, that changed. He had much more time to watch tv. Maybe this post is more about tv patterns and how that's changed our sleep habits. Butch is ALL about sports. He watches them all---football, basketball, golf, Nascar racing---and sometimes even girls sports. With ESPN, there's something on all the time. About the only thing he doesn't watch is baseball unless he's interested in the team making the play-offs and World Series. I'm not saying he watches tv all day---he doesn't. I'm just saying his tv of choice is sports.

I, on the other hand, do not watch sports. Sure, I'll watch the occasional Titans foot ball game while either playing games on my phone, checking blogs or stitching. You get the picture. I'm not actually watching the game. I do watch the Cardinals if they make it to the play-offs or World Series. That I do enjoy---even though I no longer know anything about the players.

With all of these sports, there is very little time for us to watch programs together. So, we've settled in to a pattern where we watch tv together from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Then, Butch goes to bed---turning on the tv in the bedroom---while I watch the programs I have recorded. I usually go to bed around 11 p.m. By that time, Butch is sound asleep, so I turn off the tv and read with my little book light---anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

That's been working for us for a long time now. But, ever since we finished the rec room, Butch has taken to watching tv up there rather than in the bed. Now that poses a couple of problems. He might fall asleep up there. In which case, I've gone to bed before him. When he comes to bed after me, it wakes me up and messes up my slumber for the night. Plus, he needs the tv to drift off. There's no way he can turn it on when I'm already asleep.

I think we've finally found a solution. I give him 15 minutes notice as to when I'm going to bed if he's still up. If I go to bed when the tv is still on, I can handle that. I just can't already be asleep. So, with the 15 minutes notice, he can get in bed and put on the tv. I come in, read for awhile---usually he's already out---and I can turn it off. That seems to be working pretty well.

I guess this is exactly how we've made it 44 years. As things change, we have to keep coming up with new ways to adjust.

Works for  us.

Now, snoring---that's an entirely different issue!

A Recipe Share

I had planned to make this for my sisters on our sisters weekend. But by the time I was supposed to cook it on Saturday night, we were still full from lunch. We decided to have snacks instead. As a result, I still had the ingredients. I made it last night for Stephanie and Nicky and it was soooooo delicious!! I've had the recipe for quite awhile. I found it on Plain Chicken.

Let me start with the fact that I have never had this at Carrabba's. But the next time I go---I'll have to give it a try to see if it truly is the same!

Carrabba's Champagne Chicken
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
4 chicken cutlets (I used chicken tenderloins)
1/3 cup flour
2 T. parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I used fresh)
1/4 cup champagne (dry) (I did not put this in because when I realized it was such a small amount, I did not want to open the bottle.)
2/3 cup heavy cream
pinch Kosher Salt
1/8 t. red pepper
1/4 t. tarragon (I didn't use this since I didn't have it.)
6 oz. angel hair pasta, cooked and drained.

Mix together flour, salt, pepper and grated parmesan. Rinse the chicken in water. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture, until well coated.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken and do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes on each side (it took more like 15 minutes on each side). Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cook the other breasts. Remove from pan and keep warm while making the sauce.

*Add the champagne and mushrooms to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half. Whisk in cream, salt, black pepper, red pepper and tarragon. Heat until sauce thickens to a creamy consistency. Serve chicken and sauce over angel hair pasta.

*I only put the mushrooms in the pan and cooked them until soft. Then I added the cream, salt, pepper and red pepper. 

If you make it, let me know what you think!!