tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29728844009069185692024-03-05T20:40:55.805+00:00My Clavering'So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters;
and whether it matters for ages or only for hours,
nobody can say.'
- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Ownburygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-18534635817840206292016-11-18T12:32:00.003+00:002016-11-18T12:32:50.692+00:00August, September, October 2016<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; max-width: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">August, September, October - summer slips into autumn</span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />You would imagine that over the number of years that I have kept this blog that I would be used to coming back to it and being astonished by the fact I hadn't visited it in three months. Not so. Here I am realising a new month has begun and thought I had better write up last month. Hey ho, it seems I have three months to tackle. It is lucky that us oldies don't seem to do a lot.<br /><br /><b>August</b><br /><b><br /></b>My daughter, husband and baby arrived for a five day stay right at the beginning of the month so we could help her celebrate her birthday. Sitting around the table we all remarked on the endless surprises that life brings us and how none of us can ever predict what we will be looking back on when we toast her next birthday. In the last three years she has married, moved house and had our wonderful baby O..... who'd have thunk it!<br /><br />My other half also has his birthday in August, so, mid month we were off to Lymm Hotel for a short stay for his birthday dinner along with two friends.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xVDcRDDiai8/WBnMYXKDvFI/AAAAAAAE1lA/Gcij3mnYzt0kvYMV4SLCQ_vKBhr4_i5HgCEw/s1600/IMG_2523.JPG&source=gmail&ust=1479553612437000&usg=AFQjCNHuLfySl3VDA2nHPnc7N_MgFeeQFg" href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xVDcRDDiai8/WBnMYXKDvFI/AAAAAAAE1lA/Gcij3mnYzt0kvYMV4SLCQ_vKBhr4_i5HgCEw/s1600/IMG_2523.JPG" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #1155cc; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" class="CToWUd" height="396" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xVDcRDDiai8/WBnMYXKDvFI/AAAAAAAE1lA/Gcij3mnYzt0kvYMV4SLCQ_vKBhr4_i5HgCEw/s400/IMG_2523.JPG" style="max-width: 90%;" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="m_8967374135778203100tr-caption" style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lymm Hotel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /><br />We began in rather an odd way as Ken and I wanted to visit Arley Hall as neither of us remembered ever seeing it. Our friends wanted to visit Dunham Massey (which K and I know quite well) so we decided it was fine to make our own way to the hotel via our own Stately homes of choice.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CPvNlXYHEQ/WBnMYWUi0XI/AAAAAAAE1lE/B9Y7nzM1-gIau95B7eR_PzAVHfTCKa5gwCEw/s1600/IMG_2518.JPG&source=gmail&ust=1479553612437000&usg=AFQjCNECHf3xnGatG0VGNSN28x7tgnjnwQ" href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CPvNlXYHEQ/WBnMYWUi0XI/AAAAAAAE1lE/B9Y7nzM1-gIau95B7eR_PzAVHfTCKa5gwCEw/s1600/IMG_2518.JPG" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #1155cc; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" class="CToWUd" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CPvNlXYHEQ/WBnMYWUi0XI/AAAAAAAE1lE/B9Y7nzM1-gIau95B7eR_PzAVHfTCKa5gwCEw/s400/IMG_2518.JPG" style="max-width: 90%;" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="m_8967374135778203100tr-caption" style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Arley Hall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /><br />If you want to see a bunch of photos just click here: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM77wtoXhrFsogJvSJzgVAYfQvcdkBiJ4r-gyjutcMK97dSQrl-5z_pDfmcjIxpkQ?key%3DeTNQVlowQzhOV2dxNXhzT19VcGktYllpWnhZb2l3&source=gmail&ust=1479553612437000&usg=AFQjCNECF2D_JsT6_wjEIjAuedSK-H1atQ" href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM77wtoXhrFsogJvSJzgVAYfQvcdkBiJ4r-gyjutcMK97dSQrl-5z_pDfmcjIxpkQ?key=eTNQVlowQzhOV2dxNXhzT19VcGktYllpWnhZb2l3" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Arley Hall</a><br /><br />I have to admit to not being particularity overwhelmed by Arley Hall and gardens though I hear its praises sung far and wide, so don't use me as the yardstick. I think I am a died in the wool Regency fanatic. I did, however, love the little tea house in the gardens.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r8jcUEmRdy4/WBnMQeshYCI/AAAAAAAE1k8/AuGj5LYda2Y6rxJQU1zowmdBqZ034z7QwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2512.JPG&source=gmail&ust=1479553612437000&usg=AFQjCNHQheBG0GO_6dAxB6AhChEBJjnEwg" href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r8jcUEmRdy4/WBnMQeshYCI/AAAAAAAE1k8/AuGj5LYda2Y6rxJQU1zowmdBqZ034z7QwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2512.JPG" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #1155cc; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" class="CToWUd" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r8jcUEmRdy4/WBnMQeshYCI/AAAAAAAE1k8/AuGj5LYda2Y6rxJQU1zowmdBqZ034z7QwCLcB/s400/IMG_2512.JPG" style="max-width: 90%;" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="m_8967374135778203100tr-caption" style="margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">sweet little tea house</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />The following day we were off to Tatton Park for my companions to have a whale of a time riding Segways. They have done it quite a few times in different places but all agree that riding in the sunshine in Naples (Florida) probably wins out.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We went into the park half an hour before it opened to the public, so off I went to wander the gardens. I can honestly say it was one of the most wonderful garden visits I have ever experienced. I had the whole of Tatton to myself. It began with the the best wildflower meadow I have ever stood in. Waist high with every flower you could imagine and full of bees and butterflies and sunshine and silence!!!! It is very hard to share via a photograph as this was an 'experience' not a snapshot.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bB-9ymNYgUI/WBnOKg0ZhiI/AAAAAAAE1lU/GznMCOlN2ikLe6lrrNmqPQd7zrDbEc82ACLcB/s1600/IMG_2542.JPG&source=gmail&ust=1479553612437000&usg=AFQjCNHqiClUxwY0W3EeOd07kTgO65oVQQ" href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bB-9ymNYgUI/WBnOKg0ZhiI/AAAAAAAE1lU/GznMCOlN2ikLe6lrrNmqPQd7zrDbEc82ACLcB/s1600/IMG_2542.JPG" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #1155cc; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" class="CToWUd" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bB-9ymNYgUI/WBnOKg0ZhiI/AAAAAAAE1lU/GznMCOlN2ikLe6lrrNmqPQd7zrDbEc82ACLcB/s400/IMG_2542.JPG" style="max-width: 90%;" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="m_8967374135778203100tr-caption" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">heaven on earth</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />Again if you'd like to see more, click here: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMFL8c0YUOgUkYfoQeJ7Kw4_vW3CY7ws5zVx3qDjtI0ETk_1I0lPSF9tvXswEcf2A?key%3DQlZXZmZzbi1GcUFmT0J4N0ZSeEcyZFgzeXdreDRB&source=gmail&ust=1479553612437000&usg=AFQjCNGHn88UpqdTWiYUWzc4BGCTY_DDyQ" href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMFL8c0YUOgUkYfoQeJ7Kw4_vW3CY7ws5zVx3qDjtI0ETk_1I0lPSF9tvXswEcf2A?key=QlZXZmZzbi1GcUFmT0J4N0ZSeEcyZFgzeXdreDRB" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Tatton Park</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I could wax lyrical about my couple of hours alone in Tatton's wonderful landscapes but I am aware I am trying to just 'list' the things I did and saw over a three month stretch. So....onwards and upwards.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We got in a lot of our usual lunches out and even a movie - the latter being so tedious I don't even recall what it was! Maybe a Bourne something or other?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We visited my (slightly confused) aunt on her 84th birthday and set up a Skype to my sister in Canada - this, as you can imagine caused quite a few laughs. At one point Jean, finally managing to see her own small image in the corner of the screen asked, "What am I wearing there?". This took a bit of explaining, She was also pleased we were 'filming it'.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">September</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We drifted into September and our major buy this month was another car. We changed our car earlier in the year, having been seduced (we now think) by the <u>colour</u> of the new one!! After a few months of running around in it we discovered a lot of things which didn't suit us, so off we went to swap it. We now have a decent size seven-seater (!) to carry us, plus two, plus baby in car seat, plus all the other baby kit when we go any where.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At the beginning of the month we were back in Edinburgh and we started our visit in some style with a stay at the Melville Castle for dinner and overnighter.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="CToWUd a6T" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjGMEAZzG-cU8AvxO3lDBuk2-jxy8RIflZKjfDtiohfA7uj83dVi973OuZ6HOv22Q7D1zlhkDZvuzO_Eyl3t14enpYaFYSzTiNH0ykIOvQbyux6IgBD_BF63IoAD3_HFWIaX6fVqNcfgtE6bJ34=s0-d-e1-ft" style="cursor: pointer; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 90%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Our four days in Travel Lodge after that was a bit of a contrast.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We travelled up to the hotel, in our new big car, with a ton of space for our bags and baggage and a dolls house. Have dolls house, will travel The story being I had bought the house in a mad moment late one night from EBay (as you do) and on consideration realised it was a really daft thing to do - lack of space and a project already on the go. Luckily someone bought it from me for what I paid and, even more luckily, she had a husband travelling through Edinburgh, within shot of the Melville on the day were were there. He dutifully arrived and collected said house from us. Serendipity.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Our visits to my daughter's often consist of much food and ice creams, walks along the front at Portabello and garden centre visits (these also seem to include eating). This was such a visit. Lovely it was too.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The difference this time was, when we left my daughter and baby came home with us. Technically, Ken drove on his own and I sat in S's car as 'nanny' while she got O and me back home.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We had a lovely week with them at home in the sunshine. It included a walk around Burrs Country park (almost our neighbour) and a drink in the Brown Cow beer garden - almost a first for Ken , not being a 'pub' type chap. It is waaaay to complicated to explain why reading this again will make S and I laugh, but it will.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We took O swimming. He is such a great baby, nothing phases him and has been swimming each week for a while now and it seemed a shame to miss his outing. I have no idea how mom's manage all this single handed - the dressing, undressing, drying, etc etc etc. It seemed a challenge for two people to manage.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My son-in-law came down for the weekend on the train so they could all travel home together in the car after Sunday lunch.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My lovely grandson left us all with his cold.... this lingered for a month - what an efficient little chap.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Some friends celebrated fifty years of wedded bliss this month and my grand daughter, Lucy, turned six (!!) I have no idea how in both cases.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The last day of the month arrived and we were ensconced in the Holiday Inn at the NEC, Birmingham ready for the show the next day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Such a great way to start the month for me as I was spending a couple of days at the NEC to take in a pretty big miniatures show. Miniatura is held twice a year and any time we are around I get to do it. Usually for the past few years I miss the autumn one because we are in Naples Florida - with that home gone now, our year is adjusting to a slightly different pattern. If you have any interest at all in my miniature passion there is a show blog and a current project blog you can trail round. There are links to them on the left of this blog.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A week later and my best chum and I could be found in Manchester Art Gallery. If any of you ever make it to this neck of the woods I commend it to you.<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br /> It is an interesting building with some lovely permanent galleries - especially the pre-Raphelites for me - and often hosting great temporary exhibitions. The one we had gone to see this time was the Vogue exhibition. It is the oddest feeling to see much of your life turned into historical displays. So many of the famous people of the fifties and sixties zeitgeist seem to be intrinsically part of who I am. Going around the exhibits was less about observing and more about reminiscing. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="m_8967374135778203100tr-caption" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">can I claim this as me on a night out?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was, of course, followed by a scrumptious lunch - always great food at the gallery - and with the best of company.<br /><br />Couple more piccies for those of us of a certain age:<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mid month and I was in a huge 'shop' (Boundary Mill) being reminded of how much I hate clothes shopping these days - what a contrast to the Vogue exhibition and remembering my younger self loving all things sartorial.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mid month and we were doing our (now becoming usual) trip to Edinburgh. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We did manage to get back in time for our friends Golden Wedding celebration and caught up, as you do, with the people you see at these gatherings now and then.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I am writing this on 2nd November and wondering how many things November will bring.</span></div>
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-14716860999176653282016-08-05T14:45:00.000+01:002016-08-11T14:16:23.725+01:00July - new point on the globe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">July started with a couple more days with my new grand-baby and his parents before they decamped to Scotland. As soon as they leave I am trying to work out how soon we can get back together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I then had a flurry of shopping to do for gifts for my other grandchildren ready for our trip to Newfoundland on the 7th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We can't get a direct flight to St John's; our choices being flying out of Dublin or London. London for me is never a choice. Distance, cost of an overnighter if needed and the sheer hassle of dealing with Heathrow or Gatwick makes it a no-go choice!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, on the 7th, we were off to Dublin. We had to stay overnight as we couldn't get a connecting flight the same day. The St John's flight out of there leaves at 8.30 am, there was no way we could get there before that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Flying backwards in time we arrived in St John's about 10 am. That made our first day a long one for me. It was so lovely to see my son waiting for us at the airport that I was paid back ten-fold for every mile travelled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We picked up the hire car. It was also lovely to be back with 'American-style' cars and roads and no traffic. Over to the hotel to drop off stuff and then we picked up the girls from Day Care and hung out with them for the day. In the evening we had the best pizza I have had in a very long time at their local (new) pizza restaurant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Saturday we hung out with them again - which was the whole point of the visit - Chris took us on a whistle stop tour of the sights with the girls while Gayle happily built flat-pack from Ikea (Toronto) which had been delivered the day before. Newfoundland is an island so, of course, almost every little thing has to be shipped in. Not a place to live if you are impatient.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We visited Signal Hill - <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">On 12 December 1901, the first transatlantic </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Wireless">wireless</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> transmission was received here by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Guglielmo Marconi">Guglielmo Marconi</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> in an abandoned fever and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphtheria" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Diphtheria">diphtheria</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> hospital, which has since been destroyed by fire.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Hill,_St._John%27s#cite_note-1" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[1]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> The transmission, in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Morse code">Morse code</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, originated from his </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poldhu" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Poldhu">Poldhu Wireless Station</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwall" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Cornwall">Cornwall</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, UK.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />We also stopped by Middle Cove Beach, a small bay, which is about ten minutes from their home and one they use a lot. The capelin were due in. <br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We missed them by a day. They arrived the day after we left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sunday arrived too fast; we all had a huge brunch at Mallards cottage down in Quid Vidi Village which pretty much lasted me all day. We went round a lovely crafts centre there and off to a bookstore. Gayle's parents and sister arrived later for dinner at the house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Sunday was pretty much an at home day of playing games with the girls though Ken and I did take Lucy to the movies in the afternoon. (Finding Dory)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Tuesday Ken and I left St John's for a four day road trip around the <a href="http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlacesToGo/IrishLoop">Irish Loop.</a> We decided to stay in one place and split the loop into three parts, doing a section to and from St Mary's each day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We stayed in the <a href="http://thecladdaghinn.ca/">Claddagh Inn</a> which was a very pleasant small hotel with an interesting history having first started its life as a convent.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pretty much our view from our room over the bay</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a4NtG24D-Tg/V6CDJT1PWvI/AAAAAAAE0t0/LMdTxWhozhwRSOlQzAmIxEVssMm89TUagCEw/s1600/IMG_2326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a4NtG24D-Tg/V6CDJT1PWvI/AAAAAAAE0t0/LMdTxWhozhwRSOlQzAmIxEVssMm89TUagCEw/s400/IMG_2326.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Claddagh Inn</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2gqAb1ylklc/V6CToUAvLUI/AAAAAAAE0u4/-0Px9o4GLyMPKN5oGtCtthNyQ0YUoOmwQCEw/s1600/IMG_2328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2gqAb1ylklc/V6CToUAvLUI/AAAAAAAE0u4/-0Px9o4GLyMPKN5oGtCtthNyQ0YUoOmwQCEw/s400/IMG_2328.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a new take on a church bell</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Wednesday and we set out on the first leg of our road trip</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJY44vVQUZI/V6CDEOjf1mI/AAAAAAAE0t0/ZKRaFprlhYwjGRM5GN-cjZiHwDArm3QuwCEw/s1600/IMG_2312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJY44vVQUZI/V6CDEOjf1mI/AAAAAAAE0t0/ZKRaFprlhYwjGRM5GN-cjZiHwDArm3QuwCEw/s400/IMG_2312.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">frantically busy (!) TCH</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The road surfaces were incredibly bad, full of potholes and rough tarmac patches. Part of the reason is simply the lack of people in the province and therefore lack of funds to maintain them. The Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) running across the top of the island is well maintained but even that is pretty empty much of the time. We barely saw a car on the rest of the roads.<br /><br />We decided to cross the penninsular to Plancentia. Our GPS wanted to send us miles up the road to the TCH and then down again when, </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">on the map, </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">we could clearly see a road running straight across from us to Placentia . This turned out to be a 31 km gravel road. An experience we didn't repeat coming home.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Jf-Bql97cM/V6CDClFoE7I/AAAAAAAE0t0/jJ7nEIYC8l4TEPg2nc-lCYaMiKbqkB5qwCEw/s1600/IMG_2306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Jf-Bql97cM/V6CDClFoE7I/AAAAAAAE0t0/jJ7nEIYC8l4TEPg2nc-lCYaMiKbqkB5qwCEw/s400/IMG_2306.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Placentia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The next day we drove a long way up to Bay Bulls to do a whale watching trip. As the capelin were late coming in this year, the whales were not in the bay so we had to go out into the Atlantic to find them: but find them we did. We had a spectacular time closely surrounded by a dozen or more hump backs and their young. I am so glad I did it; I very nearly didn't as the weather was windy and the sea choppy. I am not especially nervous of boats and don't get sea-sick but common sense dictates you can't drown if you don't go in the first place and the sea is notoriously unpredictable. It was choppy but a great skipper and a catamaran helped hugely. Should you ever get in that neck of the woods (and for those of you there) <a href="http://gatheralls.com/puffin-whale-watch-cruise-2016/?gclid=CjwKEAjwiYG9BRCkgK-G45S323oSJABnykKAWmPe8f24f0vW9tso8JZGRyG0tvb0ygL4utXAIsNrfxoCSzHw_wcB">Gatherall's</a> would be hard to beat for a wonderful experience all round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Friday and we were back in civilisation (Holiday Inn) in St John's and back with the Chris, Gayle and the girls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Saturday Ken, Chris and I went with the girls to the <a href="http://www.mun.ca/botgarden/">Botanical Gardens</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBmW2Bd-RAw/V6CCxlE8uFI/AAAAAAAE0ts/jcJPVOVVUvYSLfoYzO7ToONaBA7D5cthgCEw/s1600/IMG_0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBmW2Bd-RAw/V6CCxlE8uFI/AAAAAAAE0ts/jcJPVOVVUvYSLfoYzO7ToONaBA7D5cthgCEw/s400/IMG_0319.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wFX4aQMH-qM/V6CCzCvFG6I/AAAAAAAE0t0/cQdjFP5FCDI7BKjI2opGtEhfUwrKRjbSwCEw/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wFX4aQMH-qM/V6CCzCvFG6I/AAAAAAAE0t0/cQdjFP5FCDI7BKjI2opGtEhfUwrKRjbSwCEw/s400/IMG_0338.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 1954 the Newfoundland Cabinet designated the pitcher plant as the official flower of the province.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I will be writing a post in my garden blog showing the photos from the gardens so visit<a href="http://burygardeners.blogspot.co.uk/"> Bury Gardeners</a> if you want to see more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We stopped by the little bay again as the capelin rumour was circulating - there were a lot of people with nets and buckets but still no fish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We finished with dinner downtown to end a busy day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sunday and we spent our last day with the family. We left them after a lovely family meal and made our way to the airport and the trip home via Dublin. This time we had an overnight flight and then an early morning second leg to Manchester.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Home by UK lunchtime and settled back in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some foot notes from our trip which, as my (nearly six year old) Canadian grand-daughter says...'well you don't see that every day'...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This delicacy is stale bread, salt cod and pork fat. Note the five year best before date</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like a lot of North America and Canada this province is not big on having gardens This is at the side of house visible from the road. We were told it is a perfect replica of the small town where its maker was born. If you get homesick..... make a teeny copy.....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">not seen on our supermarket walls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Nine days later and we were off to another 'wilds' - this time the Brecon Beacons to visit Ken's daughter for her birthday dinner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We stayed at the Usk Inn. We have stayed there before but I had forgotten how 'faded' it was. A very low level Fawlty Towers. Nothing very wrong but a lot of tiny things that would make it so much better. I get in Hotel Inspector mode and get very worked up by people not being able to see how the detail of something might make all the difference. I understand the struggle of running a small hotel almost single-handed - well couple-handed - and wouldn't do it for a pension, but.... individually owned British hotels do seem to be a law unto themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We ended up having dinner there too as the three other places we tried couldn't feed us for a myriad of reasons, wedding reception, chef scattering mother's ashes, repairs.... you couldn't make it up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the way home we stopped by my favourite garden. I always struggle between my passion for Hidcote, Kiftsgate, Snowshill and <a href="http://wollertonoldhallgarden.com/">Wollerton Old Hall</a> but <a href="http://wollertonoldhallgarden.com/">Wollerton </a>usually wins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have blogged it in my garden blog, so go there if you want more pictures - <a href="http://burygardeners.blogspot.co.uk/">Bury Gardeners</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Writing this at the end of the month sees me getting reading for a four day visit from my daughter, husband and baby .... so we end the month as we began....</span></div>
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-36070989048464583962016-08-04T17:22:00.000+01:002016-08-04T17:22:01.244+01:00June - more minis<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beginning of the month was a two night stay to get in the York show. This is a luxurious way of doing it as I get to wake up in York on the morning of the show and go to bed there after a long day trudging around. Beats dashing up and back in the car which we can (and have done) from where we live.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ken is more than OK with the arrangement as we get to eat at our favourite eatery any where on the planet - Trinacria - and he gets a surfeit of great ice cream from the same place. Not known as Grandad Ice Cream for nothing. I became Nanny Magic as I managed to pick up Oscar at a fretty moment and he shushed (pure luck I assure you). You can count his frets on one hand - he is a lovely calm baby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mid month and I was playing with my, now, favourite mini, the lovely Oscar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our house was pretty much completed by now so we had an estate agent in to value it as we keep toying with the notion of moving to Scotland so we don't miss out on this grandchild.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are trying to keep the brakes on so we make a sensible, rather than an emotional, decision; but it is very hard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the 18th we had a day return to York again and, yes, we included a meal at Trinacria. This time it was to collect a lovely dolls house kit I had bought in a mad moment on EBay. I am writing this post in July and currently trying to sell it! It is a gorgeous house but totally crackpot of me to think I can work on two projects - not enough time or money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the month my daughter brought the baby down for a three day weekend with her husband coming down by train the following day. She was totally unfussed about a four hour drive with a two month old baby. Great to get my hands on him again. Our solemn little grown up persons' house begins to look like a day care for tots. Yeah!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-29850640710265486502016-08-03T17:10:00.000+01:002016-08-03T17:10:05.999+01:00May - more baby <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By 10 May we were back in Edinburgh for the stay we had planned around Oscar's birth. We always knew it would be a movable feast but we didn't know it would move by a month early. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we were visiting in April we had managed to give him his first trip out - to a garden centre for lunch - start him off the way you mean to go on. This time, we marked his first trip to the seaside. Being Edinburgh, it was duly blowing a gale. A planned seaside stroll quickly became a dash along the front at Portabello before diving back into the car.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later in the month we took a cottage at Coldingham for a couple of days with the intention of a proper little seaside break for the five of us. This time we had a wettish blustery visit to St Abbs and environs with our wee chap. Roll on Summer</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-71422641972363388372016-08-02T16:58:00.000+01:002016-08-02T16:58:03.307+01:00April - Surprise!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The very next weekend we were off again to Birmingham NEC and the terrific Miniatura show. If that interests you you can read about it here: <a href="http://dollshouseshows.blogspot.co.uk/">NEC show</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was still a lot of work being done at home - bathroom being ripped out and replaced - but we sort of had time to catch our breath for a few days before we were due to go up to Edinburgh to help S and S get the final touches ready for the baby who was due on 7th May. So much for that idea.........</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>10th April </b>and we were in Scotland ready and waiting to meet our wonderful new grandson who decided not to wait until 7th May!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second I picked him up it was love at first sight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was so hard to leave him and his new mom (and dad) just a week later.... but only for a weekend to get our house ready for the decorator to arrive on Monday - he arrived and we left for Edinburgh again for another week of soaking up our lovely little chap and hopefully lending a hand to the new parents.</span></div>
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<br />burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-43015240895025742192016-08-01T16:42:00.000+01:002016-08-01T16:42:01.218+01:00March - anniversary month<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For our wedding anniversary we did another hotel package deal this time in Grasmere at the Wordsworth Hotel and Spa. This time we had opted for the Gourmet dinner - an eight course 'taster' of what they do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not a huge fan of the Lake District - well not for about thirty years now - like everywhere in this tiny overcrowded island it used to be lovely in the 'olden days' when I was young and there were less people marauding around the place in cars. It is so busy now it makes it impossible for me to enjoy it. That said Grasmere in March was not packed to the gills and it was a lovely couple of days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is 'famous' for being where Wordsworth lived. I loved the irony of (during our visit) the Daffodil Garden (full of daffodils) being closed. Only in England.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two days after getting back Ken was off on a week's skiing holiday. When he left we had our sitting room of many years standing when he returned the old furniture had gone and the new stuff had arrived.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easter came right at the end of the month and my daughter and her husband and my returning husband all arrived on the Saturday before Easter Sunday. So we had a lovely couple of days catching up and eating eggs!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-12778204223811113372016-07-31T16:26:00.000+01:002016-07-31T16:26:00.164+01:00Playing catch-up February<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following my last post in January I had actually decided to stop writing Clavering as our lives should 'quieten down' from now on - one home in the UK, kids and grandchildren miles away and probably doing less travelling around - settling for proper holidays a couple of times a year like 'normal' folk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Needless to say the last six months hasn't been much like that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>February </b>was taken up with more house fettling. We decided when we came home to get the house sorted once and for all - so a few changes like new en suite, sitting room furniture and so on plus decorating throughout and new carpet through the house. It all took months and much cussing and spitting. February got a good deal of it but it ground on way past that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We managed to get a nice dinner and overnight stay deal at Ednam House in Kelso with my daughter and husband. Hotel, food and town all proved a hit with us all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-66409684067757893652016-01-30T15:02:00.000+00:002016-02-02T12:17:49.142+00:00End of an era<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The upside of an 'end of an era' moment is the frisson of wondering what the next era will wheel in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We completed the sale on our condo in Naples on 28th January so for the first time in seventeen plus years we have just the one home. It already feels rather odd, as if I have forgotten something or lost something; not in a major way, just that niggly feeling you get in the corner of your brain which keeps saying something indefinable has slid out of reach.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The house I was quite literally born in. No UPVC porch seventy years ago!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Home for me is really where your 'birth' roots are if you are lucky to stay there long enough. I have always felt that I am a Brummy and my <b>heart</b> is decidedly in the Birmingham of my childhood. If it (and my mom and dad and others) were all still there I would be back there in a nano-second.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My next home age 11 to 19. Not how it looked when my mom had it; it always had a lovely front garden</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I was uprooted all of about five miles when I was eleven and the next house was always my 'mom and dad's house' in my head. Five miles might as well have been another planet as far as an eleven year old is concerned. I suspect this began my 'gypsy' lifestyle with houses. The roots were already damaged.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At nineteen I married and moved into a flat (no photo), still in Birmingham but again a few miles from my mom's house. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No outside photo f the second flat. This was our junk shop furniture we had re-covered. Note the record player and fireplace very sixties.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of years later we moved on to a better flat and, again, in another part of Birmingham. By twenty-four my first husband and I had moved to our first house in Lakenheath in Suffolk. (no photo) I was now truly severing all connections with any residual concept of home that I had remaining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the time I was thirty and had my first baby I was living in another part of the country and had fetched up in Royton (no photo) in Lancashire. I was more and more isolated from that first ideal of home - the loss of friends you had grown up with and family all around you was now firmly established. I am sure some people don't feel this privation and others will never settle themselves to it. All I can say is that I reached an 'acceptance' of it before I was twelve, so every move after that seemed to matter less and less, the loss had already happened.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3gfYUItas20/VqzA7nTehsI/AAAAAAAEv4A/DhLxzaegbA4/s1600/Copy%2Bof%2Bthe%2Brest%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbricks%2Barrived.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3gfYUItas20/VqzA7nTehsI/AAAAAAAEv4A/DhLxzaegbA4/s400/Copy%2Bof%2Bthe%2Brest%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbricks%2Barrived.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">watching my 'next home being built</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> By the time my son was nearing school age we moved again; this time to an area with a good school. This was the only other house I spent a lot of years in and I made many, many memories of life there with my children. It was certainly bought as the forever house and therefore the future home for us all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life often takes turns we don't plan on and my husband and I divorced and the children grew up and I </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">eventually </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">moved on to another life with Ken. This began in his home and then we bought our first house together; and so our collection of houses began with our giving up the two we already had.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QZgKLw_vQCA/VqzAzT7P1-I/AAAAAAAEv3w/zL4rrGC1PJo/s1600/darl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QZgKLw_vQCA/VqzAzT7P1-I/AAAAAAAEv3w/zL4rrGC1PJo/s400/darl.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">our lovely first house together</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />After we were married we bought a lovely house together and settled down to a normal future of work and the hope of retiring early. Then we went on holiday! In 1999 we did the classic thing - we went on holiday to Florida and bought a house while we were there; three bedrooms, swimming pool, the works.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qfUqL3BTVW8/VqzGj9naFTI/AAAAAAAEv4M/3Hwhbk9oAeI/s1600/3652FRT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qfUqL3BTVW8/VqzGj9naFTI/AAAAAAAEv4M/3Hwhbk9oAeI/s400/3652FRT.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Queens Park home</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />For a few years we worked in the UK and escaped to Naples as often as we could. My spunky eighty-plus my mother often came with us... and all was well. Very soon we decided we wanted more of the Florida life so we retired early and downsized our UK home. Indeed the sale of our big house and the purchase of the tiny bungalow all happened courtesy of the internet - leaving us actually without a home in the UK for a couple of months while we soaked up the Florida sunshine.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtOY5wGaLGM/VqzAq31Z5YI/AAAAAAAEv3k/emWE2AlOA0E/s1600/AP19_014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtOY5wGaLGM/VqzAq31Z5YI/AAAAAAAEv3k/emWE2AlOA0E/s320/AP19_014.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">our tiny but perfectly formed bungalow</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eventually the upkeep of a single family home in Naples all year became a chore so we sold it and bought a 'lock and leave' sort of house.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmcblrtB5Kw/VqzIdHMXGlI/AAAAAAAEv4Y/qwW2J_3kjuM/s1600/finished%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmcblrtB5Kw/VqzIdHMXGlI/AAAAAAAEv4Y/qwW2J_3kjuM/s320/finished%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Shores</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now my mother had stopped coming to Naples with us so we decided to sell up yet again. We thought we would find a slightly larger home in the UK as we would be spending more time there and also buy somewhere in Europe. this would be an easier commute for us all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the UK we bought a wreck of a house a few doors from our bungalow which we then <b>completely</b> refurbished. Never let me get started on that story unless you have a few hours of you life to donate. Never again! The sales picture here is from further down the line when we sold it on</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oPFNrBxbd3k/VqzAl9Z6BaI/AAAAAAAEv3c/LY6jOThCI2I/s1600/sale1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oPFNrBxbd3k/VqzAl9Z6BaI/AAAAAAAEv3c/LY6jOThCI2I/s400/sale1.jpg" width="276" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">for sale</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a protracted search in Spain we ended up buying a lovely farmhouse and nine acres in France! Most people's dream home.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSdZOnf6c8Y/VqzKES372yI/AAAAAAAEv4k/M7Q-UggoTHM/s1600/Photo21_19A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSdZOnf6c8Y/VqzKES372yI/AAAAAAAEv4k/M7Q-UggoTHM/s400/Photo21_19A.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">leaving Les Roches</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never 'settled' there. I loved the house and land and trees(!) to smithereens but I hated being so alien. My French is very, very basic and though I am used to be isolated it felt intensified when I was surrounded by a world I couldn't even understand aurally. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the UK we had also found a better-fit house - we realised how much we both needed to return to a detached home - our own fiefdom - and with enough room to cover our needs without too much compromise. So we bought our current home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> In Naples, around the same time, we found the condo we have just sold</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These addresses have been the story of our lives now for more than ten years. Roughly six months of the year spent in each of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now I have enough sense to know 'you can never go home'. It no longer exists.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ken and I have been together for almost twenty-three years and have run through eleven homes together here, America and France. I think it is time to try and make a proper home for us both here in Bury. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the new era begins.</span><br />
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-14328618484111744032016-01-17T16:58:00.000+00:002016-01-17T16:58:09.832+00:00What is this white stuff?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday 17 January: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bit of a visual shock to the system this morning when we got up:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rI6FGSm_IJA/VpvGrREi44I/AAAAAAAEvvc/qgd4Np72u-0/s1600/IMG_1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rI6FGSm_IJA/VpvGrREi44I/AAAAAAAEvvc/qgd4Np72u-0/s400/IMG_1516.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">poor old birds in this weather</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We have a ton of bird feeders around our garden for the two blackbirds and the occasional robin! We live on a relatively new estate (ten years plus?) so there are no mature trees, hence very few birds visit us, but I keep trying. The eight assorted cats that do visit the garden (aka litter tray) may also be off-putting. As someone who has had a plethora of cats as pets in my time consider my hands held up. What goes around, comes around.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FG1RIigMm-0/VpvGrWuasQI/AAAAAAAEvvY/d7-WhxcHaBY/s1600/IMG_1517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FG1RIigMm-0/VpvGrWuasQI/AAAAAAAEvvY/d7-WhxcHaBY/s400/IMG_1517.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from my chair</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />This is my view from my work chair in the Hive. The jasmine looked really pretty all fluffed up.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, I am sort of excited as it is our first experience of snow (excluding a ski holiday) that we have had in many years. Not having to schlep out in it to go to and from work makes it even more attractive.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-34093595271091706922016-01-02T16:18:00.000+00:002016-01-02T16:18:00.736+00:00Happy 2016<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know it is banal to say it but ..... where do the years go? Can not believe we are in the twenties never mind sixteen. There are already whole rafts of people who never 'lived' in the 1900s and somethings......scary stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever the number I hope you and all you care about have a wonderful year ahead. Health and happiness being the only two things you need, I wish you those in bucketfuls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I left you in November so there is the whole of December to go at and it was a heck of a busy month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just before that though, on 29 November, we signed a contract on the sale of our condo in Naples. The exchange will take place 29th January. So, after fifteen years of a split life between here and the sunshine (six months here and six months there) we will stop our gypsy life and settle down in the UK again. I am doing cartwheels of happiness at the prospect of living here full-time. Ken is dragging his feet a little but agrees it is the time to do it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zRaup_untJo/VofxAdPCNcI/AAAAAAAEvg0/OBPTcQv8XtA/s1600/Copy%2Bof%2Bview%2Bfrom%2Bcondo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zRaup_untJo/VofxAdPCNcI/AAAAAAAEvg0/OBPTcQv8XtA/s400/Copy%2Bof%2Bview%2Bfrom%2Bcondo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not quite the same view from our bury sitting room window</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Co-incidentally and, hopefully, not an omen, also on the 29th two of our fence panels blew down. This was the second time we had lost some fencing and we have known for a while the posts were pretty rotten at ground level so we had to bite the bullet and arrange to get it all replaced. It is odd how vulnerable you feel when a chunk of a fence disappears.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the time we were into the first week of December we were in the throes of having a complete seventeen panel fence replaced, two wardrobes in our main bedroom fitted (plus three chests of drawers made), a greenhouse removed followed by a workroom built in its place and then the now vacated workroom turned back to a guest room (including buying a new bed) before the 25th.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can imagine there were a few hiccups along the way but by now it is pretty much sorted - still some tweaking here and there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw in a couple of doctor visits, lunches with chums, decorating rooms for Christmas including buying a seven foot tree and a day with workmen littered hither and yon and a power outage of a few hours and it was not quite a stress-free month! Oooooh I almost forgot eight trips to Ikea for this and that as we went along - I sooooo love Ikea things and sooooooo hate Ikea. We have discovered a slight improvement on doing it (so we don't stay home and stick pins in our eyes instead) we now go in the evening after about six and get the place pretty much to ourselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a really terrific all round traditional Christmas with my daughter and her husband staying with us for a few days - lots of eating and flopping around. Their first baby is due in May so it was an extra special Christmas for us all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We declined 'a bit of a do' for New Year's Eve (we are both the epitome of party poopers) and welcomed in the New Year with each other and thoughts of friends and family around the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll share some photos of the month as we bowled along to give you a flavour of how we said goodbye to 2015.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tree is up and decorations going in</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hive is framed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my commute to work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a room full of sunshine</td></tr>
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-64421058133857323832015-11-23T14:33:00.000+00:002015-11-23T14:33:15.698+00:00Birthday to remember.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">November is my birthday month and this one celebrated my seventh decade - I'll leave you to do the maths. It was one to remember not only because I had a lovely day but because it was immersed in such a chaotic month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even Google remembered which was kind of them, if just a little spooky....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before starting this I dipped back into my last post written on 3rd November - it is now now the 18th and just about everything said previously is being rapidly undone.... the stated 'just one Ikea trip' has turned into four with a fifth currently looming, I boasted the garden was put to bed and the gardener bade farewell until the spring - he is due here in about ten minutes to see if he can do a stack of reconstructing for me before the weather sets in. I was relieved that I had finished sorting rooms and cupboards and they had all been tidied - we will soon be emptying wardrobes completely and also my relocating my work room. So much for the calm and order I thought we'd found.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It has been a scabby month so far for a series of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">breakdowns.... It began with us out and about on a wet and windy day and returning to our car discovered we had a flat tyre - that was fun. The two heaters in the conservatory died on the same day!! That was a Ken fix-it job but one needed doing again shortly afterwards and again and again so clearly not 'right'. The day following my birthday with my daughter and husband still visiting we got up to a cold house and no hot water. The boiler was on the fritz. It was condemned by the Corgi engineer that day, but being Friday couldn't go to 'tribunal' until Monday. On Monday we were promised a Baxi engineer for the Wednesday. He arrived and duly fixed the unfixable boiler (!) So Friday to Wednesday without the comforts of 2015 was an experience. Talk about back to the fifties - the 'good old days' weren't actually that good. Heaven knows what today's generation would make of it. We are currently limping along with a fault in the house electrics somewhere which trips the fuse a couple or more times a day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there were all the proposed ideas about refurbs that did and didn't happen as fast as you can say that phrase. One minute we were having wardrobes in two rooms done, then none, then one room - that's due before the 30th. The garden was a re-design now its not until the Spring. Another conservatory was being built and now it isn't, blinds were being added to our present conservatory - guess what - they aren't. We are having a workroom added to the side of the house though for my dollhousing hobby and when I get fed up with it, it will make a great storage/work area. Hoping that will start soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have trailed to and from Ikea four times - both of us hate it with a passion - to buy and return a series of 'decisions' that work and don't work for various reasons. Bless Ken, my savior, who did the last returns on his own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hating it as I do I must say that Ikea has netted me a million plants for around the house. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Hippeastrum that flowered before I could blink at just three pounds I wish I had bought a ton of them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a large and a small orchid - the small one being the expensive one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and three lovely small poinsettias in a box which I hope to keep going until Christmas but suspect I will be buying again before then. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The Christmas cactus has also done its thing so I was certainly ahead of myself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is a monster.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I squeezed in just one more but have a zillion more on my hit list</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Taking a quick flit through my diary - anything of note? - not really - just the usual very nice round of seeing friends, meals, movies (Spectre done and Lady in the Van to go). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was one gentle day - my birthday. We met S & S at The Fleece, Ripponden for a late lunch - them coming from Edinburgh and us travelling from Bury meant we were just about a drink and starter ahead of them when they arrived .... I was starving and so could claim birthday rights. The food and company was all I could ask for followed by a pootle home and an evening's nattering. They stayed another couple of days catching up with us and others. It is always lovely to see them even if our cold house wasn't the best of welcomes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, here I am at the 18th November and beginning to think about Christmas........ blame it on the shops and TV and all the jobs we are being promised will be done by then!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-6300835298446393252015-11-03T15:28:00.001+00:002015-11-03T15:28:14.621+00:00Back a week<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is primarily a reminder for folk who look out for me at the end of the month that I am now writing as and when the mood takes me; so October has already been done in bits and pieces if you want to flit back through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you want to see photos of our leaving Naples they are here for a while: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111541135918891492122/Leaving257RobinHoodCircle?authuser=0&feat=directlink">Leaving 257</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">........ but, as I am here.........</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have been English now for a week and it has been just lovely. We are experiencing totally cliché autumn weather - blue skies, wet underfoot and a distinct nip in the air. Even a hint of November fogs are beginning to roll in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We arrived home in the early hours of last Monday (26th Oct) after a pretty miserable flight. Just as we were taxiing for take-off (spot on time) we turned off the runway and headed back to the airport. Someone had been taken ill (had a fit) on our flight and needed to be taken off the plane. Handy hint don't get taken ill - took nearly half an hour to get back in and for an air bridge to be connected to the plane. The passenger and his companion were 'offloaded' but then their four bags had to be found! We were on the tarmac from boarding to eventual take off for three hours. Added to an eight-hour overnighter this was certainly no fun at all. As the cabin crew said 'better now than a diversion in flight'. Mind you we do fly over my son's home in St John's (NL) so that would have done us nicely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The minimal Thomas Cook service was repeated on our trip back. We will try never to fly with them again, especially long haul.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We did still make it back to the house in time for my grocery delivery from Tesco (ordered in Naples). Deep joy, grocery delivered plus English food.... not to mention the convenience of even being able to order other stuff from their store such as a slow cooker.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had remembered that my English one was looking a bit dog-eared and could do with replacing. What I hadn't remembered, thanks to shifting homes every five minutes, was that I had already done that before leaving for the USA.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Never mind - just a simple return five minutes down the road and any way I wanted to pick up the clothes I had ordered (also from Naples) for Click and Collect. Don't you love civilisation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our little one person (get to know her) cleaner arrived the next day to kick-start our future routines. A very different feel to the barrage of different-every-time cleaners (as many as four) who arrive in Naples to do our cleaning. By the time T arrived we had also managed to unpack our four huge cases plus two small ones and tuck everything hither and yon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following lunch out, we did a bit of local shop the next day for this and that which included potted plants - a rarity in my homes for fifteen years as they have to be binned every few months when we shift homes. Not any more - I can have what I want.... even an orchid! I also picked up plants and bulbs for winter pots; another experience I have done without for many years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We squeezed in a quick catch up with friends before embarking on this lot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent the next couple of days moving stuff from A to B to C which entailed moving the stuff that moved out of those letters on to D and E and F. I think we are now all sorted - for a while any way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By Friday we were trawling around Ikea checking out this and that for the great updating of the house which is about to take place. It took us seven hours and a lot of money spent and a full car only to realise we hadn't actually solved any of the queries we had arrived with.... and, of course, we now need to return things!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Sunday 1st November we had a great day out at Dunham Massey. If you are local and can get there, go and visit their war exhibition it is absolutely the very best piece of such work that I have seen. The house was used for injured troops and housed the Stamford Military Hospital.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>After two exhilarating, emotional and unforgettable years, the Stamford Hospital will close its doors for the final time on Wednesday 11 November.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>It's your final chance to visit and hear the stories of the soldiers who stayed here and the nurses who treated them, brought to life by actors, objects and original archive material.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had a lovely lunch, met up with my best friend and walked around the gardens soaking up the afternoon sun and autumn colours and smells. (more pictures here for a while: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111541135918891492122/1Nov2015DunhamMassey?authuser=0&feat=directlink">Dunham Massey</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yesterday (2nd) my gardener paid his last visit for the season and emptied all my pots ready for me to plant up some winter colour. It is lovely having someone do the heavy work for you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So here I am fully ensconced in the UK as autumn works its way towards winter....</span></div>
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Our cunning plan was to leave around noon if we could be ready in time, have lunch at Bone Fish, deliver condo keys to realtor, get Ken an ice cream at Regina's and then bowl on up to an airport hotel in Orlando for a relaxing overnighter.</div><div><br></div><div>First addition to our schedule was the possibility of someone calling in for some sewing machine 'clobber' sometime between 8.30 and 10.30 am. That, somehow, got messed up and I was standing outside our garage handing them to a drive-by collection just as we were leaving.</div><div><br></div><div>Before that I had said goodbye to our neighbours below us which was a bit teary. I had already had a sniffle when the car was sold the day before... Tears for a car for heaven's sake. When we had completed our chores and the condo was pristine I took my usual few minutes alone in a home before leaving it for a final farewell walk round before locking the door for the last time. Oddly, this was just fine, no moist eyes in sight. It felt like our usual end of season departure and that was OK.</div><div><br></div><div>So, our day had begun well with us ready to leave about half ten instead of noon... Lunch was now brunch with thirty minutes to kill until Bone Fish opened. We decided to drop off the keys with our realtor at the end of Fifth first to kill a couple of minutes. We had forgotten it was the day of the Blue Crab Festival. It is a big deal in Naples and draws thousand from here, there and everywhere so streets are closed off, traffic diverted and no where to park. We crawled in traffic up to Engel and Volkers and there was a just-vacated parking spot right outside the store, right there on Fifth. The Gods were with us.</div><div><br></div><div>Off to Bone Fish. We were the first customers in and about the fourth to get our order!! Took about half an hour. Pricey coconut shrimp appetiser followed by by even pricier filet steak for Ken and lobster for me. We know how to leave in style. The icing on the cake was that Bone Fish picked up the tab as an apology for a 'poor experience'! How can the day get any better? They know how to say goodbye in this place; a dolphin even joined Ken for his last swim in the sea the day before.</div><div><br></div><div>After lunch Ken was determined to try to get his last ice cream at Regina's even though we agreed it was very unlikely that we would be able to park any where in Collier let alone Naples. As part of our lap-of-the-Gods gamble we nipped round the back of the store where there are half a dozen thirty minute customer slots and one was empty!!!!!!!!!! Yeah for Naples' Gods and their laps.</div><div><br></div><div>So, one Caramel Caribou and Rasberry Truffle (both Kens) later and Naples was done and dusted and we were off up to Orlando. The GPS predicted a 3hr 19min drive and it was just about that when we arrived at the hotel.</div><div><br></div><div>Our next delivery of the day was a large electric turntable I had. It was brand new, cost around sixty bucks and would have been binned had I not had the brainwave of asking Kim Sher ..... runs the Miniaturia shows ...... If she knew anyone who could use it. She was going to collect it from us.</div><div><br></div><div>I gave her a ring and we decided to meet her and her husband in The Tavern in Celebration. So, off back to the car and a thirty minute ride over there. Guess what, they also had a festival on (Oktoberfest) with roads closed and no parking any where. Clearly the Naples Gods had hitched a ride as, by pure fluke, we pulled up behind the back of a restaurant where there was a tow truck to ask directions. The building turned out to be the Tavern. I asked the tow guy if he'd <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">let my husband 'lurk' while I delivered a </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">parcel. Deal done, I dashed round the corner only to discover the restaurant was pretty big, totally full and I wasn't all that sure I would know Kim in mufti. Indeed, I have no idea how I found her, or recognised her, but I did. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Back to the hotel, by now it was about eight o'clock; so much for a nice relaxing afternoon in Orlando.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We settled into our junior suite, watched some TV and fell into the world's comfiest bed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Last sleep in the State as residents...... Perhaps ......</span></div>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-59336791122734821352015-10-21T17:00:00.001+01:002015-10-21T17:00:53.752+01:00Comic strip Sunday<div><br></div><div><br></div>Not entirely sure I can make this work. I am still rubbish at using my iPad for 'writing' and all that entails, but here we go. Thought you might like to see a pictorial version of Sunday.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TgdSxd5T0UU/Vie2m0ulfDI/AAAAAAAEuXs/Bz5kk-F61oM/s640/blogger-image--1102394101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TgdSxd5T0UU/Vie2m0ulfDI/AAAAAAAEuXs/Bz5kk-F61oM/s640/blogger-image--1102394101.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Off to Cambier park for the Naples Concert Band. Ken is a bucketeer for them.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XTw71i8Dj88/Vie2k9C0OVI/AAAAAAAEuXc/5vU6p9AYJLA/s640/blogger-image--476678341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XTw71i8Dj88/Vie2k9C0OVI/AAAAAAAEuXc/5vU6p9AYJLA/s640/blogger-image--476678341.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We arrive an hour before the concert so Ken can hand out programmes so I wander up Fifth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4zo-l0Y3F1o/Vie2tBLAWoI/AAAAAAAEuYc/pI6HJ-FOFco/s640/blogger-image-1547071028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4zo-l0Y3F1o/Vie2tBLAWoI/AAAAAAAEuYc/pI6HJ-FOFco/s640/blogger-image-1547071028.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nip in to Chicos to check out the bargain rails.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yui70JxqEOc/Vie2r-fO_fI/AAAAAAAEuYU/a2SVAmWBI04/s640/blogger-image-731751881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yui70JxqEOc/Vie2r-fO_fI/AAAAAAAEuYU/a2SVAmWBI04/s640/blogger-image-731751881.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Pop in to The Best of Everything just in case I need some bling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X8EY2FvMWSQ/Vie2liA9s4I/AAAAAAAEuXk/iJBj7d2x43w/s640/blogger-image-254339618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X8EY2FvMWSQ/Vie2liA9s4I/AAAAAAAEuXk/iJBj7d2x43w/s640/blogger-image-254339618.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Note all my favourite things such as a pair of urns that I remember seeing and loving on my very first day in Naples fifteen years ago.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JhS10_hwJcM/Vie2ntjjrnI/AAAAAAAEuX0/jJwUvHU6klQ/s640/blogger-image--22308255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JhS10_hwJcM/Vie2ntjjrnI/AAAAAAAEuX0/jJwUvHU6klQ/s640/blogger-image--22308255.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Amuse myself with things such as the understated antique shop.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0Z3kJQCM_O8/Vie2oi2LdoI/AAAAAAAEuX8/0cyjPr1-Ee0/s640/blogger-image--126855916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0Z3kJQCM_O8/Vie2oi2LdoI/AAAAAAAEuX8/0cyjPr1-Ee0/s640/blogger-image--126855916.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Always note Reginas but never call in as I did that day. Only to take photos though! This is Ken's favourite ice cream shop. Also a first day in Naples memory.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ctNBDFwcCjY/Vie2ppSgObI/AAAAAAAEuYE/Wl-NkSY5Fzo/s640/blogger-image--1253642683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ctNBDFwcCjY/Vie2ppSgObI/AAAAAAAEuYE/Wl-NkSY5Fzo/s640/blogger-image--1253642683.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Back to the concert having touched base with many, many other fifth avenue memories.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1pcS0DyhXZI/Vie2qzn-wuI/AAAAAAAEuYM/ECkCX61kl4g/s640/blogger-image--316058374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1pcS0DyhXZI/Vie2qzn-wuI/AAAAAAAEuYM/ECkCX61kl4g/s640/blogger-image--316058374.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Concert over and we are off to Bone Fish for late lunch/early dinner. View from our table</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iAzDqqnbB98/Vie2ivVXYiI/AAAAAAAEuXM/kLEXiTsElPU/s640/blogger-image-816677394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iAzDqqnbB98/Vie2ivVXYiI/AAAAAAAEuXM/kLEXiTsElPU/s640/blogger-image-816677394.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Best peach bellini in town.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BLkM8DAP9MM/Vie2j94X89I/AAAAAAAEuXU/vUy0eLejvQo/s640/blogger-image-35248892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BLkM8DAP9MM/Vie2j94X89I/AAAAAAAEuXU/vUy0eLejvQo/s640/blogger-image-35248892.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Can not go there without sharing bang bang shrimp as an appetiser!</div><div><br></div><div>There are a load more photos on the Leaving 257 web album from our last Sunday in Naples (as residents). </div><div><br></div><div><br></div>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-30845786983504695222015-10-17T15:13:00.001+01:002015-10-19T23:48:34.418+01:00More goodbyes<div>
Friday 16th we went for our last visit to Silverspot movies. We have made lots of memories there of movies and dinners on our own and with visitors. I remember how astounding it was when it was first built with its very nice restuarant and all the food and drinks that can be served actually in the theatre itself. We haven't found anywhere yet to beat the comfort of their huge leather armchairs and good views of the screen.</div>
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The movie of choice was The Martian. I thought it was great good fun. Like its sister Downtosh it has now become know to us as Spacetosh. Absolutely total factual rubbish but just great entertainment. Thought Mat Damon was excellent. There was a quirky flaw though in the shape of Sean Bean. He had a small and totally superfluous role in the movie and did it just about as badly as anyone could. What was that about? The part itself felt shoe-horned in after the script was finished and the character added not a jot to the narrative. Jobs for boys? Investor using their pull? .... No idea but I am sure there is a story there. Probably more interesting than the story in the Martian but no where near as tense or amusing or entertaining. Well done tosh makers everywhere.</div>
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Having breakfast the next day and watching Woody, the woodpecker, doing its imitation of the cartoon I also realised how lucky we have been to have such great views front and back for all these years. When we are eating in the kitchen we can watch the birds and squirrels and butterflies all doing their stuff. </div><div><br></div><div>Later in the day, as the sun goes down, is usually the time I hit the settee with feet up and watch everything get touched with gold. If I am lucky I also get to see the fish and turtles in the lake and occasionally herons and ibis visiting. Indeed, on one memorable occasion, we even saw an otter! Can't claim such views in my Bury home. Certainly something to be missed.</div><br>
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-14066812584846147812015-10-16T02:46:00.001+01:002015-10-16T02:46:43.312+01:00Farewell...We have spent this month leaving by inches and conciously saying goodbye to routines and places. Thise who know me will not be surprised that many of my farewells were to particular eateries; acouple of which you've already seen. I am building a web album for our leaving 257 so you can see more there.<div><br></div><div>Today I did my last trip to the beach. Ken will go again but its a tick for me:</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ihvPeWBrM-M/ViBXAdLTlMI/AAAAAAAEuUU/JxUtW0V5MWE/s640/blogger-image--1730462854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ihvPeWBrM-M/ViBXAdLTlMI/AAAAAAAEuUU/JxUtW0V5MWE/s640/blogger-image--1730462854.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Our lovely car will also be gone soon of course. The realtor has bought it and it will be left in the garage until the place sells or he needs it, which ever comes first. He has a couple of visitors soonwho would need to hire a car and buying this costs less. Plus, obviously he has equity in it too. Win win.</div><div><br></div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vLrFB_6v-KQ/ViBS1jAz9tI/AAAAAAAEuTw/RQcsyyC4rkg/s640/blogger-image-950579221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vLrFB_6v-KQ/ViBS1jAz9tI/AAAAAAAEuTw/RQcsyyC4rkg/s640/blogger-image-950579221.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We have a new section of shops added to our local mall and we discovered a new eating experience. So this time "Hello" rather than goodbye. Moes South West Grill. Imagine subway but with mexican items. They claim 'no hormones, steroids, preservative, trans fat or MSG. Yiu choose the 'container'..taco, tortilla, ear muff, bowl and then choose what you want in it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is Ken's in a bowl.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3EGajou1sKE/ViBW-aTO-sI/AAAAAAAEuUE/PV1bfxv3-74/s640/blogger-image-1108158692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3EGajou1sKE/ViBW-aTO-sI/AAAAAAAEuUE/PV1bfxv3-74/s640/blogger-image-1108158692.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mine is decidedly less photegenic .... The giant nappy is actually a burrito holding just what I wanted. It was great. As I said you can wander through the web album if you are wondering what places like Carabas, Bone Fish, Mel's Diner and others have been serving me for fifteen years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-anRPp9WFb8w/ViBS215ZaVI/AAAAAAAEuT4/4lAgEF64530/s640/blogger-image-95519644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-anRPp9WFb8w/ViBS215ZaVI/AAAAAAAEuT4/4lAgEF64530/s640/blogger-image-95519644.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Handy tip for packing - just like the burrito, you need to roll</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RhPlF2qil88/ViBW_cG9ypI/AAAAAAAEuUM/99P8FcyJHG0/s640/blogger-image--1626062503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RhPlF2qil88/ViBW_cG9ypI/AAAAAAAEuUM/99P8FcyJHG0/s640/blogger-image--1626062503.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-17787053799245912942015-10-10T00:34:00.001+01:002015-10-10T00:34:58.118+01:00Just when you thought it was safe<h2><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Well that was the shortest break in Christendom</span></h2><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Missing my machine already, I have now decided I need to get to grips with my iPad once and for all. I use it just fine but I have always been too lazy to find out half of what it can do..... What a waste....this is the beginning of a fine romance between it and me. Lovely little gizmo. So, in celebration here I am again. Feel rather silly after the dramatic farewell.</span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So...today.....the realtor and photographer arrived to do their thing. It is becoming real for sure. We can now relax and go back to living like normal people and smudge the glass table to our heart's content. After this I will try and add more photos to the Leaving 257 album and post the link here if I can figure out how that works via ios. Failing that it is in a recent post.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We just went out to eat......it iwas six pm and still ninety degrees....</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was our farewell to a cheap and cheerful favourite for my last crabs legs at a price we can afford.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is one of those eat until you fall over type buffets that Florida is full of. This one is Chinese food and over 200 dishes. They include oysters, mussels, frogs legs, blue crabss and crayfish besides the wonderful snow crab legs. Along with sushi and a hibachi grill where they cook to order, so it isn't the usual chinese buffet that we find in the UK.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I worked my way through my usual sushi and then crabs legs and fruit. Ken does the full on buffet thing right through to the ice cream. Plus a chinese beer and chinese tea and all for $34 (£22) for the two of us.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nIHNkW9TkBCT0mK5IxffMZyeOrshIQHKeGiABb_uAsLSbM0DegzK-Qx6Rf5mdAce5HFuggt3OGeTwzok6GbejLEU6LYMRDrcXc-tjHKB2KEX2UPuPwwUCTqqvgXFg3WO2v0ygkLn3DVc/s640/blogger-image-1231228700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nIHNkW9TkBCT0mK5IxffMZyeOrshIQHKeGiABb_uAsLSbM0DegzK-Qx6Rf5mdAce5HFuggt3OGeTwzok6GbejLEU6LYMRDrcXc-tjHKB2KEX2UPuPwwUCTqqvgXFg3WO2v0ygkLn3DVc/s640/blogger-image-1231228700.jpg"></font></a></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My very constrained plate of crabs legs</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lonWDQ3lp00/VhhCb3YA6iI/AAAAAAAEuSE/vNG4Iz-CicE/s640/blogger-image--604660382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lonWDQ3lp00/VhhCb3YA6iI/AAAAAAAEuSE/vNG4Iz-CicE/s640/blogger-image--604660382.jpg"></font></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">See I could have had loads more</span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GFps6IavXxE/VhhCa-KQ-jI/AAAAAAAEuR8/aMJD9xNbXPc/s640/blogger-image--725545519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GFps6IavXxE/VhhCa-KQ-jI/AAAAAAAEuR8/aMJD9xNbXPc/s640/blogger-image--725545519.jpg"></font></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You need crackers for the claws but the legs you just snap in half and take out the crab meat. Delicious but the claw meat is even better. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Post script: we gave my laptop away. Ken wiped it and installed windows ten and stuck a notice up in the clubhouse. A very nice lady rang and came and picked it up. She was overjoyed. I was immediately rewarded as she entered with two parcels off our landing (postie just leaves packages outside the door over here). They were for my minis and one was a lovely surprise. See, sometimes, what goes round comes round.</span></div><div><br></div></div>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-52531132906418719122015-10-08T21:03:00.001+01:002015-10-08T21:03:03.605+01:00Catch up laterAs of today I am reduced to just using my iPad until we get back to the UK. My desk top over here is about to be killed and scrapped by Ken. Clearly it could wait some more days but we have such a long list of 'can't do until the last minute chores' I want to take out as much as I can as soon as I can.<div><br></div><div>We have decided to abandon pretty much everything other than clothes and personal items. The condo will stay as it is. This means we are spending most of each day trying to find people to give things to. I am reluctant to leave the purchaser loads of good stuff to sell, or worse, bin! Three bikes, vacuum, desks, linen etc etc etc looking for a home.</div><div><br></div><div>I am updating this now on my iPad and I assume it will work fine but it isn't my machine of choice for typing, so I'll be in touch again when we get home some time after 25th October.</div>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-26462215955322199612015-09-28T22:06:00.000+01:002015-09-28T22:06:00.322+01:00Stuff and sentiment<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Clavering (now) purports to be an occasional diary piece rather than a monthly blog </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suppose I should start to record our leaving of the colonies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are about three weeks (plus) into our seven week (plus) stay here and we are well into the throes of making all the arrangements we need to leave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far we have seen two realtors and we signed with one at the weekend. Two days before they came we spotted a leak in our lanai ceiling, suggesting a leak in the roof!! We have also seen a roofer who says he will submit his quote to our Master Association (so no cost to us as the insurance for buildings is in our fees) and, once approved, he will get to the job as soon as he can. This may well be after we depart!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">quite a bit of water damage around it covering a good part of the ceiling</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At that point we decided we had no choice but to change our flights home (at huge cost and to what date?) so we could follow through the roofer's work and then the subsequent repair and repaint of the ceiling (also huge cost to us). Oh happy day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it turned out the realtor will oversee it all at no extra charge. We still have to pay the 'decorator' part of course. Try that in the UK. So our leaving date remains at 25th October.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ray the Mover came this morning and suggested we use a 'pack and ship' company instead as that would be cheaper. that was a kind thing to do after spending time here working up a quote. He said he was a 'Rotarian' and that was their mantra. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ken rang two pack-and-ships and both arranged to come out and quote today (!). Boy, will I miss the service over here. One packer has been and is talking about $1,000 (probably more as it goes by weight) for about 400 cubic feet of 'stuff'. We are selling turnkey so all we are thinking of taking it is the cherry pickings of the contents of cupboards and drawers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is where sentiment v. hard cash comes in. Absolutely <b>nothing</b> we are shipping is of any value and I doubt very much that their total value is anything like $1,000. Right now I think the more sensible option is to pack four cases with as much as we can and abandon the rest. Indeed if we bought two more cases ($100) and paid for those on the flight ($100) plus cab home ($100) for us and six large cases we are still quids in!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--DfAhelPY5k/VgmitznAjBI/AAAAAAAEuGw/k-9fHN0bXmw/s1600/IMG_1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--DfAhelPY5k/VgmitznAjBI/AAAAAAAEuGw/k-9fHN0bXmw/s400/IMG_1079.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chair from mom,mom's plate, card from family, bottle opener from France, flowers from my son</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To do this means leaving things like a tea set that I will probably never use but love, gifts from various people over the years including a miniature chair from my mom - all of which have no display area in the UK. I also have endless 'favourite' pots, dishes, gadgets. I have a ton of bedlinen and towels that I am 'attached' to but don't need and don't really have storage space for in the UK and, again,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I could buy something very like if I wanted to for less than shipping them home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another argument from me is that we have lived half our lives without them for ten years so they can hardly be vital to our existence. They are a bit like stuff you keep in the loft and never use but it is comforting to know its there. No I<b> </b>don't do that - hard-hearted Hannah!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A huge part of my soul is so against 'stuff' so I can genuinely walk away from most of it, but I can't quite squish that little sentimental me who finds excuses to keep this and that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One way or another, ship or take, it is all systems go. The realtors will be showing the place after we leave so we don't have the inconvenience of clearing off when they bring people round. We don't have to come back for the closing as all that can all be done from the UK by email.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As yet it is still hard to believe that the 25th October will be the last time we are in 257 Robin Hood Circle. Ten years is a very long time to be in one place for me! We got this apartment and our current UK house around the same time,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> so will this mean a move at home too?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile I am taking sentimental photos just in case we leave the stuff.: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111541135918891492122/Leaving257RobinHoodCircle?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMi7rOvI662yOA&feat=directlink">Leaving 257</a> ... loads more to come</span><br />
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-43200101107348689912015-09-23T23:35:00.000+01:002015-09-28T20:31:19.320+01:00Weekend in Atlanta<br />
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We have just had a great couple of days in Atlanta (Georgia). The Atlanta Miniature Society were holding their 36th Annual Show and Sale and I thought it might be different to see a 'club' show rather than the usual 'commercial' one.<br />
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Originally we decided to do a road trip there and back as we don't get to see anywhere much, other than Florida when we come here. We did a lot of map studying and decided it was a pretty uninteresting journey; especially if we hared up the I-75 and it would take us two days with no real stops on the way. Our next inspiration was flying.<br />
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With the benefit of Air Miles and $11.20 we could fly there easily from Fort Myers. Indeed Fort Myers is the usual transit airport for us on our trips here. We have flown Manchester/Atlanta/Fort Myers more times than I can count. So off we toddled on Friday 18th for the 12.12pm flight; arriving an hour and a half later in Atlanta.<br />
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I spent many words recently bemoaning our Thompson flight here from the UK - let me say how vastly different our Delta experience was. I had a middle seat in three as we booked just a couple of days before flying and the flight was full. I asked if I could be changed to an aisle seat at check-in and luckily there was just one (now) remaining and for the princely sum of $15 I was switched. This is the second time Delta in the States has done this for me without an ounce of fuss. Indeed in the UK, on more than one occasion, we have booked seats months ahead to get the ones we want and then found at check-in that we have been moved to allow a 'family group to sit together'. Infuriating. <br />
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We got pre-check boarding cards which fast tracked us through security and gave us a green card allowing us to keep our shoes on (!). We were only needed at the gate half an hour before the flight, indeed fifteen minutes will do. Polite queues making for easy boarding, a reasonable plane with free wi-fi. the trip itself is like a bus ride with drinks - off the plane and into an airport we already like. <br />
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Atlanta is a very well arranged airport, easy to negotiate. It is generally busy as it is a main hub but it is doable and there is an every-three-minute shuttle between concourses. This time we were actually leaving the airport rather than being in transit. That seemed very strange. We caught a different kind of shuttle.<br />
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To pick up the rental car you get the Sky Train. It is almost literally that, being elevated, it strides its way across road after road and building and trees. It is really impressive and in five minutes you are at the rental car centre. Here, because Ken had booked on line, we just walked through and picked up a car - no check-in, no queues, nothing. <br />
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From there to a lovely hotel - <a href="http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/georgia/atlanta/wyndham-atlanta-galleria/hotel-overview?hotel_id=46500&cid=whg_wyn_ggl_br&wid=ps:br_whg&002=2195185&004=9136737622&005=40860184342&006=38641552582&007=Search&008=&025=c&026=">Wyndham Galleria</a> - and in plenty of time for the Preview at 6.15pm - with desserts! <br />
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The show itself was a delight starting with a huge room filled with people's work, presumably from the club itself. I toured that and was able to get in the rooms when the show was being set up, so I managed to take a lot of photos before the opening. This meant I could have a very 'deep south' dinner with Ken in the hotel before going off to do more schmoozing and photographing and a little purchasing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken's slow-cooked beef ribs, southern mac and cheese and collard greens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My creole shrimp with bacon (!) over cheddar grits - not a veg in sight</td></tr>
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Saturday began with breakfast in the hotel following which I went off to do a quick flit round the show. The quick flit lasted about two hours. <br />
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We decided our tourist trip in Atlanta would be the <a href="http://atlantabg.org/events-classes/events/bruce-munro-light">Botanical Gardens</a>. this took us through a small section of what looks like a very nice city.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">small part of the Atlanta skyline</td></tr>
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It was an absolutely glorious visit, beginning with a delicious meal in the '<a href="http://atlantabg.org/visit/caf%C3%A9-lintons-garden">Cafe at Lintons</a>' - not a cafe as we would know it Jim. It was very chic and the food and staff matched it perfectly but the prices were just fine.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous plate of smoked trout on a cornmeal blini with horseradish etc</td></tr>
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My smoked trout was just beautiful and from the starter section of the menu. I added in a side of fruit which was described as Fuji apple with muscadine and scuppernong. You know me - if there is a creature I have never heard of on offer I have to eat it. Turns out that muscadine is a black grape (already guessed) and a scuppernong is its almost bronze sister. They are both indigenous Southern grapes and can withstand high temperatures.<br />
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They were decidedly different in texture and in taste. Not unpleasant but (I thought) not entirely grape-like.</div>
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Scuppernongs and all under our belts and we were off to tackle the botanical gardens.</div>
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It is just the most magical place. Beautiful landscaping and wonderful and fascinating plants. When do we see Okra and Millet in our veggie gardens?</div>
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Right now there is a 'Light in the Garden' show and I so wish we had the energy to have gone back for that in the evening: it must be overwhelmingly beautiful.</div>
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A British artist called Bruce Munro has set up all kinds of fibre optic pieces but I think his simplest is maybe his best..... his Forest of Light. He has dotted lights through acres of woodland which apparently are all different colours of light.</div>
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We saw this and other things from a forty-feet high walkway in the trees</div>
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Having said that was good - how about twenty (!) luminous water towers and then this little gem.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a different coloured light in every bottle!</td></tr>
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This is made up of empty plastic soda (pop) bottles.<br />
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There are masses of seats in every nook and cranny and each one more interesting than the next. How wonderful to be able to rest and enjoy the surroundings every few yards.</div>
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There is a Chihuly glass piece in the entrance hall and a spectacular fountain (see my album) using one of his pieces.</div>
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As if all this wasn't enough we then visited the just spectacular orchid house. Please look at my album - the flowers were glorious but the photos can't capture the experience. Simply magical.</div>
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Saving the best 'til last..........if you ever change planes in Atlanta and have hours to kill - escape the airport and go and see this if you see nothing else.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">she is just astonishing, completely covered in plants, even her skin</td></tr>
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The serenity by that pool it is palpable.<br />
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The link for the photo album for the trip: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111541135918891492122/Atlanta1820Sep2015?authuser=0&feat=directlink">Atlanta, 18-20 Sep 2015</a><br />
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If you want to read about the miniature show: <a href="http://dollshouseshows.blogspot.com/">Dollshouse Trips and Shows</a><br />
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If you want to see what I bought: <a href="http://daltonhouse.blogspot.com/">Dalton House</a><br />
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-79075557129640712622015-09-16T21:18:00.002+01:002015-09-16T21:18:27.566+01:00Sharing a couple of photosI recently compiled a list of favourite things amongst which was geckos.......<br />
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This little chap sat outside on the window sill of Cracker Barrel on Sunday and watched me eat my Homestyle chicken.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunday lunch!</td></tr>
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I also mentioned rain that everyone said thank you for rather than complained about. they need a ton of it in the summer to get them through the long dry winter. It also prevents fire. Pine trees (very combustible) are indigenous to this area and drop a ton of needles making a wonderful vehicle for fires when it is dry. At this time of year you can almost set your watch by the rain. Around three to four pretty much every afternoon this moves in:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yesterday at Publix grocery store</td></tr>
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<br />We keep forgetting this and keep going out in the afternoon - yup, got caught twice so far and tropical rain is something to behold. I love it; we often get the full works of thunder and lightening and biblical downpours - so dramatic to watch and to feel.<div>
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The first storm we ever experienced we watched neck high in an outdoor pool beside the sea! Wonderful watching multiple lightening strikes dance across the waves. How we survived that one I have no idea but it does explain why we were the only people in the pool. They joy of being English - phlegmatic (aka stupid?).</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 21.28px;"> Daily summertime showers are a fact of life in Florida but should not be taken for granted. </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 21.28px;">Florida ranks number one in the number of deaths due to lightning, 94% of which occur between late May and end of September. </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 21.28px;">An average of 100 people are killed in the U.S. each year (10-13 in Florida) and almost 600 injured (30 in Florida). Lightning kills more people in the U.S. than hurricanes and tornados combined.</span></div>
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It seems most deaths occur in the home and most of those are people on the phone: "Hi, It's me, we have a huge thunderstooooorr....."</div>
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-6383607326082946382015-09-12T19:49:00.004+01:002015-09-13T16:58:02.393+01:00Bored alreadyHi, this is bored-person blogging as it is half past two and my chores are done for the day and I don't go to bed for a while!<br>
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Here's what we had for lunch today - I think it is a jolly good idea and we are having a different one each week to try six of the twenty on offer.<br>
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Publix is our Tescos - if you see what I mean - and they are offering a fish in a bag service. Choose the fish you want and one of four sauces. Go and shop for a while and come back and pick it up. Indeed, yesterday a nice Publix lady found me while I was shopping and gave it to me!</div>
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They haven't really got the hang of it yet so the pricing system is a bit potty. The poor fishmonger has a list of 20 selections with prices which, by our reckoning, means only five fish times four sauces. You can, in fact, choose any of their fresh fish/shellfish so the mixes are many more than that. This meant that me, being me, managed to go off piste both times so, last week, we had two large wild Atlantic salmon fillets and 'sauce' for $11.99 for both (works out at £3.89each!). The fish costs way more than that. Yesterday Ken had Tilapia and sweet chilli with rice (above) in one bag and I had 15 large fresh prawns with the same sauce and rice in another. They didn't have a price for my prawns so I got it at the Tilapia price of $8.99 which was another bargain.</div>
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It is a complete meal with no prep or clearing up of any sort. Cut the bottom of the bag open and slide onto the plate. Eat!</div>
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<br>burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-12623397168704635552015-09-10T19:39:00.001+01:002015-09-15T16:40:27.814+01:00List of things I will miss in (out of season) Naples<br />
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Even I get sick of hearing myself moaning about this and that when I have such a wonderful life. Why do some of us live in glass half-full land instead of the overflowing pint we really have? So, besides a recorded thank you for my relative good health at nearly seventy, two kids that turned out just fine, two grandchildren that are an ongoing amusement, husband that puts up with me, a best friend who is like a sister to me.... not to mention a sister, and, and, and.... here's a simple record of the things I will miss when we leave 'paradise'.<br />
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<li>twenty-seven miles of pristine near empty beaches</li>
<li>back to back sunshine</li>
<li>Mels Diner's ribs</li>
<li>the all round 'customer is king' attitude</li>
<li>shopping bargains galore</li>
<li>polite drivers</li>
<li>US eBay for miniatures</li>
<li>the notion of being neighbourly (difficult fit for an English person but a good thing)</li>
<li>Bone Fish Grill's Bang Bang shrimp</li>
<li>good manners from strangers - saying good morning, calling you ma'am or sir</li>
<li>views from our windows</li>
<li>pedestrians having right of way at all times in car parks (and elsewhere to some extent)</li>
<li>huge washing machine and dryer</li>
<li>quiet</li>
<li>long straight wide traffic-free roads</li>
<li>lights not roundabouts</li>
<li>Cracker Barrel's Homestyle Sunday Chicken</li>
<li>our lovely Lincoln car</li>
<li>a postal system that keeps a parcel for you from June and delivers it on day one of your return in September</li>
<li>free mail (letters) forwarding to the UK</li>
<li>free movies and lectures and performances at the most beautiful library I have ever used</li>
<li>Publix fish in a bag</li>
<li>limitless number of books</li>
<li>self checkout at the library</li>
<li>24 hours automated postal service for outgoing mail</li>
<li>the Apple store</li>
<li>gorgeous Silverspot cinema (with restaurant)</li>
<li>free concerts in the park</li>
<li>celebrating rain instead of hating it</li>
<li>heated outdoor pool (even if I can't be bothered to use it!)</li>
<li>geckos skittering across your path at all times</li>
<li>the sound of tree frogs at night</li>
<li>huge washing machine and dryer</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the car at the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMy5qon-X0A/VfHMqLAh_XI/AAAAAAAEtRI/el9WJ3j5PLM/s1600/P1010003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMy5qon-X0A/VfHMqLAh_XI/AAAAAAAEtRI/el9WJ3j5PLM/s400/P1010003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a Sunday concert</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pN2wAO6FQ8I/VfHM_iYml1I/AAAAAAAEtRY/1WZkQDzQbLc/s1600/20140127_150941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pN2wAO6FQ8I/VfHM_iYml1I/AAAAAAAEtRY/1WZkQDzQbLc/s400/20140127_150941.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">post anything any time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q1PJE-UPMDM/VfHM4uPT6aI/AAAAAAAEtRQ/Ge2l2CToL-E/s1600/P1010023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q1PJE-UPMDM/VfHM4uPT6aI/AAAAAAAEtRQ/Ge2l2CToL-E/s400/P1010023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of our lovely library</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yuUgm6uPIro/VfHNGFLfDwI/AAAAAAAEtRg/9G3KKyMrQtk/s1600/20150909_160633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yuUgm6uPIro/VfHNGFLfDwI/AAAAAAAEtRg/9G3KKyMrQtk/s400/20150909_160633.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">check out your own books</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nLRpBnHzZqE/VfHMBXGxFGI/AAAAAAAEtQw/jVh3W9YynZA/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nLRpBnHzZqE/VfHMBXGxFGI/AAAAAAAEtQw/jVh3W9YynZA/s400/IMG_0619.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from our lanai in the rain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik8x9-ArGTo/VfHLKIE7YRI/AAAAAAAEtQs/JR7p_y0IuFI/s1600/DSC06210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik8x9-ArGTo/VfHLKIE7YRI/AAAAAAAEtQs/JR7p_y0IuFI/s400/DSC06210.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">south of the pier</td></tr>
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<br />burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-91167297247138856092015-09-09T22:08:00.000+01:002015-09-09T22:08:00.060+01:00Letter from America 3. - 'Home' and good neighbours<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday 5th and we checked out a day early from the resort and drove our usual cross-country route to Naples. Ken actually declined a stop at Smokey Joe's for ice cream (unheard of). We had a late lunch at a Cracker Barrel about half an hour from home, did some grocery shopping and got into the condo by late afternoon. After a flurry of unpacking a ton of cases we were ready to fall down in a heap and decided to tackle the rest the following day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our lovely neighbour G brought us freshly made-from-scratch corn muffins around 8.30 pm to welcome us home. How kind is that. Plus they were just perfection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to record this day because I need to make sure I get in all the positives among the moaning. We have the nicest of neighbours in this building. G and his wife had already done me a huge favour by taking in a stack of parcels for me in our absence.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YnpqTlRN_aU/Ve32BkJQLbI/AAAAAAAEswo/rgNNZkKzlO4/s1600/IMG_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YnpqTlRN_aU/Ve32BkJQLbI/AAAAAAAEswo/rgNNZkKzlO4/s400/IMG_0696.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seven boxes - a bit of a huge favour</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These were delivered early on Sunday by J so I could have fun unwrapping them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had taken them some 'tablet' from Aberfeldy as a token thank you. This commodity took a little explanation but was extra appreciated as J's ancestors hailed from Edinburgh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, now I am about to list the niggles because I want to record how I have this cumulative effect of tiny things which make me not want to do this any more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday lunch of roast chicken - bought everything except the cornflour - Ken out to Publix for that. Didn't take stock cubes from home - never have found any I like here so we spent six bucks on something organic that sounded good - it seemed to consist of onions and huge amount of salt..... weird chicken gravy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also I spend days wondering where this or that is - not only because kitchens can't be the same</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, of course, but also I can't always remember what I own on one side of the pond or the other. Spent ages today looking for a small enamel casserole only to finally remember I don't have one here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The oddest thing was I drove myself potty because we don't seem to have a trivet for hot dishes to go on when they come out of the oven!!!! How have I lived ten years here without? Total mystery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every time we return to each place (especially this one) there are things which don't work, aren't reconnected, need fixing. So far Ken has bought and replaced a toilet valve flap. He is currently out sorting out sim cards so we have phones we can use here. I can't use the washing machine as the cold water valve is leaking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also each time we arrive we have to clean the whole of the outside area. This means sweeping thoroughly and then washing every inch. Unlike the UK, during the warm, humid and stormy summer here the place is hanging in webs and bugs and most of all various bugs poo!! Not to mention the resident frog who makes a real mess. Over and under all that is just plain dirt being blown in with the rain and winds of the storms, plus plant debris.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we have to start at the ceiling and </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0_ZQ-5QdmG8/Ve350irNnqI/AAAAAAAEsw4/gZy6XAa_4Gw/s1600/IMG_0717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0_ZQ-5QdmG8/Ve350irNnqI/AAAAAAAEsw4/gZy6XAa_4Gw/s400/IMG_0717.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">work our way down</td></tr>
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<br />To be really honest it just gets harder as we get older. I was so happy this might be our last time doing it.<div>
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So, all in all, settling in runs over a few days before we have it cracked.<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2972884400906918569.post-92120421158504032442015-09-08T21:32:00.000+01:002015-09-08T21:32:00.072+01:00Letter from America 2. - One long eatFirst thing, first morning in Orlando we went to iHop for breakfast. We didn't want to attack the resort's 'food court' restaurant again - it was heaving. Ken is something of a pancake fan and if international House of pancakes serves me bacon I am good with that. I do love that it is generally easier over here to get precisely what you want by ordering 'sides' rather than one of their meals. Having ordered four rashers of bacon...they are small strips honestly...scrambled egg and some toast, my three little plates duly arrived. I forgot to order a plate. It is fine I am happy to eat off three plates as long as I get just what a want. It's a deal. Ken's pancake stack of raspberries and cream cheese looked lovely. Two happy bunnies went on to get their hair done! <br />
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I had Sweeny Todd do mine. She was positively viscous. I had my head and face clawed during that lovely relaxing shampoo time. She then burned my scalp several times with the hairdryer but she did a great job. So, being a very grateful woman to have escaped alive and with good looking hair, I gave her a huge tip. What I hadn't factored in was Florida's late summer climate. It may well have been 91 but the humidity was intense and the hair do disappeared inch by inch with every step. Clinging on to its remnants we went out to a late lunch and managed to get caught in the traditional fifteen minute thunderstorm in the afternoon which the summer brings. Hey ho I looked human for a small while. I want my tip back!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOqgZJoY_Lo/Ve3w9AZnK1I/AAAAAAAEswA/Jvcf5Pn0Bd0/s1600/20150904_155822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOqgZJoY_Lo/Ve3w9AZnK1I/AAAAAAAEswA/Jvcf5Pn0Bd0/s400/20150904_155822.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we got wet!</td></tr>
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Six o'clock came round and I was off to the show. The convention centre is vast so I wasn't even sure if I could find my way there. Did OK but confess to getting lost going 'home' later.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">might give you an idea of one of the three corridors I had to negotiate.</td></tr>
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Food again. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of one of the four tables set up</td></tr>
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There was a lovely selection of hors d'oeuvres. Indeed there were several choices to constitute a three-course meal. I hear you saying you didn't have to eat it... but.... shrimp and grit cakes and the most delicious crab cakes all crying 'eat me'. There were a zillion lovely looking things in the entrees plus a delicious selection of cheeses and deserts. I confess I completely missed the desserts as I was diving into the minis as soon as I decently could.</div>
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This was a brand new show by a lady who's Philly show I had been to so I expected similar. It seems new babies in this arena need time to grow. There were just 33 vendors so it was possibly the smallest show I had been to and therefore quickly done. I only bought two items and left an hour before it closed. Unheard of.<br />
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The show is of course much more than just the vendors. There is a week of classes and all sorts of functions. If you have the slightest interest you'll need to trail over to my <a href="http://dollshouseshows.blogspot.com/">Show Blog</a>.<br />
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Weary, food stuffed and happy, so endeth Friday.</div>
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burygardenershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07930807695134677074noreply@blogger.com0