diegoagogo: WOW - 5 weeks already!!!

Friday, August 19, 2011

WOW - 5 weeks already!!!

So much has happened & it has taken me this long to work out how to use the HTC on the Mac - so not a computer geek.

So to start at the beginning, here are some shots of how I left the home apartment - so much work but I am very happy with the results.


Almost did not want to leave this - had great fun making it and the burn is all healed now LOL

Tidiest the kitchen has ever looked since we bought it!! LOL

Now onto the travel part - flight was very good, hardly any anxiety just very long. Really tested even my legendary endless patience. 2nd leg saw me utilising the sleep mask & ear plugs for a lovely 6 hour sleep which made me feel much better on landing in London at 5am. So exceedingly good to see the Prince & have him in my arms again.

EDITED to add: just so I keep this real, I should add that even though the first couple of days were fantastic, I spent my first couple of weeks in a maelstrom of tears, emotional roller coasters, a kind of homesickness & crippling agoraphobia! The Prince was wonderful! & I am really glad it has passed!

As it was our 2nd anniversary on the weekend and to help with the jet lag my darling Prince took us of to the Porchester Baths for a spa day. This is the oldest spa in London, built around 1920's & just amazing!! If you ever get the chance GO! it also has a pool next door that is part of the spa experience.
Following week saw us off to Cambridge to soak up some history. Train trip took only one hour & 10 minutes - excellent trip. We had a wonderful walk through the town soaking up the views, the canal is lovely & we loved the "Cambridge Comedy Channel". Self renters trying to steer the punts - just hysterical!! One group of young women spent 20 minutes banging into everything available & only moving around 100 feet. Priceless!!
Saturday 23 July saw us catching up with the Prince's brother, went to 2 different markets & bought some great items for our home & some great fruit & veg.
Sunday 31 July saw us off to Leigh on Sea, the Prince to do some work & me to my first car boot sale!! Car boot did not happen but I had a terrific time at the Leigh on Sea fish festival instead. The Prince joined me later.
I loved the "beach" - really just a very small strip of sharp sand at the edge of the estuary but the sun was out and so was lots of pasty white British flesh.

This is one of the estuaries of the Thames and only a 30 minute train trip from home. I can see we will be off down here as often as possible, it is just lovely. It has massive tidal flows, saw the mud flats, then covered in water, then back to mud flats again in around 7 hours - very cool but I can see how people could get trapped out there - especially as lots of people here can't swim.
Had lots of fun at the fish blessing festival & got to meet one of my heroes - rope maker Des Pawson!! I even got to make a length of rope with him!! Stoked!! LOL

Came home and discovered that we have a badger set in our back yard!! So excited!! There are apparently only 30,000 in the whole UK so we feel particularly lucky to have one in our back yard. No photos yet but I have managed to narrow its appearance down to an hour & a half in the wee smalls so soon I hope. Here is the entry to the set - the peg is for perspective. This is the hole I fell into, or should I say this hole opened up as I stepped onto what looked like solid ground. The ankle is better now :)

It is wild life central here, so many foxes it is hard to count - they are so cool and not bothered by the hoomans at all. We have an old fashioned dove/ pigeon that lives in our yard, we have named him Bert & he has a friend we have named Ernie. Embiggen the pic for a better look. (can't find my camera yet & am only using the one on the phone so not so good at getting a long shot)