Traveling with the Pros

So here's a funny story....

For nearly the entire trip we followed Matt and Tom on our travels through London, Norway, and Copenhagen as if we were the children, and they were the parents. It was a very good deal for this couple. Finally, on our last night together it was decided that we were capable to make our way to Heathrow on our own. And it began just fine with us taking the Jubilee Line to Green Park, changing to the Piccadilly Line for the final bit of the trip. Now generally, or it has been our experience, traveling on the underground is fantastic, and we've done it on our own more than once. However, when we boarded the second train there were not one, not two, but three scruffy looking young men sleeping on several seats, a definite no-no. Plus, they smelled. Because it takes 45 minutes or so to get to Heathrow we both felt uncomfortable and when the train approached a station Bruce said, let's move or something to that effect. Having been married for so long we hardly need to say a word and know what the other is thinking. NOT! Bruce hopped off the train with his bag, and as it was dawning on me to do the same, the doors closed and the train took off!! Now what do I do? It took me about three stops, after not being able to text him because we were underground, to finally decide to get off at a stop and maybe he would be on the next train. Meanwhile, he was getting off at each stop hoping I would be there!! It was at the Earls Court station that I finally made my move, standing on the platform hoping he would be on the next train and by golly, there he was!! All's well that ends well, but I told Bruce it was like a scene in a movie with a happy ending!!

I awoke early this morning, really too early, but I will sleep well tonight because our travel day yesterday was very, very, long. Anyway, I've had time to scan through my photographs and picked a few to share. First and foremost, the whole thing was put together by Matt with input from Tom. Not only that, but he made all of the reservations, making it so easy on these old folks. Plus, they gave us a beautiful overnight ferry trip for our anniversary which you'll learn more about in the coming days.

These two!!!

We had a few challenges along the way, some overcome more easily than others. Our planned trip to Dover was impossible because of rainy weather so instead, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, spending hours admiring a tiny bit of their beautiful collection. Lunch was outdoors.

Tom, our resident historian was working that day, however, he joined us the next when we flew to Bergen, Norway from Gatwick Airport. We woke the next morning to very sunny weather as shown in this photo of what I'm calling the town square, although that is not the official name.

One of the reasons we went to Norway is because I mentioned to Matt how much I missed the mountains so he picked this spot for me to experience them once again. Plus, they like Scandinavia having visited the area several times. Together they travel what I call a lot, and Matt travels for work. I probably have this wrong, (my poor memory is legendary) but I seem to recall him saying he's visited thirty countries. I do know for a fact that one year he visited six continents so he knows what he is doing in the travel department. Anyway, he'd booked a tour called Norway in a Nutshell which included a fjord boat tour followed by a railway experience across Norway. Sounds fantastic, right? It was, however, sadly the morning of the trip it was raining as we walked with our luggage to the boat. The weather did not improve as time went on. The sky was leaden, making the mountains hulks in the clouds, mist and rain. Guess what? It was fantastic!!!! A blue sky experience is what you would see in their promotional material, but the atmosphere created by the low hanging clouds was more than I could have hoped for.

All four of us began the trip outside, but the men tired of the weather after the first few hours. You know me...don't want to miss anything so I stayed outdoors most of the time, ending our journey looking the worse for wear. Matt braved the wind and rain for this photo.

We landed in Flam and while the rain had mostly quit, the clouds were still hanging low.

These will not be the only photos of this remarkable landscape that you see, but for today we are doing a quick overview. I'm skipping all of Oslo in this post, making our next stop Copenhagen, a beautiful city where we took a canal trip.

It was while there that Bruce began experiencing tremendous pain, so much so we had to get back to the hotel. Not what one hopes for in a foreign city, but because he's had one before, I was pretty sure it was a kidney stone. Let's just say he was extremely miserable for the remainder of our time there. Matt and I visited a Butterfly house that was fantastic,

until my camera battery died! Oh friends, did I have my share of camera troubles. Well, actually mostly one thing...the camera will not turn off which I know sounds crazy, but sadly it is true. I had to keep pulling the battery out. At first Matt thought I'd done something wrong with my settings until he investigated, learning that I am not the first person to have this problem with an Olympus OMD. And to think I almost brought along a second camera! Nonetheless, I worked around it and we continued seeing remarkable things, including Rosenborg, a castle whose interior drew gasps from these Americans. The outdoor grounds were darn good as well.

Back in London after three days in Copenhagen, we spent the night at Matt and Tom's amazing home. I'd been dying to see it in person and it was every bit as special as I thought it would be. Plus, they have a garden!

Although the train tickets were already purchased, Matt decided that traveling to Melton Mowbray to visit Tom's folks was going to be way too much for Bruce. Instead he found a doctor, called a taxi and we went to the 33rd floor of a building in Canary Wharf for a consultation. He agreed with our diagnosis and prescribed some stronger pain medication for Bruce which helped tremendously. Because we'd planned for an overnight stay at the Flude's home, we had no hotel booked so we spent a second night with Matt and Tom. With the help of the pain meds, we all walked to a restaurant along the Thames for dinner. Bonus points for a wonderful sunset!

While Bruce was resting the next day, I took a long walk along Regent's Canal and was oh so thrilled to see a Robin in a little wooded area. Not like any Robin I've seen before--way cuter!

And did you know there are City farms scattered in London neighborhoods?

Marvelous trip guided by locals who are pros. What more could a person ask for?

As I type this, Bruce is feeling good, so we are hoping that means he passed it already! Let's hope so.

your friend,

Gail

Where to Begin?

I imagine by now you are all dying to know about the trip. Well, here we go.....

Yesterday morning Bruce and I awoke at 4:00 EST; apparently our bodies were convinced it was 9AM GMT. First thing I did was look at my pictures, which truth be told, are not terribly exciting. For one thing, with London's busy streets it is hard to just stop and take a photo. Furthermore, mostly we were on missions, either following our London tour guide (Matt) or the three other tours we took. Because we'd never taken a tour before it was a new sensation--following the Pied Piper. Did I mention I could not keep up with our city boy? It was a darn good thing he wore some very colorful shirts!

Instead of a true narration, I'm going to divide this into three sections. Sights, impressions and photographs. Ready? This could get long.....

Where we went and what we saw:

• Broadway Market
• London Fields
• Hackney Museum
• Saw where Matt works 
• Spitafields
• Poppies Fish and Chips for dinner
• Banksy work in Matt's neighborhood
• Regent's Canal
• Geffrye Museum
• Columbia Road flower market
• Independence Day picinic
• Soho for dinner
• Monday is mostly a blank for me except for dinner at Pizza Express and Tift Merritt concert
• Paddington station to Bath
• Royal Crescent in Bath and other sights
• Celebrated Matt's birthday at Demeuths (wonderful meal)
•  Stonehenge, Avebury, Castle Combe
• Our only iffy meal of the whole trip at Crystal Palace
• Cotswolds Discovery Tour
• Transport Museum
• Buckingham Palace
• Mayfaire
• Green Park
• Dinner at Leon
• Street Art Tour with Griff
• Dinner at Nandos (fantastic)
• War Horse at the National Theater
• Drink at Princess Louise pub
• St. Pancreas station to Leicester
• Wonderful lunch and conversation with Ray and Jane Flude (Tom's parents)
• Gifts galore
• Dinner at the station--another yummy meal
• Remembered Monday--London Museum
• South Bank
• Courtald Gallery
• Westminster Bridge crossing
• Docklands
• Olympic Park

Impressions:

• The food was SO MUCH better than I expected!!! 
• After a few days, Bruce discovered that we paid in pounds, what we pay in dollars.
• The buses, trains, and underground were all amazing in their efficiency. We even navigated one day on our own.
• You have to move fast or you can get run over! As mentioned above I was usually lagging behind but no one was pushy or rude. 
• It's possible to live in a quiet neighborhood a few bus stops away from the center of the city.
• Bikes are wildly popular.
• Matt and Tom are terrific together.
• London is a wild, vibrant mix of people.
• The English countryside is beautiful in person. I've seen a hedgerow for myself now.
• Flowers! Flowers! Flowers!
• The weather changes hourly, although, there was more rain in Florida during our absence than there was in England.
• Matt's flat uses space so cleverly.
• It is hard to underestimate how old much of England is. Seeing the Roman Baths is mind boggling.
• I'm no good at breezing through museums, which Matt discovered for himself. We probably spent more time in the Museum of London than most folks. Thousands of years of history will do that to a curious person. 
• Service in all the restaurants was terrific, unlike here where the staff usually has attitude.
• A very noticeable lack of tattoos and breast implants.
• Bruce remarked on the beautiful complexions he noticed.
• Very little honking on the streets which is striking because there is a wild jumble of buses, taxis, cars and cyclists all sharing very narrow roads.
• London feels very safe. It may not be, however, we were never concerned even at night.
• Street markets are very, very popular.

Photographs:

You can well imagine I took a lot of photographs. Indeed, 1224 on my two cameras. Some on Bruce's because one evening my battery died and I'd neglected to pack a spare. As I imagined the majority are typical tourist photos with no saleable future. I'm posting some with explanations today, however, you may be seeing more in the foreseeable future as I spend more time looking at them. Off we go.....

The obligatory Stonehenge photo. Although most everyone has seen a photograph before, in person it is extraordinary.

 

These are not in order of appearance btw. One of our favorite street artists, James Cochrane from Australia.  Imagine doing this with spray paint!

 

Bruce and I disagree on the street artist Stiks whose work is pictured below. I love the simplicity, he thinks it's silly. Nevertheless, he makes his work with only six lines and color and to me the expressiveness is extraordinary.

Matt attempted to photograph his parents on several occasions with me spoiling most of them. At any rate, here's one from Bath.

Although Matt had a blow dryer for me to use, I didn't make much use of it, thus my hair is kinda crazy. A light sweater or rain jacket over my sleeveless dresses was all I needed.

A darling picture of Matthew with his birthday desert at Demeuths in Bath, which serves vegetarian/vegan fine dining. Next time I'll show you the extraordinary cake Tom made before we left London.

Years ago I was a collector of David Winter cottages which prepared me for our Costwolds trip. Now that I've seen the area in person I realize all the more what a great job he did replicating the darling homes and businesses of the region.

This is an example from Bibury. A lovely stream held some swans, ducks, and what I learned from Tom, a morehen, or at least that's what I think I remember. We were both amused and amazed by the antics of one of the mute swans as he harrased the ducks:

A regular terrorizer! Here is the morehen with a brand spanking new little chick, actually there were two newborns and some unhatched eggs as well.

We had lunch in a traditional pub dating back hundreds of years (my memory escapes me) and after my ploughmen's lunch I wandered a bit on the two streets of the village coming across this charming place:

The English love to walk in the country with multiple footpaths marked. We took one through a
sheep meadow which was just delightful as long as you watched your step! That husband of mine is just so darn photogenic isn't he? He was making sure I was coming along:

That was our foray into the countryside and I can't say enough how delighted I am we took those tours. The sole problem for someone like me is I had very little time to take anything but tourist shots.


Back in the city, this kind of display is in front of shops on each block near Matt's flat:

On our last night there I finally stopped buying about a three pound basket of nectarines for one pound. Having just returned from a little visit to Clemons this morning, I can tell you that it would have cost about three times that here. Curious, however, I suppose the competition is great.


A walk on a Thames bridge over to the South Bank offered this view of London which is jam packed with cranes. Construction projects everywhere which was a nice bonus for Bruce.

We enjoyed lunch then meandered along the Thames. This charming scene is of little beach shacks, decorated by local artist which are set up for the summer.

There is a really cool water jet fountain, which apparently if you are very clever, can be stood in without getting wet. This young boy wasn't that lucky! 

After this relaxing walk we headed out to the site of the Olympic park which offered us this view:

The red sculpture is being constructed for the games, an Anish Kapoor design. Tom is working on the transport for the millions of expected visitors. 


Speaking of Tom, our trip to meet his parents was delightful. The comfortable train trip was just under two hours, followed by a taxi ride to their home. And what a lovely home it is! The hospitality shown by Ray and Jane was tremendous, as was the vegan lunch. Everything about the inside of their book filled home was charming. Double doors lead out to a wonderful, controlled chaos garden as described by Jane.

 Tom loving up one of the cats:

I now understand more fully Angela's garden obsession. I'm freely admitting to a bad case of jealousy! I only wish this were the size of our yard.

Jane and Tom must be pointing out something very interesting to Matthew!


After our trip to the London Museum, Matthew had to have been thrilled that I wanted to go to the Courtland Gallery because there was virtually no way I could spend hours there. Although their collection included works by Picaso, Degas, Renoir, Manet, Monet, Serault and Pisarro, what really sticks in my mind is this interesting piece shown in the Gravity special exhibit.

Suspended by what appears to be fishing line, these are bricks collected from the shoreline of the White Cliffs of Dover from the lasting remnants of houses that have collapsed into the sea over the years. Really, really cool.


After seeing War Horse at the National Theater we went to one of London's prettiest and oldest pubs, The Princess Louise:

We were not there for too long because when it's time to close, they are very serious. Ringing the bell for last call and within the half hour, the bell rings once again and it's time to leave!


By now you may be exhausted reading all this and frankly I'm exhausted writing it! Seriously, I do know it's a lot and believe me, I won't go two weeks without blogging again. Our flight home was made all the better by the special treatment Bruce receives for being a gazillion miler with Delta. Here is the appetizer for lunch:

Can you believe that? Looks like lunch to me! Watching movies, eating, drinking, reading and sleeping our way home, we finally arrived around 9:30 at night. The first thing Nancy said when she saw me was, "You poor thing, you look so tired!" She was right, it had been a very long day.


Forgive me my errors please; it has taken me so long to do this I can't go back!

Good Times

Yes, that's right, it was a perfect weekend in every way. No, the market wasn't so great, however, I wasn't shut out. In fact I sold nine things, which truth be told, with so many, many people out of work in Orlando, I count myself fortunate. Fortunate indeed.

Before we go much further I wanted to share this lovely post from our dear son Matthew:http://www.fiftyfivehundred.org/post/856967812 
Make sure you click on it to see what he's all about these days. I can hardly believe it's been seven years since  last we visited London, but it has. A 50th birthday celebration for my darling husband was the occasion. It was an amazing trip, including flying first class on Virgin, which can't be beat. Arriving in London, one of the first sites we saw was a spectacular building under construction. We roamed the city until we got close enough to see what it was all about. Bruce was so enthralled that he had one of his photographs enlarged, and framed, keeping it in his office until the recent downsizing to a cubicle. Next time you're here you'll see it in the hallway.  Here's what I'm referring to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe These days it's apparently affectionately, or not, nicknamed The Gherkin building. So, the other night the phone rang ,which in itself is pretty rare these days, and who should be on the line, but Matthew. Well, he was more than delighted that Bruce was home so he could personally tell him he'd just had dinner at the top of the Gherkin! I can tell you this much---seven years ago when we saw it, we NEVER in our wildest dreams would have foreseen that OUR son would be hobnobbing around London, and dining there like nobodies business. Simply amazing.

Continuing the son update, here's what's going on with Jonathan:http://cbs2chicago.com/local/river.city.flooding.2.1825286.html 
Saturday afternoon while driving home from a kayaking trip (Bruce paddled, I drove) Jonathan called sounding mighty desperate. If you've clicked on the link you can understand his consternation. Fortunately a friend's father has a furnished townhouse in a suburb of Chicago to which Jonathan and Alissa have fled, along with Tia, their cat. Rumors are flying about as to when the building will be habitable again. Miss Alissa will turn 30 this week, and the recent turn of events in her life were highly unexpected. Jobless and now homeless, not to mention someone ruining her camera recently, is taking it's toll on her psyche as you can well imagine. I'm so sad about all of this.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating, that I cannot believe how many capable and hardworking people I know are jobless. What, oh what, is the answer?

Well, let's talk about something fun, shall we? Here is Mr. Bruce preparing for his eight mile trip on the Wekiva River. Arriving just after 8 on Saturday, he put in here before the crowds came, fishing his way down the river. Driving into the place, we saw a mother deer and her baby crossing the road. Merely saying I was excited at the sight doesn't really do it justice. Camera fogged by ac, alas, no picture!

First stop for me was Wekiva State Park. The weather was a bit cloudy and things were still damp from Friday night's rain. I suppose with the number of stairs to get down to the springs, you'd imagine it is almost a sinkhole. My sons will remember some good times at the springs.

I roamed around a bit, however, I'm too much of a wuss to go into the springs these days. Mostly I read in the car until the humidity got to me. I do like those orange life preservers though.

Wekiva Island is the new name for a place once was called Wekiva Landing. Just down the road from the state park, I headed there hoping for some shade, only to find there was none to be had. Changing into my bathing suit, gathering my book and camera, I headed to the river. Look what I found:

Arriving several hours before Bruce's ETA, I settled in. After a bit, the heat was so extreme, I got up my nerve and jumped into the river, finding it oh so refreshing. Between the wonderful book I told you about, swimming, and all the activity surrounding me, the time passed quickly. Eventually Bruce paddled within sight and I went to meet him with the car. Excitedly he told me he caught (and released) more fish than he could count. To say that he was happy is putting it mildly. Did I mention he was also hot and tired? Well, he was. Once we were home, and things were mostly put away, we both took naps. Bruce loves a nap, me not so much. As you well know, I'm a world class sleeper and once I'm out, I do not wake very easily. Because we'd had a late lunch, dinner was popcorn.

Arriving home from the market I found this on my desk:

Actually I took the photograph this morning as I prepared to eat it for my breakfast. The mug is one Matt gave me some years ago from the Columbia Road Flower Market in London, which as of tomorrow, will be in his neighborhood! After reading my blog post about cookies--can you imagine he didn't know this already?--when he saw this at Eisteins, he knew I'd be a happy girlfriend. He was right.

After finishing unpacking the car Bruce asked if I want to hang out back. There's really nothing that cools off a market girl faster than a dive in the pool, so I agreed. During my absence he'd put up a both a bird feeder and some new torches which delighted me to no end. Needless to say we ended up eating out there, but this time we were much more careful about our wine consumption!

Normally this time of year the afternoon rains keep us from eating out back, and swimming late in the day. Well, this year is far from normal. Freezing cold in the winter, and now almost NO rain. We are going days and days without it. Oh yeah, before I forget, we had our lawn people out last week; fortunately Bruce was home to talk to them, and what we think went wrong is, the first guy to put fertilizer and weed killer on the grass this year. It seems as if he got carried away, thus large portions are dead. When I say dead, I mean no grass at all. Large, ugly spots of bare dirt. It only took us about ten years of care to get us where we were which really makes it all the more discouraging. HOWEVER, they are taking responsibility, and if come September things are not vastly improved, sod will be placed at no cost to your friends, the Pecks.

Digressing, digressing, digressing. The pool temperature is perfect right now--- here's your favorite blogger's dear husband with the newly shorn Mr. Baxter on Sunday evening:

He may look pretty calm here, but he likes swimming about as much as he likes walking!

Today's post title is from a popular photograph I sell, but it definitely fits for this weekend. We also went to a downtown Irish pub on Friday night, returning home early enough to watch State of Play, a film we both thoroughly enjoyed. Often people ask me about my photo editing, and mostly I tell them I use the Picasa feature, "I'm Feeling Lucky," which pretty much sums up my life. I only wish it applied to all my loved ones.....

What's New

For someone who doesn't have a real job anymore, I seem to stay pretty busy. I suppose it is because I am involved in so many things that are new to me. My new friend Becky taught me this saying--"Fake it till you make it." That's pretty much my MO these days.

Bruce worked a bit from home yesterday because he had gone to his remodel job site well into the night. I never ask what time he gets home--that falls under the category of "what I don't know can't hurt me." If I knew how little sleep he had, I would worry all day. We went on a few errands related to my little business then had lunch at a charming little bistro on Park Avenue in Winter Park. For those of you not from this area, WP is where the money is in our area. I mean the old money. There are scads of sports stars, and other celebrities that live out near the hospital I used to work for, but they are pretty much the nouveau-riche. OK, so the point of me telling you about the bistro is because they have some photography on their walls from a local. I asked the manager if they ever changed them and he said they did, in fact, they had space for two new ones. "Could I bring in some of my pieces to show you?" "Of course."

I took this photo at the sculpture garden where I'm having my interview next week. We roamed the grounds a bit so Bruce could familiarize himself with the place. Re the interview--I found some lovely black closed-toe shoes today. I have scads of shoes but they are primarily sandals of some height or another--no stylish flats in the bunch. Of course I got them at Marshalls where the price was about a third of what they would be at Nordstrom. I want to make a good impression after all. If anyone has any tips about interviewing I would be thrilled to hear them as I'm a newbie. Another case of "faking it."

Matt called this afternoon--hurray! I hadn't heard from him in ages even though he's been in the States. Busy man is all. He had a fabulous weekend in New York, then on to Las Vegas for a conference. He's flying back to London tonight right in the midst of the new terrorist scare. I wish I knew nothing of that--you know, the old head in the sand routine. He plans to go to Wimbledon when he gets back if the weather is good. It is great to have a son who makes the most out of whatever city he is living in.

Speaking of sons, Bill is playing tonight with a famous guitarist, Michael Angelo, at Sam Ash. I think they are going to be putting on a clinic of sorts. He called about 4 asking if we were coming and naturally we are. We have supported him any way we could for all these years of his music career; we're not stopping now. Hopefully I can take some decent pictures and I'll share one with you, however, I may get too excited and screw it up--we'll see.

Sweet Sarah from Chicago answered my plea for a contact for Jonathan in Chicago. He is flying up week after next to look for an apartment. If anyone has any job ideas, let me know please!

Good Morning

Hope everyone had a good holiday--ours was very simple, but nice. First off, I'll tell you that it was a good day at the market; I sold seven pieces! You just never know what to expect that is for sure. As seems to often be the case, a woman had her money out to purchase, but unfortunately, the two pieces she had set her sights on were sold! The weather was very nice--not too hot. Although a slight rain came up, it was no bother. Baxter again held down the home front--it is much simpler without him!

I took both cameras to Leu Gardens yesterday and Bruce accompanied me. I take a picture with both the film SLR camera, and the digital--I'm trying to detect a difference in how the finished product looks. Of course, with the digital, I take several shots at different angles to ensure a good one, but as you can imagine, the film camera is a different story. Bruce continues to try and talk me into a fancier camera--we'll see. We cruised around a bit afterwards, stopping by a museum we had not been to. Because it was a Monday, it was not open, but the grounds were lovely, with very funky sculptures lakeside. Orlando has so many great places to visit--certainly not like huge cities, but, nonetheless, there is much the tourists never see. We had a nice lunch at Gargi's--their patio along the shores of Lake Ivanhoe is quite charming.

Matt called yesterday and things are going swimmingly in London.He had the day off for a bank holiday. His stuff is finally supposed to arrive from Chicago today after more than three months-- apparently there were problems with the ship. Now if you know Matt, or Bruce, you know that they like to have things settled ASAP after moving into a new place; art is hung before nightfall. You can well imagine how frustrating the wait has been for him--I'm sure before the week is over his place will be decorated beautifully.

I have an appointment with the neurologist this afternoon after which I think we are going to get in the car and take a little two day trip. Bruce--miracle of miracles--does not have to travel for work this week, so I've asked him to travel with me. At the moment, our destination is unclear-- probably one of the coasts. The love bugs I've mentioned in the past are fierce right now, so maybe not too far from home. I only learned yesterday that the University of Florida brought these pesky insects into Florida to eat mosquito larvae. I believe they have done a good job of that as the mosquito population is much diminished since we were children, however, as is always the case, you have to take the good with the bad.

So Much To Say!

It's all quiet again in the Peck household. Bruce has gone to Detroit, and Matt returned to London yesterday afternoon. Baxter and I are holding down the fort for now.

Mother's Day was unlike any in the past. As you know, we did the market which was not very productive. The crowds were very slim; the weather was very hot! Matt came down about 11, and sat with us, however, it bored him rather quickly. Baxter was not happy either; he barked at all kinds of dogs, and I'm sure scared away a few folks. We've decided it is too much for him, so he'll have to stay home and be the good little doggie we know he can be. On the other hand, I've felt much better the last days, and as mentioned in the previous post, hope it continues without relapse.

The twins came to the market around 2 with Leanne and Michelle. Immediately, they were saying we'll help you pack up--let's beat it. It was agreed, and with that many hands it made for a record tear down time! Everyone gathered at our house and we had snacks and chatted--maybe I should say discussed some of the issues of the day? Judy, and Grandma, came over, and it was all very lively.

These are the cards from the boys. It is so interesting that I can almost guarantee what kind of card each will buy. Matthew always gets cool cards, and writes his own message. Bill buys sweet cards, David buys nice cards, and Jonathan always goes for humor. I love that about them, they are so unique. I frequently wonder how our boys turned out as well as they did. It is quite a wonder that a very young couple managed it, but at least for now, we couldn't be happier with them. I know that sounds silly with a caveat, but you never know!

As I've said in the past, David can really talk your ear off regarding the economy. In fact, he does it at quite a high volume, and when he and Bill are together it is like a tag-team wrestling match. If one of them doesn't convince you, the other will try! Matt was overwhelmed with the chaos they create--not to mention his opposing views! Don't they say never talk about politics or religion? We managed to pretty much skirt the religion issue.

Yesterday morning Matt came with me to Leu Gardens to give me some photography pointers. He showed me how to use some of the adjustments, and it was very helpful. He has written things down for me, but I am a much better student when I can see it firsthand. It rained just a tad, and that made for some good lighting, cooler weather, and of course the droplets on the flowers that I love to photograph!

When Life Gives You Lemons....

I was experimenting today with some citrus, and kiwi fruit, because it is one of the reliable sellers. I'd like to become better so I practice a lot.

I realized today that the last time Bruce and I were apart for a week was last summer when I was in the hospital. This week has been long for me, but at least I know Bruce is doing something he likes, and is super good at. Yes...he loves his work. I can not imagine what it must have been like for him last July coming home at night wondering what would happen next. The day they told us I probably had pancreatic cancer must have been unbearable. I was feeling so poorly that I'm sure it didn't sink in with me, but Bruce has an active imagination and a very tender heart. Fortunately, they were wrong.

I almost did an unthinkable thing. Thankfully, I was cleaning the stack of papers from the top of my microwave; I'm not typically a big stacker, but it was time. Anyway in the pile I found Leanne's graduation announcement and it turns out it is this Saturday! Wow, I feel like a dummy, however, it arrived so long ago, or so it seems, that I would have overlooked it. Matthew arrives on Saturday morning as well so we'll have to figure out the logistics.

Whenever Matthew comes home I have him clean up my computer, and usually we go shopping. He has the best eye for clothes, and I'm needing some new ones now. Every clothing item that he, or Bruce, for that matter, has suggested has been a winner. He is looking forward to shopping here because we have great outlets and things are so much cheaper than in London. He tells me the Brits fly to New York just to shop!

May Day

• First things first--Happy Birthday to my dear Jonathan who turns 24 today. As most of you know he lives in Tallahassee, so I won't be spending it with him but he will be spending it with the love of his life--Alissa.
  
• Great news--I managed a B in Algebra so my GPA didn't suffer too badly, it's now 3.72. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on out with only required Speech and three electives to go!
• I took off early this morning and drove out to Celebration, Disney's planned community, to take photos. One surprising shot I got was an otter coming out of the water on the little lake.
• Next, I went to the hospital where they treated me well. Someone has marked me in the system as a VIP, I don't know who, but I'm grateful. I had no waiting to register, and almost none in the lab, however, it took three sticks to get the 10 vials they drew!!!! I thought the 7 at Mayo Clinic was a lot--yikes. Oh, if only it will provide some answers, it will be worth it.
• I visited with some of my old work mates which was good. Dr. Patange, one of my favorite radiologists was there; I hadn't seen him in about a year. He is Indian, as you suspected, and I'd love to get him going--his voice would rise exponentially as we razzed him.
• From the hospital I went to the West campus to speak with someone about the summer class I registered for: Art with a Camera. I figured it was time I learned something about this obsession of mine. I checked at the Information desk for the Art Department and we called from there--no answer. In a funny coincidence the young lady asked me what class I wanted information on. After hearing my reply she said, "oh, I just got finished with that class." She gave me all the details, so, I think I might do it.
• The photo is another experiment with light and shadows. My mom's picture is on the shelf from when she was in her late 40's. I made the gown she is wearing as I used to be a bit of a seamstress.
• My dear Bruce has gone to Boston for some days.
  
• Last, but not least, a one hour break from typing as Matt called from London. He stays super busy there and I was getting the low down. He will be visiting in two weeks for Mother's Day--isn't that sweet?
  

Two Down, One to Go

You can imagine what I did first thing when I got home today. Yes, you were right--I threw all my algebra stuff in the trash! The test was typically hard; although she allows you to replace an earlier test grade with the final grade if it is better, I'm sure that won't work in my case. On the other hand, the geology test was multiple choice and I got a 96! Bruce was kind enough to ask me the questions last evening even though he was very tired from his trip, and, it worked! I took this picture of my sweetie a few Saturdays ago at the Art Center in Maitland.

I will take the Humanities final in the morning as planned, and that will be that. I've made it through a very tough semester! My plan is to go through my house, room by room, and do a thorough cleaning. That depends on if I can stay home instead of going out to take photos, and, of course, that remains to be seen.

As well, it depends on my test results. Bruce was dismayed when he realized the test would be painful, and I'm not thrilled about it, but it must be done. It is scheduled for 9:30 Monday morning. There is also the little matter of having the energy to accomplish my plans, however, I plan to cross that bridge when I get to it.

Although I've taken hundreds of flower photos, we have almost none in our yard. I'd like to see if I can do something about that as well.

Matt returns to London today from Moscow. He told me people arrive for dinner there as late as 11pm on a work night! I wonder what time they get up in the morning.