I know its over when...

For me, the determining factor to summer drawing to its close is when I have to pull out my 'fall' shoes... those that have to be worn with tights or socks as it's too chilly (or as is often the case here, damp) to wear my sandals or flipflops.

Normally the only closed toe shoe I wear in the summer months are my trainers when I'm working out. I hold off from enclosing my feet in socks and shoes for as long as I possibly can, not only because I love the freedom of wearing bare feet, but because for me it means that summer is basically over.

(I normally never wear long pants in the summer months either but that isn't necessarily the case this I've moved continents.)

3 Point Turns
Before I had started taking 'driving lessons' here in Britain, I do not believe I had ever heard the term '3 Point Turn', and if so it obviously eluded my memory at some point in time. Either way Tuesday after my lesson I was in a sweat and very agitated after numerous attempts to successful maneuver a 3 point turn, as well as reverse parallel park. The RIGHT way. Or the British way. Either way, not the way I have been doing it for the last fifteen years. Normally this stuff comes quite easily to me and it annoys me that I have to break the habits I have acquired in order to pass a driving test. Especially when I have a full UK license in my hand. All this to prove I can drive a standard. I suppose I shall just keep at it, 3 more lessons before the final exam. We shall see how it goes. I'm just not sure what will happen if I don't pass this test as I have an actual license in my hand that would allow me to drive the roads of Britain provided I'm in an automatic.

Determined or Stupid...
I decided to take my bike to work today, despite the light drizzle occurring. It would have been the smarter choice to take the bus, however I've been trying to get into better shape and figured I'd be alright, especially as I would pack a change of clothes. As would happen, it started to chuck it down less than halfway to work. I stuck my head down and just got on with it. At the moment my running jacket and pants are hanging on the coat rack drying out with the assistance of the fan. I won't be too bothered if it's still raining when it's time to go, so long as the clothes are dry when I put them on.

But then: As I was getting out of my wet clothes it hit me that I had forgotten to grab a clean bra out of the laundry basket. Although my sports bra wasn't too wet, it wasn't pleasant to have to put a clean top on over it, nevermind the fact I only brought a small sleeveless shirt with me and have to wear certain bra's under it as it is - not a wide strapped sport bra! However with my damp, frizzy hair being long, its not as bad as it could have been as it covers the the little bit of bright blue strap showing through.

My Professional Voice
I have always been told that I have a good voice over the phone. Andy sometimes doesn't recognize me on the odd occasion when he has to call me at work. I had a teacher in High School who once told me after an 'interview style' report we had to complete, that I should be a reporter as my voice sounds really professional on tape. I laughed it off. Doesn't everyone just abhor the sound of their recorded voice? When I first started working at the School Board way back when, I can remember a senior director of one of the branches telling me he had to come see me in person and find out if I looked as good as I sounded. Well ok... Either way, its something I've heard my whole life. Thus bringing me to my point. Now it's not just the tone of my voice. I just had a phone call from one of my colleagues who works in another building. It went something like this:

Me: 'Good Afternoon Grimsby -- --'

(Who I thought was J, but couldn't be sure): 'Oh Hi Jody, I didn't expect you to answer'

Me: 'No? Who were you looking for?'

J: 'Well I wanted the machine to pick up.'

Me: 'Oh you want to leave a message for the Health Visitors?

J: 'No, I wanted your voice mail, I didn't want to actually speak with you' giggles

Me: 'Sure - Ok - I'll hang up then' slightly puzzled

J: 'OK, and don't answer when I call back'

Me: 'OK'

Now the first thing I did after the phone rang and it went to voicemail was pick up the phone and listen to my messages. The only thing I heard was a small giggle and the words 'isn't it ace?'

So a few minutes later when J called back to speak to one of the Health Visitors I asked if that was her that had called earlier. After a moment of banter, she laughed and said it was. I laughed and asked her if they were making fun of the way I talk and she laughed back and replied 'NO, I love your voice and L never heard your voice mail, so we phoned so she could hear it and she thinks its lovely too!' Sadly, this is not the first time someone has told me they love it when the voicemail picks up as it's my recorded voice they hear. And to think I almost got my colleague to record the message, thus denying all these funny gals the opportunity to hear this beaver's silly accent.

You Either Do, Or You Don't

I had thoughts all weekend of making today a detox day, but of course that went out the window as soon as I got to work and opened a diet coke and finished off a bag of crunchy nuggets. Not exactly the best way to begin the week - normally I have a diet coke and a LF Muffin, or cereal bar. This diet of chocolate and the obsessive amounts of diet coke, added to my increased stress level due to worrying about Wayne, thus added to the fact that I'm 'ON', hasn't helped my skin one bit. Fortunately my weight hasn't been negatively affected. Biking to work has been my saviour on this one.

As Andy is working local for the next few weeks we will hopefully work together on our diet and exercise. Speaking of exercise, let me take this moment to say how proud I am of my ambitious sister Tawny for completing her first triathalon one day after her 30th birthday. She finished in just over an hour. I remember when I used to visit her and go off for a jog myself. Lately I have been very slack with jogging but it is my hope that we can jog together next time we see each other (dependent on the weather of course since it'll likely be December). Or better yet, Tawny, Stacy and I can go - as Stacy has been working really hard these last few months as well.

On Friday morning when I checked my email, I was so pleased to see a few pictures of SVGH and some of my girls from work. Hardly a day goes by that I sit here at my new job and don't reminisce about old times at SV's, especially mornings when we all used to have a great chat before getting down to 'business'. Sure the job got tedious at times, or the politics there got a little 'over the top', however I had fun at that place and I met some friends who will last a lifetime. Although life changes, and I've moved on and am happy here with Andy, of course I still miss Halifax, and I miss SV's, but it's those like Debbie who make it easier by sending emails regularly, especially with photos like these attached:

30 Years Ago...

This day, 30 years ago, my mom was beginning her preparations to leave the hospital and come home with someone that would change my life forever. I don't know what I felt about her at the time, I was only 2 1/2. I know once mom found her stuffed in my little doll's crib, and another time I pinched her - so I'm sure my feelings over her were a bit 'torn' at times - or maybe I was just acting the way any 2 year old would who suddenly had to share her whole world.

Most times I believe that I was glad to have her around - in the early days I often thought of her as a friend even, that is, when she wasn't breaking my Grease records or sabotaging my barbie van ;). And although I wasn't admittedly overly eager to let her tag along at all times, I would have tried my hardest to knock the keds off anyone who ever tried to hurt her, and once or twice nearly did. I don't rememember my life before she came into it and I certainly can't imagine my life without her in it now. Not only is she my sister, she is most definitely my friend. And today she joins me in the fourth decade of life!



Wishing Wayne Well

This picture of me, Wayne and his baby, Brendan (Twin 1) was taken last summer when I was home on my six week holiday.

In the last 22 days Wayne has undergone three major surgeries to correct various problems that have arisen due to his collitis, and following his first surgery. Initially the surgery was to correct a hernia that had wrapped around his bowel, however several complications have resulted, and my cousin is now very sick. I don't have a lot of faith in the hospital at the moment as they should never have let him out last week when they did. I didn't know people could be released from hospital while running a fever.

I know that he must be so fed up and frustrated, I know that he is scared, but I also know that he is strong and will continue to fight through this. He has a beautiful wife and twin boys to think about, not to mention a whole onslaught of people that just want to see him feeling better, but he has a long road to recovery ahead of him. I just want it to go as smoothly as possible for him, he has been through enough already.

Never
I just finished reading an article on CNN which it told a disturbing tale that brought tears to my eyes. People on the Gulf Coast who needed rescuing where being forced to leave their pets behind as there was no room in rescue boats. A kindly anesthesiologist stayed behind at one hospital to take care of a group of animals on the rooftop and one doctor euthanized some animals at the request of their owners, as they couldn't bear the thought of leaving them behind to starve - you can find the full story here, but I warn you, its hard reading.

There is no way on God's Green Earth that I would EVER abandon Molly. I love her more than words can express and I think I would let myself starve first before I'd leave her. Call me what you will, say she's just a dog, whatever. I would NOT leave her behind. Some might ask what would I do if I had the boys with us... would I still stay behind? Well hopefully Andy would be with us and I would send the children off with him. If I had the kids on my own with the dog, rather than take the children with the authorities, and leave the dog, I'd have to think about sending the children with the authorites. I would at least know they were being taken care of and could find them afterwards. It's a hard call on that as the children are not my own. I only say this because if they were my own, I would be running the risk of leaving them without a mother, and this doesn't bear thinking about. However as life stands for me now I don't have any children of my own.
It's really too hard to cotemplate no matter who the children are, letting them go without me would be stressful for them. I would just have to fight for all of us to be taken, including the dog. The children as well, would find it too traumatic to leave the pup behind.

Although they say 'never say never' and I know that the situation down south is harrowing and frightening - that people must feel so alone and frustrated with awaiting rescue, I can say with 99.9% conviction, Never. Never would I leave her behind.

Just Some Good Old Boys

So, we took the boys to see this film last night. I didn't have much expectations and because of this, came out of the cinema still laughing. If nothing else it was worth seeing the joy on the boys' faces as they laughed their hearts out!

The road scenes with the General Lee were typical of the TV show and the soundtrack was particularly enjoyable. I was curious to see how the cast of characters played out and kept making comparisons to the original television show which I used to love. Although none of the characters held any physical similarities to the original cast other than Willy Nelson as Uncle Jessie (with a few less pounds), and the guy who played Cooter. I was, as usual, laughing my ass off at Sean William Scott. Sorry, but I find the guy hilarious - he made his mark as Stifler and every movie I've seen him in since has made me roar in laughter. I do believe however that the role of Rosco P. Coltrane would have been much better suited to my Uncle Reg...

Picked Up in Style
Today my three boys came and picked me up for lunch in our new SUV. I don't know whose face was brighter with excitement, Andy's or the boys. We went to McDonald's for lunch as I only had an hour. We had to stop at the main hospital so Andy could pick up his nephew and I received a bundle of hugs and kisses from the boys before they let me walk across the grounds to the clinic. What a sweet way to spend a lunch hour.

In the Ghetto
This week, I've picked up three extra shifts and have thus had to work three full days - thankfully tomorrow is just my usual morning shift. How my co-worker works in the clinic from 8:30-9 five days a week is beyond me, however I have to say this past week hasn't been too bad. My Line Manager has hired the services of a Security Guard to hopefully quell any rough behaviour by the local bohemians, however as he's kind of short and round, and isn't packing a bat, I don't know how much of a deterrent he will prove to be. Owell, better he deal with the lot of them than me.

Choices

I was just talking to Stacy on messenger, and asked her if she was looking forward to her trip to Ontario to stay with Tawny and Taylor, already knowing that of course the answer would be yes. But she did say however, that she was a little bit stressed over what to do about Sandra. My answer to her was this: If Sandra doesn't have a firm plan made with you that fits in with your other plans prior to your departure, then please, don't bother about it. Last summer while I was there I tried to arrange to see Sandra and it only ended in tears, plans should have been made prior to my ever arriving there. I cannot blame Tawny for not wanting to go out of her way to assist us in seeing Sandra while she goes so far out of her way to accommodate us in everyway possible, especially while Sandra is excluding her from her life at this moment. Sandra needs to start making more of an effort and down deep I'm not really sure if this will happen, we can all keep hoping but not too much so, as we might end up even more disappointed. Stace said Sandy seemed excited when told Stacy was going to TO, and I'm sure she is, and I know she was informed at short notice (she and Brad were supposed to be in NS right now), but it still remains to be seen of how 'excited' she will in fact be. I'm sorry but when Tawny will do anything to see you, 'its just easier for Brad to drop Stacy off when he takes Sandra to work' won't cut it, let's hope they realize this. Stacy is travelling all the way to Ontario, it wouldn't hurt S&B to make one special trip to bring Stacy back by lunchtime on Saturday so she can get ready for Tawn's 30th B-day party. I know when people come to visit me from away I try to accommodate them as much as possible and don't expect them to just 'fit in' to my schedule'. Yes sometimes it can't be helped i.e. work, pre-arranged events, but come on, one 30 minute journey out of your way isn't going to hurt, especially when you haven't seen that sister in over a year.

As I said a moment ago - maybe she will surprise us and be completely accommodating, but when I think about events of the past I really can't hold my breath on that one. Good Luck Stacy.

Nice Things

Today my husband rang me at work with three pieces of great news: Firstly and most importantly: Due to his being such a fantastically, brilliant Electrical Supervisor he has shown himself to be a keeper and was offered a long term contract by the company he has been working with since autumn last year on a week to week basis. This will enable us to breath easier as we know some definite money will be coming our way, especially in preparation for us hopefully buying a house next year. I think some celebrating is in order.

Secondly: We were notified today that our new SUV will be available on Thursday sometime. Considering we were told we could have up to a six week wait, its come as a welcome surprise.

Thirdly: A package has arrived from my parents that was full of my favourite things: Baked Doritos, Stove Top, Chili Mix, Cool Aid for the boys, Tim's Coffee for Andy and best of all pictures that Stacy took while she was in England - that gave me a touch of nostalgia let me tell you! Also included was the Leanne Rimes CD -and I think it's great. Tucked inside was also a little 'passenger' pewter angel to be clipped to our next car visor to give us luck in future (from mom of course - which makes it extra special).

Our Long Weekend

This past weekend was what the Brits refer to as a Bank Holiday, and us Canadians refer to as A Long Weekend. The weather wasn't that cooperative so Andy and I took advantage and did some painting. Mine part was limited of course as I'm allergic to paint fumes. The boy's room, a bright blue, looks fantastic and they are so pleased with the result. We took the spare bed down and moved a few things around so now that it only contains a wardrobe, their bunkbeds, a small shelf and their TV/PS2 - it's much roomier and very sharp looking.

When I got home tonight Andy had finished the bathroom and instead of being cream its now a nice soft pinky/brown colour that matches perfectly with the tiles.

Yesterday, Wendy and I went to see Andy's sister Claire in her group home and stopped over for lunch and a little shopping in the large Garden Center nearby. Lunch was terrific, and I was so thrilled to find a gorgeous dark brown coat suitable for dress down/dress up that will keep me warm through the English Winter. Nevermind my joy at the cash register, when it came up at 13 pounds off! Sad, but I do love a bargain. Doubt it will be warm enough for December at home, but its coming with me regardless.

Going Nowhere and seemingly getting there fast... or so it would appear

This past week has held a number of frustrations. Nothing insurmountable but slightly frustrating just the same.

1) This morning I spent nearly an hour on the phone between two different agencies (DVLA & DSA) trying to figure out what getting my manual transmission driving license would entail. Some thought I needed to pass a theory test. Now why, I asked, would I need to pass a theory test when I have a full and proper UK driving license in my position that allows me to drive on real roads with actual traffic? It doesn't make sense. Naturally after 40 minutes of getting nowhere, I got my answer. And I was right. So I am now booked in to take my manual driving test on September the 26th, which happens to be the day my mother-in-law goes into the hospital for hip replacement surgery. Nice one... annoying but nothing that can't be sorted out. Only trouble is it will be the first week or two of October before I am actually driving again (not counting the few hours I will be spending with a driving instructor just to ensure I am driving up to UK standards).

2) Received a letter from the ex-Mrs. after two years of trying to get her to correspond to us in this manner firmly stating that as the contact order states we are to pick the children up from her place she will no longer be able to 'assist' us by dropping them off and picking them up (since we don't have a car due to the crash). Well this is a detrimental affair for the children as I will no longer be able to have them down on a Wednesday as Wendy (their Grandma) has a standing date on Wednesdays and taxi's down and back are just too expensive. We will have to tell them this when they come for their visit this weekend. Fortunately Wendy is able to help us out with the weekend visits. Funny, when it comes to the court order in relation to contact the ex-Mrs. wants to follow the order in regard to picking up the kids, but doesn't care that she is in violation of the order by not allowing Andy to have telephone access with the boys on Monday and Friday evenings... owell nevermind, been down this road before and won't bore you with it all... long and short of it is, we will handle her correspondence in exactly the same manner she handled ours (minus calling the police), by ignoring it.

3) I'm working in the Ghetto. For weeks now we have been having trouble with 'youths' coming into the clinic and reeking havok. Today was the worst scenario yet as it took three of us woman to try and hold the outer door shut and get it locked as five of them (2 large) were pulling then kicking and smashing at it trying to get back in... my arm got banged in the process. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to working solo next week. They are bringing in a security guard on a trial basis as its taking security too long to run across from the main hospital site. Either way, something tells me I won't be working at the clinic much longer. Its just not turning out to be my scene.

4) I miss my husband - a lot. Homesickness has been hitting a little hard this week. I've always loved summers in Nova Scotia and am missing that almost as much as friends and family. It's also been nearly a year now since I was last home and I'm already beginning to count down the days till I get back there... a little sad considering I have four months to go. I think I'm just a bit lonely due to the fact that for most of the summer Andy has been around, due in part to vacation and working locally and is now back to working away through the week.

5) Trying Times at Home. Also, its been a bit of a stressful time as my cousin Wayne was rushed to hospital last Thursday for emergency surgery. He is on the mend at the moment, but things like this scare me as I'm very far away and can't see for myself that he is fine. Wayne as some of you know is much more like a brother to me than a cousin. This has all been compounded by the fact that his grandmother, Nanny P as we all called her, passed away last week and was buried the day after Wayne's b-day. A sad time for those back home. I feel for Wayne and his sister Denise - they loved Nanny very much - she helped raise them. It'd be nice to be there to just hug them, you know...

So inspite of all this I am feeling much better tonight (I began writing this blog earlier in the day). I had a long talk with Andy about it all, especially the good things in our ife and it just reaffirmed how much I love him and why. For some of the things that get me down sometimes, I have to be very grateful for all the good things in my life that I am blessed with. No, I don't have my family and friends from home around me, but they are only a phone call/email away. I have a loving husband and two wonderful young boys in my life... I've made friends here and I have great in-laws. And I have Molly - she is by my side every day making me laugh with her crazy antics and boy does she give me reason to smile...

My Beautiful Girl

A Day of Accomplishments? Maybe

Well. I'm now hold one of these in my possession. Only trouble is, it allows me to only drive an automatic transmission so now begins the quest to pass a manual driving test. (I figure its pretty much in the bag as I've only been driving a stick for 13 years.) The biggest reason I have for wanting to get this done:

Today Andy and I went and purchased one of these: The Kia Sportage XS. It's fully loaded and absolutely gorgeous. We could have went for an automatic - something Andy was in fact leaning toward, however as it doesn't come in the XS edition (fully loaded with extras such as cruise, sun-roof, air control vs air con, heated seats, etc.) Sweet - or so we think!

So after shopping for a new rig and buying Gregg's for lunch (only the best sandwiches ever) we came home and began a good clean up of the house. Andy has just finished wiping up all the stuff off the carpet with a cloth that refuses to come up with the vacuum cleaner. (What a man.)

I was cleaning the bathroom earlier when Andy came upstairs from washing the windows. His face was absolutely running rivulets of sweat. I stopped washing the shower curtain and looked at him, and thus began this conversation:

Me: "Is that sweat all over your face???" (it's not overly hot today and he was outside)

Andy "Yup - Sweat"

Me: "Yuck... Gawd, I haven't seen you sweat that much before - you know, I used to have a boyfriend who'd sweat that much when we were having sex' (I can say these things to Andy, he's a cool husband ;)

Andy "Is that right? Well I can sweat that much if you like next time we have sex".

Me: "Nah, I'm sure you could, but you'd have to work unnecessarily hard. Ronnie used to just sweat like that during normal. It was gross. (Maybe it was the height of summer in NS, but who cares, it was still gross)

Andy(Laughs) Ok

and back to the cleaning went we.

I've just finished cleaning the fridge and decided that was enough for one day. While Andy hooks his surround sound up, I'll make dinner and then its off to the pictures we go. I want to see Unleashed.

Better Days

The sun is finally shining and the temperature seems to have finally risen to above 10-12 degrees. The past three weeks have been a dreary state of cloud, rain and wind. Occasionally we were given the odd glimpse of the sun, but these were only crude and hope crushing incidents. This weather was of course made worse with the added fact of our bodies and minds whirling in shock from our car crash. Add to the fact that at home in Canada the sun and and temperature has been up more days than not. Sorry, but I will not be giving sympathy to those who winge about it being 'too hot'. To see and feel the heat of the sun would be like a healing balm. And get this - so it is.

Yesterday morning I awoke to the glorious sunshine and could feel the heat through the windows! Hallelujah! As I went out into the back garden to throw a ball to Molly it hit me that I wouldn't be bothering with the bus today, that dammit, I would ride my bike. Sick of feeling low, and realizing that my body is healing with each day (all visible bruises are gone) I thought it would be the best thing for me - besides, I hadn't properly exercised in weeks and once you've been doing to for years, its not that easy a habit to break.

And I was right. Biking to work left me with such a feeling of exhilaration... I don't think I stopped smiling as I peddled on. Not too far from our main road I had to bike up a small but long hill that I was a bit worried about as my chest is still a little sore, but I breezed up it thinking to myself 'this is no sweat', and smiling at the little bunnies I passed on the way. This is what life is about - the sweeter things in life.

When I got to work and was changing in the bathroom I was a reminded of the old days back at SV when Rena and I would have to change and freshen up after our luncheon workout and momentarily felt a little homesick, but again, I wasn't letting anything dampen my good spirits.

It was with a full heart that I picked up the phone yesterday evening to call Dawn - we hadn't spoken on the phone yet this year and it was just as satisfying as the rest of my day. To spend nearly an hour reminiscing about good times, chatting about the things we love about 'home' and making 'little' plans for the day when she indeed comes to England was better than any little pink pill the Doc could have prescribed...

So this morning I wake up and again, there is the sun! I'm told today is going to be even warmer (shame I switched my morning for the afternoon shift) and I fully intend to get my bike out for the trip to work. But before that there is a little yellow lab looking mournfully at me for her morning walk.

Its good to be feeling good again.

The Name Game

It seems wherever I go, or whatever I read, at least once a fortnight I'm hit with someone talking about the pro's and con's of taking someone else's name. I have no issue with anyone else doing what they want upon marriage (or divorce for that matter). I kept my own name for my own reasons but wanted to share this funny conversation with you.

It actually happened the night of our crash. Andy and I were both laid out side by side on stretchers in a cubicle in A&E. We were being interviewed by two policemen, one who was really nice and a younger more abrupt fellow (could be due to the fact he and his wife had a newborn at home, could be due to the fact that he's fed up with all the BS his job entails.... who knows, but he was a bit attitudy).

BTW, I missed his name when he began questioning us about our account. So, he takes Andy's details and then turns to me.

Cop - Your name is McDonald - but you two are married yeah?'

Me - (knowing what was coming) 'Yup'

Cop - (breaking away from the formal interview) Why'd you keep your own name?

Me - Cause I wanted to

Cop - Yeah, my wife didn't want to take mine either, but I soon let her know there wasn't an option.

Me (with raised eyebrows) - Yeah? What's your name?

Cop - All(then something I can't make out)

Me - Can you repeat that?

Cop - Allsocks

Me - All socks??????

Cop - NO, ALCOXS

Me - All Cocks??????

Cop - That's right

Me - What was your wife's name before?

Cop - Ford

Me - Man, sorry but I would have kept Ford.

Andy's Dad was wearing such an silly expression of 'oh boy, here she goes again', but Andy was just laughing.

Call me forward, rude, whatever, but I had just survived a head on collision and had felt obliged to say what I thought (guess its no different from any other time really), especially to this 'my wife had no choice' guy. Sorry, but I wouldn't take the reasonable name of Allenby, pronounced 'Allen bye' by my funny and newfie cousin, I sure as hell wouldn't be walking around with the name of Jody Alcox... I could never, ever live that one down.

You Can Dress Me Up Like A Lady, but that's as far as it goes I'm afraid!

Last weekend Andy and I made the journey to the (are you ready for this?) Kingdom of Fyfe to stay in a castle and see his brother Adrian get married. We stayed in a small hotel on Tuesday evening when we arrived and it was very nice - we had a room with a big four-poster bed. The colours in the room were very dark and Scottish. It was good to be on a break, even if our bodies were still sore and aching.



Adrian (who had picked us up from the train) then took us up to the Castle for a look around. The grounds were fantastic and the castle itself, although not overly large made for a pretty sight. I have another view of the castle with some other fairly interesting photos here


I have to say, I was just a little disappointed with the inside of the castle though, as it was pretty much like a hotel. I thought that the walls in the corridors and the main reception would be really authentic and stone, however the only place like that was the bar aptly named 'the dungeon'. I suppose they had their priorities right in that aspect.

The next day when we checked in we were again a bit disappointed to see our 'Kings and Queen' Suite, however I grew to like it very much in the end. Our bed, although a four poster, wasn't as fancy as the previous night's, however the room itself was done in brighter, nicer colours and it had two big windows overlooking the front gardens so that was pretty impressive.

The wedding itself was lovely and I must say, I had been rather looking forward to the chance to wear my pink dress and matching hat. I've always looked good in hats but come on, where in NS society have I ever had the opportunity to wear one? So, now that I am in Britain and was going to a wedding in a castle, I figured why not? I managed to get a pink hat that had a piece of floral material around it that matched my dress perfectly - and the dress was bought in NS (but never worn) - it was meant to be.



So we got dressed up, enjoyed the ceremony and the meal (choice between salmon, lamb and vegetble crepe). I have to say, the meal was the best I've ever enjoyed at anyone's wedding, including my own. The party had begun long before the dinner, however we were only too happy to have it continue as we retired to the dungeon and then onto the Green Room. I won't go much further than to say this much - although I was dressed up to the nines, I had began drinking wine before the ceremony even started and by 10 p.m. that night I was legless. Somewhere in between Andy and I snuck up to the room for a little bit of 'our own celebration' and that's no easy feat with the aching condition we are both in, but that's what booze does to ya... So, in all fairness, lets just say that after the events of the previous week I think both Andy and I didn't need a reason to drink to the point of 'feeling no pain'. Problem was, I went to the point where I drank so much I got the hiccups began feeling massive pain what with my bruised sternum. And that's were my memory comes to an abrupt halt.

The next morning saw us up and down at breakfast by 8:40. I was prepared to take a ribbing for my drunken stupor the night before, however the attention was given to my 12 year old nephew (son of the groom) who just happened to be hungover. He and another young fellow ran around behind us throughout the evening pouring the remainder of wine into their cokes... needless to say, I can happily admit I didn't contribute to the little drunk's party because as we all know, I never leave a drop of booze in my glass!

We headed off to the train station for 10 a.m. and our journey home. The trip was uneventful, but long and we were glad to make it home to our pup.

Said to Andy when he went to enquire about our car being released for Insurance purposes...

Andy: I've come to see about the Rover 25 that was involved in the crash last week.

Repo Guy: We don't have a Rover 25 here.

Andy: Yes you do, it was involved in a crash last week and was brought here...

Repo Guy: No, you have a coke can.

Here's a couple of pictures of my little hole digger:


I knew I left those clothes piled on that chair for a reason!



What a way for a gal to sit, eh?











I'm in the process of downloading some pics to my yahoo site of the wedding last week. I should get around to posting about that tomorrow - still can't do too much at once and I'm getting pretty fed-up with it to tell you the truth! Thanks to everyone for all the love and support you've been sending! Andy is off to an area just outside of London at 3 a.m. this morning - God love him, its a long drive but he's promised to stay away from London itself for the time being. I don't envy him the drive with his whiplash - I'm going to take one more day off before heading back to work on Tuesday.

Greece - Part 2

(Luckily I had most of this drafted last week!)

Day 4 - Thursday

On Thursday morning I woke with a bit of a foggy head but nothing that rendedered me incapable of moving ahead with the day. I probably should have had the hangover from hell, but that's mostly my problem with drink I think - I never get good and hungover - even when I mix my drinks. Go figure.

We'd decided on a boat trip out of Argistoli Harbour the previous evening and I was pretty excited for this as I'd been told that the chances of once again seeing dolphins was pretty high. Friends we'd met earlier in the week had informed us that the dolphins actually chase along side the boat.

We decided to get to Argistoli early on and have breakfast.
We ended up in a little place on the main drag. They took a bit longer than we would have liked to bring us our breakfast but I was well entertained by the cutest little beagle mix dog. Andy kept telling me not to fuss it, due to it being a dog outside of Britain, however I couldn't help myself... he was way too cute, besides I know enough to wash my hands thoroughly after 'fussing' a strange dog. Besides, as you can see for yourself, my husband couldn't resist him after a few forlorn looks.

After a hastily consumed breakfast I quickly made my way back to the boat and Andy... he had gotten a little anxious and went on ahead to ensure our spot on board. After I had finished eating I waved good-bye to the two old gents sitting nearby and smiling, and with a 'kalamera' (goodmorning) made my way back to the boat.

The gal working the 'bar' was a woman from Doncaster who had been living and working in Greece for three years. I can't say I blamed her for giving up life in the rat race to go live on such a peaceful gorgeous island.

We slowly made our way out of port and it was just as we were reaching a bouy in the harbour (not even a mile out from shore) that Andy spotted some dolphin fins! Next thing you know, there is an enormously loud siren going off and the captain is at the front of the boat with us yelling at us to clap and shout. All of a sudden there they were, swimming right along side the boat, every now and then turning to look up at us! Amazing - absolutely amazing. The captain kept telling us to shout 'Come up' 'Come up' as they sometimes break the water - but only if encouraged enough. Unfortunately that day was a day when the crowd weren't encouraging enough, but hey, seeing them race along beside the boat just beneath the ssurface was reward enough!



After messing about with the dolphins for a half our or so the boat finally made its way out of the harbour and the captain proceeded to show off the many gorgeous sites of the island. We eventually docked at a little island where most people opted to snorkel around. It was pretty fun to just jump of the boat and go for it. After 45 minutes or so we piled back on board and made our way back to Argistoli Harbour. As you can see from this photo Andy opted to stay on board!



After docking back at port we went for some lunch and shopped around for souviers, etc. Again that night we found ourselves back in yet another taverna eating and drinking!

Day 5 - Friday

It was a bit cloudy out again the morning so instead of heading for the beach we decided to make use of our jeep and head into the mountains, something we had been planning on doing, we just weren't sure when.

The mountains rose up behind our villa and we had a lovely view of them face on whenever we drove along the coastline, however once we made the turn that would take us up into them, and down into the valleys, it was like we were on another island.



The first thing we noticed was that when we passed as sign that signalled falling rocks, it meant just that. We could actually see pieces of the mountain crumbling as we approached certain areas. We were pleasantly surprised when we came across a heard of mountain goats in the road. The were actually coming down off a very steep part of the mountain, thus causing even more rock slides. I scrabbled for my camera but of course as we had to keep moving (due to falling rocks) the pictures didn't turn out that great.



We headed down into a valley that had a gorgeous winery smack dab in the middle. Shame we had so much to see or we could have stopped in for a sample. As Andy isn't a big wine conossier I decided to leave it - plus it was only about 10 in the morning! We decided to drive East through the mountains and ended up near Skala to visit two very amazing caves.

I didn't know what to expect when we reached Drograti Cave. We had to go through a little shop to purchase our tickets at the ridiculously low price of 3 Euro and continued on down a very long, twisting flight of stairs built into the mountainous walls. We had to stop a number of times to let the group of people ascending pass by. I've never heard so many out of breath people in one area! I was worried about how far down we had to go... turns out it wasn't that bad and boy were we meet with an amazing sight. A huge cavern with thousands of staligmites. Apparently this cave is a popular one for holding music concerts in!

Although it wasn't overly large, it took us about 15 minutes to walk round, it was such an amazing sight - I kept thinking that my old high school geology teacher Mr. Spidell, would have been in heaven. We made our ascent without half the aggro of the previous group and after purchasing a drink in the shop we were ready to move on to the next cave.

(I also couldn't help buy buy this cute little kerchief that a lot of the locals wear...)


We just made it to the next cave Melissini as a large coach trip was leaving. The entry into the cave was much the same, except this time we had to walk down a long ramp into the mouth of the cave. I was very eager to see this cave as its an underground lake with 50 foot deep water. The ceiling of the cave has collapsed in one area allowing the sun and nature to be let in.


Once we reached the bottom of the ramp we were sorted into groups of approximately 10 each and herded into a gondola avec driver. He then proceeded to tell us about the 'lake' as well as kindly take photos of the couples in the boat. It was amazing to watch the birds sweep down into the cave and I was very excited when I realized that we would be taken into the cave where the roof hadn't collapsed. It was absolutely one of the best experiences of my travels to date.

After visiting the caves we decided to drive on to a little town called Agia Efimia -it just so happens that this picturesqe village was where most of the filming of Captain Correlli's Mandolin was filmed.





We stopped and ate at Captain Correlli's Taverna before heading back into the mountains to cross over to the West coast to visit a beach Andy had heard was one of the most beautiful on the island.

We crossed some pretty curvy roads and a few small villages before reaching the west side of the island. I couldn't get a close up glimpse of the water at this point and was very curious to see how 'amazing' this beach really was. It was then that we ended up on the most narrow and winding road we had been on to date. We had to practically crawl down this 'road' because if we encountered another car at any speed, it would have spelt disaster. It wasn't until we'd gone around 7 bends that the most breathtaking scenery came into sight. I could not believe my eyes and that we were actually on our way down to the most gorgeous beach I have ever seen - Myrtos Beach.

Nestled between the mountains was this fantastic cove with white sand and pebbled beach. We had to stop for a few photo ops and thankfully there were a few layby's nearer the bottom... as overjoyed as I was to be in this picture, believe it or not I was quite 'anxious' to be standing this close to the cliff's edge!

The beach itself was fantastic and we spent quite awhile messing around taking pictures in the caves before settling down to sun ourselves - the sun had finally come out and it was scorching. Every 20 minutes or so we were up and diving into those gloriously cool waves.

It was with reluctance that we left that evening and we vowed that it was indeed the most beautiful place we'd been to on the lsland.

It is at this point that I'm ending my travel blog to Greece. Luckily enough I had drafted most of this on Thursday (yes accident day) so I just had to add the last paragraph or so. The rest of our trip was spent on the beach, soaking up as much sun as we could get. Saturday night was Andy's turn to get drunk but I won't tell you what he dared shout out loud to me in the taverna as I don't want you to think my husband is a pervert, lol.

Honestly, it was a brilliant Honeymoon and now even more so I am grateful for the lovely memories we have. Thanks for bearing with me throughout this long entry!

So Grateful to Be Alive

Thursday evening Andy and I were heading home after seeing a movie. We were laughing and smiling over the comedy (Wedding Crashers) we had just seen, when Andy said to me 'Look at that car!' (or something very similar). I only had a second to see it bounce off the opposite curb some feet ahead of us on the opposite side of the road before hurtling towards us at breakneck speed. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but yet very quickly. Neither of us had time to say anything before it crashed straight into the front of our car, passenger side on. We both heard a massive bang before the lights went out.

I opened my eyes and immediately tried to speak to my husband. I cannot begin to explain the terror in my heart that he could be seriously injured, or worse - dead. I tried to speak but as my sternum had taken a whack, I couldn't get any air into my lungs. By this time Andy was fighting his way out from under the airbag and was asking if I was alright - he kept repeating 'Jody speak to me' and I thought I was but evidently not loud enough for him to hear. Andy got out of the car and hurriedly tried to get me out. It took a few more moments but eventually I crawled across the driver's seat and got myself out and into my husband's arms.

A blond girl was standing there waiting and as soon as she saw me came running and crying. She had been walking down the path and had seen it all happen. I dread to think of that car jumping that curb rather than ricocheting off it... she could have been killed. She kept repeating that there was no way she thought we were getting out of that car.

I finally crossed the road and took a look around. I think my heart nearly stopped when I saw our car and the car that had hit us. There was a boy sprawled on the ground - after it had hit us he was thrown from the vehicle before it went through a heavy wooden barrier before stopping. A man was asking if we were ok - he had been in the car behind us and had managed to stop before our car was driven back into his with the force of the impact. Luckily, he and his three women passengers were fine. He was going around taking statements from other witnesses as he was absolutely wild at the havoc these racers had just caused. I think we were all still in a bit of shock. My Jeans were torn at the knees and were wet down the inside legs. It took me a moment to realize I had wet myself during the accident. I have actually experienced first hand that your bodily functions really do shut down when your body goes in to shock. It must have happened upon impact cause God knows I didn't have time to be frightened. How different to actually experience it, when you've explained it numerous times. It wasn't exactly something I was embarrassed about - not at that point in my life.

Andy had used someone's mobile to ring his dad and the next thing I knew, Dave was walking towards us... he couldn't believe the sight he was being met with. I raced to him crying. He was so relieved to see we were ok. I then went and sat down on the curb with the girls from the cab to await the paramedics. Naturally they had to tend to the more injured party - the boys who had caused the scene. The first thing I noticed when the paramedics reached Andy and I was the amount of blood on their rubber gloves and clothes... it was at this point that I went from being so angry at those idiot boy racers to hoping they weren't dead. However I will say, that as relieved as I am they are not dead, better them than us. If we had been killed Andy's three children would have been left fatherless.

I won't go into all the details that followed. We were eventually taken by ambulance to A&E (I was on a stretcher) and after the obligatory chest x-ray and examinations, we were released by 3:30 a.m. I will say though on a lighter note, just so you can all believe that we really are fine - when the nurses had to take my top and bra off to place the little pads on me for the heart monitor, I joked that although I was hoping for a little 'action' that night, that wasn't what I had been thinking of!

We are very battered and bruised, we have no car, but we are intact and alive. There had to have been an angel with us that night - something. I thank God every day that we were both wearing our seatbelts. There have been so many times when Andy hasn't strapped up while just driving around town and I will be eternally grateful that this was one night he was. Never again will I not buckle up. Never. We have constantly been thinking of all the what ifs but we musn't do that anymore, we did what was right and because of it we are still here.

The article in the local paper yesterday headlined 'Three cars in resort horror crash' (Cleethorpes is a resort area). Too right. Let's hope the police patrol this area in future, or put up speed cameras to try and slow down these idiot boy racers. Sadly, they are everywhere - in every county, in every country, and I fear they will never learn.

The love and support we have received from everyone has been fantastic. Its so reassuring to have such wonderful friends and family.


Our Car (Its hard to tell the windsheild is all cracked)

Both cars have obviously been written off...


Their car

Greece - Finally

Warning - This is LONG so I'll do it 2 parts.

PART ONE

Departure Day - Sunday

It was only as we boarded the plane and began our actual flight to Kefalonia that it began to sink it that we were really going to be alone for a whole week. I was trying to rev myself up and I WAS excited, however I don't think I really allowed myself to relax until we were in the air.

It really hit me where we were going when I looked out the window and saw the Swiss Alps!!! The SWISS ALPS. Call me lame but I've never been anywhere further than the UK (Europe wise) and it was an momentous moment for me. Hopefully one day Andy and I will see these fantastic mountains from the ground.

We landed on the small island of Kefalonia around 7:30 in the evening local time. After clearing customs, waiting for baggage, etc., we arrived at our villa, Garbis Villas, around 8:20 p.m. I was relieved and pleased to see the villas were much the same as the photos I'd seen, however the place was very quiet and there was not a soul to be seen. We walked around the place a few times looking to see if we could see an office, or at least someone but with no luck. I had informed the Garbis (the family) that we would be arriving on a late flight but had assumed someone would be there to greet us. I was aware that we did have a ground floor unit and after about ten minutes looked down at one door to see a white piece of paper stuck to it. Upon checking, it was a note to us, with the key in the door. Hooray! We went in to our new home and were very pleased with our rooms. The Garbis had been kind enough to ensure we had coffee, bread, fruit, etc. for the morning as it was a self-catering villa and we had arrived late. There was also a bottle of wine chilling in the fridge that was a very nice touch. I wasn't sure it if was because we had informed the villas we were on our honeymoon, but it turns out this is just a nice gesture they make to their guests.

We couldn't wait to get changed and head out into the village to find a taverna, so after a quick tour around the place, we showered, changed and headed off to eat. We ended up ordering way too much food at the place we settled on (halfway down the bottom of a very long hill), but had a pleasant evening talking to young guy and girl serving us. As were were leaving they happily toasted us with a shot of local drink. It was tasty but I'm not sure what it was - definitely not ouzo. More cinnamony tasting.


Andy Relaxing by Pool at Sunset


We walked way back up the hill and had a relaxing and enjoyable night (you will have to go to my erotica blog for more information (he he);)...

Day One - Monday


The next morning was spent laying around the pool and just taking it easy. We agreed that we would hike down to the beach at lunch time to eat at a beachside taverna and spend the rest of the day on the beach. We were told by the ladies staying next to us how to get down to the beach by foot. It was a gorgeous hike down - we kept stopping to take photos. By the time we reached the bottom we were well ready for lunch. The taverna on the beach was lovely and our waiter (Niko, who we became very friendly with over the next week) was so pleasant and welcoming. I don't remember what the name of the Greek dish was that I ordered but it was yummy. The beer was flowing smoothly as well.

Our first day was mainly a quiet one as we planned on renting a jeep and doing some exploring the following day.

Day Two - Tuesday

We set off for the south-east side of the island at approximately 10 a.m. the next morning for a small town on the south-east tip of the island called Skala. We shopped for beach wear and postcards throughout most of the morning as the beach at Skala, although beautiful was quite pebbly, so it was a good idea to get beach shoes and mats. We picked this cozy little taverna for lunch and it was here, as I wrote out about a dozen postcards, that I had the best food of the trip - slouvaki on pita with a salad and tzatziki. Let me say this - I had tried Tzatziki at local restaurants back home, or packaged in the grocery store and it is NOTHING like the tzatziki you get in Greece. Gawd, I'm still drooling about it. After our fine lunch we walked down to the beach and found a small place away from other people amongst an outcroping of rocks. We then spent the rest of the day happily snorkeling and sunbathing.

That evening after showering and relaxing for awhile we made our way back up the hillside for yet another Greek feast.

Day Three - Wednesday

Wednesday morning was by far the most expectant for both Andy and I. We eagerly hopped out of bed as the day before we had hired a motor boat to do some exploring around the south/east tip of the island.

We got to the rental place right on time but had to wait a few minutes for Yanni (the rental guy) to open up shop. He was a super nice guy and once he realized I was from Canada told me of all his adventures to Canada during the years he worked on a freighter ship. In his words, I hail from the 'best country in the world'. Can't say I disagreed with him ;).

Andy took the wheel of the boat initially and we slowly made our way out of the inlet and out around the bay, heading back toward Skala. Naturally some of the views were spectacular and we stopped periodically to enjoy a swim on the beaches reachable only by boat, or to explore caves with the most turquoise water imaginable. Absolutely stunning. I was told there was a chance we might see dolphins but I only looked around half-heartedly - these things don't usually happen. We were also pretty wrapped up in watching the beautiful coastline.


Beach Break

Around 1 p.m. we made it to an inlet where a number of boats were docked and we decided to stop and have a bite to eat. The hut serving food was very basic but we were told we were in Captain Corelli land. Again it was very pretty scenery, although there wasn't another building to be seen.

We made our way back to the boat figuring we would have to put our foot down to make it back to Yanny by 4 p.m. The water had grown very calm by this time and I was happy to take the wheel (we'd been taking turns off and on all day) so Andy could sunbathe on the brow of the boat. I told him to keep an eye out for dolphins as my hope was to still maybe sight some. Andy kept catching sight of something black splashing, and would yell that he could 'see something' but it always turned out to be fish. About 3/4 of the way back, I was scanning the water facing away from land and thinking that it would have made our honeymoon sooo complete to just see some dolphins in the wild. No word of a lie - but there they were! I screamed to Andy to look and whipped the boat around in the direction of the dolphins! There had to have been 6-8 of them. I was worried that they would swim away from us as I have seen whales do, but no way - not these babies. They put on quite the show for us - swimming under our boat and jumping out of the water! I was so excited I nearly jumped in with them myself. I kept splashing the water and making noise (I'd heard that they like this) to draw their attention and it seemed to work. I was almost crying in my glee - how magical it all was. Andy used up at least two memory cards trying to get a great shot of them, he even took a short video clip of them. Of course the best pictures are those that we will have to keep in our memories - ain't that always the way.


Dolphins!

After about 20 minutes of watching them we realized we would have to make our way back to port. It was with a big sigh that we both turned the boat back, but 20 minutes of dolphin watching at the end of the trip was the best thing that could have happened. We were happy to return back with this fantastic experience.

I think we were both walking on air that evening as we wined and dined once again. I certainly didn't hold back and at dinner consumed a bottle of wine. We made our way down to our favourite taverna to have a few more drinks. The owner and bartender Nadia (a Finnish lady) was a sweetheart and had an computer with internet access. After consuming two or three of my new favourite cocktail, the Mexican, I got online and emailed a few people. God knows what I said, in my polluted but happy state - a lot of dolphin ramble I'm sure. Of course as I was well and truly 'intoxicated' and horned on to anyone who would listen that I happen to come from Canada - the best country in the world didn't you know? To give the people in the taverna credit (all British couples) they took it well.

Andy had a bit of trouble getting me back up the very steep hill that night, but all I can say was that day and night was one hell of a good time.

Sometime in July 2002

He Asks: "Would you consider coming to live with me in England? Or something along those lines...

She replies: "Yes" Without a moment's heitation...

Because I knew within a few short months that I could easily spend the rest of my life with him. He is the one that managed to succeed where all other's have failed.

Happy Birthday to the most brilliant, sexy and loving man I have ever had the pleasure of sharing my bed with... I can't wait to celebrate his birthday alone with him this weekend.


My Birthday Boy

This was meant to have been posted on Friday, July 22nd - His actual birthday - I just noticed that the day of the header is July 20th -the day I prepped it...

Well I'm Back

After over 2 weeks of waiting for the PC to get fixed by some little independent company, we gave up, got mad and took our PC to the big Guys at PC World - it was fixed in two days. Although we have had it back since Sunday afternoon I still haven't managed to find the time to blog. There are a few little things that I would love to chat about, however my main goal is to share in our trip to Greece although we have been back now for nearly a month. I hope you are still interested, but if not, sorry to say, its still coming!

It's been a rough day today what with trying to sort out family issues (Andy's family, but not his children for once) and I'm a little drained. I will make time to get back to blogging within the next 48 hours.

Here's just a little 'refresher' to motivate myself tomorrow or the next day. This was possibly one of the most breathaking places we saw on our trip, Myrtos Beach...


I've been to heaven and back...

Just When You Want It The Most...

Our computer is constantly refusing to load and is continually shutting itself down, so unfortunately I am unable to write about the fantastic time we've had in Greece... I fully intend to do it, and will try from work (where I am now) if I get a chance, but as this is highly unlikely I fear it may be another week. It depends on what the problem is with the damn thing. I just hope its not the hard drive. Andy will be home Friday to take a look at it and hopefully it is something he can rectify.

I did manage to download some pictures to my yahoo account so if you want to have a looksee, just click on My Photos in the sidebar. There are three albums so far, but believe it or not I still have a few more to add. This is one of the main reasons I want to blog that entry from home - pictures look so much nicer and add to the effect.

So, until later...

Greece Was Fantastic, And I will Blog Soon... But FIRST...

Yesterday morning we picked up our baby puppy Molly. She was everything we'd hoped she'd grow to be... Beautiful, confident, playful. We watched her frolick happily with her brothers and sister before taking her away. As joyous as I was to have her, I still felt bad to take her away from her family.


Let's play

The hour and a half journey home by car was uneventful. Molly moved between my lap and the front seat floor and closed her eyes off and on. She only drifted to sleep just as we were coming in to town.


Our Baby

She settled into her new home very quietly and spent most of the afternoon sleeping. Alex had no idea we were bringing her home and when he walked in from school he didn't notice her straight away. When he did, there was absolutely no stopping the grin on that boy's face. It's made him one happy kid and for this I am happy.


Getting Sleepy

Last night Molly was quiet although she ate, drank and did her business so I was relieved to recognize that she wasn't too stressed out. We went to put her to bed in the kitchen but after five minutes of her crying my big, strong husband (who was adamant she would be sleeping in the kitchen) decided we should move her into our room. Alex asked if he could have her for the night but as she is still a wee puppy we told him it was best if she slept with us as he would have a very broken sleep.


Sleepy Girl

How right we were! Let me tell you - its almost like having a human baby! We placed her bed down on the floor at the foot of our bed and got her settled for the night. I was awake off and on all night listening for her and finall at 4:30 a.m. she woke us up to go out for a wee... I was so pleased about this (her not weeing inside) that I had no problem taking her out. Needless to say that she is basically trained and we've only had one accident in over 24 hours. Not too bad for a 10 week old pup. I finally got her settled after two trips outside and a bit of 'play'. You can't tell a baby dog that its 5:00 a.m. and time to sleep. However she did settle quickly and as Andy was up at 6:15 he happily took her downstairs with him when he got up. It was so sweet to see my strong man pick up this little pup and cuddle her on the way out of the room. We are definitely all in love.


Molly's Bed

Today she has come on in leaps and bounds and is much more settled and relaxed. She's gotten her playful ways back and both Alex and I have been enraptured by her all afternoon and evening. She has just gone to sleep this minute. As I look at her I can't express how much love I feel for her already. It's hard for me to believe that she is actually ours and I will have her to love and take care of for the rest of her life. She is really and truly a big responsibility but I'm so glad to finally have her - I've been waiting my whole life for her. What with Andy, his children and now Molly, I feel that my life is full.

Welcome home Molly.

Me

Andy

One Week

Greece

See ya when we get back!

Better Late Than Never Post

OK... As Andy and I leave for Greece on Sunday I suppose I'd better get on with my last post re Stacy's visit. I'd say I've saved the best for last.

Driving to Glasgow was a rather enjoyable experience. We chatted and sang along to music most of the way while taking in some gorgeous scenery. Stacy was well pleased to pass a farm that was smack in the middle of the motorway somewhere between Leeds and Manchester. She couldn't believe that the owner wouldn't sell up when they were putting the motorway in, and as a result they just built right around him... it is funny to see the sheep grazing in his field. Ironically enough, the camera was in the trunk so she wasn't able to take a photo. Like I said to her 'Anyone wants to see this one, they are just gonna have to get themselves over here!'

We made it into Glasgow center with only a few wrong turns and actually made it to Shawlands (Val's suburb) an hour past our ETA. Stacy was bound and determined we find it without help so we did.

Val of course had the wine chilled and cracked it open within ten minutes of our arrival. Her kids were lovely and Lori of course was still excited to see me after all this time. Val's sister Merril was there as well which was good as I'd not yet met her.

The evening was spent catching up and steadily drinking. Stacy unfortunately wasn't keen on the wine and if Val can't get her hooked, I dare say no one can. So she stuck to Wicked.

There is a photo here of me holding the baby Luke. I couldn't get enough of him while he was sleeping so peacefully. I even rang Andy and repeatedly told him how lovely the babies were... Unfortunately I can barely remember this... it was only upon reflection that I wondered how Val could entrust me to hold her little boy when I was in such a state, but then again, she wasn't any better. Thank God Stacy and Merril had the gumption to stay fairly sober.


Happily Tipsy - Due in part to both baby and wine...

I woke at four in the morning with a thirst equivalent to a lost soul in the desert. My tongue felt like it had sprouted fur and I croaked out 'Good God, not again' After you have drank so much most memories from the previous nights are 'fuzzy' it becomes old habit the 3rd or 4th (or tenth)time. I wasn't worried of course as I normally would have been 10 years ago, as I knew we were safe in the house and I was amongst true friends. Anything stupid I did would be forgiven. Its been a long time since I woke up feeling that way and since it was a long time coming, I've forgiven myself! I of course woke Stacy and we had a good giggle.

The next morning was Stacy's 20th Birthday. We went out for lunch (Stacy and I wouldn't drink of course, but that didn't stop Val and Merril from enjoying a glass of wine) and Stacy had some cards to open and Merril and Val had kindly arranged a birthday cake. Merril then comes out with 'Are we still off to Edinburgh on the train tomorrow?' Come again? When did we plan that I wondered. They immediately refreshed my memory, and true to form we had discussed going to Edinburgh the previous evening.

Unfortunately, the next morning when we were due to set off it was raining, and Merril wasn't feeling so well, so Val dropped Stacy, Lori and I off at the station (she was staying back as the baby might prove to be too much). I happily brought our train tickets as Stacy was once again doing the Amazing Race comparison.

It was 12:10 and a train was due to depart and 12:15... we raced to the automatic machine that takes your ticket and lets you through only to have Stacy neglect to carry Lori, thus ensuing her getting stuck between the computerized swinging doors. We wouldn't make that mistake on the way back.

Edinburgh is the most amazing city I think I've been in to date. What a history and what scenery! Unfortunately we left our digital camera behind and had to buy a throw away. I can't be bothered to scan them so again, Edinburgh is something you will just have to see for yourself. The pictures don't do it justice anyway. So... we toured around the shops and had some lunch before making our way to the castle - what a fantastic view, but the castle itself was a little bit disappointing. We did get to see the Scottish Crown Jewels (I didn't even know they had Crown Jewels) and although they were lovely, they were nothing as spectacular as the English CJ.

After the castle we popped into some more shops before heading back to catch the train. We made sure to buy lots of Edinburgh Rock, a candy that is very sweet and not to my taste but makes good souvenirs.


Sexy Babes

Our last evening in Glasgow found us happily enjoying a few more drinks with Val. Stacy and I were sitting at the dining room table looking into the flats across the street when Val asked if we could see the guy one floor down that walks around naked. He was there, sat on his couch, but he had shorts on. Val said it'd been awhile since he'd walked around with nothing on, so maybe he'd wizened up. Evidently not cause within moments my little sister managed to catch sight of him buck naked during one of her furtive glances over at his window. It was funny. Val and I missed it, and although he was no Adonis, it would have been funny to see. We all kept glancing over throughout the night but apparently his one moment of unihibited freedom was only meant for Stacy's viewing pleasure - ack!

His is the flat to the right with the light on...


Just Like 'Friends'

The next morning we woke up to rain once again, but this time it was ok as it matched our mood. I don't think either of us wanted to go, and Lori certainly wasn't ready for us to go as the waterworks started once she realized we were leaving. We had a doubtful moment when the car wouldn't start, but that was only due to it not being driven for 3 days - it just needed some gas... So once we began our goodbyes, poor little Lori started to cry. I don't think she was expecting it so soon, and was thinking we were joining them at playgroup. Its always hard saying goodbye to her as she is such a lovely little girl - truly my little pal.

So... leaving from playgroup rather than Val's street threw Stacy a bit off kelter with her map reading. Val had pointed out another route, and I tried to point out the street to Stace that she was looking for off the map, but she wasn't having any of it... she wanted to navigate her way out of the city using her handydandymap. Within minutes she had me swearing like a sailor. We were yelling at each other quite profusely when she recognized the street we were on was in fact on her map. We quickly burst into giggles and promised not to get so wound up again. So, although the directions were very exact, until you've driven in the city of Glasgow, you won't realize that even with an exact map, you still don't know where in the hell your going as the street layout is just, well, fucked up. We ended up taking the scenic route out of Glasgow due to a little bit of map reading from the Atlas and a bit of intuition and an hour later we were safely and happily back on the motorway to England.

I was so proud of the two of us for making that trip and will always, always look back on that road trip as one of my absolute favorites. I think that she and I make a good team.

And that basically puts an end to stories avec Stacy... I miss her still and sometimes find it hard to believe that she was really even here. But she was and it was great while it lasted.

Here's to next year Stace!

Stacy's Visit - Nottingham & Chatsworth House

For Stacy's last full weekend with us we had planned to journey down to Nottingham for some shopping and a night out with Andy's sister Alison. Originally Alex was supposed to be at his mother's thus leaving us free for an adult night out. However things didn't go to plan and Alex's mom sent him home after his only being with her for 12 hours (overnight). What could we do? We packed the poor mite a bag and brought him along with us.

The shopping was pretty good as Stacy and I got lost in H&M with an armload of clothes to try on. After nearly an hour of waiting Ali, Andy and Alex wandered across the road to a Coffee Shop to patiently await for word that we were indeed finished and ready to leave the store.

We returned to Ali's flat to prepare for our evening on the town. We were going to a pizza house for supper and then Alex and Andy were going on to a movie while Ali took us gals around the hot spots of Nottingham.


Sisters...

We started drinking Baha Rosa at the flat before proceeding out for the evening. The pizza was good but the bars were even better. Stacy has found a new drink in England, a blue cooler that looks and tastes like melted blue freezie entitled 'Wicked' however that evening I was surprised to see my sister try different drinks made from vodka. In one bar that was playing tremendously loud music she fell in love with a frozen cocktail called Watermelon Crush. I couldn't believe how quickly she drank it down and thought perhaps she was more inclined to alcohol than I had originally believed. Quite frankly it was a bit too strong for me! Either way we enjoyed that pub but moved on to the next one (Ali wanted to show Stacy a few bars before our night had to end prematurely).

As we were moving on to an underground bar, we passed a high-rise building where some fellows high up on a balcony were asking us to give them a smile and bellowing for us to 'come up'. I was completely shocked to hear my sister-in-law reply 'show us your cock'! Now Stacy swears she said something even more surprising, but I will leave it at that. Normally my sister in law is quite, well... not like that. She's small and compact and although demure isn't a word to describe her, let's just say I'd never heard her talk that way. I guess she is a bit of the firecracker her father has been saying she is! And to think I was always a bit worried to say something out of order and risk offending her... not anymore!

Anyway, as we moved along the road we ended up encountering another bunch of boys - two of whom were in headlock. One was shouting at us to come have a crack at his head as he was a policeman. I laughed and replied that I couldn't possibly, as I was a cop myself. God, I won't go into where that led, but it was funny. Yup, that's me... A Canadian member of the NYPD. Here I was, after all these years of putting people on and coming up with silly fake accents doing the same thing in England, yet the accent is real. Go figure. Stacy was quite amused that one of the 'drunks' was sober enough to think that she and I must be sisters as the resemblance was 'scary'. As amusing as these blokes were, we had to move on. We managed to make it into one last bar before the call came from the boys. It was short night out, but yet it was sweet.

The next morning we got up and left Ali to go visit a stately home in the Peak District. Andy had suggested taking me earlier in the year however I wanted to wait for Stacy's visit. I'm glad I did... she was in as much awe as I was over this fantastically beautiful mansion. The inside of the house was gorgeous but it was the grounds that were the show stealer. It was terrific to have Alex with us as we were even more inclined to act like big kids (something that comes quite easily when my sisters and I get together).

In the middle of the grounds was a huge maze that we weren't expecting.


The Maze

Upon arriving at the entrance to the maze, the four of us immediately devised a plan to split up into pairs to see who could try and find the middle first. Sadly Stacy and I were trying to place ourselves in our own episode of The Amazing Race... It was hilarious right from the start - Andy and I practically knocking the other maze-goers out of our way in our quest to beat Stace and Al to the middle. However it wasn't too long before we met with what seemed to be every dead end, and ultimately a lone Stacy. Alex was long gone and nowhere to be seen. After we'd tried for about the third time Andy and I gave up and went back out to try and find Alex. We should have guessed that he had found the center. Stacy at first didn't want to be shown where the center was, however after another shot or two, and a bucketful of sweat, we let Alex have a head-start and then ran after him into the middle. He was proudly sat under the lone tree trying to feign boredom. What a kid. I don't know what the rules are on the AR, however I don't think your partner is meant to leave you behind in your quest to the finish line, eh Stace?


The Winner

We took loads of pictures, and I've downloaded some for your viewing pleasure here.