Dolly's Dreamings

Autumn leaves and driven by the bin

I don't know about the rest of you, but I do like getting bang for my buck.

We have three bins here : a black wheelie bin that is now only emptied alternate weeks which is for rubbish other than garden waste and recycling, a blue bin which is for recycling, emptied on alternate weeks (and we are very lucky as we do not have to sort our recycling, it all goes int eh one bin) and a green bin for garden waste, Now the blue and the black bin are provided by the council for no additional charge and are funded by the council tax. The green bin we have to pay an annual sum for. And that hurts. If they just added it on to the council tax (and yes I know that wouldn't be fair to people who don't garden) or just added it on to mine without me knowing that would be fine. It is the fact I have to pay separately for it that ranckles. They only collect it for about 8 - 9 months of the year and it is about £40. Consequently I am never ever going to let that bin be empty! OK I know that is stupid but today we had to put the bin out and we hadn't done any gardening. The grass hadn't been cut and the weeds hadn't grown badly so we spent ages doing garden work, sweeping up leaves and tidying just so we could use the bin.

I guess it served a purpose then - it got us to do stuff - but probably for all the wrong reasons.

 

I also managed a picnic lunch and some scrapping.

Scrapping news first

dawn has a wonderful collection called Owl Love on offer today only

 

 

and I love the picture I used for my page - Carly is so tender with the birds in her care and this is one she raised from a chick at home - Rodney

 

 

I also made this page today for a scrap like you mean it challenge to use blue and green. Now I remember my Mom used to quote - Blue and green should never be seen - no idea where that one came from.

 

It's a dreadful scan - the colours are off. The background is actually cream.

 

The title Back to Nature was meant to be a quirky nod to the fact the natural beauty is behind him!  It's Wizard Island int eh middle of Crater Lake and the page looks a lot nicer in reality.

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a little bit of mojo - not much but some
• lunch out
• a new toy the cats adore - they are elderly now so to see them really get into a game is fabulous.

 

Those of you who know me well will know why I love this - Puns R Us!

 

 

Ladies who lunch and the last holiday post

I am getting used to a new life and trying out different things. Today I tried out being a  lady who lunches as part of an organised ladies group with speaker and everything. I am not convinced it was for me. The ladies were pleasant but mostly with friends and largely quite a bit older than me. I wasn't sure they were people I had a great deal in common with.

It was nice to do something different and I enjoyed my lunch and the talk was unusual but interesting but I am not sure it is the way forward for me.

I may try it again next month - we will see.

I did also finally connect my phone today and downloaded the recent pictures so cue - random images.

 

Nigel dressed as a Gingerbread man for the party which had a sweetie theme ... He never did take a picture of me - I was a bar of chocolate. Both costumes borrowed and meant for children really!

 

 

 

me with the birthday girl - how ageing is it that I taught someone who just turned 40! (I was very young though and she was 10!)

 

and her twin sisters who I also taught and to make matters worse and make me look even older were in school uniform!

 

 

I finally got a shot of the Japanese tea house int he sunshine - it is always morning when we visit and the sun isn't there till the afternoon

 

 

and I loved this van I saw the other day ... I wasn't driving I was a passenger

 

 

and I also have a new page to share today

 

It is a lovely lighthouse we saw at Pigeon Point on our trip down the Californian Coast.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the willingness to try new things
• the acceptance of the fact sometimes they don't work

 

Well done to everyone who managed to cope with the holiday posts - normal blog service will resume after today.

 

SUNDAY 25th September 2016

Starting mileage 38637

Day started 9.30

Ending mileage 38693

Day ended 6.00

Total miles 56

Today was a chill day ... And I was in denial about the packing. Bit worried.

 

We went to breakfast at Denny's which was lovely if a little light on the egg. From there we d cited, for old times sake, to drive down Brookhurst to the beach.

 

 

 

It's an awfully long way! We then went to a Michaels and to Westminster Mall ... Nigel got Angels shorts and a few tops fell into my bag.

We just enjoyed driving around. Even the small streets are wider than our dual carriageways at home

 

 

and we were staggered by how many level crossings there were everywhere.

 

 

 

We came home and spent a couple of hours at the pool, largely n the shade as it was 101 degrees. Yikes. But there was no humidity at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and because it was a lovely hotel just some general photos of it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we did the deed ... The packing.

The sad thing is that I could almost get the packing in 4 cases but I didn't have room for the fifth case inside so five cases it was. The fact dual number for a return trip though they were certainly not rammed full.

We went out to dinner at  Outback at Buena Park and had a leisurely drive home. It's been an incredible trip with so many amazing and different things to see and do. We know how blessed we are and hope one day we might return to Anaheim. We have felt very at home in the US and especially in Anaheim that we know well. We will be sad to leave but I think we are both ready to return home to our cats and a new life. I haven't had the chance to appreciate I am retired yet ... It will hit home on our return. At least I have enough scrapping material for a while with over 6000 photos to scrap.

Our night ended watching the Disneyland fireworks from the parking lot again. Our holiday need with a fabulous bang.

 

 

The hotel lobby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the gorgeous fishtanks int he lobby housed ... you guessed it ... Dory and Nemo

 

 

 

 

MONDAY 26th  September 2016

Starting mileage 38693

Day started 11.30

Ending mileage 38850

Day ended 4.00

Total miles 157

 

Travel day is always a hard one for me ... I am one of life's panicers plus I am a Cancerian. I need a shell ... A home where my base is. Travel screws that completely. Even the n the road trip I had everything with me ... My home was the car and whatever hotel room we had for the night. Travel us a nightmare. Stuff everywhere, other people ie airlines having some people of it, the fear of being late, if hitting a problem, of forgetting something. Oh my ... I am a bag of neuroses.

So we planned keeping it chilled and I worked hard on that. Shame Nigel blew it ... With good intentions I guess.

 

We got up at our normal time and were sat in a Dennys at 9 ... This time on Euclid and it was a great diner with cute pictures on the walls ... Even one of Angel stadium.

We returned to the hotel and packed the last few things from the bathroom and the Chargers etc then read and chilled ... Keeping me calm ... Until we left at 11.30 and not a moment before.

We had a lot of luggage .... 3 suitcases, 2 soft bags, two pieces of hand luggage, a laptop and a handbag

Several trips then ...oh and a plastic bag containing the last of Nigel's disgusting garlic breadsticks he seemed loathe to part with.

We set off with plans of what to do. Our initial plans had been thwarted. We thought we'd leave early and go to Griffiths observatory ... Closed Monday's

We thought we would revisit the movie land wax work museum visited in 1983. We'd seen the building ... Looked good. Closed in 2005. Looked like it had been open yesterday!

So Nigel said we would go to Hollywood, take pictures, go to Beverly Hills, take pictures. Go to Santa Monica and take pictures and be at the airport around 4. Sounded ambitious but he was sure.

We hit traffic on the I5 almost immediately and took an hour to do 10 miles. I started to get twitchy then needed the loo.

 

 

 

It was hot too

 

 

We recalculated the sat nav and ended up in the seediest neighbourhood around Sunset. I ran in to a very dodgy looking joint to use the loo and ran back to the car telling Nigel to hurry away as there had been no one to ask so I had just helped myself to the rest room. 

We went past Echo Lake - which was pretty

 

 

Nigel then saw the Hollywood sign and the Griffiths observatory and decided we should go there. Reprogrammed sat nav Flossie again and again. I started to panic. There were great views from the top but by then I had lost his it. I had no real idea where we were (I am a map girl not a sat nav girl - I need the visuals) , no idea how to get to the airport or us w long to to would take or what traffic there would be. The sat nav was playing up and I had a panic attack.

 

 

 

 

So much for a calm chilled day.

 

We regrouped and headed toward the airport. We went through Bel Air

 

 

 

 

 

then back to Sunset and Hollywood 

 

 

 

 

 

and only in America eh - this sounded a cheerful place to visit!

 

 

and who said I wouldn't see Mount Rainier!!

 

 

The car return was smooth, staff were very helpful with the bags and the virgin desk was literally right by the terminal door. Perfect.

 

Apart from having illegal hairspray taken away we made smooth passage to the Virgin lounge where I had a delicious burger, freshly made donuts and the most gorgeous anti oxidant juice ever.

Nigel was in his element in the clubhouse just watching planes and identifying them on his app. Such a happy geek. Just a shame he didn't have an anorak.

 

 

 

Oh and champagne as we watched the sun set on the most wonderful holiday we have had before boarding our flight for home. It had been such an amazing time and a holiday we will never ever forget. We count ourselves truly blessed. 

 

 

Supporting service

We have been trying to bolster up Nigel's mom today as it is lovely for her to have his brothers here but awfully hard for her when they go back.

 

I know it is better than the alternative, but getting old is awfully hard at times.

 

We have set up a new regieme for her carers and stocked everything she needs and will be a very visible presence for her as much as we can.

 

I did have time to make a new page for the UKS SLYMI challenge this week to scrap yourself and what you like right now.

I used Captured on Film by Simple Pleasure Designs by Jennifer Fehr

 

 

 

and this is what I made with it

 

 

It documents how I feel right now - loving my new life.

 

Today I am thankful for

• being able to offer some support
• my new life - I am loving it.

 

SATURDAY 24th  September 2016

Starting mileage 38637

Day started 9.30

Ending mileage  38637

Day ended 7.00

Total miles 0

 

Today was a stand out day. Breakfast in the room ...ok it isn't great but it serves a purpose. Then a leisurely dress for the bus at 9.45 and our second visit to California Adventures and what a day. We knew what to expect so didn't have to rush at it just pace ourselves and enjoy. And enjoy we did.

 

It was 90 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and perfect. We got fast passes for Soarin for later then headed to Hollywood.

 

We rode Tower of terror first which was as stunning as ever. We both agreed we had longer weightlessness than ever. Love that ride.

 

We saw the hidden away Monsters Inc ride and as there was a ten minute wait we went for it. And it was really really cute. The scare floor with all the doors was awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

We went and did Soarin which was fabulous, had a frap and Nigel got fast passes for Radiator Springs racers for  later and then we went and rode it as single riders anyway. It really is the neatest ride ever.

We wandered back to Tower of Terror but the line was long so we did Monsters Inc again, rode the red trolley bus all round which was fabulous and a very relaxing thing to do. They were training new crew too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we did the Disney Animation attractions, including learning to draw Sully which was fab. It was fascinating that my Sully was very feminine and Nigel's obviously male.

 

 

 

 

 

Over for a lovely walk ... Or push ... All round Grizzly Peak enjoying the scenery. The attention to detail in this park is exceptional. It was really like being in a national park.

We ate at the grill again, taking our time and people watching. Then we w not on the hunt for a parade spot which was really hard. There were loads and loads of places with excellent views but not as f you wanted to take photos. It was really hard.

Today's photos were better but not great. We did however enjoy it ... And the Strawberry and Olaf bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went for our fast pass at RSR but it was down. We were not too disappointed. We had had an amazing day

We went for the bus, which came early, and boarded just after Nigel was stung by a bee...but the sting didn't stay in.

The trip back is quick and we were in our room in no time.

 

too busy partying

No blog yesterday as I was simply too busy partying I'm afraid.

 

It was the 40th birthday of a good friend and there is quite a background. As well as being a very good friend and a colleague up till a couple of years ago, she was also in my first ever class at school. I made her promise she wouldn't say that yesterday as I didn't want to have taught a 40 year old. In my defence she was 10 when I taught her and I was very young at the time! It was a fabulous day and good to see so many people I knew including her twin sisters who I also taught. Sadly I haven;t downloaded the photos yet.

Consequently no blog yesterday but I have scrapped today - a page I don't think I like. I saw someone do this on Pintrest so wanted a go.

This was day 10 of our holiday - a very diverse day in terms of what we saw and did.

 

 

It looks like it is digital but it is not - its real and in my new album. I did produce the two numbers digitally though and print them out.

I have decided I want to do another version but this time in the shape of the states we visited.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely party
• friendship and catch up
• a scrappy day

 

FRIDAY 23rd September 2016

Starting mileage 38605

Day started 9.30

Ending mileage 38637

Day ended 6.30

Total miles 32

 

We were up a little later and ready to go to Denny's for breakfast but decided to check  out the hotel. It wasn't a lot dearer and we had cereal and cooked and fruit ...although no French toast. It made a nice change and the restaurant was lovely - but I prefer Dennys.

We headed off to Angels stadium ...the Big A ... And we're there is good time. This was an incredibly important day for Nigel and I was thrilled for him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh yes - dressed for the event but then he does have a LOT of Angels clothes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our guide Ron was fabulous ...a lifelong Angels fan and passionate about his team.

 

It was a really interesting tour and I was so thrilled for Nigel . He has been an Angels fan for 36 years and he got to see everything.

 

This was the World Series Trophy they won against all odds in 2012. Nigel stayed up until 4 am to watch the game live and was so thrilled his team won.

 

 

We visited the owners suits where Gene Autry would entertain, the tv suites, the news and press rooms, the opposing teams locker rooms, the Home team dug out. Just amazing. And photos allowed all the way through ... So pleased for Nigel.,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and my favourite picture - Nigel stood with his foot up on the wall where the players - who damage the wall with their cleats - stand including Nigel's favourite player at the moment, the great

Mike Trout.

 

 

 

There were so many interesting facts but I loved that Gene sorry was going to have the stadium at Long Beach but they were insisting on the name the Long beach Angels and he wanted the California Angels. Then his good friend Walt Disney said he had opened a little park in Anaheim and gene should check out land there. That was in 1961. Disneyland had been open 6 years and the California Angels were born and Angel stadium built. It is the 4 th oldest ballpark in the US ... Fenway, Wrigley field, dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium and we have been to three of them.

 

I loved that Nigel got to see so much and I got to capture it on film.

He even got to see the press room twice when he went back to find his sunglasses.

 

We both loved the sign as you leave Angel Stadium parking lot

 

The only sad thing was the shop was poor. It was end of season, they didn't have the things he wanted in anything other than Small and incredibly massive.

We tried a Walmart to see if they had anything ... No joy there either.

 

We went back to the hotel and enjoyed a couple,of hours by the pool and then went to Brea mall where we bought the Angels shirt he had wanted from A sport store and a beach towel from Sears. We had dinner in the California pizza kitchen again which was lush but we had a very poor server.

We spent the evening in the hotel but, along with everyone else, stepped outside at 9.30 to see the Halloween party Fireworks. Closer than they would have been in the park they were utterly utterly amazing and huge and loud. Such a great hotel,to stay in. It is the closest place to the fireworks - literally across the street from where they set them off at the back of Disneyland.

 

 

 

 

 

How did I ever find the time? and an AMAZING day

No idea where whole days go. I really don't.

I think I just used to be faster somehow.

 

Today was lovely.

Lie in - as usual - then a walk at Hamworthy and a picnic by the Lake at Lake Pier then some serious scrapping this afternoon. It is a friends birthday and I had a card and a gift to make.

 

Can't share those yet of course.

 

 

Dawn has a new collection out today - Special edition Collection #7 and it is lush

 

 

I know I say it so often but ti is one of my favourite collections.

 

There is also new stuff at Pickleberrypop and I worked with this stunning collection by Eudora Designs called Shabby Autumn

 

 

I used it to make this page showcasing a rare time when Nigel and his two brothers were together. Jim is over from the USA and this was last Sunday at Lulworth Cove

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• having time so if I don't do something today there is always tomorrow!

 

 

THURSDAY 22nd  September 2016

Starting mileage 38605

Day started 9.00

Ending mileage 38605

Day ended 9.00

Total miles 0

 

Today we enjoyed a lie in and planned to go to California Adventures when we woke. As it happened we woke early and had breakfast in the room and we were on the first bus at 9 am.

We went into the park easily and Nigel kindly had a chair for me again. We went to Cars Land and it was amazing. I have never see anywhere better themed. I am so glad we watched the film recently as everything was so familiar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wait wasn't bad ... About 40 minutes and it was worth every single second. It is without question the best ride I have ever been on. It had so much detail, the outside was beautiful, the thrill bits were smooth and fun and it was just perfect. I loved when we did the pit stop and the car went up and down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took so many photos in Radiator Springs it was just amazing. And of course we bought a cone from the cone motel. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other areas of the park were also beautifully themed .... It is a gorgeous park, quite small and compact and unique. It really does capture the diversity of California. I love the Grizzly river area. It was so like all the parks we had been to so recently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We loved Soarin over the world. The film was so much clearer and there were smells and it was really beautiful. We rode Radiator Springs racers twice and we also enjoyed Paradise Pier and Nigel rode California Screaming and we did the swinging car Ferris wheel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we also visited the hotel which is based on Wilderness Lodge.

We the had lunch in the Smokehouse Grill before riding Tower of Terror which was not a long wait and was really good with surprise drops and lots of weightlessness

 

We also caught Mickey in the trolley show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was the time to take our seat for the parade ... In the shade... I was cold.

The parade was OK ... Not amazing but OK but we were on the wrong side of the street and our photos were utter pants. Oh dear ... We will have to do it again!

 

PARADE PHOTOS FROM BOTH DAYS WILL APPEAR IN SATURDAY'S ACCOUNT!

 

After the parade we went to go back to Radiator Springs and we stopped at Guest Information and met Katie. we were chatting and she was saying World,of Colour was amazing and asked if we had a fast pass. We said no and asked the best place to view. SHe told us to hold on and see what she could do and we thought she was going to magic us up a fast pass. She didn't. She came off the phone and said we were comped as ,

VIP guests for World of colour. I cried, she cried. It was a real wow moment.

 

We went back to Radiator springs and took more photos and then took yet more of it lit up and the. We did the Luigi Dan I got cars which was cute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way over to the VIP area and wow... Chairs, just a half hour wait in comfort, the perfect central view. Wow!

 

 

 

 

It was fearfully cold I thought but well worth it. The show as almost half an hour and was amazing. Really different and special and fabulous. Loved it.

We made a quick exit and bear in mind World of colour was almost half and hour and started at 8.15 ... We were at the hotel by 9 ... Even better than staying at CB ... And our room was warm!

 

I am loving my life

It's about simple things isn't it!

 

I have had a lovely day today and yet it has been nothing special. Nigel had to work this morning and I confess to lazing in bed for a while longer than anticipated. Then I cleaned the house and did the weekly shop. It was as I walked in through the front door that I thought to myself, 'I like this house wife bit'. I have done the high powered job, the business suits, the heels, the meetings and the stress and accountability that go with that and now, well I am really happy to be a housewife, a home-maker. I haven';t had much chance in recent years to be a home-maker. Nigel took on most of that 8 years ago and it feels good to have that back. We do most of the things together - we will both shop, we share the cleaning like we used to before my life became de-railed with work, we both cook, but I haven't really been able to do all of that for the past few years and ... I like it. Once he was home and we had lunch we even had time to go out and enjoy the sunshine (cold sunshine) and amble around town and the quay.

I also had time to do a little scrapping today making this page for a mojo challenge on Pickleberrypop.

 

 

I found it a real challenge - you had to use all of the mini kit and only that. I so wanted to add other things and not use some of the elements, but I did it, and it is another holiday page scrapped. I have already got a fair number of both paper and digital pages. I will get a whole digital book of the tour once I have 60 pages. I have also got credits for a photo book for the holiday waiting for me. I am going to love making that one.

 

Today I am thankful for

• my new life - I am very very lucky
• a clean house - feels good.

 

WEDNESDAY 21st September 2016

Starting mileage 38434

Day started 6.25

Ending mileage 38605

Day ended 6.15

Total miles 171

 

Today the alarm was set for 5.30 but we were both awake before that … and they call this a holiday. Today was San Diego zoo day. We were out of the hotel just after 6 … it was still dark … and on our way. The traffic on the 5 was heavy even at that time of day and the going was slow. We stopped for breakfast at a Dennys at just after 7 and then as we carried on we hit a snag we didn't expect ... Rain. I had joked that the California 6 year drought would end when we went to visit ... I hadn't meant it! The rain worsened and we were also in very heavy traffic and so about 20 miles out of San Diego we agreed to call it quits. The rain looked set to stay and Anaheim has been good. We had been to the zoo before and so were not unduly worried. To be honest one of the reasons for going was to do the whole west coast. We’d done enough of it to count.

We suddenly had a day of leisure ... I guess that is what holidays are all about. This holiday had been planned to death for the first 10 days so maybe an unexpected day was a good thing. We would see where fancy took us.

 

We decided on San Juan Capistrano which we had never visited and which has the first mission of California and it was lovely. We parked in the free parking at historic downtown and it was quite a highlight. Lovely old properties, many of which were cute gift stores and coffee shops.

 

 

 

 

 

The. Mission Itself, which we were too stingy to go into as we could see all we needed from outside, looked interesting but not interesting enough but there was a beautiful basilica we went into and enjoyed some quiet time. It is something we do like to do when we are away... Spend some time in a  beautiful church and reflect how lucky we are. It was a really unusual church with and impressive altar and recedes and the most unusual walls which were uneven adobe whitewashed and then painted with all manner of designs. It was a very pleasant diversion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As luck would have it the mission was opposite a Starbucks and, rarely for us, we sat and enjoyed our drink in there, making the most of the free wifi and just relaxing and cooling down as it was blisteringly hot. The heat wave was making the news and we were feeling it, though thankfully it was not at all humid, just very very hot. Las Vegas hot.

 

On the way back we even had the chance for a close up of an Amtrak, making it nice for Nigel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we went to Dana Point

 

 

 

and then to hunt for a Hobby Lobby in Laguna ... And I drove the tour bus even doing a u turn so Nigel said I was a proper American driver. At this point I have to say how much we love the American roads. Make a mistake .. no problem just do a U turn, we make plenty of room for you. On our return home the roads seem incredibly small. Some of the narrow unpaved roads we went on are bigger than roads in the UK. They said Big Sur would be scary as it was narrow and full of twists – it really didn’t scare us.

 

Trips to Michaels and Walmart followed and then we went to Laguna

 

 

 

and finally to the Cheesecake Factory at Fashion Island which was lush ... Our third cheesecake to go!

 

It would have been rude not to go via my favourite ever Joann at Jamboree and Baranca and I am so pleased I did as yet again every single thing in papercrafts including all the Tim Holtz was 50% off. I had fun. I had found Joann disappointing this trip as they are quite pricey. I now far prefer Michaels and Hobby Lobby, but at 50% off it was amazing value and I bought quite a few things. OK I bought a lot of things.

 

We left there and hit outrageous traffic on the 55 and the 5 but eventually we were back 'Home' for 6 and a lovely relaxed evening. It had been a perfect relaxed holiday day just doing whatever we fancied. This represented quite a change from a holiday where everything had had to be quite

 

 

I can see clearly now the ....

OK so are you humming?

 

I was.

 

6 monthly eye specialist appointment today which I still don't fully understand. I go every 6 months, get poked and prodded, have all manner of different drops, get told it looks OK and that I need to continue to see the consultant! Today lots of drops and tests. My right eye reads perfectly with glasses on - bottom line of the chart every time. I just about manage line three with my left! With glasses on. New one today. Apparently my cornea looks more damaged than previously (The reason I see so badly is I have a badly scarred cornea and so the light refracts everywhere). Are my eyes sore? No (well not until you poked them!) Do they feel gritty? No. Do they burn and sting? No. Oh OK - well use these drops anyway and we need to see you in 6 months.

I asked why I was being seen every 6 months and should I be worried and was told no, my tests were fine, no glaucoma (I have strong family risk) but my optical discs are very cupped and my cornea is damaged but I shouldn't worry! Mmmm.

 

Result was having to lie in a darkened room for 2 hours after, unable to focus or tolerate light and a raging headache - oh and drops to use for the problem I apparently don't have!

 

Anyway, on to happier things. Dawn has new items at 50% off today.  Count Your Blessings - these are the illustrations

 

 

 and this is what I made with it

 

 

It is appropriate to count my blessings today so I am thankful for

having my eyes checked out

Nigel and the cats

the chilli I can smell cooking

 

TUESDAY 20th September 2016

Starting mileage 38434

Day started 8.00

Ending mileage 38434

Day ended 8.00

Total miles 0

 

We were up super early and had breakfast in our room as we wanted to get off quickly. It wasn't quite the grand Hyatt standard, but the rolls were perfectly OK.

We were the first in line for the first shuttle,bus for our extra magic hour ... We only get one as we bought a three day ticket. It’s a whole new experience for us as we are used to having as many extra magic hours as we want with our Disney World tickets.

 

 

It is with mixed feelings that we go to Disneyland today. It is the original, it is Walt’s own park and so special but we now know and love Orlando so much I am not sure what we will feel. We were hoping to enjoy the park with a very pleasant heat but California is having a heat wave right now and it is not only hot but also sadly very humid. It is more like Florida than we expected.

 

The crowds were big ... Much bigger than I expected. Two bag checks and metal detectors but then we were in and what a thrill it was to see it decorated for Halloween. Yup.... Lots of pictures. It looked really different and something we hadn't expected to see so a lovely bonus. We don’t celebrate Halloween but it was nice to see all of the pumpkins etc and unlike the shop we saw, not the scary horrible sort of Halloween. We even had photos taken with Halloween pumpkin Mickey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So cute to see the horse drawn trams as well as they no longer have these in Florida

 

 

 

 

 

Only fantasyland was open which suited us. Why were there already mega lines for Peter Pan? I never understand why it is so highly rated. It is not a ride either of us rave over.

Our aim today was to ride as many of the things that were unique to California or different in California that we could.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We rode Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr Toad and Alice in Wonderland in quick time. They were very cute little rides but so important to do as they are originals. Whilst in line for Alice we saw a service dog with the cutest little shoes on.

 

 

We also rode Small World which was so much better than Florida and we really enjoyed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also enjoyed Storybook Land which has been updated with new films.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We the went on Under the Sea with Nemo which was very good and again unique to California. We haven’t ridden it since it was 20,000 leagues under the sea. .

 

 

I however was struggling badly. My ankle had re-swollen plus compensating for it meant my other ankle and knee were so painful so I sat and popped pills whilst Nigel went to get drinks and see stuff.

He came back with not only frap but a chair too. I am so cross that I had that simple little trip on the brick path which did so much damage to my ankle. I was hoping to do lots of walking and have been so severely limited ... It still hurts like hell but the it I don't get is the constant burning feeling all the time in the joint. I can't beat anything touching it ... Shoe straps, anything.

 

We then hit adventure land and did Indiana Jones. This trip was all about doing things we couldn't do in Florida and of course Indiana is not there. It was a really cool ride ... We both enjoyed it. Quite twisty and turns but smooth too. We then did Pirates which we both thought was better than Florida ... However we were at the front of the boat and we did get quite wet. The drops were fun though.

Time for an ice cream stop. Nigel adores Disney strawberry bars and I was thrilled they had Olaf lemonade and strawberry bars

 

 

 

From there we decided to go do Haunted Mansion and it was amazing ... So very very cool. There was a complete Halloween overlay with Jack Skellington and it was utterly terrific. We both agreed it was our favourite thing in the park. Utterly different and very very good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sat and lined up for the parade which was very good though not a patch on Florida I am afraid, it was like a combination of the move  it shake it and the real parade somehow...oh dear I am starting to sound a bit Florida biased. It’s just that now it feels like our ‘home’ park. I remember when we first went to Disney world we felt as if we were ‘traitors’ as we loved Disneyland so much and we were sure Florida would be a cheap copy. How times change eh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We raced after the parade and managed to get front row seats for dinner and the Golden Horseshoe  show which was kind of cute. Nice to sit and eat and be entertained. OK so it was fast food – but then that suits us far better anyway.

 

 

We went back to do the Matterhorn but sadly it was not running - they had an issue

 

 

We headed to tomorrow land and did the Buzz Lightyear shooting ride and the a Star Wars show which was kind of cool and told us the entire story in 12 minutes which certainly beat having to watch 7 films at more than two hours each and a lot of mindless shooting which drove us mad when we tried and failed to watch even one of them.

We left the park at about 7.15 with our Disney craving some what satiated temporarily. A quiet night in the hotel was the perfect end to the day. We were both very impressed with the Disney shuttle bus operated by our hotel. It worked like a dream, running every half an hour and they were most definitely the smartest buses that we saw from any of the hotels even from Disney hotels themselves. It saved us a great deal in parking fees and was door to door. The bus stops are much closer in California than they are in Florida.

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A day of two halves

Today was definitely a day of two halves.

We had check ups at the dentist first thing (now I say first thing - it was an early start for us as we were out at 9.15. To think I used to be able to be out at 6.50 every day!)

We then decided, as it was a glorious day, to go to Compton Acres. It was lovely and we were almost the only people in the gardens - though the coffee shop was very very busy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was lovely - we then took our lunch and sat by Poole Park Lake and I was heard to say ... 'I love this retirement ... so relaxing have time to just chill'

 

Obviously that was tempting fate as we then decided to go and buy fence paint and spent the next two hours working like Trojans to paint just one side of our fence. I am shattered, every part of me aches but the good news is that most of it has come off my body and out of my hair (the benefit of being shorter and doing the bottom of the panels with Nigel working above me) Retirement relaxing - maybe ... maybe not.

 

It was, in all, a very pleasant and productive day - but no crafting today.

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely time out
• a productive afternoon
• an almost easy dentist visit

 

MONDAY 19th  September 2016

Starting mileage 38190

Day started 8.30

Ending mileage 38434

Day ended 6.35

Total miles 244

I am so pleased we saw the sunset last night as today we looked out of our window and there was a thick wall of fog ahead. It made us appreciate how lucky we were to have seen Big Sur so clear yesterday.

 

We had another good breakfast and then packed for the last time for a whole week and headed out.

We had planned to goats Lompoc to see the murals but they had a big wildfire there and so we revised our plans. We could see the smoke from the road – they do have terrible wildfires.

We stopped at a very pretty little town called Los Olivos ... The main industry was obviously wine making and tasting. It was pretty and photogenic and we enjoyed walking round in the sunshine.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we headed to Solvang which we had read about and which Steve also told us about. It is a Californian town that thinks it is Danish. There were windmills and cute shops and houses ... Another photo boost and another photogenic town to enjoy in the sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this made us laugh - because it is, of course, how all Europeans dress

 

 

 

 

 

We drove right up the same Raphael mountains and then down again ... Great scenery that we almost take for granted now. We stopped at a town and we bought Nigel a new sat nav. She is called Flossie and will guide us on many trips in the future. We also got a frap and then we found Walmart to do all of our food shopping buying breakfast food for Anaheim for park days and a few more clothes!!! It was the busiest Walmart we had ever seen ... We queued for ages.

There was also ... as luck would have it ... a great Hobby lobby ... Awesome.

We drove through Santa Barbara which was quite misty and the decided we would miss out Santa Monica as we had been before and the views would be poor in the sea fret.

 

 

 

We headed into LA, with clear skies and great views of the downtown area with no smog layer,  

 

 

and then followed my downloaded directions to go see the Hollywood sign ... And see it we did, closer than we have ever been. It was a bit tricky round small residential roads and I walked a fair way on my own to get the closest shot whilst Nigel waited and it was fab but I twisted my ankle badly again and then needed to go to the loo really bad. Not great coming down the twistiest bumpiest little side streets. Thank goodness for the nice man in the garage ... I didn't have to run across the freeway after all. I came awful close to it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We the tried to find somewhere good to eat that was no too far from where we were headed and we hit Brea and the California pizza kitchen again... my not so secret new favourite. We then headed to our new home for a week ... The Anaheim Majestic Garden.

 

 

We had stayed there once before about 12 years ago and it had been a Sheraton then and we worried it would not be so nice. It was even better than we remembered and much bigger than we remembered and really nice inside. We had a big room ... Though what is with the poor lighting in so many hotel rooms. It was all decorated up for Halloween inside the foyer and looked very welcoming. I can honestly say, if you are planning staying in the Disney area and doing the parks this is a superb hotel as a base. They have a free shuttle bus which is regular, reliable and the nicest bus we saw, including Disney’s own.

We unpacked ... At last. I have clothes in drawers and hung up! Wow! I have totally loved being on the road, but it is nice to have a base now and not live out of a suitcase.

We relaxed, watched TV and slept like logs.

 

 

 

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Our best day ... part 2

 

Bot a lot has happened here today.

Two loads of washing - I love being at home to be able to put it out, some scrapping and a lovely long walk int he Autumn Sunshine. I LIKE being retired.

 

This is my scrapping - made for the UKS monthly challenge and, of course, from the holiday.

 

 

It really was a pilgrimage for us to go to the first ever Starbucks in Pike Place. We queued for a long time but there were street entertainers and it was hot - very very hot actually. I bought my souvenirs and had an iced water to drink, having already had a frap that day. So pleased we went.

I used some wood paper I bought in Oregon and also Tim Holtz stencils for the splashes and mug rings.  The brown roundel is from a photo of the signs - the brown was the original colour ... the mugs I bought are that colour too. The brass roundel is another photo taken inside the store, just cut out.

 

Today I am thankful for

• good drying days
• long walks together in the sunshine
• Nigel taking a giant leap to full retirement.

 

Sunday 18th September Part 2

 

Having fulfilled a dream of ours to visit Hearst Castle - and not being disappointed ... we took the bus back and headed off towards Pismo, stopping on the way in San Louis Obispo for a quick Panda Express. We knew we had a sea view room and it just might be clear. We wanted to make the most of it.

 

The hotel had looked nice and I had high hopes. I was not disappointed.

When we pulled up we were amazed at the smell – and not in a good way. The smell outside the front entrance and in the reception lobby was strong and fishy. We figured they must have a restaurant serving lots of catch of the day. Nope. We’d fine out later.

We were staying in a different building with views over the beach and the pier and it didn’t smell at all.

 

The room was lovely – very spacious and with a truly amazing view.

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed sitting and having a drink on the balcony watching the birds.

 

 

 

 

We realized that some of the birds we were watching were wild pelicans. I have never seen a wild pelican before and we were both entranced and trying to capture them on film.

 

 

There were 6 of them and we decided to go down and see them from the terrace where we might get better pictures. As we went down I said I hoped they hadn’t gone by the time we got there.

 

They hadn’t – there were 10 by then. We watched and snapped and then decided to walk round to where we would watch the sunset from. The hotel was called Shore Cliff Lodge as it was on the cliff and Nigel, who was ahead of me, called back that there were a few more pelicans. We looed down and there were hundreds of them, all roosting on the cliffs – and we discovered was the smell was. Pelican! We were fascinated and watched them for ages. Too many pelican pictures to count.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There were other gulls too

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed outside to watch the perfect Pacific sunset we had always wanted. There was just the two of us stood watching and snapping and cooing and ooing and aahing and snapping. It was truly gorgeous and their gazebo made the perfect backdrop.

 

Cue lots of pictures all remarkably similar but different as we used 2 different cameras (2 phones and a camera) and the light kept changing. I couldn't reduce it to less that this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I haven't edited them - just reduced them

 

This one came out a completely different colour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally satiated as the sun sunk below the horizon we headed indoors, enjoying the sound of the ocean below. What a truly amazing day.

 

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Family Time and one of our best holiday days of all

I missed blogging yesterday as we have been having family time. Nigel's brother and sister-in-law are over from America to visit with and care for his mom for two weeks and his other brother and sister-in-law have been down from Coventry so we have been spending some time together. We had a gorgeous meal out yesterday at our favourite family restaurant and we went to Lulworth Cove for the day today which was lovely and beautiful Autumn sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apart from that the battle with the computer still goes on. We keep finding new things to amend. I tunes was a huge issue this weekend but fingers crossed we think we have it sorted. I can attest 100% that losing your computer and everything on it is not a fun place to be. Yes I had all the files backed up but its the programmes, the apps, the software, the backup files. It's been an utter utter nightmare.

 

Today I am thankful for

• Nigel - love him so much - he is my best friend, my family, my calm, my humour, my everything

 

 

SUNDAY 18th  September 2016

Starting mileage 38038

Day started 8.30

Ending mileage 38190

Day ended 5.30

Total miles 152

 

We hadn't seen the hotel properly until we woke. It was lovely ... We were high up in the trees with a balcony/patio with chairs. It was a really special hotel and something we wouldn’t ever forget. We had a good breakfast ... Not hot this time but fine and a little embarrassing as I emptied a pot of tablets as I arrived. I wanted to leave but hunger got the better of me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we pulled out of the hotel there was a deer grazing across the road. It was a magical place ... We really really liked Carmel and Pacific Grove.

 

After a stop for a frap  we set off for Big Sur, billed as one of the greatest roads in the world to drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nigel explained, quite rightly In hindsight but not at the time, that we could not stop at EVERY stop or we would still be driving the route next week. One I accepted that it was fun. We almost missed Bixby Bridge and Nigel was cross I was so close to the edge. I wanted the picture but as I am rightly called the tripper it was probably not a good idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at several places and I also took pictures through the windows. It was a truly amazing drive ... Twisty in places, hills and mountains on one side, wild coast and cypress on the other. We loved it. It was stunningly beautiful and we were so lucky with the weather ... Little mist and fog and some great colours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was fascinating that the temperature changed by as much as 15 degrees in the space of a mile or so, both ways, up and down. What I loved was that the coast was wild and as it was inaccessible in most places it was unspoilt and natural. I absolutely loved it.

 

We stopped to see the elephant seals too, because we felt we should. They are just heaps of blubber really and not very attractive, but there were loads of them and we watched for a while. We are also sure we saw a condor and a bald eagle as well as lots of turkey vultures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was also the day of trying - and mostly failing - to get a selfie of us at Big Sur

 

 

 

Better with sunglasses as you can't see our puzzled expression so much

 

 

 

someone stole part of Nigel's head!

 

 

 

 

 

Finally we arrived at Hearst Castle, something that has been on our bucket list for 30 years. It was incredibly incredibly hot and up high on the top of the mountain it was even hotter. It would have been nicer to have visited when it wasn’t quite so blisteringly hot, but at least we had bright sun and clear blue sky. We watched the film first which was on a huge screen and very good and gave us a good insight into the castle.

 

We then took the very long and winding road in the bus up to the castle passing wild zebra ... remnants from his zoo. It was incredibly hot and humid and I sought out shade as much as possible. Our guide was good but went into more detail than we figured we needed ... And did I mention it was hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the bay far far below in the photo above and below is one of the 12 roomed guest cottages!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outside was fabulous though we were very sad that the Neptune pool gas been emptied for repair work. It was one of the things we had most wanted to see as the pools at Caesars Palace had been based on the Nepture pool. One of those things you just cannot plan for. 

 

 

The inside left us a little cold. (good to be cold mind you even if only metaphorically)  The tapestries etc were not to our taste, we saw the drawing room, dining room, billiard room and cinema.

 

 

 

 

 

The final stop was the Roman underground pool which was gorgeous. We had seen it in the film and it was breathtakingly beautiful. If you have enough money you can still swim in it as it is hired out for private parties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I am afraid that is where we must leave this day. It has been very photo heavy and I have a mess of photos from the rest of the day so - famous words ... to be continued ......

 

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