Dolly's Dreamings

Back to normality and Day 4

Back to normal here now.

Work for the last two day which meant a 6.15 am alarm and our poor old jet-lagged bodies perceived that as 11.15pm and just ready to sleep!! But it was good to be working again and it is only for 17 sessions over 4 weeks so not bad at all.

Art again today and it was good to be back to that too. I do enjoy my art club so much.

No new scrapping though - I plan to address that at the weekend - I promise.

Today I am thankful for

• being back in a routine. It's nice to have breaks but routine is good too

Day 4 Kingston to Niagara

18th October 2019

Start miles 1525

Start time 7.15

End miles 1770

End time 1.00 hotel

 

The one with THE VIEW

 

This was always set to be a highlight day and it didn’t disappoint. We were up early and the breakfast was really good, and the dining room was truly lovely as we sat in front of the cosy fire.  The ceiling even had birds set into it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were soon on the road again and the weather had perked right up. I had watched the forecast from home and today had been predicting rain for over a week, but the rain had exhausted itself yesterday and the sky was blue. It was chilly, but not cold (we were to get the cold later on in the trip!) and the drive was gorgeous with beautiful fall colours to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

We drove round Toronto, seeing the CN tower and the Blue Jays stadium ... little did we know stadiums would be a feature too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first stop today was the floral clock which trip advisor said was nice ... and free. Well it was half right... it was free, but we were not that impressed and Nigel didn’t even take out his camera. Well, it was free! However, we knew impressed was still to come and that the cameras were in for a real work out. We were almost at Niagara.

We had visited Niagara before back in 1989, an incredible 30 years ago, and we still referred to Niagara moments ... those moments when you keep on taking photos because what you can see is so amazing and beautiful and you know they are all going to be the same, but you still keep taking more and more. We had loved it then. We had seen it on a budget, staying in Buffalo which was not nice and turned out to be a bit of a disaster. We had great issues with the hotel an,d in the end they paid us for staying there … long story but true thanks to three room changes, a charged dinner, a fire alarm and a refund! This time we had splurged and booked a nice hotel that offered the best views of the Falls... the Marriott Falls View.

 

Niagara had changed in those 30 years ... a lot more built up ... out hotel hadn’t even been there then ... and at one end, thankfully not the end we were staying, it was a lot more tacky and more like Vegas than the Niagara we remembered. The hotel was valet parking again, which is always stressful for me as I am not a valet sort of girl, but we acquired a great bellman who waited with us whilst we checked in and took us to our room. At first they said the room wasn’t ready, which was fine, it was only 1 pm and we didn’t really expect it to be ready. However he then said that our room was on floor 7 and we needed to bear in mind the tree tops would mar our view a little, but for a supplement, a mere $80 on top of a one night stay, we could have a room on a higher floor with unobstructed views. I said I was very unhappy. I had booked the room based on the view, paid a premium for that view and expected to have the view. Nigel asked how much ... we gulped. I said I was really disappointed... this should have been a highlight of our trip etc etc. I actually wasn’t that disappointed, but I knew if I persisted I would get a result. I was polite, but quietly outraged. Funnily enough, they found us a room on a higher floor that was ready immediately with no surcharge. I really object to scams like this where you book in good faith and they try to upsell extras. Our lovely bellman came with us and we were delighted with the room. You could not wish for a better view and actually, higher up than we were  ... we were on the 9th floor ... would not be a better view. We were thrilled and duly took a bazillion photos from our room. It was worth the splurge and Niagara moments were alive and well and taking a toll on our cameras.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the real improvements since our last visit 30years ago is the shuttle bus. For a small fee ... ours was part of our package anyway ... the shuttle will take your round the area. There are three different lines and plenty of stops and it was perfect to save us a lot of walking. We caught it from outside the hotel and rode to the main view point at the falls ... which is further and steeper than it looks. It was glorious. You marvel at such power and such force and volume. How does the lake not empty? How can it just keep going and going. The noise, the spray, the sheer natural beauty. It is utterly mesmerising and totally addictive.

We watched the Maid of the Mist ... called something g different now I believe ... heading to the falls, imagining the experience. It didn’t appeal to us at all. I wouldn’t like it as you couldn’t take photos with it that wet and Nigel fears water so I don’t think he would cope at all. Last time we visited we did the behind the falls tour which was incredible, so this time we just watched. We marvelled at the rainbows created by the sunshine. It was a perfect day, cool but beautifully sunny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually we tore ourselves away and boarded another bus to take us to the Hard Rock Cafe. Nigel had flat presents again as his birthday was whilst we were away and one was a voucher for a Hard Rock souvenir from Niagara.

We enjoyed a cocktail in the bar as we were not driving and bought lovely long sleeved tops. Not even my birthday and I still got a top!  Back at the hotel the sun had moved round, our view had changed with the light and we watched the rainbows some more. Oh and we took a couple more photos. OK a couple dozen more. Or more than that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got changed and walked over the road to Milestones, where we had booked a table with a view. It was an ok view, but not a patch on our room.

The meal was superb ... one of the nicest of the trip as it was very different. Nigel had a burger and I had a Thai chicken noodle thing which was delicious. The waitress was very interesting as she had lived there all her life. We told her that the lake seemed rockier last trip and asked if the water levels fluctuated. She told us they turn the falls off at night! Seriously! They have dams and so on and the flow is reduced once everyone is in bed. Fascinating. She also bought Nigel a free dessert complete with sparkler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wandered back to our room, via the gift shop, where I had a present of a new scarf even though it wasn’t my birthday, and, you guessed it , more photos of the falls lit at night. It took all our will power to finally close the curtain and try and get some sleep. It had been our splurge room of the trip (we always try and build in one nice hotel) and it had been well worth it.

 

 

 

 

New releases - it's been a while

Having been away for a month I haven't been able to share any of the new releases, but I can today as I have worked with three lush new collections.

 

This page of sedona - a place I was so looking forward to and which we absolutely loved - was made with For You by Dita B Designs (clicking on the kit image will take you there)

 

 

 

This collection by StudioPix+ Prints summed up how grateful we were for the whole trip and that we could go at all

 

 

 

And I couldn't resist using this one for the very very frosty morning we had at The Grand Canyon

 

 

 

 

Today I am grateful for

• lovely new digital collections to work with
• being able to scrap some of the thousands of photos already
• being back at work - just little bits but I do enjoy it

 

 

Day three of the trip and even some scrapping!!!

OK let's start with some scrapping as this was originally meant to be a scrapping blog. Easy to forget at times and this is the first paper page I have made in 4 weeks. I have missed the feel of the paper and the crisp cut of the scissors, the stickiness of the glue and the very act of creating. (though I was creative on holiday but more of that later)

 

 

It was made for a challenge at UKS and uses a Paige Evans cut file for the leaf garland and I stamped, inked and cut out the other leaves in the clusters. The photo is from Presquite State Park on Lake Erie.

Today also saw the second cinema visit since we have been back. Last Friday - taking matchsticks with us - we saw Dr Sleep, which was OK. Today we saw the new Terminator which we both enjoyed, but then we are both Terminator fans.

 

Today I am thankful for

• getting back to a more normal sleep pattern
• the reassurance of the doctor that they WILL find out the source of my rib pain. He has ordered more blood tests and also a Liver scan next. He is being very supportive and reassuring and tells me this is to rule out what it is NOT even if it doesn't tell us what it IS.

Day 3 Montreal to Kingston

17th October 2019

Start miles 1260

Start time 6 and 8

End miles 1525

End time 6

The one with the Bomb Cyclone!

 

Poor Nigel didn’t sleep well and we were both jet lagged which was why we were up at 5.30 and went out to breakfast at 6. I had spotted the perfect restaurant for breakfast a block away and we were eager to try it. It opened at 6 ... perfect. When we stepped outside of the hotel, into the pitch black, we realised quite how bad the weather was. It was gale force winds and the sort of monsoon rain we are used to in Florida, except that rain is warm and stops after a while. This was cold and chilling. We battled our way through the rain to find the restaurant didn’t open until 7. We were not going to go back to the hotel and then out again. So egg McMuffin it was then. Three different people came in with broken umbrellas ... it was THAT bad. We paddled our way back to the hotel to dry off and Nigel, quite rightly, said he would rather not leave in the pitch black so we would wait a while. We did just that, but by 8 the sky was barely lightening so off we set. Oh my what a horrible journey out of the city. Dark, so windy it was blowing the van, torrential rain the wipers could barely cope with and serious traffic congestion. It was only later that evening we were to find out we had caught the tail end of what they called a bomb cyclone. It was a storm that was caused by exceptional low pressure and hit the east coast. I tell you ... America, and in this case Canada, has serious weather! It was extreme.

 

 

 

 

Obviously our planned stop at Mount Royal was pointless so we skipped that, though we did drive by the oratory, just visible in the downpour. It took ages to get out of the city and I confess we were not sorry to leave it behind. Montreal, for all sorts of reasons, was not a hit with us. I am prepared to concede that we didn’t see the best of it, but what we did see didn’t thrill us.

 

Our next stop was Ottawa and we were really disappointed the weather was so bad. We had planned to visit parliament hill, which looked gorgeous. The rain continued to pour, the winds continued to howl as we made our way west. Even though it was raining, the fall colours were beautiful and the rain made the trunks and branches jet black, a fabulous contrast with the leaves. Whilst it was hard to capture in the rain, we will never forget the beauty and the drive was very enjoyable. We stopped briefly at a Walmart on the outskirts to get medicine for Nigel... the pharmacist advised us on the medicine and we bought cough sweets that certainly cleared out the tubes ... my goodness they were powerful. However, when we exited the store the rain had dropped to a light drizzle which was promising.

 

 

We had researched this holiday well and so knew just which car park to aim for and it worked perfectly. Once outside, though very windy, the rain had pretty much stopped. We walked to the parliament buildings which were indeed impressive, but one of them was covered in scaffolding. We didn’t know then, but this was to be a bit of a feature of the trip. I bailed as the wind whistled and I had started to feel a bit groggy and was getting a temperature (now where could I have got that from!) and took refuge in a Starbucks ... Canada was indeed civilised ... and Nigel, being the trooper he is carried on to the canal to get photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hadn’t seen much of Ottowa but what we had we liked. Later that afternoon we drove over the Rideau canal bridge to get a view from the other side which was well worth it and then headed out again. The rain started back up, proving we had indeed been very lucky. It had stopped just at the right time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped just outside our base for the night in Kingston for proper comfort food at Denny’s. I did say we are not fancy people. Simple floats our boat and Denny’s offer food we both enjoy and at a reasonable price. When you are on the road for 23 days, not every meal can cost a fortune.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We then checked into our next hotel ... the Best Western Plus Fireside Inn. It was a real gem ... really lovely foyer and restaurant and our room was perfect. We had a gorgeous brick fireplace in the corner and it was cold enough to have the fire on. We enjoyed a relaxed evening and were out for the count by 8 again. Poor Nigel was really struggling and I had a sore throat and certainly didn’t want what he clearly had. It suits us well to go to bed early though. We like to make the most of daylight hours so leave early and sleep early.

 

 

Day two of our trip

I probably need to warn you - the trip was 23 days - be prepared for this to take a while.

Things are sorted at home now - the clocks say the right time everywhere (I can tell you that when you get home with jet lag and your own time has also changed but your clocks haven't and you don't change them all on the same day it REALLY messes with your head.

Yesterday we had a craft fair booked and so our alarm went off at 7 am which our bodies thought was 11 pm and our bedroom clock thought was 8 am - all a bit much really!

I have spent time editing photos - deleting a load - and have the next day of our travels to share.

Day 2  Portsmouth to Montreal

16th October 2019

Start miles 900

Start time 6.00 am

End miles 1265

End time 3.15 pm hotel... then out

The One with the Atlantic

 

We were awake extremely early ... who needs alarms when you have jet lag? I decided that I would pack again so that everything we needed was in one large case and we only have to take one case into each hotel which would make our life so much more simple. Over the years I have honed what I do for road trips with zip lock bags and sets of things and pouches in the case etc. It works like a dream and it needs to as we will be in no fewer than 16 different hotels this trip. Once the packing is finished we decided we may as well just leave and were not a slightest bit put off by the fact it was pitch black and all sensible people are still fast asleep. After all, sensible people were not about to embark on a journey like ours.

We drove around the corner to our much loved Roundabout Diner where we had enjoyed our first meal of last year‘s trip. It seemed a tradition that was well worth keeping. It was as lovely as we remembered... beautifully retro and a superb welcome again ... and the food was good. It made a great start to the holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided that, as it was still very early and the sun hadn’t risen, we would go to see Nubble Light again. Flossie was fascinating ... just as she had been last year ... and took us the most peculiar way down single-lane residential tracks. This year there were quite a few people there set up ready for sunrise. It wasn’t as cold as last year and it was nice to see the Lighthouse not covered in scaffolding. We enjoyed watching the sun rise and it seemed a very fitting start to such an epic adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was one of the things we had most been looking forward to ... and yet dreading. The trip was called coast to coast and so it was important that we not only visited both the East Coast and the West Coast, but that we actually went into the ocean on both coasts. We assumed the Pacific would be quite pleasant. We knew the Atlantic was bound to be cold. We parked up at York beach, which was pretty much empty save a few hardy dog walkers, and braved ourselves. As we left the cosy cocoon of the car we noticed the condensation rising from the ocean leaving a sort of miasma over the ocean. It wasn’t exactly a comforting sight. Complete with towels and cameras we slowly made our way across the vast flat sands to the ocean. It was cold just walking on the damp sand,  let alone braving the icy waters. We gingerly removed or shoes and socks, noticing the chill seeping up from the wet sand into our once cosy feet. Realising it was now or never, we walked the few steps to dip our feet into the Atlantic in Maine in mid-October. There was a sharp intake of breath from each of us as we realised our fears had been fully realised and it was indeed freezing. We both thought it would feel warmer once we got used to it. Funnily enough, we were both wrong. There was much laughter as we snapped our photos to record one side of our coast to coast and, as we dried our poor blue feet and rubbed away the sand, we were excited about all that lay ahead of us. There is nothing quite like the first day of a holiday when you relax because your luggage made it, you have all of your things, have your car set up and you can now enjoy what you have been planning for the last 12 months. Seriously. This holiday was incredibly planned.

 

Snowball at York Beach

 

 

 

 

Looks cosy doesn't he.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nigel had promised me that when we retired he would take me to see fall in New England. He was good to his word and we went last year on our aptly named Fabulous Fall tour. And it was fabulous, but we were a little disappointed In the colours. They were pretty but certainly not fabulous. At first, we thought we were just a little too late and had missed the vibrancy. It turned out it was a bad fall ... that due to a wet spring and a dry summer ... or the other way round ... the colours were not so bright and it was a poor fall. This year, apparently, everything had conspired together to make it a stellar fall ... and indeed it was. The colours were so much better and we were blessed with better weather than we expected. For days prior to our departure the forecast for Vermont had been poor with rain likely. Thankfully the weather system stalled ... we were to pay the price later ... and it was glorious. It wasn’t as cold as last year and the skies were blue and there was no rain. We ambled through New Hampshire and Vermont glorying in the colours. The only downside was our transponder. When Leaving Boston airport we checked we were good for tolls. We knew we would have tolls in lots of states and had checked the same pass was valid .. it was for everywhere except Indiana apparently. Transponder fitted already and we were happy. Remember it was DARK when we picked up the car and DARK when  we left Portsmouth. We had been through two toll plazas before it was light enough for us to see that it had to be OPENED to register. We had violated tolls twice and had no idea what the penalties would be. Fortunately, Nigel saw the web address. Skipping forward a little he found we had a week to pay ... and it was 6 days before our violation showed up. He then tried to pay it and of course, the same disadvantage as always ... no zip code no pay. We had to call his brother Jim who, in true big brother style, helped by giving us his credit card details and we were able to pay the almost $2 fee. If we had t the car hire company would have stung us for handling fees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway I digress. We loved Vermont this year. We stopped at a visitor centre to use their facilities ... always impressed at how good they are. It amazes me that almost without exception, even seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Americans can provide clean toilets ... albeit with gaps under the doors. In the UK we struggle even in towns and don’t get me started on motorway service stations. Whatever Americans must think when they visit the UK I have no idea. The man at the desk in the visitor centre was very helpful and advised us another route other than the one we had planned would afford us a nicer trip and he was so right. One of the places it took us through was Woodstock ... just an utterly beautiful little town and so typical of Vermont. Just outside the town we visited a local farmers market store and it was gorgeous. So much fresh produce beautifully displayed, helpful staff, delicious food and, just as I hoped, genuine Vermont maple syrup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a whale of a time. In the end, we spent so much time just pootling around we decided we had seen lots of gorgeous colour and we would miss Lake Champlain and press on to Montreal. We crossed the border into Canada and, to our utter surprise, Flossie, our own sat nav, did not work in  Canada. We were sure she did both USA and Canada. Thank goodness we had Snowball and her super duper sat nav.

 

 

 

 

 

Crossing the border into Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now Montreal ... well, there lies a tale. Ever since seeing O Canada in Epcot we had wanted to visit. Nigel wanted to see the underground city and I just fancied Montreal. Three days before we left the forecast was terrible. We had booked one of our most expensive hotel in Montreal on the recommendation of Nigel’s brother Sean who had stayed there in the spring. Like all cities, hence why we rarely stay in them, properties were at a premium price and parking very expensive. The hotel, St Sulpice, was next to the Basillica we wanted to visit. So three days before the trip I tried to talk Nigel out of Montreal and rerouting elsewhere. I failed, sadly.

Anyway, Montreal it was. As we crossed the border the landscape changes almost immediately. Gone were the hillsides and mountains, the verdant deciduous forests and it gave way to flat arable land, a fairly featureless landscape apart from the signs ... all in French of course. Now I knew Quebec was French but I kind of figured everything would be dual,language. But no. All French, everywhere, and not a shred of English to be seen. I confess it didn’t endear me to the place.

 

 

 

 

 

Navigating around a busy city with French directions was let us say an interesting experience, but our welcome once we reached the hotel was great. It was a very busy very narrow side street, but we were greeted by the valets who helped us find a spot to stop. I dislike valet parking. I always panic that I don’t have everything, that I am not organised enough, that we are not ‘ready’ etc, but they really were very nice. They u loaded our luggage and by the time we entered the hotel and arrived at the desk they had already been primed and we were treated by name as if we were the most important guests they had ever had.

We were checked in speedily and made our way to the room which was lovely with a bedroom, separate lounge that could be shut off and was spacious and clean. Clean is key. I have an utter phobia about bed bugs. I understand from all of the forums that they can be found in even the very best of hotels at times and I live in dread of bringing one/millions home. Every room is checked, as advised on the internet on a site like ‘be very paranoid about travelling anywhere.com’ and nothing comes in until I am happy. Poor Nigel just grins... well grimaces really ... and bides his time UNTIL he is told it is safe. He also knows now, since I showed him the scary old web sites, that things like the tv remote control don’t get touched until  ‘safe’. Did you know that an average hotel room Remote control has more bacteria on it than a toilet seat. In fairnes, so many hotels now recognise this and have smooth cleanable remotes. But I learnt a great tip from the scary web sites. Use the shower cap ... I mean who uses the shower cap in a hotel room anyway ... to cover the remote. Result.

 

 

 

Sorry, digressing again. We dropped our bags and headed out into the chilly streets as we wanted to see the Notre Dame Basilica next door before it closed. It wasn’t very inspiring from the outside, but goodness me. Inside I think it was the most. beautiful church I have ever seen. The colours, the decoration, the heady smell of incense, the glow of the candles, the light from the stained glass windows. Just awesome. It was a really uplifting experience and we both lit candles to say our thanks for the many blessings we have, not least of which was the good news meaning I could go on the trip. If. Nothing else, the church had been worth the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made a half-hearted effort to walk round but it was grey and unispiring and Nigel was feeling poorly with a bad head cold and chesty cough and we were very tired. We agreed a quick comfort food meal and bed was in order. We are food peasants. We like simple food and we tend to eat because we need food. It is rarely a highlight of our day. So Macdonalds it was, because it was right there, and we headed back to the hotel. Nigel really wasn’t feeling well and so we had staff make up the spare bed in our Lounge so we slept separately so that hopefully I wouldn’t catch it and he wouldn’t keep me awake. We’d buy medicine tomorrow. We were dead to the world by 8.

Today I am thankful that

• we are home safe, the cats are well and all is good
• the clocks - well apart from our body clocks - all say the same time
• new fall decorations in the hall look lovely
• selling well at the craft fair

 

The TRIP REPORT

Well, readers - I hope my scrapping has been keeping you going whilst I have been away.

Because I have been away BIG TIME. Please expect trip reports in every post for a while, though I promise I will sprinkle in scrapping too.

There is no scrapping today I am afraid as we only arrived home yesterday and the house looks like a minor bomb came in with us as there is stuff to put away everywhere so scrapping has to wait.

But Hopefully, I will scrap in time for the next post! So, without further ado - Day 1

 

COAST TO COAST TOUR 2019

Day 1 travel day

15th October 2019

Start miles 816 ... car only of course.

Start time left home at 10.00 am

End miles 900

End time arrived at hotel at 8.45

The one with the big trip setting the scene

Our countdown kitty has been keeping us going for ages now as Nigel chalks up a new number every morning. This trip,is set to be our most adventurous yet, covering 2 oceans, 2 Canadian provinces, 22 states, some 6000 miles, travelling into the most north-easterly state and the most south-westerly, visiting 8 new states, driving much of Route 66 and going through all 4 time zones in the contiguous US.

It has been a year in the planning, occupying me on countless evenings as I build in more and more stops and sights to see. It almost didn’t happen after a health scare just a week before departure but, here we were at last. T day! I  wanted to sleep late, but somehow couldn’t ... coast to coast was beckoning and so we were having breakfast before 8. Last minute chores and packing and we were ready to go before 10, even having time to take some outdoor photos on a gorgeous  misty morning to showcase our new tour hoodies. Oh yes ... even before we go we have the t shirts and hoodies. We had had such fun designing the logos for the trip we had named Coast to Coast from the outset.

 

 

 

 

Our wonderful neighbour Eddy collected us at 10 and we had a very smooth trip up to Heathrow. Checking in at the Upper Class wing is always such a nice experience. Seamless. I didn’t even get frisked this year as I went through the scanner ... I think that’s a first. Must be now I am really old I don’t look so suspicious. We were lucky again to have amassed enough points for upper class seats. To be honest I don't think I could make 11 hour flights unless I had that space. I would chose not to go. And I do stop to reflect, every single time, how lucky we are. However, the flight out was a mere 7 hours. Easy peasy.

We were very restrained in duty free, buying some reduced perfume for me and a single bottle of vodka. I think it is the first time we didn’t buy two. We are lightweights these days .. our bring home bottle from last year remains un-touched as we are still drinking the Polish vodka from the year before.

 

We enjoyed a lovely plant burger lunch in the Clubhouse followed by cocktails and chill,out. We have been very lucky with our air miles and upper class flights and so always get to use lounges but the Virgin Clubhouses are in a league of their own. Delta could learn a lot. We have only flown with Virgin’s American partners once and we were NOT thrilled. Although virgin have scaled down what they offer in upper-class These days it is still the only way we choose to travel and if we couldn’t I’m not sure we would fly transatlantic.

 

 

Our plane - snapped as we went to board

 

 

We boarded early, more champagne and a very smooth flight. The meal was superb ... a braised steak that was utterly amazing. It very literally fell apart. Nigel ... as always ... managed a decent sleep and by the time he woke up most of the Diet Coke he had poured down himself had dried! I watched two films ...The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Aftermath and the flight did pass relatively quickly. But then at 7 hours it is one of our shortest we take. The 11 on the way home will be very different.

 

A photo as we said farewell to England for a while. Our country may be in one heck of a mess at the moment, but I still love it - though I love America too.

 

 

 

Sunset as we arrived at Logan airport in Boston.

 

We had a very smooth arrival at the airport apart from a reasonably lengthy wait in immigration. It always seems odd that you do the electronic immigration at booths, which are very speedy and then you still have to wait in line for another check. However, I am grateful that safety is paramount in airports around the world. This year, with less luggage than we have ever taken before, The transit on the bus from airport to car rental was simple and effective. We had our skip the line pass and so went straight to the parking garage and were a little sad to see that there was only a choice of two vehicles in the minivan category and neither was a Dodge Grand Caravan. There were two ChryslerPacifica’s and we opted for the white one as Nigel said they were easier to spot in traffic. Goodness me did we ever luck out with that vehicle. It was delivery milage only and had every conceivable accessory on it. It had the best built-in satnav we have ever encountered, digital display for everything, heated and cooled seats, both of which we used on our mammoth trip, safety features that made driving even more simple and more cupholders, USB ports and nooks and crannies than even we could use. We named her Snowball and we loved her.

 

We had a very smooth drive to Portsmouth and our first stop was Walmart where we behaved as if we were in supermarket sweep as we dashed around getting water, Diet Coke, snacks and tea. We went a little awry finding our first hotel of the night ... the Howard Johnson ... but we found it eventually after a somewhat seedy tour around areas filled with not very salubrious looking ‘gentlemen’s clubs’. A quick repack so we had our electrical and ‘bits’ hand luggage case, our toiletries hand luggage case and one working suitcase with the clothes for the colder part of the trip ... which was to be longer than expected ... and we were sound asleep by 10 pm, trying hard not to think it was ‘really’ 3 am. We were all set for our greatest adventure.

 

Our first room - not our favourite but it was only ever going to be a bed for a few hours.

 

Still posting ATDML - a fussy cutting fest

Once I started I realised I had been very remiss about posting my ATDML work  here and so - as I don't have any new scrapping that I can share just yet - I am sharing more of that. I am very lucky to be on their design team and it means I get wonderful new goodies to work with every month to showcase products they sell and also new goodies to play with to make classes for them

This was my work from April when I busy with my Paris album and working with such lovely papers

 

 

Regular readers know I love a bit of fussy cutting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo always makes me smile - our 'reception' after renewing our vows, paid for by my bestie and her hubby.

 

 

 

 

 

And this had fussy cutting and colouring and makes me laugh- When we went to Paris on our honeymoon we were broke and ended up sharing one crepe between us for a meal. One of the first things we did for our 25th anniversary was buy two whole crepes just because we could!

 

 

 

 

and finally this one was not a Paris page but the papers just matched the vintage singers Aphrodite so well.

More fussy cutting

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• mindless activities like fussy cutting that bring so much pleasure

and I just loved these vet signs - too funny not to share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just some random scrapping

As schools go back I am still, three years in, relishing the fact I am no longer teaching. 

 

I miss the children - sometimes - but I miss precious little else. I certainly don't miss being piggy in the middle with parents wanting one thing, staff wanting another, governors wanting another and trying to balance all three whilst really only caring about what was right for the children I had promised to do the best for. It wasn't easy and much of the time it wasn't fun. So heck - I hope all my teacher friends enjoyed their half term and I am glad I am NOT going back.

 

Some random loveliness because I am at home and NOT at work then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And some new scrapping to share too (see you get to do more of that when you don't work too)

 

This one isn't new but I realised I hadn't posted it and she is my little girl and she deserves to be posted

 

 

 

 

 

And it wouldn't have been fair to have one and not the other now would it!

 

 

 

and finally - late because it is now past Halloween - but heck - this was our Hollywood and Vile -  sorry Hollywood and VINE - dinner with Mickey and Minnie last year at Disney Hollywood Studios. It was nice to see the characters dressed up for Halloween but it was our worst dining experience of the Disney part of the trip. It wasn't our worst dining experience of the entire trip - that record is still held by Enzo's Pizza in Lincoln which was an unmitigated disaster and didn't even have the redeeming feature of characters.!

 

I don't like this page as I don't like Daisy Duck. I have no idea why but I find her quite scary!

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Not having to go back to school
• retirement and scrapping time.
• Poole

 

And these were just some great ideas I found on the internet -why are they not mandatory everywhere.

Easy way to see which cubicle is free - mind you in the ladies there are usually NONE free.

 

 

Much lighter weight cast and lets the air circulate

 

 

 

 

Parking bay lines continuing up the wall - everywhere should have then. So simple and yet so effective.

 

Flushing the toilet by pressing a pedal with your foot NOT using your hand appeals to me

 

 a disabled swing - such a good idea

 

 

 

this would stop everyone knocking everyone else's doors

 

 

 

This one I am not sure about - it would kind of take the fun away!

First Traveller's Notebook

I have finally completed my first - very basic - Traveller's Notebook of our trip last year.

The idea is that I will try and do one for our next trip as it happens but I thought I would do a dummy run of one as a practice.

The point of this one was to see if I could do really really quick sketches spending no more than 10 minutes per sketch as this is a way I can meld art and scrapping together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last part of the holiday was all Disney for 12 days so rather than do it daily I did a page for each park and then some general pages

 

 

 

 

I have learned a great deal from thee process. I have learned that I am not good at 10 minute sketches. I have learned not to draw horses, I have learned that my purple ink runs when wet, I have learned not to write so much and I have learned that I like this new project.

 

We will see how it goes when it is done in hotel rooms though!!! Obviously without photos. I am NOT taking a printed with me. The paints and brushes are enough.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a hobby where I can meld my hobbies together - kind of
• Autumn - I love Autumn so much - it has the best light and the best feel

 

 

And I found these on line and they were fascinating - no idea if they are true

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful home town and another class

We are so blessed where we live - we truly are. I love our home town and so often say it. Poole is beautiful but shhhh- don't tell people or everyone will come. 

Just a lovely day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am also still working on sharing classes I have done for ATDML and have shared almost none of them - because I forgot to to be honest.

 

This class used the Kaisercraft Rose Avenue collection which is stunning and you can find the class instructions here

 

This was one of my favourite photos from our 2018 Fabulous Fall trip - The Wildflower Inn in Vermont

 

 

and this is one from Animal Kingdom ont he same trip.

 

and this was also from the same trip - Myrtle Beach

 

Do go and check out the class and I hope you enjoy it if you have a go.

 

Today I am thankful for

• living in Poole - it is so beautiful (though I prefer it in the winter when it is quiet)
• the chance to work with A Trip Down Memory Lane - I am very lucky

 

 

The franticness continues

I have now pretty much finished my photobook in time for the deadline and so have some more pages to share that I have done in the last few days.

I confess they are not the best pages I have ever made but needs must and all that.

 

 

I quite liked this one but then I loved the PATH station at World Trade Centre so much.

 

 

 

The view from the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City - I would recommend it to anyone

 

 

The benefit of getting up early - seeingt he sunrise over the ocean in Maine

 

 

This is the title page - I do one for every road trip we take.

 

 

Grafitti Highway in Centralia Pennsylvania

 

Colonial Williamsburg

Jamestown

 

 

 

Amish country

 

 

 

St Augustine

 

Charleston

 

and breathe. Well done for making it through these pages. 

I can now look forward to seeingt he book completed and arriving on my doorstep and next time I will not leave it until the last minute to use my credits.

 

I won't bore you with today's photos - yes there was time to go out as well. I will share them another time.

Today I am thankful for

• completing a job - at last!! And it is only a year since we were there!