A Green and Pleasant Land & Afternoon Teas...

On the Wednesday before I left for my return home UK vacation, I went to the Animal Sanctuary and spent a few hours making up Kongs filled with dog food, peanut butter as treats with Hamilton and Hannah, 2 students who love volunteering. It’s what they call an enrichment for the dogs and the Kongs are frozen and given as treats. The dogs love it.

We also washed the small dog cages as there has been a big influx from another shelter with over 20 small dogs, 10, coming from one property. There was lots of interest from the public and I talked to many potential owners. The sad thing is that the small dogs go quickly, but the larger dogs tend not to. There is a very cute pit bull mix called Harvey who is 12, has a bald patch on his chin and gets very excited for treats and another small dog Milly who is 15. Both dogs have been given in by their owners as they didn’t want to deal with them in their old age. Very sad.

Now I have the training I also walked 4 of the small dogs which ranged from poodles to terriers. My favourite was Fleur who is 8 month old Alsatian/ lab cross. He was so gorgeous and loved chasing balls.

It was a day in full sun, feeding treats and also washing the big dog cages. I was shattered!!! That night I dreamt and worried about 2 dogs called Bella and Abby. I would take them home tomorrow. I texted the head walker there saying I would like to train to walk them when I get back after my UK trip and pointed out that they hadn’t been walked for a while. I was so happy to receive a text the next day saying that she’d walked them herself and they were now on people’s radar. 😊

I had the Pellet of Youth inserted and Dr Ott was lovely. So, armed with additional prescription supplements costing me an additional $30, I am expecting nothing less than loosing 4 stone and feeling like I’m 30 again……. I’ll keep you posted.

So,….I was packed, ready to go and ……the BA Flight was cancelled with no explanation!

Mark helped me sort out the flight for the next day and off I went in an uber to the LAX airport (which I hate as you all know-well the immigration bit is the worst).

Soooooo excited to be going home, but also nervous too, which is weird.

I actually managed 6 1/2 hrs sleep, so I felt pretty refreshed. When I arrived at the house, it felt very surreal and it was as if I hadn’t left. The flowers were out and my favourites, the Japanese Anemone were in full bloom, alongside the Hydrangeas – all beautiful. It was so lovely to see Mum and Dad and the kids. It has gone by so fast for me and yet everyone was saying I'd been away so long; I suppose its because my time has been filled with all new experiences, whereas the UK life has carried on as normal.

I relaxed and browsed iplayer -we are so lucky to have BBC!!! I would even say UK adverts are a pleasure, as opposed to the numerous insurance and medication adverts relentlessly shown on American TV, with the all the side effects read out which is ridiculous. My favourite of the holiday was actually an ITV box set called Beecham House, a Downton Abbey in India.

The first night out was with the kids in Camberley. A British curry - Wonderful. We laughed all evening. Great fun!!!!

I crept in late and Mum and Dad were in bed. It was like I was a teenager again, where I tried not to make noise when I was a bit drunk.

A lot of people asked me whether I was worried about the gun crime in the US. Of course I am. Mark and I always discuss what would happen if someone with a gun came into any of the events we go to. Whilst it used to be a worry to go into London at times, its different here as the gun crimes do seem to be escalating in the US.

In the El Paso shooting, the Police Chief Greg Allen said that authorities think the gunman posted a manifesto online listing “the Hispanic invasion of Texas” as one of several motivations for the massacre. Clearly connected with Trump’s hateful rhetoric…. And it was an assault rifle again.

And then….. Another shooting in Ohio. The attack in Dayton came hours after the 20 people were killed in El Paso, Texas, and less than a week after a gunman opened fire at a garlic festival in California, killing 3 people, including 2 children.

According to USA Today, the El Paso massacre marked the 250th MASS shooting in the US in 2019 and we are only in August. 250th Mass shooting, not just ant old shooting, but mass!!!! Its totally beyond me how people are allowing this to happen. I watched an old Jim Jefferies stand up, where he discusses the 2nd Amendment about gun ownership. Australia had guns, but after a mass shooting, they brought in strict new rules. It worked….. It’s worth a watch again. To top it all, the picture of Trump with his thumb up grinning next to a baby orphaned by the shooting was horrific and shameful.

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rR9IaXH1M0

Part 2 - ‘if you don’t like it, go home’ and ‘you can’t change it…. but it’s called an amendment’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9UFyNy-rw4

On Sunday, Mum, Dad and the kids and I, all went for a wonderful Sunday lunch at the Crown and Cushion. I hadn’t realised how much I missed it. I am getting hungry just thinking about it now. Turkey with crispy roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, broccoli and buttered carrots, gravy and Yorkshire pudding! Oh boy!!!

On Saturday 'Five went mad in Windsor'. I met up with Poppy, Sheila, my mother in law, my sister in law, Debbie and her friend Lisa who were both over from Perth Australia and I drove us to Windsor. We unfortunately hadn’t picked up tickets for Windsor Castle before hand and the queue stretched right down the road, so we didn’t get to go in, until we heard that we could join an evening song session in the chapel. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until we got in that we were told that it was only prayer and not songs as we had hoped, so we made a quick exit. Before that we had had a lovely afternoon tea on a boat watching the world go by and seeing beautiful white swans, Ascot racecourse as well as Eaton college. All very green and beautiful with only a little rain. The next day we all went to Bombay Sapphire Distillery set in beautiful converted 1000 year old Mill in Whitchurch and experienced the Gin Masterclass. Great experience even if you are driving!

The two weeks were filled with wonderful gatherings with my dearest brother Tim, driving all the way from Welney , Steve my nephew, my wonderful cousins Jubilant Julie and Bubbly Barb and dear friends I’ve missed terribly, where we talked nonstop, putting the world to rights, at wonderful garden centres, such as Redfields ( I adore this place and would love to relocate next door to it), Pack House Antiques Centre, Bluewater Shopping Centre and Gun Wharf Quays. I would love to have put all these people in my suitcase and take back to the US, but it’s not to be.

One night I had loads of friends round the house as Mum and Dad were away. I was wonderful to have a laugh with everyone. And again, like a naughty teenager I cleared everything away before Mum and Dad got home.

It was a feast for my eyes, stomach and of course heart.

I also went to an Aqua class with Mum at Farnborough Rec with a young lady called Hazel. I have to say she was amazing and overshadowed the US aqua teachers. She was so energetic and rarely actually spoke over the music, miming to the songs and getting us to sing. I would highly recommend her and would love to go again in the future. She was described by a fellow classmate as a Psychotic Britney Spears.

My favourite songs of the class were Hollaback Girl and Juicy Wiggle.

Max and I went to The Half Moon in Putney to see Milly’s record launch.We both had Fish and chips which was marvellous! It was a great evening with so much talent.She had an ingenious device that actually harmonized with her when she hit a button. So clever.

https://tickets.halfmoon.co.uk/events/2019-08-06-milly-adrift-single-launch-half-moon-putney

I went to stay at Poppy’s for a few days and had a lovely time catching up. Unfortunately, one of the nights Daisy, the Jack Russell became very ill and had diarrhoea and vomiting. Off I went to the emergency vets at midnight while Poppy stayed with Atlas the collie cross. £617 later, she was on a drip and stayed overnight, I transferred her to the more local vets the next day and then recovered dozing, as I hadn’t slept the night before. Especially as when I got back at 1am, I said to Poppy that she should go back to sleep as she had work the next day and I would look after Atlas, where upon Atlas also decided to vomit a very large pile…..

Bloody hell, I thought, I’ll have to take him to the vets as well. On closer inspection of the pile of sick, it was clear that that wouldn’t be needed, as perched on top was my peppermint teabag. He was fine. 😊

Driving was fun with a gear stick after 6 months of an automatic, I can’t count the number of times I stalled at lights and roundabouts. As Max has my car I had rented a Ford fiesta, which I have to say was a brilliant car, I especially liked the parking assistance, which meant I reversed into parking spaces for the first time in years. Driving on the left was second nature, but I had to be careful not to turn right on a red, which you can do in the US. I really miss roundabouts - there is only one in Los Angeles and that is a tiny one in Calabasas, just because they wanted to be different. I missed the small country lanes, which I managed to go down many a time as I got lost to most of my destinations. I miss the trees and the general green everywhere. It really is beautiful.

I was driving along coming up to a roundabout singing along with Radio 2 (I’ve missed that too) and a police car came along side me and he signalled for me to open my window. ‘Good morning madam’, he said politely. ‘Did you know you are driving in a bus lane’. ‘I’m so sorry officer, I hadn’t realised’ I said. He said’ no worries, madam, but don’t do it again’. I’m sure if that story as told in America, the police wouldn’t have been half as polite.

Mum took me to London and to the Ritz for another afternoon tea, which was wonderful and very special. We then went onto Trafalgar Square, one of my favourite places in London and then into The National Gallery to see paintings by Van Gogh, Seurat and Klimt, amongst many others. We watched one busker who guitar playing made me just want to give up as it was so wonderful.

I cannot express how much I love London. It is so vibrant with the architecture, the people and the music. I really miss it.

Mark arrived after he’d spent a week in Germany and France and spent the last day with us, so Mum and I went shopping and Dad and Mark had a DIY list to work through for Poppy. We had a wonderful last night meal at Wokingham Loch Fyne, one of my favourite restaurants.

All I can say is I miss Blighty and the people in it and am proud of being British….. back to the City of Angels and no rain! Back to endless blue skies, sunshine and Lulu….