I agree we will miss you @Babs Hunt , I hope you will find some little time to visit with us in the future. Just came on to say Hola to everyone...I've just returned from a few weeks in Southern Spain. We had a glorious time. Temps were averaged at around 90 deg f most days but we took a road trip to the city of Sevilla ( 6 hour round trip from Malaga where we were staying) and it was 115 deg ...boy that was HOT!! ...although we have many open top double decker tourist buses here in London I've never been on one , so while we were in Seville I was anxious to finally go on one...only to find they'd put a cover on the top (sensible) to stop everyone burning in the sun...but of course it was a disappointment for me.. we did go on, and the sides were open so I got some photos and a cooling breeze...but after wanting to visit Seville for so long, it wasn't a place we'd like to visit again...very run down city, no atmosphere like most places in seville, and graffiti everywhere...but I'm glad I actually got to see it after visiting Spain for so long and always wondering what it was like. Anyway apart from that we went sailing, on a friends yacht in the med near Malaga for 1/2 a day....we had a rental car for the whole time we were there and drove into the mountains and discovered tiny villages we didn't know existed...we took trains from the coast into the city...the trains there are great..always clean and always on time..and so cheap. For example the same length of journey from here in the rural shires on the edge of London into the city would cost £15 return..30 minute journey ...and they are always dirty and never on time...but the same length of journey from the coast into the city of Malaga costs just 4 euros return .! So it made sense to take the train into the city ( except for our seville trip)...rather than drive in... Visited with my daughter and my grandfurkids several times while we were there...and also of course we made several trips to the beaches which were only a 10 minute drive from the 2 bed 2 bath penthouse apartment we rented next to a beautiful golf course.. which had a communal pool which was rarely used by the residents so I made good use of it, and got in a minimum of 20 laps every morning before breakfast ..even by 9am the pool was already very warm.... The best thing of all was that my arthritic pain in my hands which had been increasingly painful just prior to going away all but disappeared within a couple of days of being in the hot weather which was fantastic..I could now start to grip things properly and even open bottles again after months of being unable to do so.. One sad part of the whole trip was that I had to say a last goodbye to my eldest labradoodle grandfurkid because he's likely to pass before I ever get a chance to see him again, so I took him aside on the last day and had a little emotional chat with him about seeing him again at the Rainbow bridge... Anyway... ..it's been a a great holiday..although tiring because we did so much including getting a real estate agent and looking at several properties with a view to buying..but nothing suited us... I have loads of photos but it'll take me a day or 2 to get them uploaded onto my computer before I can post some. Hope everyone has been well @Yvonne Smith and @Ina I. Wonder .... and it must be nearly time for @Steve North to go in for his shoulder surgery... Oh and on top of all that...I'm retiring from work at the end of this month....sooo woohoooo no more 5am alarm clocks going off for me...
Congratulations Holly and I pray your retirement is everything you desire it to be. I will do my best to pop in every once in awhile and maybe share a photo or two also.
Good morning all. @Babs Hunt I'm very happy you'll have all of your family close to you now. What blessings you have, and so many more to come your way in the future. Family is so important, and now is your time to to teach the things that can only come from a grandmother's love and guidance. Maybe when school starts, you'll have a little more free time, and you know we'll be happy to hear from you again. Be happy and enjoy all those GRAND babies! @Holly Saunders I'm so glad to hear from you. I was away for several weeks myself, and when I got back, no you. Just a couple of days ago, I was asking @Yvonne Smith where you were, and she reminded me of your trip. Your trip sounded wonderful. I've never been farther than Canada or Mexico, but I must admit that I still have tons of places right here in this country to spark my imagination. Do you think you'll eventually move to Spain, or do you feel that your family will move back to England? I'M excited for you concerning your retirement. You only have one more week! Don't be surprised if it takes you awhile to stop feeling as if you should jump up at 5:am and head for work. It took me a looong time to stop waking with my first thoughts being of work. Your hands getting better must be a big relief. I've often wondered if part of your pain was being caused by your job. Standing and walking are hard on your legs and back, but as you worked your way up that ladder your paperwork had to have grown right along with your other responsibilities. A few weeks of rest from all that writing and typing seems to have helped your hands. What a relief it must be to know that the loss of function in your hands is not permanent. So it seems that retirement just might be the best medicine for you. It's good to have you back my friend.
Oh @Gloria Mitchell you definitely have a cuddler there. How old is your furbaby? He/she looks so tiny.
I have a 9 pound Chorky that just turned 5 on the 18th. This is my Izzy, and he is now a certified service dog.
I know he looks big, but it's all hair. He's learned a new trick. I have a 5x7 area rug in the hall, and Izzy will start at the farthest point he can get to in the house, and then he runs as hard as he can until he hits the rug. Him and the rug will slide down the rest of the hallway. I souldn't have laughed, now he thinks it great fun to make mommy put it back where it suppose to be.
Radar...I once again asked Radar ...do you wsnt a bath? He turns looks at me then heads to his bed in another room.He does thst everytime...lolol
I'm lucky in that regard. I can't clip Izzy properly, so it off to the groomer's he goes about every 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the weather. This is him just before grooming.
Good morning friends on a fresh sunny Saturday morning, at least here it is.....I didn't sleep well but after a few coffees I will be OK I am sure I will do some tidying up in the garden, and relax with a beer on the terrace later if the sun stays out ........ Have a good weekend... Woman grinding coffee (Van Gogh) Drinking coffee Perfect peace