Fashion advice from a 3 year old and other rambling thoughts

It is odd to think that Ayr was once a wonderful beach resort in its day!  We do have a beach, but after living 10 years on the Miracle Strip in Florida, this is not a beach I can get excited about!  However, it is nice to go for a walk on the beach or just to park and watch Mother Nature when she is in a bad mood!  For some reason, this year we have had loads of high winds and damaging storms.  It is amazing to sit and watch the huge waves, until it is either too scary or the road is closed!

Ayr does offer some interesting events to attract people to visit.  One I was looking forward to was the ploughing contest!  I have been to two horse ploughing contests and they were beautiful and fun to watch.  The horses are what I have always considered Budweiser Clydesdales!  Where I grew up, these were not common sights, only when Budweiser was doing something special. Or you could go visit them at their stables in the brewery in St. Louis.

There is a clue though in why I did not get the experience I expected.  This was a "ploughing contest"  nowhere did it say horse ploughing!

This is what I expected to see, but I must have missed the demonstration of this one team.  There are usually fields and fields of these on a horse ploughing contest day.

This is what actually was going on - antique tractors ploughing.  And it looked like a deadly serious challenge between farmers. Certainly not set up for tourists.  Alan and I didn't stay long.

My first Spring flower, wish I could remember what I planted last year!

A nice treat before I left for work!

 

Corbyn was really excited about his new shoes and really wanted this track suit to go with it.  Who could resist? He was also desparate for a football to go with the outfit.....I didn't get the connection until the next morning. Corbyn says this is his football training outfit and he needs that football!

While I was getting ready for work this same morning, I told Corbyn we needed to go downstairs to get my jeans. He offered to help me and located a pair of trousers for me to wear instead. I told him they would not match.  He responded by saying "Look in the mirror"  so I did and it looked fine.  Is he a budding new fashion advisor or does he just have a very stylish mother who has influenced his good taste

Good times with Grandma Simmons before bed, in his toasty pyjamas.

Corbyn and his grandfather playing with the Thomas train set.  They built those little sheds in the background. 

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.Coco Chanel

Dollars and sense

Written previously when I had given up hope of any decision!  - No decision yet as to what we are going to do in May!  Alan did cancel the Michael's Inn reservations because we are definitely not going anywhere near Canada.  Oh well, that is always on the cards, Toronto is easy to get to from here.

The need for me to go home is very strong and that is now the direction where we are headed!  And I had to take back a lovely offer from my Mom.  As soon as we booked the New England trip, Mom said why not let my niece, Candi, have the timeshare in Florida?  I was delighted and contacted her immediately.  She was so excited......about a week later - I had to contact her and ask for it back!  I am so lucky to have a family that loves and understands me. She was fine about it and has reassured me that next year would actually be better for them to use it.  Whew!  So it does look like a sure thing that we will spend some time in one of my "home towns"!!  The remainder of our planning has had to center on this.

Since I never posted this, what follows is the next "chapter"!

My original idea was too ambitious.  I suggested flying to Washington DC to visit Alan's cousin, Alex, then drive to Raliegh to see my cousin, Mary.  Next, drive to Atlanta to spend time with Candi and Roxanne, two of my very special nieces.  Then drive to Fort Walton for the timeshare.  And a big treat of New Orleans before going home. As they say on the commercial - Simples.

Of course, this could not possibly work out, it was too simple and uncomplicated.  The main killer of this idea was a visit to Largs Travel, where David, the owner, explained that although it looks as if there is no drop off fee for a one way car rental, it is actually in the small print. And he found it - $700!

Then came a week or so of emails, phone calls, conferences and tears (well no tears, but it was a tough time), trying to find an alternative.  As we are doing this, the flights are becoming a bit more and more expensive.....

One way car hire was still on the cards - David then advised us that each manager where you get the car will determine what to charge for one way hires. So I got my niece in Atlanta to contact Thrifty.  And the real bad news - no one way AT ALL to anywhere but Pensacola, FL.  Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Pensacola, but it never was on our itinerary. 

So last night, at 8:30 pm Jim and Jennifer arrived to make final decisions about driving one way from Atlanta to New Orleans and once again, this could not happen.  None of us were going to leave the room until something was decided.  Eventually, it was decided to fly into and out of New Orleans and drive up to Atlanta first, ending in New Orleans. Finally, a decision.

We did not book this though because we want all 4 flights on the same ticket and Jennifer had to wire Alan money to do it today.  I left for work thinking everything was rosy!

Of course not!  Since making the decision to land and leave from NOLA, the prices skyrocketed and this was no longer an option.  So another round of emails and phone calls and voila -
after a very painful and enlightening few weeks, who would have thought things could be so complicated, we have booked our flights!

This has been an epic struggle getting the timings, cars, costs, flights, etc to work out.  Now we can begin to relax and look forward to quality time with family and fun in the sun! 

What good friends Jim and Jennifer are. The struggle was not with them  but with the world economy, details, strange costs that appeared when we were trying to do something we thought was simple, you name it, it hit us!  The four of us were a very good team working around our needs and ideas and reality!

Diligence is the mother of good fortune.
Benjamin Disraeli

unexpected and very welcome obstacles!

After searching and trying and discussing and losing hope of ever finding an affordable and agreeable New York hotel, we got a lifeline in the form of an email from British Airways!  It was sent to inform us the return flight for our trip was cancelled!  Why was this a lifeline?  Because we all were having second thoughts as to the expense of this trip.  Thanks to the terms and conditions, we were able to cancel the whole thing!  I know that seems rather drastic, but we were all delighted with this sudden turn of events and will do more research when we do find another trip to plan!!

So far, we have not cancelled Michaels Inn at Niagara Falls, but we can if need be. Who knows what will be around the corner? I am torn between trying to go home and visit family, or going on a cruise to either Venice or on the Hurtigruten cruise along the Norway coast. http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/norway/
In fact, the Hurtigruten cruise would be my first choice, but probably not Jim and Jennifer's.  I think after all the ups and downs and cancelled plans (most of them by me) we need to take into consideration what they might want to do!

Alan and I are researching various options, but I am being pulled home, really....

Watch this space, who knows where we will end up!


“We are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.”~ Carson McCullers

On the way to Edinburgh

Although I have lived in Scotland for 26 years, I will always be a tourist at heart, so I jump at the chance to go anywhere, whenever I have the chance! 

This weekend was incredibly busy due to it being my birthday and my son, Martin, coming up from London.  Oh no, not for my birthday though!  But for a big Ayr United vs Kilmarnock football game.  It was just lucky that I got to see him and spend some time with him on my birthday!   (Ayr United lost, but apparently, they held their own pretty well.)

Poor Martin arrived on Friday night, actually Saturday morning, went to Glasgow for the game on Saturday, then had to squeeze in one hour playing with Corbyn.  No visit home is complete without quality uncle/nephew time!  I was lucky enough to also be at Whitney's because of her burned fingers.  Strange connection?  Well, I had to do the dishes for her and get Corbyn ready for bed.  I felt very privileged to see those two guys enjoying each other's company so much. I might miss Martin terribly, but I feel most sorry for Corbyn because he really, really loves his Uncle Martin and Martin really, really loves him.

Then Martin was whisked away to have dinner with Alan and me, then he met his friends.  He looked exhausted when I left him at the train station in Glasgow on Sunday.

Yes, I travelled with him to Glasgow.  Not as silly as it sounds though, I was on my way to Edinburgh to spend the night with my friend, Cathy.  I was to be at a training course in Edinburgh for 10am and this was a real bonus! 

I have to admit that I always cry when I say goodbye to Martin, sorry but I just can't help it.  However, on my way to Queen Street Station, I could hear bagpipes and drums. They sounded amazing and really cheered me up.  It looked like they were only selling a CD, I couldn't see anyplace to give a donation, but I did take a picture or two.  I am very grateful to them for being exactly where I needed them to be to put a smile on my face!

I had a fantastic dinner with Cathy, celebrating my birthday, again!  What fun to have a weekend birthday and great friends and family to share it with!

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is too early for jokes

While driving my grandson, Corbyn, to his childminder on Friday, I asked him to tell me a joke. I have done this for years now, and considering he was only 3 on Monday, you might wonder what sort of jokes Corbyn tells.  For awhile, he never responded to this - mainly because he could not talk! So I would say "Tell me a joke" and he would look at me.  One day, however, I asked Corbyn to tell me a joke and he responded by saying "Joke".  Not bad for a little kid!  So I am used to Corbyn saying Joke whenever I ask him to tell me a joke.  But on Friday, after I asked him to tell me a joke he said "It is too early for jokes, I will tell jokes tomorrow!"   Quite a leap from "joke".

I didn't actually see Corybn "tomorrow" since we were busy with other things - mainly helping Whitney get ready for his birthday party on Sunday.  Corbyn stays with his daddy Friday night and Saturday day, so it was easier to do this with him not around!  We got fabulous helium balloons at Jac's Balloons in Ayr, one number 3 and one big Buzz Lightyear!  Whitney also requested the Ranch tortilla roll ups I discovered on the Pillsbury website. These are absolutely delicious and I never remember them - Whitney does though!  In addition to this, I made 73 tiny cupcakes and put a little arrangement together on a tray, this was fun and a real hit at the party. In fact, Corbyn hand-picked a cupcake and presented it to each individual guest! 

But before that, Jim and Jennifer came over Saturday night for a quick pizza and maybe to book some hotels for our trip.  Now I remember why I pulled the plug on us going to New England for the Fall, too expensive. I know I have said that before!  We literally spent hours looking at our laptops and maps and could  not even find one hotel or little apartment we could either afford, or agree on, or both.  It was a bit depressing and I think we were all wishing we had looked at the cost of hotels before committing ourselves to this trip.  We have even made the painful decision to only stay 2 nights in New York, instead of the 3 we had originally planned.

Eventually, we gave up on New York, our first stop and went on to Niagara Falls. We were luckier here.  Alan and I discovered Michael's Inn the first time we were there and knew it was affordable and a good location. And we got a booking there for about £35 a night, each!  Phew!  So we are staying there for 4 nights!  Will do day trips to Toronto, Niagara on the Lake and what ever else tickles our fancy.  It felt good to at least have this under our belts.http://www.michaelsinn.com/

Our mission has been to locate other hotels, etc, on our own and possibly discuss over the phone.  Plus, Alan's cousin in Washington suggested contacting runs Largs Travel.  Alan has done this and it might be very helpful for us.  At least a bit of guidance, and more knowledge about what is good and what to avoid, will help us have a better vacation!  http://www.largstravel.com/

My friend, Gina, is also very familiar with Boston, because she often goes there to visit her daughter.  She has given good advice too.  Every little bit helps when you do not have a clue about somewhere. 

Alex also very kindly invited us to stay with them when we are in Washington DC! So that will not only help with the pocket book, but will be fun too! Alan and I have stayed with Alex and Mindy before and they are wonderful hosts!  So we are really looking forward to seeing them again and meeting their daughter! (actually, I think we met their daughter when she was really, really small. But she is 16 now, so it will be a very different person we meet!)

The trip seems to be shaping up a bit and is beginning to seem like a good idea!  Let us hope that continues!

Let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations. - Ryunosuke Satoro

Here we go again!

Well there is no time like the present to start a new travel blog!  So what if the trip is not planned to begin until May 18.  We have booked the tickets and the clock is now ticking! 

If you have read my blogs in the past, you must be familiar with the painful and painstaking way we plan a trip when we go with Jim and Jennifer!  And it honestly is worth the pain (and time). 

I have resurrected the travelling obstacle course title for two reasons:  1.  I haven't exhausted all four seasons yet!  2.  I personally, have been the obstacle course for 2012 trip planning this year and am very grateful to Jim, Jennifer and Alan for not wringing my little neck! 

2012 was the year we were going to Alaska!  This has been on the cards for a few years, we have done two cruises to the Caribbean but Alaska was always in the radar.  We even got my niece's family onboard (no pun intended) to go with us.  Fantastic!   (ultimately that didn't work either!)                            

 Jim and Jennifer came over a few weeks ago armed with laptops and maps and ready to push the send button to book the cruise and flight.  However, I got all sentimental about missing Whitney's birthday and stopped them from going ahead.  They left a bit confused and confounded, but not angry in any way.  I was sobbing because Whitney had made me feel awful. 

But then she and I talked about it, and she would have been out with her friends anyway since it is a Friday night and her son, Corbyn, stays with his Daddy on Fridays.  Who felt awful for a different reason?  Yes, me, again. 

In the meantime, Jim and Jennifer are ready and willing to go somewhere and they are good travelling companions.  But Alaska had lost its allure for me, not too sure about Alan.  I know he is desperate to go, especially after watching the David Attenborough tv program about it.  After my experiences of breezing by islands in the Caribbean, I am too afraid to commit myself to what might be a mediocre experience in Alaska.  I want to LIVE and FEEL Alaska and I can't see that happening with a cruise. 

We had discussed doing a "circle" of New England last year, and it was me again that stopped that.  I felt it would be too expensive to go during the Fall season.  We don't know the area and that would be the height of tourist season.  But this trip came up again and we decided to go for it and it sounds like it will be a wonderful experience, although probably as expensive as Alaska would have been.....

Last night, Jim and Jennifer came over again, armed with laptops and maps....again.  We found reasonable flights and I sort of zoned out.  I am not a very detail oriented person and once the major decision has been made, I start looking at other "fun" stuff, like New York Yankees baseball schedules!! 

This morning as I woke up, I realized we were flying home on June 4th, a Monday.  This is the beginning of 2 days off in the UK, for the Golden Jubilee celebrations.  and we were flying back on Monday morning, to arrive home at about midnight.  Why?  I know Jennifer thinks it will help with jet lag, but I think it might be the same or worse. Plus we would have been worried about getting up early enough, like 3am, to get to the airport, not had a quality evening, when we could have been on the plane already, and so on.

I leaped out of bed, sent emails all around, phoned Alan and Jennifer, and at this very moment, she is at our house, once again armed with her laptop so that they can change flights within the 24 hour grace period and get us on the plane home on Sunday. 

I need to make a resolution to pay more attention to all details, voice my feelings sooner rather than when it might be too late and be extremely grateful that those 3 people are blessed with a multitude of patience when it comes to me!

How beautiful a day can be? When kindness touches it! - George Elliston