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February 2014
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April 2014

March 2014

London

we are now in our house in london. it was a long journey to get here and a huge shock to my poor feet. i only had sandals when i got off the plane. i am adapting to a huge change in weather, from summer to early spring in one day. didn't seem to bother me when i went from winter to summer in one day. it is early spring and the daffodils and forsythia are blooming but the leaves on the trees are still not happening. we are getting some days of warm weather and then it's cold and rainy.. like springtime in seatte too.

our house is really nice with three floors and three bedrooms. the kitchen has a glass roof with a little garden outside.

we walk 10 minutes to the tube and 15-20 minutes to the village of Crouch End.. true name. it has lots of shops, grocery stores, and places to eat. we have no car here and walk everywhere. after all our car karma in South Africa we are ready to walk. i am not sure i mentioned car trauma, but just take it from me, it is good to not have one.

i went to downtown london yesterday and it took me a half hour. .. not bad.

we have friends here and that has been so wonderful. jeremy and arshia have been friends of connie's for 30 years. they are both doctors working for the national health system. jeremy is the best tour guide you could ever ask for. he knows so many facts and never gets lost. he could be a great taxi driver if he quits his day job. their kids are leo and amy and we love spending time with them. connie's neice also lives here with her husband and we are so happy to have them here. we have been alone for three months mostly. (we had sean and jean for three weeks) so having people around will be great. plus, we will have lots of visitors here. going to be a different experience here.

 

i will take more pics here and let you know what we are up to. connie went to cambridge today for a conference. up early and walked to the tube and then the train.. a different commute.


 


Eureka

If you look to the left at the top, you will see that there is a new tab. It is called photo albums!! I only have one album to try it out. I will continue to add pictures of our adventures. I am so thrilled! I have struggled with trying to show pictures all along. My friend, John, can tell you how hard it's been. I have been trying to make a tab for the books I am reading. I have so much time to read, I am flying through books and want to share them here. I couldn't find a way to do that but did find this photo album tab.

If anyone knows how to add books, let me know. In the mean time, I will be adding some albums from the last few months.

We will be leaving Cape Town on Sunday. I will be so sad to leave. I have loved being in our apartment. I have become fascinated watching the tugs pull in the container ships. I even went down to the waterfront and looked over the tugs. If there had been someone on board I would have asked all about it. I also love the boats coming and going, the cruise ship that leaves on Friday and comes back on Saturday... where does it go?

I have learned to get around by bus and have my own bus pass. I have walked miles and miles to the waterfront, downtown and to the little grocery store.

I have seen the markets and the museums and the gardens. I have made friends with the neighbors and the dog next door. I have loved the sunshine and the summer warmth..

so now it's time to move on. Not a hardship, when you know you are going to London. I am hoping that springtime has arrived, though. I really look forward to exploring all the textile places I have read about. I will be there for the spring blooms in the gardens. We have many friends coming to visit and my daughter, grandson, and granddaughter. That wil be so wonderful.

So be patient while I load pictures and stay in touch for more adventures.

 


Having Time

when i was 18 i got married. it's a long story and not important here, but the point is, being alone. i married a man (boy) in the navy. one week after the wedding we moved to cocoa beach, florida. one week later he was flown to hawaii where his ship was. therefore, i was 18 and alone in a state where i knew one person. he was a man that my dad knew, not someone for me to hang out with.

so back to the point..i am again alone in a place where i know one person. this is the first time since i was 18 that i am alone. if you have never been anywhere that you didn't know anyone you can't imagine the feeling. but it is very strange. this time the one person is a neighbor that i see daily. i always let her know where i'm going that day. just so someone knows.

this is also a time of not working. strange to have time. i just spent 10 minutes watching the neigbors dog play with a lime. he thought it was a ball until he bit into it .. he is quite entertaining. only 8 months old and comes to visit me every couple of hours. i miss my dog a lot, so this is welcome.

while i was watching him it occured to me that i have time. you know that feeling that there is always something you should be doing. laundry, cleaning, working, gardening, etc.. the list goes on and on. and there is the errands... groceries, post office, library, drug store... you know. but here i don't have all that to do. i have time.

am i bored? people always ask that and i think connie is worried that i would be bored alone. (maybe because she thinks she would be). people think if you don't work and have a schedule you will be bored? don't you miss the babies? don't you miss work? aren't you lonely?

i am not bored!!! i am thrilled. i can spend 30 minutes watching the ships in the harbor, hours reading, stitching, knitting. i listen to a book on tape while stitching or knitting. i have watched two movies on my ipad. i can think. i can think about my life or my future but mostly i can just watch the thoughts come and go and be here.

i have always loved those days when i am home and don't have to go anywhere. now i have to make myself get up and go out. i wnat to see the city, but i have to walk most places. i have finally gotten a bus pass and now i just have to use it. but it's the getting out that's hard. i love not having to go anywhere. going out alone is the only time i wish for someone else to be here.

it's a gift to be alone, it was when i was 18 and now again. i am totally content.