Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Part 2

Okay, I should be thankful that we have a hotel room and we are not stranded in an airport but I still want to scream.  I was on hold yesterday for almost two hours trying to rearrange flights after ours was cancelled by the airlines.  When the woman told me that Friday was the next available flight I asked her about train or ferry service to Madrid.  She told me that none of the trains were booking tickets.  People had to just show up at the train stations and see what they could get.  People were waiting 13 hours and they were over-selling the trains, which leads to who knows what.  I just started laughing.  I figured this poor woman had probably been yelled at more than once today and what was the point of getting upset.  So here we are stuck until Friday if all goes well in a very tiny hotel room.  Of course A, thinking of only herself was trying to arrange some more time with her friends which lead to a serious argument.

They have wireless in the lobby so I'm going to try and work from here since the journey via public transport would take about 2 hours.  There is the most pain in the ass guest here.  I just listened to him give the waiter a ten minute monologue on how his tea was not strong enough and now he is giving the desk staff a list of five things that are wrong with his room.  That same waiter, seeing me set up shop in the lobby came over and asked me if I'd like a cup of coffee as I work.  Like an angel from heaven, he just brought it over.

So much to write about from last week so I'll have to catch up later.

Leaving Isn't So Easy After All

It's been a mad rush to get everything done for the move.  We are once again without home and without car and this should be relaxing as we prepare to fly out of Heathrow tomorrow but we just got the message that our flight has been cancelled.  Stay tuned.

Is it April Fool's Day?

One of my colleagues said yesterday that every day this week when he's gone to the BBC website to read the headlines the lead story has made him wonder if it is April 1st.  I agree.  All flights are cancelled in the UK because of volcanic ash from Iceland???

I also couldn't believe that last night was the first televised debate between the candidates for Prime Minister.  The first?  When I shared my amazement with a colleague, he made it sound like the reason they haven't done that in the past was because they've seen the U.S. elections become a beauty contest because ot if.  I think I'll ask around and get a second opinion on that one.

Pub Lunch

The weather was gorgeous last Friday and so I went to lunch at our local with a few colleagues. I wanted to take a few pics to remember this place. Standing at the bar my eye is always drawn to these frames that contain old ticket stubs and always to the David Bowie ticket stub.

They have a lovely little courtyard perfect for sunny days.

What's This?

There’s some road work happening on the main road to work in the mornings. H has been taking me so he can have the car and the road work always has us stopping in front of this house. What is this head hanging outside their front door?

Last Day on the Farm

A. promised that she would come out and work at the farm last Saturday. I was surprised that she made those arrangements as it would be her last Saturday in Buckinghamshire and figured she’d be hanging out with friends. However, she does love being there. The first time I picked her up from the farm she explained what she ate for lunch that day by saying, “Mom, we had eggs and sausage for lunch and it was the best sausage you’ve never tried”. They make it there at the farm, so she has requested that I buy some since, and yes it is good.

Friday night she started whining about going to the farm because she was tired and didn’t want to spend the whole day out there. Saturday morning she whined some more and when we got in the car, she said to me, “Can’t we just go there, I’ll hide in the car and you can explain that I couldn’t make it today, you buy the sausages, and then we’ll come home?” I had to laugh because the idea of NOT going there was out of the question all because of the sausages.

It was a beautiful sunny day on Saturday and once she got there she was happy she didn’t change her mind. I did buy the sausages, brought them home and H made sausage and peppers for lunch, and of course left plenty for A.

My Header Pic

I thought it was only fitting for my last week in England that my shoe make another appearance.  I took that yesterday and at that moment I was walking on the crosswalk (aka zebra crossing) near Abbey Road Studios.  More on that later...

Abbey Road has been my go to stress record the last few years.  Every time I listen to it and hear the words "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make", I smile, partly because I'm thinking about this SNL clip.  Mid-way into this I laugh out loud every time.  Enjoy!