Living the Dream?

Here in Miami for a few days, we had made a list of things we wanted to do and see.

We woke to blue skies and, for us, warm temperatures.  As we drove, we passed joggers, dog walkers, power-walkers and cyclists.  Just what would it be like to live here?

What would appeal more, city or beach?

Modern or Deco?  We thought we’d take a look at South Beach Art Deco today.

Aaaagh!  For heavens’ sake.  The traffic!  The parking!  (there appears to be nowhere at all to park a car!) 

Oh, we just couldn’t be doing with this, driving round nose-to-tail in a total traffic jam, looking for a parking space (just like everyone else).

At least there’s a pedestrian shopping mall nearby (with a multi storey car park) so we can stretch our legs and have coffee.

Actually, along here are modern apartment blocks right there on the ocean – South Beach looks pretty nice.

Well, it would be nice if we could see the ocean too!   Those apartment blocks are side by side, right along here and form a canyon-like feeling to the road.  Yes, I could imagine living here…but only if I had an ocean facing apartment.  Who wants to live above a busy road with traffic 24/7?

The beach might be nearby, but I was staggered by the number of apartment blocks which are cheek by jowl all over this part of the city.  All of those people – and all of that concrete – I think it would drive me crazy.

The behaviour of at least one local suggests that I’m not alone!  (He did that wheelie right across the road junction)

The sunny weather would be nice, wouldn’t it?  Or?  Maybe the summer heat would get a little much, especially when radiated from all that concrete.  And I’m not sure I could be faffed about applying sunblock all the time, even though it’d be an essential daily task.

As we returned to our car this evening in a vast parking lot (yes, we resorted to the remote unlock to see which car flashed), we thought of home.

You see, the Moon and Venus were high in the sky, as they were a month ago when I took the same picture from our sitting room window.  Yes, it’s fun being in Miami.  Of course, we love travelling and are having a great time here and yes, it’s ever so cold at home, we are told. 

Slowly, though, we’re getting ready to be back.

Yes, Crisy, it was hard to leave Explorer after such a great time.  Rick, we were delighted to have you along, if only in the virtual sense.  But I‘m glad to say that we already live the dream in my opinion and after another couple of days of good times here, meeting with friends we can look forward to being at home in Gloucestershire and to anticipating our next adventure!

I hope you’re coming too?

No pain, no gain.

I realise I don’t really deserve sympathy here, but I’m at that stage of going away when I sit back and wonder, wouldn’t it be easier to stay at home?  I’m sure my friend Marg is thinking the same thing, because she too is packing to fly off and escape the joys of January in England.

 

Our fun started yesterday, when having changed beds and gathered up every bit of laundry I could find, our washing machine decided to spew water everywhere.  Thankfully, it stands on a tiled concrete floor and there was nowhere for the water to go – I just had to mop it up a few times.  Timing or what?

All day, I was starting to build small heaps of stuff to take with me.  Art kit, chargers, camera stuff.  That little gold bag was a £20 bargain found in JL on Saturday; my reward for braving the crowds I suppose.  Perfect.

So leaving my hero in charge of the ironing (his, not mine!) I attended to all those things which I usually attend to.  Watering houseplants, and of course, checking the contents of the fridge.

We’ve not been shopping for a week, so it’s slim pickings: a bag of mangetout, a small bag of salad, about two glasses of juice and more than a dozen eggs.  Guess we’re having omelettes for lunch then!  Everything else has a sell by date after we’re back and stuff like milk and cheese can be used by our housesitters.

So I went upstairs to begin the worst bit.  Packing.  Or rather, deciding what to take.  I did as I usually do and turned on the TV, for that rare treat (?) of watching daytime TV.  I timed that one well too, didn’t I?

Eeeuwww… it was about the standards of hygiene in hotels and someone was taking swabs and telling stories about what they’d found in various bedrooms.  Not good viewing for a time like this.  (I packed a disinfectant spray!)

Fortunately, it was soon time for Homes under the Hammer and Wanted Down Under and my hero and I were both shouting at the TV “Don’t go!!”   (but they did…they won’t last, though!)

I know that my list isn’t working when there’s something like “anything else” on there…what use is that?!  Hopeless!

Anyway, at last I have two suitcases packed.  One for our first jolly, one for the second part, after which I’ll sort out my things for the third.  With destinations ranging from metropolitan downtown to tropical rainforest and a busy schedule of activities to look forward to, I’d tried to think of every eventuality and planned what to take accordingly.  That was when Mary warned us that right now, LA is cold and wet.  Hmm.  Better take a couple of additional layers then.

How are we doing with the weight then?   Oooh, easily within the limits!  Are you impressed?  (I’m surprised!)

With a copy of our itinerary on top of each piece of luggage, I’m done.  Ready to go.

(a couple of hours later)

I have steered clear of those suitcases, because I know that every time I pass them by, I will be tempted to squeeze in one more thing.  They are now closed and locked and we’re headed for LHR overnight, ready to fly tomorrow morning.

See you in LA!

In my haste

to post a photograph of that magnificent sky the other evening, I failed to notice the other detail in the sky.

Because up there, just in the shot is another little feature.  Well, not so little actually, because today I discovered it’s Mars.

Ooooo.

I don’t think I’ve ever linked to The Sun before, but on this occasion, it seems an apt reference to make.

All wrapped up

There’s something satisfying about tying the ribbon and putting the wraps on the story of December 2016.  Though I’d really finished it a couple of days ago, it was only this afternoon that I cleaned up a couple of pages and put the finishing touches to it and declared it complete.

I’d say it’s “comfortably stuffed”, to use a phrase I always attribute to a dear and long departed WI Craft Judge from Cheshire, who trained with me and who had the most delightful way with words.  Please note too, the pristine and rather swanky new cutting mat which Bettine gave me for Christmas.  I’m a lucky girl – it’s a full A1 size and with inches on one side and centimetres on the other, it fits the bill perfectly.  I’ll try not to drill holes it!

I kept my journal pretty simple this year.  I was going to write more but decided to stick to the visuals in here and write the stories in my Project Life album, which I keep more to myself.  My Christmas journals – and this is #14 – are in a large picnic basket and are often enjoyed by friends and family when they are here.  It’s always fun to look back and remember.

One thing is always staggering: How quickly the month passes and how the non-Christmassy events of the first few days soon morph into the full blown “most wonderful time of the year”.  So the month begins with a meeting on what turned out to be one of the few frosty days.

I try to identify what makes this particular year different from the others whilst still alluding to our own family traditions.  When Edward and Amy told me they had bought their first Christmas tree then, I decided to make some straw stars for them and sew them some Christmas napkins for their dining table.  Another page done!

This year, I chose to make my book 6 inches square for no other reason than I had a 6 inch square pad of cute paper I wanted to use.  It meant that I could print some full page pictures quite easily, then.

Not all the full page photos are mine though, and where I came across a catalogue or magazine photo I liked, it was trimmed to size and included too.

Of course the photograph on the 6th was the same as every year: Paddington and Aunt Lucy, “dressed in Holiday Style” for St Nikolaus.

And so the pages continue.  I didn’t preplan or prepare at all, but took each page as it came, feeling quite pleased when the end result turned out ok.

I finished with one last tradition – a memory of a Christmas past.  This year, it was a photograph of my Grandparents and I at the Christmas dinner table in a local hotel on the outskirts of Hull.  In 1967, I believe my Aunt thought it was getting too much for Nan to cook Christmas dinner for the whole family and I expect neither she nor my Mum were willing to take on the task.  So, a table was booked for a dozen or so and there we were, not looking very happy, I’ll admit!  But what I notice is that each year I have to look a little harder for a different photograph to include, because not only do I have just a few, there are no more where that came from.  For some reason, it struck me this year that the photographs I have of those days and those people are the only ones there will ever be and though the pictures I have in my head might be as clear as they always were, sadly they can’t be placed into a journal.

I think December 2016 might be a little more fully recorded.  I note that I took 507 photographs last month, not all of them are in the journal though!

Now, where were we?

Half way through a blog post about being a parent, actually, but life (and maintaining personal privacy) got the better of me and though I haven’t consigned it to the recycle bin, I’ve given up for now.  Suffice to say that it was an absolute delight to be asked to do an 11pm pick up again after all these years, especially amusing since it wasn’t after some school event but dinner with a Cabinet Minister

Being a parent never stops being wonderful, does it?

Appreciation was expressed in the form of kitchen duties over the weekend, including a little bottling.  Needless to say, we did need to maintain quality control, so sampling was mandatory.  The 2016 vintage sits in the storeroom thanks to our sweet sloe-collecting friends, quietly steeping for a year or two until it reaches similar perfection.

We’ve been enjoying the most amazing weather in the last few days.  I never mind the low temperatures if we can have these clear blue skies and sunshine.

A day in London with friends started in such bright sunshine at the V&A, to see the Opus Anglicanum exhibition and ended in the darkness of Bond Street, where I enjoyed a walk around to do a little window shopping.

No angels here, but lovely arches of peacock feathers, elegant and very effective.

I thought the tiny vignettes in the Tiffany windows were really lovely.

Way more classy than the Selfridges offering this year, showing Santa on his holidays.

I liked the Fenwicks style too, traditional but effective, don’t you think?

So yes, with the arrival of December and our first Crafternoon at the village pub, making Christmas wreaths, I guess we’re into the season of Advent around here.  I’m doing my best to savour the days, to enjoy time at home and to make the most of the odd hour here and there in my studio, making and doing what we do at this time of the year.

Thankfully, that includes going out and having fun with friends as well!