MY "ADVENTURES N ENGLAND, SCoTLAND & WALES" TRIP REPORT; AUG '14 (W/ PICS & VIDEO)

[knewton64]

Got 2 funny ones from the heart I thought I would share:




A Couple of weeks back, Ladybug
& I are out & about a jogging around our local park when suddenly we chance upon a rather large pond.

Now keep in mind it's 6 am in the morning with the temps hovering around 36 degrees as we can hear the soft "QUACK- QUACK" noise getting louder and louder the closer we get to the pond.

It's just barely still night out and all we could see are the shadowy little black dots of the ducks bobbing up and down in the water.

So here I am thinking / debating on whether of not to introduce her to the wacky world of birds (she has never seen one before) as we are getting closer and closer to the edge of the pond.

Suddenly, 'Bright me' gets an idea
to go ahead and let her see the Ducks and off we went to the edge of the Pond.


not realizing that there had to have been an overhang of land protruding out over the water, Ladybug & I accidently litterally walked upon and promptly scared up (my best guess) approx 300 Mallard Ducks!!

My reaction??


LADYBUG'S REACTION??


After she fell back into me, she recovered and made a quick bee-line for the water.......


Okokokoko......I will admit I was at first wanting to jump in after her (fearing for her safety) but I soon realized to let her be.


THANK GOSH the birds got the jump on us via the element of surprise -


Ladybug got what she wanted......

and me??


I wound up with a cold, wet and smelly Dog in my car on the way back home!!
- (we have since then graduated up to now jogging to and from the park) -





Hmmmmm......now did I learn??




SO here it is yesterday - around 6am and she & I were trying out another newly 'discovered' section of the park for us when outta no where, I kept on hearing what sounded like a wail of a Dog somewhere close by.


It kept of wailing 3 times and then would stop - 3 times and then it would stop......

NOW THAT CREEPED ME OUT
cuz it was dark and all I could see was the dark sillouettes of the trees and that's about it (there is a windy-curvy concrete trail / pathway that winds it way and splits off into a zillion different directions at this park aptly named "Duck Creek Park)."

We keep on walking when suddenly outta no where flies this
THING -


** RIGHT AT US!! **

IMO, the wing span looked huge!!


Ladybug spies this 'intruder' and attempts to grab at her early morning breakfast but misses as it was just a wee bit outta her reach - and flies away.


OR SO WE THOUGHT.



A few minutes later, the mystery got resolved as I realized that the wail sound of from what I thought was a Dog earlier was ACTUALLY AN OWL!!


A FREAKIN' OWL!!



Now that's Pretty dang cool I will admit as we have seen a zillion Mallard Ducks all fly away at once.......

And now an Owl.


About Ladybug??
I am just countin' my lucky stars that she hasn't caught anything......YET.
Just a matter of time though.



ANYWHO -
Toldja those two little ditties to now tell ya this -
With the Scarborough Faire (in Waxachie, Texas) Scottish Highlander games now just a few more weeks away, I thought it makes for some pretty interesting conversation to know that Scotland will be having a vote in October to remain part of England OR to break away from them.

AND LOOK WHERE I WILL BE IN AUGUST -


I will quietly blog aout this as I am out and about in the Scotland area


AND........
this is the 50th aniversary of the Beatles rock group.
Where will I be in August??


** LIVERPOOL **



Gonna be an interesting adventure I can tell.





Holding steady on my weight - so is L.B.'s


I go in to see the Doc in 2 more weeks - will tell ya whats up on my numbers as I really don't wanna follow in the footsteps of Jim Henson's Son.

(FYI- that stinks by the way that we lost him - such a wonderful person with a creative mind).





Allrightee -
Will jump back in n about the March 7th area.






**** T-MINUS 174 MORE DAYS ****




UP NEXT:
Where I will be in 2015







T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers Y'all

 

[knewton64]

........and the Doc likes what they see!!




1) I am
at 203 pounds - which is ok.....needs to be IMO around 195.
FYI - I like to be at 188 pounds right before I go on vacation - this way I can go off on my adventures and really enjoy of the sights and sounds....and food/drink.



ANYWHO - the "official" numbers will be posted (about me) in about 2 weeks once the results come back from the lab.




2) And on a different route, I am 520 hours away (but who is counting?) from enjoying my first taste of "ALL THINGS SCOTLAND" when I boogy on down to Waxahachie, Texas for the Scottish 'Highland Games" at Scarborough Faire. - pics and videos where I can I promise.




THAT AND......................................



****** APOLIGY ALERT ********** APOLIGY ALERT ********
**************************




3) Yes, per what you read on page one & post #1 of my Trip Report, the picture that of my Mothers???? Well....... YES.............. I just found out a few weeks ago while watching a promotional segment on tv about Scotland that YES - THAT'S A PICTURE OF THE HOLYROOD PALACE.

**** oopsie!!!! me bad!! ****



Hey---- I am learning.






4) Now in regards to my quest of a spa retreat while on this adventure, I am still looking. I just found out that I won't have time on my day 4 (Military Tattoo that day while in Scotland) for one, so looks like I will be chilling out that afternoon over some Scrumpy's (hopefully I can find some) and a few munchies at a local pub while visiting the Royal Mile.



Will keep ya posted on this one.

ALright Allright ALL RIGHT - been real. I need to get up off my rear and email Andy (who is over in London) on my arrival days there. Keep yer fingers crossed that we can meet up. Cool guy and yes, can he ever play that piano!!
Andy Johnson - Composer/Songwriter | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AndyJohnsonMusic


Meet him along with "Table 32" while on my DCL Jan 2012 adventures.




OK-ey -----Do=key......cya n a few weeks.





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers Y'all

 

[knewton64]

The NCAA Final Four is now behind me -
YYEEAA!!


Tho I do say it was rather quite 'interesting' to say in the least when I saw on the tv news a CNN anchor say the other day:


"... and congrats to the UCONN Huskies for winning the NAACP Final four basketball Contest...."



Hmmmm...........
My reaction to the above?? = DOH!!



ANYWHO -
We survived also the Duck Commander 500 Nascar race (Texas Motor Speedway)......
(We have been oversold for quite a while at the Hotel where I work at)


Don't misunderstand - luv the $ and all the attention DFW has received recently.......... & now FINALLY, I've
Got a small break in the action as the
ACM's don't get crankin' until this same time next yr & the NCAA Football Championship isn't until early January, etc

so now.........


I can relax a bit and chill out over some Scottish Highland games down n Waxahachie, Texas.
and a movie (yes....I will admit -
I am gonna go see the "Lego Movie"....it was either that or the Muppet Movie)

The fun starts up Friday and runs through Monday.
Will take plenty of pics and video while learning all about the Scottish way of doing things while down at Scarborough Faire -

That and there's bound to be plenty of Scottish Ale and great food there as well.
(may rain this Sunday while I am there) =




ANYWHO -
Just
glad my Cholesterol levels came back (2 weeks ago) from the Doctor's office as a score of 164 with my blood pressure being in the low 110's over / 'x' and my weight is holding at 203.



UPDATES FORTHCOMING -






And finally,
in keeping w/tradition in regards to writing thank you notes to pretty neat people in relation to places that I visit, yes.......


YOURS TRUELY finally got up the courage to write a thank you note to Paul & Ringo.


You know.......
the ones where I will be visiting their musuem when I am in Liverpool in a few more 'hours.'





** 2,800 more hours & I am off 2 London & Scotland.......but who is counting? **







UP NEXT:
Chillin' out while wine tasting @ the Cat & the Fiddle Pub and seeing the sights and sounds of the Highland Games -

@ Scarborough Faire.



and
just what EXACTLY is it that I am will be doing and what places will I be a visitin' while over and across the Pond -






T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

(JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U)

- above video shot while @ Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas April 2014) -
FYI - the band playing is called Tartanic & IMO.....THEY ROCK!!




Had fun earlier in the week (twice) overnight around 3am out jogging and Ladybug & I just had the time of our lives watching the Lunar eclipse for two hours at a time - just FAN Freakin' tasktic watchin' that bugger outta the corner of our eyes as it slowly filled itself in and just lit up & we mean just LIT UP the early am sky.


Even had to take a small break from jogging and marvel at one of the two big ....what.....ponds (?)....but not quiet a lake......ok - I will call it a 'big ol huge pond' that we jog on by as this time it was just ever so slightly filled with fog as the Moon's light literally abasked the water with a shimmering light with a few cluster of Mallard ducks swimming in the background.


Hmmmm.......with that previous paragraph, I think I need to be a romance novelist!




ANYWHO -



Had a lot of fun at Scarborough Faire this past weekend - considering the high humidity Saturday and the pretty nasty downpour of some much needed rain on Sunday. Learned a lot about the Scottish ways of doing things - so without further diddling or dawdling.........


TIME to yak about the Highland Games and such from last weekend & various other 'no good things' I got myself into as well.






UP NEXT:
having fun pairing various hard ciders w/ tart desserts OH MY while @ Scarby Faire
& just what kinds of wines did I taste while @ the Cat & Fiddle Pub?






T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

(some of the fun goings on @ Scarborough Faire; April 2014)





SATURDAY APRIL 12th
Sunny Skies w/high temp of 82



Woke up that day just a chillin' and ready to continue down the road of decompressing from the realties of everyday with today being a pretty neat one:

A trip down to Waxachie, Texas and a visit to Scarborough Faire.


So with 8:15 am now approachin', I said to L.B. (while in my work clothes), that I was off to work, which "STINKS" but I will back later on tonight, etc...........


THEN said our goodbyes and scedattled into the downstiars bathroom .......
TO CHANGE CLOTHES.


OKOKOKOKOK..... I will admit it - I am sooooooo bad .....
But hey, if she sees me in any other clothes OTHER THAN MY work outfits, she throws a fit and ?'s me as if to imply "What is her name and how come I haven't met her??!!"

This way, I keep the peace & I don't get sniffed from head to toe along with a very very inquisitive up and down look when I get back!!




ANYWHO -



So off I scampered on over to my local Subway for some much needed road munchies and from there it was a rather quick 70 minute jaunt down south for the adventure into all things Scotland via Scarby Faire:





(the crowd was in a festive mood)


and -





Some of the outfits just outside the main gates were pretty fun to see:




and -




this little girl's reaction to when the cannone went off was just priceless:






Once inside, I made a quick beedline to the far right of the area and just literally camped out there for the day as everything was there within easy walking distance -


But first, I had to meet these interesting characters:




Who gave me a few tips and suggestions on what I was watching in front of us:

** JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



Can't forget about this one - did pretty well -

** DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER.....Well - ya know **





Now some were quiet colorfull but hey, he did pretty good!





By now, I was getting close to noon & I
Hadn't had any ale down me yet - wanted to see the women play, so after a bit - I was off to see what they were up to:



There was a few from both the Men's & Womens divisions that exceled quite a bit at this - one of which I found out later she practices THREE TIMES A WEEK for this!!


And the things both classes were using - different as I am only used to seeing the shot put or variation of it being used:





But overall, I got the hang of it and really enjoyed myself seeing the spirit of competition but alas, I began to realize that the humidity levels were beginning to creep up a wee bit.


So, that got me ta thinkin' -


TIME FOR SOME DESSERT & ALE - but where??:confused



So, with a quick jaunt n 2 the Cat & Fiddle Pub, I soon left w/a pocketfull of suggestions & boogied on over to the Queen's Food Court and then on over to the Bakery to see what would go good with what u c on the far left:

- (what you see on the far right is what I had with my Rueben & p salad but hey.....that's fer another postin!! - LOL) -



That hit the spot for a bit as I yup, will admit it - liked watching the Games just I wish they would have had some sort of a scoreboard to see whose winning, etc as it was difficult to hear the specifics but hey - overall it was fun seeing what it was all about.
(MY FAV?? Yes, the caber toss that happened on later in the day)




BUT.............
for now.............


the bewitchin' hour is now finally upon me!!



Time a check out the sights and sounds of the Cat & Fiddle Pub and a wee bit of wine tastin'!!





DETAILS COMING UP -






T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS

 

[knewton64]

(love the back of this guy's t-shirt)



.....me taking a small break.





looking at taking a chocolate /wine tasting tour in these next few weeks via 'Dallas by Chocolate.com'





Will keep ya posted.






CYA around May 1st area.





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

Discovered a neat little gem of a tour of Dallas, Texas........



by chocolate.





So, yes - it's official -
So be on the lookout for me to have some fun on this 3 hour tour.
Will book this tour once dates open for for anytime between May 20th-June 10th area.
- (It's from Dallasbychocolate.com) -


More info will follow I promise.
(this is what I get for watching recently the dvd movie, "Eat, Pray, Love.")




One thing is for sure - I have put in a local online order for some Bunratty Honeymeade wine for this upcoming adventure - will take pics and video where I can I promise.




But first - back to some wine tasting back at Scarborough Faire.








T-minus 2,200 more hours & I am off to London & Scotland......but whose countin'?







T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

So here it was, fast approaching 1pm and soon I was back at the Cat & Fiddle Pub enjoying some much needed schooling on "Wine 101" w/our beloved teacher - Flynn









His approach to teaching wine for dummies is so much fun as I enjoyed a listening to him & his assistant while nibbling on assorted cheeses and some grapes that were also just calling my name = YUM!!







and -

** DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U *



Our group consisted of about 15 people w/me sittin' in the back taking in the whole thing just a grinnin' from ear to ear. Having fun & realizing that I liked Pepperjack cheese with my wine.

Grapes were pretty good but overall - I loved the pepperjack cheese.


And out of all the French wines we tasted that day (see earlier posting for their names), I loved the Chateau de Montfort which really surprised me as I noticed it goes IMO great with pepperjack cheese.

But the best one? Hands down the Louis Latour (red wine).








Was having too much when I noticed that out 90 minutes or so was up and it was time for me to work off this wine and cheese while meandering on over to the Queens Court and a date with a Rueben sandwhich and unbeknownst to me, a "run in" with the .....as I affectionatly call her....."the rat lady."



Turning out to be a pretty good day.
loved the wine tasting - Now time to find me a Ruben sandwhich & later.....some tart deserts to go with the Cider you saw earlier.




T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

Ok - so by now my tummy was 'telling' me it was time to fill it, so off I scampered to find me that long elusive Rueben sandwhich I was reading about on their website:



My camera was really acting up (extremely high humidity), so my picture taking capabilities were beginning to come to an end but I did my best.


Of course, a few of those Porters you saw earlier (towards the end of posting #25) went just wonderfully with my potato salad & rueben =




As I was walking around the grounds really enjoying myself, out popped this person:




She intrugued me imensely - I really wanted to leave but her act.....

left me spellbound......
(www.cirquedusewer.com)


& I didn't know why.





**JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **


loved her act, was a wee bit "creeped out" by it but hey - luved it!!


Still one ? still eludes me about her act & sure enuf she DID SAY to the crowd, 'There are two things I bet all of you are wondering......."


I sat there stunned, wondering if she was going to answer the question I was mulling around in my head. I mean, not that I had any 'vested interest' in the answer - but nontheless - the answer had me curious.



I digress.


I totally forgot what was the second thing she said cuz the first thing she said was:

"I bet all of you are wondering if I am married or single."




She never really answered that ?....




AND WITH THAT -




time for me to boogy on off to seeing what Ladybug is up to. See ya in a few weeks - (may pop n b 4 that....don't know) -with more on Yours Truely and this time my chocolate run through the Dallas area. What or who will I run into?? And what things will I be tasting??


(Don't worry, for later on that early evening @ Scarby Faire, I had the ciders with some apple tarts that just couldn't be beat - no pics tho as my camera was acting up).





STAY TUNED -





P.S. Just posted a cute little update on Ladybug
on my Disneyland trip report u c listed below in my signature. Feel free to check it out if ya want.





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

(What arrived in the mail the other day)




Goes great up w/my collection until it goes into use in 1,848 more hours





ANYWHO -

Don't look now but Yours Truely F-I-N-a-L-l-Y joined the 'real' world & got out of my old school 8-gig Ipod and into a pretty fun little Apple 64 gig Ipod Touch.


Got 20 gigs used so far w/2600 songs -
2,400 pics........
and
40 vacation videos


AND.........


DRUMROLL PLEASE.........



I even successfully downloaded my very first APP ('I-Heart Radio' followed by another app called 'Flashlight') some apps onto it as well!!



TOO FREAKIN' COOL!!



and not to be outdone -


WAIT FOR IT......
WAIT 4 IT>>>>>>>>
WAIT FOUR IT................



NOW!!


I even downloaded my first 3 songs off of I-tunes!!



IKNOWIKNOWIKNOW........
& u 4 right!!


I WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO "OLD SCHOOL"



UNTIL NOW -



Hey, the pics u c in this posting???


SHOT OFF OF MY IPOD -



LUV IT!!


I have so fallen in love w/this new piece of technology that I decided to also do something with my (GAG!) 7-year old "Brand X" w/Vista Home Edition software on it as it was also 'slow as heck' 5 million pound old school computer at home and get an upgrade.
(TRY SAYING ALL OF THAT IN ONE GULP OF AIR....LOL)



Upgrade I did w/a Lenovo e545 Think Pad; which comes with: E545 20B20011US AMD Elite 15.6" Windows 7 Professional Business Notebook PC (A6-5350M 2.9GHz, 1TB Hybrid SSD Hard Drive, Windows 7 PRO Laptop, 8GB RAM)



Now in comparison to my 7 year old computer???


WOW!!


Talk about night & day!!



Love both pieces of equipment so be on the lookout for me to be blogging while en route from DFW to Heathrow in a few more weeks and YES.....


Even while on my adventure where I can.




Now if I can 'only' work on getting a cell phone for the very first time....




ANYWHO -



Decided against going to Dallasbycholocate.com since their activities are occupancy driven and their confirmations are less than desirable (You wouldn't know until the last second if the activity is a go or not, etc).

No disrespect to them, just decided to go in a different direction,
So -


just gonna chill out next weekend over watching "Despicable Me2 over some wonderful food & drink at home.



Watched the first one a few days ago = luv those Minons (lol).







And with that,
I am off again to see what else I can do with this Ipod Touch of mine..........


had fun the other day accidently deleting ALL my pictures off of it (Thank Gosh everything is backed up to drive on my laptop)....so had 'lots of fun'
putting all of them back.


Now what's next on my list of learning is this Facebook thingee.....

or is it Facetalk........


Kinda the equiv of Skype -



Will keep ya in tune of my progress towards getting out of the 19th century when it comes to techno gadgets.








P.S.S.

Got one more 4 ya!









T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

(DOUBLE CLICK OVER ABOVE VIDEO W/MOUSE TO PLAY)
video shot while visiting Bunratty Castle; June 2011




C YA N A FEW WEEKS w/what I got up my sleeve for June & July '14 & the answer 4 that long awaited question........

Just what and where the heck am I gonna be in 2015??






** T-MINUS 1,944 MORE HOURS **



T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS







"MY VERY 1ST TRIP 2 WDW / DISNEY WONDER" 01-07-09 to 01-15-09 (w/pics & video)
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2062857
MY ADVENTURES by Disney "Spirit of America" Sept 2009 trip report ...
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2201584

 

[knewton64]

......you tend to get grass kicked n your face.
I learned that one this past weekend as I was literally pickin' grass out of my mouth.

When the incident took place, I looked off to my left and said to Ladybug, "I luv u too."
Mental Note: GIVE DOGS MORE TIME to use the public facilities.
(my lame excuse, we were out jogging & I wanted to get back to jogging asap)


And with that, it has been quite a fast paced last few weeks @ work w/the George Straight concert and now Paul McCartney this weekend festivities but through it all, it's down to 1,500 more hours & I am off to begin this adventure.


NOW -
over on the Disneyland side (December 2014) of my upcoming vacation adventures,
I have now added a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert to it on December 28th @ 7pm - with a 6:30am flight outta DFW to LAX the very next morning.
- So that outta be fun.



& lastly, my Ipod 'woes'
appear to be subsiding as I now have 2,600 songs on my 64 gig Ipod, a few gigs of video, etc & just love it. Gonna take my 350-400 cds now on over to a local Half Price bookstore and finally sell them.
Just took me over 24 hours (over a 9day period of time) to find and upload all the album cover art work for all my songs that didn't have them!! GGGRRRRRRRRR!!



Allrightee - will finally come out next installment & reveal where I will be in 2015.




CYA N A FEW WEEKS -





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[knewton64]

I am inside chillin' out watching my Mannheim Steamroller Christmas DVD while sipping on some much needed Mannheim Steamroller Cinnamon Spiced cider drink (with an extra 'kick or 2' thrown n by Yours Truely) -----


Just puts me now in the mood to now work on transferring what's left in my airline carry -on and now put them into my new one - AKA - my laptop carry on.

I have now over 2.800 songs on my new Ipod and have now gotten used to understanding how to use the things on it - esp all its apps (like Facetalk, etc) as well as all the other apps I have now on it.

And hey....can't forget all the videos I now have on it!:



Got now about 924 more hours to go before this gig officially begins -


Ready to put work behind me - (been vveerryyyy busy these past few weeks) - and move onto this adventure......
meet Andy and all the fun across the pond, etc -


Here he is while working on the DCL Jan '12:

** JUST DOUBLE CLICK WITH YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



Been getting caught up on all things "THAT OTHER AMUSEMENT PARK" (SSSSHHH!!!!!!!!! IT"S UNIVERSAL STUDIOS)
I mean hey.....I've got a "Golden State" adventure coming up shortly so I've gotta do my research ya know??


Will come out shortly on my upcoming Disneyland trip report (you see listed below in my signature) what songs I will have on my vacation related burned cd listen to to & from work in my car.



ANYWHO -

What new words will I learn while across the pond next month??
and
hey....can't forget about "Double Cream" & all those hard ciders = YUM!!




UNTIL NEXT TIME -



P.S. remind me to take some video of what we see while out jogging overnights at Duck Creek Park (love the ponds, the moon & the ducks....combined with the night sounds = wonderull sight 2 c.

THAT AND......


**** HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY ****





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers Y'all

 

[knewton64]

Princess Diana Tribute. Elton John - Candle In ... - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3me1KLDF2s
(one of the many places I will be visiting....Kensington Palace)




.....I have discovered radio BBC Scotland recently (on my Ipod) and have just fallen in love listening to the different programs they offer as well as I seem to also be learning new words -
LIKE:

1) "Pocket Money"
2) "Oar-a-gawn-o" (hey....I thought it was pronounced "Oregano")
3) "behaving like a toad"
4) Loused
5) and we can't forget the British term for "tipsy"....which means TOTALLY different here in the states (starts with a "P").


So, I can see it's going to be fun bringing my Texan accent on over across the pond and chatting with the Liverpudlians & such as I check out the sights and sounds of various places -


Like Cardiff Castle....been hearing that we will be having a meal there AND......


THEY WILL BE SERVING MEADE!!



*** I LUV MEADE !! ****



Hmmmmmmm..... I can tell we "may just have to have" a 'few' late night overnights nibbling on some local chocolates while sippin' on some Meade..........
-(gonna do a few video chats via Facetalk as well while there) -

**** T-MINUS 760 MORE HOURS ****



Weather over in London & Scotland seem just FANTASTIC!! Tempted to wear shorts most of the time.......will decide on this in about 14 more days as I finish packing shortly there after.

(IT'S 101 degrees for a high temp Friday here in Dallas, Texas)





P.S. I am beginning now to build up for my upcoming adventures into Disneyland by getting down to 185 lbs for weight......desire to get to that weight by December 15th.
Also, got a co-worker who has expressed an interest in losing weight as well. He weighs just as much as I weighed last year so keep both of us in mind on this quest that you will see more in depth on my below listed Disneyland blog.




CYA n 14 days





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers Y'all

 

[knewton64]

Decided to jump in & blog a few since a lot has transpired over these last 7 days or so.


Been talking to all the hotels where I will be staying at & seems that they all do not have coin operated 'like' laundry facilities anywhere on property so that just means one thing:
*
*
** THE WORD FOR TODAY IS......."DISCARD" **
(oh where is Weird Al Yankovic's song "Tacky" when u need it?)
*
*
What that means is since the USA to Pound difference is enough to catch my attention - (MAN DO I EVER MISS THE DOLLAR TO EURO RATIO BACK WHEN I WENT TO IRELAND) - I have decided to re-institute that word when I am across the pond and quietly get rid of a few shall we say.....items of discreet clothing once I am done wearing them.
WHY YOU ASK??
*
Because its much cheaper to just buy new ones once I am back in the States rather than send them out via hotel laundry services to have them cleaned.
*

PLUS.......
that just means more room in my suitcase (on the way home) for more souvenirs.




ON A DIFFERENT NOTE,
I am beginning now to see geographically where things are over there in relation to where I will be going (I mean hey.....who knew Christie's and Sotheby's are just blocks apart & I now know where Selfridges is) -

FYI - If I get the chance, I would love to make a brief stop over at Selfridges and.....

Also,
be on the lookout for me to possibly.....& I do stress the word possibly....see a musical while over in London (I will be housed at the Mercure London Bridge Hotel during my stay & it's located in Southwark in South Bank between Blackfriars Bridge & Southwark Bridge. It is within walking distance of the Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Borough Market).
Haven't figured that out just yet but will know more in about 10 days or so - just gotta now get synched up with Andy & his family & c what's up.
(meaning, I may head out to c a musical evening of day 1 of 2 in London, just check out the sights in the West End & grab a bite to eat, etc and / or see what Andy is up to OR just chill out and see him and or his family on day 2 of 2 while I'm in London) - OR BOTH - who knows....will find out in next few days.


And lastly, yes......I have been checking out the weather forecasts for both the London proper & Scotland areas and well.......get a feeling that yes.....6 short sleeve nice shirts and 4 t-shirts for me along with 2 pair of shorts is what I will be packing in my one 26 inch suitcase.
and should I have room left over, yes - I will pack a pair of khaki pants.

Just get a feeling that the weather will cooperate (highs in the upper 70's and lows in the low 50's) with I bet a few days of rain.

So I'd figure I'd rather be comfortable in shorts (should it rain) rather than be miserable in pants while over there having fun.

And yes, I am anticipating a lot of rain while over in Scotland.
It is what it is - I just look at if it's raining & you are in a Disney park.


WWYD??

Way I figure it, HAVE FUN
So until then, here's a little ditty from Weird Al:
(meant for a giggle via YouTube) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=8Gv0H-vPoDc





UP NEXT:


The receiving of the travel documents, last minute packing info & getting Ladybug ready to check into her 'hotel' -



CYA NEXT WEEK



***510 MORE HOURS TO GO & THE ADVENTURE BEGINS ***




T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

Just got off the phone with CIE TOURS.COM (the company I have booked this adventure through), and they have said that my travel documents are being processed this week and then will be mailed out on this upcoming Monday.............YEA!!!!!

Should receive them next time I make a quick blog entry as I now have 288 more hours to go & my adventure begins -




P.S. Just loaded up onto my I-pod some Military tattoo music.....LUV IT


CYA LATE THIS WEEK -





T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

Now wouldn't that be funny if the above was on the Disney's Monorail recording (when u enter or exit it)-


ANYWHO -


Just added Tower of London - (thru VIATOR.COM) - onto my Sunday August 17th full day while in London....
So along with what I have going on with CIE TOURS.COM that day - looks like all is now beginning to fall into place.

Still may have the honor of meeting up with Andy & his entourage during my 2014 Best of Britain 9 Days/8 nights Tour with CIE TOURS. I am keeping my fingers crossed cuz it IMO would really enhance this vacation into even more of a nice adventure.....esp to see it from a standpoint of a local who just really can jam on a piano.


Got 144 more hours and the adventure begins.....






UP NEXT:


THE ADVENTURE BEGINS







T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

.....got all packed......


32.4 lbs of "stuff" in a 26 inch suitcase.........
even packed a seat cushion for the 'Military Tattoo'........


-Got my carry-on all taken care of as well (yes, I have packed my laptop & will blog while over there) -

but
still 'pondering' about whether or not to see "Let it Be" while over in London
(will be about a 2 mile quick cab ride)

or.....just chill out, find a rreeaallll nice restaurant nearby or 'in town'....
Will know IMO literally when I am over there.



ANYWHO -
Ladybug is all taken care of & ready to now get 'checked into' her hotel while I am out.



Been real - gotta boogy 4 now.




UP NEXT:
HEADIN' 4 HEATHROW


**** T-MINUS 48 MORE HOURS & THE ADVENTURE BEGINS ****



T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

.....is defined as when you are supposed to be on vacation (as of yesterday) & all of a sudden, I just got the bug to do some much needed (and lloonngg overdue) spring cleaning of our home.
(I think I must have killed a billion 'dust bunnies')

So,
with Ladybug
now safely checked into her "hotel boutique 4 spoiled & pampered pooches," I just felt like getting our abode a much needed makeover.



From tree & bush trimming, yard cutting to shampooing & steam cleaning the carpets .......fyi - the steam cleaning of the carpets took just a tad bit over 2 hours & yes - can't forget mopping the floors, cleaning the toilets (gheesh!!! did I forget anything??) & lest we forget......cleaning and straightening up the kitchen and running a load of dishes, picking up alllllllll of Ladybug's toys & putting them in a corner while throwing away the really bad ones and keeping the good ones (towels & various other chew toys) &........

putting out for display the Fall front door 'Welcome' decorations.........


.....I finally had enuf of this insanity -(I think my body clock was telling me "I'm up" so i put my bod to good use) -



Checked myself into a pretty good kickin' homemade lasagne and doused it with some much needed red wine afterwards while catching up on a pretty good Disney movie, "The Boys."
Quite an interesting perspective on the Sherman Brothers and how their music shaped all things Disney. Really enjoyed watching it.
Little bit on the sad side but hey - it does explain a lot of things.

Even gave me a heads up / clue on P.L. Travers' reaction to leaving the theater after seeing the Mary Poppins movie premiere ("Looks like we have a lot of work to do!") & Walt's reaction to her reaction:


"Lady, the Ship has already left the harbor."


ANYWHO -

Finally stopped thinkin' about last second things to put in the suitcase cuz it's now time to head off to the airport.

Yes, I get a feeling that what's in store for me while in Europe is good news and How you take it news:

GOOD NEWS: High temps in the low 70's.
"HOW YOU TAKE IT NEWS" == RRRRAAAAIIIINNNNN &&& MMOORREE RRAAIINN


I have a wet shoe packed and two portable umbrellas and am prepared to just chill out and drink in all the sights and sounds of people, places and who knows else what I just may bump into.

Will be blogging daily so that shudnt b a problem. yes, there may b a delay in me getting them posted up here (from my laptop) as well as the pics & videos but no worries.

Life is a journey & I am prepared to just enjoy.



UP NEXT:

MEETING MY FELLOW ADVENTURERS OVER DINNER AND JUST HOW MUCH FUN WAS THE FLIGHT OVER THE POND






T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[PelletierBears]

Hope you've arrived safely and have a wonderful adventure!