Piggy Shoes

We wish we had more time to explore Bath - its buildings, history, parks and people but we are off on new adventures in the morning. 

 Today we did the HoHo bus tour - Hop On Hop Off Tour.  The first one was the scenic view of the city and the guy announcing was great.  Mr. B needed to check his map to make sure the guy had all of his facts straight.  

 Then we took a break and sat near the abbey to listen to live music.  There was also this amazing street performer who never blinked an eye or moved a muscle.  

 

The Roman Baths were next.  I expected touristy but they were pretty amazing.  

 

Guilt bronze head of the Goddess Sulis Minerva - a combination of a Celtic god & the Roman peasant god and was discovered in the 1700's. 

 

Lots of information about the various buildings, temples, hot baths, cold baths, Sacred Springs as well as the findings of coins, jewels, combs, tools and "curses". The Romans would write on a piece of tin about a theft or problem and toss it into the bath which was supposed to help them solve the problem or at least curse the bad guy!

 

There were several groups of small school children learning about the baths today. You haven't lived until you hear little ones with an English accent!  Remember that YouTube video of "Charlie bit my finger"?

After that we decided to take our other HoHo tour within the city. 

 

The Pulteney Bridge with lots of shops inside. 

 

About 3 pm we were getting a little hungry and although it seemed very Tourisy (once again) we walked over to dine at Sally Lunn's were they serve an amazing bun with toppings and with tea.  Boy was it great!  The house is the oldest in Bath circa 1482 and Sally's has been serving her buns since 1680. Mm....we finished it off with Apple Cake & clotted cream. 

 

Walking back to our hotel we poked into a few shops.  Our dinner reservations were not until 8 pm so we didn't want to spend time in our room where we might be tempted to fall asleep so we headed to our back garden to read. Lovely day and a great dinner at The Circus. 

 

Now you are probably wondering about my title if "piggy shoes".......while we were eating breakfast outside near the abbey, there was a young woman hawking magazines and yelling "piggy shoes" nearby.  I finally asked Mr. B the meaning behind this (because he knows so much about history & such).

 He replied "she is saying Big Issue with an English accent."

Pray for me my friends - we have a month to go!

Word of the day - if American fries are called chips in England the what are American chips called?

"Crisps".....of course!

***Bonus Question - Guess who has a home in Bath?  Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood!

Tea Time and Visas

Song - Tea For Two by Yehudi Menuhin & Stephane Grappelli

Yesterday Mr. B and myself went to an interview for obtaining our Visas for traveling to Britain this Spring.

Yes.....we know that you don't need a Visa.......yet.......but with all of the shenanigans that our current President is pulling, there has been talk!  So we didn't want to be trip-less if something should happen in the next few months!

I was both excited and nervous about this portion of the process. We spent hours online filling out our forms and then another few hours pulling together "qualifying documents" like our bank statement, new & old passports, house mortgage, travel plans, plane reservations, etc.

I anticipated that we would be shown into the UK Embassy and we would talk with a friendly person  of British decent and cute British accent and we might be served tea sandwiches or sweets......but surely some proper English tea!

We would pour over all of the paperwork we brought with us and discuss where we were staying and what sights we were seeing.  I thought this lovely person might have some input as to things that we might wish to change on our itinerary.

So in the morning I Googled the address of the place.

Mmmm....it was out near the Oakland Airport in an industrial area.  That didn't fit my vision for an Embassy....at all!

Then on the way there, Mr. B broke the news to me that he thought it would just be a USCIS place.  (I still had high hopes!)

We pulled up to this lovely building and.......

......even though we had a "timed" appointment, we went from one sitting area to another....along with many, many other people.  It felt like DMV or the Social Security offices. They finally called my number and it flashed on the big screen 2-7-6.

Yup that was me.  276.  I was photographed and fingerprinted and told to send all of the "supporting documents" to NYC within 5 days.  Mr. B number 277 was next....same thing.

NO tea, no cute accent, no interview, no lodging discussion, no, no, no....

Just signs....and people....and no food, no drinks, no cameras, no cell phones allowed.


Remember how at the beginning of this post I told you that I was kind of nervous?

Well, besides my fantasy of a sweet tea day, the other half of my brain was thinking.....

"Mmmm.....I wonder what happens if I answer a question wrong or different than Mr. B?"

The Dungeon for us both!!!!

Mr. B just laughed and knows what life with a Gemini is like.

"Kilt - it's what happened to the last person to call it a dress."

A Winter's Day

Song - I am a Rock by Simon & Garfunkel


Painting and prepping for Christmas has kept me indoors for the last few weeks.  But today I needed to drain some water from the swimming pool due to the amount of rain we have had lately in California!  On my way out to the pool I passed a few beauties....

Even though it is Winter, there is still activity in the garden this time of year.

My Sweet Pea's have begun to climb......

And fragrant Alyssum is growing everywhere!

Camellia's are budding and flowering.  I had just picked three beautiful flowers from this bush which is one of the few remaining plants from the previous owners.  Thank you Nancy!

There is one last leaf left on our Callery Pear trees.

The Rosemary is blooming.......

Mother Ferns are still growing baby ferns......

Lemons are ready for picking.......

The roses are making one final attempt....

My large urns of Salvia are beautiful this time of year......

The Primroses return year after year.....

My Daphne bush is ready to scent the entire garden!

Sweet little Forget Me Not's are blooming everywhere! Little darlin' - I won't forget you!

A few lingering Hydrangea blossoms....

A hopeful Geranium bud......

Time for some tea and garden lemons.....


I know you will find some beauty in your winter day today!

"Every gardener knows under the cloak of winter lies a miracle...a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to light, a bud straining to unfurl.  And the anticipation nurtures our dreams."
 -- Barbara Winkler

Rain Delay

 Song - Have You Ever Seen the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival

We have been getting some much needed rain here in California!  Today was great as the garden is getting her fill of water.

I was indoors all day finishing a book (The Rosie Project), picking up my upstairs Acrylic painting area in the dining room (because Mr. B is having a baseball draft here tomorrow with oodles of guys) and finally cleaning and rearranging my downstairs studio - which is where I paint with oils.

It is just one of those rainy days that makes me feel cozy to drink tea and be indoors without feeling guilty about it.

I have been using my new Pam Stern porcelain tea cups and they are a delight to hold. They have that organic hand made feel and are so beautiful!

I didn't realize how much I had missed that rainy "season" until today. We all need to hibernate occasionally!  I lite a candle and put on music while I smeared paint around the canvas.

   

It felt so good!



I also realized that I need to get out of Dodge tomorrow before the baseball craze begins!!!

Whoa!

PS - Did I ever tell you the story of how I used to babysit for Creedence?  Well their drummer's daughter?  I'll save it for another day......

"Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life." --John Updike

Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/rain.html#PyrCbvFfJU5fb784.99

Cuppa Tea

Song - Tea for Two by Art Tatum

On these colder than usual California days, I like to make a cup of tea in the late afternoon.

The sky is gray and it's getting dark,

it's been a full day, 

the birds are trying 

to elbow the squirrels

off of the bird feeders

for one last bit of seed,

the heater just clicked on, 

the house is oh so quiet,

soon it will be time to get dinner started 

but for now it's tea time!

I get out my ingredients.

Fire up the kettle.

 Warm up my teapot with hot water.

The last few weeks, I have been enjoying "Blue Eyes" by Lindsay's tea.

 

It is a blend of hibiscus, rose hips, delicate sky-blue cornflower blossoms, orange peels & sweet apples that are mixed to create this flavored blend.

And what I love most is......it makes my tea........

a lovely shade of Cranberry pink!

I place a cozy on top of my tea pot, curl up in a comfy chair and watch as the sky goes dark.

According to George Orwell  A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell  tea making has 11 steps in making a proper cup of tea, #6 is to bring the pot to the kettle as the water should be boiling at the time of impact! (oh dear, I think I have been doing it the opposite way all of this time!!)

And according to John Lennon....
“Yoko, you’re supposed to first put the tea bags in, and then the hot water.”
One night, however, John came up with “I was talking to Aunt Mimi this afternoon and she says you are supposed to put the hot water in first. Then the tea bag. I could swear she taught me to put the tea bag in first, but…”
“So all this time, we were doing it wrong?”
“Yeah…”
We both cracked up.

(I think Aunt Mimi got it a little bungled up!)



"I got nasty habits; I take tea at three." - Mick Jagger 

 

 

 Song - Sounds of Autumn

 

 

"We could learn to stop when the sun goes down 

and when the sun comes up. 

We could learn to listen to the wind; 

we could learn to notice that it’s raining 

or snowing 

or hailing 

or calm. 

We could reconnect with the weather 

that is ourselves, 

and we could realize that it’s sad. 

The sadder it is, 

and the vaster it is, 

the more our heart opens. 

We can stop thinking 

that good practice is 

when it’s smooth and calm, 

and bad practice is 

when it’s rough and dark. 

If we can hold it all in our hearts, 

then we can make a proper cup of tea."

from "Wisdom of No Escape" by Pema Chodron

 

 

Rain and a Comfy Chair

"Playgirl" rose hanging her head in the rain

Today I woke to the pitter-patter of rain on our rooftop. I am glad the garden is getting the water it needs.  Rain makes me feel like curling up in a comfy chair, having a cup of fragrant tea, a warm fire, reading a good book and putting flannel sheets on all the beds.  The reality is that I will probably end up doing a load or two of laundry, cleaning up last nights dishes, feel guilty for not planting those last 50 bulbs yet and paying a few bills. But still the cozy feeling will be with me all day long and I still may jump into that chair for a chapter or two!

"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." - Roger Miller