Visited Hampton Court Palace & got me bag of treasures from the Tudor kitchens locked in the loos, just before closing - oops, but they were very kind & opened them up again for me. So my HenryVIII chocolate & mulled wine spice & recipes for rose petals were recovered... (nice codpiece Harry!)
Journey out was no problem. Journey back - dreadful - starting with an excess baggage fee of an exorbitant £168! (Just for a zillion Ty-phoo tea bags & a few 'cartons' of curly wurlys & Cadbury's caramel bars!) The agent said it was because I booked my tickets separately from Air Canada tickets therefore the 'local' baggage allowance was applicable - WHAT THE... its all the same flight if I booked it with BMI or Air Canada. Needless to say a letter of complaint is winging its way to the chairman of AC.
Then a delay of an hour and a half leaving Heathrow - nope there was no snow that day - but a bloke deep in his cups sitting a row/seat behind me... stinking he was. Should have been carted off at first sniff of him - but no... the softly, softly approach was taken... lets ask him what he's had... then half an hour later lets ask him how much he's had... then half an hour later lets breathalyse him... then a few minutes later, oh sod it lets just get going - so the p1ss artist stayed where he was - needless to say the poor woman sitting next to him demanded to be moved I can't blame her - he pharphed all the way back across the Atlantic. & so arriving an hour & a half late - I missed my connection (argggggggggggggg). But I still had the strange notion that I had to rush through customs - so I dashed through the gates trying to get to the front of the customs queue & there he was bright as a button 20 people in front of me! How the hell did he get there - farty pants had pharped his way to the front of that queue - people were probably standing aside trying to avoid the green cloud coming their way.
Never mind - it was shortly my turn - I just hoped the resident sniffer dog didn't mind the overpowering aroma of... chocolate emanating from my bags! Phew I was OK... Then the stern customs officer - 'Can I see your Landed Immigrant Card please...' 'My what...?' ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! Yes my new status also came with a responsibility - that when re-entering my newly adopted country I had to flash this status card - or else... Well it was or else... So I was sent, hanging head in shame, to another queue - Immigration - which as anyone knows who has emigrated - is not a fast queue. All hope of getting on the next plane had now dimmed. Anyway - cut a long story (of a very long day) short I missed my 3.30pm flight & was put on the 10.30pm flight - which was 40 mins late.My mobile phone battery was running low as was my phone credit - needed to call 'His Lordship' to confirm I was actually on that last flight out. We landed home at the Lodge at 2am a full 24hours after leaving my B&B in London - exhausted. Ian was pleased to see me of course(!) but Bob Jones was SOOOOOO excited to see me - it sounded like he was crying & his tail nearly wagged itself off!
Brill. Erik the Viking
appeared pleased too - but whether that was cos 'mommy was home' or cos Bob Jones was happy - who knows. Took me 4 days to recover from my ordeal...
appeared pleased too - but whether that was cos 'mommy was home' or cos Bob Jones was happy - who knows. Took me 4 days to recover from my ordeal...But on to more exciting things than International Travel: Curling... 
a bit like bowls on ice - remember the Scottish had a team in the Olympics that did really well. So we had an incling what it was about. Ian has taken to it like a fish to water - me - panic attack just standing on the ice! 
DOH! Probably cos the coach taped Duct tape to one shoe to help you slide - I couldn't stand, never mind slide! So I gracefully conceded defeat & sat at the edge - brrrrr it was chilly! But our kindly neighbour Stewart, (81) took me in hand & removed the Duct tape & got me walking on the ice in my trainers - just as good - & using a stick to punt the 'stones' down the rink. It was brill - everyone was so kind & helpful & they were pleased that new people were joining the club - so we will go every Weds morning until the end of the season-(March) & start again in October. I was quite invigorated after 2 hours on the ice - I came home & cleaned the house with energy to spare - neat hey??
a bit like bowls on ice - remember the Scottish had a team in the Olympics that did really well. So we had an incling what it was about. Ian has taken to it like a fish to water - me - panic attack just standing on the ice! 
DOH! Probably cos the coach taped Duct tape to one shoe to help you slide - I couldn't stand, never mind slide! So I gracefully conceded defeat & sat at the edge - brrrrr it was chilly! But our kindly neighbour Stewart, (81) took me in hand & removed the Duct tape & got me walking on the ice in my trainers - just as good - & using a stick to punt the 'stones' down the rink. It was brill - everyone was so kind & helpful & they were pleased that new people were joining the club - so we will go every Weds morning until the end of the season-(March) & start again in October. I was quite invigorated after 2 hours on the ice - I came home & cleaned the house with energy to spare - neat hey??Today (22nd Feb) there was a demo of the flight of the Silver Dart see http://www.flightofthesilverdart.ca/ for more details. Basically the first flight of the British Empire took place in Baddeck 100 years ago with the great Alexander Graham Bell behind the original funding/planning/ inventions - he lived the latter part of his life here on the Island of Cape Breton...So we all trundled off to the iced over bay of Baddeck & waited to view this replica test flight - it was great. (Even the walk on the iced over bay was exciting for us). It did manage to take off (piloted by an astronaut!) - but when we saw it only for a few minutes & a few feet... then it went to turn round on the ice & the front wheel buckled! So off the ice we trundled looking for somewhere to get a hot breakfast. We found out later that it was repaired & had several more successful flights that afternoon.
There is an 'official' flight - in front of the Governor General of Canada tomorrow morning with all sorts of dignitaries & MPs & VIPs & formal ceremony to take place - but... there is a storm coming!! So it may not happen... they will have to go to plan B - but no one knows what that is yet... All we know is that there should be fireworks at 9pm, one of which is the mother of all fireworks at a cost of £400! Yahoo - my kinda firework!
Also today we went 'coasting' (Sledging for you Brits - again - keep up at the back...!)
Ian has been very industrious - making Mukluks
(long moccasins for you Brits! Made for walking in light snow).
He's made his own moccasins too (as Erik ate his slippers!!oops!)He's now in the process of ruining my new sewing machine to make a snow suit - so he can sit around in the snow waiting for interesting animals to pass by... talking of which we believe there are bob-cats lurking on the meadow & there is talk of a mountain lion here -officially they say there are non on Cape Breton but there are increasing reports of sightings - fabulous creatures.
Mr Beaver is active - we can see that - but still haven't seen him! & 'Kylie & Wile E Coyote' are tormenting Bob Jones nightly with their howls. One morning Bob was barking, demented, Ian, dashingly dressed in long johns & his dressing gown, opened the door thinking he just wanted a pee, but he (Bob!) was off down the meadow! He did come back eventually - poor lad.
Mr Beaver is active - we can see that - but still haven't seen him! & 'Kylie & Wile E Coyote' are tormenting Bob Jones nightly with their howls. One morning Bob was barking, demented, Ian, dashingly dressed in long johns & his dressing gown, opened the door thinking he just wanted a pee, but he (Bob!) was off down the meadow! He did come back eventually - poor lad.
I just hope he doesn't 'fall in lurve' with Kylie - I don't want any coy-dogs dumped on my doorstep - though they would be sooooo cute...>>>>>>>>>>>>Well enough for now.
TTFN - eh!
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