Big Ben Calling

London was like visiting a land I had seen in my dreams. I wish I lived there. I miss England
already. It feels too hot here, too dry. I want the cold drizzle back The tea was divine. The
Big Ben and Parliment lighting up each night made me almost weep. I was lucky enough to be one block from Westminster Bridge so I could walk down to the Thames each night and watch the lights come on. My husband took this video at 9pm. Behind me was County Hall and the Eye. A bus driver told me that Demi Moore owned an apartment in the top of County Hall. I would love to own a place there. To watch that every night. I miss the tea, I miss the crazy
drivers, the guy playing the saxaphone in the underground, the man on the bridge in kilts
playing the bagpipes. I watched the marching bands at the changing of the guards. I saw
the winged Victory. I got lost, and then found. I saw the fountain in St. James Place. I saw
Trafalgar square. I want to stay there forever. It feels like home, like nothing else ever has.

All I got is four minutes.

And isn't that the truth. We all want everything to happen in four minutes, or NOW..... I love
this song. I first heard it on my friend Kelly W.'s video. Now I hear it on television commericals
on Ellen. Ellen dances to it at the beginning of her show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DToWue7yDDc

Less than 25 days before we fly to London. I am getting so nervous. I hope if something prevents us from going, it is covered by our insurance. Ha..... My exchange student just emailed me with
information on what her four children enjoy. Sophie likes puzzles. David likes cars and trains. Hannah loves dolls. And I guess new baby Amy is too young yet to play with toys. Maybe a stuffed animal. I hope I can get english toffee for my friend Andrea. Maybe they will let me
mail it right from the candy store. Cost a fortune but better than trying to sneak it on the plane.
I know that when we leave England, i will be all depressed for weeks when I get home. I can't explain it, but England feels like where I should be. Its some sort of strange deja vue thing.
Maybe I will buy a real english teapot this time. Bring some of England home with me. And one of those toast racks like they have on the tables. My husband works for IBM and I noticed the IBM building in London is only a few blocks from our hotel. I must walk by and get a photograph of that. I belong to a bloggers group and they are always getting bent out of shape and leaving
and getting hurt feelings. I don't understand any of that. Why can't people all just get along
and leave their ego's at home. And I know my friend Kelly does not have an inflated ego bone
in her entire body. If anything, she does not even realize how talented she really is.

One month and ten days.

Until we fly to London. I am getting nervous now. Not nervous about flying. Nervous about leaving my two dogs. Not really nervous about the puppy. He will still go on the paper. Nervous
about my big dog. We have not gone anywhere without her in years. I have my son and his
wife coming over to feed them. But we have to put the big dog over at our other house where
there is a doggie door. (at my Mom's house behind us)

I want to go to Liberty of London store, Hamleys toy store, have pizza balls at Pizza Express,
see the changing of the guards, go up in the eye, see Trafalgar Square, The London Tower, and crown jewels. Maybe go to Covent Garden Market.

I am reading The heart shaped box and it is spooky. It has been raining here for two days.
I mean raining all day long. Maybe South Florida will be out of the drought after this. They
said Lake Okeechobee is filling up. I am sure I spelled that wrong.

My hollyhock buds are bursting. One looks like a purple maroon. I will be sure and post some
photographs here. I hope they bloom before I leave next month.

Life is pretty quiet right now. Later. Here is a hummingbird photo that I took with my Panasonic camera.

What Creeps....

I had to delete my last two posts. Some creep tried to put a virus on there. But my spy wear stopped it. You know, if you don't care
for Rosie O'Donnell, that is your business. But, I do like her, so just
stay off of my Blog. If this keeps up, I will delete this whole blog.

I took this photograph in my backyard with my son's awesome canon and lens. It has been rainy and grey for the past few days. Not good for photography. Ok, that is all. Not much else new. I hope everyone had a nice weekend except
for you G................. whoever you are.

I got a flip video Yay!!!!!!!!!!!

Look what I got for an early birthday present. A flip video. Now I don't have to borrow my sons video cam. And I can take this to London and make mini movies. I am sooooo loving it. And he
got me a case for it, and extra connectors. I have already taken
two movies and my son took one of my dog Tiny.

My son and his wife came over today and clipped Tiny's toenails. He still love them. He is a very forgiving doggie. The sun is out
shining today. But we had rain from about 2am to 5am. It was good for my flower garden.

Here is my utube web site. This is a happy birthday one on it. I am Candy, in front of the ocean. That is Washington Oaks State Park on east coast of Florida, my favorite place to go. And I have my flower garden on there and a squirrel. I will still have to download Tiny to it. My big dog and I got sick off of some chicken we both ate. She is now on prescription food for a few days. I think I am going to become a Vegetarian.

Ok that is all. Over and out. Gonna go play with my new Flip.

Wow, I got a comment.............

Thanks for the comment Britt. You know, I wish you could go with me. At one time, my husband was searching for someone to go on this trip with me. He hates to fly or travel. Then he decided he was going. And I have heard nothing but whine, whine, whine ever since.
Things like, the plane will crash and we will both die. Etc.

We got a pretty good package deal with Virgin Atlantic. The whole
thing, hotel, airfare, insurance for six days is a little over 4,000 dollars. With the awful dollar
exchange rate, that is a good price. It's a shame because I would have liked to buy lots of gifts and souvenirs but probably won't. We rented a car when we flew over eleven years ago. We only saw the portion of Norfolk where our exchange student was getting married. So, we missed the whole
London experience. I know what you mean about seeing London after reading The Winter Rose. But did, you read in the back of the book, how the author walked around some of the poorer neighborhoods of London, and the wharfs. I would be afraid to go there. That would be equivalent to New York slums. One day, get a friend and go on a package deal to London. You
will love it so much. Or, go to see The Lakes, or the Costwolds. I hear those are beautiful area's.
And take a train to Edinbourgh, Scotland. If I only had the money. I love visiting other countries. Cruises just don't quite feel the same. Just stopping at ports and visiting. I want to
get the whole experience.

Today I did grocery shopping. The sun is shining. My flower bed is bursting with buds. I can't
wait until everything blooms. My plants, hollyhocks, stocks, foxglove, canterbury bells, dames rockets look so awesome that a garden journalist wants to come out and take photographs and do a story. It seems I can grow things here in Florida that should not grow here. I will post lots of photographs when they do start blooming. I had to cover things with sheets for four nights now. I am ready for spring to get here. Ok , time for lunch.

Butterflies Everywhere.

I think spring has sprung. I just finished reading Winter Rose
by Jennifer Donnelly. If you love stories about people in England then read her The Tea Rose first and then get this one.
http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com/wr_home.htm

The trip to London is getting closer and closer. I am very worried about Tiny and Girl being alone together in the house for a week. I wanted to hire a pet sitter but my husband does not want to do that.
I wish my son or his wife could just move in here for one week. I don't think I will relax on this trip. My husband said lets just put them in the kennel. But that would be worse for Tiny since he just lost his first owner just five months ago and he was taken to animal control and was in a cage. I would rather keep him at home. I am trying not to think about it. My son and his wife will come over and feed them, and take them out. But I know it will be difficult with the strange hours they work. They have a doggie door at their house. We cannot do that because our cats could get out.

I don't understand the train system in England or their coaches. What we would call a greyhound bus. My periennial flower garden is going crazy with growth. I am sure it will be in full bloom by next month. Hope spring arrives for everyone soon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66013135@N00/sets/72157603337995374/