Stressful or what!!

Unsure about pre booking an Uber, that worked out great, thankfully.. then the awful line for checked luggage!?! What in hell is that all about, I haven't checked a bag since.. oh! June lol But that was scan the passport, tick the boxes, wrap the label drop the bag handle and go, two minutes.. well maybe five, but very easy.

There were no conveyor belts working in the Ryanair section, so only three desks open and three people moving cases manually...

But not mine!?! Apparently mine was extra size bag? Not!! Had to line up further along and drop there, where the poor customer service man was in a right pickle! He ran the bags through the x-ray machine.. and two came back and he had to get them opened and test them for drugs!

Two too many, it caused a helluva hold up! Thankfully mine cleared immediately, I'm glad, I didn't want him pawing through my clothes! And unmentionables! Lol

Going through security, scanned my boarding code, then faced with two arrows, everyone ahead of me taking the left line, I took the right, only to have to stop while a guy was making people use both lanes further down.. I said he'd scuppered my plans by doing so, he said he didn't know why people were only using one lane! Ha! 

Then I was into departures, got a coffee, looked for a book, couldn't see one I wanted.. bought some random pjs, quick toilet break, back to books.. then I sat down and nearly freaked out.. my gate was boarding already!! And the furthest away! Practically knocked people out of my way!! Heck! I never do that!!

Then, in the line just before passport check woman behind said to her child about this TUI flight!! I had a mild case of panic at that point! Lol 

Now about to take off!

Bring me my coffee now please! And preferably a valium! Coffee and my cake almost an hour before everyone else's as I had pre ordered... What a brilliant idea I always take advantage of, not sure why others don't.. 

So, just coffee and a strange waffle thing! I only ate one.. was a lot more filling than I anticipated!

Flight has gone quickly and gently... Mid twenties rising to low thirties expected today... I am already in shorts on the plane..

M.

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

Joseph Campbell

We have had rain! Today, Sunday August 30th, and yesterday's Saturday..

Above taken in Nottingham castle, a raining day calls for indoor exploration, The two Roberts artists exhibition ending soon, and spent good time walking around everywhere, I got lost twice!?! Which is strange for me there, but I think having looked around more thoroughly than usual meant more staircases than I realized, also we had wonderful cream teas in the restaurant I had never been in before!

Below Forest Fields last week.. autumn come early.. 

I have had three grief therapy sessions now.. I won't be able to while I am away, I have absolutely no idea of where or if I would be able to spend an hour each week to have the therapy ongoing while I am away..

I am packed, for a month, tomorrow I will check everything I have is in the right place and be ready to leave at 3am on Tuesday morning!! Ughh!

Fingers crossed eh!

To be honest, passport, medication and me, that's all I really need..

M.

To travel is to live

Hans Christian Andersen

Calke Abbey

Interesting! New things on my new phone.. although I have no idea what this will look like online! 

Should add of course the photograph above is our family village back near Naples .. 

I need to buck up my ideas for Blogging, I know.. there's bad and this, almost non existent sometimes!

So! New phone ✓

Last weekend, still beautiful weather was a visit to Calke Abbey.. Link has much better photographs and information...

As I seem to have not taken a photographic at all of the Mansion itself! 

The entrance room, reception room, of the mansion has a burner, I was looked for the flue, but couldn't see one, it was underground! Crazy eh! 

I did take way too many photographs of plants, flowers and trees! 

We went to the ice room, two massive partially undergoing rooms for ice, before freezers etc..

And fallow deer, beauty creatures, this stage was so near the fence I could have reached out and touched him! People were feeding him leaves through the fence..

And even with my new phone, zoom is not great.. and here were to young deer, one of them white, stunningly beautiful white fawn.. apparently that's a 1 in 20,000 chance of a white deer.. So considered purse very lucky..

The beautiful family chapel.. The Harpur-Crewe family until the National Trust took it over.. 

The house and surrounding outbuilding had been used extensively in Peaky Blinders... There were signs everywhere explained what scene and where!

Good cup of coffee before looking around, and another National Trust with second hand books! Excellent idea for sure!

They had a children's summer holiday area, so many things for the kids to do there, permanent ice-cream van! That would have been quite some pitch for whoever got the contract for that! Seven days a week for at least six weeks!! WoW!

Lots of pathways, the church, the ice house, the children's area, the beautiful gardens.. we walked from the house through tunnels to the brewery, yes, they had a brewery! Quite a long walk too!

Definitely worth a visit!

M.

About the only thing that comes without effort is old age.

Anon

(I am adding here)

If we're lucky..

Belton House

 

Saturday a visit to Belton House... Shame about the dry grass, but beautiful nonetheless.. 

Lots of people, and I joined the National Trust! My mom would be proud!

Five visits to National Trust properties and I'm even on cost..

It has stunning gardens, their own church, and the house is still lived in which makes if feel good ...

The bench below, one of many that surrounded the main garden area and pond.. take a closer look... Dogs heads on the arm rests... And lower down..the figure eight on it's side? No, it's a snake! 

M.

A wise monk was once asked, "What is worry?"

He smiled and replied, "It's the thief that steals today's peace, while pretending to prepare you for tomorrow."

Buddha's Teaching

Last week in Forest Fields park, I had been to library, picked up my new library card! And a couple of books, then I had walked around a gallery for about an hour, then strawberry matcha drink in hand, came here.. sat under this tree, a tree apparently claimed already by the above squirrel! 

I noticed him first as he sat and watched me from the edge of the shade of his tree, he ran left and right and back again, sometimes having to jump or run out of the way of passing walkers etc.. 

Wonderful how he stopped watched me, head leaning this way and that..

Then he ran off and I forgot about him, as I was getting back to my book.. a movements caught my eye and he was back having approached from behind to reach his tree, a mouthful of grass, sorry! Straw!! he ran up and onto the bough above me, then started dropping bits on my head! Lols so funny! 

I left him to it then.. give the little chap some space! 

But was honestly just so cute! I feel I connected with him! Lols 

This was Friday last week, wednesday we had our eclipse, 92% más o menos.. Went to pub near the tram line, took eclipse glasses, and fibres out we were the only people that had! So shared them for others to see .. shame I didn't, couldn't, take a good photograph, but was good to see, nonetheless.

Thursday morning I had my first grief therapy session.. It was interesting, I have another tomorrow.. I think my biggest problem is I have no problem with talking about stuff, well, those who come and go or come and stay here, reading my pages, over the last twenty five years have seen plenty of sad, painful, very emotional times from me, with me..

But maybe hearing someone else's view of my life, who doesn't know me, is constructive without fear of hurting me, or and of course has professional training.. 

I don't know, I guess over the hour I spilled a lot of things, and with our friends bits come out here and there over time, and things happening there and then, of course.

Still was a strange day, lots of emotional spilling out in the morning, then my call companion call in the afternoon, where I am someone else's listening ear.. 

M.

The best memories we make are those we see with our eyes and feel with our hearts.. ©MB

Southwell Minster photography from Saturday. 

A beautiful cathedral, absolutely stunning architecture. And of course with this wonderful summer we're having, apart from straw like grass, and plants looking a little worse for wear..

The gardens and park land around was beautiful also..

Inside an exhibition is now coming to a close, it is called Helios, by Luke Jerram 

Reading this this morning he has created some amazing sculptures.. The moon in France looks absolutely stunning.. his Festival Les Tombées de la Nuit, that I would have loved to see! I am a moon girl after all..

This sun, of course was amazing also! It was incredible, actually!

Sorry, change of subject now, completely, well, you know me well enough by now.. how long have I been Blogging? Twenty four years! That's crazy! This couldn't be written in a book, could never be condensed, I cannot be condensed either! Nor should any of us!

So... A memory came up, as they do now on our phones, whatever did we do to remember our lives before technology decided it could do it for us! I say, not without a hint of sarcasm! 

.. sorry digressed already, it was my birthday 2010, the first since my mom had died.

Franco and I went to my happy place up near El Chorro, homemade picnic, music.. a distraction from thoughts in my head.

That was sixteen years ago, seven years later my birthday would be one without Franco also.. Just seven years.

If we knew then, up on that ridge, that magical place I love to go, if we knew then what I know now... 

Do we want to know? How could anything help, I guess there is the obvious detection of something going wrong in our bodies, of course.. but we can't live like that, continually investigating, looking for what's going on, what could be wrong.. go looking..

And although early findings and diagnosis is way way better than not .. 

What health service could do it.. system overload now, never mind a population of apparently healthy people coming by for full body scans on a yearly basis.. lols my spell check chose the word wealthy for healthy originally just now.. That of course would be the answer.. 

M.

Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different...

C.S. Lewis - 1898-1963 - Writer

 

It always seems important until it's done.. That's me with worrying about things, or stuff in general.. 

Blowing worries or future stuff out of all proportion, then, it's done, it's over, it was just another day in my tapestry..

Above, Highfields Park in Nottingham, last weekend.. 

And below Wollaton Park, reached by walking from Highfields Park... 

It was a long walk!! Very very long walk, and later in the day I got, now for the third time Disney rash! Golfers rash? Odd rash on my chins from walking too far? in hot weather!?

Can you see the deer? The straw colored grass.. 

England is about to enter it's fifth heatwave of the year, that means staying in the 30's.. something like that.. for a period of time..

It's been hot since? Early June? Variable from low twenties to high thirty's.. centigrade! 

Wollerton Hall... Didn't go in, a function was taking place, a wedding I think...

Three photographs above are a stag in the water, munching and crunching on the water plants and keeping cool.. at the moment he is going in every afternoon!

Two photographs below are near to home, the Forest Fields park.. the beautiful blue above and the cooler area below.. fallen leaves autumn forced ahead to early by lack of rain, and a hard dry ground.

 

M.

We are each our own devil and we make this world our hell

Oscar Wilde