Kingston

Forecast: Saturday evening ~ light rain. Sunday ~ heavy rain. Monday ~ light rain. Tuesday ~ heavy rain. I think you know where this is going.

So, Saturday afternoon we decided to make the most of the time before the rain and take a walk.... to Kingston! I had been wanting to do that walk for some time. I imagined it would be a lovely walk along the Thames River through Twickenham & Teddington into Kingston.

I was right! It was a great walk! As I look back at the pictures, I laugh because they don't look like such a wonderful day! But, I guess it is all relative. I really had a lot of fun. It was the first time I got out of the house for some recreation with Lenny in almost a month (remember the blog about being sick?!) I know by all the mud that Chula also had a great time!

Snapshot of the day: Walk along the river. Hold hands with my husband. A few photo opportunities. Dinner at our favorite Mexican place in Kingston.

Biggest surprise of the day: Chula got to come into the restaurant with us! Many of the pubs out in the suburbs will allow dogs, but I had not even ever asked in a restaurant. By the time we got to Kingston, it had been drizzling for a while and we wanted to eat inside. To my shock, they had no problem with her joining us! Now, it is even more of a favorite place!!

I also had a fun new toy ~ a pedometer! Our walk turned out to be 6.33 miles! Not too bad.

Mont Saint Michel

As a child, I loved many hobbies and crafts. I remember shrinky dinks, latch hook, and various crafts that involved melting crayons. If we are lucky, these childhood joys follow us into our adult life. I now love quilting and cross stitch. I can't count how many baby quilts I have made for my friends; each one gives me hours of pleasure.

My adorable husband also has a hobby that he still loves... puzzles! We did one puzzle together about two years ago. Lenny has been reminiscing about how much fun it was ever since. We have hunted the internet and London for another similar puzzle to no avail. Being the good wife that I strive to be, I started to hit the pavement. Where was I able to find a puzzle good enough for Lenny?.... The Mall of America, Minnesota! Not only is it the largest mall in North America, it also has two puzzle shops! I found this really cool puzzle of Mont Saint Michel. Lenny and I loved Saint Michel when we went there last spring. For almost a week, Lenny had a real labor of love. He stayed up late, looked at the puzzle in passing, and thought of it when he was away (okay, that last part is poetic licence.) These puzzles are no child's play~ 1000 pieces that all look the same to me! But, in Lenny's hands....the final product is beautiful.

Isn't it fun when we get to connect with our inner child?

Lake District

People have been telling us about the Lake District in England... since the first day we moved here. Okay, that might be an overstatement. But you get the idea. We heard it was really wonderful.

Lenny and I decided that we should celebrate our anniversary of getting married in Lake Tahoe with a trip to the Lake District. Cute, huh? To be honest, I didn't think it could live up to all the hype. Also, I knew I was a very tough judge. Come on... I grew up in Minnesota. We vacationed at lakes all my life! Some of my earliest memories are from the boundary waters canoe area. In all honesty.... I LOVED the Lake District. It is amazing. Breathtakingly beautiful. Mountains and countryside surrounding 5 pristine lakes. There are adorable little towns scattered about each of the lakes. They do a superb job of maintaining the small town feel, while bringing in all the stores/restaurants any tourist could dream of. There is just too much to say about the few days we were there to do it justice. I'll try to give a brief top 5 list ... and some great photos.

Bank Holiday Weekend in the Lake District: Top 5

5. Burleymead B&B~ there was a whole row of adorable old Victorian houses that have been turned into B&Bs.

4. The weather~ that unmistakable British grey sky, misting that is not quite rain, overcast days with a small sign of hope, that little flash of blue fighting to break through.

3. Our hikes ~ Ashness Bridge and Cat Bells Mountains

2. The Dog and Gun ~ An adorable pub packed with owners and dogs. In the town of Keswick, there must have been a 2:1 ratio of dogs to people!

1. Peace~ walking with Lenny & Chula.... and feeling like we were the only people in the world.