Dori is back home. Yay!
I drove up to Gatwick airport yesterday to collect her. As with the outward journey, it meant a ridiculously early start for me - before the birds had even begun to clear their throats! Gatwick is further away than Heathrow, about 40 or 50 miles more, and Dori’s plane was due to arrive at 7a.m., so it was a crack of dawn start to the day.
The weather here for the last week or so has been glorious. In fact I can’t remember such a long stretch of unbroken sunshine for a very long time. So, it was a pleasant ride up to the airport (if driving along the motorways here can ever be said to be pleasant!), with my iPod choosing the music as I went. The sun rose as an orange ball as I left home, but was very soon shining brightly as I sped along the motorway.
I arrived at Gatwick at nearly the exact time that Dori’s flight was due. We are both very used to that journey, having made it countless times when we were both flitting back and forth across the Atlantic before we got married. So I knew roughly how long it would take me, and I arrived at pretty much the time I anticipated. It was a little chaotic when I arrived at the terminal as they are currently making changes to the road layout there, and have moved the drop-off point to directly in front of the car park entrance. Cars were going in all directions! Anyway, I manoeuvred my way across one lane of cars, and slipped quickly into the car park, leaving the mayhem behind me.
Having parked up, I walked over to the terminal and began my wait for Dori. The plane landed just a couple of minutes later, and so I anticipated a further 45 minutes or so for her to deplane and go through immigration, baggage claim and customs. An hour and a half later I was getting a tad worried! Thankfully, Dori then appeared at the end of the corridor. Apparently it had taken forever to get through immigration because they only had 2 people working there trying to get 2 or 3 plane loads of people through! But all was well :-)
We said our hellos and then made our way back to the car, and onwards back to Wiltshire. Sometimes the journey back from Gatwick can seem like it is taking forever, and yesterday was one of those days. Having to travel around the M25 (the inspiration for Chris Rea’s “Road to Hell”) doesn’t help!! For those that don’t know, the M25 is a ring road that encircles London, and is always extremely busy; and sometimes, as yesterday, at a complete standstill. So, it took much longer to get back home than it had for me to get up to the airport.
But, get back we did, and Dori is now fast asleep upstairs as I write this, trying to catch up on her missed sleep, and recovering from the jetlag. She had a wonderful time back home in Georgia, and I am sure she will be blogging about it all for you very soon!
In other news, apparently the World Cup is still going on, but I forget who is doing well and who is doing so abysmally poorly!! :-/ Maybe I will remember before the next time!
Showing posts with label Georgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Georgia. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Friday, 18 June 2010
The Yellow House Garden
As you may have seen in her last post, Dori is having a great time back in Georgia and has taken some wonderful photos of her surrounds. I love how green it is around there and I know that Dori has been enjoying some lovely walks along the local nature trail there.
Since Dori has been gone we have finally had some decent weather here, the first in a long while. It was so nice yesterday that I had to get out into the garden to enjoy it – these opportunities are far too rare! I thought that I would take a few pictures of my own to share with you all, showing some of the flowers and bushes here at the Yellow House.
I’m am far from being an expert in the identification of plants, so forgive me for not doing so here, The only ones that I do know in our garden are the roses, and we have a surprising variety of colours given that our garden is tiny. The first I will share with you is this lovely deep pink rose.
We also have a few lighter pink, and almost white, roses in the Yellow House garden.
And, of course, we couldn’t live in a Yellow House without some yellow roses to go with it!
I love the deep yellow colour of this rose, and the reddish tinges to it. We did have some lighter yellow roses, but those that have already bloomed have started to turn already, so I will have to wait to see if any more bloom to get some photos of them :-)
Other than the roses we also have other plants and bushes in the garden which will, by me at least, remain nameless! Here are a few...
If nothing else, these pictures prove that we do sometimes get nice, cloudless weather here in Wiltshire!! Let's hope there is plenty more to come.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Since Dori has been gone we have finally had some decent weather here, the first in a long while. It was so nice yesterday that I had to get out into the garden to enjoy it – these opportunities are far too rare! I thought that I would take a few pictures of my own to share with you all, showing some of the flowers and bushes here at the Yellow House.
I’m am far from being an expert in the identification of plants, so forgive me for not doing so here, The only ones that I do know in our garden are the roses, and we have a surprising variety of colours given that our garden is tiny. The first I will share with you is this lovely deep pink rose.
We also have a few lighter pink, and almost white, roses in the Yellow House garden.
And, of course, we couldn’t live in a Yellow House without some yellow roses to go with it!
I love the deep yellow colour of this rose, and the reddish tinges to it. We did have some lighter yellow roses, but those that have already bloomed have started to turn already, so I will have to wait to see if any more bloom to get some photos of them :-)
Other than the roses we also have other plants and bushes in the garden which will, by me at least, remain nameless! Here are a few...
If nothing else, these pictures prove that we do sometimes get nice, cloudless weather here in Wiltshire!! Let's hope there is plenty more to come.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Bon Voyage
We had an early start to the day yesterday. Dori was going on her trip back home to Georgia, and so we had to get up at the break of dawn to make our journey up to Heathrow.
The last time we made this trip was back in November, and it was dark and pouring down with rain. Thankfully this time, the change in seasons meant that it was already light by 4:30 when we woke, and the rain stayed away for most of the day. We drove up to London on the M4 motorway, and made very good time in reaching the airport. We like to leave extra early to ensure that any delays don’t prevent us getting to Check-In in plenty of time, and also to avoid the worst of the traffic.
So, we arrived in plenty of time at Heathrow and went to have breakfast at one of the cafes there. It was a French restaurant, but we both had a traditional English breakfast – sausage, bacon, eggs, mushroom and toast (although fried bread would have been more traditional). It was very good, and very filling :-) We then had some time to kill before Dori had to go through security and hence to her boarding gate. We are both quite used to killing time at airports now, and so we went and found somewhere to sit and I read a book as Dori checked through her bags to make sure she hadn’t forgot anything. I took this picture as we sat there as I thought the roof looked interesting.
I would have taken more photos, but I didn’t want to look like I was casing the joint!!
It soon came to the time when Dori had to make her way to the boarding gate. We have had plenty of emotional goodbyes in the past, as we have had to go our separate ways for months on end. So, this small separation of 3 weeks is child’s play for us :-) We said our goodbyes, and then Dori went off through the security area. I waved her off and then made my way back to the car, and onwards back to Wiltshire.
The journey back was almost as easy as the one up to Heathrow, with no major problems traffic-wise. In fact, the journey went so quickly that I was back at the Yellow House before Dori’s plane had even lifted off of the tarmac!
I have just spoken to Dori on the phone, and she had a good trip over. The journey time was almost an hour less than scheduled, which is always a nice surprise, and she tells me that she sat next to a very nice French lady on the way over. She is now looking forward to spending some relaxing time back in her hometown.
I will miss Dori whilst she is gone, but will be consoling myself with lots of World Cup football, Wimbledon tennis and having the whole bed to myself! Now, I just have to try to find out where it is that we keep the kitchen....
The last time we made this trip was back in November, and it was dark and pouring down with rain. Thankfully this time, the change in seasons meant that it was already light by 4:30 when we woke, and the rain stayed away for most of the day. We drove up to London on the M4 motorway, and made very good time in reaching the airport. We like to leave extra early to ensure that any delays don’t prevent us getting to Check-In in plenty of time, and also to avoid the worst of the traffic.
So, we arrived in plenty of time at Heathrow and went to have breakfast at one of the cafes there. It was a French restaurant, but we both had a traditional English breakfast – sausage, bacon, eggs, mushroom and toast (although fried bread would have been more traditional). It was very good, and very filling :-) We then had some time to kill before Dori had to go through security and hence to her boarding gate. We are both quite used to killing time at airports now, and so we went and found somewhere to sit and I read a book as Dori checked through her bags to make sure she hadn’t forgot anything. I took this picture as we sat there as I thought the roof looked interesting.
I would have taken more photos, but I didn’t want to look like I was casing the joint!!
It soon came to the time when Dori had to make her way to the boarding gate. We have had plenty of emotional goodbyes in the past, as we have had to go our separate ways for months on end. So, this small separation of 3 weeks is child’s play for us :-) We said our goodbyes, and then Dori went off through the security area. I waved her off and then made my way back to the car, and onwards back to Wiltshire.
The journey back was almost as easy as the one up to Heathrow, with no major problems traffic-wise. In fact, the journey went so quickly that I was back at the Yellow House before Dori’s plane had even lifted off of the tarmac!
I have just spoken to Dori on the phone, and she had a good trip over. The journey time was almost an hour less than scheduled, which is always a nice surprise, and she tells me that she sat next to a very nice French lady on the way over. She is now looking forward to spending some relaxing time back in her hometown.
I will miss Dori whilst she is gone, but will be consoling myself with lots of World Cup football, Wimbledon tennis and having the whole bed to myself! Now, I just have to try to find out where it is that we keep the kitchen....
Thursday, 10 December 2009
It's Been A While
You may have noticed that I haven’t been around for a while; in fact it is three weeks since my last post here. Firstly, of course, there was our trip over to the States for Thanksgiving, which was wonderful, and since our return back to these shores we have had to contend with jetlag, a broken washing machine, illness and an internet-phobic laptop! Life has been upside down for the last two weeks, and still isn’t yet fully righted.
Anyway, all of this means that there is some catching up to do. Dori is posting a full documentation of our Thanksgiving trip over at her blog, but here are my own brief thoughts. We were in Georgia for 9 days and that time simply flew by. We had a great time while we were there and we were able to catch-up with both friends and family. We did regular stuff like visiting the mall and going to the movies, and we also ate some extremely tasty meals – both restaurant produced and home-cooked. The weather was great, for the most part, and we enjoyed a couple of walks along the local nature trail. As Dori said a number of times, it was just like our own spa retreat! :-)
As I said earlier, the time flew by and we were barely able to believe it when the time rolled around for us to fly back to the UK. It was like we had only been there for a couple of days or something. Naturally, when we arrived back at Heathrow the weather was exactly how we had left it – cold and extremely wet. But we were happy in the knowledge that the trip “back home” had been so enjoyable. We had a fantastic time and really enjoyed kicking back for a short while.
My laptop died, or at least refused to do anything internet related, just before we flew out to the States. It is now three years old, which seems to be about the most you can hope for as the useful lifetime of a modern computer. So, we had to take the plunge and order a new laptop, which finally arrived three days ago. It is a shiny black Compaq complete with Windows 7 and all. Right now I am enjoying the novel feeling of things actually working in a timely manner and not freezing up every few minutes or so. Long may that continue!
So, what else has happened during my hiatus? Oh yes, the World Cup Draw. The general view is that the draw was very favourable to England, as far as their group is concerned, although I can see some tricky obstacles further along the path should they progress. But as Fabio Capello said himself, you have to beat the best teams if you are seriously considering yourself to be in with a shout of becoming World Champions. One interesting aspect of the draw is that England find themselves in the same group as the United States. That will make for a very fascinating match-day in the Yellow House come June!! :-) Trevor is already having panic attacks about which team he should support!
Well, I think I’ve covered more than enough ground for one post – and I haven’t even got around to talking about Christmas yet! That will have to wait for another day. Have a good weekend everybody.
Anyway, all of this means that there is some catching up to do. Dori is posting a full documentation of our Thanksgiving trip over at her blog, but here are my own brief thoughts. We were in Georgia for 9 days and that time simply flew by. We had a great time while we were there and we were able to catch-up with both friends and family. We did regular stuff like visiting the mall and going to the movies, and we also ate some extremely tasty meals – both restaurant produced and home-cooked. The weather was great, for the most part, and we enjoyed a couple of walks along the local nature trail. As Dori said a number of times, it was just like our own spa retreat! :-)
As I said earlier, the time flew by and we were barely able to believe it when the time rolled around for us to fly back to the UK. It was like we had only been there for a couple of days or something. Naturally, when we arrived back at Heathrow the weather was exactly how we had left it – cold and extremely wet. But we were happy in the knowledge that the trip “back home” had been so enjoyable. We had a fantastic time and really enjoyed kicking back for a short while.
My laptop died, or at least refused to do anything internet related, just before we flew out to the States. It is now three years old, which seems to be about the most you can hope for as the useful lifetime of a modern computer. So, we had to take the plunge and order a new laptop, which finally arrived three days ago. It is a shiny black Compaq complete with Windows 7 and all. Right now I am enjoying the novel feeling of things actually working in a timely manner and not freezing up every few minutes or so. Long may that continue!
So, what else has happened during my hiatus? Oh yes, the World Cup Draw. The general view is that the draw was very favourable to England, as far as their group is concerned, although I can see some tricky obstacles further along the path should they progress. But as Fabio Capello said himself, you have to beat the best teams if you are seriously considering yourself to be in with a shout of becoming World Champions. One interesting aspect of the draw is that England find themselves in the same group as the United States. That will make for a very fascinating match-day in the Yellow House come June!! :-) Trevor is already having panic attacks about which team he should support!
Well, I think I’ve covered more than enough ground for one post – and I haven’t even got around to talking about Christmas yet! That will have to wait for another day. Have a good weekend everybody.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Bye For a Bit
We are off early tomorrow morning to head up to Heathrow ready for our flight over to Georgia. We are both so looking forward to our break away. When we get back we will no doubt both be blogging about our adventures. Until then Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'll see you all in December.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Sunday Snaps 8 - Georgia On My Mind
It’s Sunday and so it must be Sunday Snaps time! Today I am going back to some photos taken in Dori’s home state of Georgia.
These pics were all taken at Stone Mountain Park, which is said to be home to the world’s largest piece of exposed granite. The first picture shows one side of the top of the mountain which features a relief carving of three figures – Generals Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It is the largest bas-relief in the world, measuring 90 by 190 feet.
This second shot was taken from the top of the mountain, which can be reached either by foot or, for theless adventurous smarter, via a cable car which provides a great close-up view of the relief carving on the way up. If you look really closely at the photo you may just be able to see the Atlanta skyline some 16 miles in the distance.
Stone Mountain Park is some 3200 acres in size and has a number of attractions other than the mountain itself, including a railroad that encircles the top of the mountain, a riverboat, laser show, woodland walks, a campground, demonstration crafts, a 4D theater and shops and restaurants. This last photo shows the main thoroughfare of Crossroads, a recreation of a small town of yesteryear.
I love this place – do go visit it if you ever get the chance.
If you look closely at the final picture, you may just be able to make out some Christmas decorations and trimmings on some of the buildings. This is because I took that photo when I was visiting Dori for Thanksgiving, back when we used to live on either side of the Atlantic before we got married. Which brings me to the reason for posting these pictures today – we are going back for Thanksgiving again this year! Woo Hoo! We are both so excited to be going back “home” for a week. Be sure that we will both be blogging about our trip in the upcoming weeks. Now, got to go – got plenty of packing to do!
These pics were all taken at Stone Mountain Park, which is said to be home to the world’s largest piece of exposed granite. The first picture shows one side of the top of the mountain which features a relief carving of three figures – Generals Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It is the largest bas-relief in the world, measuring 90 by 190 feet.
This second shot was taken from the top of the mountain, which can be reached either by foot or, for the
Stone Mountain Park is some 3200 acres in size and has a number of attractions other than the mountain itself, including a railroad that encircles the top of the mountain, a riverboat, laser show, woodland walks, a campground, demonstration crafts, a 4D theater and shops and restaurants. This last photo shows the main thoroughfare of Crossroads, a recreation of a small town of yesteryear.
I love this place – do go visit it if you ever get the chance.
If you look closely at the final picture, you may just be able to make out some Christmas decorations and trimmings on some of the buildings. This is because I took that photo when I was visiting Dori for Thanksgiving, back when we used to live on either side of the Atlantic before we got married. Which brings me to the reason for posting these pictures today – we are going back for Thanksgiving again this year! Woo Hoo! We are both so excited to be going back “home” for a week. Be sure that we will both be blogging about our trip in the upcoming weeks. Now, got to go – got plenty of packing to do!
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Sunday Snaps 6 - A Town Called Helen
Over at From a Yellow House, Dori has posted many a photo of our travels around Wiltshire and other parts of England. So I thought it was high time that I did the reverse and posted some pictures of Georgia, taken during my visits over there.
These snaps are of a small town called Helen in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North-East Georgia. As you can see, Helen is a recreation of a Bavarian Alpine town. It felt quite surreal when I first went there to find this little piece of Europe thousands of miles away!
It even comes complete with it's own windmill.
Helen is a cute little town, which I enjoyed visiting tremendously.
These snaps are of a small town called Helen in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North-East Georgia. As you can see, Helen is a recreation of a Bavarian Alpine town. It felt quite surreal when I first went there to find this little piece of Europe thousands of miles away!
It even comes complete with it's own windmill.
Helen is a cute little town, which I enjoyed visiting tremendously.
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