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Posts Tagged ‘princess diana’

gypsy Rose

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, It's my life, tagged , , , , , on September 22, 2011| 2 Comments »

whooo hoo!!! what a marvellous stroke of luck.  You may recall I mentioned that I had been living in a hostel (which did my head in)

the hostel

and then by good fortune a friend of mine said her sister had a spare room.!!! marvellous.  and this spare room was in a little wee house on an island!!! even better.  So heres the thing….my goal is to live on or visit 100 islands and so far I have managed to do quite a few.  I first saw this island and strolled about on it last year, and at the time said ‘AHH I woud love to live here’…..and now I am, albeit for only 24days.  🙂

So on Tuesday morning after I left the hostel I stopped off at a little wee café  had wanted to visit ever since I first saw it!

all photos of Princess Diana

Diana’s Café on Bayswater Road.  I popped in the other day and the walls are covered with photos of Princess Diana….quite emotional.  So I had a yummy breakfast and delicious cup of tea and then headed off to work.

yummy!!!

So loving being out in the morning and really enjoy the hustle and bustle…..despite the buses et al being late!!!

So as I write I am sitting in front of….wait for it….I kid you not….truly and cross my heart….a gypsy caravan. 🙂 how bloody marvellous is that!!  When I arrived on Tuesday night, I was made to feel very welcome and we sat and chatted over tea (for me) and wine (for them).  We spoke at length about travel and travelling (my favourite subject, besides my daughter!) and I happened to mention my dream was to travel round the UK and then the world in a campervan!! And so it was mentioned that they had a gypsy caravan at the end of the garden!! really?? wow!! So from there the conversation verred off in the direction of what I call a ‘most sensible idea!’

I was asked if I would like to sleep in the caravan!!! Geez….can you see my grin?? of course I would!!!  So we traipsed down to the end of the garden and there was the most darling little red gypsey caravan.  Think in terms of Cher in one of her music videos.  It is gorgeous.  I had a peek inside and was smitten.

my home till the 14th October 🙂 wheee

So we trundled my bag down the garden path and into the caravan.  What a brilliant little place. I cant swing my arms, never mind a cat, but it is just darling.  I have the most fab view of the river which flows by no more than 15 feet away….thankfully at least 30 feet down….or I may be in trouble at high tide. 🙂

So my first night was a charm!! I slept like a log with the background sounds of the river teasing the edges of my conciousness.  I woke the next morning to the sound of geese honking and whipped my ass out of bed quicker than you could say “rise and shine”.  There were dozens of these very noisy creatures flying by and honking, hissing and bickering like mad!! what a cacaphony!!! and how marvellous.    what a way to start the day.  Lovely fresh air, birds honking, ducks quacking, and the sound of the river rushing by.

the view from my bed!!!

So last night I visited with my beloved daughter for supper and helping her pack for Spain.  She is going skydiving in Seville (lucky fishy) and will be flying out today!  I am really trepiditious but at the same time thrilled for her….what an adventure. wow!!! My turn next!   So after supper and chat and pudding I walked from her house to mine (took about 20minutes) and marvelled again at the fact that I can walk about at that time of the night with no fear. I love that I can do that!

The little wee caravan was waiting with open doors (welll actually I had to unlock them first! 🙂 ) and I settled in for the night.  So this morning I woke really early at 6.30 and immediately got up and out onto the terrace.  wow! what a marvellous morning.  I first made myself a cup of tea, then settled down to watch the sun rise and the birds waking up.  It is the most beautiful day and I am loving every minute of this little adventure.  My commute in the mornings is along a shady green path that winds it’s way past quaint little corrugated iron sheds and little cottages,

how darling is this!!!

over a footbridge across the river then through a delightful little town and so to the tube!!!  The train crosses the river again at Richmond and the view is something else.

my commute in the mornings

When I come home once again the train trundles over the river and the view is so uplifting!!! the Thames is such a beautiful river and this is such an amazing part of the country.

06.36 am this morning 🙂

I feel truly blessed.  The job is improving (or perhaps its coz I know more what I am doing now) and I really enjoyed having the office to myself the last few days.  I get to do a lot of social media too as part of the role so that is right up my alley, and I could spend all day on facebook and twitter….not that I do, there are other things to be done!

.....other things to be done!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

So, I have just finished my breakfast, am about to pack up and head off for my commute……feet first, then a bus, then a train, then another train and then feet again and I am at work. 🙂

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things I learned last weekend….

Posted in It's my life, tagged , , , on May 4, 2011| 3 Comments »

royal wedding 2011, william and catherine

all the Queen's Horses and all the Queen's Men...photo courtesy of Stop and Think Photography http://stopandthinkphotography.wordpress.com

I had the great fortune last weekend to be a part of what was one of the most well-publicised and delightful weddings in many a year.

If I live to be 100+ I will never forget the fun, the excitement, the joy and the sheer exhuberance of the day and the people who shared it.

I learned a lot over those 2 days and this is a light-hearted look at some of the things I learned:

1) People still believe in fairytales – we love a good romance and the romance between a Prince and a Commoner still has the power to spellbind most of us!

2) Princess Diana is still dearly loved by millions of people – I heard hundreds of people speaking about her over the 2 days and many, many bloggers mention her in conjunction with their reporting of the day.

3)  You don’t have to be British to be a Royalist – thousands of people travelled from all over the world to share in the day and wish this lovely couple a bright and happy future.

4) The British know how to throw a good party – all over the country people put out the tables and the bunting, blew up the balloons, cooked up a storm, put on a good bash and put the beer industry into profit for the next decade!!!!

5)  The British are Top of the Pops when it comes to Pomp and Pageantry – the sight of those horsemen coming down The Mall, the sound of the horses hooves on the ground was overwhelming! The sheer power!

6)  There are thousands of people who truly love the young Princes – despite their priviledged upbringing and the illusion of freedom, many people are aware that they live in a gilded cage and still have their wellbeing at heart.

7)  We love that Kate is such a down-to-earth lass with no airs and graces – I loved the moment she stepped out her car at the Abbey and waved to the crowd, and then when she said ‘Wow’ as she stepped onto the Palace balcony and saw the crowds.

8)  I learned that people are prepared to endure the most uncomfortable of nights for a good place to view the proceedings.

9)  That people are essentially honest – we left our bags outside the tent all night and no-one touched them.

10) The Mall is very gritty and with thousands of people walking by the amount of dust generated could put the Sahara to shame!

11)  That it is easier to sleep on the ground when you are 16 years old than when you are 56!!! 🙂

12)  That people who are complete strangers are more than happy to share their worldly belongings and engage in conversation, even thought they don’t know you.

13) That even in this world of me, me, me……there are many generous people still around.

14) That the sun comes up real early at this time of the year and Buckingham Palace looks fabulous in the early morning light.

15) That I can survive without eating for longer than I thought 🙂

16)  That I can hang on without going to the loo for 14 hours!!

17)  That some people are very enterprising – the number of memento vendors I saw on The Mall the day before was entertaining!

18)  That people are not afraid to dress up in ridiculous outfits and make a spectacle of themselves – bravo to all of you!

19)  The words of ‘God Save the Queen’!

20)  That the British on the whole are MAD…. mad/ly patriotic that is –  there are many, many people in Britian who sang this lustily and with pride.

21)  That they sang the National Anthem with equal pride!

22) That the Policemen on duty carry lunchpacks in little brown paper bags. 

23)  That my camera doesn’t work too well when its clogged with dust!

24) That pop-up tents don’t pop-down as easily as they pop-up!

25) That after only 3 hours of sleep a cup of tea tastes like nectar.

26)  That despite only 3 hours of sleep from the night before, I was wide awake when the fun began.

27) I learned that I am truly grateful for my bed.

28)  That my daughter is a real gem; prepared to give up her home comforts to accommodate her Mother’s mad impulses and sleep on The Mall.

29)  That London is the best city in the world………but that I already knew! 🙂

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