“Love is a partnership of two unique people who bring out the very best in each other, and who know that even though they are wonderful as individuals, they are even better together.” – Barbara Cage

How exciting.

And how unique. Two weddings today.

My niece, Katie Marie, got married here in London, England and Richard’s son, Forrest, got married in Alberta. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to have been in two places at the same time? But that wasn’t possible. I wish them all the best. My heart is full of love for both of them. What a wonderful feeling knowing you’re spending the rest of your life with your love ❤️ and beginning an incredible journey together.

Quiet morning. Joined my brother and sister-in-law for breakfast. Lovely way to start the day.

Relaxed most of the morning then changed into wedding finery and off to the wedding at The Dickens Inn.

The Dickens Inn is an original warehouse building near Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and The Shard. Dating back to the 18th century, it is thought to have been built in the early 1700s as a tea factory or a local brewery.

https://www.dickensinn.co.uk/history/

What a fabulous place for a wedding. Perfect for the guests as it was all held in the same venue. Would have been horrific if we’d had to go one place for the ceremony and another for the reception.

The bride was stunning. The groom handsome. The bride walked in to “ I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.” I could only see the groom’s face during the ceremony but it told it all. The love I saw shining in his eyes as he looked at my niece warmed my heart. A few teary eyes. Especially mine. And it’s not that I see Katie a lot but it’s different knowing that now she’ll be living in England permanently. Life changes.

While photos were taken the guests were treated to Prosecco, beer, and various canapés. Yum.

The reception tables were impeccably dressed. My brother gave a wonderful father of the bride speech. Touching and funny. Perfect balance. Of course others gave great speeches too.

The dinner.

There was also a candy bar, a tea and coffee and sweets table, and a photo booth. The younger generation took full advantage of the photo booth. They had such fun.

My brother picked the song for the father and daughter dance: Sweet Child of Mine. Now that really got my waterworks flowing. Then halfway through the song the groom and his mother joined. I heard this was different for them. They don’t have this dance in their British weddings.

And that was that. I stayed for a few songs, said my goodbyes and congratulations to the happy couple, and took my leave.

All of Me – John Legend

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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The only source of knowledge  is experience.

Albert Einstein

If you’re a Downton Abbey fan you know.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downton_Abbey

But first.

Remember yesterday’s post about the unexpected? Today didn’t disappoint.

Excited to travel on the Tube today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground

Started off great. Made it to Paddington Station. Yay.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Paddington_station

It always makes me feel self sufficient when I can do that rather than using taxis.

Oh no.

We noticed our train was cancelled. Scott found out which one we were to use instead but it was leaving in two minutes. Turnstiles wouldn’t recognize our code. Grateful to the worker who let us through. Then we ran. And I mean we really hoofed it. Whew. Made it in time.

Our original train went direct to our destination but this one didn’t. We had to transfer to another, Were told which platform and went to it. Right before it was to come another worker came by saying our platform had changed. Good lord. How much running can I do. Apparently enough cause we made it.

Taxi ride to our final destination.

Highclere Castle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Paddington_station

Notice I didn’t say Downton Abbey.

It’s shot at this castle. The tour guide was wonderful. Lots of interesting information. The tour was followed by a lovely tea. As my mother would have said, “Some good.”

Then a parting gift to all the participants. How nice.

I wish I could say the trip back to the hotel was without drama. But alas it was not. This time tube issues. But all worked out in the end.

A quick stop at the hotel and then out to supper.

This time the mode of transport was the bus. Fun using different modes.

Supper here: Old Bank of England.

https://www.oldbankofengland.com/

Nice pub. Loud. I’m old. I’m amazed at how many people go out at night. You see the places all full. And different from home a lot stand in front of the pubs with their drinks.

Fish (cod) and Chips with lemon, tarter sauce, and mushy peas.

And that’s the end of today. A full day. An amazing day.

Fish & Chips & Vinegar – Sharon, Lois, and Bram

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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And don’t the unexpected often happen while travelling.

Yesterday I left off with finally boarding the plane and wondering how I’d sleep. Not the best sleep but not the worst. I slept for maybe 4 1/2 hours. Part was my fault. I didn’t lower the seat to its full relaxed position. Once I did that in the middle of the night I slept better.

So today.

Arrived in London. Had to wait as another plane was at our gate. Some people were not happy. But once off the plane things in Heathrow went quite smoothly. Long lines of people but they moved quickly. Yay. Then got a taxi to take us to our hotels. Ugh. Took 2 hours. Unexpected. But I’m here.

I’m staying at The Tower Hotel. https://www.guoman.com/the-tower?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb_website_click

Very big hotel. My room is a perfect size for me. Queen bed. Living area. Nice sized bathroom. Yay.

The unexpected? Being so late checking in a lot of today’s touring hours were lost. I’m amazed at how much we did see in just a few hours.

The London Eye https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye

You have got to be kidding. Not for me. I don’t do heights or glass. Bravo Kathryn and Scott. You did the family proud.

While they soared I browsed. And ate ice cream. Worked for me. Richard would call this a “99”. Very good.

London Bridge. Palace of Westminster. Big Ben. Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace. Not bad for being tired.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Westminster

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckingham_Palace

And one of their Red Telephone Boxes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_telephone_box

By now totally wiped. Off for a bit of supper and then in for the night.

Not a bad view from my room.

Now some much needed sleep.

Ooooo. Exciting plans for tomorrow. Can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Tired and Happy – tomandandy

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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No words can express the gratitude I feel. My heart is full.

Off to the airport. Uber.

Ok. Obviously a tad bit different that yesterday.

Definitely not Economy.

What? You’ve got to be kidding!

Air Canada Signature Service.

Air Canada Signature Service (as it says per their website) ensures a seamless airport experience with dedicated check-in counters, expedited security clearance, lounge access, exclusive boarding lanes, priority baggage handling and more.

Check in:

So quick and easy. Not. A few issues at security but all worked out.

Then off to relax and eat in the Air Canada Signature Suite. Oh my.

It’s a luxury suite that features complimentary à la carte dining with dishes, a buffet, a bar menu that includes Moët & Chandon champagne and cocktails featuring Diageo spirits, personalized concierge service and Molton Brown care products.

Hmmm. Two glasses of champagne, corn soup, flat iron steak, and lemon olive oil cake with pistachio ice cream. So very good.

And people really travel like this all the time? Unbelievable. Off to the lounge for a Baileys on the rocks. We have a looooong time to departure. Plane delayed by over three hours. Then lots of water.

Three hours + delay but finally

Time to board the plane.

Oh my goodness.

This is mine for the flight. Can you believe it? Spoiled or what.

Executive Pod with lumbar support and massage function, which converts to a fully flat bed: up to 203.2 cm (6′ 7″) long.

They think of everything.

A sanitized and clean pillow, duvet and mattress pad packaged together, plus an amenity kit with hand cream and lip balm for inflight hydration plus an oversized eye mask, socks, dental kit, glasses cloth, and 3M earplugs.

And in addition to that there’s a CleanCare+ kit containing a mask, antiseptic wipes, and hand sanitizer. Headsets are available and a water bottle is provided pre-departure.

In flight entertainment.

Hundreds of hours of top-rated entertainment on a personal touchscreen entertainment system—movies, music, TV, podcasts, audio books and more, gate to gate. 

Plus, with every Business Class booking, get complimentary access to 7,000+ magazines and newspapers through the PressReader app on your own device.

And food. Lots of it.

Unsure of how the flight and sleeping will go. But I certainly couldn’t ask for better accommodations. Spoiled. Spoiled. Spoiled.

Please don’t think I’m bragging. I’m just so overwhelmed by it all that I haveto share my once in a lifetime experience with you.

Kind and Generous – Natalie Merchant

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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Love this quote. The older I get the more I believe it. Everyday should be our favourite day.

And today is no exception.

A day that begins an adventure of a lifetime.

Well actually it began yesterday with my flight from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to Toronto, Ontario.

Are seats on planes getting smaller? Seems to me they are. But then I fly Economy and there’s not a lot of personal space in those seats. I really don’t know how taller people do it. I’m 5’ tall and I don’t have much leg room. I really feel for anyone taller.

And I really missed not having a personal movie screen. Watching a movie sure helps pass the time. Apparently not on Rouge. But I could have had a free beer or glass of wine. That’s new Air Canada. I was good. I chose water and tea. And let’s not forget the delicious cookies or pretzels. Yum!

Back to today.

Kathryn, Scott, and I leave for London, England tonight at 8:30. Unbelievable. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. Heart is racing. Can’t stop smiling.

And that’s where I’ll leave you for now.

But

Stay tuned for what I have to share later today.

You won’t want to miss it.

Lovely Day – Bill Withers

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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In what seems like a blink of an eye it’s over and we’re back.

I love the feeling of calmness that comes over me when I see the Confederation Bridge. https://www.confederationbridge.com/site/about

Grateful to live on this beautiful island.

I’m not very good at just relaxing when I get back. Right at the unpacking. Not all done but hopefully soon.

So today.

Oh my. How nice to sleep in a bit longer. Up at 6:00. Breakfast at 7:00 at The Egg And I.

First sure sign we’re further north. When I ordered tea it was automatically assumed I wanted hot. Wasn’t even asked.

This was a bit weird. The waitress brought our tea and coffee but when we said we’re ready to order she said, “I’m not ready.“ and walked away. What? How does that sound to you?

I promised you I’d show you a picture of Richard’s favourite breakfast from there. Here it is. Oops. He’d already eaten one egg and some fried potatoes before I remembered.

When the man who brought our food to us came back to see how everything was I told him how delicious the raisin bread toast was. (I think they coat the crust in brown sugar.) He laughed and replied, “We know.”

Then when I later asked him for the restroom he pointed and said, “All the way to Miami.”

Ok. I get it. This is their sense of humour. They weren’t being offensive. Just humorous. All in fun.

Great day for driving. Sunny and hardly any traffic. Sweet.

Had to show you a picture of this from one of the rest stops. Love it. How many of you remember Smokey the Bear?

In Borden at 5:15. First day to begin and stop in daylight. Grateful.

Thanks for all your wishes for us to have safe travels. So grateful.

Home – Phillip Phillips

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.

That’s a good thing to remember especially when travelling. And I am grateful. And I tell Richard that. He does all the driving as I’m nervous about doing it. I’m sure I could if I HAD to but I rather not. I’m also grateful that he’s so calm when he drives. He’s super carful and so observant especially when so many cars dart in and out of lanes. Grateful.

So today.

On the road at 4:30. We gave ourselves an extra half hour of sleep. Little things can make a lot of difference. Grateful.

But unlike yesterday’s nice weather this morning gave us rain. Boo Hoo.

After three hours of driving in the rain in the dark I made the executive decision for us to stop. Now we don’t usually stop for breakfast but I felt we (esp.Richard) needed a break. It’s stressful on the eyes and head watching for trucks in the rain.

First place I spotted – McDonalds.

The strangest McDonalds I’ve ever been in. No personnel at the counter. So we ordered at the machine. What? No bacon egg McMuffins. No muffins. Limited menu. They don’t carry all products. We were disappointed as were others. The only workers we saw/heard were when our number was called. Different.

More driving.

The last two years when returning home we took a route that skirted New York City. It always made me severely stressed. Thank you Richard. I’m so grateful you chose to go the I 84 route so I’d be more relaxed. Grateful.

This year the drive down took us four days and three nights. The drive back home? It’s only going to be three days and two nights. 🤞🏼Grateful.

Made it to Ogunquit, Maine at 4:30. Then supper. Could have walked the Marginal Way but it’s been a tiring two days.

https://www.ogunquit.org/marginal-way/#:~:text=This%20famed%2C%20paved%20cliff%20walk,and%20enjoy%20the%20crashing%20surf.

A couple of things I forgot yesterday. Yes, that’s how tired I was.

The highlight of yesterday’s drive happened within the first half hour. We saw six deer munching along the side of the road. Must have been a nice breakfast as they looked up and then continued eating. No pictures as it was dark and we came upon them very quickly. Lovely to see but extremely glad they weren’t on the road. 😰

At one of the Alabama rest stops, Mr. Observant spotted a little wooden squirrel bench attached to a tree. I was sure I took a picture but I can’t find it. Sorry.

Plan to take it easier tomorrow. Breakfast. At 7:00. Yes a real breakfast at The Egg and I almost across the street from us. It’s one of Richard’s favourites. He’s been eating there since 1983. That’s a long time. He loves their corned beef hash. If I remember, and you know I’m not the greatest at that, I’ll take a picture and share it with you.

In for the night. 🥱 Had a lovely FaceTime with Jared, Katelyn, and little David. Loved it.

Grateful – David Campbell

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.