Counting my blessings

We had a wonderful day on Sunday in the New Forest with our two youngest grand children. They are so very adorable. they are funny, and keep us entertained all the time. They are also very very beautiful, very different from each other but equally beautiful. Wavelett the eldest one at 5 1/2 years old is very confident in herself. She has a musical talent which her parents will try to nurture. She gets that from her Dad and Grandpa! Then there is Bluebell a vivacious, funny 3 1/2 year old, already taller than her sister was at that age (so could end up being model material)!

We all went for a very long walk with their two dogs on the heath in The New Forest and they fair wore me out! But the girls wanted to go further and further! Although a little chilly, it was a bright autumn day and there was lots of healthy fresh air for all. Walking along looking at The New Forest ponies is a wonderful past time.

Once back at their house, there was hot tea and cakes for everyone and this was swiftly followed by a display of songs from the children's Harvest festival at school. With Bluebell trying to be as big as Wavey and copying absolutely everything her big sister did, we were hard pushed not to laugh! Lots of lovely songs (I suspect some were made up on the spot!) it was a pleasure to be part of it all.

They are such delightful children and certainly make me think...........Someone shone on me the day those two children came to this family.

I am so very blessed.

Flights the hard way

It is my intention visit my sisters next October. I thought of swapping my timeshare apartment for one in San Francisco. Then I would be central to two of my sisters, one would hopefully fly down from Washington and the other one would manage to drive down. Then for once we could all be together.

I really need to do this because as time goes by and we all get older, who knows how many more times the long trip can be achieved.

As its such a long journey from the UK I thought maybe of extending our holiday by visiting somewhere else first and then finishing with the week in San Fran.

So, its time to start planning the journey, making enquiries as to prices of flights for that time of year.I started today on the internet. I searched several sites for return flights to and from Uk to San Fran or a return trip to Canada. That side of things is easy!
My other alternative was to fly from San Fran to Canada to see a cousin for the second week.
Or we could fly to Canada, go down to San Fran and back to Canada to come home.It doesnt matter which way round I looked it was all so awkward.

I want to book an internal flight to another part of the USA. I have been told its cheap and easy to do so. Oh NO its not! At least not from here!
If you live in USA its fine and very economical. But to book from England, they hike up the price! How annoying. So now I am thinking I must look further afield for help with the flights.

So I called a travel agent and a flight specialist. Well the prices they want! HUH!

Its now down to emailing my sisters and seeing what they come up with. Maybe thats the only way, for them to book it over there and if so, i have to arrange a money transfer to get the cost of it to them to enable them to make the booking. Its all so very complicated now.

All I want is a simple journey to culminate in a week with my sisters and a weeks holiday somewhere else, one after the other its not too much to ask is it?
(Apparently it is!)

I am not giving up though, I will sort it out but its going to be a long week in doing so.

A Proud Moment

My husband Don and I have just returned from a magic convention in the North of England. It was the International Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring convention which is held every year in September. One year it is held in the north of the country and the following year in the south.

It was 5 days of eat sleep and breathe magic. We saw some fabulous acts and lots of brilliant close up magic. I always look forward to the conventions, even though I know it is full on and very tiring.We meet up with friends we havent seen for some time and coupled with staying in a hotel and not having to prepare meals, its great.

I belong to The British Assembly of Magigals. Basically this is the wives of magicians for want of a better description. I have been a member for around 20 years and always enjoyed meeting up with old friends at the conventions. We have a couple of meetings one of which has entertainment arranged by our current president.

Well this year when it was time for the outgoing President to announce the new incoming president I was delighted to find it is none other than yours truly. It is nice to be recognised in this capacity. My duties are not too bad really. I send out birthday and Christmas cards to all our members on behalf of the Magigals. I also arrange a Presidents Day and this will be on 25th April in Chelmsford Essex. We will have a lovely 3 course lunch, followed by a cabaret that I am currently arranging.Magigals come from around the country to be with me on my special day and hopefully some close friends and family will be there too.

Then at the convention next year, I am in the chair at the Annual General meeting and then at our Saturday meeting I have to have some form of entertainment arranged. But thats in the future, plenty of time for that.

I am quite looking forward to the year as generally you make new friends through holding the office of President. (You never know, I may get invited to be guest of honour at a clubs dinner of something!)

So a sort of 'fame' at last. I intend to enjoy it.