The Ouseys in Victoria Page

Well I am taking my time to getting around to blogging about the trip. We are finding that getting over a 9 hour shift is no easy feat. I have finally managed to get mostly over it after 5 days, but Carolyn is still going to bed at 9 pm and getting up at 6 am. She actually got me breakfast for my two golf games this week. Speaking of golf, my golf partners are talking about taking a cruise to improve their game. I had two good games so they think it had something to do with the cruise.

My Varicose vein operation is scheduled for the afternoon of July 10th. So that was a 7 month wait, not bad, I was told 6. So, provided nothing changes, they should be stripped out soon. That may knock a hole in my golf game for a couple of weeks, but I should be right as rain for the end of month Ousey Reunion.

I still haven't got all the pictures sorted and there is so much to talk about that I'll have to do it in small installments. Here is Carolyn in front of the "small" hotel we stayed at. The Blakes of Dover. Small Pub in basement, restaurant on main and two rooms per floor for 3 floors, a total of 6 rooms. Very quaint, and we enjoyed it. Very personal service at half the price of the big hotel in town.

The hotel was on Castle street and you can see why the street is called that in the next picture. We didn't get a chance to up to the castle, we have to save something for next time after all. We did get some good "Fish and Chips" next door to the hotel and we had tea and crumpets in the morning before embarking.

Mike gave us a tour around the ship and the very first picture I took on board was of a Chihuly glass sculpture that the ship (the Constellation) had on prominent display. Carolyn was thrilled as he is her favourite glass sculptor that she has watched many times on PBS.
Once on board the ship, we departed while we were having our first dinner of many. Mike says that a ship is only a vehicle to get us between meals, ha ha, so right he was. The food was plentiful and fantastic.

More later, but I'll have to cut out a lot, at this rate I'll still be talking about this one by the time we take our next cruise.

Talked to Mom, since we have been back. She seems in good spirits. From Catherine's blog though she has been testing Catherine's patience, probably not intentionally, but she can be contradictory. She was in our conversation. She is looking forward to the trip at the end of July.

Catherine has been fixing up the house, next on the agenda are the bathrooms. I won't recognize the place next time we visit.

"Travel is the most private of pleasures. There is no greater bore than the travel bore. We do not in the least want to hear what he has seen in Hong-Kong." Vita Sackville-West

On that note maybe I'll keep the narrative of the rest of the trip very, very short. Ta Ta

After a 24 day we arrived back at 12:01 on Sunday morning, like late Saturday. Bad time apparently as our drive thought it was a day later and wasn't there to pick us up. We phoned and he said "I thought you were coming home Sunday". Gail reminded him that right after midnight it is Sunday.

The trip was fantastic. I was able to get in a couple of short blogs and a few Emails relayed by Lyn, but now to download a couple of hundred pictures and filter them down to a few to blog. I will also prepare a summary to blog with them, but that won't be for a couple of days. Got to get over the jet lag, 9 hour change from Paris, body thinks it should be in bed and maybe I'll just do that.

(Singing) Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll have to blog tomorrow, tomorrows a lovely day... to blog.

I need sleep.

A quick post. Today we go to see "The Producers" at Drury Lane Theatre. Looking forward to that. And tomorrow we depart via Chunnel to Paris for 3+ days. So the days are winding down. I see the weather at home is warming up, Victoria is looking at a sunny week. Well we have had some warm and humid weather here. yesterday was cloudy but still humid.

We walked off our feet in Hyde park; and we have had couple of tours that have been great, but too much to relate here. I'll have to sort out the highlights when we get home.

Don't know if I'll find any internet in Paris, but should do, if so will blog from there.

Ta ta and peace.

We are back on land again. We got back to Dover yesterday, and our car took us to the Hotel, the Hilton Metropole. The cruise was fantastic, and will relate it all when we get back. The weather has been fantastic. Some days the highs as much as 27 C. It turned sunny and hot for our second day in St. Petersburg and has stayed that way up until today, which is still hot, and humid though cloudy. We actually have gotten tans and some passengers got burns. You would have thought we were on a Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise.

I tried to keep up with mini emails through Lyn, but gave that up for the last week. To awkward and we were just too busy. I am at a nice little internet cafe and thought I would at least get this out and catch up.

Our phone rang at 10 to 5 this morning. It rang once but that was it. Found out later that it meant that I had a voice mail. Apparently a flashing light on the TV console, yes TV console was supposed to tell us that. Go figure. Anyway it turned out to be a voice mail from my Girls wishing me a Happy Fathers day. That was very sweet and I thank them.

Tonight we are going on a river cruise on the Thames. Sight seeing for a couple of hours after a Father's day supper for both Mike Kattler and myself. Today we were at Piccadilly circus, and Leicester square. We got tickets to see The Producers Tuesday night. We will do a city tour tomorrow then we will be off to the Chunnel to go to Paris on Wednesday.

Carolyn has a cold, but it is relatively mild and it isn't slowing her down too much. So far I have avoided it. She got it from Gail Kattler, who had it on the ship.

I'll go read some blogs that I haven't been able to read for two weeks

Ta ta and Peace.