A Wild And Crazy Weekend!

We started out our weekend with Phil going to the hospital for surgery to remove the cyst that was in his neck.  He had to stay overnight, but said it was very minor surgery.  Janet was making us really worried because she kept saying things like "remind me again where the life insurance policies are" and "what's the name of our electrician?"

At any rate, he did come home.  Chubby Chin and all!  Phil said the cyst was about the size of a marble.  Odd, because before he had the surgery, the lump on his neck was about the size of a baseball.  Now he's concerned because his neck is all wrinkly!  He was in very fine form, but we think the drugs were still working.

By accident, Janet dropped a small glass bowl - the kind that shatters, not breaks.  Solid proof that Phil is still on the surgery drugs - he vacuumed up the mess!  Janet said she didn't think Phil even knew where we kept the vacuum.

The next day, he crashed and burned.

On Sunday, we had the storm of all storms.  Janet took us out for a walk and the wind felt like hurricane strength.  Oh oh!  Look what happened on Beach Drive, just a couple blocks from our house.

Janet says she thinks it's a miracle no one was injured.  This is right at the entrance to Willows Beach and lots of people walk here.

We left the house again this morning to go for another walk.  It was beautiful and sunny out when we left and when we returned.  In the 30 minutes we were on our walk, it poured heavily.

This is the house on Beach Drive where part of the tree fell onto the road.  A portion of their really nice, really old fence destroyed.

Lately, Noodles has taken to going to the basement.  Yesterday, when it was really windy out, Janet found her just lying on the floor.  I wonder why she goes down there?  I have never been, so I don't know what there is too see.  We are not supposed to go to the basement.

Noodles beating a not so hasty retreat.

Noodles is worried sick about what her punishment will be for going downstairs.

Tour de Miserable

Sunday was the third annual Ryder Hesjedal's Tour de Victoria.  Janet has now gone for two years in a row, doing the 50km option.  In August, Janet fell off her bike and cracked her tailbone on the curb.  It took about three weeks before it no longer ached all the time.  Then they went to the U.K.  All of this means the only bike riding Janet did was in the week before the Tour.

Last year, as befitting an athlete of Janet's advanced skill level, she had a "team", of sorts.  Phil was armchair coach and equipment manager (and sponsor),  Meg was lead rider and Derek was Janet's personal broom wagon.

This year her only staff was the armchair coach and equipment manager.  His participation is due the fact that he lives with us and this was the absolute minimum participation Janet was going to accept.

She and her no longer technicolour bum had to go it on their own.  The weather was about as miserable as it could get.  Heavy rain and high wind for most of the ride.  Janet even managed to exhaust her vast vocabulary of really bad words to describe the "fun" she had.

Last year it took Janet 2 hours and 32 minutes.  She was the 193rd rider out of 279.  This year, it took 18 minutes longer and she was the 265th rider out of 323.  Ash Road hill - still out of the question.  She wanted to cry.  Really.  Badly.

Look who stopped by the 50km starting point!  It's Ryder Hesjedal!  He stopped to say hello the the "little people", both literally and figuratively.  Janet says she has never seen such a tall, lean person.

Starting to rain, but just a little.  Janet positioned herself at the back of the chute as she didn't want to ride in tight formation.

Absolutely soaked to the bone, including soggy runners.  The tour route goes down Beach Drive, one block from home. Should she just call it a day?  We encouraged her to "fight the good fight, sister!"

Great.....now it's sunny - at the finish line!

After the bike ride, they went for Chinese lunch.

Should we have known something was going on when Phil starts to put us in the "little car?"

Ignorance is such bliss.  He was taking us to the groomers!

Phil came home with a huge surprise for Janet.  He is still trying to make up for the complete and utter lack of celebration for Janet's 60th birthday.

Four dozen corn from Silver Rill.

She was a busy beaver, husking, parboiling and shucking the cobs.  She froze them on cookie sheets and then bagged them.

Janet and Phil Party On!

We barely arrived home and before you know it, there is a block BBQ party.  Janet and Phil had almost no involvement this year.  It was hosted by Bonnie and Greg who live at the end of our street.
Their house was built in 1913 and our house was built in 1914.  Our house is the oldest on Montieth as their house faces Cranmore.  Their house if fabulous!  Janet loves their house.

Almost all the neighbours came.  It poured buckets of rain, so the party was moved indoors.   They had lots of fun.

Built in buffet, similar to ours.  See Janet's new fancy pants red Mason Cash bowl they hauled home from the U.K.?  They have been making bowls since the 1800's.  Now Janet says she wants to go to Abergavenny, Wales next fall as they have a huge Food Festival.

Nice head shot of.....?  Janet says, lucky person.  It's not grey!

While they were having the time of their lives down the block, I was having a mini meltdown.  There was thunder and I was very afraid, so I hid in the bathroom and rumpled up the bath mat to fit under me.

Before you can say "Bob's your uncle" and we actually do have an Uncle Bob, there is another party!  Yuki and his wife Wendy have been visiting in Victoria and staying and Karen and Ken.  Janet's only contribution was to invite all of them for dinner for some seriously dry, seriously overcooked Prime Rib.  Usually Janet makes a Horseradish Sauce to go with Prime Rib.  Not this time.  There was absolutely nothing to moisten this baked cardboard.

Yuki and his family live around the corner from where Toshio used to live.  They had the neighbourhood butcher shop.  They are incredibly generous and kind people.  Yuki was super excited to see Jeremy.

Not quite sure why Master Photographer Janet didn't manage a photo that included Lolo and Steve, who were also there.

Photographic proof that Phil isn't as tall as Janet!  He always claims he is the taller of the two.  He will say it's her "poofed up hair" and she will say "well, at least I have some!"

Janet didn't want to make their dinner tonight last night, so she expedited our dinner in order to lure Phil into going out for dinner.

Looks super delish...thanks, Janet.

Hi, everyone!

Janet and Phil Come Back To Get Us.

 In the first village Janet and Phil stayed in, Upper Oddington, the streets were very narrow.  In most cases, one car width.  They left the cottage to go for lattes, when Mrs. Worry Wart remembered she left the patio chair cushions outside.  Despite a forecast for 25 degrees and a very sunny sky, she felt she needed to put them back inside, in case of rain.  While waiting for Janet in the lane, Phil had to move as another vehicle was behind him.  By accident, he scraped against a rock.

When they returned the car to Hertz, they went over it with a fine tooth comb and of course, noticed the scrape.  Lucky for Phil, there is no fooling around with a quote from an autobody shop or messing with insurance claims and billing you for the damage later.  Hertz has,  for the convenience of their clients, "negotiated" repair quotes that you can pay right then and there!  This little scrape - about $600.00.  Not to mention the approx. $50 processing fee!  Talk about convenient.  Mario Andretti did the same thing two years ago on a brand new Mercedes.  The car rental company sent it for repair and then charged the credit card.  The damage was more substantial and the cost - about $200!  Janet says, Farewell, Hertz!

As always, Janet and Phil said goodbye to the U.K. and returned to PDX to pick us up.  Minnie loved telling Janet what to blog, but that's the way the dog cookie crumbles, Sister.  We are back home now and Rockers is in charge!

Janet says she almost doesn't believe this, but they found a good restaurant in Terminal 1 at Heathrow.  It was Italian and they said it was delicious.

Carbonara with pancetta.

Seafood Risotto

Goodbye, England!

They were so excited to see us.  It never fails to amaze us that our little crying and whimpering gig can nearly bring a tear to Janet's eye.

They ran around PDX like maniacs, doing last minute shopping and packed up the car so we could also have a crack at being the Clampetts

We overnighted in CLM....OK, OK.  Port Angeles.  Janet makes us throw around her nearly five year old travel agent lingo.  Noodles slept all night on the hotel room patio.

We had to get up early because the ferry was at 8:10AM.  Phil donned his fleece jacket and shorts and drove the car over to the terminal.  We went for a short walk with Janet.  The hotel is literally at the ferry terminal.

Janet nearly collapsed when Phil Billy Bob took off his fleece and is wearing his "wife beater" on a ferry in Washington state.  This might fly in Aloha Land, but not so much in this neck of the woods.

I try to turn a deaf ear to everyone talking about how dumb I am.  I'm not dumb.  I'm gentle and sweet and a little bit nervous (of almost everything!).  Try this on for dumbness.  While I am going to the bathroom, Noodles decides to roll right under me.  Now she has pee on her fur!

Since we have arrived home, Noodles has had an upset tummy.  She didn't want to eat and when she did, threw it all up.  This means we get our special "Upset Tummy" dinner, which we love.  Wonder if Noodles is faking it?  Cottage cheese, cooked rice and cooked ground beef.  It's yummy!

Janet and Phil Have A Great Last Day and Guess What Happened Yesterday!

They had many big plans for the last day, but in the end, decided to stay close to where they were.  They walked along the canal path outside their pub to the village of Hungerford.  It took about an hour to get there.

Enroute, they passed several narrow canal boat users and as they got closer to Hungerford, Phil said he would help one of them with one of the locks.

Looks experienced!

Then, the people who owned the boat, asked if they wanted to go onboard to the next lock!  Huge excitement!  Janet and Phil had thought about doing a canal boat rental this trip, but decided it was too expensive and they didn't know enough about it.

Inside the boat is a bit on the narrow side (hence the name), but for two people it would be fine.

Approaching Hungerford.

"Our" boat from the other side of the lock.

Janet and Phil walked back from Hungerford to Kintbury across another "common".  They are now starting to think that commons are more common (no play on barks intended!) than they thought.

By the time they got back they were starving.  Out again comes the trusty Pub Guide.  Into the car, pull up to a fabulous looking pub....closed for lunch on Monday and Tuesday.  Now Her Crabiness is seriously hungry, but agrees to go to another suggestion in the Pub Guide.  First sign of happiness...cars in the parking lot.  This pub was The Red House and it was excellent.

Phil had Scallops in Garlic Butter and Janet had Pork Belly with Cabbage, Mash Potatoes and Mustard Sauce.  Fabulous!

The Red House.

Pretty garden and nice thatched roof.

Another reason for us doggies to move to Kamp U.K....assuming we could or would go into a basket!

Turns out, Janet thinks they are actually Dutch  have a motorhome parked across the canal from our pub.

They were relaxing in their room and happended to notice a horse pulled canal boat was leaving.

He was a lovely horse.  When they come across an anchored canal boat, someone holding the really long lead has to jump on top of the roof of the moored boat and guide it across and jump off again.

Cute sheepie guys edging on the verge of the canal.

Careful guys, not sure if you know how to swim or not!

Both of these photos are from the garden area of the pub where Janet and Phil are staying.

Hello Downton Abbey fans!  Janet has wanted to go to Highclere Castle for the last two years.  Last year, they weren't in the vicinity and this year, it said all tickets were sold out out for the summer.  Janet and Phil checked when they arrived in Berkshire and it said some walk up tickets were available.  They decided to give it a whirl and sure enough, they got in!  No interior photos are permitted.

They saw Lady Granthams' bedroom, Lady Mary, Sybil and Ediths' bedrooms, the library and the dining room. In addition,  the bedroom of the mysterious Egyptian guest who nearly threw Lady Mary off the tracks and the saloon.  The kitchen and staff quarters are filmed on a movie set.  It was fun!  Put it on your list, Banana and Ted!