Yawn.

Yikes.
A boring day.

No really.
It was a snoozer.

Rick, Sandra, John and Val left first thing this morning for Warwick Castle. Drew and I have been there already so we decided to stay home. We slept in, then I did some work. Arrow work.

They were back at noon, having decided not to go to the castle afterall... They saved the entrance fee by climbing to the top of the neighboring cathedral's tower and taking pics. They are so menno.

We had talked about going to Blenheim Palace in the afternoon, but on their drive back from Warwick they realized what they REALLY wanted to do was go shopping. In Birmingham.

Sigh.

(I've already been there, done that. But this isn't about me.)
:)

So Drew and I hopped in and joined them.

Only we didn't get to that cool mall in Birmingham.

There was a Costco.
"WHY are we here?" Drew whispered to me.
"This is important to Sandra...." I answered.

John bought his first new jacket in years. And everyone else whose last name doesn't begin with O bought T-shirts for $3.99

Then, just 5 minutes away, there was an OUTLET MALL. With stores. That were open. And wanted to sell us things.
!

So we went.
How could we not?
After an hour of aimless wandering, Drew and I sat on the bench in the parking lot and concluded we should've stayed home. I coulda suntanned. He coulda did whatever it is he does on his laptop.

At 5:45 pm, it was time to go home.
Yay.
The people in the car with naturally dark hair were very pleased with how their day had gone. They all saved gobs of money by not going to the biggest sightseeing monument in the area, and then saved even more with all the deals they got while shopping.

I'm not complaining.
Holidaying with happy people is always a good thing.
But if I have to endure another day of saving money I will stab a salad fork in my left ear.

When we got home, Rick and Val made dinner. Rick is wary of pre-packaged foods, and likes to (needs to?) personalize them by adding chopped vegies and an assortment of spices. We had tacos tonight and they were delish. I love having cooks along on a holiday. (If you are thinking of going on holidays with other people, I'd suggest you invite a cook and a compulsive cleaner to join you. Trust me on this.)

We went for a walk after dinner. John saw a public footpath near our house, so we thought we'd follow it to see where we'd end up:

We ended up on the other end of the field.
So we walked back.

And walked down the road until the sidewalk ended.
Which was one block.

So we turned around and walked through a neighbourhood.
And ended up at a gated fence that entered the graveyard:

From there we walked through the village center (6 shops. 5 closed) of Cubbington and talked to the liquor store keeper.

He's from India and was very patient as someone in our group changed their mind a few times mid-purchase.
Coincidentally he's flying to Abbotsford tomorrow for a 5 day visit to see his sister who just gave birth to a baby boy a few months ago. She bought a gas station near some railroad tracks. One of us promised Reeky "that the next time I fill up at a gas station near railroad tracks in Abby, and someone of "your  nationality" is working the til, I'll ask if her if she had a relative in Cubbington..."

When we got back home, Val patiently re-taught me how to play Cribbage. (I probably haven't played in over 20 years.)
Sandra played too. But was very tired.
I won. Which was nice.
Yay me.

Everyone whose last names begin S or W was in bed before 11:30, so Drew and I are sitting side-by-side in the office, each on our own laptops, in our happy places. He's watching Top Gear on You Tube and laughing. I'm thinking about this holiday and what my favorite parts have been so far.

 - getting on the airplane with all three sons. Feeling: pride.
 - picking up Andrew after getting our van. Feeling: thankful. (And impressed with his resourcefulness. He walked 7 km's with his luggage then slept in a field, waiting for us.)
 - sitting on the top of the double-decker bus in London, listening to tour guide John inform and entertain us. Feeling: happy. And wonderment. (And glad to be sharing this with the guys.)
 - walking around Blenheim with Clint, Drew and Andrew. Feeling: awe.
 - all train rides. Feeling: relaxed and relieved.
 - walking around South Bank with the boys - enjoying the street performers and sights . Feeling: peace and happiness.
 - the night that Rick and Sandra surprised me by knocking on my hotel room door in London. Feeling: grateful that there was someone to talk to.
 - walking through the Cotswolds was fun, but spontaneous photo shoots in fields were awesome. Feeling: creative.
 - discovering Bath's beauty was a wonderful treat. The art in the Abbey was chocolate for my eyes. Feeling: awestruck
 - the Night Glow at the Bristol International Balloon Festival was goose-bump inducing. Feeling: delighted ( and moved to tears because I am moronic.)
 - Browsing through art galleries in Falmouth was one of my most favorite things. Feeling: appreciative of the artist's talent.
 - St. Michael's Mount was a great experience. Walking back through the ocean on a cobblestone path was even better. Feeling: thankful that I didn't fall. Proud of myself for not whimping out.
 - Walking through the narrow, hilly, windy roads of St. Ives and then discovering THE BEACH. Feeling: ah hah! THIS was were I was meant to live.


Three things I'm thankful for:
1. Rick looks after garbage/recycling.
2. John always offers to do dishes.
3. Val jumps right in on meal prep.

Shalom,