London Swings To Its Own Beat!

London Swings To Its Own Beat!

Stepping out!

The very long and dreary winter of 2013 was finally put to rest by the arrival of that most beautiful of months, May...that month that awakes in us all, new hopes and dreams, and of course, the thirst for new horizons.

Hyde Park and the London Eye

Linda and I were no exception. We were yearning for a voyage of adventure, rediscovery, and reunion and on May 1st, set out for Europe. On the first leg of our trip, we stayed with our good friends

 Jeremy and Rebecca, who for the past three years have been living, working, and studying in London and were more than ready to open our eyes to their new home.

What to say about this metropolis that sits right on the Prime Meridian?

Tower Bridge

Is it really the centre of the world?....Certainly more than one Londoner would have you think so.

London City Hall.
Hello, Boris, it's Charles.

Occupying a space of 1,570 km², some would say the city is sprawling. But one should first take a look at what you'll find in this royal city of contrasts, this modern Babylon of 8 million people, where alone so many French live that it's France's 6th largest city. 

Saint Paul's Cathedral

It is even said that every word of every language in the world can be heard here. In a word, London has become illimitable and infinite.
London seduces. And of her ability to hold you spellbound, Samuel Johnson said it best as far back as 1777:


“Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

$60 a couple for the
Westminster Tour?!!!!

Oh! And à propos, “afford”, look out!!! London is a very expensive mistress...especially should you want to discover the depth of her treasures and pleasures!

Bad???  Can you see the horns?

But, what we enjoyed most was the company of our wonderful hosts, Jeremy and Rebecca, and their unbridled enthusiasm for their new city.

Didn't spill one!

After settling in, a good meal, great conversation, and a good night's sleep, we were soon underway the next morning

Linda asking about the pony tail.

....after a great breakfast

...and by way of the “tube”, of course.

We emerged at Paddington, and set course by foot for Hyde Park...

...then to Towering Big Ben...

..followed by the Horse Guards Parade.......  

Nice horsie,
Yes, I like you too.

Tea and crumpets would be lovely, mam!

......and on to Buckingham Palace. 

We saw it all. 

Linda is mystified.
How does this Busker do it?
Look at the spectators....
Got any theories?

Oh, the beer on a day like this.

An incredibly interesting stroll down the South Bank of the Themes 

and back to Piccadilly left us thirsty and....

Where's the Beef?

with a huge appetite for Italian at Leicester Square. What a day! 

Once back home, we enjoyed some wonderful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a game of “Rummi Kub”     (a great game).

-I can beat you at Rummi Kub!
-Ah, no you can't!!!

So hungry, we could
eat a horse.

On Day III, another masterful breakfast had us pumped for another action packed day. Rebecca had it all planned out. 

First, a walk down a quiet and atmospheric waterway, Regent's Canal...

....then through Little Venice, where we struck upon the fabulous Regent Canal Narrow Boat Festival, and ended up at Camden Locks, 

...famous for its Camden Market, a labyrinth of incredible shops and booths of every type, music to listen to, and plenty of food made right before your eyes.  

Jeremy's favourite place is called "Bang Bang Chicken".  The owner has a gruff baritone voice. 

That night, after a great meal of good ol'hamburgers, we took in some music and the tube home.  My favorite new phrase is now “Mind the gap”, a caution that you hear each time the tube car doors open. After an evening of games and wine, I pressed my shirt for church. Life is good!!

On Tour Day III, Sunday, we were up at the crack of dawn. High mass at Westminster Abbey, that traditional place of coronation and burial site for British monarchs, and good seats came to those who queued up early. It was well worth it. For 90 minutes, we were witness to the epitome of Anglican High Mass ritual and to the work of the world's best Anglican choir.

It took our collective breath away. What a privilege to have been a part of it.

Our next stop was Green Park for a leisurely picnic! There is no doubt that Londoners love their parks and make good use of them.

As a book end to morning mass, we went to a early evening musical at the theatre. It was “Jersey Boys”! Needless to say, we were bopping up and down in our seats! The quality of the performance was absolutely remarkable.

After a meal of British Fish and Chips, we made our way back home, enjoyed the rest of our evening planning our last full day in London.

Tour Day IV found us slow to get out of the starting blocks. A late rise, a wonderful

breakfast on the balcony, and lots of odd jobs (I got my pictures ready for a slide show), had us leaving the house around one.

 We walked all the way to Uxbridge along the Grand Union Canal 

......after which we took the tube to Harrow on the Hill, one of Jeremy and Rebecca's all time favourite haunts in London and once their residence. With all its beautiful

homes, private schools, old pubs, and lovely churches and restaurants, it was like a trip into old British history. 

 Neat too was the perspective that we had of London from what must be the highest point in the city!

That night, we said our goodbyes as Jeremy and Rebecca would both be up very early and off to work.

Later that morning, we were off to Heathrow....destination Bonn, Germany.  

Thanks to you both for a great time.

That is not Big Ben in the foreground.
Do you know what it is?
Big Ben is holding up the rear here.

Big Ben Facts: Did you know that:

• Each dial is seven metres in diameter
• The minute hands are 4.2 metres long and weigh about 100 kg (including counterweights)
• The numbers are approximately 60 cm long
• There are 312 pieces of glass in each clock dial
• A special light above the clock faces is illuminated when parliament is in session
• Big Ben's timekeeping is strictly regulated by a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum.
• Big Ben has rarely stopped. Even after a bomb destroyed the Commons chamber during the Second World War, the clock tower survived and Big Ben continued to strike the hours.
• The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast by the BBC on 31 December 1923, a tradition that continues to this day.
• In June 2012 the House of Commons announced that the clock tower was to be renamed the Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

Bye for now!

Aurevoir, Florida! Bonjour, Savannah!

“Woodie” made sure we were up for an early start. Our destination was Savannah. Georgia but there was no rush.  We decided rather to meander though Florida's interior with an overnight in Orlando. A good decision! Florida's interior is both beautiful and interesting. We took in part of a baseball game (spring training), loved the orange groves, and enjoyed meeting Floridians along the way.

By Sunday, we were in Savannah, Georgia...a city steeped in tradition, history and famous for its ghosts of the Civil War. The city is home of King Cotton, Southern hospitality, and of course, The Food Network's Paula Deen.


Savannah is a true city of the “Ol' South”. Only its modern harbour facilities along the Savannah River remind us that history has moved on. 

Turn your back, and you step into history, cotton, and everything “Suthern”.

Savannah's twenty-two charming “town squares” are a reminder that this city, planned in 1733 by James Oglethrope, was meant to be a place... 


where its citizens came together for....

Beautiful parks!

The Savannah Cotton Exchange

for a walk, social occasions, 
trade, and everyday interaction.

Love birds?

Just look at this passage way.

Of course, its beautiful river 
and hidden passages, make it a place for lovers of all kinds.

Note the canon.

Linda on one set stairs 

leading up from the river.

All in all, our stay  was wonderful.  

In fact, we both think that the city will soon rival any North American urban tourist destination, given the apparent determination by the city fathers to do so and the material they have to work with.

A typical house in Charleston

A wonderful group we were able to see twice.

Next on to Charleston, South Carolina.

Returning to our hotel, we learned on the evening weather report of an upcoming snow storm, said to be the largest storm of the winter season, to cross the mid-Atlantic. 

Behind Linda, the second 

largest sailboat in the world

What to do? 

Not wanting to have to fight snow, plows, bad driving, and salty roads, the race was on. 

The next morning we were up early with a window of 20 hours to get through the snow zone dry. 17 hours later, we were in Cortland, New York.  A quick look at the weather channel and already the storm was hitting Washington and Pennsylvania.

As for Ottawa, it was a sorry sight, having been through its own earlier snow storm. 

Needless to say, a little outside work was awaiting us. 

Everything fell into place quickly and not a minute of the CIS Basketball Championship at Scotia Bank Place was missed.

Needless to say, we were lucky enough to have great seats.

Go Carleton U.!

The cherry on a great cake. The Ravens won the CIS championship.

In May, we're off to Europe! We'd love for you to follow us.

Bye!

Part II  Aurevoir to Sanibel

Sanibel Island's 6 000 residents know how lucky they are to be living on this 17½-square-mile barrier island. 

It is paradise.

A Horn of Plenty

To live here is to co-habitat with nature in an incredible sanctuary, a Noah's Arc if you will, where the animals outnumber humans.

A mere glance into the sky confirms it.  Osprey, blue heron, eagles, storks, cormorants, egrets, pelicans, ibises, and turkey vultures making their way somewhere...but its all business. Only the pelicans seem to take any real pleasure in flying.

Ode to the Pelican

Often maligned for its awkward look, gate, and eating habits, the poor thing has even been joked about in a poem:

A wonderful bird is a pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week;

I just don't see how the helican.

But vindication for its foibles comes when soaring over the waves.  No bird can compare... it's simply poetry in motion. 

Sanibel - a veritable mecca for all sorts 

Meanwhile back on the ground, 
snakes, 
lizards, 
raccoons...

...and even alligators live along side all this bird life in this Eldorado.

Sanibel's unique mix of beaches and untamed wilderness, coupled with its small-town ambiance also make it a popular for another migratory animal: 

the snowbird, easily recognizable by two familiar traits:

An excellent example 
of the Sanibel Stoop

1) Its beach-walker stoop, better known here as the Sanibel Stoop, the preferred shelling technique of the species and



Note the crooked neck



2) its crooked-neck brought on by enthusiastic bird watching through optical prisms.  

Trouble in Paradise

But living on a post card does have its dark side. Sure, the locals chatter about the marvels of waking up each morning to the sounds of nature . 

 But at times, it can get somewhat ridiculous. We're living proof.

A home for the birds in our house

“Wakie...Wakie”: Like clockwork, our blood-shot eyes flash open at 6:55 to the joyous pounding of a red-bellied woodpecker, drilling yet more holes into our beautiful house.

Woody at war with our windows

A protected species, our little critter, affectionately know as "Woody" makes it its mission to bore the bejesus (13 holes so far)  into the shattered sheltered side of our rental.

When not busy building his little condos, Woody spends the rest of his waking hours flying head-first into various panes of our bedroom windows. It's just plain wacky!

Woody doesn't scare easily, but.....

A related incident.  

Linda had a recent scare. Curious, she went to “the dark side” of this beautiful house to inspect Woody's work. 
 Looking way up, she was suddenly startled by the sight of a dead snake hanging out of a hole. Unable to identify it and urged by her to “do something”, I took a picture. 
One local told me it was a rat snake. I researched it on the net. There were no matches so I emailed the local biologist and got a surprisingly quick response. It turned out that it was a rubber snake put there by the owner to scare you know who.....“Woody”.

The lesson here: Dangling a rubber snake out from under your eaves makes only for anxious humans. 

As a woodpecker deterrent, it really sucks.

Red What?

Lately, Sanibel has been dealing with a small touristic hiccup called the Red Tide.  A normal occurrence, the marine algae bloom is usually harmless. This year though, an unusually high concentration of Karenia brevis, a toxin which paralyzes the central nervous system of small fish, is suffocating thousands of them, leaving all the beaches on the Gulf side scattered with sardines. Although natural and temporary, it makes for a sorry sight. 

The real problem for tourists is that the toxin leaves them coughing as they try to clear an irritation in the throat.  It mostly occurs when on or near the beach.  

The good news is that Red Tide is natural and temporary.  Soon, both fish and tourists will be reporting back to paradise.

Ce n'est qu'un aurevoir!

Our last days here have not led to a decrease in activity.  Visits, being visited, and exploring were still on.

Yesterday, our friends Louise Nezan and Mike O'Sullivan, came to spend the day. It was a real hoot and a great way for them to begin their time down here.

We also got to see our friends Dwight and Barb Daugherty at their place in Naples.  We had a fantastic day exploring, watching dolphins, and of course, enjoying some incredible culinary delights and eating "frozen custard".  Thanks for a great day!

Of course, we had to continue monitoring all the local developments as well.  Two streets over, a new house is being built. FIMA rules prohibit that there be a foundation or even a ground floor so everything must be elevated. 

Here we are measuring and re-measuring the
FIMA foundation, just for fun.

In the space of one week, just look at the progress. Thanks to Mike O'Sullivan, who said he'll forward us a picture of the house when they return to Sanibel in two weeks.  I'm already very curious.

Every day, "our" family of osprey

lived their lives right next to us.  It 

was amazing.

And so, as we prepare to leave Sanibel, the growing nostalgia is balanced by the deep satisfaction of having been witness to so much nature.   

Thanks for the memories:

What a wonderful time!  A big thank you to Dave and Louise for sharing it all with us.  

If ever you come, just remember that gators do just fine when left alone!

Tomorrow, we'll leave Sanibel.  Dave and Louise are heading for Tampa while we'll be making our way to Savannah Georgia.

And as we say goodbye, we salute this beautiful roseate spoonbill living in the bayou, just two hundred meters from here.  Through Linda's keen eye and determination and Louise's great photography, we were able to record this very, very rare bird here on Sanibel.  A real ornithological coup!!!

Until next time.