1st June 2025
Rabbits
So, I decided some months ago that my habitual trip or two across the Atlantic every year might be slightly different for a little while.
Whilst I have hugely enjoyed travelling in America for over 25 years, and made many friends as I did so, I'm not minded to rock up as a foreigner at a US airport and feel like I have to pass some sort of exam to avoid being swiftly deported.
So, a democracy can have my tourist dollars this trip. Having decided that Canada is somewhere I have spent very little time compared with the US, the choice of destination came up.
I've never seen Niagara from the Canadian side, which has a much better view of the falls, so I booked my flight to Toronto - the airport being two and a bit hours from Niagara, then booked a King Room with Falls view (and jacuzzi[!])for my first two nights. Excellent.
So - car rental. Bloody hell, car rental in Canada is expensive compared to the USA - like twice as expensive...
Ah, well - the price of democracy...
After an epic breakfast this morning with the chaps...
...which was my treat, as I'd agreed the sale of my bike on Saturday (Hi Gadget
), then I returned home to do some packing.
Harry, my French Bulldog, knows something is up. He even leaves biscuits uneaten as he watches me padding around the place, doing laundry and searching for charging cables.
I put him in his Special Forces gear and take for a turn around the block.
OK - I think I have found everything except the charger for my Apple Watch. Dammit.
I take Harry over to my friend Vikki's house, and he bounds down the driveway, doing his best to wag his tail (he doesn't have one). Vikki has four boys under fifteen, a dog and a cat - Harry loves it there, but sleeps very well after I pick him up again...
I have a medium size checked bag (the giant one not needed as I'm not carrying bike gear), a cabin bag and then a sort of carrier bag (Tesco reusable). My (new) stratagem is to put all the stuff you usually have to unload from your cabin bag and put into separate trays, in this bag - retaining the horribly precise level of packing in my main cabin bag.
We'll see if it works.
I eat cold pizza for dinner, then empty the contents of the fridge into a bin bag - to go in the wheelie-bin in the morning - then have a brainwave. I bought a new Apple Watch this year! I find the box and, sure enough, the charging cable is still in it - huzzah!
I load the dishwasher with - well - everything - and set it going. It'll likely be dry by the time I get back.
As well as kennelling Harry for me, Vikki is my housekeeper and will be keeping my small front lawn looking presentable, as well as giving the place a good spring-clean whilst I'm away. She'll air the place out a bit a couple of days before I get home and fit fresh bedding. She's brilliant...
As is often the case when travelling, I'm having some maintenance work done whilst I'm away - the driveways, paths, patio and yard are being power-washed and re-sanded, and the fences are being painted.
With impeccable timing, the motor failed on my garage door yesterday
. Luckily, the guys who fitted it emailed me details of a chap who lives nearby, and who can look at it and sort it out on Monday evening. My neighbour Nick has the spare key and remote, and is going to help me out with getting it done. It's great having good neighbours...
The place should look spick and span by the time I get home...
My (BA) flight is at a civilized time - 13:20 - tomorrow, from LHR Terminal Five. It'll be a three hourish drive and my mate Adrian is kindly picking me up at 07:00, so I'll be in plenty of time for check-in. I've already checked-in online, but need to get my passport scanned etc. I pay Adrian's rip-off "drop off fee" - now increased from five pounds to six
, then start thinking about thread titles...
More tomorrow.
Rabbits
So, I decided some months ago that my habitual trip or two across the Atlantic every year might be slightly different for a little while.
Whilst I have hugely enjoyed travelling in America for over 25 years, and made many friends as I did so, I'm not minded to rock up as a foreigner at a US airport and feel like I have to pass some sort of exam to avoid being swiftly deported.
So, a democracy can have my tourist dollars this trip. Having decided that Canada is somewhere I have spent very little time compared with the US, the choice of destination came up.
I've never seen Niagara from the Canadian side, which has a much better view of the falls, so I booked my flight to Toronto - the airport being two and a bit hours from Niagara, then booked a King Room with Falls view (and jacuzzi[!])for my first two nights. Excellent.
So - car rental. Bloody hell, car rental in Canada is expensive compared to the USA - like twice as expensive...
Ah, well - the price of democracy...
After an epic breakfast this morning with the chaps...
...which was my treat, as I'd agreed the sale of my bike on Saturday (Hi Gadget
Harry, my French Bulldog, knows something is up. He even leaves biscuits uneaten as he watches me padding around the place, doing laundry and searching for charging cables.
I put him in his Special Forces gear and take for a turn around the block.
OK - I think I have found everything except the charger for my Apple Watch. Dammit.
I take Harry over to my friend Vikki's house, and he bounds down the driveway, doing his best to wag his tail (he doesn't have one). Vikki has four boys under fifteen, a dog and a cat - Harry loves it there, but sleeps very well after I pick him up again...
I have a medium size checked bag (the giant one not needed as I'm not carrying bike gear), a cabin bag and then a sort of carrier bag (Tesco reusable). My (new) stratagem is to put all the stuff you usually have to unload from your cabin bag and put into separate trays, in this bag - retaining the horribly precise level of packing in my main cabin bag.
We'll see if it works.
I eat cold pizza for dinner, then empty the contents of the fridge into a bin bag - to go in the wheelie-bin in the morning - then have a brainwave. I bought a new Apple Watch this year! I find the box and, sure enough, the charging cable is still in it - huzzah!
I load the dishwasher with - well - everything - and set it going. It'll likely be dry by the time I get back.
As well as kennelling Harry for me, Vikki is my housekeeper and will be keeping my small front lawn looking presentable, as well as giving the place a good spring-clean whilst I'm away. She'll air the place out a bit a couple of days before I get home and fit fresh bedding. She's brilliant...
As is often the case when travelling, I'm having some maintenance work done whilst I'm away - the driveways, paths, patio and yard are being power-washed and re-sanded, and the fences are being painted.
With impeccable timing, the motor failed on my garage door yesterday
The place should look spick and span by the time I get home...
My (BA) flight is at a civilized time - 13:20 - tomorrow, from LHR Terminal Five. It'll be a three hourish drive and my mate Adrian is kindly picking me up at 07:00, so I'll be in plenty of time for check-in. I've already checked-in online, but need to get my passport scanned etc. I pay Adrian's rip-off "drop off fee" - now increased from five pounds to six
More tomorrow.
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