Can't escape the crud

 People think I'm looking better and that I seem to be healthier.  Well, yes and no.  I haven't had the hideous month long respiratory ick, but I have not been well.  I had migraines in California, and some incipient colds as I criss-crossed England.  And recently there have been a sequence of rather disconcerting events.

First, the night before my jaunt from London to  Midhurst, I had a violent attack of vomiting (three times.)  The next morning I had to get up at 6:15 to care for V, my cousin’s 9-month old, because they were both on business trips, and the nanny didn’t arrive until 8 am. It was not easy:  I was wiped out.  I did manage to get her to go back to sleep for a bit.  We crashed together on the big bed, and then I dozed for a few more hours. I was exhausted and achy, but I had to pack and get myself through two Tube rides to the Waterloo station, and then take an hour train ride south.  I staggered through a meeting with my host and her pets, including a 20-minute walk and a visit with the dog-walking partner.

At 6:30 pm, I crashed.  I woke up at 11, and decided that I was too tired to get up and eat.  So I slept until 6 am:  12 hours of sleep, and I only had 1.5 slices of toast the entire day.  But a little fasting never hurt anyone, right? Didn't have much appetite, and the rib muscles were sore, but such is life.

I’d like to figure out what causes these attacks, but I guess I’ll never know.  It doesn't seem to be food-related.  None of the testing in the past year came up with anything.  I could tell the doctors just thought it was psychosomatic, but why I’d be getting sick now when I’m so carefree is beyond me.

In the aftermath, I found myself tiring easily.  There was also a musty quality to the house, which made me want to cough, but my rib muscles were so sore that I couldn't cough effectively.
I thought it was a return of my old problem...which never got diagnosed and which was tied to migraines and was over quickly.  But I was still queasy for a few days. May have caught the flu..it was going around, and the people who share the nanny with my cousins had it.  Dammit.

The next week, when I returned to London, V had a chest infection, and R was worrying about the Norovirus, which was also going around.  E was worried too, of course, but sturdily refusing to at the same time.  I actually still had the queasiness and incipient headache:  it never went away, but the violent attacks ceased, which was a huge relief.  I was able to function and help out a bit, and fortunately never caught the infection.

A month later, here in Ireland, I had an attack of vertigo several days into the sit.  It's very unpleasant, and when the Oscar the importunate pup starts climbing up my body to get at my face and lick it, I can't really fend him off:  any abrupt movement starts the room spinning again.  The Epply maneuver has not worked, either, and the meclizine, while staving off the nausea, puts me to sleep.

A few mornings after that, I slipped on the back steps and sat HARD.  I just sat, gasping for awhile, as the pain subsided and the queasiness backed off.  I stood up carefully...nothing seemed broken, and the dogs wanted their game.  So, I threw the ball, and felt off balance enough that I sat back down on the bottom step and threw the ball from there, as the damp seeped into my leggings.   And I cursed...why do I keep falling?  It's not vertigo, even though that's still here.  The steps were not icy, just a little wet, but not so a normal person would slip.  Yes, I was distracted by watching the dogs (I throw the ball from the top of the steps and then walk down) and yes there was no railing.  But still.  I'm almost 60 years old...pretty soon I'll have to worry about falling and breaking a hip and then being bedridden and dying.  Well, in 20 more years, I'll have to worry.  It's all relative.  

So, here I sit, with a spinning room, a throbbing tailbone, and a fuzzy brain.  Fortunately, my current job just requires a reasonably warm and semi-ambulatory body.  If I can't escape these ailments, at least I'm not letting anyone down but myself.  And really, I don't care if I never get out to explore the countryside. There's plenty to explore, right here.  Surprisingly, I don't feel lonely or unproductive.  Just a little wistful when I think of all the possibilities.  But, I feel that way wherever I am.

Midhurst memories

So, now I've lived through a hurricane too! But not really: the bulk hit Ireland, and even part of that was not really affected (my friend V who lived through the Columbus Day storm and was on holiday at Londonderry during the worst of it, says, "Meh" to Ophelia.) The main issue was high winds and blowing sand which kept us away from our planned excursion to the beach. And really eerie light. The next day featured more eerie light, this time from a Saharan sandstorm. Who knew it could reach this island? Truly, we are a global society.

But, despite that, everyone has a place. Except me. The oddest part of this adventure is not really having a home. People ask me where I'm from, and I have to pause. Do I pick birthplace? the place where I grew up, where most of my family is? the place where half my stuff is, along with some of my family, some of my money, and most of my friends, where I lived for 30 years? the place where the rest of my stuff is, where my current doctors and mailing address and most of my money are? If home is where the heart is, my heart is scattered to the winds.

I usually pick New Mexico.

My stay in Midhurst was quiet and actually rather busy. I was working on the writing project, tutoring, and taking the dog for long walks twice a day. I was fortunate in that I actually had company for all but one of the walks, because I would have been lost otherwise. My host lives in a development on what used to be Cowdray Estate, home to polo, apparently, and it's right up against West Sussex National Trust land. The paths wind around woodland, and across single-track roads, criss-crossing at random, and there is no way I would have figured it out on my own. And, since there is no single walk, Rosie, the sweet and well-behaved black lab who walked to heel most of the time, was useless as a guide on the one time I conducted a solo walk.

Anyway, E, a German woman who lives with husband and daughter a few houses away, was my daily companion. She was charming and kind, and laughed at my stories. I really enjoyed her, and she also took me out into the country for some variety on the walks. We went to Petworth: the grounds were set out by Capability Brown and included an ornamental water with fake islands, into which we threw balls for the dogs to chase. It also had a huge herd of deer: we found an eminence in the woodland and looked down on them as they grazed, but then the wind shifted and one of the dogs started barking for the ball, and it was time to move off to a place where they could be let back off lead.

We also went to Goodwood Park and climbed a hill overlooking their race track. I think the hill used to be an old hill fort, maybe Roman (Bognor Regis and Chichester are nearby), because a dike surrounded by ditches circled the summit. But these days the summit is marked by a survey stone and two radio towers. Such is the time we live in. We were there, because the tail end of Hurricane Ophelia made us abort our trip to the beach at Wittingten, near Chichester. We went the next day, which was also my last morning at Midhurst, and I found tons of really amazing rocks and flints. The flints were what interested me the most, since we don't have such things on American coasts.

So, much of my time is being spent very pleasantly, but not as a tourist. There are loads of places to visit everywhere I go, and I don't do most of them. Part of it is expense and lack of transportation, but most of it is that I have other things to do: take care of dogs, work, read, do laundry. And that routine contents me.

Letters about other people's homes

Musings from Midhurst
A neighbor with two dogs has been taking me on the twice daily walks, and tomorrow we’re driving to another location. It’s nice to have the company, and it’s also nice to have the guide: this house is right next to a national park, and the paths wind in and out and up and down. I doubt I could find my way home, if I were on my own. She’s also a sweet woman. She’s German, with excellent English, having lived for several years in South Carolina (her husband works for BMW, in charge of the wood product part of the operation. Who knew?!)

I’m meeting some interesting people on these housesits. My Tavistock host is currently president of the Royal Miniature Society (sponsored by the Prince of Wales): she needed me because she had to travel up to London several times during the September exhibition. My current host runs a crafting center and is at the beach conducting a retreat. She used to be a caterer. Or maybe she still is. I was a little out of it when we met, so I didn't track. J is a non-denominational minister, working at a senior center. She was the Santa Rosa host, and fortunately she and Rudy made it through the recent fires okay, along with their home. Their neighbors were not so lucky.

The world seems to get larger and more wonderful, as I connect with more of it.

Bath bits and pieces
First, my current sitch: I am in Bath, taking care of a fluffy white cat. It’s raining but I have tutoring and a writing project to keep me busy.

This house is tall and skinny: 5 stories and a basement, each level has one function. Guess which level has the guestroom? Yup, it's a long hike up, so I’ll probably be locating most of my stuff on the second floor. Pretty comfy tho, and they bought me lots of great food. First floor is the kitchen and dining area. The kitchen is amazing and the oven has some kind of a steam gadget as part of it. I don't think I'll touch it.

It’s part of a typical Bath street built in the 1700s: white Bath limestone and identical side-by-side facades forming a curving line of street. Inside it’s very modern and white. The owner is a retired architect and they’re doing some major remodeling; it’s very comfortable although there's a slight chemical paint smell.

(I'm just finishing up a tutoring session: literally NO ONE was up at 2 am, EST, looking for a tutor. Go figure! Usually I at least have a few Async sessions - those are the ones where they don't really want a tutor, they just want someone to proofread for them They post the essay and there's no interaction: just read, comment, and summarize).

So, yes, Bath...everything around me is shades of grey/white/beige/pale yellow. That includes the sky! And yet, it's so very Georgian England that I can't help but find it beautiful, in a stately, serene sort of way. Hard to imagine the smells and filth that probably abounded back in Jane Austen's time.
 
Nagano Nerves
I just read a disconcerting exchange of Trusted Housesitter reviews between my Japan host and her August/Sept sitters. It’s like they lived in alternate universes; or maybe they had the Rashomon experience.

My host-to-be wrote a rambling diatribe about pet abandonment and broken dishes, stolen delicacies and inappropriate behavior in the village. The sitters retaliated with tales of mildew and black mold, rotting food, broken fences, hard tiny beds, and Jekyll/Hyde communication. Both get rave reviews and 5 star ratings from other folks.

I Skyped with my host-to-be back in April and had a reasonable look at the place and she’s the one who alerted me to the exchange; so I’m going forward with that sit. But it does have me feeling a little....tentative. At the worst I’ll have a really interesting story to tell. And I can manage anything for a month. Also, I’m finding that everyone seems to have a horror story. Usually it has to do with cancellations though, and that has happened to me without angst. After all, I’m here in Bath because of a cancellation, and happy as a clam about it. I love Bath.

And the Midhurst house smelled moldy, but the other aspects of that sit far outweighed the potential mold. I think people are just too unreasonable in expectations.

I've had some thoughts about manners and gratitude, in the context of what I'm doing now. I do wonder why some people are so gracious in accepting help, and others are not. I noticed how, as I did little things around my cousin's house (washing a dish here, putting something away there), both of them were always prompt with the thank you, even as they were contending with a sick baby. Just a quick "thank you" and on to the next thing. It literally takes a fraction of a second. So, I don't get it.

Then again, I am not so casually consistent with the thank you, or the helpful act, so I cannot throw stones. Like a cat, I take service as my due. ;)

Speaking of which, Prince Bibi is yowling FOR NO REASON!!! I just got back from a lovely day, roaming about Bath, and I'm signed in to tutor. But, what I really want to do is walk a few doors down the street and have a glass of wine at the local bookstore and listen to a local author talk about her new book. I just might cut my session short. After all, who's going to want a tutor on a Friday night? or even a Friday afternoon, which is what it is in the states. hmmm.

It's really a tough call. Fiscal responsibility? Good work ethic? Or wine and books? hmmm

Trauma around the world

As I travel around, I'm popping into other people's lives and then out again.  For an intense week or month or long weekend, I'm immersed in figuring out the workings of a house I did not organize, with animals I did not train.  I do some wandering in the area, but am usually severely limited by the needs of the sit or the lack of transportation...or my own sloth.  No, that's not fair, I'm usually at work when I'm at "home," writing or tutoring or reading or knitting or caring for the house and pets.  All of these things are necessary.

Meanwhile the world continues to be at war (Middle East and Spain particularly), the Dotard-in-Chief continues to try to distract a gullible public and media from the heinous things going on in Washington DC, and natural disasters attack everywhere.  In decreasing order of devastation, Puerto Rico,  the Caribbean, Florida and Ireland are hit by hurricanes:  the former is still reeling.  In today's news, US Government agencies are still fighting over the contracts being awarded in the recovery effort.  At the same time, per one news source:

• Nearly 50 days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, more than half of Puerto Rico is still powerless.
• Officials warn it could be weeks or months before all power is restored.
• Thousands have left the island for the U.S. mainland in the wake of the storm.

A few weeks earlier, as I was visiting my London cousins, I received an early morning text from a wide-awake friend in New Mexico (7 hours earlier):  Tell me you weren't in that Tube station!  I hastily wrote back, no, I'm home and drinking coffee, and then started checking the news.  Apparently, someone had left an IED in an outlying Tube station.  No injuries, just a snarled morning commute, and a lot of fear.  I tell my friend, you KNOW I would never be out and about at that hour, but of course, one wants to be reassured.  As in:  please tell me you weren't there.

Often, the first I hear about a tragedy is via social media, and that makes it personal.  JMR posted an "I'm safe" message in the wake of last week's NYC shooting, and added, I'm not in that area, but not everyone knows that, and I wrote back, you could have been passing through!  This week I was texting with friends about my day, and P suddenly texted, oh shit, another mass shooting.  This one was in a small town church in Texas.  So, both size and location of targets seem totally random.  How can we prevent these attacks?  London has a solution...maybe.

.A few days ago, as I left the Tate Modern for a late afternoon stroll down the Thames, I was struck by the number of yellow-jacketed London City police milling about under the Millennium Bridge and talking to people.  I paused, and one tall young blue-eyed cop handed me a flyer and engaged me in a long conversation, explaining that they were part of a community policing program called Servator that is "starting today and here to stay."  It's London's response to the various terrorist attacks.  They send out plain clothes police to suss out high risk areas like the Tate, which is iconic, next to an iconic bridge and an iconic historic site (the Globe Theatre), and filled to bursting with kids and tourists.  If the plain clothes cops deem it necessary, the more visible yellow coats appear, establishing a presence, chatting up civilians and asking them to tweet about Servator or report anything suspicious, and generally making it clear to potential terrorists that this is no place to be (also making it difficult for them to plan an attack.)  I was not reassured to find that I was in a Condition Yellow environment and that every person around me was a possible threat. Nor do I think this is a solution to our daily state of terror, especially since so many attacks seem personal and small.  But I don't know what the solution is.  Hopefully, things like Servator are there to appease the public (we're doing something, you can help), and there is something more robust in place or being planned.

The train system has a similar campaign with a more catchy slogan:  "See it, say it, sorted!"  But, sorting something is a little less scary:  it implies a lost kid, a passed-out bum, an abandoned bag.  It's potentially life-threatening for the kid and the bum, potentially a bomb in the bag, but most likely just a nuisance or a scare, easily handled by the proper authorities.

Then, there are the fires in California.  Just a few months ago, I was happily exploring the wine country and beaches near Santa Rosa, living in a beautiful home with a lush back yard and a park nearby.  Rudy the cutie and I took two daily walks around the middle-class neighborhood, replete with beautiful homes and gardens, kids with a water stand, and fellow dog-walkers.  I left happy, giving and receive a 5-star review on the Trusted Housesitters website,  and occasionally thinking fondly back to my Very First Housesit.  However.... Just a few weeks ago, I receive another text from my wide-awake NM friend, "Santa Rosa's on fire."  I check the news and the maps:  my 2-week home is right on the edge of a major burn.  I call J in nearby Petaluma:  they are fine, except for the smoke, but her sister and partner have been evacuated from their Santa Rosa home and are staying with her; no one knows about their home.  I write to J, my host and Rudy's mom:  are you okay?  No answer.  A few days later, I start looking up her Facebook friends and writing to those who seem most likely to have news and not be affected themselves.  Finally, two weeks later, I try again and get an immediate response:  the gent's wife is in communication, all is well with J.  Huge relief!  And I send off a message and post two haiku to FB.  It's all I can do at this distance.

I feel so helpless, and conversely so blessed.  I am miles away from the trauma, which means that I can do nothing to help, but also means that so far I am safe.  Fortunately, the people dear to me remain safe as well. But, for how long?

Small words, private and personal and social, are all I seem to have.  The larger stage and the actions are beyond me.  If it's true that "holding" people is an answer, then my arms must be spread wide to embrace a globe.  But it's too big for me.  I return to the small and personal;  it will have to be enough:

In tragedy's wake,
Why expect empathy from
A sociopath?

Is this what they mean
by tears of joy? So relieved
All are safe and well. #SantaRosafire

To J: I have been following the news and studying maps and worrying so much about you and Rudy.  Finally I started reaching out to your Facebook family.  My apologies for the stalking behavior, but I had to know you were okay.  SN came through this morning with the good news that you and your home made it through, and the bad news that your worksite and neighbors were damaged.  I will continue to hold you and yours in my thoughts during this difficult time.

fyi, right now I'm in Bath, England.  I love this place!  I spent September in the Dartmoor area and have since been wandering the countryside with a home base in London with my cousins.  This is my first cat-only sit, and it feels weird to not have a required walk in my near future.  But, of course, I'll be going out even without the dog imperative.

btw, my cousins are into the Great British Bake Off, so I've been watching it.  Sadly, our favorite, young Liam, had to leave this week.  :(

Note: (J was watching last season's final episode on my 1st night in her home.)

 

Photo Challenge

Because I post oodles of pix to Facebook, I occasionally get caught up in other people's photographic journeys.  For example, Kate has a thing about abandoned banana peels.  It's true, you do see them everywhere!  So when I see a particularly good banana peel shot, I will take the pic and post it for her.

This week, one of my old colleagues from Columbia Symphony issued the following challenge:

Seven days.

 Seven B&W photos of my life.

 No people. 

No explanation.

I've been using the iPhone app to take particularly textural photos and change them to black and white, so it was an easy challenge to pick up.  Herewith, my 7 day postings.  In the spirit of the challenge, I'll identify them at the end, in tiny font, so that the mystery can be maintained for those who wish.  (Since I am blogging to keep track of my memories, I think I need to ID them for myself.)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Sources: 1. 10/27  Tree on Coast path trail, between Brixham Harbor and Berry Head, just above the Hotel  2. 10/28  Smugglers cove (per gent with collie), from Sharkshead Point, Coast path trail south of Berry Head. 3. 10/29 From top of double-decker bus, just outside of Paignton 4. 10/30 Condensation on the window, 6:30 am, London house.  Violet's finger prints. 5. 10/31 St. Francis St? Leyton, en route to pick up V 6. 11/1 V's bathwater, draining 7. 11/2 London kitchen, early morning light through the sliding door to the garden

October posts and texts

October 1

Waiting for their mom:
Three dogs sleeping in a row,
Prisoning my legs.

email to B:
Short answer to your question, yes I’m quite happy with my life just now. Since I’m doing “slow travel” it’s actually quite laid back, and I’m not tired of it yet. I’m less than 5 months in, of course. This month will be a real test, because I’m staying at several places and going to London in between sits. Right now I have a bit of a cold, so I’m laying low. Fortunately, it’s been raining and that means I’m happy to stay inside, guilt-free. The tutoring is good, too: doesn’t bring in much money but keeps my brain active.
Dartmoor is fascinating and lovely. I’m trying to track down the Hound! One version of the movie was on last night (fortunately not the Shatner one), but the dogs got upset with the dogs and horses on the tv, so I went to bed with my audiobook.
The dogs are the best part of the gigs, of course. I’ve missed having pets.  Later!
 Ps: Great British Bake Off marathon today: such fun!

10/2/17

message to group:

Looks like I neglected to send a message yesterday, but there has been no panicking in the streets, so I guess it's okay.  I did post to FB, so everyone but Vicki knows I'm still alive. And Vicki is doing her own traveling right now, so she's off the table for tracking me this month.

Posted my diary blog for September yesterday, and a blog about my driving traumas today.  Now I'm going to check on my finances... I'm not quite at the half way point, and need to see how the budget is holding up.  I'm really not spending much on the daily life, but the transportation is more than I bargained for.

I’ve almost been here
A month but I just saw this.
So much to observe.

Oct 3
St. Stephens Church at Royal Oak, Meavy.  Stained glass from William Morris workshop. 

Thousand year oak (by church) and bridge (near Meavy)

At Burrator Reservoir

Apple Crusher at Longstone Farm ruins

The Pekoe Sequence:
Trying for a sense of scale;
She scales mossy rocks.

I treat R to breakfast at Kitchen Cafe and get a Bakewell Tart for later

Sculpture at the Tavistock Independent Bookstore

Oct 4
Ingra Tor.  Chip the old dog wanted to come, but then got tired, so I carried him up the last bit.  Pekoe was happy as a clam, and Teaser wanted nothing to do with it.  I love this area, but it’s time for new pastures.

I got lost looking for Pew Tor, but this was an excellent substitute.  The great thing about keeping options flexible is finding the unexpected!  And then I found a lovely Norman church, meeting a couple that was visiting a family grave.  The church was large, but there was no town to speak of, just a group of houses and farms.


I wandered around the church and then drove back to Tavistock, finding Pew Tor on the way.  Sadly, I left the camera in the car.  So, no pix of that.

Pew Tor near Moortown
Is the one that got away:
iPhone left in car.

 Stopped at Merrivale to get close up of stone barn by the Dartmoor Inn

10/5
Arrived in Worcester around 4:30. My host was back at his car, because the station master told him the train from Plymouth had been cancelled and passengers were being bused from Cheltenham Spa and not due to arrive for 2 hours.  I don’t know what phantom train that was:  mine got me here with a minimum of fuss and one change at Bristol. Several different gents helped me with my heavy bag:  chivalry is alive and well in jolly old England. My hosts treated me to dinner at the local pub.

Deep fried summer pudding in heavy cream, at Bowling Green pub

10/6
The house is a converted barn, one of five in a compound in the middle of nowhere. It’s lovely and modern inside, in a craftsman style way, picturesque on the outside.

I was admiring Millie’s pose and suddenly remembered the dogs aren’t allowed on the furniture!

survey stone

They're in sync for the moment.  Beagle Bella stops and Spring Millie pulls and snuffles.  A lovely autumn day.

10/7
To B: Thanks!  You must be clairvoyant, I just finished up a book and was casting about for another. I have a new cold, and this one feels like the real deal.🤧 Glad you’re feeling better.  I’m in Worcester for the weekend, then up to London for a few days, then on to my 5th housesit.  It’s much tamer here.  Real English hedgerows and fields, lovely autumn weather.  I’ll send contrasting pix from my dog walks.  Two from Devon, two from here.  The daily picture fest is what you miss from FB, but the best end up in my blog, I guess.

Chat with P re: books.  BTW, my host and I spent our entire dinner trying to find common ground in our reading habits.  We decided one of us was an alien.  Me, of course.  He only reads NF travel accounts with an emphasis on walking.  He mentioned Bill Bryson's book about walking the Appalachian trail (unsuccessfully), and said a movie was made based on the book, so I pulled out my phone to look it up and he told me I'm a geek!

To R: Hope you are well!  I have a favor to ask...I seem to be missing some yarn and my own laptop cords.  It’s all probably in the living room, although I do have a mental picture of a ball of the tiger yarn on the floor by the window side of the bed.  The rest is mainly white yarn, likely in a blue plastic bag. I left things on the floor by the couch, and by the China cabinet.. If they turn up, can you send them to my cousin’s in London?  I’ll be there shortly before I leave the UK on Nov 28.

To Group: Slight cold.  Watching movies, drinking tea, and knitting.  Walked the dogs midday.  Windy, blowing leaves. Tomorrow back to London for a few days.  Weather has been in the 60s, some clouds and rain in Devon, high winds and clouds in Worcestershire.  But mainly quite nice walking weather.

10/8

I took a picture of a mind the gap sign for G.  He loves Britishisms. Waiting for the train to London.  Am here early because the taxi was booked up for the optimum time.  Had to cut the morning walk short.  I also took a picture of carnage (those are grey and white feathers) because that’s a thing on country walks. Mainly I was skirting fields, climbing stiles, and following hedgerows.

iPad can’t stitch photos...
The lovely view from my train
Is so bucolic.

This was such a pretty trip.  Fields full of white birds or yellow blooms or golden stubble, lined with hedges and placid streams, fluffy white clouds.
Oct 9

Spent the morning tutoring and getting tickets for flight to Ireland and train to Midhurst and Bath. Afternoon tea at the British Museum. I had better tea at the Huntington Rose Garden!  But this was fine and I needed the sit down. 

 

to M: Hi!  I was having Afternoon tea at the British Museum and I met a Canadian couple.  They were having wine at the table next to me and talking about the Georgia O'keefe exhibit at the Tate.  So I perked up my ears and we started talking about New Mexico which is one of their favorite places.  And we talked about Sweden and Norway and the Huntington Gardens and all the cool stuff in the world.  Fun times.
Got closer to the Rosetta Stone this time, sent pix of that and the Parthenon frieze for G.  (Included a centaur aiming for the balls.)
 
Then I came back and helped R give V her bath.  And finally R offered me a writing job, with an advance and royalties.  This will be a new adventure!  Looking forward to it.

I have another day in London, and then off to Midhurst for a week.
Oct 10

Leyton Library: 

It’s more a social service cum community center than a reference place.  So, I’m going into London to play

Fires in Santa Rosa: I woke up to the news and sent emails to the woman who gave me my first housesitting gig, and to Esther’s niece, Jan.  She’s okay in Petaluma, but her sister got evacuated and is staying with her, and I haven’t heard from Rudy’s Mom.  Sickening to think of all those vineyards up in smoke.

Mooched around London, looking at art and street scenes.

In search of baked goods
For tonight’s episode of
Great British Bake-off.

 Oct 11

Last night I was violently ill, and this morning I had to take care of V until the nanny arrived at 8 a.m.  I’ve been dragging myself up and down stairs, through the Tube, and onto the train.  Now I’m going to bed: achy and exhausted.  I’ve only eaten 1.5 pieces of toast all day, and even that was too much.  But I should be fine tomorrow.  I dragged myself through the pet routine, and it’s simple enough.
Oct 12
Slept 12 hours.  Other than some aches, back to normal.  It’s good to fast now and then, right?

Is it possible
To make a living in such
Crowded conditions?!

That night: Typical: taking over the bed.  Then one of the cats joins the fray, leaving me no room to turn.  sigh.


 Oct 13
Went for a walk on an old English estate (Petworthy) and Hetty (neighbor dog) found mud to sit in.  Fortunately, the lake was right there.  We threw the ball in the water and she swam clean.

 

We watch the deer graze.
We can hear clicking sounds, but
There’s no fighting. Yet.

This is the focused
Stare of a stag who really
Just wants us to leave.

E took us to Petworth Park.  It was dog heaven, so aptly named, and we saw deer too!

Spent the day researching Boudicca and writing a summary:  my first crack at the writing job that R has offered me.
Oct 14

Can you ID this call?  woke me in the wee hours of the morning

Still feeling queasy, but not vomiting, so all is well.  This afternoon I had no guide but my memory to get me home, E being busy and Rosie the dog being less than useless.

I love autumn woods!  I’m liking this sit:  walk, read, write; repeat.

Hive mind IDs this as Evening Primrose

My first solo walk
Out the back gate. We get back
No thanks to the dog.

Oct 15
Mainly around the old quarry: tonight’s walk.  Text to E: Just wanted to thank S for the excellent company (she's as charming as her mother.)

Oct 16

A sunrise need not
Be bursting with color to
Be spectacular.

Birches in autumn:
Natural pointillism,
Perfect examples.

windy day with Joe and Rosie

Goodwood track

More hive mind, but they don't agree:  fence post, flag pole holder, fire hyrdrant base?  Lamp-post base wins my vote

chalk covered leaves

We planned a beach walk
But the hurricane's tail end
Sent us back inland

It was supposed to be sunny, with low tide at 3, so my walking partner agreed to take me to Chichester beach....but we caught the tail of Hurricane Ophelia and end up on a hill that I suspect was an old hill fort, overlooking Goodwood Estates race track.
My new best friend E's husband works for BMW:  he was at the SC plant for several years and now is at the Rolls Royce plant in Chichester.  His team does the woodwork.  They’re rolling out a new limo. The Earl of March (Goodwood Estate) gave permission to build the plant as long as he couldn't see it from his window!

 
Oct 17
Had a fabulous last morning beachcombing with E:  she threw balls for the dogs and I collected flints and shells.  And then left most of them behind, because my bags are already too heavy!

Saharan sandstorm
Following the hurricane:
Eerie light times two.

"stick" mussels and other shells

 

chez cousins in London:  E works on backyard shed

A hot shower and

A heated towel rack mean

Civilization.

To V:  Were/are you still in Ireland?  Interesting skies here:  yesterday tail end of Ophelia, today Saharan sandstorm.  Who knew?!

Oct 18

Lazy day hanging around with V (who is on antibiotics, recovering from a chest infection) and E (who is on autumn break) and R (who went in to work late, after E returned from a meeting).  I had a migraine last night and am still queasy, so took meclizine (antivert) and naproxen last night, and another meclizine today.  I tutored for 2 hours and have been also listening to an audio book and working on the blog.  Got a refund from Trainline - woo-hoo! - for the tickets to and from Hayward Heath.  Normally those discount advance tickets cannot be refunded, and can only be changed as far as date/time (for a fee), but because I've had so many trips with them, they gave me a one-time deal.  Works for me.

For the country that practically invented train commuting, train tickets are surprisingly expensive.  Trainline was E's solution for me.  You buy in advance, pick the best option, and pick up the ticket at a kiosk at the station, scanning any credit card and inputting the trip code.  The trip to Tavistock, via Plymouth, came out of Paddington Station's RR platforms (as opposed to the Underground station).  The trips to and from Midhurst and Bath Spa came through Waterloo station (Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus, transfer to Central line to Leyton, which is E's stop.)  Coming in through the Tube with the big luggage is not fun, so I've been taking the small pack on the short trips.

Daddy and babes and Jemima playing peekaboo

Oct 19
A leaf storm rages,
A brown blizzard whirling past
A train bound for Bath.

First, my current sitch:  I am in Bath, taking care of a fluffy white cat. It’s raining but I have tutoring and a writing project with R to keep me busy.

On the 15 minute walk up from the station, I passed the weir below Pultney Bridge and a pub called the Pig and Fiddle.  I took a pic of the sign for E.

This house is tall and skinny:  5 stories and a basement, each level has one function.  Guess which level has the guestroom? First floor is the kitchen and dining area.  The kitchen is amazing and the oven  has some kind of a steam gadget as part of it.

It’s part of a typical Bath street built in the 1700s:  White Bath limestone identical side-by-side façades, forming a curving line of street. Inside it’s very modern and white. The owner is a retired architect and they’re doing some major remodeling; it’s very comfortable though

Oct 20
Checking in with hosts:
Bibi was pouncing up the hill, then came back down (lower right in first pic) and inside.  He was fed much earlier and all is well.  You have a wonderful home:  thanks for sharing! Hope all is with your journey.

Listening to Capella Romana's youtube "ad" got me into some other amazing music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7vvPXz-Qes Surrounded by beauty in my temporary Bath home..

One of my most comfortable sits yet, despite the narrow climb.  I love living at different levels, depending on the activity of the moment.  Am finishing up a lazy morning, post-tutoring.

When the family-owned hardware, brass foundry, manufacturing repair and soda bottling store, JR Bowler, closed after a 100 year run, a public spirited gent bought up the entire inventory and made a Museum/homage to a dying way of life. Most of the tools and objects were mysteries to me.

This building used to be a "real tennis court" built in 1777. Hence, the high windows

Well, duh

After the signing
I see textures ev’rywhere,
Including textiles.

Home, 5 stories tall.I hang on to the stair ropes.
My room’s at the top.

10/21

My morning peril,
The narrow staircase sequence.
He’s a catassin.

Things I didn't expect:
1. A museum of a hardware store, set in an indoor tennis court.

2. https://www.temperleylondon.com/shop/rose-quartz.html at a local bookstore

3. A catassin

To V: Had a leisurely lunch at The Circus...killer pumpkin soup and Jerusalem artichokes, nice wine list. Would have been improved by good conversation avec toi.
 
Then a nice browse through the Bath Book Fair at the Assembly Rooms.  Truly a unique experience.  Lots of Rackham illustrations, including a Complete Angler for a mere 100 BPS.  And a silver bound bible.  And oodles of Alison Utley books.  Never heard of her, but she seemed like Beatrix Potter for the middle school set.
Finally, the best find ever:  a Peacock P&P for 575 BPS.
I refrained.
Chat with P: So, at the book fair I saw Lytton Strachey books, reasonable price, but  I had no cash, and they wouldn’t take cards for small amts At the end of the fair, the seller found me wandering around the Octagon room, handed me the book and his card, and said to mail a check

recital on the Bath Abbey Klais organ, Patrick King

Oct 22

Spent most of my day writing and tutoring.  Then zipped down to attend Evensong at the Abbey, followed by an evening walk and drinks at the local Pub.

I zip down the hill
For the Abbey Evensong.
Both song and light soar.

Halfway through my stay, Bibi finally joins me.

Oct 23

Didnt leave the house.  Rainy outside, busy writing inside, plus another bout of nausea last night.  WTF?  A good day to stay put, at any rate.
to S:

Talking literature at the local pub, I met a gent who reminded me of you.  He works at CERN...
I'm having a splendid time.  Right now I'm in the best set EVER!  Bath is such a pretty and walkable city, and I only have a cat to care for.  Today I was tutoring for 2 hours and then working on the book I got commissioned to do: my cousin in law is a publisher of kids books, and her author for Famous Faces and Their Families flaked out on her.  It's a new sort of writing for me, and I'm enjoying learning the process.  Do you know of a famous Canadian who would have an actual family tree that could be researched?  Emily Carr info only goes back a generation.  Alexander Graham Bell is really Scottish, and Tecumseh is really an Ohioan, although Canada claims both of them.  And Wayne Gretzky?  Too recent and only 1 generation of info.

Anyway, I'm enjoying having a project to work on when I'm tired of walking in the rain.  :)

Oct 24

to CH For your next discussion about P values!  And just a darn interesting article.

I'm in Bath right now, having spent the summer in CA and September in Dartmoor.  It's a wonderful life of meeting new people and seeing new things, with the added joy of spending time in between sits with my cousin's family in London.  I've stayed in places both luxurious and "cozy" but this is the best place so far:  I love the architecture here and the walkability of the city, and I only have to care for a cat.  So, although I am still going for daily walks, there is no stress to it.  But it's my last day, so I should get out there and make the most of it!

Hope life is going well for you.  I can't recall if I sent you the link to my blog:  refgoddessnomad.blogsppot.com  Most of the pix are on Facebook, so I should probablyl friend you and then I can keep track of what's going on for you as well!

Oh, btw,  this is Kari Hauge:  I took a life-changing stats class with you Spring term at UNM Taos.
To L: Tomorrow I leave Bath for Brixham.  The weather has been unseasonably warm, and the last two days rainy, but I had a recurrence of the illness, so I stayed inside and wrote and that’s fine with me.  Part of my plan is to just enjoy where I am, and this is a lovely home.

Another rainy day, so I stayed inside.  I was actually productive, but now I’m kicking myself for not at least going out for tea and a Bath bun.

My hosts were watching a series about Guy Fawkes http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6128262/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm ( his day is coming up) and I sat through the pressing and drawing and quartering and plotting and then threw in the towel. Mark Gatis (Mycroft Holmes) Kit Harrington and Liv Tyler are the actors I recognize, and the cast is good, but even though, like Dorothy Parker, I am one who weeps at costume drama, this was just too grim for me.

Oct 25

I’m now in Brixham.  It was a gorgeous day in Bath.  The usual rule applies:  when you’re getting ready to leave a place, the weather clears up.

Sending some pix to prove it...

A random child took the pic at my request:  needed to show how big the tree was

Long day, I’m going to bed in a few.  Spent the morning researching and writing the paragraphs about Ada Lovelace.  Then walked over to the Botanic Gardens, via the circus and crescent.  Gorgeous day, amazing trees.  See FB for pix. 

Then a 3 hour train ride with 2 transfers.  My host picked me up at the station.  And that’s it.

Oct 26

This home is up a steep hill from the harbor, so I haven’t walked down there yet.  And it was a grey day, so I finished my book and then walked over to the cliff walk and Berry Head Nature Reserve, where I roamed around the napoleonic era fort.  Lovely late afternoon, lots of people walking dogs, lots of seagulls.

Oct 27

To E: yes, I do have skype!  Would be happy to chat.  I'll be up for another 3 hours tonight.  I'm 6 hours ahead of you, and I tend to be up early:  that's when I tutor.  I'm usually out and about in the afternoon, but home by 7 or so.  I don't think that will change much.

V has been traveling, so she is also not monitoring much. I finished another biography for the book project and then did a long round-trip walk around Brixham:  down a steep hill to the harbor where I had some awesome fish and chips, then around the harbor, then back up the north side of the hill to Berry Head Reserve, where I looked at the other fort.  The weather was warm and sunny, with a crisp underlay that showed up in the shade and chilled my hands. The reserve is about a 15 minute walk north along the cliff top, so it's an easy hike if I don't go down to the water. 

To BJ: Brixham is at heart a fishing village, but it does have a marina. Torquay is the tourist town, and Paignton is where the locals play. I love it here, and you could zip up to Dartmoor which I love even more.

Chat w/ P:
It's been a GORGEOUS day!
I walked into Brixham Harbor, then up the cliff to the north fort on Berry Head, then circled home.
Had lunch at Simply Fish, not simple, not cheap, but yummy fish!
I'm not a fish person, but the plaice was caught locally, grilled with garlic butter.  The wine was a citrusy wonder.  Also from Devon.  The chips were "double-fried."  Light and crisp.  Probably artery clogging as hell.
And the lemon posset! suffice it to say, I'm a happy camper.
To FB: Can anyone ID the small orange fruit with huge dead leaves, garnishing the lemon posset? It was very tart, with tomato-like interior. But not a tomato. From GT: It's a physalis, also called GoldenBerry. Delicioso! From me: Thanks! It also was the source of the orange sauce swirl on top, I bet.

Yes, that is ketchup.
I am an American,
So please say nothing.

MK: Believe me, catsup is much better than mushy peas....that's what they prefer with their fish and chips in York. If you want o try it, buy some baby food peas.😉

me: Oh, the mushy peas were on the menu. I avoided them.

This was really excellent: plaice grilled with leeks and garlic butter, double fried chips that were crisp and light and NOT GREASY. The wine was a citrusy blast from Lyme.

I tried Brixham plaice:
Although not a fish person  

Per se, I had to.

10/28
The younger dog is sitting in my lap and both licked my face:  so they like me.  Sadly, I leave tomorrow.
 
Looking back towards Berry Head, debating whether to walk the stairs down to ta rather unattractive beach or continue on to the headland.  Either way, I have a climb back.

 
Nice walk on a grey day. Took Mudstone lane off Rea Barn Rd to the Coast path, then south to St Mary's Bay and Sharkstone head, then back through the development. Texted with P en route, looking at plane info:  considering joining me in Ireland or Japan.

Oct 29

Buses don’t take cards,
So now I have missed the bus,
Literally. Sheesh

pretty station at Torquay

I don’t quite get the Paignton architecture...what is the point of these rhomboid roofs?

Was late for early tutoring:  time change in the UK, but not in the US. Basically spent the day en route.  Tutored for 2 hours, walked down the hill to the bus stop,  had to search for a cash machine and take a later bus, rode in the top deck, where I took these pix, to Paignton Station, boarded with 2 minutes to spare.  Reached the Newton Abbot transfer and a nice Station dude shlepped my bag up and over so I could make the next train:  again with 2 minutes to spare!

Nicer weather in London.

To L: we all returned to London today, the cousins from Paris, and me from Bath and the south Devon coast.  I’m tired, but they are totally active.

The Shawl Sequence

Oct 30
To FB: A fabulous evening with the Barber and my charming host in the over-the-top and delightful Coliseum. Wonderful music, sprightly physical comedy, great company. Thanks, Stephen!

View from National Gallery, en route to meeting S at Notes

To V: Met my old friend Stephen Llewelyn for a nosh and visit to the London Coliseum, near Trafalgar Square.  His tenor friend Eleazar Rodriguez was singing Almaviva in The Barber of Seville and gave him special price tickets for the closing performance.  It was great, and good to see him too.

opulent opera house, London Coliseum

walking through Piss Alley to deliver champers to Eleazaer, our ticketing tenor, later texting him at intermission

this selfie had people confused about us:  i'm just happy and appreciative 

 Stephen's take on it all:
As I have said here before, The Barber of Seville is one of my very favorite operas. Basically I find its charm irresistible. In musical terms it is one gem after another and the libretto, silly though it may be, lends itself to the audience getting many a chuckle. It so happened that an old friend, Kari Hauge was in town and this provided a perfect opportunity to get together. Kari is a violinist and although has played as an orchestral musician in the Overture to the Barber, had never seen it and knew next-to-nothing about it. From the moment we went into the auditorium Kari was oo-ing and aaaah-ing over its splendor of the venue. We had excellent seats in the stalls and settled in for some fun.
From the opening notes of the overture, Kari was smiling. Over the course of the next 3 hours and 10 minutes, I would glance at her from time to time and that smile never left her face! Not once did I catch her without that happy grin. And that made two of jus ‘cos I was doing a lot of smiling myself. We were seeing the Jonathan Miller production which is now 30 years old (and which I have seen before) but to me it looked neither dated nor tired. It’s clever, inventive and, when done by a cast of this quality, very, very funny.

Oct 31
I only left the house once, to retrieve V from the nanny.  E and R share the nanny with another couple, who were in the same birth class.  The kids alternate houses on a weekly basis, and this week Vt is at the other house, 8 am to 6 pm.  It’s about a 15 minute walk, so that’s my exercise for the day.
Otherwise, I tutored, worked on revisions for the book, Skyped with E (thanks), listened to my audiobook, worked on the book plan with R, and baked almond-butter cookies for tonight’s Great British Bake Off finale.  But E was at his woodworking class until 10, and we go to bed early.  So, I’m avoiding papers and social media until after tomorrow.
I’m doing a b/w photo challenge for 7 days.   Here are today's pix that did not make the cut.

FB announcement: Since Prue Leith reportedly tweeted the GBBO winner, I am staying off the news and social media until I can watch the final episode with my cousins. NO SPOILERS!

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