LAID BACK DAY

Today was a really laid back day for us.  Slept till 9:00 this morning.  A cold front came in last night and it was cold and windy today.  Used my little fireplace heater and it got nice and comfy in no time in the coach.

We took a late morning walk through the campground up to the office and back.  I spoke to my nice neighbor today for a long time and got the scoop on what goes on around here.  He's been fulltiming for 15 years and also will be heading out further south to the Gulf Coast in a week or two.

This afternoon was spent watching all of the really nice rigs pull in.  It was like a parade and I had a front row seat due to being on a corner lot.  Didn't get any photos though.

Set up my Meditation Reliquary today.  Didn't know where I was going to put it as I have no counter space or place for a little table.  But then it hit me.  Why not put it where no one would see it yet it would be ready and available for me whenever I wanted it.  So I have found just the right place... under the sofa.  I usually store supplies under there but redesigned everything and it has worked out great.  Now I can use it while sitting on the floor crosslegged on my soft rugs. 

My Reliquary contains several items.  Incense of course, Buddha statue, Native American statue, finger chimes, inspirational booklet, water brush, and paint board.  My first drawing today was quite nice.  It is a special paint board that uses only water.  When the water dries, the meditation is over.  It is an exercise in "letting go."  It's hard to let go of something you have created that you really like.  Interesting concept.  With the glare from the camera flash it illuminated the strokes and it looked like birds flying.  I really liked it. 

Took a nap later in the day.  That was nice.  Now we are settled in and watching a movie.  I still can't get any channels on my TV.  It has got to be due to the brand so I will have to see about buying a new one.

Tomorrow morning I will go to the Club House for registration and then my first class begins at 1:00.

It was a georgous day.  I love cold, brisk weather with lots of sunshine. 

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Wish list (featuring Cornishware & Alessi).

Our move date is going to be thrust upon us any day now, after a long hold-up with various bits of paperwork going missing in the post and our Solicitors being very slow. To prepare for the move I have been clearing out cupboards (seriously Jonathan, you have packs of jelly 'best before' 2007!) and sending things off to the charity shops to get a new home.

If you weren't sure, I moved in with Jonathan a few months ago and shortly after we put an offer in on a much bigger house which would be perfect for the two of us, and Lily and Lola. We are only moving a couple of minutes up the road so we're hoping it will be a fairly smooth move, especially after my spring clean. We just want to take with us the things that we will use, and then buy new additions where needed to make our new house a home.

I've had my eye on a few things and luckily as I've saved a few pennies and Christmas is coming up I may strike lucky!

Cornishware: My parents bought Jonathan the Cornish Blue teapot last Christmas and we both thought it would be a nice colour scheme for our new kitchen, so we have popped a few things on our Christmas lists. A set of mugs would be great and the garlic keeper would be very useful as we consume lots of the stuff. Eventually we hope to have a full set - plates, bowls, etc. but it doesn't come cheap so it will definitely be a gradual collection.

Alessi bird kettle - If it is possible to fall in love with an electrical appliance (steady on now..) then that is certainly what has happened with this kettle. They do a stove top version for around £90 but I'm too impatient to wait that long for a brew, so I would opt for the electrical version which doesn't come cheap at around £125-£130. But it's so pretty. Look at the little bird! I'm definitely probably going to buy this very soon.

Cross stitch kits via Etsy: My friend bought me a little cross stitch kit a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. Since then I've been hooked. It is so simple and relaxing, and satisfying to see those little x's make a great pattern.

I ordered a couple of cross stitch kits from this shop on Etsy, so they're not necessarily on my wish list as they've already arrived, but I thought they were worthy of a mention all the same. They will hang in our new home somewhere, and I hope to make a couple of bigger ones with the supplies I bought from Hobbycraft today.

Wall stickers: I adore wall stickers. What a brilliant way to transform a plain wall and make a feature in the room, and with the vast array of designs out there you can pretty much have anything you like. I particularly like this pretty tree design via Etsy but I have seen so many that I like.

And of course, anything Pug related: I have seen a few things on Etsy but my favourites are these Pug felt cushions via Etsy which are absolutely brilliant (the only problem is I can't decide which one to get!) and this eyechart print which I am sure would be a great addition to one of our new rooms.

Writing this has made me so much more excited to move!

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WELCOME TO TEXAS

Broke camp about 11:30 this morning and checked out at the office.  My bill was $15 with my Senior Pass.  I would love to return to this park and stay about a week.  Maybe on the way home I can do that.  Some photos of Sam Houston Jones State Park.

There is lots of space between sites.

The boat launch in nice on the Calcasieu Lake.

Really nice Cypress Pond.  That's my coach in the background.

She really wanted to catch that goose.

Bridge over the Cypress Pond

Believe me, I had my eye out for gators.  They'd eat my little doggie in one gulp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got gas and headed out for Texas.  It's been about 10 years since I've been to Texas.  Was born in East Texas but left when an infant.  My father's family is spread out throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. 

Had an enjoyable drive all the way to Livingston.  My GPS, that I call Winny, never once made a mistake or mislead me in any way - for a change.

 

Arrived around 2:30 this afternoon and checked in.  I have a corner spot and a very nice gentleman neighbor in a Casita.  My spot is gravel but level.  Hooked up to electric and water.  There is also a sewer but don't like to hook up.  I'll use it to dump in a few days.  Walked the dog and took some photos then had a late lunch.

Lots of space between sites.

Lots of trees.

I've never seen so many beautiful dogs in one place before.  I really like this one little Pomeranian that walks by our site.  There was a Happy Hour at 4:00 today but I didn't attend.  Maybe tomorrow when I'm more rested.

The Boot Camp will be held at the Club House and doesn't start till Friday so I can chill and enjoy all the other activities offered here at the campground.  I'm not far from the Club House so that's nice.  This is a pretty large campground.  I'm not parked with the other Boot Camp folks which is pretty crowded.  I like my spot much better.  I'm parked next to full-timers in campers and full-timers who live here permanently.  The spaces between camp sites where I am is fairly large. 


There are lots of golf carts riding around as well as people on bicycles.  Similar to the last campground, there are lots of trees providing shade everywhere.  I like that.  I think this is going to be fun.

I have taken hundreds of photos but had trouble uploading to the blog last night.  I have better reception here so I'll try and post more later.

I'm feeling so light hearted tonight.  I guess it's because I'm relieved that I'm here and I know that I'm going to be stationary for 5 days and don't have to worry about traffic or stopping for gas or listening to Winny give directions.  It's time to relax and enjoy.  I'm having a nice glass of red wine and some peanuts and watching the sun set through the trees.  Yes, this is worth it. 

Tonight's supper is fresh green beans from home and fried sausage.  Tonight's movie is Hachi, A Dog's Tale.

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Vaseline Ltd Edition: Creme Brulee.

We're all familiar with the little tins of Vaseline petroleum jelly and no doubt lots of you have a tin stashed in your handbag or on your desk at work. It's cheap and works well to combat pesky dry lips. Well, Vaseline have launched a limited edition Creme Brulee flavour with all the benefits of the original.

The Creme Brulee flavour is only available for a short period of time so you should hot foot it to Selfridges in London or Manchester to get your mitts on a tin of your own. 

As part of the launch I was sent a pot to try out and review for you guys. I have tested it out and it is delish! It tastes and smells absolutely yummy, and keeps my lips soft just like the original.

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GOING ON SAFARI

I can't say my first day out was uneventful, that's for sure.  I was up at 6:00 this morning and ready to hit the road by 9:30.  Put the key in the ignition and the battery was dead.  I was dumbfounded.  Had no idea why this was happening.  For the last few days I had the electrical cord plugged into an extension and into my house 110 in order to use the refrigerator.  I have done that many times before with no problems.

 

So I called my friendly neighborhood mechanic and he said he couldn't leave his shop at that time.  So I called another friend and he was not available.  Then I called Good Sam Road Assistance.  Felt kinda silly because I'm still parked in my freaking driveway.      They sent someone who arrived 30 minutes later. 

 

He jumped started the battery and checked it and said that the light inside the battery was shinning red which meant that it was no good.  If it was shinning green it would mean that it would keep its charge and be fine.  So I asked if he had a battery.  He did not but returned to his shop and brought back a new one. 

 

Removed the old one which kept the charge as we checked it a couple of times and it started right up.  But I thought, oh well, a new battery might be the best thing.  He installed the new one and closed the hood.  

 

Ooops... the hood would not close.  The new battery sat a couple of inches higher than the old one.  So out it came.  Before putting the old one back in he said I could drive to Auto Zone and they would put a new one in for me.  He then began to put the old one back in.  He looked into the little light hole and noted that the light was now green.  Oh really?  So of course I immediately thought that he just wanted to sell me a $45 battery and now he was busted.  He looked embarrassed.  I didn't say anything but knew at that moment that there was nothing wrong with my battery so I did not go to Auto Zone.  Haven't had any trouble with it yet.

 

So we finally left my driveway and went to get lunch.  After eating I departed Houma for Lake Charles around 1:00.  By now I had the beginning of a migraine.  Kept thinking it would go away but it didn't.  Stopped after driving a couple of hours and took some aspirin.  Still didn't go away.  Arrived in Lake Charles at Sam Houston Jones State Park around 5:00.  I don't usually drive over 55 miles per hour so it took longer than normal.  Four  hours of driving is not what I plan on doing in the future.  It's just too long a time for me to enjoy myself.

 

Parked in a nice spot.  I'm not exactly level but it will do just for tonight.  When I opened my door to go out to hook up I turned and caught my breath.  There, not 10 feet away from me was a deer.  I froze in my tracks.  I have never seen a deer before, in person that is.  I hurried to get my camera hoping it wouldn't run away and got some great shots.  Later when I was walking Xi Shi the same deer came out from the bushes with 4 of her babies.  Xi Shi was fascinated by them at first then started to bark and attempted to chase after them.  Well, of course they ran away. 

 

 

It's the damndest thing to hear her barking in these tall trees.  It echoed throughout the forest.  I kept telling her to stop because it was disturbing the quiet that was so noticeable all around.  You could hear everything so clearly it was so quiet.

 

This campground is really nice.  I'm a die hard beach person but I really like this place.  There is not one camping spot that is not in the shade of these tall pines.  Even the air is full of the scent of pine.  I'm parked next to a large pond, have a fire pit, picnic table, electric, water, and sewer.  The office was closing when I arrived so I was told to pick a spot and just come by in the morning to register and pay.  Good deal as I was exhausted and my head was killing me.

 

After a walk around the grounds and placing  a Peace Rock my headache went away and then we had supper.  Chinese food brought from home.  Tomorrow we'll drive another few hours to get to Livingston, Texas at our reserved campsite at Escapees RV Park.

 

All in all it wasn't a bad day.  Tonight I have my little doggie sleeping next to me on the sofa as I write this, the kitty cats are in the bedroom looking out the window at all the critters, and I'm having an ice cold beer.  Life's good.

 

Night all. 

 

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