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Loser, definitely something to avoid

Nov 12 – Singalila National Park – Day 11


Today starts just like yesterday – Dog Fight, Yoga, Breakfast, Crazy drive up the Mountain.

But unlike yesterday – No Red Panda Sightings.

We wait, and wait – change locations – Wait and Wait.

We get silly and start climbing onto the top of the Jeep for a photo opportunity – check it out on my website – MontrealMadame.com

Lunch – and back down the Mountain.

Sigh

Not to be defeated – Andrea and Helmut decide to go Owl hunting (with cameras). There are also HUGE flying Squirrels here to see – if the team can spot one.

I opt to try to warm up. I’m telling you – I NEED Electric Socks – and a proper sweater. These Mountains get seriously cold when that mist comes in.

What surprises me are the folks who live here. I never got a specific answer as to whether or not they spend the winters in these houses – but it must be very cold. They are still walking around in flip-flops and layers of sweaters. All the houses we’ve seen – either finished or being built – do not have insulation. Nor what we’d call sources of heat other than wood burning fireplaces.

Even the Military Stations appear to not to have insulation in the walls.

I guess if you were born and/or raised here – this would be the norm. But I still find it surprising.

Rio points out again that while the Indian side of the Mountain is fully treed – the Nepal side is tree-less from over cutting. The lack of trees makes the folks who live here have to go far for firewood – and on the Nepal side, I suspect that this means that they are clear-cutting further and further down the Mountain.

My highlight picture of the day – beside us on the Jeep – is a lady making Ghee (clarified butter) on a wood fire. At least she’s warm.

Back to the Owl Hunt – when Andrea and Helmut return – they report spotting 4 Brown Owls – which is confirmed by the British Couple who are sharing our HomeStay with us. But no Flying Squirrels. So they decide to go back out tomorrow night.

Early to bed – which is lovely and warm.

I’m betting on a dog fight again tonight though…

Signing off – The Soup Lady

Nov 5 – Travel Day – Manas to Kaziranga National Park – India on Safari – Day 4


We leave Musa Jungle Retreat near the Manas National Park and start our 8 hour drive across the Assme Province of India.

Helmut checks the distance – and it’s not really that far – but I’m guessing the 8 hour estimate is based on time spent dodging Goats, Cows, Cars, Trucks, Scooters, and all the other obstacles that make driving on the left in India such an adventure!

And one I am NOT signing up for! I don’t mind driving on the left – but I really seriously don’t want to try using my left hand to switch gears. That just sounds like an accident waiting for somewhere to happen.

Some interesting things I’ve learned about driving is Assme. 1 – you must honk your horn when passing trucks, even small ones. It’s a safety concern – both for you and the truck! (Well – that explains why folks call India noisy). 2 – Officially trucks are not allowed on the roads between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. This is an interesting rule if you think about it – but it makes sense if you are trying to control traffic congestion. Unfortunately – even here in Assme – lots of truck drivers either don’t know the rules – or ignore them. Good idea though, right?

Our mini-bus for 15 picks us up – we’re 5 including Abi (our guide) and the driver. Lots of space to spread out – and plenty of room for luggage.

The trip starts with us back-tracking – we leave the area near the Manas National Park and drive back to Guwahati. But this time we bypass the area near the airport – and instead head straight for the almost vertical Mountains that surround Guwahati to the East.

The ‘highway’ winds it way up the first of two mountains – past stalls selling Pineapples – tons and tons of Pineapples. Apparently this region is famous for its Pineapples – and it’s Coconuts. Abi gets the driver to pull over – and for about 60 cents he buys us two fresh pineapples. Our plan is to hand them to our next host – and ask for a repeat of our favorite dinner at Musa Jungle Retreat – Smoked Chicken and Pineapple!

We carefully pull back on the ‘highway’. Silly me – I thought highways were limited access… not here in India they aren’t – at least not the older ones. Stalls line the edges – which means you are swerving around cars pulling back on the road after shopping – and the distraction of the stalls themselves. Chalk that up to Surprising India!

We have a quick lunch break – nothing to write home about – and then take a detour to do a water Safari! Yup – that’s right – we’re going boating – to see Dolphins.

These are fresh water Dolphins – with remarkably long noses. But we quickly discover that they don’t jump out of the water. This makes picture taking almost impossible. Sure they poke their heads out from time to time – but each ‘peek’ is only a couple of seconds – not enough time to get your camera rotated and focuses.

Oh well – it was great being on the water – The sunset images were stunning and it broke up the long long drive.

Back in the bus – we head further East to our first HomeStay – Kathoni HomeStay near Kaziranga National Park.

Kaziranga is known for it’s Rhino population, It’s Begal Tiger Population, it’s Elephant populaton and it’s numerous birds. We’re here to spot all the larger animals – and given Abi’s love of birds – I’m betting I’ll be spotting birds as well.

This long and thin National Park has three entrances – one West, one East and one Central. Our HomeStay is located just a bit outside the East Entrance – so we must drive the entire length of the Park to get there.

Nothing is done to keep animals inside the Parks in India – or at least not the ones we’ve visited so far – instead the emphasis is on keeping Poachers out – and counting the cars going in and out.

In recent years India has made huge headway in stopping Poachers – even stoping folks from flying with fake replicas for endangered Animals. As annoying as that was for Andrea (foreshadowing here – she’s going to lose a fake tiger claw), it does make sense. When even replicas are banned – you know they are going to get seriously tough on actually body parts.

So – why am I bringing this up now? Because Kaziranga has no borders – animals are free to roam in and out of the park at will – and to try to keep the crossings clear for the animals – they have restricted speeds. They also have ‘traffic calming’ sections – what we’d call sleeping policemen. Some are just rumble strips – some will break an axel.

Our already slow pace slows down even further. What would be a quick 45 minute drive at home – is stretched to 2 hours.

Finally we arrive at our Kathoni HomeStay – after a short drive on a very very bumpy road. It is truly stunning.

The owner lives in the ‘big house’, our palace is a custom built 2 floor – 2 bedroom lodging – each bedroom has a king bed and a glorious en-suite bathroom – with teak floor in the shower and a huge shaded window that lets in light. There’s even a balcony for each room – with lovely Teak Furniture.

There’s a small fridge – and enough ‘munchies’ to keep even me happy. And they not only supply single use plastic bottles of water – they have glass pitchers with clean water as well. And the fridge is stocked with non-alcoholic drinks of all kinds – mostly heading towards fruits.

The first floor is completely open on all 4 sides – and shelters two custom built Bamboo tables each sitting 4, and a large serving bar that hides power strips, storage space, and behind that a sink for quick wash-ups. There are chairs around a fire pit to one side – and protected parking with a private gate as well.

My room – exactly like the one that Helmut and Andrea are sharing – features lots of storage space, lots of hanging space, a lovely work space and two chairs for relaxing and admiring the stunning view.

I’m definitely home.

We quickly clean up and come downstairs to enjoy our first dinner. The chef and his 3 helpers have done a wonderful job of preparing Indian Cusine for us to enjoy. I’m happy with a simple selection of a bit of rice and some Chicken. Helmut and Andrea are keen to try everything! They even serve us Crème Caramel for dessert.

We have our own butler – who seems unbothered by the crazy hours we’ll be attempting to dine (Safari’s tend to start early, eat breakfast after the first safari, then a bit of a rest – lunch – then an afternoon safari – then dinner. And he’s there for all those times – plus he greets us when we return from the Safari’s with home made lime drinks. I feel like royalty!

Dinner done – we head up stairs to shower off the dust of our travel – and to get to bed. No surprise – it’s an early morning – again!

Signing off – The Soup Lady

Nov 9 – What a Travel Day – Kaziranga – Guwdahati – Bagdogra – Singalila – Day 8


I know – I’m jumping ahead – but right now I’m in Singalila – on the Nepal/India border – and what a travel day this has been. I promise I’ll jump back to Kaziranga – but I need to get this day done and dusted.

After last night – check on the Blog for Nov 8 when I get around to writing it – we set our alarms for an early wake-up – 3:45 AM in my case. We have a long, long, long day in front of us.

Alarm goes off – and it is so early – I forget where the cell phone is sitting! So it seems like I’m going to wake everyone before I find the thing and shut it off! (Yup – I woke Helmut and Andrea – as they later tell me… sigh).

Ok – I’m up. I must pack – and of course I’ve strewn stuff everywhere. We have a 4 hour drive first, then a short 35 minutes flight, then another 4 hour drive before we get to our next Homestay – on the border between Nepal and India in the foothills of the Himalayas.

I carefully plan my packing to have my large suitcase full, my carry-on light (I know they will weigh it), and I’ll have to sling my camera bag and backpack over my shoulder. That means my purse with my US Passport, all my credit cards, and my spare reading glasses are going into the Carry-on. I have definitely over-packed – and my shopping yesterday doesn’t help – but I’m confident I’ll smile my way thru.

4:45 – I’m drinking a quick cup of coffee – saying good bye to our charming host and his staff – as I write in their guest book – we arrived as Guests – We left as good friends. Amazingly beautiful Homestay – Wow.

Abi arrives a bit late – but assures us it’s no problem. Our flight to Bagdogra isn’t until 1:15 – We’ll be fine.

They load us into the van – we say final farewells – and we’re off.

At 5:15 the roads are blissfully empty – except of course for the goats and dogs, people walking, Tuk-Tuks, Bikes, scooters, motorcycles, and the occasional car and truck.

Drivers here have nerves of steel and the reflexes of Batman.

Bumpy road out to the paved road, thru the lovely village of the Tea People of Assame – and onto a main paved road that runs parallel to the border of Kaziranga Park.

No Tiger’s make their presence known – but we count at least a dozen Rhinos that have come to the marshland that borders the Park to munch on the lovely fresh greens this morning.

Once past the Western End of the National Park – the road curves gradually through villages and towns. There are sections with construction, there are magnicent Temples (mostly Hindu – but other religions are also represented) – Market after Market – including a cow market and the road gets busier and busier.

We eventually stop for a bathroom break and breakfast. The plan is to visit the ladies/men’s rooms – then grab just a quick coffee before heading back to the bus to eat the breakfast our Homestay packed for us.

But our driver has ordered Puri – and I’ve never seen Puri before. Not like these anyway – they are huge round puff balls of Onion flavoured bread that are crunchy and thin and DELICIOUS. We order that – then Parata (another type of breakfast bread), and then Dosa – the large pancake that looks like a crepe but is crisp and light. Oh Yum.

Breakfast done – we’re off. Back on the road and driving past miles and miles of Assame Tea Plantations.

Finally we are going up the hill – that’s an understatement – it’s a fairly decent sized Mountain actually – that separates the tea plains of Assame from the City of Guwahati – 3 Million people (and at least 4 Million Cows and the same number of goats).

Up, Up, Up the road curves in a car swaying series of sharp 135 degree turns. Our driver handles not only the curves – but the required dodging in and out with nerves of steel.

At the top we get a brief respite – and then we must drive down the other side. Stalls selling Pineapples crowd the edges of the road – with cars haphazardly parked while folks shop. The road continues to snake down in a series of 135 degree turns that remind me of a roller coaster ride I hated years ago.

Eventually – we are in Guwahati – and now must brave the construction, trucks, goats, people, scooters… etc… of this very large city. An hour later we are safely at the airport – my palms sweaty from gripping the metal bar that separates me from the Passenger Seat.

This should be the easy part. Just get out of our van, get into the airport, get on the plane, get to Bagdogra. And from there a quick 4 hour ride to Singalila – home to Red Pandas – the purpose of this part of our adventure.

But first I check my messages – My grand-daughter Sophie was in a competition called D-Voice – and of the 25 participants – she’s made the top 3 finalists and is going on to an inter-collegiate competition with the top 3 singers from 5 other Schools! I’m so proud of her.

Back to getting into the airport. There’s a military gun truck stationed in the roadway – desert camouflage with a guy in the turret aiming a machine gun at us! OMG. We walk past – he’s not being friendly – and enter the airport.

Our passports, Visas, and tickets are scanned by another solider – and we’re allowed in.

Now the luggage that will go inside the plane is run thru a scanner and then zip-tied shut. No touching them again. In the rush – not only is my green large suitcase taken – but so is my burgundy carry-on. My comments are ignored – my carry-on is now zip-tied shut – and it contains my purse! I have my Canadian passport but I have no credit cards and only 50 rupees in my pocket.

Abi pushes us (we’re apparently later than he’d like) around the airport – finds the check-in counter – and they want to weigh everything. We’re only allowed 7 kg of carry-on – but fortunately all the camera gear doesn’t count.

For security – Abi tells us – no food, no water – so we dump our precious water – and Helmut and Andrea down a small water bottle filled with rum that they have been carrying for a night cap. Since it’s full – I’m guessing there were no night caps… but hey. I dump my precious water. We left the sandwiches packed by the HomeStay in the van for the driver – another mistake it turns out.

My suitcase plus my carry-on do not pass muster. I have to pay over-weight or over count – or over something – and it’s 14,000 rupees – that’s almost $200. With my credit cards out of reach inside my zip-tied closed bag – Abi has to cover that expense for me. I’m going to owe him plenty when this is done.

But I’m not going to argue now. My suitcase and my carry-on (with my credit cards) disappears into the luggage conveyor- and we head for security.

Completely different rules from what we were told to expect. Has Abi never done this before? Did the rules change in the last year – who knows. Food and drink are no problem!

We quickly get to the security check-point – and I am forced to go to a different section – leaving Abi and Helmut and Andrea. I make sure that Abi has seen that I’ve been singled out – and he smiles and waves – it’s ok.

Turns out that there is a security line for women only. The men have a choice of at least 6 lines – we have just one. Andrea quickly joins me. I’m so relieved.

It’s now that we discover that while liquids are just fine – replicas of endangered species are NOT. Andrea’s fake tiger paw – which she’s been carrying around from trip to trip for years – is confiscated.

And then we find out why there’s women’s only line. We must individually go into a curtained private booth for a body search. They don’t touch us (thank goodness) – but they wand us looking for metal. The zippers in my safari pants are found and quickly ignored.

I’m out – Andrea’s out without her fake tiger paw – and with the remains of the Rum and a sandwich from the Homestay she’s forgotten to throw away.

Sheesh.

We re-gather at our gate – wait to board our flight – and I quickly realize why it’s a good thing that they took my carry-on. This plane is just about the smallest one I’ve seen for years. And that’s counting the seaplane in St. Croix. There’s no room for even the smallest carry-on – I’m lucky my camera bag fits in the overhead.

The Flight (although about an hour late leaving) is fast and painless. I have been assigned a window seat – and the view is stunning. There’s a river that runs below us – glistening in the noon sun.

We land at Bagdogra – and quickly de-plane and grab our luggage. Thank goodness both of mine are safely back in my hands. I’m so happy to see my carry-on – with not only my credit cards – but with my US Passport!

This time we have two drivers. And Two cars. The smaller car is filled with our luggage – the larger one will be carrying us for the four hour drive to the Nepal border.

After about 30 minutes of lovely scenery filled with more tea plantations and ladies gathering the tea leaves by hand, filling baskets and transferring their precious burdens into trucks (or bicycles) for transport to the processing plant – we enter the beginnings of the Himalayas.

I’m not prepared.

I’m sitting in the middle of the back seat of the car – no seat belt – no actual seat – and the road quickly becomes a one and a half lane – but two way road – up and up and up. Curve after curve after curve. If there is traffic in the other direction – and there’s LOTS of traffic in the other direction – we must squeeze left – and they must squeeze right to get past.

If I thought the drive to the airport in Guwahati was scary – it was nothing compared to this.

I’m either gasping for breath or grabbing the left or right head rest to keep from slamming into either Andrea or Abi.

Our driver literally has nerves of steel – he doesn’t slow down for anything! We swerve into the lane on the right to pass car after car after truck – then quickly swerve back into our lane in the face of on-coming traffic. Meanwhile we’re climbing about 2000 meters into the Mountains.

Amazingly – there are actually villages – even small towns – occasionally squeezed on ether side of the road. When we get to a town, not only are we dodging the other traffic – there are parked cars to swerve around, people crossing the road – and after it becomes dark – neon everywhere!

My stomach was never meant to experience this kind of driving.

Abi realizes I’m getting just a touch upset – and offers to switch places with me. He takes the middle seat and I try to fasten the seat belt on the passenger seat. Won’t work.

So now I’m squeezed between the door and Abi – while we continue our upward swerving climb. At least on our side of the road is the Mountain – not the jaw dropping plunge into nothing that is on the right side.

I keep thinking – in 5 days – I have to repeat this trip – alone. On the other side of the road. I wish I’d stayed in nice safe comfy Kaziranga.

I keep asking – how much longer. And it’s never just 10 minutes. The time is endless – and my stomach is getting more and more agitated.

Finally – Finally – we enter the last of the little villages – which is having a cultural festival. There are folks sitting in folding seats on the right edge of the road – and performers – including clearly the Mayor of the Town on the left.

They separate long enough to motion us down a rutted dirt path – aka nearly vertical ‘road’ down towards our Homestay.

A few more swerves and curves and we’re in another village center. This time, our drivers get out to find the driver of a truck that is parked blocking the entrance to the ‘road?’ To our Homestay. He moves – we drive down – and end up at a prison block.

Metal walls in front and on the sides. Buildings in varying states of decay and construction – none of which look habitable.

Even Helmut and Andrea – who are truly seasoned travellers – are alarmed. Abi has told us that while he’s stayed at Singalila before – he’s never stayed in this Homestay. I’m thinking – it’s a scam. There is no Homestay – we’re sleeping in the car. Helmut must be tuned to my brain because he says – well – we can always sleep in the car.

Oh dear.

Then the car doors open – and a young man with a smiling face greets us and gestures to the one door that actually looks like a door. We enter the Homestay to discover we’re on the ground floor – and our rooms are on the 2nd floor. We climb up and are shown our rooms.

I’m in the Sapphire Room – a Queen bed, my own toilet – and a Balcony! Helmut and Andrea are across the hall with a king bed – and Abi is at the end of the hall. Up one more flight is the common area – very lovely if a bit on the cold (temperature) side – and there sit two folks from England near Cambridge. They arrived this morning – and have already seen a Red Panda.

Our hosts give us each a cup of tea (I drink hot water, Helmut gets coffee), and we’re told that dinner is served at 7:00.

There’s great internet – there’s lot of space – the folks seem nice – but my stomach is not interested. It is still thinking about the drive up the Mountain – and trust me – I’m fairly sure I can not eat anything.

We set-up our rooms – then re-group for dinner. They have set each group – us, the couple from England, and the drivers, at separate tables – which is a shame – I was really hoping to chat with the folks from England.

They serve a multi-course meal of Indian Specialities from the region – but I can’t put anything into my stomach. I just want to curl up in my nice warm bed. And why is my bed warm? They have electric Mattress heaters!

Finally dinner is over and I can escape back to my room. Never has any space looked so lovely.

Despite the dogs barking – that will go on all night – my bed is warm, it’s a bit on the firm side – which I like – and I’m done.

Signing off to face another day in surprising, amazing, lovely once you get past the driving, India.

I’m so glad I came.

The Soup Lady

Days 8 and 9 – the journey Home


Sunday morning we must all say good-bye – take our last pictures of the Ranch – and start the drive back to Albuquerque and from there home.

All goes well. We return my rental car, (an incredible bargain of $107 US for 7 days rental) and jump into Carrie’s car and drive into Old Albuquerque- it’s a large area around a beautiful square that features restaurants and art shops and junk emporiums. Something for everyone.

We grab lunch at “The Old Time Cafe” – best bear claw ever – then wander from shop to shop. Eventually the heat gets to us and we decide to head back to the hotel for a nap before dinner.

Dinner at Applebee’s is as expected – but I enjoyed my rib steak (oh meat, how much I’ve missed you) and ate every dribble.

Back to the hotel – I say good night to my new friends and head off to bed.

My flight is at 6:00 AM and that means up at 3:00 AM to catch the 3:30 shuttle to the airport. I know – probably a bit of overkill – but I hate having to rush thru these things.

Needless to say – I don’t sleep.

Finally it’s 3:00 – I’m up, I’m dressed, I’m downstairs. The shuttle arrives – no issues – next stop the airport.

Check in, pass security – boring wait for the plane to Dallas to board – fly to Dallas, another long drag to the next gate. Just FYI – Dallas is a huge airport. Again nothing exciting to report – until I get a call from my husband.

He’s got a cold and doesn’t feel great – should he meet me at the airport, or do I take a taxi home?

I ask – did you get a COVID test. He says – not yet – on it.

He has COVID. I’m Not going home. I can’t risk getting sick. He has maybe a tough day – I get a tough month! So NO WAY am I going home.

Bummer.

What to do, what to do. A hotel say is so pricy – but I do have friends. I call the Intrepid traveler – and she immediately invites me to stay with her until Victor tests Negative.

Thank goodness for FRIENDS!

So I arrive in Montreal, I take a taxi to our house, my husband wears a mask, we stay 10’ apart and chat a bit – then I grab the car and drive to my friends home.

Crazy ending to a crazy adventure right?

It’s now 3 days later – Victor is feeling fine and testing negative and I’m home. Finally.

I’m so glad I’m home – I could kiss the floors but I think I’m just going to hug my husband and my bed!

End of an exciting adventure.. I’m not ready today for any more travel. I need at least 2 days off!

Signing off until my next adventure (how does a safari in India sound?)

The Soup Lady

Day 1 at an Artist Retreat


I’m at a ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico with a group of 7 other women on an art retreat.

For me – That is one truly wierd sentence. For starters – I can’t remember ever being with a group of only women before in my life. I’ve been just 2 or 3 with just women – when my sisters and I travel together without our sig others – and when I travel with the Intrepid Traveler – but 8 women. Just Women. First time.

Point 2 – It’s a ‘Art Retreat’. I knew I wanted to do a yoga retreat, and I’ve definitely done Bridge regionals and nationals – which I suppose are rather ‘retreat like’ in that you focus on one activity – but Art. Really? Nothing but Art? I mean – I love doing Art – but just Art… maybe that’s why I’m blogging – a retreat from an Art Retreat.

Am I over thinking this?

Yesterday was my travel day. I woke at 3:00 AM in a hotel near the Toronto Airport having eaten a lovely dinner the night before with my husband. We said our good-byes before bed – knowing that I had to be at the airport so very early it wasn’t a good plan to wake him up.

So – I’m up, I didn’t do my Yoga – hard to do that without disturbing my husband, and got dressed in the dark. I had mostly prepared the night before – so it went quickly – and I’m pretty sure I didn’t forget anything.

The trip to the airport in the shuttle was painless – but surprisingly crowded. Lots of airline crew starting their days – and a few other travellers. My fellow voyagers are clearly Japanese heading home. Neatly dressed, with their suitcases carefully over-wrapped in flashy cover-ups to make them easy to spot on the carrousels. Organized travellers. In comparison I feel like a flake – a very senior hippy heading out to see the world.

My ‘Safari bag’ suitcase is a hold-over from our first trip to Africa. Soft sided, but with wheels, it’s easy to over fill, and has no structure. So I’ve put in all my paints and art supplies – including the 10 canvases I’m hoping will be filled with art on my way back home. Right now they are white and unprepared – Full of potential – but very empty.

The airports were airports – large, packed with people with very specific destinations – and busy. The trip itself, while long, was uneventful. Not Adventure travel, unless you count arriving at my connecting flight just as they called my group # to board! I think that’s just great timing. I will admit I wondered if my big suitcase packed with the art supplies would make the connection – just 50 minutes, and Dallas is a huge airport – but yup – it was safely riding around in Baggage Claim in Albuquerque.

Getting the rental car was super easy. There are clear signs to ‘Rental Cars’ near Baggage Claim – and they have just one bus that takes all folks picking up Rental Cars to an off the airport Rental Car Building. Go right for one group of agencies, go left for the other. Hard to get lost – easy to find your agency!

Got my car – a small SUV – that to my eyes looks like a huge truck. And drives like one too! The agent proudly explained that it was a 2024 model – one of the newest they had on the lot. Hmmm.

I’ll grant you it was huge – although when Char (76) and Carol (58) and I put all out luggage in – we had to use the 4th seat for extra storage. I think the issue is all the art supplies. We all were told to come prepare to paint not shop – and it’s hard to judge what you’ll need. Just picking the colors is a challenge – what works in Montreal might not be appealing to paint with in Santa Fe. The light is different, the air is different – and I think the colors will be very different. We shall see.

We meet up with Carrie (1/4 Cherokee and 79) and Dee (my age, 4’11” and super nice) – and agree to follow them as we head out to the Turquoise Road – a scenic bypass between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Painless trip – broken up by stopping for lunch at a decrepit looking old Coal Mining town that has been turned into a terribly cutesy Western themed Art community.

We all agree that the wide-open spaces around us are both lovely, and conducive to folks doing big sculpture. We pass several ‘art studios’ that feature old car frames that have been repurposed into ‘art’. Some painted, some left to continue rusting. There’s even an Origami Garden with the largest Metal Origami structures I’ve ever seen. They tower over the landscape looking like huge folding paper Birds and Horses. Unfortunately – it’s closed, and we can only peak in from the entrance.

We chat over lunch – I learn that Carol is Gluten Free – and suffers badly if she even eats the tiniest bit of Gluten, and Dee has a dairy free diet that it turns out to include all Cheese made with goat, sheep or cow milk. Well – I knew that – but the folks at the ranch did not – and they had carefully added cheese to both the salad and the ‘Gratin’ dish at dinner time. I know – dealing with ‘food issues’ isn’t fun – but hey, at least we are all getting better at saying ‘No’ – rather then eating and suffering, or not eating and just pushing the food around the plate to make it look like we ate.

The Ranch is a 10 acre field with a large low adobe building forming the main ranch house, and a heavily renovated ‘barn’ acting as the home of the hosts. We have the entire run of the place – all rooms are huge – all the furniture is huge and well worn – and there are tons of ‘spaces’ where folks can gather or be alone. I like it.

My room is a small suite. Huge bedroom with lots of storage spots but not much furniture and a mini-kitchen/desk area. Bathroom too. I have windows on 2 sides – one with a lovely view of the sunrise – that I admired greatly while writing this post, and one leading to a ‘private’ porch with a hammock I shall never use.

After getting our gear into our rooms – I help move the suitcases of several of the other guests – who thought that at 76 I’d be the strongest… (Thank you Mona) – then we gather for a quick chat and orientation.

We play a name game – which clearly didn’t help me because I’ve forgotten names already – but I’m going to write them down over breakfast so I get them right in the blog.

We spend time introducing our selves, and describing where we are ‘art’ wise. Outside of Tabatha (58) – our leader – Cat (68) and Xan (54 and the youngest) are the only ones actually making a living from doing ‘art’. Char explains that she is a newbie – but learning constantly, Xan is a friend of Tabatha – and has been doing art for a long time – although I don’t think she makes a living painting – it’s creating jewelry that she sells on line that provides some income.

Some of the women are married – although for all of us – while our husbands support our desire to do ‘art’ – they didn’t come on the retreat. Most of the women are single and unattached. Two never had kids, One has only one daughter who at 24 is still living at home and has health issues.

After dinner there is more chatting until I excuse myself. I’m way past my expiry date… I need to wind down, straighten my room and go to bed.

Signing off to do Yoga – eat Breakfast – record names – and start painting…

The Soup Lady

What did you do on Jan 2, 2022?


We had a very exciting Jan 2.

Adrienne was going to drive back to London from Sutton Courtney. She left at 2:00 PM. Plan was for Craig to drive Abigail and I to a half way point on Jan 4 – and Adrienne to pick us up there. Then Abigail’s school is still starting on Jan 5.

I’m leaving Jan 10 – so there would be a week of me taking care of Abigail before and after school – then I fly away.

Best laid plans of mice and men

We go for a lovely tea with friends of Jan and Craig – their son is Abigail’s age and they get on a house afire. So we’re enjoying ourselves when my phone rings. It’s Adrienne (and it’s now 4:00 PM – 2 hours after she left the house). I figure she’s saying – I’m home – but no. The car broke down. Died. Won’t start. Not interested. About 15 minutes away from Sutton Courtney. She thinks she might have put Disel in the gas tank (it takes gas..) – which actually turns out to be wrong – not the problem.

But it’s Jan 2 which is a Sunday – and NOTHING is moving… well, mostly nothing. It will be 2 hours MORE before Tow Truck can come and they have suggested she go back to the house. So we drop kids and other family off at a play ground and go pick up Adrienne.

We make sure she put in proper fuel (she did), and we head back to Sutton Courtney. Then we head back to where we’ve deserted the car. Then we find out that nothing is open near that location, so we sit in the cold car. I’m so cold that I wrap myself in my good coat and lie down on the back seat. Anything to stay warm.

At around 7:00 PM a Truck appears – but it’s not a ‘tow’ truck – it’s a service truck. The driver agrees that it’s not the gas – that the car is dead and needs to be towed.

Another 2 hour wait for a real ‘tow’ truck.

He kindly says – go for dinner – we will call. And we can do a ‘keyless’ tow. So don’t worry about the car – we will get it to Sutton Courtney for you some time tonight.

So where to go. Our first choice says no dice. They have lots of reservations and are running out of food. So they can’t take the risk of disappointing someone who reserved to feed 3 cold and hungry drop ins. Given that it’s Christmas time – this feels somewhat like a Christmas Story.

So we continue down the road to another ‘Gastropub’. These are pubs that have determined that the money lies in food. And it is lovely, and empty. So we go in. There’s a beautiful outdoor eating area – with working heat lamps, but the inside is the real winner. It’s a meat lovers heaven, and the decor is higher antler. Huge massive stuffed heads of various animals adorn the different small sections – but since I’m quite a meat lover – this looks wonderful.

The menu is equally inspiring. A 2 course or 3 course option for 27 or 33 GBP – or you can choose the Sunday Roast. We go for the Roast – Adrienne and I will share the Roast Platter – Craig is going for the Lamb.

We know we’re in trouble when the waiter comes to tell us that they are out of Roast. But they can sub the Lamb in the Roast Platter. We agree, and continue to wait. No bread service, but they do bring hot water – which I definitely need at this point.

The waiter finally appears with our food. Craig’s Roast Lamb is a massive plate with a large hunk of Lamb, some roast potatoes (I think they might have been sitting for hours…), and slivers of fried parsnips.

Our Roast Platter is carried out on a huge wooden carving board – and consists of bowls of the various offerings. There are 2 bowls of the Roast Lamb, plus a bowl of pork belly bites, a smaller bowl of slivered and fried plantains, two really horrid Yorkshire Puddings acting as filler around the roast lamb (oh well) and some interesting veggies that looked rather like carrots and green beans but on the sweet side. The lamb was outstanding.. yummy. So good. And the pork belly bites – well – I do love those and these were great.

I’m feeling better about the restaurant – so we foolishly get inspired by the dessert offerings – and then of course are disappointed – really horrid Rice Pudding (I refused to pay for it – yes – it was that bad) and a mediocre Bread Pudding. Since that was much better than the Rice Pudding, we finished it.

We then headed back to the house – no car yet. So we put everyone to bed – and suddenly heard the tow truck. So dead car is now sitting in the driveway.

Ok – situation – we have dead car in driveway, we are 2 hours drive from London, and there is one functional car among the family. And we are here in Sutton Courtney.

Adrienne does some research – and we decide the best bet is likely to rent a car that we can drive to London – and eventually return here on Saturday to (we hope) pick up the repaired car since there is a lovely car repair place about 10 minutes away.

So… plan for today. Mourn the car, take a walk, eat a lovely dinner – perhaps at the Swan… deal with the rest of this tomorrow.
Tomorrow is another day!

Day 240 – Commandment #11 for Seniors


“One for the Road” means peeing before you leave the house.

I looked it up – One for the Road – besides being a hit song for the Arctic Monkeys (ever heard of them? Song was published in 2013 – never made it to my hit list) – is actually a two part phrase.

The ‘for the road’ is the earlier portion – dating back to at least the 1700’s when finding food and drink during travel was problematic. The smart thing to do of course was to take something ‘for the road’ – generally considered to be provisions of a general nature.

However – by the 1930’s – the ‘One’ because associated with alcohol. With the generally understood idea that you were taking an extra drink (generally grog in those days) to carry you thru your journey home.

None of that has anything at all to do with the fact that today – when I say ‘One for the Road’ – it means that I’m visiting the toilet prior to leaving the house. And we all know why of course…

With COVID restrictions the way they are – finding a public toilet is not easy. I mean it was never ever simple – unless you were in Tokyo where public toilets are as common as fleas (which one doesn’t see in Tokyo), super clean, and absolutely wonderful. In Montreal the law was that you had to have a public toilet if you were a restaurant – so finding a place to ‘go’ when out wasn’t difficult when all the restaurants were open.

But now – with the COVID lock-down happening – all the Restaurants in Montreal are closed. So where does one go to ‘pee’? Problem. Big problem.

But I’m in London right now – so does that change anything? Quick answer – NO! Unfortunately – all the Restaurants here are open only for Take-out, and unless you have a really solid relationship with the owner/staff – going to the door and looking desperate won’t get you access to the toilet.

The good news – there is a place near where my daughter lives that both has a toilet – and friendly enough staff to let us take advantage of it. That’s a shout-out to #The Pear Tree – if ever I saw one.

But even knowing of one place to go doesn’t solve the basic problem – you just don’t want to be caught short….

Hence – ‘One for the Road’!

The Soup Lady

Day 239 – Commandment #10 for Seniors


Aging has slowed you down, but it hasn’t shut you up!

And nor should it. Just because I’ve gotten older certainly doesn’t mean that I’ve gotten smarter – or in more control of my emotions (ok – for sure I’m less in control of those) – or more able to keep things to my self!

In fact – if anything – I’ve gotten MORE and LESS – not necessarily more smarter, but maybe more experienced, definitely less in control of my emotions, and for sure less able to keep things to myself. I’ve also become more social. I find myself chatting with anyone who stands still long enough – and in fact, that’s a bit embarrassing. At least to my kids.

Ignoring how all this impacts my family (specifically my kids and grand kids who I’m sure often find me a bit of a show off), lets chat about how it impacts one of absolutely favorite activities – playing Bridge!

There is a function in the on-line bridge games called Chat. And for months now – that’s the only way one can play bridge. So while I should be concentrating on the game (I love bridge because it requires so much focus) – I find myself chatting.

And with bridge On-line – I’m playing games all over the world from the comfort of my easy chair. I’ve played all over the US – from Florida, to Arizona to SoCal (Southern California), to Saskatchewan and on to Australia, Israel, Turkey, France, and of course in Canada. It’s fun! And folks are often quite chatty! We’ve discussed the Forest Fires in California (they are out), we’ve touched on COVID (it’s bad everywhere), and we’ve discussed why I’m in England, not Canada as it says on my profile.

Ok – maybe I’m being way way too chatty – but it livens up the game, and if I win (and I love to win I admit), I don’t feel so bad about trashing folks – because I was nice about it!

Question – does being nice about trashing folks make it ok? Do I even want to ask that question?

Here’s the worst part of my being so chatty – I’ve apparently given the gift of gab to my daughter too! Yesterday we were taking a walk with my grand-daughter and passed some folks with plastic bin bags and those hook things you use to pick up garbage without touching it. They were clearly a family group – doing their bit to clean up the area around their home. So of course we start chatting. Turns out they are actually part of a ‘home-owners’ group for one of the condo associations – and it’s a project.

Wow – what a wonderful idea.

In Japan – every housewife is responsible for keeping her doorstep and the area of the public way in front of her doorstep clean. The result is amazingly clean streets. No one has to do a huge job – but everyone does a tiny bit and it adds up fast.

And here I am in England seeing folks taking that kind of community spirit seriously to heart. How cool is that.

And if we hadn’t stopped to chat – we’d never have known about it. Which brings me full circle – I don’t think chatting to folks – even folks you don’t know at all – is a bad idea. It’s the best way to broaden your outlook, to get at least a quick glimpse at how they feel/are doing. And it’s fun.

So hey – Age may be slowing me down (My daily bike ride here in London is not nearly as fast as it was even a year ago), but I hope it never shuts me up!

Signing off to go find someone else to chat up – The Soup Lady

Day 238 – Commandment #9 for Seniors


Growing old should have taken longer.

Question here – how ever did it go so fast. Where does the time leak away to anyway. How did the years go by so fast..

Particularly since 2020 has seemed endless.

The problem really is – how do you treasure the time when you are young? Answer – you don’t – and my telling you – as Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw said – slow down and smell the roses – won’t work. Never has worked actually.

Shakespeare knew that when he penned: Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold; Youth is wild, and age is tame. Age, I do abhor thee; youth, I do adore thee; O, my love, my love is young!

I don’t feel weak or cold – well actually – I do feel cold often – but I don’t think it’s just my age – I’ve been cold for YEARS! Which explains my heavy socks and warm fuzzy jackets. I didn’t just start making that collection 2 years ago you know! I will admit that I only bought my electric Ski gloves 2 years ago – but that’s because it took me that long to decide they were worth the money. (Side note here – They definitely are worth it!)

As for weak – that’s what weight training is all about – combating the effect of too much couch potato action these days. I work out at least twice a week – and I’m proud of my ability to use 5 lb dumbbells, not just the 3 lb ones. (Ok – I hear you laughing – but truly it was a huge step up!)

But this isn’t about how fast time goes by – and how after 72 years – I still don’t understand how so many of those years are a blur.

I think slowing time is about picking out highlights – and low lights. Any teacher in the world will tell you – the students we remember for years are at the top and the bottom. So it’s highs and lows you recall. And I think this year might actually end up being memorable – as a low of course!

But unlike other truly solid memories – where I was when Kennedy was shot, when Diana died, my wedding to my husband of 50 + years (and counting), the births of my three kids, key moments in the lives of my kids (which are often clearer to me that key moments in my own life) – there are years that frankly flew by almost un-noticed.

It’s too late to reclaim those years – but folks – think about it. Make memories, take pictures, start today!

Signing off to give my daughter a hug – The Soup Lady

Day 235 – Commandment #7 for Seniors


Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller?

That definitely sounds like a great idea – and with the toll that COVID lock-downs have been taking on folks waist lines – we could use that technology sooner rather than later!

I read somewhere that we have 3 choices during Lock-downs – to be come a drunk, a hunk, or a chunk. In my opinion, break maker should be on that list – but I guess it doesn’t have the same poetic resonance..

Re Drunk – One of my friends actually commented that she was taking out her recycling and was stunned to discover how many empty bottles of wine had gotten into it! Yikes.

Re Hunk – Yes my hubby and I are exercising more – a LOT more to be honest. Where a walk was a once a week treat, it’s now become a daily event. And we are also working out more often – thank you Zoom. So we have managed to keep the weight off – and my arms look awesome… But I’m not sure I can keep it up if I try to go back to working. Which hasn’t actually happened yet – but I have high hopes.

And of course – Re Chunk – The subject of this blog post. Weight loss is such a touchy subject – we don’t want to stress it, but we all (ok – maybe only women) would love to be a slimmer version of ourselves – even if our current version is just fine – Thank you very much!

And gaining weight when you are effectively confined indoors is way too easy to do. I have no solid advice on this topic of course – but I am hoping for that washing machine fix.

I do have one crazy suggestion to share – I never eat after I finish dinner. It takes hard work I have to say – but it’s been like that for years. At best I might treat myself to a few pieces of liquorice- but if I’m really having issues resisting the food – I brush my teeth. That tends to stop my food cravings completely.

In any case – I’m signing off now. But keep me in the loop if you ever find a machine that will create that magic fix… The Soup Lady