Well, the big news this month is, of course, our trip to England to visit our youngest DD. Bill had enough points that he saved us a bundle on airfare - in fact, we BOTH got to go first class for half what ONE seat would have cost us in regular seating! I do like first class, just not enough to pay the outrageous prices, LOL. You get to board / exit first, they start serving drinks as soon as you sit down, they give you a blanket and pillow, free ipad and earbuds, they bring a hot towel to wash with before meals, and serve meals on real glass dishes with real utensils (not plastic forks), and they give you this little fabric case, with a toothbrush and toothpaste / one of those eye masks for sleeping / and a pair of really comfy socks that are supposed to be good for your legs when travelling!

So, we got there in style, *GBG*. We travelled overnight, as Bill thinks we will sleep on the plane... but we never do (sigh). We travelled during the day on the way back, and I actually think I like that better, as it makes for a long day, but you're not up for 2 days. Unfortunately, the flight FROM Canada to England (during the day) is really early, so we would have to go to Toronto the night before and stay over, to get there on time.

In spite of England's well-known proclivity for rain, LOL, we only had a slight misting the first day or so, and after that the sun was very co-operative. We knew this visit was going to be all about family, so we didn't plan a lot of activities, but we did manage to get in to the art gallery, with a quick peek into the Natural History Museum, which we love. They had a butterfly house on display, so we spent some time in there, surrounded by colorful butterflies of all shapes and sizes and gorgeous tropical plants. Another day we went with Katie (our DD) and Alaa (her significant other, LOL), to pick up his boys, Talal and Zaid, ages 5 and 3, who spent the rest of our trip with them. While in Rochester (where the boys live) we visited some quaint shops - including a needlework shop and two art stores, a cathedral and castle, so did our playing tourist bit - we even bought the boys toy swords!

Lots of eating out in great restaurants, and Alaa is a chef, so he cooked for us as well - yum! Katie also has a birthday in August, so while her family was all there Alaa threw her a birthday party. Of course mom (me!) had to bake the cake. She decided she wanted a gluten free cake, so that was interesting. Some on-line research turned up a chocolate cake recipe that used black beans in place of flour! It did have SIX eggs in it, so when we doubled it to make a good sized cake, that meant it had a DOZEN eggs... then she decided we needed a second layer, so we actually had to go shopping to get more ingredients, LOL. Was quite rich (with 2 dozen eggs, I guess so), 4 TBSP (yes, that is tablespoons, not teaspoons) of baking powder PER LAYER to make it rise, and honey in place of sugar. But everyone agreed it was quite delicious, and not gooey like gluten free tends to be. The other grandparents hosted the party and even rented a bouncey castle for the kids - though I must say the big kids (including my DD and her friend) spent as much time in it as the little ones did!

Because all the 'flats' are so tiny in England, there was no room for us at our DD's place (though our oldest DD, who came over with us, stayed with them for an extra week after we left). So, we rented an apartment in an old Victorian house, which was actually quite spacious. Bill and I had an extra-large King - it was massive - and Adriane had a bed tucked in an alcove off the living room. There was a full kitchen (with fridge/stove and dishwasher), and they had laundry facilities on premises as well.

There was a big yard, with a koi pond full of dozens of fat fish, and even a hen-house sized enclosure full of songbirds! At the back of the property was a long building, which housed an indoor pool, bar, pool table, foozball table and seating, where guests could visit or entertain, so we had the kids out on two different days to swim, and we took advantage of the patio and bbq (also on site), to make the men cook and we all sat at the outdoor tables to eat, LOL. Someone in the neighbourhood had a rooster too, which would crow at all hours of the day, except in the morning, ROFLOL. This was just outside London to, in a place called Catford, so was kind of surprising to us.

All too soon it was time to head home. Was sad to say goodbye, but was lovely to see them all, and we'll have to do it again soon. The boys will grow so fast, skype just isn't the same. I had taken a bunch of small toys and chocolate bars with me, LOL, so every day when they saw me there were little gifts - I'm pretty sure they'll remember me/us!

Bill had 2 days to recuperate before he headed back to work, but he's off for the entire month of September, so I'm hoping next month I'll have lots of house news for you *wink*. Till then, keep safe, enjoy our beautiful weather, hug and kiss your friends and family... and of course, happy stitching!