October

Well I promised some 'Fall' photos and here they are. These were taken in Branson, Missouri where we spent a few days with our dear friends K & E who were visiting from the UK. Branson is just north of the AR state line. We hit the optimum time for the trees turning and it was a breath-taking drive up through the mountains.

We are definitely in Arkansas. Repeat after me, 'There's no place like home, there's no place like home.......remind you of anything? Yes, tornado's. We had our first tornado warning, oh my! Our poor visitors were trembling in their red glitter shoes, especially K. It was a bit disconcerting, this weird noise comes through the TV telling you to turn to channel 18 for a severe weather warning. Initially it said a severe thunder storm was on its way. No big deal, more wine and nachos please ;-) Within minutes the warning had turned to an approaching tornado. When this happens you have to go to the most internal part of the house and wait. The warning was in place for 30 minutes so off we went into the centre of the house. Next, the tornado alarm which is somewhere outside starts going and it sounds like a WW2 siren. My poor dog starting whining along with alarm. She was so traumatised, poor pup. It turned out to be pretty tame where we were with no damage but a roof came off a building down town. Then to top it all we had another tornado warning in Branson but that one didn't materialise. We are considering banning K&E from visiting!

So I've busted my back again - this is rubbish as I was enjoying my new active lifestyle. I can't run, Zumba or belly dance any more and even walking can be painful. I was hoping it would sort itself out but that doesn't appear to be the case. I had an ambition to be here for 3 years without seeing a Doctor, that one is going up the Swanney without a paddle. I have resigned myself to the fact that I need to seek medical attention to sort me out, blah! However, this does not affect my role as A Lady Who Lunches. An activity that is becoming an essential part of life. Every Monday, a different restaurant, same friends, a glass of wine and maybe a pedicure afterwards...it's a hard life but someone has to do it.

I'm getting more involved with my dog charity. C and I helped out at a charity event last night to raise funds. It was quite a large affair that consisted of a silent and open auction held in one of the premier hotels. C thoroughly enjoyed it and we met some new people. I am also about to become an official Dog Walking 101 trainer. I will instruct new volunteers how to handle the dogs and ensure they know all the rules and regs that apply. I have met a new friend who also volunteers, she's nice and we are planning on having dinner together and introduce the other half's (halves??).

Thankfully I can still cycle and we met this little chap whilst out one day. Apparently they are six a penny here but this is the first time C and I have come across one in the wild. The locals say they are dumb and you usually find them flattened at the road side. This makes sense as this little guy walked right in front of our bikes and didn't flinch at us watching him. They don't have great eye sight and their hearing isn't too good either. My brother said it is a rat wearing a crash helmet. I like him, the Armadillo I mean not my brother, although I quite like my bro too.

We are taking a road trip next week. The Americans drive for ever and don't think anything of driving for days to get to their destination. We are going to San Antonio, Texas for a very long weekend. It is about a 10 hour drive which we will split over 2 days. We would have considered flying but we are taking our pooches with us and driving is a good way to see the land. It should be a good weekend. Thanksgiving is on the 25th and we have been invited to spend it with friends and experience it the way it is intended to be spent. Lots and lots of food and drink - what is a gal to do? Do as the locals do. Hangover the next day I expect. I have volunteered to provide home cooked apple pie. I'm nervous now as the pie is a staple for Thanksgiving, I hope mine's is up to standard.

Less than 7 weeks until we are back in the UK; we are both really looking forward to spending time with our friends and family. I hope you are ready for us!

The Fall aka Autumn

It is officially Fall here and the weather knows it. It is positively cool in the morning and in the evening but clear blue skies and warm(ish) sunshine in the day - perfect. I had to reach into the back of the closet for my cardie and C has burrowed in the drawer for some socks. I believe there is a cold front hanging around us at the moment and this is making it a little bit cooler than normal. The forecast predicts it to be a little bit warmer next week. The trees are definitely turning but not enough to warrant showing you......yet!

I am now an official volunteer of the Humane Society of Pulaski County. My main job is walking the dogs on Mondays and Fridays as this is the only days I have free. I helped out at a dog washing event a couple of weeks ago and it was a real giggle. People brought their smelly pooches along and we bathed and cuddled them and gave them a massage all for $15, people were really generous and gave us way more than that. We raised over $1500 and all of this goes to the charity. Last Saturday 4 of us each took a dog to a department store to raise more funds and hopefully find parents for the dogs. It was a great success and 2 of the dogs have pending adoptions...result...back of the net.....way to go...happy days :-) I have managed to curtail the urge to bring them all home with me but it has been hard. There is one little girl called Shannon, she is probably a couple of years old and was so mistreated she had lost all her hair and has cauliflower ears through beating. In spite of this she is the friendliest most sedate dog who just wants to be talked to and petted. I hope she gets a good home, her hair has come in but she still has bald patches but her little tail wags whenever she is spoken to and she melts my heart.

I am on a keep fit regime at the moment. I have been doing my Couch to 5k running programme and am almost running 3 miles non stop. I've signed up for the Race for the Cure (Race for Life) on the 16th October). I have joined a Zumba class (thanks J for mentioning this in you blog), it is an aerobic class which combines various dance moves, rumba, hip hop, salsa and some other moves that my body hasn't quite managed to execute yet but it is a hoot! Belly dancing, yes that's right belly dancing. My first class will be on Thursday, my friend S did it at her last posting and has convinced me that I am missing out on life if I do not try this - details to follow.....I also climbed Pinnacle Mountain, it isn't a big mountain by any standards and can be climbed in 45 minuted to 1 hour. The ascent was tiered so wasn't difficult at all but we decided to take the descent on the opposite side and it was so steep Millie's little legs couldn't quite manage it so I had to carry her whilst trying to get foot holds in the rocks. I paid the price the next day with an aching back.



Chris is off on his first jolly on Thursday. He is flying to Colorado and will be away for 7 nights. I'm not looking forward to being on my own but I guess I have to be a big girl and get on with it. However, our dear friends K&E arrive on the 23rd and I can't wait. They are with us for a week and we are planning a trip to Missouri which should be fun.

Must be settling in ......

.....as it has been over a month since I last posted. I suppose I have adopted a more structured routine as the weeks go by and my blogging has taken a back seat.

Not a lot has happened though; Chris has finally finished his training leg. He officially joins 41st squadron today and he can now look forward to being just another Pilot instead of the guy whose training. Although I doubt he will ever become inconspicuous as the Scottish thing does tend to make us stand out from the crowd. We do get asked to 'say something just so I can listen to you talk' quite often. What do you say when you are asked to do this! It always strikes up a conversation either way.

I am on a get fit regime. I think I mentioned this in my last post. Well I am now on week 4 of Podcast runner. Phew! I'm sure I'm not programmed for this kind of activity, it's so blooming knackering. However, I did manage to run 1.5 miles yesterday, albeit with a couple of walks in between. The humidity has returned, not as bad as it has been but enough to make my running doubly difficult. Roll on the cooler weather.

Speaking of the weather; don't we always :) It has got cooler, we tip into the 90's in the afternoon but the mornings are cooler, around the 80's but the humidity pumps that temp up a bit. The trees are also starting to turn colour. There are little clusters of autumn gold patchwork which is so pretty. It is going to be an awesome sight when true autumn arrives. Think Westonbirt Arboretum and apply a scale of 1" to the mile and then some. I will take some photos for you soon.

We are managing to explore more now. We took the dogs to Pinnacle State Park one night last week for a walk and it is simply beautiful and serene. There were some rock climbers on the quarry and apart from that we met one other woman out for a walk. There is a panoramic view point that overlooks Lake Maumelle and to the North of Arkansas - stunning.

We also took a trip to Burns Park, about 10 minutes in the car. This park is huge and has everything you can think of. Tennis, Golf, Cricket, cycling tracks and much more. The dogs had a good walk and C and I just enjoyed the stroll. We haven't played golf for months so we need to get that back on track or should that be back on the fairway. Hopefully Chris will get some days off now that he is on a proper squadron.

I have been to a couple of social evenings recently. The first one was a Bunko night; a dice playing game which took a while to understand. It was fun and I came away with $20 for having the most Bunko's. This is a monthly event so I will go along again. The other social was at someones house. Cupcakes and cocktails. I wasn't drinking as I had to drive so I did feel a little bit out of it. I spent most of the evening talking to the Base Commander's wife who was really lovely. The Base Commander is the head honcho of the entire base! I did meet a couple of other girls but as Chris wasn't on the squadron at that time no-one knew who he was. Perhaps as time goes on we will get to know more people from the squadron.

I have decided to investigate becoming a volunteer for the Humane Society. I miss working so much and need something to fill the gap. I've contacted them and there is a volunteer's orientation day on the 13th September so I am going along to find out a bit more. My only concern is that I will be easily upset by some of the sights. This is an organisation that rescues and cares for abused or abandoned animals. I must try and put my emotions to one side and focus on the end result which is to rehabilitate and re home. I will happily do whatever I can to help; walking, cleaning, admin - whatever it takes. I will update you next month on the outcome.

Our dear friends K&E are coming to visit soon, whoop whoop. Can't wait to see some familiar faces and have some fun. Roll on October.

Where has the time gone?

It seems ages since my last blog. We've had visitors, S, J & M came all the way from Scotland and stayed with us for 2 weeks. It was the quickest two weeks of our time in LR so far.

We had a lot of fun, not least of all on the lake. It is an hours drive away but so worth a visit. We rented a party barge and a huge rubber doughnut (without the hole) to tow behind us. It transported us back to being kids. One or two 'kids' lie on the ring and are pulled along the river. Unfortunately C & M were the guinnea pigs and the first launch didn't quite go as planned. I blame it on the pilot (sorry J). A little too much thrust torpedoed C under water and M flying backwards into the water. M floated as she was on her back but C nose dived and when he tried to surface the doughnut was on his head. Luckily they both had life vests on but they got a bit of a fright. Sadly this put M off having another go. I eventually had a go after much deliberation. I'm so glad I did, it was hilarious. I even drove the boat but I think M was the best pilot of all, she's a natural. The best bit was when C & J went on the ring together, I piloted and tried my damndest to overturn them but they hung on for dear life. I did manage to lift them and the ring clean out of the water though and came so close to capsizing them. Will try harder next time. S doesn't like water so she sunbathed while the rest of us got wet.We also went to Memphis to see Elvis' pad. Very modest considering his wealth. It is one of those things that you need to do, especially if you are only a couple of hours drive away. And of course we went to the legendary Beale St. This, in my opinion is a bit seedy. Good music and atmosphere but I was glad to leave. After about 9.30 pm barriers are put up, people are searched before entering the street and there are a lot of cops around as I think they get a fair amount of trouble.

We have joined the pool and it is lovely to have a swim anytime it takes our fancy. M practically lived there, I think she enjoyed it most. I am going down there this afternoon with Londyn. She has no fear of water and I need to watch her like a hawk. She sinks, pops up again and snorts. No tears or trepidation, she just wants to be thrown in the air and land in the water.

It has got even more unbearably hot here. In fact it is getting on my wick now! I want cool air and a breeze. I long to be able to go for a long leisurely walk with the dogs. Another 4 weeks and my wish should be granted.

Here are some pics from our posh meal out for C's birthday.

And one last pic of me & M having a swim.Sorry about the layout, still finding my way round placing pics!

A brush with the law

We've only been here 5 minutes and the cops are already after 'im indoors. Well actually it was 'er indoors Mr Sheriff law man extraordinaire was looking for. Thankfully it wasn't Mrs K he was after, I'm a good girl. He blocked the driveway so there was no escape in a fast car from the garage.

He arrived 7.30am on Thursday morning waving a subpoena, but thankfully it wasn't us who had upset Uncle Sam it was the previous lady tenant. We have no idea what she's subpoenaed for. Chris had a nice friendly chat with Mr Sheriff right there on our drive. There was a lot of curtain twitching, me being one of them. What fun I could have with this photo. The neighbours probably think we are a bad lot now. Keeps them interested!

We had a fabulous 4th of July. It was chris' birthday and the Americans put on a fantastic firework display on the 3rd just for him - wasn't that kind. Then our lovely landlord/lady invited us to join them on their barge up on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs on the 4th. It was so relaxing putting along on the lake. The dogs and Chris enjoyed a swim while I sat back and got roasted. How I wish I had used stronger sun screen. The plan was to go downtown in the evening for another firework do but we didn't get home until almost 8pm and we were both worn out with relaxing in the sun so we gave that one a miss.

The bug man came and sprayed all around the house, hopefully this will keep the critters at bay. Apparently the water bugs like to live in tress and being that we have half a forest behind us I would rather they stayed there. I've found that they Yellow Pages is a handy weapon to have nearby.

The Scottish population has more than doubled today. J, S & M arrived last night at 10pm and we are so happy to have them here. Luckily it will be a little cooler for the next couple of days and not quite so sunny. This is good as it offers a little bit of acclimatising for them. We all had a good nights sleep, that will soon end when the temperature soars again. M is desperate to get into the pool so once breakfast is done we will head down so she can have a swim.

We are going out for a nice meal tonight. They asked if it was a special occasion so I told them it was Chris' birthday - I know it was last week but we are celebrating with our family tonight. I think he will get his name written in chocolate on his pudding!

Off to enjoy our visitors now.

At least I enjoyed the drive

As you get older, do you find yourself doing weird things? Not concentrating on the task in hand? Not knowing what day it is, or what month for that matter? I'm sure it is an age thing.

I went to a knitting group tonight, a long way away - 60 miles round trip, when I got there the coffee shop was all locked up. Being my first visit my immediate thought was that I was in the wrong place but Amber's directions were so accurate. So I called Amber and got through to TGI Fridays - what is going on? Hm, must have entered the number incorrectly. So I called Collette and got her voice mail, left a message. Then BANG! Brain cells locked into gear - knitting club is Wednesday and not Tuesday!!!!! I just laughed, at myself by myself, passers by stared and then walked on - what an absolute twit.

Apart from that the day has been good. It was raining this morning and oh so welcome. The humidity was lower and the day had a fresher feel to it. The forecast says it will feel fresher this week, I am so looking forward to that. Perhaps sleep will not be interrupted as often if the nights are less hot.

I took London to the library for Story time and activities and it was really good, she enjoyed it. Lots of other ladies there too but I don't want to appear like a stalker so I will give it a couple of visits before I start muscling in on potential friends.

Chris has installed a garden flap for the dogs so we no longer have to remember to let them out for frequent potty visits. This is an Americanism, they all refer to their dogs pooping as going to the potty.

Just over 1 week until my visitors arrive, whoop whoop.

Hallelujah for Good Neighbours

No I have not been converted to the Bible side. I left behind fantastic neighbours and that was hard but I just had to post tonight to say how great my new neighbours are. Tom on one side brought round some newly picked husks of sweetcorn and Barb the other side sent round some watermelon..............isn't that nice.