Crash bang wollop

Here are some pics of our holiday -




That's what the thunder storm is sounding like right now. We had a tornado warning last night, luckily it didn't touch down in our area. According to the news 3 were reported in Arkansas. I wasn't too perturbed by it as Chris is still here but it may be a different story after he leaves. This is early in the season and we have another 2 months to go.

There's something soothing about being indoors when a storm is whipping up outside. The sky is black and the rain is pelting down. The forecast say we may have golf ball sized hail, thank goodness our garage can accomodate both cars. I now realise that my noggin is very sensitive to air pressure. I get a mammoth headache each time a storm is on its way then as soon as it passes so does the headache. This one is reported to be around for another 5 hours!

We just got back from our holiday in Destin, Flordia. There is an exchange post there too and how I wish we had been eligible for it. It is a beautiful place, aptly named the Emerald Coast. The sea is an amazing green colour with whiter than white sand. We really had a relaxing time, apart from our fishing trip; the high flier was sick twice and didn't catch anything worth keeping. Luckily I caught a king mackerel that was able to feed us for a few days.

'Im indoors had finally got his leavin date and will abandon me on the 5th May. I am going to imerse myself back into looking after all the little homeless dogs. I have our first dog washing session on the 7th to raise funds for the shelter. I did this last year and it was such a lovely thing to be invloved in.

The pool is having its annual maintenace ready for opening at the end of next month. I've offered my services there too, basically to help out with little maintenance jobs. It will be a good way to meet some more of the neighbours.

More logs please

Well I am just back from a BBQ in Lonoke County, way out in the sticks. So far out in the sticks that when the fire needed more logs they got on their 4x4 and went into the woods and chopped down a tree........how cool is that?

Blogging sluggishness

Sorry I know it has been a while and I realise that I am a lazy blogger. Life just seems to be running away from me. Our first anniversary is at the end of next month - 1 year down - amazing how quickly it has gone.

My memory is rubbish so I need to rack my brains to see if there is important stuff to tell. Hmmm, not anything important so here is some drivel.

- Still on the keep fit regime and enjoying it. My 5 miles walks have progresses to walking/running. Not too elegantly I might add. Bought myself some Tone-up trainers and bought the wrong size. Sometimes a US8 is a UK6 but this time it was a UK5 and I didn't check. I soon realised something was wrong when my feet resembled bubble wrap...ouch. I have now invested in proper running shoes and abandoned the faddy footwear.

- Had a girls spa weekend courtesy of the husbands for Valentine's. We had a great girly giggly time and spent loads of money. Now planning our next trip away.

- C will be leaving me in May and I have lots of visitors lined up. It is imperative that he takes me out for lovely meals to sample new restaurants. I will then know which ones to take my visitors to.

- He is now an official Air Craft Commander so is back in charge. He dropped his first paratroopers which was exciting for him.

- There have been earthquakes in AR. About 40 miles north of here which was disturbing. They think that gas drilling created disturbance and caused the ground to quake. It was a sizeable one. C says he felt it during the night - I didn't feel a thing. They have halted the drilling for investigation. At least there are no more birds dropping out of the sky.

- My Ciara pup has been awfully ill; so much so that I thought we were going to lose her. She (and I) have had a rough week. She has been to the vet every day this week but we think we may have turned the corner. I was so worried about her. She still has a way to go and is very weak but there is now hope.

- I was supposed to be taking part in the St. Patrick's Day Parade tomorrow. I was going to represent the Humane Society with 11 others and some dogs. I had a great big sparkly green bow for my head but I had to cancel to look after Ciara. Shame, I was looking forward to it.

- I am a Yogi! I've taken up yoga twice a week which is helping my back. I really enjoy it and am getting bendier by the week. I feel refreshed after each session and am getting a lot out of it.

- I promise to try and be a better blogger before you all abandon me!

February - when did that happen?

Not working plays havoc with my time clock. I have no idea what day or month it is. I cannot believe it is already February. It seems like a breath away since I was back in Blighty. That's a good thing.

I am trying to get in shape for the pool season. Firm up all those wobbly bits that creeped on over Christmas. I am somewhat compromised in the exercise department as I need to consider the effect on my ageing back. Walking seems to work so I am walking 5 miles almost daily. Millie is the fittest dog on the block now. I have found a lovely route around the golf course. It is traffic free for most of it.

Ok so it is a few days later....We had 8" of snow fall in one day. I was housebound and Chris was out of town. I was going stir crazy so I wrapped me and Millie up nice and warm and went off for a walk. That damn golf course! I got lost in the myriad of winding paths and didn't know where I was. Seeing as the streets were full of snow and the golf course seemed to have clear paths I decided to go on them. 2 hours later I managed to find my way back. It wasn't the best day to do this as it was very icy underfoot and I found myself on a main road with no foot paths. After asking someone for directions (women do this you know, take note men) I eventually got onto a street that I recognised.



Anyhow, the weather is back to being glorious blue skies, dry and warm. We sat in the garden today. Should be another beauty tomorrow too.

I have taken up yoga and am thoroughly enjoying it. I am still searching for exercise that doesn't make my back ache and I have been assured this should help. We'll see, I hope it does.

I have started booking my friends and relatives in for visits this year and I can't wait. So far I have 3 lots coming out, all when Chris is away on detachment. Looks like I am going to be kept busy.

I have a Sap Sucker in the garden. Comes from the woodpecker species. It has made a pretty pattern of squares all nicely lined up on the bark of the tree. I can hear it tapping away. They can do tremedous damage but seeing as the tree isn't very pretty I am happy for it to get its sap. There are some beautiful birds here. We have Red Cardinals that look a bit like a parrot but smaller. They are bright red with a crest on their head. I need to buy a book so I can identify them.

Hope all my bloggers are doing good and if you have news from home then send me it.

Energised

My dogs and I have just walked 3.5 miles around the base trail of Pinnacle Mountain. It was so nice; clear blue skies and a little snow still nestling amongst the fallen leaves. It is such a naturally beautiful place and I am lucky to have it on my doorstep. I chatted to at least 4 people en route who were interested in the dogs. I may even have convinced an older couple that a Cairn Terrier is the ideal dog for them.

I have been on my own for the past two days. The High Flyer has been down in San Antonio. He is due back tonight if they can fix the bit on the plane that has broken. I've had a nice time though, met the girls for lunch yesterday and had my lovely walk today.

Curry is on the menu tonight - all home made as the curry's here are not real curry.

My older dog Ciara has been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. It is a benign tumor on the pituitary gland. By a complete fluke my friend C was able to diagnose it while she looked after her while I was in the UK. Her dog Kadarka has the same condition and the main symptoms are drinking loads and peeing loads. I had noticed that C was drinking more than usual but as they have a flap to the garden I didn't notice the peeing thing. Serendipitous I think, it could have gone on for a long time and I wouldn't have realised. We have caught it in the very early stages so she will start taking a pill which is chemo based and can have some nasty side effects. But as it is in early stages she is on a very small dose and the vet doesn't think she should have much trouble. The disease can't be cured so we have to manage it as best we can. She doesn't look or act ill at all so I am ok with it at the moment. I will keep positive and hope that it doesn't affect her life in an adverse way. She's my little baby.

Ok curry making time..............

Only in America!

I was out walking Millie this morning and saw a snowman wearing a holster and pistol.

The Proof is in the Photo

See it does snow here. This is the 4th day after it snowed so a lot has already gone. It is very pretty with a stunning blue sky back drop. It should stay with us until Saturday then the temps are on the up. Is it me? Everywhere I go it snows, must be the Scottishness in me. I'm jet lagged today. Was reading a book on my lovely new iPad at 5am this morning. The good thing about reading on my iPad is that there is no noise turning pages, you don't need a light on to see it and you can enlarge the text. I like it a lot. It does go against the grain though being a librarian. I can see the demise of the good old hard copy - no attack on trees, less shelf space, make the text as large as you wish. I resisted the temptation to read e-books for a long time but the time has come to admit that I quite like this format. Sorry books but I fear the end is nigh in the Kelly household, you served us well. RIP

My trip back to the UK - what I did and what I learned

What I Did

• Caught up with family and friends
• Had a brilliant Christmas and New Year
• Visited my old work place and caught up with my lovely colleagues
  
• Ate way too much
• Drank more than way too much
  
• Slept in 7 beds
• Forgot to exercise
• Remembered to stay on the left side while driving
  

What I Learned

• Home is where you lay your hat
  

• Good bed pillows are vitally important
• Hanging around airports waiting for planes that aren't going anywhere sucks
• It also snows in Arkansas
• Missed my dogs a lot
• I am an ambidextrous driver...is there such a thing?!
• Little Rock is a lovely place to live and I realise that I have been given a great opportunity
• I miss Indian food
• Yarn shops are much better in Bristol than Little Rock
• Too much alcohol isn't good for me
  

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.

In at the deep end.

Meet Londyn, my new charge. 20 months old and no trouble at all. We are getting on like a house on fire, there was no settling in period as she decided that she liked me from the offset. Good thing too as she was with me for almost 11 hours today! Her mum had to travel afar for an appointment and was held up. I did have the option of sending her to a nursery but I thought that wouldn't be fair on the little soul. So far so good.

Chris and I managed a game of golf yesterday. Only at one of the municipal courses which wasn't in the best of nick but good enough for us as we hadn't played for 2 months. No bunkers, that made me happy. We were both a bit rusty to start but got better as we went on. We had to stop half way round for refreshments as we were so hot and sweaty, even though we had a buggy. We are looking at options to join a club.

I went to a knitting group last night with my new best friends, Amber & Collette. I really like Amber, she is a social butterfly networking us newbies. I met Collette through Amber, she is really nice too and like me has only just arrived in LR. Unfortunately Amber is moving away in October so our time together is limited but Collete will be her for the same 3 years as me. We are planning on getting together on Saturday, husbands too and her 2 children aged 2 & 5. It will be nice if we can all strike up a friendship.

It is getting hotter here, 96 degrees today, this is the hottest it has been. I hear that the autumn is the best part of the year with all the trees changing colour. I am looking forward to that.

It was bizarre at Amber's BBQ last Saturday. We grilled outside, ate inside then when the sun went down sat outside round a fire pit in 85 degrees of heat and humidity! The circle of chairs got ever wider but at least it kept some of bugs away.

Washington pics here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10852884@N07/sets/72157624123409905/

If the link doesn't work cut and past and hopefully that will work.

Who would have believed it?

Least of all me! I am a child minder, yes me. I would never had thought in a million years that I would be looking after a child and getting paid for it.

It happened in a kinda round about way, turns out our landlord dropped a very heavy hint to Chris that they were struggling to find someone to look after their 2o month old daughter Londyn. He was really fishing to see if I would be interested. My initial though was absolutely not but when I got thinking about it it sounded like quite a good idea. You see, this may be a way of meeting other people, I have already taken her to the book store for story time. There weren't any prospective friends there but I will go again. It gives me structure to my day. 3 days per week, 2-3 weeks per month from 8am - 5pm.

We are getting on famously, she is a sweet little thing and sleeps for 3 hours of the day. This gives me time to recharge my batteries. I take my hat off to child minders, it is hard work. She doesn't cry much and follows me around like a shadow. She loves the dogs, they are small compared to her Labrador.

I need to get my membership to the pool sorted and we can spend some time down there. She doesn't stop me doing anything I want to do either, she is young enough not to grumble about shopping. If I want to do some gardening she wants to help out too. In fact what ever I do she wants to help. Bonus factor is pocket money for me me me :-)


Our new furniture is starting to arrive. We now have our PC on a proper desk and no longer on the kitchen table, in the meantime the kitchen table will become our patio furniture.

We are off to a BBQ in Cabot on Saturday, this is the dry state but fear not Amber does like to have a tipple or two, so there will be alcohol. We might even meet some new friends. I have to be patient, we have only been here 5 minutes but I need some friends like my friends back home.

Chris has been working weird hours again this week and he has been busy with paperwork. We haven't quite got ourselves sorted with a social life yet, we must work on this as I believe this will be my life line.

I have some pics from our weekend in Washington which I am hoping to post soon.

Really looking forward to Sib, Jasey and Morgy coming over (translated Sally Anne, Jack & Morgan !) We are having a night in Memphis which will be nice as it will be new to us too. Only 4 weeks away now - the time is flying.

Millie's New Friend - or Foe?

She barked and barked so I had to go outside to see what the fuss was. Here's what I found, a rather annoyed terrapin. I think it must have nipped her, she was pawing at it and barking incessantly. I brought her indoors to give the little thing a chance to escape.

Ciara is also having a great time now that we have found a lake that she can swim in. She's got a new friend too, Sugar, the Labrador. She is our Landlord's and we were looking after her for a couple of nights. She does get a bit boisterous when she is playing and Ciara is not too keen on this behaviour. However, she will fight her to the death to get the ball first and she is a better swimmer than Sugar - that's my girl.

Boxed In

Our UK stuff arrived yesterday morning and it is good to have familiar things around. I have unpacked most of them, but the contents are all over the place waiting for a new home.

Our floors are now all laid and they look lovely. We can now get the dinning room and the spare bedroom set up. The stuff is in the garage at the moment. It will be good to get some art on the walls and curtains up, then it will look like a home and feel all cosy.

Andy is sending in the cleaners to give it a good old scrub. Some of the tiled flooring has got paint on where the decorators have been a bit slap dash, they will clean all this off - I hope it is up to my standard!

I gave a geography lesson yesterday. I was never very good at this at school but Andy really was struggling to differentiate the UK and Great Britain and where this fitted into Europe. I drew him a map of Europe in Edwina style but it did the job. He said he learned more from me than he did at school.

We think we may abandon housey things today and take the dogs up to Pinnacle Mountain http://www.mountainstateparks.com/pinnacle/ It is apparently beautiful up there and Ciara will be able to have a swim, she has missed her swims. As you can see she likes her new bed.

Chris is enjoying his job, that's a relief. He was a bit nervous about his simulator exercise last night as it was something new. He had to drop a load onto a spot on the ground within a 30 second period. He managed to get it spot on and within 3 seconds. I'm glad that he likes it. I like his squadron badge, don't you think it looks like Felix

Our neighbour likes Margaritas! He has been round last night and the previous night, he wants to cook us a meal and I guess we will sample his margaritas!

The community pool opens today, I guess it will be full of kids. Luckily we are right next to it so are able to monitor when the quiet times are - that will be our cue for a dip.

There's no place like home

Hurrah, we are official residents of Little Rock. The move went without incident and the removal men were great fun, they had a sense of humour even though it was over 90 degrees and were lugging big heavy pieces of furniture about.

This is our new home. The garden needs a little sprucing up which our landlord is going to do. Right now I have 4 men in the dining room. Chris is at work and I am home alone with them! Two are sanding and painting and the other two are laying our new flooring.

I have just introduced them to good old British tea - two types actually. Bog standard Tetley and Twinings Lady Gray. They both preferred the latter. This is their first tasting of hot British tea and they like it so I will make some more later.

We are still waiting for our UK consignment which has all the kitchen utensils. I had to pilfer two knives and forks from our hotel until we get our own cutlery. Cutting a red pepper with a table knife is interesting, it produces some odd shapes.

A trip to the supermarket is an interesting expedition as is filling the car with fuel. I did both today. First up I went to get fuel, I thought I would be smart and do the self service pay at the pump number. Things are very different here, so many options it's scary. The guy who drove up behind me decided it was quicker to back up and go to another pump as I was taking so long. Finally after working out all the options I picked up the pump then realised the petrol cap is on the other side of the car!!!!! I had to reverse the car and go to the other side as the pump aas the hose wouldn't reach, I'll know what to do next time though.

Supermarket next. Having not been deterred from my previous experience I decided I would do self service again as I was more savvy now. I understood all the options but the sticking point was naming some of the fruit and vegetables. You can chose to look up the fruit & veg by name or by picture, I chose name. Of course they have different names for some of the stuff so I had to revert back to pictures. I had some loose lettuce leaves in my basket, it is a pre-mix that you buy by weight. Could I find what it was called - no. So I stole them, this was much easier and less embarrassing as there was a queue forming behind me. I think I got away with it as I couldn't hear any police sirens tearing after me.

Ther thunderstorms here are amazing. I got caught in one yesterday. It was actually quite scary as I was driving. The rain was pouring down the roads like a stream and there were huge bolts of fork lighting. The rain drops were big fat splodges that really soaked you. When I got back to the house the dogs were petrified so I gave them lots of cuddles to calm them.

I'm going to put some pizza in the oven for my men, they are working hard and are going to be here for a few hours yet so this is the end of my blogging for today. Hope you are all enjoying my little tales. If it gets boring tell me - please!