We arrived home in the wee hours of Friday morning after spending a mostly sleepless night in Detroit with the kids, due to the time change and jet lag (which is still lagging). Finally, around 3:30 in the morning we decided to hit the empty expressways (which was very eerie) and get home.
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| Bath, UK |
Our trip was wonderful and I'm eager to share it with you. We certainly did a lot and saw plenty. Here's a quick overview of what is to come!
- We set foot in two countries
- Traveled in planes, buses, automobiles, tubes, trains and afoot
- Met up with two bloggers!
- Visited four historic homes
- Explored nine churches
- Visited five museums (six if you count Bletchley Park as a museum)
- Went to one castle
- Attended our first rugby game
- Reveled in the fun of one huge street market/art fair
- Attended five classical concerts
- Attended three plays (alas, no musicals)
- And slept in five places in four cities/towns
- Ate (and drank and slept) in numerous pubs
- Enjoyed a beautiful afternoon tea
- Explored Rick's family history
- Did plenty of city-walking and exploring around, seeing landmarks, parks and traditions
There was so much to see, we often didn't even know where to look.
And we're tired! Definitely ready for a cup of tea.
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| Tea at the Pump Room, Bath |
I will be around to visit as I can. It was hard seeing blogs on my tiny phone screen while I was gone so I probably won't catch up (it was easier to do that on Facebook) and hope that not a lot of horrible things happened while we were away to any of you (including hurricane damage).
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| Neal's Yard, London |
My visiting and commenting might be a bit slow because I'm coming back to a mess and time crunch I knew about when I left. Three things are on the ticket.
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| Westminster/Big Ben, London |
There is prepping for my upcoming Mistletoe Market annual art sale in mid-November (and posting new things on the Gypsy Caravan here for anyone interested.
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| Relaxing in Midford at Morgan's Forge |
I'm anticipating a brief visit to a friend in Ohio while Rick is at a nearby trade show.
And the big one. Bed bugs.
We are pretty sure the bedbugs (that appeared here shortly before we left to close up the cottage) hitched a ride to Michigan with us when we overnighted in Wisconsin. There was zero time to deal with it before we left but now the exterminators are coming and there is a tremendous amount of prep work to do over the next two days. (Yup. Two.)
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| Cardiff Castle, Wales |
Everything of fabric (apart from upholstery) has to be removed from the house -- all items in closets, drawers, beds, sheets, towels, linens, kitchen, placemats, tablecloths, shower curtains, throw pillows, sleeping pillows and my fairly large vintage quilt collection, among other things. All major clutter must be removed from whatever areas possible, but particularly the bedrooms and closets emptied out.
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| Avon River, Bath |
All these things must be washed and/or high-heat dried for 25 minutes, which means taking most to a commercial laundromat and using their oversized machines. AND, it can't be brought back into the house to settle for another three weeks after (November 18) and the follow-up treatment.
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| Bath Rugby |
Needless to say, I am living in chaos with bags and boxes of stuff stashed in the garage, other things at Rick's and a sense of total panic!
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| Hampstead, London |
Fortunately, we caught them early, before either of us had too many bites (the google pix will scare the pants off of you!) but the timing couldn't be worse. If there is any bright side to this it is that thanks to a terrific page from the EPA about bedbugs and myths, I have learned it's not because I keep a dirty house (we are pretty sure they came from a hotel), although they do like clutter and that's a problem for me!
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| Basildon Park |
The other bright side (though again, the timing is terrible) it does, as the mold issue did, provide a great opportunity for donating tons of things to charity that I no longer wear or use, once they are cleaned.
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| Near Morgan's Forge, Midford |
So forgive me if I don't visit or comment right away or answer comments. I can tell you with all honesty that visiting your blogs and catching up is going to be the best part of my next days!
59 comments:
Welcome home Jeanie. Your photos and list make it sounds like you had an amazing trip. But you're coming home to chaos, definitely. I hope the bedbug issue gets taken care of quickly. Heat kills them I believe. My daughter needed to learn about them for a job she had, so to control, you could turn up the heat-a lot. (I think.) Can't wait to read about your travels. hugs-Erika
...what a trip you had! Home is always a great place to be, take care and be well.
Hello Jeanie,
It sounds like your trip was wonderful, seeing so many beautiful places! Great collection of trip photos. I can see you are very busy arriving home and so much to do! Take care, have a happy weekend.
Looks like you enjoyed a fabulous vacation and came home to deal with a difficult nightmare. So sorry. Hope all goes well.
You had a great trip, but the re-entry hasn't been so grand. Maybe Musk could have helped with re-entry. 😊
The trip sounds wonderful but coming home sounds like a nightmare! Take your time. You know we want to hear about everything and see tons of pictures, but you have a lot on your hands right now. Whew! I hope it all goes as smoothly as possible. *hugs*
It's a good thing you didn't go to France as well, the bed bug problems there are even worse than Britain.
I'm so happy you got to go on this trip and everything went as planned. It sounds like you packed a lot in and we are lucky to get you back in the States. (I could easily see you living there full time.)
Just so happy to know you & Rick are back home. The pix in today's post are so lovely! We missed you. Rest up as best you can. XOXOXOXOXOXO
Oh no, what a welcome home! But your trip sounds fantastic. Can't wait til you have time to share photos.
A fun and interesting trip Jeanie! Looking forward to hearing about it. You did a lot in such a short time. It would have exhausted me haha.
~Sheri
Looks like an amazing trip. Can't wait to hear more once you've conquered your immediate problems. Wondering how Lizzie fared while you were gone. Day by day, take it easy.
ps.....I forgot to mention, I'm sorry you are coming home to some house chaos. That's always hard to deal with. I hope you get it all under control when you return home. love ya.
OMG, what an awful thing to come home to! Looks like you had a wonderful time in England.
Oh, Lord, what a challenge those bed bugs must be! I'm sorry you're dealing with that right on the heels of your trip. It's great to see some of your England photos, though, and get an appreciation for some of the things you did while you were here. I posted a few times about the postcards you gave me, just FYI, in case you didn't see them! (I think you commented but just making sure. :) )
How did you fit in all those visits? I've lived here nearly 70 years and haven't done even half those things! Glad you had a good time.
Getting home to bed bugs sounds like some sort of nightmare situation. Hope you get through the hassle
What a grand trip you had. Sorry to hear about the bed bug chaos but at least you are home now. Hope the hassle can be eliminated soon.
I am so happy to see you back Jeanie. I missed you! It looks like you have had a fabulous time. I am going to look back at every photo and do some reading about your travels now Welcome home!
Welcome back after what sounds a fantastic trip, I enjoyed your photographs.
So sorry to read about the bed bugs, hope all goes smoothly with their elimination!
All the best Jan
Welcome home, Jeanie! It all looks fabulous. I do hope you will get rid of your at home issues soon!
It's wonderful to see you here again -- and your vacation sounds amazing! Great pictures, too! You and Rick both look incredibly happy!
But what kind of welcome back was this? I would have been tempted to pick up Lizzie, pack some more art supplies, and head back to England until everything bedbug-related was totally resolved. Sure hope everything is taken care of soon! And take care of yourself, too, ok?
Looking forward to hearing (and seeing) more about your trip!
Oh Jeanie, what a welcome home. I kind of laughed as I read all the things you have to remove... and then a beautiful, restful picture of Avon River. Then a list of everything that has to be done to all those things... :) I'm glad you made it home and I look forward to hearing more about your trip, once all the bedbugs are gone. Ugh, I'm sorry you have to go through that!
Oh dear! I'm so sorry you have to deal with bed bugs after such a long and eventful journey. But I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and did so much. It sounds wonderful!
What a trip... I have to enjoy it in peace again...
Good luck selling art.
Hug
Welcome home. Glad you enjoyed your British adventure. Banish those bedbugs quickly. The only thing you wanna get close to in bed is Rick!
Welcome back to the Mitten!! It sounds like you had a fantastic time - I can't wait to read all about it and live vicariously through your posts!
Although the bed bugs situation - ugh! What a pain!! I am a cluttery person too. We just like our stuff I guess!
So very happy you had a wonderful adventure. Welcome home, just in time to vote. Not so happy for you and the bedbugs. Ugh! So sorry you are having to deal with that on re-entry into life at home. Take care and we will be here when you have time to share more. Oh, the memories you have of another great adventure!
"Sad" you are back already, fun things you did so far! Looking forward to more.
It looks like you had a lovely time! but yikes you have a lot on your plate!
Cathy
Clearly, your title could serve as understatement of the year! All's good here -- I'll look forward to hearing about your post once the chaos is past!
Love that pic of Rick and not knowing where to look.What a great trip..OY the bugs..Paris has so many I have followed a woman with them..and a dear friend of mine had some in an apartment.. The work and upheavel and heebeejeebies:( You are such a trooper! PS you look wonderful.
Your trip photos are wonderful, and I’m delighted to hear that your tourism went so smoothly. You really packed in plenty of great experiences.
I’m sorry you are having such a rotten re-entry! Picking up bedbugs at a hotel is everyone’s nightmare, and I hope you soon awaken like the Sleeping Beauty. (Oh, wait, that fairy tale is now a political minefield.)
Thanks for leaving me comments when you are so burdened.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
PS I reread your post on voting and it’s definitely a masterpiece.
Glad you're back Jeanie! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! Yes, recovering from jet lag is rough and now you have to deal with the bedbug problems, so sorry, it sounds brutal! You take care, and do what you can but please don't over do~
Jenna
Welcome Home!
The trip sounds fantastic. I look forward to reading about the adventures.
Prayers for no bed bugs
Glad you’ve had a wonderful trip. I remember Bath, and the Pump Room and the Jane Austen Centre. Looking forward to more your photos of your trip. Take all the time you need to recuperate and get back to MI time. 😉
Can't wait to hear about your adventures- but liked getting a little sneak peek at some photos and highlights. So sorry to hear about the bed bugs. No fun! Hope you are able to get that solved quickly.
I am so glad you had a wonderful trip and I can’t wait to read all about it. So sorry you have to face the bedbugs issues. Take care of yourself!
Oh, Jeanie; how overwhelming your life is at the moment. To deal with bedbugs is quite difficult. All the best to not going too crazy.
The trip sounds wonderful, the welcome back not so much. Hoping life can get back to normal as soon as possible.
Goodness! You have so much to deal with. I wish you good luck in trying to get everything done.
And I can't wait to see your photos!
Welcome home, Jeanie. Yikes, bedbugs! You do have so much on your plate just now. I hope the treatment is effective. Remember how to eat an elephant - one bite at a time!
Yikes on the bedbugs. Glad you caught it in time. Look forward to hearing all about your trip and glad you are safe at home now. Janice
Wow! What a wonderful trip. OMG bedbugs??? Hope you life gets back to normal.
So glad you and Rick are home safely. Looking forward to seeing your photos and hearing all about your trip. Exhaustion is a given but sorry for all the other problems. Sounds like a nightmare made for Halloween. Take care and don't overdo, remember your back!
It's horrible to have any type of bugs and I hope those bed bugs get eradicated. I love your photos, though. Looking forward to seeing more.
I can't wait to hear more about your trip but OMG. Bed bugs!!! Ahhhhhh! That sounds like a horrible hassle to deal with on top of other pressing to dos! I'll be thinking of you!
Such an amazing trip Jeanie. So many fun places to. Is it and that high tea. So sorry you had to deal with those nasty bed bugs. Looking forward to seeing more about your trip.
Welcome Home! It looks like you had a wonderful trip! You look amazing!
Looking forward to your pictures and stories.
I am so sorry you have to deal with dreaded bed bugs. I pray you get them eradicated quickly!
Sounds like a fabulous trip. Can't wait to hear all about it. So sorry to hear about your bed bugs issue.. that is just awful.
You certainly went to many interesting places all around England. I'm sure you enjoyed your trip and I look forward to hearing and seeing more.
Back safe and sound!!! Sorry about the chaos she came home too. Things will settle down soon I hope. Welcome back
PS..It sounds like a great time to get rid of things!!!Don't put anything back you don't or haven't used...
Wow...looks like a wonderful trip, and I thought my plate was full...looking forward to the whole shebang! Good LUCK and hope you can get safely settled in! Sandi
Omg, you have my sympathy. I'm always so paranoid about b.b. when we travel. I worked in a major hotel biz in a past life so I know how to check for them. Michael has a chuckle at me tossed our accommodations before we move in. Better safe than sorry!
Bed bugs, I am so sorry. My friend, in a senior's residence, is coping with this. It has been horrible.
Jet lag, and all. You'll need another holiday!
bed bugs? Oh no i've always worried about picking them up in hotels!
You did travel a bit around UK. I can't wait to see the places you've been to in more detail. I haven't been to Bath in a while, so I look forward to the pics from Bath.
I'm loving the photos you shared from the various places you visited. It gives me a sense of what is in store. Sorry to read about the bed bugs. I feel for you. I went to the page you linked and read even more on them. I look forward to seeing they are gone for good soon.
Traveling and seeing things new to you is a wonderful experience and settling back home takes time under the best of circumstances, Jeanie. In your case, it was harder because of the bedbug turmoil. Take all the time you need to recoup, rest and recover as your blog friends will still await. Personally, I am looking forward to reading more about your travels and the bloggers you met as well.
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