First Walk Around Newtonhill

Our car for the next month, a Vauxhall Astra coupe.

Our first day in Newtonhill, Scotland is quite, except for Bill's soft snoring during his nap.  The homeowners, Rae and Marty, are busy upstairs packing, so I decide to go for a walk to try and get some of the stiffness out from sitting so long yesterday.

The local pub is just around the corner from the house.  I talked to the bar man who saw me taking pictures and invited me to come back for a drink anytime.

Lovely tree with yellow hanging blossoms.

The village is small, with the commuter train tracks running through the middle.  We are on the ocean side of the tracks.  There is a village store, pharmacy, Chinese take-away, two pubs and a hairdresser near us.  On the other side is more village with more shops, a community center and a Tesco.

Orange poppies are everywhere and they are huge.  These are as big as my hand.

The area reminds us of the coast of Northern California; even the plants are similar.  We were greeted by fog coming in off the sea last evening and it has been spitting rain most of the day.  However, as I went for the walk, I was dry until nearly home.

The cliffs are so steep, even the sign leans.

I think this is going to be a beautiful place to spend the next five weeks!  All the people we have talked to are friendly and welcoming.  The next door neighbor is an older gentleman who speaks Doric (the local language) as well as Posh (what they call English).  Oh, the things you learn when you travel!

The view at the end of our street.

Cookie and BunBun

Cookie in her Rin Tin Tin pose.

She is a very pretty dog.

Senor BunBun is a small black and white rabbit.

I'm very fortunate to have found a place to work where I can take care of animals and homes, while still being in Tucson.  The pay is good, it's a non-stress job, and I get lots of love.  Most of the owners are on holiday.  Cookie and BunBun's are in Italy.

Ancient Places in Cornwall

Carn Euny

The Merry Maids

Cornwall has many ancient places, but they can be hard to find.  We used our GPS and co-ordinates from a website that lists them all.  Molly the Collie was our tour guide.  She was really quite an explorer!

Declutter Your House to Unclutter Your Life.

One thing I have learned from house sitting so very many different houses, in different cultures, is the importance of lightness.  We travel with one carryon size suitcase and a small backpack, each.  Most everyone could learn from this.

How much extra baggage do we have in our homes?  Books we will never read again or even for the first time?  Multiples of pans, chairs, things that take up space and require cleaning over or around? Decorative accessories  stored in drawers and closets which we will never display again?  Things we do not use or even need which might go to someone who needs them? Or at least clutter their lives instead of ours!

After we cleaned up the mess from Hurricane Katrina, we still had things left, some of which we had no use for.  Over the past few years, we have sold, given away and thrown away most of it.   There are boxes of papers that have reached there time to shred date, a yearly event.

My goal is simply this:
to get our stored items down to the bare minimum,
to get our saved treasures down to things which really are treasures,
to get our multiples of items, be it dishes, pans, books, linens, clothing, or little doodads passed on to others who need them.  

Declutter your house to unclutter your life.  That's my new motto.

Hebe in Flagstaff

Say hello to Hebe!  She live in a very comfortable home in Flagstaff, Arizona.  We have the fun of staying with her for a week while her Mom goes on holiday.  We plan to use this time to see more of the area around here, including a day trip to the Grand Canyon!

Hebe taking her morning nap.  You can tell how excited she is we are here.

The Perfect Job

While we stay at home in Tucson, I've been working with a company doing dog walking and pet sitting.  I get paid to spoil some wonderful animals; best job in the world for me!

Mishka, a beautiful little girl, with a raspy voice.  She loves to talk and be talked to.

Lucky, the ultimate spoiled puppy;  I love him to bits!

These two, Lucky and Mishka, I spend several days each month with.  Their mom works long hours, so I come in the middle of her shift to walk Lucky and generally spend quality time with the two of them.  Sometimes, I even get to stay overnight when Mom goes out of town.

Warren House Inn

Dartmoor

The most scenic route from Launceston to Buckland Abbey is across Dartmoor.  Driving across the moors brings to mind  "Hound of the Baskervilles" or "Wurthering Heights".  The moors are wild and very isolated feeling.  Almost right in the middle, when you feel it will go on forever, sits Warren House Inn.  It is a welcome respite for weary hikers, bikers, and car drivers, like ourselves.

Warren House Inn

The Inn has provided food, drink and lodging, at a reasonable cost since at least 1786, when the first landlord on record was William Tapper.  I'm not sure it still has lodging, but the food and drink are excellent.

The name comes from the rabbit warren which allows the Inn to serve it's rabbit-pie with scrumpy.  Bill had this for lunch.  It came with a warning to be aware of small bones and buck shot.  The selection of beers on tap were good, too.

Mary with a pint of Otter.

We always try to drink the local brews.

Bill with his Otter.

The fire in the hearth, so they say, has never been allowed to go out.  We can understand why, since it provided a most welcomed warmth while visiting Dartmoor.

St Piran's Cross

Saint Piran is the patron saint of Cornwall.  He was from Ireland, where they really didn't like him, to him to the ocean, threw him in with a millstone tied around his neck.  Since he was a holy man, he simple stood up on the stone and surfed to Cornwall, where he landed between Newquay and Perranporth, on what is now Perran Beach.  He is now the patron saint of surfers, too.

We had heard of St Piran's cross, but like so many other ancient monuments, is wasn't that easy to find.  We made it close then followed out GPS coordinates across the Penhale Dunes, where there were signs warning us of poisonous dune vipers.  Well, we weren't worried, we had Molly to protect us by barking at those silly vipers.  Fortunately, we never saw any of them, as apparently they are shy.

Mollie the Collie with Mary at St Piran's Cross in 2009

The cross was first mentioned in a charter of King Edgar in 960, when it was already an old landmark.  There are the remains of an old church nearby, which is thought to have been built by the Saint. Recently, work has been undertaken to reclaim the church from the sand that engulfed it over the years.

The cross in 1890, shows it hasn't changed all that much, just a bit more lichen on the face.

Saint Piran is also the patron saint of tin miners.  He was the one who rediscovered tin after his arrival in Cornwall.  (The Romans found it first, but they left.)  The story goes that St Piran built a fireplace out of a large chunk of black rock.  As the flames in his fireplace grew hotter, he was amazed to find a trickle of white metal coming out of the stone.  Sharing this information with the locals, the famous Cornish tin trade was born.  One of way he is honored to this day is the white cross of Saint Piran against a black backdrop which is the Cornish Flag

Cow Crossing in Cornwall

The light isn't flashing, but if it were, look out for the cows.

This is what happens when a farm has a 4 lane divided highway built that divides it in two.  The house and barn are on one side and the cow's grazing field is inbetween the two sections of highway.  When the farmer needs to move his cows to the field in the mornings, he stops all traffic and the cows saunter across the highway.  In the evenings, they sauter back to their barn.  Easy Peasy!  I can not imagine anywhere else, but Cornwall, where the cows would have their own flashing light road crossing.  Somehow, it just seems the way things should be.

Cows Crossing on the main highway to Truro.  A very busy throroughfare indeed.

D- Day

Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the landing of the Allies in Normandy.  The first time I visited this area, I was traveling with 12 highschool musicians.  We took a tour of the battle fields and the American cemetery near Bayeau.  Our guide expressed how the people in France still remember and give thanks for the Allies.

St. James American Cemetery in France

I have visited several of the American cemeteries;  each as moving as the first.  All those rows of crosses and stars.  Each a young man who left behind family and friends to die fighting for freedom in a foreign country.  Each time, I say a "Thank You" to them.

Gila Monsters!

This has been a busy spring for our neighbors here in Tucson.  We have had five rattlesnakes, who have all been relocated to non-residential areas. A King Snake, who is still around somewhere, hopefully eating our packrats, was spotted in the back yard.   Then there is a Coachwhip snake, who loves to hang out on the porch by the east office, where he's been seen twice.  He eats rattlers, so we hope he stays around to scare them off.

My favorite neighbors are the Gila Monsters.  They are really not monsters, just one of the jeweled lizards.  They are venomous, but not aggressive, but they growl/hiss.  Andre the Great Dane avoids them; wise fellow.  For more information visit www.desertusa.com/reptiles/gila-monster

Sandstorm?  I don't worry about a sandstorm!  It does make the colors odd on the pictures though.  This fellow was exploring the back yard.  We try to keep them out, because of the dog.  Looks like we have some work to do.

Looked out my office window as he was walking by, so I followed him to the end of the house, where he tried to hide behind the hose pot.

The smallest one we have seen this year, he was walking up the front sidewalk.  When he saw me, he moved to the large agave and nestled in the leaves.  His coloring was very vibrant.