Holland - condensed

23-28 June
I'm sooooooooooo behind, that for the sake of my sanity, I'll have to condense 6 days into one entry. So, here goes...
We nearly missed our plane to Amsterdam, as there was no boarding call. Both Gordon and I were very impressed with Schiphol - the airport at Amsterdam - very attractive and efficient, with trains departing from the airport building, just as in London. My cough had become very persistent, so as soon as we arrived in Heiloo, I went to a doctor (not as straight-forward as it sounds!) and got put on antibiotics for a sinus infection.
It was great to see my father's sister, Tante Guus, again. She is a real sweetie and we get on really well together. She came to our hotel in Heiloo (the town where she lives, about 30 minutes' drive north of Amsterdam) - The Golden Tulip - and had dinner with us. The house where Tante Guus lives is right next to a large shopping centre, and about 25 metres from a very old church that my father's family used to attend manhy years ago. It's three stories high, but so narrow, there is only enough width for one room plus a passage. Tante Guus can no longer climb the stairs to her bedroom, so the government funded the installation of a chair that glides up the side of the stairs - eat your heart out, Mary Poppins! I even had a go on it myself.
Apart from one day, we had breakfast with Tante Guus each day, and we used her washing machine and dryer to catch up with our washing - there were no laundry facilities at our hotel. She showed us where my father's family used to live, and have their bakery - just around the corner, and also gave us directions to find the farmhouse where my Oma (Dad's mother) grew up.
The second day in The Netherlands, we hired bicycles from the hotel, and had so much fun riding them, first to Tante Guus' house, then to a beach about 5 kms away, called Egmond Aan Zee. We enjoyed the sense of freedom - no helmets needed here, as there are special bicycle paths everywhere, with their own traffic lights, and they almost have more rights than motorists, so you feel very safe, as you're not competing for road space with the cars. However, I have to say it's a bit disconcerting that scooters, and even motorbikes are allowed to share the cycle paths. It's really easy to cycle here as it's almost completely flat.
We hired a car from Alkmaar, with Tante Guus putting us onto a car hire company that has the same name as I did before I was married - Middelbeek. In fact, the man who founded the company looked very much like my grandfather, and his name was Kees (my father's name). We got this cute little dark aubergine-coloured Ford Ka, and had a great time, and only a few arguments over directions, as we tootled around the countryside. On the first day (Thursday), we visited two fishing villages on the coast just up from Amsterdam, and were taken with the quaint little houses, all beautifully neat and tidy. Volendam, the first of the two, was a lot more touristy, and had a parade of huge tour buses trundling through its narrow streets, while Marken seemed quite unspoiled in comparison. I got my photo taken in traditional Dutch costume - sorry about the pose - I just did as I was told! I was also thrilled when we visited a lovely old church in Marken and inside it were two of the sweetest little old ladies in their local costume who graciously allowed me to take their photo.
We got into trouble a couple of times, firstly when we tried to drive onto the wharf area at Marken and were told off in no uncertain terms by a very grumpy man, and the next time when we were halfway dwon a very narrow street in Marken, and a lady at a street stall started waving her arms at us and holding up her index finger, which I assued meant this was a one-way street, and we happened to be driving up it the wrong way! Actually, there were two other rather more scary incidents - one when Gordon was driving at around 90kph along a highway, and suddenly had to pull off the road onto the grass verge to avoid an oncoming car hitting us head on as it overtook three cars in one go. The second incident occurred when a scooter suddenly swooped in front of us as we were exiting a roundabout. If I hadn't called out to Gordon to stop, the rider would certainly have come off worse for wear. We are thankful to God for His protection - especially since we forgot to take out any insurance when we hired the car!
After the two fishing villages, we headed up north and crossed the 30 kilometre long dyke across the water between North Holland and Frysland, then called into a port to have dinner, before returning to Heiloo for the night.
On Friday (26th), our journey took us in the opposite direction, as we drove south to see an amazing model village called Madurodam, where all the buildings and models are exactly a 25th of their original size. It was a great way to see a lot of the beautiful buildings from all over The Netherlands without having to drive all over the country to see them!
Both Gordon and I think this country is really beautiful, and I reckon Heiloo must be the most gorgeous town I've ever seen. It's just so perfectly well-kept, with such interesting house designs and lovely little gardens set in tree-lined avenues. As you might have guessed, there are windmills everwhere, but not just the traditional kind you see on postcards - there are in fact more of the modern type you can see in the photo. The countryside is all very neat and tidy, and nearly every bit of land is used. We thought it every interesting that there are even buildings that straddle roads, and airport runways that go over the top of roads. On one occasion, the cars had to stop as a section of road lifted up in the air to allow boats to pass through along a canal.
On the day we laft Heiloo, we purchased tickets that would allow is to take the train to Apeldoorn, which is where we would be picked up and taken to the start of our "Share the Heritage" tour. What we didn't know was that it wouldn't be quite the straight forward journey we would have expected. It was very fortunated that Gordon asked an official on the train about our journey, and found out that we would have to change three times and catch a total of four trains to finally reach our destination. That meant a lot more heaving around of our luggage, plus a box of gluten free food I stocked up on for the tour! We were quite tired by the time we finally made it to the dinner where the others were waiting for us.
There is only a small group of people on the tour: a couple from Canada in their late forties, a photo journalist lady who is only doing the dutch part of the tour, a girl in her early twenties from Norway (who has an English accent from working in England), two young guys from Holland, a man in his fifites from Switzerland (and who grew up in Holland), and Gordon and me, plus the head of YWAM in Europe - Jeff Fountain - and his wife. They're an interesting mix of people and personalities, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better on this tour.
Today (28th) is Sunday, so we attended a most interesting church service in the heart of Amsterdam at a Scottish Reformed Church, where the congregation is made up of English speaking Amsterdamers. There was a large group of young people from Scotland playing their violins during the service, although the hymns were accompanied by an organ. I was very grateful to have the melody line of the hymns in the hymn book, as I didn't know any of the songs we sang. It was a very structured service, but at the same time had lots of variety, including the baptism of a very cute little girl. We hung around for coffee afterwards, while Jeff explained some of the features of the church. Just across the path from this church was another service being held in what is know as a 'hidden' church - this one being a Roman Catholic service in French. Am getting very tired now, but I'll try to remember what else we did today. Most of the time was spent in Amsterdam - a very busy city, with heaps of historic buildings, and alongside them the ubiquitous "Coffee" Houses, which are in fact marijuana cafes! After we left the city, we spent quite a while in a lovely town called Naarden, where Comenius is buried. We also watched a movie on his life this evening. He was an amazing man, with a passion to educate the people of Europe, and to see the advent of God's Kingdom. He is know as the father of modern education, as he sought ot teach young people through not just listening, but by allowing them to use all five senses.

Last day in London

22 June
This morning Gordon and I actually managed to eat breakfast together at Alhambra. I'm going to miss those English breakfasts - they give a great start to the day, and are so substantial that there's not much need for lunch.
The nice people at Alhambra allowed us to leave our bags there for the day while we went out and about. The receptionist also reduced our charges by removing our reservation from Booking.com and making it directly through the hotel. I've almost forgiven her for charging us for the night we weren't there!
We caught a train from Paddington Station out to a suburb called Hanwell, where Gordon's mum's family was brought up. Actually, we were caught out, and managed to miss the Hanwell stop, which meant we had to wait for a train going back to Hanwell. After a pleasant walk, we came apon Rectory Cottage, which has now been divided into two dwellings. There were four cars outside, but it turned out that no one was home. Across the road was a very old church whose sign outside declared they'd been worshipping Jesus there for more than 1000 years. The church yard was rather overgrown, with ivy creeping over many of the headstones, but it was a lovely peaceful place to wander around.
In meandering around the local area, we came across a very basic cafe, where I enjoyed a cheesy baked potato, and Gordon a cheese sandwich. As we returned to Hanwell station, we were just in time to hear our train departing, so we had to wait 29 minutes for the next one - not our day for getting trains right.
Around mid afternoon we scheduled in a visit to the British Museum. What an amazing place! It's a bit overwhelming really, being surrounded by so much antiquity - exhibits from one or two thousand years BC up till today; in fact, over 6 million objects! After about 30 minutes of trying to use the audio tour of highlights of the museum, we completely lost our way, and Gordon decided it was time for an afternoon snooze at the park over the road. So I continued on alone, and found some fascinating stuff, including a gorgeous gold miniature sculpture which showcased a thorn said to be taken from the crown of thorns Jesus had worn. Among other items was a floor mosaic from the fourth century AD, probably one of the first physical depictions of Christ.
I caught up with Gordon and relaxed over a moccachino in the cafe in the park - what a lovely setting. Gordon had been watching a group of people from some nearby workplace playing touch rugby together.
Our next stop was Piccadilly Circus where we met up with Paul, a nephew of Jennifer's (the cousin of Gordon's we'd visited at Bath), and had a drink with him at a very trendy bar - ultra modern furnishings and disco balls - you get the picture. We chatted together for 1 1/2 hours or so, and enjoyed Paul's easy-going, sociable personality.
We grabbed a salad at King's Cross station before picking up our bags from Alhambra. We wrestled those heavy suitcases along bumpy pavements, up and down stairs, in and out of trains, until we got to Custom House Hotel, near London City Airport, ready for an early start the next day. The much more spacious room with its own bathroom was a blessing after the cramped condiditons of Alhambra.

A Visit To Bath

21 June
This morning it was my turn to sleep in, so Gordon breakfasted alone. Once I was up, it was time to move to our third room in this hotel! Gordon organised a rental vehicle for the day, and rang his cousin Jennifer to arrange to visit her in Bath - a city towards the west of England. The drive out there treated us to lovely lush green countryside. The weather was a bit cool today (between 16.6 and 20 degrees), and there were a few spits of rain on the way. The landscape very much resembled New Zealand famrland, but with hedges instead of fences, and lots more crops than animals - I've seen only a few sheep, some cows and the accoasional horse. I was interested to note the warning for deer on the motorway.
Gordon is feeling a lot better - has been using a course of antibiotics the doctor from NZ had given him just in case. However, the sore throat I started having in the US has turned into a clogged up nose and a persistent cough, plus tiredness.
We managed to get lost in Bath, but fortunately came across a gas station where we bought a map, and with cousin Jennifer's help, we finally made it to her 400 year old cottage. We enjoyed Jennifer's company immensely, and found her constant conversational detours amusing. She showed us the allotment where she grows various fruit and vegies, and then we went to dinner at a wonderful old hotel.
When the time came to depart from Bath, we were very grateful that Jennifer drove ahead of us to the motorway - we would never have made it on our own.
Bath looks a fascinating place, with most of the houses made from yellow bricks, and it was a shame we didn't have longer to explore it.

London Day Three

20 June
Gordon is feeling unwell again, so he slept in until nearly 10am, which meant I went off to breakfast on my own, then went out and bought some food for hubby. Later, there was more heaving around of heavy bags as we transferred to a room over the road in another part of the hotel. We planned the day over coffee at Starbucks, then went to Parliament buildings, where both Gordon and I were overwhelmed by its beautifully ornate architecture. Westminster Cathedral, which I'd really looked forward to seeing, was just over the road, so that was our next port of call. I took out my camera to take a shot of one of the beautiful stained glass windows, and was promptly asked to put it away. I hadn't seen any signs about not taking photos, as we'd come in a kind of side entrance. Once again, we availed ourselves of the audio guide. It is an immense building, without any really open spaces, but lots of nooks and crannies full of dead kings and queens and other people of great importance. I really hadn't expected the cathedral to be full of monuments to dead people. I did feel it was a little ironic that Charles Darwin was actually buried in this place - apparently at the request of his family, and not according to his own wishes. At one point during our time there, everyone had to pause while a prayer was said over the speakers - a good reminder for the real existence of the place. Gordon and I also enjoyed a visit to St. Faith's Chapel, which was set aside for those who wanted to pray.
Lunch today consisted of a hot chocolate and a nut bar from my handbag, which we consumed in an area of the cathedral called the Cloisters, where the monks used to hang out.
After all our walking around, we were ready for a break, so we had a short rest on the grass at a nearby park. London has some really lovely parks, with massive leafy oak and plane trees, and the occasional bed of flowers.
There seemed to be some commotion nearby, so we stopped to watch what was going on. It turned out to be a protest march in support of the Tamil Tigers, with large groups of Sri Lankan people (plus hangers on) of all ages, chanting and marching, flanked by rows of police keeping everything in order.
By the time we got to St. Paul's Cathedral, it was about 5pm, so we walked around the outside, thinking it was closed, then found a door open, and stepped inside to find Evensong in progress. While we were there, we listened to two readings from the Bible and a large male choir singing as the organ accompanied them. I was struck by the contrast between this place, with its lovely devotional atmosphere and Westminster Abbey, which somehow seemed more intent on glorifying dead people. St Pauls is absolutely beautiful inside, with lots of paintings on the ceilings, but much more simple in its layout.
We enjoyed another double decker bus ride back to our hotel - it's a great way to see around the streets of London - then grabbed a salad to eat in our room.
The pictures above are: Gordon in front of Parliament Buildings, a very serious mounted guard, the demonstration, Wincester Cathedral, and a statue of John Wesley that we came upon in the grounds of St Pauls.

Day Two in London

19 June
For some unknown reason I was awake in the middle of the night from 1 - 4 am, so I booked a flight from London City Airport to Amsterdam, and planned the rest of our time in England. Gordon has a cousin (with wife) in a city way up north called Darlington, but we've decided it's too far for us to go in the short time we have here.
Amazingly, it started to get light at 3:45am!
Breakfast at Alhambra was a perfect start to the day - fried egg, bacon, sausage and toast(Gordon only), fried tomato and baked beans, plus OJ and tea.
On working out our transport for the day, we discovered a brilliant system called the Oyster card, which is like a prepaid debit card for all the different modes of transport in London. We walked alongside the Thames River towards the Tower of London (which, by the way, is much more than just a tower - it's a group of buildings). We got there too early, so hung out at Starbucks. The audio guide (a pre-recorded commentary on all the sights at the Tower) was really good value (thanks for the tip, Trent and Sue) - see photo of Gordon above, and we were just blown away by everything about the place, especially the sense of history. I have to confess I also enjoyed the bling (the Crown Jewels) - there's something about millions of dollars of gorgeous, sparkling precious stones that really touches a girl's heart. (I'd hate you to think I'm shallow.) It seemed just the right thing to have a cup of tea in such an English setting, so that's what we did.
Lunch was sushi in a nearby park. By this time, it was windy and quite cold. Don't get me wrong - I am very grateful that we've had such great weather so far.
After such a lot of walking around, our afternoon nap at the hotel lasted till nearly 6pm. Next on the agenda was a double decker bus ride to Hyde Park, then walked around till we came across a restaurant called "Bumbles", where we got a three-course meal for ten pounds. Just around the corner was Buckingham Palace, then a walk along The Mall, followed by Trafalgar Square at twilight, where the fountains were lit up an irridescent blue.
What a full day - we sure covered a lot of ground and a heap of history. Oh, I almost forgot to mention this - on the way to the underground, we came across a huge crowd of skaters, who looked like they were having heaps of fun.

London Day One

18 June
Our first experience of London was that of frustration with trying to withdraw money from our Travelex debit card. This exercise took 30 minutes. Then Gordon got a phone call from the hotel I'd booked into online, wondering why we hadn't turned up for our first night. Unfortunately I'd got my days mixed up and booked us in one day early. It turned out that the hotel was very busy, so they would be charging us for that night. Ouch!
From the airport we took the underground to King's Cross. The station here was incredibly busy, with people in black suits rushing in all directions - a reminder that not everybody is on holiday!
I'd thought that the Alhambra Hotel would be obvious once we arrived at King's Cross, but it wasn't. After a number of fruitless enquiries at nearby shops, then some bad directions from the hotel receptionist over the phone, we dragged our heavy suitcases across the bumpy pavement and walked almost around the block before discovering our next abode. Our tiny room is at the top of 50+ steep, narrow stairs - quite a challenge to negotiate with all our luggage. We have to share the shower and toilet facilities with everyone else on this floor, but are grateful for the sink in our room. The location - 3 minutes' walk from King's Cross underground station - is just brilliant,and the bus stop is just around the corner as well.
That night we wandered around looking for somewhere to eat, and happened upon a lively Irish pub. After a short while of being there, we both put earplugs in, as everyone was talking at the top of their voices. After 50 minutes, our substantial meals arrived, then we tumbled into bed after 10pm.
The second photo above shows Gordon struggling to the top of the stairs with the second of our heavy suitcases.

Our final day in the USA

17 June
The morning was spent packing, then we wandered around some outlet stores before a hasty visit to Santa Monica Beach, where we only had time to visit the toilet (US = 'bathroom') before heading to the airport. After dropping our bags off, we had dinner at the Sheraton, where for US$20 I got a bowl of lettuce, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and topped off with four strips of chicken - named caesar salad. I was really pleased when Hugh insisted on paying for our meals again.
Our flight was delayed and we took off for London at 9:45pm. There was an anxious moment when I discovered that Gordon had put all my Clinique creams and cosmetics (they're really cheap in the US) into my carry-on bags by mistake. US flight regulations are really strict, and Gordon thought the whole lot might be confiscated, so I prayed for God's favour, and the bag went through without any problems!
On board the plane, with the help of two of my little blue 'friends', I slept most of the night, while Gordon managed 4 hours.
Photos above are Hugh and June in front of their house, a row of Italian cypresses, which you can see all over this part of California, and a hummingbird getting nectar from one of the pommegranate bushes in Hugh and June's backyard. I fell in love with hummingbirds and waited four days to be able to photograph one. Finally, on our last day, I was so excited to spot this one, and to capture it in a photo.

USA cont.

Wow, am I ever behind with this blog! We're actually in Holland at this moment, and had major problems with internet connections at our budget hotel in London, but now in this civilised country we have high speed internet in our hotel room, so it's time to catch up. Buckle your seatbelts....
16 June
We invaded Disneyland, starting our day at 5:30 am! Our obliging hosts drove us all the way there and went off to do some work on their geneologies. We joined our first queue (US = 'line') around 8:45, and took a mere 20 minutes to get through the entrance. Upon picking up our map, our first destination was to have breakfast, then onto the Jumgle Boat Ride - not in the least bit scary, but lots of fun. Tarzan's Tree House was next, then a sedate ride on the steamboat. By this time, we were ready to take a load off our feet, so enjoyed a train ride around the outside of the complex. The tour thru' Sleeping Beauty's castle was really lame, then it was back to Main Street, where we both had icecreams so large we could only eat half of them.
While we were traipsing around taking in the sights, I spied a tall mountain-type structure, from which screams emitted, so I foolishly conclded that would be the one 'scary 'ride I'd take. It was the Matterhorn Bobsled.Gordon took one look at the queue and decided he couldn't be bothered waiting that long, so I stood in that slowly-moving queue for 35 minutes. As I closer to the beginning of the ride, the screams got louder, and I could see where the bobsleds dived down into a black tunnel, I began to have misgivings. I looked around, but there was no obvious means of escape, aside from launching myself, plus backpack, over a fence, so it seemd I would have to follow through on my commitment. I reminded myself that if my mother could do this (a number of years ago), so could I. The time came when I gingerly stepped into the front of the second section of the bobsled. A man (who had two kids with him) in the section in front of me turned and asked how I was. I told him I was a bit nervous (understatement of the year!) and it must have shown on my face, because, as we lurched into the blackness of the mountainside, he reached his hand back, so I took hold of it and held on for dear life. A few moments later, he had to let go, and he needed both hands to hold on - so it was just me and Jesus. I did not enjoy a moment of the ride which tossed me around like a rag doll, and I prayed the whole way. Fortunately the whole thing did not last too long, and with my stomach contents miraculously still intact, I stepped out of the torture machine.
The problem I next encountered was that Gordon was nowhere to be seen. We had arranged to meet up at the entrance should we ever get separated, so I tootled off there, but still no Gordon. I remembered that he'd said he wanted to have a look at something called "Innoventions", so I went through that, and then back to the entrance, where I waited another 30 minutes before a thoroughly hacked-off hubby appeared. Some time the next day Gordon got over it! Apparently he'd waited at the START of the bobsled queue for me to come out - for 1 3/4 hours.
Apart from the dampener at the end of the day, Disneyland struck me as being an amazingly imaginative and creative place - just a shame that tens of thousands of other people happened to want to be there on the same day.

Being so exhausted yesterday meant I slept the first half of the day away, and had 'breakfast' after 12!
In the afternoon, our obliging hosts drove us to Riverside, a larger town an hour or so away, where we walked around in the hot sun looking for elusive items like a new tennis raquet for Gordon, and a fold-up umbrella for me. Apparently umbrellas are hard to come by as the rainfall in this area is so low, there is not much need for one. We were advised to try when we got to England, where we were assured there would be an abundance of umbrellas. The other focus of our trip to Riverside was to hop onto the internet at a Starbucks cafe. We bought a card to allow us internet access and spent the next hour, with much help from one of the Starbucks assistants, registering this and signing in for that, and having to remember the umpteenth pin number, before we finally made our way onto the internet - so much for the 'hopping' idea.
Anyway, now that we're back at Hugh and June's, they've allowed us to use their computer to get onto the internet, which is great, but it may mean that I can't stick my photos up until we reach England in a few days' time.
Dinner tonight included the most massive steak I've ever been served, and afterwards we chatted about going to Disneyland on Tuesday. Hugh and June seem happy to drive us there and then continue on to the coast for the day while we enjoy the Disneyland experience.
I should take the time here to describe where our hosts live. Their house is one of over 3000 in a retirement complex called Sun Lakes. It has more than one golf course, a fitness centre, several swimming pools, tennis courts and clubs for almost anything you can think of. I'll try to get some photos up so you can see how beautifully manicured this place is. I wouldn't mind retiring in a place like this.
Observations on life in the US, where everything is back-to-front:
1) Meals are eaten with the fork in the right hand
2) Vehicles are driven by front-seat passengers
3) When crossing the road you must look first to the left
4) Toilets flush anticlockwise
5) Salad is not serve on the same plate as the rest of the dinner
6) Light switches flick off upwards
7) Next week on 21 June will be their longest day
8) The plug to close the drain in a sink is operated by a knob pulled upwards

Day one of our stay in the USA is coming to a close (it's now midnight on 13th June). Gordon is sleeping peacefully, but I need to keep up to date with what's been happening here, so here I go...
Our son Jason took us to the airport last Saturday morning, and we hung out with him there for a bit, answering questions for one of his Bible College assignments, so it ended up being a very interesting discussion on perceptions of success. Not long after that, our friends Pete and Jill met us for lunch and we had a lovely time catching up with them, before heading off through security.
We ambled through one of the duty free stores looking for a gift for the folks we are now staying with, then walked towards the departure gate. It was now 2:20 and we were due to take off at 2:35, so I suggested to Gordon that we may need to speed up a bit. However, he had to answer a call of nature, and while I was waiting, getting a teeny bit anxious about the time, I heard one of those announcements that would usually make me smile, but not this time, when it happened to be directed at us - "Would (names) travelling on Qantas flight 25 to Los Angeles please board your aircraft immediately. The plane is ready to depart, and all the other passengers are waiting for YOU!" Unfortunately, this announcement did not have the desired effect of making Gordon materialise, so I was forced to wait another few minutes - which seemed a lot longer - during which time I debated with myself whether I should (a) charge into the men's toilet and drag Gordon out of there, (b) leave him behind and make a run for it myself, or (c) play the dutiful wife role, patiently waiting and smiling sweetly when he finally did reappear. Fortunately for our marriage, I decided on option c, and then persuaded Gordon it was time to put our skates on. We got some very disapproving looks from the airline staff at the boarding counter, so I felt compelled to attribute our lateness to Gordon's need to visit the restroom, and said it in such a way as to discourage debate. After fluffing around once we got to our seats, we sat there waiting until 3pm before finally taking off! (Thank you Karen for praying that God would give us a sense of humour if things didn't go according to plan!)
The flight to LA was just under 12 hours, and we were looked after wonderfully well by the cabin crew, who served up a great array of meals and treats. Between us, we managed to get about 1 1/2 hours of sleep, with the more generous portion going to Gordon, who had the luxury of sprawling over two seats, then putting his legs across my lap (it's OK - I said he could), with his feet protruding into the aisle. This last little detail is important, as it caused Gordon some grief. Due to his black socks and the lack of lighting while everyone was trying to get some sleep, all the people walking along the aisle managed to bang into aforementioned feet, which I found rather amusing.
Gordon had the last laugh, however, when it came to filling out the green forms required by the US government. I was trying to be ever so careful to get all the details in the correct place, as we'd been told that errors were not acceptable. Would you believe that I had to ask for three extra cards! Gordon finally decided he should fill his own form in, by the time the steward delivered the last card. There was some consolation in the fact that there was one other woman on the flight who had managed to desecrate the same number of little green forms as I had.
Our flight arrived pretty much on time at 7:45am on the same day as we had departed - we crossed the date line - and it was a great relief to get up and stretch our legs. Gordon's cousin and wife were there to greet us, waving a welcome sign. Hugh and June had spent the night in a hotel next to LAX so that they would be on time to greet us in the morning. I was very excited to spot a humming bird sucking nectar from a New Zealand flax plant in front of the hotel, but wasn't able to get a photo, so you'll just have to imagine it.
The drive out to Banning took a couple of hours, by which time we were truly exhausted, so we fell into bed and slept for 2 1/2 hours. We both felt almost normal again by this time, and spent some time chatting to our lovely congenial hosts before Gordon and I went for a walk around the shops nearby. It just felt so good to get out in the fresh air and get some much needed exercise. We visited all the grocery stores and had no joy in finding any gluten free bread. I'm so pleased I brought some G/F cereal with me.
We dined out at a casino at about 9:30pm, and after a fight over who would pay the bill, Hugh insisted on paying (don't you hate it when that happens?). We informed him we'd get him back next time. Just one observation on the casino - we were interested to note that the only people smiling in the humungous barn of a casino filled with gambling tables and pokies, were the occasional croupiers. I concluded the gamblers were looking for joy in the wrong place. On that philosophical note, I'll retire to bed.