jamesinamerica: November 2005

Sunday, November 27, 2005

The Mole and Chicken

This is the Mole and Chicken just outside Long Crendon in Bucks.
We usually go out for a Sunday pub lunch when I am back with whoever in the family wants to join us.

As you can see from the car park it was seriuosly foggy this day, and cold.
I personally can't think of a better reason to go inside a nice warm
English pub and have a pint and some lunch.

This is Tamsin and Shelly, my two daughters. You can see Sheila and John in the background. The nice thing is that if I go for a Sunday pub lunch the girls are always up for joining me, always, and you've got to respect that!

Heeeeere's Maureen my lovely wife. She is not big on having her photo taken. After 28 years of marriage I still cannot understand why, I happen to think that she is pretty hot!!!
In the Pub the only menu is on the wall in the background ( a big chalk board) pretty cute idea and saves on printing cost.
I had smoked salmon and then braised oxtails which were both very good.

That's me on the left with Tamsin, Shelly, Maureen, Katie and Sheila.
Notice the lovely old beams in the pub, ya gotta love those old English pubs.
Yup, a good lunch and a good time was had by all, and then I had to drive to Ipswich to visit my sister Lesley, and that will be another post.

Frost at Sheila & Johns in Buckinghamshire

When we got to England it was freezing......literally! these pics were taken at Sheila's house (Maureen's elder sister)

The leaves were still on this birch tree and edged with the frost, really pretty.

This is Sheila and Johns house from the back lawn. They have a really smashing country manor!!

Italy

So Maureen and I went to Italy to make a presentation to Costa Cruise Lines for training their on board middle managemt team. It was an overnight flight to Paris from Miami and then another smaller jet to Genoa where Costa have their head office.
We got a cab to the hotel and then had lunch in a local restaurant. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Genoa visiting the old city and the waterfront.
After working all day on Thursday the 17th in the Costa office we walked back to the hotel and discovered a really net market with lots of fresh fish and vegetables.
We ended up having a successful presentation and left for a couple of days in England to visit relatives

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Happy Birthday Lesley

Yup, November 12 was Lesley's Birthday. The pic above is from the Ship pub near Ipswich and the one below is when I froze my Florida buns off on Felixsotowe Beach. Both pics are from September 2003........................Where DOES the time go???????????????????????
Anyways, Happy Birthday to you Lesley.

Saturday, November 12, 2005

2-Day break for Mau & Peter

We looked out over our veranda when we arrived and there was a tug boat pushing out a US Navy ship. Note the sailors all lined up. It was the horn tooting that woke us up!

This is a picture of the little mail boat that goes round to all the islands in the Bahamas. I believe that you can buy a passage on there as well, would be a kinda unique way to see all the islands of the Bahamas.

This was taken of Fort Lauderdale as we set sail Thursday evening. It gets dark early nowadays.

We woke up in Nassau and looked out at Paradise Island ( the massive hotel in the background) and the Carnival "Fantasy, which we have all been on before.

This is an aft view of the Carnival Liberty. I managed to get a free 2-day cruise courtesy of Carnival. We have done a lot of work with their people and this was a lovely surprise. Maureen and I sailed out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale On Thursday afternoon.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Simon and the Lobster

Paul needed a live crustacean for an on line science assignment, so we figured we would get him a lobster and then we could eat it. Paul completed his assignment but would not touch the lobster. Simon was much braver. Here is Simon with the lobster.
Oh yeah, in case you are wondering the answer is "A la Newburg" yummy!

Maureen & Peters 28th Anniversary

Yup thats right folks, 28 years of wedded bliss. we went out on the 22nd of October to Marks Place on Las Olas in Ft Lauderdale.
Hurricane Wilma was supposed to strike us on the 22nd, but Wilma had a soft spot for lovers and let us have our meal and Wilma did not strike until the 24th.
Lucky couple of ducks aren't we?

Monday, November 07, 2005

Yeah, we get pretty creative with these ladders!

Putting a plastic patch on the roof

After the Weekend

Well, I did want to put some interesting pictures and stuff up over the weekend, but our internet router has been playing up.
This weekend saw me doing a lot of catchup work after Wilma still. Saturday, Paul and I went to the Homey Depot and purchased a 28ft extension ladder so that we could get up onto our roof and finish off the patching of damage from the hurricane. The way we got up before was by having one ladder up to the garage and then another ladder from the sloping garage roof (tied with rope through the bedroom window to the door) to the top roof. Anyway, much of the damage was to the edges of the roof and when you are that high up you do not feel like going to close to the edge, especially when the roof goes up 5 inches for every twelve inches it goes across! Paul was a really great help and I do not think I could have done it without him.
We also cleaned out the garage which had become the dumping ground for everything that was brought inside as well as much other junk, so that is nice and clean now.
Simon polished up his Optimist sail boat ready for selling so now we have that up for sale. We hope to take the money from that and turn it around and buy him a Laser sail boat. He does love his sailing. So.......if you know of anyone looking to buy an Optimist......

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

It is Wednesday night

It is Wednesday night and I am trying to work out how to work this whole blog deal.
I started this blog last night and have added a couple of things tonight. I am sure that I will get more familiar with the whole process as we go along.
Here are a few of my thoughts:
Family is in many different countries and this would be a neat way to keep friends and family in the loop.
Becoming familiar with publishing anything on the web to be ready to use it for making money.
Sharing pictures and jokes and even web links.
If you have any other ideas or thoughts please share a comment.

August in Aylesbury 2005

This is John John hiding behind a pint of the good stuff

Shelly, Kate, John, Sheila and Tamsin having Sunday lunch at the Angel in Long Crendon,

Nigel and Mary being purely blissful

Peter with his two eldest kids, Tamsin and Shelly

Shelly with Katie; what lovely smiles

August '05 in Aylesbury

Tamsin and Shelly. This was taken when I visited Aylesbury in August 2005. We just have to do the obligatory pub lunch.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Notice all the roof shingles in the driveway. Also see how the mailbox door is bent and the other mailbox is missing. The flying shingles caused a lot of damage to the house paint and car paint jobs. Many houses lost the plywood they had put up and some even lost their panels from their hurricane shutters.

This house is on the main Riverbend street. Notice that almost half the roof shingles are missing and the satelite dish hanging by the wire.

front fence and loquat tree blown over

Hurricane Wilma damage in the Winn Dixie parking lot

Welcome to the jamesinamerica Blog

So, the James and LLoyd-James family came to America in 1983. Nowadays with the web being in almost everyones house, it could be real fun and useful to have a blog for friends and family to communicate, update on whats going on and share thoughts and dreams and activities and photos as well as ask for feedback on ideas.
Please take the opportunity to introduce yourself to the blog and read along. Lurking is kinda OK but it wont take much to say hi and share your thoughts.

Only 24 hours in a day

When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar........and the beer. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous yes. The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everything else were lost, and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

The Man in the Glass Good Guidance for all

THE MAN IN THE GLASS When you get what you want in your struggle for self, And the world makes you king for a day, Just go to the mirror and look at yourself, And see what that man has to say. For it isn’t your father or mother or wife, whose judgment upon you must pass, The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life Is the one staring back from the glass. Some people may say you’re a straight shooting chum And call you a wonderful guy But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum If you can’t look him straight in the eye. He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest, For he’s with you clear up to the end, And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test If the man in the glass is your friend. You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years And get pats on the back as you pass But your final reward will be heartaches and tears If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

Shays Story

At a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question. "Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself. And it comes in the way people treat that child." Then, he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning.I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first, Run to first." Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled "Run to second, run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! Run home!" Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team. "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."

jamesinamerica

The Swiss Mountains