Look... Big Ben, Parliament

As I mentioned before, our flight was delayed arriving into Gatwick. This meant our original full day of sightseeing was shortened to a few hours. Prior to leaving for England, we paid and printed our tickets for the Gatwick Express train to Victoria station and so we were determined to use those tickets!

We boarded the train and settled into our 30 minute journey into London. I was immediately taken at the number of rail lines crisscrossing the land, up and over highways, right behind rows of homes, rushing through tunnels and fields. I was slightly jealous too... all these rail lines to traverse England, Scotland, and Wales, but back here in Ontario, not so much.

Once we arrived at the station, I took a few minutes to hunt down an attendant who would install the ramp so Mike could exit the train. We got our bearings and headed in the direction of Buckingham Palace. This was one of my must do stops on our journey, well for obvious reasons.

Who should I see on our way to the Palace

I had planned to stop in at the palace shop, but on account of our delay, the shop was closed. Oh well, maybe that's a good thing for the old pocketbook after all!

The first building we saw was the Royal Mews, which houses the horses, coaches, and livery used by the Royal family.

Continuing up Buckingham Palace Road, we came upon the palace itself.

Directly across from Buckingham Palace is The Victoria Memorial.

We continued past the palace and into Green Park, which houses the Canada Gate and the Canada Memorial. The Canada Memorial was erected in homage to the one million Canadians who served with the British forces in WWI and WWII.

We left the monument and headed up the Mall towards the Charles I statue and roundabout.

We turned down Whitehall and headed south towards Big Ben and passed Downing Street.

I didn't take any pictures here on account of the large police presence.

By the time we made it to Big Ben and Parliament, the sky was starting to darken.

We crossed the street and headed to Westminster Abbey. It had since closed for the day, but we were fortunate to take some exterior pictures.

Where Duchess Catherine entered on her wedding day.

By this time, we were starting to tire, so we headed back to Victoria station. We shared a large Cornish pasty for dinner before heading back out on the train to Gatwick.

What little we saw of London was lovely and we plan on returning... some day.

So you want to go to England?

Last year, Disney Cruise Line announced an inaugural 12 day British Isles cruise. Mike and I were excited and when the booking window opened, we called Disney to inquire about booking. Well, there was such a demand for the sailing that we ended up on a waiting list. The operator told us that there might be a chance we'd be able to sail because sometimes people book the cruise, but cancel a few days later. Ok then, this put us to the following Monday at the earliest. Monday morning came around and the phone rang. It was Disney, there had been a cancellation on an accessible room and were we still interested in the sailing?

The rest as they say is history.

The ship departed on a Sunday, so we opted to arrive in England the day before. Since we started cruising, we've been careful to always arrive at the embarkation location the day before. One never knows what happens when travelling and the last thing you want when you've spent a great deal of money on a cruise is to miss the sailing because of a delayed flight. (Can you tell where this is going?)

We arrived at the airport on Friday afternoon, completed our check-in process/security, and headed to our gate. We stopped at one of the information screens to double check the gate number when we noticed the departure time read not 9 pm, but 1.30 am. I was sure I was misreading the information because there was another Gatwick flight that night, surely that was the delayed flight! Nope, my phone dinged a few seconds later and it was WestJet informing us of the flight departure time change. We made our way to the gate and inquired with the staff. There was a "problem" with the plane and it was being serviced. At this point, they didn't know if the flight would actually leave on time or at any point between 9pm and 1.30 am, but the latest would be 1.30 am. I presumed if things took a turn, they could bring an alternate plane for us to leave at 1.30 am... at least I hoped. We both received a food voucher so we went to dinner.

By the time we took off, it was around 2 am. The WestJet staff were pleasant and were coming around with the drinks cart soon after take off, but that's the last thing I remember before I dozed off. This was a first for me. I never sleep on planes. I'm too anxious, wound up, and uncomfortable most flights that I sit there like an owl looking around at everyone else asleep. This time, pure exhaustion. I may have slept for 4 or 5 hours, I don't remember. There was still a few hours before we landed so I started in on Stephen King's Dr. Sleep.

The next thing we knew, we had landed and were exiting the plane. We made it to the area just outside of the plane's door where we stood to wait for Mike's wheelchair. A couple strollers came up, but no wheelchair. The head flight attendant came out and spoke to us and when she found out we were waiting for a wheelchair, she went into beast mode. She phoned someone and gave them an earful, spoke to the person bringing up items from the hold, and went down the gangway to the reps at the gate to find out about the wheelchair. Turns out the wheelchair was sent with the luggage and we'd be able to pick it up at baggage claim. They gave us a temporary wheelchair to get from the gangway to the airport where we were to wait further instruction.

We were greeted by an employee driving a glorified golf cart, who squeezed us into the rear compartment, then took us for a ride through the airport and straight to immigration. We got in line behind 3 other golf carts and waited our turn. We, (sorry bad pun), sailed through immigration when the officer found out we were sailing on the Magic. The golf cart delivered us to baggage claim, where we found Mike's wheelchair in good condition for being left on a carousel.

We grabbed our luggage and made our way to the Sofitel hotel, where we were booked for the night. We checked in and freshened up quickly before we headed back out to London.

Run the runway

Earlier this year, I came across a posting where an airport allowed people to run a 5k on their newly paved runway. I thought this was the coolest thing ever and I wondered if the Toronto airport would do such a thing.

I googled the runway run at the Toronto airport, where I found that they do hold a race on the runway! The last time, it was in 2014, but they hadn't announced if and when they were planning the 2015 race. I started following the Toronto airport on Twitter and kept an eye out for mentions of the race.

Back at the beginning of the summer, they opened the registration period and Mike and I registered for the 5k and waited for September to arrive.

That morning, it was quite chilly and windy. Not close to freezing, but a little colder than everyone anticipated. We had gone from mild temperatures the previous days to a sharp drop over night.

Once we arrived, we milled around the hangar to keep out of the wind before lining up outside. The one issue I had with the event was the lack of volunteer awareness. Apparently the runners/walkers were supposed to congregate in the hangar for opening ceremonies. They sent 2 or 3 people to attempt to corral everyone in. That didn't work too well so about half of the attendees missed the ceremonies and the safety instructions.

Mike and I didn't let that bother us, though. We were excited to actually be on the runway!

The starting line

My pre-race impatience started up with a vengeance and I was please when we started on our way. Mike had asked one of the volunteers if the wheelchair participants were to line up at the front of the corral so that people wouldn't trip over him. The volunteer didn't know.

On our way

Our plan was to place Mike on the outside of the column and I'd be beside him on the inside. Just long enough for the rush to pass us and the crowd thin a little. That didn't work too well, it seems people have a sort of tunnel vision and if they didn't see you below waist level, then you weren't there. While waiting for the start, people jostled for position in front of us, to the point that Mike would have hit them with the free wheel when he started to move.

Nevertheless, we started the run beside each other.

At the first turn, Air Canada Boeing 767

We ran behind these guys for a while. They completed the full 5k in their uniforms.

Eventually Mike and I split up - he went on ahead - he's faster than I. I stuck to my running schedule in Runkeeper and worked to take pictures when I could.

- 1km run

- .5 km walk

- 1 km run

- .5 km walk

- .5 km run

- .5 km walk

- 1 km run

Yes, that is a WestJet plane making the turn as it prepares to take off

I'm either slowing to a walk for my interval or starting up for my run interval

I completed this race in 39.15. This is the first time I've cracked 40 minutes, and it was 4 minutes less than my last 5k. I am over the moon with this time. Next time, I'm aiming for faster :).

Summertime Love-in

I've heard that if you're going to San Francisco, you ought to wear flowers in your hair.

This is us on the boat leaving Alcatraz and heading back to the port. 7 years ago.

One day, I'll go back to San Francisco.

Some of my favorite photographs

In honor of World Photography day, here are some of my favorites.

Schloss Waldeck, Germany

Schloss Waldeck, Germany

Gimli at home

Merida at home

The Disney Fantasy docked in Cozumel, Mexico

5 things - December edition

1. I'm fighting a cold/flu/plague/disease of some kind. I have a scratchy throat and I feel ill, but not ill enough to take a sick day. It's quite frustrating, in that I cannot exert myself because then I become tired quite quickly. I didn't put in a run today, unfortunately, but I did some time on the TreadClimber.

I'm counting that as a win!

2. Merida has turned the corner on her UTI. The last dose of medicine is tomorrow morning. She's feeling better almost back to normal. She's still upset though, all her snow has melted away.

Maybe she'll get a white Christmas.

Gimli continues to look for his ducks when we go for walks, even though the ducks have been brought inside. If I even ask him about the duckies, he remembers and we have to go see them.

He's a silly bear, this one.

3. My birthday was last week and I felt quite special this time around. It's the first birthday I get to spend with Merida - last year, we were away. I took the day off and wandered around a local candy shop, had a large breakfast, and spent time with Mike and the corgis.

4. I'm planning to do the 12 days of Christmas again this year, but I'll be adding drinks to it as well. We'll see how that goes :)

5. I haven't yet seen the Muppet Family Christmas special on tv. This is one of the programs that gets me into that Christmas mood, plus it has the Muppets from Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and Muppet Babies.

Mike and I are quite different when it comes to Christmas specials - he likes the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming to Town, while I don't care for those.

I prefer the Muppets, the Blackadder Christmas Carol, and Mickey's Christmas Carol.

5 things - November edition

I realize I haven't done this sort of post in a while, so here goes:

1. Mike has lost 20 lbs. Yes, that's right, 20! His pants are falling off of him and some of his shirts are now too big.

He still has more weight to lose, but he's quite thrilled with his results. I think I'm going to buy him a belt for Christmas.

2. I am run/walking up to 8k now. Provided I keep up this pace of adding half a kilometer each week, I'll be up to 10k in time for our race in January.

It still doesn't feel like we have less than 60 days to go, it's quite surreal.

3. It's beginning to look like Christmas in our house. Nearly all of the decorations are up, and most of the Christmas cards are addressed. I haven't started my baking yet, but I plan to start next week.

4. Gimli visited the vet on Saturday for his yearly checkup. He's healthy as can be - his coat is good, his weight and heart are good, and his teeth are in good shape for a 6 year old. He didn't like the thermometer in the ear, but other than that, he was his usual grumpy/happy-for-cookies self.

5. We have our first real snow of the season and Merida is beside herself with joy. All she wants to do is romp and pounce in the snow, regardless of the sub-zero temperatures!  She criss-crosses the yard with her tracks and digs her head into drifts looking for something to play with.

She reminds me of this panda: 

Flat Corgi Friday - Halloween edition!

Can you guess who we are supposed to be?

5 things - August edition

It's August and it's almost over...

1. One of the bigger things going on is that Mike's having all 4 of his wisdom teeth extracted on Wednesday. He's a little apprehensive, but I'm sure he'll be fine. He's had plenty of surgeries over the years and I'm sure he'll do well with the anesthesia. I just hope he doesn't have any issues with his brittle bones and his jaw bone.

2. My running efforts hit a large bump in the road this month. At the beginning of the month, I was sidelined with an injury - shin splints and an extremely sore calf muscle. I took about 2 weeks off of running entirely and focused on massaging my legs and stretching every day. In lieu of runs, I rode the exercise bike, which helped to get *some* cardio in, at least.

Last week was the first week where I was able to get out. I had planned to be finished or nearly finished with the 9 week couch to 5k plan by this time, but I'm just starting the week 5 plan. I'm disappointed, but there's not much else to be done. I didn't want to push myself and cause more harm and in so doing put the 5 and 10 k runs in jeopardy.

I was out for a run this morning and today's plan kicked my ass, but I felt good afterwards. I was starting to fear I'd fall behind and with Autumn on its way, I wanted to be a little further in the distance. Once the snow starts to fall, we'll have to find an indoor track - with my luck I fall on the ice and then I'm really stuck!

I'm up to 3 intervals of running for 5 minutes. Provided I stay the course, the adjusted schedule to be doing a 5k is a month from today.

3. I'm losing weight again, slowly. I have to resist the urge to go try on items in my closet because I'm not yet at my goal and I'm not in the mood for disappointment. I'll get there in time, I just have to be patient.

4. On the farm behind our house, the farmer has planted corn. When I look outside, it's corn as far as the eye can see.

It can be a little scary at times, especially when you're in the backyard at night and all you can hear is the rustling of the corn and your imagination takes hold.

5. The corgis have been enjoying the Summer, though I haven't yet had them in the wading pool. I think I will rectify this over the long weekend.

Till next time!

Ohana

I missed the Flat Corgis segment for yesterday and because today is Saturday, I've decided to combine the two.

I hope you like it.

Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind — or forgotten...

Especially not those Flat Corgis.

Cozumel Regatta

Have you ever watched those America's Cup races on television? They are split up by country and consist of each team racing a large boat or catamaran across a track. These boats have no engine and rely on the winds, the sails and good old elbow grease to take advantage of the conditions to accelerate and maintain speed, and change direction.

The boats look something like this:

or

One of our stops on our May cruise was Cozumel, Mexico. In preparation for our cruise, we searched through the various shore excursions available and we hummed and hawed over the Regatta. On the one hand, it was something neither of us had done, but the big factor for us was the accessibility aspect of it. Mike can transfer from his wheelchair and walk, but he's only ever had to do that on solid ground. Throw a big blue ocean into the mix and all bets are off!

We searched Youtube and looked for reviews and we decided to throw caution to the wind and book the excursion! What's the worst that could happen right?

On Cozumel day, we met with our Disney guide, who took the group down to the pier. We met up with our local guides who took our tickets and led us to the small steps down to the tender boat.

Mike handled the steps well, but then we had to place the wheelchair and Mike himself onto the tender boat. I boarded the boat first and accepted the wheelchair, which I firmly locked into place. It would do no good if the chair went for a swim off the coast of Mexico! Then, it was Mike's turn. He waited for a lull in the tide and slowly made his way onto the boat.

We took our seats and our little tender boat headed around the Disney Fantasy and out to sea. We had to travel to another Carnival boat, who was tendered a ways off. The passengers from that boat would join us on our Regatta.

After we picked up our fellow cruisers, we made our way to the America's Cup boats, currently moored on the open water. There were two boats for us to use and they used the non-existent rivalry between Canada and the US. :) We were assigned to the Canadian boat - True North IV.

These boats were actual boats used in past America's Cup races back in the 80s. Comparing the pictures, from more recent races to these, it's amazing how much has changed!

Normally, I worry a little bit. At the same time, I'm a realist and a thinker, so while I'm worrying, I'm thinking of ways to get out of the situation. I didn't realize the Regatta boats would be moored on the water. So, as we're approaching the boat, I'm seeing the waves and feeling the movement and I start thinking of how to safely get Mike across.

Our tender boat pulled up to the US boat first, so we were able to see the other passengers board their boat. This didn't make me feel any better, in fact, I felt a little more nervous.

We approached our boat and the rest of our tour boarded first. I went to double check the brakes on the wheelchair - it had to stay on the tender boat - and in the time it took me to to check it and turn around, Mike made it safely over to the boat!

After some introductions, we were ready to begin. We'd been given our assignments while on the tender boat. Mike and I were to be cheerleaders. There was no way I trusted myself to handle the ropes or anything of that nature! We found a spot to lean and hold onto the ropes, just on the side of the boat, and away we went!

I'm no sailor and I have no idea of the terms we used during the race... but at some points, we were moving! And, the boats would be level one minute and then as we had to turn, the boat tilted to the point where the tip to the stern was in the water.  If I had the guts, I could have reached over and touched the water!  Then, the boat would tilt again and if Mike and I didn't brace our feet on the mooring in the center, we'd have fallen across and into the water.

Speaking of water, in some places, it wasn't the nice light blue water.  Oh no, this was deep blue, almost black water. We were in open water!

After the race finished and we waited for our tender boat, there was a large splash off to the side of the boat. I didn't see what it was, but our captain remarked, "Wow, something big just came up there!"

This was my face because I wanted to see what it was and didn't.

So, who won? Canada did, of course!

This was an excursion of a lifetime. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we highly recommend it!

Unfortunately, no Flat Corgis on this trip, it was too unsafe for them. It would have been cool though!

Here's the YouTube video for the company:

Flat Corgi Friday - Hitchin' a Ride

5 things - June edition

It's finally warming up outside. The mornings and days thus far have been cool and breezy, to the point we've only had to turn on the A/C a couple times for the month of June. The corgis are loving the warmth because that means more walkies and trips to the store.

1. I spoke!

This month, I attended a conference and spoke in front of abut 25-30 people.  Yes, me! I did it.  I was nervous and I was sure I'd mess up and freeze or not make eye contact or my presentation would die and I'd have to wing it or some crazy thing. I have never been a good public speaker, probably because I was always shy.

This time around, I knew the subject matter - inside and out. I feel this confidence came through and helped take me through to the end.

It's another thing to add to my list of "I don't know if I can, but I'm jumping in feet first" list.

2. Running

Speaking of feet first, I've started running! This is in preparation for the 5k and 10k races we are doing next year. I can do a 2k run/walk, and I'm working my way up to a 5k. Right now, I'm running for 90 seconds and walking for 180.

I am finding though, that I have to pretty much push myself to head out every other day.  Any more than that and my body gets too much rest and it's harder for me to complete the circuit the next time.

I'm also finding that when I first start to run that I want to run fast, which messes me up because I waste too much energy and burn out too quickly.  I'm sure I will learn and I'll get into a rhythm, but I have to keep telling my brain to slow down, my legs can't go as fast as you think they can!

3. 4 days off

I have 4 days off coming up and I'm quite looking forward to it. It will be nice to enjoy being at home with just the 4 of us. Work has been busy of late, not horrible, just busy. A big project is underway and I'll be on the project for quite some time.

If the weather is nice, we may take the corgis to the local park and have them romp around. We tried taking them last year, but the mosquitoes were too much and we had to run for cover back to the car. Hopefully it's not too bad this year.

4. You like my picture??

You may remember the post I did about the Castaway Cay 5k run. Well, I added the picture to Pinterest under my "Things I did" board and it's been repinned 3 times.

That's not the kicker though, someone posted it onto her Photography board.  I looked at her board and some of the things she's pinned are great photos.

Mine, a picture I took, someone thinks is good enough to end up on her Photography board. I've been told I have a good eye, but I lack the mechanics to take a shot from what you see through the lens to an amazing image. I've been getting by with just flukes here and there.

Can you imagine when I actually start photography lessons?

5. World Cup

In case you haven't noticed, it's the World Cup. Our little household was supporting England and Germany.  Well, England is out and Germany ought to win against the US on Thursday. There's a German flag hanging from our front window and Mike and I both wore our Germany team shirts while watching the game this past Saturday.

The matches so far have been great to watch - teams like Iran and Ghana have stepped up their game and one can kind of see little glimpses of where they'll be the next time around.  This just means Germany needs to step up their game too.

5 things going on in this house - May

Where did May go?

1. We are back from our vacation. We did the 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy. I ate too much, got too much sun - damn you Banana Boat sunscreen! and missed my corgis.

The laundry is finally done and folded... but not yet put away. The suitcases have been "Lysol-ed" and while one was airing out, Gimli decided it would be a good idea to sleep in the suitcase. Maybe he's trying to tell us something.

2. While on the subject of our vacation, last Friday Mike and I completed a 5k walk on Castaway Cay. Suffice it to say, I have a great deal of work to do before our 5 and 10k races in January.

I also have to get a new pair of sneakers. I have flat feet and after that 5k, my feet were ready to fall off. It's now Tuesday and I'm just able to take the dogs for a walk without much pain. I pretty much limped all Saturday and Sunday.

3. While we were away last week, the weather at home was rainy. It was nice to come home to a greener lawn, buds on the trees and leaves sprouted on our shrubs. I did have to pull some weeds though on Sunday.

This year, we are taking an active stance on the weeds and so long as we can pull them out quickly, I'm hoping it will stem the tide.  Don't know if it will actually work, but that's my plan.

We are still in a deadlock on the subject of flowers. One day I'm just going to go out and buy some and plant them and be done with it.

4. While on the subject of weeds, I'm unsure if Gimli's allergies are acting up this season. Usually he presents with little itchy spots on his belly and I've not seen any yet, but he's been rubbing his face on the carpet a bit more than usual.

We brushed and Furminated him and gave him an under-carriage wash over the weekend and he's a little bit better. I cannot tell if Merida is going to have the same allergies too. She's been a little itchy, but it could be just dirty feet.

We'll continue to monitor.

5. In an attempt to give back to the neighborhood birdies, we've been leaving out tufts of corgi hair in the backyard. I hope the birds use the hair to make their nests.

Wordless Wednesday - Ready for Take Off

Do you even know me?

The other day, Mike was making bacon and eggs for lunch.  Here's the dialogue that followed:

Mike: I'm making bacon and eggs for lunch.

Candy: Can you make me some?

Mike: Sure, did you want bacon?

...

I had no words. Though, I think Gimli's face said it perfectly:

5 things - April edition

Here we are at the end of April already...

1. I know that Spring is coming when a bird tries to build a nest on our porch, on top of the lights. Now, the top of the lights is pointed and it's unsuitable for a nest of any kind. But, the poor dear still tries, as evidenced by the strips of debris that falls to the ground.

In past years, I'd be mildly upset, but because of the nasty Winter and the late Spring, the bird has no place else to go. None of the trees have sprouted buds yet. I don't know what I can do to help her? *sad face*

2. On the subject of sad faces... We are going away on vacation soon and I've started being mopey. I'm sure this is why Merida is more clingy of late.  *sigh* I cannot help it though, I do miss these dogs and their smiling faces when we are away. It's my one weakness.

3. I was in PetSmart this evening and ran into a gentleman who had a Corgi! Now, this never happens. Somehow I managed to strike up a conversation with him. This is his third corgi and she's now retired from the show ring. I showed him Gimli and Merida and he was quite surprised that we lived in the same city as Pemmies are not as popular as other breeds - Pugs, Doodles etc.

He did try to get us roped into a pyramid scheme though... hrmph, bad form.

This is what Gimli thinks of pyramid schemes.

All in all, it was nice to see another corgi.

4. We have slowly started training for our mini-marathons. We have a way to go still, but we found a place close by that's only being used by people walking their dogs, running/walking or biking. It's not yet overrun with everyone and their grandmother, so we're going to go there a couple times a week.

5. Juicing is going well. Five times a week, we have a juice for breakfast and then a smaller glass with dinner. Still no major changes - ie my skin is the same, hair is the same etc. I did lose a pound though, so there's that. I do feel that my brain is more awake and I have more energy than usual. It's a different energy - ie I'm not keen to jump out of bed each morning and do 50 jumping jacks, but my brain is awake and not as foggy as it used to be. I am not yearning for that cup of coffee to wake up and that's a good thing.