Even the cellar looks pretty

Sometimes the best pictures are of those things you are not suppose to see. As always I'm into things that are out of sight or should be. These are the more interesting and exciting shots. I happened upon the work stations of Petersham Nurseries and thought 'wow, this is cute'. I don't have pictures of the toilets, they are cute and pretty too. Sophie has them, I saw her pointing her camera in the direction of the toilets. As usual we are into the little nook and cranny, looking at odd things and we are always rewarded. I happened upon the cellar and thought, the back area would be interesting too and indeed it was.

I saw this trash pile and thought 'even their trash looks pretty'.

Even their dirty dishes looks better than the dirty dishes in our home sink.

Their kitchen...

We are incurable inquisitive people. This was what we did the whole trip, look beyond the facade. It is something I've been doing on every trip, even when we take organised tours, I'll go off quickly, to look for more interesting vignettes. I'm always doing it and it is much more fun.

the Hon James David Manning

This preacher is gooood.... you go bro....

Garden furniture

I'm so glad I took this trip. I'm so glad I have new material for posting. These pictures makes me happy. These are the reasons why I'm still at my job, it's a huge financial sacrifice but it is either this or I take some of the pills I count every day. This trip took us to 6 countries in 14 days. We were in 3 countries in 22 hours during one sector of this trip. I'm glad I still have the physical fortitude to do this kind of trips. It is tough physically and mentally. I wouldn't have it any other way. There is still so much of the world I haven't been to. I started traveling too late in life. I have to make up for lost time.

Doesn't these images inspire you to want to pack your bags and be on the next flight out? It does me! And they are just a bunch of rusty and old garden furniture. I have four of these chairs in my yard. One of my nieces exclaimed when she heard how much I paid for them, '...they're just old and rusty chairs....' Precisely! I am coveting one of those rusty tables.

Petersham Nurseries, continue....

I receive emails from this place from time to time. I know of their fight with their local town council. Richmond is an idyllic city just outside of London and they want to keep it that way. A big commercial enterprise like Petersham Nurseries could mean a lot of motor traffic thus clogging the narrow streets of Richmond. I could see it even now, I've experienced the traffic problems at the end of day hours. This is already affecting the quality of life in Richmond. However the Richmond city council has extended the lease for Petersham Nurseries to continue to operate. The nursery people begs visitors not to drive there if at all possible, but to take local and public transportation or just walk there. The tube line, the District line, takes you to Richmond train station, from there it is a half hour walk , along the Thames or a very short ride on bus 65. On a fine day, the walk is the loveliest thing to do. On the way back, we did walk a little, we got off the bus just before the train station and walked the rest of the way.

It is the time of Japanese Anemones.

Also a time of crab apples.

Another visitor who was having tea with her friend.

Life is so amazing. One day you are looking at pictures of a place and think, one day I'll make the trip to see it in person..... then you are there in person. Imagine my joy that day. I'm in Petersham Nurseries. (http://www.petershamnurseries.com) My first trip to London was ten years ago. English gardens has always been a rage and that time, the garden du jour was Sissinghurst which I went to visit with my aunt and cousin. Cousin Rebecca took the day off from work to take us there. It was a lovely visit. Today it is Petersham Nurseries.

A very sexy youtube video

Viewer discretion requested. Some of you might be offended by this video but I believe in the right of Americans to bear arms to protect themselves. I've been abroad 3 times this year and the search and pat down at airports is very disturbing. Not that I believe that we should carry arms on board planes but we should be allowed to protect ourselves at home. Criminals and terrorists better be forewarned, some of us females are packing and we refuse to be victims.

Petersham Nurseries, Richmond

I finally made it here. I thought I would go to China but instead took this European trip and made to Petersham Nurseries, in Richmond, just outside of London. It was pretty easy by public transportation. Take the tube, the District line to Richmond, take bus 65 from tube station and ask to be dropped off at Petersham Nurseries. It is a real nursery, selling plants and garden things but more than that, it has a tearoom and a restaurant with a celebrated chef. One has to book months ahead in order to eat at the restaurant. The tearoom is always opened but being the poor and stingy travelers that we are, we didn't eat here. We just took a lot of free photographs. I have read so much about this place and seen so many photographs about it. Even Martha Stewart showed a video clip of her visit here. Restaurant reviews have been written favorably about this place. We came here the day we arrived in London, we flew in from Los Angeles, dumped our luggage at some fleabag hostel near St Pancras station and wandered around the tube till we finally found our way here. We were glad, we had a great time, we like free things, we took a lot of free photos.

We had amazing weather through out our trip, it was still very warm but it turned a tad chilly towards the last few days of our trip. Here am I, feeling jet lag but still able to enjoy our visit to Petersham Nurseries.

There were still lots of flowers in spite of it being fall. Even in the European continent, flowers were everywhere and they were so beautiful. It's a lovely time to be in Europe. The leaves were turning a touch of red. The grapes were ripe and the growers were busy harvesting the grapes. There was a hive of activity in the vineyards. It was just an amazing time and beautiful too.

The greenhouse doubles as a tearoom and a shop. We took our time and wandered all over the place.

Since we were taking Eurostar train out of St Pancras station, we stayed at a hostel just 6 minutes away. It was 15 pounds per person, in a 12 person room. The room was so tiny and had 4 bunk beds each with 3 tiers. I slept on the upper most tier, I've never slept on a bunk bed before. We shared the room with a bunch of young girls, some were from Spain. We stayed one night, that was plenty. This was the cheapest place I've ever stayed in, of all the places I've stayed in on my travels. It was a nice experience. We left the next day on the train for Lille, France.

Michael Savage on raising kids

Chicago - zero

Our Europe trip

We arrived back yesterday to bad news. One of Sophie's dogs was killed by a coyote which jumped into their yard. The 2 dogs were alone in the yard with no one to defend them, Edward was away too. The news was kept away from us while we were away. We came back to heartache and heart break. He was a little fluffy dog, a mongrel, which Edward found wondering in the streets near where they lived. He arrived in our lives suddenly and left us suddenly. He gave us a lot of joy while he was with us. What happens to our pets when they die?

I have jetlag and am a little tired right now. I've already been to work already to see what kind of mess I have to deal with tomorrow (Monday). A lot..... I need time to grieve....