Paul's London trip

Our thermostat reads 86 degrees and its not lying. Its been in the 40's and we thought we had some time before we needed to go buy an ac unit, but this week we've been hit with a heat wave and we are hating life for not being prepared now. Poor Dilly's tongue hangs out and we move around like zombies. Connecticut has also been hit with a virus in the main source of drinking water supply, so we haven't had any drinking water since last week and we have no idea when it will be ok to drink again. It effects all the restaraunts and gas stations because no one can serve soft drinks...worst of all, the slurpee machines are even down at the local 7-11.

On a positive note, Joni made me the coolest quilt ever! plus England was awesome too! I have a bunch of t-shirts that I've had since a teenager that I absolutely love, but they were getting worn out. Joni decided to make me a quilt of some of my favorite past t-shirts, I love it.

London was soooo fun. I had a couple of days to just walk around and see all the sights. I took a train from the airport to my hotel and walked around until I was completely exhausted. I got lost so many times, there aren't any street signs and I didn't realize until the 2nd day that all the street signs are actually on the buildings. Some of the highlights the first couple of days included Buckingham palace, Westminster Abby, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament, fish and chips, riding the tube, and a whole bunch more. Its not like any place I've ever been, it was really beautiful, unique, and surprisingly clean. I didn't notice any garbage/litter anywhere, and everything was in full bloom for spring. There were so many different accents everywhere I went, and I even used one of the red phone booths to make a phone call.

The rest of the week I spent in Chesham for work. We stayed in a beautiful red brick mansion/castle in the countryside. On Tuesday we went to Windsor Castle which was probably the highlight of the trip. Not only was it amazing to be in such a historic place, but Ben & Jerry's had free ice cream day for Queen Elizabeth's birthday just outside the castle afterwards. I made some great friends while there, and overall I couldn't have been happier about the whole experience. We ended it all with a James Bond themed party at a fancy country club, including a lousy lounge singer who sang all the Bond songs. While everyone else was drunk at the party I made a fool of myself by cutting a little rug on the dance floor to "hallelulah it's raining men", but unfortunately I didn't bring my camera for that experience. When I was at Windsor I just about got ran over by some guards, I'll post the video at the bottom, I wanted to march next them so bad but I was afraid of being stabbed by their scary looking guns.

Standing under a tree and looking up at the blossoms...

Latimer Place (my hotel) in Chesham, it was like a maze inside. It sure beat the closet I slept in while in London.

Our library at Latimer Place where we stayed...it was Professor Plum...with the candlestick.