Well its all go now, my travel docs were in the mail today.  I have the best travel agent and she has really looked after me, thanks Emily.

So now the serious stuff starts. Getting all the information I need copied and stored where I can locate them if needed.

 One suggestion was to scan everything then send it to myself on my email.That way I can access them from my tablet if I need to.

Well its just over 2 weeks away and have started to think about what to take.  I'm a light traveller, take enough for one week and wash on the go.  No one will know me so who cares if I wear the same thing six times.  Only thing I have bought is a new pair of Skechers shoes.  Got some in Las Vegas two years ago and found I can walk miles in them without sore feet, so have got a new pair to take with me as the old ones are a bit ratty.

I did ask some of my like minded friends to join me but for various reasons they declined, now they will be able to see what they're missing out on.

Details

Currently finalising flights and minor details for my trip.  I've been following Pam Holland's blog about the Irish Quilt Festival and her photos of Ireland.  It's got me very excited about what I'm going to be doing.  It looks absolutely beautiful.   Really want to catch up with some Irish music and life, hope that's included in the tour and its not all castles and cathedrals (boring).

My travel agent has been searching out airfares for me and has found a great deal on business class to London with Malaysian Airlines.   Going to treat myself, seeing as its just me I might as well travel in comfort.

A New Trip for Me

In a couple of months time I'm off on another trip. This time to Ireland and the UK.  Bill is not going, it isn't his thing and I'm happy to go on my own - none of my so called 'friends' would come with me.  Anyway a week in Ireland followed by 2 weeks in the UK.  Part of that time will be spent on a William Morris tour, exploring this 19th century's life and work.  It is escorted by Michele Hill, a local Adelaide quilter, inspired by Morris designs.  Really excited about this one.

Bainridge Island

Bainbridge Island is west of Seattle across the Puget Sound.  We were going to go to Victoria in Canada, but the ferry was so expensive you would want to stay for a while to make it worthwhile, so decided against it.  Also an early start, which we haven't been good at while here - 10am breakfasts have been the norm.

I was disappointed that the shots of the autumn trees weren't very good, but the colour was spectacular, especially the maples, such a glowing red, they looked like they were on fire.

Seattle

Today we looked around Seattle, the Pikes Place Market and the downtown area.  It was extremely cold, only about 6'C.  Nice thing is its unlike most crass American cities, more like San Francisco.  Here are some pictures

These are ornamental cabbages, that they put into bunches of flowers.

Never seen so many chilies in so many colours

These are the size of a tennis ball, don't know if they have much flavour or not.

Lots of fish stalls in the market, this is a real seafood town.

Didn't like to ask!

This is one window of the shop, and there were 5 windows, double height, and each one was full of these old sewing machines.  Every inch of the interior walls as well, but they wouldn't let me photograph them.

The very first Starbucks shop, opened in 1912.

This is the footstool in front of the lounge chairs in our room, in front of our fire.  Yes we have a fireplace in our hotel room.

And here's the teddy on my bed.  You can take them when you go, they just add it to your credit card.

Tomorrow we hope to take a ferry to Bainbridge Island which is on the other side of Puget Sound.  Apparently very pretty place.

More trip

This is the first snow we saw along the train line.  This is on the prairie in North Dakota.

Then as we moved into Montana it got more and more.  This is the outside of our carriage at Whitefish, Montana.  This is solid ice.  The only thing that stops the train apparently is if it is extremely cold, such as minus 45'F.  Then the brakes freeze.  It has happened.

It is actually snowing in this shot, and not long after this I was hit by a snowball thrown by this jolly gentleman.

This guy had only been waiting for the train for about ten minutes and already had a layer of snow on his car.

This is the view as we came out of the Rockies and into the Cascade Mountains heading into Seattle. So picturesque

hard to get a clear shot while the train is moving but this gives you some idea of the sort of things we were looking at as we came through the Cascades.