The Big Blue Sort Out. Bikes and Soup kitchen day.

TT and I, aided by Adrian, our fellow house guest at the Stone’s Lake home took everything out of the van and sorted it.  Mrs Stone gave me free reign in her laundry room so Big Blue 2, a.k.a. Ikea dirty laundry  bag is empty and we have clean clothes. The weather was sunny and breezy and we even had to put on our long trousers after lunch as a storm blew up over the lake. There were a few boats going by and even a two man canoe, who seemed to be fighting hard against the wind and white capped waves.

The day started out with Diana, Adrian’s wife and I sitting on the boat dock, drinking coffee, admiring the scenery and having a nourishing conversation. How wonderful to meet new people and because of all of us being in God’s family immediately feeling like brothers and sisters. We had a lovely chat about our children, God’s goodness and our not so goodness, but how great is His grace and how as we get older our faith and trust in Him grows as He proves Himself faithful. Then organic muffins with butter and marmite on toast for me. The other 5 folks in the house turned up their noses to marmite.

Larry, owner of the lovely lake home and Rutledge Hill Press, spent the day doing radio interviews about a new book he is working on. One of the interviewers spent a lot of time asking his opinion of the crazy Pastor guy in Florida who is threatening to burn a copy of the Koran at the weekend. At supper Larry sugested that a much better idea  would be better for Christians to find a Moslem buddy. The Christian read the Koran and the Moslem The bible and then have a chat about it. Larry then went  for a run while I tried to stop coughing and rested on the bed reading, listening to the lake sounds, and then my Ipod. TT worked on bookings and “Tour Stuff” .  We are having requests for bookings that we are having to turn down as we are schedule is full. Nice problem.

Our Canadian friends went for a bike ride and then they and Lois served lunch at a soup kitchen with the church here.

I’m on day 2 of some strong antibiotics to clear up my cough. TT kindly drove into town to try and get the cough mixture that the doc had prescribed. I had been drinking gallons of honey and lemon but that didn’t seem to help so we decided to go the narcotic $22:00 a bottle route. I miss my British, National Health free prescription service!

Unfortunately the pharmacy had to order the cough stuff… So I will get it tomorrow. However at 6:00pm when I got up to start cooking the corn that Louis had shucked earlier, I felt much better.

Lovely supper again. Inside tonight as it was breezy and chilly outside. Freshly picked sweet corn, salad, stir fry, good conversation, grand children photo sharing and much laughter.

Off to bed now. SO thankful for this lovely restful interlude to re charge our batteries before out next show on Saturday.

Plans for tomorrow? Adrian and Diana are heading back over the border to Canada, but are going to come to Chicago to see TT in action.  David and Larry both have radio interviews!! We hope to do a trip around Lake George on an old steam boat. The Mohican. One of the captains of this boat visited here today his name. Bill Gates. He was the captain today but not tomorrow unfortunately.

Diana was saying that this morning she was thinking about hob knobbing with an actor and a book publisher who are being interviewed by the media everyday and then is told that another guest is coming, Bill Gates…. Not the master of the internet but ships captain. Hey ho me hearties. Shiver me timber and hoist the main’sle!

I’m getting silly which is a sing of excessive tiredness so “Good night all and felicitations from from upstate New York. USA.

TT sends his love and reports that his knees are improving.  Thanks for your prayers.

Lovely jubbly lake, friends, supper etc

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We are now staying with some US friends in their gorgeous rustic wooden cabin right on the shore of  Lake George in NY state. Fantastic home, gardens and porch, where we had a wonderful supper. Moroccan couscus, veggie and chicken stew and other lovely things. We make some new friends as there were 10 of us around the table and we dined watching the sun set over the lake. The children swung over the lake on a swing and we had a bonfire and chatted as we watched the sun go down and the stars appear. Lovely coolish air. We have opened the shutters on our dear little room and can hear the crickets, breeze in the trees and the odd boat and wave go by.

I visited a walk in clinic in New York and got some antibiotics for my chest infection which isn’t too bad according to the nice doc.

D’s knees are better too. We left Red Bank N.J. at 11:30am and arrived here at 6:00pm but did chores and errands on the way.

Good night. Wish you could hear the crickets too. I have missed them in Somerset

Unschedulled Labour Day Lay Over

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From the Comfort Inn Middletown N.J. USA

We had planned to play on the beach at Ocean City and then head north to some friends at Lake George on the other side of New York. The weather was lovely for this Labour Day Holiday that signals the end of the summer. So there is heavy  Holiday traffic everywhere. After about 2 hrs, we stopped to get some gas/petrol and use the loo at Red Bank N.J. and decided to remove Big Blue from the traffic congestion and stay near this lovely town overnight.   We are both glad to be pulling off the road early and are in our PJs. TT is eating porridge and I have had granola and a banana. We had a chicken sandwich each from Burger King for $4:00 total at lunch after a very posh breakfast at The Scarborough  this a.m. We have taken lots of photos and will post soon. Coughing intensity now down to a 3 from 8 last night. Tonight we have 2 double beds in a much bigger room so hopefully TT will not hear me doing an impression of a consumptive patient again.   Had to change out of my PJ’s into an old shirt of his last night as I had a nasty night sweat. (Is this too much information?) We were on the 4th floor of this old Inn without a lift so that is why I stole  TTs clothes. All my clean night attire was in Big Blue.  Roadie Tip: When staying in a hotel on the top floor without a lift, set up a block and tackle from the window in order to winch up van to obtain forgotten items. Off to bed now to start my brand new  book, “From the Hood to The Hill” by Barry C. Black. PhD., D.Min., D.D. Did I mention we met him and his wife yesterday??!!! They did come back to see David’s play in the evening. He was my first customer at “The Merch.” table and bought one of each of  TT’s  DVDs. Be still my beating heart.

Another prayer request for David’s knees. Both are painful and stiff today. Could this be due to :-

1. Doing a long fast walk on the boardwalk Friday or
2. Carrying going up and down 4 flights of stairs a lot .

Anyway, wearing my Roadie Grandma hat and dressing gown, I’ve just collected ice from the corridor and he is freezing his knees. Please when you are next on yours say a prayer for his. Thank you and goodnight.