Wild Horses!

Ned and I did something fun today.... we took a trail ride. One of the local companies had a discounted deal and we grabbed it. It was a lot of fun but I am pretty sure I will be sore tomorrow.  I was a 90 minute ride in the Ft. McDowell Indian reservation. The vistas were breathtaking and it was just plain fun. We saw a bunch of wild horses who did not seem to be frightened of us and 2 gorgeous bald eagles. I did not get a photo of them unfortunately. They are huge!! I am a sucker for horses since I used to own one. I don't usually ride Western so I had to readjust my brain at the beginning. I turned up in my gear and checked off experienced on the waver sheet and I got a wonderful horse. There were only 4 of us on the ride and I was the tail end... loved it. I got to go at my own pace and my horse was very responsive. I forgot how much I miss riding but I am not sure my hips or my back could take a steady diet. Too bad. Riding was one of the most enjoyable interludes in my life.

 

Pussycat, pussycat where have you been?

.... I have been to London to see the Queen!..
Well, not quite as I didn't see the Queen this time, but I had a blast in London. I went for a doll convention and to meet up with some wonderful people. The weather was actually quite pleasant for London in October. Only one day of rain and a couple of evenings. Otherwise the sky was its usual combination of sunny and overcast but the temperature was in the mid 50's. No complaints.  Did some touristy stuff I hadn't done in years mostly because some of my friends had never been before.

Portobello road was our first stop one day. It is lined with Antique shops, and anything else one could think of. Nothing was cheap. I love street food so we stopped for some very freshly made Felafel. It was the best I have ever had. I also picked up some cheese, bread, and figs.

 I loved the funky brushes in this place but didn't go in to check them out.

Next stop was the Tower of London.. hadn't been in ages.

We joined up with a tour and learned some interesting tidbits I either never knew or had forgotten.

The ravens keeping guard

The exhibit of the Crown Jewels was to die for. They redid everything this year for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and they certainly did it up right. Drool city..  no photos were allowed.
We went to Covent Gardens... my it has changed since I was there last. It has definitely been updated. We had fun strolling through all the stalls selling everything you can imagine. I picked up some hand made soaps. They look almost too good to use but they will be a gift. Then we did what we did best! Hit a wine bar.

We stayed in the wonderful Hoxton Hotel which is in Shoreditch. The lobby was perfect for our get togethers and drinking and carousing! The food from the grill was some of the best ever and the servers were very friendly and helpful. It was also nice that they provided free wifi. It was also very close to two tube stations which made it quite easy to get around.

The main reason for the trip were the dolls. I have already redressed one of them since that is what I like best. Here she is playing a viola that I found in one of the antique shops.

I haven't unboxed the other girls yet.

I also went to the Victoria and Albert museum to see two fashion exhibits. One was called Hollywood which is as the name implies.... the fashions and how they came about for the silver screen. I loved being able to see these costumes up close. All the workmanship that went into them is astounding. The other exhibit was Ballgowns. Eh... I was not nearly as impressed. No photos in either of these was allowed. They do have a permanent fashion exhibit and I did take some photos... enjoy. I believe you can buy both books on Amazon.. the Hollywood one is well worth it.

We also found our way to some lovely fabric shops.. I couldn't resist a few samples of fabric and trims.

Alas, the week went by very quickly and it was time to come home. Travel this time went very smoothly, but it took me 4 days to get over the jet lag. I am not as young as I used to be and traveling is becoming a pain in the butt.... but still well worth the effort.