On The Road Again

On the bicycle that is...No dog post this time, just another one of me biking. But let me tell you, it really made me happy. I didn't work, I didn't do chores - I just went out with friends on a beautiful day and rode my bike to Oxford. (For more on Oxford, check out last July's 'Working on the Weekend post')


Saturday morning was absolutely gorgeous. We had 20+ people at the start. Some turned around at different points and others carried all the way on.
Cycling through High Street in Oxford. There was an amazing amount of buses.

Jane and Holly in front of one of the colleges while we are stopped at a light.

Previous abbey turned into student housing....

Our destination! The pub at The Head of the River.

Proof that it sits at the head of the river. Several hen/stag parties were rowing about but sadly, I didn't get a picture of their silly river costumes.

Our reward.. mmmm... beer....Rob and I are happy campers now.

The rest of the crew. Only Chris is as happy as Rob and I. The rest are being good.... No pictures of the return trip as it was at quite the quick pace. I only got to stop to breathe. I didn't mind though.....Happy, happy Lynda....

Alternative Housing

I'm still working too much. Good thing I created this post in May just in case I ran out of material.

A popular housing and travel option here in the UK is the house boat. Due to the massive canal and river structure in the UK (thank the Romans who needed to move their armies around), house boats line the shores
You've got your basic house boat tied up next to the river bank (ignore Tucker looking guilty in the picture)

Then you've got your house boats that are permantenly moored (as permanent as a boat can be) by the river side where you settle into mowing the lawn and tending the garden.

And then you've got the boats where you put your garden ON the boat. Not much room on this deck!

There you go. Just something I found interesting as Tucker and I walk by so many on our Thames jaunts.

Marketing Strategy?

I know I'm not in marketing, but I have to question this one. Apparently this chocolate bar is targeted towards men.

I wonder if it works better when the boys are 10 years old?

I'm No Longer Alpha Dog

Too many hours at work and some rainy weather has allowed my dog to wander around the house all day sleeping and moving around my shoes. So it's no surprise that with me not home much any more, he basically doesn't listen to me.

Case in point: why did I bother spending money on this....

When right in front of me he climbs up here and makes himself at home? No amount of me telling him 'Bed!' got him to move from his sunny spot.

In addition, he now climbs up on other people's couches. While enjoying a glass of wine at my friend Jo's, Tucker decided that he should have been the one on the couch and I got in the way. Seriously, he just climbed up on top of me as if I wasn't even there.

Alpha Dog, I am not.....

I've Got Nothing

Sorry folks, I've got nothing this week. For everyone who has been telling me that I'm having too much fun and don't work enough - thanks for making my life miserable. The usual ten hour work days have now stretched into 12 hour days AND I had to cancel my cycling vacation to France. (Yeah, I know that doesn't make you feel sorry for me)

And for that, you just get a picture of my dog sleeping. He's been sorely neglected this week. Thank goodness for Kate, the dog walker.

Relax....

I was traveling for work this week and was lucky enough to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law.

They have this wonderful retreat in their yard which made it easy to relax after a few brain draining long days. I can't thank them enough for their hospitality and fun this week. Sadly, we also found out that our younger cousin passed away this weekend. It was quite sudden and unexpected. And because of that - I urge everyone to not sweat the small stuff and embrace your family and friends while you can.

Tucker swims!

If you know my dog, you know that he hates water. He doesn't like to get his paws wet, avoids swimming pools and refuses to go out in the rain. So imagine my surprise when he voluntarily went swimming this weekend!


The weather was very hot in England and the fur coat was a little much for my boy. What I really think happened is his competitive nature took over and he couldn't sit back and watch Stan and Alfie play fetch without him. Here Tucker is cheating and standing in the shallow water to steal the precious stick away from Stan.



It's a mad scramble in the Thames for a piece of wood!



Tucker goes solo and takes the prize. I'm so proud of my boy! Next time, I'll try to have the real camera at the ready.

Also, I'm traveling for work next week. Most likely no new posts until I get back. I know you'll be sad......