ONE MORE DAY IN CAMBRIA

I can't believe the departure from Cambria is so very near! Just tomorrow (Sunday) to get it all together, not counting today because it's already scheduled to the ying yang and back.  The final unscheduled day to finish packing my bags for a year-long joueney or more is tomorrow, Sunday.  Progress so far, all my toiletries are in the front cosmetic bag on table (left), meds & misc in the 2nd bag on table, in the third are all my undies & socks.  Those will go in the check-in bag on right.  I have two other zipper containers for pants and tops. Coats, jackets, formal wear for ship will be folded over these zippered containers. Electronic, shoes, sleepwear, and cold-wear will be in carry-on roller bag. That's the plan, we'll see if it works.  lol lol Well laid plans ...

 Will leave on Monday (30th), first stop Visalia and visits with friends and family before going any further ...

UPDATED SCHEDULE Jan 16 - Nov 29

BRITAIN, EUROPE, CANADA
Updated Schedule  (last 5 are new)

JAN 16 - FEB 15  
Weymouth UK. - 30 days

FEB 15 - MAR 14
Winchester UK. - 30 days

MAR 14 - APR 13
Ryde, Isle of Wight UK - 30 days

APR 13 - MAY 13
Waterford IRE - 30 days

MAY 13 - JUN 12
Limerick IRE - 30 days

JUN 12 - JUL 4
Ashbourne IRE - 22 days

JUL 4 - AUG  3
Versailles FR - 30 days

AUG 3 - 27
Le Havre FR - 24 days

AUG 27 - SEP 4
Southampton UK - 7 days

SEP 4 - 11
QM2 Atlantic Crossing - 7 days

SEP 11 - 14
Brooklyn NY, Downtown - 4 days

SEP 14 - 21
Bangor ME - 7 days

SEP 21 - OCT 21
Clark’s Harbor, Nova Scotia - 30 days

OCT 21 - NOV 12
St John’s, Newfoundland - 22 days

NOV 13 - 29
Tempe AZ - 16 days

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY ... I’m off to the races!!! But now the crunch is on. You know about those last minute to-do lists and the unexpected hurdles that always appear ...well I’m working through that list.

First on the list was my High Blood Pressure meds ... three of them. Insurance wouldn’t pay meds for more than three months travel out of country. So I would have to go to a doctor in those countries to get new prescriptions when needed, pay cash. On a hunch and once again, I called pharmacy to see what they could do for me. My brilliant druggist made a suggestion ... get a year’s prescription here and pay out of pocket for bulk before I leave, which would at least eliminate costly doctors’ appointments and additional $$ while traveling. DONE!!! I love my druggist! But I wonder how much space that will take. And wonder if inspectors will think I’m dealing drugs. Interesting.

Second on my list ... the indicator light came on in the car yesterday, saying air in tire is low. So today will check that out and also get the car serviced this week before leaving.

And so on ....

FIRST GLITCH

Yes, the first glitch in well-laid plans.  The hotel on the cliffs is North-east Canada, north of Nova Scotia snd New Brunswick is changing hands and will close in October for the season. I was looking forward to that month of isolation to work on my book.  Well, it’s back to the drawing board, I may take a complete new direction for Sept 11 to November 13, that was the time slot for Canada. I arrive in New York on the 11th, end of QM2 Atlantic Crossing. This will be fun figuring it out. Need to stay in North America though for my stay in Phoenix in November.

I’ll keep you posted. Oh, by the way, only eight more days left in Cambria.

10 Days Left in Cambria

OMG!  The panic is setting in! Only ten more days, actually nine, to attend to all that’s left to do.  But the saving grace is I’ve got the whole world and a new life opening up to me on January 15, 2020! YES!!!!

When I arrive in England on January 16, all past and present stress and burdens will have  been lifted, after that only to be used fictitiously in my writings - Fodder for my characters, as always.  I feel lighter already, clearing out the muddles and baggage as I also clear out my apartment and files of clutter.

I was asked this week if persons in Cambria are in my novels, that people are guessing about certain characters, I had to laugh. Although Cambria is a ‘Peyton Place’ as all small towns are, it nor any of its people are in my novels.  There is one segment in the first book that I placed my main character’s stepmother Lee as owner of an art gallery in Cambria, and ‘Rachel O’Neill’ spends a couple weeks with ‘Lee’ while recovering the death of her birth mother. A chapter of reflection for Rachel mostly. No interaction with the populace. AND I have no desire to write about  Cambrians.

NOW, MY UPCOMING MEMOIR is a different situation ... of course since I’ve had two husbands and other ‘lovers’ here, you can expect to read about them in that tell-all. YES!!!!

15 DAYS LEFT IN CAMBRIA

WOW!  Weeks have turned into days. Only 15 days left in my apartment. Only seven oversized ornate pieces left to pack; am waiting on four larger tubs to arrive on Tuesday for those. I’ve ordered heavy duty large trash bags for pillows and a duvet, that will arrive on Tuesday too.  Other than the Capodimonte and porcelain lamps being wrapped with bubble wrap for storage, and things I’m using till the 30th, I’m finished packing for storage.  Filled eight tubs in the last two days. Oh, and the two jewelry armoires, I will put jewelry in ziplock bags and place into a tub.  So I’ll do that before the 27th -  UHaul Day when everything goes.  I’m happy to be ahead of schedule, which is great.

Have been watching a Netflix series this weekend - NORTH AND SOUTH - set in England. Soooo good!  Just ended. The entire month and a half, while packing, Netflix series have been playing in the background non-stop, but I would actually stop and watch them on breaks and in the evenings. I tried playing music while working, but didn’t do the trick. Now the end of preparation is near ... and I’ll be off on Dec 30, traveling for a year!  I can’t believe it’s actually happening, WOW!

20 DAYS LEFT IN CAMBRIA

I seem to be reflecting this afternoon, now that a load of 40 book boxes and another 16 grey 18 gal. containers have been taken to storage. It's moving right along, folks. Just twenty more days till I leave Cambria and all behind. But today my reflective mood or distraction (more like it) is challenging my thoughts, questioning myself.

Part of it could be my physicality today, feeling a bit off kilter. Napped and woke up to the taste of bile in my mouth. Happening often lately.  Maybe I'm lying down too soon after eating. Lying on the wrong side too, should be left side. Well I'm not going to dwell on it past this moment, just need to remember to lie on my left side for nap and at night. Happens at night sometimes too. Normally I can trace the uncomfortableness back to overeating or wrong combinations of food and drink. I'm sure my doc would say the same thing. "Rebecca, you're just getting older, and need to be aware of what you put into your stomach." Okay, doc, need to be more aware.

I began thinking today about the trains in Europe.  Getting on and off.  That can really be tricky, especially with my larger check-in bag and the carry-on bag, hefting both on and off trains. There's no problem flying because one is checked in. So I need to make sure my train tickets are scheduled to give me time between trains.  Direct routes are the best when I can get them. I have the TRAINLINE app on my phone, and when you buy your tickets they are there to show the conductor or trade for paper tickets at the stations. Have already purchased the UK tickets for my upcoming trip. The first one is from Weymouth to Winchester - direct route. So no worry there, don't have to meet a schedule for the next train. That's after I've been in Weymouth the first month and am ready to move on to Winchester.  After a month in Winchester I go to the Isle of Wight. So I've got a direct ticket to Portsmouth & Southsea station where I'll take a cab to the hovercraft ferry port and skim across to Isle of Wight, right to the town where I'm staying - Ryde.  Have already purchased a RT ferry ticket too. So that's the first three months.  Then it's a reversal of the ferry, after which I'll go to the airport in Southampton and fly to Ireland for the next three months. And of course when I travel around the countries, there'll be more trains, buses, taxis.  It's very easy. There's always a tourist office in the towns with schedules of tours and maps and transportation schedules.  AND there's always the Internet. Personally, I use the Internet mostly during my travels. However in the months before boarding the QM2 on Sept 4, I'll be spending much of my traveling time in my rooms writing my memoir. And that really is exciting. Have to have first draft ready by then, because while on the ship I'll be plugging in real-time thoughts and recollections ... as if I'm reminiscing about The Eight Husbands & Other Lovers during my eightieth birthday crossing of the Atlantic.

So when I have my doubts, not often, I remind myself what this trip means to me ... the freedom to live elsewhere and everywhere, new adventures and more experiences, new occasions and people, no restrictions, no interruptions ... just me and the unniverse and whatever is out there and the freedom to write whatever I want to.

And that sums it up rather perfectly. So we'll see how it goes in 2020 and whether or not I'll keep on truckin' in 2021, etc.

25 DAYS LEFT IN CAMBRIA

Now that's a bit scary - just 25 days till I'll vacate my cozy nest of three years ... moved into it the First of January 2017.  It was comfy and pleasurable while it lasted, my New York loft, I call it. But if you were to see it now, partly deserted with empty display cases, bubble wrap and grey totes being packed and stacked, empty book shelves ... well it's sort of sad looking.

The happy and exciting part is that I'm about to take a long journey around the world for as long as I can, two and three months in countries of my choice.  2020 will be England, Ireland, France, Eastern Canada. 2021 will be Italy, Spain, maybe some Baltic countries, and Switzerland. All revisits ... spending more time in them to get to know people and places, AND TO WRITE ABOUT THEM, YES!! 

All my furnishings and belongings stay in storage till I tire of traveling and my wanderings end, however many years it'll be - one, two, three, maybe more. So yes, the reality is setting in and it's only 25 days till I leave Cambria, and 15 more after that till I lift off to England.  Can't believe I'm actually doing it. 

 Linda Hainline, dear one, RIP, I'm going, I'm REALLY doing it. ❤️❤️❤️