More destruction

Oscar found a receipt today while I was at work. This is the look I get when he knows he did something bad - he's so sad. Thankfully, it was not a big mess. That only happens when he gets a stray tissue.

In other news, Oscar has been a reluctant walker in this cold weather. He only wants to go for a short walk, maybe half a block or so. Even with his booties, he just gets cold. It is nice, however, that we can now walk in the light of day when I get home at night. I don't have to bring my flashlight along to find his poo.

Destruction & new booties

Oscar was a naughty dog today. He's been good for so long, but he just couldn't resist. He chewed my shoelaces again. It's been months since he's done any destructive chewing, but I awoke this morning to a wet chewed off lace. I think I just need to make sure there is always a bone around for chewing, so he leaves my shoes alone.

Photo 2 shows Oscar sporting his new booties from my mom. There were 4 in the package, but they would not stay on his front paws, and the snow doesn't bother them as much, so I just left on the back booties. With a 4 on he looks a like a little clown. Even with just 2 he looks silly, but they kept the snow out of his pads and we were able to go for a longer walk today.

The third photo I took one morning this week. This is what Oscar does in the morning while I am getting ready for work. Sometimes he doesn't even get off the couch when I leave, which is probably good because it means he doesn't bark in the morning. What a tired dog!

Day off!

I have today off because of Martin Luther King, Jr Day and it feels like I'm skipping out on work. It is so quiet from the snow last night - it's wonderful. Oscar and I went out for a walk this morning and he was hopping around in the snow, he loves it, but his feet got cold quickly and we didn't take a long walk.

I do need to venture out though and pick up a new web cam, mine is still not working right. It works for a few minutes and then cuts out. Frustrating, but my computer is a few years old and this is the first major problem I've had with it.

Martha & Ailee came over last night to help me recover my kitchen chairs. They look great! Oscar was actually pretty well behaved, and at least he left Ailee alone while she watched a movie.

This weekend I finally made it to Penzey's with Brenda & Mike. I love that store :) I restocked my kitchen.

I spent Saturday with the girls at Karin's. I was working on my recipe book of Sylvia's old recipes. I am now at the point where I am finishing up the formatting and I'll have to decide if I want to make it on full-size paper or half-size.

Home Sweet Home

We arrived back in town today and I am glad to be home. London was great fun, and it was so nice to see Andy and Mandy again, but it is always nice to come home. Oscar was very glad to see me this afternoon and he is happily sleeping next to me as I type.

I feel that I saw just a glimpse of London, and I am excited to start planning my next trip there. I feel that since I have free accomodations for now I need to make the most of the opportunity and will visit as much as possible.

On the Town

Yesterday we spent some time on Portobello Road near Mandy's flat. It is this great place where on Saturdays there is a huge outdoor marketplace. Antiques, food, fruits & Veggies, clothes - you name it you can find it there. According to Mandy it is evern bigger most weekends, but since this is a holiday weekend it was not as full as usual. It was nice and I bought a cool t-shirt from this vendor who designs and makes his own products.

Last night Andy Mandy & I went out on the town. We were advised to try this small place near Soho square, which was nice but completely packed. It was in the basement of a small building and Andy's friend told us that we just should go in as if we had been there before. Very strange, but it worked. The doorman didn't even blink. But since it was so busy we had one drink there and moved on and found this small club that was playing rockabilly music. It wasn't live music, but the DJ's were really into it and played some great music. We danced late into the night and had a lot of fun.

London part two

It has been a hectic few days of touring London. On Wednesday we went to Trafalgar Square and saw the statute of Lord Nelson. We then went inside the National Gallery - the first picture, and saw a wonderful Velasquez exhibit. After, we went on a pub tour with a classmate of Andy's - Michael. It was great fun.

On Thursday went to the Tower of London. The second picture is of the White Tower. It was interesting to hear the history of the Tower and see some of the buildings. We were not able to see the Crown Jewels because there was a huge line to get in. After that we went to the Tate Modern and saw the slide exhibit there. It was really neat and they have a great collection of Modern art.

Today we went to the British Library and the British Museum. The Library was incredible and we were able to see some illuminated manuscripts and a special exhibition of maps of London. The British Museum was amazing, but it was hard to take it all in. Every room was packed with these amazing artifacts, and it was surprising that not everything is behind glass or barriers, so you can go right up to these marble busts that are thousands of years old.

Boxing Day

Yesterday was Boxing Day here in London and many museums and tourist areas were closed. We took a boat ride on the Thames and saw many of the sites we hope to visit. We saw the London Eye, St. Paul's, the Tate Modern, and the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. It has been pretty comfortable weather but damp.

We spent the afternoon at the Globe Theater. It was very impressive and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. After that we walked across the Millenium Bridge and took a bus through town to get back to Mandy's - through a very busy Picadilly Circus and Oxford Street, by Hyde Park and on to North Kensington.