Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Whew! What a fantastic trip we all had. Belgium, France, England, and lastly, Scotland all went by in a thunderous good time! So much to see, so little time, but we certainly gave it our all. The actual tour started on June 10th with Stitching with Susan and Sally. I've never seen such beautiful needlework in all my days. We had such good times at the Royal School of Needlework (I think they had my most favorite piece of all), Jane Greenoff's Pinks Barn, The V & A Museum, and Joyce Petschek's Bargello Studio, etc. Those are just for starters.
Our friend, Kim, planned before and after trips while we were over in Europe. So as soon as we hit London, we took a train to Brussels and then Bruges, Belgium. Some mighty fine chocolate and lace, I might add. Very pretty and picturesque. Then off to Paris to see the sights. I lucked out and found a wonderful needlework shop there, too - good thing hubby wasn't around to see what I spent there!
Then to London for the actual tour. I've been to London four times in the past 30 years and have never seen the English countryside. It was such a treat - so beautiful. We went to Bath and actually saw places where Jane Austen lived and frequented. Can't get better than that, eh? Went to visit Jane Greenoff at her home. Now that was something to talk about. She was so friendly; very nice to see her in her home habitat. We had a visit with Joyce Petschek of Beautiful Bargello fame. She opened her home to us also; it was lovely and eclectic. Susan and Sally spent much effort on this trip; even with the expected excursions, there were lots of happy surprises along the way. Many thanks to them for wonderful planning for us all!
Then, again thanks to Kim, after England we went on to Edinburgh to see Scotland. Definitely one of my favorite places. My first time there and it was so inviting - such lush greens everywhere. Of course, the weather changed every 30 minutes or so; kept you guessing. Took a trip out to see the countryside with Glencoe, Inverness, Loch Lomond, and Loch Ness. Nope - didn't find Nessie, but we found lots else. Scottish people were so helpful and nice. Lovely place. Well, once I unpack and upload all my pics, I'll choose a few good ones to share. It was a great trip, but it's always good to come home.
On a rather interesting note, I'd gotten a phone card on the trip. I couldn't understand why it always cut me off after the home phone rang four times and it didn't go to voice mail. I found out why when I got home. Our little sweetie (Montana) had chewed through the cord that plugs in our main unit for all the portable phones. So who knows how long our phone has been out. DH said he was wondering why the phone never rang! Speaking of said Montana, I must tell you the saga of the days before leaving. I was frantically trying to be ready for the trip on the 5th, when my DH insisted something wasn't right with Montana's neutering. Lo and behold, he was right; Montana still had a testicle left after the surgery. The vet said he was danged if he knew what happened - Montana either had three to begin with or they missed one. The vet's assistant swore they counted two removed, but be that as it may, he still had one left afterwards. So off to surgery that day again he went. Poor thing, but the difference in him has been amazing. He actually appears to sleep now, when he's not chewing, I might add..... But all's well that ends well!