Primping and packing . . . . . .

. . . . . . . and flying home.

It's that time again!

Raleigh Nail Salon - mani by My Lihn, pedi by Kim - my nail gals of many years.

My go to signature nail gel color - 'Queen Fierce' by Lechat Perfect Match

 with their matching regular polish for toes.

For me, getting ready for a trip is the hardest part!

What to take usually depends on the weather expected, and in

 the UK, being an island, it can change in a heartbeat.

Easter there was "scorching hot" according to family and 

friends. Now the forecast says most of the time we are

 there it will be back to cool and perhaps wet days, with 

what will feel to us - coming from the now really warm

 southeast - really cold nights! Evening pub visits with fires

 on the hearth, crunchy local fish 'n chips and good wine

 might help!

Yesterday was mani/pedi day for my 'perfect 20' and after my

 hair cut/color appointment today, some re-packing may be in order. 

A warmer coat, another sweater, ditch the sandals and pop wet weather

leather sneakers in the bag!

Getting it all together - one more 'sleep' tonight and then homeward bound.

Leaving the garden at this lovely time of year is hard though!

Busy Women. . . . . . . .

When are we no longer 'busy women'?

Sometimes it happens once we reach a certain age. 

It may be due to health issues.

We can lose our get up and go for many reasons.

Some women get to a point where they can't continue

 doing all the things they once found easy. . . . . . . 
and some women never slow down, they just keep on ticking.
I'm sure you're familiar with this quote. . . . . "a woman's work is never done".

Violet and Isabelle from Downton Abbey.

I think I want more of their kind of 'busy'. . . . . . . . sipping tea 

whilst wearing white gloves and beautiful hats!

Speaking of hats, soon I'll be packing for Africa - this pic was from my

 very first safari six years ago. Where have those years gone?

I later did a second safari, and have traveled to so many other marvelous

places in the world, many thanks to my amazing best friend Paula.

On this one, Paula will be sharing with us many of the special humanitarian
 projects she is involved with in the Maasai Mara, Kenya.

Yesterday we braved the heat of the storage attic to look for the duffel bags we

 need to pack for Kenya in a few weeks. I also set up the always useful portable

 clothes rack and over the coming weeks will get my safari gear together. 

Bob and I visited the county health clinic for our booster immunizations - we're

 taking oral typhoid vaccine this week - filled our anti-malarial drug prescriptions and
 will start taking them the day before we fly out to Nairobi. 

Trips like this require quite a bit of stamina. Just organizing everything ahead

and knowing what to take along, just in case (for example an antibiotic along

 with regular meds if used), as well as packing everything in such a small bag,

 can be fraught with anxiety, plus there's always a ton of paperwork to peruse

 from the safari company.

Clothing I have down pat, including hats, but forget the white gloves!