Day 15.171: Fish and chips

We’ve arrived at our seaside location for the next few days with Exile #2’s mum. First stop - fish and chips. 

Day 15.170: Transitional

Today we left my sister’s house, swapped vehicles, visited Exile #2’s mum for lunch and ended the day with a lovely meal with good friends who kindly offered to put us up for the night before we start our next adventure. 

And, seeing that we had nowhere else to go it would have been rude not to introduce the two young adult Exiles to pool with amusing photographic results. 

Day 15.169: …and a trip to the pub

We had a full day today which ended with a trip to the pub for dinner. What a lovely few days. Tomorrow we move on to new adventures. 

Day 15.168: Home

This picture is from yesterday evening:

Today, this group of three took a road trip to get my dad home. These days have been hard but it’s been so good to do the hard stuff surrounded by family. 

Day 15.167: Gathering

This was one of the family groups from today. It’s been great being here with Dad and both my sisters and various other family members at various times over the last couple of days. 

Day 15.166: Family

This morning we all headed across the country to my sister’s house. This afternoon most of us joined the dogs for a walk at Bradgate Park. Here is the group (apart from the two dogs who really didn’t want to pose for a photo on this occasion):

It is lovely to have this family time. 

Day 15.165: Farewell

We celebrated my mum's life today in a packed church full of beautiful flowers and people who loved her from many different activities and times in her life. It was good to be there and afterwards there were some laughs to balance the tears.

Picture of Mum when Dad first knew her from the back of the order of service 

Day 15.164: Arrival

This was my first view of England this morning:

The rest of the day had some more travel - successful in the end - and then some family time. 

Day 15.163: Departure

We’re at the gate for our flight to the UK. Lots of family time lies ahead starting with a final goodbye to my mum on Friday.

Day 15.162: Garden - interrupted

Plans for the garden (especially vegetables) have been a bit interrupted by our upcoming trip to the UK, but our new (last year) courtyard garden is doing rather well after its first winter:

Spectacular spire of white flowers

Succulents that survived have been supplemented with some new transplants from indoors

Day 15.161: Post-teen

Today marked the 20th anniversary of the day that Exile #2 and I became parents. That also means that it was Exile #3’s 20th birthday - we celebrated something like this:

Day 15.160: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #399

Exile #2 writes...

Exile #1 had what is, perhaps, a typical Father's Day for him. He dashed off to church to help with the online tech, then came home and began editing the dance show footage he spent all of yesterday filming. These and so many other things that he does each day above and beyond the call of duty put him in the category of super dad in our books. Exile #4 created this art work as an expression of what he used to do literally but now perhaps does more figuratively!

Painting showing an adult chasing a child with the words “Happy Father’s Day!

Day 15.159: Shodan

Exile #4 last had a karate test in June 2019. At the time, they tested for their junior black belt with a plan to test for the real thing one year later when they would be 16 and eligible for the adult rank. 

Then came COVID. Today was the long awaited test - and I’m sure they were better prepared than they would have been in 2020 with or without the pandemic. 

Here they are with their fellow testee in action in front of the rather inscrutable panel. 

And here is the whole group after the successful promotions. 

Day 15.158: River sights

A few more pictures from our walk around town on Monday - specifically when we walked through the mill by the river:

Two cedar waxwings on a branch under a canopy of fresh leaves

Light shining through peeling birch bark on some young trees

A heron fishing from a rock on the far side of the river

Day 15.157: Queen solo

I finished dealing with the wasp nest today. As I suspected it was a very new nest - just a queen and the first few larvae killed by my intervention yesterday. As I suspected - bald-faced hornets. 

Dead black and white wasp in a broken open paper nest

I would have left them alone if she’d chosen to make her nest somewhere less heavily trafficked  than a door lintel but we couldn’t allow a large colony right there.  

Day 15.156: Bald-faced?

Exile #2 spotted this small and interesting but very inconveniently located wasp nest the other day. A bit of research suggests it is probably a bald-faced hornet nest. 

Apparently, it we identified it correctly it might grow to the size of a basketball at which point it might have several hundred wasps in it. My job today was to decide if I could remove it. This evening I got some improvised protective clothing on and did the first phase of removal, so far so good. 

Day 15.155: River road

We were surprised by this bit of engineering by the mill - a temporary road presumably to give access to the bank. Quite an operation!

Day 15.154: A quick walk around town

Exile #2 and I took a little walk in the early evening. We saw two of the three recently decorated electrical boxes - including the one designed by one of Exile #4's friends.

Colorfully decorated electrical box by the street (1)

Colorfully decorated electrical box by the street (2)

and this banner over Main Street celebrating all the high school graduates:

Day 15.153: Exile #2's Sunday Column #398

Exile #2 writes...

Today was a day of finishing up leftovers from Exile #4's birthday and mopping up admin jobs that we had struggled to do during the time Exile #1 was further exiled to the basement. Cars were booked for our upcoming trip, forms were completed for college, and items needing to be returned to school were gathered up and made ready. E5N1 disappeared during the afternoon to go to a friend’s house for some water-based fun but he returned damp and suitably exhausted in time for dinner.

Day 15.152: Four adults and three teenagers

Today is Exile #4's 18th birthday. Apart from the essentials of gifts and cake:

Exile #4 opening gifts and smiling

Exile #4 smiling while looking at at a chocolate cake with 18 candles

they chose a game of Clue (Cluedo) in the afternoon and Chinese food for dinner. When we inevitably over-ordered, I suggested it was because we'd ordered enough for four adults and three teenagers - both of which are accurate counts, but only for a few more days.

Day 15.151: Flowers plus one at Timber Point

Before I got overtaken by COVID and High School Graduation festivities, we had a walk at Timber Point. These are the non-bird photos I picked out. Hard to post a load of flowers without thinking of my mum, so I'll think of her, but also post them.

White beach rose

Dark pink beach rose

Wild geranium

Bush honesuckle

Sea pea

and here's the plus one, because he posed so nicely I had to take a picture:

Chipmunk on a low branch

I was surprised to find that all these flowers apart from the geranium are invasive species in Maine. The chipmunk - although troublesome around the house especially in large numbers - is not an invader.