Ella, Ella, Ella

Sooooo  ...... what happens when you get bored and want to start tearing up 100 pound notes?

                                                            You buy a boat!
        In this case a narrow boat, yep 6'10" wide by 42' long and everyone in the UK thinks it is short.

                    We did a bit of shopping but found Ella, took us a month to sort out the details.

                                                                       

                                                                    Take a test drive.

                                                       
                                                     Haul her out and get a survey done.

                                     

                    But most important of all bring some friends along and christen her properly.

                    Yep one of the best and worst days of your life, the day you but a boat!  Cheers!

Passports and Kew Gardens

Fabulous Kew Gardens with Chicully Sculptures

 

OMG you want my passport for 3 weeks. Not sure I like that too much. Last time we went to Germany they said I could not return unless I had a page to stamp. And all my pages were stamped.                                              So off to the US Embassy for a new passport                                    

       
         Beautiful new US Embassy building in London, still under construction, but thankfully still issuing passports.  Now just cross our fingers and hope for the best. Planning a trip to Normandy, Frnace in three weeks.

                               So while we were in London we went and visited Kew Gardens.

Not only were the gardens in full spring bloom but there was a Cuchulliy exhitbit throughout the landscape.

                                               Amazing sculputers throughout the gardens

                                         Did not have time to see all the garden so will have to return.

I am soooo jealous of Birmingham!

Birmingham has 2, I only have 1!

Yes, I do work from time-to-time. We made a trip to Birmingham...no, not to wirebond. For those of you who want the not-so-glamorous side of living in England, I sit in front of these machines and keep them running on a day-to-day basis. That is why traveling is essential to my health!

We went to Birmingham to “borrow” their manual pick-and-place die bonder, so it would have a nice home after they upgraded to Dr. Tresky. 

Simon loves his pick-and-place, and wanted to make sure it had a good home. We've named her 'Zelda'!

                                                   Yes Simon,  I will take good care of Zelda 😌

But that is not the best thing about Birmingham. I got to visit a museum and 'yes' it ticked all the boxes. Museum takes just an hour to see, perfect, just enough and not too much.

Patron saint of wirebonding...it takes that many arms to run one. 

                             
Rodin!

The best of all was the chocolate! I found Cadbury Dark Milk Chocolate. Yes, to die for...Yummy! 

                                                 We toured the factory! So cute little people!

Then it was back to the salt pile.

Oxford

Thanks Simon for the lovely Zelda the Die Bonder. It is in good hands!