Brown paper packages .

“Raindrops on Roses and whiskers on kittens,brown paper packages tied up with string these are a few of my favourite things” .

I woke this morning to Springtime and the dawn chorus .I love those gentle moments between sleeping and waking when your thoughts meander into that promise of a new day.

Earlier this week we had received this set of simple questions from Soldotna Alaska via e mail.

What is your favourite beverage, snack , book or book genre, dinner out ,breakfast ,colour, thing to do on a sunny day ,thing to do on a rainy day and fragrance ? In my wandering I considered the fun Keith and I had over breakfast the previous day responding to this interest in our favourite things and we looked forward to receiving Jan and Stan’s answers too.

We live in a time that potentially can create lots of brown paper packages tied up in string ? We think about what to consume next ? What lifestyle to choose and pursue ? How to blame and place responsibility outside ourselves ? How the 24/7 media comment can shape our attitudes ? What of fame and celebrity once we have created an image ? So busily preoccupied the contents of these brown paper packages beneath our feet may never be shared. Until of course prompted by the genuine trusted interest of friends and family we are teased to pull the string and show who we uniquely.

Keith and I are surrounded by others with whom we can share our brown paper packages (warts and all) ,family ,neighbours and valued friends .They help us appreciate this beautiful world of ours and the prospect of travels of the brownbear kind !

Cyberspace Hospitality

Ten years ago a friendship that blossomed began with a letter and a telephone call in response.Two people took time to get to know each other through writing and sharing conversation over the phone.Soon they decided  they were already good friends despite never having met . I suppose that unconventional way of meeting your soulmate had several important keys to its success.Writing means you have to think very carefully before you communicate and phones are about listening carefully and taking turns to discover each other .
Keith and I discovered we could laugh a lot ,accept each other as we were and  not be daunted by the ups and downs of ageing together and building a new stepfamily . Six months later we married appreciating we had been given a second chance of loving again .

Now we are planning our 10th wedding anniversary trip to Alaska after 10 years of true partnership and a growing love .

Six years ago we bought Finan a loveable, relaxed Border Terrier and sixteen months later his feisty daughter Tilly joined our family . Cyberspace hospitality then played its part again.We met Jan and Stan through a Border Terrier Forum and began to share our love of these soulful eyed dogs.A Cyberspace friendship was built and Mary from Alabama joined in through communicating  over vast distances. So technology doesn't have to foster speed and busyness.In our case it  enabled the sharing of interests ,emotions and our outlook on this 21st century world .

The excitement about our eventual meeting is hanging in the air this springtime mirroring the qualities of those wonderful moments 10 years ago. What a way to celebrate a wedding anniversary !

The taste of writing

I enjoy writing and the prospect of this trip into another way of life is tasty . Why ? 

Some years ago, as a family, we got adventurous with our first experiences of travelling abroad  to France and Norway .Each time I kept a journal and now thirty years later they are kept upstairs in the Harry Potter room.Each one allows me time to revisit special memories of Kate and Nick growing up .

These memories are wide ranging from the seemingly mundane to the idyllic .The hotel in the North East where we were locked out of one of our rooms .As a result we all slept cramped restless conditions before leaving Newcastle for Bergen .

I can vividly remember my first view of a majestic albatross in the North sea following our ferry ,the lights of oil rigs at night  and Kate swimming in the smooth cool waters of a glacial lake .Her rhythmic strokes gently rippled the crystal clear lake  on a surprisingly hot day. Then Nick will remember the T shirt that he had bought alone on a shopping trip and which later mysteriously disappeared !

On my birthday this year another journal arrived from Kate and her family .It is pictured above and within its clean white pages I will be able to catch glimpses  our experiences in Alaska.  I shall enjoy shaping new memories for the future.

So the taste of writing  comes full circle  and it feels good!



Message for our Grandchildren

Sometime this year Poppa and I will be travelling half way round the world to Alaska a place which is very different from England .In the winter it can be very cold and and the days are dark for much longer .Alaska is  nearer the North pole than we are and at night you can look into the sky and see the beauty of the Aurora lights painting moving colours across the sky .(See the picture on the right.)  

In summer the days are much longer deep snow melts and everything bursts into life.

We hope to discover what it is like to live in a place where eagles can be seen flying past the window of your house, moose wander  into town occasionally ,and mountains are volcanoes are almost on your doorstep.

So Poppa Keith and I hope that occasionally you will take a peek at our adventures

With love from us both

So this blog is especially for you too!



Travelling Closer to the Moment

Over the weekend we "Skyped" our friends in Alaska. Modern technology certainly awakens the imagination of this "Silver Hoody" opening up all sorts of communication opportunities across diverse lands, cultures and natural habitats . WOW ! such is our connectivity in a shrinking wonderful world .

Following that video call we adjusted our plans to take into account the global rise in fuel costs and times of our arrival at Anchorage.We are now taking a 20 min flight from Anchorage in a small twin engine turbo prop plane over the the vast volcanic wilderness that waits to greet us . The type of plane is pictured here.

ANTICIPATION

Welcome to Brown Bear Travels

Gilly and Keith are looking forward to the prospect of travels to Brown Bear Territory in 2011 .Keepin the exact time private at the moment.But we hope to use this Blog to keep you up to date with our 10th Anniversary Travels.

Jan ,Stan ,Scout and Daisy thank you for the part you have already played in our planning