Well here goes the very first blog post!  After all the years of thinking about it, keeping illegible journals and repeating stories  , this will theoretically work to keep  all of you who are interested posted on whats going on and where we're at.
Now Blogs are passe , and its all about snapchat and twitter but years behind is usually where we are & how we like it, so we'll see if we can master this...  
 Mike's taking Spiffy the kitty to Vet tomorrow as his eye problem seems to be back.
He turns 17 in June so its always a concern his health will suddenly take a turn for the worse.
We decided that if he needs treatment or monitoring we'll take him with us rather than cancel the trip, but  the Van is  only 19 ft long ( reg mini Van length)  and already full with Mike and I plus 3 dogs.
It will be nuts in there  with all of them and not sure where a litterbox will fit. The dogs will love it though, they already think  cats are walking  treat dispensers. Here's   hoping the Vet will give the go ahead and Spiffy can stay home with Bee in comfort and style.  Our lovely lovely neighbours ( we seem to collect them) will come by each day to feed cats and give Spiff some cuddles. He's the most affectionate cat we've ever had , as well as ultra cool . In  another post  I'll tell the story of his biggest adventure  : 2 ferries, Jeep ride, mini Van, float plane and sailboat in one day!
meanwhile, instead of packing and leaving the house in order for whoever may stay here, Mike tinkered with the Austin , I picked nettles,  threw some compost on the raspberry patch and set up a blog.