[Magdalen] Safely home

[Grace Cangialosi]

Here the mostly go to Florida for the winter, and they're know as "snowbirds."

> On Nov 10, 2014, at 6:18 AM, Sally Davies <sally.davies at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> A very large number of people do this, we used to call them "swallows". In
> Somerset West there were a great many more - owing to location close to the
> winelands as well as the Cape Town city culture. Not so many here in PE but
> there are a few.
> 
> They're a great addition to our communities as they bring welcome
> investment that's much more than just finance. Most come from the UK but
> there are also some from Germany and from Sweden. I didn't meet any
> American swallows though I've heard stories of the occasional celeb buying
> a house by the sea in Cape Town. Maybe because the USA is big enough to
> accommodate swallow weather requirements within its own borders!
> 
> The one old guy really made me laugh, he'd ordered some "vanity plates" for
> his car. Said that in the UK they would be far too expensive but he'd
> always wanted them. Never yet met a swallow who missed the Northern
> Hemisphere winter one tiny bit.
> 
> You can rely on most swallows arriving by late November and they're usually
> gone by May, sometimes earlier. Don't want to miss the Chelsea Flower Show
> or the Boat Race, dontcha know...
> 
> In some jurisdictions there's even a tax advantage, if you can arrange to
> be somewhere that's neither here nor there for a week or two thus making it
> less than 6 months in either residence.
> 
> Sally D
> 
>> On Monday, 10 November 2014, Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I've often thought it would be best to switch hemispheres every six
>> months...I'd opt for spring and summer up top and then spring and summer
>> down under.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
>>>> On Nov 9, 2014, at 11:15 PM, Sally Davies <sally.davies at gmail.com
>>> <javascript:;>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Roger!
>>> 
>>> South Africa is always good if you want to get away from the Northern
>>> weather...! We have mountains, sea, game reserves, friendly people and
>> lots
>>> of interesting history. November is still early enough to see the whales.
>>> 
>>> Sally D
>>> 
>>> On Monday, 10 November 2014, Roger Stokes <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com
>> <javascript:;>>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Jay, I was sorry to miss you and your jewellery this year when I was in
>>>> Virginia. I recall a very warm late September evening standing onb the
>>>> platform at Portland last year which assures me that that part of the
>>>> country is temperate.
>>>> 
>>>> Roger
>>>> 
>>>>> On 10/11/2014 00:29, Jay Weigel wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> The Pacific Northwest is not all THAT cold in November, and you could
>>>>> visit
>>>>> two countries at once....see listsibs in both Vancouvers and then
>> perhaps
>>>>> drive down the coast into California. That's one thought. Texas and New
>>>>> Mexico are another, although we do not have as many there as we once
>> did.
>>>>> If you wish to see your northern brethren and sistren, you will have to
>>>>> visit earlier in the year.
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Sun, Nov 9, 2014 at 7:19 PM, Roger Stokes <
>>>>> roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com <javascript:;>>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thank you, as you know I have gone West from you but I need to
>> determine
>>>>>> where is worth exploring and then where is the best place to fly to.
>>>>>> Houston was good but I found Atlanta to be superb.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Roger
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On 09/11/2014 23:48, Lynn Ronkainen wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Glad to hear you're safely home again Roger!  How fun that you hope to
>>>>>>> make plans for your 4th annual  'once in a lifetime' USA trip <big
>> grin>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> It will be interesting to hear about what you might explore next
>> time -
>>>>>>> you're becoming such a seasoned US traveler that you can rely on
>> skills
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>> experiences you've gained over time to circumvent some of the pesky
>>>>>>> details
>>>>>>> that have popped up.   If you're in 'the southern' part of the US and
>>>>>>> find
>>>>>>> your plans bringing you in/near/through Houston, my guest-den will be
>>>>>>> available again.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Lynn
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> website: www.ichthysdesigns.com
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I
>> have
>>>>>>> not a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You
>>>>>>> gave
>>>>>>> me." attributed to Erma Bombeck
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Thomas Merton writes, "People may spend their whole lives climbing
>> the
>>>>>>> ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the
>>>>>>> ladder is
>>>>>>> leaning against the wrong wall."
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> "What you seek is seeking you." - Rumi
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>> From: "Roger Stokes" <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com <javascript:;>>
>>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2014 5:37 PM
>>>>>>> To: <Magdalen at herberthouse.org <javascript:;>>
>>>>>>> Subject: [Magdalen] Safely home
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> I landed back safely in England Friday morning
>> <x-apple-data-detectors://33>
>>>>>>> <x-apple-data-detectors://44> after another enjoyable
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> trip to the USA.  Touchdown was ahead of schedule, but would have
>> been
>>>>>>>> earlier still had it not been for congestion at Heathrow
>> necessitating
>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>> loop around.  I did manage to remember how to drive a stick-shift
>> car
>>>>>>>> but
>>>>>>>> the temperature and the price of gas were unwelcome.  The latter had
>>>>>>>> continued to fall while I was away but 1.209 GBP (about $2) a litre
>> is
>>>>>>>> very
>>>>>>>> cheap here even if expensive by US standards.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Having just got back my thoughts are naturally turning to "where
>>>>>>>> next?".
>>>>>>>> I am thinking of November 2015 so I would think not too far North
>> but
>>>>>>>> I am
>>>>>>>> aware that there is a vast chunk of the USA I have not yet been to
>>>>>>>> which
>>>>>>>> hold new delights to explore.  I need to come up with a tentative
>>>>>>>> itineraru
>>>>>>>> before I visit my travel agent to organize it.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Roger
>>