Glorious sunshine to start the holiday

M&D safely arrived in Houston yesterday after a relatively uneventful journey - which is just the way you want it when planes are involved! Mum came out of the doors at arrivals in her huge Texan sized wheel chair pushed by a young lad (who apparently talked to himself the whole time!). It was so wide you could have fitted the both of them in it. Poor Dad was about to have a hypo after the guard had told him he filled out his immigration forms in incorrectly. Anyway, a dextrose tablet on route back to the house kept him right.

It was about twenty past seven by the time we collected them so we weren't sitting down to dinner until nearly nine o'clock, amazingly both of them had got a second lease of life in spite of being 3am back in the UK. When Dad finally decided the pillow was calling, Stuart and I were ready for our beds!

This morning there was no movement until 7am and we were already awake and chatting when we heard the kettle click on. You could already tell it was going to be a nice day, although chilly at just 5 degC, the sky was cloudless. I decided a gentle day was in order as I expected the jet lag would kick in later in the day. In the morning we had already got Dad in to the swing of all things Texan - how do you like him in the cowboy boots - very cool :) Shame we didn't have the hat out as well.

Mum just liked our Mexican gardeners hat!

Stuart wanted to show Dad the 'Hunting, Shooting, Fishing' shop at Katy Mills (a huge outlet shopping centre). So big and full of everything you want to go HSF - Stuart described the fishing section as a 'forest of rods' and it really was! Mum and I went off girlie shopping, although we didn't see anything at Katy Mills we did have better success at our first stop - Ross Dress for Less - where we got Mum a funky pair of sunglasses (Nine West have you know!) and a pair of trousers for less than £30 :) Dad has bought a pair of sunglasses off for $5, Dad has described these as the comfiest sunglasses he has even worn (Stuart bought them for a joke!).

By the time we got home for lunch it was easily in the high teens and in the garden it must have been up into the twenties. So while Stuart prepared shrimp quesadilla's for lunch we sat out enjoying the sun. I think that was my downfall, as I am now very red, but ironically the peely-wally Scots don't seem to be burnt at all.

To walk off lunch, it was followed by the dog walk without the dog! We went down the bayou. Dad took a lovely picture of the muddy waters :) It was in the sun and just glorious with only the odd cyclist to watch out for.

After, tea time still exists in Houston, so back for a cuppa whilst sitting in the sun again, I should say the whole time we were in the sun Stuart was hiding in the shade :) It wasn't long before Stuart was making us all a frozen margarita (he managed to get hold of margarita mix suitable for diabetics - i.e. no added sugar). By that time Dad and I had eventually finished our first game of darts. It took us some time - one has to admit - we only did from 101 but getting the double 1 to win was a challenge. I got there in the end 1-0 to me :) Stuart joined in for the next game and the same problem trying to aim for the double caused us all problems, however, Dad threw the winning throw!!

Since it was such a beautiful evening there was nothing else for it - we got the grill going for the first time this year. Stuart, aka chef, did pablano peppers (slightly hot big peppers), grilled sweetcorn, flank steak, burgers. Well we ate very well and are now very stuffed, not to mention the amount of alcohol consumed to wash it down with!

They are both in bed now while I write this. Tomorrow we are choosing between NASA and the science museum.