Where'sLambie?

London living

2011-01-13T01:32:00.000-08:00

Hi there

For those of you who are catching up with us, here is the possibly only London blog. We have been crazy busy since we got here, except for one day when we had a domestic day - with a slight cold brewing. Even then we managed to get out and about...just not all day!
Well it's 9.33am and I am in an internet cafe just around the corner from where we are staying which is just across the road from Kensington Park, and the Palace where Diana lived. The day is 12 degrees, grey and overcast, slightly damp-feeling but though it has been raining there is no rain currently.We have been really fortunate with the weather on this trip. The cold weather was quite easy to cope with - dry snow. During this whole nearly four weeks now, we have had about 15 minutes of light rain while we have been getting around - not bad for winter!

So with time against me, here are some editted highlights.No pictures - will add those into the mix later.

1. Trains.
Having taken the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris, we took the Eurostar from Paris to London. It was really weird thinking about the fact that we were zooming along at nearly 100 metres under the sea - at times. They show you a diagram to make it clear in their in-train booklet! It is really easy to get from tube to train to tube to our accommodation. These services are noticeably improving with better escalators and lifts. Being able to shift from one country to another in a train was a bit strange - but they had customs for the UK in Paris!

2.People.
We had dimsum just off Oxford Street (in a cafe called Ping Pong in James street!)with Jaime, Reena and J's grooms Nathan and Flash. Then the boys went off to measure John up for the kilt he is to wear at the wedding. We are to be parent-substitutes at the double ceremony. The photos should be good!
We also met up with my colleague from Hillcrest High, Linda Hood, who is teaching at a posh girls' school here. She also chose a pub, The Zetland Arms. because her grandmother had worked there in 1916. It was good to find out her news and she had just got back from NZ following her mother's illness which necessitated a shift into Matariki in Te Awamutu.
We met up with Barry's brother, Alex, in The Zetland Arms (again!)in South Kensington and had a meal and catchup with with hm in an Italian restaurant, of which there are about three on every side of every block in London it seems. He was in good form and was pleased to hear how all the people in Auckland were doing.

3. Places.
We have seen a lot of these as you can imagine. On Saturday we did a "London Walk" around Notting Hill which took us around the older parts of this )used-to-be) village.We also met up with a woman who had just moved from Waikato Hospital and whose daughter was at Waikato Uni.We now know where Robbie Williams used to live; where Annie Lennox does live and where Prince Charles's Highgrove meat can be bought. Organic meat, this will cost you NZ$97 per kg for rack of lamb. Yes we did find the bookshop from "Notting Hill" and shopped at Portobello Market. That night we did a "London Walk" around Hampstead - more famous people's places and more strange histories. This included the house where JM Barrie wrote "Peter Pan" and about three pubs - they were part of the walk too. The ales were interesting! We also did another walk, around the City this time - on Sunday - which enabled us to be taken to some places that would have been tricky on a working day. The Gherkin close up is quie an amazing building. We were taken down some medieval passages and shown some of the original Saxon buildings and places of London - including the original Roman wall.

4. Performances.
We have seen "Totem" (Cirque du Soleil) in the Royal Albert Hall - the building almost as amazing as the show.We walked around Covent Garden yesterday and then happened past a matinee of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" at the Vaudeville Theatre and went to it. This was a very clever and timely commentary on politics and social morality.Then last night we went to "We Will Rock You" the story by Ben Elton, based on the music of Queen, was also a social commentary - if you wanted to read it that way - about the perils of plastic music. It was a HUGE show with lights and sound effects which were very overwhelming at times. One surprise character was played by the actor who used to be Curly Watts on Coro Street - and he was a real rager. Nigel and many other would really like this one!

Tomorrow we head up to The Wedding and if I can I will post a blog to you from there. Home on Sunday....our beds will be good!!

Love to all J&J

et encore auvoir de Paris

2011-01-07T00:57:00.000-08:00

and again goodbye to Paris...which also means hello to London in a few hours. I am sitting in the lobby of our hotel, where no conciefge seems to know how to load up photos on their system so I will add the snaps in later.
We have had a very busy last three days. Tuesday was a visit around the Ile De La Cite - the original part of Paris as the island offered good defences.It was quite cold that day and we spent some pleasant time in a heated flower market. The Palais Royal was part of that walk and included stunning shops such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Stella MacCartney ( hand on VISA card - no problem. John was a astonished to see a pair of shoes at 850 euros! There is also a very "royal" Metro with glass making up a good part of its decoration.
The focus of Wednesday was a visit to Pere Lachaise, a cemetery of 105 acres (do not worry our demise is not yet at hand, as far as we know!). Many of you will know that many famous people are buried there - including Jim Morrison of the Doors, for some reason.Getting to that side of Paris took us to a very different part of the city.It was very multi-ethnic, Africans, Eastern European and Muslims of all colours and shapes.It was also quite cool that day but it did not stop people coming to Jim's grave - which was in a very hidden place,though he is on the map if you ever get this way.A tree nearby has names carved into it and "show me the way to the next whiskey bar" painted on it too.
Returning into Paris we spen some time at the Louvre as it had a late opening that day. I would hate to come here on a really busy day. We saw a lot and got a case of museum fatigue, but not before seeing some wonderful art works and contributing to the economy in the museum shop.

Thursday we spent getting to the Viaduc des Arts - another walk from the box. The focus was this collection of artists working in their shop.Now I am going to stop here as a man has come to paint the ceiling and things are getting a little close. Talk to you soon.

Bon soir from Paris

2011-01-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

Cher amis et famille
That would be actually bonjour from Montmartre,the arty bit of Paris,and the most hilly. We got here yesterday afternoon by train from Amsterdam. That was a great trip and very easy to accomplish. (I am trying to type this on a keyboard that only likes French so everything I type nearly is currently underlined in red, which is a bit unnerving for an English teacher!)

Anyway we found our way here (Hotel de Relais, Rue Constance) with little problem at all as it was only a latter of one change on the Metro and a walk of a few blocks.We are only just around the corner from the Cafe which featured in the movie "Amelie" so you can see that this is a very authentic area. It is also the centre of the girlie shows and sex shops. Evidently this hotel used to be a rent by the hour hotel a few iterations ago. Yesterday we got our bearings around this neighbourhood and walked a good bit before finding a cafe for a simple meal and another for a glass or two of wine!

This morning we walked much further around this area and took ourselves up onto the top of Montmartre where the church of Sacre Coeur gives the best view of Paris.Today it was a bit misty, but there were still plenty of people visiting. The Place du Tertre nearby, traditionally the haunt of artists (Picasso, Dali et al). was practically ring-fenced with artists' easels. Even when you broke through them, it was very hard to get away from those who were wandering around with clipboards, trying to get you to stop still for a portrait (15 euros) It was interesting, while we were in Amsterdam, to see how Van Gogh had painted the windmills of this hill (used to grind flour) when he was here about 1886. The place he stayed in is also just up the street. Now, the whole of this area is very settled indeed and there is only a bit of room left in the Montmartre cemetery, which we also visited today. Anyway,we must go and enjoy Paris a bit more!

Happy New Year from Fireworks Frenzy

2011-01-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone
Happy New Year! This is our last night in Amsterdam. Last night there were times when we wondered if it would be our last night ever!

They do fireworks in a major way in this city - and there is no rubbish bin or public place which is immune.No health and safety controls here - they just go for it: hand held rockets;throwing crackers around; lighting fireworks inside bottles - it is all on - and that was the run-up to New Year!Yesterday we went out to Haarlem for lunch and then went into Neuemarkt near the red light district where we met up with Jared and Jo's friends. We had drinks in their apartment then set off into the square just before midnight. A solid sound wall of explosions ensued - there was no possibiity of hearing anything else - sign language was needed here! The fireworks went on and on. Eventually, about 1.30am we walked back into the Dam Square and then back to our hotel, about 35 minutes walk. The litter - cans, bottles, plastic and fireworks detritus was fairly indescribable. However, when we went out today there were signs of cleaning up having been done in some places.

Since this is the last post from Amsterdam, I wanted to put up some more photos so you could see some more of the idiosyncratic sights of Haarlem and Amsterdam. I have been entranced by the flower markets; the small transport solutions - especially bicycles and by some of the shops! Enjoy the snaps and we will meet again in Paris.
Bon soir mes chers.

Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Anne Frank

2010-12-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hi there
On Sunday, Boxing Day here, we went out again to Jo and Jared's place in Haarlem.We walked through streets and parks and there were children and parents tobogganing on anything which resembled a slope and having a great time.We managed to persude Jared NOT to walk on the ice over the canal as none of was going to pull him out with any ease! Since most place were shut we went into the Grote Markt (big market place in photo) and had lunch at Brinkman's Cafe opposite the Grose Kerke (go on,work it out!). The Dutch do good soups we have found and that was a welcome lunch sitting outside in the week sunshine.Our walk back was a long way round and we saw many pretty sights including a large windmill(in another shot).

We have been having a real cultural overload here recently.On Monday we went to the Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank House is a respectful and well organised museum and NO gift shop!!Using the building itelf, Anne's writing, models,audio-visual displays Anne's story (and her family's) ae told very powerfully.Obviously,I knew her story - what English teacher doesn't? What I hadn't realised was how small the spaces where we she lived for those years. To be able to look out through the window which was Anne's only view of the world was a moment I will not forget.We all met up in the cafe for a restorative hot drink and time to come back to ourselves.It was a moving experience for us all.

After meeting up with Jo at the Club Med offices we walked to a sandwich place,Vlaamisch Broothuis for lunch - melts and open sandwiches. Delicious.As a complete contrast to the morning, we followed up in the afternoon with the Heineken Experience.Set in an old brewery, this sales experience cum museum makes skilful use of video screens, interactive games, beertasting, dray horses and even real beer drinking and Lambie had a good thirst!Dinner that night was at a Dutch restaurant - not really a cuisine that I had experienced before. Satay chicken was a colonial variation,other meals had a lot of mashed vegetables - or there was fondue!On the way back we had dessert - a crepe at a stall in the Winter Plaza near our hotel.

On Tuesday we decided to take the Hop On Hop Off canal boat which takes you around the canal system for about 14 euros for 24 hours.This city is amazing - the systematic settlement of this boggy set of islands (built on the Amstel River)
dates back to the 14th century and the trading history is apparent in the buildings you see along the canals. The variations in the building styles on the roof tops (see the photo) and building fronts all tell a story.As we motored along in the boat we crunched through the ice and occasionally had to divert for swans who do not get out of the way.There are also about 2500 houseboats along the canals in Amsterdam, many of them very elegant and well-appointed but some little more than floating slums. Having done a loop of the city we got off the boat and found lunch in the Hansel and Gretel Cafe (complete with oven!). Then we checked out the museum queues at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum and formulated a plan for the next day.

Two main principles have been revealed to us about going to big name places like this.First,whenever possible, book tickets on line because you avoid one line (always the longest)and a priority queue is a wonderful thing when its cold or wet!The desk staff at our hotel (Vondel Hotel-recommended highly)booked and print our tickets at any time which has been great.Second,always go early. The crowds which arrive for these places usually come in buses from about 10.00am and it is then that the crowds happen in full.

The next stop was the Rembrandt House after another journey on another canal boat. This museum is set out as Rembrandt would have lived in it. They know this because he went broke after taking a mortgage to buy the house and then having to sell up.They inventoried all his possessions and were able to set things out as they had been.It is a great way to get a feeling for the man and his work.The high windy staircases are a bit of a trial for large feet, but it's worth it!To see his works, studio where he worked and the collection of artefacts he used in his paintings was amazing.There was also a Caravaggio - a study of John the Baptist - which was really stunning too. Dinner was at Wagamama - the first time we had been there. Highly recommend that - and I know lots of you will have eaten at this great food place.

So today (Wednesday 29th) we got going really early to get to the Van Gogh Museum which is about 10 minutes walk away from our hotel, getting there just as it opened - and with tickets in hand. That was another amazing morning. There were so many great paintings. I loved a painting of a chestnut tree in full bloom.John loved the Monet of the bridge in the garden at Giverny.They really do Museums well in this city and there are so many to see. We walked back to the hotel to leave the purchases from the shop and get washing as we are currently at Jo and Jared's for dinner. Jillian, Struan and Kimberley (Jo's parents and sister) have been great company and with Jared we have had another wonderful day. We walked (about 5 kms) from our hotel to the Central Station, getting lunch and dinner at La Place in the V&D building.So we are sorted and looking forward to another great day in Amsterdam tomorrow.Lots of love to you all.

Christmas in Amsterdam

2010-12-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Amsterdam and Merry Christmas
We are now relaxing into Christmas night.We have had a lovely day being spoiled at Jo and Jared's place in Haarlem.(check the shot from their balcony) We(John and I and Jo's parents Jillian and Struan who are in the next room to us in the hotel) made our way to them via tram and train to share the day with them and Kimberley.They have a lovely apartment over a fruit shop,opposite a shop selling religious images and down the street from a "coffee shop".The apartment is very modern with beautifully matched furniture newly unpacked from Ikea as they only got back from NZ and into this place last week!The balcony off the kitchen has the added benefit of acting as a fridge at the moment,(check the photo) as it is snow covered!Jo had made a Dutch dish as well as the usual foods all cooked on a micro wave/convection oven.They did a great job (see the photo) and we had presents to share as well.

Yesterday we arrived from Luton Airport on a flight which was only delayed about half an hour which is evidently quite usual for EasyJet! The distance between The Netherlands and the UK is such that the actual flight only took 50 minutes.Jared met us at Schipol Airport and we had an instructive set of rides into Ansterdam via tram and train.Jared has all this sussed as you can imagine!

On Thursday we went into London early on the train from Stevenage.Jan came with us as she wanted to get some last-minute things.After getting our suitcases put safely into the Lost Luggage Office we went to Jan's hotel off Oxford street. We walked through the shopping hordes under the lights and passing by the shop windows, we made our way to the Dean's Yard of Westminster to find that the system had worked. We had tickets for the 6.00pm. Carol service which I had booked by email months before.To fill in the time before we could get into the Abbey, we went back to a pub we had visited last trip opposite Parliament with Jan (dated 1777).A short sojourn in the Westminster Abbey shops was needed and John saved a place in the queue.Following advice from a couple we were talking to in the queue who had been before meant that we chose good seats. The seats were facing as they do here and we sat beside the grave of a man who had been the Constable of the Tower and died in 1872. OUr seats were opposite the nave lectern and about 20 metres from the Quire Screen and the Nativity scene.Since we were seated by a little after 5.00pm for a 6.00pm start, we had plenty of time to have a look around and even walk around a bit.I found Poets' Corner and the graves of Noael Coward and Dylan Thomas. There are lot of dead people in this place! Te actual service was great - good music and singing as well as an unusual choice of readings.The actor Anthony Andrews read one of them - very well.The processing of the choir right past a couple of times was also a feature - and the gorgeousness of the clerical vestments and that Quire Screen - as well as the glimpse I had of the altar were stunning.

So here we are in Amsterdam - the snow is settled on the ground and the pavements are a bit icey in parts. The city is a mixture of traditional architecture and some really ugly modern stuff. The the hotel we are in is very warm and comfortable - also a mix of the traditional and the modern.We are here for about amother week and we plan to do a bit of touristing as much as we can.

when the snow lay round about ...

2010-12-22T02:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone
We are in the village of Weston, which is quite near to Stevenage. Lisa (John's niece) and her husband Angus live here with Alex (aged 3 and a quarter) and Thomas aged 10 days.Gran Jan from Christchurch is also here.Just before I started writing this today, the snow fell off the roof of the house next door. It is not currently snowing but it has been this morning.The houses all look very pretty - like the pictures on the Christmas cards which we have seen all our lives.

Now, I know that the news on the weather in the UK is all very dramatic but you must realise that British pluck comes to the fore in these things and they just get on with things. To prove the point, a man has just come to the door and is going to move a fence - even in snowy conditions.Lisa has been out to the doctor's (mastitis) and Angus is taking Alex swimming soon (indoors obviously!)However, The Sun newspaper yesterday had a headline "the Great Queue of St Pancras" which cannot have been pleasant (6000 people in a queue - the Brits know how to do it, don't they?)

In the morning we were up with Alex and Angus as they did the day care run and we were dropped off at Baldock station.John and I went into Cambridge for the day. The journey was interesting. We were to catch the 8.23(don't you love it?). The trains were delayed so it was 9.11 before we set off (temp -9 and snowing intermittently). The train was quite full and from conversations which others were having a volume it appeared that some were trying to get "ooop North" by zigzagging their way acorss country ("Eeh lass,I'll get to Peterborough and see what the delays are like to Newcastle. Toodle pip.")

Cambridge is smaller than I had imagine and walking around the old city proved easy, if slushy, underfoot.As we had left without breakfast, we made our way through Lion Yard to Carluccio's (owned by Antonio Carluccio of Food Channel fame). The eggs benedict and cappucinos were excellent.(NB later in the day we also went past Jamie's - Oliver - restaurant. As there are strict rules about how the fabric of the buildings under graded listing can be changed, there are some odd pairings of style. There was a market in the square outside Guildhall (and some very cold market stall owners). I needed a hat by this point so picked one up for £3.We stepped into the Round Church, built on the old Roman road and dating back from the Middle Ages. we walked down to Magdalene (pronounced maudlin -!)crossing over the Cam River. The punt owners were de-icing the punts; the (brown-feathered) swans were trapped by ice in a small patch of water; but the funniest sight were the ducks walking on top of the ice looking for a place to paddle in! - as you can see in the pics.We also managed to find a College which was open - most were closed. Gonville and Caius has a beautiful setting as you can see - thre was also a bedraggled-looking ponga in a corner of the grounds.
Our next target was King's College Chapel which was easy to find as there was a large BBC van outside - they were setting up for the recording of the Christmas service.The chapel (no small building, this) is a very impressive piece of church architecture started by Henry VI and finished by Henry VIII to show what great mates he was with God.The carved screen which today masks the organ's "engine", has the entwined initials of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - I wonder if he ever felt bad about that! After leaving the Chapel, we walked around the edge of the building but not on the grass. They have signs for that as you can see! We found lunch in The Eagle, a pub dating back to 1575 - steak and ale pie and fish and chips with mulled wine and chardonnay. You will know who had what, I am sure! After lunch we stopped at a bakery called Fitzbillies to buy some Florentines to take back to Weston.

The names of the streets in Cambridge deserve a book on their own (and probably have one or two). At one time, all the Fellows (lecturers) of the various colleges of the day had to take divine orders, ie become priests.I guess that is one way to keep the universities under control!The names of places and streets abound with saints' names - Andrew, John(see the shot of John in situ), Benet (Benedict) and even Mary gets a look in. There's also Jesus College, Jesus Close and Jesus Ditch. There is also Maid's Causeway, Christ's Pieces and All Saints Passage, just to name a few.

Our last stop of the day was the Fitzwilliam Museum, which has an amazing and exhausting number of galleries. There was a great display of armour - the kind that knights wear - including armour for horses. The swords (including an execution sword were very mean-looking.The rooms of Renaissance paintings were beautifully displayed, each room having its own rich colour (red, green brown) and the paintings being set off by antique furniture - chairs, sideboards, etc and beautiful rugs. As it was 4.00pm and dark was setting in, we walked back to the station where there were lots of people catching trains, fortunately ours started from Cambridge so we were able to get seats.The grammar of the train messages intrigues me. The message is always "This train is for King's Cross" - which seems rather odd somehow.

We have just been out for lunch and to pick up the Christmas turkey from Church Farm, an organic enterprise which is very popular and looks quite properous.It is on the web, as everything seems to be nowadays. John and I walked down to the village shop for the papers (and a copy of OK magazine!)it was quite cold with a slight wind blowing. That has not stopped the fence man from continuing his work. Tomorrow we are travelling with Jan into London, leaving Lisa, Angus, Alex and Thomas. John has checked us through Luton on the internet and we look like we are good to go to Amsterdam on Friday morning. Fingers crossed!It is lovely to read your comments - they are cheaper than texts, too. Lots of love.

Crisp and even

2010-12-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone
We left Hamilton at 31 degrees;Dubai was 20 degrees; now we are experiencing the joys of a range from minus 2 to much colder - but it's all good so far.
Back to Dubai - impressions - clean (one empty water bottle and only one example of graffitti seen); organised (road systems going effortlessly in all directions) and empty - at 7.30am - as people do not go to shop until 10.00am. We had a wonderful Tour with a Local, which John had spotted on the web. Sunil, a Muslim Indian met us where he said he would and took us to his immaculate white, air-conditioned Previa. He took us to all the things we had hoped to see (Palm Island;the Burj el Arab; el Jermeirah) and some we had not known about - the Dubai Museum and a small souk which was really charming - and also shut at that hour of the day. It was a cheap trip from that point of view! Overall, Dubai seemed to me to have much the same combination of power, wealth and ego as places like the Palace of Versaille and the castle at Carcassone. I wonder if future generations will be looking at the collection of buildings in Dubai in the same way.

Arriving at Manchester Airport at about 7.00pm, we had to wait about 15 minutes while they de-iced the airport bridge so we could connect with the terminal building. Ominous. Our friend John P. picked us up and told us to wrap up as it was minus 6 degrees outside. We did. The journey back to Grindleford took about 2 hours as we had to avoid likely snow patches, even though he drives a 4 wheel drive, he does not take chances.As we made our way through Derbyshire, there were glimpses of a countryside with black and white as the dominant colours. It was quite unnerving not being able to see much, as well as the added drama of not knowing if we would get there!
In the morning we woke to a world covered in the most picture-postcard snow. The robin in this photo was in a tree which we cn see from the kitchen table.John P. had set up fat balls in a roll of plastic fencing and the birds come to this. As we had breakfast weWe also spotted tits of many varieties, blue jays, robins and a large grey squirrel. Ruth, who is a dermatologist, had stayed overnight in Nottingham so she did not miss her patients because of getting stuck in the snow and the other three of us set off for the day. Some stops were David Mellor - who is a silversmith - very smart designs but he also designed the modern traffic lights used in most cities in the UK; Hathersage, fanous because Charlotte Bronte wrote "Wuthering Heights" in the local vicarage;and Derwent Reservoir where they practiced the low plane runs needed to achieved the WWII action seen in the movie "The Dam Busters"; and Chatsworth, home of the Devonshire family. The house was closed (as they say) so we went to the Stables, now converted into a very up-market retail opportunity. The huge water trough/fountain was totally frozen solid. As we drove through the estate, we saw deer under the trees, just waiting for the next shoot, I guess.Our last stop was the plague village of Eyam (said "eeem") famous because when the plague of 1666 came to the village they decided to sequester themselves from the world so that others would not be infected. We also went to the church where there was a font dating from Saxon times. The graves around the church are left in a tidy condition but they are all collapsed and quite sad, though there was a magnificent Celtic cross.The village had a row of houses, all Grade I listed which dated from the time of the plague and have plaques outside remembering those who died. I should think they would be quite cool to live in as double glazing is not allowed there!
That was just the first day of our stay in Grindleford and Ruth and John have treated us very well. The twisted spire shot is from the market town of Chesterfield where we did indeed go to a market. We also visited the church , whose spire is made of wood and has unaccountably twisted. It is a Catholic church which may, or may not have anything to do with it. Ruth and John are both great cooks and, as well, we have eaten and drunk some amazing things: mulled wine in a pub called "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Inn" dated from 1570 in a little place called Castleton where they have a stone carving of Brigantia which dates from 1000BC; yesterday; corned beef hash in the kitchen of Hardwick Hall an Elizabethan power house; today: parsnip pie in another pub in Sheffield called "The Fat Cat" which rates as the best vegetarian pub in that city.
Tomorrow we are up to catch a train (at 8.11am!) to Stevenage where we get ourselves by taxi to Lisa and Angus. We will be there for a few days. The weather reports on the BBC are very dramatic and make things sound very bad. Having been here for a few days we can see that the UK has not come to an icy halt but you certainly need to plan your day around the weather - and the fact that it is dark by 4.00pm! Lots of love to you all...J&J

Where's Lambie - not again???

2010-12-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

Hi there all you family and friends - it is two more sleeps (that's proper ones lying down)until we set off on our next journey. We feel a bit fraudulent going to Europe. It is barely 15 months since we were last there; it will be winter; and just yesterday we saw Jo and Jared at James and Charlie's 2nd birthday party in the park! Still there is Jamie's wedding to attend and John has not ever had a winter Christmas, so we will be joining Joanne and Jared and her parents Struan and Jillian and her sister Kimberley in Amsterdam on Dec 24th.In between we will be catching up with friends in the UK and having a weeks or so in Paris and London around all that....tough but someone has to do it!

Of course Lambie is coming too and it's a good thing Lambie has his woolie (sp?) coat on...the weather forecasts have been really grim so far.We depart on Dec 15th at about 6.50pm and return to sunny NZ on Jan 18th. I have high hopes that you will come in from the sun and check us out so this will be our main way of telling our news - and a few photos as well.

Happy Christmas and a bright New Year to you all - love from J&J

Mykonos but not Patmos

2009-10-19T05:04:00.001-07:00

In the night Patmos was ruled out because of the weather, which seemd a bit strange becuase the morning weather was some of the best we have had.In the afternoon we set off on an excursion called "Jeeps on Mykonos". Now this was interesting because the detail which had been missed out was that we the tourists would be the drivers! Both John and I felt that there were certain fishhooks to driving other people so we took the passenger role.Our driver was an Austrian - so no communication;he also had limited knowledge of manual let alone 4 wheel drive. However, apart from one heart-stopping inciddent on a very steep piece of road with a long drop into the Ionian Sea it all went well. We got to see all kinds of things we would never have know about - the rocky, arid landscape with no trees and very little vegetation. We saw a couple of donkeys, a few cows, some goats some bougainvillea and some flowerpots with red geraniums. However we did not see the southern beaches where all the tourist hotels are. We were taken to a monastery at Ana Mera The hostess kept an eye on us as we admired the beautifully kept icons and chandeliers. Next came a stop at a taverna where ouzo, taramasalata and olives were laid on for us. And there were about 8 cats!Momma was making little cheese cakes by hand in the taverna proper. (We have seen some interesting H&S habits here. The baby pig in a display chiller where they kept the desserts was a feature of one restaurant in Rome.)
Our afternoon finished in the port town where we had Greek salad, baby squid and drank Greek wine to our friend Barry sitting on the waaterfront.

Rhodes - but not the Colossus

2009-10-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

Seeing that the many tourist busese were lined up on the wharf to disgorge toursis onto a willing town is quite a sight. We opted to walk into the Old Town and found a really beautiful old Orthodox church being minded by two little old ladies who urged us "you come in" so we did. There were gorgeous chandeliers and icons all immaculately clean and shining bright. It was an oasis of peace.At 2.00pm we were booked onto a train ride around the town of Rhodes - one of those little ones that goes on the road with a rather keen driver who tooted at everyone we met or so it seemed.We went all around the island: past the new tourist hotels and lines of empty deck charis on the beaches;up to the height of the islane where the temple to Apollo had been.What a great site and being there looking out to Turkey you could see the strategic importance of this island - from about 200BC we were told. When we reached the Street of the Knights we walked right up to the palace which had been built in the 18th century style as a suck up to Mussolini(who never came there anyway) - using Roman mosaics and tapestries and church stalls from French churches. Honestly some people have no scruples! The guide was not sure why all of this had not simply been returned to the owners!
We were really impressed by this guide - she had a good balance of imformation and interest in her talk. At one point, just as she was getting to an interesting bit one of the group, known from here on as Restroom Man, broke in with "Restroom?" as though she was not speaking English (she was). She was really gutted and so were we as she led us off to the museum and the loo! After a really informative tour we were free to return through the ships - straight through the major market place of course1It was this guide who told us about the Colossus and that noone knows where it was originally. Ah well!
Another feature of these tours is the beggars - on the train even; everywhere we went as tourists there were women bent over with begging bowls; children singing or tunelessly playing an accordion; I even saw a little girl with a baby warpped up begging but when I looked more closely the baby was a doll!

All at sea

2009-10-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Civitavecchia is a bustling port with lots going on and we managed to get ourselves to the right port and the right shop/boat with little trouble. They are fairly organised and we were only 1 hour from the station to our cabin 7089 port side.The first thing which happened to us was a tornado before we had even left port. We were sitting on the stern bar having a leaving port drink and suddenyl this mini tornado comes up over the rail and started throwing things around! That night we had some rough weather - it felt like you were alternately sliding down the bed and then sliding back up it again.
Catania was our first port of call - very disappointing in the care of historical stuff and graffiti!! Still the place has been destroyed by its resident volcano Mount Etna several times and I guess that has an impact. We went on an excursion to a place called Villa Trinita, a small wineyard run by the same family since 1650 imagine that! Lovely gardens and trees and they were very hospitable.
The next day we were all at sea and lay around in the sun like cats soaking up the vitamin D. The cocktail of the day was Tequila Sunrise ( we are researching this topic diligently you will be pleased to learn!).
Thursday saw us tied up at Rhodes. This place has some beautiful buildings that they look after. Their churches are cherished and used with pride. More later...leaving port now

Part 3 Rome - you can see why it wasn't built in a day

2009-10-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Going into Rome was extremely interesting - if you were in the back seat. They do things differently there - like drive and park in the weirdest ways! You will have to see the pictures which I will add when we get back to a friendly system which allows us to upload photos. I am writing this in port at Mykonos. The boat computer does not like moving around or rough weather - and we have had some of both.
Anyway Rome - what they say about the drivers is true and it nearly gave poor Jared heart failure - but he only had to get us to the railway terminal and Gus got us absolutely to the door of the Hertz rental place.
Marlu B&B was our home for the nexy few days. Built in the 1850's this place had one of those funny lifts with the wrought iron doors and lots of marble and terrazzo floors. We each had a good sized room and a bathroom as well as access to a living room and breakfast laid on. Good price too! What did we see? We went first to the Colosseum on the first night as the sun was setting; then to the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel; the Trevi fountain and the Plaza Nuova and the Pantheon; and on Monday when Jared and Jo were working again in London we went to the Basilica and 8.30am and had a wonderful time there before we went on to our rail trip to Civitavecchia.
The old city of Rome is as many of you know, littered with bits of very old buildings, which I had expected. What I had not expected was the crush of people, the noise of traffic (especially after the peace of the hill towns and Venice) and the graffiti. Don't get me started on litter also - I can't believe the amount - forget the recession, litter will bring down Europe if they're not careful.Some parts ofrome are being restored and I would say it's about time - if they don't they will lose those sandstone buildings and they better hope there are no more earthquakes coming through.The crush of people in Rome was brought home in a big way as we queued to go into the Vatican. It only took 1 1/2 hours to get there. The queues I reckoned were the modern day equivalent of pilgrims' progresses. I could not work out why there were so many priests, nuns, monks cardinals - you name it they were there. There were also these large pictures hanging in fromn of the balcony where the Pope comes out to bless the people. Finally, seeing a poster in a shop window on Monday morning I worked it out - the canonisation of five people had taken place on Sunday - no wonder there were so many holy people around.

Part 2 - Sansepolcro and the hill towns

2009-10-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

That clever GPS got us right to the door of the apartment we had booked - Casa Mila run by two NZers Val and Colin Stevens! What an amazing invention! We travelled past huge fields of sunflowers and bronzing grapevines as well as winging over high motorways on long bridges and through tunnels. The apartment in Sansepolcro (pop. 16 000)was on the third floor of a house part of which was built in the 1400's very solidly in brick and plaster. We have a bedroom and bathroom each as well as a living room and a kitchen/dining room.The house has turquoise shutters on windows that open, as all windows seem to on this continent,inwards. Our room looked over the walled garden and this was also available to us - with a barbecue. We made use of this on two nights we were there, much to J&J's enjoyment - meat being something they deem too expensive in London.The first night we cooked steaks and Tuscan sausages (for Jared)and braised the hugest red pepper for the green salad we also ate. Another firm fave was the insalata caprese - the buffalo mozzarella was a real hit.The first night involved a bit of staying up and five bottles of wine - we had to be sure we getting the good stuff after all!
The next day we set off for Anghiari an neighbouring hill town, which was pictured on a poster in our apartment. We were also able to leave our washing drying in the sun! Anghiari was a fort back in the times of the middle ages when all good Christian men fought all the others for the glory of God ...or something. We found a market packing up and Jo found a leather bag she had to have - a good buy too!Anghiari dates from the 1300's and it is really quite amazing to see people just continuing to live there - with TV aerials sprouting from the roofs.We had a cold drink looking over the olive groves and gardens - buxus, bay trees and lots of petunias.
After a conversnation we agreed that we had enjoyed this experience so much we would give Florence a miss - I think we had overdosed in Venice a bit - and just go on to Cortona - another hilltop town but with some lovely leather bag shops and the odd museum and frescoes. At the Mueso Diocesana John and I saw and really interseting architectural exhibitions aboout how and why this fort had been constructed and then replicated (in Malta)and now adapted for future use. There is obviously not a great deal of call for hilltop forts in these parts so they are adapting for the culture market - opera and rock concerts I should think.We also found that Cortina had the best gelato we had found yet in our travels and frequent tastings. The country around was spectaular - olive groves, grape vines and cypresses. Jared capably drove us back a different way according to the strictures of Gus our friendly GPS. I think he was a great driver and he seemed to emjoy being behind the wheel even if it was a Ford Focus. When we finally got out of Tuscany and into Rome however, it was a different story....!

Venice, Sansepolcro and now Roma! Part 1 Venice

2009-10-10T00:46:00.000-07:00

The access to internet has been a bit piece meal so I am cramming a lot into a small space. We are here in another great accommodation and thank goodness she (Marlene of Marlu B&B) has a keyboard that I can use at speed!
As we flew into Venice we had a great view of the Alps and then the lagoon after an "easy" one and a half hour trip from Paris on EasyJet. We came out of the buss station at Venice down to the vaporetto and suddenly there was the Grand Canal! All the colours and busyness were much more than I had expected - the greens and blues of the canal and the colours of the plastered buildings along the canal. We made our way to our B&B with only one detour and found our attic bedroom had a great bview over the rooftops and was only a hop from San Stefano, the nearest piazza. We needed a "cleansing ale" as John would have it and so we located ourselves in a cafe on the square.We had just texted Jared to tell him where we were and then they were - Jo and Jared had been having breakfast at the other end of the same piazza! It was lovely to see them again. We were entertained by a guy wearing a kit of a drum with cymbals and a drum stick attached on strings to his feet; playing a hand accordion with a begging cup attached; with a funnel ringed with bells on his head. He was playing Italian folk music and people wear having their photos taken and giving him money! It was really charming. Later that afternoon we went to the Rialto Bridge - much the same as would have been in the middele ages I imagine - crowded with shops and people selling junk amd went on to St Mark's Square where we had a Bellini/ beer combination watching life go by on the canal.Very Venice! The next day was Murano day. We got offered a "free" ride by water taxi over to the island to the family "fornace" - just the four of us - no obligation - Tui ad! It was great riding like this and the driver took us through an amazing route with great photo ops.We were welcomed to the Signorelli family fornace (since 1346) under the care of the maestro. This fornace specialises in chandeliers and they were making glass leaves that day. We also saw the apprentice make (and smash - because it was not good enough) a small statue of a horse and a glass decanter.In a process we were becoming familiar with, we were then "free" to wander through to the salesrooms which was an experience a bit like being in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles - so much light and colour! Needless to say we did succumb to the glass salesman - and managed to score a deal at the same time.
The next day we were to leave so our mission was to go to San Marco and visit the basilica. The day was coolish and definitely autumnal. The scene as we waited in San Stefano was very enchanting:endless pigeons staking out their space, two policemen in very splendid uniforms in important conversation; two astonishingly insouciant (and gorgeous)young men in 17th century period costume; men and some women dragging or pushing divery carts bringing bread, wine, tubs of olives and newspapers; one very thin very elegant young girl feeding a croissant to the pigeons - just some of what could be seen in the space of a few minutes. On our way to San Marco we came across a traffic jam of glossy black gondolas decorated in gold with red push upholstery and the gondoliers shouting the odds for customers (mostly Asian and American). None of them was prepared to make life any easier for the other! As we got closer to SM we noticed that the walkways which we had seen previously stacked up ready for use where in some cases being put out. At the basilica as we queued, we could see the water visibly welling up through the cobbles and the walkways were up in the cathedral proper. The cathedral is amazing! Though for me the terrazzo (the tessellations) floors were just as beautiful as the ceiling frescoes. There was a fair old crush and visibility options were limited. It certainly was a place to take photos but you aren,t allowed - not that stopped some.After the tour we had a coffee break at Caffe Florian(since 1720)where coffee and a cake for four costs the equivalent of $NZ120 - think silver trays, gorgeous waiters and porcelain with the cafe's insignia on it - and great macchioato, espresso and food. Ah Venice!!
Later thet day we picked up the rental care and set off through the smog to Sansepolcro.

Castles in the air and graves in the ground ...Au voir to Paris

2009-10-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our trip through France is almost impossible to sum up but the title seems to try. France had a huge legacy of places of history of various kinds - castles for want of a word - and also, as we found when we went to Omaha Beach and the American War Cemetery,they remember and honour their past, even if the maintenance is getting a bit much in some areas.Tagging and cigarette butts abound everywhere and noone seems to care much.
5am is a brutal time to wake up - but a useful time to refelect on what we have been doing. Paris is a city I have read much about all my life so to see it in actuality was a really interseting experience.It is, in the Haussmann section of the central city, a very beautiful place. Our first encounter in the Charles Michel area was a kind of composite of may elemtns, The carousels which appear on many street corners;the regularly planted and clipped rows of military-like trees; the cafes and bistrots with chairs facing outwards to see what is going on;the traffis and the pedestrians which seem to co-exist somehow.Seeing Paris in the autumn for the first time makes me want to return in the spring.

On the bus

2009-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have not yet written of the joys of travelling endless hours with a group of strangers, so now that I have at last got a passingly familiar keyboard to work with here goes. We are a party of 47 mainly Yanks, some Canadians, a few Kiwis and a few Aussies. Some of the issues present as early onset dementia (not knowing what day it is ... snoring during the day on the bus. As there is a strict rotation of seats every day, the nearer you get to the snorer or the demented one [evenly spread throughout the bus] you know the quality of your day.... one recent conversation: What day is it? Tuesday You?re kidding? Tuesday? I was supposed to take a pill on Monday!
The light here is amazing... as we left Bordeaux for St Emilion the sky was a soft apricot washed with silver and a pale pale blue. We passed endless kms of vineyards which in this area are very disciplined ... all the bunches of grapes are hanging neatly below. Handpicking is the norm here they tell us though we have seen mechanical pickers at work. The early autumn colours are gorgeous.The wines (some of them) are

How the rich and others live

2009-09-28T02:45:00.000-07:00

Today we start the journey in Carcassone and head to Biarritz. As you could see from a map we are covering many kms in a day. The country has been spectacular.the views from the bus of the Provencal, Luberon, Basque and Atlantic coasts are stunning.The lunchstop of the day which started in Carcassonne ended in Biarritz and in between was Lourdes. The journey on the way was through fields of dried sunflowers, ploughed fields which may have had rapeseed or maize and past vineyards which were turning gold or burgundy according to their type.Then to Lourde where the young girl Bernadette,from a poor family, was visited 18 times by the Virgin Mary. Lourdes, as you come into it, gives no hint of what is to come - three basilicas - one underground holding 25000 poeple and looking just like a car park.The streets of identical souvenirs which trap the faithful - the most desirable being containers of all sizes for the healing water. The place is quite disturbingly Disneyesque from the coloured statue of Mary circled by the flozer of the faithful, Diana -style, to the huge gilt crown on top of the middle basilica.However what brings you up cold are the faces of the hopeful and faithful - they are real. Biarritz - another playground of the wealthy and falous is a bit like Blackpool crossed with Monte Carlo and Manley Beach.We had a driunk on the promenade and then trawled the street markets where Dior Lacoste and the like were getting rid of their summer lines:strange contrasts!

Hola, bonjour and how are you all?

2009-09-26T22:04:00.001-07:00

This morning we are under the shadow of a cite (fort) which dates from, the time of the Gauls, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Franks and which also provided an unsuccessful refuge in its earlier iteration for the Cathars - we are in Carcassone on the edge of the Mediterraenean.This is a real fairytale castle - with turrets, a basilica (cathedral-ish)and lots of tourist shopping which seems to be very popular with some people(!). It has been a bit tricky finding an internet connection which worked in the hotels we stayed in in Lyon and in Nice.The keyboards here have some letters in a different place which results in some interesting words!
Going backwards, we spent two nights in Nice in a traditional provencal style hotel - shutters on the windows and a view towards the sea. The market we found was the sort of dream market every cook wants - fruits and vegetables of all kinds and beautiful flowers! We walked along the Promenade des Anglais which we had seen on the Tour de France. The previous night we spent in Lyon but John was not well so I saw the view out the window that night and a rather pretty sunset! At Monte Carlo we had a quick visit - the place in summer would be horrid - there was hardly any standing room. This place is a boys' dream - luxury cars everywhere - we saw a beautiful tall brunette and her bloke being handed the keys of their black Rolls Royce Corniche softtop by the valet outside the Monte Carlo casino - they drove away all eyes were on them. Then they stopped, pushed a button and the softtop rolled back. As they drove away I swear you could hear a sigh of envy from the crowd!

Barcelona is magic and Bienvenu a Paris

2009-09-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

We had the most amazing day,it was truly magic.The focus of the day was the architecture of Antoni Gaudi.It took in the last commissioned work of Gaudi - La Perdrera - an apartment building that the client never lived in: a park the city has because that client did not like the project and a cathedral which is still being finished ! All are amazing beautiful spiritual buildings and are celebrated by Barcelona.Ar night we went to the Leonard Cohen concert held in the Olympic arena where the gymnastics were competed for. It was one of the best concerts - right up there with the Stones.
Today we are in Paris - more magic. Just out the door of our hotel the Tour Eiffel is lit up like a Christmas tree.This is very short because we did not get ho,e from the concert untill 2 and Lambie is tired and this keyboard is a mAC

buenas dias from Barcelona

2009-09-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hi to you all from the most amazing downpour.It is fairly roaring down the gutters here.This blog will be short and minus pics because the keyboard and setup has to be told to be English ... ingles as they say here..and also because we have had a few glasses of vino. We are in a really great little hotel in las Ramblaa, the cafe district.Think Victoria St with cafes and a pedestrian way down the middle and trees either side...it´s really stylish here - the buildings all reference the Spanish ideals with lots of shutters and balconies opening out from the many inner city apartments.From about 4 o´clock people started appearing on the street in their finery ....families and couples and friends meeting up for a glass of wine or a coffee or a meal.It was very civilised...and all kinds and types of pèople from skaters to cyclists to Buddhist monks and very stylish women with scarcely a hair out of place. We went to two tapas bars and had wine and some food ... very good and quick. The first was literally outside our hotel door and had a menu in Spanish, French and English.We were making our way along to a Gaudi building ...la Perdrera an apartment building by the look of it...we got there just as the rain started.We are going back to check it and other Gaudi buildings out tomorrow before our time here comes to an end.

For Queen and country

2009-09-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Friday was the day we set aside to visit Buckingham Palace - she wasn't home but we went anyway! On the way we also caught a glimpse of the Changing of the Guard - and when I say "glimpse" it was just that....there were thousands of people lining the streets to see those men wearing bearskins! The tour through BP was quite an amazing experience. Some impressions; net curtains on all the outward facing windows; some stunning portraits - the Rubens of Charles I and the one of Queen Mary; the White Stateroom - gorgeous, ditto the Green one; the nifty mirror/sideboard combination which hid a secret door so that QEII can enter the White room from her own rooms directly; the kitsch thrones in the Throne Room of pink velvet and ER on one and P on the other. The tour showed r0oms which were a mixture of the truly hideous or kitsch and the very beautiful. The views out across the lawns and the Nash ceilings were stunning. The Music Room and the plastic covers over the bits that might get rubbed by the commoners were tatty.The shop which you had to exit through was a rip off - £5 (NZ 12.50) for a pen!! Lambie enjoyed sliding down the railing outside - inside was a bit too much for him I think!
After leaving BP we went on a ramble around Belgravia and Knightsbridge finding a pub (The Wilton Arms - one of our placemat ones) which was founded in 1820 - imagine that! Then we pottered through Harrods. For some reason they did not explain, the Security guys who were everywhere kept on insisting that John carry his backpack in his hand - not wear it on his back! Harrods is amazing - especially the Egyptian escalators. I bet they charge to deliver though!!
Back at the flat we packed a small bag each to go out to visit Angus, Alex and Lisa in their Weston, Herts. house an stay the night. Alex will be two years old in two weeks and he is a real cutie. Though he took a while to thaw, within a couple of hours he was talking and singing - the Twinkle Star song.
On Saturday morning we heard him singing again before his delighted shouts when his Daddy came to get him out of his cot. We ate our breakfast watching the successful first half of the successful All Blacks VS Australia game and then Lisa, John and I went for a walk around the village of Weston - 1000 people, a village green with duck pond, two pubs, a village shop/post office, cricket oval; tennis courts; a school which has a good Ofsted report I am told; a church which was founded in 1290 and has Norman, Elizabethan and Victorian additions. It also has a little lake complete with hopeful fishermen and a pretty wood. We learned that it had a local hero Jack O'Legs who robbed the rich to give bread to the poor. He was rounded up and put to death by the villagers but is buried (in a big grave) in the churchyard and they still keep a chest for bread for the poor inside the church door.Back at home Alex was entertained with a round of bubble-blowing before he had his lunch.
We were taken to the neighbouring village of Willian for lunch at a pub called The Fox. The produce was mostly all local and the food was delicious! Back home we showed Lisa photos of the family - and the Daniel video - she was really pleased to see all of you and very impressed by our Daniel.
At the flat we are spending Saturday night washing and packing while the young ones are out partying. We were invited - but tomorrow is Barcelona!

A bit of how the other half lives and learns

2009-09-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of glimpses into the schooling of the upper classes. We jumped on a bus over the Battersea Bridge to Kensington High street - or nearly - as there were many road works in the way. There, on a corner in a playground about as big as our lounge, were about 50 very small girls screaming excitedly and playing in the breeze. Dressed in mauve gingham and white blouses, they were students (aged 4 - 11 years) at what I later learned was Glendower Preparatory School for Girls. Just up Queen's Gate was the school I was to visit - 340 girls - no surnames, please, we are too famous - the former school of HRH the Duchess of Cornwall - Camilla to you! After lunch with the staff, I spent a couple of hours with Linda and some of her colleagues and had a fascinating encounter with the English education system as it is for the wealthy. There was a lot of crossover in ideas and systems which was very interesting.
Afterwards I walked down to Hyde Park and met John who was waiting on the steps of the newly-revealed, restored Albert memorial - think white marble, black marble and lots of gold all over Albert - facing the Albert Hall. We walked through Hyde Park down Rotten Row around the Serpentine and down to the NZ Memorial. The power of this deceptively simple piece by sculptor Paul Dibble (his huia feather is outside the Academy at Waikato U) is very moving when you are amongst it. The Australian memorial had the water - an integral part of the design switched off Hmmmm!!
After a brief pause at the flat we set off to a pub called the Orange Project on St John's Hill where we had arranged to meet Jaime and Reena. Jared and Jo joined as after work. An evening of hilarity and story-telling ensued. We drank a toast to absent friends who were present. It was a very Vanessa sort of place - wooden floors, open fireplace, drawings and messages all over the walls. After an hours or so we walked some distance to a Thai place J&R recommended. It was also great and we finally walked home around 10.30pm

The dreaming spires of Oxford

2009-09-17T03:09:00.000-07:00

Jared John and I set off at 8.30am for a day's outing. We met London Walks guide Richard at Paddington and along with 20 others set off for Oxford via Reading on the train. The coach which met us took us down the Woodstock Road to the Cotswolds. Did you know that Oxford is so named because the fords on the rivers (Isis and Cherwell) needed oxen to help the wagons across, hence the name. You can take the English teacher out of the classroom.... Anyway our first stop was in the beautiful village (pub, no shops) of Minster Lovell. This was a real time-freeze because,if you took away the cars, it was easy to imagine the row of the manor workers' stone cottages (oolytic limestone) as they might have been. This one pictured - humble little 3bed cottage went for £700 000 recently! The village of Burford was the next stop where we managed to find a bite to eat n the local pub The Cotswold Arms - and lambie was so excited he tried to pull a pint - I got him to sit down again and behave himself! We also went to the local church - where there was an effigy (plural - man and wife) complete with skeleton visible underneath. Both villages were really beautiful - and it is amazing that people do manage to live there with all the adjustments needed around living in such ancient piles - wobbly floors and wrinkly ceilings and rising damp.

From there we went back to Oxford and on a walking tour of the university buildings from the 14th century to the present day - Sheldonian Theatre; School of Divinity; Ashmolean theatre - all just from the outside - very firm they are about keeping out those who don't need to be there. However when we reached New College we scored a real visit - through the little door in the big doors and into the yard; visiting the cloisters where they filmed the scene where Harry has to decide who to take to the ball; and the Hall where the tables were all set up for a grand dinner with silver. After a brief time in Oxford - another pub for John and Jared which just happened to be next to Blackwells Bookshop(heaven) we came back on the train to London - or town as they call it here. Lambie just loved the train - as you can see.

Back in town we went to meet Marlene and Monique at The Prince Regent (yes another pub) in Marylebone High Street. Upstairs in the Ladies Opium Lounge (think purple plush with dark red curtains, black walls and a touch of stripes and zebra skin) we spent several very happy hours with Aussie pinot noir, a vegetable platter, gossip and catching up of various kinds. Home on the tube about 9.00pm.

Walking in Westminster

2009-09-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

The sleep in a bed at a TraveLodge was a good start to the day, and we walked around to Jared's flat for breakfast. Today was the first day of our real touristing in London. Needless to say, Lambie was very excited! It rained very heavily but was not too cool, so we took ourselves to Westminster Station. It seemed to be raining even harder in the city and we emerged to find St Stephens Tavern, a beautiful Victorian building (great loo!) the spot for lunch. Our guide, Karen from London Walks, was outside Westminster Station for our tour. Although it was (still) raining we walked around to St Margaret's Church (where Winston Churchill was married) just across from Parliament. This was a unsual sight, but seeing the statue of Oliver Cromwell under the roof where his head was pilloried after his death had a certain symbolism. We saw some amazing streetscapes and buildings on this walk - Georgian houses in rows; the Westminster School (fees at £16 000 per term - but you should see the inside of their classrooms!); the Jewel Tower - a medieval building with wonderful stone carvings; Dean's Yard and Westminster Abbey (£15 entry fee) and the War Cabinet Rooms where Winston did his thing.

We walked back up the hill with Big Ben in front of us and the statue of Winston Churchill glowering impressively on the edge of Parliament Square. Walking down Parliament Street (not much happening in Downing Street) after we left the tour, we came to the Life Guards being changed at Whitehall, so we crossed the road to see - it was free after all! JOhn was rather taken with the fornt of the Department of Health building, a rather striking interpretation of gothic architecture. We walked through the Horse Guards to come back down the Mall to Trafalgar Square and a coffee.

Perhaps it was the weather, but today I was more conscious than I have ever been on previous visits of the sheer weight of numbers in London: the mass of people rushing around the place at all hours - they seem to move faster now; the Keep to the Left or Stand on the Right signs on the underground;the machine guns on police manning security stops around mysterious unnamed but obviously important places; the police helicopter overhead most days; sirens screaming and lights flashing on Police or ambulances. It made me very aware of the 7 and a half million people that make up this city. But from another perspective - the population is much more diverse than I have noticed before - just as NZ hears more languages and sees more differences in people, the colour and sounds of people create a vibe that adds energy here. As the man said: The man who is tired of London is tired of life!

London - it's a gas, gas, gas!

2009-09-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

From last time...the night had barely slid into sleep when there was a huge banging on the door. Long story short....there was a leaking gas main (gas at 50%) near the building,we had to get dressed, get out and NOT put a light on. So there we were in the car park at nearly midnight - Police,Fire Service and all. We spent the night in a nearby community centre(which also had a library attached) and in the morning were reduced to wander the streets. This meant the day was not a touristy thing at all but comprised breakfast early at Brew(Kiwi-run, think good flat white!) Jo in her pink pj's and peep-toe high heels,a visit to Debenhams for more underwear, return visits to the flat to see what was going on, movies(Inglorius Basterds, a meal at The Slug and Lettuce and then finally making a booking at a local TraveLodge where we dissolved into sleep about 7.30pm. Jake,(the flatmate) Jo and Jared joined the other residents to meet with the operations manager for the gas company at 11.00 pm and then after much deliberation, were admitted back to their flat (gas at 5% now) The problem appears to have been a gas line (which is not now used by this 50's style block of flats) and which is obviously unstable. The solution seems to be a future shifting of the line. When you think about it we were really lucky. The other alternative - an explosion would have not have been a great look. We are still a bit discombobulated but Lambie and we all are well. Today we do the London thing.

Lambie goes to The Green Man and finds a sign

2009-09-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

Last night we went into Clapham to have an Indian Moment (also the name of the restaurant. I yawned my way through dinner, falling asleep at various times. Dinner was delicious as we managed to stay awake ( well for me it was a real struggle) and fight through the jet lag. We slept like logs from about 10.30pm on. (Tonight I can hear John yawning his way to sleep as I write this!)
This morning was a Sunday Times time as John went out and foraged. After a long morning catchup we went on tube to Putney and The Green Man - a rather traditional pub where we had lunch in the garden where the feature was large-size games. Perry and Heath, there was a full-size edition of Connect4 and also dominoes ,chess and draughts of similar size. Later, inside we caught with Linda (Drama HOD at a private school in South Ken) and Eamon (lawyer in Trobridge) inside when they arrived. We had a fine time gossiping and chatting. Jake from HHS and the flatmate showed us his great new Ipod game his firm made for Barclays bank (waterslide extreme an IPod application) so we managed to while Sunday afternoon away. On the way back we found a sign that Lambie particularly liked, so it is added here. He is currently having a bit of a lie-down as he is not used to afternoons at the pub and Monday will, as they say, be another day.

London - it feels like home already

2009-09-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

We have now been one entire day in London and Jared and Jo have made us very welcome...even giving up their bed for us... and London is great - very full of people (and it's only Sunday) but great!
We left Singapore for Heathrow at 9.05am with another breakfast airplane-food style - our second in about four hours. However travel in daylight hours meant that, combined with a brilliantly clear weather pattern, we had a clear view of vast tracts of the earth's surface in various countries. From the green lushness of India to the browning out of the land in Pakistan, where small patches of intensely farmed land petered out when the water did; to the sandy beige mountains of Afghanistan with long rift valleys and wind-eroded hillsides. Over the Ukraine we saw a very closely settled and farmed countryside with many shaes of green. Coming down over Holland to start the descent to UK/Heathrow we could see that shiops lined up like dozens of matchsticks to come into a harbour ...Rotterdam?... and those ships which were leaving trailing small feathers of white behind them.
At Heathrow we had the usual queue to get through immigration (but NO customs) and then a "Love Actually" moment when Jared and Jo were there to meet us. They were very complimentary about our light luggage situation ..which they could have been because they knew we had Marmite, milo, pineapple lumps and gingernuts (as requested) in there! We went by tube to their place in Clapham which is just across the road from the station (tho interestingly you can't hear the trains at all). They have a flat in a 60's, styled-up (magnolia/pearl lustre), privately-owned, ex-council block which is gated and well maintained - think lawns, roses, dappled trees - and they have a real fox! Waking in the night I heard a rook - London!

Farewell to (some) sheep

2009-09-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

Leaving Auckland we had the obligatory photo with Lambie in front of a wall of sheep (large photo thingy) so he won't get too homesick for his own kind while we are away.(That's so we don't get accused of animal neglect or anything!
We are here in Changi airport in Singapore where they say it's 6.44am but to us it's really 10.45am ...and so it begins! The first thing you notice about the morning here is that it's really dark...the second is how clean this airport is. Wow!! we wouldn't have to do litter duty here -0they've obviously got it sorted.May be we should have a whole-school field-trip here to learn about how to get better at litter....I wonder what MA would think of that!! The orchids are really beautiful and the other passengers are looking a bit needy of internet (free) so will away and get on another plan for another leg - this time 13 hours long, not a mere 10!!
Have a restful weekend while we are enlarging our carbon footprint...LOL

Two sleeps to go!

2009-09-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone
This is the first edition of the blog for Justine and John - and Lambie? Who is Lambie I hear you say? He is a new special friend who will accompany us on our amazing six week adventure.
If you haven' t heard about it - where have you been?? There is an entire HGHS staff who is ready to see me go - anywhere !- as they are so over my (number inserted) sleeps! routine.

2009-09-09T02:54:00.000-07:00

Introducing Lambie...no pun intended Derek and Bex (and Isobel, Josh and Jessica!)
Naamah (HGHS) gave her to me and she is just such a perfect house guest....though she isn't (yet) much on cleaning up after herself. In this photo you can see her catching up on her reading - some light reading we picked up at the book launch this week.