I'm 6 months behind on the old blogging, and since probably no one reads these except for future me, I'm going to do the express version, without photos (they're all on Facebook anyway...). I may come back and put some on later.
After our disastrous New Years, 2012 got off to a great start. We had the laziest day ever on New Years Day,with no one even bothering to get out of their PJs. It was raining outside. Jen, Lou and I watched Pretty Woman, then Rob came down and we watched Mad Men. Claire, Andrew and Keren came over later and we got Wagamama in.
The next day was a bank holiday, so we got out and about. Rob and I went to see MI4 at the movies - it was pretty good.
We saw a flat advertised that looked worth viewing, so we went to see it on the Saturday and got on really well with the couple that we would be living with.
After our flat viewing, we went to the Victoria and Albert and the Science Museums. I had wanted to go to the Natural History Museum to see an exhibition but the line was massive. We went to see Goon at the movies which was quite funny but Rob hated it. On Sunday we went to Puss in Boots which was funnier and very cute.
Dan and Allison from the flat we had gone to view told us that we could move in, so we had to advertise our room as quickly as we could. After a few hassles and false starts we finally got a confirmed person to take our room. The following weekend I had to move at work, so spent the whole Sunday at work. On the Saturday we went for a nice long walk through Barnes Park and took photos of the frost on our phones. We went to see The Artist which ended up winning lots of awards.
We were due to move flats the following Sunday. On the Saturday the girls from work went to the Matthew Bourne interpretation of The Nutcracker. It was good - something a bit different. Rob and I had a birthday party to go to that night in Richmond, then we went to Adam's house party in Putney. It always seems to happen that you always have loads of things all at once!
Sunday we moved to our new flat. It went pretty smoothly, and we were thrilled with our new place. Jen and I made a deal that we would catch up regularly for Grey's Anatomy nights. I had a day off in lieu owed from moving day at work, so took it on Thursday to settle into our new place. It is lovely, with skylights in the roof and a balcony with a nice view over rooftops. It is very close to Westfield, and Hammersmith so ultra handy. Our room is very small though.
In the weekend we had visitors to see our new flat. Jen came round for dinner and Greys on Friday night, and Storm came round on Saturday and made us scones with jam and cream. The next day was Chinese New Year so we went into Chinatown to absorb the atmosphere and take some photos.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
December 2011
December was staying pretty warm but I still had my cold on and off. On the first Saturday of the month Jen and I had yet another voucher deal to take up - this time a make up class. It was OK, but my smokey eyes malfunctioned slightly....
The next weekend we had Secret Cinema booked in. Jen and her friend, also Jen, Rob and I went along. On the Saturday we went to Camden Market with Claire and Andrew and we looked for outfits for Secret Cinema. The theme that we had been given was soldiers, so we found some great khaki pencil skirts and little female soldier hats. I bought a leather trench coat for a tenner as well. When we got to the secret location, we were led in by some guys with dodgy Austrian accents. We had to pass a "checkpoint" manned by scary-looking "Russian" soldiers, then we were led into the location through some dark passageways.
The place was amazing - four levels, with areas divided into a Russian restaurant, military offices, and a drug laboratory...
We got caught up in various conspiratories, with some "police" trying to recruit us to be communists, others making people get into formation and march, and various incidents going on around us. Finally two men started arguing on a balcony, a shot rang out, and a funeral was held. We were led into a big hall where the movie started - it turned out to be The Third Man, which Rob ended up guessing but I'd never heard of it. It was a good movie, although it was utterly freezing in the hall.
After the movie, Rob and I had to rush away because we had tickets to see Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw at the Southbank centre talking about Quantum Physics. They do really well at talking science to the masses.
I had some terrible news that week when I found out my workmate Yusef was killed on his way to work. We had already organised dinner with Claire and Andrew in Beckenham on Friday night at a little Mexican place. Rob and I and my workmates went to Yusef's funeral on Saturday night. It was held in the mosque, so the genders were segregated. It was a very intense experience.
The next week was the last week of work before Christmas. We had our work Christmas dinner and Secret Santa at Giraffe at Southbank. I was sick again, only a couple of weeks since I got over the mammoth cold, so it was a very quiet one.
On Christmas Eve Eve we finished work early, and I came home and slept all afternoon.
Saturday, Christmas Eve, we left for Yorkshire. We took the train to Thirsk, then picked up our rental car and drove to the B&B. It was too early to check in, so we drove into York and looked around the shops. It is a really nice city! I can see why so many people are in love with it. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant then did a great, cheesy Ghost tour. The guide pointed out interesting features like the black cats on the walls and roofs, and had lots of stories about where people had died and where ghosts had been spotted.
We drove back to the B&B. The one we were staying in was a substitute for the one I had actually booked, but it turned out to be wonderful. It is called The Old Rectory, and was built in the 1700s. Our bedroom was massive, with a huge four poster bed. We had hired a rental car in Thirsk, so we decided to go for a drive into Thirsk and have a look around. My main aim for the trip, as well as relaxing, was to see the James Herriot Museum. It was closed, so I was hoping it would be open on the Tuesday before we left.
Christmas day we had a yummy breakfast and watched the kiddies that were staying at the B&B tear around being excited about Christmas. We opened our presents (amongst which there was a watch and tickets to Matilda for me from Rob, and Simon Amstell tickets and the Mad Men box set for Rob from me). After a nap, we went to have our Christmas dinner at the Golden Fleece in Thirsk. It was a four course roast with Christmas crackers and little wrapped presents. I had a melon bowl with fruit and sorbet as an entree, then Yorkshire Pudding as intermediate, then Roast Pheasant with stuffing wrapped in bacon with veges as main. I got lemon and blackcurrant posset for dessert, and Rob got Tiramasu. Then we spent a lazy afternoon watching telly, as we found it difficult to move after that.
On Boxing day we went for a drive. It started out as a beautiful day, but it was very windy and it got cold and started raining later. We went for a walk up by the White Horse of Kilburn. and drove around the dales stopping at various little villages. We stopped at an old Abbey that provided a beautiful photo opportunity. Then adter working up a healthy appetite we had a lovely dinner at an Indian restaurant in Thirsk.
On Tuesday we went back to York after checking out of the B&B (reluctantly). It was a beautiful day. We drunk in the history, walking along the City Walls, being awed by Yorkminster, and wandering the cobbled streets. The buildings overhang the streets so much they almost touch - very charming. I got sucked into the post-Christmas sales and bought some boots.
We drove back to Thirsk to do the James Herriot museum before dropping the car off and catching the train back. It was as good as I thought it was going to be - a pilgrimage that every vet should take.
It was a good short week at work, and I finally felt well and rested for the first time in ages.
Saturday was New Years Eve. Jen came home from Canada for the Secret Agents Ball. Our expectations were too high though, and it was much more fun getting ready than the actual party. They actually took our toy guns away at the door! It was going to be a hard call beating Iceland though, to be fair.
The next weekend we had Secret Cinema booked in. Jen and her friend, also Jen, Rob and I went along. On the Saturday we went to Camden Market with Claire and Andrew and we looked for outfits for Secret Cinema. The theme that we had been given was soldiers, so we found some great khaki pencil skirts and little female soldier hats. I bought a leather trench coat for a tenner as well. When we got to the secret location, we were led in by some guys with dodgy Austrian accents. We had to pass a "checkpoint" manned by scary-looking "Russian" soldiers, then we were led into the location through some dark passageways.
The place was amazing - four levels, with areas divided into a Russian restaurant, military offices, and a drug laboratory...
We got caught up in various conspiratories, with some "police" trying to recruit us to be communists, others making people get into formation and march, and various incidents going on around us. Finally two men started arguing on a balcony, a shot rang out, and a funeral was held. We were led into a big hall where the movie started - it turned out to be The Third Man, which Rob ended up guessing but I'd never heard of it. It was a good movie, although it was utterly freezing in the hall.
After the movie, Rob and I had to rush away because we had tickets to see Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw at the Southbank centre talking about Quantum Physics. They do really well at talking science to the masses.
I had some terrible news that week when I found out my workmate Yusef was killed on his way to work. We had already organised dinner with Claire and Andrew in Beckenham on Friday night at a little Mexican place. Rob and I and my workmates went to Yusef's funeral on Saturday night. It was held in the mosque, so the genders were segregated. It was a very intense experience.
The next week was the last week of work before Christmas. We had our work Christmas dinner and Secret Santa at Giraffe at Southbank. I was sick again, only a couple of weeks since I got over the mammoth cold, so it was a very quiet one.
On Christmas Eve Eve we finished work early, and I came home and slept all afternoon.
Saturday, Christmas Eve, we left for Yorkshire. We took the train to Thirsk, then picked up our rental car and drove to the B&B. It was too early to check in, so we drove into York and looked around the shops. It is a really nice city! I can see why so many people are in love with it. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant then did a great, cheesy Ghost tour. The guide pointed out interesting features like the black cats on the walls and roofs, and had lots of stories about where people had died and where ghosts had been spotted.
We drove back to the B&B. The one we were staying in was a substitute for the one I had actually booked, but it turned out to be wonderful. It is called The Old Rectory, and was built in the 1700s. Our bedroom was massive, with a huge four poster bed. We had hired a rental car in Thirsk, so we decided to go for a drive into Thirsk and have a look around. My main aim for the trip, as well as relaxing, was to see the James Herriot Museum. It was closed, so I was hoping it would be open on the Tuesday before we left.
Christmas day we had a yummy breakfast and watched the kiddies that were staying at the B&B tear around being excited about Christmas. We opened our presents (amongst which there was a watch and tickets to Matilda for me from Rob, and Simon Amstell tickets and the Mad Men box set for Rob from me). After a nap, we went to have our Christmas dinner at the Golden Fleece in Thirsk. It was a four course roast with Christmas crackers and little wrapped presents. I had a melon bowl with fruit and sorbet as an entree, then Yorkshire Pudding as intermediate, then Roast Pheasant with stuffing wrapped in bacon with veges as main. I got lemon and blackcurrant posset for dessert, and Rob got Tiramasu. Then we spent a lazy afternoon watching telly, as we found it difficult to move after that.
On Boxing day we went for a drive. It started out as a beautiful day, but it was very windy and it got cold and started raining later. We went for a walk up by the White Horse of Kilburn. and drove around the dales stopping at various little villages. We stopped at an old Abbey that provided a beautiful photo opportunity. Then adter working up a healthy appetite we had a lovely dinner at an Indian restaurant in Thirsk.
On Tuesday we went back to York after checking out of the B&B (reluctantly). It was a beautiful day. We drunk in the history, walking along the City Walls, being awed by Yorkminster, and wandering the cobbled streets. The buildings overhang the streets so much they almost touch - very charming. I got sucked into the post-Christmas sales and bought some boots.
We drove back to Thirsk to do the James Herriot museum before dropping the car off and catching the train back. It was as good as I thought it was going to be - a pilgrimage that every vet should take.
It was a good short week at work, and I finally felt well and rested for the first time in ages.
Saturday was New Years Eve. Jen came home from Canada for the Secret Agents Ball. Our expectations were too high though, and it was much more fun getting ready than the actual party. They actually took our toy guns away at the door! It was going to be a hard call beating Iceland though, to be fair.
November 2011
There's a bit of a theme with me and vouchers. The latest one was a Living Social deal for dinner for Rob and I at The Star and Garter in Putney by the river. I had delicious venison.
Unfortunately I still had my cold, but I was still looking forward to the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Monday. It was a really good show, but we had some really high up seats! The highlight of the show for me was Under the Bridge, but they played most of the old classics.
The next weekend we used up another voucher - this time afternoon tea at One Aldwych. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
On Saturday Rob's friend was having her birthday ice-skating at Somerset House. Rob had not skated before but he did really well and didn't fall over once, although he did nearly pull me down a couple of times...
I was meeting up with the vet crew that night while Rob stayed and had dinner with the birthday crew. I met them at a Turkish place where we had a substantial dinner, then we headed over to the O2 Shepherds Bush and watched Dave Dobbyn rock the place.
The first weekend of November was Saturday 5th Nov - Guy Fawkes!! Georgia and a bunch of others were going to Lewes, a small town near Brighton that is famous for its bonfires. There are several (hundreds?) Bonfire Societies, and they all have their own street parades and bonfires. The parades went on for a few hours, punctuated by massive bangs when the characters threw bangers into the road. It was something amazing to see. The Societies work on their parades all year, and you can see this in the finished result.
We had bought tickets to one of the bonfires, and they had a massive bonfire set up ready to light, with a Viking dragon boat on top. There were 3 Guys set up as well - the Pope, Gadalfi and a Guy. Eventually the members of the society arrived and started throwing flaming torches up onto the bonfire. Before long it was blazing, and the Viking boat sat silhouetted against the flames until it caught fire and slowly was consumed. After this the Guys started spouting fireworks, one by one, and the Pope's head exploded!
We had bought tickets to one of the bonfires, and they had a massive bonfire set up ready to light, with a Viking dragon boat on top. There were 3 Guys set up as well - the Pope, Gadalfi and a Guy. Eventually the members of the society arrived and started throwing flaming torches up onto the bonfire. Before long it was blazing, and the Viking boat sat silhouetted against the flames until it caught fire and slowly was consumed. After this the Guys started spouting fireworks, one by one, and the Pope's head exploded!
Unfortunately I still had my cold, but I was still looking forward to the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Monday. It was a really good show, but we had some really high up seats! The highlight of the show for me was Under the Bridge, but they played most of the old classics.
The next weekend we used up another voucher - this time afternoon tea at One Aldwych. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
I was really looking forward to the next Friday - we had tickets to Laugh or the Polar Bear Gets It - a charity gig put on by Tim Minchen. There was a really good line-up, including Josie Long, Francesca Martinez, Badly Drawn Boy, and the star of the show - Tim Minchen! It was the first time we'd seen him live, and he well deserves all the accolades he gets. He did The Pope Song, Cont, Gingers, and just to mix it up a bit, Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah for a spine-tingling finale. We decided to head to my workmate Julia's birthday party afterwards, just to say hello. The"quick hello" turned into getting home at 3.30am after we stayed talking to some guys we got on really well with....
That weekend I skyped Anne, and she had some exciting news! She was 6 weeks pregnant.
That weekend I skyped Anne, and she had some exciting news! She was 6 weeks pregnant.
The next weekend I went to the London Vet Show on Thursday and Friday. Nick and Raewyn were in London, so we had a vet school reunion at a pub in Victoria. I had to be very restrained in not telling everyone about Anne (she wanted to wait until after 12 weeks until she told everyone), especially as Raewyn had good news of her own!
On Saturday Rob's friend was having her birthday ice-skating at Somerset House. Rob had not skated before but he did really well and didn't fall over once, although he did nearly pull me down a couple of times...
I was meeting up with the vet crew that night while Rob stayed and had dinner with the birthday crew. I met them at a Turkish place where we had a substantial dinner, then we headed over to the O2 Shepherds Bush and watched Dave Dobbyn rock the place.
October 2011
Summer lingered in the first weekend of October and our friend Mon was having her Going Away party - she was going to be going back to New Zealand in a few weeks. She had managed to hire Z/Yen's boat - The Lady Daphne. It is a beautiful old timber sail boat. The weather was perfect - hot but not too hot, and no wind. We left from London Bridge Dock and sailed up towards Tower Bridge.
Excitingly, it had been organised for Tower Bridge to open for us! Tourists lining the banks of the Thames and standing on Tower Bridge thought it was a fine spectacle. For one we were the tourist attraction rather than the tourists.We sailed Canary Wharf, Greenwich, and the O2, and then the boat turned and we headed back towards St Katherine Docks.
We docked at St Katherine's Dock then went to the Dickens Inn and had fun singing along to all the cheesy anthems.
Next weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving! Jen had organised for her Canadian buddies to come round to our flat for a proper slap-up Thanksgiving. Amazingly we managed to get hold of a turkey: Bob, although Jen and I did have to traipse across the city to get it. We cooked Bob, and had roast vege, mashed sweet potato and all the trimmings.
On Thursday it was Rob's birthday. We all went to B@1 for a few cocktails, then had Chinese.
Koda and Bec's were leaving in a few weeks, so Jen and I had organised a surprise leaving party for the Saturday. Storm was recruited to take them out for the day, then Jen had managed to get hold of their friends from school and so they and the rest of the crew waited for Storm to bring them home. We went to the Railway afterwards where Brett coerced Becs into doing shots. The next day was the Semi-Finals in World Cup rugby. We went to the Yahoo to watch it with Brett, Bryce and Matt, all of whom were on varying scales of still drunk to hungover. New Zealand thrashed Australia, then we were off to the Rocket to celebrate Storm's birthday brunch. She had made an enormous Red Velvet cake which was divine.
Next weekend was the rugby World Cup final!! We watched it in The George on the Strand with Georgia and the gang, and Debs and Mike came up from Wokingham. After that we went to a little place "round the corner" (not really just round the corner...), that had a variety of different ales and flavoured beers. Unfortunately I was starting my massive cold of the year so wasn't feeling great, but we still decided to go to Covent Garden and have a look around with Mark, Marcella and Georgia. We had a yummy pie and mash at Square Pie and then went to Kopapa in Seven Dials. Rob and I had tea while Georgia and Mark had cocktails...
I had to take the next day off work because by then my cold was in full force, and Rob was sick too so we couldn't go to Mon's final leaving dinner. We had tickets for Ash on Tuesday night which I had been looking forward to for ages but we ended up leaving early because we both felt unwell.
There was also a big weekend coming up. I had work drinks Friday night at Sketch, and we spent a fair amount of our social club money on cocktails.
Halloween was the next night. We went to the Grand in Clapham with Alicia, Maryanne and Jen. We were supposed to go to a house party at Adam's afterwards but I was still sick, so we went home instead... And that was the end of October.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
September 2011 (including Mum' Trip Part 2 - England, Amsterdam, & Paris)
The next place on Mum's agenda was the Lakes District, with just Mum and I. Rob and I had gone with Anne and Matt in late November and it was beautiful but pretty cold so I was looking forward to seeing it in summer (sort of the end of summer anyway...). When I booked the tickets by some quirk it was cheaper to get First Class tickets on the train there than standard ones, which was pretty exciting. We got a free cooked breakfast and drinks and felt very classy. When we got to Windermere we decided to go and drop our bags off at our inn and then go exploring. The place we were staying was very quaint and the manager was very friendly and welcoming. After a nice chat with the man we went off and browsed all of the shops in Windermere, scoping out a place to eat at later on.
One of the shops we looked at was a designer dress recycling place where mum found a lovely skirt, which she ummed and ahhed about for a while (and eventually decided to buy it just before we had to catch our train home!) I also bought a nice skirt.
We walked down to Bowness after that and had a look at the lake. I was quite keen to buy a good outdoor rain jacket as it was not warm and the wind was quite strong. The towns in the Lake District are full of outdoor shops so I was able to find a good jacket that I was grateful for later. We walked back to Windermere and had dinner in a little cafe. I was not well pleased with my meal though as I ordered lamb shanks but they had no mashed potatoes so I had to get them with chips. It's just not the same! Mum got fish which she was happy with. Then we got sticky toffee pudding and lemon meringue pie for dessert and shared them. The sticky toffee pudding was amazing but the lemon meringue pie was a bit average.
The next day I had organised a Beatrix Potter trip before we caught the train home. We got picked up then driven out through Yewdale Valley to Coniston water. From here we went on a lake cruise, and the guide pointed out where on the lake the ill-fated Donald Campbell had broken the water speed record and then fatally crashed Bluebird. He also showed us what places Beatrix Potter had lived in. After the cruise, our next stop was Hawkshead, a medieval village that had a little Beatrix Potter museum that Mum had a look around in. We had lunch at a cute cafe with amazing huge bap rolls (I had salmon and cream cheese and Mum had Wensleydale cheese and chutney). All of the seats has blankets that you could put over your knees or round your shoulders if you were chilly. We then stopped at Tarn Hows (Tarns are bodies of water that are shaped like tear drops). It is a very popular beauty spot and there were lots of people picnicking and taking photos.
We were hurried back into the van, then we drove up the incredibly narrow road to Hilltop, getting stuck once or twice when we encountered traffic in the opposite direction. The rule is that smaller yields to bigger, so we had a heart-stopping journey in reverse at one point when we were up against a coach, with everyone peering nervously out of the window down the sheer cliff face we were teetering along. When we finally got to Hilltop, most people had bought tickets to go inside the house, but we decided not to.
It was quite a lovely day, and we enjoyed looking around the garden that she had based so many of her books around. There was even a Mr MacGregor and some Peter Rabbits.
We saw the place she really lived (across the road), and learnt about the types of sheep in the area (Swaledales and Herdwick).
It was a really good tour that was good value for money, I thought. They dropped us back with plenty of time to spare, so we went and sat a a cafe called The Lighthouse, and I had one of the yummiest desserts I've ever had - a warm chocolate fudge cake with gooey icing.
The next day I went to work and Mum went on a tour by herself to Warwick castle, Stratford and Stonehenge.
Our next stop was Cornwall. We flew to Newquay early Tuesday morning. It was a scary flight - it was very rainy and windy, and the plane was wobbling and lurching all over the place. We stayed at a B&B called Bedlam House, with a lovely owner and really trendy and comfortable twin room. We went shopping, and bought a couple of things each, then for lunch we had to have a Cornish Pasty! We went for a massive long walk after lunch, along the cliff tops and beach. Although it was windy, the sun came out and the view was gorgeous. For dinner we had fish and chips at cute cafe, followed by a really yummy home-made lemon meringue pie.
It was only a short visit to Cornwall - the next day, after a bit more of a wander round Newquay, with some more shopping, and some Cornish ice-cream, we taxied back to the airport and got our flight to Bristol. There we caught a quick train to Bath. We stayed at a Holiday Inn, which was very basic but had everything we needed. We decided to go to the Thermal Spas that night and had a lovely relaxing time.
On Thursday we explored the Roman Baths, after doing a great walking tour of Bath.
In the evening it was time for our train back to London.
Our Eurostar to Paris was the next evening. We decided to squeeze in Camden during the day. Mum loved the markets. We wandered around and bought cupcakes and had devine 15 minute massages. I also took her into Cyberdog and she was suitably impressed.
Once we got to Paris, we followed the theme of our trips abroad and got lost again trying to find our hotel. We asked a teenager working in a dairy and he was absolutely lovely, asking all the other customers in the shop for help, so he sent us on our way with us having a much better idea of where we were going. The hotel was a funny wee one, and the tiny just-fit-2-in-at-a-squeeze lift had Mum in fits of laughter.
Saturday dawned hot again! It was going to get to 30 degrees. We somehow found a little random park in which to have our breakfast of croissant and juice, and it turned out to be massive, with a big hill and bridge and good view of Paris. After we had a good walk through the beautiful park, we made our way to my favourite spot in Paris - Montmartre - and looked at the Sacre Coeur. There was a big art market with artists everywhere offering to paint you or do a caricature.
We then went to see Louvre, but decided that we did not really have time to make going in worthwhile. I showed mum the Pont des Arts, and we walked along the Seine. We made our way to the Eiffel Tower, but we decided not to go up it. Instead we crossed over to the jardin du Trocadero, and dangled our feet in the fountains and lay on the grass in the shade. Once we'd had enough of that, we walked to the arc du Triomph, then down Champs Elysees. We found a place for dinner that was near the hotel, and had snails for an entree, after which I had tasty duck (Mum had fish as usual). We were too tired to do much else, so went back to the hotel, and because there was nothing on in English, I watched Titanic on the German channel.
On Sunday our mission was to do the Catacombs. Fortunately it was raining so it was a perfect thing to do. Unfortunately everyone else thought the same thing so we had a bit of a wait in the queue first. Once we got down there though it was phenomenal. Such an eerie but peaceful place. In case you don't know what they are - they are a series of underground tunnels that have been filled with the bones of millions of Parisians.. http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.htm.
After we emerged from the darkness we decided to check out Notre Dame. While we were waiting in (another) queue, we were entertained by this man feeding the birds. It is hard to make out from the picture but he had about 20 birds fluttering onto his hands. Notre Damn was beautiful, and when we emerged it was sunny, which was nice! Unfortunately it didn't stay warm and so we popped into the mall under the Louvre (pretty much the only shops open in Paris on a Sunday) and had a look around. After that there was only time for a bit of dinner before we had to make our way to Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar home.
On Monday I went to work, while mum pottered around and got her stuff sorted. I had bought tickets to Spelbound, the gymnastics troop that won the 2010 Britain's Got Talent, so we went to that on Monday night with Mum, Rob and Jen. There were other acts involved as well, including Michael Collings, also of BGT fame, and it was a really good night all in all.
We wanted to get as much more of London in as we could, so on Tuesday Mum and I did Soho, and Monument, and had afternoon tea at the Hilton Doubletree in Covent Garden.
On Wednesday we went to Harrods with Rob, and happily it was early enough on a weekday that there were hardly any tourists around. I had bought tickets for Billy Elliot that night for me and Mum, and it was an amazing show, definitely one of the best ones. Mum said she enjoyed it more than Phantom! It was our last night. On Thursday I went with Mum to Heathrow and she was off to Milan for her next leg of her trip - a cruise around the Mediterranean.
Friday, was back to work and normal life... Difficult.
We had tickets for the Comedy Tree on Saturday night with Jen and Alicia though, so that was a good diversion.
On Sunday I went and had a Gel nail manicure and pedicure with Jen (which was good, but not the best and neatest job ever, and unfortunately they didn't last too long) and then I went and saw a movie with Mon.
The next weekend I had the BVA Conference, and also Nick and Sarah were in London, before they were due to head back to NZ. We met up with them on the Saturday, and went to GBK at Westfield. Unfortunately Remy wasn't very well, but we still got some cuddles in.
One of the shops we looked at was a designer dress recycling place where mum found a lovely skirt, which she ummed and ahhed about for a while (and eventually decided to buy it just before we had to catch our train home!) I also bought a nice skirt.
We walked down to Bowness after that and had a look at the lake. I was quite keen to buy a good outdoor rain jacket as it was not warm and the wind was quite strong. The towns in the Lake District are full of outdoor shops so I was able to find a good jacket that I was grateful for later. We walked back to Windermere and had dinner in a little cafe. I was not well pleased with my meal though as I ordered lamb shanks but they had no mashed potatoes so I had to get them with chips. It's just not the same! Mum got fish which she was happy with. Then we got sticky toffee pudding and lemon meringue pie for dessert and shared them. The sticky toffee pudding was amazing but the lemon meringue pie was a bit average.
The next day I had organised a Beatrix Potter trip before we caught the train home. We got picked up then driven out through Yewdale Valley to Coniston water. From here we went on a lake cruise, and the guide pointed out where on the lake the ill-fated Donald Campbell had broken the water speed record and then fatally crashed Bluebird. He also showed us what places Beatrix Potter had lived in. After the cruise, our next stop was Hawkshead, a medieval village that had a little Beatrix Potter museum that Mum had a look around in. We had lunch at a cute cafe with amazing huge bap rolls (I had salmon and cream cheese and Mum had Wensleydale cheese and chutney). All of the seats has blankets that you could put over your knees or round your shoulders if you were chilly. We then stopped at Tarn Hows (Tarns are bodies of water that are shaped like tear drops). It is a very popular beauty spot and there were lots of people picnicking and taking photos.
We were hurried back into the van, then we drove up the incredibly narrow road to Hilltop, getting stuck once or twice when we encountered traffic in the opposite direction. The rule is that smaller yields to bigger, so we had a heart-stopping journey in reverse at one point when we were up against a coach, with everyone peering nervously out of the window down the sheer cliff face we were teetering along. When we finally got to Hilltop, most people had bought tickets to go inside the house, but we decided not to.
It was quite a lovely day, and we enjoyed looking around the garden that she had based so many of her books around. There was even a Mr MacGregor and some Peter Rabbits.
We saw the place she really lived (across the road), and learnt about the types of sheep in the area (Swaledales and Herdwick).
It was a really good tour that was good value for money, I thought. They dropped us back with plenty of time to spare, so we went and sat a a cafe called The Lighthouse, and I had one of the yummiest desserts I've ever had - a warm chocolate fudge cake with gooey icing.
The day after Windermere we were off to Amsterdam.
We got a plane then took the rail into the city. Our hotel was supposed to be quite easy to find but that didn't stop me wandering round like an idiot going the wrong way for about an hour. Finally we got there, and found that they had given our twin room away, so we had a double instead. I was annoyed at the principle of the thing so argued until we got upgraded to a super-king room. It was gorgeous, with one of those great poofy duvets, and the bed was massive so we probably each had more room than we would have had in two single beds!
We wandered round, taking in some of the sights, and found a cute little place to have dinner that seemed to be pretty authentic Dutch. I got the best "bangers and mash" I'd ever tasted (not called that, obviously!) and Mum got fish.
On Saturday we soon realised it was going to be a scorcher. We decided to do a couple of tours, and booked a combo with a canal boat and a countryside tour.
We started with the boat, and had a nice look around the city from the perspective of the canals. The houses are all wonky and on a lean because of the instability of the ground. We learnt some interesting things, like that every house has a gable hook that they use to hoist up furniture through the windows.
After our boat ride and a yummy vegetarian falafel pita bread for lunch, we had a bit of time to look through the shopping parts of town, where we saw a massive line for an ice cream shop. We couldn't resist getting one of obviously the best ice creams around, and so lined up for an 80 cent(!) piece of creamy heaven. It was time to meet for our tour by this time. We nearly melted while we were waiting for the bus to arrive to pick us up, but finally we were on board. Unfortunately the heat had done me in and I couldn't stay awake for all the facts about dykes we learnt on the way... I did manage to get a good idea of how they lay things out though - the farmland is beautiful with all the canals bordering the fields. Our first stop was a Cheese factory village, where we learnt about cheese making and saw lots of windmills.
We then stopped at another village where there was a big fair on, where we were due to take a boat ride over to an old fishing village. We had a bit of spare time so we wandered round admiring all the cute Dutch houses, then we met up and hopped on the boat to head over to the fishing village. The houses are all traditionally green and black, due to using natural ingredients in the paints, such as grass and dirt pigment. Our next stop was a clog factory, where we got a demonstration on clog making. By the time we got back to town, we were starving, so we found a bistro and had mussels. Then we had a look around town - there were loads of quite seedy places around. I imagine it would take some know-how to know where to go.
It was a contrast on Sunday - rainy and a bit chilly. We had planned to go to the Anne Frank museum early to avoid the crowds, so we got there about 9 and there was only a tiny line. The museum was fantastic. It was amazing to think it was that very house that that poor family hid in, all that time. And the bedrooms and everything are all still there, pretty much as they were, but without the furniture. The museum was a real highlight of our trip. We walked to the famous flower market afterwards, then had a couple of monstrous sandwiches at a cafe for lunch - reportedly Mum's sandwich was one of her favourite meals of the trip. After having a bit more of a look around the shops, we hopped on a train back to the airport. One safety tip about Amsterdam for people that haven't been: Watch out for bikes!
The next day I went to work and Mum went on a tour by herself to Warwick castle, Stratford and Stonehenge.
Our next stop was Cornwall. We flew to Newquay early Tuesday morning. It was a scary flight - it was very rainy and windy, and the plane was wobbling and lurching all over the place. We stayed at a B&B called Bedlam House, with a lovely owner and really trendy and comfortable twin room. We went shopping, and bought a couple of things each, then for lunch we had to have a Cornish Pasty! We went for a massive long walk after lunch, along the cliff tops and beach. Although it was windy, the sun came out and the view was gorgeous. For dinner we had fish and chips at cute cafe, followed by a really yummy home-made lemon meringue pie.
It was only a short visit to Cornwall - the next day, after a bit more of a wander round Newquay, with some more shopping, and some Cornish ice-cream, we taxied back to the airport and got our flight to Bristol. There we caught a quick train to Bath. We stayed at a Holiday Inn, which was very basic but had everything we needed. We decided to go to the Thermal Spas that night and had a lovely relaxing time.
On Thursday we explored the Roman Baths, after doing a great walking tour of Bath.
In the evening it was time for our train back to London.
Our Eurostar to Paris was the next evening. We decided to squeeze in Camden during the day. Mum loved the markets. We wandered around and bought cupcakes and had devine 15 minute massages. I also took her into Cyberdog and she was suitably impressed.
Once we got to Paris, we followed the theme of our trips abroad and got lost again trying to find our hotel. We asked a teenager working in a dairy and he was absolutely lovely, asking all the other customers in the shop for help, so he sent us on our way with us having a much better idea of where we were going. The hotel was a funny wee one, and the tiny just-fit-2-in-at-a-squeeze lift had Mum in fits of laughter.
We then went to see Louvre, but decided that we did not really have time to make going in worthwhile. I showed mum the Pont des Arts, and we walked along the Seine. We made our way to the Eiffel Tower, but we decided not to go up it. Instead we crossed over to the jardin du Trocadero, and dangled our feet in the fountains and lay on the grass in the shade. Once we'd had enough of that, we walked to the arc du Triomph, then down Champs Elysees. We found a place for dinner that was near the hotel, and had snails for an entree, after which I had tasty duck (Mum had fish as usual). We were too tired to do much else, so went back to the hotel, and because there was nothing on in English, I watched Titanic on the German channel.
On Sunday our mission was to do the Catacombs. Fortunately it was raining so it was a perfect thing to do. Unfortunately everyone else thought the same thing so we had a bit of a wait in the queue first. Once we got down there though it was phenomenal. Such an eerie but peaceful place. In case you don't know what they are - they are a series of underground tunnels that have been filled with the bones of millions of Parisians.. http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.htm.
After we emerged from the darkness we decided to check out Notre Dame. While we were waiting in (another) queue, we were entertained by this man feeding the birds. It is hard to make out from the picture but he had about 20 birds fluttering onto his hands. Notre Damn was beautiful, and when we emerged it was sunny, which was nice! Unfortunately it didn't stay warm and so we popped into the mall under the Louvre (pretty much the only shops open in Paris on a Sunday) and had a look around. After that there was only time for a bit of dinner before we had to make our way to Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar home.
On Monday I went to work, while mum pottered around and got her stuff sorted. I had bought tickets to Spelbound, the gymnastics troop that won the 2010 Britain's Got Talent, so we went to that on Monday night with Mum, Rob and Jen. There were other acts involved as well, including Michael Collings, also of BGT fame, and it was a really good night all in all.
We wanted to get as much more of London in as we could, so on Tuesday Mum and I did Soho, and Monument, and had afternoon tea at the Hilton Doubletree in Covent Garden.
On Wednesday we went to Harrods with Rob, and happily it was early enough on a weekday that there were hardly any tourists around. I had bought tickets for Billy Elliot that night for me and Mum, and it was an amazing show, definitely one of the best ones. Mum said she enjoyed it more than Phantom! It was our last night. On Thursday I went with Mum to Heathrow and she was off to Milan for her next leg of her trip - a cruise around the Mediterranean.
Friday, was back to work and normal life... Difficult.
We had tickets for the Comedy Tree on Saturday night with Jen and Alicia though, so that was a good diversion.
On Sunday I went and had a Gel nail manicure and pedicure with Jen (which was good, but not the best and neatest job ever, and unfortunately they didn't last too long) and then I went and saw a movie with Mon.
The next weekend I had the BVA Conference, and also Nick and Sarah were in London, before they were due to head back to NZ. We met up with them on the Saturday, and went to GBK at Westfield. Unfortunately Remy wasn't very well, but we still got some cuddles in.
Saturday, 12 November 2011
August 2011 (including Mum's trip part 1 - London and Berlin)
I was busy planning my mum's imminent arrival for most of August. She was due to arrive on the 22nd We still managed to fit in a few things though. Rob had very kindly received a Red Letter Days voucher from his work mates during his hospital stay. We had decided to both go on the "Spy Games Day" out at Milton Keynes. We arranged it for the 20th August, the Saturday. It was a really fun day. We started with axe throwing, which I was utterly hopeless at, but Rob was very good. Then we went onto the automatic rifles, shooting little balls at man-shaped targets. The instructor was either impressed or scared that I managed to hit the guy in the head every time. After the automatic rifles were the sniper rifles, which we shot from behind barriers like real snipers. We then played a game like laser strike with the other teams, where we had to shoot people from behind barrels and wore helmets that told us when we were dead. Pistol draws were next, and once we had learnt how to draw our weapons we had a competition of who could draw theirs the fastest.
Rob and I got into the top five, but were thwarted by the YMCA round - I got M which is by far the hardest letter to draw your pistol from! Unarmed combat was next - learning how to disarm you would-be assailant when they are intent on stabbing you. And last but not least, surveillance, where they showed us all of the tiniest bugs and cameras you can get.
Crazily, we had organised something else with our friend Flynn that night - an all-night marathon of all three Lord of the Rings movies in a row at the BFI Imax. It started at midnight and ended at around 10 on the Sunday. We managed to have a nap after the Spy Games and before the movie, so managed to stay up throughout the marathon. It was actually quite good seeing them all in one go but we were shattered the next day. I had to get up very early on Monday to go and meet Mum at the airport so it wasn't the best idea, but I managed to get up at 5 and got to Heathrow in good time. It was then that I noticed that her plane was delayed for over an hour... Luckily I had brought my Kindle.
Finally Mum turned up. Her and her sister and brother-in-law had been for a stop-over in Singapore before flying to London, so the flight was at least broken up, but they had been kept waiting a really long time with the delay - so we were all pretty tired!
Lor and Nor were going onto France while Mum had her 3 weeks with me, so we all said good-bye. Then I made the executive decision to get a cab as the Picadilly Line had severe delays and I was more than fed up with waiting.
I had made an appointment for us to have a fish pedicure as Mum had said she wanted to try it, and by the time we got home it was already time to leave to make the appointment.
We made our way to the appointment which was practically in Barnes, and had our fish pedicure. Then we went to Kingston and met Rob for lunch, and had a stroll around and a look in the shops.
Tuesday was unfortunately not quite the scorcher it was on Monday. It was quite drizzly and cool. I figured it would be a good day to go to the Tower of London. Mum loved it. We saw the Armoury, the Crown Jewels. the Royal Menagerie exhibition, the towers the prisoners were kept in, and Mum's favourite - the torture chamber!
After we were finished at the Tower we looked at more touristy things on the way to dinner - like Trafalger Square and the Olympic Countdown clock. We had dinner at Joe Allen in Covent Garden - it was a voucher deal - and extremely good. We both had a starter of quails eggs and then a Portobello mushroom burger, followed by dessert. Then I had tickets for Phantom of the Opera - because Rob and I had such dismal seats last time we went I looked on Seatmonkey to find the best seats this time around. It was much better - we could see everything that happened on the stage and above it. After the show we wandered through Soho and showed Mum Leicester Square (not at it's best with scaffolding blocking the entire middle) and couldn't resist the terribleness of M&M World.
The plan on Wednesday was to go and see the Changing of the Guards. But as seems to be my luck with this, when we went to have a look the sign proclaimed no Changing that day. We walked around the corner wondering what to do next and then on a whim decided to have a look in Buckingham Palace. We didn't realise how long the line was until we were in it, and by the time we were in it we decided we might as well stick it out... I'm glad we did too. We decided to get tickets to the Royal Mews as well.
Our ticket for the Palace wasn't for over an hour so we went into the Royal Mews first. It is absolutely lovely. The place is like a tiny village - everyone that works there is born into it. It is where all the working Coaches and horses are kept. We learnt about all the different coaches - the Scottish, the Australian... (the Queen's favourite has good shocks, air conditioning and electric windows), and saw a couple of horses - the rest were on their holidays in the countryside.
The Queen has two types of horses in her stables - the Cleveland Bays and the Windsor Greys. They weren't being very co-operative for photos though...
Once we were in the Palace we weren't allowed to take photos unfortunately. We saw all the beautiful State Rooms, the Throne room where the official wedding portraits were taken, and of course the main attraction - The Dress. It was in a special display in the Ballroom, along with samples of the fabric and a documentary playing about how the dress was made. Even the Wedding Cake was on display. Once we were out in the Palace Gardens we were allowed to take a photo.
After we'd had our fill of the palace, we took a walk through the touristy areas and then went to Hyde Park Corner where I showed Mum the New Zealand memorial.
After that we went to Covent Garden and looked at the market and watched the buskers, then I had to show Mum Carnaby Street... We had pie and mash for dinner in a little place off Carnaby Street.
On Thursday I went to work and Mum had a wander round Putney and walked around the Thames from Putney Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge. I showed her B@1 and introduced her to the Disco Biscuit.
Friday we were very excited to be off to Berlin to catch up with Nick, Sarah and baby Remy Blue. I had met Remy when we were in Christchurch and I couldn't wait to see him again. Rob was to join us on Saturday. We flew into Berlin and decided to get a taxi from the airport. The driver either didn't or pretended to no speak English so we had to play a bit of a game of pidgeon German, but we got there uneventfully. It was over 30 degrees, beautiful weather. Nick and Sarah's flat was in Schoenenberg, a nice little area with a lot of families around so lots of playgrounds and Kinders around. Little kids were all around, playing in water fountains in the nud. Their flat was huge by London standards, 3 bedrooms with massively thick walls and a view across the street into the leafy park across the road. Remy was very excited to see us, especially Nanny who he had skyped with quite a bit. We went to an outdoor pizza place for dinner that was like a giant sandpit with deck chairs and children playing all over the place. Remy had a ball, except for when he got stung on the leg by a wasp. Mum took great pleasure in ordering a beer so she could tell Kevy all about it when she got home (in fact she developed quite a taste for it and even started stealing Dad's Steinlagers when she got home!).
The next day we waited for Rob to arrive and then went out and about Berlin! We had to see the part of the wall remaining first, of course. Although there are only fragments, you can get a (tiny) idea of what it must have been like. There was a guy selling fake border passports. It was a short walk to the Jewish Memorial, which is an amazing sculpture. You can get lost in it.
We saw most of the sights, including the Reichstag, although we didn't go into it. We went through the Brandenburg Gate and saw a Biker's convention in the square through the other side. The hotel Adlon was there too - the very same hotel that Michael Jackson hung Blanket out of. In the Tiergarten opposite the Gate we bought an amazing cheesy pretzel which we all devoured, then we watched the giant bubble lady. Jen was in Berlin at the same time, so we met up with her and she spent the rest of the day with us.
After our Boat trip we were all starving (except maybe Nick who had a hot dog on the boat), and we decided to go home and have take-aways so Remy could go to bed. We got really good Thai from a place close to their place and stayed up late swapping stories and enlightening Jen on old family tales.
We weren't bothered about doing too much more sight-seeing - we were just happy to be hanging out with each other. So on Sunday Nick and Sarah took us to a lovely park and we wandered down the path by the river, buying an enticing-smelling bag of mini donuts, then finding a lovely restaurant on a boat with pork knuckle(!). For some reason I didn't get the pork knuckle but had some of Rob and Sarah's (they shared one). I got fish, along with Mum and Nick. Rob and Sarah also got amazing ice cream sundaes and I got some cheesecake - it was nice but I must admit there was some food envy going on.
After lunch we decided on a mission to find the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park, which Nick and Sarah had not managed to find yet. It was very hidden away and not easy to find at all, but when we emerged upon it we were speechless for a little bit. It is hard to get the scale in a photo but is is hugely impressive - the entrance is flanked by massive kneeling soldiers then the main statue (at the end of this photo) is a giant statue of a Soviet soldier holding a rescued child and crushing a Swastika under his foot. Propoganda galore! It was our last night so we got some treats in and had another night of gossip.
The next day was nice and sunny and before we left Nick said we had to take the bikes to Schoenenberg Park to have a look. It was a short bike ride to the place, which is an old airport that is no longer used as an airport and was given to the people to use as a public park. It was glorious hooning along the runways on our bikes pretending to be planes. we found an old plane behind a fence with an eagle perched on top, which was very cool - he let us get incredibly close. We made our way back to Nick and Sarah's place and sadly got ready to head back to the airport, after lots of hugs and kisses with my gorgeous nephew.
Tuesday was another day at work for me, and then Wednesday we were off to Windemere!
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