comeflywithanna

Farnborough Air Show

2008-10-02T21:22:00.002+01:00

The 19th of July was a very special day. I went to the Farnborough Air Show with Mark, his parents, Don and Christine, and Mark and Sharyn. Despite it being a greyish English day the weather was kind to us and we didn't get wet at all. There was an amazing array of flying machines - small ones, big ones, clever ones, fast ones, old ones, new ones, pilotless ones - I think you get the picture. As for naming all of them it's just too difficult. If you have any queries about these pictures they would best be directed to Don Gibson the plane enthusiast. Otherwise, Mark M might be able to help you out.

An old one!

A pilotless one, built for one purpose only.

My favourites - the Red Arrows

Mark Morriss, plane enthusiast studying the programme

Spare parts - look what you can do with a bit of imagination!

Pretties in Prague

2008-09-29T09:50:00.007+01:00

Girls trip in July 08 to celebrate Rachel's birthday!

Karen, me, Rachel, Danielle

2 scoops please - obviously my Czech needs a little more practice

Sedlec Ossuary, Kutna Hora

Oops, no photos please sign wasn't noticeable til we left this church in Kutna Hora.

Vltava river, near the Charles Bridge, Prague

Fred & Ginger Building, Prague

The Astronomical Clock, Prague

Margate

2008-08-07T19:17:00.002+01:00

Sharyn with the Margate ladies

Sharyn and I - posing again!

G and a fine Margate woman.

The ladies

A plane in a museum, A.K.A. Supermarine Spitfire MK XVI (LF) Type 361 TB752,

The Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum, Ramsgate

Flat, sandy beach, perfect for a sprint!

Sharyn on the first sandy, white beach we've found in England!

Me outside an old house, Margate, UK

Shell grotto, Margate, UK

Tiki Tour: part 2

2008-06-07T21:22:00.011+01:00

The last Monday in May is also a Bank Holiday so you guessed it, long weekend = more tiki touring. The Lakes District comes with high recommendations so that's where we thought we would head. Some lazy folk (a.k.a. Sharyn, Mark and Rachel) took the Friday off. Mark G and I showed our dedication and went to work as usual.

Early on Saturday morning we headed off to Heathrow to collect our rental car. Rachel and Mark M the desginated drivers chose a wee Peugot. It had a beautiful sun roof but not a lot of room in the back for 3 adult passengers. See the pictures below which highlight the poor French design!

Backseat of the peugot - hat for perspective.

As is tradition when hiring a car we stop off somewhere on the way. Obviously for food - the ASDA carpark in Wigan for a picnic. Then a major stop in the tacky, tourist town of Blackpool. You can't miss the array of rollercoasters on the skyline at Pleasure Beach. We had to check it out. Maybe it is possible to buy a single ticket and have just one ride on a rollercoaster. The three girls were getting quite excited while the thought of a ride was draining the colour from the lads faces. We were in luck, Pleasure Beach sell tickets for single rides. So, we handed over our 8 quid and headed off in search of the tallest, fastest rollercoaster in the park. At least 4 of us did. Mark M couldn't be persuaded so kindly offered to look after our belongings. At 235 feet Pepsi Max Big One is the tallest rollercoaster in England and also Europe. I can also confirm that it goes pretty fast but disappointingly there are no upside down bits. To check out a simulation go to http://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/rides/pepsi-max-big-one/1/1/. Sensibly we waited til after our rollercoaster ride for ice-creams.

Hold on to your hats.

Around 8pm we arrived at Sedbergh where Mark M had found a lovely cottage for us. One slight problem was the extremely narrow driveway. It spooked Rach so Mark had to do the honours and squeeze the wee Peugot in the drive. It took two people to direct and ensure that the paint work on our rental car remained in tact.

Our hosts had recommended a local pub for dinner, maybe 100 m walk along from the house. Good time to test out my new high heels. Unfortunately as it was getting close to 9pm and they were busy we coudn't get a table there. They gave us another couple of options slightly further down the street. We enjoyed lovely meals in a quiet restaurant attached to a deserted pub. You know that you are in a country village when some bloke pulls out a table and plonks a TV down on it, wires up an aerial and turns on the boxing.

A haven for outdoor lovers the Lakes beckoned. The weather was particularly windy which made me feel at home. The locals said when or if the wind stopped it would rain. We had aspirations to do a water activity on one of the lakes - kayaking or windsurfing. However the windy weather meant nippy temperatures. After making inquiries at the Windermere Tourist Information Centre and a conference over brunch we settled on a lake cruise incorporating a walk. Due to the immense number of people visiting Windermere this bank holiday weekend we spent so long trying to get a park that we missed the ferry we hoped to get to Ambleside. On a whim, we decided to drive to Ambleside and hope it was less busy so that we could do our ferry cruise in reverse. This just meant going for the walk at the end rather than in the middle of our cruise.

Ferry cruise - Mark M & Rach

Shazz & Mark G

It is usually on Sunday when I miss being in NZ the most. Why, I hear you ask. Well because the shops are open for such short hours. Like 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. So, by the time you have done anything fun the shops are shut and it is difficult to purchase ingredients for a nice Sunday dinner. We fell in to this trap again. The local co-op in Sedbergh just did not have the right ingredients for our desired dinner so we had to settle on Indian takeaway.

With a longish drive home on Monday we resolved to get away early. I think we left about half an hour after our scheduled departure time. One of the problems with hiring a car is having too much freedom. Which way should we travel home? Where should we stop off? I don't remember why but York was chosen as the main stop en route home. Harrogate was floated as an option, something to do with Mark M's obsession with Mackintosh lollies.

Along the back roads to York I noticed a sign for Wensleydale Creamery. A hasty decision was made and we took an unscheduled stop at Hawes. It turns out that the creamery was established by one Kit Calvert. I'm not sure if he's any relation. We all enjoyed an early morning cheese tasting and purchased some of our favourites including papaya and blueberries. Yummy!

The wedges of Wensleydale

It seemed the thing to do in York if you only have a couple of hours is visit York Minster. I don't really know how we decide what to see or do on these trips. Mostly we seem to wander around, eat some food and see what interesting things we stumble on. No-one seems particularly keen or inclined to do any research before we go. Partly becasue we don't seem to decide where we are going until the last minute. This suits us fine but I guess one day we will come back from such a trip and be told by someone that we missed something we would have quite liked to see. I would love to hear from anyone who could recommend places either in England or Europe so I can put them on my list!

York Minster

As we had found Windermere busy on Sunday, York Minster was on bank holiday Monday. With limited time we opted for a look around the Minster. There was quite a long queue for the Tower! Rach and I joined on the back of a tour and learnt some of the history of the Minster while Mark, Mark and Sharyn wandered and took photos. We particularly liked the carving of a guy with two right feet. Turns out the master carver took an early lunch one day and instructed his apprentice to "do exactly the same for the other foot". It just goes to show how important it is to think before you give instructions!

The man with 2 right feet.

The 2 Mark's & Me

farewell from "the North"

Tiki tour: part 1

2008-06-04T21:05:00.011+01:00

Over a month has passed since my last update. The only excuse I have is that I have been busy seeing more of the English countryside.

The first Monday in May is a bank holiday here in England. Our destination for the long weekend was the Bath/Bristol area. We didn't have much of a plan. It wasn't until the Thursday before we left that we finalised accommodation in Clevedon on the coast west of Bristol. This was at a Holiday Park in a pre-fab type thingee. Bascially one large living room that adjoined the kitchen and dining area, 2 bedrooms and a wee bathroom. Ample space for the 4 of us. The central heating made it like an oven. We quickly turned it off and opened all the windows and doors. It took about 24 hours before we got the temperature to a comfortable level!

En route to Clevedon we stopped off at Winchester for a picnic lunch outside the Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral

Next stop en route was Stonehenge. I have to admit not quite as impressive as I had imagined. It was slightly strange approaching Stonehenge to see hundreds of people walking slowly around the perimetre, many looked like they were talking on cell phones. I later discovered these were the audioguides that inform you about the history and theories surrounding Stonehenge.

Stonehenge, a photographer's paradise

M & M @ Stonehenge, (Mark G and Mark M)

Final stop for the day was at Clevedon. Phew, we arrived just in time to have dinner at the holiday park restaurant. Oh, and sample a fine NZ Sauvignon Blanc - if it has been flown half way around the world it must be good!

With a full day at our disposal we decided to head off to Bath to explore. After a slowish start in the morning we made it to Bath in time for brunch. No point seeing the sights on an empty stomach. We spent a couple of hours exploring the Roman Baths.

Roman Baths, Bath

As the rain had subsided in the middle of the afternoon we parked the car and enjoyed a walk along the river. Also took in a little women's cricket that was being played at the Bath Cricket Ground. This was followed by a bit of a drive around the streets of Bath. In particular to find a special circular street, that is round, like a circle, you know, it's round. Mark G had been particularly intrigued by this street on his last visit to Bath and was very keen that we saw it. So, we did find it and drove around "The Circus" in a circle.

The Circus, Bath (Mark G)

"The round street, that is like a circle, it's you know, like round!"

A pre-requisite of going to Bath surely has to be a visit to the mineral pools. That is if you can find them! We drove around in circles for bit, around the one way streets in the centre of town, trying to follow the signs, even asked people for directions. After 20 minutes of this I was a little bored so jumped out of the car at some lights and set off on foot. The trouble was the signs were really directing pedestrian traffic so they were difficult to follow in a car. Soon enough I found them hidden away in some back streets. I headed in and got information on prices, times etc. By this stage it was about 7pm so as food is always on my mind I voted that we leave it for the following day. I won!

We are getting a bit more organised on these excursions now and managing to fit in a bit of cooking in the evening instead of always going out. It is my sneaky way of increasing the two Mark's cooking repertoire. Hopefully it will pay dividends in the future. You have to plan ahead on Sunday because shops here close around 4pm. We had picked up all the necessary ingredients for pasta with bacon and creamy white wine sauce. Very yummy and pretty quick and easy too!

On Monday we had an earlier start as we wanted to go back to Bath to pay our visit to the mineral pools. I was slightly nervous about this as my body tends not to respond well to hot baths. I needn't have worried though. The New Royal Bath and open-air rooftop pool were both pleasant temperatures. We also tested out the aromatic steam rooms. They were almost intolerable - very hot and quite strong aromas. Not recommended if you are wearing contact lens'.

The open-air rooftop pool, Thermae Bath Spa, Bath

After a relaxing morning it was time for the longish drive home. It is difficult for us foreigners to know what bank holiday traffic is going to be like. Partly by accident we stuck to smaller roads for a while and stumbled across a sign for New Zealand. This couldn't be ignored so we took a detour half a mile off our path to check it out. Didn't actually find anything of note. The only evidence that this place exists is the photo's we took under the road sign.

Home away from home.

Torremolinos & Gibraltar

2008-04-30T21:13:00.005+01:00

The Four Amigos: Mark G, me, Mark M, Sharyn

Just back from a sunny break in Torremolinos near Malaga. Basically it was a holiday so we didn't plan to do to much. Really enjoyed hanging out with Sharyn, Mark and G! The four of us get on pretty well which is lucky because we seem to be spending quite a lot of time together. They were there for a week but as it was only 2 weeks in to the new school term so I couldn't justify a whole week off. I compromised by joining them for the first 5 days.

I won't bore you with a lot of writing this time.

A summary of the trip is provided in the pictures below.

Sightseeing: Me, G, Mark M - near Palacio Episcopal, Malaga

Tennis: Mark M. I hit the highest number of aces, keep practicing boys.

It's lucky we gave them racquets for their recent birthdays!

Lost guitar: G playing the guitar

Beach walking: Mark M, G, Sharyn

Photography: lost count of how many pictures were taken! View from Castillo de Gibralfaro.

Excursions: the Rock of Gibraltar

Eating: Sharyn & Mark eating their ice-creams at Castillo de Gibralfaro

Making new friends: The monkeys and me, Gibraltar

Clowning: mostly me, Gibraltar

If you enjoyed these pictures there are a few more if you follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35315&l=e2d9d&id=637180956

Hasta leugo, Anna

A glimpse of Poland

2008-04-07T14:30:00.008+01:00

I am just back from a 2 night taster trip to Krakow, Poland. We were lucky to make our 5.50am flight from Stansted as it was a text from me at 3.30am that woke Shelley up. The bus from Cambridge left at 3.40am which we just caught.

My first impressions of the city were that the people were relaxed, not bustling about like Londoners or Cambridgers. Krakow is pedestrian friendly which I really liked. There was little risk of being run over, or cycled down, when you stopped to take photos as all good tourists do. We spent a lot of time just wandering the streets admiring the architecture and scouting out good eating places. Oh, and doing a little shopping.

Rynek Glowny (Old Town, Market Square)

On Thursday we found our way to Hostel Yellow by around midday. Too early to check in officially we dropped off our bags and headed out in search of lunch. Did I mention, this was a culinary tour of Krakow? Shelley is diabetic so food is pretty important. We made good travelling companions! Our first experience of Polish cuisine was pretty average. I chose a meal that consisted of fried chicken, shoestring fries and coleslaw. All much the same colour on the plate so it looked pretty unappetising. Tasted OK. Everything on the menu at this place came with Georgian spices. I still haven't quite figured out what that means. With full stomachs we headed out to explore. We went and said our prayers in St Mary's Basilica. The interior is spectacularly ornate but unfortunately you can't take photos inside. On the hour a trumpeter plays from the tower. This continues throughout the night.

St Mary's Basilica

We then headed for the Kazimierz district. There are a number of circuits you can do with varying focuses. We chose one that took us past a few of the Jewish synagogues. It was interesting to wander through the area. However, without a guide it was difficult to learn anything of the history of the area or to know what we were looking at. After only three hours sleep though we probably weren't in a state to take too much in. We finished our afternoon exploring with a meander through the Wawel Castle grounds.

Wawel Castle

Our first day ended with dinner at a Polish restaurant near to the hostel. The menu sounded fabulous. However, the food was rather disappointing. Shelley ordered Wild Boar and I chose roasted Duck. Both meats were overcooked and very dry. The meals were served very quickly which can only mean that they were re-heated. Ewww. At least the sides we ordered were edible - a creamy spinach dish, beetroot and roasted potatoes. Yum. We didn't risk trying the desserts.

On Friday we were booked in for a tour to Auschwitz (Oswiecim in Polish). Our driver collected us from the hostel at 9.30am so not too early a start. However due to dodgy alarm setting (on Shelley's part) I was woken at 4.30am anyway by buzzing in the locker by my head. Can't believe I heard it with earplugs in. No-one else seemed to be bothered or woken by the noise so I let it go for a while. Then decided it wasn't going to shut up so had to work out which bag it was in and try to turn it off. The noise was slightly louder when I opened the locker and located the bag so in fact Shelley was woken and turned it off. Pretty funny as we had joked before going to bed that I might set alarm for the wrong time as I have been known to do on school hockey trips.

Arbeit Macht Frei ("Work Brings Freedom") YEAH RIGHT!

If I were clever I would turn this photo into a Tui billboard. It is difficult to know what to say about our visit to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II Birkenau. We had an excellent guide who brought to life the history of the place. The displays of 2 000 kg of human hair, thousands of pairs of glasses, suitcases, shoes and other personal possessions bring home the scale of the torture and extermination that took place. All so recently too!

Entrance to gas chamber and crematorium, Auschwitz I

The platform at Birkenau

The place where trains from all over Europe arrived, three quarters of the passengers were led from here straight to the gas chambers.

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens,

how incapable must Man be of learning from experience."

George Bernard Shaw

With our "sightseeing" quota for the day filled we relaxed in the mall for the remainder of the afternoon. We searched three floors of shops for the perfect pair of shoes for Shelley. Which, eventually we found. This required some stamina and a little Lody (ice cream) to replenish our energy stores.

Shelley's choice, Spaghetti Chocolate Deluxe

The culinary tour continues. Actually, I don't remember the proper name for this. But in true Polish style these desserts were huge! I had a much smaller sample of another Chocolate concoction with ice-cream, cream and chocolate liquer. How could you go wrong? The presentation was amazing but I put that down to it being an Italian branded shop.

We made a reservation for dinner at a place called Chlopskie Jadlo which advertised itself as Polish country style cooking. I was slightly dubious about the complimentary lard that is served at the beginning of your meal. However as part of my education I forced myself to sample it. I should mention the lard was served with beautiful bread and a soft cheese. The lard did not look appetising, a thick white glug as you'd imagine, with chunks of something a little more solid floating about. I cautiously spread a little on a piece of bread and sampled. To my surprise it was quite delicious. That's because it was warm and the floaty things most closely resembled pork crackling. Everyone knows its the fat in food that makes it taste good. As I haven't been to any other countries that serve up lard as a starter I'm not too worried that I will acquire an addiction to it. My main was equally delicious although I can't remember exactly what it was. Some kind of meat in a creamy, winey, mushroomy sauce served with buttery mashed potatoes. Let's not consider the fat content of this dinner. No dessert was necessary as our stomachs were probably still digesting the enormous helpings of ice-cream we'd eaten earlier.

Our last night involved exploring the Krakow night-life. Well, sort of. We wandered the streets and poked our heads in to a few places. This usually meant ducking down a dark alley, shuffling downstairs to a darkly lit basement and quickly assessing the atmosphere. We sampled a couple of local vodka's in a smoky cellar bar. After rejecting a few more places we settled on a cafe style bar for our nightcap. A very rich hot chocolate with a good measure of baileys. Not particularly Polish but very yummy.

On our last day we did not set out to see or do anything in particular. There was more street wandering just taking in the slightly different sights on a weekend day. People dressed in National costume playing piano accordians and the like. We bought amber jewellery at Cloth Hall, the market in Rynek Glowny. The highlight of the day was deciding we were both in need of a cheap haircut. How could you go wrong for 80 zloty (20 quid, 45 NZD)? So, we booked ourselves in at the first place we found.

By this stage any apprehension about our inability to communicate had well and truly vanished. I was less concerned about this seeing as I pretty much couldn't talk the entire time we were away due to some stupid illness. It turned out that the reception chick had pretty good English. She was used as an interpreter and we both came out with shorter hair. All round a success I think.

There was time for one last meal before we headed to the airport to catch our flight. As we had had mixed success with Polish cuisine we settled on Japanese. This was a beautifully presented and delicious meal. The perfect way to celebrate the end of our unintended culinary holiday.

Do widzenia! Anna!

Easter in North Wales

2008-03-26T20:51:00.005Z

The forecast was bleak as seven kiwis squeezed themselves, some clothes and some provisions (more drinks than food) into the rental car.

Problem 1: No seatbelts in the back seat. OK, not exactly no seatbelts, just nowhere to make them click. Fortunately the 3 boys thought this could be easily fixed by switching the two back seats round. As the girls huddled round to ward off the cold the boys quickly found they could remove the two seats. They were not so quick however, to re-fit them on the opposite sides of the car! In fact, after 15 minutes watching them fiddle around with no success, Sharyn and I took over with Karen providing an extra pair of eyes. In a little under 2 minutes the first seat was slammed into position. The boys were just being too gentle. After our demonstration we offered them a chance to regain a little pride and gave them a go fitting the second one. The second attempt was little better than the first so much more quickly they were thrown out of the car to let the pros finish the job!

So, with that little challenge overcome it was time to repack the car.

First stop -Warwick Castle. A quick decision was made that it wasn't worth £18.50 for a quick look round. Instead we settled on takeaway drinks and wandered along one side of the castle wall. Second stop was in Shrewsbury for a little shopping (hats & gloves) and lunch. Final stop before reaching our destination - Pwliheli for more provisions. It was great to finally reach Nefyn and extract ourselves and all our luggage from the car. We were welcomed by our lovely Welsh hostess with the following words, "You girls will find your way around in here" (the kitchen). We quickly discovered that the fee we paid for linen did not include towels and that there were no tea towels or other dish washing implements in the kitchen. Our Welsh hostess was quite shocked and surprised by our disorganised state (I had brought my own towel). With the last minute changes to numbers only 6 beds had been made up. So, she returned next door to the house to fetch some extra linen. Andrew jokingly asked the girls if we had brought our pot mitt. Said hostess soon returned with towels, tea towels and much to our entertainment a pot mitt!

Despite the chilly temperature and gale force winds we wrapped orselves up and headed for the beach. It is always nice to return to the coast, even if the beach is stoney and its minus 5 degrees taking into account the wind chill factor. We walked along to the far end of the beach and then came back along a path overlooking the beach. It was super windy, we were in fact blown up the hill. So windy that my hat blew off and disappeared into a paddock with horses. The two Marks jumped the barbed wire fence to search for it. As it was getting dark and our tummies were rumbling we had to call the search off. The leaders of the pack, Karen and Andrew had disappeared into the distance unaware of the dilemma. An executive decision was made for the remaining 5 to head to the pub. On the walk down to the beach there was a discussion about dinner. All the girls had unintentionally left the house with no money - boys shout! Surprisingly we didn't find Karen and Andrew propping up the bar. Just as the two Mark's were being sent on a search of a different kind Karen and Andrew strolled in. We enjoyed lovely meals at the Nanhoran pub. Unfortunately they were out of Pavlova for dessert but I can highly recommend the Hot Chocolate with Baileys!

Caernarfon Castle

As you can imagine it takes a while for 7 people to get up and organised in the morning. In fact, I reckon longer than 30 Tawa kids and a bunch of teachers! The main event on Saturday was horse-riding in Snowdonia National Park. Unfortunately our stop in Caernarfon was only long enough for shopping (a new hat for me, postcards etc) and hot drinks. It was a nice drive through the countryside to reach our horse-riding destination. As I don't actually remember the last time I was on a horse I was slightly nervous about our afternoons adventure. By and large this was unnecessary as due to my size (and probably the level of experience I declared on the form signing my life away) I was introduced to Maisey. A somewhat impatient horse, she was chosen to lead the group. This meant on our two hour walk I was led the whole way by one of the guides. No opportunity to really test whether or not my hold on the reins had any control over the horse. In sight of home there was one wee incident. Karen's horse Carla and Maisey had a wee scuffle. Apparently giving each other a boot. I contemplated how I could dismount, landing on my feet of course, which seemed all the more challenging with a girl holding the reins. My second instinct kicked in which paid off. Hold on for dear life! It must have been quite a site for the others behind me.

Stomach pains had set in while on horse back. So en route home I had a lie down in the back of the car while the rest of the party enjoyed dinner in Porthmadog.

Fun on Easter Sunday morning. An egg hunt was laid and there was plenty of chocolate to share around (thanks Sharyn, Karen and Rachel!). These cute finger puppets came with the M&S mini eggs. Aren't they adorable?

You can't really say you've visited Wales unless you see a castle. So on Sunday it was back in the car and off to Conwy. The picture below of Mark G, Karen, Sharyn and Rach was taken in some wee village along the way.

Finding lunch on Easter Sunday with 2 big football games on was easier said than done. Eventually our party which had swelled to 11 (we met up with 4 of Andrew's friends) settled on overtaking the back half of a pub in Conwy. After lunch we happily paid £4.50, much more reasonable than Warwick, to explore the castle in cool, drizzly conditions.

A quick look at the Knights shop across the road from the castle turned into a delve into our family histories. A guy kindly plugged our surnames into his computer which duly spat out details about our past. What our names meant, where our families were from, family mottos, crests and how many convict relatives were sent to Australia. The guy couldn't answer my question about how the Calvert's got to NZ!

The long drive home had to be broken up with a stop somewhere. I was happy when we decided on Portmeirion, pictured above and below, which was designed and built by architect Clough Williams-Ellis. He wanted to show how a beautiful natural environment could be developed and enhanced by thoughtful planning. Many of the materials were recycled from other architectural work he was undertaking.

Hwyl fawr from Wales!

Oxford, Stratford-upon Avon etc

2008-03-13T21:17:00.003Z

Since the trip to Portsmouth I have had another fun-filled weekend with Sharyn, Mark and Mark. I hired a car for the second time as it is quite a slow journey across country on the X5 bus from Cambridge to Oxford. Much quicker to drive down the M11, around the M25 and then head northwest on the M40. I find that each time I drive I figure out what a few more of the road signs mean!

The purpose of the trip to Oxford was to see my cousin Mel play rugby in the varsity game against archrivals Cambridge. Oxford got off to a flyer and were 12-0 at half time. Only two yellow cards in the first half. One player each team. The ref went mental in the second half and awarded another two or three yellow cards. Who would have thought that the girls wouldn't play by the rules? Maybe it was how high the ref was wearing her shorts that really made her uncomfortable and she had to take it out on someone! Somehow Cambridge scored 13 unanswered points in the second half. With about a minute of injury time on the clock Oxford were awarded a pentaly right in front of the posts. The crowd collectively held their breath, followed by Cambridge supporters cheers as the ball went wide. Disappointment for the Oxford supporters who couldn't quite believe it was all over.

After the game we found the Sportsview B&B and checked into our family room. I was nicknamed baby and then entrusted with the key for our room. With an "8 weeks to fab abs" book from Mens Health we entertained ourselves until dinner. This was so hilarious that I couldn't hold a camera still enough to take any still or video footage. I swear the ab workout was more from laughing at the boys poor form and technique. As an ex-gymnast I felt well qualified to judge this. Only one injury resulted from a collapsed handstand. I was fine but the Mark who tried to catch me was left scarred for life.

On Sunday we took a drive in the countryside. Our first destination was Stratford-upon-Avon. After some laps around the town we found our way to Anne Hathaway's cottage in Shottery (pictured below). There was much deliberation but eventually we forked out a few pounds and viewed the garden and toured the cottage.

The roof was in the process of being re-thatched so the front part of the house was looking less than picturesque obscured by scaffolding. Below is a fetching picture of Mark M posing with one of the less obscure/thought-provoking/offensive statues in the garden.

After lunch and just missing the start of the walking tour in Stratford we hopped back in the car and headed towards home. We stopped off at a little village Stow-on-the-Wold, well known in the Cotswolds for its Art galleries, gifts and crafts. Unfortunately, not as much can be said for the scones that we sampled for afternoon tea. Served cold and dry, not how Dad makes them and not how I like them!

Until the next adventure (Wales at Easter), that's all from me.

Portsmouth

2008-03-12T20:41:00.005Z

My first trip to the English seaside. As luck would have it the sun was out and it was a warm winter day with temperatures in the mid teens! So hot in fact I wasn't far off getting sunburnt.

Portsmouth is renowned for its Royal Navy history. I had a fabulous day exploring the Historic Dockyard with Sharyn, Mark and Mark. The picture below was taken on board HMS Warrior otherwise known as 'The Black Snake' due to the 65m long armoured box that protected her guns and machinery.

It is amazing to think that over 150 to 200 years ago people designed and built ships of this size. The rigging is very impressive but what you see is a mere portion of what was actually required to sail the ship.

At lunchtime we enjoyed a cruise on the harbour. This took us past the Navy's modern warships - frigates, destroyers etc. There is a good collection in varying states of repair. The one below has been pawned off at bargain price to a South American country - Chile or Brazil - I think.

After lunch we explored the HMS Victory, the world's oldest commissioned warship. It was on board the HMS Victory that Lord Nelson died during the Battle of Trafalgar. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures as this was when my camera began its temperamental power tantrum.

There are many more things we could have looked at and done in Portsmouth but time did not allow. We purchased tickets which are valid for 12 months so may return to look around some of the sights we missed.

All in all a great day in the sun (in England in February)!

Summer Sun

2008-01-20T20:27:00.000Z

What better way to finish 2007 than a surprise visit to the southern hemisphere. As it was Dad's 60th birthday I thought it fitting I use my return airfare to join in the celebrations. Who else could be trusted to make a decent cake? Don't bother counting the candles - there aren't 60 because this was actually brother-in-law Brad's cake on Christmas Day.

I had a great month in NZ catching up with family and friends. Just to prove that dad really is over the hill, and some, we made him walk most of the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds. Also threw in a day kayaking for extra measure. Just to add to the challenge he got to kayak with mum. Sadly, this did not provide quite as many fireworks as predicted by whanau members.

This is the view at Punga Cove. Day one involved a water taxi from Picton to Furneaux Lodge. Would you believe it hailed on the way out. From there we walked for three hours in the rain to Punga Cove. A relatively easy walk made more challenging by the weather, plenty of mud for slipping and sliding.

Uncle John and Brad surveying the action at Portage. This was our second stop. The hardest and longest day of the track from Punga Cove to Portage. By the end of the day, dad - and the rest of us too, were most definitely over the hill(s). Remember, I've been living in England and can't remember the last time I saw a decent hill!

Time to trade in our walking shoes for a paddle. With uneven numbers there had been much speculation, some would even say debate, about who should partner whom. Being my assertive self I made sure I nabbed myself a great partner in cousin Sophie. We might not be the fastest to run up the hills but we sure can get a kayak moving.

The final day was again a longish walk from Portage to Anakiwa. Everyone was thrilled to make it to the Blistered Foot for a well earned drink before returning to Picton.

This trip was the highlight of my month at home. I am now safely back in Cambridge, working hard to earn money for the adventures in store in 2008.

For those who are wondering, baby Stella arrived safely on 11 December.

Brilliant Break in Belfast

2007-11-29T18:29:00.000Z

Some would say November is not a good time for travelling and sightseeing in the northern hemisphere. I disagree! Just back from five days in Belfast. Despite it being grey, wet and coldish every day Karen, Rachel and I had a fabulous time. We made the most of the daylight hours available and then rewarded our efforts with a drink or two at a pub.

On Saturday we found our way around the city and scoped out what there was to see and do. This is a picture of the continental market in front of City Hall. In the background you can see the whale. Sorry, I mean the wheel. It's just the way the Irish pronounce it had both Rachel and I searching for a whale. As darkness descended we found our way to the Crown Liquor Saloon - a very ornately tiled watering hole. We'd planned on just the one. However, some Scottish blokes we bumped into shouted us a few rounds and then invited us to their friends 40th that they were in town for that evening. After dinner Rachel and Karen put in an appearance. I was in need of sleep after our early start to get to the airport.

On Sunday morning we headed out for undoubtedly the coldest 'Hop on - Hop off' bus tour I have done this year! After previous experiences (mostly with Mum) I went prepared with scarf, gloves and woolly hat. Oh, and my camera too. We enjoyed live tour guides whose commentary we understood most of the time. The tour took us to Stormont (Parliament Buildings). It was deserted and unlike all other tourist destinations I have visited it was not at all difficult to take photo's without random strangers walking through. In case you're wondering that is my friend Rachel in the picture below. I have it on good authority that Stormont is much more impressive than the White House.

Other sites of interest included the wall murals on Shankill ...

and Falls Roads.

Having survived the cold it was time to seek out the next pub on the list of places we should visit in Belfast. It was a difficult decision. We sat by the river, near Waterfront Hall and next to 'The thing with the ring' or 'Nula with the Hula' while we deliberated.

On the shortlist was McHughs. Eventually chosen as it was closest (like a 5 minute walk, if that) to our current location and advertised live music on Sunday afternoon. Shortly after making ourselves comfortable at a table, Guiness in hand, the acoustic two-piece band launched into a Crowded House number. I wonder if they spotted the patriotic attire of my friends? A few drinks later, following a chat with one of the musicians we had our second invitation in two days. Both Paul and Iggy were playing gigs later that evening. As Iggy's gig was at the pub around the corner from our B&B we said we would pop in later on. So, on the way home after dinner we did just that.

On Monday the weather was still not smiling on us. It was another earlyish start to pick up a rental car. After a slight disagreement over whether we had paid for it online and a trip to the nearest internet cafe to print out a receipt we boarded the little Nissan Note. Where I come from the word receipt is used when you have PAID for something. We couldn't believe the rental guy had the cheek to suggest we print out our bank statement to show it had been paid for. As we had made the booking less than 48 hours ago, on Saturday afternoon, this was ridiculous. Everyone knows it takes UK banks an age to process transactions, minimum 3 business days before they are likely to appear on any statement. Needless to say, Karen the banker and I, got our way eventually.

First stop was the CS Lewis statue we had heard about on the bus tour. Our combined navigational skills took us directly to the site and the biggest challenge was to find a park.

Then we headed north out of the city on the Coastal Causeway route. We had our second stop just north of the city at Carrickfergus Castle. Then we continued on up the coast. Next stop was lunch at Ballycastle. I was keen to see the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Unfortunately we were a few weeks to late to actually be able to cross it as it is removed over the winter due to safetly issues pertaining to high winds. Still worth the stop and will be easy to find next time.

Around 3pm we reached our main destination - the Giants Causeway. A World Heritage Site with endless photographic potential. A shame my camera was low on batteries. We made the most of the remaining hour or so of daylight snapping away. The first place we had been in our travels we it was more of a challenge not to have a random stranger in the picture. However, not impossible.

Again, lack of light cut short our exploring. This is a place with plenty of potential for walking too! What could we do but visit the pub - the Causeway Hotel was closest. Ordering drinks, Guniess again, at the bar we got chatting to a couple of guys. Again, I think perhaps we were noticed by the patriotic clothing of my companions. But then again, there was only one other couple in sight. Turned out these blokes were Kiwi. Turns out one of them is the drummer for Op Shop. They were on their way to Dubai where the band is playing at the Kiwi Ball after the 7's this weekend. They were totally unaware that Crowded House were playing in Belfast the following evening. After experiencing such hospitality from people over recent days it was our turn to reciprocate and Rachel promptly suggested they try and get tickets. After an exchange of numbers we hit the road. Only one quick stop on the inland route home - at Ballybogey. I will leave it to your imagination the type of photos that we took here.

On Tuesday we had arranged for one of Rachel's friends and her fiance (a Northern Irish local) to take us to the heartland. We piled into the back of their tiny rental car and buckled up for the ride. We did a lap around Loch Neagh stopping at a cemetary to view one mighty old Celtic cross. Then it was off to Tommy's family farm for lunch. His parents have a newish house which is one of eight or nine in the lane. All belonging to other family members - aunts, uncles, sons, daughters etc. After lunch we borrowed gumboots and went for a walk through the moss. Lots of fun with Suzy the dog.

It was a bit of a race to get back to Belfast for dinner before the concert but we made it. Had a brilliant time at Crowded House. The kiwi blokes we met on Monday got in with free tickets and we stood with them and also Paul, one of the musicians we met at the pub on Sunday. Rachel got pretty close to Neil Finn, maybe three rows back. We settled on being about 5 metres from the stage and not jam packed in.

As you can tell we had a busy five days. But we didn't fly home til late afternoon on Wednesday so had time to visit Belfast Castle on the northern outskirts of the city. There were conferences, meetings and a wedding on so most rooms were out of bounds. With no other tourists there we had the information centre to ourselves and then enjoyed a selection of scones with cream and preserve in the basement cafe.

Here ends the detailed account of my most recent trip. The last planned for 2007. Til next time good night from Belfast.

Countdown

2007-11-11T15:00:00.000Z

The last month has primarily been taken up with work. Partly to pay for the last trip and partly to pay for the next. In case you are wondering, that is in a fortnight. Off to see Crowded House in Belfast! Counting down - can't wait.

There has been one trip to London - the weekend of the World Cup final. Had a great night out with Rachel and Karen in a pub in Fulham. Annoyed plenty of Poms and made friends with the few South Africans there. Can't say I was sorry to see England lose.

The week after my return from Italy was half term break - which meant no work. I helped out at a Children's Holiday programme a couple of mornings which was fun and kept me away from the shops.

Next I ventured to Oxford for cousin Mel's flatwarming. That was lots of fun and great to catch up with a few Kiwi acquaintances. I must warn you though. If you are planning to attend a party dominated by the calibre of students that universities such as Oxford or Cambridge accept - be prepared! You will no doubt meet some people who live in a very strange world. Some who very much like the sound of their own voice, talk for the sake of talking, whether they make sense or not. I suppose "sense" is a subjective thing.

Last weekend we had Cleo's 3rd birthday. Had lots of fun the night before making jelly. There was a sea theme. So layer one of the jelly in glasses was a deep bluish colour. It took 4 brains - 3 with science degrees to come up with a plan of how to suspend wee plastic fish in the jelly. After some trial and error dried spaghetti was used to thread clothes pegs which held the fishies at the right height. Ingenious! A few hours later and layer two of jelly was ready to be added - a nice greeny blue. They went down a treat. As did the three layer sponge cake with blue icing and a starfish.

Now the countdown is on. And I don't mean to Christmas. Sophie is about 36 weeks pregnant. Baby expected in early December. Each afternoon I get home from work and don't find Sophie and Cleo here I start scouting round the house. Often the TV is left on, sometimes there are toys strewn across the floor and half eaten food on the kitchen table. Is this a sign of a hurried departure, I wonder? Well, no not so far. But maybe one day soon it will be. I'll keep you posted.

Sightseeing in Rome...

2007-10-14T16:55:00.000+01:00

Inside the Colosseum

Outside the Colosseum

Sun's out in Rome. so are the tourists at the Colosseum!

Trevi Fountain - great place to enjoy Gelato, YUM!

Inside the Pantheon.

Pantheon Sun Spot

Deceptive on the outside - The Pantheon.

Early Sunday morning at St Peters, Vatican City, before the crowds arrive!

Had a fabulous time in Italy catching up with Ro and John (my aunt and uncle). Met them for the last few nights of the walking tour they were guiding. After my experience of school trips it was interesting to observe how a group of adults behave on a trip. Funny, not much changes as people age! There are always people who don't listen, ask too many questions, tell inappropriate jokes, get lost or stuck in the toilet.

Four nights meant barely a taste, more like a lick, of Italy. I did have time to sample authentic Italian pasta, pizza and red wine. Will have to plan another trip to see more of the country and sample more of the food. Don't think it will be too hard to persuade a friend or two to accompany me!

Cinque Terre Villages

2007-10-14T16:45:00.000+01:00

Wandering through the Cinque Terre Villages. This was my favourite day during my recent trip to Italy. I hadn't seen the sea since July in Valencia, nor any decent hills! As you can see from the photos the weather was splendid. An early start meant that the ascents weren't as gruelling in the shelter of the shade.

Lunch in ....

2007-10-14T16:34:00.000+01:00

No prizes for guessing where these pictures were taken. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to check out La Torre Pendante! I promise no special photographic tricks were used to take the photo on the right. It really is on quite a lean!

Still faking it...

2007-10-14T16:25:00.000+01:00

Don't want to work too hard but have to finance my travels. In the last fortnight I have had two interesting assignments. First was at Impington Village College - very close to home. Three days there in Food Tech - yay back in the kitchen. Even better, the Teaching Assistant did all the work. Laws are funny things. I am getting paid to turn up and keep an eye on things, take the register, but don't really teach.

This week I have again spent three days in Technology or TK for short. Change of focus to resistant materials - that's right - basically woodwork and metal work with the odd plastic project thrown in for fun. So I traded in the knives and rolling pins for vices, saws and chisels. Again, not too much work required on my part. The technician took the lessons and I took care of the register. With classes packed with boys there was no let up on the abuse about the All Blacks early exit from the World Cup. I forgot to mention the reason I found myself filling in as a TK teacher at Soham Village College. Rumour has it that Mr Mason has been suspended. A young year 7 boy was doing a detention using a chisel to remove chewing gum from benches. Detention was cut short when he put the chisel into the side of his face. Ooops. A pretty extreme way to get out of detention!

The new house

2007-09-27T21:21:00.001+01:00

From the street. Semi-detached I guess as our neighbours on the left are joined to us. The downstairs window is my bedroom.

Orchard Avenue

2007-09-27T20:59:00.000+01:00

My room - the half closest to the street.

The back garden - typical English style, that is overgown!

Summer at Select

2007-09-27T20:30:00.000+01:00

ABOVE: Fun at Select party. Don't I look good as a mummy?

BELOW: Some of my Spanish students at Select

Home, sweet home

2007-09-20T15:35:00.001+01:00

Well, it all happened in a bit of a rush. A couple of weeks ago I came home from work to be asked by my landlord if I could find new accomodation. Oh, and if possible be out by next weekend. No problem I said. The story goes that he was given some money by his mum and wants to do some work on the house. All a bit strange coz as I packed to leave a new Liverpuddlean girl was settling in to the flat. I wonder how long she'll stay? When will the renovations begin? Are there going to be any renovations? Seems a bit fishy to me. If you remember back to May there was a one week overlap between my arriving in the flat and the other girl that was there, Kelly, leaving. Maybe I just have an overactive imagination. Who knows?

Anyway, for whatever reason I had very little time to find myself a new home. I was slightly annoyed as I had just had a week off work which would have been perfect for scoping out potential places. Never mind. No time to waste so that very evening I went and viewed a room just down the road. Also made a few phone calls to set up other viewings for the weekend.

True to form I really couldn't be bothered looking around a lot. I settled on the first place I saw. I am now living with a lovely Australian family. That's right - I said family. Cam is an archaelogist at the university. Sophie is mum and about 6 months pregnant. Then there's wee Cleo, nearly 3. She has a very extensive vocabulary and would be in an 'Advanced' class at school with the foreign teenagers I have had over the summer.

I have a huge room on the ground floor. It's furnished which definitely makes life easier when you're moving. Also downstairs are the lounge and kitchen. The family occupy the 3 rooms upstairs where the toilet and bathroom are located. We have the best shower in England - although it is over the bath. The back garden is huge. Cleo does a very good tour pointing out the many statues, the bird bath, the glass house, the huge apple tree and of course, the sand pit!

So, that's the big news for the last fortnight. Summer school is finished now so I am back to supply work. Only had one day this week which has been nice while settling in to the new place. Hope to get a few more days in the upcoming week to finance my next wee trip. More about that soon.

Faking it!

2007-09-16T13:23:00.000+01:00

I think I passsed the test. In recent weeks I have likened my summer job to that TV show where people pretend they can do a job they aren't trained for.

I was reading a book a week or two back. It was about a lawyer in London who worked ridiculously hard and had made it to partner of a major firm, aged 27. Things all went wrong and she ran away. With a splitting headache and dying of thirst she stumbled into a random house in the English countryside. The owners assumed she was there for a job interview as a maid. She didn't put them right as the thought of a nice bed for the night was all she cared about. She was appointed maid after reeling off a list of impressive credentials - all of which were fake. With absolutely no cooking skills or knowledge of how to work a washing machine she spent a considerable amount of money fixing her mistakes. Who washes clothes on a upholstery cycle? Or can afford to have catered food delivered from London to a town 100 miles away.

Anyway that got me thinking. Was I really faking it as an EFL teacher. In some regards I am equally as well trained if not better trained to teach English as I am to teach kids to cook. You decide.

My conclusion is that having had a one month contract extended a further 6 weeks I must have done a reasonably convincing job!

Summer is over ... or is it?

2007-08-26T11:50:00.000+01:00

This was pronounced mid week by one of my Saudi Arabian students after 3 days of continuous rain. Fortunately no sooner than school finished on Friday the sun started to poke through the clouds. The weather is perfect for the bank holiday weekend.

I have survived! My initial 4 week contract at Select English was extended to 8 weeks. Eight weeks of long days, work at weekends, basically a lot of hard work. Now I can enjoy a week off. Yay! It turns out I have quite taken to teaching English as a foreign language and have secured a further two weeks teaching at Select. This time a closed Italian group with less social activity commitments so it should be OK. When I began the job I did not expect that my colleagues would come from around the UK and further afield. However, I soon discovered it was pretty similar to being at summer camp. The bonus being I didn't have to live with the kids. It was sad to say goodbye to my new friends on Friday. The two I get on best with are the babies of the group and will be in London at uni so there should be opportunities to see them! As a group of teachers we have got on pretty well so there is some chance of a reunion next summer at Select.

So this week brings an opportunity to catch up with myself and maybe venture out of Cambridge to visit friends.

Will stop now coz this computer is particularly slow. I can type about half a line before the characters appear on the screen. More news soon.

Another week in Cambridge...

2007-08-19T11:11:00.000+01:00

Had another school trip to London yesterday. We managed to time our walking tour nicely to arrive at Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards - or so we thought. Unfortunately our guide Ashley, the social organiser, and local English boy, didn't know what we were looking at. So, while we stood gazing down the Mall awaiting the arrival of horses etc, the actual changing of the guards was taking place inside the palace gates hidden by the crowds of tourists on a Saturday. It will take Ashley a while to live this down. In the meantime we hope that the Russian leader doesn't twig that it took place right under our noses!

On my way home on Friday afternoon I saw an interesting busker. It would have been great to get a photo but unfortunately my camera is on the blink. So, a description will have to do. Picture a rubbish bin, large, round and black. Poking out the hole where you assume you'd put litter is an arm holding a guitar. As you get closer you hear singing - sorry I can't remember the tune. An ingenius way of making a few extra quid don't you think? I wonder if anyone mistakenly does put rubbish in there.

On Thursday we had "Football World Cup". In between the rain we managed to fit in a few football games at Girton College on the outskirts of Cambridge. While we were waiting outside school to put the kids on the coaches a friendly solicitor accosted the coach drivers. He claimed that according to the highway act they were illegally parked. Lots of yelling and shouting, much to my amusement. The guy even got on the phone to the police. Apparently it is OK for coaches to make pick-ups on double yellow lines as long as they are at least 15 metres clear of a junction - which they were. And they were stopped at a bus stop! It's hardly a surprise that the police did not show up to sort the matter out.

What's up?

2007-08-12T11:33:00.000+01:00

Well, work continues to keep me pretty busy. In the last fortnight I have made two trips to London to catch up with Kiwi friends. Had a night out in a random pub near the Westbourne Park tube with Gina and a bunch of other mostly 'Naki people. We stayed at the huge backpackers "Generator" near Russell Square. An interesting initiation for 3 of the people who had not had the pleasure of real backpacker accomodation before. Especially the bathrooms on Sunday morning!

Last weekend it was a whirlwind trip to London on Saturday for lunch with Rachel F., Karen and Mark G. Had great food at a gourmet burger place at Leicester Square when we all managed to find one another. What would we do without cell phones? Then met up with the school group to hitch a ride back to Cambridge. We had drinks here on Saturday night to farewell our Course Director Ruth. She has been replaced by Natasha for the last 3 weeks of the summer.

Still continuuing to learn lots at work. Improving my pronunciation of names from Spain, Italy, Portugal China, Russia, Khazakhstan, Poland (they are really hard!). Try saying Przemek which is short for Przemeyslaw. Tomorrow I have the pleasure of a large class (13 students) of beginners. I have had the luxury of 6 weeks of Upper Intermediate classes which are a breeze. It is easy to give students instructions and lessons can end with discussions on a range of interesting topics. Will see how I fare with the lower level.

I have been punting twice with school groups in the last couple of weeks. Always a lot of fun. The first week one of my French students had a bit of an accident. It resulted in him falling or maybe it was jumping in to try and retrieve the pole. Very entertaining and we have made endless jokes about him being a good swimmer! Last week I tested my skills out. I definitely need a little more practice. I have faith in my balancing abilities so hopped straight up on the back of the boat. It was a little slippery as it was the first trip out for the punt which had just had a varnish job. None of this balancing in the back end like some beginners try. I understand which way to hold the pole to steer the punt but it is no mean feat to get the punt moving in a straight line. I could make excuses about the fact the punt was sitting high out of the water due to the recent varnish job but the truth is I wasn't that good. Got into a bit of trouble at a bridge where we were hit simultaneously by boats from in front and behind. We were kind of wedged in between the two boats under the bridge. At this point I handed over the reigns to Ashley the local boy to get us out of trouble. We then had to help another boat fetch their pole. This required some careful maneouvering which was out of my skill range.

Highlights

2007-07-28T09:40:00.001+01:00

It's been another busy week at work. Somehow I was scheduled for 4 evening activities this week. I have survived! A few of the highlights are below.

It started on Monday night with a trip to the bowling alley. One of my students challenged me to a bowling competition. The bet was that if he won - no grammar for the class for the rest of the week. So, it was 5 students vs me. My main aims were 1: not to fall over and 2: to beat Antonio and win the bet. Only one of the 5 students was any good. As the game drew to a close I had the opportunity to go one better and beat the lot of them. There was a big team of cheerleaders supporting the students and a couple of teachers on my side. As I was bowling in 6th position I knew what I needed to do to win. I only had to make 3 to take the game. My approach all along had been not to try too hard, just be consistent. On the night this was successful as I think the least number of pins I hit in one turn was 6. Sure enough on my second to last go I sealed victory and bragging rights for the week. Much to the disappointment of the students from my class who now had to do more grammar exercises over the next few days!

Yesterday was the final day for a large group of students. I said goodbye to quite a few Spanish kids who have been in one or other of my classes for the last month. As my friend Emily and I had proclaimed yesterday to be "International day to give your teacher presents" they swung into action. We were showered with chocolate. Best of all my Spanish friends bought a special present and a great card. We have had debates in class about what a kiwi is. It took me a day or two to realise that the Kiwi chant related to the fruit - not in fact the bird or us Kiwi people. So yesterday I was presented with 4 kiwis (fruit) one of which had been given a beak, wings and legs.

Off to London this afternoon to catch up with Gina and friends. More news soon.

Fun & games in London

2007-07-22T12:47:00.000+01:00

Had an interesting trip to London yesterday for work. It was eventful before we even got on the bus. Why? Because there was a logistical problem that meant there was not enough space on the bus for all our students. What to do? There was another coach with plenty of spare seats taking students to the airport. So 15 students, myself and two other staff took the Heathrow coach.

We were probably 10 miles or so out of Cambridge when there was a loud bang! I looked up to see the wing mirror of the bus hanging off the front! Not crucial to the driving the bus we carried on down the highway. Then off it fell. We were in hysterics. Last weekend on the Oxford trip there was bus problems and it looked like we were in for trouble again! The driver calmly pulled over to the side of the road. Then we began a slow journey, reversing back along the side of the highway to collect the missing accessory. The driver dodged the traffic, picked up the mirror and stowed it in the luggage compartment. We later found out that they are worth £2500. Probably illegal but we carried on without our left wing mirror and didn't strike any trouble changing lanes.

Got to Heathrow safely and made our way to the tube. We had been given £80 for tube tickets. I already suspected this was not going to cover the cost. Notices said it was about £13 for each ticket to central London. Lucky Emily (another teacher) had a credit card to foot the bill. The students with us were great. They didn't bat an eyelid when we arrived at Heathrow and explained we still had a half hour tube ride before we would meet up with the other part of our tour group at Buckingham Palace. No probs on the tube. YAY!

Oh, except that the Chinese tour leader had lost a couple of students and then lost himself. We figured perhaps he was looking for two of his students that were with us. Funny that he hadn't missed them for 3 hours! I got his number from the students and we let him know Yang and Yang were with us. Then we had to unlose him. This involved Ashley (the social co-ordinator) speaking to an Australian guy (quite likely sad after watching the rugby) who then directed the Chinese leader to what we like to call The Palace! I later found out that said Chinese leader did not know how to answer his phone. What a pain!

We managed to meet up with the other part of the group at B. Palace. While I was escorting students to the toilet the Chinese leader did another disappearing act. This time in search of another student who barely speaks a word of English. Eventually everyone was located and allowed free time for lunch, shopping etc at Covent Garden, as the rain began to fall!

It was amazing that everyone made their way to the 3.30 meeting point and then back to the buses waiting nearby. It was not the students this time that caused the extra stress but group leaders who speak very little English and don't see the importance of telling school staff what they are doing. I think they should be banned from the trip! They are a liability not an asset.

Back to Work

2007-07-15T13:18:00.001+01:00

The day we flew out to Madrid I had an interview at a language school here in Cambridge. It was nice leaving England knowing that I had a months work lined up for July. The school runs throughout the summer. I kind of figured if I got stuck into the job there might be a chance to get work in August too.

Just finished my second week of work. The other staff working on the Juniors course are fun. We have kids aged 14 to 16. Theoretically the maximum class size is 12. This is great when it is report writing time. In my morning class I ended up with 10 students - 7 from Spain, 1 Mexican who lives in Italy, 2 more Italians and a Russian. We have had a good time in the last week debating which is the best country in the world, NZ of course!

In my second class I only had 8 students - 2 Italians, 4 Spanish, 1 Turkish and 1 Danish. Classes with them involved project work and preparing for a drama afternoon. They chose to write a drama based on an old Spanish story - The Celestina which translates to the Procuress. Or after a revision or two an evil cupid who tries to make as much money as possible with little regard to the outcome of the relationships she helps to set up. The script was written by the students with very little help from me. With 9 scenes I was impressed with their ability to memorise all the lines with only a couple of days rehearsal. We were awarded a prize for the best drama and the best actress! This was fitting as the actress was the key author of the story.

Some students have gone home this weekend and new ones will arrive tomorrow. With any luck my new classes will be the same kind of level as the previous ones. In the intermediate to upper intermediate range. This means they can usually understand the instructions you give them in class pretty well. Not sure how I would cope with the Elementary level students. I have had an observation in the last week which went well. It was kind of nice that before the observation I was offered work for August too! It took the pressure off a bit.

A big part of the job is the social programme. Each afternoon there are two activities and the same in the evening. On Saturday's there are day trips, usually to London or Oxford. Sunday afternoons there are also activities. As with teaching in NZ, I have enjoyed my involvement in these activities outside the classroom. Even in London last weekend when the Tour de France started! There were thousands of people. It was inevitable that people would get lost and they did. Eventually we rounded everyone up before lunch. It is not easy when the roads are shut off. What we would do without cellphones, I don't know.

Things are busy here at the internet cafe so time to go.

Spain highlights

2007-07-15T13:01:00.000+01:00

Will try and keep this short.

1. America's Cup Village, Valencia. It was awesome joining all the other Kiwi's in Valencia to cheer on Emirates Team NZ. Caught the first weekend of action. Proudly wore large souvenir NZ flags, even after the loss in the first race. Was photographed for a Finnish newspaper. Obviously a disappointing result in the end.

2. Temple de Bod, Madrid. I would recommend visiting the temple at dusk. Emily's local knowledge was a bonus on this occasion.

3, Museo de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid. Includes work by Picasso, Dali, Velazquez, Goya, Gaudi etc. I think we spent nearly two hours here. Long enough to soak in some of the artwork but obviously you would need to spend days to really do it justice.

4. Madrid Vision. The open topped bus tour. As in London this was a good way to see a lot of Madrid in a short time. Unfortunately the commentary wasn't great. Warning: overhanging branches may knock your head off. Like around England, pruning is not of high importance. I think they rely on the double decker buses to take care of the job. Seems bizarre because not a day goes by where there is not mention of restrictions due to health and safety concerns!

5. Spanish Tortilla - this should be higher up the list I think. It is basically an omelette with potato, not flat bread as you might expect. Very nice when made well. Often served in a baguette which makes a good breakfast!

Had a good time in Spain. A nice place to travel because although I don't know the language many words are recognisable. Will have to make time to go back and see more of the country.

Arriving in Spain

2007-07-08T12:40:00.001+01:00

After a total of 7 days working since my arrival it was time for a well earned break! Why wait 10 weeks for a holiday?

Headed off to Madrid with Mum and Dad. We were expecting Emily to meet us at the airport on her return from Morroco. Before we even left Luton there was a phone call with a plea for money. Why, I hear you asking? Well, younger sister has well and truly perfected the art of missing Easy Jet flights. Oh, and managing not to have access to any money in a crisis.

Our flight was delayed leaving Luton. Remembering Em's advice about ALWAYS carrying peanut M&M's I armed myself with snacks and drinks. We found seats together on the plane. Then discovered that we had to wait on the tarmac for perhaps an hour. Something about customs officials paying a visit and then requiring clearance to land on arrival at Madrid. So, out came my sandwich. I enjoyed a little picnic before the flight even departed.

We found our way through the terminals at Madrid. Collected our bags and just walked off to the metro. No customs checks, no stamps in our passport. I guess all people arriving from England are trustworthy so why waste time on unnecessary paper work! With no problems we negotiated our way on the metro to Sol. Found a taxi which did a lap or two round the block, asked 2 policemen for directions and dropped us off at our hotel. Emily kindly booked a place on the street in Madrid famous for its prostitutes.

Week at Witchford

2007-07-08T12:30:00.000+01:00

Well, back in June I signed up for a whole week at Witchford Village College. That meant 5 very early starts. But at £110 a day you can't turn it down. Theoretically I was covering for a PE teacher going on a course. However, the school got news of an OFSTED visit (like ERO in NZ). With the exception that the school gets between 2 and 5 days notice. So there was a change of plans. Lorna didn't go on the course and I spent most of the work perfecting my invigilation skills! Not at all exciting but I was quite ill at the time and the work wasn't taxing. Didn't even involve alot of talking which was good.

Happenings that week included:

a man practices golf at a park near the bus station. In the city (Cambridge) with signs prohibiting you from doing so many things it seems strange that practicing golf in a public park is permitted. I guess at 6.30 am not too many people are in danger of being hurt!
the student saying "thanks, darling" as a collected his exam paper in.
another students requesting a glass of water in the middle of an exam.
watching a maths exam with about 150 students, more than half did not have the required equipment. Who would have thought that a calculator, pen, compass, protractor and useful might be required in a maths exam?
two sisters murdered in Stretham (a village between Cambridge and Witchford). There was some chance these girls attended Witchford. Police patrolled the school gates to ward away any unwanted media attention.

Impington Village College

2007-06-07T17:55:00.001+01:00

From one extreme to the other in more ways than one. On Wednesday it was a short bus ride to Impington Village College on the outskirts of Cambridge. Protocol teaching agency are very good at giving you directions about which bus to catch and when to catch them. However, I have been in Cambridge long enough to realise that to get to this school I could avoid using 2 buses and travelling 15 minutes into town only to travel 20 minutes back past home to get to the school. So, in just over 10 minutes I walked to the bus and found my way to the school in plenty of time.

This school was more organised. I was given a map of the school and a list of times for each lesson, important as like Tawa there is no bell between classes. Oh, and even class lists for each lesson. Back to a 6 period timetable, each lesson lasting a mere 50 minutes. So it was a period of English - Year 7's (around 11-12) proofing a diary entry on a day in the life of a slave. Not too difficult, mostly students needed help with spelling and knowing what time dawn was.

Then off to humanities - geography with a lovely bunch of Year 9's (not) doing work on floods in the UK in 2000. Straight from the text book. Not too thrilling and although some did work, many did not.

It was to be invigilation again in period three - my favourite. But at the last minute I was let off the hook and took another Humanities instead. Year 8's (I think) doing posters on Pilgrimage. Again some good work produced but some rubbish too.

Back to English for period 4. This lesson was taken by a student teacher. Started off a bit of a mess with a neighbouring teacher, myself and then the student teacher all being present. From the start the kids didn't have much clue who was in charge and took full advantage. There was no time for a quick strategy talk so I sat back and let the student teacher get started. Year 10's were slow to settle but eventually she got the instructions across. After watching one guy wander about. get kicked out, come back in of his own accord, get kicked out again etc. I decided it was time to do something. Just went over and sat with him and worked out where he was up to and helped him get started. He managed to concentrate and do work for a bit but then got bored and wandered about cleaning tables, the TV, the computer screen. The student teacher spent the entire lesson working with one individual. Every now and then interrupted by a question from another student. There were less than 10 kids there and I think I would be kind of annoyed if I were a student in that situation.

After lunch it was more English. I think it was Year 9's who had been watching XMen. There task was to do a review. Seemed pretty straight forward however there is always a catch. A good number of students had seen little or none of the film. This made it pretty difficult to help them get started.

Finally it was another Year 7 group. Back to writing diary entries on a day in the life of a slave. Despite being the last lesson of the day, some students completed this task very well. Not so much can be said for their spelling though.

Oh, I forgot to mention. Somewhere in the middle of the day a kid decided it would be funny to have a fit. You know, fall off his chair, shake about on the floor. The planning for the event was less than subtle so when it occurred I just ignored it. He very quickly regathered his composure and took his seat. We carried on just as if nothing had happened.

So far my opinion of supply teaching is that it is a challenging and interesting job. No day is the same. It is a great chance to visit different schools and look at the way in which they are managed. Also, as a teacher who has desserted her class a fair number of times, it is good to see what it is like to be a fill in. I am quite confident that none of the students I have come across in the last couple of days are as much of a handful as a couple of individuals I could name from previous NZ classes. So far I have been lucky, I am also making mental notes of the types of activity that students can and will complete in the absence of their normal teacher. All very good professional development.

After a busy day I decided to flag the bus and just walk home. Took just over 40 minutes. Good excuse not to go for a run when I got home. At least I thought so.

Witchford Village College

2007-06-07T17:42:00.000+01:00

This was where I headed on Tuesday for my first day of work in England. A school in a wee village an hours bus ride north of Cambridge. It was an early start to catch the 6.40 a.m. bus but I survived.

An interesting school with only 3 lessons a day. Each lasting 100 minutes. This presented a good challenge as the first two classes I covered had no work set for them. Not too bad though as they were Food Tech classes. Part way through the first class with a bunch of Year 10's (15 year olds) we figured out the Resource centre was booked for them. Headed to library type place with plenty of computers. Most of them used the second half of the lesson to make progress on their current project - developing a sweet or savoury food product.

The second class were Year 8's (12 and 13 year olds) doing a compulsory rotation class. Current work was on pastry. Most students had a book with theory work in. So first I found a couple of pastry related activities. They didn't take much time though. Second I gave them ingredients for a mystery recipe. Can you guess what it was? That's right Annabel Langbein's famous Chocolate Brownie. In groups they decided what they thought they could make using the ingredients and then planned a method. After that most of them chose to do a word find in the back of their books.

After lunch I had the thrill of invigilation. It was bizarre. I think I counted 14 students in this GCSE graphics exam - 7 boys and 7 girls. We had 3 people supervising. Just a wee bit over the top don't you think. Never mind, boring as it was, at least I got paid.

So, despite there being no planned work and the extraordinarily long lessons I survived! It is worth noting that the school has recently implemented a "Calm Learning Environment" policy. I lovely beige slip can be filled out and sent off to E1 with a good student. Within minutes someone arrives to remove any disruptive students. No need to make use of this with the Year 10's but I had no hesitation in marching a couple of the Year 8's. Worked a treat. Figured that 100 minute lessons were definitely justification for putting the system to good use.

The flat

2007-06-03T19:43:00.000+01:00

Downstairs:
1 lounge - 2 sofas, coffee table, TV with Sky (selected channels - lots of sport), shelves and stuff
1 dining room - dining table, 3 chairs, clothes airer, desk, shelf
1 kitchen - fridge, freezer, oven, gas elements, microwave, cupboards, benches, sink
1 laundry in a cupboard - washing machine and drier
1 back garden - table, 2 chairs, small clothesline, grass, trees & plants, fish pond (I think with fish)

Upstairs:
3 bedrooms - 1 medium, 2 small, mine is a small one
1 bathroom - toilet, basin, bath with overhead shower (low pressure)

People:
no smokers
1 guy - Kevin the landlord: works at bookies, loves sports, has travelled a bit (Spain, NZ, Australia, South Africa, USA...)
2 girls - Kelly & me. Kelly moves out next weekend before going travelling. Watch this space for details of her replacement.

Pets:
no cats
no dogs
just fish and the odd pigeon - main they coo alot!

Vehicles:
Kelly brings home a different one every night. It's not what you're thinking. She works at a car rental place.
1 green bike - Kevin either rides or walks to work
TBA - perhaps I'll get a bike, Cambridge is not designed for cars

Other:
Less than 200m walk to closest bus stop, buses every 10 minutes Mon - Sat, only a 10 minute ride to the top end of the city
Supermarket - Budgens is about a 3 minute walk away, also a collection of other shops at same location
Kebab trailer - 3 or 4 minute walk, next to the second to closest bus stop. Don't know if I want to try the kebabs.
One-stop convenience store - 5 or 6 minute walk, 2 short stops away on the bus if you are really lazy! I have only been there once, it was raining and no I didn't take the bus.

Will try and post some pics. Didn't upload first time. Trying to figure out why.

Modern Architecture: Part Two

2007-06-03T17:10:00.000+01:00

The sun was out again today so another beautiful afternoon for a stroll. The second six buildings on the tour had less character. Can modern architecture have character? Another question for Megan.

As we are now more experienced guides we did not go off track today. All buildings were found exactly where we expected them. I guess too that I am getting more comfortable at wandering through gates to see the real heart of Cambridge that is hidden behind the walls.

The most aesthetically interesting building on the tour has to be Parkside Pools. The local Cambridgites even voted it the best building of the 20th century. Check out the roof - it looks like a slice has been taken through a wave.

The most money wasted on architectural design is awarded to the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. I can barely draw, just ask the kids at Tawa College. But, seriously it's brick, it's tall and it's square. Apparently it respects and interprets its awkward neighbours. Yeah right! It even won the Sunday Times/Royal Fine Arts Society Building of the Year in 1993.

So, between Dad and I there are hundreds of pictures of the 12 buildings on "A walk around Cambridge - Modern Architecture". Some may even be better than what's on the brochure. If you're interested a slide show can be arranged.

You'll also be pleased to know that we have walked over 3.2 miles (5.1 km). So we have had some exercise. With sunscreen and sunhats we have avoided sunburn. Not a bad way to kill a few hours and didn't cost me a thing. Thanks Mum for the guide with the map.

Cambridge - Tour of Modern Architecture: Part One

2007-06-02T19:21:00.000+01:00

Made the most of a beautiful sunny day in Cambridge today. Dad and I embarked on Part 1 of a walk around Cambridge to view some modern architecture.

We were our own tour guides and mostly managed to follow the map without getting terribly lost. Kind of difficult in places as some of the buildings are hiding behind large walls. Many streets are not named in obvious places, you know like on the corner. Often you get half way down some little street or lane before you come across a sign that either confirms or denies that you are in fact where you intended to be.

Anyway, back to the tour of modern architecture. Perhaps sister Megan can confirm what would be considered modern architecture. It doesn't make sense to me that a building established in the 1700's with a facade added in the 1800's is particularly modern. Oh well, perhaps I am behind or maybe ahead, I don't know, of the times.

With quite some difficulty we found the Mond Building. I really wanted to see the crocodile engraving by the front door. It came to be because Russian physicist Pyotr Kapitza nicknamed Lord Rutherford 'snappy'. Who knew the guy that was first to split the atom had a bit of a temper? Perhaps a crocodile should be incorporated in a banner or mascot for my favourite house at Tawa College.

The other interesting building in the 6 we viewed today was the "Judge Institute of Management Studies". We were down some little back street and came upon what we thought was a random (i.e. not on the tour, but interesting) building. It was bold, colourful and bright, geometric patterns, a ginormous mosaic of funky tiles. Took a few pics then headed off down the road. Dad realised we had missed a turn somewhere so back we went in search of building no. 5. Why go the long way around the streets when it is so easy to find a shortcut through. It turned out that what we were photographing was the back of the building we were actually looking for. We both agreed the back was more interesting than front. Will try and post a couple of pics and let you be the judge.

Tomorrow if the fine weather continues we might embark on the second half of the tour.

Stand clear of the closing doors ...

2007-05-28T18:27:00.000+01:00

This post has been lost while Dad has been away with the laptop.

I was in London again today. Mainly on bank business. The friendly staff at the HSBC were most helpful and now I have a debit card, two accounts but no PIN. They sent the details of that to NZ I think. So, further delays before my accounts are fully operational. Oh well, lucky Mum and Dad are here. He he he

Anyway. I was changing tubes at Oxford Circus. Nearly made it on to the District line train. Nearly as in, doors were just about to close. I had to make a split decision, dive for it and hope not to get crushed. Or, just wait, the screen informed me, one whole minute til the next train. Thinking about what mum would do, or at least what she would want me to do - that is - the sensible thing, I waited. I’m on holiday anyway and not actually in a rush to go anywhere.

Safely aboard the next train, which was only one minute behind, I took my seat. As usual the announcement was made “Stand clear of the …” Arghhh – a girl is stuck in the closing door. With a struggle she squeezes in, but alas, her back pack is half in and half out of the train. Further pulling and she manages to free the bag from the strong jaws of closing tube door. A sigh of relief.

I do have to laugh though. If it weren’t for my inbred sensibleness (thanks Mum) it could have been me.

Ponder this: why do so many people insist on ignoring instructions?

Noah's Ark

2007-05-26T20:14:00.000+01:00

I have had a bit of time to read between job and flat hunting. Came across this which I thought was rather funny.

In the year 2007 the Lord came unto Noah, and said, "Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me. Build another Ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans." He gave Noah the CAD drawings, saying, "You have 6 months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights."

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard - but no Ark.

"Noah!" he roared, "I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?"

"Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah, "but things have changed. I needed Building Regulations Approval. I've been arguing with the Fire Brigade about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbours claim that I should have obtained planning permission for building the Ark in my garden because it is development of the site, even though in my view it is a temporary structure. We had to go to appeal to the Secretary of State for a decision. Then the Department of Transport demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions to clear the passage for the Ark's move to sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it. Getting the wood was another problem. All the decent trees have Tree Preservation Orders on them and we live in a Site of Specific Scientific Interest set up in order to protect the spotted owl. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no go! When I started gathering the animals, the RSPCA sued me. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accomodation was too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space. Then the County Council, the Environment Agency and the Rivers Authority ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood. I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission on how many BMEs I'm supposed to hire for my building team. The trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only CSCS accredited workers with Ark-building experience. To make matters worse, Customs and Excise seized all my assests, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species. So, forgive me, Lord but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this Ark."

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky.

Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?"

"No", said the Lord "The government beat me to it."

What's in a name?

2007-05-26T20:03:00.000+01:00

Well quite alot actually when you are trying to find a place.

Rymans - before I came mum and dad were on a mission to find a stationary shop. They must have walked past Ryman's a number of times before they realised that it was a likely place to buy printer paper.

Budgens - sometimes referred to as buG-Dens by members of my family. I don't know who taught them to read. At my school (Tawhero Primary) words with a dg in the middle were said like budgie.

Lakeland - no, funnily enough this has no connection with Rotorua. We're in England now. This is a shop that sells homeware - kitchen equipment, stuff for the laundry, bathroom and bedroom, cleaning products etc. So when I was sent a text "we're in a shop near Sainsbury's", how was I to know where to go? That's right, I didn't! What was the point learning to read if you can't give me a name to look for on a shop sign.

B&Q - sometimes referred to by a family member as BBQ. Who knows why. Apparently it is something to do with the large, orange sign, similar to BBQ Factory in NZ. By chance you may find the odd BBQ for sale at B&Q. I would describe it as being like Mitre 10 Mega (also large, orange sign) and Bunnings back home.

As a walk and sometimes cycle around I look at what I am passing. This is in the hope that if I need to find a supermarket, stationary shop, or want to take up building I will know what names to look for.

Cambridge: Cycling Capital

2007-05-18T17:02:00.000+01:00

Dad is off north somewhere sightseeing with a friend from NZ. Mum woke me up at 8am this morning. Why? I am still enjoying being on holiday. Anyway - the forecast was for fine weather today and the sun was shining. It has rained most days since I arrived in Cambridge.

So, with more rain forecast over the weekend we thought we would start our weekend early. We found our cycling gears, nothing at all like what I have at home for serious cycle touring. Then we headed off down to the train station to hire ourselves some bikes.

We found the hire place no probs and decided on a couple of mountain bikes. Out the back Mikey - the tall ginga - finally appeared and sorted us out. I stood and watched as a basket was attached to the front of the bike, lights front and rear and then was instructed on how the locking mechanism works. This is very important in Cambridge because we are in the cycling capital of the world. I have never seen so many bikes. All different shapes, sizes, colours and styles. Anyway, helmets aren't compulsory over here and only a few people wear them. So, just to make sure everyone knows we are tourists we picked up a helmet each. I think they are kind of useful in case you fall off too. Something about protecting your brain perhaps.

Enjoyed a nice ride through the English countryside out to Grantchester, 3 miles or so from Cambridge. Most of the way on a walking/cycling track. As you know there aren't any real hills around here so it was no sweat. The wind didn't even pick up enough to make it challenging. At least we enjoyed the sunshine.

In little more than 5 minutes we checked out the sights in Grantchester, or more to the point scoped out the best place for a pint and a feed. Settled on Rupert Brookes, a lovely little pub with a Belgian beer garden. Had a fabulous lunch - Chicken & Bacon Baguette with fries and salad. I think I will have to go back there coz there are other things on the menu I'd like to try.

We took a detour through Trumpington (south side of Cambridge) on our way home. Cycling casually along the main road and what happens my chain falls off. I coast along for a bit and try and get mum's attention. I think she is going deaf. Anyway stopped and sorted that out. Lucky I've had plenty of practice on the school trips. At least it gave me a chance to test out the bike and my legs at a quicker speed as I raced to catch Mum who had obliviously carried on down the road.

Got home safely and only a little pink from too much sun exposure. Oh well, it will probably be another month til it shines again!

Punting on the Cam

2007-05-13T11:47:00.000+01:00

She still can't be trusted. Mum that is.

On Monday, Bank Holiday, Em's last day with us before heading back to Madrid. We headed off for a walk up Castle Hill, the highest place in Cambridge. It is just around the corner from Westminster College where we are staying. A few minutes walk and we are looking out over the rooftops of Cambridge. That didn't take long. What else should one do while in Cambridge. Go punting of course. So, with no notice or preparation we head down to the river. Another short walk. You can't cross the bridge without being offered a punt on the Cam. Hire a punt and go it alone. This provides plenty of entertainment for crowds watching as the inexperienced punters smash into the river bank, or go round in circles. Not too bad at this time of year but as summer approaches the river will get busier and mayhem it will be. Alternatively you can hire a guide and sit back, relax, enjoy the view as you punt past the colleges and hear about the towns history - some fact, some fiction. The fiction tends to make for a better story! We settled on option two and for a reasonable price had a private tour. It is cheaper in a larger group of randoms. But again, as this little trip was unplanned I find myself without my camera.

Oh well, I have had an offer from a woman here at Westminster College to teach me to punt. I am sure it wouldn't be that hard to balance on the back of a punt, large pole in hand and take a picture or two. Don't teachers specialise in multi-tasking!

Sightseeing with Mum

2007-05-13T11:07:00.000+01:00

She just can't be trusted.

I had been in London for a couple of hours. It is not hard to follow the signs to find a train or switch lines on the tube to reach your destination. Especially not with a bag with the underground map on it. Thanks KP! However, I did struggle when I popped out of the station at Highbury/Islington. Hardly surprising that finding my bearings was a challenge with only 3 or 4 hours sleep since I left NZ. Anyway, after a long walk dragging my heavy suitcase in the wrong direction I hailed a taxi. A short trip later I was at the Highbury Centre where we were staying for a couple of nights.

I had time for a shower before Mum, Dad and Em arrived from Cambridge. Then as soon as they did I was keen for lunch. So we set off down to Highbury and found a nice little cafe. Mum decides that time is of the essence so during lunch she plots a sightseeing adventure. With directions from the cafe staff we set off for Baker St on the tube. We purchase tickets for the Original Tour and hop on the open aired bus. This takes us in loops around London to see some of the famous sights - St Paul's cathedral, the Globe theatre, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge etc. This is all very well but remember, when we left we were heading out for lunch. I have no warm clothes and no camera! The Original Tour was a quick way to get a glimpse of what London has to offer. There are a number of options - Original Tour , Sightseeing Tour & Museum Tour. Tickets are valid for 24 hours and you are free to hop on and off buses as you choose. It also comes with two options of cruises on the Thames.

The following day we took a cruise down to Grenwich. Or as Emily pronounces it Gren-witch, with the W, much to the amusement of the young ticket man. We had a live tour guide who was very informative. We enjoyed the fresh breeze on the top deck of the boat and when we arrived at Grenwich headed for the nearest cafe. A hot drink was required to warm us up. Then it was near to the time the ball drops - that is the thing on which the whole Grenwich mean time is measured. The local lady at the cafe couldn't help us with directions but the lovely French waiter was most helpful. So we scampered off up the hill for a closer look. Just before 1pm I stood with camera in hand and recorded the red ball slowly rise up and at precisely 1pm, dramatically drop. 1pm because it is summer time here (i.e. daylight savings).

There ends my first 24 hours in London.

p.s. Em's time in Spain means she is a great navigator on the tubes. Quick to find alternative routes when lines or stations are not operating for maintenance.