shooting star

a winter night in London town

2012-01-22T12:00:00.005Z

Last night's planned events had me reminiscing of my year in the USA. Once my friend, Stephanie, (met her in my year of study in Bendigo in 2006) got to my house and I got myself organised, we caught the tube into the city. We were planning on going to a korean restaurant but with it's 50% off deal the line outside was massive. We found another though and after roaming the streets for a while waiting for the restaurant to open for dinner, we excitedly sat down and scoured the menu. It was a nostalgic meal for both of us. I haven't eaten korean since my year in the USA in 2007 where I ate it lots due to hanging out with mostly koreans. Ah, the memories the smell of this meal, the look, the chopsticks, the spice and the cooking on the table brought back. For Stephanie, her memories aren't so old. She spent a term just last year at a university in South Korea and revisited there on her way to London.

Stephanie ordered our meal in korean--coz she could. A formal 'hello' is still all I know in korean. We ate korean bbq and it was super delicious. I haven't used chopsticks in a while though so the table was garnished by the end of the meal. We finished with a cup of tea. I tried korean root tea which reminded me of a warmed wheat-filled heat bag and Stephanie had Oolong. Mine had more taste but I wasn't that fond of either flavour. It was a great meal but from my American-Korean experience it wasn't Korean sized. Stephanie agreed with that. It didn't fill us all the way up. Satisfied for now though and being on a schedule, we walked down to Somerset House for the main event of the evening.

Outdoor iceskating! What a novelty! Though this is still a set up and not as natural as skating on a frozen lake. Though it was cool it certainly wasn't freezing weather. It had got to about 12 degrees that day. We stored our bags and collected our skates. I was happy to find that these skates didn't dig into my legs or squish my feet like most I've used. I tied them as tight as I could and eagerly waited for our session to begin. Neither of us had been skating for years. Stephanie asked me when I last skated and it took me a while to remember. It was in the USA with my aupair friends. Almost five years ago. We stepped onto the ice with extra care aware that it was going to be very slippery and that it would take us a while to get our ice-legs. We took it easy doing smooth casual loops around the rink as the congo line around the fence inched along. There's something nice about gliding on the ice. To sway slightly and cause yourself to chicane smoothly along the ice. It was also fun to be there with a friend and chat away while doing so. We kept our cool and avoided getting overly confident and managed to stay on our feet the whole time. We watched others fall, daringly let go of the edge, switch between going forwards and going backwards, and one guy in particular seemed completely at home on the ice moving without any hesitation and doing those cool slide stops I can't do. Once we recalled the feel of the ice beneath our feet we were snaking between people avoiding collisions and flailing arms and the cut up bumpy ice towards the end of our session. The highlight of the ice time was when Stephanie pointed out a couple in the middle of the rink. Soon everybody had noticed them and when the guy got up off his knee the whole rink stopped and cheered. That added an unexpected delight to our experience.

When the session ended we wet our socks on the shaven ice speckled floor of the boot hire room while we waited in line to get our shoes back. Then we collected our bags and roamed the town since it was only 9pm.

We walked over one of the bridges crossing the Thames and I saw Big Ben and the "Big Wheel" (so called by the boy I care for) dressed in their night lights. After wandering along the river for a while we decided we both needed some more food. In our search for some open shops we stopped by a phonebooth for a classic memory shot. We ended up going to McDonalds and ate another small meal each before riding the tube home.

It was a fun night and another tick on the mental list of things I want to do while here.

aunty x 8

2012-01-16T13:45:00.003Z

Me to 3yo: Do you know what happened in Australia today? My little niece was born. Do you know what a neice is?
3yo: No
Me: It means my brother has a baby girl. She's my niece.
3yo tips his face slowly to the roof and in a breathy voice says: I don't believe you.

Well, it's the truth!
Little Elizabeth Faith was born today weighing 9lb 6oz. Fifth child of my older brother. Second daughter. She has a lot of older siblings to watch over her. How delightful! And being on the other side of the world means I'm blogging about my newest niece hours after I found out she's arrived and I STILL haven't got to her birth time here. He he.

Congratulations! I hope you all have a wonderful and smooth time adjusting to this precious change and that little Elizabeth is a delight to you all.

work with a plan

2012-01-11T19:46:00.002Z

I found a letter for me on the table when I went downstairs after everyone had gone this morning. A lengthy letter from my boss. Worry instantly kicked in--even as it started with "Firstly, we want to write to you and say how well we think things are working out" followed by specifics. I need to stop being so harsh on myself and always expecting it to be bad news. With a new little one due to arrive in May, this year is going to be different and so this letter explained how they thought it will work best.

So the plan is five or so weeks after the baby is born (when the extra newborn-help leaves), my hours (and pay) would increase to help get the boy ready for nursery in the mornings. When the mum goes back to work in September, they hope to get full time help. This they assumed would not suit me so unless I indicate otherwise they would hire someone new. It also laid out when I will have some time off to travel which includes three separate weeks with a couple weeks of being on an island holiday with them (that one working). I love how clearly my boss lays it all out. There's no surprises or unmet hidden expectations.

When we spoke tonight she asked me what I thought about all that was in the letter. I said it all sounds really good to me. I also "indicated otherwise". Some more experience with under-ones will be good. Full time will be long days but they will be the last five months of my visa after which I will be able to afford to take the scenic route home. It also means I don't have to look for other work for just a few months as I was intending to stay at least until 2013 so I could holiday further north and get a white Christmas. When I told her I was interested, she said that that was the best news ever. Yay! So lovely to know I'm so appreciated not just because I'm helpful but they really like me as their nanny. I'm all happy!

from end to beginning

2012-01-07T21:30:00.002Z

As 2011 was drawing to a close and all my friends in other countries I had to organise some fun on my own. I started in the middle of my day with seeing in the new year with Mum and Dad in Australia via Skype. But the main event for me was in the early evening when I dressed up and headed into London's centre with my ticket to be entertained.

I've been hoping to see Billy Elliot the Musical for a long time and decided I'd treat myself to it during the Christmas/New Year holidays. Thanks to a wonderful present from my boss I was able to book a ticket without using any money of my own. I got a good seat at the front of the balcony and settled down while admiring the detail of Victoria Theatre.

The show was great! I really like the story anyway but there's something special about watching people perform right in front of you. There was obviously kids in this one too--even a young boy who looked about 5 years old. (He was so cute and did an awesome job.) The boys who played Billy and Michael did an awesome job too but I did see them on occasion glancing at the crowd or break a smile during an applause. As always I am fascinated with the sets and how they change to create different scenes and I was with this one too. There was a glitch when Billy was suppose to soar up in the air in a dream-like dance number and they had to close the curtains and apologise for the short delay as they worked it out. But I found that entertaining too. By the time it was all over and I stepped outside it was about 10:30pm. It was raining so I was thinking about just heading home. As I started to walk in the direction of home the rain stopped. It wasn't very cold and I thought that maybe I would just walk around a while and then see the fireworks since I was here in the middle of London. By the time I figured out where I was, where I wanted to go and walked there it was almost midnight. I thought it might be packed but there wasn't as many people there as I'd anticipated. The bridge was but the street I was in wasn't. I couldn't get as close as I wanted as the street had been blocked off. So through the trees I saw the fireworks shoot off from the London Eye. After about 10mins I decided to head off early in hopes to avoid most the crowd. But they finished as I was still walking off.

Unfortunately my SD card was being rebellious and I only found out once home that it had stopped recording my photos. There were masses of people heading for the tube, which I by-passed in favour of the bus. But when I found the bus stop I needed there was a crowd there too. I decided to just keep walking. So there's none of the actual fireworks.Distances on my London map always seem shorter than they actually are. It took me just over an hour to walk home and my feet were indeed ready for a rest. I cosied up in my pjs and watched the end of a show I'd run out of time to finish viewing and then talked to some people online before I finally turned my light out too close to dawn. That being the case, I had a most lovely relaxing pyjama day for the first of the year. Sleeping, reading, tv and other such indoor things.

Now one week into 2012 and I'm back at work. Holidays have finished and the regular routine is kicking back in. I have to try and eradicate this lingering chest cold I have. Grr. This year is bound to have it's own set of adventures. I already know I'm about to be an aunty again any day now which also means another quilt to make for next Christmas. There's the planned Iceland holiday to see the northern lights and visit Blue Lagoon with a friend who's finally arrived in London. There's also a new baby due in this household where I work. I'll also be amongst the buzz of the London 2012 Olympics. Who knows what else this year will hold?

oxford daytrip

2011-12-31T14:11:00.011Z

Back from the lovely country Christmas I had, followed by a bit more relaxing, I decided to take a daytrip on Friday 30th and Oxford ended up being the destination.

The buildings there made an instant impression when stepping off the bus. I made my way to the tourist information centre and decided how to spend my day there. Then I walked back to near where I got off the bus and went in to the Botanic Gardens. The one is Oxford is apparently the oldest recorded botanic gardens in the UK.

I was a little disappointed when I first walked in but I suppose it's not really the best time of year to visit a garden. Lots of the plots were pretty bare.

I did like this bush with bright red branches. And I found some rocks that made me smile. He he. They also had some nice vegie gardens there that provided vegetables for charity meals which I thought was a cool idea. On the other side of the wall I found a bunch of green houses and after walking around a bit I realised you could go inside them. Inside was a whole range of amazing plants from all over the world. Oh the foliage! I was happily impressed.

There was actually a glasshouse called "Insectivorous". I assume all the plants in there have a taste for insects. Fascinating. There were such striking flowers as well. Bright and bold and some odd shapped ones as well as the interesting leaves. Plenty I'd never seen before. Some massive palms and I saw some cotton growing too which never seen on the plant before.

I headed back to the tourist in time to take a walking tour. I now have an insight into the crazy complicated system of the University of Oxford. It's tricky to get your head around. Under the University of Oxford canopy is 38--yes, thirty eight!--individually run and self funded colleges in Oxford. So Oxford is full of huge buildings housing students and naturally they are really old. The picture below on the top left is the University church of St Mary's. It's the building they first held university lectures and ceremonies in when they started it up in Oxford. It's also a church that John Wesley and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (better known as Lewis Caroll author of Alice in Wonderland) preached at. There also were a group of young people there who appeared to be rehearsing for a wedding. Then clockwise is a picture of me (it spat rain most of the afternoon) at the Bridge of Sighs which is apparently like one in Venice.

The other two photos have to do with the Bodleian Library which is huge! Inside, and underground for three levels, are books and books and miles more of books. The Bodleian Library has over 10 million books!! Centuries ago, Sir Thomas Bodley set up a law so that every book published in the UK one copy has to be given to this library. There's more he did too but that's all I remember. That's a heck of a lot of books. Bet he had no idea how many would end up being published here.

The above interesting building is the only college in Oxford with no students. It's All Souls and they have 'Fellows'. It's an elite thing to be a part of the fellowship of All Souls. Below is Christchurch College which is the largest one in Oxford. It also has the dining room used as the Hogwarts one in the Harry Potter films I believe.

I decided not to pay the entry fee and went back to roam the shops before finding the bus stop I needed to get back to London. It was nice to get out for a day and explore a little spot of England, even if it meant walking around in the rain.

an english country christmas

2011-12-26T19:17:00.005Z

I'm spending a few days with the family I work for and their extended families at the country house they have. On Christmas Eve we all hung stockings on the main stairwell banister. Even I got one to hang. That was fun. My first ever Christmas stocking. I saw Father Christmas that evening in various shapes and forms around the banister.

My Christmas day began when I forced my body out of bed at 6am so I could go online to 'have Christmas' with MY family back home in Australia where most of them were gathering for a Christmas barbeque tea. It was lovely to spend a couple of hours chatting with video (when it worked), and three way conversations with my brother and his family still in Sydney. They waited to open my presents so I could watch which was really nice. It's one of my favourite Christmas traditions to sit around together opening presents. Eventually it was tea time for them and time to get dressed for me. We had an appointment to gather at the top of the stairs to check out our stockings!

They were fun and I got loads more than I expected. I mean, I never expected having a stocking at all but it was so stuffed that I had some presents on the floor underneath. I got a bunch of cool little knick-knacky things and some chocolate too. I wouldn't have minded just watching but this family is too hospitable for that. It was nice to be included. We went down for breakfast and then left for church. Unfortunately by this point my body was beginning to scream at me. Probably from the recent late nights and early Christmas start. I wasn't feeling so good, found it quite difficult to stay awake during the service though it helped that the sermon included four pass-the-parcel packages going around, a little nauseous and generally exhausted. I went straight to bed when we got home. My boss came and knocked on my door when lunch was ready but I still didn't feel like getting up so I ended up skipping lunch. After 2-3hrs in bed I felt a bit better so went down and nibbled a bit of left overs as they cleaned up from lunch. Bit of a pity to miss the main event of the day but I was glad that a long rest made me feel much better. I was still a bit weary so took it easy and drank water more often than I usually do.
We sat around in one of the lavishly decorated rooms with a little fire going. After a while a quiz box came out and we were answering questions that were read out. That was fun. Made me feel right at home too. It's one of the things I enjoy doing with my family on the odd occasions we do it. I got a number of questions right. There was also plenty I had no idea what the answer was. And I excitedly announced the answer (with some armraising for cheer) to the question, 'In which country do you find the Barossa Valley?' With the sons telling my boss' mum to relax and go with the flow, we were quizzed for quite sometime before we moved on with the next planned Christmas tradition. The lighting of the Christmas tree. Their huge tree, wonderfully decorated in silver and white, also had candles clipped to various branches. Real ones soon lit with real flame. Another first experience for me. They sung a french Christmas carol (my boss' mum is french) and then some english ones.

Shortly after this was present time which lasted for a long time. There were loads of presents every where. The boy absolutely loved his presents and was thrilled after getting a whole five presents and being consumed with playing with them that his other 20 presents were put on hold for the following days. It was wonderful watching them open presents. I always enjoy this part. This family reacted so exuberantly to each one it was delight to share in. The presents were also a bit more lavish than the kind I'm used to seeing passed around. Amongst all this I got three presents myself. I knew my boss had some more for me. (She'd already given me a ticketmaster gift card a few weeks earlier so I could book in to see a show.) But I also got presents from her parents and her husband's mum. So very thoughtful and kind. Eventually this was followed by tea. Meals have been much later than I usually have them. Tea doesn't usually start until 8pm and that's actually predinner drinks. So by the time we have entree, main, dessert and after dinner coffee there's not much evening left. But they are all good company and it's been very pleasant and entertaining to be amongst them.

Boxing Day mid morning I joined them for a trudge across the muddy fields to where they'd set up to do some clay pigeon shooting. That was interesting to see live. I stood with everyone else for most of it watching the shooters hit and miss.

I then helped collect some of the clay pigeons that had been missed and survived the landing and scooted up the hillside and jumped the haybales as they did a launcher swap. I actually had a bit more fun watching one brother load the launcher and fire it, especially when his brother was shooting. He he. Rivalry. It was fun to see the clay pigeons shatter in mid air after the bang. Most were quite good shots. It felt like quite an english experience too.

The rest of the time was mostly filled with chatting, eating, drinking and occasionally playing with the boy and his new toys. All very relaxing and I've been very well looked after and welcomed here. A very pleasant english country Christmas.

excursions

2011-12-22T22:17:00.000Z

One for me!

Last weekend was book club. We had tea together at one of the girls houses and talked about the book for the briefest amount of time. Yeah, we don't ever talk about the book for that long but this time we did less. But the main event--aside from the food and wine and chat--was a trip to Winter Wonderland. We walked along Oxford St to see all the lights and then down to Hyde Park Corner. I must admit, I was a little disappointed. I'm not sure why, perhaps the phrase usage in songs and movies, but it was NOTHING like I expected. I was thinking snow, ice sculptures and other wintery stuff though I was unsure how it would work being that it's not really cold enough outside for snow to stay.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is a fair. A show with rides and games and food and markets. We got there too late as well so there wasn't much we could do other than walk around. The ticket booths were closed so no rides or games. We did stop and have some hot mulled wine though which I liked. It made me feel like I was drinking apple pie. The night was still quite good coz the company was. :)

One for the boy!

This week, with the boy on holidays from nursery school, we invited his friend and nanny to go on a trip with us to the Museum of Natural History. Both boys have recently got into dinosaurs so we caught the bus (after it eventually came) and went straight to the dinosaur display.

They were a little scared at first with huge skeletal displays but they had such a great time. There was loads to see and even some animated robotic ones (with 'skin' on). The T-rex was a little frightening too. The boy kept saying he didn't want to get bitten so I picked him up and told him it won't coz it's just a robot. Dinosaurs aren't alive anymore. I think a big part of the fun was walking around exploring. Free roaming with so many different things to see.

We went through the mammal display too. I was quite impressed with the life-size whale display. I mean, I know they are big but to see it up close...it's so huge! We also had the special treat of buying lunch in the cafe. Sandwich and crisps (that's a packet of chips). And that was also to keep us nannies sane before the bus ride home. ;)

Next up is Christmas. I'm on holidays already until 2012. I'm spending Christmas with the family at the country house and then hanging out in London. Hope you all have a good one full of wonderful laughter and great company.

pictures from home

2011-12-10T21:28:00.003Z

I was wonderfully surprised to find three parcels in the mail yesterday, all addressed to me! Best of all was the one that wasn't something I ordered. ;)

It was a Christmas present from my sister which is sitting on my window sill while I work on getting it all Christmasy. I think I'll open it early since I know what it is. . .having chosen the yarn for her to weave. Included in the parcel though was the most delightful pictures I've seen in months. Yes, mostly scribbles but being away from home missing my sister's little ones growing up, receiving some drawings from them is the highlight of my week.
I was laughing and most impressed with my 4yo nephew's drawing. He's getting really good. Such a detailed picture with lots of imagination. I love it. The best part was reading the huge description my sister wrote on the back of his explaination. It's all about fighting monsters in the tavern protecting the innkeeper. Swordfights, the big flying boss, a special red bubble that makes monsters inside it fight each other, axes, bashers... My nephew is the squarehead who is healing the zapping tower. Such a little gamer. He he he.

piano soho

2011-12-05T21:45:00.005Z

Saturday night I went to Soho in London to a bar called Piano. I quite liked it. It had a great atmosphere except by the end of the night it was so packed it was difficult to move any direction. It has a cool jazz bar feel to it. Live pianist playing. This night I think it was Bazz Norton who is the guy who started it up. I liked the silver balls hanging over the bar and the keyboard on the wall and definitely the music which was jazz when I got there and other hits later. It's always nice having live music and Bazz was great. Each song just rolled into the next.

I'm not sure if New Zealanders are welcome though.

I went to help celebrate a friend's 30th birthday. (B'day girl in red) We just hung out, talked...rather shouted with each other, had some drinks, some of us had some food, bit of laughing, lots of photos...the typical fun stuff. My 'dessert' was a Mudslide. Yum! Delicious cocktail. It was a good evening and I'd happily go back to Piano too.

doing nothing

2011-11-30T14:23:00.003Z

I was just looking through this website and reading a list of things to do with kids indoors other than tv. One of the suggestions was NOTHING. I like the writer's point. :) Not that it's one that can be used all the time. Though I more than suspect this is often used by a lot a parents already. Just not so strategically.

It says:

"Boredom is good for kids. Children are seldom truly bored; they just haven't excercised that part of the brain that uses their imagination. Make a rule that if your kid announces they're bored, they'll have to do chores. So if they truly can't think of anything off-hand to do, eventually they'll think of something.

It's a good lesson to learn that life is not always entertaining, and that they're not the centre of attention. And if you've got a typical home, there's actually plenty they can do. So don't feel like you always have to provide options and events for your children. They'll be just fine exercising their brain."

Check out the other ideas listed here.

barbarians defeated

2011-11-29T19:24:00.004Z

I met some friends at Clapham Junction where we had lunch, though most had a full English breakfast. Then we joined the cattle drove to the stadium at Twickenham. Seriously, it really was a cattle drove. Near the stadium we had the whole street to walk down and there was a massive flow of crowd and police stopped us temporarily to let traffic pass across our path.

In the stadium I opted for the drink of choice (between my friends anyway). I've had a guinness in Ireland and a whisky in Scotland and even German beer in Germany. I was told I should have a bitter in England. So I did. And I still don't like beer. :P Took me the whole game to drink a pint.

Game on! It was odd to have the atmosphere go quiet as the game started. More of a fun match than a serious one though. I was there to watch a rugby match--Australia vs Barbarians. Pretty much Australia against the select from various other teams. Even some traitors.

Rugby is a strange game to watch in my opinion. It's semi organised fights. Men jumping all over each other with a few rules and tactics to it. He he. I'm not a rugby person. But I was happy to support the Aussies anyway.

And happy to hang out with friends. Happy that they lent me a warm Wallabies scarf. It sure was chilly when the sun went down about 4pm. And happy we gave a good thrashing.

We all went to a local pub afterward (to avoid getting squashed in the train) and sat around and talked for quite a while. Ok, I knitted too. : ) Then I went back to my friend's house and joined them for Chinese and a silly movie that provided quite a few good laughs.

I also squished a book club meeting and a movie with some other aupairs into my weekend. I was a little socialed out by Sunday night. It was a good one though.

a play in the park

2011-11-20T16:19:00.006Z

It's easy enough to get to one of the biggest, well-known parks in London for me. Hyde Park. Though I usually go to the Kensington Gardens end. There they have the Princess Diana Memorial Payground (aka the 'pirate ship playground' by the boy) which is a wonderful one to play at. There's loads of paths that lead you to different play areas each with a different theme. Of course one is a pirate ship in a big sandpit. I took the boy and his friend the other day.

They have a teepee area too which I never see many kids playing at. It does look cool but not so much to do. More imagination needed I think but with all the other areas having loads to do and climb on and all that they are easily distracted away from this one. There's also a section with a treasure chest, a water play area and a little farm sort of area with huts and a tractor.

The boys played for ages on these big wobbly circles in the general playground area. They had so much fun just jumping across them from one end to the other and back again. They also climbed across the bridges and slid down the slides. Then we went to the music area that has lots of great clanging and spinning things and these cool squares that ding when you walk across them. Quite an excellent playground. We stayed until they closed the playground at 3:45pm. Seems early but it's starting to get dark by that time here now.

On the weekend I dogsat the family dog while they were away which meant multiple walks a day since we have no back yard or front yard or barely any outdoor area here as the squished up houses in London go. So each afternoon I took her out for a long stroll in the park area of Kensington Gardens.

It was brisk but quite enjoyable. Autumn is a lovely season simply because of the colours. And I do like wearing scarves. : ) I was kicking my way through the leaves and admiring the scene and taking photos. I let the dog stop and sniff things and try to pee even when her tank was empty.

I also let her stalk some squirrels. She would have so loved to be off the lead and really run after them. She'd sneak slowly toward them and then run after them hindered by the lead as they scampered up the tree. She'd jump up at the base and I only assume she was wishing she could climb up after them. He he. It was nice to be forced out into the fresh air, into nature and take a little time to enjoy this autumn. Not that I haven't been. It's definitely nice to have a number of nice parks nearby in the big city though. Keeps me sane.

new things

2011-11-14T09:46:00.003Z

Bit of 'new' happened over this weekend.

New age for the boy. He turned 3 years old on Friday. We had a party with a few other children at his grandparents' place. Very simple--toys and food and cake. Once the boy got over being grumpy after being woken up from his nap, he had fun. Lots of presents.

New boots for me. I went shopping on Saturday and for the first time in my life I bought myself some nice black boots. Other than gumboots (aka. wellies) or hiking boots. I keep wanting to buy some every winter but never have. Here there are so many choices and I wanted something nice but warmer than my slip-on shoes. I found some that are reasonably flat, reasonably priced and that I'm more than reasonably happy with. Let's hope they last well.

New bed for the boy. Now that he's 3 he's progressed from a cot to a big boy bed. A bunk bed in fact. He slept in it for the first time last night. He was quite excited about it and woke up happy this morning. (Nice change from the last week.)

New little one on the way. Not for me obviously though it does effect my life. My boss told me this weekend that she's pregnant and all going well there will be a new little baby in about May next year. The sketched future plan at this stage is possibly to have me stay on and help for as long as my visa allows. I'll work with the boy and they'll have a newborn nurse to help out for six weeks or so from birth. Then it'd be me and my boss with the kids and I'd be full time once she's back at work . I love being a part of a new baby coming. It's an exciting time. A wonderful newness.

guy fawkes day

2011-11-06T11:28:00.003Z

Er...day. Yes, 5th November though the celebrations go all weekend.

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Day (or Bonfire Night). There are literally fireworks all over London all weekend. Last night, since I'm here in London, I decided to go out and see some of the celebrations. I planned to go to Battersea Park because there was loads going on there. They were also going to light a big bonfire and have a big fireworks display. Some friends of mine were looking for something to do after the Rugby so I changed plans to watch the fireworks from the shore of the River Thames (rather than us all paying £10 each to get into the park).

All rugged up in some of my knitteds I waited for them at Sloane Square. Note my new wurm beanie I'd finished early that day. This replaces the one I accidently felted and shrunk. Sloane Square was all pretty with lights for the Christmas/celebration season.

My friends were running late. Public transport was heavily loaded and delayed. So I walked on down to the river by myself, found myself a little area to stop on the packed pavement and waited. Eventually the sky lit up in blasts. It was interesting to see the fireworks with low cloud about. The whole sky seemed to turn bright orange or red for moments. The picture of me in the middle has Chelsea Bridge in the background.

After a lengthy display I turned around and began to wonder how easy it would be to find my friends in the massive moving crowd. Then I spotted them just across a parked car. I went with them to meet some of their other friends and then we walked (quickest mode of transport) to a pub nearby. After a sit, sip, chat we walked again and found another pub we were able to sit inside at (only found room outside at the other one) where we did some more sit, sip, chat. It was a great to have a nice social evening. They are lovely people. Well the girls are. I'm sure the guys are too but I didn't end up talking with them much. From there I decided to head home.

Yep. I knitted all the way home. Even walking around the tube stations changing trains and walking home.

The little project bag works well for knitting on the move. You should check out my little creations in my store at www.kelgellcreations.artfire.com. There's several in there still. :)

in a day's work

2011-10-28T19:11:00.002+01:00

Sometimes being a nanny is a hard slog. This new job comes with some impressive and persistant tantrums. Seems to be tied into learning how to deal with his emotions and how to express himself. This week has been full on. Being half term holidays means full days for me.

But of course there are perks, good times, fun and cuteness. Today we had some yummy fun making gingerbread men...and women...and monsters...and snowmen. ^^

Being a nanny is a great option if you want to get paid to play, be silly and have fun baking yummy treats.

slotting into London life

2011-10-23T14:21:00.003+01:00

The past week has been a busy one. Work as usual. I had a couple of full days as the almost 3yo boy has started his half-term break from nursery. All next week will be full days too. I'm already looking forward to next weekend. He's finally off his second lot of antibiotics and is in a lot better state than he has been since I moved in. Hopefully now we can actually start bonding and finding our places with each other. It's been nice to see what I've been told is his normal self and to hear him laughing. A full week with him will be good for us two I think.

I've also been connecting with people in London. I caught the bus and went to a knitting group on Thursday night which I enjoyed. It was nice though a little hard to have conversation with anyone who wasn't sitting next to me. Apparently the pub was a lot fuller than normal so the clatter of voices was louder. Friday night I met a friend from my Scotland tour and we went to the book club together that she goes to. There was about eight girls there, loads of delicious food and wine. It was a good night apart from being tired from a long day. The girls were quite lovely and some are into crafty stuff too. Saturday afternoon I went to Camden Markets which were huge and packed and lots of great stuff you can buy. I'll definitely have to go back. Probably more than once as a few hours just isn't enough to see it all. I bought a lovely blue hemp skirt and was tempted by loads more. Probably a good thing I didn't have cash on me. I did buy a mini London book map though as I keep going to places that are just off the folded map I have.

Today I'm relaxing as the coming week will be another busy one. But for now, I'm off to see if I can find some sneakers that don't have holes where they shouldn't. I should soak in a little sunshine too as this week's predicted to be wet and cool.

playing dodgem-people

2011-10-16T19:49:00.002+01:00

Saturday was a sunny day and not too cold so I decided to walk to Oxford Street. It was one of those things on my mental London-to-do list. Oxford Street is a major shopping area of London and apparently millions of pounds are taken in this area daily. Some extreme like that anyway. It's a pretty straight forward walk from my place. Once I got to Bayswater Rd I just headed toward the city until it turned into Oxford St. It took an hour or so and then I roamed for most of the afternoon.
I did a little shopping. Got some nice tops for myself but mostly bought bits and pieces for presents. Got a few family birthdays coming up. It was a sight to see. I went into Selfridges just to look. I'd been told it is quite glamourous and that is true. I only strolled through the first floor. Mainly I just looked around to see what was here. I got some lunch from M&S foodhall and went and sat in the sunshine at Soho Square. You could not walk straight down this street. Honestly, it's the most packed with people I've seen any area of London. I noticed this more when I caught the bus home. From the top deck it was more noticeable.

ireland road trip

2011-10-04T10:48:00.014+01:00

So I picked up my hire car from Dublin airport and after paying more than I expected in extra costs, stressing about getting out of the airport and away from the city without going through the toll (thankfully made easier with a GPS--though interpretting it's 'turn left' at the right spot was an annoyance) and heading into the countryside, I was smiling. Ooo, how I loved being behind the wheel again! It'd been 7mths since I'd driven and I'd missed it. It felt so good to be cruising the country roads, taking a detour as I pleased and seeing places I wouldn't have if I'd stuck with public transport.

I decided to stop by Loughcrew Megalithical Cairn where I ate my lunch and then walked up the hill. It was a bit windy but it was great to see the green fields sprawled across the landscape. I couldn't resist spreading my arms and exclaiming with a laugh, "I'm in Irleand." It was good to be back and know I had five and a half days before me to see it properly this time. I walked up to Carnbane East and had a look at the interesting rock set ups. It's a tomblike place though I don't think it actually is. But apparantly at the spring and autumn equinox at sunrise the sun shines at just the right angle onto a rock at the back that has carvings all over it. But you know, it's rocks. Not quite like the ones I'd seen in pictures though. I think I missed the main photographed ones in Ireland because I didn't have time that day to make a detour. These, and the walk, were a nice start though to exploring the country.

I continued to make my way over to Ballina and met my host who was in a hurry to get ready for work. I got ready too because I was going along. She works at this new museum that is being set up which is a collection of bits and pieces from Irish history. This night there was an event on as it happened to be Cultural Night (which apparently is a nationwide event). So I was introduced to her friends and workmates and shown around. One of her best friends kept me company most of the night as my host ran around as photographer for the evening. I decided I like Bailey's Irish Cream, looked around at the different artifacts on display, listened to some speeches and particularly enjoyed the live irish music that was playing downstairs. And just my holidaying luck (I seem to keep being places where significant things are happening), the Taoiseach (pronounced something like T-shark, the prime minister of Ireland) came to give a speech. I was introduced to him afterwards, specifically with the mention of me being from Australia, and had my photo taken with him. Ha. Amused. I seem to keep being places at eventful moments in my travels.

I most loved the hour approaching midnight when everything went an easy casual. People started to sit around the musicians and join in. People were performing random solos; someone sang a song, a girl played her flute for a song, another guy sang a song (people joining in for the chorus), another lady sang and played guitar, etc. Very communal feeling. It was great. And I saw a guy play the spoons. Like really play them; not just tap them together. It was great. My host was just fabulous too. She was so nice and frequently made sure I was ok and enjoying myself. Very hospitable. It was a great couchsurfing experience. My only awkward moment was having to wake her to say goodbye when I need to leave midmorning the next day.

I was driving along one of the highways when I spotted a sign for the Museum of Country Life which someone had told me about the day before. So since I was passing by I took the detour and happily spent more time there than planned. It was set out in lovely gardens/woodlands and I wandered around a little before I actually found the museum building that was around the back of the estate. This museum was a display of country life (obviously) that existed right up until the 1950s or so. They were so resourceful. They handmade just about everything they needed and used what they could get their hands on. It was interesting to see how they did things and got what they needed. I was fascinated by all that they made using just straw; furniture, rope, bridle and saddle and reins and more. They also used reeds, heather and willow. I also found a huge spinning wheel and saw a short video of napping which I'd never heard of before. (It's a method to roughen and treat fabric to make it warmer and more waterproof.) In the 'education rooms' there was a whole bunch of women knitting and spinning so I went in to have a look. I chatted with a lady who said they all got together once every two months to craft together. We talked about dyeing because that's what they'd done last time and I found out that the 'fruit' around the walnut and shell is the best source of brown dye.

Eventually I decided I better get going so I could find my hotel in the little town of Liscannor in time. I enjoyed listening to the radio while cruising along...and creeping along too. A lot of the roads in Ireland are just wide enough for two lanes, one for each direction. There's no edge to pull over on. You have to wait till you find a spot to pull over if you need to. I was glad I had the GPS because it would have been hard to navigate by myself with just the map. The roads were quite windy too which I didn't mind driving except when I kept catching up with drivers who were being suuuper cautious. Some sections I drove a lot slower than I comfortable could have. Night arrived this day in just such a circumstance. I'm not sure if the GPS took me on the road I'd planned to take but it was an extra windy road where I was stuck behind the head of a random convoy that slithered slowly up and then down. By the time I made it to my hotel it was almost 9pm. Bit of a pity really because my room was delightfully fancy compared to what I usually end up with and it made me feel glamourous. I even got choc chip bikkies with the drinks welcome basket. It was great to be able to access the internet from my room there. I got up at 5:30am on Sunday to go online and talk to and see my family, especially some of my nieces and nephews, back in Australia. Then I went back to sleep for a few hours and didn't end up leaving till almost noon.

I backtracked slightly to the Cliffs of Moher which were quite a sight. Pity it was a little hazey though. The sun did come out momentarily and it didn't rain really so at least I was able to view it comfortably. I took lots of photos and wandered back and forth. I thought it looked great but it would be an amazing view on a clear sunny day. I had in mind to sit out here somewhere and just enjoy it but it's one of those tourist destinations so there was lots of people around. Whilst I did linger I didn't kick back and relax like I had planned. Not that it was really the weather for that anyway.

By the time I got in the car and started south again, I decided I needed to head straight for Killarney where my next hotel was booked. The sun came out while I was driving and I wound my window down and took a slight detour to go a short scenic route around Spanish Point and then followed the GPS toward my destination. I toyed with the idea of driving around the inlet which would have added quite a bit of time onto my journey as I was a little concerned about the process of getting on the ferry. But the GPS took me right past the pick up point and I could see that I hadn't yet missed the once an hour ferry I opted to take it without thinking. This ferry, across the River Shannon, was very straight forward to use. Drive on and park and pay the guy that comes to your window. It was the first time I'd ever driven on to a ferry though so there was a feeling of childlike glee at another 'first'. It was only a 20min crossing and then I was driving again. I found my hotel in Killarney easy enough and it wasn't far from the centre of town. After settling in I walked to town and around a bit. Shops were open late and there was plenty of people about. Seemed to be American season as there was the USA accent coming from a significant amount of people--not just here but in all the touristy places. I ended up going to the cinema which I'd seen on my way to the hotel. I was in the mood for chick flick/comedy so I went and saw Crazy Stupid Love which had been raved about on the radio. While there were a number of scenes that I cringed at, overall I was quite entertained. Yes, life can be crazy messy but it does go on.

On Tuesday the weather was a bit patchy so I decided to switch my walking idea with a driving one and see if the weather would, per chance, be any better the following day. So I drove around the Dingle Penninsula. It did rain on and off too so I didn't particularly stop anywhere--not for long anyway--just once I got to the point where there was a scenic stop. There I decided to pull out the watercolour pencils I'd been carting around with me and actually use them. I sketched without water though as I stayed sitting in my car and didn't want to bother getting too messy. My sketch was based on the view you see below. Nothing particularly fabulous but I haven't done any drawing in a while I probably prefer to draw more from my imagination with perhaps some inspiration rather than copy what I see. Eventually I continued on around the penninsula and back to Killarney.

This evening was a bit wierd. I wandered into town again but the atmosphere wasn't the same. But of course, it was Monday. I should have gone to have my pub meal the night before when it was still the weekend and more lively. I feel so silly and odd going into a pub by myself. I eventually stopped thinking about it and just went in. (The offer of Bailey's Cheesecake helped.) I did still feel awkward but I sat down and ordered the cheesecake and some Bailey's as well. It was sweet on my tastebuds. Mmm. Then I went and ordered some soup. He he. Fun to have tea backwards. The soup would have been quite enjoyable too except it really was over salty. Oh well.

Tuesday I checked out early and drove southward stopping at Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park as I'd planned. Very glad I did as it was beautiful. With the cloud covered sky and the tree canopy above the atmosphere on the short walk to the falls was delightful. Almost like I was in a misty, mystical forest. There was plenty of rocks and green around to make me gleeful. I hung out there a long while and took lots of photos.

I stopped at Lady's View which is apparently so named because Queen Victoria and her ladies thought this view was so beautiful. Perhaps so. It was hard to tell for me with the low cloud and misty rain. I decided to go find one of the walking tracks even though it was spitting but after walking about five minutes I changed my mind and headed back to the car. It wasn't really going in the direction I wanted to go and I really couldn't see much of a view still. So I just drove on to my next destination, another couchsurfing stop. The drive there wasn't bad. I giggled when I drove through a rock. I wish I had been able to stop and take a photo. There was this huge rock, smack bang in the middle of the road's path. So the builders of the road dug through it. Now I have been through plenty of tunnels but this was more like just a hole in a big rock. Shortly after this experience I drove through a cloud. (I have done that before and did a lot more this day too.) Once I got down near the Beara Penninsula it cleared a bit. At least in patches and I got to view a bit of the natural beauty of this more remote area as I drove. I didn't stop as I planned to just get to my host's place and settle in. I didn't know this would be the best I saw of the Beara Penninsula. I got to Allihies from a different direction than my hosts had given me, then drove on to find a buddhist centre they'd mentioned, and then pulled over and smsed them again. I ended up driving back and forth quite a bit trying to figure out where they were. Turns out they weren't actually in Allihies, just near it...somewhere. Eventually I found the Buddhist Centre and went there to ask them as my hosts volunteer there. One of the ladies there helped me make sense of the directions I was given and I was able to find my hosts at last. They were a nice couple and we had a pleasant chat. It was interesting to stay with Buddhists as I don't think I've ever spent time with any before. I hadn't previously connected the 'no killing any living thing' to being vegetarian but it's a good thing I quite enjoy vegetarian meals. And this homecooked one was most delicious and I savoured every bite. They had a living area that was glass for one wall that looked across what they told me was a beautiful view. But the cloud had come right down to the earth and I could see maybe five metres down the hill. The next day was no better. My hosts suggested places that were worth a visit but when I left mid morning the driving conditions were exactly like the photo above. I wasn't gonna see any views out here. I was a little down because of that and the fact that this was my last day here. In the end I decided I'd go straight to Blarney Castle; one of those landmark tourist places of Ireland. Since it is right by Cork where I was due to fly out from later that evening, I was gonna spend a few hours there and check off the Blarney stone on my 'visited' list.

It was a good decision too. There's more than simply a castle there. I went straight to the castle first though to make sure I visited the blarney stone. Good thing I did too as there were lots of people and you had to join the queue at the top. There was a staff member assisting people to kiss the stone and one taking photos you could collect at the bottom. I settled for my own version of visiting the stone. I word it that way coz I had no interest on putting my lips on that hussey of a stone. But I was there. :)

I then went to wander around the gardens which were wonderful. All green, damp, rocky and almost hidden. There was lots of tracks to explore and a boardwalk area too. Even a little waterfall though it looked manmade. It very nice to relax and wander about in such beautiful nature before I left for England where a few days later I would move to London.

It turned out to be an expensive holiday and cost me more than I had hoped it would but I'm still glad I saw Ireland properly AND that I drove myself around. I'm sure there's more wonders there I could have seen. Other great places to visit. It's one of those things...the more I travel the more I realise there is to see and the more I realise I won't get to see it all. At least I now consider Ireland sufficiently covered. So now to think about what country to visit next.^^

northern ireland

2011-09-24T23:10:00.005+01:00

On Wednesday afternoon (21st September) I arrived at Luton Airport in London in plenty of time to drop my bag off and the check out lady says, "Oh this is your return flight." What!? I take back my web-check-in ticket and look it over. It's definitely a London to Belfast flight. I rummage through my bag and check my actual return flight. Then look at my "to" flight ticket again. How the heck did I miss that!!? I managed to book both my flights for 28th September and only discovered so at the airport. Bummer. So I had to go buy a new ticket, which is obviously expensive being I wanted one for that day. Still, it was cheaper than changing the ticket I had. And I did get to Belfast in Northern Ireland. That was the most important part. :)

I managed to find my hostel and check in. Quite a nice one too and I shared a room with two other girls. One was a lovely Aussie who I had lots of good chats with. Thursday morning I went down stairs to the cafe and enjoyed some soda bread with egg and cheese for breakfast. Then I got on the tour bus for the journey north.

Mostly I just sat back and enjoyed the scenery along the coastal route. We stopped briefly at Carrickfergus Castle. Just to look at the outside. The main stop was what I really went for. The Giant's Causeway. The driver had called ahead to order our meals at the hotel so we could eat as soon as we got there. The meals were good too. But if I had to re-do it I would have just bought a sandwich from the little shop we stopped at earlier on the drive up so I could have more time down at the Giant's Causeway. Lunch still took almost an hour and we only had 2hrs there. I walked fast down the track that led to the causeway and that took 20mins too. So it all felt a bit rushed. And crowded for that matter. There was loads of people there.

Time trials aside, it was a lovely day for it. The sun was shining and it was a nice walk down along a beautiful coast. I was thrilled when the causeway came into view. Such fascinating rock formations. There's not really any words for it.

The legend goes that a giant from Northern Ireland built the causeway to challenge a giant in Scotland. The Scottish one accepted the challenge and started over the causeway. The Irish one got a bit freaked by the size of him as he saw him coming and didn't want to get pulverised. So his woman giant dressed him as a baby and put him in a giant crib. The Scottish giant saw the crib and 'baby' as he got closer and thought, "Heck, if that's the baby I'd hate to meet the dad." Panicked, he fled back to Scotland ripping up the causeway behind him. Now of course, I first heard this story on my Scotland tour and the Scottish tell it in reverse. Either way, in my opinion, you have two stupid giants. ;)

The major worry for the day was my camera. It started playing up. I'd taken a whole bunch of photos and when I went to view them they were unrecognisable. It said they couldn't be displayed. In the short, I somehow managed to get it working properly again but I'm a bit disappointed I didn't end up with more photos (and the good ones before the clouds came over again). The Giants Causeway was the reason I even went to Northern Ireland. At least I did recored some and I squeezed in a few more shots before I needed to hike back up the path to meet the bus again. It was good to actually see it in person too. We went on to Bushmills Distillary which is apparently the oldest licenced one in the world. Then to the next stop--Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Fisherman once crossed this 100ft high 6oft gap on a rope bridge with only a single handrope to fish for salmon from the island. It's a lot sturdier now and regularly checked to make sure it's safe. It barely even sways so it wasn't scary at all. I thought it might be a bit more of a thrill but it was still fun to cross.

I enjoyed the scenery. We had to walk a km down to the bridge from the car park. And a km back obviously. It was a nice relaxing journey sitting on the bus watching Northern Ireland pass by out my window too.

Back at the hotel I uploaded my photos onto my computer and formated my SD card. I'm hoping the problem was with the card not the camera as this in my 2mth old camera. So far it seems to be working fine again.

I wandered around Belfast a bit before I settled in for the night at the hostel. I was up early the next morning to catch a bus to Dublin airport to begin my Republic of Ireland road trip.

surviving my own rollercoaster

2011-09-08T12:14:00.003+01:00

I think my emotional regulator is broken.

Since getting back from Scotland, whatever the emotion it's been dramatic. When I'm happy I'm blissfully cheery. When I'm sad I'm devastated. When I'm worried I'm panicking and woeful. Even my calm has been perfectly peaceful. And all that can be in the one day. It's doing my head in.

Perhaps it's all the change and unsettledness of my current situation. The abrupt loss of my job, the high of my wonderful Scotland adventure (mingled with necessary preparations for my return), moving out the day I got back and in with a guy I don't know very well that I find a bit of an odd experience and being a state of limbo, even now with having a new job but having to wait three weeks for it to start. That's a lot of change--sudden and unprepared for. Especially when I'm the kind of person that takes time to adjust. Perhaps that's why I've been wildly emotional. It would make sense.

Maybe I just need to hang on and ride it out.

scotland--the wild

2011-09-06T14:31:00.000+01:00

Tuesday 23 August I got up quite early after a late night to get to the meeting spot in Edinburgh for my tour through the Highlands and Hebrides with Wild in Scotland. Six days of wonderful adventure, fun company and splendid scenery. As I said in the last post, each day continued to be better than the last making this section certainly the best part of my time in Scotland.

So this day, Day One, I joined about 15 others and our tour guide drove us off on our adventure. We stopped first at Glencoe hearing about the corrections to the Braveheart movie. It was quite interesting but I don't actually remember the details now. We saw the statue of Robert the Bruce King of Scots with Stirling Castle in the background. Then we drove on through the great glen stopping for a while as we reached the mountains. We wandered around for a while along a track in the valley. Heather was in flower all over the place. Back at the bus Matt, our tour guide, got out some whisky for us all to have a toast. Slangevar! (That's the gaelic salute.) We were just starting to roll into the highlands and settle into our tour and warm up to the group.

We had a few stops along the way that day. We never drove more than about 2hrs at a time and that didn't happen often. In fact our longest straight travel time was the ferry from the Isle of Lewis back to the mainland. But that comes toward the end. As for the first day, we got to see some highland cows up close. Funny hairy things they are. :) Apparently very lean meat and not so tasty but I do wonder if they've ever used their hair for yarn... We also had a short stop by an area that tourists kept adding piles of rocks by the side of the road. Interesting and odd to see. Later in the day we also stopped by Eilean Donan Castle still owned by the Clan MacRae that they open to the public. We then drove on to Plockton where we stayed in a compact hostel which was probably good for a bit of group bonding. We had a kitty we all put in to, we shopped for food supplies and cooked our evening meals together as a group. I actually quite liked this method and it made it a cheaper tour too. And Matt did a great job at finalising a decision for us easy-going bunch. Ha ha.

Day Two had us first into Stromeferry where the Wild in Scotland office is--overlooking Loch Carron. There we met a character, Neil, who took us out on his little fishing boat. While Captin Allison (one of the group) steered us around the lake, we scrapped the Loch floor with a net and pulled up an assortment of critters. Mostly oysters I think but also some starfish, sunfish, rocks, shells and other wierd bits and pieces. Neil cut open the oysters and people ate them. He also cooked some up in a little garlic butter as well. Everyone was poking around the pile of Loch floor stuff except me. I found myself standing back thinking, "I don't want to touch any of it." We also looked at some crabs and a lobster Neil was holding in some cages closer to shore. After that we climbed aboard our bus and drove over the bridge to the Isle of Skye. Here we got our first downpour while we were grocery shopping in Portree. Wonderfully this one downpour and most of the last day of the tour were the only real wet patches we had on tour. We really did have splendid Scottish weather. Matt told us loads of stories about the two main clans of the island, the MacDonalds and the MacLeods, and the horrible massacre.

Matt took us to see the Fairyglen which was a really pretty place that it seems the locals tried to keep from tourists for a good while. Some have found it though and I'm glad I got to see it. We drove through the Cuillin Mountains and stopped for a walk. About half way along you could take a track down to the road where you could meet the bus. Those who didn't take that track adventured along a route our tour guide hasn't been himself that was suppose to take us right to the hostel we were staying at. The scenery along the way was amazing. The mountains were intersting shapes and the scene across the neighbouring ones were full of rocks and grass and sheep but not a tree in sight. Certainly not what I'm used to seeing. We got to a point where the instructions we were given were not so easily interpreted in our surroundings. We ended up deciding to go down a track we thought might be the one. Down a very steep hill. A very steep muddy hill. Ha ha. Adventure I tell ya. :) We survived no worries and we even came out where we were suppose to though we weren't too sure at the time as the track led us to a road and we were expecting to end up at the hostel. But just as someone decided to call Matt we found out he was just around the corner in the bus coming to pick us up. The hostel we stayed at here was much roomier than the last and by the time I settled in I was hungry. Tonight I mucked in with getting tea prepared. Actually, Allison and I got it started and organised. Tonight, as the night before, and the nights to come, we ate and we drank and we played lots of Uno and dice games. And chatting and laughing too naturally.

Day Three I think perhaps was my favourite. The scenery this day still has me swooning over Scotland. And as a group we were really getting on and having lots of fun. Of my ten days in Scotland, this is the day I wish I could go back and relive.

We caught the ferry from the Isle of Skye to the Isle of Harris. About a two hour crossing in which I spent most of my time below deck by the window with a hot chocolate and my knitting. I went up on deck where most of the others were closer to Harris and soaked in some of the sunshine with them. It was another brilliant day. On shore we went into a Harris Tweed shop. There was lots of cool things in there. I particularly liked a bag and a funky poncho style coat but I couldn't bring myself to buy anything. Everything was pretty expensive--it all being made in Harris Tweed which has to be made on the Isle of Harris or Lewis to qualify as authentic. As well as it's the kind of stuff I look at and go, "I could make that and it would be cheaper." Besides, I was on a fairly tight budget with this holiday happening suddenly. So I just adored and fingered and left it all there.

Back on the bus we set off around the Golden Road. Called this because it cost a fortune to build. I can't remember why though. There was lots of rocks, grass and lochs over the hills out my side of the bus. The ocean was out the other. It was a perfect drive. Glorious sunshine, interesting scenery, chatter, music, Matt havering away with various stories. ;) I would have happily done another lap. We stopped off at a supermarket for more supplies and headed up toward the Isle of Lewis which is actually joined to Harris. We stopped by Rodel Church built after the Vikings were converted. Interestingly Matt pointed out that built into the side of the church is an image of the pagen god of fertility. My most favourite part of the day was the drive past the beaches. I've never seen sheep at the beach before. He he. The beach we stopped at was brilliant. After living in a coastal town in the south east of England I happily proclaimed, "Now that's a beach!" Silly Brits. This scene was simply stunning. Our guide and the USA guys actually went swimming and most of the others went wading. As nice as it looked and even though it's summer here the water was apparently pretty cold. I didn't actually touch it. I happily stood and sat on the sand and soaked it all in. I was in the glorious sunshine sitting on a sandy white beach--in Scotland--looking across the shimmering blue ocean to the horizon where we witnessed a huge raincloud unleashing it's drama on the earth. It was magnificent!

Our next stop was along the shore a bit where most of us set out walking to our next accomodation. The shore line was great here. Loads of cliffs covered with grass and sheep... Oh yeah, Matt said there was one, maybe two hills. Try about five or six. This body is not built for hiking. Or rather, it's not maintained for hiking. Thankfully I wasn't the only slow one so I had company and we stopped often to play with our cameras and enjoy the view and try and figure out where the next marker was. It was also deceptively muddy. You had to watch where you were stepping in all the winding and creek-jumping we did. I got it wrong at one point and when I stepped down onto the grass my shoe sunk right into the mud below. Ha ha. My whole shoe went black. From then on though I wasn't too worried where I stood and trotted around a little more carelessly. What I did like about this walk was it felt like we were just roaming the hill tops. There wasn't actually a path to follow, just the next marker to make it to. The sun was setting by the time we got to our destination--the fabulous blackhouse village of Gearreannan. We stayed in one of the blackhouses for two nights. They are great. Built like the old days but modernised inside.

Tonight Matt led a team to cook the very scottish meal of haggis, neeps and tatties for tea. Don't ask me what haggis is. I don't know and I don't want to. Neeps is veggies and tatties is potato. Only our neeps and tatties, only half mashed, were mixed together. I didn't think much of the haggis but I'd be interested to try it again from a restaurant. Just to have something to compare my first and only trial to. The games came out again to accompany the talking and drinking. There was a long conversation between the Aussies and Americans about lingo, teaching new phrases and explaining their meaning and how to use them. Ha ha.

Day Four got switched around a bit as some of the group needed to do some things in town first. So we spent the morning in Stornoway and did some group grocery shopping and also bought ourselves something for a picnic lunch. Then it was off to one of the beaches to eat whilst the sun bathed us again in another beautiful place. After lunch we walked over to the Iron Age house. It's a bit of an archealogical site but it's been rebuilt into a working hut, or something along those lines. The lady there explained about the hut and how it would have likely been used which sometimes, more practically, differed from what the scientists concluded. It was very dark inside and she had a fire going for us which was kind of a nice experience but without a breeze that day it wasn't venting very well. Yeah, we all stunk after that. Not just smoke but peat smoke. They have this cool fuel source there. Dirt. Ha ha. I'm not sure how it actually differs from other dirt but it's actually called peat. It's harvested from the hills and dried and stacked as 'firewood'. Apparently it takes 50years to regenerate or something so you're only allowed to harvest for your own personal use from your own area. Anyway, with the windows cracked and the fan blowing our stench away we comfortably travelled to Callanish.

Here there is a most ancient stone circle. Older than Stonehenge. The Callanish Standing Stones are 4000years old. Matt gave us a spiel to consider about earth energies and where various paths cross and the mysterious impact it can have on people--with a 'believe what you will'. I'm not sure what I think about all that but I do like rocks. These rocks were quite big and I wondered if they were found as they are or cut out before being brought here and pillared in place. There was a lot there too. Not just a circle but paths to the circle and other offshoots as well. Would have been quite a job setting them up. The next place was more rocks. The broken down Broch (fortified dwelling house) of Dun Carloway. It pretty much had the top half missing. It was interesting hearing how it was designed for defense with a very short door so attackers had to bend over to get in meaning they were in no position to fight the waiting defenders as they entered and how the walls were designed to hide the inhabitants so they could they could defend from above through small windows. Ingenious really. And we got to climb all over it. Though I didn't actually get to that part myself. From there we went back to the blackhouse through more splendid scenery. I joined some of the guys sitting on the ledge around the blackhouse roof as the sun was going down. Thought midgies were fricken annoying. Mozzie-like little buggars but smaller and don't make you itch quite as bad. Mostly just pesky but it began to rain a bit too so we went inside. We were soon cooking pizzas for tea anyway. As well as the ritualistic chatting and game playing began, the spanish girls, Nadia and Sandra, concocted a brew of sangria. (The main ingredient is red wine.) We were a happy bunch that evening as it was shared around. We were all playing around with the various languages this night--having spaniards, germans, french-canadians and swiss in our group. Laughing at the way things were said and trying out some new phrases. Ich liebe dich alle!! Ha ha. :) A few of us went outside later that night. Being in a little blackhouse village meant brilliant star viewing. We could see heaps out there, until someone else came out and the light coming through the door of our blackhouse had us readjusting our vision all over again. Got to see some shooting stars and we found Orion. I asked if they'd seen an iridium flare before but since I had to explain what they were, I guess not.

Day Five we packed up early from our stay in the Blackhouse and headed off. We stopped by a local weavers workshop to see some weaving. Unfortunately he'd finished a bolt the day before and was in the process of tying in a new one. So many threads--he said it takes about 3hrs just to do that. He explained how the loom works though and I found it interesting and I found myself hanging about when just about everyone else had gone back to the bus. I couldn't help myself. It all looked so wonderful, those bolts on the wall. Fabric--real Harris Tweed--full of endless potential just waiting to be crafted. I had to buy some. I ended up buying half a metre of two different tweeds.

I liked that this guy did his own patterning rather than the set patterns to be transported to the fashion designers. Makes it even more unique. And what was even more awesome was that he gave me some labels that verify this is authentic Harris Tweed so I can put it on whatever I make. Matt told me later too that the guy's face had lit up when I asked to buy some. :) So I didn't buy a Harris Tweed product from the store but I got my own Harris Tweed fabric direct from the weaver who made it on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland! With the added bonus of being able to create with it. I'm thrilled. Ok, moving on from my rant :p ...

We then drove up to the Butt of Lewis. Shortly after I mentioned to Matt that I found it an amusing name because its the north most point of Lewis (though Butt mean cliff or something like that) he realised he had missed the turn off. Would have been back where I saw the sign that made me think about the amusement of the name. So we had to backtrack. Ha ha. It was another interesting place to visit. We wandered slowly along the dramatic cliffs that dropped way below to stand in the way of the crashing ocean. Lots of rocks. ;) It was nice to just wander around there, viewing, chatting, photographing, playing. Then we were back on the bus and back into Stornoway. I went and had a nice lunch with a few of the others at a local hotel restaurant. Most tables were reserved so we squished around a coffee table on couches and ottomans. After lunch we boarded the ferry that would take us back to the mainland. This was the longest non-stop travel of our tour--about 2hrs 45mins. But being a ferry we could move about or eat and drink so it's more like chilling out while you're transported somewhere. I sat with some of the group and flicked through some of Dan's photos on his camera and then did a bit of knitting until Uno started up. I then played for about one and a half hours straight with Dan and the various others that came, played for a while and then went.

Back on the mainland we continued on to our hostel for the night stopping for a short while in some town to buy up a few more groceries and get ourselves some tea. Matt was able to give us each £15 back from the kitty (being the thrifty spenders we were) which he said is the most he's ever given back to a group. Since the sangria was a hit the night before we splashed out on a good supply of more ingredients for this night, our last night together. We had loads too. So much left over even after all the consumption that they filled up big softdrink bottles with what remained to take with us the next day. It was a loud and merry night. While Dan taught the USA guys some card game the rest of us played UNO and we all dug in to new york cheesecake straight from the pan. And Maree got friendly with all of us on facebook with the help of the gathered swarm of merry women. Ha ha.

Day Six began with a trade off. There was another Wild in Scotland tour there as well and six of us went with them to continue up to Orkney and five of them came and joined us to make our way back down to Edinburgh. It was a bit sad really but at least the first couple of stop offs were the same so we still got to see a bit of each other before we finally said goodbye. And our first stop off for the day is probably the most famous location in Scotland--one of those places you simply must go to if you're there. Loch Ness!

The weather today was perfectly atmospheric as Matt told us tales of the Loch and of Nessie (known to the rest of the world as The Loch Ness Monster). We stopped at Fort Augustus were some braved the cold to swim. I made sure I went wading--partly due to my nephew, Tim's, interest in my going to Loch Ness and partly because I wanted to. Now I can say "I went wading with Nessie in Scotland." The water wasn't too bad once the numbness had set in. The rocks on the Loch floor were a little uncomfortable to walk around on but there was a buzz from all of us just from being there. We also stopped briefly to catch a view of Loch Ness over the top of Urquart Castle. There I ran around taking some photos in the misty rain with my raincoat on and barefeet. He he. It wasn't really cold and my feet were a bit dirty after walking up the shore of Loch Ness from my wade. I hadn't wanted to put my shoes on but after this stop where it was all tarred parking area my feet got washed. I put my shoes back on for the next stop--tourist shopping stop. A big souvenier shop for Nessie and general Scotland memorablia. That's where we finally said good bye to the switched travellers, hugs all round, and while they headed off north for another five days of Scottish exploration, we headed south (in a round about way) to wrap our tour up.

We went up through Inverness to Culloden and the Battlefield Memorial there. I honestly don't remember much details unfortunately. Some massive battle between the government army I think and the Highland Clans known as the Jacobites and I can't remember what exactly happened but it was a short battle and there was massive life loss. The story was interesting I just don't remember the details now. We didn't stay outside on the battlefield for long as it was raining. We also stopped by Dunkeld and checked out the over 1400 year old cathedral that was attached to the ruins of a Roman Catholic church. Inside, shoved aside into a corner, was the tomb/casket of Alexander Stuart, Earl of Buchan known as the Wolf of Badenoch rumoured to have been so cruel and evil that no one wanted his dead body until the church here finally took it. Leaving this place I felt quite sad simply because I knew our next stop was the airport to drop me off for my flight back to London.

The whole trip was just fabulous. The scenery--especially the outer Hebrides--was stunning, the group was a fantastic bunch of people to explore and share the days with, lots of fun with them, and Matt was an awesome guide in many ways. Six days was certainly a good length of time, I wouldn't have been near as happy with a shorter stint, but it was such a great experience that there was most definitely that longing in me for it not to end. But such is life. I was soon left at the airport after hugs and farewells with just my luggage, hundreds of wonderful photos and splendid memories and a bunch of new facebook friends. And what better ending really? It was a fantastic tour!

If you're going to tour in Scotland I highly recommend Wild in Scotland. Not only is it friendly to the wallet it's a fun way to experience Scotland.

scotland--the cities

2011-09-01T13:41:00.012+01:00

On Friday 19th August I set off on my quickly planned Scotland trip. I was quite excited. It was a busy time to go. I trained from London to Edinburgh and had to sit on the floor for half the trip. Apparently with the Fringe Festival on and the York races this was the busiest weekend for the train service. And thanks to the Fringe Festival I only found some accomodation to book two days before I went. (I'd found and booked a Scotland tour leaving from Edinburgh before I realised the Fringe was on.) Anyway, first stop was actually Glasgow. I went and spent a night couch surfing with a girl who hates Glasgow. Hmm, tainted my stay there. I didn't really enjoy Glasgow. It's a grungy kind of city and I wasn't sure what to go see and my host was going to show me around and then dragged me around town while she viewed flats and left me to wander by myself while I had to delay my train back to Edinburgh because my stuff was still in her flat and she didn't want to go back there yet. *Grumble*Mutter* That's my Scotland whinge. Thankfully, wonderfully, each new day was better than the previous. I still tried to be polite and make the most of my happily short stay in Glasgow.

They were filming in Glasgow. All hyped up because it's a Brad Pitt film. A zombie one...what's he doing one of those for? Oh, and it's apparently called World War Z. Surely they could have come up with something better. Ha ha. I must admit that Glasgow architecture will make a good backdrop. Just remember, it's not really Philidelphia like the movie will portray.

Saturday was a brilliant sunshiney day and I let myself out for breakfast and went wandering while my host slept in. I went to the People's Palace and winter gardens. The fountain out the front is apparently the tallest terracotta fountain in the world. Or in Europe. Something. The winter gardens weren't as big as I thought they might be and they had it sectioned off so you couldn't even wander around in there. Pfft. The People's Palace had a museum about Glasgow which was quite interesting. During the war days and how the government prepared well, the problems in Glasgow through the years with drinking, housing and crime, how they enjoyed themselves (in ways other than the ones I just mentioned) and daily life style. It's known for it's grunge and violence though it's far better these days. They even had a house/room set up to display what was a common living space for a family. Very compact. I met my host and we trappsed across town. Right across town on foot. In a hurry. I sat in the Botanical Gardens while she viewed a flat. By this time I was wanting to head back to catch a train but remembered my stuff was at her place still. She had another flat to view in a few hours and didn't want to go back yet so I had to settle for a later train. She showed me a couple of buildings and then left me to it. I had a short look in a museum and then wandered slowly back toward her place. Glasgow was all a bit of a wierd experience for me. I managed to get to Edinburgh and my accomodation alright.

Sunday came and I got into Edinburgh city (I was a 40min bus ride away) by about 10:30am. Once I'd walked into the Old Town the smile and joy came back about being in Scotland. The old town has wonderful buildings. The Royal Mile in particular. It's quite fabulous to see. The streets were packed with people for the Fringe Festival. It's a gazillion little events of all sorts of media--music, drama, comedy, performances of various kinds. I wondered around....and around....and around.... I don't think I really knew what I was doing. I was getting annoyed with myself because I was in Edinburgh and I hadn't done anything but wander around. Ha ha ha. Oh dear. I had eaten some food and bought a few souveniers and decided not to go to the castle until tomorrow hoping it would be a little quieter. I did decide however to go to Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park. They looked cool coz I like rocks. :p I climbed up the path so I could get a good view of the city.

I went right along the face you can see in the pic but when it went around the end the path flattened out and I wasn't sure where it went. I just enjoyed the view from there and came back down. I later found out that this is Arthur's Seat and you can climb right up to the top. Oh well. I then wandered around again until it was dark, bought some Maccas and went back to my room.

Monday came and I got my butt in gear and got into town early today. Just after opening I was inside Edinburgh Castle. I went on a free tour, saw the crown jewels of Scotland that are no longer in use (being now a part of the UK) and the Stone of Destiny (used in Scottish coronations) and the room where Mary Queen of Scots apparently gave birth to King James VI of Scotland. Also saw the prisoner section and some live displays of weaponry and history and hung around for the one o'clock gun. Some of the buildings in the castle are still used for present day military business.

In the afternoon I decided to go and see some of the free festival events. I was here and the Fringe was on so I thought I'd embrace it. I went and saw a puppet play that was well done. They'd made their own puppets and I like how they displayed souls and spirits. Clever. It was based on a Russian tale about a soldier who basically cheats death and then is punished by not being allowed to ever die though he grew weak and sickly. It was interesting. I also went and saw a comedy by a group of british guys. They performed an improvised "tv" viewing (flicking between a documentary, a couple of soapies and news) with subject input from the audience. I always find improvisation impressive. Gave me a good laugh too. I was then on my way back toward the bus stop. But on passing through the Royal Mile I scored a last minute ticket to see the Edinburgh Military Tattoo for £10. So I decided to go ahead and see that.

It was more than I thought it was going to be. I was on the side only a few rows from the 'stage'. It was also very impressive. My favourite was the Belgian Bike Band who came in riding pushbikes WHILE playing their instruments. That alone was magnificently impressive but they were also funny with their little skits. The music was great by itself but they were all marching around, some were dancers, some displayed military practises like the gun runners and modern day pirate subdueing. As it got dark they shone lights and pictures on the castle too. See the dragon? :) A fabulously enjoyable day.

It was late by the time I got back to my room and I was up early to pack and make it back into town to meet my tour group. And my Scotland experience just kept getting better.

sudden change

2011-08-29T13:56:00.003+01:00

Usually I have to take time to adjust to changes. I'm a worrier so I am well practised at the art of stressing over possibilities and unknowns. And yet there's a strange part of my character that when hit with a crisis I turn calm and active. It's a splendid quality really.

So on the morning I left for Scotland I was told that my job is no longer available. Since my current occupation is a live-in nanny, that means I have to move out. Thankfully it's not a nasty leaving. They said they've really appreciated my help but a lot of things have changed for them and they just can't keep me employed. Still, it's all so sudden. So jobless and homeless I was and in kicked that calm. Ok, so what do I need to do? I got straight on my computer and emailed Smart Aupairs to get them to start looking for work for me. By the time I trained to London, to Edinburgh, to Glasgow and found the girl I was gonna stay with and got back to her place, I had two family matches and both had written to me saying they were interested in me. Nice start to a sudden crisis-response. My Scotland holiday was interspersed with lots of email checking and writing, phone calls and text messages. Thankfully this did not spoil my holiday. I did what I could and decided to deal with the rest once I got back. Being on a tour in the outer Hebrides helped with that as when I had a chance to pull my phone out I didn't have reception most of the time.
I did however manage to organise an interview for Monday morning (meaning also organising a place to stay in London after my return flight from Scotland). That seemed to go well. I've got a room at a friend's house to live in temporarily though my mobile came with the job so that will be returned and my internet access will be quite limited in the next few weeks. I move out this afternoon so I need to finish up here and get packing.

last minute country hopping

2011-08-09T20:19:00.004+01:00

So I was told today that I'll be having a week off in two weeks. Unfortunately because the family I work for are taking a holiday to visit a seriously unwell relative. But on my part there's no point me hanging out at the house by myself with so many other countries at my doorstep.

I was thinking about seeing some of England (though it seems not to be the best time for that) but once I found out I had the whole week off my brain got ticking with another idea. I was able to get straight into some research since I was on a break. I decided I'd put off my intended Iceland weekend till early next year and splash out on Scotland. Scotland is one of the places I wanted to visit but also one of the places I didn't want to go to for just a weekend. Best to snatch an opportunity while you can.

Well I found this awesome tour. Six days with a backpacker style tour group that sounds a bit outdoorsy. Sounds like an interesting experience. The tour visits Isle of Skye, Callanais Standing Stones, lots of old old places and Loch Ness to give you a brief summary. Lots of history and lots of scenery for a pretty good price. So I clicked on the calendar to check the date I'm suddenly available for. Booked out. Damn! That's the trouble with short notice holidays. I looked around at some others but this one was the best so I was a bit disappointed. It was exciting just to skim over the itinery and view the few pictures they had. Oh, what the heck! I'll email them. I wrote that I'd love to go on that particular tour and asked if by any chance there's a cancellation in the next few days could they let me know.

I looked at some other sites too for other tour ideas but soon had to get back to work. Later while upstairs putting something away, I thought I'd just quickly check my email. And what do you know? It was SO WORTH the random asking. They had emailed to say they squeezed in one available space!! How unreal is that!? So I made sure I booked it straight away.

So Scotland it is.

retaking aim

2011-08-05T20:28:00.006+01:00

Finally it has arrived!! After a month long drama with the first camera with the first company I ordered from I got a refund and bought this one from another company and a week later it was in my happy little hands.

My very own Canon PowerShot SX210 IS replaces my old pentax camera which I've had for years. About 12 years I think. Wow. It served me well. It's old and decrepit now. It has way too much trouble getting started. (Possibly because I've dropped it too many times. Especially that last major one in Luxembourg. :x ) I couldn't even get it to turn on for a 'new camera' picture. I had to take the above shot using my webcam and skype. Now I have the joy of whipping out my camera, turning it on and taking a shot within seconds again. Oh, and this one's a bit nicer and fancier than the last one too. I went on a shooting spree today to work out how to work it.

Only real downfall I've come across so far is using the flash close range. It leaves a shadow along the edge closest to the lens. That being said, like what I did with my fishbowl vase? Some birthday flowers were delivered to my door and my friend suggested that after the flowers had done their job I could fill it with lollies as I don't receive flowers very often at all. However, it's a big vase and I don't wish to be that round. Macro works nicely. The photos are so nice and crisp. That's the main upgrade I wanted from my old camera. Nice clear rich photos. Canon serves well there.

This camera packs quite a zoom for a point and shoot. At normal view. At full optical zoom. At full optical plus digital zoom. Not bad hey? You wouldn't have known that bridge was there otherwise, would you?

And then there's a bunch of fun features. Fish eye mode. Colour swap. You get to select the colours that you want to switch. Here I switched white for dark blue. It doesn't work so well when there is a varigated colour-shading. If it was a 2D solid colour it wouldwork better.

They have a few colour and lighting functions too. This is an example of using blue colour mode. The first is a normal shot. Makes the sky look lovely and blue.

But by far, this is my favourite feature to play with. Colour accent mode. You select one colour to remain and the rest of the picture is black and white. Lots of fun.

It also has a wink timer and a face timer. One is a self timer that takes the photo when you wink. The other is when it detects a new face in the shot. You can do lots of things manually like the typical shutter speed but also the flash strength and white balance and focus and more. There's continuous shot and night shots and video (oh you can do colour accent in video mode too) and stitch assistance even blink detection! Loads to play with. Of course there is much still to learn with this camera but I had a fun afternoon to start with. And I'm super happy I have a camera that functions well and as I need it. It's almost an essential item when you're adventuring on the otherside of the planet.

one sunny sunday

2011-08-01T20:49:00.004+01:00

I've started going to a home group here in England. A couple from the group invited me to join them and their visiting friends to go to a wildlife park/zoo on Sunday. They picked me up and took me back to their house where they were still slowly getting ready to leave. Just ready to have a big cooked breakfast (11am) I sat down and joined them for my second breakfast. Eventually we did leave and go to Port Lympne--A Wild Experience. It's a big open range zoo. Kinda funny to think of paddocks of English countryside filled with Animals from all over the world. Anyway, we hoped in one of the tour trucks, just the kind I think of when I think of Africa. They were fun. The roads were bumpy and the truck bumbled over them bouncing us around. I was a gleeful little child. ^^

We got to see a number of baby animals too starting with this baby elephant who is 4yrs old. Mostly we rolled past paddocks of animals but there was one section, the African experience, that we went through. They kept a whole bunch of hooved animals plus some ostriches there. All friends of course. No natural preditation taking place there. There was a giraffe that was right by the road unfazed, munching on his lunch. It was great to see one so close up.

When we got off at the first stop we went and looked at the meerkats for a while. They're so cute and there was a little baby one. You can just see him in the pic, furthest to the right. Then we went through a bit of a reptile house with snakes, frogs, icky spiders, lizards...even cockroaches? Then we had icecreams. Yum! Lovely day for it.

We got on a tour truck again after waiting in line for quite a while and stopped off at the carnivores. Most of the cats were in hiding and Emma was sure they had gone off to some Big Cat convention. We did have a pretty good look at the fishing cat though. Then we walked through the primate area and saw some interesting monkeys. My favourite was the colobus monkeys. They have short black hair and long white hair. Remind me a bit of skunks. They have a puff at the end of thier tail and look like they're wearing capes. The looked quite elegant. Never seen them before. The gorilla palace--it certainly was a palace, they had a very impressive playground--had a baby gorilla as well. It was quite useful that we seemed to be following feeding time so all the animals were coming over to the fence as the zoo cars pulled up. We also went to another area and saw some more tigers and lions before we headed home again. Unfortunately my camera played up lots today. I did manage to get some photos but in the end I gave up. So you don't get to see everything.

We sat around and chatted for a while until my friends' friends had to head home. My friends, Bug (childhood nickname that stuck) and Emma, cooked me a yummy tea goatcheese stuffed mushroom and veggies and we ate while we played Settlers of Catan. Unfortunately my set up plan failed me and I struggled to get resources. It would have worked well if the dice would have just been kind enough to roll my numbers. Sigh. It was a fantastic day out. I had lots of fun.

global viewing

2011-07-30T20:40:00.002+01:00

I've just done something I may never do again.

I've watched a movie series whilst living in three different countries.

It was while I was living in the USA as an aupair that my friend, SuhRa, got me to watch Harry Potter 1, 2 and 3 on dvd for the first time. We then went with friends to an IMAX theatre and watched HP4.

I returned home to Australia where I saw HP5, 6 and 7p1 as they came out.

Today I went and saw the finale, HP7p2, where I'm living on a working holiday visa in England.

The movie was brilliant! On my way there I was deciding how I wanted it to end. I haven't read the final book yet. Starting with the movies in the USA and reading those movies in their book version back in Australia and discovering more wonderful stories and extras, I decided to wait and see each new movie before reading the next book. So now I finally know how it ends. But like I said, on my way there I was deciding who I wanted to be involved in the final fight and survive and how the baddies were going to roll. Delightfully they performed almost exactly as I'd hoped. I think it was fabulously written, intriguingly interlinked with bits and pieces from the other stories with a lovely settled ending. (Yet to read book 7 though.) It left me very satisfied and happy and peaceful.

It was also my first movie in England. Odd to have to travel to another town to see it but I was pleasantly surprised that it cost me only £9 for the train there and back, my movie ticket AND a coco-cola that was at least 500ml. I never bother buying snacks at the movies back home. It's just a waste of money. It was 80p for my drink! Think I'll see some more movies in the future.

knitting and knights

2011-07-18T20:13:00.006+01:00

On Saturday I went on my own day out. The knitting part you can read all about over at my other blog. I'd had my fill there by 2pm and since my bus wasn't leaving until 7pm I opted to check off one of the things on my London to-do list. So I caught the underground and went to the Tower of London. Now I had close to three hours here but I recommend you allow more than that as there's heaps to see. I bought my ticket and waited just inside the first wall with quite a crowd for the next Yeoman Warder tour.

This grassy area (which is at least twice the width you can see or more) was originally the moat. It served the city well for centuries until London grew and the sewerage system set up ran into it. Then it was turned into grass. The Yeoman Warder tour guide was fantastic. A real character cracking jokes and getting away with sly comments. Very entertaining. Did you know that people still live in the houses within in the Tower of London? Me neither.

Here's some of the houses that are rented out. Except the one with the guard at the door. That's the queen's house. Here is where the tour ended half an hour short. Unfortunately for us tourist someone was getting married shortly in the chapel there so we couldn't have the full tour. And there's me outside the Waterloo block where the crown jewels are kept. I did go through but you can't take photos in there. Guess that makes sense since you have to enter and exit the volt through massive doors. They were interesting to see. Quite extravagant and quite a lot there. More than I had expected. I guess each royalty had their own crown made for their coronation. Anyway, the line was massive once the tour was over so I went into the White Tower first.

Lots to see in there. It's full of armoury mostly. Look, even a toddler sized suit. And check out the sword. It's huge. I keep thinking it would be interesting to put a suit on to see what it felt like. Some suits were complete cover and others were just the major areas with leather for the less vital areas.

This dragon was pretty cool. You walk up some stairs to the next level and it's the first thing you see. Made of armoury pieces and such. They had a section that was hands on. This display you put your face in a helmet shape hole and they had a war playing on a tv screen behind it so you could experience how much a knights sight was impaired. You really can't see a lot through two small splits. I'd never thought about that before.

These here are old time mortar shells. They would be filled with tar and gunpowder and stuff, even greased rags for the horses' hooves, and then wrapped in linen to be catapulted into the gathered enemy. And there's me outside the White Tower. I decided to then go see the crown jewels because the line wasn't so packed and I really did want to see them. I got in and through in plenty of time before the tower closed. In fact, I still had some time to wander a section of the wall.

Inside the towers along the walls there were more displays. It would have been good to explore properly. Here's an old time crossbow in one. The writing on the walls were written like you were reading the latest news which made it feel like you were a part of the adventure. In one of the towers they had some crowns that had been stripped of their jewels. I only got this photo coz I hadn't seen any sign saying I couldn't. But I got told off for taking it so perhaps I just missed the sign.

And then I got to christen my new umbrella. It was raining on and off all day, even pouring at times. But it wasn't until just as the Tower of London was closing for the day that I was actually outside in it. I was happy to be though just so I could use my umbrella. On my way out of the White Tower I went through a gift shop. It had some great stuff in there as far as gift shops go. I was heavily drawn to the calligraphy pen set that had a lovely wooden pen with two nibs and about 6 pots of different colours. But in the end I opted for the fantastical quill with a pot of red ink for half the price of the other. How fun is it!?

I may just have to go back again some day and see the rest of it. I did come across the Tower of Torture as I was heading out which had already closed for the day. That would have been interesting...? I did see one display of a chopping block and whilst there overheard a guide telling a story. A beheading that needed a fill-in executioner so they called on the butcher. (If you're a easily quesy you may want to skip over this paragraph.) Now he said that people would often pay quite a chunk of money to the executioner to make sure the job was done well. If it was it was painless aparantly. He did comment executioners being quite well off because of these tips. But this butcher, well he hadn't chopped human before and he was nervous. First swing and he missed only scratching the neck. The one on the chopping block apparently made some comment--something like "Is that the best you've got?". I think the second swing was similar. Third swing got half the neck at which point the nervous, sweating butcher pulled out his butcher's knife and hacked the rest off to finish the job. Shockingly gross, I know. No wonder people paid the executioner for a good clean lop.

We were also told on our tour that during the time of the Tower of London there were a LOT of beheadings but most happened outside on Tower Hill. There were only a few beheadings inside the Tower of London. The Yeoman Warder said you had to be a "friend" of the king to be beheaded within the walls. It was a bit strange to walk around a place with so much history in it.

So that was my day out in London.

falling... ♥

2011-07-13T14:08:00.003+01:00

Read a mini article about "Falling in Love" that is published in full in RELEVANT Magazine.

There's nothing wrong with falling in love, being caught up in all the emotion of it. It happens and it's a wonderful thing but I do believe there is simply more to it. If you want a good lasting relationship that is. Emotions can be amazing but they are also the bane of my existance. They are certainly fickle. It's no hidden truth that no matter how passionate and vibrant the emotions attached to love are, they don't stay that way forever. We don't live in a fairytale.

The above mentioned article says, "Feelings are an incredible resource--but they were not meant to stand alone." This accounts for many emotions I think. We choose how we live and respond. To ourselves, to God, to the world around us.

Love, as God created it, was always meant to be associated with action. A verb. It is something we do. A choice. Emotionally supported or not. It's a truth I need to constantly remind myself of. All too easily forgotten in my humanness. This truth goes for any kind of relationship too. How we love our family, our friends, our neighbours, our local strangers, our enemies is just as much a choice as any romantic relationship.

As one who still dreams of "falling in love" (and I am such a dreamer), it is actually a good term to keep in mind. "Falling" is always temporary. The question is will I choose to love beyond the thud when the falling is over?

europe week--düsseldorf, germany

2011-07-02T22:42:00.012+01:00

Here's the finale. The highlight of my europe week. The crux. The whole reason in fact. Düsseldorf. City of Suhra. At least, that's why I even know about it. This is where my friend, Suhra, grew up. This is where her wedding was to take place a few days later.

I arrived here with Suhra and Mike at 2am but the next day still started early. We caught the train into town together and they pointed a few things out and where the shopping was and got me some maps and then went on to the airport to pick up more wedding guests. It was my plan to do some shopping but though I wandered around seemingly everywhere I didn't find what I was hoping to buy. After hours of frustration I made myself go do something touristy rather than just wander the shops. I passed by Marktplatz with the town hall and statue of Jan Wellem on his horse. Further down the street you run into the Rhine and from there I could see the Rhine Tower. I walked along Königsallee which has a nice water feature with fountain at one end and surrounded by trees and lovely green grass. That is lined by designer shops with overpriced goods. I went on past this to another shopping area but still couldn't find the sort of thing I was looking for. By now I had too much of an idea in my head and it was impossible to match. In the end I just gave up and decided to catch a train to go to the Rhine tower. The stop I got on at didn't have a ticket machine so I just got on. Then I couldn't see one on the train either. I did eventually see one when I was halfway there and since there were people packed around it I opted to just stay put and finish my journey. Thankfully no ticket-checkers on that journey.

I got to the Rhine tower and rode the lift 168m up to see Düsseldorf from a bird's eye view. It was a bit wierd looking almost straight down as I stood right at the edge of the window. He he. I eventually made my way back to the train and this time found a ticket booth. Good thing too coz there were ticket-checkers on the next train I caught. I sat at Mike and Suhra's working on some wedding projects I had to finish while I waited for them to return as well as the rest of the bridal party to show up. Suhra ran through the schedule for the next couple of days and then after dark, after given instructions, I caught two trains to meet and stay with the other bridesmaid who couldn't make it to the meeting. Just as I was approaching the stop I had to get off at I started thinking about something and distracted myself. At the last moment I realised I was there and jumped off. He he. Katrin and I greeted each other for the first time and then she took me back to her place.

Thursday, with an overnight bag packed, we journeyed to Maria's (maid of honour) for lunch with the bride and her bridesmaids. Delicious. German bread, wraps with fillings, chocolate cake and it poured rain. Thankfully that was the most of the rain for the day. We walked back to the train station, gave her a "bride-to-be" sash and put on our "maid of the bride" badges and then we blindfolded Suhra so she couldn't see where we were going . First stop was a massage place. Such a good decision. And not just for the stressed and busy bride-to-be. We had a 20min massage and then a facial and it was so relaxing. Some of the bridesmaids actually slept. It was a fantastic way to start the bachelourette day. After leaving there we wandered the blindfolded Suhra around before leading her back to a nail place two doors down. There she had her nails done and while that was happening I went hunting with a creative mind. What I managed to come back with was a make shift tiara/crown moulded out of aluminium foil I'd bought at the corner store. Now this looked like a bachelourette party. Blindfolded again we moved on to our next stop where I had to entertain Suhra while the others got things organised. Eventually we got to go in and we sat in the lobby of a hotel and had some champagne and a toast before heading up to our rooms. There Suhra walked into her room with roses and petals strewn around, we sang the chorus of a song and then gave her a gift from us that made her cry. It was a bracelet that had a charm representing the four of us and some others representing the life she was about to begin. You can see it here. We then got dressed up and prettied before heading out for dinner at an all you can eat asian place. It was good except asians don't seem to be big on dessert. :( We had fun chatting and laughing and taking photos. Unfortunately most of the photos taken of that day and the wedding were not on my camera. After dinner we went to a local club that was really quite fancy and other girls met us there. I gave them "I'm with the bride-to-be" badges and we hung out for a while. I must admit, it felt kinda empty in there and apart from a small group of us no one was dancing. We were going to surprise Suhra by having Mike and the guys meet us there but the bouncers wouldn't let them in. In the end we ditched that club and all went to another one not too far away that was smaller and fuller and more fun. This was also another first for me. First time clubbing. I'm not converted but I did have fun and even did some dancing. I hope I didn't look too ridiculous. Some of the others were very entertaining to watch dance. After a few hours though I was ready for some fresh air. We stayed out so late. I haven't seen that hour of the morning (by staying up) for quite some time. Lots of crazy photos taken...not on my camera though. We went back to our hotel and crashed into our comfortable beds.

Friday I wasn't needed in the morning so I went back down the street. I was obviously too tired though because I was being such a drama queen going back and forward between two shops and two different handbags and unable to make a decision. I almost bought one but then at the second last minute I just put it back on the shelf and walked away. If I wasn't convinced I would like it it wasn't worth wasting my money on. Drama finally dealth with, I went back to Katrin's and sorted out my clothes. I had to work out something that didn't stink of smoke and then we went to the church for the wedding rehersal, a dinner and an evening of decorating and final set up. I worked hard on my creative tasks to get them done and thankfully a few hours later I was done...and moved onto other things. Again it was well past midnight before we got home.

And the big day arrived. This is the day that brought me on this whole european adventure. A second time to live in the northern hemisphere. The wedding I'd been planning to come to for the last three years. We got up and got partly ready, swung by the florist to pick up the gorgeous flowers, and on to the hotel to meet the other girls. There we got dressed together and added our final touches as the photos started. We waited for the guys to show up while Suhra hid except when they did, they weren't dressed in their suits yet. Isn't it a bit backwards for the ready bride to be waiting for the groom? We posed for some first sight photos as Suhra came up behind Mike and tapped him on his shoulder. We then loaded into cars and went downtown for a photoshoot. Yes. Odd to have them before they were married but that's how the day was going to work best for them. It was a bit of fun being there with a whole bunch of people around. There were lots of loud comments and singing from those near by as they saw a bride and groom and wedding party. I think there was even a bachelour party going on with a bunch of drunk guys playing beer games and one outfitted in a dress. Unfortunately it was quite windy so I hope they got some decent photos. It even rained at one point and had us running back to the cars. Of course it stopped once we got in so we stepped out again for a few more. Then we went on to the church.

While this was my 5th time as a bridesmaid (I've been so priviliged) there were some firsts here. Like even attending a wedding in another country and also a multicultural one. There was a touch of Korean culture as well as the service translated into Korean. Johanna sang "Just the way you are" which made lots of people teary and Suhra promised to be a good wife according to Mike's will (he he, and God's when correcting herself). It was a lovely wedding. Suhra was stunning and Mike was handsome. We make a good looking bridal party don't you think?

Once the marrying was officially done and a few group photos taken, we moved on to the reception. Waiting around the corner while all the guests were seated the bridal party was announced and we danced in to "California Love". (Highly appropriate as that's where they met and fell in love.) The best man and maid of honour gave awesome speeches and then we ate. Mike and Suhra also appeared for a while in traditional Korean dress to cut the cake and feed each other the first bite. And smear some on each other's cheeks.

Throughout the evening various people did special things for the bride and groom. Some ran games which were fun to watch. One I had to play. I was the first one out and my punishment is to send the wedded couple a postcard. No worries! ^^ But I swear, no one understood how to play that game until halfway through. Katrin won it too. And the next one which was a dance competition where she was partnered with the photographer. Go Katrin! My favourite one was the pantomime. It was Suhra and Mike's history done to "Say a little prayer for you". It was hilariously fabulous! The night rolled on and the dance music boomed. I rotated through different activities...dancing, talking with people, taking photos, drinking a dieble (Düsseldorf beer--another first). I had a lot of fun. I got a lot of lovely comments too. It was fun to see some people I knew from the USA though I had hoped to see more. It was a fabulous celebration. Right through til home time at 3am!

Congratulations Mike and Suhra! Hope married life is awesome.

Sunday I actually slept in! Seriously!! I didn't get up til 11am. That's huge for me who says a good sleep in is 9am. I'm usually awake by 7:30 no matter what time I've gone to bed. I suppose a run of 2-3am bedtimes does that. I packed my things together and thanked Katrin for her wonderful hospitality and went to afternoon church with Katrin's other house guest. I thought it would be strange to go to a church that was in another language. Half the songs were in English but the pastor also decided to translate his sermon to english as well as he went. We had a korean lunch after church which reminded me of San Francisco and discovered Mike and Suhra had taken someone to the airport. We were worried we wouldn't say a proper goodbye to them but just as we were about to leave--as in finally got in the car to go--they returned. Yay. We wished them well and said goodbye and I gave them my present coz I forgot to take it to the wedding. Busy being a bridesmaid... Then I was driven to the airport.

I arrived at the airport and used the quick check in machine to get my ticket after a bit of trouble getting it to work for me. I then took my bag to the drop off counter and the lady said, "You realise your flight has been delayed for almost two hours?" Ah right, that would explain why the gate opening time on my ticket was LATER than the flight time. So I roamed the few shops and ate some food and spent the last of my euro cash on some chocolate. When I went to the gate I had to show my passport. The guy started flicking through the pages. "Yeah, there's no stamps," I said. He looked at me but let me through. Just as I was passing through they called to me out the back door. He said something in German which I figured was asking if I spoke german so I said no. The other guy that was in there asked for my passport and why I have no stamps. "I came by train and no one asked to see my passport," I replied. After a moment he gave it back and let me go on. I consider it quite sad really that I had a week's trip in europe and all my passport shows of it is my re-entry into England. That's the downer about travelling to another country by land. I was able to hurry through the airport in London. When I found out my flight had been delayed I was hoping I wouldn't get stuck in London for the night as I had to work at 8am the next day. I'd planned it so I could catch the second last train home already so with the change I wasn't sure how it was going to happen. I was too late for the bus I'd booked but that was only £6 wasted. I had to buy a ticket on the fast train though which cost me £18 instead but it was worth it coz it meant I got into London in time to catch the last train home. So at 12:45am I wheeled my bag through the door, dumped my stuff and climbed into bed...ending my europe week adventure. What a blast!

europe week--cologne, germany

2011-06-28T16:55:00.006+01:00

From Luxembourg I caught a train to Trier in Germany. I grabbed a bite to eat before I boarded my next train. As it's light late in this part of the world I got to see quite a bit of German country side and the little towns along the way. I must admit I was surprised to see it so green.

I arrived in Cologne at 11pm and then tried to find the hostel I'd booked into. After wondering around a little I realised I'd exited the wrong side of the train station. So I went back in and came out the other side. WOW! I was met by the impressive DOM (Cathedral). All lit up at night. Spectacular. It was my highlight of all that I saw in Cologne. The magnificance and the detail. I'm sure it took hundreds of years to build.

I then found the hostel which was quite a lot nicer than I was expecting and I only had to share with one other girl who was in town for some lectures. The next morning I stored my luggage at the hostel and took one of their city guide maps and went walking.

I first headed down a long street toward the South Gate (and did a little shopping along the way). You can see it there at the end of the street. It's from the 12th century and the main road to Rome ran through it. I then went across past the Bottmühle which was originally a defence platform and over to the Rhein.

I walked along the Rhein to Altstadt which use to be the old harbour and fishmarket. I found a Thai restaurant there where I had a quick lunch. I back tracked a little to find the Overstolzen House because the architecture looked very interesting. Apparently the only richly ornamented building in the 1200s that wasn't owned by the catholic church. The Overstolz family became rich through trading wine. Quite different style to the churches around. I wandered back through the shopping streets--lovely to do since Luxembourg denied me ;)--up toward the train station as the time for a long parted friendship was due to reunite. ^^

Suhra and Mike met me there!! It was really good to see them again. It was wierd too because last I saw Suhra she was farewelling me in the USA three years ago telling me to save so I could come to her wedding and now that time had come. We met some other wedding guests there as well. Some I knew and some I didn't. Then we walked along the Rhein to the chocolate factory. Mmmm.

We wandered through the various levels where you could learn important stuff like how chocolate is made, fairtrade and how chocolate is good for your body. There was even a mini-tropic zone so you could experience the environment that's needed for cocoa to grow. Hot and sweaty! I actually found it interesting to see pictures of the cocoa plant. The 'fruit' grows straight off the trunk and are quite large. At least bigger than I thought. Inside the 'fruit' is a whole bunch of cocoa beans. There was also a factory making chocolates and we could watch how a little square of lindt chocolate like what we ate when we purchased our tickets was made. Oh, and they had a chocolate fountain flowing from golden cocoa 'fruits'. A lady was dipping in wafers for us to eat. Yum. Suhra and Maddie kept going back for as many as they could get.

I was drooling all over the place when I found the biggest Lindor chocolate ball I'd ever seen!! Lindor is my favourite chocolate if you want to buy me some. ^^

Suhra's brother led us to an Italian place for some tea. I had a schnitzel but I was a little disappointed. It wasn't as good as others I've had. I did have my first ever mojito though which was quite pleasant.

After this followed some drama of retrieving a hirecar that had been towed earlier. We hung out at the guest's hotel while Suhra (being a natural german speaker) went and helped out. Then we wandered back to the DOM for some final photos and night shots. I went and collected my bag from the hostel and Mike, Suhra, Suhra's brother and I got on a train to Düsseldorf. By the time we caught all the trains we needed to get back to Mike and Suhra's it was 2am and I was tired. But there was not to be much sleeping whilst in Düsseldorf where I spent most of my Europe week...

europe week -- luxembourg, luxembourg

2011-06-23T21:03:00.003+01:00

I boarded a train in Paris on Sunday 12th June. A few hours later I arrived in Luxembourg City. First time ever that I've gone to another country by land. He he.

I checked into my hotel which wasn't near as nice as I was expecting sadly but still sufficient. I went for a wander to cheer myself up a bit. The glimpse of the city got me excited about my day to explore on Monday. Excited again I tried to decide what to eat. Ended up at McDonalds. There's one everywhere. I had to have something I don't usually see on the Australian menu so I got a 1955 burger which was ok. It was funny to see german on the box. Ich liebe es! I returned to my pokey room and the one english speaking channel was boring so I watched Harry Potter in German coz I know the story well. It's funny hearing different voices and not actually understanding it. I could still laugh and enjoy knowing what they said in english from memory.

Monday morning I got up early and checked out. I took my bag to the train station and after some hunting I found a place I could lock my bag away for the day. Armed with the map I'd grabbed yesterday and the plan I'd formed I headed off on foot. The more I walked the wierder it seemed. It was now 10am and I headed for the city centre as it was spitting lightly so I thought I'd do some shopping earlier and hope the weather fined up later but apart from some wandering tourist it was awefully quiet. I was just seeing if I could figure out how to hire a bike (I really wanted to ride along the valley later but I couldn't make sense of how you used the hire machine) a guy asked if I spoke english and then if I lived in Luxembourg. He was hoping I could tell him why today was a public holiday. YOU'RE KIDDING!! I have one day in Luxembourg and it's a public holiday? I was pretty bummed about that. I wandered the city streets for quite a while searching for anything other than food places that might be open. There goes my shopping plans. A couple of small touristy places were open so I managed to buy some postcards and souveniers. Actually there were a lot of postcards that had just certain people on it. Family photos. I guess they were some kind of rulers or royalty or something. Found out later they would be the Grand Duke and his family, head of Luxembourg. Luxembourg is the world's only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy according to Wikipedia. That explains the postcards. Funny thing is I could kind of see how the kids grew up just by looking at different postcards. So there's today's lesson for you. Useful for if it ever comes up at a trivia night. :)

As the day progressed the city began to wake. There was an All American Music Festival in Place Guillaume II (William Square) and I hung around for a bit there. Doc's Big Band was playing so I was enjoying the music. I did go for a wander and then come back to buy some lunch at the american stalls. I chose a bagel with honeybaked ham and was seriously disappointed. I didn't realise I'd get a whole chunk of ham (americans and their meat *eyes roll*) but it came in a hamburger bun! Wounded. The main reason I chose that one was because I love bagels. Well I ate some of it. Enough for sustainance. I listened some more to the good music and threw my camera on the ground. Well, not exactly. I usually put the strap around my wrist so if I want I can let go and it will dangle. Only this time I didn't make sure the strap was around my wrist. So the batteries came rolling out with the bash against the pavement but worse the main button came off. You know, the one that actually takes the pictures. I could set it back in place but when I pressed it, although it worked, the button lifted with my finger. I didn't want to risk losing the pieces coz there was glue in my bag at the train station that I could fix it with--which I did successfully later. So the rest of my snapping for the day was upgraded to higher difficulty level. Most self portraits required a temporary button-assembly.

I wandered back to Place de la Constitution which has a statue or two and with a bit of looking around I found the entrance to the Casemates de la Petrusse. Luxembourg is built across a valley which makes for some fascinating scenery. In the 1600s the spanish dug tunnels into the rockface under the now city centre for defensive purposes making Luxembourg once one of the most envied fortresses of Europe. I went wandering through the sprawling tunnels and up and down a bunch more stairs.

At some points the tunnels were quite thin and low. The structure above is toilet and translated the note on the side says "Don't forget the sand". No flush button here. There was also a canon down there and it was fun just to poke about and wander through. When I'd seen it all I made my way out and round to the edge of the cliff area.

Great views from this area down across the valley. The buildings I thought looked more german than french here in Luxembourg. It actually took me a while to figure out what language they use. I noticed that all the signage was in french but there was a lot of german around too. I figured french was the base language but being next to Germany that language was common. The information signs in the Casemates were all in French and German which didn't help me understand anything. It didn't occur to me that the country would have more than one official language. But that's europe for you. As a matter of fact, Luxembourg has three official languages. French, German and Luxembourgish. Some more trivia knowledge for you. I continued around to the Casemates du Bock and went and looked in those tunnels too. They were the better ones though they were really just tunnels, some stairs, window holes and a cannon. The set up was nicer and more touristy I suppose. I took some fun photos in there and had to be careful on the spiral stairs which at times had steps only as wide as half my foot length making slipping much more likely to happen.

When I finished poking around there I went back up to the edge of the city centre where there is a left that goes down through the cliff so you don't have to walk down the winding street to get to the valley below. I crossed a river and wandered past the Grund and down to a castle wall. I crossed over along the top of the wall and down into the Vallee de la Petrusse.

These buildings are built into or under the rock which I just thought was interesting. A lot of the valley sides are terraced with houses so you get layers of great looking buildings climbing up the mountain side. I walked along the valley in the lovely green park area all the way to Pont Adolphe (Adolphe Bridge). I think this was the largest single arch across a valley in its day or something. I can't quite remember now and it's not explained on my brochures. It's one of the landmarks of the city and I found it somewhat impressive and interesting.

I finally climbed back up to the city centre and wandered a bit more looking for a cafe that appealed to me. I did go past a most spectacular playground. It had a large ship, a high tunnel slide and a funky water play area. Just as I was wondering about simply heading back to the train station I rounded a corner and saw the building below. Wow! I noticed it had little guard huts and one was manned. I figured it must be some kind of palace. Actually called Palais Grand-Ducal (Palace of the Grand Dukes). Right opposite I just had to stop in for a cuppa and cake. No second thoughts. Chocolate cafe.

While the guard stood and then marched back and forth I sat and ate some blackforest cake and had a drink. See the plastic bag next to my cup. It's a spoon with a hunk of chocolate on the bottom and you select your flavour and they bring you a mug of hot milk. Yum. I chose Chili Orange. Was goooood. After a moment to enjoy such deliciousness I moved myself along so I could gather my bag and make my next train. I really enjoyed my day in Luxembourg City despite the public holiday and the drizzle that carried on most of the day. It's quite a fascinating view with the valley, the rockfaces, the buildings and the greenery.

This stained glass window is at the train station. It is a great basic picture of the city and I think it just looks cool. So I farewelled Luxembourg and boarded a train for Germany.

europe week -- paris, france

2011-06-20T20:49:00.008+01:00

So I awoke on Friday 10th June, the day my Europe trip began, and the first thing I thought was, "WHAT!? I'm suppose to be leaving the house now!" Great start to my holiday :S So I scrapped my plans to catch the bus and called for a taxi instead. That gave me 30mins to get ready. I made it to the meeting point in plenty of time, especially with the tour bus being late, and was then on my way to adventure! From the white cliffs of Dover we crossed by ferry to France which took a bit over an hour. It was raining and stormy on our drive to Paris. We stopped along the way to get lunch and it was truly an odd experience to order food where you don't know the language. Thankfully the descriptions were in English as well so I knew what I was ordering but the accent of the lady who served me was heavy so it was difficult to understand the little english she knew. We skipped going straight to the hotel so we wouldn't spend hours in heavy traffic. What we got was bad enough. It was still raining and I got a little wet waiting to get in line for our river cruise which was our first stop. I could NOT believe who I saw just a few people ahead in line!

Michael and Katrina, friends from Australia, whom I knew were in Paris at the time but had not planned to meet just happened to be getting on the same cruise. It was awesome to actually run into them when I'd joked about it just a few days earlier. Nice to see friends you know from home when you're touring the world. The cruise itself wasn't that great as the rain made the windows hard to see through but the company was great. So we had our little unplanned cruise together before my tour bus went on to pass other significant sights before taking us to our hotel to check us in.

That night I went out with three USA girls (one of whom I was sharing a room with). We caught the Metro (the underground train) and sat by the river Seine and ate some food and walked across the Pont Des Arts which is a bridge that lovers go to and put a padlock on the bridge with their initials on it. I don't know where this idea came from but there's more than one place that does it. There's a bridge in Germany like this too but I didn't go there. When it got dark we walked to the Eiffel Tower. I ate a delicious crepe with chocolate, strawberry, banana and cream filling and then we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at midnight before finding a nearby station to catch the metro back to the hotel.

Saturday morning we went to Montmartre famous for its artist hub. We went and viewed the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur (pretty much Sacred Heart Church). All the detail is quite impressive and it was quite large. Got a good view of the city from there too. Around the corner there was an artists market where people were selling paintings and doing silhouette portraits. That was impressive to see too. A lady was just freestyle cutting black paper to reveal a side portrait of her customers head. I also ate a pain au chocolate. Mmm. We then met up again and went on a little walking tour past some old windmills that used to cover the hills here. There's only a few left now. One is the famous red one...you know, Moulin Rouge? (Which I now understand means Red Windmill.)

We were dropped off at the Notre Dame of Paris and left to wander as we pleased. Again this building is massive and highly detailed. I was always impressed by these two factors. I went for the free walk around inside and saw the famous rose stained glass windows. Then I walked around the shops a bit and got some food and then met the bus for the afternoon option.

A visit to the Chateau de Versailles! Talk about over-the-top extravagance!

This was a hunting lodge and apparently King Louis XIV who entertained guests here felt a little underdone by someone else and went about making it completely extravagant to impress everyone with the splendour and glory of France. Unfortunately all the successful battles and wealth gained went into this place instead of taking care of the population at the time. It is from here in their extravagant wealth that Queen Marie-Antoinette is attributed with saying in regards the people being so poor that they couldn't buy bread, "Then give them cake." This place was again massive and highly detail, yet more so than the other buildings I've seen. It really is quite astonishing to view and imagine living in. And I only viewed some of the palace. The grounds themselves which are filled with gardens and more buildings and water features are way larger than the area the palace is on.

This is the queens bedchamber, fitted with viewing area (not just for today's era) and the dinning table where the royal family would eat, also fitted with a viewing area for courtiers and others to watch. The king was surprisingly social in this way and let people see a lot. Probably just wanted to show off I suppose. That's why he made the place so elaborate in the first place. He held entertainment nights for the courtiers regularly and weekly too.

Check out the detail even on the ceiling. Each one was a masterpiece painted with gods and victorious scenes. We were there three hours and there was left so much unseen. Actually I kinda got tired of viewing the rooms. Yes they were elaborate but all of them were so after a while it was more of the same. I sat in the tea rooms and had a tea and my first ever macaroon which was yummy. Then I went for a wander through the streets of Versailles and found a lovely little stationery store where I bought a pen and notepad. Delightful ones of course. :) Returning from Versailles I got off at the Eiffel Tower because I wanted to go climb it.

And I did. Up the stairs. As high as I could go. Man, I've climbed up and down so many stairs on this Europe trip. I looked around the city at the second level and ate some ice cream and felt the slight sway of the structure in the wind before coming back down again. I quite liked the Eiffel Tower. I didn't know it sparkled on the hour at night and it was fun to see up close and I liked the patterned detail around the arches and it's such a famous landmark it's fun to say "I've been there." I walked back along the Seine, doing a little tourist shopping, and then caught the metro back to the hotel. It's wierd with the daylight. It didn't get dark until 10:30ish so I always stayed up late coz it never felt like I did.

Sunday we went to the Musèe de Lourve. I got someone to take my pic with the pyramid entrance and then ditched the tour. It cost to get in and I opted to go climb the Arc de Triomphe instead. Then they were going back to England but that didn't fit in with my plans.

So I walked along the long garden like street toward the Arc de Triomphe (one of the glorious landmarks Napoleon built to praise himself). Notice the intersection above? Quite a major one and no line markings. This is very common in Paris. Traffic seems to just go where they please. Including pedestrians who never bother waiting for the walk signal. I'm surprised there's not more accidents. From the top of the Arc de Triomphe (more stairs) I got to watch the traffic below. It's essentially a large round about now and again no line markings AND the traffic entering has right of way. Weird. And yet it works. It was also interesting to see the spray of streets jutting out from the Arc too. Twelve of them.

I then moved myself along and headed back to the hotel to collect my bag and then on to Gare de l'Est (train station) via the Metro. There I sat and waited and ate my last meal in France before boarding the train to Luxembourg.

off and away

2011-06-09T21:40:00.000+01:00

I'm as packed as I can be for the night before a holiday begins. Tomorrow I'm off on my long planned trip to Germany for my lovely friend's wedding. Since it's not until 18th June, I've planned to scuttle through Paris and Luxembourg on the way. ^^

I still find it odd to think I'm going to be in France tomorrow. I'm sure before I know it I'll find it odd that I've been and I'm back in England again so I'm gonna try and soak it in as much as I can. My camera is packed and the two sets of batteries are fully loaded. I suspect I'll do a number of posts to share my adventure with you all in the weeks after I get back.

As for now, I'm gonna curl up with a Merlin episode and then sleep the night away before my week-long adventure. I hope your week is somewhat exciting and joyous even if not as much as mine.

spring birthday no. 2

2011-05-31T11:22:00.004+01:00

It was my second spring birthday yesterday. My first was when I lived in the USA in 2007. Normally, being from Australia, my birthday is in Autumn. The family I work for here were very kind letting me 'lie in' though I was awake early and took the opportunity to read a few birthday greetings online. In the morning I took care of the twins while the parents and toddler went out. It was a busy morning but the boys were very cute too. I cooked myself some nachos for lunch which I ate outside in the on-again, off-again sunshine (but warm all day). The others stayed out for lunch. By 2pm I was done with work--another kindness from the family for my birthday. Ordinarily Monday's are my long days of all day work with a night shift attending the twins.

I had one present to unwrap--and thankfully I saved that from when it arrived a week before hand as it makes me happier if I can unwrap something ON my birthday. I knew what it was and even had seen a pic of it because it's what I suggested my sister could knit for me. Ooo they are sooo nice. Lovely and soft and interesting. I didn't really need to wear them yesterday but I did anyway.

In my afternoon off I went for a stroll to find a cafe but darn the Bank Holiday, most places were closed. I was surprised that cafe's would be mostly closed with people off wandering about. I ended up going to the pub overlooking the sea and had myself a delicious southern comfort and cola while I worked on one of my knitting projects. I finished off the leaf pattern of my pixie beanie. ^^ Now I'm just onto the decreasing.

When I got home again I went and hung out in the backyard with the fam and the friends they had over. Then we had dessert and they brought out the cake I had bought and sung me Happy Birthday. It was a yummy lemon drizzle cake. Just a little one I found for less than £2. Later I checked online and replied to more birthday wishes before being picked up for Forge.

Forge is a craft group I've been going to organised by a local church where people come along and do all sorts of things. Whatever project they're working on. Last night I took along on of the wedding projects I'm working on for the upcoming wedding I'm attending in Germany. I also took along fudge to share since it was my birthday. It was enjoyed by all even though it was a bit of a flop--literally. I think the cooking chocolate here is softer than ours back home so will have to add more chocolate next time. I'd also mentioned to someone earlier that it was my birthday that day so I got a little carrot cake there and the song again.

Back home before I gave the boys their dream feed, I replied to the birthday wishes I had received. My birthday was nothing grand (the grand part was my weekend in Ireland--see previous posts) but it was pleasant with pockets of mini treats.

weekend-end in ireland

2011-05-25T21:09:00.006+01:00

After I got back to Dublin from my day tour (See previous post) I spent a few hours in Penney's--a cheap superstore of clothes and more. A good chunk of that time was spent waiting in line to use the change rooms. I ended up spending about €30 on tracksuit pants, shoes, scarf and pearl bracelets which are perfect for transforming into the necklace I've been looking for for the upcoming wedding I'm a part of. I happily took my things back to my room while I planned my next move. I think a leprachaun must have got in there while I was out as I was distracted at length by craziness whilst I had my camera in hand.

Finally I moved on and out into the street where it was again spitting. Perhaps a little more. I hurried to the Savoy pac-a-macless. As I was purchasing my ticket it began pouring outside. Good timing. I took my ticket and went straight in to spend some time with Jack. It was either that or Water For Elephants which I've heard is good but was a little different than what I originally thought it was about. I opted for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - On Stranger Tides in 3D as I was sure Cap'n Jack Sparrow would give me a laugh. I was pleasantly entertained. ^^ The post box I saw on the way back to my room was amusingly irish but also note the sky. There's still daylight in that sky and it was 10:30pm! I was quite amazed at how late it stayed light. Guess that's due to the degrees north. It also meant I stayed up late coz it didn't feel like the day had wrapped up by 10pm.

Sunday morning I went down for an irish breakfast but later decided I should have gone out. For the price I paid I thought it was a poor effort. Tasty enough still. I headed out shortly after to take a walk around Dublin. I just went wherever I desired and ended up at the place below. It was museum of sorts (attached to a church by a bridge) following the history of Dublin's beginnings. After a bit of humming and ahhing I decided to pay the price and squish what I could into the hour and a half I had left before I needed to be taking my packed bags to the bus stop. It would have been nice to take a little longer but oh well. I spent most of my time on the Viking floor as I was most interested in that. I don't know a lot about them and it was fascinating reading some of the information on them. The boats and why they built them the way they did for example. There was also a spot you could dress like a Viking. Hence the photo of me in a Viking helmet.

I dashed through the medieval floor and zoomed through the archiology floor. With a whirl around the gift shop I climbed up the tower for a brief view of the city. Then dashed back through--getting one of the staff to take a photo of me with the Viking by the entrance--and then on through the on and off showers toward my waiting bags. I went over the River Liffey on the Ha'penny Bridge (that is, Half penny in irish slang) and took a photo of O'Connell Bridge. This bridge is said to be unique in Europe as the only traffic bridge as wide as it is long.

Once I got back and checked out I trapsed to the bus stop where I got a ride directly to the airport. While waiting for my flight I had the most delicious bagel for lunch. I then made the long journey home. Long on the England side with a train to the city and a train--interrupted by line works meaning a bus ride for me--and back to the train home. I really enjoyed the weekend and very glad I took the opportunity to go. It still boggles me that I can actually go to another country for such a weekend here.

weekend-beginning in ireland

2011-05-25T13:13:00.010+01:00

So I went to Ireland for the weekend. Europe is great for being able to pop over to another country for a short stint. I had the Friday off so I decided to go away and spent most of my free time getting organised at short notice. I think the weekend was quite successful though as I had a great time. I landed in Dublin just before lunch and made my way to the city centre where I had accomodation booked. Turned out to be a poky little room. Nothing fantastic but sufficient and clean and it was available and not more than €100. It was bit tricky to find the place coz it took me quite a while to find the street signs. Mostly up on a building but not on every street corner. It did fascinate me that there was Irish (or Gaelic as those outside of Ireland know it as) on all the signs yet apparently only a small part speak it as their first language and even then they know English as well. It's even mandatory to study it all your school years there. I suppose it's nice to maintain that part of their heritage though.

Friday afternoon I went wondering and did a little tourist shopping as I made my way toward Trinity College where I met an online knitter friend. I had a good knitty, irish evening with her and her friends--including a half pint of Guinness--which you can read in more detail here. Saturday is the day of this post.

On Saturday I went on a day tour to see some of Ireland's countryside. Not nearly enough of course so I may have to try and get back some day. Still, for a weekend trip I think I did ok. We travelled on a comfy tour bus to Wicklow mountains. Our guide told us that the irish tend to exaggerate as he explained that none of the hills are really tall enough to be called a mountain. We had a photo stop at Loch Tay which apparently the locals call Guinness Lake (Can you guess why? See 1st pic.) We also had the briefest stop for the three of us who got off to take a photo of this bridge. It's the one they filmed at in P.S. I Love You where Holly and Gerry meet. Much prettier in the movie. Unfortunately the heather that covers Sally's Gap doesn't flower til August. We also stopped at Glenmacnass Falls which wasn't gushing and we were at a bad angle to actually view it. However the valley it ran into was pretty.

My favourite place on the tour was our 2 hour stop at Glendalough (based on the Irish for Glen of two lakes). I opted, with a few others, to go with the guide through the ruins of the 6th century monastic settlement. It also has a 10th century round tower which I think is the fourth tallest in Europe or something. There's not many left. The door, for security reasons apparently, is quite a way off the ground and they would climb to it by ladder then pull the ladder up. Then they could climb up the wooden platforms inside the same way. Our guide wasn't so sure it was a good safe house. He thought it could easily become a chimney. There were lots of celtic crosses around too and it was just amazing that these stones had been put together sooo long ago.

Once we'd finished that little tour I wandered off down the track toward the two lakes. At the fork I decided to take the boardwalk which was a little further but I like them and I was sure glad I went that way. I really enjoyed the scenery. I passed by the Lower Lake and then entered an area that was really packed with skinny trees.

It was spitting a bit too but I didn't mind at all. Glad I took my 'pac-a-mac' (ie. raincoat). It just made my irish experience more authentic. I was thrilled with the green. I love foliage and I love green so this walk was just splendid. The grass was very green, the trees were green, even the rocks were green. I made myself slow down to make sure I took it all in as much as I could because I know how quickly it just becomes a memory. I didn't want this to be one of those experiences where I regretted taking so many pictures I forgot to simply be there and take it in. Then I got the Upper Lake and had a little look around and a few photos before I needed to head back along the quicker path to the tour bus. I actually enjoyed the walk along the paths more than seeing the lakes.

Back on the bus our next stop was Avoca. We stopped here for lunch. I had a Beef and Guinness stew which was really yummy and a pint of Irish Cider. While the drink was quite nice I won't bother ordering a pint again. I honestly don't know how people can drink that much. It took me ages to finish. We went up the road a bit to the handweavers. Disappointingly I thought it would be interesting. Avoca is also the place they filmed the TV series Ballykissangel. Might have to find it and watch it.

From there we bused straight back to Dublin and I snoozed along the way. I felt like I hadn't seen much but there's not really a lot of Ireland viewing you can fit in just one day. So really the day trip was pretty good. I'm definitely glad I went and didn't only hang out in Dublin.

working days

2011-05-19T22:29:00.009+01:00

Never have I had a job that keeps me working 40hrs a week. It sounds like a lot but honestly, it doesn't feel like a lot. I get every weekend off plus three days a week I get 5hrs off in the middle of the day and one day I get about 8hrs off in the middle of the day. Does it even sound like I work?? Yes I do. I mix vegetable concoctions, sit in the sunshine chatting kiddy talk, take a walk along the beach front with the fam to the tea gardens to meet another family for a cuppa while the kids play, read books, run around on the green grass, make crazy sounds and silly faces for a laugh, receive sleepy baby snuggles and sloppy kisses and a whole lot more. :P

My weekly pay also includes keeping grumpy babies happy, attending the twins through the night two nights a week, dealing with a whole lot of 'why's and 'what's (and often being asked again two seconds later coz she didn't listen), messy meals, cleaning lots of bottles, helping do loads and loads of washing (dishwasher and clothes) every day, and of course changing pooey nappies and sometimes clothes as in the case of this morning's atomic bomb of explosions.

Unbeknownst to us, T sat happily in the walker, kicking about and chirping away. Only when I decide to move him over to the table while we have breakfast do I spot the aftermath. His efforts had squished the poo out the side of his nappy and being in his legless pjs, onto the floor where he probably had a fascinating textural experience squelching it around the wooden floor. (Thank goodness it wasn't carpet!) He did manage to get the walker he sat in, the beanbag beside him and in my moving him he got the fluffy white rug. I took the culprit and left the mum with the scene. Needless to say our breakfast was interrupted for a good while. What a clean up job! For compensation the kids did give me a lovely afternoon while I had all three to myself as I adjusted a rope swing so that S could reach it and use it by herself. It was gorgeous sunny weather and S was thrilled with this new set up and played for ages like a monkey in the treetops while her brothers were thoroughly entertained just watching.

So after all this working I'm getting up before the sun tomorrow to fly to Ireland for a little weekend holiday. :)

showering with shaun

2011-05-14T17:22:00.003+01:00

I passed this walking through Tesco (a supermarket plus more store). How could I resist Shaun??

let's meet in london

2011-05-06T20:46:00.005+01:00

I was so excited that some friends of mine who were travelling around the world would be in England a few weeks after I moved here. By the time we got around to finalising a time to catch up that worked for them and their holidaying and me and my new job, it turned out to be the weekend of the royal wedding of Will and Kate. Madness! So my day started off with work. My bosses were hosting a royal wedding party for a few friends. So I helped out with the twins and watched the ceremony and listened to the banter of those who have lived here much longer than I and enjoyed some typical British food. I finished at 1pm, grabbed my things and headed for the train station. I arrived at 3pm, managed to eventually find my friends in the still fairly crowded streets and then we walked over to Buckingham Palace to take a look...from a distance. Still lots of people about and roads still blocked off. That night we met some friends of my friends and went out for dinner and chatted late.

I stayed the night where my friends were crashing and then on Saturday we went to town! He he. We went on the Hop-on, Hop-off Big Bus Tour. Yes, a double decker red bus with no top. Fun. We rode for almost the whole tour (about 2hrs) and then basically went back to the things we wanted to see up close.

Our first stop was Westminster Abbey and I had to get a photo at the exit the newly weds came out of. Then we walked past Big Ben and the Parliment House. I think they look really interesting. Highly detailed gothic style architecture. We squished through a Tesco Express to get some lunch and sat by the Thames to eat it. Then we took a free cruise down the river to Tower Bridge.

After a wonder around the bridge while eating icecream and seeing The Tower of London from the outside, we caught the Big Bus around to St Paul's Cathedral. It's monsterous. It's quite phenomenal that it survived the world wars too with just some scars. Inside the detail is amazing. I wish I could have had a better look at the ceilings and decorated walls up the front but there happened to be a service on when we got there. That was wierd. I can't imagine being a part of a congregation that at services you have tourists wandering around the building. Unfortunately the tour times were past but we could see the whispering circle Simone told me about when we looked way up into the dome. At this point I think we decided to head to the end of the tour. We passed lots of Monopoly places which gave me a buzz. Including Trafalgar Square and Oxford St and more.

I also recognised the bridge that snaps in one of the Harry Potter movies. At the end of the tour we were at Victoria Station where we farewelled each other and they set off to prepare for the next country they were visiting and I trained home again. It was great to see London and some of its iconic places. Even better with friends I love already. I had a fabulous weekend. My favourite icons were Big Ben and Tower Bridge. I hope to return in the summer when they do tours in Buckingham Palace and also go do a tour at the Tower of London. It's amazing to think how old these places are. So much history. Makes me realise that Australia, as a civilization, really is quite young.

If anyone else wants to meet in London, I'm willing to make the train trip. ;)

blenheim palace

2011-05-03T13:44:00.003+01:00

On the way home from the Cotswolds we stopped by Blenheim Palace for a look. We started up stairs but S got scared of the lifesize, computer-automated puppets. So they left me to view it by myself. It was about the stories of the people who built it and lived there.

After I found them in the cafe and ate some lunch I took what time I had and almost ran around the bottom floor. Sadly I think the bottom floor was more interesting but I didn't have time to take a good look at all the grandure and the room that Winston Churchill was born in.

It was interesting but they don't let people take photos inside. Pfft. Was a bit annoyed with that. I bought a postcard of one of the interior rooms so you can see. It was all so large and lavish. I was quite impressed with some of the paintings and how some of them filled the whole huge wall.

After my quick run around I darted back through the gift shop and jogged most of the way across the grass to the car. Then we returned the rest of the way home.

A monument in the park looking from the courtyard entrance of the palace. Can't remember what it's there for.

time for some change

2011-05-01T19:32:00.002+01:00

I bought a new purse while on holidays. I saw this style on a small coin purse back in my English hometown and loved it but the size was impractical. In Broadway I found more sizes and this one is just perfect and so I had to buy it. So it was bye bye to my worn but faithful starry purse I bought in the USA and hello to cheerful little birds and flowers. I planned before I left Australia to buy a new purse here. A practical keepsake of my UK adventure. Along with others I'm bound to collect.

the cotswolds family holiday

2011-04-30T23:34:00.001+01:00

Early Easter Sunday morning we packed into the car and headed off for the Cotswolds. Now what I can gather from the vague descriptions my bosses gave me (they weren't sure either), the Cotwolds is an area north-east of London that is famous for its yellow cotswold stone buildings. It's quite a relaxed and pretty place scattered with picturesque villages. We stayed in Broadway in a modern lined antique house.

The top end of the high street in Broadway

Our holiday house

Standing flatfooted and the lovely kitchen with the low ceiling

The house was definitely old style with its low ceilings (I could stand on my toes and push my head on the ceiling in places and had to duck some doorways and ceiling beams), wonky floors and mazelike routes through the house with stairs all over the place. For me this was a working holiday. Mostly I worked afternoons and evenings. I either went wandering in my time off or joined in what the family was doing that day.

One day we went to Bourton-on-the-Water (the water being a shallow creek that runs through town...pfft) and we had tea and scones with jam and cream for the mum's birthday and then went to the model village of that village.

The giant S wandering through town

Another day we went to the Cotwold Wildlife Park which was quite impressive. Apart from feeling tired and it being windily cold, it was a very nice day out. I always enjoy going to zoo-like places and seeing the animals. I got to see some wolves and chameleons which I don't think I've ever seen live before. The wolves were even entertaining.

Me and the fam heading toward the restaurant

The wolves wandered and howled for us ^^

S and the mum looking at flamingoes and a chameleon.

I also got some knitting done. Quite a bit. Picked up my Pixie Beanie again so it's not far off finishing now. It was a nice little holiday. Tiring as I didn't get to sleep enough but I'm happy with how pleasant this family is to be around.

snow in spring??

2011-04-23T23:03:00.002+01:00

You'd think that with a quick glance at part of the back yard here. It seriously looks like a bit of powder snow or iced ground. But no. It's spring and we have this wierd tree that blossoms fluff.

Each bit of fluff has a seed or spore but there are soooo many of them and they just get everywhere. The windows and doors have been left open on warm days but none of them have flyscreens so the fluff has been filling the house. It's a pain to clean up too. It's difficult to get it all and floats around at the slightest breeze. Whispy stuff it is. Kinda fun to walk across a frosty looking yard though.

a stroll along the shore

2011-04-22T17:13:00.003+01:00

With some reshuffling of hours I ended up with Good Friday off. So I slept in til 8:30am and then got up and washed myself and bunch of my dirty clothes. S wanted to come brush her teeth at my sink and so we did a whole getting dressed and ready routine with some very cooperative-inspiring reward stickers (thanks Vi ^^). They went out and I finished getting myself ready and then set off on my stroll along the shore. It was a brilliant day and so refreshing to just be out without any need to rush.

I happily walked along toward Herne Bay. I wasn't sure how long it would take but I left at 11am and forgot to look when I arrived. Ha ha. Oh well. My guess is a bit over an hour. These guys passed me a few times on their unicycles. They were each like on mountain bike wheel. I haven't seen big ones like this before. On the bumpy ground bit before getting to the path they'd ride and fall off or stop to let another catch up. Hence the passing each other a few times.
I made it to Herne Bay. This is looking back to my town that's hiding in the haze. There were lots of people out today soaking in the sun.

I continued on until I got to a place I thought looked good for lunch and at a mediterranean pizza which was on an open french stick. Quite yummy. ^^

I strolled on to the clock tower and then went right a block or two and roamed what shops were open for a while. I headed along the streets toward home until I left the shopping district and then I was getting quite hot. I ended up catching the bus back home.

sunny sunday

2011-04-17T18:07:00.002+01:00

I went to church in Seasalter today. It's like the next little town along from Whitstable...if it's separate at all. It was a bit different. Well, it's Palm Sunday so it was different for them as well. They were friendly and the service seemed fairly relaxed with people sitting in chairs or on the floor or standing around. I'm not quite sure how a normal service functions but the website described it as pretty real/normal and relaxed. And I did feel like that which was nice. As it was a beautiful sunny day again in this area of the world, I decided to just head off in the direction of Whitstable. I managed to find my way to the shore and walked along right into town. There's the Whitstable shoreline. The pebbly edge and fences are apparently to slow the waves as it's prone to flooding every ten years or so. There were lots of people out sunsoaking and quite a few of the beach huts I passed were open and occupied with people hanging out at the shore. I ended up walking through town and roaming some shops before heading up to the Tankerton shore which has a nice grassy area.

I decided I needed my own icecream. ;) It was actually quite delicious too. The first time my boss came home with the shopping I poked through the bags and found a tub. I said, "Hey, you even got me some icecream!" He he. Today I just had a triple chocolate cone and then went and lay down on the grass in the sunshine and read the magazine I'd bought.

It was a very pleasant, relaxing afternoon until I eventually waddled home. Too much walking in new shoes is a bit sore on the feet but I'm determined to wear them in so they are comfy like the ones I left behind. I shall put them on again soon to head out. A couple I was introduced to at church, as they live in my street, invited me for tea tonight.

shopping in canterbury

2011-04-09T21:32:00.004+01:00

This morning I bused to Canterbury for a shopping day. Helping to look after twin babies requires more clean tops. It was a lovely sunny day though the wind was cold. I also needed to get some jackets or long sleeve lightweight cardigans because, like Ballarat, you generally need to dress in layers here. It's about a 40min bus trip and it was nice to see some new scenery on the way. Most fascinating part of the trip there was the tower photographed below. See the bus coming through? That's just like the one I came in on and I swear it squeezed through the first opening with about 10cm to spare on each side. I'm really quite impressed with bus drivers here. The streets are squishy enough without taking a huge bus along them.

The shopping hub is right at the main bus station in Canterbury which was very convenient for me. I was soon off the bus and into the stores. It's a bit unusual shopping in pounds. Everything seems cheap but I don't think it actually is. I did manage to buy just about everything off the sale racks though. Great sales too. A lot was 50-70% off. I also saw this fascinating fun activity taking place. I've never seen this before. I think it would be more fun to be in one of those balls that actually moves along the ground though. These guys were basically spinning in the water.

Shopping was quite successful and I got into the groove of exploring and searching for what I wanted. I wasn't sure what type of stores were around or where to go for things so I just roamed. After starting at about 11am, by 4:30pm I finally decided on an upstairs cafe that turned out to be a cute little spot. I got a window box seat overlooking one of the shopping streets and ate a yummy piece of treacle tart and drank a delicious hot chocolate with hazelnut syrup in it. Mmm.

I looked through a few more shops and then scooted my aching feet back to the bus station and bused home again. It was quite a nice day out and Canterbury seems like a good place to visit. Next time I go I'll have to do the tourist stuff like the Canterbury cathedral and The Canterbury Tales. And find the cinema too I think.

through the rectangle window

2011-04-06T12:57:00.002+01:00

I looked through my bedroom window the morning after I arrived and what did I see...?

A most delightful backyard just waiting for me! That being said I haven't actually got out there yet but isn't is a fabulous one? Pity this is a rental place where we're living until the house they've bought finally gets the renovations finished. (They haven't started yet.) Should get to enjoy this for six months at least I reckon. Oh, S helped pick the flowers for me. They were waiting in my room when I arrived.

new job started

2011-04-04T11:10:00.000+01:00

My first day of my new job as a Mother's Help in England went reasonably well today. Lots to learn and need some good settling in yet but at least it's not all foreign to me. I did a 7am-7pm shift today. This week is going to be a little crazy as the dad had to go to the USA for the week with work. Today was the busiest for the week though. S, 2.5 year old girl, is a little shy at first but she talks quite well and sounds so cute with her British accent. All in all she's reasonably pleasant and well behaved. I haven't been here long though either. She's quite a girly girl too liking pink and doing mothering things and having tea parties. She also likes trucks and made a train today that we all rode to France on to go to the beach. I and T, twin 5 month old boys, are quite cute and don't seem to have a strict routine. Or it's a complicated one. They are different enough that I can tell them apart but they do look a lot the same. They have different personalities too. T seems to be a bit more serious and I a bit more playful. It's certainly busy with two babies to care for. I don't think I'll ever have to be trying to think of what to do to 'look busy'. The parents seem quite friendly. I went into town with them all on Saturday and the dad was feeding me loads of information about this place. It was good to hear. They are both quite easy to talk to and are thoughtful and explain things knowing I am new. They are very accomodating too asking if there is anything I needed/wanted before I arrived and saying they'll look into getting a tv in my room (without me asking for it). I also went for a huge walk around town by myself on Sunday so I could go into stores and roam about as I pleased and do a bit of shopping. (I was missing a hairstraightener already with my wild fringe.) I was really delighted in my adventure. There were lots of antique stores and opshops that had some great stuff in them and other retail stores that are quite unique. I found one store that has clothes I really like the style of in wonderful fabrics. I must go and buy something at some point. It seems to be quite an arty, ecclectic yet fancy little town. Apparently it's a bit of tourist destination. Next time I go walking I'll try take camera with me. I think I'll do well here.

drama travel

2011-04-02T20:14:00.002+01:00

What a drama it was to get here to the UK! Flying from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was fine. I arrived at about 3.30am and found a chair to snooze in. Then found some internet access and then had some breakfast before roaming the shops. Eventually I could go find my 10am flight. Here's where the drama began. Take off was rough--like driving over a series of speed bumps. Quite unusual. Once in the air passengers began to quiery and complain about the aircraft. Right where I was sitting it was particularly noisy and the floor was viabrating more than it should. The staff got one of the pilots to come and look and listen. After a lengthy discussion and moving passengers away from the area they announced they were turning back to KL with mechanical difficulties. The girl they moved me next to was a nervous flyer already apparently so with this drama she was in a panic. So they moved the three of us in the row to first class right in the nose of the plane. It was quite nice but I only had about an hour there before we landed again. Once on the ground we unloaded and were going to catch another plane in 1.5hrs. As the time approached it was pushed forward a bit. Then cancelled. They were putting us up for the night in a hotel. So far I wasn't too worried. Just trusting the airline staff to ensure our safety and doing what they could to get us to London. They were very nice and accomodating staff too. But I was a little nervous in the process of getting to the hotel. I wasn't really sure what was happening or what we needed to do. Mostly I just followed the crowd and making sure I could see someone who I'd seen on my flight. We had to go through immigration (a bit of a pain but now I have an extra stamp in my passport) and collect our luggage. This all took quite a bit of time with a whole aircraft load at once. They did make special queues for us though. We made it out to the buses and squeezed on and drove 1hr to our hotel--Palace of the Golden Horses.

I must admit it was a much nicer hotel than I'd expected. I even got my own room. We had a buffet dinner as well. All on the airline of course. I chatted with a number of people from my flight. There seemed to be a lot of English and Irish people heading home. I headed up early to my room and had a bath. It was nice to relax and it was nice to feel clean again. I didn't pack for Malaysian weather so I was sweating a bit. I was feeling pretty tired so I decided to sleep for a few hours. Our pick up was at 2:30am for a 5am flight. By 2am I was ready to head down. I grabbed my bags and headed for my room door and noticed a notice had been shoved underneath. Flight change again. New pick up time was 6:30am for a 9:30am flight. Your kidding. I went back to bed again. I got up at 5am and realised breakfast was down in the buffet place so I went and filled up on crossaints. Then back to the airport. This time we got on; everyone eager to get on our way. We sat there unmoving for 1.5hrs. Part of the reason were some missing passengers I think. Eventually we got in the air and on our way. Finally. Though it was April and we were excited about seeing a new list of movies on board, the ground staff hadn't changed the tape. It was ok for me. A bit disappointed at a few movies I was planning on watching that I now couldn't. Nevermind. I still watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1, Inception, 17 Again and some of Where the Wild Things Are. I watched The King's Speech as well on my first flight. Plus some sitcom episodes. Mostly I didn't sleep on the flight to London and tried to stay awake for their daytime. Once I landed in Heathrow Airport and waited through immigration I was driven 1.5hrs to my new home. I had dinner with the mother and shortly after went to bed exhausted at 9:30pm. What a journey! I was very glad to finally make it.

take off

2011-03-30T07:03:00.001+01:00

Here's where my UK adventure begins! I'm off to the airport. Eep. A little nervous. Just gotta keep in mind all the good things about going. *Deep Breath* Soon I'll be seeing new places and catching up with friends and making new ones. Farewell Australia. I'll see you later.

family outing in Sydney

2011-03-28T23:41:00.012+01:00

Sunday is family fun day in Sydney meaning travel is cheap. So we all went into the city for an adventure--especially as I'm about to leave the country.

We caught the train in and walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I let Ben snap away with my camera. See him taking the photo and the photo he took? See the rain coming in over the Opera House??

Yeah, good thing we took our umbrellas. We stopped for a while under the second tower to shelter from the rain and then continued on. With another short train ride and a bit of a walk we went and experienced the Chinese Garden of Friendship.

Such a beautiful place! I loved the penjing (more commonly known by the Japanese term Bonzai). Amazing. They had little scenes. My favourite was the one on the middle left in the pic. An island with full grown mini trees with a bridge to another island with a mini village. We had fun exploring--so many winding paths covered in with trees and bushes--and taking photos.

The kids particularly loved the fish. Can't you tell? The dragon pole had the Chinese year-animals on it and I said it's currently the year of the rabbit. So they searched for the rabbit.

I just loved all the rocks and water and greenery. The rocks were the most interesting shapes. So tranquil. Wish I had stopped a bit longer just to take it all in but I was too busy taking photos and exploring the next section. There's quite a lot packed in to a small area.

There were a few lizards that were out on the rocks in the Lake of Brightness. We also found this carriage made of jade so intricately carved. Apparently the only one outside of China or something like that. The Chinese Gardens were well worth the visit. I'm really glad we went.

Boy it was nice to sit down for the train ride home. Our feet were sore from all that walking. It was a great afternoon out. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all that we saw and taking a last adventure with family before I head to England for a few years.

stage ten complete

2011-03-25T18:03:00.000Z

I'm packed. Phew! I sighed at the task from the moment I woke up and looked around my messy room. It was a long day to wrap it all up. What's coming with me has been put into my big suitcase with space to spare. It has been weighed and measured and has not been found wanting. Just under the 20kg mark without refining. The rest of my possessions have been culled, sorted and packed away in boxes and space bags and squished into a few cupboards and storeroom space at my parents.

I was a little nervous at the beginning of the day as my task was to finalise everything. This is it. After three years of planning, my home town is being left behind. I'm off to Sydney for a few days and then the adventure takes flight. Farewell!

stage nine complete

2011-03-24T20:53:00.002Z

I'm currently inbetween jobs. I finished up work yesterday...with a busy day. It was all good though. I accomplished much. We ate a little white chocolate cake at one job for a farewell. Yum. And my boss and workmates said some things that are lovely to hear. I was much appreciated. At my nanny job it was a lengthy goodbye. The boys got completely distracted with the masks I got them. Particularly the Buzz and Woody ones. I had to actually ask after a good five minutes if they wanted to open the rest of the present. The five year old actually had more of clue of what was going on but I don't think the younger ones really understood that I was leaving and not coming back for a long time. I scored lots of hugs from the 2yo yesterday though so may be had the feeling something was going on. It was sad to say goodbye to them. I got to experience a lot with that family--the 2yo being 1mth when I started and the family adding a fourth child while I was working with them. I'd said goodbye to the other family I worked with earlier in the week.

So all work is done. Those jobs are over. My new one starts in one week. In England!!

currency

2011-03-23T03:02:00.002Z

I cracked open my saving tin this morning. More in there than I'd expected. Sweet^^ Took it down the street this morning and swapped it for some funny papers. I got some Malaysian Ringett so I can by myself some breakfast in Kuala Lumpar airport while I wait for my second flight. Some US dollars to pay back my friend for my bridesmaid dress that I'm wearing to her wedding. Some British Pound Stirling for spending while I'm awaiting my first pay check. And some traveller's checks in GBP for safer travelling. The pounds were the saddest to buy as I only got back about half of what I gave. Oh well, not much use having Aussie dollars in England.

tired mother

2011-03-20T09:41:00.002Z

My brother's dog had puppies a few weeks ago. Life has been very demanding as a mother for Bella. Longingly looking out the door like she just wants a break from being a milk tanker as the puppies swamp her. She kept on the move so the puppies couldn't latch on for long, even dragging them along the floor a bit until they couldn't hold on anymore. I suppose all mothers feel like this at times. At least we don't usually have seven at once.

goodbye my little buzzbox

2011-03-15T23:11:00.002Z

I sold my car this morning. It's gone off with it's new owner. It served me well. A cheap little car I could afford that got me around. I've been very grateful to have it. It was a little unsettling to see it go as it means I'm that much closer to moving overseas. Eep. It's beginning to hit me now. Two weeks until I fly out. And in the mean time my wonderful, thoughtful boss at Hines Plaster is letting me borrow a work car until I finish up work.

stage eight complete

2011-03-14T07:32:00.003Z

Celebrations!!! I have a job! Joy and relief. I know where I'm going and what I'll be doing before I take off on my flight to the UK. Oh it's been a drama seeing this stage complete! I had hoped it would come much earlier. It's been an anxious experience of family matches I don't like, ones I do, emails and waiting for replies, interviews, waiting, families I've been very interested in deciding on a different source of childcare help, waiting and waiting and emailing... you get the picture. I finally thought I had a job last week and then there were hiccups (involving more emailing and waiting) and today I finally received the good news. *happy ^^ sigh*

So I finish up work in Australia in 2 weeks, spend some time in Sydney with my brother and his family and then fly out to England on 30th March. Then I start my new job. I'm going to be living in the county of Kent (the closest part to France) near Canterbury. I will be working alongside a full time mum as a Mother's Help* to assist her with the care of her 2.5yo daughter and 5mth old twin boys. That should keep me busy. Ü

*Just to clarifly...
AuPair--It's a cultural exchange where you help for 25-30hrs a week with the kids.
Mother's Help--A job where you typically work 35-45hrs a week alongside the mother.
Nanny--A job that's more professional than the rest with sole care and more responsibilities.
Each position is better paid than the one before it. I'm glad to have a Mother's Help position as it's an actual job rather than a helpful cultural exchange.

more widgets

2011-03-09T09:09:00.003Z

See my new widget to the right? Fits in quite well I think with the style of my blog and it's also some very handy information. I like being able to see what the weather is or what's on the menu and now I can just swing by my blog to check.

moving sale

2011-03-05T07:03:00.003Z

I'm moving to the UK at the end of the month. Off for a working adventure. So everything in my artfire store is 30% off until Friday 25th March (Australian time). So swing by and pick yourself up a bargain!

Products will still be available when I am overseas but will be back to their regular price.

Don't miss your chance for a goodie at an excellent price at kelgell creations.

stage seven complete

2011-03-01T23:08:00.003Z

I really did intend for this to be stage eight but my visa began yesterday so I didn't want to keep waiting indefinitely. Time's a wasting. I only have 24mths on my UK visa. I don't want to spend too many of them in Australia! So I did it. I booked my flight out of here. Eep. Everything needs to be done and organised and farewelled by Wednesday evening the 30th of March.

The countdown has begun...

washing dishes is dangerous

2011-02-28T09:14:00.004Z

Here's a new excuse: "I can't wash the dishes, I might get bitten by a redback spider." Now who would believe that one? Well it very well could be a valid excuse after my experience today. I filled the sink to wash the dishes at work today and then looked across the bench for the sponge. I found it and brought it over to the sink when I noticed a spider on the inside of the sink. Wierd place for it. Don't know where it came from. AND IT WAS A REDBACK! (Redbacks are one of our poisoness spiders.) I took a photo....coz I just had to. Pity my phone doesn't do close ups well. Then the kids came in and were naturally interested. While I asked the eldest not to lean across the bench explaining that this spider is poisoness I smooshed it with a spoon. Sorry spider, but you'd attack if I invaded your home.

pasta dessert

2011-02-14T10:25:00.002Z

I cooked up the last of my chocolate pasta last night. Shared it with the others in the house. I made a marshmallow sauce with marshmallows, cream and vanilla essence which was super sweet and runnier than I had imagined. I mixed in some berries to counter all the sweetness too. It wasn't too bad but I still think chocolate pasta is a let down. There are other desserts that are so much more chocolatey than this. It really does taste like plain pasta with a hint of chocolate. Interesting to try.

That was the last of the gluten consumption for a while. My body has been wierd for a while now and bloating has become an all too common occurance. I got tested for coeliacs last week (as you have to be eating gluten to test for it) and those results came back fine. So now I'm testing for an intollerance. And the only way to test is by not eating it for a period of time and see if my body gets happier. We'll see how I go. I'm hoping I'll lose some weight as a by product coz I have to think a lot more about what I eat and I can't just eat anything. Gluten is in lots of stuff. The only gluten consumed today--to my knowledge--was in the ice cream I ate and THEN checked the ingredients list. (Glucose syrup from wheat). Tonight I'm gonna try a gluten free bread mix in the parents' bread maker. Maybe toast for breakfast? At least I have some gluten free chocolate cake to share at home group. :)

stage six complete

2011-02-12T07:45:00.005Z

Second to last move! Moved back in with my parents for my last stint in Australia before my UK adventure begins. Still got a few pieces of furniture to move but I'll get them tomorrow. Sleeping here tonight in my old room (revamped to a couples guest room) with the remainder of my possessions piled all around the floor space. Now to sort and stack what's left and cull some more where I am willing. In the meantime, I'd appreciate responses from the contacted families in the UK. Thank you.

And thanks, Mum and Dad, for having me back again! ^^

fun food

2011-02-07T01:34:00.002Z

Does this look delicious or what? I was given some rainbow pasta for Christmas and I finally cooked some of it up last night. I used pesto as my sauce so I could still see the stripes on my fettuccine and threw in what veggies I had in the fridge and ate a yummy and fun dinner. I'm gonna go eat the leftovers for lunch.

stage five complete

2011-01-27T00:37:00.004Z

Fourteen little assignments later and I have successfully finished the online "Aupair in the UK" course I had to do with the Smart Aupairs programme. None of it was very difficult. I suppose it would be more useful for people from more different cultures or who haven't done a lot of childcare work. I did find some of the research informative though like this brilliant and fun website which is a great place to search for activities and things to do with children all over the UK.
Mostly, however, the completion of this course brings a breath of relief being able to tick another major step off my list. Now I shall continue my wait for a family match and hopefully land a job before I go.

walking at the wet lake

2011-01-23T06:12:00.004Z

I got up early for a walk around the lake with my Viana recently. It was a lovely day. Not sun shiny but neither hot nor cold. The scene was a bit different after all the rain we've had lately.

The cygnets are teenagers now.

Don't walk there!! Stay on the path. The lake was covered with green plant stuff in areas. We went around Fairyland and only once we got to the other end did we see the no-go ribbon. Obviously had overflowed here. It was just a bit mucky as we stepped across.

The lake is sure full now. Complete opposite of what it was when I returned from the USA in 2008. See this post. It's nice to see it full of life again.

thinking pains

2011-01-17T06:18:00.001Z

Honestly, I overthink things too often. I can end up getting lost in what usually becomes a downward spiral. These days I'm trying not to think too much and I'm learning to stop and get away when I feel myself losing it. It was a challenge one night last week. But somewhere in there, in the awareness of not being trusting of God and feeling disappointed with Him, I had an interesting thought: But if God is in essence good, loving and compassionate as the Bible says--among so much more--and that is simply who He is, then maybe it's not God who's let me down but my image of God, my limited understanding that is far from perfect.

Maybe I'm disappointed with God because He's not matching up to what I imagined. I mean, I even feel guilt and fear at times for not feeling the way I think I should as a follower of Christ. It's as if I had all my basic ideas of God and His character and the way life with Him is and now it's not adding up to what I've been experiencing. Maybe through these series of "disappointments" and human misunderstandings my ideas have been warped. Or maybe I'm actually a bit of a spoilt brat and getting all hung up coz things aren't going my way. Or maybe it's simply a part of growing up--from innocent childlike thinking to adult reasoning where life is sketched in shades of grey.

Surely God, being God, means that our tiny minds are incapable of the full comprehension of who He is. We have a very limited understanding. Our view of Him is also tainted by our human experiences and often warped by our misconceptions. Then how do we determine who God really is? Is it possible to separate my negative human experiences from my conclusions about God?

icecream on pasta

2011-01-11T10:49:00.003Z

Yes it's wierd but there is a reasonable explaination. You see, it's my sister-in-law's fault. :P She came across some chocolate pasta and bought it for me for Christmas. Yes, you read it right. CHOCOLATE pasta! The directions said to cook it for 5-7mins, drain it well and add icecream. So I did.

However, I wasn't as impressed as I was imagining I would be. It taste like plain pasta with a bit of a chocolate flavour. Understandable really. When it comes to cooking the remainder of the pasta I think I'll try it with a creamy marshmallow sauce with stirred through berries.

stage four complete

2011-01-10T06:11:00.003Z

They're gonna let me in!

I got my UK visa today that will let me live and work there for 2yrs starting this March. I thought I might actually feel a little overwhelmed when I got my visa as it would make it more real, but actually I feel relieved. I guess there was always that thought that there was the possibility of being denied the visa and my plans were riding on this little A6 sticker. But I have it. The visa is stuck in my passport (glad to have that back too) and I'm all legalised for my adventure. Now to find a job...

day trip gift

2011-01-04T08:45:00.004Z

My friend, Heather, gave me a voucher for Christmas. It said, "Overseas adventures are fun but since I can't go with you I want to have our own little adventure before you go." Or something along those lines. So on Sunday afternoon we drove off on our mini adventure.

First we visited the St Kilda Markets. It was quite a lovely day for it and it was nice to stroll along looking at things. I wasn't too impressed though. It was just some stalls alongside the road and didn't seem to have much of a market feel. I did find a little something to treasure though. It was a cheap but interesting ring. The bead is black with slight sparkles in it which makes me think of the night sky.

After the markets we went for a short drive and found somewhere to buy milkshakes. Caramel ones. Then we had a nap. He he. We must be getting old for a daytrip to include this. We went and ordered some chips and hamburger and took them to the main event.

In the city gardens we laid out our picnic rug and set ourselves up and waited for the dark to come. That's when they start showing the movie at the Moonlight Cinema.

Here the screen is just starting to blow up in front of the waiting crowd.

Still waiting. It took two hours from gate opening to get dark enough. My bum was quite sore during the movie. We didn't hire the bean bag loungers.

With city lights in the background, we watched Eat Pray Love. I found it quite an interesting movie with lots of one liners to get you thinking. Interesting concepts. I'll have to watch it again some time to remember all the quotes. One I found at the St Kilda markets will be a good one for me to remember: Worry is a waste of imagination.

Thanks Heather for a lovely gift. It was great to spend this time with you and do something I haven't done before. Memories to treasure. ^^

gellert christmas day

2010-12-31T22:40:00.003Z

New Year's Eve, with my whole family in town, we gathered at my parents for a family Christmas. We planned a traditional dinner and it turned out to be a 36 degree day. Thankfully we didn't have to cook much in mum's kitchen but the little we did was hot work. I love hanging out with my family and this Christmas I enjoyed it even more as I'm preparing to live overseas for a couple of years.

We had an overabundant spread of ham, roast chicken and roast lamb with an assortment of veggies. Yum and very filling. We all sat around the big table. It's an extra long table my li'l bro whacked together years ago for a dinner party and has been living in mum and dad's rumpusroom ever since. It fits the 16 of us just nicely. After the mega meal we decided to break for the sharing of presents.

Apart from simply being surrounded by my family, my favourite part of Christmas is this time. It's fun with kids too coz they bring such excitement to it. And it was also Zachary's first Christmas. So he got the traditional Auntie Kelly-made quilt. We stretched it out a long time opening one present at a time. Whoever unwrapped a present selected another to hand to someone else. There were some fun and well thought of presents. Some of my treasures are my lovely knitpro circular needles, chocolate pasta to cook and eat with icecream, a little book by Lonely Planet called British Language & Culture which is both fascinating and insightful and the four dvds of X-men.

Since the weather had finally dropped in temperature we headed outside for a play. The cousins had fun being up late and playing together in the cool. It was about 9pm by this stage. We decided to stay out for dessert.

Mum made the traditional plum pudding and the rest of us brought chocolate mousse, trifle, apple crumble and icecream. Unfortunately the mosquitos decided to feast too. We headed back inside straight after dessert.

We sat around talking and whatever else for a while until my sister and family left to take kids home to bed. Then the other kids were put to bed as well. Eventually Esther, Matt and I amused ourselves with CarDcarsonne and Kylie flicked on the fireworks as we saw the new year roll in. This was followed shortly by setting off to find our beds.

New Year's Day we all headed back to Mum and Dad's to eat leftovers and hang out. We pottered around, ended up indulging in a dessert lunch and then five of us had a good game of Matt's new Carcassone expansion pack. It was just one of those relaxing, typical fun times. The type I'll miss in the next couple of years. A fantastic couple of days spent with family. Loved it!

i don't slowcook

2010-12-28T22:10:00.004Z

I was really quite surprised yesterday. I enjoyed a dip in the outdoor spa with a friend where I'm housesitting and afterward we lay in the sun to dry off a bit. Aware that I didn't have any sunscreen on I made sure I didn't stay there too long. Ten mins all up I reckon. Ten mins!!
I burn so fast! *sigh* And don't think at least I'll get a bit browner. Nope. That doesn't happen with me. I'm a whitey. I burn, peel and go back to white. But nothing wrong with white. I embrace my paleness. :P At least this burn isn't too bad and I'll definitely make sure I'm slopping on lots of sunscreen this summer.

christmas day

2010-12-26T06:26:00.005Z

Our family Christmas is still coming. New Years Eve (had to be this year) once we're all in town. So this is how I spent my Christmas Day. I picked up my friend, Danielle, in the morning. After church we went to my parents for a simple lunch.
While Mum was getting the veggies cooked we chatted and Danielle showed us on google earth where her parents live in China. We also showed her how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west just the same as in China. He he :P

Dinner was YUM! Roast veggies and chicken and ham. Here's my parents eating main course.

Mum also made a splendid pavlova for dessert. One of the few foods that are specifically Australian. Danielle hadn't tried it before. Oh, and that green robot top is my Christmas present to myself. ^^ It's like space invader robots. Fun.

After lunch, Danielle and I went to where I am housesitting. She found the trampoline, which apparently she hasn't used much. She made the funniest sounds while jumping. Signs she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

After a trippy movie (Inception) we hit the highlight of our day. A spa with wine and chocolates...and a camera :P We took some crazy photos. This photo saw me climbing in to the spa too fast, slipping and whacking my knee so hard it now has a bump and is still sore. We stayed in for about 2hrs having a splendid time.

Then it was tea--I made risotto--and another movie for a laugh (Kung Fu Panda) before I took Danielle home.

stage three complete

2010-12-15T23:02:00.003Z

This week I posted off my visa application!

With help from Fastrack UK to make sure I had everything I needed and filled it all out correctly, I got together everything I needed. Last Friday I took the afternoon off work and trained to Melbourne and wandered up to the British Consulate for a 5min appointment of having my fingerprints scanned and a digital photo taken. It was necessary for my application and a nice afternoon too. On Monday checked and rechecked and a few more checks to make sure I had all the papers with me and headed off to the post office. Now to wait and pray that the British visa people will be so kind as to issue me my visa so that I can take this adventure.

christmas sale

2010-12-04T22:00:00.000Z

It's 20 days till Christmas so I'm having a 20% off sale on everything in my shop!!

Why not swing by and take a look at all my handmade items?

20% off for 20 days

www.kelgellcreations.artfire.com

Catch a glimpse of some of my products in my shop window to the right of this post. =>

Sale ends Christmas Day!

a God story

2010-11-30T07:10:00.003Z

In my post 'tell me a story' that I wrote just the other day, I talked about recalling our God stories. In a note at the end I said I'd share one of mine. Last night I was thinking about some of my God stories, times where I've experienced the reality and the involvement of God in my life. I thought about one in particular that sent me off on a tangent of memories and had me oozing gratitude.

In 2007 I took off on an adventure. I moved to the USA to live and work as an aupair (nanny). I met a lovely girl there who became a wonderful friend. She told me one day that before she left Germany to come to the USA she had prayed very eagerly for good friends. She said she specifically requested a friend who was Australian. I was fascinated. "Cool," I replied, "I didn't know you prayed for me." I honestly think that her prayers are the reason I ended up in that part of the USA. As I recalled this memory it made me think about how sometimes I am a part of other people's God stories. But then I realised that actually, this is my God story too. God was active in my life in getting me there not only as an answer to my friend's prayer but for my own adventure He was leading me on. Here's where the tangent began. My brain mulled over story after story of my experiences in the USA. My lovely friend, Suhra, is in almost everyone of them.

I had also prayed for friends and particularly for one really good friend. I got the best answer with Suhra. Not only was she such a joy to go adventuring around the USA with but she's the one that dragged me along to the church in San Francisco that I grew to love and now think of as my SF family. She filled my year with fun and silliness. She also encouraged and inspired me through our deeper conversations and the sharing of our God-journeys and the growth that took place. She was always there when I needed someone to pray for me too. And she also brought a level of thrilling excitement with the beginning and progression of a relationship with that guy she likes. ^^

So many awesome memories from that year. It would not have been near as good without my God-blessed friend, Suhra. And now, in a matter of months I begin another overseas adventure and will be attending the wedding of this wonderful friend. Joys longlasting!

unusual visit

2010-11-28T02:32:00.002Z

I went and had breakfast and a chat with my friend, Vi, last week before work. We were still sitting at her kitchen table still after some pretty delicious pancakes with lemon and sugar when I looked out the front window to see an unusual sight. Wandering across the front lawn was a mamma duck and seven fluffy little followers. We watched fascinated as they crossed the front lawn and turned into the driveway. "They're coming to visit!" I exclaimed. They waddleded right down the drive and into the back yard.

Vi got a tub and filled it up with water to see if they'd like to stay awhile. I pulled out my phone for some photos and went to find the ducks. Of course, they're not very cooperative when it comes to giants following them wanting to take photos. Round the back shed and up the otherside the mamma duck tried to fit between two wire fence pieces and got a bit stuck. The ducklings scuttled ahead when I tried to help by going closer to scare her back out. Should have listened to that little voice that suggested I leave them be. The ducklings ran back to the driveway and the mamma duck got out and flew to them.

Bye duckies!

Not sure where they came from since there's not watery home that nearby. Oh well. Sorry for scaring you. Thanks for your delightful visit.

tell me a story

2010-11-25T10:33:00.003Z

Remember that time when...

Reminiscing can be so delightful. Oh and I do love a good story. Some people are particularly gifted in storytelling. There is value in telling stories. The amount of movies made and books written easily backs up that statement. There is a lot of value, more than just the money kind, in hearing historical stories, events that really happened. The good are inspiring and the bad can help warn us and both can help us learn. The Bible is a book full of these kind of stories. It seems is was a part of their culture to tell stories. The Israelites were often encouraged to retell events and happenings from one generation to the next. At the beginning of the book of Joel it says, "Hear this, you leaders of the people. Listen all who live in the land. In all your history, has anything like this happened before? Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the story down from generation to generation." NLT

Doing this kept their history alive. It reminded them of where they had come from. But I think it was more than that too. Especially when it came to their God stories which so much of their history revolves around. The generations needed to know these God stories but I also think they were encouraged to retell them so they would remember themselves. I think we humans too easily forget.

What about OUR God stories? The Bible is not the only place to find stories about God. Anyone who has a relationship with God will have their own God stories. Yes, it is good to pass them on but it's also good to tell our God stories to remind ourselves.

At times I've found myself wondering if God really does exist or if He really does care for me or if He really is doing anything, anything at all, to help me through. In these moments I need to stop my emotional tangent and remind myself that there have been multiple times in my life when God has been very real to me. I need to retell my God stories, my experiences with God. Even just to myself. So I remember. I'd love to hear other people's God stories more too. To be encouraged and inspired and better understand God.

Tell me a story?

Or tell yourself one.
Or someone else.

Just don't lose them to the fading memories.

Note: Here's one of my God stories. I'll share another in my next post.

taking out kids

2010-11-12T20:12:00.005Z

I rescued my sister last weekend by taking out her kids...to the playground. Particulary the 3yo who seems to get bored easily and entertains himself by getting into mischeif. They were great for me. Someone different somewhere different. I found a new playground at the same old local place. Last time I brought them here it was old and very basic. It's now a decent playground that's not falling apart.

We played at the playground for quite a while. Well Z didn't do too much. Chewed on some bark chips and watched the kids playing. There was a bunch of other kids there so lots of people to watch. I did give him a swing which he enjoyed. B liked the slide and the sliding pole and the cement tunnel. J liked the swing and cautiously climbed up the funny ladder (the red curved one in the slide pic). She was a bit scared but excited when she got to the top.

After I was starting to get a little bored hanging out there we went for a walk. There's a nice track along this area. We stopped on the bridge to look at the little fish swimming near the surface and then followed the track. We saw a digger and some horses and B had a little play in a puddle by the wayside. J wanted to hold my hand for a while but it was tricky pushing the pram along with one hand so I just stuck out a finger--which is all she usually takes anyway.

Coming back along the path we climbed a big hill. We could hear the go-karts racing around. B was interested to watch the one that was there doing practice laps. That and throwing rocks down the hill. We sat and watched for a while before heading back to the car to go home. I kept them out for near 2hrs. My sister sounded like she needed a decent break and the kids could probably use some good Auntie time. Ü

submitted

2010-11-08T02:59:00.002Z

Finally! It's been 10 months since I first heard about Phoenix Trading. They sell mostly cards and some related stationary type stock. All designs are artworks--nothing computer generated. Of course I have this thing about paying for cards. I generally don't, especially when cards in most shops are $4-$8. I'll just make one myself thanks. Of course, not everyone is artist so Phoenix Trading is a splendid way of getting nice cards for reasonable prices ($3-$4). Since that party, where I discovered you can earn money for drawing for them, I've been meaning to do some designs and send them in.

It took me until August to get started and in the last month or so I've been getting quite a few ideas and painting away. They have some guidlines about what they don't accept based on what kind of company they want to be and what they know sells. So I've used that but also done me things. I'm qutie enjoying it. I'm using watercolour. It can be a tricky medium to control but I love the way it looks. Using it in pencil form helps though. A bonus is that I think I'm discovering my style. Yay!

Today, I've finally sent scanned versions of some of my designs by email to the headquarters in London. Fingers crossed they like some...even one. It would be fun to have some of my work out there in the world for sale published by a company. And last I heard they are paying close to $2000 for the publishing rights for three years. If they like my style, it would be a great flexible side job.

rainbow delight

2010-11-03T06:39:00.004Z

I was fascinated with my find when I stopped into a supermarket on the way home today.

Rainbow pasta!

How cool is that! It would be so fun to eat. The colours all come from natural products too like the purple is from eggplant and the red from beetroot. Sweet. But with a look at the price tag came a jaw-drop and instant decision to admire them on the shelf where they would stay.

oddities

2010-10-28T01:45:00.003+01:00

I've been feeling a bit strange this week.

For one thing I've found myself getting bored here and there. It's an odd experience for me. The frequency of it anyway. I've also felt a little... twitchy? Probably have been sitting around too much and my body wants to expend a little more energy than I've been allowing it. Hm, restless is probably a better word for that feeling. And then there's the strange moods. They've made me laugh a little though. Chirpy, quirky happiness that makes me wonder if I'm overtired. Some blah-zay laziness of the slothlike kind. Ok, so that's not so strange. ;) I've also gotten annoyed with things a bit more too and growled and carried on at silly things. Usually to myself. It's been quite amusing really. Humanness can be quite bizarre at times. ^^

a spruce up

2010-10-23T05:14:00.002+01:00

Never quite liked my last new blog face. So I had a play today and I'm liking this much better. Just a little bit of sprucing up. I like the rounded corners and the posts still have their dark background like the night sky but the rest is opaque white so you can see a little of the background picture showing through. I'm happier with the colours too.

A nifty little addition is the clock on the right. It shows my current time. I particularly want this for when I go to the UK next year. Then before calling or trying to meet me online, my family and friends can swing by my blog to see what time I'm in. It took me a while to find this one but it's just right I think. Rounded corners to match and everything. Coolest part is that if you hold the mouse over it, it switches to the date so you know if I'm in your yesterday, today or tomorrow. If you want one too, just click the link under the clock.