World Cup Mania(cs)

At the moment the WORLD CUP is the only topic of conversation for a great deal of the UK population. Wimbledon has just started, but I don't think anyone knows. The newspapers are crammed with everything imagineable from Germany. How many beers the players wives are having, who picks their nose the most, and who knows what else. My recommendation is that the UK imports as many psychologists as possible for the post world cup depression.

Blood Brothers

Venue : Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London
Date : Thursday 22nd of June
Time: 7:30ish
Occasion: Who needs a reason to go to a show?

Jacks and I met in town for a quick bite to eat before the show. We found a trendy looking Thai place, not far from the theatre, and after being slightly terrified by the transvestite doorthing, we managed to get some food. The Phoenix theatre is nice and small, and our seats were in the middle of the dress circle, with a great view of the stage. The show is a musical, and the story is easy to follow and superbly acted out. Even though the ending is made clear at the very beginning, the show kept us thoroughly entertained throughout.

Blenheim Palace

Only 8 Miles from Oxford, Blenheim Palace is famous for being the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, and is the current home of the truly spiffy 11th Duke of Marlborough. Jackies gran, who has lived in Cheltenham for some time, has always wanted to get to Blenheim, but has never had the opportunity. Seemed like a great idea to us, so we spent a weekend with her, and the 3 of us went to the Palace on sunday morning.

The first thing you notice on arriving is the expanse of the grounds. There are 2100 acres of parkland, landscaped by Capability Brown in the 1760's. A huge lake, beautifully picturesque and teaming with fishermen, nestles into the valley alongside the palace. The interior is decorated with hand painted ceilings and furnishings of intricate design and detail. We spent most of our time at the Palace exploring the gardens, and enjoyed a lunch on the patio. I was really spoilt with my steak and kidney pie, which tasted just like my moms.

A great peaceful day out, definately recommended by J&B.

Every man and his dog rushing to the park on a hot day in London

High on life in Lower Slaughter

Good friends of ours, Phil and Tarryn, recently visited the UK on a 3 week holiday. We had arranged to go away for a weekend with them, and were given the task of choosing an appropriate destination. This was pretty easy for us. We organised a trip to the Cotswalds, our favourite UK getaway.

I managed to find a B&B (The old rectory) in Lower Slaughter, a beautiful village in the heart of the Cotswalds. The best thing about it is that unlike the river, no tour busses are allowed through. We spent the friday evening down on the river, engaged in great debate with a couple of ducklings, and sipping on a few liquid refreshments.

During the weekend we explored the area, with stops at Broadway, Upper Slaughter, Lower Oddington, Sudeley Castle, Bourton-on-the-water, Stow-on-the-Wold, and it wasn't too surprising that we Had-a-great-time. We hiked through the countryside around Lower Slaughter, and enjoyed a bottle of champagne while watching the local cricketers take on a touring side. The highlight of the weekend, even though fairly energy consuming, was a bike ride from Bourton to Bledington, and back. After arriving in the village we treated ourselves to a great pub meal, and then got stuck into the annual fete, which was hugely entertaining. This was especially so for the girls, who got to throw wet sponges at the boys.

The Cotswalds is a truly beautiful part of England, and we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend with two great mates.

Some of our wedding pics

Just married - what a feeling!

Our first glimpse of Jacks

A quiet moment in the chapel

Us and our parents

You can't keep a man off the golf course for too long

Girls gone wild

A weekends walk along the North Downs

Last year Jackie and I decided to spend a weekend walking from Canterbury to Dover. This was part of a route called the North Downs Way, that stretches all the way from Farnham to Dover. We enjoyed the walk so much, that ever since then we have been trying tackle another section of it. Finally, on the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of June we succeeded.

Early saturday morning we caught a train down to Farnham, which is an hour south-west of London. Equipped with a backpack each, some drinks, and some overnight clothes, we strolled out of the station and into the countryside. Amazing the feeling you get when you leave behind the noise and madness of the city, and enter the peace and calm of the country. A couple of birds chirping, the wind in the trees, and the soft trickle of water. The weather was perfect, the best day of the year so far. The walk took us through some villages, past some lush golf courses, into a pub for a quick lunch stop, and to a famous art gallery near Compton. The artist, an englishman named George Watts (I think), was viewed by his countrymen as the Michaelangelo of England. He is famous for not only accurately painting a persons physical appearance, but also for bringing their personalities into his portraits. The Watts chapel, in a cemetery nearby, is elaborately designed with colour and craft, and was well worth the visit.

Our walk then took us just south of Guildford, and we walked along the river Wey, to our stop for the night, a B&B in a village called Shalford. We dropped our bags off, had a shower, and gave our feet a welcome break. Early evening we wandered down to the local pub, called the Parrot, and found ourselves a table outside, with a crisp cider to quench the thirst. The goings on at the pub were thoroughly entertaining, and without a doubt put any big brother, that I have had the misfortune of seeing, to shame.

We left Shalford early the next morning, and made our way towards Guildford, before joining the North Downs Way once again. The path continued mainly through dense forest up and over a few hills, and then onto a ridge, which after quite a long walk, looked down onto our finish line - Dorking. In total we covered around 40km in total, with around 6 hours of walking each day. The last stretch of the walk was really funny, even though somewhat painful. Both Jackie and I were really struggling with blisters, and our legs were feeling quite stiff. We hobbled through Denbies vineyards like 2 old folk, and both snoozed on the train back into London.

Where in the world?

Normandy, 27-29 May

An early morning start, fetching our 2 Aussie mates Ben and Michelle at about 5am, and then off to Dover. We arrived in good time, and just after 7, we were driving up onto a ferry, along with a couple of thousand other holiday-makers. The ferry was more like a cruise liner, with huge shops, restaurants, and activities for kids. Before long we found ourselves in Calais, and driving again, but this time on the wrong side of the road. We headed south, along the coast initially, and then slightly inland to the city of Rouen. Famous for it's cathedral (also known as Notre Dame), and as the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, it is reputedly the most beautiful city in Normandy. We explored, ate some lunch, and then jumped back in the car, on course for our next stop, La Ducrie, a 15th century castle which would be our base for 2 nights.

La Ducrie is run by a british couple, a couple of dogs, a few cats, some ducks, and a few black swans. It is really out in the country, and our rooms were spacious and unique, with a splash of french flair.

We decided to spend sunday morning seeing the D-day beaches, Bayeux, and then travelling south to see Mont St Michel in the late afternoon. Everything went according to plan, and we had a great day. Our first stop was Saint-Mere-Eglise, the first french town to be liberated by the allies. We then travelled east past a few memorials and monuments, and came to Omaha beach, where the allies faced their toughest conflict. The american cemetery really hits home the human loss of war, and with over 9000 crosses up on a slope overlooking the beach, it is a sight to behold.

Our next stop was Bayeux, which was a surprisingly beautiful town. The main reason for the stop, was the famous Bayeux tapestry. This was made in the 11th century, and is a 70m long story of William the Conqueror's victory over the Norman's.

Our next port of call was Mont St Michel, essentially a village and Abbey built on a rocky island. It is a truly spectacular sight, not only from far, but also close up. We walked through the streets, and made our way up to the Abbey, which unfortunately was closed. Great views from the top though, and amazing that they were able to build something so massive, in such a difficult location, so many years ago.

The food and restaurants visited over the weekend were interesting to say the least. Nobody in the group was on top of their french vocab, and interpreting the menu's became something of a problem. A bit of a lottery with choice of food, but on the whole we had some good stuff. Our first dinner was at a place called Chalet Frittes, which is essentially an outdoor/garden restaurant with little shed's housing individual tables. The top meal was the mussels, which were really tasty and good value for money. I desperately wanted to taste some of the local seafood, and my chance finally came on monday at lunch. The meal started with some shockingly fresh local oysters which slid down with very little resistance. I then had a fillet of perch with a rich and creamy bisque sauce. My culinary experience then took on some of the local cheeses, and finally a creme brule to close the deal. A superb meal.

Our drive back to Calais on monday took us past a few coastal towns, the highlights being Deauville and Honfleur (where I finally got my seafood meal). Our last stop was the white cliffs at Etretat, which were pretty spectacular. There is a golf course right up on the ridge, but I don't think it would have been that pleasant on the course. There was a wind of almighty proportions, and any wayward shot had a good chance of landing somewhere in England.

We drove into Calais with a couple of minutes to spare, and made it up onto the ferry for our trip back to the UK. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip, with some great travel companions (even though they were prone to a snooze in the car every now and then) and a great destination.

High tide in Putney