Anyone for Golf?

Today we went to St Andrews. The Andrew is the disciple of Jesus, whose remains were supposed to have been brought there by a Greek a really long time ago. Andrew was crucified on a diagonal cross because he didnt think he was good enough to be crucified like Jesus was. Hence the St Andrew's cross. We got dropped off at the old golf course. If you just turn up, you can go in a raffle and if you win you get to play for £200. We just watched a few other people hit off and someone having a really bad hole on the 18th. We went for a bit of a walk on St Andrew's beach, where the Chariots of Fire Beach scene was shot. A you can see, it is a typical summer's day at the beach. The water was a bit colder than our water, probably about what it is at the moment. Being a beach girl, I couldn't resist having a paddle, but Adrian thinks he had more sense. I have now paddled in the North Sea. He can't say that. We also looked at ST Andrew's Castle, Cathedral and University, where Prince William went.
Scotland has a very bloody history. There seems little distinction between Church and Royalty. People were murdered in these places and buried in them. Personally I think the Cathedral's are beautiful to look at but it has very little to do with my idea of Christianity. They wont let you talk or take photos but they have shops inside them selling souveniers. I think that you can pray to God anywhere.
For lunch, at about 2.30, we had fish and chips at a little fishing village, Anstruther, probably the equivalent to Nelson bay. It was really low tide and all the boats were high and dry, literally. I have never seen boats totally out of the water like that before, with their keels in the sand. They must have very big tides here. We called in at yet another award winning beach that was all sand and rocks, with no visable water. It was another lovely fishing village, Elie, which would have been quite pretty if there had been any water under the boats. How strange!

Edinburgh

Yesterday we decided to escape the London heatwave and head north. We went to Kings Cross Station and headed for Platform 9 3/4 to catch our train to Edinburgh. It was a smooth fast train with loads of room and great scenery, mainly very green fields dotted with white sheep with black faces. At Newcastle we saw a bridge that looked just like a smaller version of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
On arrival at in Edinburgh around 2.30pm, after booking in at our hotel, we expolored the Royal Mile, which is a cobblestone Street steeped in history, with Edinburgh Castle at one end and the Palace of Holyrood House at the other. It is magnificent. We wandered around Edinburgh Castle where you get a wonderful view over Edinburgh and can see everything. We saw a cannon that took 100 men to move and prisons where they have kept prisoners of war for hundreds of years. We saw the crown jewels and the room where Mary Queen of Scotts gave birth to King James. WHEN WE CAME OUT, 1 1/2 hours later, the mist had rolled in. We couldn't see 2 metres in front of us and the temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees. It was freaky. After dinner we got more history on a ghost tour in the underground town. The guide was an excellent sstoryteller and made it pretty scary and realistic especially as it was so dark and all we had was her candle. Going down out of the mist helped create the mood as well. We have computers here but cant upload phots so I will do that later.

Green Hills and old houses

Wow, we have had the best weekend! I have seen more shades of green than I have ever seen before. Add a beach and the English countryside is what heaven looks like. On Saturday we went to Stratford upon Avon and had lunch across the road from Anne Hathaway's house. She was William Shakespere's wife. We drove through town then drove to Broadway, not in New York. Everything is so old and beautiful. I think I must be getting old too because I have never really liked old things but I love these places. I really liked wandering through town looking at the quaint shops. That is not usually like me but I loved it. We drove through Upper Slaughter, then stopped a while in Lower Slaughter then went to Boughton - On- The Water for a devonshire tea, next to a lovely little brook. It is so pretty and all the houses are realy old and look fantastic. I dont know who made up the silly names for these places.
We stayed at a B&B that was built in 1580 in a tiny little village called Pitchcombe. That blew my mind. It was 200 years before the first fleet came to Australia. That is the house in the picture. Queen Elizabeth 1 was on the throne. How come our houses only last 100 years if we are lucky? We had dinner at the Edgemoor Inn overlooking the Painswick Valley. All the houses are so old it it like looking at something from hundreds of years ago. You can not see any sign of modern civilisation. It did not come out all that well in the photos but the views were magnificent. For dinner I had ostrich, just because I could and I was in an adventurous mood. I dont know that I would choose it again.
Today we drove into South Wales (not new). It is hillier and even more green. We had coffee on the terrace of a pub by a quiet river. It was beautiful. They have even stranger names for towns in Wales with peculiar spellings.
On the way back, we went to Bath, another beautiful place, in England. Again everything is really old and all the houses look the same, but different to other places we went to. That is where Jane Austen is from and there was a Jane Ausen place there but we didnt feel like paying for it, when we are not really into it anyway.
Anyway, tomorrow morning we are off to Scotland on the 10am train from Kings Cross Station. I probably won't get to write again until Friday.

Henry's house

I cant believe that Michael jackson is dead. It just goes to show that life is short and we should make the most of what we have today.
Today we went to Hampton Court Palace, the home of Henry V111. What a great place. I didn't do history at school but if I had my time again, I would. Although I must say that English history is so much richer than Australian history. Its all so exciting talking about knights in armour and kings and queens and people getting beheaded for disagreeing with someone. There were a lot of school excursion there today and again, I was glad I was not responsible for them. I have decided that school kids are the same no matter which country you are in and the teachers sound the same, trying to get kids excited about things that are probably not all that exciting to a 10 year old. There is always one kid, whose name you hear repeated over and over and after 5 minutes you feel that you know him or her. Henry soon shut them up.He was pretty scary when he got angry after someone suggested it was his 6th marriage he was about to have. The story of Henry V111 is quite amusing now but I am sure it wasn't at the time. We think that Saddam Hussein was bad but I think that some of these kings and queens would have given him a run for his money. Henry V111 pretty much thought he was God.
I learnt some interesting things today, especially about medieval(sp) manners. It is really impolite to eat the pasty of your meat pie. the pastry is just a vessel to cook the meat in. You are supposed to take off the top, scoop out the meat and throw the rest away. If you click on the photo with the writing on it, it will give you another hint about table manners.
We also got lost in a maze that is hundreds of years old. I am glad I was with Adrian because otherwise I would still be in there wandering around.
We walked home from the railway station via a big shopping centre, then through some street shops where we bought some apricots that actually tasted like apricots and some Belgian blackberries, which we ate on the way home. Off to the Cotswalds tomorrow.

Lords

This morning we spent some time booking a train to Scotland, a B&B for Sturday night in the Cotswalds and a hotel for Monday night in Edinburgh.
We hopped on the train again(we are getting good at the Underground)and went to Lords Cricket Ground. I thought this would be more of Adrian's cup of tea than mine but it was great. It never ceases to amaze me the details that men know about cricket players and games in history. It was interesting. In the photo of the pavillion on the right hand side there is a terrace. That is where the Australian dressing room is. We went in there and I sat where Shane Warne always sits (not intentionally. The guide just told me that is where he sits). Adrian liked him becasue he called him a gentleman and Adrian knew all the answers and asked intelligent questions. The other photo is me in the press centre where all the newspaper people watch from. That bit was built by shipbuilders because regular builders said it couldn't be done. Did you know that they used to keep 500 sheep in a section of the ground as that is how they mowed the grass before mowers were invented? And where they practise used to be a garden where they grew pineapples and tulips. I am sure I found diffeent things interesting to what Adrian did. We saw the urn with the Ashes but they said we weren't allowed to take any photos of it. It is only about 10cm high. It was someon'es wife's idea and nobody really knows what's inside.
By the way, if you click on any of the photos, you get to see them bigger. And you can comment if you have a google account. Just click on the comments box.

Wimbledon

Just had breakfast outside, watching the squirrels dance and jump around. They are so cute.
Last night we went to Wimbledon. It was so exciting to be there. It was a simular feeling as being at the Sydney Olympics. We arrived at about 6pm and had to queue for ages. But even being in the queue was fun because everybody talks and jokes with each other. When we got in after going through airport style security, we wandered around then went to Court 3 where a match was just about to start. It was a women's singles match between Marion Bartoli (runner up in the Australian Open) and some other girl whose name I cant remember. We had really good seats considering it only cost £14 to get in. Marion was down 5-2 in the first set and then ended up winning that set7-5 and the second set 6-1. It really showed the mind games and how your emotions rule the game.
We were a bit distracted by a grunter from 3 courts away. Man she was loud! They could have used her for sound effects in the torture display in the Tower of London. We then watched the rest of a women's doubles match, then we watched the last set of a men's doubles match, which didn't finish until 9.20. They don't even have lights. Can you imagine playing tennis at 9.20 without lights, especially at that level? You get so close to the players when you are watching. I dont think I would bother with Centre Court where you are in a giant stadium. It was such a fun experience. It is such a great atmoshere.
We are spending some time this morning trying to book accomodation for the weekend in the Cotswalds and to book a train to Scotland for Monday. We are having such a great time and it still hasn't rained. I will have to get myself one of those I love London t-shirts.

Westminster Abbey

Today we went in to look at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. We couldn't get into Westminster Abbey because a Bishop was getting ordained or some such thing and it was invitation only. We tried to get into the Houses of Parliament but couldn't get in there either. The lady at the agte said we should see our local MP to organise a tour but I dont think that will work for us. So we walked along the river which is not very picturesque.
We caught a red double decker bus (we got the front seat up the top) to Oxford Circus, which isn't a circus at all. It is THE shopping distrct in London and I could have spent a week there but I dont think Adrian would have been so keen. To any ladies reading, the colours for next Summer are bright, all the coolours I love like watermelon, turquoise, and hot pink. I bought a dress for my daughter, Nicky's wedding. It cost me a fortune but I love it and at least I know that noone else will have the same dress as me.
It is pretty hot. I think we brought the drought with us becasue it hasn't even looked like raining and it si sunny all the time, not what I expected. It is funny because when you get on the train, the announcer says that everyone should carry a bottle of water with them and watch for heat stroke. Man, how would they cope with Australia. But nothing is airconditioned, so the trains can get pretty hot.
Anyway, we are off to Wimbledon to catch a bit of tennis.

Buckingham Palace

This morning we caught the train into Buckingham Palace. It was so crowded. We stood around for ages waiting for something to happen. Eventually we heard bagpipes and these guys in kilts came down the road and into the palace. Then some other guys in red with big furry hats on came along playing in a marching band. The guy at the front had a dog. I am not sure why. Anyway, once they went in behind the gates we could barely see anything, partly because they were behind the gates and partly because there were so many people in the way. I did find it confusing when the guys in the red suits with the furry black hats started playing 'New York, New York'. What country do they think they are in?
And Caitlin, I didnt get to see whether the queen had a gold toilet. As you can see the queues were too long.
Talking of toilets, you just dont see public toilets anywhere. I guess they dont like the look of them or the smell of them but I am not sure what would have happened if a little kid in the crowd had said he wanted to go to the toilet. We then went to Harrods, just because everyone says you have to, to say that you've been there. I have to say I would never go there again. Sooooo expensive. I saw a pair of men's thongs for £199! Thats over $400! There were however, toilets in Harrods and these were an interesting experience. They pay people to open the toilet cubicle door for you and someone else to hand you a paper towel after you have washed your hands. They had so many staff, fussing over you all the time, I had to get out of there. I didn't buy anything but it had its uses.
We caught the underground back to Baker Street Station and went to an English Pub for lunch. Actually, it was just the same as an Australian Pub. I didnt see any difference except the toilets were fancier. They had lounges in there.

Tower of London

Today we took the underground into London and got on one of those topless double decker buses with all the other tourists. This is what we looked like on the bus. It was just like we had been sucked into a Monopoly board. We drove along Park Lane and Regent Street and Oxford Street, We drove past Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus. We got off near Big Ben and went down the Thames until we got to the Tower Bridge where we got off. We went under the London Bridge which would have to be one of the least spectacular Bridges I have ever seen. Who cares if it falls down. It would do us all a favour!
We went to the Tower of London. It was very cool. Forget PBL. I saw some creative consequences that would be very effective in behaviour modification in the Tower of London! It is amazing to see buildings that are so old, still standing so strongly and to think about all the historic things that happened there, like Henry VIII getting his wives' heads chopped off and people being locked up in dungeons for years for disagreeing with soemone.
I also met some new friends. I dont know what their names were but they called themselves 'Beefeaters'. They didnt even know why. Funny clothes.
Tomorrow night we are going to watch the musical, 'Grease' at Picadilly Theatre. We would have liked to watch Les Miserables but there were no seats left.

Arrived in London

We arrived in London at 5.00pm local time after a bumpy ride. They really should do something about those potholes over China.
We are staying at Watford in a beautiful house with friends. I saw my first squirrel run across the back fence. How cute.
Lyn, who we are staying with tells us that there is not a 'No hat no play policy' here. Instead, it is a
'No raincost no play' policy. Maybe we should do that at BRPS and wouldn't have to worry about ringing 3 bells.
Off to explore London on a beautiful sunny day.

I'm in Korea

We arrived in Korea after a 10hour 15 minute flight. We had the Newcastle Jets Soccer team on board. They were impecably behaved. They obviously weren't Ruby League players. I am not sure about the English schoolboys we are going to have on our plane to London. When they got on our bus and the teacher was counting them, I was glad they weren't my responsibility.
If you ever get the chance to see a Korean movie with subtitles called "My girlfriend is an Agent", don't do it.
We are staying in the Hyatt Regency, courtesy of Korean Air. It is very plush. Why do they have to have ceilings so high and how do they change the light globes?
Korea doesn't look anything like it does on MASH. The airport looks just like a space station.
We went shopping to a store that was like a combined supermarket/kmart. I looked at the section where they sold rice. You can tell they eat lots of rice. Look at the size of the packaging! And check out the price of the fridge!

Tomorrow we have another long flight to London. Its great to be on holidays and school seems a long time and distance away.

My last day in Australia

Yeah! I'm on holidays! I'm so excited now I have packed. Tomorrow morning at 8am I take off to Korea, then to London. I will see what I can find out about the queen's toilets for you, Caitlin but I don't reckon they will let me look. Maybe I can just knock on the door of Buckingham Palace and ask them if I can use their bathroom. I am sure they wont mind. After 2 weeks we will fly to Budapest (in Hungary) then go on a cruise to Amsterdam. It is in Holland, Caitlin, not Italy. Look at the map.
I am not writing this at the time it says. I am not sure where the time comes from but it is not Sydney.

The Entrance

Its the long weekend. Adrian and I went to the Entrance and Terrigal with my Mum and Dad. They are 81, still very much in love and still able to clamber over the rocks and argue of what type of rock it is. It was a glorious day. 20 degrees. Cloudless sky At the moment it is 14 degrees in London in the middle of the day and it is supposed to be Summer. Why are we going there?

Going to Summer

2 weeks to go. I thought I'd check out the weather. At the moment, it is 17 degrees here is Sydney in June and 12 degrees in London in Summer. Go figure!And here was I thinking I was going to the northern hemisphere to escape the winter. Maybe the rest of winter will be better.

Welcome to my new blog

Welcome to those who wish to know what I am up to. This is mainly set up so I can write about what I do when I go overseas to England and the on a Rhine cruise on June 20, less than 3 weeks. But for now, I just have to write reports and read reports and in between, teach some kids.