Plane taxi bus bus car car taxi train train bus taxi home - PHOTOS TO COME SOON

Baby H

I am exhausted.  I want my big white fluffy bed with my velvet/satin sleeping mask which very clearly has embroidered the letters “Shhhh” in silver cursive text on the front to discourage any form of disruption which may dare to consider coming my way.

Nick showing off his rock skimming

Nick has his head in my lap (stop being dirty, he is sleeping!) and we are just stopped at Lancaster train station on the long journey from Fort William to London.  We spent the weekend with Mum and Dad who have taken some well deserved time off to visit their favourite daughter and her beloved man while doing some travelling of their own in between.

Mum falling over.....again

We started off flying to Edinburgh which was so nice and easy!  As soon as you had taken off you were landing and just there, ready to go.  The first day was taken up entirely with the “Hairy Coo” tour which was fantastic, a lovely young boy in a kilt and a big orange bus picked us up from town and proceeded to drive and drop us around at some wonderful hidden spots of Scotland.  Mum managed to fall on her arse within the first two hours (very gracefully may I say, Tara you managed to drum something of the fine art of Mohiniattum into her), Dad made best buddies with Russell the tour guide (don’t forget to add him on Facebook Dad) and I nearly vomited numerous times at the gross old French couple who could not keep their filthy hands off each other the entire trip and insisted on making the loudest kissing noises while sitting in front of me...très dégoûtant.

The following day we drove up to Fort William in our little hire car which was ridiculously exciting.  When you haven’t driven in almost a year you realise how much you miss getting behind the wheel and giving it some in a 1.6L people mover.

When I told people that I was going to Scotland on holiday everyone says the same thing, “oh, Scotland is just beautiful”.  The governments tourism industry isn’t paying them it is actually true it is gob smackingly gorgeous.  Even more so in the highlands where all the landscape was carved out of huge glaciers in the last ice age and its so dramatic, a kind of beauty which takes your breath away in a mix of picturesque serenity and downright intimidation.

Dad and hairy coo bonding

I am actually part Scottish, would you know?  I even have a clan!  It is the Stewart (or spelled Stuart, we are not entirely sure which is correct) clan and was once apon a time royalty, until the people decided the Queen was a huge bitch and they threw her and her family to the slums and we lived like peasants.  Nothing lasts forever hey.  Mum is all into her genealogy and ancestors so a pat on the back to her for doing all the digging and finding out loads of history about where her family came from, there is something comforting about visiting the place of your roots no matter how far back they may be.

St Andrews Cathedral

Apart from being driven from place to place in the great land which is Scotland – (bit of trivia for you, the northern part of Scotland actually broke away from Canada years and years ago and as it is lying on a tectonic place it made its way over to Scotland, head butted it and decided to stay, hence why the flor, fauna and landscape is so similar) – Nick and I spent time keeping Mum and Dad sane from spending too much time with each other, eating Scottish curry and Nick helped Dad sample half the Whiskeys in the UK.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and it was so good to see the parentals again, looking very much forward to seeing them for the last time this year on Monday and Tuesday next week.  At this point I have to say a huge thank you to Granny Bet for her lovely letter and gift which has helped cure some of the boredom over the days of travel and also to the Kate, Tony, Nicky and Jay for their little bit of love from home which I am sure will compliment the Demons hoodie that Mum and Dad brough over in the colder months!

Dad pondering what life would have been like as a pro golf player at St Andrews

You must by now be getting used to my very English whinging so to keep you from suspense here I go, the trains got buggered up and now I am going to get home at 2:30am if we are lucky.  That is 3 hours later than what was planned and only 5 hours sleep until I have to wake up and get back to the working week.  Seriously, don’t diss plastic surgery it is just a supplement for lack of beauty sleep.

So back to real life, it is a busy time of year in the UK.  So many visitors!  My darling Tess from Melbourne finally made her way over so it was great to catch up last week as short and sweet as it was, we will make up for this when we hit Barcelona in 2 weeks!  My darling girls Kara and Steph from the west side came to visit and stayed at our house while we were away this week and it was so unfortunate to miss them but hey, what can you do at least they kept our bed warm ;)  We spent a wonderful evening with the newly engaged Nicole and Braidon (also from the west side) last week, congrats guys!  Ibiza is next month and then is it August, a year since I left.  Oh goodness.

So if you are at home in Melbourne reading this (hopes are high I know, my blogs are not that interesting) you are missing out, all the cool cats are coming over so pack your stuff, pull the cash from under your mattress and high tail it over!  Weekend trips to Spain not enough incentive for you?  Okay, tomorrow the forecast is for 32 degrees in London.  Okay, so get packing.

In a nutshell, what else has happened since my last blog which I believe was just after Morocco?

Fort William

·      Mum and dad met Nicks family and by family I mean Mum, Dad, Mum, Dad and Grandma.  It went so well, they are all such lovely people the day flew by and I think everyone got along very well, can’t say I wasn’t relieved when it was over, two parents at once are stressful enough!

·      I went to Dublin for a day for work, I saw the Airport, how our products are made and established an eternal hatred towards Ryanair.

·      Nick ripped a hole in his jeans, again.

·      Our housemates Lisa and Chris went to the Isle of White and came back with half of the isle of mud, looked like lots of fun though so maybe next year!

·      Our friends Anna and Jerry got married in Thailand, lucky ducks!

Mum looking over what her ancestors would have looked over every day!

It's now 9pm so I am only another 5 hours on a damn train away from my bed.  It could be worse.   Actually it is, either I have wet myself or Nick is drooling in my lap so I think I had better sort either myself or him out.

Hope everyone is well and happy, love to all!

p.s. Nikki Ellison please tell me you have received your wedding present, if not I am going to ring up the company I organised it through and give them bloody what for!  Lots of kisses x

Sitting in one of Brightons Gardens

Yes, it was supposed to be me.

Hello May!  Now where did that come from? I believe my date of departure for the motherland was August 19th.  It is now May 15th.  This means that it is approximately 3 months to go to make it a year since I left and I couldn't tell you where it has gone.  Well I am about to tell you where two long weekends of it went and that is as far as my memory will take me.  

These Poms (not sure if it is a proper noun but I will give them the benefit of the doubt) love their holidays.  We had a rocking two weeks where there was a 4 day weekend followed by a 4 day weekend...cheers Kate and Wills.  Nick and I, annual leave being precious thought it wise to travel over both weekends, only our dreams were shattered by the price hikes in flights and accommodation over these periods so we had to settle for something a little more humble.  

Over Easter we jumped on a train and in just an hour arrived in the beach town of Brighton, down saath.  We booked a reasonably swankee hotel room but could only afford city views, Nick being the opportunist that he is always asks the question "any chance of an upgrade *flutter the eyelids* and somehow we landed a pad with teriffic views of the maria, couldn't ask for much more.  The place, well...Australians would laugh at the use of the term "beach".  Sand?  Someone, anyone, show me some sand?  No, just pebbles.  The entire shoreline was littered with these gigantic pebbles and for this, I hereby swear never to speak badly of St Kilda's beach again.  Nevertheless, the town did have a certain charm that has the ability to make home in your memories.  

Brighton Marina

They have these lanes which are a labyrinth of crowded, mismatch combination of flea markets, boutiques shops, cafes and wicked vegetarian restaurants which I feasted on with great delight.  The pier is like a Luna Park on old rotting wood with noisy roller coasters and ice creameries (luckily the weather was sunny and 25 degrees the entire time so a soft serve with flake didn't seem out of place).  Nick convinced me to go one one ride and being the control freak that I am this didn't go down too well.  

In hindsight (what a mystically wonderful thing it is) it was really fun and seeing as nick decided to purchase a fridge magnet of me crapping my pants on it as we went down one of the drops it is something that may consider doing again.  Shits and giggles, that type of thing.

All in all, as ridiculously touristy place that it is I quite enjoyed my time in one of the most renound beach towns that the UK has to offer.  Wouldn't take it back thats for sure .  This conveniently brings me onto our second weekend away, Marrakech - Morocco.

Sunset at our Riad

Now, may I firsly point out that we were planning to travel to Marrakech over the second long weekend that we were given by the Queen for her grandson getting married to the far too skinny Kate Middleton.  

Nick photographing the sunset from our Riad

The aftermath of the  bomb

As you may know Marrakech was bombed by terrorists quite close to this time, killing 15 people.  May the people responsible for this rot in hell and have their ashes pissed on by donkey.

Breakfast served daily on the terrace

Thank goodness due to the price hikes we decided to travel the following weekend, just returning last Monday.  Since then people have asked me "So, how was your holiday?"  For some reason I can only conjure up the answer "Yeah, it was good".  Surely this is not the normal response from a holiday from an exotic and culturally rich part of the earth.  Obviously, I came away somewhat bitter.   Why?  I am not quite sure.  Let me set the story, departure Friday afternoon, 3 and a half hour flight to arrive in Marrakech.  Get a taxi to our Riad which is sort of like a house but with lots of rooms and get dropped off in some dodgy side street, not a tourist in sight wondering where in gods name we are.  "Surely this isn't it" I am thinking to myself, all the reviews said it was close to the city centre?  But the driver kicks us out, points down an alley and tells us its just down there.  

Wireless is so 2011

So, the suitcases are unloaded and before you could say the word "dodgy" a young boy, perhaps 13 years of age tells us he knows where to go.  Now, I have been traveling before and I know how entrepreneurial these kids can be if they smell a dollar so we say no, its fine, its just up here!  He isn't stupid, we have suitcases and don't speak the language.  Leading us down the street we were already on he stops at a door, looks like any other door and knocks the door handle.  A lovely lady answers and greets us, "yessss I am thinking, finally we are here!"  That little shit points to his hand asking us for money...I knew it!  Cheeky bugger, I look in my purse and all I have is on pound sterling.  I offer it to him and you woudn't believe he turned his nose up.  Said something in Arabic and walked off, if only he knew how much that was in his currency he wouldn't have been so rude!  

Poor Kitty couldn't survive a harsh world

Our Riad was lovely.  Hosts were french (everyone in Morocco speaks Arabic of French as it was colonised by the pastry loving country) and after being server with mint tea (with at least 5 sugars I am pretty sure) and some snacks Valerie sat us down and explained the whole town to us, drew maps of where to go, what to see, where to eat, the whole shebang.  We had the entire place to ourselves because everyone was scared off by the bombing we were treated like Kings!  That night we ventured (lead by our trusty map drawn up by Valerie ) into town for some dinner, felt so out of place!  Seriously, you could walk for miles without seeing another toursist!  Finally found what we we thought was the right dining place on the map, got a good possie on the terrace and ate a mediocre tagine while watching fully covered Muslim women rummage through a pile of underwear that someone was selling on the roadside which looked like it had dropped off the back of a truck!  The following three days continued like this, visiting the city square, bargaining in the Souks (markets), museums,  seeing the gardens and generally just walking the streets.  Now you are thinking, "it doesn't sound so bad what is she whinging about?".  

Although the country had so much to offer in terms of country, sights and serious history I am not quite sure, maybe it is just because my travels prior have been to places which were not so off the beaten track but I couldn't help but feel a certain animosity from the public just for being a foreigner.  There was no smiling, no laughter, no happiness towards us, not to mention tho horrendous treatment of animals which I don't even want to get into.  

Even when we tried to have fun with some of the kids in the villages the old folks told them to stop and go inside.  After speaking with an old French guy named Mark who had evidently lived there for 5 years he said they were jealous of us and our money and our lifestyles and so they didn't want to open themselves, their culture or their way of life to us tourists.  I think if they know how many emails I got over those 4 days that I had to face the coming week they may not be so jealous.  Alas, this is travel I guess.  On the whole I am glad I did the trip but definitely would not go back, ticked of the list and now it is done.  Next stop is Scotland with mum and dad, cannot wait to meet Hamish the hairy Coo!

Lighting the way

In the past two months the stand out points would have to be:

Returning to Peterborough for Nicks cousins birthday

Visiting light installation

Hosting our first dinner party in our house

Visiting the Tate Modern museum

Watching Oxford x Cambridge boat race

Picnic at London Fields

Mother Phillips and baby Phillips

Nick and the family

The visit back to Peterborough was a nice little break from the weekend chores at home in London, we travelled up on the train and spent the weekend hanging out with the cool kids who made me feel rather old.  Highlight of the evening is a tie between visiting Primarni (Primark) in the fine town of Corby, possibly the most hole of a town I have ever seen...and...laughing at Jo's (Nicks mum) caravan with a sticker saying "when the caravan's rockin don't come knocking".

 

Tate Modern

Art installation at The Tate

Then we visited the Tate Museum which was really interesting, it is an old power station which has been transformed into Museum for Modern art.  You could easily spend a day there, so much to look at I would recommended comfy shoes.

Afterwards we caught a bite to eat at one of the pubs on the Thames, as we were walking back to the tube I turned around and saw a beautiful photo of St Pauls and just had to take a photo, one for the pool room.

View of St Pauls

Columbia flower market with Henry the Orchid

Columbia rd

One of our more regular weekends activities has become visiting Columbia Flower market on a Sunday which we have been keeping up, our most recent purchase was a pink Orchid for 8 pound which I think I have already almost killed.

I had been itching to have a dinner party ever since we have been here and when the weather started coming good it just had to be done.  Always a good idea at the time, we were cooking and cleaning all weekend and that is no exaggeration, not to mention the mad rush to organise outdoor seating which we purchased from Argos.  Lisa and I spent about 2 hours today staining these picnic tables and they are looking so swisho, all ready for the next shinding!

Antics at the dinner party

We had such a nice day, food went down really well and we spent our time chatting over wine, playing darts and smashing it up on Guitar Hero.

The famous boat race

 As the weather improves we are getting more and more opportunities to get into the great outdoors.  Last weekend we travelled to Hammersmith and set up camp for the Oxford v Cambridge boat race which I can only compare to a cheap and cheerful version of the Melbourne Spring Carnival, luck if you see a boat but you cant go with out seeing a bottle of sparkling.

Lisa slam dunking a AFL footy in a basket ball hoop.

Yesterday we had a lovely picnic at the London fields with a big bunch of us, went past Broadway Market on the was there to pick up some fresh bread, cheese and antipasto goodies.  It felt like I stepped back into the 1980's, everyone dressed like my brother with tight pants, floppy hair and too much leather, there were bicycles everywhere and you couldn't avoid hearing the occasional strum of a guitar of the waft of the burning of some illegal substance.  We brought out the footy and put on a bit of a show, people were clearly curious about why we were kicking a rubgy ball in such a strange fashion.

Was also found a lost child, but then we found its lots parents so the day ended up happy.  If it had of been a lost dog it would have been more fun.

Picnic at London Fields

Handing out my heart(s)

May I just apologise for the horrendous amount of time which has passed since my last blog, Auntie Kate, Granny Bet, my bad.

So, 2010 is well underway.  Hang on, I think I mean 2011.  Wholly molly what is going on with time passing by without anyone letting me know.

So I had a delightful visit from my cousin Jon in January, we hit up our local pub called "The Arc" for some beer wine and chips while he tried to watch his beloved Liverpool get beaten...again.

I managed to tick some more markets off my list - Borough Market was very cool, very old school - smells of everything from mulled wine, fresh bread, cooked meat and garbage wafting through the air.


Columbia road market has been recommended to me as the place to buy flowers for weeks now and I finally made the trip with Nick last weekend and was it worth it...oh yes.

An entire street lined with flower stalls with men yelling at you "too-lillies-fo-fi-paaaun!  git-our-lillies-eree"which translate into "here you can purchase two bunches of lillies for 5 pound each, buy them from me not the twat next to me please"

Best flowers I have bought so far, they have bloomed beautifully and smell incredible!  This photo was taken today, 8 days after I made the purchase.

From flowers and baking, I am not getting old.

I have taken to baking like computer programmer to speed dating.  Slightly awkwardly but with some success.  It has come to the point where my colleagues actually get upset if I don't rock up on Monday morning with some sweet fatty tempting delight so I have strategically  put myself in the position where they will have to think at least twice before firing me.

Yesterday I did something I have never done before, made shortbread.  This was a big moment for me as my grandma Bet is the unrivaled queen of at least four things; knitting, Christmas pudding, table tennis  and shortbread. 

It was a special occasion being that today is Valentines Day (BIG SHOUTOUT to my not so little brother Tom on his 21st birthday, if only you had of got your license on your 18th you would be off those damn P plates today!!) so I thought I would do something fitting and make delicious edible love hearts, some sandwiched together with a layer of rasberry jam and shavings of white chocolate, dusted with icing sugar and some dipped in melted semisweet chocolate.

They went down a treat both at home and at work, Bet I think you would be proud :)

 

Nick and I did something that we would not usually do last week and went to see a live band, Art vs Science.  I only knew a few of their songs but when tickets are 8 quid each what have you really got to lose?  It was heaps of fun, here is a little snippet of one of their better known tunes.

 

On a not so interesting note our house is falling apart.  we noticed that the corner of the room was looking a bit damn and within two weeks this has happened.  The property manager is "onto it" but I think I am one step ahead.

It is my belief that the source of this problem is alive, furry and has teeth.  This morning I awoke to a sound that I have not heard in a long time but stirred a deep memory from my childhood.  The sound of grating, of friction, a gnawing repetitive digging which could only be a cute harmless little mouse doing what it does best with those two overgrown teeth which are so vital to its survival.

From my experience as a mouse owner when I was about 12 years old I do believe that there is a rodent on our roof, either making its house or makings its teeth shiny in the structure, therefore opening up the floodgates to the London rain to seep slowly through the bricks and mortar.

I almost don't want to disturb this little dude, he has been working hard making its home up there.  Nick calls me crazy.  If only he knew.

Macaroons

Ice skating at UK Natural History Museum

Christmas feast!

What has happened since my last blog:

1. Heavy snow in our town of Angel
2. Christmas with JoJo and the Phillips family
3. Visited by Nat
4. New years at Cargo
5. Trip to Paris with Nat
6. Back to work
7. Start chaotic fitness addiction

They are the stand out points anyway.

From the start;

Christmas was white, cold yet very cheerful and full of good food, good company and love.  Not to mention surprisingly some sunshine.  Nick and I went to visit Grandma (Audrey) up in Peterborough for a short Christmas break with a nice layer of snow and a clear blue sky, not that the sun did any help in defrosting the snot that was freezing into icicles on the end of your nose.

Dinner at Anna and Jerry's

Then there was Nat, I had been so looking forward to having one of my girls fly over from home to visit me and it was so good to see her!  We did lots of fun things, went to Smithfields market, Camden Town, Soho, Ice skating, Oxford Street, Regents Street and so much more.  Nat fell in love with the brand Karen Millen which I completely respect and understand, good taste she has.

New Years was one of the best I can remember, with my boy and my Nat and my housemates, new outfits and masks!  We celebrated in style, one to remember!

New Years Eve

And then then there was Paris, what an eventful 5 days that was.  Having no expectations apart from rude Parisians and and buttery pastries I was most pleasently surprised by the stench of urine.

Perhaps pleasantly isn't the correct word, lets go with "rudely offended" instead.

Apart from the smell, the never ending trail of homeless people, refusal to participate in post Christmas sales and snobby Parisians who refuse to speak English, it was an enchanting and wonderful place.









We did alot in the few days we were there;

• Musée du Louvre
• Sacré-Cœur Basilica
• Dali Exhibition
• Champs Elysees 
• Galeries Lafayette
• Eiffel tower
• Notre Dame
• Nat seeing snow

One of the ceilings at the Louvre

Top score for food, wine and bubbles.  Nat took us to this unbelievable patisserie/restaurant called Laduree which had both the most incredibly beautiful interior as it did pastries, chocolates, macaroons and preserves.  I bought 8 Macaroons for 14 Euros.  Go on, call me crazy, but they were delicious.

Statue at the Louvre

 We went to another place called Maille which had so many types of oils, vinegars and condiments that you didn't quite know what to do with yourself.  It was so cool, people were coming up with these big ceramic jars with cork plugs and the lady behind the counter would fill them up with what looked like Dijon mustard out of what I can only describe as "mustard on tap" pump like things.

Stand out moment would be visiting Sacre-Couer.  It is a very old and very beautiful Church in Montmarte.  I am by no means religious but for some reason visiting this place stirred something inside.  It made me want to do nothing more than sit down on a pew, close your eyes and just be.  How stupid do I sound?  It the truth though, I do not lie.

Paris had its moments when it shocked me with its enchanting beauty, when you were least expecting it.  All of a sudden you stop and look at the landscape, the cobblestone street, the sun coming through the clouds, just little things and you think to yourself wholly shit it really is beautiful.  I am not going to lie having a glass of Champagne in your had does help.

After visiting Paris I decided that Nick and I will have to go back, see the countryside.  If the city is that picturesque I can only imagine what the rest of it looks like.

View from Sacre Coeur

Oh and a note, to anyone going to the Louvre, GO TO THE SIDE ENTRANCE!  It is called Porte de Lions entrance, saved us 2 hours of standing in a que.

Notre Dame

Lafayette

Streets of Paris

Notre Dame