Friday, December 31, 2010

Brugesopean vacation......Holiday roooooooad.

Barely had the christmas wrappings been scraped into a box, and we were off. Leaving home at 9am for a whirlwind stopover at the designer outlet we discovered in York last year, where Glenn can get his Van Heusen shirts at rock bottom prices. Snow was still covering the land and the temperature...well this first pic says it all.

Not only doesn't Australia seem to make cars with a temp, but even if you all had one, you would never have seen the crucial part in this picture....the minus sign!


We stopped rather suddenly, as is our want, at this bridge because it was just so beautiful and the river was, not surprisingly, frozen.
 Not surprising also then, that we were once again peering through a filthy windscreen due to the frozen water/chemicals that wouldn't spray due to freezation. The title of this blog is a reference to the Vacation series of movies with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo which if you haven't seen, are hilarious. Well, the first one 'National Lampoons Vacation' and the second 'European Vacation' are, after that they got a bit daggy so I wouldn't recommend them. Anyway, they are the tale of the Griswald family and their adventures on holiday and, all the things that happen due to one's stupidity at expecting everything to go to plan and this is the point at which you'll realise why we have drawn the simile. Our motto here in the UK since about day 3, continues to be 'Everything is harder than it should be'. I just wish we could remember this fact when it mattered! Anyway, here's Glenn (Clark) Griswald about to jump into the frozen river because it seemed like a good idea.

No, he would never actually do that, despite the appearance that he regularly takes his life in his hands, it is always carefully and intelligently calculated. So we got to the outlet as planned, got 5 shirts for 50 pounds...bargain...a new pair of work shoes to replace the worlds cheapest ones that broke whilst Glenn was walking the snowy streets of Birmingham two weeks ago and which were cleverly lined with bubble wrap envelopes to keep out the damp (cleverly hmmmm and he thinks I'm weird) But sadly, no new suits as no-one had told these vendors that the worlds scabbiest man was on his way. In fairnness, they were pretty pricey! Got a cup of tea and had packed lunch in the car park. At least the dog hadn't peed on the sandwiches...see 'Vacation'. Onward to Hull but a brief detour through Beverley where we saw some beautiful old buildings and drove through the archway just because we could.



                                                                                                            
And so this is where the England part of the journey all goes to hell in a hand basket. The plan had been to locate the dock first, then go back into town and get an early dinner to avoid paying 18pounds each on the ship for food we neither wanted nor could eat. 'Clark' had wisely programmed the address of the ferry dock into the sat nav 'Fanny', including the postcode, which over here is considered more important. Now Fanny has become quite reliable, well, if you consider being within 100 miles of your intended destination reliable, and despite our better judgement, we ignored all the signs directing us to the dock and kept following Fanny's instructions to King George Dock. Round and round the snowy streets we went, all the while 'hmming' to each other in that way that says this isn't right but neither of us is prepared to make a decision otherwise. And suddenly we were there, King George Dock? I hear you ask, no, an industrial estate, with neither water nor ship in sight. Let's re-programme her said I, using just the postcode. So we did, and round we went again and where did we arrive this time? The exact same place! Another page out of the Clark and Ellen Griswald book of how to organise a holiday....or, perhaps stories of us made their way to America and the films are actually based on us. So, what do two self respecting adults lost in Hull do when the sat nav doesn't work? They drive around blindly hoping for a sign and soon get one, directly to King George Dock! Yippee I hear you say...not so fast, now it's time for food. Back we go, thinking that with all the shops open on this chilly Boxing day, it should be easy to find somewhere to get a sandwich or some chips, not so. First it's a 20min drive around to find a much needed toilet, which eventually saw me ducking into an old pub that for the first time in my life had me wishing I carried toilet seat covers in my handbag! Anyway, we parked the car, wandered around a shopping centree for 10min followed signs to the food court but it wasn't there, wandered out again, looked up and down the street, couldn't see a take away shop anywhere, went back to the car, drove past pub after pub with no lights on, and finally saw a Sainsbury express on one corner and a chippie on the other. Slam on the brakes, Clark goes in to get chips and a veggie burger, I go and get a bag of rolls and some bananas. A short ride back to the dock and dinner was had. On the good side, they were about the nicest chips I've ever had!
We were rather early, on account of the fact that we expected to get lost and or stuck in snow, so we sat in the car for an hour and a half before finally and rather excitedly making our way toward the check-in building. We left our car in the park provided, 20pds for 4 days, which is a bargain considering it usually costs you about 3pds for 2 hours at the shops, hoped that our 75pds worth of shirts and shoes would still be in the boot upon our return, and set off with gusto. Behind me here is our ship 'The Pride of Hull' ......still not that inspired by the word 'Hull' I've gotta say, sounds a bit like something stuck in one's teeth. The ship was better than I expected, even though the rooms were the size of matchboxes.



'Clark', thinking he was being clever, took a sea sickness tablet due to his experience on a very small boat in very rough seas off the coast of WA last year, and found himself drowsy to the point of falling asleep at about 9.30, unheard of for him, so we had an early night. Turned out he didn't feel the slightest bit sick and the sea was so calm we could barely feel motion at all. The morning saw an early shower, walk on deck as the sun peeked through and a breakfast of tea and bananas and a leaisurely wait in the cafe to be told we could disembark. There we sat, for about 20mins before realising disembrakation was nearly finished and we were going to be on one of the last buses to Bruges and not the first as we had planned...oh dear.



Oh yes, and don't forget to note the overcoat, scarf, gloves and, wait for it, thermal top that Glenn is wearing...Ha, in your face, I'm not the only one who gets cold! 
Stay tuned for part two of Clark and Elenn Griswald's Bruges-opean Vacation.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

and so this is christmas....

Xmas eve



What a lovely Christmas day,  tears flowed, laughter abounded and we had lots of lovely long chats with people we love. The exchanging of gifts was a little unusual but much enjoyed. The box of 12 xmas crackers will, by our calculations, last us (at a rate of 2 per year) another five years… oh yess, that’s kept the xmas costs down. The gifts were of an interesting mix which ill leave to you to guess who’s is which… a bread maker… thick socks… an umbrella that you can see through…tickets to the City VS Man City FA cup match… and many more, also gifts from our much loved and much missed family.

Freedom on the phone  :)




After the phone calls and the present opening we eventually sat down to xmas lunch. What festive fair awaited us  I hear you ask…well…. Lunch consisted of… toasted rolls with fake meat and tomato and lettuce (teehhee, the same thing I have for lunch every day) and a mince pie and custard… let me mention at this point the Instant Custard… this stuff is just brilliant… open sachet, boil kettle, pour contents of sachet into bowl, pour boiling water into bowl… job done yummy custard in 2 minutes.. and … NO LUMPS!  
After allowing the “massive” lunch to settle we headed out in the back garden to enjoy the white Christmas that we had been so lucky to have delivered to us as requested . Unfortunately the snow wasn’t quite as “deep and crisp and even” as we had hoped, which put paid to our xmas day snowlady making plans… or did it?


Of course it did not… Nic was never going to let this “perfect” opportunity pass her by, so we set about making a snow lady.. It is of course a snow lady because, when we came back in 1994 we were in Scotland at Ben Nevis and began to build a snow man…whereupon our quiet and shy daughter informed us, we would not build a snow man.. It would be a snow lady!!  And snow ladies they have been ever since. Now…as mentioned previously, the snow.. was not deep… cold..yes… deep..no. So we began scraping the back garden with our hands… not enough snow and very cold hands are the result.  Nic is not deterred, inside she goes, “I have the answer" says she and hands me a….. Dust pan. Ahhh, superb thinks I, this will obviously solve our lack of snow and cold hand problems…and conceivably become a new boom market for the ailing dust pan manufacturers. (I shall name it the “iSnow “tool). Sadly.. this is all crap… the iSnow is useless, it neither collects snow, nor makes my hands warm, yet another stroke of genius lost due to the fact that it wasn’t.

Unfazed, Nic’s intention to see a snow lady on xmas day continued. The launching of the iSnow toward the back door shows its future as a Frisbee is also quite limited. And we move on to snowlady building Mk 3 and this one is sure to succeed, Nic begins dragging her foot through the snow, “Brilliant!” says I, this has eliminated the cold hands instantly and the snow is beginning to mound… not very much I might add.. but mounding is certainly taking place. I rush to join the spectacular excitement that is foot dragging snow lady building. In no time (read 20 minutes) we have created a mound of snow the likes of which the world has NEVER seen… yes this snow mound was at least 30… no 35…. No, this mound had to be FORTY centimeters high! We stood back and looked on in awe… had we created this? Oh how the world would look to our backyard for inspiration in the future.




Well of course at this point our mound incredible snow lady, needed to be finished off with all of the snow lady accoutrements one would expect.. Top hat,…coal for eyes, …..carrot for nose, …..smiley mouth and pipe,… and a scarf. Now sadly… our planning had not stretched its self to getting these items in readiness…. BUT… do you think this would deter us…US, the designers and builders of the patented scraped together snow mound? Of course not… improvisation is our middle first and surnames now, so… I searched high and low to find the appropriate materials for his eyes… and what do you know, in just moments I had the answer….right there beneath my feet, who ever other than a genius such as myself could have come up with such an ingenious answer… DIRT….ahh the self satisfied glow spread across my face as I gently pressed two lumps of frozen dirt into the snow mounds ladies upper part (that being the top 9 centimetres) to form the most perfect snow mound  lady eyes ever created.







The day concluded at Keith and Gill's and yet again a wonderful night was had, we are so lucky to be able to have fun with such lovely people who we are lucky to call not just relatives.. but friends.





This has taken close to an hour to write (yes i know... seems like it wouldve taken 2 minutes but there you go) and has been written in our little cabin on our way back from Brugge, which will feature in the next exciting episode... once i have recovered from all the walking and climbing.

To everyone …we send our love, we miss you all and thank you for everything you have done that has allowed us to be who we are and where we are.

All our love Glenn and Nic xx

merrry christmas, war is over (if you want it)

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Snow... more snow... and yet more snow

Monday... we decide to get serious about finding a new house...after all, its really just a month away.


Wednesday....many hours spent searching online and asking people "what areas wont i get stabbed in?"

Thursday... phone calls made, 5 houses to look at on Saturday... weather forecast... huge snow falls expected... 6inches and blizzard conditions. Well that should make for interesting house views.



Friday... Snow falls around Birmingham... certainly an unusual thing.. to be visiting clients and brushing snow off myself as i go in...However the forecast says that the snow wont be serious on sat, just some light falls..phew... the house viewing should be fine.

Saturday, 8am, minus 3 degrees, off we go to find the house. Nic's searching had us booked to see houses at 9... 9.20 and 9.30.  Then a break until the next at 11.45....then 12.30..... then 1.30. The first three were all close so shouldnt be a problem... then plenty of time so all will be smooth.



As we leave home, barely any snow falling just a very light dusting, we get to the first house early, looks ok but the snow is starting to get heavier... we go inside... no good. So we hop in the car to the next, the snow is falling quite heavily.. it all looks beautiful...HOWEVER... the couple of slips and slides as we turn around is a example of the driving to come, the 2nd house is pretty nice, doesnt have off road parking, which is a concern, but otherwise.. looks good and close to work.. only 3 miles (5 kilometres) so i expect the drive to only take about 15 minutes (hahahahahahahahahahaaaa) Off to the next one, the roads are now deep.. 2-3 inches in snow, the major roads are ok and well gritted.. the side streets... well, they arent! we find ourselves slipping and a sliding and laughing at the silliness of snow... as we head up a small hill to the 3rd house.. the wheel spinning and back sliding begins, but again we manage fine...check the house out.. but again... not right for us.

The radio is telling us that the snow is getting rather serious, heathrow has been closed... Brmingham airport closed... all the premier league games called off..yes indeedy this was serious. Apparently the news is saying this is already a colder winter than last year...oh dear  :)





A break until the next house...so we sneak into mcdonalds for a cuppa and a discussion, as we sit inside watching the roads become covered... watch the cars as they slide into curbs.. or dont move as their wheels spin and nothing happens, we go to the next house... the snow is now 4 inches deep on the car and the streets... even the bigger roads are snowy and slippery this is getting rather difficult...nothing over 25 miles an hour, The house is no good..so off to the next... in the mean time the next agents had rung us 3 times to check we were coming because the weather was sooo bad... aas we left the house.. it was just a very sligh incline..barley an incline at all infact... but it really still was difficult to drive as we just could not get any grip at all.. eventually we got going and on the way.. the snow is now 6 inches, all roads are covered, the gritters cant keep up.



We get  stuck in traffic.. but, why we wonder...then we see a hill... and cars 2/3rds of the way up it... halfway up it...1/3rd of the way up it...eek.. just sliiiiiding back down it... One car is stuck halfway up.. the people have effectively given up and just left it there.....we begin heading up it.. when the car infront of us, decides to stop... (YOU IDIOT!!) and try to help the stuck car... after 10 mins.. he realises he cant help (YOU STUPID IDIOT!!) and discovers.. he is now stuck too... (YOU STUPPID...STUPID...IDIOT!!!).

We sit there for another 10 minutes as he struggles to drive up this hill.. a couple of blokes hop out and push him as the wheels spin  he eventually makes it to the top and now.. its our turn.

Ok..heres the picture, It is minus 3 degrees, snowing heavily... we are halfway up a hill with an incline not quite as steep as Mill road... but steep and about a similar length. I put the Astra into gear, let out the clutch and ease off the hand brake... the snowy trees begin to eevvvver so slowwwllllyyy drift past us, the wheels spin and scream and i discover that... the trees are going the wrong way...we are sliding backwards down the hill!! towards the queue of cars behind us.. STOPPPP!!!!

After a few minutes of different driving techniques, we have moved no more than  6 inches forward.. and probably 2 foot backwards... another couple of blokes.. get onto the back of our car and start pushing, with their help and an incredible amount of chugging, kangaroo hopping.. and different wheels spinning we reach the top of the hill and are safe!!!!


OR NOT!!!


Nic's commentary....(Super BIG file)...




Obviously we had to cancel the next house view...as we had now been stuck for around 40 minutes and there was an equally big hill at the next one...so we decided..lets go home. Home was 30 miles away... so shouldnt be too long... oh how very wrong i was...it took us and hour and a half to travel the 3 miles into the city and then another 50 mins to get home...wow.

BUT!!!  the snow really is beautiful.. the whole countryside is just spectacularly post card like, simply simply stunning.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

11 - 12 December.. football and ruins

Saturday i headed into leicester for another football game, this was a cheap game (only 10 pounds) as a special offer so thats gotta make it even better... I set out with very high hopes we were only playing doncaster rovers, so i expected a big game from us... i even bet on a 5-1  (50/1 ) scoreline, such was my confidence.

For the first time in my life i put on a thermal ..(yes a thermal.. how absurd) and got to the game, found my place on the back row of the Kop.. i love the back row.. as it means you can get away with standing, an football is MEANT to be enjoyed standing, and the kop is fab as you get the real feel of it, lots of singing and support, we started well yet again and were all over them for the first 10 minutes.. i was confident of my many goals happening, then.. horror as they scored against the run of play... for the next 35 minutes, we played total cr*p and i was going to be happy to sneak a goal and go home with a draw, but.. in the last minute of the first half, the ref gave us a penalty... that in my opinion we really didnt desevre.. but who cares.. we scored and went into half time 1-1.

Penalty video... (BIG file)


second half was a different game, we came out full of confidence and tore them apart, another goal came.. then another.. then a fourth.. the game was ours, the fans were going insane and there were just minutes to go, we had missed 2 or 3 real opportunities to score the 5th (and pay out on my 50/1 bet)... in the 4th minute of 4 minutes of injury time.. we broke through and with the last kick of the game scored the fifth...so... I WON my bet.. yes indeedy.. at 50 to 1 i was in for a big payday... well... you may remember that i am something of a scab.. so, the bet that i put on.. was a grand total of 50 cents... but im not complaining... a lazy $25 in my betting account will keep me busy for a few months :)




Sunday, we took a drive to the beautiful market town of Lichfield for a little shopping.. ( some walking boots for me... for gods sake, ive bought more shoes in the past 5 months, than in the past 25 years ) and a lovely coat for Nic ( who is challenging my shoe purchaes with her Coat purchases), then onto the Croxden Abbey, this is an ruined abbey from 1176 which is yet again stunning still many parts standing having survived henry the 8ths destruction. Drove though some delighful english country side, along single lane roads surrounded by bare wintery hedges.. a maximum today of 4 degrees, so a summery feel to the day..well ok not a freezing cold day... well ok.. yes it was bloody freezing.. but what the hell.. just a wonderful day.





A week to Birmingham and back (5th-11th)

So the first week of work is over, most enjoyable workplace, good people and hopefully a successful future. Working on the 4th floor of a 8 storey building in the heart of the city... right next door to the BT Tower if any of you remember that..although it prob wasnt built till the 70s so i doubt that. The question currently is, do i use the lift or the stairs to go the 4 floors, at the moment im using the stairs as there has been no football due to the weather... speaking of the weather, you may have heard its been cold seriously cold.. oh.. and foggy.. like really... really foggy.



It was so foggy that driving "home" on Monday that, as i entered spaghetti junction... i could not see the road signs at the side of the road... even the overhead signs were not visible through the fog. Now... spaghetti junction is so named for good reason, as you appraoch, there are roads going every which way... ..up... down... right... left....bear left..... a bit left... a bit more left... a lot left... (rinse and repeat for right) etc. This lack of visibility and abundance of roads led to a rash decision that involved.. a "bear" left"  direction from fanny and nervous misjudgemnt from me... which all in all finshed with me merrily driving down the Mfortywhatever the hell it is on my way to Wallsall... which you may guess is NOT measham...annnyyy wayyyyyyyyyy the trip home to travel the supposed 25 miles (estimated time was 45-50 minutes).. was 1 hour 40 minutes... hmmm.

Basically, due to the snow, fog and ice, the trips have taken close to 1 hour 20 each way every day except friday..when the weather had cleared and it was a wonderful 50 minutes each way.

last sunday 5th.. we talk a drive back to Bradgate park to se it with some os the snow, much of the snow had either melted.. or turned into fantastically treachorus ice.. but it was just beautiful.


Old John, Bradgate park


Sunday, December 5, 2010

Snowmanchester (2) : snowier and colder

At the end of the first day, Glenn came home exhausted from the work and meeting a lot of important people but said it was 'the most professional company he's ever worked for' A very good start!



We zipped out for a meal at Wetherspoons where a group of young, drunk men decided to make conversation and reiterated the general belief that we were mad for coming back to the UK and I introduced my new response to this 'There is more to life than the weather you know'. I got the same dumbfounded look that I get from everyone when I say that and I expect it won't be long before someone shoots back 'That's easy for you to say' Which of course it is and I can say I am eternally grateful that I did not have to go to school where I was expected to learn even though the very skin on my face had formed icicles. Having said that, today's English have central heating in every building and at this stage of the game my feeling is that they need to get over it. In fairness, talking about the weather is a banal thing that people across the world seem to do to pass the time.

Anyway, dinner and comic chat over, we went for a walk through the winter markets where there was food and goods from all over Europe, hot mulled wine and a fantastic atmosphere...the English may say they hate the weather but it doesn't seem to stop them from coming out and getting involved. Back to the room for a much needed sleep and another day begins.




I set off for an arty building shown in my stack of info from the kind glass balls lady but didn't do my homework and missed it, so I kept walking to the Whitworth Gallery through the University zone. I always find it exhilirating to walk amongst students on their way to and from classes, I feel as though knowledge is seeping into me. Of course it was quite a bit longer walk than I should have attempted but it was worth it. I wasn't too enthralled by the Turner lanscapes or the guy I forget from the 18th C who said no-one but Turner had ever really captured water and we should all go back to the drawing board....it's comments like that that make art feel elitist to lots of people! What I was surprised to thoroughly enjoy was a display of wallpaper, the kind that psychologists and advertising agencies spend hours talking about because they are covered in Barbies and Football teams etc. Just another way we unwittingly stereotype our children for the sake of companies making money...I'm so glad mine is grown up!




Spent the afternoon working on my first full length play.

Day three I actually went to the Art Gallery which is one of the best I've ever seen. Great contemporary but lots of the classics as well and although I'm not usually concerned with fame or branding, I was thrilled to see this painting of William Shakespeare by William Blake.....I mean, this man actually painted Shakespeare! Got asked to do a survey and discovered I had missed a really good exhibit; I'll be back, which I was the next day and it was awesome!






Day four spent most of the day putting the finishing touches to my play and long pause it's finished.




Day five, Glenn sets off with the suitcase and I hang out until 12 when I have to check out. Meet Glenn for lunch and put my case in the new car....a nice 2007 model Astra with excellent heating (oh god I'm starting to sound English!) Back to the library where I read an interesting political play by Edgar about the fall of communism. Headed to an Arndale and wandered the shops looking for xmas pressies. Glenn called to say I should meet him at the car and I left the shopping centre completely disoriented and in the wrong direction. Thank goodness I still had my trusty glass ball lady map and discovered my mistake before I got too far! Grabbed a baked potato (only 1 pound 20...there's no pound sign on our Aus computers so we have to write it), Got to the car and off we set. Fanny the sat nav is not being too helpful so I make an educated guess...Fanny kicks in and I had taken us the right way woohoo. We dined whilst driving, me on baked pot and a breakfast muffin, Glenn on my potato skin, a muffin and a croissant....we are so sophisticated when it comes to food lol.



Traffic not too bad but I made an error and we were up a side street skidding through the snow...back on track and all was good ; well except that it was snowing and the windscreen water wasn't full and for anyone who doesn't know, snow isn't wet so when you put the wipers on it kind of smears across the windscreen and Glenn spent most of the trip trying to get behind trucks to catch their spray and get a smidge of glass he could see through...anyway somewhere near Burton Fanny went haywire (probably the snow interfering) and we found ourselves going round in circles. It was at this point that things started to get a bit tetchy, now it may not seem like conflict to many, but when the two of us start gritting our teeth and saying 'I thought you said..' and 'I said that way' and 'No I didn't mean that way', well you know that things are pretty close to chaos.

Together we madesome good guesses and then recognised the road the taxi had taken us phew! Fanny kicked back in and was telling us to go left but I knew it wasn't the way the taxi had come...Glenn trusted me (gulp) and onward we went getting deeper and deeper into what looked like nowhere. Saw 2 bunnies sitting in the snow ohh and suddenly I shouted there, there Crickett's Inn, you have to turn left in a sec and there it was 'Measham'......we had made it again. Got home to find we had no car space and had to park out the back in the dark. Dragged our cases through about 3 inches of snow and found our home safe and sound and, in amongst a weeks worth of mail, a letter to me.....Oh Joy, my one-act play 'Chinese Whispers' has come third in the Bognor Regis Drama Club's competition and along with a cheque for thirty pounds, the best prize of all....to be performed!




All in all, Manchester was the best city I have visited so far, excellent service everywhere I went and lots to do. Glenn's week at work was excellent and he looks forward to a much shorter trip to Birmingham each day.
While many may not agree with us, the snow has been beautiful and with enough layers on, I can only say that the cold has been exhilirating! On that point however you may want to stay tuned lol after all, I am English.

off to Snowmanchester

It's 6.10am on the 29th Nov and off we set in a very warm and comfortable taxi ride to the train station in Burton-Upon-Trent. Price is pre-negotiated so no unpleasant surprises there, but the station itself was pretty basic and at -6c I was a little cold to say the least.

Here you see an English businessman in his natural surroundings....an overcoat, a newspaper, incessent tapping on a mobile phone and constant complaints about the quality of British public transport. Thankfully this will not be this English businessman's normal modus operandi as our trip home will be made in the company car.



We make two changes at equally freezing train platforms with barely a few minutes to get from one train to the next and no signs to tell us which platform we need and, trains wait for no man here! Thanks to Glenn's anal time fetish, all watches and mobile phones have been carefully synchronized before leaving home and there ends up being no cause for concern.

We arrive in sunny, white Manchester at 9.00am and proceed to follow our printed Google map to the office where Glenn will spend the next week training for his exciting new job. Up that street, no down that one, across that car park, back that way, the map says it should be there, go up a bit further, phew there it is. Kiss goodbye and I'm on my own.

I set off for what should be a ten minute walk to a library that is marked on the map, where I will spend the morning until I can check in at the hotel. Street names are correct and everything seems to be in order, but where is the library? I ask a street sweeper and he doesn't know where the one I am looking for is but tells me there is one up there near the town hall. Great I think, town halls are usually pretty easy to spot so off I go as directed  by this helpful Mancunian. Then, on my way, I see the Art Gallery; what joy. I'll get to the toilet sooner and I was planning to visit here anyway; wait, it's not open on Monday's damn. Off we go again. There's the town Hall;




(Old library above)

very nice, and there's a sign with 'library' written on it. Getting closer to the sign I can see it's a 'we have relocated' instruction and even closer, I see that it doesn't have a 'you are here' arrow so I could be anywhere really. For a moment I take in the beauty of the old library and det off in what I hope is the right direction. Then I see signs that appear to be pointing me to the new library Yay! and then, I see a public toilet Oh callee callay! except, let us never speak of that toilet again!!!

By this time, having pulled my travle bag for about 45 minutes over cobbled and snow lined streets, whilst busting for the toilet, I am quite in need of a rest and in my stupour I manage to miss one of the signs. I end up in the Christmas Markets which are spectacular and sadly, nothing like we've ever seen in Australia. I wander aimlessly for a bit, cross a road, dawdle with the lethargy of it all and finally ask at a post office. Having been given good directions I find the library, get warm and comfortable and spend the morning reading a Noel Coward play. I like Coward a lot, but if my plays ever get famous enough for someone to talk about who my influences were and they say Coward, don't believe them, I'd never read one until I'd already set my own style!



Lunch is a preprepared salad roll and then it's off to the hotel, which my map informs me is near the road where Glenn is working. I walk up the street, no premier Inn, I walk back down the street, no Premier Inn, I walk back up again, Nope. Finally I see an information centre huzzah! The lady was delightful, if a little too informative about all the things to do in Manchester, including which shop to go to for real glass balls.....with the temperature this low, just ask any man in the street; oh sorry, that's brass isn't it. Anyway, turns out Google had it completely wrong and armed with my new map, I was at the hotel in 5 minutes, checked in and relaxing at last on our comfortable, clean bed in our comfortable, clean room.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

It's SNOW Neil !!

What a beautiful sight to wake up to, england has been in the grip of an "Arctic Blast" which has presented the earliest snowfalls for 17 years. Weve watched the news over recent days jealous of the snow falls all around but not for us. Then, this morning we awake to the beuatiful crisp clean white snow covering the rooftops and gardens :)

we went for a little walk around the village...




only about an inch was covering the gound... but made for beautiful sights nonetheless...


home to the back garden...
The video is again a long one... so dont bother if your on a slow connection


we arrived back in the houseNic advised that the Gloves are not good enough... I advised i need welly boots, and we both advised our love for central heating. Off to the Ashby theatre tonight in the snow and cold.