Winchester

We set off around 9:30am to Winchester to find where our super terrific son-in-law Timmy Thompson, used to hang out. We found the old family home easily, the Arbour where Tim scattered his mothers ashes 4 years ago and then found Tim's local Pub which was closed... too early but we took lots of photos for your Tim.


Next destination was the tiny village of Chawton to find the home Jane Austen lived in for 8 years... from 1809 to 1817. It was really wonderful to be able to walk through the house reading all the interesting snippets of information and seeing Jane's writing desk and bedroom... but of course the real reason I was keen to see her home was to see the famous patchwork coverlet Jane, her mother and sister Cassandra made while they were living at Chawton. The British really do this sort of Home-Museum very well, one gets a real feel of what it was like 200 years ago. The house is set in a large well maintained garden with the outbuildings on view as well... the bakehouse is also the laundry and there is a Granary come coffee house.
Jane Austen's writing table.
Jane Austen's Home at Chawton.
The Quilt.

Across the road was The Grey Friar which gets an entry in David's current bible... the 'Good Beer Guide' Lunch was bagettes, chicken for David and I had prawns in a Marie Rose sauce, yummo!

Next destination was the 'Watercress Railway' where we were hoping to see a steam train but they were only running an old diesel today so we decided to head back to Winchester and spent the next two hours walking and walking around the narrow streets and the most beautiful Cathedral in England I reckon... although Salisbury is lovely as well. We found the home Jane Austen lived in for the last 6 weeks of her life and many other interesting homes... we are fascinated by all the different building materials and styles of some very small homes in these very old towns especially when you compoare them to the size of the Cathedral! We are walking by a Coach stop just as the passengers were getting off. There was a little girl about Abi's age rushing along the pavement, smiling and greeting her grand father as well as a little boy about Jack's age running to meet his granny with his arms out wide... gosh I'm a sook... I had tears!!! David is used to me now.

Back to the 'Fulflood Arms' and a search to find a local who remembers Timmy Thompson... we have a drink with two customers and the barman who is only 18 so was only 8 when Tim left for Australia. Eventually another customer turns up, he's the local Newsagent and when his memory is jogged remembers Tim's family... then just as we are leaving a white bearded man comes in, he remembers the family and Tim well so we have a bit of a chat and I ask if I can take a photo for Tim... which I will put up on the Blog when we get back to Wood Green.

Romsey

David and I are staying in Romsey for a few days, Gay my SCQuilter friend has gone to Australia for a 3 months to visit her daughter and grand children and has kindly lent us her home. We are right in the middle of Romsey and just now walked the very quiet streets in the gently falling snow... it's cold and very pretty till the snow is trodden on and turned into slush, we had a very good meal, I had Rack of Lamb with Rosemary sauce and David had Gammon Steak with two eggs and chips at 'The Old House at Home' a pub that serves Gales beer just for David. Then we rugged ourselves up again for the short walk back though the shopping streets all lit up with Christmas Lights... what a beautiful sight it is! I didn't take my camera but will tomorrow night. Such fun, we are loving the snow and cold.

World Record!!

To whom it may Concern!!!

Penelope Jane, Penniedarling, Mumbum or just Pennie... whichever name you know her by... has just broken an earth shattering World Record this very morning!!

I left Wood Green at 10:30am drove the usual route along the North Circular along Hanger Lane to the South Circular and then onto the A3 and reached Guildford... yes the Guildford in Surrey, the one south of London... at 11:30am... do you realize that is only one hour... just one hour... the last couple of times we've done this trip it's taken us up to 3 hours... non stop that is as well! I think it must be Christmas and everyone has left the country, well I know Tom has, the Kurds nextdoor to us have as has the man with the rubbish truck from Cyprus. Lots of other Londoners must have as well and left those Circular Car Parks for us to actually drive on... they should have left a card with their gift... Happy Christmas to Pennie!

A Patchwork Shop...

Both feeling grotty with this cold thing hanging on plus being so comfortable in Gay's home... we decide to spend a day being vegetables... it was raining and very foggy so maybe that had something to do with our decision. I ventured out to the Green Hill Patchwork shop just across the road, it's been 4 months and three weeks since I've seen a Patchwork shop so it was really good to have a nice long chat and spend a few £'s. Romsey is a beautiful little town with very narrow streets and a one way system in place, the enormous Christmas tree sharing the centre square with a statue of Lord Palmeston can be peeked at while walking up any of the narrow streets.

Sister Meredith.

My Sister Meredith, my brother-in-law Bill and an old friend of theirs Danielle arrived from Perth yesterday and braved the Tube and my directions to come to Wood Green and meet Emma and Abigail Rose, we took them to lunch at our favourite pub the 'Toll Gate' on Turnpike Lane, then walked to Tom and Emma's where Emma had two friends visiting from Austria, (they had a 6 hour transit in London till their flight to Hong Kong) we waited till Abigail Rose woke up then walked around to our home... they did a quick tour up the scary scary stairs and all over but didn't even sit down at '188' as they were in a hurry to get back to their hotel in Pimlico and prepare for their train and ferry to Ireland first thing next morning. It was great to see the three of them no matter how fleeting, they are off to some of the places we are but at different times so we will catch up with them back in Australia next time. I will put a photo up when I can use my computer again.

While we were having lunch Meredith looked at me and said, 'Did you say the train we were to catch goes to Cockfosters?' 'Yes, that's where it terminates.' I said... she looked at me with a queer look on her face and said,'Did you think it was a strange name?' I had to laugh, I guess I did the first time I heard it but that was many many years ago and there are so many funny place names in London and all over the British Isles we just take them as read now I guess LOL David's theory is that the Cocks were fostered in Cockfosters and the hens were looked after in Orpington... the small fact that these two towns are as far as you can get in London to the North and as far South doesn't faze him... they had roads he said!!

Christmas Day.

My Christmas 'Lights' are just little ribbon bows but they look just as good as lights. Note... we managed to get a parking spot right outside our home, when this happens we walk everywhere instead of risking losing our parking spot!
All our beautiful Christmas Cards and the Christmas Tree wall hanging I made... the presents are still unopened by the door.

Q 1. Why do bakers work so hard?

It’s a lovely morning in Wood Green a bit chilly but the sun is shining when Tom, Emma and Abigail Rose walk around to ‘188’ for present opening and breakfast of beautiful fresh fruit from South Africa, Chile and Israel then Orkney Island Smoked Salmon with English Scrambled Eggs with White Grape Shloer to help wash it down. Off we head to Tom and Emma’s to open yet more presents and to put the Turkey into the BBQ… we think about a walk but Abi needs a sleep and all of us are still suffering the coldy chesty thing we’ve had or are in the middle of having… not a single Griffiths in Wood Green missed this bug… anyway we decide a quiet time is needed.

Q 2. How do you stop a rhino from charging?

Abigail Rose loves all her presents… she got a bike that she’s decided to stand on rather than sit on and ride, she even lets go and puts her hands in the air… terrifying when the bike starts to move!! Kimba the Loin she adores so much she hugs him tighter than tight, he talks to her and she’s already worked out that if she talks to him he will continue to talk to her… it is a beautiful sight because Abi can't talk yet she just makes a noise and Kimba says ‘That’s Cool!!’ or ‘Wow!’ then asks another question. Look at her music set... she plays with for ages. Abi is such a little trouper she's making the most of every new thing even though she has a grotty nose, a cough and isn’t 100%


This look says... 'What a bore I want to stand up on this thing!'

Q 3. What would you get if all the cars in England were Red?

The Turkey turned out beautifully as did the piece of Gammon I boiled in apple juice, all the veggies were terrific as well… it’s a nice change to have a big Hot Christmas Lunch… in the cold. My Jamie Oliver Sticky Toffee Pudding turned out beautifully and a couple of us went back for seconds!

Q 4. What do you call a blind dinosaur?

Our Christmas Crackers were a great success, each one had a numbered whistle in it with numbers to follow on a sheet of paper so we could make music, we had to have two whistles each but tried to make it as easy as possible so took consecutive numbers… well we didn’t make much music but we did make a good half hour of laughter… Tom and I were okay but the other two kept getting their #7 mixed up with their #8 or their #6 mixed up with their #5… but it wouldn’t have been as much fun if they’d got it right would it eh??


Q 5. Why is an elephant large grey and wrinkly?

We had phone calls from Gwilym, Briony and Nerys… it was so lovely to speak to them again when all the excitement had died down a bit, Sydney had the perfect Christmas day… 28c and sunny.

Q 6. What does Santa Claus use to weed his garden?

Boxing Day and a sleep in seemed to be the best bet, then a little play with our new pressies… but the next day… the 27th we woke up to Snow!!! We almost had a White Christmas!!! It does look so beautiful until the sun comes out and melts it, but at almost 4pm there is still some in our back garden... Oh I just looked out... it's started to snow again, I hope it keeps up during the night and leaves a good thick cover.



Q 7. What do they sing at a snowman’s birthday party?

My sister Meredith and Bill arrived in London today, we're all going to take them to lunch tomorrow to our favourite Pub on Turnpike Lane. David and I are off to Romsey on Thursday for a few days over New Year, Tom is off to Hong Kong for his show and Emma and Abi will head to Yorkshire. I will try to keep in touch.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas as we did.

Okay… I know you all need the answers to our Christmas Cracker jokes… LOL
A 1. Because they knead the dough.
A 2. Take away its Credit Cards.
A 3. A red carnation.
A 4. Do you think he saw us.
A 5. Because if it were small, white and smooth it would be an aspirin.
A 6. His hoe hoe hoe!
A 7. Freeze a jolly good fellow!

Christmas Eve.

Alarm went off at 7:15am, it's very dark outside so we hurry to dress, breakfast and walk to Tom and Emma's... it gets light around 8am here and we're going to Skype with the family at 7pm their time, it isn't cold, about 5c or 6c and no chill wind.

Mum and Dad first, Mum's sound isn't working so we ring her, speak on the phone but can see her on the computer, it's still bright and light there and been 41c during the day, too hot for Mum and Dad... Dad is recovering by sitting quietly on the couch... we see their new recliner chairs and they can see all of us and especially the beautiful Abigail who does a little dance for her Great-Grandmother. The sun is coming up here and Mum can see it shining on the houses across the road via our Webcam.

Tom has to go to the shops to buy a Turkey for our Christmas Lunch. We contact everyone at '333' they've had a swim and just about finished their dinner, we see and chat with Gwilym, Emily, Nerys and her growing tummy, Tim, Jackson Harry, Claudia, Em's cousin and Meg and Chris, Emily's parents... they've just had a wonderful meal of BBQed Leg of Ham which took 6 hours in the Kamado and BBQ Turkey... Gwilym has been voted BBQ King!!!! I hope he does this for us on our return and before he leaves for his big trip. Jackson Harry shows us his new big 'Lofty' (A crane friend of Bob the Buiider) Abigail does a dance for them all and we chat to everyone for an hour or more then leave them so they can enjoy their delicious looking Ice Cream Christmas Pudding, fresh Mangos and Cherries... they all look so happy and they are all glowing just like Nerys... Tim says in his case it might be some of his home brew beer. Tom returns home with lots of groceries but no Turkey because they've sold out at Marks and Spencer in Wood Green.

My brother Nick is next... his camera isn't working his sound is though so we just Skype and he watches us... Abigail does another dance for him and the girls... they love it... as all the others did and we do regularly, she is such a darling. Nick is having 17 of our family to lunch and they expect to spend the day by the pool which sounds lovely... and normal!!

David tries to ring Briony in Seoul but we think she and Joon are out, Korean isn't one of our languages and English isn't high on Joon's sisters list... we will have to try tomorrow.

David heads for the High Street for some last minute shopping, Tom and Emma get in the car and head to Marks and Spencers at Muswell Hill while I entertain Abi with the Wiggles Website, she's not happy at being left at home but she loves the Wiggles so she dances and... 'waves her Baton!!' When she's bored with that we play with a dripping tap by the kitchen sink... on her parents return... with turkey thankfully, Abi heads for bed. Tom is rehearsing for his New Year Hong Kong Show which makes a wonderful background to my blogging.

We're almost ready for our Christmas Day... I've made Sticky Toffee Pudding to have with Brandy Sauce, Rum Sauce and Toffee Sauce, none of us are Christmas Pudding fans so this is a good compromise. I've boiled a piece of Gammon in Apple Juice then baked it basted with Honey and spiked with cloves, I've prepared the chipolatas with streaky bacon wrapped around them and will make stuffing puddings today, Tom and Emma are doing the rest.

Christmas Morning with be Breakfast at our home with pressies then a nice long walk to a park, not yet decided then back to Tom and Emma's for a late Christmas Lunch...

Merry Christmas to Everyone and thank you all for your Wishes and Cards I'm sorry if I haven't replied to you personally, there just isn't enough time while I'm here at Tom's... there is one small person who always want's me to play games with her instead of being on this computer... unless it's Wiggles of course. cheers Pennie

The Boy in the Tube.

I entered the tube train at Covent Garden to find a boy, ginger-haired, freckled, and very keen, cradling his coat, with mobile phone and notebook on it. The instant the train stopped at Holborn, he was alert, stabbing a key on the mobile phone, and making copious entries in the notebook. The same at Russell Square. I could not restrain my curiosity; was he unofficially checking on-time running? No, he was on a mission to break the standing record of 2hrs 9 min. for a complete tour of all stations on the Central and Circle Lines: his best to date is 2hr 20 min. At Kings Cross he leapt up, saying he had to get off here. His notes, I hypothesize, consist of time checks on the best run between South Kensington and Kings Cross, two Circle Line Stations which also happen to be linked by the Piccadilly Line; but why? To avoid some undesirable duplication of stations? I have no idea, but there might be a website for it……….
I observed that in Sydney, an occasional tryer will set out to visit all 171 stations on the metropolitan network in a 24-hr period. Oh, he’s already done that in London, all 245 of them, and will be doing it again in January! Can you just imagine the excitement levels in that house as he sets out on that dark cold January morning?
And the game need never end, because stations occasionally close, and new ones open; Queensway on the Central is currently closed I know not why, thus removing one baton change from the relay race, so it’s all on again under the new rules. Better that than drugs and mugging little old ladies, and I’ll bet he’s crash hot at mental arithmetic. He’ll be a respected back room boffin on the Underground one day.
Pennie and I almost on the same day and quite independently, thought up a game of our own: to visit and photograph all the sites on the Monopoly board in one day. From Park Lane to Old Kent Road, sparked in my case by my discovery of Pentonville Road the other day.
And the attraction at Covent Garden? The London Transport Museum Shop of course. Routemaster Vol I, by Ken Blacker, is still in print. I am beginning to get seriously fascinated by the design work behind this vehicle, which to put it in context had already been in service for 7 years when Sydney’s trams finished in 1961, and was still running here two weeks ago. The shop also has T-shirts that say, across an Underground roundel, “Mind the Gap”. At Camden Lock markets they have them in perfect replica to say “F--- the Gap”. One I like is “Jesus Loves You”---- in the fine print, “I think you’re a s--t”.
Covent Garden Market was humming: street actors, choir groups, a superb string and flute quartet, hot roasted chestnuts from a brazier and last minute shoppers everywhere. And snow? No way; it’s 9 deg. today and broad sunshine at present; that changes on a minute by minute basis however, but the weather people are promising a “meteorologically bland Christmas”!

Christmas Shopping

Such was one of two aims of today’s expedition; the other was to follow up on the Google of “Home Brewing Supplies”, which produced an outlet in Islington---- The Beer Shop. The 243 bus from the end of our road runs along Old Street, N1, and one steps across the road to Pitfield Street, and no. 14.
Having brewed my own beer for 34 years, I am still puzzled that I can never replicate a British Bitter Ale; is it the hops (likely), the malt (maybe), the method (perhaps), or the water? I caught the Beer Shop Man on a Monday—when he’s closed, but he was packing a special order for an American, and fending off the likes of me, and endless phone callers.
The shop doesn’t just sell ingredients, it is a small brewery too, selling Pitfield Ales, and stout, and supplying 3 or 4 local pubs. I got two books, a hurried discourse on hops, bottles of three Pitfield ales, and directions to, in my words “a CAMRA pub”. (Campaign for Real Ale). Up to the lights, bear left, etc. and after a few directions from a local gent found the Wenlock Arms in Wenlock Road off Wenlock Street, only a whistle from the City Basin on the Regents canal, and about as appealing a street as the lane out the back of your local Chinese.
But this tiny pub, on its blackboard, offers Adnams Bitter, Castle Rock Black Gold Mild 3.5% alc., Pitfeld EKG, Adnams Old Ale 4.1%, Harveys Christmas Ale (8.2%alc!!!), Archers Oatmeal Stout, St Georges Bar Humbug, Crouch Vale Brewers Gold, and Black Country Ale. There are nine beer engines (big white handles to pump the ales up from the cellar: none of your CO2 cylinders here), and at least ten taps for the lesser breeds like Carlsberg, San Miguel, Guinness, etc. And doorstop sandwiches, i.e. bread an inch thick with great hunks of salt beef (corned beef to us) mustard and gherkin; a pint and a sanger £5.30. The little bar was humming with activity at 1 p.m.
I sat at a little table beside a young-looking chap nursing a pint and a newspaper, sipped my pint and quaffed my sandwich, then noticed as he went and got another pint of a very dark ale, like Guinness without the fizz, and I said could I ask what that was, which led to conversation: he is a teacher, but employed at Whitechapel Hospital to teach sick children; all ages from 8 to 18, which he finds a very satisfying challenge. This was his first day of Christmas break, and he was living it up; you don’t go for a pint at lunch from the classroom any more these days. We talked and talked about our respective nations and their systems and their problems and concluded they are both fabulous countries to live in. Immigrants don’t worry him one whit: they all assimilate in the end (the Normans have, after all, and so did the Romans and the Vikings). We agreed that British Bitter is the best beer in the world, I bought him a pint, he bought me a pint and four (4!) pints later we parted, he to Whitechapel, me on foot to Kings Cross Station via Angel Islington and Pentonville Road. This is Monopoly for real!
In 15 mins on the tube I was back in Wood Green High Road, doing my Christmas shopping, for Tomos. A shirt for £18 or a Concise Oxford for £20 and £3 off?; a dictionary lasts longer than a shirt, so Tom can look up the meaning of oast house.
My CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2006, 864 pages, lists the Wenlock; it has been the North London pub of the year 4 times, and the salt beef is famous! Thank heavens for the 243 bus is all I can say.
If your are one quarter keen to try real British Ales, this is the place: take the tube to Old Street station, exit onto City Road (there are many exits), turn right and walk west 300 yds, right into Windsor Terrace which becomes Wenlock Road after you cross Micawber Street, and it’s another 100 yds on your right. And the tube will get you home again.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We hope you all have a very Happy Christmas and a fun New Year from Tom. Emma, Pennie, Abigail Rose and David in London.

I feel strange sitting down to write our Christmas Letter when for the past 4 months I’ve been writing up our Blog (Web Log) for family and friends to read at their leisure, I will add this Newsletter to our Blog, so it won’t be printed out en masse this year… except for one copy, which will go the NSW State Library and added to more than 20 years of our Christmas letters already there.

This Christmas you will find us in Wood Green, North London… only 7 minutes walk from where Tom, Emma and Abi live. David and I have just been for a good long walk up to Downhills Park, then for lunch at the Toll Gate Pub on Turnpike Lane and checked our emails at Tom’s. David is still at Tom’s while I’ve had a nice hot bath to try and thaw out my face and some of my frozen chins, now I’m watching Gordon Ramsey’s ‘F Word’ while I try and remember who has been doing what where and when.

Abigail is fascinated with what David has on his head but isn't too sure about all this dressing up stuff!

We’ve been in England for 3 months now and will enjoy another three months before we fly home. We’ve packed in a lot of touring, renewed old friendships, made lots of new friends and got to know our grand daughter… the very beautiful Abigail Rose! David’s passion for Double Deckers has been regularly fed from both England and Scotland while my passion for Quilting is starving, except for the hand sewing of half-inch hexagons… I turn 36 of them into a Diamond shape so one day I will have enough to make a quilt! I did get a thrill last July when I became a Cover Girl. My Blue & Yellow hexagon Flower Quilt made for Briony, was on the front cover of my favourite Quilting Magazine, it made me giggle when I saw piles of the mags in Newsagency or Quilt Shops… they were so looking at me… LOL… So all is very well with our worlds. Oh! I turned 60 last July!!

Rip and Rosie Rodd, my parents, continue to amaze us with their enthusiasm, pride and joy in their family which now numbers, with partners, almost 30, they have their ups and downs and their regular visits to the medical profession but they are still keeping busy enjoying life which isn’t bad for 89 and 82! Mum is a Computer and Internet Whiz while Dad still enjoys playing old tunes on his Electronic Organ, I will miss his entertaining Christmas music this year. They will spend Christmas Day at my brother Nick’s home.

Nerys started the year by doing a pretty intensive and emotional course with Dial-a-Mum, learning to help mothers who need advice or just someone to listen to, she does this voluntarily but has taken a break, (if you can call motherhood with a 3 year old a break) while she prepares for the birth of their second child due at the end of April. This one will be our third grandchild and a brother or sister for Jackson Harry. Nerys took getting fit seriously this year and just glows with her pregnancy although being pregnant during a Sydney summer isn’t all that much fun… I think our pool will get a lot of use.
Tim enjoyed his brother Simons visit to Australia last August, this was Simons first visit and it was great to see just how much he enjoyed the weather, the food and meeting all of Tim’s in-laws, the four of them flew up to Queensland to catch up with their Dad and Sue. Tim also decided this was the year to get fit so he rides his bike to the Station and back each day and has played lots of Golf… Tim is also glowing with the anticipation of becoming a father again! Celebrations in January for Tim’s 40th birthday are already underway.
Jackson Harry has turned three, he’s grown up so much since we’ve been away, he still misses us as we miss him so much, I send regular postcards and gifts, so of course he loves to check the letterbox each day. Jack can swim a sort of free style now; he’s come on a lot this year and loves mucking about in water. Nerys took him for Orientation Day to the Pre-school he will attend next year and he wanted to do Show and Tell like the other kids were doing, Nerys said he got up and introduced himself just like a big boy… ooooohhh I miss him so. Jackson Harry knows what Christmas is about this year and even sat on Santa’s knee, he is so looking forward to spending the day with my nieces Madison and Casey whom he adores.

Tomos has been busy filling up the pages of his passport at a rapid rate, he’s doing gigs with The Three Waiters as well as doing his own shows so that takes him singing all over Europe and Asia, at the moment he’s preparing for a one man show on New Years Eve in Hong Kong… David and I haven’t seen him sing for about 10 years now… since my 50th birthday in fact… all the gigs he does are for private functions so we miss out. Aaaaaahhh well one day eh?? We’re very proud and impressed with all the work Tom has done to turn an ordinary terrace house into a lovely home in Wood Green, he’s not only a handy man he’s a great gardener, cook and Dad as well.
We’re also very impressed with Emma’s mothering skills, our wonderful grand daughter tries to run rings around both Emma and Tom but quietly and without fuss Emma wins hands down… she may be a tad exhausted some days but that’s motherhood and working for you isn’t it! Emma has packed in plenty of teaching dance, as well as being involved in a couple of productions; and she obviously loves it all. One surprise for us is Emma’s ability to cook up a storm, she led us to believe she didn’t cook but she’s put on some wonderful meals for us and is eagerly learning all the time, Abigail Rose gets a wonderful selection of steamed vegetables just about every day! Emma has a lot on most days and becomes a little forgetful, last week she caught the tube with Abigail to Kings Cross Station to catch the train to Yorkshire…it wasn’t till she got to Kings Cross, maybe 40 mins since leaving home… that she noticed she’d forgotten to put a nappy on Abi LOL… a little puddle on the floor was the give away…one of the things I love about Emma is her ability to laugh at herself! How lucky we are with all our children’s partners… they make it so easy for us to love them all.
Abigail Rose has just turned one, she celebrated her birthday firstly in Hong Kong, secondly in Wood Green and thirdly in Kirby Malzeard where Emma’s parents live. This little one-year-old jets around the world and the UK at the drop of a hat… her passport is also filling up with customs stamps! We look after Abi every now and then so she knows us both well and gives us the biggest smile when she sees us and she loves to play what ever silly game we think up…up to a point that is, then she’s off to greener pastures for a while… Abi is one very active little girl. Tom, Em and Abi are planning a trip to Australia when we get home next March… even though Abi is a Jet Setter she still hasn’t been to Australia!

Briony has kicked butt at University this year becoming known by fellow students as ‘Brainy’ she’s studying Law and loving it while working 4 days a week at Baldwin Oates and Tidbury, a law firm in Gordon, not far from us in Turramurra. Briony’s voluntary work… entertaining the Children at Villawood Detention Centre finished half way though the year when all the children were released and allowed to come back into the community… she still helps organize days out with the Children and celebrated their release with a much publicized fun day at Manly Beach.
Briony and Joon have just been to India where Joon presented a paper at the University in Delhi they loved their visit especially seeing the Taj Mahal but they eventually found the poverty hard to ignore. As I write they are in Seoul, Korea, staying with Joon’s second oldest sister and are looking forward to spending Christmas with Joon’s family. Briony was quite nervous about meeting Joon’s mother and all his sisters and his brother as Briony’s Korean is limited to ‘Hello’, ‘Goodbye’, ‘This is delicious’ and a song she’s learnt from a Korean soap she’s seen on TV, LOL… but the meeting went well and she sounded just her bubbly happy self when I spoke to her on the phone. Joon will finish his PhD early in 2006 and sometime after that Briony and Joon plan to get married… what an exciting year it will be for us.

Just before we left Australia, Gwilym decided to leave full time employment and concentrate on his own company, Reflective Landscapes… working in an office all day wasn’t for him and he’s much happier working for himself, mostly out doors and he’s a lot fitter and a lot healthier as well. Gwil and Emily moved into ‘333’ a couple of weeks before we left and they are doing a brilliant job of looking after our home for us… although I have heard the odd ‘Gee I didn’t know it would be so much work!’ from Gwil when he realized he’d better open the pile of mail that always seems to arrive for us, but from what I can glean from the odd photo and word from his siblings the house and garden is loving having a clever caring Gwil to stay.
Emily has finished University much to both her and Gwil’s relief, he has his girlfriend back he says and she can enjoy her full time job with FBI (the Radio Station she used to work for part time) without having to fit in classes and exams as well. Em and Gwil have just paid for their trip on the 31st March traveling to - Saigon - Frankfurt - Helsinki, then train to St Petersburg returning home via, London and Frankfurt to Sydney. Nerys, Tim and JH will join Gwil and Em at ‘333’ for Christmas Celebrations on Christmas Eve, Em’s parents, from Brisbane, will be staying and Em’s Aunt, Uncle and cousin will be joining them as well, Gwil is catering in great style from what I hear on the grapevine!

This photo was taken on Gwilym's 25th Birthday, aren't they all lovely... playing the Modern Monolopy Gwil got for his birthday.

I haven’t heard a lot from Susan this year, she’s been so busy with her first year as a teacher, as well as ferrying Emily to her extra curricular life, Gymnastics is still one activity Emily really enjoys and will extend her hours next year. Just when Susan thought life would get a little quieter the owners of her home decided they needed to move back in and asked her to quit her lease which she has done and is now in the throes of moving in with a friend who lives about 45 minutes out of Melbourne… I hope she gets a bit of a break over the Summer Holidays.

Vale Mary Sanger Griffiths nee Evans, David’s mother on 3rd March 2005.

For the first time ever our family will be celebrating Christmas apart… Nerys, Tim and Jackson Harry will be celebrating with my parents and brothers Nick and Tim and their families in Terrigal, Briony and Joon will be celebrating in Seoul with Joon’s family, Gwilym and Emily will be celebrating with Emily’s family in Davistown near Gosford… but Tom, Emma and Abi will be celebrating in London with us!!
We’re loving the build up to Christmas and even though this is our 4th Christmas in England over 37 years, we still find it hard to believe it is only a few days away when the weather is so cold…minus one yesterday evening, it’s been 30c something in Sydney. We will be spending Christmas Day at Tom and Emma’s, cooking the Turkey in the BBQ outside then sitting beside the open fire inside, I don’t expect it will be a white Christmas as London is pretty mild compared to other parts of England and if the weather is anything to go by right now it may be one of these very crisp and sunny days. How exciting!!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and have really loved receiving all your cards and Newsletters… they have brightened up our little English home enormously.

A fun day with the Lord and Phyllis.

I have a very distant relative who is a Lord, his inherited title is Lord Rennell of Rodd and his name is Tremayne. Phyllis his wife is from a large Irish family and they have 4 children. James the oldest visited Australia about 8 years ago and stayed with us for 6 months, we met Tremayne for the first time when he came to visit James. Both Tremayne and Phyllis are delightful people and live in a very large home in Putney, the third floor of which has been turned into a very comfortable Bed and Breakfast. The home is similar to ours in that it has lots of collections and inherited furniture cluttering it up which made us feel so at home. Phyllis cooked us a true English Sunday Roast with all the trimmings and it was lovely to meet the two youngest daughters Rachel and Lilias... it was a really lovely day but I left my camera at home!
My side of the Rodd family arrived in Sydney in 1820, John Rodd and his three sons, they settled in Drummoyne. Rodd Point, Rodd Island and a lot of street names in the area are named after our family. Tremayne’s side of the family goes back to an older brother of John… so that makes us 5th, 6th or 7th cousins once removed… or some such thing.
James Rennell Rodd was the 1st Baron Rennell, a diplomat, a poet, a painter and archaeologist; it was while he was in Rome that his service to the British Government, during the first war earned him the title Lord Rennell of Rodd.

On being a Member of the Flock.

I have already spoken of the occasional need to guide lost members of my flock back to the righteous path--- (See Ministering to my Flock, November Archive)
I can now report what it is to be on the other side, to be a member of the flock of The Lost Souls of London.
What I had to find was Holloway Market. I had actually been there before by catching a 91 bus from Crouch End, but this time I had arrived in Holloway by the 29 bus from Camden Town, and at the corner of Holloway Road and Seven Sisters Road, streetscapes in all directions looked remarkably similar. It is Christmas shopping time, and I had been successful at Camden Lock in finding two skirts for Emma, but what defeated me was a certain item for Pennie (It must remain nameless until after Christmas). Maybe Holloway market could supply.
First you have to be canny about whom to ask. The first two, a 30-ish woman, had little English and no idea. The second, a young African, was not too sure but thought the Market was weekends only. The third man confidently directed me first right up there, which proved to be a dead end with not a stall in sight. The next, a Canadian girl, to judge by her accent, wrestled with it a while and gave me two possibles, in opposite directions, in a very helpful and concerned way.
Changing tack, I asked an older, apparently native Pom, gent, who unerringly set me on track, but added the tip to go through the Safeway carpark as a shortcut. And so it proved. But still no luck, Holloway Market did provide one useful additional item, but not the elusive Holy Grail. Watch this spot to see what Pennie got for Christmas.
Lest you think, “Oh Dear, he’s losing the plot…” let me assure you the old charisma has asserted itself, and at Kings Cross Underground station the other night, awaiting a train to Amersham, I was approached by no less than four persons for advice.
The station is very confusing, because for historical reasons one set of platforms serves three distinct lines, the Hammersmith and City, the Circle, and the Metropolitan. A Frenchman wanted Northwick Park: I thought quickly, shoved him towards the train standing at the platform but the doors closed just a moment too soon, so I said catch any Uxbridge train, All Stops, or Semi-Fast. (I had been overhearing the station announcements and was beginning to get the idea).
A European of indeterminate nationality and little English wanted “Lad…something”: I guessed Ladbroke Grove and set him up with a Hammersmith train.
A Chinese man, with unmistakeable native London accent, wanted to know if all trains stopped at Baker Street. Obligingly standing away from the route map, which I had obscured by standing in front of it, we established that yes, all did. In retrospect I think it was just his polite ruse to get me out of the way.
An English couple, confessing they had not been back to London for years and had lost their bearings, wanted Paddington, so any Hammersmith or Circle train was fine for them, but I tried to do a deal first: if I found them a Paddington train, they had to find me an Amersham train. They agreed readily (just jokes) but theirs turned up first and I watched 5 or 6 trains come and go before ‘Amersham’ finally showed on the front of the next one.
And at Amersham that night, the annual dinner of the Amersham and District Omnibus Society was a most convivial affair. I met a couple who own an ex-London Transport double decker of unusual type, and a 1904 James and Brown motor car which they use in the London to Brighton run (I probably saw them at Hyde Park corner on that November morning), and are great pals with a lady I know well in Turramurra, one of my former washing machine customers. The beer, India Pale Ale, was superb, as was the pub dinner, and the night went in a hubbub of earnest bus discussions.

What is that Buzzzing Noise??

Every afternoon, when I am at Tom and Emma's writing up the Blog I am mystified by this buzzing noise that is coming from the front window, it gets louder and louder till I remember what it is and smile to myself... it's a winding snake, about 3 feet tall, led and followed up by a taller version of the body of the snake. It winds along the paths two by two holding hands through thick wooly mittens, thick coats, multi coloured head wear, scarfs tossed over their shoulders, carrying heavy backpacks... it's a group of 5 to 6 year olds being led from School to the After School Centre at the end of Maurice Avenue... all the children are happy and well behaved and chattering away to each other as if their lives depended on it! I want to go and play with them!

I've just put some Blog entries up... one of them an old one written by David about the last day of the Routemasters... it's dated the 9th so look it out. I'm trying to keep the entries on the date I'm talking about, it will be easier for me to follow in years to come. We're off to another Bus Christmas Party tonight... and at last the weather is getting cold again with frosts threatened for tonight. I have enjoyed the mild weather though.

The Night of the Iguana.

Tom got us free tickets to see the old Tennessee Williams play that we know nothing about but free is free so we jump at the chance... staring Woody Harrelson, Clare Higgins and Jenny Seagrove (who was in Local Hero BTW)... the acting was brilliant, the Set... amazing, the story... typical Tennessee Williams with a lot of shouting! All in all a great experience.
The Lyric Theatre is the oldest Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, completely redecorated in 1932 in over the top gilt style of the day, cosy with four levels of seating... our tickets were second row of the Dress Circle and great.

As it was a Matinee Performance we saw we decided to set off early and do a few things on our list. Firstly spending about one hour at the offices of British Airways which is also in Shaftesbury Avenue. We've decided to upgrade our seats coming home from old Business Class to the better Business Class, we now have two Flat Bed seats on the Upper Deck, we did debate about our flight home with stop overs considered but we both agree by the time we start to head for home we will want to get home so we may as well spend the money on a Flat Bed and sun ourselves by our pool, with all the family rather than stop over and sun our selves in a country we don't necessarily want to visit... I remember coming home twice before, both by sea which was brilliant but by the time we left New Zealand I was busting to get there rather than spend those last two days on the Ocean... I love living here but Home is Home isn't it!

China Town was also on our list and we were surprised at how big it has now become, not as big as in Sydney but almost the same. We asked a Chinese man where we could get Yum Cha and he looked at us blankly but directed us to the Golden Dragon which does Dim Sum which is sort of like Yum Cha without the trolleys... you order from a menu rather than checking out what is on the trolley and deciding whether to try it or not. We didn't like any of the fried dishes we choose... too greasy... but the steamed dishes were wonderful and just like back home, no vegetables though! The Restaurant was 90% full of Chinese people which is always a good sign.

Michael and Cara.

While we were on the Circulars today my nephew Michael rang, he and his girlfriend Cara are in London for a day or two before heading off on a Kontiki tour of Europe with Christmas in the South of France. We have time to pop into Tesco’s on the way home from Windsor for some essentials, unpack the car, walk to Wood Green Station, catch the tube and meet Michael and Cara at Marble Arch at 7pm. We haven’t seen Michael for years, he’s my brother Tim’s middle son and a Jockey based in Queensland but been racing in Hong Kong for the last year.

Tom is in Brussels, Emma and Abi in Yorkshire so it’s just David and I... before leaving home David looks up his Good Beer Guide and finds a typical old English Pub to take us to for a drink and a meal so back onto the Tube we go… first time for Michael and Cara… off at Chancery Lane and find the ‘Cittee of Yorke’… a pub has been on this site since 1430, it’s a fascinating building with many odd shaped rooms, we find seats in what once was the Cellar and we all enjoy a good couple of hours of drink, food and chat, it’s amazing what fun it is to catch up with someone from home! Despite his success and fame in the Racing World, Michael hasn’t changed one bit, he's still the happy enthusiastic young man he was as a child and Cara is absolutely delightful… they are a lovely couple to be with and I know they are going to have a ball on their trip.

Windsor... Berkshire not NSW!

Windsor Castle.
Once again we find ourselves on the North Circular… Car Park!!!!! Is there ever a time of day that one can drive steadily along these Circulars??? Anyway… David does some clever calculations and we dive off at some junction and weave our way through some suburbs that were so undistinguishable that we’ve forgotten their names already…to the M25 and Windsor. I love Windsor especially at this time of year when there are hardly any tourists about, it costs £10 each to get in and the Security is very noticeable and heavy with Police standing guard holding large German automatic rifles in the ready to shoot position, not very technical description but you know what I mean and I didn't think they would like me if I took their photo.
Queen Mary's Dolls House Kitchen, I always love to see the Kitchens no matter where we go!
I love Queen Mary’s Dolls House and can gaze at it again and again and dream that one day I will make a dolls house of ‘333’… mmmm… one day maybe! This incredible dolls house was never made for children to play with, it was made in 1921 by Sir Edwin Lutyens and intended to be an historical record of the ideal early 20th century English house and meant to be a source of fun and even a light-hearted joke… so says the book. The house was originally a star exhibit at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924 and intended to promote international trade and economic growth after the war. Miniature goods were made by British manufacturers of the day from Wisden cricket bats to Waring and Gillow furniture to Royal Dalton plates to Purdey guns, Rolls-Royce motors, Coopers Oxford marmalade and Rowntree’s sweets…oh I just love it all. Then we tour Windsor Castle it’s self… the Christmas Tree is up with some decoration but any Christmas decoration added to this place just clashes too much with all the gilt and fuss… I can appreciate a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci but an over carved over gilt side table… nope!! It all makes me shudder… the rooms are absolutely beautifully proportioned with the windows giving incredible views over the surrounding countryside but the decor leaves me cold! Boy I’m glad I wasn’t born a Royal, I know I live in a clutter but at least it’s not gilt clutter LOL! http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page557.asp

Now St Georges Chapel I do like, the fine stonework and stained glass is simple in comparison to the Castle… my favourite Church/Cathedral so far!
These must be the classiest Car Park Toilets I've ever seen.
After lunch in the old Windsor Railway Station, now turned into cafés and shops we head out to Datchet and the Royal Farms… I’ve been wanting to visit the Windsor Farm Shop since seeing that show about the Royals on the telly at home earlier this year, the Duke showed us the shop and I’ve been dying to go and buy something in it since we got here!! We sighted not a single Royal but David did ask the checkout girl if she was a Princess… she wasn’t but I think we made her day!! I’ve devoured the Yoghurt which was almost as good as Harris Farm at home, I’m munching on a Tomato sandwich for lunch right now…Yummo! For Christmas lunch we have Bramley Apple Juice, Cranberry Sauce, Chestnut Stuffing and Baking Potatoes. It is an incredible shop with all meats, preserves, cheeses, breads, cakes and much more made on one of the Royal Farms… Wonderful!!
Royal Farm Entrance.

Meanwhile... back home!

Well it looks like everything back home is going well… Gwil has resurfaced the Tennis court and the Lorikeets are still coming for a feed. We had a card from our lovely young neighbours who tell us the parties have quietened down to one a week and now it’s the first 50 though the door… it’s important to have good understanding neighbours isn’t it eh!! LOL

Another day in London.

Covent Garden.
Today's outing started on the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden, wonderful building now filled with market stalls- no fruit and veg. though… we were accosted by a middle eastern flower seller looking nothing like Eliza Doolittle I have to say! Walked along The Strand, admired The Savoy Hotel and Somerset House, crossing Waterloo Bridge… to our right we see Cleopatra’s Needle, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and across the river the London Eye.

Walking along the Queens Walk with The Thames on our left, love the lights, past the Royal National Theatre, The London Television Centre, South Bank, the beautiful Blackfriars Bridge with a glimpse of St Paul’s in the distance, past the Tate Modern, to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre where we take a break for lunch then I head into the Globe and a tour while David hunts down a beer! (David calls it hunting down the ‘Sights’!) Very cold in the Globe, it’s a cold day but with all our walking we don’t notice it so much, sitting in an open air theatre is a different matter so no wonder they don’t put any plays on from November to May.

Photos are here but they are from finish to start and I don't know how to change that.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobbin/

The photos of ‘The Globe’ show the stage… paint makes the two old oak tree trunks that hold up the roof look like marble, above the stage is the Heavens where all good things come from and on the stage floor you can see trapdoors where all the bad things go or happen.
Prices… standing cost one penny… 1,000 people would stand in this small space open to all weather. A seat on a bench cost tuppence… with a cushion threepence… 2,000 people could sit. Behind the stage were the most sort after seats and that was where the Lords sat, they had the worst views but everyone could see them of course. Up in the very top gallery in the stalls closest to the stage Prostitutes did a roaring trade… and some people wonder what the world is coming to nowadays LOL! Today you can buy a ticket for £5; they don’t allow 3,000 people at a time any more.
Another interesting fact…the local Member of Parliament succeeded after 8 years of trying to amend the law made during the Great Fire of London in 1666, which was to ban, Thatch! The Globe is thatched with a sprinkler system installed on top… it is and will be the only building in Greater London allowed to have a Thatched Roof.

The Millennium Bridge is impressively modern and I love the view towards each end from the middle of it… the old to the modern… I know which view I prefer though. St Paul’s Cathedral is undergoing some exterior restoration, it is a very beautiful building and I’m always awestruck each time I see it… we don’t do the full tour this time, it costs £8 to do so… glad we enjoyed it for free 37 years ago… David makes a donation because we feel mean, LOL… what is amazing is that just about every church in the vicinity of St Paul’s was designed by Christopher Wren… he was one very busy and very clever boy. In the photo from the Millennium Bridge you can see at least 5 church spires.

We jump on one of the London RM Double Deckers while it’s stuck in traffic, these are the buses that have been discontinued, they still run a few routes just for the tourists though… along Ludgate Hill, Fleet Street, The Strand to Trafalgar Square walk along Pall Mall, up Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus and the tube back to Wood Green Wetherspoons Pub for a pint of Abbot Ale for David… and you won’t believe this but I’ve taken to a small Carlings on tap… well I’ve had two over the three months that we’ve been here and I enjoyed both of them!!

Hemel Hemstead Explosion.

We didn’t hear the explosion in the fuel storage tank at Hemel Hemstead, which is only about 20 miles away…(32Km’s) probably because it went off at around 6am and we were sound asleep… it did measure 2.5 on the Richter Scale though. Later in the day when we decided to go for a walk we looked at the very black sky right above Moselle Avenue and thought it was going to pour with rain… but of course it didn’t and as I couldn’t smell anything we didn’t think it could have been smoke but of course it must have been. After about 3 days they say the fire is now out.

Abigail turns One!

Piles of pretty pressies, big bright balloons, Wiggly Safari to dance to, trying to catch bubbles in the air, slithering slinky to wonder at, ‘I Spy’ quilt to crawl under and 12 cupcakes with candles to grab… what a wonderful way to spend your first birthday!

Christmas?? What's that?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really looking forward to spending Christmas with my lovely pommy family… but… it just doesn’t feel like Christmas here… for a start it’s Cold! Who ever said Christmas has to be cold??

This is what a real Christmas is like… Bright sunny hot days, sun up and warm by 6am, early morning swims in the pool, having breakfast on the veranda wrapped in a beach towel, crowded shops, the smell of Radiata Pine Christmas Trees, boxes of large sweet juicy cherries, trays of sweet juicy mangos, a midnight trip to the Fish Market for fresh lobster, prawns, sashimi and oysters, BBQ parties to attend, hampers to deliver for the Smith Family… to top it off at least 20 for lunch on the day it’s self with feasting on Seafood, BBQ Turkey, salads and the fresh fruits mentioned above… Then we look forward to the very quiet time after Christmas, our local shops of which there are about 20 almost all close down for at least one week if not two. Turramurra North goes very quiet… if one was that way inclined road races or shootouts could occur and no one would get hurt because there is no one around! Now that’s what Christmas means to us!

So what will we be doing here in London? Ha…you thought we had it all planned didn’t you? Well we don’t yet, Emma is still in Hong Kong and Tom has heaps of work on… all I know is that we will be sitting around Tom’s fantastic fire doing what people do when it’s cold outside! I am prepared though, I’ve sent cards and wrapped the pressies which I have to admit is easier to do when the weather is cold because the temptation to put it off and jump in the pool doesn’t exist!

Goodbye Routemasters.

Warning: reading of this passage by non-diesel-heads could cause terminal narcolepsy.

“What is a Routemaster?”, I hear you cry. After World War II and while the earlier model RT London bus was still in production, planning and the design began for London Transport’s next generation bus. It would be a hard act to follow. The RT had emerged in 1939 as the most advanced double decker in the world and 4,500 were built for London alone. So the RM had to be pretty remarkable and it was; no chassis, all-aluminium frame and body, engine and front wheels attached to a Y-frame which could be wheeled out for maintenance, and gentle coil spring suspension all round.
The first one hit the streets in 1954, and the last one ran in normal revenue service last Friday, December 9th, from Brixton Garage, on route 159, Marble Arch to Streatham Station. But Thursday 8th was to be the last full day of operation, and we were promised a raft of ‘guest buses’—i.e. visiting preserved vintage and veteran buses running in conjunction with RMs on the service.
So I planned to wake early and get in there before the rush, to get some good video footage. I rolled over looked blearily at my watch; 5 to 7; time for a brief snooze. Got up at 7.20, and looked my watch right way up: 10 a.m.— bugger.
-Race up to tube, emerge at Piccadilly Circus beside Eros to find traffic islands crowded with photographers and bus nuts.
-Plan was to be on the curve of Regent Street, to get the long view, and then good side views. Four lanes of city traffic meant cars and other buses got in the way.
-Went to Marble Arch to catch them standing over at the terminus.
-Hordes of bus nuts snapping everything red that came near.
-Being mainly out to catch anything really old, pre-WWII, to film, I hung out for some hours.
-Lots of service RMs from Brixton, looking very tired, faded, and battered, some dented, one with red gaffer tape holding something together on its black front mudguard, one with a crack in its bonnet patched with a square of metal pop-riveted on the outside. How the mighty are fallen.
-A couple of RTs, an RMC (a Routemaster in its coach version with power-operated door), an RTW (the 8 foot wide Leyland-built version of the RT) turned up, then a rego number I knew: SLT 56. It was RM1, the very first prototype RM, so lots of careful video shots of that.
Then---agony: to stay put and wait in hope, or go to Brixton and catch the action at the Garage? I knew as soon as I settled into an RM upstairs at the front I would likely see all the wanted vehicles heading the other way, and so I did; the Silver Jubilee RM, the Golden Jubilee RM (painted those colours for ERII’s career milestones), two green London Country RMs, and the London Transport Museum’s ST, an early 1930’s open staircase veteran. Bugger.
But lots of action at Brixton—RT624, the last RT to run in service in London, arrived, nearly boiling after the ascent of Brixton Hill—bit of a problem there—but they said it would do a return trip after 30 mins. I waited for that.
-Got busted trying to film with one foot inside the entry road of the Garage. Security is tight after the bombers’ visit, and today was no exception.
Now 5 PM and pitch dark, the ST had finished for the day and wasn’t carrying passengers anyway; just doing two return trips for the photographers.
However, I got 1.5 hours of quite good footage to edit up for a future Tempe Museum meeting night, and saw lots of London scenery, from Hyde Park and Marble Arch to Whitehall and Westminster, to Kennington and Brixton. The demographic equivalent of going from Macquarie Street Sydney, to Lakemba, but in a quarter of the time. Remember the Brixton race riots?
Hopped off the RT at Regent Street after a pleasant conversation with the bus nut seated beside me, and in 20 minutes I was home in Wood Green.
-One last thought: The Queen was crowned the same year Routemasters began service, and route 159 runs beside Westminster Abbey at one point.

All about Abigail, Emma and Tom

This Blog entry is well over due considering the main reason we came to live in London for 6 months was to be near Tom, Emma and Abi so at last I've written a little about each of them so you will have some idea of how they all tick and what they are up to. Lets start with Abi!

Abigail Rose the Jet Setter.

Just before we arrived in London the very beautiful Abigail Rose had been sunning herself in Monaco... yes the Princess Grace Monaco! Then when we took off to Scotland she took off to Yorkshire and since then she’s flown to Dublin and Dubai and now Hong Kong and Thailand… all this jet setting before she’s turned 1 year old!! Maybe she’s trying to break Briony’s record of 17 different countries by the time she was 2, some of those she visited twice!

Abi has grown so much since we arrived three months ago and she’s learnt to walk, by 11 months she was running quite successfully especially if we play and pretend to chase her. She is a very happy little girl putting up with two parents who’s own lives are hectic with no regular routine of their own… new places and new faces never faze our Abi! There are still a few problems with feeding… she is good for her parents but the only meal I have success with is to give her a lamb bone to chew on LOL!

Sleeping through the night is still a joy her mother and father have yet to experience but Tom was the same, he needed that 2am feed till he was 18 months old… I was more canny and put a bottle in his bed as I went to bed myself... I heard him wake up, find his bottle then silence… at least I didn’t have to get out of bed!

Getting ‘outside’ is Abi’s goal in life, open that front door or that back door and she’s off like a rocket trying to follow… not always possible in this climate unfortunately but helping empty the dishwasher when someone is filling it is one of her games and the same with the washing machine, actually computing is one game she would like to do more often as well. Abi is very loud, she isn’t talking yet but when she pretends to she shouts very loudly in the happiest of ways and when ever music comes on she stops what she’s doing and jigs around… I knew she was following her mum with the dancing but didn’t realize she was following Tomo when she shouts till I was around there one day while he was rehearsing some songs… she was mesmerized then followed suit!! Abigail Rose is a product of her parents that’s for sure!

Of course you can all see how very beautiful our Abigail Rose is from her photos but you should see her beautiful smile when she sees David or I or that very special way her whole face lights up when she sees her Dad or Mum when they have been away for a few hours or days… It’s just magical!

Emma.

We hardly knew Emma when we got here, she and Tom met in Kula Lumpur. Tom was living in Sydney and Emma (born in Yorkshire) was living in Hong Kong, they got married overlooking Sydney Harbour then left for England not long after… that was two years ago. At least we had met Emma before she married our Tom, unlike our son –in-law Tim whom we met at Sydney Airport two months after he married our Nerys.

Emma is a dancer and choreographer, we can tell how much she loves her work when she has something special coming up… she never stops dancing in her head as it were, she teaches at a couple of Dance Schools and local schools and is much adored by her pupils if the family across the road from us is anything to go by… Emma taught one of the girls at a Holiday programme not long ago. Emma has put on a few shows here in England while we’ve been here as well as taking Abi overseas to do some big productions in Dubai, Hong Kong and Thailand.

I don’t think I had any preconceived ideas about whom our Tom should or would marry or not marry but with Emma he has won the Jackpot many times over she is a lovely, very special person, one in a million, a gem among gems and all the clichés one can thing of… to put it bluntly… he is very bloody lucky to have found her and together they are just perfect and a joy to be with.

The first time I realized just how much I love Emma was when Tom was preparing for one of his trips OS, he was fluffing about in a nervous mess trying to find his music while she quietly packed his bag, found his credit card, his phone, settled his nerves, changed Abigail’s nappy, cooked a meal, did the washing, cleaned the windows, vacuumed the floor, made the beds all the while going over a dance routine she had to do that evening………. Okay… Okay… I’m getting carried away now; domesticity isn’t really one of Emma’s passions LOL… Tom, Abi and dancing are though!

Let not those of you reading this think that there are no flaws with our Emma… there are and I’m going to embarrass her here by mentioning a few… there was the time she put a new breadboard in the dishwasher, it broke in two but all she said was, ‘I learn a lot with my mistakes!’ LOL… then there was the time she was going out to get keys cut for their home for us, something that was going to happen in week 1, it was now about week 8! She packed Abi up into the pram and left the house without any keys! Tom was up North with David buying our car but he’d lost his keys somewhere in the house days ago! To pay Tom credit with no fuss, he arrived home climbed over the back fence, got a ladder and climbed upstairs into the bathroom window… I won’t tell you how many times credit cards, phones, keys and music get lost they all get found in the end so what does it matter! We love Emma to bits!

And now Tomo...

Our Tomos.

The day we arrived in London Tomos flew out to Japan to do a gig, he’d taken one weeks holiday from the show he was in on the West End called ‘Far Pavilions’ and while we were in Scotland he returned for the last week of the show he hated being in because it was so very ordinary… ‘Far Pavilions’ is no longer on the West End. Since then he has either done gigs all over the United Kingdom with the ‘Three Waiters’ or shows in Singapore or Hong Kong with a big One Man show coming up in Hong Kong over New Year.

Much to our surprise Tomos has turned into a great cook, a terrific gardener managing to grow several Australian trees and even having success with tomatoes… but best of all he’s turned into a very classy home renovator - confidently turning his hand at painting, building and anything else needed to make his home into the very comfortable and relaxing home it is… his most proudest moment was when he restored the old fireplace and lit his first fire, now we all enjoy that special glow instead of the very ordinary heat from the central heating. I knew he could cook but he’s managed to hide his other talents well all these years.

Tom is happy living in London even though there are aspects of it he doesn't like much, he is very much in love and supportive of his beautiful wife and she in turn brings out the best in him and to say he’s ‘gaga’ over Abi is an understatement… suffice to say Tom is one very proud Dad and rightly so because he’s one terrific Dad, never flinching at a dirty nappy or a long day at home alone with the adored baby, a trip to the local pool to teach her to swim or just sitting on the floor playing silly games… it’s when he talks about the best ways of educating Abi that I almost fall over… we always thought Tom thought school was just a social place to go till he was old enough to get out of there, I wonder what his own children with think of school??

I would be lying if I said Tom was an easy child to get to adulthood or an easy young adult to understand, he wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination… just ask his siblings… so to see him turn a full circle and become the very likable, loving and responsible citizen he now is... is very rewarding for both of us… I always had faith in him and to see and live with him now at the age of 32... well it's a joy I was a little nervous about hoping for when we left Australia… we are so very proud of our Tomo it brings tears to my eyes.

Auditions for the big Musicals will happen again after January/February so Tom will be giving it his best to get a decent part in one of the long running shows in the meantime he does really well with ‘The Three Waiters’.

Conversation #4

Today's Conversation happens while we are stuck in traffic, as we always seem to be coming home from anywhere South of London... we should pack a picnic and a sleeping bag methinks.

David... 'Look there is one of those 8 Wheelers.'
Pennie... 'DAVID! That vehicle has 12 wheels!'
David... 'I will have to introduce you to a few truckies so they can sort you out!'
Pennie... Okay David, now tell me this... if you have to change all the tyres at the same time how many would you have to buy?'
David... 'Well... 12.'
Pennie... 'I Win, I Win I WIN!!'

All that can be heard from David is one very big groan!

Tuesday

The Monthly Markets are on in the Guildford High Street and I can’t resist a little more Christmas Shopping all the while wishing I had a fridge in the car to be able to buy farm fresh Partridges, Pheasants and every other meat all home grown in Surrey.

David enjoyed a walk to Godalming before picking up our Pug all restored to health and ready for it’s trip back to London tomorrow Morning. In the evening he sets out to a pub near Cranleigh to meet up with Peter's 'Grunter' friends... this is a group of friends Peter has been playing Squash and now Indoor Tennis with for as long as we have known him, they head to the Pub after the game and that's where David occasionally met up with them him not being fond of ball games LOL. I watch the final of a silly show that Christine has become hooked on, it's called 'I'm a Celebrity get me out of here' I only know of two of the people in there but the silly thing about this show is that it's supposed to be set in a Jungle but it's only a few minutes inland from the Gold Coast in Queensland... the British Public votes to keep their favourite celeb in the Jungle... I haven't got a clue what they get if they win but the big surprise for me is that Carol Thatcher, Margaret's daughter wins very convincingly.

Brighton for the day...

The Pug needs a big service so we leave it at Peter Waugh’s Car Hire for Peter and Tony to attend to first thing on Monday Morning and catch the train to Brighton via Gatwick Airport for the day, it’s cold with a thin sun showing up every now and then… we have a lovely day at the Brighton Pavilion, the Pier and wandering through the many interesting Shopping Lanes. The Pavilion has been beautifully restored from when we saw it last so it was a real thrill to see it looking so lovely… the kitchens and dining room just blow you away! http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/


On one of our trips to Brighton in 1977/8 I was doing some shopping while David took the three children to see the Historic Commercial Vehicles all lined up on the Sea Front, Briony was in a pappose on his back while Nerys aged 5 and Tomos aged 3 were walking along with him… he popped into a bus to have a closer look just at same time as some do-gooder noticed the two children on their own and asked them where there parents were… they looked around and said they didn’t know so instead of waiting with the kids she whisked them away. I arrived some time later to a frantic David asking if I had the children… all you with children will know how we felt as we, with several police, searched the sea front for more than 90 minutes. Eventually I found them sitting in the Police Hut right on the entrance to the Pier. Why the Police looking for the kids with walkie talkies didn’t talk to the Police in the hut I will never know but they were safe and enjoying some sweets, Tom was becoming a bit distressed and had tears when he saw me but Nerys was being the good little mother that she has now become in real life and had her arm around him for comfort… comfort for them both probably. I found the Police Hut but it is now a Souvenir Shop.
The Blue building used to be a Police Hut.
This is where the Commercial Vehicles were parked all along the seafront... it was a long search.
I love these White Cliffs.

Back to our old stamping grounds...

David and I are staying in Guildford for a week, we are staying with our friend Chris Waugh who has visited Australia many times over the last 37 years and stayed with us at least once each visit. We have no Internet while we are down here.

We've had four days of driving all over Surrey and Sussex, visiting Lewes and Battle in pouring rain then the following day Petworth in brilliant sunshine. Today the car needed servicing so our friend Peter, Chris's brother, is attending to it while we caught a train to Brighton (via Gatwick Airport) to remind ourselves of many past visits. Luckily the Brighton Pavillion has been restored since our last visit and is looking fabulous inside and out... the Brighton Pier was in full swing with most rides and shops open to very few public visitors as it's pretty darn cold today!!

On our way back to the Station we found a Internet Cafe hence the quick catch up!

I have lots of stories to tell and will catch up when we get back to our dear little home in Wood Green next Wednesday. cheers Pennie

Sunday...

Petersfield, David wanted to re enact a bus route he used to do while working for the Aldershot and District so we followed along with him saying… this is a new road, that pub has changed and so on, stopping at the Devils Punchbowl where we used to come quite often for walks with visiting friends and the children… it was bitterly cold today and as we were heading back to the car Briony rang to thank us for her Christmas present that she had to open early as she and Joon are about to head off to China and Korea, she was in tears because she liked the present I left for her so much… Aaaaaaahh!
Devils Punchbowl.
Trying out the Kissing Gate.

Lunching at the Gamekeepers Arms near Dumpford we shared the Gamekeepers Pie because it was enormous and filled with Pheasant, Partridge, Wild Duck and Venison… Yummo!

Drove through Petworth looking for the Angel Hotel which used to belong to our friend Merv Church, both Nerys and Tomos worked for Merv when they were on their working holidays in the UK, we couldn’t find it and hurried home because I don’t like driving along unknown narrow winding roads in the dark and wet. We remember going to a Harpsichord Recital in the Grinley Gibbons Room at Petworth House when we lived at Henfield 37 years ago, it was a most delightful evening not only listening to the music but also watching the deer coming to drink at the lake at dusk.
http://www.aboutbritain.com/PetworthHouse.htm

Popped into Artington House on our way home to take 'now' photos. This is the Guildford Register Office where David and I were married in June 1968, it’s also where Nerys and Tim were married in 1995 so we took photos of where our wedding photo was taken as well as where Nerys and Tim’s wedding photo was taken.
This is where our wedding photo was taken 37 years ago
Pretending to be Nerys and Tim...
Sunday Evening I cooked a Salmon Dinner with fresh fruit salad to follow and was fascinated by the origin of the foods….
Salmon… Norway
Potatoes… UK
Broccoli… UK
Creamed Corn… USA
Pineapple… Ivory Coast
Mango… Israel
Bananas… Jamaica
Raspberries… Portugal

Battle

Big driving day today through many narrow winding lanes in pouring rain, sunshine or wind. Guildford is not on any direct route to where we wanted to go, so it was a bit of a zig and a zag to get to the very beautiful town of Lewes for Morning Tea.

Battle… We’ve been to Battle on one of our other trips to the UK but I don’t think I knew I was related to one of William the Conqueror’s mates back then. Hugh de Rodd later married a Welsh Princess and settled in Barnstable in Devon.

Pouring rain didn’t dampen our enthusiasm as we tramped around the remains of the Abbey and battlefield with our ears glued to an excellent commentary and our minds wondering at the life that was way back in 1066. I’ll let the photos tell the story… after lunch we wound ourselves back to Guildford.

Dinner at the Kings Head with Peter, Maggie and Chris… an excellent dinner with excellent service and fun conversation, it’s so lovely to be with good old friends.

These photos are of Battle Abbey which was one of the first buildings built by William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings.