Thailand

I’m not sure much needs to be written about Thailand….beautiful resort, lots of sun, continuous swimming, continuous eating (mmm buffet breakfasts!), lots of cheap beer, lots of sunscreen and most of all lots of relaxing….all on a continuous loop for 12 days!
As of today, we have 3 more sleeps….then HOME!!! So many mixed emotions, from all of us! We can’t wait to see everyone we have missed so much over the last 7 months but not looking forward to the return to normality…school lunches, homework, cooking…the list goes on! What a most spectacular time we have all had…memories forever & ever.
I will write one more post…I think once I get home and it all sinks in. But for now…..I need to get back to the sun. :)

ENGLAND #9 (Winchester)

Off we went for our last night in the UK, to Winchester to stay in Matty’s parents house, of which part is a 5 star B&B. It was such a lovely accommodation and Heidi & Derwin looked after us so well. We had cups of tea on the balcony and then a delicious home cooked meal.
In the morning we were utterly spoilt with the most amazing breakfast… it really was 5 star! Then with a good belly full we walked in Winchester, which we’d discovered used to be the capital of England!!! Who knew…as you could imagine there was so much history and beautiful buildings. The girls favourite was the round table which was that of the “Knights of the round table”! It was huge!
We then caught up with Max, another of Paul’s gappy’s, for lunch at a local pub beer garden before heading home to get packed up.
We were all soooo excited to be heading to Thailand…somewhere we knew, closer to home, the warm weather, the pool, etc etc. All just a little delay of putting off the inevitable return to reality! Eeek. But a great place to get over jet lag!

ENGLAND #8 (Guildford)

Next stop was Guildford to catch up with gorgeous Gill who I hadn’t seen for 18 years (again!). She has two lovely kids, Max & Katie. Max was finished school for the school year but poor old Katie still had to go.
Our first afternoon we met their dog & little pony and then once we’d collected Katie from school we went to the stables to see their riding horses (I’m sure there’s some official horsey title but you know what I mean). The smaller one Katie rides and is just starting competitions with her and the younger but bigger one, Gill rides. And will maybe start back competing after quite a few years away. While we were there Gill saddled up Poppy (the smaller mum) and the girls & I all took a turn on her. The girls were quite freaked out and didn’t last long but I quite enjoyed it.
Then it was back home for a lovely dinner before Bunny & Thelma arrived. Then there was some spirited table tennis playing of which Max & I are the reigning champs…mind you one of our opposition players was 84 year old Bunny!! You should see him move! Then a quick game of cards to finish off our night.
We had the morning over at Rokers farm (which Bunny & Thelma own) with Gill & Max. Paul played golf on their golf course with the boys while we took the girls into their huge play centre. They also have a huge produce business there too.
We had the best time catching up and I’m hopeful it won’t be so long between visits next time!

ENGLAND #7 (London Part 2)

Whoops another delay…seem to have arrived in Thailand and gone into holiday mode.
So going back a few weeks now we arrived back in London and met with Krista, Matty & Minnie (who we’d met skiing) for dinner in Greenwich. It was warm enough for a summer dress and to eat outside! Yep!
The next day we had a “Greenwich day”. We visited the famous Greenwich markets…yum!! So much activity and amazing people watching to be had. Then we went to see the Cutty Sark which is a huge old boat (pirate ship!) which in it’s day had shipped wool from Australia. We then walked up through Greenwich park to the Greenwich Observatory. The girls loved learning all about Greenwich meantime and seeing where the laser came out (which you see in the night sky).
Then on Saturday night we went into Southbank with Matty. He took us to this awesome bar which was in underground tunnels right near the Thames, then we walked over the bridge to grab dinner at an asian restaurant…so delicious, which was really close to the London Eye.
The next day we headed to Lords to watch England v Sri Lanka in the 4th day of the test. We had the best day with an awesome picnic and of course champagne! Oh, not to mention a bit of cricket thrown in! :)
We then finished off that day with a visit to Abbey Rd Studios where the Beatles recorded all their music. Of course, we recreated the very famous album cover on the zebra crossing (after a quick google search to show the girls what we were talking about!).
We had the best time in London with Matty & Krista and really felt like we experienced the “real” London…not all the touristy stuff. Can’t wait to go back and visit again.

ENGLAND #6 (Ilfracombe)

Stunning…. what beautiful countryside….amazing green fields & hills meets the rocky harsh sea & cliffs. We loved exploring Ilfracombe and were utterly spoilt by Sylvia!
The day after we arrived we had a drive around the surrounding little seaside villages & explored the quaint village of Clovelly (which after I arrived I realised I had visited 21 years previously with mum…weird feeling!!). It’s an old fishing village from around the 1500-1600’s with cobblestoned roads & white homes. There are no vehicles allowed on the roads so there are donkeys walking up & down the roads in order to bring in stock, food, etc. It was like stepping back in time.
The next day we walked all around Ilfracombe. It was very chilled and just what we needed.
We’ve just arrived back in London for Part 2 with Matty & Krista. WE came back via Stonehenge….yep big rocks…as the girls said!! Haha!

ENGLAND #5 (London Part 1)

First stint up in London, staying in Greenwich with Matty & Krista. Spent a few hours walking around & having lunch in Greenwich & Blackheath and then headed off for a bbq at Phil & Jasmine’s (people we’d met skiing in Italy).
The weather has been unbelievably mild…and the humidity is insane!
The next day we had the best touring day in London city! We caught up with Jezza for lunch (a huge yummy burrito!) and then headed off for a 3 hour bus tour and got to see the best of the city….. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower & London Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus….and so much more!!!
We then headed off to watch Charlie & the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal…HUGE thank you to Matty & Krista who shouted us the tickets!! It was so totally amazing & I’d recommend getting to see it if you can…fantastic!!!
Off to Ilfracombe we go……

England #4 (Tunbridge Wells)

TUNBRIDGE WELLS – More great mates to catch up with (yes I know I’m repeating myself but we’re couch surfing our way all around the UK).
Had a lovely walk around the old town and saw the wells (which surprisingly have dried up….but they assure me it is being looked into!) and the old part of town (The Pantiles) from the 17th century.
The next day we headed to Hever Castle, which is where Anne Boleyn (one of Henry VIII’s wife’s) grew up. It is also where Henry VIII spent some nights while he was courting Anne. It is like a fairytale castle with a moat and is surrounded by the most beautiful gardens. The girls (& us) loved the water maze and hedge maze…even though Liv and I were terrible with the hedge maze and got quite lost!!
The next day we had a walk around the lake and did some “team” paddle boating…lots of fun was had by all. We all had lunch by the lake, perfect! We then followed that up with a much needed & much loved bbq. Yumm!!
On Saturday, we all jumped in the car and went up to watch Jamie in his 3rd day round of golf. He had a steady day and was well poised for the final day of play. We all got treated like VIP’s and the girls were pretty chuffed they had “special” passes!
We had a seriously special time with the gang and didn’t want to leave. We won’t be leaving it so long next time!!
Then it was off to London……

ENGLAND #3

NEWMARKET – then we were off for another 7 hour drive back down to Newmarket. Where again we caught up with dear friends that I hadn’t seen for 18 years.
The night we arrived we had a wander around Moulton village…gorgeous country village surrounded by fields.
We spent the next morning at the gallops, Warren Hill where the horses train. It’s a HUGE horsey town with hundreds and hundreds of horses being trained & stabled there. It was very cool to see. The horses always have right of way on the roads!
Then we continued on to Cambridge and had a wander around. What a beautiful university city.
Again, it was so good catching up with old friends…we were certainly looked after well.

ENGLAND #2

EDINBURGH – After a very chilled few days in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales we headed up to Edinburgh (about a 7 hour drive!). The first night we caught up with some very good friends (Carol & John), who I hadn’t seen for 16 years!!! It was so lovely and it was great that they could finally meet Paul & the girls. Next day we caught up with a good mate, who lives in Edinburgh, that we’d met while we were living in Pedraces and he played tour guide for us! We saw Greyfriars Bobby (the statue of a dog who spent 14 years sitting on the grave of his master), The Elephant House (the cafe where JK Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book), the Royal Mile (the main street), the beautiful cathedral, a delish lunch and then finished the day at beautiful Edinburgh Castle. What an amazing piece of history!
The next day we started with a tour of Mary Kings close…alleyways from the 16th century that have been preserved underneath another building that was built over the top in the 19th century. It was eerie and such interesting history. Then we just drove around to a few things (Holyrood Palace, Arthurs Seat & Holyrood Park) before heading home for a quiet night.
Saturday was a fun day to be had with the girls going off with Tasha for the day before heading back to Carol’s for a sleepover while Paul & I headed to The Blind Poet for an afternoon of live music courtesy of Baz. We even had a surprise performance from John on his bagpipes!! It made me cry! ;)
We had the best time catching up with friends (Jo, Derek & Shuggy) that we hadn’t seen for so long.

ENGLAND….

We’re here! The girls have been very excited about hitting the UK and I have to admit it’s kind of nice being about to speak the language! We now know what we’re ordering off the menu. Haha. I have to admit up front…I’m not too sure how much blog will be written while here because we will be busy visiting and catching up with people but I will try!!

MARKET HARBOROUGH: Our first stop after picking up the car, was Market Harborough where we caught up with Jez & Renee (& gorgeous Savannah) for 3 nights. England didn’t let us down and it rained on & off for pretty much our whole stay. :) We had our first pub meal….scampi (yum…I still remember it from 20 years ago!) roast and sausages for the girls of course!!

BURNSALL: Next stop is Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales. We have seen a lot of countryside in the last 9 weeks but I’m not sure you can beat this scenery. It is just beautiful!!!!! It is so green with stone fences everywhere and a gorgeous little village around every corner. Justin and Mum & Dad have all spent a lot of time around this area and we can certainly understand why. This is def on the list of places we must come back to. We have been looked after spectacularly by Tim & Fran where we are staying. We arrived to freshly cooked scones, cake & cups of tea and the hospitality hasn’t stopped since! We’ve walked along the river, in and out of paddocks with sheep and cows and ducks, been to a cricket game and have heard a few ghost stories too…thanks Tim! ;) The girls have been utterly spoilt…they wont want to leave.

Next stop Edinburgh……