Out of the clouds and back to earth

That was a simply wonderful time away! I'll be whacking on about it for ages and a day. I have loved every moment. I feel sad its over though I am filled with a renewal of joyous friendships and the trust that comes with them. I'm part of a family too though I fear they don't share a lot with me; religious beliefs and exclusivity can be very divisive when you don't follow the same lifestyle. However we did all have a very fine time together with cousins and aunties and uncles touching base and getting to know each other again.

The journey home was good, very long of course but it all fell into place with no problems. Some of the flight was quite bumpy but most was comfortable. The final Air NZ flight to Auckland from Brisbane was a treat after the slightly utilitarian travel arrangements of EVA Air which were adequate but not memorable.

New Zealand is green and fresh though the streets seemed plain and unremarkable as we drove back to Devonport. The Sunday sun was good and the day was spent in a sleepless haze planting tomato seeds and herbs and drinking wine. Its good to be home though it feels a little flat not to be going somewhere, I'll have to plan a treat or a scheme to have something to look forward to.

I wish, I wish it wasn't so far away...

Feet on the ground again

I've been having such a busy time with no time to catch my breath until now where I am back in Farnborough with a couple of days to rest a bit and sort through my packing.

The days in Paris were absolutely glorious.  The weather was cloudlessly sunny, warm and perfect for walking and walking, sightseeing and talking.  Everything was perfectly enjoyable; the Parisians are friendly, sometimes brusque, never aggressive, always polite.  They do have style!  There is so much to absorb and learn about and every corner turned presents another interesting street or alleyway with buildings to turn your head and take an interest.  

We had a couple of beautiful meals in traditional restaurants, sat outside bars in the evening sun and enjoyed coffee and croissants in tiny cafes each morning.  I loved the shop windows and often wandered inside to look at bags and clothes.  I loved the window boxes outside apartment windows and huge front doors on the street front which opened to dark tiled halls in the apartments or sunny courtyards where you can catch a glimpse of someone's life.

It was so good!  

We hadn't realised that the Sunday was an "free to all" day for visiting historic buildings and a national holiday.  The city was hectic in the afternoon and our taxi to the station was caught in chaos traffic which caused some anxiety.  However it wasn't long before we were on the Eurostar again and back to London.

Next stop - Abingdon.   Met up with Will and Candice who had bought tickets and found the right platform so we jumped on to the train and headed off for a family weekend.  We had such a lot of fun catching up and it was great to see all the cousins together.  It was noisy!!  Such a lot of fun.  Will and Candice went back to London and others dispersed to various places, we were a small, tired household at the end of the day.

Monday was a big day!  I met Will at Waterloo and we headed off to Carshalton.  I wanted him to see my school and some old haunts.  Glorious September sunshine made our trip very well worthwhile and we walked and talked around the places I know so well.  We visited Granny in Wallington and then headed back to town to Canary Wharf where we met Stella, niece/cousin, for a drink before heading back to Waterloo and heading for Farnborough.  Phew - gin and tonic has never been so welcome!  A fantastic day.

So now a couple of days to rest a bit and sort through my things and pack for the journey home.

Three days in Paris

A short note because the lap top battery is low.

Paris is everything one could wish for! The weather is perfect, the hotel is comfortable and everything about the city is absolutely, gloriously Parisian and wonderful!  The architecture is so interesting and the people are fascinating and friendly and so so stylish and interesting.

Loving it, every single brilliant moment!

Isle of Wight

I hadn't thought about this bit at all and its turned out to be a lovely surprise.  We are staying in an old terrace cottage in West Cowes, right in the old streets and near the quay.  Lots of old buildings to look at and shops filled with yachtie goodies - I want a pair of pink boat shoes now!

The cottage is small and well fitted out with everything one might need for a short stay.  I managed to break the cord for the bathroom light on arrival - it would have been the next anyone!  We explored a bit on arrival and bought some food for dinner.  

Today we explored one half of the island - Newport/Freshwater/Yarmouth (lunch in an old pub there was heaven after much exploring!  The bus journey through the countryside was a wonderful scenic ride.  Some of the buildings date back to the 1100's and there are farm buildings, manors, cottages and outhouses all still in use and surrounded by rich green fields of crops.  A rainy summer means that everything is lush and green and beautiful.

Dinner next door and now I have seen the time I should be getting ready!

Overdue diary update

Goodness the days are roaring past and I thought I had updated the weekend's activities, but perhaps I had composed the thoughts while I was travelling and not written them down.

The reunion on Saturday was absolutely great fun.  The Petersham Hotel in Richmond was a perfect setting for meeting old friends and we stood on a deck supping very good champagne, watching a glorious sunset over the Thames and catching up on years of happenings.  It was fantastic to see everyone!

Absolutely glorious fun, sumptuous food, beautiful wines and a vibrating dance floor gave us an exhilarating evening. So much to talk about, so much to share, lives and loves, ups, downs and around the houses with lots of talk and laughs.  Not enough time for some of us but enough to know nothing has been forgotten.

A night in a small hotel in Lienster Gardens was adequate accommodation and I was glad to be out in the Bayswater sunshine in the morning to make my way back to Farnborough.

Autumnal musings

'tis definitely the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness - well rain anyway and heavy rain at that with thunder as an accompaniment!  However the leaves are turning now and I had a lovely walk this morning after getting my nails done in North Camp.  The soft air, lined streets full of trees and the smell of a leafy bonfire was all very pleasant indeed.

The older part Farnborough is a very pretty area and next year the newer part is being torn down and replaced with much more modern amenities.

Yesterday's meeting with five friends from the fifties was just fab!  No one had changed, no surprises at all just lots and lots to talk about and share with one another.  There is something very special about knowing those people you started school with aged five years old.  You absolutely cannot be anything except yourself; they would know, they understand and they can be trusted.  It was a wonderful day of renewal and we will keep in touch, some will see each other again soon and hopefully it won't be too long before I do either.

Tomorrow is the WHS reunion in Richmond and I'm excited!  It's been a couple of years of planning and anticipation, so off I'll go for a fun time!

Laughter and Sleep

It's still raining and windy though it isn't really cold.

I love staying with the folks in Christchurch; we always have a lot of fun and there is heaps to talk about as we have an interest in similar things and also enjoy a good debate.  We laugh a lot too, its fantastic to be with people who have a similar viewpoint and outlook about life and to catch up with each other.  

They invited old friends for dinner last night, people I have met before and we all remembered each other with much pleasure.  I haven't laughed so much for ages, it was an easy night with a great meal and good wines while we talked over life's interesting, debatable and contemporary topics.  Best fun I've had for ages!

This morning we all slept in late and felt as if we had had the sleep of kings.  I'm relaxed and feeling very happy.  The cousins are off to France later while I head back to Farnborough for a few days.  More soon ...

Christchurch in Dorset ...

... is a lovely town, I always enjoy visiting here.  The train journey was an easy ride through the countryside and all the connections worked so I arrived on schedule.  Lugging a suitcase up and down the station stairways is a challenge and I am getting really good at it.  

Trish and I have just done the market and the shops - in the sunshine!  A very nice dress shop was having a sale, so there's a souvenir I will enjoy when I get home :-) .   

A family afternoon at Mother's house yesterday was a chance to see everyone but not long enough to talk so I'm looking forward to seeing more of them towards the end of the trip.  Mother is not an easy old lady to stay with; I won't go on but I do hope, and will strive, to be a sweet little old lady!

I'm loving this trip; the travels, the visits, gossip, pubs, London, trains - everything!

Bloomin' British Summer!

A couple of days have gone by here and I haven't had access to wireless connection for one reason or another. Staying with Mother in Wallington is interesting. She didn't know me when I got there. Her sight isn't brilliant but not bad when you assess what detail she can see out of the window. She's actually doing pretty well at 88. The other old ladies in the building definitely hadn't forgotten me when I turned up for afternoon tea.

I went up to London on Friday and had a very happy day window shopping whilst walking the entire length of The Kings Road. I love the buzz of the place, that hasn't changed a bit, people were friendly and despite the increasing rain I really enjoyed myself.

I'm writing from Bristol where old friends have made me very welcome. Its the home of my earliest friend Claire who died recently after several years of illness. Time to talk and share memories and a renewed friendship with my god daughter and a chance to draw breath.

I smell toast, time to pause ...

... Blighty!

By crikey its good to be here!  That journey was long and achingly tedious made a lot better by meeting some very nice people along the way.  Not all, mind you, I was with a crowd as we grouped together to go to the hotel in Taipei for the transit night; I thought I was with a nice woman and her kids until she announced in the transit bus that she didn't have friends and always kept her distance from people, so I got the  message there and later teamed up with a lovely young English woman for breakfast and transfer journey through Bangkok the next day.  Don't ask me about what day!  

English air is good to breathe and yes, if you ask, oh yes I feel English from the moment I arrive.  Its easy to slip in here and so far no one in a shop has asked me if I am Australian!  Lunch in an English pub and a visit to M and S in the afternoon is a nice introduction to life here.

Family tomorrow.  Good-oh.

Half Way to Taipei

People seem to think that they don’t serve wine on Eva Air –they do! I’m settled in nicely and have just watched “Then She Found Me” which is a tear jerker but good for a couple of flight hours.

Brisbane was an exceptionally good stopover. Linn and Andre’s rooftop studio gave me all the views of Brisbane that I could wish for in the hours from afternoon to dawn. A walk around the city on a sleepy Sunday gave me some glimpses of shops and emos in the warm sun. They seemed a a lot more colourful than when I saw them last time – the emos, that is. Shops are always colourful to me!

We went for drinks with some old friends from 25 years ago. No one really changes, though I wish I still had than henna-ed hair of those days. The stories were told with such affection, we all have clear and interesting memories of days in Sumner and down the track, the view of those times is mellow and frank as pieces of jigsaw tumble out of the clouds and come to rest in the huge picture. This is glorious reassurance that friends are to be treasured.

I was spoilt with delicious steak and very good wine indeed and the newly acquired inflatable bed afforded and easy sleep. So thank you guys, that was an extremely good start to my trip – unexpected in excellence!

The train journey and airport was easy and uncomplicated and full of Monday morning busy people. I did have a smile to myself remembering the airport last year with three very seedy youths in tow at the end of the Hamilton Island wedding trip!

Time for another movie.

... This went on and on and on and on, till...

Two sleeps!

And I'm smiling again, by crikey it's been uphill remembering not to laugh or smile over the past few days and I'm eternally grateful to those out there who have helped me out of a hole -'scuse the pun.

I'm packed bar throwing in a few dresses on top, how does one ever know which clothes will be best and I can't wear my pink tulle skirt under everything! I may weed out a thing or two tonight. It's hard enough waking up in the morning and wondering which me I will dress for today when I'm at home, never mind with a limited wardrobe-in-a-suitcase to pick from. So I'm taking favourites and wearing them all the time.

I wonder if I'm going to miss a snap election, I somehow think I probably won't though the place is in an upheaval if you are following the antics of our political playmates in Wellington and an election won't be far away. I was listening to the live parliament broadcast http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/Visiting/LiveBroadcast/default.htm on Wednesday and laughing out loud whilst at the same time feeling rather appalled at the farce it has all become. This http://wellingtonhive.blogspot.com/ is a very good blog to view as is this http://pc.blogspot.com/ and http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/.

How important will it all seem from the other side of the world. It's certainly a worry when you start following what is going on. Definitely a good time to head off.

Sleeps and teeth

My suitcase is filling up and I'm ticking things off the list. I'm banking on a warm September! Five sleeps to go and I'll be off on the first leg of the trip on Sunday.

Its hard to imagine anything worse than dental problems just when the excitement of travelling is just on the horizon. However, it did happen at home and with enough time to organise the fix-up dentistry. With a bit of luck I'll be smiling with confidence in a couple of days.