Barb's Birthday in Bath.........

……..we had a long weekend and as we’d been promising ourselves a visit to Bath for sometime we decided to hop in the car and do it. It’s so easy here to get on the Eurostar or a plane and go to Europe for a mini-break…..but there are many places in England we still have to ‘do’!
The motorway system is great, although you have to share it with millions of other cars as well as huge road trains, but with our trusty ‘satnav’ it makes what used to be stressful and confusing much easier. We don’t know how England does it – 80,000,000 people with masses and masses of countryside and green belt areas……fantastic town planning? Anyway, there we were, blatting down a 6 lane motorway and all of a sudden …. signs (couldn’t stop to photograph them!) “Deer next 41 Miles”….we didn’t see any, but…?
Another sign that took our fancy was……”For the Oracle leave at Junction 11”. We didn’t have any good questions to ask so we just kept going.
Anyway – Bath – the name doesn’t really do it….it doesn’t seem right that such a beautiful town should have such a utilitarian name. However, it does have hot springs (the only ones in Britain) and at the end of the day it would be no more romantic if it was called Rotorua. Beautiful Georgian buildings made from local sandstone, create a sense of lightness and coherent style that the Romans would have been proud off. The River Avon flows right through the town centre which adds to the atmosphere of graciousness. Lots of fabulous restaurants and shops, the perfect place to have a birthday……..to be continued……..
In the meantime this time next week we’ll be seeing a lot of you AND we can’t wait….much love xxxxxx

Rivenhall.....

……..we have some Kiwi friends who work on an Estate in Rivenhall, about ½ an hour from here. I thought I’d just give you a very small glimpse of how the other 1% live!!!!!! Our friend’s accommodation is the first photo, their place is attached to ‘the big house’ (see second photo). The lake is part of the ‘front lawn’ of the big house.
Ho! Hum!.......we are totally used to it. Anyway we had a great evening and decided to head for Mersea today to feast on oysters. Not as in “Ferry Across the Mersea”.Mersea is an island attached to the Essex Coast by a single road across a causeway. We headed off early afternoon, all starving hungry, boys in the front, girls in the back…….sign-”Road Closed Ahead” ….”not so” decided the boys and around the sign we went and continued several miles down the road. We came upon a gang of workmen tarsealing the road……whoops, we had to do a U turn on the fresh tarseal with a huge roller bearing down on us. Didn’t faze the Kiwis! On we went (by another route) to the only road onto Mersea. There was a sailing dinghy race around the island with the boats having to be carried over the road during the race (duh…how does that work!)??????? The police had the cars backed up for miles and as it turned out hours. Not for us hungry Kiwis, being practiced at U turns, around we went and back to the nearest place that was still serving food. Most pubs have a strange practice of closing their kitchens at 2pm until 6pm…..considering that this is the most popular form of ‘eating out’ here, we find it unusual. There are some that serve food all day but these are few and far between and the food is usually not that good - today was no exception. But we were so hungry by the time we found one, that we weren’t that fussed. We had even considered going into a cattery and eating a cat. It’s fun spending time with Kiwis AND we will have 10 days of doing just that in 2 weeks time……can’t wait……until then, lots of love xxxxxxxx

From smugglers to Shakespeare…..

…we recently visited Hastings on the coast of Sussex, we were guests of extended ‘whanau’ – not only did we love being with whanau, we loved the sense of ‘things of yore’. Hastings is one of the closest points of England to France and so has long been a smuggler’s town. Apparently the cliffs are dotted with caves and tunnels and the old town has little alleyways and secret places. Oh! and of course there is The Battle of Hastings, 1066 and all that. We are looking forward to going back. this is a very beautiful country.
Last Thursday it was off to London and we went to a performance at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. The Globe is a very authentic reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and wrote. Camera's (and cell phones) weren't an Elizabethan option! The friends that we were with insisted that we stand in the yard just as they would have done 400 years ago. Insightfully they did suggest we bring raincoats!!!! As I’m sure they did 400 years ago, we got wet….it was truly brilliant tho’ and added to the experience. But, after standing for several hours - I think I’d opt for a dry seat in the gallery next time and have a different ‘authentic experience’. The play was “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and the players were fast, funny and we were enthralled from start to finish despite getting wet!!!
Have been a slack on the blog front recently…sorry…..not from lack of thinking of everyone…just a spate of ‘writers block’ for goodness sake.. how pathetic! Time to come home for a little ‘catch up’ with everyone……….so with that in mind we will be in Auckland for 10 days from the 5th September until the 15th….can’t wait!!!!!

From smugglers to Shakespeare…..