Our Very Own Rooms

Well hello again. Another few months have gone by! We've been in our new flat for 2 months now and have been enjoying the freedom of our own rooms and lots of storage space. It's a really lovely flat, very close to where we were living previously and still only 2 minutes' walk to the park. I have taken over the smaller bedroom which has avocado-green walls (people who don't like avocados think this sounds horrid but it's actually a nice colour, promise). Minnie has a nice double bedroom with her very own door onto the balcony, and then there's a third bedroom for which we found a lovely flatmate who joined us a week after we moved in. The balcony is rather handy for hanging washing out (I felt rather more domesticated hanging washing out on the line than just putting it in the dryer...) and is big enough for a couple of chairs and a small BBQ (if summer ever makes an appearance over here). There's also a planter box currently occupied with some geraniums which, when we're a bit more organised might be nice to turn into a herb garden. The spacious lounge/dining room also has a door leading onto the balcony and even has a little gas fire (rather cosy for cold winter evenings, although we've only used it once so far!) That side of the flat overlooks a school and its playground and the other side of the flat (where the entrance is) overlooks a big triangle of grass and trees and dead daffodils (they looked very nice when they were alive), so it feels rather spacious and not at all closed in. The kitchen is smallish but is bathed in sunlight in the mornings, and has so much cupboard space, we have yet to fill it up. The bathroom and toilet had recently been redone so are also very nice.

Since the big move, we've settled in quite well and time has flown by. We had a white Easter which was rather exciting (thankfully it wasn't enough to kill the transport system). Neither of us went away but we had a nice relaxing weekend in London. The Good Friday service at St Helen's was followed by fresh-from-the-oven hot cross buns after which we joined a bunch of people for a pub meal by the river. Minnie and I went on to the Imperial War Museum to have a look at the exhibition of war posters they had there (Weapons of Mass Communication) which was quite interesting, then we popped up the road to have a hot chocolate at Andrew's. The rest of the weekend passed by with shopping, church services, dinner parties, Brick Lane curries, and making hot no-cross buns (I couldn't be bothered with the crosses and besides, I don't like the taste of them). That was the start of a four-week break from uni for me which I somehow filled with a variety of things such as unpacking (most of) the rest of my stuff that was still in suitcases, doing some work for my previous boss, sorting out my papers/lecture notes, doing a bit of photo-sorting and not much study!

I went to New Word Alive during that time and thoroughly enjoyed it - a very pretty location and great teaching. I was with a big group of St Helen's people, some of whom filled a 70-seater coach which was hired to take us to Pwllheli, Wales. We had planned to get there in plenty of time for the first 6.30pm meeting but due to roadworks and the driver being told the wrong time, we left two hours late (this was in fact a good thing because it meant I had enough time to go back home and get my camera which I had forgotten to pack). It was a rather long journey and the snowy hills of Wales with green grass and lots of little lambs was a welcome sight. With not far to go, and the hope that even though we'd miss the first meeting, we'd be there in time to go to the student one later (a repeat of the first one), the coach's brakes started smoking and we came to a halt on the side of the road. We all piled out thinking it wouldn't be long till they cooled off and we could get going again. Two and a half hours later we were still waiting by the side of the road as it got progressively colder and darker. The coach was going no further so everyone who had friends with cars already at NWA rang them and begged them to come and pick a few people up, and others rang taxis, so eventually we all made it to the holiday park. There was also a bit of a wait there for acquiring caravan keys and wristbands, but we finally had some dinner about 9.30pm before tumbling into bed. I was in a caravan (larger than a typical caravan) with 5 other girls and a married couple. It was of course quite cosy, but they had designed the caravans well and the living room was fairly spacious. There was a little kitchen complete with oven, hob, microwave, sink etc., and separate toilet and bathroom. John Piper (on 1 John) and Hugh Palmer (on suffering) were the main speakers (we missed Terry Virgo's talk on the first night) and gave very helpful and challenging talks. Stuart Townend lead a lot of the singing including teaching us a new song, and getting the 2000 people in the marquee to all sing in parts (very fun!). There were also several seminar series during the day - I attended Mike Ovey's series on the doctrine of humanity which was very helpful. A talk by Roger Carswell on evangelism was likewise helpful and inspiring. The holiday park was right on the coastline so I had a few lovely walks along the cliff-top and beach (when it wasn't raining!). I was also persuaded to join a few brave souls to go swimming in the sea! Mini-golf was another fun activity, and despite it being quite cold, there was some lovely sunny weather along with the rain. It was a really good holiday with lots of time to hang out with friends.

Last weekend was, of course, ANZAC Day, so Minnie and I got up at a-quarter-past-three-in-the-blessed-am to get to the dawn service at Hyde Park Corner at 5am. It was quite cool to be there with lots of other Kiwis and Aussies (and to spot them on the bus to Hyde Park as they came on sleepy-eyed with poppies or NZ flags). Minnie then spent the weekend exploring Canterbury and I went to stay with my first-cousin-once-removed in Cuckfield, which was really nice. That Saturday was the only day of summer we've had, a really hot, sunny day - I'm hoping there might be more like it! Now, I've only got a few more weeks of lectures before a study break then exams in June. A research project fills the summer for me - it's all coming to an end rather quickly.

february update

Hallo everyone. Long time, no post. Sorry about that. We're living in such a social whirl over here, you know. . .

Since the last time I wrote: I have found gainful employment, Robyn has charged ahead into her MSc, we have both (separately) been back to New Zealand for three weeks, and we have survived almost half an English winter. In amongst other such things as museum visits, park outings, church events, finding a flat, and almost all of season one of '24'. So, you see, we have been busy.

I had a wet (shouldn't it be white?) Christmas in ye olde Merrie Englande, which I spent with my friends as the Good Shepherd Mission, having fostered the festive spirit by attending five different carol services. It was nice to have a "traditional" Christmas, with lots of stollen, mulled wine, and properly cold streets.

Robyn was back in NZ for the yule season, meeting her new nephew and seeing her brother married. She did a tiki-tour of the South Island as well as reclining on some of her favourite beaches in Auckland.

We crossed paths somewhere over Asia, as I headed back to the family home for some catch up time and to be bridesmaid to my good friend Jessica. Three weeks goes really fast when you're back home! It was lovely to see lots of my friends and spend time with my family.

We're pretty much settled back into work & study now, and are looking forward to moving into a flat in a couple of weeks (yay - we can go to IKEA!).

Our last little venture was a trip, for Robyn's birthday, to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum. We'd been last year, and it was amazing. And just as good again this year!

Hopefully it won't be so long before we post again. The road to Halifax. . .

The Eye Sees All

We'd wanted to do the London Eye for a while, so for my birthday Robyn treated me to a 'flight'. She'd booked us in for a 7.30pm slot, and we were advised to start queuing half-an-hour before that. It didn't take nearly that long, though, and we were in a pod shortly after the hour. It was not at all crowded - I think there were about 12 others with us, and the pods are very spacious and comfortable.

Going up it was still light, and we were able to see the sun go down and all the lights of London coming on during the half hour we were aboard. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are lovely to see illuminated, as are some of the other buildings along the waterfront. We both spent lots of the time with our cameras going hard, trying to get some non-wobbly photographs.

Back on the ground we strolled for a while along Southbank, people watching and sitting to eat nachos and wedges by the river. It was a very pleasant evening.

Back to Britain

Well, what have we been up to since we've been back?

We arrived home in the midst of extensive renovations. The kitchen was mostly done by the time we returned, but the bathroom and toilet and lots of flooring were being upgraded by the lovely Polish builders Lukas and Martin. It was quite exciting going for some days without washing facilities, but we all survived, and the flat looks lovely now.

A church day out with the Good Shepherd Mission took us to the unfortunately named Ugley Hall, where we had a barbeque, the children swam, others played tennis, and we all socialised in the (mostly) sunshine (there were ten minutes or so spent all huddled together under a leaky tarpaulin). Ugley is a gorgeous wee place - the hall had very English gardens and the little church is very picturesque. The day was even rounded off nicely with two small children falling in the fish pond.

Robyn started her summer job at Imperial College just a couple of days after we got back, where she has been working on a clinical trial.

Myself, having some leisure time (ie: trying to find a job), volunteered to help out at the Good Shepherd Mission's outreach week - Fun in the Sun. It's pretty much like a holiday program or a beach mission (though not at the beach), and focuses on the large estate just across from the church, which houses mostly Bangladeshi families. I joined the Social Action team, and spent the week cleaning carpets. It was great fun, and we got to have some interesting conversations with different people as we shampooed their rugs and scrubbed at stains. And I'm a pro at carpet cleaning now! It was also a great opportunity to get to know some of the congregation better.

The Cheltenham Bible Festival sounded an appealing weekend away, so Robyn and I camped out for four nights at the Cheltenham racecourse, meeting Lyndon and Mim during the day to attend the meetings and seminars. There were some great talks, lots of things to see and activites to do, and a huge bookshop tent. A ceilidh one evening was tonnes of fun (and good excercise!) and Bob and I tried our hands at silk painting in the arts and crafts tent. Some highlights of the meetings included hearing Don Carson, Sharon James, and Stuart Townend.

Another fun day out I had was at trip to Hampton Court Palace with a girl from church. We didn't go into the palace itself, but wandered round the gardens and spent some time ooh-ing and ah-ing in the Royal School of Needlework shop. A trip back to look through the buildings is now on my list. . .

Oh, and we've been to a Prom. In a box. I got free tickets for me and Robyn from someone at church, and we went to hear a selection from Saint-Saëns, Fauré, and Debussy. It was gorgeous music, and we had some of the best seats in the whole Royal Albert Hall.

Well, we've done other nice things as well, but I think I'll leave it at that for now. Life in England is pretty busy!

Where Not To Stand...

After church on Sunday, while Lyndon hived off to the rugby for 'work', the rest of us had a leisurely lunch with friends followed by a quiet cigar in the park (see right). Evening church was followed by our first attendance at 'After Eights' - a chance to socialise over good cheap food.

We had great adventures planned for Monday until Robyn realised she had a rather important interview in the morning! A rushed walk to the tube station was followed by a very time consuming purchase of a monthly travel card ensured Robyn didn't quite make it on time. However, this wasn't a problem and the interview went well despite an instance of bad arithmetic (6*6!=12) causing the interviewer to question her mathematical abilities. While this was occurring, Minnie wandered the British Museum again. After reuniting, we explored the famous bookshops of Charing Cross Road finding one that had brand new children's books for only £1, but Miriam was very distraught to find that Number 84 is no longer in existence. A stroll down to the Thames inspired us to take a short river cruise on a catamaran commentated by a man with a droll sense of humour. This was most enjoyable and we saw such things as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the Globe, a NZ navy ship (!), London Bridge (remarkably unremarkable) and the Tower Bridge (much more impressive) where we ended our journey.

Tuesday was started with a trip to Soho to meet Robyn's second cousin who volunteers in a lovely fair trade shop with lots of interesting and unusual gifts. We then wandered down through Soho which led us to Trafalgar Square where we ate our lunch in the sunshine next to the fountain. The National Gallery then seemed the obvious place to visit, where we found the Venetian landscapes gave us déjà vu after a while, but very much enjoyed the impressionist exhibition. A few hours of this was as much as our minds and feet could handle (although, the gallery does get brownie points for providing so many seats for resting one's feet), and we wandered up to through Leicester Square to Oxford Street where Robyn searched in vain for a nice pair of shoes. However, an email was waiting for her at home from the surprisingly efficient LSHTM which offered her a place in the Masters programme plus a handy scholarship.

Travel research the next morning was followed by a trip to Lydia's for lunch - she made us a delicious salad lunch, which we enjoyed sitting in her little courtyard behind the house as Lydia (with true South Island stubborness) insisted on wearing a t-shirt in the vain hope that it was warm. Andrew was obviously worried about this rendevous, as he texted Lydia during our meal warning her not to believe any stories told by Robyn - Robyn hadn't actually thought of this yet, and the text served more as an inspiration than a deterrent. . . We had a lovely stroll after lunch through Clapham Common - the parks here are amazing: you think you can see everything, and then you come past some trees and find a pavillion or a monument, and even more park beyond. In the evening back at home Miriam finished a little tapestry she had been working on (courtesy of Liberty) which was most satisfying. It is black, with cherries on.

The Changing of the Guard was next on our list of tourist must do's. Well, we now know where not to stand. Not where we stood. As you can see, Robyn still managed to take some arty photographs despite our limited view, and we did enjoy the band playing. However, we had no idea what was happening, or how it was taking half an hour to change a couple of little guards. After Robyn's first cornish pasty and a stroll through St James' park (bluebells!) we made our way down to Westminster Abbey. Reeling from shock at the entrance prices, we contented ourselves with having a look around St Margaret's Church out the front. It was a lovely little church with some interesting plaques - Sir Walter Raleigh is buried there. Across the road we found the Houses of Parliament, and found that they are free to look around! We queued up between the rows of policemen and officials, and went through a thorough frisking (a pat down and our bags x-rayed) before being allowed in the building. The House of Commons was our first stop - another pat down! and Miriam was required to lift her trouser leg to prove that there were no shackles (a nasty dig from the security man about her Australianism) - and we were ushered in to the spectator's gallery, separated from the House by a bulletproof window. There we were treated to a most amusing performance by Mr Boris Johnson on the subject of tertiary education. Tearing ourselves away, we wandered through to the House of Lords - no uber security here: they don't seem to mind if the nobility are heckled or threatened or shot - and the content was not nearly so entertaining. It was nice to see all the lords and ladies, though, sitting on the woolsack and nodding off in their chairs.

Disclaimer: the abovementioned cigar smoking episode was dramatised and sensationalised for publication - the actual smoking of the cigar was conducted by others.

Week The First

So, what did we do our first week in London, England? Well, our schedule included a decent amount of sleeping, resting, and relaxing. But we did manage to squeeze in a few outings and tourist activities. . .

We both enjoyed our first Sunday here, attending the Good Shepherd Mission (Lyndon & Mim's church) in the morning, and St Helen's Bishopsgate (Andrew's church) in the evening.

Monday we popped into town and wandered down Oxford Street, getting our bearings and stocking up on a couple of necessities (i.e. an umbrella). In Debenhams, a large department store, we had the treat of witnessing a 'live infomercial' along with a bunch of the most gullible little old ladies in the city - such amazing knives! you can cut through a hammer! why you would want to, I have no idea. . . but if you buy one, you'll get another one absolutely free (one wonders why one needs a second when they apparently never need sharpening). But wait there's more! And so it went on, but we got our free gift :-) We also stopped in at New Zealand House, and Robyn was surprised how much she enjoyed hearing a NZ accent. We experienced our first rush our in the tube on our way home. We were standing and the carraige was packed full, but just before the doors closed, another 5 people pushed their way in. Robyn was left sandwiched between the backs of two men, with so little space that she had to keep her head turned sideways. Needless to say, no handles were available to grip but when you're that well squished, there's no where for you to fall anyway!

On Tuesday our morning was occupied with Bob going to a seminar and setting up her bank account etc., while Minnie found the Liberty store - such fun! It is the most gorgeous shop - she had a very happy time there. We met up at lunchtime and wended our way toward the British Museum. A tour of some ancient relics and the European area managed to introduce a soporific air to the proceedings, so we were home before the rush hour.

Wednesday we, um, slept. And had a nice sit in the park. And then came home and rested a bit.

On Thursday Robyn filled her morning with a highly successful interview at Imperial College, while Miriam visited the Sylvanian shop (at the top of the list of must see destinations). We met up atop the hill of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, just in time to see the big red ball drop at 1pm. The Observatory was really interesting, with displays on the Royal Astronomers, latitude and longitude, time and clocks. There is a beautiful octagonal room in the residence there designed by Sir Christopher Wren which is well worth seeing. After a bite to eat from 'The Honest Sausage' we had a wander through the Greenwich Market and town centre before returning home.

Friday was occupied with meeting Andrew for lunch in Soho and then spending a couple of hours in the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. There is an amazing display at the moment on Dick Bruna and Miffy. It was a great place to spend an afternoon.

We went in to Portobello Road on Saturday to see the markets (where Paddington did his shopping...). After looking around for a while (aka peering through the crowds of people) we headed off with Andrew through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park towards the Natural History Museum, where we met up with Lydia and Rob. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition was our destination, and it was well worth seeing - the most amazing photos of animals, plants, birds and fish - some taken by children as young as 10. It was very inspiring.

Anyhow, we survived our first week, with suprisingly nice weather for all of it (sunny, cloudless days, and rain rarely), and here's Bob's quote of the week:

When setting off on an Expedition, be sure to bring Provisions. Or, at the very least, things to eat.

-Winnie-the-Pooh

London and Beyond

We made it! Much shorter queues at customs meant a much longer wait at the luggage carousel. However, this did mean that despite our flight arriving early, Mim was there by the time we emerged. Despite expectations, our journey on the tube was relatively quick and painless. The usually short walk from the station was, however, another matter. Miriam's green suitcase was at best hazardous to one's ankles, and at worst an accident waiting to happen, while Robyn's large and overweight red suitcase provided great entertainment for those following behind as she thumped it down the stairs. Somehow we made it safely to our destination, where a decrepit lift attempted to crush the aforementioned large red suitcase, and the hand that was towing it. Apparently laser sensors have not yet made it to this part of the world.

Our belongings ensconced in our small but lovely room, we had a relaxing evening catching up with one brother (and his dear wife) while waiting for the other to announce his engagement (he didn't). After finally giving up, we retired to the land of Nod.

A leisurely morning of unpacking and a brisk walk around the park followed before setting off to meet brother number two at the Borough Markets. Thankfully, soon after greeting, he put us out of our misery and announced that he had proposed to Lydia and she had accepted. It was a joyful reunion. A wander through the market and along the South Bank let us chat to our hearts' content. Mim then slapped up a delicious celebratory dinner, with champagne and coffee gateau, after which we toddled out to the footpath to view the lunar eclipse and waved goodnight to the happy couple.