Wednesday 26 June 2013

have workplace health and safety issues to address.

In Oz the OH & S rules and awareness are uppermost in our minds.

Not so in Morocco.
2 too many for the 4 wheel drive. No problem put 2 on the roof racks.




Paul and Praveen drew the short straws. Even with all of their experience riding in the back of utes and atop other modes of transport, they were relieved when they made it safely back from our Bedouin camp in the sahara to the Auberge which was our resting spot for the night.

No problem said the driver.


The other way back was on camel, but our train had already left for the morning


Wednesday 19 June 2013

am reporting from being back home

Those of you infected with the travel bug know the feeling very well.
Post holiday depression; it's a bitch of a thing.

Anyway, with work back in full swing it's time to consider leisure time. We'll continue the blog on a weekly basis. (All good intentions at this stage)

Of course, we'll be reflecting often on the holiday, possibly even the previous one.
What good food, views, experiences and sights we've fed off.



Mind you there were some things about home we immediately appreciated.


Paul has informed me that he's retiring from blogging until the next trip.
I wonder where that will be......?

Saturday 8 June 2013

explain our blog absence

Well, we've had an exciting turn of events.
Whilst enjoying an English breakfast tea in Portobello Road, Paul's backback was stolen. it contained our passports and his phone.
What ensued is the stuff of legends. After identifying the thief via cctv and being fully debriefed by the Bill, we hotfooted it to Australia House on the Strand and with barely minutes to spare we were able to have temporary passports issued, thus enabling us to exit the UK on our original flight.
A film is in the pipeline, with Hugh Grant playing Paul and Miranda Kerr signing up to play me.

Great Britain compensated for our angst by upgrading us. Here's Paul miming the first glass of champagne in British Airways business class.


No further photos of that very special time are allowed, but I am authorised to show you some of our time in Singapore.






See you soon in Brisbane.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

filled the day with Taters and Gardens.

First it was the Tate Modern, in a converted power house. View from the cafe across to St Pauls. The Thames looks just like the Brisbane River.


A couple of Mondrian's and a Kandinsky on the back wall.


Then it was off to Covent Garden and the London souk.

The British are a twisted lot.


Some of the alleys in the London souk are pretty narrow too.



And as a last supper, we went to Rules, the oldest privately owned restuarant in Britain. Very nice. Here we have rabbit loins wrapped in bacon with a celeraic and mashed peas ju, and a fish pie. All very civilised.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

became an eye in the sky (4/6)

We kept an eye out for Matt Smith, all day.



Lunch was at the Petersham Nursery near Richmond. Walked along the Thames for a while past he Richmond Bridge.


Sue found some green bowls that she searched for in Morocco. They were at the nursery.


After lunch (michelin rated restuarant), it was off to Waterloo for some more site seeing. Took a cruise on the Thames past all those things we learnt about in school.



Then it ws onto the London Eye.




It is surprisingly non-vertiginous.




Back on dry land once again.... As the song goes.



spent a very English overnight in Cheltenham, ticking of a few more firsts.

Suzanne attended her first sporting event, and her first picnic in the English countryside.



It was the first time we had seen Wales (in the far background).


First time we had seen peonys this big. First time Sue's penfreind Sue has featured on this blog.


First time we had been to Sudely castle.


First time we had seen this guy.



First time we knew there was a Stow-on-the-Wold.


And first time for a lunch at 'The Mount Inn' overlooking Stanton.

Monday 3 June 2013

checked out Kew Gardens

It's pretty amazing what a couple of hundred years and heaps of money can do for a garden.



These are the largest water lilly leaves. They are inside a glasshouse divided into different climatic zones - hot tropical, hot temperate, hot dry etc. All the cold ones seem to be outside.



A path in an ancient Kings garden.




A tree walk.


And a mad hatter's picnic table.

Settled back into the first world (31/5)

It is very easy to slip back into 'normality'.

Spent the day getting around on the underground, after a 'big English breakfast' at a local pub.

Visitted the Victoria & Albert museum



Then walked up to Harrods and Old Bond Street with all the upmarket shops. Then Piccadilly Square and over to the Tower Bridge,


And the Gherkin.


There are 2 window cleaners in red suits on it.

All very easy.

practiced being Ingrid Bergman (30/5)

But first, an arty shot in a museum of native adornment in Marrakesh



And the degustation entrees at the upmarket restuarant also in Marrakesh.



And now for the finale

The restuarant based on the movie



Today we headed back to the 'motherland' where so far the English speakers are outnumbered. But everything works, especially the bathrooms. It's the small things that matter after all.