2012 The year that was (for the Duffus family)

Well 2012 has a huge year for the Duffus family, starting with the old man turning the big 50.  He actually handled it quite well.  Sharing his special day with Laurence, who also turned the big 50, we celebrated out at the Hubertus Club (German club) with his boys and friends.  He chose this restaurant as he loved the apple strudels that they make.

For his birthday present, we decided that it was time to reward ourselves with a trip overseas and the planning began.  Anyone that knows Scott, knows that it had to be as organised as possible for him to feel comfortable.  We decided to surprise my family in England with the news that we were coming over and told them Christmas day in a Skype conference call.  Was very loud but they were very surprised and extremely happy that we were finally going over to visit them all.  My sister, Debbie, also turned 50 and decided that she would go to visit and it worked out that we would be there together for a short period of time.  It was a very exciting time for all of us as, if you haven't read our blog, it was the first time the siblings (from my family) would be together in 28 years.

Leaving our not very happy boys behind (as they weren't coming with us) we headed off on an adventure of a lifetime for the next 5 1/2 weeks.  The first question I asked when booking in at the airport was how much would it cost me to bring extra luggage back home with us.  Scott nearly turned around and came home then lol. During that time we had a family reunion, got to meet sister-in-laws and nieces and nephews that we had never met and get reacquainted with my sister and brothers again.  on top of all of this we went to the Beijing and got to walk along the Great Wall of China, Scott walked down the 1000 or so steps and I tobogganed down it.  Along with this we managed to visit other iconic places.  It was still snowing in some parts and the weather there was very cold.

After Beijing we flew to England then Rome, Paris and caught the train back to England for time with family before we headed home.  our trip was amazing and we loved every minute of it, apart from leaving family behind and saying goodbye. Whilst overseas, life at home didn't stop.  The boys survived and we came home to animals that were still alive. 

Nathan has been back home for just on 12 months, after being away for 3 years, it's an adjustment period for all of us!! We came home from our trip to find that Nathan had gotten himself a girlfriend.  we thought if that's what it takes we are going to go away more often!!  Lauren is a beautiful young lady that fits right into our mad household.  Nathan also decided that he had had enough of working for the coffee club, as there was nowhere for him to move and applied for a new job and was successful.  He now works in the city, again, but is enjoying it. 

Matt decided that he wanted to further his education and that he was unable to study at home, I think the conversation went like this:

Matt: you know what I was like in school mum, I didn't study then so I can't do it now

Mum: Matt you are older, have served a mission and should have more self discipline now
Matt: no mum it doesn't work that way!!

so he decided that he had to go to Brigham Young University in Hawaii (yes I know what you are thinking ''studying in Hawaii'').  He applied for a scholarship and just before Scott and I left for our Europe trip he found out that he had been accepted and would leave a couple of days after we returned.  I wasn't that happy, as you can imagine, he had just come home after a 2 year mission and was now planning on leaving for 3 years study - half way around the world!!

Him leaving again was very hard, but we knew that he had thought and prayed about it and that this was the right thing for him to do at this time.  He was strictly forbidden to get married and remain so far away.  He left with very little savings and thought that he was successful in getting a scholarship only to find out when he got there that he wasn't successful.  To his credit he managed to scrimp and save to survive the first semester, getting really good marks. I think he has told all the administrators what's wrong with their application system, as only Matt would!! however his perseverance paid off and he managed to get not one but two scholarships for the remainder of his time there.  He has just finished for the year and passed all of his courses.  Every time someone went over to Hawaii, Matt always requested red and green frogs.

Now for Brendan.  Brendan has struggled with finding regular work this year, the forces trying to stop him from preparing and going on his mission I'm sure, however his desire to serve a mission won out.  after many doctors appointments and having to have all 4 wisdom teeth removed, he submitted his papers.  Scott wanted him to be sent to Brisbane as this is where he served, I kept telling him that it was Perth.  Both of us were wrong and he has been called to serve in the Adelaide mission.  this mission takes in not only Adelaide, but all through central Australia to the Northern Territory and part of the border of Victoria.  He is so excited to be going and as I write this he leaves in 6 days time.  we have set up a blog to upload his weekly emails too and you can follow it at www.elderduffusmeetsadelaide.blogspot.com.  The next few days are going to quite hectic with work and getting him prepared to leave.

Scott and I have had a wonderful year serving as the Young Single Adults (YSA) advisors for the Stake.  We have enjoyed many a fireside, institute and activities with them.  As a Stake we were in charge of the regional Ball and after many, many, many meetings and with a lot of help, we (our Stake) managed to put on a fabulous Ball, enjoyed by all.  More recently the Prophet announced the age of serving missions had changed from 19 to 18 years old for males and 21 to 19 for females.  the exciting thing is that there are so many of our YSA's planning, preparing, putting in their papers and being called to serve as full time missionaries.  We have loved every minute of our time spent with these wonderful young adults and look forward to the new year.

On our work side, it has also been a very busy year for both of us.  I am still working in Ashfield, working on projects and Scott has been working in the Blacktown, Penrith and more recently Mt Druitt area, however he went for a new position and was successful and will be joining me travelling to Ashfield in the new year.

We have fabulous family and friends that support us constantly and love dearly.  We look forward to the new year with new adventures, starting with a 13 night cruise to New Zealand and back at the end of January, to planning an trip to Hawaii to visit with Matt.  We also are so excited to start this journey with Brendan as he heads off and spends the next 2 years serving his Heavenly Father and teaching people about the gospel. 

thanks for all your friendship, love and support throughout 2012 and look forward to the new year.

Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

 

Love

Scott and Jene xx

 

 

 

 

 

Our journey is coming to an end - far to quickly

Its hard to believe that Scott and I are almost at the end of our trip. It's been 5 weeks and we have had some amazing experiences and fantastic time getting to know family that we either haven't seen for a long long time or have never met. We have thousands and yes I do mean thousands of photos and video that we know need to go over and put together as a historical journey of our adventure. So be prepared to be bored.

I am so happy that Scott was able to do and see so much he has only ever read about, the Great Wall, Colosseum and Pompeii just to mention a few, but the highlight for me is spending time with family. For those who don't know my sister and partner also made the journey across and it was the first time in 28 years that the siblings have been together and that was amazing. Our cousins and Aunts and uncles were also there, which made it extra special.

This week we have spent with family, having an amazing day at the London temple, watching my very talented brother in law, Jared and his band play at the local bandstand, Easter egg hunt with Matt and Kim and having a Harrods day with my baby sister Sarah. I couldn't have asked for a better week. it's time for teary goodbyes, its already started with Matt, Kim and the kids. tomorrow stop off at Geoff, margaret and the kids and then spend sometime with mum. Have to finish packing say goodbye to Sarah, Jared and Emily (who will have major withdrawals for uncle Dot) and then Matt to take us to the airport. At least I will have a long flight home to cry all my tears.

We have so loved our trip and look forward to seeing our boys and friends when we get home. Unfortunately we will have to say goodbye to Matt (my son Matt) as he will be heading off to sunnier skys in Hawaii to 'study' lol

We hope you have enjoyed our adventures - but I'm sure not as much as we have hahaha. We will be adding photos to the blog when we get home so you may see links on Facebook again. See you all back in Oz.

Road to Paris

We were picked up from the hotel around 6.30am and taken to the airport but this time without any traffic problems. We were flying with Swiss Air via Bern to Paris and had an hour and a half time frame for our transfer. The plane took off 20 minutes late but in Switzerland we came off the plane and only had to move down the terminal to our next flight. Flying over Switzerland and France I saw some of the most beautiful countryside with snow capped mountains dropping down to the edge of large winding rivers and towns nestled along the narrow banks on either side.

On arrival at Paris airport we picked up our baggage without any visa or customs control. Our private transfer brought us in through the north of the city with the glimpse of the Sacre Cour in the distance. The motorways were very good and we had little traffic to our hotel near the banks of the Seine in Rue de Charles. The hotel room was small but tidy and the whole hotel was quaint with a small lift that could only hold four people at a squeeze.

After settling in and checking the map we ventured out and up the street. About 200 metres we looked up and could see the Eiffel Tower above the buildings ahead. We continued on and as we crossed the road to walk along the river bank we came across a wide walkway called the Promenade de Australie and saw the Australian Embassy across the road.

Once again we had one of those experiences where you never really appreciate how impressive a structure is until you see it up close. The Eiffel Tower is so big that you cannot properly take it all in while you are standing close to it. The four large piers merge upwards towards its tower which then vanishes behind the various levels. There were two long queues waiting to go upstairs and it was advertised that you could expect a two hour wait. Only one lift was working and the only other option was the staircase.

We then crossed the Seine and walked up to the Trocadero so we could gain a better view. The photos do not do it justice as we watched the lights slowly come on and the fountains leading towards the tower go through their hourly routine. That evening we ate in a local restaurant. The French cuisine must be a little lacking because every second eating house advertised Italian food!

Shopping in Paree

While last night was very mild we woke this morning to overcast skies and cold winds. We headed off early to start our two day hop-on,hop-off bus tour of Paris. We caught the bus beside the Eiffel Tower and then proceeded to go pass the Invalides, Grand Palais, Louvre and Notre Dame. All very beautiful but because of the cold weather sitting in the top of an open roof bus it was not that pleasant.

We came to a major shopping precinct on the Boulevarde Haussmann where Jene needed to visit the Apple store that was set up in a beautiful old building. We decided to look around and came across a large department store known as C & A. The clothes were of good standard and they had a half price sale. Two hundred Euro later we both had a new winter wardrobe and clothes for the boys. ( this is obviously written by Scott!!)

This afternoon we had tickets for the Eiffel Tower and had to be back there by 5:15 which gave us plenty of time. We decided to continue on our bus tour and get off at the Eiffel Tower stop, drop off our shopping at the hotel and then get back for the tour. As we arrived at the Tower the bus did not stop and I went down to talk to the driver who could only tell me that the Tower was closed. By the time we understood the bus wasn't stopping we were back at the Invalides with less than an hour until our tour starts. I grabbed the shopping bags and took off back to the Hotel while Jene started walking to the tower, neither of us really knowing if we were heading in the right direction. As I moved further along the word on the street was that there had been a large protest at. The tower and all the roads were closed. When I reached the Champs de Mars I could hear the chanting and saw the protesters in the distance.

After a mad rush I made it back to the Tower, found Jene only to learn that up to 50 protesters had climbed the tower and chained themselves to the railing. SWAT police were everywhere and they were evacuating the tower. We waited for an hour and a half until they advised us that the tower would be closed until 9pm at the earliest but we were welcome to come back then and see if it was reopened. The temperatures with wind chill were about 0 degrees so we had dinner and as we finished saw a convoy of eleven police vans moving towards the tower. We decided to give it a miss.

Paris at the other extreme.

This morning we woke up to beautiful clear blue skies and no wind. It was still a little brisk but had potential for being a great day. Once again we made for the tower and our bus with the area around the tower free from any protests. Today being upstairs wasn't a problem and we enjoyed the view.

Our first stop was at the Place de la Concorde where the Obelisk is located at the start of the Champs Élysées. After looking around we walked through the Tuleries Gardens to the Louvre. On the first Sunday of each month there is free admission to the Louvre so the queues stretched around the glass pyramid.

We then hopped back on to the bus and moved on to Notre Dame. As it was a Sunday there were services on so we appreciated it's beauty from the outside. We then had our cliche Paris moment by sitting between the Notre Dame and the Seine eating baguettes. We once again hopped on the bus and travelled back to the Grand Palais and Petit Palais. I promised Jen that we would then catch the bus up to the Arc de Triomphe but as it was such a beautiful day I started walking up the Champs Élysées until we missed the bus stop. I thought I got away with it but Jen told me she knew what I was doing and that I would pay through shopping!!

The champs Élysées is everything walking in Rome isn't. It has eight traffic lanes and footpaths around 25 metres wide. There are upmarket stores on both sides of the road and the major car dealers even have shopfronts with cars inside. In the Renault store we found the new Twizy which is pretty much a golf cart cut in half and prettied up. It is smaller than a smart car and at between 7000-9000 Euros and fully electric not a bad bargain for getting around the suburbs.

Reaching the Arc de Triomphe we saw the organized chaos that is the roundabout encircling this monument. Once again there are rules that control the traffic circulation but they are not visible to the human eye. We the travelled back to the Trocadero and walked back to our hotel, buying some real French Fries for dinner on the way home. Even so early in Spring the sun does not go down until after 8.30 so we waited until 9 to go back and see the Eiffel Tower in all her night time splendor. On the hour the tower explodes into a frenzy of flashing lights for five minutes putting on a wonderful show. When that was finished we just stood and admired the beauty of it all lit up.

I would have to say that Paris is the most beautiful city I have been to and they have converted every inch of its grandeur into public museums, galleries or gardens for all to enjoy.

The Chunnel to London.

This morning was quiet as we packed and then caught a taxi to Nord Garde to catch our train trip to London. We had a few spare hours so I took Jen on a tour of a few lesser known back streets of Paris searching for the Sacre Cour church. She was getting pretty upset with me as it looked as if we were in the 'Redfern' area of town. Once I regained my bearings we finally came upon the church set on one of the few hills in Paris. The church was impressive but was spoiled, as were many of the more famous icons in Europe by the presence of hawkers trying to sell you rubbish. Some would just ask and accept no for an answer but others actually grab at you and are very aggressive and in some cases intimidating.

We walked back to the station and caught the train which is a good alternative to flying if you only have a little luggage. When you hop on the train there is limited space for large cases and it is first on best dressed. The trip took around 2.5 hours and was comfortable. (Doreen and Derek I would suggest taking the train to Paris for your holiday as it is relatively hassle free.)

We arrived at St Pancras station and walked down a couple of blocks as we decided to stay the night in London rather than try to manage the metro at peak hour with our suitcases. As we walked I had a monopoly moment as Euston Rd turns into Pentonville Rd at Kings Cross Station.

As we arrived at our hotel I had my first real meltdown of the trip when I discovered we were staying in a rundown backpacker in Kings Cross. This hit home as I carried our suitcases up four flights of stairs to a tiny room that had a view onto the local public housing high rise. Jene in her tried and true manner settled me down and I agreed to stay for the night. We then went out for dinner but ended up catching the metro to Embankment station and walking over to the Millenium Eye. It was just coming on dusk so we watched London turn on its lights with Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral the most impressive. As we didn't bring the camera we decided we would have to come back at night again.

Next day we decided to get a cab to liverpool street station, which is the main station, as the London underground is not luggage friendly. Back off to family to spend the last of our time with them before we head home.

The Rome adventure continues

Ancient Rome

In the afternoon following our Gladiator School we all took the Colosseum and combat Forum tour. This was a walking tour under the direction of a guide. The Colosseum is enormous with its dimensions similar to the playing surface of the MCG. As you walk around the outside it has the same aura and you can imagine the noise from the 60 000 spectators rising as a kill is made. Under the surface of the arena their is a labyrinth of corridors for the combatants and animals to use. A couple of times while the guide was providing information about the gladiators Jared and I would look at each other and shake our heads as we knew he was telling it wrong. Emily was asleep for much of this which meant that Jared and I were carrying her and the pram up and down the many stairs in chariot style that was suited to the venue we were in.

We then moved across the road and entered the Roman Forum that contains many of the structural remains of many of the central buildings of Caesar's Rome. These included many of the older temples and political buildings that would have been described In any novels or history books from this time. The tour still follows many of the original stone roadways so pushing Emily's pram was not very practical so once again she received the ancient Roman sedan chair ride. The tour finished with us ending up at the

We all ate at a nice little restaurant just up the road from the hotel. We thought the waiter was being very attentive to our need by supplying us with plenty of bread and pieces of fruit for Emily however when received the bill we realised his efforts were not that generous!! After dinner we all went down to the Trevi fountain and took some nice pictures. Upon returning to the hotel we said our goodbyes as Sarah and Jared were flying home and we had an early tour the next morning.


Pompeii

This morning we were picked up from our hotel at 7am for our bus trip to Naples and Pompeii. The guide, Ciara, was fluent in Italian, Spanish, German and English and had to repeat each description in the three foreign languages. Our journey out of Rome came to a temporary halt on the motorway as a large tanker had overturned and blocked lanes on both side of the highway. This took about 1/2 hour to clear. During this time we introduced ourselves to about 10 other older Aussies traveling on the bus, one of which was a Pies fan but I didn't hold that against her.

We followed the southern motorway which took us along the Apennines and a wide range of rural areas. In the distance to the left we could see mountains with snow on top. Ciara said that it was very unusual to still have snow in this area for this time of year. We stopped for morning tea and then continued on our way. A little further along we passed over the original Appian Way which was the original road from Rome. It is set on a built up embankment and no bigger than a narrow street with trees running along both sides.

Naples is a port city with a lot of history. We were taken on a guided walk that was a bit rushed due to our previous delay. The highlights were a large fort built from the Lava rock from Vesuvius and a ginormous glass domed plaza constructed 300 years ago. From here we drove to the other side of Vesuvius until we reached Pomeii were we had lunch which consisted of three courses, soup or lasagna, roast beef and ice cream. We sat with a family of two women our age from Argentina traveling with their parents. While there was a language barrier we managed to enjoy our time together.

The guided tour of Pompeii took about two hours and I was surprised how big the site was. It is only 8 kilometres from the crater of Mount Vesuvius which explains why so many were killed in the explosion and three days of eruption in 79AD. It was a very interesting experience and I was excited to see the mural portraying Alexander the Great pursuing King Darius at the Battle of Issus. The pictures provide a better explanation than I can.

Many on the tour were proceeding onto a further tour of Sorrento, the Isle of Capri which we will have to do next time we are over here. The trip home provided time for sleep and we returned to our hotel about 9.30pm.

Italy - not a good place to be if you don't eat cheese or drink wine!! (written by Jene)

Our last day in Rome and we decided to do what everyone should - cooking lessons with a chef. We met up with the rest of the group after a brisk walk through the streets of Rome trying to find the designated meeting place. There were 4 others including a young couple from Perth honeymooning around Europe (Scott and I went to Queensland!). Our chef Fabio and his assistant Monica took us through some of the streets on a short tour explaining the types of meat, bread and vegetables that are used frequently in his cooking. When he found out that I couldn't have cheese he explained we were in the wrong city! He then had to change his menu ideas to fit in at least some food that I would be able to eat. I also kept seeing shops on the walk that I wanted to return to have a better look (we did do this but Scott with his navigational skills made this into another opportunity to get me walking!!)

We worked our way to Fabio's cooking school, which happened to also be his home. Up on the shelf in the kitchen were so many bottles of olive oil that is only second to a supermarket shelf. Fabio went through the basics of cooking and the general ingredients, which of course included tomatoes, oil, garlic (but not as much as you may think), flour and eggs.

We first made bruschetta with fresh fresh tomatoes that were so sweet and yummy that I told Scott he had to get back to planting tomatoes for us. All that was in it - no its a secret recipe!! But it was delicious. We then made 2 types of pasta one made with semolina and
egg and the other with double flour and water. The pasta made with double flour we made like large shells and the other we made ravioli filled with a artichoke mix. Then we made gnocchi with a tomato sauce and crochets. I was able to have most of the dishes as mine was dished out first. All was delicious and tasted better as we had made it. Will have to see if we would do it at home though, all that was there had a blast. we rolled out of the school and went back to our hotel room the long way! After a quick rest we headed back out to hit the shops for some last minute shopping, pack the bags and bed before our 6.30 pickup for the airport, next stop Paris.

The Rome adventure begins

We are three weeks into our trip and have only now encountered our first problem. Jene confirmed our flight tickets with Lufthansa on line but it only provided us with the first leg of our flight to Frankfurt so we planned to get to the airport early to sort it out. When arrived we were advised that the first flight was delayed by fog and we would not meet our connecting flight to Rome. They booked us on the next possible flight but it meant that instead of arriving at 2 pm we would not get in till 5:30. Sarah and Jared would have a 3 - 4 hour wait for us to arrive at the hotel. Plenty of shopping time for Sarah but Jene was not impressed that this cut into her shopping day (Jene - I think Scott secretly arrange for this mishap to happen!!)

On arriving in Rome our transfer to the hotel fell through because of the delay so we were advised to use a taxi van for 20 euro each. It was now peak hour traffic and it took about an hour to reach our destination but gave us our first experience with Roman traffic. While traffic in Beijing was mad it had a sense of rhythm that all on the road understood. In Rome it was do what you want and beep your horn loudly. The bicycles of Beijing were replaced by the Vespa who had no hesitation to use the middle of the road as an additional lane where the was no lines or room to suggest this should happen. Jene spent the ride with her hands over her eyes and her foot on her imaginary brake.

The role of pedestrians was the lowest on the rung and you were only afforded a safe space of about 1 metre with bikes and cars utilizing either side. The secret is to be committed and show no fear.

We booked in and met up with Sarah, Jared and Emily who had already looked around and found a restaurant for dinner. After dinner we all walked up the hill to see the view from the top of the Spanish Steps, in which Jene and I had our first taste of gelato, yum. then Jene and I walked the couple of blocks to the Trevi Fountain. For such an iconic monument the Romans managed to tuck it into a tiny out of the way square. Though it was late at night there were literally hundreds of people having photos taken and throwing the three coins in the fountain, which is supposed to guarantee you to return to Rome. I told Jen that if she wanted to return to Rome she could not afford to throw any money away.

I am Spartacus!!!

I could not believe how nervous I was this morning as I prepared for my much awaited visit to Gladiator School. Jared had been talking himself up all night about how he was going to whip my butt but he too looked as if he was going to be thrown to the Lions.

We all caught a taxi to the school set in a dusty little street off the Appian Way. For those who know their Roman History even being on the Appian Way was a thrill as we made our way outside the old city walls. The school site consists of a couple of small structures housing a very basic museum and an outside arena with a sand floor and and a small viewing area where the girls set up.

Apart from the gladiator school experience the site is used by a Roman Legion reenactment group who participate in annual historical events. We were Introduced to our instructor who was a very fit looking older man who took his role pretty seriously. Before training he explained about the role of Legionnaires in the Republican armies and showed us uniforms and equipment utilized by the Legions and the Praetorian Guards. He then explained the role of gladiators in Roman society, the different types and how games were run.

Jared and I were then able to try on some of the original helmets worn by the various gladiator categories as well as hold the shields and weapons. The weight of all the equipment, especially the helmets was amazing, and you could appreciate that most contests didn't last more than 10 minutes.(Nerdy Fact... All gladiators were slaves and under Roman law were forbidden to kill another person. That is why the successful combatant had to wait for the Roman running the games to give him permission to kill his opponent. To save the loser the sign given was not the thumbs up as shown in movies but
The thumb tucked into the fist which signified to 'put your sword back into its scabbard').

A couple of times during the day Jene tried videoing what our instructor was saying which was ticking him off. Jared and I kept telling her to stop because he was tough on us already without upsetting him before he started using a sword on us, but this didn't seem to bother Jene at all!!

Jared and I then stepped into the arena, put on our tunics and were instructed in the basic principles of gladiator fighting. We first learnt the five attacking moves and then the five basic defensive moves. For those that have seen the video coverage please note that the speed has been slowed down so you can appreciate the skill involved. Also note that they did not have the super heavyweight tunic for me.

Once we were trained in the moves Jared and I were allowed to fight freestyle taking it in turns to be the attacker or defender. The pressure was intense under the watchful eye of our tutor and with Jene and Sarah in the stands laughing and continually condemning both of us to an honorable death with 'thumbs down' at every opportunity. After much battle it became apparent that Jared's 'tough talk' from the night before was all show and I kicked his butt. In defending one of his ferocious sword thrusts I fended him away and caught him on the hand. You would have thought I had cut his hand off but he manfully continued but eventually fell at the last hurdle like his beloved Arsenal.

The whole experience was amazing and I learnt a lot, so much so that I bought two rudis,wooden training swords, and am planning to set up my own gladiator school back home. 'Like' this entry on Facebook and I will sign you up.

Bury and then back to Essex for a family weekend

Bury

We arrived in Bury, just outside of Manchester late in the afternoon and were greeted with lots of hugs and kisses and some tears I am sure. We headed out to an old English pub to have a meal and catch up.

The next day we hit the streets to check out where mum grew up. Some things have changed drastically, like the church that Doreen and Derek were married in is now a Tesco car park!! But some things stayed the same such as the house mum grew up in.

Walking and driving around with Doreen and Derek was just like driving around with mum and dad and we can see why they have remained friends throughout all this time and distance.

We stopped off to meet their daughter Allison who lives in a cottage that was built in the 1800's, I think - cant remember now, and had all the old brickwork still intact. It was a tiny semidetached but the improvements that have been made are huge windows at the front and back which let so much light it. It was really beautiful to see it and also to meet Allison.

After lunch we headed off to Clitheroe via Pendle Hill where it is believed that this is where the witches resided and the famous witch trials of 1612. This was close to Bury, where mum grew up and now understand why mum has witches throughout her house!!

In Clitheroe we met up with Doreen's other daughter Tracey, who we met around 22 years ago. Clitheroe was very pretty and it had a Keep (fortress) at the top of a hill, yes you guessed it we had to walk up there!! Not too bad just a short walk. This Keep was hit by a cannonball during the English revolution and the hole still remains.

We headed back to meet up with Allison and Tracey's children and enjoy a family get together. Afterwards at Doreen and Derek's we introduced them to pavlova for dessert and some fudge we got at Bath. With an early start to the morning and again hugs, kisses and tears we left Doreen an Derek with a promised return trip and longer stay and made our way back to Chelmsford for a weekend with Matt, Kim and kids.

Weekend with Matt and Kim

Our first adventure with Matt and Kim started with the movies to watch the Hunger Games. Now anyone that knows me (Jene that is) knows that this is not my type of movie, however I will admit that I did enjoy it (just not sure if I would watch the next one, so don't get too excited Deirdre!!). After this headed back to Matt and Kim's for some catch up chats that lasted till early hours of morning. When we awoke we decided that we all are to old for that any more!!

We headed out to the river where there was a Lock. Had seen this many times in movies and shows but to see the boats up close was really interesting. By chance a friend of Matt and Kim's was there with his boat - not a long boat though, but the kids got to have a ride and we got to see how a Lock works. Scott helped out with opening and closing the Lock and was amazing to see that the water goes down one one side and the fills up to allow the boat to pass through. The we went off to a massive park which was one where Matt and Kim's ward plus another ward meets for Easter Monday rain, hail, snow or shine for a family picnic and Easter egg hunt.

Scott made his yummy Chinese meal that was enjoyed by all (even kids) and I introduced them to sticky date pudding. Since it had previously agreed that we were too old to stay up till all hours that morning, we again talked till early morning, and made even earlier as daylight savings started that night!! Off to church and got to meet Kim's family as they are in the same ward. Kim's dad and brother in law also dropped by that night so had a good time talking to them (and getting the dirt on matt as an adult!!). Matt dropped us off at the airport hotel for the commencement of our time in Rome and Paris. Sarah, Jared and Emily are joining us in Rome for a couple days and will be great to spend time with them there. Bring on gladiator school!!

A Bath experience and it wasn't even a Saturday!!

We booked into the Edgar Hotel in Bath but did not arrive until after dark. As our Navwoman advised us that we were arriving at our destination we turned into a scene directly out of a Jane Austen novel. The Great Pulteny Road is a very wide thoroughfare with a row of three storey Georgian houses along either side for about 500 metres. As you walk along the pavement you can look down to see each house has two floors below the road level that are actually level with the rear yard. I kept expecting to see the cast of Upstairs Downstairs to walk onto the street.

After booking in we decided to walk a short way down the road to the Avon River and over the bridge. As we turned the corner of one street both Jene and I were stopped in our tracks by the sight of the Bath Abbey lit up at the end of the street. Not only was its size impressive but the way in which it was lit just enhanced its beauty. After walking around some more we stopped for dinner opposite the Abbey and watched people passing. It was obvious that it was a university town by the number of young adults but we were also impressed that so many people were out after 9:00 enjoying the chilly night.

The next morning we had a lovely English Breakfast in the front room looking out on to the street. I felt like Professor Higgins sitting with Jen as Eliza Doolittle out of My Fair Lady. That might have been because Jen now walks around saying 'Cor Blimey' a lot!!!

We checked out but decided to stay in Bath for awhile. We looked inside the Bath Abbey which was huge with beautiful stained glass windows, ornate carvings and a huge vaulted ceiling. On the pillars there were flags representing local army regiments that used to exist and the right up the front was a threadbare Australian Flag. This was included in respect for Governor Arthur Phillip who arrived with the First Fleet in Sydney in 1788. After his term as Governor he returned to England and retired to Bath.

After our visit to the Abbey I went on a two hour walking tour of the city while Jene went shopping. On my tour we saw some of the most beautiful Georgian architecture in the form of the Circus and Royal Crescent. The city was well planned and is one of the mot beautiful cities I have visited. There were lots of nerdy things to see and learn all of which I am willing to share at any time. The folk story of Bladdad and his pigs and why they built acorn adornments on the Circle rooftops or how the University still pays a peppercorn rent to the city for its land are two of my favorites!! If anyone is planning to visit Bath you need to allow at least a full 24 hours if not longer to really appreciate it.

Unfortunately we needed to move on as we had very important people to stay with. Doreen and Derek are Scott's mums oldest friends. Doreen grew up with mum, including school and throughout mums dating period, time to get the dirt!!

Our England tour - We bought a Zoo!!

Dartmoor Zoo

As you all know, since I saw the movie 'We bought a zoo', saw Benjamin Mee on the morning show and found out that the zoo was England I told Scott we had to go there. He was not impressed but organized our road trip to cater for a trip to the zoo.

It was not a very good day weather wise but we eventually made our way to Dartmoor zoo. This was also done those roads Scott hates!! I think these were even smaller than the other ones we had been on, Scott was really stressing by the time we got there haha.

The zoo was very small compared to our one but it was exciting to see the zoo. The lions and tigers were so beautiful. We were there on a day that the local college had made a replica animals for them to attack and feed off. Whilst most was cardboard it was covered in horse and alpaca hair, catnip and meat. The plan was for the lioness to pounce and 'kill' the animal and then for the lion to eat it. As with most best laid plans the lion came out and claimed the meal and the lioness had to wait.
The lion came up to the fence where I was standing and kept eyeing me and one of the girls from the college, looking back and forth for a few minutes, then roared and pounced at us through the fence, in which we both screamed and jumped back. We were both really glad of the fence lol.

Also at the lions den was Benjamin Mee himself. I got to meet him, have photos and talk to him a bit about the zoo and explain why we had come - he seemed very impressed lol. The movie has only been released in England a few days before but he had said that it has already made an impact on the number of visitors to the zoo.
Whilst it was a small zoo it was clear that the animals were all healthy and happy there. One of the volunteers we came across at the tigers was talking to one of the tigers and she was purring back. It was very cute to watch, well for me anyway not to sure about Scott.

We made our way to the education centre where we could handle some of the wildlife, of which pictures are up on FB. It seems that us Aussies are tough as Scott and I were holding anything that they offered to us, where as anyone else that was there were refusing. Now happy that we had made the effort to go we made our way to Bath.

Our tour of England - London to Lulworth Cove

We celebrated English Mothers Day at brother Geoff's house before starting our journey around 5:00pm. We were planning to leave Monday morning but were warned of the gridlock on the motorways around London so heading off early. We drove for about two hours and stayed in a nice hotel the town of Hook outside Basingstoke. This belonged to the Quality Inn chain of hotels and are well worth looking at if planning travel around England.

After breakfast we drove towards the Salisbury Plains for a look at Stonehenge. In my original plans I had not included this stop as I had never really been impressed by this group of rocks. As we approached it on the motorway we came around the corner and it standing alone in a fenced off paddock and my opinion did not change to the point that I was considering whether it was worth the admission price to go in however as we were there we would make the effort.

However as you approach these enormous stone slabs and learn about the effort made to bring them to this specific site and the reasons why my appreciation of the site improved immensely. I took advantage of one of the volunteer guides on the site who explained that the larger stones were quarried about 20 miles away while the smaller bluestone rocks have been traced to quarries in Wales more than 150 miles. The legend is that the wizard Merlin used music and magic to bring the stones to Salisbury.

The significance of the site is that it is a prime location for watching the skies to understand the movement of the sun and thereby determining the seasons. There are stones set to the southern and northern side of the henge from which the sun rising and setting could be viewed to tell when the equinox would occur.

When you see the large vertical stones up close you can see that small mounds have been carved on the top edge which match up with holes in the lintels placed on top which holds them in place. As we were walking back to the car park we noticed a number of odd looking vans and campers parked up a side plane. These belonged to a group of modern day Druids who had arrived to celebrate the Autumnal equinox that was occurring the next day. They had permission to enter the Stonehenge circle to carry out their ceremonies.

(from Jene - Scott was in his nerdy element here and talking to the guide. It was breezy but I let Scott have his moment lol)

As the photos show on face book the boys really enjoyed this site!

After Stonehenge we continued our journey down to Dorset and the little village of Lulworth on the Jurassic Coast. While we trusted our best friend, the Navwoman, it took us down the smallest of roads. First we came to villages that had a small lane each way but allowed cars to park on the street. Then we moved to smaller roads with privet on both sides that required both cars to edge to the side of the road to pass. Finally we came on to even smaller roads where you just hoped you didn't come across a bike coming the other way let alone a car. At one stage I was living in fear as Jene was flying along these roadways. I asked her to slow down and she came back at me that she was only doing 45! I had to remind her that it was 45 miles not kilometers (which is 75 k's)

Lulworth Cove is a lovely little fishing village right at the end of the road. The cove was formed when the creek running out of the hills broke through to the sea. The type of rocks in the area consist of softer sediments and the pounding of the sea broke them down to open up the valley to the sea. Over the years the softer rocks washed away until the water hit the solid chalk cliffs at the back of the cove. As the pictures show it is a full circle.

The reason I selected this location on this trip was to visit a geological site known as Durdle Door. This is an archway that has been formed in the coastal cliffs similar to the London Bridge on the Great Ocean Rd. For some reason the English have not acquired the concept of going around a hill. Once again I dragged Jene up this steep hill, almost as steep as the Great Wall of China. The photos show how much Jene appreciated it. When we reached the top Jene threw a tantrum and refused to come down the other side so missed the view.

The walk down the hill was also steep and as I came down the bluff there were people swimming at the beach. It was pretty cold and the swimmers did have on wet suits. At the bottom I reached the cliff outcrop and saw Durdle Door rising out of the sea. Looked good so proceeded to climb down to the beach for more photos. The steps that took me down were very narrow and challenging and these were used to bring families down to the water. The beach, as is typical, had no sand but was made up of thousands of small polished pebbles.

While down on the beach I received a text from Jen that she was making her way back down from the top back to the village so I started the climb to the apex and back down the other side. While Jen was not did not enjoy the walk up the hill what annoyed her more was that there were quite a lot of couples in their 60s and older who were doing the same climb - quite successfully. A couple of times I heard her mutter under her breath something about kicking their walking sticks out from under them.

When I arrived back in the village we rewarded ourselves with a Dorset ice cream. They are famous for their clotted cream (triple thickened) and we sampled some beautiful flavours before making a choice and heading back to the Barn. That night we went into town and ate at the local pub. Food was nice but what caught our attention was the number of people who brought their dogs into the restaurant while they ate. Jene ordered fish and chips and had a laugh when it arrived with peas!!

Our accommodation was called 'The Old Barn' and is a converted barn. Lovely room with beautiful view and a huge English breakfast. We then headed off to our next stop - Plymouth to visit the zoo.

A walk on the Wicked side. Got your attention now haven't we!!

A walk in the English Countryside

It is a bleak grey day in the county of Essex and I have talked Jene's brother Geoff to go dawdling through the English countryside. About 250 metres from the main road we hit rural England as the footpath ends along with housing and we walk along narrow roadways surrounded by farmland and open fields. Every now and then a lovely little cottage would appear or a small village on the horizon with the church steeple being prominent.

As you can imagine walking along small country roads for four hours Geoff and I shared many thoughts and feelings on many different levels including assessment of our wife's strengths and weaknesses. To ensure that both Geoff and i live happy and long lives I will not be sharing those thoughts at this time.

We were following a map of the Roach Valley Walk that took us along roadways and the through fields and across farms. These are public footpaths that have been designated for a long time. They travel through private lands and the owners of the property have the responsibility of maintaining the paths. It felt a bit strange walking between barns and over stiles into paddocks and we kept waiting for an angry farmer to appear waving a shotgun.


A Wicked Day in London

Today we travelled into London with sister Sarah, sister- in-law Margaret and special nieces Megan and Lauren to see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo Theatre. We decided that rather than just buying the nieces and nephews some Aussie t-shirts that we would treat each of them to a special experience or gift. Megan is studying drama so we thought a Visit to the West End would be good.

We caught the train from Rochford to Liverpool Street station and then transferred to the underground to travel to Covent Garden. There was a small hut with postcards posted all over it supporting the Great Britain Olympic team. They invited me in but wouldn't allow me to write Aussie, Aussie Aussie oi, oi, oi own the wall.

We then walked towards the West End and it was like being transported on to a Monopoly Board as we went through Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square. We reached the Apollo theatre only to find that we should have been at the Apollo Victoria theatre so had to jump back on the Metro but made it on time.

The musical Wicked was brilliant. A great story, amazing songs and a very impressive cast. We still can't get the song 'Gravity' out of our heads. Jene, being the big rebel that she is, taped the finale on her phone and will probably download it on Facebook.

The show finished about 5:30 but as we had off peak rail tickets we had to wait until 6:30 to return so we decided to walk back past Buckingham Palace. We saw Prince Harry coming out! The picture shows his car and while you can't see him you will have to take my word for it. While walking we caught glimpses of Big Ben, the Tower of London and the Millennium Eye.



Heat Wave Hits London

This morning I went walking in a really thick fog where I could only see about 50 metres in front of me. By mid morning the sun had burned up the fog and a beautiful blue sky appeared. I was able to sit outside in a short sleeved shirt and build up my tan. This afternoon I walked into Rochford and built up a sweat it was so warm.

On my walk I pass a primary school that a small service road opposite which is used for drop off and pick up. This afternoon when I walked past around school finishing time there were two Mr Whippy vans parked in prime location on the service road. Great for the kids but hard for parents to deal with.

Finally we are here

We left Beijing, again very happy with the plane and service given by Air China. It wasn't too cold but it was midday!! We had such a good time in Beijing but it was also extremely busy. We landed in England on time and got down to UK border, this is where everything stopped, literally. We were in the queue that had 18 lines going backwards and forwards till we got to the top - 2.5 hours later!!! So needed my English passport, but would have to still wait for Scott. Waiting on the other side was Sarah, Jared, mum and baby Emily. Finally got through, when we landed it was sunny and by the time we got through it was night haha.

The next day was the day we had all been waiting for. We all headed over to mums place as there was a hall there. There was Geoff, Margaret and their 5 children, Matt, Kim and their 3, Sarah, Jared and Emily, mum and dad. My cousins Richard, Tracey and kids and Juno, David and their kids made the 2.5 hour drive and Gary, Helen and their family. My aunts and uncles Beryl and Roy and even Rex and Sue came over from France to join us. With Deb and Lav and Scott and myself it made a very large number of us all together for the first time in 28 years.

Such fantastic day time to catch up on the many many years that we have been apart, plans to make to see each other again, many many many photos to take for future memories. Opportunities to get to know our nieces and nephews that we had never met. The time went too fast but the day had to come to an end.

Our first stop was with Sarah and Jared, where we got some time with Emily. Being the youngest niece and still a baby really she is cute, just like Sarah she is allowed to get away with stuff others wouldn't - such as pick pocketing Uncle Scott for his wallet and phone hahah she very quickly learnt how to play the games on his phone and take his cards out of his wallet!!

Sorry cant add photos at this time but plenty on face book and will add at a later stage.

First couple of days done and dusted and then jet lag kicked in. Awake from 1.30 till around 5 am that night thank goodness for reading books and torches lol

The Summer Palace - last activity in Beijing

After the walking along the Great Wall we headed to another iconic sight - The Summer Palace.  This is where the Emperors and the Empress came during the summer months as it was cooler than the heart of Beijing.  Well if it is cool in summer it is freezing in winter!!  During its history it has been destroyed 3 times.  the last was in the 1800.  It is said that the Empress (aka Dragon Lady) embezzled funds from the royal navy to have the gardens rebuilt.

We arrived and hopped out of our nice warm car, where Scott declared that it was a nice warm day, it actually did feel that way until we came up to the Palace.  It soon became very noticeably why the Empress  preferred to be here in the summer.  It is 290 hectares of which over 120 of these is the lake.  During winter the lake is frozen solid, hence why it was so cold.

The Palace also contains the longest corridor, it cannot really be restored as each section was decorated by different, unique artists and much to Scotts delight contains a picture from 'Monkey Magic"!!

throughout the garden there are also internal canals - all of which were frozen as well.  the wind was blowing in both directions hence my getup below!!  Scott and our guide thought i was hilarious - i was just trying to keep warm.

during the summer months the chinese people hold their dragon boat racing on the lake and the gardens are spectacular and would be well worth a visit in spring.

again this garden was another amazing place to visit and we will also remember this for a lifetime.

on our way back to our hotel we managed a quick look at a couple of the olympic sites - the Birds Nest and the Cube.  We also found that even in Beijing they have their very own China Town!!

Well our Beijing adventure ends and our London adventure begins.  Bring on the family.

The Great Wall of China

We are currently flying over the snow capped mountains of Russia while I update our third day in Beijing which was also the best day as we headed out to the Great Wall.  There are a couple of places in the World that I have always dreamed of visiting. Three years ago we went to Cairns and I swam on the Barrier Reef.  On that day I thought I had experienced the greatest travel experience I could have.  Today while walking on the Great Wall a new number one was achieved.

We went to a section of the Wall known as Maitanyu about 90 km out of Beijing.  This requires traveling through rural areas and small villages but as you get closer to the Mountains it is obvious that this area is a summer vacation district with fishing and fruit farms. We passed frozen rivers and lakes and a beautiful waterfall that was also frozen solid.  As we came around a bend in the road we caught our first glimpse of the Wall running along the top of the mountains.  It would go out of sight for awhile and the reappear until we came to the base of mountain ridge.  There up above us stood a long stretch of the wall with a number of towers visible and a cable car rising up to meet it.

In a couple of minutes we reached the top and as I rounded the corner my breath was taken away as you see the wall stretching out for kilometers in either direction.  For all the documentaries I have watched and photos I have seen nothing prepared me for the sense of majesty at its size and the enormity of its construction.

After taking a few 'family photos' on the terrace we took our first, very large, steps up into Tower 14. From here you could look along the wall I. Both directions. To the left was an upward climb to the peak of the mountain range and to the left a downward walk to another cable car and the toboggan ride at Tower 6.  I thought Jene was going to turn around and return down the Cable Car but she pushed forward with some trepidation but also determination.

It didn't take long to reach our first set of stairs that ranged from sections of small close together steps up to large steps 1/2m high.  These were separated by paved sections mirroring the contour of the mountain and as the weather was still at zero or below many sections were coated with ice.  Jene's ankle has restricted mobility which saw her climbing down the steps sideways like a crab.  We are talking a couple of kilometers and hundreds of steps but she carried on like a trooper.  Only after coming through Tower 8 did she let out a groan as we saw the steep set of steps leading up to Tower 7.  However looking back up the mountain to see where we had started from convinced her that forward was the only way to go.   We finally reached Tower 6 with a great sense of achievement.

The Great Wall itself was amazing and once again beyond my ability to describe it so we hope the pictures do it justice.  The  coating of snow in some area added to its beauty.  I could have kept walking but time, and Jene, wouldn't allow it.  So Jene and our guide Sherry took the toboggan ride down to the bottom while I returned to Tower 8 and walked the 1000 steps back down.  While this walk was challenging it was easier than running the gauntlet of small stallholders lining the narrow pathway back to the car park.

 this was such an amazing journey and one that we will never forget.

Day 2 - Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City

At 8am we were to meet our guide at a hotel lobby for our next tour.   Unfortunately there was a mix up and he arrived 20 mins late.  Tommy was 27 and very enthusiastic and he was our private guide for this tour.  He took us on the subway which was very clean and easy to use.  All bags are scanned before entering the station.  All tickets regardless of destination cost 2 yuan (60c) and are small plastic cards.  When you leave the station they are collected and recycled.  The subway is very crowded in peak hour but easy to use.

Around the Temple of Heaven is a large public space (size of Jamison Park) with hundreds of older locals inside.  Everywhere you look there are groups of 20 - 30 people participating in activities such as Tai Chai, dancing, singing, martial arts all being led by a assigned instructor.  Later on we saw rock and roll dancing and sword martial arts.  Most amazingly of all was when we came to a large playground with gym equipment but no children.  Instead there were hundreds of older people laughing and exercising together.  It was like a scene from Cocoon!!  These older people were very agile and strong but more importantly were enjoying the company of their peers.  During our stay we saw lots of these parks which have been set up for the older residents to use to keep their body and minds active.  Retirement ages are set quite low and as most people live in apartment this is we're they go everyday. I forgot to mention that it was below freezing but weather does not bother them.  I challenged Jene to match the fitness of some of the older women but she was too intimidated.

We the wet into the inner park in which the Temple of Heaven is located along with the Wall of Echos and Circular Mound.  All would take too long to describe so when we discuss Touristy stuff we will allow the pictures talk for themselves.

When we finished this part of the tour it was so cold I bought a daggy beanie just to keep my ears warm. We the then caught a taxi to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  The traffic was bedlam as the Chinese Congress was holding their annual get together bringing over 3000 reps from all over China to determine this years policies.  This meant the Army and Police were everywhere and people were being stopped for random security checks.  It also meant we were not able to enter the Square or Chairman Mao's mausoleum.

When we entered through the front gate with Chairman Mao's picture over it you then have to proceed through a couple of large courtyards and gates before coming to the huge walls of the Forbidden City. To stand before it was amazing as I have read so much about it and seen pictures but never thought I would be there myself.  Once again I will allow the pictures to describe its size and majesty.  (Nerd Alert - the color blue signified heaven and only the Emporer could use the color yellow) 

When you come out the other side of the city you are faced with this large hill that has five pagodas on it.  The hill was man made for the Emporor and the pagoda on the top houses a large statue of Buddha for worshipping.  The hill is a steep climb of 300 meters which had Jene rolling her eyes but saw her bravely climb the stairs to the top.  It was worth it as the view of the Forbidden City was spectacular as I gained a better perspective of it 1sq km size.  It was also worth it as we were able to get a picture of Jene in her real guise as the "Dragon Lady".

After coming back down the hill Tommy walked us back through the local suburbs or Hu Tongs.  These are the older style areas of single story structures set back in alleys with small local shops.  Here we went to a small restaurant and had a more day to day meal of fried veggies, chicken with peanuts fried rice.  Finished walking back to hotel enjoying the sights of Beijing.  Temp rose to 3 when in the sunshine but still cold.

Once we got back to the hotel we both collapsed and didn't move till the next morning!!  have to build our energy up for tomorrow when we hit the Great Wall.