See you in 2009!

Have a great New Year's celebration everyone! Very best wishes, and I'll see you all next year.

Robin Redbreast

There are quite a few British animals that I've always been curious about, and one I really wanted to see was the robin redbreast. Dave's Mum, Kathy has been very kind to me and helped me meet the robin who lives in her garden. On the first day, three of us went into the garden but the robin was very shy. So the next day I took up Kathy's suggestion that I wear her yellow jacket so I that would look like a familiar figure, while Dave tip-toed behind to take a picture of this cute fellow.



After breakfast on Boxing Day Dave, his parents and I went for a short walk in Little Missenden to do some activity and enjoy the blue skies. These are Dave's photos taken with his new camera.







We watched the kites soaring overhead.

Evidence of another famous British animal, though I didn't see one...these are molehills!

A beautiful church in Little Missenden.

A mural of St Christopher and St Catherine.





After the walk, we drove to Great Missenden to join Dave's childhood friend Chris and his family for Boxing Day lunch. We decided to take another walk after another big meal (roast duck, roast beef, veges and Yorkshire pudding, then pear and amaretto crumble with icecream). Chris took us up to the view over Great Missenden. It's pretty cold and the light is starting to fade here... it's not just the big meals, we are well bundled up, do believe me!

Here are Chris and his wife Sarah.

Plus Dave!


Finally here's one of us together. I'll be back to work tomorrow after a busy and blissful week off. I've had a wonderful first British Christmas with Dave's lovely family and friends. There've been lots of new experiences - seeing the robin and my first fox (!) and pheasant, seeing real misteltoe and cutting holly from the Common, Dave's Dad, Ken teaching me how to make tea; learning to play new board games and how to fly a model helicopter, learning about the Christmas cake tradition and that there's a layer of marzipan between the cake and the royal icing (NZ cakes just have the icing), being visited by Santa in the northern hemisphere, going to the West End to see Bill Bailey the comedian....just to name a few. They are memories I'll treasure.

xxx

The Red Lion

The Red Lion, Little Missenden

Dog & Fox, Wimbledon

Cat & Canary

A quick trip to Canary Wharf to visit Clare and Joel's new home. Happy housewarming!



The Cat & Canary.

Wild Christmas Trees in Wimbledon

I hope you are having a lovely Christmas! Here are some pictures of some of our discoveries while exploring Dave's new neighbourhood. Wimbledon Common (yes, the legendary home of the Wombles of Wimbledon) is right on the doorstep. I was very excited to find this tree, spotted off in the distance...



...But then look at this one!



I was very impressed!


Someone with a sense of fun, and maybe the foresight to bring a stepladder has taken a bit of trouble to cheer up the Common for the festive season.






Best wishes for 2009

xxx Char

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! My photos for you are from busy, busy Oxford Street where I caught Santa in overdrive. Wee Birdy captured even more pretty pictures of the Christmas lights (I wasn't brave enough to head into the thickest crowds).


Barbershop Santa



My personal favourite, Santa on the Tube.



Launderette Santa.



Vespa Santa



Bathing Beauty Santa



Cupcake Santa



Shopaholic Santa?

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas with your friends and family. Best wishes and all my love for the festive season and the New Year.

5 Things Char loves everyday..

I've been tagged by my cousin, muntedkowhai so here we go! Some of the things I love everyday are...

1. Being a Kiwi

New Zealand is home!

Lovely Pen sent me the most wonderful care package (miraculously Royal Mail did a re-delivery without me knowing and although I'd almost given my package up for good, it appeared on top of the shoe-rack one afternoon! Tim Tams, hand-dyed angora fingerless gloves, a lacy snowflake, double-dipped Cherry Ripes. Pen is an angel). This is the awesome-mest bag anyone has ever made me! Thank you so much, Pen!

Recently I have been doubting my accent as I am usually way outnumbered by Brits and Aussies. But watching Flight of the Conchords reassures me that yes, there is a country out there where lots of people talk with funny 'e' sounds and sentences that sound like questions.

2. Being in the company of this gorgeous guy...

His smile just lights up my day. 'Nuff said.


3. Travel and thoughts of travel


The travel bug still hasn't left me. Still so many places to explore.

4. Being girly, and hanging out with my favourite girls


Kate in Hyde Park, Den in Cardiff.

Paula and Victoria in Monte-Carlo.

My bestie, Clare in London. We always have lots of fun no matter where we are.

5. Finding beauty in unexpected places

Keeps the eye, mind, and the heart keen.


Clockwise from top left: little altar in Venice, spoon graffiti in Barcelona, Ghostpatrol in Getrude St Melbourne, Pink Vespas in Monte-Carlo.

What are the 5 things you love everyday?

Olympia

Tonight we went to the Olympia Horse Show to watch the dressage events. It was the first time I've ever been to anything like it! Amazing, including Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman, who can ride and jump up to 8 horses at once; and the FEI Dressage Qualifier (international dressage freestyle competition which was set to music ranging from movie soundtracks to Carpenters, Elton John and Tom Jones medleys!)

Here is a little clip to give you a taste for the show... And there's a bit more about Lorenzo below. The event was also attended by the Duchess of Cornwall so we had to stand to welcome her. (PS: aka Mrs Prince Charles). My first Royal sighting.

Thank you Akansha and Dave!


LORENZO-The Flying French Man

Six Months

(Here is a moody picture taken on the Thames Clipper as we glided down past Canary Wharf...)

It dawned on me as I was walking home from work, bundled up against the cold and admiring the Christmas lights on my street, that I've been in London now for six months. This time of year feels significant for many people because it's the end of the old year and the beginning of 2009 and so I suppose it's a bit natural to be thinking back and looking forward at the same time.

The last six months have been such an exhilirating ride; full of challenges, adventures, and dreams come true. I couldn't have imagined what would happen, and I think I'm still guessing. I'm an incredibly lucky girl to have been able to set off to try a life in a different place and have it unfold like a story day after day. There've been many changes: learning to travel alone, in other languages, with other people; living in the same city as old friends and meeting many new ones; the difference of working in the UK and back home, learning how to work with colleagues and patients of many different cultures and nationalities, adapting to a different way and pace of life, (and not to mention falling in love).

Christmastime here is novel for me, the white snow, robins and Nordic pines, goose and turkey for dinner with steamed pudding for dessert all makes sense. It also makes me think of home - hot lazy days sitting outside in the dry grass listening to cicadas, our Christmas lunch of cooked ham, and family time just relaxing while on summer holiday. It's fun to ask my colleagues and patients what they'll have for Christmas as the answers are so different. Turkey and goose, pheasants, duck... lots of different types of bird! What will you have on the Christmas table?

It's my last week at work (three more days to go!) then I'll have Christmas week off and work sporadically through January. Very much looking forward to it.

Winter Roses

I haven't been feeling at my best for the last few days, but now I'm on the mend... thanks for all the TLC even all the way from home. I found this photo in my collection taken in Norway. I love how the colour turned out and remember how surprised I was to discover roses blooming so late into the year. They were a splash of colour against a cold-toned palette.

The Mouse in the Jar of Gobstoppers

The Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden is a rather small museum (two rooms: the Boy Gallery and the Solo Gallery; the Story Centre, Miss Honey's Classroom and Cafe Twit) but it was fun for two Dahl fans on a Sunday afternoon. It was interesting to see the home of Roald Dahl, as he lived in Gipsy House for 36 years. His widow Felicity Dahl still lives there and her garden is opened to the public five times a year. Here is the jar of gobstoppers, the famous prank for which he was punished with 4 lashes of the cane at Repton.

Roald Dahl in his Repton school uniform, and Jelly the dog. He credited Jelly with the invention of his stories...

Here's the famous Gypsy caravan

How he wrote his stories - handwritten or typed with taped-on additions and corrections

His letters to his mother from boarding school.

Norwegian documents - both his parents were Norwegian and Roald Dahl often took holidays in Norway.

Here's a mock-up of the writing hut, and Roald Dahl's writing chair. It's actually very comfortable and I imagine very toasty and warm when you're in a sleeping bag as well!

A letter explaining why he had to make the grandmother in 'George's Marvellous Medicine' mean. The fouler and more filthy a person is, the more fun it is to watch him getting scrunched. This is the Willy Wonka coat, gloves, hat and walking cane made of hundreds & thousands on loan from Johnny Depp. Real Oompa Loompas, too! Creepy!

'Sisters were useful for target practice' & '1st prize toilet seat warmer'



While I was assembling my lick 'n' stick identikit character, Dave made a cute video that made me giggle...

A few stops on the tiny Roald Dahl Village Trail. This timber-framed building at Crown House 70 High Street was the inspiration for Sophie's 'norphanage' in The BFG.

Roald Dahl received hundreds of sacks of mail every year from his fans. The postman would deliver up to 4000 letters a week to his house while he was alive, and even now they continue to arrive (but by e-mail as well!).

'Dear children, far across the sea,
How good of you to write to me
I love to read the things you say
When you are miles and miles away.
Young people, and I think I'm right,
Are nicer when they're out of sight.'

(Poem to school children, 1986)

The BP pumps at 64 High Streed inspired the description of the garage in Danny the Champion of the World. Roald Dahl worked for Shell Oil after he left school.