happy birthday!

Happy 6th Birthday Sean!

a little disappointing to say the least ....

Ever since I discovered an LP of the stage recording of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph" as a child on a school holiday at my Gran's house, I have wanted to see it performed. So you can imagine my excitement last night as Katie, Megan and I headed off to the West End, with tickets in hand, eagerly anticipating the night. How we were deceived! I guess there are really just two words which sum up the evening ..... inflatable sheep. I'll say no more. Needless to say, we were not impressed by the performance which was reminiscent of a high school production, and actually contemplated asking for our money back. Sigh ...

breakfast at little venice 

jerry and katie cruising the canals

katie and megan at lunch in kensington gardens 

on a brighter note ...

We have more guests with us, Katie (my brother Tim's girlfriend) and Megan, a friend of hers. This weekend London put on some sensational weather for us and we spent a weekend out on the boat making the trip to Little Venice and to the Portobello Rd market in Notting Hill. Woz is now a professional and navigates the boat along the canal with ease. Photos to follow!

a mark of respect

I'm not sure if Australia observed the 2 minutes of silence held for the bombing victims as we did at 12pm on Thursday, a week after the event ... it was incredibly powerful and for the first time I really allowed myself to feel what had happened. I guess with the news being the way it is we are so easily desensitised to events like this or graphic images, but seeing an entire city (and most of Europe) stop still for two minutes in absolute silence was so moving. Cars, buses and bikes stopped in the middle of the road, and pedestrians stood, heads bowed, as Big Ben chimed twelve strokes. Kings Cross, whose buildings for the last few years have been covered in scaffolding, and whose streets resound with the noise of demolition and construction, too fell silent.

recent days

What a strange couple of days it has been. Wednesday night we flew home from Paris and arrived in London quite late to recieve a text message from Tim in Australia telling us that London had won the bid for the Olympics. Woz and I, along with the rest of France had been anticipating that Paris would win and so were perched with our camera along the Champs-Elysées which had been decorated in the Olympic colours only to find at 3pm that nothing happened. We thought perhaps that the stages and chairs set-up were for that evening and given that we were flying home that night we decided to head off and enjoy the rest of the afternoon in Paris. It was only when we got home that we realised we'd been in the wrong city and had missed an incredible party in London as everyone celebrated the win.

The next morning I went to work as usual and as I arrived I heard of the explosions in Kings Cross. It took me a while to get in contact with Woz as he wasn't home and all the mobile phone networks were down but when I did I was relieved to know he had simply been outside chatting with one of our neighbours.

Getting home from work proved to be an ordeal for most but I was able to take a taxi with some of the students from work who lived in my area. Some friends of ours here had to walk for hours.

Friday morning I caught the bus to work which was a very eerie experience. For a good part of the time between Kings Cross and the outer suburbs I was the only one on the bus. Such a contrast from the usual rush hour scramble for a seat.

Kings Cross is a very different place at the moment, with the media camped on every street corner, helicopters circling and police lining the streets. But, in general, people just seem to be getting on with it, and refusing to let it beat them.

london bomb blasts

Just wanted to let you all know we're safe and well. I managed to get to work before the bomb blasts on the underground and Woz was at home (although quite close to where some of the bomb blasts were in Kings Cross). The city is at a standstill, with all mobile phones down, and all public transport suspended. For now everyone is just staying where they are until word that it is safe to travel again.
Thanks for your texts, e-mails and calls.

a summer afternoon in southern france

Not far from the lake were beautiful little streets built around the canals much like Venice. The four of us spent hours wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere.

heaven on earth

Ruffy had heard from a friend that there was a place called Annecy not far from Lyon, with a beautiful Chateau which was worth a visit. Needless to say, no photos of the Chateau have made it on to the blog mainly because we were all absolutely floored when we drove past this! From the outset the town itself didn't look particuarly pretty, but as we drove a bit further through the town we discovered the picturesque mountains, crystal clear turquoise lake and a canalside town dripping with culture and heritage.
It was a perfect day, around 28 degrees, and we hired a paddle boat and headed out towards the mountains. Although we weren't prepared, none of us could resist the temptation to dive in and we spent a glorious hour swimming in the fresh water. Words just can't describe such an incredible experience and no picture will ever capture how spectacular it was.

the open road

After three days in Paris we hired a car and hit the open road to explore a little of France. Headed for Lyon we drove through sunflower and corn fields as far as the eye could see.

not your average snapshot

la tour eiffel

a view from the arc de triomphe

the arc de triomphe

mel and ruffy

two aussies in paris

Woz and Aaron outside the Louvre.

I love paris

I knew that I loved Paris but I don't remember it being so beautiful. Every where you turn another incredible piece of architecture takes your breath away. We're all having an incredible time, wandering the streets and enjoying Parisian life.