I never thought I was a dog person...

Tippy
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Until Tracey and Mum got Tippy back in 1995. She almost made me more of a dog person than a cat person - how could you not love a dog that would lie in this position for ages until you finally caved in and rubbed her tummy??

See ya Tippy - you were fab!

(Will post a better photo of her once I have one - this doesn't really do her justice but it is the best I have to hand)

Christmas in July...

Kevin flew back in from Philadelphia this morning and right now I am feeling very spoilt :-). He bought me lots of lovely clothes from Abercrombie & Fitch - one of our fave shops in the US. And also some fab new headphones and cover for my iPod - very happy about that. Don't like having to use the Apple headphones as they hurt my ears, and scream the fact that I have an iPod which is not always a good thing.

And the sun is still shining and I have a bar-b-q to go to later with lots of lovely new clothes I can wear!

Train musings - and suppressed rage

As I sat on the train on the way home listening to my iPod I looked around and it struck me just how much technology there must be on any one train at any given time. Directly around me there were two men working on their laptops, a woman sat between them using her Blackberry, and loads of us had earphones in which were probably connected to either iPods or other expensive MP3 players or whizzy mobile phones... The monetary amount on these trains must be huge!

Then I got to Surbiton and attempted to renew my monthly travel pass. I say attempted as I had the most frustrating 'Computer says no' experience, which when I think about it, I still get enormously frustrated. Despite having done so in the past, this time when I attempted to renew my pass to start on Monday (as I won't need it over the weekend, hence don't need to pay for two days that I won't use) I was not allowed to, as this would mean Southwest Trains would lose two days money...

I didn't understand it either, but luckily managed to suppress my rage and stomped out. I'm usually not too bad, but everynow and then something will happen like that type of completely inflexible customer unfriendly moment will happen and it just drives me insane!

And at those moments when I catch myself saying "Whatever" in a very peevish voice to the person serving me I wonder - how old am I???

Touristy gals...

Been busy being touristy with Maya this weekend. On Sat we caught a bus to Richmond where we had an ok lunch at the once NZ owned Gourmet Burger Kitchen - modelled very closely on Burger Wisconsin, the NZ owners made lots and lots of money when they sold it... Quality has gone downhill since its been sold... Then we caught a Turks Launch boat back to Kingston - Maya's first boat trip of the weekend!

Today we did a boat trip up to Greenwich on a catamaran - did you know that Wharf stands for Ware House And River Front? See - I learn something everytime I do one of those cruises!! Then we had a womble around Greenwich and its markets - I bought myself a pair of catseyes earrings and also a birthday present for my niece Lucy as well. So quite successful for me! Then we walked under the Thames via the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and got the Docklands Light Railway to Tower Bridge, then walked over the Bridge to my work and got the train back from London Bridge. So quite a big outing for the girlies :-). So now we are back at home feeling very tired... And Kevin has just landed in Philadelphia - there for work for a week. He is off shopping at a mall before kicking into a full on week at work...

Oh the joy!!

Lovely lovely Kevin has finally set my new iPod up on his new Apple minimac and now I am going to have music to listen to again!! I'm am so so happy!!

Its been a long time since my bag was stolen and I lost my last one, so now I finally have a working one again! For once I'm looking forward to Monday and the trip into work!

Walkers heading towards Chkpt 2

Walkers heading towards Chkpt 2
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Walkers heading towards Checkpoint 2 - the first time they meet their support crew. Julia and I stood and clapped them as they went past from where I took the photo.

Me - merchandising

Me - merchandising
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

And me....

Julia - merchandiser extraordinaire!

Julia - merchandiser extraordinaire!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Julia and our merchandising tent - where we spent 8 hours!

The week ahead...

Apparently is going to be above 30 degrees every day...

More sweltering London heat...

Trailwalker 2006 - clapping the walkers

We got up on Saturday and drove round to Checkpoint 2 which is the first checkpoint where the walkers meet their support crews. It is also an easy checkpoint to clap people at as there is a carpark very close!

So we stood there for about 45 minutes just clapping the walkers as they passed us. It was great to see their reactions - some people really appreciated it, while others didn't know how to react. But it was a great thing to do - and it was so nostalgic watching everyone walking past. Very very cool. Sadly Julia was off on holiday in the afternoon so we had to head back.

Volunteering the night before however had meant that we saw lots of people we recognised - including some who had been desperately trying to find people to walk with as their teams had fallen apart.

It was hot, sunny weather again like it had been last year, and when I woke up this morning I thought how this time last year we were still walking. Next year we'll either volunteer again for the whole weekend or do it again (but try to beat our time). So watch this space!

Trailwalker 2006

Had a fab day volunteering at Trailwalker 2006. Julia and I took the day off (EY gives us volunteering days to take), and we headed off down to help out. We got to the site around 3pm and were talked through the choices we had - we could either help out in the check-in tent or work in the merchandising tent. I was amazed at how many volunteers there were - a grand total of 6! Apparently they had more lined up for the Saturday but they do struggle getting people to help out.

We were responsible for selling the caps, mugs and keyrings they had on sale - the first time they've done merchandising thanks to a new sponsorship from State Street. We also sold the bar-b-q and breakfast vouchers to walkers who hadn't raised enough to get them in their pack, or for support crews etc.

This year there were over 100 teams more than did it last year so we were kept pretty busy. Plus there were two bad accidents on the A3 and M25 which meant that people couldn't get down before 10pm so our shift didn't end until midnight! A long day on our feet, but we were right in the thick of it, and got to see lots of the lovely Ghurka soldiers! Everyone was really friendly and hyped up with the thought of what they were about to face the next day.

It was also really interesting just to see the sheer scale of the organising, and what Oxfam had to do with a limited number of helpers. I felt really happy and proud to be involved in part of it again - there are some photos which I'll post once I've got them off my pc.

And so it ends...

And what an ending it was!

We went and watched the final at the Firestation where Owen had thought he had booked us a table. But they had lost our booking... But we got a seat and stayed - and had some very mediocre food - but what did we care - we were watching the Beautiful Game!

Which sadly didn't end so beautifully for Zinedine Zidane. No one could believe what we were watching as he headbutted Marco Materazzi. Even now it still seems unbelievable. And such a shame that he ended his career on a note like that.

Everyone was convinced that Italy would lose on penalties, but they cruised through them - and as I was supporting Italy anyhow I was very pleased! No particular reason for my allegiance to Italy - except the fact that 21 years ago today the French sunk the Rainbow Warrior, and the Italians had more 'totty' in the team...

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Dragged our sorry bodies out of bed on Sunday and toddled off down the train line to go to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Its the 3rd time I've been but Kevin (and Maya's!) first time. Kevin was particularly looking for ideas for what we can do with the garden...

It was pretty good - as always. The gardens are just incredible (I've put more photos on Flickr so make sure you check them out as well as the couple below), and I always like the displays of vege! It reminds me of flower shows at school when I would spend hours making my little saucer design of flowers etc, and always hope to win. I don't think I ever did tho...

I did also get slightly perturbed by the fact that people may have thought Maya was our child - when I've been out with her in town we've already had one guy say 'Are you two sisters'. It occurred to me afterwards that he was saying that in an attempt to flatter me so I would buy something from him. Needless-to-say it didn't work!

Beautiful roses...

Beautiful roses...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Check out these caulis!!

Check out these caulis!!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Fat Freddy's - the 3rd time

Went to see Fat Freddy's Drop at Somerset House. Its a fab venue - we've been to a few gigs there over the last couple of years and they've always been good.

Fat Freddy's still didn't live up to the first time I saw them at Koko all those months ago - they just didn't seem able to put together a great set. They'd play a couple of good songs and get the crowd going, and then disappear back into mellowness. So Kevin still hasn't been 'wowed' by them like I want him to, but I enjoyed them anyhow. They just weren't as wonderful as I was hoping for - I had very high hopes from that venue...

And Maya thought it was just like a gig in the Civic Square in Wellington!

One year on...

First anniversary of the July 7 bombs today - slightly weird feel to the city as there is so much about it on the news etc. We had a 2 minute silence at midday as well. Hard to believe it has been a year - London has quickly slipped back into its usual life really, but it has no choice. We need public transport to live in this town so we all just keep getting back on the trains, the tubes and the buses.

Julia found an article the other day about a woman who lost her leg in one of the blasts and who is attempting Trailwalker this year. She was meant to walk it last year, but the bombs hit one week before it. I hope she completes it - although that will be a huge endeavour with a relatively new prosthetic leg.

The Sun newspaper had a photo of a number 30 bus (the number of the one that was blown up) on its front page with the word 'Unbeaten' instead of a destination. It was quite a strong image - reminiscent of the 'We Are Not Afraid' campaign that kicked off last year.

London just keeps on being London.

Sweltering in London

When will this heat end???

We are at "Heat Level 3" - something I hadn't heard of until Tracey told me via text, but I've since seen that it is the first time we've got to it since they brought in these heat levels a couple of years ago. So yes we are sweltering... the days are bearable - its just the evenings don't cool down at all :-(.

Still I have the day off tomorrow for Maya's birthday - many plans, but they are forecasting thundery rain so who knows what we'll end up doing...

And so it ends...

Ah yes - yet again the England dream is over. Again to penalties to Portugal. Fortunately we were watching it at friend's of Kevin's as opposed to being in a pub. That would have been too much I think.

General consensus seems to be that England hadn't really deserved to go much further - and how they would have proceeded without Rooney available in the next round... But as for Ronaldo - considering him and Rooney are team mates I think their first few training sessions will be tense to say the least!

Ah well - at least Portugal is my sweepstake team so my hopes of getting some money back are still alive!

Divided loyalties... well sort of

England face Portugal in the quarter finals on Saturday... if England win, then my sweepstake win hopes are out the window.... but if Portugal win the country will plunge into mourning and despair. Caught between a rock and a hard place am I!

O2 Wireless Festival

Went to the O2 Wireless Festival last night in Hyde Park. Headliners were The Strokes who were pretty damn good. But the highlight for me was The Raconteurs - they were really good. I missed the Super Furry Animals - Maya and I went off to the loo and then they wouldn't let us back in cos the tent was too full. I'm fated not to see them I think - I was meant to go and see them after the July 7 bombs last year but didn't fancy it, and this time I couldn't get in! Check out the line-ups here.

The arrival of the prodigal niece

So M day arrived on Saturday with the arrival of Maya at 15.15...

I've never had to wait so long for someone to clear customs as had to wait for her - she didn't come out until just before 5. I was just convincing myself that they had her a room somewhere grilling her about why she was here when she finally emerged into the arrivals hall... Landing at the same time as flights from the Middle East and India isn't such a good idea.

The waiting in queues continued on Monday when we spent almost two hours in the bank so Maya could get her bank card...

So Maya's having a quintessential British experience for now! Just need that footie game in the pub on Sunday and we'll be set...

Game number 2 for England...

Trinidad & Tobago vs England kicks off at 5pm today - not a great time so probably won't end up watching it - or not much of it anyhow.

As has been noted England do need to step their game up a bit, but a win is a win, 3 points is 3 points, and if they win their group, and Germany win their group (which is looking likely) then they won't have to play each other in the next round - a good thing! Let's hope that England don't fall apart in this afternoon's game....

I've been enjoying reading the Guardian's minute by minute reports of the games - definitely worth checking out, even after the fact. You can access them via their World Cup site here. Make sure you look for the minute by minute coverage not just the article on the game.

And Portugal have won their first game so my sweepstake hopes are still alive :-)

It just gets better and better!

Check out the website for the cat big brother here.

Once you've read the bios and blogs check out the alternative bios here...

I know what website I'll be monitoring for the next few weeks!

Book musings

Wandered out at lunch-time and bought Casting Off - the 4th book in the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard. I've been reading them for about a month or so now and am finally on the 3rd book. I've really enjoyed them - a very 'solid' sort of read, with so much detail about English life during the war, but really great characterisation as well. It was filmed in the UK a few years ago - I've wanted to read them ever since watching the series on tele.

As I was admiring my new book it made me think about how exciting it is to have a new book, which looks pristine, just drawing you into it - I love new books! But then I also love my books to look well read - something very comfortable and familiar about a well-read book :-).

I bought this one from Crockatt and Powell - a fab independent bookshop close to work. And I've just realised they also have a blog which you can check out here. I do try and buy from them, as there are so few independent bookshops left, but when you can get 3 for 2 from the big chains it does make it much harder. But I so admire what they are doing that everytime I go in I recommit to shopping there, but then forget when I go into a big Waterstones or Borders... but I am trying!

I have now seen everything....

Check this out - only in the States!!

go kitties!!

Big Brother for Cats

Oh the woe of travel....

Well it hasn't happened for a while, but on the day when I felt incredibly hot and uncomfortable all day at work, the trains packed up...

So I left work on Monday just after 5.30pm and got home just before 8pm - not a bad effort I thought. Two trains and two very hot sweaty buses later I was very pleased to finally get home.

So I couldn't get home and Kevin couldn't get in to town to play footie so neither of us won last night!

And so it's begun...!

The World Cup is finally upon us! It kicked off on Friday and England's first game was on Saturday. They won but it was through Paraguay's own goal. But 3 points are 3 points!

Our World Cup started off on Friday night going to an Embrace gig - another one of our fave live bands, and also the one who have recorded the official England World Cup song - 'World At Your Feet'. And they played a two hour gig so it was fab!! Great start to the tournament. Just need England to win now - I've heard a rumour that if they do we get a day off so thats another reason to keep our fingers crossed for an England victory!!

Next game is Thursday night and if they win that they'll top the group...

Keep an eye out forPortugal as well - thats who I've got in the sweepstake at work!

Happy birthday week!

So I had a lovely birthday week - the summer hung around all week and the sun continued to shine.

I took the day off on Wednesday and had a lovely low key day. Started with Eryn ringing me first thing - as he always does :-). Don't think my birthday would be the same without him calling me!

In the evening Kevin and I went to Kempton Park to the races. After the races Starsailor were playing - one of our fave live bands at the mo, and also the band that gave me the name for this blog last year! And it was a beautiful lovely warm evening - all very nice. I had a betting strategy of placing bets on every horse that was number 7 but that wasn't so successful! But on the last race my horses came in - one which had 'birthday' in its name and then another one which I liked the sound of and they came in first and second! So I came out about even in the end. Kevin came out way on top - he studies the form rather than going for the names like I do!!

On Thursday evening there were joint birthday drinks with me, Mhairi, Allison and Patrick from work who are all June babies - in fact Pat's birthday is also the 7th!

Standing up and being counted...

I took part in this census recently and they've just published the results. I am definitely in the older age group for NZers living away from NZ - perhaps I've passed my prime!! Check out Every One Counts here.

Summer sunny weekend

London is lovely in the sun... :-)

After lots of crappy weather the sun came out this weekend - heaven!

Yesterday I went to my first bar-b-q of the season at Daphne and Pete's place. A joint celebration of their 10th wedding anniversary and their daughter Olivia's 1st birthday. So it was a lovely afternoon sat outside eating lots of delish food, and meeting new people and catching up with others I hadn't seen for a long time. And in honour of the sun I wore a summery skirt and a pair of jandals...

Nine years ago, me, Kevin, Chris and Anita helped Daph & Pete celebrate their first wedding anniversary with a picnic in Kew gardens and it was a gorgeous day that day as well - they certainly know how to pick them!

Waking up on Sunday the sun was still shining! So we walked off to Kingston, did some chores and then walked back along the river, stopping for a 99 (snow freeze with a flake) on the way back. Lovely! I do love London in the sun!

Many more photos to come...

But it is taking so long... So check out Flickr and the ones I've blogged. More to come!

Da Vinci Code

So we went to see this... Kevin is off to Paris next week for work and they are doing a Da Vinci Code tour. We thought it would be good to have seen the film before he did that...

It isn't rubbish - but is about as good as the book. Which ain't necessarily saying much...

Ceileidh Club - second time around

Me, Julia and Owen headed off to the Ceileidh Club again on Friday night. It wasn't anywhere near as busy as it had been the first time, and there were loads of different dances but it was still really good fun. I was a bit of a wallflower this time though - Owen found a Brazilian girl to dance with and Julia was soon snaffled by a group - I wasn't quite so lucky, but usually managed to find some people to dance with!

Crete tales...

Are being added below - on the correct date. Photos will be added as soon as I've downloaded them off my camera. Hopefully over the next couple of days...

Crete was fab....

Just back from our week in Crete - absolutely wonderful. We stayed on Stalos Beach at Pavlakis Beach. Weather was superb - straight sun every day - and it was hitting over 30 for the last couple of days. Will update the blog later this week with more detail and photos - and boy did I take a lot!!

Crete - Day 7 - Last day

And so it came to the last day. Neither of us wanted to leave, and Antonios had been urging us to stay for another week for ages. But sadly we had no choice...

We had a lovely brunch with the group before we left, and I made a big fuss of the cute (but pregnant) kitten that I had made friends with and then we had to head off.

Back to London where it was grey, cold and wet.

Crete - Day 6 - Samaria Gorge

Didn't do anything of note on Sunday - we had a very lazy day lying around the pool reading and swimming - bliss :-).

On Monday it was an early start as we headed off up to walk the Samaria Gorge. The Gorge is 13km long, with an extra 3km at the end down to the village where you can get the boat from.

And it was hard work.

We didn't walk much with Kath and Janice (Paul and Marilyn weren't walking it), as we had a faster pace than them, but it was really quite tough. Downhill on rocks for what felt like forever - we kept thinking we had got to the bottom only to realise that we hadn't as we headed off down again.

But it was absolutely fantastic. The views were just stunning and the geography was amazing. I'm not sure my photos really do it justice, but do check them out on Flickr! We had taken our walking boots and I'm really pleased we had. Some people were just doing it in sandals which struck me as being particularly crazy, but they did all do it. They have donkeys in the Gorge to ferry out people who can't complete it - and apparently a heli-pad but we didn't see that.

We did have to keep remembering to stop and admire the view - it was very easy to just focus completely on where your next foot was going and not look up at all.

We started walking at 8.30 and finished the Gorge at 2pm, got to the village at 2.30 and got the 3.45 ferry back to Sfakia. Kath and Janice got the later ferry, so Kevin and I didn't wait but jumped on a bus from Sfakia to Hania.

I was also really interested in Sfakia as that is where the soldiers were evacuated from after the Battle, so I was somewhere where I really knew my Dad had been. It felt quite strange. The road up out of Sfakia was incredible - I've taken loads of photos for my family of the terrain, but check out this one of the road - very very steep and very very windy! I was glad I was on a full sized bus - although it is also the first time that I've put my seatbelt on in a bus!

Sfakia - windy road

Sfakia - windy road
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Crete - Day 4 Shopping in Hania and Suda Bay

On Saturday Kev and I went into Hania to check out the 'Old Town'. This was absolutely lovely - winding wee backstreets with some really lovely shops. We bought a sand painting, a metal platter (for nibbles when we entertain!), and after finding 'Leather Alley', 3 wallets each, and a bag each... Well it was so cheap - and I needed a new wallet after having mine stolen the week before...

In the evening we went to the final part for us of the Battle of Crete Commemorations - the wreath laying ceremony at Suda Bay. Suda Bay is where the Allied Cemetery is - sited on the bay where the soldiers landed originally. It is beautifully maintained, and is on a stunning site. The rows and rows of white crosses make a very powerful statement. I was shocked at the number of graves which didn't have names - 'Known only to God'. It was very very sad, and very moving.

I can't begin to imagine what it was like for the veterans to return back to Crete. It would be such a different place now than it was then, but the memories and emotions must have been almost overwhelming. When one old Australian soldier was asked when was the last time he was in Crete he replied "65 years ago".

Crete - Day 4 Flag raising, lunch at Zourva, wreaths at Galatas, evening meal

Friday morning we got up and went to the first of our official Battle of Crete commemorations, which was the flag raising ceremony at Hania. The flags are raised at the fort in the Harbour which also houses a small museum which had a very good exhibition on the Battle of Crete. There were quite a few of the old soldiers there, most in full uniform. One old Scottish soldier was berating another one for taking his hat off and wiping his head - "Put your hat back on soldier!". Very funny! The NZ contingent were easy to spot in their white polo shirts - quite a few from the Maori Battalion had made the trip over. The flag raising was very simple, but really very moving as well.

In the afternoon we did the trip from hell back up to Zourva to have lunch. And despite mine and Kevin's reservations given the road, it was worth it. We just ate and ate and ate (and drank some wine!) and it was beautiful. A lovely setting, sat outside, with an amazing view and the food was just gorgeous. And it kept coming!

In the evening we went up to two wreath laying ceremonies at the village of Galatas. The first one was at a memorial above the village, the second one in the village itself. The second one took quite a while - about 30 wreaths being laid, all being announced in Greek - luckily we were stood by a Greek who was able to translate who the wreaths were from!

Following the ceremonies it was down to the Panorama Hotel where the Mayor of Hania lays on a huge Greek meal, dancing etc, for the returned veterans and their entourages. Having had such a huge lunch I didn't eat very much at all! But I ended up being sat next to Neville Perkins, the brother of Dudley Perkins - known as Vasili - The Lion of Crete. It took me a while to make the connection - we spent more time talking about walking as he was doing a walking holiday of Crete! But it was quite fascinating to hear him talk about going up to the village where his brother had been based, and how emotional it had been, and how the villagers still remembered him.

I also bumped into a woman I used to work with at TPK - Harima. She was with the NZ group and she told me that the 'baby' of the group was 86! It was entertaining at dinner watching two of the NZ organisers fight over whether the veterans should be taken home or not. One of them thought they should be allowed to stay, the other wanted them home as they had a long day the next day, and in the end they ended up leaving before the end of the meal without their pudding - somehow I suspect the veterans would have rather stayed for their pud!

Lunch at Zourva

Lunch at Zourva - Group 2
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Marilyn, Paul, Kath, Antonios, Janice and Kevin

Flags

Flags 4
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Crete - Day 3 Elafonisi and shrine

Thursday we headed off to Elafonisi, - near the southeast tip of Crete and 76km from Hania. It was what seems to be a typical Crete road - up and down hills, windy, with steep drops over the sides down into whatever gorge you are driving past at the time...

On the way there we stopped at a shrine in a cave (will update this later as I have the name of it written down but don't have it with me!). On the way up the steps to the cave we passed the Dragon's Wort plant - very striking looking, but boy does it smell! I seriously thought something had died in the bushes until it was pointed out that it was the plant... We came across this a lot in the Samaria Gorge as well. The cave was pretty cool - although having watched The Descent recently I didn't want to get too far into it!

Elafonisi was absolutely beautiful - I've never swum in sea that was so crystal clear. Mind you it was bit colder than it was at Stalos Beach, but it was absolutely gorgeous. It was really windy when we arrived which wasn't so nice, but we walked over to the island and found a sheltered nook there which was fine. Kevin and I went for a walk along the beach, finding the obligatory naked sunbathers at the end of the beach! The colour of the water was just stunning - I could have stayed there a lot longer.

Elafonisi coastline

Elafonisi 2
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Crete - Day 2. Marilyn arrives, Maleme

Day 2 started nice and slowly - we were exhausted from our long day the day before so we had a lovely sleep in. Don't have to rush when you are on holiday! We went for a stroll down the beach to see what it was like - loads of different studio apartment hotels, bars on the beach etc, quite a few flying the flags of the UK holiday firms. We wandered back down the road to see if there was anything worth seeing there but there wasn't really - just tavernas, supermarkets and tourist shops.

We got back to the apartments and Marilyn had arrived with her group - Kath, Paul and Janice. Antonios was very keen to take us back up to Zourva for a meal but that didn't work out for the first afternoon. Once Marilyn and the group had settled in we went for a drive down to the Germany Cemetery at Maleme. The site overlooks the airfield at Maleme where the Battle of Crete begun, and it is also the site where most of the German paratroopers were killed - before they reached the ground in most cases. Rather than headstones, there are tablets in the ground, and two men are buried in each plot. It is beautifully maintained, and very sombre. Interestingly, the Germans didn't get their cemetery until the 1970s - until then the Germans had been buried in various different cemeteries around the the island.

That evening we went out for a lovely meal at Markos' Taverna. Off the beaten track, up a hill it was lovely. We were met by the (rather lovely) son of the owner who had returned from New York that day. Then we were taken into the kitchen to be told what the dishes were and we chose from there - no menus here! At the start of the meal the men were given a short of Raki to drink, the 'ladies' were given Ouzo!

German cemetery at Maleme 1

German cemetery at Maleme 1
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

The Maleme airfield is the background here.

Crete - Day 1

Trip over to Crete was ok. We had a 7am flight from Gatwick which necessitated a VERY early start - my alarm went a 3.20am... And the airport was so busy! We thought at that time we would just stroll on through but there was a huge queue to check in, and then again at security. We ended up just having time to pick up the last few things we needed in Duty Free before having to go to the Gate - which I was secretly pleased at, as that is always the point that me and Kevin argue at!

We were flying Excel airways - my first experience of a charter flight but it was fine. Antonios, the owner of Pavlakis Beach was there to pick us up and we managed to find him ok. I noticed on the way in that when I mentioned that we were only there for one week he looked a bit confused, but I assumed that he had thought we were staying for two and there was some confusion in the booking. But no. It turns out we had committed the cardinal sin of only going to Crete for one week, and he made it his personal mission to try and convince us (either directly or through Marilyn who had organised our accomodation etc) to stay longer for the rest of the trip! The cleaner Maria would also make comments to us that next time we must come for longer...

If you check out the website for the accomodation our balcony was the second one from the left on the top floor. And that is Antonios in the top right hand photo!

After arriving we went back downstairs and had a strong glass of wine with Antonios and some of his English guests/friends. He got a bit concerned that our itinerary didn't contain a trip to Zourva and so we had to meet him at 7pm that evening. So off we went in his car up an incredibly winding steep road to a Taverna at the top, where we had some local made cheese and honey and tea, then it was off back down into Hania where he deposited us at a hotel with an amazing view, where we ate the meal he had pre-ordered for us and then he came and picked us back up again. All paid for by him. By then it was about 11pm and we were knackered. All we could think of was our bed... and also wondering a little bit about staying with someone who took us out and paid for everything - you don't get that in the UK!

View from Pavlakis Beach

View from Pavlakis Beach
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Kevin at Pavlakis Beach

Kevin at Pavlakis Beach
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Kev in the evening of our first day.

My 'My Life is Earl' week...

Of course that title will be meaningless if you haven't seen My Life is Earl...

On Tuesday last week I went to a quiz with friends from work being run by one of our vendors. It is an annual event, and we are always keen to try and beat PwC - regaining the cup EY won in the inaugural quiz (however I can't claim to be part of that winning team - although I did help them celebrate after the fact!).

So my guard was down a bit, and before the event even started I had sat down at a table next to the one we were going to be at. I was less than 4 feet away from my bag but someone still managed to steal it - an outsider, not one of our competitors I hasten to add. I even saw it happen, but deep in conversation it didn't register what it was I was seeing until I went to grab my bag about 20mins later and realised it had gone.

So after 10 years in London I finally fell victim to an incredibly common crime. I would never have left my bag like that had I been in a pub on a usual evening, but as it was a private party I felt more relaxed. A very hard and expensive lesson to learn - my life was in that bag...

Two days later I got a call from my Doctors surgery to say that my bag had been found in another pub. There had been a slip of paper from the doctors in the bag which had enabled them to trace it back to me. So I got my lovely Radley bag back, all of my keyrings (which I was most upset about losing - including one I'd got from my aunt and uncle in 1996 when Eryn and I visited Northern Ireland), my wee little Radley coin purse that Lindsey had given me for xmas, and the chicklit book I'd borrowed that day from a friend. EVERYTHING else of note was gone tho - including my hair brush which I find rather disturbing... I couldn't help laughing that the chicklit didn't make the cut tho!!

But it came back to me - and in the karmic world I know I'm being repaid for something nice I did in the past :-).

Off to Crete tomorrow for a week - can't wait! Check back after the 24th May!

R.I.P. Grant McLennan

I was shocked to hear that Grant McLennan died this weekend. I've been a fan of The Go-Betweens since my time at university, and their first reunion gig in London at The Forum remains in my top 5 list of best ever gigs.

At the risk of sounding over dramatic, it is fair to say that their albums Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane formed a real part of the soundtrack to my university years - and beyond. Very very sad.

http://www.go-betweens.net/

My Name is Rachel Corrie

We went to see this play which was pretty amazing. It is taken from the writings of the American who was run over by a bulldozer in Palestine. Aside from anything else it was an amazing performance - one woman on stage by herself for 90 minutes. Very powerful.

What was most interesting was how she managed to convey the awfulness of the life the Palestinians have. It also really made me think about what drives people - her passion for her cause, how she couldn't just be an activist back in America but had to go out to where her tax payer money was doing the damage (as she put it). I admire that level of commitment - I don't think I have it.

A website on her life has been created - check it out here.

Billy Bragg - Hope Not Hate

Went to see Billy Bragg on the 'Hope Not Hate' tour. It is local elections over here and the British National Party are fronting candidates in a few key locations where it is highly likely they'll get more seats.

He was great. The music was good - lots of old songs, some reworked for the current climate, and some new ones as well.

Crowd was a bit less great. Felt very White Liberal Middle Class. We had gone to listen to the music, not to support the cause (not that I disagree with the cause in any way, shape or form though!), but the crowd were little muppets, whooping every time he mentioned Tony Blair, George Bush, the Union, Racism, Fascism etc. All very formulaic responses from them. And as the woman behind me was belting out 'There's power in the Union' with her fist raised in the air I couldn't help but wonder if she had the same response when the RMT strike over here and the public transport in London grinds to a complete halt. Somehow I suspect not...

Big clap for my family marathon runners!!

Well done to Adrian, Leigh and Maurie who all ran the Rotorua Marathon on Saturday 29th April. Especially Adrian who did a cracking time of 3hr 40mins, and Leigh who ran her first one!!

Had I been there I would have clapped and cheered for you!

Weekend in Dingle - absolutely fab

We had a great time in Dingle - climbed a mountain, saw sights in the rain, played on the beach (some even swum!) and went Bowling! Read below for more - and check out the new photos on my Flickr site!

Monday - Cork

Monday was a trip back to Cork - beloved home of Finbarr and home also to the world's second largest harbour...

Sadly there isn't much open in Cork on a Bank Holiday Monday so in desperation we ended up going 10-Pin bowling. Where I admirably brought up the rear (bit like climbing Mt Brandon really!) and Kevin won...

Back to London in the evening - all very tired but it was well worth it!

Sunday - Dingle Peninsula in the rain

And oh how it rained....

Aside from the fact that I could barely walk (I don't know what was worse - the climb up or the climb down!) we didn't let a bit of rain deter us and we all put our wet weather gear on (including Nola!) and headed off to look at the Peninsula.

First stop was the Prehistoric Beehive Huts, then it was on to the beach where scenes from Ryan's Daughter were filmed. Bit of footie on the beach, bit of a crawl around for Nola, then it was off for lunch. To a cafe showing Ryan's Daughter on the tele - with no sound so it was a bit hard to work out what was going on!

Then on to the Gallarus Oratory - a church from around 1,000 years ago. Then our tiredness and the rain finally caught up with us and we headed back for a bit of well earned rest and relaxation. And funnily enough Ryan's Daughter was on the tele so I got to see the same scenes again with sound!

Sightseeing at prehistoric Beehive huts

Sightseeing at prehistoric Beehive huts
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Nola & Sarah getting ready to sightsee!

Nola & Sarah
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Gallarus Oratory

Galarus Oratory
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Climbing Mt Brandon - the aftermath...

Julia and Finbarr had it in their head to go for a swim - long story as to why, so we got back, dumped our stuff and headed off to watch them do it. And to their credit they did - although they also turned the air blue with their language as they hit the water!

In the evening we ate dinner at the hotel - Craig & Sarah put Nola to bed and then used their baby monitor to come and join us downstairs. The pub had Karaoke on, and following a conversation with Sarah about Neil Diamond her and Finbarr dedicated 'Sweet Caroline' to me...

Craig and Sarah retired and we went out to another pub to listen to some Irish music - until finally the day caught up with me and I dragged Kevin home around midnight. All in all, an action packed day!

Sweet Caroline 1

Sweet Caroline 1
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Crazy swimmers 2 - Julia & Fin

Crazy swimmers 2 - Julia & Fin
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

The last ever picture!

The last ever picture!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Resting - halfway up

Resting - halfway up
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Kevin and the others - just before the hard scramble

You have to look hard to see the others but they are the little dots - this was not long before the scramble!
Kevin and the others - just before the hard scramble
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

What we climbed up

What we climbed up
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

And some photos from the top

The view at the top was fab - we were literally above the clouds which was quite amazing. I'm not sure I've ever been above the clouds before - aside from in a plane!!

The team at the top

The team at the top
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

View from the top 2

View from the top 2
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

The happy girls at the top

The happy girls at the top
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Climbing Mt Brandon

So on Sat after a large 'Irish Breakfast', and once Kevin had managed to get his suitcase open (a handy bike shop with a decent hacksaw!) we headed off to climb Mt Brandon.

Amid lots of 'Lets have one last photo taken' (as in Wolf Creek/The Descent/it all going horribly wrong fahsion) we headed off and up. And up and up and up. It was pretty grey and misty when we headed off, but as we got higher up the clouds gradually thinned out. There was a sharp ascent, then a nice flattish bit, then another sharp ascent, and then a horrid scramble to get to the top. Didn't enjoy that bit so much.

Finbarr kept saying it would be worth it at the top and I do have to agree with him - it was stunning. The walk up was hard but really beautiful and the views were definitely worth it!

Here are a couple of photos to give you an idea...

(I know these photos are a bit small, but if you click on them you get a larger image.)

Friday - London to Cork

Kevin and I managed to get to the airport INCREDIBLY early - but as my motto is that you can never get to the airport too early I was quite happy! We picked up the rental cars at Cork airport and headed off. Stopped for lunch at a pub in Killarney which did great food, at a great price. And as the pubs in Ireland are non smoking it was most enjoyable and meant that Nola (our mascot from Trailwalker) could run about quite happily - well be walked about happily to be technically correct.

The drive down was lovely - beautiful scenery, and the houses as well were lovely. All brightly coloured and really well maintained. Julia's theory being that as the weather is so miserable in Cork/Kerry that they have to be bright to cheer people up...

Got to Dingle where we were staying at the Dingle Bay Hotel which was lovely. Hit a slight snag when Kevin realised he had padlocked his bag, but had forgotten to bring the correct keys along... Bit of dashing around for a hacksaw until we realised that we couldn't do anything until the next morning so we went out for a drink in Murphys Pub and then on for a fish and chips dinner!

Marathon clappers

Got up unforgivably early this morning - had to set the alarm for 7.15 which is just unnatural on a Sunday morning in my book! But it was the London Marathon and we were off to Craig's house to watch. He lives about 2 mins away from the 6 mile mark so it was a good base to watch the runners from.

At 6 miles they didn't need a lot of encouragement but we had a good time clapping and cheering people on! I decided to focus on those runners who had the same names as family members - which was a wise choice as there wasn't that many people to cheer for. Alex was a particuarly popular name so I gave up on that after a while. A few Adrian's and Tracey's but that was about it. I felt guilty whenever I wasn't clapping but it just wasn't possible to continuously clap - the hands got too sore!

Saw some great costumes as well - quite a few Elvis', Wonder Woman and Batman. Also a Wookie which I thought was great - must have been a bit hot though!

I was also keeping my eye out for any NZers - one guy went past who had 'G'day mate' on his shirt so I called out 'Go NZ'. It was only afterwards that I realised he could have been Australian! Oh well - never mind. Saw another NZer who I cheered on but as they were walking by the 6 mile mark I'm not sure they would have completed it!

Busy week for me - off to Sweden tomorrow for a night (for work - so airplane, office, hotel, office, airplane, home) and then we are off to Dingle on Friday to go walking. Yay!

Me___laughing_2

Me___laughing_2
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Easter Friday = Rugby League

Went off to watch the Harlequins Rugby League team play the Catalan Dragons... We had been hoping to see Stacey Jones play for the Catalans but he was injured - although he was sat just in front of us so we did see him!

The Quins won quite comfortably and we saw a couple of good tries. Funny game tho - compared to football it was pretty amateur. A slightly disfunctional scoreboard, a shockingly bad band of dancers (The Harlequin Harts...) and transfers were signalled by a piece of laminated cardboard being held up - but a pretty loyal support base. And lots of NZ/Island looking boys in the team!

The Quins play at the Twickenham Stoop - baby stadium next to its more famous neighbour...

Fun websites

Wasted a bit of time today on these... for reasons I won't go into (nothing to do with my weather fixation...) Craig sent me this today - I particularly like the Cloud Lookalikes and the 'Attention all cloudspotters - news thats rocking the cloud world...'. Check out the Cloud Appreciation Society here.

Second fave website of the day is Kitten Wars - vote for your cutest kitten by clicking on their picture. The site then tells you which of the two cats is winning. This is a great time-waster :-). I recommend doing a search for Adolf as well - that cat really does look like his namesake - quite spooky! Satan Himself is also worth a look! Check out Kitten War here.

Enjoy!

Hassocks to Lewes

So we did our walk from Hassocks to Lewes - 11 miles, difficulty 4/10. Great walk - up on the South Downs, covering some of the Trailwalker route as well which was cool. We walked past Ditchling Beacon - when we'd been there on the walk it was early morning - we had just walked through an amazing sunrise. Then we carried on and went past Black Cap for the 4th time - Kev's got some photos of that so once he gets them off his camera I'll post them.

It was just me and Kevin so I had to navigate the walk - a bit tricky at times but I got us around ok. Its normally Julia with me as back up so it was a big responsibility! Especially as the distances seemed to be a bit skew-iff and I'd be looking for something that we had passed 10mins ago...

Both very tired on Sat night tho - all that sun and fresh air. And it carried over to Sunday as well as I realised when I got back from supermarket shopping that I was wearing my cardigan inside out - neither I or Kevin noticed! VERY embarassing!!

Friday night chores

So at the end of a very busy week I've collapsed at home after tidying my flat, washing my dishes and doing my laundry! Oh - and updating my blog :-). Also managed to finally finish 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' which I've been ploughing through for a while now. Took a while to get into it, but I did enjoy it - in the end!

No rest for the wicked tho - Kev and I are off walking tomorrow!

Marah and Nick Hornby

We went to see Nick Hornby and Marah at Dingwalls. Great show - Nick Hornby reading essays coupled with musical interludes from Marah. Then Nick finished and Marah just carried on playing. The essays were very funny - a great one about music fans who love a band for years, but the band is never that successful but they can never work out why. Then the band gets successful and the fan isn't happy at all the 'new' fans who like them. Described Kevin's love affair with Wilco perfectly! But you probably had to be there... :-)

This article sums it up quite nicely...

Dingwalls is quite a small venue and we're back there to see Starsailor in a couple of weeks - really looking forward to that!

Melissa in London

Had a lovely evening catching up with my friend Melissa (and her friend Clive) who was passing through London en-route to Barcelona. We met in Brown's in Islington for a drink, and then went on to dinner at Masala Zone. I met Melissa when I worked at TPK and we've kept in (somewhat sporadic!) touch ever since then. And seeing as how I know she reads the blog I thought she warranted a mention!

Islington is North London and seeing as how I'm a 'souf london' girl I don't get up that way much unless its for a gig so it was nice to have an evening out in a different area. And Melissa did amazingly well in terms of her jet lag - much better than I think I would have been able to!

Mark Olson gig - or was it musical therapy?

Went to see Mark Olson again at The Borderline, this time with his wife Victoria Williams. He had just been fab when we saw him last year (June 2005) so we were looking forward to it. Plus he had VW with him as well which we thought could only be a good thing. So Andrew, a mate of Kevin's came along as well.

Not quite the gig we were expecting. It was more like the Victoria Williams gig with Mark Olson playing a few songs - and she was all over the place. Playing the bongo drums with a note pad and her elbow, coming in to songs late - you name it she seemed to do it! Yet when she just sang she sounded great. Andrew enjoyed it but did say afterwards that it was a bit like watching a session of music therapy in the community... which pretty aptly summed it up! So next time we'll give it a miss if VW is playing with him!

New photos

I've just had one of my films developed which had been in my camera a while... So here are some of my faves below, but also check out my Flickr account. I've created new sets for Pompeii, Stromboli, Dublin and walking so take a look!

Getting ready, Hever Nov 2005

Getting ready, Hever Nov 2005
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

The die hard walkers - Sarah, Craig, Nola, Julia and Kevin

View - Hever to Leigh Nov 2005

View 2 - Hever to Leigh Nov 2005
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Lovely autumnal view from a walk late last year...

Me, Pompeii street

Me, Pompeii street
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Me, Pompeii theatre

Me, Pompeii theatre
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Body cast

One of the bodycasts we saw at Pompeii of someone caught in the eruption - apparently there were loads more at the Naples museum but we didn't make it there.
Body cast 1 (2)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Me, Tyrone Shirts, Croke Park

Me, Tyrone Shirts, Croke Park
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Not a great one of this but thought I'd put it up. In this dressing room they had the Tyrone shirts as they won the Gaelic Football (I think) in 2005. In the dressing room next door the Cork shirts were hung as they won the Hurling in 2005. I was disappointed we weren't in the dressing room with the Cork shirts... Look out for the photo of Kev in the shower room as well!

Spring has arrived

Quite amazing how fast nature works when it wants to. In the last week the daffodils have appeared everywhere and now all of the cherry blossom is coming out as well - with the clocks going forward last weekend (time difference between the UK and NZ is now 11 hours...) it really does feel like we've finally emerged from the depths of winter and spring has arrived!

Ceilidh Club - what a fab night!

So on Friday night we went off to the Ceilidh Club (pronounced kay-lee) to help celebrate a friend's birthday. And I have to admit that I was pretty sceptical. Having looked at the website, and not being big on dancing I wasn't sure about the whole thing but it was great! A bit like being back at school and doing folk dancing but better! Completely rubbish I was, but I loved it! My fave one was when I was the 9 pin - in a square of people with everyone dancing around me, and then it ended up a bit like musical chairs where you had to try and end up with a guy so as not to end up in the middle again. Very very cool and I'll definitely go back!

On Sat we are sat here feeling quite worn out and a little bit creaky! A very physical evening - nothing like getting hot and sweaty with a room full of strangers!!

An Ideal weekend??

Ok - couldn't resist that wee pun. Kev and I went to the Ideal Home Show yesterday - which was, to be honest, less than Ideal. Not really what we were expecting. We thought it would give us lots of housey ideas, but it was not really so good. Kevin being the gadget boy that he is did buy a magnetised gizmo for washing windows which even appears to work - so not quite a waste of time!

Sat night we went to a wedding reception for a friend of Kevin's - both Indian so we had the most amazing Indian food at the meal, and we even got up on the dance floor - no mean feat for me! Unfortunately we couldn't stay too late as there had been engineering works on our rail line and we didn't want to have to bus all the way home.

And on Friday we went to see V For Vendetta - another film of an Alan Moore comic book. We both thought it was very good, although I think it has been getting mediocre reviews.

So a weekend told backwards!

Fat man walking

Read about this guy on the BBC website so have been checking out his website. Quite an incredible story - and his journal entries are pretty interesting too. Musings on life and his journey etc. I love the fact that a weightloss company wanted him to promote a weightloss pill! Which bit of his whole trip do they just not understand...?? Anyhow - checkout
The Fat Man Walking

Dublin diary

See below for a diary of our wee trip to Dublin - involving delays, lost bags, great history, great beer, loads of Scottish men in kilts and some food poisoning...

Sunday - Croke Park, Guinness and it all goes downhill...

Sunday we headed off to Croke Park. We've been to a few stadiums on other trips so it seemed appropriate that we continue the tradition. Another great experience as well. It is home to the GAA and there was a really good exhibition in the museum on the history of the Association and its part in Ireland's history. It was at Croke Park that the British went in in retaliation against Michael Collin's killing of several British intelligence agents - part of the 30 killings on Bloody Sunday. Yet again it was another guided tour (the Irish seem to do these really well) and it was just great. Great mix of sport and history.

After that we schlepped miles across town to go to the Guinness Storehouse. Again this was something I had done when I first went to Dublin, but wow was it ever different! Very high tech and glitzy! So we went and had our free pint of Guinness at the amazing circular bar at the top of the storehouse. Stunning views - and the Guinness wasn't too bad either!

Then we went for dinner and it all went downhill... Don't know what it was but something didn't agree with me - had a horrendous night on Sunday. So endeth our Dublin trip (I won't bore you with the details of my health issues!). I felt so flakey on Monday that we didn't do much before heading out to the airport.

Saturday - Gaol, cowboys and a damn fine Thai

Bit of a slow start on Saturday - due to sitting in a smoke free pub you see... A real novelty for us as smokefree pubs haven't been brought in here yet. So we went out for brekkie to what was Bewleys - an Irish institution. It has been renamed Cafe Bar Deli but still does great breakfasts.

After brekkie (well brunch really) we headed off to Kilmainham Gaol. Again I had been here when I first went to Dublin and I was pleased to see this hadn't changed. The power here is that it is still so stark, and you go around with a guide which just gives you a completely different perspective. Still very harrowing - an incredible piece of Ireland's history.

After that we were feeling very tired - its a right schlep down to Kilmainham so we took ourselves off to the cinema and finally watched Brokeback Mountain. Which I just loved. Thought it was superb. Then we went off to a Thai restaurant and had a lovely dinner. So not very Irish but very nice nonetheless.

Friday - Book of Kells, shopping and a happy reunion

We spent most of Friday wandering around the shopping area and working out the lay of the land. First up was finding somewhere we could find some toothbrushes and contact lens stuff for me in case our bags didn't turn up... We rang the helpline for our bags in the morning (based in India ironically) who told us the bags were put on a plane due in Dublin at 10.30 and should be with us by early afternoon so with fingers crossed we headed out to explore... A lot of time was spent on Grafton Street which was full of Scottish men in kilts! It was the 6 Nations Ireland v Scotland game at Lansdowne Park that afternoon - if there were any men left in Scotland I'd be amazed!

Back to the hotel around 2ish, but still no bags. My stress levels were a wee bit high - my cup tends to be half empty rather than half full so I was convinced we'd never see them again - or that they'd turn up on Monday morning. But we couldn't do anything about it so we headed out again...

Went to see The Book of Kells which was something I had done in my visit to Dublin (10 years ago now) and had really enjoyed. When I first went you went through The Long Room which just blew me away (being the librarian that I am), and then down stairs to the room where the Book is displayed. Now there is much more glam exhibition that leads into the Book of Kells, then you end up going through the Long Room. Personally I think the old way worked better but there you go... Regardless, it is still amazing, and The Long Room still blew me away!

Back to the hotel via cake and hot chocolate at Cafe Mimo at Powerscourt Shopping Centre where we were reunited with our bags! Oh the relief! So we went out and celebrated with some Irish beers at The Stag's Head. Kev's tipple was Guinness and I was on Smithwicks - which went down very well!

Thursday (or should that be delay day?)

So we headed off to Heathrow after work - so far so good. Checked in ok, and with loads of time to spare for once. However this didn't stop us having our usual airport squabble... I am getting worse and worse when I travel and just want to get to the gate. Kevin doesn't - he can look in every duty free shop going rather than go to the gate (or so it seems to my tortured soul) and we always ending up having a stressed squabble about getting to the gate, missing the flight etc etc. And this happened again :-).

We did eventually get to the gate where our plane was delayed. And delayed. And delayed. No BMI staff to question, and when the plane finally turned up we took off just short of two hours late. Interestingly I noticed on the flight back to London that if it is over 2 hours late they have to offer compensation...

So we're on the plane. All well and good. Get to Dublin - fine. Go to collect our bags... No bags. Despite the plane being almost two hours late it appears the airline could only get half of the plane's luggage on. So for the third time in my life, I am at my destination with no luggage. I now know to make sure I put my toilet bag in my hand luggage...

So after logging our skimpy details with the airline we head off into town to our hotel - The Leeson Inn. Great taxi driver - highly entertaining which helped take our minds off our lack of bags!

The week that was

Despite thinking that I didn't have a busy week planned I ended up being a busy bee this week - hence no posts till now :-). Quick review below...

Saturday: Kevin went off to watch Villa draw 0-0 with Charlton and I went in to town in the evening to meet him and his friends for a very delish burger at the Eagle Bar & Diner. Bit like eating dinner in a night club but it was a fine burger! Friends of his friends were down from Scotland - all very happy as Scotland had beaten England in the rugby that day.

Wednesday: We went to see The Exonerated which was just superb. We had Stockard Channing, Delroy Lindo and Aidan Quinn in our cast - so I've now seen two stars from The West Wing at the theatre here recently. It was a great production - read more about it on the The Exonerated's site here. It is worth checking out the stories under 'Facts'. It very simply tells the stories of innocent people condemned to death in the USA and how they manage to avoid being murdered. Very very powerful.

Thursday: Went out with friends to celebrate our friend Nicola's new job - she was one of the many made redundant from EY last year so we were all very happy to toast her new job at The Horse Bar. Although I must learn that mixing champagne with beer doesn't work so well the next day...

Friday: Hooray - Kevin the star managed to get us Saturday day tickets for the V Festival. Great lineup and as it sold out in a record 3 hours it was a pretty cool achievement as well! So we will be off to Chelmsford in August!

Saturday: Nothing too exciting yet, but Kev and I went for a lovely walk along the towpath from Surbiton to Richmond. Beautiful day but still very cold. And in a couple of hours we are planning to watch the Hurricanes play the Cheetahs - go the 'Canes!