The walled garden, Wakehurst Place

The walled garden, Wakehurst Place
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Kew with a difference - Wakehurst Place

Nicola and I did a wee trip out to Wakehurst Place - taking advantage of my Kew membership and her National Trust membership - free entry for the both of us!

It was a lovely garden - very different from Kew. If only because there aren't millions of planes flying low over as they come in to land at Heathrow! But much less busy, and definitely a bit more 'wild' in places. We had a lovely couple of hours strolling around, followed by an extremely delicious coffee and cake - it has to be done after a bit of garden admiring!

It is also the home of the Millennium Seed Bank which we had a wee wander through. Obviously not looking at the real seeds, but they had a nice atrium with some quite good displays on the importance of seeds. I'd definitely like to get back there - its just not quite as convienient for me as Kew - you need a car...

More photos on Flickr (as always...)

Two movies...

So this week I've been to two movies - first time I've been in ages, and then two come along at once!

First of all I finally went to see Star Trek - ages after most of my friends, but I got there eventually. And I loved it - thought it was really well done. Spok and Kirk were both VERY good, and as a long time watcher of Star Trek I came away happy. And looking forward to future movies.

Today I went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - which I also really enjoyed. I was particularly excited to see Surbiton station play a role in the first few scenes. And I picked it as Surbiton before they showed the station name! I know my 'hood...

I've read a couple of reviews of the film since I got back, and I think had I read the book recently I may have been disappointed with the film as it has obviously missed a lot of stuff out. I did think the battle scene at the end was a bit different, and there was a crucial detail in that which they didn't include in the film - not sure why. But I did enjoy it - lots of Snape who is one of my fave characters - although if you go, I hope you haven't read the book recently!

What a walk it was in the Peak District

Cor - currently recovering from an epic day of walking yesterday in the Peak District. I was meant to be rollerblading today, but I had to pull out. I barely had the energy and inclination to walk to the supermarket and back!

I think it is fair to say that Craig and I learnt many lessons - I just wishing learning the lessons wasn't so exhausting!

• Don't ever not stop for lunch because 'we'll be back in the village in an hour and we can get lunch then...'. That old chestnut 'famous last words' comes into play...

• Don't step into peaty bogs - especially don't do it twice. Like quicksand (I imagine), it ain't that easy to get out of.

• Don't assume that because a trail is marked on an OS map that it will look like a well defined path in real life.

• Do use your common sense at times - you may have a whizzy gizmo gadget, but when you see people walking in the distance, and also a cairn, that is a pretty good clue that there will be a path over there...

Craig had suggested going up to the Peak District for a night a few weeks ago. Camp one night, walk on Friday and a big one on Saturday then back down to London on Sat night. He had a new GPS gizmo he wanted to test, and I’ve always wanted to go to the Peak District (try and meet my Mr Darcy!) so I was very keen. Turned out to be just us as everyone else was busy – they missed a real treat!

Read on for epic adventures in the Peak District... And lots more photos on Flickr as well!

Craig holding the 'gizmo'

Craig holding the 'gizmo'
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Sheep on the moon landscape

Sheep on the moon landscape
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Me amongst the rock formations

Me amongst the rock formations
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

A loop around Edale...

Craig had mapped out a route which was circular around Edale. We took in Mam Tor - but were there way too early to see all of the paragliders who were there when we drove home that evening.

We then took in Kinder Scout which was fantastic and then around to Kinder Fall. It was a fantastic walk - stunning scenery, and it took in so many different landscapes. Rolling peak hills, then a fantastic moon like landscape with incredible rock formations all around. Enroute to Kinder Scout I stepped into a bog (just as Craig told me not to). Straight in, up to my knee and it was stuck fast. Craig tried pulling me out but my leg wasn't moving... At one point I was worried my boot would come off! In the end I gave up and sat down on the boggy edge and pulled my leg out that way. Thank heavens for gaiters and quick drying walking trou!

We were fine up to Kinder Falls. Then it all went a bit pearshaped... The path we were looking for (as it turned out), wasn't a well defined path, but needed to be followed with a compass bearing. Which would have been fine, except we hadn't realised that, so kept finding the path and losing it again (which we couldn't understand why), then it started to rain on and off, and we spent about 1 and 3/4 hours cris-crossing the peaty bog, going up and down boggy bits, trying to work out how to get where we knew we needed to be. Its fair to say we both got VERY stressed at times, but finally we did work it out. However this was all done on no lunch (see top post) and after setting off walking at about 8.10am, we got back to the village of Edale at 4.15pm. It was a very long, very hard day of walking, but it was great. Oh - except for the bit when I fell in the bog again... this time, both legs in, up to my knees.... Can't say it was any more fun the second time.

After another meal at the Nag's Head we then had to drive back to London - well Craig did. We were both knackered - it was a very long day!

Our tents

Our tents
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

It began on Friday...

I set off from work on Friday at midday to go and meet Craig at his work. The plan was we would get to Edale, put up our tents (I borrowed mine from Simon’s sister), and then go for a short walk before having dinner in the pub. Ah – the best laid plans…

It was all fine until we got past Junction 25 on the M1. At that point we realised we weren’t slow because of the road works but because there had been an accident between Junction 26 and 27. Too late for us…. About 1.5 hours later (but it felt like much longer), we got to the exit at 26 and headed off. Traffic was still pretty slow though, and a 4 hour trip turned into 7.5 hours. We got to the campsite just after 7pm… It was my first experience of being stuck in traffic like that – I’ve always been lucky and been driving past it in the other direction. Can’t say that I would recommend it.

We got the tents up fairly quickly at the Fieldhead campsite (Craig has used his, but aside from a short demo I hadn’t put mine up properly before) then we headed off to the pub for dinner. It was a two pub town – we ate at the The Nags Head which was fairly standard fare. It is also officially the start of the Pennine Way. We probably would have stayed there but a big group in the other room started singing… What was cute for a couple of songs just turned plain annoying after about 6 or 7 numbers. So we headed off to the Ramblers Inn for another pint and a whisky before bed. Also very underwhelmed with that pub as well - despite its name it was pretty mediocre.

My ipod A to Z

I'm aware that there is a lot of music on my ipod that I've never listened to... So today I started a project to listen to the all the albums A to Z. I'll update and republish this posting as I progress through the list, but currently I've listened to:

A.M - Wilco
Abbey Road - The Beatles

House and East garden

House and East garden
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

And not a bad garden to have either!

Nicola and Mhairi 'out front'

Nicola and Mhairi 'out front'
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Not a bad entrance to have...

Hatfield House - at last!

I have wanted to go to Hatfield House for years... And have made a few attempts in the past, each time foiled for differing reasons. Tried with Tracey - but we were too early and its season hadn't started yet, tried with Leigh & Maurie but it was shut on the day we wanted to go, tried with Nicola but its season had finished...

However, I was finally successful! Although the trip appeared to be in jeopardy yet again, when my temporary bridge came out on Saturday morning - at that point I truly did believe I was fated not to go... (I'm mid-way through dental work...). However I managed to wedge my tooth back in, and with fingers crossed I headed off to meet Nicola and Mhairi...

It was a lovely day. A stunning house (as you'll see from the photos - check out the rest on Flickr as well), and the grounds were just gorgeous. Interesting to compare it to Blenheim Palace (as the Duke of Marlborough was apparently great friends with the first Marquess of Salisbury as well) - they both have quite stunning grounds, and the houses were of course fab. No photos allowed in side the house, but it was quite amazing. Highlights of the house for me were the Marble Hall and the Library. I can't help it, it must be in my blood, but I just love a room lined with books!

We spent a lovely hour or so wandering around the grounds, admiring (or not) the sculptures which are currently dotted around, and also keeping an eye out for the two weddings which were on that day. Only saw one dress - bit too ruffly for my taste tho...

Mhairi and I also checked out the Model Soldiers gallery - couldn't help but think of Eryn as I looked at all the different displays! We ended the visit by tracking down the place where Elizabeth 1 was when she found out her sis had died and she was going to be Queen. There is now a commemorative oak planted on the spot (rather than the original one) and I was quite happy once we'd seen it. And there were some spectacularly old oaks dotted around as well - quite amazing.

And my tooth managed to stay in as well :-).

Yet another delayed catch up...

But I do sort of have valid excuses... Wales, hayfever... I haven't loaded up my photos on to Flickr yet but will do so real soon...

Anyhow - read on :-)

A new venue for me

I went to see The Low Anthem at the Union Chapel - I'd never been to the venue but it was great! No alcohol allowed inside (as it is a church...), but the acoustics were stunning, and it is just lovely inside.

The band were great as well - I'd only heard one of their songs, but they were well worth going to see, even not knowing the others. I get the feeling they are probably on the cusp of making it much bigger, so it was good to see them while they are still in small venues.

A bit more of the Loop...

No rest for the wicked - Saturday morning I was up and out early to meet the Loop walkers to do another section. This section was from Hayes & Harlington to Uxbridge and as a lot of it was along the canal it was pretty good. We had a great picnic for lunch as well - courtesy of most of the others in terms of the home made food tho!

What a lovely mermaid...

What a lovely mermaid...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

It had to be done really...

Rhossili Beach, looking down towards Llangennith

Rhossili Beach, looking down towards Llangennith
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

What a beach!!

The reclining monkey...

The reclining monkey... (2)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

More surrealism - this used to stand on the pier with swings from each of its arms... I sent someone a postcard of it!!

Me on the Pier

Me on the Pier
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Quite what this has to do with Wales I'm not sure...

Hanging out in Mumbles & exploring the Gower Peninsula

And that was my week really. It was a lovely chilled out week hanging out with Divya and her 10 month old, Tarun. Especially as he was just beginning to walk - I saw his first steps! And then we spent a lot of time trying to get him to recreate them :-).

Monday we walked from Langland Bay around the coast to Casswell Bay, which was great and has really made me want to look into doing a long distance coastal path next...

Tuesday we went over to Rhossili Bay and the Worms Head peninsula. Stunning scenery and very remniscent of NZ. We didn't go down to the beach on that day tho, as Divya was carrying Tarun in a back pack and didn't fancy going up and down the 200 steps to the beach! There is one house down on the beach which would just be amazing to stay in - and you can also see shipwreck ruins when the tide is low - very cool. On the way back we stopped at Casswell Bay for an icecream... Had to be done!

Wednesday was a Mumbles day - just strolled into the village, had some lunch and went for another wee walk along the coast. Mumbles is where Catherine Zeta Jones has a house - but there was no famous star spot for me I'm afraid! The pier was great - check out my photos on Flickr (when I've posted them...)

Thursday we walked along the promenade back into Swansea (about five miles), had lunch, dipped into a museum briefly and then went back and sat in the sun and read magazines. Bliss!

Friday morning was an early start as we headed off to Llangennith (which is actually the other end of Rhossil Bay) so Divya could go surfing. Very cool getting the thumbs up from surfers as we headed to the beach - telling us the surf was good! I got most excited by that!! So while Divya surfed I had a stroll along the beach - amusing myself by spotting all the dead jellyfish on the beach... Then in the afternoon it was back on the train to London.

A lovely wee break - and I had great weather as well!

Another year older...

So I turned another year older - and a very quiet birthday it was too. I went out on the Saturday night to help Mhairi celebrate her birthday. She had several cake themed gifts which was quite funny (she is the cake baker extraordinaire...)!

Sunday I opened a few presents - despite not wanting to do anything for my birthday people still spent money on me, and I did get some lovely gifts. And they are still rolling in - which of course I'm enjoying :-). I headed up about lunchtime on the train to Swansea to start my next 'staycation' in Mumbles. Very interesting as once I got past Bristol Parkway it was all new territory for me... I had a wee doze on the way up, and managed to completely miss the Severn Tunnel - I didn't even realise I'd been through one until Divya's husband Lee mentioned it to me!

My birthday evening was low key but good - drank wine and watched the final of The Apprentice - just what I wanted to do!!

This time one year ago...

Lindsey had just arrived down from Glasgow to help me celebrate my 40th, and Tracey had been here a few days already. Hard to believe that is a year ago now - I'm looking down the barrel of being 41 and I'm not sure where the last year has gone...

Anyhow, this year my birthday will be very different as I'm not doing anything. Just haven't had the energy or inclination to celebrate it at all. Weird - I thought I would feel like this last year, rather than two years on, but I'm just not bothered about doing anything for it. I am out tomorrow night to help Mhairi celebrate her birthday (which is today) and we're having our 4th annual 'June Babies' drinks for work on June 19th so that will be enough for me.

And on Sunday I'm heading back up to Wales to spend a few days with Divya and Tarun - I'm not sure exactly where I'm going tho - I get the train to Swansea, that much I do know! Somewhere around Mumbles I think... So I'll be off line until next Friday anyhow, but look out for updates and photos then.

Cool cooking

The cooking class was great. Really good fun. Small group - only 10 of us around a table, sharing out the chopping/mixing etc. Jennifer (the instructor) did all the cooking, although Mhairi did get up and make the fish cakes. But the way the food was cooked was very straightforward - and obviously the salads didn't need any cooking!

The food was delicious - I just now need to be brave enough to try and make it myself! All very simple recipes - very tasty as well. I didn't realise until the end of the evening that the classes were actually held in the instructor's flat. She had made it anonymous enough that it was immediately obvious.

All in all, a very good present - even if it was taken up almost a year on!

Anyone for tennis? Or a bit of cooking?

So tonight I went for my first tennis lessons - I signed up ages ago for 5 group lessons which started tonight.

Great fun - I really enjoyed it! And I don't think I was the worst one there... Sadly I'll miss next week's lesson as I'll be in Wales - but I'm already looking forward to going back. Next week is backhand, so its a shame I'm missing that.

And tomorrow we are finally using the cooking voucher my friends got my for my birthday last year. We are cooking cuisine from Burma - here is some of the description below...

We’ll learn about some typical Burmese ingredients such as fresh turmeric, dried shrimp, balachaung, and toasted gram flour and make some characteristically tart, crunchy salads and tangy curries. We’ll finish our evening by making ‘Lephet-Thoke’ – a traditional Burmese salad of pickled tea leaves that is eaten at the end of a meal.

Some of the dishes we’ll learn include:

Fish Cake Salad with Lime Juice and Herbs
Ginger and Lemon Salad with Roasted Peanuts
Twice-cooked Snapper Curry with Fresh Turmeric and Bamboo Shoots
Hand-mixed Burmese Rice with Tamarind

This is also a fundraising class, so the money raised is going to a good cause :-).

From the Foo Fighters to the Manic Street Preachers...

So with my last gig to the Manics, I have finished my first ticket album... Started on 15 November 1995 with the Foo Fighters at Brixton Academy, finished with the Manic Street Preachers on 28 May 2009 at the Roundhouse.

I know this isn't complete - if I did a comparison with Kevin's I know he has tickets for gigs we went to, that for some reason I have not managed to keep hold of. And there are some bands here that I know I've seen more often than I have tickets for - eg I'm pretty sure I've seen the Manics more than 3 times, James more than 2 times and Gene more than 3 times... And this doesn't include gigs from when I was still in NZ either - so very London focused.

Anyhow - in amongst the 200 or so tickets I have are: 44 for the theatre (including plays, musicals, comedy), 18 footie matches (17 of which are Villa), 9 cricket matches, 5 rugby matches, 3 sporting events in the USA and the following bands (number of times seen in brackets)...

The Amps (1), The Muttonbirds/Don McGlashan (6), Oasis (1), Boo Radleys (2), Tanya Donnelly (2), Billy Bragg (3), Manic Street Preachers (3), Beck (2), Babybird (1), James (2), Pavement (1), Wilco/Jeff Tweedy (4), Tindersticks (1), Nick Cave (1), Go Betweens (3), Teenage Fanclub (2), Ocean Colour Scene (3), Son Volt (1), Prodigy (1), Kristin Hersh (1), Echo & the Bunnymen (2), Smashing Pumpkins (1), Eels (1), Vic Chestnut (1), Lambchop (1), Calexico/Iron & Wine (2), Fat Freddys Drop (3), Salmonella Dub (1), Julian Cope (1), Bruce Springsteen (1), Gene (3), Embrace (6), Mark Eitzel (1), Badly Drawn Boy (1), New Order (1), Waterboys (1), Snow Patrol (2), Ian Brown (1), Rufus Wainwright (1), Franz Ferdinand (1), Finn Brothers (1), The Thrills (1), Starsailer (4), The Killers (1), Bloc Party (3), Doves (1), Interpol (1), Marshmellow (1), Mark Olson (2), Elbow (3), James Blunt (1), Hard Fi (1), Sufjan Stevens (1), The National (1), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (1), Bluetones (1), Marah (1), Silver Jews (1), The Raconteurs (1), Arcade Fire (1), The Hold Steady (1), The Guillemots (1), The Hours (3), Band of Horses (1), Portishead (1), My Morning Jacket (1), Autumn Defense (1), Hot Chip (1), Dodge Brothers (1).

Very hot London Loop sections

Completed another two sections of the London Loop - Kingston to Hatton Cross (8.5 miles) and Hatton Cross to Hayes & Harlington (3.8 miles). A total of 12.3 miles, but it took us AGES... I've blogged before about our different walking speeds, but yesterday felt very long to me. A lot of that was the heat - we're in the middle of a wee heatwave here, so it was very hot walking, but even so I still feel like it took too long...

The start of the first section was lovely - through Bushy Park, which despite the fact that its on my doorstep, I've never been to before. En-route to the park we saw a very amusing sign at a pub, which I've posted below - made us all smile! After we left Bushy Park and got closer to Hatton Cross we were also getting closer to Heathrow, so the plane noise got louder and louder... We had a 'plane spotters' picnic as it felt like they were literally taking off just next to us, so for the particularly loud ones we'd all look up to try and identify it from the tail fin. The conversation ebbed and flowed depending on when a plane was taking off... It was a real relief to start to head away - I don't know how people manage to live so close without going insane - a couple of hours of it was doing my head in...

Husband creche

Husband creche
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

The fab Manics

Went to see the Manic Street Preachers play their new album at the Roundhouse on Thursday. A fantastic band and a great venue. We were stood upstairs at the back, which meant we had a great view, and as its a relatively small venue, it still felt very much like we were part of it.

The gig was two sets - the album first, then they came back on and did 'hits' - a bit like the Echo & the Bunnymen gig I went to last year. Very cool - played a lot of my old faves so I went home very happy :-).

Real live TV...

Second time lucky for Simon, Mhairi, Owen and me as we got in to see the filming of 'The Apprentice - You're Fired'...

We had lucked out the first time, but it worked in our favour as this time we had priority tickets. We did make sure we got there very early tho! Very interesting to see the show being filmed - although I don't think we made it on to tv! Quite funny to sit there and be told to laugh and clap when nothing is going on - knowing that your sound is just going be used somewhere else!

Great evening tho!

The Hours (again)

Went to see The Hours (again) with Divya on Monday night - this time they played at Cargo. Another great set from them, although it was somewhat on the short side. They now have two albums, but still only played just over an hour. Bit disappointing.

And this time our famous person spot was Jarvis Cocker (see earlier post for the last famous person spot).

Back from wonderful Wales

And as I was clever and took my MacBook with me, I have my posts all ready to go! So read on below for the holiday - I'm about to start uploading my photos as well, but that may take a wee while...

Highlights were:

• Summiting Tryfan
• Finding the lovely Welsh farmer and realising we were no longer lost in the wilds of Wales
• The great company
  

Lazy Friday

Friday was a low key day. The Kershaws headed out early-ish, but we just mooched around the house. Owen and I then went to meet them at Beddgelert to go for a wee stroll with them all.

Beautiful wee village - very different from where we were staying. Stunning - although looking quite thunderous as it was a bit grey and cloudy when we were there.

Owen and I then went back to pick Finbarr up and we headed off to try and find Owen's 'ancestral home' - Vaynol Hall, where his great grand-father had been gamekeeper. Cue much amusement, as Owen seems to be from all of the country, but we did find the somewhat imposing entrance to the estate. Which was all we got to see as it was definitely 'Private Property'.

Saturday we had to be out by 10, and we had left by about 9.30. We all felt very sorry to be going!

The best laid plans...

Very early start today – out of the house by 8.15! The plan was that me, Craig, Owen and Finbarr would head out early, climb Cnicht (5.5 miles – approx time 4 hours) and then meet Sarah and the kids in Betws-y Coed. Oh the best laid plans…

The morning was a bit grey, but not too bad when we set off, and the climb up to Cnicht was ok. Getting closer to the top the cloud started to come down, but we persevered. It was meant to have stunning views, but as you can see from the photos all we saw was cloud. So far so good…

The descent was where it all went wrong… We were meant to be looking out for a lake – quite hard to do when visibility was about 5 feet ahead of us… However Craig had a plan that as long as we headed north east we’d eventually hit the lake. 3 hours later we finally end up at a farm (after walking across very boggy peat bogs, crossing and re-crossing streams, and walking around the corner of a field to be faced with 6 bulls) and found a rather dashing young Welsh farmer who promptly told us where we were – which was miles away from where we were meant to be (about 5 to be precise). We’d gone so wrong it was incredible – thank heavens for finding that farmer!

We learnt many lessons on that walk – like a map and a compass aren’t that useful when you don’t actually know where you are on the map… or when you can’t see any landmarks to map yourself against… However it all ended ok – we ended up back in the land of people again!

Me & Fin at the summit with Craig in the distance

Me & Fin at the summit with Craig in the distance
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Perched on the edge of the world in the cloud...

The 'Carry on Walking' team

The 'Carry on Walking' team
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

An 'in' joke... not as funny as the films are (apparently...)

A climb but no summit...

A late start – I didn’t get up until after 9.30! So a somewhat slow morning, but eventually about midday me, Fin and Owen headed off to do our designated walk of the day – Moel Siabod.

Weather had changed overnight – no more glorious sun, but dull grey cloud and spots of rain flying around. We got most of the way up to Moel Siabod, but at the crucial point the cloud came down and I didn’t fancy doing any climbing/scrambling in the mist, so we admired the view from a lower ridge and headed back down. And still managed to get a bit lost!

Stunning views tho – and something quite spooky about walking past the ruined slate houses – presumably from the disused slate quarry just over the hill. Must have been a very bleak place to have lived and worked…

A fantastic castle and changing of the guard

Another lovely day weatherwise – amazing for Wales! This was our designated ‘lazy’ day. Partly as we were tired from Tryfan (many aching muscles…), but also as Julia had to head back to London later in the day which meant no big excursions. Craig and Sarah etc headed off to Port Meirion, but we decided to venture into Caernarfon and go and check out the castle. It was a seriously cool castle – looked just like the ones we used to draw when we were kids! We also ambled out along the bay for a while which was just lovely. Unfortunately that sparked the urge for fish & chips in us, which then sparked a fruitless hunt in the town as there didn’t seem to be a chippie – despite it being a town on the sea! So all feeling very disappointed we settled for a very sub-par lunch at a café on the town square. It is a lovely town – but some of the inhabitants were a tad odd… Loads of Welsh being spoken tho – more Welsh than English which was interesting.

Then it was back to Rhosbodrual, Julia left, me and Fin enjoyed a beer in the sun, and waited for Craig and Sarah to return from their adventures. And about 7.30ish the changing of the guard was complete with the arrival of Owen.

The Welsh flag flying proudly

The Welsh flag flying proudly
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

A very cool castle

Julia with the fab boot bag!

Julia with the fab boot bag!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Spot the boot bag!

Climbing Tryfan - we knocked the old girl off!

So today was designated as ‘Tryfan’ day. It had the best forecast – clear and sunny, with some wind. I’d had real reservations about doing Tryfan – it is a pretty full on climb and I hadn’t really enjoyed that aspect of Crib Goch, but when push came to shove, I couldn’t stay at home and watch Craig, Julia and Finbarr head off, so of course I went…

The climb on the whole was actually not too difficult, but it started immediately, and we were then climbing for two hours to get to the top… There were a couple of hairy bits where I felt like I was stuck, but aside from that it was manageable. I’m typing this on Tuesday morning, and I’ve got some great bruises and very sore muscles today! The path was pretty indistinct at times which I didn’t like very much, and as we got close to the top we took a wrong turn so we missed one of the iconic views of the mountain… And then we couldn’t find the top – Finbarr who had mountain goated off up a different route was up there before us, so we called out to him and from that worked out how to get up to the top! We admired Adam and Eve (but chose not to climb up on to them…), had lunch and then headed down.

The second half of the walk involved climbing up to Glyder Fach via Bristly Ridge, and I was really uncomfortable with that. The wind was really quite strong, and I was a bit wary about tackling it so I decided to walk back down via Llyn Bochlwyd and Cwm Idwal. Julia also came with me as she has been having trouble with her Archilles heel so she didn’t want to push her luck given that it had got her up and down the mountain. So we wandered off and left the boys to their own adventure. And watched all the fighter jets swooping up and down the valley as we descended – very cool! Down at Cwm Idwal we paddled in the water (boy was it cold!!), sat in the sun and waited for Craig and Finbarr to reappear via the Devil’s Kitchen. Which did take quite a while as they got a bit lost up there – we were just wondering at what point we would call out mountain rescue when they appeared!

Then it was back to the house for a well deserved beer, and a whisky before bed – which wasn’t late as we were all absolutely knackered!!

Looking back down Tryfan

Looking back down Tryfan
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Impressed?

Me on the summit of Tryfan

Me on the summit of Tryfan
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Made it!!

Craig looking back up at Tryfan - the way we descended

Craig looking back up at Tryfan - the way we descended
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Look in awe!

View from the house, Monday evening

View from the house, Monday evening
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

What a view!

Sunday - managed a walk!

Slow start today as a couple of members of the party stayed up a wee bit later than others drinking whisky (not the author I hasten to add!). But in the afternoon, me, Finbarr and Julia headed off to do our first walk – Llyn Crafnant and Llyn Geirionydd.

We went back to the same café Julia and I had had lunch in Betws-y-Coed and bought a ‘hikers pack’ – sandwich, flapjack and drink. The walk covered all terrain – forests, rocky paths and lakesides. Walking alongside the side of Llyn Geironydd was very much like walking along the side of Loch Lomond. Beautiful lake, but as the guidebook told us ‘the clarity does not indicate purity’. Lead mines above the lake have ensured that the run off has contaminated the lake and killed off most of the animal and plant life…

Llyn Crafnant was not quite as stunning as Llyn Geironydd, but it isn’t poisoned as it acts as a reservoir for the Conwy valley. It was a great first walk – not too strenuous and some great views. And no rain once we actually started walking!

London to North Wales

Early start – had to be at Earlsfield at 7.30am to meet Julia – I had to get up earlier than I usually do for work! She was running slightly late – but we were on the road by just after 8. The trip up was ok – no traffic in London – which is the good thing about leaving so early! Most of it was bog standard, but once you get to North Wales it gets so scenic. Windy roads, stunning scenery – and lots of rain!!

We went through Betws-y-Coed where Craig, Julia and I stayed when we did the Snowdon Horseshoe, so that was a nice trip down memory lane. We stopped for a very nice lunch there and just had to drop into one of the many outdoor shops that line the road… We are now proud owners of very cool boot bags ☺. Then finally we headed off on the last stretch towards Llanberis. We passed Plas Y Brenin – sparking much discussion about coming back to do a course there - very excited about that!

Craig, Sarah and the kids had got to the house slightly earlier than us so they were off doing the food shopping – great for us! The house was lovely. Finished to a much higher standard than the photos on the site would suggest – lovely big open plan kitchen and lounge area. Craig picked Finbarr up from Holyhead and then we were all set to go!

'Staycation' number one...

So this Saturday I'm off on the first of my two 'staycations' to Wales. I'm unlikely to have internet access so will be off the radar for a while - no suprise there you all think!

Anyhow, the first staycation will be in Rhosbodrual in Caernarfon - we have booked a cottage for a week. The plan is to do some quite serious walking on a couple of days, and touristy stuff on the others. Hoping to climb Tryfan (although I'm a bit nervous about it), and also get to Portmeirion (where they filmed The Prisoner).

Core group will be me, Craig, Sarah and their two wee ones, and Finbarr, with Julia and Owen for half the week each. I'm greatly looking forward to it! Will take my Macbook with me so I can at least write my blog while I'm away so once I'm back I can just do some copying and pasting...

So The Apprentice never happened...

Very annoying - they issued too many tickets so we missed out. Apparently whoever gets 'fired' this week took up loads of tickets for their friends so there was less room for the plebs. Not sure if The Apprentice makes it to NZ - if not this may be meaningless. Suffice to say I was very cross!

Bank Holiday bliss

Right now it is the Monday of the first May Bank holiday - and we've had good weather which has been fantastic!

Saturday I went to see Picasso: Challenging the Past at the National Gallery with Nicola which was very good. I really enjoyed the rooms with the still lives, and also the portraits. Interesting new look at Picasso to see how he was inspired by so many of the old masters. Then I went round to Julia's in the evening to admire her new sofa - watched Sex & the City (the film) as well - which I thought was pretty dire...

Sunday was a lazy day, but I met up with Maya in the evening and we went to have dinner at Chris's pub. Lovely roast lamb, and we then all had dessert as well - we shared spring fruit crumble, custard tart and rhubarb fool. All very delish!

Later today I'm off to meet Mhairi and Simon for a stroll along the Thames and then we are off to see the filming of The Apprentice: You're Fired. Very excited about that!!

Socialising Kea style

Mhairi and I went to the Kea networking event on Wednesday - first one we had been to, although I think its about the 3rd they've run.

It was very good - the speaker was Tim Bean. His speech started off a bit underwhelming, with some slightly sexist/old fashioned references, but it got better as he went on. There was some structured networking which I wasn't expecting so didn't enjoy that much, but next time I'll be expecting it! There was also a prize draw and I won a bottle of NZ wine and a copy of Turn Back Your Age Clock so I was quite happy!

The only disappointing aspect was that it was meant to be held at The Southerner, and apparently there were going to be pies (which we were both very excited about!), but they had to change the venue so there were no pies...

ANZAC Day

I made my usual pilgrimage into town this morning to go to the wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph. I wore my 'Born Here' t-shirt that the Piha branch of the family sent me for my birthday last year - I don't often proclaim my 'kiwi-ness' so publicly, but ANZAC Day is worth making an exception for :-).

The ceremony was moving (as always). And again I noticed that the number of old soldiers is very low - mostly people from the active forces now. I didn't take flowers this year, but took my poppy from last year, and at the end of the ceremony I tucked it into the wreath that was laid by the government of Northern Ireland. I thought that seemed very apt.

Afterwards I strolled up to the NZ War Memorial through St James Park. The dawn service is held up there, but there were only a few wreaths there. I've posted a couple of photos below, but there are more on Flickr.

It was a lovely, moving day - as always. It is my day for Dad, and he is very much on my mind today.

Close up of flax wreath, NZ War Memorial, ANZAC Day 2009

Close up of flax wreath, NZ War Memorial, ANZAC Day 2009
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

NZ Army, ANZAC Day 2009

NZ Army, ANZAC Day 2009
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

I zoomed in on this guy, as his uniform made me think of photos of Dad - I'm sure I remember seeing one of him wearing the same type of hat.

Another two sections down...

We completed another two sections of the London Loop - from Banstead to Kingston - sections 7 and 8 on the list. This one ended up in my neighbourhood which was great - a short stroll home!

I wasn't overly impressed with these sections - too urban for me, or walking along somewhat uninspiring canals. The others didn't agree with me - I think its been too long and I need to get out and do some 'proper' country walking... So no photos, as there wasn't really anything worth taking a photo of.

But it was a lovely sunny day and we ended up having a drink down by the river in the sun at the end which was most pleasant.

Easter events

So Easter is winding down for another year... still its only a few weeks until we get another long weekend here!

I had a fairly social weekend which was nice - weather wasn't great though. Didn't rain much, but was just very grey and dull for much of it. Until about 5pm today when the sun finally came out. Typical...

Anyhow, Thursday evening I met Jackie, Nicola and Mhairi for dinner at Wahaca - a new fave of mine. Its the 3rd time I've been there and its been great every time. After dinner we met Simon (who had only just finished work!) for a drink. Nice way to start the long weekend :-).

Friday it was off to a friend's 30th birthday at the Queen Bodicea pub in Angel. It was a good do, but was a bit of a pain to get to as my line had engineering works all weekend. Ended up on a replacement bus service home so it turned into a much later evening than I was expecting.

Sunday was round to Simon's for a lovely roast lamb lunch - very chilled way to spend Easter Sunday.

And today I spent a lovely afternoon at Kew with David, Dominic and Chris - photos posted on Flickr as well as the couple below. There was a very cool display of seed pod art, and the blossoms were just stunning. We were probably a week or so too early for the bluebells, and we'd missed the best of the daffodils, but the rest were just gorgeous. And we saw some very cute wee ducklins and cootlings (?). I love Kew and will definitely be renewing my membership when it expires.

Seed pod

Seed pod
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Stunning blossoms

Stunning blossoms
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

These are the feelings I taste in my dreams...

Had an incredibly vivid dream this morning about Mum. I had travelled back in time (I have complex dreams!), and Sam was in it, but he was only young. He was in the lounge in Taupo telling Mum that something was empty, and she was talking to him about it.

I knew in the dream that Mum was gone, and I was just loving being there and having the opportunity to see her again and hear her voice. And in my dream I was thinking 'Thats right - thats how she sounded'. I woke up with her voice in my head, but already it has gone again. Sometimes I can hear her so clearly and other times I just can't hear her voice at all.

I think I'm back...

I do realise its been a long time since I've posted. I don't think I've ever gone a full month without posting before... Not sure why really - just been a bit distracted and tired I think. Haven't even been reading either. My creative writing juices just seem to have dried up.

But working on the assumption that I do still have some followers out there in the ether, here is a bit of a round up as to what I've been doing since Feb 23rd...

A snapshot

• Went to see my friend Steve play Valere in 'La Bete' at the South London Theatre. He had the most amazing amount of lines, and did so well. It was great - very funny. Steve is the one in the wig in the photo - although fortunately he didn't wear this while actually performing the play.
• Went to 'Do Something Funny for Money' which was part of Red Nose Day. EY are the honorary accountants for the charity, and this was a show put on my people at work trying to be funny. Accountants/consultants etc and humour really don't mix. It was dire.
  
• Mhairi and I went to see The Dodge Brothers album release gig. We are both big Mark Kermode fans so thought it would be good to go along. And it was - a great skiffle band, but while I enjoyed it, it wasn't quite my style of music enough to actually buy the cd...
• Spent an enjoyable hour or so at Space N.K. getting some advice on facial care, and am now a regular wearer of a very light foundation to work... and mascara! And I've even started wearing make up when I go out... At the advanced age of almost 41 I've decided its time to start accentuating the positives and hiding the negatives :-)
• Walked another section of the London Loop
• Been up to Glasgow for the weekend to see Lindsey and her whanau. Had a great weekend - always fantastic to see her, and to re-connect with Ricky, Chloe and Jamie.
  
• Helped Julia celebrate her birthday.
• Helped Jackie celebrate her birthday.
• Almost lost my voice - strangest sensation to just open your mouth and only have a squeak come out of it!
• Watched the final ever episode of Battlestar Galactica with Owen - we are both now bereft.
• Bought myself a very cool pair of cowboy boots which I am inordinately proud of.
  
• Helped Jackie celebrate her birthday for the second time at the 'official' party.
  

Loop walk - a very small observatory!

Loop walk - a very small observatory!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

A very small observatory from the last Loop walk.

Ride 'em cowgirl!

Ride 'em cowgirl!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

My pride and joy :-)

Jackie's 40th

Jackie's 40th
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Jackie, me and Mhairi - rocking the purple/blue look!

Megan Needs

This is one of these Facebook things, but I quite liked it so thought I'd post it to my blog as well for the readers who aren't also FB bods...

Here’s how it works: Google “[your first name] needs” and share the first 10 results. That's it: it is that simple. But be honest! These are actual quotes from the top ten results.

1. Megan needs a summer intern (really?)
2. Megan needs an ass kicking now!! (OK - that may be more apt...)
3. Megan needs a very quiet home in a place with few or no thunder storms and lots of sunshine. (actually I quite like thunderstorms - like the sunshine bit tho)
4. Megan Needs is on Facebook
5. Megan needs to get Sarah’s contact information from Glenda. (again - really?)
6. The only thing that Megan needs help with at this point is in the area of responsiveness. (Again - possibly more apt...)
7. Megan needs help with at this point is in the area of responsiveness (ok - this is getting repetitive now...)
8. MySpace profile for Megan (needs to be an optimist) (yes I probably do need to be an optimist...)
9. Megan needs a dress rehearsal (what for - life?)
10. Megan needs a boy's profile (couldn't agree with that one more!)

And so to Maya's work

On Sunday I thought that seeing as how I had seen where Chris works I should really go and see where Maya earns her crust. So in I went and she made me a lovely flat white! No photo though as I didn't take my camera. Very nice wee cafe tho - would be lovely to have one like it on my doorstep...

A lot of scary dogs, great views and Chris's pub

So on Saturday the intrepid Loop walkers (being me, Nicola, Mhairi and Jackie) headed off to do Section 4 - from West Wickham Common to Hamsey Green in Croydon.

We had been meant to do this section a week earlier, but after the 'Big Snow' we thought it might be prudent to wait a week... which was probably wise, but even so it was very muddy. Following on from the walk we'd been invited to a Valentine's dinner at Simon's place (for all of us singletons) - and as it was only a 9 mile walk I thought if we headed off at midday we wouldn't get to Simon's too early. Turns out I was basing my calculations on mine and Julia's walking pace, not that of the four of us so it took us a wee bit longer than I had thought it would! Hey - finishing walking almost in the dark is fun...

But it was a great walk. Lots of woods which were lovely to walk through. Most surreal moment was our lunch stop. We went into a pub called the Sandrock, which was fairly 'gastro'. We were impressed with the service, and enjoyed our meals (we just had light meals however as we were saving ourselves for Simon's), and chatted about how nice it was to get somewhere where the pubs were good (we've been in some pretty sub-standard ones up till now). It was at this point I looked up and through the door into the kitchen, and after peering intently I realised that it was Chris in the kitchen! So purely by coincidence we had ended up in the pub Chris cooks in!! Fortunately I could honestly tell him that we had all been very impressed :-). He came out briefly (they were busy) and was telling me about the fab roasts he does on a Sunday so when Maya has a Sunday off we're going to go out for Sunday lunch!

After lunch we took a slight detour to the Shirley Windmill which is just down the road from the Sandrock. Very cool to see - although Nicola was a bit horrified I hadn't seen the one in Wimbledon Common... After that it was up into Addington Hills for some great views out over London. Check out my pics on Flickr - although my camera really isn't good enough to do them justice. But we were all very impressed - we could see Canary Wharf, Wembley Stadium, the Gerkhin, great views of Crystal Palace etc.

Then it was on through many more woods - and an encounter with not just one, not just two, but FOUR German Shepherds. What was most disturbing was that they were being walked by a woman on a mobility scooter, 3 were not on any leash, and they were all VERY barky and growly at us. It was really unpleasant - and although Nicola spent a lot of the rest of the walk and dinner telling us that wasn't their fault, the opinion of the rest of us was that we would rather not have dogs that scared people. We were not convinced of the woman's ability to control them just with her voice, and it did feel like a pack...

Not long after that we encountered the two Staffordshire bull terriers - which were almost as scary, but at least they were being walked by a fairly scary looking man who did look like he could control them. And while they are meant to be nice temperaments you can't help but think of all the awful stories you hear about them...

And about 1 and 3/4 hours after we said we'd be there, we did get to Simon's for a lovely meal of French Onion soup, hearty beef stew and apple crumble made by Mhairi. Who needs a boyfriend on Valentines Day when you've got your friends :-)

The Sandrock - Chris's pub

The Sandrock - Chris's pub
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Chris's pub - with ugly red car parked out front annoyingly!

View over London from Addington hill

View over London from Addington hill
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

If you look carefully - and you know what you're looking for, you can see the Wembley Arch in this one!

Mhairi, Nicola and me at the viewing platform, Addington Hill

Mhairi, Nicola and me at the viewing platform, Addington Hill
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Spot those bags under my eyes - thats what comes from burning the candle... :-(

Valentines Day dinner at Simon's

Valentines Day dinner at Simon's
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Just getting ready to tuck in!

Extreme Information!

Despite being ENORMOUSLY tired from the gig last night (I have the biggest bags and shadows under my eyes...) I dragged my sorry carcass along to a talk I had registered for that was being run by the City Information Group (a professional association I belong to).

The line up was meant to be two speakers - a Lt from the Royal Engineers talking about how the British Army turns information into intelligence in battlefield situations, and a guy from Lehmans who was to talk about what it was like to be at Lehman Brothers the week the 'roof caved in'.

The guy from Lehmans wasn't there, which turned out to be a good thing as the army man had much longer to talk. He had a great presentation with photos and videos (he had been out in Afghanistan last year) and it was really interesting. A whole different spin on the use of information and the challenges of using it efficiently and accurately in situations like that. Very moving as well when he almost cried as he showed us a photo of a soldier and his sniffer dog who he had worked with, and who was killed not long after our speaker left Afghanistan. I can't help thinking that the trials and tribulations of Lehmans would have seemed very trivial after all that...

Super Starsailor

Last night it was off to the Luminaire (very cool small venue which I've blogged about before), to see Starsailor - a band I've long been keen on. And in fact it was due to them that I named my blog 'Live By the River' - as you will see if you look back to the very first entry...

And for those readers who were at my 40th, they played the song I took my speech about 'Good Souls' from - so I was very happy!

I was extremely tired today, but it was worth it.

Busy birthdays

Was a social butterfly weekend just gone. First up on Friday night was Nicola's birthday - had she been fortunate enough to be born in New Zealand she would never have to work on her birthday... But as she's English... Anyhow she had drinks at Somerstown Coffee House - very cool pub by Euston. Bit out of the way, but easy for me to get home from, and its a great venue. Mhairi had originally taken us there a few months ago, so it was nice to get a return visit.

Saturday night was Sarah's birthday, and it was off back into town for me to Clerkenwell Green - which isn't a 'Green' at all, and according to Wikipedia hasn't had any grass for 300 years... However it is home to some rather nice pubs, and we had some drinks and tapas at The Green. Very nice evening again - somewhat enlivened by posh kids running through the pub - guess thats what you do to kill time on a Sat night if you are posh of Clerkenwell...

The Big Snow - day 2

Tuesday evening now and I have cabin fever... Still didn't make it into work today. Went to the station, stood on the platform for about an hour watching 3 trains come in which were all rammed from earlier stations and realised I'd had enough so went home again.

Got my work to courier my laptop to me, so I did get quite a bit of work done in the end. Amazing weather though - a once in 20 years event apparently.... which probably means it will happen every year now!

Lots of moaning on the tv and radio about how we should be more prepared etc - but London just isn't geared up for this sort of snow - they just don't have the gear. Still - people have been out enjoying it - sledging, snowboarding, building snowmen etc.

I quite like it really :-). Check out the rest of my photos on Flickr as well.

Looking down the road - Lovelace Gardens

Looking down the road - Lovelace Gardens
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Lovelace Gardens about 9am.

Sunrise - the next day

Sunrise - the next day
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

From my lounge window...

The towpath along the Thames to Kingston

The towpath along the Thames to Kingston
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Another one for my summer visitors - bit different huh??!

Looking down Lovelace Gardens

Looking down Lovelace Gardens
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Gives you an idea of the depth of snow - especially for Tracey, Leigh & Maurie who have been to mine!

Snow - Feb 2009 - Backyard tree

Snow - Feb 2009 - Backyard tree
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Snow on the tree from my lounge window!

Snow - Feb 2009 - Backyard

Snow - Feb 2009 - Backyard
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

View from my lounge window this morning. The line to the bottom left is the path...

Snow - Feb 2009 - Lovelace Gardens

Snow - Feb 2009 - Lovelace Gardens
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

View from my bedroom window this morning. No trains or buses running!

Slumdog, strolling, markets and snow...

Went to see Slumdog Millionaire during the week - I'm assuming it has been getting big press in the Southern hemisphere as well so won't bother linking to a site about it. I really enjoyed it - not really the 'feel good' movie it is being advertised as over here, but still great. I've listened to lots of interviews with the director and stars so it was good to finally get to see it. Definitely recommend it! I did hear that there has been some criticism in the NZ press about the fact that the kids are still in the slums, but the film crew are paying for them to go through school - they have also put money in trust for them as well as a bribe to get them to stay at school until they are 16. So don't let incorrect reporting put you off!

Saturday I met up with Gabby and Divya (with 6 month old Tarun) and we walked from Camden to Little Venice along the canal. It was a lovely afternoon, and Tarun is just gorgeous. Very smiley and big dark eyes. Getting pretty cold on the way back though...

Today I headed off to Greenwich Market to do some birthday present shopping - which as always when I go there was successful. It has yet to let me down... But man it was arctic!! I bought a hat for me as well (even though I had one I decided I needed a warmer one). Then I met up with Craig and Sarah and their kiddies and went back to their place for a much needed cup of peppermint tea. And now when I look out of my window there is already snow covering the ground. We have an extreme weather warning out at the mo - can't wait for my commute tomorrow morning...

And like Maurie

My counter has also just gone a bit weird and gone back to 300. All very odd...

My life and Don

After seeing Don McGlashan it made me think about all the times I have seen him at the different periods in my life - here are some I remember...

• The Front Lawn - Maidment Theatre, Auckland University. Brilliant show - the key bits I remember are the 'car' driving around the stage (him and Harry Sinclair running around the stage with torches as headlights) and the camping 'photos' - the stage lights going off and on, and everytime they were in a new snapshot. Also the theatre a bit later on down by the wharf somewhere.
• Wellington - I'd just moved to go to library school and I went to see The Muttonbirds with Eryn, Keith (I think), and a cousin of Keith's (I think). He was a journalist and very cute. I later bumped into him in a flat in London and he turned out to be a friend of Anita's. Very nice guy. But at that gig I remember almost crying when they played Dominion Road (given that I lived just off Dominion Road and had just left), and they had such few songs that they had to repeat it for their encore.
  
• London - The 100 Club. Very surreal - I'd not been in London that long and it was just so weird to see something so NZ in such a different setting. I think that may have been with Fone & Pete, (and Kevin's first time maybe).
  
• London - The Astoria - bit more established by then. Bigger venue, bigger crowd. Wall to wall kiwi boys, all wearing checked shirts with their collars turned up. Bit much for me that one.
  
• London - Shepherd's Bush - me realising Alan Gregg must have left the band :-(. Don singing 'Come Around' and dedicating it to Alan (think they'd had a falling out...).
  

Where has the time gone??

The wonderful Don - Sweet!

So me and Nicola went to see Don McGlashan at The Borderline who was just fab. It was a solo show, and he played lots of great Muttonbirds songs (which made me very happy), including Dominion Road, as well as 'Tomorrow Night' from the Front Lawn which was just great! Nicola enjoyed it as well - although I think part of that may have been the audience/accents. Lots of 'Sweet' coming from the crowd - which is just not a word that is used in the same context over here!

Absolutely abysmal support though - some miserable hippy looking Kiwi. Luckily we only saw the last few songs - the second to last one was called (or the main lyric was) 'Hospice for destitute lovers' (which gives you a good idea of the tone of the music), and then he announced his final song as 'Heart of Misery'. When he then started singing about how he had hung himself it got too much for us and we just started laughing (as did some of the crowd around us). Just ridiculous. I was busy reassuring Nicola that Don McGlashan wouldn't be like that!!

Anyhow - it was a great gig. Made me miss home...

Of reading

Last week I started reading 'Two Little Boys' by Duncan Sarkies which Adrian sent me last year as part of my birthday present. Sorry Age - couldn't read it. Really didn't like it at all... Let me know if you want me to post it back to you, otherwise I'll pass it on to a charity shop over here when I next do a clear out of stuff. Maybe its cos I'm a girl, but I just couldn't get into it, and didn't like any of the characters. And I just struggled with a book that has as its central piece that a person was killed by a hit and run. I couldn't help but keep thinking about the guy who was dead. Guess it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Following that, I've started reading 'The Quiet Girl' by Peter Hoeg which was one of the books Maya gave me at Xmas. I have absolutely NO idea what is going on, but I'm loving it. I've not read any of his others (his most well known one here in the UK is 'Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow') but this one has just been written so beautifully. Its not often I feel moved to say that about a book! I'm reading it very slowly, as it is so confusing I find one or two chapters at a time is enough, and I then need to digest what I've read.

I'll update when I've finished it as well... Might be a while tho!

Australia

I went to see Australia yesterday afternoon (Sunday) with Julia. I thought it was great! Perfect Sunday film fare.

Of course you have to completely suspend belief, but if you do that its pretty easy to enjoy. Reminded me of old fashioned films - the hero was a 'real man', the baddies were all bad, the romance was romantic...

I think its worth a look - well maybe not if you're a bloke...

Surreal train life on a Monday night

1. The woman crying into her mobile phone on the platform at London Bridge. Still talking fairly coherently, but obviously upset. All she seemed able to say was that she was on a train to Charing Cross. Then she gets onto the train, which is busy and standing room only full of commuters on their way home. And the conversation and and the tears continue, and the whole carriage just carry on doing their train stuff, acting like this drama wasn't being acted out 2 feet away from us. All studiously avoiding actually looking at her however...
2. The two men on the train who realise they know each other and are sat diagonally opposite each other. Man One is reading, and obviously wants to carry on reading, but there's a few minutes of forced conversation before with a sense of relief Man Two pulls out a book and they can stop. But they both live in Surbiton so then they have to continue the awkward conversation along the platform and all the way out.
3. Girls talking to each other going up the stairs at Surbiton. Girl One says to Girl Two that Girl Three is at a pubt at London Bridge station. To which Girl Two responds 'Oh wicked. I'm so jealous'. Now, never in a million years can I understand why you would be jealous of someone being at London Bridge in a pub...

Its a strange world in London sometimes...

What I learnt from me Mum...

As I was folding my newly washed and dried tea towels the other day and very diligently putting them to the bottom of the pile so the towels stay rotated I thought of how it is second nature that I do that, and being told by Mum as a youngster that that was how you put the towels away...

Then about 1/2 an hour later I dropped a knife and could immediately hear Mum saying 'Oh no - don't drop a knife - I don't want any more visitors'. And it was the thought in my head as well 'Oh - visitors'.

Funny how its the little things that make you stop and pause during a normal day and remember.

Service compression

So apparently my 'service' isn't being 'compressed' enough for my role to be considered un-necessary. So I'm still living in the UK for a wee while longer (unless the unchecked lottery ticket is a winner...).

Gotta love the euphemisms people come up with...

A film and an old friend

Last night I went to see 'The Reader' with a friend from work. Not bad going to have seen two films and the new year is only just one week old! It hasn't been getting great reviews, but I really enjoyed it. Thought the performances were outstanding from all 3 of the leads, and quite a thought provoking story as well. Next up is 'Australia' on Sunday with Julia. Also VERY excited about 'Slumdog Millionaire' which opens here this week as well.

Tonight was a bit of a bonus as well as I got to catch up with an old friend Kathryn, who is in town visiting. For those of you who remember, I flatted with her in Wellington - we managed to snatch a quick glass of wine after work and it was soooo lovely to see her and chat. We worked out we have known each other for about 15-16 years, and despite not having seen her for around 5 years, it was still so easy to talk. Brilliant.

ARCTIC

OK - its about the trillionth time I've used that phrase today - but seriously, it is REALLY cold here at the mo.

London is excited as apparently on Sunday we may get up to the heady heights of 4 deg (in which case we'll all be running around in t-shirts it will seem so tropical), and it may also not be dipping below 0 at night...

I don't remember it being like this for so many consecutive days for a long time - its normally one or two days, but its been like this since Xmas.

On another matter - I now have a hoiking coughing man living below me who is doing my head in. And I mean proper hoicking/coughing your lungs out about every 3-5 mins (and that isn't an exaggeration). Bizarrely I saw him leave the flat the other day with his girlfriend (who I assume lives with him), and he looked younger than me.

Call me shallow - but that must be true love. There is something seriously wrong with his health if he is doing that all the time - but he looks fit and healthy so I have no idea what is causing it. But I know I couldn't live with it...

First snow of 2009...

First snow of 2009...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Woke up to the first snow of the year this morning. We didn't get snow in 2008 until April so I'm thinking this winter is definitely colder than last years!!

Walking to the station was a bit tricky but I managed to get there without falling over - a few slippy slidey bits tho! And of course the trains were delayed....

First snow of 2009...

First snow of 2009...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

And again... It wasn't really this dark...

A bargain is only a bargain if you need it...

Something Lindsey said to me many moons ago, and its always stuck with me. The economy here is in freefall at the mo, and the New Year sales are now in full swing. I feel like I should be out there taking advantage of them all, but I also can't afford it. So I've done very little shopping at all. I did get a new pair of walking trousers for £9.99 (down from £39.99) which were a bargain... And I wanted some new ones as well. I've also ordered a rug from John Lewis for my lounge - also half price, but you don't need to know how much that one cost!

Back to work tomorrow - and I've sort of done most of the things I wanted to over the break. Managed to get to Rothko, get to the cinema, go for a walk, and also had a delicious roast lunch at Owen's. So I don't feel like I've wasted too much time - and all of that has been in absolutely freezing temperatures!!

A book lover's film...

Maya and I went to see Inkheart on New Year's Day. It was a perfect New Year's Day film and we both really enjoyed it. Fun trying to guess all of the book references, and I think the book itself would probably be even better. Might treat myself a bit later in the year - I have loads to read at the mo, including a whole new bunch from Maya and Chris for Christmas!

But Inkheart is definitely my first film recommendation of 2009...

2008 in review

I am blatantly copying this from Eryn, but here is my 2008 in a snapshot... In no particular order at all

BEST BITS

• Skype-ing the family. Being able to see people and talk as well is the best
  
• Adrian's face on Xmas day when he saw Maya
  
• Kristie & John's wedding in the British Virgin Islands
• Playing host to both Tracey and Leigh & Maurie over summer. My family rock.
  
• Gigwise - The Hours (2x), Autumn Defense, Echo & The Bunnymen, Elbow
• Films - Son of Rambow, In Bruges
  
• Books - The Pellinor books
  
• My 40th. My friends rock
• Lindsey coming down to London for my 40th
  
• Pilgrimage to the home of the Chalet School
• Walking - Yorkshire and the London Loop
• Staying up far too late drinking whisky with Julia
• Party planning sessions at Simon's place
• Receiving letters - you know who you are. They were fab!
• David and Dominic get hitched. Beautiful.
  
• Comments on my blog - tells me I'm not doing this for nothing.
• Scrabble via Lexulous and Facebook - even when I lose
  

NOT SUCH GOOD BITS

• Not getting up to Glasgow
  
• Summer (where was it?)
  
• Not being able to say goodbye to Tracey at the airport
• Too many friends having a hard time
• My wallet getting stolen
• Not writing enough letters to my friends
  

Happy New Year!

And now it is 2009... My New Year's was very quiet as I didn't go out - but I did have an enjoyable evening watching the World's Strongest Man, and then a one off show set in NZ. Very lightweight, but quite funny, and it made me feel homesick for NZ and its accents and people...