How Many Flavours??

Oh yeah...okay, so this is useless info but it entertains me... today on our way home we saw this milkshake shop that advertises itself as having 185 flavours!! How is this possible? I am impressed!

Hmmm...that's it. That's all I have to say.

x 

All Ruined Out

Warning: This one's kinda longwinded.

Andrew has been really taken care of by his work, even to the point that they have asked him where in England he would like to see and then have been sending him to some places based on that. So this week he was sent North East, up towards Newcastle and a little town called Durham...as I am not working yet, I was able to go with him for the week and then we both stayed on for the weekend to have a look around...

So, after 5 hours of driving through the countryside and witnessing one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen, stunning in fact....we arrived in Durham.

Durham is an adorable little town of sloping cobblestone paths and narrow alley ways and streets, filled with markets and boutique gift shops peering out of histoical medieval and romanesque buildings. It's main claims to fame are its 11th century Norman Cathedral, which sits high and beautiful on a hill, shadowing every corner of the town and a huge castle that houses a university, giving the place a quirky mixture of student culture and of what I've always pictured traditional England would be like...It's tucked nicely amongst forest covered hills and on the banks of a river with an old stone bridge connecting both sides..on the outskirts lay rolling green valleys and pastures...a really quaint little area. I really liked it here...(the local residents, I'm not so sure though as we passed a suburb called "Pity Me" No word of a lie. haha)

After a couple of days there we then headed on to Newcastle where we spent the weekend. Newcastle was pretty interesting. Originally it was England's northern fortress to defend itself from the Scots in the 13th century, then years later it was a major port and coal mining area, similar to Newcastle at home in Oz I suppose, but it suffered a pretty harsh decline sometime in the past and so these days it's all about culture and arts and restaurants and nightlife. 

Apart from its obvious medieval and roman historical setting, it seems it's a place where people go to have fun, and have fun the way they want too, it's vibe is unique, it's one of resilience and almost a little bit mischievous. The people here are lovely and although they seem so traditionally British (with an adorable mixed accent of England and Scotland) they also seem so different and independent from people I've met in other parts of the country...

But it's not all about the city. Newcastles surrounding areas are also steeped in some of Englands richest history..and this is where I begin to get lost and vague and distracted whilst Andrew tries to contain his excitement.

Here's the thing about my Andrew. He is a bit of a self confessed nerd. Which is not a bad thing. It's a GREAT thing and one of the many aspects about him that I love. Whilst I am quite happy to sit on a grassy knoll in a park somewhere and watch people all day, I love the culture and the people and the vibe of a place, Andrew LOVES to learn about the places we are in, about the history, and the buildings and the way they came to be...this is why we work so well together...I can sit and make some comment on the culture and he can then explain to me where that culture came from. It's great. But one thing I find super strange is his obsession with plaques! Andrew will read EVERY plaque we pass..right down to the ones on park benches, dedicating the seat and its opposite garden bed to the dude who planted the first lavender seed there...Don't get me wrong. I love history too, well, I like it...some of it, but really? is it necessary to read every single plaque? haha. I see an object that I like the look of and then I will read the relevant plaque that goes with it, Andrew on the other hand will read the plaque and then decide if he likes the look of the relevant object..which is probably why he is so super smart and knows so much stuff...and it's also probably why I'm not and I don't haha...But truly, as much as I try to seem enthused for Andrews sake, I am not really all that interested in all the finer details of which knife and fork and cup and saucer was the preffered choice of Lord Armstrong of Bamburgh Castle (which we went to on the weekend) unless it's got a pretty pattern and might inspire a fun new table setting for my next dinner party...so when I have to sit inside the dark, cold hallways of a damp, musty castle for hours on end whilst Andrew reads about all these things, my love for history and castles and Lords and Ladies quickly disipates...

So...as you can gather from the above, along with some other various ruins and historical sites, we looked at castles on the weekend. One of which, and the most amazing, was Bamburgh Castle..and here is the little bit of history I picked up and really do appreciate...

Basically from what I remember, after original foundational parts of it belonged to some other dude some time long ago, it then became the property of one of the Henry's (second I think)...it was a target of the invading Scots and in the 1400's sometime it got damaged in the War of the Roses with canons and stuff...then a few various people took on restoring it until eventually along came Lord Armstrong (an inventor) with his preferred choice of dinnerware, who bought it for 60,000 pounds and finished its restoration...

And YES, it truly is an amazing and beautiful piece of history, resting on a green headland on the Northumberland coastline, a beautiful stretch of white sand beaches, scattered with colourful little fishing villages overlooking mysterious clusters of islands out to sea...for these things I appreciate the experience in having been there to see it and it's being surrounded by THESE things that stir my imagination and interest about Lord Armstrong...what might he have thought about when he looked out to sea from his castle towers, when his eyes were looking at the same view mine were but years before...so, what are my thoughts? well they're not historical facts, they're not real smart, they're maybe even a little bit ignorant, and they sure as heck aren't going to end up on a plaque...but it's in them that I find my real appreciation...and in the meantime, jokes aside, I will take in the views and patiently wait for my love, while he finds his...

Weekend Fun

We spent the weekend doing a bit more exploring in London...

Went to Notting Hill markets on Saturday. Very cool I must say, however, having had the first sunny weekend in a while, every man and his dog were out and the crowds were a little too hectic so we didn't stay for too long... 

Long enough to take a walk through the market from one end to the other, long enough to find the most amazing antique maps shop, long enough to see an array of some of London's quirkiest people, long enough to get hungry for any one of the delicious ethnic foods that were on offer throughout the street, long enough to get sore feet, but still, not long enough. 

I will most definitely be going back there some time soon. AND I will write about it in more detail, it's the kind of place that makes me come away feeling more inspired and as though the creativity inside me may possibly burst at its seams...

One thing Andrew did achieve in our time there was to find and then purchase the funniest looking little bag I ever did see. Well it's actually quite a cool little piece of 1960's/70's Qantas memorabilia..a tiny maroon canvass plasticy luggage bag that he picked up for his dad (who worked for Qantas around that time) yet, seeing Andrew carry it around London, topped off with his woolen/felt old man style hat and his interest in historical plaques on every corner, the bag became, not only a very fitting accessory, but an absolutely hilarious one. 

Very hard to explain why but it was so entertaining to me that for the duration of the entire day, I would spontaneously burst out into a fit of laughter at any given moment, on some occasions to the point of tears and the lack of ability to speak..I am laughing now even as I'm writing about it...I'm not sure whether people were looking at us strangely because of the funny bag? because of how ridiculous Andrew looked carrying it or because of the insane Australian girl who must surely be high or something to be laughing with so much enthusiasm. Maybe the photos below will help you to understand why I found it funny...or maybe you will not get the humour in it all and it will be confirmed that people were actually looking at us strangely because of me and my crazy sense of humour. 

I love my Andrew. Isn't he adorable? (pictured here at Baker St Station (notice Sherlock Homes on the wall there) and then reading one of the days many historical plaques at the British Museum.

The British Museum is the BEST museum I have ever been to by the way. And we only got through part of one floor. It's huge! and the content in there is incredible. The photo of the stone lion down below there is from Turkey waaaaay before Jesus time...we also saw this incredible collection of Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt...we'll be going back there for sure! Just next time, it will be without that bag!

You can see more of our photos by clicking here (if you're on facebook you've probably seen these ones already)

TEA & TROOMPETS

This morning I awoke to the delightful, and when I say delightful I actually mean quite the opposite, sound of a trumpet being played (or possibly slaughtered) outside my hotel room....and I don't mean outside outside in the street, I mean IN the hotel, IN the hallway, right outside my door? Huh? Did I miss something? Seriously, who plays a trumpet in the hallway of a hotel? and had I not been half asleep and looking like a train wreck I would have popped my head out just to find out? But I didn't..so the brass instrument playing hallway lurker will continue to remain a mystery to me...hmmm

UNLESS...they are there again tomorrow? which for same strange reason, my inquisitive little self is kind of hoping for. Just not before 8am.

A little out of place.

DISCLAIMER. The following could possibly be the teeniest bit politically incorrect? maybe? But I got Andrew to read it before publishing so get cranky with him if need be...yeah yeah it's all his fault....

So...today I ventured into the city again.I jumped on the tube and pretty much just got on and off where I felt like it. No plan. No aim. NO IDEA.

Anyway, so I'm walking through one of the underground tunnel thingys and I see this advertisement for a photographic exhibition "Where Three Dreams Cross" 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. SCORE! Just my cup of tea! So I find out where it is and I make my way there, well as best as I know how too having never heard of the gallery it was in and with no map and nothing but a hopeful yet pathetic sense of direction..

Step 1. Catch the tube to Aldgate East station. Ok easy enough....So I jump on the tube, only to find out half way there that Aldgate East station is closed for repairs. Ok no problems, I'll just jump off at the next station and walk back. Too easy. So that is what I do...and it is at this point in the story that I now find myself in the middle eastern district of the city (and I'm not talking geographically here).

Now, just so you know, I quite honestly had no problem with this scenario (insert my big politically correct smiling face here) but little me with my blonde hair and obvious lack of company kind of stood out in this particular part of town (damn it, I should have worn my Fez that day!) and although I felt quite ok at first, the more I looked around, the more I realised that I was very much out of place...

So my walk, in my journey to find the exhibition, soon turned into a fast scurry through the crowded streets of strange and unfavourable looks and many a foreign languages till I found myself a few streets to the right (but not before grabbing myself some yummy turkish snack) again surrounded with the familiarity of business suits, long woolen jackets, scarves, beanies and thick english accents..and now with the sound of prayers being sung far off in the distance, and a sense of dissatisfaction toward myself for being such an ignorant wuss, I'm completely lost with no idea where the gallery I went looking for might be....

SO I do what any young girl out on an adventure does in this situation and I...give up? (oh! bet you weren't expecting that...actually makes this blog kind of pointless now hmmm) and without having to explain why and possibly opening up a can of politically incorrect worms, lets just say it's an exhibition that Andrew might want to see too? right? so maybe I'll come back with him sometime...

Actually I definately will, cause that little deep fried turkish pocket of sultana-ish goodness that I came across was DELISH!...I definately be wanting myself another one of them!

whatever will be will be

Well, we made an offer on the apartment, and they came back with another, but we stood our ground having decided on a maximum amount in our heads and they ended up coming back and saying we could have it!

Good work chaps, very good indeed!

So, as long as all goes to plan with signing the lease etc this weekend, we move in to our little Windsor neighbourhood on the 17th March. Thank God! and thanks to those of you who were praying for the whole scenario. It's a super good feeling to feel He's got things sorted.

ALSO, on a side note, another piece of the picture fits perfectly into place as it looks like we've got a tenant for our little Terrigal house who just so happens to be a friend of ours, which is reassuring as we know they'll take good care of the place...

And this my friends... makes me happy.

Que Sera Sera

After talking it over with Andrew and a couple of little prayers of my own, I've been thinking today, about the house thing, and although we have a few more appointments lined up for next week, and although the place we've loved so far has a couple of little downsides to it (the cost and the distance to the station-which is about a 15min walk away) I've kind of decided and come to a peace within myself, that whatever happens is exactly what's supposed to.

Anyway, we've decided to just put in an offer on the place, less than they are hoping for and see what happens and if it's accepted then sweet! I'll just get myself some sort of groovy bicycle to ride to the station..FUN! and if it's not then there must be something better!

So that's the plan for now and I am pleased to say there are no irrits, pouts or desires for pudding attached to it!