Sunday, October 31, 2004
Monday, October 25, 2004
Lum Family Visit - Week 4
Art tours
As Rachel, Theresa, Charlotte and Cameron headed off to Eurodisney Dad and I had nice quality time to hang out in the beginning of this week. We visited the National Gallery and went on a tour. It was one hour however that was only enough time to see three paintings! This was because the guide gave us an interesting talk on the periods and breakthroughs in the art world. We learnt about the basic concept of perspective and the 'vanishing point', which were both revolutionary at the time they were highlighted. We also learnt about how the purpose/focus of art changed over the centuries. Orginally the sponsors were the Church so the subject matter was restricted, then the Classical style of the Greeks was revived and celebrated in the Renaissance. Nymphs, Gods and other mythical creatures were depicted. Artists in the old, old days thought it was their role to paint scenes that enhance and improve on reality. Constable cobbled together elements of a scene in the studio to create a beautiful, but not realistic, landscape. Later the Impressionists believed that it was ok to paint what they saw. This was made easier by the availability of paint in tubes which you could take outside. I could have listened to our guide for much longer as she was very informative. I find the huge art history books a bit daunting.
As a hang over from our Torquay visit I booked Dad, Joseph and I into a performance of Agatha Christie's show 'The Mousetrap'. Christie is a native of Torquay. The Mousetrap is the longest running show on the
Dad, Theresa and Juliette managed to get cheap tickets to 'One flew over the cuckoos nest' on Thursday. This production is starring 90's bad boy Christian Slater who was very good in the role Jack Nicholson played in the movie. They enjoyed the performance (although there was a little too much swearing for Dad's liking). Julie and I enjoyed shopping in Covent Garden and both came away happy with our purchases. We also had a lovely meal together at a local gastro pub, the North London Tavern. Yum!
Movie time
That night Joseph and I went to see the Chinese movie Hero. It was a visual feast, the story was interesting and the martial arts scenes were balletic. A must to see on the big screen. On the subject of movies I saw Bride & Prejudice on Friday. It was great! That's because I love the colour and jollyness of Bollywood and there were two Kiwi male actors in it. They were Martin Henderson and Daniel Gilles, and scrubbed up very well. He he. A lot of Kiwi make actors seem to be making it in the entertainment business. Karl Urban and Martin Csokas have had major roles lately. And the Flight of the Conchords duo (Brett and Jermaine) may have bagged a NBC comedy series. Crazy baby! I can count Dad amongst this success as he has just secured a part in a new Kiwi comedy series! Well done Dad!
Back at work
I'm into my second back at work and have settled in ok. I have to start looking for a new role now as my time at English Partnerships is most likely to finish by the end of the year. I really want to secure something new by the end of the year. November would be ideal. I've updated my CV so that's a first step. Joseph and I had drinks and dinner with Laurence last Thursday which was great. We are looking forward to his Halloween party this weekend.
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Sick
Sorry we haven't posted in a while. To be honest it is Lous fault. She has been working on a post for ages and wouldn't let me put anything up. The idea is to keep the posts in chronological order. Well I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Sorry Lou.
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Josephs Birthday
A brief stop in
As a surprise present Lou took me to
Lewes
Lewes is an historic, small town just out of
Fracas in the Restaurant
In the evening we headed to a local restaurant for a nice dinner. However the food was overshadowed by the drama that unfolded beside us. A party consisting of a Middle aged gentleman, his wife, their twenty something daughter and grandchild were seated close to us. Joe assured us they were from Essex, where Mum grew up ;).
From the time we arrived we noticed the loud conversation they were having perpetrated particularly by the gentleman. Obviously a complaint was made and the manager moved in to ask them to keep the noise down. This did not go down at all well with the party. Over time, numerous other staff became involved in the discussion. We could not help but overhear that the party had been there since 1 o’clock in the afternoon (it was now about 7:30) and they had spent a considerable amount of money in the establishment (the amount of which seemed to go up each time the man found a new person to earnestly explain this to). This, he felt, entitled them to make as much noise as they wanted and refused to bay the bill until this right was recognised. Obviously a large portion of the money had been spent on alcohol.
This continued until a contingent of four police cars arrived and, coincidentally, the gentleman decided to finish the meal, pay the bill after all, and leave quickly.
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Walking Mayfair
The area got its name from the two week May fair, a market held by the river Tyburn during that month each year. That is until some expansive estates were built near by and the new occupants complained and had it stopped in the 18th century, typical. On the route, starting from
Picture Blog
As you can see below I am able add pictures directly to our blog. Click the images to see a bigger version, neat! Might make the thumbnails a bit smaller in future.
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Monday, October 11, 2004
Lum Family Holiday
Week 1 - Torquay
The first outing for the Lum's (Dad, Juliette, Theresa, Charlotte and Cameron) was a week in Torquay with Rae, Steve and myself. Torquay is in Devon which is in the South West of England. We hired cars and negotiated our way out of London, onto the M4, and headed south west. Torquay is part of the English Riviera. The marina and waterfront in Torbay has been nicely developed and the beaches along the coast are pretty. The latter are lined with the cute changing sheds of old which have brightly coloured doors. The weather was very fresh so not the best for lounging around on the beach but you could imagine the area swarming with holiday makers in the height of summer. There is more to Torquay than the beach however.
The 'Babbacombe Model Village' was impressive with its detail and pretty gardens. Charlotte and I enjoyed wandering around the village and finding the decorated letters of the alphabet, it took some time but we got them all in the end. Where's Wally also made an appearance. 'Bygones' recreates a typical Victorian Street (indoors) and scenes from Victorian life. It also has some great model trains which Cameron loved "More choo choo trains!". Cockington village has thatched roof houses and arty crafty stores. Very quaint and pretty. We all enjoyed a Round Robin tour - on steam train, ferries and a double decker bus - visiting Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes. Dartmouth was an especially pretty Tudor town.
It was Dad's 70th birthday on the 24th. In the morning we went to Bovey Tracey which had the House of Marbles and the Devon Craftsmen’s Guild. The House of Marbles had lovely glassware and some amazing metal frame contraptions that had marbles twisting, turning and triggering off each others release, in them...a bit like marble dominoes. The Devon Craftsmen’s Guild had some beautiful pottery and artwork. You get the feeling that this area is a hot bed of art and craft. It reminded me of Nelson back home. We drove into Dartmoor and headed towards the Haytor. A 'tor' is a big rock on top of a hill (as far as I could see). Char and I set out to conquer Haytor by climbing to the top. Char was very brave and with Uncle Steve's help we both got right to the top where we were greeted by strong winds. It was a great view up there and I was especially proud of little Char. That evening we had a special birthday dinner for Dad at 'Nino's', an italian restaurant down the road from our accommodation. Both Nino, his son Gino, and his wife Rosie looked after us. At the end of the meal they dimmed the lights and Charlotte and Cameron brought out a birthday cake for Granddad. Everyone in the little restaurant sang Happy Birthday. It was wonderful and I think Dad was quite chuffed.
The next day Dad and I went to the Torquay Museum to see the Agatha Christie exhibition. Agatha Christie lived in Torquay and we both love her books. We've even booked in to see 'The Mousetrap' in London. The exhibition was very simple but it was interesting to see photographs of Agatha, first edition books and costumes worn by Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot on the telly. I bought her autobiography to learn more about her interesting life. We then walked into the town centre for lunch and chatted to a fellow Kiwi, from Paeroa, who was originally from Devon but had been living in NZ since the 50s. Apparently, although it is a very picturesque area, there wasn't a lot of work in the old days and that is why the young people moved out.
On the day we headed back to London we had a play on pretty Paignton beach in the morning and then headed towards Stonehenge. This was my second visit to the site in a month. Dad and Julie had also been before. When Dad visited it first in the 60s you could walk right up to the stones. Along the motorways over here there are break spots with food halls and shops. We enjoyed stopping off at 'Welcome break' which had a lovely outdoor 'forest' area. The sun shone and we felt like we were surrounded by tall pine trees. Quite pretty. We imagined that the background noise of cars on the motorway, which we could not see, was the sound of waterfalls!
Week 2 - London
Monday was a rest day although we did go to the Queens Park playground. I hope the kids enjoyed Torquay but when it comes to the crunch what they really enjoy is a good playground! Whenever we spot a new one it is compulsory to stop and have a play. I think Char and Cam could write a review on the playgrounds of London by the end of their stay! Char is a monkey bar specialist, whilst Cam prefers the slide. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was next on the agenda. It was surprisingly enjoyable as I'd heard that it was a bit of a let down. I really enjoyed the pomp and ceremony. The guardsmen and brass band looked very swish...you know what they say about men in uniform (o: From Buckingham Palace we went for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. This cafe has a rainforest interior complete with moving and roaring gorillas and elephants. Both Cam and Char were a little scared. Us adults thought it was pretty cool. Hamleys is London's famous toy store so we visited to check out the many shelves of toys. Char loved the pink Barbie area and all the pink toys but, in the end, was happy buying a packet of stickers.
Juliette and Dad went on the Houses of Parliament tour, one Joseph and I had really enjoyed a few weeks ago. On the same day the kids, Theresa and I went to the Natural History Museum. After that we headed to the London Eye and Theresa and Dad took a 'flight'. Char and Cam were happy to play in the playground below and both climbed to the top of the rope spiderweb pyramid. Mummy could see them on this from the Eye. Well done! That night we all went out for dinner with Joy, Rose and Simon, who had been filling their last two days with London Pass activities. It was great to have everyone together. We all piled back to Rae's house for a cup of tea after the meal. On Friday I went into the Leicester Square half price ticket booth and got tickets to 'Stomp' for Joy, Rose, Simon, Paulette, Reinhold and I. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all even though Simon and I got a little wet! The show utilises everyday objects as percussion instruments, some soft, some very loud. My ears where ringing afterward but it was a great spectacle.
Rae and I took Char and Cam to the local Tricycle theatre to see a show, whilst the adults went to see the play 'Little Women'. The kids show was called 'Tales from the Garden Shed' and starred Scot (a human), Gladstone (a puppet cat), Sir Norbert (ditto) and lots of mice. We all enjoyed it. It was lovely to watch the kids take it all in. That evening Rae showed us her slides from our China trip which was especially great for Dad.
Week 3 - London and Windsor
The kids, Theresa and Juliette went to the Tower of London whilst Dad and I went to the Tate Modern. We took two tours, one on the 'Still life, Object, Real life' section and the other on the 'Landscape, Environment, Matter' section. These were free and very informative. I can appreciate modern art better if the context and concepts the artist is trying to communicate are explained to me. The Museum of Childhood was a great place to take the kids for the day. It is full of great old and new toys mixed with interactive areas for activities. Just perfect for Char and Cam. On Wednesday Theresa, Juliette and Dad thoroughly enjoyed 'The Lion King' and Rae and I took the kiddies to Kew Gardens. I think the kids have been holding up so well, after all, they are only young (4 1/2 and 2) and everything over here must be very overwhelming for them. They tend to get tired easily but are able to take naps on the tube or in the pram, and their energy levels are kept up with regular treats.
We visited Windsor on Thursday and Friday. On the first day we went to Legoland which was fantastic but tiring. The Miniland, notable city scenes made up entirely of lego, was very impressive and Charlotte really enjoyed the rides. Juliette and I went on a couple of the bigger rides as well. We have a funny photo to prove it! One was called the 'Jungle Coaster' and the other 'The Dragon'. We had a yummy thai meal in the evening and stayed at a lovely guest house for the evening. The next day we had a nice breakfast at the guest house and headed for Windsor Castle. Some of the rooms were similar to Buckingham Palace. Theresa, Dad and Juliette spent some time chatting to the attendants about the history of the castle and the damage caused by the fire a few years ago. Queen Mary's Dolls House was particularly impressive.
On the weekend we did some family visiting. First Pam and Brian in Streathem, and then Antony, Nancy, Uncle Nelson and family in Wimbledon. Getting to Streathem was an epic journey. It took 3 hours due to delays etc! Pam was a great host, as usual, and accommodated all 9 of us staying over night. She prepared a delicious lunch and dinner. In the evening Doris and her two daughters Sara-Louise and Lucinda came over and Charlotte hung out with them. Joseph and I stayed up late with Brian watching ‘A Clockwork Orange’ on DVD. I’ve always meant to see this movie but have been put off by its controversial content. Now I can say I’ve seen it. It was very stylised and you get de-sensitised to the violent scenes after a while, like you do with Tarantino movies. We had a lovely Yum Char meal with Antony and co on Sunday and then went back to their house for tea and biccies. The Yum Char was delicious as they made sure Joseph and I had enough seafood and vegetarian dishes (we aren’t eating meat at the moment). Charlotte and Cameron enjoyed playing with Antony and Nancy’s children, Becky, Hayden and Daniel.
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Saturday, October 02, 2004
The finale
Sadly this is our last installment from our guest blogger joy.
Saturday 2 October 2004
Last entry of our holiday: Yesterday was the grand finale! Rose and I met up with Paulette, and after having some delicious homemade vege. soup with German bread (also homemade), we walked on Hampstead Heath (Alma, I had wrongly written before that Paulette and Reinhold were living in Hammersmith, and you must have been surprised about house prices). On our way to the Heath, Paulette pointed out where Jamie Oliver and family live (I took a photo), where 2 of the former Spice Girls have an apartment, the house from which ‘Mary Poppins’ was filmed, and where famous artists, architects and playwrights lived. The Heath, itself, is a tamed wilderness, many acres of wooded paths where people and dogs can stretch their legs. After seeing the view over London from Parliament Hill, we walked passed the Gentleman’s Pool, and later, the Women’s Pool (lakes set aside for segregated swimming since I’m not sure when, a tradition, strongly held still today on the Heath. We ended up at Kenworth House, a stately home in the grounds of the Heath, it is open to the public surprisingly at a donation cost only. The rooms are adorned with paintings, including a Rembrant, but sadly the original furniture was mainly sold. We ended up having tea and cake in the café adjoining.
On return to Paulette’s, we bade her farewell and hurried back to Kilburn to get ready for our show. After eating a hasty Chinese takeaway, we were off into Covent Gardens to meet up with Reinhold and Paulette to be taken to our mystery show. Lou is not good at keeping secrets, she was bursting to let it out, but she survived until we walked into The Strand and saw lit up ‘Stomp’! It was in a fairly intimate theatre, and we had seats second from the front. The energy of the show was inspiring and to think that everything used for percussion is in every day use. Brooms, flicking lighters, dustbins, dustbin lids, sticks, bits of rubber hose, drain plungers, sand, oil drums, newspaper, plastic bags and drink containers with straws – absolutely amazing and fantastic!! If it could be topped off, we did it with a delectable dessert in Soho before reluctantly bidding farewell and encouraging Paulette and Reinhold once more to visit us in NZ.
Today, last minute emailing, downloading photos onto CD, and packing. Although our flight isn’t until 4.15pm we have to leave before noon so a found farewell to all and I hope to see some of you in the not too distant future.
Bye for now, ciao, Joy.
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Italian restaurants and German Beer
She was so good the first time we have asked her to add another installment so take it away Joy.
Well, here we are back from Germany on another rather overcast day. The weather was similar over there, but it far from tainted our enjoyment of seeing a new country and being in the company of such good hosts.
Our first visit was to Frankfurt where we met Ellie, our student from last year. She has been flatting with her friend, Rebecca. The flat is nice, but rather small, so Simon and Joseph stayed at the Youth Hostel a few stops of the underground away.
Next morning, She took Rose to her school for the morning while the rest of us met up and walked into the city. Frankfurt was celebrating the harvest of their apples and making them into apple wine (cider). In the middle of the city, there were many stalls set up selling apples, apple juice and this new apple wine, along with many food stalls selling all sorts of sausage, and cooked food, there were even farm animals in the market, not to sell, but for the children to see. The atmosphere was festive and we enjoyed a pleasant walk sampling the food (we had a traditional pasta dish served with a variety of mushrooms) and apple juice. Later, after meeting up with Ellie and Rose, we went up to the tallest building (58 floors) in Frankfurt for an excellent vantage point. We were delayed at the top for some time as it was announced that there had been an electrical fault with the lift and we had visions of descending many floors by foot, but luckily we were able to go down the lift eventually, at half speed, which was still pretty fast. Frankfurt is not a big city, but it is the centre of commerce, and has the tallest buildings in the country.
We returned to Ellie’s flat later where she and Rebecca made us a delicious pizza, we played a game called ‘beananza’, a popular card game, and then ventured out to the local pub. One thing we noticed about Germany is the number of people that smoke. It is still quite accepted to smoke inside restaurants, in the street, in cars, at home and, of course, the pub. It is quite extraordinary when every packet is plastered with information that smoking kills!
Next day, we were up early as we had a train to catch to Cologne and we needed to meet up with Joseph and Simon on the way to the station. We had secured an excellent fare on a slower train at a weekend rate, so it cost us €30 instead of €85.
We were met by Sandro at the central railway station in Cologne and from there were taken under the wing of the Pitzalis family. Sandro is a mixture of a Spanish/German mother (Iris) and an Italian father (Mussimo) and has the fortune to know German, Spanish, Italian, English and French. His parents operate a business started up by Iris’s parents of importing all sorts of food and wine goods from Spain into Germany for distribution to Spanish supermarkets and restaurants. The warehouse, which is alongside their large home, is massive.
As I say, they took us under their wings and showed us the sights of their fair city. These included a huge, in fact, incredibly massive open cast coal mine, fairly close to where they lived, where a whole village had been uprooted and relocated some kilometres away so that the area could be torn open by gynormous digging machines. The fact that people’s lives were affected so much seemed less important than quarrying for a fuel to keep the country viable in electricity. These coalmines, of which there are 6 around Cologne, account for 15% of energy requirements for the whole of Germany. I could not see this happening in our country.
On a brighter note, we saw the famous Cologne cathedral, panted up to bell tower for an impressive view of the city, after which we cruised along the river Rhine ending up in the famous Fruh house for a traditional German meal with their special Cologne beer. Next day we visited Mussimo’s father’s Italian restaurant for lunch, then went on a fairly long trip to a gorgeous typical old German village. We watched glass making and then walked through the cobbled streets imagining what it must have been like so many years ago. On the way back we cut through Belgium, but wouldn’t really have known if Iris hadn’t mentioned it as no boarders exists between EC countries any more. Finally, we meet up with Mussimo and their younger son, Pablo, and went to the tennis club, where Mussimo’s sister and husband run an Italian resturant and had another delicious meal.
It was good that we left the next day, as we were all feeling that if we stayed much longer, we would not be able to fit our clothes! What fantastic hospitality! I only hope I can be such a good host when they come in a couple of years.
Friday 1 October 2004
Our last day in England. It has been such a great holiday, and for all, a time to assess our future. We have all decided that we would like to learn another language-most likely Spanish- and it has wetted our appetite to travel some more. Joseph and Louise have invited me to meet up with them in Brazil next September, so that is something to work towards.
We have not slackened the pace the last few days, we have had a London Pass to use, so have visited the Tower of London (meeting on our arrival a Beefeater from Auckland! All Beefeaters live at the Tower and are all ex-Army personnel.), St. Paul’s cathedral (also walking up to the top of the dome including the Whispering Gallery-it really works!), The Globe theatre (unfortunately the season had just finished so couldn’t see a play performed), Sherlock Holmes Museum (and got soaking wet, in the rain, in the process), went on the London Canals from Little Venice to Camden Town (thanks Nancy-Jean for suggesting it), the London Zoo (why not!), through Regent’s Park, and then finally to the London Aquarium. Phew! We finished it off last night by having a meal out with Lou’s family.
Today, Lou has gone into Leicester Square to see if she can get some half priced tickets for a show tonight, we are meeting up with Paulette (Ellie’s Mum) for lunch and then she and Reinhold will meet us for the show, whatever, it is later.
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