Thursday, March 20, 2008
Final week of Term one.
Hi all. It is Thurs evening ( March 2oth ) and we are doing our final few emails and blog before we head off for the Easter break ( 2 weeks ) I have just come back from picking up our rental car ( Easy car, a division of Easy jet ) from Lewisham and we will soon pack up some gear and be off tomorrow. We are heading for a ticki tour through Devon and Cornwall areas and up through middle England and wherever. Bed and breakfasting along the way.
We have it all mapped out with various stops and we will just take it as she comes. June is the navigator and I just hope the weather is ok cause the last day or so has been cold and real wintery and it is predicted to snow as well. And I thought winter was almost done ( Its supposed to be Spring isnt it ! )
Our trip to Cardiff was great. The atmosphere in the stadium was just amazing and with me just 1 of 74609 people you can imagine what a buzz it was to be a part of this crowd. It was a record attendance at the stadium and the singing / chants was unbelievable. Some ol Tom Jones songs were sung as well as the regular ones we all expect to hear. I managed to sing along too and jumped out of my seat when both of the final 2 tries were scored for Wales cause ya just get whipped along in the emotion of it all.
Wales deserved to win this match and to be crowned triple crown and Grand slammers cause they played good rugby throughout the tournament. It was raining outside but warm and cosy inside. Can you imagine 74000 people after the match all finding their way around. What a scene !
This week has been a short one. There were exams for my Foundation Accounting class on Tuesday and report writing / recording of marks as well as regular teaching. We decided against any shows or midweek excursions ( tues evening was marking and completing reports.) I finished classes today at 3.30 pm and me and june went down to Lewisham to pick up the rental car. It is parked down a side road not far from the college cause there are no cars permitted inside the college complex.
June has applied for several positions in nursing /care work and been to interviews /meetings and it looks promising that she will get some work after the easter break. As always there is plenty of procedure and protocol but she has gone out there to the various venues by train / bus and is up to speed with getting all the paper work done and finding her way around. Although it can be a nuisance at times its all part of the experience.
Thats all for now. There might be a couple weeks before we get around to updating the blog again cause we are off n about tomorrow for up to 16 days.
Cheers until next time. kevin and june
We have it all mapped out with various stops and we will just take it as she comes. June is the navigator and I just hope the weather is ok cause the last day or so has been cold and real wintery and it is predicted to snow as well. And I thought winter was almost done ( Its supposed to be Spring isnt it ! )
Our trip to Cardiff was great. The atmosphere in the stadium was just amazing and with me just 1 of 74609 people you can imagine what a buzz it was to be a part of this crowd. It was a record attendance at the stadium and the singing / chants was unbelievable. Some ol Tom Jones songs were sung as well as the regular ones we all expect to hear. I managed to sing along too and jumped out of my seat when both of the final 2 tries were scored for Wales cause ya just get whipped along in the emotion of it all.
Wales deserved to win this match and to be crowned triple crown and Grand slammers cause they played good rugby throughout the tournament. It was raining outside but warm and cosy inside. Can you imagine 74000 people after the match all finding their way around. What a scene !
This week has been a short one. There were exams for my Foundation Accounting class on Tuesday and report writing / recording of marks as well as regular teaching. We decided against any shows or midweek excursions ( tues evening was marking and completing reports.) I finished classes today at 3.30 pm and me and june went down to Lewisham to pick up the rental car. It is parked down a side road not far from the college cause there are no cars permitted inside the college complex.
June has applied for several positions in nursing /care work and been to interviews /meetings and it looks promising that she will get some work after the easter break. As always there is plenty of procedure and protocol but she has gone out there to the various venues by train / bus and is up to speed with getting all the paper work done and finding her way around. Although it can be a nuisance at times its all part of the experience.
Thats all for now. There might be a couple weeks before we get around to updating the blog again cause we are off n about tomorrow for up to 16 days.
Cheers until next time. kevin and june
Monday, March 17, 2008
March 17 Monday 8.00pm
Its me here again, as Kevin is writing end of term reports for his students. Another eventful week here. Monday to Friday were as usual teaching days for Kev. I had a nursing interview on Friday with "Pulse" nursing group, with a lovely lady ex Aussie Frances, sounded pretty promising. It is for an agency nurse for the greater London area. We will wait and see on this.
On Wednesday night, we went out with some college students to The Absolut Icebar London. It was a neat experience! I have already posted some photo's.
On Saturday we were up at 5.15am, a lovely early start for our next adventure. We were off to Wales ! We got to Paddington train station to get the Great Western Train by 8.00 but with delays and having to change to another train altogether eventually got underway 30 minutes late. Quite a nice smooth ride through peaceful country side, passing through Bath & Bristol towns. Kevin & I went straight to our accomodation, just past Cardiff, to Bridgend an extra 30mins on to pick up our accomodation keys. Back to catch the train to Cardiff again!! What a mission. All the Welsh were going to see their team for sure! We were packed in like sardines in a can, really & truly! We made it back & collected our tickets off Leyton. The excitment was becoming apparent now & it was still only 2.30pm, kick off wasn't till 5.00pm.
The Millennium Stadium is fantastic, built with a retractable roof that takes 20minutes to go back or cover again. Kevin & I had excellent seats just 6rows up from the Press people. They certainly entertained the crowd really well with a band & choirs singing and the people of Cardiff joining in! They got a record attendance of 74,609 people present. And of course they won ! The Grand Slam & The Triple Crown so the stadium went absolutely nuts!!
Despite the weather being really drizzly, with the roof closed over we were warm & dry inside. After the game was over its just crazy with people everywhere, with huge ques for trains buses & taxis. Because we'd had a couple of beers prior to the game & we were getting quite wet we headed back to Bridgend & our little accomodation.
Kevin & I arose early to have a delightful Welsh cooked brekky, round 7.00. Unfortunately our bus tour round the coast of Wales ( Swansea and the Gowers ) had been cancelled. Therefore we caught the Train back to Cardiff & spent the day sightseeing and there were heaps of other visitors including lots of Frenchies.
We visited Cardiff Castle, The inner Keep was built by the Normans but the castle was actually built in the 19th century for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. We saw lots of very old & new architecture as Cardiff is a growing city. Their City Hall, Court buildings, Natural History Museum & University of Cardiff were wonderful old architectural buildings with some amazing statues.
Their gardens were lovely as well with spring well under way. We left Cardiff for home at 6.30pm, but not our luck again as the train was delayed another 30 minutes which saw us arriving at Paddington at 10pm. Still our usual 2 trains to get back to Greenwich & our room, just on 11pm. This week is Kevins last week before his hol's. We are planning our travels for the southern & midlands areas of the U.K. by car. So continue to watch this space as our adventures continue! warm regards to all June.
On Wednesday night, we went out with some college students to The Absolut Icebar London. It was a neat experience! I have already posted some photo's.
On Saturday we were up at 5.15am, a lovely early start for our next adventure. We were off to Wales ! We got to Paddington train station to get the Great Western Train by 8.00 but with delays and having to change to another train altogether eventually got underway 30 minutes late. Quite a nice smooth ride through peaceful country side, passing through Bath & Bristol towns. Kevin & I went straight to our accomodation, just past Cardiff, to Bridgend an extra 30mins on to pick up our accomodation keys. Back to catch the train to Cardiff again!! What a mission. All the Welsh were going to see their team for sure! We were packed in like sardines in a can, really & truly! We made it back & collected our tickets off Leyton. The excitment was becoming apparent now & it was still only 2.30pm, kick off wasn't till 5.00pm.
The Millennium Stadium is fantastic, built with a retractable roof that takes 20minutes to go back or cover again. Kevin & I had excellent seats just 6rows up from the Press people. They certainly entertained the crowd really well with a band & choirs singing and the people of Cardiff joining in! They got a record attendance of 74,609 people present. And of course they won ! The Grand Slam & The Triple Crown so the stadium went absolutely nuts!!
Despite the weather being really drizzly, with the roof closed over we were warm & dry inside. After the game was over its just crazy with people everywhere, with huge ques for trains buses & taxis. Because we'd had a couple of beers prior to the game & we were getting quite wet we headed back to Bridgend & our little accomodation.
Kevin & I arose early to have a delightful Welsh cooked brekky, round 7.00. Unfortunately our bus tour round the coast of Wales ( Swansea and the Gowers ) had been cancelled. Therefore we caught the Train back to Cardiff & spent the day sightseeing and there were heaps of other visitors including lots of Frenchies.
We visited Cardiff Castle, The inner Keep was built by the Normans but the castle was actually built in the 19th century for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. We saw lots of very old & new architecture as Cardiff is a growing city. Their City Hall, Court buildings, Natural History Museum & University of Cardiff were wonderful old architectural buildings with some amazing statues.
Their gardens were lovely as well with spring well under way. We left Cardiff for home at 6.30pm, but not our luck again as the train was delayed another 30 minutes which saw us arriving at Paddington at 10pm. Still our usual 2 trains to get back to Greenwich & our room, just on 11pm. This week is Kevins last week before his hol's. We are planning our travels for the southern & midlands areas of the U.K. by car. So continue to watch this space as our adventures continue! warm regards to all June.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
About Time I Got On The Blog
Howdee everyone, Its Thursday 13 March, nearly 8.30pm, Kevin is marking some exam papers, so I thought I'd write the Blog. We went out to the Absolute Ice Bar last night with some students from here. What a terrific experience! It was in Piccadilly Circus, a bar that was -5 degrees & the bar, seats, counters, the walls , the decorations , even the surround of the music speakers & the glasses we drank from were all made of Ice!! We were only allowed in for 40minutes & had to wear protective cloaks with fleece hoods & gloves. We had 2 free drinks- Vodka drinks , rather nice. The bartenders were only in there serving for 1 hour also. Bye for now.
Monday, March 10, 2008
ninth week in London
Hi again. Wasn't able to update on Sat so here I am on Mon 10th March. Saturday ( 1st March ) saw us head off to Twickenham to see Harlequins v Gloucester ( Heineken Cup teams ) The Quins were in 6th spot on the table playing the Top side and a good crowd turned up ( A full house of 12600 people )
The Quins had won their last 2 matches so everyone was sure they could topple the leaders which they did in style. It was a really close and exciting game won 30 - 28 to the Quins. What an atmosphere. After the match we headed to the Kings Bar under the Stand for a few beers to listen to The Overtures ( A Band )who played some neat 60's - 70's music. We then headed back to Greenwich to be home around midnight. A trip like this takes between 1 - 2 hours travel each way which is pretty normal over here.
Sunday the 2nd March saw us up early and take a different means of travel into Central London ( The River cruise from Greenwich to Tower Bridge ) to start our day. It was our plan to walk both sides of the Thames crossing all the bridges and sightseeing along the way. This was what we did and it gave us plenty of exercise on a nice sunny day.
We saw the Tower of London then in succession we crossed these bridges (The Tower Bridge, The London Bridge, The Millenium walkway Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Golden Jubilee Bridge, Westminster Bridge, and finally Lamberth Bridge ) seeing all the sights including The Monument ( Under rennovation ) St Pauls Cathedral (where we stayed for an actual Sunday service ) The Tate modern, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye. We gave our weary legs a small breather by going for a spin on the London Eye seeing all of London beneath us. A great view.
We probably walked upwards of 10 -12 km or more in a very enjoyable day taking lots of photos. Our walk included both sides of the Thames including the Southwark walkway, Bankside, Victoria Embankment, The Queens walkway, the Lamberth Reach and Victoria Tower Gardens.
It was now time to meet up with Don and Alison Sowman in Knightsbridge. After arriving via the tube, they were there to pick us up just outside Harrods ( that famous shopping complex ) They are from Okato and have been here 7 yrs, Don working as a Porter in an Accommodation complex and Alison works in IT. We had a good ol chatter with some hot cross buns and a cuppa tea for more than 3 hours. It was good to touch base with some Kiwi folk again and to hear of their travels and what they'd been up to as well as gain some valuable touring advice. We arrived back home just before midnight.
Monday 3 March - Friday 7 March has been a regular ol teaching week with some footie coaching on Tues at Blackheath RFC and a trip to see The Jersey Boys on Thurs ( A musical at the Prince Edward theatre at Tottenham Court about the life and music of Frankie Valli and the 4 seasons )
I wrote an exam for my MQP students which they will sit this week ( March 12 ) as well as preparing some task sheets and exam questions for my Foundation Accounting class who also have exams ( march 18 ) I have reports to write as well and we are planning our travel for the upcoming Easter hol's so its been a reasonably quiet week.
We were up early on Sat ( 8 March ) where we headed to the TNT expo show on travel at Holborn to pick up some valuable travel brochures / ideas. TNT is the NZ Australian South African travel magazine which is published free and provides excellent ideas and information for travellers like us. We had 2 heavy bags to lug around so we zapped home on the trains to dump it off before heading to the Greenwich Railway station to pick up the South Eastern train ( an overlander ) to Rochester where I had arranged to meet up with Steve Owen and his wife Louise.
The plan was to catch up with them both ( Steve taught at NPBHS in 07 ) and to watch the footie on TV. We were unable to get there in time to see Wales beat Ireland because of the TNT expo ( The trip took over an hour and we left Greenwich at 2 pm ) but we did see England lose their 2nd match of the campaign to the Scots at a nice wee pub ( The Coopers Inn )
After the match it was back to Steve's place to freshen up before heading out to a Quiz evening to raise funds for Kings school. ( Their son Sam attends this school ) and it was an enjoyable evening attempting to answer the difficult selection of questions in a group with other couples.
It was then back to their home where we chatted away consuming more alcohol and some whiskey shots before finally calling it quits at around 3 am. We had been invited to stay upon our arrival in Rochester for the weekend which was great.
We were up around 9 am to a cooked breakfast before Louise and Sam headed off to the Rochester Church while June and I, along with Steve explored the historic sights of Rochester including The Castle in the centre of the village and the quaint streets of Rochester.
Once the Church service was over we met up with Louise and Sam inside this amazing old cathedral with lots of history dating way back to 1060 and before. We were lucky enough to meet the Headmaster of Kings school ( An ex Aussie ) have a guided tour of the Cathedral and to have a cuppa tea / chat with the Bishop.
Sam and Louise then headed off home while Steve, June and I checked out a couple of pubs incl one that had a jazz band even having a couple beers before meeting all up again for afternoon tea in a small tea room in the village. It was now time to head back to Greenwich. Steve and louise had offered to drive us back home which allowed us to see the countryside and motorway leading into London.
Rochester is in the county of Medway and the Borough of Kent and it is a very attractive place with historical significance and a nice village atmosphere with quaint shops and impressive architecture.
It was an enjoyable time with Steve and Louise Owen and it was good to catch up with a former teaching colleague and his family. Sunday evening was spent just relaxing in our room and reading.
Thats it for now. Until next time cheers from Kevin and June.
The Quins had won their last 2 matches so everyone was sure they could topple the leaders which they did in style. It was a really close and exciting game won 30 - 28 to the Quins. What an atmosphere. After the match we headed to the Kings Bar under the Stand for a few beers to listen to The Overtures ( A Band )who played some neat 60's - 70's music. We then headed back to Greenwich to be home around midnight. A trip like this takes between 1 - 2 hours travel each way which is pretty normal over here.
Sunday the 2nd March saw us up early and take a different means of travel into Central London ( The River cruise from Greenwich to Tower Bridge ) to start our day. It was our plan to walk both sides of the Thames crossing all the bridges and sightseeing along the way. This was what we did and it gave us plenty of exercise on a nice sunny day.
We saw the Tower of London then in succession we crossed these bridges (The Tower Bridge, The London Bridge, The Millenium walkway Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Golden Jubilee Bridge, Westminster Bridge, and finally Lamberth Bridge ) seeing all the sights including The Monument ( Under rennovation ) St Pauls Cathedral (where we stayed for an actual Sunday service ) The Tate modern, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye. We gave our weary legs a small breather by going for a spin on the London Eye seeing all of London beneath us. A great view.
We probably walked upwards of 10 -12 km or more in a very enjoyable day taking lots of photos. Our walk included both sides of the Thames including the Southwark walkway, Bankside, Victoria Embankment, The Queens walkway, the Lamberth Reach and Victoria Tower Gardens.
It was now time to meet up with Don and Alison Sowman in Knightsbridge. After arriving via the tube, they were there to pick us up just outside Harrods ( that famous shopping complex ) They are from Okato and have been here 7 yrs, Don working as a Porter in an Accommodation complex and Alison works in IT. We had a good ol chatter with some hot cross buns and a cuppa tea for more than 3 hours. It was good to touch base with some Kiwi folk again and to hear of their travels and what they'd been up to as well as gain some valuable touring advice. We arrived back home just before midnight.
Monday 3 March - Friday 7 March has been a regular ol teaching week with some footie coaching on Tues at Blackheath RFC and a trip to see The Jersey Boys on Thurs ( A musical at the Prince Edward theatre at Tottenham Court about the life and music of Frankie Valli and the 4 seasons )
I wrote an exam for my MQP students which they will sit this week ( March 12 ) as well as preparing some task sheets and exam questions for my Foundation Accounting class who also have exams ( march 18 ) I have reports to write as well and we are planning our travel for the upcoming Easter hol's so its been a reasonably quiet week.
We were up early on Sat ( 8 March ) where we headed to the TNT expo show on travel at Holborn to pick up some valuable travel brochures / ideas. TNT is the NZ Australian South African travel magazine which is published free and provides excellent ideas and information for travellers like us. We had 2 heavy bags to lug around so we zapped home on the trains to dump it off before heading to the Greenwich Railway station to pick up the South Eastern train ( an overlander ) to Rochester where I had arranged to meet up with Steve Owen and his wife Louise.
The plan was to catch up with them both ( Steve taught at NPBHS in 07 ) and to watch the footie on TV. We were unable to get there in time to see Wales beat Ireland because of the TNT expo ( The trip took over an hour and we left Greenwich at 2 pm ) but we did see England lose their 2nd match of the campaign to the Scots at a nice wee pub ( The Coopers Inn )
After the match it was back to Steve's place to freshen up before heading out to a Quiz evening to raise funds for Kings school. ( Their son Sam attends this school ) and it was an enjoyable evening attempting to answer the difficult selection of questions in a group with other couples.
It was then back to their home where we chatted away consuming more alcohol and some whiskey shots before finally calling it quits at around 3 am. We had been invited to stay upon our arrival in Rochester for the weekend which was great.
We were up around 9 am to a cooked breakfast before Louise and Sam headed off to the Rochester Church while June and I, along with Steve explored the historic sights of Rochester including The Castle in the centre of the village and the quaint streets of Rochester.
Once the Church service was over we met up with Louise and Sam inside this amazing old cathedral with lots of history dating way back to 1060 and before. We were lucky enough to meet the Headmaster of Kings school ( An ex Aussie ) have a guided tour of the Cathedral and to have a cuppa tea / chat with the Bishop.
Sam and Louise then headed off home while Steve, June and I checked out a couple of pubs incl one that had a jazz band even having a couple beers before meeting all up again for afternoon tea in a small tea room in the village. It was now time to head back to Greenwich. Steve and louise had offered to drive us back home which allowed us to see the countryside and motorway leading into London.
Rochester is in the county of Medway and the Borough of Kent and it is a very attractive place with historical significance and a nice village atmosphere with quaint shops and impressive architecture.
It was an enjoyable time with Steve and Louise Owen and it was good to catch up with a former teaching colleague and his family. Sunday evening was spent just relaxing in our room and reading.
Thats it for now. Until next time cheers from Kevin and June.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Continuation of the 8th week
Well folks. A small hiccup with the blog saw me unable to continue but we will try again. Sunday ( 24th Feb ) saw us up early and away to Kensington Palace and Gardens to see the Palace rooms and Diana's collection of clothes and memorial photos. We also saw the Albert Memorial ( an amazing statue ) and the Royal Albert Hall before cruising through Hyde Park yet again.
Speakers Corner was next where we saw some fanatical radicals voicing their views on all kinds of stuff but mostly with a religious bias. It was then on through Marble Arch and the famous Oxford Street for some retail therapy. A couple of purchases were made from Primark and some window shopping before it suddenly became cold and drizzly so we headed off home content with our travels for the day to a nice warm cuppa.
Mon - Friday ( 25 - 29 feb ) A regular teaching week but the highlights were our evening excursions to some musicals in Londons West End. Monday saw us see Mama Mia at the Prince of Wales theatre ( Leicester Sq ) which was a buzz with plenty of Abba music to keep me a foot tapping. Tuesday I did a coaching stint at Blackheath RFC with the Development squad.
We awoke to a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Wed morning which is quite an event since these dont usually happen here. We went to the musical Chicago this evening at the Cambridge theatre ( Covent Gardens ) which was also an excellent show.
Thursday saw us attend the Buddy Holly show at the Duchess theatre ( Covent Gardens ) which was awesome with some magical music which saw me up and wiggling me ol body and foot tapping especially during the final 2-3 songs. I was not alone in this cause the whole theatre was up and jumping about too.
Friday saw us having a few beers for a couple hours or more with some teachers at a neat pub in Greenwich on the banks of the River Thames called the Trafalgar Hotel. A nice setting to end the working week. We then went to a movie ( No Country for Old men ) to round out the week.
We are soon to head off for our weekend adventures after having brunch here at the college so will sign off for now. Cheers until next week. Kevin and June.
Speakers Corner was next where we saw some fanatical radicals voicing their views on all kinds of stuff but mostly with a religious bias. It was then on through Marble Arch and the famous Oxford Street for some retail therapy. A couple of purchases were made from Primark and some window shopping before it suddenly became cold and drizzly so we headed off home content with our travels for the day to a nice warm cuppa.
Mon - Friday ( 25 - 29 feb ) A regular teaching week but the highlights were our evening excursions to some musicals in Londons West End. Monday saw us see Mama Mia at the Prince of Wales theatre ( Leicester Sq ) which was a buzz with plenty of Abba music to keep me a foot tapping. Tuesday I did a coaching stint at Blackheath RFC with the Development squad.
We awoke to a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Wed morning which is quite an event since these dont usually happen here. We went to the musical Chicago this evening at the Cambridge theatre ( Covent Gardens ) which was also an excellent show.
Thursday saw us attend the Buddy Holly show at the Duchess theatre ( Covent Gardens ) which was awesome with some magical music which saw me up and wiggling me ol body and foot tapping especially during the final 2-3 songs. I was not alone in this cause the whole theatre was up and jumping about too.
Friday saw us having a few beers for a couple hours or more with some teachers at a neat pub in Greenwich on the banks of the River Thames called the Trafalgar Hotel. A nice setting to end the working week. We then went to a movie ( No Country for Old men ) to round out the week.
We are soon to head off for our weekend adventures after having brunch here at the college so will sign off for now. Cheers until next week. Kevin and June.
eighth week in London
Hi there again. ( Sat 1st Mar ) Jeez its been 2 months since I arrived and the time has flown. June is sitting beside me right now having gained access to use the computers here and college facilities just as if she were a staff member. She has her own photo ID and can use the library / cafetaria ( at £ 2 per meal as I can ) and can move about freely within the campus and not attract attention from Security.
Last Saturday ( 23 Feb ) we headed off to see Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory /Planatarium with a photo or two at the Meridian line ( where East meets West and standard time begins worldwide ) then we cruised out to Blackheath ( Rectory Field ) to watch Blackheath play Waterloo and we stayed for some drinkies afterwards and met up with some locals and coaches for a neat time watching the 6 Nations games on TV ( The Poms v France and Ireland v Scotland )
Last Saturday ( 23 Feb ) we headed off to see Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory /Planatarium with a photo or two at the Meridian line ( where East meets West and standard time begins worldwide ) then we cruised out to Blackheath ( Rectory Field ) to watch Blackheath play Waterloo and we stayed for some drinkies afterwards and met up with some locals and coaches for a neat time watching the 6 Nations games on TV ( The Poms v France and Ireland v Scotland )
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