Weeks 2 and 3 ( Term 2 ) April 14 - 26

Hi again. Its time to update the blog. After our late Sunday night ( April 13th ) arrival at 2.30 am from our weekend trip to Dublin it was a difficult task to rouse from sleep on Monday 14th but as they say the show must go on so up and off to work for me while June spent a busy day in and around London with an appointment with a nursing agency.

June experienced first hand the hassles that occur with train travel / delays and had an interesting time getting to and from her destination. It was a regular day of teaching for me but we were both very tired and were soon asleep early evening.

Tues 15th / Wed 16th / Thurs 17th. Regular teaching days for me while June busied herself with household chores (laundry / groceries ) and just relaxing. We also spent some time checking some travel brochures / websites for places that we are keen to visit later.

Thursday evening however saw us back into theatre mode by seeing ' The 39 Steps' a stage production at the Criterion theatre which was an Alfred Hitchcock play using 4 actors for all the various roles and it was an excellent evening entertainment.

Friday ( 18th April ) was a regular teaching day ( June just pottering around ) and later that evening we went to The Picturehouse in the village to see ' Leatherheads ' a movie about American football at the time it became professional.

Because Saturday ( 19th April ) dawned rather miserable ( rain wind and cold ) we had a stay at home day reading and planning our future travels. It was nice to just relax indoors and rest up and read.

Sunday ( 20th April ) was a better looking day so after doing some emails and checking websites we decided to go and see the Wasps v Saracens rugby match at Watford which was a great match with Wasps winning 40 -29. After this we made our way back on the trains and headed to Tower Bridge where we were to view the key ceremony at 9.30 pm.

I had booked this away back in January and were given this time ( April 20th ) to see a ceremony that has been going for 700 years. It involves the locking of the exterior and 2 interior doors of the Tower in a precise manner with guards as escorts as the keys ( HM Queens keys ) are used to lock up the Tower each night at precisely 10 pm.

We stopped off at a Weatherspoon pub close by and just chilled out ( had a beer or two and some food ) until it was time to meet at the Tower Gates for this ceremonial event. It was a formal event lasting about 45 min with explanations and it was an enjoyable way to see out our Sunday evening. We walked back to London Bridge station and returned via the South Western to Greenwich.

Monday ( 21 April ) saw June up early to visit Brighton on the train to spend a day with Jill Packham which was an enjoyable outing for her ( A retail therapy visit with but 1 purchase ( a skirt ) just to make the day seem worthwhile and a bite to eat for lunch. A Girls only day. I was doing my thing at Bellerbys.

On Tuesday ( April 22 ) due to my timetable having no classes scheduled we decided to visit the village and see about a credit card and checked out the Flight Centre as regards future possible trips before heading back to begin my classes at 1.30 pm. June headed off to Surrey Quay to get some Groceries and a look around and that was Tuesday all wrapped up.

Wednesday ( April 23 ) was St Georges day ( Englands National day ) to commemorate the slaying of some dragon by a guy named George who I guess became a Saint after this deed. It was also Shakespeares birthday ( If alive he would be 444 yrs old ) so to celebrate in real English style we went to the Globe theatre ( Opening performance ) for the summer season to see ' King Lear ' ( a famous Shakespearian tragedy ) We travelled from Greenwich via the River Cruise boat on the Thames to London Bridge and walked to the Globe on a nice summers evening on Bankside.

There was a barge with musicians playing Elizabethan music that came up the Thames as a prelude to the opening performance as well and it was a pleasant evening treat. We were ' groundlings ' which meant we stood throughout the 3 hours performance at the front of the stage ( We were in first ) at a cost of £ 5 each in this open air Shakespearian reconstructed theatre.

The costumes were wonderful. It was a marvellous experience seeing this play up close and personal and it was a brilliant performance from the actors. We were spell bound all evening at the performance. Absolutely awesome.

Thursday ( April 24 ) was a regular day with me teaching and June still wondering when the UK Police check will be completed so she can experience nursing work here.

Friday ( April 25. ANZAC day ) June recieved her NI number today which is a requirement to work here but she is still awaiting the UK Police check not withstanding several phone calls to see when it will be coming. She has had her NZ Police check since arriving but protocol requires that a UK check is also necessary. I was again at the whiteboard teaching my students and enjoying it. I went and had a few beers with some teachers after work ( 5 pm - 8 pm ) at The Union ( a nice quaint pub in the village )

Saturday ( April 26 ) A real nice day has dawned here ( First real day of summer ) It is expected to reach.... Wait for it ..... 21 degrees and the radios are saying it promises to be the hottest day so far this yr. I can just see you NZ readers having a little chuckle with summer days reaching 28 degrees plus this past summer down under.

Tonight we are going to the ANZAC Ball which will mean we both have to dress up and for me it means a black tie. Looking forward to that. It promises to be a good evening so will report on this later. It is at The Queens Club near Barons Court. Cheers for now.