Farewell New Zealand...Hello England!

After a whirlwind seven weeks, the house has been sold, the furniture packed up and put on a ship, and we are on our way. But not before some teary goodbyes to the whanau.

First stop, LA and a much-promised visit to Universal Studios as well as dinner with Auntie Margie - Maya's godmother and our special friend.

Maya went for it at Universal - taking on the challenges of the Mummy Ride, Jurassic Park and The Simpsons. Both Maya and Will also had a ball in the Curious George Water Park area (thank goodness for the internet and knowing we needed to bring their swimsuits!).
The day was topped off with ribs at Tony Roma's with Aunty Margie and a drive along Hollywood Boulevard at night. What a great first day!
Next stop...London!

Has it been three months already...?

Apologies for the delay in updating the site.

In lieu of a rundown of events from the last 3 months, here are a selection of photos from the last 12 weeks.

News to follow...

Is It June Already?

Sorry for my absence and lack of input onto our blogsite. I cannot believe it is already June...we as always have been very busy with a tightly packed schedule. Personally I have been studying with a University in the Midlands since January and am happy to report that I have passed the University exams and I am now officially trained as a Lymphoedema therapist. These new skills will complement my work as a Breast Cancer Nurse Specialist, and I cannot wait to return to work in NZ and put it all into practice. The course was intense and I found it difficult both not working with patients and geographically, but has been well worth the hard work and any inconvenience ( thanks John for providing your bod for practice and managing the homefront on my blocks of days away). The training was the Leduc method of Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Compression Bandaging, and the Belgium Professor Leduc came over and spent a week training one on one with us, a real privilege. The course was run from a lymphoedema clinic in a Hospice in Compton near the Midlands. There were only 6 of us training and the lymphoedema therapist training us co-ordinates for the whole of the UK, so a fantastic learning opportunity...even if it did involve a lot of time in our underpants! To complement this training I have also attended a three day course in the South East of London ( 6 trains and 3 hours per day) learning Kinesio taping...this was also held in a Hospice in a small town called Bexleyheath. It is a fascinating and simple taping intervention using a specially designed tape that can facilitate and inhibit muscles and ligaments as well as assist and direct lymphatic flow...cool...it also involved a lot of time in underwear...I was partnered with the only guy on the course...he seemed to be enjoying his day ...and my discomfort at revealing 'my lumpy bits' were matched by his discomfort of tape removal...he was really hairy and boy can that tape stick!!!!!.
Another observation from these courses was where these hospices were located....you truly WOULD rather die than live in these towns for too long .......................................is this called town planning?

In between juggling courses and rosters we have had the chance to fit in our travels. During Paul's visit in March we had daytrips to Bath, Salisbury and Windsor. In April we set off on our long aspired voyage of crossing the North Sea by ocean liner to Norway. Whilst living in South Shields these ships had sailed past our house through the piers and into the river Tyne twice daily...now it was our turn. After a night catching up with the family and reliving our northern haunts we set sail at dusk, guided by the lighthouses at the mouth of the Tyne we entered the North Sea...she was kind to us...we were lucky. The ship the Scandinavian Queen...was certainly coming to the end of her reign and was as tired and weary looking as the crew. The crew ( only saw 6 or 7 of them ) seemed to do all things and rotated from bar duties to waitressing to entertainers.... don't let Air New Zealand see their contracts ! But aside from this we had great fun. We had our own little cabin with a sea view and the kids loved the soft play area. The highlight had to be the swimming pool area though...deep in the bowels of the ship this sunken tiled hole was the mother of all wave pools...even the 1 foot paddling pool could get three foot waves. It was not heated...but we had a blast. Next to this ...as all good Scandinavians, was a sauna, where we thawed out. And I have to say it did strike me as a rather unusual sensation to be in a sauna, deep in a ship, rocking back forth on the North Sea....The crossing took 20 hours and we arrived into the beautiful town of Stavanger. We were very efficiently transported into town and out hotel overlooking the lake, gorgeous. We had been given adjoining rooms with the kids in their own...heaven. And John and I could shut the door and for a little while anyway pretend to be a couple. On the roof overlooking the town was the sauna, where you could relax and see the views of the lights of the town below....aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!

The next day the weather was perfect and we set of on a boat tour of the fjords..this was magnificent and filled all expectations of cliffs, islands,wooden Scandinavian houses and boat houses. To top it off nature had added to the beauty and drama by leaving a dusting of snow on the mountains around us. The rest of the day was spent exploring Stavenger which was very pretty and I surprisingly managed to find the most amazing vintage/ second hand store that provided not only bargains but was like a museum into the lives of the Norwegians...with decades of fashion, tableware, furniture and bric a brac providing a window into lifestlyes been and gone.This was also the only affordable place in town, as Norway, including her sea vessels are incredibly expensive...with a pint being around 10 pounds (NZ$25! ONE PINT!!!)...lucky no one likes roll mops because it was Burger King for tea.Norway is to the English what the UK is to Kiwis - an expensive place to visit! The good weather prevailed and offered us a comfortable journey back to the UK. On the way back to London we spent sometime exploring the east coast and visited the pretty seaside town called Whitby ( home of James Cook) and the beautiful walled city of York. Its Minster one of the most revered in the UK.

A week later I was up to the Midlands again for a week of training, it was school holiday time and so John brought the kids up. We stayed at the Holiday Inn...which is 'in' the racecourse ...so this in itself stirred much excitement. Whilst I was training, the family attended the brand new Thomas the Tank Engine Adventure Park... this was a huge hit. They were able to confirm that I had not missed any of the highlights in the part of the Midlands..(there are none) and on finishing at the course we drove 2 hours west to a new and glorious landscape called Wales.It was like going back in time and I am sorry to say even more evocative of Tolkeins Middle Earth than New Zealand....I expected to see a hobbit or King Arthur around every corner. Infact Arthur is fabled to have lived in the North of Wales where we visited. This region was filled with slate cottages, rolling hills with sheep, steam trains, and the sea. On invasion by Longshanks eight centuries ago 10 castles were built in this region to maintain English rule..these are now majestic ruins overlooking the sea and stunning.. We also visited the incredibly beautiful seaside village Portmeirion. Architect Clough Williams-Ellis, designed this Mediterranean style village in the 1920's, the pastel coloured reduced scale buildings on the sea are surreal and delightful. We of course checked out the famous porcelain made here .....and is a must to visit if in Northern Wales.

Later in April, John had been in contact with the New Zealand Consulate and arranged tickets to attend the ANZAC service at Westminster Abbey, sadly John had to be away but Will and I did put on our Sunday best and attend. This was an amazing opportunity to not only see the Abbey but to see it in its glory, with dignitaries, ceremonial dress, trumpets, choir, organ, 'the works'.....The service was moving and beautiful and long, but there are only so many trucks, airplanes, crayons and treats a 'mummy ' can pull from her handbag. The acoustics are breathtaking in this cathedral and especially at the pitch of a discontented three year old. As old Kenny Rogers says...' you gotta know when to walk away...know when to run..." so we were off and left the service early, but it was amazing and humbling to see our boys honored with such esteem in this magnificent place.

Probably the biggest event for April would have to be the phone call John received to extend his London contract until January 2009...there had been rumors of our time being cut short...so we were very happy to agree to staying on and suffering a European summer...bring it on !

May and June has brought summer to London, and we have had blue skies and 25+ c days - the hottest fortnight in May for 270 years!.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. John has had a quiet call period and we have made the most of this time and great weather to see some of London's highlights. Last week we spent a Saturday at Greenwich, which has an enormous park and it is fascinating to see where 'time starts' at the meridian line. We all enjoyed the museum of time, very interesting, they also have a planetarium here which kept the kids really rapt. Instead of the tube home, for 10 pounds the whole family could take a ferry from Greenwich down the Thames back into Westminster, under the Tower Bridge, past the Tate, The Tower of London, Parliament buildings and Big Ben...best 10 pounds I've ever spent.
On the weekend just past London has had it's Open Garden Squares Weekend...this include 170+ private gardens...most of which are normally locked gardens only available to a privileged few ...for 7 pounds you can visit as many as you like over this weekend. We focused on the Kensington, Holland Park and Notting Hill areas....It was a spectacular day and the gardens often 200+ years old, preciously attended, and gloriously in bloom. Another bonus they mostly all had playgrounds...yay...everybody happy. My favorite would have to be Richard Bransons rooftop garden above Kensington High Street. 6 floors up, complete with fountains, ponds and stream and real live Flamingoes (not the plastic garden variety!).....this day gave us a whole new insight into some of the lives of Londoners...mind-blowing!

This week John has caught up with his friend Greg from Auckland and we have been looking after a friend's two year old boy for the weekend.

Maya has settled well into her school and the book bag comes home at the end of the day with a regular stream of school activities and birthday invites. She is also very keen on tap-dancing and attends a regular lesson at the local 'Y'. In 4 weeks time the summer school holidays begin- here's hoping the good weather continues! Will has the life that we all dream of: days at the park, swims at the gym pool twice a week, visits to the best museums in the world and regular trips to Kew Gardens! His third birthday last month was a fun day with a few friends over for games and treats (organised by Maya of course!) and now that he is toilet trained he is quite the little man.

Next week we are heading to the beaches of Brittany and Normandy, for some seaside fun, French culture and history. We also plan to visit the grave of John's great uncle who lost his life fighting here. We get back to London just in time to unpack and head to the tennis. We have been very fortunate to secure tickets for Wimbledon..as our friend - now elevated to GREAT friend - Hazel, a BBC sports presenter, has managed to get us centre court seats on the middle Saturday. We are being strong and resisting the urge to put them on eBay - where they have topped 1200 pounds!!! - for the sake of a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Friends from Auckland are also arriving that day and we look forward to spending the week with Corrine and Richard and the boys....the guest list becomes somewhat hectic after this and we look forward to new adventures with family and friends...

Thanks for letting me share this with you....keep in touch,

Much love Denise

The Months Go By!

A Royal Welcome from London!

In lieu of a Denise newsy-e-mail - which will be arriving in your Inbox soon (we hope) - here is a brief summary of our latest goings on.

March: long-time friend Paul arrived for an unexpected but welcome visit. Highlights included Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Bath and London Zoo.

April: Visit to the North-east and cruise over to Stavanger, Norway. Fjords, fjords, fjords - beautiful.

Our umpteenth visit to Kew Gardens (as Mr & Mrs Stove!)

At last there was snow in London and Maya was able to make her Snow Angel - Piper less impressed!

Trip to Bekonscot Model Village.

Enjoy the photos.

New for 2008!

Hello All and welcome to 2008.........

Well my quiet life in the UK has suddenly become quite busy, a typical circumstance that I inherently create, as those of you who know me well will recognise.

2007 ended well. The Flett's had a lovely weekend travelling north before Christmas to visit South Shields and the family. This was great and it was wonderful to see everyone again, nostalgically revisit old stomping grounds and come to the realisation that we had in fact been living here only a year before. So much has happened in this time that it was almost hard to believe. For all the incredible sights we had seen in this time The North had lost none of its beauty and charm. It is truly a very under-rated part of the world. Whilst there, we were lucky to really get into the spirit of Christmas with a traditional Christmas market ...added to this was the freezing weather with snow only 20kms away. It was great to see Agnes, Trish, Debs and all the family again, as always they made us feel incredibly welcome and had lots of laughs and stories. Piper got her first Northern experience, and won all the family over...phew! Her first experience of real cold a bit of a shock for her....that low undercarriage seemed to disadvantage her on the very cold ground, even though she had on a very expensive Australian doggy oil skin drizabone- the real deal! ( I have wanted a Drizabone for years...didn't think my DOG would get one before ME!..) ...I had a fix at the Tynemouth Antiques market, and all an all a great weekend.

Then there was all the Christmas celebrations to survive before we even reached the day....Maya's school Christmas party, Disco, Will's Playgroup party, Gym creche party, Northfields Christmas market day...etc..etc...I had my blood sugar levels primed and ready for an English Christmas...in this the land of Cadbury, where everyone buys chocolate by the kilo...5- 10kg...truly!....I can see why they start preparing early.....I recently learnt on the BBC that chocolate is in fact toxic to all animials including humans....but it would take about 25 pounds of it to kill us.....I am thinking that a General Surgeons Warning may need be a consideration in the UK because
"That's Nothing!"

Christmas Eve arrived and we joined some local families for carols at our local church...Santa visited that night and must have come via China for all the abundance of toys and stuff that were found under the tree the next morning...curse those sales in Hong Kong and LA ....what will the expectations be for next year!
Christmas night John's sister Katherine, and Dan and Alex arrived from Dubai....we shared some Christmas ham for supper and it was great to have family to be with on this day of the year. Boxing day was the full deal with turkey and trimmings and groaning bellies in front of a movie...the next day we all headed out to explore some London highlights, Hamleys, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, English pub.......Keith managed to escape the Dubai office and flew over to join us all, which was really lucky. John and I made the most of our live in babysitters and headed to the West End for a show....my choice....pressure!...I went for something recommended that I knew very little of the story or music...for a total surprise. I chose 'Wicked' which is the back-story to the witches of The Wizard of Oz...great concept and very clever story...a must for fans of this classic movie.

The Smith's made the most of the sights in London and all was well except for a little mishap..... That is, me nearly killing my sister-in-law...it was an accident..really..
You may have heard of death by smothering, or strangulation. But this was near death by 'wrap' that is a 'wrap' of the tortilla variety. Katherine has a severe allergy to gluten and a mix up between the flour and corn tortillas I had prepared for the packed lunch resulted in a rather exciting afternoon. After eating the picnic at The Globe theatre and heading to the West End for 'The Phantom' matinee, Keith's engineering skills were challenged with the operation of the Epi Pen as his wife's airway became increasingly obstructed. The opening bars of the Phantom were heard in the distance as the family were loaded into an ambulance and to the nearest hospital. The NHS proved to be very efficient, as did the concierge of the theatre who upgraded the family to the Royal Box seats that evening on their return, shaken but recovered. Top Tip: Corn - Yellow, Flour - White!

I have to say I have concerns that this may in fact be a serious case of sibling rivalry gone awry, as we know there is NOTHING John will not do for good theatre seats ..and I have suspicions that this may be a Flett trait. Well he did get that free ticket to Prince at the O2 stadium, and he did win those free tickets to The Spice Girls. Hey but how can this compare to THE ROYAL BOX SEATS at the PHANTOM!!!! Katherine You win!

After the Smiths said goodbye it was only a matter of 10 days before the house was full again. Trish, a friend of 20+ years (...ouch!) that I did my nursing training with (along with Anna), hubby Mark and 3 children were having a Northern experience and we were very lucky to have them in London for 4 nights. Trish had been to visit her brother and his family in Sweden and by all accounts it sounded tremendous, from there they spent time exploring Paris and then caught the Eurostar to London. Although the gastro virus that has plagued all of Europe seemed to have struck..(but could have been a WHOLE lot worse) and travel weariness was setting in, they made the most of their time and certainly managed to see many of London's highlights (including the London Dungeon - which left an indelible impression on their 8 year old - in a scary, nightmarish, wake up screaming kind of way!). We were lucky enough to have Anna and Kerry in town and all got together for a Kiwi roast and a catch up...I think the last time we were together was at Anna and Kerry's wedding?! Sadly John was away whilst they stayed but we were able to at least be all together on their last night here.

I have also managed to make some new local friends . John met a very nice lady and her young son in the park ...( boy! does that sound like a line from a police report). Belinda lives further down our street, is a Kiwi, and hoping to start a babysitting club. Not surprisingly those factors were enough to escalate her to the status of 'New Best Friend'.......I made the first baby sitting exchange, and this was to take Anna to the Spice Girls show that John had won tickets to in the Air New Zealand London Office Christmas competition. Way to go hubby! The tickets were amazing! nearly front row at the O2 stadium (the tall guy from 'Little Britain' was sitting BEHIND us!) which is mind blowing, and the show was fantastically entertaining. Gotta say even close up those girls looked GOOD. Much kudos scored here John.

Last week John and I called upon Belinda again and had a fantastic evening at the Royal Albert Hall to watch Cirque De Soleil's Varekai. I have previously seen 2 of Cirque de Soleil's performances and I would have to say this is my absolute favourite theatre experience. Pure adult magic..hard to find in the world these days.
For me,I wonder if it is the fact that at these shows I feel removed and taken away from humanity and yet at the same time I have a paradoxical amazement of the strength and capacity of the human body and imagination. Whatever the formula it works for me and Varekai did not disappoint.

The kids too, are benefiting from all that London has to offer, Maya has settled well into school and making lots of friends. She has started tap dancing- (our neighbors love us.... NOT!) Will has the life...everyday seems to have something exciting on for him. Every church has some kind of playgroup and there are all the sights and services London has to offer. Anna has lent us her passes for the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew , and with the stunning weather ('the kind of winter we had as kids', 'the best winter in 15 years') we have really made the most of trying to explore some of the 300 acres of Kew, just a short bus ride away. Will loves the indoor play and educational area called Climbers and Creepers and we all love the Tropical conservatory complete with waterfalls and indoor aquarium. Speaking of climber and creepers I have just joined the UK's least Health and Safey spot.....HOORAY! It was hard to find and I must not let too many people aware of it...it's called 'The Rainforest" and is in another large park we have nearby. Its full of tropical plants and animals ...they have a kids club on a Friday with a hands on component. So far we have held a ferret, a baby crocodile, an iguana, a python and a tarantula....cool!.....
There have been no mishaps as yet....although I was a little concerned last week when they brought the python and the angora bunny out for handling at the same time...thought Will might get a first hand lesson in the food chain, but there was more excitement when an 18 month old nearly stood on the king python that had been left unattended and was side-winding across the floor. Fortunately disaster was averted..... Note to self: must remember to pack crepe bandage and anti-histamines in day pack for our next visit.

My studies have started and I have had my first block of study in Lymphoedema management in Wolverhampton, in the Midlands of England. Apart from a flat tyre, in the dark, no jack and being pulled over by the police ...all went well...why is it I never have a husband around at those moments...well not mine anyhow....The course was demanding and fantastic, and the only course where I have ever been down to my underwear with other students hands all over me....well I guess the basic principle is the management of swelling and the movement of body fluids ...Oh Behave! Overall the week exceeded all expectations and next week the Belgian Professor who developed this methodology for lymphatic drainage is coming over to tutor us directly which is a great opportunity.I can't wait to return and upskill and progress further.

Our week ended with a great night out at Anna and Kerry's...on Valentine's Night..with 3 other couples... A wonderful meal with great company - Anna and Kerry exceeded themselves especially after arriving from a full-on week in Boston and North Carolina - John can't even manage baked beans on toast after a trip into London!

In the weeks ahead John's cousins 14 yr old son Dean is heading down for a few days - a trip to the theatre and other London excursions are planned - I'll be heading back to Wolverhampton again, and next month John is looking forward to more leave and we will be heading over to Norway on the liner that we used to watch come and go through the piers at South Shields. Cue: fjords and smoked herring! Then with Spring in full bloom we'll be making a move around the south of England (Devon, Cornwall, Dorset).

Love hearing from you all - take care and enjoy the rest of the summer Kiwis

Merry Christmas 2007

You may have all enjoyed a respite from the Flett family happenings, but for those who are curious here is an update to let you know how we have settled into life in London.

Our home in the very convenient Ealing has become the central force of all activities. It has a tube station at either end of the street, both on the Piccadilly line, eight stops West takes you to Heathrow, 8 stops East to South Kensington (the Science Museum, The National History Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum). The buses also take us to the very pleasant areas of Chiswick ( Mr Darcy lives here and my favourite antique store, I regularly stalk the streets for a glimpse of either of these attractions) and Richmond ( shop till you drop!). The location is so convenient that I have not yet driven in London, and our trusty "People Mover " only gets taken out once a week for a drive to Tescos to do the grocery shopping, the biggest stress of the journey is hoping our carpark won't get pinched while we are out.

It is great having Anna and Kerry just around the corner and love the get-togethers with Anna for a coffee a movie or Sav Blanc at the pub. As Anna and Maya share the same Birthday we had a lovely party together...Anna and Kerry are stars at musical statues and I am sure it is a rare occasion for them to return home having overindulged in sugar and not wine....also shared a great night with the Stoves and mutual friends Fid and Hazel....Hazel entertained us on the piano with yet another of her talents...there is something wonderful about having your dinner accompanied by a piano recital...could not convince John to share his lovely tenor voice with this, even when the aphrodisiac effects of this promised.

The local schools are very oversubscribed and we had fears that Maya may not be accepted into a primary school, however we were very pleased that a place became available at 'the Grange". We are actually out of zone for this school, but it is only an 10 minute walk and across the road from the tube station. This can seem a long walk on rainy days- most mornings, with Maya, Will and Piper all in wet weather gear and groaning all the way, as there is no drop off place for cars. The School has just reopened after being completely rebuilt following a fire. Maya was very timid and reluctant to start this new school and sadly latched on to the most popular girl in her class as a friend...a recipe for heartache... however, 1 month on she has become friends with 'the popular girls' and had a marriage proposal from a boy.. Way to go girl!....it took me nearly thirty years to achieve this.

Will is loving the one on one time he now gets and there are many handy activities to fill our days. Our street is adjacent to a huge sprawling park, which has an excellent playground, and a playgroup with all sorts of facilities and activities for preschoolers.... and is free. On the corner is the library and our local cafe has a childrens area as well as making a good cappuccino...this is not an easy find in London....note to all....never...never....buy a coffee at tourist attraction in London....it is either instant or machine dispensed - and a barista is someone that works at the Old Bailey.....

Air New Zealand has done a deal with the Health Insurance company used.... they have done a deal with a local gym to us...basically the more we go the cheaper the subscription, and beyond this if you use it very regularly they send you a cheque at the end of the year.This is an attempt to get the English moving and reduce the burden on the NHS. It is also very flash, has everything...yoga, weights, swimming pool, beauty clinic, CRECHE and cafe ( have been known to swipe myself in just for a coffee when passing by). They even have 'splash Sunday' where you can take your kids and use the swimming pool. Fabulous. It is 20 minute walk from home and has become a big part of our life. It was certainly not on our agenda to become fit and healthy whilst in London, the great thing about getting older is that this is the first time in our lives we have actually joined a gym and been below average weight and above average fitness for our age.

I have become quite busy as I have joined the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers as a 'Mother Supporter', and have started my course in breastfeeding counselling. I had my first study day last week which was very interesting and very surprising. The team is great has a broad spectrum of women and it has been great to get to know new people and also challenge myself again. I am stunned by the situation in the UK and the care of women and infants postnatally, where unpaid volunteers without the supervision of a health professional offer advice and care for women and newborns. So far have heard no discussion in terms of 'Standards of Practice' "Guidelines' Bestpractice and 'Evidence Based Medicine'......pretty scary and made me proud of what we achieve in New Zealand. Inadvertently I have also become involved with the National Childhood Trust, this is an organsiation that also trains volunteers to assist mothers and infants antenatally and with breastfeeding. Our local cafe has a coffee morning were mothers can meet the NCT breast feeding counsellor, I have got to know her quite well and was invited to their AGM...don't think that could believe there was a breast nurse looking for some volunteer work who has also been involved in funding raising work.....well, I am now a member and we have our first fund raising day on the 11th December...guess what, I am taking prints of childrens hands and feet......some sleeping dogs will just not lie....
But I shall temper my fervour...my days of sweat and tears for fundraising not distant enough a memory for me and particularly for my husband...but am keen to learn as much as I can about these organisations whilst here and meet some great people.

I have also enrolled for studies in lymphoedema management for 2008...this has been very difficult to arrange as all the academic institutions require a large clinical aspect of the course...and as I am not practicing in the UK this is impossible for me to achieve. I have found an excellent course run by qualified practitioners near Birmingham and look forward to attending the courses next year. There are also all sorts of cancer courses and the European Breast Cancer Conference in Milan.....so much to do, so much to see and so much to learn....I feel myself back in my comfort zone again.

We have all been making the most of all the sights of London when we can...and the museums here are incredible, offer so much and are free...we have visited Windsor and Eton which is gorgeous and the castle stunning...I hope to get back there soon to really have a good look.
Anna gave me tickets to the British House and Garden Fair ...( my favorite magazine) and enjoyed a day with the ladies that lunch looking at lots of gorgeous and fabulous things. As far as fabulous things go....I have been very slow to visit the great shopping places of London, such as Kings Road and Oxford St, Harvey Nichols...John is happy about this, as the shopping in London can be a busy pastime in itself, but I must say I have been to lots of shops ..but have found very little that inspires me. Lets face it the 70's fashion that has made a comeback, only ever looked good on someone who was 20 and less than 50 kg's..(I have only seen one person like this so far in London.) It is easy to see can see why in the UK Trinny and Suzannah have made an industry out of 'Fashion Disasters' and also why the Charity Shop is to London what the $2 Shops are to Auckland...they are everywhere, and full of previous fashion disasters.....every ailment, group, organisation has a charity shop...there is even one for cats (did buy a fabulous leather skirt for 12 pounds though...so not all bad news!) We have taken the family to Harrods..this was to visit Santa's Grotto it was all decorated with Christmas decorations and lights and had the magical spirit that only Europe can provide at Christmas time.

I am very embarrassed to say ...after six months in a tiny village in France, without television and newspapers that you know you've been living in the back and beyond for too long and out of touch, when last week after living in London for 6 weeks exclaimed to John...is Tony Blair no longer the Prime Minister here?....apparently this has been the case for sometime....sadly even after reading English newspapers it had taken me a month to discover this....but I do know who is winning 'Strictly Come Dancing' and' The X-Factor'...as this is all that is on TV or in the newspapers. They are celebrity crazy in this country..and a celebrity does not have to be someone with talent or achievements...Big Boobs on page three will suffice..

John is enjoying work from our new base...which is sooooooooooooooooooo much easier for him. With Christmas lists completed he may now have some time to enjoy his layovers in LA or Hong Kong. He heads to the east tonight and returns Wednesday, we are then packing up the people mover and heading to the North East for the weekend. Can't wait. Really looking forward to seeing the family again, and some of the old haunts ..the Tynemouth Antiques Market, the Priory and the sea and gorgeous countryside...and of course some good Fish and Chips which believe it or not have not found here in London yet.....

Our lives become much like everyone else's as we settle into life in London and find ourselves working around school hours and rosters and studies. We are loving all we have seen and look forward to exploring so much more until we have more news, love to you all, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday time.

(Double click image for better clarity)

London - The First Few Weeks!

We are all settling into life in West London.

Big events in the first few weeks have included such milestones as Maya's Fifth Birthday and her first day at her new school (though thankfully for her not on the same day!); and visits to Windsor, The Natural History Museum (now forever known as 'The dinosaur Museum'), Hamley's ('Six Floors of Toys!') and the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Hyde Park.