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