The Adventures of Bear and Butterfly

(Tuesday 8th September)

I’m in Knutsford!  I’ve spontaneously joined Bodra on his business trip, leaping at the mention of a jacuzzi.  It’s actually just a regular bath with jets installed down the long sides, but still, it will be fun to enjoy that later.  We’re staying at Mere Court, in the elegantly decorated Chatsworth room.  From the windows I can see a tree-lined pond which looks like it has been fed with charcoal.  A fairly serene vista…

There has recently been a really strong wind, drying and blowing off many green Maple leaves on the trees around Caversham.  As I was fighting the wind on my way back home last week, I realised that this meant Summer was really coming to an end.  We’ve nearly had all the Summer festivals- Glastonbury in June, The Secret Garden in July, and August completely crammed with them!  The Big Chill at the beginning, One Love in the middle, V Festival just after, the Reading and Leeds Carling Weekend Festivals at the end of August, as well as the Notting Hill Carnival!  Just Bestival to go this weekend.  Of course, Bodra and I didn’t attend any of these- I’m afraid I’m not really up with the play with music these days but I don’t feel like we missed out on anything.

Just this weekend I noticed the leaves on the maples outside our apartment taking on an orange hue and becoming rather limp.  It’s a little bit depressing when these changes happen, because you know it could only be a matter of weeks and then the leaves will let go of their birth place, releasing to the ground and the wind.  Soon we will be left with skeleton trees and the overwhelming presence of the continuously grey and cloudy sky.  But at least we get to enjoy the colourful changes in the foliage.

SO!  With Winter on the way, you have to work that much harder at ensuring you have things to look forward to!  Of course, we have plenty of those, the top one being our wee visit to NZ in Feb/Mar.  A new event has appeared on my calendar this morning in the form of a visit from my friend Logan in October.  We may be able to join him in a trip to Paris- yahoo!!

Presently Bodra and I are hunting for a new abode.  A change of scenery will be refreshing, especially if we find a place that is quiet.  I have been looking for the past two weeks- we have two months to go before we need to leave our current apartment.  Thus far we have found a pretty great place- it has a small private yard, large bathroom and two double bedrooms- and we have asked the Landlord to make some changes and received a positive response.  My only issue is the location as it is near a main road, but it may be far enough down the road that this isn’t a noisy issue.  If we end up at this place we will have crossed off each area of Reading, as it is in the South, about a two mile walk from where we now live.

Since my last entry there has been a fair bit of tripping about.  We went to a HOMmega dance event at Matter and saw Astrix and Xerox and Illumination.  Matter is a great venue, quick coat check, clean loos, generally smoke free, and from the balcony I had heaps of room to dance and still see everything that was going on.  Would definitely like to go there again- hopefully when they have the Sky Bridge open.

The following Monday I joined my friend David in Dublin.  We first visited St Stephen’s Green and Trinity College, and in the evening we moseyed around Temple.  We perused the many bars and pubs, like the Leftbank Bar and Porterhouse, giving attention to our aural and taste senses.  It didn’t take me long to tire of Guinness, so I tried some Wrasslers and discovered I am neither keen on stout.  The Irish music wasn’t really doing it for me either, nor the covers band.  Luckily I had great company and (not so luckily) in the morning a great hangover…

Late on Tuesday morning we stumbled out of our bunks and caught a long, rattly bus ride to Powerscourt Gardens.  We had an average lunch in Enniskerry where the bus had dropped us off (cold quiche and flacid salad), then walked up to the gardens which are situated with Sugar Loaf mountain in the background.

My guidebook had suggested it was a not-to-miss attraction and I was quite intrigued by the story of the architect who in the 1840’s created the Italian Garden.  Daniel Robertson suffered from gout so whilst directing the work he got about the gardens in a wheelbarrow, fueling himself with a bottle of sherry.  Once the bottle was drained, work would be finished for the day.  The gardens didn’t show any sign of inebriation- a series of pristine terraces, marble and bronze statues including winged horses by the Triton Lake, and lots of flower beds.  David and I inhaled the scents in the rose garden, then wandered through the walled herbaceous gardens.  We soon found ourselves at the pets cemetery, a large slope bedecked with dozens of formal headstones, marking the resting place of the Wingfield and Slazenger families loved pets.  I didn’t think it was appropriate to take pictures but it did seem like a bit of an oddity.  Around the next corner came the Japanese Gardens which included a beautiful moss-covered grotto.

That evening Paul and Bodra enjoyed rocking out to Pearl Jam at the O2 arena (jealous!).  David and I tried to visit the Guinness Storehouse but they were closed for a private event.  Luckily we scored free tickets so we returned the next morning, quickly scampering up the seven floors to enjoy the view and our pint of Guinness (kak).  We had clear skys and a beautiful view of Dublin.

Next stop was the airport where we picked up a car.  David drove us up to Northern Ireland where we discovered the currency changes back to British Pounds.  Our afternoon bar man in Dundrum conveyed this to us with a pinch of attitude, but how were we to know?  They must get this mistake quite a bit from tourists, which I guess could make a Northern Irish person feel somewhat insignificant.

Belfast didn’t impress us all too much.  The weather was rubbish, we struck one way roads in our search for backpackers (we begrudgingly ended up at the somewhat unsavoury Linen House) when David made the unpleasant discovery that his passport wasn’t where it should be (he may still be in Ireland as I type this).  Luckily we only needed one passport to check in to a room, so we ditched our bags and began assaulting Belfasts pubs.

We first tackled David’s passport sorrow in a skoddy bar showing horse races on the telly.  There was a very drunk New Zealander at the bar there, talking to anyone who met his eye and making very cringe-worthy conversation.  Fearing that he would zone in on our accents, we silently downed our drinks like our life depended on it, then swiftly made our way to the next watering hole.  Fibber Magees, “a spit and sawdust bar, packed to the rafters with old Irish artefacts” where I tried some Powers whiskey; not bad given that I care not for spirits.  Then David and I journeyed upstairs to Robinson’s Bistro for dinner and chardonnay.  We found one more pub after that, down a pedestrian only alleyway, and inside all the walls were covered with memorabilia.  The seats seemed tiny to me and the pub was very crowded so we stayed for one drink then returned to our bunks.

I had a horrific time trying to sleep.  David soared off into a sozzled dream of blissful ignorance.  There were half a dozen people in the dormitory.  A few moments into my rest, a man in another bunk at the opposite corner of the room started to snore ferociously.  It began sporadically, with a rhythm that would maliciously mislead you into thinking he’d stopped, only to start up again as soon as you had found your peace once more.  This soon built up into a routine including thrashing about in his bed and speaking/shouting in tongues.  I listened to meditation tracks on my mp3 player for a few hours, but they were unable to dominate over his night terrors.  Someone in the dorm next door began thumping the wall- they must’ve been lying right on the other side of his bed- so I diligently got out of my bed and tiptoed over to the guy to sharply prod him out of his nightmares.  He stirred quickly and found my face peering at him.  I pressed my hands together in prayer and begged him, “I can’t sleep-” he started to pull back his sheets and shuffle over in his single bed murmuring that I could sleep with him- in his dreams!!  (On second thought, not, as I wouldn’t want to hear about that!)  “No, you are snoring!  Please, lie on your side and close your mouth.”  He complied and I didn’t hear another peep out of him.  All was quiet and soon I found a restful space again… until David let out a snort…

We were out of the backpackers and on the road by 8am.  Heading for the coast, we travelled for fifty miles or so to reach Cushendall where we stopped for a measly breakfast of tea, scones and latte.  Then back in the car for thirty miles until we were at the Causeway Centre.  We walked down a steep path towards the coast, and soon found the hexagonal basalt columns, “Clochán na bhFómharach”. I was really thrilled to be by the sea again, the salty spray, the sound of the waves rolling in and crashing into the rocks and looking out to where the sky meets the sea… all very uplifting for the soul!

We headed back to Dublin, me navigating, Dave trying to re-interpret my instructions.  I had thought we’d have plenty of time spare but, after much frustration and confusion with trying to follow their directions to the centre, we only just got to the car hire centre in time.  Luckily David kept his cool (I was explosivio) and figured out that actually, we were heading from the North, and their directions applied if you were coming from the South.  Or something like that.  Unfortunately, Dave’s passport failed to reappear so I left him to tackle the administration woes on his own.  & no, I have not heard from him… where are you Dave?

Dublin pics

(I just filled my belly with cuisine from the Arboreum Restaurant- Beetroot and Walnut Risotto with Blue Cheese Fritter and Rocket Oil, Curly Kale and Potato Cake with Chive Oil and Parmesan and for dessert, Ginger Nut, Malteaser and Banana Parfait with Banana Crisp.  I am disgusted by how distended my belly is, and now I have a headache…)

(Thursday 10th September)

The weekend following my trip to Ireland, Rachael, Bodra and I saw the Peter Pan production at Kensington Gardens.  They had set up a Theatre Pavilion and the main stage was in the centre.  Visuals were displayed on the tent walls a full 360 degrees, so it felt like we were immersed in the scenery too.  When the scene changed, the display would change also.  During the flying scenes, the Darling children, Tinkerbell and Peter would attach wires to their waist and be lifted into the air.  As they flew from the Darling home to Neverland, the visualisations showed the landmarks of London city, and then crossing the sky until Neverland drew near.  They also used a number of puppets, one for Nanna and a few birds which were mostly made of draped cloth, and a gigantic, skeletal Crocodile puppet, whose body was framed with coasthangers and mouth was all covered with wooden pegs for the teeth.  It required two puppeteers to operate who scooted on the skateboards which were a part of it’s body.  Overall, the production was a really unique experience and very exciting to see how much more can be packed into a play.

After Peter Pan, we joined Paul in the park for a delicious picnic, then travelled over to Kim and Ezra’s.  We needed to borrow their tent for the following weekend, and ended up joining them in a nearby pub to celebrate Reuben’s 30th.

The following week started with a wander in Tilehurst with my friend Gavin and his two doggies, and then on Tuesday a dental appointment where I found out that actually, I do have wisdom teeth!  Just two so far, but I will be looking into having them removed.  People also began arriving for the Reading Festival, there began a steady stream of backpackers wandering past the apartment, multiple boxes of beer in tow.  Bodra had a work trip to Sweden, so I escaped into London on Wednesday to view the the Garden & Cosmos Royal Indian art of Jodphur exhibition at the British National Museum.  The collection encompassed 54 paintings created between the 17th and 19th centuries, which had never been displayed in Europe until now, as they were mostly created for the personal pleasure of the rulers of Jodhpur.  The art showed the activities between Bakat Singh (the Maharaja) and his royal court, in the lush scenery of the flowering gardens at his desert palace in Nagaur.  Further paintings illustrated the great Indian epic poem Ramayana, and the final section attempted to explain metaphysical concepts of the Nath yogis.  Kim and Rachael joined me for that and we had quite a relaxing time together, soaking in the lavish and verdant colours of the gardens and meditating on the final paintings.

Then we went over to the Southbank Centre to view another exhibition- Walking In My Mind.  It was a complete contrast to the Garden & Cosmos experience.  From paintings, we entered ten large scale installations all attempting to give us a walk through of a particular artists imagination.  Some were quite phenomenal, one artist (Thomas Hirschhorn) had constructed a cave made of brown packing tape and cardboard which we could walk through.  It sprawled into a complex of caves and linking tunnels, where we met piles of soft drink cans, bodies wrapped up in tin foil with wires and simulated dynamite attached, pages of text and stacks of books.  Another artist (Yoshitomo Nara) had created a Wendy House which we were able to peek through the windows to see what went on in there- papers covered with cute doodles of cartoons.  A few of the other installations were a bit too perverse and self-indulgent so we scooted through those until we came to the top level where Yayoi Kusama had made Mr Blobby-like sculptures covered in red polka dots.  Apparently Yayoi has a recurring hallucination of these dots, where she has found herself and all her surroundings covered in them.  It was much more soothing than some of the installations we had already seen, but it didn’t surprise me to read later on that Yayoi had chosen to permanently settle in a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo.  One of the last installations we viewed, Chiharu Shiota’s, was a room covered with a dense web of threads.  We were in awe at the obvious patience this artist has to create this.

We picked Alanna up and then Rachael drove the four of us to my home.  Rachael whipped up a delicious taco feast and we spent the evening chatting.  The following day we went for a walk to Moor Copse which wasn’t all that exciting, but still nice to be out in nature together!

Moor Copse pics

Bodra returned from Sweden that evening and on Friday morning we escaped from the Reading Festival.  Bodra had hired a car and so we had decided to drive up to York, then to the Peak District for a wander and lastly Stockport.  On the way North we stopped in a place called Warwick, where we found a gorgeous tea shop, so we bought some yummy tea and a tea set too!

York was ok, we wandered around the wall and into the centre on Saturday.  We were a bit disappointed by the Monks chocolate we purchased there, as it had been advertised as award winning, but compared to Puccini’s it was utter rubbish.  The Shambles was an interesting street, but there were loads of people around, being Bank weekend, so not much fun being amongst all the shoppers and tourists.

York Pics

We got to the Peak District that afternoon, set up our tent in this farmers field (£3 per person per night- sweet as!), and then set up a picnic, went for a wander through Youlgreave, then to bed as soon as it was dark- we didn’t have a torch.

Bodra and I spent the Sunday walking a circular track from Youlgrave through to Birchover and Stanton-in-Peak.  We used Mark Reid’s book “Walking Weekends Peak District”.  It was a fantastic walk as it included areas of interest like stone circles, a hermits cave and Rowtor Rock- another collection of gritstone rocks which had been carved into steps, caves, passageways, seats, rooms and a three seater armchair by Druids.  The Hermit’s Cave is about 700 yrs old and has a carving of Jesus on the Tree of Life.  It was really cool and beautiful thinking about being back in those times, walking through the countryside where this random monk would pop out of the bushes to preach to you.   Mystical Majickal!

Peak District pics

We woke early on Monday morning and drove to Stockport.  Being a Bank Holiday a couple of the places I wanted to go into- St. Mary’s Church, the Town Hall & the market hall- were all closed for the holiday- d’oh! But I saw my mum’s old street, Carlton Crescent and where her school used to be on Bateson Street, also where her friend Susanne lived at number 24.  Bodra and I walked down through Underbank and the town centre and over to the Town Hall.  We drove down Lowfield Road and I snapped a picture of 23 where Grandma had lived with her paternal Aunty, and 31 where she had been born in her grandparents home.  Lastly we had a grumpy wander through Stockpot Cemetery, grumpy because I wanted to find Jessica Lowe’s headstone for mum, but we couldn’t figure out how the graves had been laid.  I will have to revisit one day so I can visit her.

Stockport pics

September is the month of birthdays!!  On Thursday 3rd September Kowhai turned 13 and Bodra turned 30.  To celebrate I bought Bodra some L&P which he was very delighted with.  The previous day I had made the pleasant discovery that Reading now has a supplier of Tim tams, Rashuns, L&P and Peppermint Chews.  Very exciting!  There is a fantastic lolly shop in Harrison Arcade which stocks these treats, as well as loads of gelatine free sweeties.  The proprietor is a very conscientious vegetarian.  The sweetie shop happens to be directly opposite the rental agency who we have been having pleasing results with, so sweeties and good tenancy services is a happy combination for us!

On Friday 4th September my brother Shannon turned 34 so I had a lovely chat with him that morning.  he gave me some good advice with my wisdom teeth issue- if I’m not feeling any pain, why worry? 

This past Saturday Bodra and I journeyed into London to see Tony and Liz.  They drove us to Hilary and Martin’s home where we met their baby boy Alexander, he is a gorgeous drooler.  I still don’t really know what to do with a baby though- hold them, smile and gaze all google-eyed in adoration!  Roger was also there so we had a great time catching up with family.

Later that evening we went out for Bodra’s birthday dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Abeno where they serve Okonomi-Yaki, a pancake styled dish which is prepared and cooked on a hot plate at your table.  It was a very delicious meal.  Rachael and Paul bought Bodra an “Attack of the Clones” styled birthday cake, decorated with a Storm Trooper.

Okonomi-Yaki pics

On Sunday we went out to the movies to see District 9.  Bodra and I are in agreement in that this is our top movie so far this year.  The effects were absolutely brilliant and the story was fast-paced and enthralling.  I just love going to a movie where you don’t recognise any of the actors or actresses too, everyone just seems to be so much more believeable.

Yesterday, on our way back from Knutsford, we stopped in the walled city of Chester for a half an hour wander around.  We were suitably impressed by the architecture and the multi-levelled shopping galleries.  Not impressed with the yucky pea-infested pasty however…

Chester pics

Mum and Dad will be having their wedding anniversary on Saturday, not sure what number they are up to, maybe 39?  Hemi and Te Aue will be 12 on Monday, and Bodra’s daddy Michael will be 71 on Tuesday.  A couple of my friends will also be having their 30th birthdays this month too- Jen and Ben!

A look into our future activities: thanks to a couple experience vouchers which Bodra received for his birthday, Bodra will be having a go at Falconry (thanks Kim and Ez!) and also driving a TVR (thanks Paul and Rach!).  Very exciting!  On Saturday the 26th, Dewi will be taking Kim, Ez and us for a coastal walk along the white cliffs of Dorset where we will see Durdle Door, a limestone arch, and White Nothe a white headland where we may find a fossil.

In October on the 2nd we will be seeing The Black Seeds (yay!) and on the second weekend of October I will be joining Kim, Nik and Dawn on a Glass Blowing course.  On the same weekend, Logan will be joining our land for a few weeks and hopefully Bodra and I will be able to join him on a swift trip to Paris.

It’s taken me longer than I thought to get to a place where I felt I could tell the story of our trip to Ireland. I’m very good at distracting myself, making up extra tasks that are more pertinent in the present moment & I am a master at procrastinating… I know my justifications are nonsense but I have been busy… I’m not a lazy person. Honest!

 

Once back from Italy we had a couple days to catch our breath. I took Mum & Dad for a wander in the rain around Reading, showing them the Forbury Gardens, the Abbey Ruins & where we used to live at Kennet Walk. We had a warm cuppa at the Bel & the Dragon then made our way back home.

 

The following day Mum & Dad hired a car & drove down to Hailsham to meet May & Arthur. May is Mum’s Mother’s friend & May’s Aunty Ada married mum’s great grandfather- Thomas Allcock. They had a good couple of days down there & did a little bit of touring around the area, visiting the Pevensey Castle (William the Conqueror’s first stronghold & also a stronghold from World War Two).

 

On their way back they stopped in Guildford & visited Jenny Tew, who is May’s second cousin (her grandma is the aforementioned Ada). I hope to visit her one day, as she really is only just down the road…

 

While Mum & Dad were having their adventures, for some stupid reason Bodra & I decided to take a bus to Edinburgh to watch the All Blacks vs Scotland Rugby game. I think alcohol probably impaired our decision making abilities when we had that Eureka moment. It was a long, uncomfortable ride not too dissimilar from the journey from Antalya to Cappadocia. The game was uninspiring & I even managed to nod off to sleep.

 

We left on the 25^th. There was a bit of a delay to our flight so we were expecting to get stuck in heavy traffic once we left the airport in Dublin. Luckily there was no problem. Dad drove us to Rathdrum where we found our lovely Bed & Breakfast for the night at “Stirabout Lane”. http://www.stiraboutlane.com/index.html Mum & Dad had a terrible mattress to give them a restless sleep, but a part from that, the B&B had a lovely welcoming atmosphere. I had the displeasure of discovering that my phone wasn’t networked in Ireland so I wouldn’t be able to talk to Bodra until I got back home. :’( But there were a few teddies on my bed so I wasn’t too lonely. We found a nice restaurant/pub up the road for dinner so we were all feeling in good spirits & settled.

 

The next morning we had a bit of a back ‘n’ forth journey. First we decided to head for Avoca to have a look at the hand weaving & take in the familiar sights from “Ballykissangel”. Then we headed to Glendalough, where Bodra & I had been for a wander the previous year. I showed Mum & Dad the monastery ruins, founded by St Kevin in the 6^th Century.

 

From there we headed South West to Waterford, but we didn’t find much there besides lunch. So we continued North towards Tipperary, where we stopped to get our bearings, then carried on for Hollyford (Áth na Chuilleann) in County Tipperary, which is where Dad’s family is from originally. It is situated in a valley running through the Slieve Felim Mountains in North Tipperary. As we drove along the main road through a forested area, we went past a parking bay which made us stop. Beyond was a little enclosure with a statue of a lady praying & set into the cliff side was a second statue of Saint Mary. It was a really peaceful setting.

We carried on through Hollyford & spotted a pub with “O’Connell’s” displayed proudly. We decided not to stop however- we wanted to save something for tomorrow. We next drove to Kilcommon, a had a good nosey around the church & graveyard, spotting quite a few O’Connell’s.

Michael O’Connell- his parents, Denis O’Connell 10.02.1890 & Mary O’Connell 12.01.1905 & his brother Patrick O’Connell 16.11.1886 & his uncle’s Daniel & John O’Connell. Thomas O’Connell 28.11.1979. Denis O’Connell 10.08.1973, & his daughter Breeda Ryan 01.05.1967. Annie O’Connell 28.06.1993, her husband John O’Connell 12.11.2000 & their twin sons Brian & Daniel 20.19.1969. Daniel O’Connell 18.12.1980, his wife Johanna 12.05.1980, their infant son Michael, his brothers Martin & Michael & his parents Denis & Catherine. We were really impressed with the Garden of Divine Mercy & enjoyed walking around the stations. They also had what looked like an African hut on site & inside was a little praying area with paintings of different Saints. It was a serene experience as we had the entire grounds to ourselves.

 

From there we decided to make our way to our B&B for the night in Killaloe- “Carramore Lodge”. http://www.carramorelodge.net/ This B&B was on wonderfully large grounds although it was getting quite dark & cold when we arrived, & we left early on in the frosty morning so we didn’t have a good explore there. But we had comfortable beds for the night & a lovely breakfast too.

 

We wandered from Ballina then across the bridge to Killaloe. We found a couple Cathedrals & Churches & another O’Connell tombstone- Reverend Richard O’Connell 17.08.1925. Then we went in search of food & found a pub/restaurant where Dad had an unpleasant encounter with a poorly described burger.

 

 

 

 

The following morning we journeyed back to Hollyford for another nosey around. We found the Hollyford Millennium Garden but no O’Connell’s were named there. So we went to the O’Connell’s pub which we had seen the previous day. It turned out it was no longer a pub but was instead a wholesale distributor for car parts. We saw a van with “Joe O’Connell” painted on it & Mum & I decided to go inquire. Dad followed us & soon we found the Joe O’Connell & had a chat with him about what we were doing in Hollyford.

We also wanted to go to Birchgrove near Hollyford, to see the family land, but we weren’t entirely sure of how to get there & were too shy to ask anyone to show us.

 

Back to Dublin to return the car & sort out our accommodation for the night. I’d organised a dormitory room in Brown’s Hostel on Lwr Gardiner Street which had appeared to be quite decent going by the Internet information. http://www.brownshostelireland.com/ However, it was probably the most displeasing accommodation in Ireland, & we later found out that this was the least desirable area in Dublin. Brown’s Hostel was a massive building with many passage ways leading all over the place like a rabbit warren. There were probably ten bunk beds in our room & the bathroom was down a couple flights of stairs & around a few corners. We left our bags there & took anything we didn’t want to lose, then headed to the Temple Bar area.

 

We stopped for our evening beverage at a bar that had a father/daughter duo singing together. She played the Bodhran & he played guitar & they were really entertaining & soul-full. Dinner can’t have been too bad has I have no memory of it. Then we found another bar to enjoy Irish music at the Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar. There were a few people dancing so it was a nice atmosphere.

 

 

Regretfully we trudged back to our dorm room. The others sharing it with us were quiet & respectful. Our beds were near a curtain less window which had a bright street light shining on us. The room became really warm as there was no ventilation. I discovered my nose had bled in the night too. We were up pretty early & quick to gather our things & high tail it out of there.

 

Bagel’s for breakfast then a dozed dash to Kinlay House where we were to meet our tour group. http://www.kinlaydublin.ie/index.php?page=hom

We were to cover nearly 900 kilometres in 3 days. http://www.shamrockeradventures.com/Tours/WesternRocker3Day.html The tour guide was pretty switched on & had some great snippets of stories & local knowledge to share with us- like telling us what Craic meant, “You can find it at the end of a pint glass!” We hopped on a very comfortable bus & headed first for John Locke’s Distillery in Kilbeggan- the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. Ish-ka-ba-ha: The Water of Life. We had a tipple there which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Then onto Clonmacnoise for a look around the monastic village- mostly ruins & gravestones. The hole of sorrows was next- Polnabrone Dolmen- an ancient burial tomb in the Burren, a barren limestone plateau. Lastly we visited the Cliffs of Moher & had a good wander around them looking out to the sea. We stayed the night in Doolin village on the Atlantic Coast. I tried Guinness with a dash of blackcurrant & it made it taste much more to my liking.

 

The next morning we took the Tarbert ferry across the mighty Shannon to Dingle Peninsula. In Dingle I had a deep-fried mars bar & ice-cream for lunch… We drove along the coast & saw the Sleeping Giant and the Three Sisters & also some beehive dwellings. Then we arrived in Killarney town & were soon jaunting around Killarney Park. We found a Chinese restaurant for dinner but no deep fried bananas. There was a Hen Party in the restaurant & Dad assisted the bride with one of her tasks by giving her a kiss.

 

On Sunday morning we left the Kerry Mountains & travelled through West Cork to Blarney Castle. http://www.blarneycastle.ie/ We queued up for the gift of eloquence & had a good wander around the castle grounds & gardens. I wanted to walk the wishing steps but when we found them it looked like it could take a while due to the queue & the difficult nature of the task- you have to close your eyes & walk the steps backwards.

 

Lastly we travelled across the Golden Vale & stopped in Munster for a wander around the Seat of the High Kings of Ireland, the Rock of Cashel, a fortress overlooking the fertile plains of Munster. http://www.cashel.ie/attractions/rock.html By this time I was fairly despondent with yet another ruin/cathedral/graveyard but I did enjoy watching the birds flying around the top of the round tower. I imagined what it would be like to have an doof party there whilst I was listening to my MP3 player- so this brightened my mood. They were quite grounding surrounds, looking out from the graveyard to the grassy plains.

 

We stayed at Kinlay House & crossed the river Liffey to find dinner & a pint or two. As we had a morning flight (back to London for me & to Inverness for Mum & Dad) we didn’t stay out for long. Back at the hostel I met a few of the others who had toured with us & we had a good chat before retiring.

 

Mum & Dad joined their friends Lesley & Rob who own a Guest House in Inverness. Mum met Lesley on the ship the Northern Star in 1965-66. They had a few days together & did some scenic touring around the area.

 

Then Mum & Dad flew down to Liverpool & drove to Bramhall where they met with John & Tony Stanton- mum’s cousin & third cousin. They visited the Stockport Town Hall & found a sign showing that mum’s Great Grandfather- Thomas Allcock- was a Councillor who helped open the hall on the 7^th July 1908. They also went to Mersey Square- Underbank where Thomas’s name was also displayed as a member of the General Purposes Committee. In a graveyard they found the tombstone of William Stanton J.P 16.01.1956 & his wife Ann Mary 12.12.1979, Henry Stanton 24.02.1936, his wife Mary Ellen 28.02.1931, their son James 03.10.1918, their daughters Ellen 01.02.1928 & Annie 04.02.1944. Mum & Dad visited mum’s old school & some of the streets from her childhood. Then they left Stockport for March to see mum’s childhood friend Susanne & her family.

 

Whilst Mum & Dad were away Bodra & I saw Stardust which is an absolutely brilliant film- everyone should go & see it! Kim & Ezra also came & stayed over & witnessed the All Blacks defeat against France. It was an absolutely crushing experience. I now hate Rugby.

 

We did a little bit of London touring together in the last few days of Mum & Dad’s travels. On Wednesday evening Mum & Dad took us out for a belated birthday dinner for Bodra to our favourite Thai restaurant (in Reading- nothing beats Thai Mango in Ponsonby!). On Thursday we went on a bus tour of London- starting at Baker Street station outside Madame Tussauds where there is a statue of Sherlock Holmes. Through Oxford & along Regent Street, past the Angel of Christian Charity- the Eros Statue at Piccadilly Circus. Through Trafalgar Square past Nelson’s Column & Downing Street. Then along the River Thames past Big Ben & the Royal Bethlehem Hospital- the oldest Lunatic Asylum also known as Bedlam. We got off at Waterloo Bridge (also known as the Women’s bridge as it was built by women during the war) & walked down to the London Eye where we took in the sights of London from above. Then we went for a River Cruise along the Thames going all the way to Greenwich & back. We saw a black & white ship called the Queen Mary, the HMS Belfast war ship & the Wellington ship which was part of the NZ Navy during WW1. We went past the oldest riverside pub- Prospects at Whitby & we learnt what Wharf was derived from- Ware House At River Front. We hopped back on the bus tour but didn’t see too much else.

 

On Friday we went back into London for a mosey around. We started off in Notting Hill where Mum & Dad showed me where they had once lived on Pembridge Crescent. We also had a look along Portobello Road to see what interesteing trinkets were being sold there. We had a walk through Hyde Park & saw squirrels & the NZ War Memorial. Then we started walking towards Covent Garden, via Downing Street & Trafalgar Square. We had a good dinner at Bistro 1 then found our way to the Fortune Theatre to see “The Women In Black”- a slightly spooky play with just three actors. Only two spoke, the other one just hovered around spooking the other characters.

 

On Saturday I spontaneously decided we should go for a walk & thankfully everything was timed quite well. We caught a bus to Sonning Common then began our walk down the street & through an Old Copse- a thicket of small trees where Squirrels & birds darted around us. The track took us along a few more streets, through areas of heather regeneration, across valleys, through woodland areas, along lanes, past a church, through a golf course/orchard area & to lunch at the Malsters Arms pub. Then we carried on through farmland where we watched red kites hunting & we also saw a plane enthusiast nose diving in the sky. Eventually we ended up in Henley-on-Thames, walking through Henley College & towards the train station. We didn’t have much time to take in the sights there which was a shame.

Mum & Dad left us later on that evening which brought on quite a few tears. But now that they know how to work a digital camera, that hopefully means I will see more of them!

 

Bodra & I saw Younger Brother at Madame Jojo’s in Soho on 17/10/07. It was great seeing a live band make dance music. On the 20^th we went out to Dorking to participate in an Elephant Nature Park fundraising pub quizz with Chantal. I don’t remember too many of the questions but they were mostly British questions so didn’t apply to our knowledge. We had an epic journey back to Reading afterwards & Chantal also had a difficult time getting back to London. The trains weren’t running as late as we had thought so we had to take a number of buses to get out of Dorking, relying on the drivers for directions to the relevant stops. We ended up going in the complete wrong direction at one stage too. Bodra & I ended up going out to Heathrow & then as the Reading bus wasn’t running we took a taxi back home.

 

Azaeus passed away on the 26^th October so that had us all in a bit of a mess for a while. I realised a couple weeks back that now this means I have a constant companion with me always so I just think about him being with me & I feel safe & confident.

 

On November 1^st Bodra’s cousin Bevan & his wife Tara were blessed with their brand new healthy baby boy Maxwell- 14 ounces with red hair.

 

We had our trip to Euro- Disney with Sarah, Rachael & Paul on November 2^nd- 4th. Then I visited the Abbey School for an observation on the 6^th- we didn’t do anything for Guy Fawkes as we didn’t think anything could top our experience with Liz & Tony the previous year. We visited Tony & Liz the following weekend & went out to the King’s Head in Chigwell for lunch- I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen them in over a year! Tony showed me the photos from Hilary & Martin’s wedding 20/10/2007- we didn’t attend as we assumed we would be in Paris watching the World Cup Final… but as it was between South Africa & England there was no need for us to be there. Still feeling sore about that!

 

On the 14^th of November I went to Rosedale Clinic & experienced Hypnotherapy for the first time. I have been considering learning it as there is a pretty good course starting in February which isn’t too expensive & is in Berkshire. The overall experience didn’t impress me as I didn’t feel the hypnotherapist got me into any sort of trance state. I wanted to see if he could get me to communicate with my Higher Self so that I could get some direction as to what I should be doing with my life right now. He wasn’t able to do this at all so instead we just worked on trying to programme a sense of self-worth, confidence, motivated & positive minded within my psyche. I haven’t noticed anything different so I don’t know if it is a hoax or what. I do know that our yoga teacher, Maria Grima http://www.soulisticyoga.co.uk/ is definitely able to lead me to a deeper place, so perhaps it is all dependent on the rapport you are able to build with the Hypnotherapist.

 

Bodra’s mum, Carolyn, fell & fractured her wrist in three places on the 15^th of November. She was in hospital for surgery last week & now has pins to hold the bones in the correct place. The cleaners at her school had used oil to make the floors look shiny & clean, & unfortunately for Carolyn they must have done a terrible job in wiping the excess up. Despite the obvious pain of suffering such an injury Carolyn has mostly been able to keep her spirits up throughout this & especially having people from her school & her Singapore friends to help her, it’s been quite a lucky situation. It’s really nice to know that support will find you even if your family is quite far away.

 

Bodra went to Bangalore last week from Sunday until Thursday for work. He didn’t have any opportunity to take in the sights besides what he saw as he journeyed from his hotel to the work place. It took about an hour an a half to make that journey but it was mostly through thick traffic. Bodra didn’t think too much of Bangalore, he saw a lot of poverty & the air was very dusty.

 

Last Wednesday I had the trial lesson & interview & I just found out that I have succeeded & will be working at the Abbey Junior School in January & February part time, just three days a week. I believe this will be exactly what I need so I am very chuffed.

 

The weekend just been Bodra & I went to Wimbledon to visit Rachael & Paul, as they are leaving for a holiday in NZ tomorrow. Very jealous! We had a good Tapa’s dinner with them & then went to see Beowulf- Alanna & Russell also joined us. This was a great movie as it showed how the cinema experience will be developing in the future. We were given 3D glasses & the entire movie was filmed in 3D so swords pointed out at you, hair seemes to glide right in front of your face, as coins rolled along the ground they came so close to you that you could almost touch them. You definitely got the sense of depth behind the cinema screen.

 

& lastly… it’s really cold outside!!!