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Italy

2011-10-02T13:00:00.009+01:00

I don't know why, but I have always wanted to go to Rome. Finally I got the chance. I bought myself a travel guide and spent a week reading it and planning out our way around Rome. I got a little excited and tried to see everything in just two and a half days. James said his feet suffered and I think he got a little sun stroke but we saw lots. On the first day we had a wander around the centre of the city, walked down the Spanish steps then sat by the Trevi fountain which is even more flamboyant than I imagined. We had our best meal in Italy on our first day when we found a little restaurant on a back street away from the crowds of tourists that made amazing pizza. Our second day was Sunday so we went to the Vatican City. We saw St Peters square, had a look around St Peters Basilica and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the longest queue possible through the Vatican museums to see the Sistine Chapel. Worth the wait though. We finished Sunday at the top of a fort guarding the entrance of the Vatican city to take in the view of the Basilica.

I think Monday was my favourite though. We walked to the Colosseum where we skipped the queue (I'm very glad we bought tickets before we left the UK). It is so impressive. Its huge. Apparently it was built to hold 60,000 people sitting and 10,000 people standing. Considering it is nearly a thousand years old it is also remarkably intact, only one side suffered people stealing stone from it over the ages. Having read some of the information cards it seems the Romans had a brutal taste in entertainment though. From the Colosseum we moved onto the Roman forum. They are basically ruins of ancient Rome where people like Julius Caesar lived. It was odd walking around the same streets that Caesar would have walked.

On the Monday afternoon we caught a flight to Sicily where our friend Nick was kind enough to let us stay in his flat. Sicily was lovely and a lot more relaxed than Rome. Nick showed us around the local area. We spent some time at the beach, saw a nearby flock of flamingoes and ate a few breakfasts at a cafe next to a salt museum on a lagoon. They make sea salt there in the traditional way by evaporating the water in pools that become increasingly more shallow. They then shovel it into wheelbarrows and finally pour it into giant piles of along the side of the pools. The lagoon made a lovely setting to watch the sun go down with a gin and tonic.

One morning we made a trip to Segesta which is an ancient temple built on top of a hill. It was never completed apparently but was still very impressive. There was also a amphitheater at the top of a hill so there was an amazing view off the back of the stage. There was a spot in the middle where if you spoke it could be heard all around the seating area.

Our busiest day in Sicily was our last. We went with Nick to visit a town at the top of a hill called Erice. It is a pretty, old fashioned town with cobbled streets and quaint, white stoned buildings. We walked right to the highest point and ate a picnic lunch at the edge of a cliff with a stunning view of the coast.

Nick then dropped us off in Trapani from where we took a ferry to the nearby island of Favignana, whilst Nick went to work. Once we arrived on the island we hired two bicycles and equipped with a map we cycled around the east of the island. We found a lovely beach with crystal clear water where we sat and enjoyed the sunshine for a while. We actually were the whitest people on the beach. Everyone else was Italian and at the end of the summer they were all very tanned. We stuck out like a sore thumb.

It was great cycling around. We felt like we saw lots more than we would have done walking and didn't get so tired out. James enjoyed it so much that he insists that on any future holiday we hire bikes. We took the fast Cat back to Trapani as the sun set then had a wander around the old town, which had some beautiful architecture, before finding a pizza restaurant that had come highly recommended.

We both really enjoyed Italy. It was lovely to see Nick and meet some of his friends. My highlight was the Colosseum which was touristy but not to be missed. The ice cream or Gelato was incredible, particularly the coffee flavour and I am now a fan of tiramisu. The only slightly disappointing thing was the food which was not as great as expected. I think that is only because we do Italian food so well in the UK though. Also, it is just not fair that when we pay to go somewhere hot and sunny the UK gets temperatures of 30 degrees at the beginning of October! Oh well, we have just booked flights to Cuba in January. I bet the UK won't be so warm then.

Glamping in Devon

2011-09-09T15:22:00.009+01:00

The last weekend of the summer, just before the schools go back, perfect time to go camping. Or in our case Glamping. There were eight of us that were going to desend on Croyde on the Friday, mostly after work. However Nick and I had the day off so we could spend the morning trying to solve the slight problem of how to pack a tent, 4 sleeping bags, three air beds, 4 pillows, 4 surf boards, 1 body board, a cool bag full of food and drink, 7 wetsuits, several bags of clothes, a cricket set and the obligatory twister game into the boot of a audi A3. Well, as we discovered it only works if you put the drinks in with the spare tyre and the wet suits in the surf board bags on the roof rack. Stupidly we managed to get to this point before realising the tow hook (needed to secure the surf boards to the roof) was in with the spare tyre, now under all our stuff. So after packing the car for a second time we were ready to leave by the time James and Amy made it home from work.

From Left: Beccs, Charlie, James, Nick,
Amy M, Trevor, Amy S, Caroline, Ben
More photos.

We must remember in the future that our predicted 3 hour journey always takes over 4 hours because the roads are rubbish. However we made it to the cherry tree camp site in plenty of time to make the other campers laugh with our squeaky air bed foot pump before wandering to the pub for some dinner. Amy, Trevor, Ben and Beccs arrived during the evening and had the fun of setting up the tents in the dark.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a cooked breakfast made in the kitchenette section of Amy and Trevors very large tent. There was fresh tea brewing in the pot (hence the glamarous part of our camping) and a selection of condements to go with the sausage, bacon, egg and beans. We then headed to the beach for our first attempt at surfing in over a year. I think it was a successful attempt too. I managed to stand up on my first try and I think I was more surprised than most. At least it made me feel less of a fraud having spent the first hour in the sea teaching Beccs how to catch a wave and stand (yes stand) for her first experience of surfing. By the time we got back to the tents it had clouded over and the heavens fell in so we zipped ourselves in to chill out for a few hours.

Charlie arrived to make us a party of nine. In true group camping style we had a game of rounders on some incredibly slippy grass which made it all the more fun. There was less skill and more sliding involved plus a very graceful face landing courtesy of Amy M before the game finished in time for dinner at the other local pub.
Sunday we packed up the tents, ate another hearty breakfast then made our way to Woolacombe beach. In true extreeme sport style James managed to get dragged along the beech by a kite, ripping his best pair of jeans in the process much to everyones amusement. Unfortunately I missed the whole spectacle but it does mean a shopping trip is now in order. A little surfing, some cloud bathing and a sandy BBQ later it was time to make our way home.

My 28th Birthday

2011-08-06T23:10:00.008+01:00

This week has been a good one, I have been pretty busy but mostly it has been fun. On Monday Charlotte and I met up in Camden in London. Charlotte had been given a voucher whilst shopping in Colchester to have her hair and makeup done with a friend followed by a photo shoot. It seemed a great excuse to meet up and have a day out in the capital.

Photos

I was first to have my hair and make up done. I asked to have slightly wavy hair but not too boofant. Afterwards Charlotte said she wanted something simular but challenged the guy to get some volume into her hair. I have never seen so much back combing. It did look great though. We then had our photos taken. I think the lady took about 60 or so. We had taken our own clothes and we had about three changes of outfit. Some of the pictures were taken with us

together but most were individual. Most of them were incredibly cheesy but some were nice.

The most difficult it was choosing what pictures to keep and which to get rid of. We were able to have one free one each and naturally the others were pricey. The lady tried to do us a deal to make us buy lots but we were having none of it. Didn't really want to part with any cash. Eventually we came back with four. An individual one each. A picture of us together and Charlotte had an extra one.

From Camden we went onto Covent Garden where we had a wander around the shops. Charlotte knew of a good milk shake shop in the market area. I had a maltesers shake whilst watching the string quartet playing 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba'. Afterwards we went to get some dinner. We made our way to a morroccan resturant called Souk Medina which is just off Neal Street. We both failed miserably to eat all of our huge tagines but they were delicious.

Dinner finished in perfect timing for us to wander around the corner to the theatre where we watched 'The Woman in Black'. It was amazing. The theatre was small but we had great seats, right in the middle near the front. The play is an old fashioned ghost story. There are only two actors and it starts off as a comedy but turns into a mild horror. There was a lot of suspense and it was quite jumpy but probably one of the best shows I have seen in the West End.

The next day was my birthday. I met up with Kelly for a light lunch and then James and I went out in the evening for dinner. We went to a new Thai resturant in Petersfield. The food was lovely, definately somewhere to visit again.

Wednesday I started my new job in Stroke rehabilitation. It is such a novelty being able to leave the hospital at 5pm each day and have most of my weekends off. A different world from working in MAU. I finished off my week on Friday with a BBQ in the back garden with a group of friends. I think in summary I seem to have eaten loads this week, perhaps I ought to go for a run.

France June 2011

2011-06-16T14:36:00.011+01:00

At the beginning of June it was time to go back to the South West of France again to stay at Maison de Pruniers. This time I went with James, Charles, Sarah and Nick. Again it was an opportunity for the boys to drive their cars so we caught the fast cat ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre and then drove over 600 miles along the auto routes to the house close to Moniestier.

For more pictures click here.

This year we were not so lucky with the weather as we have been in the past but we still managed to get out an about. We started the week by visiting a market in Duras where Charles suffered after eating some seriously strong cheese and Nick was ripped off by a market seller who chopped off an enormous chunk of cheese for him to buy. Sarah and I both bought ourselves a shopping basket each which seems to be what the locals use instead of plastic bags. That afternoon we drove to Chateau Monbazillac to taste some wine and replenish our stocks of their desert wine.

The next day we decided that considering it was our third visit to this house which is built on the grounds of a golf course that we must have a go at some golf. None of us thought we were good enough to play properly so we hired some clubs, some basket of balls and hit the driving range. It was good fun but just proved we were not good enough to play properly. I had to make several attempts before even hitting each ball and when I did who know what direction it would go in. I did get one to go more than 50m though which I was pleased with. Charles was our big hitter though making a distance of more than 300m. Though even he had no control of the direction.

One day we drove for an hour along winding country lanes to go for lunch at Sarahs uncles house. He retired out there in his early fifties a couple of months ago. His house was beautiful, a converted old farm house. They had added a tennis court, swimming pool, conservatory, summer house complete with bar and two areas where there family can stay when they visit. However it seemed her uncle was most proud of his wine cellar which was complete by a small table and seating area for tasting. Someone said when we got home that unless you see places like this then you have nothing to aspire to.

After leaving his house we wandered into the picturesque local town which was built on top of a big hill, from which we could see a huge house in the distance. That house turned out to be Chateau Biron which we wandered around later that afternoon. We were all slightly spooked by the torture chamber in the basement of the house until we found out it had been set up as a film set and was entirely props.

Sarah, Charles, Nick, Me, James.

We jointly decided that one day we would like to spend some time in Bordeaux. Charles has a friend who was a student there a few years ago and had recommended and area with some good bars and restaurants. We decided that we would get two rooms in a local cheap hotel so we could all enjoy some wine with dinner. The hotel for the five of us was cheaper than a taxi would have been. Before getting some food we went to see the fountain alongside the river which essentially is water over the pavements which reflects the ornate buildings behind it. There were lots of restaurants to choose from but we chose one that seems traditionally French. We all agree it was the best meal we had. Starting with a pate of choice, followed by either duck or pork with roasted potatoes, pureed swede and accompanying sauce and completed with profiteroles or crème brulee. Yummy! From there we wandered on and found a lovely wine bar with a difference. It had life size trees in the middle, overstuffed ornate French furniture and sold only wine. Just as well James had started to try some of the local wines and was managing to no longer pull strange faces.

On our way home from Bordeaux we made a stop at St Emillion for lunch. Unfortunately there were no wine tours that day but we had a wander and Charles and Nick bought some grape vines to bring home instead.

On Saturday we went into Ste Foy La Grande to the market. It was the biggest, busiest and best market I have been to in France. Lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and other stalls with clothes and jewellery. I managed to buy a bag full of fresh cherries for next to nothing.

On the Sunday we got up early to make our way back to the ferry port. The funniest bit of the driving was getting through the tolls. As there were five of us there was always someone in a car on their own making it pretty difficult to reach to pay.

James' 28th Birthday.

2011-04-23T09:58:00.005+01:00

Trying to keep anything a surprise is nearly impossible. I decided to book an activities afternoon for the day before James' birthday back in February. Of course by the end of February he knew exactly where we were going even if everyone pretended he didn't. On Sunday the 17th April we Myself, James and a group of friends made our way to the new Go Ape course near Southampton. We were lucky to have beautiful weather for April. I'm sure the afternoon would not have been nearly as fun if it were raining.

More photos.

When we got there we were taught how to use our harnesses and how to link them to the safety lines. We also had the Go Ape mantra drummed into us: 'Always stay attached'. It didn't take long for us to realise why. We made our way around a course that consisted of wobbly ladders to climb into the trees, lots of obstacles to make our way over in the tree tops and several zip lines to bring us back to ground level. Possibly the scariest moment was just before doing a Tarzan jump. Basically I hooked myself up and jumped before I could chicken out. The rope had slack in it so I dropped about 3 feet before swinging several meters to land in a net suspended in the trees. I only discovered later that the deep breath I take before jumping only helps me scream.

The last obstacle was a series of ropes that you had to walk across, suspended up near the tree tops. One of my friends insisted that I had to talk her across because she was starting to feel sick being so high up and couldn't look at her feet in case she saw how far away the ground was. I think several of us discovered we were not as happy with heights as we thought we were. I think we all had good fun though.

To recover in the evening we made our way to Emsworth for a BBQ and birthday cake in the back garden. All in all a fun day though possibly not a surprise for the birthday boy.

Thailand

2011-03-15T15:24:00.008Z

I think James and I have decided to make it a regular event that we go on holiday during February so that we can get away from the worst part of the winter and find some sunshine to make us cheerful again. This year there was no hesitation in deciding where to go. James' brother Stuart moved to Thailand at the end of last year with only 4 days notice to start a new job. Naturally Thailand became the perfect destination.

We flew into Bangkok where we stayed for the weekend. Inbetween suffering from a touch of jet lag and in James' case some food poisoning we did manage to visit the Grand Palace and Khaosan Road. This is an area visited by backpackers and we met a guy on holiday from Amsterdam and a girl from Eastbourne. We had a great night out in a bar with live music that overlooked the road. Unfortunately for James this inspired his street noodles which he classed as an Asian version of Kebab.

Click here for photos

On the Monday morning we flew to the island of Phuket. We were collected from the airport and taken by taxi the the Lim Han pier where we waited for a boat. The only way I can describe the first sight of The Village Coconut Island is if you imagine what paradise would be. I had heard about the island and seen pictures on the website. However for some reason I was still amazed by how perfect and beautiful it looked. They have a small pier which enables you to walk from the boat, across a white sandy beach, under the palm trees and to a golf buggy which we were driven to the reception in. We were then told about our upgrade. Thanks to Jess who had helped us book the accommodation in the first place we were upgraded to a three bedroomed villa complete with its own private swimming pool. Very luxurious. We did make use of the pool too swimming every day as a way of cooling off in the evening.

Every day was hot and we experienced some fantastic lightening storms during the evenings. The worst was whilst we were eating dinner at a restaurant at the Han Lim pier. This particular restaurant did not have walls only plastic roll down shutters which seemed designed to keep out light showers. Not torrential monsoons like we experienced. Most of the customers had to move seats to the centre of the dining room away from the rain whilst the staff got soaked fighting to keep the shutters in place. We waited until the rain stopped before going to get the boat back to the island. Whilst standing on the pier we saw some stunning lightening that spread horizontally around the sky several times. We found out from Stuart that one of the islands boats had been rescued from sinking and a couple of trees had also come down during the storm. My only casualty was the book I had left by the pool which took the rest of the holiday to dry out.

We went on a few evenings out with Stuart into Phuket and Patong. It was good because after several months living there he knows some good places to go. We ate some great Thai food played some serious Jenga and also had the best muscles I have ever eaten in a Belgian restaurant that specialises in European beers. Having said all that, my favourite food of the holiday was the Thai food on the menu at the Village where we were staying. Full compliments to the Canadian Chef who has been living there 8 years.

On the Wednesday we took a boat to the island opposite Coconut island. The beach there was perfect and as it was also the site of a pearl farm. Thursday we got up early to go on an activity day. In the morning we stopped off at an area to see some wild monkeys before going white water rafting. The rafting was slightly reminiscent of the River Rother Rafting Race. There must have been 30 plus rafts on the river and it was therefore like bumper cars on the way down. As the water level was fairly low in the river small dams had been built to collect water so they could be opened as the rafters go past. It was good fun.

Next was the Elephant treking. James and I were on the same elephant with its driver. However it was not long before the driver got off and let us sit further forward on the elephant. I was at the front and had to tuck my legs behind its ears. It wasn't the most stable I have ever been but the elephant did seem to hold its ears back while we were going down hill as if holding me in place. I was still greatful for James holding me on around the middle. All the elephants used for the tourist trade had been rescued from the logging industry. I think ferrying tourists around the forest must have been favourable to them than hauling logs around all day every day. Last on the agenda for the day was to ride a quad bike around the rutted roads of the forest.

On the Saturday we went for a kayak around the islands next to coconut island. We managed to find a deserted island with an old bar on it that had long since been forgotten about. We also found a empty beach that was worthy of a picture or two. We had been told to get the kayak back to the island by 5pm to account for the tide. Unfortunately we should have got back slightly earlier. We discovered that when the tide goes out the mud it uncovered is very simular to the mud found in Emsworth. Thick, black and sticky. Getting the kayak in did give the people on the beach a good laugh.

Sunday we set off early again to meet a boat for tour of the island at Phang Nga. We motored out to some of the most beautiful surroundings I have ever seen. The water was flat calm with a slightly greenish tint. Small islands rose out of the water almost like mountains. There were lots of them and we got to explore them in kayaks. I can only assume the landscape was the inspiration for the floating mountains in the film Avatar. We also went through some caves that led to an enclosed mangrove which was very scerene. As the tide was high we had to lie down at times to get through the caves in the kayak without bashing our heads. One of the islands was James Bond island which was filmed in 'Man with the Golden Gun'. As there was a small beach opposite it we were able to get some reasonable photographs. The only shame is how touristy the beach had become. It was lined with stalls selling cheap mementoes. The afternoon was spent on yet another beautiful beach where we were able to cool off by going for a swim and drinking pina colada out of coconuts.

The last day we went for a bike ride around Coconut island. Having managed to avoid being bitten by mosquitos for most of the holiday in the space of 2 hours I got thoroughly munched. We cycled (well walked) up the steepest hill ever seen, which is a lot coming from someone who has treked to Everest base camp. When we got to the top we found there was no where to go except back the way we had come. A lot of hard work but the reward was possibly the best view on the island.

Week in Bodrum

2010-10-26T14:19:00.004+01:00

Its October and therefore time for a week somewhere in the sun. James had to do some diving to get a development week off work so we started looking around the Mediterranean for places to go. Egypt priced us out again so the other options were Tunisia and Turkey. As the Government is currently advising against Tunisia due to the risk of kidnapping that left us with Turkey. It may have been last on the list but we found it to have been a great choice.

As before when we went to Cyprus we booked a cheap deal on the internet. This time however we were more careful with the location of the hotel. Close to Bodrum but also next to a marina with some Diving schools in a village called Turgutreis. Once we had booked it we discovered two of our friends, Jules and Sam were going to be on a sailing holiday in Turgutreis too. When we arrived we left the airport to find the transfer company. They looked at our forms and said 'Your hotel is closed'. However the company have changed you to another hotel. We didn't have much choice at that point but to go to the new hotel as it was gone midnight.

More photos

The new hotel was called the Bodrum holiday resort and spa. It was apparently a 5 star hotel and was pretty good. Not the same type of 5 star you would get in the UK but good none the less. However it was based on the other side of Bodrum. Even better though it had a diving school attached, based on the hotels 'private beech' which was a area on the waters edge, though not sandy.

We spent the first day getting acquainted with the area and made our way into Bodrum to have a look around. Bodrum was probably originally a fishing town based on the South East Coast of Turkey. It now is bustling harbour town obviously thriving on the tourist industry and yachting industry. Whilst we were there it was the week of the wooden boat festival. As a result the harbour was lined with hundreds of traditional looking wooden yachts which effectively surrounded the castle sitting at the midpoint of the harbour.

On our second day we took the bus into Bodrum and then another bus out the other side to Turgutreis to meet Jules and Sam on their boat. They had gone for a holiday with Sunsail so we joined them on their yacht for a day and went sailing. It was lovely. Really good weather, the first they had during their holiday. Jules has done his yacht master qualification but said he had stretched his sailing capability during the holiday because of the storms they had been through. The day we sailed though the sun shone and there was a light breeze, perfect for making our way under sail to a nearby village just round the coast called Gumusluk.

When we got there the small pontoon was full so we tied up to a buoy before getting into the dinghy to go ashore. Despite best efforts Jules could not get the outboard running so instead we paddled the short way to the restaurants lined up along the beech. We ate lunch of fresh fish before Jules and Sam attempted to wade to a small island which had sunk after an earthquake. James and I decided to save the camera and stay in the dry. We did get some funny pictures of them before they gave up and waded back. We had time for some more sailing before heading back to the marina for some drinks and some dinner.

Jules and Sam

The next day we had a relaxing day at the hotel before heading into town for some dinner. Being around the hotel for the day meant we had a chance to book the diving for the next two days. James booked the deep diver course and I booked the Advanced Open water course which is the natural progression from my previous qualification. The Advanced Open Water means you do five dives of different specialities. On the first day we boarded the boat and motored off to a local island that had some good diving sites. James and I dived together for the first day. Both of us did a deep dive to 34m and had a look at a plane wreck. The afternoon dive was to 25m and through a ship wreck. We discovered later on that both the wrecks had been sunk artificially by the Turkish government to provide some good diving sites. The dives were good and felt happy and comfortable in the water. The only problem was how nauseous I felt once I got out of the water and back onto the boat. Strangely I think it was the diving rather that the boat which made me feel ill. I did recover quickly though.

The next day we took the boat out again to do our third dive together. This was to practise buoyancy control at different depths. I discovered it is very difficult to laugh under water with a regulator in your mouth. I had got my weight balance right and now could float still, suspended in the water without floating up or sinking down. However for some reason whenever I tried to hold both my flippers in the crossed legged position I rolled backwards so my head was down and feet pointing up to the surface. The more I tried the funnier it got until I eventually gave up. My third an fourth dives I did with just the instructor as James had gone off to do another deep dive. I did a navigation dive and learnt how to use a compass underwater. I also did a fish recognition dive which was more of a recreational dive looking at the local marine life.

The next day was Sunday and after all the diving time to relax I thought. I booked James and I into the spa to have a Turkish bath and massage. I have never been to a spa before and thought whilst in Turkey why not. It was good. We started with a few minutes in the sauna before lying on a hot plinth for a scrub. They then covered us in bubbles squashed out of a giant muslin bubble before a brief massage and rinse. We then dried off and had a long massage before finishing off with a face mask. The whole thing lasted about two hours and was great.

Monday was our last whole day and as we had to check out a midday we had planned to head into Bodrum to look around the castle. When we got there we found the castle was open every day except Mondays. We headed to the tourist information shop to find out what else there was to look around. We were told that on Mondays all the museums and monuments are closed. We had no option but to head back to the hotel to read by the sea. Not a bad option to be honest because it was nice and hot. At just gone 10pm our transfer arrived to take us back to the nightmare that is Bodrum airport and before too long we were back in the freezing temperatures that is the UK.

The River Rother Raft Race

2010-09-05T21:24:00.010+01:00

For the last couple of decades the August bank holiday has brought a host of strangely dressed people with oars and barely floatable, home made rafts, to the banks of the River Rother. This year I joined them for the first time and James made his second appearance. We used rafts put together by some of James' school friends a few years ago. We knew they had been tried and tested but they had since been altered and freshly painted so we didn't actually know if there were enough oil drums to stay buoyant under our weight.

Mark, James, Me, Sally, Robin, Richard.
Click for more pictures

On the Saturday afternoon we went to stay with Robin who had maintained the rafts and we were joined by all the other rowers and their partners. After a few last minute adjustments involving a power drill to attach some seats and brute force behind a hammer to bend a final piece of aluminium into shape it was off to the pub for a team building evening.

Sunday was race day. We were woken early by the cockerel outside. Very early that is. After dressing up in our costumes of Weston theme we sat down to a hearty breakfast of toast, bacon, home grown tomatoes and eggs laid by the chickens in the back garden. We then were off to load the rafts into the horse box before making our way to the Cowdray ruins near Midhurst, where the race was to start.We were not the first to arrive. Already there were many rafts of different shapes and sizes laid out on the grass with their oddly dressed rowers and the public milling around. A photographer was also taking photos of all the groups for the Petworth Observer. There is a strange picture of us all running towards the camera which made the paper. It wasn't long before the race was due to start so we made our way to the edge of the river. There was a minute between each raft starting off to cheers from the spectators who were standing all around the banks of the river. Sally and I watched James and his team row off then climbed onto our own raft.

Success it floated! We then paddled onwards. Sally had fallen from a horse the morning before onto her right shoulder. When it was x-rayed in A&E she was told she had chipped some bone and probably pulled some ligaments. However she couldn't be convinced not to row so with some diclofenac and lots of determination and, lets face it, stubbornness, we paddled hard for the whole 3.75 mile course. It was great fun. We tried hard to catch up with the boys who we could see not far from us on several occasions. We overtook several rafts and had small battles with others who insisted on trying to soak us with water. Along the banks spectators were throwing water at us, all with good humor. There was one guy standing on top of a bridge with a bucket on a rope. He lowered the bucket into the water scooping some up before pulling it back up and throwing it on us. Someone on that bridge also had brown sauce which wasn't quite so funny. Made my hair smell really odd.
The most fun part of the course was the fish ladder. A series of about 6 steps with deep pools in between designed to catch fish. Sally was the pro having rowed the race several times before and advised rowing as straight and fast as possible down these steps. We did it. The crowd cheered us. The guy standing in the water at the bottom of the ladder then gave us a little push because we were hooked on something and we were off. The next obstacle involved us getting off the raft to lift it over some rocks after which I ended up chest deep in water. The rest of the course was more straight forward with only reeds, rafts and trees to contend with.
Sally and I finished in 2 hours and 1 minute, apparently 1 minute faster than the boys. We climbed up the bank of the river aided by a rope whilst a tractor was used to lift out the raft. We were soggy and shattered but had both had a great time. As had the boys. When all but one of the other rafts had finished the winners were announced. Sally and I had come first out of four in our group. The boys had come 4th out of fourteen. We were presented with a trophy which we can add our raft name to. 'Two rowed out' will be remembered in years to come on the trophy.

Isle of Wight in a Day

2010-07-25T15:41:00.007+01:00

Having lived on the South Coast and been able to see the Isle of Wight from the shore most days I thought it was high time I payed the island a visit. James and I booked a day trip on the ferry from Portsmouth then did a search on their tourist website so we could decide what we could squeeze into one day.

Pictures

We started by turning left as we came out of the ferry terminal so we could drive around the island in a clockwise direction. The first stop was a windmill in Bembridge . Unfortunately it didn't open until 11am but we jumped the fence so we could walk around the outside. It has been reconditioned and was huge. It was perched on top of a hill so there was also a good view of the surrounding countryside.

Next stop was some disappointing botanical gardens at Ventnor. They were attached to a garden centre and a lot of it appeared to have died. From there were got a pub lunch of fish and chips before driving to see the Needles on the eastern tip of the island. We must have picked the windiest day of the year, it was almost impossible to hold the camera still. Whilst the Needles were good to look at there was an old 50's style funfair and some tacky tourist shops aimed at selling rock and filling glass bottles with coloured sand. It was a shame because it made the whole area look run down and slightly cheap.

From the Needles we drove into the centre of the island to Carisbrooke for what turned out to be the highlight of the day. Carisbrooke castle was interesting to look around and seemed to have been kept in good condition. Charles the first had been imprisoned there prior to being executed on the orders of Oliver Cromwell among others.

From Carisbrooke we went onto Cowes for a wander around the town and dinner before making our way back to the ferry port. Although it was a good day I came away with the feeling the Isle of Wight was a bit run down. A lot of work needs to be done to the worn roads and considering tourism is one of their main industries their attractions could do with some work too.

France 2010

2010-07-02T12:47:00.010+01:00

On the 26 June James and I were lucky enough to set off for France to stay in Maison de Pruniers for the second time on the grounds of the Chateau de vigiers close to Bergerac. This time we were accompanied by Charles and Sarah. A lot of preparation had gone into the trip. As the boys had decided it was their opportunity to travel in style, though not necessarily in comfort, it was the goal for both of them to have fancy cars in time for the holiday. James sorted this out by February this year when he invested in his canon red Lotus Elise 111R. Charles however cut it close by finding his Mercedes SL500 at the end of May, it did however put a permanent smile on his face. We again took the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, this time fast cat, and true to it name it was. From Caen we drove to the house in about 9 hours which includes a few short stops and some lunch. Even though I knew what it looked like the house is still impressive and the surroundings beautiful. I think the others felt the same.

Pictures from France

Having spent so long travelling on the Saturday we decided Sunday was to be a day of rest. All we did was visit the supermarket to stock up on cheese, meats, breads and pudding of course. This seemed to set the tone for the rest of the holiday during which we all felt continuously full having eaten so much. The rest of the day was taken lazing around the pool, watching England crash out of the world cup and watching some of the tennis from Wimbledon. Such a hard life.

During the rest of the holiday we made an effort to spend lots of time in a similar way with many hours whiled away by the pool reading, playing cards and chess. We did however go on a few day trips. On Monday we made our way to Ste-Foy-la-Grande the local town for lunch and a stroll along part of the Dordorgne. On the Tuesday we drove to St Emillion to sample some of the local wine following a tour around an old limestone quarry beneath a chateau. The wine at St Emillion is so good because of the water drainage the limestone plateau the town is built on provides. However the limestone was also good as a building material so for many years it was quarried and shipped to Bordeaux until this was made illegal to protect the wine industry. The journey back from St Emillion was fun too. We had all squeezed into Charles car, and I do mean squeezed. It only has little seats at the back so the front seats have to be moved as far forward as possible to get everyone in. You then sit slightly wonky in the back to get your knees in. Whilst driving home Charles went over a hump back bridge slightly too fast and the roll bar on the back of the car popped up. I was lucky but poor Sarah got a thwack to the back of her head. At least it worked I guess.

On the Wednesday we went to the market in Bergerac. It was a large market surrounding the church in the centre and had everything from fruit and vegetables to meat, breads, clothes, jewellery and wicker baskets. From there we drove a little South to the Chateau at Monbazillac. It is a 400 year old house and was interesting to look around. We also tasted some of the sweet desert wine they produce there. Surprisingly even James liked it so we had to invest in a couple of bottles.

On Thursday we hired two canoes and had a paddle along the Dordogne from Bergerac to Gardonne. The French girl we hired them from apparently used to live in Bristol, a few doors down on the same road as Charles had when he was at University. Proof the world is smaller than it used to be. The canoeing was good fun though a little on the hot side. The whole time we were in France the temperature ranged from about 30 to 38 degrees. Hats and suncream have been a must and we have all come away with slight panda eyes from our glasses. For the most part we were able to drift along the river because the current in the centre was so strong. Along the edges of the river where there was shade the water was much slower so paddling was required. It was fun to paddle against the current in the centre of the river. With two people rowing as hard as we could we only managed to move a few meters up river.

Friday and Saturday were rest days. On the Friday night we caught the train into Bergerac for some dinner which we followed with amazing ice creams from a shop with almost too much choice. I went for the blackcurrant flavour in the end which was amazing. One I think I will try at home with my ice cream maker. Saturday morning Charles and I drove to the train station to collect his car. I was insured on James car for this trip so I could have a go. On the way back we found the road to be blocked by about a dozen horses which had escaped from a nearby field. As a result we took a long and unsuccessful diversion to see if we could find the back entrance to the Chateau. Of course we couldn't so had to go back the normal way once the horses had been moved by the police. We had been gone so long that we found James wandering towards the chateau entrance thinking I had driven his car into a ditch.

A few evenings we had thunder storms after dark, though it didn't really rain. We stood out and watched the lightening in the distance several times. Others nights it was so warm that we sat out and watched the stars, even watched the moon rise on one occasion. Jackets were not needed at all and it only got dark after 10pm each day.

Sunday we had to get up at stupid o'clock in the morning to catch the ferry at Caen in the afternoon. We made such good time that we managed to sit on the beach in Caen with a picnic before starting the trip back to the UK. We sat on deck with cocktails in the sunshine before having a posh buffet dinner. Traveling by ferry is far better than air travel I think. As we came closer to the UK the skies became overcast and the water more choppy. Easy to tell we were nearly home.

Tower of London

2010-06-25T16:15:00.004+01:00

Yesterday evening James, Sarah, Charles and I started our holiday early. As Charles' dad is in the army we managed to get invites to a Champagne party at the Tower of London which is his base.

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We travelled up on the train with gin and tonics provided by Charles, then caught the tube to the tower. It was nice to go and see it all without loads of tourists around. It was also nice to have an excuse to dress up. After the Champagne we made our way round to St Catherines dock for a pizza dinner before getting a lift home with Charles parents.

Friends Reunited

2010-06-21T19:31:00.007+01:00

This weekend Lucy, Lee, Jez and Ashmai came to Emsworth. It was the first weekend since the beginning of August 2008 that everyone managed to be free at the same time. Thankfully we have a big enough house that there was room for everyone. Lucy and Lee arrived first from Cambridge closely followed by Jez. We started with some welcome drinks before having a wander around the mill pond to show them the best of Emsworth. On the Saturday evening we went for dinner to Nicolinos the little italian resturant with mammoth portions. It was a leisurely meal that left us full to bursting point. Jez even treated us to some bubbles to celebrate our get together.

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On the sunday I woke early to collect Ashmai from the train station. When we got back to the house the others were just getting out of bed. It didn't take long to get ready though before heading off to West Wittering beach with a picnic. Jez had brought a frisbee with him which it turned out too windy for, but we did have a go. Whilst Jez and Lee went off to get a football James had a go at flying a kite and the girls had a good catch up. We were not expecting the huge red and black football the boys returned with. Only when they got closer did we realise it was a beach ball. That was also quite light and got caught in the wind, not before Lucy and I had a chance to show off our girly kicking skills, or lack of as the case may be.

Jez also had a go at flying the kite before challenging Ashmai to a run around East Head, the natural sandy Spit that makes up West Witting beach. Ash did really well and got all the way around only to let Jez do it a second time. Far too much energy for his own good.
After a few hours on the beach we headed back to the house to have a BBQ, not that we hadn't eaten enough already. Most of it was healthy though. Whilst I was getting the food ready James took everyone out for a ride in the Lotus. Better before they had eaten I thought. By the time dinner was over and we had taken a few photos it was quite late in the evening so I took Ashmai and Jez back to the station for their trip back to London. Lucy and Lee were staying another night so they would have a shorter trip to the airport the next day as they were off to Kenya for a week. We finished the evening in the Coal Exchange.

All in all a lovely weekend with good weather and great company. A far overdue reunion. We have promised not to leave it so long again and plan to see each other more regularly too.

Camping weekend

2010-06-13T22:02:00.006+01:00

Having cancelled a trip to Croyde in Devon last year due to rain, James and I made it there this weekend. After two days we were joined by Stuart and Nick. We were lucky enough not to have a spot of rain so camping was good fun.

We stayed at the same campsite as a few years ago but this time we were joined by a group of ducks whilst setting up the tent. The first evening we went for a wander on the beach then ate an enormous dinner at the local pub before watching gladiator 2 (erm Robin Hood) at an old fashioned cinema in the local town.

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The next morning we woke early because it was so hot in the tent. Then following a breakfast cooked in the tent we drove to Woolacombe beach as Croyde had no waves. It was lovely and warm so it made for a nice afternoon. I had my first go at surfing in what must be around two years and managed to stand very early on so finished the afternoon feeling very chuffed with myself. James an I then climbed up a sand dune on Croyde beach to watch the sun set. About 9.30 we were joined by Stuart and Nick so had some drinks before bed.

On the Saturday we went to Woolacombe again to have a surf. There were very few waves but it picked up a little in the afternoon. I managed to stand several times again before heading back to the tent. After another enormous meal we caught a cab into Woolacombe again to visit the local club. Well the only club in Devon it seems. Not great to be honest but we did get to dance a little.

The last day we had to pack up camp by 11am. After this we had the mandatory pasty before sitting on Putsborough beach for the afternoon. Lots of sun but no surf, it was still a lovely afternoon. All in all it was great to get away. Although I have only spent 4 days in Devon I feel as though I have been away on holiday because the weather was so good. I have even caught some sun, can't quite say I am brown though.

Splashing about in the summer

2010-06-13T21:52:00.004+01:00

We have finally had some reliable sun this year and as a result we have all made an effort to get out on the water. Having threatened to get a kayak for several years now I have actually got around to doing it. I bid on ebay and managed to win a bright yellow kayak.

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Apart from being very heavy and needing two people to carry it to the water, it is still good fun to paddle around. Though not always in a straight line.

Nottingham

2010-05-23T21:47:00.005+01:00

It has been the hottest weekend of the year so far and James and I made our way to visit Joe and Durga on the outskirts of Nottingham. As we left after work we made a dinner stop approximately half way. The last thing we wanted to do was spend a fortune on some greasy food at a service station. Instead we took a random road off the motorway and drove until we found a village. We were lucky to find one with a quaint pub set outside a large cricket green. We ate whilst watching lots of small children having cricket lessons.

Click here for the pictures.

On Saturday we made the most of the sunshine and drove a short way into the Peak District to go for a walk. Joe has recently bought himself an old red lotus. We drove in a convoy of two Lotus Elise cars, one old one new, one bright and one dark red. We walked for about three hours in the peaks. We had deliberately chosen a gentle walk along a river so we could stay in the shade for a while. There was an old lead mine shaft which we stopped to have a look at. The owner of the mine had built his house above the opening of the shaft to stop it from flooding with rain water. This house is now a ruin but it was interesting to see. The highlight of the walk was finding a beautiful field that had been allowed to grow wild. It was completely covered in thousands of dandelions, a sea of yellow.

That evening we went for a drink in Nottingham. The weather made it feel more like being on holiday somewhere in the Mediterranean. Joe and Durga suggested a top floor bar that had a large balcony so we could sit outside. Of course once home the boys insisted in ordering giant kebabs, which in Nottingham you can get delivered like a take away.

On Sunday the weather was even better. We had lunch sitting in the garden of a pub then went to take the obligatory photos of the two cars parked next together. We then left to make the three and a half hour journey home. It was so hot we couldn't drive with the roof off for fear of looking like a beetroot by the time we got home.

Family weekend part deux

2010-05-10T22:31:00.005+01:00

As is gradually becoming a family tradition Charlotte, Gail and I met up for our 6 monthly reunion this weekend. This time we were also joined by Alex. The destination this time was the not so sunny Colchester where we stayed in Charlottes new house. Charlotte moved in with a friend two months ago, then two days before we got there the number in the household doubled to four. Her housemate Dawn had bought two tiny kittens so they were obviously our entertainment for the day. In the evening we made a trip to the local Thai resturant and then onto the bar where Charlotte works on a Friday evening.

On the Sunday we had a wander around Colchester and a nice lunch before heading home in the afternoon. For more pictures click here.

Cyprus

2010-02-22T22:53:00.006Z

Well at home it is approximately zero degrees, raining sideways and just being generally miserable as it normally is in February. Perfect time to get a cheap last minute deal to somewhere in the world that is warm. This is how we ended up in Cyprus. 26 degrees in February. That will do!

The hotel is ok, seems to be a saga mecca but I guess that is because of the time of year. We are staying in Coral Bay 15 minutes down the road from Paphos in the west of the island. It is strangely quiet. Most of the bars, restaurants and even some of the hotels have closed for the off peak season. It is nice though. I'm not sure I would want to be here in the summer when it is fully of the rowdy Brits abroad.

We are a few minutes walk from the local beach. Almost empty at this time of year. Were not getting the clear blue sky we thought we might. We have been told by a taxi driver it is all dust from the Sahara dessert that makes the sky grey. When the dust clears though it is beautiful. The sun feels strong and we are able to wear shorts and skirts and still be warm. On our first day here we took a bus to the local harbour. It has been done up to appeal to the tourists and has lots of bars and restaurants. No where that seems to be traditionally Cypriot or sell just Greek food. I was a little upset when I spotted Pizza Express. It is a little like a home away from home. Everyone speaks English perfectly too. we are told the main industry here is the tourist industry and more than 90% of the tourists are British.
Day two we went on a dive. My fifth attempt at scuba. We went in off a small cliff that we had to climb down. Easier said than done when you have a tank on your back and you are carrying your flippers. I basically fell in right at the end when I slipped. Once our instructor have removed one of my flippers and then put it back on my foot the right way up We had to time it right to dive down between the waves. I struggled a little to start with I thought the water was really murky until I realised my goggles were all fogged up. Glad the instructor in Bali had made me practice taking goggles off under the water. I was able to demist them and see much more clearly. There were fish. Lots of weeds and some caverns to swim through. A very different dive to what I have done before. Were were wearing thick wet suits because the water was only 18 degrees, much cooler than diving in Bali.

Day three was our day trip day. We had to get up at stupid o'clock to be on the tour bus by 7.15am. We were the first on the bus but went onto pick up about forty or so other people. We were also the youngest on the bus by about 40 years with the exception of two other girls and one guy who seemed to be on holiday with his parents. We drove across the border into the Turkish territory. It was quiet interesting. Our tour guide was six at the time of the occupation in 1974 and told us how she was evacuated from the North of the island with her parents during the bombing. Until 6 years ago no one was able to pass across the boarder. Now though they let people with foreign passports and their guides.

Once through the passport control we went onto Salamis were there are some Roman ruins of a amphitheatre and some baths. Initially we decided not to go and see them as the price was not included with the tour. However we changed our minds and went on after the rest of the group had paid. By paying at the ticket booth rather than the Turkish guide on the coach we got in cheaper. Haha. From Salamis we went onto the walled city of Famagusta. There were apparently 160 churches within the walls of the city. Most are now in ruins but some remain. All the churches and Cathedrals on the Turkish side of Cyprus have been either pulled down or converted into mosques. We went inside an Gothic cathedral that had been converted. The crossed had been removed as had all the pews. All that remained was the shell of the building and a carpet of prayer mats inside. Outside they had built a dome onto the top of one of the outbuildings.

From Famagusta we took the bus to Ayia Napa where we stopped for lunch. The resort was built from scratch in the 90's for the younger tourists that visit the island. Prior to the occupation the majority of the tourists went to the North of the island but now all those hotels are either destroyed or owned by the Turkish. Ayia Napia was strange. It was very quiet and most of the bars and restaurants were closed. We ate lunch in a small cafe then wandered around the harbour before taking the bus back to Paphos. Rather than going straight back to the hotel we decided to get some food in town. It was our first chance to have some Cypriot cuisine. I had a meat and rice mixture wrapped in vine leaves with local vegetables and James had a classic Greek kebab.

Sunday was out last full day of the holiday. We had already discovered that no buses run and most remaining things are closed on a Sunday. Activities were pretty restricted so we had reserved this day as a lazy day around the hotel pool and beach. We did have our best meal though. We managed to find a Cypriot restaurant down the road which was open. We had a meze which was a mix of lots of meat and fish dishes cooked in the traditional way. Very nice but very filling. When we finished they bought us too small glasses of some sort of spirit. I liked mine and said to James it was like sweet dessert wine. He frowned at me and said it was far from sweet. Turns out they had brought him brandy and me a dessert wine. Spirit for the man and sweet for the girl. At least my taste buds hadn't gone mad. They were exactly the same colour though.

Have a look at more photos.

Bali

2009-12-16T16:47:00.009Z

Having done a week of busy surgical nights followed by four hours sleep, what better time to be leaving for Heathrow to jump on a plane bound for South Korea. After 10 hours 50 minutes I had a two hour stop before getting a second flight to Bali. Just over seven hours later I was walking into a very hot and sticky airport terminal. James met me at the airport and from there we made our way to Kuta, the hotel and the rest of the group already out there.

My first day was nice and relaxed. We had a wander around the market, sat by the pool and wandered down to the beach. A long strip of white sand dotted with sun umbrellas and surfers. We couldn’t walk very far without being pestered by the locals desperate to sell anything from ice cream to silver.

Day two James and I left the group and set off on a trip to Lovina in the north of the island. We stopped in several places on the way including a place where coffee was produced and a Buddhist temple. It’s there I discovered pineapples grow in shrubs. Don’t know why I always thought they grew on trees. We also stopped by the road side to see one of the volcanoes on the island.

We arrived in Lovina by mid-afternoon and booked into a hotel. It was lovely, a lot of the places in Bali seem to have little individual buildings that have a bedroom and bathroom plus the all important air conditioning. Whilst in Lovina we had a walk along their black volcanic sandy beach and ate some sea food at the local restaurants. It’s only a small place so there wasn’t a huge amount to do but we did wake bright and early the following morning to go and see the dolphins. Lots of people were doing the same. We got in a boat and motored out into the harbour. Eventually someone caught sight of the dolphins and all the boats motored off in that direction. There were lots of them including some babies but they were very quick and difficult to take photos of.

On the way back to Kuta we stopped in several places, a Buddhist temple on a lake which was pretty. I got stopped by some Malaysian tourists who wanted to take a picture of me because I was so pale and blond. We stopped at the tallest waterfall in Bali but had to go and see it with an umbrella because it was raining so hard. We also fed monkeys strawberries at the side of a road.

The next day in Kuta James, Stuart and I started our diving courses. We did a morning in the class room learning about safety and the equipment. We then spent the afternoon in the swimming pool. I was funny because the pool was at a posh hotel so all the richer tourists spend their afternoon watching us look silly in out scuba gear floating around in their pool.

The next day we made our way to Tulambon on the East coast. Our hotel backed onto the beach and in two days we did four dives from the beach. James did all of his around a ship wreck. Stuart and I did different ones. The first was directly in front of the hotel on a coral reef. The first dive was amazing. I didn’t have any difficulty equalizing my ears and breathing was easy. The coral was beautiful and there were so many bright fish to look at. The second and third dives about 50m left of the hotel and were around the wreck James was diving on. Once we saw him navigating down a rope into the wreck. The coral and fish had completely taken over the wreck so it was really interesting to look at. Our fourth dive was about 50m to the right of the hotel and was off an undersea wall. It was where the land falls away under water. It was a real test to get our buoyancy correct so we didn’t sink or float. Our instructor was very thorough. He kept making us practise clearing our masks, sharing our oxygen and emergency assents. He did look a little silly though wearing his Mickey Mouse ears and bow tie. At least we weren’t going to lose him.

From Tulambon we were dropped off in Ubud inland were we met up with the rest of the group. In Ubud we went to the monkey forest where a monkey decided to sit on my lap so it was easier to pick the beads off my bag. It was much cooler here and seemed to be a much area. There were lots of posh restaurants and bars to try.

From here we made our way to the most southern part of Bali and stopped in Uluwatu. It is where all the surfers go for the best waves. We stayed in a hotel with a beautiful infinity pool with a view of the sea and the lights of Kuta in the distance. We watched the sunset from a wooden platform off the edge of a cliff then went swimming in the pool in the dark because it was so hot. The next day we made for the beach at Padang Padang. Our last proper beach day as a group. It was a beautiful beach with white sand. I shade bathed the whole day as it was so hot but still managed to burn my ankles.

The next morning it was time to make a move back to Kuta. Stuart had decided to come home a day early and Amy was due to leave again for Australia so four of us made our way back. We had time for a day of shopping and a giant prawn dinner before catching a flight for the 21 hour trip home. We had flown from 38 degrees to 5 degrees in temperature and really noticed it.

To see more pictures click here.

New Car

2009-09-19T21:08:00.004+01:00

Well here is the replacement:

Much prettier in red I think. Thought I would take a picture of this one early on....just in case.

Car Accident

2009-09-03T18:30:00.008+01:00

Well I did promise I would put up some pictures of my new car. I didn't realise how little time I would have to take them. Just two months after I bought it I have written it off.

Whilst travelling to Emsworth from London, I was within five minutes from home when someone pulled out of a side road in front of me. I was unable to stop. Having initially hit the brakes slowing me down from 50mph to about 35-40mph I hit him in the side in the area of his rear wheel arch.

I remember thinking "Oh no my new car", the next thought was "oh air bags". I forgot I had them. They all went off, my bonnet crumpled and my windscreen cracked. When I had batted down the air bags I thought the other driver had driven off. He hadn't, just moved his car to the side of the road and then helped me pull open my car door so I could get out the car.

We called the police who had to get their pick up truck to move my car from the road. Then the insurance nightmare began. The accident was not my fault and a minibus with witnesses stopped to tell this to the police.

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My only injuries were burns from the airbags and a sore shoulder. My car was the biggest injury it was pretty mangled whilst the one I hit had some minor scratches. Moral of the story if you want to walk away from a crash drive a Seat Leon. If you want to crash in style hit a Rolls Royce!

Family Weekend

2009-07-26T19:16:00.004+01:00

We have started a new tradition. Every six months or so Charlotte, Gayle and I get together for a weekend to have a catch up. An attempt to make up for not seeing so much of each other since Charlotte and I moved away from Stevenage twelve years ago. Around this time last year Gayle and I went to visit Charlotte in Colchester. Earlier this year we stayed in Stevenage with Gayle and now finally it was my turn. They both came to stay with me in Emsworth. We started with a quick lunch then made our way out onto the water, the best way to see the real Emsworth.

Kayaking

James was kind enough to take us out on his families tin dingy, Tinnie. The tide was high in the early afternoon so we launched Tinnie from the end of James' old road. Charlotte and I started off in the Kayaks whilst Gayle and James motored to Fowley island. The island is a doughnut shape with a center containing calm and wind shielded water good for first Kayak attempts. Charlotte swapped with Gayle and James also had a go before Gayle and I pirouetted back to the shore.

Later on that evening we made our way to Portsmouth for dinner and drinks where we continued to exercise our voices. I woke the next morning croaky from all the talking... not like me at all. After a lazy afternoon wandering around the village and watching a DVD the weekend was over. Its Charlottes turn next time.

Susie and Ed's Wedding

2009-07-24T12:19:00.009+01:00

Congratulations to Susie and Ed who got married on 27th June at a lovely picturesque church in Cuckfield Sussex. They were lucky enough to choose one of the only hot sunny days we have had this year, perfect for the pictures outside the church. It was good to see friends who haven't been seen since around the time of our graduation. Whilst the families of the newly weds ate their wedding breakfast we made for a local pub for a good catch up before making our way to a party in a marquee for the evening.

For more pictures click here.

A great band made the night with lively music that ensured everyone was up and dancing the night away. There were also hot dogs to be washed down with glasses of Pimms whilst we watched a huge firework display behind the marquee.

New Home

2009-07-24T11:55:00.003+01:00

Lots of new things are happening at the moment. A new car, a new home and soon a new job. I have been lucky enough to take all of my holiday for my current job in July. Along with compensatory leave after nights and days in Leu from bank holidays worked I am only working a total of nine days in july. Perfect opportunity to move out of the grotty hospital accommodation a month early and move into a bright and spaceous, three storey town house in the center of Emsworth with James.

Its great to have spare space to have people come and visit. It is also in a great location. Less than 20 seconds from the nearest shops and local pub, its also about 100m from the sea and the same from the mill pond. When showing Mum around one evening she said 'I feel I'm on holiday'. A great contrast from living in the city of London for eight years. I'm loving it already. No more comuting, Yeah.

New Car

2009-07-24T11:43:00.004+01:00

After surviving years of living in the east end of London and being broken into on several occasions, my nine year old Punto was nearing the twilight of its life. The final straw, after months of threatening it with a replacement, was when the brakes started to fail on the way home from London. I had already booked test drives for the following morning but didn't realise I would also be buying the same weekend.

I test drove four cars to make my decision but settled on a one year old Seat Leon 1.4 sport. Larger than my last car but still small enough to park. It is far more fun to drive than my last car and even accelerates when going up hill, and with passengers in the back seat. No more leaning forward to help when overaking. Very exciting.

There does appear to be a trend starting with my cars though. My first had four gears, my Punto had five. This has six. Will they make a car with seven for my next upgrade?

Holiday in the USA

2009-04-15T00:33:00.011+01:00

After 3 weeks of wrangling I actually managed to get two weeks off work all in one go. A good amount of time to make my first visit to the States. We flew into Chicago for the start of our trip. During our two and a half day stay we had a look at some of the local sights including the aquarium and Sears Tower. However perhaps the most impressive were the sculpture called Cloud Gate and the view from the pier. Cloud Gate is a piece of modern art that I actually like and judging by the number of people looking at it, so do lots of others. The most difficult thing about it was getting a photo that does it justice. The pier where the aquarium and planetarium were gave brilliant views of the cityscape which were uninterrupted across the lake. So impressive in fact that we thought it worth a visit in the dark to see it all lit up. Even if our taxi driver thought we were mad, it was worth it.

From Chicago we drove in a hire car East towards Buffalo. The idea being to take four days and stop at anything interesting along the way. We soon discovered that interesting things were lacking so apart from a night in Cleveland we decided to speed up this part of the journey and got to Buffalo in 2 days. Perhaps the most eventful part of the drive was getting a flat tyre which had to be changed and then swapping our rubbish Chrysler for an almost as rubbish Hyundai. Oh well.

Once in Buffalo we made the trip to the Canadian border to see the Niagara falls. There was still snow on the ground when we were there so some of the best look out points were closed. Unfortunately there was ice in the water too so the famous Maid in the Mist was not running trips for tourists to see the falls from the bottom. Still worth seeing though. Strangely enough there seemed to be a lot of static on one of the viewing posts, mine wasn't the only hair standing on end. Of course as were were on the Buffalo part of the trip, we had Buffalo wings for lunch.

A day early we made our way to New York City on a night bus. It seems they have the Megabus in the States too. In our five days in NYC we made a point of seeing all the sights including the statue of liberty from the Staten island ferry, the Guggenheim museum of art, the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Times Square, China Town, Little Italy and of course Broadway. By the time we had finished in New York our feet well and truly ached. I did manage to get James to watch Chicago so I can now say I have seen a Broadway show! We also met up with one of James' friends from his time living out in the States. It was a fun night and ment we were able to see part of NYC that was off the tourist trail.

To See more pictures click on this link.

From New York we caught a second Megabus to Philadelphia. We struck lucky and were upgraded to an executive suit in our hotel which acted like a cherry on top of the cake. Whilst in Philly we visited the Liberty Bell, the museum of modern art and the Mutter museum. Of course at the museum of modern art we had to walk up the steps from Rocky and stand in Sylvester Stallones footsteps. The Mutter museum was put together by a doctor who thought the only way to study medicine was to see real diseases. Therefore it was full of jars of specimens, just on a much larger scale than the old library at university. I was surprised at how clean everything was in philadelphia. Considering it was a large City it didn't feel it. We also met up with one of James' old work collegues for dinner which was good too.

In summary,I think the most impressive thing I saw was the skyline of Chicago at night. The best meal was some amazing ribs in a small brewery/pub found in a back street in Philly - I only had the starter but still couldn't eat it all. The nicest thing was how friendly everyone was and how willing they are to help, e.g the guy who insisted on helping change the car tyre. The funniest thing was how people didn't understand what I was saying unless I spoke slowly. Seems they don't hear our accent that often especially outside of the cities. I only got an "I love your accent" once.

Prancing On Ice

2008-11-27T15:53:00.005Z

It may be the last place people think to go to in the winter but recently James and I went walking at the beach. It was freezing cold and really windy but a good excuse to dust off my walking boots from Nepal. Still had to tog up with lots of layers though. Probably looked very silly driving down there in a roofless car with hats, scarves, gloves and thermals on. However the sky was clear and the sun was out. Thats out excuse anyway. There were an surprising number of people out walking their dogs and sailing their yachts. Having bought himself an new camera on the way back from Amsterdam it was a good chance to get in some practise. Luckily the sunset gave a very pretty background to the scenery.

The beech has not been our only walking destination recently. A few weeks ago we went for a mini trek up to Kingly Vale, a hill with some impressive landscape around. While we were up there we decided to go up over the top on the hill. This meant wandering off the normal path. However it also meant we got to see a herd of deer. Initially we only saw three. Two females and a stag with huge antlers. Once they saw us more were revealed as they ran off into the woods. There were probably about ten in total. Amazing.

Last weekend was the coldest by far yet this winter. So cold that the Mill Pond in Emsworth froze over completely. This obviously gave a chance to go ice dancing, well sliding anyway. Slightly nervous at first that we would get wet feet the confidence quickly grew when a couple of 16st ish guys jumping up and down didn't make it crack. The whole town seemed to make the most of it by playing ice hockey, curling bricks with garden brooms and dogs skidding in all directions.

Last Minute Holiday

2008-11-24T21:47:00.009Z

What should you do on a long weekend? Skip the country of course. This was exactly the idea James and I had when we decided to book a last minute get away. Having surfed the interweb to find the best deal possible we made a snap decision to take a risk and go for a short break in Amsterdam in a mystery hotel. Risky you might say. However we got lucky and ended up staying in pretty nice hotel not far from the Schipol airport and a short train journey into the centre of Amsterdam.

A picture of one of the canals with an example
of some typical architecture in the background.

Once in the small city centre we made the most of being able to walk to most places though on several occasions we came close to being run over by bicycles. We went on the obligatory canal trip to get an overall view of the city sampling views of the strange tall houses they have there. We also wandered down to the Van Gough museum and had a nose around some botanical gardens.

Amsterdam is a city full of museums and loads of tourists. However it does also live up to its name. It is a very forward and liberal city and mixed in amongst the houses and shops were the brown cafe's and red lit windows it is now famed for. All very bizarre. All in all our weekend was a short trip away but definitely worth while.

My Summer

2008-09-15T22:14:00.007+01:00

Well as it has been so long since my last blogg several things have happened. The first of which was my friend Ashmai's hen party followed by her wedding. For her hen do the theme was 'the wild west' which of course meant that we all had to dress up as cowgirls complete with hats and cowboy boots. However there was one big surprise and that was Jez, who as the token male at the party, decided to go all out and dress up as an Indian including the long black wig and giant feather head dress. We must have looked ridiculous as we caught the tube to the comedy club for the evenings entertainment. Though it was all good fun.

Ashmais wedding was on the 8th August and was held at the conservatory in the Barbican center in London. Ashmai looked lovely in her dress and Ted looked great in his suit complete with blue swede shoes. Lucy and I along with some others were her bridesmaids and it was our job to make sure the isle was sprinkled with rose petals as she walked down the isle. The conservatory made a pretty backdrop for the wedding photos and when I finally manage to get mine off my camera I will put some up for you to see.

I suppose the biggest thing that has happened in the past month is that I have started work. I have moved up to London once again and am living in the grotty doctors accommodation at Epsom hospital. I have been lucky though, my surgical firm is fairly quiet compared to the medical firms that I will be doing later in the year so it has been fairly gently getting used to having to work. It is strange though finally being able to sign the prescriptions that I write rather than getting someone else to sign them for me. As a speciality urology is not bad. Very few patients seem to have post op complications and are quite often very cheerful which is nice.

Working full time (well on average just over 50 hours a week) means that I have tried to make the most of my weekends. A couple of times I have been out on the water trying to learn to sail. Its really hard, when the wind gets up I get very nervous. There are lots of expensive boats on the water I don't really want to crash into to. Lets just say that I'm not a natural, I am determined to get there though and hopefully will be able to do a sailing course during some of my holiday next year. On one of the windier days I let James show me how it is done. I'm not sure I want photographic evidence of how poor I am at sailing just yet.

The next exciting thing is I have a short week this week as I have taken a few days off work so James and I can go to Amsterdam for a short break. Hopefully it will be good fun. It is our last minute alternative to camping in Devon and going surfing. Didn't fancy our chances with the great British weather.

Graduation

2008-08-01T14:38:00.004+01:00

Well I have finally done it. I graduated on the 11th of July in the grounds of Charterhouse square which is the original setting for the St Bartholomew's medical school. In a ceremony held in a giant marquee a few hundred of us collected a certificate after a nervous walk across a wobbly stage in heels that were threatening to go over any second. Possibly the most impressive part of the day was the correct pronunciation of every ones name by the lecturer calling us to the stage.

To see other photos click here

The final part of my university career came today when I received my degree certificate through the post. So that's it then, I am officially a doctor who is registered by the general medical council and who is on call for her first ever day at work. Just my luck, I have been landed with a extra long shift where I will be on my own in the evening covering the surgical wards. Well at least I will find out fairly quickly if I can put all that training into practise.

Holiday in France

2008-07-10T11:39:00.006+01:00

I have just returned from a nice relaxing holiday in the South of France. James and I were lucky enough to spend a week in a huge house based in the Dordogne region. In the very peaceful setting of a beautiful golf course, Maison des Pruniers was large enough to sleep 6 people and had its own swimming pool, though we had it all to ourselves. Our first day there was a Sunday and we discovered very quickly that nothing was open so we were forced to sit by the pool and catch up on some fiction reading ... such a hardship... a lovely change from all those medical text books.

Maison des Pruniers

During that week we made several trips, driving into the surrounding area. We spent an afternoon in St Emillion, a hill top town that is at the center of Bordeaux's wine making industry. There we climbed a tower to get a great view of the town and some of the surrounding vinyards, followed by a tour of one of the local vineyards. We had an introduction into the process of wine making, the history of St Emillion as well as a chance to taste some of the local wine.

Looking over St Emillion

We also made a trip to the prehistoric caves at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil where we had a tour of the cave Font de Gaume. The cave was discovered in 1901 and is believed to have been first inhabited by stone age people approximately 25,000 BC. The tunnel like cave is now the only cave still open to the public that contains multicoloured paintings. The paintings included pictures of mammoths and bison. Some included carvings into the rock, others followed the natural shape of the rock to highlight features of the painting but all were more like artist impressions of the animals rather than the stick animals I was expecting. On the way back to the house from the caves we made a quick stop into Bergerac to have a short wander around the city.

Another afternoon we hired a canoe and went for a paddle along the Dordogne river. It was less hard work than we were expecting due to the fast current, thankfully we weren't going in the opposite direction. The river is wide and enclosed by all the trees on the banks so you feel enclosed from the roads running along side it.

On our final day in the South of France we made a trip to Bordeaux, where we parked the car and then caught a tram into the city center. We had a wander around the city, saw a strange fountain which sprays water onto the pavement to reflect the surrounding buildings. We also went on a climb up over 200 steps to get a view over the city from a bell tower and ate lunch in one of the cafes which spills out of the restaurant onto the street.

The fountain in Bordeaux

After packing up and leaving the house we decided to make two stops on the way back to the ferry port at Caen. First was the port of La Rochelle, a small town with lots of posh looking yachts in the harbour. There were a huge range of fish restaurants and creperies to choose from so we sampled one of each and followed them by watching the Wimbledon final in an Irish pub. Yep those pubs are everywhere!

The second stop on the way back to Caen was at the town of Vannes. In the center of Vannes there are some really old looking streets which are cobbled and have what can only be described as Tudor esk. They looked almost cartoon like as the architecture was so different from everything else we had seen around France.

It was a lovely and much needed holiday, though I have to admit although James and I made the effort to try with the French language we don't feel we have improved much. Quite often we spoke in French and got replies in English. Sometimes we managed a combination of French and English, accidentally using English words without realising. At least we tried.

Have a look at some photos from our holiday.

End of an Era

2008-06-24T15:55:00.006+01:00

Well the time has arrived. After 20 years of full time education I have finally finished with school and am about to leave the East end of London and enter the grown up world. Things have changed a lot since I was learning how to make bubble pictures by blowing through a straw into a cup of paint and washing up liquid. Three schools, one college and two universities later and I have found myself with a degree in medicine.

Admitttedly I did use the long route to get here. It may seem that I have avoided growing up and going out to work, however I think that my first degree put me in a great position to cope with the medical course. Being that tiny bit older certainly seems to gain you that extra bit of patient trust.

The last few weeks have been a little sad though. First I had a BBQ at my student house as a leaving celebration with a few of my friends. Then my family came to London to help me move most of my possessions out of the house. I am now rattling around in my room without much in the way of furniture and only the bare minimum of essentials.

It will be a shame to have to leave however it is also exciting. I will be moving onto the next stage. I have a job at Epsom hospital so I will finally be able to put a use to all that knowledge I have spent the last 20 acquiring. So amid all the promises to friends that I will keep in touch (and I will) there are mixed feelings. It is sad, exciting and nerve racking all at once though I feel it is definitely time to move on.

It is the end of one great era but happily the start of another which I am sure will be just as challenging but hopefully just as enjoyable too.

Louises' wedding

2008-06-08T14:48:00.003+01:00

Well lets just say I have been to two weddings this year and the weather couldn't have been better for either. First was Lucy's where everything was covered in a blanket of snow and then yesterday I went to louises' for which the sun came out and it was lovely and warm.

The wedding was held at Portsmouth registary office where there was a short service. Louise wore a lovely pink dress having chosen not to go for the tradidional white. However Louise always great in pink and it suited her perfectly. Following the service Kelly Charlotte and I threw some matching pink confetti over her and her new husband and then lined up for some photos.

We then all moved on to Portsmouth sailing club for some drinks, food and the speeches. The cake was made by a relative of Ed's and each tier was different to keep everyone happy. Having tried the fruit it quite upsetting that I didn't have room to try the chocolate or the madiera as it was delicious.

Congratulations Louise and Edward Goodenough.

Click here for photos

How to leave a comment

2008-05-23T09:07:00.002+01:00

I have noticed that people who comment on my blog do it by email or by text. However there is an easier way that is built into the blog. If you press the comment link at the end of each blog entry the form below is opened.

Third world hospital

2008-05-20T10:02:00.005+01:00

Having had the opportunity to spend a short while in a hospital in Nepal I can be sure when I say that if I had become ill whilst out there I would have flown home for treatment. On the day the others on the same placement started they were given a talk by the president of the hospital who mentioned that he hoped that at some point in the not too distant future they would be able to offer surgery for medical tourists. That is, people from other countries would pay to go and be treated there.

Well it only took about an hour for all of us to realise that his plan may have been a little far fetched. The standards were so far behind what is the norm and what we have come to expect in the west that it was a little shocking. All of the doctors in Nepal speak fluent English and have completed their MBBS which is the same medical degree I have from the UK. The Library even contained the same books, though several editions behind what we use here. However hygiene standards and doctor patient consultations allowed for vast improvement. The mixed male/female wards had no curtains between the metal beds and any screens were woefully inadequate, often not shielding the patient at all. Any adjustments to the bed positions were done using bricks and patients appeared to have brought a lot of their own bedding from home. I only very occasionally saw a doctor or nurse wash their hands and gloves were a rarity.

Medical discussions often took place in English and all the medical notes were written in English however I didn't once see a doctor on a ward round take the time to explain to a patient what was happening and include them in any decision making process. If the patient couldn't understand what was going on this would mean they would have no idea what was wrong or how they would be treated. Having said that I also never saw any patient complain. It was what they seemed to expect and they trusted the doctors rather than question them.

The outpatients department was another thing all together. There are no GP's in Nepal so patients go to the hospital for all sorts of ailments. However there also seems to be no queue system in Nepal either. The outpatients rooms often consisted of a doctor and an intern surrounded by patients jostling to be seen next. This of course means that everyone could hear the consultation taking place and see any examination being carried out. So much for privacy!

Perhaps the most shocking thing I saw was when I spent time on the gynaecology ward. A lady had become very sick with an infection. Yet again there was only a screen to shield her from other patients, and I'm sure you can imagine that it wouldn't stretch around the 16 doctors, nurses and students. That's right 16! I counted! So in full view of the gaggle of observers and the rest of the patients on the ward, and anyone who happened to be passing in the corridor the lady was given a gynae examination. However during the examination the consultants mobile phone rang, and she answered it. In this country the situation would probably lead to a court appearance, and quite rightly!

The whole experience made me realise how lucky I am to have trained and to live in the west.

Chitwan Safari

2008-05-12T12:28:00.008+01:00

Well on Saturday morning, at stupid oclock (well of course when else would they do anything here), I made my way through Thamel to meet the bus for my journey to Thamel. The journey went smoothly if you forget the long windey and very pot holed road and I arrived at the Maurini Sanctuary Lodge resort in time for a huge lunch. The food was good for a change and my only problem with it was the quantity. The waiter just didn't understand that I cannot eat as much as a big fat man! As I had spent most of the day on the bus there was just enough time left to visit the baby elephant in the afternoon. Soooooo cute have a look.

That evening I met a group who had already been there a day. There were two French, one French Canadian and an English speaking Canadian. I have to say I was impressed that I understood most of the French conversation though they wouldn't even let me try to speak some French which was a little annoying. The English speaking Canadian also seemed a little fed up being left out of the conversation so much and glad for someone new to talk to.

The next morning I got up to go for a canoe ride along the river followed by a safari on foot through the wooded area. It was nice to be out of the city and especially good to be under the trees as it gets incredibly hot in Chitwan I have discovered. On the safari I saw two wild Rhino and a Crocodile, plus loads of birds, butterflies and bugs. The first Rhino was at quite a distance but the second was much closer, he didn't seem particularly happy about us being there so when the guide started to run in the opposite direction, Im sure you will understand that I ran too. Didn't have to go far though for the Rhino to stop following us.

On the way back from the woods we walked via the river and I got the opportunity to go swimming with the elephants whilst they were having a bath. It was great. They are so docile and seem very happy to have humans climbing up onto their backs. The elephant sprayed water all over me several times and rolled over a few times too. However it seemed grateful for the tip afterwards. Yep I had to give the rolled up money to the elephant so it could pass it to its keeper. Very funny. Especially when it dropped it in the water and then had to fish it out.

That afternoon was time to go on the elephant safari. For this I joined a group of Austrian men who were all coming up to retirement and had come to Nepal on holiday without their wives. The elephants used for the safari were huge and we had to use a staircase to get up high enough to get onto their backs. My elephant carried four of us without any problem at all. The safari took us through the woods again so we had to avoid all the branches and spiders webs. We saw Rhino again including a mother and a baby, we were able to get really close this time because the rhino weren't bothered by the elephants. We also saw deer, crocodile, peacocks and lots of spiders... urgh!!

That evening we went to a culture show at the theatre of one of the local villages. It was good fun as they performed several of the traditional dances, many of which included hiting sticks together and one involved a spinning batton with flames lit at each end. Very exciting.

I have loads of pictures to have a nose at.

xxx

One Afternoon Two Temples.

2008-05-06T13:07:00.006+01:00

Well it would be very wrong to come to Nepal and stay in Kathmandu without making a visit to a temple or two. I managed to find a very nice taxi driver who took me to the temple called Pashupatinath. I had a guide show me around and tell me all about the place. It is a temple built about 300 years ago on the banks of the Bagmati river which runs through Nepal and into India. It is a very important river to the Hindus as it is where their ashes should be scattered when they pass away. Hence Hindus come from all over Nepal when they are old and sick to stay in the hostels attached to the temple. If they die here the theory goes that their soul goes straight to heaven.

The pashupatinath temple. The group gathered in the foreground

on the steps are unfortunatly attending a funeral.

The temple is therefore a very strange place. There are lots of tourists around but also lots of Hindus who have journeyed to prey there. There are also funerals that take place right in the middle of all the crowds (up to 65 a day), no privacy for the families. It was very sureal to see funerals taking place, with the funeral pyres burning in amongst the tourists and the monkeys that are running around. When the fires go out the ashes are swept straight into the river. You can imagine how dirty the river is. As cows are sacred to the Hindu religion people make offerings of cows to the temple. However no one looks after them. They just roam around the temple, with lots of them wading through the river and ash. Yuk!!

I then went on to my second temple of the day called the Bordnath. This temple is a Buddist temple. It was much cleaner and surounded by shops and park benches to sit on. I had no guide here but the gist is that you have to walk around the Stupa in a clockwise direction. It is thought that it was built in the 14 century and some believe that it coontains a peice of bone that once belonged to the Buddha. I sat down for a while and lost count of the number of times some of the monks walked around the Stupa. I decided to leave when a mini monsoon started and tried to drown me.

A monk making a clockwise circuit around the Bordnath Stupa

There are more pictures from Nepal, have a look.

xxx

Fantastic Weekend

2008-05-04T15:18:00.017+01:00

I have to report that despite hating Kathmandu Colette and I had a great time this weekend when we escaped the city and caught a tourist bus up to 'The Last Resort'. It is a small tourist resort North West of Kathmandu by the border of Nepal and Tibet. It was fabulous getting out of Kathmandu and the further away you get the more beautiful the countryside becomes. As it is such a hilly area all the farm land has been landscaped so for a lot of the journey we were on a winding road around hills and steps of corn or cabbages or wheat. Makes you realise how hard all the people here work to make a living/to survive.

A snap shot of The Last Resort

The Last Resort was like an oasis with luxuary tents, lots of trees and some nice food for a change. When we got there we dropped all our things in the tent and then got changed to go for day one of canyoning. Canyoning basically translates as abseiling down waterfalls. I was nervous until I got there however there is no other way of seeing the scenery and it was so much fun there was little time to be nervous. Thankfully I have done a little rock climbing in the past so I was used to trusting my life to a rope and a metal Caribiner. They were really good there though, we had a lesson, a safety talk and the most rediculous combination of a fleece, wetsuit, helmet and leather gloves. On the first day we abseiled 6 waterfalls, the highest being 35m. So much for not liking getting water in my eyes in the shower, I had to get over that pretty quickly. It was worth it though.

The second day we were with a different group of people... the ones mad enough to do it again. Even Colette went ahead despite being scared the first day. Well what can I say. It was amazing!! We had to hike up a mini mountain to get there and when we finally did we all got togged up to look silly again. We then had the choice. Abseil the first waterfall and have to to the next seven or chicken out there and then. It was not possible to turn back! We had a fantastic group of people with us that day and it was great fun with everyone cheering each other on all the way. The highlight though was by far the 60m waterfall. Yes you did read that right 60m!! They told us as we got to it, and remember by then it was too late to turn back so we had to do it. I admit I was a little nervous as I walked backward over the edge of the cliff however by then I think I had got the hang of it and it wasn't scary as I was expecting, just a great feeling that I was capable of doing something like that. Great view too. As I neared the bottom the guide (b-lay) pulled on the rope, pulling me off the wall and leaving me suspended above a huge pool of white water. I admit my first reaction was to scream rather loudly, however that set everyone off laughing. I was quite comical as I slid down the rope half upside down where I had lost my balance! You have to have a look at some of the canyoning photos otherwise I'm sure you will never believe me.

Coming down one of the waterfalls.

That evening there was a music festival at the resort with several band playing from different countries. We all sat around on cushions listening to them and chatting to each other. Just in the groups I had been with there were Australians, a canadian an Israli and some people from the UK. A great mix. There was also a huge BBQ so good food again.

The next morning we all got up and caught the bus to go down to the river to go white water rafting. It was a lot of fun. We went down several rapids over a period of about 3 hours. I have to say though I think I was in the best of the three boats there. We were all in time with the rowing so the raft responded quickly to what we wanted to do. I may have got completely drenched as expected but I didn't fall out. I nearly did on several occasions though.

Have a look at some of the other photos from my trip to Nepal.

xxx

5 star recovery

2008-04-29T13:47:00.003+01:00

Well we have finally got back from the mountains and thought that after all that hard work it was about time to relax and recover. We therefore booked ourselves into the Hyatt, a five star hotel, for two nights (with Lorna, Colette and I sharing a room) so we could lay by the pool and eat some nice food for a change.

I was wonderful, just what we needed. Now that we can all walk again Colette and I have moved back to the flat and Lorna flew back to the UK today. Tomorrow I start at the hospital which should be interesting after all that I have heard about it from the others. It is in a really poor area right on the edge of Kathmandu and aparently they deal with a lot of tropical medicine. I will let you know how it goes.

xxx

Emily has arrived!

2008-04-25T15:01:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to Louise and Ed on the arrival of their baby daughter Emily.

Her birthday is the 21st April and she was a hefty 8lb 110z... as Kelly says "Ouch"!

xxx

I Made It!

2008-04-24T14:09:00.004+01:00

Yep as the title says I made it to Base Camp!!

Day 4 of the trek was a nice walk through the valley to Tenboche (3860m) which is home to the highest monastery in Nepal and they claim the world. We had coffee and cake at what was claimed to be the highest bakery in Nepal and then went to watch a service (monks chanting) in the monastery followed by a rapid fire talk given by one of the monks. It was very ornate inside with every surface painted with different scenes and pictures of Buddha.

On day 5 we walked to Pheriche (4270m) which was in the middle of a really desolate valley where it got really dusty and very windy, I think it was the first time we got out our scarves and hats. We have still been very lucky with the lodges. This one even had a hot shower which consisted of boiling water coming out of a pipe that turned on by pulling the pencil out of the end of the pipe. High tech eh! We went to Pheriche without Ruth and Matthew who headed for home that morning.

Day 6 was supposed to be a rest day so naturally we had to go on a leg killing walk up a mini mountain to help us to acclimatise. Collette and I had shared a room that night and only woke up when we saw a helicopter outside. After scraping ice off the window we saw that it was about 6ft off the ground and heading straight towards the window. Argh! Turns out the heli-pad was just behind our lodge. There was also a small hospital in the town so we went for a short talk about mountain sickness there which was interesting and useful but also slightly scary. Apparently they mainly deal with porters with mountain sickness because they regularly race up the mountains too quickly. Some of the symptoms can be quite scary and deadly though so the talk was well worth going to, meant we knew what to look out for.

By day 7 the hills were getting much steeper, the air getting much thinner and it was much colder. I am happy to say that I am the slowest in the group, though also the only one without a headache. On the way up to Lobuche we stopped at a tea house for a break and discovered a crowd had gathered around a girl who had been put into a pressure tent (basically an inflatable yellow sausage with a window) to bring her to a lower altitude very quickly. She had pulmonary oedema and was basically drowning in her own fluid.....very scary, all because she had ascended too quickly. Shows how careful you have to be. We carried onto Lobuche and I started to feel nauseous, I symptom of mountain sickness. So did Lorna and Hi Jade had a really bad headache. I was able to take some Diamox (my new best friend) and sleep it off in two hours. If you get any symptoms you stay at the same altitude and see if they go away. If they do you can continue, if they don't you descend.

On day 8 we set of for Gorak Shep, which is apparently where base camp used to be in the 80's. We were warned by our guide that only 60% of people can sleep there because the of symptoms of mountain sickness, ie nightmares and headaches. On the same day we tried to climb Kalapatar which is the best place to view Everest from without actually going up Everest. Hi Jade, Kelvin and I made it. Collette felt exhausted and turned back and Lorna felt too ill to try. It took me ages to get up to the top (5550m) but I did it. I nearly gave up too when Hi Jade and Kelvin passed me on their way back down, but I did it!

Me half way up Kalapatar, Everest is the black peak in the middle.
The photos at the top are not so good because I was too tired and cold to smile!

That night only Collette and I stayed in Gorak Shep as the others didn't feel well enough. On day 9 we got up with the aim of going to base camp. It was like going bouldering as we were clambering over rocks rather than walking and the last bit was over a glacier that was covered in mud and rocks. Strangely it wasn't too cold though. We made it!! There is basically a collection of tents there because people have to spend a month to acclimatise before going to attempt to summit Everest.

Collette and I celebrating making it to base camp, were standing
on a glacier with lots of tents behind us!

The best bit though was we found a bakery at base camp!! The best cookie I have ever eaten!. I think the trip was definitely worth it for the sense of achievement. You don't know what you are capable of until you push yourself. And none of my muscles are thanking me for any of it. I'm not sure its your fitness that counts, more your ability to breath thin air and ignore your crying legs which are suffering a lack of oxygen.

Were on our way back down now, and are at Namche again. Collette and I are staying here for a rest day tomorrow whilst the others (who have already had a rest day) go back to Kathmandu.

One thing I really want to know though... if it was up hill on the way to base camp, how can it possibly be up hill on the way back... because it is!

P.s have a look at some more pictures from the trek.

xxx

First view of Everest

2008-04-16T13:15:00.005+01:00

On Monday we flew to laluka which is where we were to start the trek to base camp. The flight was ok, only slightly bumpy but the landing was interesting. The runway at the airport is really short due to the landscape so it has to go up a hill to make sure the plane stops before it hits the cliff in front of it. Apparently the hill works in reverse on take off to make sure the plane picks up enough speed before it takes off. Nail biting stuff. Once we had landed we had breakfast before setting off on a 2 hour trek to our first nights lodge. ‘Breaking us in gently’ is what we were told. The first nights lodge was luxiourous compared to what we were expecting. It was in a valley alongside a river which derives from a glacier further up the mountain.

The second day we set off for a 7 hour trek to Namche which is where we were to stay that night. The walk was fine until lunch time and got much harder in the afternoon. The path started by following the river and then ascended steeply into the hills. The majority of this was so steep it was basically a huge staircase made from rock which zigzagged along the edge of a cliff. There were some slightly precarious bridges to contend with too. We have decided that the only form of exercise that might have helped with this trip would be to use a step machine at a gym for a few months before getting here.

By the time we got to Namche we all celebrated and Cami (our guide and cook from the flat) told us its is only a few minutes further which of course meant we were about to plod past the rest of the town to the lodge which was almost at the highest point. We were all very glad to get here. This lodge is more like a 3 star hotel. We have ensuite rooms with hot showers. There is a nice dining room with a big fire stove in the center to keep us warm, it gets quite cold at night. We have also found that out water bottles have a dual purpose. At night we can fill them with boiling water and use them as a water bottle and by the morning it is cold enough to drink. As a result I have been hot rather than cold at night so no need for the thermals yet.

Today is day three and a rest day so we can get used to the altitude. Namche is at 3400m. However the mantra goes ‘climb high, sleep low.’ So we did a trek this morning for an hour up a hill to get our first view of Everest. Amazing is the only word to describe it. The view makes the aching legs worth it.

Everest is the second peak from the left with the cloud to the right.
From Left to Right: Lorna, Me, Kelvin, Hi jade and Collete

We then went back down the hill for lunch and then for a wander around the market. I have bought myself some souvenirs I’m afraid. I got some yaks wool socks which are lined with fleece for when it gets cold higher up and a map which shows the route we are trekking. While at the market we also had some great chocolate cake and the lemon tea is one of the things I will probably remember most, like the mint tea in Morocco.

Tomorrow we have an ‘Easy trek’ we are told, through a valley to our next stop. We only ascend 200m the whole day and that is spread across 6 hours. Five of us are carrying on however Ruth and Mathew are giving up as they are finding it very difficult. Ruth has asthma and Mathew a cold. So far we are having a great time, it is hard work as expected but a great sense of achievement when we reach out destination at the end of each day. Only the porters put us to shame by running up the mountain carrying our heavy bags.

So far we have been lucky. It has been hot, no mountain sickness, blisters or food poisoning, fingers crossed it stays the same. This is the last stop with internet for a week or so. Will fill you in when I can.

P.s have a look at some more pictures from the trek

xxx

I'm in Nepal!

2008-04-13T15:08:00.004+01:00

Hi, just a quick note to let you all know I got here ok. Nearly managed to get a business class seat for the second leg of the journey, shame it didn't happen as it would have been much easier to focus on the TV screen which was actually about 6 inches from my eyes, never mind.

I have met up with the girls at the flat, which is simple to say the least, but will do.There is also a guy from the company that stays at the flat and cooks all our meals for us too which is great.

We're up really early in the morning for a 7am flight to get to the base camp trek start point. It's a 45 minute flight on a plane that has only 16 seats - ARGH - I've seen them they look tiny. From there we start the trek straight away but aparently they are breaking us in gently and we will only be walking for a couple of hours on the first day. Will let you know how it goes when I next get a chance. I expect that by then I will be much fitter and have got over any altitude sickness (it's ok we have tablets to stop us feeling sick - it can be useful haveing links at the hospital it seems).

xxx

Spring?

2008-04-08T09:16:00.007+01:00

If you wake up on a Sunday morning and it looks more like Christmas than April what do you do next? Go to the beach and make a snow man of course! Well after a short snow ball fight with James this is exactly what we did. Its not often that you see snow floating on the sea, or in fact get snow on the south coast but it still made a good two inches deep.

As quickly as it fell the snow disappeared and made way for what was a far warmer, sunny spring like afternoon. Perfect for another test drive of a certain Lotus Elise that has kept a grin on James' face for the past two weeks. It is pretty though!

Only a few days until I'm off to Nepal now... I'm off to pack... how exciting, oh and apparently it's much warmer there!

xxx

A real white wedding

2008-03-25T14:53:00.009Z

This Easter has been slightly busier than usual as I attended the wedding of Lucy pointer to Lee Camp.

Having rained all week everyone was praying for a little sunshine, however it seems mother nature had her own wedding gift up her sleeve. Yes that's right, not only did the sun come out during the afternoon but a thick layer of snow had settled overnight at the church, with more to come during the day to ensure it stayed nicely topped up for some photos.

I have to say that it seems the wedding went off perfectly (the only hitch being the marriage - sorry I couldn't help myself!). Lucy looked fantastic in her wedding dress as did Lee in his suit. After a modern and funny service it snowed again as we all threw confetti and then made our way to the reception. Following a delicious dinner and speeches the party started with Lucy dancing the night away in her dress.

It appears Lucy has got the fairytale she has always dreamed of. Congratulations.

xxx

P.s: Have a look at some more of the photographs from the wedding and hen night.

I Passed Finals!!

2008-03-14T16:19:00.005Z

Woo Hoo!

Well those two words basically sum it up. I have passed my final medical exams and am now free to relax and enjoy my time until work starts in August.

Oh and about that.... I'm going to be a doctor.... hard work.... responsibility.... long shifts.... on calls.... ARGH!!!

xxx

I'm Free!!

2008-03-06T23:33:00.003Z

Following seven years of study, loads of essays, coursework, clinical placements, jumping through hoops on the whim of consultants, the government and lecturers and at least three full months of solid revision my final medical exams are over. Providing the results are good on the 14th March I AM FREE!!!! Well at least for the next three weeks anyway.

Over the last six days I have managed to get through a three hour written paper and three clinical exams without going completely insane through the stress (yes I have only gone slightly mad). I now have to survive a week with the knowledge that a a bad result next Friday could ruin the next three months with yet more revision for the resits. However if it is a good result then the next few months will be bliss. Starting with a two week Easter holiday (phew), shortly followed by a six week medical elective in Nepal and then some very relaxed final teaching at uni before I start work in August.

Oh yes, and about that work that starts in August. Despite finding someone that really wanted to swap jobs with me, and a lot of unsuccessful persuading, the powers that be still said "No". It seems I am destined to spend yet another year in London commuting too and from the South....it seems things don't always go the way you want. It just means I will have to look forward to the year after.

Anyhoo...lets not dwell on the depressing....the exams are over!!! WOO!!!

xxx

Jobs vs Exams

2008-02-26T21:06:00.006Z

Wow there appears to be a lot going on at the moment, and it is all quite scary stuff.

The first is that I got my job allocation for the next two years. For the first year I am supposed to be working at the Epsom/St Hellier NHS trust in south west London, with a speciality of Urology and general (internal) medicine. The second year I will be working at St Richards in Chichester which is fantastic as it was my first choice hospital.

Obviously not so happy about my first year allocation I immediately went about trying to find someone who would like to swap jobs with me. Guess what......Success!! I came across a girl on facebook who would far prefer be in London and is happily considering letting me have her Chichester job in exchange for my London job. Just need to convince the all important bosses at the South Thames Foundation School that it is a great idea. Please everyone keep your fingers crossed for me.

The second incredibly scary thing is the final exams that are due to start on Friday....ARGH!!! I have a three hour written paper to wade through followed by three practical, clinical (in a real hospital with real patients-not just actors this year) exams next week. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to next Friday when I will be enjoying a well earned day off.

As for jobs vs exams I will leave you to decide which is the most stressful. I can't decide and think they are as bad as each other! Well better go and do some more reading....as always the more you read of medicine the more you realise you don't know. Should have studied it a few centuries ago when they didn't know so much.

xxx

Welcome to my new website!!

2008-02-12T16:45:00.000Z

I thought it was high time I got technical. So with a little......well actually a huge amount of help from my very own web designer/tech support (thankyou James for putting up with my blondness) I have managed to take my place amongst all those other modern people on the web.

A complete redesign is still in the very early stages with most of the design ideas currently ending up in the recycling bin.....trust me to be difficult and choosy. However hopefully the site will have a new personalised appearance in the not too distant future.

The site will eventually comprise of several parts. The main one will be a blog (active now) that will enable me to keep everyone interested up to date with anything exciting that happens. I thought this feature would be particularly useful when I am off travelling in Nepal. Features to come include a photo gallery and a contacts page plus one or two others.

I hope you will all enjoy having a nose around the site when it is all complete and please feel free to leave any comments.

Hope to hear from you soon.
Caroline.xx