Driving

The day I'd been dreading.  Planning to drive in France is easy, actually doing it is another story.  And things didn't get off to a good start.  We fluffed and fiddled around all morning and ended up sprinting to reach the car hire place (which is just a short 3.3km stroll away from the hotel) before noon, when it (and just about everything else) closes for lunch for 2 hours.

So, I arrive at Europcar (with fellow sprinters Daniel and Jeremy) at 11:58am hot, puffed, red-faced and in a flap.  Just the cool calm start needed for driving on the right side of the road while sitting on the left side of the car and changing gear with the right hand.  Thank god the pedals are in the right place.

So, off we go, with Steve saying right, right, just stay right, by the way you're in the gutter.  Me hitting the gutter and saying bugger.

Emergency stop - a supermarket car park for 4 quick laps and then back on the roads for aaaarggh, my first round-about, following nose to tail the car in front.  Luckily he was going the same place we were J

I am now writing this on day 3 of driving and I am an expert. Well not actually.  I'm not in the gutter any more and I've got the gear changes down pat.  Me and my little Peugeot 207 are getting on just fine.

Orleans

Bye Bye Sarah, Marc, Zoe and Benjamin. Thank you again for having us to stay. À bientôt.

And from Bagneux it was off to Orleans, which by the way is stunning ......

and which has the most magnificent Cathedrale Sainte-Croix, a gothic Catholic Cathedral built from 1278 to 1329 and then again from 1601 and 1829 after partial destruction in 1568. The cathedral is most noted for its association with Joan of Arc, who attended evening mass there in May 1428.

And after a days wandering, there's nothing better than a coffee in the market square. Steve very kindly offered to go and get them....

My coffee, Steve's coffee.

Paris - Notre deuxième jour

And we're back for more.  The Griswalds in Paris.

And then off to Le Louvre....

And then to top it all off, a juggler with a bowl of fish on his head!

Yes, that's right, fishies on his head!

Nous aimons Paris!

Paris - Notre première jour

8 stops on the RER B line from Sarah's and we're at Notre Dame! And what better way to see Paris than via a Hop On Hop Off bus.

We stayed on for the entire green circuit of Paris, the one that passes most of the main sights.  It was a hot, busy day and the tour took nearly 3 hours to complete.  Here are some of the glorious sights we saw along the way.

But Paris isn't all about gorgeous sights.

Aaargh, so many cafes, so little time!

And when cafes just aren't that interesting anymore there's always giant bubbles!

Parc de Sceaux

Phewee what a stinker.  It was hot today!  We spent the day with Sarah and the kiddies, getting ourselves sorted re money, trains, disney tickets, car hire etc (we ended up leaving Billericay in a bit of a rush), checking out Sarah's local market and visiting the beautiful Parc de Sceaux.

Parc de Sceaux

Seeing Sarah

After arriving at the Gare du Nord all that was required was a quick change from the Eurostar line to the regional RER B line and the purchase of a book of tickets to Sarah's suburb of Bagneux.

I very confidently asked the cashier (in French of course) for a book of tickets to "Bag - no" and she looked at me.  So I confidently repeated it.  She looked at me.  So I less confidently repeated it.  She looked at me.  So I very confidently pointed J.

"Ah Bah - nu" she said, "Bah-nu, Bah-NU, BAH-NU!" and made me repeat it 3 times.  I am now very confident with my pronunciation of Bagneux J.

About 35 minutes later we arrived at Sarah's house.  Whee here.  Long time no see Sarah!  And how great to meet Zoe and Benjamin and see Marc again J.  Thanks for having us all to stay!

Friends in France

On the train

After narrowly escaping a throttling naughty Daniel and Jeremy plus the angelic Emily get ready to board the super fast 300km/hr Eurostar to Paris, but not before a quick photo opportunity....

Whee hee - we're going on the Eurostar

The excitement was mounting, it was all smiles.....

All smiles.

.....for about 30 minutes....and then it started......

How much longer,  I'm hungry, why aren't we there yet, I don't like this train any more, he pinched me, she started it....

....and the response.....

Sit down and be quiet, stop asking how much longer, get your feet off the seat, behave yourselves, right - we're not going to Disneyland.  Ah ha - got 'em with that one!

2 hours and 27 long minutes later we are in Paris J

Waiting ........

I am going to throttle the kids!  We are sitting waiting for our 11:31am Eurostar train to Paris and they are running amok. Not helped by Steve stirring them up with pretend punch-ups and karate lessons.  I am pretending I've never seen them before in my life.

St Pancras International station has free wi-fi and I am attempting to escape into an electronic world where the "when are we going?" question doesn't exist.

Nope - it's not working.

I am going to throttle the kids.

Actually only two of them, one is being an angel, any guesses which one?

Our first Australian visitors ☺

Kiah, our neighbour from Evatt, and her Dad Greg popped in for a visit just in time to see Daniel and Emily having a "swim" in a big flexible blue tub.  And what swim is complete without a bit of a wallow, hey Daniel?

After a quick clean-up we headed up to the pub and Kiah had a guided tour with all three kiddies pointing out places of interest, including Iceland where we buy our ice-creams, the Blue Boar where we buy our hamburgers, Fish and Chicken where we buy our chips....

We then ended up at The Chequers Pub (where we buy our beer and shandies) and had a good old chat.  Greg and Kiah had just returned from a trip to Penzance and had also managed to squeeze in a few days in Prague.  Both sounded fantastic and are now on our list J

Happy travels Kiah and Greg, it was lovely to see you .

Kiah, Daniel and Emily on a (gasp) warm and sunny day!

Three little snippets from Billericay

1. The kiddies discover the pleasing combination of wellies and mud.

Squelch, squelch, squelch!

2. A cute, furry and very jumpy little critter at Lake Meadow Park.

Awwwww

3. My new definition of optimistic.

Steve's smalls hanging out to dry

Wonderful Waddesdon Manor

Go Steve!  Kids and sweeties and longish distance car trips are not a good mix.  So en route back home from the Cotswolds Steve looked for a National Trust place we could visit.  We're members you know! Thanks Mum and Dad - brilliant present.

Anyway - the place of choice was Waddesdon Manor, it seemed to get a bit of a plug on the National Trust site so we thought "what the heck, let's give it a go".

So off we detoured to the glorious, divine, magnificent Waddesdon Manor.  And the photos are only of the outside.  Inside was a whole other story!  We hired audio headsets and were given a run down of around 30 of the most stunning rooms imaginable.

And as a bit of background about the Manor...

Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898) bought the Waddesdon Estate - originally nothing but farmland - in 1874. He wanted a country retreat built in the style of a Loire châteaux and engaged the French architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur, to design something for him. The foundation stone was laid in 1877. The completion of the Bachelors' Wing in 1880 and the main part of the house in 1883 were celebrated with house parties of twenty guests.

Great attention was also paid to developing the Victorian style garden. The Parterre was restored and other 19th century garden features were recreated. More recently the Aviary has been renovated and the Coach House and the Stables converted into a gallery for the exhibition of contemporary art.

And so here it is, the magnificent Waddesdon Manor (can it possibly get any better?).

Art works in the garden

A bit of a laugh

Have a look here  if you'd like to see the exquisite interior of Waddesdon Manor.  Trust me it is worth it!

The Cotswolds Day 2

And just when we again thought it couldn't get any better, just have a look at this....

Broadway and surrounding countryside

Another wonderful day in the Cotswolds, highlights included eating the BEST ice cream ever, seeing a stream with water so clear you could see the trout at the bottom and visiting stunningly beautiful old villages with houses that are centuries old.

Bibury and Stow on Wold

The Cotswolds Day 1

The plan for the Cotswolds was to visit all of the old historic picture-perfect English towns that the region is famous for.  On Day 1 we did none of that.  Instead we got distracted with none other than Sudeley Castle, Hailes Abbey and Snowshill Lavender Farm.

Sudeley Castle was once home to Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII. Henry himself, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Queen Elizabeth I and Richard III all feature in the castle's history.   And check out the creepy grey face below, she is a more recent addition methinks!

Sudeley Castle

And then it was on to the ruins of Hailes Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded in the 13th century. And just in case you didn't know - the Order of Cistercians is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monks and nuns, with an emphasis on a life of manual labour and self-sufficiency.

Hailes Abbey

And then on to something a little newer and just down the road - Snowshill Lavender farm, where we got to roam through the lavender fields. The weather was terrible, but that didn't stop us enjoying the colour and smell that accompanies a massive field full of lavender in bloom. And yay - despite the wind and rain managed to get a few shots of bumble bees J

Lavender fields

Brecon and Huw and Bec's wedding

We arrived in Brecon a bit late on the 13th and blame that squarely on Blenheim Palace, it was so grand and beautiful it proved hard to leave.

We were made very welcome by Carol and Bob, who very kindly put us all up for the weekend and showed us around Brecon. The kids were in a permanent state of excitement and had all sorts of fun exploring the garden, picking raspberries and playing with Bob and Carol's pooch Frankie.

Brecon, top photo is the view from Bob and Carol's upstairs bedroom!

And on Saturday it was off to the wedding, and what a wedding it was!  Firstly we all got scrubbed up.

And then came the ceremony in the beautiful Brecon Cathedral.  The bride, groom and bridal party looked fabulous!  Not a single detail was forgotten including, of course, an umbrella for the bride.  Did I mention that it rains quite a bit over here?

And then it was on to the reception.  It was held in a palatial marquee in one of the fields of Bec's family farm.  The scenery was stunning and the paddock grass was like prize winning Australian lawn! Note the sunshine!!


Click here to read more....

Blenheim Palace

Leaving Oxford, heading towards Brecon and a last minute decision. Let's swing by Blenheim Palace. Oh my Goodness!

Blenheim Palace is currently home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. It was built in the early 1700's as a gift from Queen Anne and a grateful nation to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough following his famous victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.

Blenheim Palace is opulence and grandeur on a scale to behold, starting with the enormous front courtyard, columned entrance, arched windows and 20 metre high entrance hall, complete with a painted dome ceiling. And from there it was through to the room Winston Churchill was born in in 1894, along with an exhibition of his remarkable life in person, in the palace and in politics.

From there we took a guided tour of the State rooms, rooms that are designed to impress. And impress they did! High gilded ceilings, lavish furniture, grand portraits and enormous tapestries depicting the Wars of the Spanish Succession.

Blenheim Palace

Our guide was excellent and by the end of the tour my head was spinning with details of Dukes, Queens, Lords and Duchesses. And to cap everything off, we were treated to a recital on the most enormous organ, with pipes ranging in size from a few inches to 16 feet. The kids were well behaved, even the guide commented on their "exemplary" behaviour, and their faces were a delight when the organ playing began.

Exemplary Kids !

From the palace we headed, by miniature train, over to the Pleasure Gardens, which included the Marlborough Maze, Adventure Park and Butterfly House.  Our brief visit to Blenheim Palace turned into a 5 hour stay and we all enjoyed every minute of it.

Butterfly House

Oxford

Two nights in Oxford is not enough.  We arrived ravenous in the late afternoon and didn't manage to  complete the 30 minute walk into the city as we discovered, just next door to the hotel, the Prince of Wales Pub.  There we enjoyed a feast and the most delightful company of locals, who welcomed us with open arms the minute we stepped through the door.  And, much to Emily's delight, there were a couple of dogs and a tiny little pup in the pub.  They too are made welcome and we've all noticed how dog-friendly it is over here.

After lunch we did complete our walk into the city and here are just a few pictures of what we saw on the way.  A couple of things to note

• the weather - the top left picture is of our hotel bathed in glorious sunshine with bright blue skies, the bottom right shows the torrential rain we got caught in on the way home!

• the narrow boat - we met the two owners of the boat through Scruffy, their aptly named pup.  We got chatting and they explained they were stuck, the river had a status of Code Red due to all of the recent rain and they were unable to pass through the locks.  They very kindly invited us to tour their boat and it was surprisingly roomy inside.  It was a real treat and a big thanks to Scruffy for the introduction.

The sights on our walk into town

A good part of our full day in Oxford was taken up with a 2 hour walking tour, with the exuberant, proud, recent Oxford law-graduate Fred. Despite completing his degree Fred has started his own tour company in Oxford. The walks are free, but participants are encouraged to leave a tip if they feel it is worth it. Fred was worth it! He was born and bred in Oxford and being a graduate had first hand experience of college and university life. He was obviously (and very rightly) proud of his beautiful city and his passion and enthusiasm were infectious. I think we all fell in love with Oxford that day.

Beautiful Oxford

London

London is special.  From the moment we emerged from the Westminster underground I was hooked.  And here's part of the reason why.

I LOVE Big Ben!

And the wonderful sights continued.

Not to mention the street entertainers.

And if I had to choose only one photo to share that captured the sheer beauty of our day in London it would be this one.

And despite all the wonderful buildings, buses, fountains and grandeur, it was this fellow that truly captured my heart and imagination.

Maldon

Had a lovely albeit wet day yesterday.  We visited Maldon, a very picturesque port town on the east coast of Essex. The day was not without its mishaps - Daniel ran into a pole at a playground and got a bloody nose, you'd think he'd be super cautious around long thin pole like objects (but that's another story J).

Beautiful Maldon

And then we stumbled upon this great strawberry picking place :)

I have also embarked on my first British project -  can't help myself.  This one is just a mini one and is already complete.  And just to keep you in suspense and glued to this space I'm not telling what it is, but will post photos when I take them after the rain stops.  But don't hold your breath, as it's pretty much been raining on and off since we arrived!  Can't believe the British Grand Prix at Silverston escaped a shower, although Wimbledon was not so lucky.  It must have been a late night watching it in Aus!  Also - how heart-wrenching was Andy Murray's post-game speech (although secretely I was going for Fedderer).

Oh yeah - we had one more little adventure yesterday.  Whilst Steve was off gallivanting in London watching the tennis and Formula 1, Jeremy managed to lock himself in his room.  All of the doors have very sticky handles and this one just wasn't going to budge.  After about 15 minutes Daniel was near tears and beside himself with worry that Jeremy would starve to death!

Anyway, as you do in a crisis, you go and pester the neighbours, but unfortunately to no avail, not even 6ft-infinity John could get the door open.  So, the only option was out Daniel's window, a quick scurry along the roof and in through Jem's window for a daring rescue.  Only problem two set of blinds were knocked down in the process and I was too feeble to make the 3 ft jump up and in through Jem's window.  Still the most important aim of the mission was achieved and, much to Daniel's relief, the starving child was extracted from window one and chucked back in through window two.  Meanwhile I waited for a very small footstool to aid my daring leap through window two.

Phewee, drawing on my athleticism (and the footstool) I nimbly entered the locked room and after a brief 5 minute wrestle with the door ta da - victory.  All that remained was a very inelegant retrieval of the stool (big lean out through window, bum in air - say no more!).

Mission accomplished -

• skinny kid saved J, 
• stool retrieved J, 
• door unlocked J, 
• blinds still down L

Whewee, what a day.  Jem - relieved after his ordeal and brush with starvation - had a snack and me - I had a cup of tea.

Southend on Sea

Southend on Sea is about 40 minutes south of Billericay and on the mouth of the river Thames.  We spent 3 nights there at the lovely and very Faulty Towers-like Cobham Lodge Hotel.

Cobham Lodge Hotel

On the morning of day one we had a birthday breakfast for me J then took a train to Leigh on Sea, a tiny fishing village just two stops away.

Leigh on Sea

And then in the afternoon it was off to the longest (and perhaps the windiest) Pier in the world!!  Interestingly Southend on Sea is supposed to be the warmest and driest spot in England and it was cold, windy and rainy just about the whole time we were there.  Doesn't sound too good for the rest of the country then J.

Southend on Sea Pier

Day two was spent here....

Adventure Land

I was keen to really test the camera out with all sorts of action shots on roller coasters, but after about 5 spinny, vomit-inducing rides that was it for moi!  As I'd stagger off each ride, feeling increasingly seedier and thinking "yay - ticked that one off", the kids had already double backed and were in line again.  Thankfully they had the confidence to go on the rides minus adult.  Even Steve gave up after an upside down stint on "The Claw"!

We also discovered penny pushing machines.  I remember these from Blackpool when I was not much older than the boys.  Tim and I were hooked from the word go and they are just as addictive now.  After about an hour of playing we had to physically drag the kids away to cries of "Oh come on, just 2p more pleeeaaase!"