26 November 07 - 09:33A Day Out in Coventry with the Flemings
Thanks Stewart and Jack for coming up for the weekend. We really enjoyed your company.
After a night of a few drinks and some very bad singing and card playing, the whole crew bundled into the car for a guinea pig tour of Coventry. Once we got our bearings, it was a great time with a visit to the cathedral and Millenium Place and then a tour of the Coventry Transport Museum - a truly fascinating place!
More pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157603300628701/
23 November 07 - 15:57Setting Things Straight
After our last trip to Straford Upon Avon, I noticed that one of the signs wasn't quite right so we had to go back and fix it.
After we did this, Kathy and I took a tour of Shakespeare's boyhood home. What an amazing experience to be standing in the place where he walked, talked and slept as a youngster. That feeling of history creeping into the bones. We then went to the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare's grave is. A truly magnificent day.
More pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157603270288653
19 November 07 - 07:58SNOW!!
Sunday 18-11-07 - 19:18.
Report from agent Brehaut in Keresley Coventry.
It snowed!!!!!!
More pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157603232510262/
19 November 07 - 07:51Meeting My Cousins, the Aingers, in Sheffield
One of my dreams of coming to England was to meet all of my relatives, many of whom I haven't seen since I was five years old. Well, on Saturday, I was lucky enough to meet my Aunty Lois, my cousin Margaret, her husband Duncan and their son Tim. What a beautiful family.
We spent the weekend with them in Sheffield in their magnificent 1859 Victorian house. It was great to catch up and learn many things about our family history. The Aingers took us to the Sheffield Museum - a wonderfully interactive place which the kids fully enjoyed (as did Kathy and I!)
Aunty Lois came around for dinner and we spent a great deal of time chatting and reminiscing.
On Sunday - a chilly 4 degree day - we went to the local swimming pool to keep warm! Caleb and Eden were very excited as, next, we went on a ...
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15 November 07 - 15:02CJ and Eden Start School
Well, the local school is a whole fifty metre work from our house. A very difficult trudge in the mornings!!!
According to the English Ofsted reports it is a good school - so we'll take that on board! The kids reckon its a good school because they get hot lunches everyday!! Thats all Kathy and I hear about - chicken and rice, yorkshire pudding, bananas with chocolate sauce. I think Kathy and I might start going there at lunch time!!
Both of the kids have settled in well and have made new friends and we are very ahppy with the teacher who seems to be well organised and very kind.
More pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157603193617313/
15 November 07 - 14:58Beeston Castle
About 20 minutes south of James' place and neat the Welsh border lies Beeston Castle - a fort castle built to stop those damn Welsh from invading!! It is in a beautiful part of the world and has views on a good day to the Pininnes(?). A good walk up a hill to the castle was worth while as we enjoyed the views and chatted with a lovely lady from the Women's institute who had her grandsons over from Ireland.
After the hike, the kids enjoyed an icecream fm a traditional icecream shop.
More photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157603193560305/
15 November 07 - 14:49The House and Car
After many trips to letting agents and to car yards, I was fortunate enough to come across a beautiful place in a little village just north of Covertry called Keresley End. The estate of house is relatively new - built sometime in the 80s. It is a three bedroom semi detached which is private, quiet and actually has three bedrooms - unlike the terraced houses which have two bedrooms and a room you couldn't get a bed in sideways!!
The car is a Renault Scenic. It is known as a gas guzzler over here because its a 2.0 Litre!!!! But it will be great for our tours of the UK and Europe.
More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/2022798523/in/set-72157603174073172/
15 November 07 - 14:43Kathy, CJ and Eden go to Scotland
Well, I don't think anything prepared Kathy and the kids for their tour of Scotland. From Edinburgh Castle to their very own Fraser Castle, Uncle James led them on a historical tour of the cold old place.
Mind you, cold might not have been the right word as they played on a sun soaked beach in Aberdeen.
The highlight of the trip for Kathy (other than Fraser Castle of course) was visiting Rosslyn Chapel - you know the place in the Da Vinci Code? Well, I couldn;t get to her to stop talking about it (and still can't!)
Unfortunately both CJ and Kathy got crook (probably from looking at haggis) and the trip was cut short by a couple of days and they made their way back to Knutsford.
More pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157603181154509/
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15 November 07 - 14:34Our First Day in London
Its a great feeling when you get farewelled by friends in one location and greeted by friends in another. Let me thank the Flemings on either side of the globe for their warmth and help in getting us to England. We really appreciate it.
Wow. After one night's sleep, Jack took us on a whirlwind tour on Central London. It's amazing what you can see in just a couple of hours. From Big Ben o Buckingham Palace to the London Eye. We were in a blur just trying to believe we were seeing everything!
What a fantastic place. More photos at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157603175602762/
21 October 07 - 14:00On The Way
I don't know how CJ and Eden survived it. After their roles as lower girl and page boy and Aunty Jill and Uncle Jason's wedding on Saturday night, they were up and on their way to the airport at 5am on Sunday morning.
For the unitiated - that is US, the running through customs and immigration were a daunting experience but we made it through with flying colours. Then, after a 30 minute delay we were on the plane and off to another country - South Korea! And what a fantastic flight it was. The kids meals were larger than the adults ones and Eden and CJ were most impressed - chocolates were even included. Kathy and I were very jealous.
Our entry into Incheon International Airport was a nerve racking experience for us - not really knowing where to go and who to turn to but it all sorted out in the ...
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16 October 07 - 10:48A Night (and Day) on the Town
Kathy and I decided that there were not going to be too many opportunities in the next few months to have time without th ekids so we decided to treat ourselves to a night in Melbourne.
We stayed at the luxurious Windsor Hotel opposite the Victorian Parliament House and then spent the afternoon walking the streets of Melbourne City. We then got dressed up and went to the most famous street for restaurants in Australia - Lygon Street. As we walked down the street, many of the restaurant owners came out and tried to con us into eating at their establishments. We ended up getting free drinks, a free entree and a free desert!! Add to that the most scrumptious pasta dishes we have ever had, a bottle of Shiraz Cab and the night was off to a great start!
We then headed off to Crown Casino and the roulette table. Kathy went for her lucky 27 Red and, you guessed it, it came up - not once but TWICE!. ...
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07 October 07 - 10:57Luna Park
Wow! Another cool day. Nan and the family all went to Luna Park for the day and we had a ball. The kids had their first go at rides by themselves and that what that. All we heard fom then on was "No, we don't want you to come on with us!!" But on some rides they had no choice.
I was put in my place by CJ when we went on the Pirate Ship. As it finished, he said "Dad, you're too heavy. We didn't go up high enough!!!" At that stage, I apologised to everyone else on the ride.
However, CJ made up for it by saying that he had had a "Super cool day." My sentiments exactly!
More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157602302106717/
04 October 07 - 14:34The Melbourne Aquarium
Another great day with Sharon, Ellen, James and Lachlan. We all went to the Melbourne Aquarium by tram. First on the agenda was watching the feeding of the sharks, turtles and various variety or fish. The it was tiem for a fun ride. We caught up with John for lunch and then returned to the aquarium for the rest of the viewings. A great display of jelly fish as well as the touchy-feely part of the aquarium where the kids got to play with sea stars and other creepy crawlies. More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157602254160639/
01 October 07 - 09:50Another Day at the Farm
It was great to get together with the entire family down at the Kelly's farm on the weekend. Nan and Pa, Sharon, John, Ellen and James (and Finny), Ruth, Mathew and Lachlan and our mob spent two nights and three days together in what could only be called wet, windy and cold conditions. However, we all braved the weather and managed to get along very well eating and drinking, reading and playing games, chatting and watching the AFL Grand Final. It was also a great time to get some family photos taken. More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157602217937002/
25 September 07 - 09:53At the Kelly's Farm
We had a wonderful visit to Uncle John and Aunty Sharon's farm. Caleb and Eden played with their cousins Ellen and James as we all walked and explored the new farm. The kids had a great time and it was wonderful to catch with them. More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157602144357412/
18 September 07 - 12:23Farewell to Our Brisbane Friends
We had a great night on Saturday night with a farewell dinner with all of our Brisbane friends. We are certainly going to miss them all. Thanks for a great night!
See more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brehauts/sets/72157602068553395/
