03 April 08 - 20:07All you need is love
We finished off our Scottish adventure with a great visit with Paul and Caroline in Liverpool. Again the Ainger family has made us feel so welcome. They live in a lovely house with a large garden. The kids loved playing hide and seek with Paul and Caroline and it was a taste of little things to come for them both as well. We had a great tour guide in Caroline who showed us around the two wonderful catherdrals and then we stood in the wind and rain (thanks for your patience Paul) to visit the Beatles story. We had a great time. The kids loved the yellow submarine and we loved all loved the music of course. It was a wonderful end to a great holiday. Next stop, the battle field of Hastings. Have a great weekend, I know we will
27 March 08 - 21:19The Lochs
Being the experienced traveller that I am (ha ha), I have seen some beautiful sights so far on our family’s excursion around the UK but today would have to have been the most scenic treasure that I have had the pleasure of laying my eyes on as yet. The lochs on the trip from Stirling to Inverness are awe inspiring – true natural beauty. Although we spent nearly the entire day in the car, I hardly felt as if I had driven at all (I must admit, I wasn’t totally focused on the road at all times!) Loch Lomond is absolutely magnificent - especially with snow capped mountains as a backdrop. The small village of Luss (just off the beaten track and right on the banks of the Loch) was a step back in time and so peaceful that you just felt ...
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26 March 08 - 20:52William Wallace, Stirling Castle and the original Big Pineapple
I have a little more time tonight, so I must tell you of a few quirky things that we have seen over the last few days.
Quirk Number One:
On our way to Hadrian's Wall Kathy and I were laughing our heads of as we went through the small village of Once Brewed and then, two minutes later, Twice Brewed!
Quirk Number Two:
Strolling through Edinburgh Castle and seeing a bloke with a Hawthorne Scarf wrapped around his neck!
Quirk Number Three:
Seeing the original version of the Big Pineapple just outside Falkirk!
Quirk Number Four.
Watching Bob the Builder in Gaelic!!
And now my mind has gone blank as to the others!!! A sign of senility or just too much time with the kids!! ...
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25 March 08 - 21:07Meet the Clan
I'd like to introduce you to Eden and CJ's cousins' Tweedle and Twoodle McDuff. We met them at Edinburgh Castle and swapped them for the two terrors we have had in the back of the car for the past three days. They are direct decendants of those Frasers who DIDN'T come down from the highlands baout two hundred years ago!!
A great day today visiting the very intriguing Rosslyn Chapel and enormous Edinburgh Castle. We loved every minute of it. And, mum, I bought a great jacket from the Edinburgh Wool Mill!
23 March 08 - 20:11The Lakes District
All I can say WOW. We certainly weren't expecting a snow holiday when we were organising our Easter holiday but I'm not complaining. The Lakes District is probably the most picturesque place I have ever been. We visited Windemere, Grasmere and Keswick and loved every town. Add to this Castlerigg Stone Circle in the snow and we had a fantastic day (Plus the kids got to help Dad build a snowman!!!)
23 March 08 - 20:05I'm Dreaming of a White Easter!
What a fantastic feeling...to wake up on Easter morning to a blanket of snow. It certainly made up for Christmas and made an interesting start to our car holiday to the Lakes District and Scotland!
23 March 08 - 20:02Warwick Castle
Jack and Stew came up for a couple of days so we went off to Warwick Castle. An excellent day. Warwick Castle is owned by the same mob who own Madame Toussards so they have themed it up. The day we were there, they were having a mock battle between Hastings and Montague which continued throughout the day. During the day, it snowed then was sunny, then snowed again. It was awesome. A two thumbs up day.
18 March 08 - 13:36A Trip to the British Museum
Another great day out with Jack and Stewart saw us take off to the British Museum. After checking out how much stuff the Poms have stolen from the rest of the world (The Rosetta Stone, half the Parthenon, most of the mummies etc), we went on to see a display that they had only borrowed - The Terracotta Warriors.
Whilst there were only about ten of them, the fact that you could get up close to them made it very worthwhile. A thrilling experience. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed to be taen so you'll just have to take our word for it!!
09 March 08 - 15:02National Book Day
As part of their school's National Book Day celebrations, the kids got the chance to dress up as their favourite characters. Eden chose Cinderella (of course!) and CJ chose Captain Hook. They had an absolute ball!
To top off the day, Eden won a Large Easter Egg and a couple of cream eggs for her wonderful book mark design that showed The Four Musicians of Bremen!!! She was very proud (and CJ was devastated!!)
03 March 08 - 21:04The Four Musicians of Bremen?
If you didn't know the story of the Four Musicians of Bremen before you went there, you would have no choice but to know it back to front when you left!! After a 350kmh tail wind flight from Stansted we arrived to a VERY WET, WINDY and COLD Bremen. But would that stop the crazy family of Brehauts from having a good time. I THINK NOT!
Bremen in beautiful. It's marketplace is like walking into a history book of the middle ages with its Town Hall, Cathedral and many other buildings. It has a real feeling about it - something we have not felt since visiting Stonehenge. Add to this, a wonderful walk through the Schnoor District which is a collection of narrow cobble ...
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14 February 08 - 17:52Musee du Louvre
To follow on from the last post, we are now totally stuffed to the top with culture!!! Today was one of those experiences that words can not describe. The Louvre is the most amazing places that I have ever been. There is more history in one corner of one room than in the entire Brisbane Museum.
If I have one piece of advice for anyone ever visiting the Louvre, it is "LOOK UP". The ceilings are incredible.
Today was yet another day that wll be inscribed in my mind forever.
13 February 08 - 20:12Us Aussies are given a blast of kulcha!
Now, I know I'm not a cultured man but the realisation of this really hit home today as we walked through the metro and I heard the theme song from "Allo Allo" How was I to know that it was a French folk song????
You follow this up with a tip to Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur and you just realise how out of you depth you are. But Eden and CJ made up for it by grooving with a guitar player who was singing The Doors and John Lennon on the steps of the Sacre Coeur and kicing their legs in Can Can style in front of the Moulin Rouge.
13 February 08 - 20:00Escargo Eating Escapades
Well, there is no escaping it when you go to France. You must absolutely, without fail, no way out - eat snails. And so it was, on this Wedensday night in uptown Paris that we did something that scared us. We stuck those slimy, slippery little suckers into our mouths.
12 February 08 - 19:40Paris by Night
Just a quick entry before we lose internet connection. We took the kids on the Metro to see the lights of Paris. What a wonderful experience and topped off with a great photo in front of the Eiffel Tower at night. We're really beginning to love this place!
11 February 08 - 17:43Coat Hangers and Brickwork.
Ahh, to be in gay Paris with a view of blue sky and a blank slate. And where better to have that view than from the top of the Eiffel Tower. An experience beyond compare as yet. I must admit I was a touch petrified on the way to the top, but that soon passed when I was on the viewing platform. Sometimes, you've got to be tough in front of the kids. No sign of nerves from them or Kathy though!
Then a quick tromp up the Champs Ellysses to the Arc d"Triomph via some fairly snazzy High Street shops and another dream was labeled a reality. You've just got to love this type of holiday.
11 February 08 - 16:47Graves and Grooves
Day One in Paris and what a day. Waking up to the hustle and bustle of Paris Central is a wonderful experience. We decided to walk around today and we had a ball. We visited the Place de la Republique and the Place de la Bastille. We checked out the famous graveyard and saw Rossilini's, Chopin's, Jim Morrison's and Edith Piaf's graves.
Eden grooved her way to a funk band that was playing at the Bastille and then we ate scrumptious strawberries at a market two minutes away. A stroll down to the River Seine ended our stroll for the day but just wet our mouths for the days ahead.
09 February 08 - 19:00The White Cliffs of Dover
Its great being able to sit down in your studio apartment in the Republique District of Paris and find out that someone has an unsecure wireless line nearby. It means that I'll be abe to brag on a daily basis about what we get up to over the next week.
The first stop today was the lovely White Cliffs of Dover which, because we were travelling to Fance by ferry, were able to see from both land and sea. What an amazing sight. And don's you learn something new every day. I never realised that you could see England from France! Its just not that far.
A quick trip down the motorways and we found ourselves in the middle of Paris - the city with NO TRAFFIC RULES!
But more on the Paris experience tomorrow.
07 February 08 - 17:44In Dubin Fair City...
Where the girls are so pretty
Was there where my kids sat near Molly Malone.
What a whilrwind tour. We somehow managed to scam 1p flights (including taxes!) to Dublin and so, last Saturday, we arose at 3am and drove down to Luton for our 6.30am flight. Before we knew it, we had touched down in Ireland for a wonderful day.
We hopped on one of the tourist buses for the day and ventured to Trinity College, The Book of Kells, Christ Church Cathedral, The Guinness Factory and Temple Bar - a well known watering hole. A fantastic day that ended with us getting back on the plane at 7.30pm and arriving back home in Coventry at 11pm.
And what are we doing next weekend? ...
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27 January 08 - 14:18Australia Day in Coventry
After stuffing our staff and students with Kathy's homemade lamingtons and pumpkin scones on Friday, we borrowed a friend's portable barbecue, grabbed a couple of cans of Fosters, donned our Austalia T-shirts and went for a barbie at the local park. Nevermind the fact that it was about 7 degrees or that there was a nice stiff breeze, we're Australian and we HAVE TO celebrate our national day.
A few onlookers gave us quizzical looks as we burnt our snags on the grill and spread our tomato sauce nice and thick but....who cares???
I hope everyone had a great day over in Oz.
See ya!
13 January 08 - 14:48Visiting Grandpa's Gravesite
Having never known my grandfather, visiting his grave was an interesting occasion. We made our way to Mickleton - about 45 mins from our home in Coventry. The cemetary is located next to a beautiful old church. At first we had difficulty finding the site - not realising there were two cemetaries within the church grounds. However, after asking a lovely lady if there was another site, she was most helpful and, though our conversation, we discovered that she had known my grandfather!!! She remembered him as a 'rather stern old man!" I'm sure that Mum would agree!
We then visited our family home and the school I went to from our trip to the UK in 1976. The house was a lot smaller than I remember it but it was great to ...
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09 January 08 - 18:13Back to the Grindstone
Well, it had to happen eventually. Kathy and I started teaching again this week. Kathy is teaching at a Finham Primary School on the south side of Coventry and I am deputy teacher in charge at the Pupil Referral Unit which looks after kids who aren't coping in the normal high school setting.
At least we are now bothing earning pounds!!!
09 January 08 - 18:08Stamford - The Stone Town
Kathy closed her eyes, spun around twice as stuck her finger onto the map and off we went to Stamford. What a great choice it was. About an hour and a half away from home and we were surrounded by medieval architecture that was beyond belief.
After finding the most bizzare Australian shop in the middle of the town, we ducked off to Burghley House - a magnificent stately home where the deer roam free!! A quick trip to Trinity Bridge in Crowland and it was time to head off home again. Another fantastic day!
01 January 08 - 19:24Starting the New Year in a Very Old Place
We had a wonderful New Year's Eve with Kathy's cousins Jarrod, Stephanie, Barb and Kate in Newport, Wales and would like to thank them for their wonderful hospitality.
We wondered how we should start 2008, and after a little look through all our guides, decided that a trip to a Roman ampitheatre, followed by a nice walk through the stones at Avebury would be a nice start. And why not follow that up with a visit to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world - yeah - Stonehenge would be ...
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11 December 07 - 17:25The Canary Islands
All I can say is WOW!!! What an absolutely fantastic holiday (and so bloody cheap!!)
After a 4 hour flights we arrived at Playa De Las Americas on the south end of Tenerife. OUr hotel looked out to Mt Teide - a dormant volcano which we visited on day four of our holiday. After spending the first couple of days looking around the commercial resorts of PLaya De Las Americas and Los Cristianos, we hired a car (with the steering wheel on the wrong side) and started driving on the wrong side of the road!! We toured the island from the very top (Mt Teide) to the very ...
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