There are two organisations in the UK that do nothing but work to preserve old homes and other landmarks. If it weren't for the National Trust and English Heritage, a lot of the history of this country would be lost to developers and other people willing to tear down centuries old buildings and replace them with blocks of flats. Run as charities, these two groups have found very clever ways to raise funds. One way that English Heritage does it is to put on outdoor concerts at their venues. Not far from where we live is a beautiful old house called [View Full Entry]

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"Do you know where the owls are?" I hear a small voice below me at the same time I feel a tug on my trouser leg. I look down to the discover that the voice belongs to a small Asian boy with eyes the colour of dark chocolate. "No, love, I don't." "Oh," he says with that tone of disappointment that only a small child can muster. My heart melts. "Would you like me to help you look for them?" "Yes!" His face breaks into a smile that lights up those gorgeous eyes. He takes my hand and tugs me in [View Full Entry]

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In around 800 BC, a Celtic king called Bladud was kicked out of his realm for leprosy. Because he had nowhere else to go, he went off to a place that the locals thought was divine -- hot springs coming up out of the soil He mimicked the swine he had and began to roll around in this mud and, lo and behold, his leprosy disappeared and a town began to build up around the springs as others came to be healed. The Celts continued to worship at the spring as well, building a shrine to the goddess Sulis. When the [View Full Entry]

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My friend Natalie from Sydney has arrived to spend a week with me and to reacquaint herself with London. She arrived safely last night into Terminal Five, Heathrow's new terminal. To say that this place has had its growing pains is putting it mildly, but it is a beautiful building and I was glad to finally be able to see it for myself. Nat and I have been travelling together since we spent a weekend in Paris together during the summer of 2001. We love to do the same things and, whenever I go to Sydney, she takes very good care [View Full Entry]

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This is now becoming a bit ridiculous. Every time this summer that I have had an event planned, I wake up to lousy weather. And today, that was no mean feat. The alarm went off at 6.00, so I was at least hoping for the sun. But no, overcast and actually raining. Putting my faith in Poseidon, I donned a bathing suit, a skirt and a golf shirt for the better weather that I knew would eventually come along. Oh yeah, I put a fleece over it all. At 7.30, nine of us all met at the pub (stop it, it [View Full Entry]

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All week the weather report has been for thunderstorms on Sunday. A mixed blessing. On the one hand, something needs to break the heat. On the other hand, six of us had plans to travel out to Windsor to watch the polo match. As so often happens, the BBC got it wrong and we woke up to sunshine and the continuing heat. At least we didn't have to watch the matches in the rain. At 9.00, we all piled into a taxi and made our way out to Windsor Great Park and the polo ground, learning the rules of the game [View Full Entry]

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OK - it's HOT! I don't mean mildly warm and pleasant. I mean hot and humid. What a contrast this is to last weekend. Sunday night, I was at the pub with friends. We were in jeans, jumpers and winter coats. Today? Shorts and golf shirts are almost too much to bear. I guess I shouldn't complain - it is July, after all. But, one of the reasons I live in England is so I won't have to deal with this weather. Because it is so rarely this hot, very few places in London are air conditioned. So, everyone finds a [View Full Entry]

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So, the Old Me won a huge battle last week. I was meant to be in Germany this week, but OM went into a panic about the ever growing list of things to do and decided to stay home to get them done. To my credit, they are all done and OM is resting quietly (for the time being). New Me, frustrated that I couldn't bring myself to leave, kicked in yesterday and decided that some fun was due. It all started with a trip to the cinema. As odd as it sounds, I never go anymore. I reckon that £8/$16 [View Full Entry]

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So, the morning after the night before. I open one eye around 8.00, understand THAT is not going to happen and roll over for five more minutes. The next time the eye flutters open it is 10.00. OK, I can get going now. The nice thing about seeing everything yesterday is that I do not feel the usual tug to jump out of bed and run around town, camera in hand. Instead, I decide to have an easy morning. I order café au lait from room service, open my window to the beautiful sunshine and sit and write for almost two [View Full Entry]

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The thing about going to bed at 10.00 is that one tends to rise early! I was up before the sun, but no matter. I came out onto the balcony to watch the beginning of the day and to write. How lovely. The hills begin to light up and mist falls. The roosters are actually crowing and I can smell the lavender all around me. What a way to start the day. Then, that pot of fabulous French café au lait arrives and the start reaches perfection. The New Me has really taken over here. I can’t connect to the internet [View Full Entry]

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