GregCath

Thanks to Queensland Premier Newman's decision to shift the May Day long weekend to October, our travelling group gathered at Easter this year. In between wonderful meals and full-bodied coffees, we actually saw some sites! Fitzroy Gardens; Abbotsford Convent; Smith Street. Its all good. Dinner last night at Chin Chin was memorable modern Asian, washed down of course with our favourite: BeerLao.... read more

We took a break from skiing in Rauris and headed south into Slovenia. The roads were clear and so we took the back blocks. Without really planning it, we ended up a dead-end valley where the only path through the mountains was via a rail motor. The car was loaded onto a carriage and passengers off-loaded into carriages. Great scenary, though I was constantly concerned whether I had secured the handbrake. My imagination ran wild, and of course all was fine. Into Slovenia through the frontier, and somehow we missed the instruction that said get a permit to drive on the roads. Careering confidently down the highway towards Bled, our car was joined by two quasi-military looking vans. They followed us for perhaps a kilometer when they turned on the persuit lights and directed me into ... read more

Writing a bit after the fact now. You know how it is. Once back at home, work and life take over and it gets hard to finish the blogs. We were together with our daughter Elise and arrived in Epernay by train from Paris. Champagne was the primary target consumable. We started with a tasting selection at one of the little bars in Epernay: small and Grand houses. Wonderful and diverse. Next two days we hired a car and drove around the district. Limited crowds is the joy of winter travel. Small wineries and the pride of the vingeron! Crispy baguettes and camembert. Stayed in a B&B in Epernay which provided wonderful breakfasts and local guidance.... read more

Catherine's aunt Berenice has a lovely home in the inner suburbs of Oxford, and we gathered there for the days leading up to, and following Christmas Day. Berenice cooked a wonderful traditional dinner, including an eight kilogram turkey cooked on an AGA stove, and we shared the day with Charlotte, Imogen, Tarrant, and James Hoyle. Duncan Anderson, Christine and boys, Theo and Toby coming over in the evening. We had two brief sojourns from the house over the two days, despite the rain. Firstly a brief walk past the stately homes of Banbury and Woodstock Roads. On boxing day we wandered for a few hours past the collages of the university and had a few beers at the Victoria Pub on Walton Street. Hexhamshire beer and a Guiness! Wonderful...in the right weather. Tarrant has recently enjoyed ... read more

While Greg had been to London a few times since his first visit in 1979, Catherine had not been outside Heathrow since 1981. But the most wonderful change was seeing Elise, and seeing London through her eyes. We were in London a total of three times and this chapter is a merge of those times. Elise walked out of the lift at her office block in St Martins Courtyard, Leicester Square and Catherine was there. The screams filled the lobby. The anticipation had built with Elise posting on facebook ‘In 12 hours my mum will arrive and I will tackle her with more love than she’ll know what to do with. A year without parents is far too long’ (52 likes). After a lengthy breakfast near Elise’s work, Elise had to work for the rest of ... read more