For my last bank holiday in the UK, I headed to the weird and wonderful Iceland, joined by Alison and Kiwi friends Sarah and Glen (pronounced "Glin"). We based ourselves in Reykjavik (staying at a really cool place called Home Luxury Apartments - if anyone is looking for a hotel tip) and headed off in the 4WD each day to explore the sprouting geysers, lava fields, ice-capped mountains, and thundering waterfalls that make up Iceland's breathtaking landscape. We didn't see any of the elves or trolls that lurk in the moutains according to Icelandic folklore, but we did get a chance [View Full Entry]

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(Very) early Saturday morning Nick, Carly and I touched down in the heat, colour and mayhem of Marrakech. We spent four blissful days there. Each morning started with the most delicious breakfast of fruit, freshly baked breads and fig and apricot jams on the roof of our riad (the wonderful Riad El Ouarda if anyone is planning a trip). Then followed hours of exploring the narrow, winding streets and the souks, jumping out of the way of donkeys and motorbikes, marvelling at snake charmers and all the colourful spices and potions on offer that filled the air and made our noses [View Full Entry]

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The celebrations just keep flowing for this girl turning the big 3-0! Last night I was treated like an absolute princess... champagnes on arrival, chariot collection and drop off by black cab, paparazzi, dinner of lobster and more champagne followed by a dessert of cheese, red wine and the odd macaroon all while showing off my new Kenneth Cole clutch ahhhh Thanks so much Ver and Alison for a wonderful night full of a million laughs, good food, quality champagne and of course, some cheeky gossip x [View Full Entry]

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For Easter I (Ver) met up with Mum, Dad & Steph to explore the Loire Valley. We spent four days driving through the French countryside stopping in at ancient (and unheated) castles, the last home of Leonardo da Vinci, and lots of lovely little restaurants with rich food and wine. A couple of weeks later Mum and Dad came to visit me in London and we set off for a long weekend in the Lake District. Due to my excellent sense of geography, the place I booked us into (Heavenfield in Staffield) was a good 45 minutes' drive from the nearest [View Full Entry]

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Curious to see what all the fuss over New York was about, I headed off for a (admittedly very environmentally-unfriendly) long weekend in the Big Apple. And now I understand the fuss. What a city! The sykscrapers crowd out the clouds, everywhere billboards flash and steam bursts through the pavement grates as yellow cabs whizz by- it really does feel like you're on a film set. My friend Michelle and I threw ourselves into the New Yorker lifestyle, lazing away mornings at The Cupcake Cafe and Amy's Bread (both on Ninth Avenue - definitely worth a visit) with melt-in-your-mouth muffins an [View Full Entry]

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To get into the Christmas spirit, we (Ver, Lib, Lawrence, Alison, Julie and Lisa) headed off to Santa's backyard for a weekend of drinking mulled wine, eating reindeer, and generally being very cold. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and enjoy the Aussie summer Ver and Lib x [View Full Entry]

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We were in for quite a cold shock...it was zero degrees in Krakow and snowing and neither Alison nor I were prepared... we are getting quite complacent about these overseas trips now so much so we had not bothered checking out the all important weather forceast! After wearing every item in our cases we set off to Auschwitz on Saturday morning and the chills we felt because of the weather were nothing in comparison to how it was visiting that camp...walking along those paths, seeing the areas where so many lost their lives, the mounds their hair, discarded shoes, prosthetics...and standing [View Full Entry]

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On the 11th of September I was lucky enough to have Mum touch down in London and come bounding out of the arrivals hall with a big smile and a 'I've made it!'. She's quite resilient that Mum of mine...after a 2 hour delay getting through immigration, our journey back home didn't go any smoother. First the piccadilly line went down, then the Jubilee line and then to top it all off, there was an arms/military weapons conference on at the building next to Mads' place (where mum was lucky enough to stay) which meant the whole area was cordened off [View Full Entry]

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On 15 September Alison, Julie and I arrived in the famously pretty city of St Petersburg to meet with our On the Go tour group, led by the beautiful Nataliya (Russian women are generally gorgeous, although they seem to be stuck in the 80s in their fashion sense. The men are less fortunate, and favour mullets). With palaces and cathedrals designed by Dutch, Italian and French architects in the 1700s-1800s, the grey concrete blocks we had expected were a rarity - instead we saw hundreds of ornamental bridges and ornate facades in bright blues, yellows, pinks and gold (hence its nickname, [View Full Entry]

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Bonjour, here are some pics from the wonderful weekend away for Kez's 30th Birthday in the wine region of Brodeaux. It was so brilliant to see you babe, we feel very lucky to have been able to celebrate it with you x [View Full Entry]

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