Blogs from Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 4

Down a long country lane near the town of Emsworth in Hampshire is the Church of St Thomas a Becket, Warblington. Many tourists would pass by on their way to Portsmouth without giving Warblington a second thought but we made the decision to stop as in the grounds of the cemetery lies one of New Zealand’s most famous sons. The all too early death of Sir Peter Blake in 2001 left the nation mourning for a man who had given so much for yachting and sport in NZ. His feats stand as great moments in New Zealand sporting history – namely his win on Steinlager 2 in the 89/90 Whitbread race, leading the country in winning the America’s Cup in 1995 and circumnavigating the world in record time on board Enza with ... read more

Well, since coming back from Lithuania, life has been something of a blur what with settling into our new home, picking up my work after being away for a week and a half, getting back into my daily training and generally recovering from the aches and pains of our wonderful ride. I have been out for the ocaissional ride and jog, although my faithfull C Boardman bike is currently in the shop for a little TLC, new rear cassette, chain, cables etc as the last couple of years have tasken their toll :-) You can still see all my routes at http://www.mapmytracks.com/jag00 if you are interested and, if anyone is in the area and wants to join me one weekend, feel free. I thought I would use this entry as an opportunity to upload some of ... read more

Well, as you can see from the date, it has taken me rather a long time to get round to completing our happy tale. Needless to say, we made it home in one piece, and it was an altogether memorable and fantastic trip. I don't think I would be brave enough to do it again with children of 1 and 2 years old, and fortunately we won't have to unless we have more children. Which incidentally is less likely now we have done this!! The flight home began with a seating cock-up in Wellington, whereby we were not allocated bassinet seats all the way through to Abu Dabi. The flights were very busy, and let's just say we had to dig deep, maintain our cool, and try not to watch the clock. The stay-over in UAE ... read more

INTRODUCTION Fourteen tons of steel narrowboat dangled precariously in the air above our heads and slowly descended into the water. Like anxious parents we stood mesmerised wondering if we were about to lose everything we possessed in one second of carelessness on the part of the crane driver. Luckily, there was no disaster and we breathed a sigh of relief. The story had begun! Actually, it all began some months previously when we decided to close down our businesses, sell our home, build a narrowboat and cruise off into the sunset for a year. The Narrowboat “Tristram Sprague”, named after an ancestor, started life as an empty 57ft steel cigar in a boatyard near Droitwich in the West Midlands. We ordered her in December 2000 and she was ready to collect in March 2001. Having decided ... read more

Well, we're all ready. Alex and I are off to work as normal tomorrow morning, and the kids are going to pre-school and Margaret's, as normal. We're about to pack the car up so there won't be much to do tomorrow morning. I thought it best to leave as per usual on a Monday morning and busy myself with work, rather than sit at home stressing with the kids driving me round the bend. I've had umpteen amounts of advice on what to do and take on the flight. I've taken on board (if you pardon the pun!) every single one of them - new toys, old toys, soft toys, sticker books, pj's, snacks, treats, medised, calpol, earplugs, ipad, headphones, barbie, books, change of clothes, nappies...you name it, we have it. The only thing we have ... read more