Blogs from Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 14

Geo: 51.4831, -1.08747After our long drive on Saturday, we decided to stay a big closer to Windsor and explore the Thames Valley. We drove to Pangbourne, a small village famous because Kenneth Graham, author of Wind in the Willow, lived there. It was wonderful to drive into the village to hear the carillon of bells for Palm Sunday mass. The kids had a quick play in the local pub's play area (we have to remember to let them do this sometimes!), then walked across the old toll bridge to Whitchurch, a very gorgeous village. We all had lots of fun working out which house was Toad Hall – there were lots of lovely homes to select from! The church was also very lovely, and we were all taken with the daffodils in the church yard. The ... read more

Geo: 51.48, -0.605995...well, if the holiday all goes like this, we are in for a wonderful time (OK, I know it won't all be smooth sailing, but how could 109 days holiday NOT be wonderful?)We left Brisbane at 1.30pm on Wednesday. Steven and I cleverly joined the QANTAS club a few hours before we left, so sat with the kids in the relative peace & quiet of the club lounge. The flight to Singapore was largely uneventful (just how I like my air travel!) other than one officious customs officer at BNE and one silly mummy who opened her mouth before engaging brain! The 4 hour stopover in Singapore was a little harder, as we were all tired (only the men slept on the plane). I'd researched the airport for things to do with kids - ... read more

Kiwi Comments: New Zealanders are practical, friendly and down-to-earth people. In public places, including beaches, behaviour is quite restrained. They take a tough stand on public drunkenness - Liquor Free Zones are everywhere & lots of supermarkets have no licence to sell booze. 'No worries' (which is counter-intuitive to me) is still the favourite phrase. Where available, drink is pricey. Public Transport isn't brilliant and parking can sometimes be expensive. Free street parking is usually quite easy, though you have to be careful to move your car before the no of minutes indicated on the parking sign has expired. Roads are generally well-surfaced and road signs usually easy to follow (though sometimes, in towns, signposts and street signs are too infrequent and strangers can get lost). Speed limits are clearly shown and nowhere did I find ... read more

Our last day in Singapore was at least as memorable as any other day of our holiday. Singapore decided to treat us to a heatwave, with solid sunshine instead of the more usual sun, cloud and occasional shower. (Who needs a heatwave in Singapore when its pretty hot under normal conditions!) So, not realising what sort of day awaited us, after a quick dip in the hotel swimming pool, we decided to spend the day in the Botanic and Orchid Gardens. We would tough it out and not shelter in air conditioned rooms! Anyway, we enjoyed the flowers, atmosphere, ponds, fountains and parkland immensely, as the photos attest. But we didn't expect to have to find shade as much as we did. We started to melt early and had to keep topping up with liquid all ... read more

This is intended as a brief description of our adventures in far-off lands. We hope that it will be exciting enough to entertain you but not so exciting as to risk life and limb. (My travelling companion has banned Bungee jumping, for instance.) Before we start, we have to try and tweak all the bells and whistles 'assisting' us in maintaining the blob. Please don't judge the blog from the quality of the first few entries. We're slow learners, but, with luck, your patience will be rewarded. The next entry will probably contain details of our departure planning and, hopefully, a little practical advice for our readers (eg. How not to prepare for your journey) ... read more