It is worth the long haul flight

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Well I think I have finally got this sorted so that I can get started on this blog to keep you all up to date on our trip so far.

What can I say about a long haul flight apart from that they are a pain that one has to endure to get to this side of the world. But what is it about me that people want to frisk me at airports!! Twice - at Brisbane and Dubai!! Do I look like a bomb suspect?? Are those extra rolls around my middle rather suspicious??

Singapore was hot, pristine and orderly and a very expensive place to have drink - $82 for two drinks apiece at Raffles and $75 a bottle of Lake Chalice at a riverside restaurant.

Dubai airport is a shambles - no airbridge so it is into buses to the other end of the airport, through control point then fight your way back to the other end to get n another bus and back on board again - think Albany mall for opening day specials and double it and that's at 7am and it's 29deg outside!!

Finally we see the green fields of England and it is 11 degs - they had summer last wekend!!

We have had a really busy week here in London with Stacey, David and Georgia, plus meting many of their friends and Georgia's parents, Pat and Darryl from Perth. We have watched Georgia and friends run for charity and lunched at Richmond, walked around Clapham Common and watched David and Georgia play touch rugby there in the freezing wind (took me back a year or two as Chris Viccars was also playing and he and David played soccer together at Chelsea School nearly 20 years ago)

A long day out on Tuesday taking in the sights around London including a boat ride down the Thames from Westminster to Greenwich and back followd by dinner and and the show Billy Elliott with David and Stacey. On Wednesday we tried again to get into St Pauls after a failed attempt when we were here 6 years ago, but again we were thwarted, this time by a service for recipients of medals from the Queen, but we did get to see Prince Philip arrive to fanfares of trumpets etc. So we have given up on ever getting to St Paul's and went to Madame Tussards instead along with hoards of other tourists, included vast numbers of french tenagers on a school trip!!

Highlight of my week was Thursday and the Chelsea Garden Show, the reason for being here at this time of the year. I set off early and thought it was a bit of a breeze getting there on a direct bus route from here - a little nervous as I didn't have an A to Z with me. No crowds when I arrived but as the hours went by there were certainly a lot more people and every inch of grass and edging seem to have people sitting and resting, which I found quite strange as there was so much to see - similar to but much better than Ellerslie

We had a lovely dinner out with Stacey, David, Geogia, her parents and a couple of other friends at a very nice restaurant in Bayswater followed by a visit to the All Star bowling alley which was just below the restaurant - great fun and lots of laughs especially when David was in danger of being beaten by his mother!!

Stacey, Ian and I are now in Ireland - had 2 nights in Dublin having a look around here including the Guiness storehouse. Shortly we will be heading off to pick up our rental car to get away from cities and out into the countryside of Ireland

Thank you, Ray and Ann for sending on your email and hope your are able to open this OK

Hope this finds everyone well back in NZ and Aust
Take care and we will try to get another blog in when we pass through London next week

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