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Published: January 3rd 2010
The Guggenheim, Bilbao
Yes this scuplture & the architecture make it worth seeing - even before you get to the modern art,What another fantastic year! 2010 has a lot to live up to if it's going to be anywhere near as exciting and rewarding as 2009. Over the past 12 months we've been lucky enough to bask in the love and support of our wonderful family, spend quality time with cherished friends, visit some amazing sites in exotic countries, challenge ourselves (running with the bulls anyone?), acquire new skills and hobbies - oh and sample some amazing food. Especially the food. Yummmm.
Unfortunately we've been so busy living life, that I've been a bit remiss with the blog. Apologies to all of you who do read this avidly, and just for you, here's an attempt to make amends - 2009 in reflection.
NEW ZEALAND SUMMER
Well the year started in our favourite place in all the world - the beach resort on New Zelaand’s Coromandel Peninsular - Paunui. What better way to start then for a brief stroll along the beach and a climb up Mt Pauanui in 30degree heat. Beautiful weather, fantastic company. Why did we leave NZ again?
We left Pauanui with Mum & Dad to conquer Mt Ngarahoe & the Tongariro Crossing. Staying at family -
the Withington’s - lovely Taupo home gave us a beautiful base to explore the delights that region offers. We started off with a hard day’s work completing the Tongariro Crossing - which included a ‘diversion’ up the scoria slopes of the (near) 45 degree angle mountain… you know, one step up and three steps back kind of work, followed by an adrenaline fuelled run back down the scoria (as any slower pace meant you fell over in the screeds of shale you dislodged). The best way to flow this was with a relaxing swim in the unusually warm, deep waters of Lake Taupo.
Back to Auckland for some fond farewells of North Shore beaches, brunch at beautiful cafes and a last chance to see friends and family before heading off back to winter.
SHANGHAI - CITY OF JUXTAPOSITION
We arrived in Shanghai early in the morning after a 12 hour flight through the night. After a very quick journey in on the Maglev - the world’s fastest train, which had it’s speed restricted to 301 km p/h when we were on it - but often travels at 430km p/h at other times of the day -
I came, I saw, I conquered
Brendon & Colin both made it, with the most danger being when Colin was knocked over in the entrance to the actual ring. Not wanting to push their luck, both boysswiftly exited the ring. a fun trip through the metro and a wonder around streets where no one spoke a word of English, we managed to locate our hotel, check in, dump our bags and head off for a day of sightseeing. Shanghai is incredible. And a striking contrast of old an new. A wander along the beautiful old Bund - the water front strip in Puxi - reveals majestic old buildings, built early 20th C , reminiscent of the stately monuments in New York or London. Yet gazing across the Huangpu River, you see a skyline straight out of The Jetsons. Towering Skyscrapers and futuristic globes make up the unreal skyline of the Pudong. We were lucky enough to view this from afar and then as part of the skyline from the Cloud 9 Bar located on the 87th floor of the Jin Mao Tower (Grand Hyatt) - sensational & highly recommended if you do ever visit. The Pudong, very recently just swamp and farmland, was developed to cater for the exploding population growth that lead to the city boasting over 20 million residents today. And this was the heart breaking part. To me as a kiwi, it was a soul destroying taxi
journey out to the airport early the next morning - after only a few hours in our hotel room. For an hour all we passed was skyscrapers. No grass. No trees. Just skyscrapers looming out of the smog - a post-apocalyptic site. How can these generations of families grow up with no fields to run on, no back yard to kick the ball around - and not even a school playground? It made me very grateful to have had the privilege to grow up in the beautiful, clean NZ.
LONDON
After such a wonderful, warm visit with family in friends, how would we feel about arriving back in London? Oddly enough, on our trip back to Clarence Ave we both relaxed. Somehow it felt like arriving home. OK. Now I remember why we love London so much. As a Kiwi we are always blessed with the knowledge that we have a safe, secure and loving home to return to any time we want. And that makes travel just that little bit easier.
So what best way to enjoy London then to put our long discarded tourist hats back on. Each weekend in Jan & Feb we
Happy Reid family
At their own little slice of Paradise - Pauanui.
Brendon, Dan, Bruce & Linda. took out our London Lonely Planet and visited beautiful villages - like Richmond - gardens & park land - like Hamstead Heath , the 121 Hectare Kew Gardens and the 955 hectare Richmond Park - and places of slightly more cerebral interest - like the Natural History Museum.
On February 1st, Brendon & I dressed up in our newly acquired SKINS - looking a bit like wetsuits they keep you warm & prevent injury while exercising - and went for a nice little 14km jog down to and around Battersea Park. On the way back something started drifting out of ths sky…big, fluffy, white snowflakes. It snowed all afternoon and the next morning we woke up to find our street buried in piles of white powder. All the tube lines were down & Brendon’s work called and told him to stay at home. Well, if you insist. Our lovely neighbours Kim & Jake made it as far as the end of our cul-de-sac before their respective works called and also told them to stay at home. So they set about making the nicest snowman Clarence Ave has ever seen. I actually worked, but Monday is grocery day in the
Top of Mt Pauanui - take II
This time with Krystal, Daniel's girlfriend. Dan, where are you? Reid household, and so at lunch time we headed out to Clapham Common to get supplies. Joined by Neighbours Phil & Brendon, who couldn’t get their car out of the street, we explored our newly transformed home. Many snowballs later - courtesy of neighbourhood children hiding behind hedges - we made it to the Common. Sensational. Nearly as packed as on a hot summers’ day, it was full of, well EVERYONE, building snowmen, voluptuous snow women, snow caves, having a laugh and generally regressing to a puerile state. It turns out that this was the heaviest snowfall in UK for nearly 20 years . Schools were closed throughout the country for days. It was not so much fun days later, when the snow had been turned to ice, compressed by thousands of feet stomping to work. The A & E departments were overflowing with broken angles, legs & wrists as a result. A week later and the Clarence snowman was more of a misshapen mound & the snowfall become part of London (&UK) history.
ARE YOU WITH VISCOUNT LINLEY?
Ahem, no, but I’d like to be. As a special treat for my birthday - and for Colin’s 30th,
Happy family
L-R: Bruce, Dad, Mum, Brendon & Linda doing what they do best - dining al fresco on a long hot summers day. Paloma (affectionately called Pav) had organised something rather special - a performance of Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House. Sadly by the time she had a list of everyone who would join us, the performance was sold out. No problem. Where there’s a Paloma, there’s a way. She managed to get someone to open up the ROYAL BOX just for us. Hmm when she mentioned Royal Box it sounded rather grand. But really I had no idea that this box was usually the preserve of Bonnie Prince Charles, patron of the Royal Opera House, and his esteemed family. Pav, being her usual punctual self (ahem), was running late again and likely to miss the start, so Jen and I headed up to the Royal Box ourselves. We were greeted by the Concierge who told us unequivocally that the Royal Box was not open. But… perhaps we were part of Viscount Linley’s group? While I would have loved to have said, but of course, I said we were the Vivanco group (Pav’s surname). He must have misheard me as next thing we knew, we were being ushered into a grand room with a fully laid dining table, chandeliers and his
The only way to travel
Rosie gets a a lift home to Auckland with her boss. Brendon & Sue Phillips have come to supervise wife, Lady Serena staring at us with a bemused expression. Ahhh,. No, sorry we’re not actually with this party, Pity. In the end all was sorted out, and in fact the Concierge - perhaps to remedy his gaff ? - gave us a fantastic rundown of the Royal Box…how Queen Victoria, when in mourning and officially out allowed out in public, used to enter through a secret door (which he showed us) and sat in the back of the box, watching the whole show through a cleverely positioned mirror.. and where Prince Charlie liked to sit. The show was beautiful and the whole evening priceless.
BUDAPEST
We decided to celebrate my birthday with a trip to the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Described by many as the ‘poor man’s Prague’ and famous for it’s hot baths we thought it was well time to investigate. First our friends Holly & Nick , and then Jo & Luke joined us on our expedition.
My Hungarian colleagues warned me that my birthday was in fact Hungarian Revolution Day , a date marred by unrest - last year an army tank was stolen and ran amok through the city streets. Hah!
view from the top - Mt Ngarahoe
Wow! With this barren volcanic landscape no wonder neighbouring Mt Ruapaehu was chosen as Mt Doom forLord of the RIngs . Like a little rioting was going to stop us! Sorry Mum. On the evening of the 14th, on our night time wandering, we came across a beautiful and peaceful candlelight vigil. On the day itself, the bridge across the Danube that connected where we were staying on the west bank of Buda with the east bank - Pest - was transformed into a memorial. It was crowded with children and costumed actors teaching them the importance of the day. So far, so good. As we travelled across town to the Szechenyi Baths we did pass riot police with shields, helmets & some mean looking guns, plus crowds of peaceful protestors in Heroes Square, City Park, but saw no real aggression or drama. It wasn’t until that evening, back in town, when a man ran past us, telling us to get moving as a crowd of rioters was heading our way. We never saw them though - and thought there was a lot of hype with little unrest.
Szechenvi Baths, built in 1881, is a beautiful indoor and outdoor thermal bath complex. Think the Polynesian pools in Rotorua, times about 10 in size, with a back drop of wonderful
The lovely Rosie
Catching up in Auckland architecture. We spend a lovely relaxing afternoon there. Once we had traversed the changing rooms that is. We had been warned that this was not just a beauty resort but also a place where patients come for treatment. As we entered the white, sterile changing rooms, with assistants in stark white lab coats, funny little rooms and lockers, we did wonder if perhaps we were going to be locked up in the asylum, never to escape. Luckily, we must have seemed sane enough and were allowed to partake in the delights of the heated pools, steam rooms & sauna.
The highlight of Budapest, however would have to be the food. A slightly run down Eastern European country was not where one would expect to find great food. But there seems to have been a surge in new cuisine in Budapest - while the prices are still far shy of London, France or Italy. The best of all, was the delicious Dio restaurant which I highly recommend if you ever find yourself in Budapest.
SOPHIE ANN AGMEN-SMITH
ON 4th April 2009, Mum and Dad’s long awaited grandchild came into this world. A gorgeous and delightful little girl, Sophie
Auckland friends - checking out the Auckland night life
Back: Lane & Brendon
Front: Anne, Stephanie, Rosie et moi has been the apple of the Agmen-Smith family’s eye ever since. Ali adopted so well to motherhood and Chris is such a loving, doting father, it’s no surprise that Sophie appears to be the happiest, most content child I’ve ever met.
Mum and Dad came over for the birth - which meant they got their whole family in the same room for the first time in 7 years. Wow. Mum was thrilled to be invited to be present at the actual birth, and was - as everyone who knows her would expect - a stalwart and absolute godsend to the two new parents.
Brendon and I have had the fun of spending many weekends this year at Chris and Ali’s Kent home, where we’ve got to feed, cuddle & generally adore this bright and alert little cherub. Chris & Ali have enjoyed training us up as babysitters - the just we could love closer to them.
BERLIN
In April they changed the requirements for getting a UK Highly Skilled Migrant Visa - with just a few weeks’ notice. This meant poor Colin - and many of our other friends - had to hand in their passports
Shanghai - Yu Yuan Garden
Peace and quiet in the middle of the city - the 400 year old 'Garden of Peace' proved a lovely interlude. on very short notice. No passport means no travel. Oh dear. Poor Pav had to accompany us to Berlin without her other half.
David’s good friends Monique and Karl had just moved to Amsterdam with Karl’s work. They had a big apartment in the centre of town, which they kindly lent to us while the travelled elsewhere for Easter. SCORE
Berlin is a huge place, with so much to offer, that 4 full days really didn’t do it justice. Never the less we did our best to tick off the history: walking tour, Brandenberg Gate, Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie - and the nearby Museum, Berlin wall, Museum Island, Hitler’s Bunker (well nothing is left there - it’s now a car park), Holocaust Memorial and Museum etc…; the art - with visits to many different galleries of all types; and of course the night life, culminating in a trip to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse but was instead an ultra hip restaurant & club.
RIVER COTTAGE
A huge fan of 2009’s food personality of the year Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and his show, River Cottage, anyone who knows me knows my passion for learning all I
can about home grown and self sufficiency. That’s why I was thrilled to receive a s a birthday gift a day long course for me at River Cottage from Brendon, David and Chris & Ali.
Near Axminster in Devon, the location of the River Cottage itself is a closely guarded secret. I was only sent the details of the location after confirming my registration on the course. The night before I took the train out to Axminster, explored the town and ate at the famous River Cottage Store and Canteen. To die for. Poor Brendon missed out on probably the richest, most delicious chocolate dessert in the history of man.
The next day, up bright and early I took a taxi to the farm. A tractor took the handful of excited course attendees down to the farm proper where we were taken into a Yurt for an introduction & some warm drinks. There followed a day of practical advice from the expert Mark Diacono - and touring their garden beds and polytunnels (to extend the UK season), picking the salad for our lunch, and enjoying feasts made by their in house chef - including sampling their own hand
reared pigs and their famous beetroot brownie. We were then given a signed copy of Mark’s Veg patch book and left sated, and far more knowledgeable than when we had arrived.
LAKE DISTRICT
Mum and Dad’s trip over here wouldn’t have been complete without some sightseeing. So we headed off with them & David in a train to the Lake District where we met Mum’s step borther John and his wife Gill and all stayed in a lovely cottage in Windermere.
There followed many days of hiking:- Scafell Pike, hills near Grassmere, viewing beautiful villages like Grassmere, Ambleside & Bowness - and if course the obligatory fine dining in warm, cosy, atmospheric pubs.
SUMMER
Summer is the most exciting time in London. Everyone gets a new lease of life and really makes the most of every moment. Summer of 2009 was memorable for visits to Bournemouth beach - a traditional UK beach with crowds, a fair ground and lovely pier, camping in the New Forest with our touch crew - oh and winning our Mixed touch finals in Spring and both men’s and mixed touch finals in Summer.
We also got to enjoy all
the glitz and glamour with a day at the races - Royal Ascot - with friends.
Plus I sadly left my job of 3 years at Mobyko to take up a too good to miss opportunity at Photobox. Sadly Mobyko was being brought out and would no longer be the fun and exciting consumer based company I had loved working for. Furthermore, the recession was biting hard, and times had been tough. Most of my colleagues had been made redundant or left before they were. I was lucky enough to know I had a ‘secure’ job for however long the company stayed afloat - which may not have been long. With the company changed beyond recognition and morale low, it was time for me to look elsewhere. PhotoBox was a dynamic 10 year old company that had performed sensationally well year on year and was one of the few company’s actually succeeding in the succession. Plus my new boss came highly recommended by people who had worked for him previously.
Certainly he is fantastic - as are the whole management team - and I am thriving in my new role. However the new job has meant longer travel
Snow comes to Clarence Ave
And provides a wonderful day of adventure, snowmen and the inevitable snowball fights. time and much longer hours. Lead to a very exhausted wee Claire. Hmm, I will have to get that balance right in 2010.
SPAIN
Shortly after joining PhotoBox, Brendon & I went on a long planned trip to Northern Spain. First a night in Bilbao to explore the famous Guggenheim art gallery, followed by many days relaxing at the lovely beach resort San Sebastian, gathering energy for…running with the bulls in Pamplona!
Well Brendon and Colin ran, girls are not allowed and we had been warned that locals take it very badly if they see a girl in the crowd - pushing her in front of the bulls. Oh well, if you insist.
The San Fermin festival in Pamplona was a lovely surprise. Not just drunken antipodeans embarrassing their country men with crass and uncouth behaviour, it was actually a week long family celebration, that just happened to have the running of the bulls each morning. We were there on the biggest days of the celebration - the opening of the festival and the first bull run. But as I was surprised by the masses of crowds celebrating I was equally surprised by how few of
River Thames from Richmond
A lovely weekend stroll along the river, through Richmond park - and of course a lovely warming lunch at Pembroke Lodge at the top of the hill. them actually turned up to watch the running. Mind you with the 4.30am start to get spaces to view the bull run in time I’m not surprised there weren’t many more out - especially as we were some of the first to leave the festivities at about 1am. In fact as we re-entered the town we found many people were still partying the night before.
Tip for those who want to run: make sure you’re standing where the locals are. It turns out you can’t just stand anywhere along the run. Which Brendon & Colin only found out after about 2 hours of waiting. The police came along and closed the area off. They raced back to the very start & got in just before that area was cordoned off. Many others were not so lucky and missed out.
Unless you are a young Spanish bravado or a very drunk reveller, both groups who seemed to find status in running back to the bulls, you are far less likely to be damaged by the bulls than by the crowds. We saw one girl actually try and run it who fell over and was trampled by the crowds for
a long time before police could drag her under the security fence and out of harms way. Colin fell over just as the boys entered the bull ring. Luckily, being a big boy, he managed to get up again and out of the way before the bulls trampled him. Brendon and Colin both being smart boys, despite what you think by them running with the bulls, then swiftly exited the ring - by jumping the barrier. The Spanish and a few stupid tourists then stayed in the ring as each poor bull was let back out (they were rounded up when they first entered) to be harangued and harassed by crowds of bravados trying to prove their manlihood. I really felt for the poor bulls.
BRENDON TURNS 30
Yes, my little Toy Boy is now officially an old man. Time to trade him in for a new one eh!
The lucky lad had one celebration after another. First his joint 30th with Brynie at the famous Lost Society Club, then a surprise evening at the private member’s club, Milk and Honey, followed by a trip to Italy - so magic it deserves it’s own blog and
won’t be mentioned here - and finally with his Mum & Dad flying all the way from NZ to surprise him the day we got home.
It certainly won’t be a birthday he forgets in a hurry.
WINTER
Well, as the night drew swiftly in and the days became colder, summer gave way to winter. Winter in the UK is a time for gloves, scarves and hats, cosy houses (love that central heating), warm food, and a slightly quieter pace of life.
With but a few work trips to Paris and one diversion to Cardiff, where we watched the All Blacks beat Wales, we stayed pretty local. In Cardiff we were lucky enough to have free rein of the largest club in the city - which our friend Will’s brother manages. This meant a day of hospitality - having lunch with the Sale Sharks team - a short stroll to the game - getting ready in the Club’s board room - and access to all areas of the Club - including the VIP lounge which was visited by many All Blacks during the evening. To top it all off we were invited to stay in
Will’s brother’s home. Talk about having it all laid on!
As we were spending Christmas in London for a change we wanted to make the most of it. And we certainly did, with trips down Oxford, regent & Carnaby Streets to see the famous Christmas lights plus the Christmas displays in Selfridges. On Christmas Eve we went to ‘Carols by Candlelight’ in the spectacular Royal Albert Hall, followed by Midnight Mass with Kristy, Dan and his sister in the magical Westminster Abby. You can’t get more special than that.
Christmas Day was an Orphan’s feast at our home. Chris, Ali & Sophie were delighting family in NZ, so David and our close friends Paloma & Colin, Caron & Marios and Caron’s lovely friend Heather all came for a day of feasting and frivolity. Caron and Marios put on a sensational spread of ‘starters’ with Marios’ own hand made dolmani, accompanied by pita, halloumi, tzatziki and olives and the more traditional cheeses, crackers, chips - oh and bowls of Lindt chocolate.
Pav & I did the main course with Roast beef and chicken, stuffed squash, creamed Brussels sprouts and an array of other veggies, gravy & the works.
Agmen-Smith family reunion
The first time we have all been in the same country since 2002.
Back, L-R: Chris with Sophie, Ali, Mum & Dad
Front: David et moi David & Heather brought dessert - with the traditional Daylsford organic Christmas cake, and mince pies vying with the plain delicious chocolate mousse and cheese cake.
Time for a midnight wander down to the Clapham Common to work it all off and then everyone slept a very sound sleep at ours that night.
The next day the girls & David headed off to fight the crowds on Oxford St at the boxing Day sale, while the boys had a leisurely breakfast before taking the hire car back to Angel - where they all live.
Christmas Eve was a fun and intimate affair at Jo & Lukes’ lovely Marylebone apartment. Jo had prepared ‘cocktail stations’ with recipes & all ingredients for us to make our own. We brought Canapes and had a lovely evening with great friends. When we finally left at 3am, we stepped outside to snowflakes. Beautiful.
And so we saw out 2009 and look forward to a fantastic 2010.
Love to you all
XX
B & C
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