Blogs from United Kingdom, Europe - page 2984

I spy London Eye Thirty-Two glass modules Going round and round. I made it to the London Eye this morning. The line ups weren't too long but long enough! I really hate to have to wait. I think that the line ups were moving slowly because they have to inspect everyone's bags before entering the glass module. Once in the air conditioned module we were off! This giant Ferris wheel takes about 30 minutes to go around once and provides some excellent views of the city. Although the entry fee was quite pricey, I thought it was worth it especially since the weather was nice and sunny. I splurged the extra £3 and bought the pictorial souvenir booklet that depicts all of the sights that can be seen from all directions. A bonus was that there ... read more

July 17th 2005 Godalming, Surrey, England. Life becomes almost laughably idyllic here in my little corner of the world, as I build an easy-going, comfortable rapport with my client/couple and we slide into something vaguely resembling a routine. There's still a never-ending assortment of people - nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, family, staff, tour groups, visitors - always coming in and out, but that's no longer as disorientating as it was initially. In fact, it's nice to always be busy. Some home-caring assignments can probably become very lonely and monotonous. Autumn is almost here, but until a week or so ago we would go down to the fruit gardens almost every day and pick raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, red currants, and so forth. It was all very homespun and sweet. I have developed a mad craving for raspberries, which ... read more

I've mostly been visiting the parks today, slacking in the sun. Getting to know my way around London, which isn't so hard. Walked bare-foot through Green Park, felt great after a day in shoes! Checked out the stores at Kensington High street, found a nice sushi place for dinner. After that I cought a bus to Piccadilly Circus and ended up on the back-streets of Soho with its "adult" movies and inviting girls at the entrances promising a great show inside...... read more

Today was a break during the competition, so we decided to make a jaunt to Burton Overy and Carlton Curlieu, small towns in Leicestershire, which are my (Vicki's) ancestral homes on my father's side. It took a little over an hour to get there from Burton-upon-Trent. We drove through Leicester city on our way, and were greeted by Harry Potter and Dumbledore waving from the top of the Borders Bookstore as we passed through (the 6th Harry Potter book had just been released). We made our way to a quiet, pastoral area and then we saw the Burton Overy sign and knew we were at the place! I am a bit of a hobby genealogist and I had been dreaming about making this trip for over 20 years. Burton Overy is a quaint small village -- ... read more

Yesterday we spent a very nice day w/ John's Uncle Gordon and his wife, Anne-Lynne. They picked us up at 10:30am and we went to Runnymeade where the Royal Air Force Memorial is to pay tribute to John's Uncle Ted Dawson who was shot down in WWII. I wanted to view Gramma's brother Frank b/c the Royal Canadian Air Force was recognized there as well but I regrettably drew a blank on Gramma's maiden name so cldn't pay my respects. Following Runnymeade we went to Windsor and saw the Queen's "summer home" which was magnificent. What a stunningly beautiful castle. We had a great lunch on a cobblestoned mew and then wandered around the quaint (albeit touristy) streets. In the evening we met John's cousin, Katy and had our first pitcher of Pimms. YUMMY!! We're definitely ... read more