Doug & Jodie

Last night we headed off to my friend and colleagues housewarming party in their flat near Canary Wharf. The panoramic views of the city were stunning and it was nice to meet so many of her friends, very chic French people! Lots of drinks later we caught the DLR to Bank and then a cab home. Today is the first day of daylight savings, looking forward to summer! Better go, Debby and Darryl will be around soon for cheese and wine.

Friday night along with a few colleagues from work and their partners including Doug, we went and saw Avenue Q at the Noel Cowell theatre in St. Martin’s Lane. It done mostly with puppets and is set in New York with a very dry NY humour – it was hilarious! Later Laura, Julien, Eric, Yumi, doug and I enjoyed hamburgers at Hamburger Union in Covent Garden – yum!!!

On Thursday this week we saw Corrine Bailey Rae at the Hammersmith Apollo – Doug introduced me to her music when we met a year ago. Her song ‘Like a Star’ is one of our favourites. The concert was the end of her tour and it was brilliant, her voice is incredible.

One day we won’t move for at least a couple of years! After saying goodbye to mum we spent half the week moving to our lovely new flat at Tempus Wharf, a converted warehouse on the Thames. We are so happy here, it feels like a real home as opposed to a hotel.

March 2007:

It had been 4 months since we had seen my mum and Richard and the time for their visit came around so quickly! After we organised a car to pick them up from Heathrow they arrived on our doorstep in Tower Bridge Road. Full of stories from their African safari we dragged them down to the Borough Markets to see all the amazing fresh food, picked up some Dutch cheese then walked along the Thames, past the HMS Belfast, the Tower Bridge and into Shad Thames. That night we saw ‘the Sound of Music’ at the London Palladium – despite mum falling asleep from jetlag it was one of the best musicals I have ever seen. The set was incredible, a whole mountain was suspended above the stage. The actress who played Maria was selected from a public T.V competition, she was brilliant but the Mother Superior really stole the show with her voice.

The next day we ventured over to Portobello Rd in search of mum’s long desired silver tea caddy (it took a while for us to actually understand what this was, but it wasn’t long before we were all searching for one – stopping in tiny towns all over Ireland at random antique stores). On Portobello Rd we stumbled across one of mum’s old local pubs, it was pretty surreal to be sitting with her in it 30 years later. Later that day we went to St. James’ park, walked past Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.

Left to their own devices while Doug and I were at work, Mum and Richard found their way around London. Monday night they met me at work to see the view from our office then we headed to the Princess Louise for a drink.

I started my leave on Thursday of that week. Mum, Richard & I went to Harrods for tea and scones – yum! Richard left to visit a relative and mum and I shopped down Kensington High St. Later that day we met, Richard and Doug at the London Eye – I went on the eye a couple of years ago with Fi – this time we went at sunset and the sky was unusually clear.

On Friday morning, we all got up early dragged our bad to London bridge and then caught the Gatwick Express to the Airport. At Manchester airport we picked up our car and drove to Newby Bridge where we were staying at the Southern end of Lake Windermere in the Lake District. The Hotel was a gorgeous Tudor Style house right on the river, The Swan Hotel. It had gorgeous rooms and lounges with fire places. We spent the afternoon in Bowness and Windermere – eating lunch on pier looking out over the lake and walking along the water watching the swans. I bought mum a cute little tea pot for her birthday, they came in all shapes and styles, this one was a little green Aga with a cat sleeping on it – maybe a substitute for the Aga mum dreams of in her new kitchen.

The next day we drove through Bowness, Windermere where I bought a marquisette brooch from an antique store, something I’ve wanted for a while. Then up to Ambleside and on to Grassmere where Doug and Richard watched the rugby in a pub while mum and I found a great chocolate shop! That night we fulfilled mums cravings for fish ‘n’ chips and ate in Windermere.

On Sunday we flew from Manchester to Belfast. From Belfast we drove North to the Giants Causeway – great cliffs and rock formations along the far Nth coast of Ireland, a wet windy day, Mum and Richard opted for the bus back up the cliffs while Doug and I soaked up the fresh air and the space outside London. That evening we stayed in Derry.

The following day we drove down through county Derry to county Donegal in on the West Coast of Ireland, leaving the Nth and entering the Republic momentarily – which stumped us when we tried to put pounds into the parking meter instead of cents (Euro). Here we visited Donegal castle in Donegal – a quaint little castle. We drove back into Northern Ireland and stayed in a B&B where I could barely understand the lady in Kells – where the book of Kells was written. We went into town and enjoyed a meal at the Vanilla Pod – so far we’ve eaten dessert every night on holidays and had an English Breakfast every morning!

On Tuesday we drove into Dublin. Here we booked into our handy hotel right in Temple Bar (Sth of the River Liffey). We visited the book of Kells and the Long Room Library in Trinity College, then hopped on a tour bus to the Guinness brewery where mum and I enjoyed G&T’s in the bar overlooking Dublin while Richard and Doug did the brewery tour and enjoyed their free pint of Guinness in the Sky Lounge with 360 degree views of the city. Back on the bus with our driver Paddy, we went through the Royal Gardens, past the presidents house and then back along the Liffey past the Ha’ Penny Bridge and back to Temple Bar. That night we enjoyed a few drinks in the Temple Bar.

On Wednesday we travelled across from Dublin to the far West in County Galway to the Connemarra region (where fly fishing rules). We checked into our castle, Ballynahinch Castle where we were given gorgeous rooms with four poster beds, personal sitting rooms and powder rooms and a walk in robe!! Doug and I set off for a stomp through the forest, the silence was deafening – so strange to be able to hear yourself think! The River rushed past the castle and the Lake nearby was so still and peaceful, a highlight of the trip. That evening we met mum and Richard in the castle pub for a drink by the fireplace and then moved into the Rosette winning restaurant where we had the most amazing fine dining experience, truly extravagant! We finished the night in the sitting room with port and Irish coffees and little chocolates – in all very indulgent!!

On Thursday we enjoyed room service breakfast and then walks in the forest again. It was hard to leave the castle, but we drove down to the Cliffs of Moher, stopping in a quaint village for lunch. The cliffs have had some developments since I was there a year and a bit ago, the pathways are now more tourist friendly but this didn’t stop Doug and I from venturing past the warning signs and onto the old worn pathways on the very edge of the cliffs. From here we drove down and by passed Limerick by taking a car ferry across the bay. We ended the day in Killarney and enjoyed a pub meal.

Friday we drove out to Muckross House with its’ elegant gardens on the Lake – ancient old trees loomed over us, it was a really magical place. Then we drove to Kenmare which is at the beginning of the Ring of Kerry – a cute town where we had the yummiest scones! Then we drove onto Blarney where we each kissed the Blarney Stone supposed to give you the gift of the gab, not sure if Doug needs that one  I’ve done this twice now and have seen no effect but I lead the way to show mum how its done. You have to sit at the very top of the castle with your back facing a hole in the floor where you can see the ground low below, then you flip backwards toward the wall on the other side and kiss a small stone. Then we drove up to Roscrea in central Ireland to visit Richards family. We stayed in a B&B here and enjoyed a great night of laughs and good craic with some local Irish folk, Doug was in his element talking about Africa and generally having a good time.

Saturday (St. Patrick’s Day) we said good bye to Richards family, firstly visiting an ancient Abbey in a nearby field. Then we drove down Kilkenny, dropping Doug and Richard off at a pub in time for the start of the 6 nations finals. Mum and I checked into Butler House (where the women of Kilkenny castle used to live when they were kicked out of the castle after their husbands died). Mum and I later met up with the boys in the pub and watched the Irish reduced to tears when France won – the atmosphere was electric – watching the Irish play rugby in an Irish pub on St. Pats day with local Irish people!

On Sunday we drove up to Dublin and flew back to London. It was an amazing trip and a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel with my mum. It was so hard to say goodbye on Monday – I won’t see her until October. Now that she has gone I realise how good it was to have her here with us. Now I’m looking forward to having Fi here in June/July. Miss you mum! Thanks to both of you for coming all this way to see us and relieving the homesickness for a while.

On the 24th of February, we took the overland train to Windsor Castle. The castle is absolutely amazing. The castle offers a free audio aid, which is much the same as a guided tour.

We saw works of art in the gallery, which included original Da Vinci drawings. The tour of the State apartments, is the highlight of the tour. We saw the Queens Doll House, which must have taken ages to complete. The house includes hand made table silverware and a working vacuum cleaner on a miniature scale.

The rest of the tour showed the decadence of the Royal family. Separate dressing, drawing, dining, bathroom and bedrooms make this rather apparent. Huge paintings, murals, painted ceilings and imported carpets fill every room. Some waiting rooms had over 30 chairs for guests.

Weapons and armour line the staircases to show strength of the Country. Many of the weapons on display are from conquered nations. Busts of Churchill and Nelson serve as a reminder of battles and wars won.

One of the biggest rooms, is a dining room which seats 166 people. The TV displaying a celebration showed the preparation and the effort involved in hosting such events. Lining up the cutlery is a career in itself.

We left the main buildings and walked around the grounds, enjoying the views. The church was still under repair, but the history and feel of the place let you know it has a lot of significance.

We walked passed the “Crooked house of Windsor” and grabbed a few pictures. We then strolled around the open mall, before getting a bite to eat and heading back to London.

It was a great visit. It was only a pity that no photos were allowed to be taken inside the castle buildings.