Sharing experiences from my life, places I have visited, crafts I have created, and hoping to inspire other people in this journey we call life.
Tag: holiday
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Another wet day in the Naki! And another day to entertain the grandsons indoors. I taught grandaughter G3 how to make a Pom Pom the last time I was in Sydney, so thought that it was the perfect opportunity to teach the boys as well.
Pom Poms are really easy to make and are a great way of using up all your old balls of wool. Especially if you only have one ball left of a colour, or a batch, or there isn’t enough to make a whole garment.
If you’ve never made a Pom Pom before, here are the instructions…
Cut out two circles of cardboard with another circle cut out of the centre
Put the two circles together and start winding the wool around and around.
Keep adding more and more wool until the centre is full.
Complete filling it up using a darning needle with a super large hole threated with the wool.
Now the tricky part! You have to cut the Wool between the two circles just like the photo below
Wind a piece of wool between the circles and tie it tight so it will hold all the cut wool together
Rip off the cardboard circles and do a little trimming to neaten it up and voila! You now have a Pom Pom!
Our Pom Pom was thrown around as a soft inside ball. Great entertainment for two active boys.
And when the fun of a new Pom Pom had worn off Maisy the dog found it on the lounge floor. She was loving it! Tossing it around like it was made just for her! If I hadn’t rescued it I imagine it would have been destroyed in no time!
All in all our Pom Pom making experience has been quite fun! G2 wanted to make another one straight away. He loved the idea of using a needle but I was happy with just one big Pom Pom for awhile. Perhaps we can make another the next wet day 🙂
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Yesterday I drove to Palmerston North to pick up our Grandsons G2 and G4. I love having these boys to stay! You only have to look through a few of my previous blog posts and you will see photos of previous holidays and details of our adventures. I have made a few plans for these holidays but today, their first day here, it is a cold, wet and windy day. So it’s inside entertainment! G2 also has a cough cold and is probably better off staying indoors and keeping warm. So first thing was a game of minecraft on the Play Station 3, and then it was break time. The boys know that Nana Pam doesn’t like them spending too long in front of the television or a computer screen! So, out came the saucepan and a batch of playdough was made for the next form of entertainment…..and they loved it 🙂 If you haven’t made playdough before I suggest you give it a try. It is so easy!
Here is the the recipe….
Stir all together
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon of oil
2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
and food colouring (any colour)
Then cook on medium heat, stirring all the time until the dough leaves the side of the pan. Tip it out onto  tray and when it cools a little, knead it all together. And then the fun begins!
Here are some photos of the boys and their playdough creations…
Our lovely new, soft, green playdoughWho would like a slice of pizza?Shhhhh it’s a bird nest with a bird in it and her eggsG4 cutting up his playdough sausage for G2’s pizzaI can see….a snail!Our Master Chef!Preparing and planning the pizza toppings
Lots of fun to be had! Playdough play lasted for about an hour and I think that is a pretty good return for the time invested in making it. And, the best part of all is that if you store your Playdough in an airtight plastic bag or container, it will last for a month or even longer.
The sun has come out to shine this afternoon so maybe we can get out on the trampoline or the bikes! But if it’s wet again in the next few days, I am sure we will be able to get our green playdough out again….even if it’s only for another hour of play 🙂
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I have just had a wonderful eleven day holiday in Sydney compliments of Son C1 and his wife D1. Talk about being spoilt! It has been one of the best Mother’s day and birthday presents EVER!
But the extra special thing about this trip has been the opportunity of taking my 85 year old Mother with me. Mum has been wanting to come to Sydney and see family for ages and this time everything just worked out nicely.
In the eleven days I had many moments that I will treasure in my heart forever. The cuddles with our two month old little grandson, visiting eight year old grand daughter G3 at school and being shown all her school work for the year on display and being extra spoilt with gifts from amazing seventeen year old G1 (our eldest grandchild). I also had very special times with D1, and then C1 when he got home from his work trip to Florida. And in this holiday, we also had two precious evenings with Ben and Chloe. My mother/grandmother soul has been satisfied ….ahhhhhh
Mum sitting at C1’s work deskG3 showing me one of her creationsG3 showing her baby brother G6 to her School friendsG3 and meSam, G1 and C3D1 and C1C1 and his NanaBatbaby!All attention on the cutest baby boy 🙂G6 at two months old with Great Nana on the chair behind himG3, D3, C4 Mum and MeOut for tea together. D1, G1, G6, Sam and G3G3 making a Beeswax candle
I wasn’t sure how Mum was going to cope with the travelling and then all the extra activities we would do while in Sydney, but I was amazed with her. I know she got very tired at times and probably had some pain in her body, but she pushed herself and kept up all the time, determined to not be a bother and to also do everything we were doing. There were a few times that I had to remind her to get her walking stick out for safety reasons. These became cheerful reminders as Mum would say she was waiting for me to ask her where her stick was. But the last thing I wanted was to see Mum hurt herself and one fall could have been very bad!
At the St Ives ShowgroundFour GenerationsMum with her ‘STICK’ walking stick
We did have an extra special moment on our flight from Auckland to New Plymouth (home). I will never forget it! We were watching a movie on my galaxy, both sharing one set of earplugs to listen. So we had to sit pretty close and listen carefully with one ear. The movie was a real tear jerker, and when the saddest moment came in the film, here was Mum and I, both moping up our tears. Mum commented about how alike we are at being moved emotionally at movies. During the mop up time I looked very closely at Mums hands. I held her hands momenterily and looked at how crooked her little fingers had become. I felt so sad! My mother’s hands had suffered from the years of hard work. Her hands had wrapped around each of her children with love many many times. Oh what stories they could tell. But here they are now all bent and wrinkled. They have served her well but they have aged and they now cause her pain. I realise that this is definitely the winter season of Mum’s life, and also realise that I am now heading into the Autumn season. How quickly life flies by! Am I ready for what happens during this winter season? No I am not! I don’t think I will ever be ready. I love my Mum and Dad so much.
My Hand wrapped together with Mum’s handMum’s left handMum’s right hand. Look at her bent fingers, especially her index finger!
The sweetest thing I ever saw was when we arrived back at New Plymouth. Walking  to the car to go home I turn around and there is my Mum and Dad walking along each holding a handle of Mum’s carrybag. It was only 2.5kgs (I know because I weighed it), but Dad was helping her carry it. I guess he knows Mum’s crooked little fingers, and how painful they can be, way better than I do, after all they have now been married for 66 years. They are amazing!
I will keep that image locked in my brain forever. It was so sweet! This cute little old couple still showing their love for each other, sharing the load and both having wonderful smiles on their faces at the joy of being together again.
Celebrating 66 Years
Yes I got way more than I expected from these eleven days!
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One day last week I picked G2 up after School and decided to give both him and G4 a treat. Now if you haven’t been to the Te Manawa Museum in Palmerston North, New Zealand…you MUST go! Especially if you have young children. The museum is filled with interactive displays and it is so much fun watching the children explore and learn while playing.
All the ground floor is free entry so that is also a bonus to visit there. The first area you go to is the interactive house. It has a kitchen, lounge, bedroom/reading/dressing up area, and outdoor area consisting of a clothes line and a tree hut!
But the most favourite area is the scariest. If you walk into the wardrobe and through the hanging clothes a door magically opens at the back….and you enter into a dark secret passage. The door quickly closes behind you and you are left to explore/find your way out, using all the senses minus sight! And believe me it’s a bit creepy. You hear mice scuttling and things are hanging from the ceiling…and you even have to climb a bit! If you are very brave you can feel your way to the very end and find yourself up in the tree hut. If you get a bit worried you can find the escape door and end up in the bedroom and take a rest on one of the beds…or maybe read a book…or try out the dress up clothes.
In one of the rooms you learn how to do some plumbing. If you join the pipes correctly the water will start to run through the pipes. You can also fill up a bath with water and then pull the plug…learning not to waste water!
But my favourite part is the the outdoor area where the children can construct a big wall with the soft bricks that are provided. Talk about great entertainment for boys! They love it….even if we go there every holidays…they still love it.
There are the usual museum features as well and we did explore some of those areas but the real treat is all the interactive components of the place. Have a look at the photos and see what you think…
These are not really part of the interactive area of the museum, but the boys love climbing on them. Great for photos too I think 🙂Te Manawa – G2 on WTe manawa – G4 on nA mat and block in the entrance area. These are changed to different things regularlyHere the boys are about to pull the wall apart so they can build it againThe block are loaded onto the ramp and then wound up to the top levelOr…the blocks can be loaded onto a pully and manouvered up and around to the wall areaG4 building the wall ever so carefully. You don’t want bricks falling down on you!Both boys hard at work!Nearly finished G4!G2 says ‘would you like soup or a coffee Nana Pam’? I answer ‘both please’He then brings me the cash register to pay for them!G4 looking down at me from the tree houseYou can enter through the tube that comes from the secret passageway, or by the stairs 🙂What do you find at different layers of the ground….look and see…I see bonesThese bricks aren’t heavy Nan Pam!Reaching up to the top of the wall 🙂Boys LOVE using these things…just like big men!It’s the last block in the wall! Yay…done 🙂We fill the bath and then empty it…looking at how much water we use at the different levels!tic tac toe with pillows on the floor! What a cool idea 🙂you throw the balls up on the top of the cloud, pull the wire and the balls fall from the cloud like rain! How great is that?learning about pipes!I LOOOVVVEE this cute little caravan!Yes it’s an old tractor!The Maori history part of the museum 🙂Through the wardrobe and what do you find??????
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Today I am suppose to be packing up and driving to Palmerston North. I will! But a bit later. I HAVE to share these photos from our adventures in the Maize Maze.
The boys had been staying with us for the weekend, hence the reason I have to drive to Palmerston North today, I have to take them home….anyway… yesterday, we decided to go to the Maize maze. We had been passed the place a few times, in fact every time I took the boys either to their home or to our place. And because it is well sign posted and Jayden can read, it has been the most asked for location to visit….and it was worth the visit.
Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky! We started off with a fabulous church service, lunch at home (corn on the cobb would you believe), and then we were off to the Maize Maze.
Two very excited boys!See Nana Pam…here is a sign behind us!Yes there we are! We had so much fun 🙂Found a bit of shade to cool down a bit. Luckily Grandad brought a bottle of drink! Phew!Which way do we go?????Stop G4! photo time 🙂Looking for the signs which are hidden in the maze. We had a worksheet to fill in and we HAD to find them all!All smiles at the beginning!The entrance to the Maze…and there are 2 paddocks to exploreHaving a swing while Nana and Grandad pay to explore the MazeG4 at the tyre maze…just beside the maize maze!Mount Egmont (Taranaki) without any snow! Our view as we travelled to the Maize maze 🙂
So as you can see it was a GREAT day. We all had so much fun, and finished the fun off with a swim in our pool as soon as we got home. These kind of days are the days that we will remember forever!
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We have just arrived back home from a lovely weekend away. A weekend that has been planned for approximately six months. One of my best friend’s daughter had fallen in love with a lovely young man, and this weekend was their wedding, and we were invited. We had a little way to travel but it was worth it!
Rebecca, the bride had just finished her second year of teachers training and still has one year of study left. Roland, the groom, had just completed his training to become a youth Pastor. So as you can imagine money is tight. But, they are very much in love and could see no reason to delay a wedding…they were committed to each other for life! Just look at the love in their eyes for each other!
Now the wedding was definitely a wedding made on a tight budget, but in my opinion, it lacked nothing. It was a wedding full of meaning, joy, love and a real delight to experience. A very blessed event!
It was an open ceremony held in a local park. The setting was beautiful. A lovely arch was built as a background to the altar, and a wishing well for gifts to be deposited. Very sweet!
We were all invited to bring along a picnic and blanket for the reception. And everyone did just that. With joy and happiness and lots of laughter, we all sat around and ate our picnic tea together, with the bridal party sitting just along from us. It was perfect! The weather was warm and sunny, the surroundings picturesque, and the atmosphere delightful. You could just feel the support and love for both Rebecca and Roland. Everyone helped to make this day a delight to remember.
And we had a reason to dress up and have a weekend away! It will certainly be a weekend to remember. I feel very blessed to have shared in the whole experience.
Rebecca and Roland…I admire your decision to get married, and I also admire the fact that you didn’t waste money on lots of unnecessary trimmings. Your wedding day lacked nothing. It was a fabulous day and a very well thought out meaningful wedding ceremony. We were all able to contribute and help to make your day special, even if it was just by bringing along our own little picnic. Many people contributed one way or another and that’s the way it should be. Why get married and start the marriage with a huge debt that is caused by the wedding day. There was no alcohol, no loud music and no raised voices. The whole experience was simply lovely!
Yes….How refreshing!!
I LOVED it all xoxoxo
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Last school holidays I had the boys here to stay for a week. I met C3 and Stacie in Wanganui on a Tuesday and then a week later did the same thing again, picking the boys up the first week and dropping them off the second. We had a fabulous time at the park in Wanganui including a picnic lunch. The boys loved the playground! Each play area is based on a nursery rhyme or cartoon character and painted in bright colours. Best of all was the train ride!
G4 sliding down Dino the Dinosaurs neck 🙂The Family with Fred and BarneyOn top of Jonah’s Whale 🙂Love this! Dad and son!One happy G4Family on the train rideOn top of the MountainRiding a dolphinG4 is climbing up the dinosaur steps.whee down he goesSo much fun to be had at this park!We can do it!
The second week in Wanganui we had a big family get together celebrating Keelas 16th Birthday. Keela is my brothers grand daughter, daughter of Melissa. I haven’t seen Keela for years so it was a great opportunity to catch up with her….and what a beautiful young lady she is 🙂 It was also a chance to meet up with the newest addition to the family, baby Nash, Melissa’s baby…and Keela and Alex’s half brother.
Rodney, Joy and their familyVery proud great grand parents.16 Candles!!!Keela about to blow out her candlesA Happy momentHappy 16th Birthday KeelaDad with his son Rodney, and with Rodney’s son Jarrod, and with Melissa’s son Nash. 4 generations.Judy, Kerry and G2Mum and Dad with C3, Stacie and G4
Stacie with G2 and G4
I love trying to spend as much quality time with the boys while they are staying. This time we went to the beach, down to the river and walked along the walkway. Robin did something even more adventureous with them while I was at work. They climbed Paritutu! I don’t think I would have been game enough to do that with G4. His listening skills are not the best….and it is a very high and dangerous place to be if you don’t follow the rules! But….what an experience for them 🙂
The park at East End BeachThe Park at East EndIf there’s rocks….G4 has to climb themBuilding a big castle with woodYay for sand and waterG2 busy buildingDown at the river by Nana Pam’s and Grandad Robin’sThrowing stones into the riverThe river was flowing faster than we thought it would beTaking Maisy for a walkUnder the bridge on the walkwayWalk along Te Henui walkwayG2 enjoying the sandYes….G4 gets wet!East end beach after teaAt the entrance to Paritutu Rock (Mountain…nearly)G4 on the merry go round! A celebration for being such a good boy 🙂Look behind!Happy chappies…at the top!It’s getting very high now!Holding on to the inside bankStarting the climb. G4 trying to tell Robin that he is the boss. Now Grandad Robin says ‘Get down G4!’
While the boys were staying I found some cool T Shirts for them to wear to church on the Sunday. I am amazed at the neat clothing out there for boys nowdays. There was nothing like them when my boys were young! I love them! What do you reckon? Do you think they are pretty cool?
Playing together so nicely!Concentration!!!So busy buildingDo you think Batman can go down the slide?How much fun to roll the ball down the slide…just need to get it up first!Down G2 goesG2 first and G4 followsSo much fun on the trampolineJust hanging Nana!I can hang too Nana!
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Just a quick 8 day trip to Sydney this time…Matthew is in Las Vegas at IBM’s Information on Demand Conference, so I popped over to Sydney to keep the girls company 🙂
Matthew went to the conference as Cortell Australia (Matthew’s Company) won Worldwide Partner of the Year!
THE ANNOUNCEMENT:
LAS VEGAS, November 3, 2013 – Today, Cortell Australia, has been recognized as IBM’s leading Worldwide Advanced Analytics and Business Intelligence Partner. The Worldwide Overall Business Analytics Business Partner Excellence Award was presented to Cortell Australia during IBM’s Information on Demand Conference held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
IBM extends this award to a single IBM Partner globally based on a broad range of strategically important criteria that collectively drive value for the IBM Business Analytics brand. These include total resale revenue, number of resale transactions, very high customer satisfaction, Advanced Analytics & Business Intelligence solution expertise, investments in the IBM Business Analytics brand, and consistency over may years of service.
Matthews response: This is truly a significant award and Cortell Australia is honored to receive this world wide recognition from IBM. Our Sales and Consulting Teams share a passion for delivering the best possible business analytics solutions for customers. They work hard every day to solve customer business problems and this award is a result of their consistent delivery of high value and better outcomes for customers. We could not have done this without the fantastic IBM Business Analytics solutions, and we thank IBM for its continued investment in our success.
Matthew is one very smart man, very highly motivated and successful..and on top of that, he loves his family with passion! His desire is to provide them with the best life possible.
I won’t be visiting Ben and Chloe on this trip either. They are also in Las Vegas at the same conference as Matthew. Ben is speaking at one of the conference lectures??? Not sure what you would call it. He has designed a product which IBM uses and Ben will be sharing about the benefits / uses of the product. Actually…I don’t really understand it all completely as it is WAY beyond me….but Ben is a very talented and creative young man. He is very lucky as Mathew introduced him to the world of Business analytics, by employing him in Wellington New Zealand as a young 17 year old, and Ben hasn’t looked back since.
I am so spoilt as God has given me six very talented children and I love them all so much. Am I a proud Mumma??? I sure am!
On top of the business success, Matthew and Rebecca are having another baby due next March. I’m sure you know that they already have two beautiful daughters….Yes, I am a very proud nana of them too! But I have to share the results of the last Baby scan…It is a boy! And we are all celebrating that news! Such a blessing 🙂
I have also used the opportunity of coming over to Sydney to bring over some of the things I have been making for the baby. I have been making both baby girl things as well as baby boy ones as I am being blessed with three new Grand babies early next year. So Exciting! But now I know that this baby will be a boy I have selected some boy things and can save postage.
Below are photos of the creative process…and finished products
And now I am going to go enjoy my time in Sydney starting with walking Casey to School this morning and then taking Rosie for her walk around the big block.
The workmen are here doing up the pool area, so I am also enjoying watching the progress while they work away and I get to relax. Maybe I can finish knitting my little baby boys cardigan in the beautiful Sydney sunshine…..ahhhh I love life 🙂
The material squares before sewing
Sewn, cut up again and placing them for the final look
All sewn together 🙂
Playmat finished….topstitched and edged
This one is a cot duvet cover. Can be unzipped at the bottom for washing. The duvet inner is separate and enclosed.
First morning walk with Rosie in Sydney
The workmen are here today. Let’s see how much they get done. Looking left!
Looking right!
The Hills residence on a lovely hot Sydney day. Not a cloud in sight!
Beautiful Leeara and meLeeara and SamCasey and her pink ZincLeeara studying at the bathsRest and relaxation in the warmth of the sunPutting together ikea furnitureThe finished product – For baby Luke’s room
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No!!!!! The holiday has come to an end…and we had to say goodbye to Daniel and Marysia early in the morning. They had to go to work in London, and we had to leave for the airport at 5pm. With our bags all packed and the beds stripped and towels in the wash, we venture off again in Marysia’s little car. Teresa is beginning to get quite the expert I must say.
We venture to the nearby town of Windsor. After the nerve wracking experience of finding a petrol station, we find a carpark and off we go and explore Windsor on foot. The Windsor Castle dominates the town so it is very easy to find your way around. The gates of Windsor are at the end of the Windsor Great Park. Last year when Judy, Len, Robin and I came over we walked the great walk with Dan, Marysia and Glenda. It was fantastic. The whole grounds are owned by the queen and yet the public can wander through, ride bikes, horses, or just have family picnics and outings there. The deer even roam around in the park. We didn’t have time to do the walk this time but it was great to be able to show Teresa what it was like. I have put a photo up of the gate with a rusty old padlock on it. The story behind it is that when king Albert died, his wife Victoria was so sad she had the gate padlocked and it hasn’t been opened since then. He used to go out that gate every morning on his horse for a ride and Victoria couldn’t bare to be reminded of it…she loved and missed him so much…Awwww Outside Windsor Castle, there is a rather enigmatic Royal Air Force blue post box standing side-by-side with a red pillar box. The blue post boxes were introduced to important sites in England (such as Windsor Castle) between 1930 and 1938 to receive air mail post for Europe. They only lasted eight years because of the rapid expansion of air travel in that period, and also the RAF in the build up to the Second World War, but a few of them can still be seen today. A much wider and longer-lasting legacy of the brief blue boxes can be seen on the airmail stickers used today by Royal Mail, which are still Air Force blue to match their old post boxes. And as you can see by the photos below..we found the blue post box!
Windsor Castle grounds – part of!Windsor Castle wall with Windsor shops on the lefta Sign in WindsorStatue and CastleThe only blue post box in WindsorThe gates of Windsor CastleStanding at the Windsor end of the great walkThe locked gate with the rusted padlockIn front of Windsor Castle and at the end of the long walk
Windsor Great Park signThe church at WindsorAnother view of the Castle BuildingsSign at Windsor
While at Windsor, we did a little shopping, had a nice lunch and just explored the Windsor town. Very soon it was time to get back to Dan and Marysias and get ready for our taxi pick up.
Windsor Royal Shopping Center entranceStanding in front of the old train engine called The Queen
All went smoothly and we were at Heathrow airport before we knew it. Our flight was leaving at 10pm. We had a meal shortly after take off and then we all slept until nearly at Singapore. The Singapore stopover was a little easier than on the way over as it wasn’t as long, but the flight from Singapore to Auckland was painfully long! Because we had slept on the first flight we were only able to manage a couple of hours sleep on the second flight. We arrived in Auckland at approximately eleven am. And we had an arrival party. Merv (Teresa’s husband) and the four children were there to meet us. Jessica arrived shortly afterwards and we all enjoyed a fabulous reunion lunch together. Judy and I then had a three hour wait for our flight to New Plymouth. And I couldn’t stay awake! I had to lie down on an available seat, most uncomfortably, and with my backpack as a pillow….and sleep.
For the next three days I was asleep at 7.30 and awake at 5am. I do not cope with jetlag at all. But, I would put up with it anytime to have another amazing holiday like the one I just had. I am happy to say that this time I am home and feeling settled. After my last holiday I just couldn’t settle in to normal life…I fought it every day! But, I have felt strongly about getting this holiday all posted on my blog, and then I can move on to my next venture…more about that in my next blog post. Until then….no more holiday posts for me. The holiday has ended…thanks for reading. I hope you feel encouraged to travel yourself. Insight Vacations do amazing tours to lots of different destinations. I would easily go on another tour….want to join me?
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Two days travelling around and exploring inner London…..perfect!
Yes two days in a row and we were up at 6am, ready to catch a ride into London city with Daniel and Marysia. They have to leave home at 7am to be at work in time. Phew…what a mission! Four of us getting ready for the day in one hour! It isn’t a quick trip back home if we forget anything. And our ride home would be after work at 5.30pm, then traffic willing we would get back home at around 7.30pm. What a long day for all the commuting workers of London!
So us three girls trotted off to the great unknown….no actually Judy and I had both been to London before. I nearly lead us all astray as Hyde Park was much bigger than I remembered. Apparently we had only walked a tiny wee bit last time, and to get to the place that I had walked was going to take about an hours walk to get there. And to Judy’s grace and willingness (haha) we walked Hyde Park. What an amazing park to have right in London itself. Actually London has lots of parks in the inner city. It is very well planned. So we joined all the cyclist and joggers and started our own walking group of three on a very pleasant Tuesday morning 🙂
NZ war memorialRepresenting NZ soldiers killed in the war. The NZ MemorialGates at the entrance of Hyde ParkAn early morning walk to brighten up the day 🙂Diana memorial walkThe amazing Hyde ParkWellington ArchPhoto taking of the Wellington Arch
We walked all the way to Buckingham Palace via the Wellington Arch…took some photos to prove we had been there and then caught the hop on/off bus to discover more of London. Passing such monumental places like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, The London eye, Tower bridge, Tower of London, Piccadilly circus, Victoria Street Shops and Harrods of London….to name a few! We decided to stay on the bus and go right around the whole route. That way we could decide on the places we wanted to stop at the most.
Westminster AbbeyBig BenSt Pauls CathedralBuckingham PalaceThe gates of Buckingham PalaceThe palace behind usA smallish crowd outside the palace todayBy the statue outside Buckingham PalaceHouse of ParliamentSo many wonderful old buildings to see!
By the time we had finished going round the route we were starving. The decision to get off near Trafalgar square was unanimous and we found the first food place to eat at. Marysia had suggested two places that are great for fast food, yet healthy and relatively cheap. We were within a block away from a ‘pret a manger’ which was one of her suggestions, and we weren’t disappointed. Fabulous food! And apparently they are owned by McDonalds…who would’ve known! A shopping trip to Victoria Street was in order as we had a ‘need to shop’ urge come upon us (well actually Teresa more than Judy and I, but we were happy to go with it).
We joined the bus trip again and found our way to St Pauls Cathedral. Here we were meeting Daniel for our adventurous trip back home. Two very full train trips and a short walk to the car park and we were off. Three hours later we arrive home very tired and hungry. It was a very bad day for travelling on the motorways….apparently!
The next morning was a repeat of the previous day but Marysia was the driver. Our first stop was the Tower of London. We had tickets so headed straight for fast track entry. Luckily we arrived early and there wasn’t too much crowd. But we found this place amazing and ended up spending all morning and until 1.30 there. The Tower of London is a must see! We didn’t go there last time and I am so pleased we managed to fit it in this trip. So much history and a well preserved castle. The crown jewels are also kept there so we were able to do a walk through and see the amazing richness of them all.
This window caught my eye. I had to focus in the cross. Very significant I think!The Tower bridge from the Tower of LondonThe Tower of LondonGuard and gunsBuildings inside the Tower of LondonThe bridge view from the ferryOn the ferry on the river ThamesPosing on the ferryWe wanted to go on the Eye but just ran out of time. Maybe next time 🙂
The Tower bridgeTower BridgeThe Tower of LondonLooking at the Eye through the treesAnother view of the Tower of LondonTower bridge form the Tower of London
From The Tower of London we walked down to the fery terminal and caught the ferry up to The London Eye. Our plan was to have a ride in the eye. Sadly it was almost 2.30 before we got there and we still had so much to see. The queues looked very long and the trip around in the Eye is nearly an hour long….so it had to be by-passed this time round!
Our last place of interest that was a ‘Must see’ for us was Harrods. So after a lovely roast meal lunch in ‘Shakespears Pub’ combined with a shandy….we followed with a Harrods Beer (wine for Teresa), olives and almonds in a Harrods restaurant! Oh to live a life of luxury. Sadly we couldn’t afford many purchases at Harrods, just a memoir or two 🙂
Us in one of Harrods many themed restaurants/dining areas 🙂
Now to cap the day off just nicely we hopped back on the bus and took a trip to Notting Hill. We wandered through the shops and markets of Portobello Road. What a amazing place to visit and meander through. A few purchases made here and we wandered around to find the little bookshop from the ‘Notting Hill’ film. I will include a photo, but need to mention the bookshop from the film is actually the little shop on the right of the now new copied Notting Hill Bookshop. Still….we went there!!! After our leisurely look around Portebello markets and shops we caught a taxi to the huge Westfield nearby. Marysia met us there and we picked up lovely chinese takeaways to eat as the day ended. Another perfect day…I am so blessed!
The Little white building is the actual shop in the movie Notting HillPlaque of Notting HillThe Hummingbird Bakery 🙂Walking along the marketsPortobello Street = beautiful!Portobello StreetNotting Hill Bookshop…film one is the place next door on the right 🙂
