May 23, 2013 - Heathrow

No sightseeing today, just spending time getting organised for my trip to Morocco. I spent the morning sorting the stuff I want to leave here in London, trying to keep my Morocco luggage as light as possible because I think I’ll be carting it around quite a lot. We’ll be using public transport for a couple of trips so I need to keep it manageable but it’s a bit hard to tell what the weather will be like. The forecast is for 20°C & cloudy in Casablanca for the next couple of days but the long-term forecast has Marrakech into the 30s next...

May 23, 2013 - London....what else can I say? :)

OMG! This has been one of the greatest things I've ever done! Josh and I are having a ball! We have been everywhere! St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, Parliament, Trafalgar Square, The Royal Courts, The Monument, Platform 9 3/4, Regent's Park, Regent's College, Piccadilly Circus, the Punch & Judy Pub, the British Museum, and more I can't even remember. The Underground is the greatest public transportation system I've ever encountered. And there will be more today. We are going back to Parliament to see if we can watch some debates, then going...

May 23, 2013 - Wildlife of Costa Del Sol

Bioparc Fuengirola The facility has been established as a safari park for providing natural habitat to each foreign species. An entire temple has been setup in accordance with the grandeur of the big cats, which range from Bengal tigers, leopards and even white tigers. A gigantic aquarium has been setup for marine species like turtles and dolphins, while birds like flamingoes and owls are also present. A nest of crocodiles is set beside their own pond, accompanied by hippopotamuses. Monkeys including orangutans, gorillas and other species...

May 22, 2013 - under way

Stayed at Nicky's Last night and said goodbye to the puppies (Snuffy at 12 is probably a bit beyond puppy but still acts like one. Have had time in Singapore to visit my favourite Massage place and also have my feet nibbled by the fish. Great feeling but must have a lot of dead skin. I gave up before they did. Have discovered since that the oil is removed from your skin as well!! Need to book an oil massage AFTERWARDS! Survived the flight better than expected. But I'm sure the space between seats gets increasingly smaller. Was there a...

May 22, 2013 - Buckinghamshire

Today was my family history day. My mum’s paternal family came to Australia from Padbury which is only a couple of miles from Buckingham. I stopped there very briefly last year but it was pouring with rain so I didn’t get a good look around. I did meet a lovely bloke called Arthur Cox last year & wanted to go back to see him & the village. The butcher shop which my great-great-great grandfather owned hasn’t changed but this time Arthur took me up to the church. I have to go back that many generations on my mum’s side to find ancestors who...

May 21, 2013 - Bridgnorth to London

I woke up early so was packed up & ready to leave by ¼ to 9. My plan was to stop at Stratford upon Avon which is about ½ way between Bridgnorth & Heathrow. I wasn’t sure whether to do the Park & Ride but in the end I drove into the town & there were plenty of places to park. I’ve never been to Stratford & in the past I’ve been put off by stories of it being very commercialised which is understandable as it’s been a tourist destination for hundreds of years. I was pleasantly surprised at how uncommercial it is. Of course there are sites such...

May 20, 2013 - The day before

So roughly 24 hours to go and my bike currently has no chain a flat tyre and one brake. On the plus side I have some lovely comfy new cycle shorts to help ease the pain of the next few weeks. Top tip for anyone thinking of riding more than 20 miles, get some padded shorts. All the other pains can be dealt with, sore-arse is with you till the end. Meanwhile anxiety levels are starting to rise, which is only normal I guess after all there is plenty to go wrong on such a trip. I just keep reminding myself I can fix a tyre, true a wheel and...

May 17, 2013 - London crawling/travel ( also) makes the heart grow fonder

Airports are the same the world over. Places for transport of human kind. Cattle lined up and processed. Distant stares and anxiety abounds. A holding pen, where people hustle and bustle for position and small victories won by guessing the right line. George Orwell's pigs frisk and treat the common animals with disdain and at best a means to an end. The greater good determined by them not us. Human cargo mass around food, toilets and Internet ports- surely a revisit of Maslow's hierarchy is warranted as communication with those outside the...

May 13, 2013 - Last few days in the UK

Saturday we had a tea party at my sister Naomi's house where we we met a lot of relatives of various generations. On Sunday we went to visit another relative who was unable to get there on Saturday and had a pleasant visit. Chatting with one of his grandchildren who also came I found out that he went to the same school as I did many years ago! Said school being 400 years old this year! Today is packing day and tomorow, Tuesday, back to Vancouver.

May 9, 2013 - Arrived safely and spent the afternoon at Knole House

Arrived safely just before noon. It was bright and sunny when we landed but was raining by the time I claimed my bag! Hey, this is England! We spent the afternoon touring Knole House, a summer palace of Henry VIII. Henry acquired the palace from his Archbishop of Canterbury when he let the archbishop know how much he liked it. Henry seemed to acquire a lot of properties this way! There were a lot of royal and noble portrait paintings including some by the famous artist Hans Holbein the Younger. One was a portrait of a beautiful young womeen...

May 8, 2013 - May Fair

On Monday went up to the May Fair held on the Green in Southgate. Lots of stuff going on and lots of people there having a good time. Also many jumble sale stands around. Thank goodness Gill wasn't with me! On Tuesday picked up Gill from Heathrow airport.

May 7, 2013 - Day 7 London to Via Wolverhampton

First class train trip and first class lounge. Arrived at Ipswich 10 minutes late, started to get worried as Kerry wasn't there to meet us, frantic emails and texts, phone number not correct. Kerry was 2 hours late due to a car accident on the M road. Picked up the cars after checking for scratches, all good. Finally started our journey with a bugeye around 2 pm ish and we on our way. We travelled through some gorgeous hamlets, green rolling hills, stone hedges and small country lanes. Finally got to the Wombly wheel pub for our first...