Finally, an update..aka the wedding report!

Well......

Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter in our little trip. In fact, we’ve been so slack in writing the blog you’ve probably given up on looking out for it...if you ever were! So, may we apologise for the delay in getting another instalment to you. The last week has been adventure and fun filled and as such we will break it up into little segments.

What we will say is that this first chapter is being written as we sit in row 11 at the top deck of a QF 747, front row, just behind the pilot! We are like kids in a lolly shop after another upgrade by Qantas, this time from Premium Economy to Business. If the blog gets a bit tiring it’s because we have been travelling since 6am this morning (it’s past midnight as we type this) and we are ready to push some buttons and lay back in another set of Kanga Pyjamas on a nice flat bed!
Before we lose you in our excitement about the upgrade, we should talk about the last week.
As most of you would know, the main purpose of our trip, well really the reason for our trip (as we were not going OS this year), was to witness jade and Richard’s wedding in Co. Donegal Ireland...if witness is the right word!
After flying in to Dublin, we headed North West and seemed to zig zag in between the Republic and Northern Ireland without even knowing...there not being any significant signage or other markers, just a change from Kms to miles! We stayed in a little village called Clones after circling it for an hour. Was a good pub we found to stay at with friendly hosts and the start of way too many Irish Breakfasts!!
Thursday came round and we headed up to Ballyliffin, the scene of the wedding. It is quite easy to see why this place was picked. It is absolutely beautiful – you do not think of lovely beaches and coastline when thinking of Ireland, but this spot had it all! To top it all off, because we were so far North, you could enjoy it until midnight, as that is when the sun finally went down!

So make use of it we did, not by going to the beach for a swim or a walk, but by hitting the golf club for a few pre wedding and catch up drinks with the bride and groom and other guests. The highlight being meeting Richard’s cousin Wesley who had such a thick accent we just nodded and said yes, even when it wasn’t appropriate – the same as we used to with our flatmate Damien). Luckily we had the famous Kiwi jade Hunt (as she was that night) to interpret for us!
We left early, around midnight, word is that some kept on going until around 3am! Then it was up and into the next town so Stacey could get some attention for her hair! The little 2 in 1 shampoo Jeff had wasn;t good enough – she needed a hairdresser to wash it for her!! Back to Ballyliffin and time to get ready, on with the best clobber, the stuff we looked at in our bags wondering why were we carrying this stuff we’re only going to wear once. Lucky we did, otherwise we wouldn;t’ve been let into the nice very posh place the wedding was being held.
We arrived to find the locals enjoying a pint or 2 before the ceremony and decided we better do the same! Just as we started on our 1st drink, an announcement was made that the ceremony was about to begin!
We all piled into a lovely room overlooking the ocean and watched as Richard and his groomsmen shared a few nervous laughs, waiting for Jade to arrive. Finally, led by her bridesmaids she made a grand entrance into the room looking stunning in her dress and with a big grin...but not the cheesy type she is known for!


The celebrant, Brian, made for an entertaining ceremony and it was quite fitting. Before too long, after a lovely rendition of “Something” and a few readings and vows, Miss Tenille was now a McKean! Off to do the photos, followed by some more drinks.



Dinner came around quickly. We sat with a couple of irish fellas who were a barrel of laughs plus the brother and sister in law of the best man and Ed, the only other aussie there. Catriona was the other guest and she chose some mysterious clobber...she kept to herself and didn’t say much, though Ed stole a kiss.


Before too long and it was speech time. Without causing offence to anyone who may read this blog, we both thought that Jade’s mum’s speech was a winner! Straight from the heart, delivered with poise and pride in her family, including the new addition, Mr McKean. Dances begun, with the first dance as husband and wife...I think it may have been practiced...otherwise they’re just naturally gifted!
The band at the wedding was magic and had us all up dancing away to all types of tunes..though Jeff thinks Johnny Cash songs were the winner. There was even a song by some old time Kiwi band – The Exponents!! If they were any good I’m sure Australia would’ve adopted them...the song did bring out some moshing which is always good at a wedding! As all this was going on and when he wasn’t up on the floor, Jeff was losing cider after cider and with the assistance and encouragement of Uncle Don (who he had a good chat to), he replaced each one without cost. There was one that he “lost” and then found again after getting a replacement. Apparently a few people, like Rachel and Stacey to name a few were watching this episode of the night and finding it amusing!


We must’ve been having a good time because before we knew it the band was playing the first of the last songs and it was close to 2am in the morning. It was just after this point that Jeff and Kimmmie conspired to travel to palm Beach when back in Oz to stalk the Home and Away crew! After the last song we all just sat back and chatted and enjoyed a few more relaxing drinks. Then we moved onto the next bar in the resort.

We left early just after 3am to stumble up to our hotel, whilst the rest of the crew stayed back – some even walked up to one of the houses 40 mins away to continue on and finished up at 6-6.30 in the morning! Must’ve been the influence of that man Pete – he’s a legend! Apparently the girls didn’t like walking back and made Craig run back to his car and come back and pick them up!
We had to go back to the resort the next morning to see if Jeff’s sunglasses were there (what would a trip be without him losing something?) As we went back and found the sunnies – they were handed in – we spent the next few hours chatting to the newlyweds and family and friends, in the beautiful sunshine looking over the beach.
Sadly it all had to come to an end and we said our goodbyes to all and hope to catch up with everyone soon. We had a great time and met excellent people...a big thank you to the Irish crew at our table and Uncle Don and Peter and David especially for making us feel so welcome and being so friendly...reallly appreciated. Also good to meet some more Kiwis and it must be said that all are a great crew,
Till next time...

Tour de Cotswolds (aka Dora the explorer)

Howdy!

More about Dora later!

This little blog piece is dedicated to our recent sojourn around the Cotswolds on 2 wheels (the type you have to pedal!). It was fun for all over 3 days up hill and not so much down as it rained on us every day! However, we had a great time and we should both now fit into our gear for the wedding!

It all started with an early start to lug our overloaded luggage down the stairs of our "hotel" in West Kensington and heading across town to catch up with the bear at Paddington Station. he must've had a big night the night before because he wasn't saying much!!

Onto the train - packed with people heading to Oxford for the day. Feeling a bit peckish, so Jeff went to have a chat to Precious at the buffet on board and came back with some muffins and tea - she had her paper cups this time round!

A couple of hours later and we made it to Moreton in Marsh, where we were being picked up by Julia, the lady who runs these cycling trips. I will say it now, in case you don't get to the end of this piece - she runs a great business and nothing is too much for her - well recommended!

Into Chipping Campden and to our accommodation, which is deadset the home of some Lady (as in with the title)...Lady Jane is her name and she has slaves and everything (I mean workers!). Beautiful old house on a nice estate and only 50 metres to the closest pub and the town as a whole. Now it was time to lug the gear upstairs! Quick change, curtsy to the lady and we were off to Julia's house in the countryside to pick up the bikes and start riding! First, of course, is lunch and ten cups of tea! Here we met Julia's husband and all the pets!

Onto the bikes, with all the necessary gear and up the hill - the first of many. First stop was a place called Hidcote gardens, the type of place you might see on tv if you're ever lucky enough to come across Antiques Roadshow! No such luck for us today, but it was a nice place to visit, even if it was to just drop the average age of the visitor from 70 down abit! Oh, and we had a hit of croquet too, despite not knowing the rules, so we played hockey instead!

And so continued our 1st day of cycling..we felt good and decided to go for the 50 kilometre option of cycling - it's not so daunting in miles! Was a lovely ride through back roads and country lanes and then we hit the A4, where Jeff decided riding into a hedge and being pushed onto the road was a good idea!

We found a nice little pub - the Fox and Goose - you can work out who is the Fox and who is the Goose! This is where we hit trouble with the weather trning bad and the cider tasting good! After this little break, Stacey hit the wall, pining for the comforts of the pub and another pint. Luckily Jeff pulled out his Biggest Loser motivational talk and encouragement along the remaining 20ks.. words that cannot be repeated here! We sailed back home and hit the pub for dinner. Day 1 complete.

Day 2 and Stacey's chest infection had worsened - probably something to do with the summery weatlher of pouring rain and 10 degrees! A day exploring the shops was on the cards for stacey, whilst Jeff thought he'd better keep riding and headed off to the Slaughters for another 50 k ride. He took this one a lot slower and felt the effects near the end of the ride, but it was all worth it for both the beautiful countryside and the last downhill into town that was like riding down Ousley! Unfortunately, there were no beheadings that day in either Upper or Lower Slaughter, just a gentle runnning stream and some old mills! Not sure why they call them that then! Oh, not to mention he went the wrong way down one big hill earlier in the day which meant he had to turn around and ride up it!

The Volunteer Inn and the Indian restaurant attached made for one happy cold rider at the end of the day.

The 3rd day and Stacey was back on the bike! She had the Lady of the Manor concerned about her health but still soldiered on! This time a shorter ride was in order, to Snowshill and Broadway. Beautiful little villages and towns, a lavender farm that served clotted cream teas and a few good downhills and one killer uphill with trucks to defend against!

Off back to Julia's farm at the end of the day, for another cuppa and to change before heading off back to London. Made it to our hotel in Paddington only to find out we left 2 jumpers at Julia's house and Jeff another on the train!! The best thing about that is that it helped us with our bag weight for the flight with BMI to Ireland...but Ireland and the Wedding of the Year is for another blog!

Oh - As for Dora - for some reason when we finished riding each day, the little Dora jingle of "We did it x 3, Hooray" came into our head and became the motivational theme song!

Cheers to you all...till next time.

Forget Big Ben, it's all about the gherkin!

Good morning all,

We're about to leave London and catch a train out to the Cotswolds to start the 50km a day cycling trip for the next 3 days...here's hoping we survive!

So, the last couple of days have been a blur. After our last entry, we had grand plans of heading down to do some quick shopping at High St Kensington and then out for dinner. Needless to say, one shouldn't lay their head on the bed when jetlagged if they want to achieve such an aim!

14 hours later and we were up and ready to hit the streets of London Town. First a quick trip down memory lane, around the corner to High St Kensington. Not much doing there and after getting a SIM card, it was onto the tube for a trip into a part of town we had only been to once before - Brixton (on the south side). Here we hit the Brixton market and our senses were tantalised by the smells, sounds and tastes of the Caribbean and fresh food! Jeff loved it so much, before we knew it he had bought a little van and set up shop! He always claimed he could cook, but now he was making money from it! Or trying to...unfortunately it didn't work out...back on the train again!

As lunch approached and being hungry from the Brixton markets, we headed out east to Whitechapel to hit Brick Lane for a curry. Whitechapel Road is one busy place, fulll of people and good to see, like Brixton, a different side to London than just the West End. Brick Lane seems to have changed a bit since the last time we were here, but then again, it was probably because we had usually gone there for dinner when it is no doubt livelier. At least here though, you get a good view of the gherkin!!

We'd be seeing a bit of this building over the next few days from different points of the compass!

After a stroll down Brick Lane, we stumbled across a new and emerging market/art precinct in a disused brewery..the Old Truman Brewery. This place was fantastic - little bars and food vans, music and exhibitions. This is where we ended up having lunch, next to a broken down coupe. Lunch consisted of a couple of beers washed down with some thai food!! :) We then enjoyed a couple of hours looking at a photographic exhibiton and surveying the final year works of uni students that were involved in design, including new aids that were relevant to the world of OT and others that were relevant to the planning world...so we were at work on holidays!! Had a chat to a few of the designers/students - there are some clever people out there!

With a meander through Spitalfields and back to Liverpool St, we headed back to the hotel (that's what they call it) to get ready for a night at the theatre. We finished off Friday night watching the stage show of Yes Prime Minister which was set in the current era, Just like the tv show, this production was very witty and had us laughing most of the way through.

Saturday, another view of the gherkin and the east side of London...this time the Olympic site was our focus. First though, another trip down memory lane to the North End Road fruit & veg street markets that they hold on sat mornings and that we used to get most of our fresh food from...the stuff here looks great and is so much cheaper than home at the moment...yum!

Off to Stratford via a quick visit to Canary Wharf so someonee who shall remain nameless could enjoy some shopping. Jeff used this time to follow the live sccores on the Parra game and had put the phone away with 2 mins to go, thinking they had won for sure...but no they always find a way to lose!

Onto bigger sporting events and the london Olympics site was our next stop. We took part in a walking tour around the site and seeing the place being built and some of the regeneration works being carried out, with new buildings and cleaning up of this old industrial area. A few photos below (sorry the blog site isn't playing nice today so they're up the top!!)

To Top off a good day, we were very lucky that Kerryn invited us over to her house for some drinks and here we spent the night enjoying great wine, beer, food and of course great company. We had a great time and enjoyed meeting new people and catching up with Kerryn again - though this time kerryn and Jeff ddidn't get sea sick! We were having such a good time and with the sun staying up as it does we ddidn't realise the time, until someone pointed out it was 11pm! We hotfooted it to the bus to make sure we got home before they stopped...luckily we found a bus straight to West Kensington and home again!

Thanks for a great night Kerryn, hope you can make the trip to Oz soon!

To everyone else, hope you made it to the end of this long entry...sorrry it was a bit rushed - have a train to catch - keeo an eeye out for reports on our cycling trip!

Cheers

Stace and Jeff

4 words....

Good afternoon all (London time). Well, as we type this up we’re not in London, but cruising over the Russian Capital of Moscow, with about 3 hours to go. It’s a lot closer than where we thought we might have been 24 hours ago!! And – as for those 4 words – we’ll get to that, but they’re 4 words that have been repeated throughout the trip and have certainly made the trip more than the usual “just bearable”!

So, let’s wind back 24 – 36 hours ago. We had spent Tuesday night packing in a frenzy and making sure all was in order. Stacey had just got back from the doctor, who had warned her about flying on one hand and gave her strong drugs and a letter for travelling with the same on the other!

Wednesday morning came around and we were up and ready before 6.30, for Jeff to drive Stacey to work and then onto Camden for his own day of work. However, we did not make it out of the door – the chest infections and flu had taken their toll and we realised that we would not be able to survive a day at work and definitely not a 24 hour trip up the back of the plane if we had done so.

Wednesday turned into lying on the lounge watching quality tv, sleeping and seemingly inhaling and digesting every pharmaceutical known to man! At this point we were seriously thinking about postponing the trip to make sure we were well enough to travel.

A big thank you to Aharn Thai Shellharbour for Tom Yum soup for lunch and the feeling it (along with the Sudafed) gave us that made us feel like we were fine to go! So we packed the car and headed off to Camden to collect Jeff’s suit (apparently this is common clobber at Irish Weddings!).

We arrived at Fiona’s house before she had got home from work (yes a school teacher working in holidays – wonders will never cease!). Naturally, we made ourselves at home, and continued recuperation on her lounge, made some tea and plundered the pantry of biscuits.

When she came home, it was time to head to the airport, with the lure of a new terminal full of shopping and the comforts of the Q Club to look forward to. Checked in no trouble, although there were no upgrades despite our hopes! The new shopping at International Terminal is not much better as we discovered and we headed off to the Q Club for dinner and a shower. It was a long wait as our flight is the last one out of Sydney. Finally, we were called to board and our trip was about to begin!

We boarded the plane and found our seats. Then, the 4 words were spoken that have made this a great trip and a tribute to the professionalism and customer service of all involved. So – you probably want to know what those 4 words were?? Mmmm – trust me – they’re nothing special!

As we went to sit down, a flight attendant came over and said....drum roll...”You’re friends of Paul?” Closely followed by, “We’ve reserved some rows down the back for you – a row each so you can lie out and sleep! Ok – we didn’t admit that we do not know Paul, but we played along anyway. To put it into perspective, Paul is an attendant with Qantas, who plays golf and drinks with Stacey’s dad at Kiama Golf Club...that’s all we had for conversation with anyone that asked us that question from that point, but knowing that was enough!

So we had gone from being in 2 narrow seats to having a whole row of 3 to ourselves up the back away from the crowds. We were waited on by the supervisor Shane – nothing was a problem. We also acquired, from the big boss Marie, some bubbly from business class, along with a business amenity kit and pair of pyjamas each! They’re comfy things for sleeping in, but the big Kangaroo on the front of the shirt is a bit of a worry!

Finally made it to Hong Kong – second time we’ve been there – both times only to the airport! We should get out next time!

Spent some time in the Q Club as you do, knowing it was a full flight to old London Town. Time to board and line up as cattle once again – except this time there was a lot more cattle than the last flight...

Stacey goes first at the gate, and her boarding pass when scanned, unlike the others that went green, made the little reader bring up a scary red light! Looks like we’re not getting on??? No...of course not! Apparently, we’ve been bumped up to Premium Economy....score!! Thanks again Qantas!





We have been waited on throughout the flight by the 2IC from the Business Class cabin – Angie, who is a friend of Paul’s and likes to take care of other friends of Paul! So much so, we now have 4 x QF Pyjamas (going cheap – 2 new, 2 only worn once!) and 4 x business amenity kits. Oh, and she brought down some “Duty Free” (read 2 x bottles of French Champagne!)...What are we going to do with them??? Hmm...they probably don’t mix well with antibiotics – watch this space to find out!!


Well, it’s almost lunch time –again! Better be off and will post more over the weekend – since Stacey thought 3 days of 50k’s of bike riding is the best way to see the Cotswolds I’m sure there will be plenty of stories to tell!

If anyone wants the PJs, put in your bid below!




Finally, a big thank you to Barry – Stacey’s dad for having a few quiet chats with Paul over a few beers!

And to Paul – if you ever see this – we have four words for you: “Seeya at the golfy” (Our shout!)



P.S We are now at the hostel in West Ken just down the road from where we used to live, but at least our old place had a lift for Stacey's heavy suitcases! We're off now to get a sim card so we can send texts to you all!