Farewell Dear Blacksmiths

As many of you know, we are being unceremoniously chucked out of our house. Our landlords decided to sell, couldn't find a buyer, decided to rent it again, but didn't specify how long for. Basically after a lot of uncertainty, we could wait no longer and found another dog-friendly cottage in St Albans (more on that next time).

Even though the last few weeks have not been overly joyous with estate agents breathing down our necks and the landlords flip-flopping, we have genuinely loved this little cottage. It has been our home for more than 3.5 years and during that time we have grown to love the area and found some really fantastic friends. We aren't moving far and will still be able to walk in the park and see everyone here often, but the proximity to the open fields and the feeling of relaxation that we felt walking down Fishpool Street every evening will no longer be a part of our lives.

We are quite used to moving, as everyone knows, but this is the first time we are moving because of someone else's decision. It is a different mentality to have - more denial, less excitement. It is alright though, we have spent the day packing - not a terribly relaxing day off work - and the excitement is beginning to build.

Guinness has been feeling quite worried over the whole mess of boxes and wrapping and suitcases. He spent the day either exploring what we were doing, sitting outside pouting or trying to get some shut eye in the most inconvenient places he could find.

We have our doubts about the next place, but who knows, we might be pleasantly surprised. Regardless, we will make it our home and hope that the next time we move, it will be once again of our choosing.

A Soggy Camping Trip

You will undoubtedly have noticed a general dearth of entries over the previous months. Reasons for this are two-pronged. One is we have been nose to the grindstone at work and generally in life and have therefore not been out and about with our usual verve and purpose. The second is actually for the same reason as above, only in the sense that even when we have gotten out and about we haven’t had the chance to edit photos/write up the blog entry. However, we have reached Bank Holiday weekend and finally found some time... so here is the first of a few posts about our summer adventures.

Having had very little holiday this year and with finally being able to hire a car, we decided on a long weekend of camping in the Lake District. This is an area of the UK we had not been to before and well, we still haven’t. The weather through June and July was pretty much perfect – sunny, dry and warm. That all changed the week leading up to our planned weekend at the end of July. The forecast for the Lake District was torrential rain all weekend, so we cast about for other options, settling on Snowdonia in Northern Wales.

We set out in partially cloudy conditions and as we moved ever closer to the Welsh border the clouds darkened, and then opened. First a mere drizzle, turning progressively harder as we wound through the green country roads of Snowdonia National Park. It was gorgeous scenery, though we couldn’t see too much of it through the sheets of rain.

We arrived at our campsite, Hafod Y Llan, at the base of Snowdon and ostensibly next to a ‘babbling’ brook. Yeah, not so much babbling as cacophonous, but it was surrounded by a lush, green moss covering every rock and tree trunk.

The campsite was nice, even if the rain required a bit of improvisation on our tent. Deciding that cooking on a propane stove in the pouring rain wasn’t going to work and desperately needing to be in out of the rain we went to a nearby pub and went from being soaked to slightly damp in the course of our meal.

The rain had stopped by the time we were done and back to the campsite, but that just encouraged the midges to come out in force, so we retreated to our tent for an early night and the hope of better conditions come morning. The next morning however we woke up to more rain. It broke long enough to let us cook our breakfast but we ended up eating in the tent as the clouds opened once more.

Sick of sitting in the rain and being in no mood to further exhaust ourselves hiking up a wet and muddy mountain, we voted two to one to get back in the car and drive further south in the hopes of some better weather and a change of scenery. I say two to one because Guinness was not real keen on the car. He used to love our old Jetta in Chicago and would cram his substantial frame into the back window sill and very comfortably spend many hours sleeping up there on our myriad trips. This car did not have a similar window sill for him and so he spent all weekend standing and panting in semi-agitation whenever in the car. Not great for all involved.

We wandered over to the coast and had a nice picnic on a rocky beach, with Guinness swimming in the waves for the first time since North Carolina all those years back. Suffice to say, he enjoyed himself!

We wound up in a delightful little campsite just outside Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales and had a nice meal and then got a roaring campfire going – before the rains returned. Unwilling to turn away from our campfire early, we huddled under the umbrella for thirty minutes for the rain to stop, before finally turning in.

The morning greeted us with more rain – I am convinced by the way that it never rained in the Lake District but rather moved south with us all weekend – and we once more got wet taking the campsite apart. More driving greeted us, some of it along rather tiny farm tracks up the moorland of Brecon Beacons.

We did get out and hike to the top of a hill just because it was there – even stayed dry on that excursion.

Further driving, complete with panting dog in the back seat, brought us through the Forest of Dean and to the edge of the Cotswolds. We thought we would have a poke around Bourton-on-the-Wold, but apparently half of England had a similar idea – circus only begins to describe the scene – so instead we just cracked on home.

The peaceful, relaxing weekend we had envisaged it was not. Too mobile, as we always seem to be, and too wet. That being said, it was great to have the freedom of a car and we really enjoyed seeing some scenery of the UK that we had not been able to enjoy yet. Our second night with the campfire was great as well and at the end of the day, we hadn’t been to work on Friday, which was always going to be a plus!

To sum up: camping in Britain requires a heck of a lot of good waterproof kit, a car with a back window sill and more than three days. Lessons learned for next time, which there will definitely be.

Water Babies

Spring is in the air, finally!

Over the last month or so, we've had the joy of seeing lots of new families make their home in the park near our house where we walk with Guinness daily.

The park is home to a number of bird species including ducks, geese, coots, swans, magpies, pigeons, seagulls, herons, ruddy ducks and moorhens as well as a number of other funny looking birds which we can't always identify.

It's so much fun watching each family appear and then grow until you can no longer differentiate them from the adults. We're also busy counting the babies to make sure one hasn't gone missing (in a heron's meal) but that can sometimes be a challenge. This year, one pair of geese have 22 goslings!

We'll make a few more attempts soon to get the other families, the geese were out in force this time...

Le Marathon de Paris

After months of preparation and well over 400 miles of training runs, we set off for Paris on Thursday night after work. We were on schedule and making our way through Eurostar when we had a ‘petit probleme’. As I got out the passports, I had one red one (British) for Cora, one blue one (American) for me… except, the blue one was actually Cora’s as well!

So after a moment or two of panic and much swearing from me, I made a quick dash back home – well, quick if you consider a 20 minute train ride, return cab trip and then another 20 minute train ride back fast. I finally got back through security 20 minutes before the last train left – which Cora was able to get us re-booked onto whilst I was dashing home. Not a brilliant start to the weekend to say the least!

From there things went smoothly and our good friends Amelie and PH were excellent and very hospitable hosts for the weekend making us feel right at home. I got my number and timing chip on Friday at the Marathon Expo and then we joined Adeline and Diane, Venla and Julien, and Amelie and PH for a nice quiet dinner after they finished work.

Saturday we spent a lot of time outside relaxing and consuming a lot of pasta. That night we also celebrated Adeline’s birthday, which was on the Sunday, with a chocolate cake and a few never-ending candles magic candles which really dumbfounded little two year old Diane.

Sunday dawned bright and cool, but blissfully free of the winds they were forecasting. I had a quiet breakfast and finished some last preparations and was out the door by 715. We met up with Oliver and Kathy, the other two runners from Cora’s company, and then walked the two minutes up to the Arc d’Triomphe where the marathon started.

It was a truly amazing experience to be in a crowd of 30,000 runners all heading off down the Champs Elysees at once and the first few kilometers flew by.

The elites

I passed our cheering section twice in the first half of the race and definitely felt great at those points.

First sighting of CW

Third sighting of Oliver - 300 metres from the finish

The grand finale

After it all...

Oliver and CW at the end of the marathon

After the marathon we spent the rest of the day drinking and eating and hanging out with good friends, with Oliver and I gradually hobbling around after people. All in all it was a really great weekend and although the last hour and a half of running were not great on my part, the marathon itself was still amazing. That being said, I am taking a well deserved break off from running this week!

Congratulations to all three marathon runners - CW, Oliver and Kathy for a great marathon!!

CW Official Race Results and Photos - Video

Oliver Official Race Results and Photos

Kathy Official Race Results and Photos

Easter Bells

Just wanted to share a touch of Easter in England with this little excerpt of our beautiful local church bells.

The sound and quality aren't the best since I did it with my phone, but hopefully you can still hear something of how lovely the sound of our weekly bells are...

Thinking of you all... Happy Easter!

Snow Days

There’s nothing like waking up in the morning to a fresh canvas of newly fallen snow. It is even better when the snow is continuing to fall.

A quick check of trains and the weather forecast meant a commute into London was just not on the cards and so we decided to work from home.

With Amy and Elliott at home as well, we met up for a lunchtime walk in the snow covered park, with two very excited dogs! The requisite snowball fight broke out, as well as some snow angels and general frivolity as the snow continued to come down.

After getting thoroughly snow covered and chilled, we retired to the Six Bells for a cheeky pint and nice hot sandwich before getting back to work.

All in all we wound up with between 5 and 6 inches of snow and temperatures as cold as -10C (which is approximately 14F). Not as cold as some of you have experienced lately, but far colder than anything we have had in six winters in this country. The effects of this coldsnap were felt quite comprehensively on the transport system the next day.

We woke up to no fresh snow and internet reports of some minor delays on the trains, so we headed out for the station. Got to the station with only a bit of slipping and sliding and then stood around for close to 30 minutes waiting for the non-existent trains to come. We eventually found out the next train wasn’t coming for another 45 minutes and they couldn’t guarantee how many carriages it would be. Fearing being stranded in London, even if we could get on to the same train that every other commuter was intending to get on, we turned around and returned from whence we came.

Guinness was somewhat confused to see us back a mere hour after we left home, especially since we woke him from what must have been a happy nap filled with snowy dreams! Another day of working from home, and a repeat of our lunchtime frivolity in the park beckoned.

We did make it into work on the third day, though trains continue to be a bit of a nightmare. This weekend has been beautiful with all the snow on the ground – everyone is enjoying it in their own way! More snow is forecast, so who knows, there might yet be another snow day on the cards!

Adventures in Wales

In desperate need of a holiday after several hard months, we took a week off and went to Wales and the national park of Brecon Beacons. We once again found a great little cottage within convenient reach of a train station – though this time much closer to a store, pub and chip shop. The place was really cosy and quiet and the owners were extremely hospitable and drove us to a larger shop where we could buy a few more substantial things – thank you Nichola!

The cottage is called the Coach House and sits on the grounds of a country estate – Pantybeiliau, which according to the owners was a hotel which enjoyed a rather seedy history before being bought by the previous owners as a weekend country escape from London. The house of the estate looked fascinating and certainly would have been interesting to explore – apparently the basement which still contains hanging chains!

We had dry but fairly cloudy weather the first two days, perfect for long walks of 10.5 and 9 miles respectively. The first day was up the 600 meter tall peak of Sugarloaf, which included some rather steep paths. For much of the walk it was just us, Guinness and sheep.

We saw a few people at the top, but it was still quiet enough to enjoy a bundled up lunch on the lee side of the mountain – out of the wind.

After tackling such an arduous peak on day one, we settled on a more relaxed walk along the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal. We walked the 3.5 miles down to Crickhowell, a lovely little village on the Afon Wysg (or River Usk in English).

Along the way we were lucky to come across some very dog friendly stiles which saved us the hassle of picking Guinness up and over each one.

We settled into the cosy Bear Hotel for lunch, which was extremely dog friendly and included a bowl of chicken for Guinness! He was quite surprised when the waitress placed it under the table in front of him, but he quickly recovered his senses and dug in.

After lunch, we took advantage of the many hills and valleys of Wales and managed a halfway decent climb in the afternoon, one that included a herd of curious cows, a few random collies here and there protecting their territory and the most secluded youth hostel we have ever come across.

The weather closed in on us after that and though it broke a bit on the fourth day, enough to climb up to the Lonely Sheppard, another 300 meter high ascent, we spent much of the week reading, working on photos, playing games, watching movies and preparing for the wedding shoot on Saturday. Guinness meanwhile enjoyed his long bouts of fresh air followed by wonderful long naps in between.

It was a great mix of relaxation and physical exertion, one that was desperately needed and enjoyed!

A Walk in Richmond Park

We recently had our good friend Kris visiting from the US and took advantage of a day off to take her to Richmond Park, probably our favourite place in London. We had lunch in a sun-filled Richmond pub garden overlooking the Thames before walking up Richmond Hill. It was a wonderful autumn day with the smell of drying leaves being carried by the breeze.

The park dates back to around 1300, when King Edward called it the Manor of Sheen. It was Charles I in 1637 that controversially enclosed the park and made it a Royal hunting ground for the deer. The walls and deer (well their descendents) still remain.

One of the great things about Richmond Park is how close to wild animals and a secluded sense of nature you can get, whilst still having unencumbered views of St Pauls Cathedral 12 miles away. The park is famous for its herds of Red and Fallow Deer, totalling 650 animals between the two species, that usually roam the open spaces in large herds.

September and October are mating season for the deer and therefore we knew that they were potentially more dangerous, especially should Guinness startle one whilst it was having a nap in the high grass. However, we wanted to ensure that we found at least some of the deer to show Kris, and we certainly did not fail.

The deer were everywhere! We saw a single male lounging in the ferns within ten minutes of being in the park and then kept on finding small pockets of them scattered under trees, in fields and wandering in the undergrowth.

Several of the males were quite vocal, but none were aggressive and towards the end of our circuit we were able to get quite close to several males and females, who seemed more interested in sleeping or eating conkers, then in whatever we humans were doing.

Kris was amazed at how many there were in the park and how close you can get to them, whilst even we had to admit that it was the best deer sighting trip we have ever had in Richmond Park.

It was a great day out and all four of us were completely exhausted by the time we got home!

[bol-ee-wood]

Bollywood (बॉलीवूड) [bol-ee-wood] noun : informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India

Bollywood Ball (बॉलीवूड *&@#) [bol-ee-wood bawle] noun : opportunity to be one with the Hindi-language film industry while making a complete fool out of his/herself and laughing silly. See moving illustrations below for example.

(note figure in black in above video)

Workshop and Bollywood routines wonderfully provided by http://www.vibesdance.com/