Catching up

I've finally got an evening when I can sit down and relax. It's nice to put my feet up and take a breath. And update the blog of course. I've been keeping notes so I'll flesh them out day by day, just so you can see what we've been up to.

Sunday 7th
Today we had lunch with Euan at Rodizzio Rico, one of our favourite restaurants in London. We love Brazilian barbecue, and it's always good to see Euan. As Joanne says – he’s just such an interesting person to talk to.

In the afternoon we headed off to church at 4pm. The 4pm service is a family service now with Sunday school and crèche, which is a big change since we were last around. We stayed around for the 6:30pm service too to try and catch up with as many people as possible. There were so many people we don’t recognise now. It's kind of good to see life moves on without us. Sometimes it’s easy to think that life pauses while we’re away. But of course it doesn’t.

After church we headed across to Wetherspoons for chat, a couple of drinks and a bowl of chips. Just like old times.

Walking round Islington today and the Isle of Dogs was strange. There are new buildings in places but pretty much it's exactly the same. It's as if the last two years had not happened and we’ve never been away. And the whole feel is so different to Christchurch. We fit here. It'd not that we don't fit in Christchurch, but London still feels comfortable. It's a bizarre feeling to have a holiday in a place you know so well.

Monday 8th
This morning we headed over to City Airport to pick up hire car and then headed out to Tetbury to see Ian and Naomi and meet Cerys for the first time. It was lovely to be out in the Cotswolds – a real feel of England. In the afternoon went for a walk around the nearby arboretum. I love Kiwi countryside but there is something lovely about English countryside too.

I also got to play on a Wii for the first time with Ian. He beat me at tennis, and golf, but the baseball and boxing were mine.

Tuesday 9th
This morning we drove to Coventry but via Stratford. Jo had agreed to do a couple of hours work at her UK office – helping with VAT returns – but wasn’t expected in Coventry until 2pm so we stopped in at Stratford on the way. Joanne had never been and I’d not been since Bints’ 21st birthday which must have been May 1994, I guess. But even then it had involved a boat trip on the Avon rather than the Shakespeare stuff. Actually I do seem to remember going with Sarah (and maybe Jo and Kate) one time in my final year at uni when my sis came to visit but I could be wrong.

So yeah, Shakespeare stuff. It was really interesting and great to do it with Joanne for the first time. I think historical buildings are one of the things I miss most when in NZ. You just don’t get anything older than 100 years pretty much and wandering round Statford there are buildings 400 or 500 years old, easy.

After a spot of lunch we headed off to Cov, where I dropped Joanne at her office and then drove to my old uni for a wander round to see what’s new and what’s changed over there. After I left I used to go back every May bank holiday for the American football team oldboys game so it’s not like I’ve not been back since I left in 1997 but there are still quite a few new buildings and plenty of development work still going on now. Again, wandering round the familiar areas it was just like I’d never been away.

In the evening Joanne’s colleagues took us out for a meal to the Saxon Mill in Warwick. It's a lovely little spot, down by the river, although Gordon Ramsey would have a fit over their extensive and diverse menu. "Pick eight dishes and do them well!"

Wednesday 10th
Joanne’s work on Tuesday that was meant to have taken two hours was going to extend to the Wednesday too so after breakfast I took her to the office again and then went off to do some tourist stuff on my own. [sniff]

I first headed into Cov to find the National Motor Museum. Which I did eventually after going round the ring road a few times more than was needed. It was quite a cool place actually, especially the Thrust SSC, the vehicle that holds the world landspeed record – 763mph or something! – and became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier, and the simulator where you can sit and experience the world record-breaking run.

I then decided to take a wander around Cov city centre, mainly to find the cathedrals. I love the juxtaposition of the old ruined cathedral next to the new shiny one. The contrast really attracts me, for some reason.

I took a photo of the Lady Godiva statue too, just for old times' sake.

Next up I headed back to the Binley industrial estate to find Joanne only to discover that she’d not finished. Still. We were meant to be spending the afternoon at Warwick castle but I wasn’t going to sit around waiting all afternoon so I drove over myself. Again, it’s history like that I miss, wandering round old buildings imagining the people who lived there hundreds and hundreds of years ago. I didn’t have chance to stay for the falconry display unfortunately, but the working trebuchet was very impressive.

Later we drove to Derby to Heather & Andy’s in time to meet them after they got home from school. It was great to catch up, see the boys, and hear about what they’ve been up as well as other school friends I’ve not been in touch with.

Also Andy introduced me to Guitar Hero. This holiday has been an key introduction to new experiences in games consoles for me.

Thursday 11th
The plan today was to head over to Bakewell for lunch before driving to Grimsby but in the ended we were distracted by a retail park containing Next and Sainsbury’s. It was so much fun wandering round a giant supermarket with so much range and choice. Touristasising a supermarket. Is it sad? If it is, I don’t really care. It was fun.

I counted fifteen different types of Fairy washing-up liquid. In New Zealand I'd struggle to count that many types of washing-up liquid full-stop.

Leaving Derby we drove towards Grimsby and stopped for some lunch at Arties Mill – an old family favourite.

Post-lunch saw us arrive at my dad’s. And then for dinner in the evening we were all at the Harbrough Hotel for a pre-wedding meak for to the families to meet.

It was so great to see my family. Other than when my dad came to visit I’ve not seen any of them for just short of two years. Even though we didn’t see them that often when we lived in London it would still be maybe four times a year. I guess the change is most evident in Ellie, rather than my folks or my sis. She’s nearly eight now, my niece. It's hard to believe sometimes. I still remember walking by St Paul’s in London on the way to meet a friend for a drink when I got the phonecall to say she’d arrived safely, mother and baby doing well. How times flies, eh?

It was the first time I’d met Shayne, my impending brother-in-law, and also Dad’s partner, Marlene. So that was nice.

Friday 12th
Today was the day of the wedding. And it was such a lovely day. I got so emotional. I never have before at a wedding. Maybe it was just the whole thing about my little sister finally finding a really great bloke to look after her and Ellie. Given it was the first time I’d met Shayne I guess I was quite relieved that he seemed such a nice fella really. I don’t know. It's hard to describe really. But it was so special to be there to witness their marriage.

They’d asked me to read a poem they’d found in the ceremony. It was strange that reading it through and practising it it seemed ok but nothing special. However, reading to them, during the ceremony, suddenly the words all made sense and fit and the poem was quite beautiful. I so nearly starting blubbing.

It was a lovely day too, nice early June weather, which was good news since we were all sat outside for the reception and speeches.

It was really nice to spend time with my cousin Pamela, her husband Robert and their four kids as well. They’re all growing up to now, of course.

Saturday 13th
Sarah & Shayne’s plan was to head off to Manchester airport at about 5pm-ish today so as a farewell thing my mum had organised a barbecue round at her and James’s house for them. She also invited a load of her friends who came to the evening part of the wedding but not the main day as well as Pam & Rob and the kids, and me and Jo.

Hmmm, I love Lincolnshire sausages.

Sunday 14th
Dad cooked a lovely roast pork meal for the four of us today. And while it was cooking we went for a wander round Town’s Holt. When I was growing up we lived on Wybers Wood, and now Dad lives on Laceby Acres. Town’s Holt is a sort of greenbelt area between the two. When we first moved to the Wybers it was all a big cow field and then they converted it to this grassed areas around the river with gravel paths and woods. Now it’s a bit more wild and there’s no area to play football anymore but it’s still nice for a wander. It is strange though to see trees that I would have seen recently planted years ago and now they’re 25 years old and totally established.

Monday 15th
Today we drove to my mum's. We spent a relaxing afternoon with mum and James and then had tea with Ellie (mmmm, lasagne...) once they'd been to pick her up from school. We didn't do a lot today, other than having issues with wireless internet and calling into to Morrison's for a bit more touristasising and drooling over food we miss. We couldn't resist a tub of Ben & Jerry's each - mmmm, chunky monkey for me and phish food for Joanne.

We're kinda toying with the idea of buying a Ben & Jerry's franchise to import it into NZ. Enough people over there have spent time in the UK or the US for it to sell, you know.