Scotland 23rd December - 5th January

I’ve been in Scotland a week now and am having a great time with J&K. I got the train up from London and have decided train travel is for me – especially as I had first class tickets. They have power points on board so I plugged the laptop in and kept myself amused.

I stayed with J&K at J’s Dad’s place for a couple of days and celebrated Christmas. On Christmas eve it was up to the very busy local at which I got to play pool for a few hours with the local boys which was fantastic.

Christmas morning was a glorious day – no snow unfortunately but a beautiful sunny day and a lovely frost. Kilmore’s (the village which we stayed in) is very pretty but very small.

Christmas Day

We went out for lunch to a local pub for a lovely Christmas lunch (delicious goat’s cheese, apple and bacon salad).

J&I at Christmas Lunch

Everyone got very merry on Christmas night and it was a very late night and another huge meal with 9 of us on Boxing Day.

It was then into Glasgow where J,K & I stayed in a flat and hung out for a couple of days. We went for a great pizza at a Belgium Beer café and then to see L’s band play a gig at King Tuts. The bands, Odean Beat Club (odeonbeatclub.com/) and Popup (http://www.myspace.com/popuptheband ) were both awesome and the venue was awesome. I had an absolutely awesome time with K’s friends showing us a great time and including us in everything.

On Friday the Swedish and Australian kids arrived and we all went out for dinner and drinks. It was great to see everyone particularly C&K.

Saturday was J&J’s wedding and I went along to the reception and it was a fantastic night with Céilidh dancing (even I got up and danced – admittedly there were instructions). It was so much fun and great to see everyone.

The kids at the wedding reception

J,J & K at the wedding

C&I at the wedding

J&I at the wedding

J&K at the wedding

The boys at the wedding

J having a good time at the wedding

R, L & I at the wedding

L&I at the wedding

Today was a quieter day after a huge week and in preparation for New Years Eve tomorrow when we’ll be at George’s Square for the Hogmanay celebration.

Month Nine in London

How the months are flying! Christmas has well and truly come to London and brought the cold weather with it. It’s lovely and crisp at the moment after weeks of drizzly rain with lovely sunshine (for all the 5 hours it lasts!). The main streets in most of the Boroughs are decorated and the trees are all strung with lights.

I had a lovely birthday with calls from everyone at home. We went out for an amazing dinner at an Argentine steak house. It was absolutely incredible – one of the best steaks I’ve ever had.

I’ve been to a couple of amazing concerts in the last few weeks – Powderfinger, Stereophonics and Kings of Leon.

Powderfinger was at Hammersmith Apollo and it was just the most amazing venue. We had front row seats and it’s the most electric gig I’ve ever been to – it felt like every Aussie in London was there! When they played “My Happiness” a chorus was sung by the crowd and everyone was on their feet.

Powderfinger

Stereophonics was amazing as well and my first visit to Wembley. Kings of Leon was incredible and it was so cool that J was able to go with me – we rang D in Melbourne when the best songs were on – just the thing he needed to hear on his way to work!

AH, D and I went along to the Aussie orphans Christmas that A and the girls organised. 60 Aussies in a room eating and drinking! A did a great job as Santa and one of the guys at our table was very taken with the miniature tool set that was his gift from Santa.

J&K have been here for the last week and it was fantastic to have them here. J always lived on the South side of the river so knows a very different London from me, so it was great to go around with him reliving his memories of being here and then being able to show him the parts I know.

We shopped and ate our way around London including a visits to Providors, New Culture (our local, brilliant, Chinese), Ottolengi, Hope and Anchor, House, The North Star, Brick Lane for a curry, Revolution bar in Richmond, great tapas in Tickenham and the requisite greasy spoon. We walked Oxford Street, New Bond Street, the Thames from the Tate down to Westminster and Big Ben and then up along the Strand to St Pauls.

Richmond

Revolution bar Richmond

View from the Tate across to St Pauls

Another week of work and then it’s off to Scotland to have Christmas with J&K.