Chapter 29

A London Sandwich.......3 weeks between trips.

Pip had a final two working weeks in Dublin to finish off his contract, do a hand over and then it was the two of us again.
Whilst he was there I did research and reading for our forthcoming trip, as the weather was a trifle damp and chilly!  How quickly it changed from drinks on the patio, to multiple layers, (we have purchased Thermal "unders" now, and no we won't be taking photos!), darkness at 4.45pm and temperatures hovering around zero at night!
Christmas is nuzzling its way into the shops and media.  One new book which hit the shelves for Christmas which I thought was amusing was, "Fifty Sheds of Grey"! This was the boys version of that erotic page-turner for girls. The quirky sequel was "Fifty Sheds Damper"! Someone here has a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour!

On our first weekend back from Oz, we headed into London to see another show, and this time we decided on "Let it Be" - a posh tribute to the Beatles, with over 40 greatest hits performed, from She Loves You to Hey Jude, with Sgt Peppers and Abbey Road in the middle.  It was at the Savoy theatre, (next to the Savoy Hotel), built in 1881 specifically for Gilbert and Sullivan productions by Mr D'Oyly Carte.  As you can imagine, charming and quaint inside. Interestingly, it was the first theatre in the world to be lit by incandescent electric lights...........still blazing today!

I ventured into London on my own to visit the National Portrait Gallery, while Pip was with the Leprechauns.  I do love this art gallery.  My favourite section is the modern portraits, with Judi Dench and Michael Parkinson the standouts. 
Walking through Trafalgar Square, I noticed a strange blue cock had made its home on a pillar!  Right behind Nelson!

Another place on my bucket list, which I have now ticked, was a visit to "The Old Bailey", one of the oldest and most famous courts in the world.  Actually called Central Criminal Court, it takes its nickname from the road on which it stands, and is built on the site of the former Newgate prison.  Trials of figures diverse as the Kray twins, Yorkshire Ripper, and Oscar Wilde have stood at the dock.  I sat in the public gallery of two cases - the murder of a 16 yr old boy, and the other, the death of an 11 month old boy, where the mother was on trial.  Both sad, but interesting.  The phone hacking trial was on with Rebeckah Brooks etc, but could not get into that court.  Security to enter the building was extensive, with no mobile phones allowed at all.

With a couple of days spare before we headed off to the continent, we popped up to see our friends near Stratford-Upon-Avon.  We love this part of England, and seeing the spectacular autumn displays in the woodlands and fields does give you a warm glow! 

View of River Avon from bedroom window

The English Midlands are blessed with a wealth of period homes and Packwood House, a 16C Tudor manor house in Lapworth, Warwickshire, is one we decided to visit while there.  We are ticking many off our list now.  The house has had many owners but it was the Ash family who purchased and lovingly restored this home, between the world wars, to create a 20C interpretation of Tudor living. The interiors are opulent and feature a fine collection of tapestries, stained glass and timber panelled walls.  Outside there are stunning perennial borders, sculpted Yew trees (over 100), woodlands and a lake. It has been described as, "A house to dream of, and a garden to dream in".  Just beautiful on the chilly, sunny autumnal day we visited.

Back to London by train to prepare for our jaunt onto the continent.  This started out as a quick trip to see our friends in Germany around my birthday for a couple of days, and has now grown into a three week exploration of places we have on our bucket list.
So........
Back to Ebbsfleet, again, to catch the Eurostar to Brussels this time!

Till the next blog
Love
Annie
Xxxx

Chapter 28

London-Paris-Singapore-Melbourne-London 

First stop London
We returned to London from Dublin, and were greeted with a chill in the air and the trees blushed with colour, but it felt like an old slipper. Comfortable and familiar. 
First evening meal........in a pub of course!  We ate at The New Inn in Hayes. Excellent!  We have now booked a lunch on Christmas Eve with about 10 family and friends!
We were only in London for a few days, so I had a last minute wander up Regent Street (there is always a shopping list when you have daughters), before we packed what we needed for our trip back to Australia.   Again back to Ebbsfleet International to catch the Eurostar, which is so easy.  Around two hours and you have slithered through the 50km Chunnel and popped up in France!
Next stop Paris.
We chose the Isle de Saint Louis, picture-book Paris, as our overnight stop not having stayed in this location before.  It is one of two islands in the Seine connected to the rest of Paris by bridges to both banks.  Quite a peaceful oasis of calm in this busy city with one-way, narrow cobbled streets and no Metro station.
Once we dumped our luggage, (reduced for our trip home to only 2 suitcases),  we wandered in the drizzling rain.........but heh, we were in Paris, it didn't matter! 

Near the Champs

Walked up the "Champs", and Rue St Honore, a bit more shopping, then headed back to the Isle for a pre-dinner drink in a bar.

Pre-dinner drink, and some saucisson

We tried a restaurant, again on the Isle, called Le Tastevin, which was just wonderful.  Entrecôte for Pip, and Cote de Veau for me, all washed down with a Sancerre.  Back in the 20 room "boutique" hotel, a converted 17C townhouse, we enjoyed the quaint surroundings with exposed beams and French lighting and artworks.  They say the ideal Parisian hotel is like a  macaron - small, colourful and bursting with individual flavour.  Well this had all of that.

View from Paris apartment

Next stop Singapore.
The 12 hour flight was flat, (as in not bumpy), and we arrived on time via our transit stop in KL.   

Sunrise at KL International Airport

Singapore is a special place for us, we just love it, but due to time constraints, could only spend one night this time.  The hotel we chose was called the Goodwood Park Hotel, not a high-rise modern glass tower, which we try and stay away from, but a heritage hotel  built in 1900, complete with turrets and decorated facade.  Set in 6 hectares of beautifully landscaped gardens and in a great location - a 5 minute walk to Orchard Rd.

Goodwood Park Hotel

Some last minute shopping for the girls, a haircut for me, a catch up with old work colleagues for Pip and then dinner at one of our favourite restaurants.  Everything so familiar.
Back to Changi, for the flat ride home!  No bumps this sector either.
Next stop Melbourne
We were greeted at the airport by two smiling faces - it was so nice to be home after one year. Where did that time go?

Welcoming committee

We then started our 12 days of socialising, medical and dental appointments and family time.
Laura arrived mid way through our journey- so nice to be all back together again.  We love these girls dearly, and didn't realise how much we missed them.  And we are lucky to have Tim now, a wonderful addition!
We caught up with nearly all of our friends, some even a couple of times.  A few were on holiday themselves, getting out of a cold Melbourne I expect!
We decided to have a few family photos taken while we were all together, as we don't have any recent ones. 

PALS

Our last few days were busy with financial planners, a check of our home and on the last day a family dinner at my sister Joh's home.

Home: still there!

We again packed the suitcases, but this time they were a lot lighter!  We decided to take back and leave in Melbourne  a few things which we no longer needed.  For example, six months of summer clothes and my Christmas tree from Singapore that I have dragged around since April!  Pip is still perplexed that I did this!
Thank you to everyone involved in allowing us somewhere to sleep, cars, and emails and phone calls, we caught up with everyone that wanted to see us. 
Next stop London
Arrived midday and were greeted with a mild day. Easy trip back to the 'burbs, using the underground, overground and a 10 minute walk to our cousin's home.  First task.........make a brew!
Daylight saving had kicked in here while we were away, so we were surprised to see darkness descending at 4.45pm.  The upside of that was, it was easy going to bed at 8pm. 
We are now making plans for the run up to the festive season. 

Till the next blog
Love Annie
Xxxx