Catching up...

Today I have come home sick from work. The SARS/avian flu I arrived in the country with seems to have freshened up (again). There is a remote possibility that I haven't been looking after myself as well as I could, sipping a medicinal thimble of wine once too often and arriving home a tad late during the week perhaps. However, never one to sit idle...my early arrival home has meant that I have had the time for a little administrative catch up - photos uploaded, and now an entry on the blog. There is a bit to cover, so sit back and enjoy the ride...I'll try and make it as painfree as possible.

Way back at the beginning of the month - Sunday July 1, Cels and I visited the British Museum. Clearly, as this was my second visit, I am a glutton for all things cultural. I took the opportunity to take some photos that I missed on my first visit. It was a fantastic afternoon and we saw the Egyptian mummies, which I had missed last time.

Friday 6 July saw the girls meet up at the Walkabout pub in Temple (on the Thames). I had been warned to avoid these Aussie haunts (including the Redback pubs...how original), however, it was pretty much the only pub within coo-ee (I do beg your pardon) of Kristy's work, so The Walkabout it was. Highlight of the night was the superb dancing on the dance floor, a close second the huge meal (no I didn't order the Kangaroo) which I almost finished and third was getting harassed by a persistent local called Matthew, who wins the "Most Likely to Stalk" Award this week. Congratulations Matthew, you are an asset to your country.

Saturday 7 July saw the clan bundle into the car and head off to Bristol to John and Avanti's place, in honour of John's birthday. It was a great BBQ (yes, another one...I've had more BBQ's here than I have in the last 10 years in Oz) and at long last, the sun shone through. There was a massive spread of food, and of course copious leftovers. The Aussies chased the sun all day, ending up huddling in the corner of the garden for the last of the glorious rays.

Sunday 8 July we all headed off to Bath, a beautiful city. I went on a tour of the Roman Baths (obligatory) and tasted the water (revolting). This was followed by lunch in the impressive park (£1 entry fee), which is privately owned by the houses opposite. I left Eilidh and the clan to chase/feed the pigeons while I went on a bus tour of the city, another interesting and enjoyable experience.

After Bath we moved on to Lacock (near Chippenham, Wiltshire). Obviously there was a lot of sniggering involved in that trip. The village of Lacock dates back a bit. The George Inn (the local pub) dates back to 1361. In the olden days the grand open fireplace had a dogwheel which turned a spit using a specially bred dog called a Turnspit. We took advantage of the sun by having a few drinks in the beer garden. I sampled some local wines - Sloe, Elderberry, Orange, and Ginger. Very interesting! We headed back home, but after all that sampling of the local liquid wares, a toilet break was declared. In Maidenhead, we stopped off at the local Chinese restaurant - Chef Peking. We didn't get to ask the chef if indeed he was peaking, but it was a lovely dinner in any case. All up, the return trip took over 5 hours due to the infamous London traffic.