pilgrims

Tributes to Phil

2011-10-23T03:26:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday October 19 there was a Service of Thanksgiving for Phil's life at our church, Canberra Baptist. In spite of the sadness, it was a wonderful day surrounded by our large family and a huge crowd of Phil's friends and colleagues.

His friend and colleague Barry McGaw spoke about Phil's professional life. Phil's daughter Margaret about his family life and I spoke about our life together. Here are the tributes if you are interested.
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Barry Mcgaw

I first met Phil Hughes in 1973 when we were both members of the Executive Committee of the Australian Association for Research in Education. Phil became President in 1975 and I succeeded him in 1976. At the annual meeting in 1975, I read Phil’s presidential address for him because he was at home as his son, David, lay dying in hospital after a car accident.

In February this year, as Phil lay in St George’s Hospital in Sydney with a diagnoses of terminal cancer, Phil decided that he wanted to produce on more book in the time he had left. On his behalf, Kelli wrote to colleagues of Phil’s around the world inviting them to contribute chapters. In the brief to authors, Kelli said:

As the seventh child of a working class family from a tiny town in Tasmania, Australia, an effective education in Tasmania and later Oxford provided opportunities for Phil that most children from his background would never dream of. You will know that he has been passionate about an effective education for all, for the whole of his adult life. So Phil is inviting you to write a concise paper, up to around 2,000 words, expressing your own views as to what you think is necessary to provide an effective, relevant, high quality education for all children.
The chapters are all in. Phil assembled them into sections for each of which he wrote an introduction. The book is now with the publisher. That part is being handled by Rupert Maclean, a former student of Phil’s and a longstanding colleague and close friend now based in Hong Kong.
Phil completed a BSc at the University of Tasmania in 1946 and won a 1947 Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford where he completed an MSc. Phil went to Oxford to study nuclear physics. When he had selected his courses for his first enrolment, his tutor told him it was insufficient. Phil responded that he had chosen all the relevant physics and mathematics courses on offer but his tutor then said that the Oxford experience was about more than that. He encouraged him to look further so Phil added a course being taught by C.S. Lewis.
Phil said that it was the experience of C.S. Lewis’s lectures that convinced him to become a teacher. After Oxford he returned to Tasmania, completed a DipEd and became a teacher, first in the Royal Australian Navy College and then in secondary schools. By 1958, he was on the staff of the University of Tasmania. He became Principal of the Hobart Teachers College in 1963 and Deputy Director-General of Education in 1965.
In 1970, Phil moved to Canberra to become Head of the School of Teacher Education at the then Canberra College of Advanced Education, now the University of Canberra. He returned to the University of Tasmania as Professor of Education and Dean in 1980.

Phil retired at the end of 1990, just short of his 65th birthday. I suspect that the only people who noticed this retirement were those in the payroll section of the University of Tasmania.

Phil always led a full and balanced life, with a range of professional and other interests outside those involved in his official appointments and he continued those into retirement. I know that he finally gave up playing squash in his 70s because he found that he was too competitive to play in a way that befitted his age.

When he was in Canberra he served as the Foundation Chair of the new ACT Schools Authority where he worked closely with Hedley Beare, the first Chief Education Officer recruited to the Authority. I had the privilege of speaking at Hedley’s funeral in September last year. Perhaps I should have remembered the line from the famous US baseball player, Yogi Berra, and said to both Hedley and Phil, “I won’t come to your funeral if you won’t come to mine.”
Phil played a major role in professional associations, being honoured with the medals of both the Australian College of Educators and the Australian Council of Educational Leadership. He also received public recognition in his appointment as an Officer in the Order of Australia in 1991.
Phil’s commitment to educational opportunity and equity was evident not only in the vision he had for his final book but also in a lifetime of work in Australia and overseas and in his many engagements with UNESCO.
Phil worked in 18 countries. Apart from Australia, the US, and the UK that leaves 14 developing countries and France where his work was at UNESCO.
Phil was a wonderful mentor who became a lifelong friend and colleague to many whose early development he assisted. He had an extraordinary memory for the details of people’s lives and careers and he followed them with great interest. I wonder if he ever lost a friend other than through their death and now, at 85, through his.
Phil was a man of great integrity with a worldview shaped by a deep Christian faith. He was an active member of this church and was at one time President of the Baptist Union of Australia. He remained spiritually and theologically fresh and open through reading and rich conversation, two things that marked all of his life.
I last saw Phil on 6 September this year. He had slowed down, of course, but his mind was lively and he wanted to know all about the things in which I was engaged. I was on my way to see him from a hotel in Canberra on the morning of 12 October when I received a phone call from his daughter, Margaret, to tell me that he had just died.
I had the pleasure of knowing Phil’s first wife, Peg, and then of seeing the lovely relationship that he and Kelli developed in his later years. We saw them often when my wife and I lived in Paris from 1998 to 2005 and since then in both Canberra and Melbourne, often as guests in one another’s houses.
Today, we celebrate the life of a great Australian educator and a wonderful human being. It was a privilege to learn from and be inspired by Phil and a delight to be his friend.
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Margaret Clark, Phil' s oldest daughter

Before the age of five Phil had rolled his parents car into the river – jumping out at the last minute - and burnt down a barn. I think his parents realized from this that their youngest of seven had a lot of energy for life. His family – across all generations have been major benefactors of this zest for life.

As we were growing up in the 50s and 60s our parents had quite clear roles – as did most families – but ours were different

· Mum was in charge of the “essential“ parts of life – she looked after the house, shopped, fed us, washed for us, clothed us, looked after us when were sick – and she was great at this.

· But all the extra bits, these were firmly Dad’s responsibility; bath time and story time each night – where we all snuggled up either on dad’s knee or next to him – in a big wiggling lump. This was highly anticipated – there was always time for several stories to be read before bed – and this was always Dad’s job. I am sure that between my siblings and I we could reconstruct several favourites – Pippi Longstocking, Milly Molly Mandy, Winnie the Poo, Madeline, Ping the Duck, Tim and Ginger….and Clever Bill Davis. These were read with great enthusiasm (despite the endless repetition), complete with appropriate voices and the singing of any included songs.

we knew from mum’s outraged comments that the tunes were all wrong but we did not care and neither did dad

Sunday nights were concert nights and sessions singing around the piano played by mum. I was always a bit put out because Phillip, being the eldest always got to be MC.

A variety of ball games were played in the very large garden. All of the girls learnt the proper way to kick and mark an Aussie rules ball, the proper way to bat and bowl in cricket – I even went to on to play in the Hobart Matric College’s inaugural Girls AFL team coached by a well known Clarence player thanks to this.

Lou the youngest also remembers the inside games - cards and board games – and says that long after her siblings refused to play with her, good old Dad would play – even Twister apparently – I wish I could remember this.

Family holidays were a big deal – usually at a beach or the bush somewhere in Tasmania – often a place no one had heard of. I doubt anyone here outside the family would have heard of Lisdillon or Stawberry Point.

This involved swimming from September on - in Tasmania – if you can imagine!!!, or lots of walking in snow, rain or sun, picnics usually at locations where a football could be kicked around, even walks with singing (I can still remember singing ‘I love to go a wondering along the mountain track’ ….) and playing five hundred in the evenings.

As a teenager and second oldest I thought all this was a little uncool – my friends returned to school with stories of hanging out in town, sleeping in (unheard of in our family), going to the movies, sun-baking at the beach and I longed to be part of this. Looking back I am grateful for such a rich family life but I was a somewhat begrudging participant for some of this time.

Now looking back I wonder how he managed this. He had senior jobs with lots of responsibility from when we were quite young. But I never remember him coming home and needing time to himself or being bad tempered over a work incident. When he came through that door all the problems and challenges of the day were put aside. They became unimportant and whatever we thought to be important was the focus of attention.

He also had the significant challenge of managing a half-acre back yard with many fruit tress and requiring constant maintenance. His energy for life must have been amazing – but something we never questioned.

I recently flew over the Painted Desert in the USA and it reminded me of our big road trip across the US for quite some weeks from San Francisco to Illinois via Texas. Usually when I think of our time in the USA I think of it from my child eyes, days in the car - Tim falling out in the middle of the desert; Dad rushing in with the car door in his hand yelling, ‘Who left the door open?’ being congratulated on learning to speak American and so on. But this time I reflected on just what a challenge my parents set for themselves. I mean how many people would take six kids, aged from 18 months to 10 years across the US in a ranch wagon for 8 weeks? They must have been mad and on occasion absolutely exhausted.

Although our attention was never drawn to his responsibilities and his high profile, we were aware that he was highly respected. But he was also always learning and growing.

· He went to Oxford with the intention of bring a nuclear physicist, but after attending CS Lewis lectures decided that being an educator was for him,

· He once had a fierce argument with me about the use of Ms - not Miss and Mrs - which would seem ridiculous to him today,

· His view on refuges who ‘jump queues’ was radically shifted on meeting people with this history, hearing their stories and becoming their friend,

· He had very European sensibilities about art until he went to the Australian red centre and reassessed Fred Williams in this light,

· Quite recently he declared that of course I should be allowed to marry my long term partner Anne Marie, and

· As a life long one eyed AFL fan he even watched a game of rugby with some enthusiasm in his last week of life, thanks to Kelli – this I never expected to see.

However he never changed his fundamental principles and values framed within the best of the judo-Christian traditions - his deep and abiding commitment to fairness, social justice, and communitarian values of the common good stayed with him all his life – they defined the core of who he was and guided his actions, judgments and priorities.

His ability to learn and grow all his life was also fed by his ready ability to empathise with people he met from all walks of life. Sometimes this was taken to comedy like extremes like the time we stopped for bread at a local store near our home where we have not gone to before. When the owner served him he asked, ‘Are you a local then?’. No said Dad – not wanting to hurt his feelings. Where are you from? “Melbourne.” Where in Melbourne? “Ah Toorack. Fancy that, I used to live in Toorack – what street? And did you know???”

My brother Tim also recounts a tale of eating at a café with Dad and not wanting the sizeable portion of meat. Just before the waiter came to collect the plates Dad scoops up all Tim’s leftovers into a napkin and stuffed them in his pocket because he didn’t want the waiter to be upset.

In my mother’s last few years after her stroke she could not be left alone. Now dad could have afforded to bring in carer support but he took this new responsibility in his stride. He took her to work, to sit on a chair in the garden while he worked, and even to meetings and conferences.

When she died he was devastated. I don’t know why I did not understand but I think I assumed that my father was the strong one and that meant he was going to be fine on his own. I underestimated his constancy and his devotion. His next few years after this were very lonely ones and seeing him in this state caused me genuine anguish. But then Kelli came along. She literally brought him back to life again and I am very grateful that he had 12 wonderful years with her.

I have talked about the three characteristics of his life that most defined him for me;

– Energy for and love of life,

– Ability to grow and learn, while maintaining core beliefs and values, and

– Constancy and commitment - the primacy of relationships – not just partnerships although these were of great importance, but relationships writ large.

Right up to the last weeks of life dad was interested in those around him and in ideas of importance. I told him of a book that had excited me – the Spirit Level - and as tired and fragile as he was he immediately read it from cover to cover on my i-pad. When family visited he wanted to know about Kieran’s visa application process, Al’s plans for returning to the US, Charlie’s nascent walking and the latest activities of Maddie and Noah with whom he had a very special relationship.

I will miss my Dad more then I even understand or can predict today. He will leave a gaping hole I know. But his life was a life well lived and his dying was something that retained dignity love and courage.

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Kelli Hughes

Thank you all for coming. I am sorry that it is crowded and some are standing. Our family has celebrated many other occasions here - many of them happy - weddings and baptisms but other funerals too. It is the church where Phil and I worship week after week so it it appropriate that we come here today to join with our community of faith to remember Phil. It means a great deal to us as a family to see so many people from all the areas of Phil’s life – family, friends and colleagues. This is a hard day for us and your being with us today is a great comfort.

Phil lived a long, full and fulfilling life. He was up to page 190 in his autobio and still had the last 10 years to write so there is no way we could cover all that territory today. I want to talk about just 3 aspects of his life – his faith, his family and our life together.

Phil was a man with a strong faith in God. As a teenager he decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ and that had a profound impact on the rest of his life. Organised religion frequently made him despair but his faith in God sustained him to the end. He tried always to follow the example of Jesus – this was obvious in many aspects of his life but probably most noticeably in his concern for those on the margins of life, especially those who were missing out on opportunities for a good quality education. He worked tirelessly to help improve access to education in developing countries and especially the education of women and girls. He lived a life of service to others. Throughout his life, amazing opportunities came his way – far more than a boy from Sheffield in Tasmania could every have dreamed of. But Phil was always conscious that with opportunities came responsibilities and there are many here today who can attest to the myriad of ways he met those responsibilities.

His family meant the world to him. The death of his son David at age 19 was a devastating blow and he vowed that nothing short of death would ever separate him from his remaining five children and over the years he showed unconditional love to all of you. He was so proud of the people you became and the ways in which you work to improve the lives of others and make the world a better place. As you had children and your children had children, he delighted in their company. He took great interest in your wide variety of activities and was immensely proud of your achievements regardless of whether that was a first class honours degree or being the most helpful boy in the school playground. In his latter years as his own abilities began to fade, he treasured time spent with the youngest children in the family – you swamped your Papa Phil with your love and zest for life and gave him great hope that the future would be in good hands.

It is 12 years since Phil and I walked down this aisle on our wedding day. James was playing the organ and Thorwald was officiating. A few days before our wedding, T had a deep and meaningful chat with me. He asked whether I had fully considered the implications of marrying a man 20 years my senior. I told him that if we could have 5 good years I would be content and any more would be a bonus. I could never have envisaged then how good those years would be – I believe those years enriched us both. We have been great mates and so much more. Without Phil I would never have met Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, James Hird and Sachin Tendulkar nor the hundreds of amazing school teachers who work their socks of year after year to prepare the next generation to take their places in the world. I would never have worked alongside Phil in places as varied as Oman and Paris, Korea and Thailand, China and the USA and travelled the world. I would never have eaten at some of the world’s best restaurants but had just as much enjoyment picnicing with him by the lake, on the banks of the Seine or eating meals around our table at home with family and friends while putting the world to rights.

In the days to come, I will try to remember all the good times we shared rather than the Phil-shaped hole in my heart. I know that won’t be easy. I truly believe that the world is a better place because Phil lived here for 85 years. Miss Smith, his primary school teacher once asked him, “Phil, is that your best?” Across the years those words continued to echo in his mind and he always sought to give his best and it was rare that he didn’t succeed.

Vale Phil

2011-10-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Phil died peacefully at home last Wednesday morning. With immense support from family and palliative care nurses we were able to keep him comfortable and surrounded by those he loved. It was challenging at times but immensely rewarding. We shall all miss him more that words can express but we are all thankful for the good times we had, even this year after his diagnosis - we scarcely wasted a day - his life was rich to the end.

In Bowral with daughter Louise and grandson Alex 2 weeks before his death.

With his youngest greatgrandchildren Charlie and Sophie - still enjoying their company just 10 days before he died.

Phil's 85th birthday

2011-03-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

March 12, 2011 was Phil's birthday. He celebrated it joyfully, surrounded by family in spite of his recent diagnosis of cancer of the bile duct. We all realise this may be the last of his birthdays we get to celebrate so we were determined to make it a good day - and it was.

Noah and Maddie made a cake

Jenny made Phil a book of memories

Grandaughter Cristy came with husband Paul, Charlie and Lily

Daughter Margaret with Anne Marie

YUM!!!! Figs from the garden jazzed up by John

Great Grandaughter Amira

With son, Phil

Daughter Louise

Daughter in law - Eleanor

With Sophie

Daughter Jenny making an important point.

Grandaughter Luci

Son Tim with his sons Tom and Chris

- and daughter Catherine

Lyndall with Emily Jeff and Sophie

Lily

Loads of family came throughout the day - it was great

Grandson Jono with Natalie

Paul with Charlie

The Clark Mitchells came today

2011-01-29T21:13:00.000-08:00

We are so blessed to have lots of family closeby who give loads of support and endless pleasure - esp when times are tough. Cristy and Paul came to visit today with Lily and Charlie

The Steinacker family came to visit

2011-01-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

One of Phil's favourite pastimes - spending time with the family.

There is only so much time you can spend with a new baby then it's time for some serious play. I picked up these wood offcuts from a building site nearby a couple of years ago - there are about 200 pieces. They have provided endless hours of fun for the children since then and it's fascinating to watch how their creations with them become more sophisticated as the children get older.

Sophie May arrived today

2011-01-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Emily and Jeff are thrilled with the new member of their family and Noah and Maddie are delighted to have a baby sister. Born this morning at 9.30 weighing 8lb 1 oz. Papa Phil saw her from a distance - he's not too well at present.

Sunday lunch at Rick Stein's at Mollymook

2011-01-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

A lovely lunch - beautiful location, great company and and good food BUT overpriced and not nearly as good as the food at his restaurants in Cornwall.

Summer holidays at Mollymook

2011-01-26T22:47:00.000-08:00

Noah and Maddie enjoying their Christmas present from Hannah

The Steinacker family - 2 grown ups with 2 and 8/9 children

Margie and AnneMarie with grandaughter Lily

Margie with Cristy and Charlie

Dinnertime for Pelagia

2010-12-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

I love Skpye!!! In the last week or so PPA has started solid meals and graduated to a high chair. She is a voracious eater and seems happy with a wide range food from banana and avocado to broccoli and swede - YUM!!! It is great to be able to watch her grow.

Charlie has arrived

2010-10-10T16:10:00.001-07:00

Papa Phil with Charlie Clark Mitchell - 4 days old

Going home today

2010-09-20T01:08:00.000-07:00

It'll be hard to say goodbye but it is time to go home. We have had a wonderful summer and look forward to many more.

Off to Thursday bible study

2010-09-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

So grown up

Two knights in three days

2010-09-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

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Lunch on Saturday was delicious and so beautifully laid out. I just wished I could be a lady too - not really.

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On Monday we had lunch with Bill Taylor and his wife, Rita - friends of Phil's from way back when Bill was Director of the Institute of Education in London

A long weekend in Dorset

2010-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

<><><><><>Some great walks along the coast and the weather was very kind. <><><>

Durdle Door is a fascinating formation. Andy had given us the technical description of how it was formed but you'll have to ask him for the details.

Chesil Beach- below - a strange place. I wanted to see it after reading Ian McEwan's book - beautifully written but SOOOOOO sad

The lighthouse at Portland Bill

Gold Hill, a VERY steep little street in Shaftesbury

More photos of Durdle coast - not having much luck with this new version of blogger - it drops the photos in all over theplace and doesn't allow me to move them easily.

After church on Sunday we went to the coast around Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.

The countryside through Dorset and Wiltshire is just stunning - rolling hills and lots of small farms

We stayed in another of the Go Slow B&Bs - this time it was Frampton House out in the countryside near Dorchester - really beautiful

Three days in the Lake District

2010-09-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

We have just spent 3 beautiful days at Grange in Borrowdale on the southern tip of Derwent Water. The days have been sunny, nights crisp and we are staying at the lovely small hotel - a return visit having stayed here back in 1999.

CatBells is the peak in this photo

A walk on top of the world - worth the climb to get there

Great views down to Derwent Water

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Borrowdale Gates

We have done 2 long walks in the past two days - a steep climb up to Cat Bells with great views across the lakes and farmland and a leisurely 5 hour even walk around Derwent Water. I hope the photos will give you the feel of the beautiful part of the world.

Lots of families enjoy the climb

The walk down is just as challenging as the climb up but Phil managed it well. I would liek to think i could still do it when I'm 84 but I'm unlikely to have a 62 year old to accompany me!!!

The view from our room when we wake in the morning

Glorious Glasgow - City of Culture

2010-09-01T10:11:00.001-07:00

Iona - saying goodbye

2010-08-30T00:15:00.000-07:00

As the ferry left and the resident staff waved us off , Phil wiped away a few tears. He's not sure he'll make it back again but we'll see.

iona - some people we met

2010-08-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

Michelle from Adelaide has been living on Iona for the past 2 years as a member of the community

Iona sights

2010-08-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

Some beautiful sandy beaches on Iona and crystal clear ( but FREEZING) water

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The Hebridean Princess visited one day. The queen had chartered her earlier in the summer for a family cruise around these islands

The cloisters at the Abbey

Iona - a trip to Staffa

2010-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

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Iona - a morning at the beach

2010-08-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

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Iona Pilgrimage

2010-08-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday come rain, hail or shine, some of the resident members of the Iona Community lead a pilgrimage around the island. It covers about 7 miles and takes about 6 hours of gentle walking, pauses for reflections and plenty of time for chatting. Like all pilgrimages, I guess, this one starts at the cross. This time its St Martins cross dating from the 8th century.

Jamie is a resident staff member of the Iona Community and has lived on the island for the last 18 months. She is an ordained minister of the Reformed Church of USA - a delightful lady and I wonder if we could tempt her to visit us sometime. She was standing at the only point on the island where 2 roads cross and invited us to consider crossroads in our our lives and read the Robert Frost poem - The road not taken.

The labyrinth at St Columba's Bay

Most of the walk was fairly easy with some gentle climbs and weather favourable.

Some of the going was a bit more diffilcult - sturdy boots were essential.

This glam couple are waiting for the summer to begin

At St Columba's bay where he was thought to have landed from Ireland in 563. He was making a fresh start and we were thinking about that too.

Meeting people from all over is one the other good things about being here. Sharon ( black hat) is a priest from Somerset. We became very good friends in a short time and I'm sure we'll keep in touch. Mary in pink is a teacher and Caroline is a minister from Nebraska.

The heather is in full bloom all over the highlands as well as Iona

LOTS of bogs even on the high ground and not always possible to leap across them. Even our good walking boots weren't quite up to keeping our feet dry.

One reflection is at the nunnery dating from 1203. It is the most substantial remains of any nunnery in the whole of Europe. It is within the village of Iona, close to the school, shop and houses and suggests the nuns related more to the locals than the men of the Abbey which stands outside the village in some seclusion.

At the end of the walk we put our boots out to dry - it took 2 days before they were completely dry.

At Iona

2010-08-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Phil had no trouble climbing up Dun I - the highest hill on Iona. The Abbey is in the background with Mull across the water

The tiny island of Iona is beautiful - it was once home to over 500 people but the potato famine decimated that and while it has increased slowly, there are still only 120 year-round residents. The Abbey though is the 4th most visited site in Scotland hence LOTS of day trippers. A couple of days while we were there there were large cruise ships docked off shore bringing passengers in on the life boats. Tourists are an important part of the island's economy and they stick to a fairly short route from the harbour to the Abbey and back so they don't interfere too much.

From Dun I looking east across Mull.

Chopping veges with my buddies from US, UK, Czech Rep, Germany, France. Some of us were just there for the week but others for longer - six weeks to 3 years

Phil was going so fast with the hoover that he's just a blur

From Dun I looking north across the crofts - Staffa and Skye are on the skyline.

Life on Iona isn't all climbing hills. There are worship services at 9am and 9pm each day in the beautiful Abbey Church. They are probably the main reason we go to Iona - really inspiring. Also most afternoons there are prayers for peace and justice. Members of the Iona community are heavily involved in activities and advocacy in these areas.

But there are also chores to be done. One meal each day you have to help set up, serve andclear away then wash up. In addtion I had to chop veges each morning and Phil had to hoover a hallway - not terribly onerous.

Some of these photos have jumped into odd places but I'm sure you'll get the idea. More about Iona later. Phil wants to check his email - we're not used to having to share one laptop!!!

Brodie to Iona

2010-08-29T00:28:00.003-07:00

Leaving the colourful harbour area of Oban

Getting to Iona is a bit of a chore but more so from Inverness. An early drive from Brodie Castle into Inverness, a taxi to the bus station ; a bus to Fort William; another bus to Oban; a ferry to the Isle of Mull; and hour bus ride across Mull then another ferry to Iona. Our connections weren't great so after leaving Brodie at 7am we finally arrived at Iona at 7 pm - a long day.

This lovely lighthouse is about half way between Oban and Mull

So it was so nice to arrive at Iona at last with the abbey in view

Just in time for dinner in the refectory

Meals are simple and mainly vegetarian which suits me just fine. There was a group of 23 german people from Dortmund with us and some of them found the lack of animal protein challenging - they are used to cheese and sausage for beakfast and meat at least one more meal a day.

Brodie Castle - Loch Ness

2010-08-29T00:28:00.001-07:00

Brodie Castle - Beach walk Findhorn to Burghead

2010-08-29T00:27:00.002-07:00

Brodie Castle - Battle of Culloden

2010-08-29T00:27:00.000-07:00

From Scotland

2010-08-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

After 3 lovely warm sunny days, today is cool and damp hence we are in Inverness catching up on emails and soon to have a lunch at a 1 Michelin * restaurant.

We are staying in a beautiful little National Trust cottage in the grounds of Brodie Castle - 1/2 an hour along the coast. It is a beautiful area - fabulous coastline with golden sandy beaches and then inland to the Cairngorms - dramatic highlands.

Yesterday we took a steam train from Aviemore to Broomhill - the station called Glenbogle in Monarch of the Glen - we loved the scenery in that show so got to see it for ourselves yesterday. We finished the day with a tour and tasting at the Glenfiddich Distillery - one of Phil's favourite drams. All in all a good day.

Plenty to do here - later this week we'll take a boat along Loch Ness and do some more coastal walks. Then Saturday we take a bus to Oban, then a ferry to Mull then a bus across Mull then a ferry to Iona where we stay for the next week.

Slow travel UK #3 - Yoxford Suffolk

2010-08-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

We hadn't spent much time in Suffolk before so we stayed 3 nights at this rather quirly B&B - The Old Methodist Chapel. Our suite was in the old Sunday School
rooms so we felt right at home. Really interesting area -
lots of farming so great fresh produce.

Holy Trinity Church in Blythburgh near Yoxford is called the Cathedral of the Marshes

- a beautiful example of local stone and a fine ceiling - note the angels.

This speaks for itself - Wolsey and Pygot were protestants who refused to change their beliefs

during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary 1

In contrast the magnificent cathedral in Ely dating from 673.

The walk we should have done last friday

2010-08-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

This morning we took the bus to Birling Gap again and walked home - this time along the top of the cliffs. No dramas to report - thank goodness.

A busy week

2010-08-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

After Church on Sunday we went to lunch with friends of Christy's - we had a lovely time but PP found it a bit of a yawn

Earlier in the week PP went to work with Christy in Tunbridge Wells wearing the white linen trousers and top given to her by Christy's fellow consultants - none of the rest of the family would dare wear white linen - we could never keep it clean. She was passed around the department and then had a feed in a treatment cubicle (empty of patients) before we started the drive home.

Sir Colin and Lady Lucas celebrate 150 years

2010-08-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

We spent a weekend last month at the Oxfordshire home of friends Colin and Mary Louise during which they had a garden party to celebrate their 70th and 80th birthdays. It was a great occasion and guests included family, friends, fellow Vice Chancellors from around the country, their gardener, neighbours and us

a fabulous afternoon.

The caterers did a superb job with delicious food for 90 people

Time to sing Happy birthday

Their home was once a barn in the garden of their previous weekender ( when they could get away from Oxford). About 10 years ago they decided to down-size and sold off the big house and half the garden and develop the barn and the remainder of the garden. It is a beautiful home with a modern interior and cleverly sourced old materials on the exterior.

Reports of our dramatic rescue have been greatly exaggerated

2010-07-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Before you start reading this blog I want you to know that we are safe and sound and both in good shape at Christy's place and had a good night's sleep last night. Neither of us appear to have suffered any ill effects. Now read on.

Yesterday morning we took the bus to Birling Gap about 12 kms along the coast from Christy's to walk along the cliff path over the Seven Sisters - the 7 chalk faces in this photo - Birling Gap is in the low dip at the right end of the cliffs. We have done this walk many times and it takes about 5 hours to walk back to Christy's from here.

When we got to Birling Gap this was the view - the tide was right out and we have never walked back along the beach so decided it would be a change - bad mistake!!!

At some stages the walking was fairly easy.

But at other points it became VERY challenging and the going was MUCH slower than we anticipated. We weren't too worried because we thought we could see the final headland before we turned the corner. After that we expected a breezy stroll to the Golden Galleon, a very nice pub. Wrong again!! Soon after this we noticed that the tide was coming in quite quickly and while walking as fast as we could, we were also watching out for bits of beach above the high water line where we could safely wait for the next low tide.

Eventually we rounded a headland and saw that the way forward was cut off by the tide and we needed to walk back 2 bays to a safe place. Mobile phones don't work below the cliffs so we couldn't phone for help. I settled Phil safely in the shade near the cliff and stood by the watersedge signalling to people high up on the cliffs above, planes overhead and fishing boats .

In some places there were rock falls which were really slow to climb over.

After about an hour we saw the welcome sight of a RNLI lifeboat coming around the headland - we waved till he saw us - he had been alerted by a coast guard ranger who saw us start the walk but not come out the other end. We were just so grateful. We would like to think that we would have been safe on the beach where we were but I had already made a bad call that day so don't feel too confident about that.

Phil waiting for the lifeboat

The lovliest men took us safely back to their base. They didn't once tell us we had been really stupid to attempt the walk without carefully checking the tide times.

The one person who seemed to get a kick out of our rescue was this jetskier who jumped our wake all the way back

Passing Christy's place at Seaford

In all the drama, I left my backpack behind. I went back at low tide this morning and retraced our steps but couldn't find it anywhere - the only thing of value in it was my wallet so today I have had to cancel credit cards and arrange for a new drivers' licence - a minor inconvenience really after what could have been a very nasty experience. Phil stayed very calm and has no ill effects at all - Christy has checked him over.

Phil, Marg, Jenny, Tim and Lou - I promise I will look after him better in future.

Ginny, I bet you're glad you weren't around for this part of the holiday.

Slow travel UK #2 - Clapton Manor

2010-07-26T22:52:00.001-07:00

Another of our Slow travel stays - this one in the Cotswolds - really lovely house, garden and locality. Karin Brown and her family who own the house have an especially soft spot for Aussies - their oldest son had meningitis when he was 2 which left him deaf. A cochlear implant ( invented by a team at Melbourne Uni back in the 70s) has allowed him to have an pretty much unimpaired life and he starts university in the autumn. When I have time I'll add the recipe of Karin's fabulous Orange Polenta Cake which she served for afternoon tea each day along with her melt-in-the-mouth shortbread - not good for the waistline but superb in every other way. Phil getting some tips for our garden from the head gardener at Hidcote Manor

Wadham turns 400

2010-07-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

Nine hundred of us turned up for the garden party on Saturday afternoon - note Phil's new hat bought in the bazaar in Turkey. He enjoyed meeting up with Sir Sidney, a mate from his Wadham days back in the 1940's. It was a bitter sweet occasion -the weekend's events were delightful but Phil's best friend from Oxford days, Bob Horan, passed away last year and Phil felt his absence keenly - Bob lived in Oxfordshire for many years before his death so was a regular at these occasions. Of course each year there are fewer and fewer of Phil's contemporaries who make it back to College and those that do are often not up to much in the way of conversation. I think Phil found it a bit depressing at times and we will need to consider whether this might be the last year we do this. We have visited a number of his friends at home over the past couple of weeks and this may be the best way to keep in touch with them in future.

This was the view from our bedroom window across the quad - curiously they put us on the top floor of the college up 5 flights of stairs with no lift. Not many 84 year olds would have been able to mange that as effortlessly as Phil. I thought it was an odd allocation given that the staff knew Phil's DOB.

Slow travel UK #1- Stratford

2010-07-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

Some months ago we bought a series of Alistair Sawday Slow travel books - for UK, Italy and France. They recommend accomodation, shops, restaurants and things to do that embrace Carlo Petrini's Slow Food ideals. We like the idea because they are all independent local businesses so your money tends to stay in the community rather than going to some big multinational, most are trying to use local organic produce and they all have a lot of character to them. Over the past couple of weeks we have stayed in 3 of them. Cross-o'-th'-Hill Farm is just outside Stratford on Avon. It was lovely. Just 3 guest rooms - we were surprised at breakfast to find that one couple were from Turner in Canberra. From our bedroom we could see the Church of the Holy Trinity where Shakespeare is buried. We walked across the fields one evening to see King Lear - just fabulous.

View from our room.

3:1 - Minimum staffing ratio!!

2010-07-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

That is three adults to one new born baby. We have decided that this is a workable ratio - one person sleeps; one person holds the baby; one person gets on with the jobs. Fortunately after 6 children, 14 grandchildren and the 10th great-grandchild in the pipeline, Phil is the clear winner in the 'holding -the-baby' competition.

Kusadasi and Ephesus

2010-07-23T09:19:00.001-07:00

Our last port before the end of the cruise in Athens was Kusadasi in Turkey where we spent 2 days. Kusadasi is a very popular holiday spot - huge bazaar where I bought Phil a new straw hat for the Wadham Garden Party - look out for the photos. We became fans of refreshing apple tea in Turkey.

The main reason for visiting Kusadasi was to go to Ephesus - a short bus ride from the port.

Greece - the monasteries of Meteora

2010-07-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

OK - this isn't in Greece. We are now in Seaford with Christy and Pelagia. Couldn't resist slipping this one in. The news from Andy in Borneo with his 24 youngsters is good - yesterday they were all presented with gifts from 2 princesses of Brunei - unfortunately the group had just finished playing outdoor games in the mud with children at a special school and hadn't had a chance to change. Maybe the gifts were soap. We had a day anchored at Volos in Greece. Ginny chose to visit a couple of nice villages but we took a 2 hour bus ride inland to Meteora to see the monasteries dating from C12. There were originally 27 of these Eastern Orthodox monasteries but only 6 remain. Many were badly damaged during WW2 and since then one has been given to an order of nuns to restore and use. The geology is dramatic as these pictures show. How ever di they get the building materials here.

See the monastery top right.

An Icon artist at work.

Monastery of the Holy Trinity

Rousanou Monastery

Varlaan Monastery - this is one we went into. The chapel has fantastic frescoes dating from C16.

Cruising through the Bosphorus

2010-07-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Sailing through the Bosphorus is a delight - it is a 32 km long stretch of water that divides the asian and european parts of Istanbul and connects the Black Sea in the north with the Sea of Marmara in the south. We were lucky to sail through on a beautiful sunny day. Container ships, oil tankers and ferries as well as little local fishing boats all share this waterway with cruise ships. Along the banks are palaces, ruins, villages and old ottoman wooden houses.

Fifteeth century Fortess of Europe

Ortakoy Mosque built 1850s

Istanbul - Beyoglu - the area that is the heart of the commercial and entertainment parts Istanbul- note Galata Tower which we climbed up the previous week.

The Sultanamet area of Istanbul where we stayed - the Blue Mosque is on the left and the Hagia Sophia on the right.

Eventually we slowly sailed out of the Bosphorus into the Daardanelles, the strait leading into the Agean Sea. The Gallipoli Peninsular on the eastern side holds a particular place in the hearts of Australians. Even if like me you are opposed to violence and war, you cannot help but pause to remember the lives lost and maimed here during WW1. It was a very sombre afternoon for the Aussies and Kiwis on board.

I looked up the Australian War Memorial website and of the total population of Australia in 1914 of 4 million people, 417,000 men enlisted - a staggering 38.7% of the male population between the ages of 18 - 44 and probably almost all of the able bodied ones. I have read the Victoria Cross citiations in the Hall of Valour at the AWM on several occasions and marvel at the acts of courage and heroism that earned these men that honour - many lost their lives in the process and you can't help but wonder how they might have contributed to our country if they had returned.

Canakkale Martyrs' monument to turkish soldiers on the Gallipoli Peninsular - the anzac memorials are on the far side of the peninsula - our ship didn't go past that way.

Cruising makes for a great holiday

2010-07-22T08:42:00.001-07:00

There was lots of sunshine, interesting ports of call, your bedroom goes with you every night, good company

Lovely music before dinner

Great food and company

Vale Christina Lorenzen

2010-07-20T10:58:00.001-07:00

Today we are very sad not to be with our friends Thorwald and Jill as they farewell their daughter who died on the weekend after a long and courageous struggle with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their extended family today and through the tough times ahead.

Where to begin!!!

2010-07-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Three and a half weeks since our last blog; so much has happened; so much to tell. I think I will just put up a heap of photos with a little commentary. Anything else is too daunting.

Firstly, just to let you know that there has been no serious reason for being off-line. The backlight on our Dell laptop died shortly after posting the last blog so we have been popping into public libraries and internet cafes to check emails but haven't had time to blog. The laptop was fixed yesterday at huge expense but maybe I'll get that back along with the $440 US that it cost for Phil to consult the ship's doctor. It seems like he had a virus in the inner/middle?? ear. The doc just gave him seasick tablets for 2 days and he has been fine ever since. However Phil has an incredibly slow pulse - around 42 which always worries doctors so the doc insisted on doing an ECG, blood test and a range of other tests hence the hefty bill. It was worth it to be reassured that there was nothing sinister happening.

Saturday June 26

2010-06-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

I am sending this from VERY noisy MacDonalds WiFi in Yalta so no photos till later

Today we are in Yalta, our third port of call in Ukraine. They have all been interesting and the weather has been kind – a few showers on Thursday on our second day in Odessa but not enough to bother us much.

Yesterday in Sevastopol was really interesting. It is still home to the Russian Black Sea fleet and was closed to visitors until just a few years ago. It seemed strange to be able to tie up next to all the naval ships after so many years seclusion. We walked to the Cathedral – probably Russian orthodox and sat in on a service for a while. Two women with beautiful voices were responding in close harmony to the chants of the priest – James Carter would welcome them in his singing group. The Panorama Museum of the Crimean War is a huge continuous painting, over 220 m which goes right around the inside walls of a large circular building. It depicts the battle following the siege of Sevastopol back in 1855 – the Charge of the Light Brigade and all that. It was an horrendous time with a total of 500,000 lives lost.

We then took a local bus out to Chersonesus – the ruins of a greek town founded around 400BC. It is an extensive site right on the edge of the sea. The local people were very helpful getting us on and off the right buses even though their English is very limited and our Ukrainian and Russian non-existant.

Today we are in Yalta – a classy seaside resort for Ukrainians and Russians. It almost has the feel on one of the towns along the French riveria – a lot of French and Italian style buildings and nice shady parks and streets. Phil is a bit sluggish today so stayed onboard while Ginny and I went out for the morning. We decided to take a taxi along the coast to see Swallows Nest, a small castle built on a steep cliff overlooking the sea then back to the Livadia palace where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin held negotiations in the last days of WW2. We chose a driver who said he would take us to both places for 19 euros. After about 10 mins driving up steep streets, he stopped for photos and when we got back in the car he told us it would 90 euros. We reminded him that he had said 19 but he disagreed. We asked to be taken back to the ship and he dropped the price to 70. We insisted on going back to the ship. Disappointed and a bit annoyed - but we then found a taxi drvier to take us to the 2 places for 20 euros. That worked out fine. He left us at the Livadia Palace and we spent an hour or so looking around and then got a local bus back to town for about 60cents.

Phil seems a bit better this afternoon – nothing serious I hope. He is just a bit dizzy and lethargic. There is a medical centre on board and I’ll take him then later if her doesn’t pick up.

More from Istanbul

2010-06-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

In fact I am in an internet cafe in Odessa Ukraine. Had a great time exporing the city and Phil is having a bit of down time so I thought I would blog for a bit. Funny keyboard and the order of the photos is muddled but you will probably get the drift. The main thin is that we are havng a really good time. The ship is just delightful - such luxury that I feel guilty. The ports are interesting but not WOW!!!! Yesterday was Varna in Bulgaria - and tomorrow we sail to Sevastapol. But it is just so lovely relaxing and enjoying varied company and fabulous food.

This is for Kimberley - the local women wash their fleece and let in dry on the parks. By the way, Congrats on the new job!!!

We climbed this tower on Monday - the first 7 levels had a lift - great views over Istanbul fro the top. Ginny was very brave and came too.
Topkapi Palace

Spice Market

Our ship

A day at the seaside!!!

Ruins

Food glorious food.

From Istanbul

2010-06-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

Friday morning in Istanbul - currently a balmy 26 deg on its way to 34 - I think a siesta will be in order. Great city to explore. Our small hotel is right across a narrow park from the Blue Mosque - the plus is the central location close to many of the main sights; the minus is that we are regularly called to prayer, including around 10pm and 4am. Even for people of prayer that is a bit challenging.

We are rapidly ticking off the must see places in Ginny's guide book. These will give you a taste.

The Hagia Sophia - a church built by Justinian in the 6th century which later became a mosque and is now a museum. It has a huge dome which has been an archiectural challenge over the years, partly due to the earth tremors common here. We saw a great SBS doco on it a few weeks ago that increased our interest.

Blue Mosque

Grand Bazaar

We had just finished lunch but that didn't stop us trying something else to eat.

These trendy young ladies still wear the headscarf but with denim skirts and bright tops.

A pleasant spot for our first meal.

A few interesting buildings

The dining room of our hotel is a rooftop terrace but this one must be the ultimate in rooftop dining.

These next two are the view from our rooftop dining room - Blue Mosque and hagia Sophia

I love Skype

2010-06-10T03:49:00.001-07:00

Travels 2010

2010-06-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

Our itinerary for the next few months:
June 14 Fly to Istanbul
June 20 Cruise from Istanbul around Black Sea to Athens
July 2 Fly to Uk to see Pelagia (and Andy and Christy of course)
July 3/4 Oxford for 400 year birthday of Wadham College
July 5-8 Cotswolds
July 9-10 - Clanfield OX for Lucas' birthdays
July 11-13 Old Methodist Church - B&B Suffolk
July 14/15 Lawtons in Essex
July 16 to August 8 Seaford with Pelagia ( and Christy while Andy is in Borneo)
Aug 8-11 London
Aug 12/13 Seaford
Aug 14 Fly to Inverness to spend week in Brodie Castle
Aug 21 Iona Abbey
Aug 27-29 Glasgow
Aug 30-Sep 2 Lake District
Sept 3/4 Oxford - more Wadham celebrations
Sept 5 - 20 Seaford except 10-12 in Dorset
Sept 20 Fly home
Sept 22 HOME

If you need to get in touch, call or text our mobile or email us on gmail.

Pelagia Pearl born June 8

2010-06-09T00:40:00.000-07:00

Christy and Andy had a daughter yesterday - 2 weeks early so she caught us by surprise. All 3 are doing well - and Grandma is recovering. Pelagia was 6lb 12 oz and 56 cms - surprisingly long given that neither of her parents are over 168cms. Her first name is Greek and means 'of the sea'- very appropriate as our family first met Andy back in about 1992 when he spent his Uni holidays as our sailing and windsurfing instructor at the Christian watersport centre on Corfu where we spent our summer holiday. The following year he was at Kos when we went there and he and Christy became 'an item'. The next year when they were both working on Kos in their hols he popped the question and they became engaged. So the greek islands are close to their heart. Those of you who know Andy are aware that he is a watersport fanatic - one reason they live right on the seafront in the UK - so a name with assosciations with the sea is very fitting. Of course it was also the name of the Penelope Cruz character in Captain Corelli's mandolin.

Pearl too has links with the sea as well as the name of Christy's paternal grandmother. And my mother has just phoned up and excitedly told me that the meaning of her name 'Marjorie' is also pearl. How about that for keeping everyone happy.

Now some photos - including Pelagia looking right at home at 8 hours old. I can't wait to see her - 3 weeks to wait!!

Richie and Kimberley's Wedding - April 15, 2010

2010-04-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos from my camera. Be warned - there will be more!!!!!
It was a fabulous day - even better than we could have hoped for.

Lunch at Watson's day - the day before the wedding.

Rowan and Shannon's Wedding

2010-03-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

Rowan and Shannon's wedding - Armidale March 27, 2010. A beautiful day.

Amira

2009-10-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Amira was born on October 1 - a beautiful daughter for Natalie and Jono and great grandaughter for Phil.

Hawaii in pictures

2009-08-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

Our friends Mel and Mim, our hosts in Hawaii - they were both colleagues of Phil's at Uni of Canberra many years ago but have kept in touch.

A lovely welcome lei.

The beach near Mel and Mim's and the spot for our daily swim - a blissful 26deg in the water.

We spent a great evening at the Sheraton listening to these guys sing local songs.

The clouds never lifted form the tops of these mountains behind Mel and Mim's the whole week.

A local twist on eco lodge accommodation.

No visit to Hawaii would be complete withou a visit to Waikiki - yes it is VERY touristy but still a great place for a drink and a spot of people watching. Notice the tip of Diamond Head in the background - we climbed it later in the week.

Visiting the American War cemetry with Mim.

Spent a couple of hours in the Art Gallery - lovely collection of impressionists and some Dale Chihully glass - the only negative - we got a $50 parking fine while we were there - we obeyed the sign that said ' max 2 hours' but didn't read the one that said 'clearway after 4pm' - luckily the policeman was still on the phone ordering the towtruck when we turned up otherwise we would have been in for an even bigger shock.

Looking down from the top of Diamond Head - quite a climb but weel worth it.

Great snorkelling at Huanan Bay.

Visiting Pearl Harbour breaks your heart - the thought of the bodies of all those young men still below the waves.

At the Dole pineapple plantation.

This is a photo for Christy and Andy who LOVE hibiscus and manage to grow quite a few indoors in England - they don't thrive quite like these though.

We spent several hours at the Polynesian Village which showcases the arts and crafts of about 10 different countries of the Pacific region - a really enjoyable experience and the gardens are just delightful.

This girl is from Mongolia - hard to imagine a bigger cultural leap - not to mention the change in climate. All the staff at the Village are also students at the adjacent Mormon Uni and will return to their home countries once they graduate.

This is the old pedal organ in the chapel in the Polynesian Village - my mother will recognise it instantly - she played one for MANY years at the Banyo bapist Church in Brisbane and I slept/played/yelled next to the pedals form when I was 2 weeks old.

LOS ANGELES

2009-08-16T09:25:00.001-07:00

The main reason for visiting Los Angeles was to visit Phil's grandson Alex who has been studying guitar there for the past year. He is an amazingly skilful and musical guitarist. This is a very poor picture ( late evening) of the house he shares with 2 other lads - just 2 blocks off Hollywood Blvd - great location and really interesting place - it would be fabulous if it was restored but then students would never be able to afford it!!

The cafe where we went to listen to Alex's gig.

Dontown LA has been transformed since I was last there almost 40 years ago - then it was very seedy and felt quite threatening. So many modern buildings now but a few old remants as well but generally well kept and it feels safe.

The Disney Performing Arts Centre

Still some quirky parts left in downtown LA.

We spent a day at the Getty Centre - the art collection is first rate and extensive but the location and buildings are equally worth a visit.

Yes of course!!!!!

Canada

2009-07-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

Before leaving home I tried in vain to find a reasonably priced one way car hire for 6 days from Toronto airport with a drop off at Niagara. Usually ‘one way’ hires these days are either free or low cost but I couldn’t find any decent deals so decided to keep the car for the whole time at the Falls and drop it off back in Toronto near our hotel. It turned out to be one of the best decisions. Although the Falls are absolutely spectacular the area around them has been turned into a giant amusement park and it was bliss to be able to jump into the car and get away from it all.

Niagara
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The main reason for being in Niagara was to spend time with Luci while Louise was at a Pathology conference ( which she said was excellent ). It was a delight to have time with Luci – she is a very articulate and insightful and really good company. We did lots of stuff together – sailed on the Maid of the Mist up to the base of the Falls, rode the AeroCar over the whirlpool, went to the sublime Niagara-on-the-Lake several times for picnics and meals – it is just 20kms from the Falls but rather like a Cotswold village. WE drove across the border to Buffalo one day – a rather grim depressed city which looked as if the GFC has hit badly – it was only brightened by an energetic black gospel choir singing their hearts out in the main street.

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Toronto

I don’t think I’ll say too much about this. Being here has not been enhanced by the 4 week old public worker strike which means that garbage is not collected, public toilets are locked and heaps of things that don’t affect us but are having a huge impact on the city – childcare centres closed, swimming pools closed, summer holiday programs for children cancelled.

We have still done some nice things -
We took the tramcar down to THE BEACHES – locals had led us to believe that it was a fab lakeshore area – we were thinking Noosa, Manly, Watsons Bay – bad mistake but still interesting.
Sunday we went to church at Yorkminster Park Baptist – Lew was summer pastor here for a month in July 1986 and our family remember having a really good time. Our ‘buddy’ back then was Mary (and her family) and we met up with her again yesterday after church and ended up having lunch with her and some friends – so nice to catch up again after all these years.
Then went to the Royal Ontario Museum – great collections of First Nations artifacts and a special exhibition of Dead Sea Scrolls.

Today we went across to Toronto Islands and had a lovely day in a very tranquil setting. Tomorrow we fly to LA for a day with Alex. It is almost a year since he left Sydney for his guitar course and he seems to have thrived in LA. It will be great to spend some time with him
Toronto
Casa Loma

The lifeguard wasn't too busy when the water was only 9 deg C!!!!

Not a pretty sight after 4 weeks garbo strike.

I was tempted to give these lovely old Musskoka chairs a new home in Canberra.

On Friday on the way back to Toronto we detoured to St Jacobs and Elmira – two Mennonite towns in Ontario. We went to a museum which detailed the history and lifestyle of the Mennonites – really interesting especially because of our Mennonite friends, Moriah, Carole Anne and Clair. Both towns have both Old Order and modern Mennonites living there – only the Old Order are recognisable riding around in their horses and buggies and wearing distinctive modes clothing. A couple of notable things – the link with the reformers in Zurich where we spent time last year in the company of Jill and Thorwald – the fact that Old Order children are the healthiest in Canada – maybe because they mostly live on farms and eat lots of fresh food, don’t have TV, radio or computers but have lots of chores to do.

A few more photos

2009-07-19T06:28:00.001-07:00

I am having a bit of trouble loading phots but will put a few of the UK up anyway

There is a lot of debate about whether these Elgin Marble freizes from the Parthenon in Athens should be returned to Greece. The British Museum which houses them has a compelling argument that not only did they save them from certain destruction/dispersion but over 12 million visitors a year view them for no charge.

Open air opera in Trafalgar Square beamed live from the opera house to over 15 cities thru the UK

had a yummy bruch at JO's Fifteen in London but his is as close as we got to the man himself. I am really impressed witht the wway the lives of these young people are turned around by the opportunities he has given them and so I'm pleaed to support his efforts by eating their nutritious meals. Not a big sacrifice on my part.

The 900 year old Lewis chessmen from Norway found on the hebriean scottish island -

Kimberley and Ginny - For your eyes only!!!

2009-07-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Not many cats around during this trip - probably too cold for them to thrive - but her are a few anyway.

Dutch cat

English Cat - have you ever seen a cat being walked along the High St on a leash??

Belgian cat

Canada

2009-07-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Muskoka
Had a 7 hour flight from London arrivng Toronto at midnight UK time then driving straight up to Bracebridge by Lake Muskoka - a 2 hour drive. I can't remember why I thought it would be a good idea to do this - tired at the end of a flight, driving on the wrong side of the road at dusk in a brand new Pontiac!!! I had a few bad thoughts about this whole plan in the last couple of days in the UK but all the bookings were fixed so i just hoped and prayed it would be OK. I made sure that I slept as much as poss during the flight to the abvious disappointment of the chatty young lady sitting beside me on the flight. It all worked out just fine - the TomTom did an amazing job and we arrived 10pm local time at our B&B on the waterfront.

Such a beautiful part of the world - cottage country the locals call it - i would call it McMansion country. Most of the boathouses are bigger than our home in Canberra. We did a 3 hour boat trip on Lake Muskoka one day - it has hundreds of small islands dotted on it. Some of the islands are family owned with 5 or 6 massive houses on them - each house with 10+ bedrooms. Often only used for a couple of weeks and the odd weekend during the whole year - such a waste of resources. Millionaires Row is just jaw dropping. In the winter the whole lake freezes over hard enough for trucks to drive across so most of the building materials and supplies are delivered that way during the winter.

Spent another day walking several trails in Algonquin National Park which was nice - didn't see any moose but got plenty of mozzie bites.

FOur nights in Muskoka then off to Niagara.

Off to Canada today

2009-07-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

St Petersberg - curtain call at Swan Lake

Helsinki

A beautiful small city – very clean, orderly, stylish and VERY expensive. Lots of beautiful people who look rather like the lovely Helena Clark – she will be here soon visiting family but unfortunately our paths won’t cross.

Stockholm
The last 3 hours sailing into Stockholm is spectacular – there are around 20,000 islandsoff the Swedish coast and the ship sails through a narrow passage amongst them. We got up around 5am to make the most of it and it was well worth the effort. Most of the islands are very small and many have little holiday houses on them. It was just so beautiful.

We shared Stockholm with thousands of other visitors who had come for the Volvo Round-the-World maxi yatch race – the boats were all in Stockholm for a few days having a break. It meant that there were lots of special things on around the city which made it very interesting if a bit crowded at times.

We spent most of the day in the old city area around the palace.

Warnemunde, Germany

Most of the tours organised by the ship went into Berlin for the day – it was a very long day –the train journeys took 6 hours all up with a 7am start and a 9pm finish. We had 4 days in Berlin several years ago. It is a great city to visit but we gave it a miss this time and just took the local train into Rostock about 30 mins away. Lovely small city with a University and a lively market in the square. Spent the morning there and went back to the ship for lunch and a rest. Then wandered around Warnemunde where we were berthed – it was such a surprise. The docks were in a very bland area near the railway station but once we walked out of that area we realised Warnemunde is a major seaside resort and a real hive of activity on a warm Saturday afternoon. The breeze was very fresh and the water was absolutely freezing – a few brace souls managed a quick dip but most people were happy to be on the beach and enjoy the sunshine. The ship had organised a barbecue dinner on one of the top decks around the main swimming pool – they can retract the glass roof and they had the Rostock brass band playing. It was really enjoyable and we ate with Bob and Margaret from San Diego = a couple we have got to know this past week.

Aarhus, Denmark

We spent the morning out at a living museum where they have brought old houses from all around Denmark into this park in order to preserve them. It must have been a massive task – some of them a very large. Most of them contain exhibitions which relate to the places they come from.

This was a fantastic photo display in the town square -check www.100places.com

The local band came to welcome us to Denmark along with the Mayor and other dignitaries - i had a chat with the mayor and asked him how our Princess Mary was doing - he beamed and said she was just wonderful. I told him that her mother used to be Phil's secretary at Uni of Tas but he looked a bit sceptical.

Oslo

We had a wonderful day in Oslo in spite of the fact that our friends Nye and Lisbeth weren't there to show us around - they had given us a list of 'must see' places before they left Oz so we didn't waste any time taking a tram out to Vigeland Park to see the amazing array of 192 granite sculptures most of them reflecting the ages and stages of Man. Even more interesting than the sculptures was to watch the way young children reacted to them. Unlike most art installations, children are encouraged to climb all over them and although the are about twice lifesize, children were hugging and kissing them, stroking and reclining in their laps. Will try to get some photos up soon.

Then it was back into town and a ferry across to the Viking exhibition - Such impressive sailors and navigators exploring and settling over enormous distances with euqipment tha looks so unsophisicated to our eyes. ( Later on our travels when we got to London we spemnt time in the British Museum and were interested that one of their top exhibits are the Lewis Chessmen, made in Norway from walrus ivory and thought to have landed on Lewis in the Outer hebrides of Scotland about 900 years ago.)

We then went to the Museum of the Norwegian Resistance - a sad but inspiring insight into the tragedy of German occupation during WW2 and heroic acts of bravery and ingenuity. Does it take war for people to act so selflessly or might we all find it within ourselves to act with courage against the threats of our times?

Rotterdam
The end of our cruise but not much to report - we went pretty much straight to the railway station for our trip to Brugges. The cruise was a delight - very relaxing and lots of fascinating ports - most of them we thought that one or two days was probably enough. The last night we had dinner with a couple from Anapolis near Washington - Mark and Barbara. Lovely couple - we had eaten with them a few days before and hit it off. Hopefully we will keep in touch and might meet up again sometime. Mark's dad was a Presbyterian minister/ seminary lecturer and they worship at a Pres church.

In Brugge

We saw the movie ‘ In Brugge’ last year – great movie if you can look past the violence and bad language – it is a great marketing tool for the town and convinced us to visit. It is even better than the movie portrays – a small medieval town with very few out-of-place buildings. Cherrie recommended a hotel right behind the Bell Tower – a perfect location. The photos will speak for themselves but a few highlights:
-A visit to the Groeninge Museum to see the collection of Charles the Bold – the ruler of this area in the 1500s.
- Climbing the 360 stairs to the top of the Belfry with spectacular views across the rooftops.
- Discovering the Beguinale House – a tranquil convent in the midst of a bustling town

At dinner by the canal on the first night we had 2 Aussies from Brisbane next to us – he is a young boat builder/ marine engineer working in Amsterdam. He worked on a boat for an owner for a year or so and the owner has employed him to oversee the building of a new 43 metre boat which will take 2 years and cost 43 million euros – about $70 million Aus. He says it will cost another 3 to 4 mill euros a year to operate and maintain it. I often wonder who has that sort of money to spend on a boat that they only use for a few weeks a year.

Saturday June 27 – Brugge to London via Brussels

We had a leisurely morning then took the train for the 1 hour ride to Brussels to catch the Eurostar – we love train travel – the checkin procedure is tighter ( and longer) than I remember but I guess times change. There is just 20 mins or so through the chunnel and then you are zipping across the Kent countryside to St Pancras station. Just 2 hours Brussels to London.

We stay at the old County Hall right beside the London Eye – no charm but location is great. The crowds along South bank were phenomenal – a warm summer Saturday had brought huge numbers of street performers and spectators out and we joined them later in the evening. The weather forecast is good for the next week or so for the south east so we should be OK - though the BBC weathermen describe it as ‘ a scorcher’ could even get as high as 32 deg!!!! Oh my!!!!!

Sunday June 28 London

Breakfast by the Thames then off to church at church.co.uk – An Oasis church just near here set up by Steve Chalke who has done some great work over the last 20 years or so.

It was an interesting service – at first I felt rather negative – very casual and laid back – the main floor space set up with coffee tables and chairs then the tiered stalls of the old church at the sides. A 4 piece band with drums led the singing. About 150 people, quite a lot of people of African descent representative of the area. The sermon was first rate –about Jonah and guidance - straightforward, relevant, with some helpful personal examples. Then baptisms of 5 people – it was very moving and I realised that I am missing not being a regular part of our church in Canberra. Also I have just finished reading The Shack by Paul Young – it is described as “The Pilgrim’s Progress’ for our generation. I have found it really inspiring and it has motivated me to try to do some things very differently with my life.

Some other highlights of London
– dinner at Luciano’s – Marco Pierre White’s London restaurant – we didn’t think the food was nearly as good as his Yew Tree Inn out in the countryside where we ate last year.

- Brunch at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen in north London – really good food in a great setting although VERY tricky to find – if you plan to go there, make sure you have a good map. Then a walk along Regent’s Canal

- With about 10,000 others watching a bit of live opera on the big screen in Trafalga Square – if we had known about it we would have planned to see it all but we were on our way to Tom Stoppard’s play, Arcadia starring Neil Pearson – very very good.

- a day ticket on the Thames ferries took us down to the O2 arena then Greenwich. Later in the day back up to the Tate Gallery – such a pleasant way to travel in a bustling city on a hot day.

- A morning at the British Museum – they have a special exhibition on India at present and Kew Gardens have established a garden of Indian plants in forecourt. Also a wonderful art insta;;ation caalled Tree of Life - here is the description fromn their website -

"The Tree of Life was made by four Mozambican artists: Cristovao Canhavato (Kester), Hilario Nhatugueja, Fiel dos Santos and Adelino Serafim Maté. It is a product of the Transforming Arms into Tools (TAE) project and is made from decommissioned weapons.

TAE was set up by Bishop Dom Dinis Sengulane in 1995 and is supported by Christian Aid. During Mozambique's civil war, which lasted from 1976 to 1992, millions of guns and other weapons poured into the country and most of them remain hidden or buried in the bush. The project is an attempt to eliminate the threat presented by the hidden weapons. Mozambicans are encouraged to hand them over in exchange for items like ploughs, bicycles and sewing machines. In one case a whole village gave up its weapons in exchange for a tractor.

Once the weapons are decommissioned, they are cut up and turned into sculptures by the artists in Maputo. "

The restaurant served delicious Indian food with a glass of mango juice for lunch.

- A morning at the national gallery looking at paintings – fabulous collection

- Just general wandering around a great city and watching LLeyton Hewitt play Wimbledon (on TV) when we had enough

Seaford

Coming back to Seaford is like coming home – we have our own keys and our usual bedroom and all the delights of being by the sea. Although the temps in London were only around 32 deg, it was a hot and sticky so the sea breeze here was very welcome.
Christy is off work now until we leave so that is a treat.
We have been swimming most days – the sea is chilly to get into but OK once you adjust – I reckon you go numb and don’t notice the cold any more. Heaps of people on the beach this weekend and lots of fishermen/ women because the mackerel have come in.

Yesterday morning we walked along the chalk cliffs then back in to Alfriston – a 3 hour walk. We have done this walk many times but never tire of it. Caught the bus back in time for lunch.

Took Andy and Christy out for dinner last night at Moonrakers – a restaurant in Alfriston recommended by The Hairy Bikers. It was one of those rare summer evenings – warm with no wind and we sat out in the garden looking across the village green to the old church. The food was fabulous – the best we have eaten in the last year – they specilise in using local seasonal produce and it was just delicious – cooked to perfection and beautifully presented. We even had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Tamar Ridge in Tasmania to go with it. Just a lovely and memorable evening. We spent some of it planning next year’s holiday. Phil’s Oxford College turns 400 next year so we plan to come for some of those celebrations. Also Andy goes to Borneo for a month July/ August with JOLT so we will spend most of that time with Christy. (He is going to Borneo for 2 weeks next month to check out arrangements for next year but we will be back in Canberra by then )

Just Cruisin´

2009-06-20T02:54:00.000-07:00

Just as we expected, internet access on the ship is expensive – 75cents US per minute so we will write up our blog on the laptop and post it at an internet café on land at some stage.

Sunday June 14 - Estonia

We went to a church service on board after breakfast then walked into Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Beautiful old city surrounded by formidable city walls. Very easy to get around and very quiet on a Sunday morning. We went into one of the many churches where there was a service in progress. One of the groups that meet there is the Independent Baptist Fellowship and it seemed fairly lively with quite a young congregation.

We walked to the upper town, Toompea and called into the Orthodox Cathedral where there was a christening in progress– very ornate decoration. From the walls of Toompea there are great views down over the rest of the town. Also called into the Lutheran Church – that’s my limit for the day – 3 churches!! And all before lunch.

By then it was about 1pm and some of the cafes and small shops were opening up. In the Town Hall Square there was a very busy craft market with lots of lovely hand made things – jewellery, sweaters, wooden items, lots of amber and lots of linen goods – I think they must grow flax around here. The quality was mostly good and the prices very reasonable – we bought a couple of little wooden Christmas tree ornaments.

Lovely people – very friendly and most of the young people have very good English. Phil chatted to one young woman who had just finished Year 12. She is hoping to study environmental science at University and then ‘wants to save the planet’ - if there are enough like her in the next generation we might just make it.

Then it was back on board for a formal dinner – Phil looked VERY elegant in his dinner suit – and then a concert in the Theatre by a flute player from Northern Ireland. He was a brilliant player and quite a character as well. He reminded me of our lovely Richie.

Monday and Tuesday - June 15, 16
St Petersburg, Russia

Wonderful, wonderful city but lots of frustrations. On the first day we did a 6 hour city tour which included 2 hours walking around on our own without our guide. We had been told ahead of time that we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere unaccompanied without a visa so this was a lovely surprise and we used the time to wander through some parks, along the Neva River and in and out of the shopping area –and of course into a few churches. It is a staggeringly beautiful city – our excellent guide, Irina, told us that at some stage ( can’t remember when) a third of the buildings in St P were palaces and it is easy to believe. Just so many large elegant buildings and most of them in good shape until you get off the main routes where it is sometimes in need of a bit of TLC. Irina told us that during the Soviet period buildings became very shabby but there has been major restoration over the past 15 years and it shows. She also said that many of the churches which were turned to other purposes in Soviet times are now returning to places of worship and there is a resurgence of church attendance with many young people also now choosing to marry in church. Interestingly all 3 of our guides told us about the increased church involvement.

On Monday night we went to the ballet to see Swan Lake – a traditional interpretation – quite a contrast to Graeme Murphy’s version that Luci and I went to see at the Sydney Opera House last year – both were wonderful. Even Phil admitted that he enjoyed it very much – the theatre and stage sets were opulent and the music and dancing were lovely although it was a young company – the Kirov is in recess over the summer. When we left the theatre at 11pm it was still light of course – this far north in mid June we get about 22 hours of daylight each day – fortunately our cabin has good blackout curtains so it doesn’t affect our sleep.

Tuesday morning we had a lazy time on the ship preparing for our 4 hour visit to the Hermitage – the fab art collection of Russia- it contains almost 3 million pieces of art – many collected by Catherine II – although only a fraction are on display at any one time. You don’t often see them lent out to other galleries so it was a great opportunity to see lots of finally got into the gallery 2 hours after leaving the ship which meant less than 2 hours for our guided tour – if ever we go again we will try to go on our own and spend time looking at the things that interest us. It is simply amazing – lots of Old Masters and 19th and 20th works that we had never seen before even in print. We had to just walk through these vast galleries without really stopping to look. It was very frustrating.

Wednesday June 17, Helsinki

Have had a wonderful day here today but will write about it later. Enough to say that it is full of beautiful people, many of whom look like just like Helena Clark. Time for bed now – we have just come back from a superb concert by a 27 year old Scotsman in our ship’s theatre. An amazing flamboyant pianist and singer – after his 1st song I didn’t think I would want to stay but after and hour I didn’t want it to end. He was just amazing – Kyle Esplin.

Tomorrow we are in Stockholm and I will look for an internet café to post this. Photos later – sooooooo many to choose from!!!!!!

Actually, it is now Saturday June 20 and we are in ROstock Germany - Happy Birthday Christy!!!! Can,t believe you are 35!!!! We have now been to Stockholm which was wonderful. Off to Denmark and oslo next. Really enjoying our cruise. Will put photos up when we get better internet access.

More Copenhagen

2009-06-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been very ordinary but we have really enjoyed our time. Today was a max of 15 with showers - our neighbours at the restaurant tonight told us they had a wonderful spring ...........

The equivalent to our national library is the Royal Library - called the Black Diamond - spectacular both inside and out.

This is for Nicky, the architect in the family. Very clever louvres on the Black Diamond that deflect to allow sun in or block it out.

From inside the library

In the Library was a very confronting photo exhibition recording this event

'In the afternoon of January 16, 1969, the twenty-year old history student walked to the top of Wenceslas Square and set himself on fire. He died in hospital three days later of severe burns. In a letter left at the scene, Jan called on the Czechoslovak people to preserve what remained of democracy in the country and demanded that censorship be abolished. His funeral, attended by thousands of people, turned into a spontaneous demonstration in support of freedom and Jan Palach's grave in a Prague cemetery became a symbol of resistance. Two other men, Jan Zajic and Evzen Plocek, followed Jan Palach's example in early 1969 - despite his protestations for them not to - sacrificing their lives in protest against the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact troops. '

We were in this square at the end of last year and were touched to see this photo of so many people there for Jan Paalach's funeral.

People carry allsorts in the carriers on front of their bikes - a couple of children in this case and a pet below.

I really want to believe that alternative communities are a force for good but almost all the ones that I have visited disappoint me. A visit to Christiana today was no exception. It was built on inspiring principles but, like Nimbin, has ended up being a smelly refuse heap with lots of stoned people sitting around. Why does this happen so often. I am sure there must be good examples out there that I haven't found many yet.

No visit to Copenhagen is complete without seeing the little mermaid

Who cares if you can't get breakfast at your B&B when you can have brunch at NyHavn watching the boats go by.

The Danes must be spitting chips. Their local lad, Jorn Utzon, comes to Oz and designs our fabulous Opera house and then when they need a new one this is what they end up with. I am sure it is superb but not a patch on ours.

The new National Theatre

Oooops!! Bad mistake yesterday - my lack of proficiency in Danish meant that I mistook the Danish Parliament buildings for the Palace. Sorry. But we still didn't see the royals altough our dinner companions last night said they could often be seen out and about - just not where we were. So these are the palace.

This is the closest we got to Princess Mary and Fred

This is for Andy and Christy - a water feature with fish.

More beautiful people - they all seem to look like Emily and her children.

The last 2 nights we have eaten at a great restaurant called BioMio http://copenhagen.unlike.net/locations/305793-Bio-Mio It is just down the road from us and has great fresh simple organic food. A really nice atmosphere and the manager and barmen are both Aussies.

We have really enjoyed Copenhagen in spite of the weather. It is very enviro friendly - more than a third of the traffic is cycles and they have a rush hour 'green wave' for bikes so that they can maintain a good speed with green lights favouring them.

http://vodpod.com/watch/1068678-elsewhere-filming-copenhagens-green-wave

It takes me back to our years in Oxford where we had no car (and no TV) for 3 years. Some days it was hard work cycling to school or church in the mornings at sub zero temps with 2 little children but we were very fit.

I've done some extra blogs because we are about to start cruising and if previous experiences are anything to go by, internet access will be prohibitively expensive unless i can find an internet cafe on land. Keep in touch Love from us both K&P

Copenhagen

2009-06-10T08:28:00.001-07:00

Well we are coming to the end of our first 24 hours in Copenhagen - a few surprises- some good some not so good. I may have told you about my close brush with a scam when I was booking accommodation in Copenhagen a few months back. I had emailed someone called 'Shelagh" back and forth and was about to send him/her a $150 deposit when out of the blue the money was to be sent to someone in Nigeria. I immediately emailed back to say "Goodbye Shelagh, I do not send money to unknown people in Nigeria" only to get a phone call a couple of nights later in the middle of the night asking why the money hadn't been sent - to say I was a bit spooked would be an understatement. A a result I booked what I thought was an ensuite B&B room with the Danish tourist office only to discover on arrival arouond 10 pm last night that we were sharing the bathroom with our landlady and there is no breakfast. Never mind - she is very nice and it is just for 3 nights. Phil doesn't do suprise very well but i took him to a very nice restaurant tonight with a good bootle of red and he seems MUCH happier. Enough of that. We have had a very pleasant day - weather could be better - it is mid-summer and just 15 deg????? But we wandered around the Royal Palace ( Phil refused to ask to see Princess Mary - her Mum, Henrietta, used to be his secretary in Uni of Tas so I thought that was worth an audience). Very pleasant city - millions of bikes and very eco. We had dinner at an organic restaurant - BioMio - lovely fresh food with an open kitchen - the Manager and barmen were both Aussies. So now just a few pictures to give you a feel for the city.

Royal Palace

Our corner store

This is for my Mum who likes knitting socks - an exhibit in the National Museum

I thought this painting in the Art Gallery was interesting - Holbech has painted his daughter with her African nanny

Clever design in the National Museum - they have put a glass roof over the courtyard and cantilevered timber walkways and staircases to create some really useful and pleasing spaces.

So many beautiful people!!!!

Canal near the Palace

Tivoli Gardens

Couldn't resist this one outside the City Hall. A couple cycled to the Registry Office on this bike to be married with their 2 little children in the carrier. Love the decorative touch.

Last of England

2009-06-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

I had a day in Oxford with my best friend Margaret. She will be 80 soon so it was a lovely treat for us both. We had lunch at the Cherwell Boathouse and watched the punters in action - some more expert than others.

The South Downs Way is just sooooo green and lush.

Golfers - please note. If you miss the putt, it is 200m straight over the cliff at Seaford Head.

Note the wind turbine on the coast guard cottage - i am trying to pursuade Andy to put one on the side of their house where there is always a gale blowing.

Just to show I am here too

The coffee was good the cake was a bit ordinary but the company was first class.

We have only managed 2 lunches at Bill's in Lewes so far this summer - such yummy food. Some of you will know it well.

For Kimberley and Ginny - spot the moggie - on a leash!!!!!!!

Our last evening in Seaford - the ferry from France coming into port.

Bliss

2009-06-01T06:54:00.001-07:00

Arriving at Seaford to stay with Andy and Christy must be one of the lovliest things that could happen to anyone - and we do it often. To be beside the sea listening to the waves as you drift off to sleep and wake in the morning is wonderful. And they are always so welcoming except that this time they left for Wales 2 days after we arrived. Are they trying to tell us something? Actually we were more than happy to have a quiet week on our own to get over the flight. We still have almost 3 weeks with them so plenty of time to do things together.

The van loaded for Wales

Last Sunday was the annual carnival in Seaford so we watched the parade from our balcony.

We never come to England without at least one visit to Sissinghurst - a beautiful garden

We climbed to the top of the tower for a birdseye view of the gardens

Looking down from the tower

The Vanguard Way along the top of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs is so dramatic. If you have read our blog before you have seen more photos of this than you need but maybe there is someone out there who hasn't seen them before.

I haven't been able to find a cat for Kimberley and Ginny. Will this rabbit do instead? He was sitting on the edge of the cliff.
Nearing the end of the cliff walk with Cuckmere Haven and the coast guard cottages in sight.

Richie and Kimberley - I thought you would be interested in these vege beds at Alfriston Clergy House = a National Trust property near here.

This one is for Noah and Maddie - maybe Steve could build you a tree house like this one in your back garden.

I'm off to Oxford for the day tomorrow - my friend Margaret turns 80 next month so we are going out to lucnh at a posh restaurant to kick off the celebrations.

Hong Kong

2009-05-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

Lovely stopover in Hong Kong. One unexpected event. We arrived at our hotel on Monday night to be greeted by a bevy of media photographers – we didn’t know who could have tipped them off about our visit. It turned out that a swine flu sufferer had stayed in the hotel last week so there was a lot of media interest in how the hotel was dealing with it. Hygiene measures were VERY evident – we had our temp taken 3 times before we got to our room. All the staff are wearing masks and gloves. There are alcohol handwash dispensers all over the place and all imaginable surfaces are disinfected numerous times a day. But every cloud has a silver lining – we were upgraded to an executive room on the 19th floor with access to the club facilities so, unless we catch H1N1 it will have been a bonus to have Mr *** staying here last week.

We haven’t done a whole lot. We took a bus to Aberdeen – a former fishing village on the other side of the island. Caught the Star ferry across the harbour and back. Spent a couple of hours in the Art Gallery – fabulous exhibitions of extremely intricately ancient gold filigree and wonderful ceramics – Jane Barr would love it. And wlked quite a bit – sometimes more than we planned – got a bit lost a couple of times.

We had our friends Alan and Andrea Walker over for drinks last night – it was lovely catching up again. Then we strolled through the Ladies Market at FaYuen St. I used to be able to spot heaps of bargains there on previous visits but it all looked too tacky – I think I’m over buying cheap designer fakes – not too sure about the ethics of it either.

We are off in the morning to London – we warned Christy and Andy of our near-miss with Mr **** and offered to stay away from them for a few days till make sure we weren’t contagious. Andy says we are welcome as long as we don’t kiss him too much – I’ll have to restrain Phil – you know what he’s like.

PS Kimberley and Ginny = I tried to take a photo of a cat for you but I think they've all been eaten. Sorry!
Star Ferry across to the island

Contrasting the old and the new at Central

The junks at Aberdeen still act as ferries across to the island which is now covered with high rise. The old photos of just 60 years ago have just a few low level homes and store houses.
I took this photo for Jeff who has bought Noah and Maddie fishing rods and is trying to teach them to fish - I thought this might be a timely reminder.

The exterior of the Museum of Art had been tranformed by these posters - it used to look like this. I think it's a big improvement but Phil isn't so sure.

A fruit stall in Fa Yuen Street

Well done Christy

2009-05-12T04:10:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of hours ago Christy heard that she had passed her exams to become a Consultant in Emergency Medicine - and at the first sitting!!!!!! . We are so happy for her. She has worked so hard for the past five years to get to this point.

Kimberley, Richie and friends creat a vege garden

2009-05-12T04:07:00.000-07:00

On May 2, with the help of new freinds from the permaculture group they made a vege garden on their front lawn in Maroubra. Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIvxKjBjR4k It is just fabulous.

Travel plans

2009-05-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

On May 18 we are off again - this time on an around the world ticket - home again August 1. This is provided swine flu doesn't catch up with us. We heard on the news this morning that everyone in a Hong Kong hotel has been locked in for 7 days because one person has swine flu - makes you realise that the best laid plans can easily go awry. I'm not soo sure what we would do in a hotel for 7 days - watch a lot of TV and read all our books in one go I guess. Anyway, here are the plans:

May 18 Canb - Syd
May 18 Syd to HK

May 18/19/20 HK Royal Plaza Hotel, Mong Kok

May 21 HK to London

May 21 to June 2 Seaford with Christy and Andy

June 2,3, 4 Oxford
June 5,6,7,8 Seaford

June 9 Gatwick to Copenhagen
June 9/10/11 Copenhagen

June 12 Cruise
Copenhagen, Berlin, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo

June 24/25/26 Brugges
June 27/28/29/30/ London
July 1 Seaford – Andy and Christy

July 7 London to Toronto

July 7/8/9/10 Mussoka Lakes

Niagra 11/7 to 18/7
July 19/20/21 Toronto

July 21 Toronto to LA

July 23 LA to Hawaii staying with Mel and Mim Lang

July 31 Hawaii to Syd QF 4 leaving 10.45am arrive 17.30 Aug 1

This Thursday I am off to Queensland to spend Mothers' Day with my Mum; home monday night then a quick spring clean of the house before we jet off early the next monday morning.

Geneva, Prague and other places

2009-01-30T23:11:00.000-08:00

It's taken me a while to get these photos up on the blog - mostly because we got home 10 days before Christmas, a bit jetlagged and keen to prepare for the family coming to Canberra from all corners of the country. We then had a week down at Mollymook over New Year then a week at Noosa with my parents so now I am trying to catch up.

Our time in Europe was wonderful. Cold but fine and no wind so we managed the temps without any problem. The presenation of Phil's UNESCO medal was part of a big international education conference and this is the Australian delegation.

There were nine medalists from countries as varied as Ethiopia, Finland, Mexico, Argentina and Bangladesh. Phil was the only one from an english speaking country. It was so good to meet up with educators from so many places who had all done really interesting things.

Phil's daughter Jenny and her husband John are both teachers and came to Switzerland for the ceremony and stayed on for a holiday.

While we were in Geneva we spent a few
hours at the Red Cross Museum -
very sobering and confronting but you
have to admire the workers who go into
these dreadful situations and risk their
lives and wellbeing to help.

I found a few great eco shops in Geneva - this florist had these tubs made out of tyres from Columbian buses turned inside out.

After a week in Geneva which included a lot of embassy receptions and meals out with family and friends we went to Prague with 5 of the other medallists for a 5 day study tour. The Czech government are co-sponsor of the medal which is named after one of their C17 educators.

Phil never misses an opportunity to chat up a pretty girl and he doesn't let his lack of proficiency in Czech language stop him.

We spent an exceedingly cold day at the UNESCO heritage town of Kutna Hora - these Russian tourists had the right clothes for the conditions.

The meals in the Czech Republic were wonderful - extremely varied and our
only criticism was that there was more food than we could manage most days.

We had some very sophisticated meals as well as a typical pub lunch of hearty soup and dumplings here.

Prior to this trip we had only been to Prague in Summer when it was packed with tourists and the temps hovered around 38 deg so it was a change to see it in mid winter.
The Christmas markets in the Old Town Square were just beautiful . The sun set around 4pm but the christmas lights were fabulous. I think people in the northern hemisphere take a lot more trouble with decorations at Christmas - i guess they aren't thinking about holidays at the beach the way we are at that time.

A classic shot of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge

We had been planning to have a meal with our friends Thorwald and Jill from our Canberra church for ages so what better place to get around to it than Zurick. They were there for about 6 weeks at a church and we just stayed 2 nights. We had a lovely day with them - it is always great to be shown around a city by locals ( they lived there for about 20 years when Thorwald was teaching at Ruschlikon Seminary) - they know all the good places that tourists would easily miss. they also knew the best restaurant for lunch.

They took us to a beautiful shop full of Swiss made goods. I loved this hand made nativity set - i decided it was too fragile to bring home before Phil had time to work out whether our bank balance could stretch that far. There were so many beautiful things - lots of wooden toys and beutiful clothes but the prices were astronomical.

Zurich is a very elegant city and lots of the shop displays were just gorgeous.

This is a very clever coat. It has a zip down the front and the back -you can just make out the zipped in panel at the front - the panel can be turned upside down when you are pregnant or zipped into the back if you want to put the baby behind.

We even managed a few days back at Seaford before flying home. We never miss a chance to walk along the Seven Sisters and they looked their best on this cold but sunny afternoon

We even got to help put up the Christmas tree with a warm fire at out backs. Andy, how do you survive in shorts when the rest of us are thermally challenged?

I can't believe we are back in Seaford

2008-11-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

it's just like being home. We arrived on Wednesday morning after an uneventful flight - just the way I like it!! Our luggage was waiting on the carousel when we came through immigration - a great relief after our arrival back in May when it took 3 days for the cases to catch up with us.

Christy is as lovely as ever - Andy has been home since we arrived with VVVV nasty flu so we are keeping our distance and hope we don't catch it. He's on the mend now and should be right for work on Monday.

Weather has been blissful since we arrived - bright blue skies and no wind - short days though - the sun has set by 4 pm so makes a long evening. We are in for a change today - snow is coming down from the north and the weather man said last night that by Sunday, taking into account the windchill factor the max will feel like -4deg - that's nippy. By then we will be in Geneva where it will be 2 deg to -5 with a 30% chance of snow - well at least it will justify all the themals I've packed.

Nothing of great note to report - we are relaxing, sleeping well, talking heaps, eating great food and doing a couple of moderate walks each day = a good way to recover from the flight. Off to Geneva tomorrow.

Well done, Alex

2008-10-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

Phil's grandson Alex has just started a guitar course in Los Angeles and we heard today that he has won a scholarship - http://www.mi.edu/NewsDetail/599.aspx Not only does he get help with his tuition fees but a fabulous new guitar. We are so pleased for him and hope he has a great time living in LA and studying with some of the best guitarists in the world.

UNESCO's Jan Comenius Medal

2008-09-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Phil on recognition for a lifetime devoted to education - http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/global-recognition-for-educator/1283543.aspx

We are still having a great time

2008-08-17T00:10:00.000-07:00

Just a short blog to let you know we are in Seaford. Andy is back form Africa having had a wonderful time and has some fabulous photos to prove it. We had a week away - Wales, Salisbury and Winchester and have had lots of visitors this week, Alan and Bronwyn - Phil's neice, Margaret and David Beniston an old London work colleague of mine, Phil and Naomi Beak from my old church in London. It has been great catching up with them all and having some delicious meals out but hasn't left much time for blogging. Will remedy that soon.

Today we have Phil's grandson Kerrin coming down from London for the day - the weather is fine and some sun - not the wet day as predicted - hope it stays that way. Watch this space.

We leave on Wednesday and will be home Friday.

Nicky comes to Seaford

2008-07-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the day with Phil's grandaughter, Nicky who is spending 3 months in Europe at the end of her Architecture degree and before starting full-time work in Sydney. It was such a lovely day - beautiful weather, a lovely companion for the day and lots to show her. We started off with a drink at Bill's in Brighton - that IS quite a choc milkshake.

We were tempted to have a slice of one of their amazing cakes but it was a little early in the day - we hadn't yet worked up an appetite. My sister thinks Bill's has the best cakes on the planet and she may be right. I haven't tasted them yet but watch this space for the results of my research.
We showed her Royal Pavillion where royalty used to take their summer holidays http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/

We strolled through The Lanes and looked at the Pier - most attractive from a distance - VERY tacky at close quarters.
Then back to Seaford for Nicky to catch up with Christy and then a stroll along Seaford beach to see the Kittywakes who nest in the chalk cliff face every summer. The RSPB has set up high magnification telescopes trained on different nests so you can look at the birds - just great.
After a pub lunch at the Golden Galleon it was a walk along the Vanguard Way to see the Seven Sisters

And a quick trip to Alfriston to see the village and church where a pianist was practicing for his upcoming concert.

Such a lovely day. Thanks for making the time in your very crowded itinerary, Nicky, to spend the day with us.

http://nickyineurope2008.blogspot.com/

Seaford is basking in sunshine

2008-07-29T23:21:00.001-07:00

The view from our bedroom window - the ferry going to France.
Lots of great walks especially along the cliff tops of the Seven Sisters

Christy and Andy town - Seaford. They live on the seafront about the middle of this bay. We've all just been in for a swim - bracing but enjoyable.

What better at the end of a long walk - a nice cup of tea.

Even better than last week

2008-07-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

We are now at Christy's in Seaford where we will stay for the next month until we fly home - apart from 4 days in Cardiff for the Eisteddford in mid August.

Our second week in Cornwall was fabulous. We are fans of the TV series Doc Martin - not sure if it's the scenery at Port Isaac or the quirky character that attract us but we chose a cottage at Port Quin, about 1 km as the crow flies from Port Isaac for our stay.

We had an apartmnet in the house in the centre of this picture.

Port Isaac - note Louisa's school - we had a coffee there one day.

Phil called in to see if he could get an appointment with Doc Martin but no-one was in - it seems to be let as a holiday cottage.

Doc Martin's house is the smaller stone one

Our house had a great location righ on the cliffs beside the coast path - it runs along the sea edge of the fence We had one of the apartments in the house but you can also rent 'The Castle' a little folly even closer to the cliffs http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk/nt.asp?p=63&c=13

View from our living room

Our nearest village was Port Quin - some years ago 32 fishermen from the village drowned when their boats were caught in a gale leaving most of the women of the village widows. It became a ghost town until the National Trust acquired it and restored a number of the houses for long term and holiday rental.

Port Quin
I could write loads about a week but time is running out so just a few photos and highlights.

Padstow - very classy little town - Maggie Thatcher used to holiday here when she was PM - one of the few things she failed to ruin!!

Lunch at Rick Stein's St Petroc Restaurant at Padstow - just delicious food. We also had fish and chips from his harbour shop, cheese from his deli, bread from his patisserie etc - maybe they will change the name to Padstein before too long.

Long walks along the cliff paths and a day at Clovelly.

And probably best of all, lunch at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant at Watergate Bay in Cornwall. We had seen the TV program in Australia last year about setting up Fifteen in Melbourne. We were impressed to watch him take fifteen VERYdisadvantaged young people and train them up to become chefs/waiters for the restaurant. JO was a multi millionaire in his 20s and could have put his feet up or gone shopping for the rest of his life like many footballers here but he's chosen to take on some really tough challenges to help others. I wonder what motivates him? Anyway it was a great experience at all levels - beautiful location, really good food, good ambience and first rate service. You know all the staff come from really tough backgrounds - often criminals, homeless, drug users etc but they were all very polished, professional but friendly - very impressive. I plan to write to Richard Branson to see why he doesn't do something similar in some of the companies he owns - not everyone wants to work in food service.

This is Fifteen on the top level.

Something to think about from Canbap last Sunday

2008-07-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

“The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.” Charles Swindoll

Do you agree?

Now we know why Cornwall is so green

2008-07-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

We have had more than our share of wet weather in the last week - there has been more than Canberra's annual rainfall in fact. We are just so glad that there are only the 2 of us and we don't have a family of young children to keep dry and entertained. And Wimbledon has been on TV so we can't complain.

Today we are near St Ives and there is driving rain and gales so we are catching up on all sorts of activities - emails, postcards, mending, laundry, shoe cleaning and of course blogging. In spite of the weather we have managed to do all the things we had planned and mostly kept fairly dry. These photos will give you an idea of the past week.

One rainy day last week we went to the Eden Project - http://www.edenproject.com/. Less than 10 years ago this charity acquired a disused china clay pit and has turned it into a wonderful garden which is used for education and research. It is amazing.

These domes cover 13 hectares - the size of over 30 football pitches and house a range of different climate zones. It is just faabuous and has inspired me to do a whole lot more on the eco front when I get home - both at home and at church. I worked with a little group at church a year ago and we had all the light bulbs changed, bought GreenPower etc but I now have a lot of new ideas.

Part of the vege gardens - a lot of the restaurant food comes from here and from other local growers.

There are heaps of little examples of good eco practice as you visit the gardens. I've taken heaps of photos to remind me when I get home and will check out their websites to see which ones might be useful.

In the tropical rainforest dome is this house from Malaysia

And a Mediterranean dome
Another day we went to Glendurgan gardens - spot the lady with the brollie in the maze and you know it's raining

Just nearby is the lovely National Trust house, Boscoe, where Phil and Peggy had a great holiday with Tim and Lyndall back in the early 90s.

After church on Sunday at Portscatho, our nearest village, we did a 4 hour walk along the Coastal Path. As you can see, even when the sun was shining, the rain clouds weren't far away.

Portscatho

At Falmouth we found a lovely restaurant for lunch at the harbour - Phil decided to try the beer-of-the-month, a white beer from Germany -the glass wasn't quite as big as it looks!!

Yesterday was fine and sunny so we made the most of it - St Michael's Mount in the morning -

(We went over on the ferry at high tide when the causeway was under water then walked back after lunch.)

Lands End in the afternoon

Then St Ives for dinner

When we arrived at St Ives about 7pm there was a lovely golden beach -

but 2 hours later when the tide came in it had all but disappeared

We watched the fishing boats bringing in their catch and were fascinated by the 4 seals which followed them in.

From Phil:

Cornwall on a wet day – Wednesday 9 July.

I’m sure we shouldn’t complain about the weather as we are only here for two weeks and so far this is the only day completely dominated by rain. On the other frequent occasions when we have had some rain we have always managed to get out for some of the day – but not this time. Now we know why the fields are so lush and green. Enough about the weather.

Cornwall really is a place of contrasts. There are deserted beaches where the only access is by foot after a long walk and a sharp descent down a cliff-side. There are small villages where access is so difficult that they remain untouched by change. There are many sections of the South-West Coast Path (which runs in total for 630 miles) where it is rare to meet another person .Other beaches, villages/towns, sections of the Path are crowded with people who are taking their holidays but seem mostly to do so in a few popular places. The county has lost much of its ancient means of employment and production: the tin mines operate no more and the remnant buildings/ chimneys are tourist sites only. The fishing industry which employed so many families in the past is now becoming dominated by large firms with boats that can travel further but employ fewer people. Smuggling was a flourishing industry in the past as luxury goods were brought into deserted coves by small boats but mass travel overseas takes up that market. In spite of the changes, Cornwall for us remains a delightful place, where the rain which is so frequent is also the source of so much beauty and the crowds who throng particular places are content to leave in isolation miles of pathways, innumerable beaches and quiet villages. So today while we can’t get out actively we can look forward to places still to see and reminisce about the many lovely places already in our memories.

Heavenly Cornwall

2008-07-04T02:32:00.000-07:00

I think we have died and gone to heaven. It is just so very beautiful and tranquil here in Cornwall. If you want to find us search for Bohortha in Cornwall on Google Earth – it is a tiny cluster of about a dozen farm houses on a finger of land not far from Lands End. We are on the South West Coast walking path that runs for 630 miles around the coast from Minehead to Poole. We won’t get to walk it all but we will at least do several sections during the next 2 weeks. Yesterday on the path we met a young couple who started it in Minehead on April 1 and should finish by the end of July – they took 5 weeks out to do strawberry picking somewhere on route.

There are 2 holiday homes in Bohortha – this is the one we aren’t at.

This is the one we are staying at – a tiny schoolhouse dating from early 1900’s. It is delightful with great views across fields to the sea.

Our local beach - 60 m from the front door and 107 steps down the cliff face!!