Ice skating at the Tower of London

I'm kinda part of another family apart from my own. It's really very lovely.

Our Christmas day out this year was to go and visit the Tower of London, followed by Ice Skating in the moat of the tower.

(thanks to Dave for taking this excellent photo)

The Ravenglass Railway, Cumbria

I recently visited the Lake District for a holiday, and went on a steam train for the very first time. It was a very wee train (and I got soot in my eye at one point too!)

But, it was very pretty and a lovely experience. I'd recommend it.

Heritage Weekend

It was just Heritage Weekend. I didn't realise until it was almost over, but I did manage to visit one site in Woking which I hadn't previously seen.

I went to the Shah Jahan Mosque, which I have now learnt was the first purpose-built mosque in the UK.

It's very small, and is sometimes not big enough for prayers as it only holds 60 people.

But it's a beautiful building, and the Imam (by the name of Mufti) was incredibly helpful in explaining not just the history of the building but also some information regarding the basic principles of Islam.

There is restoration work going on at present, so we weren't able to see inside the mosque, but I fully intend to make an appointment and go back again to see it in more detail.

Sailing through the sky

This cloud was in the sky over my house this evening. It just reminded of good times.....

The Wedding

They did it! Mr and Mrs Thomas have now left the country, and are honeymooning their socks off in more exotic climes.

Porto Pollensa

Sunset over the mountains in Porto Pollensa.

Fat Face Socks

Everyone who knows me know that I have a small obsession about socks from Fat Face.

So, these are one of the oldest pairs I have, and also one of the best-loved pairs.



The colour hasn't come out so well on this picture - they actually look like choc-mint-chip.

Uffingham White Horse

This is White Horse Hill near Uffingham.
Click here to see other photos from the surrounding area.

Witney

This is a picture of the Butter Cross in Witney. Historically this is the place where the hosuewives used to market the butter they had churned. Sounds like a typical welsh village, where people survive by taking in each other's washing.

Happy birthday to me....

This is Axel. He was a birthday present, and he's just too cute, too cuddly, too soft not to share his picture on the web.

Bless 'im...

Well, he has 'Axel' embroidered on his bum, but I'm very partial to call him George instead. He looks like a George.

(BTW: I'm still in my early thirties - I'm not listening to ANYONE who tells me that I'm now in my late thirties - especially when they aren't in their thirties at all!)

So my parents came for Christmas

I love them dearly - but do you know? This wasn't exactly how I had envisaged Christmas Day, but Dad's will be Dad's, and will always want to look after their daughters....

Mum managed to relax some more I think. She even let me cook all of the Christmas dinner, and then wrote me the most lovely letter after that telling me how much she's enjoyed both the dinner and the rest.

Mousehole, Cornwall

At last - a holiday! A week away, in one of the smallest cottages in the world.

Mousehole is a tiny village, in which most of the roads are not wide enough to drive along. If two people chose to drive through the village at the same time then that's gridlock.

Why do we do it?

Lands End... I really thought it would be an incredible experience to visit here, but sadly not the case. I wish it could have still been unspoilt.

Weekend in Wales

Bank holiday weekend, at the end of August - I decided it was time to take my friends and introduce them both to my folks and to the bit of Wales I still think of as home.

So, we wandered off to Mumbles to stay with my folks and then to the Gower for the day starting with my most favourite place - Rhossilli.

(BTW - you do know of course that Wales looks like a pig with one ear)

Worm's Head is supposedly the most photographed place in Wales and is the very end of the Gower peninsula in South Wales. (The pig's chin in fact)

The photo you see is of Worm's Head (from the Norse 'Wurm' for Dragon).

St Cuthman's Retreat

Do you know, sometimes you just crave peace.
I felt just that way. Work was obsessively busy - life was a little stressful generally I guess, so I chose to take myself away from it all for a little while.
St Cuthman's is a retreat - and like nowhere else I have ever been. It was silent enough to almost be scary. There was even silent dining, and it was a very strange experience. I felt regenerated by my time there, and I would honestly recommend it. I was reminded of the beginning section of the Desderata
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there is in silence"
This seat summed it up in an odd way - it's created out of living willow, and sitting there is an extreme way of feeling at one with nature.

Lazing about in the lower mess

Well, racing or not..... sometimes you just need to join in with the 'craic'. In between racing hard (obviously) there just had to be time for guitars, singing, drinking, more singing and more drinking...

Tall Ships Race First Leg 2005

Wow. Sailing on a tall ships is always an incredible experience, but the site of traditionally rigged ships heading toward the start line is enough to make the neck hairs on even the most hard hearted amongst us to stand on end.
Just for a change, I sailed on SV Tenacious and wonderfully enough we managed to come second.

Oyster Tasting

Introducing someone to the dubious pleasure of Oysters sometimes works, and sometimes clearly isn't what they thought! (Sorry Jen - but these pics were too good not to post)

The Nutmeg Restaurant

I have no idea what this restaurant was called - but my abiding memory of the place was the nutmeg shells all over the floor. It was the most amazingly georgeous smell imaginable.

New Years Day

The Aquarium at Grenada.
This was the first time we got to the eastern side of any of the islands, and its true to say that none of us had the benefit of very much sleep. Maybe that contributed to the problems people had fighting against the ocean tide to get out of the water. One of the lasting memories of that trip for all of us I think!

Photo's of anyone trying to fight the current back up the beach will NOT be posted.... purely to protect the guilty!