Mid December

Hi all,

During December we went to Portland to visit Jean, Ross's mum and also to attend Cynthia's 80th birthday Jean's sister-in-law).  Jean wasn't really eating, and they had to give her Sustagen (I think). She also needs oxygen from time to time as the oxygen levels in her blood are low. She's had several heart attacks recently, says she wants to "go" but keeps fighting on.  It's all in the genes Jean.

In addition to this she had even received a box of chocolates which she snubbed. This shows how sick she is (or could it be because they are American??)

We had a nice time down there and saw Des and Dawn Ross's brother and lady friend who live in Condah (off the beaten track). Des cooked up a storm with his braised beef which which had been marinated in an Asian concoction including some bi carb of soda to tenderise it.

Stayed at Rhonda and Dave's place (Ross's sister and man friend) as always and endured cool windy Portland weather.

We drove down and stayed in Apollo Bay for 2 nights on the way back. The Otway Ranges are lovely and we went for a scenic drive and a bit of a walk.

Ate breakfast at Lorne on the way back (very built up!!!!!)

Returned to Melbourne with a stop on the way to the butcher in Carlton for duck marylands, lamb for Friday dinner (Peter, Anna and Eddie) and 2.4 kilos of duck fat....to be rendered.

Then went for a jolly meeting to Bethlehem Hospital to discuss computerised aids for my failing speech. What a drag the whole thing is.

Then to Peter and Sharon's (my brother and sis in law) where we duly invited ourselves for dinner and Mary, my late mother's oldest friend and Andrew (brother) also joined us. Had a lovely night.

Moving right along, Helen, an old friend stayed with us over Christmas. We went to church Chris Eve but they forgot to sing Oh Come All 'ye Faithful and Away in a Manger...so it was a bit of a sham.

Ross partook in a rather silly play at Church. A bit of nonsense....something about Jesus I think....

We stayed here for Christmas with Helen, weeded, watered, raked, ate and drank. Very nice...GOOD WEATHER....and peaceful.

Tomorrow Ross's family along with another friend are descending on us so we're trying to cook something palatable....MORE ABOUT MY CONDITION in a subsequent blog.

The other day I made confit de canard, which, although a little on the salty side, was delicious. Tonight we're eating the other piece of duck, on good bread first fried in a knob of.............DUCK FAT!!!!!

Then topped with sundried tomatoes and either pickled cucumbers or preserved lemon. Ross LOVED it. We're looking forward to dinner 2-3 hours away. 

Ross is going to have to learn how to make it as my hands are getting very weak.  It's actually easy...it's really just a question of time....not something you can rush.

Hi we're back. Salut tout le monde, nous voilà de retour

Hi everyone,

It's quite some time since we wrote so time for an update...

We've been back from our trip for some time now. Life goes on....Melbourne weather is precarious as usual....a few days ago we were freezing, and then suddenly we're expiring! We don't really have any particular news relating to ourselves.

Quelque temps est passé depuis notre retour au pays....la vie continue....et la météo est toujours aussi imprévisible, le froid suivi d'une grosse chaleur et vice versa....que faire...c'est Melbourne.

Have bought some chairs for the living room as the old ones had had it!
We have to buy couches eventually, but everything is either very low, very deep, and just generally humongous. We also want furniture which is not so heavy that we can't move it around as our room calls for a degree of flexibility. It's quite a chore looking for comfortable seating (and very individual as well).

On a acheté quelques chaises pour le living car les anciennes étaient fichues. Nous voulons remplacer les sofas, mais tout est soit trop bas, trop profond, trop énorme ou trop lourd. Quelle corvée la recherche des meubles!

One of our old water tanks outside which was leaking and rusted out has been replaced by a new tin shed. A real lightweight jalopy and a fortune for what it is, but Ross has erected it and it will do to store workshop equipment or garden equipment...yet to be decided.

Une de nos anciennes citernes était rouillée. On l'a bougée et on va y mettre des bûches pour le feu.

Sur le site où se trouvait cette citerne, on a mis un abri neuf (en tôle ondulée) pour garder des équipements de mon ancien atelier ou des outils pour le jardin...on verra bien.

Vegetables are up and going. Some great successes and some rather miserable.
Harvested broccoli and our first cauliflowers ever (!!!!!!) which were lovely. Had a bit of a battle with the slugs....that's organic vegetables for you. Sometimes you just have to remove a few bad bits and accept veggies which are less pretty than Nigella Lawson.

On fait pousser quelques légumes. Quelques succès et quelques échecs. Des broccolis et des choux-fleurs supers accompagnés de quelques limaces bien nourries et fort grasses! C'est toujours la bataille lorsqu'on fait pousser des légumes selons les méthodes biologiques.

The shallots are looking robust but the garlic somewhat diminutive.  Broad beans are going well, most vigorous. We have kale....my god what a tough vegetable! Tomatoe seedlings have only just gone in. First fennel seeds ever are up. Celeriac planted but who knows? Don't hold your breath. Last year we had leaves but no root..probably due to an excess of nitrogen.

Les échalotes ont bonne mine mais l'ail est plutôt chétif.  Les fèves sont bien réussies. On a planté du fenouil pour la première fois..attendons voir. Le céleri rave est planté mais c'est vâchement dur à faire pousser. L'an passé on a eu beaucoup de feuillage mais pas de racine...c'est sûrement dû à un excès de nitrogène...

First plums ever, apricot and nectarine trees quite well clad in fruit...but will they ripen???

On a nos premières prunes, des abricots des brugnons....mais est-ce qu'ils vont mûrir...ça c'est la question?

Okay, now for a summary of David's health:

Un sommaire de la santé de David:

Legs still good.

Breathing okay.

Arms and hands weaker...quite challenging to eat at times.
I've lost quite a lot of weight (muscle mass) which is not good. The reduced muscle (strength) makes me tired as even the most basic task requires a lot of energy.

Dressing...needs assistance..thank God for Ross, otherwise I'd be stuffed.

Toilet....still okay, but have to arrive in good time....otherwise....

Speech, significant deterioration, which is manifest right through the day now. 

Les jambes vont bien ainsi que la respiration.

Les bras et les mains continuent à s'affaiblir et manger devient de plus en plus difficile.

J'ai perdu pas mal de poids cette dernière année suite aux muscles qui s'atrophient. Cette perte de muscle me rend très fatigué car toute tâche si simple soit-elle demande beaucoup d'énergie.....chose qui me manque de plus en plus.

M'habiller est difficile et Ross doit m'aider--sinon je n'arriverais pas. Les boutons et les lacès sont impossibles.

Le W.C. Ça va, mais il faut y aller quand la nature appelle sans traîner les fesses!!

Parler est maintenant très difficile tout au long de la journée.

Ross takes most of the phone calls and I can sometimes speak, but we often speak with both of us using a handset independently so that if I cannot make myself understood, Ross can fill in the gaps (provided he can understand me which is NOT always the case).

Ross répond au téléphone maintenant et parfois je prends l'autre combiné pour participer à la conversation.

Communication issues are very disheartening for me and quite depressing.

Ces difficultés de communication sont très dures à supporter--la détérioration semble si rapide...

Last week we went to the MND clinic for a meeting to discuss computerised aids for communication.

Much as I hate the idea, I can see that I am going to have to embrace it sooner rather than later. It's going to a challenge.

La semaine passée on a assisté à un meeting (à la clinique pour la SLA).  On nous a montré des tablettes avec un logiciel qui permet de taper les phrases qui sont ensuite lues à haute voix par l'ordinateur. Ils m'ont prêté une tablette et je dois m'y mettre. C'est un bon outil mais certes ça va ralentir le parler....je n'ai pas le choix.

So there's no point beating around the bush...that's the reality. Lovely to grow the broadbeans but they're now hard to harvest and very very difficult to pod. Watering the garden, an activity which I used to really enjoy is now very challenging. Weeding, harvesting, dead-heading the shallots....all these tasks are now very onerous (weeding is virtually impossible as I have no clasp).

Le jardin est beau mais l'entretien est de plus en plus difficile pour moi.

To finish up on some better news....Ross's family are all well. Granddaughter. Audrey is robust and feisty. Grandson Eddy is cute and perhaps more retiring (so far). Likes to eat.....what a surprise!!!

Next Sunday Eddie's going to be sprinkled with Holy water. As long as there's food it should be okay.

My family are fine. Michael's finally lost his head and proposed to lovely Julie, who after considerable deliberation accepted his offer provided that she has a hyphenated name...Macmillan-Bloom...a bit of a mouthful!  They're talking about returning to Oz to live.

Pour finir avec quelques bonnes nouvelles. Les petits enfants vont bien. Audrey est robuste et pleine de caractère. Eddie est mignon et plutôt contemplatif.  Il aime manger...quelle surprise! Dimanche prochain Eddie se fait gicler de l'eau bénite. Tant qu'il y a à bouffer ça devrait aller...

Ma famille va bien. Michael (frère) a enfin proposé à la belle Julie, qui après de longues heures a accepté à condition de porter un nom avec trait d'union--Macmillam-Bloom...une véritable bouchée.

Ils parlent de rentrer au pays.

Okay that's it for today...see you later.

Bon ça suffit. A très bientôt.

September 30th Richmond Park

We decided to have an unadventurous day. Packed up the smelly cheese and walked up to Richmond Park ( a few hundred meters from Michael and Julie's ) . An amazing place; over 2000 acres of grassland and woodland with herds of wild deer, right in the middle of one of the world's biggest cities. The park has a ring road around it, but once you move off the road there is silence and aloneness. ...if if wasn't for the continual stream of aircraft leaving Heathrow Airport ( the airport is quite close to Richmond) you could well imagine that there is no city surrounding the park. The New Yorkers love to tell you about Central Park....but it doesn't even come close to Richmond Park. We found a nice old fallen oak tree and ate our smelly cheese and biscuits, quite alone with only a few stags having a rest a short way off. I am not quite sure about the history of the park..but I suspect its origins may have something to do with Henry VIII wanting to have a retreat or whatever.....his name crops up all over the UK

 I stand corrected about which King it was. According to Wikipedia it was Charles the first (he subsequently lost his head)....who moved his court out to the Richmond area to escape the Plague, and decided to take over the land  as a park....apparently the locals were not too pleased....I wonder why?

We have been attempting to put up some photos on the blog...but it is quite time consuming and we do have a lot of photos to "wade" through.

Sept 25th and onwards

Hi!  We've lost track so we'll combine a few days in this blog.

Left Cambridge, returned to London....ate at Jamie Oliver's pizza/pasta joint around the corner which is very nice (but not exactly quiet). 

Went to London The British Museum and spent a relatively short time there looking at Ancient Middle Eastern relics....early Roman Britain...early currency....and clocks....

Then we met up with some Australian friends who were in London and had coffee at the museum.  That was most enjoyable.

Michael cooked a lovely stew for dinner with Guiness in it.

The day commenced at 5 pm with Michael and Julie watching Hawthorn win the grand final. Michael subscribes to a footy Internet site, so they watched it live. Hawthorn won quite easily so the match was not so exciting. The couch had been decorated the night before with, not one, but two Hawthorn scarves. Julie said "they look like shit" as yellow and brown are the worst colour combination (from a decorator's point of view) imaginable. Michael "got away with it" for one day. 

Later that morning we went to the Borough market and Portobello Road. The market was unbelievable....nearly got an attack of claustrophobia--there were so many people!!!!!   As in Oz people now often go to markets to buy prepared food...gone are the days of markets with raw produce only.  There's more prepared food than raw food in fact. We did buy un mélange forestier (mixed mushrooms...chanterelles, bolets etc)

We then made our way to Ottolenghi in Notting Hill to buy dinner. We wanted to shout the dinner....Michael said it's very expensive....you don't have to....we can go there anytime.

I (David) wanted to go as, my brothers have bashed my ear about the place so we threw caution to the wind and off we went.

Very Nice food (it'd want to be!!). Imaginative prices.  I think the Poms are so used to fish and chips that any thing else which is even remotely exotic (fresh salads using coriander seeds/cumin, sesame seeds etc) can command an exorbitant price. For example the chicken which was cooked with orange, saffron, honey and "herbs" cost £34/kilo (with the bone!!!)....approximately $65 per kilo....tasted good, but where was the gold leaf?

Yesterday we took it easy. Poor Julie had to work, but Michael, Ross and I took a boat from Richmond to Westminster (2 hours) in what started as gorgeous weather, but deteriorated to very cold !!!! within one hour...we nearly froze our nuts off. 

Came home and Ross and I made dinner with penne, mushrooms, thyme, cream and a dash of whiskey (I wanted brandy, but we didn't have any)

Today Ross and I will go for a stroll in Richmond Park and eat cheese on biscuits.

C'est avec grande tristesse et douleur que je me prépare pour dire adieu aux vrais fromages fabriqués au lait cru.

Il nous faut lancer une compagne pour renvoyer notre gouvernement et tout gouvernement successif qui ne soutienne pas l'élaboration des fromages au lait cru.

A bas le gouvernement!!!

Il nous faut un nouveau parti politique....

Le Parti Des Fromages Vivants.

Vivent les fromages vivants.....car les fromages au lait pasteurisé sont MORTS!!!! 

Toutes les bonnes bactéries qui contribuent aux qualités gustatives et aromatiques sont détruites par la pasteurisation. (Qui aurait cru qu'un Français, Louis Pasteur, serait responsable des goûts fades de nos fromages...incroyable non)?

It is with great sadness and pain that I prepare to say farewell to real cheeses made with raw milk.

We need to launch a campaign to sack the government and any future government that doesn't support the production of raw milk cheese.

Down with the government!!!

We need a new political party...

The Living Cheese Party.

Long live living cheese....cheeses made from pasteurised milk are DEAD!!

All the good bacteria which contribute to their taste and aroma are destroyed by pasteurisation. (Who would have thought that a Frenchman, Louis Pasteur could be responsible for the tepid flavours of our cheeses...incredible isn't it)?

Plaice...a very British fish at M & J's place.

Guinness stew cooked in the thermo mix!!  (Don't want too many dishes do we!)

Julie in her element!

THE thermo mix!!!!

Julie (feigning interest??)

That's better....now they're both into it!!

Sept 25...en route to Cambridge

On the way to Cambridge we went to the Ickworth Mansion as they have a National Trust shop, and it was time to do a bit of shopping. The house was closed (we wouldn't have had time to visit it anyway) but very monstrous!  The shop was very good and I bought two mohair "throws". They are really lovely, one mauve and one a very soft pink. That was their full range--they should help to keep us warm in front of the telly as well as giving us a nice momento of our trip to Norfolk.

By early afternoon we had arrived in Cambridge. After dropping off the car we trudged down the road to our hotel. When we had recovered we went for a walk around the old city.....all extremely old and plenty of famous colleges one after the other. The city is quite small (smaller than Oxford) and can be seen in a day if one wishes. Ross would have liked to look inside Kings College chapel...but it was closed ....a team of film makers were there making a film about Stephen Hawking. On one side of the city the colleges have all these beautiful manicured lawns stretching down to the river where guys operate punts for tourists. It's all very picturesque! 

There are lawns and greens everywhere named after Jesus. There's Christ's Pieces, Jesus' Green, Jesus Way etc. but if you think Jesus is going to pay for you to use the public toilets, think again...his benevolence does not stretch that far (we did, however, find one exception). 20 or 30 p for a pee or a pooh!  Truthfully speaking we think it's a disgrace that people should have to pay to use public toilets...it's such an elementary need...can't the government pay for that out of all the taxes they collect!!  Also while we're at it....some escalators/lifts wouldn't hurt in the train stations. Even a station like Victoria in London has none of these "modern" inventions and it is a main station. They're lucky to get the tourists they get. How do old people, or the infirmed get up and down the stairs...it's all archaic beyond description. 

David contented himself with the purchase of some lovely chocolates from Thorntons--a famous manufacturer of English chocolates (milk caramel and dark apricot)--Ross loved the apricot ones but we were incredibly restrained and only had two chocolates each...this was our afternoon tea.

One thing in Cambridge--you see plenty of people dressed in that stereotypical English fashion...fawn trousers, shirt and tie (sometimes a very colourful one) and possibly a hat thrown in. Everyone looks terribly well-behaved and civilised...it's very pleasant if not a little rarified. The lawns are also very well behaved..all mown in straight lines of equal width and not a blade of grass out of place...Que Dieu nous en garde!!!!  God forbid!! Les pelouses anglaises....il n'y a pas à dire....elles sont magnifiques! English lawns..there's no denying it..they're magnificent! Coming to Cambridge reminded us of the film "Dead Poet's Society"....there's a formality about which is distinctive.

We left Cambridge the next day and caught a bus back to London. The bus fare was incredibly cheap...a mere £7.50 each as opposed to the train fare of £22 per person. Train travel in the UK is incredibly expensive and to get a good deal you have to book well ahead. Although the trains are very good and fast many English people find flying to be cheaper than train travel. The skill of the bus drivers in negotiating the crowded London streets is amazing. They are able to squeeze their buses through the the tightest of spots and not scratch the bus at all. Whatever they are paid they deserve more!!

Norfolk Broads Sept 24

We had a very restful day walking amongst the Broads. Hundreds of years ago the area was heavily populated and when it was eventually deforested the locals turned to digging up peat for their fuel needs. This left large depressions all over the countryside and then the sea level rose and the depressions filled with water. Nowadays the broads cover thousands of acres of waterways and the English spend their time sailing around all the watercourses....."messing about" . Amazingly there were no mosquitoes....I don't know how the English have  managed to achieve this.....the area should be swarming with all sorts of nasties. (However, there's no shortage of wasps in this country....toutefois il ne manque pas de guêpes en Angleterre!!!) While walking about we managed to eat some blackberries which are fruiting at the moment. The plants are not as healthy as the ones we have in Oz..in fact they are rather miserable and the fruit not all that sweet. Of course blackberries are Not a weed here......I think the wet and cold winter rather knocks them about.

At first we went to a nature reserve and were hoping to go on a boat trip....however a school had booked the boat for the entire day...so we went onto Wroxham and took a boat trip there. Wroxham  is crawling with commercial boat operators so it is a rather charmless place. But the English love it and have built beautiful waterfront homes in certain areas....these homes go for horrendous prices.

In the evening we went to an Indian restaurant in a small village in the middle of the countryside. We had a nice meal there, but for some inexplicable reason we had to ask for the drinks list about six times as they didn't seem to understand what we were asking for--that was for our port. Earlier on we had ordered two mango lassis and nearly died when the bill arrived...£5 each!!!  Lassi(e) go home!!! Bloody ridiculous for a bit of yoghurt...should have asked first.  We shared their "special" chocolate cake which was made by a "masterchef" according to them.  Just another mud cake, but one piece was plenty for two!!!! Ross ate too much and was uncomfortable for the next 24 hours...

Sept 23 Norwich

Today we met up with Hannah, an English lady who used to live in Melbourne, but who moved back to England some years ago. We had lost touch with Hannah so after some detective work, we managed to track her down.  We had a really lovely day in Norwich, walking around the old city and visiting Norwich Cathedral. There's was a nice annex with a modern ceiling, which was momentary relief for me (David) from all the old relics. 

The centre of Norwich is a myriad of one way twisting streets ...not the place for a foreigner to be driving a rented car. We left our car outside the city in car park. In the UK they have a system called Park'n Ride. In the case of Norwich we parked  our car in a car park outside the city and then caught a bus into the city ...there was a bus every 12 minutes and the cost was £2 per person for a return ticket. A great service....but the only catch was that the bus service finished at 7.30 at night....not too good if you wanted to stay on for an evening meal

At one stage Norwich was England's second city and was a thriving centre for the wool trade in Medieval times. There is a decided Dutch influence in the architecture....apparently weavers were brought over from Flanders. Nowadays it's hard to imagine that wool could be a reason for such wealth creation. At this stage David had developed a "bug.."...he needed to buy a wool blanket....mohair to be precise. However no such item was to be found in the shops of Norwich....more about this in a later blog!

Sept 22 Hillside farm, Brooke

 Today we travelled from from Mumford to our next destination, a place called Brooke (a few miles south of Norwich) via the  Pensthorpe Water gardens. These gardens have been created on the site of a disused gravel pit. Absolutely marvellous (over 500 acres) ! Lots of ponds and streams with heaps and heaps of water birds...all sorts of ducks and geese. The weather was absolutely superb which made for a really enjoyable day.

Arrived at Brooke about 7 miles (yes they're still in miles here) south of Norwich. The place we have booked is an old farm house built in 1570. Charming beyond description...like something from "escape to the Country". 

The bedroom is truly unique, there's a beam like a railway sleeper under one end of the bed to make the bed level as the floor slopes so much!!!!  This beam must be at least 150-200mm high.  Actually the slope in the bedroom makes me (David) a bit dizzy.  It's charming for a day or two, but I'll be very very happy to get home to our level floors.  Ross was moving a tray with a full teapot the other day and miscalculated he height of the beam under which he had to stoop (due to the rising floor) and the tea went everywhere.  I think that much slope is actually uncomfortable.

The bathroom reminds me of my childhood at Balwyn.  Cork tiles on the floor.

Sept 21 Oxburgh Hall & Gooderstone Water Grdens

Paid a visit to Oxburgh Hall.  Built in 1457 (or thereabouts) the house has survived largely intact...although there was some substantial renovations carried out to parts of the house in the Victorian era. Apparently King Henry 7th slept there one night. So much fuss is made of that. However the most interesting feature was the  Priest hole. The family were staunch Roman Catholics and in the time of Elizabeth 1st that was not a good faith to adhere to. The mass was banned as were Priests . The family did have a priest on hand so they had a special hiding place made for him. It is a tiny room hidden under the clothes closet...to find it you have to lift a well camouflaged trap door in the floor. Inside the hole there is no light and very little air. I (Ross) slid into the hole....but it was well lit and the trap door remained open. The house is surrounded by a moat and the descendants of the original family still live in a section of the house.....most of the house and all the gardens are owned by the National Trust.  

We then went to visit the Gooderstone Water Gardens. Sometime ago a farmer decided to convert a very marshy a paddock into a series of waterholes and then proceeded to build a garden around them. Quite a delightful place...a little untidy by English standards but okay for us. 

Sept 20 Bury St Edmunds

Happy Birthday to my brother Peter!  56 today!

Went to Bury St Edmunds a pretty town which has been visited numerous times on "Escape to the Country" on channel Seven 2.  The weather was good and we wandered around all day. Went to their Abbey which was lovely..contructed in the 14th Century and recently renovated. There was an organ recital which we attended at lunchtime...a bit elusive for me--I had a little sleep which was nice. Later in the day, following a pathetic coffee at a Café called "Really Rather Good" which we thought was "Definitely Rather Ghastly" we looked for a dinner place and found a nice Asian Noodle place called Zen, prior to heading back once again to the Abbey for "Evening Song" at 5.30 pm which Ross particularly wanted to attend. The Church is "High Anglican".  

The singing was quite lovely--all these little Angels (young boys) singing their hearts out.  Some were yawning..a couple forgot to genuflect at the appropriate moment and had to execute a very rapid genuflexion..just to get it in.  All very formal, but I must say they sing in tune, and in time and it was a pleasure to the eardrum. At one point the priest, or. vicar or whatever he is, sang solo.  He was a bit sharp--the Angels were definitely superior.  Lots of incense being hurled our way...smelt quite nice actually.  Evening song lasted 3/4 hour, and the we went to dinner. I believe these young boys do this 7 days a week...they must have a roster surely?......

Sept 19 Colvestan Manor

Not much to report. Julie was home and she made nice potato whatevers....a bit like pikelets (but not sweet) for breakfast--very nice with scrambled eggs.  We left London mid morning..headed out to Victoria station and caught the bus to Peterborough where we picked up our hire car and headed for Mundford in Norfolk. We are presently staying at Colvestan Manor.  The owner and her husband Wendy and Edwin are characters. 500 acres of arable land. They grow sugar beet and barley (for seed only). Edwin is 82 and not about to retire.  Wendy is nice--stoic and oh so English.  She reminds me a bit of the matron from the Carry On movies in the 60's--Hattie Jacques was the actresses name.

Sharon my sister-in-law will be pleased to know that breakfast is cooked in her 70 year old AGA. She has a circular wire contraption with two sides to it, so it is hinged in the middle and closes in on the object which you wish to place over the hot plate.  Wendy toasts her bread in this contraption everyday. It's as old as the ark. Furthermore there is a drying rack (wooden slats) above the oven, up near the ceiling to dry the washing. And the AGA heats their water as well.

Part of the house or at least structure dates back to Doomsday--1066!!!  We are upstairs (how unusual!!!!) and as the water pressure is poor, a bath is the only option--thank god for the face washer!

There is carpet in the bathroom and in the toilet....weird!  Yuk...not our cup of tea that's for sure. Antiques all over the house..a lot of oak furniture including a rather sweet rocking horse upstairs.  He'd have to be a few decades olde that's for sure!

The garden is very charming. Wendy told us that in summer a temperature above 22 degrees or so, is considered to be absolutely boiling!

Sept 18 dernier jour à Paris

Our last day in Paris.  Nothing to say except that rather strangely our last meal was Mexican, can you believe? In a square dans le Marais, near a ballet school for children, so there were lots of proud parents, grandparents etc, with the kids eating Nachos etc.

Ross enjoyed Paris--he had never been and so I am glad to have gone with him.  Whilst there were some nice moments, the difficulty with speaking was always at the forefront of my mind.  I certainly would not have gone there with my illness had I been single.

Une dernière chose sur Paris. On pensait que les Anglais fumaient beaucoup, mais les Français battent tous les records!!! Où qu'on regarde on voit fumer des jeunes--garçons et filles...pas que des vieux.   Apparamment, les Français ne savent pas encore que fumer nuit à la santé.  

One last thing about Paris.  Thought the English smoked a lot, but the French break all the records. 

Wherever you look you see young people smoking...not just old people.  Apparently, they don't yet know that smoking is bad for your health. 

 We returned to London on the Eurostar and I (David) was relieved.

I (Ross) thoroughly enjoyed Paris...I went with no real expectations so I was most pleased with what we  experienced. I particularly enjoyed the concert with Andreas Scholl, and I was most impressed with the speed and efficiency of the Metro. 

Sept 17 Montmartre, Pigalle et la musique baroque

We decided to go to Montmartre but first on advice from Emma Dean the winner of Master Chef 2013, and also one of Anna and Peter's bridesmaids, we headed off towards "du Pain et des Idées" to get our daily bread....(sounds religious doesn't it?  No I ain't converting".  The produce was extraordinary and so we bought two baguettes as they were rather small and two tartelettes aux figues.

Then we went to le fromager to restock our cheese supply. This time we bought some lovely Beaufort and a goats cheese (don't remember the name but it was in the form of a Camembert...and rather similar in texture...delicious.  It goes without saying that both were made with raw milk.

Then to Monmartre, which adjoins Pigalle the red light district. We climbed up to la Basilique!!!!

Quelle pente!!!!!  What a slope.  At least the stairs had a gentle rise, so we could ascend slowly.

Stopped on stairs on way up and ate lunch...la baguette accompagnée du fromage...un vrai délice!

Arrived at la Basilique. Went in...all terribly serious, one must wear appropriate attire, not take photos and shut up. However, the attendant there was very happy to open his big trap to tell people not to take photos, thus disturbing the piece. There was a very shiny chromed Jesus....looked rather modern I thought.  Tins all over the place to ask for money to restore their organ.  If they sold a few of their under-used churches, I'm sure they easily raise the funds, don't you think?

After la Basilique, we walked the streets on that level, and found a market with many artists, doing, drawings, paintings, caricatures and the like of people and of places of local interest.

Descended, and walked the streets. Found le cimetière de Montmartre which we visited.  Cemeteries are not my bag, but this one did have particularly interesting tombstones, headstones and crypts, in which several members of a family (perhaps their ashes) may be kept--most economical. Jacques Offenbach amongst a few other famous names is buried there. Went down to Pigalle and saw Le Moulin Rouge (possibly less fabulous in the flesh than in all the drawings that we see).

Eventually, we made our way home as I wanted to check the web to see if there were concerts on that evening which we would like to attend.

Finally, back in the apartment, after spending a good 30 minutes trying to log on (as there were issues with the WiFi), we succeeded, found a concert at le Théâtre des Champs-Élysées...Roger Norrington conducting a French baroque orchestra with counter-tenor Andreas Scholl being the star of the evening.  

I found an "app" (not sexy to say application) for the métro on our last evening...isn't it always the way?

Rambuteau à la République, then another train from République à Alma-Marceau. Took an hour and we were twenty minutes early.

A lovely concert, but I prefer the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra...I think their playing is more precise (in terms of "oneness") and much more energetic.  His voice was a little lost there...I think Elizabeth Murdoch Hall is better for that sort of music.  However, it was still an enjoyable evening.

Before boarding le métro on the way home we said farewell to a most luminous tour Eiffel, which is very close and which looked splendid.

All in all, a pleasant day...quite amusing going from a red light district to a formal baroque concert...somewhat different in style.

Sept 16 A day for a very long walk

Ross and I departed for Les Tuileries...heading towards l'Avenue des Champs-Élysées and la tour Eiffel.

The weather turned on us a couple of times and we had to take shelter, but amazingly the rain was short-lived and so we were able to proceed. Ate delicious baguette et fromage de Langres--magnifique!

As we were walking along les Champs-Élysées it started to pour again, so we stopped at a café as the swanky toilets within the shopping centre (also a place to buy toilets along with all the accoutrements) would have cost €2 each. Better to pay for a coffee and crap for free.  I had a small victory with my flagging (!!!) language.  The coffee came with a couple of Valrona chocolates which were delicious...a bit like a sophisticated version of a Kit Kat.  I asked the waitress for the bill....

En se promenant aux Champs-élysées on s'arrête dans un centre commercial. On cherche un W.C....€2 pour aller aux chiottes.  On repart et nous trouvons un café dans le même centre. 

Mieux vaut payer le café et chier gratuit non?

L'addition s'il vous plaît..et merci pour les chocolats...ils étaient très bons!  "Les chocolats" me répondit-elle?  Oui, les chocolats....

L'addition est arrivée avec quatre chocolats supplémentaires....une réusisite totale!!!

The bill please....and thank you for the chocolates--they were lovely.  "The chocolates" said the waitress? Yes the chocolates, I replied.  The bill arrived with four extra chocolates..a complete success.

We went on to la tour Eiffel.  We were going to go up to get a view, but it was after 4 and we were meeting Doug and Lyn for dinner so on we went.

Sept 15 The Jewish Quarter

In the morning we went to our apartment in Le Marais, which was lovely and met the owner Pierre who was very nice.  Walked around with Michael and Julie.  There's a gay quarter there, a Jewish quarter, food, leather and rubber...it's got it all!!

There were lots of froomers (religios) selling etrogs and lulavs (I know that's not the plural, but too bad) for the forthcoming festival of Succoth.  Someone tried to sell an etrog....good try!  I did ask..they are imported from Morocco. 

Later I bought some roasted hazelnuts enrobed with caramel from a Jewish guy.....

il m'a tutoyé tout de suite...c'était sympa...et m'a dit de me calmer, car j'avais l'air énnervé....bien sûr que j'étais énnervé, je n'arrive plus à parler, mes phrases sont saccadées, je trébuche......et LE PIRE...C'est que j'avais des Français qui me répondaient EN ANGLAIS...un véritable cauchemar pour moi.

He addressed me informally (not so common) straight away which was very nice....and told me to calm down as I looked agitated.  Of course I was agitated...I can barely speak, my sentences are broken, I trip up, and the worst thing ever is that I have had French people answering me in English!!  A veritable nightmare for me. (And this is NO JOKE).

We found a VERY VERY busy falafel joint.  There was a long queue and someone came to take our dough (€5.50) whilst in the queue, before receiving the merchandise....."parce que c'est plus rapide"....because it's faster.  There was a second falafel place across the road and the poor bugger had NO ONE!!  Pauvre mec!!  Poor fellow!

Found a place to sit down as I can no longer manage food like that whilst walking, and as chewing is so difficult it takes me at least twice as long (if not three times longer) to eat than when I was well.  Thiis is not an exaggeration.

Later, after Michael and Julie had departed, we went searching for Doug and Lyn who fortuitously were also vising Paris. They are Sandy's parents (our daughter-in-law).  Went to their hotel in Bastille looking for them...no luck and so we left our phone number.

Anyway amazingly the next morning on what was their final day in Paris, we spoke with them and met up at La Place des Vosges dans le Marais at 6.30 pm.  Went to a Thai restaurant and we had a really lovely time together, but sadly forgot to take photos as we got distracted.  I'm a bit mixed up..this was on the 16th after the Eiffel Tower.

Sept 14 St Michel. A place teaming with restaurants.

Went to Les Deux Magots in Boulevard St. Germain--a famous café where writers,artists, philosophers and the like have been congregating for since 1884.  I don't think the coffee was extraordinary by any means, but the hot chocolate was certainly thick, creamy and sumptuous. 

We went to lots of food places.  At one point we went to a market and I bought gorgeous cheese....

Une tomme de Langres--un fromage au lait cru.  Il faut dire que ce fromage n'est pas timide. C'est un fromage fier, qui s'impose et qui crie très fort en disant,  "bonjour tout le monde...je suis là". (Au cas où vous n'auriez pas remarqué).

A round of Langres..a raw milk cheese. I must say this cheese is not shy. It's a proud cheese, which imposes itself and calls out loud saying,  "hello everyone...I am here. (Just in case you didn't notice).

We went with Michael and Julie to la Place Vendôme...a shopping district, which requires a certain budget. ..qui demande un certain budget...où plutôt un budget certain....(too hard to translate)

We went to many designer/homeware stores. Julie works at the Terence Conran store in London, so she loves that sort of thing.  I think she'd love it whether she was in that field of work or not. Both Michael and Julie could shop till they drop...I'm sure of it--given half the chance....and they don't like any thing cheap, that's for sure. Went to a store called "Colette" which Michael loves. We thought it was a weird, slightly confused store...couldn't work out what it was all about....oh well......

Les goûts et les couleurs..ce ne se discute pas!!   Oh well-- taste and colours... Can't be discussed. 

Later that night we went out for dinner was very nice...not too far from our apartment in Saint Michel.....(no not Michael.....the original Michel).

 

Sept 13 Arrival in Paris

Spend much of the day at home and head off to Marks and Spencer's on the way to the train station to buy some undies.  What an exciting purchase!  Had dinner at St Pancras station which was huge and quite striking.  Arrived in Paris late evening, found our place which was very eclectic Parisian....I think the term is shabby-chic.  There was some chic, but definitely some shabby, the sink in the dunny had no drain pipe in it.  There was a bucket under the sink...yet there was some modern/contemporary reasonably smart decoration....along with wires protruding from the wall in the kitchen above the sink......would you call all that eclectic or unfinished?  But it was a very quiet place right I the middle of Paris...just a short stroll to Notre Dame and the thousands of tourists lining up for their "Religious Experience". Everywhere we walked there were places to eat offering all manner of ethnic cuisines. One disturbing image is all the homeless people....not many "Frenchmen"...mainly Africans East Europeans and people from the Middle East. There is a lot of begging on the streets especially in the busy areas. 

Sept 12 A home cooked meal

Finally after our return to London we basically spent a quiet day at home as we prepared to go to Paris the next day. Went and bought some cheese from our favourite shop and turkey fillets for dinner (Waitrose) and made a turkey salad with vegs and goats cheese accompanied by thrice cooked chips, 

Sept 11 Milborne, St Andrew and Dewlish

 Spent a lovely day with a piano colleague, John. who has an amazing workshop laden with pianos.

As he sat there with his rather formal hat on, smoking his pipe and I watched the cloud of smoke envelope him, I felt like I was talking to Sherlock Holmes. Went to a local pub for lunch in Dewlish, which was fine, but the roads were very narrow and unnerving. John has had an interesting career....a Cambridge scholar who taught languages in schools and overseas (he speaks Mandarin) before going into the piano business. Intriguingly his piano repair workshop is housed in a disused grain silo on a farm, Surprisingly there were a number of small businesses operating out of farm buildings that are no longer used by the farmer. John made us a cup of coffee....to brew the coffee he used an apparatus that must have begun its life in a science lab. ......we have pictures to prove it. But the coffee was great...better than anything from the US...and from many coffee establishments in Oz. Funky!!!!

Sept 10. Around Milton Abbas

This morning for breakfast Aliya made us Parathas for breakfast....naan bread sort of...fried in ghee with some curried chicken. Nice flavours but very heavy at such an early hour. 

We ran around a lot today. Drove to Hardy's monument which has very good views in all directions.

I would say it is much more significant to a local than to blow-ins like us.  We also ended up in Blandford Forum where I managed to make an appointment to see a doctor late in the afternoon as I think the gout I had a couple of years ago is rearing its ugly head.  No doubt all the rich food and cider. I now have anti inflammatories to try to attenuate symptoms.  Better to knock it on the head early. No doubt things will improve when I return to my normal diet.

We went to Thomas Hardy's cottage arrived to find it closed. A bit of a bugger, but at least Ross got to see the surrounds to which all his novels relate.  Nearly came to a perilous demise as we found ourselves forced to reverse up a narrow lane to allow a big truck laden with bails of hay to pass. We inched past each other with about 10 centimetres clearance. The narrow roads have their charm but I won't miss them when we return. It's very tiring driving and having to watch EVERY CORNER AND EVERY BEND in order to avoid an accident.

After the doctor's appointment (what a dry English manner he had--I'll stick to my GP thanks) we walked around Blandford Forum and ate at an Indian restaurant which was very nice. Dorset is a beautiful county....rolling green hills and pastures, hedgerows and beautiful wood lots scattered across the countryside. The little villages are absolutely charming...but we need to remember that they were originally rural slums inhabited by wretchedly poor agricultural labourers. Nowadays one would have to be quite wealthy if you wished to own one. It's all rather ironic I think.

Tomorrow we'll be spending a few hours with John (pianos) and we'll see what else the days brings us.

Sept 9 Travel to Dorset

Drove to Dorset...a long drive...over 4 hours. I (David) was a bit miserable as, upon entering Dorset I realised that I had missed out on my final Cornish clotted ice cream.....but God was on my side and we found a place specialising in clotted cream ice cream in Honiton o our way to Dorset....not extraordinary quality but good enough.

We finally arrived in Milton Abbas where we are staying with lovely people in a B & B. the lady of the house Aliya (no, she's not moving to Israel) is of Pakistani origin. 

The family is lovely and pretty lively.

Later in the evening we received a visitor here, John who works in the piano profession and he works just a few kilometres away. He makes bass strings and I have (or rather had) been using his services for a while prior to my retirement.

Sept 8 Visit to Michael's Mount

Went to Michael's Mount this morning--a diminutive version of Le Mont Saint Michel.  Very nice–-built in the 13th century so a medieval castle. The family that had held the castle for generations handed the place over to the National Trust some years ago......however the family still lives there...they negotiated a lease agreement with the NT that allows the descendants to live there for the next 1000 years. The National Trust has the responsibility of caring for the property. Not too sure which party benefits the most. It is an extremely popular tourist destination.

This afternoon we went to the Trengwainton gardens nearby which were very nice. The weather's turned a bit however--it's a bit fresh.  

Du soleil, du soleil, il nous faut du soleil....où es-tu notre cher soleil??

Sun, sun we need sun...where are you our dear sun??

Tonight we're being economical and going to the local pub for dinner.  I hope to have an English staple...fish pie.....and it won't break the bank.

We had our pie which was very nice and simple and typical of the region. The pub was very sweet...perhaps the very smallest bar we've ever seen (not an exaggeration).

Tomorrow off to Dorset......should be good but how will I (David) cope without the Cornish clotted cream and ice cream????  A real dilemma!!

September 7 Falmouth...then on to Redruth PASTY FESTIVAL

This morning we walked around Falmouth which is quite pretty. I (David) was happy to leave the B&B as the room was small beyond description and the staircase extraordinarily steep. I can walk okay, but I run out of puff so why waste all my energy on a staircase?  It is, however, very English....stairs everywhere!!  Went to a cheese store and bought a bit of cheese. The vendor had a good whinge about how little the English are now spending. Don't really think he wants to stuff around selling fromage--that was the impression we got.

We departed and headed for Redruth to attend the Annual Miner's and Pasty Festival which runs for three days. It was quite an experience. The rain stopped and the sun shone. We both had a lamb and mint pasty with Harissa flavoured mayonnaise.  The meat (un minced) was a bit tough but the flavour good.

There were people everywhere. It was incredible. There was also a kitchen set up for people who wanted to have a go making their own pasties.  We heard a male choir sing Cornish songs and very funnily heard them chant at the end Oggy Oggy Oggy Oi! Oi! Oi!  (Oggy Oggy is the name of a pasty making firm). So it appears that we have knicked the Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi from the Cornish!!!

After the music we bought some fudge for dessert another day and some olives to have with our cheese. 

We've now arrived in Marazion a pretty little town near Penzance. We'll explore it more tomorrow. Ross also wants to visit Michael's Mount which is like Le Mont Saint Michel in France. We go there by foot when the tide is low....otherwise you have to wait for the tide to drop again if you "miss the boat" ...or rather "tide" by accident. 

We were told of an amazing restaurant in Marazion called Ben's Cornish Kitchen when we were staying Mevagissey. Tragically I didn't book it and when we rang last night they were booked out and they're closed on Sunday, so we missed out. Went to a posh hotel nearby.  Food was quite good,views absolutely beautiful, but it was dear!!!! And I was pissed off!  My monkfish curry which was nice apart from the rather rawish eggplant. However, it cost £18.50. A rip off. £10--£12 is plenty for a curry. Anyway we chatted with some lovely English people at the neighbouring table who live in nearby Godolphin. She had rung up earlier to say that she was vegetarian but they got their wires crossed and sort of forgot, so the poor lady ended up with an array of rather bland steamed vegetables. They still charged a fortune however.

Tomorrow off to Michel's Mount across the road....no my brother is not the owner.....

September 6 Tin and copper mine

Yesterday (6th) we went to a disused tin mine near Land's End...the Levant mine.  Went on an interesting tour. The miners originally had to work in 130 degrees F (55 degrees C) before extractor fans were installed. Then they were able to work in a cool 80 degrees F.  The mine descended down through granite and the shafts were extended out under the sea floor for a distance of 1.5 miles. The mine we visited began operations in the 1820's and closed in the 1930's. In contrast to today's mines this one employed a lot of people, men, wives and children. The wives Only worked on the surface breaking up the ore. Tin and copper mining has been going on in this area since Neolithic times. There is still ore left but the cost of extractions makes it uneconomic. Because of the difficulties in working these mines the Cornish were world leaders in technological innovation..in fact they exported their knowledge all over the world. 

The guide told us that the best pasties were in his town, Hayle so off we drove to Hayle......probably 20-30 kilometres away. People were still queuing up at 4 pm for their pasties.......it's a serious business!   You can even have them sent by post to wherever!!!!

Last night in the pouring rain, we braved the streets in search of dessert. We were too full for main fare.

Ross had poached pears and me....icecream...how unusual! Coffee and port.  It was cold!  Where has the summer gone?  Come back wherever you are!!

September 5

Hi all,

A couple of days ago we went to the Trelissick gardens in Cornwall. They were quite nice but we were very pleased to be National Trust members and not to have to pay specially to see them.

We also walked through what they call "woodlands". In Australia we would could these weed patches....blackberries, ivy, sycamore and ash trees etc.

In the evening we went to Rick Stein's restaurant as we are staying on Falmouth.  Lovely fish....Ross had fish and chips (cod). They have a sign on the menu board proudly proclaiming that their fish and chips are fried in beef fat. I had hake steamed on a bed of lentils with some smoked paprika--very nice. Then I had a delicious panna cotta with berries and Ross had Eton mess. 

We sat at a shared table and chatted with some lovely people from Glen Waverley.

Yesterday Eden Project and today walking and eating.

Hi all,

Yesterday we went to the "Eden Project" which was absolutely fantastic.  It has amazing range of "biomes" which are made of a remarkable clear plastic which can support the weight of a car and which weighs approximately 1% of the equivalent dimensions in glass. It is made of Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene--I'm sure you've heard of it.  These remarkable structures serve as rooves and they are very interesting aesthetically from within and from without.  The project is really all about sustainability and it is not there to give people a guilt trip, but rather to stimulate thought in the way we live and use our (finite) resources.  I personally found it very moving to see the ENORMOUS interest which it has generated.  It was the closest thing to a spiritual experience that I've had--much more so than any experiences I've had in synagogue which usually result in me virtually falling asleep!!!  The temperature and humidity is all carefully controlled. There is the tropical rainforest biome and the Mediterranean biome.  There were some absolutely amazing plants , foods, vegetables etc. The five staples of the world are wheat, maize, potato, rice and beans.

To sustain ourselves we ate smoked mackerel on toast with a cream cheese and horseradish sauce accompanied by beet root--delicious!  Later on we had dessert--gorgeous ice cream made with clotted cream--what else?
I had hazelnut/coconut and boabab seeds--very nice quite interesting. If you've read "le petit prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry you'll know of the boabab tree.

Later after further exploration we decided to have dinner there in the Mediterranean biome. We had delicious pizzas topped with Cornish Stilton, balsamic caramelised shallots, potato and rosemary and finished with rocket. Unreal. Then as we had already had a double cone of ice cream before, we decide to restrain ourselves and share a dessert. Three scoops of ice cream--no I lie....two scoops (chocolate and caramel) and one mango sorbet. Of course the sorbet contains no clotted cream so we actually lost weight!!!

It was a great day and I think a highlight for both of us.

It's 7.30 and we've booked for dinner (2nd time) at Salamander restaurant in Mevagissey where we're staying....be back to tell you about our day a little later.

Today we ate are rather lavish lunch and dinner really too much, but we won't be doing that everyday.

Went to Kingswood Bistro in London Apprentice, St Austell and I had delicious Asian spring rolls filled with a confit de canard and a beautiful Asian salad. Followed by slow cooked roast pork beautifully tender and lovely. The snap peas which accompanied it however needed to be "strung". Such a basic thing....don't know how they can miss it. Ross had a salmon and haddock "pie" with mash which he loved.

In the evening we returned to "Salamander" in Mevagissey. A lovely meal, but I ventured to have the duck. Found it tough....Ross said it wasn't tough (I wanted the truth).....it was firm, but with my condition, tough.  Heading towards baby food....I can see it coming.  The whole thing pisses me off. I'm having a lovely holiday, but it's impossible to completely ignore the illness. Ross now frequently has to cut my food up.

Tomorrow we head off to Falmouth for a couple of days.

Cornwall

Yesterday we went to Cotehele House in Cornwall which has a beautiful elizabethan home 16th century formerly occupied by aristocracy. The gardens were breathtaking and the weather superb. We then walked down to the bottom of the property and walked along the Tamar river to the flour mill which is still in operation (from memory a couple of hundred years old).

Ate quiche and salad and another cream tea (much much better than the previous day's) accompanied by a swarm of wasps which was very happy to enjoy our leftover jam which we moved to the other side of the table.

Arrived in Mevagissey Cornwall yesterday. Beautiful little fishing village.  Quaint beyond description. Had enormous trouble finding the place--the streets are NOT WIDE!!!!!  Found an amazing restaurant called Salamander and had the best scallops ever. Ross had sole--a bit like flounder.  All fantastic and beautifully cooked.  I have to order soft food now--I can no longer order without thought which is not a joy to say the least.

After dinner we went for a lovely walk and then back to our B & B and on the way through we heard a Cornish choir singing some lovely songs in a pub net home. We sat outside and listened--a rather unique experience--we don't see that at home.  They were a well-rehearsed group and the singing was all "together".

We're about to head off to the "Eden Project".  See you later.

Hi everyone.

Yesterday went to the Dartmoor National Park which which was lovely and quite rugged. Lots of dry stone fencing and black faced sheep.  We also had to contend with many narrow roads and some hair raisingly narrow bridges!!!

Had Devonshire tea (they call it "cream tea" here) at a place called Holme.  Scones were like boulders of lead but the clotted cream hit the spot.  Should just order jam and clotted cream--bugger the scones.  Visited quaint village named Peter Tavy. Vernacular architecture and no tourists. (Always the obligatory pub however).

Ate at a pub last night--ordinary enough. The previous night I had beer battered cod and chips and Ross had sardines at another pub. I'm nearly fished out.

We're off now to Mevagissey in Cornwall. May look for a nice National trust property to visit on the way as we are members.  Then starts the search for a delicious pasty!  All good food for my condition. Moist, soft and easy to chew--I can no longer order without thought--it's a pain the whole bloody thing.

Have to find a petrol station on the way--they are not abundant.

UK Bristol

Hi all,

Firstly before launching into news we'd like to thank all those people who sent us emails prior to our departure wishing us well.

We're having a lovely time here. The weather is lovely.  Stayed In London for first few days with Michael and Julie.  We enjoyed ourselves very much there....ate plaice (fish) which is a bit like a flounder in shape but without bones and quite soft.  Gave them a little gift...a two litre cask of lovely Australian olive oil supplied by Annie--thank you Annie. They seemed very happy.  Michael and Julie have a lovely outlook from their window In the living room. There's an apple tree directly opposite, laden with apples and NO COCKATOOS or PARROTS!!!!!  You're not supposed to sit outside as technically you are overlooking the neighbours.....perhaps you could soften them up with an ale or two.

Michael and Julie below and Ross and I below them.
Below that is a photo from their living room window.

I don't think the Brits like to drink!!! Also I don't think that they realise that smoking is bad for your health. Have never seen so many people smoking in the street.

We have visited:

National portrait gallery--very nice

Innovative design (modern) Victoria and Albert gallery

Albert hall for a prom concert with M &J lovely--had to take a cab there for a few hundred metres as we were a bit late and Julie's feet were suffering.z

Visited Julie's work the "Terence Conran" shop in south Kensington where all the poor buggers live.

All very nice but somewhat sterile as an area. 

Went to HARRODS. my God what a joint!  Bought Ross some dates the cheap ones were over 30pds a kilo and some dearer ones for a staggering 75 pds per kilo (see above).  Saw Wafu beef for over 215 pds a kilo! Not for the faint hearted. 

Ate macarons at LaDurée in Harrods I believe the inventors of "le macaron".

Please note that the prices for the meat below are per 100g, NOT per kilo

Went to Ham House in Richmond--very Elizabethan but not very kosher!  

Spent a lovely day in the Kew gardens--there was an amazing display of veggies at the front in prime position!  Drank cider which tasted a bit like mouldy old boots.

There's a lovely cheese shop in Richmond. Quite unbelievably the lovely Scotsman Lyall who works there used to work at a cheese shop which we visited in Edinburgh.  We discovered this synchronicity during one of our cheesy conversations.

Every day we eat cheese--of the most aromatic varieties. There is a strict rule however....only show us cheeses made with raw milk....rien de pasteurisé pour nous!  Nothing pasteurised for us!

Pas les fromages de merde ausraliens mais les fromages au lait cru!!!  Délicieux!!!!!

Not the shitty Australian cheeses but raw milk cheeses. Beautiful. 

It'd be worth moving here for the cheeses alone.

Sorry no photos of any thing yet. Perhaps in a couple of weeks when back in London.

Une journée sans fromage, c'est une journée sans soleil.

A day without cheese is a day without sunshine!!!

Please help us to campaign against our stupid country in favour of raw milk cheeses!
Write to that Kevin Dudd and say you want raw milk cheeses to be allowed.

The problem with Australia:  too much hysteria about listeria...
Because of a risk of listeria and pregnant women (if I've got it right) the entire population has to suffer. If someone's old enough to get pregnant then surely she's old enough to watch what she eats???

Yesterday went to Bath. Beautiful! Staying at Bristol which is young and funky!

Ate two nights running at a Carribean restaurant. Best pork jerk ribs ever.
This afternoon we went to a place here called Clifton and yes...Clifton Hill. Walked over Brunel's suspension bridge which was constructed with linked iron plates instead of cables in 1856.

Tomorrow we're off to Devon and Cornwall to explore and eat pasties and Devonshire tea (not at the sometime however).

Below are photos from Michael and Julie's window.  I know it's hard to see, but there is an apple tree opposite laden with apples

Back to Harrods....so cheap...let's buy a few kilo's shall we!!

Opening the gift...thanks Annie...I think they liked it! (Lovely olive oil from Oz)

Pre flight Brunswick East

Dear family and friends,

Ross and I are off to the UK for a holiday.  We'll be spending time in Richmond, London with my brother Michael, and his girlfriend, Julie.

We'll also be visiting Cornwall (home of the pasty), Dorset,  Devon and Norfolk and we'll be travelling around by car.  If we manage, we'll endeavour to post some photos on the blog (we're techno nerds)  if we can?????

In addition to this we'll spend about five days in Paris. I (David) am a bit anxious about this as speaking french is a longstanding passion of mine and I can barely get my tongue (literally) around the words now.   Esperons qu'il fera beau au moins--let's hope that the weather's good.

Apart from the odd exception, the blog will be used in lieu of email as we're going away to have a break.

Speak to you/see you upon our return.
A bientot de vous voir (a mes amis francais) et priere d'excuser le manque d'accents.

Photos at Peter and Anna's place the morning of our departure featuring Eddie who was quite contented!

Eddie and Jean

Great grandma Jean and Eddie

from Portland

We (along with  Anna-Ross's daughter and husband Peter) are in Portland visiting Ross's family.  Anna and Peter have brought their little baby Edgar up to Portland to meet the family and so far he has successfully charmed all. Ross's mother lives in an aged care facility....and although she is well she does grumble a bit. Little Eddie has managed to charm her...well done Eddie!

David hands are quite weak now and at times he needs assistance with cutting up his food. Speech is also a little weaker especially in the evenings. However lung function and legs are good with no noticeable signs of weakness. Three weeks ago David visited the MND clinic at Bethlehem and they gave the go ahead for an overseas trip. We are presently investigating this.
Good news...David has sold his business. First signs are that the sale is successful. The purchaser is happy with what he has acquired and the clients are well pleased too. David sent out a letter of commendation to his clients and has received back numerous thank you cards and letters ...most gratifying!