Aussie Grandma Comes to Visit

My 86 year old Aussie Grandma came to visit us for a while. In what seemed like an interview process for the US Navy Seals, Aussie Grandma travelled across Europe to see my brother in Denmark (twice), my mother in Nunney (twice) and my sister and I in London (twice).

Whilst my Grandma was in London her itinerary included a trip to Brussels on the Eurostar (with a trip to Ghent and Bruges), watching the England Vs South Africa Test Match at the Oval, visiting Highgate Cemetery, taking a cruise down the Thames, looking around the O2 dome, watching Mamma Mia and a Brick Lane curry. I think that Aussie Grandma went home to give us a rest - she definitely didn't need one.

Bermondsey Street Festival - 13th of September

The annual Bermondsey Street Festival culminated in an outdoor screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Bermondsey Square (brand new development on the site of the old Bermondsey Antiques Market).

The warm up was a short movie by 'Shoot to Kill productions' called 'The Town that Boars Me'. The RPHS screening was complete with shadow actors and an original (drunk) cast member - Patricia Quinn (Megenta). We really enjoyed the whole show, especially this one guy who shouted out loads of funny comments - something of a RHPS tradition. Looking forward to all the future screenings at Bermondsey Square!

New Car - 6th of September

The day we've been waiting for! Carolyn and I were up bright and early for our ten thirty appointment at MINI Park Lane. The whole handover process was extremely slick and we were soon standing in the BMW underground car park learning everything our MINI can do (and there is quite a lot). Our first trip was a drive down to the West Country to meet up with my mum at the Somerset Arms. Could we have been more impressed? NO - I just wish we had made the jump sooner! My favourite features are the bluetooth, double sunroof, iPod connector, miles per gallon and the SatNav. Once you go MINI you never go back. The photos below highlight the massive contrast between old and new:

LA Dodgers Vs Phillies - 25th of August

Vince took us to see the Phillies take on the LA Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Being the fourth time that I've been to see baseball I was just about beginning to pick up the rules and I really appreciated this game - especially as the Phillies kicked some LA ass. We had great seats and even had a close encounter with the Phillies Fanatic who went on to do some impressive pelvic thrusts:

Carolyn's 30th Birthday - 24th and 25th of August

Carolyn's family threw a great Birthday Party BBQ. It was a beautiful sunny day and Carolyn was in seventh heaven catching up with everyone. One of my presents was to fly Carolyn's sister home from Savannah and the other was a digital picture frame for Carolyn's desk at work, pre-loaded with some of our favourite photos. Phil and his band even prepared a special rendition of Happy Birthday. What a day!

Paul and Mel get Married - 23rd of August

Paul is a good friend of mine from University who moved out to New York for work. Paul and Mel's ceremony was in a beautiful church in Glen Cove Long Island and was followed by a great party at the Crest Hollow Country Club. I have never seen so much food at a wedding! Whilst at Uni, Paul came second in a national DJ competition run by Radio One and he treated us to an amazing set at the very end of the party.

We hired a Mustang to get to the wedding and back. It was our first time in a Stanger and Carolyn quickly learned that American sports cars can't go around corners without heading for the nearest tree.

Baltimore - 20th of August

On the way back from rafting in West Virgina we decided to take a driving break by checking out downtown Baltimore. I know what you are thinking but actually it was really nice. We could have definitely spent more time there but we had to get back to Philadelphia for a family dinner. I know that the nautical theme will impress my boat obsessed friend Simon ;-)

White Water Rafting - 20th of August

With some time to kill in Philadelphia (Thanks Fay), Carolyn and I went on a white water rafting trip to West Virginia with River and Trail Outfitters. Harpers Ferry is a beautiful historic town where the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet. The rapids didn't get much above level-2 due to the time of year but it was still great fun. Luckily there was a religious school summer camp there at the same time - we really were having all the luck this holiday.

Holiday to Key West - 16th to 17th of August

We went to Key West for Carolyn's 30th Birthday. The holiday didn't start that well with somebody dying on the flight over. Our holiday carried on in a similar vein when it was announced that there was a mandatory evacuation from the Keys due to Tropical Storm Fay. Still, the Keys were beautiful and we had a great 24 hours enjoying the bars and jet skiing. Getting off the Keys was an adventure as the car hire companies refused to provide insurance with a possible hurricane approaching. Luckily (we thought), we managed to get on a flight with Continental, but they somehow messed up and booked us on a non-existent flight. Eventually we managed to get on a Grey Hound bus to Miami (big come down from British Airways business class) where we caught a flight to Newark. Holiday pictures linked to the satellite photo of Fay.

Simon & Mary get Hitched - 9th of August

The day started off with a trip on an old Routemaster bus to a beautiful old Church in Crouch End. It was fantastic to ride on an old Routemaster again - brilliant idea. Especially as Simon has always been obsessed with anything transport based. After a perfect ceremony the party kicked off on the Batersea Barge. This is exactly how a wedding should be, right down to the hangover the next day. More photos available on my Flickr site, Samir and from D-Man and Jessica.

New Car - 2nd of August

I've had the same Peugeot 306 since my second year at university - 10 years ago! Whilst the old Peugeot has been a great car the time has finally come to get a replacement.

Carolyn and I have always been particularly fond of the new Mini Cooper so decided to head over to the London Park Lane dealership this weekend. After taking a Cooper out for a (long) test drive and spending a few hours deliberating over our own customised mini specification we decided to take the plunge - especially when we managed to negotiate a great trade-in price for the old 306. We went for tons of options including chilli pack, sat nav, visibility pack, bluetooth, exterior mirror pack, iPod connection, sun roof and xenon headlights. Can't wait for the pickup on the sixth of September.

Dubai - 29 of June to 22 of July

I've been lucky enough to be sent out to Abu Dhabi for work. I'm staying in the Habtoor Grand on Dubai's famous Jumeirah beach and have been having a brilliant time checking out the Dubai night life (Buddha Bar, Trader Vics and Barasti Bar), soaking up the sun and shopping in the amazing malls. There was some work required too but I won't dwell on that ;-)

Bruce Springsteen & Bon Jovi

For Christmas this year I bought Carolyn tickets to see her favourite American bands playing in the U.K. On the 14th of June we saw Bruce Springsteen in Cardiff with Steven and Vicki then on the 28th we saw Bon Jovi at Twickenham with Simon and Mary. Both concerts were really brilliant.

Andy & Carolyn meet the President - 16th of June

Carolyn and I were invited to attend President Bush's speech at the US Embassy (as VIPs!). The president took time to meet those of us in the first few rows and Carolyn even got to shake hands with the leader of the free world! More photos on my Flickr site.

Alex & Chiaki's Wedding - 3rd to the 9th of June

Carolyn and I headed out to Tokyo for Alex and Chiaki's Wedding. It was a fantastic experience to witness such a beautiful Japanese Wedding. The bachelor party was not to be missed either ;-) After the wedding Alex and Chiaki took us to an Onsen (hot spring) in Hakone near Mount Fuji. A great way to relax after such a busy week.