We had past a signpost for the Aira Force Waterfall the previous day but it was too dark to see anything. We got up bright and early today to check it out before our 6.5 hour drive back down to London. Needless to say, the weather was absolutely dreadful but the extra water made the waterfall even more spectacular. William Wordsworth mentions the Aira Force Waterfall in three of his poems. Pretty cool.
The morning after Paul's Birthday we drove up to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District where we checked in to another very nice B&B - Storrs Gate House complete with four poster bed. After settling in we walked along Lake Winderemere into town for a quick look around and a bite to eat at the local pub before heading back to the B&B and Strictly Come Dancing/Bed.
Carolyn and I drove up to Little Bytham for Paul Livingston's 40th Birthday Party. We arrived a bit early, so went for a pub lunch at the Michelin Pub of the Year - The Olive Branch. We ordered beef stew and it was even better than we had hoped.
After lunch we went to see the Tower Mill Windmill, mainly because it was the only local tourist attraction on the GPS rather than its claim to be the last Dutch Windmill in the UK. Still, it killed some time before the big event.
Apparently Little Bytham is famous for its fancy dress parties and Paul's 80s themed party didn't disappoint. Carolyn and I were hopelessly under prepared for the onslaught from Hugh Hefner/Playboy Bunny, Adam Ant, Mr. T, Elton John, Princess Leia, John McEnroe, Maggie Thatcher/Miner and Freddie Mercury. One of the highlights for me was Adam Ant and Mr. T on the Karaoke machine. All were impressive, but the winner was Freddy Mercury complete with Borat thong.
We spent the night at the Park Farm B&B. This was my first B&B experience and I have to say it was amazing. Great room and the best breakfast I've ever had. The information pack in the room mentioned that the local railway track was the site where the Mallard reached its 124mph record. So of course I had to drag Carolyn to see the site of this momentous event ;-)
We set off for the National Gallery this weekend to try and soak up some much needed culture. There are some truly beautiful paintings on display, second only to the Louvre in my biased opinion. We saw paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Monet, John Constable, Michelangelo, Joseph Turner and Thomas Gainsborough to name but a few. My (predictable) favourites were the Sun Flowers, Water Lilies and the Thames below Westminster.
Shortly after we started dating, Carolyn moved from her swanky apartment in Oxford Street to the East End of London. It's a very nice area now, but this is where the 'Jack the Ripper' murders occurred. Spending so much time there made us interested in the Ripper story. We've read Donald Rumbelow's book, traipsed around East London on Rumbelow's walking tour and this Saturday went to the exhibit at the Museum in Docklands which includes the original 'Dear Boss' letter as well as the James Maybrick diary. All very interesting.
Over the last few months I've been working on a big Citrix project for the second largest bank in Brussels. I work in the sky scraper to the left. It's an impressive building but it really comes alive at night when it puts on an incredible light show - video. I wouldn't like to be working late when that show kicks off. The other thing to watch out for with this building are the revolving doors, check out this security camera video. Apart from the beer and the food, the best thing about Brussels is the architecture. The Grand Place is the most beautiful square I have ever seen:
Despite spending most of the weekend catching up on work, Carolyn and I still found time to head down to Cambridge for a few hours. We wandered around for a while until we stumbled upon the Tourist Information centre where we signed up for a walking tour. Surprisingly, we were taken to the Bridge of Sighs. Could have sworn that was in Venice ;-) The highlight, for me anyway, was dinner in the Eagle Pub which has an RAF bar where Second World War airmen burnt their names and squadron numbers into the ceiling with lighters and lipstick (wonder where they got that from?).
Top of the Morning to you! I'm working on a project in Cork; this is the second time I've worked over here now and I really love it. The Maryborough hotel is a real gem, it's located just outside Cork and is surrounded by very beautiful lush green gardens. 
The National Trust has a brilliant website complete with top notch documents detailing various coastal walks. So last Sunday, Carolyn and I packed up a picnic and drove all the way down to Dover so we could hike along a four mile path on top of the White Cliffs 
of Dover. The views were nothing short of spectacular. Being male, I was particular transfixed by the ferries coming in and out of the port; it was a bit like watching a man sized playset. After a couple of miles we tucked into our picnic - close to the South Foreland Lighthouse. This was the scene of Marconi's first ship-to-shore wireless message and the first international wireless transmission. Carolyn and I seem to stalk the long dead Italian scientific genius - first the Twin Lights in Highlands New York, then Marconi House in London and now South Foreland.
On the way home we took the coastal road to Hastings - somewhere I've always wanted to visit but never been. Turns out that nothing much has happened there since 1066.
I've been using AddisonLee Minicabs for a while now to take me on the first leg of work trips. That is until I discovered their AWESOME Customer Service Department.
for a car to take me to the train station - pickup was set at 3:30. The driver finally texted/called me at 3:43 to let me know that he had arrived. Not a big deal as I still made the train. A few weeks later I find a suspicious four pound charge on my credit card. The AWESOME customer service department tell me that this charge was for more than fifteen minutes of waiting time and e-mailed me the GPS track (shown) as proof. The AddisonLee 'proof' also shows their car touring around the area between 15:34:23 and 15:43:21 looking for my address (or hookers - who knows). This would be enough for most organisations to cough up but not good old AddisonLee who are still thinking about it whilst also telling me they don't care if I use them anymore.
Carolyn and I look for any excuse to go for a drive these days thanks to our new MINI Cooper! So with this in mind we headed down to the South West of England to visit some of my old haunts, including a hill called Brent Knoll.
Carolyn even tried a wild Blackberry whilst climbing to the top. I think this might be the first wild food she has ever eaten ;-) On the way home we drove through Brean Sands and as luck would have it went right through a British Country and Western Festival. Here are some photos of the gun slinging Brits on their way to the O.K. Corral to have a gun fight and do some line dancing (AWESOME huh?):
UPDATE: I found a video of a flag march from the Country and Western Festival at Brean Sands on youtube. Is it just me or does the Pontins sign ruin the effect? The South will rise again (in South West England - some restrictions apply)!
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).
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.
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!
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:
