Jan
03
If you missed last week’s post, or if this is your first week of ever reading this blog then do yourself a favour and at least go back to last week’s story before reading on with this one, as this new entry begins with a continuation of our road-trip to Wales.
Monday morning started with a visit to the Roman Baths in the beautiful city of Bath. These baths are 2000 years old. The water bubbles up from beneath the earth at 46°C and pours out at a staggering 1 170 000 litres per day. The wonder of this ancient place for me was not so much in the baths themselves, which resemble a sort of modern day swimming pool, but the marvel was more in the “indoor” displays. Places where you got a real sense of the place from 2000 years ago, where you could almost imagine and see in your mind’s eye, the people meeting in the courtyards, standing and sharing news and walking up to the baths. It was truly one of the most impressive and most amazing things I have ever seen. Bath is indeed a beautiful city. 
If you believe like I do, that the presence of water has an impact on the human soul then you will know why there is such a beautiful vibe here. Water runs everywhere in Bath (sic). There are little rivers and streams which flow under ancient bridges, there are roaring rapids in the heart of the city where the water flows under arched bridges. There are old parts of the city which house modern stores, there are quaint little pedestrian walkways which were strung with Christmas lights.
We left Bath at around lunchtime and continued our journey towards Wales, crossing the impressive Severn Bridge. 
We headed straight up into the Brecon Beacon Mountains, as we suspected that the weather might turn on us and we wanted to see the mountains in case we were not able to access them the following day. We drove up towards Brecon stopping along the most picturesque lakes and snow-covered mountain-tops. I stood for a moment on the side of one of the lakes and wondered to myself “…If it looks this beautiful in the stark face of winter, then just how beautiful would it be in the midst of summertime?” (I can’t wait to go back and see). Thick fog started to roll in down the mountain slopes blanketing everything in its path. We headed back down the mountains to Methyr Tydfil where we stayed for the evening. On Tuesday we were planning to travel to Abergavenny which is further towards the east and a little higher up in the mountains.
On Tuesday morning we woke to falling snow. It was coming down heavily and the forecast was not promising. We were advised that if we continued up into the mountains, there was a strong possibility that we might be stuck there in the snow for a few days, so we altered our plans a little and decided to head down from the mountains. I am not altogether sorry that we did it, as this slight adjustment in our travel plans opened up a whole new feast of things to see. 
We drove down to Caerphilly and visited the Castle which is situated in the centre of the town. It is one of the most beautiful castles that I have seen in the UK so far. It is ancient and parts of it are falling apart (like most of us), but it still retains most of its structure so you can walk through it and see where people met and played, where feasts were enjoyed in the great hall, where guards stood and took aim to defend the castle. It still has perfectly preserved rooms with fireplaces, old windows, rickety staircases and most of all, a spectacular view of the snow-covered hills surrounding the town. I think the snow that fell during our visit added to the marvel that was this phenomenal castle (and for those who are interested in Dr Who, here is something else we got to see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/southeastwales/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_8405000/8405833.stm
We drove from Caerphilly towards Cardiff and stopped at Coch Castle. 
This castle is completely different to others that I have seen in the UK. It was rebuilt and decorated during the late 1800’s, so it is far more modern and opulent than other ancient castle ruins. The beauty of this castle was just that! It is different. Set in acres of forest, it has the most impressive entrance, with great story-book towers. The kind where princesses were kept locked up until a knight arrived to save them. When we visited Castell Coch the snow was really falling heavily and set against the backdrop of the winter forest and the great towers, it was truly a beautiful scene.
The drive towards Cardiff was sometimes in the most incredible driving conditions. There were moments of almost complete white-out. The snow was packing heavily on the sides of the roads. We decided to cross back over the Severn Bridge into England and to rather spend the night where we knew the snow would not trap us.
On Wednesday morning we got a really early start so that we could make the most of the short daylight hours. We drove down to Southampton and Portsmouth. I was surprised to see how much more modern these port city are. They still have the charm and character of an old English town, but they have grown a little with the times and have a far more modern city feel to them.
Portsmouth harbour with its historic dockyards was an absolute delight for Mitchell. He was lucky enough to see two aircraft carriers in port, the HMS Ark Royal and the HMS Illustrious, but the absolutely beauty was the HMS Victory. If you don’t know the story of this ship, then please read up about it and if you are ever in Portsmouth, don’t miss out on this one. 
The tour of the ship was worth everything and more, and I was thankful that the snow in the Brecon Mountains had played with our plans, and given us the chance to stop over here. The Mary Rose is currently under refurbishment in the port, so visitors are not allowed to visit her at the moment (just another excuse to take a trip back and see it all again).
Thursday was New Years Eve, and our first new year in our new country. We celebrated the start of 2010 at the Hare and the Hound in Bidborough. The theme was “Best of British” and I soon realised that I had better get up to speed on some of the characters of British music and film, as most of those costumes were not familiar to me at all. Mike mentioned, perhaps a little too loudly, that he thought the one lady was dressed as Amy Winehouse, but with a swift retort she came back at him to mention that she “WAS NOT!” We therefore assumed that perhaps this was just her usual look.
The New Year rang in with some new faces, some old ones, and some South African champagne.
On New Year’s Day we took a leisurely trip on the Spa Valley Railway which travels from Tunbridge Wells to Groombridge station and back. It passes through some stunning farmlands and past the village of High Rocks, so aptly named for the huge rocks which jut out from the side of a hill. The train is an old stream train and the best parts of it are that rhythmic sound of the wheels on the tracks and the smell of the burning coal. The train passed through a very wintery landscape with patches of snow along the tracks and sprinkled like icing sugar on the farmlands.
On Saturday we took Jon to Canterbury, Herne Bay and Broadstairs. This would be our first trip to the sea in about 6 months and despite the fact that the temperature hovered around 3°C, it was just wonderful to be back at the coast. Canterbury Cathedral is just as amazing as I imagined it would be, set amongst the narrow cobbled streets of the old part of the city. 
Old passageways where the feet of devoted monks once walked, old buildings with skew walls looking like they come straight out of a children’s story book and shops that you just can’t help but peek inside, old music shops with a romantic saxophone in the window, quaint little candy stores with colourful jars stacked high and inviting altogether make Canterbury a city which just sort of gets under your skin. It is the stuff of storybooks and one visit will make you realise why Charles Dickens spent so much time here.
Jon had his first unimpressive walk on a pebble beach in Herne Bay, but then we found some real sea sand on Broadstairs beach. Many English seaside villages have those very 1960’s little ice-cream shacks on the beaches and it doesn’t matter that the mercury just can’t get up passed 3°C, there will surely be a little shop selling ice-creams and brightly coloured plastic buckets and spades. It has to make you want to be a kid again. 
Today ended off the week on a restful note. Mike, Jon, Mitchell, and Jenna went to watch Alvin and Chipmunks and we ended off the evening with a few board games. It sure has been another wonderful week.
As I write this blog tonight I look out the window, and the snowflakes are falling past the light on the corner of our street. It is not a heavy snowfall, just light flurries but they are beautifully illuminated by the orange glow. The days have started to get longer now and since Jon arrived in the middle of December we have already won back almost 30 minutes of daylight. Mitchell and Jenna go back to school this week, the Christmas decorations will go back in the boxes and our first Christmas and New Year in the UK will become yet another point on our scorecard and a time of happy memories spent with good friends.
After last weekend’s snowfall we expected the snow to melt away rather quickly, but with the daily temperatures seldom rising above 2 or 3 degrees during this week, it lasted for days. The snow eventually started to melt and then re-froze which created some adventurous driving conditions. I did a side-slide around the corner into our street and with my heart beating in my throat, Mitchell and Jenna both cheered from the back seat: “Cool Mom, do it again!” Like they thought I had somehow intentionally done it. Our snowman eventually became one with the snow on the pavement again; his head rolled off first and finally all that remained of him were a carrot, a few raisins and some pebbles. I am sure he will be resurrected in a few weeks time, if we are lucky enough to have some more snow.
On Monday evening we took Jon to play ten-pin bowling at the Bowl-Plex in Tunbridge Wells. Once again I showed my true form and with 3-strikes in a row the game was all but wrapped up for me. Mitchell shakes his head and laughs at my blatant arrogance when I dance around and cheer, but being the family’s ten-pin bowling champion is a coveted title in the Wright house at the moment.
We stopped in Tonbridge at Barden Park Lake, which is where the Tonbridge Yacht club is. This park was beautiful in the summer and this would be my first trip back there in the winter months. I found it to be prettier than I had remembered it. Birds were able to stand out on the frozen surface of the lake, the children’s playground was covered in snow, and the whole park made for a walk of the most amazing photographic moments. We left on the train for London at about 14:00 on 
Tuesday to go to the Winter Wonderland and German Market in Hyde Park. I had an image in my mind of what it might be like, but I could never have truly imagined how it would be. It’s not about the goods on sale or the hectic roller-coaster rides. It’s about each individual little store and how it is decorated. The lights, the smell of cinnamon, the German folk music, people in costumes, little handmade chocolates, glass ornaments that sparkled in the coloured Christms lights. On some of the stalls there were authentic little decorations on the rooftops, not your stereo-type Christmassy things, but little old wooden wagons, a chicken, or an old basket. There were more stories to be told about the rooftop decorations than anything, for me.
Christmas day was a quiet and relaxing day, we took a walk around the Tonbridge Castle, climbed to the top of the motte and bailey and got the most beautiful view of the town. Jenna and Mitchell took along a bag of peanuts in shells and old bread and we spent ages feeding the ducks and the squirrels. The squirrels come right up and take the peanuts out of your hand. This was however not the end of the day’s festivities. We spent the evening at Mike’s sisters house in Bidborough. There were 17 of us around the dinner table and this is how I remember Christmas dinners as a child, just sitting around the table for ages, talking and laughing, dishing up desert and sweets and spending time together, but I missed my brother Michael more than anyone can imagine. 
We set off at 08:30 this morning from Tonbridge on our road-trip to the Brecon Mountains in Wales. Our trip is taking us to Stonehenge, Old Sarum Castle in Salisbury and the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral. Driving to Stonehenge was incredible. We had seen it so often on TV and had obviously developed images in our minds of how it would be, but we were wrong. You drive over a little hill on the freeway and all of a sudden there it is, right there in front of you, just as it has been standing there for more than 4000 years. There are no big imposing gates to the site and the visitors centre is cleverly tucked away (almost underground) on the other side of the freeway, so you get a real sense of this place, not as some tacky tourist spot, but as a place of significant meaning. You walk away from it wondering what they knew back then that we just take for granted today. What was important at that time, that we now just fob off as unimportant? I will go back to Stonehenge in the summer months and stare again in wonder at it. If you have ever thought it was beautiful in pictures and on TV, then you will surely appreciate how truly magnificent it really is when you stand on the ground where once, 4000 years ago, a group of people, very different to us, once found wonder too.
Old Sarum Castle is a ruin of a Castle, standing on a hill overlooking the picturesque town of Salisbury. This castle was in its heyday in about the 1100’s. Try to imagine that. Standing in the place, in the rooms, in the grounds of a Castle where a King walked so many hundreds of years ago. The views from the top of the hill made me stand for a moment and appreciate why that spot was probably chosen. It certainly has a view that is fit for a King!
The Steeple of Salisbury Cathedral stands like a towering symbol over the city. You can see it from miles around and it is like a beacon, drawing you every nearer to what must be one of the most incredible places I have ever seen. The details in the architecture, the fine craftsmanship that took place so many years ago, before computers put the designs together, when men created all that with their bare hands. You cannot stand there and not wonder in absolute awe at how incredible the buildings of that time were. Salisbury’s little streets are packed with the most amazing little old buildings sandwiched between others. There is a medieval part of the city where the little buildings and plaques with stories on tell of a time that we can hardly ever dream to imagine.
Tomorrow we continue our trip to Wales, over little bridges that stand up against the raging rivers which are now carrying the snow-melt, along little roads lined with trees that hide old stone cottages, buildings that look as if they come of the pages of an illustrated children’s storybook.
Monday began the week for me just as all weeks should begin, filled with excitement. I took a trip into London and as all my trips into London turn out, this one was just fantastic. There is something so magical about that city. There is so much to learn, so much to discover, so many interesting facts that lie around every corner. You can eat chocolate covered strawberries from Harrods, you can walk for miles until your feet ache or you can just sit and watch the world pass you by, but a trip into London will leave you forever wanting more.
Jon arrived on Tuesday. We had not really had any bitterly cold weather yet. We had had one or two mornings with a dusting of frost on the cars, but nothing to write home about. Then Jon arrived on the morning that we saw our first winter wonderland. It wasn’t snow but thick white frost which lasted all day. Everything was covered in it. I drove through to Heathrow to fetch Jon at 6am. Now a trip on the M25 at the best of times is hair-raising, but at 6am on a dark, frosty morning was just a rush. It was so fantastic to see Jon again. Mitchell and Jenna didn’t know that he was arriving on Tuesday; we had managed to keep it a secret from them. I was SO delighted to see their reactions when they saw him. It will forever remind me of just how important Jon is to them and how much they miss him.
On Wednesday morning Jon and I travelled into London on the train to meet up with Raymond Scott. Raymond was at Tech with Jon and also one of the first students that I taught as a PE Tech lecturer. We walked out of the underground at Oxford Circus and immediately we noticed the falling white flakes. I couldn’t believe that we were walking down the streets of London and it was snowing. We shopped around in Hamley’s and then met up with Raymond. I haven’t seen him for more than 10 years now, and it was just fantastic to spend an hour catching up, reminiscing and comparing notes about the UK. Raymond only lives an hour away, in Alton, so we have promised to spend some more time together. I didn’t expect that when we got home the snow would have already started to fall in Tonbridge. It was not a lot, just a light dusting, but it was a promise of things to come.
By the time we got back to fetch Jenna the sky was telling a very different story about the weather. A few minutes later the snow began to come down like you cannot imagine, coating everything, dusting, flying everywhere. Within minutes the street outside was covered. Mitchell’s school had closed for the holidays but Jenna’s school was due to continue on the Friday. We heard on the radio the following morning that most of the schools in Kent were closed because of the snow so she got the day off.
Many cars were stuck or just couldn’t get enough grip to drive up roads with the slightest incline. We went and bought Mitchell and Jenna each a sled and headed off to Bidborough so they could go and take on the slopes in “the bomb crater”. The bomb crater is a deep hole in the side of a hill (probably measuring about 50m in diameter). It is a hole where soil was dug out to create a nearby dam wall, but it looks more like a bomb crater and as such the legend was born. The crater has steep sides and when it has been snowing, the local children from the village use it as a ski-run.
On Saturday we all travelled through to London so that Jon (and us) could see some of the tourist sites (sights). We also knew that London was free of snow, so it would be the perfect day for some sight-seeing. The sky was absolutely cloudless and made for an awesome day. We took one of the open-top bus tours past most of the famous attractions and got off at Tower Bridge. Here we caught the ferry to Greenwich and visited the Observatory. The view of Canary Warf and London itself from the top of the Observatory hill is stunningly spectacular and to be there at sunset as the light reflected off the sky-scrapers was a breathtaking moment. We caught the train back to London and resumed our trip on the bus, getting off at Buckingham Palace and walking through Green Park. We ended our beautiful day with dinner in Piccadilly Circus under the famous lights.
Today Jon, Mitchell, Jenna, and I took a walk through the farms across the road from our house. This is one of my favourite walks and takes us past horses and apple orchards, through fields (which are now unrecognisable under the snow) and past a frozen lake. We saw many little robin redbreast birds which looked as if they had come directly off of a Christmas card, we found the tracks of deer in the snow, fires burned and apples lay freezing in the white snow in the orchards. Mitchell and Jenna lay in the snow and made snow angels and then laughed hysterically as they stood up and the snow fell down the backs of their shirts. There is something to be said for new experiences like digging your car out of the snow, shovelling the front garden path. It is all part of the deal and a whole load of fun.
The filtered sun will begin to shine a little brighter and bring with it the promise of long summer days, but for now we will enjoy what has come our way. The days are cold now but we greet each new one with a renewed anticipation as we grow to know the warmth of our neighbours and appreciate the many Christmas wishes. We have Jon here, and soon Philip will join us for Christmas. Here’s hoping that the snow will linger and that we will never begin to take moments like this for granted. Who knows what lies behind the next gate?
On Tuesday night St James Place, the company that Mike works for, held their Christmas Ball at the Park Lane Hotel in London. It was a very formal black-tie affair in one of the most beautiful hotels in London. We arrived at the hotel and the photographers were taking photos of everyone arriving. I was astonished when we walked out 4 hours later and all the photos were printed, framed, and packed on a table for us to pick up on our way out the door. 
I know this is the age of instant gratification, but what happened to waiting for a week for your photos to be developed? It was incredible. The venue, the beautiful saxophone music in the corner of the room, the new people that we met, the food, all put together made for a lovely evening. 
. Old age? Heck, I don’t know and I care even less.
The plans are finally in place for Christmas, and I think a beautiful time lies ahead with family and friends. Now if I could just get my shopping done I might feel a little more comfortable. Jon arrives from South Africa on Tuesday morning and I can’t wait to make the early morning trip to Heathrow to go and fetch him. Mitchell and Jenna do not know when he arrives so it is going to be the most awesome surprise for them. We are going to have 3 fantastic weeks, seeing us through Christmas and the New Year. Philip will also be joining us on the 23rd and 24th December. Just like the old days, boys. I love the way the neighbours are decorating their homes for Christmas. We used to see it in SA, but not nearly on this scale.
I was indeed spoilt for my birthday. I got an iPhone. I am usually not one for techno-gadgets, but I think this little device may just be the 8th wonder of the modern world. Getting gifts for a birthday or Christmas is so special. There is just something wonderful about holding a wrapped gift in your hands and wondering what is inside. I think it’s a feeling we experience in the very early stages of our lives and like a stamp on our emotions, we remember that feeling forever. It is just simply called “excitement”. Of course when the gifts arrive early and you know you can’t open them until the right moment, then “excitement” becomes “excruciating”. Well, for me it does anyway.
On Tuesday morning we woke to our first frost of the winter. It was the 1st of December and it seemed like the most appropriate start to the first day of the real winter months. Mitchell and Jenna have been waiting patiently for the frost and they were so excited to run outside in the freezing cold morning (Jenna was still in her pyjamas) to scrape the ice off the windscreen of the car. Everyone else was passing by in the street and there were the Wright
family in their pyjamas, in the freezing cold, on the pavement, with mom taking photos. Of course scraping the ice off the windscreen is not the best, fastest, or most comfortable solution. It is far easier to go outside 5 minutes before you plan to leave, turn on the engine, gradually turn up the heater in the car, and just wait a few moments. Now we will wait for the next instalment in “white winter mornings”. We will wait for more frost, thicker frost, and eventually a snow-covered garden.
Today Jenna met Santa at the Royal Victoria Centre in Tunbridge Wells. He was seated inside the biggest Christmas tree I think I have seen and each child who entered the big red doors at the bottom of the tree was given a gift. Jenna got the most beautiful craft project. It is a handbag that she has been sewing on all day and I promise that when she is finished I will post a photo of it here. Now, let me say that I have bitched and complained about paying for parking on this blog, on more than one occasion, but all of a sudden today I realised that all those pounds I had been pumping into the parking meter came back to me in the most special way today when Jenna’s little face lit up and sparkled in that moment, in the tree. A full-circle moment?.
The Centre is surrounded at the moment by magnificent animals made out of fairy lights and I think an evening trip may well be on the cards, to go and see what they all look like lit up under the night sky. Now crowded shopping centres are not my thing at the best of times, but we discovered the Winter Wonderland and Ice Rink which are set up at the centre. The Winter Wonderland is made up of little wooden stalls which create a small Christmas flea market, rides for the kids to enjoy, Santa’s grotto, and an outdoor temporary ice-skating rink. Mitchell decided to take a ride on “Freak Out” and boy, didn’t he just!! Mike, Jenna, and I stood next to the ride and 
watched as absolute terror fell over Mitchell’s face. Now some people may wonder how I could stand there and laugh at the sight of my son’s absolute face of fear, but there is only so much you can do as a parent. There is only so much that you can warn them, and then as long as you know they are going to be safe , you are within your rights to stand back and watch as they make up their own mind to follow through against your judgement. He absolutely hated it, but he certainly learned a value lesson about understanding his own limits.
Jenna has been doing handstands and tumbles, all sorts of rolls and flick-flacks, but gymnastics is not a big sport in South Africa, so we never really got her involved in it back home. I took her along to the lesson which takes about 1hour 15 min and I was absolutely amazed at what the children of her age could do. What shouldn’t have surprised me is that she took to it like a duck to water. Her coach came over at the end of the session and was surprised when I told her that Jenna has never had any gym coaching. I think we may just have found the right thing for Jenna to do. Jenna is not a ball-games child, but give her a stage, a chance to dance and do gym and she is in “her own little place”.
I know that the worst is yet come and that it will still be a long cold winter, but when you put in perspective and look for the silver lining, it really doesn’t seem so bad. The Salt Grit buckets have been placed alongside some of the roads in preparation for when the ice appears on the road surfaces. There are very few leaves left on the trees now, thanks to days and days of gale-force winds, but that is perfect because all over the place the local councils have wrapped the trees in fairy-lights, so as you walk along the paved streets past cosy little coffee shops you pass all these leaf-bare trees that are wrapped in hundreds of little lights. The outdoor skate parks have started to be erected in and around London, Ferris-wheels are being erected, Christmas markets are being advertised and Christmas lights twinkle from every street lamp and shop window.
On Tuesday evening we went to watch the Springboks play rugby against Saracens at Wembley stadium. It was undoubtedly one of the most incredible experiences, not only for the fact that we were watching our own home team, but to be at Wembley Stadium was just an amazing moment. The stadium quite simply is as fantastic as you imagine. It has a seating capacity of 90 000 which makes it the second largest stadium in Europe. We were part of a crowd of more than 46 000 people. The flags, the painted faces, the atmosphere, the singing, the Mexican wave, the pre-match entertainment, and the camaraderie amongst the fans from both teams were just incredible (even the stadium food was something I’d rate pretty well). We were part of a group of 16 family and friends, cousins with vuvuzelas, waving flags, screaming for our guys in the green and gold. We travelled to Wembley by train. (Yes Steve, brace yourself! Here it comes). We left Tonbridge station and travelled to Charing Cross where we entered the underground and took the tube to Marylebone Station. We did this because we were meeting Steve, who works in London and he was going to travel with us to the stadium. We boarded the train at Marylebone station but just as the train was about to leave the station we read the scrolling electronic board in the train and realised Wembley Station was not one of its stops. With a dash to the train door we tried to get off, but the train moved and we were heading out of the station on the wrong train. 
We got off at West Ruislip station, dashed over the pedestrian bridge, and caught the next train heading back towards Wembley. In the end I think it worked out just great! We had plenty of time on our hands anyway and this little odyssey on the train gave us a chance to chat with (and laugh at) Steven 
. Arriving at the stadium was fantastic. The huge glowing arch hangs across the sky, the well organised directions to our seats, passing hundreds of other South Africans and flag sellers all over the place. Who cares what the score was? At the end of the day it was about the feeling that I had inside of me when I walked out of that stadium and joined thousands and thousands of people walking to Wembley Park station and heading home on the trains. It is truly one evening I will always remember.
On Friday Mitchell travelled to France for the first time. He went to the town of Lille. They left the school at 05:30am by coach to Ashford International Station where the whole coach, boys on board and all, was put onto the train. They arrived in Lille for a day of trying out their new French skills, shopping at the Lille Christmas market, visiting the zoo, and experiencing a day in a French city. The weather fortunately held up for them, with only a short spot of rain. Mitchell cannot believe how expensive France is. He shuddered that he had paid €4.50 for a hot chocolate. (At the current exchange rate that is R50.85). 
He did seem to enjoy the fact that he had walked into a hotel restaurant, ordered, consumed, and paid for his entire meal on his own. I guess I had never realised that something so simple has always been done for him, by an adult. They visited the Lille zoo and Mitchell came home with some photos on his camera that he took at the zoo. What did he photograph? A rhino, a zebra, some buck… I guess the African spirit just runs deep. Trips like this are just one of the reasons why we made this journey to the UK. School children, that are a part of a school group, are not required to get a visa for day trips like this. So Mitchell gets to experience these outings to the continent, without us having to go through the pains of organising a Schengen Visa.
Christmas creeps ever nearer and the shops over here are absolutely beautiful. In South Africa we would never have anything to do with snow in our Christmas decorations, because it just was never a part of a South African Christmas, We never had a Christmas tree with white anywhere on it or anything like that, but now it’s all different and we can open up Christmas this year to a whole lot of new decorations and ideas. 
Today we drove to the Brooks Garden Centre near Paddock Wood; about 10 minutes drive from us. What a beautiful sight! There was a huge room with the most beautiful things to buy for Christmas, the biggest Christmas stockings you have ever seen and lights of every colour and shape. I can’t wait for the decorations to go up this year.
On Friday evening James Joyce travelled down from London to have dinner with us. James was one of my students in the first year that I was a lecturer for Port Elizabeth Technikon. He works for Icap in London. I had bent James’ ear for the fact that I had already been in the UK for 18 weeks and we had not seen him yet, but I considered the bad break of his leg, that he has been nursing, and decided to cut him some slack. 
A fantastic evening of wine and dine, memories and a whole load of catching up. There are just some people who come into your life and it doesn’t matter how many years pass by or how far apart you live from one another, it just takes a walk through a door and all the years fade away. It is like you were never apart.
The autumn leaves have almost all fallen now and with the rain that we have had they have formed a thick spongy mat under foot. There is a different sense in the air now. There is a definite smell of autumn about. One of the things that I find difficult to get across in this blog are the moments that touch on my other senses over here, the smells and the sounds that I experience on a walk. The smell of the rotting, wet leaves on the ground mixes with smells of wood-burning fires when you walk past farmhouses and little streams of smoke are billowing from the chimneys, while rotting apples that lie strewn on the ground in the orchards give off a sweet smell. All along the roads are signboards offering logs for sale. You cannot deny the beauty of a log burning fire in the winter time. The sounds that I loved today, that I wasn’t expecting to hear was the sweet chirping of 3 little birds in a tree that had no more leaves on it. 
A little further along the farmlands and the sound of running water captured my attention. With the rains that we have had, the dams have filled up and are overflowing, forming the most beautiful little streams. Its these smells and sounds that I cannot share with you here, but I hope that you can get a sense of how peaceful and pleasant it is.
All week the fireworks have been going off. Oh yes they have! I suspect that from Halloween through Guy Fawkes, into Christmas and New Year the sparks are going to be flying for quite a while yet. Every night we are able to look out of almost any window of the house and see fireworks popping off in the distance. On Saturday night we went to a fireworks display at Jenna’s school. It was absolutely fantastic! 
Fireworks: A symbol of various stages in our life? They start off with a sudden random spark and they fly off at the most incredible speed, glowing and flying through the air to amazing heights, where they reach the potential they were meant to get to, and at that point they are really at their best, then suddenly the brightness is gone and the sparks slowly start to fade away and you know that it is dying out in front of your eyes. Then it’s over and you can remember the loud sound like music in your ears, but ultimately all you have left are the memories.
On Friday evening Philip drove down to spend the whole weekend with us. He accompanied Mike, Mitchell, and James (nephew) into London on Saturday where they visited the Science Museum and the Imperial war museum. I think it was a real “aviation-boys” day out.
Jenna also spent Saturday in London with Mike’s sister and her cousin, Kirstin. She attended the Disney show “Princess Wishes” on ice at the O2 arena. She loved it. She was so excited about showing us the moves when she got home. How the princesses skated, how they were held up and spun around by the princes.
This week in England I saw the most incredible full moon. I have seen the full moon every month since we have been here (yes, that’s how cloud-free the Kent sky really is). You know those times when you see something really beautiful and you wish you could share it with someone who you know will just “get it”? They will understand what you are actually seeing, why you are seeing it, and just why it matters to you? Well, it rose from the horizon like a giant ball in the sky, I made myself a cup of hot-chocolate, put on my jacket and went and sat outside in the cool crisp autumn air so that I could enjoy the moment. The moon fades away and sometimes you can’t see it anymore, but unlike the fireworks which only last a moment in time, you can live with the anticipation that the moon will come back, that it really isn’t gone, that the light has just faded from its face and once the light hits it at the right angle, you will see it again on a clear cloudless night.
October ends, and with it yet another month in the UK. We are now into November and I am pleasantly surprised with the UK weather for this late in the year. A lot of people are telling me that this is very unlike a normal October, when it comes to weather, so I am not sure if the cold is holding off just to soften our move to the UK or if it is just going to pop up one morning and issues us with a rude awakening. We are now deeply into autumn and the colours have just been astounding. The belief that autumn colours are orange and brown is just a fallacy. True autumn colours are made up of various pinks and lavender, gold and deep, deep reds. It’s like a whole colour palette unto its own.
I think he has done a fantastic job on it and he declared most boastfully this evening that this is the best project he has ever done. He built it up with layer on layer of polystyrene and then filed and shaped it into the dome that would become the volcano. He even melted down Jenna’s red and orange wax crayons to make the lava flows. This is the second “construction” project that he has had to do and I am so proud of the way he gives attention to detail.
This week certainly ended on a high for me. Growing up in Montgomery Drive in East London, I lived across the road from Mr and Mrs Heggie and their family. I went to high school with 3 of their children, Steven, Chris, and Lisa, and the family have always played a big part of my life. I was always invited to 21st birthday parties and weddings in their family and I have remained in close contact with them over the years. Steven lives here in the UK now and he was a source of so much useful information when I had questions about moving to the UK. He has always helped me to see both of sides of every concern or question that I raised. Mr and Mrs Heggie have just spent about 3 weeks in the UK and on Friday we drove to 
Who are the threads in your tapestry? Who makes up the image of your life? If you pulled one of those threads out of the weave, what would happen? There is an entire department of people employed at the palace to make sure that the tapestries are cared for, that no harm can come to the delicate threads. Do you give that much attention to the threads in your tapestry? I am proud to say that I think I do and that has always made a huge difference in my life. It means that the bonds I had with people 20-odd years ago are held together across the miles and throughout the years. Whether it is Mr and Mrs Heggie in East London or my best friend Linda Marzano in the USA, I know that every thread in my tapestry is needed, right where it is, and like those people at the palace, I will do all that I can to hold them together because they are the fabric that make the beautiful image that is my life.
This weekend was also Halloween and the first time that Mitchell and Jenna have ever had the chance to go trick-or-treating. Now say what you like about Halloween, you are always going to get those people who argue that it is taboo for Christians to participate in it, that it has its roots in pagan festivals, but the truth is that anything you do in this world is only done in the spirit in which you see it. Anything that we do in this world is done according to our own belief system. The roots of Halloween can be traced back to the Christian feast of All Saints day, so before you cast a stone at me, please read up on 
To end off this reflection of our week, I need to add what must be one of the top highlights…. We got tickets to the Bon Jovi Concert at the 02 arena! I don’t think I need to say anything else about this topic. If you have any idea at all about how much I love the music of Bon Jovi, then you will know that no more needs to be said.