Theakston Brewery, Masham

On the long drive home.

Christmas Wasgij complete

Everything is nicer in the snow

Reivaulx Abbey, in Wellies

And this is only on the way to pub...

Put the holly on after

The night before Christmas

To walk the line

I didn't actually take this photo, it is credited to Louisa. But I feel it's going to optimistically summarise our Yorkshire holiday ahead. Christmas up north, we just have to get there first (with grit on the roads and fingers crossed). Best wishes for your holiday celebrations, whether they be white or otherwise.

Insert lyric from a carol here

It snowed again this afternoon, and then on the way home it rained, before Kev and I could make a snowman. Bah humbug!

Happy Birthday to.... me

Thanks for the cake Kirsty, and for letting Marcos in the kitchen long enough to make Snowy the snowman.

Broadgate Venus

How did London hide this fabulous giant from me for nearly two years?

More hours for more fun

Most at this time of year are winding down, somehow I've got myself on a project that starts and ends this week so no time for fun things like skipping about in the snow, or even capturing it's presence. It's snowing in this shot, but it's kinda hard to tell much of anything.

Continuing the family tradition

Happy Birthday Kev. Because of the car nightmare on Friday, we're having a birthday do over when we're up in Yorkshire for the Christmas break.

Adopting purple

We got a free christmas tree last year, with all purple decorations. Slowly we are getting some decorations that aren't purple.

A small piece of plastic

10.00 Set off for a wedding that starts at 7pm in Lancashire.
12.40 Strange speed wobbles in the rear tire.
12.42 On the side of the road with a flat, shredded tyre.
12.50 Call RAC.
13.20 RAC turn up, comment on suspension looking bad and recommend two new tires. Put space saver on, as our car doesn't have the tools.
14.00 Get to a tyre place in Loughborough.
15.30 Pick up 'fixed' car with 'balanced and aligned' wheels.
16.00 Notice strange vibrating in the back of the car, call tyre place and they guess it might be the spare tyre not screwed in correctly.
16.30 Bugger about with spare tyre.
17.30 Call RAC from a Service area and book a room for our late arrival at wedding.
19.30 Decide on getting towed back to London, when all options have been exhausted. And the car is unsafe to drive, due to buggered suspension bushes.*
21.40 Tow truck arrives.
01.40 Finally get home, despite the police closing the road near our apartment.

* 19.32 Kev's phone gets broken as we leave the RAC vehicle. Icing meet cake.

V. early breakfast

The work Christmas party

Last year, the work Christmas party had an open bar all night, with flaming shots and all sorts of maheem happening. How could my new work place top that? Elvis in the bulding, dogems, cocktails AND candy, fire eating and more camp dancers than at Sydney Mardi Gras. Mind blown.

More beautiful on reflection

Holding on to Autumn

The cake

This week has been a crazy busy week for me at work (ah, mananging a workshop project of ten people, yikes), so I'm yet to get time for those all important thank yous. The cakes all eaten though.

Dessert at Jamie's

Beef & Ale Stew

Delicious. I think Kev's building a menu.

Dickensian, literally

Our local and the pub we had our engagement party in both have connections to Charles Dickens. In this 107 year old copy of A Tale of Two Cities, page 99 references my favourite pub in London.
Thanks sis, it is a really, really thoughtful gift.

A late entry

This actually arrived last week in time for our party, but as it wouldn't fit in the letter slot, we had to pick it up last night.
It came from three of my favourite people in the world, who keep reminding me how much I miss them!

Water logged tourists

Today I adopted an American tourist and after the Tower of London we got the bus to Trafalgar Square.

Leaving with friends

On our way home after the engagement party, it was a really great night.
More photos to come.

Walking around the Isle

Keep your eye on the bauble

Nothing celebrates the Christmas spirit more than generic mall decorations (and mall security paranoia).

Accessibility?

25 years in

Ice skating at Somerset House, for Stacey's birthday. A lot of her friends are a lot closer to twenty than we are, and when I made a reference to McGyver and then had to explain what McGyver is, I think I aged at least ten years. 'Oh, that guy they talk about on the Simpsons...?'

Sherlock at Baker Street

I was in Baker Street this morning, and found myself near Madame Tussauds for the first time since I visited in 1999. Now it costs twenty five quid for an adult to get in! From here I wandered down Marylebone Road and used the BT tower to guide me towards Oxford Street, it was nice a realisation that I'm starting to get to know parts of London to navigate sans map. Well, the shopping district anyway.

Straining with colour

Early celebrations

A group of our friends all have plans that clash with our engagement party next week. Belgium, Bruges, Birmingham and Venice get them next weekend, so last night we had an early celebration. Thanks guys.

Yorkshire pud good

My first yorkshire puds. Yes, I grew up in probably one of the few homes in NZ where vinegar on chips, red cabbage, mushy peas and yorkshire puddings were part of our food culture. Yet somehow I insisted on surviving on sweet corn and fish fingers (and they say I'm a fussy eater...) So, with my sister over for dinner in our new house, I make the stretch to attempt my first yorkshire puddings. A side to chicken, so don't tell my mum. But with stuffed mushrooms so I get points for that right?

Street lamp firelight

From Selfridges for the party next week

Amoungst the Alexandra McQueens and Vivienne Westwoods was something I could actually both afford and walk in.

Too far to adopt a new local

Enough Beatles history? Not even close. I'm keen to go back next year, but maybe on the train next time.

Forever

Commentary on the London weather

Remembering Iris

Kev's and Stacey's kiwi Nanna Iris will be forever remembered.

Sparkly shopping

On Oxford Street to meet Cath for dinner, another Aussie that's deserting us for Sydney's sunny shores. Parting words on the underground platform from Cath, 'Don't join Facebook, I'll email you'. Class. Act.

Belsize Batch #1

Yesterday, after watching Fantastic Mr Fox, we went back to Tim and Louisa's to label the bottles. They had been hard at work yesterday bottling without us so the next brew may go down in the East London brewery site (our front room).

Sharp as a tack

Kev's Nanna is slowly improving and is at least happy to be back in her own flat.

Sixty for a year

As well as a pig roasting outside, Kev's Aunty Rita had a magican entertaining at her 60th down in south London. Georgia and Paul were learning to spin plates while guests arrive and wonder what on earth we're doing.
For the record, instead of getting frustrated with it I decided not even to try. Kev on the other hand nailed it, eventually.

The distance of time

An emotional reunion for Cam and Kev, after six years has passed. There were a lot of interesting stories about Kev's past, mostly drunken.

Apprentice Letter Writer

Getting out of our last flat was pretty stress free, a quick inspection and the keys were handed over with a promise of full bond returned within the week. When this didn't happen, phone calls were not returned, emails were ignored along with our legal rights. The end result was the bond returned minus some expenses that were not agreed to by us. This is where the law was on our side. They still didn't care, as far as they were concerned the matter was resolved. Fortunately there is a dispute service available and after a lengthy form process was complete and processed our illegally taken money was given back. Satisfying yes, but I'd rather the agent was fined for negligence too.

Two tablespoons

This is my makeshift measure for two tablespoons of milk (don't worry, I cross referenced the Edmonds conversion table for tablespoons to shot glasses). It might say something about our flat, that we have shot glasses but not measuring equipment. And what?

The acclimatized Indian tiger

Tigers do the best job of reminding me how much I hate zoos. They pace back and forth in front of the bars. This particular zoo has rescued a lot of tigers, so there's that I suppose.