I'm currently following a blog written by a friend I used to work with in Australia. He and his wife decided to take some time out with their children to do a grand road trip through their country. Not only do I admire their courage to undertake such an adventure together, I'm as jealous as hell.
Here's a link to their blog: http://wilsonsaustralia.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Saturday, August 09, 2008
New York Yankees
Finding time for anything but sleeping is rare during my regular trips to New York, but I had the spectacular good fortune of watching the Yankees play during my last visit to the city courtesy of a very generous friend. He and his family have been lifelong Yankees fans and they have been in the possession of season tickets for more than 20 years.
Their seats afforded a phenomenal view of the evening's game against the L.A. Angels. Sadly, after a close fought contest, the Angels scored at the top of the ninth and the Yankees couldn't respond in their last inning. Regardless of the loss, it was a wonderful evening of pure Americana; baseball, deli sandwiches, beer, peanuts, excellent company and renditions of patriotic songs before the opening pitch and at the top of the seventh.
The evening was made all the more special by the fact that the Yankees are finishing up the season in their current baseball park before relocating a few hundred yards down the street to a fancy new stadium. For loyal fans, it may be their last season due to the incredible hike in prices that next year will bring; a good seat will cost up to $850 a game! For non-baseball aficionados, there are nearly 150 games a season! It looks like I'll be back to the bleachers for the next game.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Lake District Camping in a Yurt
I finally got K in a tent. Well, a Yurt. And, okay, it contained a wood burner, feather beds, running water, toilet, bread oven and dining room table. So, no, not really a tent in the conventional sense of the word, but it looked like one, and that's what counts.
The wonderful thing about this particular Yurt-tent-like-thing was that it was on a working farm in Hesket Newmarket, under the shadow of Blencathra, an imposing mountain in the North East of the Lake District National Park. The farmer, John, turned out not only to be a wonderful host, but he also provided us with a candid, colourful and fascinating insight into the inner machinations of a livestock farm struggling to survive in the 21st century. B, on the other hand, just thought he was cool because he drove a quadbike.
On our first morning at the farm, we stood enthralled as the farm's 500 sheep were sheared by three men with steel backs from New Zealand.
The view from the Yurt.
The standard format of a day on the farm started with cooking eggs and bacon on the wood burner, playing football with B, walking around breathtaking lakes in the shadow of majestic mountains in the afternoon and reading by candlelight in the evening. All this before drifting into a cosy long sleep as the wind and rain lashed the tent through the night, safely in the knowledge that those nice folks at Featherdown Farms had designed this structure to keep it dry and warm enough for fair-weather campers like my lovely good wife.
We visited places of natural wonder, like this beautiful waterfall near Ullswater.
And looked around a couple of places associated with Beatrix Potter, the author of "Peter Rabbit". This picture is of her home at Hilltop, now in the hands of the National Trust, together with more than 4000 acres she donated to the preservation society after her death.
B also made friends with a couple of boys on the farm.
Wild ponies with Saddleback on Blencathra in the background.
John the farmer stokes the bread oven for cooking pizza.
The view to Fairfield from Lake Windermere.
The wonderful thing about this particular Yurt-tent-like-thing was that it was on a working farm in Hesket Newmarket, under the shadow of Blencathra, an imposing mountain in the North East of the Lake District National Park. The farmer, John, turned out not only to be a wonderful host, but he also provided us with a candid, colourful and fascinating insight into the inner machinations of a livestock farm struggling to survive in the 21st century. B, on the other hand, just thought he was cool because he drove a quadbike.
On our first morning at the farm, we stood enthralled as the farm's 500 sheep were sheared by three men with steel backs from New Zealand.
The view from the Yurt.
The standard format of a day on the farm started with cooking eggs and bacon on the wood burner, playing football with B, walking around breathtaking lakes in the shadow of majestic mountains in the afternoon and reading by candlelight in the evening. All this before drifting into a cosy long sleep as the wind and rain lashed the tent through the night, safely in the knowledge that those nice folks at Featherdown Farms had designed this structure to keep it dry and warm enough for fair-weather campers like my lovely good wife.
We visited places of natural wonder, like this beautiful waterfall near Ullswater.
And looked around a couple of places associated with Beatrix Potter, the author of "Peter Rabbit". This picture is of her home at Hilltop, now in the hands of the National Trust, together with more than 4000 acres she donated to the preservation society after her death.
B also made friends with a couple of boys on the farm.
Wild ponies with Saddleback on Blencathra in the background.
John the farmer stokes the bread oven for cooking pizza.
The view to Fairfield from Lake Windermere.
Edinburgh
I love Edinburgh more than any other city on earth. It has everything; grand architecture, history, mountain views, arts, culture, it's near the sea and it's home to fabulous, fabulous bunch of people. The only thing that lets it down is the weather. But for some reason, even the rain feels softer than London.
B points out where we stayed in the city.
During the long weekend we spent visiting B's Godfather, we had a great time stomping around the city and at the National Museum of Scotland in particular. Here are a few pictures of what we saw along the way.
B points out where we stayed in the city.
During the long weekend we spent visiting B's Godfather, we had a great time stomping around the city and at the National Museum of Scotland in particular. Here are a few pictures of what we saw along the way.
Moseley Old Hall, Staffordshire
A visit to a National Trust property or garden never fails to fill a Saturday afternoon with a bucket full of interesting facts and a great way to slow down.
We visited Moseley Old Hall in Staffordshire recently. It's interesting because it started life in the 16th century, hid King Charles II during the English civil war and then survived successive remodels and extensions in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are also a number of well hidden priest holes throughout the property and a wonderful, manicured garden around the house.
We visited Moseley Old Hall in Staffordshire recently. It's interesting because it started life in the 16th century, hid King Charles II during the English civil war and then survived successive remodels and extensions in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are also a number of well hidden priest holes throughout the property and a wonderful, manicured garden around the house.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
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