Spring??

Looks like Spring in Wandsworth common!!

Cinque Terre

My weekend in Italy

Friday

Up at 5:45am and off at 6:05am to catch the train! Still dark and rather cold! Around 8am arrive at Stansted Airport and check in. 10:35 and the RyanAir 737 takes off--destination Parma, Italy. 2 hours later we land in Parma and are rushed through customs which consists of one man glancing at our passports--no machine reading them! Juliette met me with one of her colleagues who had a car so could take me into town. Juliette had to go back to work so I explored Parma! I was amazed at the small cobbled streets with high and very old buildings so close together. And there were so many bicycles--these bicycles were like Mums bicycle when I was 8 years old. No gears and very old school style! Even the new bicycles were still this style. So I figured someone must hire them out so I got a map at the information centre and set off. Walked thru a big green area and found some giant teapots!! I approached to photograph them and had a guy come up and begin to speak a lot of Italian to me. He then found someone else to translate for me and I found out he was asking me if I wanted to buy weed!! The teapots must be the location for that!! A bit further on by the river I managed to find the bicycles and for 70 cents had one for an hour. I biked thru a large park and then negotiated some crazy busy streets to find the football stadium. I had asked the rental lady if there were any rules I should know and she said "No, the bikes can go anywhere!" And yes they did go everywhere--sometimes coming at you on the wrong side of the road but often on the footpaths dodging the pedestrians. After an hours exploring I walked back to Juliette's apartment and fell asleep on the couch. After Juliette came home we went out for some wine-here they bring you many snacks for free to eat with your wine! Then home to make lunch for the next day and get some sleep.

Saturday

Caught the train at 7:50am for the 2 hour trip to the coast. The trains are big and old--not like the English trains. We went thru farmland and then hills and along a nice river--through a gorge and then I fell asleep. We got off the train in Riomaggiore which is the first of 5 towns in the Cinque Terre. We then walked along the Via dell'Amore which is an amazing path high above the sea on the cliffs. This took us to Manarola which is a very cute little town with a lovely little harbour with lots of small boats. We walked on around the coast for another hour to the 3rd town Corniglia. Here we got on the train to carry on north. The trains run all the way up the coast mostly in tunnels but occasionally pop out right on the edge of the cliff. We took the train to the 5th town Monterosso. This one has a large beach which wasn't that clean but we found some large rocks to sit on and eat lunch right beside the sea. Then we walked back to the 4th town Veranozza. This 1 1/2 hour walk was up a lot of very steep steps and then along the cliff top and then a steep descent down into Veranozza. We walked thru a lot of terraces where grapes, olives, citrus trees and other things are grown. There were water pipes everywhere! Then we stumbled upon 2 fat cats sitting on the side of the track with a lot of cat food and a cat tent! there was a sign saying to please feed these homeless cats with the food provided. They didnt move--just sat there- I guess they were too fat to move. After that we began to notice fat cats in all the towns--lots of them! From Corniglia we took the train back to Manarola where we got Italian icecream and ate it by the harbour. This was probably the cutest of the little towns. It had very steep streets and pathways between teh buildings which we explored. We stayed here a long time taking photos and waiting for sunset. Just before sunset we walked back towards Riomaggiore where on the cliffpath there is a bar/cafe. Here we bought hot chocolates--they were so thick it was like drinking a pudding-sooo good!! watched the sunset and then walked back to Riomaggiore. Explored this town and decided on a restuarant (Pizzeria Da Ciro) for dinner. Juliette had pizza and I had Parma Calzone. Unfortunately it was a little burnt and the restuarant owner tried to tell me that was normal. After dinner we had to wait about 40 minutes for the train and the temp had dropped to 8 deg but it felt like about 2!! It had got up to 16 during the afternoon and in the sun we had got quite hot hiking. We jumped around trying to keep warm and then fell asleep on the 2 hour train journey back to Parma.

Sunday

Today we slept in and then walked around Parma. Went inside the cathedral which is huge and has very high ceilings with paintings all over them. Very impressive old building. It was very cold and the sun was trying to shine through! Had lunch in a nice cafe--I had crepes with Parma chese and Parma ham! mmmm! Then all too soon had to go to the airport and fly back to London. Was a great weekend, soo nice to breathe the fresh sea air and smell the salt and the sea. Gratia Juliette!!

English Football

Today I played my 2nd real game of English Football. Its not a very high division but its FA football all the same. Last week (we won 2-0) I played my preferred right wing position and in the 2nd half felt like I was starting to get into the game. My last competitive match was at the end of September 2006 on a near perfect pitch on a beautiful sunny day at Jubilee Park in Richmond, NZ. This week I played as a centre midfielder which is not a position I am that familiar with! I had a pretty high work rate for the whole game but again my 2nd half felt better and I got a lot more hungry in challenging for the ball. Everyone seemed real happy with my performance and all commented on my work rate and that I must be tired! We drew 2-2 but should have won but for some dubious refereeing. He struggled to control the game, made some bad decisions and then it spiralled downhill. Some of our players got frustrated and he just yellow carded anyone that talked back. He also pulled them up for swearing which they often get away with in this league. So i think 4 yellow cards were issued to our team and there was much heated shouting and arguing. It damaged the match really. This team doesn't train and I think next season I will want to find a team that does train and play in a higher league. I am soon to switch to beach volleyball on Saturdays I hope--can't wait!!

100% PURE NZ

My daily commute takes me through Victoria Station. Down at the platform on the Victoria underground line I now see 2 large advertising screens playing video footage of New Zealand. For me its a little slice of home in a big dirty grey city. Ahhhhh!!! Click on the title above to see why Kiwis are sooo proud of our country and why I love it soo much!

OBAMA '08

Well the race is really hotting up! I am loving the contest and interest created by this years US election and it is seemingly getting more Americans interested in voting. To summarize some of my opinions I would say:

1. All the Republican candidates are what you would expect a Hollywood depiction of the American President to look like--not real but good actors and I would seriously hope none of them become the leader of the most powerful nation in the world.

2. The more Hillary Clinton speaks the less she convinces me she could rule the nation let alone deal with foreign affairs (not to mention the gender issues she would face trying to be taken seriously in places such as the Middle East where females are under complete subjugation)

3. The more Bill Clinton speaks the more he makes himself and his wife look desperate to be back in power. He also seems to make her look weak and unable to be the leader she needs to be.

4. The more Obama speaks the more you see something special. This might just be the time that come 2016 both American citizens and many others around the world could be saying we wish he could stay on for a 3rd term.

So if you are a US citizen then do the research and see why you shouldn't vote Obama!!

Online at home again!

Yep today I finally got internet hooked up. Nothing is simple in this country! Business systems seem to be the cause of most of the problems. I tried to pay my phone bill online but no thats not possible, not only could I not pay it from my bank account online but I also couldn't pay it on the phone networks website even tho it said I could. Customer Services assured me it wouldnt work and she didnt know why it said online that I could! In fact paying for things seems to always be a hassle. So many places won't take card unless you spend over 5 GBP and some places just dont take card at all. They are still very reliant on cash and cheques are still widely in use it seems. On Friday our boiler quit working meaning no heat in the house and no hot water either! The earliest an engineer can get here to fix it is Tuesday!! You would think they have after hours call outs esp. in Winter but no. So we are all rugged up in our freezing cold house and will have to find somewhere for a shower before Tuesday! Went to a soccer game today with a local club. I could get a game with them next week. They don't train however so I may keep hunting for a club that trains. I would love to get involved with a semi-pro club as it seems that most others dont take training very seriously at this stage in the season. Have found a beach volleyball venue in Brighton and they want coaches so have asked me to come down and see them. They are even hosting the World Under 21 Champs in September. Meanwhile back in NZ, Anna improved again on the NZ Pro Tour with a 17th and 3 13th placings. Check her out here!

Hannah and I

Hannah and Andy

Hannah's wedding day!

Saturday was a crisp blue sky day! Rather more like a Nelson winters day than an English one! As I sat in the train on my 70 minute journey from Clapham Junction to Reading there wasn't a cloud in the sky. At Reading I changed trains and went on to Pangbourne. Here i followed Hannah's great directions and found the church a short walk from the small station. I was really in the country now! I was plenty early but a few others were there already so I sat and waited as I knew no one other than Hannah! I introduced myself to Andy--her fiance as he was greeting guests as they arrived. At about 1pm the minister began the service and shortly after Hannah entered the church. She had 3 bridesmaids each of them accompanied by a flower girl. The service had the traditional Church of England bits but also was unique to Hannah and Andy and had some great songs with a band from the Putleys church. It was a really nice old country church and a great setting for a great wedding! After the ceremony I met Hannah's parents and her Dad arranged some of their friends to look after me for the afternoon and give me a ride to the dance reception. They had a family reception in the afternoon and then we all arrived at around 7:30. The people that took me introduced me to a few others and then I met Hannah's sister and some of Andy family. His family are from Newcastle and have brilliant accents! We had a great time dancing and eating and drinking. Met some really nice people and had a great time. Most of all was so good to be celebrating Hannah and Andy's commitment to each other--Andy is a really nice guy and I'm sure they will be a great couple! Getting home was a challenge as I missed the last direct train from Reading to Clapham so took a train into Paddington but by the time I got there(12:40am) the tube was closed so had to take the bus to Trafalger Square and then another bus to Clapham Junction and then walk 30 mins home! Even tho its December 29 it wasn't freezing outside at 2am!

Lost?

Ok so I've had the week off and after Christmas not much to do so I got the Lost Series 3 DVD's out and have just finished watching all 23 episodes! Finally we have got some answers and much developments but it is still wide open in season 4 for where they may take us! There was a glimpse tho that they will be rescued from the island. Another brilliant season tho and can't wait for more!

Merry Christmas!!

Ok so its been a while since I wrote on here! A lot has happened in that time! I am now living in south London and working for All Souls Church in central London. All Souls Church is a well known church of which John Stott was rector for many years. Christianity Explored has also come from All Souls. I am the church coordinator meaning I handle all the day to day management of the church--bookings, events and heaps of other things that crop up! It is very interesting and varied with lots of challenges along the way. I have a great flat in London with 3 Christian flatmates. Its a big warm house with large rooms which is kinda unusual for London!

I play touch rugby every Saturday and have been running a bit too. Hoping to join a soccer club in the new year. If anyone is over this way you are welcome to come and stay!!

It's been amazing to see God lead me this year from NZ to Indiana and now to London. Thank you to all of those praying for me and writing emails to me. I will try to write more on this blog next year! God bless you all over Christmas.

Me with my beautiful friend, Molly.

July 4th Fireworks

Awesome fireworks!!

Looking across Lake Tippecanoe. You can see the 5 pontoons loaded with fireworks in position!

The lake house and the guest house!!

the boys

Josh, Josh, Heath, Me, Alex, and Theo

Fireworks!!

Saturday means up early (7:30am) and out to cart luggage from the cabins up to the tennis court for parents to pickup. Then I supervise the whole of the camp cleanup. Make sure everthing gets cleaned and picked up etc etc. This is all done by 11:30am hopefully and then we have a short staff meeting and lunch and are off for 24 hours! Normally I work on looking after the few campers that stay over Saturday nights but last weekend I had Saturday off. Home to shower and sleep and watch TV (Wimbledon). Around 7:30 most of the staff meet and car pool 5 mins down the road to the Schwartz house. (Rachel is on staff) She lives on Tippecanoe lake and they have a great house with a big lush front lawn going down to the lake. They have a big party every year for July 4th with all 130 of their employees and family members there. We got some great food and hung out, then we watched as police boats escorted 5 large barge pontoons into position in the lake. Another boat further away played music which could be heard clearly right across the lake. Hundreds of boats swamped the lake their lights making the lake look like a sea of stars! It was incredible!! All around the lake shore on all sides their are houses with fireworks going off. At 10:30pm the show started and it went for 30 minutes! It was the biggest and most awesome fireworks I have ever seen! I was right out on the dock in a deck chair and the booms were huge and the fireworks massive and impressive! The finale was huge with so many going off all together! We ate a lot of really nice pie-apple pie, blackberry pie, pecan pie, and strawberry pie. OOoo it was good! It was such a cool nite and they were great hosts!! Thanks Rachel and your family!