Shame on you G&B - so long without a post!

Okay, okay, okay...Christmas and New Year and work and stress and ...I'm on it.

Right a month to catch up on...hmmm...let's make it brief shall we?

Week One:

• Filled with jetlag - 5pm bedtimes and 3am wakeups. Think the neighbours thought we were vampires. And a little hard to concentrate at work!
• First weekend included a trip to London to visit the queen
• Saw:
• Big Ben, String Quartet in Covent Garden, Chestnuts roasting over a rubbish bin, Oxford St Christmas lights, more people than I have ever seen in my life (Oxford St), inside on an English Pub in Soho, and a West End Show - High Society (bit pants actually)
• Trip home was nasty - left Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue a little after 10 and after tube to Paddington, Train to Reading, one hour wait in freezing cold -4, Slow train to Newbury and drive home - we got in after 1am - pooey!

Week Two:

• Filled with better sleep patterns and a bit of settling in to the place
• Although...did pop along to see a little movie called KING KONG!
• Bridge and I went to Windsor (you know where the queen lives) - Elton John
• Man - another cold one
• Then went to Reading (the town in England not the cinema in Wellington) to see KING KONG - so excited.

Think this needs it's own special section: KING KONG

• Geoff in his first ever Hollywood MovieTM
• Can't believe we had to wait for over two hours for my starring moment
• My heart was in my mouth. I started recognising people coming in the Theatre (onscreen) and could see the cameras flashing but the edits were so quick I couldn't see me.
• Slowly it came to the point where my lines were and...
• great shots of me but lines CUT!!!!
• Shame but there you go.
• Didn't stay for credits but heard from my little cousin Anna that my name is up there in lights which is kind of cool...have to wait for DVD to get a good old lookysee
• Maybe I'll be in the 'Deleted Scenes' section???
• They released another set of publicity stills just before the movie premiered and guess what - I'm in one of them...stunning!

• How good is that!!!!
• Okay okay...this is the actual version...but I am in there...in the back!

• So what did actually think of the movie - the man's a genius...but some bits were a bit long. All the bits without me in actually!
• One last thing - had a secret santa at work and I got these brilliant King Kong gloves that growl and scream when you punch them. Here's Micky from work modelling them - and the weirdest looking pixie hat known to man!
• They've got pride of place on either side of my screen my desk at work

WEEK THREE:

• Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house...the cupboard was bare
• This week we found out that all our stuff (they guaranteed would be delivered in time for Christmas) would not be here until the new year
• So apart from music, books, stereo, cutlery, crockery, basically anything apart from what we bought over in suitcases - we were also going to be without Christmas decorations, Christmas tree and some Christmas presents - suck!
• Cendant Mobility and Vanlines certainly got an earful from me (never, ever, ever use NZ Vanlines - pants!)
• On the last shopping day before Christmas we popped into Newbury town and did a spot of shopping
• We decided to buy some Christmas decorations but couldn't really find anything - then we had a brain wave and decided to make our own
• So we bought a small Xmas Tree from the £ shop (like the $2 shop) and some red plastic flowers
• We cut some holly from the hedge at the back of our house and, hey presto, Christmas decorations!!!
• How bloody clever are we!

CHRISTMAS DAY:

• Bridge and I had a very relaxed Christmas
• Rose late
• Went to the local church for the Christmas service
• Great presents. Me - Christmas decoration, chocolate, Books x2 (Audrey Hepburn and Judi Dench). Bridge - Christmas Decoration, Antique Kitchen thing we found in an antique shop in Hungerford, bird feeding equipment (we have so many birds out here in the country and so got bird feeders, seeds, nuts etc) and more chocolate
• Cooked a lovely salmon fillet for lunch
• Had great afternoon - very pleasant

WEEK FOUR:

• I had the week off so spent time hanging round the house
• Caught up with a friend from NZ, Laura
• Visited Reading, Basingstoke and Marlborough
• Went to Avebury - the poor man's Stonehenge, but at least we could walk up to the stones and touch them

• Basically a very relaxing holiday
• And back at work this week

So there you have it - our life in UK so far...and finally absolutely an up to date blog.

Hope everyone out there is well - post a comment and say hi!

Take care all

Blog back soon

Ciao