Yesterday evening was the annual Christmas party at my old house in Takapuna. My brother Peter lent me his video camera, Nivi lent hers to Mark who took his laptop to the party and thanks to the wonders of the internet (and iChat) I was able to see and talk with the people there. It was very cool to see most of my friends back in New Zealand, doing the Christmas things that I was involved in last year and will be again next.

Christmas Video Chat

Someone thought it would make me all sad and lonely because I'd be missing them (which of course I do) but I was thrilled to be able to do this and it was much better than just calling them.
   Last night I was in Lewes after dark (which is 4pm here) and things were really seeming Christmasy, the shops were full, the windows were brightly coloured and lots of

Homemade Christmas Puddings

people were carrying big bags or presents. This morning I walked around Ringmer, with the hope of catching up with my old nextdoor-neighbour-but-one and someone from school. But Christmas Eve isn't a holiday, so they weren't in, which means more Christmas Puddings for me :-)

   There is no way it is going to snow here tomorrow, but hopefully early in next year (possibly in Ireland) I'll get to see some of the white stuff like olds times, but I have to get a better coat by then.

London is crazy, I just had to queue to get out of the tube. As if it isn't enough being packed like a sardine with strangers pressed against you!!! Today I am gonna go look at the christmas lights. I can't find Wellington Arch though, I know it is lit up with sunflowers (my favourite).

I have done lots recently but due to the price of internet access I haven't made a post. I left London and I went to Bath (in England). Bath is an amazing place and the easiest way to describe it is like a giant, georgian sand castle. The city is made out of bathstone which looks a lot to me like sandstone but I am assured it isn't. The city is realy different and would have been a lot better if I hadn't gotten sick and just wanted to die. I went to the NHS walk-in centre and had an experienced and trainee nurse pull at my ears. They decided I needed a decongestant inhaler and so I bought some oil thing which I had to put in hot water and do the whole steam vapour thing. Unfortunately, it didn't cure the ear infection and the Bath Costume museum experience, although impressive, was somewhat impaired by being unable to listen to the audio guide.

I left Bath and went to Cardiff. Cardiff was really cold and not at all what I expected. I arrived at about 4:30pm so it was dark and I got on the bus for the youth hostel. I was amazed at the beauty of this city, the bus route took us past Cardiff Castle (all lit up for Xmas), the town hall and municipal buildings (which all look like wedding cakes) and the skating rink in the public gardens. Everything was so pretty under the lights and it really took my breath away and I was lucky as I feel that this is the best way to experience Cardiff, at night. In the light of day it just becomes another city. The same shops as everywhere else in England and the only difference being the large number of rugby shops. The welsh are obsessed and there are badges which not only have the welsh flag but the welsh and NZ flag crossed together. I also never found anything with my name on, I feel ripped off!

I then chose to go to Llangollen (pronounced chlangochlen, with phlegm at the ch's). The place was a mission to get to and I was going here as it looked a convenient stop on the way to Wrexham. It turns out that the bus stop advertised as 'close by' was 3 miles away, which was horrible with my pack and since the bus driver didn't know where it was it was down to a welsh lady on the bus giving me directions. It would have been fine except the welsh accent is very stronog and I was deaf in the ear she was talking to. Llangollen was a pretty town though and I met the local doctor as by the next morning both ears hurt and I couldn't hear properly out either. He prescribed 'strong' decongestants and told me to take ibuprofen as I needed.

I caught the bus to Wrexham to meet the relatives. Wrexham is a town with very little going for it but my relative made it a warm and hospitable place. They were quick to point out that there was little to see but John, Doreen and Lynne took care of me and we went out to dinner, I saw photo's of the family and learnt the family history. I there saw the next doctor as sby mow my nose was bleeding and my throat hurt. He prescribed antibiotics and pain killers and Doreen made me stay inside where I couldn't get sicker. Thank goodness for family as they took care of me, fed me and made sure I was taking my pills which had dumb conditions like 'must be taken on a full stomach' but I wasn't hungry!

For those who are interested John is or was my grandmothers brother and Lynne is my fathers cousin. Doreen is the one who keeps them all in line :)

Next installment to follow, but I plan on going back some time to see Chester which I missed due to illness.

   After a week of in activity I went out last night with Marko and James for Christmas drinks at The Volunteer in Lewes. Just the three lads, it was great. But the best thing about it was bumping in to two girls I knew ages ago and both of them recognising me straight away. Gemma White was behind the bar. We were friends from Ringmer Community College and had a few classes together. Michelle Kerry was called Michelle Slyman when I took her to the leavers prom at Ringmer, in a suit that was three sizes too big. Both of them are nurses now (though Gemma has two jobs it seems) and were surprised to be looking up at me so much more than when I left. I think it is something in the New Zealand water, or perhaps all that bungy jumping.

   I stayed the night at Marko's and got to use a bed this time, I'll be moving in there in mid January and I think that will be my room. As I was sitting at the bus stop in the morning a car pulled in and wound down the window. Russell was at the wheel and drove me all the way to Brighton, he would have taken me straight to the door if I hadn't needed to do some Christmas shopping first. The weather here is pretty grotty and I don't like going out in it, but I hear it is snowing in Newcastle, perhaps I should go there for a white Christmas :-)

   It is roughly eight hours drive from Brighton to Newcastle-upon-Tyne (not to be confused with Newcastle-under-Lyme) and it is all heading north. Thus I was not surprised to find it really cold up there. On Sunday morning I went for a walk along the bridge over Jesmond Dene (I think it is called the Archer's Bridge) to see the crafts for sale. There were some great photographs of local landmarks, and some from further abroad. I also really liked the giant mirrors one lady was selling. The frames seemed to be carved MDF and then painted to look like flowers, dolphins, starbursts etc etc. I think Jo is going to need one for her downstairs loo.

An icy leaf

   It was about noon when I got down into the Dene, and the grass was still frozen. It was slightly crispy to walk on and the ground beneath it was solid. It didn't take long for me to start losing the use of my fingers after I took my hands out of my gloves to use my camera. I can't remember the last time I ran along a street and had to slow down at the corner because it was icy. Such were the simple pleasures of my youth. It totally has to snow this year, if it doesn't land in Brighton I am going to go find it.

   I took a look around Killingworth, Jenny's home ground and liked the place. Most of it seems to have been designed as one super-estate, which apparently looks like a castle from the air. There is a ring road around the outside acting as a moat, and Garths (blocks of houses) as the turrets. The big man-made lake looks pretty well done too, I can imagine that place freezing over quite soon and it becoming a skating rink. But possibly the best part of it is hidden from most routes. The Village, as it is known by locals, is the old part of town and has suitably old buildings in it. A far cry from the recent development a few streets away this place looks like it should be miles away in the country side, not a quick bus trip from Newcastle. The have a big wheel there too. It commemorates George Stephenson who pretty much invented rail travel. So I guess I owe him thanks for all the trains I took in Europe.

Cherrytree Close

   Later that night (well it was only about 6pm but totally dark) we went walking to Cherrytree Close. Here all the residents put on a big light display for christmas that would impress Tim Allen. There was even a dancing Santa to collect money for charity.

Glowing reindeer

   I left on Monday night after a catalogue of disasters that I couldn't help but laugh at. Rory was going to drive me to the bus station but since he had missed rugby practice he went on a bike ride for exercise. Along the way he got a flat and had to run back pushing the bike all the way. Then his car wouldn't start. We gave it a few pushes up and down his street but nothing was happening so I decided to take the bus. As we were standing there at the stop, me laden down with my big back-pack, the bus came up. The driver shrugged his shoulders and kept going! There was one other person on it, so it wasn't out of service, nor too full. grrr! I had allowed plenty of time and got there early anyway. The ride was good, seeing as I could sleep through most of it, apart from when the driver announced our stops along the way. At about 3 am I was staggering around some motorway services looking for a vending machine.

   I am back in Brighton now and hoping to finally put up a selection of photos from Europe, the only thing stopping me is me, I'll have to get over that.

   On Saturday Jen and I went to Durham. We were only intending to see the cathedral and take a look at the castle but we happened to visit during the town's Christmas Festival. There was a big tent put up on the grass in front of the cathedral and inside there were loads of local craftspeople selling their creations. There were fudge stalls, knitting stalls, glass jewellery stalls and celtic art stalls. I bought some fudge :-)

   Down in the main town there were

Durham Town Hall

more stalls and it had a real Christmas feeling to me. In what I think was the town hall they had put the more elaborate (and expensive) arts. Some really good paintings, a few fairy costumes and a number of glassware/pottery things. It was a pretty decent town hall as well, with olde Englishe writing around the walls commemorating the important locals. If I remember to do so I will look the place up in the Lonely Planet to make sure it gets a good mention.

   Someone here had hit upon the brilliant, but possibly dangerous, idea of serving hot chocolate in the streets, enriched with Baileys or brandy.

Durham Chocolate

We walked along the river there and past the university boat sheds. Despite it being a really cold day there was a team out rowing. I would guess they were tourists because they were doing pretty badly. We didn't actually go into the cathedral after all and I have since been told it is a well known gothic master piece. Maybe I will go back there some day and check it out.