Goodbye family and fair England

Our flight was not due to depart until 9.30pm so brother Richard generously delivered us to Heathrow to drop our bags and then drove us into central London to spend the day. Dropped off outside the Tate British Art Museum and spent an enthralling afternoon tripping through the Turner, Constable and Moore galleries,  as well as the decades of British art. Thought provoking and enjoyable.

Our next goal was to walk several miles across town to Paddington Station to catch the Heathrow Express back to the airport. On the way we took in the Thames, Big Ben, St James Park, Buckingham Palace, the New Zealand War Memorial and Hyde Park.  Stunning summers day - a fabulous touristy thing to do and the best way to fill in the afternoon before our 25 hours of flying back to Aotearoa.

Having time with my brothers and their families has been a real highlight of our 6 weeks away. Looking forward to the next visit already.  

Three brothers on a seat

This picture is so good it deserves its own blog post. I'm the older smaller one lovingly squeezed in the middle. The flower basket is a nice touch. It would make a great painting don't you think?

High tea at the Luton Hoo

In the morning I had the pleasure of visiting Brandon's and Cameron's school, Harlington Upper. Had two hours being kindly toured around by the Headteacher and chatting to several staff. Lots of good ideas on ICT and BYOD.  During this time Julie was entertained with aplomb by Brandon at the local garden centre.

In the afternoon we were treated by Jack to a 'high tea' at the Luton Hoo, a stately old English manor house complete with county garden. (Hoo means a ridge or hill) Parked the Mini near the Lamborghini and then walked the luxurious hallways of the house. Enjoyed a magnificent tiered arrangement of fresh scones, torte, cheese cakes, macaroons and fancy sandwiches accompanied by pots of Darjeeling tea. Very tasty, posh and memorable. The perfect place to show off Julie's new 'English rose' dress.

That evening it was a BBQ cooked with consummate culinary skill by Richard and served in his lovely garden. A beautiful English summer evening spent with Richard, Jack, Cameron and Brandon.

Being shared around

Spent Monday morning visiting the local secondary at Cambourne thanks to Gill.  Had a lovely run around the town in the afternoon. Plodded into the English countryside and came across the oldest windmill in England. This was the Borne Mill and could have been operating in 1300. Very cool.

Family time with Josh, Olivia and their mini hamster Aubrey.

On Tuesday we made the most of Richard's mighty Vauxhall and travelled to Cambridge for the morning. Some dress shopping and a visit to Kettles Yard. This was the home of a curator of the Tate and it had many stunning works from British artists of the forties and fifties.

Headed off to Richard's and Jack's and a celebration dinner for Brandon's new job. Lovely evening.

Family time near Cambridge

Lovely stay in Cambourne with Dave and Gill. Traveled to Cambridge about 20 minutes away to check out the shops and go for a punt on the river Cam. Cruised past the historic residential halls to stories of student pranks and achievements.

Checked out the good dress shops for later in the week.

On the Sunday we traveled through more of the lovely English countryside and small villages to Milton Keynes for a look see and to pick up Dave and Gill's fancy light shade. Bought some goodies for a BBQ while the rain clouds gathered.

All the family gathered at Dave and Gill's for some extreme bbqing in the torrential rain. Good fun. Lovely to meet up again with the 'kids' Josh, Olivia, Cameron and Brandon. Great feed and company and I learnt the correct way to cook salmon on the bbq in the rain.

Three bros and a show

Very kindly picked up by Dave and Gill and had the day near Chinatown and the West End. Caught our first London cab to St Pauls Cathedral for a tour.  Interesting to compare this to the basilica in Italy and to see where Lady Di and Prince Charles walked the aisle. Awesome views of London from the top of the dome.

Caught up with Richard and Jack and we all headed for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant before going to Miss Saigon.

Julie and I had admired all the famous shows and theatres the day before, a cool part of London. We loved the show which was very professional and visually dramatic. A great way to begin catching up with my UK brothers and families.

Good olé England

We were up about 10am after getting to bed at 3am and keen for our English breakfast and a day exploring London.

The hotel staff were very helpful explaining which bus and train to catch. A 10 minute walk to the 222 bus stop and then just about headed in the opposite direction but a kind women pointed this out just in time. Took the Picadilly line to Picadilly Circus and after an hour we popped out in the centre of London.

Some lunch at an Italian restaurant, old habits die hard, then on to the Original London Bus Tour for our 3 hour open top tour of London. Absolutely fabulous! All the sites that are so familiar, Trafalgar Square,  Ben, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, House of Commons etc great commentary. Hopped off near the Strand for a coffee and a visit to the Queens Guard.

Headed back to our hotel about 6 pm on the tube. Caught the right bus home but it went a different route so we guessed our stop. Walking back we passed a cute old English pub so decided to have their fish and chips and mushy peas for dinner, a cultural must do. The Plough had been open since the 16 hundreds.

Started walking in the rain at 9 ish and figured we were not in the right place. Called into the Holiday Inn and the kind staff organized a taxi for us to our hotel which was 15 minutes away.

Home at 10 after a top hat day in London.