Holiday in the UK

Just a few words to say "thank you" to everyone who made us feel so welcome and special on our return to the UK. We had a fantastic time. It was great to catch up with friends and family. The scary thing was is that it seems as though we have never been away. That our move out to Perth has just been a big dream!

The weather in the UK lived up to expectations - it rained pretty much every day. However, since we have been back in Perth it has rained here EVERY day. Talking to a mum at school, she has had to use a bucket and empty some water our of her swimming pool as it has been overflowing. All the lakes and ponds that were bone dry in the summer are now close to breaking point. Nige has even been in the "room of no return" and located our tumble dryer from the bedlam of boxes. It's been on every day.

I managed to spend some time with my gorgeous new nephew, Reece. He's so beautiful. We were all thrilled to see him (Mitchel and Clare, you are going to make fantastic parents).

We also managed to spend an afternoon at Duridge Bay in Northumberland (albeit, wrapped up in coats). Still in our opinion, one of the best beaches in the world!

Nige also got acquainted again with the Peak District and spent a day walking there. The photos are those that he took whilst he was there.

We did have some very sad news whilst we were away though. Our beloved dog Molly died. She developed something called mega-esophagus, which led to aspiration pneumonia. All which was incurable. She was a fantastic dog and will be missed by all of us.

Anyway, I'll try and keep the blog up-to-date and let you know how we are getting on. I feel a house move ... well, we have been here nearly a year now ...

Keep the comments coming!

Nige's Trip to St Johns, Newfoundland

Well through a strange sequence of events I travelled 36hrs to St Johns for work, prior to the holiday in the UK. A long flight to put it mildly saw me pitch up in this quaint, 'one moose' oil town. As with most work trips they are pretty much work, eat, sleep but on my last night I managed to have a look round this lovely place. 'Discovered' before the rest of Canada and America it was still owned by the UK until the late fourties. It still has a big Irish influence and of course lots of Newfoundland and Labrador dogs! Scenery (and wind) reminiscent of the West of Scotland ,but then lots of places seems to be like that!. Even in the summer time they still had icebergs floating past the island or 'bergy-bits' as they call the small (i.e. a few tonnes) ones not big enough to be classed a 'berg. I was there with a few Norwegian guys who were planning to sail back across the Atlantic once the work we had to do was complete (one of them had sailed his boat over the previous year but got weather bound and had to leave it here in dry dock for the winter). I wished them good luck and fair weather before they sailed off, with each of them taking 'titantic' shifts i.e. looking for icebergs. I was quite tempted to go with them, however don't think I would have got to the UK in time to pick up Nadine and Anna from the airport!

All in all a very interesting trip worth the long flights and very friendly people (twas a bit like the old TV show, 'Northern Exposure').