Wow, it's been 2 weeks since my last post. And that's because I've been doing more 'normal life' things rather than 'exciting travel/exploration' things. I've been applying for jobs, going to interviews, catching lots of buses and trains, opening a bank account, and spending time on the internet searching about all this stuff. Oh and experiencing snow again!!! My gosh, I love the stuff! Last Thursday saw a huge dumping of snow in London and where I am, in Abbots Langley there were kids playing everywhere (they all had the day off school). I've been spending quite a bit of time in Watford using the internet and checking out the shops but I've also been into London quite a bit for job interviews etc. and to see Lei and Johnno in Walthamstow.

London really is a great city!! I had an interview in the city for DEFRA (Dept of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and after that I went for a wander through Monopoly land. Yep, Trafalgar Square, Pall Mall, Piccadilly... Quite surreal.

London is one of those cities whose reputation precedes it of course. There is a huge range of classes and so many cultures. There is a lot to do and a lot of people doing lots!!!! So many people out and about on the streets means it's buzzing most of the time.

I think a lot about Europe is about the people - those living today but also the history of the peoples that have inhabited these lands. And the UK has a strong history also but the present is constantly changing. London is DEFINITELY a city where you can be really, really happy as there is so much going on and so many people to meet but it can also be the most unhappiest place if you are lonely and without much money.

I don't know where I will be in a few weeks time. It's possible I'll be back in Brisbane but really, at this stage, I think I'm going to give the London lifestyle a go. I am currently negotiating for a job, so we will see.

Love to you all! Keep in touch! I will be back!!! (In August at the latest :))
(note, will update with pics soon)

Judith and Garry own a house in a town near the coast called Pickering. They go there every few weekends or so and I was pretty lucky to be at their place on one of those weekends. Pickering is a nice little town that gets quite a few tourists on weekends, particularly taking a train-ride on the old railway, to the coast.
Main street of Pickering - quiet though on a Sunday (& the trains weren't running anyway).

On Saturday I took a train into York - a very important town in England's history and home of the biggest Gothic Minster in Northern Europe. The local Celtics were conquered by the Roman Empire in AD71 and York (then called 'Eboracum') became the centre of the huge area of Constantine's reign and buildings were located at the location of the current York Minster (I'll get onto that in a second). Constantine backed christianity so Eboracum became a Christian city. After the Romans left in the 5th Century, The Anglo-Saxons arrived and because the Saxon king (Edwin) decided to marry a Christian lady, he had to be baptised, thus a church was built (at the site of the current minster) in 627. It was built as a huge minster from 1220 and officially finished in 1472 after the push from Richard II to make York the capital of England. Unfortunately it's been burned a few times with lots of work to restore it. But despite all this history (and because of it!) - it is a gorgeous, historical building. I really loved the stained glass windows - and the glass makers apparently had a lot of free-reign: there's all sorts of crazy stories of monkey doctors and strange animals in the glass. I spent a few hours walking around and also attended Evensong to listen to the church choir.

The western-side of the Minster (wikipedia of course has some great info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Minster)

After walking around the Minster, and the city walls, I walked through the Shambles - the old cobblestone shops and saw some great artwork by the guy in the photo below. I bought a few of his prints - ink drawings of the Minster and York...

What the?

On Sunday Judith, Garry and I (oh and Zeb the dog) drove to the coast to walk part of the Cleveland Way leaving from Robin Hood's Bay to Whitby. It was a wild and windy day and unluckily for us, Judith and I walked into the wind pretty well the whole way! It is a lovely open walk - not a tree in sight most of the way (which no doubt adds to the wind-blown feeling!).
Sheltering from the wind for lunch.

At the end of the walk.

Me almost being blown off a rock overlooking the sea (no, I have not become obese since hitting the UK).

We made it to Whitby and walked around the town there for a little bit. Such a lovely little town (despite being over-run with tourists!) with old Abbey ruins and lots of fishing boats. We spotted the statue of James Cook - complete with seagull on head. He's here because he set off to discover Australia from Whitby!

View of the Abbey

Statue of Captain Cook.

After our walk it was back to Pickering to pack up the house and then back to Tintwistle. I drove back to London on Monday afternoon. Was quite a good drive until I got stuck going the wrong way on the M25 ring-road and ended up in Barnet - about 10 miles to the east of Abbots Langley!!! I remembered the hire-car man telling me about some congestion zone charge that London has and as I kept getting closer and closer to London, the fear was building. He said it was a £50 charge!!! Jesus! However, I've since found out it's like £10 for a day if you don't pre-pay. Talk about stress!! After lots of loud swearing I pulled into a servo to get directions. I finally got out of there and made it back to Margaret's. We then went out for dinner, which was lovely! And off to the interview with Contiki in the morning.

Wednesday I spent quite a bit of time chilling out and doing computer work. In between watching 'Angel' on Sky and playing with Zeb (the dog). I also built a snowman - with the obligatory carrot for a nose and coal pieces for eyes. I think this one was much nicer than my blizzard one. I like the plant-pot top hat the best! Anyway, it was a good bit of exercise rolling that huge ball for the bottom half of his body - I couldn't push it anymore.

That night we went for brilliant Sri Lankan and Indian for dinner in Manchester. Quite fitting that we found the only Sri Lankan restaurant in the city - Judith and Garry are going there soon to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
Garry, Judith and I salivating before we tuck in.

Ahhh such tasty food!!

You may not notice but I have links down the side of this blog. Well I've added a new one for converting timezones (Time Zone Converter). I wish I had checked with this great website earlier in the week, as unfortunately I got my days mixed up for a telephone interview from Queensland. I thought it was Thursday night here, but it was Thursday morning in Aus therefore Wednesday night here. So I missed the calls as we went out for our Indian and we got home a bit later than we'd hoped, so by the time I got a call on my mobile, the interview panel couldn't reschedule... We'll see if they are forgiving enough to offer me another telephone interview. Otherwise it's back to the drawing board for job applications...

Thursday I went for a drive over Snake Pass towards a little town called Edale where the Moors for the Future information centre is. They're doing some great work maintaining, researching, and regenerating the UK's biggest national park. Of particular interest is the extensive heather fields - Britain has 75% of the world's remaining heather moorlands, and most of it is in the Peak District National Park. I had a chat to a few of the blokes that work there about their aerial photography, helicopter drops to re-seed areas, track condition surveys and the differences between national park problems in Australia and the UK. It was enjoyable. But the drive around the lovely scenery was really great too. I cannot wait to go back to this area (where the Pennine Trail starts) to do some walking on a future holiday.

Snake Pass view back down to Glossop.

A couple of pics of the countryside driving to Edale.

After getting back to the cottage Monday lunchtime, Garry went back to work and I joined him on his reservior checks. In the afternoon all three of us went sledging. It really was great fun! The plastic sled was a bit warped though which meant that despite my skill in steering, the sled consistently went off course to the right. Garry could control it well however (experience). Of course I have to include these pics :)
Me and Judith ready to go.

Some of the onlookers who got excited when we pulled up in the Landrover.

Garry (very excited to be out in the snow again) and Judith.

Off and away.


I have been for a few walks around the reservior too and it really is a beautiful area. I have really enjoyed hearing the crunch of snow and feeling the fresh air on my face. And, yes, walking around in temps between 1-3 degrees means that the breezes are very fresh. Lucky I'm not standing still out there. It has given me time to contemplate life and my travels. And (back to more immediate and entertaining concerns) I've spotted grouse and various types of tits, singing blackbirds and robins and I chased after a pheasant. Other critters include squirrels, rabbits, and of course sheep :)

This reservior system is one of the oldest in England, I believe, and incorporates 5 different dams. There is also a small hydroelectric plant. Currently the dams are quite full but due to some leaks they are having to let quite a bit of the water go, to keep the levels down until they fix the leaks. Apparently there aren't really any fish in these that require fish ladders (but there are perch and trout and a few others to keep the fishers interested). There is also a sailing club that runs in summer on one of the reserviors.
View across Valehouse reservior.

The afternoon lighting has been so lovely - soft, pink light.

Gratuitous snow photos...

Family catch-ups and beautiful snow!
After some shopping with Margaret on Friday morning in the hire car, I left for South-Yorkshire, some 160 miles away. It was a beautiful drive (despite the heavy traffic in some parts) particularly as the sun was setting over the green fields and small villages. I stopped along the way occasionally for a few pics and reflective gazes over the 'mothercountry'.
Arrived at Anita and Eric's place near Barnsley - Anita is my Dad's cousin - and it was lovely to see them again (haven't seen them since I was an early-teenager). The next day, we visited their kids' families and had a birthday party for one of Eric's friends.
Anita and I

Me, Anita, Eric and their daughter Jayne and grand-daughter Amelia.

Richard and Debbie and the kids - Abbey and Kyle

On Sunday I left for Tintwistle in Derbyshire to see another one of Dad's cousins - Judith and her husband Garry. Lovely drive west with some wonderful, clear views. And then I hit snow going over the Thurlstone/Langsett Moors - at about 460m above sea-level.
From this...

To this, only a couple of miles away...

After an only slightly frantic call to Garry about what to do when driving in snow, I made it out the other end to the small town of Tintwistle. Judith and Garry live in a gorgeous cottage right next to the reservoir (Garry is a reservior-keeper). After a cup of tea and a catch-up Judith and Garry decided to show me a bit of the local area, and the weather was quite nice.

We drove over the hills to Castleton, a cute little town and visited the information centre. We then strolled back to the car, took a few more photos then proceeded back up through Winnets Pass and over the hill. As we got higher and higher though it started to snow very heavily and then a campervan ahead of us got stuck. So we had to stop and wait for someone to tow the campervan out and we couldn't go around due to traffic coming the other way, or turn around as it was too slippery.

After an hour of so, and after me making my first snowball and the beginnings of a snowman, it was clear that no snowplows or gritters were coming. We were told by the police that we should abandon the car and head back down the pass to Castleton. Ok, no worries - I had Garry's waterproof trousers on, so I was happy. Except when the car started to slide by itself and Garry was standing at the back with the boot open. I jumped out of the car to see if I could help but could only yell for Garry to get out of the way because the gap between our car and the car behind was closing. It only slipped a few metres though, and lightly tapped the car behind - no damage. So after Judith's almost-heart attack, we began the walk (still snowing) back down to Castleton. To the pub. We then found a B&B and that was our bed for the night! We all missed our toothbrushes! But what an introduction for me to snow (& the potential hazards)!

Yes... that's a snowball.

Funny-looking snowman - ok for a first attempt?

Judith (in the blue) walking down the pass.

We all slept well and yesterday morning, we had a great breakfast and then walked up the hill to find the car (with another couple who were parked behind us and stayed at the B&B too). We all got into spreading the grit and pushing the cars out onto the cleared tracks. We also helped another bloke who got stuck coming up. And a woman who couldn't find the towing point on the front of her car for a guy with a 4wd to tow her out.... Garry pointed it out and the 4wd guy looked very embarrassed. Anyway, saw lots of other abandoned cars on the way back. And the countryside really was beautiful!

Street of Castleton

View of the fields and hills around Castleton.

View up the road to Winnets Pass (just to the left of centre).

Garry and the others walking up the pass. Quite steep, no wonder the snow filled the pass so quickly :)

The cars looking snowy but getting them out was no challenge for us, the gritters and car-pushers.

Map reference - Anita and Eric live just north of Sheffield and Judith and Garry, over the other side of the green blob that is the Peak District National Park (but not quite as far over as Manchester).

So, I've been back in the UK for a few days (well 6 now). It has been cold and wet with a few glimpses of sunshine, which are lovely and it's really obvious how green everything is!!! Anyway, after a pretty dodgy flight - one large man on my left and a young drinker with active elbows, on my right, I finally got to Margaret's in the late morning. Promptly had a shower and a sleep.

I haven't really done much exciting stuff over the last days but have enjoyed the occasional walk, visit into Watford Town, relaxing movie, and many hours on the internet (applying for jobs in Queensland!). However, I have felt uplifted by seeing squirrels again and I absolutely adore the robins in this part of the world, they are gorgeous and I wish we had them in Australia.
There's one of those cute little critters, singing his heart out!

I met Leilani in London the other day, for lunch in China Town. It was great to see her again. She told me all about her job-searching and we have come to the realisation that it's not very easy to get well-paid work in London. And the bus, then train, then tube from Watford cost me 12 pound-ish (~$30 AUD) so the pay really needs to be good to survive. Yes, I know, same old story of expensive UK... Sorry, you've heard it all before.

But the latest turmoil: After my email update to you all the other day, following my plans to head home soon, I have suffered a massive shock. With my class of ticket, I cannot get a flight via Thailand until mid-March!! Even if I go via Singapore or Hong Kong, I can't get back to Brisbane until the end of February. A major upset really, as I was keen to get to Thailand to visit family and travel with Anna, before getting back to enjoy a bit of the end of Brissy Summer. So, my only options really are to buy a new ticket (for about $1000AUD) or wait... Hopefully it will all work out but I was really hoping to see you Brissy people again soon. Now's the time where I'm going to say: If any of you know someone who owns a plane or even a helicopter who could get me home, please let me know. Or someone who's won the lottery recently...

Anyway, despite all this, I've hired a car for 10 days and I'm off tomorrow (after some shopping with Margaret) to Northern England - specifically Yorkshire - to visit my Dad's cousins (and their children). I've met some of these people before, but when I was very young, so it will be great to see them again and get all the family history and updates. Looking forward to seeing some of the beautiful Pennine country too. (Maybe next trip, Dad, we'll do the Pennine Way? a 270-mile walk from a National Park, along the Pennine ridge, through the Yorkshire Dales and over to the Scottish Borders??).

Until I see you, take care and think of me over the other side of the world, longing to see the Southern Cross again and enjoy a cheap meal/bus ticket/night out!

After a great party for Ballbar's birthday at Ted and Janine's, I needed a sleep-in. I can tell you that there a couple of fun nightclubs in Muscat too! I then caught the 4:30pm bus back to Dubai which got in around 10pm and snuck into Anna's place and went straight to bed. I was then up bright-and-early this morning for a visit to the camel racetrack in Dubai with Anna and Jen. Anna and I were a bit of a hit with the camel riders - shouts of 'I love you' and 'come and ride with me' (complete with patting of the comfy seating spot in front), were heard a few times and we giggled like school girls, of course...
A group of camels in training. Some camels are trained with remote-controlled whippers on their backs - apparently there was controversy a few years back about very small children being sold into the camel trade as riders...

What a beauty!!!

Ahhh an oasis... Not quite but looked nice (and provided us with a bit of a perceived barrier between the rogue camel riders and us).

After the race track, we visited the Dubai horse and camel shops - kind of like Bunnings but much cooler. There was even a barber shop - I guess for all those rogue riders that feel they need a trim before bedding in with their camels? Sorry :) I bought some cute little camel earrings - basically long beads interwoven with cloves, with pom poms on the end. They must help block out the camel smell. After this we all went to the huge Carrefour in the Mall of the Emirates - which is a grocery store complete with a fantastic deli, electronics section and lots of clothes. It was then home for lunch before the Desert Safari, Anna and I were booked on.

After being picked up with an English and Ukranian couple, we got a brief intro to our driver who did 155km/hr consistently on the freeway. Anna was a little worried but I was happy he was confident as first stop was DUNE-BASHING. Basically flying through the dunes at all different angles, slipping and sliding. It was an absolute blast! There is no doubt that if I lived in Dubai, this would be one of my favourite past-times.

An intro to how to do it.

Our driver behind Anna, and some other driver behind me.

The desert sands behind.... Ahhh so much empty space (and no visible highrises!!! Yes we drove for a while to get out of Dubai city).

After the dune bashing we got to the Bedouin style camp where we would ride a camel, eat Bedouin food, belly dance and get henna tattoos. Oh and dress up like the locals and meet the owner of the business (& get a few free wines :)).
Sunset in the desert. Anna and I in front of the camp.

We met one of the hunting falcons. Training these birds is a great tradition and a trained one can be worth 100,000 dirhams (~$40,000 AUD).

Anna really was not so sure and the guy was telling her to just stand still.

Meanwhile I was in love!!! (But I was glad Midori wasn't there when the little eye-cover came off, Midori would have been dinner!!)

60-second camel ride anyone?

What a lucky bloke! Me on the left.

Anna and I giving it a red hot go with the belly dancer - Anna in the black in the middle of the pic, me in the red top, next to her. Look at all those enthusiastic audience members... Not quite.

Pic with the belly dancer (we were the only ones allowed pics and only because the camera holder was the owner of the business! Lucky us.)

Really had such a great time tonight, I really don't want to go back to the cold and miserable UK. Of course, I have to. But I have had such a great time during my little taste of this part of the Middle East! I think I want to travel more in this part of the world in the future.

Nighty Night - I'm off to the airport for my 3am flight to London.