SNOW and Puppy

Ok, so I'm going to cheat and just put a whole lot of photos on this one. . .
First up; our friend, Dan, who I met through the theatre got a Japanese Akita puppy last year who is now 8 months old (and therefore is getting quite big) and we, maybe, broke some rules the other day and had him come visit us in the apartment. . .
This is a full view of him, he was very happy to see his aunties :)
This is his tail, cause it's cute
he really loves his aunties, especially when they give him belly scratches. . .
Or just cuddles of any kind really!
We've discovered I have this magic ability when it comes to puppies whereby I can put them to sleep. . .It certainly works on Dini anyway!!!

Ok, so as you know it has been snowing a LOT over here, this photo was taken by an American Satellite on the 7th of January and shows just how white the country is at the moment:
As my school is in the middle of nowhere, we've had a couple of days (a week) off. We were meant to be going back today (the 13th) only it snowed again last night. . .so yet again, it's a snow day for Amber!!!
I walked Shelley to work today, mostly so she wouldn't fall over on the the concealed ice but also so I could get out of the house. And on the way home I decided to go through Horsham Park cause I thought it would be pretty. . .and I was right, it is :)


This poor ducky was walking through the snow all on his lonesome :(
I also built a snowman cause I'm just a big kid :) However, as I was on my own, he was only a little snowman:
And last but not least, our building in snow :)
The Front:
And the view from our window :)
(see if you can spot the car that hasn't moved since the first lot of snow!)Happy Summer all you NZ peeps!!

My wrap up of 2009 in words and pictures

Hi,
So, we were reading something online the other day and it had this review of 2009 in it and thought that as we have done a lot of things in 2009 we could do a revisit the highlights type thing, also we think it is a good idea to count your blessings sometimes.

So this is the Travelling Shambles review of 2009.

Most awesome live music:
Tori Amos
Andrew Bird
Anais Mitchell
James Marsters
Modest Mouse
The Decemberists

Most awesome West End shows:
Wicked
The Phantom of the Opera
Chicago




An aside about the above photos:
So Shelley ordered Ambers Birthday present from America online and it hadn't arrived in time for her birthday so Shelley secretly brought tickets for Chicago for the same date as her birthday then suggested that we spend the day in London just doing touristy things. I managed to get her within site of the theatre (complete with 6 foot neon sign) before she clicked on to what I was doing. So the above photos are her grinning like a mad thing as she has just figured out what we were really doing to mark her special day.
A big thank you to Ma and Pa Watson who gave us Christmas money as this is what we spent it on. Ambers real Birthday present still hasn't arrived so I won't be letting on to what it is but I imagine she might like to tell you all herself when she finally gets it!
And another note on West End productions, Amber got us tickets to see Billy Elliot for my Christmas present!

Obviously, one of the biggest highlights of the year was having Ma and Pa Watson and Simon visit us here in the U.K We went to so many places and saw so many things it is hard to single anything specific out!


Our trip to Wales (being the only trip we took in 2009) also deserves a mention here.
With the enormous dogs, the funny sounding place names, and the funnier sounding people, Wales was a heap of fun.



I don't think that Amber will be very impressed that I have posted this photo but I think it is so funny. The reason they are wearing head lamps is because we were in a tent playing cards and it was the easiest way to see. I had one also but there is no evidence so I can deny it!

So on to 2010.
We hope this year will be filled with travel and adventures and fun! At the moment it is 7:45 am on the 6th of Jan and it is snowing and has been all night! More snow than I have ever seen in my life!


I took these photos last night after it had been snowing for about 2 hours.
Anyway peeps I think I should stop blathering on and post this or else it will never get done.
Hugs, Loves and BBQ steak!

Snow, pressies and food. . .

Ok, so, not much to say really - but about three different things to have photos of :)
First up the other day we had dinner with Mel and Mike and stopped to take photos of the pretty Christmas tree that was in the church yard opposite the inn where we ate :)

The reason that I'm looking down in the last photo is cause it was actually the first photo Mike took, he didn't give us warning that he was about to take it and I was too busy looking at the pretty, pretty snow. . .
We then went in and had really really yummy food and made a toast to Shelley's mummy cause it had been her birthday the other week:

We received a packet from NZ that included a friend for our centipede (the one that lives above our bed, see previous post - "And We're Back" posted February 09), so we have named him Thomas the Turtle (I decided he just has a 'he' vibe, in spite of the fact he is pink/purple and sparkly) so now he too is above our bed, see if you can spot him:

We've also been all energetic and bakey as part of the "Xmas Spirit" (that's in quotation marks cause we don't really DO the Xmas spirit) and, as Shelley always says, I love to play with my food, so here's some photographic proof of this:

And FINALLY, last but, nost definitely not least. . .One of my workmates was going away for Christmas and needed someone to look after her hamster - being the animal lover I am, I put up my hand and said "yes please, I'll have him!!" He is an adorable little guy called Stripes (he has a stripe running down his back) who comes running to the side of his cage when he hears our voices. . .He also came with a ball and when we let him out to 'roll' around, he is always bumping into the walls and things. . .(or us if we are on the floor) so here he is, the cute little guy:


Isn't he a cutie-pie????
Anyway, that's all for me - I'm off to ice cookies with my darling wife. . .
Big Loves, hugs and a MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all. . .(or at least, the three of you who we know definitely read it)

I'm dreaming....

So, it appears that we might, just might get our wish for a white Christmas after all, without having to leave the U.K. It started snowing last night and pretty much hasn't really stopped.

I finished work at 10:00 last night and walked home in the snow. It was kinda nice (but really cold) it also kinda reminded me why we are living here. To experience new things and have adventures. We have been so wrapped up in work and the daily grind I forgot that. Walking home last night with snow falling on my eyelashes and in my hair I rememebered why Amber and I are doing this and I was happy. (and cold).

Anyway peeps (read: Mum & Dad & Poppa Lidds) we took some photos from the windows of our appartment.
Behold the Whiteness:




And on another note of adventures. Last month we went to see the Decemberists play at the Coronet in London and this month we went to see Modest Mouse play at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. We took these photos just before we left to catch our train.

Nuns on the run

Hello all.
One thing that we have discovered living over here is that people really like to celebrate Halloween. So this year we decided that we would dress up as nuns for Halloween. The four of us. Mel, Mike, Amber and myself. I'm still not sure how Mel convinced Mike to agree to go as a nun but somehow she did and so last night found us all in our living room getting into our costumes and laughing our heads off. Proof to follow:

We all walked to the party from our apartment which was just down the road but we managed to get quite a bit of attention from the cars on the way, also some other Halloween'ers (is that even a word?) asked us if we were real nuns! I am thinking that they didn't notice that Sister Mary Peculiar was really Sister Mary Mike or they wouldn't have asked!

Amber was Sister Mary Catnip and I was Sister Mary Apathetic. Mel was Sister Mary Discombobulated. (Sister Mary Disco for short).
Sister Mary Catnip took her inspiration from this photo:Sister Mary Disco and Sister Mary Apathetic looking slightly sinful while Sister Mary Peculiar looks on in shock....


Our hosts were Morticia and Gomez Addams.


Also attending were Amy Winehouse and Dexter.

As the evening wore on Amber became slightly less nunish.....

So there you have it. Another Halloween in the U.K Another fun evening survived without too much of hangover the following morning.

Ooh and before I go, We finally got a skin for our new laptop. See....