Mr X factor 2
Walk on…walk on… with hope in your heart…
And you'll never walk alone...You'll never walk alone!!!
Hi everyone – that was the Liverpool anthem. Yes, the last fortnight has been dominated by football here & Liverpool in particular. Coming back to win theEuropean cup on penalties, after being 3-0 down at half time, was awesome - I watched it in the Walkabout pub in central London (Temple) with about 2000 others! Was thinking at half time: 'hope in your heart/nevergive up'. And they didn't...And they triumphed.
It was pretty awesome to be here for. Brought back fond 'pre-Man Utd being any good' memories of the Liverpool of the glorious '80s - Rush, Dalgleish, Barnes,Whelan, Johnston, + for those of you HLMs & women, who did Linden School, Stuart Riddle! I also watched FA Cup Final a few days earlier, with some Antipodeans in a flat in Bethnal Green. Was going for Arsenal (not with any passion though), and they got home on penalties too, even though Man Utd deserved to win – but United have done that to plentyof others before too.
Anyway, enough of football I hear you say! I've been in Wokingham (Berkshire) this bank holiday weekend, hanging with Glenn & Lynn Irving, NZ friends from when I was at University working with the Christian fellowship group TSCF. Haven't seen them since 2000, so lots of catching up on the last 5 yrs to do! Coming over here has been really good for catching up with people I have not seen for ages. It's lovely & rural, quiet & relaxing. Glenn works instructing kids at an outdoor pursuits centre, so I had a go at Archery yesterday – lots of fun & able to get quite accurate –when the target is only 15m away! Also we went for a 20km mountain bike ride through the Swinley Forest yesterday pm, lots of technical single track & dropoffs, good fun.
On Saturday my parents arrived from NZ for a few months. Myself & sister Nicola had brunch with them near Marble Arch, where we discussed what we will do together over the next few months. I will be canal boating with them within the next week, around the West Midlands. Then in late-July we will go to Birmingham to get a personal tour from Dad, where he grew up - should be pretty interesting & special.
Since my last email I've had a couple of exciting & busy weeks – main highlight being my 5 day van tour round much of the UK. We departed on a Monday, heading to York, stopping at Nottingham Castle, Sherwood Forest & having a pint at the oldest pub in England "Ye old trip to Jerusalem" - 1189AD. Our driver knew a lot about the history of the places we went to, and also had accompanying songs written about the stories behind places we went to, so I really enjoyed the history-story telling side of things.
Also enjoyed just driving thru the countryside & observing the landscape types & seeing it change slowly as we went from region to region. I must say that once you get out of the cities and off the M1-40-odd motorways (dominated by massive trucks everywhere, going at about 120kmh). England seems pretty unpopulated, considering it has 50 million people.
There were 7 of us on the way north, 10 on the way back. Met some cool people, but unfortunately most of them are leaving the UK within the next month. However it was still a lot of fun touring in a group. Got on with a couple of Aussies girls best, as well as a 2 Canadian & Sth African girls (not many blokes on this trip!). After a Viking feast (complete with Viking hats & mead!) in York we headed to Durham Cathedral (huge) & Alan Shearer territory (Newcastle) briefly, before getting to Edinburgh, heading over the border (obligatory crossing the border/flag waving/bagpipes + Proclaimers blaring/photo taking ceremony).
I liked Edinburgh – very funky feel to it. Castle looked awesome – no time to go inside - must return sometime. Had a walking tour of a few places with a local, who gave us a completely biased & thoroughly entertaining version of Scottish history. I found the story of Deacon Brodie - Mr Jekyll & Hyde - pretty fascinating. Had "Haggis, Neaps & Tatties" for my first meal in Scotland – had to do it, then indulged in some whiskey tasting – quite a lot of variation in taste & strength between each type of whiskey.
I also met up briefly with Ken Miller, now living in Edinburgh, mate from Tawa College days, & my playing partner when we dominated our 500 cards tournament in 1996-97, (still going, twice annually) contested byabout 8 of us old boys from Tawa College 7th from in 1993. We went for a drink at the Jekyll & Hyde pub - found the hidden toilets!
Day 3 – headed to Gretna Green, where suddenly I got married! My wife is Sarah Witteveen – Aussie girl. Don't stress or send presents! This was a shotgun wedding, the likes of which occurred back in the day when the marriage age in England was 21, and in Scotland it was 16 – young lovers eloped over the border to get hitched, at this place.
Next we drove south & headed up Kirkstone Pass (complete with fields split by hundreds of rock walls, built by farmers over the years, stunning landscape) for a beer at one of the highest pubs in England (Kirkstone Pass Inn - evoked memories of the Cardrona Hotel in NZ). Then we drove through the Lake District, famous, supposedly for Beatrix Potter & William Wordsworth. But for me its Arthur Ransome territory – author of the Swallows & Amazons, sailing adventures on the lakes books, which I read & loved as I grew up. Also, this was Donald Campbell territory, who died on Coniston Water breaking his own 300kmh+ world waterspeed record, back in 1967 (song 'Rocket Man' by Elton John is about this).
Then we headed to Liverpool, where my Dad went to Uni! Drove past Anfield & Goodison Park (got a photo for you Rob!) – built in the middle of the run down old inner suburbs & only 500 yards away from each other. Visited Mathew St & the Cavern Club, where the Beatles made it big with the Mersey Beat back in the 60s, even got a Cavern Club patch for my Scout blanket – will have a lot of sewing to do when I get back to NZ!).
Then had a night out in Liverpool – a pretty downtrodden & hassled place by rest of the English – a society torn apart by Margaret Thatcher's policies of the 80s, & the decline of the shipping trade in Britain. It looked pretty down & out driving thru it - & I think I have a soft spot for it, because we had been told its sad story when compared to its glory days, on the way in – that’s why I was so stoked the won the European Cup last Wednesday!
After that we drove through Snowdonia, headed for Stratford-upon-Avon for the night, where we saw a Shakespeare play (gotta do it! - Twelfth Night – pretty good). Final day consisted of Chipping Norton briefly – cool name & posh! Then to Oxford (pretty vibrant, studenty place – students & bikes everywhere). Had a thoroughly entertaining & interesting walking tour of the Uni – learnt about the St Scholastica's Day Massacre –unbelievable!).
Then we visited the grave of one JRR Tolkien, before having a trip quiz, singing the Vindaloo Song (English football anthem – easy for drunk hooligans to repeat endlessly) again, as we headed for London, to finish a busy, fascinating & fun week.
Was good to get home – well back to Danny's in Tooting. The last week back in London has been about museums & just enjoying travelling round watching things - finally finished the Museum of London (took 5 goes - after 2 hrs your brain is pretty fried each time). Last section got me thinking of how my old colleagues & classes at Tawa College are (Hi guys!) –the Industrial Revolution exhibits were all related to what I've been teaching in a 3rd form Social Studies unit for the last 4 years!
On Thursday I started on the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Sq - more history & heaps of portraits funnily enough! – very good explanations of each portrait helped to understand various phases of British history & which Henrys/Marys/Richards/Edwards did what, when! Friday was hot – about 30 degrees, summer's coming! – so back to the NPG for airconditioning & more portraits.
That’s enough for now! There has been general alarm here with the Lions almost losing to Argentina last week, I imagine the hype is building now that they are in NZ – will be watching those tests while canalling – off to the local pub/café for early morning All Blacks victories & traditional English cooked breakfast –mmmm…!
Until then, love to all!
Dave
And you'll never walk alone...You'll never walk alone!!!
Hi everyone – that was the Liverpool anthem. Yes, the last fortnight has been dominated by football here & Liverpool in particular. Coming back to win theEuropean cup on penalties, after being 3-0 down at half time, was awesome - I watched it in the Walkabout pub in central London (Temple) with about 2000 others! Was thinking at half time: 'hope in your heart/nevergive up'. And they didn't...And they triumphed.
It was pretty awesome to be here for. Brought back fond 'pre-Man Utd being any good' memories of the Liverpool of the glorious '80s - Rush, Dalgleish, Barnes,Whelan, Johnston, + for those of you HLMs & women, who did Linden School, Stuart Riddle! I also watched FA Cup Final a few days earlier, with some Antipodeans in a flat in Bethnal Green. Was going for Arsenal (not with any passion though), and they got home on penalties too, even though Man Utd deserved to win – but United have done that to plentyof others before too.
Anyway, enough of football I hear you say! I've been in Wokingham (Berkshire) this bank holiday weekend, hanging with Glenn & Lynn Irving, NZ friends from when I was at University working with the Christian fellowship group TSCF. Haven't seen them since 2000, so lots of catching up on the last 5 yrs to do! Coming over here has been really good for catching up with people I have not seen for ages. It's lovely & rural, quiet & relaxing. Glenn works instructing kids at an outdoor pursuits centre, so I had a go at Archery yesterday – lots of fun & able to get quite accurate –when the target is only 15m away! Also we went for a 20km mountain bike ride through the Swinley Forest yesterday pm, lots of technical single track & dropoffs, good fun.
On Saturday my parents arrived from NZ for a few months. Myself & sister Nicola had brunch with them near Marble Arch, where we discussed what we will do together over the next few months. I will be canal boating with them within the next week, around the West Midlands. Then in late-July we will go to Birmingham to get a personal tour from Dad, where he grew up - should be pretty interesting & special.
Since my last email I've had a couple of exciting & busy weeks – main highlight being my 5 day van tour round much of the UK. We departed on a Monday, heading to York, stopping at Nottingham Castle, Sherwood Forest & having a pint at the oldest pub in England "Ye old trip to Jerusalem" - 1189AD. Our driver knew a lot about the history of the places we went to, and also had accompanying songs written about the stories behind places we went to, so I really enjoyed the history-story telling side of things.
Also enjoyed just driving thru the countryside & observing the landscape types & seeing it change slowly as we went from region to region. I must say that once you get out of the cities and off the M1-40-odd motorways (dominated by massive trucks everywhere, going at about 120kmh). England seems pretty unpopulated, considering it has 50 million people.
There were 7 of us on the way north, 10 on the way back. Met some cool people, but unfortunately most of them are leaving the UK within the next month. However it was still a lot of fun touring in a group. Got on with a couple of Aussies girls best, as well as a 2 Canadian & Sth African girls (not many blokes on this trip!). After a Viking feast (complete with Viking hats & mead!) in York we headed to Durham Cathedral (huge) & Alan Shearer territory (Newcastle) briefly, before getting to Edinburgh, heading over the border (obligatory crossing the border/flag waving/bagpipes + Proclaimers blaring/photo taking ceremony).
I liked Edinburgh – very funky feel to it. Castle looked awesome – no time to go inside - must return sometime. Had a walking tour of a few places with a local, who gave us a completely biased & thoroughly entertaining version of Scottish history. I found the story of Deacon Brodie - Mr Jekyll & Hyde - pretty fascinating. Had "Haggis, Neaps & Tatties" for my first meal in Scotland – had to do it, then indulged in some whiskey tasting – quite a lot of variation in taste & strength between each type of whiskey.
I also met up briefly with Ken Miller, now living in Edinburgh, mate from Tawa College days, & my playing partner when we dominated our 500 cards tournament in 1996-97, (still going, twice annually) contested byabout 8 of us old boys from Tawa College 7th from in 1993. We went for a drink at the Jekyll & Hyde pub - found the hidden toilets!
Day 3 – headed to Gretna Green, where suddenly I got married! My wife is Sarah Witteveen – Aussie girl. Don't stress or send presents! This was a shotgun wedding, the likes of which occurred back in the day when the marriage age in England was 21, and in Scotland it was 16 – young lovers eloped over the border to get hitched, at this place.
Next we drove south & headed up Kirkstone Pass (complete with fields split by hundreds of rock walls, built by farmers over the years, stunning landscape) for a beer at one of the highest pubs in England (Kirkstone Pass Inn - evoked memories of the Cardrona Hotel in NZ). Then we drove through the Lake District, famous, supposedly for Beatrix Potter & William Wordsworth. But for me its Arthur Ransome territory – author of the Swallows & Amazons, sailing adventures on the lakes books, which I read & loved as I grew up. Also, this was Donald Campbell territory, who died on Coniston Water breaking his own 300kmh+ world waterspeed record, back in 1967 (song 'Rocket Man' by Elton John is about this).
Then we headed to Liverpool, where my Dad went to Uni! Drove past Anfield & Goodison Park (got a photo for you Rob!) – built in the middle of the run down old inner suburbs & only 500 yards away from each other. Visited Mathew St & the Cavern Club, where the Beatles made it big with the Mersey Beat back in the 60s, even got a Cavern Club patch for my Scout blanket – will have a lot of sewing to do when I get back to NZ!).
Then had a night out in Liverpool – a pretty downtrodden & hassled place by rest of the English – a society torn apart by Margaret Thatcher's policies of the 80s, & the decline of the shipping trade in Britain. It looked pretty down & out driving thru it - & I think I have a soft spot for it, because we had been told its sad story when compared to its glory days, on the way in – that’s why I was so stoked the won the European Cup last Wednesday!
Day 4 consisted of Wales mainly. Started with a boat trip across the Mersey River, scene of thousands of ships unloading/loading people & freight in the past. Massive docks, quite a wide river. Then into Wales –first stop Conwy Castle – built in about 6 years by 1500 men, in the 1200s I think – quite mind blowing - they just loved building castles & churches back then!After that we headed to:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
Yes, you read right! – LlanfairPG for short. Here we said Boradd (hello), Dioch (thank you), Hoeill (goodbye) to the locals.After that we drove through Snowdonia, headed for Stratford-upon-Avon for the night, where we saw a Shakespeare play (gotta do it! - Twelfth Night – pretty good). Final day consisted of Chipping Norton briefly – cool name & posh! Then to Oxford (pretty vibrant, studenty place – students & bikes everywhere). Had a thoroughly entertaining & interesting walking tour of the Uni – learnt about the St Scholastica's Day Massacre –unbelievable!).
Then we visited the grave of one JRR Tolkien, before having a trip quiz, singing the Vindaloo Song (English football anthem – easy for drunk hooligans to repeat endlessly) again, as we headed for London, to finish a busy, fascinating & fun week.
Was good to get home – well back to Danny's in Tooting. The last week back in London has been about museums & just enjoying travelling round watching things - finally finished the Museum of London (took 5 goes - after 2 hrs your brain is pretty fried each time). Last section got me thinking of how my old colleagues & classes at Tawa College are (Hi guys!) –the Industrial Revolution exhibits were all related to what I've been teaching in a 3rd form Social Studies unit for the last 4 years!
On Thursday I started on the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Sq - more history & heaps of portraits funnily enough! – very good explanations of each portrait helped to understand various phases of British history & which Henrys/Marys/Richards/Edwards did what, when! Friday was hot – about 30 degrees, summer's coming! – so back to the NPG for airconditioning & more portraits.
That’s enough for now! There has been general alarm here with the Lions almost losing to Argentina last week, I imagine the hype is building now that they are in NZ – will be watching those tests while canalling – off to the local pub/café for early morning All Blacks victories & traditional English cooked breakfast –mmmm…!
Until then, love to all!
Dave
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4:09 AM
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