Fast times in Keswick........

After a fairly busy trip back to Oz and NZ, we opted to spend the August bank holiday enjoying a slower pace of life in the village of Keswick (pron: Kes-ick) in the north of the Lakes District.

Some stats on Keswick.........

• Population - 5,000
• Beds in B'n'Bs - 2,000
• Spares beds in B'n'Bs on a Bank holiday - 0.
• Walkers - more than you can count
• Dogs - also more than you can count - but seemed like about 1.2 per walker
• Lakes - 1
• Mountains - we saw 3
• Fish'n'Chip shops - 4 (good ones too)
• Pencil Museums - 1 (no kidding - the pencil was born there)
• Famous cars - many including Kitt, Chitti Chitti Bang Bang, General Lee, Batmobile, Herbie (of Goes Bananas fame) and last but not least, the Delorean from Back to the Future.......
• Pubs - 25.

So what did we do? We relaxed and tried to fit in with what everyone else was doing: a little bit of walking (0 mountains climbed however), a little bit of eating (cued up for the famous F'n'Cs) and much time spend relaxing at various pubs (while we didn't go as far as getting a dog, in an attempt to integrate with everyone else, we maintained a strict policy of visiting 'dog friendly' pubs only).

In short - we had a great relaxing weekend. The pace of life and the number of friendly welcoming people was a very refreshing contrast to life in London. Perhaps sometime we'll be back to do a bit more exploring!

A flying visit.....

After 12 months away the time came for a flying visit back to NZ and Oz. We were very fortunate to be able to pack a huge amount into a short trip - a wedding, a baby (not ours) and an eightieth..... plus lots of time with friends and family in between.

First stop was Port Douglas for Gerald and Gretchen's wedding. We had a great few days here. There were plenty of friends in town for the big day - and so it was fantastic to catch-up, especially those who we hadn't seen for a while . The wedding was beautiful - a cute little chapel on the coast followed by a reception set amongst a plush golf course - and of course - a very happy Bride and Groom!


In amongst the wedding festivities we even managed to sneak a day out diving on the Great Barrier Reef - which was pretty amazing! We really enjoyed Port Douglas - it was a perfect spot for this kind of event and was a nice way to kick off the trip.

From here we dashed to Wellington - home again! A couple of days to shop (and we did!), catch up with Michelle's family who were in Welly and enjoy a lovely dinner at Capitol, pop into work, brunch at Maranui Cafe (yum!), have a great night out with mates (including a visit to the much loved Matterhorn.......) and just generally taking in all the changes in Wellington. Great to be home.... albeit briefly!


Next stop; Hamiltron - and time to meet the new niece - Georgia!! The Nelson clan were together for a couple of days - and we all got plenty of baby time. She is such a sweetie - and it was neat for the new Aunty and Uncles to have a hold of her!

Finally destination - Hawkes Bay for Grandma's 80th! Another great time catching up with everyone - and great that we could be there on such a milestone occassion! Good to see Grandma in such good form!

After a whirlwind tour - including more catching up with friends and family at Auckland airport, it was time to head home.... back to the grind - fully recharged after seeing everyone and a bit of time in Aotearoa, but perhaps a little jaded as a result!