Marketing gone too far

While driving home with Ally when we lived in Cambridge, she held out a bottle and said with genuine enthusiasm, "Mmmm. Try this!"

I was focused on the road, thirsty, and caught the words "Sugar Vanilla Nectarine" in my peripheral vision. Naturally, I took a greedy, unsuspecting gulp.

"No! No!" Ally shrieked. "I meant smell it!"

"Too late," I replied, though the words were somewhat muffled by the thick, Mediterranean-scented bath bubbles beginning to foam from my mouth.

It was not a pleasant culinary experience. My breath has never been more "calming," but I am seriously considering suing Boots for deceptive packaging.

I didn't get the refreshing snack I was promised, but on the bright side, every time I hiccuped for the next three hours, I blew a perfectly formed, vanilla-scented bubble.

Saying farewell to Colleen and Steve

Breaking rules is always fun

St John's College

Weekend at the sea side

We spent the weekend at East Bourne with Colleen and Steve. Right next to Brighton, the town is similar but quainter and quieter. The weather was glorious.

Highlights

• Leisurely walks along the promenade in the evening sun.
• Delicious cheese cake at a 1790's bakery (very quaint indeed and the cheese cake was heavenly).
• Italian ice cream.
• Watching the full moon rise from the sea.
• Contemplating the beautiful view of the sea from our hotel room - and listening to the lap of the waves during the night.
• Exploring the white cliffs at Beachie Head on Sunday.
• Watching thousands of birds flying in to roost under the old pier.
• Spending time with Coll and Steve - we'll miss them big time.
  
  

Ally and Colleen have been friends now for over 15 years




Roosting birds

As evening came, 1000's of European starlings started to gather at spots accross the town. From there, they then made their way in mass to congregate on the roof of an old building on the pier. At 7:30 pm sharp, in one enormous flock, they dived up into the air and then plunged down in a whirling, spiralling torrent to take up their roost for the night underneath the pier. We were on the pier at the time (having been told off this nightly pilgrimmage) so got to see it close hand. Managed to duck most of the inevitable missiles from the sky.


The view from our hotel


Lazing by the Beachie Head Cliffs






Mood shots

Cambridge Boot Sale

Had lots of fun selling all our surplus stuff at the boot sale today. Amazing how much junk you accumulate during 5 years. We made £ 250 and met some cool (and some very strange!) people. When we get to Australia, we'll definitely consider boot sales as a way of getting hold of some bargains.

Family and Dog portrait

Treacle, what a sweetie!

Sally comes to visit

Sally and Ally in Claire Garden, Cambridge. Ally took the day off to spend some quality time with Sally. Lovely to have her to stay for a night.

Ostriches, elephants and pygmy marmosets

Bronwyn is the new brand manager for the London Zoo and Whipsnade Animal Park. She's loving her new job. We visited it today and enjoyed it very much in the gorgeous sunshine. Lots of African animals including lions, rhinos and Springboks making us feel a little home sick. Also had a picnic as you can see.

Sandringham Estate, Norfolk

We did an enjoyable day trip to Sandringham, the country residence of the Queen. Set in stunning gardens, we also did a tour of the house itself. A much more intimate interior than Buckingham Palace, we saw the board games they play and the dining room table on which they have dinner. Sadly the Queen couldn't fit us into her social dairy - she was in St Pauls today commemorating the women of the 2nd world war.

Punting towards Granchester

Went for a marathon punt along the Cam today to Granchester. The river is very natural along this section - not quite as cultural (no 14th century colleges) but very peaceful. We took a picnic lunch.
 

Cheshire Triathlon

Doing a triathlon was a life goal for both of us. Despite our rather lax training, we did rather well. 250 metre swim, followed by a 20 km cycle and a 2.5 km run. A great sense of achievment afterwards - and I'm now motivated to attack a longer in a couple of months time. Colleen did it with us while Steve supported with gusto. He's going to do it next time too. A great day out.

Unwinding after. Silly devils through bread.

Our new Audi: Ally got to borrow an Audi A4 from work for the weekend so we drove up to Cheshire in style. We could rather get used to a car like this!