Sharon and Us in London

We caught the bus to London on Monday morning and spent four fun days looking around the city that so many people visit every year. We were one of just a few (4.5 million visits to 34 London tourist attractions in August). Imagine what it will be like in 2012 with the Olympics.  The undergrounds would be crowded (although there is significant upgrading of them going on at the mo), no place to get a photo without someone in the way and no where with a table free to buy a coffee or a meal - yes winter is definitely the time to go to London.  We caught some shows:

• Blood Brothers (on the Top 3 list for me with Wicked and Billy Elliot). The sad story of twin brothers who were separated at birth but end up meeting as children and then falling in love with the same girl. Fairly familiar theme but the lyrics, acting and music make it very memorable and sad.  
• Chicago (a bit dark for me - not quite enough colour and vibrancy). Some songs were quite familiar cos it has been around since 1975.  
• Wicked - just a fun show with lots of colour, great singing and acting. It is about the story of the two witches in the Wizard of Oz . It's our second time and we still thought it was great.
• Legally Blonde (Sharons favourite) based on a blonde who gave the impression of being a bimbo but given an opportunity became a competent lawyer.  Sharon bought the cd and we listened to the music from the show for a couple of days before she took it back home. One of the songs I particularly liked was the conversation between Emmet and Elle - about being given a chance and grabbing it with both hands.

I've been smiling and sweet and thoroughly beaten,

Blowing my chance.

Let's not chase him away,

Let's face him and say,

Hey punk, let's dance!

This chip on my shoulder,

Makes me smarter and bolder.

No more whining or blaming, 

I am reclaiming my pride.

Grab that book and let's do this,

Instead of doodling hearts all through this.

Now, there's a chip on my shoulder!

Let's see him knock it aside.

That reminds me of another song we read about during the week.  The track is a digital download, of 'Two Minutes Silence' and was made to raise money for the Royal British Legion. It went to about 19 in the charts during the week of Remembrance Sunday.  It contains no music or speaking at all, it has lots of celebrities making noiseless contributions eg David Cameron, Andy Murray, Martin Johnson etc.  Sharon thought this was a great song especially for Harry and me when we started singing she would suggest we learnt the lyrics of this new song!!  Besides looking at historical sites and shows we did do a little bit of shopping.  I have come to realise after being with Mum, my Sister and Sharon that somehow I missed out on the 'shopping gene' much to both my Sister and Sharon's dismay.  

We didn't plan it, but we found the Supreme Court just across the road from Westminster Abbey. Having not been in it before and having had discussions about the history of the Supreme and High Court in England and New Zealand we wandered through security and into the courts. There was an exhibition about the history and NZ's move away from the Privy Council (including the new building in Wellington which I have not yet been into).  In one of the cabinets there was a glass waka given to the Privy Council in 2004 to signify the day New Zealand left the jurisdiction of the Jucidicial committee of the Privy Council.  I think as a kind of thank you.  We sat for a while and watched a case about deportation on the video - but by the time we got to the actual court it was lunch time and so we could have a nosy at the room without disturbing the judge, lawyers and defendant.  One of the courts had a stain glass window of flowers - which was rather pretty in its simplicity. It describes the 4 jurisdictions of the UK: the English rose (apparently a symbol of the Tudor dynasty), the Welsh leek leaves (there is a legend that St David ordered his  soldiers to wear leeks on their helmets during a battle against the Saxons), the Scottish purple thistle (another legend suggests that a Scottish army was saved when barefooted Viking invaders stepped on prickly thistles in the dark, crying out in pain and waking the defenders) and the blue flax flower of Northern Island (representing the linen-weaving industry which was one of the main industry groups in the 19th nineteenth century).

 We also visited the Tower of London (poor Harry misses out again cos he didn't join us until Wednesday). The guide was informative and pointed to the area where the crown jewels are housed and said we should go and see some 'serious bling', Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace (on the night the engagement was announced to the world), London Eye, the Art Gallery in Travalgar Square, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey (sobering with all the crosses and poppies from Remembrance Day).

Then it was back to Bristol to do a bit more shopping and packing before travelling back along the M4 to Heathrow.  We had a brief stop at Windsor, viewed the castle, railway station and crooked tearoom, but didn't have time to hang around for the 'switching on of christmas lights'.  We had a wonderful time with Sharon - hopefully we can repeat it soon.

Brighton

Sharon spent a few days in Paris with Lizzie and Becks and Harry and I went to work.  We picked Sharon up on Thursday night (late - because it was too windy for the passengers to leave the plane - in the end they backed fire engines up to stablise the stairs - it wasn't that windy really!!). Saturday we went to Brighton.  I was keen to show Sharon a 'typical' English seaside resort.  After promenading for a while and sampling fish and chips we went to the Brighton Pavilion (still on our top list) and then wandered the cobbled and narrow streets back to the pier.  It was 5.00ish and dark, so the pier was all lit up with its games, rides and bright lights.

Sunday we drove through a wet New Forest and saw the New Forest ponies - I am pleased to say we found them pretty soon after our trip started. I had visions of us driving through rain for hours and Sharon thinking we were taking her for a joy ride.  Because it was wet we didn't linger long but spent a late afternoon in the little tea rooms at Bradford on Avon - a place we love to take our friends and family when they visit.  A high tea was in order - and a doggy bag!!

Thought it was about time I updated our Top 10 list now that we have been back to the Paviliion.  It is growing and is now a Top 15 - a bit like the Super 14 rugby game.

1. Mt Kau Kau, Wellington
2. Cathedral, Milan
3. Giant Causeway, Northern Ireland
4. Newgrange, Ireland
5. Quantock Head, England
6. Food, Poland
7. Tower, Glasgow
8. Cemetery, Milan
9. Cycling in the Snow, Amsterdam
10. Walking the Cliffs of Dover, England
11. The Pavilion in Brighton, England
12. Waffles, Brussels
13. Hawkstone Park, England
14. Scara Brae, Orkney Islands
15. The Bridge Teashop, Bradford on Avon

Mum

Mum left us on 4 November. We'd said our goodbyes and 4 days after Sharon and I arrived in England she decided to go. It is hard to know what to write in a blog about someone so special. Thanks to Nicky, Simon and Aaron, and modern technology Sharon, Harry, Mike and myself were able to be with everyone else as they celebrated her life and said goodbye.  The service was a tribute to Mum with the church packed with lots of friends and her family.  The service can be found on http://qik.com/awishnowsky and http://qik.com.simoncas2407 - there a number of short clips taken through cell phones so that we could be there 'live'. This is what Rebecca read out for us at Mum's funeral.

Our mother and grandmother loved her garden and her home in Paekakariki. She loved the birds, the flowers and the friendliness of her neighbours and the community. It is hard to credit that she spent most of her lifetime around the Kapiti Coast and now her family is spread around the world. We have heavy hearts knowing that we can't say goodbye to Mum in person today. But our little family is growing and it also warms our hearts to know that Rebecca and Aaron are sitting with Cheryl and Marty today and that everyone in the church is supporting us and has some wonderful memories of Beth. Thank you for coming to say goodbye to our mother, grandmother and your friend. Thanks to modern technology we are hoping to be with you today. If we aren't for some technological reason which can not be sorted out, our thoughts and prayers are with you as you share this special time together. When we left for England I suggested to Mum that we bought her a computer. Emailing is so much faster and cheaper Mum and we could even skype I told her. Well you can imagine the response - her face said it all - no - I'll write and telephone she said. And the letters and telephone calls did come. It occurred to me the other day that we are saying goodbye to someone of the last generation who have communicated extensively through hand writing and telephone. No need for email, facebook, twitter and blogs when you can write and post a letter or pick up a phone!! Somehow knowing that Mum wrote that letter just for me made them very special – even if it meant that our telephone calls were often cut short as she said ‘ I can not tell you what happened this week because I wrote it in the letter I haven’t posted yet’. Mum's letters told the story of the last three years of her life. These and the few years before are important years, because she was very happy - doing her own thing - meeting her friends - buying the occasional teddy bear and coffee. She caught the local bus to Coastlands and surprisingly made a stand to keep the bus service going. I can still remember opening the letter with the newspaper article and a photo of her with a beaming smile. She met friends on the bus and often wrote about who she chatted to, the little jokes she shared with Laurence the driver, and how kind people were lifting her trolley down from the bus and walking it across the road. She wrote about the kindness of neighbours and friends in the community who helped her with plumbing or wiring problems, lawn mowing, gardening, looking after her cat and collecting her mail and about her family who rang and went to see her on a regular basis. She wrote about meeting her friends at Cafe Brie, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Fishermans Table, Cobb and Co - occasionally to celebrate a birthday or a visit from her family etc but mainly just to celebrate having friends. And when Mum went to hospital the letters kept coming - now dictated by Mum and written by Cheryl - these told of the challenges she faced with a determination that surprised even the most experienced doctors. I remember seeing her in Wellington soon after her stroke and made a comment about how tough it all was - she looked at me and said 'It could be worse'. A lesson for us all about looking on the ‘bright side of life’. The last few months of Mum's life were the ones that represented the most change for her in the last 50 or so years. 3 moves in just a few months compared to 50 or so years in the same house. She adapted well thanks to Cheryl and Marty being there for her. They and the caring nurses at her 3 ‘homes away from home’, helped her to be content in the last few months. I know that if Mum is looking down on us today she would want to give Cheryl a big loving smile and a thank you. I know we will all have memories of Mum and I also know that she has left an impression on us. We can all take a lesson from her book on patience, determination, politeness, thankfulness, caring, enjoyment of life – they are all good lessons. Funerals and enjoyment aren't really words that go together. But you know as well as we do that Mum would want us to be happy today. She would consider a funeral with laughter and good conversation over a cup of tea and some snacks as the right way to say goodbye to her. I can almost hear her say 'Would you like another cup of tea or perhaps some more cake' .
We'll miss you.

North of Amsterdam

On Sharon's second day in England she discovered Primark - 3.5 hours in a shop I have not yet ventured into - pretty impressive. The week was a mixed bag in relation to the weather but it didn't dampen the enthusiastic tourist.  One day she caught the train to and visited Bath (Roman Baths, Abbey, Fashion Museum). After work Harry and I drove over to meet her and went for a swim (not quite hot enough for an outdoor pool in November) and a Thai dinner. On Friday we flew out to Amsterdam. It was one of those trips where we planned to hire a car and go out of the city - so we only saw the capital from the ring road at night. The hotel on the motorway north was probably one of the nicest we have stayed in - large foyers, heaps of rooms and restaurants - another good deal. This is cheese and tulip country. It is a pity it wasn't spring time, but at least the cheese was still about in truck loads. We stopped at Alkmaar where the cheese markets are held every Friday - yes it was Saturday - so we saw an empty square but the local shops still had the local Edam and Gouda (both names of towns close by) plus all the different camemberts, bries, blue cheese, wasabi etc etc. Apparently at the market traders and carriers weigh the cheeses and there are demonstrations on making the local cheeses. It is held outside the medieval weighing house and is surrounded by stalls where cheese and other local items can be bought - if we had been there on a Friday I suspect a few euros would have left our pockets. But we got enough for lunch with some bread which we ate on a park bench looking over the river.  Before leaving the 'cheese topic', we visited in the early hours of darkness Edam - yes where the cheese actually comes from. We had a nice dinner in the local hotel before heading back to the hotel for a not so early night.

Over the weekend we drove along some dykes and across lots of polders - back came my primary school geography lessons and our earlier trip to Amsterdam where we did the same thing but on a bus.  We stopped at Hoorn which was a delightful seaside town.  There we walked around the wharves, through the town city and past markets. Sharon ventured into a couple of shops and we wandered around taking photos of bicycles and buildings. Hoorn was the home of the Dutch East India Company - it appears as though most of the trade was spices from the exotic orient.

Haarlem was a lovely surprise. It is a smallish city with a population of around 150,000 and has the most delightful cathedral in the market square with little boutique shops around it. It was too late to go into the Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk but we wandered down streets and around the cathedral in the twilight.

We also took Sharon to Zaanse Schans - we'd been here before but with a bit more time (last time it was a rushed bus trip where there is never quite enough time to look at everything). The town is a museum -a collection of well-preserved historic windmills and houses - relocated here back in the 1970s. The windmills were built sometime during the 16th century and each has a name such as "The Houseman","The Crowned Poelenburg", "The Cat", "The Young Sheep", "The Ox", "The Seeker", "The Cloverleaf" and the "Motley Crew". We enjoyed watching the clog making demonstration and looking through the working windmill that was used to dye chalks. Our last stop before the airport was Zandvoort - another seaside resort. It was dark and late but we had some fun on the beach before winging our way back to Bristol.