All of us and Ross went into London by Tube on Sunday, 2nd September. First of all we caught a red double-decker bus to the station at Bounds Green. The girls immediately pushed to the top deck and enjoyed being able to watch and see everything from up top. At the Tube station, Alastair developed a problem with the smart card technology (they don’t call it smart for no reason!). The card – called an Oyster – can be topped up with credit so you don’t have to buy a ticket every time you travel. You place it on a special sensor to open the gates. For some reason, A had a problem with this and it wouldn’t read the card – so he’d be stuck at the gate with a growing line of disgruntled locals behind him. Ross reckons it was lucky it was the weekend – otherwise they’d have just walked over the top of him.
First stop was Piccadilly Circus. This famous intersection is such a typical London streetscape – the narrow streets, the terraced buildings, the heavy traffic and the big red buses everywhere.
From there we walked down to St James Park, next to Buckingham Palace. The security in this area was intense. There were many cameras so that you couldn’t have sneezed without someone noticing you.
Buckingham Palace was great. Loads of foreign visitors like us everywhere. We then walked basically around its perimeter – again the security was really noticeable through the streets that were very much like a movie set.
We walked into Hyde Park. We have a lovely walk through part of this gorgeous park. The girls spotted a squirrel and were delighted by its cute eating manner and the way it hopped away. We walked along one side of the Serpentine – the lake in the middle of the Park, where there were hundreds of people out enjoying the last days of summer. Parts of the park are kept more like a wild wood (with longer grass and clumps of trees). The trees are already starting to turn – hopefully we’ll get a chance to come back just before we leave and see it in its autumnal glory.
Our path through the park took us to the Albert Memorial – that huge symbol of Victorian wealth and excess. As rich as places like Ballarat and Bendigo were during the gold rush, the ‘mother’ country was even richer with the wealth from the colonies helping to fund monuments like this giant gold statue of Queen Victoria’s husband.
Carlene
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is at the top of Ross’s road. Ross’s street is called The Avenue – such a quintessential English name. I remember reading a series of novels years ago about the lives of a group of neighbours in a street called The Avenue.
Ally Pally, as it is called by the locals, is in parts in a sad state of disrepair. It was the place from which high definition TV was first broadcast. It has an ice rink at one end, a pub out onto a terrace at the other and burnt out, unrepaired bits in between. The views over London are amazing with rows of terraced houses laid out before you like spokes on a wheel. The park around the palace is lovely – with a big duck pond at one end near a children’s playground. It also has a huge skate park, which keeps the skaters off the path in the rest of the pack.
There was a fair at the park. E&K begged to be allowed to go, so we took them there on Saturday afternoon. The fair was rather tired and dirty but the girls didn’t notice. Ross challenged Alastair to a game of knocking over cans – it’s strange how when these two get together they’re like they’re 10 and eight again and everything is a competition. The girls had a ride on a lame roller coaster, but they thought it was fantastic, and a jump in a jumping castle.
Carlene
Ally Pally, as it is called by the locals, is in parts in a sad state of disrepair. It was the place from which high definition TV was first broadcast. It has an ice rink at one end, a pub out onto a terrace at the other and burnt out, unrepaired bits in between. The views over London are amazing with rows of terraced houses laid out before you like spokes on a wheel. The park around the palace is lovely – with a big duck pond at one end near a children’s playground. It also has a huge skate park, which keeps the skaters off the path in the rest of the pack.
There was a fair at the park. E&K begged to be allowed to go, so we took them there on Saturday afternoon. The fair was rather tired and dirty but the girls didn’t notice. Ross challenged Alastair to a game of knocking over cans – it’s strange how when these two get together they’re like they’re 10 and eight again and everything is a competition. The girls had a ride on a lame roller coaster, but they thought it was fantastic, and a jump in a jumping castle.
Carlene
Making Chutney
Ellen and Katherine have really put me to shame in the way that they have been working at keeping the blog up to date.
We spent Saturday, September 1, with Ross and Susanna. Bonny and her boyfriend Stefan came over - she lives about 10 minutes away. The girls were very excited to be finally meeting one of their grown-up cousins. This, however, didn't encourage them to talk and they continued their silent communication - lots of big grins and facial expressions to show how excited they were.
The project of the day was chutney making - a tradition for Ross, Susanna and Bonny. It was also important for Susanna, who had a small car accident the night before in a car she had only just bought three days before. Luckily she hadn’t been hurt but it had shaken her a bit.
Ellen worked diligently at chopping the capsicums (called peppers here) while everyone else chopped the other veggies. I find it amazing that although we are apparently an English culture (and some who argue against further immigration claim that we are completely English) that there are so many differences in the names of food. Courgettes for zucchinis, peppers for capsicums, aubergine for eggplant, butternut squash for butternut pumpkin. You can’t buy the other kind of pumpkin here because the English don’t eat it. These differences may only be small but to me they reveal that although our origins may have been English, we are a very different culture. It’s like making chutney – when you cut up all the different veggies and put them together in the pot, the result is something quite different from the original bits. Ellen made lovely brightly coloured labels for all the jars – Susanna said she didn’t need to date them as she would remember when they’d been made just by looking at the labels.
Carlene
We spent Saturday, September 1, with Ross and Susanna. Bonny and her boyfriend Stefan came over - she lives about 10 minutes away. The girls were very excited to be finally meeting one of their grown-up cousins. This, however, didn't encourage them to talk and they continued their silent communication - lots of big grins and facial expressions to show how excited they were.
The project of the day was chutney making - a tradition for Ross, Susanna and Bonny. It was also important for Susanna, who had a small car accident the night before in a car she had only just bought three days before. Luckily she hadn’t been hurt but it had shaken her a bit.
Ellen worked diligently at chopping the capsicums (called peppers here) while everyone else chopped the other veggies. I find it amazing that although we are apparently an English culture (and some who argue against further immigration claim that we are completely English) that there are so many differences in the names of food. Courgettes for zucchinis, peppers for capsicums, aubergine for eggplant, butternut squash for butternut pumpkin. You can’t buy the other kind of pumpkin here because the English don’t eat it. These differences may only be small but to me they reveal that although our origins may have been English, we are a very different culture. It’s like making chutney – when you cut up all the different veggies and put them together in the pot, the result is something quite different from the original bits. Ellen made lovely brightly coloured labels for all the jars – Susanna said she didn’t need to date them as she would remember when they’d been made just by looking at the labels.
Carlene
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Day 3 - The Big Walk
In the morning I woke up at 6am because I though it was 8am, and I woke up in the middle of the night because I thought it was morning.
After breakfast we went to Piccadilly Circus and we got there by a double decker bus (we went on the top) and the Tube, which is the underground railway. All the streets had buildings that didn’t have spaced to walk in and hey were very tall buildings.
We walked to Buckingham Palace and we saw a beautiful garden with pink and bright purple flowers in it. There was a fence around the garden. A giant fence that was gold and silver poles with statues at each end. They are five metres tall. They are amazing.
Then we had some lunch and we had an ice-cream. Then we went to the lake and we watched the birds.
Then we had little walk to Hyde Park and we saw a squirrel and it was holding some food with its front paws and nibbling the food. It moved so quickly that I thought there were two squirrels.
Ellen
After breakfast we went to Piccadilly Circus and we got there by a double decker bus (we went on the top) and the Tube, which is the underground railway. All the streets had buildings that didn’t have spaced to walk in and hey were very tall buildings.
We walked to Buckingham Palace and we saw a beautiful garden with pink and bright purple flowers in it. There was a fence around the garden. A giant fence that was gold and silver poles with statues at each end. They are five metres tall. They are amazing.
Then we had some lunch and we had an ice-cream. Then we went to the lake and we watched the birds.
Then we had little walk to Hyde Park and we saw a squirrel and it was holding some food with its front paws and nibbling the food. It moved so quickly that I thought there were two squirrels.
Ellen
Day 2 - At the fair!
We went to the fair. Uncle Ross won a puppy and Katherine and I went on the DRAGON COASTER and we went on a giant jumping castle. Dad and Uncle Ross tried to knock down eight tins and get them off the table. Then we went to the playground.
At the airport we had bought a neckless for Aunty Susanna, a stubby holder for Uncle Ross, which we gave them.
We me our cousin Bonny.
At the airport we had bought a neckless for Aunty Susanna, a stubby holder for Uncle Ross, which we gave them.
We me our cousin Bonny.
Ellen
The big park
In the morning we caught the bus to Bounds Green train station. Then we went all the way to Picadilly train station. Then we got off the train and walked all the way to Buckingham Palace. That's where the Queen lives. We did not see the Queen but she was in the palace. Then we walked to Hyde Park and had lunch. When we were having lunch we saw a squirrel.
WE HAD A HUGE WALK! We saw a lot of people roller skating on the road. Then we went to Albert Memorial. Then we caught the train to Bounds Green and then caught the bus home and wrote all this in my journal.
Katherine
WE HAD A HUGE WALK! We saw a lot of people roller skating on the road. Then we went to Albert Memorial. Then we caught the train to Bounds Green and then caught the bus home and wrote all this in my journal.
Katherine
The fair
After we had a rest we went to the fair. We went on the Dragon Coaster and the jumping castle. Uncle Ross tried to knock over cans. Uncle Ross got 1 prize which was a dog. Then we went on the playground.
Katherine
Katherine
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