Thursday 29 June 2006

A Weekend in Milan


Kate had a Job to do in Milan, so I decided to leave early on Friday and meet her there.
It was hot, very hot. Fortunately our room had airconditioning.
On Friday we just went out and found a nice little Italian restaurant, where we sat outside and enjoyed some refreshing whine and yummy food.

On Saturday we did some sight seeing.


Then we put on our nice outfits went for a very nice dinner and then to the Opera.
Funnily it was an opera in German, but I still had to read the surtitles.

We went back to London on Sunday. All in all a very nice weekend.

Tuesday 13 June 2006

My folks' first time in London


My sister and I gave our parent a trip to London for their birthdays last year in November. In May they have finaly made it over here.
My sister and her boyfriend came along...


We, went to the London Eye, walked along the river and stoped for a few pints in Shakespear's pub the Anchor.
In the evening we went to Barbican for a synphoney orchestra, which was very enjoyable thigh everyone was quite worn out from walking around so much.


The next day it was proper London weather. A bit sunny and then raining and a bit sunny and again some rain.
We decided to go to Greenwich onthe boat, which ened up being a good choice as we had good weather all the way there and once we go to the market in Greenwich it started to rain.
We ended up in some old pub on the other side of the river between Canary Warf and Greenwih. It was a great day.

On the next day we just went around town, looking at variuos places and ended up taking a black cab home, I just wanted my parents to take one as they rarely take a cab and I just love them.

Kate and I and the rest helped too to make a proper roast diner.
We ate and ate and drank and talked and drank some more ... a lovely evening.

On the last day it rained again and we walked around hide park an green park till we had to go home for them to pick up their stuff and fly back home.

All in all and inspite of the not so great weather it was a lovely weekend and everyone enjoyed it.

a trip to scotland


For the first May weekend wed decided to go to Scotland to visit Erech, my friend who I helped out restoring the cottage just a year ago.
Erech picked usd up from Aberdeen airport and he took us to the cottage near Dufftown in his oh-I-love-it-so-much-vegetable-oil-powered-VW-bus.

The weather was so beatifull that we had breakfast out in the sunshine the next morning


and went for a ride to Loch Nes to find that old monster.


The scenery was lovely. We drove around the whole lake. We stopped a number of times to check out waterfalls, lakes, and cannels.


Had some scones and beer and just enjoyed the lovely day being silly.


We even saw Nessi!


The next day was just as beautiful. Breakfast in the sun and off to the Glenlivet distillery.


After that we went off do explore the countryside a bit,


which ment driving up tiny roads and laying in the grass looking up into the sky.



It was sunday so we decided to make a proper sunday roast ... lamb in honey and sider with roasted vegetables and mash ... delicious.
We finished it up with whine, cask-strength wisky and some music...


On our last day, Erech took us on the "longer route" along the coast to the airport.


It was a great trip and I am looking forward to the next time being up at Croftglass Cottage ;)

overdue post


It seems I am keeping up my bad habbits, not posting anything for ages.
So, this time I will have to cover a little easter trip to the new forest, a weekend in scotland and a visit from my folks and sister here in London.

The easter weekend was beautiful. Kate and I went to the New Forest for the weekend. We booked a lovely room in a family run B&B. It was quite charming and the breakfasts were great.

We explored the country on foot, visited a museum and a stately home one day,


the next day we went to an old restored water mil that was runing and from the flour the miller's wife made wounderful scones with clotted cream and jam and a nice cup of tea ... we had a proper cream tea by the river in the sun, fantastic. The last day we took a walk through the heath covered hills.


Of course things don't always go as planed. Being chanlenged by a rope hanging from a tree branch over a little stream I could not help myself but to except that challenge. All went fine, I swung accross and was standing on the other side of the stream


Kate said that she'd like a better picture, so I turned around and swung back across...


... just to find out that there was something wrong. My feet touched the other side, slipped off and there I was standing in the knee deep water.


Oh, what fun it was being out in the country, walking around in the heath. Horses that roam freely in the New Forest cross your way every so often and it all just seems so peaceful.

Just after the trip to the New Forest I went to the Accu 2006 conference in Oxford, where I gave a presentation on my jsolait project. I met a lot of interesting people(geeks), had great converstations, way too much too drink and too little sleep ;).