Hong Kong, France, Italy, England

Thursday, 13 October 2011

Cropredy - Hong Kong - Melbourne, Monday 10th - Wednesday 12th October

This morning was largely spent packing - we have 80kg more, combined, than when we left!

We said our goodbyes and Lu very kindly drove us into London where we had a lovely late lunch. Tobes and I went back to see his old colleague, Richard Anderson, in Savile Row for his final fitting before meeting up with Lu and the girls at Hamley's for a last minute shop, and then off to Heathrow.

London - Hong Kong, we had our own on-flight entertainment, with a 'not very well', relatively young, Chinese woman standing up and walking down the aisle, clapping with each step, and stopping right beside me, clapping slowly and continuously until Qantas staff came up on either side of her. One of the staff touched her on the shoulder, at which point she went into hysterics, collapsing on the floor and screaming. Eventually she calmed down and stood up and, with a completely blank expression, started clapping again. This went on for two and a half hours, as the staff found a passenger qualified to try to talk her into sitting down. My girls were obviously wondering what was going on, but after a while we all got bored with her and got back to our movies. On landing in Hong Kong, she was still clapping and refusing to sit down (she'd thankfully wandered up the aisle a bit further, away from us) until literally a couple of minutes before touch down, and was still clapping in her seat as we walked past her and off the plane. Needless to say, she didn't continue on with us to Melbourne......

Very quick turn around in Hong Kong, the girls were great, we had a quick coffee and something to eat and then boarded our plane for Melbourne. Easy trip home and through customs and out to meet Rog (just before 7:00am), who agreed that Claudia has grown even taller during our (nearly) six weeks away. Rog and the girls headed back into Melbourne, and Tobes and I went to collect the car from the Long Term Car Park, to find it had a flat battery. Two hours later, with the help of roadside assistance, we were on the road to Daylesford. Spring has well and truly sprung and the garden is lush green and gorgeous. After a lazy day, lunch at the pub and a 20 minute (which turned into a three hour) kip, we had an early dinner with our gorgeous friends Klarenz and Stuart, and Millie (who is in town for a few days), seeing in Klarenz's birthday at midnight.

A fabulous end to a really amazing trip. I'm very proud of my girls, who (by and large!) behaved beautifully, and were fantastic and enthusiastic travellers all the way. A very big THANK YOU to everyone who looked after us, we have been completely spoilt and really look forward to returning all of your hospitality, hopefully soon. xx

Saying goodbye - Rog, Millie, Spider and Marcus

Tobes and Richard

Outside Hamelys

Off to Heathrow

At Heathrow, Pops saying goodbye to Lu, and Clouds on the phone to Marcus

Tobes and Lu

Hong Kong - half way

With Rog, and safely back in Melbourne

Long term car park - (never lose your sense of humour!)

Home (to more beautiful weather)

Spring has sprung!

Christobel

Stuart, Klarenz and Millie - we're home!

Monday, 10 October 2011

Cropredy (Oxfordshire) - Sunday, 9th October

Spider's birthday this morning, so present opening around breakfast and then the girls, Tobes, Marcus and I headed into Banbury to do a bit of last minute shopping, arriving at the car park to find a very small car park available to us, thanks to a big, black Jag well and truly encroaching on our spot. We all had to get out before squeezing the car into the spot as there was no way we'd be able to get out on the passenger side once parked - and similarly, the numpty who had parked over two parks would have to have entered via his/her passenger side to get out. I decided to take a photo of his plate, just in case a bit of road rage happened and he did something to Lu's car - and half an hour later we came back to find Lu's car had been keyed across both passenger doors. So, next stop was Banbury Police Station with photographic evidence, and then home for a huge Sunday roast.

There were 10 of us for lunch, with Millie and Lydon, Clouds and Ava, Rog, Lu and Spider, Marcus and Tobes and I. Ava frocked up in her new Marks & Spencers skirt and heels (!!). A quick pre-lunch drink at the Red Lion and then a walk up the canal afterwards - we managed to catch a canal boat going through one of the locks, and the couple renting the boat kindly asked the girls and Marcus to come on board for a quick trip up the river.

Once home, the girls were invited into Spider's studio to create some masterpieces of their own, and then an evening of music with Tobes and Marcus having a bit of a sing-a-long, Clouds and Ava on percussion and me on spoons (didn't last long). The late lasagna and Oliver - last night in England. Tomorrow major re-pack then to London for Tobe's final jacket fitting in Savile Row, a quick last trip to Hamley's and off to Heathrow for a 10:00pm flight home - after an amazing, amazing holiday.

Rog and Ava

Pops with the birthday boy

Lu and Clouds, in hysterics

Happy birthday to Spider

and again!

Marcus and Pops

Canal boat entering the lock

Marcus and the girls heading off on the canal boat!

Marcus and the girls

The Red Lion

Ava's turtle

Cloudy's sheep

Lu's car - before.....

And after

Spider's otters coming out of the kiln

Eddy, singing along

Tobes and Marcus

And the dancers!

Marcus and girls

Cropredy (Oxfordshire) - Saturday, 8th October

Today - BISCESTER VILLAGE! The long-awaited, much promised shopping trip for the girls. Biscester Village is on the way back down to London, about half an hour from Lu's and the best way to describe it, is a very posh version of DFO in Australia. And - as luck would have it, Millie's boyfriend Lyndon is a security guard there, and he very kindly organised a 'valid for one day' VIP shopping discount card, on top of the already discounted prices. So the girls and I headed for Ralph Lauren Children, while Tobes found himself in Gucci and managed to walk away ('scuse the pun) with a pair of beautiful penny loafers for (almost) an eigth of their original RRP. Success all round - I bought a gorgeous dress, which is about a size too small for me (ie. a dress I should be able to wear now), and which I plan to be able to fit into by Summer.....watch this space

The girls got a few bits and pieces each, as did Millie, and then Tobes treated us all to lunch at Antonio Carluccio's restaurant. A bit more shopping, then the girls went home with Millie briefly (her new home in Bicester, with Lyndon) to check out her tortoise, Mr T, and Tobes and I headed back to Cropredy, via Banbury and a trip to Tescos. Millie came back with the girls and spent hours with them doing their nails (very patient!).

The girls and I went into Spider's studio to watch him organise some of his pieces in the kiln, for firing and then at 6:30pm guests started to arrive for Spider's birthday-eve drinks. Lots of fun, and another very late night.

Ava and Millie, arriving at Biscester Village

At lunch in Biscester Village

Biscester Village

Spider, arranging his pieces in the kiln

Spider's otter

Vicki, Lu and Elsbeth

and much later!

Saturday, 8 October 2011

Cropredy - Friday, 6th October

Today was officially the laziest day of our holiday. We all got up extremely late, after our very late night out in Banbury, and then went to the George & Dragon in Chacombe where Rog very kindly treated us all to a fantastic pub lunch.

Then home, for an afternoon snooze. I was planning on taking the girls for a walk up to the canals to look at the boats, but a bit of rain gave us all a very good excuse to do nothing. Millie and Marcus arrived later in the afternoon. Then (very well rested), Tobes, Spider, Millie and I snuck down to the Red Lion for a couple of drinks, with friends of Spider and Lu's - Elsbeth and Mandy (whom I met last year at Lu and Spider's wedding) - and then home for curry.