The first month

Sat 29 April 2006
Leave Brisbane. Arrive Singapore feel unwell. Hop on plane to London with very nasty gastro bug - have horror flight for next 13 hours.

Sun 30 April 2006
5:15am Arrive London - Matt (Manfred's brother but nicer) ;-) rescued us and drove us to his home in Luton. Jen has 5 hour nap, feels a little better.

Mon 01 May 2006
Hop in car to Matt's other home in Leeds. Jen goes to bed. Steve and Matt go to the Northbar - "best pub to drink in the UK" apparently; then off to Akbar's Restaurant for Lamb Vindaloo! Spend next week recovering from jet lag, vindaloo and nasty gastro bug.

Here's a photo of Matt's Loungeroom in the heart of Leeds. Nice view eh?

Sun 07 May 2006
Crawled out into cold windy weather. Walked to Royal Armouries Museum. Steve loved armour and stuff but had seen it already in books, too much to be wowed. Loved the Eastern armour etc. Loved the "birds of prey" live display.

Mon 08 May 2006
Sun makes a feeble appearance, briefly! Go to the Leeds Markets. Discover affordable meat prices if purchased in bulk - about 10 butchers next to each other - hooray for competition! Jen buys sexy black boots for 7 and half quid. Steve finds a second hand French cookbook for a quid and gets excited. Jen shakes head.

Tues 09 May 2006
Go to Ireland for Gav and Angela's wedding for whom Steve was best man. Had great dinner in a restaurant in Cork, with a natural 3-storey high waterfall just outside the floor to ceiling window.

Here's a photo of Gav outside his house in Cork... yes the pink one.

Wed 10 May 2006
Spend next few days at Gav+Ang's place buying groceries, making meals, cleaning up after said meals, and general helpful dogsbodies, to decrease stress for the bride and groom.

Thurs 11 May 2006
Visited Blarney Castle. Steve kissed the Blarney stone, although Jen says, " The gift of the Gab is NOT a gift. I can't shut 'im up to start with."

Above: Steve gets vertigo. Below: Inside Blarney Castle.


Fri 12 May 2006
Went to Registry Office for Ang 'n' Gav's First Wedding! Travelled to Cloghan Castle for 2nd wedding prep. Had lunch on the way at Bunratty Castle where Ang used to work.

Here's a pic of the happy couple on their way to the registry office.
I think Angela's kissed the Blarney Stone too many times!
Hey, nice bouquet Gav.

Sat 13 May 2006
Wedding all went well, everbody had a great time parting in Cloghan Castle. DJ played last track at 3.55am. The sun trying best to penetrate gloomy skys. Amazingly, rain held off all day until after dinner! Steve did great job as Best Man, making Gav blush (great speech).

Above: The bride and groom successfully married second day in a row!
Below: Here's our room in Cloghan Castle.


Sun 14 May 2006
Spent the day vegging around castle and cooking "Aussie" BBQ, pretty cool.The Irish have no idea how to cook one. The 4 Aussie guys took over and all was saved. Hurrah!

Mon 15 May 2006
Went on day trip with Gav and Angela + relatives to see a ruined abbey with a leaning tower (2 foot off center but looks a lot more), and also the Cliffs of Mohl, and saw an 8,000 year old dolman "the Portal Tomb".



Tues 16 May 2006
Arrive UK as "returning residents!" Scary weird! Matt got the internet working at the Leeds apartment, hurrah!

Wed 17 May 2006
Looked for jobs online, caught up with email. Contact SCA people in UK. Join some email lists. Steve checks email for first time in two months - reads through 640 emails!!! Aaaarrgghhhh!!!!! Steve starts "dealing with" stupid freight company, trying to get our 2 boxes of stuff from the "slow boat".

Thurs 18 May 2006
See above. Also swapped phone calls back n forth with freight company. Very agitated.

Fri 19 May 2006
Travelled via train back to Luton, as the jobs we want are closer to, and easier to get to from Luton. Steve still dealing with stupid freight company. Met Helen (Matt's sweetie) and she's soooo too good for him!!!! (are you reading this Matt???) ;-)

Sat 20 May 2006
Catch bus up to Cambridge to attend fighter practice in the backyard of Clancy and Ursula/Deb (she's seneschal of Flintheath) and stayed overnight. The chances of there being not enough food n drink at their place is ZERO. The majority of attendees were American, with only the occasional Brit.

Sun 21 May 2006
Went to Cambridge markets. 10:30am whilst at markets, got a phone call from the Fraser family dinner (7:30pm in Brissie) and Jen rants on about how now she understands why the monopoly houses are that funny tall box shape! Returned to Luton.

Above: Hhhmmmmm... "Monopoly" land!

Mon 22 May 2006
Steve still deals with stupid freight company. Apply for jobs online.
Went to London to activate our HSBC UK bank accounts. In a waiting room for 1 hour with about a dozen or so other Aussies and Kiwis before getting served. Popped into the National Gallery to look at 'The Ambassadors' and the 'Wilton Diptich'. Went home.

Trafalgar Square (Big Ben in distance) from the front landing of the National Gallery.

Wed 24 May 2006
Woken up by stupid freight company, finally delivering our 2 boxes - after we paid heaps more than expected. Highway robbery I say!

Thurs 25 May 2006
Applying for jobs on-line. Matt helps Steve with CV.

Sat 27 May 2006
Went to Cambridge but this time fighter practice was held in town. Lots of tourists wandered by. Went to Arts n Sciences afterward (at Sarah and Derek's) - still no chance of going hungry. Hurrah. Spent night at Deb n Clancy's.

Fighter practice in Cambridge. Above: fighters and their armour.
Below: Alaric has a bout with Derek.


Sun 28 May 2006
Went to London with Deb n Clancy. Saw National and Portrait Galleries in more detail. Also went to the British Museum - spent the most time in Antiquities and Medieval areas. Spent the night at Deb n Clancy's.

Mon 29 May 2006
Bussed back to Luton again (public holiday).

Tues 30 May 2006
Saw X-Men3 with Matt. Steve goes to gym with Helen and does a high impact aerobics class. Steve survives and even feels great. Spent next coupla days job hunting online.

Wed 31 May 2006
Steve no longer feels great - "ow, my calves" from all the aerobic exercise the night before.

Thurs 1 Jun 2006
Spent day touristing with Helen's dad and niece. Saw Devil's Dyke, Roman Theatre, Roman Mosaics, Roman Museum, Hatfield House and Labryinth. Had lunch in a tudor pub. Cooool.

Above: Fountain and garden at Hatfield, where Elizabeth I grew up.
Below: Alaric finds a kindred soul! A famous roman mosaic in St Alban's Roman Museum.


Fri 2 Jun 2006
Jen does hand sewing to chill out. Makes a padded bum roll for new SCA dress. Also finally puts fastenings on our nice doona cover (its only taken over a year to get around to doing).

Sat 3 Jun 2006
Sun makes first real appearance. Double Hurray. Nice warm sunny day!!!! Walk half hour to Bury Park (in the nice warm sun) - the local Indian shopping precinct, looking for wool or velveteen but don't find any. No other fabric shops in Luton, dear god.