Cambridge

After a night of hanging with drunken Aussies for Australia Day on the 26th, I needed a dose of European company. I was lucky enough to be invited along to a daytrip to Cambridge with Raquel (ESP) and Anna (DEU) and Miren and Pedro who are Raquel's friends from her hometown of Madrid. We met in Balham at 9am (grrr) so we could set off early and make the most of the day. We made our way to Kings Cross Station and managed to score return tickets for less that £10, which is quite cheap by London standards. After about an hour on the train we set off on "Raquel's walking tour of Cambridge". She had lived there for a whole month a few years back so was qualified to show us tourists around.

Myself, Miren, Raquel, Anna & Pedro

Platform 9 3/4 where Harry Potter left Kings Cross

Cambridge as you probably know is a student town, but not like Palmerston North where I studied. The colleges in Cambridge are considered to be world class on a par with colleges from the likes of Oxford and Harvard. It was where the likes of Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking and New Zealand’s own Ernest Rutherford studied. Unfortunately our friend John, who actually studied there as well, is in Poland a drinking cheap beers at the moment, so couldn't be there to give us an insiders view. But that didn't stop us poking our head into some of the college campuses and halls of residence to marvel at the buildings and lovely grounds. Some of the buildings are about 400 years old and I you can feel the history of the thousands of students who have studied there over the centuries.

Kings College Chapel

Of course it is primarily rich kids who go to these colleges, so it is not surprising to hear the 'upper class' accents around the small city. I'm not saying these people are snobs, but I imagine some might be. I know they don't choose their accents (or do they?) but somehow it's ingrained in me that people who speak with a posh British accent are elitist and look down their noses at me. Hopefully one day I’ll get to know someone with such an accent that can break that stereotype for me.

One of the main tourist attractions we wanted to see was the Bridge of Sighs. It’s named after a similar bridge in Venice. We had problems finding it and were told the only way we’d be able to see it was by way of going for a punt ride down the river Cam. We didn’t want to do that, but eventually found that we could go onto St John’s College (incidentally the name of my high school) campus to see it. We made our way there only to find out they were charging to see it. Raquel, who’s always looking out how to beat the system, decided if we walked through the gates quick and confidentially enough, the security guard would think we were students and we’d save some money. We tried it, but sure enough the guard called after us “are you students?” We carried on trying to ignore him, but he was a persistent buggar and we had to acknowledge him. Raquel said we were students to which he said “do you have ID?” Raq: “No”. I thought the gig was up, but she started trying to convince him she just wanted to show her friends quickly. To my surprise he gave in and let us proceed with a look of resignation on his face. I guess being a girl with an accent helped a bit…

The Bridge of Sighs

After checking out that and some markets etc, we thought we’d done enough to deserve a drink so found a pub for a few hours and even went off to a Cambridge student party for an hour before we had to split back to London.

Pedro's feet were sore after all the walking, so we sorted him out...

I had a fun time and enjoyed meeting Miren and Pedro and look forward to seeing you in Milan. Have a good flight home.

Scotty.

Reflections and Projections

So I’m back in London now after a 3-week excursion to lil ol NZ. I feel so much better after the break and am excited about the year ahead. Not that I wasn't feeling good last year, but a decent holiday has helped me relax a bit and come back with a renewed focus of what I want to do here in London/UK/Europe.

After spending a few more days in Hawkes Bay after the wedding, Mum kindly lent me her car and I headed down to Wellington for four nights. I stopped off in Waikanae for the first night to visit an old workmate and his family and spent the rest of the time generally chillin’ with my friends around central Wellington with a few excursions out to the Hutt to check out new pads, old pads and the golf course. I managed to fit 5 games of golf in while home, but I can’t claim my game got any better. The highlight was probably the BBQ/Party out the back of Chuck & Deb’s place where everyone came and rocked out to Odessa etc in the tiny dancefloor/lounge.

I loved going back to my favourite Deluxe Café on Kent Tce, and tasting what I think is the best coffee in the world made with the best Havana beans (which I brought back ¼ Kg of). Even though it was already my favourite, it was more to do with the coffee and the vibe than the food, but now they’ve even up’d their game in that area too which makes them better than ever. One thing about NZ café’s and Wellington specifically, is that it is much easier to get top quality healthy food with flare at a half decent price. Over here its way more of a pub culture than a café culture, so you’re more likely to meet up with friends at the local for a pint and a plate of bangers and mash. Not that I don’t appreciate the odd pint or six, but it is nice to have the option in NZ for an alcohol free non-artery clogging social liaison with friends.

As I drove out of Wellington I felt pangs of sadness for leaving the city I hadn’t really missed too much until I went back there. But with renewed conviction I say it’s definitely my favourite city of New Zealand and after doing some travelling, holds its place as one of the coolest in the world. What I miss the most: Radio Active, Deluxe, The Embassy, film festivals, Cuba St, freaks, Real Groovy, Scorching Bay, Mt Vic, Botanical Gardens concerts, Odessa, Hell Pizza (where it all began) and obviously my great group of friends there.

In general I found the whole way of life more relaxed in NZ without having to spend literally hours on public transport to get to where you want to go. Of course there weren’t as many activities and new places to visit pulling me around either. I haven’t been back in the country a week yet and I’ve already got a full weekend ahead with drinks for Australia day tonight, a day trip to Cambridge tomorrow and a bike ride to Windsor on Sun. Plus I just booked tickets to see Ozzy Osbourne live at Wembley Arena in June. I'm trying to focus on activites more active/sporting in nature this year and plenty of travelling to make the most of my time here. At the moment I aim to visit Prague, Scotland, Spain, Stuttgart and Paris this year...

So – in summary I loved my time back in NZ where I spent time with my much missed family and friends in Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Auckland, Thames and even Gisborne, but at the same time love being back here with a fresh spirit to tackle the year ahead.

They're Hitched!

So it finally happened on Saturday; after seven years together Chuck and Debbie celebrated their commitment to each other by tying the knot. Well, there wasn’t any real knots tied – it must be some kind of figurative thing.

After having some questionable weather since I’ve been here, Hawkes Bay played ball that day, by putting on a pearler of a day – not a cloud in the sky. Luckily for us suit-wearing guys, a bit of a breeze blew across the Ngatawara winery, which was the setting for the ceremony. I was lucky enough to be able to help out as being a driver, so brought the xy chromosome side of the bridal party to the winery. An extra special part of the day is when Chuck sung and five other musos played a Dave Matthews Band song Crash Into Me while the stunning bride and bridesmaids made their way up the isle. It sounded pretty sweet.

After a short ceremony (no religious stuff here) we all shared a toast to the bride and groom and socialised in the shade of some trees for a bit. After a couple of hours of photos, I brought Mr & Mrs Davey to the Cheval Rooms at the Hawkes Bay Racecourse for the reception. The speeches, which are always a favourite part for me, were hilarious. Moo. After that a nice buffet dinner was served, before Chuck took centre stage again to play four rock songs with Ian and Malcolm. As much as I’m sure they wanted to stay up there, they had to let the paid band get on with their job of belting out some good tunes for us all to dance to for the rest of the night.

The Ceremony Band

All in all it was the great night we were all expecting and I’m really happy I made the trip home to be there. I hope you have a nice relaxing time in Nelson on your honeymoon and enjoy each other as husband and wife for the rest of your lives…