Hiya all

 

Just to let you know that this site continues on www.mooose.multiply.com

 

Cheers

Moose

Since I have been in london close to 8 months... I thought it was about time that I saw some of the sights as I had only seen some on the Second day that I got here and well I did not take all of it in...

Well I had a reason to this time... It was may birthday!!!!

So Saturday started at the flat... Then we were heading into town when we decided to go to Surrey Quay to Fourie's (one of our old flatmates boyfriends) place. After that we decided to go to the Slug and Lettuce in Canary Whar. When then left there and were about to head into town when at the tube station one of Fouries mate was acting the fool (as you do when you are drunk) and fell off a 3m high wall and fell on his face... we decided to call it a night so I go on the tube and as the doors closed wondered why everyone was outside laughing at me.... I soon realised I was heading the wrong direction.... ooops.... So i met the rest of the flatmates at West Ham Station... and headed Home.

Sunday 12th... My Birthday...

Well We got up at 9am headed to the Kitchen and what do I find.... My flatmates had organised a birthday cake for me .... They had also bought me a bottle of single malt whiskey.... THEY ROCK.....

Whe then got the Beer of the dog down us whilst getting ready and headed toward the Sacred ground of The Church Bar ofter stopping at the offie for rereshment on the way.

We met up with Rebekah and Ben at Kentish Town Tube and entered the church.... and all the stories and rumours that you may have heard about the place... they are all TRUE....

Once the Church had closed its doors Rebekah, Ben and Myslef went and watched France thrash England in the 6 Nations ....

Well what a weekend... well really what a Saturday!!!!!!!

After feally a little homesick ready the reports of the NZ Sevens competition.... I found a good substitute (some would say it actually found me)....

Saturday 4th was the annual pilgramage for Kiwis (a little like Anzac Day) to Celebrate Waitangi Day (for non NZers.... it like Australia Day... just for New Zealanders). And like all go0od kiwis would.... we celebrate it with a big PUB CRAWL!!!!!!.... brilliant.....

For all those that have not experienced the OE.... it is similar to the NZ sevens only over one day.... It starts early (11am) similar to the seven..... you dress up similar to the sevens (only over here it is anything to do with NZ!!!)..... It also involves going to every stop on the circle line (that is if the cirlce line is not disrupted by engineering works)... and is designed to get you to Westminster by 4pm to do a mass Haka... then you continue round the line....

You start at Paddington and head anticlockwise around to each specific pub on the stops which are renamed cities in NZ. There are not many rules but the ones they have are impotant.... Buffalo rules apply..... no using the district line.... and when on the tube if you are standing.... no holding on (which really is not that hard as the circle line tue is packed....So I met up with Rebekah and Ben at the first pub the Pride of Paddington (Auckland).... and while outside I met a guy that I used to work with in Wellington.... when then headed to the third bar.... luckily going the other way waas a lone Aussie... in the rugby top (obviously he did not read the TNTmagazine as it was all about the pub crawl. Be he was a good sport about it.

The best thing about it was that the poor police and tube workers that had to put up with us were fantastic even getting into the swing of things by announcing over the speakers do not get on the next train as it was not a circle line... plus also stopping the ill informed....

Unfortunately the only gripe I had was headin to Westminster we were stuck underground for 20 minutes therefor only catching the end of the Haka and not being able to participate in it... which makes me more determined to do it again next year if I am around London!!!

Well Christmas was pretty much uneventful for me as I was at work and I had to stay at work for a couple of days as the transport system completely shuts down over Christmas... one of the biggest cities on the world... GO FIGURE!!!

News Years was very very interesting and won't be forgotten (well the parts that i remember.. lol) we were gearing up for a good night with free transport sponsored by the lovely peopel at Natwest... However that was thrown out the window when the tube workers decided to strike because a few of them were getting shifted to different stations.... So the faltmates an Iheaded towards the party at Upton park... which was cool as it was only a 5 minute bus ride away... however as we got on the bus the place that the party had changed and was now in Forest gate which was in the opposite direction so it took us 2 hours to get there.... but once we were there it was good... when then decided to work home as it was easier and it only took 40 minutes....

On Friday 6 Jan my work had its staff party... that is christmas staff party and it was Bod themed and the great thing was that most people got into the theme.... and a lot of alcohol was drunk by everybody....

Now its Detox time

Just after I got back from scotland I went out to Reading and stayed the weeked with Ben and Rebekah.

On Saturday with the weather looking marginal we decided to risk it and headed towards Leeds Castle (which frankily is no where near Leeds... well the city of Leeds)... it is just by a small town of Leeds in Kent... close to London. The weather out there was great when we arrived and got some fantastci photo of the castle in the sunlight and we were also able to enjoy the hedge maze that they have there which leads to a very unusual grotto.

We then went inside and as we did it stated to rain so we wre happy in our decision as we were debating whether we should explore outside or inside first.

We then haded towards Canterbury and along the way using the good pub guide we stopped off  at a nice local pub and had a brilliant lunch..

But the time we got to the Canterbury the Cathedral was all dowsed in sun so again some more great photoes were taken and inside was spectacular however no photos were allowed unless you paid an exhorburant photo fee.

Sunday we went down to Sunderland and I met some of Rebekah family and also has a big sunday "dinner" with them.

Day 9

Day 3 of the Tour.... Port Augustus to Edinburgh.... Also St Andrews Day

Our Day started along the one of the most famous streetches of water.... Loch Ness

We travelled from Fort Augustus to Inverness up the left hand side of the Loch. We stopped off at Urqhart Castle which is were most of the sightings of Nessie are as it is the deepest and also it is the busiest place that can stop and look at the Loch. However Nessie was again being it usual shy self and did grace us with an appearance..

When then got to Inverness but did not stay long as it is apparently the ugliest town in Scotland and if you do see a good looking person there they will be a tourist.

We then Stopped off at  Culloden were Bonnie Prince Charlie got most of his Highland Troops slaughtered in just over an hour in the last major battle between the Scotiish Highlanders and the british Army. He later fled to the Isle of Skye and as a token of his appreciation of them proctecting him he gave them the recipe for Drambuie. We then stopped off at Clava Cairns which are stone like huts that no one really knows why they are there or whot purpose they swerved (similar to Stonehenge) and they say that on a map you can draw a straiht line and it intersects the Clava Cairns, Stonhenge and the Pyramids.

We then headed over the Cairngorm Mountains to Pitlochry where we had lunch.

On our way back to Endinburgh we had a quick look at Dunkeld which has a fascination church and at around 1700 we arrived back in Edinburgh after a fantastic trip... If any wants to do it and you have enough spare time i would recommend the 6 day option as you are not so russhed.

Getting back to Edinburgh i checked back into Brodies 1 for my last night in Scotland.

After dinner I did the City of the Dead Graveyard tour... it is where the Famous McKenzie poltergeist has had "interactions" or has attacked people on the tour (over 189 people have been knocked unconcious and people waking up with strange scratches and bruises... Not only was it damn scary it also gave a great insight to Edinburgh History. I would reccommend it to anyone.

After the Chilling Tour it was off to enjoy the St Andrews day Festivites... Were i caught the end of a band (not sure what they were called but they sang The Caledonian).... that after a short break I fainally saw the faeries I had been searching for... the were a band called the Peabog Faeries and they where from the Isle of Skye and they were Fantastic....

Afterward we then all went to the bank and endured some karaoke then went clubbing.

All good things eventually come to an end and that was an unbelievable time in Scotland...

Day 8...

Day 2 of the tour.... Isle of Sky then to Fort Augustus

Today we started of search for the faeries around the Isle of Ske and no wonder we were looking for them as the Isle of Skye is a truely Majical place.... On our way to Portree we stopped of at the magical faery river where according to the legend if you dunk you head in it either make you beutiful  or curse an ailment (for most of us it was a headache) and true to its word the headache was gone (but that could have been because the water was so cold that it just numbed the head) we also found the pyramid shaped houses that they lived in along the road but no faeries were seen. Portree had a nice bakery (however the sausage rolls are sill nothing like NZ) and a free cup of Coffee at the crafts place. We then set off for the Magical Faery Waterfall that is overlooked by Old Man of Storr and used to be Old Woman of Storr. We climed to the top of the waterfall and drank the water and had to done the faery paint and also make a wish. Then we had an all out snowball fight (people just never grow up) We also saw Loch Leathan and according to legend was formed from the tears of Old Man of Storr when the Old Woman of Storr collapsed. No Fearies were found on the Isle of Skye... it would happen that i found them back in Endinbugh

We then headed toward our second night stop of Fort Augustus where wer ent to a place called the Clanmans and we were shown and told a bit more of the history of the highland way of life and how they dressed. We then Stayed at Morags Lodge which was fantasti... great food cheap alcohol.... and a very very comfy bed.... Fantatic

Day 7,,,

I nice early start as i was joining  a HAGGiS tour....

Our First day was from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye.... and w a great scottish guide called Fergus....

Our first stop was Stirling which is were William Wallace rose to glory as was depicited in the factually "Braveheart"... So we visited the bridge (well a replica) where the battle took place and were able to see the Caslte that the battle was about plus also the Wallace Monument on the Hill.

After that we headed towords Callander which is apparently the town wit hthe oldest population in Scotland. Just after Callander we stop for some morning tea and saw Hamish the Hairy Coo, who has been voted sexiest hairy coo 2003, 2004 and 2005 by Sexiest Hairy Coo Magazine.

We then headed toward Rannoch Moor but before we got there we had lunch at a place called the Green Welly which bizzarely had playing while we were there "How Bizzare" by OMC (which ironically was bizzare to hear it being played). Whe then contunued to Rannoch Moor while stopping at Loch Tulla (which is owned by Mr Bond himself Sean Connery) and on to Glen Coe where the famous masacre happended in 1692 (and where if you are a Campbell don't tell them you are one) and as it had been snowing up there the last week we got some beautiful photos..

We then headed to Fort William which thanks to corporatisation has nothing of the for that used to be there and then we headed on to Ben Nevis (Britains highest peak) and the commando memorial as this was where the British Commandos trained and a lot perished.

We then travel along the 3 of the 4 major Loch of Scotland. There were Loch Linnhe, Loch Loch (very original), and Loch Oich then turing of towards the Isle of Skye... We also stopped at Loch Garry which is know af the Scottish lake (see the picture).. Buy this time it was getting faily dark so not much more was to be seen apart from Eilean Doonan Castle which was voted in 2005 as Scotlands sexiest Castle by Scotland sexiest castle magazine.

At 1730 we arrived in the Isle of Skye and stayed in a town of Kyleakin at a quaint Backpackers called Saucy Marys where a good noght was has by us all.