Travelling 2016 - Day 2

And so the journey continues:-

We landed in Dubai at approx. 06:00 which meant that we didn't have to wait too long for the next leg of the journey which was due to depart at 07:25 and arriving in Manchester at 12:05.  This leg of the journey was nearly 8 hours but turned out to be a totally different experience to the previous legs. We were fortunate to be flying in an 800 series aircraft which was nearly empty.

There was even a bar at the rear of the plane.

 

Our very attentive steward, Sebastian.

 

The food, drink and service could not be faulted.

Deserts to die for!!

Are we nearly there yet?

We landed on time but had the usual hassles of collecting luggage and finding our way to the Hire Car compound which was a short mini bus ride away. We ordered a car but were given a Skoda Octavia station wagon. This is a very nice vehicle but with a couple of quirky features, well at least ones that I wasn't familiar with. These, I feel, should have been pointed out to us by the hire company as they took some getting used to. They were small points but for any jet lagged overseas visitor, they should have been explained. The first problem was opening the doors with the remote control. Cars at home just require a single click of the button but apparently not in Europe where it needs two clicks.  Silly I know but very frustrating when you are tired, looking for misplaced reading glasses and worrying about how to get out of this new huge parking area. The second feature was even more confusing. Every time we came to a standstill the engine cut out. Apparently this is an economy feature.  All I had to do was touch the throttle and the engine would start again. No real problem but hard to get used to and it would have been nice to be told about it by the hire company. I had the usual problem with the indicators on the wrong side of the steering wheel but at least we had a very clean windscreen!

Once clear of the airport we found our way onto the motorway and headed South. By mid afternoon we had reached our first stop, our nieces home at Clive, near Shrewsbury were we are staying for a few days. It was lovely to see Jane and Glynn again, be fussed over and catch up with family news.

Traveling 2016 - Day 1

Actually our holiday started yesterday with lots of clothes being sorted ready to pack.
Today was last minute packing and picking up a hire car to drive to the airport. Having locked, barred and bolted the house we drove across to Beckys late morning with a very unhappy cat in the back. Becky and family are looking after him while we are away. It will be interesting to see what he makes of her two cats!

Today we are flying out with Emirates, leaving Sydney for Manchester UK via Bangkok and Dubai.
After we had returned the car to the airport drop off point and booked in the luggage it was only 16:15 so plenty of time to sit and relax as the flight didn't leave until 18:45.

The flight from Sydney to Bangkok was long and tiring as usual, 9.5 hours and then another 6 hours to Dubai. The plane was an old A770-330 which wasn't very comfortable but from Dubai on, we will be in a new Airbus 800 series which has had rave reviews.

Waiting for our connecting flight.

 

At least we shouldn't go hungry!

Soccer morning.

A late kick off yesterday morning but still cold in the shade, in the sun, fabulous.

Alex playing right back which makes photos awkward as they are into the sun for the first half.

 Go the Newbury Bulls !

 Half time.

Ben hasn't been interested in soccer this season much preferring to be well wrapped up with a good book.

"Here's your pocket money Dear, now go and get yourself a nice sausage sandwich."

 Sausage with onions, yummy!

 Does he love his Grumpy or is he only interested in my sandwich. 

Caught in the act!

Sorry Alex!

Happy Birthday Elin.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIN.

A few photographs from 2012 to remind you of the last time we were all together to celebrate family birthdays. Just a few days apart, Rays first, then Elins and then mine.

Halfpenny Green Winery.

 

Blowing out the years.

Johan pre-empting the fad for smashed Avocados with Peas.

The Queen of scones!

Lunch with Louise and Andrew at Orchard House.

Happy memories.

Hope you have a lovely day.

That time of year!

Not just any time of year but nearly 12 months since our last overseas jaunt.

I did promise Elin's mother, Mia, that I would try to do my holiday blog just 6 months after the event. Unfortunately when I came to start writing it just didn't feel right so here we are once again, nearly 12 months to the day. As I've said before, it seems to make the holiday longer.

Becky bought me a new Moleskine notebook at Christmas, which is where I usually record our trips. I started to make a wish list of where we would like to visit but of course it is really just that, a wish list, as no way can we fit everything into our scheduled time away.

In mid February we started to give some serious thought to holidays. We had given up on the idea of a river cruise through Europe as we had left it too late to book but also we realised that it would take such a big chunk out of our time away. Much prefer spending our time with family and friends, but I would still like to do it one year.

Following several conversations with our Swedish and UK family, our plans resulted in an away time of just over nine weeks. We planned to land in Manchester as usual and make our way down the country seeing as many people and places that we could before heading for Stockholm.

We normally book through our local Flight Centre but friends Wendy and Rod recommended the Flight Centre in Windsor so at the beginning of March we made an appointment there. We had very efficient, friendly service and everything was sorted and booked very quickly.

One thing we were worried about was the sleeping arrangements when we got to Sweden. It didn't seem fair to kick one of the boys out of their bedroom just to accommodate us so we started to look for an Air Band B close by. Elin and Jim started to make inquiries in the area and found a number of apartments that would be available for the time that we were there. They found a very nice apartment about 400 metres from them so we will be taking these very nice people up on their offer. We had forgotten that at this time of year most Swedes are away on holiday and apartments are empty.

Lots to do, cars to pre.register, bills to prepay, papers to cancel etc.

So all finally sorted and looking forward to the trip, but not particularly the flight.

Watch this space.

This and That.

The soccer season started later than normal this year. This was due to lots of rain that we had in a very short time leaving many fields water logged and lots of catch-up matches to be played.

Alex's first early morning match at the end of March.

Soccer was followed by a late breakfast to celebrate Di's birthday.

Ben's busy drawing as usual.

A fun photo, but see if you can spot Ben.

In the area that Becky and family live, the local council support the arts and there are numerous sculptures in the region, mostly on land but quite a few in lakes and waterways.

 

This is a sculpture on one of the roundabouts.

 

Upside down umbrellas made from metal. 

This is another one on a roundabout. An all steel tree and birdhouses.

On a different subject.
A sign that its getting colder is when the cat stays in at night.

We find him in some strange places throughout the house but this must be the weirdest.

This morning I found him on the headrest of my chair. There is so little space, I would have expected him to fall off but then I noticed that he was hanging on with one of his paws tucked down behind the headrest.

 

Clever cat, but he doesn't appreciate being woken by the camera flash.