Thou dearest scholars

I returned to my scholarly days last weekend in the university hub of Cambridge. Cambridge is home to around 20,000 students and some of the most exclusive colleges in the world. This centre of education is situated about 1½ drive north-east of London.

I travelled by coach to Cambridge with a bunch of 20 or so people eager for a day out of London. Once at Cambridge, our first stop was the Cathedral, where we walked up the some 100 odd steps to the top of the tower for a 360 degree view of Cambridge. Arguably the most recognised building in Cambridge is the Kings college chapel with it’s long oblong shaped building with spires all the way along. ‘Apparently’ the chapel has been the target of many pranks over the years, with people climbing the spires and hanging different items, such as witches hats, along the top.










With the sun shining on the beautiful Spring day, there is no better way to see the various colleges than by boat. We were punted along the River Cam by a current university student, a common summer job for many students. It was the first day of punting for many of the students for the season. The ride was certainly relaxing, with nothing to do except soak in the rays, look at the colleges that line the banks, take photos of ducks & buildings and listen to a few yarns from the punter… many of which he self-admitted were not true. I did particularly like the story about Prince Charles & his body guard. “Apparently” due to college regulations, only registered students were allowed to attend lectures. So, Charles’ bodyguard had to become a student to protect him during the lectures. At the end of college life, the bodyguard was sacked for not doing his job after he received 1st class honours when Charles received the lower grading of 2.1!












In the afternoon we had lunch in the markets, wandered around Trinity College, watched some pretty funny attempts at punting and finally settled for a pint at the local. A great day out! Most people who visit Oxford and Cambridge tend to have a definite preference for either of the two towns, but I’m still tossing it up…

Rolling hills

The English countryside is a perfect destination for a London mini-break. It’s always great to drive around the rolling hills and breathe in some fresh air. Last weekend we visited the country town of Salisbury, located a short 1½ drive west of London. With 7 fellow friends, we stayed at pub located in the centre of town and close to all the action.











On the Saturday, we had a stroll alongside the town’s canal bound for the Old Sarum (the original site of settlement for Salisbury). Located at the top of a hill, the English Heritage site has 360 degree views of the surrounding valleys. The Old Sarum was once home to a palace and Cathedral, originally built in the 11th century and used by William the Conqueror’s son Henry I. Both the palace and the Cathedral were demolished by the 13th century. The old Cathedral was replaced by the Salisbury Cathedral located in the centre of town. The new Cathedral’s spire stands at 123m in height, the highest in the UK and has the oldest mechanical clock in Britain.

In the Cathedral’s library, we viewed the Magna Carta. This impressive charter, carefully scribed with a quill on animal skin in Medieval Latin, was issued by the King John in the 13th century. There are only 4 remaining scripts, out of an original estimate of 40. This particular script is very well-preserved. This charter influenced the development of common law & many constitutional documents (inc the USA).


It was a beautiful weekend, with the sun shining for most of Saturday & all of Sunday! There were plenty of people out and about enjoying a few rays. On Sunday we joined the locals at a nearby park. With the backdrop of daffodils blooming and the canals glistening, we too enjoyed a little activity with a frizbee. Motty even decided to go for a quick dip in the canal… after the frizbee went a little wayward. We wrapped up the weekend with a pub roast lunch in their garden with views of the grand Cathedral just beyond the back fence.

Love is all around

Last week I headed down under for a flying visit in Sydney. Why would any sane person be willing to travel on a plane for 48 hours for a week away?? Well, I couldn’t miss seeing my best friend marry her man, Eddie!

To kick off the week, we had a fun all inclusive kitchen tea/hens day, afternoon & evening. The definite highlight was a visit by the local boys in their big red truck. We didn’t even need to burn toast for their special visit! Amy was initially caught between running and hiding, but soon found the confidence to meet the boys who greeted her with a kiss and a bunch of flowers. What a unique & special moment. It was pretty cool that they were willing to come out during the afternoon – I think they enjoyed it as much as we did!

The rest of my week in oz was filled with helping the wedding preparations, catching up with family & friends, plenty of driving and warming up in the Sydney sunshine.

It was great to soak in a few rays – wearing shorts, t-shirts & thongs for the week was also an enjoyable change.

The pinnacle of events was of course the wedding day. The girls’ day commenced at the respectable hour of 7am. It was a relaxed morning, with no last minute hiccups to report. I think it is fair to say that we each enjoyed being pampered for the morning and having a few laughs along the way. Before long, the all important moment was here... Amy & Eddie become husband & wife in front of 300 family and friends at Toongabbie Anglican Church.

We had the official photographs taken at Parramatta Park with an afternoon picnic tea to boot, before being driven in our classic Rolls Royces to the Arabic themed function centre at Fairfield. It was a fantastic celebratory evening with plenty of traditional Arabic dancing, drums, food & excellent company. By the way, make sure you have a good look at the cake to the right. It was made by the hands of the newly married couple themselves... very impressive! I was glad Eddie was able to show Amy a few tricks of the trade :)

The happy couple are now on their honeymoon in Nelson Bay & I’m back to reality. All good fun!