Souper Duper Cold!

Well its chilly enough in little Higham Ferres this morning. We have have been selling soup at the farmers market here - just having a quick sit in the library to warm up the old toes, then back to it! Its still a bit quiet but I think it will pick up as it gets closer to lunch time!! The lovely soups on offer today are spicy parsnip, celery and stilton, leek and potato, and carrot and coriander. Having sampled them all several times this morning (nice to hold a cup to keep my hands warm) I'd suggest you all come and buy some.. but I guess thats not gonna happen!!! Anyway... back to it!

katespace

Hi to any little blog-followers. Its nice to get messages from you now and then - thanks for those!
Anyway I've just returned to little Rshden (yes the U is left out deliberately to give you an idea of what the locals call the place!) after a week of galivanting around. Amazingly I fitted in all the people I'd aimed for, although it meant there were some fairly brief visits!
The last few days included a visit to Hamish's parents in Hastings and a drive around the area with them - we looked around Old Hastings, Winchelsea, Oxney Marsh and a couple of marshy churches in the area, cheked out the inside of a good English pub, and came back via Bodiam Castle and through Battle (of 1066 fame). The next day (yesterday) we were going to look at a chalk figure in the downs but it was cold and rainy and Chris and Prue and things to do so I sat and played around with some beads Prue was planning to make things out of, before heading over to Chichester. Today Sarah and I went into Chichester and did some CHRISTMAS shopping! Its coming so fast - and I have a fairly full schedule between now and then so it was good to get some more done!

UK travels

katespace
I'm back in the UK. Mum's cousin Sarah and partner Jeremy were coming up to Rushden (thats where I'm technically living) on Friday and were able to come via Stansted airport and take me back too. Saw a bit of them on the weekend, went to swimming for the disabled even though it was a freezing cold day and it wasn't really what we felt like! There was frost on the ground ALL DAY - not something that happens ever in llittle old Tasmania! And my we t-shirts on the line were frozen solid! We had a lovely meal with my great Aunt Margaret and everyone else on Saturday night before I went back south with Sarah and Jeremy on Sunday morning - they kindly took me as far as one of the out London tube stops.

Realising that time is going by so fast, I have organised this week to be a whirlwind trip to see some of the people I'd been meaning to see here in the UK! I stayed 1 night in London with Tessa (friends of my aunt and uncle from home), tonight is with the Church family who have 3 lovely kids, then tomorrow I head to Hastings to meet Hamish's parents and sister and family. I plan to have 2 nights there and then stay 1 night with Sarah and Jeremy in Chichester. All that before getting back to Rushden on Friday in time for soup selling at the farmers market on Saturday. Rachel and Gordon are going to France for Sunday night so I get to look after the kidliewinks, before heading off myself to Morocco on Monday... I do think the time is going to go quite fast and I'll be home in no time!

drinking cafe latte in italy!

well.. im sitting in a little cafe using a laptop which seems to be padlocked to the trolley... i had to give the guy my passport before i could use the computer, but he gave it back which was a relief! Ive had a nice day so far wandering around (and around and around.. found the same cathedral at least 4 times just wandering!). Lots of things shut at about 12 for lunch or siesta or something.. whcih seems to be until about 4 or half past... so ill go out shortly and see more things again. Its also fairly quiet cos its winter so some things arent open at all.. but the old city has nice walls and alleys and things and is pleasant to wander around.

I also had a good 2 days in barcelona.. did some shopping! barcelona has this vibe about it that you cant help shopping!! but i also enjoyed just walking in the streets, and the market, and Las Ramblas.. and eventually on the 2nd day i went to see the Sagrada Familia again and some other Gaudi architecture. I even ate some tapas at the restaraunt TapaTapa which i remembered from last year.

anyway.. time to see more of sardinia.. hopefully caves tomorrow but the only bus is at 9:15 so ill have to wake earlier than i did today!!

Zorbing

katespace
If you ever wanted to go zorbing, then the travel insurance company World Nomads which I've been looking at will cover you! What do you mean you don't know what zorbing is!! Some interesting photos:
http://www.zorb.com/main.html

www.ryanair.com

This site named above is a very dangerous site... full of tempting offers! I have given up looking for work and instead, after consulting the ryanair website, am concocting a trip next week. My flights were £0.01 and €0.01 plus tax! First, leaving Monday 2 nights in Barcelona, then 2 nights in Sardinia, then back to UK. The hardest bit of all to organise is getting from Stansted airport back to bedford or Wellingborough when the flight gets in around 7pm Friday night! I have booked a hostel in Barcelona and B&B in Alghero, Sardinia! What fun!! Will let post about how it goes! The week after will be busy too - suddenly last week in UK before trip to Morocco and I keep thinking of people to see! Couldn't possibly have fitted a job in as well hehe!

Heroes and Villains

This weekend I was back in Liverpool staying with Jonathan and his family. We went to a friends 18th birthday on Saturday night which was heroes and villains theme - Jon went as a ring wrait, Pete (Jon's brother) was Frodo and I was some sort of secret agent going to USSR (I can't tell you any more than that because its a secret and you'd blow my cover.. or I'd have to kill you but I'm busy this week!).

Tudor Times

Also on weekend near Brighton, we went to Lewes. This was with my great aunt Pauline (my grandmother's sister) and her daughter Harriet and husband Richard. We went to Lewes castle where there were tudor thigns to dress up in.. so we did. We also went to Anne of Cleves house (a nice divorce settlement from Henry VIII) and there were tudor thigns to dress up in there as well. Harriet wore the only dress so I had to suffice with teh rather magnificent cloaks and things that were strictly mens clothes.. not that that I was bothered. (Richard, who was looking on and waiting for us to stop playing dress ups might have been more bothered in general.. but we had fun!!) Also a photo of Pauline and Harriet and I in Pauline's garden of her relatively new house.

Photos

A couple of photos - the boxes with kids in them are an indication of 'normal' no scrap that... 'life' at the Bates!! Its great. The other photos are a selection from a recent weekend (last weekend) in Haywards Heath near Brighton. We saw the brighton Pavilion (the demented Taj Mahal-ish thing) and the Brighton pier and some other bits and pieces. A lovely weekend!

Another piece of profoundness... but strangely appealing to my humour!

katespace

Your Fortune Is

Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!

The Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

These blog things are fun! And I couldn't fail this one!

Your Inner Child Is Happy

You see life as simple, and simple is a very good thing. You're cheerful and upbeat, taking everything as it comes. And you decide not to worry, even when things look bad. You figure there's just so many great things to look forward to.

How Is Your Inner Child?