Hair cut!

I took this photo in celebration of my hair being trimmed- and my new fringe!

St Pauls

I was asked to present at a conference, hosted by CIMA at the Globe Theatre, on Immigration options for International Students. The conference was attended by over 50 career advisers from Universities around the UK. My presentation went well- I enjoy public speaking- the group was interactive and asked lots of questions. I took this photo as i left the conference- walking along Millennium Bridge, with the winter afternoon sun lighting up the majestic St Paul's Cathedral.

Sunrise

Took this photo on the way to work this week... the sun bringing warmth and life to the a waking world.

Ladies at the Ritz

Our 2 Year Wedding Anniversary Celebration!

Ernst and I went to the Ritz for high tea, to celebrate a wonderful 2 years of marriage, on 10th December. The Ritz was spectacular! We enjoyed a selection of sandwiches, scones (with jam and cream), Christmas cake and beautiful pastries filled with fruit and chocolate and all sorts of lovely things... and lots of different types of tea. Everything was served in silverware and beautiful china. Even the chinaware reflected the Christmas theme of red, green and gold. An orchestra played music while we ate. We enjoyed every moment... The photo shows Ernst in the front entrance of the Ritz.

The Ritz

To Devon to visit Nick and Linds

Ernst and I went to Devon by train, to visit Lindsey (my roomie from HTB) and her fiance Nick (who is in the British army). They live in a house in the army barracks. Was great to see them again- next time we see them will be in Zimbabwe for their wedding in Aug 08.

Devonshire cream tea

They took us to sample a traditional Devonshire cream tea- with strawberry jam and thick clotted cream- was delicious!

Cruella Deville and Cinderella

We had our annual 1st Contact Christmas party on 7th December. The theme was ' Fairy tales and Fantasy'... as usual, everyone made a huge effort with dressing up. This is Anna- she's from NZ, we've worked together for the last 2 years- she went as Cruella Deville and i went as Cinderella!

The Christmas Elves and Snowman

Having a few drinks at the office, before leaving for the party...

Knight in shining armour

Liam went as a Knight in shining armour and Megan as a witch.

Natalie and Me

Natalie is from Australia- she went as a Fairy.

Nat and the Knight

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

It was Ernst's 25th Birthday on 1 December... he woke up to lots of presents and a surprise breakfast, with Greg and Suzanne.

mmmmm.....

Eating Haagen Dazs ice cream in bed after a long day at work :o)

Me and Becky

Ernst and i went to stay with uncle Bruce and aunty Joan, in Burham last weekend. It was wonderful to see them again- and Becky (my mom's cousin) and Mark who came for lunch on Sunday to say goodbye. Visiting uncle Bruce and aunty Joan is like going home for the weekend, they've been our family in the UK and we will miss them very much xxx

To Burnham on a cold and frosty morning

Waiting on the platform, for the tube to Ealing Broadway, on our way to uncle Bruce and aunty Joan.

Nando's farewell

Marionelle and Heather are flying home (M to ECape and H to Durbs) this week- they are 2 of my best friends in London, so going to miss them, but luckily i'm not far behind... We had lunch with about 20 other friends, after church at Nando's in Stratford- a favourite spot, where we've said goodbye to many other friends over the last 3 years. We took this photo when we realised we were all wearing turquoise!!

Autumn Sunshine

I took this photo from our lounge window- Autumn is taking hold and winter is on its way...

Fireworks!!

Guy Fawkes is here in a big way. It's sounded like a war zone outside for the last 3 nights leading up to Guy Fawkes and of course tonight. We've seen some amazing displays from our lounge window and while walking home from the station this evening.

Jacques and Lindi for supper

We had Jacques and Lindi over for supper on Sat eve. I decided to make (or at least attempt to make...) some of the delicious food i tasted in Greece... we had Tzaziki and bread for starters, Mousaka and Greek salad for mains and then my own cinnamon, almond and honey ice cream creation for dessert! We had a great evening together catching up and talking about life.

Ernst and I

Baby sitting

We looked after Titus (Tim and Lee's baby boy) on Saturday afternoon, to give them a much needed break. After being in Greece, i had lots of phoning-home to do, so here i'm doing what i do best- multi tasking! I'm feeding Titus banana and his baby food (which i tasted, not realising it contains Lee's breast milk... we had quite a laugh about that when i told her his food tasted good!)

Island of Naxos

Walking in Naxos

The top few photos are of Marionelle and i walking between the mountain villages in Naxos. It was like stepping back in time, walking between small farming villages in the mountains, where life carries on, largely unaffected by tourism and the outside world.

Last photo: Enjoying our last meal in Athens- we shared 2 dishes- Tzaziki and bread and stuffed vine leaves- delicious!

Naxos

1st photo: Fresh calamari hanging up outside a restaurant in Naxos

2nd photo: We found a beautiful undiscovered beach to sun tan and swim in Naxos. Even though it's Autumn in the Mediterranean, we still had plenty of warm days and managed to get tans! (main holiday objective :o)

In and around Naxos

1st: Antonio's studios, where we stayed while in Naxos. We met Antonio at the harbour when we got off the ferry. This is how it works on the islands- locals offering accommodation approach tourists at the harbour with photos of the accommodation on offer and are usually willing to bargain on the price.

2: Souvlakis!! Yum! This was our staple diet while in Naxos- 1.50 euro for a pita bread filled with pork, salad and chips! As Marionelle said- was it the taste or the price that appealed to us so much?

3&4: Relaxing on the beach

Santorini

1: Red Beach on the Island of Santorini- on an island covered in black sand (from the nearby volcano), it was spectacular to see this.

2: Tanning on one of Santorini's beautiful black sandy beaches. We spoke to one of the Santorini islanders about how strange the black sand was to us... he said he was freaked out when he first saw a white sandy beach as a child!

3&4: Hiking up an ancient mountain path in Santorini- spectacular views!

5: Supper at the beach after reaching the other side of the mountain. After this we waited an hour for the local bus to arrive- when asking about the lack of bus time tables- we were told that bus times on the island depend on the drivers mood... charming!

Naxos

Boy, did we enjoy the bakeries in Naxos!! The chocolate souffle was a chocoholics dream... We took dried fruit, rusks and peanuts& raisins with us to Greece to save on food- so that we could splash out on the things that really matter :o)