We decided we need to make more use of being so close to Graham and Michelle in London with more weekend breaks away to the British capital. This past weekend Bron spent some time in London seeing in the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games!
The Olympic rings at St Pancras Station
At the moment there are lots of good deals for cheap seats on the Eurostar because of the Olympics. I nabbed a good deal and packed myself off to London on Friday morning =) London is not that far away but it still takes about 5 hours to travel there; but it is about the same amount of time if you fly or take the train. However, if you take the train, you cross the Netherlands, Belgium, parts of France and England in a couple of hours.
Olympic rings on a barge on the river Thames in the City at night
Olympic mascot Wenlock at night with Big Ben in the background
Big Ben Wenlock
Waterloo Station
The Old Vic Theatre
We didn't have tickets to any of the Olympic events but it was cool to be in the city anyway and soak up the atmosphere. We did watch a lot of the swimming and gymnastic events comfortably on the couch with all the good close ups =) Shell and Graham have tickets to some of the Paralympic events later on. We were keen to get out and watch some of the road cycle race on Sunday but then it rained most of the day in true British style so we went for the comfy couch option.
For those of you who don't know yet, Shell and Graham are expecting their first child in January! Woohoo! Congrats guys! So happy and excited for you =)
Thanks for having me guys! Was a great weekend away =)
Highlights from the weekend:
- Soaking up the Olympic atmosphere. Such as the giant Olympic rings at St Pancras International Station and on a barge on the Thames in the city; the lights that play on the Parliament Buildings at night; the Olympic memorabilia goodies available everywhere; the giant Wenlock (Olympic mascot) figures on the South Bank; and the flags and bunting on many of the houses and buildings.
- Watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games comfortably on the couch with a yummy home cooked meal =)
- Exploring the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens on Saturday with Shell
- Watching lots of Olympic events on the telly on the comfy couch including SA's Cameron van der Burgh winning gold in the men's 100m freestyle.
- A quiet chillaxed day at home on Sunday which included some craft activities
- Graham and Matt initiating the new potjie pot in the rain on Sunday. Well done guys, it was very yummy!
- A surprise visit from Colin!! Bron and Colin studied at UCT together from first year in 2000 (wow, that feels long ago!). Colin has been in the UK since about 2006 or 2007. Thanks for making the effort and travelling so far to visit us! Was great to see you and hang out =)
- Skype chats with Bron and Shell's Mom and Dad
- Shopping in Kingston and Wimbledon on Monday
- Dinner in the city with Lisa, a friend from Cape Town and CMC. Was awesome to see you Lisa!! Thanks for making the effort to see me =)
The Palm House glasshouse at Kew Gardens
Giant lily pads in the Waterlily House
Shell and the Giant Lilypads
Awesome tree
Olympic Rings at Kew Gardens
Then it was time to go back to Rotterdam and back to work, blah. Looking forward to our longer break in September, only 5 weeks to go!
Justin played two games of cricket this past weekend and his team won both. Well done boib! He made 29 and 69 (not out) runs. No big bowling achievements this week, but he did have some strange stats to report: in his first game he bowled all 6 overs to the same batsman!
In sadder news, Justin's Gran in Cape Town had a stroke on Friday morning. She is currently in hospital in Somerset West where she is expected to be for 10 - 14 days. I don't know a lot of details, but she is paralysed on the right side and is not talking at the moment but is awake and responsive. This news comes as a great shock to us as at 84 years old she is still so strong, living alone and caring for herself. We remember a very strong and independent Granny and are deeply saddened by these events. You are in our thoughts and prayers little Granny! We hope you will recover from this and still have many years of good quality life.
Hope you are well and having a good week!
x
The Sackler crossing at Kew Gardens
A cosy bench for chilling =)
A display of the Cape Floral Kingdom in he Temperate House glasshouse. It smelt so yummy in this section! Was just like being in the Cape! Induced home-sick feelings!
Inside the Alpine House
The Palm House
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