Monday, October 11, 2004
Lum Family Holiday
Sorry for my lack of blogging. We have been flat out packing in as much as possible into one month. Photos will follow when I get around to scanning them. I have been converted to the merits of digital cameras as Joy left us her one. It's so much easier to get them up on the photo gallery when their original format is digital.
Week 1 - Torquay
The first outing for the Lum's (Dad, Juliette, Theresa, Charlotte and Cameron) was a week in Torquay with Rae, Steve and myself. Torquay is in Devon which is in the South West of England. We hired cars and negotiated our way out of London, onto the M4, and headed south west. Torquay is part of the English Riviera. The marina and waterfront in Torbay has been nicely developed and the beaches along the coast are pretty. The latter are lined with the cute changing sheds of old which have brightly coloured doors. The weather was very fresh so not the best for lounging around on the beach but you could imagine the area swarming with holiday makers in the height of summer. There is more to Torquay than the beach however.
The 'Babbacombe Model Village' was impressive with its detail and pretty gardens. Charlotte and I enjoyed wandering around the village and finding the decorated letters of the alphabet, it took some time but we got them all in the end. Where's Wally also made an appearance. 'Bygones' recreates a typical Victorian Street (indoors) and scenes from Victorian life. It also has some great model trains which Cameron loved "More choo choo trains!". Cockington village has thatched roof houses and arty crafty stores. Very quaint and pretty. We all enjoyed a Round Robin tour - on steam train, ferries and a double decker bus - visiting Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes. Dartmouth was an especially pretty Tudor town.
It was Dad's 70th birthday on the 24th. In the morning we went to Bovey Tracey which had the House of Marbles and the Devon Craftsmen’s Guild. The House of Marbles had lovely glassware and some amazing metal frame contraptions that had marbles twisting, turning and triggering off each others release, in them...a bit like marble dominoes. The Devon Craftsmen’s Guild had some beautiful pottery and artwork. You get the feeling that this area is a hot bed of art and craft. It reminded me of Nelson back home. We drove into Dartmoor and headed towards the Haytor. A 'tor' is a big rock on top of a hill (as far as I could see). Char and I set out to conquer Haytor by climbing to the top. Char was very brave and with Uncle Steve's help we both got right to the top where we were greeted by strong winds. It was a great view up there and I was especially proud of little Char. That evening we had a special birthday dinner for Dad at 'Nino's', an italian restaurant down the road from our accommodation. Both Nino, his son Gino, and his wife Rosie looked after us. At the end of the meal they dimmed the lights and Charlotte and Cameron brought out a birthday cake for Granddad. Everyone in the little restaurant sang Happy Birthday. It was wonderful and I think Dad was quite chuffed.
The next day Dad and I went to the Torquay Museum to see the Agatha Christie exhibition. Agatha Christie lived in Torquay and we both love her books. We've even booked in to see 'The Mousetrap' in London. The exhibition was very simple but it was interesting to see photographs of Agatha, first edition books and costumes worn by Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot on the telly. I bought her autobiography to learn more about her interesting life. We then walked into the town centre for lunch and chatted to a fellow Kiwi, from Paeroa, who was originally from Devon but had been living in NZ since the 50s. Apparently, although it is a very picturesque area, there wasn't a lot of work in the old days and that is why the young people moved out.
On the day we headed back to London we had a play on pretty Paignton beach in the morning and then headed towards Stonehenge. This was my second visit to the site in a month. Dad and Julie had also been before. When Dad visited it first in the 60s you could walk right up to the stones. Along the motorways over here there are break spots with food halls and shops. We enjoyed stopping off at 'Welcome break' which had a lovely outdoor 'forest' area. The sun shone and we felt like we were surrounded by tall pine trees. Quite pretty. We imagined that the background noise of cars on the motorway, which we could not see, was the sound of waterfalls!
Week 2 - London
Monday was a rest day although we did go to the Queens Park playground. I hope the kids enjoyed Torquay but when it comes to the crunch what they really enjoy is a good playground! Whenever we spot a new one it is compulsory to stop and have a play. I think Char and Cam could write a review on the playgrounds of London by the end of their stay! Char is a monkey bar specialist, whilst Cam prefers the slide. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was next on the agenda. It was surprisingly enjoyable as I'd heard that it was a bit of a let down. I really enjoyed the pomp and ceremony. The guardsmen and brass band looked very swish...you know what they say about men in uniform (o: From Buckingham Palace we went for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. This cafe has a rainforest interior complete with moving and roaring gorillas and elephants. Both Cam and Char were a little scared. Us adults thought it was pretty cool. Hamleys is London's famous toy store so we visited to check out the many shelves of toys. Char loved the pink Barbie area and all the pink toys but, in the end, was happy buying a packet of stickers.
Juliette and Dad went on the Houses of Parliament tour, one Joseph and I had really enjoyed a few weeks ago. On the same day the kids, Theresa and I went to the Natural History Museum. After that we headed to the London Eye and Theresa and Dad took a 'flight'. Char and Cam were happy to play in the playground below and both climbed to the top of the rope spiderweb pyramid. Mummy could see them on this from the Eye. Well done! That night we all went out for dinner with Joy, Rose and Simon, who had been filling their last two days with London Pass activities. It was great to have everyone together. We all piled back to Rae's house for a cup of tea after the meal. On Friday I went into the Leicester Square half price ticket booth and got tickets to 'Stomp' for Joy, Rose, Simon, Paulette, Reinhold and I. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all even though Simon and I got a little wet! The show utilises everyday objects as percussion instruments, some soft, some very loud. My ears where ringing afterward but it was a great spectacle.
Rae and I took Char and Cam to the local Tricycle theatre to see a show, whilst the adults went to see the play 'Little Women'. The kids show was called 'Tales from the Garden Shed' and starred Scot (a human), Gladstone (a puppet cat), Sir Norbert (ditto) and lots of mice. We all enjoyed it. It was lovely to watch the kids take it all in. That evening Rae showed us her slides from our China trip which was especially great for Dad.
Week 3 - London and Windsor
The kids, Theresa and Juliette went to the Tower of London whilst Dad and I went to the Tate Modern. We took two tours, one on the 'Still life, Object, Real life' section and the other on the 'Landscape, Environment, Matter' section. These were free and very informative. I can appreciate modern art better if the context and concepts the artist is trying to communicate are explained to me. The Museum of Childhood was a great place to take the kids for the day. It is full of great old and new toys mixed with interactive areas for activities. Just perfect for Char and Cam. On Wednesday Theresa, Juliette and Dad thoroughly enjoyed 'The Lion King' and Rae and I took the kiddies to Kew Gardens. I think the kids have been holding up so well, after all, they are only young (4 1/2 and 2) and everything over here must be very overwhelming for them. They tend to get tired easily but are able to take naps on the tube or in the pram, and their energy levels are kept up with regular treats.
We visited Windsor on Thursday and Friday. On the first day we went to Legoland which was fantastic but tiring. The Miniland, notable city scenes made up entirely of lego, was very impressive and Charlotte really enjoyed the rides. Juliette and I went on a couple of the bigger rides as well. We have a funny photo to prove it! One was called the 'Jungle Coaster' and the other 'The Dragon'. We had a yummy thai meal in the evening and stayed at a lovely guest house for the evening. The next day we had a nice breakfast at the guest house and headed for Windsor Castle. Some of the rooms were similar to Buckingham Palace. Theresa, Dad and Juliette spent some time chatting to the attendants about the history of the castle and the damage caused by the fire a few years ago. Queen Mary's Dolls House was particularly impressive.
On the weekend we did some family visiting. First Pam and Brian in Streathem, and then Antony, Nancy, Uncle Nelson and family in Wimbledon. Getting to Streathem was an epic journey. It took 3 hours due to delays etc! Pam was a great host, as usual, and accommodated all 9 of us staying over night. She prepared a delicious lunch and dinner. In the evening Doris and her two daughters Sara-Louise and Lucinda came over and Charlotte hung out with them. Joseph and I stayed up late with Brian watching ‘A Clockwork Orange’ on DVD. I’ve always meant to see this movie but have been put off by its controversial content. Now I can say I’ve seen it. It was very stylised and you get de-sensitised to the violent scenes after a while, like you do with Tarantino movies. We had a lovely Yum Char meal with Antony and co on Sunday and then went back to their house for tea and biccies. The Yum Char was delicious as they made sure Joseph and I had enough seafood and vegetarian dishes (we aren’t eating meat at the moment). Charlotte and Cameron enjoyed playing with Antony and Nancy’s children, Becky, Hayden and Daniel.
Week 1 - Torquay
The first outing for the Lum's (Dad, Juliette, Theresa, Charlotte and Cameron) was a week in Torquay with Rae, Steve and myself. Torquay is in Devon which is in the South West of England. We hired cars and negotiated our way out of London, onto the M4, and headed south west. Torquay is part of the English Riviera. The marina and waterfront in Torbay has been nicely developed and the beaches along the coast are pretty. The latter are lined with the cute changing sheds of old which have brightly coloured doors. The weather was very fresh so not the best for lounging around on the beach but you could imagine the area swarming with holiday makers in the height of summer. There is more to Torquay than the beach however.
The 'Babbacombe Model Village' was impressive with its detail and pretty gardens. Charlotte and I enjoyed wandering around the village and finding the decorated letters of the alphabet, it took some time but we got them all in the end. Where's Wally also made an appearance. 'Bygones' recreates a typical Victorian Street (indoors) and scenes from Victorian life. It also has some great model trains which Cameron loved "More choo choo trains!". Cockington village has thatched roof houses and arty crafty stores. Very quaint and pretty. We all enjoyed a Round Robin tour - on steam train, ferries and a double decker bus - visiting Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes. Dartmouth was an especially pretty Tudor town.
It was Dad's 70th birthday on the 24th. In the morning we went to Bovey Tracey which had the House of Marbles and the Devon Craftsmen’s Guild. The House of Marbles had lovely glassware and some amazing metal frame contraptions that had marbles twisting, turning and triggering off each others release, in them...a bit like marble dominoes. The Devon Craftsmen’s Guild had some beautiful pottery and artwork. You get the feeling that this area is a hot bed of art and craft. It reminded me of Nelson back home. We drove into Dartmoor and headed towards the Haytor. A 'tor' is a big rock on top of a hill (as far as I could see). Char and I set out to conquer Haytor by climbing to the top. Char was very brave and with Uncle Steve's help we both got right to the top where we were greeted by strong winds. It was a great view up there and I was especially proud of little Char. That evening we had a special birthday dinner for Dad at 'Nino's', an italian restaurant down the road from our accommodation. Both Nino, his son Gino, and his wife Rosie looked after us. At the end of the meal they dimmed the lights and Charlotte and Cameron brought out a birthday cake for Granddad. Everyone in the little restaurant sang Happy Birthday. It was wonderful and I think Dad was quite chuffed.
The next day Dad and I went to the Torquay Museum to see the Agatha Christie exhibition. Agatha Christie lived in Torquay and we both love her books. We've even booked in to see 'The Mousetrap' in London. The exhibition was very simple but it was interesting to see photographs of Agatha, first edition books and costumes worn by Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot on the telly. I bought her autobiography to learn more about her interesting life. We then walked into the town centre for lunch and chatted to a fellow Kiwi, from Paeroa, who was originally from Devon but had been living in NZ since the 50s. Apparently, although it is a very picturesque area, there wasn't a lot of work in the old days and that is why the young people moved out.
On the day we headed back to London we had a play on pretty Paignton beach in the morning and then headed towards Stonehenge. This was my second visit to the site in a month. Dad and Julie had also been before. When Dad visited it first in the 60s you could walk right up to the stones. Along the motorways over here there are break spots with food halls and shops. We enjoyed stopping off at 'Welcome break' which had a lovely outdoor 'forest' area. The sun shone and we felt like we were surrounded by tall pine trees. Quite pretty. We imagined that the background noise of cars on the motorway, which we could not see, was the sound of waterfalls!
Week 2 - London
Monday was a rest day although we did go to the Queens Park playground. I hope the kids enjoyed Torquay but when it comes to the crunch what they really enjoy is a good playground! Whenever we spot a new one it is compulsory to stop and have a play. I think Char and Cam could write a review on the playgrounds of London by the end of their stay! Char is a monkey bar specialist, whilst Cam prefers the slide. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was next on the agenda. It was surprisingly enjoyable as I'd heard that it was a bit of a let down. I really enjoyed the pomp and ceremony. The guardsmen and brass band looked very swish...you know what they say about men in uniform (o: From Buckingham Palace we went for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. This cafe has a rainforest interior complete with moving and roaring gorillas and elephants. Both Cam and Char were a little scared. Us adults thought it was pretty cool. Hamleys is London's famous toy store so we visited to check out the many shelves of toys. Char loved the pink Barbie area and all the pink toys but, in the end, was happy buying a packet of stickers.
Juliette and Dad went on the Houses of Parliament tour, one Joseph and I had really enjoyed a few weeks ago. On the same day the kids, Theresa and I went to the Natural History Museum. After that we headed to the London Eye and Theresa and Dad took a 'flight'. Char and Cam were happy to play in the playground below and both climbed to the top of the rope spiderweb pyramid. Mummy could see them on this from the Eye. Well done! That night we all went out for dinner with Joy, Rose and Simon, who had been filling their last two days with London Pass activities. It was great to have everyone together. We all piled back to Rae's house for a cup of tea after the meal. On Friday I went into the Leicester Square half price ticket booth and got tickets to 'Stomp' for Joy, Rose, Simon, Paulette, Reinhold and I. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all even though Simon and I got a little wet! The show utilises everyday objects as percussion instruments, some soft, some very loud. My ears where ringing afterward but it was a great spectacle.
Rae and I took Char and Cam to the local Tricycle theatre to see a show, whilst the adults went to see the play 'Little Women'. The kids show was called 'Tales from the Garden Shed' and starred Scot (a human), Gladstone (a puppet cat), Sir Norbert (ditto) and lots of mice. We all enjoyed it. It was lovely to watch the kids take it all in. That evening Rae showed us her slides from our China trip which was especially great for Dad.
Week 3 - London and Windsor
The kids, Theresa and Juliette went to the Tower of London whilst Dad and I went to the Tate Modern. We took two tours, one on the 'Still life, Object, Real life' section and the other on the 'Landscape, Environment, Matter' section. These were free and very informative. I can appreciate modern art better if the context and concepts the artist is trying to communicate are explained to me. The Museum of Childhood was a great place to take the kids for the day. It is full of great old and new toys mixed with interactive areas for activities. Just perfect for Char and Cam. On Wednesday Theresa, Juliette and Dad thoroughly enjoyed 'The Lion King' and Rae and I took the kiddies to Kew Gardens. I think the kids have been holding up so well, after all, they are only young (4 1/2 and 2) and everything over here must be very overwhelming for them. They tend to get tired easily but are able to take naps on the tube or in the pram, and their energy levels are kept up with regular treats.
We visited Windsor on Thursday and Friday. On the first day we went to Legoland which was fantastic but tiring. The Miniland, notable city scenes made up entirely of lego, was very impressive and Charlotte really enjoyed the rides. Juliette and I went on a couple of the bigger rides as well. We have a funny photo to prove it! One was called the 'Jungle Coaster' and the other 'The Dragon'. We had a yummy thai meal in the evening and stayed at a lovely guest house for the evening. The next day we had a nice breakfast at the guest house and headed for Windsor Castle. Some of the rooms were similar to Buckingham Palace. Theresa, Dad and Juliette spent some time chatting to the attendants about the history of the castle and the damage caused by the fire a few years ago. Queen Mary's Dolls House was particularly impressive.
On the weekend we did some family visiting. First Pam and Brian in Streathem, and then Antony, Nancy, Uncle Nelson and family in Wimbledon. Getting to Streathem was an epic journey. It took 3 hours due to delays etc! Pam was a great host, as usual, and accommodated all 9 of us staying over night. She prepared a delicious lunch and dinner. In the evening Doris and her two daughters Sara-Louise and Lucinda came over and Charlotte hung out with them. Joseph and I stayed up late with Brian watching ‘A Clockwork Orange’ on DVD. I’ve always meant to see this movie but have been put off by its controversial content. Now I can say I’ve seen it. It was very stylised and you get de-sensitised to the violent scenes after a while, like you do with Tarantino movies. We had a lovely Yum Char meal with Antony and co on Sunday and then went back to their house for tea and biccies. The Yum Char was delicious as they made sure Joseph and I had enough seafood and vegetarian dishes (we aren’t eating meat at the moment). Charlotte and Cameron enjoyed playing with Antony and Nancy’s children, Becky, Hayden and Daniel.
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