Visitors in London

We have just had our friends Mark and Lisa over for a visit for a week. So it has been a week of going out for beers, dinner, beers followed by dinner and then a day trip to the Cotswolds. Its only a couple of days until we are heading back home for a month!

A feast fit for a king

Fashion doyens, the Pope's house and Roman Emperors

Can you tell which one isn't the statue?

3 days in Milan (working during the day) and 2 days in Rome has been a great trip.

We checked out some of the designer fashion stores in Milan and I (Adam) have decided that even if those shirts were €49.00 instead of €490, I still wouldn't buy them. I guess I'm just not that stylish. But for those of you who know me, you would know that anyway!!

Rome was fantastic, walking around all that history kept us entertained with plenty to spare. We even managed to find an Irish pub (it was St Patrick's day) and drank Guinness while we watched Ireland defeat Italy in the six nations rugby!

The Pope's backyard

Finally some more plane tickets booked!!!

Its been a while since we went any where outside of the UK (almost 6 weeks!!) so I am pleased to report that we have tickets booked. I have to go to Milan in the north of Italy tomorrow evening on business until the end of the week. So to make the most of it, Melinda is coming over to Milan on Thursday. Then on Friday after work, we will travel down to Rome on the train and spend the weekend there! It will be good to check out the pizza and lasagna and I'll send a text to the pope to see if he wants to meet up for an espresso. I think he has some other things on though...

Also, as I mentioned earlier this year on my blog, we have a wedding to attend back in Australia in April. So we are travelling home on the 2nd of April and spending a month there.

Stay tuned for a report from Italy!!!

A trip to the west country for some Gloucester Rugby

Last weekend I went with some rugby mates to Gloucester which is a couple of hours west of London on the train to watch Gloucester play Leicester in English Premiership Rugby.

Breakfast on the train

It was a top day out with the train trip going pretty quick with some breakfast beers! We watched the match in 'The Shed' at Gloucester, a standing room only stand along one side of the pitch. It was chockers and fantastic atmosphere. After a little bit a nail biter, Gloucester won the match, so it was off to the pub to watch England play France in the 6 nations.

View from the shed

Well you wouldn't believe it but England won! (They haven't been performing too well lately). So all the English guys were stoked. We called in to the pizza shop on the way back to the train to get some pizzas for tea on the way home. Well they took their time and next thing you know me and 2 other blokes (one of whom broke his leg about 3 and a half months ago and cant run too well) are running through Gloucester with 6 pizzas, 24 chicken wings and 12 garlic breads. The rest of the guys had gone ahead to the station and to get refreshments for the journey home.

The crowd in the shed

We made it with about 45 seconds to spare and then discovered we were in 1st class!! A top end to a top day.

Concentration from the fans...

A month and a half in the dark London winter...

Well the dates on my blog dont lie, I have been very slack in updating the blog. The weather has been getting better and better and today people seem to be coming alive as the weather warms up and the blossom comes out.

So here is an update since my last blog which was just after we went to Morocco:
- we went and watched the Socceroos (Aussie Soccer/football team) play against Denmark at the Queens Park Rangers ground in Shepherds bush
- played rugby every weekend
- watching rugby nearly every weekend
- being 'forced' to meet with friends every weekend and go out in London
- work
- visited my mate in Cambridge
- Sunday morning fry up breakfasts at my local 'greasy spoon'

So it has been a reasonably quiet time just enjoying London life.