Pre-Christmas Lunch Sunday 19th December

The snow fight! The photos we wanted outside! Mike and our really small Christmas tree that has been with us for 3 years! Lunch Our place (us inside getting ready to eat) and the street. This weekend it really snowed - check out the photo's of our street. So much snow they shut down the bus service and Josh and I walked in the snow 'blizzard' as Josh called it - to Brent Cross, only to find they shut the shopping centre, so we walked to Staples Corner and back again! We where well equipped in our snow boots and jackets! All this effort as Josh and I where having 'Christmas' on Sunday as we will spend Christmas day in Saint Gervais (well hopefully as they have been shutting the airports)! I mean seriously it's snow, it happens every year!! Anyway all that walking so I could get the gift for Josh to give him on Sunday!

On Sunday Matt, Browyn, Malcom, Corny, Mike and Dave all came around for a Christmas Lunch - we then went outside for a photo in the garden which ended up in a snow fight and we wiping people down as they came back inside!

Snowing in Autumn!

That's right - it is snowing all across the UK and now finally in London - sending all the transport up the shoot (rail anyway). This is just outside our house at 8am on Tuesday morning. Our place is the grey one on the end right hand side of the photo next to the green fence - we are staying on the ground floor only.

Snow Dome: Saturday 27th November

This weekend Janaki and Mayank picked us up and we went to the snow dome in Hemel Hampstead. Check out my nice hired orange helmet!

Lou's Last night in the UK - Sat 20th Nov

For Lou's last night in the UK we all went out for dinner in the Wharf and for Lou whose first night in the UK was on a mattress on the floor - her last night will be also a mattress on the floor! Bye Lou!

Lou's Leaving Party - Saturday 13th Nov

My favourite photo! Josh and Matt Josh, Matt and Browyn Me and Malcom Janaki, Mayank, Josh and Me Malcom, Josh, Me, Mike, Lou T and Steph down the front Last Saturday Lou had her leaving party at an 80's nightclub - they gave us free party gear to dress up in - check out the photos!

Marz's Hen's Weekend 6-7th November

This Saturday morning Louise and I caught a train up to Huddersfield (30min from Leeds) at met Marz to enjoy - and it was enjoyable - a spa weekend. We arrived and where issued with robes - which we where instructed to put and where to lunch (a little bit odd if you ask us but relaxing none the less). No cellphones and watches allowed. We had lunch, a massage &/or facial followed by 'heat experiences' including - steam room, sauna, aromatherapy room, turkish bath and an ice room - that was chilled to 15 - a little old for me but Lou liked it. Once we had finished we had some cosmopolitans and then went down for dinner. On Sunday we headed back to London. Really nice and relaxing - I hoped it would solve my cough but to no avail - I am coughing and not sleeping and so Monday saw the day off work. There are some photo's coming that Lou took - however, she has packed her camera cord in her boxes today - which are due to arrive in NZ in 3 months!!!!

Josh went to rugby and whilst I was away and watched the All Blacks beat England and when I got home he had done the housework and was cooking a roast!

Vegas; Last Day

We wanted to see the Vegas sign today - it's at the beginning of the strip. Josh decided it would be a good idea if we walked down! Half way down in over 40 degree heat I had, had enough - surprise, surprise I wanted a cab - but hold on Josh had no more cash! Well I can tell you it was not pretty as we trundled into the nearest casino- which by the way is never near when you are walking along the pavement - they all have long convoluted entrance ways and walk ways in - however, we went back in the Mandalay bay and caught a cab about 2 min down the road to the sign - however, it now meant that we had a nice cab ride as we had a mad dash around the outlet shops for a shop before our flight at 8pm! We left at 8pm but didn't arrive back until the following day at 2pm (time change again). Vegas was good but we certainly didn't leave with any winnings!

Vegas: Sunday and Monday

Strip at night Bellagio Fountains Mirage and the volcano erupting Treasure Island and the Pirate Show For the next two days we spent the day laying by the pool and having drinks - you could buy a half yard mug or funny shaped thing I had on the first night and then get half price refills of Daiquiri's or Margarita! There are 14 pools at the MGM grand and we lay by the river one - it is long and windy like a river and has a current that takes you around. On the first day we hired a floaty circle and floated around the pool - it was quite nice and relaxing - don't know why we didn't think of this on the first day! In the evening on Sunday we went to Smith and Wollensky's for dinner - the steak place I love - only problem was I was so full of iced cocktails I couldn't really eat my dinner! On the Monday evening we went to Treasure Island and had dinner Wolenskys outside there and watch the free pirate show, we then walked down to the Mirage and watched the volcano erupt! Then down to the fountains outside the Bellagio and watched them go - the fountain show is with music and lights - we saw it during the day on the first day but it's so much prettier at night. Then we we went back to Treasure Island and watched the Cirque Du Soleil show Mystere. A good fun night!

Saturday: Grand Canyon

Return flight We climbed up to the top of the rocks! Sky Bridge Eagle Rock - the rock formation behind us is shaped like an eagle with us standing in front of the body and then the wings spreading out either side. Boat ride at the bottom Josh even drove the boat! Helicopter at the bottom of the canyon Ride down View from the helicopter Inside the helicopter Getting on the helicopter Inside the plane Hoover Dam - view from the plane - the black mark is the propellor Our plane! Today we went on a day trip to the Grand Canyon. We started the day with a buffet breakfast - $15 all you can eat - a real bargain. Then we where picked up by a coach at 10am and driven to the airport where we where given a little packed lunch and put on about a 14 seater plane - each of us had a window seat which was good - it was one seat, aisle, then one seat. We then flew to the canyon - it took about 40 min. The plane ride was ok - at least it was until the pilot - a female started cleaning the plane with wet wipes - much to Josh's amazement! When all of sudden the co-pilot grabbed the steering and quickly averted us out of the way of an on coming plane!!!!! Quite an experience. However, I was well prepared and had taken my ginger tablets and felt quite pleased with myself when we disembarked that I had managed to hold my stomach together - only just though! When we got off the plane almost everybody else was carrying a sick bag! In fact we nicknamed one of the men 'chunder pants' as no matter how may pills I gave him everything we went on he just kept vomiting! After the plane we where put into fours - us with chunder pants and his wife and we got a helicopter down into the base of canyon - it was so amazing and a totally different perspective. The ride took only about 8 minutes each way. Then we took a boat - like a pontoon really up the river at the bottom for about 30min before taking the helicopter back up to the top. We then took the bus around to the different sights - we didn't go on the sky bridge in the end - no need after the helicopter really! We left the canyon and returned to Vegas about 7pm. We where quite tired so had sushi for dinner and an early night.