under the sea...and over to the UK!

Last weekend we took the eurostar over to the UK for the first time. I was a little worried about the fact that you are underwater, but there was really nothing to worry about at all. It is just like being in a long tunnel and so much easier than flying as it takes you in to the heart of London. From there we took the train up to Ely, a small farming town not too far from Cambridge, to visit family friends. After a long day of travelling, touring the farm and meeting some great people, we were welcomed home to a fantastic warm meal and real wood fire...true English hospitality!

The following morning, with a light snow falling, we went and saw the amazing Ely Cathedral. These sights really do make you realise just how young New Zealand is. It really is worth the visit as my photo's just don't do it justice.

Once back in London, we attended our first Arsenal game at the Emirates Stadium. It still amazes me how much noise the away fans can make being such a small section of the stadium. The passion and enthusiasm is to be admired, but luckily we were on the winners side.

glazed like a donut...

Yesterday morning we had the pleasure of having a nice misty rain. While this doesn't seem to out of the ordinary it was the first day I was house bound. You see, this misty rain would then proceed to freeze leaving a nice slippery layer of ice on everything it touched. This included all footpath surfaces including, but not limited to, tiles, pebbles and asphalt. So as I proceeded to put the trash out and head on my merry way to the library I realised quickly that I no longer had control over my steps. With a little luck I made it to the bin at the top of our drive and this is when it all went wrong. Along came a little gust of wind and I was off! Half crouched and rather frightened sliding all the way down the little slope to the road. A little stunned that I managed to stay upright I decided to stand there a while and decide on the best strategy to get back to the safely of the apartment building. In doing so I spanned the road to see if I was the only one having this trouble. I noticed two kinds of people, those also standing still deciding on their next move, and then those skating around like Bambi on ice. I have to say I was pleased at this, I was sure this was going to be an occasion that I, as the newbie to this weather, would be the only one not capable to cope. Not wanting to stand around on the road all day, one tiny step at a time I made my five meter journey back to safety without ending up with my feet in the air. Success!

Today I am appreciating the ability to walk again. I hope you do too:) 

living with the snow...

On my first day back in Belgium it snowed all day. With everything dusted in beautiful soft snowflakes it did give the place a magical feel (the satisfying crunch underfoot never gets old). While this novelty was very exciting...one week later Oostende is still white, but maybe losing a little of it's magic. The soft snow hardening giving every step the opportunity to slip n slide, dogs covering more and more in a yellow glow and the freezing fog keeps a deathly chill in the air. Staying warm requires a lot of layers and every day when I get dressed I am reminded of this brilliant moment off Friends..."Could I be wearing anymore clothes?!"

While the snow does have it's down side...one thing going for it is that it sure is fun to photograph:)

departing...

Back to Belgium and the cold...See you in three and a half months!!!

first snow in Oostende...

Woke up this morning to our first snow of the season. We aren't suppose to get much here on the coast so I hope this does not mean we are in for a extra cold winter...