London

We took our time getting up and dressed and having morning tea in the room. Then we set off for Covent Garden again, stopping on the way to have breakfast. We found a delightful cafe which turned out to be part of a large Aveda Salon. We realized then when Alison pointed out a young woman with foils in her hair having a boiled egg and toast. Then we looked beyond her and there was the salon! Another woman, at the table next to us, was gingerly having her breakfast after having a manicure. Well, that was a first for all three of us! After breakfast, we walked to the tube and went to Embankment where we crossed the Thames on one of the two Jubilee bridges in order to go on the London Eye which we had booked earlier o n the internet. I think most of you know that this is the enormous ferris wheel built for the Millennium. It was the largest in the world until the ones in China and Singapore were built. It is currently the largest in Europe. It is, however, considered to be the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel. It is 443' high; there are 32 capsules each of which holds about 24 people. It was a gorgeous day today - mild and sunny, so the views were just stunning. For more information on its construction, which is fascinating, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye

After our "flight", which certainly went a long way to making up for no flights in New Zealand, we headed back to Covent Garden. The decorations in the main halls consisted of numerous glass cylinders suspended from the ceiling with led lights putting on a mesmerizing show of color, speed and direction. The photos, taken in the daytime, don't show them that well; they were fantastic last night. After poking around the shops and watching a gymnast, we found a delightful French restaurant with the very apt name of Cafe des Amis, where we alighted for a long early dinner around 3 pm. We had a bottle of Prosecco courtesy of Geoff, Alison's husband. Then it was time to go back to the hotel and for Jill and Alison to get their train home. What a wonderful 36 hours we had just drinking in the ambiance of London at Christmastime.

This is now the end of this blog. I am up early again tomorrow for my flight home. I have had the time of my life - thank you to everyone who made this trip so special....but I am now ready to go home! Can't wait to see you all and celebrate Christmas...and cuddle with Baudelaire!

London

This is a photo of one of the two terminals at the new Madrid airport. The design is stunning, using the colors of the Spanish flag - red and gold.

Arrived in London on time and got to the hotel just as Jill and Alison were arriving by train from Liverpool. They came and left their suitcases at the hotel and then we went to the theatre where Ingrid met us. The panto was excellent, "Cinderella" with Britt Eklund as the fairy godmother. The "dames", i.e. the drag roles, were the ugly stepsisters and they were a hoot. The music, singing, dancing, jokes etc. were all good, but I think the highlight was the "cabaret" number at the prince's ball - an ABBA medley with the stepsisters in those ABBA wide-legged pants. Well, you should have seen the four of us singing and waving our arms. We had such a good time.

After the panto, we took a cab over to Covent Garden where we wandered around the halls and stalls, watched the buskers and generally delighted in the ambiance. We had dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant, after which it was time for Ingrid to catch her train back to Maidstone. Jill, Alison and I walked back to the hotel, very conveniently located not far from Covent Garden and the West End Theatres. They stayed the night with me. The hotel is beautiful - a neoclassical building which was once an insurance company. The building has only 4 floors, but it is quite large with a central courtyard. Beautifully decorated for Christmas, too. It was great fun to walk through historic streets such as Bow Street, Drury Lane etc. Thanks, LaReese, for recommending it.

Pretoria, South Africa

Had a lovely lunch with Elspeth, Jimmy, Dale, Derek, Candy, KeriAnn, Brit and Jayson. Then back to Jay and Belinda's to pack. Stan stopped in for tea. We had dinner at home before leaving for the airport at 8pm. Took a night flight to Madrid where I changed planes for London.

Here Are Derek, Dale, Candy and Keri Ann-



And here are Jay, Belinda, Brit and Jayson. (Elder son Wesley left for Australia yesterday.)



This is the view from the bedroom I occupied at Jay and Belinda's.-

Pretoria, South Africa

Spent the day with Jimmy and Elspeth and Stan and Pam. Ended up at Veronica and Leon's fabulous new home with an in-law villa for Stan and Pam. I had seen it in progress last time I was here. The house and grounds are just gorgeous. Leon has an amazing garden of rare cycads, prehistoric plants that are protected here. There are 4 duck ponds with duck houses. Two of the ducks follow Pam and Stan into their home. All sorts of different gardens spread out over one hectare (about 2.5 acres, I think) and arbors and hidden paths. And the view - well here it is.



I also saw some great birds, one of which comes only in the summer -to mate and nest - the pen-tailed whydah. Isn't he gorgeous?




And the beautiful guinea hens.




And my new friend, Twiggy, an Italian greyhound.



Jay and Belinda came to collect me and we stayed for cocktails until quite late. It was a lovely evening, replete with the sounds of crickets and frogs.

Pretoria, South Africa

Today the family gathered at 12:30 for a wonderful lunch, which included 6 Pavlovas which Belinda made last night. This is a first for Preece family here and some cousins hadn't seen each other for ages, some never. We were 43; only 8 were missing. Apparently this had been planned since May, but no one told me!!! There were even speeches! Some travelled over 400 kms. It was just wonderful. There were only two whom I had not me before and I did very well with all the names, only getting two wrong and that is because of serious resemblances. The weather cleared enough for us to be outside and we took a family photo which you see here. The three men in the photo are my father's three cousins, the sons of my great-uncle who emigrated here. It was great and I was able to spend time with just about everyone. By 6 pm, there was just a small group left sitting at the bar and planning a cruise for the next reunion. Well, we'll see. But it could happen. There is a lot of enthusiasm for it! An amazing day.

Pretoria, South Africa

Up at the crack of dawn again for a flight to Sydney and then on to Johannesburg. A very comfortable 14-hours flight during which I caught up on a lot of sleep. Of course, it was overcast and rainy when I arrived. Naturellement! My cousin Jay met me and took to their home. Caught up on the news with Belinda and the 3 kids, two dogs and three cats!!!! Turned in early to catch up on sleep. Tomorrow is a big family reunion - all the Preece clan except Billy, Dyan and their two boys who are in the States for Xmas and whom we;'ll see in NYC after Xmas. 43 in all are due here at 12:30 tomorrow. A first for the South African branch. My Dad would be so pleased. My father's mother was a Preece (it's a Welsh name, originally Ap Rhys) and her younger brother emigrated to S. Africa in the 1920s. I am desperately trying to remember everyone's names- so far I'm not doing badly. I had no idea this was going to happen.

A photo of Sydney skyline from airport - just for fun!

Melbourne, Australia

Today, we went to a champagne brunch at Annie and John Dunlop's, Gail's friends. A lovely couple. He is retired Australian Navy and then IT at Dunlop (no connection). Annie is a former counselor and is president of the Australian Tarot Guild. They have a lovely house, filled with various collections and Annie's artwork, on the water in Patterson Lakes. We had a delicious meal and our conversation ran the gamut from politics to navy life to geneaology and more.

They have four cats, one of whom is an Australian Mist, two are Singaporas and I can't remember the fourth. One Singapora loves to perch on John's shoulder and will stay there indefinitely as he walks around. She is terribly affectionate and loves to cuddle. Here are some photos of our visit.







By the time we got home, after shopping for dinner, it was time to do the blog and pack. I have to be at the airport at 6:30 am tomorrow. Another early start, and then a very long day. Just over an hour to Sydney and then 14 hours to Jo'Burg, where I arrive 3 hours later on the same day I left. Well, gaining those hours makes up somewhat for the day I lost getting to NZ. Hahaha!

Melbourne, Australia

Fridady and Saturday, December 12 and 13.

It bucketed down for two days and then the winds came. I guess I brought the NZ weather with me, because it's fine there now. Ha ha! On Monday, we just hunkered down; I worked on the blog and Gail and I chunnered away, catching up with each other's news. Gail made filet de roo au vin rouge balsamnique for dinner- that's kangaroo meat cooked by a vegetarian who has no idea what it tastes like! It was yummy - strong and with a slight flavor of chicken livers!

Here's Tali - Gail's gorgeous Cavalier King Charles. I adore her and love to play with her.



On Tuesday, we braved the weather and went out and about, buying each other books and ending up at the cinema in the late afternoon. We saw "Australia" - I thought it was very a propos to see it here rather than at home. I thought it was wonderful - a good story line interweaving the bombing of Darwin and subsequent evacuation during WWII, the terrible "assimilation" of the Aborigines (as we saw in "Rabbit-Proof Fence"), the lore of the cattle stations and, of course, the vastness of northern Australia, lovingly filmed by Baz Luhrmann. The acting was superb, especially Brandon Walters as Nullah, the young "creamy" or half-caste boy. He stole the movie- even from Hugh Jackman, hunk that he is!!!! It was beautifully filmed. I've heard mixed reviews, but I just loved every minute of it. Oh and a first for me - we had glasses of wine during the film!!

After the film we went to a great restaurant in the Railway Station....filled with all sorts of eclectic art and frescoes and woodwork. Put me in mind of Cav in Providence, but smaller. I had the best gnocchi I've ever tasted.

Melbourne, Australia

Up early for my flight to Melbourne. Gail met me and drove out to Brighton down the Beaconsfield Parade along Port Philip Bay. Glorious weather. We had a quick lunch alfresco and then I went off to have my hair cut. Around 5, we left for the city for our evening adventure at the Spiegeltent, an amazing contraption that is set up every year for a few months in the summer next to the Arts Centre. We picked up our tickets and popped in on the costume exhibit – this year it is Peter Allen. (Last time, I saw Kylie Minogue’s costumes.). Then got in line, as seats are on a first-come, first-saved basis. The Spiegeltent is a European Mirror Tent - the ultimate cabaret and music salon. A word about them:

Spiegeltents are hand-hewn wooden pavilions used as traveling dance halls, bars and entertainment salons since they were created in the early 20th century. There are only a hand-full of these unique and legendary ‘tents of mirrors’ left in the world today. Built of wood, mirrors, canvas, leaded glass and detailed in velvet and brocade, each has its own personality and style.
The most beautiful of the last remaining Belgian Spiegeltents, The Famous Spiegeltent, was built in 1920 by master craftsmen Oscar Mols Dom and Loius Goor. This Grande Dame has spent her lifetime at the bequest of festivals and fairgrounds throughout Europe and beyond, playing host to the world’s greatest cabaret artists, musicians and circus burlesque performers. Since Marlene Dietrich sang ‘Falling In love Again’ on The Famous Spiegeltent stage in the 1930’s, its magic mirrors have reflected thousands of images of artists, audiences and exotic gatherings. The Famous Spiegeltent is the very essence of a festival club, ‘kabaret salon’ and intimate concert hall. Like every old theatre, her ghosts travel with her, woven into ballooning velvet canopies, circular teak dance floor and stained, cut-glass windows. Her intimate booths, ornate bar and beveled mirror columns hold a million secrets while her glorious Art Nouveau chandelier, or trapeze rig, swings overhead.







We had come to see Lulo Reinhardt, the grandnephew of the legendary gypsy swing guitarist Django Reinhardt. Very exciting. The tent was packed and we got ourselves some champagne from the bar before settling in. Lulo Reinhardt is a gypsy guitarist in his own right, but his music is heavily influenced by Latin American rhythms. Based in Koblenz, Germany, his Latin Swing Quartet consists of himself, a violinist, drummer and bassist. The group tours the world and local musicians join in along the way. For this concert, he also had a percussionist and an American guitarist from San Francisco, Doug Martin. Later in the program, Sean Mackenzie, a Sydney-based pianist, joined the group. He also played the Brazilian berimbau and an African thumb piano.

The concert was wonderful. They played only one cover (that’s music parlance – heh heh), an original Django Reinhardt number; the rest were original compositions, a unique blend of gypsy and Latin jazz, and a melancholic piece written by the violinist. The music was vibrant; the atmosphere was electrifying; the audience was totally engaged. The musicians engaged each other with smiles and signs and were obviously having a blast. It was a fabulous experience. The joint was really jumping.




After the concert, Gail and I rushed the stage – it is not safe to let us out in public together ever since our Club Med days! We schmoozed with the musicians and we let it drop that we were going on to jazz club, Bennett’s Lane, and they said, well, they would be going there later to jam. We were intrigued with the exotic instruments and Sean showed us how the berimbau, which is of African origin, works. If anyone is interested, check the following site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berimbau

We bought a CD and posed for photos. Voila!







Then off we went to the jazz club where we met up with Gail’s son, Alistair, and his girl friend. Joe Chindamo, one of Australia’s foremost jazz pianists was playing with a bassist and a drummer. We sat with Joe’s former professor at the Victoria College of Music, Geoffrey d’Ombrain, a charming gentleman who was then joined by his daughter who had just come from, of all things, a French lesson. Ha ha. A good table for the evening. The melodies are familiar – Paul Simon’s “America”, “Moon River”, “Un del di”, for example– but Joe plays them in his unique way with unusual harmonies and rhythms. During the first set, there was an influx of "Gypsies". During the break, two came over and said “Fancy meeting you here! “ LOL. Gail’s son, Alistair, aged 22, said “Back in your box, girls”. All in good fun! Joe also came over and had a chat. By the time we got home, it was 1am or 3am for me (NZ time). Don’t know how I lasted…it was surely the quality of the music and the great fun.

Auckland, New Zealand

This is my final blog from New Zealand. I leave for Melbourne tomorrow. I am not sure whether or not I will be able to keep the blog up from now on, but I will try.

Today’s news is that we did not go sky-diving. A big disappointment, but there may be other times. We called this morning and were told that the weather was great and that the dive would be a go. We drove all the way out to Mercer – about an hour south of Auckland – and found that they were “on hold” – some thick clouds had moved in. While we were waiting and making idle conversation, we discovered that they only had one instructor available. This meant that we would not be able to jump together. Well, anyone can spend a few hundred dollars and jump solo any time. We wanted to jump together….that was the whole idea. So it was a real bummer!!! We had a long discussion and decided to scotch it. I am happy with the decision. So sky-diving goes back on the bucket list! Ha ha!

So we whiled away a lovely afternoon. Hamish Keith dropped in for a visit, brought his lunch and had a glass of wine. He is THE New Zealand art critic and author. His wife is Ngila Dickson who won the Academy Award for Costume Design for “Lord of the Rings”. She also did the costumes for “The Illusionist”. We went back to his fabulous art-filled house and he gave me a signed copy of his book on New Zealand art, about which I knew nothing at all. I can now name some contemporary artists. He mainly wanted to show us his set of 19th century marionettes from Prague and his latest acquisition – a Tang horse. Wow! But what is most interesting is the development of Maori art. We had an interesting discussion about persistent myths about “indigenous” art and history. Fascinating.

And so it is with a heavy heart that I leave this beautiful country with its friendly people. I hope it is only an "au revoir". Thanks, Roscoe, for a wonderful visit. You are a great host. I loved every minute of my stay and I loved meeting your parents, Norma and all your friends....and Paris, of course. Bye.

Auckland, New Zealand

Well, it started to rain last night and by the middle of the night it was a full-blown storm which continued into the morning. Our skydiving was cancelled, obviously. They told us to call back in the afternoon, but the cloud cover was still too thick. So, we hope for tomorrow.

We went off to the museum which is also the War Memorial - beautiful building in the Auckland Domain, a large park. We wandered around, but were really interested in a special exhibit called “Secrets”. The museum brought out objects from their collection that had been stored for years…they were arranged either in our around their packing crates. It was fascinating and beautifully organized and arranged. The collection was a mix of what you might find at the Met in NY and the Smithsonian in Washington combined and ran the gamut from ethnic pieces to stuffed birds!

The rain did not let up and so we drove out to Titirangi, in the western suburbs, a trendy little town with superb views, which were invisible because of the weather. We had lunch in a café and then drove back.

Went to David and Karen’s in Parnell, a beautiful area of gorgeous homes, restaurants and art galleries. They have cruised with Ross, Jan and Layne before and are coming with us in 2010. They have a stunning contemporary home in beautiful gardens. We toasted Christmas with champagne and that sat down to a lovely supper and home-made Christmas cake –very fruity and loaded with brandy!!!

On our way home, we drove through various suburbs to see some of Ross’ Christmas installations. Christmas lights are still rare here, except on Franklin Road of course. On one of the streets, only two houses had lights – Ross’ work. Quite different from what we see in the US.

This is the beautiful stained-glass ceiling in the World War I Sanctuary of the Museum. It shows the coats of arms of all British dominions and colonies during that war.

Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Ross had a big job today, so he dropped me at the ferry to go over to Waiheke Island for the day. Waiheke is one of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf with white sand beaches, olive groves and vineyards.

In the 60s it was a haven for hippies. Today it has gained a reputation for “alternative” lifestyles because of the organic farms and artisans. It is also a maritime suburb with a permanent community, which commutes to Auckland by ferry. It is a holiday destination, offering beach activities, kayaking, mountain biking and bush walks. There are some lovely holiday homes of all shapes and sizes.

I took a “Taste of Waiheke” tour, which took us to three vineyards and an olive grove….plus some lovely beaches and coves along the way. The views of the Coromandel Peninsula to the east and Auckland to the west were spectacular.

We tasted white and red wines at the first winery – Stonyridge Vineyard – and had a lovely lunch on the terrace. Stonyridge also has an olive grove and makes olive oil. I found it very bitter. At Rangihoua Estate, we were given a tour of the olive pressing facility. We tasted four different oils and I loved one of them and bought a bottle for Ross. I can’t carry any bottles homes. The grounds of this estate are magnificent – lots of wonderful native flowers and an old kauri tree just along a forest walk. Next stop – Wild on Waiheke, where we tasted a nice rose, a very tannic red and some beers. Our
final stop was at the beautiful Mudbrick Vineyard, which has a beautiful main house amid stunning gardens and a magnificent view. A young Frenchwoman from Beaune took us around and we tasted two wines. By then, I was feeling pretty soporific. I found the wines good, but not stellar. It was, nevertheless, an interesting excursion.