Vital Announcement

All the new countries from this holiday now added to the map: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece.

End Of The Line

Yesterday we ended our holiday. We got on the train to Gatwick airport and got a plane home.

We were flying with Air Transat. Unfortunately we had to share TV with the rest of the passengers and the films all were mind-numbing but I did get to watch Honey, I Shrunk The Kids on my Dad's laptop. Compared to the last time I flew with Air Transat it was pretty comfy. 

When we got to Vancouver we got a taxi home.

Greatest hits post coming soon. Ish.

Seeing A Tea Clipper And Looking At The Universe

The Cutty Sark

Yesterday we went to Greenwich and went to go and see the Cutty Sark. The Cutty Sark is the only surviving British tea clipper ship. It was one of the last built before steam-powered vessels took over.

The ship was suspended by heavy metal beams. The under part of the ship was plated with copper to make the ship go faster and to keep gunk and sea creatures off it.

Also at the front part of the boat they had a water height chart in Roman numerals.

There was a sort of glass enclosure built around the ship.

In the bottom part of the ship was a hole where you went in.

The floor was made out of crates of tea. The bottom deck was used for storage. There was also a video explaining the Cutty Sark's history. At one point it lost a race with another tea clipper and was sold to a Portuguese company.    

Save a lot of time

Afterwards we went to the Greenwich Observatory where you can put one foot in east and the other in the west. There was a long line of people wanting to have their pictures taken in front of a big piece of metal marking zero degrees but it was easy just to stand either side of the zero meridian. All the other people were wasting their time.

After that we went to go see an exhibition with pictures of different galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy.

Good-bye Blockley (Boo-Hoo) And Hello London

The front of the Fortress of Blockley

The day before yesterday Auntie Wendy drove us to Morton-In-Marsh and we got a train to Paddington Station in London.

After the train ride we got the Tube a few stops and then we had to change to a different train because something was being done to the tunnel involving a lot of wires.

We had to go do some shopping because Uncle Stuart, Auntie Wendy, Helen, and a few other people were coming over for a get together. 

We ordered pizza except it was rectangular pizza.We had 12 people over. The pizzas took up the whole table. Not all the pizza got eaten.

A Day Of Eating And Not Doing Much

Today [a few days ago--we don't quite remember] we didn't do much we only went out for lunch and I had fish and chips.

When we got back Lucy and I a good idea. We knew Auntie Wendy had a photo copy machine and a Monopoly set so we got lots of the 500 bills and photos copied them we got rich in just a few minutes.

Later I made a huge jar of André's home-made lemonade.

OK OK: I'll give you the recipe. Get two cups and put the kettle on. While the water is boiling squeeze the lemons and make some ice cubes. Then when the water has boiled put the water into the empty cup. While the water is still hot put the sugar in and mix in the lemon juice. Then wait for the lemonade to cool down and add fresh mint leaves.

Lazy Days

A country pub

For two days we didn't do much.

On Sunday we went out to have lunch at a traditional English country pub I had fish and chips afterwards we went walking around and saw a few fords.

On Monday we stayed inside most of the day. We only went out for a walk around Blockley and to the village shop to get lemons for making lemonade. It was sunny in the morning and poured heavily in the afternoon. In the morning I put Auntie Wendy's pet tortoise outside in the garden.

Trying to skim stones

The epic fortress of Blockley

There is a square area in the garden made of something that looks like crash barriers. In the enclosure is also a bowl of water and a wicker basket with a hole in it so the tortoise can use it as a hutch or a sun shade house.

In the evening we lit a big fire in Uncle Stuart and Auntie Wendy's big fireplace and roasted some chicken meat on a clockwork roasting device. It's cat TV. The cats sit round the fire squatting gazing at the meat as it turns and the juice drips down.

Dinner round the fire

A Falcon Centre Trip

Three days ago we stayed inside for most of the morning and didn't do much.

In the afternoon we went out to a traditional English inn called The Fleece Inn with one of my dad's old school friends. 

I had some very nice breaded fish with perfectly done chips. With it I had vegetable sticks.

For dessert I had a delicious lemon tart with warm custard.

Noah the owl

Later we went to The Cotswold Falconry Centre.

There you can see birds hunt and do tricks.

The falconer flew five birds: one small falcon, an owl called Noah, an owl called Olly, a snowy owl called Crystal, and a small burrowing owl called Flint.

You were allowed to have a big glove on your hand and have the birds fly onto it.

I got to hold one of the owls and Flint the burrowing owl.

Flint was probably my favourite because he hopped around, stared at people, and made hoarse noises. His burrow was actually a small box they use for transporting pets by air travel.

There was a little trouble getting Flint into his burrow because when the guy put the food bowl into the burrow and closed the door Flint hopped out again.

Also there were a few birds in the cages which were to shy to come and fly in front of people.