Batter up!

What a great weekend! Had an early one on Friday night as had to get up early for the British Airways Softball Tournment on the weekend. I picked Liam up and we headed up to Heathrow. Four matches were scheduled for Saturday, can you believe it! I was expecting 2 maybe, bit worries as haven't played team sport in about 8 years!! Was hoping it would all come back to me. Met the rest of the team - The Mariners - and they were all extremely friendly.

First and second match I played catcher and got a couple of good hits. Oh my god, it's so hard running from base to base when all you've done in the past few years is NOTHING! Huffing and puffing I think I made it home once or twice. It felt good to have a mit on again and being part of team. Second match reckon I tried to sprint to fast as I felt something go in my left thigh. Did alot of stretching but it was super sore! After a nasty lunch of processed chicken (note to self bring own lunch for Sunday) we were back out there for the last two games of the day. It was a killer. I was in right outfield which was good but my leg was still struggling. Had a great time even though we only won the first match and lost the other 3. Two of the matches were tight but one was a bit of wash out. Left the field about 5ish for the journey home. Had also jarred my right thumb a bit so was a bit of a mess really but totally happy for having had a great time.

Once I was home though I think everything seized up! Luckily Ben got me a drink and I had ice packs on my thighs & finger. I was falling asleep in front of the telly so decided to head off for an early night. I could feel my face radiating heat, think I might have got a bit of sun.

Sunday morning, thighs felt better but thumb still a bit dodgy. Looked in the mirror at a bright red face! Didn't realise how strong the sun was yesterday so slathered on the aloe vera & sunscreen and it was back off to the field. We lost our first game by 3 I think which was a bummer but it was heaps of fun. I was back behind the mound as catcher. Some pretty dodgy throwing on my part back to John our pitcher. Whoops need to work on that. Also the wind was super strong both days, a long hit ball could freeze mid air and swing back the other way it was so strong. So after a long break we were in the Plate final (this is for teams who finish 4th, 5th & 6th). We won our first round robin match, whooo hooo! Very excited. And then after talking to the opposition decided to make our next game the final, otherwise we would have had to play the same team twice. Unfortunately we lost by 2! Bummer! But it was heaps of fun and had a great laugh and met heaps of new people which is the main thing! Got home about 6ish and was totally wiped out. A great weekend!! Bring on the next tournament.

Softball

Well finally I have done something productive in Portsmouth! I have joined the Solent Softball league. I went to my first training session on Tuesday night and everyone was super nice and in my age bracket! Whooo hooo! I'm going to training again tonight as I'm playing in a British Airways Tournament out near Heathrow on Saturday & Sunday. Straight in! Keep checking for my progress!

NYC - The girls are back!

Well finally I got to see Sex & The City, the movie on Sunday afternoon. I've waited weeks to see and now I have. It was FANTASTIC!!!! I loved it and will definetly go see it again. So worth the wait. Tear & laughter and many suprises.

Here comes the bride......

After a horrendous 5 hour journey up to Cambridge on Friday I finally made it to the drinks do at the Red Balloon School. It was really nice to have a look around at the school to see the differences and additions they have made. It looks amazing, they have done such a great job and its really nice to see where all the money we have been raising is going. After that I headed over to Mila's for a quiet evening of pad thai and a movie. It's going to be a big day on Saturday so an early evening.


Saturday morning it was overcast and a bit drizzly, so the picnic was reschedule to be held at Claire & Annabel's house. So over we went and had a lovely morning stuffing salads, sandwiches & cakes in our mouths! A few toasts and it was time to go and pick up the bridal bouquet's. They were so beautiful and the smell was awesome. A quick spin around town to drop them off with the girls at the hotel and then it was back to Mila's to get dressed. Luckily Coop can fit thru spaces in traffic you never thought possible!



A quick change and Steve, Mila & I were ready to go. We actually had about 15mins to spare and had a mini photo shoot where we came out looking like a seventies band! Very amusing. Off to the registry office to await the girls. Everyone looked great and we couldn't wait to see how the girls would look. Finally we were ushered in and then they music came on, the doors opened and there they were. GORGEOUS!!! A beautiful ceremony, a few tears, many smiles and laughter. It was then up to the top of the hill for some beautiful photos. The flower girls & page boy were extremely good. Now it was back to the girls house for a glass of bubbly before the reception.


Mila & I were in charge of the foie gras! A bit of a serving issue but we got it fixed in the end and no one noticed anyway! Atleast we know for next time how to prepare it. After a couple of glasses we walked around to Midsummer House (http://www.midsummerhouse.co.uk/) on the common for the reception. This amazing restaurant has 2 Michelin Stars and many other accolades, very excited about the menu.

Scallop

Seared Hand Dived Scallops, Celeriac, Truffle, Granny Smith & Caramel

Beef

Slow-Roast Fillet of Beef, Shallots, Celeriac, Essence of Port

Apple

Apple Tarte Tatin, Vanilla, Garlic and Bay Leaf

Wines

Tourraine - Sauvignon, Domaine Marcadet, Loire Valley, France 2007

Wakefield - Shiraz Clare Valley, South Australia 2006

The food was delicious, heavenly. I ate everything except I could only eat half of the beef there was so much. And in between the meals there were items to cleanse the palate. A fantastic night of eating, drinking and being merry. Claire, Annabel & Lisa all made lovely speeches with a few tears from some. I think we finished about 11pm and it was agreed by all that it was a beautiful day.

Helen's Birthday in Poole

After a relaxing week at work, it was time to drive west into Bournemouth, Poole to be exact, as it's where Helen & Mila grew up as youngsters and where Helen had decided to celebrate her birthday with her family. It also happened to be her sister Emma's birthday as well! Saturday was a beautiful day so drove over in the afternoon (only 45min) and we all headed onto to the ferry for an afternoon walk on the beach. A bit too cold for me to go swimming but Helen, Mila & Lucas (2yrs) ventured in (a little bit). Then it was back to Helen's as her mum had cooked us a prawn curry. Not spicy so I ate it all and stuffed heaps of papadum's in my mouth. Down to the local for a couple of drinks, then onto a cocktail bar. Before you know it it's 1am and time to head home. A quick stop at the local chippie for cheesy chips then a hilarious drive home!

Sunday we were up and as the weather was a bit overcast I decided to head home so I could do the chores I had put off since Spain. My room was a tip but after about 4 hours, 2 washes, 3 garbage bags and 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy I was done!

Now it's a quiet week in preparation for the wedding on Saturday!

Netty's Birthday

Happy Birthday Netty!

No hablo espanlo????

Wednesday I drove up to Cambridge for a great lunch at Charlie Chan's as Nadia's farewell. It was great and free as my old boss Pott's was there. Then it was off to the Castle for a quick drink to catch up with friends.

Thursday 3AM : wake up! Can you believe I had to be up and awake so we could get to Stansted for our flight at 6.20am. I was soooooo tired and grumpy. Luckily I slept in the car, at the airport & on the plane. Dina, Mila, Annabel & I arrived in sunny Salou, Spain!! Its so beautiful, especially when we got to Annabel's beachfront apartment. We were literally across the road from the beach. So awesome. Time for another snooze, before a wander down to the beach. Only Mila & I were brave enough to swim and the water was freezing! But after a Baywatch run in, it was fine. As it was beginning of June the tourist's weren't around so it was great. Dinner was a beautiful seafood paella, soooo nice.

Friday morning, after a sleep in, it was up and down to the beach for a bit of sunbaking and swimming. Again just Mila & I went into the Med. A lazy day of reading books, eating, sunbaking and swimming. Friday night we headed up the coast to a town Stiges (Netty, Mel & I were there in 2000) for a night on the town. So much fun dancing and watching the locals walk past.

Saturday was a relatively early start as we were going to Barcelona for the day! I love this city. Upon arrival we went first to Park Guell (Again Netty, Mel & I did Barcelona in 2000) and it was perfect weather, not too hot or cold. We had lunch in the park then we headed over to the Cathedral. Luckily for us they were letting everyone in for free!!! One day a year they open the doors for free to remember Gaudi who died on the 10th. Unlucky for him but lucky for us, so we got to wander round the inside (which is mainly scaffolding) and saw a 3D model of what the finished product will look like. Spectacular! So after that we headed to the Ramblas for a wander and to meet up with Dina's friend Brian. A bit of tapa's always goes down well! Then it was back on the train to Salou for a night out on tht tiles. Into the nightclub district and people were shoving cards in our faces trying to get us to go into their nightclub. We finally settled on the club "Too Much" and it was. Extremely funny though. Then we headed off to "Snoopys" which as you can imagine was full of kids!! About 2ish we decided to call it a night.

Sunday again a nice sleep in then a quick tidy and it was down to the beach for one last ray of light and this time we made Dina & Annabel come swimming. It's so nice once you are in and stay in. A last lunch on the veranda then back to the airport for the flight home. Got in about 8ish in Cambridge then it was the drive back to Portsmouth. Very tired but nice and brown!!

Weekend in Portsmouth

Saturday morning - 8am - I'm awake! Why? The Waratah's were playing in the final in Christchurch. Luckily Ben knows the guy who runs the Walkabout so we went down to the pub to watch the game. An added bonus was that James was in town and I got to spend the day with him. After the match Ben, James & I headed down to the historic dockyard where there are a few vessel's on display and you can explore them. We did the HMS Victory, the vessel used by Nelson in the battle of Trafalgar. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had an awesome time wandering round the ship. Afterwards we went and met Nat & Krista at the train station, whooo hooo was very excited to finally have my friends down in my seaside town. A quick stop at the house to drop off their gear then it was down to Gun Wharf Quay for an afternoon of retail therapy. As the weather was still good we decided to have a bbq. A quick fashion show from James showing off what he bought (he bought the most!) and it was upstairs for a relaxing dinner and a few drinks. Then a bit of guitar hero whilst we got ready to go out. James had to go home but the rest of us got scrubbed up and headed to a bar nearby called Drift. It was pretty cool and we had a couple of drinks there before heading into the meat market, I mean Babylon! We had an awesome time dancing and laughing at the tunes that were played. Back home to have a few more drinks with our friends in Flat 1 who were a bit worse for wear after a wedding. Upstairs to the flat and a bit more guitar hero to finish off the evening. It was only when Ben noticed that the sun was rising that we thought it might be a good idea to head off to bed.

Sunday we got up at 1ish, I cooked french toast & bacon for everyone, and we had a great chat about last nights events. Nat, Krista & I headed down to the pier for a go on the roller coaster, so much fun, and decided to push our luck and go on another ride that went round and round. Big mistake, felt pretty nasty afterwards! Hopped on the local mini train for a trip round old Portsmouth and back which was fun as we waved at people as we went by. Then it was time to drop the girls off at the station and back home to read the paper.

Such a great weekend, so nice to have my friends down and the weather was fine.