Rochelle's Website

2009 What a year!!!!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:19:00 +0000

What a year...... definitely one filled with hard work, excitement, happiness & joy!

We settled on a house in Jan 09 in Warfield & went about the stressful task of moving...even though we had movers who packed, the onerous task of unpacking at the other end, was enough for me to vow (again!!) never to move!! As we were moving from a semi furnished house to an empty one we had to buy everything, from toaster, microwave, washing machine to lounge, beds etc.... OMG what a mammoth challenge & to do all this in a month, as ah yes, I was 8 months pregnant & due on the 3rd of March. But after a lot of hard work on w/e's (yes we were both still working), we moved in, ordered all essentials & began to slowly settle in.

We celebrated a milestone on the 22nd of Feb, with David celebrating his 40th. The plan was to go skiing in the Alps, but with the little one due so close, we decided to stay home. My penance (yes it was my fault we were pregnant & impeding David's skiing!!) was to play board games with him all w/e!!!....

Well I think the stress of playing board games :) (not lovin it as much as DAC!!) lent to little missy (Inara Kay) arriving on Sat 28th Feb at 7.36am. Weighing in at 6lbs 14.5o & 53cm long. Healthy with a full head of hair!!!

Childbirth not loving it, but being mum to Inara is a such a joy! She is such a lovely girl, got David's lovely quiet disposition & am enjoying her grow & develop & discovering new things.

Met some wonderful girls as part of my antenatal class & we have all kept in touch after our babies were born. They have been my social network & a great support whilst journeying through motherhood. We have become stedfast friends, enjoying nights out, meeting up for coffees/lunches & generally keeping in touch. With my family & friends in Oz, this group of girls have been a great support.

Dac bought himself a car, after braving it in the little Peugot on the M4 for long enough, so we are now an Audi household.

In July, David & I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary....wow! Still enjoying married life. Marriage Tip: be kind to each other.

We went for our 1st family holiday in August when Inara was 5mths to the Isle of Wight (island south of England). It was really great.... we drove all around the island visiting the sights, went for swims, long walks, ate great food, drank beer & wine and had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.

6 months absolutely flew past, with that came, me facing work again & leaving Inara in a nursery. We gradually transitioned her into nursery part-time for a couple of months & then full time. The 1st month was hard on all of us. Leaving her at nursery was hard enough but then going to work, doing domestic chores etc... has been a bit of a nightmare. We are still trying to find a routine, which is extremely hard when both partners are working in demanding jobs. Still fine tuning the juggling!!!

Our plans had been to visit Oz in 2010 when we were more settled, but luck (good luck!) would have it, that our mate Bruce was getting married in Dec 09. With David as best man, we decided that we would all travel back to Oz for the wedding and of course perfect timing to spend Christmas with our families. More good to news to follow, my sister got engaged and as we were coming to Oz decided to bring up the wedding date so that we could attend. Too nice.

So on Dec 8th we caught our flight back home. As its such a long trip with a baby, we decided to spoil ourselves & travel business class with Singapore airlines. We must say the new A380 airbus is fantastic, so much space & Singapore staff were great....our trip was really smooth & Inara was a gem!

Being there for my sisters wedding was amazing! A great day, with the sun shining, great location & it was a wonderful family affair. A big thanks to them for having their wedding in December so that we could be there to share this amazing day with them.

We then headed to Melbourne for the week where we witnessed our mate Bruce marry Danielle. Another fine day & great wedding. David's speech was fab, a good dash of humour mixed with sentiment!!!

Then we headed back to the gong where we spent quality time with our families. Christmas was great & Inara got thoroughly spoilt. We had to get another suitcase just to bring home her presents (honest!!) We met up with friends, went to the movies, ate a lot & thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The BBQ on the 27th went brilliantly... it was threatening to rain, but the sun shone & we had a marvellous day, with loads of friends & family hanging out with us. Thank you guys for coming it was so wonderful to see you all, it was like we never left the country.

The last night ended with a high, as I had been dreaming all this time to eat my favourite food in the world - chicken curry with chillie from the Malay restaurant in Sydney, but being so busy, had unfortunately not been able to go & get some. So when my sister asked if I wanted anything before I left, I asked for the curry & she kindly bought it & delivered it to me in the gong...... oh my goodness did I enjoy that last meal in Oz!!! Still salivating!!! :)

Well the time came when we had to head back home.....tho' we still had a day/night in Singapore. We stayed at the Hilton on Orchard Road, highly recommend it & checked out the shops on orchard road....about all we could do in such a short visit....& sleep!!! We slept a lot!! So many designer shops on one street (actually in every mall), never seen anything quite like it! Would love to have spent more time in the country....next time!

When we got back to the UK, we were greeted with the cold weather & lots of snow still to come.....

Well I must say, 2009 has been packed with love, happiness, adventure.....

Looking forward to 2010....& all its surprises.

Next week.....

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:17:00 +0000

Can't believe it but next week we will be in Oz - cant wait!! Looking forward to seeing all the family and friends, introducing Inara to all of you & attending 2 weddings! Quite a fab holiday!

There'll be a BBQ on the 27th in North Wollongong, so please come with the fam!! Should be a great fun day!

Its cold, dark and rainy over here, so very much looking forward to some sunshine!!

See you all very soon xx

I love this post.....

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:12:00 +0000

These were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!)

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA )
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q:I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden)

A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia ? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane , Cairns , Townsville and Hervey Bay ? ( UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? ( USA )
A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .
Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not
... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.

Q:Which direction is North in Australia ? (USA )
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK )
A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do...

Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is
Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? ( UK )
A: You are a British politician, right?

Q:Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.
Milk is illegal.

Q:Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from.

All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q:I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. ( USA )
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them.
You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q:I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q:Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? (France )

A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

Happy Halloween!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:53:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!!! Well quite suburban this year, we sort of celebrated halloween. Inara's nursery embraced Halloween in a big way, with the kids getting dressed up, the nursery & the baby room getting decorated. Inara did her first painting(Jackson Pollock eat your heart out :-)) and made a little pumpkin from dough! Oh the painting right above her head on the wall in the picture where Zoe (room leader) is carrying her, is missy's handiwork!! She also made the plate, sprinkling glitter & spiders!! Like her cute halloween t-shirt?!! We also bought choccies & had all the neighbourhood kids knock on the door for trick a treat - all so cute, dressed up in their costumes.

Its been awhile...

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:41:00 +0000

Hello all, its been awhile....

September was a blur for us, Inara started nursery part-time & I went back to work part-time for the month. David also took a few days off, so that we could slowly transition Inara from full time being with mum to going to nursery. We started with 2 days/week and then 3 days. It was tough going for all of us, trying to find a routine, juggling parenting & working. Also, within the first couple of days, she caught a cold and we've all had it for the past 2 months in varying degrees.

We seem to have found a firmer footing this month. She sleeps through the night which means we all get a good nights sleep (wow that makes such a difference!) She doesn't get upset when we drop her off at nursery and generally we are starting to find ourselves into some semblance of a routine. We are both exhausted & crash as soon as we possible can - gone are the late nights!!

On to some good news, we are heading back to Oz in Dec for Bruce and Danielle's wedding in Melbourne & Xmas in the gong with the family. Can't wait to see all our friends and family again & to introduce Inara to all of you.

We hope to catch up with you all & have a few nights out!

August Update!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Hi all, another very packed month. Doesn't seem like we've slowed down since Inara's been born. Well as all David's friends know, since Inara's arrival I have been using the A3 quattro (safer car) & David has been left with the little Peugot to drive to work. His drive takes him on the M4 & he hates driving this little car on the motorway. So he's been looking for a new car, which now comes with a few changed criteria - it needs to have more than 2 doors & big boot to hold Inara's equipment!! :) Well of course this was a challenge, as he wanted the performance of a sports car in a sedan... hmmm... Also, in England most sedans are diesel rather petrol, which of course affects the performance. After months of research & test driving, he found the one... he is now the proud owner of an Audi S8 Quattro. Its fully optioned up with things I don't even know about, but the Bang & Olufsen sound system can rival our home cinema, it doesn't need keys & starts with David's fingerprint, apparently ceramic disc brakes are expensive but I do love this feature that you gently push the door to close, & it closes automatically & very silently. It doesn't need to be slammed shut like ordinary doors!! Well its also petrol & I've been told not to ask about fuel economy, but the man is happy..... another new toy to play with!!

Well I think the guilt got to him, so he bought me a new Apple MacBook Pro as I have been whinging about my old Dell for quite some time. I love it!!!

Inara is doing great, growing up very quickly, 6 months at the end of August. She is sitting up on her own, so I can leave on her playmat with her toys & go into the kitchen to make a cuppa without taking her everywhere with me. She is quite contented playing as long as she sees me pottering around. This week, she has started solids, so quite a milestone!! She seems to enjoy eating, so crossing fingers that continues.

We went to Isle of Wight (island south of England) for a week long holiday & it was fabulous. We stayed at 2 hotels , originally at The Wellington in Ventnor on the beach & then at Lakeside Park Hotel & Spa in Ryde, so we could get some pampering. It was great to get away from the mundane day to day domestic stuff - let me tell you I still haven't come to liking this domestic stuff... but now with the bub do need to cook & clean more often than before. Do miss the lovely takeaway food in Sydney. Not much takeaway happening in England, only takeaway is junk food (Macca's, Pizza etc) Well getting back to the hols, Inara had her first swim, & like a good aussie it was in the ocean & not a pool. David bought her these aussie swimsuit(long sleeve top & pant) from Bright Bots & also a wetsuit (yes really a wetsuit) which goes over her cossie. Oh my goodness too cute. The ocean was cold, but after the initial shock, she loved it!!! & there were no tears. Her swim after that in a heated pool in the resort was luxury!!!

I went out on a girls night, with my NCT group of mum's. First time leaving boo with her dad for the whole evening & night & turned up home sufficiently inebriated & early in the morning. So still respectable partying for a mum!! :) Gotta keep young!! Tho' I must confess when we ended up in a nightclub where everyone was jumping up & down, I thought to myself, I ain't jumping, thats what an aerobics class is for...

Well we are certainly enjoying life. Summer is still going & its been wonderfully warm. Have been wearing T-shirts for months now, so hope it continues for a little while longer.

We are looking forward to some visitors from back home soon, so plan some hols....

Love to everyone xxxx

July - quite a month!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:43:00 +0000

July was an eventful busy month, with many highlights!

We kicked off the month, celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. To celebrate the 3 of us headed south to Brighton, yes the pebble beach, for a well deserved day out!! We dined at 'Due South' a seafood restaurant right on the beach with lobster and champagne. We strolled the boulevard, walked along the pier and generally enjoyed ourselves.
We then had Inara's annointing (pre baptism ceremony), where the parents & kids are called up during mass, introduced to the community & then annointed with oil. We all dressed up, Inara the cutest of course & then afterwards headed out for lunch.
The following week, was Inara's baptism & it was a fabulous day! The church ceremony went really well & Inara was a good little girl & didnt get upset when her hair was wet! We then had a luncheon party at home, where all the fam in the UK helped us celebrate.
A few days after that & I was celebrating my 39th bday. Yes, getting on, but feeling great & really enjoying this time of my life. I sometimes cant believe I've been on this planet for 39 yrs, dont feel like I know enough, have so much more to do & just hitting my stride... well looking forward to big 40 (new 30's right!!)
Then we had to say goodbye to mum, who has been with us for the past 6 weeks. Mum was a big help and she & Inara got to spend some quality Nana & granddaughter time! Inara pouted at the airport, cute but sad. She definitely knew something was going on!

Quite a month!! Inara is doing well, growing fast, 5mths now and still our little cutie pie. She has started teething, so a few painful days, poor little thing. No teeth yet tho'. Only another month to go before she is in nursery & I am back at work, so making sure I enjoy every moment with her.

Hope all in Oz, is well!! Well done to Weber, 1st win in 8yrs!! Not so good for our cricket team at the Ashes:(

Fathers Day!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:20:00 +0000

Happy Fathers day to David - we decided to celebrate this 1st yr! Had a great day out! David got a couple of cool daddy pressies (check out the wardrobe change!), including Inara dressing up for daddy. David & Inara were quite the stars of the day!

June - summer is here!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:34:00 +0000

Hi everyone, we have been enjoying fab weather over in the UK. Looks like a much a sunnier summer than last year.
My mum arrived last w/e to see her little granddaugher & is enjoying spending time with her. It's also great to have another pair of hands as there is never enough time in the day to get everything done.
We have almost finished setting up the house. All the rooms are complete except David's study which we have used to dump everything we dont quite know what to do with!! David got the home cinema installed this week, which includes a rather large 50'' plasma. Also all the speakers are up & surround sound is set up. Now to find the time to actually sit & enjoy a movie!!
Inara is 3.5mths & we are absolutely loving this time with her. She is quite chatty & smiles a lot and is bringing us a lot of happiness.
We all went to the Warfield fete on Saturday & had a great time. Inara had a great time, though we had to keep moving around to find shade! I won a raffle, some lovely scented candles - thats pretty good as I usally win nothing!

New Link

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Added a new link (on the left) to photos of Inara. She is growing so quickly, almost 3mths.

Its been awhile....

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:21:00 +0000

...so here's an update. Inara is almost 3mths, where has the time gone. I am really loving this stage, she is a little person forming a personality. She smiles (which really gets you!) & is cooing & gurgling & trying to chat with us. David swears she says "hello"!! Even though she sleeps through the night & we get plenty of sleep, we are still exhausted. There is endless amounts of work to be done!

Still trying to maintain a social life. We've added Inara to our cafe brunches!! We still have our coffee & panini & read a book at our cafe. Inara has her milk & then a snooze & mum & dad get to chill out! Rather civilized!

I have a group of 1st time mum's (with whom I went to antenatal & postnatal classes) where we meet up once a week & catch up. Its great to exchange information and it gets me out of the house.

We are currently in a mad rush to try & get the house reasonably organised as mum is coming over in a couple of weeks.

Still enjoying the F1 & all the 2009 dramas!!

Happy Easter!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:38:00 +0000

Wishing all our family & friends all around the world a blessed Easter. A special wish to my mum, sis, D & S. Love to all. xx.

Formula 1

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:33:00 +0000

Well I have been absolutely loving the new season of formula 1. Incredible that over the winter, things have changed so quickly. Instead of us talking about Ferrari & McLaren this season, we are talking about Brawn, Toyota, Red Bull...

Jensen Button winning the first 2 races in Brawn GP is beyond a surprise & is going to make this season very exciting!! Really looking forward to the rest of the season, with its new rules & regulations & new teams.

Inara Kay Czubala says Hello World....

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:20:00 +0000

On Saturday the 28th Feb 2009, we welcomed our gorgeous baby daughter Inara into the world. She is such a cutie pie & a beautiful little munchkin!! She has the nicest temprament (much like her dad) & only cries when she is hungry (who doesn't; mum still does!). David & I are absolutely smitten.

"Pregnancy, 9 months I could have done without (throwing up, aches & pains);
Labour, long, arduos & painful;
Kid priceless!!"

We would like to thank all our friends & family for all their wishes, thoughts, cards & beautiful presents. It touched us immensely recieving all the parcels from Oz & made us very homesick. It would have been nice to see you all in person, but we do love & appreciate you all. We will come home in a couple of years for a visit but in the meantime we will send lots of photos!!

Thanks & love from David, Rochelle, & Inara xxx.

Happy 40th Birthday!!!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:59:00 +0000

David reached a milestone on the 22nd Feb, he celebrated his 40th birthday!! Well the ski trip to France had to be postponed (there was a good reason!!!) but we still managed to have a good day!! The plan is to hit the slopes of Chamonix next year, so anyone interested heads up & hope a few of his mates will make it!!

As we are so faraway from friends & family, I created a photomsg book for David; a walk down memory lane. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Once I figure out how to upload a 20Mb file (10Mb limit!), I will post it to the website.

Weather!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:32:00 +0000

As we are being hit with a cold wave from Siberia, with snowfall each day for the past week, it is extremely sad to hear that across the globe in Victoria we are having the worse bushfires with so many fatalaties. Our weather patterns seem to be getting worse each year....

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:04:00 +0000

Hello Family & Friends,
Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas with your loved ones & wonderful, joyous, fun, adventurous 2009!!
Over here in the UK, its cold and making adventuring outside a hard slog! We caught up with family members & had plenty of relaxing days as well.
Our 2008 has certainly been spectacularly adventurous & busy & here's hoping the same for 09!

In Belgium...12-15Dec

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:57:00 +0000

Was getting restless, so it was time for a short break & we decided to visit Belgium. Also a 1st time travelling by Eurostar, which was great! Relaxing & rather civilised compared to the mad rush of an international airport! An extremely pleasant journey..

Arrived on Fri eve in Brussels and checked into the Marriot, opposite the historic La Bourse (stock exchange) built in 1873 like a greek temple. Took a stroll around Christmas markets, eating hot crepes.

We spent all Saturday walking around Brussels, seeing the sights. The Grand Place (the square) holds the major architectural buildings. Originally the houses on the square were made of wood until the French bombarded it in 1695 & flattened everything except the Hotel de Ville (the town hall). Also in the square are other amazing building like the Maison du Roi, which is now a museum, Le Renard the guild house of the haberdashers, Le Cornet very ornate the guild house of the boatmen, Maison des Brasseurs guild house of the brewers, Le Cygne the swan first a house then the guild house of butchers, then a cafe where Karl Marx held meetings of the German workers party.
Also, strolled to see the famous Manneken Pis, the bronze statue of the boy peeing!! The beautiful Galeries Royale de Saint-Hubert built in 1847, the frst shopping arcade in Europe! Walked up the hill to Rue Royale & saw the Palais Royal (C17th).

After a very long day, time to relax by watching what other than the hilarous (yet violent, serious) movie "In Bruges"; ready for tomorrow.

Sunday we caught the train to Bruges and took a leisurely stroll around the town, with its cobble streets, little shops of chocalates, lace & tapestry. Walked thru Markt (a square), saw the Belfort which has 47 carillon bells that are rung by a mechanism built in 1748. Then onto the Burg (another square) where like the Grand Place has some amazing buildings. The Stadius (town hall), the Heilig Bloedbasiliek (Holy Blood church), which contains a phial of Jesus' blood. Its the oldest building on the square & the phial is the holiest relic in Europe. Its supposed to have been given to Thierry d'Alsace by the patriach of Jerusleum during the 2nd crusade. Legend has it that it liquified every Friday, but the miracle is to have said to stopped working in the C15th. We hadnt planned it, but amazingly was there at the exact hr, the phial was being displayed for veneration, so went to check it out!
Then it was a lovely meal in a restaurant in the Burg and a walk around the pretty canals around Bruges.

Unfortunately, Monday came around too soon & it was time to be heading back home...

Hi..

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:01:00 +0000

Howdy all! Its been awhile. November & most of December is planned with catching up with people & getting into the Christmas spirit. Helped celebrate my uncle's 71st bday, had a lovely Xmas meal with David's work colleagues, caught up with friends who have just relocated from Aus to the UK and had my cousins & fam over to our place for a Xmas meal!! That pretty much occupied our w/e's in Nov.

December is planning to be hectic as well, with lots of catch ups & hopefully a short holiday!
I have uploaded some photos in the "family & friends" album.

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she will give you a baby. If you give her a house, she will give you a home. If you give her groceries, she will give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she will give you her heart.
So, if you give her any crap, be ready.'

David would say only the last line is true!! Probably cant disagree!!

What a week...

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:10:00 +0000

It snowed on the 29th, in Windsor. Getting very cold, especially in the mornings (0-4C). Still very special seeing snow fall.
What an end to the F1 season in Brazil!!! I'm glad Massa won the race & Ferrari the constructor's championship!! A very exciting race. Well an interesting move at the end of the race, in the way Glock moved out of the way for Lewis to come 5th, & clinch the championship. I didnt mind him winning, but it certainly looked dodgy - I bet some back room deal brokered between Mclaren & Toyato??
Also, went & saw Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond movie & absolutely loved it!! He is fast becoming my favourite Bond!! Certainly a pleasure to watch :) (wink wink! nudge nudge!)

W/E - 27-28/9!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:36:00 +0000

A really busy & enjoyable w/e! Its been getting cold, especially in the mornings (around 11C), but had a very nice sunny w/e. Lucky for us, as I had a planned day out in London, especially around the Southbank (cultural side of London). Managed to get tickets to "Shakespeare's Globe" theatre & saw "Timon of Athens". It was brilliant!! Such a major landmark, the theatre all made of wood, thatched roof, circular & has a great olde ambience to it!! The play was also brilliant. Shakespeare's play in his theatre are booked a year in advance so very lucky to get tickets a few months ago.

A stroll along the southbank, Italian lunch overlooking the water, a visit to Tate museum, theatre, coffee & cake afterwards at the theatre cafe.

We then headed into Oxford circus for some evening browsing in some bookstores & then headed to Tottenham to watch a late night movie - Taken (Liam Neeson). Movie was great! Recommend it.

Got home quite late (or rather early am), but well worth it!!

Sunday was also quite busy, with our usual church service & then a walk into Windsor, having lunch enjoying another day of sunshine!! Then onto watching an amazing Singapore F1, the 1st night race!! It was brilliant with all the dramas, unique road track (lots of turns & a long track!) and of course Ferrari having another incident in the pitt stop, which will result in them for sure losing the championship (I feel really sorry for Masa).

The evening was spent going to see a Jazz band (Neil Cowley trio) in Windsor. The Windsor festival is currently on & lots of things happening!

Well that was a busy, cultural w/e & really enjoyed it!!

David's dream computer has arrived!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:31:00 +0000

After some delays David's long awaited computer has arrived! Lord it looks like a massive server!!!
Ok here is the spec, hope I get it right -A custom made gaming rig with a Cosmos S chasis with a quad core CPU, 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD HDD with 1GB Nvidia 9800 GX2 graphics card, all powered by an Enermax 850W PSU and 2, 22"LG 2mm response time monitors!! Oh yes & he's set up theatre surround sound speakers (yes with a sub woofer and all)!!!
Guess he'll be AWOL for a few nights!! :)

Yorkshire - North England - w/e 23-25/8

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:10:00 +0000

There's a lot fewer long w/e's over here than in Oz, & this one in Aug, is the last one till Xmas. :(
We went up to Ilkley, Yorkshire (4hrs north from Windsor), where my cousin lives. Checked into a lovely little hotel & spent time walking in the moors (yes very English!) & visiting family. My cousins son, Daniel was celebrating his baptism & his 13th birthday and we all had a really good time!
We visited Bolton Abbey (C12th) & did some nature trails around there along a river! Its been a long time since I've gotten outdoors & walked & loved it!! Definitely missed it, so plan to get in a few more walks!!

Another dose of Aussie - Paul & Sonya visiting!

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:05:00 +0000

Paul & Sonya from Wollongong, Australia were over on a big European holiday! Their last leg was a week in London, spending a couple of days with us!

Picked them up from heathrow on Fri eve, this time without any dramas!! A couple of days spent with us & friends & then enjoying London for the rest of the week, when they head back home. It was nice catching up & they had great news to share with us. Paul proposed in Como, so we have newly engaged friends!! Congrats guys!

Caught a couple of movies - Mummy, Tomb of the dragon emperor and Hancock! Also, went into London to see a show (39 steps) a murder mystery comedy. Very cleverly done!! A late night dinner in Chinatown finished off the evening!

New SatNav - TomTom Go 930 Traffic

rochelle.czubala@hotmail.com (Rochelle) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Well even though our Navman is only a yr old, it takes awhile to find the location. Not very reliable when you have no idea where your going!!

This just gave David an excuse to get a new one, which has a bit more intelligence to it! Well the TomTom looks good & even has a Yoda voice to choose from (& not just the voice but the linguistic way Yoda speaks, but gets annoying after a little while)!!

So, a new toy has been purhcased to play with...Check out the features http://www.tomtom.com/products/product.php?ID=427&Category=0&Lid=1