Jenny and I on the 'front' at Xmas... pretty rugged.. perhaps its Piha after all!
Ray and Jenny enjoying a breath of fresh air....
And just in case you thought it couldn't be that cold.. here is the outdoor.. yes folks.. the OUTDOOR skating ring in Norwich. A bit of fib.. as its a man made one and only set up for December and some of January.. but I found it impressive. It was the first outdoor skating rink I had seen.. and believe me it seemed as cold as it looks... as do the rest of the pics.
The wild North Sea!! We went for a drive one day out to Saxlingham (which incidentally is beautiful in the summer) and this rugged, murky mess was the result of winter storms and a stong undercurrent dredging up the bed. No swimming for me.. although I am told there is a 'mid winter' swimming event here too.. I guess if ever I was demented enought to try a mid winter swim it would be in Auckland at much lower temperatures.
Just thought the pink building 'suited me' lol. It was actually a Pub behind the sea front..which, once again in the summer has outdoor tables and a busy atmosphere.
A day at the sea.. Saxlingham again... but with the winter garb!!
Not the best of pics.. but the Xmas lights in the UK are just wonderful. I thought they were nice in Italy and the British teachers I work with thought I was crazy.. and I can see why. This isnt a particularly good example but almot all shops and street corners are lit up like this.. and much better. next year I will try for a better subject.
After my ordeal at Ciampino Airport the rest of my travels went well, arriving in Norwich around 5pm.. well ahead of schedules as traffic was heavy and busses were running late.. which suited me perfectly.
Unfortunately it didnt snow in Norwich although it was predicted and like a child waiting for Santa I woke in the night to check.. to no avail. BUT for about 30 minutes there were very small flakes of snow which landed on my coat.. and they were definitely white.. and most definitely snow. The snow which lasted was only in Scotland and the North of England... needless to say it was cold enough for me in Norwich.
Depsite having spent most of my life in NZ I enjoyed my first winter Christmas and it seemed very natural.. much more natural than the heat of summer in New Zealand. Christmas lunch was spent at the golf club with the most mouth watering ham, turkey, gammon and roast veges (just like the old days lol) but it was enjoyable to eat in the cold.. not cold inside of course.. but most definitely cold outdoors.
New Years Eve was spent with family and friends watching a 'live' concert from the Millenium Dome in London... eta your heart out folks.. you gugs in NZ will probably get it Next Year or as a Mid Winter thing. One great think about the UK is things are up to date... did I mention the goings on in Coro Street.. almost a full 12 months ahead of NZ. And at the risk of sounding like a sad case I really did enjoy watching English TV after three months in Italy with NO television.
I was sad to leave as it was a very special Xmas.. A Winter Xmas with family... no BBQ's.. no going to the beach.. just cosy indoor stuff... can recommend it to all.
