Yes, as explained in the post below, Robin is back. Found. Discoverd. Back back back!
So here he is with the flag we made for him on New Year's Eve, which was exactly when we discovered he was missing.
Ah, it's good to have him back.
:)
As Robin has written in the snow, Happy Christmas (well, he says Xmas, but there was no room for the whole word, sadly).
Hope you all have a brilliant Christmas wherever you're reading this. Thanks loads for reading this Blog during the Olympics (such amazing memories) and for still reading it now.
More Robin pics from over the festive period very soon. And then onto 2005 and a wedding in February (and, yes, Robin will definitely be making an appearance there and on the stag weekend!).
Kit
x
Okay, okay, I know. I haven't posted on this Blog since the end of November, which is very poor indeed. I'm sorry. Genuinely.
I've been a very busy man all through December - the lead up to Christmas is the busiest time in my job and I had to work the last three weekends before this one.
But, as you'll see, I finally got a weekend off this weekend. I went up to Penrith in Cumbria (aka The Lake District) to buy my fiance an engagement ring (wanted to buy it in my hometown). We found one, and it's lovely.
So then yesterday (Sunday) we climbed up Helvellyn - a mountain in the Lakes, which was covered in snow on the higher reaches. It was quite a tricky climb (it's never been snowy when we've been up before) but we made it up and were rewarded by the most amazing views. Robin could've flown up in no time, I guess, but he decided to do the whole journey in my backpack.
Hope some of you are still reading and that you're all set up nicely for a great Christmas.
More pics of Robin in the next few days, I promise...
Yes folks, this is the church in Athens where I'm getting married in February. It's the same church that my fiance's parents married in in 1974. The fact I've been out there is one of the reasons I haven't updated in ages (sorry). The other reason is that I've been super-busy - I've already spent 24 hours in Lyon, France since I got back to London from Athens on Wednesday. Busy busy busy. So busy I forgot to take Robin to Lyon. Sorry folks. Sorry Robin.
But the wedding stuff is coming on nicely (thanks to those that have asked). The church is booked as is the reception (after a last-minute change caused by a stunningly awful refit at the (previously classy) place we'd booked - pink fur everywhere and walls upholstered in shiny silver fabric!). And tomorrow I'm off to get measured up for my suit. Less than 3 months to go now. Exciting stuff. Nice to be back in Athens too - there wasn't too much evidence of the Olympics, just a front page in a newspaper saying how much it had cost and a few shops with reduced merchandise! Felt odd to go past the stadium complex on the metro train - would love to have stopped off for some water polo or some athletics!
Here's a funny thing for you folks that read during the Olympics. On the site - flickr.com - where I store my pictures to use on this site, it tells you how many times each picture has been clicked on to make it bigger (cos that takes you through to their site). Most pics from the Olympics have been clicked on 100-160 times, the one of me and my fiance 190 times, but the only one that's been clicked on over 200 times - in fact 1,200 times! - is the one of... can you guess?... yes! Robin and the beach volley babes!
:)
Hello folks.
This is Robin enjoying the fireworks at the Guy Fawkes celebration at Alexandra Palace in London.
For those readers who don't know what Guy Fawkes Night (aka Bonfire Night) is, it commemorates the day Mr Fawkes from York (where my dad lives) tried to blow up the Houses Of Parliament in 1605 by placing lots of barrels of gunpowder in the cellar (which is why it's also known as The Gundpowder Plot).
Unfortunately for Fawkes, the plot was discovered and he was caught on November 5 1605. Naturally not best pleased with his behaviour, the King decided to hang, draw and quarter him.
Every year since then, Brits have celebrated Fawkes' failure by letting off fireworks and, often, burning an effigy of Fawkes on a bonfire (hence Bonfire Night).
(This is actually quite educational for me too - had to look for a lot of it online, but obviously every schoolkid in the UK knows the story backwards!).
So, we went up to Ally Pally last night with thousands of north Londoners and had a great time - it's quite a major, organised display and the fireworks were very impressive (better than the ones that have been set off every night for the past few weeks on every street in Britain by pesky teenagers which just go 'weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.....BANG!' rather annoyingly).
Bonfire Night rocks - you can keep your Halloween which seems to be built around its tacky merchandising. One of the great things about Nov 5 is that the only things shops can sell are fireworks and perhaps some bonfire toffee. So, as a celebration, it's pretty much exactly the same as it was 20 or 30 years ago.
Hey up
Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. After I took the Kylie pic - which I'm glad you liked - I've been super duper busy at work, with a few days' holiday squeezed in the middle.
The picture above was taken on those few days' holiday, in Budapest with my fiance, my best pal Simon and his girlfriend Ruth. We went from last Saturday until this Wednesday night and had a really cool time. Here are my off-the-top-of-my-head highlights (in no particular order)
1. Szechenyi Gyogyfurod es Strandfuro baths
This is where the picture was taken, an amazing complex of baths and thermal pools, built in about 1920. As well as the hot outdoor pools, there were plenty of saunas, steam rooms and eggy sulphur pools Inside the buildings you can see behind Robin. Great place for a relaxing day out - and only cost about four pounds (seven dollars).
2. The 6-3 Bar
Not a particularly nice bar, but it was named after a football (soccer) game in 1953 when Hungary became the first team to beat England at Wembley. I like that 50 years on a little pokey bar commemorates that.
3. All the other bars
Cheap, good beer is hard to argue with, especially in cosy, stylish places. Some great restaurants there too.
4. Our flat
We stayed in a flat in the centre of Pest, which very much confirmed my theory that self-catering and having your own space beats hotels everytime.
5. Buda
The place is called Budapest because it's made up of two places either side of the Danube - Buda and Pest. We stayed in Pest, but had a lovely time up in Buda, which is like the old town, with a pretty castle etc. Funnily enough the only pest we met the whole time was in Buda - some loopy fella who was desperate to be our (paid) tour guide and didn't like to take no for an answer. He said 'Allow me to say one sentence more...' at least five times. We just wandered off eventually.
6. The cake shops
There are some amazing cake shops in Budapest. Okay, so they do like to put goose fat and cabbage in an alarming number of their pastries, but the sweet cakes are superb. And again, extremely cheap (30p/50c will buy you a properly amazing chocolate cake).
So, there you go, the highlights of an ace few days away - can really recommend a visit if you ever get the chance.
Hope you folks are all well and sorry for not posting for a while.
No, your eyes do not deceive you, today Robin met the woman who closed the Sydney Olympics. The woman who's sold around 40 million records in a really rather successful career. The woman most of the world has had a crush on at some point or another. And the woman who thought Robin was so cute that she let him stand on her head.
Kylie Minogue, for posing with Robin (and for being a thoroughly pleasant woman) we salute you!
Yes, several months after the Olympics finished and we all came back to the UK, the British athletes finally got their victory parade today.
Floats carrying all the medal winners from the Olympics and the Paralympics went through London and ended up in Trafalger Square, where we went to see them.
The BBC were broadcasting the whole thing live and they went through batches of different athletes on the big stage, showing highlights and interviewing them.
Although the crowd gave nice cheers to the rowers, the relay squad, Kelly Holmes and all the rest, to be honest the whole thing felt a wee bit flat. Perhaps cos it was Monday lunchtime. Perhaps cos it all went on quite a long time. Or perhaps because it was such a long time ago that they actually won their medals. Still, nice to go along and wave our little flags at some of the folks we last saw on podiums in Athens (and, let's face it, we couldn't not go - having made it all the way to Athens, a few hundred metres from my work is nothing!).
Yes, this is Robin's three part lunch-break adventure, which we've just returned from.
This is a picture of him at Tottenham Court Road tube station, where we went to catch the underground train to get the picture of Big Ben (which, you'll remember, got most votes).
But it's just a boring tube platform I hear you say. No, no dear readers. This, I believe, is the very tube platform where something nasty happens in 'An American Werewolf In London'. Luckily, Robin looks tough, so nobody bothered him.
So having waited seven blummin' minutes for a tube (seven blummin' minutes is a long time to wait for a tube) we made it to Westminster station, which looks right out on Big Ben.
Sorry it's a bit dark (even with the camera's over-exposure turned up), but that's the weather in London today. Cold, dark and rainy. Brrrr.
Obviously pub quiz fans will point out you can't actually see Big Ben, because Big Ben is the bell, rather than the tower. But, hey, you can see the tower holding it, and the Houses of Parliament and even a traditional red London bus (which are being fazed out as we speak).
Directly behind where we took the Big Ben picture is the London Eye or the Millennium Wheel, depending on what you want to call it.
Robin was feeling a bit chilly by this time (and the rain was rainin' even harder), so I made him put on his woolly hat. Doesn't he look smart?
Once we'd taken the pictures we walked back along Embankment to the station there, came back on the tube and typed all this up - all within a lunch hour! Don't say I don't put the effort in for you folks!
Hey up
Yes, our hectic jet-setting lifestyle continued this weekend (honestly, we're not always like this) when we flew to Italy, a present I gave my fiance for her birthday in July.
We went to Treviso on Saturday, a beautiful little town about 20 miles from Venice, also with waterways through the town, but not jam packed full of tourists (Venice is nice, but once is probably enough).
Then, on Sunday we took the train up to Udine, where we went to see Udinese play Juventus, one of the best football teams in the whole wide world! The fella on the ball in the background is Trezeguet, just one of a number of world-class players they have. We ended up in the Juventus end (Lex got a five euro discount just for being female!) and Robin kept up his winning mascot record - Juve won 1-0.
And now back to London where debate is hotting up as to where Robin should have his first London picture taken. So, now I want you to vote. And here is the shortlist:
1. Big Ben
2. Picadilly Circus
3. Buckingham Palace
4. Trafalger Square
5. London Eye
6. Victoria Station (for Vix)
So, get your votes in the on the comments form below (easiest way is to click on Post Anonymously). And on Friday lunchtime I'll go and get a pic of whichever one's got most votes.
Yes, me and Robin took the train across from London to Paris yesterday afternoon - the trains are amazingly handy, gets you there in well under 3 hours without any of the hassle of long checking in times and all that airport gubbins.
As you'll see, we got up early for a wander around Paris and to get a nice shot of the tower before we came back to London. Wasn't the nicest day in Paris but it's a lovely, relaxing city to be in, even when you're only there for a few hours.
I notice they've got posters everywhere gathering support for their 2012 Olympic bid. London is bidding too, but it isn't nearly as obvious. I've still yet to really decide whether I firmly support London's bid or not. Obviously having the Olympics was great for Athens and it ends up being good for every city, but there just seems to be such an apathy about it among Londoners that I'm not sure we deserve it.
I think New York's a strong bid, particularly as they've never had it, but the fact US TV isn't showing any of the Athens Paralympics might be held against them, as they'll need to convince the IOC they want the Paralympics as much as the Olympics.
Oh, by the way, Vix wrote to point out that I haven't taken any pictures of Robin in London yet. Any of you got anything you'd particularly like to see him pictured by?
Yes, with Robin back in Britain after his jaunt to San Francisco, he spent the weekend catching up with his sister Robyn (for who my Mum had created a special new haircut!). This picture was taken at Burton Albion v York City football/soccer match.
Although York - my team - have had an awful start to the season in the lowest league they've played in for 80 years, I saw them win 2-0. We've only won three games out of 10 this season, and the two I've been to have both been victories. Last season, I saw 11 games and only one win!
In fact, Robin has only ever been to two York City games and his record is
Goals for: 5
Goals against: 0
Wins: 2
Not surprisingly a few of the long-suffering York fans were hoping he'll be coming again soon!
For now, though, he's got more travelling to do. Another country tomorrow - this time a little bit closer to home and this time with me (rather than my fiance). Watch le space...
Yes folks, here's the picture that you've all been waiting for (well, at least 3 or 4 of you). It's Robin in San Francisco! Yes, there he is, trying to catch a tram to take him to the shop where you can buy flowers to put in your hair (or feathers).
My fiance was out there with work on a quick trip which involved flying to Sacramento too (a 19 minute flight from San Fran!). She didn't get too much time to look around either city, but with us both having been to San Fran in the last few months (particularly keen long-term readers may remember my trip) we'd quite like to go back for a proper holiday having had a taste of what looks like an amazing city.
Robin liked it too. Since he's got back he keeps cheeping things like 'far out' and 'dude' and 'cosmic'. He's currently sitting in his room with some joss sticks listening to The Grateful Dead. I'm sure it's just a phase...
STOP PRESS: Dawn has written a comment to this post saying that the picture doesn't show a tram, but a trolley car. Apologies - rings a bell now you say it. I believe tram is the word we use for trolley car over here. If anyone who's familiar with the culture on both sides of the Atlantic does know of a difference between a trolley car and a tram, speak now or forever hold your peace...!