Family, friends, and wild flowers

I've lived my whole life - 26 years - upon a single island, while the rest of the world worked, grew, functioned and continued on around me. I've now spent two weeks far away from the place that I call home in the place most often know as England, and my world has become rather a lot bigger. As has my extended family. Interesting, funny, thoughtful and genuine people, family with whom I share the same blood and I barely knew they existed. And funnily, upon meeting them I feel as though I've known them all my life. My perspective has altered by the experiences I've had and the people I've encountered, as I somewhat expected it would before I embarked on this journey - and it's brilliant.

And then there are the kids...

Millie...

and her brother, Oliver..

Their mum and my cousin, Vanessa.

My great uncle John..

 My great Aunt Sheila. And my Grandmother..
 

Vanessa's newly husbanded Chris..

My cousin Suzie & her boyfriend Lewis...

A few of the great characters among many others.




I miss home a little, but only a little, as before long I will return and the normality of life will resume. But I will resume it afresh, anew, inspired and lively, with brighter and more colourful things to come.
But before all of that, I am still here, still intrigued by the novelty of England, the comparisons of life lived elsewhere. With a number of exciting adventures still to come.. 

London... Paris...

an English exploration

Words are wonderful, but photo's seem the best way to explain the exploration of the English country side that has taken place over the past week...

Between visiting little country villages..

and the churches that adorn them..

to the local towns...

lined with paths, and staircases and alley ways...

Standing at the top of mountains, looking out upon what is for me - the great unknown...

wandering through gardens...

and strolling hilltops into the sunset...

one step in front of another.. to cross roman bridges...

and visit the house where my childhood memories of rabbits were created, peter rabbit to be precise...

Where tomorrow will lead us I'm not entirely sure

but come the weekend, I've a wedding to attend...

and there after, there are more people to meet and places to see, before our train departs heading south to explore more of this country, with its stone walled villages and maybe a city or two filled with shiny lights and experiences yet to be had...

A flying start

From Auckland international airport we left, Nanna, Woozle and me, on an Emirates Airbus A380; a huge airplane if ever you've seen one. Leaving at 6pm from New Zealand we flew 3 and a half hours to Sydney, another 14 hours to Dubai, and then 7 more to Manchester. After several months of preparation, 25 hours of flying, plenty of patiently sitting and waiting, incredibly huge airports like whole cities... we had arrived. We even had a small welcoming committee of aunts, Great aunts, uncles, and cousins to great us on arrival at Manchester Airport.

Great Uncle John and Great Aunt Sheila then drove us the hour and a half from Manchester back home.. Woodhouse lane, Heversham in Cumbria. We've slept and adjusted to being upside down on the entire other side of the world where day is night and night is day, and now we are ready to explore.