July 2, 2011 Bath...so Pretty...

What a view! This morning we woke up to an amazing view of Bath - not only is Bath so pretty, but there were hot air balloons in the sky! Our B&B is perched on a hill over Bath - just a 10 minute walk to the city centre, down the path, turn right at the canal, turn left down the next path, past the cricket club, and you're there....no problem.

Today is my baking class and I am sooooo excited. Richard Bertinet, author of the book "Dough" will be my teacher. I have unsuccessfully tried over and over again to make breads using his technique of slapping wet dough on the counter (avoiding the addition of flour).
Will I be able to learn this? I really have tried! Flinging the wet dough has resulted in my hands, arms, etc as well as the walls in my kitchen, being covered in globs of dough...I am actually a little nervous...but first we have an English breakfast awaiting us...we are coming Simone!

July 1, 2011 London to Bath

Transatlantic flights are never easy. There should be an etiquette training session that you have take before getting on the flight. The two people in front of us needed that training- no jumping on the seats, punching each other, flicking the lights on and off - no it is not good...people get upset and flight attendants get upset when they are called numerous times by mistake...UGHHHHHHH.
Enough of that...

After landing in Heathrow we queued up for the border entry line which took about an hour. At least we didn't have to wait for our luggage :) We bought Heathrow Express tickets online but honestly they were selling them at every turn so it really wasn't necessary. It was easy moving with our luggage onto the Heathrow Express which took us from Heathrow to Paddington station in about 20 minutes! By the way, there is no need to buy a first class ticket on this train as it comes is comes so frequently and is such a quick transfer.

From Paddington, we headed over to the train ticket office (on the same level) where we purchased 2 return tickets to Bath leaving at 10:00 am. Watching the board, you need to look for the last stop on your train route (ours was Paignton) to determine which platform you need to hurry over to. It shows up about 10 minutes before the train leaves the station.

The train ride was about 1.5 hours and we hailed a taxi to our B&B. Bath is so picturesque. Every corner you turn there is a pretty setting. We walked to the middle of town (about 10 minutes) after meeting Simone who gave us a key and some friendly tips. This is when you desperately try to stay awake so you can adapt to your new time zone. There was one point when Dan was taking pictures of the incredible stained glass windows in the Bath Abbey.  All I wanted to do was lay down on a bench and sleep...

Fish and chips at a local pub accompanied by a Bellringer beer for me and a Hobgoblin lager for Dan!

Finally we crawled into our cozy bed...so excited for tomorrow and my class with Richard Bertinet. I feel like it is my first day of school!
We will catch you later
Penny and Dan

A BUSY TIME...TRAVELLING...MOVING...WORKING...

We sold our house....we bought a new house...and now we are off to Scotland. First we will spend some time in Bath, then London and off to Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeenshire, Stirling and of course Kilmarnock where Dan's dad was born.
We will be staying in B&Bs most of the time but yes...We will be staying in a castle too! We can't wait!

I will blog when I can...but first here is the video I made of our new house. Dan is moving his office into the house so we needed more space. We are very excited because not only do we love the house, but we love the fact that we will be in the Beach area. I keep driving by it and they must think I am stalking them! I took this video just walking around during the home inspection, so it was not really intended to be an actual video, but more for me to remember things as we don't get to go back into it often before we move (2 times). The video is a little crazy and you may get sea sick watching it, but I am new at this. I think Dan is being kind when he said it was good :).

Enough said...here it is...click here.
On the road again
Penny

A Video of Dan's Pictures from the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Uh! Oh! ....Dan has Delhi Belly....

It was bound to happen...terrible heat....exhaustion...new food....water....a recipe for a problem.  and so Dan has a case of Delhi Belly.  One of the team Doctors sent over some help and I believe he feels a little better.  He comes home Friday and I can't wait to see him.

He has taken some nice photos even though  he wasn't feeling well....

Dan and I can actually be a commercial for Google Video Chat/Talk.  We have been using it almost daily. I wish him good-night at around 2:30PM my time (EST)...and good morning at about 11:30 PM my time.   I haven't even gone to sleep yet!  We chat while he is loading his pictures ..and we feel like we are together a bit.   Romantic in a kind of crazy way - but fun!

I neglected to tell you about the insects.  It seems particularly at Track and Field these bugs were all over the place - even on the running track!  These are NOT sissy bugs!  THEY ARE BIG!

At one point Dan thought he stepped on a candy bar...but no, it was a beetle of sorts.  When he picked up his camera bag,  hundreds of moths flew out.  He said there were a million moths at the track and at tennis it looked like it was snowing...
OK I will stop talking about the bugs.  I asked him to take pictures of them but he was just too focussed on the sports...oh well...

It looks like Canada will not end up in the Top 3.....

But we have done well!

Until next time

Penny

The Road Race...No Spectators Allowed....

The men’s and women’s cycling road race was unlike anything Dan has seen. The start/ finish line was about 500 metres from the hotel so he thought he would walk...well that wasn’t going to be allowed.... They wouldn’t let anyone by. In all of his career he has never seen a race like this and neither have the athletes. There was no one allowed by the track. Usually these are sports “for the people” who don’t have money so would have access to watch something like this. They wouldn’t let anyone around the track at all, so no spectators. One of the athletes mentioned that it was like running in a prison. The photographers were allowed access within a 100 ft area and didn’t have good views plus there were obstacles. The woman’s race was 8 laps and after 6 they finally let the photographers cross the track and gave them a little more freedom of movement.


Backgrounds are important in pictures like this - but the dilemma is how to get a photo position in these circumstances which would provide a sense of place etc.

For the men’s race, he knew where he wanted to be and was determined...India Gate - a monument to the WW1 would be good. A photo marshall finally escorted him and another photographer to this place. The other photographer was from Scotland, so they talked about our trip next year to Scotland...and told Dan we would all have dinner together. Traveling is so much about the people you meet along the way...

It is so hot the pavement is melting.... he drank 8 bottles of water and never had to hit a washroom.

He said he must have walked about 10 miles today with his equipment. He also took too much but wasn’t sure where he would end up so took everything to be safe.

Dan got to a point when he was walking back that he started shaking...a BBC cameraman noticed him walking strange and rescued him...he gave him some water and cookies.

So dusty – sand is grinding in his teeth...

Tonight he was invited to the Taj Mahal Hotel for dinner.

For more information and more of Dan's pictures click here.

Canada is Aiming for a Top 3 Finish - 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi

I have been busy the last few days and haven't had much time to write so I have to catch up! 

A little about the photo positions.  The photographers just don't get to go anywhere they want , even if you are accredited for the event.  Each venue has a photo manager and each venue will have chosen photo positions a head of time.  Then it’s whoever arrives first.  Once in position, it is difficult to move, depending on the sport.  Track in field is the most challenging as you need a pass for infield access.  Sometimes there is a time limit on this pass as there are limits on the number of people on the infield.  Once there - you always need to be aware of what is going on around you so you don’t get killed by a Javelin or discus!

And Wrestling....

So far we have 19 Gold - 12 Silver - and 22 Bronze medals.

Keep your eye on the ball!

Synchronized Swimming - another medal!

For more information about Canada at the Commonwealth Games click here .
Contact Dan  at dgalbraith@detailsgroup.ca

Until next time

Penny