A quick look back at the Noughties

At new year, I always like to think back to the previous year but this time I have my work cut out, I'm looking back to the last decade. It was pretty amazing to be honest. Lets think....

• 2000 - Celebrated the Millenium in Manchester with Madam, Rae and Portsmouth. Never been to Manchester before that, we stayed at Raes student place on a mattress on the living room floor and didn't get a wink of sleep as people came home full of the joys of the Millenium. I will never forget that they didn't play Auld lang Syne either, they played Hey Jude at the stroke of midnight. This later was a very funny answer that Rae gave to a Trivial pursuit question of 'what's the traditional song for new year'? :) Happy happy times. 
• 2001 - I graduated
• 2001 - Kirky and I travelled across Europe on our misson to cover every country on the inter-rail pass in 3 months. 
• 2002 - I started working at the Environment Agency as a temp. I then went for the longest temp award, 2.5 years!
• 2002/2003 - New years spent with Madam in London and then Edinburgh when Princes Street had to be evacuated due to high winds. Celebrated New year at Edinburgh Castle
• 2003 - Joined the Pink Sofa, where I met most of my now friends and discovered my love of Hungary. 
• 2005 - I went on my first cruise around the far east
• 2005 onwards - I became a serial prider
• 2007 - Ali and I together
• 2009 - Bought a flat in Exeter with Ali, took mum to live her dream and visit China, I celebrated my 30th birthday. 
• Countries visited - 36 i think..not sure
• My two neices were born
• My brother was married
• My uni friends had babies - Chloe and Marcus (Amanda & Andrew), Archie (Rae & Jue), Katie (Quilter), Noah (Foggy&Lucy). 
• I took mum to Egypt, Auschwitz and China
• I lost weight and then found it again
• Aunty and Cous Cous married
• Phil and I almost had hypothermia in Berlin
• Thanks to Rachael and Keith, I obtained my Gold Duke of Edinburgh
• I moved from my parents to my Redciffe flat, then Ashton flat, then Al's
• Marriages - Lucy and Foggy, Laura Dutch, Aunty and Cous Cous, Hayden and Sally, Quilter and matt, natasha and Simon, Rae and Jue, Rachael and Keith, Amanda and Andrew
• 2009 - We had snow across the country, and loads of it. 
• Ali and Jen were introduced to Camping for the first time. Al and I discovered that we couldn't put up the tent without an argument!
• I became a Brownie guider with the name of Kiwi
• Ali and I started 'whiskings'
• Multipe V festivals
• I discovered England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland as well as lots of day trips instead of travelling abroad so much

Oooo, that was fun. So, now to look forward to the next decade, the decade of my 30's and my hopes and dreams. I hope to be married, to have children, to stand on Antarctica, to have the diversity job that i love, and for Ali and I to be very very happy. 

A few days with my gorgeous neices

On boxing day, Sal, Liv and Caitlin arrived to have a few days holiday, complete with the obligatory suitcase for their holiday to the seaside. While Sal when shopping, we rode our bikes to the Quay and suprisingly, Liv rode all the way, with a bit of 'race you to there' coaching. Her legs goes round 5 times to my one, bless her. Feeding the birds was quickly halted as we were inundated by pigeons. And what did Liv have when we got half way? An ice cream, on a really cold December day.

If Liv isn't going to be either a train spotter or train driver when she is older, then there is something wrong in the world. She loves trains and will happily just stand on the platform and watch them. So, we took them on the train to Dawlish Warren again but this time the wind was so strong that it almost blew liv over! Caitlin was all snug in her buggy while the rest of us braced the cold. We didn't get very far before we went to the pub. However, after coming all of this way, we had to walk along the promenade so we ran instead. Running as an adult is tiring!

Our First Christmas

This year was in fact our first Christmas, which was great fun for making up traditions. So, as Ali has always celebrated Christmas in France, we decided to have a French Christmas and a Bristolian Christmas. The festivities started with French Christmas on Christmas Eve when Ali braced herself for the Christmas eve food shop. A few hours later, she returned. Instead of the French tradition of fish on Christmas eve, I opted for Thai green curry :) The best bit was that I lived a childhood dream, to open all of our presents on Christmas eve!

As always, i was too excited to sleep on Christmas day but didn't realise I would have to wait 2 hours until Ali woke up! Christmas day was Bristolian Christmas. We put on our santa hats (which remained on our heads for the entire day), and then had our stockings to open. I'd never had a stocking growing up so it was great fun. Due to the ice of late, Ali felt sorry for the birds so we slip slided our way down to the Quay to feed the swans, risking falling into the river, but at least the birds were fed. We had some funny looks as we walked by the river in our santa hats.

We then went to Dawlish Warren (still in Santa hats) for our beach walk. Law abiding Ali even bought a car park ticket on Christmas day, just in case there were any traffic wardens in Dawlish Warren on Christmas Day :) There was a glorious rainbow overhead as we walked the promenade. Back home for Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, including 7 different types of vegetables :)

Windband Christmas 2009

Our annual Windband Christmas at Al's was as good as usual, with us all crowded around a little table and Al working her socks off to get the dinner on the table. Secret Santa did very well, he gave me a basket of cheese! The Stoke Gifford float even picked up Carolines children and took then around the block! Winband christmas wouldn't be windband christmas without Ruth trying to get in something and this time was the Bhudda Bag sack, complete with Fran.

Essex family weekend

Just before Christmas, we embarked on a mamouth Essex family weekend with some part of the family each day. We needed a rest when we got back! We visited Minsmere nature reserve with Ali's Dad and wife for a walk and to look at the birds. However, Ali was the only person without Binoculars, so my binoculars were in ali's paws most of the time. Very pleasant walk, until it rained while we were in an open top bird hide :)

Manchester when you can move

After a fantastic pride weekend, I treated Ali to a spa weekend in manchester. However, I didn't account for the extra 1.5 hours jouney from exeter which took the journey to Manchester up to 6 hours! Canal Street is so different when you can move and there are cars going along the roads! You naturally walk in the roads, but can't! Spa treatments, relaxation and a tiny walk in the cold was all we did all weekend.

Exmouth in the sunshine

On our quest to find the nicest beaches around South Devon, we ventured to Exmouth for a walk in a glorious sunny day. I seem to have developed an obsession for taking pictures of beach huts too! The thing is that they are all so different, Exmouths included. We ad our obligatory fish and chips on the sea front, and then walked the promenade, avoiding the tacky seaside bits. But the best bit was the most amazing sunset.

Summers day in October

Anybody that visited Lyme Regis today would think that it was summer. The number of people looking for fossils, walking around in t-shirts and building sand castles was amazing! We had some gorgeous ice cream. I opted for the one scoop which was huge in itself, ali opted for the double scoop which was absolutely massive but she was in heaven. We did the good old fashioned promenade, then the not so old fashioned walk along The Cobb, a breakwater. A glorious, hot autumn day, which chips for the second time this weekend! There is something about being at the seaside and the smell of fish and chips though, we couldn't resist Besides, the hike back to the car up a vertical hill worked off about 3 chips :)

The flasher of Sidmouth

What a great idea to go to the seaside! However, we should have really thought it through becuase I was wearing a floaty cotton skirt and ali only had a fleece on, and as she gets cold in the summer, she needed 10 more layers. So, off we went to Sidmouth for a walk along the beach and fish and chips. The walk was lovely, we were the youngest by about 50 years but I did see a friend from work. Of all the places to meet, walking along the promenade in Sidmouth! I'm so glad we didn't meet at the next location though, we thought that it would be good to round the headland to the next beach. However, a headland and cotton skirt does not mix, so I fear that i won't be going back to Sidmouth for fear of being recognised :)

Tokens tokens tokens

Mum, Sal, Liv and Caitlin we staying in a carvan in Weymouth so we thought we should visit :) We had a very civilised time until we stole the crazy golf clubs becuase it cost £4 per go, and they were staying there all weekend. Then Ali got slightly addicted to the amusement arcade, so instead of going swimming with the girls, she spent the entire time in the amusement arcade. I will not forget her face when she was banging on the window with what appeared to be the whole roll of tokens in her hand. Oh she was so proud as we walked to the token collect place. Almost 300 tokens translated into a model aeroplane!

Take me home country road, sat next to Ali.

Home time, and last breakfast but I was pleased to head home, back to a world where people do not stop, point, laugh and take pictures of diversity. I always find tours hilarious because it’s very much a group until you get to the final airport and then it’s everyone for themselves. Ali and I wanted to sit next to each other for the first time on the holiday, and 48 people were not getting in my way.

We had yet another delay (story of the trip), and then landed in Heathrow like zombies. Unfortunately we missed our coach so had the get a later one back to Bristol, to pick up the rats, and then back to Exeter. Home sweet home.

Ali is a god!

We visited the Ming Tombs and sat in the sun. Then we went to the Avenue of Statues and Ali and I must have been a bit sleep deprived because we took photo’s imitating the animal. I must admit that my camel is rather good. There was also a large turtle at the end and if you touch the head, it brings you luck. If you touch the head and tail, you become a god. See picture, Ali is a god.

Then the highlight of the tour, we went to the Great Wall at Badaling, walking up the very very steep slope. It’s decepting, it’s so steep. Ali and I made it up 3 towers, mum up 2. and Brigitte did all 4! There is lots of erosion on the wall floor but it was so nice to see the postcard picture of the wall on top of the mountain tops. We sat and contemplated how it was built. I loved the wall. Ali and I also were illegal and had our photo taken kissing. Problem was that I had it zoomed in so I had to take it 3 times ;)

On our way back to the hotel, we visited the Olympic 2008 stadium, the Birds nest and the water cube, the gymnastics and tennis stadia. We had a Peking duck dinner and were shown the duck first, nice.

3000 concubines and I’m sheep

Up at 6:30 again, but it was worth it as we visited Beijing. We started at the Forbidden city with it’s 9999 rooms, and 3000 concubines, many for one night only. People were forbidden to enter the city, and eunuchs worked there.

Next was Tiananmen Square, which was very busy because of National day, which meant that the subway was a big hairy. We saw the Chairman Mao picture and had the obligatory picture.

Next was the Temple of Heaven. As we sat and looked at the Temple, a little girl came over and held my hand, and instructed her granddad to take pictures. She then sang songs on the guides microphone. She was so cute.

On the bus, we discovered our Chinese birth years. I’m a sheep, Olivia, Hayden and Dad are all roosters and Caitlin is a rat. Brigitte is a tiger, mum is a monkey and Ali is a dog.

We passed the Olympic velodrome and Chinese Disney land which isn’t finished because it has ran out of money.

6.5 hour bus journey over a concrete road!

Only 3 hours sleep, and our cases had to be out at 6:30 but we were like zombies. We visited the 3 gorges project, but the security was so tight that we had to leave everything apart from camera. The bus was checked for explosives, then we went up to see the full scale of the locks in daylight and the dam.

We got on the bus to the airport at 10am but the only seat was on the back row but there was no room at all, over a concrete road. I had to take ibuprofen for my back after 10 minutes as the journey was so painful. What was supposed to be a 4 hour journey, which was bad enough, turned into a 6 hour journey!

For lunch, we sat outside an embroidery factory and used their toilets, without buying anything. Our lunch was a chicken breast, egg and cake. I’m not sure the Chinese do packed lunch.

Anyone who does the journey should wear a sports bra, including the men. The journey went on and on and on, but I slept for all 6. 5 hours of it. By the end, tempers were running short and one individual would not swap seats so that Ali and I could sit together. We had not sat next to each other since Bristol! I wasn’t best pleased as their family also insisted to sit next to each other at dinner, and everyone had to move for all 6 of them, but he wouldn’t move for one flight to Beijing.

The feeling as the lock doors opened!

Early rise, early brekkie. Today we travelled through the first gorge which was very window. Due to the rise in water level, the calligraphy on the walls was moved above the water line. Previously, the junks (boats) were pulled up stream by trackers (local people). All of the trackers trails are now going to be under water but we were lucky to have seen the last before it’s submerged because of the dam. Strangely the trackers always pulled the junks naked but no one knows why.

We went on a ferry to the sampans, looking at monkeys and hanging coffins. We had to wear a life jacket on the sampan which always fills you with confidence. The horrid wooden plans to transfer boats as not my favourite.

Ali and I say on the front of the boat as we went through the next gorge, sporting my pashmina on her head to protect her ear. She didn’t love me taking pictures of her.

In the evening, after another not so cheap acupuncture session, we had cabaret and were all shocked that our group was the first act! We got up to sing happy birthday in Chinese and ‘on the Yangtze’ in front of everyone.

I slept for 20 minutes when there was a continuous banging on the door. Unfortunately, we were supposed to go through the 3 gorges dam at 9am but it was postponed to midnight so we set out alarms, but we had started going through early. I managed to put my clothes on inside out, and couldn’t find a jumper so just went. This has been my dream since Uni, to see the 3 gorges dam.

5 locks in total, but we only went through 4 because it’ currently going through the last tranche of water rise. The screaming was sooooo loud but when the first lock opened, everyone went aaaaaaa, as though it was the first people to see the sun reappear. But of course, we saw one and then we wanted to see another, and another and another. For 3 hours in the cold. There was clapping, but only a handful of us stayed up until 3am to go through all of the locks. One of my dreams had come true though.