New Zealand

Going back to Christchurch was really special for me - I only had 6 days but I did as much as I could and caught up with loads of people... SO SO good! As far as exploring old haunts I went biking in the Port Hills + Bottle Lake, running in Hagley Park & the Botanic Gardens, orienteering in Spencer Park, walking along the River Avon, and of course had a few drinks in The Bog, Dux de Lux, Holy Grail, Twisted Hop - the list goes on!








As far as people the list is even longer :) It was really nice to catch up with Patrick - after 6 months travelling together maybe we needed a wee bit of time apart, but 3 years is WAY too long!! My trip coincided nicely with his 30th birthday party which worked out perfectly for me because lots of people I knew were there to help him celebrate. It really was a fantastic day - an appropriately old-fashioned garden party in the ancient house & garden - we played volleyball, croquet, petanque, and quoits (hoopla)...as well as drinking plenty of Pimms to keep us hydrated :)




I stayed with the Robsons so had a good catch up with Richard, Sue & Nicki (Sarah working up in Napier), had lunch with Suzy (Tom recovering in hospital), met up with the Pattons (and visited their amazing new house out near Oxford), and saw Dianne Hollands (from uni in Arizona - such a coincidence but great fun!)




Basically, I just love it out there...the lifestyle, like-minded people & outdoor activities make me happy :)

See more pics!

Aussie Open!

Another seriously long journey - again, totally worth it! - out to Melbourne for the Australian Open Tennis. Fiona Robertson picked me up and we spent the next day biking along the coast to Black Rock (lesson #1, remember to reapply sunscreen in the Aussie summer). It was beautiful weather, a nice breeze, and great views along the coast.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday I was at the Grand Slam Coaches Conference in Melbourne Park. I ran in from Fee's place taking a different route each day - along the River Yarra, through Albert Park or through Faulkner Park - so many options and of course perfect weather for being outdoors! There seems to be a really active atmosphere around Melbourne - people exercising all over the place whether its running, walking, biking, playing games or doing aerobics in the park - it's great to see!



I went round to Fiona Flett's on Saturday night for a barbeque which was great fun, she's got a great apartment really near the beach at Port Melbourne. Sunday we went to the spin & abs class at her gym (perfect, I didn't want to admit I was missing RPM :) ) and I spent the rest of the day being a total tourist around the city. I walked round all the main areas in the centre of town, and out to Victoria Market.



Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday I spent at the Grand Slam which was magic - the atmosphere was fantastic, and even with a ground pass you can see all the big courts except for Rod Laver & Hisense so I got to watch masses of great matches. Judy kindly got me a ticket for Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday so I got to watch Andy, Serena Williams, and Hewitt vs Gonzales. On the outside courts I saw Santoro (total highlight - he's such a legend!), Ferrero, Monfils, Karlovic, Ferrer, and Haas, as well as supporting all the British girls! It was brilliant.

See more pics!

Ski Trip

What a great start to 2009!! Mark, Jo, Steve, Helen, Silke & I had a fantastic ski holiday in Tignes - snow conditions, weather, friends, the UCPA house (accommodation with all meals & evening entertainment for groups of young people from all over the world), Hogmanay itself - everything was brilliant and I would definitely recommend a UCPA holiday to anyone whether you've skied before or not.





There was already a great base of snow when we arrived, and lessons were included for all ability & experience levels. Our instructor Gerard was superb - we had four half day lessons, and I really learned a lot during the week. The ski pass was for Tignes and Val d'Isere, so the rest of the time we spent exploring by ourselves!





10cm of snow fell around us as we partied at Tignes le Lac on New Year's Eve, which definitely added to the already fantastic atmosphere! The promise of powder on New Year's Day ensured we all got up at a respectable hour and enjoyed perfect conditions to kick start 09! Starting at Grand Motte with wall-to-wall blue skies and so many good runs to choose from, our legs were burning by the end but its definitely one of the best day's skiing I've ever had! The only hardship of the trip was an extremely long bus journey from London to Tignes (in addition to travel to/from Edinbrugh!) but even with that the holiday was more than worth it.

See more pics!