Football, Food, Squirrels & Walks….

Thank God it’s raining! Well, not really but I guess this would not be a true British Bank Holiday weekend without rain, wind and in general unpredictable weather!

Undeterred by the grey skies the weekend started well as I managed to convince Grigoria to go to the swimming pool. After an hour of some rigorous splashing around we were ready for the rest of the weekend’s activities.

Following the heavy showers on Saturday the weather had a brief turn for the better on Sunday making it a perfect opportunity for a stroll and sushi in the Park with Olga, Geoff and their little baby girl Ellie.

With the World Cup being only weeks away I took the opportunity to sharpen my football skills with everyone and the friendly squirrel too! The evening ended with a walked back to Kensington ,through Hyde Park, for dinner with Olga & Geoff.

Monday was breakfast day with Maria (Grigoria’s sister); embarrassing childhood stories were of course shared and pancakes were devoured.

In the afternoon Grigoria and I decided to go on the, rather wet, ‘Charming Chiswick’ London Walk http://london.walks.com/ which took in the new & old towns and finally along the river Thames.

Saving the best to last, our weekend ended with one of my specialty dinners - chilly con-carne fajita’s.

Skype Us.........

Now that Grigoria & I have a broadband connection at home, we've decided to best way to chat to everyone is online via our webcam!

Over the weekend I trialled a videoconference with my family and although not everyone had webcams, it was still very successful.

So if anyone wants to chat with us for free then I suggest you download the 'Skype' software http://www.skype.com/ and register, our username is; 'Blair-Grigoria' so search for us.

Hope to chat with you all soon......

Little Jamie - 3 Months on..............

It's hard to believe that little Jamie is now 3 months old, especially when you see this latest photo.

The spiky hair and sheer quantity is something that tends to run in the family.

I get the feeling he's going be real quick on his feet when he start's walking, you'll have to keep up Paul!

Happy Birthday Mum!

Little more than 8 days later and it's Mum's Birthday!

I hope Dad spoilt you with a day to remember.

Happy Birthday Mum and we’ll look forward to having you here next year to do some touring with us.

Little Venice - London Walk

Over the coming summer months we’re planning to do a few London Walks http://london.walks.com/ and so we started today with Little Venice.

Yes, that’s right there is such a place in central London.

In fact it has been described as the “prettiest and most romantic spot in town” with the "loveliest inland waterway in England"- Regent's Canal.

This canal was once the main goods passage way from Birmingham to London; not with motorboats but horse pulled canal boats.In fact, even today you can reach Liverpool from London solely using the canals.

However, it may well take six weeks to get there!Most of Little Venice was built between 1810 & 1870 and boasts a beautiful picturesque combination of white stucco, broad tree-lined streets, and waterways.
As our guide pointed out, you can find here some of the finest examples of early Victorian domestic architecture in London.

This small spot (north of Paddington) has become a popular haunt for many artists, writers and entrepreneurs over the years with Joan Collins, Annie Lennox, and Sir Richard Branson once living here.
Part of our guided walk followed the canal footpath, which surprisingly to this day is still studded with fragments from the past that help you imagine how the ‘Age of Canals’ was like.

After the tour Grigoria and I headed to the local cafes to discover their specialties before heading home.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Some 56th years ago today my Dad was born, he came as 4th child to my ‘Gray’ Gran Parents, (total of 6 children!).

I hope the road cycling brings you joy, excitement and thrills from getting yourself up, over and down any future endeavours.

Cheers Dad and ‘Happy Birthday’, we’ll look forward to celebrating with you next year here in the UK when you both visit.