Sun 30 Nov - Xmas Markets in Bath

On the way back from Cardiff we stopped in at Bath to have a stroll around the Bath Christmas markets and to have lunch with some of Matt's family (which was de-lish).

We arrived in Bath central just before 11, about when the markets were due to open... heading straight for a cafe and a coffee... In our haste to find coffee I think we must have been looking the wrong way and almost missed the markets completely! We first had a wander round the old indoor markets then decided to have a wander down a little alley that opened up into a large courtyard... with HEAPS of markets.. we're lucky we walked that way otherwise we would have just been wondering what all the fuss about Bath Christmas markets was! Very glad we had a pretty tight deadline... otherwise could of bought heaps... particularly really nice Xmas decorations. [Note Santa's sign advertising 'centrall heated market'!]

Sat 29 Nov - Wallabies v Wales

Early morning rise... we made the trek over to Cardiff for the Rugby... Matt was so tired from his afternoon the day before that I actually drove half the way... very unusual!... knew it was going to be a freeezing day when the sleet started near Bath!. We parked just out of the city and caught a bus in to pick our tickets up from the stadium then started wandering around the city centre. All the streets were closed for the rugby which created a really great party atmosphere... There were a few aussies scattered around... but i was probably expecting a few more really. Went into quite a few shops just to defrost... was too cold for beer (strange i know)... but the pubs were packed after about 10am anyway.

So... the game... we had some pretty good seats given how late we bought them and the roof was almost completely closed which made it slightly warmer in the stadium. There were a few Aussies near us and we did our best to be heard over the Welsh crowd... but we also had the Welsh flag draped over our faces a few times and had the Royal Welsh army rugby team sitting in front of us... still the banter was fun and we had a great time despite the result... was very disappointed Mortlock was only a couple of minutes though.

Fri 28 Nov - Day in London

Had to go all the way to Wimbeldon to swap over my drivers licence... so took a day off work and made a day out of it. Worked out well cause Matt was also in town today.

While I was waiting for Matt (poor thing had to go to the Moet Bar in Selfridges for some drinks with his work... what a waste... he doesn't even drink champagne!!)... I did a bit of shopping and wandered the streets... was really pretty with all the Christmas lights and displays in the windows.

Once I met up with Matt we took a stroll to Hyde Park to have a look around the Winter Wonderland... where there was some German Style markets set up, rides and an outdoor ice rink... we would have had to wait around for a few hours to get on the rink so gave that a miss and, surprisingly, headed to a pub in Kensington for a drink and meal instead!

Billericay - our new home

Moved into our new place on 19 November... We were lucky enough to find a place in our budget with parking for the cars...spent the first few nights sleeping on the mattress out of the tent and eating off plastic boxes!!... but ebay saved the day and we bought some furniture second hand to fill the space. Took a few phone calls to work out how to turn the heating on... I think the people at the real estate thought we were a bit stupid... but hey, it's not like we needed it in Australia!

We are loving it in Billericay...

> distance to railway - 400m (35mins to central London)

> distance to high street - 500m

> number of pubs in Billericay - 15 (at last count) - and heaps of nice places to eat too...

In short, Billericay has everything we need, but just 5 mins down the road we're in the countryside. Great thing is I only have 15 min drive to work... a drastic change to my commute in Sydney... Tis a strange feeling to be still at home at 8am.

Didn't have to wait too long for snow either (though was largely gone by lunchtime). There's a 30% chance of a white Christmas... fingers crossed!

16 Nov - Lunch with family in Hertfordshire

Made the trip up to Hertfordshire with John & Shirley to catch up with some of Matt's family. Had a Chinese Buffet lunch in a local pub with lots of laughs and stories.