Wednesday 30 March 2011

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Hi friends and family.. I have been meaning to post info on our basic outline itinerary and it looks like this..

European Mini-trip:

This is the bit about visiting family in Europe.

Belgium:
Brussels - 28th March - 3rd April

Germany:
Cologne - 3rd April - 5th April
Berlin - 5th April - 8th April

Switzerland:
Zurich - 8th April - 15th April

Portugal:
Lisbon:15th April - 10 May

UK:
London: 10th May - 17th May

Main trip - outline only

Canada/USA: Arrive 17th May in Toronto (Canada) - Depart 16th August from LA (USA)

Central America - Arrive 16th August in Costa Rica- depart 1st Sept

South America: Ecuador /Peru / Bolivia/Argentina/Chile - arrive 1st Sept in Ecuador and depart on 22nd Oct from Santiago ( Chile)

New Zealand: Arrive 24th October in Auckland. Depart 12th December from Auckland

Australia : Arrive 12th December in Sydney and depart from Sydney 12th January 2012.

South East Asia: Singapore,Malaysia,Bali,Thailand,Cambodia, Vietnam,Laos ect. Arrive Singapore on 12th Jan. Depart fron Bankok Thailand around 12th April..

UK: London on around 12th/13th April for a Week and depart for Angola.

Africa: We end with visting Family in Angola but also plan to see Namibia and ?? - mid April - mid June 2012..

End...

If anyone knows anyone in any of these places who would put us up for a night or two or go out for a beer with us then do let us know.. !!

Colin & Kizzy ( and Deacon Brodie !)

Sunday 20 March 2011

Happiness only real when shared

"You know the great thing, though, is that change can be so constant you don't even feel the difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't even notice that your life is better or worse, until it is. Or it can just blow you away, make you something different in an instant. It happened to me." in "Life as house" (movie)

We’ve now been in Edinburgh for a week! Time just flies. Weekends don’t have the same impact as they did before. I recall looking forward to weekends as the mini-holiday break from work. Now tomorrow is just as great if not better than the next day!

Edinburgh is an interesting city. It’s great to see the hills surrounding the city. Nature working in parity with the man built buildings. It strikes hard on the eye - the heavy stone work. The city makes you feel small as a person because everything else is so grand.

I think this is my third time here and I will try to explore it a bit more over the next few days or maybe not. We arrived to snowy weather and gradually greeted by the sun which is nice. More than the city, I’m really loving spending time with my new family, May and Malcolm. It’s funny, I married into the Turner-Kerr family and we’ve only spent time together in a few occasions. I get the feeling that if we don’t make an effort to be a family that time will go past and we will not make the most of this opportunity that greeted us. The two families live in opposite sides of the world, I’m trying to figure out a way to bring them together again at some point in time. The last time we were all together was at our wedding, I’d like to think that we will have many more opportunities. Time is a respectable opponent.

I love watching Col with his parents, seeing the family interaction and realising that is not much different to that of my own. I see bits of May in Col, I see bits of Malcolm in Col and I see Col. Our children will be a match of all that and more. Seeing Col with his friends is great, there’s something to his early days in Edinburgh that still has this magic spell on him. I feel I’m being given a window to something quite unique. And I want to look after these moments that are now being shared with me.

Yesterday we had an early celebration of May’s birthday that is due on the 25^th but sadly we won’t be here then. We went for dinner at a really nice restaurant that Malcolm booked just outside Edinburgh. Jean joined us which is great. Going out is a big thing, I don’t think May and Malcolm do it much. So you have all this amazing energy going into planning, organising and eventually leaving the house. It’s the same with Mum and Dad’s. It’s good to see that things are pretty much the same.

This house seems to be missing the noise that it was once bestowed upon by the Turner-Kerr boys running havoc. Today is much quieter. There are about 5 of us in the house today. That’s how it should be. At least that’s what I think. I enjoy the rituals of May preparing porridge for us in the morning, Malcolm always unstoppable fixing this and that and all, Col and I in the middle, trying to help, get attention and just be around them. There are so many more precious moments, but it’s impossible to capture them all. Some of them will be forgotten, the ones that managed to get a space in the camera will live a bit longer.

On Friday we went to Loch Lomond which is an amazing place. The car journey was a bit much for May and Malcolm but I’m really happy they made the effort for us. I think that as you grow older you begin to appreciate the simple things, less is more. It was great to see some of the magic places of Scotland, places that I probably would not get to see so soon.

Family is important and it matters, and I’m so glad we’re having this time together now.

Friday 18 March 2011

Scotland - Family & Friends

We have been in Scotland since the 12th catching up with my Parents and old school friends. For those of you who don't know - I spent some formative years living in Edinburgh - from the age of 14 till 19. Some might say my misspent youth.. Great and memorable times.

Mum and Dad

It has been wonderful seeing everyone - a big shout out to John ,Ange, Frazer and Tony ( nice duck by the way) ;-)) Will, Elaine , Heather, Jill and a big hello to the new born Tom.. - not forgetting Nick or should I say Barnaby Marmaduke or man with 27 names.. seriously google Nick Usansky - he is all over the internet with his "Art" project.... I am proud to be friends with the man with the longest moniker in Europe ! Crazy stuff. and so great catching up with every one of you before we take off on the big trip..