Simon Cowell defends x factor voting

This is the moment straight after he sent Lucy home by condemning her to the public vote. I bet if it was one of his acts he would have saved them like a shot.

X Factor UK Lucie Jones

And this is Lucie who I would love to see win she's turning into a really great performer in my view. I love Stacy too she and Olly should do a Christmas single!

X Factor ITV London Olly Murs

This is the guy I think should win X factor, he is just great, this wasn't his best number to date but it was pretty good. I have to say we did miss TV weekends like this when we were in New Zealand. Strictly Some Dancing and X factor on Saturday, with the Results show for X Factor on Sunday and next week I an a Celebrity get me out of here starts (so does Dr Who!) OK I know the weather is bad here and we all stay inside. And I could do with a visit to Narrow Neck!

This is What I do for a Living!

Millie

England v New Zealand

This is Why I cant Make up my Mind!


This is the village green where I live in the UK, steeped in history it's called a George V playing field, a huge charity was set up as a lasting memorial to King George the V. there are about 470 protected open playing fields in the UK. You can see the cricket green, there is a children's playground with all wooden elements, it is fenced and basically run by locals. Early morning and late evening it is a joy to walk past.

This is the park in Devonport New Zealand, we called it the Tunnel Trees as Millie christened it, because of the tunnel in the playground and the trees that surround it. It is across the harbour from Auckland city, surrounded on 3 sides by water. I loved it.



This is a fantastic Cafe in Clerkenwell London, hidden down a back street it is run by 2 young women and it serves fresh organic food at very reasonable prices. It is an oasis of calm and peace in a mad busy bustling city.



And this is the Cafe in Devonport we used to visit with the kids. Run by two asian people it surved great coffee and muffins and was a cool oasis in what could be the harsh NZ sun. The children were welcome and it was as friendly as you could find.



Now you spot the difference and tell me where to live!!

Straight Teeth - Invisalign

Hey I am not vain but I have had my teeth fixed and if you look at the photos I ting You can see why!!!

BEFORE


AFTER



All thanks to a marvelous system called Invisalign. I had been told that I'd need train tracks for 18 months, teeth extractions, pain and grief. Instead no one knew, no teeth were extracted and it took just 6 months and 2 weeks. Fantastic and it didn't cost the earth either. Thanks to Izzy my dentist who is top.

Sorry had to share if I can help just a few people from the extractions, bent and misaligned teeth only twists are much harder. But talk to a dentist anout the system before committing to having healthy teeth removed.

Television

Its interesting that TV in New Zealand is radically different to TV in the UK. Although I think its actually the other way around. Americans or Australians are likely to only notice the difference in choice the fact that there is nothing on a Saturday night will only come as a surprise to the Brits. In the UK it really is the only place left in the world where Saturday night is a entertainment night, almost everywhere else in the world it sport, bad film or repeats!

The thing everyone would miss is the big events like Idol or the Apprentice and Whereever's Got Talent. NZ tries them but it is a country with a population of just 4 million, finding talent is hard, you need a lot of people to get the cream of the crop.

So rejoice in doing other things, talk and visit with friends, have fun with the family. Look at the lack of TV as a plus, you could even talk to your partner or play with your children!!

Invade New Zealand

After my note about what's best Australia or New Zealand I thought you'd be interested in this advertisement made by the Australian government as propaganda supporting the move to invade their neighbors.

New Zealand v Australia

So what is the difference? If you have a choice which one? And why do so many kiwi's move to Australia if New Zealand is such a great place?
Well to answer the last point first, young people go to Australia from NZ becasue there is so much more happening, kids in sleepy UK Norfolk villages seek out bright lights and bustle, nothing wrong in that. The more worrying thing for the NZ economy is that people earn more in Australia so the standard of living is higher so that is why a lot of the skills base and work force is being lost the Australia. Interestingly an English friend of mine who recently got citizenship in New Zealand has moved to Australia where kiwi citizens have automatic right of abode.
But which should the prospective emigrant choose? My advice is go to both and see, if you are going on a recce to New Zealand you may as well go to Australia as well. Australia is more cosmopolitan it's cities have more of the hustle, and hassle, Europeans would be used to and the shopping is much better. The weather is very different, New Zealand is warmer than the UK but it rains more there than the UK (yes it really does). New Zealand is a place for rural life and a quieter lifestyle, laid back. Australia can be those things but you do have a choice of a more urban life. Auckland and Wellington are very small cities, it is their charm. But they are not like the cities a UK resident is used to. Its a personal choice, go visit, you should never move counties without a recce.

BNP

I think today is a sad day for us all. The fact that so many people voted for the British National Party in the Euro Elections is shocking. It simply does not reflect the country that I know and live in.

It is a double whammy to be so let down by the main parties and then they leave the door open for fascist extremists.

We do need to get back to integrity and values after the expenses issues and sleaze in general, the BNP are as far away from that answer as it is possible to get.

Jonathan

This is the Lifestyle

This is the Lifestyle I want to live, here.
Its a home from the Channel 4 series Grand Designs. They Guy who built it is a woodsman, he lives and works on the land and has built what I would consider the ideal sustainable life. There is no talk of composting toilets or heat exchangers. It is a simple harvesting life, using the woodland that surrounds him, the support of friends and like minded people. He has solar power and there must be a septic tank but I want to live that life. As we move to ever more impossible economics, the simplicity of providing for your family without undue dependence on external sources or people becomes more attractive.

If you want to read about Ben and is lifestyle then click here.

Today Becca the kids and I had what I'd call an Epicurean lunch. A simple cheese, olive oil, some local tomatoes and lettuce. With some fresh baked bread. It was delightful. The Children loved it, simple tasty and local. Epicurus was a philosopher, mis understood and wrongly dubbed the father of hedonism, he once said bring me a pot of cheese and I will have a feast for life. He meant that with only the simple things coupled with good company one would want for no more. That's the life I want! It would matter not if it was based in Cambridge or New Zealand, there has to and is going to, be another way.

Hospitals, Babies, People

The Rosie Cambridge UK
The North Shore Hospital

Auckland New Zealand
I'm sorry about the size difference in the photos, it isn't Freudian! We had to take Lucy to The Rosie yesterday, it was a simple assessment. It was the first time we had been back there since we walked out with Millie for the first time 5 years ago. I have very happy memories of that place and the work they do there is second to none. That said for the birth of the twins in New Zealand we were at the North Shore hospital, I don't think we could have been in a better place.

We had a private consultant for less than you'd pay in money lost waiting and car parking at the Rosie. We knew and had the same midwife throughout. We could have had the same person doing the scans at every appointment! In NZ you can even interview the midwife until you get one you like!

The other thing is about sheer weight of numbers, although they staffing levels may be stretched in NZ as much as the UK in general the number of people at the hospital is likely to be far less. That would be most noticeable in London but there is a difference.

THe food options are very limited in New Zealand, the Rosie has a food hall with plenty of choice, although here again weight of numbers does make a difference.

All in All both are wonderful, the system worked better for us in New Zealand. The care was fantastic in both places. We have 3 fantastic children and I am grateful to both units for their dedication, kindness and professionalism.

1st June Takapuna Yerning

Is that how you spell yearning? It has been the hottest weekend of the day this year here in the UK, simply lovely. However we did find ourselves longing for a walk along Takapuna beach. We used to go down after tea and before bedtime. the kids loved it. Often I'd take Millie to the rock pools, no much life I am sad to say, but she loved it and so did I.
There is no real equivalent. However we did go to a great place called Wandlebury and have a picnic. It was great because the sun simply wasn't as harsh as a New Zealand sun. We did used to love sitting under the pahutakawa's that lined the shore line but it felt harsh in the direct sunshine. It feels like having a split personality, ok over dramatic I know, but there is so much to be said for both places.

Britains Got Talent Winners 2009

These guys are simply awesome. I have rarely seen such dancing. What these guys represent in the UK in 2009 the young guys of this country are not all hoody wearing, knife carrying wasters the papers and media would have you believe. Deserved the win in Britians Got Talent 2009, fantastic.

The Star Fish Story

I took this from a great blog about ordinary people who change the world click here to read it. I love the story, it is one of my top 10 most inspirational things.

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. - adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley

Flights

I wish I understood why it costs £547 to but a return to Auckland Flying Air New Zealand in London that is =$1386 New Zealand dollars. Yet in New Zealand it would cost$1785 or £704 GBP. So why does it cost more to fly in New Zealand than in from the UK. I guess it must be something to do with the dollar in the US or the cost of the fuel. None of which makes sense because both fares are with Air New Zealand, it is a round trip so the cost should be identical? If anything I'd have expected it to cost more to fly from the UK? If you take my rants about the currency which no one seems to understand. A person who earns 50k in the UK would probably get 50k in New Zealand but in dollars. That means in wage terms one GBP = one NZD so a flight from New Zealand to the UK actually costs a kiwi £1785 more than 3 times the cost for a UK person! So remember once you are there you may not come home for visits as much as you think.

My advice is rent out your house in the UK for a profit if you can and sent the cash to NZ, don't sell up in the UK, you should get a nice income for your UK home!

Bank Holiday

One simply forgets the joy of English May bank holidays! The weather was meant to be a washout but here in Cambridge it has been lovely. I spent the say doing some domestics with the kids helping out, Lucy gets star of the day. We all planted some tomato plants in grow bags, how very English. Last night Becca and I went to see Star Trek and to my surprise she loved it. a master stroke putting a birth in at the top of the movie, it almost turned it into a chick flick. I do have a rant though if you want to read it go to my new blog Fifty and Beyond me, it often is!
We walked through Cambridge in the setting sun, it is a truly beautiful place, the gates to the colleges are simply mesmerising in beauty and age. It is the 800th anniversary of Cambridge as a place of learning, that is a lot of history. I do feel at home here sure the economy is shot almost as much as the morals of our parliament but it is the place where I belong.

Missing New Zealand

We do miss New Zealand but the fact is we could probably never have lived there. I was 50 this May 7th, I was 45 when we went and 49 when we came home. I am English and make no apology for that. I want my girls to learn English things, about kings and queens. I want them to know the Tower of London as their own. The stone circles, knights templar, roman roads, these are all such rich cultural rocks upon which Rebecca and I have built our own lives and heretage.
It is great to live in another country but you have to embrace it totally to feel at home. I would have felt like a visitor to New Zealand no matter how long we stayed. These are things you have to consider when planning a move. Write lists of things you will miss and things you wont. We don't regret going at all it was an experience. The thing about experiences is that they last for a finite time period, if they last forever at some point the experience ceases and is simply the norm, then it becomes life. I say this not as a depressing deterrent but as advice, things to consider. I suspect if you do consider and then move you will embrace the life and culture of you chosen country and never look back.

Its been a while

Funny how when the weather turns and its lovely and sunny in the UK and a bit chilly in NZ we don't miss the place so much. We love England and it was right for us to move back home. Our parents are getting on and they want to see their grandchildren and I love the relationship the kids have with them. I do love Millie's School and that they learn about things I understand. I love showing them the Tower of London and they love the bluebells and daffodils, they also loved the plants and wonders of New Zealand. Watching the stick insects in the garden was a simply magical thing. But we are home and we did the right thing as our kids do seem to be English! They love the life the woodland the green fields. Hey and I am fifty now, my word! I have even decided to start a new blog, Fifty and Beyond -me because quite frankly it often is, totally beyond me! Enjoy