Kusadasi - paradise away from home.

 Roof top swimming pool

 Sneaky beer.....

 Out to dinner

Kusadasi - On the coast of Turkey- These pics tells it all - great place - top holiday spot....

Turkey...
Just had a fantastic week in Turkey. This place is now on my number one top places to visit.  Turkey is vibrant, hot and sunny, beautiful warm water, great shopping, friendly people, reasonable prices for food and accommodation, relaxing, mysterious, different so all the right mix for a great time. Istanbul was a bustling city but also very relaxing and calm for some reason, maybe the prayers help! We spent two days exploring and just taking in the sights, visiting a mosk, taking a boat cruise on the Bosphorus straight which separates Istanbul into two continents (Asia and Europe). We love the markets and all there is to see here.
Istanbul...
Breakfast from our hotel rooftop

 Visiting the Blue mosk
we found a friend who
wanted to marry Lesley.
He is the little guy pictured
with me. He smelt bad
and in the end just wanted
to sell us a carpet!!!

 Above is Lesley...
We cant keep her off the
bong, no wonder she is
a little tired by day!

 Two continents, one city,
Istanbul separated by the
Bosphorus.

Lost in Paris in heat wave!!!

Meanwhile when the Ford Fillies have been in luxury in Spain, Lesley, Rob and I have had a not so pleasant 3 days in Paris. We arrived in the middle of a heat wave which was like walking into an oven at about 40 degrees right through the night. The French are not so friendly when it comes to directions especially when you are speaking in an English accent. Saying you are Kiwi helps a bit but not always...
Lesley and I decided we would take the hop on, hop off bus around Paris for a look while Rob sensibly remained close to hotel doing just one bus route. We ended up on the bus for about 3 hours unable to hop off and when we did not able to find the right bus back. Anyway we finally got to the hotel at 7.30pm after a long hot exhausting day. Paris is not the same as it used to be we decided and is much more commercial and set up for tourists rather than real French flavour. Lesley and I were asked to be in a documentary on the street and we accepted of course. They asked us about the changes in Paris etc so was a bit of a laugh. All in all we were quite glad to leave Paris. Next stop Istanbul....

Paris by day

Paris by night....

THE FORD FILLIES DIVERSION TO SPAIN

Arriving in the late evening (after missing our earlier flight by just
minutes.. having had way too much fun before hand) turned out to be a plus
as the lights of Barcelona under the palm trees and beautiful old buildings
created a magical, romantic scene.. of course that’s in my imagination as
travelling with C & C was more laughs and giggles, but you get the drift. 

Our Hotel was fantanstic, very stylish in decor and the rooftop pool bar
became our second home, especially as a heat wave made afternoon sightseeing
very tough going. Our trio became 5 with Gemma and Lauren joining us for a
few days, in fact once they discovered our flash digs, they somehow managed
to become squatters.. nice to treat the young girls before their camping
Contiki trip.

Day 1 kicked off with a wander thru the shops before hitting the beach with
a cool watermelon daiquiri and Tapas. Strolling down the beach promenade it
was eyes front to avoid the ‘old danglers and droopy boobs of the European
naturists, aghh not pretty. 
The architectural splendour of the old town of Barcelona was a sight to
behold. The buildings were majestic in size and detail and history. For
instance the Barcelona Cathedral took 600 years to complete. The highlight
of the trip was to see the works of Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia (Cathedral)
was jaw dropping with its intricate spires and playful ‘off-the- wall’
features, while the Park Guel located on the hillside above the city had
prime viewing towards the sea. The walled mosaic gardens were a crazy mix
of avant garde designs, creative archways, with the home of Gaudi and its
again quirky furniture designs.. in fact I would say many recent movies and
stories such as Dr Seus, Avatar etc may have borrowed inspiration from
Gaudi’s work. Truly unique and worth a visit.
With the sightseeing ticked off, it was time to retire to the roof top pool
bar again where the balmy serene atmosphere had a surreal quality, stunning
views over the roof tops of Barcelona, modern hotels rising amongst the
ancient plazas and Cathedrals with the Gaudi designs standing out.
Relaxation was our main aim, and by day two we were full speed on go slow
mode.. The hotel contributed to our sense of wellbeing with its dark muted
colours, dim lighting, soft mellow relaxing music, and layout of the lounge
and dining areas were made for comfort and privacy. We were most impressed
and rejuvenated from the hectic pace of travelling.
Cheers, Cherie, Christine and Coralie (photos to come )

Photos from Ireland.....

Saturday - Celebrated Cherie and Christines 50th with a party at William's flat. We had a few visitors staying the weekend, Lauren and Emil, Emma and Peter and Charlotte from Germany. The Balham flat looked like international house. We had a great night and went to fabulous markets, met up with Gemma at Portobello Road

Monday 13th
Off to Dublin Ireland, two fantastic nights in Ireland spent sightseeing, dancing and enjoying the Irish nightlife in Temple Bar area. Everywhere you go in Ireland, they play great live music.
During the day we went on a hop on hop off bus to see all the sights of Dublin.

View these photos to see the rest of our trip- Bonratty Castle had a medieval feast and music, Limmerick for a night and then Dingle a quaint coastal town. Spent the last night Tralee again went to a local pub and had wonderful live music and entertainment. Last day was spent in Kilaney (Flynn's family home town)

 Last two games at Olympics London 2012

What an amazing Olympics our Blacksticks had. The semi final between NZ and 

Netherlands was a game I will never forget, not for the loss at the end by a penalty shoot out but the way the team played with such passion, pride and unforgiving determination right to the end. Coralie, Christine and Cherie were lucky enough to get tickets and as Coralie said it was a game she will never forget and the experience was a bucket list for her.  

The final against Great Britain was fought out amongst a mass of raging British supporters who gave the home team another word for advantage and us few poor kiwi supporters were drowned out and shouted down. This time was not our time to win the medal and I know the girls will have regrets but they should be proud of what they achieved in this tournament. However, this was cold comfort to see how upset and disappointed they were when they came out to see the families after the game. 

London/ sightseeing

The last few days in London we spent going out to ‘The London Apprentice’ which was another pub that Rob and I worked in all those years ago and the origins of first son, Jared. 

We had a great pub lunch in such a beautiful setting right by the river Thames. Next on the list was a visit to Portobello Road marked which is amazing for antiques, jewellery and other wares. Lauren and Emil arrived and we met up with Gem too. 

London flat backyard makeover
On our day free from the hockey hostess Christine recruited Rob the DIY makeover man to resurrect her Earls Court garden.
After a drool over an Aston Martin nearby.. fair enuf after all the shopping and escorting the Ford Fillies around London..

So.. old bricks, leaves and trees start flying about the yard..
Ahh I feel b..... good sweating it out.

 The twins race to the shop to get DIY Rob his lunch, salmon salad to keep him going..

 Tadaaaaaa....

A post from the rest of the Ford fillies on today....

Coralie    Well I have arrived in London.... A quick trip to see Jessie in LA first for a bit of a catch up
and some serious power shopping.  Cherie arrived shortly after and we had a nice night with Jessie .....
AKA .....Tom Cruise Bar tender....think of the movie "Cocktail".... flipping the bottles while making Margaritas for us ...and feeding us up on some yummy Mexican food....(which we paid for that night...lol)
Then onto London to catch up with the crazy trio Rob, Michelle and Christine....
The first day we spent on the tube (for the most part)  don't know how these Londoners do it.
Then walked around looking at London.... Had a laugh watching the Michelle and Christine vying
for the title of "Tour Leader"  thru the underground and above ground.....(Michelle doesn't like not be in control)   so it was quite a laugh when Christine jumped on the tube....while Michelle held the rest of us back...the doors closing on poor Christine....puppy dog expression....as she sailed away into the distance without the rest of us......By the time we picked ourselves up off the ground laughing about it and caught up with little girl lost at the next station...Christine had relinquished her power struggle with Michelle over the title and decided to just be "Sweet Pea" or shall we call her Camp Mother...lol.. Rob loves it....he didn't thing there were any woman left in this world like her...
Well I am catching a lot of "flack" from camp leader.....saying...."Are you writing a book or something.. you are only allowed a paragraph".


Christine here alias Sweetpea (please don't throw up but I do like my new name). It's ab fab to have the Ford/Flynn clan here and now that I've got the lavatory trained (we say loo here not toilet) and to put their socks and other undergarments away, not on a trail from the bathroom to their suite as it is less camping than luxury pampered existence with all the home comforts. So within the limits of a short novel rather than a trilogy (ps we girls are all reading those books secretly at night in bed or at least those that aren't suffering jet lag and falling asleep at odd hours with their eyes rolling to the back of their heads. ) Anyway I am meant to write about today, Rob was super hero doing an amazing job on my rental flat in Earls Court - WOW!  We had a nice chill out beer after all the hard work, I did some travel stuff and Michelle trapsed all over London to get her semi-final tickets woop woop which we cannot wait to go to see tomorrow - how lucky are we three supporters (Cherie, Coralie & I) to have  tickets to the semi-finals with the Blacksticks - jammy! Ending with lovely dinner made by Cherie & Coralie at home base Balham before raucous giggling watching Christine's Xmas present video from William - Miranda.

Hey from Cherie.. quick update, gotta sort this lot out with a shove out the door when decision making and organisation gets stuck in a vicious cycle of indecision..? and police the toffee eating and sneaky wine slurping.. seriously tho, had a great night out at Kiwi House, a gathering place for ex-pat kiwis and us visitors to congratulate the athletes of the day.  Mahi with gold, proud parents..
Hit Kings Road shops, oh darling it so posh.. getting prepared for my debut Olympic event - NZ v Netherlands tomorrow at 3:30pm.  Can't wait!!!!

Kiwi House party for hockey supporters and rowing champs.......

Sunday night after queueing for a while, we had a fun night celebrating with the rowers, watching the athletics, mixed with ex pat Kiwis and said hello to Blackstick men. Here are a few pics......

                                        Coralie and Cherie a bit jet lagged..... sleeping on park bench!

                                        Rob claiming Mahe Drysdale's gold medal

A bit behind on my blog so will condense the excitement into one- Friday went out to Embankment with Christine, Xana (Charlottes mum) and went to the pub. So much atmosphere down there, hundreds of people, busker, artists, comedians etc.. This is why I love London, there is so much to do and just going out on the street is a sight and an event.

                                               Me and Mr Bean having a laugh!

                                                      London Eye

Saturday Coralie (big sis) and Cherie (other twinnie) arrived from LA. We had a quick hello and were off to watch the USA V NZ game. Another win... Another tight game.... Another hundred grey hairs added.... But worth it as we are one step closer to the semi final spot! Gem is playing well and really positive and showing her fighting spirit which I love to see!
Sunday all the girls (and Rob) so we are re naming ourselves, Flynn and the Ford Fillies! all went to the British museum to see the Egyptian mummies, Borough market and went sight seeing on a London double decker bus.

                                          The Ford Fillies! - You can see why people ask if we are
                                           related, we kinda do look the same here.
           

                                          Borough Market for lunch

GAME DAY - NZ 4  V Sth Africa  1

Way to go Blacksticks! Another great win and this time it was easier to be watching with the goal advantage. The girls had a great first half but seemed to panic a bit and lose some focus in the second. The next game is Argentina who will be coming back from a shock loss to the USA. We are now at the top of the table with 6 points. Keep it up girls!! So proud of you all.

Getting to these hockey games on time does not get any easier. Today the journey was eventful to say the least, got to the station in plenty of time. This time took the train to Victoria then changed to the underground to travel to Stratford (where Olympic park is). All was going well until two stops before the final destination and the train stopped. The guard announces that this train will be delayed due to a fire in the underground! Of all the luck, so we had to get of the train with about a thousand other Olympic spectators and find a bus to Stratford.
Finally got to Olympic park with 10mins to spare but I had to run the 3km all the way to hockey arena. The worst thing was that when I got up to the stands just in time to see the national anthems played, I realised it was Japan V Netherlands game and our game was the next one! Next game, I will allow 2 hours to get there and check the time twice!!

Monday 30th Trip down memory lane to 'The Jolly Farmers Pub'


Today is the girls rest day so we went off to have lunch at one of the Jolly Farmers, a pub out in the country in Enfield, Middlesex.
We ordered a ploughmans lunch that we remembered having back in the day and sat on the new sunny deck reminiscing. The pub unfortunately had just been revamped all modern like. The bar was new and had ritzy fires and cushions, way too modern. Oh well, I guess even in England things change.