Wazza's European Adventures

So here I am. Back again, looking backwards to my European Adventure. I was, looking back, one hell of an adventure. Next post please!

Wednesday, 29th of June, 2016

I woke up with a slight chill, only to realise that I had the window open. It was still kinda cold for me... 19 degrees Celsius and people were walking around with tank tops on! I still wasn't used to it, but I found out that English summer is very, Very different. I mean, 23 degrees and people were literally stripping off, sweating like it was the middle of the Sahara. And the looks I got from the locals, like I'd bumped my head whilst trying to open a car door with my head... yeeeahhh, nanananaaaa....

I had breakfast - a couple of pieces of toast with Vegemite - would you believe it, I found it in the shops - and then went upstairs to have a shower and got ready before Brian dropped me to the train station. 

So on the train, again. It was refreshing to see other scenery, instead of the, not drab, but repetitive scenes and scenery of the Fremantle to Perth line, or the Armadale, and Joondalup to Perth lines, in which I had once lived down. There was miles and miles of fields and farming. The setup and planning here was amazing. In a country with 68 million people, there was still giant areas of rural areas, fields and farms, sometimes to as far as the eye could see. And then suddenly, over a hill or around a corner, there would be a small town or village, with a quaint name or two...

And the areas, or borough's as the English call them, are things like Nazeing, Hertford Heath, and Cheshunt, or Bayfordbury...

Anyway - travelling from Harlow to London was fun. I didn't really do it that much on this adventure, really. I realised that I had seen much of London when I was much younger, so I decided this time to see the family then see more of the country, which I eventually did... Just keeping reading the blog!

Got to London - went to Shoreditch and had breakfast number 2 with my younger cousin Romelle, who'd been there for 2 years, and was actually leaving to go home in a couple of weeks. 

We had a great breakfast. It was an Indian restaurant with a twist. I can't remember - no it was an Indian Fusion restaurant. That's the one. It was called DISHOOM, and it is worth going there. One hundred percent. It was fantastic. I wanted to eat more. I had a different kind of bacon and eggs, with a naan, or a paratha, or something. It was absolutely delicious, and I loved the freshly squeezed orange juice. 3 glasses necked!

It was about 10:30am when I gave her a big hug, and continued on for some of the sights that I wanted to see this time around. 

I managed to walk no more than like, 700 metres, when I came across a pub. I needed a beer. And it was pretty early for one, unless you're Irish. So I had one. I'm not Irish, but relatives are, so that counted.

This was a pretty busy day! I just had a look at my timeline... I'm gonna have to put up some photos! I'll be back soon!

Wazza's European Adventures

Paradise Wildlife Park - part 2

Hi - and thanks for coming back!

Continuing on my merry adventures at Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne, UK.

Below are some of the little creatures that I was truly amazed with. Their tactility was amazing. Their hair styles were even better. These guys were everywhere in their shelters (you know the ones - the shelters are in a more darker, secluded area of the park, usually close to the reptile sanctuaries) and they didn't make much noise (unlike the monkeys and gibbons!) They are extremely cute and very tactile. 

 I absolutely loved this little guy (below). He and his mate were going from branch to branch, keeping a good eye on me, and Brian. We got some amazing photos, just like this one where he was looking directly into my phone, and then into Brian's camera.

These two guys below, took the cake. They weren't doing a thing at first - just moseying around, looking for things in the dirt. Then they saw us, and jumped up to the nearest tree closest to the window, and started preening each other for our enjoyment. I was quite amazing.

So after a good walking around, to see where we really wanted to go - we wanted to find the big cats! - we strolled past the gibbons... oh boy! What a racket! 

 This big guy was probably the boss of the structure, going from one tree to another, going inside and outside, yelling at the others.

As you can see, this guy (below) was in and out of their sleeping structure. He gave us the ol' up and down, checking us out as much as we checked him out! These guys were amazing. The strength, flexibility and dexterity was too cool!

These below... were the noise makers. You could hear them all the way from the other end of the zoo! They swung back and forth, and did some amazing somersaults and flips just for fun. And they knew they were being watched, so they kept up the noise...

If one stopped the noises, the next one would start!

"WOOO WOOO WOOOP WOOOP WOOOOO!"

Freaking cool! I almost couldn't get their sounds out of my head for the rest of the day.

We decided that we had enough of the primates, and we went looking for the big cats. They are probably my favourite animals, and I heard there were some Bengal Tigers, Lions and Panthers in here, so we went for a search. We didn't have to walk far, as immediately after the gibbons were these majestic creatures.

 These are Siberian Snow Leopards... And they are so amazing. They were really hard to find, because their shelter was made for them, and it really does represent and look like Siberia in the cage. The only parts that aren't are these "sleeping platforms" on which they just sit there and snore away. They have agility too, walking around on nearly nothing to get to these platforms.

Look at this guy! He looked huggable! But I dare not! lol

I just loved the way they were so casual. Let's face it - they were bored! But they came right up to my face on the second floor balcony, and then just dropped on the platform with a "thunk!!" and stayed there. I didn't manage to get any more photos of them, but they were beautiful creatures.

Next were the other big cats...

This leopard was just bored shitless! He was not moving, and sleeping in the glorious sunlight. We tried to wake him (I think everybody did!) but to no avail. He was having some serious zzzz's!

 Sleeping away...

 Now this is what I was waiting for. I was here to see these guys. The Tigers. I'm a Tiger in Chinese Astrology, and I like that I'm a Tiger! :)

This one (left) was on the ground, pacing around. He was just exercising apparently (this is what the zoo keeper was saying)

He went up on the walkways, and then plonked himself down, to watch US! I just loved the attitude these guys had. Chilled!

When I managed to get a good shot, it was from this angle - these two were bored. I mean, what else is there to do when you are a tiger in the zoo? Sit back, relax, get fed, sleep and watch all the humans go by!

This guy (above) was pacing madly, after this shot. There is a protected area where you can take photos without the wire, and he would come right up to you, stare you in the eyes and walk off... I got a few of them... 

This one was just so regal, so majestic. I'm going to put him on a t-shirt!

 This photo (below) - it was roughly 30 cms away from my camera phone. Almost looked directly into his eyes.

Okay - I've gotta do some work!

Part 3 coming soon!

Cheers!

Waz

Catching up with the Family...

Sometimes, you wait to see friends and family. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes, it's years before you see them, and this is my case

I haven't seen some of my family (my mother's side) in just over 30 years. And it's been several years (14 years if you don't count Bali) that I have been overseas. So when these two facts come together in a jam packed European Tour,

Kelly!

there are definitely some surprises.

I first met my cousins when they came to Australia, or I went to the U.K.. I can't actually remember which one it was, but the last time I saw my second and third cousins (I'm staying with my cousin Brian in Harlow, Essex) was in 1985. That's over 31 years ago! And I was very excited to see them, their lives and their families.

So here I am, at Heathrow Airport, and I have a big smiling, the "I can't believe that he's here" face on (just like I had on!) and I saw here grow up in front of me. Same smile, same voice, just older, like I was. Big hugs, walk to the car, then the hectic drive from Heathrow to Harlow.

Lindsay!

The plan was surprise the rest of the family at a dinner the next night if I'm correct. And I think that this did happen. I am writing this in the past tense because it's been quite a while since I actually did something on this blog! The rest Sarah's immediate family came over her house for dinner. I had been communicating with her mum and her sister for the past few weeks, but never actually told them that I would be coming over.

Here I am in the backyard, with Sarah's boys (Ben and Louis), checking out their homegrown foods (tomatoes, greens and the like) when Sarah's mum and dad walk in. A surprise happened, and then her dad realised who

Young Benjamin and I pulling faces

I was. Another bunch of handshakes and hugs. Then her sister and her husband popped in, and the similarities started to flood back. Same faces, just we were all a bit older and wiser (well... with me, I'm not so sure I'm wiser...)

Having a tonne of memories flooding back, with a great home-cooked dinner, and stories of old that are new to you, was quite an experience. I honestly didn't think that I would see these people again, but if I did, it would have been with walking sticks, pushers, and maybe a wheel-chair or two.

Louis and Sarah! And me making faces at them!

After meeting Rachel (Sarah's older sister) and her hubby, and seeing their mum and dad after so long, I felt (and still do) very blessed. To see my cousins, grown up and doing well. It made my heart smile

That was the first two... The second two were a couple of weeks down the track.

Kelly and Lindsay were another two female cousins (7 in total, all girls, which is quite the opposite from the family in Australia, as we had 5 boys) that I enjoyed spending time with when I was over in 1985. Walking to their mum's house, I turned to Brian and asked if I had been here before. Unbeknown to him, he didn't know that I actually did come to the house of his sister June in 1985. I was walking up to the house, thinking "I remember that wall...? I think we nearly all fell off the damned thing when we were kids..." I was told a certain "no, I didn't bring you here...", which was true, but HE didn't bring me here, his mother did - and then I walked into June's place...

I couldn't turn this the right way up, but...
Emma, Kelly, Lindsay, me, Rachel
Sarah and Sally...
30 years ago

BAM! I recognized the place immediately. Then I saw a little girl who I could've mistaken for a younger Lindsay, but was actually Kelly and her husband's little daughter Connie, and her younger brother William was running around with her. Memories flooded back again. Lindsay, Kelly, my younger cousin Brett, all running around screaming, being nuisances to the older family members (well we WERE 10 years old or so!). I looked at Kelly and saw the little girl. Her husband actually lived in Mandurah (where I was staying before I left to go on my wild adventure)

So... after some interesting chit chat to find out what they are doing now, what they have been doing the LAST 30 YEARS, we had a light lunch, and I then had a sweet little Connie come up to me and say "your my Australian..." and then going up to her cousin Charlotte and saying "this is my Australian!". After a bit of a explanation, I then heard "oh Charlotte, he's your Australian too!!!"

It was wonderful to see them. All of them young and old. I still have a few other relatives to catch up with, and I am sure I will catch up with them over the next few weeks... or months. I have another 3 to catch up with later. 

Keiran and Nicola!

I did catch up with my cousin Steven and Deb, who both have 2 wonderful kids each. Steven and Gail have Keiran and Daniel, and Deb and Ian have Oliver and Georgia (funny story there, let me tell you!) So I caught up with Steven first when he came over with his youngest Daniel. Jeez, you could tell that Daniel was his! Good looking blokes! They invited me a bit earlier in the piece for a good look at some beer inside their cricket club, and a view of the rugby, in which their English Rugby Union team whitewashed us on our home turf in Australia. After a few pints and a good ribbing of sports, we retired and I came back with Brian (Steven and Deb's dad, where I was staying) to hit the old sack. 

Later on in the week, we went to Steven and Gail's to say hi, just before I had to head out to the Beat-Herder Festival in Sawley the next day. I got to meet Keiran and his lovely girlfriend, who both live in Belfast. Again, very like his dad, a big fine strapping lad. Loved a good joke and a good laugh.

Keiran, Gail, Steve, Nicola and Daniel

Ver' Lads!
Brian, Keiran, Steven, me and Daniel

I also went and met Deb and Ian, after 30 years, and I had grown up. The last time I saw them, they were just married I think. Now I met Oliver and Georgia. Good looks run in the family I tell ya! Oliver is a good looking lad, smart too, and his gorgeous younger sister Georgia, who, I found out to her description, is a very "high maintenance" girl, who loves what most young 21 (now 22 years old) like. But this is where it gets a bit awkward, and I am going to rib them on this whenever I can...

I get told that Oliver has a long time girlfriend... Called Georgia...

And then I get told that Georgia has a long time boyfriend called... Oliver...

Confusion reigns. A bit weird for me, but they seem pretty comfortable about it. I was recently talking to Deb and Brian, and they had to put a letter behind each of their names, or say "our Oliver" or "our Georgia" or something like that, which I cannot get my head around. Luckily I don't have any brothers and sisters... I don't know... In the throws of passion... screaming out your sibling's name??? How about if they are in the next room, like on holidays or something? And how about in emergency situations? When you have a partner, and their name gets yelled out, you kinda look around too, right? So in this case, you would get four heads turning around and looking at you!!! But all four of them are very good looking and doing very well for themselves... Smarty pants!

Now if you four are reading this - sorry! I'm an Aussie and I will poke you forever more! HA! But I did say you were smart!

So until my next blog... 

Cheers!

Waz