drivingmissdaisy's posterous http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com Most recent posts at drivingmissdaisy's posterous posterous.com Sat, 16 Jul 2011 20:30:33 -0700 Happy snaps from the Isle of Man! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/happy-snaps-from-the-isle-of-man http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/happy-snaps-from-the-isle-of-man
Hey everyone!

Some more photos - this time from the Isle of Man!

Our hotel room looked out at the Irish Sea, this photo was taken at about 10pm, sun was only just going down. I love that the sun is out for so long!!!
Mum met up with a distant rellie, this is him - Peter.
We found this little amputee doll at the museum... still not sure on the story of the giant wheel ( I should try to listen better )... and also the graveyard Mum made me go to *sadface*.
I love the photo of Mum and I, can't remember where we were, but it was on the coast (which is the entire Island really) and she went for a walk and stole some shells for her collection back home. I found the dog poo pic while Mum was stealing nature. I love how the poo is steamy.. very realistic example!!!! ;)
The last 2 were taken in Peel, which is on the west coast and really pretty. 

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Sat, 16 Jul 2011 20:20:16 -0700 Happy snaps from Glasgow! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/happy-snaps-from-glasgow http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/happy-snaps-from-glasgow
Hey everyone!

I am spamming the blog today... woohoo!
Most people that know me know that I take lots of photos. So far on this holiday I wasn't really taking that many. Glasgow was even worse, I was rather distracted... ;)

Here are some happy snaps from Glasgow....
A gypsy lady working for money (instead of begging) - I quite liked her. I think she was about 400 years old and she played some lovely tunes on her accordion!!
V IS FOR VEGAN! This V seemed to be a familiar sight at all of the amazing veggie places we went to in Glasgow... I think it was there to remind us that veggie folk have super powers...
Mikey and I had a great day at the Kelvin Grove Museum, and that is us out the front. The dinosaur pic is for my nephew Jude, and the heads I just loved very much, a fantastic installation. The painting with speech bubbles was great - you could enter in lines that would (eventually) appear in them. So I promptly wrote for the lady "I wish he was a rich French vegetarian"...... teehee
Have also included some toilet graffiti from one of the veggie cafes- I love toilet graffiti. Sometimes drunk people are really poetic. ;)

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:58:23 -0700 Tea bags? http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/tea-bags http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/tea-bags
Hi everyone!

This was on the toilet of our B&B in Fort Augustus.. 

Tea bags... who does that????

miss P

Img_2455_2

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:52:51 -0700 Slave labour in Scotland.. http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/slave-labour-in-scotland http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/slave-labour-in-scotland
Hi everyone

So I bought a dress at Zara (♥) and Mum offered to hem it (because I am so short) so I could wear it while we were away... what an amazing Mum I have!!!!

I took this snap, and it was such a funny moment, and took me back to my childhood with Mum sewing and me annoying her, and then I ultimately get this look... I know the family will laugh when they see this.....

I LOVE MY MUM! 

miss P

Img_0975

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:44:00 -0700 Happy snaps from Loch Ness! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/happy-snaps-from-loch-ness http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/happy-snaps-from-loch-ness
Hi everyone!

Here are some snaps from our time adventuring around the Loch Ness!

The little pub opposite our B&B... some nice snaps from when we were on the Loch Ness itself... Mum's first snow (blurry photo from the car, she was SUPER excited!) and another snap of the rolling green hills that we drove through minute after minute... mile after mile...

Enjoy!
miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:40:15 -0700 Nessie Hunting.... video proof! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/nessie-hunting-video-proof http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/nessie-hunting-video-proof
Nessie.mov Watch on Posterous

Hey everyone!

So we are back in Oz now, and I'm catching up on the blog. I got a bit sick and then a bit distracted and well, didn't blog as much from the road as I thought I would ;-)

So let's play catch up today!

First up, here is some video proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists!!! I was lucky enough to spot her while on a boat going down the Loch Ness.....

YAY!!

;)
miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:58:00 -0700 Isle of Man: a trip back in time! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/isle-of-man-a-trip-back-in-time http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/isle-of-man-a-trip-back-in-time Hi everyone!

So we ended up on the Isle of Man because my Mum is a Mylrea, which is a very good Manx name, with much family history there.

She has always been a proud Manx, and was very excited about going there after so many years of hearing stories.

Someone in Glasgow made comment to us that the Isle of Man was like going back 50 years, and holy moly were they right!!!!!!

We flew over on a tiny plane, and it took about 20 minutes in the air from Glasgow. We picked up a hire car, and made our way to what was the most shittest hotel ever!! I had been going so so so well with all of my accommodation choices, but woah this hotel sucked arse!!

We were pretty tired and settled in for the night, 2 little lumpy beds. My bed was so shit that I slept on an angle...the mattress was the worst ever (even worse than the hostel In Sydney I stayed with Lovejoy!!) !! I can't believe we didn't just pack up and walk out?? But the next morning I did tell the receptionist (she had crazy eye too- ekk!) that it was the most shitful room and shitful beds. They promptly upgraded us to a bigger room with views of the Irish Sea. It was still pretty shit, but less shit than the last room. We decided to stay, and in retrospect still don't really know why!!!! ;-)

However we made the most of our time there, and we both really loved the Isle of Man.

The island is only about 52km long and 22km wide, and it is most famous for the TT motorbike race every year. The TT was over just a day before we got there (we planned it to not be there during the race) and it was pretty cool driving around the coast with all of the race equipment still up- like padding on buildings and poles.

The island is also well known for not having a speed limit for the most part- woohoo!!! Zoom zoom!!!!! I had fun!!!

Everywhere we drove was amazing. And beautiful. And old. Either REALLY old as in ancient, or DATED from years gone by when tourism was huge. Back in the day it was the place to go for summer holidays in the region...but now there are heaps of half empty run down hotels and rooms along the promenade in Douglas (the capital) which is really sad. When you are in the museum and you see photos of the hay-day it is even sadder!

We spent a bit of time at the Manx Museum, Mum did some research on the family.. And generally loved all of the history. It is so well curated we were constantly impressed and in awe.

As is my hot topic in all destinations- there was a great veggie place!!!!! Mum jumped for joy at the site of salad, and it was at about this point that we started to feel ill at the sight of potatoes.

There are 3 vegetables that I think will be off the menu for awhile when I get home- potatoes are in first place. Zucchini and peas are fighting it out for second place.

Menus always have "potatoes and vegetables".. Who knew they should have their own food group?? Driving around was easy and fun. Everywhere was so close... It took about 18 mins from east to west!! I loved Peel, it was really beautiful! We also found a great fish n chip shop and I introduced mum to vinegar on chips. She's not a fan which I am surprised at.... But I can't pour enough vinegar!!! Could do without the potatoes though!!

We checked out a graveyard in Andreas- which was one of the main spots for Mylreas. Finding it was interesting... I drove into what turned out to be some blokes property- looking for a graveyard. After we drove out and pulled up out the front he closed the front gate.... Don't think he had closed it in 50years... Whoops....

Eventually found it, and mum got right into finding relatives. I have a real issue with walking on graves and it was really windy and crows started hovering.... And I have watched the Exorcist movies wayyyy too many times, and it totally freaked me out..... I ended up sitting in the car and left my Mum behind in the graveyard. Good daughter or bad daughter?? This is debatable....

However it is amazing that the graves go back as far as the 1500s, and probably further had Mum kept looking... After this we also checked out St Judes, and took some photos for my brother's little boy Jude!

Mum also looked up Mylreas in the phone book and made some random calls. She ended up meeting a distant cousin, Peter, which was great! He was very nice and I think it was icing on the cake for Mums trip there. I hope they keep in touch!

We talked about the history of the Isle of Man, and the lifestyle of the island. Peter told us a great local saying "Traa dy Liooar" which means "time enough"... They go slow and take their time with everything.. I found this most frustrating on our last day... It was pissing down with rain and I had dropped mum off at the museum and did some washing and went to the post office. Good god! By the time I picked mum up late in the day I was ready to scream, cry, and maybe kill someone... Small country towns make me a little crazy....

I managed to return the hire car unharmed. Our plane to Belfast was the smallest thing I have ever seen... I'm pretty sure it was a toy plane actually...

It was full, all 19 passengers. There were 2 pilots and they sat just in front of us.... We could see out the front windscreen of the plane!!! Wtf!!! Also, one of the pilots handed out mints as we got on... I don't think most of the pilots for Emirates would even unwrap a mint for themselves let alone hand them out to passengers. When he got on, he also loaded the two little steps that we used to get on the plane. They had a tiny hook next to the tiny door for safety... No one could stand up straight. Pretty sure it was built for smurfs!!!

The safety video was by a bunch of 10 year old Manx kids, which was pretty cute, the wings of the plane were above us out the window which was a new concept... And there wasn't enough room to take jackets off and mum was glad she had hers on (a raincoat no less) when water poured out of the air con above her seat. The baggage was stored in the nose of the plane, but most people had carry on. I don't know how they fitted it under their seats?? There was no where above the seats to store anything,

It was only about 20 mins in the air to Belfast... And it was surprisingly smooth. I will admit it was the first time I've ever got on a plane and checked if my life jacket was under my seat. So I was glad that we survived and made it one piece... Phew!

I have a photo of the plane somewhere, will dig it out when I upload the other pics. You can almost see it from behind the baggage cart!!!

I have attached a picture of the Isle of Man symbol which I really loved. The story of where it came from differs from who you talk to you and what book you pick up...

Another really famous resident of the Isle of Man are the Manx Cats... But I only saw a stuffed one at the museum, no real ones in the street. So I will file them under "myth" for now. Meow!!

So we have been to London, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Fort Augustus, Glasgow, Isle of Man, and now it's time for Northern Ireland..... First stop Belfast!

miss P

Photo

Sent from my iPad

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:46:21 -0700 Glasgow! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/glasgow http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/glasgow Hi everyone!

Our time at Loch Ness was wonderful but we hit the road again after two nights in the lovely B&B Abbey Cottage. The next destination was Glasgow.

Driving the little merc was super. I'm very glad we had a good car for this drive in particular. It was one of the most beautiful routes... And one of the most scary! Some of the roads were so tiny they really are only wide enough for one car at a time, and you have to wait at the lights for your turn. Many of them you just had to move to the side really quickly so you didn't die!

Mum took many many photos, and kept saying "oh my god look at that" but I couldn't, because I was fretting looking at the road!

When we got into the valley of the mountains, the views were amazing. I couldn't believe how many people were hiking? Anytime we saw a hiker or cyclist one of us would end up saying "they are nnnuts!".... Some of my friends are into this healthy holiday thing, but I don't get it!!!! These people looked cold and worn out- I'd rather be warm for starters, and you know, relaxed!!!

But there were a few moments driving through the valley that I didn't feel so relaxed... One in particular was a tiny bridge we were on, where a camper van suddenly came out of no where, going in the opposite direction. It gave me such a fright, I really did think we might die. There was no where to turn or move, and I closed my eyes, breathed in (funny how that is an automatic reaction hey?) and just put my foot down.... We obviously survived... And yes Mum screamed! :-/

I think it was after that she said something about me being a reckless driver hahahhaa... So I offered for her to drive but she quickly changed her words to "oh no, you're doing a good job".... Bloody back seat drivers!!!!! 

We had a pit stop in Sterling, a lovely town, and famous for being William Wallace's home. 

In the end, we made it to Glasgow alive and well. The final few roads were beautiful and wide and much nicer to drive. We dropped the hire car off and made our way to the hotel. 

In the cab to the hotel I asked the driver about the weather prediction for rain and he said "it's rained everyday here for 52 years love" hahaha.... :-/

The lovely Mikey had flown in from London for the weekend and we went off adventuring and left Mum to her own devices for the most part.

We went out to dinner to a great veggie restaurant called the 13th Note, and it felt and looked like the Zoo, circa 1995... It was really lovely!! I got to eat deep fried tofu (gluten free!) and this made me super happy!!! 

Sunday was a lovely day, we had brekky with Mum, and went off to the Kelvin Grove museum, ate more amazing veggie food (this time at The 78), and spent the afternoon there enjoying the bar.... and Mum joined us for dinner later on.

I really wish Brisbane had some decent vegetarian places, and like The 78 in particular!!! Very cool bar, great food, atmosphere, relaxing... I loved it!

That day Mum was walking the streets, seeing the sites and taking it all in.... She loved Glasgow, especially all of the architecture in the city. At this point Mum was still resisting the use of maps, and she admitted later about taking an unfortunate amount of time to find her way back to the hotel.... Awww!

We did the hop on hop off tourist bus the next day, and it was great! Glasgow was definitely my pick of Scotland. Mum's was Loch Ness.

It was pretty cold when we were there... crazy Scottish wind! Overall it was a great weekend in Glasgow, and we were all very sad for our time there to end.

There is probably so much amazing stuff to tell you about Glasgow, but I was distracted and can't remember all of it. I did get a spoon though. Woo! And- Mikey bought me a London spoon and also a Will & Kate wedding spoon- I had forgotten to buy them myself while in London! I've never been off my spoon game before!! So the spoon collection continues to grow at a healthy rate.

Mikey headed back to London around the same time we flew to the Isle of Man... We were all at the airport together, and on our way to the boarding gate for our flight, Mum wanted to go to the toilet. We said oh look there is a lift down to a toilet, which Mum took.... And it turned out to be a lift to the baggage collection... And yes, Mum had to go through security all over again.... Yikes! We almost missed our flight, but it all worked out in the end..... Mikey waved us off and we left the motherland for the tiny little Isle of Man....

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:55:04 -0700 Nessie hunting!! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/nessie-hunting http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/nessie-hunting Hi everyone!!

Well we couldn't come all the way to Scotland without going to look for ol Nessie!

We hit the road from Edinburgh, it was a stunning drive! Rolling green hills on your left, your right, in front of you and also in the rearview mirror. This started Mum's new hobby of taking photos in the car. Click click click click click click....

We made a stop at Tesco on the way.. The "Free From" range is super! You name it they have a wheat/dairy free version of it!! We parked and got out of the car but I couldn't figure out how to turn off the TomTom and we were in the door and it was really loud saying "turn around when possible"... Haha...

We drove north west up to Fort Augustus, which is at the base of the Loch Ness. There were so many amazing old buildings, and lots of awesome farm animals hanging out together-sheep n' cows in perfect harmony!

Driving alongside the different lochs was really beautiful... The water looked amazing! It was all very much postcard perfect.

We stayed in a fantastic B&B called Abbey Cottage. I highly recommend it if you are ever in the nighbourhood! It was so pretty, clean and well let's just say it ruined me- no other B&B will ever live up this place! The boys who run it were really helpful, and we made the most of our time there.

We got there late at night (but of course it is daylight until 10.30pm so that doesn't mean so much?) and we had a good sleep, in preparation for Nessie hunting the next day!

Woke up, and first of all went for a cruise down the Loch Ness- so very pretty! The water looks black which was very surprising! The captain of the boat reminded me of an Irish version of my uncle Gary! Great story teller. He (the Captain, not Gary) is a believer, and said that they keep up the myth of Nessie to protect the truth, that the Loch is full of little sea horses (just like you could buy in Archie comics in the 80s woohoo!!).....

Did you know... That the Loch Ness contains more fresh water than than all the other lakes in England and Wales combined! And that it is estimated that the entire world population could fit in there- TIMES TEN! I didn't know these things... All very interesting!

We went for a drive up to Drumnadrochit and checked out the weakly touristy centers and museums... I loved the myths as much as the myth busting. However the only Nessie we saw was a bunch of stuffed look-a-likes in souvenir shops!

The drive was so lovely, Mum took thousands of photos... And made lots of comments about the narrow roads- little did we know that it was nothing at all compared to the next leg of our adventure!

For the sake of my nephew Jude who loves his dinosaurs.... Nessie is a probably a plesiosaur, and must have survived the ice age. The Loch Ness is so big it doesn't even freeze in winter!! More for the mystery!!!

All in all, so very glad we went there... Fabulous! Photos coming soon! :)

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:53:52 -0700 My Mum's mad photography skillz.. http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/my-mums-mad-photography-skillz http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/my-mums-mad-photography-skillz

P95

Perhaps this post will appeal best to my family (and no doubt Angus will tell me I am mean!).

Over the years my Mum has been known to have pretty awesome photography skills. She is fantastic at chopping off heads, including her own fingers in the photo, adding the blurry filter, and often taking such great random photos of nothing at all..... Like her handbag or foot.

On this trip Mum has added more skills, including that of taking millions of photos out of the car window, which often includes part of the car, reflection from the glass and sometimes lucky ol me.

Here is one photo I thought you might like of some horses.

I love you Maz!

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:51:38 -0700 Some snaps from Edinburgh! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/some-snaps-from-edinburgh http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/some-snaps-from-edinburgh

Here are some happy snaps from Edinburgh!

A few buskers, nice weather, food heaven, view of Edinburgh Castle from our breakfast table and one rather unfortunate piggy :(

One story I loved was of a soldier who, after his wife left him, went into battle with his baby strapped to him, they both survived. Have included a pic of him, the baby is to the left.

Enjoy!
miss P :)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:07:51 -0700 Scotland... First stop Edinburgh! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/scotland-first-stop-edinburgh http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/scotland-first-stop-edinburgh Hey everyone!

Once again I've been too busy having fun to blog too much! This is not a bad thing! :)

I guess I should tell you about Scotland! In Newcastle we picked up a hire car, a very cute little merc, and hit the road north. I'm the designated driver, and was a little nervous at first! So Toshi and Lynne (friends we were staying with in Newcastle) drove in front of us to get us on the highway - thank god! But all was fine and the roads were great.

I bought the iPhone TomTom app for UK/Ireland before we left Australia and it is awesome! It is so much better than my sat nav, and I think I have to upgrade to this TomTom app for Australia when I get home.

Anyhow, after awhile the TomTom told us to exit the highway and start going through lovely country towns.. Which was all very pretty until that sinking feeling of "where the fark is this phone sending me" kicked in... So after a pit stop in a tiny village and mum asking at a shop it turned out we were on the right road and all was ok.

It was the first of my driving on the narrow windy roads but it seemed easy enough.

We got to Edinburgh and found the hotel was in a perfect spot in Old Town. Booking all of this holiday late at night I can't remember the how and why of the locations I chose.. But it seems to be going a-ok so far!

Edinburgh Castle was right out our front door and there were lots of nice shops and pubs a stones throw away.

There was a magazine about local restaurants in the lobby of the hotel and I was very happy to see a larger number of veggie places than I had previously found online.. I like going on adventures to find veggie places because you end up in different areas you would never have gone to, and at the end of the rainbow is a giant pot of lentils.... My kinda adventure!

My two faves were David Bann, a fancy gourmet veggie restaurant, and The Baked Potato Shop... with vegan fillings to die for!! We also had a pit stop at a bar called Brew Dog, which is famous for selling very high content booze! As beer is full of wheat and wheat is evil I settled on a glass of rose, and Mum had a ginger beer. I was a little surprised that they didn't sell cider. I asked and the guy said "we brew beer, not cider, aye".... But they did stock wine...?? Not sure if he saw the irony..

I really loved walking the streets of Edinburgh. And boy o' boy did we do lots of walking there! Old Town is great, lots of great little shops with local designers, and lots of little antique shops. There were many things we wanted to buy but resisted on more than one occasion! New Town was so beautiful as well. Each way you turn there is amazing architecture.. rolling green hills, and more places to see and things to do.

Edinburgh Castle was fantastic. Reading the history as we went along, and going through the galleries and museums onsite made me think - war war war. So much war and still, more war today. Has no one learnt from the past yet? :( and so often it's about religion... I just don't understand it.

I did however all in love with the stories of Mary, Queen of Scots.... What a fabulous bird.

Looking out at the rolling hills that surround Edinburgh it is amazing to think of the battles, the men charging each other... And the walls around the city! All so very interesting. Mum was in awe, I think I will have to buy her a copy of Braveheart when we get back!!

Mum went to the underground city / vaults on her own. I was unconscious in bed and she gave up on me. She reported back that it was dark and scary (stairs and uneven ground, not ghosts!), so I think it was for the best that I slept through it :)

It did however sound amazing.. Built in the late 1700s and there were taverns and tradesmen, cobblers and the like. Serial killers also used it as a hunting ground :-/

Apparently it was pretty feral, no fresh air or sewerage system etc, and all the businesses eventually moved out and all the poor people moved in and lived there. During the plague it was in full slum swing and basically the powers that be shoved a bunch of rocks to block it off and trap all of the sick poor people there to die. Fark!

It wasn't discovered again til the 1980s!? Lots of people think it's haunted... Mum said that was crap but she never worked at the Zoo.... I'm a believer!!!!

Overall Edinburgh was a great city, and we loved it. But in no time at all we were back on the road again....

The driving was getting easier. Mum is really not that into maps, or road signs - unless they say "SLOW DOWN" which she is very happy to say to me loudly and on a regular basis....! So the TomTom has paid for itself many times over already.

Next stop Loch Ness! Will write about it soon!

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:13:07 -0700 Newcastle and old friends! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/newcastle-and-old-friends http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/newcastle-and-old-friends

Hi everyone!

After London we caught the train up to Newcastle to visit dear friends of mine from when I lived in Tokyo, Lynne and Toshi. Lynne I worked together for awhile, and I was also MC at their wedding! We had many great times in Tokyo and it had been many many moons since we all saw each other last! So in short, I couldn't come to the UK and not see the Makimoto family!

The train trip was great. Made it to the station in the nick of time, nothing quite like the sutton-last-minute!! Newcastle is about 3 hours north of London. If it was a Shinkansen I reckon it would be a 25 minute trip! ;-)

I was also very excited to meet Lynne and Toshi's little girls Alyssa and Amy. I fell in love with them instantly... cute as buttons and very Japanese in appearance.. but when they spoke it was the most fantastic Geordie accent EVER!!! It was so unexpected, and Mum and I couldn't stop smiling!

As soon as we arrived we went and had a yummy lunch and then walked it off on the streets of Newcastle, was great!! We also checked out the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art... And I played with one of my fave toys ever, the etch-a-sketch, in the kids room surrounded by Yoshitomo Nara artwork on the walls... win!

We stayed with the Makimoto family for one night, in their gorgeous house with their gorgeous conservatory, and the bunnies Cinnamon and Daisy hanging out in the yard munching on lettuce.

I hope we all get to meet again one day soon. Here are some pics of the girls, Alyssa and I were playing with my iPhone app "cat paint" and I know she will love this! Little Amy was feeling camera shy but was still cute as a button:-)

Next stop Edinburgh!

miss P (again, blogging after the fact....!)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:13:00 -0700 Photos from London http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/photos-from-london http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/photos-from-london

Hey everyone!

Here are some photos from our time in London! I know I keep saying it, but I fell in love with it!

Catching up with old friends is always so much fun, especially when it's mixed with new adventures!

Thanks to everyone who came and hung out with Mum and I!

I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I haven't taken that many photos!!

Attached are;
2 graf/street art...Brick Lane and Hoxton from memory;
a building reflection on a building (no idea where I was!);
Mum and I at Stonehenge;
a snap of the Roman Baths in Bath;
Mikey/Mel/Angus/Cheryl getting all Ziggy Stardust in "the" phone booth... (there were quite few bottles of wine consumed before this photo shoot);
the view from our hotel I think?;
a busker in Liverpool St station with the one and only Animal as drummer;
Annette and I at Portobello markets;
Mum's river cruise down the Thames.

Enjoy!
miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:15:59 -0700 London, I'll miss you! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/london-ill-miss-you http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/london-ill-miss-you Hi everyone!

We are on the train heading north to Newcastle... Farewell London my love, I will miss you!

We stayed there for just over a week, I fell in love with it, and now more than ever I want to move there! I have been day dreaming of it for awhile, so will have to wait to see what becomes of new contacts there.

I spent lots of my time in meetings for next years exhibition.. all went swimmingly! Very exciting indeed! I can't say too much yet but I finished up on Friday feeling very overwhelmed and thrilled. I have a long road ahead with lots of work to do, but it's shaping up to be one very exciting project!!

Our last blog was before Billy Elliot. Mum was super keen to see a show in the West End, and I hate musicals. I did however like the movie Billy Elliot, which was not a musical, and so it was an ok compromise. I did like it, mostly because the kids swore so much! The first words out of Billy's mouth were "Fooked if I know"! However long days and late nights were catching up with me and I fell asleep in my seat for awhile. Zzz

Mum did lots of adventuring on her own while I took care of said exhibition meetings. One of her favorite spots was Covent Gardens. She got lost a few times but was safe and sound every time we met up again, phew! Se also jumped on the double decker bus around London, and a cruise down the Thames. She loved the London Tower, the Tower Bridge, and Westminster Abbey the best.

We did go out to Stonehenge and Bath together. I booked us onto a tour bus for the day. Stonehenge was amazing! It is definitely an alien creation. How on earth did they do that, with no wheels!? Poor Welsh slaves!!

Bath was so very pretty! I didn't realize it was so big, and so stunning. I wish we had stayed longer than just an afternoon. The Roman Baths were great, the archaeological finds are amazing!

We also went to see Graham Norton being recorded, and one of the guests was Liza Minnelli which was fabulous! As mentioned before, my friend Brooke got us the tickets and then had to take off to LA for work. So we had a spare ticket and Angus and Mikey had a knife fight over it, with Mikey coming out on top. When we were lined up there were hundreds of people. When we finally made it inside we realized just how lucky we were, the audience is quite small and many people were left outside empty handed! The show was very funny, all the guests were great! The others were James McAvoy and Jack Dee. Aside from touristy adventures and exhibition meetings I spent a lot of my time eating my way around the vegan and vegetarian restaurants with fellow rabbit, Mikey. At times we also dragged meat eaters along...

One night we also ended up in a vampire bar in Soho which was super funny. I drank house wine in a half pint cup while listening to "killing in the name of"... bless.

At first when we were planning this holiday Mum wasn't too keen on staying in London so long but in the end she still had a list a mile long of things to see and do. So I figure she needs to visit again next year for the exhibition... Yeh?

Oh and yes we also did lots of shopping! New shoes..... Camper and Clarks! I also hit H&M and a few other faves. Met up with another friend Rachel who took us to Liberty... Oh my, very lovely!!!!

Shopping, shoes, food, exhibition, Graham Norton, friends....and the list goes on! London, I love you!

But now we are off to visit my friends Lynne and Toshi and their 2 lovely little girls Alyssa and Amy!
More soon!
miss P

PS uploading this late.. We've already left Newcastle, whoops!! I'll catch up soon, promise! Along with photos! :-)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Tue, 31 May 2011 00:33:00 -0700 London, I love you. http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/london-i-love-you http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/london-i-love-you

Hi everyone!
I've been having too much fun to stop and blog.. The way a holiday should be!

The flight over was great, and the timing of our arrival worked a treat. We got in at about 7pm and it meant we had a normal nights sleep instead of struggling to stay awake all day.

I was super tired in Brisbane before boarding, and I crashed out as soon as we got on. At one point I woke up completely delirious and went to the toilet. I barely had one eye open and didn't realize the light wasn't fully on, which means of course that I hadn't locked the door properly. And yes.... A man came along and opened it, and let's just say- I was very wide awake after that.

In Dubai the line for security was incredible! It took so long to move that we ended up pushing in at the front, because we had to get to our connecting flight. It was 38 degrees and you could feel the heat even though we were inside in air con. I felt horrible and started to wonder if booking a 5 day stop over on the way home was a good idea? I think it might be 50 by the time we go back :-/

So as always I had to get patted down at security. Some of you may remember the last time I was in Dubai and ushered into a cubicle with a few women in burqas feeling me up? This time it was just one security woman and I got quite the once over. It seemed to be more of a breast examination... to the point I mentioned I had a prosthetic LEG....

We got through Heathrow easy peasy. Mum had heard horror stories and I think she was worried! The hotel is lovely, and my friend Brooke was a lovely welcome in the foyer when we arrived. We had a drink at the bar and a great catch up before I headed to bed to crash.

Brooke met up with us again on Sunday and we had a great time hanging out, shopping, eating, walking.. The last time I saw Brooke was in Paris in 2009! She has gone to LA for work this week, so it was great to catch up while we could.

We also headed out for dinner on Sunday night with other friends Angus, Cheryl and Mikey. It was a super yummy vegan restaurant, which suited Mikey and I -and after awhile Angus did a vegetarian stocktake and realized there were only 2 vegos and wondered how we conned everyone into eating rabbit food. The truth is, we vegos have super powers. But don't tell anyone.

The night turned into a late one. I knew it was time to go home to bed after looking at bear shaped beanbags on etsy.... Just buy the bloody thing Mikey!!!! ;-)

Anyhow....

Feeling worse for wear with just a few hours sleep I headed off to meet the exhibition venue for next year. Mum wondered around the streets of Brick Lane while I talked logistics of hanging legs from the ceiling. The venue is perfect and I'm feeling very happy and excited!!

Afterwards we met up with another friend Rachel, and headed to Liberty for shopping... What an amazing shop, I was in floral pattern heaven.... ! We had a lovely time with Rachel!! And her chocolate recommendations made me happy last night as I munched away on slices of orange dipped in vegan chocolate.....

After another vegetarian dining experience with the gang I was in bed unconscious by 9pm..... Earliest night in years!

Feeling great today. Off to check out our local area, and I have a media meeting this afternoon for the exhibition. Tonight we are off to see Billy Elliot. I hate musicals!!! So I hope the dancing saves me.

Mum has been having a great time, and doing very well choosing things to eat off menus (my brothers will be proud!) and enjoying walking around and enjoying what London has to offer. She can't believe all of the stairs... She doesn't have any such things in Mackay! Mum is shocked at how crap the coffee is... And has all but given up! We have been told to check out "Flat white" in Soho, so maybe that will save her...

The weather has been lovely... Nice and cool, and only a drizzle of rain last night.

Off to seize the day now....... It is so great to not be going to work! Wahoo!

I'll leave you with these 2 photos, a lovely sign I thought you may appreciate and some owl street art that I know Vinni will love.

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Fri, 27 May 2011 08:21:26 -0700 The day my Mum tested positive for drugs http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/the-day-my-mum-tested-positive-for-drugs http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/the-day-my-mum-tested-positive-for-drugs

P15

So we're at the airport! Boarding starts soon! All very exciting!

Mum was "randomly" tested for bombs and drugs and came up positive for drugs!!! They tested her a few more times (negative!) and eventually gave up and let her through. Pretty funny!

I fitted everything in my tiny suitcase (here is a blurry pic taken by Mum when we were checking in!), and I also managed to get that last Uni assignment done! hurrah!

Mum just tried to get me to chew a ginger tablet, it was soft. I think they have been in her bag since since she went to Asia a few years ago :-(

Well this it. We're off to London! Can't wait to pass out when I get on the plane.

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Mon, 23 May 2011 03:41:48 -0700 It has a passport, it just gets on an airplane..... http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/it-has-a-passport-it-just-gets-on-an-airplane http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/it-has-a-passport-it-just-gets-on-an-airplane Hi everyone!

HOLY MOLY the trip is only 4 sleeps away.... so much to do and so little time!

Work is crazy busy, I have to finish off my last uni assignment, and I haven't started to pack yet.... AND Mum has been off work sick as anything with a horrible flu!!!!! But I am sure it will all come together just in time - it's just the way our family rolls....

Found out this morning we got tickets for a live recording of Graham Norton!! Super excited about that, Mum and I are both big fans!
Many thank yous to my friend Brooke for getting them!!! What a gem!

So I guess I should share this blog around.. actually tell people I've started it eh???

miss P

Going_away

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Tue, 10 May 2011 06:05:24 -0700 Life as a travel agent http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/life-as-a-travel-agent http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/life-as-a-travel-agent Hi everyone!

So I've spent tonight finishing off all the bookings... and all I can think is what a horrible day job! I can't imagine having to do this for other people all day everyday! (how do you do it cousin Julie??!! No wonder you swear so much!!) But it has been fun getting it all together for Mum and I :)

I am getting super excited about our first stop, London! I can't wait to see friends that are living there and also get into all of the meetings for my exhibition next year. Woohoo!

I've also been watching Graham Norton tonight... and hope that we get to see a live recording when we're in town. Fingers crossed!

17 days til takeoff!

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy
Thu, 05 May 2011 06:49:14 -0700 3 weeks to go! http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/3-weeks-to-go http://drivingmissdaisy.posterous.com/3-weeks-to-go Hi there, and welcome aboard!

In 3 just three weeks my Mum and I are heading overseas. We are going to England > Scotland > Isle of Man > Ireland > Paris > Dubai...... Hurrah!

I'm feeling surprisingly organised. But I haven't really thought about what to pack yet, so that all may change when I write the list.

More important than the clothes and toothbrushes, I need to figure out how to get tv shows onto my iPad!! Ekkk!!
Anyhow, I thought I'd set up this blog so family and friends can keep track of us while we are away.

miss P

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1206999/driving-in-ireland-300x197.jpg http://posterous.com/users/hes52CVhnsP6q Miss Poppy drivingmissdaisy Miss Poppy