R.L. Stedman's Blog, page 17
November 19, 2013
Redirection - A New Frontier
Tired of the porn-bots that pursue me relentlessly (kind of feel sorry for them as I'm hardly their target market), I'm putting updates onto FaceBook.
Here's the address: https://www.facebook.com/soulnecklace
And, speaking of social media, I'm also on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/soulnecklace/boards/
Hope to see you there!
Here's the address: https://www.facebook.com/soulnecklace
And, speaking of social media, I'm also on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/soulnecklace/boards/
Hope to see you there!
October 24, 2013
Last Post
Well, we returned home last week to an overgrown garden and a tidy house - thanks to our house sitter - and now it's back to normal living; kids to school and adults to work.
There's been some changes in our absence. The children have grown closer to us, and we're closer to them. We do more together now. We spent the Saturday afternoon looking at the photos and laughing at the memories. And I'm watching the bank balance, with, it must be said, some trepidation.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
Would we do it again?
Probably not. For next year the older boy will have important exams, and he will not be able to take such a long time off school. And then it will be the younger child's turn.
So this is the end of this blog.
Who knows? Maybe I'll write another. But it won't be about an eight week holiday around Europe, with a family and a kindle...It will be about another adventure.
There's been some changes in our absence. The children have grown closer to us, and we're closer to them. We do more together now. We spent the Saturday afternoon looking at the photos and laughing at the memories. And I'm watching the bank balance, with, it must be said, some trepidation.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
Would we do it again?
Probably not. For next year the older boy will have important exams, and he will not be able to take such a long time off school. And then it will be the younger child's turn.
So this is the end of this blog.
Who knows? Maybe I'll write another. But it won't be about an eight week holiday around Europe, with a family and a kindle...It will be about another adventure.
October 23, 2013
Air Time
My God the flight from Holland to New Zealand is LONG. Two flights, two airplanes and over twenty four hours in the air.
So: Top Tips for Long Haul.Check in early. Some airports have very complicated check in procedures. Schipol (that's Amsterdam) is now all automated - if you've got kids and bags there's not a lot of assistance. Carry sleeping tablets.Water. Buy a bottle of drinking water in the airport lounge before you leave and top it up on the plane.Try and get onto the plane early. There's often a scrum for overhead locker space. Take eye shades, ear plugs and toothbrush.Carry a cardigan or wrap. You can get added warmth if the blankets aren't enough.Buy access to a lounge or a shower if you're stopping enroute.Remove contact lens. Wear glasses instead. Eat a proper meal at your stopover because airplane meals are never wonderful. Ask for fruit snacks mid-flight - often there's a bowl of apples.Make sure there's someone to drive you home from the airport. I've not tried the noise cancelling headphones, but if you want to spend $500, I'm sure they're great.
And remember: these flights are costing you the price of a small diamond ring, so you may as well enjoy them. Watch as many movies as you can!
Le Bris, 1868: no long haul and no movies. Image from Wikipedia
So: Top Tips for Long Haul.Check in early. Some airports have very complicated check in procedures. Schipol (that's Amsterdam) is now all automated - if you've got kids and bags there's not a lot of assistance. Carry sleeping tablets.Water. Buy a bottle of drinking water in the airport lounge before you leave and top it up on the plane.Try and get onto the plane early. There's often a scrum for overhead locker space. Take eye shades, ear plugs and toothbrush.Carry a cardigan or wrap. You can get added warmth if the blankets aren't enough.Buy access to a lounge or a shower if you're stopping enroute.Remove contact lens. Wear glasses instead. Eat a proper meal at your stopover because airplane meals are never wonderful. Ask for fruit snacks mid-flight - often there's a bowl of apples.Make sure there's someone to drive you home from the airport. I've not tried the noise cancelling headphones, but if you want to spend $500, I'm sure they're great.
And remember: these flights are costing you the price of a small diamond ring, so you may as well enjoy them. Watch as many movies as you can!
Le Bris, 1868: no long haul and no movies. Image from WikipediaOctober 20, 2013
More Travel Tips - Packing List
The packing was always going to be a challenge. Eight weeks out of a backpack, through summer and into autumn, travelling through countries and cities - well, how to do it?
Here's a list of items that worked well:
Clothes:charcoal a-line skirt (with pockets. You can never have enough pockets when you're travelling)jeansshortssilk singletwhite travel shirt (with more pockets)plaid shirt (doesn't show the dirt)black merino jerseyblack cardigan3x bright-coloured t-shirts (one of merino, for layering)long-sleeved black toprain coatblack tightshat, gloves and woollen scarf (these add warmth but don't take up much room)Shoes:sandalswalking shoes - for cities and mountainsankle boots - so you don't always look like a travellerExtras:satchel - to blend in with the crowd and carry the coat and cameraexercise gear (eg running shoes) - so you don't get too fat from all the yummy fooda kindle - unless you want to carry a LOT of books
Of course I took more than this. But I didn't need it. Damn. I carried a lot of extra weight!
Final Book Review - Ender's Shadow
Rotterdam is the setting for Ender's Shadow - but a Rotterdam of the future, a bleak vision of street kids and organ farming and street kitchens. Out of this cess-pit steps Bean, a tiny urchin about four years in age and about one hundred years old in street-wisdom.
Ender's Shadow is the companion series to Ender's Game, which is coming out as a movie this year, and which I can't wait to see.
Shadow was written a lot later than Game and boy, does it show - Bean is a much more complex character, with more sophisticated interactions, thoughts and feelings.
The only complaint I have with Shadow is that - it helps if you read Ender's Game first. And then you'll get addicted on the whole damn series, and seven books or so later, you emerge from Ender's world, to find your whole family annoyed at your prolonged inattention...
Does Ender's Shadow enhance my understanding of Rotterdam? No. Not at all. But it's still a great read.
Image from Amazon
Ender's Shadow is the companion series to Ender's Game, which is coming out as a movie this year, and which I can't wait to see.
Shadow was written a lot later than Game and boy, does it show - Bean is a much more complex character, with more sophisticated interactions, thoughts and feelings.
The only complaint I have with Shadow is that - it helps if you read Ender's Game first. And then you'll get addicted on the whole damn series, and seven books or so later, you emerge from Ender's world, to find your whole family annoyed at your prolonged inattention...
Does Ender's Shadow enhance my understanding of Rotterdam? No. Not at all. But it's still a great read.
Image from AmazonFinal Book Review - Ender's Shadow
Rotterdam is the setting for Ender's Shadow - but a Rotterdam of the future, a bleak vision of street kids and organ farming and street kitchens. Out of this cess-pit steps Bean, a tiny urchin about four years in age and about one hundred years old in street-wisdom.
Ender's Shadow is the companion series to Ender's Game, which is coming out as a movie this year, and which I can't wait to see.
Shadow was written a lot later than Game and boy, does it show - Bean is a much more complex character, with more sophisticated interactions, thoughts and feelings.
The only complaint I have with Shadow is that - it helps if you read Ender's Game first. And then you'll get addicted on the whole damn series, and seven books or so later, you emerge from Ender's world, to find your whole family annoyed at your prolonged inattention...
Does Ender's Shadow enhance my understanding of Rotterdam? No. Not at all. But it's still a great read.
Image from Amazon
Ender's Shadow is the companion series to Ender's Game, which is coming out as a movie this year, and which I can't wait to see.
Shadow was written a lot later than Game and boy, does it show - Bean is a much more complex character, with more sophisticated interactions, thoughts and feelings.
The only complaint I have with Shadow is that - it helps if you read Ender's Game first. And then you'll get addicted on the whole damn series, and seven books or so later, you emerge from Ender's world, to find your whole family annoyed at your prolonged inattention...
Does Ender's Shadow enhance my understanding of Rotterdam? No. Not at all. But it's still a great read.
Image from AmazonOctober 16, 2013
Book Review - The Book of Liverpool
The Book of Liverpool - a City in Short Fiction is, as it says on its cover, a series of short stories. All set in Liverpool, the shorts span events in the city from WW2 to present day, seen through the eyes of the characters.
There's haunted houses and the slums of the pre-war and post-war eras. There's the bombings. The Toxteth Riots. The Hillsborough Disaster. And there's the future, too; the Liver building sets off to sea, like a vast cruise liner, filled with insurance actuaries.
Liverpool has more than its fair share of great writers and some of the very best - Beryl Bainbridge, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Cliver Barker - have contributed to this selection.
The only complaint (and its really just a small complaint) is that the club scene that birthed the Beatles isn't really touched on in this collection, save for a haunting story by James Friel Something You Don't have to Deserve, except Friel deals with a club in its decay, not in its prime.
It's a great read, especially if you're trying to gain an insight into a complex city in only a few days. The sense of community, of celebration of small things is a hallmark of these stories; really, a hallmark of the city.
Image from Amazon
There's haunted houses and the slums of the pre-war and post-war eras. There's the bombings. The Toxteth Riots. The Hillsborough Disaster. And there's the future, too; the Liver building sets off to sea, like a vast cruise liner, filled with insurance actuaries.
Liverpool has more than its fair share of great writers and some of the very best - Beryl Bainbridge, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Cliver Barker - have contributed to this selection.
The only complaint (and its really just a small complaint) is that the club scene that birthed the Beatles isn't really touched on in this collection, save for a haunting story by James Friel Something You Don't have to Deserve, except Friel deals with a club in its decay, not in its prime.
It's a great read, especially if you're trying to gain an insight into a complex city in only a few days. The sense of community, of celebration of small things is a hallmark of these stories; really, a hallmark of the city.
Image from AmazonBook Review - The Book of Liverpool
The Book of Liverpool - a City in Short Fiction is, as it says on its cover, a series of short stories. All set in Liverpool, the shorts span events in the city from WW2 to present day, seen through the eyes of the characters.
There's haunted houses and the slums of the pre-war and post-war eras. There's the bombings. The Toxteth Riots. The Hillsborough Disaster. And there's the future, too; the Liver building sets off to sea, like a vast cruise liner, filled with insurance actuaries.
Liverpool has more than its fair share of great writers and some of the very best - Beryl Bainbridge, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Cliver Barker - have contributed to this selection.
The only complaint (and its really just a small complaint) is that the club scene that birthed the Beatles, isn't really touched on in this collection, save for a haunting story by James Friel Something You Don't have to Deserve, except Friel deals with a club in its decay, not in its prime.
It's a great read, especially if you're trying to gain an insight into a complex city in only a few days. The sense of community, of celebration of small things is a hallmark of these stories; really, a hallmark of the city.
Image from Amazon
There's haunted houses and the slums of the pre-war and post-war eras. There's the bombings. The Toxteth Riots. The Hillsborough Disaster. And there's the future, too; the Liver building sets off to sea, like a vast cruise liner, filled with insurance actuaries.
Liverpool has more than its fair share of great writers and some of the very best - Beryl Bainbridge, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Cliver Barker - have contributed to this selection.
The only complaint (and its really just a small complaint) is that the club scene that birthed the Beatles, isn't really touched on in this collection, save for a haunting story by James Friel Something You Don't have to Deserve, except Friel deals with a club in its decay, not in its prime.
It's a great read, especially if you're trying to gain an insight into a complex city in only a few days. The sense of community, of celebration of small things is a hallmark of these stories; really, a hallmark of the city.
Image from AmazonTales from Two Cities
Posting on this blog was interrupted by lack of access to devices. Not the wifi, although that has been a bit tricky - more that everyone in the family had their books stored on on their iPads and were at critical places in their various narratives, so I was the last to have access.
Portside
We spent the last five days of our holiday in two cities: Liverpool and Rotterdam.
At first glance, these cities appear quite different - the scouser birthplace of the Beatles, and a north sea port. But look closer, and the similarities emerge.
Both are port cities. Both were bombed extensively during WW2. And both are reemerging, two very different phoenixes.
Built on the banks of the Mersey, Liverpool is embracing its heritage, restoring the older buildings of the port and the docks, and transforming the central city into a vibrant shopping area: Liverpool One.
Liverpool Docks
Rotterdam, on the Maas, is the largest port in Europe and the third largest in the world. But rather than rebuilding as it was before the war, the city is embracing modern architecture. The place feels like a homage to concrete and steel.
Both these cities have space - especially along the banks of their respective rivers. They have exceptionally well-planned public areas. And they both have an air of vibrance; of excitement. As if they realise that it is possible to rebuild, to make a city better than it was before.
Rotterdam
Portside
We spent the last five days of our holiday in two cities: Liverpool and Rotterdam.
At first glance, these cities appear quite different - the scouser birthplace of the Beatles, and a north sea port. But look closer, and the similarities emerge.
Both are port cities. Both were bombed extensively during WW2. And both are reemerging, two very different phoenixes.
Built on the banks of the Mersey, Liverpool is embracing its heritage, restoring the older buildings of the port and the docks, and transforming the central city into a vibrant shopping area: Liverpool One.
Liverpool DocksRotterdam, on the Maas, is the largest port in Europe and the third largest in the world. But rather than rebuilding as it was before the war, the city is embracing modern architecture. The place feels like a homage to concrete and steel.
Both these cities have space - especially along the banks of their respective rivers. They have exceptionally well-planned public areas. And they both have an air of vibrance; of excitement. As if they realise that it is possible to rebuild, to make a city better than it was before.
RotterdamOctober 10, 2013
Number One
My teens love thrills. So it's no surprise that the number one attraction for the holiday was *drum roll*: Alton Towers.
Alton Towers is the British theme park and chock full of roller coasters. A teenager's heaven. They researched it in advance to find the best rides - not something I'd seen them do with, say, the British Museum.
Couple of tips - go in the middle of the week, take warm clothes and avoid the school holidays. There were next to no queues and plenty of rides to chose from in mid Oct.
And don't expect to sit in the cafe. The kids won't let you.
Alton Towers is the British theme park and chock full of roller coasters. A teenager's heaven. They researched it in advance to find the best rides - not something I'd seen them do with, say, the British Museum.
Couple of tips - go in the middle of the week, take warm clothes and avoid the school holidays. There were next to no queues and plenty of rides to chose from in mid Oct.
And don't expect to sit in the cafe. The kids won't let you.
