Winter Walk in the Surrey Hills

Saturday was to be a warm (6 degrees) day with no rain, so we decided to take a walk up to St. Martha on the hill, a lovely stone church at the top of a hill in the Surrey Hills.

The Surrey Hills is officially "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" which is like some parkland reserve similar to national parks but still retain human use like some farming, housing etc.

We drive up to Newlands Corner and then walk across the lovely open fields taking in the view across the rolling hills, the patchwork colours of the English hills with their infinite shades of green, the reds & browns of the winter trees and filter sun. This section is extremely popular for dog walkers, we see dozens of people each time here with their dogs running around like mad - big open spaces & a ball or stick makes for happy dogs.

After the open fields we skirt a farm along a bridle track and spot the busy squirrels trying to find that last bit of pre winter food. Then we start to climb up St. Martha's hill which is fairly gentle, but just stunning. The tracks are winding all throughout the hill making their way through thick forests of dead ferns and wintery trees whose leaves carpet the ground providing a nice spongey walkway. The air is cold & fresh and has a delightful earthy smell to it.

When you get to the top of the hill there is a great view of the surrounding country side and the lovely old church.

The view the sandy trail as you head up to St. Martha on the hill.

St. Martha on the hill.

Ying enjoying the walk in the ferns

Norwich Cathedral

Last weekend we went up to Norwich Cathedral - it has the second highest spire in the UK and one of the longest naves. It is a truly spectacular building.

One of the great aspects of the Cathedral is the fact that it is sitting in a 44 acre walled town within Norwich city. The whole effect is like that of a giant cloister with the cathedral as the centre piece.

The cathedral has been in place since 1096 and is a masterpiece of Norman architecture.

After wandering around the walled cathedral town we stumbled upon a lovely old church call St. George Tombland. We had a lovely little tour by someone there who pointed out the history of the church. It has a magnificent wooden ceiling untouched by fire and some fantastic ornate carvings of angels. Parts of the church date from the 13 century.

Norwich itself is a lovely city with some great pedestrian shopping streets.

We stayed at the Premier Inn near the train station which was great, it had a fantastic modern restaurant that was half pub half restaurant - but with very private seating, not crowded at all.

All up, Norwich was a great visit.

Now in Guildford - England

It has been awhile since we updated here and there have been many changes since living in Manly.

From Manly we moved to Everton Hills in the northern suburbs of Brisbane. We bought a lovely house there with a backyard and trees - we were living the suburban life.

In Feb '09 we brought the digital pen business into the Acorn Software business (makers of simPRO).

Then in June '09 we moved to the UK to open up a simPRO UK office. We have been doing that since July.

We are based in the lovely town of Guildford, about 1 hour south of London.

So now that we are back on the grid, we will do some regular updates.

Digital Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

The answer to the question "Is the pen mightier than the sword?" is a resounding yes if you take a look at this - www.simpromobile.co.uk

Flexicar - Car Share now in Manly

Flexicar is a great concept where instead of owning a car, you car share.

By becoming a member, you get access to a fleet of cars around Sydney and Melbourne. They are primarily in the inner city suburbs and Sydney's inner west - but now - they are also in Manly.

It is a pretty simple process, you become a member, pay a plan amount, get a smart card then book online and drive away!

After you book online, simply walk up to your booked car, swipe your smart card across the windscreen and the doors unlock and off you go.

The cars are mostly smart cars - so they are pretty cute - and easy to park.

Rates are extremely affordable - starting from only $12 per hour!

So if you live in Manly, and you are looking for a car or access to a second car - check out Flexicar.

Dragon Boat Festival Races - Sydney

This weekend my mum was in town as part of the dragon boat festival races in Darling Harbour.

The festival is part of the Chinese New Year Festival and is a high light of the Australian Dragon Boat Racing series.

Mum's team is the Port Macquarie Flamin Dames - they are a masters (over 40) women's sports team. She got into by support the Dragons Abreast racing club which is for breast cancer survivors.

Mum's Team Powering In To The Finish

It was a fun day out enjoying the beauty of Sydney's Darling Harbour and the sunshine! These kids even enjoyed the sight of a huge jellyfish floating under the boardwalk:

The Future of Advertising

Is this the future of advertising?

Li Xin, a Chinese Kungfu practicer, shows the back of his head for advertising in Nanjing, East China‘s Jiangsu Province. The four red Chinese characters say "Advertisement, For Rent. "

Maybe I can sell some skin on the back of my old bald noggin!! Any Bidders?

Birds Eye View of Manly

Here is a great view of the important parts of Manly from Google Earth.

Click Image to Enlarge.

Circled is our house, you can also see the swimming enclosure on the harbour side (where we do a lot of swimming), you can see manly wharf and even Manly surf beach.

Everything you need in few hundred meters walk!

Australia Day 2007

Happy Australia Day!

Today is Australia Day, and Ying and I decided to spend the day in the city doing the Australia day usuals.

We caught the ferry at 10.15am and headed into town. The ticket queue for Manly ferry was very busy and we almost missed getting on it, the gates literally came down on our heels. Tourist Tip: On public holidays and weekends - get to the ferry early to get your tickets!!

We walked up Macquarie Street and enjoyed looking at the old cars as part of the annual NRMA Motorfest. The thing that worried me was that I saw a Ford Cortina there, just the same as one that I used to own - how can that be vintage - am I getting old?
We then went and sat in the edge of the botanical gardens on our picnic blanket and enjoyed the fresh air and the people going past. Whilst there I put an Australian flag tattoo on Ying's arm:


I had a tattoo put on my neck by Ying - but the goose put it on upside down:
After removing that one and applying a new tattoo, we had a wander around the botanical gardens then headed into Hyde Park where all the action is. For the first time Triple J were broadcasting the hottest 100 as part of the official Australi Day celebration. They had a big screen set up and the DJs doing a live broadcast.

We had some lunch there in Hyde Park - yummy Turkish Gozleme - sat in the shade under one of the beautiful Moreton Bay Fig trees.

After lunch we took a look around the old mint which is now home to the Historic Houses Trust. It is a beuatiful old building and they have done an extrodinary job with the rennovation and integration of the old and new - its really beautiful.

We then headed down to the Rocks and watched some live music, including a really cool human beat box dude. We then went down and sat on the grass by the harbour and watched the boats moving on the choppy harbour. After a few hours in the sun we wandered back through the Rocks and started to watch a street performer. She turned out to be a contorsionist!

After standing watching for a couple of minutes, I got dragged up to help her! She was going to squeeze into a 16" perspex box. I had to hold it securely so it didn't tip over as she got in. Believe it or not she bent herself into some bizarre ways and squeezed in - very impressive.

After that we hoped on the ferry and came back home.

Another fun Australia Day!

A Drive to Hunter Valley

We took a drive to Hunter Valley last weekend. There we had a great time in Maitland one of Australia’s most historic colonial towns.