Month: May 2023

An uneventful seven hour flight, and we are now in Dubai. By the time we check into our hotel at mid morning, it is 36 degrees! Our hotel is the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach, in the Dubai Marina area. Nice hotel .. beach access, large pool, many restaurants etc. This will do us nicely for a couple of days, before the final journey home.

Dinner for our first night was in one of the hotel restaurants, the Peacock. This was a Chinese restaurant, and the food was excellent. Alcohol is available, but very expensive. The Pharts then went for a walk along the beachfront of JBR, the neighbourhood of our hotel. Very spectacular with the lights and lots of people, restaurants and stalls. Then it was an early night!

For our final evening in Dubai, we wondered along the beach boardwalk from our hotel, in to the nearby lively JBR area. We dined at ZouZou, a Lebanese and Turkish restaurant. I had lamb shish, Sue the Keltic Kofta, along with a rocket salad. Generous portions and good food. We then wandered along and across the foot bridge over to the Blue Waters area. An ideal viewing area for photos of a brightly lit Dubai.

Overall, a very relaxing two days in Dubai. Very hot, limiting what you can do, particularly during the day. Also, a seventeen hour fight to Auckland. Not an ideal stopover, but the urgency of our departure limited our options.

Fly home tomorrow .. looking forward to it.

With the necessary tasks completed in Chard, the Old Pharts have three days in London, before commencing their journey home. They have the pleasure of staying with old Kiwi friends Shaun and Michelle, at their wonderful home in Queens Park.

After a delightful dinner and catch up, the intrepid couple are meeting up with another old friend, Marianne. She is married to Blair’s old pharmacy friend Niven, who is away on a work conference. Marianne is a qualified “Blue Ribbon” tour guide. We meet at Liverpool St station, and she gives us a walking tour around the City of London, finishing at St Paul’s. Very educational.

We dined that evening at the Milk Beach restaurant, just around the corner in Lonsdale Road, Queens Park. Dumplings for starters, then Sue had the Saffron Risetto, and myself the Chicken Schnitzel. Very nice.

Our second to last day in London and England, and we decided to visit the redeveloped Battersea Power station area. The former power station was derelict for many years, but is now a shopping centre, surrounded by restaurants and apartments. A stunning transformation! We then walked along the Battersea Park and Thames river, and across the Albert Bridge into Chelsea. Along Kings Road, through Sloane Square, Eton Square, Grosvenor Square and into Hyde Park. We then walked down Piccadilly to the Circus, jumped on the tube and back to Queens Park. Quite an excursion!

For their final day in London, the Kiwi Battlers decided to check out Little Venice, Regents Park and Primrose Hill. We decided to walk it, as it wasn’t too far, but take the tube back. The weather has been pleasant in London, and it has been an enjoyable three days. We are grateful to Shaun and Michelle for their hospitality, and had a nice dinner at the local Bob’s Cafe last night.

And so, the time has come to depart England. We fly to Dubai, for a two day stopover, then back home.

After two and a half weeks in Chard, and the funeral and related tasks completed, it was time for a “mini break.” The destination is a fishing village, Brixham, on the south Devon coast in the “English Riviera.” We are staying in a very nice bed and breakfast called Ranscombe House. It overlooks the Harbour, and a short walk into the town centre.

Our first evening in Brixham, we dined at Rockfish, a restaurant on the waters edge. Although chilly, we dined on the outdoors verandah, and saw a numbers of fishing boats coming in. The food was very good .. seafood the specialty of course!

The next morning, after a hearty cooked breakfast, we decided to explore Berry Head, and continue walking out to Sharkham Point. A decent long walk, coming back through the town.

The afternoon saw the Pharts walking in the opposite direction, following the coastal path to Churston Cove.

Dinner was at Beamers restaurant. Quite delightful! A shared starter of fish balls, then I had the turbot, and Sue the Sea Bass. Great food and service.