Toronto 09

Get up, stand up, line up. all the ducks walking in a line, best part was, it was in a circle.

I love the juxtaposition of the bent pole and the sign saying fashion district right here in downtown Toronto

This is in the park near where I went kayaking down to the lake.

Lake Como 09

These are some of the little streets and paths found around the lake, some very stylish shops mixed among some great little market stalls.

This is the lake, there is a flying school near by and constantly planes are taking off and landing.

Marc chagall exhibition. wonderfully placed right on the lake.

Milan 09

The shopping centre, how small we are as humans.

Il Duomo in Milan.

In a museum, this is the ceiling.

Sicily 09

Amazing place, so full of character and although I have heard a lot about mafia, didnt seem to be much sign of it here. Mind you, probably have to look in the right places. Anyway, this little island surround by a crystal clear sea is full of character.

Thats the water, I accidentally swam through the water polo match at one time, swimming underwater popped up.... took about a minute and a near miss to alert me.

Water plane.

The trains, oh lord, great trains but some charages don't have airconditioning which is a complete killer, hot, sticky and not pleasant. Always travel in the evening or morning.

This is the restaurant by the campsite. Lovely but I was expecting it to be packed. Great to travel around an island and the place is almost empty. Go recession.

Cefalu!

Cefalu in Sicily, and the old time mafia are back in town. sitting in a semi circle, discussing.... well discussing old school mafia tactics.

Bit late for a good pic, but here I tried an ice cream I had never heard of before. Forgot the name, but its basically a bread bun with your choice of ice cream inside. Amazing combination and quite successful.

Hmmmmm, and don't forget, the water in Sicily is about 24 degrees in the summer, sooo good.

This is the seafront at Cefalu.

As night draws in, time for a romantic meal.

Romantic Dinner in Cefalu.

All the restaurants in Cefalu are small and overlook the sea via balconnies. Very sweet and charming.

Lido in Venice.

This is the sunset from the island Lido in Venice where we camped. Peace is rarely found in the busy international tourist destination.

You dirty dog, this is on the beach on Lido. I started throwing stones in the water and she just attacked the sea waves, smashing into each breaker as it almost toppled her. Very entertaining to watch.

After a while she worked out that stones sink and having spent a good hour chasing sinking stones I had to throw sticks into the water... Unil she realized that the sticks would come to her if she wated long enough. Brilliant. So I throw the stick, the sea brings it to her, and the cycle continues...

Venice, the centre.

The centre of venice has to be one of the most photographed entres of all time. Mind you, not sure if it was me, but felt much less busy than last time I was there at the same time.

Guggenheim museum venice,

Probably no photography allowed.....

This pic is from outside the guggenheim museum.

CHECK IT OUT. "The willink do camping" how is it possible to make such a mess whilst camping? clearing its a well re-hursed recipe.

Centre of venice.

Unbelievable, returning to the centre after a meal it looks like venice really is sinking, no rain, clear sky with a bright moon and yet check out the amount of water here. Its almost like it rose from the "foundations of the earth" better go back and check our tents....

Lakes in Italy: Ildo

This is the view from the Dutch campsite we stayed in. I say Dutch, becuase the entire Netherlands decended on this campsite and turned it into a crazy place. Best part was the night Dj singing into his mike whilst banging his hands on the keyboard without timing it to the beat or keychanges... hilarious to watch.

But even after the crazy DJ, the view is gorgeous, tranquility defined.

Couldn't handle that campsite for more than one night, so went to the other end of the lake... worth it. stunning water and view.

 

Skiing is hard, but eating all those chips, thats even harder isnt it charlie.

 

Snowy becoming ever snowier.

 

Finally snowed in.

 

Paris in its simple glory

TUNISIA TRIP, SUMMER 08

This picture just about sums up most of the life there. Men sitting outside drinking mint tea and talking about important things. Or not even talking just being important.

Me trying to fit into the tunisian way of life..........not really working to be honest. But its fun to try.

Markets, 25% is the maximum price you should pay for anything. MAX. and then they are still making a lot of money. But god its exhausting work trying to get anything done.

Thats an ancient roman bridge connecting Jherba with tunisia. 6 miles long and still standing strong.

Jherba. the beach.

A museum documenting the wedding process. I cant remember it all, but its an amazing ritual about a week long.

A wedding procession came along which was quite a story. I think they last a week and are full of rituals.

The real deal. Transport as its meant to be.

Entering a mosk. Shoes of, hat on.

The streets....if only the tourist markets could be that peaceful.

The tourist markets. I never understood these places. The avidly hate tourists, everything about them. They are just aggressively mean, Supposedly they just get bored and carry grudges or something. But its universal in the tourist areas. They are just so unfriendly.

Over flow of colour.

Pepper mint tea, shishas and no need to do anything. What a life.

This was one of the greatest place. At midnight, we drove to a castle and payed the guard to let us in. He locked the door behind us and showed us around. It was totally surreal to be in a castle like that alone with no noise and people screaming and shouting.

Fantastic and classic. This roller coaster was driven by a lazy drunk man who clearly was more interested in the woman walking past than the humans about to die on his death trap. He literally just pulls levers at stages when he feels like it and somehow the carts stay on......

The best shisha i have ever had. Made out of a melon and filled with bear. A speciality in Tunisia.

Markets, this was the first non tourist market we went to. Quite a different atmosphere. It was great not to be hounded by really annoying stall holder, and just breath in the smells (some of which were instantly breathed out) and take in all the colours and lifestyle. It did take a day drive to find this though.

This is a perfect example of why not to travel in a tour bus. We accidentally came across this old village that regularly gets hit by coach loads of tourists at which point the place becomes alive with hounding tour guides and expensive ice creams. But find this during the day and its peaceful and beautiful. We met a young guy and he showed us around, wouldn't accept any money. Was a genuinely really nice person which made the entire trip worth it.

An ancient city in the mountains. inhabited by dust and age.

This woman was quite a topical piece of work. We got directions to a little house in the mountains to have a look at how people lived there. That cost us 5 dirrams, and the guy said we didnt have to pay anymore. We entered and in my halting french this sweat old lady introduced us and showed us around. Then at the end, she produced a sketched board on which it said entrance fee, 5 dirrams. oooohh that little old lady became like a viper, a snake in the grass, mean little eyes. And one second ago such a tranquil old lady, full of care. Well, typical tourist con, but thats part of visiting a strange country.

A small drive out in the mainland and suddenly you hit a completely new country, no desert, grand canyon area.

Driving down to the boat. A little ferry that takes you across to Jherba.

CROATIA TRIP, SUMMER 08

An amazing little church at the very top of a mountain.

Art galleries, shops, local food markets, fresh wine, just some of the amazing secrets to be found in Istria.

Just driving through the mountains you go through endless little villages, each one has a character, art galleries, musical performances and so much amazing wine.

Walking through the streets.

Life stops up here. Its driven by the seasons and there are times, even they go to sleep.

Up in the mountains, this is an old church right from a romantic french film.

And with stunning views its a perfect place to ponder and be at peace.

A busy peace in the little village before the jazz concert.

A small jazz concert up in the mountains with amazing views for when the band might get boring.

A typical sight in a Croatian village in the mountains. This small group of men consist almost the entire population and are sitting down to talk business. Politics, woman and coffee, all thats important. It was great sitting behind them, passionate talking like you cant imagine. Dont understand Croatian, but character they definitely had.

This is the largest outdoor screen in Europe or something like that, set in a huge coliseum in Croatia.

Old and young.

Exploring Croatia you bump into roman ruins everywhere, just mixed into the cities and landscape.

Inside the collesseum.

This is the largest roman collesseum in Croatia. The italians tried many times to steel it, literally break it down block by block and transport it to Venice.

A little river between Slovenia and Croatia. Sooo warm and perfect for feet after a long drive through the mountains.

The harbour in Koper, Slovenia. Its just had a complete re-build and looks fantastic. This small port is teaming with life, concerts, and art galleries.

Lithuania trip


This is in a beautiful location near my friends house by a river. BBQ time although with no vegetarian food i had cheese toasties. There was an amazing sauna right next to us which was great fun. sauna, swim, eat, etc. many times over.


Fishing, not my cup of tea, and at 4 in the morning quite something. But it was very beautiful. I managed to junx mine so i didnt catch a single one. But i got to watch the others catch loads.



This is a speciality in Litnuania, beet root soup. Its actually very nice.

Breakfast!
After a long mornig of fishing, on an empty stomach. And this is no ordinary vodka. Its home made! and if i listened to what they said, because the bubbles dont pop when they rise to the surface of my (5th that morning) glass its above 55% alcohol.

We were visiting some relatives of my friend and it turns out they were just about to collect the honey from the bees. I have always wanted to do that, how hard can it be?

So i put on the head thing and admitted i looked like a flower on a bad day.


Right here we go, gloves on, there is the little box, all seems peaceful and nice.

There is something on my arm, bees look a little more angry than i expected, is it really that bad, all i want it a little honey.


Holey crap, Yep i lasted about 45 seconds, what are they doing, every bee in the country is attacking me. And no one told me they bite through Jeane's. AAAHHHHH they are in my hair, down my neck.

ps, thank you friend for laughing at me and taking the time to take pictures whilst i was running for my life.

OK, so whats the deal with Lithuanian restaurants? Being vegetarian its always hard to find food to eat. But imagine how hard it is when the person writting the menu has drunk half the vodka in the country and decided he doesnt like feeding people.
here are some of the menu items:
"mistress's whim"
"nude maids in sweet flags"
"fish under water" well were else are you going to get the fish from? jupiter?



the menu says: "flying cabbage" ok... do i need a net to catch them?
"eat a more filling meal" no i would really rather a non filling meal, that way i can come back and buy another. (what an idiot)
"so delicious, so filling"
what on earth is in those meals? why would you name food like that?


"mashed potato sausage baked in the oven" well, lets hear the alternatives, baked in the fridge?
"for the end of potato digging" good, that way when i come home after a hard days work there will be an unknown and nutritious meal waiting for me
"zeppelins with minced meat" ok this one shook me, is the war still on? are you really going to attack a country with minced meat?
"party leftovers" oh great, vomit and spilled bear, just what i need on my holiday in a restaurant. I just didnt knowi had to pay for it here.

This is a main road, i love how there aren't even any protection gates from the machines. If your in the way, you get flattened, i guess that's sort the motto in the entire country.
They are allowed to imprison you for two years without any reason....not a great law to build a community with.


This is the gang working on the house, trying to get the roof on before it starts raining... i think they are hoping the roof will make itself. Or maybe they are making it out of the tables and are sitting on the wood to flatten it.........maybe


This is the capital, Vilnius. the centre is pretty and cute, but as soon as you enter the areas the government doesn't want you to see, it becomes very dirty and messy.


the centre square.

This is us at the restaurant in the capital. The restaurant was filled with live animals, snakes, birds, chickens........i asked about the snakes and they dont eat those, that's a relief, i didn't dare asked what happens to the fish and chickens.

This is one of the factories we are using in Lithuania. They are huge. and as far as i can see, very dangerous.


That machine cuts the logs in so many different shapes.


Ah, and thats road legal? em, where is the door that gets me out of this box of rust on wheels? ahhhhh that thing looks dangerous. Made one hell of a noise.


The truck had a window, it was huge .....this, however was my view for the entire journey. I was waiting for something to exlode.


This is a little oak man. One of the ones we are selling.

Some very nice drives.


Oh dear, sleeping at the wrong time. hehe

This is another one of those dodgy illegal diesel filling stations. You leave the cans there ovr night, and pick them up the next day. Cash only.



This is the guys house i was staying in. The first day i got there there was no roof.
I asked him about this.... he said, "yea thats normal".........the next day it started to rain, luckily just in time we had a water proof membrane in place..... it was tight.

Lithuania has one island....we went to it.
Its a cute little island but not much on there and the sea is a little too cold to swim in.


Shoes on the beach, the sea wasn't too bad, but without a clean shower before getting back in the car, i would have been walking home.


Does anyone know how hard it is to cycle and take pictures? especially in a country where you can't rely on anything like roads. Imagine a motorway where at one point someone decides they are a bad idea....and then you get a dirt road with horse pooh on it....thats what you need to be ready for.


us cycling.


Fresh fish caught at the sea. I tried because the smelled so good cooked on the fire, but the taste just didn't settle.

This is just around the corner from the castle. Apparently there are loads of lakes connected to each other and as we saw people sail in big ships to take a look at the castle.


The mafia, this is my very good friend who was showing the delicate beauties of Lithuania......yep, beer and sprite i learnt a lot about.


That the castle, its pretty cool. I tried to learn some historic facts from my beer and vodka drinking friend, the furthest i got was "people lived there" and "it was built quite a while ago".......


This is a perfect example of how peaceful the country is, generally speaking its very quiet. (where there is no vodka)


It was all i could do to stop them running over the poor baby boar. There was a team of them looking at us crossing the road.

This is a pilgarmidge place, thousands and thousands of crosses. A litle depressing the place to be honest.
but interesting.

At least some people have a sense of humor in such a place. Although a little disrespectful it gives quite a laugh after having see about 10000 crosses.


This is a seriously dodgy place, getting diesel from a russian contact. You drive to some farm in the middle of nowhere, they open a little door in a garage to reveal a petrol pump. Cash only. but its much cheaper.


Oh dear, the one person i got to know very very well in Lithuania. I probably had many conversations with similar bottles of brandy. Although i can't remember any of them.


This is the castle in some place beginning with D. Very nice, its been renovated and i get the feeling its one of the only castles in Lithuania.

Hunting! ah its not for me
I wanted to see what life was like in Lithuania and when i was invited on a hunting trip i guess i couldnt refuse. I would like to stress. I am vegetarian.

So its quite a step to see people kill animals. But its great to get an insight into the process, i have nothing against killing animals if it is for nutrition. (I just wont do it)



So thats the gun, i think its a russian one.


in places like this they eat the meat, everything is very rustic, its all got a lot of character.

Finally a chance to get some work done. Its amazing how in such a peaceful country (full of vodka) its so hard to get any work done. So i pressed my advantage, numbers, timber, trucks, etc. Although i did get quite a punch when i rang up a client to gave a quotation, they were making red faces and saying something about scaring away the boars..........Didnt seem like such a bad thing to me. I guess i have a lot to learn about hunting. not that i want to.


Walking to a lookout point in which to sit in and enjoy getting stung by about every mosquito in Lithuania.



Nice picture, it really is that peaceful. not a person for miles around.


mostly my job was to watch and commentate. "yep, thats definately a big boar"...... "i think he is taking a shit......shouldnt we leave him for a moment?"

Go shooting to kill is really something i will never enjoy, but it is a little thrilling to shoot.

And its spring time here in the UK. Finally a bit of sun.


Blue bells, wonderfull blue bells again, apparently they only grow on land that is more than a 100 years old. I think it has something to do with the type of soil after that time.... god probably knows, and cares.

Skiing in Lenzerheide. Drove the car all the way here, two days.

We stayed in my grand parents brand new house, it had that completely new, off the shelves feel. Everything had a design straight from the catalogue.

Finally hitting the slopes for the first time in what seems like years.

POSER! Dun in his element. We had tp climb this mountain in order to find new snow.

Hard work for dun, at one point it just wasnt working out for him, slipping, falling etc, poor Durian got so angry i think he was considering throwing his board down the mountain, and cooling is arse off by sliding down on it.

Talking of Dun's large arse, sat down on this chair, Gege and me were enjoying the sun and suddenly, crack, of all people, Dun managed to break the chair just by sitting on it.

Actually yes, he is smelling himself. After that long off piste run, we had a drink, first thing, Dun says, I stink and starts smelling himself. Priceless picture.

Hard work boys, Dun and Gege. We didn't have great snow which meant climbing a mountain to get to someplace with untouched powder.

The plan got a little distorted when Gege lost my expensive glasses, dun started to drink the mountain water and turned into a rabbit and i tried to stay sane enough to get down the mountain. kidding. beautiful long run after a 10 minute walk over the mountain. Jumping rivers, going through trees.

The way down, unfortunately at this point i didn't have enough speed to jump the river for the third time, so i had to walk over.

Amazing river, so much fun to go down.

Strasssburg - An extremely cute city.

All the architecture is so dark and oppressive, and yet the city has such a friendly atmosphere.

The cathedral form the outside.

The roman organ. breathes life into the very very dark church.

This is inside the church, admitedly not a great picture, but artisticaly it works great.

Something a little spooky about this picture, there was jsut one of those strange lights that you somtimes get in churches.

Famous, just i can't tell you why. Beautiful, that i can tell you.

Charlie again, my youngest brother. Such a big world, its easy to get lost with such short legs.


One early morning when the mist was still creeping..... i went for a very early walk with snowy and there are some pretty surreal feelings you can get from a forest, this reminds me somehow of a sad elephant..... imagination.


The golf course, just behind our house.


Sit snowy, sit, she will run off a hundred miles, but the moment you say sit, she is down. Try getting her to come back, and you might as well audition for an opera part next to a cement mixer.

Just me, nothing else.

This is the busy life of tangier.

Spices, saphron, the spices shops are almost as bad as the carpet shops. Once you enter, you get the whole story, history and any other rubish the think will keep you in the shop longer.

Me, and the beach in afrika.

So here's the deal, that is a rally car, that is a red corcodile, put the two together and you get ... don't really know. Just a very funny sight.

What afrikan city would not be complete without the "carpet people". This is just one more of the many, carpets, carpets and carpets. For anyone who has experienced, once your in the shop thats it, you wont get out. i swear if it was slightly legal, the owners would shoot you rather than let you through the door again. My god, its so draining to have to be on alert 24 hours a day.

So people actually fit in these little streets?

no pun intended, its a colorful place tangier, but needs the work put into it.

The light house, people living inside there. Would to so cool to buy a place like that. One of the most romantic fairy tale places ever. There we people living in this one, washing hanging out on the lines.

Midnight and we arrive at tangier. Don't know what english he studied, but its the perfect entrance to an amazing country.

1 in the morning and we reach this fabulous hostel, full of decorations and characteristic artwork.

Hard to see in the picture, but thats the beach, this is at the top of the dar jameel hostel, overlooking the entire city. Dont forget, this is winter and its 20 celcius. I think the picture just speaks laziness.

Amazing architecture, little stairs, bridges and lots of colorful decoration. One could almost enjoy a great portion of tangier by just staying here and avoiding, the noise, dirt, people, scamming, hostility, diseases, bad food, expensive gifts and all other plesent things that can be found in such places.

Dark. This is a rock band in castle roof top in Slovenia, fantastic atmoshpere. The castle was being renovated so everything had a raw feel to it, just like the music, not my type of music so much, but great experience.

Spain, near malaga, this is the 3 kings procession, full of kindness. Stand and watch as small kids get their revenge and pelt you with rock hard bits of suger mixed with friendly chemicals, also known as: sweats.

Ferry to AFRIKA. ...... as you can see, 12 at night, not very exciting. actually, one might even say, positively boring. missed the first speed cat, so a couple of lazy chips later, many hours and we got on for MOROCCO, Tangier.

LjubljAna at Christmas time. This is right in the centre of Slovenia at christmas, lights are wonderful, stars, galaxies etc.

This is the main centre, pity its going to be so lonely the ljubljana this christmas, no presents, no clear family, ah well, next time i guess.

The walk to the centre, just enough snow to make it completely romantic.

During the day time, this is the centre again of Ljubljana. The buildings look similar to those in moscow, not quite as high and somehow so much more friendly. great atmoshpere in the city.

Christmas hits the Willink house. More like, Charlie hits christmas but never mind.

Presents, presents and more of them. They look too good in the living room, we should really leave them there all year... or just have christmas every week. either works.

Too many to count.

My dad wearing the hat i hade him. Every sunday he cooks us dinner, so i designed a hat for him which says: "Danger, men cooking" in black type over yellow. Obviously, it has nothing to do with his cooking ... obviously, so now we know, if the house explodes on a sunday, it started in the kitchen, any other day, and its just a normal event and you just pick one of the many rooms at a guess.

Christmas has started, that tree looks so lonely without presents. Notice its been raised... 11 young ones this year... going to be a lot of presents! Although i get the feeling snowy will get at them before our human hands are unleashed.

Have you been a good boy this christmas? "who you talking to? call me shadow man, i only eat chocolate and dop dop (some how ketchup) I will be taking all the presents this christmas"

The christmas fair, at the school.

Moscow trip

Moscow, Russia, right in the centre, the red square.

Inside the cathedral. The picture speaks for itself. I could have one of those in my room. Although it might get a bit daunting after a while.

Anything that looks that good might be called holy. Look at the detail that has gone into the decoration. Totally mind boggling. Someone certainly had too much free time, but what a piece of art.

The first gallery we went to had this brilliant collection of gold, and diamond artifacts.

Very cute and unique style these jewels.

More gold,

Me. Not a great picture, but behind the flash is an amazing horse saddle, Although from my experience comfort is everything, and that one looked like a walk through the amazon.

Click the picture to enlarge it. This unbelievable building is actually a mall. I get the feeling these kinds of buildings are just normal for Russians.

Russia would not be Russia without plenty of this. Although surprisingly fewer people were as supportive as i thought they might be. I get the feeling the large cities have become too cool for Vodka, but once you enter a smaller village, things start getting interesting i am sure.

This is the red square. On the left, if you click the picture, there is a small tomb for Lenin. His actual body is lying there, viewable, surrounded by 5 guards. It has been preserved all these years despite his will to be buried in St. Petersburg next to his wife. Funny that they should disregard his will in order for young school children to be led past his body on an hourly basis.

The world, in a very large nutshell.

Galleries, so many beautiful galleries.

Unfortunately most of the articles in this museum were plaster casts, still amazing, full sized "Davids" etc. And so many of them. Just countless amounts. Every single room has one of those old ladies watching your everymove. They seem peaceful, some are even asleep, but when they get angry ...

Enering the red square, not perfect weather, but god it was cold. Fair amount of wind which eats your bones alive.

I think there are six cathederals in the red square. out of a possible 12 odd buildings.

Gold, all gold.

This interesting look building, (for lack of a better word) is home to a museum.

Inside the red square. Its kept immaculate. completely krisp clean.

That dome on the left is a giant under ground mall, full of designer shops. On the right is the red square.

This is a different mall on the red square in the heart of Moscow. Designer shops as far as the eye can see, and there are three of these tunnels. Quite staggering.

St. Petersburg trip

The hermitage, the one and only. Over 3 million pieces of art. 6 buildings. Easily take about a week to go through it all. But its a once in a lifetime experience.

The entrance.

Its amazing to see a child having so much fun in such a serious atmosphere. We were standing in the line and laughing so much, almost got kicked out.

The main entrance stairs. everything that gilmmers is covered in gold.

The gold is just beyond blief, there is even a single room which i couldnt photograph which is completely clad in gold.

The thrown. oh how i was tempted, even with everyone standing around. but everysingle room has a stroppy old lady guard.

Golden bird.

Leonardo. one of the many, With art, one is inspired by ones own feelings.

Massively beautiful room. one of the many, With art, one is inspired by ones own feelings.

Picasso. one of the many, With art, one is inspired by ones own feelings.

A picture. one of the many, With art, one is inspired by ones own feelings.

This is the main square in St. Petersburg, on the otherside is the hermitage. Those are authentic carriages infront of my pillar. Dedicated to me. tsar Alexander I (i think)

St isaaks cathederal. From the outside, just one of the many, but when you get inside ... Its like the chestnuts you get in london, and one of them peels perfectly and it makes it worth it.
All the old ladies, the pushing, anger, agression etc.

The size alone is like when you get to the sea and look until your eyes stop seeing. Too much to take in.

Inside St. Isaaks cathederal. click for a larger image, the detail is fenominal.

Fergot the name, but the nickname i created is "symmetrical one", for obvious reasons. After a while there are just too many names, comical ones start popping into ones mind... perhaps some of which should be left to the imagination.

Something something on split blood is the cathederal. This is just off the main street Nevsky Prospect. about 10 mins walk from the hotel. Its quite out of place on the outside. Quite like an american, living in india, trying to adopt the lifestyle ...only to find out there are no star bucks there.

The inside, the colors are extremely grounding. very solid.

Inside the cathederal, just stunning, no words can describe the art. I have travelled all around italy and greece, but never have i seen such art. And so well preserved without all the normal trourist protection and noise.

Me in the leaves. This is in St. P in one of the gardens. Great Autumn atmosphere. The entire city is kept immaculate.

This is the world renowned Marrinsky theatre. One of the most famous in the world. We watched le Corsaire which was beyond doubt perfect. Totally perfect. Just not a single mistake.

Inside the marrinsky theatre, beautiful decoration, all gold.

This really was a "lost in translation". We ordered 16 sushi's a wine and a tomato juice. What we got was 32 sushi's, two orange juices, two wines, and fried vegetables. great food, but nearly killed me eating it all. Just dont know how it happened, but i guess the strange looks were warranted.

The train, one way was a night train, the other was during the day. In the cabin on the night train an extremely friendly russian officer talked to me about something my english response was to replicate the sound of a train and smile. He didnt speak much english, but was great fun.

This was one of the most hilarious sights i have ever seen. On the 8 hour train from moscow to St. Petersburg we got a pack lunch. Each one is designed as a sort of disney child's menu. So youve got these big russian mafia people sitting down, ordering armies around on their phones and eating mickey bread with mickey house butter.

Dunny Dunny Dunny,

if you heard anything, just thought i would give an update. Dun broke his arm in two places, its not desperately serious, but he has a couple of pins in there for 6-8 weeks. I have spent the whole weekend up here around the hospital with him. He fell on a skiing jump and landed on his hand.

But its not so bad that he has an excuse when i beat him in a snowboarding race, so nothing too serious (although knowing dun, that excuse would only have to be a bent finger nail)

And the name: (drum roll), not quite sure what the logic is behind this: "Snowy" is the name...perhaps global warming has invaded our perception of snow, still its a loverly name.

This is our new dog, as of last night. 6 weeks old, and we are getting her pasport soon.

Apologies for the mess in my room, work has taken over at the moment... that will change.

The return of the dreaded mirror, i think the falling off the ledge means 1 for mirror, 0 for cute and confused dog.

"right, lets build a house, no need for talking, just get on with it" This is from a while ago, just thought i would put it in. Classic charlie

The first chinese emporer. Totally stunning exhibition in london, I spent the day there getting a visa and noticed an add for this on the tube, managed to get the last ticket available.

Charlie's bed and room. Look at the concentration involved, that slide has been used so much its incredible.

Charlie's Birthday, and the cake comes out, this one is just for him. He has been waiting for this day for so long. Everytime he asks, "is it my birthday yet? i am getting big" ...and i think he is talking about his upcoming belly.

What a mess, birthday breakfast doesnt last long as the presents come out. Why eat when there are more important things to do? like play, god know being serious is just boring.

Bodium castle, back in the uk, where they make real castles. The ones that exist in stories and fairy tales.

Waiting for nature to grow this chili ... every day charlie comes to my room and waters it for me. Pity i cant explain that growing takes longer than he thinks. Well, there is only one way for him to find out.... .....

An attempt to frighten the chili into revealing its photosynthetic power ... not much of a success to be quite honest. I get the feeling the chili is crying with laughter.

Camping with charlie ... we all went and saw a sound of music performance in london. Charlie takes the word "inspired" to a new level thats for sure. hehe
So now i start working, i will set up another blog with the details, a "work" blog, if your interested, send me an email. awillink@gmail.com

Croatia trip



Taking the boat back to the car after a week of sailing, was 9 hours and they didn't serve food... not good, back to basics, was considering learning to fish so damn hungry.



Me sailing the pirate boat, we went in two boats, and this one was sailing so i thought i would give a hand...when i suggested it, i didnt actually mean give a hand, had rope burns on my hand for days after. But was great fun anyway.

the crew... oh dear. is there going to be any sensible sailing?



The boat, a week spent in that in croatia, a dream come true. 37 foot, gorgeous boat. looks like an ice cream. ready to be eaten.



6 in the morning from the boat, sailing the placid sea.

Ah the peace, just look at it. This is at a port in one of the islands in croatia, went for a quick morning swim with water proof ipod, fantastic!






Swimming break, its hard to describe how clear the water is in croatia, but just knowing its 26 DEGREES. warm like a bath.

ahh, the coast, we took a mo-ped for a day and drove up into a little village overlooking...well its a small island so i guess overlooking everything.



Camping, and my car which has just about made it into croatia in one piece.



A quick swim after a long drive through two islands and one ferry.



The boat again, brilliant looking ship.

Waiting for the ship we ordered a pizza, and obviously the started loading whilst we were still eating. typical idiots, waited for us to start and then began loading.



just one of the many



cres in croatia, very busy but cute at the same time.



The fountain in cres, well, lets just say that when its so hot decency just goes out of the window, water is water, and hot is hot... do the maths.

SLOVENIA, SLOVENIA, SLOVENIA

The cottage again, but back with added lazy features.





Jumping from the bridge.



An amazing restaurant that is built on stilts above a running river. Its in Ljubjiana

Bled, this is the largest lake in Slovenia, and the most beautiful. The island in the middle has a magnificent church on it, which everybody swims to, rather strange seeing a church full of people in bathing suits. I guess one might say a fresh approach to christianity.





This is the castle in Bled, not a great pic, but its got a great view and restaurant.



Back to the cottage, the fireplace, ready to be lit for dinner.

hohoenworfen, or something like that, this is the castle where the film "where eagles dare" was filmed in austria. Watch the film, the castle doesnt have the cable cart as in the film, but there is a train that takes lazy tourists up.


thats the castle from a distance, there is acually a picture in a previous post.


Whilst at the castle, there was a show on of birds of prey, eagles, and vultures. Very befitting a place like that with such a majestic view.

Salzberg, chocolate! a speciality there. they make some of the best chocolate in this shop.


And Mozart. Everybody has to see the modest house he was born into.

the lakes of hungary, sweat, but give me slovenian lakes any day. nice walks around here though, and great for cycling.

Graz. some important building, there is a great sense of style and fasion in this city i would never have expected. There are so many little shops and restaurants all hidden away in the ancient buildings.


Its very hot, and a little humid...i think the picture speaks to any traveler. where is the lift?
these stairs take you up to the church that over looks Graz.


Now we all know conclusively that aliens do exist, they just god tired of killing everything and decided to set up a museum that looks like their feet. thats Graz for you.


..."so the london stock market has been (plop) going through some rough stages (plop)"
..."yea, its all that (plop) rain thats effecting (plop) business"

dinner conversations can be boring, but how on earth does one manage a conversation whilst on this (these?) toilets? this is in a hotel in austria near salzburg.

the city that begins with K... this was a wine tasting festival that happene to be on. They have a very intersting and unique sweat wine that tastes so much of honey its unbelievable. Wasnt really my cup of tea, but interesting to try something new.



wasnt really allowed to go into that building, but the guard was...looking the other way.


This is a museum of afrikan art in hungary, because the two countries are so close, and are renowned for their relationship...what? strange but amaying.



As you get near the austrian boarder things start to get interesting. This is a field of lavender.

and the second hand smell of my car has somewhat vanished. Its a special experience walking through a field that smells almost completely perfect.

Hungary...no really, the country. Most of hungary is pretty flat, not a...lot going on there. But the drive through takes you past miles and miles of sunflower fields. Its like driving through a sea of gold. excusing the cliche...


The first castle, picknik place.


Inside the centre, well needs a lot of renovation, but the inside looks fabulous. This castle is on the top of the largest hill i could find in Slovenia in that area...200 meters...not much to be proud of really.


Picknik was in the tree house. got the british basket out, tea, biscuits, cake. etc etc.


A museum. just, a museum, looks ok on the outside, the inside is like walking through a cemetary. dead boring and without any inspiration. this is in some place i cant remember the name, they are all purposely hard to remember to confuse invaders a long time ago. For me, this is just the large city that starts with K.

sorry about the quality of the picture, this is a beautiful mountain pass near the Austrian boarder. You can get an idea of the water in this picture, it defines the words crystal clear.



The worst coffee i have ever had in my life was at this house, but they had great honey...so...honey and coffee...it works.

On the way back the ljubljana, there were loads of little bridges like this one, the road takes you along the stream right back to the city.

Birthday dinner....and my part of the cooking is done.....oh look at the picture below, thats better. still more food on its way though, is hard to cook on a small gas fire.


The wine is gone? already? noo, well, i guess another bottle is needed. hehe no complaints there.
Such a cute house, so much character. even the candles have their own personality.


This is the view from that area, just above the house, to the right is an amazing waterfall...well, i think i will wait till the water in the house warms up for a shower.


This waterfall was on the way to white water rafting. its about 200 meters in size. The water whilst rafting was clear green beyond imagination, pretty rough stuff some of it, and then being led by an ex German military guy...or so he seemed. I wouldn't suggest it as an everyday sport to build the appetite, but was great fun. right through the heart of the Slovenian mountains.


Champagne night, the second night. That is a favorite local Slovenian champagne. Very smooth, and goes great with fruits for desert. That is also honey from a person who lives near by, its very popular the home made honey, completely fresh and unchanged.

So i spent an entire day seeing what its like being a truck driver in Slovenia, we made an entire round trip in one day, starting at 6 in the morning and ending at midnight. Thats the new merc truck i was in, The company www.pintarsped.com is run by a fantastic guy i met in the choir. Driving one of those things feels like being a king, you sit so high up, my head reaches the door handle, thats how big it is.


ok...mister...lets have three hundred men there, build a fort there, strengthen the defences there...
this is me looking very, if not too, serious in the truck. All day we took the little winding roads with a 26ton load...well, i guess thats what you need 500 horse power for.


ok, maybe not so very serious all the time. The drivers are really special people, so much fun, everytime another truck goes by, they speak to each other over the radio, talking about police, beer...and beer.



My birthday! I spent the weekend in the most fabulous cottage up in the mountains, solar panels, a wood fire to warm up the water, built by the owner, always empty and in the middle of a natural park up in the mountains. It also had a bed made of stone that was warmed by the fire.
I spent the day WHITE WATER RAFTING and the night at this cottage. You cant take the car here, so had to carry all the stuff to the house.


And this is the store room, left like that always, what i havent shown is the home made wines that are below...oof,

flowers, and bikes. The roads leading to this pub where full of flowers like this one. The smell and colors can be rather beautiful.





Why can't hills just stay as beautiful scenery and stay away from making poor cyclists very tired?

perfect cycling, although, cunningly i hid the fact that there was a massive mountain we just scaled which...well, was on the tiring side of fun....me tired? noooo

a church, just another on of the many, probably has a great story behind it, but, well lets just leave it as a slovenian story.


no words needed.


At the end of the day, we all stopped at a persons house who runs i bio thingy shop. She had the most amazing fresh apple juice.

oooff, clear water, sun, and bikes. I spent the day cycling around north slevenia with a group of about 25 people.


What they dont mention in the brochure is that you have to carry the bike up millions of steps to get here.
This restaurant overlooks the river in the pic below.


green, green, green. This is real drinking water, forget bottled shop stuff, this is straight from the mountains, cleaned by the rocks.


Bled! a city that has a name so unlike the place. sounds like buuuuurp. But that is a really cool castle on the mountain over looking the lake. nice temperature, good for swimming, especially after cycling 40k.


The tree got bored,
decided concrete was the best form of ground to live in
and moved!
...what is it doing here? looks great though. who said roundabouts couldnt be attractive?

On the left is a church that was being renovated. were not going to lead a crusade leaving from this church, thats for sure.


degustation... god knows what that means, but everytime in slovenia i try wine, they all say it. sounds like a bad case of bacteria... but no need to think about that. Look at the wine! this guy is the main exporter of slovenian wine.


ahhaaaaa, and you all leave me alone, i will just check all the wine to make sure its good.
Hey, i dont drink much, but its so nice to taste all the different kinds.


speaking of which, this is a cellar underneath a church.

so thats all homemade wine.........i take the left one.......

The vineyard, i worked here for a while, its great, such a fresh smell and oh so very green. That there is Marenko, he is the man who makes all of Slovenia run as smoothly as it does. He is the nicest man alive, and has shown me so much of this beautiful country.


Its common to have fruit trees near the vineyard to effect the taste of the wine. God knows how, but, fresh fruit for when i get bored...the complaints office wont be hearing from me!


This house is just drop dead fantastic. Its so cute, inside is exactly like the outside, some of the vines even take the place of furniture.

Ok. thats all for me!
a quick stop renders quite some fresh fruit.


driving back, we stopped at a little waterfall for a wash, it had just rained, so the water was a little green, but nice and crisp.

aaannd thats going to me mine! .........so cool, the castle. click for a bigger pic. Its like looking back in time when fairytale's existed. I will get one, its just a matter of time. But i would need a horse drawn cart, and loads of real wine and.....it will happen, just takes time thats all.


Martians did invade earth, but they only bothered messing up bugs, giving them growth hormones, or maybe some scientist had a problem with natures design of the mosquito and decided to try an improvement...what can i say...scientists get bored...
what the bleep is that? it was parked outside a trade show in austria.


Slovenia! This is the cutest little cottage i have ever seen in my life. It took a 4 wheeled jeep to get us through the fields to get here, but it was worth it. Inside its all wood, with a massive fireplace in the middle. It has such an atmosphere, quite tangible. and the attic is huge, full of mattresses.

This cute little castle had a fantastic view (see below) from here you can see the italian, croatian, and Slovenian coast.


Above that little swedish church is the Italian coast.


This is inside another castle in koper that has been transformed into sports ground. They have all kinds of tournaments up here. But the great part is, just getting all the way up the mountain is enough exercise for most. hehe, so many stairs. Why couldn't the romans build castles with lazy tourists in mind? hehe


Driving into the mountains, going to a vineyard...as they say, when nature calls....

well, it hadn't rained in a while, poor nature...

Home made wine, my god this stuff is strong, and in the cup is fresh cherry juice, also homemade.

Fazioli, Paolo Fazioli. This is the workshop of one of the best piano makers in the world, i had a meeting with him about some stuff in Spain, but i got a tour of the factory and although i wasen't allowed to take pictures, they let me take some of the concert hall.
I tell you, playing the piano is an art, but making it...thats also part of the genius.


The factory from the outside.


The concert hall! it was cool, a little too snazy which gave it a bit of a dead feel, but if you like that, if you like hotel snazyness, it's perfect.


This was a 278 concert grand that some people had just been using to record some music. They have an entire team of engineers working on the perfect sound.


Start my life in slovinia: this is the castle i drive to everyday to park my car. free parking and a great castle in the center of town...no complaints there.

Entering the french alps, its like another world, apart from the french drivers, its stunning. There are two types of drivers, the first is the slow driver, the person you get stuck behind just as you start going up the mountain, the person who doesnt realize that going the speed of a rustbox on wheels helps no one. The second is the person who drives right up your arse around hairpin corners, just waiting to smash himself into the nearest rock.



This is where i stayed in france, a wedding reception dinner, and tango in the evening. Fantastic bit of french culture.


oof, breakfast here, what a terrific view. up in the mountains. The sun was hot, but perfectly compliments by the breeze up there.


Next time, next time i go there i will stay in that house. Its a tree house, thats been made into a proper room with insulation and everything. Perfect place, totally perfect, you get put to sleep with the swaying of the tree.


The drive in the morning into the italian alps, i went past Turin on the way to Venice. I think the pic speaks for itself.

This is the market in spain, trust me, the picture looks peaceful, but just combine a bunch of spanish and hot weather, and the need to make money, and its a recipe for noise!




ahh, now for an unknown reason the people here got to know my name very well....no, course i only went here once...or twice.....well actually...
fantastic local wine and cava, although i am no drinker, a few glasses every night just did a wonder of good.

This is the main square in front of the castle in torredembarra where i was staying.



Ahh, the roads, the many little roads in france, arent they just gorgeous, all the trees along the side just look like lolly pops ready to be eaten. yum yum. I had to stop myself getting out of the car just to touch them and make sure they weren't part of a fairytale.

straight. napoleon said i dont ever want to get lost, so make roads for idiots. Thankfully he did, because me and raods...lets just say we have a certain mutual relationship and understanding.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. look at the smiles, don't they just speak for themselves.

Somebody's gonna get hurt. hurt real bad! ok mr coolio...where are the hot babes so you can show of those 18 inch muscles of yours? hehe
We took the tv out of the house, now Charlie's can't watch tv, he is going out for revenge. It's turned into a family mission to try and entertain him every second of the day. Quite fun, it means loads of stories that start nowhere, and end...nowhere. heheh "charlie stories", where not knowing more story to tell is no excuse, it only warrants a hit from charlie. heheh

NATURE, NATURE, NATURE. How does she do it? This color is totally insane, who needs drugs when all the psychedelic colors in the world are available in nature. Just looking at these flowers makes you want to...just something, anything amazing.


Peace...total and utter peace like something only nature can offer.

ahhh, why is nature so totally solid and peaceful?



This tree on the left has the most amazing silver leaves. they glitter like a Christmas tree which is unbelievable to watch in the sun.

Don't stick your tong out at me mister! I'm not standing for any of that cheekiness.
If you asked me the name of this flower...i would say..."gorgeous white flower" no more needed.

The wonders of blue bells! It's like being in a fairy tale. The blueyness turns into a sort of haze that glows differently as you walk by. quite a spectacle, and to have them so early in the year is amazing.
A very lonely tree, surrounded by a mist of blue bells.
So sweet, two old people, wearing sunglasses to protect themselves from the amazing plants. it must be glorious to get old and be able to walk around places like this, be around nature all the time.
One day, oh one day i will own a castle like that. Magnificent building. just like the one from pride and prejudice. All i need to do is strip and go for a swim, and i could quite fit the Darcy part. hehehe
Yellow and orange...quite a recipe for a spectacle, just add some green green trees and its perfect.

What a Muppet. Charlie took mum's camera and filled it up with tons of ridiculous pics, mum got this single one in. guilty as charged you little poser.

BUNNINESS.COM check out the website to see the designs, or click the pictures to buy the t-shirts from zazzle.com


create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Brighton pier, what is going on with British weather? absolutely gorgeous day at the pier.

Lucky mark 2. Our old dog lucky passed away not long ago which was really sad. So now we are looking into getting a new one. This one looks perfect. Charlie said: "i like the small ones, but i am getting bigger and want a big dog" hehehe

in a few weeks they will be old enough to move house.
When we arrived to have a look, they were all still sleeping, one pup had his foot in the water, the other had a nose that was being squashed by another etc etc. so cute these little puppies.

"Yes lets get a present for mum...but what will everybody enjoy?" This is a classic example of how mum's birthday present turns into something that gets used by everybody else more than her. Look at charlie's eyes! Obviously we didn't put quite enough chocolate in, but we got the effect near enough. next time.
Pure dream land for that little man. according to him, the chocolate is "dibbling" down. heheh
If this was a cartoon, his tong would be lolling out on the ground.

Oh ouch. My birthday just came early. This is my gorgious bmw 3 series turbo diesel. Which means it will get 50mpg and that means driving to our house in switzerland will only cost around 45 pounds.
It's got an electric sunroof which is damn nice. 1400 pounds, not a bad deal if it works well. I am driving to spain and then italy so should have some cool pics up soon from around Europe. I am going to be working with a famous pianist in spain which should be amazing.

SUCH A CUTE PICTURE, so content he sits there. We were walking after easter brunch and he just wasn't going to move half way through so he picked the bench and just plonked himself down. Then we started taking pictures so he posed as he always does. the best part was, he wanted to see what the pictures looked like, so he jumped off, ran up to us and forgot about being tired. heheheheh thats a trick that needs to be remembered.

Time for a rest, all the old people get preference on the bench, since clearly they are the ones who need a break, eating all that chocolate is hard work. heheh
The effects of a long walk...or rather a long time being carried. Such hard work that, it really hits the eyes. hehe

And so enters the lone cowboy of the west, fearless and frightful on his grumpy steed. ready for the onslaught of nightmarishly fiendish attackers at any second. Poised, taking in every movement with an inbuilt instinct. he crouches, ready to spring with electrifying accuracy... heheh


BED, BED, stop moving and being uncomfortable. "yes sir charlie" it's definitely not a maths problem thats causing him to fall asleep. concentrating on sleep must be hard work oh prince Charlie. such a cute picture, it shouldn't be allowed.

EASTER BUNNY! the funniest thing was, charlie would walk around and give us the eggs he picked up, we then chucked them away so he could find them. so cute that little charlie.


So you want to give me the egg? no, i didnt think show, just show it to me and then eat, right, i guessed as much. he dropped that big chocolate bunny and was so sad, we went and hid another one for him to find. heheh


easter brunch. "Chocolate over here please, just save me the effort and put it on my tong" there was total silence for the first time ever from him whilst we ate. Massive amounts of concentration needed for the shoveling of copious amounts of food into the mouth. hehe

This was the walk we took after the easter brunch. Look at Charlie, literally drunk from all the chocolate.

This was on the drive to chamonix. such a cool skiing resort, the snow was so so, but i had never been there and it was great to be in a new place again.

In a restaurant in chamonix. so hot outside its unbelievable. Charlie was putting on his grump face because he wasn't getting his share of dop-dop (ketchup) he is such a poser and he knows it. He presses the right buttons when he wants something. If the really sad, lonely dejected look doesn't work, last resort is just SCREAM until the roof falls down....never fails.
Sepia tan, here i come. Those glasses make me look a bit like a bug, but its the yellow lenses which really bring out the contrast in the snow.
Not this time, but dropping each other's gloves turns into quite a sport.

And i thought hair pin bends were bad in the car, these are just chronic on a snowboard! damn good fun though. Chamonix has a massive snow park.

AHHHH now i understand the real meaning of "walking" for charlie. i am the tripod, and he is the professional photographer...
we decided to take the buss down the rest of the mountain, even waiting for that was too much work for poor Charlie's legs, didn't want to wear his shoes i think. oh well, what's the point in older brothers anyway?
YOU CLOWN. you are eating up all the laughter in the world. such a kunkle that boy.
YELLOW. beautiful yellow flower not to be mistaken for a cheesecake.

So do they sell these beds at ikea? really! i thought their standards were getting better. But perhaps its a new trend? "space shuttle launch position" ..could be. whatever the answer, there must be a logical reason......(i think all that being carried down the mountain is hard work) hehe

So what happened is one day a bunny got lost, bored and decided to build a house where no one could find him. This is such a funny house, i bet if it snowed you could ski right over it without noticing.
oh my god! its the tong, cheeky,

And the map is back out, charlie just doesn't care where we are going, as long as there are big monsters to fight, and we all just sit around waiting. surely to get to the bottom of the mountain, down is the most obvious choice? ... well apparently not.

Me and tara, poor girl, we were driving home and stopped for a break at a petrol station. We got in the car and started driving when dun shouted, WHERE IS TARA? we had left her behind, gege had to go running back to get her. Poor tara, must have been a shock to return to the van and see it gone. This pic is from one of the adventurous walks we always embark on.

Great pic, so very yellow some of the bushes here, they stand out so much. Switzerland is great for things like neatness and cleanliness. They look after their country so well.

Someone got a rubber one day and just erased the mountains in the middle. ITS TOTALLY FLAT!
So we are walking down the mountain and there are all these stretching exercises. Charlie is deciphering the codes and getting into the swing. i showed him how to do it, but he said "no, no i just need to read the picture" hehe


MONT BLANC! thats such a massively stunning mountain its unreal. One of the highest in Europe. We went skiing here for a day in Zermatt. took ages to get there, no cars are aloud up to the village so you have to rely and an awkward pea brain network of trains and buses.

So the snow was pretty good high up, but spring was just starting to blossom around us and it was a great break to go for a long walk every other day. when i say walk, i mean we walk, charlie gets carried. hehe carrying him isn't so bad, its when he wants to get on and off every two minutes.


part of the family, there wont be many times when that map isn't out.

And spring is early, loverly rich greens, its like you can taste the freshness.


Why do kids have to have such cute legs? what on earth is he doing posing as a professional photographer? hi's motto is: "i'm getting bigger" well, at this rate he will overtake me, he just needs to work on his camera skills. He used my mobile the entire walk, after looking through about 100 pics he took i realized he captures the essence of motion blur very well. the learning process goes one step at a time i guess.

just out of the blue (pun) there was a damn cute smart car parked on the path. Somehow it just fits in so well. It's like a little cuddly bunny, ready to pack up into your pocket.

This was the drive to Switzerland, as you can imagine, the willinks took one their famous shortcuts here in which the meaning of short is strangely warped by unusual space-time fluctuation.
Got to love those tiny roads,
Ok.... dont get so very moody clouds, pretty sure i only had one piece of chocolate more than everyone else. In this ski resort you park the car and a horse drawn cart takes you to the chalet. Very cute.
Gorgious, sunset on the final stretch to the hotel.

Someone was either very bored one day or had a serious grudge against trees. All this wood has been hand cut, and oh so carefully arranged. Must be a type of energy release for the swiss to create something so pointless but perfect. It's amazing to walk by and see dozens of these stacks.

Forgive the untidy state, its a house full of boys, what can you expect.
These are the hotplates, they are hot the hole time, made of solid rock and stone.

This is my youngest brother about to beat me at tennis on the nintendo wii. the shame of it!
he comes into my room everyday starting at 6 in the morning and just sits there asking questions, so sweet.
And now the finally, pose for the camera charlie, and show me how its done. If you want to see some really funny video's of him playing, check out my youtube account. search for alexwillink and you will get my video's or, copy this link: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=alexwillink

Just outside our house when you step onto the golf course. Right now its about to get dark, gorgious time for a walk. All the shadows creep across the golf course as you walk by. Somehow, although there is nothing extraordinary, the beauty in england is outstanding, something about the trees/air/such a sense of realness if that makes sense.
Walking home the sun made on last vivid attempt to grab my attention before going away completely.
Hey gabe, this is an aga, google it and you will find everything you need to know. Its the best thing on the world to cook with.

And they arrived, the firepeople, lets call them firemen for the sake of humanity.

Don't rush it guys, heaven forbid the car might burn and then what would we do?, put the knitting aside and drink some tea?. hehe just kidding, these guys were really helpful and quick to respond. no nonsense.


You want to do what? transform it into a boat car? well its not a new idea.... am i wrong in saying the water is meant to be pumped out of the car rather than in for to float? As soon as the fire started, we all rushed with our own professional fire extinguishers model code named willink (good old mop buckets) and managed to dowse most of the flames. luckily the petrol tank wasn't affected. But all is well because we prepared our own house for a fire by spilling half the water contents on the floor. tactical diversion to dissuade interested flames i assure you. We also felt the situation was a little boring so to make it interesting we created an obstacle course on our porch. (milk bottles) what fun.

My brother ruined the seats a little while ago by redesigning them when i was away...cant really complain about that anymore. His style is....unorthodox. hehe Its going to be a sore bum for the next person who drives this. Buyers email me with quotes. The ride is good, just some minor interior redecoration needed. Although, if its your thing, you may enjoy the new and improved look. lets call it: renaux burntio

It happened right under my room, i was just about to go to bed, saw some light oustide...cant be morning yet? You know how if you need a bed light its always somewhere too hard to reach... well somebody had kindly lit it for me, MY CAR. Thanking the person i picked up my book and ....kidding heheh It was the electrics that started the fire.

This pic is from the next morning. It still amazes me how fast it all happened, in minutes there were flames as high as my window. Makes you realize how vulnerable we are in a car.


But life is restored, its a beautiful day in the most gorgeous country that is vibrating with good energy. I was soo lucky not to be in the car when it happened, i was literally trying to start it an hour before, god loves me. My dad and I had also only just gotten back from another house, so lucky we were there and awake at 11 to sort it out. Otherwise could have gotten nasty...half full petrol tank...do the "math" as they say.

This picture is taken from inside a revolving restaurant in jaipur. Going to the toilet was a nightmare, (no, dont worry, that wasnt also revloving) but finding your seat after always involved getting lost.
This is also in jaipur, its the largest single piece of silver in the world. and there are two of them.
Marhi is a small town that we drove to from manali, its about 4000 meters up in the himalayas. The sign does complete justice to the cleanliness of.....pretty much most of india come to think of it, the views on the other hand, Need i tell you what they were like from there? i watched as they made me roti's on an aga type cooker.
This is the jeep that took us into the castles in jaipur, according to the meters we are traveling at no speed with no petrol and at a temperature close to freezing...somewhere in my instinctive animal like body there were some more reliable sensors telling me that i was in great danger travelling very fast with a giant whole in the rear of the vehicle beconing temptingly.
I love this pic i took of the taj early in the morning. it really sums up the tranquility and peace srrounding the inspiring building.

The relaxed expression on my face is entirely fake i can assure you. behind me is one of the elephants i went on....those are massive animals.
Before my 7 hour night sleeper bus (bed) to udaipur from jothpur i took some sweet lime juice from a restaurant. it was so damn tasty i asked them to bag the stuff for me...turned out quite a mess to drink but great fun, everyone at the bus stop was watching me like a tourist....gone mad...
Jesslemer...thats our quide taking the camels through some dunes. its was dark by the time we reached the huts and hence the long shadows.
In manali we rented a large house with 2 servants who cooked every day. included in the house were several hamocks and a barbaque. i threw the worlds greatest paper airplane from the balcony down a good 400 meters to the other side of the mountain.
Just one of the maney meals. I really have tried every type of food i can lay my hands on and still (wood somewhere) havnt had any illness other than very mild indigestion after eating some street gulab jamuns. (otherwise cristened by me "canon balls")

This is a picture from inside a 2nd world war jeep that took us through castles in jaipur, it took us right into the castles through the smallest entrances possible. after a very bumby ride we reached the largest canon in the world, massive thing, probably took a year to load and so would have done more damage if they had thrown it at the enemies. hehe very impressive piece of ancient metal work.
THE TAJ MAHAL.....obviously the only time to go is early in the morning when its still relatively empty....stunning, the amount of peace is unbelievable. its so big you leave it still wondering if you have been dreaming.
The lake palace, in udaipur where the bond film octupussy was filmed. the only way to go there is with a reservation and boat.
5 hour camel ride in jesslemer took us right into the sand dunes, miles and miles of sand.
Thats me infornt looking like a lost soul compared to the magnificent structure.

the seven sister...real ground. the picture is taken through a rather odd stone that was lying on the beach
ahhh, my dads new car...or so he thinks. mwaaa ha ha ha, i am slowly prying it out of his hands. heheheh.
i am in england now but i dont plan on staying. i have a well known desease called home laziness. i am sure many of you can relate...

The effects of a long day at lego land. forget beds, forget comfort, this is how to relax after a long days hard work.
Now Charlie is king of the world. mwa ha ha ha ha. i am now back in england until probably october or so, basically doing nothing at the moment...doing a bit of....yeah, that kind of stuff. nothing.
smile for the camera...he's not light that little man, not after an hour of walking around the world. (in lego land)

me and my brother in jamaica oggling at a parrot. "what's that funny fur ball charlie?" "dono"
after a beautiful walk up the river we reached the jamaican falls called "reach" falls. again...gorgious.
Now that...that is one large thing. it started inflating its cheeks when i looked at it, and i took less than a second to decide that a fight was not in my better interest given my predicament.
This is the local radio station's outdoor weather report, brought to you live whilst you stand there. It wouldnt surprise me if on their radio they just said, look at our board and it will tell you what the weather it is and will be all in real time.
The swimming pool owned by the motel that we stayed in.

after a long hard day of fun and walking around disney all day, thats one tired pig.

no, it wasnt me. whatever just went wrong, it wasnt me. the elephant i tell you, look at his mean look, he did it. This is at a rainforest restaurant where every 5 minutes there is thunder and lightning with loads of animal noises. Amongst other weird things are the steam and fish that float around the restaurant.
Who put the lights out? i think i tried every single hat at every single disney store in disney land ca. Disney was great, the rides and general feel were so much more fun than in universal studios, which, quite frankely was a little bland.
That massive pig is half the size of me. i won it in a ball game and carried it (much to the jealousy of others) all day. i was even asked by a couple of girls to try and win for them. That piggy cant be bought.
So for today i will take the black one. Its that kind of day dont ya know. This is at a womans athletic club in san diego. The next day i returned there were 3 of them.

this is in one of the gorgious beaches in ca. laguna beach. very rich place.

This is what separates the boys from the men. sparing just enough time for a pose, charlie is quickly engrossed in his work. The (strategically left) snow is solid ice by now and charlie has developed a stratagy of wacking the spade against the ice.
This is the trip to Switzerland. Charlie had his first experience as a skiing cookie. Don’t be fooled by his sweet smile, in reality he is a champion skier. (or more like a champion of cheekiness).
And this is the longest drive of my life. In april I am driving from home to california. 1 way is about 30 hours driving which i need to do twice.
check out some of the road lengths: on three roads i have straight stretches of around 500 miles and there are a couple of puny 100 mile roads just to keep me awake. lots of story tapes, thats for sure.

yes, got that nifty little superstring! (john haiglin, our world known physics teacher) he is teaching us a block of the history of physics and how it relates to Maharishi's vedic science. apparently light does not travel at any speed because it doesnt move in time. interesting.

lunch at a noodle house where they serve sushi. we have been to almost all the 15 or so restaurants in fairfield by now. the school food is ok but its more of a pile than a plate of food. not great.

now thats how parking is meant to be done. 180 spin into parking place perfectly done.

snow tires only on the front combined with power shifting means skidding is very controllable. boy those few extra seconds gained were crutial in choosing a video. hehe

what possesed me i dont know, no wait, i do know. WO-MAN.

home sweet home for christmas. 23 dec until 6 jan

my baby brother hacking into the ministry of defence.

me in my dorm room


4 in the morning waiting for pancakes

i am in america