Skiing in the French Alps

Leaving MC shivering in the cold in London, John took off to Brussels to meet up with Damien, where they began a long drive down to the French Alps for a week of skiing.

Damien putting his ski goggles to an alternate use - chopping onions for dinner.
John stayed in Damien's family's holiday home in Sainte Ours in the Meyronnes, France. This is the beautiful view from his bedroom window.
The back of the house. The population of Sainte Ours is 18.
John and Damien taking a break from the slopes.
Damien about to get wasted at chess (apparently).
John and a transvestite Mexican wrestler in Brussels...

More London

Oops it has been a long time since we blogged last - mostly due to the fact that we had a very quiet and cooooold winter - and spent a lot of time hibernating at home! Here's a few snaps from the end of 2009 and the first few months of 2010.

MC ran the Hastings Half Marathon in March. She had spent 5 months training hard (particularly difficult when it seemed to snow every weekend during winter!) and then unfortunately with just one month to go injured her knee. So the half marathon turned out to be her first run after a month of rest, but she did well and managed to cross the line (allbeit in a bit of pain!) in 2 hours 10 minutes
MC and Lisa relieved it's all over!
The girs (MC, Huia, Kelly and Lisa) pre-race.
We went to see Third Eye Blind in concert in May.
Lovely sunny spring day in London! Fountains and a random child outside Somerset House.
Us at Somerset House.

MC, Rachael, Huia and Kelly had a fabulous Afternoon Tea at The Berkeley in March. The cakes are inspired bythe Autumn/Winter 2009 fashion collections and as well as looking wonderful they taste great! Above (and I'm quoting fron the menu here) are an Emanuel Ungaro cassis and cranberry bavarois with Curacao jelly and high-heeled tuile, Emilio de la Morena caramelized banana mousse with red currant jam and over-sized chocolate collar, Burberry Prorsum classic trench coat biscuit with rich cinnamon flavours and caramel belt and buttons and Roger Vivier chocolate over-the-knee boot biscuit with signature buckle and heart.
Here you can see the Mulberry ‘Bayswater’ white chocolate and coconut truffle ‘it’ bag with silver clasp, Matthew Williamson joconde sponge cake dress filled with lychee cream and spun sugar ruffles, Louis Vuitton pale pink bunny ears on a base of chestnut and pomegranate mousse, Christian Lacroix dark chocolate dress with soft centre and chic golden bow and Christian Dior almond macaroon with layered texture and white chocolate and blueberry ganache. YUM!
John's love of Reel Big Fish continues and so we saw them for a second time earlier this year!
Rachael and MC trying out the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook's raspberry brownie cheesecake. Also YUM!
One of the many times it snowed in the coldest winter in 30 years in London!
Christmas dinner at Rachael's house. Dessert was chocolate eclairs, trifle and pavlova.
The pretty table and the first course.
Main course: ham, turkey AND lamb!

So the cold winter meant a lot of time spent indoors and eating... no wonder MC can't fit her trousers! We are now well into spring and enjoying the temperature slowly getting warmer - bring on summer!

Bit and pieces from 2009

A random assortment of photos from fun times in London!

Rach and Huia and Fortnum and Mason's icecream sundaes - cost 12 pounds but sooo gooooood!
MC's favourite ginger workmates! Rhys and Dan.
More workmates - Judy, Rhys, Lisa, Rachel and MC.
Pearl Jam at the O2 Arena.
Afternoon tea with the girls.
MC and Rach glammed up for the Guilty Pleasures Black and White Ball.
Posing.

Rach's awesome dress.

MC's work Christmas party: Syeda and MC.
Koolsum and Rhys.
Emma.
Theresa and Vicki.
Rachel and Jeremy.
Lisa and Judy.
Rhys and his Christmas cracker pressie - measuring spoons - chick magnet apparently.
John and MC.
All of us.
Rhys, Syeda, Zahir and Lisa.
Funky Christmas decorations in Carnaby St, Soho.
Huia and Rach at Huia and Henry's London wedding party.
Master-bakers Rach and MC's red velvet cake, made for Huia and Henry's wedding party.
Before it got demolished. Very pretty and it tasted good too!
The entertaining dance troupe at Guilty Pleasures at Koko in Camden.
Rach and Huia, one of the many times we went through Camden Town that night - kept getting on the wrong train!
MC and Rach.
Huia and MC.

Christmas Markets in Leipzig and Dresden

MC loved the Christmas markets in Germany last year so much that she dragged John back again - this time to Leipzig and Dresden. There was not as much snow as last year with Mum and Dad but was still pretty chilly - perfect for warming up with some gluhwein. and wurst and crepes and chocolate-covered fruit and waffles and schnitzel burgers and lebkuchen and potato fritters and... well you get the picture, we pretty much spent the whole weekend eating and sleeping.

MC rugged up in Dresden, with the Frauenkirche and Christmas markets in the background.
Snowy Dresden, on the banks of the Elbe river.
Colourful lebkuchen.
The main market in Dresden, there were at least five different ones.
The Christmas market on Altplatz - the oldest in Germany apparently, since 1434.
Market by night.

Outside the Semper Opera House in Dresden. The buildings may look old but over 90% of the city centre was destroyed near the end of World War II and has been reconstructed since the 1950s.
John in Theaterplatz, Dresden.
MC in the snow along the banks of the Elbe.


The Frauenkirche, restoration of which was only completed in 2005.
John hates chair-o-planes as much in Germany as he does at the Nelson A&P show!
Pretty Neumarkt in Dresden.
John's massive slab of schnitzel, most of which couldn't fit in the burger.
And onto Leipzig! John and the city chambers.
Statue of Bach outside Thomaskirche, where he worked for about 30 years and is buried.
More Christmas Market action in Leipzig.

Cool wall in Leipzig.
Close-up version.
For Mum cos I know she loves the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof!
Mmmm crepes....
And gluhwein to warm us up. Although that lady is giving MC a decidedly cool look!
John's half-metre sausage!

So another fabulous time in Germany and then back to London where the weather was no warmer; we had a few centimetres of snow last night so might be getting a white Christmas this year! We are both working through the festive season so will be spending Christmas and New Year with friends in London.

John has unfortunately been made redundant by the Guardian (as of March) along with many of his colleagues, so we are not sure what our plans for next year are, but we (or MC rather) is feeling a bit homesick and would like to move home at some stage in 2010!