Apologies....

....for not having blogged at all these last few days. Pen has had us on a mission to be here, do this, go there, sort that....she's really putting her delegation skills to good work! I'm going to try and go back thru each of the days in turn when we're in NZ, and blog them, but now I've sussed the piccies out I just wanted to get one up there of THE FROCK.....whaddaya think?????

Outrageous!

Oh wow, the hen day was VERY GOOD fun - it started out relatively civilised - sitting at the biotanical gardens having a lovely picnic within sight of the opera house - how very glam. Lots of champers and nice food. We were trying to lull her into a false sense of security! Unfortunately, the civilised part didn't last for very long - we ended up in a very posh apartment overlooking Wooloomooloo Wharf (I kid you not) with a rather lovely french lady called...Emmanuelle, ex stripper (again I kid you not), and currently teaching women all over Sydney to pole dance!
I'll leave the details to your imaginations...but needless to say the Bridesmaids worked out a routine that was subsequently performed walking up the aisle! (I seriously kid you not!!!!)

Henny Penny!

Monday 9:30am
Well it's the hen do today - off into Sydney for some outrageous fun. You know a day is going to go well when the invitation says to 'meet on the Opera House steps at 12:30'!
Can't divulge any details at this juncture as Pen reads the blog too, will fill you in later.
Yesterday's BBQ was fabulous - even the odd torrential downpour didn't really dampen things. The party was still going strong when we left at midnight - lots of great piccies taken (I have yet to work out the technological logistics for getting them on here)
That's all for now
L x
UPDATE: the pic is the view from Jon and Pen's appartment! Nice!

Mosman

So it's now Easter Sunday, and we've spent 3 full days here. We're staying in Mosman which is a lovely suburb of the city. It's a really trendy area, and the shops are like an old fashioned high street of 40 years ago - fishmongers, butchers, a hardwarre shop and a million fab coffee & cake shops. Not a supermarket in sight (well there's a tiny one, but it's less 'Sainsburys' and more 'Spar'. People actually walk into the little village and do their weekly shopping using all the local shops. There's a thriving trade here - it's not just tourist bits and bobs. So we've just wandered into the shops, had coffee and a fruit tart each, and bought a ton of veg from the spectacular greengrocers and are just about to laungh into a salad-making marathon for Pen & Jon's BBQ this afternoon. Fortunately the weather has decided to behave today; the last few days have seen torrential rain of the sort that makes us get up from our desks in work, stand at the window, and tut and shake our heads as we see Harry & Fortune sailing round the car-park in a dinghy. For that reason, yesterday was a bit of a washout - Dan went to the deli and got a load of nice things to eat, and we stayed in and read the papers. Here's hoping that's the end of it (can't do torrents in my LK Bennett heels!!)
HAPPY EASTER! L&D xxx

This is night blog.

We had a top day today! Down Balmain beach.
We walked from 103 to Pen's and then down to the seafront - met Lisa & Claire! Lunch in the Bather's Pavillion - we left at 5pm. I love this country - lunch ranges from 11am to 5pm!!!!!
Without putting too fine a point on it - it's now 4am and we're gone with the wind!
night night!!!!

Sydney!

Well we're here! Arrived yesterday morning at 6:30am (Sydney time) which was about 9:30pm Wednesday night UK time. Flight was 14 hours long - not too bad as the entertainment system on Emirates is superb. I watched 145 episodes of CSI (well if felt like that anyway) and apart from the guy snoring (no not Dan) we actually managed to get some kip!
Customs at the airport wasn't such an easy thing tho - even with 'nothing to declare' it still took over an hour to get through - so it was 8:45 by the time we made it. BUT then Pen was waiting for us with her auntie and uncle, and Barb was there too! Just like being at home. She took all our luggage bar 1 case and off we toddled to Circular Quay on the train, where we proceeded to suss out the Mosman ferry. Even though it was 9am, we really fancied a beer - and fair play to them, the Aussies are serving beer at that time in the morning! Even though I got some funny looks, we managed to buy 2 tinnies which we then drank wrapped in paper bags on the ferry! Not really like us to be winos!
The sea was sparkling in the early morning Sydney light and the ferry came out of the Quay, past the bridge and the opera house, and Dan turned to me and said 'well it could be worse'! Understatement of the century!
After getting the bus from the ferry stop up to Mosman village, and the really helpful bus driver had told us which stop to get off at and drawn us a map to Ian and Lloyds house (I'm not kidding, they're so lovely these Sydneysiders) we toddled down the road and let ourselves into no 103.

OH MY GOD! What a place....we walked into the design pages of a 'House Beautiful' magazine! Noone lives in a house like this, do they? Don't they just exist in the pages of magazines or in a photographer's lens? No, apparently not. I & L have the most exquisite taste, and, a view of the bay at Balmain. Photos to follow when we can work out how to get piccies on their Mac (I'm so not mac-tastic).
So today we're at Pen & Jon's super pad in Mosman, drinking champers...I've seen the final version of the frock! AGHHHHHHH it's so beautiful! Again, pic to follow when I can suss it.
Anyway, enough is enough for the 1st blog from Sydney...just to let you know we got here OK and the jet lag isn't too bad so long as I keep drinking! (I can hear you all gasping in shock). Thinking of you all,
Li & Dan xxxxxxx
UPDATE: pics of the house!

Dubai Airport

Well we're here! The airport is incredible. Pity we're only here for 2 hours! Yes 2 hours, not 3; the plane was delayed taking off for over an hour because of a massive lorry fire on the M62 that we were sat in for the best part of 3 hours with poor Marina. Good job we set off early - 3:30pm for a 5:50 check-in. We actually made it to the checkin desk for 7pm. The lady I was sitting next to on the plane left Harrogte at 3pm and just checked in at 8:15pm. Shit!
Flight itself was mostly harmless; I slept for over 3 hours and Dan got a couple of hours of shuteye. Coming in to land in Dubai we saw the coastline and I actually saw the Burj - next time I'm stopping over for a visit! The skyline looks like something from Blade Runner, very futuristic. I want to visit.
Anyway, it's 9:30am Dubai time, 3:30am UK time and our flight is at 10am, so I'd better go and check in. This next leg is 14 hours!!!!!!
Liza @ Dubai

All packed and ready to go

Marina gets here in an hour to take us to the airport! I'm excited but
a bit fraught - when we weighed the cases I was about 2 kilos over; which meant I had to go chucking things out of my case on a 'what does it weigh' rather than a 'do I need this' basis! I've ended up chucking my trainers and my running gear. I guess the resurection of my running skills will have to wait 'till we get back. Not only that, I went to put my makeup on after my shower and realised I've missed out my makeup brush (that's OK it's gone back in) and my favourite makeup remover; not OK, it weighs too much so it's OUT! I'm sure I'll have forgotten something important. Mental list....bra that my bridesmaid dress was fitted over, bridesmaidy shoes, passport, tickets, earplugs for Dan's snoring, lipgloss, absolutlely essential eyshadows. OMG I'm sure there'll be something critical I've forgotten!
Anyway, next post will (hopefully) be from Dubai airport, we land there about 3am UK time, 6am UAE time. 3 hours stopover for a shower & freshen up, then the next leg to Sydney which gets us in to Sydney at 6am Thursday morning which, I think is about 9pm Wednesday night UK time. Cheerio!!!!!!!

New Shoes

Well here they are, the bridesmaidey shoes! I can only hope that they're the same ones as Claire has bought, after me having legged it to Harrogate to get them today!
They're certainly very nice! I just hope they match Claire's!
It's a pity we didn't get our act together a bit quicker as they also come in silver and they'd look great with Les's dress. I wonder if LK Bennett is in Sydney? They're called 'FOXY' so if you are reading this Les, then got over to LKB! Anyway, I love them! Hopefully I'll be able to walk in them all day. I'll be bringing my 'party feet' with me anyway, and failing that, by 10pm I'll be in my flip flops!

I've had a lovely day today. Manicure and pedicure for the wedding; sparkley fingers and black glisteny toes! (Diamante bits as well!) Getting pretty excited now. ONE MORE DAY to go. I was talking with a lady in the beauty salon who has flown with UAE
and who says they're very good!

So on the to do list; all the washing is done, just a couple of bits to be picked up from Sainsblobs tomorrow - some jewellery for the bridesmaids to wear, and a prezzy or 2 for the various people we're going to be staying with. In addition, I think my dodgily acquired Ventolins have arrived at the post office - not too dogy but purhased without a prescription - from t'internet, which is good news as wheezing bridesmaids are never an attractive thing!

I may blog again tomorrow but if not then the next one will be from Dubai airport on Wednesday morning - we arrive at about 3am UK time.

Last day in work!

I can't believe it's really here! You look forward to something for so long that the 'looking forward' is the reality and you forget that the event itself is actually approaching! The last few 'big' holidays (and some of the not so big ones) there has been so much to do, work wise, and at home, that I've ended up working 'till really late on the last few days before going away; and a couple of times this has resulted in me doing my passing out trick on the plane! Not a really good way to start the holiday. This time we decided to take a day or 2 off before actually leaving the country so that I don't collapse in a heap on the way. Sod's law dictates that *this* time though, the pressure isn't so intense, and I'm not actually in the middle of anything, and don't have too much handover to do. So, a nice steady day, a clean handover, and a nice night out with a couple of the sisters-in-law & their families to get the holiday season underway!

Only a week to go 'till Aus!

I'm so excited - only a week to go now; shoe shopping is iminent, and necklace choosing is ongoing! A few last 'weddingy' things need to be done and a WHOLE load of non weddingy things to be done. Packing, washing, ironing. Some key items have been procured today; ventolins, face cream. What else....?

Lets get this thing started

Hello! We've set up this blog so that you can keep up with what we're doing whilst we're on our holibobs. These initial few postings are going to be used for getting used to what we can (and can't) do on the blog - and especially for trying out what I can post from my lovely smartphone Palm Treo 750v
The pic was taken (using the phone) while Mum, Janey and I were on hols in Rome last month....not bad....I'll be able to post more, hopefully, from Aus & NZ