Nine Years!

In one week Em and I will have been "together" for 9 years! It's nice to sometimes look back... in 9 years we've done alot together...

When we first met Em had just finished her Honours thesis, I was living in a shed. since then...

Completed university and worked.
Quit our work to search for adventure three times.
Watched the sunset whilst eating fresh seafood in Zanzibar.
Looked at Cape Town from Robben Island.
Destroyed ourselves trying to climb in Lesotho.
Camped in the Serrengeti.
Caught crazy "Chicken Buses" in Mozambique.
Cycled 5000 odd km through Europe.
Camped on football fields in Sicily.
Spent a season NOT Working and snowboarding in France.
Found really interesting and stimulating jobs in Oz and London.
Got married in our favourite place on the earth.
Visited over 25 amazing countries together.
Met many wonderful, weird, loving people, who have become our friends...

This morning, walking through Greenwich Park, Em held my hand...

And out of the 3280 odd days we have spent together, it was the best one yet!

Weekend in the Lakes

Last weekend we headed to the Lake District with a whole bunch of people from Em's work. Only a 6 and a half hour drive (!!) from London and you find yourself in a wonderful mountainous environment. We did some scrambling, sort of in between walking and climbing. Got completely soaked (well Em did, serve her right for getting an extra day off and getting there early!) Climbed up through water falls, enjoyed the company of friends and breathed some fresh air.

And as we got stuck in a traffic jam on the M1, heading back to London, I thought to myself that some things are worth that little bit of effort. (And that the traffic in the UK SUCKS!)

Your own backyard!

The last couple of weekends have seen us enjoying our "backyard". It's funny how you can always seek the far away places and fail to fully enjoy what is right outside your front door. We are lucky since just down the road is Greenwich. So last weekend it was off to see the last stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race. Greenwich rocks! A real relaxed feel with great markets, a huge park and lots of history. Add to that the chance to see some cycling and you can't ask for more only 3 miles from home!

Today we went out the front door and for a walk. In South East London there is the "Green Chain Walk", 300 parks and open spaces connected by over 40 miles of paths. So we walk down our road to Eltham Palace, one of Henry the VIII's many residences, past open fields used for horses and with amazing views of the London skyline. Through sporting fields to Elmstead Woods, ancient bushland with paths shooting off in every direction. We pass cemetaries and allotments, council estates and multi million pound houses. Leading us to Chislehurst and a pub for a beer or two. A great day, from the front door. It's nice to once in a while to really see what's out past your front door. I recommend it.

School Vegetables

The new school year is about to begin and one of my "projects" this year is actually to start a "vegetable garden club" with some of the children. Why? Well, a few reasons, maybe I could grow my own tasty organic tomatoes. The kitchen at school could actually use the vegetables in some of their cooking. The children can actually take part in seeing something useful actually grow, get some understanding about the process of planting, caring for, harvesting and eating a vegetable.

Oh, and I found out the following about the humble supermarket lettuce leaf...

From the growing stage you get some pesticide, insecticide and herbicide. Then they are picked and put into storage where they reduce the atmospheric O2 to about 3% and increase the CO2. This means it stays looking fresh, and can get to the supermarket up to a month after it's picked still looking "good". They then add chlorine! Why I have no idea! It's just lettuce... or is it.

So we might try to grow some lettuce at school. The kids probably won't like it... not enough chlorine!

Kent, the Garden of England

Went for a walk in Kent. It's Blackberry season. We forgot to take a bag so we had to eat our fill as we walked.
Tips in Blackberry picking:
1. Choose the blackberries that are really easy to pull off the stem, they are ready to eat and REAL tasty.
2. Like anything, if you put the effort in and walk further, you will find untouched berries that no one has been near. You will have the pick of the bunch!
3. Eating too many berries plays SERIOUS HAVOC with your digestive system. You have been warned!

To taste a tomato!

I'm on a bit of a mission. To try to taste a tomato. Sounds strange, but when was the last time you really tasted a tomato? These ideas stemed from a conversation we were having in Turkey, the tomato's there ROCK, juicy and ever so tasty. It seems that the stuff grown in Turkey is all organic (by the way, Turkey is one of only about 7 countries in the world that are self sufficient with their agriculture), whereas the stuff here is modified and pesticided to a shadow of it's former self. So today I went to Sainsburys and bought some organic tomotoes. Not bad at all. They actually taste like... Tomatoes!
Next I'm going to try the local guys tomatoes. He sells them on the side of the road and says they're organic. Unlike Sainsburys however, HE yells out "Five for quid! Juicy, GORGEOUS tomatoes, take em ome today!" in a broad South East London accent. Now you can't beat that!

Turkey, August 2006

We just spent two weeks in Turkey, travelling from Fethiye to Antalya on the South-West coast, then a few days in Istanbul.







We did plenty of activities, such as paragliding, canyoning and sea-kayaking...

... as well as plenty of lazing around, swimming, drinking beer, eating and shopping...

and no - we did not try the below product ;-)

Welcome to our Blogg!

We are Richard & Emily, (aka Laneo & Ricey), we have been living in London for the past 2 and a bit years, below are a few photos from some of our travels and activities in that time...