tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239860372011-10-20T01:21:11.570ZMatthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.comBlogger2351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-35309814421989998442010-10-23T15:36:00.001Z2010-10-23T15:36:45.204Z

Driving over Tower Bridge in London, yay!-- jo xx

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-47921194191605517902010-10-08T13:55:00.001Z2010-10-08T13:55:48.208Z

Sam had a little operation today to remove a hernia. He was so brave. He is doing really well if a little sore & we get to take him home today too. -- jo xx

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-81667937750497148562010-08-30T10:57:00.001Z2010-08-30T10:57:53.487Z

Stuck in traffic on a bank holiday on our way to go to Wales biking. At least the sun is shining!-- jo xxLocation:Landcross Rd,Manchester,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-23176842164319643762010-08-21T20:38:00.000Z2010-09-02T22:40:43.315Z

Just a quick note to thank all who have blessed us with texts, notes, gifts, cards, and quiet words of encouragement over these past couple of months.Truly we've been blessed.- Matthew.- Posted using BlogPress

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-9456305784763592552010-08-21T17:29:00.001Z2010-08-21T17:29:13.173Z

At Trof on a rainy Saturday afternoon. -- jo xxLocation:Landcross Rd,Manchester,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-9447388823722763632010-06-27T11:55:00.001Z2010-06-27T11:55:18.165Z

Without a doubt the most appropriate, timely present ever. Amazing coffee at the push of a button as we wander into the kitchen in the morning for the last time each night...Yum. Matthew - on Jo's phone as always :)Location:Home

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-49313873795869862842010-06-18T12:33:00.001Z2010-06-18T12:33:14.760Z

Introducing Samuel. 2.4kilos and 3.5wks premy. Location:Oxford Rd,Manchester,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-39330331647912312752010-06-15T11:51:00.000Z2010-06-15T11:58:55.218Z

My waters broke this morning!!! So here we are at the hospital, 3 1/2 weeks early. Midwife says baby should be here in the next 24-48 hours!!! Eek!-- jo xxLocation:Hathersage Rd,Manchester,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-72374742433401799692010-05-31T13:26:00.001Z2010-05-31T13:26:35.485Z

With only 5 weeks to go until bump joins our little family we took the opportunity to do some of the things that might prove to be a little more difficult with a bub. So we're in London for the weekend staying at Canary Wharf courtesy of Catchy & Sarah. (thanks guys!) Yesterday we saw not one, but two(!) West End shows & shared a lovely dinner at Chev Gerard French Restaurant. We had booked

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-22118051762095527702010-05-27T19:08:00.001Z2010-05-27T19:08:09.010Z

On a surprise date. Matt picked me up from work & whisked me away to our favourite pub for dinner. Have to cherish these moments, they're going to be a distant memory very soon. -- jo xxLocation:A56,Manchester,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-10038595491187236622010-05-02T17:52:00.001Z2010-05-02T17:52:37.327Z

Went for a lovely Spring walk with a friend yesterday & stumbled across this fun cafe which is also a Penny Farthing museum. The cafe still has an old sign out the front that says "free tea to penny farthing riders". :)The best bit though was witnessing a steady influx of older men meeting at the cafe, dressed in knicker bockers, tweed coats & long socks walking alongside their penny farthings, (

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-69840920683251600322010-04-17T14:49:00.000Z2010-04-28T14:52:24.648Z

Sitting here in the middle of a sunny Saturday afternoon on the top of Pym Chair two and a half miles NW of Edale looking up across Kinder Scout to Edale Head.If you look closely you can see Jo, Catchy and Sarah walking the Yellow Brick Road (granitic, slab path) up the hill.Great times !Matt (on Jo's phone... [phone jealousy] )

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-28467141267997388062010-02-10T21:06:00.001Z2010-02-11T11:01:09.338Z

Tonight signals the last night in Base Apartments, Manchester, so what better way to mark its passing than a re-visit to the Indian where it all began?Until I figure out how to insert a hyperlink via Blogpress, check out the post on November 5th, 2006 :-) hoorah!-- jo xxLocation:Rice St,Manchester,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-21661216869464940832010-01-14T19:08:00.001Z2010-01-15T17:11:29.607Z

Bump Wysel...I've been so scatty lately that today I went to the shops to buy ingredients for a Coca Cola cake and I forgot to buy the Coca Cola ! :-)-- jo xx

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-22705417822149556602010-01-08T18:29:00.001Z2010-01-13T10:28:15.885Z

Heard on local radio today that last night, at -20 degrees, Manchester was colder than the South Pole!Brrrrrrr!!!-- jo xx

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-15147546990325349982010-01-06T09:51:00.002Z2010-01-13T10:27:58.214Z

How to loose a car in one phone call (some preparation needed):--Preparation:1. Start with crazy-cold, wintery weather1a. Discover constant current drain on the car battery (AA will help with diagnosis "sometime in the next 6 hours" for the first call-out, and "about another 2 hours" for the second call-out). In both cases a flat battery is required.2. Slide in ice (and snow) while driving the

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-73665619242098856252009-12-30T22:52:00.002Z2010-02-24T07:13:46.406Z

Jo and I have just caught up with Catchy and Singo in Edinburgh for Hogmanay NYE, and have spent the evening standing in snow storms around an official 'Fire' installation just below Edinburgh Castle. Super !--matt. Location:Stevenlaw's Close,Edinburgh,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-88245096331332330252009-12-29T20:00:00.000Z2009-12-29T20:05:31.841Z

Jo and I have come north for a few days of post-Christmas mountain biking at Glentress, 7Stanes, Scotland and got rather more snow than we were bargaining for. We've both ridden in snow before, and had found that so long as we stayed to well ridden paths most of the trails were generally still ridable. Not in this much snow :) Much of the 2.5 feet of snow on the trail had thawed into slush (on

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-57012415166994717802009-12-23T22:21:00.001Z2009-12-23T22:21:08.769Z

It's snowing in Manchester ! It looks like we're going to have white Christmas :) hooray. -- jo xxLocation:Worsley St,Manchester,United Kingdom

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-53982715047353358262009-12-11T23:15:00.003Z2009-12-11T23:20:04.573Z

Found this and thought you'd enjoy it.Elbow One Day Like This with the BBC Concert Orchestra and choir Chantage(if you can't relate to the words, come try living in the North of England)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-30763334525330442702009-12-09T20:42:00.001Z2009-12-09T21:08:58.488Z

We had a trip to the Christmas Markets tonight in Manchester. So much fun! We sipped on mulled wine while pottering around all the fun stalls, visited our coconut man again - the macaroons are just as good as last year - and had a couple of beef burgers from a local farm in The Lakes - which smelt so good that we were lured away from our traditional bratwurst (Matthew: just means we'll have to go

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-73922626231474922212009-12-01T13:51:00.000Z2009-12-01T23:14:52.266Z

The past few weeks the skies have opened with rain rain rain so the thought of going biking on a weekend has been well... Wet.We've gone anyway- not wanting to miss anytime on the bike - and each time God has cleared the skies just for us, usually just as we've hit the trail.Recently when Matt was away I went MTB solo & the trip to Wales was torrential, there were cars pulled over because of the

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-90040290567352793452009-11-27T15:45:00.000Z2009-11-27T15:45:00.501Z

Ah it's Friday & we're at the airport having hot chips on a rainy afternoon watching a rainbow outside about to hop on a flight to Brussels to see friends for the weekend. Weekends are the best! -- jo xx

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-60063393533151515382009-11-25T11:06:00.000Z2009-11-25T11:06:31.769Z

:: matthew & joanne ::: Standard Northern Winter's MorningIt's amazing the transition that Manchester undergoes when we wake up and see a morning like this (instead of grey skies, consistent rain and no spiked fence).People genuinely do walk taller, commuters smile at each other, mini-cabs congregate on blind corners and drive with a renewed sense of no-purpose, coffee tastes better.We should do

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-47593613219195054302009-11-25T08:44:00.000Z2009-11-25T11:07:36.894Z

Just a regular northern England Winter's morning...Clear, blue skies; no rain; spiked fence...

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-78277959895903717092009-11-12T13:01:00.004Z2009-11-12T13:03:46.071Z

Just a quick 'happy birthday' to Matt the Moose(Matt, we know it's no longer your birthday, and you're not even 40 anymore :-) but this was too good to miss). Matt n Jo.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-84850400592690203702009-11-05T21:50:00.002Z2009-11-05T23:03:08.897Z

This makes it three years in Manchester - that's more than one and a half times longer than we've lived our married life anywhere else (although the actual nights-spent-here is probably less :) ).Those familiar with Guy Fawkes Night (5th November) will know that Manchester continues to celebrate the anniversary of our arrival with fireworks spectaculars. Rightly so. :)Matt.

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-64186238746448083382009-10-16T21:43:00.001Z2009-10-16T21:43:26.073Z

YES!!! I finally did it!!!I beat Matt up a hill, a very steep long mountain hill ..... for the first time ever !!!Read it & weep Matthew!!! Woohoo!!-- jo xx

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-87060934709527008762009-10-13T12:01:00.002Z2009-10-13T22:05:24.514Z

Oopsy.Woke up this morning & forgot it was daylight saving. Was meeting a friend for breakfast & she forgot too. Oopsy. But she was going to church straight after so she would either be very late or our breakfast very quick.Madly tried to get to the cafe while Catherine was warning her house mates they were going to be late for band practice, but then realised what had happened when Catherine's

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-8546760237181641492009-10-09T20:23:00.000Z2009-10-09T21:23:43.595Z

Today I feel like a very blessed woman. Matt has been away quite a lot recently with work, but last nite Matt arrived home from Switzerland, drove back from London all the way to Manchester just to see me. He arrived home about 10pm, & then promptly turned around at 5am the next morning to drive all the way down to Swansea. Here's a map of where Matt drove. (coming)It was worth it cause at least

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-74745928728162612172009-08-30T18:47:00.000Z2009-08-30T19:51:29.245Z

We've had another relaxing day in London :-)-- matt (on jo's behalf)

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-77790276528509799852009-08-29T17:35:00.000Z2009-08-30T14:53:38.558Z

We've just had the nicest day - once we woke up - before that it was all a bit sleepy... We've been staying with one of our friends, Joe Wood, in South Bromley, London, woke up round lunchtime, grabbed some break-lunch and have come up to Fulham to have a look around the fire station that Joe's based at. While we didn't get to slide down the fire-pole, it was fantastic to look round the station

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-79461690220100373952009-08-26T13:36:00.000Z2009-08-30T14:50:46.159Z

Ever had that pang for an old friend you miss so much where you just want to hang out & talk? It's so much fun when it actually happens! Last weekend we were reunited with Kath Passaportis, now Kath Schley. She has been married for almost three years now, & we only met Warwick last weekend. It was just like ol'times. Lots of fun, lots of laughter & lots of chats. We met Warwick & Kath in Chester

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-38984265069164566352009-08-09T17:51:00.002Z2009-08-25T13:40:59.603Z

I’m in the passenger seat of our car, Matt’s driving, Maciek is in the back reading, and we are on our way back to catch a ferry back to Dover, England after a week Mountain Biking in Morzine, France. Our ferry is at 6pm, and I think this time we may even make it….we remembered to put diesel in our car this time! Our holiday had a little bit of a shaky start when Matt, (new nick name, Diesel),

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-38351431966396259442009-08-08T00:03:00.000Z2009-08-08T00:05:15.055Z

Long-story-short, Jo was given an iPhone for her birthday (personally, I was pretty happy with the arrangement) and I've been doing my best to fill it up with fun (free) games.Below, Jo's in the middle of an extreme water-slide game (not any more complicated than that, really) but the best bit is watching her face as she bites her lip in concentration while she ducks and weaves around in an

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-40854086587086803602009-08-08T00:00:00.000Z2009-08-08T00:03:04.895Z

Jo and I have just boarded a Ryanair flight from Milano back to Manchester when I noticed a girl had snuck onboard with double-bass case. Normally I wouldn't remark (if you can get away with it and you're not inconveniencing anyone else...) but this was a new carry-on record for me...I pointed it out to Jo and she remarked, "yeah, she had booked an extra seat for it. It must have been cheaper

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-32273015843422730362009-08-02T18:31:00.000Z2009-08-06T18:17:20.696Z

How beautiful is this? And the best bit is that this is at 6:30 in the evening! This is Vernazza. Gorgeous days (scorching sun), cold beer, fresh & clear water to swim in, great food and quality family time. Matt and I have decided this is where we are going to retire (little white terrace, second row back, just behind the wharf & beach).Vernazza is one of five coastal villages in Cinque Terra on

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-27921877398921163072009-07-08T20:58:00.003Z2009-07-10T20:20:27.345Z

Last week Simon and Cindy came to Manchester to visit! We knew 'Hey Simon!'very well from New College, but we had never met his lovely wife. Well, what can I say, Si, your bride is gorgeous! It was simply the best to have some Aussie, Christian, love in our house ;)Simon and Cindy stayed for a couple of nights. During the day, they explored Manchester in the very unusual sunny weather. We had to

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-31018162241046425292009-05-17T09:36:00.001Z2009-05-17T09:36:00.614Z

It happened again... I've snapped my front axle... How do you snap a 3/8" thick metal rod..twice..?No idea.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-70535170670037514952009-05-10T22:20:00.003Z2009-05-11T09:16:01.620Z

Not content with conquering the Black Route at Glentress - no dabs, not even on the aptly named Wormhole descent :-) - Jo's decided to up the ante and dive into the world of clipless peddles.So here she is, locked in and moving through traffic on a sunny Manchester afternoon (with Red and Black socks on).For those who've not felt both the pure Zen and terror of riding a bike with 'clipless

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-82880239886225986372009-04-13T13:31:00.002Z2009-04-13T13:36:47.173Z

What more proof do you need...? Hat and T-Shirt. Summer has come at last :-)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-39530741279659371082009-04-13T11:51:00.007Z2009-05-11T09:09:34.546Z

Perhaps not surprisingly, I was at the local dirt jumps this afternoon enjoying the relatively rare moment where leisure time and sun coincide (I think it's called a Solar Relaxinox), when some locals pulled up and started riding with me.Over the next little while, we got to talking, I said, "so I haven't seen you around before.." he replied, "yeah, so we've never actually got over to these mud

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-55884525401886251322009-04-04T09:35:00.002Z2009-04-04T09:39:38.849Z

Ros arrived safe and sound this morning complete with luggage, thankfully!So lovely to see her, and hug her.We are about to go up town to get a coffee...and the good news is...it is not raining!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-75509311313378939182009-03-20T16:32:00.002Z2009-03-20T16:45:36.076Z

We've had no rain in Manchester for 5-days running !

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-9896325444549206472009-03-16T20:43:00.005Z2009-03-19T10:03:37.764Z

I'm sitting in a Starbucks near our house (is that a tautology?) reading my bible and catching up on email and I overhear a girl stop another girl on her way out asking, "was that a tall, extra-hot, hazelnut, sugar-free, skim latte-to-go..?""No," came her reply, "It should be a tall hazelnut, extra-hot, skim-free (?!),sugar'd capp(acino)-to-go."At which point the barrista chimmed in, "That's a

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-2326442854635383202009-02-17T22:58:00.004Z2009-02-20T13:34:50.128Z

I've been meaning to write about our week skiing with Paul and Faye, but you'll have to be content with the photos till I get the time.Enjoy - especially the sunset from our balcony :-)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-23062715732544066282009-02-02T19:17:00.000Z2009-02-02T19:17:00.465Z

This is how we were greeted back to work the first morning after our week snowboarding in the Alps. (video clip coming)See also this clip from news.bbc.co.uk

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-68045163362932050842009-01-15T23:28:00.002Z2009-01-17T19:31:18.262Z

I've been working in Oxford this last week so snuck my bike down in the back of the car just to burn some stress.So tonight, I *may* have been burning up through the centre of town, riding a little too fast - as I was running late for dinner with our good friend Frances Voon :) so - naturally – I took the short-cut (the wrong way) up a pedestrianised section of the high-street, riding one-handed

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-32429527153115462692009-01-11T20:41:00.003Z2009-01-11T20:44:47.589Z

It's still freezing over here.This is a picture of my first day back at work in January 2nd. They say it is only going to get colder....oh no!

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-10267273783411677082009-01-01T22:48:00.004Z2009-02-20T23:22:44.384Z

I've spent a little too much time away with work recently and Jo - in her gracious, understated way - warned me not to book anything between Christmas and New Year.Shortly before Christmas there appeared numbered, flat presents under our (real ! ) tree. On Christmas day they led me via vague pictures of Sheep, Castles and 'Mountain-Bikes-this-way' up the M6 to five days (four of them riding) past

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-47690860670443354252008-12-04T18:51:00.007Z2008-12-04T18:59:34.115Z

Manchester saw a huge down fall of snow over night, so when I walked to work at 6:15am in the dark, the snowflakes were still falling on me as I walked.I was able to make footprints in the fluffy snow before anyone else had a chance!!Beautiful.

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-71833103509081028432008-10-24T11:18:00.005Z2008-10-24T11:44:57.547Z

Second time around for Matt and I, and first time for Lynda and David, Prague was just beautiful! God blessed us with glorious sunshine, so much so that Lynda had to buy a pair of shorts! We spent time in the Prague Castle and in particular in St Vitus, which is the Gothic Church within the castle walls. Magnificent, with beautiful stain glass windows on every wall, and ornate gargoyles acted

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-51831719880542807712008-10-20T12:10:00.002Z2008-10-20T12:15:29.814Z

Just a quick one to say that Jo and I are sitting in the sun in Budapest. We've spent the last 5 days with with Ben and Ksenia. More info to come, I'm not going to spend time in Budapest blogging when I could be out soaking up the vibe :)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-30260101896459243292008-10-06T15:16:00.006Z2008-10-06T15:38:38.357Z

For the beginning of the first week of Lynda and David’s stay, Matt was in Geneva so Lynda, David and I went on a road trip; north to Scotland via The Lake District. Following trusty Tom-Tom we made our way to our first stop – ‘Hill-Top’ in Ambleside, the home of Beatrix Potter, author of the Peter Rabbit Tales, (see photo opposite). Though, to get there Tom Tom lead us to a lake saying ‘Ahead…

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-22744888921131824462008-08-31T21:47:00.002Z2008-08-31T21:50:32.952Z

Well, Mum and Dad Wysel have arrived in Manchester, bringing some lovely weather with them. For the first day in a few weeks, it didn't rain, for a whole day!!! Although, it didn't take long for mum and dad to get an idea of the weather of Manchester. It drizzled consistently all day today.We've had a very lazy couple of days, jetlag is a killer!We are so excited to have them here with us and are

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-44802676592491607312008-08-12T00:21:00.003Z2008-08-14T00:29:21.402Z

Had someone at youth group remark that I had started to go grey... little did she know that I started to grey a while ago but I've been wearing a wig so nobody noticed.(This is Vincent and I in CO a while back)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-786995070250509532008-08-04T09:23:00.002Z2008-08-04T09:43:14.794Z

Matt, Paul (friend from church) and I went biking in Llandegla (our usual place to go in Nth Wales) the weekend before last. I've spoken before about how lovely the trail is, being a plantation set up by the Forestry Commission. I've also mentioned that there are loads of hills; you can guarantee the first 45 minutes of the ride are UP! And that's just the first hill.Now, I'd like to think that

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-81332111613545717082008-07-21T21:19:00.002Z2008-07-21T21:26:44.320Z

I stopped at a road-side service station to fill up this afternoon - during my 7 hours, and 400-odd miles in the car today (yay) - and paid a record £81 to fill up.Nothing special about the fuel; just 58L of regular diesel.eighty pounds.... and that was the cheaper diesel...

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-79598204147683418922008-07-15T21:59:00.004Z2008-07-15T22:08:38.711Z

If you remember last August when we went camping with the Evans boys, I stacked my bike and sprained my wrist, or so I thought. It has never healed and has consistently been sore. For a long time I thought I was just being a ‘girl’ but now I realise I actually did some damage.So…in true NHS style, it has been a long time coming to find out the exact problem with it. Here is how it went:I first

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-17006206709715679442008-07-13T16:07:00.001Z2008-07-13T16:08:39.803Z

A few weekends ago, Matt and I went along to North Wales to camp with some of the same gang that we went with last August. This August, however, I had my own bike! Butterfly did extremely well on the trails and I must say I was so impressed with the number of trails I could this year that I did not even attempt last year. Good times of fun in the sun; exercising and relaxing around a campfire

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-69826648613184109782008-06-18T21:36:00.003Z2008-06-18T21:42:01.712Z

Our beautiful Nana went home to Jesus yesterday.It is such a sad day for us here, as we will miss being blessed by such an amazing lady. It's also a day of rejoicing, as we think of Nana in heaven with Jesus, and knowing that one day we'll hug her again.We Love You Nana!!

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-22413733735127017852008-05-29T20:57:00.001Z2008-05-29T20:58:04.569Z

I've finally gone to the dark side and signed on to Facebook.Check me out!xo

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-33798220268842041452008-05-12T09:04:00.001Z2008-05-12T16:06:39.278Z

I’m writing this on behalf of Jo who I've just dropped off at work. She left Northern Sydney for work just over 29 hours ago - and still arrived 5 min's early. Amazing. I met her at the airport at 0630 this (Monday) morning and drove her straight out to Huddersfield. (In truth, we did briefly visit our house to drop her luggage off, and our local Caffé Nero for a large coffee) I wonder what

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-68918951997571417312008-04-18T16:37:00.000Z2008-04-18T16:38:42.145Z

Last weekend, Matt and I saw two beautiful friends get married. Jude married her Belgian fiancé Yves-Pascal.It was a brilliant day, loads of fun, with all the quirky traditions of both cultures. It was interesting having everything translated all through the day from the sermon to Matt explaining where the toilette’s were. (Matt and I were MC’s for the day).We had everything from a Hog Roast

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-13476004109253833292008-03-30T22:56:00.004Z2008-04-11T12:16:21.581Z

Hi, just a quick place-holder for our weekend in York with Aussie friends. More info to come. :)Some of our photos!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-10814650184235013042008-03-28T12:18:00.011Z2008-04-11T13:43:53.810Z

Over the Easter long weekend, Matt and I, and David (friend from Matthew's work) and his son Ben, had four amazing days of Mtn Biking in Scotland exploring the 7Stanes (a series of 7 Mtn Bike tracks the Forestry Commission has set up on the South West Coast of Scotland).We stayed in a cute little 16th Century B&B on a Farm in the middle of nowhere which was just perfect. Sheila (host), was

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-58699312249303821682008-03-11T21:07:00.000Z2008-03-15T18:53:38.111Z

That's what they're for...

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-51704743619104148812008-03-09T21:20:00.004Z2008-03-09T21:31:28.407Z

Well, right in the middle of the chill of Manchester winter, our heater broke! Not the best when the weather outside is lucky to make -5 degrees in the middle of the day.After close examination the electrician was able to say, "Yup, it's broke, the thermostat's gone son".After long excuses about legislation and not being covered by insurance to fix the heater, and £80 later, we were stuck with a

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-44560690197527926812008-03-06T13:44:00.004Z2008-03-09T20:31:43.399Z

On Tuesday, for the first time in a year, Matt and I happened to be in the same place for work! It usually happens that Matt is in Dublin, while I am in London, or vise versa. This time however, we were both in Scotland! I was in Edinburgh for a gig for the National Museums Scotland and Matt was in Dundee, (just north of Edinburgh). So, on Monday night I caught a train to see Matt for the night!

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-48049037505286361122008-02-19T21:52:00.002Z2008-02-19T21:58:08.120Z

I've just returned home from a gig at the Museum of London and have driven through the worst fog I think have ever seen! It was about -4 degrees outside and the fog was so thick, we could barely see the fog lights of the car in front of us. Really eerie. The drive took about 5 1/2 hours.I am now safe and sound snuggled in my duvet with a glass of wine, and some hot soup on the hob.

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-10753913284081633872008-02-18T00:24:00.004Z2008-02-18T00:33:14.243Z

Well, after our last Wales trip, this weekend had to be better. In fact it was more than than… it was glorious!I had Friday off work, so Matt and I went to Wales on Thursday night (well..ok, very early Friday morning…). Matt had an admin day booked so I was able to help him catch up on expenses that he has been too busy to complete over the past few months. On Saturday we woke up with the sun

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-54229260480722218822008-02-07T23:11:00.000Z2008-02-07T23:12:36.609Z

We're going to Wales again tonight to go biking...let's hope the weather is a little better this time. (See post following)

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-68412425085866115662008-02-07T23:07:00.000Z2008-02-07T23:09:42.058Z

In the week between Christmas and New Year, Matt and I went to Rowen, Wales for a little holiday. After a short relax in a friend’s cottage, and some lovely sleep-ins, we travelled out to Penmache, North Wales, to go biking. We managed to pick the one weekend the rain decided to fall, no, drench North Wales. Paddocks were transformed into swamps and roads were flooded, with water spurting upwards

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-44505320444509570422008-02-02T12:56:00.000Z2008-02-04T13:19:42.513Z

It doesn't happen very often, but we had a nice sunny winter's day yesterday.To the cynics who will say "that's not a sunny day", look at the shadow on the building to the far left... and you're welcome to come and live in Manchester whenever you'd like :-)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-15833709381813111872008-01-14T15:07:00.000Z2008-01-14T15:47:37.218Z

It's the middle of winter and our large, wall-mounted, heater broke last weekend...I called an electrician in to have a look at the offending item and was told that the service charge for a dedicated Nobo technician to come out and replace it was more than ... and you know where that story goes...After Googling for Nobo sales and technicians, I eventually found and called the UK Distributors,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-79310492895178150132007-12-31T01:06:00.001Z2008-01-02T12:22:53.360Z

And it beats Charlie! Yup, we have a new member to the Wysel household, and her name is ‘Butterfly’. She is a Specialized Myka, (for the boys…a girls version of a Spec Rockhopper). She is an aluminium hard-tail, 4”/100mm front suspension, Avid BB5 discs front and back, oh…and she has butterfly decals.

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-34768686887400496582007-12-19T17:42:00.000Z2007-12-19T17:46:09.667Z

It makes snow...

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-60028263064714753112007-12-02T21:07:00.001Z2007-12-02T21:09:58.583Z

A couple of weekends ago, I had a friend from work stay for the weekend. Though British, she has never been to Manchester, and sure enough her first impression of the place was rain…Manchester doesn’t muck around when it comes to being the ‘wettest place’ in Britain. Have I mentioned it rains here all the time? ;)So...what do you do when it rains in Manchester? You shop! So…we did. After some

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-76686384200347686082007-10-22T22:42:00.001Z2007-10-22T23:13:04.830Z

It seems there's a community action team (made up of Porsche and Mazda drivers) who have been policing the car park under our apartments...(sorry for the lack of recent posts; we've both been frantic at work and asleep all weekend. Jo does have a few 'draft' posts that will be published in the next day or two...)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-63006249926934635452007-09-20T22:03:00.000Z2007-10-31T23:52:08.686Z

Prague was the last place we visited on our brief European tour, (yes I know it was about a month ago, but c'est la vie). Prague is an absolutely stunning place, and I definitely want to go back. We stayed with Jan , one of Matt's colleagues based in Prague.The castle was a highlight with a unique beauty about it. We climbed to the top of the second bell tower to see the view over Prague. The

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-26367530283608389142007-09-14T11:12:00.000Z2007-09-16T21:55:18.394Z

Jo and I headed up into Cumbria for another day's riding in Grizedale Forest last Saturday. We almost have the packing down to routine: helmets - check, pads - check, tools - check, ...... Once we arrive in the car park at the Forest Centre Jo goes and rents her bike while I set up mine (and generally mess around :-) ).Our hope has always been to ride as much of the 'North Face Trail' as possible

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-30261443921436098942007-09-05T20:47:00.000Z2007-09-14T11:56:35.321Z

From Belgium we flew to Warsaw in Poland to meet Adam, one of Matt's colleagues from work. Having a 'local' as a friend is the best way to see the heart of a place. We visited 'Lazienki Park' on Saturday and walked through some beautiful gardens, after a leisurely stroll around the lake, as well as visiting Chopin's Monument. :)As you may be aware Warsaw was completely demolished in 1945 in the

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-21996351383696785832007-09-03T21:59:00.000Z2007-09-14T11:56:35.321Z

Our first day of holidays: we set off from Manchester to Brussels, in Belgium. We flew with Jude (a friend from church) who was meeting her Belgian fiance over there, Yves-Pascal (Y.P). We had the amazing pleasure of staying with Antoine and Linda, who are both Violin Makers. Antoine is French and works in violin restoration and Linda is and Aussie and makes original violins. How cool is that! We

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-16043600784162600252007-08-30T18:53:00.001Z2007-09-14T11:56:35.321Z

Absolutely insane!Last weekend, to round off our action packed holiday, we went camping in Wales with some of the Evans guys and gals (bike shop Matt worked in in London) for a mountain biking trip. We tried out our new two-man, tent and enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather; away from Manchester!For Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday we basically just rode up and down a couple of crazy mountains

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-40801485879477899192007-08-30T11:59:00.000Z2007-08-30T12:04:38.297Z

Just a quick one to advertise we just got around to uploading some old photos from 'The Best Few Days' series back in July...Enjoy them here...

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-68504395275643896152007-08-27T22:07:00.000Z2007-09-14T11:57:14.872Z

Just a quick one to let you know we're home, safe and soundly exhausted.We'll post updates on our exploits in the next few days - sorry that it wasn't in real time, but we were having too much fun to stop and blog.Here's a taste of the photos to come!Brussels, and true Belgian beer... mmmmBrussels again, and Godiva chocolateWarsaw, Poland, enjoying the amphitheatre in the King's Gardens

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-84118969002118266522007-08-14T10:38:00.000Z2007-09-14T11:57:14.872Z

We're about to head out on holidays... how fun's that...?We'll have to post updates on the way as we've just been buzzed by the taxi. :-) back soon.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-80844817790302075182007-08-09T20:41:00.000Z2007-08-11T14:09:03.257Z

If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll have had a week of sun (I think... I actually haven't been here for most of the week...)If it doesn't rain on the M62, in Yorkshire, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield, and then Manchester tomorrow, I'll have had a week of sun.(Saturday: It didn't rain, so we've had our first week of sun since... forever :) )

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-45967461996388302552007-08-06T10:07:00.000Z2007-08-09T20:38:03.002Z

To mark the first time in our married life we were asleep on a Saturday night before mid-night, we were awoken around 2am by a highly excited, young chap drawing attention to the fact he and his friend had become caught in the elevator in our apartment block.Owing to the cascade of expletives and insults, we initially put the excitement down to alcohol induced revelry on the access street down

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-5937120475783908362007-07-26T15:04:00.000Z2007-07-26T22:12:07.251Z

This place is crazy... Does it ever stop raining..? I've just parked the car in Nottingham after driving up from London and it's been like someone has been fire-hosing me for the last 3hours... April was the last time we saw any solid blue sky in the Midlands.Praise God for the occasional escape to London :-)(Mind you, we really don't have it that bad, see the main news on the BBC's website)

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-41235580741447391022007-07-22T20:31:00.000Z2007-07-28T08:28:19.547Z

On Friday night, some actor friends from our company had a cook-off! Most actors as you know have 'another job' while they are in between jobs and auditions; and Nathan (actor in another team) is a chef. So....Friday, after rehearsal we all went to Sainsbury (equivalent to Coles or Woolworths) and bought a whole lot of ingredients that Nathan and Paul (a budding cook in my team) could work with.

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-6373936788800202962007-07-21T11:52:00.000Z2007-08-31T22:50:56.394Z

Matt has taken a much needed week off work and driven to Morzine, in the French Alps to go mountain biking with some of the lads from London.He has sent me this picture just now which I think sums up the week he has had so far.

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-16420428097666687712007-07-20T21:29:00.000Z2007-07-23T18:42:53.528Z

It was birthday on Friday 13th.I was in rehearsals but was blessed with lovely surprises throughout the day. The company organised a cake and card for me, my team bought me a teddy called Cappuccino (can't possibly know why?!), and Matt met me after work to go for a few birthday drinks with my work friends. So all in all, the day at work wasn't bad at all!Thank you so much to everyone back home

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-88268447139203373082007-07-09T08:40:00.000Z2007-08-30T12:05:22.312Z

Jo and I have had the best couple of days this last week; relaxing (for the most part) and different. Tuesday night – after two long-ish days for us both, we headed up to the bottom end of the Lake District for a two days & nights of clean-air, walking and hiking. We lodged in the Mill Force Farm, a very peaceful B&B on Tuesday and rode some of the North Face mountain bike trail around

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-27573743239254482332007-07-08T22:57:00.000Z2007-08-30T12:05:28.052Z

Today we went to the London Zoo with Tim (our host for the weekend). It was a blast! Among the highlights were the very social Meercats, the crazy African hunting dogs who seemed to be on heat for they didn’t stop running; the very wise looking monkeys because of their white long moustaches, and of course the lions and tigers, who by the time we saw then were having a sleepy afternoon, rubbing

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-53664334620816576872007-07-08T08:47:00.000Z2007-08-30T12:05:34.785Z

Saturday was a beautiful, blue sky, sunny, hot day….all day! After a much needed sleep in, Tim, Matt and I had planned to go to Shakespeare’s Globe to see Othello. Unfortunately, it was sold out! Great to see he’s still going strong! So, instead we strolled over to Borough markets and sat in the sun sharing some lovely white wine. After contemplating many options for the afternoon, such as the

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-73020649003852993072007-07-06T22:49:00.000Z2007-08-30T12:05:40.533Z

After work on Tuesday, Matt and I drove up to The Lakes District for a lil’ two day break. Matt had organised accommodation at a cute little 17th Century cottage, I fell in love with it as soon as we arrived. In the morning, we hired a full-suspension bike for me (for those interested I rode a Gary Fisher the first day and a Rocky Mountain the second), and Matt rode his prized Cannondale and we

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-49632307331620549822007-06-27T22:18:00.000Z2007-07-02T20:56:22.848Z

Floods similar to those in Newcastle, (NSW) have devastated much of the English midlands. There have been hundreds of people's homes and cars under water. Sheffield Football Stadium's pitch was 12ft under water! (I performed at the same football stadium only three weeks ago). Parts of the M1 Motorway have been closed due to flooding. A motorway....flooded?!Now, it does rain a lot here, but this

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-19674437636999427332007-06-24T21:30:00.000Z2007-06-25T21:06:45.466Z

At the beginning of June, Mum and Dad Moore made the long haul from Australia to England, to visit us in 'sunny' Manchester. They are tripping around Europe at the moment, but spent the first week or so of their trip with us. I had been so excited about their arrival, I counted the days down from about 75 days to go! It was so special spending time with Mum and Dad; I was missing them so much…

Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00284733820933053667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23986037.post-73368426712719296892007-06-21T00:41:00.000Z2007-06-20T23:46:12.725Z

Hi there, just a really quick post to say that Jo and I are still alive - if a little preoccupied.Jo's in some far flung place tonight (with work) and I'm off to Dundee, Scotland tomorrow morning for another couple of days... seems to be the story of our lives at the moment.We still think of you... and will post again soon.(Don't tell Jo that I'm still up blogging, or I'll get into trouble :) )

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11711124001354581570noreply@blogger.com0