Summer In The Countryside

Posted on May 7, 2007 by Sarah Bernhardi

Well I think we’ve officially christened ourselves as country bumpkins having attended our very first village May Fayre today in Bradfield. There was a May Queen, May Pole Dancers, dogs herding ducks (yes, you read that right) and stands brimming with fudge and home baked treats. Bliss!

Thanks to Mom, we’ve had a very productive bank holiday weekend. We’ve caught up on the laundry, spring cleaned the house, emptied the last remaining boxes and even got the wedding invites ready for Postman Pat! Scott has obviously returned safe and sound from his most recent business trip down-under in New Zealand. I’ve been surviving (just) the Bucklebury to London commute for work still hankering for more time at the house to make it feel more like home. We were invited by our neighbours next door for drinks and seeing their place has made us realise just how much work we’ve got ahead of us. They’ve got two young kids and I guess that goes a long way to making a place feel “lived in” ………. although we’re not exactly rushing out to do the same ;-)

Brent and Bev arrive in England this week for the start of their “summer-time-in-england” part of the year. Can’t wait to benefit from Bev’s gardening expertise and of course have the traditional, festive and lively family BBQ’s at Cartwright Way …. only then do you know summer has truly arrived.

Right then, enough waffling, back to long to-do-lists and endless chores. Even Scotty’s ironing shirts … that says it all!

Love to you all over the miles.

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Baguettes, Bordeaux, Brie … and a dog.

Posted on April 11, 2007 by Sarah Bernhardi

A belated Happy Easter to our friends and family around the world.

Trust the bunny delivered copious amounts of chocolate and that the sun shone for you as it did for us in France. Yes, we’re back from our five day adventure through Northern France. Madam Milo did us proud on her very first trip abroad. We spent five nights at the lovely, rustic but very welcoming Manoir de Gorlay with our hosts Karen (Zimbabwean) and David (South African).
The communal dining arrangement ensured we had very entertaining dinners stretching out into the early hours of the morning almost every night!

Determined to relax, we didn’t do quite as much exploring as one would expect but did have a few highlights.
We enjoyed sauntering through Amiens, watched a spectacular and moving Canadian remembrance procession at Arras in honour of the 3,600 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives capturing Vimy Ridge 90 years ago.
Spent two afternoons exploring the coastal villages of St Valery and Cayeux and the rest of the time dosing in the glorious early summer sunshine.Scott is back out in New Zealand on business (grumble), so we’re looking forward to him coming home in two weeks.

With summer rapidly approaching, we’re keen to take full advantage of the lovely woodland walks and more BBQ’s in our garden.We had a lovely pub lunch afternoon with Craig, Tor and Susie weekend before last as they visited us (for the first time!) in Upper Bucklebury.
They spoilt us rotten with herbs, flowers and plants which kept Scott busy potting the next day … and we’ve not yet killed them … so it must be a good sign.

The Singapore Bernhardi’s are doing well. Leo is enjoying strutting his stuff on two legs although still has a phobia of the beach and all things sandy and wavy. Maybe his sibling will help him with this one ….. yes, Mark & Kerry are expecting a new bundle of joy in / around September time frame. Very excited Granny, Aunty and Uncle on this end.

Wedding plans are in full swing and we’re still on track to get those invites out to you ASAP so you can book your travel.

Over and out from sunny Blighty.

 

 

 

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While the cat’s away ….

Posted on March 6, 2007 by Sarah Bernhardi

A whole month has slipped by since my last post and it’s certainly not for lack of trying, just simply the time factor.  Loads to report so sit back and get comfortable.

As you will see from the latest photos in our gallery, Scott is currently in New Zealand on holiday …um, I mean business.  Clearly he’s having a very hard time of it too with bbqs on Brent and Bevs stunning new boat, dips in the ocean and waking up to wonderful Auckland sunrises over the harbour.  Oh if only I could ease his pain somewhat.  With the continued absence of curtains, I didn’t have the courage to stay “home alone” and have retreated the warmth, security and obvious comforts of home with mom.  I’m enjoying being back in “the hub of things” with London on the doorstep it’s a great opportunity to catch up some shopping :-)   I’ve also managed to arrange a girls night out with some old schoolfriends and dinner / theatre with a couple of Micromuse colleagues.  Milo hasn’t been back here in months and is beside herself with the excitment of seeing old friends again and the joys of exploring the vast, wonderful commons that Esher, Weybridge and Walton are blessed with.

House wise things are coming along well.  Curtains will be up this weekend, 90 % of the snagging has been addressed and it’s starting to feel more and more like home.  Must admit we’re yearning for the first signs of Spring and a little warmth though.  Everything is still so muddy and wet which makes keeping the house clean a nightmare and dog walks quite a messy affair.  Our days are getting longer with dusk sprinkling in at around 5pm which is welcome relief to the darkness of January and February.  We’ve continued to explore the local countryside and discovered a wonderful country pub just down the road called The Pot Kiln.  Owned and managed by celebrity chef, Mike Robinson (and his Labrador), it offers a heartwarming menu of game reared in the local countryside.

On the wedding front we’re making good progress.  Now that Scott has been able to see the proposed venue first hand we’re able to confirm venue and dates (see seperate wedding tab).  Fortunately the venue will be organising 90 % of the event whcih leaves us to worry about invites, dresses, wine and the fun activities around the event.  Yipeee.  We’ve got some fabulous ideas already and … quite simply … you’d be nuts if you’ve not provisionally booked your flights yet. 

Leo is still hungry, huge and happy.  He’s started walking and certainly knows how to strut his stuff from the videos we’ve received.  Will hopefully be able to get one or two loaded on here shortly.  Mom continues to soldier on working hard and is still going through the painful process of settling into new processes, routines and pressures.  Roll on Lotto.

I’ll be back in a few weeks with more insight into the lives, loves and travels of these two country bumpkins.  For now, enjoy the onset of Autum for those of you in the Southern hemisphere and we’ll let you know when Spring has sprung on this side of the big ball.

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Curtain poles, finials, brackets, guest lists and the smell of wood fires.

Posted on February 3, 2007 by Sarah Bernhardi

Oh the joy of moving into your first home, surviving winter in the countryside and attempting to plan a wedding 12,000 miles away.  Entering week 5 in our new home and we’re still ducking and diving under windows for fear of exposing some private lilly white part of our anatomy to our poor unsuspecting neighbours.  Whoever thought measuring, choosing and fitting curtains could be such a painful task.
 
We’ve hosted our first overnight guests (Amanda, Niz and baby Eden), discovered more of the stunning countryside surrounding us, enjoyed our first snowfall and have even started contemplating garden design with the assistance of a local landscaper.  Our couches have arrived so we’re sitting comfortably and soon our guests will be sleeping better with the anticipated arrival of the second bed.  The neighbourhood drinks evening we organised at our local (The Cottage Inn) went down a storming success with over 90 % of our neighbours turning out for a very sociable evening.  Such a success in fact that we’ve been instructed to organise one a month going forward.  We’ve also survived a full day of shopping at IKEA – quite a milestone for any couple (well adjusted or not!).   Scott has managed to build 70 % of what we’ve bought – so the knickers and socks finally have a home.  The other 30 % is back in the car waiting to be returned in exchange for what we actually ordered – if you know what I mean ;-)
 
On the subject of significant milestones, Milo turned 2 this week.  Two whole years since madam plodded her way into our lives and we’ve obvioulsy enjoyed every minute because we can hardly believe it’s been that long. 
 
Workwise we’re both still soldiering on.  Current contract forces me to be away from home a few nights a week which isn’t much fun but at least Scotts commute is a breeze now.  Roll on Lotto.

Saturday night and we’re about to plonk ourselves on the sofa – exhausted – after accomplishing yet another long list of sorting, building, moving, measuring and buying chores. 
 
That’s us … the happenin’, about town thirty-something’s living in the country!
 
Love to you all around the world.

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Ouch!

Posted on January 15, 2007 by Sarah Bernhardi

Yip, that’s pretty much how we feel in every part of our bodies. The endless boxes, trips upstairs, downstairs, shifting left, shifting right, lugging out to the garage, poop scooping, walkies, vacuuming, vacuuming, vacuuming — whilst still keeping up with the day jobs – and we’ve not even been to the dump yet! [Ahem, that'll be recycling plant for those of you thinking we've not yet found the loo!]

Did I mention vacuuming? Milo is shedding at a rate that suggests bald is the new chocolate for Spring. That combined with the dust coming out of the boxes, having been in storage for 12 months, and the mud and splatter that go with 10 days of continuous rainfall have ensured that our trusty Dyson is keeping just as fit as we are. Update on the furnishing front. Despite an ever increasing delta in our likes and dislikes, we’ve successfully placed an order for our couches and even selected fabric for curtains and blinds. A pretty mammoth milestone given that our idea of interior design extends to admiring other peoples houses and hoping one day it’ll “just happen” in ours. Apparently not. Oh well, we’re still going to be calling in the professionals – there is just no debating that one.

I managed to accomplish three days of hard graft (seriously!) at the office in Bexley this week. In an effort to reduce my daily four hour commute, I spent one night in Walton and the other at the local Holiday Inn. Scott was “on-call” this week for the first time and, much to our relief, avoided any 3am call-outs. ‘Gran Gran’ visited us this weekend – a real treat for Milo – who thought she’d vanished pre-Christmas. We discovered the retail delights of Newbury and Reading and introduced her to the “wonderful woodland wellies walk” this morning.

Latest “moving in amidst chaos” photos are in the photo gallery under the “Our House” album.   Aside from that, we’re still basking in the happiness that is home.

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Home Sweet Home

Posted on January 10, 2007 by Sarah Bernhardi

There couldn’t possibly be a more appropriate title for this post. It’s been a fairly chaotic few days and whilst we’ve been going at it non-stop we’re still drowning in a sea of boxes, bubble wrap and … stuff … but we’re home! Despite the very obvious lack of furniture, other than a bed, tv and two garden chairs, it couldn’t be more perfect.

Milo, whilst a little unsettled and uncertain, thinks we’re on holiday with the wonderful woodland walks she’s discovering every day. We knew it would be dog heaven but certainly didn’t expect it to be as lovely as it is. No need for us to jump in the car to access any of the walks as we have a common and a wood within 1 minutes walk of our front door. It’s rained non-stop so we’ve put our wellies through hell and I am very grateful for our utility room which is a mud, splatter and puddle war ground at the moment ! There is so much to tell you … all the countrylife lessons we’re learning, the locals, the mishaps …the list goes on… but I’ve decided to keep all those goodies for the dinner table when you visit.

Till then, there are a few more boxes that need unpacking and then we really must order those curtains before we offend our poor neighbours or the local wildlife with the sight of ourselves first thing in the morning.

Signing out from our house in the country, soon to be christened “Jabulani” which means happiness in Zulu.

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Fire Up Those Jet Engines Captain !

Posted on January 1, 2007 by Sarah Bernhardi

Well here we are in Johannesburg International Airport …um, no, correction “O.R. Thambo International Airport” after two hours of Virgin Atlantic check-in hell coupled with good ‘ol fashioned South African service efficiency. Some things will never change. Cool brand, great on-board entertainment and yet their ground staff will continue to drag their reputation down.

Whilst I’d like to say we’re sun kissed, relaxed and rejuvenated after this holiday – I’d be lying. Feels like we’ve done nothing but run from one place to another, drive, battle crowds…. and then the full cycle all over again day in and day out. There have been some lovely highlights though – Jo & Grant’s lovely wedding, Christmas Day with the family at Audacia Manor and New Years Eve in the Eastern Cape and Scott clambering around the tunnels of the world famous Cango Caves. After the hustle and bustle of Jo’burg and the heat and humidity of Durban, we were quite hoping Knysna (beautiful lagoon town on the Garden Route) about 450km from Cape Town would give us the respite we so desperately wanted but we were sh*t out of luck there. Turns out the sleepy little town is beseiged by literally thousands and thousands of Capetonians and Jo’burgers at this time of year so every restaurant, interesting attraction, secluded beach, quiet oasis was under attack. On top of that the weather stayed overcast and cool every day.

We saw 2007 in quite nicely though with the help of the Singapore Bernhardi’s, the Stams (Kerry’s sisters family) and the Mitchells (Kerry’s parents). They have a gorgeous house on Thesen Island which hosted our bbq’d prawn and champagne dinner. We also managed a quick spin on the family boat around the Knysna canals and harbour for sundowners. Watch this space for some lovely photos. Gran has now joined mom and the rest of the gang in Knysna from today and I really hope Mom gets a few days of peace, quiet and relaxation. To be honest, I now understand more than anything why she yearns for the Swiss or Austrian Alps for a true, peaceful break.

Back to Blighty this evening to our puppy and our new home. To say we’re excited would be putting it mildly. What a superb way to see in 2007.

After 2006 presented most of us with bucket loads of change – mostly positive of course – our wish for ourselves, our family and friends around the world this first day of 2007 is a year filled with contentment, success, happiness and love in all the new avenues and niches we now find ourselves in.

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Greetings from Sunny (and Humid) Durban

Posted on December 26, 2006 by Scott Harman

Ola all,

Scott here, posting away – unusual as that might sound.

Just trying to put virtual pen to paper before we dissolve into puddles here in a somewhat humid Durban – 30 degrees and 100% humidity is no longer my idea of a good time!  Not quite sure how Mark and Kerry put up with it.  Had a really great Christmas Day yesterday catching up with all of Sarah’s family at a lovely place called Audacia Manor in Durban, Roast Turkey and all the trimmings, even Xmas Pud to finish - absolutely stunning views, plus we had a blast playing with their two labs in the pool  – will post photos once we’ve got some decent upstream bandwidth

Desperately missing Milo – I’m sure she’s being a good pup, but then she’s equally likely to be a total terror

We fly home to the new house on New Years Day – arriving and moving in on the 2nd which will be an experience but we gain so much more time to get our lives in order by coming back a few days early!

All the best and Merry Christmas from all the clan.

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Diamonds & Champagne

Posted on December 6, 2006 by Sarah Bernhardi

Our RingWhilst I agree diamonds are most definitely a girls best friend they take on a whole new level of pleasure when served with champagne. So, in the spirit of celebrating our engagement we whisked ourselves off to De Beers on Bond Street last Saturday and spent the afternoon shopping for our engagement ring whilst sipping copious amounts of very good champagne. The staff were incredibly friendly and really made it an experience. It didnt take long to find the perfect ring and they managed to have it re-sized and ready to go the same afternoon.

Needless to say, I’ve been waltzing around London and Surrey for the last few days attempting to dazzle people with its sheer beauty. I’ve had a sudden need to check the time on my wrist watch more frequently, scratch my chin or cover up a slight yawn … and something tells me the novelty isn’t going to wear off quickly ;-)

Only eight sleeps now until we jump on a big bird and head down to South Africa for three weeks of southern sun. Can’t believe it’s only 11 sleeps until Jo and Grant get married … feels like it was just yesterday Jo and I were 21 years old and making entries into each others diary as to where we’d be in 10 years (i.e 31 / now). It’ll be a perfect day for a perfect couple – I have no doubt. The house is now officially 7 working days from completion. Still feels like a pipedream if Im honest and reality will no doubt kick in full force when we do the big move (the day after we’re back from South Africa !).

Winter chill has settled in – the trees are bare and we’ve even had our first sprinkling of sleet. Keep those scarves wrapped tight !

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Cloud 9 – What A View !

Posted on November 27, 2006 by Sarah Bernhardi

Yip, whip out the sunglasses, slap on the factor 40 for the glare is bright ! That’s us smiling down from Cloud 9 ! We’re engaged !

Just back from a wonderful three days in the Dorset countryside and despite the gale force winds and torrential floods (literally) we had a superb time. Scott bowled me over with an incredibly romantic and thoughtful proposal that I simply could not resist. Sitting in front of one of five log fires the Manor had going, Milo snoring to her hearts content, with us sipping G&T’s after a hard days exploring .. he whipped out a gorgeous Links of London “engagement ring” charm as a stop gap until we can go shopping for the rock …I mean ring ;-)

Once we’ve finished our joy ride on Cloud 9 we’ll start looking at the calender and providing more definitive details. For now … start saving those pennies, cleansing the liver, stockpiling the factor 40 and planning the great roadtrip because we’ll be celebrating the “big day” in New Zealand …..sometime in February 2008 !

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