Wine tasting...

Attended a Wine tasting night for Penfolds last night. The night was organised by the Wine Society and allowed us to taste some pretty expensive wines. The guy presenting the wines was Peter Gago, the chief winemaker from Penfolds. The tasting list was as follows;

1. 2001 Yattarna
2. 2001 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz
3. 2001 Bin 389 Cab Shiraz
4. 1999 St Henri Shiraz
5. 2001 Magill Estate Shiraz
6. 2001 RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz
7. 2001 Bin 707 Cab Sauv
8. 1996 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon
9. 1999 Grange
10.1985 Grange

So the bottles of wine ranged from about $20(AUD) up to over $300. Seeing the tasting cost 6 pounds, it was a pretty worthwile night.

Glasgo Trip

So I got up early on friday Morning to catch the bus to Stanstead. I was flying on Ryan air to glasgow for the rugby. I managed to get to the airport on time but my friends did not. So it was off to get some food and wait for my friends.

I went to pret a manager for an egg an tomato sandwich on rye. £1.60, good stuff. Following that I topped up my mobile at Boots. Then I sat down and looked around at the airport which reminds me of a big shed.

When gansey and Jo arrived, we decided to hire a car and drive to Glasgow. Road Trip!!! It cost £105 plus fuel compared to £80 each on the train.

We travelled up the M1 motorway and then the M6, with a £3 toll to Glasgow. We stayed with Colin and Laura, some friends of Gainsey's in an old bed and breakfast.

The next morning we made our way into Glasgow to drop off the car at Avis. After filling the car with fuel (avis charge £1.75 per litre), we caught a taxi to Buchanin Street in Glasgow.

We arrived at Buchanin street and had a look at a few shops. Ganesy and I went to the drum and monkey pub, where suprisingly, a lot of people were wearing kilts. Jo proceeded to shop and Ganesy and I had a £3.80 Hoegarrden before we all caught a taxi to the rugby.

The temperture at the rugby was less than ideal, I think my berries were the size of peas. I don't know how the aussie players could handle the ball in that cold. We were sitting in row P which was pretty close to the action. The final score in the game was Australia 31 Scotland 17.

After the rugby, we went to a few pubs in town before settling down at the Buddha bar. After getting home at about 1pm and being ripped off by a taxi driver, (watch them in Glasgow).

The next day was Sunday and after sleeping in we finally made it to the train for Edinburgh. We visisted the city and had a quick look around. I only saw the famous Edinburgh Castle from a distance and walked up to the royal mile where we grabbed a bite to eat at an italian restaurant (no haggis for me).

The next day it was on the plane, yes we made it this time, and home to Cambridge.

Church on Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Me in front of Edinburgh Castle

Me, Ganesy and Jo at the Rugby (bloody freesing)

Hampden Park

Tourist site in Glasgow (I'm told the cone is there all the time)

Ganesy's effort at photography

Buchanin Street Glasgow

Kilpatrick Hills

Colin, Laura and Gansey (house where we stayed in the background)

Our hire car

Hey it just snowed

After getting home from yoga, it began to snow. Having never seen snow before, Bek and I went out into the street and proceeded to throw snowballs around. Funny aussies in the street.

Some nice passer by took our photo

Bek enjoying the snow

James in the snow

Digital Drawings..

While I have been in Cambridge I have been working on some digital drawings. Some of Perth and some of Cambridge. I use my Wacom Graphire 2 for this but its funny how you can buy a pencil for 50 cents and a tablet for around $180 and they practically do the same thing (only you don't get RSI with the pencil).

Bill Gates Building - Cambridge

Kings Bridge - Cambridge

Perth Skyline

Swan Brewery - Perth

Innovation in Cambridge

Silicon.com has released a news story regarding innovation in Cambridge. One intersting item is the projector for ipods. Pretty cool stuff. Lets hope its out soon.


Read More...

Trip to Glasgow

I'm off to Glasgow tomorrow for 4 days, back on Monday. I'm going to watch Australia play in the second rugby test against Scotland. The match is being played at Hampden Park in Scotland.

A mate managed to get me a plan ticket from Stanstead airport on Ryan Air. You can fly with these guys for 3 pounds to italy from the UK. Cheapest airline I've ever seen.

ME.

James

When friends visit...

Had Des and his girlfriend, Michelle visit last weekend. So I had to do the tour of Cambridge. Unfortunately, I was a less than perfect guide, preferring to look around at shops rather than the brilliant Architecture in Cambridge. Des and Michelle had just come from Africa and are on a round the world trip.

James, Des and Michelle

Who designed this??

I always thought the famous mathematical bridge at Queens college Cambridge was designed by Newton. It was actually designed by William Etheridge. Read more about it here.

Mathematical Bridge at Queens College (Not designed by Newton, but William Etheridge)

James and Bek Punting. Don't be fooled by the sun, it was freezing. 

Scene from one of the Harry Potter movies

Des trys his hand at punting

Des and Michelle in front of the Wedding Cake, St Johns College 

Bonfire night

Some images from Bonfire night on the 5th November. Held at Midsummer Common Cambridge.

James and Bekky

Bekky and Bekky 

Fireworks 

More Fireworks

Bonfire from a afar 

Yoga Classes in Cambridge

Compared to Australia, or Perth for that matter, there are not that many Ashtanga Yoga classes in Cambridge. There is a yoga run buy the CUYS which has a lot of different classes, not just Ashtanga yoga and also Ashtanga Yoga Cambridge.

Images from around Cambridge

Bridge to Kings college located on the backs

Kings College Chappel 

Market Square - Located in the centre of Cambridge

New Hall Super Hall

Happy Halloween Mr Potter

On the friday before Halloween I attended the New Hall Super Hall Dinner. The super hall was a formal hall. Originally these dinners were a tradition that members of the colleges wore gowns and dined seated in a certain order of their status. The colleges staff members, onto graduate students and down to undergraduates. Some of the formal halls also involve traditions such as speaking Latin and drinking from a certain cup. I think the formal hall I attended was quite informal.

Another thing that happens is pennying, where someone puts a penny in your glass and you have to scull or down that glass of alcohol. You then have the opportunity to put that penny in someone elses glass. Slightly different to Aussies version of coins.

Want to join the orchestra anyone.

Okay so I saw this poster at one of the colleges in Cambridge and thought the title needed to be photographed. I'll leave out which college I found the poster at though although it is all girls college.

Bike web sites

Okay so I managed to procure the seat and post from a website. The delivery was quite fast.

I managed to have a look at the following sites for a seat and post:

• Wiggle,
• Stif (nice name) and
• Chain Reaction

These all have heaps of items on their website to choose from, at costly and cheap prices.

Bike seat Take 2

So following my purchase of a new seat for my bike I came out the front of my unit and my new seat had gone missing as well. Apparently thieves carry an allen key in their pocket.

So from now on I will be taking my seat off when I get home and bringing it inside and using a cable to lock my seat on when I am out and about in Cambridge.