So...you have not hear from me in a while. There is a reason. Jac Ange and i have had a bit of a run in with the nasty side of Africa. We caught a bit of a bug (to say the least).

I think that i left off at...Rabat? Sale? Well we took the train to Casablanca nad there the trip started to go down hill fast. Fevers, Runny Poos, chills, and upset stomachs. Jac was hit first and then Me and Finally Ange. Ange and i had a chance to explore the city Casablanca a bit more than Jac but we did do a tour of the city. The nightmare was really the trip that we had to make from Casablanca to Agadir - ( 9 hour bus ride on a bus with NO toilet!!!! - and Runny poo (also known as TBI) ... it was a little sketch to say the least.)

Well let me tell you... We started out at the bus station to catch the 11:30 bus - which was delayed by an hour and we had no clue what was going on because no one seemed to speak english. My fench allowed me to figure out the the bus was "retarded" (late) by one hour - and it later turned out to be acually 2 hours.

Finally we get on the bus with the help of a nice guy named Youness. Thank GOD for Youness!!! That man helpd us more than we could ever tell him. Jac and Ange were really to fall over and i was not that far behind them as by the time we had to catch the bus we had not been able to keep anything in us for about 3 days. Talk about no energy.

Youness is a young guy (24) who was going home to visit his family for Holiday. He worked in Casa (as it is called in morocco) and his english was really good so he acted as our interpriture and guide making sure that we had what we needed. Which was great seeing that we had no energy to put forth a propper effort. He had asked us at one of the TWO (yes a 9 hour trip with 2 stops! When you have TBI it proved to be a bit of a challenge) what hotel we were staying in and when we told him he said that it was not good and we could not stay there becasue it was not nice at all. So this kind man called another place found out how much it was going to be (got the price down to 300 dhs which was cheaper than what we were planing to pay at the other place) and then left us to discuss what we wanted to do. We took him up on the new hotel offer. Once we arrived in Agadir (in one piece thank god) he walked us there. It was so nice of him.

The next day we got up and went to the chemist to get drugs. Felt better and stopped having TBI so off to the ocean we headed. I got to see some great waves. Jac went swimming (i was not so brave as it was rather cold but Jac loved it). Walked barefoot in the sand and in the waters edge and soaked up the sun. It was a great way to end the trip that was quickly turning into our own private hell. Youness joined us and we all had the chance to talk with him and ask him questions. Had a really good time.

Got to see the sun set over the ocean and it was really really beautiful. Then off to the airport.

That trip was kinda funny. Man did we laugh. There was the three of us in the back of a taxi and in the front was the driver, who spoke no english, Youness who wanted to come with us so he could say goodbye, and thehotel reception guy. That was kinda odd because we hadno idea what he was doing there. Turns out he lives on the way to the airport so he caught a lift.

So as the six of us are driving down the road we are listening to berber music and moroccan rap on the radio and speaking 3 different languages in the care (Youness was rather busy trying to make sure we knew what was going on). Then one of the highlights was seeing these two men on a moterized push bike (you know it really is a normal bike with a motor - still has the petels and everything). Now this is a rather normal sight in morocco - what made it rather interesting was the fact that these two men had a sheep stuck between them. It was so odd.

Now in Amsterdam. Had the Doctor in to the hotel and he gave us some drugs (we have caught a parasite he confirmed) and we threw out the old moroccan drugs because they were not the right kind to be taking.

Feeling a LOT better so we hope to enjoy the new years bash. To our dismay we are in amsterdam to celebrate new years and we are not allowed to drink because of the medication!! What luck we have been having eh!!!


Hope all is well with you and that you all have a great new years.

Miss and love you all,

Martha

BONNE NOEL!!!!!

Happy Christmas everyone!!!

So today wegot up early and did a major tour of Salè (twin city of Rabat). It was fantastic. We hired a Guide (local man that had good french and okay english) to give us a tour. We went to the local grande mosque, the library, an elementary school, the war museum, and got a chance to go to his house for tea, In morocco tea is very important and if you are asked to someones home for tea that is a privilage.

We toured around the Souques (market streets) and sawsome amazing things. we were the only white people there andthe locals were very poliet, friendly, and interested in us. You can tell that not many tourists got there so we were really off the beaten track. It was great. The food here is really fresh - the chickens were stillalive and only arekilled when you buy them! The lamb same thing and the fish are still moving on the tables!

Having a blast. Tonight we are back to the market in search for some jewelery and leather goods. (I hope the purses are not still moving but you never know!)

Sorry no pictures yet...soon;

Oh.... i forgot to mention that i have had a man want to know how many camels it would take to have me. He offered 20,000. Someone should ask Dad if that is a good enough offer or if he wants a better deal!!!

Miss and love you all - off to Casablanca tomorrow morning.

Hello Again All,

So it is christmas eve and from what i hear Father Christmas will be visiting all the good boys and girls around the world. Dont know if he will find me but that is fine and dandy as i am having the time of my life already! Hope that he does find all of you!

Today Jac, Ange, and i took the train to Rabat. What a great city. Not touristy at all so we feel that we are really into the culture and the environment. It is also a lot cleaner than Marrakech.

Went to the Markets and the old medina (old city) fantastic! so crouded and busy. people yelling out prices. Also saw a proper ocean with propper waves. Totally cool.

All is well here think that we may stay another day here then off to Casablanca for a few days.

Hope all is well

Miss and love you all,

M.

Hello All,

So at the moment i am sitting in an internet cafe in Marrekech typing on the most confusing keyboard in the world so if things dont make sense sorry.

Arrived in Morocco on Friday morning early [2 am; 21/12/06] because our flight was delayed out of gatwick. we were lucky to get out at all because of the fog.

Slept in on Friday morning then off to an outdoor cafe to have breakfast while getting a good look at the new city (the part of marrekech we are staying in] . City is amazing. We took a bus trip around the city to have an overall look at it. Then we stopped at the menara gardens where the sultans of the past have entertained their women and guests.

Then off to see the Theatre Royal and the La Kontoubia which is a 77 foot tall tower attatched to the mosque. it is used by the callers to tell the people when prayer time is to begin (there is one of these across the street from my school in birmingham]. Stuning buildings.

Next to the markets to see the snake charmers/ food stalls/ spice stalls/ orange juice venders (made fresh squeezed in front of you and an experience not to be missed)/ shopping stalls full of... everything: shoes scarfs jewelery leather goods clothing tshirts and much more/ the teeth venders which will sell you real human teeth (poor people sell their teeth for money) and these wonderful dentists (sitting on their ricketty chairs in the middle of the square with their teeth layed out on the blank they spred on the ground) can also remove troubled teeth for you for a price.

shopping wize i have haggeled and barginned my way through some really good deals i am proud to say. Dad can be proud. The Souques (winding allies full of shops and venders) are hard to comprehend. I have some amazing photos but no wat to download them yet.

It is shocking t o see the poverty here. people have very little. I am glad that i brought with me some coloured pencils for the children. although sad that i have had to show several of them how theye work because they did not know what they were.

Last night (22/12/06) the girls and i went to go see a dinner and show thing. it was in the middle of nowhere and fantastic. All guests there were tourists but it is designed as a replica of how the sultans of the past would dine and what type of entertainment they would enjoy. This included trick horseridders (acrobates riding fast arabian horses)/ beautiful women dancing in traditional dress/ musicians and singers from different tribes across morocco. It was amazing. And the FOOD wow. Start with beef and veggy soup/ roasted lamb/ couscous with chicken and roasted veggies/ dessert which i dont have any idea of how to describe/ and fresh fruit. Now these dishes all came to us on Platters and on the very BIG kind. I ate a LOT of food. It was great.

Today (23/12/06) Jac Ange and i took a trip up to the High Atlas Mountains. We have seen the dessert of Africa and the snow of africa. We stopped at several berber villiages (native peoples are known as berbers) / got to talk to locals/ were hasseled a bit to buy things from them / saw some waterfalls/ climbed across an indian jones bridge. It scared the poop out of me but i did it. It really really really was just some stikes strung together.

Made it back to our hotel and off to the internet cafe. Will rest tonight as we are off tomrrow morning early to catch a train to Rabat via Casablanca. Then we will work our wat down the coast.

Pictures will be coming i promise.

Miss and love you all. Merry Christmas.

M.

Hello all,

Well the Christmas season is once again upon us. I must say it could not have come at a better time. Boy am i ready for a break. School has been good...but the kids and the staff were starting to climb the walls this past week.

Has the staff chrismas party last night and had some fun. Nothing to major as i did have to get up early this morning to head into London.

Oh, by the way...not sure if this made the news on the other side of the world but we have had some major fog here and it has caused some serious flight issues. Thank God (Grandma i know you have been praying for us so thanks for your input!!!) our flight was one of the few NOT cancelled.

Tonight (21/12/06) at 9:05 pm (so thats...4:05 pm in Canada) i am being wisked away to the wonderful world of Morocco (and no it is not the Disneyland version!!!!) Spending time in Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat, Sale, and many other locals...were ever the wind takes us. Atlas Mountains are on the list of things to do as is Algers (sp?). Then we flight out on the 29/12/06 to Amsterdam to ring in the new year in style!!! Back to Birmingham on Jan 2 and Back to WORK on Jan 3, 2007.

Hope that you all have a great holiday and i am missing you like you would not believe!! I will try to update this during my trip but we wil have to see about internet access (at the airport right now and it is costing a and arm and a leg!!!)

Take care, merry christmas and i hope that Santa brings you everthing that you want

Love m.

Hey,

So this weekend was Jacqui's birthday. Friday night we went to a wonderful new place not far from where i live. Atticus. It is so great because it is SMOKE FREE. Everyone smokes in this country and it is getting on my nerves.

Also, i had one of those momments that seems so rare these days. As i know a total of...maybe 20 people in all of England it is odd when you just randomly bump into someone that you recognize. That happened to my on Friday night. A young post office worker (Aunt Tina you might like this!!!!) that works at the office near my work, and that is were i post most things back to Canada, almost ran me over at the bar Friday night. It so surprized me at the time because that kind of thing just does not happen here. I just it is a sign that i am truely becoming a part of the culture and way of life here in Birmingham England.


Anyway, Saturday we headed off to Oxford - University central here in England. How beautiful a city... and not since Guelph have a see so many bikes in one spot!!!

Here are a few picts of the area.

Check out the grass...remember this is December 10th. On the train ride to Oxford we passed a golf course and it was busy!!!

Saturday night we went out to a place called the Barfly. Fun was had by all.

Sunday was recoupe. I cooked propper Canadian Pancakes with REAL Canadian maple syrup. It was said to be a success. Sunday afternoon we bowles our hearts out. I suck at 10 pin bowling. i had the "high" score of 22 after 10 frames.

Hope all is well with you, and miss you all lots. Much love, Martha

P.S. i noticed i have not really had a picture of me on as of late. This is how i am looking. Bye.

Birthday Weekend Part Two:

So after walking across London Bridge we headed for Leicester Square. This is where we bought tickets for the theatre - went to see Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at the Royal Haymarket Theatre. It stars Billy Zane. Quite good. The theatre itself was just gorgeous. Felt like i was stepping back into time with the gold leaf trim, silk wallpaper, chandelier, ornate theatre boxes. Totally cool...it sucked that we could not take pictures. These are off the net.

Then off to have a few drinks. At midnight i had the pleasure of having Happy Birthday sung to me on a London Tube Car by the girls.

Sunday morning we went to a treck into Hyde Park (and saw some Canadian Geese!!). Walked to Buckingham Palace - which is very nice and very busy. The fountains were very cool.

And of course you can't leave out Big Ben.

Miss you all, and thank you to all that send me birthday wishes.

Love always, M.

P.S.

Here is a picture of me with the London Bridge. I took it myself :) Listening to some music walking along the River Thames. It was a fantastic weekend. I wish you were all there with me.

Hello all,

So since i last left a note a few things have happened.

(1) The German Christmas Markets have opened in Birmingham. Great atmosphere for the holiday season.

(2) Went to London for a day (sat.) to meet up with Hollie - Emily's college roommate from Bishops. She has just moved to London herself. It was so nice to see (and hug) someone from home. It made me miss you all even more than i do!!! Did no see much as we just had a good meal and talked.

(3) I have turned another year older... and i thought... well if it going to happen i might as well do it in London!!! So went up for the weekend.

Friday we took the train up after the Timeplan Christmas party in Birmingham. Just crashed at our hostel for the night (Stayed in an area called Earl's Court - thought dad would like that one).

Satudary had an early day with lots seen. Spent some time in Nottinghill - Portobello Road has the most amazing outdoor markets. Everything from food to cloths to jewelery to antquites. And the antques there are OLD especially in comparison to North American Standards.

Check this out:

Then off to see St. Paul's Cathedral. Very imposing.

(Rach and Ange.)

Crossed the Millenium Bridge next and got a fantastic view of...London Bridge!!!


This is my favourite picture that i took over the weekend.

More to come on part two...

Hello All,

So, i just wanted to drop a line for no other reason than i have got some extra time on the computer. Mom, Aunt Kim, Grandma and Grandpa have traveled to the USA for their annual christmas shopping trip. Have not hear yet how they did. They go down to the Waterloo Shopping Centre (near were Shelley is going to school - Seneca Falls) for a few days.

Just talked to Dad. He was getting the motors fixed for the winter season.

Was talking to Kat, and Salina. Both aree keeping me up on the local news. They also are talking about when they are coming for a visit!!!! Can't wait.

Heading down to the German Markets in a bit. Meeting some friends. We are going to stuff ourselves with sausages and wine (two things that the markets are known for). They are held every christmas season and they go on everynight. Lights, music, food, drink, and shopping - what else could you ask for!!!

Miss you all and will talk to you all soon. Miss you, and may you be well

Love M.

Hey,

So i went hiking with Jac, Rach and Dave this past weekend. Travelled by car to a place about 1/2 from Wales. Had a great time, and the chance to walk through some farm land. Check out these fat happy cows Aunt Kim!!!!



Here is Rach and Dave.



At the top of the mountain there was an old hill fort. We had the chance to get in and get dirty by climbing through it. Can you spot Jac?



Got to run.

Hope all is well. Miss you and talk to you soon. M.

So Oban...one word RAIN!!!! All it did was rain.

We took a ferry ride over to he isle of Mull. Did some walking, took a bus ride 45 minutes to have a bowl of soup and a cup of not so hot hot chocolate. Also met one of the hotest men in the world!!!! We again had some transport "issues" (ferry was cancelled becasue the waves were to rough on the ocean to dock the ferry). We had to wait at the local pub, drinking beer, with the hottest man in the world. It was a hardship i would volunteer for again!

Finally we made it back to the main land later that day. Still raining. Being wet sucks!!!!

Here are a few pictures from the area.

One the way to Oban. Remember this was daylight hours. Infact this was about 8:30 in the morning. Talk about dark!



Here i am walking in the woods.



This town is the biggest on the island and it is called Tobemorey.



Spent some time in Glasgow as well. Here is a picture from the highest point in the city. As this was the end of a very long week we were running out of steam. Late nights and early mornings will do that to you. Glasgow had a really nice feeling about it. Somewhere that i plan to go back to.



Hope you have enjoyed a few picts, not to worry i have LOTS more!!!!
Miss you all, LOve M.

Hello Again,

Sorry that it has taken me so long to add in another chapter. Life here hase been surprisingly busy. School has been good. I have been asked to say on until Easter, so at least they must think i am doing some what of a good job.

I loved coming home today. I got some fantastic mail, Monica sent a picture of baby Claire and i also received a Will Warren original piece of artwork. I have been showing these two treasures off to everyone. Claire now has the honour of being the most beautiful baby in Canada and Great Britain!!!

To give you a bit more of Scotland here are a few more pictures.

Stirling, the home of William Wallace (the original as opposed to the man we had our picture with), and King of Scotland Robert the Bruce (watch Mel's Braveheart for an update on the history. Stirling Castle was by far better than Edinburgh Castle and well worth the trip. The surrounding area was a beautiful view.

Here is a memorial of Robert the Bruce, if you look closely you will also see the William Wallace Monument in the back ground (bottom right corner).




This is called Stirling Bridge. Ange has a thing for bridges, and i must say, i proved how much i value our friendship in order to get this shot - having wet feet sucks!!!!!! The bridge was very cool and built in the 15 hundreds, cobbled stones, and full of history. I loved it.



Also took a quick trip to Alva Glen to climb a mountain to see some water falls. As you can see the fog rolled in and it was thick.






After Stirling we traveled to Glasgow. Now, we were to go by train, but there was a transit distruption, so in desperation we caught a bus in the hopes that we would be able to make our train connection in Glasgow north to Oban. Trafis was not on our side. We missed our train and had to spend the night in Glasgow. It ended up that we shared a hostel room with an olympic champion. This woman had the destinction of being able to perform unique breathing technique while asleep. If put up against Dad she would win HANDS DOWN. i have never heard such snoring in my life!!!! I did not sleep.

Finally we got to Oban, and the rain found us there!!!!! Please stay tuned for the next installment. Hope all is well. Miss ya,

Martha

Hello my friends,

Oh, let me tell you, i have so much to show and tell. Scotland was fantastic! Headed up there on Saturday the 21 of October with Ange and Jacquie (the two ausies i am always talking about). Rach, my fellow Canadian and the last member in our regular travelling troop is saving Scotland for April when her brother comes for a visit. She was sorely missed.

So, anyway, back to the trip...took a 5 hour train ride from Birmingham to Edinburgh and arrived early afternoon. Train ride was long but we were so pumped about being on vacation!!!!

Dumped our stuff off and explored the city on foot. Let me tell you, the history is very cool and very bloody!!! Check out this photo. The rather gothic like structure is a memorial for Sir Walter Scot,(novelist and very influencial in rebuilding a sense of native scotish identity).



Of course you can not go to Edinburgh without a visit to the castle. It cost a fortune!!! But i sucked it up and payed. Very pretty, and very touristy. I did enjoy the historical significance though. I also got to see the scotish crown jewels. They are something to see (sorry we were not allowed to take pictures). Useless jem of information (pardon the pun): no insurance company in the world will insure the crown jewels! You should have seen the security!!!



Not only did we get to explore an interesting castle, we also had the pleasure of meeting Braveheart himself!! Check this out!!



Also had the chance to climb an extinct volcano that over looks Edinburgh. It is called Arthur's seat, and it has the best view of the city.



Got to run...More to come, this was only Part One of a four part instalment!!!

Hello All,

So just to give you a bit of an update. Tomorrow morning (21st of October) i will be heading north via virgin trains to Scotland. Going with two lovely Aussies (Jac and Ange) and will be staying in Edinborgh for 2 nights, Stirling 1 night, Oban (on the west coast across from the isle of Mull) for 1 maybe 2 nights depending on the weather and if we find some great hiking areas, and Glosgow for 2 nights. Should prove to be a fun week off. Will up date you on the travels as we go.

Hope all is well. Miss and Love you all,

Martha

Okay, so here are a few pictures from the Roman Baths. It is quite a place. To think that these were built so long ago and they still work! I wonder who their plumbers were? They also had a great museum to boot.

Top View:





First Floor View:


While we were there we had the chance to have a taste test of this special Roman Bath water. It was...warm, and kinda gross. Oh well, you know the saying, when in Rome,...i mean in Bath...I mean, when in the Roman Baths!Whatever.

This girl served us our warm bath water.Yum. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Once was enough, especially since we were told that this H2O was nicly aged. Red Wine has nothing on this stuff. The water we drank is estimated to be 10,000 years old. I thought it smelled a little off.



Now, Bath is not "just" the Roman Baths. Across the Square is the Bath Abbey. It is yet another beautiful church in Britain. This one is rather interesting to me as it has two rather distinct sculptures carved on either side of the entry way. There are two ladders that start at the street and reach all the way to the top. On these ladders are angels climbing toward god. They are gorgeous.


This brings a whole new meaning to "Stair way to Heaven". I wonder...did anyone from Led Zeplin spend time in Bath.





And last but certainly not least nothing says funny like two acrobates performing outside the posh roman baths in nothing but g strings. I know this is not a very G rated picture but i had to include it. These guys were just...wow. If you tried this in Ontario you would have the OPP going crazy.You would never get away with this!!!

Hello All,

So i spent the weekend in Bath, Salibury, and stonehenge. FANTASTIC!!!!!! But before we get into that i wanted to show you this picture. What can i say, you can't go to the UK and not have your picture taken in one of these!!!



Saturday spent some time in Salibury checking out the cathedral. What a sight. It is the largest church in Britain. There was a gorgeous court yard and a small building called the Chapter house(13th century). What a beauty of a building. The glass, the sculpture. What clever people built that structure. In this building is a document called the Magna Carta (1215). It is an original agreement made between King John and the Barons. Why is this important you may ask? It is this document that is noted as the foundation of democracy and provides the basis for many Consetutions (including the Declaration of Independence for the United States). It established freedom of the church,trial by jury,etc. Okay now that i have spilled some historical facts down your throuts i can move onto the fun stuff - pictures.

Jaquie, Ange, and Rach taking a bit of a break in the courtyard.



From inside the Cathedral...could you image walking down that isle Sherri!!!



Then we were off to see the Ruins. Stonehenge is impressive in its sear size and the detail. It is to bad that you can't get very close. (Little known fact - the stones at stonehenge are set in concrete. In the late 70's another stone had fallen. To prevent further damage all of the stone were set in contrete. Kinda ruined the experience (parden the pun). Still pretty cool view.



Then off to see the Avebury ruins which were kind of cool because you can get close to them and walk around them.

Returned to Bath for an evening of well...public relations between common wealth countries, aka drinking and relaxation. Will post more picts of the Roman Baths and the city of Bath on another edition of Martha's Travels. Please stay tuned and have your pets spayed or neutered.

Love to all,

Martha.

Hey,
So this weekend stayed close to home. Travelled by train for 1/2 hour to Warwick to see yet another castle. This was rather interesting as it had been restored with appropriate furnishings throughout the different eras. One section of the castle illustrated the original atmosphere of the 11th century, another section was an more "modern" as it showed how the Warwick family lived in the 18th/ 19th centuries. This castle is interesting as it is one that the Earl of Warwick and his family has lived in over the centuries. It was amazing as you can see. The caslte also had some wax figures that were so life like. Had a good time. Also saw St. Mary's Cathedral which is fantastic. At this church one of the Earls of Warwick (Richard)is buried and had the distinction of overseeing the trial and excecution of Joan of Arc. Cool eh!!!

Will have to post the pictures later, sorry, just not working right now.

Sunday spent at home cleaning and doing some marking. Rained.

TTYL

Martha

Hello All,

So another week has gone by. Time flies as i find it hard to believe that i have now been in Birmingham for over a month and a bit. You can tell that it is fall, or autumn as they call it here. It is much like home as it gets dark earlier everynight, there is just more rain here.

To become more interesting i have joined a salsa class on Thursday nights. Two of the girls that live down the street from me (both timeplan teachers - Rachel and Jacqui)are trecking along with me and last night was our first lesson. I do have to say that it was a great work out and laughter was the main feature of the evening. I am terrible, but can't wait to go back next week.

Things are well from what i hear back home. Bill and Monica Warren had a healthy baby girl born September 27, 2006 (Happy Birthday to Cindy by the way!!!). She was a healthy and heavy 9 pounds plus. Way to go Monica!!! Feel better.

Got to run. This weekend not sure what i am up to. May hit the Cadbury Chocolate factory.

Be well, Love

Martha

So, here is a photo, finally of the wedding. I must say that they all looked fantastic!!!



My weekend, was...interesting. First the good stuff. As i mentioned previously i climbed a castle and here it is!



After enjoying an afternoon tea in Caernarfon, looking at this wonderful sight, Jacq, Rachel, Ange and myself traveled to Llenberis, which was a small town at the base of the Snowdonian Mountains. It is known for its slate, as it was once a mine. Now it is known for the view.




After we flagged down a bus we travelled back to Llandudno and ate proper fish and chips by the ocean. Sunday the four of us climbed what is called the Great Orme - it is a very very very large rock.It has mountain like qualities so i am just saying that i climbed a mountain! Here are a few views from the top. (It even had wild goats and sheep wondering around)

This is the view of Llandudno west coastline:




Of course i did have that "little" problem with the bag on the train but i did get it back (went missing not once but twice). The train staff must all think that i am crazy, but i don't care it must have worked because i got it back!!!

Things are good . Work has been busy. Went to a football game on Saturday. Next weekend not sure what is up, but the Cadbury factory might be one desination!!! Few weeks from now we are planning a trip to Stonehendge. That should be interesting. Miss you all and will keep you updated.

Love Martha

Hello Again,

So Murray and Sherri have finally made it legal. Congrats!!!!

I had a great weekend for the most part. Went to Northern Wales. Took the train out on Friday night (09/15/06) and arrived in Llandudno at about 10:00 pm. We stayed in the best hostel in the entire world. It was like a very nice bed and breakfast. You have to see it to believe.




Once settled in we took a trip down to see the ocean at night!!! Fantasitic view, and the water really does taste very salty. It is also interesting to see how the tide works - the difference between high and low is quite stricking.



Saturday the girls and I headed out by bus to see the country side. Took a trip to Caernarfon (which is on the North West coast of wales) and spent the morning there. Explored a Castle (below are some shots of this castle which was built in the 13th century, and is also the birth place of the title Prince of Wales. Charles was granted this title here in 69 at the age of 18). Now, i called Grandma McFaul from the top of one of these towers to wished her a happy 82nd birthday. What a view, but i have to say that those stairs were death traps. Small, steap, rough, and very high!!!!More pictures to come!!!!

Hope all is well. Will contact soon,

Love always, Martha

Hello All,

So i will be marking the end of my first week of full time teaching this Friday. And i am glad to have that at least done. It has been interesting and challenging, but i am glad that i am here. The kids are fun, if not a bit ...naughty at times. Sometimes i just wished that i did not have to talk because so many of the kids go into fits of laughter because they are not used to it.It will get better i am sure.

This weekend also will mark the marriage of Murray and Sherri. I am sorry that i am unable to fly home for the weekend (i did look into it and it would have cost about $2000.00 canadian in i would have been on canadian soil for the total of 15 hours). I hope that you enjoy your wedding! Send pictures!! As a celebration of your day, i am going to Wales for the weekend. Leaving Friday night and home Sunday. Will be posting pictures early next week. Much love to all,
Martha

Now, i have a bit of catching up to do...below is a bit of a mix as i will explain. (All are pictures of the Birmingham area)

This i found interesting. Keep in mind that this is the same HMV music store that we have back home. Yes boys and girls these are real live records of current music. As you can see below you too can purchase the Pirates of the Carribean record to use in your own home!!!!

I have met some fantastic people as well. Below is a picture of Rachel and i ham'n it up in a local museum. These things in reality were rather creepy.

I have spent some time in the Botanical Gardens, and they are FANTASTIC! They have interesting plants, trees, and wild life. Below in a few photos illustrating my point, (and i got a few rather good shots if i say so myself - this new camera is a treat. Thanks again Murray and Sherri. It is being well used. And Em - so glad that your "little" gift is not so little. I holds a lot of info. It is also convenent as it just pops into the side of the computer! Got to love technology).





Yes, those are really big leaves. The plant kind of look like a really, really big pumpkin plant. Had the same type of texture as well.



While some people may tell you that Birmingham does not have grass, i am here to prove them wrong. See, for the price of 6 pounds approx $13.00 Canadian (or 3.50 for those of us lucky enought to have isic cards)any person in Birmingham can enjoy this beautiful, and rare sight. Grass has been known to cause minor accidents as people who have not seen it before stop to stare.



Hope all is well, and that you have enjoyed this edition of Martha's trip around Birmingham. More to come. (This weekend is a local arts festival that sounds pretty good).