Christmas dinner in York

The UK-based Automatticians got together last night for an ugly jumper Christmas dinner in York. Last year we went to Keswick which was really nice. This year we went to one of my favourite cities, York. Dinner was at the Guy Fawkes Inn which is very old and characterful and supposedly the birth place of… Continue reading Christmas dinner in York

A beautiful frosty morning

I have been longing for some snow but there has been none. We haven't even had a proper frost, that is, not until this morning and the first real frost did not disappoint me. I used to love frosty mornings when we lived in Christchurch with the sound and the sensation of crunchy grass beneath… Continue reading A beautiful frosty morning

A few things: York, the bicycle and the IPCC

I spent the morning wandering around central York today. I took my last walk down the Shambles, sat and enjoyed a pot of tea at one of the cafés there and generally felt a bit teary about saying goodbye to my fair city of York. Then I transported our living Christmas tree to a friend's… Continue reading A few things: York, the bicycle and the IPCC

State schooling in the UK

I thought I would write about my experiences with the UK state schooling system now that Daniel has been at school here for a good three months. Note that my experience relates to just one school in the UK which may or may not be representative of others but I think it's still worth talking… Continue reading State schooling in the UK

My fair citie of York

I'm the first to acknowledge that spelling and grammar are not my strong points but before anyone corrects the spelling of 'city' in my post title please know that this is a direct quote from Kind Richard III. Evidently this is how the word city was spelt 500 years ago. You could easily argue that… Continue reading My fair citie of York

Quality of life in York

People in York are shocked when I tell them how much I love living here. Why is that? There's an assumption that life is better in New Zealand and Australia so I'm going to challenge that assumption with this blog post. Quality of life is partly subjective and so the things I love about York… Continue reading Quality of life in York

York Minster with kids

We finally got around to venturing inside York Minster today with two small children in tow. Yes, it is beautiful and magnificent, but unlike other cathedrals we've been in, York Minster has hands-on activities for adults and children. There was this thing inside  (called an orb apparently) that looks a bit like a cancerous growth,… Continue reading York Minster with kids

Soccer and cycling in York

Every Saturday morning, Daniel plays soccer. He is 6 years old, mildly autistic and has Tourette's syndrome. We have tried many extra-curricular activities for him before, including soccer, but he never enjoyed any of them. But he loves the soccer coaching in York because it's run by the mother of someone in Daniel's class who… Continue reading Soccer and cycling in York

Yorkshire Museum of Farming

We cycled to the Museum of Farming on Sunday. It was just outside York so a fair distance for me on the bike but easily manageable and very, very enjoyable. I feel truly alive at the moment with all this physical activity. The museum itself was a great deal more than just a museum. There… Continue reading Yorkshire Museum of Farming

Le Tour de York

The Tour de France in 2014 will start from North Yorkshire and the people of York are starting to get excited about this. When I first heard about it I was puzzled because I thought this famous French cycle race was always held in France. It is called the Tour de France after all. And… Continue reading Le Tour de York