Photos from mum and Mike's trip to Kosi Bay

Looks absolutely beautiful.fx

Party time on Canvey Island, London

We went to an engagement party for one of Ally's work friends and had a great time dancing.

Completing all 250 movies on the IMDB's Top 250 List

Well, today I saw my 250th movie on the IMDB Top 250 list. It's something I set out to do back in 2002 and it's been lots of fun doing it. Thank Goodness for Lovefilm - it's a great online service that has helped me to get hold of most of the movies.

For posterity (since the list keeps changing), here are the movies I have seen to complete my list.

1. Godfather, The (1972)
2. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
3. Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
4. Schindler's List (1993)
5. Casablanca (1942)
6. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
7. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
8. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
9. Citizen Kane (1941)
10. Star Wars (1977)
11. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
12. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
13. Rear Window (1954)
14. Memento (2000)
15. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
17. Usual Suspects, The (1995)
18. Pulp Fiction (1994)
19. North by Northwest (1959)
20. Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001)
21. Psycho (1960) 
22. 12 Angry Men (1957)
23. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
24. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
25. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
26. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
27. Goodfellas (1990) 
28. American Beauty (1999)
29. Vertigo (1958)
30. Pianist, The (2002)
31. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
32. Apocalypse Now (1979) 
33. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
34. Matrix, The (1999)
35. Some Like It Hot (1959)
36. Taxi Driver (1976)
37. Third Man, The (1949)
38. Paths of Glory (1957)
39. Fight Club (1999)
40. Boot, Das (1981)
41. Double Indemnity (1944)
42. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
43. L.A. Confidential (1997)
44. Chinatown (1974)
45. Once Upon a Time in the West
46. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
47. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
48. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
49. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
50. M (1931)
51. All About Eve (1950) 
52. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 
53. Se7en (1995)
54. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
55. Raging Bull (1980)
56. Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
57. Sting, The (1973)
58. Rashômon (1950)
59. American History X (1998)
60. Life is Beautiful (1997)
61. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
62. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
63. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
64. Alien (1979)
65. Léon (1994)
66. City of God (2002)
67. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
68. Touch of Evil (1958)
69. Great Escape, The (1963)
70. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
71. Clockwork Orange, A (1971) 
72. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
73. Annie Hall (1977)
74. Jaws (1975)
75. Ran (1985)
76. Amadeus (1984)
77. On the Waterfront (1954)
78. Sixth Sense, The (1999)
79. Braveheart (1995)
80. High Noon (1952)
81. Modern Times (1936)
82. Fargo (1996)
83. Apartment, The (1960)
84. Blade Runner (1982)
85. Strangers on a Train (1951)
86. Aliens (1986)
87. Shining, The (1980)
88. Donnie Darko (2001)
89. Duck Soup (1933)
90. Toy Story 2 (1999)
91. Metropolis (1927)
92. Princess Bride, The (1987)
93. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
94. General, The (1927)
95. Run Lola, Run (1998)
96. City Lights (1931)
97. Notorious (1946)
98. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
99. Rebecca (1940)
100. The Seventh Scroll (1957)
101. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
102. Finding Nemo (2003)
103. Big Sleep, The (1946)
104. Dogville (2003)
105. Graduate, The (1967)
106. Great Dictator, The (1940)
107. Manhattan (1979)
108. Searchers, The (1956)
109. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989) 
110. Mononoke-hime (1997)
111. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
112. Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946) 
113. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
114. Glory (1989) 
115. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
116. Patton (1970)
117. It Happened One Night (1934)
118. African Queen, The (1951)
119. Philadelphia Story, The (1940)
120. Ben-Hur (1959)
121. Shrek (2001)
122. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
123. Green Mile, The (1999)
124. Forrest Gump (1994)
125. Yojimbo (1961)
126. Grapes of Wrath, The (1940)
127. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
128. Unforgiven (1992)
129. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
130. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
131. Hable con ella (2002)
132. Gone with the Wind (1939)
133. Stalag 17 (1953)
134. Straight Story, The (1999)
135. Night of the Hunter, The (1955)
136. Wild Bunch, The (1969)
137. Elephant Man, The (1980)
138. Young Frankenstein (1974)
139. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
140. Hustler, The (1961)
141. Platoon (1986)
142. Die Hard (1988)
143. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
144. Back to the Future (1985)
145. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
146. Almost Famous (2000)
147. His Girl Friday (1940)
148. Conversation, The (1974)
149. Spartacus (1960)
150. Being John Malkovich (1999)
151. Charade (1963)
152. Gold Rush, The (1925)
153. Festen (1998)
154. Gladiator (2000)
155. Amores perros (2000) 
156. Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938)
157. Insider, The (1999)
158. Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962)
159. Life of Brian (1979)
160. Toy Story (1995)
161. Sling Blade (1996)
162. Mulholland Dr. (2001)
163. Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
164. Magnolia (1999)
165. Brazil (1985)
166. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
167. Exorcist, The (1973)
168. Roman Holiday (1953)
169. All the President's Men (1976) 
170. Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951)
171. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
172. Smultronstället (1957)
173. Terminator, The (1984)
174. Killing, The (1956)
175. Ed Wood (1994)
176. Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)
177. Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)
178. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
179. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
180. Stand by Me (1986)
181. Minority Report (2002)
182. Harvey (1950)
183. Right Stuff, The (1983)
184. Others, The (2001)
185. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
186. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
187. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
188. Adaptation. (2002)
189. Trainspotting (1996)
190. Network (1976)
191. Lion in Winter, The (1968)
192. Miller's Crossing (1990)
193. Gandhi (1982)
194. Rain Man (1988)
195. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
196. Traffic (2000)
197. Groundhog Day (1993)
198. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
199. Snatch. (2000)
200. Stagecoach (1939)
201. King Kong (1933)
202. 8½ (1963)
203. Untouchables, The (1987)
204. 39 Steps, The (1935)
205. Big Fish (2003)
206. Henry V (1989)
207. Rio Bravo (1959)
208. Todo sobre mi madre (1999)
209. X2 (2003)
210. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
211. Hotaru no haka (1988)
212. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
213. Planet of the Apes (1968)
214. Die xue shuang xiong (1989)
215. Ikiru (1952)
216. Big Lebowski, The (1998)
217. Good Will Hunting (1997)
218. 21 Grams (2003)
219. Beautiful Mind, A (2001)
220. Road to Perdition (2002)
221. Lost in Translation (2003)
222. Clerks. (1994)
223. Red River (1948)
224. MASH (1970)
225. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
226. Ying xiong (2002)
227. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
228. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
229. Deliverance (1972)
230. Birds, The (1963)
231. Man Who Would Be King, The (1975)
232. Whale Rider (2002)
233. Iron Giant, The (1999)
234. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
235. JFK (1991)
236. Heat (1995)
237. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
238. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
239. Batman Begins (2005)
240. Old Boy (2003)
241. Before Sunset (2004)
242. Before Sunset (2004)
243. Mystic River (2003)
244. The Sea Inside (2005)
245. Garden State (2004)
246. Pirates of the Carribean (2003)
247. Motorcycle Dairies (2004)
248. Sideways (2004)
249. Scarface (1983)
250. Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Birthday dinner

Went to a nearby "all you can eat" Thai restaurant for dinner with Amanada and Johnathon. Fun time with them as always. Ate so much, this is all the icecream I could eat by the end of it.

One night in Brussels

Highlights of our trip to Canada

.
Blog Posts for Canada 

• All posts relating to our trip in Canada 

Highlights

• Our trip to the Canadian Rockies - fulfilling a life goal
• Visiting the outdoor stores in Banff
• Our amazing hike with Mike over the Edith Pass
• The Columbia Icefields
• Lake Louise
• Morraine Lake
• The great wildlife and birds we saw - including black bear, bald eagle and loon
• Amazing scenery and moods
• Camping life
• Kyle winning the basket ball game
• Kayaking in Vernon
• Vancouver
• Stanley Park with Keira - especially the rollerblading and the cool dip
• Granville Island
• Hiking the Grouse Grind
• Spending time with our Canadian Family
• Exploring Whistler
• Zip lining in Whistler
• Thrashing Trish at scrabble (hee hee)
• Mike´s amazing Mexican food
• The rutting elk at Jasper
• Buying a lap top and camera in Vancouver
• Visiting all the great outdoor stores
• All you can eat Sushi in Vancouver

The Performers

Sammy and Matthew have both been in school concerts recently. Here is Sammy singing and Matthew as a little Tea Pot. Too cute!

Ally and family

Bokenas, Sweden

Not a bad place for a web council meeting! It was sad saying goodbye to the council members - I've worked closely with them for close to three years and it's the last council meeting I will attend before we leave.

Family photos

Some more great family shots. Love the one of the kids on the donkey, taken at Langebaan. Takes me back to my fondest child hood memories of riding horses at Eight Bells. Ah, how I loved Silver Bell! Sam looks so cute in her "cossie". Matthew looks like he just caught his first fish and is telling us how big it is. I could eat them both up; can't wait to see them in December.fx

Zzzzzzzzzz!

Mike having a bit of cat nap, looking very deberoir in his tilted hat.

Weekend at the sea side

We spent the weekend at East Bourne with Colleen and Steve. Right next to Brighton, the town is similar but quainter and quieter. The weather was glorious.

Highlights

• Leisurely walks along the promenade in the evening sun
• Delicious cheese cake at a 1790's bakery (very quaint indeed and the cheese cake was heavenly)
• Italian ice cream
• Watching the full moon rise from the sea
• Contemplating the beautiful view of the sea from our hotel room - and listening to the lap of the waves during the night
• Exploring the white cliffs at Beachie Head on Sunday
• Watching thousands of birds flying in to roost under the old pier
• Spending time with Coll and Steve - we'll miss them big time

Ally and Colleen have been friends now for over 15 years




Roosting birds

As evening came, 1000's of European starlings started to gather at spots accross the town. From there, they then made their way in mass to congregate on the roof of an old building on the pier. At 7:30 pm sharp, in one enormous flock, they dived up into the air and then plunged down in a whirling, spiralling torrent to take up their roost for the night underneath the pier. We were on the pier at the time (having been told off this nightly pilgrimmage) so got to see it close hand. Managed to duck most of the inevitable missiles from the sky.


The view from our hotel


Lazing by the Beachie Head Cliffs






Mood shots

Trip to Gothenberg

Just got back from a two day planning session in Gothenberg. Weird planning for 2006 when I won't be here at Volvo. But it's good to have things all organised and in place for the guy who is taking over. Great seeing Caroline (as always!) and we had some good fun meals together as a group in the evenings. Here we are at Smaka which is one of my favourite restaurants in Sweden.



This is the lovely view from the office where we held our two day planning session. There was even a "pleasure room" next door with jacuzzi and all sorts of other delights - but no time to use it. Didn't get to enjoy the view the first day either - had a big storm move through and the window was belted with wind and rain.

Hiding behind the camera

I love this little camera so much. It's helping me to notice the world around me and capture special moments and beauty.

Trip to the Canadian Rockies

Hiking in the Canadian Rockies has always been on my life list so I was particularly excited, after a 6 hour drive through spectacular muntain passes and shimmering emerald lakes, to arrive in Banff National Park, one of the oldest and most famous parks nestled right in the middle of the Rockies.

Within minutes of entering the park we had seen ospreys nesting and a gorgeous black bear galloping along the road. We spent 4 nights in Banff where we did an awesome hike (Edith Pass), visited several lakes (Lake Louise, Vermillion Lake, Morraine Lake) and the Columbian Icefields. Then two nights in Jasper where unfortunately the warm, clear weather turned on us, but not before we'd had close up views of elk right in our camp site.

Thanks to Mike and Trish for this amazing experience - all in all, a trip to remember for a life time.

Californian Grouse

Photographed this little chap in Mike and Trish's garden in Vernon. Spent two very happy afternooons exploring the creeks and lakes in Vernon. I saw a total of 25 new species of bird during our time in Canada. Very excited. Lifts my life list up to 640.