A New Millennium
Thanks to Peter's sterling work on fixing Y2K bugs, the apocalypse was averted-phew! 8)Towards the end of January, Irene and Peter went to Theatreland to see The Chiltern Hundreds - very enjoyable.
Peter applied for a renewal of his parking permit for Snowy...
...and a season ticket for the tube facilitated commuting to work and exploring London.
To celebrate Valentine's weekend, Peter booked a long weekend in the Hilton National Hotel in Chilworth, Southampton...
...following which they had a romantic Valentine meal in their apartment in Marylebone!
Unfortunately, due to their marriage breaking down, the tenants in Farthings decided to vacate in March.
After much discussion, Irene and Peter decided that Farthings had become too much work, so with a heavy heart, they decided to downsize to an apartment in central Southampton.
However, they still enjoyed living in Marylebone.
In May, the contract at ABN Amro came to an end, so Irene and Peter decided to immerse themselves in the culture of West Coast America for a couple of months!
Since the Marylebone apartment needed refurbishing, the landlords offered to make it available for us on our return!
Here are a couple of photos of Irene at the airport:
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Here is the documentary that Peter made of the trip:
Irene and Peter's American Documentary
So, on the 10th of May 2000, Irene and Peter will be flying to Los Angeles to start their American Adventure !
If you would like to know what they are getting up to at any given time, feel free to click on the links below.
See you when we get back...
After returning to the UK, Peter was on the lookout for another contract.
However, he decided to try working through a software house for more job security.
This led to him working at Thomson Holidays on their booking website:
Towards the end of October, the sale of Farthings and the purchase of their apartment completed so Irene and Peter made a start on relocating from storage as many of their possessions as would fit into a two bedroom apartment!
An essential item was a garden shed, which Fred and Pam generously offered to assemble!
During his time at Thomson Holidays, Peter noticed that the dotcom boom was continuing to hugely inflate contract rates and he managed to get a design contract with BP in Hemel Hempstead! 8)
In early December 2000, the bed and settees finally arrived in time for Christmas.
Here are some shots of Irene on Christmas Eve in our Park View apartment:
In early March 2001, Peter's contract at BP came to an end, so they decided to re-visit Sydney.
Olympic Airlines was offering comparatively cheap club class flights to Sydney with stopovers in Athens and Bangkok, so Irene and Peter decided to give it a go!
Here is the documentary that Peter made of the trip:
Irene and Peter's Australian Documentary
On the 8th of March 2001, Irene and Peter will be flying to Sydney via Athens and Bangkok for their Australian Walkabout!
If you would like to know what they are getting up to at any given time, feel free to click on the links below.
See you when we get back...
| Sunday 4th March 2001 | |
| Sunday 11th March 2001 | |
| Sunday 18th March 2001 | |
| Sunday 25th March 2001 | |
| Sunday 1st April 2001 | |
| Sunday 8th April 2001 | |
| Sunday 15th April 2001 | |
| Sunday 22nd April 2001 |
Towards the end of April, the intrepid duo returned home to the great British climate! 8(
In early May, as was the tradition, Irene and Peter treated D&M + F&P to a meal for Peter's birthday.
This year, they chose the local American Diner:
Technology bust
All good things come to an end and the technology boom that started around 1995 had fizzled out on Irene and Peter's return from their Australian Adventure, resulting in Peter's work drying up. 8(
After much discussion with Irene, Peter decided on a joint business venture with Brian, a colleague who worked with him at BP Hemel Hempstead. They decided to design and build a job search website.
Towards the end of September, as the website was not getting any hits, Peter decided to look for contract work as a stop-gap.
He managed to get interviews with Pfizer and UBS Warburg, but wasn't offered either role. 8(
Irene doing a security check! 8)
Towards the end of January 2002, Irene and Peter decided to get some Winter sun, so they flew off to Madeira! 8)
Here are some photos from their holiday...
Irene by the harbour.
Fountain by the shops.
The Blandy family have been prominent in Madeira for a long time.
We wondered if there was some way to exploit it ! 8)
View at night from our hotel room.
We thought that this entrance was really pretty.
This is a hotel on the sea front next to the old part of town.
They use these concrete 'sand pies' to reduce the effects of erosion.
The phrase on this skateboard ramp reads: 'I WAS SPEEDING, NOW I'M BLEEDING' ! 8)
The Botanical Gardens - very picturesque !
We drove along this road to get to the Botanical Gardens.
(Only realised the severity of the drop when we got there and looked back !)
This is an 'A-frame' house - very simple design, and very colourful.
We thought that this area was worth snapping !
Mr. Peacock, showing off !
Magnificent parrots - noisy too !
The climate is just right for these lovely plants to thrive.
This guy feeds all of these stray cats, out of his own pocket !
This statue is taller than it looks !
Another 'A-frame' building.
(Apparently, the only difference between a house and a shed is the paint job !)
...so these must be houses !
We thought that this sculpture of a woman striving upwards was impressive.
Bijou residence. 8)
Lots of villas built into the mountain-side here.
Noah's ark, hand made by craftsmen.
...they even crafted the animals !
We thought that this was a particularly elegant piece.
Irene on our balcony.
...and again !
These little critters were running around everywhere !
The flora here are magnificent.
...and multi-coloured !
We finally found a place that serves Spaghetti Bolognese.
Unfortunately, Irene got food poisoning ! 8(
Statue of some learned dude or other.
They seem to like water displays !
...here's another one !
This cablecar ride was awesome - we floated over some SERIOUS drops !
Had to get a picture of this cool tree !
This shows the famous toboggan ride over cobbles down a really steep hill !
We were going to try it out, but it didn't run on Sundays (shame!)
Another one of those 'roads in the sky' !
They had some really interesting architecture here.
Black swans.
Another water feature.
...they even had one in a roundabout !
Impressive looking arch.
Neat flower !
This was the view from our balcony !
Tile art - neat huh ?
Another view from our balcony - we spent hours spying on the residents. 8)
In early February, D&M came to visit and they had a meal out in one of their favourite restaurants - Pizza Hut!
An excellent way to beat the winter blues! 8)
As was their tradition, Irene and Peter always tried to have sugar and lemon pancakes on Shrove Tuesday!
Since this was a tricky operation, Peter was banned from the kitchen during the cooking phase! 8)
Another tradition was to celebrate Valentines Day (the day they got engaged).
This usually consisted of a romantic evening with card, flowers, chocs and a special meal cooked by Peter! 8)
Towards the end of February, Irene, Peter, Fred and Pam visited Debbie and Mark for an evening get-together.
Springtime was Debbie and Mark's holiday to the Carribbean, so Irene and Peter looked after Pepsi
(mostly spoiling her with prawns and attention! 8)
Here is Irene feeding prawns to Pepsi which she loved!
Irene, looking gorgeous, in her fab kitchen! 8)
In early April, it was the turn of Fred and Pam to host our evening get-together.
Due to the paucity of contract opportunities, Peter decided to sign on at the Job Centre to try and find any kind of work as a stop gap.
This involved attending the Job Center on Thursday morning every two weeks!
Towards the end of April, Irene and Peter provided the evening get together.
For Peter's birthday, as they missed living in London, they decided to visit for a day out.
Since this year was Irene and Peter's 20th wedding anniversay, they decided to push the boat out with a long weekend at the Dorchester hotel! 8)
The bathroom was beautiful, with marble everywhere, His and Hers sinks, a REALLY deep bath...
...and a massive shower cubicle.
(The entrance hall is behind Irene)
This is the first time that we have slept in a four poster bed !
Even the TV/drinks cabinet was quality furniture !
During our walkabout in London, we came across the new Allders store at Marble Arch
(where the old C&A used to be). It's massive !
On our return, expecting a half bottle of 'pop' we got THIS little package - Bottle of Champagne, Box of the most incredible, melt in the mouth truffles and a lovely anniversay card from the management !
Anniversary cards, from the left: Dorchester management, FrednPam and Peter !
The morning after the night before !
Covent Garden is great on a Sunday - always bustling and full of street theatre - this guy reminded us of Sydney 8)
Oh well, time to leave.
The picture shows The Promenade just behind reception, where people can have tea or just sit and soak up the ambiance.
For Irene's birthday, Peter booked them into the Radisson SAS hotel
(opposite their old apartment in Upper Berkeley Street) for a weekend in London. 8)
They enjoyed the weekend so much, that a week later, Peter booked five nights in the Travel Inn
(which eventually became the Premier Inn) in Marylebone! 8)
Malta break
In mid-December, Irene and Peter flew to Malta to get away from the British weather! 8)They chose to stay in Valletta - a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
Whilst wandering around Portomaso Marina in St. Julian's, they came across a Hilton hotel with a stunning outlook overlooking the bay! Unable to resist the opportunity, they went into the bar and had drinks on the terrace. 8)
Another excursion took them to the Barrakka Gardens which are terraced gardens with a view of the spectacular Grand Harbour.
Sunday was an opportunity to experience the buzzing open air Sunday Market in Valletta - very popular with tourists!
During the early part of 2003, Peter was spending a lot of his time searching for work, whilst Irene was trying to get inspiration for new paintings.
However, there were still special occassions to celebrate, including Valentine's Day and their wedding anniversary, which Peter always made into special occasions (including attempting to cook!) 8)
In June, Peter finally managed to get a contract working for HM Customs & Excise in Southend! 8)
After looking at different commuting options, they decided to rent an apartment in Marlybone so that Peter would have a reasonable commute to Southend. This also gave them evenings and weekend in Marylebone (their favourite place) 8)
Here are some photos of their apartment:
Lounge...
Kitchen...
Bedroom...
Bathroom.
Since Peter had finally managed to get contract work, they decided to push the boat out for Irene's birthday.
Peter booked a weekend break at the Ritz Hotel in Paris!
The iconic front entrance!
They also managed to book a show at the Moulin Rouge, with champagne, which was absolutely specatacular!
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2004
In early February, Irene and Peter took a week off to do some work at their Southampton apartment.
They originally bought the show home, which came fully carpetted, but decided to lay vinyl in the bathrooms to replace the carpets.
Also, since people were parking in their allocate parking space, Peter installed a lockable post in the centre.
For Valentine's Day, Peter took Irene to see Woman in Black (a horror fantasy) in the West End, followed by a romantic dinner at Sarastro in Covent Garden - "A Mediterranean restaurant with a Turkish Twist"
Here is the entrance...
Marvellous internal decor - they were seated at the top of the stairs on the right...
The bar...
Really tasty Mezze to share! 8)
Round the corner from their Southampton apartment was Irene & Peter's favourite Thai restaurant.
The chef was actually the ex-wife of the proprietor, but they still maintained a business relationship.
The restaurant was laid out with front/rear facing booths that gave maximum privacy.
Being creatures of habit, Irene & Peter started with prawn crackers, followed by chicken satay and spring rolls.
For main, they had Thai red (Irene) and green (Peter) curries!
Another of their favourite traditions was for Irene to cook pancakes with lemon and sugar, which was a tricksy operation, during which Peter was politely shoo'ed from the kitchen! 8)
Around March 2004, after discussions with a few work colleagues at HMCE, it was decided that they would form a company to find work directly as the agents were taking a large cut on top of the rate paid by the software house they were working through.
They decided upon Red Lettuce as a name! 8)
At the end of March, Peter's contract at HMCE came to an end, so they returned to the apartment and hosted a dinner party for Debbie, Mark, Fred and Pam.
In early April, Peter and one of his colleagues started a design contract at BT Syntegra, Fleet through Red Lettuce!
Since the apartment in Marylebone was no longer required, in early May, Irene and Peter packed up and moved back to their apartment in Southampton.
For Peter's birthday, he decided to hire an MGF sports car for the weekend, which raised an eyebrow or two on their visit to Debbie and Mark! 8)
As was their tradition, Irene and Peter spent their wedding aniversary together at home, where Peter gave Irene a number of options for their special meal...of course it had to be Thai! 8)
For Irene's birthday, since Peter was earning again, he decided to treat Irene to a weekend break in London including a meal at the iconic Ivy restaurant in Covent Garden!
Since they found most of the menu somewhat uninteresting, they decided on Fish and Chips!
Although the chips were awesome, it was certainly the most expensive fish and chips ever! 8)
The unassuming exterior in Covent Garden...
...and inside showing their famous Harlequin stained glass windows!
At this point the Red Letuce team ended up as a core of three - two working at BT Syntegra and one at the NHS.
They had regular meetings to discuss company issues.
After looking at different areas, Fred and Pam decided to move to a bungalow in Chard in Somerset.
In Early July, Irene & Peter and Debbie & Mark went over to visit them (and check out the area! 8)
Here we all are in their lovely garden! (Pam is taking the photograph)
In early November, as Red Letuce had a Monday morning meeting in London,
Irene and Peter decided to spend Sunday night in a hotel which gave them the opportunity of a day out in London! 8)
2005
Around the middle of March, Peter was working in London, so they booked into a hotel to avoid commuting.At that time, things were not going well with Red Lettuce, so Peter decided to leave BT Syntegra in mid April rather than extend.
In the past, Irene and Peter usually booked half board in a hotel or went self-catering in an apartment during their escapes from the great British weather, but this year, they decided to try a villa!
So they checked in to a hotel in London in order to catch an early flight to Lanzarote the next day.
The villa that they chose was Casa San Valentin in Puerto del Carmen. Here are some photos:
Irene loved the glittery lizard! 8)
Here's the outside of the villa. The heated pool was wonderful! 8)
Here's the lounge...
...and the main bathroom...
...kitchen...
...and the excellent Spar that stocked pretty much everything that they needed!
At the end of April, Irene and Peter flew back to the UK after a lovely week's holiday in the sun! 8)
As part of their ongoing seach to find a hotel as good as the London Ritz, for Peter's birthday the intrepid duo decided to stay at Claridges in Mayfair!
Here is the impressive building. The hotel first opened in 1856!
Bedroom...
...swimming pool!...
...dining room...
...and afternoon tea! 8)
A lovely hotel, but Irene still preferred The Ritz! 8)
In August, Peter made his skills available to NETbuilder as a freelance J2EE Consultant, but work was very limited! 8(
2006
Following last year's success with the villa in Lanzarote, Irene & Peter decided to try their luck in Fuerteventura.The villa that they chose was Casa Juan in Corralejo.
(£907 for one week, including flights! How times have changed)
Here are some photos:
Here's the pool area-heated in the winter months! 8)
...lounge.
...outside eating area.
..entertainment.
...sunbeds!
...lovely modern kitchen.
...roof terrace-out of sight.
...bedroom. Unfortunately, the wardrobe had a severe case of mold, so I&P decided to sleep in the lounge! 8(
...bathroom with his & hers sinks! 8)
...Al Fresco dining under the awning!
Unfortunately, in February, Peter's J2EE contract through NETbuilder came to an end! 8(
Towards the end of March, Peter took Irene to see an excellent show - "Sinatra at the London Palladium".
Ground breaking digital technology enable the backing musicians to perform with a hologram of Sinatra! Amazing! 8)
They stayed at the Radisson Edwardian Berkshire Hotel in Oxford Street,
which they called the Debenhams Hotel as it was opposite the famous store! 8)
At the end of July, Irene & Peter decided to have a weekend break in London.
They stayed at the Radisson SAS Hotel-opposite their old flat in Upper Berkely Street
After rather a long period without any paying work, Peter finally managed to get a contract at Zurich Insurance in Swindon! 8)
Unfortunately, it turned out to be a short contract and Peter was back on the market again in time for Christmas! 8(