Well folks I'm here in Maui at the Outrigger Palms at Wailea. All the flights were on time and US Customs was a breeze although we all had to remove our shoes. The stopover in Fiji was a drag, but a very pleasant feature was three or four airport staff sang for us a few times with guitars and ukuleles, with great harmonies. Driving on the wrong side of the road here is a challenge! The first thing I did after I opened my condo was send for the resort's plumber...

Well, last day before I head homewards. Started packing, mailed a few items home and then hit the sightseeing trail one more time to make some more use of my British Heritage Pass. First stop Hyde Park Corner. The Wellington Arch is essentially a victory monument following Waterloo and was also placed to mark an outer entrance to Buckingham Palace. The park area also features a statue of the Duke of Wellington and more recent monuments to British artillery an...

I spent the day today with my uncle Jim and cousin James. First up was a visit to Roehampton where the qualifying matches leading up to Wimbledon are in progress. James is umpiring this week and also working during the main draw next week. After that we headed to Wimbledon Club where Uncle Jim is a member for afternoon tea, and a look around at some of the preparations for the main tournament. The ball boys and girls were practising, Leyton Hewitt was hitting...

What can I say, Whitesnake is one of my favourite bands of all time, and I was able to see them perform last night at the Newcastle City Hall. I don't care if I never see a better concert. Whitesnake is David Coverdale's band and he continues to field a fine line-up to hammer out all those great tunes. For anyone who doesn't know, Coverdale got his big break in the 1970's when he replaced Ian Gillan for a few years the first time Gillan left Deep Purple. ...

Raining today, no tennis. Alternative arrangements commenced with pizza somewhere near Charing Cross, followed by a visit to Horse Guards Museum and a wander in the general direction of Parliament House. The Horse Guards Building has been the headquarters for the Household Cavalry for three hundred years or so. Two mounted troopers stand guard at the entrance and are a real hit with tourists, especially with those well behaved horses. There's a heap of statue...