We are still in London, and when we last made contact, we had just arrived in West Hampstead and about to go to day 4 of the Test Match between England and India played at Lords. Now I will not bore you non-cricket fans out there, so I will keep this brief. I was obviously quite excited as Lords is known as the home of cricket, and I was not disappointed. Although the first 3 days had been delayed due to rain and bad weather, day 4 was perfect, both for the players and spectators, warm and sunny, and a slight breeze from the east made it a memorable day. We saw Pieterson score a century, plenty of wickets fall, the Lords Museum, in particular The Ashes, and other cricket memorabilia. Overall it was a great day, and even Leanne had a good time, and I think she is now starting to really understand and appreciate the more delicate features of this wonderful sport.

Following on from that nice day we visited the Tower of London. Although Leanne and I had read a little bit about this place, we had no idea how much history was shaped from some of the events that took place within these large stone walls. Our tour guide was wonderful and he was able to explain these events with such detail and drama that the whole place came to life, it was really awesome. Afterwards we met with Rachel and had dinner, which was great, as we hadn't had a decent home cooked stir-fry for a very long time.

The weather has played a part in our trip so far, especially in London. Now obviously the UK is well known for being wet, but at the moment part of the North West of England is currently flooded, especially towards the Cotswolds and Oxford areas. Now the reason we mention this is because on this particular day, we had already previously booked a car (a convertible to be a little different) to drive to these locations. So we were obviously quite disappointed when the days leading up to now had been wet and flooded. However, on the day of picking the car up, it turned into a warm and sunny day and although the Cotswolds and Oxford areas were still flooded, we headed South East (opposite direction of the floods) towards Canterbury and Dover.
These places were truly amazing. First we visited Canterbury, in particular the Cathedral. By now we have seen a few churches and other Cathedrals in all different places, and none came close to this place. Words can not describe what Leanne and I both felt as we walked through all of the different areas, areas that all have a different story to tell and have each played a small part in creating history. Whilst being in this awe-inspiring religious location, we couldnt help but say a couple of important prayers, in particular for dads up-coming operation.

Next we drove south to the coastal area of Dover. Dover is known for being the closest port between London and France, especially in the ancient days, and it is also well known for its white cliffs. Unfortunately our photos do not do these cliffs justice, but we had a great time there before heading home.

On the way home, whilst still being in our convertible (still with the roof down and getting a little chilly by this stage) we stopped in at a quaint little village not far from Leed's Castle and had the best meal of this entire trip. We had some british beer, and the stories are true - the beer was weak and warm. Although they knew we were travellers, the locals made us feel right at home.

The next day was spent exploring Hampstead Heath, the British Museum and Covent Garden. Following on from all of this walking we enjoyed a scrumptious Indian meal, then we were off to see a London broadway show - Les Miserables. We had heard so much about this show, and it exceeded our expectations, it was quite powerful and moving.

Lastly, yesterday we had another great day, as we discovered a local bus line that follows all of the major tourist locations, so we got to spend the day sitting down and seeing all of the major attractions from the top deck of one of Londons double decker buses, rather than on one of the expensive tourist operators. We did however stop at the Buckingham Palace and watched the 'Changing of the guards'.

Overall we have been blessed with what we have seen and are extremely appreciative of these opportunities, especially for those times that we have had excellent weather when we needed it the most.

Our week in West Hampstead is about to close, and the week in Kensington is about to unfold. This will be an exciting week as we get to catch up with Lachlan and Danielle, Brian and Hannah (more than a few minutes this time), and also Simone - (all friends from church). Leanne, Rachel, Simone and I will be spending a few days together while Simone is in town. It promises to be another great week, as we have plenty to see, including Notting Hill, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, Harrods, Cotswolds + Oxford (pending the flood situation), Cambridge and Hampton Court Palace, just to name a few.

Love Leanne and Mal.

PS - Thankfully my dad's operation went well, and although there were some complications, dad is now recovering in the ICU, and I look forward to speaking with him as soon as he is able to. Thank you for your prayers, I really appreciate it.