VANESSA HEADS OFF.

Vanessa loves winter so much that she decided to head back to Oz just to miss the UK heat. It was great to have her stay with us while she got set up. When she decided to leave it spurred us into action and we started to tag along whilst she 'ticked some boxes'. The major one being Notting Hill. Both of us are big fans of the movie so we needed to locate the icons, namely the door and the book shop. It was a little disappointing to see the door is now black and not blue, but probably understandable as we weren't the only ones taking photos. We have since found out that the internal shots of Hugh Grant's flat were done in a studio as the house belonging to the door was the director's house.

We also discovered the book shop in the movie is now an antique shop, but it was modelled off this one which has since moved just round the corner. This is just as much a tourist attraction, and again we weren't the only snappers there.

Notting Hill does have a pretty good market, but I would hate to live in the immediate area. The roads are packed with people and made driving extremely difficult for the residents. There are heaps of nice looking restaurants and pubs, but we decided to stick with traditional at the Sausage and Mash Cafe. This place does a variety of snags with a choice of mash and a choice of gravy. I personally went for the Lamb and Mint with Bubble and Squeak, mmmm. Well worth the effort in finding it (hidden behind some stalls). The waiter wasn't the best with the camera so we do look a little fuzzy.

Another box was the Aquarium. In hindsight it was a little disappointing, (stick with Seaworld or Underwater World) especially for the cost but we did amuse ourselves at the touch pool. They really only had rays on offer which feel almost like jelly. Very strange sensation.

The other boxes ticked were a visit to Covent Garden, the theatre (We Will Rock You) and a posh afternoon tea with a view. Unfortunately we weren't smart enough to take the camera everywhere so you will just have to trust us that they were all great.

Life will be a bit different over here now, but the 10 things we know she will miss most (apart from our fabulous company)......

1. Galaxy chocolate

2. Starbucks, Nero and Costa Coffee on every corner

3. the super comfy camping mattress

4. cooking for us (Zucchini Slice)

5. Sunday roast at the Moby

6. gloves, scarves, beanies, thermals and blankets just to go to a movie

7. the Scottie Dog

8. free papers on the tube

9. Banoffe pie

10. Washer/Dryers

Cheers, Steve and Claire