It's been a year since we left NZ! It seems simultaneously a lifetime ago and just yesterday.

Without a doubt it's been one of the best years of our lives.

A couple of years ago we felt we were stagnating and figured that with no kids and still being reasonably young this would be a good time to uproot ourselves and go see this side of the world properly. Packing up our lives prior to leaving was stressful but the moment we got on that plane it was like we'd broken through the storm and out into clear air.

The three months we spent travelling around Scandinavia with our bikes and living out of our pannier bags were the perfect reset. It wasn't cheap but we fell in love with the landscape and the culture. Geographically and politically similar to NZ but a little more established and sensible. All countries should observe and learn from them.

From there we moved to Manchester where Sally was starting a contract with Co-op. After a few scrappy contracts and three months of outstanding (if I do say so myself) house husbandry, I landed a full time contract with NBrown.

By contrast Manchester is a messy melting pot. Everywhere you look you see room for improvement but it has a very down-to-earth feel about it. You're more human here. The apartment we're in is fantastic and the jobs we have work nicely with our frequent weekend getaways both within the UK and to the continent.

We're very aware we're playing life on the easiest setting right now and every day we appreciate it. The moment that appreciation stops will be the moment we need to move on.

No idea what the next year will bring though. We're happy to stay here if our work situation permits but equally open to uprooting ourselves again if not. It's nice not to be too tied to property and posessions for a while.

In December we're heading back to NZ for about 6 weeks and it'll be nice to catch up with friends and family who we miss.

• We've slept in 76 different beds, 51 of those were in the first three months.
• We've not driven a car in over half a year.
• NZ drivers (old me included) have a terrible attitude. Possibly NZ's worst attribute.
  
• We should all use 24 hour time.
• Single duvets on a king bed are the best.
• If you own a hotel you should sleep in each room at least once a year to spot annoyances.
  

We're at the Latitude Festival with Melissa and Andy. It's near Norwich in a lovely setting. Very civilised.

Our budget tent. We've picked out a quiet place at the furthest point from the arena because we're fuddy duddies.

Notice the Icelandic flag used to distinguish ours. Of all the world cup flags available for me to steal from work it was the one I'd least mind if their nationals approached us.

Lancashire vs Yorkshire in the war of the roses cricket at Old Trafford.

We're off to Scotland and Isle of Skye this afternoon tenting until Sunday.

A bit delayed with photos from our jaunt to Isle of Skye due to a severe lack of internet.

I went to pick up our rental car on Tuesday afternoon only to find that my NZ license is no longer valid for use in the UK because a year has passed since we arrived. Luckily Sally was able to convince them that with her British passport she hadn't actually become resident in the country until after we returned from Scandinavia (which didn't work for me because my residence permit was activated when we first arrived for the wedding in July last year).

I'd swapped places with Sally at the rental place to pack and they slipped her a Mercedes -- perhaps by way of apology -- which meant we weren't able to take our bikes. I'd ordered a Citroen 3008 with ample room for the bikes and other gear. But we had to get up to Linlithgow for dinner so we ditched the bikes and with Sally driving headed north only to come across a rolled supermarket lorry which had us at a standstill for over two hours and arriving at Ally and John's after 11pm a tiny bit late for dinner.

This is on the way to Skye the following day.

On our first night in Skye after setting up tent in the misty rain at the campground in Dunvegan we drove to a little restaurant in the middle of nowhere for dinner. If you're ever in that part of the world we can't recommend it enough! It's perhaps the best meal and experience we've had in over a year of travelling and restaurants. Red Roof.

Neest Point

Popped in for a wee dram.

Dunvegan looking out from beside our campground.

The gardens at Dunvegan castle.

Yesterday we headed back via New Galloway where we stopped for the night before continuing on home today to Manchester. This is near Glencoe.

As a result of this trip we're giving a lot of thought to buying a motorhome/campervan and getting quite excited about the prospect. If it happens it'll be over a year away. When we arrived on Skye and set up our tent we both agreed we felt like we were "home again" on the road and the idea being able to dawdle around in our mobile home really appeals. We stopped in at a motorhome dealership on the way back today to have a poke around in various shapes and sizes of vehicle and quite like this kind of size and configuration. Watch this space.

A quick trip to York today to see Shakespeare's Richard III at the Rose Theatre.

Today we took the train and our bikes to Hebden Bridge to revisit our 2006 canal boat trip. This time cycling the towpath via Sowerby Bridge and on to Brighouse for lunch and returning via Huddersfield.

It's a beautiful part of the country. It's also a lot faster by bike than by canal boat.

This weekend we were in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival. We stayed a couple of nights at Hotel Du Scholes in Linlithgow traveling into Edinburgh both days with Ally and Matthew.

The place was absolutely heaving.

We managed to get in a good number of comedies and restaurants. Having to traipse from show to show is an excellent way to discover the nooks and crannies of the city.

We're in Belfast. Just been on a walking tour in two parts with two different guides; one an ex-IRA convict and one an ex-UVF convict. Both were born close to 1960 and exposed to the early violence of the troubles in adolescence which caused them to become participants on opposite sides.

Pictured above are murals from either side.

We started on the republican/Catholic side and were given their perspective of Britain's brutal manipulation of communities, shooting of innocents and rigging of voting systems. Our guide, Robert, witnessed this violence in his community at an early age, eventually joined the IRA, was arrested at age 18 and served 12 years of a 20 year sentence.

We crossed through the gates that still close every evening and which divide the two communities. We were handed over to another Robert who's life followed a very similar trajectory but from the other side of the conflict.

Protestant Robert was involved in retaliatory strikes in response to the many no-warning civilian bombings the IRA inflicted on his community. To them, the republican's dream of a united Ireland is made impossible by the IRA terrorist attacks. "Why would we want to join yous after that?".

Both Roberts are still angry about the past but acknowledge that there's no good future to be had hanging on to this hate. They want their generation to step down and to foster a new generation without their baggage.

They want the "peace wall" to eventually come down and for children on both sides to get to know each other.

As we were walking out to dinner after the tour we saw a long Protestant marching procession through the center of the city. All white male, many with tattoos beneath their crisp outfits. And a whole new generation of boys holding banners or twirling sticks keeping the tradition of their glorious past.

This is a house on Bombay St on the Catholic side next to the wall. The last time something was thrown over was in July during the Protestant orange parades.