Christmas Day!!

Our first married Christmas together! We didn't have much for decorations or a tree, so I made this lovely tree out of cardboard (Grant made the star) and we liked it so much, we're keeping it for next year! But I think we'll add some lights and decorations next year.

Drinking coffee and Bailey's on Christmas morning (the lovely glasses were a Christmas present from Nan)

Father Christmas was very good to me and I got a stocking full of goodies!

Grant was very happy with the video game I got him

Showing off all our presents Mum and Dad got us from Australia

Full English Christmas Breakfast

Deborah finishing off a scarf (christmas present), talk about last minute!

Beautiful Christmas tree at Grant's Aunt Barbara and Uncle Berry's

Fun with Christmas Crackers

Drinks at Grant's Cousin Wendy's later on

Our Last Farewell to Liverpool

Since we are moving out of Liverpool in a couple weeks, after such a short stay here, we decided to have one more big night out while we still could. I will miss the nightlife in this town, but we're getting a bit too old for it, perhaps it's time to settle down...

The bus ride into city centre

"Krunchy" Fried Chicken

This is the Philharmonic Pub, named so because it's kitty corner to the Liverpool Philharmonic. It is one of the most ornate pubs in Britain and the mens urinals are made of solid marble.

We thought this was funny because it is obviously an old neon ski signs which they removed the poles. It also demonstrates Liverpool's love of theme bars, I think there are 2 80's bars and 3 70's bars and even a 90's bar.

The Jacaranda, the historic sight of our first cheeky vimto...

The mobile police station is always out on a Saturday night...it's good to feel safe

Mathew Street is the home of the Cavern Club and so many other historic bars and pubs

It never fails, you will always see some crazy people out on Mathew St

Our favorite place to get down

This is Liverpool for you:

this man was wearing a Santa hat and his friend grabbed me as I walked by and said I had to have my picture taken with him, so I obliged and then told Grant to take a picture of me with him, so he put the hat on my head and then after the picture they went to leave and he told me to keep the hat! Unfortunately I lost it over the course of the night, too bad.

Laura's (4th) 25th Birthday

There are very few pictures of my birthday as the camera died shortly after we headed out. But we had a lovely time. We walked around town and had a few drinks and then had delicious chinese food in Liverpool's chinatown. Then we went to all my favorite spots and we danced the night away and got some hot n' tender chicken before finally heading home. It was great to spend my birthday with Grant, for the first time in 4 years!

Simply having, a wonderful Christmas time

We stumbled upon Father Christmas on our way into townThe British love to rip off the Germans, because they do everything way better than the British, but the British will never admit this, because historically they hate the Germans. One example, the Christmas Market. We went to many last year in Germany and they are wonderful! The scaled down, knock off Liverpool version was not as great, but still fun.

Real German Beer!

mmm...gluhwein...not as good out of a styrofoam cup instead of a festive little boot mug

It took all my willpower not to dive head first into this giant pick and mix candy stand

Real German Sausage!! mit curry ketchup!

Lights on the high street

Christmas shopping in town, this is a big HMV and I love the giant beatles poster in the window

Taking a shopping break in an indoor rooftop patio

Another day of shopping at Cheshire Oaks, the northwest's biggest oulet retail park (it's AWESOME!!)

This picture was taken in the McDonalds because we always go to McDonalds at Cheshire Oaks because it is by far, the most efficient, best run McDonalds we've ever seen!!

The biggest Christmas Tree in Britain. It was pretty big...I guess

Having fun wrapping all our Christmas purchases!

The Mouse...

Grant and I have been enjoying living in Liverpool and there's lots of stuff we really like about our new flat, however...there's a few things we don't like...
After being here about a month, we discovered we had a roommate we were unaware of, who wasn't chipping in with the rent...his name was The Mouse. He was first discovered one day when I was washing dishes and I saw a dark figure scurry past me out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see, but he was to fast, so all I'll I saw when I turned around was Grant looking behind him and then said 'did something just brush past my leg?' and when he then turned around and saw the look on my face, he knew...we had a mouse. Then we found the problem, a couple boxes of Jr Mints left over from the wedding we forgot about on the floor, the corners all chewed through.



So, we dropped everything and headed out to get some traps. We tried both the two big superstores near by, only to find that this animal welfare conscious country only sells poison. I guess they consider bleeding to death for 9 days more humane than a trap, but to each his own I guess.


So, not wanting to have this creature living with us, Grant decided to create a mouse trap. It is composed of a ramp up the side of a bucket, with a wire across the bucket going through an empty coke can which is slathered in penaut butter. The concept is the mouse runs up the ramp, tries to step onto the can to get the peanut butter and it rolls like a log in water and he falls into the bucket and is thus, trapped.
Grant swears he has caught a mouse with this device before, but we were not successful. Our mouse either doesn't like peanut butter or is very sure footed. So, we placed the poison out and waited.

For five days, there was no sign of The Mouse, we thought we might be in the clear...then he showed his little rodent face to me when he came running into the living room one evening. We shut the door and then Grant and I proceeded to play a game of cat and mouse (us being the cats). We tore our living room apart trying to catch the bugger, with me screaming and jumping from the chair to the couch and Grant chasing him with a broom.



But he was quite fast and surprisingly can jump quite high. Finally, we cornered him under the couch and there was only one way he could go, so grant flushed him out and I trapped him in an upside down wast paper basket.

We weren't quite sure what to do with him now that we had him. I wouldn't let Grant kill him, but I wasn't keen on the idea of having this dirty rodent living with us under a waste paper basket. So, we slid a piece of cardboard under the bin and took him outside.
Again, my animal loving instinct took over and I wouldn't let Grant kill him or put him in the garbage bin, so I made him chuck him over the fence. Which was actually quite comical, seeing his little mouse body flying through the air in the moonlight.

So far, we've been mouse free since then, but we still keep the poison out...and we're moving come January.

The END