Over exercise, wine will always triumph

For all those who regularly read these fascinating pages, you may have noticed that I mentioned a while back that I will be running in a half marathon sometime in the future. You may have also noticed that it was the first and last time anything of the exercise/marathon nature has been mentioned. I realised this week (since i now have a lot of extra time on my hands!) that the marathon is in a matter of weeks (ie about three) and I have done a total of ZERO training. I think I may have got out of bed early a couple of times a few months back to half-heartedly run around the block, but that's as far as I have got. I am in BIG trouble.

Perhaps one of the reasons I am so lazy, is that I enjoy sitting around eating and drinking too much! Hence last weekend, we ventured to the wine-lovers Mecca - Vinopolis, an epicurian oasis in London by the Thames (I definitely would have mentioned this gem earlier if it wasn't for the events that transpired earlier this week). The name conjures up images of giant pillars of champage, copius olive branches and gargantuan mountains of wine, and as you can see from the photos below - I was not disappointed! It was a fitting birthday celebration for my best friend, and queen wino, Michelle, and is a great group day out. For £20, we went on a wine tour (which included various tastings, premium wines, as well as beer, whisky, absinth tastings and a Bombay Sapphire cocktail), had a wine tasting session with a cute Italian sommelier and even got a (somewhat cheesy) T-Shirt and corkscrew at the end! With special sections of the tour dedicated to wines from all over the world (from Thailand to Israel, South Africa to Oz) as well as unique delights such as chocolate beer and ice wine from Canada, there's something for everyone and this place should definitely be added to the list of 'must-sees' in London.
The glowing tower of wine
The girls could die happy after their Tattinger champagne

My brother Mike (who was in London for a week) enjoying a cocktail with me
Everyone with their gin! Happy Birthday Shell!

This weekend, Paul's sister is getting married so we are off for a country weekend i9n the Cotwolds. The reception is in a castle - I'm so going to be a shameless Aussie gawping tourist! Even though I am now without a London job, I still scraped together the cash to get a spray tan and my hair done. A girl has to have priorities....

Unessential? Unwanted? Me??!! :)
This is where the 'Trials' part of my UK working holiday comes into it...

I can't complain really - I've had a very good run of my working holiday in London so far - no major hiccups and a brilliant year actually. And then, this week, I got made redundant. Brilliant! Now I am in London, without a job, no savings, holidays booked (but not paid for), and rent to pay, and, because I was on a contract, no redundancy pay! Now I am realising just how good I had it before (good job, great pay) - and even though I was pretty much worked to the bone this summer, everything looks so much rosier when you're on the other side doesn't it!! :)

Anyways, for all my dear friends out there, and for all the regular subscribers to my blog, know that I will pull through, the little trooper that I am. I've been at home by myself for two days so far (too scared to go out and spend money from my dwindling supplies) and have been getting reacquainted with daytime TV, eating cereal at 10am, wearing trackies until 2pm, ducking out out for chocolate at 3...it's just like my uni days - oh dear, something must be done soon!

Getting made redundant though, (such a nice way of saying 'you're sacked!') is not the worst thing in the world and at least I am in London having a blast with all my friends, with so many opportunities and adventures just around the corner. Your working holiday is definitely what you make of it, and I'm not planning on letting this little 'mishap' cause more trouble than it's worth. I may feel different after a couple of weeks of daytime Jerry Springer, but that's how I'm getting through at the moment.

Any comments of support and kindness will be muchly appreciated - see this little icon below this post? (Comments - 0??) Fill it up people! I need some love! :)

Crikey! Thanks for the memories, Steve

When I walked into my office this morning, one of the other Aussie girls cried out "Pru! Have you heard the news?!" And so I came to learn that the much loved Aussie icon, Steve Irwin, is dead. Killed by a stingray while filming a deep sea documentary no less.. what a way to go. As much as everyone used to pay this guy out, I think everyone had a genuine soft stop for his embarrassing, but oh so entertaining, ways. And he certainly has done a lot more for conservation and wildlife then many of us will ever do. I'm sure Steve will live on, even in the UK where repeats of Crocodile Hunter make good hangover TV on Sundays, and I'm sure all those who majorly overreacted when he dangled his baby in front of that croc are feeling a little guilty. May he long be wrestling with the big crocs in the sky...

I've found a couple of sites which people moving to the UK might be interested in:

Bound for England is the blog of a teacher from the US who moved to the UK in August this year after successfully applying for a work permit through a recruitment agency. Very helpful for info about making the big move.

Nicole in London: tales of a Los Angeles expat: the entertaining escapades of an American who moved to London for work, got married and became a fully-fledged expat.

Camden Kiwi: snippets from the life of a Kiwi living in Camden, London.

And one for the romantics (since apparently online dating is not as freaky/abnormal anymore!)

Antipodate - meeting Aussies, Kiwis and Saffas in the UK: the online/speed dating site for antipodeans in the UK (hhmmm, yes, move to another country and choose to just hang out with people from your own country? not that i can really talk....!!)

The long weekend and Notting Hill like you've never seen it before..

What a fab long weekend - it's Wednesday and I'm still recovering! Monday was the wild and fabulous Notting Hill Carnival - I never thought I'd be dancing in the streets in the middle of the day with a muscly black man, pushing a trolley full of alcohol, pouring rum straight down my throat, straight after sipping a luscious coconut - straight from the coconut! This is me (in the photo) hanging out with my coconut and a couple of London bobbies. The festival is an annual celebration of the Caribbean culture and they reckon there was about one million people who hit the streets - either in the Mardi Gras-style parade, or just walking around enjoying the music, foods and general craziness (check out this old dude we meet grooving along in the street). The festive spirit was amazing - people were outside their houses selling things, dressed up in crazy outfits and also, quite conveniently for us, charging people £1 to use their bathrooms. We got a little worried when Shell and I traipsed up the stairs of a random house to use this guys bathroom, and the entrepreneur tried to sell us some pink handcuffs, but it was all good after that and we made a friend (though the highlight of the day was definitely my coconut!)

The rest of the weekend was also brilliant - anyone coming to London MUST try Ping Pong. It's a Dim Sum restuarant in Soho and is the place to go for yummy little parcels of heaven and exotic cocktails (lychee mojito anyone?) We went on Friday night and I'm a new fan.

On Sunday I ventured to Greenwich markets (I'm describing my long weekend in a pretty unordered fashion here). I will devote a whole post to this gem another day, as a day out in Greenwich deserves anyone's full attention! The antique and jewellery markets are fab and the day is not complete without sipping a strawberry beer in the sun-dappled garden of The Gipsy Moth until dusk sets in and the resident magician has performed. More on that later...

'Changeable' they call it – the temperamental British weather. Beautiful one day, rainy the next. I'm even wearing boots today (boots! in summer!) however I can still hear an ice-cream truck tinking away outside. The weather here is schizophrenic - doesn't know whether it's coming or going! It can get quite frustrating – especially when, like us, you bought a BBQ on the weekend and are waiting for another perfect summer's day to try it out! We almost cried though when we realised we were missing a part (what the hell is a gas regulator anyway?) and Ray went to the hardware shop only to be told that it would be difficult to get one because the 'BBQ season is over'. BBQ season? oh dear.... Anyways, we will not be deterred, and once we have our important-sounding gas regulator, the BBQ will happen. The sun will come back! I arrived in September last year and I have fond memories of being unemployed and spending days lying in parks in singlet tops drinking iced coffee from Starbucks in gorgeous sunshine so I know it will be back!

How funny is this pic of us in France (top right)? Sim sent all her photos around today which made me homesick for our lovely boat cruising around French rivers and canals. This was when we stopped off at a beautiful riverside town called Gray - the weather had been stunning so we took ourselves off to the supermarket to stock up on cheese varieties and cheap French wine and we got stuck smack bang in the middle of a thunderstorm that came out of nowhere! You can tell I don't look very impressed. It was so strange because this photo of me and Shell was taken about 20 minutes later . As you can see – beautiful French sunshine (and two soggy girls). Changeable...!

The August long weekend is upon us (only one day to go!) so stay tuned for exciting news about the Notting Hill Carnival and Get Loaded in the Park....

The 12 month date looms nearer...

So I'm on a two year working holiday visa, which means that I am only allowed to work for 12 months - only for income to 'supplement' my working holiday. This is such an unfair and unrealistic restriction, considering that so many of the workingholidaymakers who come to the UK these days, from Australia, New Zealand, Canada etc are young, experienced professionals who should be entitled to continue the jobs they have gained for longer than a pitiful 12 months - especially considering that they have been selected for the job beating UK applicants since they were obviously better candidates.

Anyways, I've had my gripe - I'm in a mood because I realised this week, that while I can still apply for the HSMP visa, the application processing times are so extended that there is no way I can apply for it and be eligible before my contract at my current job is up. Which means I will have to leave that position, be unemployed (again!) and find somewhere new. Not the most exciting prospect since I have saved up absolutely NO dosh to help me get me through such an event - oops! While processing times for work permits are between 5 and 15 days, HSMP application can take UP TO THREE MONTHS! SO anyone thinking of applying should really get everything organised with plenty of time. The problem is however, that you need to have earnt the required amount of money at the time the application is received (kind of hard when you have only been in the country for 12 months which means you have to apply at the 9 month mark - making it even harder to hit the required earning mark!).

Things may not be so bad though - as my work is looking into possibly sponsoring me to stay and work for them - so fingers crossed. Although many working travellers are working over their 12 month limit and getting away with it, I am too chicken and (perhaps stupidly) am trying to do things by the book! So much for being well-behaved!

It's all about the snacks....

This is Sim and I getting more than a little overexcited with the Tiny Teddies Bec's Mum brought over for us from Australia (so much so that we had to have a photo). One of Sim's friends also arrived this week bearing cherry ripes (a non-optional luggage addition for anyone who comes to visit us in London). For all the South Africans, Kiwis and Aussies in London - favourite treats from home are available at shops such as The Australia Shop in Covent Garden (fancy Minties or Pavlova Magic anyone?) but they can be quite expensive so it's always nice to get supplies straight from home. Due to the huge amount of Aussies in London, you can actually buy staples such as Vegemite and Tim Tams at your local Tesco (supermarket) but they will be a tad dearer than from good old Franklins back home.

For Saffas, biltong is everywhere and I have noticed a special South African food shop on Putney High Street selling specialties (there is also an African restaurant in Putney: Chakalaka). There are a few around, such as the No 1 South African Shop in Dorset or the Savanna Shops of which there are few in London which stock South African wines, food, snacks etc (although South African wine is getting to be very popular in the UK and you can buy it everywhere).

For Kiwis, the Kiwifruits NZ shop in Haymarket sells lollies and snacks as well as NZ gifts, calenders, music and clothes. You can even subscribe to New Zealand magazines and buy stuff online. So there is no excuse to be missing things from home!

***NEW*** International money transfers

Since starting my job in London I've had to learn a lot of things about online publishing which I had no idea about before (as you can tell from my extremely professional/enthralling/beautiful blog (?)). Since I've been diligently learning HTML codes I'm putting it to good use for my loyal viewers and fellow working travellers, and have given you a pretty, new, and useful tool down the right hand side of this page! If anyone is moving to the UK (or Canada, South Africa, New Zealand) and needs to do an international money transfer, you should definitely give Tranzfers a try (see my swanky new Tranzfers tile on the right hand side of this page which gives you the $AU - £GBP conversion rate and will take you to their site to register). I have used these guys and they are the cheapest option I have found (since both my Aussie and UK bank charge EXORBITANT prices for lifting a finger to transfer money internationally). They are also really simple and convenient to use, and now I can easily do a transfer within minutes when i am skiving off work and need to pay off my Aussie credit card. I'm sure there are a few other companies who provide this service, but I haven't found anyone who can beat £7 a transfer. Straight to the pool room!

Festival fever...

Just got sent these pics from one of my mates, who just went running with the bulls in Pamplona. It looks completely nuts. It's one of the many stops on the antipodean boozer trips around Europe - you go to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day, go cheese rolling in England (a bizarre festival where people throw themselves down a hill after a big cheese wheel), then run with the bulls in Pamplona (similar pain-inducing/deathly but memorable venture), then go off to La Tomatina in Italy (lots of people covered in a hell of a lot of tomatoes), then Oktoberfest in Germany then back to London for an English christmas by the fire and then new year's skiiing in some suave alpine destination. Many travellers have followed this hallowed route- drinking plenty of beer/wine/sangria along the way of course and waving Aussie/Kiwi/Saffa flags (and they are probably on a Contiki bus too). At the end of the day they will all end up in one of the many Walkabouts in the UK. What a life :)

There's a funny feeling coming over me...

In a moment of insanity, I've done something which I'm sure I'm going to regret. Due to continuous encouragement (read: duress) from my big brother (who I'm sure just wants someone to share the torture with) I have signed up to...wait for it...run in a bloody big marathon. Oh my lord, I feel a little ill just thinking about. It is a 10km run across London - the North Vs South Nike 10K Run - and I only have two short months to prepare for it.

Those people who know me well are probably feeling a little bit concerned right now - they know that I would usually rather stick a pen in my eye then do exercise (especially of the repetitive long-distance, asthma-inducing type). Now, in my early teen days (when I was a thin fit 12-year-old obviously with nothing better to do) I was known to be a partial to a bit of long distance running - even going so far as to represent my school and district at carnivals and such (complete with an especially-designed sock which I could fit my asthma inhaler into - it zipped up and everything!) and once I even succumbed myself to the arduous Sydney City to Surf – but those days are long gone and my lungs are now more accustomed to the oxygen one breathes in from a ruby-red fermented bottle of wine or from smoke-filled bars. You would think that living with a personal trainer and his equally fit girlfriend would rub off on me, but unfortunately I am as lazy as ever and suffering majorly from the Heathrow Injection.

But all that's going to change. Regardless of how many times I have made the resolution to get fit before, this time I'm going to have to do it in order to keep up with the boys (when you sign up for the race, they ask you what your predicted time will be - I looked down but there was no option over 120 minutes - are these people crazy??!!). So stay tuned to these pages for updates on my escalating and impeccable fitness regime. This should be interesting :)

It's quite scary really, how much of a running culture there is in London. Especially living by the river, you notice how many people go jogging FOR FUN. In the mornings in the middle of winter I would leave for work at about 7.45 am (in the pitch black mind you) and practically get bowled over by people out enjoying the crisp London winter mornings. A magazine my brother works on (the sole reason to blame for his new-found marathon tendencies) is called Runner's World (he is actually in the process of re-designing this website) and is apparently hugely popular. It really makes me wonder what I have been missing out on...! Running world here I come.

Training Regime Day One: am off to the pub tonight so can't possibly do anything! It's Friday too - who wants to go running on Friday?

Another brilliant London weekend...

The weekend started with a bang - the Cat Empire gig in Shepherd's Bush was AMAZING, and all the jumping, dancing and sweating to the hip-hop meets reggae/meets Jazz/meets funky Melburnians made me again homesick for late-night concerts at the Enmore and the Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney. It's funny how since being in London, most of the live acts I've caught have been Aussies - I just picked up some tickets to a tiny Bernard Fanning gig (of my old-flame Powderfinger fame) next month and I can't wait. At my last Powderfinger gig at the Sydney Ent Cent, Darren Middleton jumped off the stage and came and talked to me so maybe Bernard will also be feeling chatty?

The summer is holding up like a trooper and today was another beautiful day. Although I was a little hungover after Ben's massive housewarming last night, we ventured out and Paul and I came across a cute little trendy London spot - the Pottery Cafe. I'm predicting this great little shop - where you go and select a piece of pottery, paint it, and then leave it with them to fire and glaze for you - is the next big thing. We spent a relaxing three hours pottering (ha!) around in the cafe, letting our creative juices flow and painted a couple of mugs as a present for Paul's sister's wedding (don't worry, we'll get her something else too!). We've now left our works of art to be glazed and fired and can pick them up on Sunday (you can also do plates, cups, bowls, pots etc). It's like a grown-up version of the Plaster Fun House - brilliant! An excellent cure for my hangover.

The others had a somewhat more energetic day at the Fruitstock festival in Regent's Park - yet another example why London is a funky, interesting place to live. There's always something free going on - this one was live music, food and drinks stalls, markets, all the ingredients for a fab time. Throw in the sunshine and you've got a perfect London summer day out :)

I thought I should put up a nice photo to make up for my hideous drool-pic below! This is us on Saturday night - out for Bec's birthday. We went to a great pub called The Anchor on the Thames near London Bridge, sat outside and watched the sun go down, then up to the verandah until closing time - really nice! Bec's mum, bless her, had also made us all little 'party bags' filled with heaps of stuff she had brought from home – Caramello Koalas, Tiny Teddys, Violet Crumbles, Aussie tattoos. Needless to say we were all overwhelmingly happy – and I actually remember a twinge of homesickness when I bit into my first tiny teddy! It's always the little things hey! :)

In other news – apparently the godsend e-mail address that new arrivals to London have been using to e-mail for a National Insurance number appointment (to avoid waiting for hideous amounts of time on the phone) is NO LONGER IN OPERATION. My friend got this e-mail:

Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting the London National Insurance Number Call Centre.

As from Thursday 06th of July 2006 the London NINO call centre will no longer accept any further email NINO application forms. This is due to the London NINO booking service being centralised in a National NINO Call Centre in Grimsby.

Customers can only contact the Grimsby NINO Call Centre by telephone on 0845 6000 643 or textphone 0845 6000 644.

Regards
London NINO Call Centre

This is really disappointing, as that e-mail address was a little gem (as I have said here a milion times before - I sat hold for AGES). i guess now people will just have to make the time. Try and call this number as soon as you get a job in the UK, because otherwise you will be placed on emergency rate (for those without NI numbers) which can be up to 50% of your wage. A good thing to do is as soon as you get hired (even if you haven't started) ask for a letter of employment or confirmation from the person who hired you, so you can get the ball rolling.

Tonight am venturing to a corner of London I haven't really been to much before - Greenwich (well, been there once, and was very impressed, but haven't been back since!). It's where Sim's new abode is (near Cutty Sark) and she is cooking us a gourment meal tonight. Our housewarming will be soon too - got to find a day everyone can come - people are too busy with their summer plans, trips abroad, concerts, gigs etc - what a life!

Stansted Saturdays, Barbie Sundays and 'The Defender of the Universe'!!

Having a great weekend always comes back to bite you when you have to go back to work on Monday morning. Going to work this morning was horrible, but only cause I had a fab weekend! Friday night started out with a bang - we went to the Fest (a German bar) for our inaugural netball awards ceremony, which would have been a bit of a fizzer except that Paul hilariously bagged the player-vote for 'Defender of the Universe' and came home with a trophy! I've known this man for about three years and I have honestly never seen him so elated. Just look at that smile! Our last game is tomorrow - but the Putney Pirates will live on when we start our next comp next week (we just can't get enough of netty!).

Saturday was spent driving to and from Stansted which – although it was lovely as my friends from Germany, Katrin and Karl, were coming to visit – turned out to be the ultimate traffic nightmare. Everyone beware if you are booking flights to and from Stansted that it is NOT that close to London and since there are roadworks up until October, driving there is an absolute nightmare. It's annoying for us because although there is a perfectly good train going to Stansted from Liverpool St Station - that is the opposite side of London from where we live and often you are getting stupidly early flights! Anyways, that's enough of my rant - after we made it home (four hours later - no kidding!) we had a lovely arvo in Chelsea then went out in Southbank for Bec's birthday - more piccies to come later! Sunday was a lovely English sunny afternoon barbie in the park – I hope this summer never ends!

Also, to give you all a bit of a laugh - here is an incredibly unattractive pic of me sleep-drooling my way from Freiburg (Germany) to Basel (Switzerland) last week. This is what happens when my dad gets his hands on a digital camera (and when I have had a little too much radler the night before).

The new pad (what you've all been waiting for..)

So I won't lie - flat/house hunting in London can be a bit of a nightmare - but probably only if you're the fussiest person in the world like myself! But after the weeks of stress, and a week of crashing on friends couches (thanks Kate and Ben!) we are finally getting settled in to our new house - me, Paul, Shell and Ray. And it is gorgeous, and we love it! After a trip to Ikea we will have it suited and booted (the homewares shops in posh Putney are a little beyond our budget).

La nueva casa (the blurry living room):


Our bedroom - the view from outside:


The funky kitchen - complete with beautiful appliances:


isn't it lovely (you can't really see much I know!)

In other news, found this interesting/quirky (and award-winning!) blog on travelling on the London Underground. Something to while the hours away.... Going Underground

The heatwave continues, but Germany and Switzerland were calling

hi all...sorry for the lack in communication over the past couple of days. I´m still reeling in shock from the LONDON HEATWAVE! Yes the rising thermometer struck again and this week I was even sent home early TWICE from work as temperatures were too hot for the Poms to handle (how great if that rule was implemented in Australia!)Ice cream trucks, warnings to carry water and bikins in the park were once again abounding...and there was talk that one day was one of the hottest ever recorded in Britain (crayz talk! but yes, it was quite hot). It was only once or twice I found myself opening my mouth to complain (probably as the sweat was pooling on my chair in my unairconditioned office ..nice!) but then I remembered my Aussie roots, and what the winter felt like, and I promptly shut up.

The other exciting thing from this week is that I am now in Germany again! I came to meet up with my parents, my sister and our friends who live in Germany, for the weekend so it has been a bit of a reunion. It has been one of the best weekends I´ve probably ever had in Germany, cause the weather is gorgeous and it is the first time I have really experiences the scorching German sun. I am in Freiburg and since I have only ever been here in the Winter before, it has been great taking all the walks through the forest, visitng the Titisee and swimming in the lake, drinking radler in beer gardens...ahh. This country should be like this all year round! Last night was the opening of the annual Kirchzarten beer festival, which although small, was heaps of fun and today we made the short train trip to Basel, Switzerland for a day in the gorgeous city by the Rhein river.

I had also only ever been to Basel in the winter before, so it was great to see all the people swimming in the river and out sunbaking. You could buy this waterproof, inflatable bag for 15 euro and put all your stuff in it, then hop in the river and float down it a couple of kilometres, with your bag keeping you afloat! There were dozens of people doing it ..we might go back tomorrow. It beats digging a hole on the beach for your valuables and cunningly placing a towel over it like I did back home, then hoping the whole time that noone would nick off with your wallet while you´re swimming. Anyways Basel is a beautiful town, with so much culture and history. Definitely also better in the summer!

I´m flying back to London tomorrow night (another late night arrival at a regional London airport miles out of town!) and I get to go home to my beautiful new house! which I just realised I haven´t written anything about here yet. After much drama we have a new home and it is gorgeous (two bedrooms, garden, SPA bath and WINE CELLAR all five mins off the high street). I was a little worried thouzgh as Paul messaged me yesterday and said they had cordoned off the street as apparently someone had found an unexploded World War 2 BOMB in our front yard!?? (what the??!!!). While I was sitting here imagining our wonderful new house blown to smithereens, Paul messaged to say that a police and bomb squad visit later, it was deduced that the object in question was in fact an old weight for blinds. Oh dear....how hilarious though! All the exciting stuff happens when i´m not there....photos of the new pad to come soon.

What could be wrong with a beach bar in a parking lot?

I've finally discovered the awesome beach bar in Brick Lane - a sand and beach-chair oasis perfectly situated in a parking lot in the middle of London. After weeks of hearing about it (surely there couldn't really be sand and palm trees?) we made the short walk down Brick Lane after work and stumbled across this funky little summer drinking spot. I got myself a Pims with mint and cucumber, grabbed a beach chair, reclined in the sun on the sand, and I could have been on Freshwater Beach...well, kind of! It was a nice change from a jam-packed smokey, dark bar and perfect for a gorgeous summer evening. When I slipped my thongs off (aka Flip Flops! urgh - what a horrible phrase) and I stepped on to the sand and it dribbled through my toes, I even felt a wave of homesickness. It's always the littlest things you miss! Anyways, i'm sure you've realised that the photo here is the same bar - not sure what the car-wreck inspired decorating is all about, but it's still wonderful :)

This next photo is not related to anything in particular but I just thought it was so beautiful. It's a photo one of mate's sent from his recent trip to Ireland. Absolutely breathtaking. And it wasn't just this one - all the photos he sent were amazing. I haven't been dying to go to Ireland, but it's definitely on my list. Hopefully I will get there one day! Heaps of Aussies always end up there when their working visas run out - perhaps it is my destiny :)

"Britain's greatest mediaeval experience"

ok, it might have been a little cheesy but the folks are in town and on our country weekend we visited Warwick Castle in the Cotswolds - and I loved it! It is a huge historic castle (obviously) which was inhabited by the Earls of Warwick for centuries, and has seen more than a few royals passing it's gates. It is a breathtaking castle, with gorgeous grounds and quirky displays (such as a dungeon which still has the writings on the walls of people who were imprisoned there for years in the 16oos).

The best part is that the attraction is now owned by the Tussauds Group and the castle and it's displays are decorated by fabulous (if a little eerie) wax figures. The only problem is that there are also real people dressed up in the costumes of the time wandering around and at more than one occasion I would be peering at a 'statue' in a display only to have a slight heart attack when they smiled and winked at me. If you're down this way, I would definitely pay it a visit
(it's cheaper than Madame Tussauds, a great dose of good old tourist cheese!)

The 'heatwave' finally came.....and then went

I have been waiting and waiting for this thing they call the UK summer - and last week put on a fine show. Yes, it does actually go above 30 over here! While everyone else has been sweltering in the office and complaining about the heat - I am just so grateful to get a taste of home! When I moved here last year, I had effectively done three winters in a row (as I came to Europe for six weeks in the last Aussie summer) so I am just loving the heat and humidity so much I just can't stop smiling :)
How i have missed walking around barefoot in skirts and shorts and getting iceblocks (or 'iced lollies' as they are called here) for lunch cause it's too hot for anything else- now, if only I could find a Narrabeen-style beach somewhere....:)

Unfortunately, the temp has fallen today to a more normal 24 degrees, and will probably rain on the weekend (especially since my parents are arriving from Sydney to come and visit me then!). The ice-cream man has disappeared from outside our office building which I am more disappointed about. I live in hope that there is more of the summer to come! (it's so funny - every time it goes above 28, newspapers actually label it a 'heatwave' and warn everyone to carry bottles of water with them....no wonder all the Poms roast when they visit Bondi - there's no-one there to tell them they should be putting suncream on because it's actually quite hot...) Ahhhh, bless them. I do love the English tradition of sunbaking in bikinis and bare chests in parks, even when there is no pool/beach/any kind of water feature nearby. And of course, what is better than sitting in a beergarden of a pub by the Thames, drinking chilled jugs of Pimms with mint, cucumber and strawberries marinated in it!

The World Cup is coming to a close and I am declaring my allegiance to France (nothing to do with the fact that Thierry Henry is gorgeous of course). I just think that if Italy win, it would be too much of a slap in the Socceroos' face. When Grosso (the perpertrator of THAT last minute dive) scored for Italy against Germany the other night, I think every Aussie thought that we should have been there instead of them! Oh well - we will wait and see.

I've finally loaded some more photos from our trip to France (another reason why I am supporting them on Sunday - we had such a fab time on our holiday and I feel I owe it to them!). Check out my France photos here

The dream is over but Oui Paree!
Three days later and still no-one is any closer to accepting that we got booted out of the World Cup because of a dodgy penalty! Oh well - we fought gallantly and I for one am very proud of our Aussie boys and I'm sure football has got it's healthiest dose ever of coverage back in Oz. It was still fantastic to watch them play and it gave all us expat Aussies a chance to proudly display our green and gold and drape flags over our living rooms. So thank you Socceroos! What a ride :)

I was in Paris for the weekend which was absolutely divine (and we managed to catch the game in Cafe Oz - an, obviously, Australian bar in the centre of Paris, just off Rue de Rivoli, complete with a crocodile eating a surfboard mounted on the wall - classy!). At first we didn't know how to find the Aussie bar, but while vaguely walking around we stumbled into an army dressed in green and gold, waving Australian flags and one guys wearing a Canberra Raiders jersey, probably having just stepped off a Contiki tour bus - and we were sorted.

But the weekend did not just revolve around the game. I went to Paris in the first place to catch up with my wonderful friend Kimberley (see pic from the game) and her boyfriend Stu who I have not seen since I left home. I caught them on the end of their whirlwind World Cup extravaganza through Germany - and they came complete with crazy stories and unforgettable memories from the land of beer and sausages (i wish I quit my job and went there for the entire month! - am going to be jealous about all these tales from all my friends who made the trip for months to come - at least I was there for a little while).

Anyways, it was lovely to see some faces from home and made me realise how much I truly do miss everyone. Good to see though that love from afar works just as well and no matter how far I am away, or for how long, there are people I will always love dearly and who will always return the friendship (regardless of how little I e-mail or how often I blab on about my UK/Europe adventures). Awwwwwww!

Here are a couple more of my favourite Paris pics...
In front of the Eiffel:

Getting an eyeful (haha!):

Paris by night:

And no visit to Paris is complete without a decadent visit to my heaven, Angelina's - the home of undeniably the best hot chocolate in the world and groan-inducing tarte aux fraises (below) and their famous mont-blanc cakes.


more pics later (and eventually when I load my photos from Burgundy and Germany - they're coming!)

And all came good in the end...

Well! What a day, what a fabulous day.... Not only did our 'Roos storm home to bag a place in the final 16 of the World Cup for the first time ever! (statistic check anyone?) BUT, we also found somewhere to live! But more on that later.

As my brother said to me last night, as we were crammed shoulder to shoulder in our pub of choice, watching our boys claim an exhilarating victory: "I have never felt so Australian than right now!" Like I've said in these pages before, sometime true patriotism is born when you are away from your homeland, and missing the sun and surf - chuck in a successful sporting match, and you'll be crying 'Waltzing Matilda!'. Having said that, from all the text messages I got, it sounded like Sydney was having it's fair share of patriotism! Although we had a fantastic night, I was jealous of the guys who were actually at the game, which sounded like the craziest thing ever (and even landed Simone on page four of The Times with her blow up kangaroo). A once in a lifetime experience without a doubt. But I have to say, it's a joy to be in London for the World Cup too - everyone is in festival mood (the photo is the moment we won). And the Aussies in our office have got all the Poms cheering along the Aussies which is an awesome effort (although I'm a little worried what might happen if by some freakish occurence we have to play England - I think my job, not to mention my relationship, would be on the line!)

Anyways, must dash as I am off to Paris for a three day weekend - yes the adventure never stops. 50 quid return! Is this not heaven I ask you?!

Finding our dream home - a (so far) elusive ambition

It's somewhat difficult finding an amazing 'dream' place to live when you already reside in a huge, friendly, riverside apartment. When we moved in, in October last year, we thought nothing of the fact that the owner 'might come back on the summer next year' - I didn't even know if I would still be in the country! But now the time has come, and with no view to be going home anytime soon, we have found ourselves being turfed out of our lovely flat (damn the relaxed nature of our non-existent lease agreement!) and consequently will be homeless next Saturday. Although it is only technically a period of two months which we need to be out of our flat for, the thought of moving all our belongings twice and finding somewhere to live in the meantime, gave us the heeby-jeebys and we decided that our riverside days, as beautiful and lovely as they have been, must come to an end. It's time to move on to new things!

Enter a month of agonising over flats/houses which were too small, miles away from anywhere, too old and too scabby, too expensive, too cheap (yes, there is such a thing), not available, downright ugly and just not right. We've also learnt that while an agent can be your best friend when they have an "amazing, just right for you" house they are also there to slam you with fees for everything under the sun which will set you back at least £300. They can also tend to be a little creative with "oh yes, it's just MINUTES away from the tube station" and you don't find until you get there that they actually meant TWENTY minutes. Finding houses off free websites like Gumtree.com through people like us means you get no fees, but likely it happens that you don't get a formal lease agreement (which I might need later on for visa purposes) and things can happen like just happened to us - where you get turfed out because you technically have no legal contract! It worked fantastically for us for a year, but I think we need something a bit more concrete now.

Anyways, we are looking at three more places tonight and it's crunch time. I'm going to pick one of these if it kills me!

The agony of house hunting has somewhat overshadowed the fact that it is the bug AUSTRALIA VS CROATIA game today. I came to work decked out in green and gold, complete with Aussie lanyard and whistle so I'm all set. Not getting my hopes too high, but the Aussie spirit is all about daring to dream right?

Five countries in one day

The cute (crazy?) little French lady we befriended (or who befriended us) in Ray-sur-Saone, in Burgundy, France:


And the Bergkirchweih in Germany - the second largest beer festival in Germany after Oktoberfest, held in the friendly town or Erlangen outside Nuremberg. Very wild, and lots of fun (just hold on to your stein for dear life):


And me in sunny Brugge, Belgium (pigtail plaits inspired by drive through Holland a couple of hours earlier):


This was during our 'five countries in one day' drive - a mammoth journey from Cologne, Germany through Holland, then to Belgium, then to France, to get a ferry back to England. Phew! Surprisingly enjoyable though - the boys were especially impressed by the quality of the loos in Dutch service stations (although outraged that they cost 30 cents to use). Better than the roadside diners between Sydney and Wagga!

Every time I've thought about what to write about in the last week or so I get a bit overwhelmed cause there's too much to tell and I don't know where to start!

London and Europe in general are currently going mad for the World Cup, and the atmosphere everywhere is brilliant. Combine that with the gorgeous sunshine and long, hot days and everyone is in a great mood. Of course yesterday we has the Australia vs Brazil game. We were so proud of our boys, and it's only made it better for the Croatia showdown on Thursday night. Tomorrow night is England Vs Sweden so everyone is going slightly mental.

Had a fabulous summery weekend! Summertime brings heaps of music festivals to Hyde Park, and although you can pay for the privilege to hear the tunes, you can also do as we did, and take a picnic (and lots of beer) and sit outside the boundaries of the festival where you can still hear everything and see the big screen. We saw the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stoneage for free - no complaints there.

Also, as promised, here are some photos from our amazing trip. This is me driving our boat through sunny France:


We took a seven day cruise through Burgundy, on a four bedroom boat with two bathrooms and two toilets, 'saloon kitchen' and dining room table, deck and umbrella. This is one of the many picturesque villages we drove through:

And a little French lady we befriended in a gorgeous riverside village called Ray-sur-Saone. She invited us in to see her cats (there were 40, kinda gross) and for sandwiches and showed us her ancient barn where her grandparents first lived when they were married over 100 years ago. She invited us to walk through the tunnel that apparently went from her basement up to the castle and even though she was a cute little old lady, we got a creepy 'Hansel and Gretel' moment and made our hasty-but-not-too-obvious departures:

(something's wrong with my computer so i can't post it now, so stay tuned for pic of the cute little ancient French lady!)

Will post the link once I've loaded the rest of my piccies.

Lordy, you don't update your blog for more than a week and look what happens! Not only the most amazing and best holiday ever but GO AUSSIE! Far from disgracing ourselves on a national stage our green and gold socceroos have sparked the nation-wide hope that maybe we can add another sport to one of those things we are good at, with a cracker win over Japan in our first World Cup match in over 30 years....nicely done boys, we are all so proud! (don't ask us how we feel after Sunday's Brazil showdown, just let us savour the moment).

I watched the game sat next to an incredibly fat but friendly French man in the port town of Dunkerque in France, about to catch a ferry back to Dover after the most amazing trip through the gorgeous countryside and canals of France, through to the colour and craziness of World Cup Germany (and the mad Berg beer festival), to beautiful Brugge in Belgium - then we were back to sunny (yes, sunny!) London. It was ten days of pure bliss and a perfect holiday mix of pure relaxation, great friends, crazy nights out and unforgettable memories. I have so many stories and photos, but you'll all have to wait at least a day or so, as I'm completely exhausted and don't even know where to begin. But I will be imparting all the details so stay tuned.

In the meantime I'm cheating a little bit and re-using some photos from my last trip to Germany in the spirit of the World Cup theme (the weather has got a lot nicer since then!). These were taken when we got our private tour around the Nuremburg stadium thanks to Steffi (who was "on the inside"). This will not be the scene of any Aussie glories but it was still great to see. It will be the site for England Vs Sweden on Thursday which should be interesting (normally I wouldn't really care but we get to knock off work half an hour early).

The good looking spectators at the stadium:


Before the mayhem sets in:

Thought I'd give you all a dose of London, since I'm off to France tomorrow and my upcoming posts will probably be filled with tales of lounging on our meandering canal boat, drinking fine red wine and gorging on cheese...ahhhh!

Anyway here is an 'arty' photo my sister took while in London a couple of weeks ago which i think is quite cool



And Ben, Rhiannon and I in front of the Eye


The view from the Eye down to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament


And the girls and me on the Eye!


As you can see, it was quite a cloudy day when we went up (it was a few weeks ago), but I would still recommend it. Try and find one of the discount stands around the city and you can get tickets for around £12 or book online at the website and you get a 10% discount (so tickets will be around £11)

While we're on the subject of London - I never wrote again about the play I saw the other day. If you want to see a show in London you MUST see The Woman in Black. It was absolutely brilliant, fantastic acting (only two actors playing various characters) and really, really scary! I never thought I could be scared of theatre, but at one point I actually (quite embarrasingly) screamed and almost spilt my red wine everywhere (out of the classy plastic cup I got it in!). We got tickets from Last Minute and they were only a tenner (or you can pay up around £20 for dinner included). The theatre is right near Covent Garden too so excellenty placed to continue the evening of entertainment after - bargain!

Anyways, we are leaving before the crack of dawn tomorrow as we are driving to Dover (i'm excited about the white cliffs!) then getting a ferry to Dunkerque in France, then driving to Burgundy. Am so excited. Will write more later - perhaps from a quaint little French village :)
Au revoir!

Back by popular demand
Apparently the e-mail address you use to make your National Insurance Number appointment is difficult to find on the Internet, and heaps of people are searching for it. So here it is again: london.ninocallcentre@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk. E-mailing this address to make your appointment to get your NI number will save you sitting on hold for 40 minutes like I did.

54, 74, 90, 2006....werden wir Weltmeister sein!

I just got back from a four day jaunt in Germany which has, officially, gone World Cup crazy. Although it was a traitor to my Aussie roots - when you've had a couple of Steins (and some awesome sausages) and are getting in to the German spirit we couldn't help but singalong to this impossibly catchy tune: "54,74,90,2006...we'll become World Champions" - it's the quasi-official chant of the German masses and says all the years Germany has won the World Cup. And just like some of the German pop we know and love, it is incredibly cheesy but very addictive! (better than the English World Cup song! Does Australia have an equally cheesy song? This whole theme song for sporting events thing is unfamiliar to me!)

But rest assured, when the real time comes I will be Green and Gold all over (although all the Germans seem to find it highly amusing that we are in the same group as Brazil - poor little Aussies!). Anyways, Germany was lovely and I caught up with Katrin and my little sister who is living in Tuebingen (near Stuttgart). We went to Nuremburg and got a private tour of the stadium thanks to Katrin's inside contacts and spend the rest of the weekend drinking beer, practising our amateur German skills and eating sausages! After France (where I am going on Saturday) we hope to go back to Germany for a couple of days to experience the "Berg" - the lesser known, but just as fabulous, German beer festival in Erlangen. Although the festival attracts more than a million visitors, and is the second-largest beer festival in Germany after Oktoberfest, hardly any international visitors go there Well I will be representing the Aussie contingent this year!

A couple of pics from Nuremberg:

The adorable German marketplaces I love

Paul in the Schlossgarten (when I was here last year it was minus five and it was covered in snow! this was a little more pleasant)

Paul and his ladies: out and about in Erlangen

Now I am back at work but all is ok because in five days we are off to France for a week cruising the canals of Bordeaux on our own private vessel...the weather is looking brilliant and I can't wait.

BUT, we musn't forget London. Although I have been a little grumpy with London of late (due to the lack of sunshine) we can not bite the hand that feeds us with all it's big-city urban brilliance. A Kiwi guy has been making some poignant observations about his first few weeks in London which are quite amusing - especially the tendency of London men to wear pink (it's true, they're everywhere) and the chocolate (I haven't met one traveller yet who hasn't commented on the fact that the chocolate tastes different here - but most say it's better!). Check out his site here.

Must get back to work - have a lot to do and France is calling!

Hi all!

Sorry it's been a while between tricks - had a stressful week trying to find someone to live but that is another story. Let's just say we are not completely loving the joys of hunting for the new dream home!

Anyways, i'm currently at the airport (it's 5am or some stupid time) and I am off to Germany for four days! woohooo - had to get on the Net because typically I forgot to check any flight details and ended up taking a guess at what airport we were flying from and now had to quickly check our booking number! oh well - it just wouldn't be me if something didn't go wrong!

Will write more updates later - we are off to Nuremberg for some stein-soaked fun. Have a great long weekend everyone!

Footy finals and freak shows

The world stopped turning for Arsenal and Barcelona fans on Wednesday night as the Champions League final ran it's course. I know i have said it before, but this country goes mad for football, and at the end of this game, I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere. Being the unfortunate girlfriend of a die-hard Arsenal supporter, I had to cope with a very sullen and depressed boy after his team suffered a heart-breaking defeat. One man down and they were ahead in the 75th minute, until Barcelona scored two more goals and took the game. Although I was interested in nothing more than watching Thierry Henry (the incredibly cute French captain) - even I was a little disappointed (especially since that Ronaldinho guy is so hideously ugly). Apparently beauty just isn't enough :)

The other thing that will no doubt be consuming the hearts and minds of the UK over the next few months is....disgustingly..the new Big Brother, series 7. It started last night and oh.my.god...what a freak show. The latest loser mix includes a hyper Tourettes sufferer, a gay Pakistani Muslim who has never left Glasgow, a hideous plastic surgery bimbo, a homophobic public school boy, a muscled 'sexual terrorist' and a sexist mummy's boy, amongst other weirdos, just makes me want to poke my eyes out. Or as my favourite low culture website put it, it's all enough to make one want to share a romantic bath with a toaster. I don't know where they find these people.

In other, more brilliant, news: it's Friday! I have a glorious weekend of house-hunting and poker planned (as pay day is not until next week). We are also going to the theatre to absorb some culture tonight so stay tuned for an amateur review of the Woman in Black. Apparently it is terrifying, I can't wait!

The debut of the Putney Pirates

OK, so the name isn't brilliant, but our very own mixed netball team made up of antipodeans and a token Englishman, made it's debut in a burst of fanfare of Shepherd's Bush last night. The fact that no-one really knew the rules and we hadn't done any exercise in months didn't put a dampener on the 40 minutes of hilarity (nor did the fact that we actually lost in the end). Seeing Paul sail daintily through the air as GK to intercept an incoming pass and then give the umpire the filthiest look ever when he then steps straight off court is a priceless sight.

Social sports in London is a massive culture, fuelled mostly by the thousands of antipodeans who come to the capital and are eager to lose their Heathrow Injection bulge or get some of the AFL/touch footy or netball fix they have been missing from home (probably also keen to take advantage of the discount drinks after the game or the end-of-season Contiki trips to Europe). There are competitions literally everywhere, but heaps are based in the south west. We are playing with Social Sports who also organise footy comps and same-sex comps. We made our own team but you can also register on your own and you will get placed with a team who needs an extra player.

So we played hard, fought hard and some, like Shell, fell pretty hard too - but we had fun and made some friends - which just makes you feel all gooey inside! :) Stay tuned for more news from the hapless Pirates....

Long awaited Croatia photos..

Here are some of my photos from my holiday to Pula, Croatia and Trieste, Italy - two of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. There's not many (and none from Italy, sorry) but you get the idea - lots of crystal clear beaches and sunsets to die for. And my personal favourite, me enjoying a cocktail by the Mediteranean (you can see my lethal sunburn peeking out from my white shirt).

World Cup news: After many sleepless nights by the laptop Shell, Ray and Sim have scored tickets to Australia Vs Brazil. C'mon Aussie! For other travellers coming to the Cup, I have read about this Weltmeister Pass you might be able to get cheaper train travel with as flights are all now obscenely expensive (although I'm thinking if you haven't organised travel by now you're in a bit of trouble!) London is going World Cup mad - they even have multiple theme songs for the England team which they play on the radio (?). I've also never seen so much tacky merchandise in my life... I actually saw an edible England g-string made entirely from lollies - obviously a must for any die-hard England fan.

Saturday and the sun is gone

It's the damn weekend sun-curse! Boiling throughout the week and now Saturday is grey :( No matter though - at least it's still warm - I can definitely cope.

My little sister and her friend Rhiannon arrived in London yesterday, and we took them out for a drink and a curry on Brick Lane (managing to bargain the restaurant touters down to 20% off and two free bottles of wine - you have to be fierce, but I do get the feeling that they were giving everyone the same deal?). Brick Lane is a London hub - and although it seems dodgy at first, you'll find the coolest collection of curry houses, funky bars, retro shops and an ultra-trendy crowd all in close vicinity. I've also seen Pete Doherty wandering around there in a drug-induced haze, a feast for my celebrity-spotting eyes.

Anyways, it is the day of the FA Cup final which means everyone in London is going a bit mental and I'm off to meet the girls in Leicester Square and then find somewhere neutral to watch the game. I still haven't done my photos but have given you another taster - this is what Sim and I adopted as our watering hole:

and the view from just near our hotel out over the ocean..

Summer is here..

Well I never thought it would happen but the days are getting lovely and warm, and today was a deadset scorcher mate! Actually it was probably low 20s but when you've been living in the UK, you get excited when it gets above 15. Everyone is out and about, and in a fantastic mood. The park near my work was crammed with people with their pants rolled up, shirts off (seriously!), soaking up every ounce of sunshine possible. There was even an ice-cream truck - so funny!

I haven't had a chance to download my photos from Croatia - but here is a taster. This is a beautiful sunset we watched while sitting in a lounge bar, draped over white day beds, sipping cosmopolitans - ahhhh, bliss. I'd definitely love to go there again - it's so gorgeous. Next time I will venture further south to Split and Dubrovnik.

I will post some more of my pics later - I've also got to tell about our exciting trip on the London Eye. I'm rediscovering the tourist within.

You wanna some company??

just another quick update..I am in Italy now! I have been in three countries today...from Croatia to Slovenia to Italy, by bus (very cheap and easy). We are now in Trieste which is a gorgeous coastal town in Italy, and we are staying here for one night before flying back to London tomorrow (god bless Ryan Air). Although there is not enough to keep you occupied for more than a few days here, the shopping is great (Sim has already acquired her first pair of Italian shoes) and there are some beautiful buildings and great views...not to mention the wonderful cafes you can sit in for hours (or the Italian stallions who sidle up way too close beside you and ask "you wanna some company"?). I'm already missing Croatia and cant wait to go back..we only managed to stay in the north and see a few towns in the area called Istria.

I'll write more about that later though..I'm currently scamming free Internet from our hotel (I would thoroughly recommend it..really nice, friendly and only 75 euro for a double bed per night...yes Simone and I are getting very friendly! It's called Hotel Alabarda)

There are a few funny stories from Croatia, not least the day we planned to visit this beach bar everyone was raving about, so we made the two bus trips and half an hour walk in the blistering sun after getting dropped off literally in the middle of nowhere only to walk to the end of the dirt road where this 'amazing bar' was supposed to be, only to find a few guys working on a construction site. Simone was about to turn around and go back home (having seen too many movies, and Wolf Creek most recently, she was convinced we were going to get raped and murdered if we spoke to anyone strange)..but I was cranky at having come all this way for nothing and wanted something to drink so I went and asked them if they spoke English. Turns out they were Poms, were in fact BUILDING this bar we had heard so much about (apparently it was open briefly last summer) and that it wasn't even going to open for another three weeks. Obviously we felt like the biggest idiots ever (being two blonde Aussies, just having trekked 40 minutes in scorching sun in search of a bar..oh dear..and yet how typical..:) But the three guys and a girl were obviously excited about their first customers for 2006 and were very accommodating and eally nice...We got the deluxe treatment, complete with a (brief) grand tour of the construction site, beers, deck chairs and portable stereo..it felt just like home.. ;) The place looks set to be awesome in the summer...its called Bura Beach and can be found in Liznjan, just outside Pula, so anyone heading around that area make sure you go visit, and tell them Pru and Simone say hi!

I think i'm really taking advantage of this free internet now...better go. More stories and beautiful photos to follow...

hello everyone out there

just a quick update...Im currently out of blogging action as I am in Croatia! Simone and I, both as blonde and silly as each other, are taking Pula by storm.....

will write more when I get back to London, lots of tales to tell (I am also now the most sunburnt person ever ..got a little too excited about the sun!!)

luv Pru xxxx

ANZAC Day, a new arrival and going crazy in the Koko

I haven't written a while - apologies to my fans :) Been very busy, and we have a new arrival! A lovely bubbly addition to our happy Aussie expat crew in London - Simone brought some Anzac spirit when her and her Cherry Ripe- and Vegemite-laden luggage landed at Heathrow on Tuesday. Although I never did end up making the ANZAC biscuits I intended to, we had a lovely little reunion since I haven't seen her in nine months, and she is now settling into London life (well, as much as you can in three days). Of course we wasted no time showing her the sights, and set out to the 'kingdom of cool' Camden on Thursday night for my first unforgettable visit to the Camden Koko - the BEST venue I have ever been to. I never thought anything could surpass my beloved Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Sydney, but this place (where a little gal called Madonna made her debut, and where the likes of the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Prince, Boy George and Wham have performed) was amazing. We saw Wolfmother - the latest big thing to come out of Sydney - and they were brilliant. The place was packed with Aussies so it was a nice taste of home.
I realised I haven't updated lately with news on the job searches of our two other favourite working travellers, Shell and Ray. I've told about Ray's great celebrity personal training job (going by three degrees of separation, I'm now best friends with Julia Roberts) but Shell will soon be starting her new job as Editor on a new kids magazine. Simone will soon be looking for a job in print or television so stay tuned for more job-hunting success stories.

In the meantime - today I booked £50 flights to Paris and £70 filghts to Germany for some weekend getaways - this is all before my much-anticipated trip to Croatia on Tuesday! love it, love it, love it...

Why is it that five days at work seems like an eternity but tempt us with a little time off and it will fly by in a second. Going back to work today was not fun, but I've only got a couple of days left in the office so I suppose I can survive. The UK also seems to have a billion public holidays coming up, so I think it works out that I don't have a full week at work for six months (ok, maybe not six months, but it's still a while).

OK, am conscious of the fact I am rambling...

What's been happening in London recently..well, there was Easter. I did notice that the UK went nowhere near as mad for Easter as Australia does. There were no Coles/Woolworths style Easter specials or bad TV ads with the Easter bunny, no shutdown of every single public service on Good Friday... Maybe I was just walking around in a haze, but I kind of forgot what the whole weekend was for (slap my little Catholic wrist).

I also experienced my first football match (i say it smoothly now, hardly even tempted to say soccer which freaks me out a bit). It was ok, but I have to say, I could take it or leave it. I think I'm just overdosed with football - this whole country is - and I especially suffer living with two English blokes who live, breathe and would die for the game (as we speak Paul is screaming at some yellow team playing on the TV). Anyways, I was at the football game and since I was still pretty ill and all rugged up in Paul's coat since it was cold and rainy (gotta love Spring) I was caught having a bit of a doze in the middle of the match by a horrified Michelle. Don't ask me how I managed it, but I guess I just wasn't that in to the game. In my defense, I was sick! I was sick ok!

Commemorations: The Anzac and Freedom Day spirit in London
Next week there are a couple of important days for Australians, Kiwis and South African travellers in the UK when we will be remembering where we come all come from. Wednesday 25 April is ANZAC Day and 27 April is South Africa Freedom Day. ANZAC day is the rememberance day for Australian and New Zealand servicemen, and Freedom Day is the commemoration of the first democratic elections held in South Africa on 27 April 1994.

Both days will be celebrated and respected whole heartedly by the UK's backpacking/working traveller population. Here's some info about events going on for ANZAC Day and for South Africa travellers in the UK, try this South African newspaper for events celebrating Freedom Day.

Going to the theatre, dahling

Of course 0ne of the best things about London is all the shows and musicals you can go to see - it really is amazing how many theatres there are all over town. On Thursday night we went to see The Producers for Ben's birthday and it was great! I didn't really know what to expect as I hadn't seen the film, didn't know the story, and the only thing I'd ever heard about it was when my Nan went to see the show in Sydney and was upset because she got an understudy instead of Bert Newton (ripped off!).

Anyways, we picked up a cheap deal on Last Minute.com and got a lovely dinner and theatre package for under 20 quid! Perfect for travellers who want to see the big shows but don't have a lot of cash. Although the seats weren't brilliant (so high up in the balcony you'd be in big trouble if you had a stumble) - for some shows I think that's fine. The show is so entertaining, you barely notice that you're quite far away!

So we kicked off the Easter long weekend with a bang. For all you that have put two and two together and noticed that I took the day off work then went out at night, yes i did, but i was coughing and spluttering throughout the whole performances (having to wait until the grand finale of each song to let loose). I'm still a bit ill, but it's criminal to waste public holidays.

Today we're off to see our first premier league football match: Fulham Vs Charlton (or something like that). I'm currently upset as I just found out that (gasp!) you're not allowed to drink beer while you watch the game! Damn British hooligans! I had warm cheery thoughts about getting a pie and sauce, some chips and a beer, and watching the footy a la my AFL days in Sydney, but I just don't think it's going to happen. So I'll have to wait and see exactly what the British football experience involves (maybe I'll have to start a riot at my local pub.....)

Happy Easter everyone - hoping you all the enjoy the spirit and copious confectionery products the Easter weekend brings..

So here I am in sunny Plovdiv

I forgot to mention the other day that the funniest thing about Bulgaria is that when you nod your head it means no and when you shake your head it means yes. Since I only found this out on the last day you can imagine the confusion I caused while trying to communicate with all the Bulgarian students at the fair who couldn't speak English. Together with my size, shape, accent and pale skin and blonde hair, I think all the Bulgarians thought I was a little bit strange.

I also think I was the first Australian a lot of the students had ever spoken to. I was plugging Australian universities (as well as UK and US) so UTS might soon get an influx of Bulgarian students!

So anyways, this photo is me in the park in the centre of town. And here are the rest of my photos

I'm actually at home today cause I'm a little bit ill - am currently soaking up the intellectual capital spewed forth by UK daytime TV. It's quite dangerous really - I've just spent the last half hour mesmerised by 'Models' - a show solely showing clips of models on Fashion TV - how depressing. Now I'm being delighted by a 'Nancy Drew' series on the Disney Channel - hmmmm.

More Antipodeans:
Found this blog linking to mine - a Kiwi Adventurer planning his OE . It's got some stuff for people planning their upcoming overseas trips. He also links to some other traveller sites all you people back in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada etc might like to check out for inspiration.

Got a question about moving to the UK?
Visit the Workgateways forum, and one of the expert team (or me!) will do their best to help you out.

Back from Bulgaria

What could be better - coming to live in London as a lowly working traveller, and finding a job where they pay you to travel and put you up in a five star hotel. I'm living the working traveller dream! I just got back from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which although wasn't my first choice travel destination, definitely has given me five days which I will never forget! (and completely charged to the company I work for.....I get a little twinge of glee every time I think about it :)

I arrived in Bulgaria on Thursday - a little disgruntled at the appearance of Sofia, the biggest town in Bulgaria. Although snow-capped mountains provide a stunning backdrop to the town, at first glance everything looks, well, shabby. We got on a bus where I promptly fell asleep and missed all the scenery on the way to Plovdiv, the second biggest city in Bulgaria (apparently a couple of million people) and my home for the next four days. We were put up at the Novotel in Plovdiv - five stars, and absolute bliss (so not really a backpackers experience I suppose!). We were sharing a floor with the Cypriot David Cup tennis team - and the cute guy with the hair who played in the Australian Open final this year against Federer. Check out some of the photos of the hotel - it was so nice! (I should be focusing on the town here, but I still can't get over how nice this hotel was...)
Anyways, we were there to work (unfortunately) at a student recruitment fair, but I still got to see a lot of the city. Although most of the city is quite desolate, crowded and poor, the middle of the city is really nice and there is an Old Town which is apparently about six and a half thousand years old with an old Roman ampitheatre and ancient ruins. The weather was beautiful and warm for most of the time, which was a nice change from London's grey skies. I'm no great travel writer - so i found this article about Sofia and Plovdiv from a writer who will say it all better than me!: "How I lost my heart to Sofia"

I wish i had longer to explore the hidden, secret passages around town but we really only had time to graze the surface. We had a few great nights out with some crazy Bulgarian dancers and at a tourist restaurant where they supply you with free packets of cigarettes all night (?), and I had a blast meeting people from all over the world who were also at the education fair. It was really my first Eastern European experience and I really would like to explore more of that part of the world (although, I don't think I'll be able to do it in five-star style again - damn!)I also realised when I was away, that for the first time I was referring to London as 'home'. Not to say I've forgotten my Aussie roots, but it's nice when you start to feel like you actually belong somewhere again rather than in some kind of weird traveller limbo.

Stay tuned for Plovdiv photos....

Oh, and if you ever come across it, stay away from Bulgarian wine at ALL costs!

Pru xxxx

you,re probably all wondering where i am! Just a short note because Im in the worlds dodgiest Internet cafe in Plovdiv and dont have much time! Where? you ask! Plovdiv is in Bulgaria and I came here for work for a few days...lots of stories to tell but it will have to be later! Have had such a bizarre weekend!

Updates to come soon, promise!

Boat race bonanza in Putney

Boat race, what boat race? We were too busy enjoying our prime position on our balcony, indulging in sangria and homemade pizzas to notice there was a boat race going on outside!OK, so maybe the THOUSANDS of people outside our flat hinted that something was going on... I'm sure at some stage of the afternoon we stopped to watch some posh boys from Cambridge and Oxford battle it out on the river.

This is the view from my balcony and as she you can see, it was a lovely sunny day! OK, so maybe after this shot was taken it started to pour down, but in true London style (sunny, then runny, back to sunny) it poured down with rain and we had a good laugh at all the people below (maybe a little bit guiltily).

We were going for Cambridge because they had an Aussie rowing with them, but sadly, they didn't make it (although there were no Sally Bowman-style give ups). Oxford won by a mile- no-one ever wins when I go for them! Putney was heaving, and I was so glad we could recline on our couch while everyone else battled to get back home. Unfortunately I was also sufferring the after-effects of Shelley's Special Sangria (apparently made with the cheapest nastiest sherry ever) and had to retire to the couch with an awful splitting headache.

So obviously the Boat race was a success and is a massive London (in fact, English, British even) tradition - and coming to London has meant that i could watch it all happening from the comfort of my own home; pretty cool hey?