Plans, plans and more plans

With the Summer getting closer and the weather getting warmer, it has come time to start planning my summer holidays, my favourite part of living in London! With a lot to top from last year's travels (Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Germany - three times, France - three times, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Morocco) I've got to start planning! The whole month back in Australia obviously took the toll on my finances but I've been (kind of) good and can start planning more ways of spending my money! Next weekend we are off to Newcastle again for a friend's birthday and the weekend after that I am FINALLY going to Edinburgh for a weekend. I'm quite excited about this as I have been wanting to go to Scotland for ages. Flights were pretty cheap (£80 each return)and at convenient times, and I've found what looks like and hopefully is.. a cute B&B in the centre of the Old Town of Edinburgh. Accommodation also quite cheap: £68 per night for double room with ensuite in a "mid-range" centrally located B&B. Excepting Australia, this will be my first trip out of England since skiing Switzerland in January so I'm itching to go somewhere new.

Other trips so far planned is the annual trip back to Erlangen, Germany for the Bergkirchweih - sure to be a huge three days AND, the most exciting, two weeks in the US in August! Not sure if the US is quite ready for me, but nevertheless we are heading to San Francisco, LA, Vegas and Austin, Texas for two weeks and I can't wait. The Californian wineries are not going to know what has hit them! And Shell is clueing me up on the celebrity mansions I have to stake out in LA. Hopefully I make it back in one piece - I'll probably get arrested trying to tail Jennifer Aniston. More updates about our itinerary to come as they are actually planned (all we have done so far is book flights!)

Happy ANZAC Day

Today it's ANZAC day, and if ever there's a day I'm going to be homesick, it's today. And then I see images like this one - which get me all choked up and wishing I was standing in front of the Town Hall with the rest of my family waiting for my Nan to march past (and laugh with surprise when she sees us all waving frantically even though she knew we were there all along). My mum will without fail be holding back the tears and afterwards we would all go to a packed pub (usually packed with a bunch of young sailors, ahem) and have a beer or play some 2-up. So I guess that not only is it an extremely important day for all Australians and New Zealanders, but for my family too. I wonder what happened this year - as I have read that it was pouring. So I hope my Nan was ok! She probably just brought out her trademark brolly and red shoes :)

i didn't make it to Gallipoli this year. I intend to go there one day - but maybe not actually on ANZAC Day itself.A lot of travellers did make it over there today though. I hope they don't get all the news stories back home about how they desecrated the place - some idiots unfortunately just use it as an excuse to go somewhere, be loud and obnoxious and get drunk.

The Aussie pubs in London will be packed tonight. Our compensation for not getting the day off.

More London BBQs and the post-weekend detox

All this sunshine in London must have gone to my head, as I'm still feeling a little dizzy from the weekend. My quiet, 'i'll-be-home-by-nine' drink on Friday night with Shannon in Clapham turned into a bar-hopping mojito-fest which saw the pair of us (plus Shannon's cousin) stumbling into a Brixton Club at about 2am on Saturday morning and emerging some time after they turned all the ugly-lights on.

I was then forced to endure the embarrassment of being the only ill housemate on Saturday morning (well, I didn't really surface until about 1pm, even then it was very reluctantly). BUT, full credit to them, Paul and my housemates didn't let the fact that I was looking about as charming and healthy as a toad detract them from their mission, which was to bring me along to the picnic they were having in the park. More food and booze followed (and boules!) which was actually lovely and distracted me from the little gnome pounding my head with a hammer. I thought Aussies had really got the whole picnic in the the park thing down pat, but I have to say the English would definitely give us a run for our money. In the UK they don't have the luxury of built-in BBQs in parks like we do back home, so they just bring their Webber along with them to the park, whip off their shirts, set up the inflatable pool/cricket pitch/boules pitch and voila - a perfect picnic!

A few glasses of sparkling wine (topped up with juice for me - i did make some concessions to my hangover) and we all headed back home for another BBQ. I could definitely get used to the endless BBQs! (especially since the boys do it all - woohoo!).

Sunday we all went for a walk and discovered a great beer garden in Barnes at a gorgeous pub called The Red Lion. More lounging in the sun and Pimms followed.... you can see why I was a little bit shaky on Monday.

Sunshine and shopping

The weather is gorgeous! BBQ round two will definitely be occurring this weekend - combined with a boules tournament in the park I think! I am temping this week which has been great. I got a short contract working on some different magazines so it has been a nice change of scenery for me. Only bad thing is I am working near Oxford Circus in dangerously close proximity to Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Warehouse and many other shopping havens (ie deathtraps for paupers like me.) I haven't reduced myself to heading to the gargantuan new Primark on Oxford Street yet - the riot scenes when it opened (I'm not kidding) were enough to put me off for at least a few weeks! It is the size of a shopping centre on it's own for god's sake. For the Aussies - Primark is kind of like Target but cheaper, and with better clothes. Even though they have a lot of crap - really cheap crap - you can find some bargains if you are willing to search - jostling and grabbing may or may not be required at some branches (and one must always deny that the items they are wearing are actually from Primark - even though you are guaranteed to get comments on how cute you look on a budget!) Although, a lot of times I have found myself in this conversation with girls from work
Girl: "wow, cute top!"
Me: "um, thanks"
Girl: (hesitation) "um, is it from Primark?"
Me: (after deciding whether I know this person well enough to admit i am wearing clothes from Primark, and whether they actually own the identical top in another colour): "yeh! it was a bargain!!"
Girl: "I know! i have the same top in blue. I love Primark!"

And the friendship is born...

The BBQ is finally baptised

Yes we may have bought it back in August last year, but our BBQ is getting it's virgin run tonight (see it modelled beautifully here by Shell). The weather this weekend has been amazing and it would be criminal not to take advantage with some old-fashioned outdoor cuisine. I think everyone has had the same idea - Shell and Ray went to Homebase to pick up the missing part for our BBQ so we could get it working and apparently the BBQ section was crawling with happy punters! Temps hit a gorgeous 26 today which has just been bliss. This morning I was sunning in the overgrown, weed-ridden jungle that was once our manicured back garden - but with the sunshine Paul became filled with energy and did some mowing and weeding to return it to it's pre-winter state. I was cleaning up our side patio and was fishing plastic cups and cigarette butts from our house party last year out of the bushes (a clear indication that we haven't really been out there very much at all lately!). But our new outdoor furniture should be arriving next week and we are looking forward to lots of parties, BBQs and lazy Sundays in the sun. I love summer in England!

Did someone say 24 degrees?

Bring out the sunscreen, slap on the shorts and roll out the ice cream vans - predicted weather for tomorrow in London is a gorgeous 24 degrees! Scoff not, all you Aussies who think that just sounds like a warm winter day in Sydney, over here 24 degrees may as well be a sweltering day at the beach! I aim not to be a moaning Aussie who complains about the UK weather (and to be honest, you really do get used to it) but the thermometer going above 20 really is something to be celebrated at every opportunity. And 24 in April really is quite impressive - rest assured, I have a table by the Thames drinking Pimms tomorrow with my name written all over it. Summer's on it's way! (First I have to recover from my rather large night out at a charming little pub in Holland park last night - The Prince of Wales http://www.professorharbottle.co.uk/pub/londonwest/princeow3.html ) Ben is off to Brighton this weekend I think - it is going to be pumping with pasty English sunbaking on the beach!

Last weekend was of course Easter and it was also gorgeous weather then. We all went to the Cotwalds to get a nice home-cooked Easter meal by Ma and Pa Seddon and ended up doing quite a lot of reclining and relaxing in the sun and eating quite a lot of chocolate and cheese - perfect really! As it was Shannon's first time in this beautiful part of the English countryside we took her on a tour to some of the must-see hyphenated villages in the Cotswalds such as Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water (didn't make it to Stratford-upon-Avon this time as I have been there three times already and am really getting over it!). Of course had to stop by the organic dairy Daylesford and ogle at all the nice food we can't afford (well, we did buy some cheese - i've always got pounds for Daylesford cheese!). All in all, a very successful Easter weekend.

This is me - my 'visual DNA' (apparently)

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Rise in costs of UK visas - what do you think?

I'm doing a mini survey for the WORKgateways newsletter I write for, about the recent hike in costs of UK visas. If you are not aware, the prices of all UK visas has been dramatically increased, as of today. Working holiday visas and Ancestry visas which used to cost £85, now cost £200. The price of Entry Clearance for work permits and the HSMP has also risen from £85 to £200. Settlement visas which used to be £240, now cost a whopping £500.

UKvisas justification for the rise in costs is that they are 'aiming to improve the UK's competitiveness as a destination for travel, trade, migration and investment through programmes which prevent immigration abuse, deliver value for money and earn public confidence'. Read the full article here. One of the groups hit hardest will be working travellers from countries where currencies are getting weaker and weaker against the pound. UK Working visas for Australians and Kiwis now cost a huge $520 AUD/ $620 NZD (in comparison, British people wanting to work for 12 months in Australia pay $185).

As many travellers as there are out there who are fuming at the increase in costs, I'm sure there are also those who think it's a good thing (a few less Aussie's in Earls Court would probably be not such a bad thing!). If you have a comment, please feel free to post it in response below. Again, thanks to recent posts by certain Anonymous individuals, I am now moderating comments - but I will certainly publish yours if you have something valid to say!

Do they hate us?

Some interesting points - some of them extremely valid. New Yanks and Jafas - Why no-one likes Aussies anymore. My first foray to a Walkabout on the weekend for the first time since the AFL grand final last year, was thoroughly embarrassing. The point must be made however, that for every bogan, idiotic, ignorant and completely juvenile Aussie I meet in London (of which there were quite a few there on Saturday), I meet an educated, interesting and worldly Aussie to match. So perhaps Australia is like any country - you get the morons, and then you get the ones worth worrying about.

PS This is not an open invitation for 'Anonymous' individuals to write insulting comments about Australians on my blog. Thanks.

Getting the best seat in the house

This is a topic close to the hearts and minds of travellers everywhere - especially for me with my apparent genetic tendency to blood-clot! I had no idea things had got so advanced - and so competitive. It's no longer good enough to turn up at the airport early and ask for a window seat! Check it out - How to get the best seat on the plane

NSW Election Day this Saturday - Iemma Vs Debnam

Either you're newly arrived in the UK and fresh from the NSW debates about de-salination VS recycled water, Debnam's budgie smugglers, Iemma's embarrassing "More to do...but heading in the right direction" campaign slogan and grumbles over the NSW transport and road systems, or you've been neglecting your Australian citizenship duties while you're living it up in London!

If you haven't voted already, today is your last chance to make your voice heard from an afar - it's the NSW election and even though you're in London, you can still cast your vote.

How do I vote?
Get down to Australia House today before 3.30pm to cast your postal vote! Find out more here

Help! I have no idea what's going on in Australian state politics!
Iemma and Rudd have just made their 'plea' to NSW to warn of the dangers of a backlash of protest votes (understandably the NSW public has been quite irate of late! - opening of the M2 tunnel anyone?). But opinion polls have consistently placed Labour ahead of Debnam's Liberals - prompting commentators to lament about the choice of picking 'the best worst one'.

To read more about the election, visit the Sydney Morning Herald NSW Election microsite or the NSW Election official site.

You can't beat the Borough

Tomatoes at Borough Market, London,
originally uploaded by WordRidden.

In the past year and a half, I've steadily been completing a comprehensive tour of all the great markets in London. Until Saturday, I hadn't yet ventured to Borough Market, and I'm very glad I finally did! Borough Market, minutes from London Bridge, is London's oldest food market and it is amazing - it's the most delectable smorgasbord of tastes, smells and sights and will have you breaking every diet rule in the book as you wander amongst all the stalls taste-testing all the wares. I actually didn't need to buy any lunch for myself as I was so full from sampling cheese, chutneys, tapenades, sausages, falafel, cured meats, muesli, chocolate brownies etc etc (it really is the perfect destination for skint working travellers in this respect!) Just watch out you don't spend as much money as we did on purchasing a gourmet selection of the things we sampled (hhmm, I'm thinking this is the whole point of taste-testing, no? Crafty buggers).

You can get every imaginable type of cheese (yes, I had a field day), all kinds of fresh produce from France, Switzerland, Germany and more, plus fine wines and pate's, and weird stuff like haggis, fresh hare and pigs feet - mmmmm. There's also some great deals to be had at the fresh fruit and vegetable stalls, if you're over buying sick-looking veggies from Tesco and Sainsbury's. We got about 60 of the reddest, ripest, most delicious vine tomatoes for a pound - bargain! Will definitely be going back.

Beating the British Bulge - staying fit in London

I've lived here for over a year and a half so I can't really use the Heathrow Injection - the old adage that everyone piles on a few pounds once you walk through the gates of Heathrow - as an excuse anymore. These days my biggest problem is the pile of Tim Tams/Caramello Koalas/Cherry Ripes etc that I brought back with me from Australia 'to share' with my London housemates (let's just say there has not been much sharing).

Anyway, it's about that time of the year when it starts to get warmer and you start thinking about all those summer clothes you've got to squeeze back into in a few months. It's a little bit harder for working travellers in London who have been coping with the unfamiliar winter chill with cheap pub meals, pints and nights out in the capital. The good news is though is that there are plenty of (affordable) ways to beat the bulge in London.

Social sports
Now it's getting warmer, the outdoor social sports comps are starting again. I've signed up for netball again (£45 for 10 games in a social league) and my mates have organised a touch football team. There are heaps of comps and leagues across London and the UK where you can meet friends and get fit. I wrote about some of these leagues in the WORKgateways newsletter last year - check it out here

Gyms
Many travellers are astounded by the cost of gym memberships in London - for a decent gym in inner London you are looking at membership fees of between £60-£80 per month. You should instead look to smaller community fitness/rec centres which allow you to pay per visit or have lower fees (of course the equipment and decor of these places is not going to be as nice as the plush inner city gyms though). You could always just head to your local lido (the Brit name for an outdoor swimming pool) for a calorie-burning splash.

Gym deals
Having said how expensive gyms in London, you can definitely pick up some great discounts and deals so keep an eye out. PruHealth is currently running a promotion that if you sign up for health insurance with them (at a cost of £18-£25 per month), you can get six months free gym membership at Cannons health clubs. They also offer a discounted rate for Virgin Active gyms across London. Another loophole to saving cash, is that if you join up to PruHealth via the online cashback co-operative Quidco you get £115 cashback on top of your free/discounted gym membership (I did this myself in February so can guarantee it works).

Spectator sports
If exercise is not for you (and who are we kidding, there are a lot of us out there!), perhaps spectating is more your style. One of the most fun sporting events in London coming up is the Oxford and Cambridge Boat race, held on the Thames in Putney. It's on 7 April. Everyone over here is also getting excited about the Rugby World Cup, to be held later this year in France, and the Cricket World Cup which has kicked off in the West Indies. Go team!

Back in the UK...and Brighton

It's good to be back. Freezing...but good to be back. My jet lag is only just starting to wear off (I have been bouncing off the walls at 6am most mornings), and was combated by perhaps not the most effective method: denial. Adamant that I was fine I went about the weekend, planning dinners out etc. This has resulted in me being more than just a little space-cadet-esque for the past few days. We did go to Brighton though (my 'welcome back to the UK' treat) and although the winds were hurricane-inducing and the rain was torrential, it was still a very nice couple of days. I finally made it inside Brighton's Royal Pavilion this time too - a feast of opulent design and architecture. It really takes your breath away (last time we spent so much time in the fascinating museum nearby we never made it to the pavilion). Also discovered more of Brighton's delights in the form of the vegetarian and organic cafe's and restaurants (a great one we tried was Food for Friends) and of course browsed the local boutiques, art studios, and unique shops. Oh I love that place.

Farewell to Oz

Well it had to come to an end eventually, and I'm now on my way back to London after a fantastic month back home. My last day was spent having oysters and sav blanc at Watsons Bay, then cocktails at the Orbit bar at the top of Australia square, then more Sydney Rock Oysters and dinner with my family at Nick's in Cockle Bay. Drinks at Opera Bar with all my mates the other night was also a perfect send off. A perfect end to a great few weeks. And although I'm looking forward to the lights of London, I'm also immeasurably sad to be leaving again.

And so I came to the tearful goodbye with Mum and Dad at the airport this morning. I had to make a quick exit so as not to become one of those bawling idiots everyone stares at. I then continued to blub for most of the ten hour journey to Korea though - the ponytailed American beside me thought I was a little strange I'm sure (although I'm not sure he noticed between the 12 Budweisers he drank). My fragile emotional state was not helped by the book I was reading - the latest offering from my favourite trashy indulgence Marian Keyes (chosen specifically for my flight for it's light entertainment value and large print). It turned out to be one of the more serious and emotional of her books (though still hilarious) and despite the fact that it was embarrasingly emblazoned with a huge shiny 'Women's Weekly Great Read' sticker (a poor man's Oprah's Book Club if we're honest) - it was actually quite good. But also a bit depressing and touching, hence the idiotic blubbing me. Although I do admit that I do sometimes tend to cry at the drop of a hat (bingo: see the final two instalments in the tagging incident "things you need to know/didn't know about Pru" coming soon.)

ANYWAYS - one of the most important things I wanted to write here is some advice to fellow travellers going from Sydney to London or vice versa. FLY KOREAN AIR AND DO A STOPOVER IN SEOUL. This may be logical to all but me, but I have never done a stopover before, always choosing to get it over with and fly straight through. Oh my lord have I been missing out. Because it was the only flight I could get, I agreed reluctantly to staying a night here in Seoul in between. Not only do i get a proper night's sleep in a proper bed, but they have put me up in the five star Hyatt (which is divine), given me free dinner and breakfast (dinner was again, divine) and i'm now reclining in my hotel room (divine) in a fluffy robe with a glass of wine from room service, just cause i can! Triple divine! Sure beats battling against ponytailed Budweiser man (or the incredibly irritating Russian woman I got last time) in a tiny sweaty seat for some armrest space so you can try and get 30 seconds of nap after a feral meal (I couldn't even see the tiny movie screen - ripped off!). This is my new favourite way to travel. Another merlot please....and on to London.

I've been tagged

It only took me a month to realise, but I've been tagged. I didn't realise, and in fact didn't even know what this 'tagging' phenomenon was, until I was browsing over the Kiwi's blog and saw - hey that's me! And since I am constantly filling up these pages with drivel anyway, I thought I would abide by this virtual chain letter and bore/excite/annoy you all with 'the FIVE things you don't know about me'. Drumroll please....

1. I'm not a real blonde. (haha - REALLY surprised you all with that one didn't I!). I actually have no idea what my real hair colour is although I imagine it would be a sludgy light browny colour (lovely!) after all the peroxiding, stripping and highlighting that has been done to it since I discovered the wonders of NAPRO Live Colour in Year 8. It was only a matter of time until I then discovered the wanton pleasures of the hairdressing salon when a dye job by a high school buddy went wrong and i had to somehow fix my fluouro orange locks. Thousands of dollars and many, many years later, my hair is my greatest indulgence. Vain, moi??!!

2. I pervesely enjoy watching shark attack documentaries. OK, not exceedingly normal to enjoy watching people getting their limbs ripped off however something about these huge animals (the bigger the better obviously) simultaneously fascinates and terrifies me. Survival stories are the best, complete with bad reanactments and hilarious commentary: 'Bob had no idea when he dived beneath the waves that fateful morning, that something menacing was lurking in the waters that would change his life forever....' Cue Jaws soundtrack, flurry of movement where you can't actually see anything and then see water coloured red with food dye....brilliant!

3. I was a child thespian. Well, kind of. My aunt is in production and happened to have Life Education as a client (you know, of Happy Healthy Harold ilk?). I therefore starred, pink fluoro t-shirt and 80s headband and all, in a Life Education video when i was about seven, which then proceeded to be shown in every primary school in the state. After I'd made my screen debut, i also had a cameo on Heartbreak High - casually sipping a milkshake in the local hangout (forget what it was called - Shark Bar?). How cool can you get!

hmmmm, that's all i can think of for now. I think i'm supposed to tag other people now but that would involve more thinking which i am not inclined to do at the moment! PLUS, it's my second last day in Australia!!! Why on earth am i sitting at a computer - yes it's a bit sad isn't it. I'm killing time before heading off to Opera Bar in a couple of hours for some drinks under the watchful arch of the Harbour Bridge. I'll try and write some last Aussie words tomorrow.

From Africa to Australia

No I didn't just nip off to Africa while you weren't looking....but my friends Shannon and Simone just got back from a trip to the east coast of Kenya where they worked on a volunteer project for 10 days. Simone was doing it as her last trip before heading home for good to Australia, while Shannon is now back in cozy London re-embarking on her working holiday. They both said it was an amazing experience which I'm sure has thoroughly changed their viewpoints on the important things in life. Anyway, before Sim left London, Paul and I gave her some gifts to take to the kids in the school - just stickers, colouring books, crayons, pencils and stuff like that. Sim brought me back this photo of their new friend Ziggy enjoying his brand new colouring book! :)


And this is just a gorgeous pic of some of the kids they met.


I can't remember the name of the organisation which they worked with, but it's a wonderful thing to do. And so much closer to the UK than from Australia or NZ, so when working travellers head over to the UK perhaps it is something everyone should think about doing.

How to cram an Aussie summer into four weeks

Cricket, footy, tennis, beaching, white water rafting - who knew I was so sporty? I resolved when I got here to do as many Aussie-flavoured activities as possible while I could and I've ended up spending half the time watching/playing sport! (when I'm not out at a bar or in a restaurant that is).

The weather has been lovely - definitely a nice change from the snow London has been getting. I feel a bit guilty as everyone else is praying for rain because of the drought, and I'm whinging if it doesn't go above 25 degrees. I watched England beat the Aussies at the SCG last weekend after a Saturday of impromptu tennis, watched the Swans play a practice game on Friday night against Collingwood (beer and the footy - not many things more Aussie than that) and next weekend we're going white water rafting.

But there has been plenty of time for non-sporting activites. It was great to be back at Opera Bar last week sipping champagne under the Opera House overlooked by the Sydney Harbour Bridge (you definitely know you're back in Australia when everyone is calling sparkling wine 'champagne' again). Sunday night was also one of my favourite Aussie traditions - Tropfest. What could be better than sitting in the Domain (big park in the centre of Sydney city), on a rug with friends with nibbles and a glass of champagne? (ahem, sparkling wine).

I've been trying to upload photos but the internet connection is not befriending me and won't let me do it - so you'll all just have to wait!

Four months later.... the news is good!

Four months of agonising waiting and many weeks of preparation before that have finally come to an end. I got a call this week from my housemates in London who told me the postman I have been waiting for for weeks finally came, with a letter telling me I have qualified for a Highly Skilled Migrant Visa. This means that I have six months to switch into my new immigration category from my current working holiday visa. Which means that my time in the UK has been extended past my August deadline for up to another two years!

It still doesn't seem real since I have been waiting for so long to find out what's going to happen to me this year! I didn't think when I went to see a visa representative a year ago that it would take this long, with this many ups and downs!First I was getting sponsored, then I was made redundant, then I had to quickly (ha!) apply for HSMP, then the criteria changed, then it got rejected, then I appealed...and now I've got it! I still have to apply for my Entry Clearance and pay them a shedload more cash (another £350 or something thanks very much) but it looks like I'm finally on the home stretch. The good news for many out there is that I did my application myself - so you don't always have to pay hundreds for a representative (this really depends on your situation though!). And believe me, it was hard work and lots of research!

Being back home has definitely made me think a lot about what it would be like to move back here and it feels strange now to have so many new options presented to me. I don't know how long I want to stay in the UK, but it is definitely very nice (and a huge relief) to know that I no longer have the deadline of the 31st August looming over me - and no more work restrictions!

I would love to share my knowledge and experience of applying for this visa with anyone who needs help and advice - and I can do this either through this blog or through the forum I moderate for WORKgateways. Even though the criteria has changed since I applied, I still know a lot about it and might be able to help you. So if you have a question, drop in and hopefully I can offer some assistance, or at least tell you where else you can go. Visit the WORKgateways forum.

Lastly, thanks to all the people who have offered their love, support, assistance and advice over the past six months during my visa sagas. To all the people who read over my application, wrote letters for me, posted encouraging comments on my blog or just listened to my whining - I couldn't have done it without you all! Oh, and thanks to UK immigration :)

Speaking of...

OK, so I was a little bored today (it's too hot to move and/or go outside!) and I was browsing YouTube (ok, very nerdy but oh well) and I found this really random video of this old American dude doing surprisingly good impressions of the various English accents. I'm fascinated by the fact that in England/UK you just drive a couple of hours and suddenly everyone sounds different (and I said the other day that this is one of the things I would miss about the UK). This often presents problems for Aussies/Kiwis etc cause some accents are impossible to understand - the first time I met my boyfriend's grandmother, I had absolutely no idea what she was saying to me. Paul entertains me for hours on end with his impersonations, but I reckon this guy might even be a little better - although sadly my favourite Scottish and Irish accents are not represented. (Warning: there's a bit of language so be warned and please don't be offended)


More to come on Pru's Aussie Adventures later