This is a crazy place at times

Yep – back on to favourite subject – the weather. Finally, after a long cold summer, the warmth has hit his part of the globe….only a month into summer. But it’s come with a shock, with the majority of pomms now complaining about the heat.

Yesterday, we had a record temperature of 31 deg!! Yes…a mild summer temperature for most Queenslanders, but a heat wave over here. So what does 31 deg day mean for London? Apparently the city doesn’t have enough physical power to run all the air conditioners….ours included. I over heard a discussion today about whole buildings being rebuilt so that they can receive more power to run the aircon Our office was stifling…just like a Brisbane school room, with the windows closed. The AC still hasn’t recovered today. Yesterday the trains on the tube network were forced to slow down to 20 miles per hour…as the tracks were melting!...with over 40 deg heat in some of the tunnels and not to mention the actual carriages. They haven’t quite worked out how to get enough power for aircon down to the tubes….but they can heat them!

Today we woke up and it was pouring rain, but humid none the less. Walking to the station on my short sleeves, feeling perfectly comfortable, I noticed people wearing jackets and jumpers. Did I miss something? Maybe people here are conditioned to think that rain equates to cold. Whereas we equate rain to steamy, humid sticky days, sapping what little energy you have left after a sleepless night. This afternoon…to top it all off….we had….wait for it….a thunderstorm! So what does an afternoon thunderstorm mean for London? Well basically I was lucky to get home. The tube nearly came to a standstill….the melted tracks of yesterday were now flooded! Our Office in Harlow was evacuated with IT and communication systems down due to the ‘flash flooding’. Tunnels were closed, offices evacuated and roads blocked. I don’t think they have storm water drains here yet! It literally rained for 20 mins…may be less.

In the midst of all this weather excitement, I have caught world cup fever and have laryngitis! I must be the only silent Socceroos supporter here in London. It was a wonderful feeling winning yesterdays match…and even better that we have two more 2006 world cup goals than England! I’m now sitting here in the lounge room, still a little sticky under the arms, and have my eyes peeled on the TV, checking out our competitors – Brazil and Croatia.

I wonder what the weatherman has in store for London tomorrow?

Ing

Skiing in the French Alps - Tignes

The Trafalgar Skiers

I’m only just starting to get over my post holiday blues! Skiing at Tignes (pronounced Teen) in France was an amazing week. I didn’t realise how much I was missing sun and blue blue sky….the weather was perfect – almost hot. The air is crisp and clean there…. I didn’t realise how much I was missing that either! But the ‘sun’ novelty dwindled a little once the slopes started to become icy and seriously scary – downhill ice-skating wasn’t included in our daily lessons! Within a day or two, we found ourselves wishing for clouds and ultimately snow. On the 4th day we got lucky and big fluffy balls of white clean snow started to drift on to our favourite slopes. I don’t think we actually got ‘powder’, but the next day we were certainly carving up something…other than ice that is.

Our chalet, Chalet Trafalgar was wonderful – French rustic décor, lots of stone and wood. We had a chalet host (she called herself a maid!) who cooked us breakfast every morning. They’d even offer you tea or coffee in bed to wake you up! We all accepted the offer on the first morning, but it was a bit bizarre having a stranger wonder into your room with a cuppa in hand, while you’re still wondering where you are and what are those bells ringing outside? Bells you ask? We decided to ditch the tea and coffee ‘wakeup’ and rely on the local church bells. At 8am, every morning, they would ‘dong’ 8 times…(for the fist time that day – it wasn’t going all night). About 10 mins later it would start ringing again…as if we had hit a virtual ‘snooze’ button. Then, about 20 minutes later, the bells would just start ringing randomly. At that stage it was really time to get up…..but it was such a great way to wake up everyday….distant church bells in a French ski village…..ahhh……it wouldn’t be as wonderful anywhere else. I don’t think if I changed my alarm clock here in London to ‘chiming bells’ I’d feel quite the same.

After a hard days skiing, we, the Trafalgar Skiers, would all make our way back to the chalet. Some would use the beautiful winding ‘home’ ski run, others would fly down the black run beside it (this was Dean half way thru the week) – I loved the home trail. It’s track meandered through the Les Brevieres valley. It was peaceful, beautiful and almost relaxing – no road noise, no wurring of machinery, no airconditioning motors, no people chatting…..just you and your breathing….and the sounds of snow crunching beneath your skis. Our chalet was only metres away from the bottom of the run, so juggling skis and stocks was a shortlived chore.

Every day we came home to three very ‘desirable pleasures’. Firstly, the relief of taking our industrial strength ski boots off. Secondly, a hot shower, with a monsoon shower head! Finally…home-baked afternoon tea...our chalet host would bake thru the day and would leave her daily creation on the table, along with all the things you’d need to make a beautiful cup of hot tea! Devine! We’d then sit on the couch, chat about the day’s runs; everyday we did something new, all at varying levels….blues, reds…blacks. At about 6.30pm, we’d light the fireplace. Robin was the chief, but I think deep down we all wanted to get in and enjoy that very satisfying feeling of starting the perfect wood fire. The topic of ‘technique’ came up a few times…but we just left it to Robin to take care of each night.

We didn’t watch any TV the entire time we were there. At 8pm every night, we were served canapés and champagne. We didn’t have to move our butts off the couch. Afterward, we’d walk 2 metres to our dining table, where a 3 course meal was served. The food was always brilliant, as was the wine! We’d then move 2 metres, back to the couch, where port, French mountain cheese and chocolate were served! At first, it all felt very decadent, and I continually felt like I should be offering to help in the kitchen. I’m not used to having ‘house staff’. But it’s amazing how quickly you do get used to having someone do all the things you’d prefer not to do on a holiday…planning the meals, doing all the grocery shopping, preparing everything, cooking everything and then cleaning it up! Just as well we skied all day, otherwise I think we’d have put on 6kg, instead of the 3kg we did manage to put on.

Our nights would end early – and that was fine too. No pressure to party all night…we just flopped into our ‘made’ beds and crash out. It wasn’t going to be too long before the bells would start ringing again.

http://ing.smugmug.com/Travel

New Year in Paris - Dec/Jan 2006

Paris - New Year 2006

Who was there?
Me, Deano, Emma and Stevil

Get the Picture....

Arrive in Paris a high speed train
It’s snowing
Wow….the Eiffel Town – first sighting
Still snowing
Allen and Celina’s beautiful apartment in Passy (across the River Seine from the Eiffel)
Eating in a French café, by the Trocadero
Napoleons Tomb…..grandeur at its best
He is surrounded by wall sculptures and statues of goddess women, with big feet
French fries at McDonalds…and a Royal with Cheese with that
Châteaux Versailles, the amazing home of all the Louis' lived and played!
Throwing stones into frozen fountains
Fairyfloss snow falling for hours
Wondering thru the gardens in Versailles
The sound of the snow hitting the brown winter leaves
Our cameras couldn’t catch the beauty….almost frustrating
I wanted to click my fingers and go back to one of their garden parties
Back in Paris…
Grocery shopping at the local Inno….Coq au vin in a jar and fresh unshucked oysters
French red wine gambles
Divine pastries on the way out
Shopping in a snow storm with Em and Stevil
Little purple metro tickets everywhere
Dog poo land mines under the snow
Freezing feet, why won’t my stocking, socks and leather boots keep me warm?
Wondering thru the Musee d’Orsay
I discover Toulouse-Lautrec and Dean rediscovers Degas
Surrounded by Matisse, Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir….endless great pieces…where do you start?
Amazing sculpture.
Nightime conversations about our favorite artists!
Art Nouveau furniture…I love it!
Streets of Paris grow on you everyday……where to go next?
Walking the streets of Marais on News Years Eve (day)
Lonely planet tours, a la Em
French perfume shops – we find our version of Issy
Medieval buildings and walls
$8 beers
Buzz in the air
Florists still open
Texts from home – it’s New Year there already!
More Oysters from Inno – we love them
Dinner at home on New Years Eve…perfect company and wine
Smelly cheese and baguette bread
Great wine and quiche
Em, Stevil, Deano and I talk the hours away
Did I mention we had good wine?
Walk to the Eiffel Tower at 11.30pm….we’re there in 15 mins
We all swap hats!
People everywhere
Bon Anee! Happy New Year
We’re under the Tower for 12 midnight
Backyard fireworks
Real champagne out of the bottle – have you ever tried to seriously drink it like that?
Our own countdown
Walking home….Paris streets are congested and closed
Boats on the river blowing their horns
Talking to our parents…it’s 10am on New Years Day in Australia
New years resolutions!
Early morning walk…the markets are open and selling Oysters
I buy eggs and salmon for breakfast
The Louvre doesn’t open on New Years day!
We climb up to Monmartre…via the Moulin Rouge
4pm Mass in Sacre Coeur
Artists in the square
We’re leaving Paris soon
It’s still freezing
The Louvre is open!
We see the Mona Lisa again, plus other favorites…..The Winged Victory, Consecreation of Emperor Napoleon, Napoleon III’s actual apartments, and Venus de Milo….why is she so famous?
It’s time to go – we leave Em and Steve in Paris
The Eurostar is busy…the couple next to us pull out wine glasses and wine, a deck of cards, plus cheese and bread….why didn’t we think of that?
Next time!

http://ing.smugmug.com/Travel

Christmas in Brugge, Belgium - December 2005

Christmas in Brugge

Who was there?
Me, Deano, Emma, Steve, Nicole, Jen, Brad, Julia, Cheryl, Pete, Janine, Lara


Get the Picture....

First time on the Eurostar to Brugge
The Bauhaus Bar
Fairytail surroundings
‘The smell of Brugge’
Chocolate Oranges
Who can make the sun rise....the Candy Man can!
Where’s the Discoteque?
Milk, with sugar already added...what the?
Canals and small bridges
Belgium beers on the window sil
Christmas bon bons in a restaurant in Brugge
Horse and cart ride at dusk on Christmas day
Reflections in Lovers Lake
20Q and the indian call centre
Riding thru the old town on new bikes
Stevils Trivia
Smelly Cheese
500 challenges
Climbing the Tower….freezing at the top
Waking up to see the first dusting of Christmas snow
Last minute Chocolate...it's the best
Traveling thru the Belgium courtyside watching the snow tumble and blanket the fields
Let's go to Paris

http://ing.smugmug.com/Travel

Em and Steve arrive in London - 16 December 2005

Emma and Steve arrive in London

Get the Picture...

Sausages at Borough Market
Stevil's first and last day in London without a jacket
Southbank to Waterloo - walking past the famous Shakespeare Globe Theatre
‘All that Jazz’….we see Chicago on The Strand
London Eye-Big Ben-St Pauls-Tower of London-Ice Skating-Sunday Roast-Jack the Ripper tour….all in one day!

Australia October/November 2005

We went home for a month to celebrate so many exciting events, including 2 weddings, the twins christening, mum's 60th, Kayes birthday, Stevil and Dave's birthday and the birth of baby Ronin. Below sums it all up...I hope.


Get the Picture...

G&T’s on our Singapore Airlines flight
Matt and Anita’s wedding on a sandbank in Moreton Bay
Channel 9 teasers during the cricket
Stevil on the dance floor
Sharing a room with Princess Paigee
Dean’s training course in Melbourne – 2 days after we get home
Chinese with Erica and Paige….eating games!
Ingrid in Finley for possibly the last time
Stayed in Tim and Ambers place in Melbourne – while they honeymooned in Europe
Vege Bar Roast!! On Brunswick St
Swimming lessons with Elaina and Paige
Roll your owns with Nel Mangle
Dan’s hens night…another Penisyata
TV Dave’s Bucks Night
Meeting the twins in Cairns for only the second time…so cute
Fishing on the reef
Staying with Amy & Jeramy
Making Christening fairy cakes with my 2 fave sisters-in-law!
Robertson Family Melbourne Cup Sweep – Bruce Swanson wins
Perfect hot weather
Family BBQ’s and breakfasts
Flight with Wayne over the beautiful Great Barrier Reef
Balloon animals and water balloons
Joshy’s belly flops
Funniest Home Videos!
Visit the Mareeba Kitchen of the Year
Mid week dinner with Mel and G
Run into mum and dad on the Gold Coast highway!...holiday from the motel
1st wedding anniversary!!...dinner at Broadbeach to celebrate – everything perfect!
Crown Plaza pool drinking G&T’s in the sun….every day
2 little monkeys jumping on the bed
Swanson’s unit on the broadwater
Laina and Paige have a bath in Ingy’s bath
Cheap massive Oysters and wine with Gav and Erica
Mum’s 60th - Grandma and Carolyn help celebrate with us
The Blondettes and Dirty Old Town!
Perfect waterfront after-dinner ice-cream with Swanson’s and Mullin’s
Surfing with my Dad at Main Beach (he taught me everything I know)
Dan and Dave’s wedding in New Farm Park
A final steak at the Breakky Creek with everyone…including the newlyweds!
Waterworks at the airport
Bye Brisbane


(due to technical problems, I can't seem to get any more photos up)

Amsterdam October 2005

"We were told to meet at Padington"
K & I are treated to a fantastic surprise…it’s a weekend in Amsterdam…with the guys of course!

Get the Picture

Coffee shops
Delft Blue for my mum’s 60th
Great bagels
Lost in the red light district
Staying in a cow themed hotel
Great weather – compared to London
Bikes everywhere
Witbeers in sun by the canal
Pea soup!
Soccer-ball dude
Falafels
So cheap to get to the airport
Home

New Year Redemption....mmm I mean Resolution!

Ok.....grab a coffee, tea, milo (I actually miss milo!). I've got some serious updates for you. Unfortunately it only starts from Amsterdam, October 2005. September missed out. But - I can tell you that we went to Brighton for Nicole’s surprise birthday weekend. It was a hot, English seaside weekend. Yes, these words can be used in the one sentence! We had a ball. Anyway....on to October.....and beyond….(add echo)
Ingx

Ps…for efficiency ….I’ve adopted a ‘memories list’ approach. Hopefully you’ll ‘Get the Picture’

Poker and TimTams bowl over Aussie's loss in 3rd Test!

On 29 August 05 we headed to Sarah and Mac’s place for a leisurely afternoon BBQ…..not only to celebrate the fact that it was remotely warm and sunny in London – but also to cheer on the Aussies in the 3rd Ashes Test. Earlier in the day it looked like we were going to lose…..but we made a comeback…and all of a sudden the music vol went down and the TV was turned up.

We ‘gave up’ the sunny deck to come inside and support our much loved cricketers! (Though only after 3 bottles of wine and a gourmet BBQ feast). Sarah Jen and I were on the edge of our seats waiting for the Aussies to bowl out England in the final innings. Naturally we provided loads of very valuable, quality, advice for Ricky!....if only he listened! You could feel the tension in the room……
Dean and Mac were also feeling the pain….but I think it was the girls taking brunt of it for the team. To cut a short story short….we lost! But all the losers out there – it seems we now have a strategy to raise spirits…and I’m not talking about 'more beer'….I’m talking about a good ole' fashion ‘Card Night’!

Mac just happened to pull out his World Class Standard Poker Set….complete with chips and green felt! You all know how much I love a game – I was jumping out of my seat!! My brief moment of Cricket Depression was bowled out the window!!! Sarah’s uncanny collection of hats then came out…..and a few cigars later, we were well and truly into a game of our very own ‘Late Night Poker’.

The night ended with a rare packet of Tim Tams (sent with love all the way from Em & Stevil in Oz) being delicately nibbled on each corner and ‘bombed’ to perfection with a cup of sobering coffee!

So there you have it….a perfect Aussie BBQ…..in down town ‘Norff London’! One could say that only thing that was missing was a game of French Cricket in the backyard and the lingering smell of Aeroguard!...but one would be wrong! Thanks to Sarah (friend from the Gold Coast from way back, who I thankfully could stay with when I first came to London in 1997!) and her now fiancé Mac (a South African who is has just been granted an Aussie visa and moving to Brisbane soon) for such a fantastic afternoon…..and night!

For photos of all the action - click here....... http://ing.smugmug.com/gallery/836373

Cambridge Day Trip

Well as promised I'd like to share our recent (well....a month ago) trip to Cambridge.

I'm sure you've all heard that there's a famous University there, but you might not know that the town is the University. Although there is also a newer University complex on the outskirts of town, all the original Colleges (i.e. +600 years old) are in the centre of the town. The shops, bars, restuaruants, bookshops and tourist gift shops are all intermingled with academic facilities. For example, you'll be walking along a street past a real estate office, and the next building is the Faculty of Engineering.

We did the trip in one day from London with our good friends Dan and Kirsty. If you were at our wedding, Dan was one of my beer wenches.....sorry I meant groomsmen! :-)

We caught a train from the magnificent Waterloo train station (in fact all overland train stations in London are amazing to see!) and chatted our way through the 1.5 hour journey.

We all had coffe because it was 8:30am on a Sunday morning, and although I can't remember exactly where we went or what we did, I'm sure we'd had a "good" Saturday night :-)

Once we got there it was a 15 minute walk into town from the train station, and almost immediately we reverted from cool and trendy Londonites to giggling tourists as we posed in front of what looked like a 400 year old house for photos.

The only one of us not acting like a star-struck American was Ingy - she's been to Cambridge before and knew that the "old" building we were insisting on photographing was nothing compared to what lay further into town! So we packed away our cameras and followed her into the town proper.

She wasn't wrong - Cambridge is FULL of amazing churches, buildings and, of, course, the historic University buildings. The first place we came across was Christs College - it had a massive old wooden door (probably original?) through which tourists were allowed to enter and wander around the grounds.

If you're not familiar with a traditional University College then allow me to butcher an explanation. As far as I understand, 95% of all University students at Cambridge live in the Colleges rather than share apartments etc. Each College has it's own speciality, so if you were studying Physics and Maths, then you'd more than likely live and study at Trinity College where Isaac Newton himself lived and studied over 400 years ago! Another bit of trivia - Trinity College has produced over 30 Nobel Prize winners!

Anyhoo, each student is assigned a personal tutor who you meet with regularly, and your learning with them is almost as important as the lectures you attend. Further, the Colleges are self-contained in that you don't "visit" other Colleges to use their facilities. Each College chooses, teaches and graduates it's own students, and never the twain shall meet.

So that's roughly my understanding of how Cambridge works - feel free to correct me if you've studied there and know better!

After walking around the amazingly manicured grounds of Christs College went in search of lunch. I know what you're thinking .......we're not hardened tourists..... we see one interesting thing and then we're off to eat and drink!

The pub we found was actually an old WWII bomber pilot hangout! The walls were adorned with signed pictures of magnificent old war birds, and believe it or not, the roof was covered in graffiti! But not the talentless graffiti that we see under train stations - this graffiti was old finger drawings, signatures and messages written into the layer of cigarette soot that had accumulated on the ceiling for god-knows how long. Apparantly the WWII bomber crews used to sit in that pub 60 years ago waiting to be called into action, and because they couldn't drink, they'd sit around smoking and doodling "Billy was here, US 31st Airborne 1946" on the roof!! Amazing.

To the left is a piccie of me enjoying my beef stew lunch and the obligitory pint of Guiness :-)

So after lunch we rounded the corner and were confronted with Kings College and it's magnificent chapel. Now I don't know much about churches, chapels and Cathedrals, but the Chapel at Kings College was one of the biggest old-skool (old-school...geddit?!?) buildings I've ever seen! Apparantly it took a few hundred years to build, and after going inside and seeing the ceiling I can understand. Unfortunatly there's no cameras allowed inside, but you can see it online by clicking here.

After Kings College we walked along the banks of the river Cam, and believe it or not we hired a punt! Now there's two ways you can do this....you can pay a nice man 12 pounds and he'll use his 12ft aluminium pole to propel you along the river....or if you're me and don't want to look like a woofter, you pay more and do it yourself!! :-)

So we payed the man, all four of us climbed aboard a long narrow punt, and I assumed the first role as the engine room :-) It' quite hard to do actually - the river bottom is muddy in some areas and if you're not quick to unstick it you'll get pulled off the back!

I got us up the river whilst staying dry, and Dan tool over for the return journey. He too managed to stay dry, and the whole punting expedition was fisnished succesfully an hour later where we started off from. Needless to say it was a highlight of the day, and no small amount of satisfaction was gained from watching a string of other "less coordinated" punters coming back dripping wet! hahaha

So after all the fun we slowly walked back to the train station, past the "old" building we first photographed....laughing at our niavety only that morning....and caught the train home.

Deano

Where's the next post guys????

Ok ok....we get the hint!

We've been pestered by our family for the past 2 months to post something new up to the blog, and although it's been a while since we last posted anything, it's been hard to think of things to write about. Because up until a month ago we didn't have much money, and to tell you the truth we are kinda in a routine now and generally just get up and go to work each morning.

But then the Golde Eagle shat again (i.e. I got paid - thank my Dad for the euphemism). All of a sudden life here changed from one where we were hemorrhaging Aussie dollars, to one where restaurant's, clothes and European airfares were affordable :-)

In the past month we've squeezed in weekend trips to Cambridge, Brighton, Paris, Harrods (not really a trip) and Buckingham Palace! We've bought some new clothes, new CD's, had dinner in a fancy restaurant and I've even lashed out on some new techie books.

But most importantly (in my mind anyway) we've sent money home to Australia. So all of you who tut-tutted your way through the previous paragraph can rest easy..... Mum that means you :-)

Anyway, sorry for the long delay but there should be some new posts up here soon.

Deano

Dejavu.....not quite.

Hi all,
Well it's been a while since I've written anything - but that's not for want of trying. A few nights ago I wrote a long blog-entry talking about the London bombings, how they effected life here, and how we were feeling about living here. But when I tried to send it I got a stupid internet error and lost the lot!! So I turned the laptop off and went to bed in protest!!

Anyway, as you'll no doubt hear about very soon (you're all in bed asleep as I write this) there was another attempted bombing on the London Underground today. We first heard of it at work whilst reading the news on the web - it was initially reported as a nail bomb, then it got upgraded to blasting caps, and finally it's being reported that they were fully-fledged bombs like the ones that killed 56 people a few weeks ago - except they didn't go off!! The idiots who made them must have mixed the chemicals wrongly, so when they set them off only the the detonators went off. So tonight we all breathe a sigh of relief - several hundred more innocent people nearly died today.

Otherwise Ing and I are going well - the weather here at the moment is awesome. 25deg days with perfect clear skies. Who would have thought raining old England could be like the Gold Coast for weeks on end!

we're both fully consumed with work and both of us can't wait to take our first weekend away. I get paid (finally) on the 5th August, so we're thinking of a long-weekend in Paris on the Eurostar. Apparently you board at Waterloo (centre of London) with your suitcase and passport, and 2.5hrs (and several beers) later you get off the train in the centre of Paris! Beats flying - it'd take over an hour just to get the tube out to Heathrow, then you've gotta get from the Paris airport into town once you're there.
Anyway, there's sooooo many deals and offers around at the moment that we really can pick and choose where we take a weekend away. Once the money starts to flow we'd like to take a trip once a month, but that might be harder to do during winter so we'd better make the most of this weather.

Besides we're planning on coming home for a month in October/November. We've got Matt/Anita's wedding on the 15th Oct, and Dan/Dave's wedding on the 12th Nov. So that leaves nearly 4 whole weeks in which to travel around Australia and see all of our family and friends. If we get time we might even sneak in some time at a resort :-)

Anyway Ing is preparing a beautiful dinner of skate and steamed veges, so I'd better clear the table.

Hope everybody is going well, and thanks for all your emails over the past few weeks.

Dean XO

It’s NOT the same but it’s the same!

As I do our weekly Tesco’s grocery shopping….online, I’m constantly reminded that products seem to be the same…but they’re not the same! It was taking me hours to decide on what brands to buy. You underestimate the convenience of familiarity. Andrex toilet paper has a cuddly looking dog on the packaging…could it be Kleenex? Is it the same? Sure deodorant has a big tick on it….could it be our favorite trusty Rexona in disguise? Cif is Jif! Rice Bubbles are Rice Krispies in identical packaging. Those uber-cool Nudie fruit drinks….are called Innocent here. Here I was thinking Nudie was an original idea! Not so ‘innocent’ after all! This phenomenon is not just in the supermarkets!

Recently, while flicking thru still unfamiliar TV channels I stumbled across a show called Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned!....it was basically 2 guys sitting on the couch taking questions from a small audience…..sound familiar…..or should I same ‘the same’?? Merrick and Rosso are faking it! The BBC Newsroom has SBS Lee Lin Chin’s twin sister reading the news every morning and gay guys feature in home renovation competitions!

On the road…the cars are the same, but take a closer look and you’ll find the shiny badge reveals a different name…Holden is Vauxhall…a Ute is a Cab…and a shaggin’wagon is an estate!

Thongs are flip-flops, Zucchini’s are Corgettes and the most well known it’s NOT the same but it’s the same…..Soccer is Football!

Though we all started from the same place, and our places have the same names….I can confidently say that England is not the same...

Ing. X

Yawn.....Don't you love lazy Sunday mornings!

Well it's Sunday morning and our household is starting to stir.....mind you though I've been up for a few hours now. It's the girls (Ingrid and Nicole) who have decided to let the doona monster get the better of them until lunchtime :-)

I thought I'd take the quiet time to learn how to post piccies up to this blog. A picture speaks a thousand words, and there's not much point explaining what London looks like when we can just show you :-)

A few weeks ago we went to the Borough Markets just near London Bridge and Shakespeare's old Globe theatre. For those who know Cairns, they were like Rusty's markets, but somehow a whole lot classier :-)

Here's Dan, Kirsty and Ingy just after we arrived on the tube...

Here's Kirsty drooling over the fantastic strawberries that are in season at the moment.

Eating these was the first time I finally understood why people rave about strawberries - they were abosutely juicy, sweet and delicious. Australian strawberries (the ones I've had anyway) just don't compare!



And check out this fish monger - so many varieties from the cold Atlantic Ocean that I've never seen before....

And this table of cocoa coated chocolate truffles had everyone in a drooling lather!

And finally here's a shot of Ingy on the tube on the way home :-)

Anyway, so that was our trip to the Borough Markets. We've all made each other a promise that one day soon we'll host a dinner party for all our new friends here where everything has to be bought fresh from the Borough Markets. It wont be cheap, but by god it will be fantastic!!

Bye for now.

D.x.

No 11 Cannon St

Yippee – we’re here in such a wonderful place – I’d forgotten just how good London can be! Looking back on the last 2 times I’ve been here I’ve seen more of London in the last 3 weeks than I did in 12 months! It’s not for trying – it’s been more of a case of stumbling across things! Although yesterday we did the touristy thing and spent the day on an open top double Decker bus….following ‘red’ and ‘blue’ routes to see the ‘must see’ parts of London. We did it with our good friends Dan and Kristy…also new to London. Why I didn’t do this the first time I came to London I don’t know!

Even though a relaxing bus trip with someone else tackling the crazy London traffic is a great way to sight-see, I get more satisfaction out of just happening to ‘find’ things!. On my first day in London, Dean had started his course in Chertsey and I was tasked with finding the ITG office, introducing myself as ‘Dean’s wife’ and getting started on online accommodation hunting. After catching my first Tube in from Barrons Court with Jen, emerging from the depths of the Underground I found myself on Cannon St – ‘this is pretty good!... I know London’! ITG was on Cannon St……number 11 Cannon St! So off I trekked. Though on a mission, I managed to take a few diversions along the way – up Bow St to get a coffee and in to Boots….just because I needed a Boots fix….and I was early – I didn’t want to arrive too soon! Even though it was just an office to use internet and the phone – I felt like I was starting a new job! Half of me didn’t want to be late and the other half was thinking they don’t even know I’m coming – I’ll go shopping in the House of Fraser I just passed instead! Freezing, yet focused (I had a coffee in my hand)…I continued down Cannon Street, looking for No. 11. Once at 25 Cannon St my coffee was cold, my toes were numb and I yearned to be inside!....it was freezing! I wasn’t dressed for such cold weather – all our warm stuff was sitting in suitcases at Heathrow cargo terminal waiting to be cleared! 11 Cannon St was not far now……after passing 25 Cannon St I found an old church-yard looking place….with an even bigger place next to it. Surely ITG didn’t have their offices here. Across the road was No. 10 Cannon St – a massive palatial looking officer tower….reconfirming that ITG was in the right area for business…..no. 11 must be just passed this old church. So off I traipsed…..looking for nothing but number 11 Cannon St!.......but came to a junction after the church and the end of Cannon St! I walked back passed the old church – thinking maybe that church building was No. 11 – perhaps it’s been ‘converted’ to offices. The English love conversions! Looking for a number, I found a sign on the side of the building ’St Paul’s Churchyard’….no number! Mmmmmm….could this be THE St Pauls Cathedral?.....ITG had managed to snap up some amazing office space if they were in there! I’d never been to St Pauls before – I think I saw it in the dark the night before Princess Diana’s funeral, but this was the first time I’d really ‘seen’ it. Wow – I’m in London and I’m traipsing around St Paul’s looking for ITG! It’s amazing to stumble across something so old and historical……this is where…….?????????
Obviously I didn’t check the address of the ITG office – I just had it in my mind that it was 11 Cannon St!....I had no doubts about it – this was the address. As it turns out, ITG are located at 78 Cannon St…on Level 11! Way back at Boots! I’m so glad I went looking for number 11 Cannon St though – seeing St Pauls was a great start to my London adventure! Mind you…I didn’t go in – they were charging £8!! That’s …ah…AUD21……oh my ‘god’........

Ingrid "Got my A-Z now" Robertson

Please sir….. may I have some more!

‘Please sir….. may I have some more!’ ….a famous line from Oliver Twist!...probably made more famous by the movie…but none the less, from Charles Dickens’ pen. Just one small observation I’d like to comment on….. Charles Dickens was obviously not living in an age of Tesco Metro and Waitrose Canary Wharf! This place is full of food! It’s all easy to prepare and relatively cheap! There’s a Sainsbury’s on just about every corner and if that’s too hard to get to, the streets are full of trucks delivering online shopping orders!

The English have obviously come a long way since the days of ‘gruel’ and stale bread…and more recently ‘beans on toast’! If you are looking to buy shares and you are struggling to find an industry that’s flourishing…..‘look at me’…I’ve got one word for you ….PACKAGING! You can’t even buy a banana that hasn’t undergone some sort of packaging! Archaeologists in 200 years time are going to come across towns and cities build on massive pits of plastic landfill!

As Dean has said a few times…..he’ll never starve if I went on holidays (cool – where do I book!). It’s a ‘non-cookers’ dream here. The prepackaged food is many and varied…and much to my surprise, it taste’s pretty good! The quality has improved three-fold since I was here five years ago. Feel like Chicken Casserole? No worries – 30 mins in the oven and it’s done without even lifting a knife…..except to cut the 3rd layer of plastic packaging off! Our Furi knives have been busy!

Last night on the menu (bought in about 10 mins from Waitrose and prepared in about 5 mins and cooked for 1/2hr).

Soup: Carrot & parsnip with sweet potato, ginger and garlic (8.5/10 – would struggle to make it better myself…£1.80. Came in a plastic tub)

Main: Beef Lasagne topped with creamy bechamel and grated Grana Padano cheese, served with a pre-packed herb salad of green oak leaf collorosso, roquette, coriander, flat leaf parsley and chervil!...topped off with pre-packed white cup mushrooms grown on the Waitrose farm in Leckford, Hampshire and pre-packed British Cherry (vine ripened – that’s all you can get here….bugger!..;-) tomatoes and Brue valley vintage cheddar ‘hand made on the farm’……that’s your standard coon cheese! (8/10 – wouldn’t make this myself and I’m now game enough to eat pre-packed lasagne….it’s 10 times better than the ‘hospital grade’ packs at home. £7 and we have leftovers for lunch)

Dessert: nil……we couldn’t be bothered carrying it home….oh to have a car in the car park!

All this and we own a small saucepan and a frypan….and our three treasured Furi knives brought all the way from Australia…..to open packaging!

Who said the English have closed minds to food and only eat beans with bacon & beans with bangers’n’mash & beans with scotch eggs!...Mmmmmm – I think that was me?! Woops – things have changed!...and much to my surprise I’m the one saying…’Please sir…..may I have some more!’…London is a foodie’s paradise!

By
Ingrid "I love being a foodie" Robertson

Phew...what a few weeks!

Hi all,

Well we're online at home!!! FINALLY! Sheesh....it's been a long 6 weeks not having any form of email/web contact with back home. Mum's been bugging us for weeks for updates to this blog, so here it is!

By the way, after I've explained the past few weeks, I'll post up two blog entries that Ingrid wrote the first week we were in our unit, so keep reading.

I'll start by saying that we really are loving it here :-) We feel like we've made a good decision to move our life & careers here, and although we've left our great friends & lifestyle behind we know the next few years will have a lasting positive effect on the rest of our lives. We've only been here 6 weeks but it feels like an eternity since we left home - we've had so many experiences that we've almost had sensory overload. We're starting to get into a normal "get up and go to work" routine, but every now and then we'll catch a tube somewhere cool (like Buckinghuge Palace, or Camden Markets), or walk past some 800 year old building and it keeps reminding us where we are :-)

My work is going great-guns. I've added an entire page to my CV in less than a month, and it keeps getting better everyday as my confidence grows. I'm using software technology that I only dreamed of getting exposure to in Oz, and I'm already so excited about my career prospects when we get back home. I've gotta support a family remember!! :-)

Ing has been doing short-term work in the HR department of a company called Motability (they provide cars/scooters for people with disabilities), and as you'd expect they've all fallen completely in love with her! Her contract was up recently and in order to keep her they've offered her a better role with a lot more responsiblity and pay! I'll let her provide the details, but it's a credit to her and completely expected - everyone loves her!

The weather here on the weekend was 33 degrees!! What the hell us up with that!!! WE'RE IN ENGLAND!!! I really enjoy cooler weather because I'm so warm-bodied (sweat at the drop of a hat), but I feel like we're back in Queensland during summer! I walk 10 mins to the train every morning in a suit, and it's hell. Bring on the winter I say.

Today was also the summer solstice (longest day in the year), which means from now on the days will be getting shorter until the winter solstice. At the moment the sun is up at 3:45am and doesn't go down until 9:30pm, so it makes easy walks home from shopping in broad daylight. But the reverse is true in winter - apparantly the sun doesn't come up until 8am and goes back down after 4pm. If I didn't have a window seat at work I wouldn't see the sun at all during the week!

Last weekend we also lashed out and bought ourselves a TV. Alas it' not the 42" flat-screen widescreen I was eying off. It's a normal 21" "yumcha" brand that actually cost less than we'd agreed to spend. We've also subscribed to a combined ADSL/CableTV service called HomeChoice that gives us a 1MB ADSL internet connection and 40+ channels (including Discovery). The absolute best feature is Video-on-Demand though - the entire series of Friends, Simpsons, Everything about Raymond etc is available to watch on-demand. Just like having a DVD collection for free :-)

And finally the travel options from England into Europe are mind-boggling. I only get paid monthy so we're still living week-to-week on Ings pay for another month. But once we've got some spare cash we'll toss a coin and head somewhere for the weekend. At the moment they're advertising 3 nights + return Eurostar (bullet train) travel to Paris/Belgium/Amsterdam for less than a day's pay :-)
When the pressure is off at work and we've got some spare pounds in the bank WE'RE OFF BABY!!

Anyway I better get going. Hopefully we'll be a little more frequent with our updates from now on.

Deano XOX

PS By the way, we've got a webcam now, so if you do too then contact us on MSN Messenger (deanrobertson@hotmail.com) and we can have a real-time video chat :-)

PPS We've got a spare bedroom in our unit, so if anyone ever wants to visit us (or England :-) then please come and stay. Hotel prices in London will send you broke before the first week, so make sure you make a booking with us (spaces are filling up fast - Nicole arrives tomorrow!)