Classic Gag!

Aaron and Sue arrived last night, and instead of resting, we decided to go out and meet our friend Sophia for dinner at a Kensington pub. Sophia had given us a call on the train a little earlier to check where we were up to, and I told her we were just a couple of minutes away. Fine, she said, I'll meet you outside Earls Court Station. Fine, I said.

So we got there, a few minutes later than expected, and I saw Sophia waiting at the entrance to the station looking out onto the street. She hadn't seen me yet, so I decided to do that classic Stand-Really-Close-To-Someone-Until-They-Notice-You gag. I often find that's the perfect way to start an evening, and it worked like a charm this time too, because Aaron was standing on the other side of her making it ultra-uncomfortable. The only thing that spoiled it was that Sophia hadn't arrived yet, and this particular girl didn't see the funny side of the gag.

About Leicester Square Bars, and Not Liking Them

Last night we went out with Shelley's work friends to 'celebrate' the end of term in Leicester Square. I put celebrate in inverted commas because there isn't much fun about going to a packed bar in Leicester Square on a Friday night. Maybe it's just me.

For a start, it's so packed and loud that the bar wenches (and they are wenches), instead of saying 'excuse me', simply push you in the back when they want to get by. It didn't make me feel like I belonged.

Secondly, £4 beers just aren't for me. At least, not too many of them are for me.

And lastly, I'm not too good at having conversations in those environments. My voice is too low a frequency to be heard above background noise, and I really can't hear what anyone else is saying (I think the amount of hair insulating my ears contributes to this). One girl who was going to visit Australia later in the year commented that "the jet lag will be bad"; "Mmmm," I responded knowingly, "January is hot". Another guy was showing off pictures on his phone of him with famous people (Mike Tyson was among them), and asked, "Have you seen the movie 'Snatch'?" "You've got a picture with Slash!?" I exclaimed. He looked at me like I was an idiot.

On the way back to the station an old lady shoulder barged Shelley, and then began whining loudly about how much Shelley had hurt her, as if we were going to cave in and make an out-of-court settlement with her. Silly people; silly Leicester Square.

ARRIVING IN LONDON

Finally, after several years of planing and preparation, we have achieved our goal and have landed in a surprisingly sunny London. Wearing Tee-shirts in the sunshine at 8pm was an experience that I didn’t expect so soon after my arrival in the UK- it was, however short lived. Friday I went out completely underdressed. I am still recovering from my near-fatal mistake. I understand now why Britain is a tea drinking nation. It is both tasty, and toasty.

Usually, people describe London as ‘grey’, but after a very brown drive to the Brisbane Airport (and given the fact that it is spring over here), I am completely delighted by the vibrant colours- the greens are amazing, and the gardens are so colourful- Anne and Fred have beautiful Tulips, Bluebells, and Apple blossoms in their garden. Julian and I were very impressed by squirrels frolicking in the back garden- that is, until we found out they were an aggressive imported species, who virtually wiped out the native variety. They are still cute though.

London Transport is expensive, but efficient (so far). It is so easy to get anywhere, from anywhere. The tubes are frequent and it is so easy to switch and change directions to get to where you need to go. I feel very confident in my ability to get places here. The Tube stations are a constant reminder of the ‘threat of terror’ however… every 2-3 minutes, a booming voice descends from the speakers “SECURITY ALERT, SECURITY ALERT.” (at this stage, you begin to feel alarmed). “Please ensure you have your baggage with you at all times, and report any suspicious behaviour”. Phew, we live to see another day.