Despite having spent less than three weeks in London I can certainly appreciate why so many Australian’s travel to live and work in this great city. The city is so vibrant and the people friendly and seemingly optimistic about so many things. I guess the long summer of warm weather has contributed and of course England’s win in the Ashes Test series has played its part and of then again, winning the Olympic Games would no doubt add to this feeling so for an Australian in London, it’s a welcoming feeling. The economy appears (at least from an outsider’s view) [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well I’m back in London after my eight days in Ireland and it’s impossible to ignore the excitement of the fifth and final ashes test which has just ended in a draw and a series win to England. There appears to be nothing more annoying than a gloating English supporter and I’m going to lay low this evening. Ireland was great fun, however on reflection I should have spent a few more days there and headed up to Dublin or across to Cork for a night or two for something a little different than the west coast which is a little [View Full Entry]

---

---

Another morning at the keyboard as the rain comes down outside. There were plans of more golf today but its unlikely now. The forecast isn't good but I'll be leaving here tomorrow morning (on a 7am flight) back to London. I have one week back in Fulham courtesy of Dom and Amanda and then heading off to Seville in Spain. As many are aware the final Ashes test started yesterday but there isn't much cricket on the TV here in Ireland despite the fact that they have qualified for the next cricket world cup in the West Indies (something I wasn't [View Full Entry]

---

---

An afternoon’s golf in Ballybunion. Thursday 8th September. Spent the morning preparing for an afternoon’s golf at Ballybunion. I had not really intended playing any golf here, especially as I hadn’t hit a ball in anger for about three years but after enjoying hitting an hour of practice balls at the driving range I was inspired to take up cousin Paudie’s offer of a round of golf on the famous course. As mentioned in my first Irish entry, things are very expensive in Ireland and a round of golf would usually set you back €135 however, as my cousin is a [View Full Entry]

---

---

Friday 2nd September: Early start to catch the 850am flight from London Standsted to Ireland. The weather on arrival in Ireland was spectacular and I couldn't have asked for a nicer day. I'm currently staying in a town called Ballybunion in County Kerry, nestled on the Atlantic coast and probably most famous for its golf course, often rated in the top ten courses in the world. Amazingly Ballybunion golf course gets almost as many visitors per year as St Andrews in Scotland, I managed to catch a glimpse of the late afternoon sun behind what's known as the Castle Green, the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Fulham Thursday 1st September, woke up thinking it was only 4am, was in fact 7am and I was late for my early cappuccino at the Mimosa Street Starbucks. They truly do a very ordinary coffee but are a hotspot for free wireless internet access! Ordered a grande café latte and proceeded to write yesterday’s journal about our time at the Millennium Dome, I then scoured the smh.com.au to discover that John Brogden had attempted suicide so I quickly switched back to London time zone and started to think about the day ahead. Today (Thursday 1st September) is my last day in [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today was the hottest day I’ve experienced so far in London. I’m not sure what the maximum temperature was but it would certainly have compared nicely to any stinking hot Sydney summer day. Catching the tube was no fun today. It is hot enough on the coolest of days but with the simmering surface temperature I felt like a potato about to be roasted in a very hot oven. First stop today was Canary Wharf where myself and Bel (Andy Sanderson’s girlfriend) popped into Carluccio’s to break some bread (literally) and enjoy a hot beverage. For only 3 pounds you get [View Full Entry]

---

---

I’ve now moved on from my brother’s flat in Borough, to the other side of London. I’m now spending the week, courtesy of my friend Dom Tilden and his lovely girlfriend Amanda in the neighborhood of Fulham before flying over to Ireland on Friday (2nd September). They have gone to Majorca for a week and have left me in charge of things here. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to live in this lovely part of London. Fulham is very agreeable for many reasons. Firstly its an excellent place for food and drink, its close enough to town without being too close [View Full Entry]

---

---

Yesterday (Monday 29th August) I travelled north to the lovely, easy going county of Lincolnshire for a tour with former ASIC colleague Terry Quanborough. Terry and I were planning on spending the day at the Trent Bridge test match but unfortunately as most would be aware, it ended in a dramatic Australian loss to England on day four. However, I was not going to let that get in the way of a good holiday and with Terry's offer of a guided tour of his home county I headed to Grantham Town, Terry’s boyhood home. Terry met me at Grantham Station and [View Full Entry]

---

---

After a very wet morning at Canary Wharf the day ended on a dry note at Highbury read Chris' tour of Highbury when I went to watch Arsenal take on Fulham with my Aussie mate Dom Tilden and his fellow Fulham supporters Damien and David (lots of 'D's huh?). I left Borough on my way to Highbury, however my first task was to buy a water-proof jacket, which for some reason was one of the items culled from my luggage before leaving Australia.(“hmm, its never going to rain in London” could not [View Full Entry]

---

---