Blogs from Acton, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

The plane races across the tarmac, swaying from side to side, my heart beat racing just as quickly, my eyes are wide and full of fright, wanting desperately to be shut firmly. My hands clutch my book which I had been enjoying moments before, now my knuckles turn white from the tension. The plane begins to lift and my stomach falls, a soft moan escapes my lips and I feel my body shudder. There are too many people on this plane, too many bags, too much weight. I am certain the plane will struggle to reach altitude and will plummet to the earth, a sickening scream as metal, fiberglass and fuel slices through the sky. The tears are silently falling down my face and I am able to force me eyes shut, though with every shudder ... read more

My life here is settled, and again I am to uproot everything. Ahhhh the excitement of uncertainty. Having no job, minimal funds, and heading off with no clear expectations, just the glint of adventure in your eye. Matas and I am leaving our cosy and secure life and heading to Andorra for the ski season. I will be there for 5 weeks and he, 4 months. I admit the thought of packing our lives, driving across 3 countries and shacking up in a studio apartment is incredibly romantic to me, that is until his entourage arrives early February, which conveniently is the time I leave. What to do then? Notions of travelling back through Paris and The Netherlands enthral me. But in actual fact, I will most likely head back to London so I can work ... read more

Dear All, We have been away for two weeks enjoying the hustle and bustle of European life. Our first stop was London and although we were tired after being on a 21 hour flight we knew we needed to get on th go and make the most of the day. Of course our first outing was to do a little shopping (Miss Bolding and Miss Barker - the two shopaholics, would be proud). Down Oxford Street and Regent St, taking in the sights. We met a lovely old fellow as we were coming out fo the train station on our first full day. We were heading to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. As we were getting our bearings on the map, he offered to take us through the park and show us ... read more

Hello Everyone! We know it's been a while since you've last heard from us, so here you go! The last two weeks have flown by. We have both started working. Craig with his catering and function work in 5* hotels, and Rachel has had a few days teaching already. On Monday the 13th of June we signed our tenancy agreement, and moved into our flat, which we share with 5 other people, in a building full of aussies! We can now say that we live in a mansion. If you would like to see our place, google Gunnersbury Park Mansions... you can also send any presents there! ;) we are the smaller mansion, not the museum one... obviously. Everyone here is really nice, and we have a temporary pet (until his owner comes back for him) ... read more

We're back home for a couple of days to sort stuff out before we leave. The flight was delayed from Mallorca, which meant that we missed the connecting easy bus from Gatwick, and didn't make it to Earls Court in time to catch the tube. Claire and I ended up tired, cold, and miserable, hanging out on the street in Earls Court at 2am waiting for a bloody night bus to come and take us home. We woke this morning with a hundred things to do, only to find an email informing us that our hostel in New York had been closed by the council and our booking was cancelled. Spent most of the morning trying to book somewhere that wasn't going to blow all of our saving in a single week. Finally found somewhere for ... read more

London is more than what you read in a travel guide, London is exciting, busy, wet, overcast and historically rich. The streets are overcrowded and if you attempt to catch a train in peak hour traffic...good luck! The London Tower is impressive and full of history. We spent hours wandering around the historic castle were the crown jewels are kept. On a guided tour from a ‘beefeater,’ I was intrigued to learn that the beefeaters are locked in the London Tower every night, I couldn’t think of anything worse than being locked inside the most haunted place in England. A place of execution, death, and imprisonment the London Tower is one place I would not want to be at night, it is defiantly an eerie place. ... read more

Birthdays should be celebrated, and celebrated well. Which is why I was not going to let a 14hour work day stand in my way. To backtrack ever so slightly I have been fortunate enough to find employment within Europe’s biggest premium spirits trader, so apart from the free gym and cheap cafe, I get fantastic perks whenever the company is launching or promoting one of their brands, which is often. With the goal to save as much as possible (to work as little as possible in the summer) I also work nights at a bar. A dingy establishment where locals stop to drink their life away. Filled with baby boomers and illegal immigrants (mostly Kiwi) the bar is quite the laugh. As a local bar filled with the same faces each week, I have managed to ... read more

Ugh... having a down point. I have limited friends, no job and not a whole lot of funds left. Part of me wants to take out a loan, travel for a few months and return to my fabulous life in Melbourne. Is this all because I am now out of my comfort zone? Am I homesick? Having a lack on employment is the major player here, an old work collegue gave me a worse than terrible reference, the owner of the company says he is looking into it, but I am not over confident. I can handle a bad reference, however the facts were all untrue, it was complete slander of my name within the professional community. What to do now? I feel lost, annoyed, lonley... this is not like me at all! I am usually ... read more