My life in the UK . . . .

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I know, I'm sorry I am incredibly slack!!

My first few weeks here were quite hard because I was watching my money supplies dwindle, the news announcing night after night that another company has gone bankrupt and made thousands of people jobless and competing with everyone else for any kind of work. Typical, I arrive and the country decides to go into a recession!! But it hasn't been all bad, I found a place to stay very easily with a mate and everyone has looked after me here.

My first weekend here my housemate took me to Church . . . not that type of church. This is a pub that is only open for about 4 hours a week, you can only by drinks in lots of 3 and you get them in a little plastic bag that you can tie to your waist. You can see where this is leading. Yep, to lots of drunkeness and debauchery. The place has a few strippers, comedians and sometimes band and all the guys aim to get all the girls to take their tops off, hence why their are all invited onto the stage at the end of the day.

I haven't done a lot of sight seeing in London, mainly because of been here before and it's bloody cold!! This december had the coldest average temperature in 30 years - just my luck!! I did take a few typical London photos when I went into town for job interviews and now I work in the area. My building is right beside MI5, across the river from MI6 (James Bond) and view includes River Thames, west London, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Lambeth Palace and Vauxhall Bridge just to start with. I'm told on a clear day that you can even see Wembley stadium!!

I've been up to Scotland for a few days (and going up again soon!). Met up with my school friend Jimi and we bummed around the old town, which looks like you could be a few hundred years in the past. We visited the Castle and walked around until it became too cold and we hibernated in a pub. When we were feeling a little warmer (and a little boozed) we joined a ghost tour where they tried to bury me in a coffin! And scared ourselves silly in the haunted underground vaults. I also stayed a mates place in Pitlochry in a mini castle, well it was like a mini castle for me!! I didn't get any photos but I will next time!!

I also did a day trip to Brighton, which would be very popular in the summer. It has a massive pier with an amusement centre, a roller coaster and a few other rides/attractions. We braved the weather and play putt putt outside and then had to hibernate in another pub before losing our fingers to frostbite.

After this all I could do was keep looking for work. I spent a few miserable weeks job searching and trying to survive the cold. A few friends shouted me to the Wallabies V Barbarians at Wembley stadium which we won! They also took me to a "taste of christmas" which was a food festival put on by Gordon Ramsay and we got to see him film a cooking show (I went just for you Laurie!) I went with my friend Taryn to see Rain Man at the theatre and Josh Hartnet was starring in it! My next plan is to go see Oliver starring Rown Atkinson - I'll keep you posted.

Life in London is pretty much like life in Brisbane, you work and go to the pub you just have access to a few more nationalities, historical monuments and rainy, gloomy cold weather (at the moment anyway). The good thing is the accessibility to everything and now that I'm working I plan to cram in as much as I can.

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Photos

Weird vending machines
Blow up sheep anyone?

My little house
Eric is trying to lock me out!!

Let's celebrate boys!!
I was so close!