Beata's Birthday

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Not too much has been happening here. We’ve done a little bit of local sightseeing, but other than that I’ve been feeling pretty sick. I’ve come down with a nasty cold - hopefully I’ll be feeling a bit better soon!

Monday was Beata’s Birthday so we headed into town so that I could try to an open a bank account (unsuccessfully) and for Beata to try and find out what’s happening with her bank account (also unsuccessfully!). On the plus side, we did manage to find out way to Piccadilly Circus, navigating the public transport system all on our own without the assistance of our guides Kath and Graham.

After our disappointing encounters at the bank (and only getting slightly lost - we couldn’t find the bank branch we were specifically looking for) we made our way back to London Bridge to meet up with Kath and Graham. We enjoyed some lunch in a pub (the Horniman at Hayes)with a view of the Thames and then as per Beata’s birthday request we went for a tour in the London Dungeon.

The London Dungeon was… interesting. Very dark, kinda smelly… not quite as scary as they make out they are! The London Dungeon attempts to recreate various historical events with exhibits based on the Great Fire of London, Jack the Ripper, torture techniques and the Great Plague. It had a bizarre maze of mirrors which was highly freaky - impossible to navigate your way with so many people wandering about in there. The London Dungeon also had a boat ride in the dark which scared Beata - I just kept waiting for things to jump out at me!

That night I also caught up for dinner with some of the guys that I did social work with at Sydney Uni. The whole crew was there (Bec, Ben, Monique, Ed & Matt) and I was excited to hear that Bek Rurich will also be coming over in June. (That only leaves you Heli… thinking about making a trip??). It was great to catch up and have a bit of a chat about the social work scene in the UK.

Here are some photos of our place in Sydenham so you can see what my new neighbourhood is like!

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Photos

Horniman at Hayes
Beata and myself at her birthday lunch

My New Home
We live upstairs

Local Neighbourhood
Walking down to the shops on a beautiful spring day!