De-cluttering and Getting Kitted out

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
So that was 2009 then, quite a busy year for us all told, we will probably look back on it when we are old and grey and say it was the year that shaped and changed our lives forever. 2009 was Of course the year we got married, went through (as did many many people) a very tricky time financially, and made the decision to up sticks and re-locate to Australia. Apart from getting married, the best moment of the year for me was hearing the Christmas chart rundown, and hearing Rage Against The Machine had beaten the X-Factor to number one. A triumph for proper music fans everywhere, and proving what I have known for a long time, that if people stick together and work together then they can win the un-winable, climb the unclimb-able and beat anyone no matter how seemingly big or important they are. (Petroplus maintenance team please take note)
We have started the long long process of de-cluttering our house and selling literally everything we own. It's a very hard process, as we have both picked up so many sentimental gifts, and treasured objects. I'm leaving only my golf clubs, CD collection and probably a cardboard box of sentimental things to ship to Australia once we eventually settle down. I'm being as ruthless as I can, if something costs more to ship than it does to replace, then it goes.
Some Stuff I am keeping

A platinum disc of Jeff Buckley's "Grace" album

An original Karl Pilkington Illustration from his book Karlology

Several canvas paintings of some of my favourite album artwork

Some stuff I am selling

A minature Marshall Amplifier

Both my guitars

Several Genuine African wood carvings

An actual Australian made Digeridoo...oh the irony!

We have also started kitting ourselves out, I now have a dazzling array of cigarette lighter chargers, plug adaptors and a very handy gorillagrip tripod for our cameras. We have bought new backpacks, my old Karrimor green one was well passed its best having been around the world several times, round most of Southern Africa, all over America, Canada, and lost at Dublin airport. We have also bought 2 Selk Bags Pictures to follow in the next blog entry!
I've been thinking a lot lately, about what things I will miss about England, there were surprisingly quite a few

Family & Friends - goes without saying really

Gigs - London is a great place for live music, The Union Chapel and Scala being my favourite venues.

Illegal downloading - ooohhh naughty I hear you cry, yes well, you say that but its not only about free music and killing the film industry. Personally I download a hell a lot of TV shows, and I just last night sat down and worked out that the new series of 24 will be on about episode 22 when we leave for Australia, it would be very handy to be able to download the crucial last 2 episodes. Yes I download the odd album illegally but if I like an album then I buy the CD. I prefer to support musicians by going to the live shows and paying to get in, because bands and artists earn much more from live shows than they do from record sales, as the record company takes most of the money from CD sales/Legal downloads.

Not needing a Sat Nav - It takes years and years to really get to know all the in's and outs and short cuts of a new place, I've lived in Southend 3 and a half years and still don't know parts of it, it will take quite some time to learn my way around a new city.

Standing in a wintery Covent Garden watching a busker do Swell Season, U2 and Bob Dylan covers - Yeah it was bloody cold yesterday, but there was a moment when I was standing there thinking, this is actually quite nice.

Using "i'm snowed in" as an excuse not to go to work

The chance to go to Glastonbury - As some of you will know I've always wanted to go, and never really managed it. Could have gone last year but Jay Z....really? My first trip back to england will be centred around getting to Worthy Farm and getting muddy!

Thats about all I have to say for now, this was only really meant as a test blog, for all you lovely subscribers, but I seem to have rambled a bit.

Our Farewell England party is at The Kursaal Function Room, Sat 24th April, Buffet courtesy of our Nectar points that really need using up, and music courtesy of several illegal downloads!!
See you there
Mark

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Comments

[Terry]

On being British
Was quite interesting, will your bride be blogging also? Almost makes me wish I was British... Then I'd know what you were talking about most of the time. Huggs

[Mark and Verlie]

Explanation
Hi Terry, Yes Verlie will be blogging, I have to show her how it all works first! If I can explain to you, at least the part in my blog about Rage against the machine..there was a huge internet campaign to stop the X factor (what you know as American Idol) being the christmas number one. The top of the charts at Christmas time is a very prestigious spot, and Mr Simon Cowell has come to believe that it his divine right to put whoever wins the x factor to the number one spot, its been the same syruppy soppy ballad year after year, this years meagre offering was a Hannah Montana song! Some real music fans got together and proposed anti capitalist anthem "killing in the name" by rage against the machine as a suitable alternative to Cowell's pop factory. Over 1 million people joined the facebook group, and the campaign was sucessful, so much so that Simon Cowell offered the organisers a job, suffice to say, they declined! It was a wonderful moment when the chart was announced and a great day for British music! Thanks for commenting we look forward to sharing our many travels with you! I will try to remember that I'm blogging worldwide, not just to Essex! If there is anything else I can explain, so that you can better enjoy our blogs, please let me know! Mark

[Victoria]

Downloading
See Andrew's rant about internet over here! http://www.thebigsleep.co.uk/2009/12/15/seo-ponderings-in-sydney-australia/ No chance you'll be downloading....well, anything! lol I know how it feels all too well to be where you pair are - who know you had so much actual STUFF!? Wishing you all the very best of luck with the coming months and the highs/lows...... and looking forward to meeting you down under at some point! x