Well the last week and a half certainly haven't been as eventful as the first few weeks were. I have been working full time at schools all around Fulham. My permanent position is on a Wednesday and Thursday and I have been doing supply at various other schools Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. The school system over here is fantastic, I love it. The kids are super cute also which certainly helps. Even though it’s not the same, the cuddles I get from my reception (pre-primary) class on a Wednesday make up for the cuddles I’m missing from my girls back home! So everything work wise is certainly working out. I have also been in contact with a guy about working at some of the Olympic events over the summer so that would be great.
I’ve had a little bump in the road regarding my living situation though this week. Basically the lease is up (at the end of February) on the place I'm currently at and we just found out our current housemates we're looking at knew places and there wasn't going to be a room for us so Emma and I needed to start looking! Its quiet expensive the area we live but I love it. It's safe, lively and lots of fun. Finding a room proved challenging but it's all a part of the journey. We came across a place still in Fulham that is a little further from the tube, but I need the exercise and it’s really nice. Very open plan, the couch is huge for all of my visitors and the kitchen a dream! What would be our room is really big also which works out well for two of us. Although, Em and I work such different hours where never home at the same time so it's perfect! Only downside on this place was the bathroom being VERY SMALL and that we would have to sign the lease this week, which was a bit sooner than we had hoped. After discussing it with Em we decided it was too good to pass up, especially compared to some of the dumps we had seen. We told our current housemates who were surprised and have been a little difficult about the whole situation, but let's just say I'm certainly growing as a person over here and I don't just mean my waistline!
So our new place is exciting and we will move in over the next week! Our new house mates are an English guy and an Irish girl and they are both so nice... We are really lucky!
Booked my trip up to see Gilly and Al this week so I'll be heading up to Buxton on the 10th of Feb for a week which is very exciting, the English country side is meant to be breath taking.
I ventured off for a stroll down Portobello Road this weekend and it was perfect! The markets here are unlike any in Australia. They just go for miles and have everything - food, antiques, clothes and every other thing you can think of. It was just like the movies.
I got to catch up with a Uni friend from back home this week which was great to see a familiar face. We hit up a pub in Piccadilly Circus which was fun.
Em and I went down to Southbank on Sunday morning for a stroll along the river and some breakfast. Such a beautiful setting with the London Eye, Big Ben and Westminster all in the background! So much to see in London.
It's almost been a month since I moved here and London has certainly delivered the goods. Let's hope February will bring even better times and many more memories.
Missing everyone back home, yet not the place as yet.
Lots of love to you all for another week xxx
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Week 3...
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| Kitchen |
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| Where our knew house is on Fulham Palace Road, Extremely close to where Fulham FC plays! |
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| Lounge Room |
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| We even have a garden, well if you could call it that! |
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| Portobello Road Markets |
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| Coffee on the River Thames |
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| -1 degrees calls for ear muffs! |
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Week 2 of London life...
4th January - Today I woke to the perfect news that my brother and Tanya had got engaged
whilst away for Christmas in Vietnam! A perfect start to the morning really and everyone knows
I love a wedding!! After the excitement of that, i got organized for my day of meeting with the
agency I had signed up with whilst still in Perth! When I arrived in London I also registered my
interest with another agency here too and managed to score and meet and greet with them
today also. So I battled the tube alone and made my way out to Liverpool station. The agency
was great, so organised, informative and very interested in finding me work (they get commission
from the schools for it)! I met my consultant Davina who was lovely and pretty much assured me I
would have plenty of work which was encouraging! I then set back off on the tube for about 40
minutes in the opposite direction to meet with the second agency. They weren't as information but
will still hopefully find me work. I'm settled with two agencies for now and will see how I go with them
before I decide if I want to sign up with any more. I also opened a bank account today which which was
much easier than expected. After a long day of traveling it was off home for a quick change before heading
out to Jaimie Olivers "FIFTEEN" restaurant. The atmosphere was perfect, the service I couldn't fault (it was
great knowing they were troubled kids that had been given the opportunity to turn there life around and our
waitress was excellent, I told her so too!) And the food was as good as you can imagine. I had soup, pasta and
of course dessert (my favouirte)! We drank red wine and finished with a class of limocello. Definitely going back.
A great day! 5th January - Today we booked in to visit Madame Tussauds which was a must see for me! People had said its a
waste of ££ but I disagree! It is what it is and I was very impressed! Most wax figures looked very real, some not so
real, but over all the work behind them is incredible! Takes 140 hours just to put the hair on. We got to see the history
behind it all and learn about Madame Tussaud herself, which was pretty cool! We also saw a 4D show with spiderman
and hulk etc set using all the iconic London places and they made it interactive, things touched your feet and water
sprayed down etc which was also pretty cool. I then had to head to the payroll company that actually pays me! It's easier
to be paid through one of these as they work all your tax and that out for you. I get paid a little less that expected but
hey, I'm here to spend money, travel and have fun! Not to come out on top, as long as I can afford rent I'll be happy : )
our lease is up soon so hopefully i can stay with the same people in the same area, as its perfect and super safe! After
this we came home and I turned into a good little house wife! Did washing, swept and sorted out our cupboard space.
It was super cold today and I decided I needed a good home cooked meal as I hadnt had one yet and was craving lots of
veggies! So I whipped myself up some chicken, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini and capsicum and was very proud of my
efforts, considering I'm not really a cook... I'm learning! January 6th - Today saw us getting up super early to get organised for a big day tour to Windsor castle, Stonehenge and
Oxford! The sun was shining and the weather was very kind to us today. I didn't have any expect ions of what to expect
but was blown away. Windsor was pure breath taking! I can't get over how amazing it was. The china, decor and architecture
was beyond explaining! Windsor itself was a beautiful country town which we are going to go back for the weekend soon, as
apparently the pub life is great! Emma and I had a very 'OMG we're in England experiencing this' moment! I had such a good
sweet potato and goats cheese pie too... Healthy eating starts next week : )) Then an hour ride out to Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
The country side was beautiful just like the movies, as green as the eye could see with some sheep thrown in there.
The history of Stonehenge was impressive as we had an audio tour and I knew my brothers would have been proud I was very into
the history side and how it all came about! But at the end of the day it is a bunch of rocks so it was perfect that we weren't there
long : ) plus it got freezing out there! Then we were off to Oxford which after Windsor I didn't care if it was terrible my day was made
already! Oxford was great, as dumb as it sounds I didn't actually realize they were all little unis making up the whole Oxford university! The
buildings were beautiful, certainly no ECU joondalup, it inspired me to want to go study there! Our tour guy was a bit of a loser so Em
and I did our own thing... The highlight was the open campus and the gardens were impeccable. The icing on the cake was going
exploring to find my uncle Paul's old college, Magdalen! Very much made me smile, you couldn't wipe the smile off my face and was like
deja vu! Knowing he had studied there many moons ago and now having seen where it all happened was awsome! Had some photos
which I can send him and I think he will be proud! I found out it is one of, if not the best campus at Oxford which was pretty impressive!
Let's just say the tour was ££ well spent and we both had a ball! I Also got some great news today, I have a permanent position at a school
about ten minutes away on a Wednesday and Thursday which is great and will last all year, or as long as I want, and the position will be kept
while I'm away over summer! Apparently the person that left the position lacked enthusiasm so I've got plenty of that and if I hate it I can leave
when I want. I think it's a multicultural school, but let's face it every school in London is. The fact it's one tube stop away is perfect! Im also doing
relief at the same school in the pre primary on Monday and relief at a different school on Friday this week! So far only Tuesday off but that's
likely to change! All very exciting stuff to cap off my day. To celebrate we went down the road to a pub in Fulham for dinner and drinks.
Roast veggie salad with a side of bussed sprouts ( yes mum I ate Brussels sprouts)!! I have decided I need to drink vodka lime and soda here as
if I drink cider or wine ill be the size of a house, as people here drink all the time! Plus it's like £3 a glass which is like $5! January 7 - I had a great sleep today after such a big day yesterday. I walked Emma to work and then went and did some food shopping! I spent
about an hour just browsing and stocking up on things we needed. 2 huge and heavy bags later I was on my way home, walking of course which
was an effort and a half! The pantry and freezer are now stacked full of veggies and food for the week. The rest of the day I socked up some vitamin
d outside reading and then sorted some photos out. I stayed in tonight and cooked dinner again! I'll be Jaimie Oliver before you know it. I got to
Skype with my little girls and Lee-Anne today which put a huge smile on my face. They were almost as excited as I was and I now know they will not
forget me and plus they will love the parcels and postcards in the mail. January 8 - lots of Skype dates and emails this morning! I got to speak to Mum and Dad, Luke and Tanya, and Eden and Felicia so it was a great morning.
I then ventured out with my housemates Rosa and Andrea for brunch at the local cafe whilst we did some work and read the paper... What a life!
Gettingnervous about school tomorrow but I'm sure it will be great, I have per-primary students so im sure they will be super friendly. Another
quiet night tonight getting organised for school. Hope I sleep well! January 9 - my first day of teaching in London, how exiting, nerve racking and daunting! Off I went to the bus stop and made it to school well before
8. The staff were very friendly which made life a lot easier, the kids names not so easy! Think Aadya, Tanzilla, aleezah, rayan and safwaan! Let's
just say Chad and Daniel were my helpers for the day! The kids were great and super cute with there little British accents! I had two teaching
assistants which made life so much easier and an hour lunch break... Pretty cruisy really, although there was some challenging students so I earned
my wages! I'm back at the same school Wednesday and Thursday for what I thought was a permanent position but turns out its a trial for the position!
I've never had a trial for anything in my life so that's a little daunting. But hey if I don't get it there will be other jobs around! After a hard days work
Emma and I went to he pub for a drink as you do and headed home to a beautiful dinner she had made me... My turn tomorrow. We booked Dublin for
St Patricks Day tonight so that is super exciting and will be so much fun! Another tick off the bucket list! Also contemplating Gallipoli for Easter but
need to research it further! January 10 - So what I thought was going to be a nice day off as I didn't have any work, soon changed when I got a call at 8.30 calling me into a school.
So a quick change and half an hour in transit and I was at St Stephens Catholic Primary school. A very nice school and the kids where well trained. Not
so strange names today, rufus and aqua were as crazy as they got. I had them for PE Computing and music, three of the toughest subjects a relief teacher
can take, but they were actually pretty good and the yoga I did with them in PE highly benefitted myself so everyone won : )) they wated me back
tomorrow but I'm already booked, hard being so popular Haha, I won't be saying that when there's no work next week! Tonight was my turn to cook and
I made a lamb curry! Pretty good by all accounts!! Things I've realised about London - you can take your dogs into the pub. Like its what people do which is a little strange. Everyone litters here as there
are few bins and even fewer public toilets, so every pub or cafe you go to, a toilet stop is a must! The public toilets that are here you need to pay for,
but they are hard to find! It's normal to walk your dogs super late at night and drinking on the street, tube or in the park is common here! Week two sees me fall in love with this city a little more. I miss the people at home, but not so much the place just yet! Looking forward to what
the next week brings me at school and hopefully booking a week trip to spend with Shayna skiing in France! The blogs from now of will be short and sweet as unfortunately I have to work and thats a little boring, but don't worry there will still be one no
matter what! Until next time xxx
Week 2 Photos...
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| Golden Globe |
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| Drew |
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| Helen |
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| Britney |
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| Add caption |
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| Audrey |
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| Dessert @ Fifteen - Jaime Oliver |
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| A lovely glass of red @ Fifteen - Jaime Oliver |
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| Windsor Castle |
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| Windsor Castle |
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| Windsor Castle |
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| Windsor Castle |
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| Stonehenge |
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| Magdalen College @ Oxford |
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| Magdalen College @ Oxford |
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| Roadtrip |
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| Windsor Castle |
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| Me and Miley |
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| Obama |
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| Oxford by Night |
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| Oxford Gardens |
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| Oxford |
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| Oxford |
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| Roof @ Windsor Castle |
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| Stonehenge |
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| Waterloo Chamber @ Windsor Castle |
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| Windsor Castle |
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| Windsor Castle |
Saturday, 7 January 2012
And so it begins...
27th December - After the perfect Christmas, many sad goodbyes, lots of tears and the stress of packing at the last minute (32kgs later, plus at least 10kgs in my hand luggage), my adventure around the world had begun. The 10 hour flight to Dubai was surprisingly bearable, all be it after a Valium and little sleep for the past two days. I slept most of the way which was great. Wasn't in Dubai long before boarding my flight to London. This flight was OK, didn't sleep although watched lots of TV. Finally after 22hours I touched down at Heathrow. Stepping off the plane, I took a deep breath and savoured the moment for a minute, the cold air hit me and I knew I was in London...My new home for the next year or so. I was met by Emma and Tim and what a reunion it was! After five months away it was so good to see her, she even made a sign for me. We then ventured on the tube to my new home in Parsons Green. It is a beautiful little suburb right next to Fulham and down the road from Chelsea and Wimbledon. Lots of famous soccer players and even actors live around here. My first day and i was met with a Maserati and Lamborghini parked down the road. People have lost of ££ around here! My flat is nice, the worst in the area yet still comfortable. 4 bedrooms, extremely small bathroom, a toilet which you pull the chain to flush and a nice little kitchen. I have 2 Italian housemates, Andrea and Rosa and an Australian Tom, whom are all lovely and very easy to live with. Emma and I share a room. We had welcoming drinks upon my arrival and i went to bed about midnight. The 8 hour time difference is a pain at times.
28th December - My first day in London was very cruisy. after a skype date with mum and dad we ventured (on a Double Decker red bus ofcourse: )) down to one of the local shopping centres called Wandsworth (its a bit like Belmont only better)! I brought my quilt, pillows and all that boring stuff that I needed. We we got home and i tried to make my room as homely as possible and i think I've done a pretty good job. Emma then had to go to work. She works at a local bar called the Fulham Mitre, which is renowned in the area (Pat Cash is a frequent visitor there)! Tim and I walked her to walk and then went and had Cocktails at Elk bar. Very nice bar with beautiful red decor and even better that they do two for one cocktails and £2.95 Mojitos on a Thursday. We then had dinner at Emma's pub which was lovely, i had a great night!
29th December - Day two in London saw me again rise and shine at 5am. A few tears were had today as it was all starting to catch up with me. After the tears we went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Hyde Park itself was mesmerising but Winter Wonderland was incredible. Its like the royal show only 100000 times better. Lots of great food, mulled wine, nifty gift stalls, rides and even an ice skating rink. I was VERY impressed and began to realise that London certainly is for me. We then came home and i burnt out. Slept from about 2pm to 5am the next morning. Emma had to take Tim to the airport, whilst i was sleeping as he flew back to Australia.
30th December - After my much needed sleep, I woke up today feeling not so great and unfortunately more tears where had. It finally hit me that i had left my Perth life behind and moved to London. A bit scary really, seeing as though Ive never lived out of home, let alone in a country a million miles away. After a good skype with mum and cuddles with Em, i felt a lot better. Never have i thought I'm not doing the right thing, as i know i so am, i just got a little homesick that's all. Nothing better than some retail therapy to make me happy. Em and I hit the tube and made our way to Oxford Circus (the centre of London) which had some great shops. I was introduced to the world of Primark, H & M, Zara and so much more! I was a little overwhelmed and didn't buy a lot. Just took it all in and brought some gifts to send home. We also went to M&M world which i felt like a kid in a candy store, actually i really was a kid in a candy store it was great! Very much though of the Forrestfield Amcal girls here as im sure we have shares in the place! Then on the way home we decided to hit HARRODS and boy was that a great decision. It was incredible, completely blew my expectations and is beyond amazing. Levels and Levels of food, gifts, clothes and everything in between. Even a pet shop and salon. The toilets where even perfect!! My shitty start to the day had definitely improved a hundred times over. As Emma had the night off which was unusual for a Friday, we hit the town in Soho for some cocktails...Perfect end to the day.
31st of December - New Years Eve...As all my friends were heading off to Perth cup back home i slept in and then ventured down to do some food shopping whilst Emma went to work. I seem to be spending all of my money on food, surprise surprise. I certainly appreciate Mum and Dad even more now! Especially when i had to hand over £400 for rent! Living at home is the best, yet we all have to leave someday : ) I was back in time to ring in the Perth new year by Skyping Mum and then Penni and Qui which was perfect. I also got to speak to Eden, Jarrad and Felicia back home today and emails with Lisa in NYC, which was lovely. I then got organised and packed some snacks for our night. We had decided we would head to the London Eye and watch the fireworks with 250,000 other people. We went with Emma's friend Ben who was great and is going to take me Celeb spotting (pays to have friends in all the right places)! Lets just say tonight was a once in a life time experience which i will never forget. Watching the fireworks, surrounded by so many people, drinking champagne on the Embankment of the River Thames, with the London Skyline in the background, it couldn't get much better than this. It was the Best New Years ever. Getting home was an effort as you can imagine, with all those people trying to get on tubes but after an hour or so we made it through the door and i was still smiling from ear to ear. I made the best decision in coming for New Years!
1st January 2012 - New Years Day we woke to find people facebooking both Emma and I saying we had made the channel 7 news back home. HILARIOUS. After being in London for less than a week and I had already made the news. After awhile Emma's sister sent us the Link so we could watch it. Thank god they didn't play the bit where i was speaking. I rambled some shit, as i was a little star struck, lucky Ben knew all the right things to say. For those who haven't seen my 2 seconds of fame (literally) you can watch it here http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/video/perth/-/watch/27752957
After the excitement of the morning Em and I ventured out to Camden Markets, which probably wasn't the best decision as it was an extremely wet and windy day, but hey we are in London. The markets were very cool. Looks of quirky stalls, great Indian food which they all give you samples, to try and rope you in and just walking around was perfect. I brought some boots for myself as we literally walk everywhere here and my boots from home are very worn out. My legs also don't know whats hit them. After Camden we had an early night. Still getting used to the fact it is pitch black at 4pm!
2nd January - Woke up to the sun shining today which was beautiful. The agenda called for Buckingham Palace. So off we went taking the tube out to Green Park. Clearly many other people had thought Buckingham Palace was the place to be today as well. It was packed! But hey, after new years we can handle any crowd! We were just in time to watch the changing of the guard ceremony which was great to see. The palace itself is spectacular, the buildings all over London are just beautiful and so historical. Then it was off into Piccadilly ( I love all the monopoly names) to Fortnum and Mason. A place mum had recommended we go. How right she was! Its basically 4 stories of food (a restaurant on each level plus cakes and other food), gifts, jewellery and everything else in between. We could have spent all day in there and lots more £££, but i had to show some restraint. We did however, eat Eggs Benedict on the first level along with a pot of beautiful tea which came in a solid putter tea pot i could barley lift, a scone and macaroon on the second level and took home an antipasto plate from the ground floor. I'm slowly eating my way around London. I cant wait to take Mum back there when she visits. Its my new favourite and helps that's it also the same colour as Tiffany's. This evening Emma went to the gym (bless her) and i started sorting out my millions of photos i have already taken. Although unfortunately somehow on New Year's Eve the screen on my camera broke and am now down to an Iphone camera until i start working, then ill buy a new one.
3rd January - I have officially been in London for a week now : ) We had planned to do Abbey Road today but unfortunately as it often happens in London the weather had other ideas. Extremely cold and miserable today, the wind is the worse though and its not like home where you can jump in your car to escape it. So instead we went to the post office so i could post some things home and the man gave me a box of chocolates (he must have known it was my 1 week anniversary). He is a regular at Emma's pub, but a good man to make friends with, as sending parcels isn't the cheapest thing in the world. Then we went on the tube to suss out where i had to go for my meeting with the agency tomorrow. It was a good idea at the time and made it easier as i knew where i was going, but lets just say after two broken umbrellas (the bloody wind) and very wet feet, it was so nice to get home to a warm shower. Emma went off to work and i followed. Going to the pub every night is the thing to do in London so I'm learning. I sat there and wrote in my travel journal, drinking £1.95 Aspall ciders, living the dream really. I met Emma's friend Claire who is also a school teacher for dinner and then walked home for an early night.
Week 1 was a blast. Certainly loving life and have already had some of the best experiences ever. Started off rocky but that was inevitable. Stay tuned for next weeks adventure, lots of love xxx
28th December - My first day in London was very cruisy. after a skype date with mum and dad we ventured (on a Double Decker red bus ofcourse: )) down to one of the local shopping centres called Wandsworth (its a bit like Belmont only better)! I brought my quilt, pillows and all that boring stuff that I needed. We we got home and i tried to make my room as homely as possible and i think I've done a pretty good job. Emma then had to go to work. She works at a local bar called the Fulham Mitre, which is renowned in the area (Pat Cash is a frequent visitor there)! Tim and I walked her to walk and then went and had Cocktails at Elk bar. Very nice bar with beautiful red decor and even better that they do two for one cocktails and £2.95 Mojitos on a Thursday. We then had dinner at Emma's pub which was lovely, i had a great night!
29th December - Day two in London saw me again rise and shine at 5am. A few tears were had today as it was all starting to catch up with me. After the tears we went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Hyde Park itself was mesmerising but Winter Wonderland was incredible. Its like the royal show only 100000 times better. Lots of great food, mulled wine, nifty gift stalls, rides and even an ice skating rink. I was VERY impressed and began to realise that London certainly is for me. We then came home and i burnt out. Slept from about 2pm to 5am the next morning. Emma had to take Tim to the airport, whilst i was sleeping as he flew back to Australia.
30th December - After my much needed sleep, I woke up today feeling not so great and unfortunately more tears where had. It finally hit me that i had left my Perth life behind and moved to London. A bit scary really, seeing as though Ive never lived out of home, let alone in a country a million miles away. After a good skype with mum and cuddles with Em, i felt a lot better. Never have i thought I'm not doing the right thing, as i know i so am, i just got a little homesick that's all. Nothing better than some retail therapy to make me happy. Em and I hit the tube and made our way to Oxford Circus (the centre of London) which had some great shops. I was introduced to the world of Primark, H & M, Zara and so much more! I was a little overwhelmed and didn't buy a lot. Just took it all in and brought some gifts to send home. We also went to M&M world which i felt like a kid in a candy store, actually i really was a kid in a candy store it was great! Very much though of the Forrestfield Amcal girls here as im sure we have shares in the place! Then on the way home we decided to hit HARRODS and boy was that a great decision. It was incredible, completely blew my expectations and is beyond amazing. Levels and Levels of food, gifts, clothes and everything in between. Even a pet shop and salon. The toilets where even perfect!! My shitty start to the day had definitely improved a hundred times over. As Emma had the night off which was unusual for a Friday, we hit the town in Soho for some cocktails...Perfect end to the day.
31st of December - New Years Eve...As all my friends were heading off to Perth cup back home i slept in and then ventured down to do some food shopping whilst Emma went to work. I seem to be spending all of my money on food, surprise surprise. I certainly appreciate Mum and Dad even more now! Especially when i had to hand over £400 for rent! Living at home is the best, yet we all have to leave someday : ) I was back in time to ring in the Perth new year by Skyping Mum and then Penni and Qui which was perfect. I also got to speak to Eden, Jarrad and Felicia back home today and emails with Lisa in NYC, which was lovely. I then got organised and packed some snacks for our night. We had decided we would head to the London Eye and watch the fireworks with 250,000 other people. We went with Emma's friend Ben who was great and is going to take me Celeb spotting (pays to have friends in all the right places)! Lets just say tonight was a once in a life time experience which i will never forget. Watching the fireworks, surrounded by so many people, drinking champagne on the Embankment of the River Thames, with the London Skyline in the background, it couldn't get much better than this. It was the Best New Years ever. Getting home was an effort as you can imagine, with all those people trying to get on tubes but after an hour or so we made it through the door and i was still smiling from ear to ear. I made the best decision in coming for New Years!
1st January 2012 - New Years Day we woke to find people facebooking both Emma and I saying we had made the channel 7 news back home. HILARIOUS. After being in London for less than a week and I had already made the news. After awhile Emma's sister sent us the Link so we could watch it. Thank god they didn't play the bit where i was speaking. I rambled some shit, as i was a little star struck, lucky Ben knew all the right things to say. For those who haven't seen my 2 seconds of fame (literally) you can watch it here http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/video/perth/-/watch/27752957
After the excitement of the morning Em and I ventured out to Camden Markets, which probably wasn't the best decision as it was an extremely wet and windy day, but hey we are in London. The markets were very cool. Looks of quirky stalls, great Indian food which they all give you samples, to try and rope you in and just walking around was perfect. I brought some boots for myself as we literally walk everywhere here and my boots from home are very worn out. My legs also don't know whats hit them. After Camden we had an early night. Still getting used to the fact it is pitch black at 4pm!
2nd January - Woke up to the sun shining today which was beautiful. The agenda called for Buckingham Palace. So off we went taking the tube out to Green Park. Clearly many other people had thought Buckingham Palace was the place to be today as well. It was packed! But hey, after new years we can handle any crowd! We were just in time to watch the changing of the guard ceremony which was great to see. The palace itself is spectacular, the buildings all over London are just beautiful and so historical. Then it was off into Piccadilly ( I love all the monopoly names) to Fortnum and Mason. A place mum had recommended we go. How right she was! Its basically 4 stories of food (a restaurant on each level plus cakes and other food), gifts, jewellery and everything else in between. We could have spent all day in there and lots more £££, but i had to show some restraint. We did however, eat Eggs Benedict on the first level along with a pot of beautiful tea which came in a solid putter tea pot i could barley lift, a scone and macaroon on the second level and took home an antipasto plate from the ground floor. I'm slowly eating my way around London. I cant wait to take Mum back there when she visits. Its my new favourite and helps that's it also the same colour as Tiffany's. This evening Emma went to the gym (bless her) and i started sorting out my millions of photos i have already taken. Although unfortunately somehow on New Year's Eve the screen on my camera broke and am now down to an Iphone camera until i start working, then ill buy a new one.
3rd January - I have officially been in London for a week now : ) We had planned to do Abbey Road today but unfortunately as it often happens in London the weather had other ideas. Extremely cold and miserable today, the wind is the worse though and its not like home where you can jump in your car to escape it. So instead we went to the post office so i could post some things home and the man gave me a box of chocolates (he must have known it was my 1 week anniversary). He is a regular at Emma's pub, but a good man to make friends with, as sending parcels isn't the cheapest thing in the world. Then we went on the tube to suss out where i had to go for my meeting with the agency tomorrow. It was a good idea at the time and made it easier as i knew where i was going, but lets just say after two broken umbrellas (the bloody wind) and very wet feet, it was so nice to get home to a warm shower. Emma went off to work and i followed. Going to the pub every night is the thing to do in London so I'm learning. I sat there and wrote in my travel journal, drinking £1.95 Aspall ciders, living the dream really. I met Emma's friend Claire who is also a school teacher for dinner and then walked home for an early night.
Week 1 was a blast. Certainly loving life and have already had some of the best experiences ever. Started off rocky but that was inevitable. Stay tuned for next weeks adventure, lots of love xxx
Week 1 photos...
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| Big Ben NYE |
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| Cocktails in Soho |
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| Limoncello Cocktail |
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| Emma |
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| NYE |
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| NYE |
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| Firworks |
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| Harrods |
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| M&M World |
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| M&M World |
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| Camden Markets |
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| NYE |
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| NYE |
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| First Solo SHopping Adevnture New Years Eve |
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| My Local Tube Stop |
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| View from my room |
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| Tourist |
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| My Room |
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| Beautiful park at my door step |
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| Fireworks! |
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| Maserati and Lamborghini |
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| Winter Wonderland |
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