Snow shots

Ok. Firstly, I know that I have been very quiet recently. That is because, as per usual I guess, things have been a bit hectic and confusing in my world. However, it is all calming down now (hopefully) and so (ideally) I should be a bit more chatty and a bit more lively.

Secondly, it snowed again this morning! I new it was going to this time and I went to be inside sleeping bag under my doona. I woke at about 5am and peaked out my window and it was all white with snow falling… awww… Then, when I peaked out my window again when it was time to leave the house .. it was still snowing! Bugger! Walking along the Thames was nice with snow gently falling and swirling around. It is much nicer than rain.

Only other news is that I am getting through an obscene amount of book reading at the moment. My lounge is still a virtual nightclub, which means I just head straight for my room and a book. I haven’t watched TV in over 3 weeks. It is a bit annoying not having the lounge, but, you know, I am kinda getting used to it!

Some of you may recognise this pub?!

I set forth ...

This is me showing that (a) there was snow out my window this morning and (b) I am really not very good at taking photos first thing in the morning!

Califone

Went up to Dingwalls in Camden last night to see the band Califone and supports with the lovely Jane, her fiance Greg and Chris in tow. It was a brilliant night, all up. The first band were alright, and what they may have lacked in the song dept., the certainly made up for in the funny suit dept, so all was well.

Califone, though, were really quite a pleasant surprise. Kind of like a more folky, rocky, and vocal version of The Dirty Three ...... only less depressing and .. well, probably the only thing they had in common was a violin ...

... but they added a Banjo to the repertoire .. which made for a happy, albeit disproportianately large and rather drunken, Tangles.

Snow that’s what its like

My first white London-scape! Woke this morning to a nice layer of snow and had to run back inside to get the camera. Everything was a bit more pretty walking to the station and to work.

In other news, my house had a massive house party on Saturday. The downstairs was moved upstairs. A mirror ball, a wooden floor covering, some decks, UV lights and painted wall hangings and about 50 people were moved in downstairs and the whole thing didn’t stop until about 7.30am in the morning. It was not, all up, really what I was in the mood for, but I figure it is the first and hopefully last house party that I will be involved in hosting and as such it was a worthwhile exercise.

Some pics

Last weekend I went to New Forest. It was lovely. So lovely, in fact, that I slept almost the entire time. I don't know what it is about the country air but, by Jingo*, it makes me sleepy.

Yesterday I went for a work health screening thing. They give you a rubber boob to play with and “find the cancer”. It is all quite merry, and the cancer is clearly visible from all of the prodding the surrounding bit of rubber has had, leading to my new slogan, “Health screening, taking rank to the max!” I also found out that my blood pressure is 98/54, which means that I am either super human with blood vessels of such a high elasticity that you could use them, if you should so choose, as condoms, or that I am nearly dead. I don’t like either option, so I am going to change the topic.

Step right up! Step right up! For you viewing pleasure I have some new fangled photo-graphy in kerazy, wild technicolor! It will amaze, delight and astound you! Realism like never seen before! Step right up folks!

* Apparently, Jingo is “One who vociferously supports one's country, especially one who supports a belligerent foreign policy; a chauvinistic patriot”. Not sure why he takes such strong stance on country air as well, but there you go. Maybe he was prone to midday naps as well.


This is Borough Markets in the morning - Elsey and Bent is where I get, among other things, fresh figs in the morning and pomogranites AS BIG AS YOUR HEAD.


Ever wondered where Turkey meat comes from - ask this man unloading outside Borough Markets. Yummy.




My walk to work takes me past Neils Dairy every day.



....and the Take Courage sign...



My work is the one with the curve-y out-y bars on the left hand side up the back. Note the relative location of St Pauls and the river itself. Lovely.



Bottom of work bulding.




Walking back to work from Waterloo station yesterday arvo. Would have been around 3pm. Note how cold it looks and the famous London fog.




..more... it really was quite beautiful.

Electro-clash isn’t what it used to be

Sorry to my remaining readers, but periods of silence are going to become a new feature of my blogging, like baubles on the poor murdered trees of London, they will shine through my normal twiggy and pine scented posts. Well, that analogy didn't work. I will try harder in future.

Christmas is gearing up, the Thames is blending into the grey of the sky, and, on the other side of the world, bush fires are causey Merry Christmas havoc in the hills of Victoria. Cause it is so hard to imagine the threat faced by my parents at the moment, my head is having a fun time dreaming nightmares about bushfires instead. Thank you head, you are very helpful.

Today I have a Christmas team lunch at “Balls Brothers” (ahem!), followed by the Christmas party on Thursday night, a four day break in New Forest, then, when I have just removed all hope of ever fitting back into my pants, the group Christmas party the following Thursday. Then, by this time almost redundant, Christmas itself gets a look in. I fear for my britches and their fragile stitches.

In other news, my housemate fell down the stairs the other day, my sister woke to find a tomato under her pillow, and Arcade Fire tickets for three concerts in the New Year sold out in less than 5 minutes on Friday much to concern, bemusement and chagrin respectively.

Hope you are all eating nearly as much as I am, especially those of you placed conveniently as counterweights elsewhere in the world. We don’t want to go affecting its spin, now, do we?

Halloween aftermath

For some reason I find this photo, taken of the Ofcom canteen chef on Halloween, both disturbing and compelling.

Speed

Thought that they comprised some interesting statistics (click on left to read). Mind you, I think that it is less about women’s general good will to society and more about their basic stupidity. You know, it wouldn't really occur to me to think, "Oooh there is a speed camera, might remember that (using precious brain cells) for next time I come this way"... No, it makes me think, "Oooh... big scary speed camera. Must never speed cause you never know where they will be..".

In other news, it is Wednesday already, contributing to my building conviction that some painful nephew of God has gotten hold of the office time clock and is fiddling with it manically in the corner. This year is just speeding up silly style now. It seems like brief moments ago that I was on a Sydney beach weighing the pros and cons of London through a misty hangover. Phewy!

Work, though I haven’t given pause to discuss it much recently, is finally starting to nearly be almost going well, which is the beginnings of a relief. I had my first day yesterday where I; (a) knew what I had to do, and (b) knew how to do it. This meant for a product little session and a general feeling of worth at the end of the day.

I have a new housemate. She moved in on Sunday and we had a nice little bonding session last night. She works right near me in a Thames-side wine establishment called Vinopolos . She does wine tasting and such, and I am hoping that this means that I can pop next door and have a quick swig of champers in my lunch break.