16 April 2005

LONDON, TAKE ONE...

Thanks to all those strangely-named people who have been writing to our blog. You sound like you are lovely and well balanced, and we wish you all the best in your future careers.

GUYS! WE ARE IN LONDON! Hilarious! It's all upside down... or the right way up, depending on who and where you are. The weather (of course that's the first thing you want to hear about!) is even behaving itself, in that it is cold (considering we've come from 30 degree days) and grey (in contrast to both Australia and the sky above the clouds in the plane) and rather damp (although there's been no thunderstorm yet).

Now, I (Rachel) am going to rant a little bit, then Dan will have a go.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LONDON:
1. It looks just like one of those miniture villages, where they have a train that goes round and round, and funny little hedges, and stuff like that.
2. The streets don't really make sense. Melbourne is so easy to understand. Bring on the grids, I say.
3. THE HOUSES ARE WEIRD! THEY DON'T HAVE VERANDAHS!!! I only figured out this morning why they looked strange. Also, they are ALL three storeys high. What is with that? What's wrong with a normal two-storey terrace house, I ask you?
4. The flowers in spring are BEAUTIFUL! They are everywhere being tulipy and daffodilly and bluebelly and snowdroppy and PRETTY-y. I keep having moments where I see a 'glade' of flowers in a 'wood' (hilarious - bits of forest in the city!) and I have to SQUEE and tell Dan how English it all is!
5. MILK! It comes in bottles! At the doorstep! With a milkman! I'M SO EXCITED!!! I have taken a picture of the cute little milk-basket at the front door of Dan's parent's place, and we'll put it up so you can see for yourselves the quaintness of it all!
6. (And this is maybe interesting to me and people who work in a post office) They weigh ALL outgoing international letters... even if it's just in a normal business-sized envelope. And, yes, that means that we have sent a letter... not telling to who yet. You'll all get your turn.
7. Dan's family and friends are ALL LOVELY! Just like I knew they would be... except that Mike... gosh!!!

Anyway, I haven't seen much of London - none of the city centre - just Finchley and East Finchley and Golders Green and some place that is called Guinea Pig Garden Suburbs... sort of. So there'll be more later.

OK, my (Dan's) turn now.
Howdy all. It's been a very strange experience for me - being back here after all this time, to find that so much has changed, but at the same time, stayed exactly the same.

Last night, we had a gathering of freinds, some of whom I hadn't seen for nearly 3 years. It seems that they're all getting married (well, one is) and buying houses (well, 4 are) and finishing their PhDs (again, only one). But seeing them all again it was like nothing had changed, and that it had been 3 days, instead of years, since I had last seen them.

Oh, and Rachel Bowen - I hope you don't mind, but we had a screening last night of, amongst other films, The Cleaver. You'll be pleased to hear that it went down a treat.

I've taken Rachel to see all the major London landmarks that matter. Today we saw the Phoenix - the cinema in which Bernard goes to see Armapocalypse, in Black Books.

Jetlag hasn't been too much of a problem (I heartily recommend an overnight stopover if you're planning on making the journey up north), but I have been getting tired around mid afternoon, so I might rest my eyelids a bit soon, to stop the computer screen from doing the throbby thing it's doing.

So that's it from us for now. Take care of yourselves.

Watch this space...

3 comments:

  1. I'm glad you guys got to Pepsi presents the Jolly Ole England experience ok. Am hella jealous (as always) and have just spent 8 and a half hours listen to corporate propaganda being rambled at me via various Safeway people. I think we can all see who had the better end of the stick with this set-up . . . me, with my 5% staff discount and no rights as a casual employee.

    Keep having fun. We want letters. Penny no longer has a uterus but does have one of those hilarious collars on that ensures she walks into every wall and door in the place.

    WE MISS YOU.

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  2. seconded by me. neant. sam. etc.
    i feel bad that i did not call or anything the week before you left, but me and gary oldman have been going at it hot and heavy for a while now, and.
    please molest any of the members of the manic street preachers if you see them.
    erm, england sounds wonderful, and the election shit must be weird to be around, but i'm sure you'll manage. are you going to find 'the winchester'? if so do not wash afterwards until i am able to touch you.

    oh yes, and susan sarandon was shooting a film near my work the other day... she passed me twice. her love for me is pure.
    i may have been drinking.
    miss miss miss you guys (non gender specific)

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  3. hey ho chums,
    just wanted to say HI! from my bed... ah, my bed, i love thee!
    so Mike gets the "gosh" stamp does he??! the stamp of goshness!? gosh. well i'll be...

    ok enough of this. andy is calling for me. maybe need to write an andy song now that sam seems to have stolen gary all for herself. plus i think SJ needs to send me the links of whatever it is she has been reading...sounds like the kind of fun that would make my interflora days go quicker! now i'm thinking of my weird sister college start of the day tomorrow and who there i would give the stamp of 'gosh'-? hobbs is not really a "gosh" type... though his coat perhaps. maybe the canadia one? what is her name? ....hmmmm.... i do like ethel but she's not really "gosh". i tell you who's gosh!! housemate dan's sister! gosh!! and just tonight i discover she's only 21! gosh! phwewph! ...... ok, goodnight my lovelies. i'm off to powder my nose!

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