A SHORT BREAKFAST

so i've noticed recently a plethora of spellings for the short version of BREAKFAST... i wonder which one is right?

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BREAKY - looks like it should be pronounced BRAKE-ey, as in "ach[e]y breaky heart"
http://www.touristaustralia.com.au/online/tao.cgi?ct=bnb&md=second&id=161 ...is a bed & BREAKY
http://www.cdten.com.au/product_info.php/cPath/29/products_id/2175 ...lists achy BREAKY heart

BREAKKY - this was on a chalkboard outside a cafe, and also contained the plural of coffee: COFFEE'S (the rampant apostrophe's are taking over) (i feel i should add [sic] in there!)... but mispellers everywhere have embraced it:
http://forum.weddingcentral.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=17350&start=0&sid=2ffdc63d15f39f7f9cd84414894ef693

BREAKKIE - i just think there are too many letters here.
http://www.future.org.au/news_2005/june/nanotech.html

BREKKIE - if the age epicure uses it, then it must be right, yes?
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/03/1083436518647.html?from=storyrhs
my only issue with this one is that it doesn't include the 'ea' of the original word... but then i guess we don't really think of BREAKFAST as 'breaking the fast' any more, so maybe it's ok... although my tinly little pocket oxford dictionary/thesaurus says that BREAKFAST is the first meal of the day... i guess that means even if the first meal is blatantly lunch?

BREKKY - random spelling? http://www.eatability.com.au/au/sydney/brekky.htm
or is it, too embraced by the age? http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/15/1063478120508.html?from=moreStories

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i don't know what it's going to be... i think my votes are with BREAKY (despite the billy ray thing) and BREKKIE, but i think the spelling might just be like BREAKFAST itself. BREAKFAST might be the first meal of the day, technically, but that doesn't stop you from having A BREAKFAST in the afternoon after having elevenses in the morning. i often have A BREAKFAST for lunch at a cafe (eg eggs, mushies, etc), but i don't usually have A BREAKFAST for BREAKFAST (i have leftovers - one of my fave BREAKFASTS is leftover fried rice. sometimes i make fried rice for dinner just so i can have leftovers for BREAKFAST!).

VOTE NOW! WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE?!?!?

anyway, enough with the CAPITALS! i look forward to reading your opinions.

I DID A QUIZ

and look what happened!!!


You are Judith Butler! Your postmodern queer theory
has shaken up people's ideas of gender,
sexuality, and sex. Your work has blurred lines
between what it means to be a womyn and what it
means to be a man. Queens and transbois all
over the world worship your Birkenstocks!


Which Western feminist icon are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

who are you?

CHOICES

i can't live in these conditions
i'm going mad
at its height our love was like
the best lunch break i've ever had
but i'm handing in my name tag
my hard hat
i should have done it sooner
i'm giving you my two weeks notice
and i'm calling int he union
i'm bringing back the eight hour day
and equal work for equal pay

your reformist peak performance
steals away my soul
this workplace is packed with faces
but i still feel so alone
so i'm cutting off the dial tone
hang up the phone
i should have done it sooner
i'mgiving you my two weeks notice
and i'm calling int he union
i'm bringing back the eight hour day
and equal work for equal pay

and i see you staring dismally
and i won't bring yu up for unfair dismissal
you se i know the contract's run its course
and you know i don't endorse
your unpaid overtime direction
and your commission-based affections

i'm handing in my two weeks notice
this love affair's over

WHY HOME LOANS ARE SCARY

so, we decided since we had jobs we should start asking about home loans...

mecu (our credit union) said that the minimum deposit was 4% GENUINE SAVINGS. in this case, genuine savings means that you have to have had an INCOME and ACTIVELY SAVED this money over a period of 3-6 months. we have 4% saved, but haven't been SAVING it - it's just there. so no good for us.

cba (second most hated institution after centrelink on my scale) said that we didn't have a telephone banking password and so we had to set one up before they transferred us to the home loan people... who cut us off.

anz (apparently the most favourite home loaners in the universe if you believe their ads) said that the deposit was 5%, and could be a gift (though we'd have to sign a declaration), and part time work was ok (bet you'd have to sign a declaration) but that casual employees (that's me) were the spawn of satan and they'd have nothing to do with me.

westpac (i talked to patricia and bruce!) were as friendly as a bank can be - did all the guestimating for us over the phone, said casual work was ok if it was permanent, said the 5% GENUINE SAVINGS didn't have to be income based, we just had to have HAD the money for 3 months or more (dan has), and talked us through all the fees and monetary things... wow. this morning is loving westpac morning.

i don't know why banks made it so hard... i mean i've been supporting myself for 6 years. please, i can pay off a loan!... anyway i start work tomorrow, and dan starts training on monday (full time for a week)... so the cash is going to roll in! perhaps they'll give us promotions and give me $1900 per hour instead of $19.00 - ah, the decimal point, cause of so much frustration!

EMPLODE!

woo! two in one week! dan got a job today working for DODO, DODO, INTERNET THAT FLIES! in highpoint.. it is a part time position, 20-40 hrs p/w til christmas, probably going into full-time later. yippy-yi-yay!

they offered him the job straight after the Group Interview. pretty good huh?

that's because dan is the best! i'd give him a job any day (hey, dan, i can be your reference!!!)

how is everyone?

EMPLOYED!

yes, that's right! rachel (that's me!) is now an employee again!

i got the casual (causal pay, part time hours) position at the tea party - a little shop on victoria street in the vic market. it sells tea, suprisingly. and teapots, and CUPS (don't despair, mum!!!). i'm very happy about it, because now i can eat, pay rent, buy a house, EVERYTHING IN THE WHOLE WORLD! particularly drink tea!

in other news, dan and i went to the nova today, for cheap-arse monday, and saw paradise now - the film about two young palestinian lads who are in line to become martyrs/suicide bombers. very intense, but great.

also went to brunetti's for the first time back in melb. ahhhhh...

i have written a song about the breakdown of a relationship, using employment metaphors. fitting? (i'm handing in my name tag, hart hat, should have done it sooner. i'm giving you my two week's notice, and i'm calling in the union)...

damn john howard - and ALL the liberal party, and their families, neighbours, pets and gardens - to the pits of pit-ness. IR is sooooooo angry-making.

but i have a job! woohoo!

WASHING

we did washing this morning... here is a list of things about it.

a wash load costs $3... rip off!
a dry for 10 mins costs $1... it is never enough
we did two loads or washing
and one load of drying (twice)
things that we put in the dryer: undies, socks and pillow cases.
things that did not dry: one pair each of toe socks, normal socks and ankle socks,
we had to buy another pack of powder, because we ran out.
we have hung up all the wet teeshirts (Tshirts?) and one pair of jeans and one jumper.

and that is the excitement of the day.

apart from when esther j called from berlin with mich and charlie and young genna. that was nice.

yesterday esther w came over with REALLY YUMMY ICYPOLES that were homemade from her lemon tree and were lemon juice and sugar and a very little bit of water and they made us have facial spasms. yum..

and we might see esther o'r-d g (hee!) tonight, although she is a bit sick.

that is the esthers accounted for.

The Country was fun. why is it that, although i rarely just go out for a cup of coffee by myself when i am here, i always crave it when i am in The aforementioned Country? is it just because i can't do it? mum and i had a nice walk, i forced some of my novel on both pezzas, and we went opshopping.

i am now going to go and eat pasta with dan. OH! there are a couple of new pix up in the scotland section of photobucket. check em!

THIS WEEK

today dan and i are off to my cousin kate's second wedding (it's like hobbits and breakfast)... well, she got married a couple of months ago in new zealand, and is now doing the ceremony over here for her australian people. mum and dad are coming down this morning and taking us and esther and andrew out for lunch before we whoop it up with the family.

then i'm going back to The Country with the pezzas for a couple of days... i think i will relax in a bath with essential oils, go for some walks and quiz mum about plants and their various names and used so i can put them in my book. i will also look at chooks and laugh at their funniness.

and i will continue re-reading the lord of the rings. i haven't read it since (the sixth time?) just before the first film came out. i'ts a lot drier than i remember, but i'm really enjoying it as a history this time - and (don't flame me, fans) i am actually BOTHERING to READ all the SONGS!!! some of them are quite complex, with a lovely rhyme/rhythm scheme that i can't elucidate because i never paid attention to formal structuring of poetry in creative writing classes.

IT'S
all about freeform
the hiccup jazz poetic
no structure for me

ha. i'm so witty.

our garage sale was SHIT!!! we obviously didn't signpost it well enough, and also with it being a racing weekend, and almost a long weekend... dead... we had some neighbours and our lovely friends, we sold some things, and donated the rest to erin's schoolkids for their fundraising jumble sale. we made a grand total of $40!!! but we got our tax returns back the other day, and that was nice!

oh, i was accepted into masters, too. yai! now to wait until i get a scholarship offer, and we're set!

hope everyone is well, and thank to those who came along to the sale!

p.s. TURN YOUR CLOCKS FORWARDS!

GARAGE SALE (POEM)

we are having
a GARAGE SALE
this saturday

crockery
clothes
and general miscellany

we will be there
from 9am to 5pm
selling things

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see you there!!!

A SONG

ESTHER
© 2005 Chiera, Greaves, Katz and Williams

Today I saw a cat and thought of you
Today I read your blog and thought of you
Today I got your postcard
Today I walked to Carlton
Today I ordered flowers and thought of you

Did you think of me when you were eating crepes in Hampstead?
Did you thing of me when you were defacing currency?
When the dodgy French men
Touched you inappropriately
Did you think of me?

Esther, you are the best-er
I wrote some fanfic
Where you came back to Australia
Esther, oh yes we missed ya
I had a dream where
Gary kissed ya
In a bulldozer

Today I saw a Mormon and thought of you
Today I saw some orthodox Jews and they made me think of you too
Today I saw a book, I saw a fridge, I saw some houses
Today I saw a cup of tea, but no tartan troosers yet
Today I saw the sky and though of you
Did you think of me too?

Esther, did you think of me too?
Esther, you are the best-er
Esther, did you think of me too?

***

aww!!! hey, by the way, the post just below this one is the prologue to the novel i'm writing. don't read it if you haven't got time!!!

PROLOGUE: IN WHICH JIMMY TELLS A STORY

“Once upon a time, in a land not too far from here, lived a girl not unlike yourself. She lived in a small cottage with her parents and her little brother on the outskirts of a great kingdom, and they were happy.”

“What was her name, Jimmy Jibber?” A young girl bounces up and down on the floor across the hearth. The fire crackles gently between them, lending the small room a snug glow.

“Her name?” he says, leaning closer on his crossed legs. “Her name was Dandelion.”

The girl shrieks with laughter. “That’s not a name! That’s a weed!”

“Ah, but there is often more than one use for a word. You see,” he gazes into a corner of the room, where the shadows dance with the darkness, “Dandelion was bright and strong, like you, and she had yellow hair like a dandelion flower. But,” his eyes snap back to the girl, and a smile curves his mouth, “she was also a dreamer, and when the north wind blew from the mountains, her mind would blow off in all different directions. She would forget what she was meant to be doing, and would go instead into a world of her own.”

A gust of wind rattles against the cottage and down the chimney, and the fire blazes. The strings of dried flowers and braids of garlic rustle secretively in the rafters. Jimmy settles into the sheepskin rug, and the girl watches him with big eyes.

“One day, when such a north wind sent the clouds running and the branches shivering, Dandelion wandered out of sight of her cottage, and spent a whole afternoon playing by the river.”

“What was she playing, Jimmy Jibber?” The girl’s eyes sparkle with excitement.

Jimmy shakes his head. “I don’t know… What do you think she was playing?”

The girl grins and wriggles in her place, fidgeting with the ragged cuff of her shirt. “I know! I know!” She waits for Jimmy to raise his eyebrows and lean forward, then squeals, “Dragons!”

Outside, the wind dies down, and the cottage falls quiet. Jimmy’s eyes dart to the thick wooden door, the shuttered window, around the room. “Shh…” he whispers, distractedly, “You’ll wake your brother.”

The girl lowers her voice, still excited. “Was she playing dragons?” she asks earnestly.

Jimmy shakes himself, and smiles. “I’m sure she was, and she was having a lot of fun. But while she was away, a real dragon flew down from its lair, and stole all of Dandelion’s family away!”

“All of them?” She screws up her nose. “How did it catch them all?”

Jimmy shifts on the rug, recrosses his legs, and shrugs his shoulders. “Well, dragons are very powerful, and very mysterious, and very, very scary. And if a dragon wants to steal away a whole family, then there aren’t many things that can stop it.”

The child’s forehead wrinkles. “Then how did Dandelion get her family back?”

“What makes you think that she did?” he teases.

“Jimmy, don’t be silly!”

His face turns sombre. “I’m not. Dragons are a very serious business.” He pauses. “But there was one person who could help Dandelion rescue her family… the King!”

“Did she have to go to the castle?”

“Where else would you find a king?”

“How long did it take to get there?”

“She ran all the way.”

“Was the King nice?”

A flicker of something like bitterness crosses Jimmy’s face – or perhaps it is just the firelight playing tricks. “Yes. Yes, the King was very nice, and kind and helpful, and he promised to get Dandelion’s family back. He called together a company of soldiers, and his champion, and they rode on horses up into the mountains, where the dragon had its nest in a big cave.”

“What were their names?”

“The soldiers?”

She nods.

“Well, most of them had names like Michael and Peter and Sarah, because they were ordinary people before they were soldiers – just like your brother and your mammy and daddy.”

“And were they excited about finding the dragon?”

Jimmy purses his lips. “Some of them were, and some weren’t. Like I said, dragons are very scary creatures.”

“They were frightened,” says the girl, with a hint of scorn.

“They were – and they were right to be! As they got close to the lair, they could see smoke rising up from the fires lit by the dragon’s breath. The air became extremely hot. The horses wouldn’t go any further, so they all had to dismount and approach on foot, carrying their heavy shields up the mountainside. At last they came to the mouth of the dragon’s lair, and the King walked forward, his beard bristling with importance.

“ ‘Dragon!’ he shouted into the black of the cave. There was a moment of stillness as his voice echoed through the mountain.

“Then came the slithering sound of scales on the stones, and the dragon replied in a voice like the start of an avalanche, ‘Who comes here?’

“ ‘The King!’

“ ‘What do you want?’

“The King stood up straight. ‘You have stolen Dandelion’s family, and we have come to take them back.’ The dragon snorted, and a plume of flame burst from the cave, singeing the King’s beard. But the King remained still, his champion just behind him. ‘Will you give them to us freely?’ he called.

“The dragon snorted again, and some more of the King’s beard singed off. ‘No.’

“ ‘What will you do with them?’ cried Dandelion, from a little way off.

“The dragon poked its snout out of the cave and looked at Dandelion with one cold blue eye. ‘I will eat them. I am very hungry little girl.’

“Dandelion stomped her foot, because – like you – she was rather impatient. ‘That’s not fair!’ she yelled at the dragon. ‘Why don’t you eat something else?’

“The dragon scraped itself a bit further out of its lair. ‘There is nothing else to eat,’ it growled, towering over the King. ‘I am hungry!’ Although the soldiers were brave, they quivered as the dragon snorted another stream of flame from its snout, setting some of the nearby trees alight.”

“Do dragons really breathe fire, Jimmy?”

“This one did.”

“Then wouldn’t Dandelion’s family be all burnt up?”

“Ah, but you see, this dragon didn’t breathe fire all the time – only when it wanted to frighten people. But Dandelion wasn’t scared, because she had thought of a plan. She ran quickly to the King, and whispered in his ear. The King said, ‘Hmm,’ and ‘Ahh,’ and was not sure that the plan would work, but he thought it was worth trying. Drawing himself up to his full height – he looked very majestic, even with only half a beard – he said, ‘Dragon! You live in my kingdom, and I will not allow you to eat my subjects. However, as you live within the borders of my land, you are also my subject, and I do not want my subjects to go hungry. If you return Dandelion’s family, and promise not to eat any more people, I will tell all the farms in my kingdom to send me one sheep every year, which I will give to you. This amounts to six sheep every month, so you will never be hungry again.’ It was a fine speech, and all the soldiers, the champion, and even the King himself, held their breath as the dragon considered this offer.

“At last it spoke, in its low, rocky voice. ‘You are a wise and generous king,’ it said, and opened its great taloned forehands. Out rushed Dandelion’s mother and father and little brother.

“The soldiers gave a mighty cheer, ‘The King! The King!’

“Dandelion ran to her family and hugged them all. Then the King turned, and all the soldiers and his champion followed him down the mountainside. But Dandelion stood in front of the dragon. ‘Thank you, Dragon,’ she said. The dragon winked at her, and disappeared into its lair.

“The King kept his promise, and the Dragon kept its promise, too. And because the dragon had winked at Dandelion – which was considered to be a very lucky sign – she was, from then on, called Dandelion Dragoneye. And she and her family lived happily ever after.”

They are both silent for a while. The girl stares into the fire as it sinks into coals, and Jimmy watches her. “But it was Dandelion’s idea.” She wavers a moment. “Why didn’t the soldiers cheer for her?”

Jimmy stretches his legs out in front. “It was Dandelion’s idea, you’re right. But only the King was able to make it work. Dandelion wouldn’t have been able to get all those sheep herself, would she?”

The girl rests her chin on her hands, and turns her gaze to Jimmy. “If Dandelion Dragoneye was so lucky,” she asks gravely, “did she get to go on lots of other adventures?”

Jimmy laughs softly and stands, holding out a hand to the child. “Maybe she did, but they would be stories for another time. Come on, time for you to go to bed.”

She jumps up. “But I’m not tired, Jimmy Jibber!”

“I am. Go on, to bed.” He yawns.

She takes a few steps towards the curtained doorway, then hesitates in the hands of the waiting shadows. “You’re an adventurer, aren’t you?”

Jimmy ponders this for a minute, his eyes lost in the dim glow of the embers. “You could say that.”

“Good,” she says with satisfaction. “So am I.” And she disappears through the curtain to her room.

*

So, do you want to read more?!?!?... Dan has just applied for some more jobs (more interesting that the one he interviewed for - he finds out about that one next friday), and we have been looking at units and apartments online. There seem to be a few in our price-range, even! We'll put pictures up soon!!!

OH, BTW, THIS IS COPYRIGHTED TO ME! THAT'S (copy)RIGHT! ahahah, a pun!

THIS IS NOW

A BLOG ABOUT ORDINARY EVERYDAY THINGS

what i wrote in my masters proposal:

The dissertation will discuss the representation and construction of trans people by contemporary mainstream Victorian newspapers. Focussing on articles covering two separate stories, I will use trans theory (informed by queer, post-structuralist and other theorisations of gender and language) to analyse:
* language used by newspapers to describe and construct trans identities;
* depth and quality of coverage by newspapers of trans issues;
* agency of trans people in news articles.
I will then conduct a survey with trans people to highlight problems and issues encountered, and use the results to produce a set of guidelines outlining these problems and suggesting some solutions.

something similar was in my scolarship (or scholaphris, as i just typed!) application. i have submitted both, online and in person, along with various sundry pieces of paper either required or not required depending on what you read and who you ask.

dan is looking for jobs (so if you know any full-time jobs related to AV things, please tell us), and i am writing my book.

speaking of books, we have spent about $200 on them so far since returning. we have a library. you can borrow for a $2 deposit.

house is still nice. housewarming was lovely. we even met a couple of our neighbours - one is called julie, and she works in a kindergarted and writes kids stories... i hope she brings some downstairs to read. we have walked into the city 3 or 4 times through royal park. we are so close to the zoo!!! it's very cool. dan saw an elephant from the tram the other day!

and now i must go. i wonder if anyone will read this now we are not in an exiting foreign-type country?

BACK IN AUSTRALIA

THE FLIGHT: was looong... it's odd to get on the plane at 7:30pm, in the darkness, have tea (DINNER for you english people), go to sleep, wake up at 1 or 2am to bright sunshine, then get to Japan at about 6am... in the middle of the afternoon! we spent a lot of time in japan duty free - the best duty free in the world!!!!!!!!! so many odd things!... siberia was GORGEOUS again. from the air, you can really see how arid australia is - esp compared to that lush greenness of the uk.

THE ARRIVAL: picked up by the pezzas, we encountered fresh air for the first time in 30 hours. what a relief! and also, not too chilly - has melbourne always been this mild? drove through the wonderfully ramshackle suburbs of melbourne, where all the houses have verandahs and you can feel the army of friendly hills-hoist washing lines parading in the back yards, to RETRO for a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL BREAKFAST!!! yay!

THE HOUSE HUNT: we got the rental lists, spent half the day driving around, looked at 3 flats, applied for one (just around the corner from esther-my-sister) and got it!

THE FIRST WEEK: gorged on australian food and friends; stayed with esther and andrew until our flat was ready; lay in the sun in their back yard beside the huge lemon tree and the hills hoist, sipping BIG Ms!!!

THE MOVE IN: helped by a couple of friends (saj, we will be eternally grateful - likewise to may for the ute... me driving a big mo-fo ute around brunswick *cackles evilly* it was so much fun!) we were moved in - in 2 days! then began the slow process of unpacking boxes (you are right mum, we have a lot of cups/teapots/cushions/books!) - a process which continues to this time.

WHAT ELSE?: have cried twice when thinking of whisky in the scottish highlands. had a HORRIBLE ear infection for a week or so. have got lots of pix developed - and venice looks much nicer than i remember - i think coz we didn't take pix of all the places with tourists. am applying for masters and scholarship as we speak.

HOUSEWARMING!!! we are going to have an open house on THIS SATURDAY 15TH OCTOBER from 1 PM TO 8PM at our place... we will text and email details (if you don't get a text or an email, you are still invited, but you'll need to text/ring us for the details, which i am not going to post for the whole world to see!!!)...

other than that, it's great to be back, but we miss all the people in europe too! speak soon. xxx.

LAST BLOG FROM EUROPE?

scotland - magnificent! skye was beautiful (i've never seen such an amazing array of waterfalls), and we stayed in a hostel beside a wonderful little pub, right on a loch. met lots of nice people, many Serious Walkers who like to Do Mountains. visited the talkisker distillery, so esther and i could indulge our sudden and alarming whisky fetish!... lismore was great - got to see ross and jen. went on one long walk to coeffin castle - an amazing 13th century ruin standing in a remote part of the island, looking across to the megalithic hills of mull. we thought it might be fun to walk cross-country around the coast back to our cottage... let's just say that 'around the coast' became something of a catchphrase for us! there was plentiful lighting of warm coal fires, flirting with the cute little ferryman, and writing of novels, films, short stories, etc. wonderful... and now we're back in london for a couple of days, packing bags and boxes, saying goodbye to friends and family, enjoying the city life... looking forward to seeing all on the Other Side of the World. also to MELBOURNE FOOD! retro, alasya, small block, lentil as anything, big harvest, crooners, trotters, vina bar, the vic market, thai nee, vegie bar, cafe romantica!, MY2K, thaila thai... i can feel the weight piling on! trying not to think about all the things we'll miss... if we have time today, i'll put pix on the net. love and hugs!

AGATHA CHRISTIE WEEK...

Hallo, folks. Dan here, with a brief update for you lovely people out there in warmer places. We are currently sitting in The Orkney Library in, er, Orkney. It is Agatha Christie week here, and the staff are all wearing highly amusing wigs and cardigans and skirts and sporting the obligatory detective magnifying glass (tm) - so there are pleny of Miss Marples and Hercule Poirots walking around me as I type.

It is cold here. Rachel has a cold. Dan has a cold. Esther has a hole in her leg and hobbles, from when she fell over in the street. Other than that, Orkney is fab! So fab, in fact, that we have decided to extend our stay here. We are staying in a hostel on an organic farm, with three tiny kittens (Esther is in heaven!).

Since leaving London, we have seen: Edinburgh, which was great; Kingussie, which was great, also; John O'Groats, which was, in the accurate words of Lonely Planet, an 'overdressed car park' (although there were a number of celebrities in town filming something for channel 5 - Brian Blessed, the bloke from Top Gear who isn't Jeremy Clarkson, and many other fabulously famous people whom I recognised but couldn't name).

On our way to the ferry to Orkney, we (I) decided that it would be a wonderful thing to do to drive into a ditch and get stuck. And so I did. Luckily, some people stopped and helped us out, otherwise we'd probably be there still.

However, we made it over to Orkney, and looked at lots of really old things, like The Ring of Brodgar, Scara Brae, the excellent Maes Howe... It has all been too splendid.

Anyway, I promised that this would be brief, so I will let you, dear reader, get back to whatever vitally important task you were in the middle of doing when you took a break to read this. Fare thee well.

Next stop, Skye...

UPDATE UP YOUR DATE

hello (to be said in the style of lupin to neville in DADA class)... esther is here! sunny days are here!!! tomorrow we won't be here!

off to scotland tomorrow. 3 nights in edinburgh, 2 near the cairngorms (?), 3 in orkney... a couple more somewhere, a couple on skye, then to our cottage for a week of fun with ross and jen. then back here for a few days and then back to australia. can't believe it's so soon!

it is so nice having esther with us. yesterday we picked her up from stansted, then came back, sat in the sunny garden, watched the mighty boosh, went out to sit in golders hill park and watch the sun set (it looked like a pink grapefruit)... today we went to camden market, where esther bought earrings made of bits of circut boards, and dan and i bought food. then to hampstead for (of course) CREPES and iced tea/chocolate/etc. met uly and mike and went up primrose hill for a while... and now we're here, and - as previously stated - tomorrow we will be gone.

no more milk from the milkman, no more 'look left. look right' painted on the roads. no more laptop computer. no more katzes - apart from dan and danny of course...

will try to update a couple of times in scotland. see you round!

BLOG-O!

Well, here we are… Dan and I are sitting on the edge of a gentle valley, on a warm, sunny, still August day. Six small, recently shorn wheat fields lie in front of us, and a peacefully dappled wood at our backs. We have just eaten a quickly assembled lunch of leftover pizza and salad, and are now relaxing on a picnic cloth in the green grass. Today, after Dan visited the dentist for his last tooth-polish, we travelled out to Haddenham (near Aylesbury) for a visit to St Tiggywinkle’s wildlife sanctuary… and I think you can guess what we saw there. No, not a giant, technicolour antelope! We saw HEDGEHOGS! They are really STUPID! But cute. They look like someone designed them for a play or a film, and didn’t bother to learn about anatomy – they look a bit like wacky animatronic creatures. Then we drove to Ilmer, a very tiny, peaceful hamlet (the residents of which I’m sure come out as devil-worshippers or something at the new moon!) where we visited a church that has been there since the 12th century. There were two white doves in the rafters! I then directed Dan quite haphazardly across a small section of Buckinghamshire to Little Hampden (past funnily named places like SNEED and LOOSELY ROW), where you now find us. Of course, as you may have realised, we have the laptop with us, and will post this blog when we get home!

But Ireland… as if you weren’t sick of it. After that night of boozing, we had to drive all the way down to Kells the next day. The countryside was lovely, and Jonathan Ross on the radio was hilarious, and my terribly queasy stomach was terrible. The country around Kells was probably some of the closest we saw to that cliché of Irish landscape – all rolling hills, bright green grass, stone walls and hedges. (May I just add here that today is SO LOVELY! We even have a warm wind blowing the smells of the countryside through our non-existent hair)… At Kells we stayed in a strange hostel – it feels a bit like it was once a school or scout camp. I slept most of the time, and woke up feeling a little better the next day.

That day we went to the Hill of Tara in the early-ish morning. For those who know of it, yes it was as ancient-feeling and as mystical as you think, especially early in the morning… for those who don’t, where have you been??? We walked around for a bit, and as we were standing in the centre of one of the rings, the sun broke through the blue-grey clouds, illuminating the green grass on the historical sights, and lighting the bales of hay a fey silver-gold. Looking out over the plains, you can imagine that those Old Kings of Ireland would have stood there and exclaimed, “YESSSSSSSSSSS! It’s MINE, it came to ME!!!” Or something far more noble. We went into the café and ordered scones and tea – the scones had just gone into the oven, so we waited 15 minutes and had the yummiest, freshest scones of the trip! We also bought some information pamphlets, and went and stood in the Banquet (Long) Hall, pretending to be the king’s harpers, royalty, etc. Imagining the hall as it might have been – bustling, almost chaotic, the smells of a feast in preparation, the rituals, the music, the rich clothing…

And then we drove to Dublin, checked into THE WORST HOSTEL IN IRELAND (at least, the worst one we stayed in… at least it was sort of clean. You can see my reviews of Isaac’s hostel and others we stayed in on www.bugeurope.com), dropped the car off at the airport, and began exploring the city. Despite the hostel, we both really liked Dublin. It is old, it has a great mix of seediness and coolness, it’s pretty laid back for a capital city, it has great alleyways, it has a cool University (more soon), good food at prices that are CHEAPER THAN LONDON (whatever others might tell you, it’s not as expensive as the English capital), a nice park/garden, a river (which makes it feel a little like Melbourne), it has plaques with quotes from Ulysses all over the place, a fantastic free museum, trams, and BEST OF ALL it has traffic lights with the same buttons – and the same SOUND – as Melbourne traffic lights. It is so strange to find yourself doing something as habitual as hitting the big round button, and realising that the last time you did it was on the other side of the world, five months ago. Tick, tick, tick, tick, psheeewww ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti… heheh!

Trinity College has an amusing and informative little walking tour, and also houses the Trinity College Library (2 and a half metres longer than Trinity College Library in Cambridge, and thus the longest single-room library in the world) and the Book of Kells. The library (Long Room) is AMAZING, and worth the entry to the Book of Kells. The ceiling is 2 storeys high, and a walkway runs right down the middle. Off the passage, there are deep alcoves: both walls lined from top to bottom with old books. And above these alcoves are other alcoves (on the mezzanine) also lined with shelves upon shelves of books. The ceiling is arched, and made of dark wood, and the sunlight falls through large windows in the middle of each alcove. Best of all, guess how they arrange the books??? BY SIZE!!! Hilarious! The Book of Kells comes with an excellent exhibition on the historical context, making of, religious environment, interpretation and conservation of the book. The pages themselves are displayed rather stupidly in a dark room in a glass box without any sort of queuing system, so you sort of have to push in… the visit was great, and out of the experience the idea for a novel popped into my head, the fist scene fully formed (I am actually writing it!)

The museum is also excellent. It provided a really great summary of all the things we’d seen – the megalithic tombs and info on those people, the old religions, the arrival and spread of Christianity, the Viking heritage, medieval towns… and GOLD. Oh my word. I have never understood why people went to all extremes to find gold, but seeing so much of it (a lot of it replicated, but much of it real) made my head go a bit funny. My mouth started watering, and I actually began to think about how to steal it all!!! Gold-lust. It exists. We had to go for brunch (in the chic-est, cutest, gaelic-speaking café) to calm me down.

Hilariously, just as we were leaving the hostel to go home, who should appear but the ubiquitous and lovely Simona?!?!? It was very amusing – we also saw her from the bus going to the airport… Dublin airport has RIDICULOUS security: everyone has to take off their SHOES and put them through the metal detector!!! We also saw a couple of the bike riders from Peter’s place at the airport. Watching the mainland fall away below the plane, we once more got a view of Dublin and the Wicklow Hills/Mountains, basking in the patches of late afternoon sun. We were sad to be leaving – but we will definitely be back. Next time we will be prepared for the very approximate road-signage (occasionally only in Gaelic), the tiny lanes, the road works (SLOW… SLOW… SLOWER, the signs say!), the accents (I still couldn’t tell if some people were speaking Gaelic or English)… but we will also know to expect the friendliness, the laid-back atmosphere, the music seeping through every aspect of life, the stunning, stunning scenery, the (mostly) excellent hostels, the famous fog, the emerald-green fields… Eire…

SATURDAY 6TH AUGUST

paradise in the mist...

FRIDAY 5TH AUGUST

paradise the day before...

CLIFFS, CAUSEWAYS AND A LITTLE ROPE BRIDGE: BEING PART 4 OF OUR IRISH TRAVELS

THURSDAY 11TH AUGUST: DONEGAL TO PORTRUSH: we decided that we really wanted to see the bunglas (cliffs) to the west of donegal and killybegs, so off we drove. it was very rural when we arrived - we even had to go through a gate, and a whole hoast of sheep bounded down the mountainside to see if we were going to feed them. the cliffs are the highest sea cliffs in europe, apparantly. they were indeed tall, and we climbed up and up to have a good look out over the sea. in the 2nd world war, they wrote 'tir eire' on the ground by laying out white stones, so that people would know it wasn't england and wouldn't bomb them! on the way back in to donegal we picked up a couple of french hitchhikers. hilariously, just outside donegal we saw simona again!... the drive up to portrush was fairly boring, although we got to listen to our chist moore cd (and the hit sof the 90s cd we got - oh, yuck!). the only interesting thing was crossing the border into northern ireland, where they measure everything in miles (like england) not kilometres (like proper ireland)... we discovered that our speedo only had kms on it, so we sort of had to guess!!! our hostel (macools) was really nice - the owners lived upstairs, and there was a huge selection of games and dvds for rainy days. we talked to a lovely woman named kathleen, who has offered to show us around edinburgh when we're there.

FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST (DAD'S BIRTHDAY!):
GIANT'S CAUSEWAY: the giant's causeway was created in one of two ways: either by some geographical outburst (volcanoes etc) or by the giant finn macool! in the second version, finn was told that a scottish giant wanted to fight him. finn was the biggest, strongest giant in ireland, so he thought he'd have a go. he started building a bridge from the irish side, and the scottish giant started building from the other side. one day, when the bridge was just about done, finn's wife came running to him and said "finn! i've had terrible news! the scottish giant is much taller and stronger than you, and you will surely die in the battle!" finn didn't like this very much, but he had a plan. he and his wife gathered together all the blankets and clothes in the house, and made a giant cot... the next morning the scottish giant knocked on their door. mrs macool answered it, and said "come in, come in! finn is out at the moment, but please have a cup of tea!" so in came the scottish giant. as he was drinking his tea, a great wail arose from the next room. "what on earth is that, och aye tha noo!" he exclaimed. "oh, it's just the baby," said mrs macool, "come and see him"... so the scottish giant went to see the baby - which was really finn macool wrapped up in huge baby clothes. he took one look and his knees started shaking, "if this is the baby, then what size must the father be?" he thought, and he flew out of that house and over the bridge. so scared was he that finn macool would follow, that he tore up the causeway behind him, so only the very beginning remains - what we now see as the giant's causeway... and that is your folk story for the day. the causeway itself is both bigger and smaller than i imagined. the hexagonal stones are much smaller, but it covers quite a large area, so there are thousands of them. they are very bizarre - quite evenly shaped hexagonal columns all around the cliffs and the bay. we went for a nice walk around the cliff-tops.

CARRICK-A-REDE ROPE BRIDGE: is not as scary as it sounds, nor as you would think by my face in the photo!!! every spring, the fishermen erect a swinging bridge between the mainland cliffs and a tiny island, so they can see where the migrating salmon are swimming. the bridge is something like 65ft long and 80ft high (20m long, 25 high go to http://www.travelsinireland.com/northern/carrickarede.htm for a view)... it waves a bit in the wind, but i imagined i was on a ship, and it was all ok. we had lunch on the island, and had a debate about whether the land form we could see on the other side of the next island was scotland (it was, i was right!).

TORR HEAD: inspired by the possibility of being so close to scotland, i looked at our crap map and figured that a place called torr hear was the closest point in ireland to scotland. it was a lovely drive, and a very special view - the mull of kintyre is only 12 miles away, and in the clear air it looks close enough to touch.

DVDs AND TOO MUCH WINE: that evening, we watched bourne identity and kill bill 2, and drank a bottle of red wine. each. i was so, so queasy. blech! never again!!!

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in other news, new pics are up, and i will post one to the blog soon!