Well, seeing that I never seem to be able to keep track of dates etc, I'm stealing formatting from Mr Burden and doing this week by week, but this one's going to be a bit longer because I have a couple of weeks to catch up on.
A couple of quiet weeks at work, but it's looking like the job may turn permanent in January, which will suit me very nicely... gives me time to look for something else while still earning money, which is a very very big part of life in London. Because here money does make the world go round.
But on to the fun stuff ;-)
Sadly Jak Koseff decided to leave our little adopted island for a much bigger one... he's now finishing his studies at Columbia university in New York. Lucky bugger. So for his farewell instead of the yakka party he was planning (stellies will know what i mean) he opted rather for the more civilised cocktail party, where everyone brought their own favourite bottle of poison and we went from there. The evening started out with Catherine mixing multiple jugs of Mojitos which were consumed very quickly, and then as the party progressed it turned into a case of mix what was left and hope it didn't kill you. Having spent as much time as i did at D&D in stellebosch I ended up mixing some very potent cocktails which left their consumers a little less stable than they were.... but then again, you have to taste constantly to ensure they are okay to serve.... which in turn led to Cath and myself being the founding members of the national lawn rolling championships, although there were no other competitors we figured that the world couldn't really spin much more than it already was... or could it. A very kind Tal Gilbert pointed me in the direction of the bar (for the purposes of drowning the booze with water) and then Kev lent a hand in getting me home in one piece.... the hangover the next morning wasn't half as bad as i thought it was, which leads me to believe that if you have enough sugar with your drinks it seems to absorb the alcohol while you sleep... ( must remember that for the future)
A while ago Kev, O'Connor and myself headed off to Alexandra Palace to watch the Pixies... imagine lots of people jumping up and down. The concert hall itself is a exhibition center which is huge and must have had a crowd of 10 to 15 thousand people. It was an amazing concert, where Kevin and Tim wanted pics of the crowd, so I got lifted up like in a line out, it was like standing on someones shoulders above the crowd. But when a beer can came whizzing past my head I figured it was about time to get down (grumpy brits). Since the concert was in a exhibition center we were quite a long way from the stage but at the same time quite near to the bar, where O'Connor made a brave attempt at drowning myself and Kev with beer and smirnoff ice... unfortunately, Smirnoff Ice tasted terrible when it's warm so that idea was abandoned very quickly. So all in all the concert was loud and bright with lots of people.... in short it was fantastic
Luckily we managed to catch the last train back otherwise it would have been a very very long walk or and exceptionally expensive cab ride. I really think I need to earn enough that I can take a cab home after a late night out, but at the moment paying somewhere in the region of R300 to R550 for a cab home is a bit hard to swallow even when you're paying in pounds.
After Tim left we inherited another flat mate for a couple of weeks, Grant Penrose who's a mate of Kev's from school arrived on the Saturday of the last Aussie vs Kiwi test. So I guess we didn't mind missing it too much. We took a walk around central with Grant and stopped for lunch at a strange little pub called the Lantern.. or something like that. My lunch was fine but the guys burgers could have been used as bowling balls they were so hard... So after that we were running pretty late to pick up a TV from Tubs (tim schultz) and catching a cab home to meet up with some of Grant's friends at the Woodman (our local)... it was a good evening with much fine whisky being consumed.
And hence the Sunday was made up of doing nothing... less than that if possible ;-)
The following couple of weeks have been very uneventful due to very hectic days at the office and also a case of my bank telling me that all the social events in the past have put a serious dent in my bank balance... but it's nearly pay day, and then the whole cycle will start again.
But I'm saving now, because I have some serious shopping to do when I come home.... a £55 for a pair of cheap jeans over here imagine what i could get for that back home... I'm starting to like this idea of going on holiday with pounds, sounding very appealing.
And since i'm learning to speak spanish
Adiós y buen día a usted todo
Which translated means Good Bye and good day to you all
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Beginning of August
Well, I've pretty much given up with trying to get the dates etc right on this thing.... so my aim for now is just to get it in the right part of the month ;-)
I've realised that there is a way to see if you've been in london long enough.... when you are going somewhere and you know exactly where to stand to be in front of the doors when they open and when the train stops you are deposited with the exit in front of you. Something which I now have down pat. Routine is a funny thing, I don't mean getting up in the morning, because anyone who knows me will know that i'm like a bear with a sore foot in the mornings (until many cups of coffee have been consumed) But working in central London like I am the commute in the morning takes about an hour so I get to work about 5 minutes before i'm supposed to (provided I don't oversleep) and that leaves little time for breakfast, so I've taken to the american way of having breakfast..... Get off the tube at Leicester Square walk over the road to the PRET and get a ham/cheese croissant and a mocca or latte.... mocca has definately become one of my favourite forms of coffee.
I'm never moving again... and that's final. After much searching and very sore feet we finally ended up taking the Battersea place.. and so that meant packing all the worldly belongings I had... which was actually more than I expected. Trying to get a cab that was big enough to fit everything in and on Wednesday, after a rather long day running around work... pretending to be the local gopher... moving house. So now i'm living in Battersea with one Mr Kevin and one Mr Eric... It's a really nice place, that although it's small it's just right, my room could be classified as a closet, but we're not going to go there.
So, it's right next to a cute little cobble stoned square with has got some quaint little restaurants. It's close to clapham junction which means i can take the overland train in to work instead of the tube the whole time. When we first saw the place it was covered in saw dust and there were pieces of floor missing but luckily that was all cleared up pretty quickly. There are a couple of things that need to be replaced, like the kettle, which is a breeding ground for limescale and an iron and ironing board that look like they'll break if you look at them too hard, so next weekend i'ts off to ikea for some serious shopping.
So after spending the better part of 2 days unpacking the flat and trying to find place for all our stuff it was off to Dale Parkers' birthday out in wimbledon where the guys were rushing to watch the rugby, so we rushed down there, the guys all headed off to the pub and the girls stayed in and sorted out lunch. After a good braai and some amusing conversations everyone headed off to the dog races but Kevin and myself went back home to veg in front of the tv and get take aways... I fell asleep on the train so luckily kev woke me when we had to get off.... (I think one day i'm going to end up at heathrow if i don't have someone to wake me.) So a quiet sunday followed where we all just slept late and did nothing.
But monday comes around again and it's back to work.....
I've realised that there is a way to see if you've been in london long enough.... when you are going somewhere and you know exactly where to stand to be in front of the doors when they open and when the train stops you are deposited with the exit in front of you. Something which I now have down pat. Routine is a funny thing, I don't mean getting up in the morning, because anyone who knows me will know that i'm like a bear with a sore foot in the mornings (until many cups of coffee have been consumed) But working in central London like I am the commute in the morning takes about an hour so I get to work about 5 minutes before i'm supposed to (provided I don't oversleep) and that leaves little time for breakfast, so I've taken to the american way of having breakfast..... Get off the tube at Leicester Square walk over the road to the PRET and get a ham/cheese croissant and a mocca or latte.... mocca has definately become one of my favourite forms of coffee.
I'm never moving again... and that's final. After much searching and very sore feet we finally ended up taking the Battersea place.. and so that meant packing all the worldly belongings I had... which was actually more than I expected. Trying to get a cab that was big enough to fit everything in and on Wednesday, after a rather long day running around work... pretending to be the local gopher... moving house. So now i'm living in Battersea with one Mr Kevin and one Mr Eric... It's a really nice place, that although it's small it's just right, my room could be classified as a closet, but we're not going to go there.
So, it's right next to a cute little cobble stoned square with has got some quaint little restaurants. It's close to clapham junction which means i can take the overland train in to work instead of the tube the whole time. When we first saw the place it was covered in saw dust and there were pieces of floor missing but luckily that was all cleared up pretty quickly. There are a couple of things that need to be replaced, like the kettle, which is a breeding ground for limescale and an iron and ironing board that look like they'll break if you look at them too hard, so next weekend i'ts off to ikea for some serious shopping.
So after spending the better part of 2 days unpacking the flat and trying to find place for all our stuff it was off to Dale Parkers' birthday out in wimbledon where the guys were rushing to watch the rugby, so we rushed down there, the guys all headed off to the pub and the girls stayed in and sorted out lunch. After a good braai and some amusing conversations everyone headed off to the dog races but Kevin and myself went back home to veg in front of the tv and get take aways... I fell asleep on the train so luckily kev woke me when we had to get off.... (I think one day i'm going to end up at heathrow if i don't have someone to wake me.) So a quiet sunday followed where we all just slept late and did nothing.
But monday comes around again and it's back to work.....
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
July 25 - 30
Well the work week past cannot be described as anything but mind numbingly boring... I'm still working in Covent Garden but the receptionist decided to take the week off.. that translates to me sitting and answering the phone all day. I'm really not sure how people can sit all day and do this, it was driving me out of my mind by mid day... and people do this as their permanent job??????????
But enough about that, the week was quiet with a couple of house viewings, one in Battersea that is really nice and I think we'll probably take, and then the next day another one in Wandsworth. Picture the scene.... it's a rainy london afternoon, okay, make that pouring down... we get off the train and then realise that we have miles to walk, and after a quick look at the map Kev informs me that the street we were looking for backed onto something called HMP which actually stands for Her Majesties Prison (charming). So we started off, after walking for about 30min we decided that however nice the place was it was just too far...FROM EVERYTHING.... we eventually found the place.. well it has a communal entrance which we would have shared with 3 other places, not really very secure though. Coming in the front door you took one step and you were at the door of the first bedroom, really nice and big, but i'm not entirely sure i'd want to sleep so close. The living area and kitchen are right at the back of the flat along a really narrow corridor. The place said it was partly furnished but i'm not entirely sure that a couple of beds and a couch could even pass as partly furnished. Then came the best part, the garden, tiny, overgrown and backing directly onto the prison... NO THANK YOU, something about watching things like Con Air etc have me a bit wary of living behind a prison.
Friday came and went without much ceremony, we ended up going to Cath's flat warming in Balham which was really nice, she's got a cute place with a garden which she and her housemates have filled with pretty flowers and bushes. The place was overflowing with people by the time we arrived, me having to work till 6 and all that stuff. So Kev and I decided to share a bottle of whisky, him getting the larger share due to the usual friday after work drinks that i had. And time passed and conversations got more animated as the alcohol took effect. Some were more effected than others, one Mr Jak Kosef in particular ;-) And finally headed home, arriving at the tube station just in time to see them putting up a sign saying that the last northbound train had already left. That meant bussing it home... a bus that landed me in Elephant & Castle.... with no idea where to go from there. Eventually saw a N148 which is the night bus that goes about a block from where i live.... eventually got home where i promptly fell asleep on my couch, only to wake up just after 5 absolutely freezing and crawl into bed.
Saturday morning was an early one, accompanied by a distinct whisky headache. Then it was off to meet the gang at the Temple Walkabout, which subsequently I've heard referred to at Tollies on the Thames, so that gives the stellies people an idea of what the place is like. After many cokes and some very good rugby the party started, we ended up leaving at just before 6 having been there since 1 and then running across the Embankment Bridge to the dock where our party boat was leaving from. Imagine, a boat filled with South Africans and beer, it could only spell disater, or probably more accurately H.A.N.G.O.V.E.R. It was a nice party with cool people and much whisky flowing. I eventually left with kev sometime after 12 and headed to subway food being an essential for actually being able to continue walking up straight.
A quiet sunday where I made a sunday roast for Kev and Cath and we all sat and watched the GP... which is becoming a sore point.... then settled down for a cat nap and a good movie.
Now it's back to work, another long week ahead.... and counting down till i get back to SA
But enough about that, the week was quiet with a couple of house viewings, one in Battersea that is really nice and I think we'll probably take, and then the next day another one in Wandsworth. Picture the scene.... it's a rainy london afternoon, okay, make that pouring down... we get off the train and then realise that we have miles to walk, and after a quick look at the map Kev informs me that the street we were looking for backed onto something called HMP which actually stands for Her Majesties Prison (charming). So we started off, after walking for about 30min we decided that however nice the place was it was just too far...FROM EVERYTHING.... we eventually found the place.. well it has a communal entrance which we would have shared with 3 other places, not really very secure though. Coming in the front door you took one step and you were at the door of the first bedroom, really nice and big, but i'm not entirely sure i'd want to sleep so close. The living area and kitchen are right at the back of the flat along a really narrow corridor. The place said it was partly furnished but i'm not entirely sure that a couple of beds and a couch could even pass as partly furnished. Then came the best part, the garden, tiny, overgrown and backing directly onto the prison... NO THANK YOU, something about watching things like Con Air etc have me a bit wary of living behind a prison.
Friday came and went without much ceremony, we ended up going to Cath's flat warming in Balham which was really nice, she's got a cute place with a garden which she and her housemates have filled with pretty flowers and bushes. The place was overflowing with people by the time we arrived, me having to work till 6 and all that stuff. So Kev and I decided to share a bottle of whisky, him getting the larger share due to the usual friday after work drinks that i had. And time passed and conversations got more animated as the alcohol took effect. Some were more effected than others, one Mr Jak Kosef in particular ;-) And finally headed home, arriving at the tube station just in time to see them putting up a sign saying that the last northbound train had already left. That meant bussing it home... a bus that landed me in Elephant & Castle.... with no idea where to go from there. Eventually saw a N148 which is the night bus that goes about a block from where i live.... eventually got home where i promptly fell asleep on my couch, only to wake up just after 5 absolutely freezing and crawl into bed.
Saturday morning was an early one, accompanied by a distinct whisky headache. Then it was off to meet the gang at the Temple Walkabout, which subsequently I've heard referred to at Tollies on the Thames, so that gives the stellies people an idea of what the place is like. After many cokes and some very good rugby the party started, we ended up leaving at just before 6 having been there since 1 and then running across the Embankment Bridge to the dock where our party boat was leaving from. Imagine, a boat filled with South Africans and beer, it could only spell disater, or probably more accurately H.A.N.G.O.V.E.R. It was a nice party with cool people and much whisky flowing. I eventually left with kev sometime after 12 and headed to subway food being an essential for actually being able to continue walking up straight.
A quiet sunday where I made a sunday roast for Kev and Cath and we all sat and watched the GP... which is becoming a sore point.... then settled down for a cat nap and a good movie.
Now it's back to work, another long week ahead.... and counting down till i get back to SA
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Another week on
Another week has past, along with another set of bombs, this time luckily they were all duds, but still the tube lines were closed and that means walking home.... I'm really glad that I live quite close, otherwise I may have had to catch a cab which over here is about enough to bankrupt you in one fell swoop.
But apart from that it was a good week. Work was pretty chilled out, apart from the odd rant that the mac that i'm using kept crashing and I don't know how half of the darn shortcuts work.... what I wouldn't give for a normal pc. And since it was a quiet week I found myself fiddeling around on the new DOZ (debating.org.za) website and on request trying to break it... not something one gets asked very often so off I went breaking things.... I suppose it's better to have people break them and then tell the guys to fix it rather than have someone else do it and not find out till much later.
Eric, Kev and myself went to look at a place to rent in somewhere near battersea, but because I only finish work at 6 and then get stuck at every tube station and get delayed at every stop, they had already seen the place when I finally got to the station. Aparently not a very nice place, so we headed off to another place in Battersea that they had seen earlier and wanted to look around the area. Apart from it being miles from the nearest transport and just about everything else, it seemed quite nice. Eric suggested we take a look around the area, which didn't seem like a bad idea at the time, until after a few blocks my feet registered that I was wearing heels and didn't want to go any further, so off came the shoes. We ended up walking all the way to Clapham Junction, which sort of feels like walking from Stellenbosch to the N1, okay, maybe not that far, but it felt like it.
Friday wound round at last and the prospect of a weekend was very welcome. Along with a phone call from kevin to say that he had gotten permanent work at a asset management company, finally, now all the old debators who are in london are working. My boss brought out a couple of bottles of wine and many many beers at about 5ish and then the party started. Everyone gathers in cafe chill (the couch and music area in my office) and starts off the weekend with a couple of drinks... I'd promised to join Kev and Eric for some drinks at 6... so with much willpower needed I dragged myself away from a lovely bottle of Aussie Merlot and joined them at Kev's place, where we immediately went into a bottle of Chilean Cab Sauv and followed that by watching Madagascar on Kev's laptop.
So for the first time in many months Saturday morning arrived without a hangover. Got up a bit late so it was a rush to meet everyone in Putney at O'Neills for the rugby.... also hindered by the problems with the tubes (i think i'm starting to sound like a broken record with that comment :-) ) but arrived in time to watch the game with Stephan, Eric, Kev and a couple of Eric's mates and see us beat the Aussies, after the pub started emptying a bit we headed for Zulu's (another one) and enjoyed some good homestyle Windhoed and Hunters Dry.. which continued until about 12 when the pub closed, then it was a mad rush to the train which we were lucky to catch, unfortunately it wasn't very cooperative and dropped us unexpectedly a couple of stops away. So that meant the bus, when you're in an area you know the bus is fine, it's getting to one of those areas that can be a bit tricky, but we eventually managed it.
Sunday morning rolled around, along with one hell of a hangover ;-) The GP wasn't really something memorable so I made some lunch and settled down to read the rest of my Harry Potter... which always leaved you wanting more, but I guess I'll have to wait another 2 years for that one.
I'm hating doing laundry without haveing a tumbledrier, wierd how you get used to thing and then miss them when they're not there anymore, the water in london is so hard that I'm having to iron clothes (shock horror) when they're dry otherwise they're as hard as a board, no matter how much fabric softner you put in, it makes no difference.
But that's another week past and the countdown is on until I land back in the land of the sun, 13th December. Really can't wait, I need a suntan and to go shopping, things here are just too expensive, even when you're earning pounds. But now I'm running off to lunch before my stomach consumes the rest of me ;-)
But apart from that it was a good week. Work was pretty chilled out, apart from the odd rant that the mac that i'm using kept crashing and I don't know how half of the darn shortcuts work.... what I wouldn't give for a normal pc. And since it was a quiet week I found myself fiddeling around on the new DOZ (debating.org.za) website and on request trying to break it... not something one gets asked very often so off I went breaking things.... I suppose it's better to have people break them and then tell the guys to fix it rather than have someone else do it and not find out till much later.
Eric, Kev and myself went to look at a place to rent in somewhere near battersea, but because I only finish work at 6 and then get stuck at every tube station and get delayed at every stop, they had already seen the place when I finally got to the station. Aparently not a very nice place, so we headed off to another place in Battersea that they had seen earlier and wanted to look around the area. Apart from it being miles from the nearest transport and just about everything else, it seemed quite nice. Eric suggested we take a look around the area, which didn't seem like a bad idea at the time, until after a few blocks my feet registered that I was wearing heels and didn't want to go any further, so off came the shoes. We ended up walking all the way to Clapham Junction, which sort of feels like walking from Stellenbosch to the N1, okay, maybe not that far, but it felt like it.
Friday wound round at last and the prospect of a weekend was very welcome. Along with a phone call from kevin to say that he had gotten permanent work at a asset management company, finally, now all the old debators who are in london are working. My boss brought out a couple of bottles of wine and many many beers at about 5ish and then the party started. Everyone gathers in cafe chill (the couch and music area in my office) and starts off the weekend with a couple of drinks... I'd promised to join Kev and Eric for some drinks at 6... so with much willpower needed I dragged myself away from a lovely bottle of Aussie Merlot and joined them at Kev's place, where we immediately went into a bottle of Chilean Cab Sauv and followed that by watching Madagascar on Kev's laptop.
So for the first time in many months Saturday morning arrived without a hangover. Got up a bit late so it was a rush to meet everyone in Putney at O'Neills for the rugby.... also hindered by the problems with the tubes (i think i'm starting to sound like a broken record with that comment :-) ) but arrived in time to watch the game with Stephan, Eric, Kev and a couple of Eric's mates and see us beat the Aussies, after the pub started emptying a bit we headed for Zulu's (another one) and enjoyed some good homestyle Windhoed and Hunters Dry.. which continued until about 12 when the pub closed, then it was a mad rush to the train which we were lucky to catch, unfortunately it wasn't very cooperative and dropped us unexpectedly a couple of stops away. So that meant the bus, when you're in an area you know the bus is fine, it's getting to one of those areas that can be a bit tricky, but we eventually managed it.
Sunday morning rolled around, along with one hell of a hangover ;-) The GP wasn't really something memorable so I made some lunch and settled down to read the rest of my Harry Potter... which always leaved you wanting more, but I guess I'll have to wait another 2 years for that one.
I'm hating doing laundry without haveing a tumbledrier, wierd how you get used to thing and then miss them when they're not there anymore, the water in london is so hard that I'm having to iron clothes (shock horror) when they're dry otherwise they're as hard as a board, no matter how much fabric softner you put in, it makes no difference.
But that's another week past and the countdown is on until I land back in the land of the sun, 13th December. Really can't wait, I need a suntan and to go shopping, things here are just too expensive, even when you're earning pounds. But now I'm running off to lunch before my stomach consumes the rest of me ;-)
Monday, July 18, 2005
July 16th etc
It started out as a quiet friday at work... that was the first indication that it wasn't going to stay that way, work is never quiet. The office pretty much officially closed at lunch time and everyone went down to the local pub on the corner for farewell drinks for one of the guys.
That was at about 2:30ish, at 4 we all headed back (most people many drinks strong) to the office to finish last minute things and turn the systems off and lock up. By 6pm we were all sitting in the Freemasons Arms (on the other corner) and the party got started.
After about an hour or so Kevin joined the crowd, followed by Stephan, Ndanga and Scott... so all in all it was a large party.
Departing from there when the lights were turned up bright we made our way to meet up with Jak at a place in Oxford Circus called The Phoenix, a really nice place that plays lots of old music, mostly mo town... they even had girls dancing, nothing fantastic, sort of Saturday Night Fever stuff, which in itself was highly amusing.
Since we were meeting up with Doc Young at the crack of dawn the next morning, we left there quite early. The bus that Kevin and I decided to take to get somewhere near the area we lived in moved about 20meters in 15 minutes, so we decided to walk.... throught piccadilly circus... where traffic was at a standstill. We walked down Haymarket Street, where we usually catch busses from, but it was cordoned off and swarming with police, the official statement was that there was an accident somewhere further down the road.... as far as I know, you don't cordon off a 6 block radius for an accident. So we assumed it was a bomb threat and we made our way home via another route.
Saturday morning arrived along with Doc Young. It was a beautiful sunny day so we decided to take a picnic and go and sit in Hyde Park. Lying lazily in the sun we saw them setting up for the REM concert later that evening, all of us sort of wishing we had tickets, since it was the final stop on their last ever tour.
But at about 4pm the support acts started and we heard everything clearly, so we decided to move closer and stay in the park just to listen to the music. We found ourselves a little patch of grass, which took ages for all of us to come to a consensus on, right in front of one of the screens. And there we sat and watched the concert on the screen. Being that summer in London does not guarantee warm nights we were all pretty cold by 9pm, Stephan decided to use Kath as a hot water bottle and I used Kev. Which helped a bit, but it was still really cold. After the concert we watched as thousands of people streamed out of the makeshift areana, glad that we weren't trying to travel along with half of London, so we opened another beer and sat down again.
Sunday morning... no one really hungover, Stephan, Kev and myself left for Ashford, to go cable water skiing. It was strange to see everyone doing this in the middle of England... Kev and Stephan tried the wakeboards and I decided to work on my suntan. It was amusing the watch the guys starting out on the wake boards, mostly standing up on them and then around a meter later doing a nose dive into the water.... but I got some cool pics. I enjoyed watching the guys doing tricks on the boards, something i don't think I'd ever be able to try. There were little kids there of about 6 or 7 years old who were showing up all the older guys.
So me with my slight suntan and Kev and Stephan with their sore arms and bright red faces headed home.
All in all a really cool weekend. Lots of time outside, which I miss more that I ever thought was possible, and good friends to share it with. Perhaps Brighton this weekend... but we'll have to see
Take care till next time
Bye bye
That was at about 2:30ish, at 4 we all headed back (most people many drinks strong) to the office to finish last minute things and turn the systems off and lock up. By 6pm we were all sitting in the Freemasons Arms (on the other corner) and the party got started.
After about an hour or so Kevin joined the crowd, followed by Stephan, Ndanga and Scott... so all in all it was a large party.
Departing from there when the lights were turned up bright we made our way to meet up with Jak at a place in Oxford Circus called The Phoenix, a really nice place that plays lots of old music, mostly mo town... they even had girls dancing, nothing fantastic, sort of Saturday Night Fever stuff, which in itself was highly amusing.
Since we were meeting up with Doc Young at the crack of dawn the next morning, we left there quite early. The bus that Kevin and I decided to take to get somewhere near the area we lived in moved about 20meters in 15 minutes, so we decided to walk.... throught piccadilly circus... where traffic was at a standstill. We walked down Haymarket Street, where we usually catch busses from, but it was cordoned off and swarming with police, the official statement was that there was an accident somewhere further down the road.... as far as I know, you don't cordon off a 6 block radius for an accident. So we assumed it was a bomb threat and we made our way home via another route.
Saturday morning arrived along with Doc Young. It was a beautiful sunny day so we decided to take a picnic and go and sit in Hyde Park. Lying lazily in the sun we saw them setting up for the REM concert later that evening, all of us sort of wishing we had tickets, since it was the final stop on their last ever tour.
But at about 4pm the support acts started and we heard everything clearly, so we decided to move closer and stay in the park just to listen to the music. We found ourselves a little patch of grass, which took ages for all of us to come to a consensus on, right in front of one of the screens. And there we sat and watched the concert on the screen. Being that summer in London does not guarantee warm nights we were all pretty cold by 9pm, Stephan decided to use Kath as a hot water bottle and I used Kev. Which helped a bit, but it was still really cold. After the concert we watched as thousands of people streamed out of the makeshift areana, glad that we weren't trying to travel along with half of London, so we opened another beer and sat down again.
Sunday morning... no one really hungover, Stephan, Kev and myself left for Ashford, to go cable water skiing. It was strange to see everyone doing this in the middle of England... Kev and Stephan tried the wakeboards and I decided to work on my suntan. It was amusing the watch the guys starting out on the wake boards, mostly standing up on them and then around a meter later doing a nose dive into the water.... but I got some cool pics. I enjoyed watching the guys doing tricks on the boards, something i don't think I'd ever be able to try. There were little kids there of about 6 or 7 years old who were showing up all the older guys.
So me with my slight suntan and Kev and Stephan with their sore arms and bright red faces headed home.
All in all a really cool weekend. Lots of time outside, which I miss more that I ever thought was possible, and good friends to share it with. Perhaps Brighton this weekend... but we'll have to see
Take care till next time
Bye bye
Monday, July 11, 2005
Regatta and more
The idea came to me that perhaps a bit of English culture would be just what we all needed... hence, tickets to the Henley Regatta on the 30th June. So Cath and I packed our picnic bags and donned our floaty skirts and tops and decided to leave the hats at home. Got Kev dressed in his chinos and off we went. At the meeting point where we were to catch the bus to the regatta, Kev bumped into some friends he knew from back home and that's when the party started. We arrived at Henley some hour and a bit later and then started walking. We seperated from most of the other people on the bus and went to find somewhere to sit. After walking for about 15 minutes we were starting to wonder how much further we had to go before we were back in London, but another bridge and a couple of hundred meters later we finally found the halfway tent.
There we set up camp for the day, unpacked our picnic basket on one of the tables and got comfy. Kev went on a bar run and came back with a jug of Pimms, which set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. We sat around with other South Africans and drank Pimms and chatted, occasionally getting up to see a boat go past. But after 6 or 7 jugs of Pimms it just became too much, and we still had 4 hours to kill before the bus left again. Budweiser tent was open so we drank there for a couple of hours and watched the live broadcast of the Live 8 concert. Eventually caught the bus back and slept most of the way back to london.
After that it was a fairly quiet week where apart from work, nothing much was happening. Then london's less spectacular version of 9/11 hit. On the tube to work on Thursday morning I was forced off and told that because of a power failure on the line we would all have to walk.... muttering along with the rest of the passengers I set off on foot for the office, which was luckily not too far away, probably only a 20 minute walk. I arrived in the office to the phones going crazy with people saying they were going to be late because of tube problems. Me being nosy as usual set off to the internet to see what the bbc had to say about the power failure, that was where we first heard about the Liverpool street explosion "caused by a power surge" was the official line, then reports of the other explosions hit and we all began to piece things together, and the people phoning in were told to go home or stay at home. As usual mild hysteria spread through london, but escalated after the bus bomb. An office meeting was called and the office was closed. Now it was up to everyone to find a way home. As I left the office the army was getting into position around Covent Garden and apart from them and the 2 other people walking with me there was not a soul in sight.... which for the usually bustling Covent Garden is very disconcerting. Eventually made it home and heard from all the other friends around the capital. And settled in for a quiet night at home.
Just a thanks for the sms's and emails I got from everyone..... concern was much appreciated.... so from a capital that is trying to return to normal, I bid you adieu ;-)
There we set up camp for the day, unpacked our picnic basket on one of the tables and got comfy. Kev went on a bar run and came back with a jug of Pimms, which set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. We sat around with other South Africans and drank Pimms and chatted, occasionally getting up to see a boat go past. But after 6 or 7 jugs of Pimms it just became too much, and we still had 4 hours to kill before the bus left again. Budweiser tent was open so we drank there for a couple of hours and watched the live broadcast of the Live 8 concert. Eventually caught the bus back and slept most of the way back to london.
After that it was a fairly quiet week where apart from work, nothing much was happening. Then london's less spectacular version of 9/11 hit. On the tube to work on Thursday morning I was forced off and told that because of a power failure on the line we would all have to walk.... muttering along with the rest of the passengers I set off on foot for the office, which was luckily not too far away, probably only a 20 minute walk. I arrived in the office to the phones going crazy with people saying they were going to be late because of tube problems. Me being nosy as usual set off to the internet to see what the bbc had to say about the power failure, that was where we first heard about the Liverpool street explosion "caused by a power surge" was the official line, then reports of the other explosions hit and we all began to piece things together, and the people phoning in were told to go home or stay at home. As usual mild hysteria spread through london, but escalated after the bus bomb. An office meeting was called and the office was closed. Now it was up to everyone to find a way home. As I left the office the army was getting into position around Covent Garden and apart from them and the 2 other people walking with me there was not a soul in sight.... which for the usually bustling Covent Garden is very disconcerting. Eventually made it home and heard from all the other friends around the capital. And settled in for a quiet night at home.
Just a thanks for the sms's and emails I got from everyone..... concern was much appreciated.... so from a capital that is trying to return to normal, I bid you adieu ;-)
Monday, June 27, 2005
Monday 27th June - the weekend past
It starts out as a lovely Friday afternoon, the sun is out and as usual on a sunny day, I'm stuck inside.
Work is very relaxed today, with most people headed off the glastonbury festival.... otherwise know as concert in the mud... with tents washing away in flash floods and everything else just being covered in mud. Since I'm working in Covent Garden there are lots of nice places to go to for lunch. So I met up with Pete and Kev in the market and had lunch in the sun, it was lovely. Once back in the office i found that the usual here was for people to go in relay teams to the pub for a pint, something you wouldn't really find back home. And then 5:30 comes around and the entire office goes to the pub for a few, on the company account no less.
So after a beer or two with colleagues it was racing back home to pull on something warm, as the rain had started bucketing down and then off to the London Eye for a bit of sightseeing. Met up again with Kev and Pete and we even got our own capsule, good thing to because the capsule ahead and behind us were filled with kids... It's amazing how much you can see from up there, I thought I saw the Eiffel tower but realised that it wasn't infact that close, i really must brush up on my geography over here.
After the Eye we went in seach of somewhere to eat, and after much walking around in the rain we came across a nce little mediterranean place in Soho, and after that it was off to Sports Cafe for cocktails.
Since it was a 2 for 1 special on cocktails at sports cafe it was a bit difficult getting up in the morning, and being saturday that meant rugby, Tim recommended that we all meet in a little french bar in Battersea, whose name i can't remember, let alone spell or pronounce. So there we were 7 South Africans and lots more french, all cheering at the top of our lungs, Luckily we won otherwise the mood might have been a bit less jovial. And after the rugby, being in a french bar, i had a craving for garlic snails, except over here they are little pieces of rubber in a shell, which you are supposed to hold with a little pair of tongs.. think pretty woman and you'll get the idea of how i handled that one ;-)
After that we met up with Eric and Jacques in Canada water for the Ddisselblom concert, which was held in a sports centre. We arrived there to the smell of boerewors and not an english word to be heard anywhere. The opening act left much to be desired but when the main act started it was really good, and for all the slower songs the obligatory lighters came out and waved from side to side.
So all in all a good weekend, now it's time to get back to work....
Work is very relaxed today, with most people headed off the glastonbury festival.... otherwise know as concert in the mud... with tents washing away in flash floods and everything else just being covered in mud. Since I'm working in Covent Garden there are lots of nice places to go to for lunch. So I met up with Pete and Kev in the market and had lunch in the sun, it was lovely. Once back in the office i found that the usual here was for people to go in relay teams to the pub for a pint, something you wouldn't really find back home. And then 5:30 comes around and the entire office goes to the pub for a few, on the company account no less.
So after a beer or two with colleagues it was racing back home to pull on something warm, as the rain had started bucketing down and then off to the London Eye for a bit of sightseeing. Met up again with Kev and Pete and we even got our own capsule, good thing to because the capsule ahead and behind us were filled with kids... It's amazing how much you can see from up there, I thought I saw the Eiffel tower but realised that it wasn't infact that close, i really must brush up on my geography over here.
After the Eye we went in seach of somewhere to eat, and after much walking around in the rain we came across a nce little mediterranean place in Soho, and after that it was off to Sports Cafe for cocktails.
Since it was a 2 for 1 special on cocktails at sports cafe it was a bit difficult getting up in the morning, and being saturday that meant rugby, Tim recommended that we all meet in a little french bar in Battersea, whose name i can't remember, let alone spell or pronounce. So there we were 7 South Africans and lots more french, all cheering at the top of our lungs, Luckily we won otherwise the mood might have been a bit less jovial. And after the rugby, being in a french bar, i had a craving for garlic snails, except over here they are little pieces of rubber in a shell, which you are supposed to hold with a little pair of tongs.. think pretty woman and you'll get the idea of how i handled that one ;-)
After that we met up with Eric and Jacques in Canada water for the Ddisselblom concert, which was held in a sports centre. We arrived there to the smell of boerewors and not an english word to be heard anywhere. The opening act left much to be desired but when the main act started it was really good, and for all the slower songs the obligatory lighters came out and waved from side to side.
So all in all a good weekend, now it's time to get back to work....
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Touring London - Sun 19 June
Sunday morning started with the sun beating through the window announcing the second sunny day in a row, which is not a regular occurance, after rushing through a cold shower (it was too hot to add any more heat) and a quick coffee it was off to Leister Square to catch the Original Sightseeing Tour on an open top red bus with Kev and Pete.
Kev brought Baballaas, his green frog along for the ride, so with the sun baking down on us we set off, but were quickly off the first bus at Green Park because the tour guide was as interesting as a blank sheet of paper, and we figured we'd try our luck with another one. The second was much better and took us around some interesting sights in central. Our next stop was at Buckingham Palace... where we tried to get one of the Bobby's to hold the frog so that we could get a pic, but they flatly refused (must have missed something there) so we just walked around the front gates and i dipped my hands in the water in the fountain opposite the gates, which was refreshingly cool in contrast with the heat of the day.
After there we headed towards the bus again for some more sightseeing, stopping next at the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill's museum. It was very interesting to see what things were like back then, and listen to mock ups of some of the conversations. The museum itself was fascinating, they have used sound and lighting and touch screen computers to give you a feel of things likke Churchill's paintings, quotes and time lines. It was incredible. It also took Kev forever to get through ;-) whereas Pete and myself were content with browsing through and stopping to look at things of interest, Kev looked at everything.... maybe some twice. So when Pete and I had finished we sat outside under a large tree and watched the people go by, including a roller blade party.... one man on a bike with a boom box followed by some 60 people on blades, it was fun to see.
Eventually when Kevin rejoined us, some 30 minutes later, we headed for the next stop which was St Paul's Cathedral. Being a Sunday though, all the attractions were closed to the public, so we only got a chance to watch part of a service and look around the back, so we decided that we'd have to go back and do the other things during the week sometime.
Following on to the Cathedral we caught the bus down to Westminster Pier for our boat cruise. Unfortunately we were sitting on the wrong side of the boat, the commentary was running for the people facing the other way, but it was entertaining anyway, especially when another boat passed us and the wake hitting our boat pretty much soaked us all.
It was nearly 7pm by the time we got off the boat and then the mad race started to get back for the start of the GP... as we turned the tv on we saw what we all had feared, only 6 cars running, so the watching of the gp became more of a having chinese for supper and discussing the repercussions than anything else...
Then for me it was off to bed, sunburn and all. Because Monday morning i start work again...
This temp thing is getting pretty old, I want a real job, and a salary would be nice. But all i can do is wait and hope.
Kev brought Baballaas, his green frog along for the ride, so with the sun baking down on us we set off, but were quickly off the first bus at Green Park because the tour guide was as interesting as a blank sheet of paper, and we figured we'd try our luck with another one. The second was much better and took us around some interesting sights in central. Our next stop was at Buckingham Palace... where we tried to get one of the Bobby's to hold the frog so that we could get a pic, but they flatly refused (must have missed something there) so we just walked around the front gates and i dipped my hands in the water in the fountain opposite the gates, which was refreshingly cool in contrast with the heat of the day.
After there we headed towards the bus again for some more sightseeing, stopping next at the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill's museum. It was very interesting to see what things were like back then, and listen to mock ups of some of the conversations. The museum itself was fascinating, they have used sound and lighting and touch screen computers to give you a feel of things likke Churchill's paintings, quotes and time lines. It was incredible. It also took Kev forever to get through ;-) whereas Pete and myself were content with browsing through and stopping to look at things of interest, Kev looked at everything.... maybe some twice. So when Pete and I had finished we sat outside under a large tree and watched the people go by, including a roller blade party.... one man on a bike with a boom box followed by some 60 people on blades, it was fun to see.
Eventually when Kevin rejoined us, some 30 minutes later, we headed for the next stop which was St Paul's Cathedral. Being a Sunday though, all the attractions were closed to the public, so we only got a chance to watch part of a service and look around the back, so we decided that we'd have to go back and do the other things during the week sometime.
Following on to the Cathedral we caught the bus down to Westminster Pier for our boat cruise. Unfortunately we were sitting on the wrong side of the boat, the commentary was running for the people facing the other way, but it was entertaining anyway, especially when another boat passed us and the wake hitting our boat pretty much soaked us all.
It was nearly 7pm by the time we got off the boat and then the mad race started to get back for the start of the GP... as we turned the tv on we saw what we all had feared, only 6 cars running, so the watching of the gp became more of a having chinese for supper and discussing the repercussions than anything else...
Then for me it was off to bed, sunburn and all. Because Monday morning i start work again...
This temp thing is getting pretty old, I want a real job, and a salary would be nice. But all i can do is wait and hope.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Johnny Clegg and other stuff 18 June 2005
It started out as a quiet day at the office, followed by a bit of boredom releasing internet surfing. And that's when it hit, Johnny Clegg was playing at the Carling Apollo Hammersmith, after a set of frantic phone calls we had people interested and tickets.
We arrive at the concert with about an hour to spare and spend that time standing in line to pick up the tickets we booked on line. Seated and the show starts. You know the feeling when music just sends shivers up and down you? That was what most of the concert was like. People standing and singing along, even if they didn't know the words. All in all it was amazing.
Slept off the beer from the concert and gave my voice a chance to recover, because even much to my surprise I knew most of the words and Eric and I sang along at the top of our voices. And was off to meet the crowd to watch the SA vs France rugby at the Temple Walkabout, which is becoming a regular occurance. Tim as ever was dressed up enough to go to work and the rest of us took the opportunity, which comes once in a couple of weeks to wear shorts and t-shirts. It was a "scorching" 29 degrees with clear blue skies. Unfortunately we only drew the rugby so that means next time the guys will be screaming at the tv with much more force in the hopes that this time it'll pay off.
Following on to our stint in the Aussie pub we went aboard the Queen Mary which is more a supported piece of metal than an actual boat, every time another boat went past the wake it left sent our boat rocking, something about the motion of the ocean and the sun topped off with beer sent a couple of people running. There is definately something about the sun and the water that is very relaxing.
So hopefully tomorrow will be just as sunny and warm for a open top bus tour with Kev and Pete and a late afternoon thames boat cruise before the Grand Prix.
So until another time, good night.
We arrive at the concert with about an hour to spare and spend that time standing in line to pick up the tickets we booked on line. Seated and the show starts. You know the feeling when music just sends shivers up and down you? That was what most of the concert was like. People standing and singing along, even if they didn't know the words. All in all it was amazing.
Slept off the beer from the concert and gave my voice a chance to recover, because even much to my surprise I knew most of the words and Eric and I sang along at the top of our voices. And was off to meet the crowd to watch the SA vs France rugby at the Temple Walkabout, which is becoming a regular occurance. Tim as ever was dressed up enough to go to work and the rest of us took the opportunity, which comes once in a couple of weeks to wear shorts and t-shirts. It was a "scorching" 29 degrees with clear blue skies. Unfortunately we only drew the rugby so that means next time the guys will be screaming at the tv with much more force in the hopes that this time it'll pay off.
Following on to our stint in the Aussie pub we went aboard the Queen Mary which is more a supported piece of metal than an actual boat, every time another boat went past the wake it left sent our boat rocking, something about the motion of the ocean and the sun topped off with beer sent a couple of people running. There is definately something about the sun and the water that is very relaxing.
So hopefully tomorrow will be just as sunny and warm for a open top bus tour with Kev and Pete and a late afternoon thames boat cruise before the Grand Prix.
So until another time, good night.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Things I've learnt in London
Well I've now been in London for just over 6 months, it's amazing how quickly time flies. Things have been crawling along slowly, jumping from temp job to temp job all over London. You get to meet a lot of people doing temp work, but it's not good for the nerves when you are sitting for a week without work..... work = money, so it's important to have both.
Going out in London has been an experience. From the sound of Koos Kombuis and David Kramer coming from Zulu's in Leytonstone, to the mellow sounds of the blues from the Blues Bar just outside Soho there are so many different places to choose from, one to suit everyone's taste, even if the retro bar Kevin thought would play his sort of music turned out to be a gay bar (with a barman who was shouting "does anyone want to be serviced by me" Needless to say with Eric in the lead we exited very quickly). But the british not being big drinkers and all, the damn things call last rounds at just after 11. Now what self respecting South African student would really stop drinking at that time? You do get the occasional bar with a 2am licence but they are few and far between, with loud music and annoying people.
There is a chain of bars over here called the Walkabout, they are full of Aussies and snakebites (pint glass: half cider, half fosters and topped up with cranberry juice) there are 6 or 7 of these scattered around London itself. The music is good and the people are friendly, plus they show most of the SA rugby games. I've discovered as well that paying £3 or £4 for a beer is normal. When i come home, if I manage to spend the same amount of money in a night that i do here, someone will be carrying me home.
But talking about home I do miss it, Ddisselblom is going to be playing soon (25th June) and i'm definately going to be there.
But until i next get a chance to blog... fair well and happy drinking
Going out in London has been an experience. From the sound of Koos Kombuis and David Kramer coming from Zulu's in Leytonstone, to the mellow sounds of the blues from the Blues Bar just outside Soho there are so many different places to choose from, one to suit everyone's taste, even if the retro bar Kevin thought would play his sort of music turned out to be a gay bar (with a barman who was shouting "does anyone want to be serviced by me" Needless to say with Eric in the lead we exited very quickly). But the british not being big drinkers and all, the damn things call last rounds at just after 11. Now what self respecting South African student would really stop drinking at that time? You do get the occasional bar with a 2am licence but they are few and far between, with loud music and annoying people.
There is a chain of bars over here called the Walkabout, they are full of Aussies and snakebites (pint glass: half cider, half fosters and topped up with cranberry juice) there are 6 or 7 of these scattered around London itself. The music is good and the people are friendly, plus they show most of the SA rugby games. I've discovered as well that paying £3 or £4 for a beer is normal. When i come home, if I manage to spend the same amount of money in a night that i do here, someone will be carrying me home.
But talking about home I do miss it, Ddisselblom is going to be playing soon (25th June) and i'm definately going to be there.
But until i next get a chance to blog... fair well and happy drinking
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