Bionic Woman

After six months of hobbling around it was finally time to get my knee fixed. Since hurting it on my Croatian adventure in September last year I had had a few months of tests and waiting lists before I could get surgery. I had managed to tear two cartilages meaning I needed keyhole day surgery. I had to get one of them fixed and the other removed, so added to my screws from previous knee surgery I was going to be a new bionic woman.

I was a little apprehensive about having surgery being so far away from my family and boyfriend but thankfully I had a great support group with my friends in London and was well looked after. Shea was my nurse who picked me up, made me endless cups of tea and cheered me up when I was feeling a little down. All my other friends popped round at different stages bringing me flowers and magazines and I couldn't tell you the amount of movies and tv that was watched during my first few days after surgery.

When having my consultation I was told I would be on crutches for two weeks meaning I had to work from home for this time. I was surprised to be up and walking on my knee within two days and while it was a bit achy and sore the pain wasn't too bad. Since I was so mobile I decided to head down to family friends house in Hawkesbury and recover and recuperate down there while catching up with friends I hadn't seen in ages.

It was so nice to be out of London and have a change of scenery after being stuck on the ground floor of my flat for four days. The best part was having company throughout the day as everyone was back at work and there is only so much TV you can watch. It was also good to start using my brain again and work from home while I was just sitting around.

Since my knee was recovering so well I was only out of action for a week which was welcome news. It felt good to get out and about and get my London speed walk going again. It makes such a difference while commuting around London not having to worry about every step. Even better still it leaves me much more energy and freedom for some more adventures! So prepared to be bombarded with what I have been up to since recovering from surgery.

Stag Do

I think it shows that I'm finally growing up when friends of mine start getting married and this weekend just gone I went to my very first Hens party. It actually turned into more of a 'Stag' do the hen not wanting a traditional kind of do.

We first gathered at Soho Hotel where we sipped champagne and cocktails while we feasted on high tea. We played a few party games about the bride and groom while getting to know each other. From there it was onto a cocktail bar for happy hour where we got into the serious business of kicking off the party. By this stage all the relatives and oldies had gone home so we were free to do some tequila shots!

The shots were a part of the dutch courage we needed before heading over to Lucky Voice karaoke for a couple of hours of shenanigans. This part of the night was a surprise to Julia (the hen) and we were a little worried it would be hard to get her to sing but as soon as we got there she was lining up her song choice and grabbing the mike.

The karaoke place was great as we had our own little private room where you could create a long playlist and all dance around and sing. The room also came with a handy dress up box with blow up guitar and hats and wigs. The best part was a little button you could press to call the waitress for more drinks. A few more bottles of prosecco and we sung the night away.

From there it was on to a club where the party continued and I had had a great time with the girls singing and dancing and having fun. It was only my first hen's night but I would have to say it was a great one and if they are all going to be as much then then I hope more of my friends will get married soon!

Powder

Since I spent my Christmas at home I was a bit sad to be missing the most likely time for it to snow but luckily for me the cold snap hit later then last year and in the first week in February we got some snow!

It first started snowing on Saturday night as Lauren and I were heading to the cinema and while it is pretty when it drops down I was a bit worried it wasn't going to stick. Thankfully after we came out of the cinema the ground was covered in the glorious white stuff and it looked like it was sticking.

I was so excited I almost wasn't able to sleep and as soon as I woke up the next morning I got ready in all my layers, puffa jacket, snow boots and woolen accessories I was all geared up for some snowy play time. I was too excited I even forgot to take the sled. I ended up meeting Lauren, Ainsley, Dan, Katie and Laura up at Wimbledon Common and soon got stuck into snowman building, snow ball fights and snow angels.

It was so much fun being a big kid and playing in the snow but the worst part about this is the transport pretty much shuts down.
I had plans on the other side of London but due to transport issues it would take hours. Although I was bummed to miss out on the original plans the substitute wasn't so bad either. We found a great new pub in Wimbledon and settled down in the warmth for a Sunday lunch and a cider.

It was glad that the snow happened on a weekend so I had the chance to go and play in it. The snow was so fleeting it only happened for the weekend but I was at least glad that we got a little bit and I didn't miss out while I was away.

In Brugges

I had been in the country literally three weeks and already had itchy feet so luckily for me my lovely friends and I had planned a weekend in Belgium for my birthday.

I was excited to be heading to Brugges which I had heard from lots of people what's gorrrrgeous. While I had actually been to Brugges for a total of one hour on my Topdeck tour I hardly thought that counted and was keen to explore a bit more.

I was also excited as it would be my first trip on the Euro star! so straight after work on the Friday I met all my girls with my little wheelie bag at Kings Cross. We armed ourselves with some wine snacks and cake (from the girls high tea)and set off on our journey. We spent most of the time just chatting away but I was a little disappointed that since it was so dark we weren't able to tell when we were underwater until I got a message saying  "welcome to France" from my phone company when we were on the other side.

Once we arrived in Brussels we still had to get the hour train to Brugges and unfortunately for us we had just missed one. After an hours wait and hours train journey we finally arrived in Brugges and the "popping" over to Belgium ideal was slightly shattered. Luckily for me though I have friends high places and we had managed to get a cheap deal to stay at the Crown Plaza which was a great four star treat. So even though it was well past one o'clock before we went to bed they were extremely comfy ones.

The next morning after a brief sleep in we left on a mission to find some Belgian waffles for breakfast. After being informed that waffles for breakfast wasn't really the done thing we managed to find a cute little restaurant to grab something to eat. Since we were in the land of chocolate and were yet to have any most of us went about getting some and ordered a hot chocolate with " real" Belgian chocolate. When they cane out we were excited to see they were cups of warm frothed milk served with a stick with a chunk of chocolate on the bottom. The idea was to dip it into the warm milk and swirl it while it melts so its the perfect chocolate consistency.

Once we had our chocolate hit it was onto seeing the city and we couldn't resist getting a horse drawn carriage around the city. It was about £10 each for a half an hour tour where we sat under blankets while we clip clopped around all the cobblestone streets. It was one of my most unique tours in Europe and was really fun way of seeing the city. Plus it was freezing outside so being huddled under a blanket was even better.

After the tour it was time for to try a typical Belgian Beer so we headed down the skinniest street in Brugge to their oldest pub and wandered up the rickety circular staircase to the top where we found a table and ordered a beer. A couple of the girls tried the famous fruit beers while Ainsley and I tried a local beer. After about half of it was I already feeling it and wondered why until I found out it was 13%! The best part about the pub was that they gave you some cheese and meats to go with your beer.

Since we had ticked off a Belgian Beer we had to tick off another couple of things so our afternoon was spent eating Belgian fries covered in mayonnaise and wandering around to try and find the best place to grab some waffles. On our food mission we got to see quite a bit of the city so it worked out well!

Once we had ticked that to do off our list we headed back out into the city to wander around and check out some other scenery. We wandered into a lolly shop and spent 45 minutes watching two of the staff make boiled lollies. It wasn't the most riviting thing but kind of addictive! A couple of the other girls checked out one of the churches before it was time to head back to our lovely room and enjoy our picnic of goodies bought at the markets plus a fair share of wine. Once we were all ready to go we headed out to try and find a nice bar or pub to hang out in.

On the way into the square we met some other people who were heading out and they recommended a bar so we followed them to a little square right around the corner and found it full of pubs. They were all one next to another which provided a good venue for some birthday drinks and dancing. The first place we went to was pretty quiet which suited us fine but it soon got busy so we moved on to the next place to compare. It was fun and we danced the night away until the wee hours. Luckily for us we had a nice comfy bed to go back to so even though we got back in the early hours we were pretty well rested the next day.

Sunday we spent the day recovering from a hangover and finalizing our touring of the city. It was pretty cold so much of the time was spent ducking in and out of shops and cafe's before heading back to Brussels on to get the Eurostar.

It was a perfect weekend away with my favourite girls and a great way to celebrate my birthday. I was so lucky I had the chance to jump across the ocean and explore a new country and do something I love to do on my birthday. I'm not sure what I'll be doing next year but hopefully its exploring somewhere new!

We are one but we are many

There are two days of the year when I get particularly homesick and that is Australia Day and ANZAC day. To combat this I thought I would do what many many Aussies in london do on Australia day and that is head to an Aussie themed pub - the walkabout.

Walkabouts are usually renowned for being pretty dirty bogan bars but on a night like Australia Day that is exactly what you need. While I expected there to be a lot of people there I was still surprised at the fire hazard that the heaving mass of people in the walkabout were. However that didn't deter me from loading my arms with snakebites and forcing my way onto the dance floor to listen to all my face Aussie songs.

Like many others my friends and I were dressed for the occasion in green and gold buy there was one thing missing - stick on tattoos. I had the for sight to buy some while I was at home in OZ so I was ready and armed. All we needed was some water to put them on but since it was such a mission to get to the bathroom we just improvised and used our drinks. It made our faces sticky and our drinks taste remarkably like plastic buy it was all worth it to fly our flag proudly.

The walkabout was getting messier and messier and the line to get in was longer and longer so we decided to head out and up the road to Belushis to meet my flatties. Thankfully it wasn't busy but still had a lot of atmosphere right down to cheap snakebites and £1 Vegemite shots. What's a Vegemite shot? I'm not 100% but I'd probably say a shot of vodka with some Vegemite diluted inside. And it is as every bit as gross as it sounds.

From there the night got distinctly messy but heaps of fun. They were playing great music and I was with great mates so was a pretty perfect way to celebrate our nations day - even if it was about 3 degrees outside!

Getting Ritzy

As any of you know (or may have guessed) I am a big fan of high tea and recently I got to do the ultimate - high tea at The Ritz.

I was actually really lucky to be going to celebrate two of my good friends Shea and Candras birthdays. In October last year we had all put in and bought them vouchers to a "celebration champagne high tea". However as there is such a long waiting list (six months for weekends, two months for weeknights) we didn't get to go until January.

Before going to the Ritz we decided to check out another London institution and go see Fortnum and Mason right next door on Piccadilly.

The famous department store is home to four floors of elegant and luxury products as well as several bars and restaurants - also frequented for high tea.

We decided to go to the wine bar downstairs where you can either buy a glass from the bar selection or buy a bottle from the shop floor and drink that instead - just for a few pounds corkage.

After a quick glass of sparkling rose and a girly catch up we wandered down to The Ritz. We had got all glitzy in dresses and heels but even so when we walked in the doors you could see what amateurs we were.

The place was just so glamourous - chandeliers opulent decorations and tuxedoed wait staff. Think of the swankiest place you have been and dip it in fairy dust and you will probably come close.

After a few giggles and photos we were seated at our table where we selected our tea and waited for our tea trays to come. When they arrived they were laden with little sandwiches with the classics - cucumber! They also had two extra tiers to be filled with scones and sweets. We soon got stuck into the tea, champagne and sandwiches. Once we were finished they bought out warm scones with jam and cream which were delicious!






By this stage we were getting pretty full and but we soldiered on and tried the final tier filled with mini cakes and pastries.

By this stage we were too full to fit in the cakes offered off the trolley and even the girls special celebration cake (lucky we could take it away).

By the end of the night we had feasted and drank about two potfuls of tea each while sitting in a gorgeous setting- which everyone could agree is a perfect birthday celebration and much more exciting then a typical Wednesday night!

Chinese New Year

I always love getting visitors from back home but I especially love getting to show them around when something cool is happening in London. A friend of mine from home Callum and a few of his friends were over doing a big European tour while I was at home doing my Aussie summer. A few days after I got back they arrived back in London conveniently on the first day of Chinese New Year celebrations.

We decided to check out the shenanigans by having dinner at a Dim Sim restaurant which was recommended by a friend. Since the parade was actually on the weekend and I wasn't going to be here for it I was a bit gutted we were missing out. I was happy to see that the party was starting with people handing out whistles and masks as we wandered the streets.



Luckily for us we had booked a table and managed to get into a large round table with a lazy susan in the middle. We soon got down to ordering dumplings and our meals while chatting over tiger beer. The food was delicious and as we sat and ate we saw the line start to head out the door and around the corner.

After we were stuffed full of food it was time to check out Soho and we wandered through chinatown to a bar offering half price cocktails. A couple of mojito's later and it was time to say goodbye. Once again the bad thing about visitors is when you have to leave them to their travels/flight/next adventure. Still I know its not the last time I see Cal in London - hopefully I've convinced him to come back.