Race For Life - Update

So a few weeks ago I told you about the Monday Night Running Club and my attempt to get fit do 10k run in the Race for Life to raise money for cancer. I am pretty proud to say that I have been training semi-regularly and recently did my biggest run yet - 7.5k.

Now I know that isn't much considering many people do this is a warm up but trust me when I say that is the longest I have ever run in my life. It was good to know that I am on my way to reaching my goal. Sammy my housemate is training for an off road run so we got up early one Saturday (ew yuck) and went for a run through Wimbledon Common. It was good to be out in the park rather then pounding the pavement even if it was harder to run on such uneven surfaces and even up a few hills. While we were there we discovered a group of runners that meet every Saturday to do a 5k loop.

Its called Park Run and they are held all throughout the UK. You can register for free and download a barcode and they scan it as you run and every time you do it they time you and you can see how you progress and even work out your personal best. Me and Sammy signed up and hope to do it on a weekend soon (we have both been away at different times) so we can do the 5k loop and see if we can double it one day in our own time. So I am getting there slowly! The monday night runs have turned into random dates during the week - some mornings some nights but I usually at least go for one good run a week!

The only thing I haven't been doing is kick starting my fundraising. I thought since it was only a couple of months away and I have quite a target to reach - £100 I would start plugging away.

If you would like to donate please click here> Every little bit helps and it would be really appreciated not just by me but for those it goes to in the end.


Thanks guys! I will update you on my progress again soon!

Gold Falling From The Ceiling Of This World

THE SUN IS SHINING!! Summer is on its way!

I'm not going to lie... when I moved over here I was worried how I would handle the cold rainy weather. Luckily for me I don't have to worry about that too much because lately the weather has been completely gold. The thing is when these amazingly sunny days come around you see the Londoners make the most of it. If these days fall during the week the parks around the city are packed with people lunching and working on their tans and when its lucky enough to fall on the weekend you head to the nearest park for a picnic, beer garden for a brew or a mates place for a BBQ.

A few weekends ago we had a glorious sunny day so we decided to walk from our house at Southfields through the Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park over to a grassy noll next to the Thames River for a picnic. The walk takes about two hours but there is so much to see along the way that it makes for an interesting morning out. The weather was warm enough for t-shirts and shorts but cool enough that when you were walking up hill you didn't get too hot and stinky. We managed to find a tennis ball and a giant stick along the way and had an impromput game of cricket which amused us for awhile but after we got to the other side of Richmond Park we were ready for a drink and some food. With a quick stop at Tesco to pick up picnic food and some ciders we found our spot next to the river and feasted.

We spent the afternoon eating, drinking, chatting and people watching. After awhile we even had a nanna nap. It was such a good way to spend an afternoon and I know i've said it before but Richmond is one of my favourite places in London. Not sure if the photos will do it justice but its just so scenic and chilled out. I'm pretty sure there will be a few more trips there over the summer.







After a few hours we wandered back to the train to go home the quick way (there was no way we were going to walk back!!) and stopped again to pick up some food before hosting a BBQ at our place. Once we arrived home I was gutted to find that I was sunburnt! What a rookie mistake! The sun at home is just so hot that you usually feel a bit of a burn but since its not so hot I just didn't think and was bright red at the end of the day. Oh well! Lesson learnt! Of course the BBQ included a lot more yummy food and heaps of drinks before heading out for a couple of drinks on the high street near by. We went to a bar called the Ink Room which looked pretty much like a tattoo parlour with a bar. It was a pretty cool place with amazing decor and it was a bit out of the way so it wasn't too crowded for a Saturday night which made a nice change.

The next day the sun was out again so I headed off to watch a game of Tag Rugby (Oz Tag for those at home) as I had just recently joined a team but since I am completely unathletic and do not follow sport I thought it would be a good idea to check out what I would be playing. It was fun sitting in the park with Shea having a yarn and watching the game which was North London vs South London (South London won!! Whoop!). We then were met by a few other people on our Tag team before heading back to a park near Shea's house for a BBQ and a bit of a practice round. It was quite funny really because we had to wheel her bbq across the road and into the park before getting it going. I think I heard somewhere that this was illegal so whooooops! Anyways while a couple of people who weren't playing cooked our dinner we had a bit of a kick around with the ball and a quick lesson of the rules. We played three on two so it didn't really work all that well but it was still heaps of fun to have a bit of a run around in the sun. A few cheeky ciders and more BBQ food later we had one last kick around before heading home.

It was such a good weekend and despite my sunburnt and sore muscles from all the walking/exercising I was really happy I had made the most of it. The heat and sunshine is something I took for granted at home so I have made a concious decision to make sure I utilise the sun because before I know it it will be winter again!

I Love Rock And Roll

"So put another dime in the jukebox baby"

I recently discovered that a couple of my friends from work lived close by (and by close I mean literally around the corner) to me in Southfields and since one of them had recently moved in they were throwing a 'Rock and Roll' themed house warming party.

As you know I love themed parties and was ready to rip up some stockings and throw on some eyeliner and bring out my rockstar alter ego. The girls came round earlier and we had a few pre drinks and a chat while we watched the Disney version of Cinderella (downloaded so we could compare it to the ballet the night before). Which isn't exactly party movie but was a good kick start to the night.

We were all getting ready and were trying to put together our costumes without ruining good clothes and sourcing things from others as none of us are particularly 'rock chic'. Luckily for us Laura is a make up artist and soon got to work giving Claire smokey eyes and me 'Jenny Humphrey' panda eyes to complete the look. Add flannel shirts and a skull T-shirt plus wavey 90's hair I was as close to rock chic as I will ever get.

The best part about pre drinking at mine was that it was about a 4 min walk to the party and we were already there and ready to rock and roll all night. We soon joined all the other rock and rollers is having jelly shots and copious amounts to drink. Thankfully we didn't actually behave like rockstars and trash the place (well not too bad I think) but it was a huge night!!

The worst part about the night was that in my hungover state I managed to delete all my photos off my camera. Many of which were actually hilarious shots of us being rockstars and many other crazy pictures. Thank god for Facebook I say so I have stolen a good one off my mates page so you guys can see what some of us looked like. Unluckily for you guys the only photo of me from the party on someone elses camera is absolutely heinous so you don't get to see my costume but you get the idea from the photo below!

Forever After

Earlier this month me and my work girls scored a bargain ticket to the ballet. We managed to score a two course dinner and tickets to see Cinderella by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the London Coliseum. We were all excited about going to see the show as we were all fans of both the story and the idea of going to the ballet and we were especially looking forward to the night because we were celebrating both me and Claire getting new jobs (more on that later). We had decided to get all dressed up in dresses and heels and make a night of it.

We headed to Maxwells and had our two course dinner and took advantage of their half price cocktails to celebrate the new jobs and kick start the weekend before heading to the show. I was pleasantly surprised when we got there that we had fairly decent seats. Usually when you get last minute tickets they are the ones up in the nosebleed section but we were in the dress circle and had a really good overall view of the stage.

Once the show started I was soon mesmerised as I hadn't seen a ballet live since I used to dance when I was little. I have to tell you this is my new favourite thing to do and hopefully I can go to a few more while I am here (believe me I will try and see the Nutcracker at Christmas!). It was good that we were seeing a story that we knew so we could just focus on the dancing, set and costumes rather then trying to understand what was going on. The show was actually quite comical with the ugly stepsisters providing some comic relief as well as equally dramatic when the evil stepmother appeared. The costumes were exqiusite with my favourites being when the fairy godmother appeared to save the day. She turned lizards into coachmen and the dancers had to dance around the stage in giant lizard costumes which was both skilled and hilarious. The tutu's and shimmering dresses took me back to my ballet days when I was little and made me want to start doing it again. Of course the handsome Prince appeared and they all lived happily ever after.

It was such a good night out - not only because we were celebrating but it is always fun to do something a little special that you don't usually do. Especially when it is something as beautiful as watching the ballet and like I said hopefully there is many more of these nights to come!

One Year On...

The saying ' Time flies when your having fun' has never been so true. Can you believe it has been a year since I left home and started this adventure? It feels like yesterday I was standing over my backpack stressing about the t-shirts to shorts ratio I had packed and wondering if I could someone get away justifying that fourth pair of shoes. A whole year ago I was saying teary goodbyes to all my friends at home and feeling scared, excited and anxious about what was to come. It was hard and scary and exciting and nerve wracking but it is completely and utterly the best decision I have ever made. I have never been so happy as I have been during my time in Europe and my living in London. There has been some down times and some more tears but overall it has been a fantastic experience and I am looking forward to continuing the amazing times in the next couple (or many? who knows) years.

Well! Since I've basically filling you in on whats been happening during my time here I thought I would do a quick summary of what has happened since I left.

Countries Visited: 20

England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Austria, Spain, Albania, Portugal, Monaco, Vatican City, Amsterdam, Belgium

Countries That I Have Stepped Foot In: (yes this is a real category)

All of the above plus - Montenegro, Serbia and Singapore

Houses Lived In: 2

Nicknamed the 'Egyptian House' due to all of my housemates bar one being Egyptian Elsenham Street was my first residence in London. I lasted all of 6 weeks there with my non social and quite frankly disgusting housemates before the roof fell in and I high tailed it out of that house as fast as I could.

I then spent three weeks dossing with friends before making my way to

Pulborough Road - which we all know was the best thing to happen to me in London. I love it here and am extremely happy to call my housemates my London family because I know that they care for me as much as I do them and they will be friends for my lifetime.

Housemates: 12

In one year I have lived with 12 different people. 6 people in the Egyptian house of whom I am still unsure of their names and 6 my crew at Pulborough. When I moved in there was Fran, Lance, Sammy and Siobhan. Since then Fran has left to go explore South America so we got Jules in and Siobhans boyfriend Matt came over to join her.

Jobs: 3

First job was Topshop - This still makes me shudder. I have not stepped foot into the Oxford Circus Topshop since I got a new job and have enjoyed my time away from that awful place. I think that my dislike of the place has significantly helped my bank balance because I saved so much money not going in there.

Second job was at the NMC - The Nursing and Midwifery Council where I have been doing admin since August. While it isn't my dream job I have enjoyed working with lots of cool people and have made some of my best London friends there.

Third job was at BREW - The Cafe at Clapham Junction (not far from where I live) where I worked on weekends to supplement my income so I could save for more holidays. I was a waitress and it was good to get more hospitality experience (if I ever need it again) and meet some new people but after a few months I got sick of working every weekend.

Nights out on the piss: 1000's

Hahaha ok clearly I'm joking. But there has been a lot.

Festivals/Occasions attended:

Weddings - My cousins Susie and her groom Billy's wedding in Ireland. It may not be a world wide known significant event but it was one of the most important things I could have done during the year I have been away.



Anzac Day - I was lucky enough to be at Gallipoli for the Dawn Service ont he 95th anniversary of our troops landing. I got to share this very amazing experience with my Dad, Sister and two uncles who had all made the journey to Turkey after the wedding in Ireland.




Pamplona (Running of the Bulls) - I was there for the crazy messy insane experience that is the opening ceremony of Pamplona and the scary yet thrilling running of the bulls.



Oktoberfest - By far one of the best experiences of my life. I spent three days drinking beer with Shea and my cousins Johnny, Robyn and Nick. Steins were huge, the pretzels were salty and the fun was non stop. Dancing on tables and using school girl german to chat to the locals is something I hope that I never forget.



Firsts:

House - There were a few things I did for the first time since leaving home with the main one actually being moving out of home! No longer living with Mummy and Daddy and while I miss their company (especially Mums cooking) I am loving doing my own thing and having my own house (even if there are 5 other people in it).

Wedding - The occasion wasn't just an important part of my trip but the first wedding ceremony I have ever been to!

Sailing - the first time I have ever sailed a boat was in Greece and it is definitely something I would be keen to do again. Those three days out on the water were amazing and I am happy that the Captain Vanessa and First Mate Arron from my boat are now living in London with me. They are also now dating which is great because at their wedding I can say I was there when they met and fell for each other! hahaha



I am sure there are many many other firsts that have happened while I have been away but these are the biggest!

There have also been many other adventures, events and happenings along the way but I won't repeat myself because if you have been following my progress through this blog then you will know all the details and excitements of my life in London.

For those of you at home who are readers I just wanted to say while I love my life in London I still very much call Australia home and I miss everyone one of you. For those who don't know me but happen to have stumbled across this I hope it has informed you and inspired you to travel and visit other parts of the world.

There is much more to come from me soon as I know I have been a bit absent from blogging. Be prepared for an overload as I have about a months worth of shenanigans to fill you in on.

1920's Prohibition

Just another reason I love living in London - its a costume lovers heaven! It also is a host to amazing events like the one I went to a couple of weekends ago. A 1920's Prohibition night where everyone dressed up as flappers, drank cocktails out of tea cups and danced all night to a jazz and swing band. Held in a secret location the party had the most amazing atmosphere with everyone dolled up to the nines dancing around or playing at the casino or talking at candle lit tables. Kate was the one who discovered it so Claire, Caitriona, Shea and I joined her and we had the best time.

We were planning our costumes for months and Kate (a natural brunette with long brown hair) even bought a short blonde wig for the night. Slowly but surely we gathered our dresses, stockings, gloves, hair pieces, jewellery, fake eyelashes and red lipstick and on the day we were ready to go. We started getting ready about 4 in the afternoon because we needed Claire to curl all our hair (except Kate of course). Followed by ages attempting smokey eyed make up without looking like we had been punched in the face and my first and almost unsuccessful attempt to put on my own fake eyelashes. I got there in the end without sticking my eyelids together so I deemed that a positive success! As we didn't want to head there until the party kicked off that left plenty of time for a few bottles of wine (between us - don't worry mum I don't mean just me) and a yummy dinner to line our stomachs.

The night was amazing and definitely one of the most memorable London nights out I have had. The best part about it is that the same company put on a lot of other themed nights which I will most definately try to go to. The next one is a 1940's Blitz Party so I am now on the hunt for a new costume!

As there were many many great photos of the night and I couldn't pick just one I thought I would pop on a slideshow so you guys could check us out!

Empty Orchestra

Karaoke is Japanese for Empty Orchestra (well apparently - I did get that definition off a TV show but anyway) and a couple of Friday nights ago I went to my first ever Karaoke Nigh with the Pulborough Crew and a few other mates. Lance had been to Bloomsbury Bowling before with his work mates and he raved about it for ages so he planned a night and there were 15 of us that went for a night of bowling and karaoke.

After a few drinks with my work girls first I headed along already slightly tipsy and got into the ciders when I got there. I am not sure if that hindered my bowling skills at all but I was TERRIBLE. I think my score was about 50? I would average about 3 or 4 pins a go, followed by a few gutterballs and I somehow managed a strike. I wish they would let us have bumper bars! I was just happy that I didn't come last. After an hour of bowling (just enough time for one game) we went into a Karaoke room that was just for the group (thank god!) and the singing got underway.







Siobhan is a bit of a fan of Karaoke and already has her choice songs so we were treated to Valerie and Tiny Dancer. I chose Smile by Lily Allen and made a complete mess of it. I'm pretty sure people were covering their ears as I know for sure all the drinking didn't help my singing ability although it certainly helped with a confidence boost to take over the microphone! The boys even got involed with Matt singing No Woman No Cry and Lance having a go at Gansters Paradise.




In the end it was a free for all and everyone was having a go and all getting involved. The girls sang the Spice Girls - Stop and S Club 7's - Bring it All Back including all the dance moves (I think this was much to the boys dismay) and we were all just singing along to every song that came on before the night abruptly ended when our session finished mid song.

Unfortunately we had JUST missed the last tube home so we had to mission it back home on two night buses and we couldn't even by any roadies because all the bottle shops had closed. We came back to our house for a couple of night caps before I went to bed at ... errr god knows when.

Overall a fantastic night out and I think I have a new addiction to karaoke but not so much the bowling!