Girlie Girls...

Well they were ladie ladys, though that doesn't sound quite right!
Encountered a right pair after my swim today. Thought I was rather lady-like by bringing my own toiletries... these ladies left me in definite tomboy mode!
They had the full make-up / hair / body kit that you would only ever use at your wedding! Not only that they were fully drying their hair with the hair dryers, not just the long enough to stop it dripping like I do. Considering only two of the hair dryers are currently working, you could say I was rather frustrated at not being able to alleviate that drowned dripping rat look that I had.
So with a scowl and a sigh (I had waited ten minutes for one of them to give it up) the towel-dry option was to be had, and as an option it was rather wet!

Chatting & Strolling!

What a lovely way to spend a brisk sunny winter's day up in London! To wander along the South Bank area of the River Thames, with fabulous company (thanks Miss A!), great scenery and incredible food!
Miss A had never done the Borough Market thing before so I decided why not wonder up from her temporary flat next to Trafalgar Square, taking in Tate Modern (those slides by Carsten Höller are just amazing), the Golden Hinde sailing ship (a meticulous reconstruction of the ship that Sir Francis originally circumnavigated the world with in the 1500s), Vinopolis (a place where you take a self-guided wine tasting tour under spectacular Victorian arches), Southwark Cathedral (a spot where a church has been there for over 1000 years!) and finally the tasting fresh food market that is Borough Market!
This incredible market is the oldest food market in London... been around since Roman times... and is a great place to taste and purchase the best of local produce. The breads are those amazing crusty on the outside yet so soft and white on the inside, the cheeses, from buffalo to goat, range from subtle cheddar to the Stinking Bishop (which really doesn't taste like it smells, honest!). Neal's Yard is a must stop at stop - the amazing smell of the cheeses, the real milk that they sell, as well as the yogurts - just incredible!
After Miss A and I has sated our appetites, temporarily of course, we then strolled onto St Katherine's Dock... via the Mayor of London's new buildings - all that glass in comparison to centuary old buildings next door is a sight to behold...
Now those regular readers will know that St Katherin's dock is a favourite of mine. How could it not be, it's been the site of boating activity for over a thousand years. Incredible to believe that in the middle of London there's a place to moor yachts, cruisers (and my favourites) the old sailing ships! Of course the visit wouldn't have been complete without a glass of wine at the eighteenth century old spice warehouse converted into Dickens Inn!
We then strolled back to Waterloo, the north bank is no where near as pretty as the south, though you do get fabulous views of the south bank! And headed to our respective homes, nicely exercised out and confirming our love of London... not quite being able to articulate what we loved, though most definitely something about it's soul, just that we did so enjoy it!


PS: here's the slide link, wheeeeeeeeee!
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/carstenholler/

Snow!!

At last! Some fair dinkum winter weather! Woke up this morning to the world outside blanketed all in white. Was lovely to see and the scrunch scrunch sound on the way to the train station in a world all quiet was music to the ears!
The scenery on the way to work was incredible... almost as if it was black and white. The black skeletons like tress covered in a white dusting, nothing moving and the ponds so still it looked like there were two worlds, though one upside down!
It's amazing how the change in weather has perked me up no end... it's winter, really winter and I can happily indulge in mugs of hot chocolate, snuggling on the couch under a duvet and just generally relishing being cold!

Swimiquette...

Started swimming this week. A gym has opened up in the new hotel next to work so thought I'd join up as they have a 21 metre (68.8 feet) swimming pool.
It was fabulous Monday through Thursday as I had the entire pool to myself! Ahh, bliss. Then came Friday... there were three other people in the pool when I dived in and then all of a sudden there were seven! What on earth does one do etiquette wise? As I can only manage breaststroke I'm not as fast as the freestyle folk and as such get passed with water splashing all over me (sure they're trying to drown me!)... so do I move out the way, do they, what's up with the splashing, does everyone do the same swimming stroke or do I just manhandle several people out the pool and tell them to go away as this is my swimming time and what the heck do they think they're doing in my swimming pool?

Exasperated!

Came home tonight, one house on the street had all it's side fences flattened, the fence beside the car parking was flattened, and yes low and behold the fence that hadn't been blown over the last time in the back garden was flattened! This time though the wind managed to get the waterproof roofing on the shed, gawd knows where on earth that's blown to, Timbucktoo?!
All I can say is good grief and it really sucks. I manage to save up a bit of money to splurge for the South African trip and this happens. Looks like it's going to be budget back packing style, no safaris, no fancy restaurants or hotels! Was even hoping for some cash towards the blitzing of the horror of a bathroom.
Now looks like I'm going to be stuck even longer with that icky blue carpet, lime green walls, moulded tile grouting and salmon coloured suite - big cow dung pile!!

Easter? EASTER??

Gawd Dang is really all that one can say really. Was in the supermarket today and there were four, yes FOUR, different brands of Easter buns on the shelves!!
What on earth is happening with the celebration of significant dates being honoured by certain foods when you can virtually buy these foods all year round?
There is none, it's all been taken over by the money hungry profiteering big businesses that doesn't care about people's beliefs, or that they do care in as much as give me money for it!
I try and ignore this crime, because that's what it is, and wait until the day arrive and indugle myself then... something that I notice a lot of other jaded consumers are now doing as well!
Jaded consumers unite and boycott the Easter buns until April!

Black Winged Men in Lamé Underpants & Calf Boots...

... a huge stage set, women in feathered headdresses, capes and skimpy knickers...
only one thing it could be and that's a Kylie Minogue concert!
Haven't been with that many gay men since I used to go to a dodgey gay club in my younger years!
The diminutive Australian belted her lungs out for three hours and had the audience wrapped round her little red painted fingernail! She has us standing, clapping and doing the Mexican wave, and I mean everyone!
From her new song with Scissor Sisters to Locomotion (a version where they were dressed in skimpy leather outfits, corsets & giving the odd spank to a beat that was definitely more striptease to pop!) she kept our attention riveted to the stage and longing for the night to keep going - finishing at 11pm it nearly did too!
All I can say is that I haven't enjoyed such showmanship since the Prince concert I went to nearly a decade ago!

The Simple Things...

... no need to buy Miss Yo Yo those expensive beanie bag type toys now (the ones she kills in two days). All I need to do is have a ready supply of shoe boxes and screwed up paper!
Left the box on the floor with the paper from the shoes in it scrunched. Miss Yo Yo was bouncing in and out, batting the paper, nibbling on the box, and doing the whole cat rub face over it thing.
Was well funny, especially when the box flipped and landed over her... that kept me giggling for hours!

A New Year...

A rather warm, windy and ill one at that!
Thank goodness the new fence is up and holding well. It's always good to know that a job's been well done and in this case it has - it's getting quite a battering from the high winds we've been having lately!
At the moment we're having balmy 8 - 10 degree celcius (46.4 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit), when we should be freezing our noses whilst wrapped in millions of layers! Means that my silly bulbs are getting all confused and coming up already! Silly, silly bulbs indeed. There's meant to be a cold spell (for all of a week) next week and they'll get all frosted and die. Apparently weird things like that are happening all over though - hedgehogs aren't in hibernation, birds nesting and flowers blooming & they say England is cold and wet!
So apart from being bought down with a severe cold New Years day (after a see in to 2007 with a home fireworks display and a rocket not wanting to leave the ground and going off - it's on youtube.com) the year's off to an okay start.
Rearing to get swimming, though no can do when the mucas is a flowing, bleh!