Tis the season

Everywhere I go in Cyberland, there are lists. Lots of lists. Apparently, the end of the year gets people thinking about what was really good for said year and the "Top 10" list gets trotted out to the masses. Who knew? So, in honour of this magical tradition, here is my top ten list of random crap related to Christmas.

Top 10 Random Crap relating to Christmas (in no particular order)

1. Subversive Christmas Movies
Who wouldn't love a bit of holiday cheer? Well, me for one. I love me a bit of The Ref or Scrooged... so much better than the sugary sweet fare they usually offer around Christmas. In fact, it's not quite Christmas unless I see Denis Leary abusing Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis... ah, memories...

2. Christmas Pudding
I found a recipe for Christmas pudding in one of the ancient magazines at work one year and it's been a staple ever since. It is full of untold goodness.

3. The search for the perfect Mince Pie pastry
Every year, I find a new recipe. Every year, crushing disappointment. I thought I might have gotten close this year, but nope. Bugger. Damn Balfours and their yummy pastry. I just know it's made with powdered egg concentrate and milk substitute.

4. Putting up the decs!
Even though I have to wait until after my sister's birthday (everyone knows that the Christmas Pagent means you can put up the tinsel and lights... who cares that it's at the beginning of November?), I still love me a bit of Christmas decoration fun times.

5. Reading about Vanessa's trip to France for a skiing Christmas
No one wants to hear about the insane amounts of fun you are having. No one!

6. The Crappy DJs Magic Cave
It in no way reaches the splendour of John Martins Magic Cave (you are missed!), but its still fun times. I guess... :)

7. Reading all the lists on the internet and disagreeing heartily.
Always a fun past time.

8. Being glad I am not in England for Christmas.
While I love the place to pieces, it is -3 some days. -3!

9. Having to work through Christmas.
Actually, that sucks. Ugh.

10. Getting drunk and eating too much.
Ah, merry, merry times.

Hope you all have fabulous Christmases!

xx

Salve. Come sta?

I received travel brochures in the mail today, which was just awesome. I look at the pictures and it so makes me want to go back to Europe. Ah, Europe. You are so fabulous.

Fiendish plotting to return to the land of scaffolding

Greetings all,

Now that the big reporting of the trip is all over, the blog will return to its regularly scheduled programming of random crap. To that end, would you believe I've watched commercial television once since being back? It's been almost a month and I completely missed the election ads, Mr Bankrupt and whatever ploy fast food chains are using to convince you that their food really isn't filled with grease and sugar. I love the internet, the reason for this utopia of tv. Downloading is awesome (and if any legal types are reading this, I swear I get all my stuff from Malex, I in no way download myself, and if I did, it would be my alternate personality, Massie. Talk to her.)

In other news, I have decided to learn Italian so when I return to the land of excess and pizza, I can actually converse in some sort of fashion with the natives, instead of me trying to piece together a phrase from a, well, phrase book and having the person I'm trying to speak to look at me as if I'm crazy. Yeah, that so didn't happen when I was trying to order gelato... no, not at all. Anyhoo, I found a couple of places and the leader is the SA Italian Didactic Centre, a naff little place that is bound to be you beaut, true blue (or voi bellezza, azzurro allineare, as those wacky Italians say). Another place, eLingual, wouldn't get back to me, so I feel they might be missing out on my hard earned dollars. Sucked in to them.

Anyway, has anyone else ever wanted to learn a language? Which one/s?

And that's all she wrote

The next day, Prash and I hung out, going to Covent Garden to buy some Campers (yay for Campers!) and checking out the markets there. Poor Prash, I made him wait while I tried on all my beautiful Camper shoes... It's not good to have an obsession! Anyway, we looked in lots of shops, ate a "full english" for lunch (that's Full English Brekkie - sausage, eggs, bacan, baked beans (!) and toast... it was great!) We then went to Seven Dials so I could do a bit of invetigative research... only to discover I'd already been there! Little did I realise, my second day in London I went to Seven Dials as that's where the musical Chicago was playing... silly Cassie!

After the Seven Dials fiasco, we went to Camden Markets, where we looked at dodgy markets until Prash's friend Lance turned up and then we actually went to the cool Camden Markets! I bought a lovely purse and Lance showed us the raver store, where they sell all that weird-arse raver stuff that those crazy kids wear to, well, raves and you never really think that they must have bought it somewhere and, well, that's where they buy it! They had fluro clothes, and stuff that looked like the Jetsons clothes and tshirts that have LCD screens... it was all very whacked out and cool. Anyway, I left those guys at about 3pmish and went back to my hotel room where I crashed it for a bit. Then it was on to Wicked!

I met Bree and a friend of hers out the front of the theatre and we went in for Wicked fun times. For those not in the know, Wicked is the Wizard of Oz from the witch's point of view. It was very good, and completely different from the book on which it is based! I bought the book in Manchester, cos I knew I was going to go see the show, and, um, didn't really think it was all that and a packet of chips. But the musical was awesome, and I love how they developed a friendship between Glinda and the wicked witch. Awesome! After Wicked, I said goodbye to Bree and crashed it big time!

The next day was my very last day in England! *sob* I got up at the crack of dawn and hoofed it to Vanessa's house to collect all my stuff for the big pack, which had to occur before check out! It was absolutely freezing as for my last day, the weather had decided to gift me with a truly awesome London day - it was 8 degrees and no cloud. Oh well, at least it wasn't raining! I made it back to my hotel with all my stuff and proceeded to pack and repack and repack again. Once everything was sorted, I left my bags there and went to Hyde Park, where I just couldn't be bothered actually going into the park. So I wandered about, looking in a few shops, before going to London Bridge to meet Vanessa for our big farewell! I got there a little early, but the Borough Markets were up and running so I checked out all the yummy food. Mmm!

Vanessa and I then met up and we went to the cute teacup place for high tea! It was awesome. And then it was sad times as we said goodbye to each other... but we did promise to email! Ah, you gotta love technology. Anyway, was walking down the street when I remembered I still had Vanessa's keys... the whole reason we were meeting for lunch! So our second goodbye occured and then it really was all over red rover ;p

I wandered about a bit more and then decided I'd just go early to Heathrow. I was going to leave about 5.30pm for my 10pm flight, but I figured that was peak hour traffic on the tube (and on a Friday) and I just couldn't be bothered fighting the hoardes. So I went back to the hotel, gathered my things and caught the tube. Yeah, there were still heaps of people even at 4.30pm. However, I caught the Picadilly line and everything was trundling along nicely... until they decided to terminate the line four stops before Heathrow. Damnit! By this time, it was almost 6pm, so I was really glad I had chosen to go early! Anyway, it was all change and luckily there was another tube to Heathrow waiting for us. I got to Heathrow about 6.30pm and made my way to the check-in desk. Yeah, Heathrow is not pretty. It was actually a bit gross and haphazard, at least that was my first impression. After all the security checks, I made my way into the passenger lounge, which was a bit more impressive. However, it was still a bit weird, as they didn't have a definitive barrier between the security checkpoint and the lounge... you could have quite easily mistakenly wandered past the security guards. Oh, and they make you take your shoes off to be xrayed after you've gone through the x-ray thingy... it was interesting!

Anyway, bummed around the airport, had some dinner (boots sandwich... awesome!) and, of course, my flight was late. Yay! It was interesting, tho, cos the airport had shut down... I think my flight was the last one! After going through another checkpoint to get into the pre-flight waiting lounge (where the security guard looked at my passport, looked at me, looked at my passport, looked at me, and then waved me through) I waited for another 20 minutes and then it was boarding the plane and winging my way back home!

And that's it, kids! The big trip all over... it was so completely awesome. I'm so glad I went and I definately want to go back as soon as I can!

And now for something completely different...

I went in to the kitchen at work today to have my usual plunger coffee, opened the freezer door to take out my beautiful, STOREBOUGHT (ie, I had to pay for it, people) ground coffee to discover that someone had helped themselves. To my coffee! And not just a little, oh no, they had taken most of the jar. I was peeved, people, very peeved. In fact, so angry I had to break the glorious continuity of the travel blog with this update. So, this person, or persons, has not only perpetuated one grevious crime but two. TWO! Whoever they are, I curse them and the fleas that infest their armpits.

*mumbles angrily into the distance*

Ineffectual Doctor Who stalking

On to Cardiff! From Bath, I bordered a dodgy train that was allegedly going to get from from one country to another... I had my doubts. Also, it was chockas full of people... I don't like people, esp not when I have a have a massive backpack. Thankfully, most of them got off at Bristol, only two stops and 10 minutes down the line! Anyway, a tunnel ride later and it was hello Wales... which did look differnet to England, so yay!

Pulled into Cardiff and walked out into the way dodgy train station... plus, it was a Sunday so there was nobody about... hmm. Walked to the hostel, which again was dead... allegedly the night before, there was absolutely NO accommodation in Cardiff... yeah, I don't know where all the people went. Anyhoo, booked in and then walked into the city, where there is just a big castle! Heh. Did the castle first, as wanted to make sure I got that in while I was in Cardiff. It was very intersting... it had been built by the family that practically owned Cardiff until recently, and were responsible for making Cardiff, at one time, the largest port in the world. There's a nifty Norman keep in the middle, and around the walls are the former living areas of, um, what were their names? They were Earls, I remember that much... meh, who cares? Anyway, they had decked out the place like a medieval castle would have looked and what's so cool about it is because it's relatively recent (late 1800s), all the glory and colour has been retained. It's a def must look if you're in Cardiff. After the castle, hopped on the sightseer tour, which was interesting cos I was the only punter on it! They had a live guide, as well, so she just chatted to me about Cardiff while we trundled along. And then we got to Millenium Plaza... sweet! It looks exactly like it does in Dr Who and Torchwood... you don't need weird angles to make the Millenium Centre look all weird and freaky, it does that on its own. I took photos of me standing on the stone that takes you into the Torchwood Hub (heh, hello Captain Jack!) and then I wandered around the bay. Yeah, not much there. Still, fun to see it. I caught the bus back and the tour guide on this one was talking about Torchwood. Apparently, I had missed them filming at Millenium Plaza by two weeks and John Barrowman's teeth are really white! Damnit! Got back to the city centre and wandered the (closed) shops before popping in to Marks and Spencers for some dinner. Went back to the hostel, watched telly and enjoyed a local brew (Brains Beer!).

The next day, I needed to kill some time before my train so went to Millenium Stadium for a tour. Again, not many people in Cardiff! On the tour, it was me and a couple from England... still, nice to get the personalised tour! The stadium was pretty impressive, and it did kill a couple of hours. Oh, and the reason Cardiff accomodation was allegedly all booked out Saturday night? They had a Middle Weight Title fight on between, um, I think it was an English guy and a Dutch guy? Anyway, the English guy won, so everyone was really happy.

So after the tour, I did a bit of window shopping and then collected my stuff for the big trip down to Penzance. I got there about 6pm and it was pitch black! I decided I would walk to the hostel rather than catching a taxi... yeah, bad idea. It took me about 30mins to get there and I was afraid I was walking the wrong way the entire time. Joy. Anyhoo, got there, checked in and then got some dinner. It was Bonfire Night, as well, so pretty fireworks lit the sky... apparently, there were heaps of fires lit by the fireworks and the Fire Dept got called out to about 50 fires! Heh.

The next day it was off to Lands End! I caught the bus at the unheard of hour of 8.25am (I wanted to make sure I got there and back in time) and the double decker bus (of which I'm sure I was the only passenger) wound its way through very narrow streets, hitting tree branches forcefully and making me fear for life and limb on more than one occasion. Anyway, got to Lands End in the end... only to discover, yeah, not much there. I saw the pretty coast, and then, not sure what to do, wandered towards the hotel... which also encompassed a little tourist village. There were dodgy attractions, souvenier shops and then the Lands End sign, which of course you had to pay for a photo with. Stupid entrepreneurial people. I managed to take a photo with something that said Lands End, tho, so ner!

One of the dodgy attraction was the Doctor Who Experience... heh. Cos I missed out in Cardiff because a) I was there for 1 day only and b) I couldn't be bothered, I decided I would partake at Lands End, catching the next bus which I thought would come in an hour. So I paid my money and went in... heh. It was so completely naff, but I loved it! There was costumes from all three series, and it was just totally cheesey... ah, fun times. Plus, there was a 'scary' dalek at the end, rising out of the dark in a cloud of smoke... come on, how could you not love that?

Anyhoo, after that, I went to the bus stop, prepared to wait 20 mins for my bus... only to discover the next bus was two hours away! Nooooooooooo! Damn you, Dr Who and your cheesey goodness! I went for a bit of a walk along the coast, but it wasn't that great and my ankle started to hurt. So I walked back to the Visitors Centre and what do you know, a bus of old people had rocked up. So the tea rooms were now open, with their beautiful cafeteria style. Nice. Got myself a cup of tea and a cornish cake and sat down to wait.

The bus finally arrived and I made my way back to Penzance, where I bummed around for four hours waiting for my train. Yeah, not much to do in Penzance. Note to self... next time in Cornwall, just rent a car. Everyone will be a lot happier! So anyway, the train finally came, made my way to Exeter and caught a taxi to the hostel (never say I'm a slow learner!), watched Liverpool thrash some Turkish team (8-0!) and then it was off to bed.

If you are thinking of going to Exeter for the non-stop fun times and excitement, yeah, don't. There is not much there! The do have a pretty nifty new shopping centre... Walked into the city centre and tried to find the underground caves. Thought I found them, but after much walking, yeah, so didn't. Anyway, I gave up on that and went looking in the shops, where I found said new shopping centre, which is completely open air. Very interesting. Anyway, the tourism office was in the shopping centre, so found out where the underground passages were, and also some walking tours. I booked in to the passages, and then wandered around again, looking at shops and the like. The passages were pretty boring, just some tunnels that were dug under Exeter to allow people to get to pipes in the middle ages. Yay. No bones or anything. Still, took up some time! After that, I bought my beautiful Clark shoes (so super cute!) and wandered some more, deciding I didn't need to do the walking tour as I felt my feet couldn't handle it. Trying desperately to think of things to do, I decided to go down to the wharf to see what was shaking down there... yeah, not much. In fact, most things were closed. Awesome. So Exeter in the end turned out to be a wonderful place for me to spend the day shopping!

Caught the train to London, checked in to my hotel (which was interesting trying to find the thing... London should really look into de-confusinising their streets - btw, like my new word??) and then met Prash at a bar in Soho! Fun times were had, much vodka was drunk and my thrid to last day was over!

Bathing Roman style

So next up, it was off to Bath. Several train changes later, the train was pulling into Bath Spa station and I alighted from the train, ready to enjoy the splendors of the city... Unfortunatley, Bath is not that impressive from the train station. There is now a massive work site where a department store is being built, and the street is kinda manky. Still, perservered, walking up to where I thought the hostel should be... only to discover I was confusing the hostels! Anyway, made it to the YMCA (heh) and checked in to my solo room... Bliss! It was pretty cool, with a basin and my own desk! Awesome! Anyhoo, after that I went trolling the streets of Bath, trying to figure out where I was in relation to all the cool stuff. Hopped on the sightseer bus, always a must when you get somewhere, and it took me places I hadn't even heard of... nice. I did one loop and then hopped off, where it was straight to the tourism office to see what I should see. I found a day trip to Stonehenge, which also took me to a couple of other places, so signed up for that. Other brochures pointed me in the direction of other sights, including Sally Lunn's, which is the oldest house in Bath and serves a special bun thing. It was yummy, that's all I care about! They have a kitchen museum there, which was pretty lame. Next up, I went to Bath Abbey... Ugh, another church! Really, not much different from the gazillion I had already seen. I then popped into a supermarket for dinner, thinking there would be a kitchen at the hostel... yeah, no kitchen. Awesome. So after some creative microwave work (cos they did have a microwave), I had my dinner, spent some time on the internet, booking my London accomodation and then bed time.

The next day I decided to do a walking tour of Bath. I wandered around until the time of the walk, checking out the scenery. The walk took us around most of Bath, checking out the major sights with a little bit of history of each. The dude was very informative and it was a great way of getting my bearings. Also killed a couple of hours... yay! After the tour, it was time for the Roman Baths. After getting a ticket that included a trip to the Fashion Museum too (yay!), I entered the Baths, which were just awesome. The springs that feed the bath they believe came from rain that fell about a million years ago and has made its way from its origin point through the earth, gaining heat along the way, until it popped out at Bath. The Romans utilised the springs, building a fantastic temple and bathhouse on the site, dedicating it to the Roman goddess Minerva and the Celtic god Sulis (those Romans were into incorporating local beliefs into their empire... nice stuff). Anyway, the baths are so impressives. Besides the Great Bath, there was two sets of rooms flanking, each with heated floors(!) and a sauna, as well as a 'cooling down/warming up' room, so people didn't have too much of a shock when they entered the hot water. So much fun times. I reckon I spent about two hours there, fascinated by all the artifacts they had discovered, and the baths themselves. Oh, and they had actors portraying characters around the baths. I saw a highborn lady and her servant, enjoying the grooming aspects of the bath, and then a priest, praying in latin to Sulis Minerva.

After the baths, it was time for some refreshments. I got my free glass of Bath water (mm, sounds so delicious when I put it that way), which didn't taste that bad to me, and I of course ordered high tea from the Pump Room, the place where all the cool Georgians hung out, which was nummy. Little baby creme brulee, fruit tart, strange vol-au-vants, scones with jam and clotted cream... mmm. After that, it was way too dark to do anything, so had me some dinner and then I joined the Bath Ghost Walk. Now, I was hoping that it would be like the York Ghost Walk (ie, brilliant) but alas, the Bath one was a bit of a wash out (heh). It was way too paranormally for me, with the guide obviously believing in the paranormal and doing the whole flaky thing. The guy in York backed his stuff up with research and facts (much more interesting, I feel) whereas the guy in Bath backed his up with "and now we are entering a small valley where you will feel it get colder (well, duh, it's a valley) and the friendly ghosts will take your hand..." Yeah, it was a bit naff. Still, got me out of the YMCA!

The next day was my trip to Stonehenge! Yay! I did a tour with Mad Max, which took me to Stonehenge, Avebury Stone Circles, Lacock Village and Castle Coombe Village. Fun times. So first up was Stonehenge, which was just great. I loved it... I think I have a bit of a thing for stone circles. It's disappointing that you can't go up and play amongst the stones, but it's still amazing to see them, shaped to some ancient design, and we have no idea of their purpose. The freeways is right next to the stones, but there are plans to dig tunnels underneath Stonehenge, allowing for the stones to be seen the way they were when they were first built (well, mostly... I think the landscape may have changed a tad in the last 3000 years). Anyway, fun times were had! Next up, we travelled to Avebury Stone Circle, which is about 2 miles in diameter, so big there is a village in the middle of it! Also, it has some sort of weird magnetic field there, which allows for copper dowsing rods to do wonky things when you're holding them. After Avebury, we drove past Silbury Hill, a big mound that was actually made by prehistoric man. No one knows what it's purpose was, and archeologists are currently working away inside it. We then saw some of the famous White Horses of Wiltshire, stylised carvings in the hill sides of horses, made white by the chalk composition of the Wiltshire earth. Our lunch stop was at Lacock Village, a world heritage area and the location for filming of Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter! In fact, Harry Potter #6 had just wrapped production there, and the production vans were still on site. I had a dodgy pasty for lunch (it was really meh) and then wandered around the village, which was tiny. When we left, it was so strange cos it took five seconds to get back to the 21st Century - there was a set of traffic lights, a supermarket and a petrol station! We then travelled on to Castle Coombe, which is a super pretty little village... nothing too exciting, but still nice. We drove back to Bath and that was all she wrote!

The next day was all about museums... I started off with the Jane Austen Centre, which was kinda cool... and they had a tea room, so had some sugar bun thing that was prescribed as a restorative in Georgian times! After the Jane Austen Centre, it was off to the Assembly Rooms and the Fashion Museum! I had waited to go to the Assembly Rooms, as they were closed on Thursday and I really wanted to see them... however, the Great Ballroom was shut when I went, so I had to content myself to seeing two of the three rooms... oh well. Oh, and while I was in Bath, Keira Knightly was filming, um, I think it's called The Duchess? Anyway, the Royal Crescent was all closed to traffic and the like, so awesome fun times! Not that I saw anyone famous, but still. Anyway, back to the Assembly Rooms. After I wandered, I went down to the Fasion Museum, which is in the same building... ah, now that was fun! I spent ages there, looking at all the pretty clothes and shoes and handbags... *sigh* So much fun.

After the Fashion Museum, I wandered around, seeing the Circus and the Royal Crescent, oh, and going to No 1 Royal Crescent, a Georgian museum. The house is decked out like a Georgian townhouse would be... it was kinda interesting, but you can only take so much of that stuff before you go a little bonkers... I think Scotland ruined it for me! Anyway, wandering Bath was fun, and then I decided to see a movie that night... and the movie I saw had Castle Coombe in it! Hah! Had just been there! Awesome!

The next day, it was time to say goodbye to Bath *sniff* and hello to Cardiff!

Industry City

So the next day after we arrived at Manchester, Nick had to "work" (well, go to a Man U game and review it for the Man U official website and magazine - tough job, hey?), but we all went to brekkie at a cool little shop around the corner from where they used to live. After the brekkie, we went to some craft markets, perused the awesomeness, and then on to John Rylands Library, which had just been re0pened after a refit. It was built by Mrs Rylands after John boy died as a monument to him and it's pretty darn nifty. It looks like a church, very vaulty and big, and contains fragments of the original bible, as well as the Koran and some other religious books of importance. We had a lovely morrocan platter at a funky shop for lunch (after seeing the Hilton - ugh, ugliest building ever!) and then it was off the the Gothic town hall. And lucky us, there was a wedding out the front but not just any wedding! Oh no, it was a full on goth wedding, with the flower girls dressed up like Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire, and the bride wearing a deep red dress. Heh.
After bumming around at Vic & Nick's watching tv (yay!) and drinking tea, Nick finished work and we all caught the Magic Bus (seriously, that's what the bus company is called!) to the Indian restaurant that is the bomb! It was very nummy... mmm, Indian. We then wandered the streets a bit, found lots of Indian sweets for sale and bought some for dessert. Went back to Vic & Nick's, ate our dessert and watched Vanessa's midget show. Fun times!

The next day, we waved goodbye to Vanessa (who later told me it took 7 hours to get back to London - ugh!) and Vic, Nick and I went to the art gallery, where they had lots of PreRaphelite stuff.. yay! We then wandered about a bit, doing some shopping in Topshop and H&M (heh) before having lunch at a pub where you could get a pint and nachoes for £5. Oh, and we also went to another cafe with wireless internet so I could check my train stuff. Joy. After lunch, Vic and I went to see Superbad at the movies and I tried Ben & Jerry's Icecream - Cherry Garcia. Very nice, but it tasted a little bit of fake cherries... never a nice flavour. After the movie, we went back to Vic's house where she made an awesome risotto for dinner. It was a great, relaxing normal day. Always fun!

So the next day was travelling to Windermere. Yeah, that was fun. I got on the train, no problems (well, the ticket machine almost wouldn't accept my credit card - stupid English credit cards with their microchips!) but when it came time to hop off at my change, I missed it! The train only waits 3 minutes at each station, and don't really let you know that the stop is coming up... I think you're magically supposed to know. Anyway, got off at the next stop, thinking I'll just ask the ticket office what to do... but no, the ticket office was closed. Probably for lunch, the bastards. Anyway, I bit the bullet and tried to buy a ticket back to Oxenholme (my station) but the damn ticket machine wouldn't accept my card (see chip stupidity!). So, frustrated as all hell, I invetigated and thought, I'll ring the ticket company. Yeah, couldn't get through. Awesome. So finally, a train pulled up going past Oxenholme and I asked the paddle waving guy what I should do. He said just hop on and tell the conductor what happened. Sweet! So I got back on, made sure I was waiting next to the door and managed to get to Oxenholme an hour after I was supposed to be there! I then had to wait for the next train, so I was an hour late getting to Windermere. And then the helpful taxi driver told me I was staying in the wrong hostel... Ambleside is better, apparentlly. But we pulled up to Windermere YHA and I just fell in love with the scenery. It was exactly what I wanted... smack back in the prettiness. Fun.

So I checked in and then walked down the hill to the bus stop, my ankle protesting all the way. Yay for twisted ankles. Anyway, caught the bus into Windermere and discovered, well, that there wasn't much there! So went to Bowness, which is right on the lake. Very pretty and lots more shops! Did the Beatrix Potter thing, which was more geared to kids, and then wandered about Bowness, hoping to maybe get to Ambleside. Was going to catch a boat, but unfortunately I had just missed the last one! So sat around hoping for the bus, but it didn't show as they had just changed to winter times (damn the end of Daylight Savings!). So wandered around trying to find a taxi, but no joy. Finally, I asked a shop lady if she knew where a rank was, but she said I could use her phone to call one. So nice of her! Made it back to the YHA and had a lovely dinner (bangers and mash!).

The next day, got a taxi down to the train station, admiring the scenery while I waited (so pretty there, seriously!). The train ride was uneventful until Birmingham, where I had to swap trains... via a completely different train station! I got directions from the information booth, but either I'm stupid or they weren't very good cos I was so going the wrong way! However, a very nice security guard pointed me in the right direction, even walking with me a ways to make sure I was going the right way. Got to the station after walking through the shopping district of Birmingham, so I can so say I've been there now! Arrived at Stratford-Upon-Avon and checked into my B&B, which was just gorgeous! Would recommend to anyone, def. I had a pink room (as mentioned before... but it was so super cute!) Anyhoo, the owner suggested I see Henry V that night, as it was the only play on in Stratford and her son had seen it the night before and raved about it. So I wandered through the town until I found the theatre, discovering it was the Royal Shakespeare Company in their temporary premisies, as they were redoing the Swan Theatre. Bought my ticket and continued on to Shakespeares Birthplace, where they had live guides in every room, giving you a little background on what the room had been used for. Fun! I then went on the internet, organising the rest of my trip, which took ages. Then it was dinner time and play time! The play was quite good, but the production was amazing! During the scenes with the French Court, they had actors on trapezes, symbolising the airiness and frivolousness of the French. And the war scenes were awesome, smoke, light and sound used to make it seem like a World War I trench (even tho the play was set in the 13th century - meh, who cares!). Unfortunately, I was so super tired that I kept wanting to fall asleep, and when the play clocked in at three hours, I thought I would! Luckily, made it through it, went back to the B&B and had an awesome sleep!

Break time. Back with Bath!

A world of learning at my fingertips... and gargoyles, apparently

Okay, so next up was Oxford! Caught the Oxford Tube (which is a bus!), which went past Hyde Park, Grovsner Place and Mayfair. Yay for richville! Arrived in Oxford after about an hour, had a coffee, looked at the food markets (yum, olives!) and then caught the hop-on, hop-off bus for the skinny on Oxford. I, of course, being the nutter that I am, sat up the top in the open air, only to freeze in the brisk Oxford cold. It was freezing. Anyhoo, it was very informative and saw a lot of the sights that I never would have been able to walk to (cos I would have given up trying to find them, not cos they were that far!).

After the bus tour, I hopped off at Christ Church College, super pumped to see the setting for something in Harry Potter. I got to the gate and discovered that the Dining Hall was shut until 2pm. Man. These stupid attractions not being open when I want them to be! Anyhoo, wandered over to the Oxford Story, a pretty naff attraction which straps you into a cable car and trundles you through Oxford's history. Still, fun times with the kitch! Went to the Radcliffe Cinema next but the darn thing wasn't open to the public. Damnit! Also, Oxford is slightly obsessed with Alice in Wonderland, as Lewis Carroll was a lecturer at Christ Church and Alice was the dean's daughter or something. They had a shop called Alice's Shop and everything! Oh, and Oxford is also obsessed with gargoyles. They're everywhere! Anyhoo, made it back to Christ Church College, paid my money and wandered around. It was kinda meh, and I wasn't too sure what was in Harry Potter. I think its the Dining Hall but as with Neighbours' Ramsay Street, the whole thing is way smaller in real life.

Finally, went up Carfax Tower (more bloody steps) for a great view of Oxford. Then it was back on the bus to London to meet Vanessa for tea before The Vegemite Tales. Unfortunately, the traffic was horrendous in London and what was supposed to only take an hour ended up taking two and a half. So we grabbed something quick to eat and then it was on to watch Blair McDonough take his shirt off. So worth the cover price (he's really hot in real life!)

The next day it was back to playing with Tish and Deanna. Yay! Unfortunately, I twisted my ankle really badly before meeting them so it was Limpy McLimp for me. I bought a brace and that seemed to help heaps. Anyway, we went to the Tower of London, which was great! Our Beefeater tour was amazing, they are such funny buggers, those guys! And it was really interesting how you got to be a beefeater - you had to do a certain amount of time in the armed forces, with an exemplary record, no blemish at all allowed! And it can be anyone in the Commonwealth, so they currently had a New Zealand guy as a beefeater! After the tour, we went and saw the Crown Jewels, which just looked like plastic to me. I think it was because my brain could not compute that the astonishing amount of gold and precious stones could be real, so it must be polished plastic. However, the big safe door about three feet thick probably lend credence to the idea that maybe they're not plastic... Unless the English are just messing with us poor colonials. I wouldn't put it past them!

While we were at the tower, we also saw a film crew! We thought maybe it was some rapper filming something, but we think in the end it was an American tv show, something like "so and so visit London". Anyway, that brings film crew sightings up to about three!

After the tower, we met Tish's friend Kate for lunch, so Tish and Deanna could hand back the key. It was sad times as they were leaving that day! So we celebrated by going to the cute tea shop around the corner from the Borough Markets, where they have tea cups hanging from the ceiling and fairy statues on the tablecloths! I had high tea, which was fantastic. I swear the jam was home made and the clotted cream... mmm. I also had about 17 slices of salmon in my sandwich (heh). After that, all over red rover for Tish and Deanna so we hugged goodbye and then those guys left for Heathrow and Australia, and I shopped in the Borough Markets for the dinner I was making for Vanessa and her flatmates as a big thankyou for letting me stay with them. The dinner went well and we had the Beaujolais wine I brought back from Contiki. Yay!

After eating a determined breakfast of eggs and bacon (I had half an hour to cook it and make it, but I had bought that bacon, damnit, I was going to eat it!), I caught the train to Brighton. So yay, beach! Not yay, pebbles :( The water was surprisingly warm, though, esp as it was so darned grey there! Walked along the beach to Brighton Pier and then was lambasted by the garishness of the tacky rides on said pier as I walked up and down it. Still, it was Brighton Pier! Next up was the Royal Pavillion, which was super cool! The Dining Room was amazing, such splendor! And the English know how to frame such splendour by having the rooms around it full of understated elegance. Not like Versailles, where each room topped the next, to the point where you just couldn't be dazzled any more. Oh, and the kitchen was awesome. All those cool pots and pans... fun times!

I got threatened with death if I didn't go to Shakeaway while I was in Brighton. Not that I knew where it was. So I texted the death threatener (Vanessa) and got a precise location :) Anyway, got there and it was amazing! It was like Cold Rock, but a million times better. After much deliberation, I chose an Apple Crumble with Cinnamin Shake, hot. Mmm, it was awesome! Then it was time to catch the train, pick up my backpack and meet Vanessa at Victoria Station for our megabus trip to Manchester. Hm. The bus was... interesting. The toilets... hm. But we did have a little break, as they needed to change drivers about 21/2 hours into the drive, and the dude said we could have ten minutes to stretch out legs! Nice! We got to Manchester at about 11.30pm, and Vic and Nick were there to greet us. So nice of them! We ended up talking til about 2am and then it was time for bed.

Time for the obligatory break, guys! Next post, tales of Manchester!

It's like a little Adelaide convention and everyone's invited!

So after the glorious day of rest, it was back into the sightseeing extravaganza!

Monday found me meeting up with Tish and Deanna for an Adelaide reunion. It was very emotional We trundled off to the British Museum, where I was stoked to find the Rosetta Stone! The actual Rosetta Stone! Awesome fun times in history right there. We then looked at the 'Elgin Marbles', statues from the Acropolis in Greece that are the subject of nasty discourse between the English and Greek governments. Personally, I subscribe to the theory that they should be returned to the Greeks and the English argument is threadbare at best. Still, it's interesting reading the little plaques where the museum tries to justify its possession of the marbles.

We then worked our way through the rest of the museum, seeing the Roman artifacts (so super cool), the bog person, a body that has been preserved by bog mud (it was not so super cool... who would have have thought I would be so squemish?) and "hands on" exhibits, where a staff member has all sorts of goodies from the collection for you to play with. I couldn't fight my way through all the seven year olds, so I left that one alone.

Next up was lunch and then off to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre... not that it actually is the Globe Theatre. It's a reconstruction a few streets away from the original site, as the original Globe burnt down sometime in the early 1600s. We booked in for the tour of the site and got to go in to the area, which was very interesting. Did you know that in the 16th century all plays were held during the day? This is because, dadadaDA! There was no electricity. Well, der. :) Anyway, it was great and the only regret is that we didn't get to see a play there... the season had just ended! After the tour, Tish was suffering from a cold so we parted ways and I went to Tower Hill, hoping that maybe I could get the Tower of London out of the way. Heh. It was 5pm when I got there, so no Tower for me! However, I did see part of London's City Wall, and walked around the Tower, then over Tower Bridge. Awesome! Of course, my camera started to run out of batteries, so I found a Boots at Picadilly Circus, took some photos there and then it was home time and left over pasta time! Yum!

The next day it was time to put Vanessa's crafty plan into action... Apparently, instead of staying in places and paying money for accomodation, I could utilise a little something called a "train" (don't know if you've heard of it) and go on Day Trips! Most of the places I wanted to visit were about an hour from London - damn England and it's tininess! Anyhoo, went along to Liverpool Street Station to catch the Cambridge Express (not really... it was just the train to Cambridge. But I like my name for it better!) While I was waiting for the train, Tish rang me with details of the musical Deanna and she were going to see that night. I was maybe going to go along, but when I heard the price, I decided I didn't need to see the Lion King all that much. We organised to meet on Thursday before they flew out of London, however, so that was cool! And then it was on the train!

I got into Cambridge City Centre after catching the bus from the train station and my wordy, it's a pretty little town! And it actually is quite a small town, with all the colleges clustered together and a nice little market in the middle. The first thing that struck me was all the people on bikes. They were everywhere! And quite mad with it... you had to dodge out of the way sometimes. The whole town was pretty much pedestrianised, which was nice, and it really was quite lovely. Lots of trees and parks and the River Cam winding through it all. Had some afternoon tea at a little nana place (the wait staff were wearing black and white uniforms!) and then it was back to London. Cambridge was kinda boring, for me at least. I reckon if you went with someone, it would be fun trying not to fall into the River Cam from your punt, but as I was a big loner, no punting joy for me.

Made my way back to London and went to Baker Street! Hah! For those not in the know, when I was born, Baker Street was playing on the radio. Anyway, I thought it was good! Next up, had a quick squizz at the shop of the Sherlock Holmes Museum and decided I could live without experiencing it. It'll be tough, but I'll survive. From there, I went to Buckingham Palace, but it was quite dark by then. Still, got a photo of the palace all lit up at night. I thought I'd try and see another stage show that night, but a) it was too much and b) I'd just missed out and it was too late. So, consoled myself with Burger King for dinner (don't really know how that is supposed to console me!) and then back to Vanessa's!

okay, will break these posts up so you're not reading and reading for days and days and days... aren't I nice?? Next up, Oxford!

More photos...

Hi all,

Photos are up and running on Picasa. I've got up to Cambridge, with the rest to follow hopefully tomorrow. So enjoy perusing!

xx

So where were we?

Okidoke, it's time for the next chapter of where in the world is Cassie Wilson? While we all know I'm actually in Adelaide, pretend for a moment that I am supremely up to date and currently in London, just after the Contiki tour ended. I'm sure you could do it, if you really tried...

Anyhoo, the day after Contiki finished, me and a few contiki people headed out into the wonderland that is shopping in London. First up, we bought our tix to Spamalot, which were a glorious £18. Rock on! Then it was off to Oxford Street, that mecca of shopping. After wandering and meeting random contiki people along the way, we ended up in Primark, glorious glorious Primark (www.primark.co.uk). I spent £52 (and claimed the Tax Free non-UK resident thingy!) and bought 12 items, including underwear, socks, a travel bag, shoes, three jumpers, a hoodie and various other things. I love Primark! We then wandered back via Kathmandu (who knew it was in the UK) before getting ready for the theatre. Oh, and I was supposed to stay at Vanessa's that night, but unfortunately she had a full house, so I organised with yet more contiki people to hostel it up with them. Yay! Anyhoo, we went to Spamalot and my wordy, was it funny ha ha! Pissed myself laughing, even if they had lifted a lot of the jokes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But hey, those jokes work for a reason... cos they're bloody funny! Even more so in musical form. Not to mention "The Song That Goes Like This" and a gay Lancelot and Spamalot casino and the Knights of Ne and Tim the Enchanter and the French... ah, so funny!

The next day, I lugged my heavy, heavy, HEAVY bags to London Bridge, past the Borough Markets and onto the Thames promanade to meet Vanessa for a key exchange. I was meeting her at the Starbucks near her work, but could I find the bugger?? Of course not! So I gave up, sat on the wall seperating the Thames from the walkway and rang my sister. Heh. After I hung up, I saw some kids with Starbucks paraphenalia, so asked where it was. Wouldn't you know it, it was about five steps from where I had collapsed! Anyway, made it there, Vanessa met me, we did the huggy, catchyupy thing, ate Dutch Spice biscuits and then I trundled off to her house. Yay! That night, we met a friend of Vanessa's in a bar in Soho (no Lolas, tho) and I took a photo of G-A-Y (thanks Scooter!). We then went to Angel for some dinner at a really cool Turkish restaurant, before wandering the streets of Angel, taking random photos and eating dessert at a little French cafe thingy. It was so nice to be back with Vanessa!

The following day, it was back to London Bridge tube station and the Borough Markets. Vanessa & I went there with Vanessa's new housemate, Bree. Seriously, you have no idea how good these markets are. Everything is available there, from fresh produce to wine to big wheels of cheese melted under a flame and then the melted cheese scraped onto a piece of bread for your gustational pleasure. You even have random spilling of mulled wine on your backpack! Yay! We had lunch at the BBQ Nazi (Vanessa's affectionate name for the guy - not that he was there), which was super yum. After the markets, Bree left us and Vanessa and I went to Notting Hill and Portobello Road. Awesome fun times, with lots and lots of antique stalls, fabulous food and then regular markets. We then went to the Hummingbird Bakery for fun times with cupcakes! Mmmm. We then walked along Kensington Gardens until we got to the beginning of Hyde Park, while Vanessa suffered the tortures of the damned with a bizarrely suddenly painful knee. We then attempted to get back to Balham, but the Northern line decided that it wanted to stuff up and have a gazillion people trying to get on the tub. So Vanessa then took me on a wild goose chase trying to get from Oxford Street to Clapham Common. We caught four buses and we finally got there, deciding to go and see a movie, little realising that the weather was going to take a turn for the worse and be absolutely freezing! Vanessa didn't have a jacket so the poor chickie was freezing in the London wind, ugh. Anyway, we saw Rendition, which was kinda good, and then it was home time!

Sunday was a relaxing day of not much at all, sleeping in and doing laundry and having a cheese platter and a cappucino for lunch. Mmmm. I think we just hung out that night, chillin like villians. It was fabulous!

More on the adventures later, kids. Until I blog again!
mwah!
xx

Soon the water will be going the right way...

Well, here I am, pretty much back where it all started! Singapore airport, waiting for my flight back to dear old Adelaide. You know how they say (this mythical they... seriously, who are they??) you get back and don't feel like you have had a holiday? Well, its already kicking in! I was on the plane, doing my thing, and I could have sworn I was never in the UK, never did Contiki, none of it happened.... weird. :)

Anyway, promise there will be the big update when I get home! I'll fill you guys in on all the awesome adventures an d the thousands of photos (who thinks I'm kidding??) This blog is super short cos the computer I'musing completly sucks. If you're extremely lucky (and I get really bored here!) I might give it another bash! But until then, au revoir! (see , so did go to france... didn't I?)

xx

Photo update!

For all you fun lovers out there, I have updated the Scotland and Contiki photos. Contiki is up to the end of Paris (I know, I'm so behind!)

On a brighter note, I've just stuffed up on the English keyboard! Culture shock is not going to be that bad (see previous blog if I've confused the hell out of you!)

Happy Halloween everyone!
xx

More time! Yay! Oh, and Bath!

Yay, I have more time to play on the internet! Joy! Rapture! Very expensive for Cass! Heh. Doesn't matter, that's what money is for, right? At least, that's what they tell me... (oh, and on a complete random sidenote, I am becoming used to the weird-arsed English keyboards. Oh my god, the culture shock when I get back home is going to be INSANE)

So I am currently in Bath, discovering that it really is fun to stay at the YMCA. But casts your minds back, people, to that happy time when I was a little bit less worldly, a little less cold and a lot tanner... Contiki and Europe. I am in Switzerland, home of the milk cow and chocolate and snow. Lots and lots of snow. When last we were there, I had just arrived. So the next day, we went up Jungfrau mountain on a cable car, which was an experience in itself. The view was stunning and I'm sure I took too many photos. Still, that's what digital cameras are for, right?? So we then went into the mountain and up to the plateau. I suffered from a bit of pressure sickness, but only inside the complex. Weird. Still, fun times were had. the Ice Palace was beautiful, all these ice sculptures and slip and sliding around (the floor was ice too!) we then had some lunch and found the play area! yay! snowball fights and snow angels and frivolity followed. It was awesome.

The next day it was on to the Rhine Valley and Ice Vine (or if we're being particular, in english - and not bad german accent - Ice Wine) We went to a beer stein demonstration thing - as you can tell, I found it super exciting - and then I bought Birkenstocks for 30€! Bargain! We then had din dins and off to the wine tasting, where I kept my glasses/shots (seriously, they served the wine in shot glasses!) and had to bite my tongue when they said that they had just given us a "dry red vine" as it was super sweet! And they kept getting sweeter! Until finally the moment of truth... Ice Wine! They gave us the smallest bit, and it seemed nice but agian, see smallest bit. Hard to tell, really. So on from there to Amsterdam.

We stopped off in Edam to ride granny bikes and look at dykes (get your minds out of the gutter people, this is the water barrier kind). fun riding a bike and not dying in the first five minutes! We then made our way into Amsterdam! Yay! And, of course, the contiki tradition continues... we all signed up for the sex show. The red light district was very interesting, with the prostitutes in the windows and all. they have quite the set up, with a little bathroom and all the facilities (i saw this from the street, people. I swear!) the sex show itself was kinda meh, with the, um , participants not that into it. the sex museum afterwards was way better!

The next day, it was off to the post office to send some stuff home. Of course, do you think we could find the post office? Of course not! It took us at least 45 mins to find the darn thing, and then another hour or so to get everything ready for posting. ah well! we then walked to Anne Frank House, which was beautiful. Amsterdam is such a pretty city, and seeing as it was Autumn, the autumn colours really brought out the beauty of the canals and the houses lining them. Anne frank house was really cool, and sad, and interesting and a hundred different adjectives encompassing sadness and joy. I had never read the book before this trip, but Denielle had brought it along with her, so managed to read it while sitting on the bus for those countless hours (esp in Alabania!) After Anne Frank, what better than retail therapy! Not that I bought much, but I did buy these Dutch biscuits that are yummy! Spice biscuits, I think they're called, and they taste like Coffee Rounds without the pink icing and the dried fruit! After shopping, we walked down to the Heinekin Experience (I'm sure I spelt that wrong!) IT was really cool! Def go if you're in Amsterdam, if only for the free beer! You get three, and then there are heaps of people who don't want their beer, so they give you the tokens! We ended up getting about five free beers!

That night was our farewell dinner, with a cruise on the canals followed by a chinese buffet. It was sad that it was our last night, but awesome too. We had survived! Huzzah!

The next day, we drove back to London. However, a two truck smash on the freeway forced us to detour through the back roads of Holland. yay! what should have been a three hour trip become six hours. Joy! Still, we got back to London at about 7pm, had farewell drinks and that was all she wrote (literally)

So we come to the end of contiki, the 37 day extravaganza that took me all over Europe and left me with some glorious memories and new friends. How could you not love such an experience!

Next up, people, I shall delight you with tales of London and day trips to the surrounds. Oh yes, the saga continues!

stay well and I'll see you all real soon (a week and a half to go!)
xx

Because Anne DEMANDS IT!!!!

Hello all,

I am madly trying to book the rest of my trip, which has had a slight hiccup because of sporting events in Cardiff (damn sport!). But Anne has demanded an update and so here it is!

I am currently in Stratford-Upon-Avon, having booked myself in to see Henry V at the Courtyard Theatre and staying the cutest B&B! I have a pink room! It's awesome! Have just been in the Lakes District, which was beautiful! wish I could have spent more time there, but alas and alack, it wasn't to be. I also stayed at one of the best hostels I've been to, so fun times!

Have also just visited Vic & Nick in Manchester. Manchester was... interesting. There really doesn't seem much to do there. Although, fun to see Vic & Nick, so yay Manchester! I guess if you're not into the soccer, it's really just a big town with some cool shops (I'm loving Primark and H&M!)

Okay, the internet shop is about to close so I'm going to have to leave it there. Will try to update as soon as I can!

xx

Contiki is no more...

Ah, it's so good to be back in the UK! Yay for signs written in English, for people who I can (kinda) understand when they talk to me, and for seeing Vanessa. Woohoo!

So Contiki is all over red rover. Ohhhhh. It was a blast, but I'm so glad to be off the touring whirlwind. Yay for beds and sleeping in til 9am, showers where you don't have to wear your brand new Havianas (heh, expensive thongs... so worth it!), vegetables and all that other small stuff that you don't think about but you so miss when it's gone! Although I do have a good collection of toiletries in other languages...

So what else has happened since last I posted? Um, I can't really remember! Last time we chatted, I was in Vienna, which was awesome! I had the best coffee ever at Cafe Central, where Freud used to hang out (seriously, best coffee ever... it was heaven in a cup. I had a little private moment to myself and didn't even flinch at the 4€ it cost!) and then we were on our way to, um, Munich? Yes, Munich!

Oh, how to describe the excitement, the wonder, of seeing... the Glockenspiel. It was so super exciting, I am def going back to Munich to experience it a third, no, make that fourth time. Maybe I'll spend the rest of my trip there so I won't miss one second of Glockenspiel madness. It's like a big cuckoo clock... how could you not want to enjoy such fun? Heh.

Okay, the beerhall in Munich was more fun. But not by much. I was actually disappointed by the Contiki beerhall, which didn't look at all like how I pictured a beerhall to look. But still, they had the one litre steins, which were super fun to drink!

After beery fun times, we were on our way to Switzerland and Jungfrau mountain. It was beautiful driving through the countryside and it was great when we go there! Oh, and we passed through Lichtenstein, which took about five seconds! Heh. Anyway, we got to our campsite, which had communal bathrooms (oh yes, running to the bathroom at 3am when it was about 3degrees outside... fun!) and were all revved up for the trip up the mountain the next day!

I'm going to leave you there, people, hanging for tales of my adventures. Maybe next time, I'll even remember to bring my travel diary with me so I actually remember what happened... :)

xx

Is it wrong to catalogue places by food?

I am in Vienna, home of the weiner schnitzel, Sacher Torte, Bled Cake, stodgy food and so many other exciting gastronomical extravaganzas that I just can't cope. Ah, so excited to have good food! It is such a sad state of affairs. No, it is sadder that I'm ultra excited by the fact we have had private bathrooms and quilts two nights in a row in two different places. Oh yes, it is the small things...

So what's been happening since last I posted? Um, I'm not really sure, it's all a blur! I have gotten better, so hopefully am over my cold. Good old dodgy amoxycillin. Yay for over the counter antibiotics!

We arrived in Vienna yesterday from LubblyJubbly (or if we're being all technical, Ljubljana), which had the best hotel ever! We had tv!!!!!!!!! I watched Ugly Betty!!!!!!! And it was in English! We also watched Australia and New Zealand lose at the rugby... it has not been a happy time in sport for me. However, I did drink a litre of beer, so that made up for it LubblyJubbly seemed quite a nice place, but it was cold and wet and raining and everything was shut, so it was hard to get a true sense of what the town was like. Oh, and just so you don't think I'm completely obsessed by tv (even tho, who am I kidding, I so am), I was also excited about the meals in the hotel, which had veggies! Unfortunately, there weren't enough and I had to make do with mashed pototoes. Poor me :)

So we arrived in Vienna and did a happy dance cos the rooms were nice and we had the private bathroom thing. And then we went out for dinner (2nd schnitzel in Vienna... heh) and then went to the Mozart and Strauss concert which was fun times! Its so amazing that someone a) thought wood and catsgut would make such a beautiful sound b) thought "i'll put valves on a recorder and see what happens" and c) could write such beautiful, intricate music. They had a soprano and baritone, as well as ballet dancers. It was awesome.

Today, we have a free day around Vienna, so we are going to eat Sacher Torte, drink coffee, hang out where Freud chilled and have lots of fun. This afternoon is the Schnapps museum and our hoogendoogen dinner... I feel I might be having schnitzel again.

xx

Young people have made me sicker...

Hello all! I am currently in Dubrovnik, which looked very pretty from the bus on the drive in. Have been doing a lot of that lately, as the last couple of days have been bus travel heavy!

Mykonos was lovely. Nothing but sun and surf and me driving on the wrong side of the road! H
Hiring a car was so much fun, and i had such a blast driving on the righthand side. awesome!

the next couple of days were feats of death defying. we went into Albania, which has the windiest, crappiest roads i've ever experienced. I don't know how our bus driver managed, but h e got us to our hotel safe and sound, but not without experiencing a couple of ear splitting crunches, breaking the front door, scratching the front, blocking trucks on the barely one lane road, blocking french holiday makers, etc etc. it was an experience! we got lost a couple of times, but the very friendly albanians pointed us in the right direction. we also got a very late dinner - they prepared an awesome meal at 11.30pm at night! it was beautiful greek salad, outstanding steak (you have no idea how much i've been craving steak!) and free soft drink! yay, no water!!!!!

we then drove some more today, passing from Albania to Montenegro to Croatia and arriving in Dubrovnik at 7pm. We will be staying here tonight and tomorrow, and then on to Zadar the next day. Tomorrow will be touring the old city and a beautiful cruise where we can take our bathers... tell you what, i am enjoying all this swimming!

oh, and as in the title, i am sick as a dog. illness has spread thru the bus like wildfire. awesome. i am getting better, but it's a slow process. damn stupid cold, go away you bugger!!!! still, fun times are being had and that's the main thing!

Hello lazing on the beach!!

Greetings all! I am here in sunny Greece, soaking up the sun and swimming in a beautiful blue ocean and finally having real bathrooms! So much excitement, I don't know how I will contain myself!!!

Okay, where were we? I think I had just arrived in Venice, so lots to catch up on!

Venice was awesome, so pretty and full of lots of fun things! We started the day with a ferry taxi into the city, and then we had a glass blowing demonstration where a man blew a horse (not as gross as it sounds, trust me!). We then admired the pretty pretty glass and Cassie repeatedly told herself that a) it's too expensive and b) it will so break in your bag. We then moved on to the lace making demonstration... my wordy, the work that goes into it is amazing! Again, Cassie told herself it was too expensive and really, do you really need another doily? We then split up and went wandering the city. I found a lovely pair of earrings, ginormous pizza, and fruit. Glorious glorious fruit. More than anything, I have missed fresh fruit and perfectly cooked veggies on this trip (Mum, I think I'm going to want a massive bowl of fruit salad when I get home! And a steak. And a proper pie. And BBQ City... mmm, BBQ City.....) OH, and almost forgot! I had a gondola ride! So much fun... and the guy was dragging off the other gondolas. Gotta love that!

We then made our way to Florence. Florence... I love Florence... How do I describe how much I love it? They have this massive cathedral called the Duomo, which looks like its painted with pink and green trimmings, in lovely patterns all through the facade. However, when you look closer you see that it's actuallly marble! Lots of different marble, assembled in patterns which so looks like a painting but really isn't. They also have Michaelangelo's David, but the line was too massive so just faked it with the copy in the square! We also went on a tour of the city and got lots of ace information, such as Michaelangelo was a tool and thought everyone was crap except for him, and called Leondaro Da Vinci an amateur. Oh, and the de Medicis were just the most awesome family ever. Any woman who can poison a whole lot of people all at once has my respect... mostly because she would probably poison me if she didn't! Oh, and they were also responsible for funding the renaissance. Heh.

The light in Florence was amazing, and each sunset was a ripsnorter. One thing I'll stay about this trip, I'm certainly learning all the functions on my camera! We also had a 'traditional' tuscan meal. Don't know about the traditional, but the pasta was awesome! So, so yummy. And we had Chianti!

Okay, next we were on to Rome! Oh, and somewhere in there we stopped at Pisa and I got the obligatory photo. And was accosted by people selling things. Btw, Teresa, I steered clear of the gypsies! Hopefully, no more gypsies but I'm not holding my breath. They are tenacious, those ones!

So we arrived in Rome to go straight to the Colesseum and a walking tour of the Colesseum and the Forum. It was chockers full of info and the lady was really good! And speaking of gypsies, she spotted some in the Forum, so alerted the Guardia. It was fun watching them run! We then saw the Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon and went on to have dinner. Fun! And then it all turned to shit. The campsite was the most awful place we had been on tour. We were stuck in the crappy cabins cos there was a billion contiki tours there and for some reason, apparently organisation hasn't hit Roman campsites as yet. So was a very angry Cassie at the Rome campsite. One thing after another went wrong and I don't think anyone enjoyed their time at the campsite. Rome, yes, the campsite, big no.

The next day, it was in to Rome at a ridiculously early hour to queue for Vatican City. And oh my god, it was so the right thing to do! The line was massive... we were in a really good possie, and tho we had to wait an hour and half for the City to open, we got in within 45 minutes. We then walked thru the Sistine Chapel (and all the bits leading up to it... massive chambers!), took a sneaky photo (shh, don't tell anyone!) and then went on to St Peter's Basillica! Oh, and I also saw Pope John Paul II's tomb by mistake. There is a sneaky exit from the Sistine Chapel that bypasses the massive lines into the Basillica, but this exit is for groups. So we attached ourselves onto the end of a group, hoped they wouldn't notice the decided lack of grey in our hair and followed them. Somehow, we ended up in the Pope's Grotto, where all the popes are buried. Meh. But we got to the Basillica, which was awesome! Lots of photos there!

We then went to the Spanish steps which were, well, steppy? However, opposite the steps was a Camper store! I drooled over the shoes, and then was dragged away to revisit the Colesseum and to actually go inside this time. Very fun. Great shots. I then wanted to go to the Mouth of Truth, which was a bit of hike but got there! Unfortunately, there was a massive line so just took photos of the mouth. No losing my hand for me! We then visited the Cappucino monks (or something like that!) whose bones are decorating the chambers of a church. It was very gross and disturbing to see hip bones used as wings, and spine bones used to ornately trace a pattern on the roof. I found it funny at first, but by the end it was all too overwhelming and I actually felt a bit nauseous! I know, I couldn't believe it either! I went outside to recover and then it was back to the shite campsite and a dinner where they ran out of food. Thank god we were leaving the next morning, even if it was at 6am!

We drove to Bari via Pompeii, which was amazing! I love Pompeii, even tho the plaster casts of the bodies was disturbing. Still, it was magnificent to see such a complete city and to realise that a lot of our modern convieniences were being employed in ancient Rome! They had reflectors in the roads so you could see where the lines were!!! After Pompeii, we went to Bari where we caught our overnight ferry to Greece. So it was bye bye Italy, and hello -ish time and no flushing toilet paper down the loo (there are bins for that, my friends. Oh yes. The grossness starts...).

We got in to Patras at 12.30pm-ish (read: 2pm...ish) and then drove to Athens. I was surprised by how poor the country seems... I always thought Greece was prosperous and, um, greener. It is very arid and rocky, with lots of white rocks and light coloured dirt around the place. We arrived in Athens at about 6.30pm, picked up our guide and raced to the Acropolis, hoping to make it before it shut. We did, luckily, and also had the most amazing sunset to photograph and enjoy through the temples of the Acropolis! We then hoofed it back to our hotel (a hotel, a glorious glorious hotel! no cabins, no campsite!) and on to a greek dinner which has definately been the best thus far! Lots of yummy food! The only downside was we didn't get there til quite late and thus, didn't get to bed until 12.30am. Why is this bad, you ask? Well, we had a breakfast call of 5.15am... that's right, Cassie had to get up at 4.30am. Grumpy Cassie? Why yes, yes she was. Anyway, we got up, caught a ferry, slept a little on the ferry and am now in Mykonos! Again, I was surprised by the lack of green, but have now swam in both the ocean and the swimming pool and am def enjoying the amenities here!

So now it's three days of doing nothing but soaking up the sun, swimming, relaxing and maybe hiring a car and discovering the wonders of right-hand driving!

Hope everyone is awesome and I'll try to update this as soon as I can. However, we are about to enter Eastern Europe and from the jokes I'm hearing about Albania, well, don't hold your breath waiting for my post!

And finally, GO PORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(bummer, I can't get the grand final here... I'm sure Dad will let me know the outcome, however!)

Ciao! Fun times in the land of spaghetti

Hey all! Am having heaps of fun here in Italia, home of mountainous, um, mountains and lots of tunnels and me kinda knowing a smidge of the language and tarellis and mosquitos and Italian people and pesto pasta! Can you tell I am excited??

I am feeling very excited by being in Italy. I had no idea i would feel like this! It is kind of like I have come to the mother country even though I am not Italian. Maybe in my heart... heh. Anyway, am super pumped to be here.

Have spent the last couple of days in the French Riviera, which was awesome! So pretty, so blue, so lazy... did I mention it was awesome? got some great shots and went to Monte Carlo! I didn t have a flutter (I like my money too much... even tho I bought alcohol that was, ahem, a little expensive) but I did admire all the Bentleys and Ferraris and Lambourghinis that were parked out the front. Even the taxi was an audi!

Oh, and I finally had my cake and coffee in France! They weren t together, but still. The coffee was weak as piss (but so very French!) and the Pane au Chocolat (or Chocolate Crossaint) was awesome! It wasn t until today at the truck stop that I had my first real coffee in a month and a bit... it was so delicious, I think I experienced angels singing and gold dust falling... Garry, can so understand how you became addicted to the stuff!

Will try and upload some photos... nope, photos don t work! will have to try somewhere else.

baci baci to you all and I will post again soon!

Hola!

Greetings all from Barcelona, sagria capital of the world!

Have had a fabulous few days on the continent, running around Paris and the Beaujolais wine region. But first, let me update you on the particulars!

So, I had a fun last day at York, visiting the Jorvik Viking Centre. I thought it would just be a wander through, but no, they have this awesome ride that you sit in and it takes you through the recreated Jorvik village! And I was the only one in my particular ride! Fun times. After that, ran around the place, trying to find things to do. Had a lovely arvo tea, with sandwiches, scones and cake. However, the English put way too much mayo and the like in their sandwiches, so much that the poor item you are eating, eg egg, is swimming in the stuff. Ugh.

Anyhoo, then caught the train to London, which was an hour and a half late. So had a little dummy spit at the hotel, cos I´d missed the Contiki check in thing and they were mean to me (the bastards!). Anyhoo, did get a room to myself so that was awesome as it was supposed to be tripple share!

The next day, it was on to Paris! As I didn´t know what time I was supposed to be down stairs(damn reception meanies), I almost missed the bus! But it was all lgood, got on there and we were off to Paris! It was tres exciting to catch the ferry, which is massively big! You can do duty free shopping and eveything!

We arrived in Paris at about 3pm, and got acquainted with our rooms which had the toilet an shower in the same room with now screen. fun. we then went on a nightime tour of paris, seeing the sights from the bus. Beautiul. The next day it was off to Versailles, which is just way too impressive for me. After a while, I actually got sick of all the oppulance. After that, we had some free time in Paris, so climbed the Arc de Triomphe and walked down Champs Elysees, which is the fancy pants shopping district of Paris. Went into Louis Vitton, where there were €120 key rings! That night, it was back into the city an the Eiffel Tower! It was so pretty at night, and I went up the thing! Hey, I had to, I was in Paris! After that, we got treated to cheese an wine under the Eiffel Tower - sucked in, Jon!

The next day was a free day in Paris, in which I managed to fit the Catacombes (freaky how many bones are down there - there must be at least a hundred thousand people down there), Sacre Coeur (avoiding the gypsies), the Lourve (the Mona Lisa´s eyes do follow you!) and then back to the camp! That night, got all dressed up for dinner and cabaret, which was super fun!

We were then on our way to the Beaujolais wine region and the Contiki Chateau. We arrived around 5pm, after a visit to Fontainbleau Chateau, where Napolean did some historical thing, and went straight to wine tasting. Fun times right there. That night, it was Shock Your Mother! party time! I went as pregnant - see Mum, I did sorta get six months pregnant on my three month trip!

We went on a picnic the next day, which was a bit of a hike. However, it was lovely to sit up the top of a hill and gaze out on the wine region. Very relaxig, esp after the hectic times of paris. then, went to the village as I had to have a pastry and coffee in France. Unfortunately, the shop was closed! We then got a little lost (not too badly tho!) and made it back to the chateau to laze about on the lawn. Fun! That night there was another party, but I couldn´t be arsed. It was massively hot in their bar an my clothes stank the night before, so I sat in my room, drinking someone else´s wine and chatting to people. Classy!

Today, it was a big big big drive to Barcelona! Still, fun times. We are now in Barcelona, have partaken of the free sangria, bought more sagria for €2.75 (!) and are going to have fun drinking it on the beach. Tomorrow, it will be shop shop shop til I drop drop drop! I´m so sick of my clothes :)

Hope everyone is well and I´ll try to post as soon as I can. The internet is fairly scarce on the ground, tho...

Oh, and dad? Let me know if Port win (would you believe we are still getting footy scores over here? don´t know if there is a federal election called, but we know the footy scores!)

xx

York, York, York, York

Greetings one and all! I have arrived in sunny York from dreary Glasgow and am having the best time. Thanks for suggesting it, Mark! I boarded the train yesterday, unsure what to expect. The train ride itself was very painless, in fact I would even say comfortable. It took about 45 mins to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and then 2 hours from Edinborough to York. The scenery was okay, nothing to write home about really (literally), but I was very impressed when I arrived at the city to walk through Micklegate Bar, the royal entrance to the city! Hey, who knew? Apparently, I'm royalty. Cos only royalty can enter that way, right? Right??

Anyhoo, arrived at the backpackers which is quite good. Except I had to climb TWO flights of stairs. TWO. Okay, whinging aside, I then went out to explore the city and decide what I wanted to do with the next couple of days. I hopped the city explorer and saw the sights and then returned to find my washing finished and toasty warm. Thank god for dryers! Am so going that route if available and cheap!

That night, I went on York's original Ghost Tour. It was really interesting, and the guy who took us around was very knowledgable and an excellent story teller. I would recommend it to people who are interested! And, you know, also in York. It started off at the Kings Arms pub, which is known locally as 'the pub that floods'. Inside, it has marks of where the flood waters have reached in the pub... some were very nearly as tall as me!

Today, I walked the city walls and made sure I got my certificate (it was 4kms! If I'd known this before I started... well, I would have done it anyway, but I would have been prepared to have intermittant rests!) and this afternoon is Yorkminster fun times. They have Choral Evensong at 4pm, so should be fun times!

Okay, that's it for now. The next blog will probably be from somewhere in Europe! Until then, however, content yourself with piccies of Scotland at Picasa.

xx

Old people have made me sick

Hello all! The Globus tour is almost all over and as a lovely parting gift, the old people on the bus have coughed and spluttered and passed on their goodness to yours truly. Oh joy. Thank the lord I got that medical travel pack! The antibiotics have headed it off at the pass and hopefully I'll be all better by the time Contiki rocks around.

So, what's been happening, I hear you ask?? Why, the Isle adventures, as I have now dubbed this second! First off, Isle of Skye which was so back of beyond! Still, fun times were had, although I was viciously attacked by midges, small mosquito-like insects that are tres annoying. We went to another castle (who would have thought you could get sick of them?), Dunvegan, which had lovely gardens. We then had an optional excursion to Eilean Donon Castle which is where they filmed part of Highlander! Very very exciting. Not that I realised this, of course. No, a postcard had to tell me. But still, thanks postcard! I got lots of shots of the castle (cos, you know, I didn't have enough) and we also had a drink of our choice at a local pub. I, of course, went top shelf. One GlenFidditch whisky later, it was back on the bus for dinner and beddy byes.

The next day we drove to the Isle of Mull which was again very long. Highlight was seeing the train bridge thing from the Harry Potter films! Our hotel in Craignure on Mull was awesome though, and I had the best dinner! For entree, there were these mushrooms in sauce which were amazing!

The following day, it was off to the Isle of Iona, which is famous for it's religious significance. I, being the heathen that I am, had never heard of it. Again, pretty cathedral/castle like qualities, but the thing that intrigued me most was the mist! It was everywhere and so lovely. Took photos of that, of course! Had another lovely dinner, this time a ratatouille like thing with polenta (you would have loved it, Jon) and a beautiful berry cake thing... oh hang on, the cake was the night before! Whoops! Oh, and I forget the best optional excursion! We went to Torosay Castle and was shown around by the Laird, the guy who lives there. It was awesome to have the personal touch, with his family history and him explaining the gardens and portraits and the like. Very nice!

Today, more driving to Glasgow. Nothing too exciting, except I finally had Orkney Ice Cream and it was delish! We are staying in the ritziest hotel yet... I feel like quite the interloper in my crappy jeans and jumper, with my backpack and my travel pillow hanging from said backpack ;p

Tonight is the farewell dinner and then it's me in the big city of Glasgow by myself before travelling to York on Saturday. I'll try and post some photos on the net tomorrow!

Hope everyone is well and would love to hear from you!
xx

Greetings from Ullapool!

Hello all and sundry! I am writing from the bookshop in the little fishing village of Ullapool on the western coast of Scotland. Have had an aweseme time in the Orkneies and we are now on our way to the Isle of Skye.

Yesterday, we visited Skara Brae which was extremely awesome! I took way too many photos of the same thing, but hey, I love that place! It was so awesome to see someplace 5000 years old and it's still there. I didn't get a photo of me touching such an old structure, but we did pass the Ring of Brogdar (I think that's what it was!) and that was completely awesome (oh, and I got a photo of me touching it!) It's super cool cos you can actually go up to it and walk amongst the stones and everything! I even got a photo of me being blown away by the wind cos it was super blowy.

So today it's driving driving driving. Thank god for chewing gum cos it seems to have miraculously cured me of car sickness! Of course, today I'm sitting towards the middle of the bus so that's gotta help too!

Anyhoo, have to go as my time's about to run out on the 'net. Will post more (and more photos) when I get the chance!¬

Photo joy!

Hi all,

It has been a while since last we spoke... or, I wrote in my blog and you all read, rapt and eager like little bunnies (hmm, even I don't get that reference!)

Okay, so what's happened since last we met? well, i have been up and down oxford st (LOTS of people), have arrived in Glasgow, joined my tour (old, old people, my friends. gotta love the American retiree... boy do they know how to complain - and yes, i appreciate the irony of my complaining about complainers!), run around glasgow, lost my umbrella, bought a new umbrella (love that £1 shop!), finally found a raincoat, had dinner and drinks with the old people, went for a walk, next day got on the bus, drove to robert burns memorial park thingy (does anyone know what he wrote? was it the poem anne of green gables was obsessed about?), went to gretna green, was unimpressed by the commercial nature of it all, then on to carlisle castle, then to the hotel, took awesome photos of this massive train bridge, had dinner, tried to ignore the noise from the wedding that was holding a reception in the hotel (it was very loud - and the band was terrible!), next day hadrian's wall, back into scotland, abbotsford house which was the home of Sir Walter Scott (knew some of his stuff!), then on to Edinburgh!

Last night, the fringe was still on so managed to get tix for half-price (bonus!) to a show. It was a bellydancing thing, which was actually quite good! enjoyed the dancing, and the monologues were good too (it was diaries from cairo, or something like that).

Today, we had a sightseeing tour of Edinburgh which took us to where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived, where the guy who developed Chloroform for medicinal use lived, and the two castles. Edinburgh Castle was awesome, and it's built into the volcanic rock mountain... stunning! Holyrood Palace is still used by the royal family and is a much more recent addition to the city.

It's amazing how gothic this city is. All the architecture seems to be in that style, and the grey sandstone, made that way after centuries of smog and pollution, adds to the impression. It's is such a cool city, but I must admit I am missing the sunshine a bit!

Oh, and I've gotten my photos to work! Check em out at Picasa!

Still no photos...

Well, what a splendifirous time I am having! It is so knarley here in the UK. I have finally found that special "Oh my god, I'm no longer in Oz, I am so in the UK, oh my god, there's Tower Bridge!!!" (which I thought was London Bridge but apparently, no). I also experienced this feeling when seeing Big Ben in the distance, which was difficult as it was raining and very misty... so through the mist, I saw the Houses of Parliament. Heh.

So wandered around there, got drenched, tried to go to the toilet, it cost 50p so stuff that. Found a pub for lunch (FREE toilet), wandered down to Trafalger Square, didn't feed the birds for tuppance a bag, wandered past Downing Street (there's a gate on it! with cops and everything!), went back to Westminster Abbey, did the tour (too many dead people - it was quite eerie), then went to the parliament houses tour but big ben was closed for repairs, so no tour of him. Bugger!

With very sore feet, I met Vanessa after she finished work and we took amusing photos out the front of the Globe Theatre. Then caught the tube to Leicester Square, bought tix to Chicago and watched a show in the West End! It was tres exciting!

Today, I'm going shopping on Oxford Street and checking out Harrods. Am so going to get that Harrods bag so I can swan around Ads.

Until the next exciting thing happens... or I can find a place to upload photos...

Merry old England

I'm here! I arrived at the ungodly hour of 5am this morning, after an apparently super quick flight which I mostly slept through (I know, I'm blessed) to arrive in a very uninteresting Heathrow Airport, which looked way too much like the Lyell McEwan hospital for comfort (not the snazzy new bit, but the back bit the plebs work in. Oh yes, I so have insider knowledge about the lyell mac).

Anyway, made myself a bit more presentable and then headed on to brave customs. Um, hello? Customs? Are you there? I think it's all just an imaginary concept. No one threatened me with bodily harm, or had me dump my underwear all over a stainless steel table. I feel as if I missed out, really.

I got into the arrivals area at around 6am local time which was way before 10am (well, duh) and thus so the wrong time to head in to the city to meet Vanessa for lunch. So I tried to twiddle my thumbs but the arrivals area of Heathrow has nothing there. It was tres disappointing. I was expecting trapeze artists and fire breathers at the very least.

I managed to wander around for about an hour before succumbing to the inevitable. I hopped the tube and made my way in to the city and London Bridge Station (not that it's really near the bridge... but I hope to see it one day!) I contacted Vanessa, we arranged to meet, I stuck my foot in a pot hole. A tiny little pot hole, no bigger than a bread and butter plate (in fact, I think it was even smaller), but so deep that I sank up to my knee. Needless to say, I provided amusement for the hoards of tourists lined up to enter "The London Dungeon" (It looked a bit like the Night Train, except ghost ride-ier). Finally met Vanessa, gave her her pressies, which she loved (or, at least, she told me she loved - don't disillusion me, Vanessa!) and then made my way to her place. Met her flatmate's friend who is also visiting from Adelaide and proceeded to settle myself in. I have now wandered down to the picturesque main street (it so looks like an English village thing!) and am typing for you, dear friends. Awesome fun times, is it not?

I was going to attempt to post some piccies I've taken but I think the internet cafe has conspired against such an action. No doubt I will find a way around it sooner or later...

Speak to ya all soon!

In Singapore, the water goes the other way...

Greetings from overseas! I am officially out of the country and chillin like a villian in Changi Airport, where, my wordy, they just have everything! It is gosh darn amazing, that's for sure. They have rainforests!!! Inside!!! Certainly puts dear old Adelaide to shame. Although, we do have the coopers store, so suffer, Changi!

I spent a very amusing flight watching the free online movies. Shrek 3 - meh. Disturbia - suprisingly good. Was also served two meals, which was awesome. So don't need to eat now! However, my lips and skin now feel super dry... gotta love that air conditioning!

I now get to spend a cool five hours hanging out in this amazing airport. I have decided to check out the movie theatre - I get a free pass! Oh, and the alcohol. Unbelievably cheap. Must check with the staff to see if can take a massive 1.5l bottle of gin on the flight... it's only $28 singapore. That's, like, not much Oz! (Yeah, so can't work these things out in my head).

Anyhoo, hope you guys are all well and there will be more updates of this exciting nature as the journey progresses.

ps, the water really does go the other way! And we're only just above the equator! It's all very exciting!

Jerusalems - mmm, falafel...

The farewell dinner has come and gone and it was fabulous! Much food and frivolity was had, and Kel & Bretty gave me a lovely going away pressie! Plus, free beer. What more could you possibly want?

Check out the photos at Picasa.

Blogged with Flock

The Saga of Krispy Kreme continued...

Well, if you make them to the recipe, the Krispy Kreme doughnuts work out pretty darn close! Who would have thought that following the recipe would produce a successful product?

That's just weird.

Wierd.

Hmm.

Isn't it weird how the word weird never looks like it's spelt right?

Pondorous issues are addressed daily on this blog. Oh yes, they are.

More food

Because these are bound to be awesome if made exactly to the recipe specs... the glaze was a humdinger, let me tell you!

Krispy Kreme Copycat

DOUGHNUTS:
2 pkgs. yeast
1/4 cup water (105-115 degrees)
1-1/2 cups lukewarm milk (scalded, then cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all-purpose flour
vegetable oil

CREAMY GLAZE:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
4–6 tbl. hot water

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
4–6 tbl. hot water
4 ounces milk chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips

Dissolve yeast in warm water in 2-1/2-quart bowl. Add milk,salt,eggs, shortening and 2 cups flour. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Cover and let rise until double, 50-60 minutes. (Dough is ready when indentation remains when touched.)

Turn dough onto floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour. Gently roll dough 1/2-inch thick with floured rolling pin. Cut with floured doughnut cutter. Cover and let rise until double, 30-40 minutes.

Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Slide doughnuts into hot oil with wide spatula. Turn doughnuts as they rise to the surface. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Remove carefully from oil (do not prick surface); drain.

Dip the doughnuts into creamy glaze set on rack; when slightly cooled spread chocolate frosting on top.

CREAMY GLAZE:Heat butter until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING: Heat butter and chocolate over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in water 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.

More digital revolution...

The digital revolution is becoming grander all the time. I'm kind of scared by its progression, actually. Imagine what it's going to be like in 20 years... I still remember playing Granny's Garden on the ooooollllllddddd computers back in primary school. Now, however, you can do so much with your computer it's not funny. Well, maybe it is. Just a little. Okay, a lot. I'm constantly amazed by all the new stuff I'm discovering!

I've just been perusing a site called twitter. It allows you to update people on your movements via your mobile, instant message or vial their website. Really, it would make mass stalking so easy! :) Or just report on people's really inane lives - I mean, do I need to know that someone's bus was just 20 mins late and they are pissed off about it? That's the quality you can expect, people!

It's two weeks exactly until I leave for the big adventure! So exciting! Today, I am purchasing an iPod with my ill gotten gains (well, my voucher from work for putting up with AET for five years. It's been... interesting, but hey, I get a voucher out of it!) I'm planning on getting the 80mb you beaut iPod... it will hold a billion songs, a million tv shows and a trillion photos. Well, maybe not that many, but still, quite a few! It will be beautiful and black, much like the picture on the side there... mainly because it's a picture of a black iPod. Still, I will be able to play play play, listen to my awesome music choices, watch tv during the five hour layover in Singapore, and ultimately get it stolen in Italy by gypsies (true story... although it was a wallet, not an iPod, and it didn't happen to me, but someone else... so really, so not relevant)

And there you have it. My whinge about technology really isn't worth a passel of slightly salty salt-substitute (ground, not rock) if I can get so exciting about an iPod!

BBQ City... oh how we love thee

Last night, BBQ City goodness was had... mmm, such yummy food! It's gotten to the stage where we don't even have to look at the menu, we just order the faves... but who can go past those nummy green beans with salted olives... *drools all over the keyboard, short circuits it and has to explain to the IT Dept what happened*

Anyway, cos I'm such a lovely friend, I documented the experience for our London pal, Miss Vanessa. She is feeling the BBQ City blues most intensely. Vanessa, this is for you!

See the rest of the photos at Picasa!