aprilfoolery

2009-07-07T20:42:00.003Z

cheese!

Some friends of ours had their engagement party on Saturday at a lovely pub in Putney which has its own cheese room. Yes, cheese room. Mmmmmmmmmm.

2009-05-03T11:15:00.003Z

feline update

Here's our babies making sorting the washing quite difficult.

And here's Stu releasing a mouse - yes, a mouse! You can see that we had to catch it in a salad bowl which we then wrapped in newspaper and masking tape to transport outside...the joy of cats!

2009-03-31T10:05:00.001Z

Most useless line ever in a training manual.

I wanted to know what the difference between a summary and detail filter is, and the only information I have is this:

"When you use a detail filter to filter a report only on detail data items, none of the data items in a detail filter are summary data items."

Grrrrrrr, how helpful!

2009-03-21T18:07:00.002Z

First day of spring.

We celebrated by dragging out the BBQ and firing it up for the first time this year. We just managed to scoff our sausages and burgers outside before scuttling back in to the warmth. Turns out 12 degrees isn't warm enough...

2009-03-15T18:29:00.003Z

Spring has sprung!

Stu and I went to visit Hadlow agricultural college today, which was open to the public for lambing weekend. Hundreds of families came along to see the newborn lambs, which were so sweet!

2009-02-03T19:28:00.003Z

De"fun"initions.

plebbledash (plebbul-dash) n. To bulk up a television news report with needless vox-pop soundbites from ill-informed members of the public.

Thanks to Charlie Brooker.

2009-02-02T10:55:00.003Z

Snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No work or college today! All trains into London cancelled, no buses and hardly any tube services in London and most airports closed. You'd think it had never snowed here before.

2009-01-26T21:41:00.003Z

Home-made lamingtons for the office!

2009-01-19T10:27:00.002Z

Monday haiku.

Rain in the City,
Pin stripes and golf umbrellas
cause eye injuries.

2009-01-18T21:22:00.007Z

Здравствуйте!

Just got back from a long weekend in Moscow. Went for a work trip to run some team-building at our office there, involving spaghetti, marshmallows and a series of safety helmets (let's just say I'm glad I didn't have my bag scanned as I don't think my Russian language skills are up to explaining!).

After work on Friday I joined the team at their Christmas do and was roped into participating in various party games I haven't seen since SUPA days, with a whole new dimension added by including vodka and the cyrillic alphabet...I then had the whole day on Saturday and half of Sunday to have a look around. Here's some pics:

Obligatory Red Square/Cathedral shot.

This was really beautiful - metal tree sculptures on a bridge in the middle of the city. It's a tradition for newly married couples to attach a padlock and take the key away with them to ensure a lasting marriage.

Other highlights include figuring out the metro system and walking up the sparrow mountains at sunset to see the city lights and the state university - thanks Nastia!

2009-01-10T16:04:00.002Z

Grrr!

I think I need one of these. It's lovely that she wants to keep me company, but it makes it difficult to do any work! Note how she's waving her paws in the air - the next step to start batting my hands while I'm trying to type.

2008-09-18T08:53:00.001Z

The plot thickens...

Turns out it's not just the Bermuda Triangle of training effect I have - taxis are bursting into flames everywhere!

2008-09-07T20:17:00.002Z

New record.
I work in the City of London, and a big part of my job involves running training courses for staff. Of the two training rooms available, the one I prefer is a large bright room at street level, where one whole wall is a big window looking out onto a busy London street (the alternative is a larger but colder room in the basement with fluorescent lighting where it is very difficult not to fall asleep!).

Over the past year I have been running courses, there have been several occasions when something (apparently!) much more interesting than whatever I am training on happens outside the window. This has ranged so far from a car crash to a small fire (long story). Last week, however, topped the lot. A black cab caught on fire just outside the window. The scene had everything - several firefighters struggling to put the blaze out before the fuel tank exploded, police blocking off the road and finally a great big tow truck pulling away the burnt out mess. How is "situational leadership and delegation" going to compete with that?!

I think I'm going to go back to training in the basement.

2008-08-31T17:40:00.003Z

How dumb do they think we are?!

I'm currently sitting HR professional exams so I can become a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. This involves receiving boxes and boxes of "flexible learning materials" in the post, studying them and going to a few tutorials and then submitting assignments and sitting exams for the next two years (I've just about finished my first year).

I must say that I have been pretty disappointed with the quality of the materials - for a profession that faces a constant battle for corporate recognition and credibility, they don't do us any favours by including activities in the workbooks like the following:

Which of the following statements is correct? A stakeholder in the shared creation of MD strategy is:
(a) Someone who drives a stake into the heart of a vampire
(b) Someone who holds a bet in a game or contest, or who has a share or an interest in a project or enterprise
(c) A vampire which is clutching a stake that has just been driven into its heart
(d) Someone who owns the business to the exclusion of all others

It's times like this when I wonder why I bother putting the effort in.

2008-08-27T21:08:00.001Z

I want a cat.

2008-08-03T17:41:00.002Z

Lasagne!

2008-08-03T17:13:00.003Z

Gardening

This is a picture we took of our new garden back in March. By the time we moved in in May it was even worse than this!

We've really enjoyed spending the last few weekends clearing it out. Stu, admittedly, has enjoyed the parts where he gets to rip out giant tree trunks and hack at things with a machete. I've enjoyed the little things, like cutting back big shrubs to find little chocked rose bushes.

This one we cut back to a bald stump, and in the last month it has grown right back and now has these huge gorgeous flowers!

2008-07-29T21:16:00.003Z

How cruel is Gordon Ramsey?!

Just watching 'The F Word' and saw some pretty disturbing images of Gordon Ramsey catching a puffin and then tearing it's heart out and eating it!!!! Awwwww! Could you kill one of these little fellas?

2008-07-29T21:02:00.002Z

Throw another shrimp on the barbie!

To celebrate moving into our new place, Stu and I had our inaugural Tonbridge barbie on Saturday. After days of nervously watching the BBC weather forecast (which I have concluded is astronomically unreliable) and carefully stockpiling Pimms and home-brewed cider we had around 25 people come over for "shrimp" and other jollities. A great succss, I say!

2008-03-12T22:16:00.002Z

Dashing my menagerie plans.

Stu and I have just bought a house in Kent (yay! arrgh!), and we're currently going through all the legal stuff to do with land registry and title deeds and things. Our solicitor has discovered that the house is subject to a restrictive covenant from 1922, which includes the following:

"No noisy noisome noxious or offensive trade business or occupation shall be carried on on the land...No hut shed cart-house-on-wheels caravan show booth swing or roundabout shall be placed or used or allowed to stand or be on the land hereby conveyed nor shall the same be used for a hospital or asylum sanatorium barracks chapel or place of worship or for a fair tea gardens or circus or menagerie..."

What possible objection could anyone in 1922 have had to a tea garden? How noisome and noxious were the tea-drinking habits of Edwardian Kent?!

2008-02-28T11:49:00.004Z

Better than TV?

2008-01-23T21:11:00.000Z

Mr Potato Head at large in West London.
While channel surfing this evening I came across Crimestoppers, and a fairly dodgy reconstruction of a jewellery robbery. The punch-line came when they showed the police identi-kit picture of the main suspect...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/crimewatch/cases/2008/01/harrowrd_heist/

2008-01-10T22:07:00.000Z

Perks.

One of the brilliant things about my new job is that I get to do a bit of travelling. On Monday my services were required in our Monte Carlo office, so Stu and decided to make a weekend of it and try to soak up some of that South-of-France sun.

I have to say, while it was lovely to get away, Monte Carlo is truly a weird place. Almost all of the women wore enormous fur coats and invariably carried very small dogs (some in their designer handbags). We stuck out a mile in our t-shirts and jeans - people couldn't understand how we weren't cold until they figured out we were English! There also seemed to be a distinct lack of good taste about the place - browsing in the shop windows offered endless horrors in home decoration. In summary, TOO MUCH MONEY!

Here's the view from our hotel window:

And a couple of pics of us down by the hotel's private beach...mmmmm!

2007-12-29T21:32:00.000Z

Ah, Christmas.
Phew, it's over! It's been great to have a holiday from work and also to eat lots of yummy food. Just a couple of quick things to share...

It was my work's Christmas Dinner and Dance a couple of weeks ago, and we were allowed to bring a guest. It was at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane (very posh!) and was a really great night.

Probably the best solution in the entire world to having far too many veges left over from the Christmas dinner. Mash them all up and fry them in the pan (my first attempt at bubble and squeak, yum!).

Also, Stu bought some chestnuts after I confessed that a couple of years ago in Australia I bought some from the markets but didn't know what to do with them and they just ended up sitting in a bowl on the table as a kind of centre piece. Unfortunately, one exploded in his face just as he was pulling them out of the oven (it's alright, he's OK, but you should see the state of the kitchen!) so to avoid further catastrophe he wore his sunglasses after that.

Finally, poor Fernando has had some trouble starting recently (cold weather = wet spark plugs) so we went out to have a look at him this afternoon, and Stu tried my helmet on. As you can se, it fits - perhaps he should have worn it for the chestnut operation!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone! xxx

2007-12-14T09:50:00.000Z

Dog jeopardises pie championships

Charlie, a bichon frise, raided the fridge of 1995 champion Dave Williams while his owner was distracted by a pigeon flying up his chimney.

2007-11-28T21:08:00.000Z

Politics in Clapham

One of the many (though questionable!) benefits of living in Clapham is that I get to walk past The Socialist Party office at 52 Clapham High Street (I'd post a link, but apparently socialists don't have websites) every time I go to the big Sainsburys at the top of the hill. They often have afternoon lectures on Saturday afternoons, (I know because they put a large, inviting sandwich board advertising free refreshments outside the front door), and this past Saturday was no exception:

"Half day school on the Insanity of Capitalism".

Aaaah, where do I start? Actually, it reminds me of joke:

Q Why do Marxists only drink green tea?
A Because proper tea is theft.

2007-11-26T20:47:00.000Z

Hee hee!

Yesterday Stu and I went for a bit of a wander around town, ending up in Crobar, a grotty little pub near Tottenham Court Road which plays proper rock music and is usually populated by frighteningly pierced patrons.

Last night, however, it was host to Pappy's Fun Club, a great little comedy troupe who have had a very successful year in Edinburgh and reminded me somewhat of the good old days of "Oh My". A nice surprise, and a great night out - culminating in me getting dragged up on stage to mime playing the bass in Bob Dylan's backing band (?!). Highly recommended!

2007-11-23T12:48:00.000Z

Boilers. Can't live with them, can't live without them.

I'm working from home for most of today as I have been waiting for the boiler man to come. In light of the dramatically decreasing temperatures (and therefore increasing need for very hot baths!) the fact that our boiler doesn't really work very well (this is not the first time it's broken in the two months we've lived in this flat!!) is a big problem.

I have to say though, that the boiler guy is here now and I am not filled with confidence by the fact that he seems to be spending most of his time enthusiastically working a giant bicycle pump...

2007-11-11T19:11:00.000Z

This is probably the best thing I've ever seen on the internet.

Step 1: Click on the answer that best defines the word.

Step 2: If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word.

Step 3: For each word you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

2007-10-30T17:19:00.000Z

IKEA ahoy!

It has recently come to light that Stuart has never in his entire life been to IKEA (a fact I find almost incomprehensible!). I have grown up with IKEA, from being taken there as a small child (including being encouraged by my mother to lie about my age till I was a good 8 or 9 years old to get into the little kids ‘ball room’ during school holidays), to furnishing student digs with odds and ends, to now wondering at the ingenuity that is IKEA Hacker.

Tonight, however, is the dawn of a new era. We are going to IKEA Croydon, having carefully planned our trip so that we arrive at 10pm (the store closes at midnight) to hopefully avoid all children and most of the big crowds. I’ll let you know how we get on tomorrow…

2007-10-28T16:18:00.000Z

Look what Stuart brought home for me today!

I've always wanted to have a go at carving a pumpkin, so I started by making some drawings...

And here's the finished product - a Sunday afternoon well spent, I think!

2007-10-19T13:34:00.000Z

Weekend plans.

I have always wanted to go to the Affordable Art Fair, not in the least because it is held in the wonderful Battersea Power Station (which you can see from our bedroom window if you stand on tip toes!). Our new flat has high ceilings and conspicuously blank walls marked only by numerous empty picture hooks, so I might wander down this weekend for a browse.

2007-10-18T19:02:00.000Z

Hmmm.
I've been thinking about studying again.

When I negotiated the contract for my new job I made sure that they would support study towards a CIPD qualification (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, the professional body for HR in the UK). I've almost finished my three months probation at my new job, which means that if I want to start a qualification then now is the time to go for it...but do I really want to be a student again? I want to do the full MCIPD which is equivalent to a masters degree, and will take about two and a half years. It will mean about 260 assignments, 9 exams, and studying most evenings and/or weekends. It will also mean better career prospects, and if I can get my new company to pay for it, an investment of £8,500 (about $20,000AU) in my development.

Hmmm. Any thoughts?

2007-10-17T05:20:00.000Z

Sweet.

Recently discovered this guy on Flickr (linked to by the infamous dooce) and have fallen in love with his series of photos Entopic Phenomena. Each shot is of someone jumping up in the air while covering themselves completely with a piece of fabric. I really like the way they kind of look a bit like giant weightless jellyfish casually taking over suburbia.

2007-10-16T17:45:00.000Z

What's that, another post?!
Yup - I'm going to try and post every day for the next week, cos I really want to get back into the habit.

In fact, today I am going to blog about something that happened a few months ago. When I was trying to get insurance for Fernando, I was filling out a bunch of online forms to get some quotes. For some reason, they wanted to know my occupation - I'm guessing because it has something to do with how safely I drive?! - and was presented with probably the most comprehensive list I have ever seen (more amusing choices below). I hate to think that someone, somewhere has had to calculate the specific effect of each of these on my premium...

Abattoir worker
Aircraft buyer
Amusement arcade worker
Art critic
Artificial limb fitter
Bacon curer
Balloonist (what is this exactly, anyway? Someone who flies hot air balloons? A children's party entertainer?!)
Bingo caller
Butler
Cartoonist
Chicken chaser (now they're making these up!)
Chicken sexer (eww!)
Clay pigeon instructor
Croupier
Embalmer (even more eww!)
Evangelist
Gambler
Hypnotist
Ice cream vendor
Inventor
Knitter (now you're talking! how do knitters drive?)
Kissagram person (at least they are not sexist about it...)
Lampshade maker
Milkman
Milk Lady (...spoke too soon)
Mobile disco owner
Nun (are they even allowed to drive?)
Opera singer
Philatelist
Pig man (again, what is this?)
Junk shop proprietor
Shepherd
Show jumper
Tea Taster (tell me, how do I get to be one of these!!!!)
Weaver

2007-10-15T19:47:00.000Z

phew!
It's been a while since I've posted. I've got no real excuse - mostly a mix of smaller excuses like laziness, lack of broadband (will save that rant for later!) and trying to figure out my new camera phone. But here I am, and a lot has happened in the last month or so:

- I've moved house in with Stu, and waved the fluffy kittens of Klea Avenue goodbye (they now have a lovely big backyard to play in with Mummy Abby in Shoeburyness)

- I've settled into my new job and am really enjoying it, doing lots more interesting stuff

- I've started riding Fernando to work just about every day (saving myself £90 a month in travel!) and going to the gym (though not quite as often as first planned)

- I've purchased the greatest invention ever:

The 'Bath Bridge'.

I can tell you that I have always had a soft spot for baths, but this thing has changed my life - now I have somewhere to put my glass of wine/bowl of ice-cream/sudoku book without fear of anything falling on my head!

2007-08-11T08:15:00.000Z

The babies have arrived!
Last weekend Diego finally arrived in our house...along with his sister Pumpkin who was the runt of the litter! We just couldn't leave her behind...

Diego.

Pumpkin!

Awwww!

2007-07-08T17:35:00.000Z

We're all going on a...summer holiday!

Hooray for escaping the miserable weather currently in London! Stuart and I have escaped to St Ives for a long weekend. Lovely, isn't it?

And in a double celebration, I found out on Thursday that I have landed a great new job working in Learning & Development for a big accountancy firm in The City. It's more senior than my last job and pays much better too. So I figured to celebrate I'd try some lobster (much more difficult to eat than I had assumed), accompanied by Mad Fish (a lovely Margaret River wine that I have only seen on one other occasion in the UK, quite a find!!).

All in all, a brilliant weekend :)

2007-07-04T19:42:00.000Z

So cute it just might make you spew.

We've had another update on our new flatmate...Diego is now three weeks old and thriving, and we're counting down the days till he can come home to us!!

2007-06-25T17:37:00.000Z

Ahoy!
Just got back from a lovely weekend away on a canal boat...

Lazy days (when it wasn't raining!). Note the keg of German beer on the roof (courtesy of Markus) and Steve's expert piloting with a glass in one hand.

Watch out if you go over 2 miles an hour - the speed cameras will get you!

The locks were quite good fun, but difficult to steer into, especially considering our boat was the biggest you can get at 70 feet long!

We stopped at quite a few lovely country pubs along the way too. I had my first go at darts (clearly not a natural talent, but at least I didn't come last!)

Here's the crew (from left to right): Stuart (in the captain's hat), Steve, Me, Ben, Jenny, Ian, James and Markus.

My shoes! You can't really appreciate from this picture just how full of mud they were, and how dripping wet! They're currently in Stu's washing machine...

2007-06-21T12:59:00.000Z

Thought for the day...
Banoffee: food of the gods.

2007-06-17T19:08:00.000Z

Mmmm mmmmmm.

Dinner! Thanks go to Delia Smith online for this delicious fast roast pork with rosemary and caramelised apples...

2007-06-14T08:57:00.000Z

ninja haiku

you sit way too close
while I am reading this poem
I steal your kneecaps

From Ask A Ninja.

2007-06-12T11:07:00.001Z

kitten!

We may be getting a new housemate...Abby is getting a kitten for her birthday! He was born four days ago, and we can go and pick him up in another 7 weeks. He is Bengal crossed with Norwegian Forest Cat (!?) and could apparently grow to weigh ten kilos!! Will keep you posted with his progress, in the meantime we need to think of a name for him. Contenders so far are:

Bear
Diego (like the Saber Tooth Tiger from Ice Age)

2007-06-12T07:28:00.000Z

Desperate times...

I read in the metro (that towering inferno of quality journalism) this morning that this band (co-incidentally from Clapham) actually sold all their instruments to be able to afford to record their demo. Left with nothing to actually play in the recording studio, they then bought instruments on credit and returned them a few days later once they had finished the recording. Their plan is now apparently to make enough money selling their demo released as a single to buy their instruments back...bit of a gamble?

2007-05-28T09:47:00.000Z

My new favourite ad!

And how it was made...

2007-05-19T19:42:00.000Z

More pics of my new toy...

Click here for some more pics. I am actually trying to come up with a name for her (him?) at the moment - something I can use to coax her/him up hills (she/he's only 50cc after all!). Not to mention resolve the gender debate! I'm thinking something Italian in keeping with where she/he came from. Or maybe Spanish/Cuban? I'm trying out Julio ("Hoolio") at the moment, but it doesn't feel quite right. Any suggestions?

2007-05-03T18:42:00.000Z

Easy Rider

Guess who has a new toy!! After putting it off for years (actually, I'm sure I wanted one of these since I was about 12) I finally did my CBT (compulsory basic training) last weekend and got my motorbike license! I can now ride a bike or scooter up to 125cc. Today I picked up my new steed - an Aprilia Mojito Custom. More pics to come!!

2007-04-15T17:57:00.000Z

Bullseye!

This is quite simply the greatest television ever.

2007-04-15T14:39:00.000Z

Toilet Map

http://www.toiletmap.gov.au/default.aspx

Just tell me who thought that it would be a good idea to include the feature where you can save you favourite public toilets to your own personal toilet account?!

2007-04-09T13:56:00.000Z

BBQ!

For your viewing pleasure...pork and mustard seed and honey sausages, pork and apple burgers, corn on the cob and giant mushrooms, yum :) Hooray for the first time in 2007 when it has been 20 degrees for three days running! I think I may even be a little sunburnt...

2007-04-08T17:49:00.000Z

OK, so here goes...
I promised a bunch of photos and here they are!

This is my room in my new house (not that new I guess as I've been there two and a half months now...and our broadband still hasn't been installed! Aaaaaaargh!).

This is my room from outside the house. We're in an end terrace in Clapham, about half a mile from Clapham South tube station and a couple of blocks back from the common. Lovely!

Speaking of the common, there's a small duck pond in the corner near our house and every Saturday without fail there are several absurdly well-equipped fishermen set up in chairs around it, complete with big umbrellas, camping chairs and those cute little utility jackets with loads of pockets. I figure the council must come in the middle of the night and put fish in there every Friday, otherwise why would they keep coming back? Conspiracy theorists stay tuned...

I went to New York with Stu for my birthday this year (the big 2 - 5, dum dum daaaaah) - here's Fifth Avenue (why so many flags?).

Aaah, more New York. Note the steam coming out of the grates - it really happens! Also yellow taxi and fire engine with yet another flag flying from the back (as opposed to fire trucks from any other country?!).

Me and Stu at the top of the Empire State Building.

Phew, I'm worn out! I'm going to put more on Flickr (Ali's wedding, Oz at Christmas 2006 and more New York) so as not to clog up blogger and bore you. Here's the link: www.flickr.com/photos/aprilfoolery

2007-03-20T16:53:00.000Z

Huh?

I know I've mentioned just how bizarre the weather reporting techniques used by the BBC are, but they've totally outdone themselves this time. And they're right - looking outside our office window I do actually see lots of black clouds with both rain and snow, but sunny patches. What worries me is that there was already a pre-existing graphic to describe this, unless they have an artist on standby ready to depict whatever crazy weather conditions are coming up next...stay tuned!

2007-03-16T12:10:00.000Z

Broadband getting installed this weekend, so proper posts soon, I promise! In the meantime...

2007-02-18T19:11:00.000Z

still alive!

Er, so I am. But a bit lazy. Let me see - lots has happened, including moving house (new house = no broadband = no updates...), heaps on at work, new drummer for the Fly By Nights...and all will be revealed shortly, just as soon as I can get some pics and things together. Sorry Dad, more soon I promise!

A xx

2006-12-30T07:05:00.000Z

still in oz.

I'm still here in Perth for just under another week, and have been flat out catching up with people, and making some new friends too! Had an epic night last night -- went and saw The Cat Empire play at the Belvoir Amphitheatre with Carissa and Johann, and Nyunkia, Nikki, Barbara and Rob. After spending a number of hours dancing barefoot in the grass with several thousand other people we continued the theme by heading to Leederville to a couple of clubs (including the ever-sleazy Hip-E Club, still apparently going strong and now "Perth's Grooviest Nightclub"?!) and then finally to Carissa and Johann's place for a late night swim to cool off. Perfect!

2006-12-27T02:07:00.000Z

reindeer section - you are my joy

One of my favourite video clips (and songs!) of all time.

2006-12-25T03:46:00.000Z

dawn patrol
Congratulations to my beloved Ali and Jules who married yesterday (Christmas Eve) at dawn on Cottesloe Beach. It was so beautiful, and I just know they will be happy forever.

2006-12-11T18:18:00.000Z

white ninja is an art major.

2006-12-02T22:43:00.000Z

Part-ay.

I came home at about half past ten tonight to find Ant, Sarah, Anna and Micah all doing Sarah's marking (she's a Maths teacher). What a way to spend a Saturday night in - they swear they had spent the whole evening rolling around the floor in laughter at some of the answers the kids had written...I totally live with a bunch of geeks :) In other news, I finally won Settlers of Catan for the first time!!

2006-12-02T16:57:00.000Z

Gig.

For anyone in London next weekend, this should be a great night - The Parallel Lines and Spirit of '78 are both brilliant, and good for a boogie :) You may even catch me performing a few numbers solo...but only if you're lucky.

2006-12-02T13:15:00.000Z

"My brain was writing dancing cheques that my body couldn't cash."
A comment made by a colleague the morning after the first of what promises to be many Christmas parties in the City this week.

2006-11-19T20:31:00.000Z

So. Freakin'. Cool.

I really, really have to go here :) I especially like the part of the article which talks about Holler's previous installations, including "Frisbee House (2000) - a room full of frisbees". The man is clearly a genius.

2006-11-14T01:32:00.000Z

A quick survey.

Jarvis Cocker - cool or uncool? So uncool he's cool, perhaps? Just saw the illustrious Mr Cocker play at a film shoot for channel 4's Album Chart show at Koko (one of my favourite London venues, also saw Brakes and Lemar) and though I really enjoyed his set I was struck by the fact that the audience didn't really respond to him. He's so awkward-looking that your eyes are kind of glued to him the entire time he performs, in the same way you would slow down on the freeway to see a car crash...so what do you think?

2006-11-10T08:50:00.000Z

We Are [indeed] Scientists

Saw We Are Scientists play the Brixton Academy last night. I really like the venue (it is a weird old theatre famous for having sloping floors so that even short people can see when standing in the stalls) and I love the band. Especially the part where they did a karaoke version of End of the Road for their encore. So hot.

2006-11-07T23:47:00.000Z

Lily Allen.

Went and saw Lily Allen play the London Astoria tonight for the last gig of her tour, and can I just say that any girl who can rhyme 'Tesco' with 'alfresco' is alright with me.

2006-10-28T18:02:00.001Z

No, duh.

Part of my costume for a Halloween party this weekend...can you even begin to imagine the situation that necessitated the addition of this warning to the packaging?!

2006-10-28T17:58:00.001Z

My new favourite shop.

It would appear, however, that London no longer requires the supply of paper bags that it once did as it is now, sadly, closed.

2006-10-21T07:37:00.000Z

March of the emperor.

Hee hee :)
http://veryfunnyads.com/ads/24990.html

2006-10-17T16:10:00.000Z

Weird.

The other day I saw no less than three people I know in unexpected places in London - this is incredible in a city with a population of around 9 million. I managed to (literally in one case!) bump into three whole people I knew in completely random places! I really should've bought a lottery ticket and maybe asked for a pay rise as well...for the mathematical among us I can't even begin to work out the probability of this happening but you are welcome to!

2006-09-24T09:18:00.000Z

toothpastefordinner.com

2006-09-22T12:07:00.000Z

How to talk like a spy.

It's Friday, and I'm bored at work. In fact, all of us are bored - I work in a Learning and Development team with two other people (one of them my boss) and together we have spent the day so far coming up with a secret code, Russian-spy style, to make talking about work a bit more fun. Our best efforts so far are:

"The red squirrel flies at night."
"The black dog walks in the noon-day sun."
"The blue lake freezes in winter."

Are you noticing a pattern? Very bascially, we're looking at:
[definite article][colour][noun][verb][temporal descriptor]
Can anyone come up with more spy-phrases? Let me know and we will incorporate them into our repertoire!

2006-09-20T14:20:00.000Z

marriedtothesea.com

2006-09-12T14:08:00.000Z

New friend.

On the weekend I went out and bought myself a guitar. I have been meaning to do this for a while - I used to play classical guitar at school and I always had a couple of guitars at home. I never really made the transition over to acoustic guitar but since I have been with The Fly By Nights I have had some sings kicking around in my head which I want to do a proper job of writing. I have a midi controller keyboard which I occasionally plug into Garage Band but I feel like sometimes there needs to be a step before that stage. Also, it is hard to curl up on the sofa with a keyboard, ibook and a whole heap of cables...

Anyway, I have been home from work sick for the past couple of days and so have made it my mission to learn to play Jose Gonzales 'Heartbeats'. You'll be pleased to hear I have the intro and verse downpat, but my fingers are bleeding (damn those soft tender fingertips).

2006-09-11T18:30:00.000Z

Ta da!

Well, here I am internet. Do with me as you will. I've never ventured out here on my own before...lets hope I don't forget my keys and lock myself out or anything.

Umm...so. Well. Let me introduce myself. I am April, an Australian girl living in south west London. I don't think I'm ever going back to live in Australia though, so forget your backpacker/Walkabout/17-people-in-a-studio-flat-in-Earl's-Court kind of jokes, I'm doing this properly dammit. I've got a proper job, a proper home and I have even started eating chips with mayonnaise and calling my pants 'trousers'. I'm practically British. (Actually, technically I am British, with a little red book to prove it and all).

I work in the city in a landmark building and am loving (at the moment, anyway) getting to wear suits and high heels and stuff to work every day, like a real grown-up (!). I'm also in a band, The Fly By Nights. We play together at least once a week and gig maybe once a month at the moment.

So that's me. For now.