PRIOR: The
weekend before I went to Wales, Cass, Dave, Emma, Shan and I, rocked up to a going away
party for Cass & Dave's flatmate (which freakishly enough Emma knew
before Cass & Dave - 6 degrees of separation). It was a masquerade
party, where Emma, Shan and I spent the best part of a Sat searching
for a mask. Had a great night, in a bar in the West End, laughing at
Cass, who was a little on the tipsy side of things ;) LOL
Future adventures...
I
finish up at work this Friday.... Very much looking forward to it! Last
night Emma and I went to an ultra retro cinema (very similar to
Roseville, but trendy!) to see an English film called Brick Lane -
based on the famous street in London, where a market is held every
weekend, selling lots of Indian food. It was a fantastic art house film
reflecting the life of a Bangladeshi woman who had to fit into
Westernised life and deal with a husband (through an arranged marriage)
she didn't love.
And then 2nite!!! I went to work drinks, for my
boss who is leaving the hospital. Finally met a handful of people who
I've been speaking to over the phone for ages. We hit it off, and
realised after 3 or 4 glasses of red that we were quite tipsy!! After
that I had to meet Emma & Shan at the Natural History Museum where
they've set up an outdoor ice-skating rink!! It was beautiful!!!
Twinkling lights, all rugged up in scarfs and gloves! Of course, I
managed to collide with someone and fall down on my arse, but after a
few reds, I wasn't feeling the cold and just laughed and enjoyed myself! Was an absolutely magical night, ice-skating in the open-air, with the rain drizzling down on us. Can't say Macquarie Centre Ice Rink can give you the backdrop we had tonight.
Tomorrow is my day off - whoohoo!!! - where I have to do some Xmas shopping, etc etc. In the evening Cass, Spides and I are having dinner at a restaurant I've been planning to go to for ages, to celebrate Spides' 30th.
Thursday night, either going ten pin bowling or going into town to see the Bond St Xmas lights turned on.
Friday night I've organised a dinner at a tapas restaurant in Covent Garden which should be delicious!
Saturday night we've got a pre-Xmas party at a local bar to attend...
And then...who knows what lies ahead.
Hugs & Kisses to all. I am missing Australia and all of you so much XXX
What Do You Think?
Welcome to Wales!!
This weekend gone by, my friend Emma and I travelled to Wales!!
Started
off a dreary cold (1 degree) morning in London, where in the dark we
managed to catch a cab to Victoria and meet up with our tour.
A
short trip later - based on the fact I managed a Nanna nap in between -
our nutty bus driver got a hold of the microphone and mentioned we were
crossing the Welsh/English border - which he was very excited about! He
loved telling us random, idle and useless facts - reminded me very much
of Dad! Apparently going into Wales, we needed to pay a toll, but going
the other way we didn't. Also we needed to check out the Welsh sheep,
as apparently their wool had a pinkish tinge due to the orange-pink
soil....RIGHTEO JOE! Also he pointed out where in Wales we could train
to become an electrician or plumber, which of course was always my plan
for the weekend....
99% of the signposts are in Welsh & in
English. There are lots of birds of prey, by the side of the road...and
so on, and so on...
Once we crossed the border, the weather
fined up! Lovely blue skies and gorgeous Autumn trees. Wales would have
to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. Green rolling
hills, dotted with large stone farmhouses, smoke wafting from chimneys.
Babbling streams, livestock grazing...really reminded me of something
from a Disney film, where everything is peaceful and perfect. On nearly
every corner of every town we passed through, there'd be a cute
traditional English pub.
Once we reached the riding centre and
sorted our gear out, I was the first one to be issued with a horse. His
name was Tudor and he was a gorgeous black stallion with a penchant for
thrashing his head around! I thought it was because I was holding his
reins too tight, but apparently it was a habit of his.
Once we
got out into the fields, I had this overwhelming sense of relaxation,
freedom and happiness wash over me. I thought to myself that there was
nothing better to do on a Saturday morning than to be riding through
the Welsh countryside on a horse, slowly soaking up the atmosphere and
feeling revitalised. I even felt that at some point, once I'm home in
Australia, I'd love to live in the country and own a horse, and have
the freedom to connect with nature whilst riding it. Even though the
morning was chilly, the sun shone and I thoroughly enjoyed the
experience. Didn't even have a sore bum the next morning!
After
this the bus picked us up and we ventured into a nearby village called
Hay on Wye, famous for it's unique book stores. Emma and I were keen to
seek out a pub for lunch (which we successfully did, of course), where
I tried the local brew, which was yum!
We found this nutter
bookstore that was based at the bottom of a castle AND was outdoors! It
was an honesty shop, where on metal bookshelves stood hundreds of books
(many damp from the weather), where you'd pop the money in a box if you
decided upon a book! Before leaving to catch the bus, we of course
ventured into a traditional fudge shop, where I purchased some scrummy
Baileys fudge - droool!
We spent the night in Swansea
(equivalent, probably, to Newcastle) and stayed in a posh Ramadan
hotel!! Complete with 3 course yummy dinner AND a full English breaky
the next morning! That night we hit the town - which consists of one
street, Wind St, where everyone goes...including chicks who dressed
like they were prossies. Seriously. Every chick/skank we saw, was
wearing the most skimpiest clothing AND hugging themselves to keep
warm!! I mean DUR wear a jacket?! Hahaha in one club we were asked
"Have you just been to a funeral?", as we were all wearing black coats
and jumpers and jeans...cracked us up for the rest of the night!!
Sunday
weather was crap, but we still headed to Cardiff to see the city.
Cardiff is a kewl city. We first went on a tour of Cardiff Castle, with
the most interesting bloke, who made us feel like the family still
lived there. Then amid pouring rain, we made our way down to the wine
cellars and enjoyed tea and Welsh cakes (which reminded me of fruit
piklets, but yum!
Afterwards, we headed to the shops and guess
what?!? FOUND A MALL!! Oh bliss!! One thing I miss sooo much over here,
is shopping centres, where everything is under one roof!!! Was
fantastic to wander under cover, where no cars could swerve at you, and
window shop! Had a lovely pub lunch (Leek & Cheese pie - the Welsh
are known for cooking with leek) that cost absolutely nothing and was
massive!! Washed it down with a pint of Brains (Welsh brewed beer).
In
the arvo, we headed back to the castle, as it had stopped raining, and
mounted the mounted tower, to see the view over Cardiff - which was
kinda soggy looking.
All up we had a fantastic weekend, made quite a few new friends and now would love to go back to Wales with a car to explore every cute pub in every cute town :) Very romantic and picturesque.
What Do You Think?
