Photo of the Day No.30 - Happy Engagement

Congratulations to our friends Alex and Dan on their engagement!!

(The end of the friendship....the beginning of something so much better)

Photo of the Day No 28 & 29 - Moving ... yes again!

What can I say for 2 days I lived with STUFF, lots of STUFF. We've already shipped 25 boxes home, so said STUFF, where it came from I don't know. Thank heavens most of this was given away as its not coming with us, to our new place, or home to Australia. Whew.

Photo of the Day No.27 - Julie

Mark and I had dinner with Julie and her new husband James at Le Bouchon Breton in Spitalfields Markets London. We have been friends for nearly 4 years and this was our last dinner together before we go home. Boo hoo.

Photo of the Day No.26 - A Little Piece of Australia

Attached to me for today... Happy Australia Day everyone !!

Happy Australia Day....from London for the last time!

Today is one of the most favoured days of the year, especially if you're actually in Australia. We get the day off there, but not here. However to make it more special as we have to work by doing Australian things.

Getting it ready...note the fairy dust (key ingredient)

Last night I made ANZAC cookies (last year I at about 11pm endeavoured to make Lamingtons, a great feat I tell you) which are nice and easy to make, well sort of. In my case difficult purely because I thought I got a few of the measurements wrong especially as I have an Australian recipe with metric measurements, imperial kitchen jugs (no spoons or scoops) and the scales are my luggage scales!!!

And the photos tell the tale!

Me doing cooking....yes really..I can follow a recipe!!!

Ready to go in the oven...

Today at work a few of the team made the epic, but required, annual trek to the Covent Garden Australia Shop for supplies. We had pizza shapes, BBQ shapes, Cheese & Bacon shapes, cheese Twisties, Violet crumble, Picnics, Tim Tams, and some Cherry Ripes, so quite a feast really.

The very busy Walkabout and the queue round the block

Tonight we headed to the Walkabout, a much packed Walkabout, the queue was rediculous, but at least we went for a little whiel. The entertainment that was the drunken Aussies (and generally Kiwi's too) who had been in there since lunchtime, dressed as yobbos, and you have to be one to dress as one and they were!!

My team at work; Brien, Amy, Matt, Jessie who is new (she has a cool French accent as she is from Maruitus) and me.

If we'd been a little later we'd have seen them try to belt out Aussie tunes on the Karaoke stage, it was extremely funny last year. Oh and I have a little Australian Flag on my arm for good measure, as you can see;
Me with my tattoo...

Next year, I get the day off, so BBQ, lammies, snacks, and drinks at my place.... yippee!

Photo of the Day No.25 - Anzac Buscuits

These are the easiest buscuits ever to make, even without the correct measuring tools I still managed to make them tasty. They are called ANZAC buscuits because they Australian wives, mothers and sister used to make them and ship them over to the ANZAC soldiers in Gallipoli and on the Western front during the WWI. Of course you knew that ... !

Photo of the Day No.24 - Marvellous Maristela

Mari was my model for the day, I am brushing up on my portrait photography and we headed over to Leadenhall Markets to take some photos. Mari brought out the portrait photographer in me, and I the supermodel in her. This is just one of my favs.

Photo of the Day No.23 - The Randomness of London

Excuse the bluriness, was not prepared and didn't have time to get my proper camera out. This was taken near Cornhill and Leadenhall streets, no spectators, no cameras, no signs, just a marching band passing through the streets with these little old men at the back, one with an Aussie flag and one with a Kiwi flag. Why? Well me thinks for Australia day, but we may never know.

The windy theatre production....Chicago

Tonight I took myself off to see Chicago, as I was only requiring a ticket for one. Not a nerd, just decided I want to see it and if I had to wait for someone else who wanted to go, hadn't already seen it and was available with cash to go when I wanted to as well I may never have seen it. Certainly not with the limited time I have left!

I think I did quite well securing myself a centre seat in the top balcony for £18, no complaints for me when full priced I'd be looking at £50 plus, and I got upgraded to the next level down when I got there too.

It was a bit of a night in for me really, I had a glass of wine, got comfy and waited for the scantily clad (read why I cannot understand why Mark didn't want to see it) show to begin. The Cambridge theatre itself, is the youngest theatre in London, only opening in the 1930's and having fully been restored in the 1990's. Apparently its one of the prettiest...least to say it is not. It got an Art Deco feel but its almost non-existent.

Anyway the show was great, lots of singing, a bit of dancing, and it was quite cool what they were able to do with minimum props and no set or outfit changes...bar a few shoes and choice jackets. The hot guys doing the dancing was particularly good, definitely getting my fair share of hot men viewing at the moment.

I have to say my favourite was the husband Amos Hart, who did a great rendition of Mr Cellophane, but the gorgeous burlesque feathered fans for the entrance and exit of Mr Billy Flynn, who only cares about money was a lot of fun to watch too. The Roxie was actually the original Roxie from the original show when it started at the Aldwych Theatre near the Strand.

And that was that...I was home tucked up on the couch by 8pm that evening, so it really was like a trip to the movies...oh without the popcorn.

Photo of the Day No.22 - Chicago

"I know a Girl", who is "A Little Bit of Good" and a little bit of "Class" and she has a "Funny Honey" who she said is "All I care about". She could do a "Tap Dance" and the "Cell Block Tango", but she cried ok "I'll be good to Mama", but "I can't do it alone", it will be better if its"Me and My Baby"! It was so "Razzle Dazzle" and "All that Jazz"!