LLLORENZA

Back in Oz

2012-01-02T22:34:00.000Z

Dave and I made the arduous flight from London to Melbourne on Saturday. 30 hours later, after some pretty terrible airline food (note to self: never order eggs on a plane) children kicking the back of the seat (Dave's, not mine) and the weirdest transfer in Shanghai that I've even experienced, we made it. Dave's parents picked us up and my Mum flew down from Brisbane and was at the airport as well. When we left London is was about 10 degrees, and when we landed in Melbourne is was going to reach 40. Un-be-liev-able. We've got a fair few things planned for the next couple of days, seeing friends and family, before I fly up to Brisbane for a couple of days.

Hippity Hoppity Happity Birthday

2011-12-04T17:50:00.001Z

Yesterday was Dave's birthday and I was supposed to spend most of the day studying for my impending exams. We slept in a little bit, and I made him blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Then I had to focus on my revision (after doing the dishes, of course. It was his birthday after all). But after a little while I gave up and we just spent the day hanging out. We didn't go out during the day (it's much too grey and miserable for that now. I just wish it would hurry up and snow already) and so we mooched around, ate popcorn and drank coke (he drank the coke, not me. I watched Super Size me for the first time on Friday night and it has frightened me off any fast food & soft drinks for life. I'm going to be a horrible mother who never lets their kids eat that. Although I'm sure all parents say that. Anyway, I digress).

In the evening I took Dave to a really nice place called The Dock Kitchen that I went with work awhile ago. It is, and was pretty amazing and set in the most stunning location. It was a complete surprise for Dave and he really like it as well, which was a relief. It was a pretty lovely day, all up. Although I think for the next two or three years I will always be revising around his birthday, which is a bit annoying, but this year was really nice.

The restaurant has lights from Tom Dixon, whose workspace is set within the same place. Oh if I didn't live in a basement flat and earned loads more money then I do now! I love them so much

Tumbleweed

2011-11-28T19:09:00.001Z

The tumbleweeds are blowing around thick and fast around here. My mind has been preoccupied with numbers and tax calculations and financial reporting and all other boring things like that. As a consequence I haven't been really doing much that is of any great excitement, save avoiding study. Which I'm getting really good at. There are endless amount of cat videos to watch (include this one which is my current favourite), breads, cakes & pies to bake, runs to go on, and just generally dragging my feet with whatever I can find (unless you are my husband who is ready this, and then I promise hunny, I'm studying every single minute).

To be serious though, I have been getting up really early to study in the morning and by the time I get home and am exhausted. And the past couple of weekends I have been at college with revision courses, which just makes me all round boring. My exams are next week (cue: panic, last minute cramming) and then after that is Christmas and after that Australia, which I flicker between looking forward to and dreading. But we are going for a friends wedding which will be wonderful. And add to that, the weather is becoming increasingly cooler (I wore two pairs of gloves this morning when riding my bike) so a trip to the southern hemisphere will be a nice change.

Clivden

2011-10-17T10:35:00.002+01:00

On Saturday Dave & I caught the train from Marylebone to the country (I say country, but really, it's only 25 miles from London. It is however outside the M25, so the country it shall be) to catch up with and old friend from Australia and her daughter.

It was the most perfect of perfect autumn days. The sun was bright, not a cloud in the sky, and leaves slowly turning. In fact we even had lunch in the beer garden of a pub. Now this might not sound like much, but eating outside in the middle of October is a big thing. Three years ago it snowed in England.

We spent most of the day at Cliveden an amazing manor house with stunning gardens, on the edge of the Thames. It is great that we have all these great things an hour or so out of London. We should do it more often, but we hardly ever do. Here are some pictures of the day...

P.S. I am always insanely jealous of Dave's cartwheeling abilities. How does he do it?!

Summer in September

2011-10-03T13:19:00.001+01:00

We had a pretty rubbish summer in London. It rained a lot and never felt like it got about 20 degrees. But towards the end of this week and this weekend the weather was perfect. Typically though I was at school on Saturday and Sunday. But I did manage to ride home a couple of evenings, go out on Saturday night for a friend's birthday, on my lunch break walk along the Southbank, and we even had a barbecue with our neighbours on Sunday evening (this is particularly exciting because a - barbecues (!) & b - I've never ever had a meal with my neighbours in London). Here are a few photos of the last nice weeks for about 6 or 7 month - soon the dark depths of winter will be at our door.

Excuse me while I get on my soapbox

2011-09-20T14:13:00.000+01:00

This morning Dave & I were awoken by a lot of sirens going past our flat. At lot more then usual for Stockwell at 7.00am. Then as I was getting my bike and heading off for work there was a LOT of traffic. Again, a lot more then usual for a normal weekday. Luckily because I am on my bike and can weave in and out (safely) and made it Vauxhall Bridge. I saw that they had closed the southbound lane of the bridge and there were a number of policemen there, and some taking photos. You know when they are taking photos that something serious had happened. It always makes me very sad and it's a bit eerie to cycle through somewhere where you know something terrible has just happened.

When I got to work I searched on twitter to see what happened and people were saying that there was an accident between a lorry and a cyclist. And then I saw this tweet from someone:

To all you cyclists who ignore red traffic lights: Just saw one of you get nailed by a bus at the Vauxhall bridge. Not a great idea then

Now apart from being incredibly insensitive, it mad me really really angry. And I wanted to tweet something back to him, but is tweeting strangers weird? Anyway, I'm just not ready to take my tweeting to the next level. But if I did, I would have said something like this (but only in 140 characters)

Yes, there are some cyclists who jump red lights, and yes, it is dangerous. But I see far more dangerous acts from drivers (and pedestrians) compared to the number of cyclist going through red lights. In fact, this morning Dave told me that a women in her range rover (don't even get me started on people driving them in London) almost cutting him off when she was turning left and then had the nerve to yell at him, when she was completely at fault. I've seen a cab driver looking the wrong way and almost hit me. I've seen pedestrians walk out onto the road and I've had to break so I don't hit them. Last week I went through a (green) pedestrian light, and a pedestrian who was crossing yelled at me. Cycling in London can be really dangerous and scary, and if we need to do something that either puts us ahead of the traffic, or out of harms way, then we should be allowed to do that. Between cyclists and a range rover, we will always come off second best.

*jumps of soapbox*

Exam results

2011-08-25T10:26:00.000+01:00

A while ago I wrote about my impending exams. Every time they come up I am tied up in knots of nervousness and last minute panic. I am a terrible studier. I leave everything to the last minute and spend the last ~~week~~weekend cramming. My results were out this week. I had the option to receive a text message if I had passed, which I thought was a bit weird. But also I hate the idea of having this surprise message come up with 'You've failed!' (okay, maybe without the exclamation mark). I'd rather wait for it to come into the post. However I logged into ACCA's website and there was a teeny tiny link for exams results. My cursor hovered over it. Do I dare click on it and see my fate? I figured there was nothing I could do about it now. What's done is done and no amount of hovering and wishful thinking can change the results. So I clicked. And I passed! Huge sigh of relief. To be honest though it was a little bit anti-climatic. The exams felt like a life time ago and in between summer (ha!) and holidays, it was more of a feeling of 'oh okay, I don't have to take that class ever again' and can move on. My wonderful husband however took me out to a celebratory dinner at our local pub near our place, which was very lovely and sweet of him. I have classes starting again in a couple of weeks and have promised myself to more studious. Which also means for three months I will not see anyone. No lunch dates / cheeky glasses of wine after work. Serious study mode will commence.

Here is a nice picture of the sky when I left the pub last night

Three. Years. On.

2011-08-02T14:34:00.002+01:00

Today is Dave & I's three year wedding anniversary. There are no trips to Croydon, no panicky visa issues, no spending loads of money for a piece of paper. Just Dave & I. I can whole heartily say that I have never been more happy in my life then right now. And tomorrow I will be even happier. And the day after that, even more happy. And after that? Well you get the picture.

So to my darling wonderful husband I love you I love you I love you.

I

Love

You

A trip to the Lakes District

2011-08-02T10:39:00.000+01:00

On Thursday afternoon Dave & I packed up our hire car and made the treacherous journey to the Lakes District. Fearing that history will repeat itself I was understandably a bit nervous. However it was all for nothing because we had a painless journey. No wrong turns out of London, or on the M6. No leading Dave down an ice valley of doom. It was smooth sailing.

Pit stop snacks


Traffic

The wedding itself was really lovely. I am always a bit soppy cry baby when it comes to these things, and this was no exception. But it was a wonderful day and evening. (Although one of the guests did wear a white dress. The horror!)

The next day, hungovers fed and watered Dave and I went on a little trip around the lake. It was really nice, the sun was shining, the Eels were playing and we were having a great time. And then it happened. I had stopped looking at the map and was just going by road signs to get us back to Winderemere. And then we made a wrong turn. No worries, easily corrected. We can just turn around and go back the way we came. I now consulted google maps on my iphone and saw there was a short cut. So we get on this short cut road, but it actually turns out to be a bit more, well, rural, then most shortcuts are. In fact, it wasn't even a road, more like and overgrown path. And then the overgrown path turns into a rocky path. Or maybe just rocks. A steepy rocky path. In our shitty little hire car. If we had, oh I don't know, a four wheel drive or a horse maybe, hey no problem! I horse could float over those rocks. But in a vauxhall meriva not so good. Dave got really really really angry with me. He couldn't believe that I've led him down the wrong path, again. I tried to get him to see it as an adventure, rather then our impending death/serious injury, but it was to no avail. And then when we come to the end of the rocky path of impending death/serious injury my heart sank. The was a fence. Dave looked at me and said (amongst other things) that it better not be locked. I said some prayers to God, Buddha, Allah, Shiva approached the gate. Not locked! Hurrah! I opened it and we made a swift exit. Body parts intact. Car with no signs of obvious damage. Pride a little bit sore. We continued driving, saw a pig farm, with an incredibly aggressive goat in it and some beautiful rolling country side

Our rocky path of death

So apart from history kind of repeating ourselves (at least the fuel light didn't turn on this time!) it was a wonderful time. And now no more holiday for a couple of months, minimum. My bank account it looking extremely depressed.

A weekend where I realise I'm becoming just like my mother

2011-07-25T10:03:00.000+01:00

Dave was at a stag thing this weekend in Barcelona. Okkaayy - moving right along. But it did mean I had the weekend to myself, to do all the things that I would normally have never be able to do, or at least not have to worry about dragging him along. I bikram yoga-ed on Saturday morning, which I haven't done in 5 weeks. I was super nervous but it was okay (although today, 2 days later my whole body is aching). I lunched with some lovely ladies & went around to a friends for drinks in the evening.

On Sunday I went to Battersea Car Boot sale with Al & David. I cannot stress how much my mum loves boot sales, sometimes to the chagrin of my family, including me. But there was a moment when I was walking around looking at the tea cups and saucers, checking the bottom of them to make sure they were authentic bone china and when it hit me. I am becoming my mother. Upon this momentous self realisation I realised that there are a lot of good things about that come with this. My mum is probably the most selfless person I have every met. For all her faults (sorry Mama, but I suppose we all have them) she is always there for my and will always listen to me complain about any subject without judgement. She always put herself last when it came to everyone getting, well everything. And she (and my Dad) have quite literally saved the lives of our family (sans Megan, because she wasn't born yet). Maybe I wont become 100% like my Mum, but I can live being a little bit like her.

So my I dedicate my first market purchase to her. I think she will be proud

Quickly jumping on my soapbox for a brief moment, I know I go on and on (and on and on and on) about how cycling is great and pedestrians & cars are annoying, but on my way to work today another cyclist rode past me and SPAT in my direction. He missed me by mere inches, but I was horrified and so angry. Spitting is so so disgusting and I expected much more from my fellow cyclist

Paris

2011-07-22T11:03:00.000+01:00

Number two of three of my July holidays (only because my little sister has been here...I don't do this all the time) was Paris. It was full of shopping, eating, drinking and finding macaroons. I love everything about Paris - the streets, the food, listening to people speaking French, it's all very romantic and wonderful.

Perfect macaroons were found

Presenting...The Amalfi Coast

2011-07-20T20:39:00.000+01:00

I could go on and on about how wonderful and idylic the Amalfi Coast is, and how it was my favourite, relaxing, fun, indulgent holiday ever, but I could never articulate it as well as (I hope) these photos are able to show

The best part of it all was that Dave had a great time as well and actually wants to go back. This coming from a guy that hates beach holidays