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Week 10: The Patriotic one

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 22:52:30 +0200

Hey all,

Well looks like Mondays are now my days to get a chance to type and get all the domestic godess duties done! My weekends are so busy!! Hehe, actually I'm usually just too lazy or hung over these days. Now I'm sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer and waiting for dinner, and I'll do the washing tomorrow!

So, my week... mmm lets see, Monday was just recovery from Sunday at the walkie (Tash and I are going to ask for VIP memberships soon!). I just went home and to bed early!

Tuesday was also pretty uneventful, except Tim left London, so had a goodbye beer at lunch with him. Was crap to say cheers to one of my drinking buddies, but I can assure you I have had no problems finding some more drinking buddies!! So that was all for Tuesday.

Wednesday was yet another normal work day, but we all had a pretty busy day, with everything going wrong, so we decided to go for a drink or 2 and we went to a pub on Charlotte street down the road from us. My boss and one of his friends joined us later and of course, thats were the wheels fell off. Ended up 1 bottle of wine, 3 smirnoff ice's and 3 tequilas later at the Walkabout! Oh, I never will go out with Kirsty again (she is always the Tequila Fiend!) and Natasha just causes nonsense! hehe. Well we did have alot of fun and ended up at home at 2 on a school night.

Spent Thursday thinking it was Friday (I usually have the hangover on a Friday!) and just took the day easy, the bosses were all out at meetings, so just caught up on filing and all that boring mindless stuff. Then, to perk up the day I got my laptop! Wow, so pretty and small! I haven't got it properly set up yet, cos the guys at home are all away, and I need them to set it up for me, but its so shiny and new and small. Its a Dell Latitude X1! So sexy, I'm really happy with it.

Friday was also the same, just hanging around at work, waiting for beer fridge to open (hehe, you must think I'm an alcoholic!!) Anyways, Caroline called me on Thursday saying she was in london, so I went to the station to meet up with her. We went home and we just caught up on things. We had a fairly early evening and relaxed.

Saturday morning we went to the Rugby at the (yes, you guessed it) WalkAbout. Was a cool game and there was alot of playfulness between the Aussies and Kiwi's untill the end at least! I was supporting Australia, but was well impressed (and scared for us next week) with the kiwis! We then went to South Africa day. I won't lie to you, but it was so disappointing! It was raining, it cost £12 to get in, there was one tent, and we had to travel to Surrey (outside zone 6) to get there, although we did do the typical brit thing and bought a few long tom beers and drank them on the train! They had 3 SA bands, who were okay. Tweak played, which was cool, but they played alot of their new stuff and it was quiet heavy, so wasn't the greatest. I didn't like their new guitarist! Anyways, we left about 7. On the way out there was some rides and games. There was all these people putting on Sumo wrestler suits and beating each other up, it was really funny. Caroline and I eneded up in the mud wrestleing each other without the suits! Hehe, my butt is still bruised from that! I was happy though that I got Castle and DroeWors and Biltong, and was surrounded by Safa instead of aussies for a change . I also saw some friends from home who I haven't seen in years.

We stopped off at Wimbledom Walkie (this is actually embarassing how many times I have mentioned the walkie!). Had a few drinks there then moved on home. Sunday Caroline and I did the London Tourist thing and walked around the whole place. I have plenty blisters today, and suffered today a bit. But its fine, saw a few more things I haven't seen yet. Although there is still plenty I need to do before I can say I have seen London! We then met Natasha in Shepards bush and had a yummy roast at the Wetherspoons. Got home about 11. Didn't sleep very well, so today has been a Zombie day!

I met Caroline after work and we went to the Gherkin (its a building in the city that looks like a gherkin (or something else, depending on how dirty your mind is)). It really shows the mixture of old and new when you go there. It is built next to this old church and the Gherkin is just glass and steel. It was quiet something.

Well now I'm here, finished dinner, finished beer and wanting bed. Have lots planned for this weekend again, its going to be a good one again. Me and my partner in crime (Tash) have big plans. Anyways, I'll leave that info for next week. I also will have some pictures to down load soon, which I will do when my laptop is up and running. Don't forget to leave a comment if you want (just click on comment and type). Looking forward to Janines return too, very jealous of her travels, but that will be me shortly!

Hope all is well there, I'm missing home and all of you.

Lots of love

Danielle

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Week 9: The emotional one

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 11:14:35 +0200

Hi all

Well now I have a bit of time to write my latest newsletter. I'm sorry I didn't do it earlier but I had a bit of a hectic weekend.

So lets start with Monday last week. Monday was a bit of a crappy one. I dunno if it is the time of the year here, or maybe I'm starting to get over the whole "here I am in London, and all is new and exciting" thing, but all the homesickness I have being doing well to ignore finally hit. I basically had a little break down, but everyone at work was really great, the girls took me for lunch and made sure I would be okay. The guys at home are also fantastic, good shoulders to cry on.

Tuesday was feeling a little better, but when I got in was given the news by Julie that a friend of ours had been killed in a car accident on the Sunday. That was really not nice to hear, and I ended up the same way as Monday. My bosses were really cool and let me sit out of a few meetings, while I chilled out. Was tough, and maybe I am a bit over sensitive at the moment, but that really made me miss home. I miss having my support group and not to mention my family around, but I'm doing okay now, and just have to plod along and get through it. Met up with Tim on Tuesday night, and that helped alot cos at least I had a friendly face to chat to and just not worry about things. Making friends slowly, so any comforting face is welcomed.

So Wednesday pretty much went off without a hitch, and some of the girls on the floor below me decided we needed a night out with the two floors at work, so we organised a few drinks after work for Thursday, so that helped to take my mind of things. I love little projects like that.

So Thursday night we all went off to the Royal George just off Charing Cross Road. Its this awesome little pub that is literally at the end of this small side road. We just sat around drinking and talking and having fun. Introduced a few people to snake bites (cider, beer and black current cordial) and the tequila started to flow... oh no. There was also a live band, so that was a bit of fun added to the evening. It ended pretty early (considering what my Thursdays have been like lately), and was home by about 11:30, not very sober mind you! Once again was great to have my mind taken off things, and just been able to be surrounded by fun people.

Friday was a bit rough at work, but just put the head down and worked, got ripped off by the bosses, but all in good fun of course. Got through the day and ended up meeting Janines cousin, Amanda and her friend Neri at a bar/club in Picadilly called On Anon. Its this really cool place of just floors and floors of bars and little 'coves' to sit and relax. It becomes a club later on, so we stuck around and danced and had some fun. Bit sad to mention that the talent was SERIOUSLY lacking there, all dodgy characters! We left about 11, as I was still hung over, and the girls also didnt want to take the night bus home. Thats the worst part here, is that if you do want to go out after 12:00 at night you have to get the night bus home, which you usually wait about 1 hour for then sit for another hour before you are home, really dampens the evening. Trust me, have done it a few times now.

So Saturday we had a braai at my bosses house in Surrey, wow, beautiful place. Little cottage type feel, but much bigger and huge garden with tennis court etc. As I could not miss the rugby I excused myself for a while and watched a very nerve wracking game of Rugby, but of course was very happy to see that SA proved thier worth again!! Lets hold thumbs for the next one!! I'm watching the Oz/NZ game on Saturday, so should be good. Anyways, after the rugby managed to get in some cricket too... oh my what a weekend for exciting sport! After a few more Fosters beer, the croquet set came out and things got nasty, I teamed up with my boss Mannie, and proceeded to cheat our way through, and loosing! I mean really have you ever!!? We had a good laugh and everyone enjoyed themselves, looking forward to another few games of that, its quiet evil thats for sure.

So after the braai (did I mention there was biltong and dry wors too? ahhh in my element) two girls from work (Jenni and Kirsty) and I went into London for a few more drinks. They were so sweet, we started at the Bok bar in covent garden (they knew I needed a little piece of home, even though it was not their scene at all!)and had a castle there. We then moved to the porthouse down the road and had some American beer. We moved to a tapas restaurant later and had a jug of sangria and some very yummy food. Deciding where to go next, Kirsty pulled over a rikshaw and we ended up taking it into Soho, giggling the whole way, it was so much fun. They really were trying to give me the whole london experience. So we finally ended up at Lab in Soho, drinking awesome cocktails in the basement... Finally having enough, we all went seperate ways, with me waiting for the stupid night bus, gettikng home at 2! But it was a great evening, and was good to have sometime with them (we are the 3 team co-ordinators, so bonding was good, and work today was very pleasant cos we all seem to be much more relaxed with each other).

Sunday dragged myself out of bed about 10 and did washing etc, watched the cricket (ahh, my nails) and just hung out at home. Got a brilliant brainwave about 4 to make dinner for the boys so trekked out to Sainsburys and got some dinner. Just as I got home my Ozzie fiend, Natasha called (she had been at the cricket all weekend) and said they were on their way to the Walkabout in Shepards Bush, so needless to say, the boys didnt get dinner. Hehe. Met tash and her mates and had yet another party with her... Aussies are dangerous I tell you. Anyways, we closed the Walkie and I crashed at her place.

So today was okay, was really busy at work, we have alot of new projects that we are starting so have alot to do there, and have to monitor the guys so developing silly little things to keep them in check, they tell me I'm a whole police force all on my own! hehe. So that has been the week. Nothing too exciting I guess, so I'm sure you wont be too dissappointed that I only sent this now!

Plans for the next week, I'm not sure, but have rugby on saturday morning and its South
Africa day on Saturday too, so hoping to get to that. My friend Caroline is meant to be here this week, so that will be brilliant. Tim leaves tomorrow, so maybe my liver can recover a bit (hehe, sorry Tim have to blame someone!), although highly unlikely!Anyways, thats all for now.

Hope all is well! Missing you all, keep me up to date with all the news. oh, enjoy the public holiday too (all those in SA).

Lots of love

Danielle

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