Portsmouth

'So Martha what have you been doing'
Portsmouth is where I am at the moment. The interview on friday was for a caring agency. Ideally live in carer for an elderly person, cooking for them entertaining them i guess helping them with whatever they have trouble with. So I am still looking for work and hope to find some real soon!
There is a lot of history down here I just havn't seen it yet. ITS COLD OUTSIDE!!
for the mean time i have been 'educated' by 5 english male uni students....funny nice guys. They're a laugh!

Weekend in London

Friday morning I got the train up from Brighton. Had my interview with 2 girls from africa. We waited at the train station together and this old english guy kept on coming up with touchy subjects about the girls countries. Some people~Met up with Meg at her walkabout and went to the portait gallery near Tragalgar sqaure!
Met up with Jd after she finished work, went into shpards bush where shes living. We headed back out again into westend and ate ourselves stupid at pizza hut!so much pizza and ice cream...
Saturday we headed back into covent garden for the markets and to check out the street performers. They're everywhere and they're so good. Jd and I were then joined by Simon. We went looking for pressie's. They have toasters here that actually cook the words 'i love toast' on the bread!very cool but very expensive. Our plans were to go ice skating- OUTDOORS!! but they were booked up. So we settled for 'mulled' wine. Warm wine!Its interesting. So instead we went to the Tate modern- full of modern art. Walked over the jubilee foot bridge which apparently at the opening of the bridge with the queen something cracked and it was deemed unsafe... how imbarassing!I hope the Queen got a bit of a laugh out of it! Oh and how could i forget we walked past the salvation army internationals headquaters. i was a little excited so i took a photo... not the best photo but you can see.
The three of us went out for Indian in Angel. Angel is like a really long stretch of resturants and pubs and cafes. a bit like tedder av but not as 'classy' if that's the right word. Similar concept but much bigger! We had a nice big meal and then headed to a pub Simon could reccomend!it was really nice. Lots of chats, lots of stories shared! I can see why the British are such good story tellers. The thing to do is go to the local pub and have a chat!
(This photo is from the pub includes the popular lights, REAL flowers!! and the red wall- had to be there)
Sunday Night was awesome. After not doing a great deal that morning i met up with Simon again at the Dominion Theatre where Hillsong church hires the building for sunday. Delerious were playing. the line to get in was massive and hundreds got in before us but i guess we were lucky we still got on the ground floor!was great! Simon is going home for Christmas so we did the traditional thing- had subway and then caught the tube home!good friend good company was nice!

Monday was spent in battersea with my great Aunts friend Karen. She owns a cute wine shop and has her little puppy in the shop that wonders about keeping coustomers like me amused!It was a beautiful afternoon spent with her just chatting. Sunsets at about 430pm here so not long after the sun went down I was on my way back down here to Portsmouth. Was a good weekend away!

Brighton

I headed to brighton for a few days last week (tuesday- friday morning)to visit the one and only lovely Nat!!(a friend from camp) I caught the train to Brighton from portsmouth...had no random chats with people along the way tho...shame that's always half the fun!!!
The afternoon i got in was the nicest sunset~~~!it was amazing. So cold but so nice. The beach kinda remindes me of the sunshine coast-apart from the pebbles, no waves and frosty air it almost could be! That night Nat took me out to the 'bear' pub and a girls night out for cocktails!was fun. We did end up at the walkabout next door. had a ball chatting away to a sydney fellow after informing this english dude about the 10 second rule when you leave your chair... he wasn't to impressed i don't think. ah well
On wednesday it was shopping time!!not that i bought anything but it was still really fun to wonder about. i had the great experience of having a 'shake away' (same idea as 'cold rock' or americas 'cold stone' but instead of icecream its milkshakes!!!it was great!)i had aero mint and flake!!!yummo
After that we headed on down to the marina for a little more of a wonder and a 2 course dinner!was nice...included ice cream and malteasers!!tasty... and headed out again that night with the crazy netball girls from Brighton uni. It was 'clubs night which meant there were alot of people dressed up and out and about including the football and Rugby teams...so with the netball girls you can imagine the excitement!
Thursday was good old Dvds and ben and jerry's ice cream as well as lots of lollies/sweets!!good day spent on the sofa. Having a bit of a laugh, playing cards and getting music that reminded us of camp- was much fun!!!It was great to spend a bit of time with Nat- shes great we could adopt her..that'd be fun!maybe she'll come visit the land of OZ (hint hint- one day soon)
friday morning I got on a train to London for my Interview!!

rumor has it....

in anticipation of snow!!!!this is Ben and marth

Isle of Wight

The ice on my shoe!!nice wet socks, nice wet shoes!
The place we stayed!!The band is always full of crazy kids!

Just come back from a weekend away in the Isle of Wight which is just off the coast from Portsmouth. It was UPCU weekend away (university of portsmouth christian union). We went over on a hovercraft friday night. It was a really nice weekend. Met loads of people which was really fun.
Went for a bit of a 'walkabout' on the island, stumbled across a dead whale!Sophie and I went for a wonder while most other people had a mud fight and saw it beached just down the road from where we were staying. It made the news!Smelt so bad. I don't think whales are exactly common in these parts. I kept telling them a whale alive and kicking is much more interesting. We went back down to the beach about 12am on saturday night with 2 shirts a jumper a vest a jacket and the longest scarf you've ever seen (my fav thanks ma) never EVER have I worn so much to the beach!a fisherman fella- kinda like the old lady who looks like a man of going round the twist (the old abc program). anyway i saw he was like a ghost or something. came and told us that it died of natural causes and they dumped it here coz they weren't sure where to put it and were waiting for the ok to dump it in international waters...anyway turns out he was all wrong. and that was kinda obvious by the massive marks on the poor thing. suspect!
a few of us were trying to touch it- yes sounds nasty but out of curiousity it has to be done! I was almost there and then the police came and told us to leave! friendly police around there! So pictionary it was back at base!


My funniest memory, since i got to England and probly till i leave- would have to have occured this weekend. All the girls got together and did the whole' what's your name' and...wait for it....your favorite neighbours character! apart from that being disturbing in itself everyone kept saying Karl Kenedy...crazy kids!I was told that everyone in Australia has a ute, chooks and everyones name is shane...close?
i will put photos up asap.

visit to the 'sea'

Can you imagine a baywatch scene on this beach? Hasselhoff would somehow have issues running along on this one...maybe old mate Pam would run less which wouldn't be a bad thing! for real i was going to take a shell from this beach but i didn't want to take the only one they had. The rocks are pretty cool tho, for rocks.

highlights...curious?

ok so 4 years since high school graduation today!!!wowee kids of 2001 we're only getting older from here on in. and if i was in oz we'd probly hav a reunion HA!
highlights from my past 5 and a bit months...there are so many...select few:
america/canada
* camp for sure but doesn't count coz it was too good. LOADS of memories and way to many cool people there. You'll hear about it when i get home AND for the rest of you...you were either there =) or have heard about it since...so thanks for letting me bite your ear off
* ice cream with nicole on the beach in florida (or could it have been getting lost in Miami with William and Chris)
*returning to camp- the convo at the pool with cris (and those days with Simone + martin)
* Homecoming with lisa and Jen! in waterloo canada. plus molley's that was FUN
* niagra falls with lisa and will-i-am. lots of laughs

UK
****N. Ireland- giants causeway by far the best day i think ive had yet!
*seeing people from camp again=)
*Edinburgh castle with miss claire
*london sights with jd and miss Megs -mainly the evensong at st pauls...beautiful
*dinner with Jd and casey- a little bit of home in covent garden london!

i could go on but thats it...for now

last day in london for now!

Once again my stuff got jammed into that red suitcase that left with me in oz and yes if any of you have helped me pack it...as per tradition, sitting on the bag to zip it up did occur.The day I leave is the day England plays Australia, so Meg's walkabout is packed with Poms. So Jess and I went to the covent gardens markets. There were performing arts people everywhere. I watched this cute little kid help this magician. He was the cutest!(in this photo he's saying his prayers for he does the next trick) and there was this african dude balance a ball on a stick he was holding with his teeth!joy!Its so alive there tho and they have old cobble stones all around the area.It is really cute!I wanted to find somewhere to have jam and SCONES (not biscuits)but they were a little to popular and all sold out. so i had a photo with Peter Rabbit instead and then collected my things to leavemy trek to the coach station was a journey and a half... thanks to jd i got there. I'm not so sure if I could have carried the box mum sent me all that way. My bus trip to portsmouth was only 3 hours. drive out of town into fireworks on every side of the road. it was very very cool!i still can't believe you can buy fireworks at the shop and let em off in your back yard no probs here!

updating in london

I've been about London for a week now and the last 2 days i got to spend some time with megs.it has been so nice! I've had the chance to catch up with a few people while im here!its been awesome to be with JD and to experience the inital london city with her. I was lucky enough to see Simon and Haj from Towoomba as well which made me smile. Tonight I caught up with bradry's sister Casey!3 aussies chicks from the Goldie in a walkabout!fun fun!!and walking out of the walkabout i ran into Katie a friend i worked with and went to uni with for a bit!its been great a few more people to see and definitely more to do but im headed down to portsmouth tomorrow night will look for a job down there. Will be back in london b4 christmas so if you come over!!!!!let me know!
will let you know more stories when i get the photos up dated!!
for now- me simon and Haj last sunday night=)

The things I've seen!

A fox!in megan's back yard!now a fox in Your back yard at home doesn't hang about for long...
in my experience these 'birds' bite and if they don't would never come so close....
my walk to the train...the bussiness city of london- canary wharf.
and my secret garden in kensington...how pretty. Jess and i just sat and played with the wildlife...

fireworks on blackfrairs bridge

pics of london

Jd and I with the Aussie icon- skippy, the palace- thye wouldn't let me in today..maybe tomorrow.

1st DaY of touristing in London!!

Met up with JD and we went crazy!!!stubled upoin most things. had little to no idea about where anything was but just followed the sent of other toursits. everyone is right when they say London is full of Aussies. I hear the accent more often then a english one! Jd and i started out in Trafalgar square, then headed down to buckingham palace. It's such a nice walk inbetween with all the gardens at st james park. its beautiful this time of year. and today was a perfect day to be about london! We found the Australian piller and had a photo of course. Next we headed down into westminster cathedral, then westminster Abbey. which i had little idea of the number of bodies were in that place!!crazy!Went to the houses of parlment- saw tony. BIG BEN came next with a little bit of cheeky photos with the police. then jd and i went on the london eye. which is a big ferris wheel that has the best views of London. Found out i still don't like heights!good thing to know after the fact it goes very high ways up into the sky- should find out tomorrow exactly how high that is.
ended the day in west end with Jd and guiness with a Western Aust. fellow. bit of a worry!
good day...ready for it all again tomorrow

manchester ->London

My last day in Scotland was awesome. I caught up with miss sonya from none other then tambo!!whenever i see a friend from home i never feel like I'm that far away. It was Halloween that night and Claire and her crew went to a house party and along the way for my benefit went trick or treating singing 'tie me kangaroo down sport' very funny!one of the guys- boona (yes pronounced the same as boonah at home) thought that song would be a good idea!
I had a fantastic trip from Glasgow to Manchester via train. Through awesome mountains and little streams. finally saw one of those hairy cows with the big horns. yes i know they have a name i just don't know it. I only saw the one=(! Had this elderly lady sit across from me that warmed me at the start ' my husband says i talk to much'...oh dear!!he's right. she was nice and it was good to have a little chatter during the trip.
I made it to Manchester and met Lise- one of the lifegaurds from camp. We went into town, had some dinner, had a little look around. was fun!Was nice time spent!was actually only in |Manchester for 23hrs so it wasn't a long trip. Got a plane to here to London where Megs met me at the airport, then went to her work- walkabout...(which for the record i take back any nasty things i may have said). Feels more like home having Meg here. So now i am sleeping on her couch. Will catch up with friends and find a job over the next few days!very much looking forward to settling into a job soon! I got a massive package from home- felt like christmas!so exciting
off i go job hunting