Hi All,

Just a few pics of out night put at ice skating. We all had so much fun and by the end of the night Reg and I were skating like we were pros! Well not really but I did manage to make it around the rink in one go without hanging onto the sides. Anyhow, enjoy he pics - the skating rink was at Somerset House which was the perfect backdrop and i have included a shot of the Tiffany and Co tree which was massive and so lovely.

Will Blog again soon!

Love to all and Merry Christmas!! F xoxo

London at Christmas Time

London Update

Hello All,

Well I know it has been a while since I updated but honestly this little social vegemite (or social marmite as I say over here) has been so busy!! So where to begin…. Well, I am just barely getting over my cold which seriously knocked me around so badly. Long story short, it snowed a couple of weeks ago and I went out and danced and played in it whilst it was falling and then…..I got the flu and was convinced for nearly 48 hours that I was going to die an 18th Century sweating disease death. Yes that’s right, I was being a tad over dramatic but it was the weirdest flu I have ever had and everyone that has come down with it at work has said the same thing….you constantly sweat and have fevers – awful.

So I am feeling much better now and am looking forward to Christmas WHICH I will be spending with my lovely new roommate Sean and the girls from up the street. So this weekend was an absolute blast – we started off by having RWF with our new inductee to the QC crew Sean. Sean is our new roommate and has been sleeping on the couch for the past couple of weeks until Reg moves out. We all get along with him so well but unfortunately I think that he picked the wrong Friday night to come around. It was Reg’s last RWF and lets just say it got messy – but in a good way. Anyhow then on on Saturday night we all went into London to go out for Spanish Tapis which was beautiful and then across the road to a pub in Leister Square which honestly was filled with more Australians than an Australian pub….It was SO strange. We hung around there til about midnight and then back on the tube and train all the way back to St Albans. I will be posting a couple of pics on the site of the night and please note the one of Sean standing at the open urinal on the street. He was just pretending to go abut honestly people use it!! It would just be like slapping one in the middle of King Street for all the boys to use on their way home….so strange.

There are also some classic shots from our weekend out last week with the girls from up the street. We all went to a pub up the road in St Albans called the Horn and watched a Red Hot Chili peppers tribute band and oh my goodness what a great night. The band sounded okay and I am sure if you squinted really hard and looked sideways and muffled your ears a bit you could think that you were at a RHCP concert….well not really but they were pretty good. BUT the lead singer LOVED himself and was the biggest tool – to the point where he announced to the crowed that he wanted to stage-dive and everyone moved out of the way and he fell on top of one poor guy who had clearly missed the call to move. So then he gets back up and tells everyone he wants to do it again….what a knob. But we still had fun which was the main thing and I made good friends with the bouncer Mike (who can be seen in the pics) and he and his fellow Bouncer held our drinks for us so we could dance the night away and hydrate when necessary. I mean, how is a girl supposed to dance and hold a drink at the same time – I ask you? Then it was pretty much business as usual, back to work on Monday and that’s about it.

I am meeting up with the girls to go ice skating tomorrow night which will be so much fun although I am a little worried that I will fall as I have never been on ice before and as my mother so nicely pointed out I haven’t roller bladed since I was about 10….this could end badly. Will make sure I take some pics and post them up next week. So other than that I am very happy at work and am finishing up this assignment tomorrow which is kind of sad as I am attached to the girls here. I have even got them saying ‘Geez Louise’ which I find rather funny and have introduced them to the wonders of the Australian language…their favourite so far is ‘whooshka’ (Props go out to Rob for that one) an they laugh every time I say ‘I am wearing pants’ as to them pants are undies – they call them trousers….love it.
Well, I had better be signing off on this blog now as it is getting late and I do have things to finish before my day ends. Hope you all are well and getting ready for the holidays – I am that excited now especially as I have people to spend it with and have also convinced Sean to watch a Santa Clause 1,2 & 3 marathon with me….is he the greatest new roommate or what…lol

Love to all and will speak to you soon.

Flicka xoxoxo

All I want for Christmas

Hello All,

I have been very lazy in updating my blog this week– I had the whole Sunday to post but filled my day instead with a Hannah Montana marathon and movies. Anyhow I enjoyed myself and it was the perfect end to a very busy weekend.

So Red Wine Fridays are now becoming quite famous and Sheridan and I were extremely lucky to have the girls from up the road come over and hand at QC (that’s our homey G name for Queens Court – yes we are too cool for school) and celebrate the end of the week with us. We watched Oceans 13 which was pretty good and them put on Bill and Ted’s Excellent adventure which I am sorry to say I really do not remember that much of. Saturday morning Shez and I were up early (well earlier than we normally are on Saturdays) as we were off to Harrods to get our photo taken with Santa.

We arrived at Harrods and went into the so-called “Christmas Grotto” which was themed after Sleeping Beauty the movie which by the way has nothing to do with Christmas at all. We lined up for a good 20 minutes, surrounded by really small children – I am talking munchkins aged 1-5, we were so out of place lining up to sit on Santa’s lap I felt like asking the couple behind us if I could borrow one of their kids. We finally walked through the door and were greeted by a girl dresses as a Knight and went into the “laughter” room to have our pic taken. I tell you these Harrods people have the whole Santa thing down-pat. They have at least 4 rooms with different Santa’s sitting in each of them to pump those little kids (and big ones) through as fast as possible. We got our photo taken which turned out quite nicely, well Sheridan looks lovely and I look somewhat surprised and stunned like a rabbit in headlights - it’s quite amusing and needless to say I whinged about it the entire time I stood there waiting for it to print. Sheridan laughed when she saw it so that proves it looks ridiculous….will scan it and post it next week so you all can decide. We each got a cookie, a Santa Badge and a sticker book which I convinced myself I was going to give to Pheobe but got bored last night so did my best at creating a Sleeping Beauty landscape with a million stickers.

So then we went through one of the best toy departments I have ever been to in my life! We played with fake snow which was so cool and then took some pics with an over-sized teddy bear. It is amazing and so big!! You walk from room to room and they are all themed for different kids, eg a boy’s action hero room, little people room, stuffed animal room – loved it! I cuddled teddies, played with a Harry Potter Broom and dodged a real life clown who somehow was balancing on a ball…creepy.

From there we went upstairs to the best burger joint in London (I would have to say) Mo’s Diner. I have included pics of the 2 of us drinking milkshakes; I just wanted you all to see what a $10 milkshake looks like and no I am not kidding – Mo’s Diner is awesome but you pay for it and I cringe when I think of the weeks worth of groceries we could have bought with that bill but oh my goodness was is ever worth it! I had a cheeseburger and fries and the portion was so big I couldn’t even finish it! Which is saying a lot as I am for some reason bulking up for the winter like a freakin hibernating bear and eating anything and everything in sight. One thing that I do adore about this country is that they serve mayonnaise with everything – and I mean everything. Trust me, you have not lived until you have had hot salty french-fries covered in mayonnaise….. Heavenly. We rolled out from Mo’s about an hour later completely full to the point of feeling sick and walked through the designer clothing section to the lifts….How lovely is that, once you have stuffed your face with half a cow’s worth of burger you can walk past clothes that only the Olsen Twins would be able to squeeze themselves into….how thoughtful Mr Harrods. Down to the Christmas section which blew my mind!! The amount of decorations they have over here is insane and I can safely say that if you are a Christmas lover/obsesser like I am COME TO ENGLAND!! Giant fake candy canes, Christmas ball balls in every colour imaginable, sparkly wrapping paper!! I was in heaven. I did however find it quite sad as I really am starting to feel homesick now – still not sure where or with whom I am going to spend Christmas with as Charlotte is off to Prague and Shez and Reg will be at home so it was all a little too much for me…. But I’m sure something will work out. I find it rather ironic actually that I am always miss Christmas and really go overboard but this year it’s the first time I will ever be having Christmas alone – and without my family and I don’t feel like putting up decorations at all and I am in the world's capital of Christmas with every decoration, fake gingerbread men ornaments and little electronic Christmas scenes available at ridiculously low prices. Not really a nice feeling but I’m sure it will be one of those character building moments I loathe but always survive.

Anyhow, Harrods was amazing and we indulged ourselves by going into the Tiffany & Co shop and I have picked out 2 engagement rings that would be perfect so P.S to my future Mr Darcy when you are ready to propose speak to Sheridan as she knows which rings I have put on hold - so maybe I should have specified that I will be needing a Mr Moneybags instead of a Mr Darcy..lol

After Harrods we caught a jam-packed bus to Victoria and although the ride was less than comfortable Sheridan finally experienced my comment about getting way too close to perfect strangers on public transport. It was quite funny for me to watch actually and even though I was pretty much impaled with a stroller handle…totally worth it to watch Shez practically fall on some guys lap. We walked from Victoria down to Buckingham Palace as I had not yet seen it and it was dark – am not sure if you have noticed this or not but I seem to have a fascination with going sightseeing in the dark – everything looks magical here when the sun goes down as all the lights come up. Anyhow Buckingham Palace was pretty good but when we got there I asked Sheridan where the rest of it was – it is a lot smaller than I though it would be and to this day swear black and blue that there were 2 wings missing from either side…okay just hit me maybe I am thinking of the Whitehouse….that’s embarrassing. But all in all it was beautiful but smaller than I thought and my pictures didn’t turn out that well so apologies– I can’t wait to go through it next year to see inside.

We were then supposed to go into Oxford Street to do some late night shopping but were both exhausted so headed back home. Sunday as I said was awesome but by no means eventful. I watched a Hannah Montana Marathon did some washing and watched Daddy Daycare – I love that movie then settled in for the night.

So that in a nutshell was my weekend. I am going to have to do some more sightseeing soon as I am running out of interesting things to Blog about – how boring I am actually settling into a real life over here with work and trains and bills and work, and work, and work! Speaking of which, work is going well and I am enjoying myself which is nice.

Hope you all are well and will Blog again soon.
Lots of London Love, Flick xoxoxo

Where did all the Lepracorns go??

Hello All,

Well, I know it has been a while since I last Blogged but SO much has happened since I got back from Ireland….. where to begin where to begin. Okay so as you know my darling sister Charlotte was taken to hospital and although she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes she was more ill than I thought. She was in hospital for nearly a week as her white blood cell count was extremely low so she was kept in an isolation room so she wouldn’t get any sicker. THEN she finds out that her glucose levels were so high that she was at risk of going blind….not a very nice week and now I can honestly say I know how people feel when they say they are helpless in those kinds of situations. Anyhow all is good with her now and she is back at work adjusting to her new lifestyle. She is so incredibly thin though and looked so sick when I first got there.

Okay so now to what I have been up to. So I spent nearly 2 weeks in Dublin and although I adore my sister more than life itself, it dead-set nearly killed me. A tip for anyone wanting to spend some time in the beautiful country that is Ireland – DO NOT spend more than 2 days in Dublin or you will slowly go insane. It is a nice city but not really that pretty and people spit everywhere! I couldn’t believe it. Walking along the street with my suitcase, after a 2 hour ferry trip and too many hours on a train wooshka – some random guy hocks a flem ball and spits it at my feet!!! Are you freakin kidding me?? I seriously had a picture of green hills and dancing lepracorns and all I got was a city with spitting non-potential Mr Darcy’s (yes people I am willing to cross the seas to find sir Darcy but NOT in Dublin) Anyhow, by this stage of the journey I was just about to either commit my first felony or burst into tears – thankfully for the Irish public it was the latter.

Mum arrived a week after I got there and it was so good to see her. The first thing she said when she got off the plane was “I miss China!” which coincidentally was what I said about London when I arrived at the hospital, poor Charlotte nobody likes her city. So we hung around Dublin for nearly another week until Charlotte was okay to go back to work and then it was back home!!! I nearly cried when I got back to London I was that excited - and then it was onto sightseeing phase with Mum.

I loved every second of my time with Mum, we did so much and needless to say it was harder than ever to say goodbye to her. She left last Thursday and caught the Bus near our place to take her to Heathrow. We sat at the Bus stop and when her bus came we cried and kissed each other goodbye, she boarded the bus with her bags and then turned around and got back off again – it was the wrong bus. SO we sat there in the cold for another 20 minutes and went through the whole motion of balling, hugging, crying etc again.

So after Mum left I went into the city with Sheridan to line up for Parkinson!!! That’s right, I GOT PARKINSON TICKETS!! For those of you who do not know, Michael Parkinson is the love of my life and seeing him live has been a goal of mine since I was about 16 years old. The only problem is, the tickets you get are free so you have to line up about 4 hours before the show begins to get a seat. Cut to Sheridan and I joining a very small queue at 3pm in the cold and getting into the studios ahead of a very large queue at 6pm for taping. We had coffee and cake whilst we waited but because we couldn’t get to a bathroom, by the time I got into my seat (which was 2nd row by the way) I was so busting to go to the loo I had to focus on not clapping or laughing too hard it was awful!! I had this beautiful top on (just in case Parki looked up and saw the love of his life in the crowd) but I had to cover it with my jacket as I was so bloated! Anyhow, it was a great show and I had the best time and I am more in love with Parki than ever.

So that is my update for now. Not that entertaining but hey, even I have to have some dull moments. Oh yes, I am in a new job! I left my last one thank god as I am SO happy now! I am working as an EA for a company called Accenture and I am having the time of my life….well not really as it is work but I do enjoy waking up in the morning and coming in which is a huge relief and the people are so lovely! Almost like working at home but still not as much fun working with as Bel :) The only downside is that since leaving the world of publishing I now have writers block and feel much less creative – as can be demonstrated from this suffering blog. That however is out-weighed by the bonus of getting to walk across the London Bridge every morning and night to get to work. I LOVE looking at the Tower Bridge especially at sunset – so beautiful. I will try and take a photo that will do it justice and post it later on in the week. Will have some pics to add tomorrow – our internet is stuffing up at the moment so I am posting this from work.

Now to all who read my Blog – Post something! Email me!! Love me!! I am feeling rather needy today as you can tell.
Will post again soon with more pics. Lots of London Love, flick xoxoxo

Update from Ireland

Hi All,

Just a quick Blog as it has been drama city over the past 48 hours. I am currently in Dublin visiting Charlotte and Ryan. I had a phone call on Saturday night telling me that Charlotte had been taken to hospital and been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Apparently she went into Diabetic shock and was pretty delirious - as they were testing her they asked the Nurse to get someone from the Diabetes Team and she started singing the theme song from the A Team....Thank God Ryan was there to communicate on her behalf.

Anyhow, I was up and out of the house by 5am on Monday morning and had to catch 2 trains, a ferry and a bus to get to her but I am here now and Mum is flying over from China and will arrive this Saturday.

Charlotte is now fine and will hopefully be discharged from Hospital soon but was a very ill little girl for a while there and is now adjusting to life as an insulin injecting, non-icecram eating diabetic. She is probably coping better than any of us and has been spending her time in hospital playing Hungry Hippos Boardgame with the trainee nurses...classic. Anyway, just a quick update as I probably won't post for another week or so.

Thanks to everyone who has emailed and posted on my Blog. Will speak soon - stay well and happy.

Love Flicka xo

My London Party!

Well, I know I said that my Blog would be updated this weekend but this little pig was in no mood to write anything over the weekend – was a big one to say the least! So I turned 25 on Thursday and unlike most of my birthdays before it, this one I for some reason felt the need to celebrate and celebrate I did.

I woke up on Thursday morning to find that Reg and Sheridan had Happy Birthday banners through the house and a big vase of beautiful flowers waiting for me in the kitchen… the best part though was the cupcakes which had Flick written on them – such a classic! I have included so many pictures on this blog; many of the infamous Flick cupcakes which I am delighted to say are the best I have ever tasted in my life! A mother at Sheridan’s school made them for me and although she was so upset that there were little finger prints and smooshes in them from her curious class of kids, they were awesome and I loved them.

Anyhow, onto Thursday night…. Of course there had to massive Tube delays on the one night Shez and Reg decided to come into meet me. I had to catch a bus from Hammersmith (where I work) to Shepherds Bush which took me a good ½ an hour crammed into a double-decker red London bus. Note to self - although those buses look really cool, NOBODY wants to sit upstairs especially if you’re a London local it’s strictly taboo, something about the whole ‘cool kids thing’..lol– so like the tube you have a billion people sandwiched together on the bottom floor and nobody upstairs!! Insane to say the least. So I sat on the bus thinking that I should have just walked to Shepherd Bush as it only takes about 15 minutes but then I wouldn’t of had the pleasure of once again being asked by a Londoner if I am American then asked again if I am sure ‘because I really sound like an American.’ I got off at Shepherds Bush and ran for my Tube which was thankfully almost empty, hopped on and got off at Notting Hill. Ah my lovely Notting Hill, so beautiful, so classy, so trendy…. I felt so excited walking down Portobello Rd towards the coolest yet tackiest bar you will ever find!

Trailer Happiness

That’s right folks, I said Trailer Happiness!!! The best bar in the world, seriously. I read about it in one of my local London guides and the review did not disappoint. It is pretty hard to find so you know it’s going to be good and just so you know you are in the right place, there is a massive life-size Hula Doll in the window although it was not established if she moves or not….mmm… will have to go back and let you know. So I went downstairs and there was Sheridan and Reg with a MASSIVE drink in a bowl that was shaped like a volcano. And yes, I can feel my ears burning with the questions on everybody’s lips….YES they did light it on fire! Crazy!!
It came with 3 long straws so we all tucked in to what was probably the closest thing that tastes like custard, rum and cinnamon… gross to say the least - but one cannot waste a volcano drink especially when it is on fire – so we sucked it up and drank it bit by bit.

To paint a picture of the inside of this bar – it was decked out completely in tiki style furniture. Trying to explain what tiki is to everyone I work with was rather difficult so I hope you all know what it means….think tacky Hawaiian with drinks coming in mugs shaped like those tiki poles, you know the ones with the ugly faces on them?? Anyhow, it was such a cool spot to go and it was not busy at all so we got comfy on the couches and ended up eating dinner there too. I tried to get some pics of the inside but it was too dark and I am pretty sure the girl behind the bar was about to come over and slap one of us if she saw another camera flash go off….damn paparazzi! But the photos we got of all of us were pretty good so enjoy.

Several Mohitos later we were all feeling rather tipsy and stumbled up the stairs onto our next pub of choice. Then onto another until we finally hit our Thursday night, ‘oh my god I have to get up in the morning and go to work’ threshold and stumbled back up Portobello Rd into a pizza bar that had half a mini minor in it as shelving…I love London. Back on the tube and then back on the train where Sheridan wowed, entertained and scared fellow passengers with her Stevie Wonder impression….still not sure if that is totally PC but honestly it’s so funny and she does it too well!

I managed to wake up the next morning and get on my train which seemed to be way more rocky than usual. I avoided making eye contact with any potential Mr Darcy’s as I was honestly scared I was going to chuck on someone’s shoes…not nice and certainly not the way I want to meet my future husband although it would be a funny story to tell at our wedding…. Got to work and stumbled through the day then back on the train, back home where I probably made the worst decision of my partying career and went out again.

Honestly, come Saturday I was completely trashed and felling as through I had aged 20 years over night. Gone are the good old days (or should I say good young days) when I could go out and pull up respectably the next day… I am old and need my sleep and sometimes ant-acids after a big night out which is quite a depressing reality. I went into London and met my cousin on Oxford Street which is the best place in the world and anyone who comes to visit me will definitely get a personal tour! Lined with shops, both expensive and reasonable it is London at it’s finest. So busy, but so worth it. I bought (no prize for guessing) shoes – and toyed with the idea of a new bag but fought the urge as I have to eat this week. It was great catching up with Jo (my cousin) I just wish I hadn’t felt so gross after my nights out – but I have decided to make Oxford Street a regular on my weekly things to do so ad it to your ‘where the cool kids hang’ list cause I’ll be there regularly.

Anyhow so there you have my awesome Birthday! So much fun and I am so thankful for the wonderful friends I have who made the night so special and sickly at the same time…takes talent – thanks guys!

And I am back at work on this really cold Monday morning, trying to end this Blog entry as I have a billion things I have to do. Was contemplating not coming into work this morning as I really don’t feel 1000% and somehow just knew it was going to be one of those horrid days. I woke up late, got dressed in a mad hurry, and ran for my bus where, when I got on I felt surprisingly breezy. To my utter humiliation my pants had fallen down (not all the way) but just enough for the masses of private high school kids to get a look at the kind of undies 25 year old single girls wear… for all those who couldn’t be on the St Albans to Station 602 bus this morning I am proudly wearing my pink polka-dot undies. Will probably regret sharing that with the world but I figure when something like this happens it is only right that you share your humiliation to benefit others…there’s my good deed for the day.

So I get to work, still holding my pants up as I walk up the stairs. Walk into a meeting where I meet our new CEO, go to the staff room then to the cafeteria where I notice in the reflection of the stainless steel counter that my fly is undone and my gorgeous pink-polka dot undies are out for all the world to see…..classic Felicity. I told you it was going to be a bad day. I laughed, contemplated crying, then laughed some more and here I am now…writing this blog knowing that people are either reading it and mortified as to how much information they now know about me or laughing themselves silly…. I hope it’s the latter!

Well, that’s my last 4 days in a nutshell. I am heading into Westminster again tonight to see the Tower Bridge with all the lights on. Will take some happy snaps and post them on at the end of the week. To all of those who have sent me emails thank you, I LOVE reading emails so send more!!

I really love being here, am still a little homesick and struggling more than I would like with making friends at work. People obviously don’t have taste over here or just like to deprive themselves cause they are missing out big time by not getting to know me….I’m a cool kid for goodness sake! It is getting better it’s just hard and a different way of living which I suppose I will have to get used to eventually. It just feels like High School again where I am always the one talking too much with people occasionally humouring me by talking ‘when the teachers not looking’ so sad. But I have never been this happy in a place before and when I do get a bit down I head straight to Westminster and look at that amazing bridge and remind myself why I’m here.

Lots of warm London Hugs and Kisses.

Flicka Jones xoxo

Will the REAL Bridget Jones Please Stand Up

Me again!

Well hello to everyone, I hope all is well. I am posting from my new job!! I’m sure it’s old news by now but for those of you who haven’t heard, I am officially living the Bridget Jones London life and now work for Harper Collins Publishing in the Children’s Publications area. Really not as exciting as it sounds and apart from being surrounded by children’s books and toys (which I love) it’s pretty average but everyone is so nice and they have an awesome cafeteria with good coffee so I am happy J

The commuting to and from work though is complete torture. It takes me about 1 hour to get into work and 1 ½ hours to get back (go figure). I get the express train in the morning then run for my tube where everyone seems to be professional contortionists and insist on cramming themselves into places they shouldn’t be crammed. Honestly, it is so jam-packed in there and it amazes me how many people can fit into one carriage. I have been uncomfortably close to too many strangers for my liking, with bags and elbows in places that bags and elbows should never be – I feel like saying ‘hey, I’m an old fashioned girl! At least buy me dinner first’….haha I actually just laughed out loud in the office – rather embarrassing but totally worth it.

I must admit that I am finding it rather difficult adjusting to the way the office works around here. Everyone in the publishing world is so quiet and people rarely speak to each other. I am so used to coming to work for a laugh but all I seem to do here is sit quietly and work... what’s that about?? Anyhow, enough on work as I am starting to get bored even blogging about it.

So yes, back to life in London. Well, seeing as though my life seems to be taking a turn in the Bridget Jones direction I have decided that I am completely ok with it especially if it entails finding my very own Mr Darcy. The only problem is though, everyone is married! When I say everyone, I mean everyone! I saw a cute little boy on the train the other day… married, well no, not really but you get the picture. I have now mastered the art of slyly looking for wedding rings.. I know I’m sad but honestly when you have as much wasted commuting time on your hands as I have what else is there to do but to fill in your time checking out potential Mr Darcy’s on the train. I must admit that I have been busted a couple of times and have copped a few strange looks as if to say ‘stop picturing what our kids would look like’ which I am totally doing of course but as I said it fills in the time.

What else has been happening…. Not much actually. I think I may go into London again this weekend and do my walk along the Thames. It has started to get a bit cold here so I want to get as much outdoor stuff done before the rain starts, though I am rather looking forward to that as I am buying a pair of gumboots. You should see all the styles they have over here! I am deciding between plain baby pink ones or a pair that has jelly bean pictures all over them – will let you know the outcome of this rather important quandary and knowing me I’ll probably post a picture of them so you can see my new gumboots in all their glory J

One awesome thing about England (other than their fashionable gumboots) are the pubs. Gosh I love the pubs! Sheridan, Reg and I went in to Harpenden on Sunday night and had the best pub meal ever! I loved Harpenden so much that we are all going back to celebrate my Birthday, so excited! Will make sure I get some pics to post on the site. Will take them early on in the night though for vanity sake – we have some heinous pictures of me in Bath after one too many ciders…

Anyhow guys, I had better get going as I have wasted far too much time writing this Blog. I have come to the conclusion that I am not allowed to read over my Blogs more than once because I keep re-reading things I’ve written and think Oh my God, what did you say that for and by the time I re-word everything I am down to 1 paragraph all about the weather. So apologies in advance for any boring/over exaggerated/verbal diarrhoea moments J

Love to all and will Blog again soon!

Flick xxoo

The Real London

Hello All,

Well, I am not sure if anyone is reading this Blog anymore but I did promise to post a more interesting entry this time round and I have pics of London to-boot. It's Tuesday night and I am trying not to scream too loudly as I watch the Hawthorn v Adelaide game... looks like the Hawks have won and are in the Semi Finals... trust. I have been waiting for this moment for years, I leave the country and then they get into the finals!!

Oh well, I might drag Shez to the Walkabout Pub to watch the finals in true Aussie style. Anyhow enough about football and more on London.

I went into London yesterday and had an absolute ball. I have been meaning to go in and see the sights since I got here but I am glad I held off as it was the most perfect day to go in: warm but with a great breeze. I got off at Westminster Tube station and then walked from Westminster to Tower Bridge. It was AMAZING to say the least! I walked along the River Thames, first stop was the London eye which is massive, I have seen photos of it but honestly until I stood underneath it and saw how big and high it goes I had no idea...

Then I walked past the British Museum which is currently hosting a Star Wars exhibition (note to self I will be going back there to visit OB-1 and the gang before it leaves town.) From there I walked past the Globe Theatre and got goose-bumps, I am the biggest Shakespeare fan and have wanted to see this theatre since high school. It's so amazing sometimes when I think back to places and things I have wanted to visit and see and I am actually doing it. I stood out the front of the theatre in awe for nearly 10 minutes, it was a lot smaller than I imagined and unfortunately I had just missed the tour so did not go inside but will head in fairly soon to see the entire thing.

I then wend on to follow the signs through streets that looked as though they were borrowed from the set of Oliver. Old cobble stone roads (which sound romantic but after walking on them for an hour you feel as though your feet have golf ball lumps on them) and beautiful old buildings and alley ways... So I followed the signs to this tiny little staircase and walked up and BAM I was on Tower Bridge. Now, if ever you arrive in Jolly Old England and don't feel as though you have experienced the 'WOW I'm in the UK' feeling, go on this walk and when you end up at the Tower Bridge you cannot help but feel as though the Queen herself has smacked you in the face with the London stick. I stood on the bridge and stared back at the Thames, part of me still cannot believe that I actually made the move over here.... today it feels like it was the best decision I ever made... tomorrow may be a different story, but for today I love it :)

After my 2 hour walk I caught the Tube back to Lester Square to go to the markets which I love. Then down Oxford street and home again.

I hope everyone is well and everything's ok. I am loving every minute of my time here and am just enjoying finding little pockets of London. I spoke to Mum and Dad this morning as they finally got a phone connected, I miss them so much and wish they were here. I am loving exploring by myself but sometimes when you see something amazing and get really excited, it would be nice to have someone there to get excited with so you don't look like the freaky Australian girl laughing and screaming to herself in a packed street.... yes it does happen quite frequently I'm afraid and I usually jump and clap if I am really excited - just to add to the image:)

Anyhow, enough from me. I hope you are all well and enjoying my Blog site. I have some exciting news about my new job which I start on Friday but will wait to post.

Until then. Stay well, all my Love, F xxoo

St Albans - Where the cool kids hang

Hello All!

I am so sorry I haven't blogged in a while but honestly not much has been happening. I have been for a few interviews and registered with Agencies and was hoping to be at work this week -but like in all great metropolis's there is a tube strike on - so I really have no way of getting into London for work that doesn't involve me getting up when it's still dark out and catching 5000 buses... sorry, this chicken is not that dedicated.

So I have been dividing my time between housework and watching copious amounts of cable. I have been glued to the Disney channel and am now shamelessly addicted to the Hanna Montana Marathon, followed by Sponge Bob Square Pants. For those of you who truly know me will no doubt realise that I am in Seventh Heaven... which funnily enough is another corny show I catch up on after my Friends and Just Shoot Me sit com avo special... ah cable there's nothing better.

Anyhow, today I actually left the house and went up the main street of St Albans. It was such a beautiful day so I walked home through my favourite park and saw a squirrel which I took a photo of as I have never seen one before. It is so pretty here and I am definitely settling in well and now have the local bus and train system down to a fine art. I am going for another interview on Thursday and then to another one on Friday. I know I have to start working soon and I got a bit down last week and started to worry I wouldn't get a job, but this week I am just chilling out and enjoying my time off.

What else have I been up to.... um... Sheridan and I went into town on Saturday as they have markets up there every weekend. It was so awesome, we bought fresh fruit, flowers and freshly made brownies from the bakery stand. We also found the newest member to join our small family, Harriot the Chariot! I have attached a picture so you can see her in all her beauty. The story behind Harriot is basically I got sick of having to cart groceries home, especially when it comes around to Red wine Friday's and I pick up the wine... I now have arm muscles from lugging stuff home from the shops and decided we needed a trolley..... So whilst we were at the markets we both saw Harriot and couldn't resist... I named her and am slightly proud to tell you the truth :) We have already taken her to the supermarket for a test run and she handles like a dream, I did some doughnuts at the traffic lights and copped a few strange looks from this little kid in a pram, I put it down to wheel envy.

So I am now sitting on the couch waring my Happy Days T-Shirt with a picture of The Fonze on it, watching CSI and cringing over how boring this blog is. I cooked an awesome cabonara sauce tonight over pumpkin pasta and have just finished off my last glass of red wine.

I hope you are all well and apologise for my overly boring blog and promise the next one will be slightly more interesting. Have a great week and I'll speak soon.

Luv Flick x

Bubble Bath

Hello All!

Well, I arrived home from Bath the other day and all I can say is WOW. It was so beautiful and everything I imagined it and more. We drove in and got the most amazing view of the town and then went into the centre to try and find a car park... what a saga that was. My hat goes off to Sheridan who has somehow managed to navigate her way around England... honestly - they cannot drive here it's insane!!

So our first stop was the Roman Baths which were really interesting. I managed to get down and touch the water and tried to convince myself that it had magical superpowers to keep me healthy for all of eternity, the Romans believed it worked so hey... there must be some truth in it : )


We then went onto the Jane Austin museum as Reg and I are pretty big fans. They had costumes on display that had been used in some of the Jane Austin films which was pretty interesting. We then went upstairs for a traditional devonshire tea where I successfully reminded myself why I don't drink tea...I don't like it. Although I am thinking that the 3 sugar cubes I dumped in my cup may have had something to do with it, it was a traditional tea set and I was more than somewhat entertained by the little tongs that were used to pick up the sugar with...I blame jet lag : )


So after that we found our hotel and checked in. I wish I had some photos of the hotel because it was so lovely. It was a big old house that had been converted into a bed and breakfast and we were left in there on our own for the night as the owner was away and we were the only guests!!

We went into town and found this really cool little pub and I indulged myself in a couple of bottles of cider (my new love) and then we hit the vodkas... After dinner and a few too many drinks, we went into a nightclub that was filled with all these English clubber kids...honestly, I felt like a chaperon at an under-age disco...lol We were all in thongs as well so trying to dance was interesting. We decided to call it a night and caught a cab with the nicest taxi driver in the world. He was from Poland and quickly got nicknamed Louie as none of us could pronounce his name and it was the closest thing to it.


We woke up the next morning and I was way too chipper for my liking, considering everyone else was wearing their hangover faces. I got up and went straight into the bathroom as I had been eyeing off our beautiful shower which looked like it had water pressure... To fill you all in, very few showers in the UK have good water pressure. Ours is awful and it takes nearly an hour to wash conditioner out of my hair. So when we first checked in and I saw that beautiful shower head with all it's glorious pressure nozzles I couldn't wait to get in and lap up the luxury.... So the lady that checked us in mentioned that there was some trick to our shower head to get the hot water running. I obviously missed the trick or wasn't paying attention because I couldn't get the stupid thing to go hot. So in 17 degree weather I had the most pressurised freakin cold shower in the world. It woke me up to say the least!!


We had breakfast, piled into the car and then it finally hit me. I felt awful!!! We pulled over at a service station which are all like mini shopping centres and we all got out for some much needed Burger King.

So - that was Bath in a nutshell. Definitely my most favourite place I have been so far.

On our way back home we stopped in at Windsor Castle which was breathtaking. We walked around with Audio devices up to our ears... so over the audio devices by the way. They are like the old analogue phones and EVERY tourist attraction you go to uses them as interactive guides. We lined up for about thirty minutes to see the famous Dolls House which was beautiful. Kimberley and Shez were both really cold but I didn't feel chilled at all and thanked my ice-cold shower for my new found resistance to the cold. We walked through the rest of the castle and I was absolutely starstruck, gob smacked and in awe when we hit the battle room. They had a coat there which had been seized in from one of Napoleaons trunks... All that history, right infront of us.... I couldn't believe that i was actually looking at somelthing that had been worn by Napolean!!

We finished off in the gift shop where I bought a Crown Key Ring for my new house keys and Kimberley bought Windsor Castle slippers which I wish I had of bought now. We then walked accross the bridge to Eton and saw where Prince William and Harry went to school and then back in the car homewood bound.

Well, I had better sign off for tonight. I am again in my pyjamas eating dinner and watching Friends. I am heading into St Albans Town Centre tomorrow to buy some shoes!!! Went to London today to see Charlotte but will blog on that tomorrow.

Thanks to all who messaged me, I miss you all and love being able to email everyone!

Will speak soon and blog again tomorrow : )

Luv F xxx

Welcome to England!

Hello All!

So sorry for the late update but I have seriously been so busy since I touched down on Friday. So I left Sydney on Thursday night only having about 6 kilos of excess luggage which I somehow made it through the check-in ok. I was swabbed at the airport for explosives and had to have all my hand luggage opened and tested as well, I didn't think anything of it as it has happened to me before, but when they pulled the curtain closed and told me I had to be frisked down I was like....What the! and a little nervous to say the least. But all was fine, just a quick pat down and I was on my way.. I don't know what it is about me but I am constantly pulled over at airports and searched.... I blame my mothers side of the family we all have shifty eyes. Anyhow, I boarded they plane with my massive amount of hand luggage which was so unbelievably heavy and after 9 hours of nothing but turbulence to Hong Kong I was ready to de-board in a big way!

Hong Kong Airport was pretty nice. I got off and went straight to the travellers lounge and booked in for a much needed shower and buffet breakfast. I didn't eat anything on the plane over as I was so nauseous and with people using their sick bags around me I wasn't going to take the risk of food. I felt so good being on solid ground and after my shower and two little chicken sausages from the buffet I was rather hesitant of getting back on the plane and was honestly ready to call Mum and Dad and let them know I was prepared to bypass England and live in China... but after being delayed in Hong Kong for an extra 2 hours I boarded and had an awesome flight to the UK.

So what have I been up to in my travels this week.... After picking up Kimberley at the airport on Saturday morning we all headed up to Oxford in our little rental car. We stopped in at Oxford University and my highlight of the day was definitely seeing the great food hall where they filmed the dining room scenes in Harry Potter. It was SO small compared to the movie and unfortunately we couldn't sit on the seats but I still got a few good pics which I have included below.

After Oxford we drove around the countryside for a bit and then found this really cool little local pub in Oxfordshire. It was such a local hub and everyone that walked in the door knew the owners, it was so cool. There was a resident dog that walks around the pub getting the occasional pat from patrons which was a bit of an eye opener...a little different to our health rules : ) We had a classic Bangers and mash dinner with bottles of cider which has now replaced my red wine fetish.

The next day we went onto Brighton to see the beach...ha, ha just saying that makes me laugh. I knew that they had pebbles on their beaches here but these were dead-set rocks! It was like trying to walk in the ball pit at Ikea, so funny. We went on the pear and had fish and chips followed by fairy floss. Such a great day. Reg got attacked by a seagull when she was posing for a photo with her fish and chips. The seagulls are the size of small cats over here... quite bizarre.

It still really hasn't hit me that I am living in the UK, it's so much like home. I honestly feel like I am just in a different state. There are a few things that are certainly different, I spent nearly 10 minutes in a public toilet the other day trying to work out how to get the automatic flush to work and then at the taps a little girl had to show me how to use the sensor to turn them on and off... so funny.

Our apartment is pretty cool, I am in a small room but nothing as bad as what I thought it would be. We have a huge balcony which we haven't been able to use yet as it is so cold and won't stop raining!!! I am meeting up with Charlotte in London tomorrow and going shopping for some more warm clothes.

So I am sitting here in my pyjamas about to cook some pasta for dinner. The girls have all gone to Amsterdam for a few nights so I am flying it solo. It's still light outside as it doesn't get dark til nearly 10pm.... it plays a bit with your time clock and we've had a few late dinners because of it.

Well, I'd better get going to get my washing done and get dinner on. I will post again about our trip to bath....so much fun, a little mischief and a lot of apple cider.... good, good times.

I hope you all are well, will speak again soon. Luv F

THE first blog

Today is my first day on my new Blog page and I must say that although I am extremely excited that I can finally have a page dedicated to me :) I am more than slightly overwhelmed at how these things are set up.... Long story short - My page is pretty much going to severely lack in the WOW factor but to spice things up a bit I am going to include a pic from my very near and dear friend Bel. If you look closely you will notice - just as I did just then that there is a body underneath my massive head coming out of an awesome English phone booth...lol

Boring opening blog I know but I promise once I am a little more "Blog-Literate" this will be the most exciting page in cyberspace.... well not really but you get what I mean.

Have a great weekend - only 2 weeks and 6 days til I fly out to the land of Red phone boxes and really patriotic umbrellas...lol

F