Last Friday night with Jonathan Ross.

Awww, Wossy. You've been a fine companion on all those Friday nights when Quentin and I were saving for our trip, staying in. I'm going to miss all your saucy jokes, innuendos and tie-straightening. Come visit us in NZ when you get a spare moment from winning BAFTAs!

Cat-sitting, we're cat-sitting.

We have been very fortunate to have been given a place to stay for two weeks until we leave - we're house and cat-sitting for Nathan and Daryl while they honeymoon it up in the Balkans.

Vyvvyn is a beautiful cat, and she's slowly warming to our charming and beguiling ways. However she gave us a heck of a fright last night. We were sitting on the couch, contemplating bed... and suddenly heard a very strange noise which sounded like a small child - or, more dramatically, a small POLTERGEIST child. We spun around to see Vyvvy vomiting up a very attractive hairball, and a whole lot of cat food. Yum. Quentin stepped in and saved the day - whadda guy.

EDIT: I realise the last two posts have mentioned vomit. Sorry about that, will try to move away from such filth in future.

Byebye B.

Our ex-housemate, Belinda - notorious for vomiting into her handbag on the way home from a big night - is off to Croatia tomorrow, so will miss our leaving do. We caught up with her last night and got the sweetest card, which pledged the most lovely gift of one of her Dad's Pasifika paintings once we get back to NZ - check an example out below.

Thanks so much, B - you've truly given it the full 110%. xxxxx

Seven days of work to go...

And I am pleased to announce that the Lost Experience has come to an end, after six months of gruelling work, trying to co-ordinate marketing activities in the UK, Australia and the U.S. My nights are mine again! But I will miss that guy Hanso.

Mad shout outs....

... to Dave and Louisa for having us to stay in their lovely Nunhead house for the last two nights. We didn't realise they already had four guests staying, which added up to a ten-people-to one-bathroom ratio. Thanks so much - we look forward to hosting you in New Zealand.

Gay wedding of the year!

Daryl and Nathan's wedding was absolutely brilliant - beautiful weather, ceremony, speeches, food, drink and dancing - all you could hope for! Touched with a tinge of sadness though as I am about to leave the majority of these people behind in two weeks' time.... boo hooooo.

Check out the pics here.

Byebye Ivanhoe.

Tomorrow morning at 10.15 we leave our lovely South London flat behind... it's seen some great times. The neighbours might be quite pleased to see the back of us though, after a few rowdy "barbeques" which turned into late night record sessions encompassing Quentin's wide range of vinyl, from Michael Bolton to Bruce Willis' 'Under the Boardwalk'. Ahhhh. At least they couldn't accuse us of having bad taste.





** pics of the inside (back when we actually had furniture), and Daryl and Quentin standing outside the front door the day I got my British citizenship.

Great day for dumping.

Over the last week, we have put the following on our street corner: 3 x sets of shelves (only one of them "good"), one washing basket, and one TV table. All of them have been gone by the following morning (it helps living near an estate at times like these).

But, with our final exit from Ivanhoe taking place tomorrow, we still have to dump our bed base, mattress, coffee table and set of drawers.... I hope someone will find a home for a rain-soaked mattress.

But, on the bright side, it's looking like the weather will be good for Nathan and Daryl's wedding tomorrow, hurrah!

Coup impact on tourism minimal.

"BANGKOK -- Thailand has experienced its first military coup in 15 years, but judging by the party down the road from Government House, it was tourism as usual.

Thailand's famous Khao San Road, a 300-metre strip known for its cheap guesthouses, fake identity cards and discount travel tours, was buzzing with international tourists as tanks and soldiers stood on alert about two kilometres away."

Read more of the Globe article here


... sounds interesting.

So long, sweet love...

Monmouth - my absolute favourite coffee house in London. It's the best place to go and get your morning coffee - nestled within the narrow streets of Borough Market, always plenty to see as you top up your caffeine levels for a busy day ahead. Ahhhh. I'll miss you, Monmouth!

He's good in the sack.

Yup, this is what happens when you go for a quiet meal with Morris and Ellie.... you end up at Morris' office with Quentin draping a sack over his head and Morris lunging at him with some gaffa tape.





.... and of course, a portrait.

15 days of work to go!

... HELL YEAH!

I'll miss...

... travelling on public transport. Last night I was treated to the saccharin confessions of a woman old enough and ugly enough to do it by text message - "You and me, we're bonded together like glue, we are... the strongest, most powerful, most sticky glue!". Bleeeurgh. Best overheard conversation of the month though has to be on a bus heading for Clapton: bloke 1 - "Woah, that's the first time I've yawned in years"; bloke 2 = "you're kidding, really?". My god, why don't these people have their own television shows?!!

Although I won't miss the more recent trend of using your mobile phone as a modern day ghettoblaster on public transport. Or bums, or those kids who play piano accordians, fat people who take up half your seat.... etc etc etc.

Reasons to leave London... bah!

I've tried so hard over the last week and a bit to capture loads of things showing London in a bad light, and I've come to realise that I could have a hundred of those entries and still think up twice as many good points. So I'm going to stop. I'm gonna miss London, there's no convincing myself otherwise: and negativity just doesn't suit me.

Travelling light?

Oh dear, this is just diabetes-related medication to pack ... doesn't include our first aid kit or malaria tablets. Hmmmm.

Reason to leave London: number 4.

The man in this little ticket-selling booth at London Bridge station not only shut the blinds on me in mid-conversation, but he then charged me a £5 admin fee for an error HE made. And I got so angry that I cried, then I called Quentin, so everybody lost that day.

Reason to leave London: number 3.

Ten million people and only so much pavement, and so many tube stations.

Two weddings and a farewell.

I have pretty much stopped measuring our time left in London in, errmm... time. We have two weddings in the last month which are currently serving as milestones, and of course our farewell.

With Jared and Sheena's wedding on the weekend just been, that leaves us with approximately four weeks - or, one wedding (Nathan and Daryl's) and our farewell. Yikes!

Reason to leave London: number 2.

Having to walk through the Elephant and Castle tunnels on my way to work.



They always smell of stale wee, you have to dodge the smackheads, and you are always aware that you could be mugged for your iPod at any second.

Reason to leave London: number 1.

As seen outside Gloucester Road tube station today...



** please note: all part of the bigger plan to convince myself that I am doing the right thing in leaving a city which I've loved for the last seven years...

24 days of work to go!

That's all I have to say. Quentin, are you there? I'm starting to think I might have made you up.