A day at the races
Bayliss up close
Originally uploaded by elisabeth_howson.Brought to you by Robert
Decided to travel to Silverstone today to watch the World Superbike races. Was pleasantly surprised by the weather as the sun came out and I actually got sunburned a little!
The entry ticket (40 UKP) gets you a grandstand seat, none of the malarky at Phillip Island where the only way you can get a grandstand seat is to pay for three days entry. It's a much more civilised way to watch the racing as we were under cover and mostly out of the wind.
We managed to get seats just at the beginning of the main straight so we could see the bikes from when they come under the bridge and into Priory, through Luffield and into Brooklands (chicane) onto the main straight. A big screen (admittedly not very close) allowed us to keep track of what was happening on the other side of the track.
From our position we saw quite a bit of action and lots of push and shove as the guys tried to gain position for the drive on to the main straight. There were some very close calls!
The atmosphere in the stands was very good. Lots of home town support for the Brits in the pack and they cheered and honked their horns whenever one of their guys came past.
The races were brilliant, with Troy Bayliss stamping his authority on both races after dicing with Nitro Nori. James Toseland did a pretty good job of making his way from the forth row in each race to be on the podium. Seems like he's found a bit of speed. Would have been interesting if he'd managed to start on the front row.
Troy Corser was having a bad day. He didn't finish race one due to losing the front through the chicane (right in front of us!) and in race two he only managed to come sixth. Still at least he got some points.
The only thing I found a little frustrating was that all the professional photographers lined up in front of us to take photos, getting in the way of us taking any!
For those reading from Australia, it seems that the police take a much more relaxed attitude to speeding. Most people were doing around 75 - 85 mph on the motorway (speed limit is theoretically 70 mph). A significant number of people seemed to be travelling at greater than 90 mph (140 km/h!) with impunity.
People actually move over for faster traffic so things moved along quickly with no problems. In Australia the police would be telling anyone who would listen that these speeds were sure to result in death and carnage (blah blah blah).
Roadworks were the only thing that caused any problems as they tend to put speed cameras in these areas so everyone actually slows down!
(sorry just having a soap-box moment ;-)
Anyway, can't wait for the next race!
Go East
Today we picked up a hire car (a Ford Focus) and headed off on a very quick tour to the east of London. We managed to negotiate our way through the maze that is London roads and headed out on the A2. While slow it gave us a chance to be thankful we didn't rent a place in the South East.
We took in the sites of Rochester at lunch time. Rochester is home to a cathedral and a castle as well as a quaint village centre. We found an upmarket pub that served decent food with their free wireless internet access. We did a bit of research on Reculver over our smoked haddock risotto served on a piece of slate!
We continued east on the A2 through such places as Sittingbourne and Faversham until we found the sleepy little village of Reculver. This is a place that Mum and Dad have always wanted me to visit. Apparently the church we grew up at (St John's Parramatta) is modelled on the church in Reculver and has one of the stones in it's own towers. Apparently this is the site of the oldest Roman fort. The church was built on it and is considered a navigational aid to sailors heading down the Thames. Unfortunately the old towers crumbled and then new ones were built. Hence the two sets of towers in the pictures. There is also a very attractive caravan park...
After being blown away and being rained on (so much for fine and 30 - apparently that was Robert's fault - he had his weather widget set to London in the USA!) we headed down to the white cliffs of Dover. On the way we passed Sandwich which I assume is where the Earl of Sandwich is from but I could be wrong. We were suprised (not) to find that Dover has a castle as well as the white cliffs which were mostly grey today. The most surprising thing was the docks at Dover. I knew that there were ferries that left from Dover and went to Calais but I had no idea how big and loud the docks were. There were hundreds of trucks and cars and ferries all lined up to take people across the channel.
We headed back towards London taking the southern circular route this time. That was a bit quicker and gave us a chance to drive through our soon to be neighbourhood. While we don't live on the A road, we're pretty darn close to it. Oh well, it's close to shops and trains and buses so it's all good. I have to say the Wandsworth council building is rather impressive. I must remember to take a photo of it one day when I'm not driving through.
We've made contact with some of our friends in London so next week we'll be able to start catching up with them and increasing our social circle. Turns out most of them live south of the river like we will.
Don't forget to check out more photos from our trip today on
flickr.
Wanted: Project Managers
So it would appear that there is a lack of project managers to go around in the UK web world at the moment. So today I went to three different companies. One wants to offer me a job, another wants to get me in for a second interview and the third I haven't heard from yet. It's definitely a big shock to be in demand and means that suddenly I'm the one with the power to decide who I want to work for. Part of me is attracted to the big flashy shiny things of the top London agencies. The other part of me is drawn to work for smaller companies working in niche areas. It's going to be a tough decision to make. Luckily there is a long weekend between now and when the next agency calls. In addition to the three companies I've seen today, I have two interviews next Tuesday and there are another 4-6 companies that have my resume that could potentially want to see me. I can see i'm going to be very busy.
Robert had an interview yesterday which went well. He's been invited back for a 2nd interview next week. He's going to Milton Keynes on Tuesday for an interview as well. It's a bit of hike to get there, but it has to be done. We're hiring a car for the weekend so we can go and see the country side. So we'll keep the car to get to Milton Keynes on Tuesday. Just have to be back in time for my 2 interviews in the afternoon.
And so to the weather. Yesterday it was sunny almost all day! We even got hot walking around in the sun. I think they said it got to almost 20 degrees. Today it rained but was much warmer again. The forecast for the weekend is pretty good - about 30 degrees and fine they say. I guess we'll just see about that. Robert has plans to go and see the Superbikes race out at Silverstone on Sunday (another reason for hiring the car) so we just have to amuse ourselves on Saturday and Monday. I think a trip to Ikea will be in store. We have to get lots of things for our new unit. Ok, not lots of things, but useful stuff like bedding and towels and grocery items. It will be fun to play house again and to be able to hang our clothes in a closet rather than living out of our suitcases.
I must apologise for not having any photos for this post. We've been so busy treking all over the place that taking photos is the last thing on our minds. We should have some after the weekend. (Speaking of photos, one of the companies I saw today had googled my name and found my flickr photos so I'm going to have to be suitably vague on some topics in case they find the blog too!)
A place in Putney
Despite my initial fears that no one was going to take rent from 2 jobless IT professionals from Australia, I have been once again been amazed at the level of trust that some people have. We made one offer on one unit and were accepted. So we are now the proud owners of the largest rental bill that I ever hope to have. We're moving to Putney. For those of you who don't know, it is South West of London city, just south of the Thames. In fact we are literally spitting distance from the murky brown water. I would classify the unit as cosy. It's one bedroom. It is in what they call a "gated development". So there is a pin number to get into the area then there is a security intercom at the entrance to the building. So the chances of anyone getting to us is greatly reduced. This probably means that no one will ever come to visit either. Don't worry, there is plenty of room in the living area to put down a matress for those who wish to stay with us. It's close to rail, tube and bus so you'll have no problem getting where you need to go. I've popped up a picture here cause it wont stay online for very much longer (that's if our references and bank balance meets the land lady's approval).
We're using an agent called Foxtons. They are one of the main London Real Estate agents and all their agents drive around in foxton-branded minis. It's all very swish. You even get free coffee and drinks when you come into the office to see someone. The guy who drove us around to see the places in Putney was very nice and so very young (only 21) but he was totally professional. Good to see the young ones are out there doing a good job.
Having made such a huge commitment (235 pounds per week) we need jobs! Luckily both Robert and I have interivews with real companies tomorrow. This is good news as up until this afternoon the only people wanting to talk to us were recruiters. Not that that is a bad thing, but unless you get to talk to the ones with the money and the decision making power, it's all just potential.
So we've got one more week in Ealing looking after our friends' flat while they are in Tuscany (lucky for some). So we've got the place (and their broadband connection) all to ourselves!! We are so very grateful to our friends for looking after us so well. We'd have spent an absolute fortune in internet cafes otherwise.
And so to my final topic - the weather. The front page headline on "The Standard" was "Seven more days of rain forecast". That was on Monday. And so far it has rained every day. Like Sydney there is a ban on using the hose on the garden. Seems strange in a city that we think gets so much rain. The problem is that it rains so lightly when it does that there still isn't enough water to go round. Yesterday it was sunny most of the time but still quite chilly. I keep looking at the silly summer clothes in the shops and feel even more cold. I keep wondering which 2 days of the year that those clothes will come in handy. Anyway, enough whinging. It's great! Wonderful! Fabulous! :-) We left Sydney so we could see rain again, right?
Playing tourist
Albert memorial
Originally uploaded by elisabeth_howson.It's funny. Now that we've decided to live here, the desire to play tourist is suddenly less attractive. Maybe it was my mood, but trying to cope with all the tourists at Portobello Rd Markets on Saturday was hell. Aside from wanting to run away and hide under the bed, i'm determined to avoid crowds wherever possible from now on. It's bad enough just waking down the street without trying to go to a tourist attraction with everyone else. So we escaped to the quietness of Kensington Palace and the gardens. We didn't see the Albert memorial last time we were in London. I have to say that it seems a little extreme. But as Robert says, Queen Victoria was rather devestated when he died.
From the gardens we went to the Science museum. Big mistake. Every parent with their child was there. We quickly escaped to the Victoria and Albert museum to avoid the crowds. We saw lots of old cool stuff. We'll definitely have to go back. The place is huge.
Last night we had American style ribs at an American restaurant. Baby back ribs, beef ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken. It was very tasty but you can't do that every week or you wont fit on the tube during peak hour.
Today we went to the Dali Universe exhibition. It was the only thing for a rainy day. We did make a very quick trip to Acton to see a flat but lets just say that we wouldn't fit in there. Hopefully it will be fine tomorrow for my peak hour trip to the city for my first interview!
The life ordinary
I'm sure you've all been wondering what exciting things we've been up to in the last few days. Well, I'm afraid that we've been very boring. We've got a bank account each, an oyster card each, a mobile phone each, a job lead each, and a couple of properties to look at. Sounds horribly mundane, and in some ways it is, but it's all important stuff that will make our lives more fun in the weeks to come.
I have to say that signing up with 1st contact (http://www.1stcontact.co.uk) turned out to be a very very good thing to do. They have made the process of all of the above much easier than it might have been otherwise. Real Estate agents actually talk to us and the bank didn't ask us to hand over our first born child before giving us an account. Now all we have to decide is where we want to live and then hope that we get a job before the landlord refuses our application.
Still, it's been good to do all this while we were still jetlagged. We attempted to do something appropriately London-esk on Thursday night and had trouble staying awake. We got a dinner and theatre show ticket from lastminute.com for only 20 pounds each. We had wood-fired pizza and then went to see The Rat Pack. A Las Vegas style show with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sami Davis Jr impersonators. It was lots of fun despite the fact that Robert kept falling asleep in the 2nd half...
Now it's the weekend and I promise we'll have something more exciting to report next week :-)
(Oh, and we've seen sun - at least for a couple of minutes each day)
arrival
arrival
Originally uploaded by elisabeth_howson.After 12 long hours we finally touched down at Heathrow. As we landed slightly earlier than scheduled, there was no gates available so they brought us stairs instead. Still, it made for a good photo :-) The hire car we booked didn't show up so we got a taxi to our friend's place in Ealing which cost less in the end. We chatted, ate and collapsed into bed.
This morning it's grey and overcast. Possibly a shower at some point but there is someone outside painting windows so it must be considered fine I think. The birds woke us up this morning and now all we have to do is get into the city, get our sim cards, and get a job!
Japan
So we made it to Japan. Flight was smooth - we had one of those large Airbus 330 and we got a seat over the wing so it was great. It felt much longer than 10 hours but that's probably because of all the pre-drama to getting on the plane. We had too much luggage, had to buy new a suitcase and carry on bag (meant we could have a laptop bag AND and carry on bag) and I was in pain (bad intestinal cramps). But we managed to get on the bus, get to the hotel and even negotiated buying tickets for the train into tokyo for a bit of sight-seeing. Tokyo doesn't strike me as the prettiest city in the world, but interesting none-the-less. They do strange things to their trees (cut off all the branches and let the leaves grow on the trunk) and it looks a lot like Hong Kong (especially in Akihabara). We have slept a lot and eaten very little. I'm looking forward to getting to London where I can spend the next week sleeping.
Just a quick thank you to all at IML for your fabulous send off last week. I feel much loved and will miss you all. Hope to chat/email/flickr/blog with you all!!!
Patriotic
Patriotic
Originally uploaded by elisabeth_howson.Thanks to our friends Bea and Adam, we were the lucky recipients of these australian flag headbands. They should come in handy spotting each other across a crowded English pub.
The last minute
With less than 2 weeks before we leave and only 4 days left at work everything left to do is now classed as a bit last minute. Of course this is the time where things start to go wrong - the dishwasher finally succumbs to the cockroach infestation and people start to lash out at Robert for riding his bicycle. It's as if the planets are misaligned and the world is all topsy turvy.
Not all is bad. We have tenants for the house, Robert has sold the motorbike and we're all signed up with the removalists. I guess all we need now is a job and a place to live when we get to the other side :-)
