Australia Day in England is LAME

Wednesday 27th January 2008

Again another few weeks between entries, mainly because there's nothing exciting worth writing about really. Work still sucks and the weather still sucks, but at least the weather looks like improving.

Our weekend adventures have been fun. Southend two weekends again was 'interesting' to say the least. You could smell the tackiness as soon as setting foot off the bus. Yes Jo, it smelt like a 'carnival'!!! We headed down to the 'Worlds longest pleasure pier' - approx 1.2 miles long I think (almost 2kms). We paid a small fee to catch the train out to the end of it. Be stuffed if I was walking in the crappy weather. Too cold and too windy. We got to the end, found that there was nothing to see, and got on the train and went back to shore! We explored "Adventure Island" the fun park which is on the beach nestled around the pier. Wet, crappy rides, luckily it was free entry. Similar set up to Luna Park, but much much tackier. Sorry for using tacky repetitively but there is no other word that describes Southend. The town was still abuzz, yet deflated, about its 4-1 loss to Chelsea in the FA cup the week before. We then headed to a seaside fish and chip eatery for lunch. Cod tastes like poo. Yuk. And with no dimsims or potato cakes to have instead, it ended up being chips for me. (Later on I tried a 'pancake roll' - like a spring roll, but filled with pork and bean shoots, and possibly some sort of other fish. It too tasted like s***). After lunch we headed up to the shopping part of town. One rather large shopping centre, filled with nothing. There was maybe 10 shops, the rest was just open space. Bizarre. The main mall was of similar size to Bendigo's but completely filled with angry emo teenagers - I think we were the oldest people there. We fled this stupid town later in the afternoon. I don't think I'll take the hour long local bus to Southend on Sea again in a hurry.

Last Friday, Dan and I decided to go up to Chelmsford to visit Matt and Jodie. After waiting for a bus that never arrived, we had to take another bus and go via Basildon. 2 and a half hours for a 16-mile journey. Slow, long and crap. Arrived and went for lovely 2 for 1 burger and a number of brews. The burger place kind of turned into a bar/nightclubish place later on and it quickly filled with some rather attractive Essex Lasses. The fashion in this place is to DIE for. Lots of leopard print, lots of shiny lycra, lots of skin. Seriously these girls mustn't check the weather when they walk out the door. Its like 3 degrees and they go out in a piece of material that wouldn't house my left leg. Ikk. We quickly left, when some weird locals started talking and dancing in front of us. Found a nice little bar with much more sensibly dressed adults, and continued on for a few more ciders. It was then off to bed at our lovely hotel. We went and did a spot of shopping the next morning with Matt and Jodie - after a lovely breakfast at the same burger place. £2 for a full English breakfast - sweet deal. Dan decked himself out ready for basketball, with a new ball, pump and singlet. We then found the right bus home, 40 minutes in a lovely leather seated coach all the way back to Benfleet.

Saturday the local Inn was hosting an "Australia day beach party" - few days early but what the heck - they'd even brought in a heap of sand and dumped in on the 'dancefloor'. Dan and I with Hannah (Aussie housemate) and her friend Belinda headed down to find hundreds of people squished into this 17th century pub. After taking 10 minutes to get through the front door, we decided that it was home time. Probably the only Aussies in the place, left as quickly as we came. Walked over to the pub across the road to see if it was any better, it was not. We went and stocked up on some Ciders at the bottle shop and caught the bus home again!! We had our own little Aus day party in the lounge room. I piked early (still a little seedy from the night before) and slept like a baby. Raging.

Monday we woke up and tuned into JJJ to hear the top 10 of the hottest 100. It's not as fun listening to the number 1 whilst brushing teeth and putting on shoes getting ready for work. A quick check in with Jordan's annual pool party made it all the more exciting. It even sounded like it was hot weather through the phone!

Dan and I have booked flights for the mid term break (2 and a half weeks to go - hurrah). We are flying into Malaga, Spain on the 14th Feb, and then slowly making our way up the south and east coast to Barcelona, where we fly from back to London on the 21st. The best thing about teaching over here is that you only go for 6 weeks at a time, then you have some time off. I'd kill myself if I had to go for 12 weeks.

I will try to upload some photos tonight, but lets face it, I'm lazy, and these things take time. One day soon. Promise.

By the way, I wrote this whilst watching Neighbours. Long way behind. Maybe 3 or so months. Nicole has just poisoned Steve and gone crazy, Ringo and Donna have just hooked up and the Dingoes just won the Grand Final. I hope none of you ruin the new story lines for me - I look forward to 7pm Neighbours on Fiver weeknights!


Its great to hear from you all - I miss you all lots

Xoxox

P.S. Suck s*** to all the teachers who have to go back to work today!!!! Muhahaha