When we left Augusta to go to Pemberton, I decided I wanted a break from hostels and wanted a night in a motel. A TV and ensuite would be a nice change. Anne wasn't so bothered, but when we saw the state of the Pemberton hostels she soon came around. One was in town, and had a nice cat there, but looked packed with worker-travellers and was run-down. The other was 9km out in the forest and was deserted. The cabins were dire and run-down and the office was closed - bookings now being taken at the one in town. We found a motel for just $15 more than a hostel room and it was bliss!
We explored what there is of Pemberton, and this includes The Gloucester Tree - a 61 metre tree with metal posts stuck in the side all the way up so you can climb to an observation post at the top! They used to climb this to look out for bush-fires. I climbed it, and Anne didn't. I'm not great with heights. I'm not bad, but not great. I raced up at first, but later became a bit worried and my rate of ascent slowed considerably. The view from the top across the forests was marvelous, so it was well worth it.
Some Vietnamese Aussies were around when I got back to the bottom. I got chatting to a guy (when he saw my digital camera - always a conversation starter). He asked if we were married and I said no. He asked how long we'd known each other, and I told him ten years, but we'd only been together seven and a half. He was visibly shocked and tried to convince me to marry Anne. He explained that a woman's ability to reproduce decreases with age and I really ought to get a move on. Hearing this, a girl in his party who was starting to climb the tree screamed "WILL YOU STOP GOING ON ABOUT REPRODUCTION ALL THE TIME?!"
We then went to Lavender Berry Farm, a nice little place we'd read about. We looked at their alpacas for a bit and looked around. The real reason we went was to have a berry pancake (with ice-cream) and this we now did. My god - it was heavenly. My taste-buds were treated that day I can tell you. I'm telling you - it was glorious! (But expensive at three pounds, so Anne and I had to share one between us.)
Anne and I spent a night in the luxurious (basic) motel room eating hoummous (sp?) and dip, olives and pate and drinking wine. I had a bit too much wine and got a headache.
I must go now - I think I hear Anne's Fallopian tubes aging as I type.
The story:
Stephen and Anne, both in their late twenties, quit their jobs and left London. They took a year off. They first travelled to Australia, with a week in Tokyo on the way. After living and working in Sydney for three months they toured Australia for five months. They then spent two months exploring New Zealand using rental cars. They ended the year with two weeks of sun in Fiji, and a short jaunt in LA and San Fran. They then returned home, to a new life!
Saturday, August 30, 2003
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Thar she blows!
First off, my friend Tony in London had an odd bank holiday on Monday. He was sitting with friends in Hyde Park and Han Solo and Ally McBeal walked past him! I'd guess that they didn't realise it was actually Tony, but it was. I never see celebrities, and Tony always does. Humph.
Anyway. Anne and I went to the winery on Tuesday alvo, and tasted several wines. I was driving so we didn't tip too much back. We bought a bottle and our treaty day cost us over $50. Oh dear! However, I managed to justify it since the organised half-day wine tour would have cost us $110. Saving!
On Wednesday morning we left Margaret River and drove down to Augusta. On the way we visited CaveWorks - a display on caves that wasn't very good - and then went to Jewel Cave for an hour long tour. This is the second cave we've been down on our adventure, and Anne has decided that she likes caves. (I should hope so at $15 a pop for a tour!) Jewel Cave was quite impressive, with some unusual formations and big caverns.
We checked in to the Baywatch Manor Hostel in Augusta. This hostel has won 'Best Hostel' awards all but one of the last seven years, or something. Hmmmm. I'm not overly impressed. It's nice, I suppose, and it's clean, which is good, but it's noting special. And this is one of the few hostels we've been in where there's been no hot water for our shower. Grr! And a bunch of Japanese youths insist on having the TV on all the time and putting videos on for five minutes and then putting a different video on, despite claiming not to understand English when I tried to speak to them. Gits.
Today, Anne and I went whale watching. It was great. Some humpbacks had been spotted off the coast so once everyone had boarded the boat, we raced out to look for them. I was disappointed that we didn't find them, but we did see lots of huge Southern Right Whales and their calves. It's a humbling feeling being in the water with these things (well, being on a boat which is in the water). They also gave us sandwiches on the boat - bonus ball! The weather was a bit wet and windy, and Anne got cold, but the skies cleared for a while and the sun came out enough to warm us up a bit.
After the whale watching Anne and I raced out to the most south-westerly point of Australia, where the Indian and Southern Ocean meet. There's Leeuwin lighthouse there too, so we looked at that for a bit. We also saw an old waterwheel. Back at the hostel, after a soup lunch, Anne fell asleep on my shoulder at the dinner table. It seems the travel sickness tablet she took has made her drowsy. I put her to bed, read for a bit, and then snuck out to write this blog. Bless her.
Anyway. Anne and I went to the winery on Tuesday alvo, and tasted several wines. I was driving so we didn't tip too much back. We bought a bottle and our treaty day cost us over $50. Oh dear! However, I managed to justify it since the organised half-day wine tour would have cost us $110. Saving!
On Wednesday morning we left Margaret River and drove down to Augusta. On the way we visited CaveWorks - a display on caves that wasn't very good - and then went to Jewel Cave for an hour long tour. This is the second cave we've been down on our adventure, and Anne has decided that she likes caves. (I should hope so at $15 a pop for a tour!) Jewel Cave was quite impressive, with some unusual formations and big caverns.
We checked in to the Baywatch Manor Hostel in Augusta. This hostel has won 'Best Hostel' awards all but one of the last seven years, or something. Hmmmm. I'm not overly impressed. It's nice, I suppose, and it's clean, which is good, but it's noting special. And this is one of the few hostels we've been in where there's been no hot water for our shower. Grr! And a bunch of Japanese youths insist on having the TV on all the time and putting videos on for five minutes and then putting a different video on, despite claiming not to understand English when I tried to speak to them. Gits.
Today, Anne and I went whale watching. It was great. Some humpbacks had been spotted off the coast so once everyone had boarded the boat, we raced out to look for them. I was disappointed that we didn't find them, but we did see lots of huge Southern Right Whales and their calves. It's a humbling feeling being in the water with these things (well, being on a boat which is in the water). They also gave us sandwiches on the boat - bonus ball! The weather was a bit wet and windy, and Anne got cold, but the skies cleared for a while and the sun came out enough to warm us up a bit.
After the whale watching Anne and I raced out to the most south-westerly point of Australia, where the Indian and Southern Ocean meet. There's Leeuwin lighthouse there too, so we looked at that for a bit. We also saw an old waterwheel. Back at the hostel, after a soup lunch, Anne fell asleep on my shoulder at the dinner table. It seems the travel sickness tablet she took has made her drowsy. I put her to bed, read for a bit, and then snuck out to write this blog. Bless her.
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Movies and books
After our Rottnest hell, we treated ourselves to a (discount) movie at Freo cinema on Friday night. We saw Identity, an interesting movie with John Cusack heading a good cast. A bunch of strangers end up at a hotel following a series of coincidences, and they gradually get bumped off by an unknown murderer. Meanwhile a hearing is going on elsewhere to decide the fate of a serial killer. The story twists a little, and I figured out what was going on before it was revealed, so I was happy. The film turns into something more, and less, than a standard bump-em-off killer film. If that sounds like film-review rubbish, don't worry - it means nothing. Three and a half stars.
In the nice Bunbury YHA the nice man let us watch a DVD (joy!) for free (double joy!) We watched The Mothman Prophecies. This is supposedly based on actual events, but seems so far fetched as to make that claim a hindrance to your (my) enjoyment. A bunch of US yokels making some odd claims would be ignored if it weren't for the presence of a Washington Post reporter. Would have been interesting to watch the DVD "doco" (as they're called here). Two and a half stars.
As for books, I've had less time to read. In part this is because I've been home to the UK, but in part it's because we've been busy and there's more to see in the south-west. I read the two Douglas Adams Dirk Gentley novels: Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Souls. I'd not read these since I was a teenager, and it was good to read them again. I like his writing a lot, but I didn't think the second of these two tales was his best. Still enjoyable.
I then read Jared Diamond's sciencey book, Why Is Sex Fun? This is an interesting look at the odd sex-life of humans (compared to animals) and what it says about our evolution. It's a short book (160 pages) and worth a look. Last year I read the author's book Gun's Germs and Steele, which is a really good look at why agriculture and advanced societies evolved where they did. That book's harder going, but recommended too.
Now I'm reading the second volume of Spike Milligan's war memoirs - the oddly titled 'Rommel?' 'Gunner who?' Like the first, it's odd but fun.
In the nice Bunbury YHA the nice man let us watch a DVD (joy!) for free (double joy!) We watched The Mothman Prophecies. This is supposedly based on actual events, but seems so far fetched as to make that claim a hindrance to your (my) enjoyment. A bunch of US yokels making some odd claims would be ignored if it weren't for the presence of a Washington Post reporter. Would have been interesting to watch the DVD "doco" (as they're called here). Two and a half stars.
As for books, I've had less time to read. In part this is because I've been home to the UK, but in part it's because we've been busy and there's more to see in the south-west. I read the two Douglas Adams Dirk Gentley novels: Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Souls. I'd not read these since I was a teenager, and it was good to read them again. I like his writing a lot, but I didn't think the second of these two tales was his best. Still enjoyable.
I then read Jared Diamond's sciencey book, Why Is Sex Fun? This is an interesting look at the odd sex-life of humans (compared to animals) and what it says about our evolution. It's a short book (160 pages) and worth a look. Last year I read the author's book Gun's Germs and Steele, which is a really good look at why agriculture and advanced societies evolved where they did. That book's harder going, but recommended too.
Now I'm reading the second volume of Spike Milligan's war memoirs - the oddly titled 'Rommel?' 'Gunner who?' Like the first, it's odd but fun.
Friday, August 22, 2003
Our time in Hell
On Wednesday we got the ferry from Freemantle to Rottnest Isalnd. The ferry trip was quite expensive ($43 each, return) but there's no other way to get there, so we had to bear it. Rottnest Island is famous for being populated by Quokkas - small ratlike wallabies, abundant on Rottnest, rare in the rest of OZ. This is thanks largely to there being few introduced predators on the island.
Soon after we arrived on the island we went for a walk to explore and came across two of the little blighters. How lucky, we thought, and spent ten minutes looking at them and taking photos. We felt a bit silly that we'd spent so long with them, as we soon realised that they were everywhere, and not shy!
The YHA hostel there is an old army barracks and is quite nice. I imagine that Rottnest is a nice place in general, but we didn't really have a chance to find out, since it rained and hailed for most of the time we were there. Oh dear - time spent sitting around the hostel, you'd imagine.
But no. The hostel lounge had been taken over by The Family From Hell. This comprised Mama, Papa and Big Kenny. (Big Kenny was in his 30s.) They were overly-friendly, very simple and bloody annoying. It seems cruel to moan when they were friendly and didn't have a mean bone in their bodies, but there it is. They made life difficult for us and all the other guests there. Grrr.
Big Kenny introduced himself to me about four times, and I told him my name was Stephen. Despite this he proceeded to call me "Davo". He was like an Aussie Trigger from Only Fools And Horses. He kept coming to our room and summoning me to the lounge where Mama awaited with a question or favour. They wouldn't leave us alone while cooking or eating. They sat in every other seat around the lounge, so if anyone else wanted to sit in the lounge they had to snuggle up amoungst them. We spent the evenings freezing in our rooms - playing rummy in our coats. We spoke to others who'd gone to watch their washing dry in the laundry rather than brave The Family From Hell.
Somehow I got into a conversation with Papa about Irish terrorism. He kept asking me about Shane. Shane? I'm no expert on the Irish Problem, but I don't know of a Shane. "The big guy with the curly black hair" he ventured. "Gerry Adams?" I suggested. "That's him - Shane!" "Sinn Fein!" I cried with joy, figuring out what Anne had realised from the beginning.
Strangely, they left Anne alone.
More conversations:
"Pauline Hanson - I call her Pauline Pantsdown!" (Laughter).
"Camilla Parker-Bowles - I call her Camilla Parker-Balls!" (Laughter).
Oh God.
On Thursday the weather was so bad that some of the ferries back were cancelled. It was rumoured that the ferries would be cancelled on Friday, and Big Kenny informed us of this twelve or thirteen times with obvious glee. When told this I looked for a sharp implement to end my pain.
Thankfully, although many ferries were cancelled, including the 10.30am ferry we were booked on, we managed to leave that terrible place at 2.30pm today. I'm sure Rottnest is a lovely place, but weather and circumstance have ensured that we will never return to find out. We're so happy to be back in Freemantle for the night. On Saturday we pop back to Perth to pick up a hire car for our trip around the south-west.
Bloody, bloody Rottnest.
Soon after we arrived on the island we went for a walk to explore and came across two of the little blighters. How lucky, we thought, and spent ten minutes looking at them and taking photos. We felt a bit silly that we'd spent so long with them, as we soon realised that they were everywhere, and not shy!
The YHA hostel there is an old army barracks and is quite nice. I imagine that Rottnest is a nice place in general, but we didn't really have a chance to find out, since it rained and hailed for most of the time we were there. Oh dear - time spent sitting around the hostel, you'd imagine.
But no. The hostel lounge had been taken over by The Family From Hell. This comprised Mama, Papa and Big Kenny. (Big Kenny was in his 30s.) They were overly-friendly, very simple and bloody annoying. It seems cruel to moan when they were friendly and didn't have a mean bone in their bodies, but there it is. They made life difficult for us and all the other guests there. Grrr.
Big Kenny introduced himself to me about four times, and I told him my name was Stephen. Despite this he proceeded to call me "Davo". He was like an Aussie Trigger from Only Fools And Horses. He kept coming to our room and summoning me to the lounge where Mama awaited with a question or favour. They wouldn't leave us alone while cooking or eating. They sat in every other seat around the lounge, so if anyone else wanted to sit in the lounge they had to snuggle up amoungst them. We spent the evenings freezing in our rooms - playing rummy in our coats. We spoke to others who'd gone to watch their washing dry in the laundry rather than brave The Family From Hell.
Somehow I got into a conversation with Papa about Irish terrorism. He kept asking me about Shane. Shane? I'm no expert on the Irish Problem, but I don't know of a Shane. "The big guy with the curly black hair" he ventured. "Gerry Adams?" I suggested. "That's him - Shane!" "Sinn Fein!" I cried with joy, figuring out what Anne had realised from the beginning.
Strangely, they left Anne alone.
More conversations:
"Pauline Hanson - I call her Pauline Pantsdown!" (Laughter).
"Camilla Parker-Bowles - I call her Camilla Parker-Balls!" (Laughter).
Oh God.
On Thursday the weather was so bad that some of the ferries back were cancelled. It was rumoured that the ferries would be cancelled on Friday, and Big Kenny informed us of this twelve or thirteen times with obvious glee. When told this I looked for a sharp implement to end my pain.
Thankfully, although many ferries were cancelled, including the 10.30am ferry we were booked on, we managed to leave that terrible place at 2.30pm today. I'm sure Rottnest is a lovely place, but weather and circumstance have ensured that we will never return to find out. We're so happy to be back in Freemantle for the night. On Saturday we pop back to Perth to pick up a hire car for our trip around the south-west.
Bloody, bloody Rottnest.
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Stephen returns
Hello. Stephen here. I flew back to Perth on Saturday. That is to say I left Heathrow at 3pm on Saturday (an hour late) and got to Perth at 5pm on Sunday. A long, dull flight. Since I was flying back in the same month I flew out the same films were on the plane. I'd seen all those I fancied on the journey to London.
I did watch Basic though. This is a very "twisty" film, none of the twists being interesting or surprising. I ought not have bothered. Two stars.
Again, people were annoying me. People are selfish, and this comes out more than ever on planes, where people must grab as much room as they can. As usual, the people in the row in front of me put their seats back as soon as they possibly could, even during meals. They then spent half the journey leaning forwards in their chairs, and I spent the journey with the TV in my face.
It was good to finally arrive back in Perth. I presented Anne with a bag of gifts. This bag contained:
- gossip mags from the UK (so Anne could find out what the stars of Big Brother 4 and Fame Academy are up to, even though she hasn't seen these shows).
- The Weekend Guardian (so Anne can see a decent paper for a change though annoyingly there is no longer an Editor section).
- Persil non-bio liquitabs (Anne is especially happy with these. She requested them. We don't actually know if they're called "liquitabs", but we imagine they are).
- some chocs and wedding cake, which I snuck through customs.
- a book - Fast Food Nation. Anne believes that after reading this she'll never want fast food again. We'll see.
I was very pleased to see Anne. I decided to chance my arm and tell her how nice her haircut looked. Anne had been talking about getting her hair cut when I left, and I assumed she would have had it done. I instantly realised I'd made a big mistake. Anne slowly shook her head and said "No". Damn. I thought that was a fair bet, and knowing how much girls like haircuts to be noticed I thought the risk was worth taking. Despite my kind presents, I was in trouble already.
Freo
We stayed in Perth on Sunday night, took a 20 minute train journey to Freemantle on Monday morning, and it's here you find us now. Freemantle is a pleasant relaxed coffee-drinking town near Perth. I spent Monday in an exhausted jet-lagged daze, so we didn't do much (though we did go for a cheap meal in the evening and ate far too much!) Today, however, we were more active and went for a tour of the old prison. This was built by convicts and only closed in 1991. Our guide was a Manchunian (sp?) who worked as a guard at the prison for 20 years before it closed.
This afternoon we went to the Freemantle History museum (entry by donation - i.e. free!) It was very interesting, and we didn't get to see it all before it closed so we may go back. Tomorrow, though, we leave here for two days on Rottnest Island.
I did watch Basic though. This is a very "twisty" film, none of the twists being interesting or surprising. I ought not have bothered. Two stars.
Again, people were annoying me. People are selfish, and this comes out more than ever on planes, where people must grab as much room as they can. As usual, the people in the row in front of me put their seats back as soon as they possibly could, even during meals. They then spent half the journey leaning forwards in their chairs, and I spent the journey with the TV in my face.
It was good to finally arrive back in Perth. I presented Anne with a bag of gifts. This bag contained:
- gossip mags from the UK (so Anne could find out what the stars of Big Brother 4 and Fame Academy are up to, even though she hasn't seen these shows).
- The Weekend Guardian (so Anne can see a decent paper for a change though annoyingly there is no longer an Editor section).
- Persil non-bio liquitabs (Anne is especially happy with these. She requested them. We don't actually know if they're called "liquitabs", but we imagine they are).
- some chocs and wedding cake, which I snuck through customs.
- a book - Fast Food Nation. Anne believes that after reading this she'll never want fast food again. We'll see.
I was very pleased to see Anne. I decided to chance my arm and tell her how nice her haircut looked. Anne had been talking about getting her hair cut when I left, and I assumed she would have had it done. I instantly realised I'd made a big mistake. Anne slowly shook her head and said "No". Damn. I thought that was a fair bet, and knowing how much girls like haircuts to be noticed I thought the risk was worth taking. Despite my kind presents, I was in trouble already.
Freo
We stayed in Perth on Sunday night, took a 20 minute train journey to Freemantle on Monday morning, and it's here you find us now. Freemantle is a pleasant relaxed coffee-drinking town near Perth. I spent Monday in an exhausted jet-lagged daze, so we didn't do much (though we did go for a cheap meal in the evening and ate far too much!) Today, however, we were more active and went for a tour of the old prison. This was built by convicts and only closed in 1991. Our guide was a Manchunian (sp?) who worked as a guard at the prison for 20 years before it closed.
This afternoon we went to the Freemantle History museum (entry by donation - i.e. free!) It was very interesting, and we didn't get to see it all before it closed so we may go back. Tomorrow, though, we leave here for two days on Rottnest Island.
Friday, August 15, 2003
Search engine fun and worries
It's a little worrying to see some of the search terms used to arrive at this blog. Here's a selection. Some are funny, others a bit sick (a few people clearly looking for kiddie porn).
You may remember that I spelt Delta Goodrem's name wrong at one point, and I'm still getting a lot of people arriving here searching for nudie "Delta Goodrum". Also, lot of people searching for Magnum ice creams and nudist beaches.
"dogs in jumpers"
"weeing on"
ben affleck and speedos
broome nude
des clarke neighbours photos
eric bana, nude photos
jehovah
what's delta goodrum address
"big italian mama"
"pr disasters" +recruitment
"right in the stomach" soccer
8 different typs of cats
aerial photos of winchester uk
appartment match barefoot girls
email contact of people in the american villages that win big money in the pool last month
if I travel at the speed of light for 30 mins, what will happen to my
laugh i nearly paid my licence fee
brokenman.net
"harold and lou from neighbours"
"head shaved" or "head shave" and beach and stories or story
"neighbours" speedos picture
"the guy who plays alf"
"working at the economist"
gay accommodation coff harbour
gibson story conclusion spoilers "the patriot"
how do i remove biro from a photo
hugo weaving naked photos
club-reps blow job
actress-gagged
lisa kudrow gagged
men's speedos
my-head +shaved +photo
name misspelt immigration
naughty nurses restaurant sydney
noosa nudie beach
nude pictures of andie mcdowall
nudist pools photo album
palin, michael - hemmingway's chair
penelope wilton naked
russell crow +sailing
salty dogs+crisps+uk
school girls nude photo hostel
stephen's girlfriend
versatile tractor+wrecking+australia
when do hard bolied eggs spoil
wife +gagged +pictures -nude -naked -sex -porn -bondage
youths in speedos
I think it's fair to say that the internet is an odd place to be.
You may remember that I spelt Delta Goodrem's name wrong at one point, and I'm still getting a lot of people arriving here searching for nudie "Delta Goodrum". Also, lot of people searching for Magnum ice creams and nudist beaches.
"dogs in jumpers"
"weeing on"
ben affleck and speedos
broome nude
des clarke neighbours photos
eric bana, nude photos
jehovah
what's delta goodrum address
"big italian mama"
"pr disasters" +recruitment
"right in the stomach" soccer
8 different typs of cats
aerial photos of winchester uk
appartment match barefoot girls
email contact of people in the american villages that win big money in the pool last month
if I travel at the speed of light for 30 mins, what will happen to my
laugh i nearly paid my licence fee
brokenman.net
"harold and lou from neighbours"
"head shaved" or "head shave" and beach and stories or story
"neighbours" speedos picture
"the guy who plays alf"
"working at the economist"
gay accommodation coff harbour
gibson story conclusion spoilers "the patriot"
how do i remove biro from a photo
hugo weaving naked photos
club-reps blow job
actress-gagged
lisa kudrow gagged
men's speedos
my-head +shaved +photo
name misspelt immigration
naughty nurses restaurant sydney
noosa nudie beach
nude pictures of andie mcdowall
nudist pools photo album
palin, michael - hemmingway's chair
penelope wilton naked
russell crow +sailing
salty dogs+crisps+uk
school girls nude photo hostel
stephen's girlfriend
versatile tractor+wrecking+australia
when do hard bolied eggs spoil
wife +gagged +pictures -nude -naked -sex -porn -bondage
youths in speedos
I think it's fair to say that the internet is an odd place to be.
Blog Shares
I can't claim to entirely understand the website Blogshares.com, but it seems to be some fantasy blog-trading market. (Not had time to read the site in detail.) I have seen that our site is listed on there though, so I've registered on there and "claimed" my blog. There's a link at the bottom of the rest of my links to the left - click on it and see if you can figure it all out and then tell me about it.
Photos
Another Yahoo photo album has been added to the blog ("Big Adventure Photos 3" link on left). This includes our flight over the Bungle Bungles, The Pinnacles, and Anne as an emu.
(These were an effort to upload, since BT have cut my mum's bandwidth in half - idiots.)
(These were an effort to upload, since BT have cut my mum's bandwidth in half - idiots.)
Thursday, August 14, 2003
We are on a break
Stephen here. So, I’ve been busy.
First I was writing and practicing my best man’s speech with Craig, the other best man. Then we went up to the wedding (near Derby) and we were the best men (with the possible exception of the groom). There we did the speech and it went pretty well, especially considering how nervous we were in rehearsal. The wedding was on Sunday. Everything went well, though it was a shame that the heavens opened just after the ceremony, making the photographer’s job more difficult. The photos got done – they just took more time. Ian and Sarah, the happy couple, went off on honeymoon, and I came back to sort out my tax affairs.
As you may know, I was fined £100 for not submitting a 2001/02 tax return. I’ve never submitted one before, and wasn’t asked to for that year. My mum spent ages trying to get some sense (and a return to complete) from the tax office, and was eventually advised by a friend to write to her MP. I thought this was an odd idea, but within no time we had an answer. The tax office sent me a form, but it got returned to them soon after. They ignored this and decided to fine me anyway. They also ignored our requests for them to send a form out and threatened me with more fines if I didn’t return the form they’d never sent me. Gah! I completed the 2001/02 form (they finally sent) and one for the following year, and sent them off. I hope they’re happy now. The 2002/03 form was made more complicated by the fact that Anne and I are renting out our flat in Ealing, and, being me, I found this complication interesting.
I also prepared Anne’s tax return (which my mum will have to fill out when it arrives since, despite requests, they’ve not sent her return). I then filed both Anne’s and my Australian tax return. Oh joy – what a fine time I’ve been having.
London calling
I’ve also been relaxing and enjoying my mum’s hospitality. On Tuesday I went into London to meet friends. I went in early to make the most of the day, and whilst I was waiting for lunch time to come around (when I had arranged to meet some Economist colleagues) I thought I’d do some touristy things in London (having spent the last six months as a tourist elsewhere.
I went along to the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, as I’d heard it’s good, and I’d seen a documentary on the history of the tube on The History Channel last week. I went to the ticket office and asked the lady if the concession ticket rate applied to YHA members (backpackers). Without even looking at me, and still reading her magazine, the lady managed to grunt a negative, and brilliantly pretended that I hadn’t disturbed her in the first place. This put my back up a bit. I wasn’t trying to be cheap, and was willing to pay the full rate. I tried to make conversation and asked who does get the concession rate. I had even less luck with that one. I wandered out of there in a daze. I got in a bad mood and decided that I hated Britain. I wanted to be back in Australia. Silly cow.
For want of a better expression, The London Transport Museum can shove it up their fat arse.
I went to The National Portrait Museum instead. That’s free, and the staff are intelligent. (Microsoft Word is telling me that that should be “The staff is intelligent”, which I know is right, but it would be silly to write it like that.)
Watching too many movies
I’ve been talking to friends who read this blog, and follow Anne’s and my big adventure. One of the criticisms some have is that I watch too many movies. They are wrong.
I’ve really missed my DVD player, though have only watched two DVDs since my return. I’ve also seen one film at the flicks, and watched almost one film on VHS.
My mum taped Ang Lee’s Ride With The Devil ages ago, and had not watched it. I fancied it, so mum and I sat down to watch it on Friday evening. I was not impressed when the film stopped after two hours (with the story some way from completion). My mum said she probably assumed the film wouldn’t be longer than two hours when she set the video and made some remarks which indicated that she thought it the director’s fault that the whole film wasn’t on the tape. I intend to write to Ang Lee to complain about this. Since I missed the end I can’t review the film here.
On DVD I watched Daredevil and Adaptaion. I’d heard Daredevil wasn’t good from a few people, but stubbornly wanted to see it. I’m a fan of comic books (though don’t really read them any more) and I always want comic book movies to be good. I though it was OK, but not a lot happened and the best thing in it, Colin Farrel’s Bullseye, wasn’t in it much. It was a very lightweight introduction to Daredevil. Two and a half stars. Ooh I love DVD.
Adaptation was much better. A very original story about screenplays and adapting a book into a screenplay (as well as being about just about everything else). As a blog writer and the co-writer of a best man’s speech, I found I could relate to the protagonist’s issues intimately. Four and a half stars.
My mum and I went to see The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (phew – I’m not repeating that!) last night at the cinema. I’d had no interest in seeing this, until my friend Tony pointed out that it has had good reviews. I’m glad I saw it as it was a good, silly blockbuster that takes itself not-at-all seriously. Johnny Depp is just great in it. Worth a look. Four stars.
My Monkey Lies Over The Ocean
People have asked me, “So, are you talking to Anne on the phone every day?” A reasonable question, since we’ve been away together for six months and travelling with each other for the last two. I was sorry to report that I’ve not spoken to her once since I returned to the UK. We’ve sent a few text messages and emails, and had a conversation on MSN Messenger, but that’s it. I am missing her though, and looking forward to seeing her on Sunday (after my mammoth flight back to Perth). Anne’s working on an organic farm at the moment, but should be back in Perth on Friday. She says she’ll ring me then. Then I'll see her when I get off the plane on Sunday, all grumpy after a 21 hour flight. Yay - I'm a-coming for ya Anne.
First I was writing and practicing my best man’s speech with Craig, the other best man. Then we went up to the wedding (near Derby) and we were the best men (with the possible exception of the groom). There we did the speech and it went pretty well, especially considering how nervous we were in rehearsal. The wedding was on Sunday. Everything went well, though it was a shame that the heavens opened just after the ceremony, making the photographer’s job more difficult. The photos got done – they just took more time. Ian and Sarah, the happy couple, went off on honeymoon, and I came back to sort out my tax affairs.
As you may know, I was fined £100 for not submitting a 2001/02 tax return. I’ve never submitted one before, and wasn’t asked to for that year. My mum spent ages trying to get some sense (and a return to complete) from the tax office, and was eventually advised by a friend to write to her MP. I thought this was an odd idea, but within no time we had an answer. The tax office sent me a form, but it got returned to them soon after. They ignored this and decided to fine me anyway. They also ignored our requests for them to send a form out and threatened me with more fines if I didn’t return the form they’d never sent me. Gah! I completed the 2001/02 form (they finally sent) and one for the following year, and sent them off. I hope they’re happy now. The 2002/03 form was made more complicated by the fact that Anne and I are renting out our flat in Ealing, and, being me, I found this complication interesting.
I also prepared Anne’s tax return (which my mum will have to fill out when it arrives since, despite requests, they’ve not sent her return). I then filed both Anne’s and my Australian tax return. Oh joy – what a fine time I’ve been having.
London calling
I’ve also been relaxing and enjoying my mum’s hospitality. On Tuesday I went into London to meet friends. I went in early to make the most of the day, and whilst I was waiting for lunch time to come around (when I had arranged to meet some Economist colleagues) I thought I’d do some touristy things in London (having spent the last six months as a tourist elsewhere.
I went along to the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, as I’d heard it’s good, and I’d seen a documentary on the history of the tube on The History Channel last week. I went to the ticket office and asked the lady if the concession ticket rate applied to YHA members (backpackers). Without even looking at me, and still reading her magazine, the lady managed to grunt a negative, and brilliantly pretended that I hadn’t disturbed her in the first place. This put my back up a bit. I wasn’t trying to be cheap, and was willing to pay the full rate. I tried to make conversation and asked who does get the concession rate. I had even less luck with that one. I wandered out of there in a daze. I got in a bad mood and decided that I hated Britain. I wanted to be back in Australia. Silly cow.
For want of a better expression, The London Transport Museum can shove it up their fat arse.
I went to The National Portrait Museum instead. That’s free, and the staff are intelligent. (Microsoft Word is telling me that that should be “The staff is intelligent”, which I know is right, but it would be silly to write it like that.)
Watching too many movies
I’ve been talking to friends who read this blog, and follow Anne’s and my big adventure. One of the criticisms some have is that I watch too many movies. They are wrong.
I’ve really missed my DVD player, though have only watched two DVDs since my return. I’ve also seen one film at the flicks, and watched almost one film on VHS.
My mum taped Ang Lee’s Ride With The Devil ages ago, and had not watched it. I fancied it, so mum and I sat down to watch it on Friday evening. I was not impressed when the film stopped after two hours (with the story some way from completion). My mum said she probably assumed the film wouldn’t be longer than two hours when she set the video and made some remarks which indicated that she thought it the director’s fault that the whole film wasn’t on the tape. I intend to write to Ang Lee to complain about this. Since I missed the end I can’t review the film here.
On DVD I watched Daredevil and Adaptaion. I’d heard Daredevil wasn’t good from a few people, but stubbornly wanted to see it. I’m a fan of comic books (though don’t really read them any more) and I always want comic book movies to be good. I though it was OK, but not a lot happened and the best thing in it, Colin Farrel’s Bullseye, wasn’t in it much. It was a very lightweight introduction to Daredevil. Two and a half stars. Ooh I love DVD.
Adaptation was much better. A very original story about screenplays and adapting a book into a screenplay (as well as being about just about everything else). As a blog writer and the co-writer of a best man’s speech, I found I could relate to the protagonist’s issues intimately. Four and a half stars.
My mum and I went to see The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (phew – I’m not repeating that!) last night at the cinema. I’d had no interest in seeing this, until my friend Tony pointed out that it has had good reviews. I’m glad I saw it as it was a good, silly blockbuster that takes itself not-at-all seriously. Johnny Depp is just great in it. Worth a look. Four stars.
My Monkey Lies Over The Ocean
People have asked me, “So, are you talking to Anne on the phone every day?” A reasonable question, since we’ve been away together for six months and travelling with each other for the last two. I was sorry to report that I’ve not spoken to her once since I returned to the UK. We’ve sent a few text messages and emails, and had a conversation on MSN Messenger, but that’s it. I am missing her though, and looking forward to seeing her on Sunday (after my mammoth flight back to Perth). Anne’s working on an organic farm at the moment, but should be back in Perth on Friday. She says she’ll ring me then. Then I'll see her when I get off the plane on Sunday, all grumpy after a 21 hour flight. Yay - I'm a-coming for ya Anne.
Friday, August 08, 2003
Random blog link
In order to encourage people to read around the "blogosphere" here's a link to a random blog. (I'll put the link at the side, with my other links too). Click on it every now and then and see what blog-writers are saying. Have fun. Some are dreadful, some are good.
Stephen two-breakfasts
I’m at my mum’s house in Welwyn, following a mammoth journey home. I flew from Perth to Heathrow with Emirates, with a 2.5-hour change in Dubai. It took about 22 hours.
I left Anne in Perth as I got a shuttle bus to the airport. On the bus I got talking to two other backpackers - these both returning home to the UK after a year away. I had a beer with them at the airport. They were both 22 year old blokes, and I was soon bored by their tales of the girls they’d slept with when they were away, how drunk they’d got and what drugs they’d done. I like airports, and would rather have had some time to look around the one at Perth.
Annoyingly I was cornered by these friendly blokes at Dubai too, but eventually shook them off. What an anti-social man I turned out to be.
On the first leg of the flight I had two seats to myself. I managed to get a bit of shut-eye, but mainly watched films. We were given a dinner and a breakfast. The food was a bit poor. I missed Anne, who gets inordinately excited by airplane food. It was 35 degrees at 5am in Dubai - blimey!
On the second leg of the journey we were given another breakfast (!) and a lunch (at 10am UK time). I had a v. large G&T at about 9.30am. By the end of the journey I was very tired and very grotty.
On the flights I watched three films. First up, Anger Management - a pretty funny comedy, with Jack Nicholson in OTT mode. It had some good cameos, and a particularly poor one (from the ex-mayor of New York). Three stars.
Finding Nemo was also watchable, though not, I think, up to the standards of Toy Story and Monsters Inc. I think this may be because toys and monsters are more entertaining than fish. I’d put it on a level with A Bug’s Life. Fish are as entertaining as insects. Three and a half stars.
Save-The-World-From-Disaster movie The Core was quite entertaining. It was ridiculous but knew it, and had a good cast who pulled it off quite well. Three stars.
The flight was punctual until we got to the UK. We were kept in a holding pattern over Essex for about half an hour before landing. Ian, the friend of mine who’s getting married, and whose wedding I was returning to the UK to attend, works for air traffic control. As I watched the screen showing the path flight I started, in my dazed state, to wonder if Ian was pulling strings and planning to make the plane spell “Welcome Back Stephen” or “Where Do You Think You’ve Been?” It didn’t, we just circled.
By this point I was looking forward to seeing my mum and very grumpy at the delay. When we eventually left the plane I was very angry with the people who were getting in my way and wanted to push some of them over, preferably hurting them in some way. Following very little sleep and little room on the second leg I was not in the mood for slow idiotic people. What a horrible man I turned out to be.
Given that I’d been up for nearly 48 hours, with just snatches of sleep on the plane, I’m a little miffed that after going to bed at 11pm on Tuesday night (I stayed up to try to get into UK time quickly) I was wide awake at 4am on Wednesday. Gah!
I left Anne in Perth as I got a shuttle bus to the airport. On the bus I got talking to two other backpackers - these both returning home to the UK after a year away. I had a beer with them at the airport. They were both 22 year old blokes, and I was soon bored by their tales of the girls they’d slept with when they were away, how drunk they’d got and what drugs they’d done. I like airports, and would rather have had some time to look around the one at Perth.
Annoyingly I was cornered by these friendly blokes at Dubai too, but eventually shook them off. What an anti-social man I turned out to be.
On the first leg of the flight I had two seats to myself. I managed to get a bit of shut-eye, but mainly watched films. We were given a dinner and a breakfast. The food was a bit poor. I missed Anne, who gets inordinately excited by airplane food. It was 35 degrees at 5am in Dubai - blimey!
On the second leg of the journey we were given another breakfast (!) and a lunch (at 10am UK time). I had a v. large G&T at about 9.30am. By the end of the journey I was very tired and very grotty.
On the flights I watched three films. First up, Anger Management - a pretty funny comedy, with Jack Nicholson in OTT mode. It had some good cameos, and a particularly poor one (from the ex-mayor of New York). Three stars.
Finding Nemo was also watchable, though not, I think, up to the standards of Toy Story and Monsters Inc. I think this may be because toys and monsters are more entertaining than fish. I’d put it on a level with A Bug’s Life. Fish are as entertaining as insects. Three and a half stars.
Save-The-World-From-Disaster movie The Core was quite entertaining. It was ridiculous but knew it, and had a good cast who pulled it off quite well. Three stars.
The flight was punctual until we got to the UK. We were kept in a holding pattern over Essex for about half an hour before landing. Ian, the friend of mine who’s getting married, and whose wedding I was returning to the UK to attend, works for air traffic control. As I watched the screen showing the path flight I started, in my dazed state, to wonder if Ian was pulling strings and planning to make the plane spell “Welcome Back Stephen” or “Where Do You Think You’ve Been?” It didn’t, we just circled.
By this point I was looking forward to seeing my mum and very grumpy at the delay. When we eventually left the plane I was very angry with the people who were getting in my way and wanted to push some of them over, preferably hurting them in some way. Following very little sleep and little room on the second leg I was not in the mood for slow idiotic people. What a horrible man I turned out to be.
Given that I’d been up for nearly 48 hours, with just snatches of sleep on the plane, I’m a little miffed that after going to bed at 11pm on Tuesday night (I stayed up to try to get into UK time quickly) I was wide awake at 4am on Wednesday. Gah!
Monday, August 04, 2003
This Was Spinal Tap
On Saturday night we went to the flicks to see A Mighty Wind - the new comedy from Christopher Guest and pals (Best In Show). It's a mockumentary about a folk band reunion concert in New York. Some of it's very funny, but as a whole it's more gently amusing than laugh-out-loud funny. Not up to the standards of Best In Show but worth watching. Three and a half stars.
A bouns was we got cheap tickets, thanks to our membership of the arts cinema in Sydney. Yay us!
A bouns was we got cheap tickets, thanks to our membership of the arts cinema in Sydney. Yay us!
Anne and Stephen's cleft-in-twain adventure - begins soon
I leave for the UK tonight, leaving Anne in Perth. We checked out of our double room this morning (once I'd stopped getting stressed about not being able to pack my rucksack) and Anne checked into a single room. It's lucky we're in Perth and in this hostel, since we've not been in any other hostels which had a significant number of single rooms, and ridiculously it'll cost her less than half the price of a double.
I'm going to miss the little monkey, though at least I'll be having fun with friends and family back home (and will be frantically writing my best man's speech in order to embarrass the groom to maximum effect). Anne will be entertaining herself. Hope she's OK. It's been weird spending all day every day with each other, though we've had surprising few rows. This'll be the furthest we've ever been from each other! First time we've been in different hemisphere! I bet she'll have a whale of a time.
Perth's good, and Anne should find plenty to do here. Before we arrived here I got in touch with Lisa, another girl with whom I worked at The Economist. She's from Perth, and following extensive travelling has returned here with an enthusiastic appreciation of home. Lisa picked us up in her car on Sunday morning and took us on a tour of Perth. We saw great views of the Swan River, and some nice properties. We saw the beach, and dropped into the market at Freemantle ("Freo") for lunch. We ended up in a bar in Subiaco ("Subi") for some beers with Lisa's flatmate and a couple of her pals. It was great. Good to be shown round by a local, and great to have a drink with non-travellers! We realised how much we've missed going out for drinks with friends at home. Travelling in a couple, I suppose we've been a bit anti-social - we've chatted to travellers, but not for any length of time, and people are less inclined to chat to a couple.
Today (Monday) we're going to look at more of the city (in the rain!) and then I'll pop off to the airport.
I'm going to miss the little monkey, though at least I'll be having fun with friends and family back home (and will be frantically writing my best man's speech in order to embarrass the groom to maximum effect). Anne will be entertaining herself. Hope she's OK. It's been weird spending all day every day with each other, though we've had surprising few rows. This'll be the furthest we've ever been from each other! First time we've been in different hemisphere! I bet she'll have a whale of a time.
Perth's good, and Anne should find plenty to do here. Before we arrived here I got in touch with Lisa, another girl with whom I worked at The Economist. She's from Perth, and following extensive travelling has returned here with an enthusiastic appreciation of home. Lisa picked us up in her car on Sunday morning and took us on a tour of Perth. We saw great views of the Swan River, and some nice properties. We saw the beach, and dropped into the market at Freemantle ("Freo") for lunch. We ended up in a bar in Subiaco ("Subi") for some beers with Lisa's flatmate and a couple of her pals. It was great. Good to be shown round by a local, and great to have a drink with non-travellers! We realised how much we've missed going out for drinks with friends at home. Travelling in a couple, I suppose we've been a bit anti-social - we've chatted to travellers, but not for any length of time, and people are less inclined to chat to a couple.
Today (Monday) we're going to look at more of the city (in the rain!) and then I'll pop off to the airport.
Saturday, August 02, 2003
Perth-etic pun
We left Cervantes (late - bloody Greyhound buses!) on Thursday evening for the final leg of our journey to Perth. We were very much looking forward to getting to a real city. We arrived at about 8pm, checked into our hostel and nipped out for a thai meal. Yum! We even had a bottle of wine. Hell - hang the budget! Go mad.
The hostel's nice, with high ceilings, character and decent facilities. The Lonely Planet says that it "lacks atmosphere", but we've found along the way that that means that the hostel lacks drunken young travellers making noise after 10pm and making lots of mess. Perfect.
Anne will be based in Perth for a while now I think, since I'm flying to the UK on Monday to go to the wedding of some friends, where I'll be one of the two best men. The better of the two? It'll be weird to be leaving Anne for nearly two weeks, having been with her almost constantly for the last two months since leaving Sydney. I'll miss her (sob!) and I'm sure she'll miss me a lot. I believe that.
Saturday morning we rose and hit the town, and found a suit hire shop, where I got them to measure me. I've been trying to get my measurements sent back to the UK for weeks now (for the wedding) but have not found a suitable place since none of the towns we've been in (even, weirdly Darwin) have had such a shop.
After that we did spent the morning doing jobs - shopping for toiletries, going on the internet and arranging stuff. So nice to be in a city again with good facilities (and cheapish internet!) Anne's looking for volunteer work or a farm-stay while I'm away, but is having no joy finding anything at the moment. Ho hum.
Perth's an attractive city, quite small but first impressions are good. We're staying in an area called Northbridge which from what we'd heard was a little dodgy. We've been reading in the paper about the curfew recently introduced there to keep kids off the streets after 10pm. Seems fine to us now - a bustling bar area. There are lots of security guards and police around, so I get it used to be bad. I'd have been worried about Anne staying here alone if it was bad, but it's busy and seems safe so that's ok.
We've explored the city a bit now, and this morning went to the Perth Mint (a money-making venture if ever I saw one). (Do you see what I did there?) We did a tour and saw molten gold being made into a bar - very interesting. We also picked up a "Walking In Perth" book, giving lots of good walks and did one of the city walks. Good stuff. Nice to be back in a place where it's not so exhausting hot!
The hostel's nice, with high ceilings, character and decent facilities. The Lonely Planet says that it "lacks atmosphere", but we've found along the way that that means that the hostel lacks drunken young travellers making noise after 10pm and making lots of mess. Perfect.
Anne will be based in Perth for a while now I think, since I'm flying to the UK on Monday to go to the wedding of some friends, where I'll be one of the two best men. The better of the two? It'll be weird to be leaving Anne for nearly two weeks, having been with her almost constantly for the last two months since leaving Sydney. I'll miss her (sob!) and I'm sure she'll miss me a lot. I believe that.
Saturday morning we rose and hit the town, and found a suit hire shop, where I got them to measure me. I've been trying to get my measurements sent back to the UK for weeks now (for the wedding) but have not found a suitable place since none of the towns we've been in (even, weirdly Darwin) have had such a shop.
After that we did spent the morning doing jobs - shopping for toiletries, going on the internet and arranging stuff. So nice to be in a city again with good facilities (and cheapish internet!) Anne's looking for volunteer work or a farm-stay while I'm away, but is having no joy finding anything at the moment. Ho hum.
Perth's an attractive city, quite small but first impressions are good. We're staying in an area called Northbridge which from what we'd heard was a little dodgy. We've been reading in the paper about the curfew recently introduced there to keep kids off the streets after 10pm. Seems fine to us now - a bustling bar area. There are lots of security guards and police around, so I get it used to be bad. I'd have been worried about Anne staying here alone if it was bad, but it's busy and seems safe so that's ok.
We've explored the city a bit now, and this morning went to the Perth Mint (a money-making venture if ever I saw one). (Do you see what I did there?) We did a tour and saw molten gold being made into a bar - very interesting. We also picked up a "Walking In Perth" book, giving lots of good walks and did one of the city walks. Good stuff. Nice to be back in a place where it's not so exhausting hot!
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