my Canterbury tale...

Today, monday, is a 'late summer bank holiday' in the UK. Which was just as well, cos I was beginning to think I was in need of a holiday....!!
My long weekend started brilliantly on friday night, at the Swan, having a few Fosters + lime with Anna and Mike, and Mike's workmates. Mitch and Ann are Canadian, and Mitch is a journalist - who before London, was posted to Israel. Shirl is a vibrant S African lady who has lived everywhere. Each tell the most amazing stories.
Last weekend I took out a map of England, shut my eyes, and poked the map. My finger landed on Canterbury... So on saturday I jumped on a bus. All week people were saying how lovely Canterbury was - and I agree - there was just not that much to do there. The Romans settled there heaps of years ago (I read the plaques, but can never remember the important details!), and they built a massive wall around the city, part of which still remains - and eventually someone built a huge cathedral. So I did the cathedral on saturday arvo, and it was very impressive - so many lead-light windows (sorry, not sure of the plural of lead-light - lead-lighted?!).
After walking around all afternoon I had sore feet (I blame my desk job), so went and saw a movie - the Bourne Ultimatum - it cost £8.50!
I spent the night at the Canterbury YHA, and as part of the package they kindly threw in for free - banging doors, a snoring old lady, a saggy mattress and coo-ing pidgeons at an ungodly hour. I was over it, I tell you...
Sunday I walked the Roman wall, had a delicious chai latte from Starbucks (I'm addicted) brewed up in an old tudor style 16th Century building, wandered the shops and went to a Roman museum which had the remains of an old house, with ducted heating!, and beautiful mosaic'd floor. I jumped back on the bus to London, and today am enjoying my late summer (what summer?) bank holiday at home...

a roof top spa in Bath...

On the spur of the moment Anna, Khanh and I took a train to Bath on saturday (spur of the moment meaning, decided during the week!). It was going to be lovely summer weather, with a top of 14 - so we left the house with our winter coats in one hand, and bathers in the other...

We had decided to go to a place called Thermae Spa and buy a 2 hour spa pass. It was so lovely - they had 2 pools, one of which was outdoors on a roof top! From there you had gorgeous views of Bath and beyond. So while it was cold and raining, we were swimming in the warm waters watching the steam rise, overlooking Bath. Unfortunately it wasn't the famous 'waters' we were swimming in, it was chlorinated.

After two hours of that we'd had enough (and wrinkly fingers!), and needed some lunch. We went to a restaurant at the Roman baths called the Pump Room - which Jane Austen mentions in some of her novels I think. It was delicious, and a beautiful room - I'll attach a pic. (See mum, we're eating our greens). At one point I had an earwig bite me on the ankle - which is not as romantic as it sounds.

After lunch we walked around the town centre and went up to the famous Royal Crescent, were we realised we were about to miss our train home, so had to hot-foot it back to the station.

The trip home was interesting, if only for the lady in the seats across from us who took out a pocket knife to smooth off the rough edges of her post card. Rightyo...

the monopoly challenge...

Yep, the name of the game was to visit every place on the Monopoly board! On sunday I met with a few friends, (Damo & Ingrid, Khanh, and Tania) and it took us almost 8 hours...

We had mapped out the route (see pic of Damo's excellent organisation!), and began with the most geographically 'outer' property, which also happened to be the 1st on the board - Old Kent Rd! From there we went to what was closer on the map, not in board order.

We took pictures at every place, often standing in the middle of the road to get the street sign. Whitechapel was the scariest part of town, Vine St was the shortest at 40m (and had nothing in it!), and Mayfair was predictably old and beautiful. Although, I had a picture taken there popping out of a phone box that someone had mistaken for a toilet, and was filled with post cards of scantily clad ladies saying 'call me'.... and all the while trying not to breathe, and smile!

Traditionally the monopoly challenge is to visit a pub at every place and drink a half pint of beer - I'm glad I didn't do that cos I would have been comatose by the 5th stop...!

Did we cheat? - I'm ashamed to admit we did. By mid arvo we were flagging and couldn't be bothered walking to Park Lane - so took a picture of the Park Lane Hilton (which wasn't on park Lane strangely!), instead.

It was an awesome day - 8 hours, 26 places, 3 food stops, 16 trains and buses, miles of walking, and a whole lot of London I hadn't seen before. We finished up at the Sherlock Holmes pub off Northumberland Ave - I had a lemonade (and a headache) and stumbled home.

There's actually a new British Monopoly out, with new places - no more Mayfair! - and the Banker uses an atm swipe machine and players have credit-type cards - no more paper money. That's not real monopoly, where's the fun in that!!

the artist formerly known as...

On friday 3rd August we made our way out to the O2 arena in Greenwich to see Prince in concert. We were so excited, as he'd received rave reviews for his first concert. Unfortunately for us our excitement was short lived - he must have had a bad tube ride in from the Dorchester, cos he sucked.

The O2 complex is amazing, there's a ring of indoor eateries around the stadium bit, with trees and fairy lights and paved brickwork. The stadium itself is huge, and the top section is incredibly steep (they have a disclaimer on their web site saying that if you're afraid of heights don't buy tickets in the top half). As luck would have it, we were in the very last row, and so high up that Prince was a spec in the distance, and I felt woozy from vertigo for the first half an hour (probably also partly due to lack of air at that altitude). Two people were helped down by medico's during the night.

The crowd went nuts when he came out, and had the place absolutely rocking with his first song, Cream. From there though, he went all self-indulgent with some obscure songs and long guitar solo's, and at one point he disappeared for about 5 minutes and I thought he must have gone to join the queue at Pizza Express. His band made up for it though, they were awesome (even a girl drummer in a gold spangly glo-mesh dress!).

The reviews said his first concert was hit after hit, with a Beatles song thrown in - we must have lucked out on the second concert with mediocre hits, and a Gnarles Barkley song thrown in....(although that was awesome). He did sing Purple Rain, Kiss, and Lets Go Crazy, but didn't do Diamonds & Pearls, 1999, or Raspberry Beret etc etc.

Ah well, we got a free CD at the door as we left, and avoided the crowded tube by taking a Thames cruiser boat back into the city - London is beautiful at night!

one for daina and viv....

This one's for Daina, cos you've been asking for pictures of my bay window at work. Although, I've since been told it's actually a 'turret'. How medieval almost! So here's a picture of my desk (and the windows I first thought were longer) - I love sitting there.

And there's a picture for Viv - Temple tube station! I took that photo tonight on my way home. [I bought a dinky camera so I could carry it with me all the time].

And so, I thought I'd also take a picture of Turnham Green tube station, where I catch the tube every day. It was a sunny evening, we had our warmest day this year - 23!

hair 'do' and toes 'do'.....

I got paid for the first time on friday (yippee!!) so I dusted off my so far unused UK debit card and spent up a storm. I tried to feel guilty afterwards....

On friday night I took Anna and Mike out for dinner to our local, The Swan, and we cheers'd earning the pound with a bottle of NZ white wine. Saturday I went to Covent Garden and got a groovy short-for-me hair cut - so groovy that I had two guys blow drying my hair at the same time! I'll attach an infamous Nina-self-portrait (very difficult to take one from behind!)... Then I walked to Oxford St and spent £200... It was soo much fun!

On sunday we had brunch at the Brasserie on the High St, then Anna and I had pedicures. I thought of attaching a picture, but I'm quite sure you don't want to see my weirdo toes! I had them painted bright pink, but unfortunately I stubbed my toe later at home, and scraped my £31 pedicure. Major bummer....