Punce factor out of 10?

ELEVEN!

I am starting a short course tonight called "Harmonising." It's a course that runs for 10 weeks, one night per week for about 2 hours per evening.

So you're thinking, Harmonising, that could be ... work/life balance, maybe a bit of yoga, channelling energy, something a little spiritual maybe.

Hmmm, nice try. It's actually a wine tasting course.

Well it's a Food and Wine Harmonisation course where you have a meal each week and you get to taste up to around 65 wines (throughout the 10 weeks, not every evening!) and it teaches you to match wines to various food types.

And given that I consider myself a bit of an amateur chef, I thought this course would be fabulous to do. I actually originally wanted to do a gourmet cookery course but couldn't find a suitable one close by. So, to have to quaff some wine instead each week? How disappointing!

I'm really looking forward to it though and promise to pass on my tips to you all.

The taste of pie oh so humble.

Thought I should make comment on the recent Ashes series. You may remember that I posted a photo, along with a remark insinuating that England had more chance of sending a probe successfully to Mars than win the cricket.

Well we all know what happened. And if it is any solace, I lost £40 in the process betting that Australia would win any three of the matches.

I can almost hear MP chuckling ...

Confessions of an insensitive git!

I'm totally mortified. In my last blog, which I have updated now I wrote something that would definitely be deemed insensitive to some people (a lot of people). What is even more mortifying is that I didn't even pick it up ... Paul did.

It's removed now, so if you haven't read it ... I'm glad. And if you have ... I'm really really sorry if I offended anyone.

Confessions of a hypocritical commuter

Okay, so I posted this very large blog about my gripe on the tube. Remember the stinking armpits, gross woman picking her nose and eating it and a rolling drunk guy who wreaked of alcohol who was "rolling" on to me each time the train lurched.

Well ... forgive me www audience, for I have sinned;

I had a fabulous night out in fabulous Soho on Tuesday evening with my friend Mark (G-Roov as he's affectionately known) and the newly-wed Sue who I used to work with 8 years ago in Sydney who I haven't seen in 8 years. Sue and her new husband Trevor had just returned from their honeymoon and wanted to meet up with Mark in the West End for a couple of drinks and dinner. So Mark invited me along, knowing I would jump at the chance of seeing Sue again.

We went to Soho House for a few drinks and then dinner, which was excellent. I even introduced my old friends and new friend to a couple of new naughty sayings (apparently having a "b, c and s" is unheard of over here). I got to choose the wine, which I can proudly say that my choice of Spanish, South African, Argentinian, Chilean and Italian wines is getting much much better. At first, when arriving it was quite a challenge, but with dinner I managed to choose an excellent Spanish Rioja Tempranillo that everyone enjoyed ... so much so that we had two bottles of the stuff.

I wouldn't say that I was drunk - it's SO not my style to ever admit to being drunk! But after a white wine spritzer (lemonade, not soda water), three glasses of red and a shot of black Sambucca I was merry.

At the end of the night I jumped on the tube to go home. It was about 11pm. When I got on the District Line at Victoria Station the only seat available was opposite two guys and next to one guy. Needless to say, many a look went my way.

It was a little chilly on the train so I got my pashmina out of my bag so I could wrap it around my shoulders. As I did - moving forward on my seat in the process - the train lurched a little and guess what I did ... ROLLED ONTO THE GUY NEXT TO ME!

So guess what this guy's next blog entry would be? Whinging about some rolling drunk chick on the train next to him who rolled into his lap when the train lurched.

How very embarrassing.

What is coming ...

I really like the idea of podcasting. For those that do not know, it is recording voice, or music, or whatever to an MP3 (or other type of small sound file) for distribution over the internet.

Sounds simple, but it is really powerful. Just as blogs opened the internet as a distribution means for the written word to all of those not previously technically able to do so, podcasting opens up the airwaves (metaphorically) for those not able to buy a radio licence (ouch!), or put together a big studio.

Actually, what amazes me is how slow - again - the big players are in this area. For example, FOX FM podcast. But instead of podcasting, say, the Top 40 countdown and sprinkling a few adds around (I am not adverse to the making of money, you realise) they have reruns of Mat Tilley and that other bird from Bread. Crud.

I do not know why they do not use this medium as another - almost free - distribution channel for their music, their message and, yes, advertisments. Perhaps I have missed something back home, but don;t be surprised if you find some old has-been radio presenters using this medium as a way to get their voice back into the public arena.

So what is the point? I am waiting for a particular gadget (a very spesh USB microphone) to arrive at my fave music store. When it arrives, I shall duly purchase it begin podcasting.

Many of you know how loud my voice is, but soon you will be able to hear it from the other ide of the world

Moving the cheese

A couple of friends of ours packed up their lives in suburban Melbourne and moved to Northern Queensland to run a pub.

No, I wouldn't be brave enough to do this either. But they are and I think they a marvellous. They too are keeping a web log - called The Doyles weblog - and I have put a link to it in the side bar, on the right. I would encourage you to take a look at what they are doing.

They certainly did move the cheese.

WARNING: What is it with spam?

Look ... just a quick note about something that irks me. Some of the entries we make on this blog are being defiled by some spamming mob. Comments are being added to the entries encouraging you to visit certain sites. I assure we do not put these comments on ourselves and curse the vermin that do.

Please be careful - no matter what site you are on - to not follow links willy nilly and read what you are clicking on. It is a dangerous (cyber) world out there.

The gadgets that do the funniest things

This is my old mobile. Mel used it for a while and it is a bit of a sparey ... you know how it goes.

Thi particular model is known for its lack of reliability, but I have pretty much sorted out all the niggles over the years and it is still worth having around, you know for vistor or if something goes wrong with mine.

Anywa, I tool this photo in Paris. What you are seeing is the reflection in mirror at the hotel. Can you see what is odd about this photo?

Funny things, gadgets ...

When we aim to deceive

Hello All. I know I have been really quite average at keeping things on here up to date, even after you all told me that you do check the blog from time to time to see what we are up to. I am knocking things of my to-do list today and updating the blog is one of them.

Anyway, this photo was on the train back from Paris (you know ... about 2 months ago!). As you may recall, Mel posted some photos, one of which was me sleeping - not my best angle I can tell you. She also posted a photo of herself sleeping. How can this be, I hear you ask. Well of course she was not sleeping, she was pretending to sleep for the camera. Actually, she pretended to be sleeping six times for the camera, choosing the version of 'sleeping' that she was most happy with the public seeing.

All of this went unknownst to me. The first I knew about it was when I saw my sleeping head on a very public blog. By sheer fluke, I was also taking photos on this day. And by even less chance, I took a photo of Mel really sleeping. I like this photo because it is not as flattering of Mel's sleeping pose as any of the six shots she took of herself. Better yet, it is not as flattering from both the back and the front - check the reflection in the window!

Goob-tube, commuter's gripe

I commute four hours a day. Yes ... four damned hours each day. It's a nightmare of a journey. Most of the time I'm carrying a laptop bag which weighs a tonne. It's a walk, three trains and a bus to my destination and takes about 2 hours door to door both ways.

Mostly the Underground runs fairly smoothly (with the exception of last night where it took me one hour to travel a distance it normally takes me 30 minutes to travel ... apparently the tube can't handle extreme weather conditions and it bucketed down yesterday). But on one part of my journey you can guarantee that people will be packed in like sardines. And, given my height, on a hot stinking day it's not the best thing - guys either think that because London weather isn't that sticky that they don't need deodorant ... think again stinkers!

Anyway, back to original story, which really is only one small gripe, but it adds to the frustration that I feel each day on my daily commute. Remember, laptop bag that weighs a tonne. Add that to, already commuting for 1.5 hours on this particular journey home, wearing high heels, a pants suit with the jacket on on a warm day, a jammed packed train that is delayed AND smelly commuters. I manage to get a seat this day, but next to me sits a guy who is rolling, no, I mean, literally rolling drunk. The train rolls ... he rolls ... ONTO ME! And he wreaks of sweat and alcohol, so much so that I feel sick to my stomach. To top that all off sitting opposite me is this dowdy looking woman enthralled in her novel PICKING HER NOSE AND EATING IT!

You know, there are some days when I get home from a total of four hours of commuting and 8 hours of work and just want to cry ... this was one of them.

Smallhenge

Who ever said Stonehenge was big. It's so small that when I got a little weary on my feet and needed to have a little rest, I just propped myself up against old Stonehenge for a couple of minutes for the well needed breather and was on my way.

On the weekend that Paul was away, my dear old friend G-Roov and I went to the West Country for a bit of a roadtrip. First up was a dear little country pub in a dear little country village called Wylye. Next, Stonehenge (as you can see).

We then headed far west to Weston-Super-Mare which is at the seaside in Somerset where G-Roov's parents live. We had a lovely English roast dinner with them ... oh, and Gin at 7 o'clock (Claire, you would have been in your element), stayed the night there (G-Roov has an apartment downstairs at his parents place) then on the Sunday headed back home via Bath.

Bath is just lovely. We did an open-top bus tour (which seems to be the thing I tend to do in a new city). Had another lovely lunch in a lovely country pub, went to the Roman Baths (a tad on the expensive side if you ask me), did some more walking around the gorgeous city of Bath taking loads of photos and then I drove our hire car back to Heathrow airport where we dropped it off and jumped on the train home.

An awesome weekend! The following day was a bank holiday here so for me ... time to relax and tidy up before Paul got home from Oz on the Tuesday morning.

Very Quick Thank You ...

Hello all

I have been a little slower getting onto the blogging than I would have like to have been. The first two days after arriving I was a zombie. The next week I was busy with work. Eh ... like the saying goes, excuses are like a$$holes: we all have them and they all stink.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to say a quick thank you to eveyone who made the time to see me while I was there. Also thanks to MB and (the now) JB for making me a part of you day and to the younger members of my clan for reminding me why I miss home.

Thanks.

P.S. Due to consensus in feedback, I should tell you that this blog was written by Paul. Hence, the 'bloggerpaul' thingo beneath this post. When it is a post from Mel, it will say Meli Mel or 'MEL:' at the very top. I have a gag to make about this in the future ... stay tuned ...