I would walk 500 miles

Hi All,

I hope everyone is safe and well!

So today was my third day in London, and today I decided to ditch the maps and plans and just go for a walk! It was a bit overcast for most of the day, but occasionally I caught a glimpse of blue skies and sunshine poking through the clouds. I grabbed a coffee at starbucks, had a quick chat to mum via skype, and then headed to South Kensington Station.

From South Kensington station I took the tube through to Green Park station which is at the top of Green Park funnily enough, which butts up against Buckingham Palace. Green Park is full of deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves annually). There must be hundreds of these trees throughout the park, so this means 4.3 billion leaves throughout the park. Crunchy and in an everlasting aray of colours, there are literally leaves everywhere! One good gust of wind, and you’re practically up to your waist in delightfully crunchy leaf matter. Today was also very windy, I had to stop on a few occasions and try to get out of a gust of wind that was almost knocking me over. What I came across next in Green Park had me slightly confused. There were men, about 6 or so, groundskeepers, with a GIANT blower, epically failing at blowing these leaves off the footpaths. Within seconds of them blowing the leaves off the footpaths, a gust of wind would pick the leaves back up and litter them back across the paths. Talk about fighting a losing battle! I think this definitely would top the list of most frustrating jobs in Brittan.

I passed by Buckham Palace, just as the changing of the guard was taking place, as it does daily, and then headed down The Mall, a road that leads from Buckham Palace through to Charinig Cross. From Charing Cross I really have no idea where I went. I passed a lot of museums and monuments and eventually found myself in Leicester Square. It was quite nice to not really know where I was going, and just to follow the crowds, or walk in the direction of something I could see in the distance. At some point during the day, I must have smiled at some random that made eyecontact with me, and he doubled back and asked if he could “pay me a compliment” then proceeded to tell me he thought I was “just lovely”! Lol My first thought was “are you going to rob me?” lol I said a very quick thankyou, laughed at him and walked away at a very very fast pace! Lol he looked like the guy from the Nescafe adverts “Swopshire? Realy? How wonderful”   I know at some point I ended up back at Piccadilly Circus and then back through to Charing Cross and on to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. I did pass a lot of the theatres today as well, which was lovely. I would really love to get inside on a backstage tour of a few, so might have a look into that tomorrow!

From Westminster Abbey, I decided it was probably time to head back to the house, so I hopped the train through to South Kensington. Westminster Abbey station is an absolute maze of escalators and walkways, very very confusing, I went downstairs three floors, only to find I had to go back up two floors in a different direction to actually get to the platform I wanted to be at! Argh! Lol however, I have found that the tube is generally pretty easy to use, and there always seems to be an abundance of trains every few minutes, so there’s never really a rush.

A few piccies from my wander around today!

So that was about it for me really, was a lovely day, really nice to just wander around with no purpose or direction. London really is such a beautiful city to just walk around!

If you made it to here, well done! The above was not the most exciting of posts!

SJ xx

Old London Town

Well,  I have arrived! I'm finally in London! Back in London I guess I should say!

I got in yesterday, but didn't really do a hell of a lot, as I was a bit jet lagged, so I took to staying close to Will's house (Will is my wonderful friend who is letting me stay in his lovely apartment in South Kensington <3) and only ventured out as far as the first foody type place I saw for a burger and onion rings (oh yeah I'm the epitome of health) and then I came home and went to sleep! Oh I did buy some lovely tulips outside South Kensington Station as well, they are beautiful and orange. I slept til 11.30pm, and then got up for an hour with a splitting headache, found some peppermint tea and some crackers and then went back to bed an hour or so later.

This morning I decided I would catch the tube to Oxford Circus and take a wander around Oxford St. This is London's fashion hub, and it just about has 2 of everything! If you head down Regent St you get all the wonderful brands and Hamley's the toy store!

For a Monday and a work day I was surprised at how many people were out and about. I was also surprised at the amount of people toting carry-on sized suitcases around. I caught myself wondering if I had missed the memo on some latest craze of carrying around luggage?  I finally figured out that people were using them to store their shopping! lol I saw two girls loading bags from Zara and Topshop into their suitcases. Good idea ladies! I like how you roll! (Pardon the pun).

I really do love it here, there is just so much to see and do. London is so rich in culture and history, a walk down almost any street has you passing little coffee shops that sit next to buildings that have been standing for hundreds of years. There is such an amazing array of smells as you wander around as well, one minute it's freshly brewed coffee the next it's fresh waffles or crepes. Lucky you can't get fat just from smelling wonderful foods as I'd be the size of a house, especially seeing I may linger a little longer outside the waffle places!

So a quick tube ride back to South Kensington station, and a stop in the local grocery store for something to have for lunch, and I am now back at Will's sitting in his very comfy chairs downstairs writing!

I think I will be going out for dinner tonight, but I'll wait and see what happens!

Luv to you all!

SJ xx

Up in the air

Hi All, Well I once again am back in the skies, it’s been a whole three weeks since my last long haul flight, and truth be told the thought of flying again has been sending chills up my spine for the past week at least!

It’s been a very odd few weeks being back at home, I’ve felt like sleeping….alot….. for some reason that just hasn’t been happening though. I think knowing that I have had this 2 month trip coming, amongst the billion other things that float through my head have been very underwhelming at the least and probably the exact reason for my lack of sleep…   The thought of another two hours or possibly more playing packing Tetris is just enough to curl my toes! Unescapable and unavoidable at best!

So for the past two weeks at least I have been trying to get business in order (organised chaos) to make sure that everything is available to me while I am away and if I am unable to access something at least then someone will be able to find files at least in amongst my mess.

Along with being a fantastic organiser this weeks, I have been trying to make sure that I remember Christmas presents, birthday presents, thank you presents, for friends and family while I am away! (See I do need a PA! – apply within!) There are also friends and family that I have things for, that just have not made it to their recipients as yet. I’m belatedly sorry… and sorry in advance!

Oh… I don’t think that I mentioned that I am currently writing this from the air – Somewhere near India I would say! Seatbelt sign is on and daring people to live on the edge, by getting up to go to the loo…. When ya gotta go ya gotta go!  This is my second flight for the last 15 hours. Apparently we DID have to disembark the aircraft at Singapore’s Chaingi airport (much to my travel agents reassurance otherwise), it was about an hour or so waiting around there was at least a good chance to get up and stretch my legs.,  About half an hour ago, I decided much to my better judgement to take a sleeping tablet, and currently I think it’s kicking in…. cause all the keys are blurring into one another and I can barely keep my eyes open.

I’m thinking that another ten minutes or so and I’ll be out for the count for just a little while at least.

So, for those of you reading this, wondering where little ‘ol Chanel is, well Adam is looking after her while I am away as I trust him, she knows him, and the garden/house is absolutely dog proof! Lol

Okay so a couple of paragraphs up I took  a sleeping tablet, and upon completing the previous sentence, I may have also fallen asleep practically in my keyboard!  Alive and awake now I  am sitting at Abu Dhabi airport, I’ve just cleared through the transfers area and am praying that this last leg of my flight will be swift!

I’m vowing never to travel long distance in Economy EVER EVER again! (Sorry Manda, but you may be left in coach alone on the way home :oP) I need a flat bed! End of story! But seriously I’m about to board the plane for the third time within a 24 hour period, I’ve spent collectively about 5 hours so far sitting at airports and waiting in queues! Just insanity! All I want is to lie flat on my back with a pillow and a doona! Oh bring it on! lol

The lady I have been sitting beside has been quite pleasant, other than the couple of times she quite verbally abused at the woman behind her  for knocking her chair. For some reason I think Etihad’s economy seats are a lot smaller than Qantas/British/Vaustralia. It’s either that or my backside is growing at a rapid pace! They certainly manage to pack you in like sardines!

It’s 1.20 in the morning in Abu Dhabi by the looks of a few of the buildings on our way in I’m really really glad that we are stopping here on the way home! YAY!

So I've been up pacing around the back of the plane... the below are my random musings from my iPhone:

This year so far I have had 6 major international flights! And about 30 domestic flights, which means I've taken off and landed around 36 times probably more of you count all the times I have had layovers in other places along the way. What never ceases to amaze me and take my breath away are the moments in the plane when you look out of the window and see such amazing scenery. These fleeting glances of tropical island coasts, bustling cities and never ending countryside are some of my favourite moments, and no matter how many times I see it, I always have a huge goofy smile on my face.

As we flew over Singapore this afternoon, the sun was just going down, and there must have been 500 or more ships out in the bay, huge container ships waiting to pick up cargo, all spotted along the water like a game of battleship.

One of my other favourite sights are the clouds, floating around like fairy floss! I think I would like to sit on a cloud, the way Katy Perry does in her film clip for California Girls, minus the blue hair, plus some clothes! If anyone knows how I might achieve this cloudy fantasy, please let me know!

So currently I'm pacing around at the back of the plane, and this time I needed to pee! No toilet dramas this time, but a quite quizzical moral dilemma that I have not yet come across on a plane! Do I pee with the window shade up or down? Yes my toilet has a window!! Very strange indeed! Each time I have been in so far, I've opted to shut the blind, but why? Who's going to see me? A seagull? Another flight? God? All three? And what would they think?

We've got 3hours and 15 minutes until we land, and fortunately for me, everyone seems to be English, or from somewhere around Europe, which means that passport lines should be relatively small! Yay!

Are we there yet? 3hours and 13minutes! Possibly thinking I should go and fit in another movie before we land! Yay.... <---- Heavy Sarcasm!

Okay that’s me about done until I’m in Ye Ol’ London Town!

Luv to you all!

SJ xx