And the back home crew... love 'em :)

The whole gang... Me, Tanyelle, Andrea, Andre and Nick.

God, I am SUCH a poser!

Andrea, me and Tanyelle writing our names in sparklers... which are a big deal here! Don't even suggest putting thme on a birthday cake you will only be laughed at!

It was fireworks night (guy fawkes night) here last month. The incredible tale of how guy fawkes an anti-king activist tried to blow up the houses of parliment. yes, englands very first terrorist. the attack was foiled. So now, four hundred years on, how do the english celebrate? By selling fireworks to children of course! Or doing as I did and going to a cracking fireworks display at Alexandra Palace. I went with Andre and some of her buddies. It was a great night actually. After the fireworks, everyonein north london (including us!) went and had some nosh in posho Muswell Hill. Anyway, I know some of you have already seen these photos, but oh well! This one is Ally Pally on the night.

My man Dragon... he's a math lecturer at the University of Cambridge. And the only man to ever ask me "Has it ever occured to you that roman numerals are base five?"... and i'm sure I'm the only girl who's ever sighed and said "Yes" and quite seriously meant it. Love at first sight... only i'll never see him again!

The bridge of sighs... as ripped off from Venice.

Punting on the Cam River.

The million pushies of Cambridge, let's hear it for student transport.

Andre and Bob Marley the bunny - Love at first sight!

Sook gets a kebab in his bathrobe... as you do.

Aww... drunken cuddles...

Andrea and Cam get funky...

Cambridge

The wizard of oz

ok, it's a little abstract... but here's what i'm thinking. my life is the wizard of oz. (see how that's funny, cause i'm an australian and people always say that we're from oz... just like the wizard.... oh shut up, it was funny in my brain!) now... i hear you say "simone, that's a little weird" but let's review the facts. i'm away from home, i've met lots of interesting people who are also looking for something; sometimes tangible like a heart and sometimes intangible, like the nerve. (and before you start to worry, at no point is this exercise in dribble going to extend to a lesson on transitive and intransitive verbs. poor alex coped enough of that with my eternal lectures of the correct uses of two, too and to. if you would however like a comprehensive lesson email me... or better yet, kelly, she actually knows what it means. i would happily make something up and pretend it was fact).

but, i'm getting away from my self.... the story so far...
there's a chick, living in the country having an alright time when suddenly she is whisked away through the sky (her: tornado; me: airplane) she lands in a strange and colourful land (her: oz; me: south america) only to find that she's actually in a right old dilly of a pickle (her: squashed weirdo witches sister with a house; me: no money, no spanish, no clue) but against all odds they befriend some rather strange and unusual people (her: munchkins; me: random smelly backpackers) to aid her in her quest to get home. And then she meets a friend to help guide her on her way (her: an empty headed scarecrow; me: an unmarried greek north london girl). She enters hostile territory (her: the wooded forests where the trees throw the apples; me: harringay) miraculously she makes it out alive (stuff her, i'm talking about me!). She then meets a heartless but rather suave looking man (her: the tinman; me: every london man) and they continue their quest together.

now this is about as far as i've got with my journey so i figure this is about the part where the flying monkeys must turn up! hooray! everyone loves a flying monkey. the only part i can't figure is an arch nemesis. i don't really have one, so if anyone wants to apply for the position then i'd be more than happy to consider you for it. also she's valiantly trying to get home, which i guess is my goal too... as long as i get a pir of ruby slippers out of it! but at least i'm enjoying the journey. i've not run across any lions or tigers or bears (oh my!) yet. so i'll be interested to meet some. in a purely allegorical sense, of course (though an elephant would be cool!).

so to those people who keep asking me what my london life is like... you do one of two things. assume it is exactly the same as yours, only much colder... or go rent the wizard of oz. the two are exactly the same.

love you guys,
later potatas,
simone