Productivity

Well it's been a laid back week where I haven't accomplished very much. I've finished several pages of my colouring book (a well-invested pound), watched Firefly (love it 100%), had a long overdue Skype date with the beautiful Sarah, had dinner with some friends from church, had lunch with a friend from church, knocked over some Monopoly places (Fleet Street, The Strand, etc), rediscovered some old classics on Spotify, and in a couple of hours hopefully my tooth will be fixed! They hadn't actually booked me in on Wednesday (grr) so they made an appointment for this morning. Kind of a bummer, because I was planning to go to Oxford for the day. Ah well. I'll do some cleaning and stuff. Maybe rent Serenity...

Am I wasting this time? See for me, a holiday is about relaxing. Am I missing out if I don't travel because I'd be forcing myself to? I like wandering around London but after a couple of hours I just get tired and want to go home. Of course I want to explore the countryside but I've never done anything like that before - not on my own - and it's hard to know where to start. And would I be doing it because people think I should? Because they'd think I was lazy if I didn't? Isn't it OK to just live life boringly sometimes? I'm an introvert. I like having time to myself. I like sitting in my room sharpening pencils listening to 90s pop not worrying about where I have to be or what I'll eat. I don't mind missing out on another bunch of nice old buildings and a big castle if it means I can get to know my new church family just a little bit better. So rolling hillsides can wait until next week.

Gloomy Tuesday

As of last Saturday I am officially off duty for two weeks! Mum and the kids are off on holidays, and so I'm free as a bird that never had any wings. It's great so far! I've been asked so many times where I'm going, but I still don't know - it will happen and then I'll write about it, how about that. Originally I was going to spend the whole two weeks traveling but I stopped making plans after I broke my face because I wasn't sure what would have to happen at the dentist. I've got all next week to roam and I'm still going to Edinburgh for a weekend. Besides, I'm here on a two year visa and I'm saving a bit of money so there'll be other opportunities. 

I should have written earlier about my face and I'm sorry I haven't kept the updates coming. It's healing really, really well. The swelling is all gone and all you can see is a scar on my lip. And the temporary filling, but that should be fixed tomorrow. Hopefully.

I keep getting bouts of homesickness and yesterday I went to a suburb I hadn't visited before to do some shopping because I gave so many summer clothes away and I wished I was with my sisters or somebody. Loning it gets boring after a while. And I hate clothes shopping anyway - I did not find one pair of trousers that were not high waisted, nor shorts that wouldn't show your bum if you bent over. AND I've gone up a size. Ah well. I found this neat little shop called tiger where there's groovy gift and activity and home stuff. I bought a colouring book to use with my crayola pencils that I bought on Sunday. It's called malebog but it looks like mandalas, not that I'm Hindu now but I like patterns. And it was one pound. 

I was going to go to Oxford today. And yesterday. Now it'll have to be Friday! I'm just so tired and it rained. It's so hot here I find it hard to sleep.

You know one thing besides cute, fat bumble bees that England has that Australia lacks? The term 'bless'. If someone does something sweet or a kid is cute or you fall and break your nose, someone might say 'oh bless'. There's no equivalent for that in Australia I feel. After my first appointment at the doctor I went to the receptionist and asked if I had to pay, she said 'you're new here aren't you? Oh bless. No you don't have to pay.' Little Miss might do a drawing and write her name underneath and her mum would say 'oh look at that, oh bless!' It's a really nice thing.

Here I haven't seen those plastic things that do up bread, and before the traffic light goes green it goes amber while the red is still on I think. 

There's a red kite (bird) in the sky. I just love the clouds! This is not my house.

Me. 

My family - dad you're at the top and I have no idea who the rest of us are. I had to remind her I had another sister and a brother.