It's my last weekend in London and as break from packing and watching the dire going-ons in Big Brother I thought I'd try and post a few of my pictures from this great city over the past few years...

(By the way, I think if you click on he pictures you'll get a bigger view)

This is Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath...I could escape there with just the one bus ride!
















This is a view over the rooftops from nearby...





















And it's not all traffic and pollution...











Eye eye!


And down the river at Bankside & St Pauls...


The Docklands - London's "Mini-Manhattan"

Bubble wrap is my new best friend

Without it my whole life would fit into one box instead of two.

In the last few days I have learnt lots of useless things:

- I know all about volumetric weight and tea cartons and how best to make a box sturdy with the aid of that brown tape they use.

- Trying to weigh things other than yourself on bathroom scales is really a bit silly.

- Bubble wrap tears easily one way but not the other.

- Watching Countdown on a warm afternoon really does make you doze off like an old man.

- It is a bit stupid keeping clothes in your wardrobe you have not worn for more than 3 years.

Urrrgghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Head hurting

Temperature extremes

Today is my last 4-day week day off. In London it is 35C. Meanwhile in Canberra it is 9C

What am I doing?!!!!

Here are a few London summer scenes...

Zidane y va maniacer

Well, I'm not in Australia quite yet but this time next month I will be feeling like death following 24 hours onboard an aluminium tube breathing recycled air and drip fed stomach cramp inducing airline food. Can't wait! To wile away the time before then I have been to visit the family down in the southwest of England. On Sunday we braved the crossing of the Tamar and followed numerous caravans and old cars to Bedruthan Steps on the north coast of Cornwall. It's one of the most fantastic places ever, dramatic Cornwall at its best and so clean and pure that you forget you're actually in the same country as London. It's great to get one last taste of beloved Cornwall before I go away.

It was also the World Cup Final of course this weekend. It was at Bedruthan where I was admiring mysterious football related writings in the sand. Amongst them was "Zidane y va marquer". I'm not too hot on my French but I guess it means something like "Zidane is going to go a bit loopy". I also briefly spotted "Allez les bleus" just before the tide came in and washed it away. As I was stood right next to this, the tide also tried to wash me away. For one moment this was just a little scary but I escaped with some sodden shoes and tide marks on the bottom of my trousers.

Well, as you know, France got a dodgy penalty, Italy hardly played for the last hour, Zidane did go a bit loopy and for once the Azzuri did well in a penalty shoot out. Looking back at all of those penalties (even that of Trezeguet), it makes you realise how lame the England penalties were a few weeks back. France decided to substitute all my fantasy world cup players (am I the only one who feels Henry may have wimped out so he didn't have to take a penalty??) and Zidane lost me points for going mental. It wasn't a great night, whilst I didn't really mind who won, as you can see there were several French supporters in the house...

Sacre bleu!