Cold snaps

Those shark attacks made it into the news here. I'm telling you, sharks and crocs, they're the only kinds of stories that the British media are interested in about Aus!

It is seriously cold here now. We went to the football yesterday (finally broke the curse - Arsenal actually won! They still didn't play that well but at least their fans got some relief) and despite wearing socks and thick stockings under jeans my feet were going numb. I think the max yesterday was 2 or 3C, dropping to -3C overnight. I still haven't seen snow though. So ripped off.

We saw a really weird film on Sat - Far North. With Sean Bean and Michelle Yeoh. One of the strangest films I've ever seen. It was all shot in Finland or somewhere - the landscape is all ice and snow - it looks incredible. But the story? So Michelle has an adopted daughter and they live in a tent/igloo thing in the middle of nowhere and she rescues Sean Bean who is alone in the snow. A love triangle forms. So far, so good (although a bit slow). But then... 

TURN AWAY IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE FILM. Spoiler ahead. I personally do not recommend it.

Michelle Yeoh's daughter tells her she and Sean are running off together. So Michelle turns into a scary witch and strangles her daughter with her own hair before cutting her face off and sewing it onto her own! Then she has sex with Sean Bean who realises something weird is happening and runs out into the tundra naked.

So bizarre. On the plus side, I never saw it coming!!

We saw the film at the Barbican after I'd been working at a concern which is my idea of hell - a selection of the cheesiest numbers from various musicals. Oh God it was awful. I Don't Know How to Love Him, a Sound of Music medley, There's No Business Like Show Business, I Feel Pretty, a medley from Mamma Mia... on and on it went. My ears were bleeding. And the singers were trying way too hard. Ugh.

Gotta take the good with the (oh so) bad I guess.

Wot's up guvna?

Went to my first game of English football and surprisingly loved it! I guess a 60,000-seat stadium just can't help but create a great atmosphere, even when your team (Arsenal) loses... against a team that haven't beaten them since 1993! It were a dark day. My sister blames me. I blame the fact that Arsenal never went anywhere near their goal. Hard to score from the middle of the pitch. And I don't even know nuffing!

I'm in my new flat today, in Bethnal Green, which is East London (that's why I'm talking with a Cockney accent, I'm an East Ender now). So glad to unpack my suitcase, what a relief, despite the fact that PM and TL were the best hosts anyone could hope for, so generous and accommodating. I hope I didn't get in their way too much, but even if I was the best guest in the world I bet they'll enjoy having the house to themselves again after 3 weeks!

I was able to properly meet one of my housemates for the first time today, SJ. I met her briefly a few weeks ago but she was clearly stressed, coming in late after a hard day at work and her computer had broken. So she was kind of quiet and distracted. But today we have been chatting away and she is so sweet, she gave me a moving in present of some German chocolates! She's German. My other housemate, AB, is French and is also lovely, but I already knew that.

So 10 weeks after first seeing the room I was able to move in! Man. What a crazy time. I'll take some photos of my new flat soon and post them.

Missing you all in Aus.

xxxx