October 2006 Archives

There's a draft plan up describing the proposed second runway at Brisbane airport. And in spite of the fact that Ascot and Hamilton are named as areas likely to be affected by increased airline traffic patterns, I'm all in favour. The truth of the matter is that flights are only diverted over land in Brisbane when weather conditions are bad or when jets need to be placed in a holding pattern in order to wait in turn to land. A second runway would certainly reduce the need for holding patterns for flights and therefore potentially *reduce* noise over this area.

However, being me, I did have a look at the report and was just tickled by the rather unfortunate naming choice of urban planners selected to write the report.

Oh dear.

The story on Brisbane Extra was screened tonight, and I'd like to thank the folk at Channel 9 for the opportunity to further promote this petition. I do want to clarify something though, based on the interview of the mum who didn't support Daylight Saving. The mum seemed to be concerned that having Daylight Saving would mean her son would be up earlier and later in the day. Let me make something very clear, folks. Daylight Saving does NOT give us extra light at both ends of the day. You can NOT increase the number of hours of daylight in the day. It's patently impossible. All we do with Daylight Saving is shift the time when daylight passes over the region. So instead of Brisbane being light at 5am as it is at the moment, with Daylight Saving it would instead be light at 6am. And given it is black dark in Brisbane at 6:30pm at the moment, it would instead be dark at 7:30pm. That's not late. Even at the height of summer, the sun would set at 7:48pm at the very latest. And it would be dark soon after 8pm. For most of the Daylight Saving period, it would be dark long before 8pm. So please, people, don't vote against Daylight Saving because you think we are increasing the hours of daylight. It just can't happen!!!

Due to a great deal of public pressure and calls from the community to take this issue so much further, with the support of Councillor Jane Prentice, I have extended the petition to adopt Daylight Saving in South Eastern Queensland until the end of the current Daylight Saving period in Australia, at the end of March 2007.

We are in the process of improving the design and registration process for participation in this online petition, and we are hopeful that all the people who have sent through messages of support but who haven't yet had an opportunity to sign for or against the petition online will soon be able to participate in a streamlined fashion. Please note that the reason why we have had to ask participants to register for this petition is to ensure that (a) we’re getting real people signing on to the petition, and (b) we can verify people are residents in Queensland. We accept that the process is somewhat arduous, but once participants have registered once they can vote on any e-petition raised at the site, so we're hoping that may produce a more active community. Participnats may want to request their own petitions on other subjects once they have signed up with the Local Government Association of Queensland e-petition site. The National Forum (publishers and maintainers of the e-petitions site, but who receive no profit from this petition) do also guarantee that email addresses are not published anywhere or used for spam purposes.

Thanks again to all those who have worked so hard on promoting this petition online and in the 'real world'. Let's keep the pressure on and achieve our ultimate goal of unilateral Daylight Saving adoption in the South East corner of Queensland in 2007!

I'd like to thank everyone who has expressed their support for my Daylight Saving campaign in South East Queensland. It's been fantastic to receive your emails, signatures and activism in support of this important cause. Particular thanks to Nick Lloyd who has been standing on street corners, handing out flyers about the petition in Brisbane streets! You're wonderful, Nick, and I very much appreciate the great work you've been doing!

The text of the flyer that Nick prepared is below... Anyone who wants to follow his great example and post this message to their own website has Nick's permission to do so!

Daylight Savings Petition to put to South East Queensland Councils – Closes 1st of November 2006

Many of us are now aware of there having been increases of around 1500 people moving up to Queensland each week.

Many or most of whom are now living with-in the council zones of South East Queensland (SEQ) leaving there to be questions raised as to whether or not the 1992 Queensland Daylight Savings Referendum really does provide the true and genuine wishes of what today’s vote on the issue would really be.

There are 18 different councils with-in SEQ and all of them gain more light from earlier-eastern sunrise times than that of the ‘lesser day-lit’ southern cities of Sydney, Melbourne & Hobart.

Clearly speaking, the majority of the ‘No Daylight Savings’ state voters in 1992’s referendum did not live within the SEQ council zones as they apparently ended up complaining about the mornings being too dark.

Let the SEQ councils know of your say by simply visiting www.petitionsqld.com.au

Enrolled voters living with-in the council zones of South East Queensland are eligible to participate.

BREAKING NEWS: WA to Trial Daylight Savings for 3 Years – Source: The West Australian
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=145&ContentID=10997

I've been doing the rounds of the media outlets lately with an on-air interview on ABC local radio yesterday afternoon and a piece for the Channel 7 news tonight, and the reflection in the number of signatures for the e-petition has been clear. Today we broke the 3000 signatures mark, and I'm hoping to double that by Wednesday week. If anyone has problems registering to show their support please let me know so I can get the good folk at Petitions Queensland to fix for you.

Having just returned from one of the wettest places on earth, the story today that people waste money singing in the shower resonates with me as being distinctly Australian and also extremely believable. I found myself feeling guilty in the UK for having two showers a day, but then felt, 'well why not enjoy the resource you normally lack?'. In SE Queensland we are now at 26.7% capacity, and look like simply running out of water in another 2 years. I'm still an advocate for recycled water, but that aside, we do need to be more careful with water-related activities such as showers and washing. I've been sent an egg timer in a kit to reduce time in showers, but have been pretty good with short showers ever since the gas crisis in Melbourne in 1998. I'm wondering though whether we should consider the possibility of state wide installations of roof capturing devices for back yard tanks? If the process were dramatically subsidised and made law in the way smoke detectors and gates around swimming pools have been enforced, perhaps we could enjoy those long lazy showers without threatening our state's future?

It is really extraordinary how much hate mail I'm getting for the petition I'm running for Daylight Savings to be adopted by South East Queensland councils. After a piece in the Brisbane City News and The Australian last week, I have received about 50 emails from people who are either passionately in support or angrily rejecting my petition. Amusingly, most of those people who reject my calls for Daylight Savings keep going on about Daylight Savings being so terribly wrong for far north and western Queensland - in spite of the fact that the petition is particularly focused on the South East of Queensland and specifically excludes far north and western Queensland. Just goes to show, a passion for light (or dark ages perhaps) doesn't necessarily mean that people will in fact read your petition!

Shan and I have spent the evening reliving our childhood, in borrowing the original season of Skippy and have been barely able to keep our seat with laughter at the production values. Besides the prop-man's hands in the shot for most of Skippy's scenes, we've been highly amused by the fact that Skippy herself keeps morphing in to a wallaby in every third shot and Sonny really does need a second shirt. There's a seriously questionable relationship between the helicopter guy, Jerry, and the teenaged brother of Sonny, Mark, and bad guys tend to spend a lot of time and money on equipment and plots to profit from the rather slim pickings of a national park land. The plots are bizarre and the scenes move exceedingly slowly. There are plenty of shots of the very menacing roo/wallaby, koalas look generally like they've had a hard night at the pub and always want to cross the road when the bad guys are driving on them, and if the harmonica soundtrack is anything to go by, possums are downright evil.

A brief search on the internet has failed to uncover a Skippy the Bush Kangaroo drinking game, and we feel this is a sad indictment on Australian Culture. As a result we would like to propose the following rules for the inaugural Skippy Drinking Game (©2006 Shannon Morris and Joanne Jacobs):

* Every time Skippy can hear a stone fall over a distance of 90 kilometres with those menacing and swivelling ears - 1 vodka shot;
* Every time a bad guy manages to get knocked out in a single punch - 1 soft drink;
* Every time Skippy attacks a bad guy by jumping on him - 1 tequila shot;
* Every time Skippy suddenly turns into a wallaby - 1 gin shot;
* Every time Jerry the helicopter guy takes his shirt off - 1 beer;
* Every time the Sonny is wearing a new shirt - rip your own shirt off;
* Every time Sonny calls Skippy on the gum leaf - make up a new rule for the drinking game;
* Every time you see the prop man's hands in shot whilst skippy's clawed hands are supposed to be doing something complex - scull whatever you are drinking.

We are fully prepared to review this game in future episodes, but right now we're just deeply disturbed by the fact that Skippy is conducting mail fraud and concealing the Hammond's mail in her pouch.

Huge thanks to Shan and Jo for picking me up at the airport today and bringing me home to breakfast in the Brisbane sunshine! It was good to be home and more thanks go to Jo for doing such a fabulous job looking after the place and presenting it clean as a whistle when I got home. Ah Brisbane! Where the Riverside Expressway's structural flaws may be causing traffic chaos, but where the cooler breezes dapple the shadows beneath the jacarandas, now in full bloom. Some times poetic imagery can overcome the banal.

Now, however, I'm totally jet lagged and must sleep. Will catch up with people soon. Thanks folks!

Hi folks,

Quick post from Singapore after a VERY busy flight from Heathrow - every seat was booked - and another fully booked flight coming up (and a middle seat which I hate). Was thoroughly miserable to see the hedges and green, green fields of the British Isles falling away beneath me and am going to have to focus on a few papers I'm writing and my petition for Daylight Savings in South East Queensland to get enthusiastic about getting back to work.

Thanks, once again, to my friends in the UK for their company and magic whilst I was there. Special thanks to my wonderful friend in Glasgow.

Oh I *so* don't want to leave this place. I have absolutely adored my holiday here in Scotland and have met some of the friendliest people you would ever meet. Everyone wants to talk to me and everyone has offered advice on places to see and thing to do, or they've asked me to recommend places to see in Oz. They're all keen to get Aussies over here because apparently we make great tourists and have a similar sense of humour, and they seem to genuinely care about sharing the space and time they have. The thought of going back to the daily grind after this is... well, let's just say that if I won Lotto, I know where I'd head first!

On my last day touring Glasgow I mainly wandered the streets of town, taking in the more obscure and less touristy sights by traversing tiny laneways and passing cafes and little businesses, and then returning to the main scene with shopping and just breathing in the atmosphere.

And bizarrely, I was mistaken for a Scot by a local who stopped me in the street and asked for directions to a landmark in Glasgow proper. Perhaps my tartan scarf and long black overcoat looked legitimate! Anyway I was not merely diverted that I was asked directions, I was highly amused to be able to answer correctly and give quite detailed advice on how to get to the particular landmark! :) Having a photographic memory for directions and streets comes in handy on occasion!

Anyway I finished the day by doing terribly prosaic things like picking up my washing and organising my suitcase before heading out to dinner (yes Mum, I did eat!) and finishing up the day with some videos on YouTube. Tomorrow morning I complete packing my case and very regretfully must depart this beautiful country. What a trip this has been. I'll probably be offline for the next few days if I can't get to a terminal, so all the very best to everyone and if I can't do so sooner, I will post again when I'm back to work in Brisbane.

Farewell beautiful Scotland. I will see you again soon, I'm sure!

I have had a thoroughly Scottish, and absolutely lovely day. The day began in darkness, waiting for the taxi to take me to George Square, Glasgow, where I waited for 15 minutes in icy cold for the minibus that would take us to the Highlands for the day. I grabbed some breakfast from the shop next to the pick-up point, and was thankful for my big black overcoat, scarf and hat that insulated me against the cold. I figured if I were cold here, imagine how cold it would be later in the day!

The bus turned up precisely on time, and I and 8 other tourists (1 Scottish woman, 5 Indians and 2 Australians other than me) piled in to the bus. While I was probably one of the last on board, I grabbed the front single seat so I would have a clear view to the front and side of the bus for the route - best seat IMHO. We travelled quickly through Glasgow, with our tour bus guide, Bruce, telling us about the history of Glasgow and the stories of the clans and their deeds. The skies were heavy with a true Scottish mist which revealed and then swallowed buildings trees and bridges. But as we travelled the mist began to rise and by the time we reached Loch Lomond, we could get a few photos and see the sun filtering through. We got back in to the bus and headed up the road to the stunning Glencoe, by which time the mists only hid the tallest peaks and the three sisters rose above us like a timeless judiciary. This is incredibly beautiful country, rugged and challenging, yet full of grandeur.

Then onwards and upwards, we travelled to Fort William in the shadow of the great mountain, Ben Nevis, and on to Spean Bridge for lunch. There I had Scotch broth (chicken and thick vegetable soup) and a cup of tea before browsing the tartans and having the tiniest spoonful of the local distillery's product before tumbling back in to the bus and heading north. The skies were a deep blue, utterly cloudless, and the view from the bus with the sun shining on this green country was simply amazing.

We followed the pathway of Loch Lochy and Loch Oich to Glen Garry, past Fort Augustus, and finally had our first glimpses of the magnificent Loch Ness. Every time you looked there were post card images through every window. And through it all, our driver, Bruce regaled the tales of the MacDonalds and the Campbells, the McGregors and the Bruces, Rob Roy, Robert of Bruce and of course, William Wallace.

Finally we arrived at Urquhart Castle, where the ruins of the former Scottish stronghold remain, after the majority of the building was destroyed to prevent the Jacobites taking it over. After exploring the ruins, we caught a ferry up Loch Ness to Inverness. What a journey! Nessie is so deep, so cold and so black I can entirely imagine the tales that have been spun about her. As we journeyed up her glacial route, black waves spiralled off behind us like a long dark serpent, and in the distance, the sun shone brightly on her softly undulating surface. To enter entirely in to the Scottish spirit though, I was informed I had to try a nip of the local product, so with a thimblefull of single malt cupped in my hand, I watched the waters for the monster, but our ferryman told us that the sun was clearly keeping her away.

We landed at the Loch Ness ferry terminal and browsed the Nessie paraphernalia before climbing back on the bus and heading to Inverness and down to Pitlochry in Perthshire for dinner. I steeled myself and ordered Haggis with a Baked Potato, and enjoyed every bite. Basically a spicey mince meat, it was a fabulous and filling meal with the potato and salad. And Pitlochry is such a beautiful little town, full of guest houses and festivals. I'd love to stay there longer some day.

Then finally we headed back in to the bus as the light faded and the mists once again began to close in, but we managed to see Stirling Castle from a distance, lit brightly in the darkness. We arrived at George Square ahead of schedule at 8pm, whereupon I hopped on to the Underground for the quick trip to Hillhead in Glasgow's West End.

And now, I'm enjoying a nice cup of tea and marvelling at the photographic record of my day. I've had the full Scottish experience: mists at dawn, tales all day, Scotch broth at lunch, exploration of the ruins of a twelfth century castle, a nip of whiskey while I marvelled at Nessie, and Haggis for dinner! There's nothing like getting in to the spirit! But seriously, Scotland is simply a stunning country. And this Highlands tour is truly a wonderful experience; I'd highly recommend it to anyone coming to this part of the world.

Today I rose early, feeling much better after the bad day yesterday and went to Edinburgh to visit the Castle and other Edinburgh attractions. I have spent a long day out and am keen to get to bed as I have a very long day booked for tomorrow when I go up to the Highlands for a tour, but essentially the trip is chronicled visually by my photo set.

The set begins 2 days ago at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, makes a quick detour back to Glasgow, when I was recovering yesterday, and then returns to Edinburgh for the Castle, Old Town and Rosslyn Chapel. Enjoy!

I'll try and post tomorrow after the tour, but we'll see how I go!
G'nite all!

So since 9am today has not been the greatest day. I'm not going in to too many details, but I had to make a trip to the emergency room of the local hospital in Glasgow for anti-biotics after I came down with a fairly debilitating fever earlier today, and this prevented me from spending the day at Edinburgh Castle as I had planned and hoped to do. I'm fine now - I have a prescription and have had a long sleep today, and the fever has passed, but it's left me a little weak. I have a great body for responding to treatment though, so I'm confident that all will be well by tomorrow, and I'll be able to return to my wonderful holiday. I'll spend the rest of the day walking very slowly around the West End and eating a bit more than I have been - I had skipped all of my meals other than breakfast yesterday and had not yet had breakfast this morning when I came down with these symptoms.

I want to make a point though, of thanking the Western Infirmary (a Glasgow hospital) and the UK National Health Service for the absolutely wonderful assistance they provided for me today. When I was on the verge of fainting, they took me in and treated me immediately and even made sure I was okay to walk before they called me a cab back to the hotel with my prescription and instructions to rest. And this was all provided for free. As a tourist I thought I would be billed for visiting the hospital, but they assured me that this is what the NHS is all about. And their sympathy and understanding was just fantastic. Rather than being terrified of a sudden and virulent illness, caught in a strange land, I felt protected and confident in the treatment I was receiving. It was just remarkable and a testament to a fabulous health care system. To the staff at Western Infirmary then, and the cab drivers who offered to assist me walking and tried to cheer me up when I was ashen-faced, my sincere and enduring thanks. If ever there's an indication of the quality of a people, it is how they respond when you are in need. And from my experience today, I have to say the Scottish are some of the most generous and sympathetic people I've ever known. Thank you, all.

Today has been another magnificent day in Scotland, beginning with a beautiful sleep-in and a leisurely breakfast in the West End of Glasgow and a little local sight-seeing before heading in to shopping at Buchanan St, Glasgow.

This afternoon involved a visit to Edinburgh and a tour through the new Scottish Parliament building - truly a superb facility with a distinct sense of participatory democracy as well as the national identity, history and iconography. Amid the splendour and medieval poetry of Edinburgh architecture, the Parliament campus has a distinctive and courageous design, articulating the organic and reflective nature of their newly-formed democratic process. Wonderful stuff.

This was followed by a wander through the streets of Edinburgh and a stop off at the Scottish Poetry Library and a wonderful hot chocolate espresso at the Plaisir du Chocolat salon at Cannongate on the Royal Mile.

Thanks once again to my wonderful tour guide and friend for making today so special. It's been wonderful to see you again and I wish you all the very best of everything.

What a day!

I began by exploring the University of Glasgow and marvelling at 500 year old structures, mixed with the urban and industrial designs of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as a little 21st century culture. Then I met my wonderful friend, who spent the rest of the day showing me the sights! We began with the Kelvin Grove Art Gallery which is just a beautiful building filled with fabulous exhibitions of both modern and historical works, exhibited in a manner that invites grassroots engagement - really a fabulous facility. Then we moved on to the Glasgow School of Art which is a lesson in Scottish architecture and design, based on the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. We were privileged enough to be given a private tour of the facility and I had a chance to view aspects of the building that are otherwise not permitted to the public - really a sensational experience. Then we moved on to the city centre of Glasgow itself, taking in the Sauchiehall Street public mall, including shops and more Mackintosh-inspired tea rooms and new public spaces, before dropping in to The Lighthouse, where Urban Learning Space is based. Then after negotiating future opportunities, we moved on to the Royal Scottish Opera House and the new Finnieston Bridge (connecting the West End and city centre of Glasgow over the River Clyde) before dinner and a discussion about our respective national identities!

So I'm back at the hotel now and looking for an early night before exploring the political history of Scotland tomorrow! There are heaps of pictures coming on all this - will post when they are uploaded!

Just finally though, I want to make a special point of thanking my friend for his time today. I'm deeply appreciative of his taking me over Glasgow so thoroughly and for humouring me in my exploration of Australian and Scottish nationalism and cultural identities. So thank you hugely!!! You are wonderful!!!

My apologies for not getting around to posting yesterday - it has been a long couple of days but now I'm happily ensconced in Glasgow amid the Glasgow 'red stones' at the Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel. Pics tomorrow, I promise.

I also haven't got around to commentating on Tuesday's activities, but the pics are there if you want to see what I got up to. Right now I just need to rest so will post longer tomorrow!

Nite all!

Pics from last night are now up!

Thanks to Tonya for a magnificent night at the Drury Lane, restaurant, Sarastro. Was an absolutely wonderful evening and I heartily recommend this place to anyone coming to London! Plus it was just sensational to see the lovely Ton again and to catch up on moments of our lives over the past 6 months.

*many hugs to Tonya*

Well they said it was going to happen but now it's a reality: Google has bought YouTube, aka the most wonderful productivity virus on the face of the planet. With YouTube and Google Videos now heading the video generation and dissemination market, it's going to be an interesting time for user-led production.

And for what it's worth, I own http://www.userled.com.
:)

So this is where I'm staying, and I also have pics of the outside and a few pics of my room (see below). And for Jo Clarke, here's a blue tardis! :)

As for today, I started with wearing heels this morning before realising that my feet still ached from yesterday, so reverted to my unattractive, but remarkably sensible leather shoes with rubber soles. I think my body has thanked me for it. While these shoes still have a bit of a heel, they are incredibly comfortable, and made the run around on public transport very easy today.

The day remained cloudy, and the wind whipped up almost as soon as I left the hotel. Even so, I was warm enough with the suit. I began the day by rescheduling my appointments with work duties till the next day and then hopped on the Underground to Piccadilly Circus, and from there ambled to Leicester Square and Covent Garden before heading up to Oxford Street, down the length of Oxford Street to Marble Arch at Mayfair and through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens before heading home. Then after a quick shower and small bit of business, I met up with Tonya for dinner tonight and had an absolutely fantastic time. We dined at Sarastro in Covent Garden, where people generally go after seeing a show at the West End. In addition to a fabulous meal, we were treated with string cabaret followed by opera cabaret, whereupon the weary girls (Tonya had just returned from a weekend in Italy) headed to their bases for an early night!

I don't have pics of the evening session downloaded as yet, but you can check out the day shots (and commentary) from today's adventures here!

I've just returned from breakfast where there was Vegemite. Bless you, Aussie tourists, for bringing the Great Vitamin B Boost into the mainstream of London hotel offerings for continental breakfasts! I was quite happy to stick to marmalade for the day today, but I will partake of the old Vegemite tomorrow. But I plan to have more porridge with honey. Yummy.

As for the weather today, the sky is cloudy and a pale pearly grey, but the temperature is ridiculously warm at about 16 degrees at 8am, heading for a top of around 19° C. The odd shower is predicted, but I think my little pink brolley will be sufficient. I suspect I'll be a bit warmish in my suit all day though. Not that 19 is all that warm; it's 18 degrees right now at home, after a top of around 24, but with the humidity here the apparent temperature at 19 is about 22 or 23 degrees anyway, and the clothes I've brought are all designed for about 12 degrees. So I'm already hot. And I think my big black overcoat is going to be WAY too warm today so I'm leaving it at the hotel. Just do me a favour and ensure you send warming vibes for the day!

Okay folks: I have the London Knowledge Lab and sight-seeing around Oxford and Regent Sts and Covent Garden on the agenda for today and then I'm hoping to meet with a contact in London and an old friend before collapsing back at the hotel room (with piccies!) tonight. See you then!

I don't have many pics as yet, but thought I would share a few shots of the first few hours of my time away. The commentary is in there with the photos, but really it's just a tiny taste of what I've been up to since I arrived. I must get some shots of the hotel, some of the Kensington Gardens and a few street scenes. And I'm sorry I missed taking a photo of the London taxi to which I did a double take today. The old London cab network has begun to sell advertising space on the old black glossy veneer which I must admit, probably makes good business sense, but it does take away from the classiness of the old cabs. In any case, I was highly amused today to see a London cab roll up with standard beach scenes and happy kids depicted, and the words "Holidays2Queensland!" in big, friendly letters plastered along the side. I come half way around the world, just to face advertisements for holidays back home on the morning of my arrival. As Kath from Kath and Kim would say, "Noice".

In other news, I am not noticing any jet lag and it feels like the time it actually is. I will go to bed early tonight to ensure I don't push myself too hard - after all, I was up at the equivalent of 3am local time this morning - but generally I'm not feeling at all troubled this time around. Maybe insomnia is useful at times :)

Tonight I'm going to have dinner here in Kensington and tomorrow I'm doing the first of my work gigs, before meeting up with the wonderful Tonya late in the day. And I'm hoping to do some more touristy things as well! I promise to moblog it all! :) In the meantime, goodnight Australia and I'll see you in the morning!

well here I am in Pommyland. It's a fine day - feels remarkably warm for 15 degrees, but it's completely still and the sun is shining so I suppose I have brought good Aussie weather with me.

The leg from Singapore to Heathrow was actually a lot easier than the previous leg, primarily because it was less bumpy, and because I did indeed sleep through much of it, in spite of the constantly screaming baby in the row in front of me. Thank goodness for medication! So after spending my first two hours in the UK in queues and waiting for shuttle buses, I at last found myself on my connection to the Rydges Kensington Plaza, where I am staying.

It struck me in the bus on the way here how much London reminds me of Melbourne, only bigger, greener and slightly fussier, or more fastidious. There really are so many aspects of London that have clearly been replicated in Melbourne. I think that's why I really don't get a culture shock from London the way I do from other places.

My room here at the Rydges Kensington Plaza is hysterically tiny, but has a rather large bathroom (proportionately speaking). The room itself is only about a metre and a half deep, but it's long so it has a little single bed at one end, this desk and a little cabinet and wardrobe with TV on it at the other end, and a door through to a roomy bathroom with shower over the bath. I'm about to reward myself with a glorious long shower after the shower in Singapore was nearly cold. it's now 31 and a half hours since I left Brisbane and one almost cold shower in that time just ain't enough. Then I'm heading off to take photos and go shopping before hopefully one Robin Harrison is actually going to contact me. Hint, hint, Robbie!

Anyway, I'm accessible via email and Skype etc, so anyone who just wants to put a message through and register your jealousy is welcome to do so!

*hugs all round* YAY! I'm here!!!

....Where it's hazy and 30 degrees. I'm looking forward to a good shower and a feed after a fairly bumpy ride to Singapore. Good films on demand in flight though. But a flight in economy is.. well it's a flight in economy, so I'm looking forward to sleeping through some of the next leg.

But I arrived in Singapore to find that one of the contributing authors of Uses of Blogs, Trevor Cook, is recommending a BloggerCon downunder and I think it's a fabulous idea. I encourage all to show their voices in support!

Right, well I'm off for a shower. Next time I'll blog from London. Wish me many restful vibes for this next leg!

Here I am in the Qantas Club before departure to Singapore. HUGE thank you to Shan and Jo for looking after me this morning on the morning of departure, and to Jo for house sitting my place whilst I'm away - enjoy the Foxtel Jo!!! :)

Will post again from Singapore before the Heathrow flight if possible. Can't post piccies as yet as I need the connection cable to my laptop, but will still take pics as proof at various points of the journey and upload once I get to London.

Hope everyone is well! *hugs all round*

Well folks, I am getting ready to depart to the UK on the weekend, so will be blogging this trip as 30% work and 70% holiday - yes, settle down, I know it's a shock, but yes, I am taking a holiday. Hard to believe, I know, but so is the fact that I'm nearly 10 kilos heavier than I was last February, so get over it. I'm healthy and I'm taking a holiday.

I have managed to find a pink and black fabric backpack which not only matches my girly pink suitcase, but which is also small enough to get through any security requirements, and which also fits my laptop, Nokia N70, all documentation and general necessities. And I have a matching umbrella. I look like a Chanel Geek, but it works for me!

Thanks to the wonderful Jo for house sitting my place whilst I'm away (it's just appropriate there's a Jo here, while this one is away!) and to all my lovely friends for helping me prepare for this trip! Ali, Sheddy, Deb, ABC, Shannie, Cammi, Jo, Liz, Kev and everyone else - you're all wonderful. And to my muse - thank you for sharing this with me!

To prove it did indeed happen, here's an actual pic of the book launch from last Friday. Thanks to Graham Young of On Line Opinion for launching, and to Axel and all the contributors to the book for assisting us in celebrating this event!