Introducing the girl!

Frit

OK - so I cracked

Call it sad, desperate and even a little tragic - but I could not go another day without a laptop. So please join me in welcoming to the family, Millie (named after my special niece and first car). I'll put a photo of her up tomorrow - but she is rather dishy. Acer travelmate - dvd burner, 60 gig, 512 RAM.... Sometimes it's easier not to fight being a geek.

The eBay IBM experience is know filed under 'learning'. I can't even bring myself to use it as a coffee table as previously proposed. I hate it and all its kind.

Never thought I would buy an Acer - but it was the best spec and value laptop with DVD burner - so there you go.

Expecting to hear about the contract role tomorrow - so might be able to finance todays impulse after all. Heres bloody hoping!

Slow news week

Highlight of this week will be going to The Fair (like the old AMP Shows in NZ) on Hamstead Heath. I'll remember to take the camera and attempt to capture the most childish moments.

Hotting up (long days as well)

Friday in London

Sunrise 4:54 (BST)
Sunset 21:00 (BST)
Max 30°C
Min 17°C

Unbelievable, shocking

I managed to read up on this one before I left and was absolutely convinced that this woman was innocent:

NEWSFLASH: Schapelle Corby Found Guilty Of Drug Trafficking
Australian beauty therapist Schapelle Corby has been found guilty of drug trafficking by a court in Bali Indonesia of trafficking 4 kilograms of marijuana to Indonesia.

Click here for the streaming news item.

I can't even begin to imagine how she got through her first night of a possible 20 year lag - but I did think she was impressively stoic in court.

The best theory I have heard on this one is that 2 baggage handlers were trying to ship gear between two Australian Airports and missed the second interception / pick up. Hence, the drugs made it all the way through to Bali in her bag after being inserted after she had checked in.

If that is true, you would hope that at least two other gutless f*%kers in Australia were struggling to sleep as well.

The best thing about Tubes...

Surprisingly enough, it is not the stifling temperatures - nor the compulsory bullrush at rush hour. Nope, it is the fact that cell phones do not work on the Tubes!

It struck me today when I had to endure a shrill, shameless, inane, tinittus inducing queen of hyperbole screaming in my ear for 15 minutes on the bus. I then jumped on the tube and enjoyed the relative tranquility of metal grinding on metal at 60 clicks an hour.

As capricious as this observation may be, it appears that for young English 'ladies' on a bus, there is a direct - possibly causal - relationship between unattractiveness and volume.

Fat, ugly, incredibly rude and a face like the north of a south bound horse. Shitbix she wound me up, you'd never have picked it though - would you?

Scott Watson, time to get the comments going people...

Right you lot - I have just watched a segment about Scott Watson on "Close Up at 7" (or "Cock up at 6's and 7's", as it has become known in some media circles!).

It seems like there are a few more people coming forward to put the boot into the initial enquiry - and some sound credible. Either way, I doubt he will get in joy out of the Governer General appeal - but what's the story!?!? Guilty or nowt? Genuine new evidence or media beat up?

(Mum - I know you have been watching and reading up on this one, so click on 'comment', fill in a couple of boxes and tell me!!)

Interviews done, all three of them

The first one was OK - lots of good contacts and a very 'high level' sort of a chat with someone who is going to 'transform the traditional recruitment business'... Anyways, if nothing comes of the other interview - it is something to fall back on and this guy had some fairly useful contacts with recruitment software houses.

Second interview was a bit more full on for a 3 month contract role. I did OK - but certainly not inspirational. Phil - Lou, funnily enough - the project is scoping the capture of online timesheet data - go figure... (Phil - expect a late night call if I didn't balls it up completely - thanks).

Third interview has just finished. Felt much more comfortable with this interview. Me, asking some searching questions of a bottle of red. Great candidate, french, fruity and all together satisfactory, so I might conduct a second interview now and leave you good folk to it (hic).

Big day tomorrow

So a very quiet day today, reading up on the company I am going to see and trying to remember some of those odious acronyms that fly about project land...

Regardless of the business case scenario put in front of me tomorrow - the answer is;

I'll give you an RDD, build that into a PDD, as long as the CB supports the overall finding of the original PP. If the PP is approved, then I as the BA, reporting to the PM, will work with the DBA to produce a detailed TDD.

Sometimes it's the little things that stand out...

For the first time since I have been here I have been the recipient of a random 'gidday mate' on the street! As I say, it's the little things...

Over here it seems that you just don't do that. I think I have frecked a few people out simply by looking at them as they walk by. God almighty, you certainly wouldn't pull off the painstaking evaluations of passers by that some of us were sometimes guilty of on the Viaduct.

I am reminded of one of my favourite little maxims:

'A glad eye is a glad eye, but a lazy glad, that's a perve!'

Hurricane Mum

I had a call from Mr Whitney yesterday telling me that the Hurricanes v Crusaders semi was on today and that there was a replay at the Walkabout Pub at 6pm tonight (Friday). Bloody good I thought, a few beers with a good kiwi mate and some code, excellent, plans made and tension building nicely. Go the 'Canes.

No looking at NZ websites today I reminded myself as I set off down to the shop to pick up some kitchen type provisions. Whilst at the shop, the phone rang, and low and behold it was Mum! I had been a touch tardy in supplying my cell phone number, so it was the first time I had talked to her. Email is great, but is so nice to hear familiar voices when you are on the other side of the planet.

"Hi love" came an excited and familiar voice. "Hi Mum! How are you" I replied, not thinking about the days plans - just happy to be talking to Mum.

"Thinks are good darling, it is twenty past ten here, and the bad news is the Hurricanes have just been absolutely thrashed by the Crusaders".

What I have just relayed to you is the first time my dear mother has EVER informed me of a rugby score in my life!!! In all likelihood it will be the last time she fills me in on a rugby score, given that she reads this. Don't worry Ma, not the end of the world! (Message to self - Lions tests are to be watched live). ['message to self' - dear god, that's the madness starting then - Ed]

Elliot has called once and sent one text message to ensure that I have not checked the score. At least I wasn't lying when I said, "No mate, I've not checked it - see you at 5".

A hit and a miss, a very big miss

Both eBay purchases came into my possession yesterday, let us just say that the results were mixed.

The digy camera is great - not particularly flashy, [that's awful, just as well most of your audience are unlikely to click ;-) - Ed] but certainly adequate. It has the cabling I need to download the pics and takes 2 mins of video at a time (I can get a bigger memory stick for it if necessary as well), so all well and good on that front.

Then there was the £100 IBM ThinkPad. So called, I imagine, because your first reaction after plugging the friggin thing in is; 'I Think I might be better off with a Pad'. Oh, it is shite, bona fide shite. It is pants, bollocks and on the whole not very good.

What was I thinking!?!?!?

As bad as I am at complaining about things - I think this brick could be making its way back to the guy I bought it off. The only other option is to stick legs on it and satisfy my need for a bedside table.

Bleak

I read an article yesterday advising that London can expect 39.2 degrees on August 12th! Damn that's hot - but it also means we have 29 degrees to go then... shite it's cold, and grey and a little dull. I am starting to believe the dire warning about London winters. But, unlike Wellington, we can't boast houses been washed away as I have just seen on the news here - how's Karori MJD!?!?

I have just confirmed a second interview for Tuesday (I have learnt not to include company names - a few people found a previous, not entirely complimentary, post whilst 'googling' their brand name!). It is scheduled for three hours and includes business case scenario's etc. I havn't been nervous before any interviews over here - but this one has me a little spooked!

I have 4 days to get the crank handle out, stick it in my ear and turn over the brain for the first time in a month, some from Hudson might claim that it was switched off significantly more than a month ago.

Other than that - not a lot doing really - the weather certainly doesn't inspire trotter based exploration, but the weather shows no sign of changing, so I may just have to harden up and get out there.

To eat, or to be online?

No contest really, so I have just bought a dodgy laptop off eBay. Whilst going from a nice Dell to a stone age IBM Thinkpad will be a rather humbling, and potentially infuriating, experience - at least I'll be able to give Kathryn her flat keys back and post from home.

And now I'll be able to offer the odd rumination from home after a few wines!! [You haven't really thought this one through, have you? Ed]

Howay the lads in Newcassell

Here are some selected pics from the weekend trip to Newcastle - thanks again to Kathryn and Mark! Luckily the camera wasn't on us when we went down to the Quayside on the Saturday night. [Although it would have given us a cheap and nasty way to get more hits, sponsorship and an 0900 number... Ed]

This is what it was all about! Me, in my 2 favourtite colours, outside the gates of St James' Park. Tear in the eye stuff...

Frit

Check out St James' Park - brilliant! (Note - the attempt of Newcastle to even the odds by installing an extra goal - it changed ends at half time).

Frit

Always good to be prepared - I had this parked out back just in case things got testy in the away end...

Frit

The very impressive Angel of the North

Frit

To give you an idea of the size (remembering of course that I am huge).

Frit

Game Day

Then came Sunday and I was bouncing around like a coked-up Kangaroo in anticiaption of my St James' park experience. It was wondrous - the whole day.

From getting the colours on and taking photo's outside the front gates, to promptly removing said colours to attend the game itself - in the friggin Chelsea end. I literally woke up this morning with these charming ditties running through my (already delicate) head...

"Have you ever seen Chelsea win the league?, Have you ever seen Chelsea win the league? Of course you have".

"Stand up if you're Champions". (If you think I ceded to the pressure and stood up at this point - you don't know me.)

"Dance then wherever you may be, we are the famous CFC.."

And on, and on, and on it went. And then it went on some more. It was like having my teeth pulled - but the St James' Park experience was enough to keep me smiling. Then came;

"Should we sing a song, should we singa song, should we sing a song for you - ssshhhh" (This was starting to hurt - but the muted home fans did bring it on themselves).

"You're worse than Sunderland" (right - you f*%kers are starting to go a little far. It's like the old "and your mother" line - there are some things you just don't say. At St James' - that is one of them.)

But nothing could dampen my spirits yesterday - a 1 - 1 draw was a good result to keep Mark and I civil for the journey home.

I'll see if I can get some photo's up tomorrow. The Angle of the North (as promised Suz!), and a few other things in Newcastle, but to be honest - there was only one thing in Newcastle that mattered yesterday!

The good folk of Newcastle - MENTALISTS!

This weekends jaunt to Newcastle was the experience I had hoped for, and so much more. We arrived after cruising the length of the country at a relaxed
150 clicks, getting passed by plenty of others, on the three lane M1. They do get some things right the Brits.

Arrived in Newcastle, checked in and went straight down to the Quayside. IT WAS NUTS. There were so many people in crazy outfits - it seemed like every single person was either on a stag or hens night. Surely what we are seeing can't be a standard Saturday night on the Quayside tiles?

Apparently so - this is where the fabric of society comes to get unstiched, and then well stiched up again... The amount and state of the people has to be seen to be believed. I've seen it - so believe me when I say - mentalists! But all good fun.

Away this weekend and posting will be the last thing on my mind

Leaving for Newcastle early tomorrow - so won't post again until I'm back on Monday - but I imagine it will be a fairly breathless and unintelligible rant after my St James' Park experience!

We are the geordies
The geordie boot boys
For we are mental
For we are mad
We are the loyalist
Football supporters
The world has ever................

A quiet wine at home - London style. Kathryn is holding the coke can for scale!

Frit

Sorry - but I have to dip into some politics

Copied below is the opinion page from the Dom Post on Stuff today - four headlines that Helengrad can not be happy with.... The article "Do you feel rich on 60K" is a must read (and shows again why John Key will be the next National Leader).

Is it just me, or are the seeds of discontent beginning to flower?

Phil - an update on the mood please! Because in my limited experience, things have to be bad (very bad) for the mainstream media start putting the boot into Labour.

Be ready to go to the polls in July people.

Police apologies are not enough

The bright spot on the horizon for beleaguered Police Commissioner Rob Robinson is that he retains the support of Police Minister George Hawkins and the prime minister. If he did not, he would no longer have his $410,000-$419,000-a-year job, The Dominion Post writes in an editorial.

Jeopardising our lifeblood

If 21st-century Kiwis raised among cellphones and the Internet doubted how important farming remains to the economy, they should have been disabused of their scepticism in the past 48 hours, The Dominion Post writes in an editorial.

Do you feel rich on $60,000?

When Labour came in to power in 1999, the richest 5 per cent of people had their taxes put up. Now, the top rate is being paid by 12 per cent of Kiwis, including nurses, teachers and police. Tracy Watkins reports.

Ministers deserve dunce's cap

Government hard man Trevor Mallard pulled no punches when he announced a $20 million bailout for Te Wananga O Aotearoa, the country's largest tertiary education institution, this week, writes The Dominion Post.

Lending a helping hand

Give us the hospital we were promised

Sorry - the html got nasty when trying to put the links in - but for Stuff - click here and go to the Dom Post.

And as for our glorious leaders, 'by definition, I can not leak' quote - don't get me started. But for the Nixon comparison (courtesy of DPF), click here - well worth a look. A closing quote:

"Those to whom much has been given sometimes suffer from arrogance; or rather the people around them suffer. Arrogance is doubly a pity, because the talents of the arrogant serve primarily themselves. The arrogant assumes his views and opinions are The Truth. In arrogance, natural confidence goes sadly awry. Rather than the self-assurance born of knowing his own strengths and limitations, arrogance admits no limits."

Not directed at anyone in particular - obviously.....

Too much!

Apart from being frigged around on the job front (Mark said it would take 6 weeks - I fear he may be right), there is more good news. A spiritual home coming of sorts no less.

I'M GOING TO St JAMES' PARK FOR NEWCASTLE V CHELSEA THIS WEEKEND!!!

'Pardon me?' [Ed]

I'M GOING TO St JAMES' PARK FOR NEWCASTLE V CHELSEA THIS WEEKEND!!!

'Sorry, missed it... What was that?' [Ed]

Bollocks you missed it - you heard me,

I'M GOING TO St JAMES' PARK FOR NEWCASTLE V CHELSEA THIS WEEKEND!!!

The new digy camera will be put through its paces as I make it click more than a Ronald McDonald commercial. There is one slight problem, I will be in the away end with the Chelsea lot - anyone who knows me and my ability to be discreet and circumspect in such situations should be flinching about now... Best leave the Newcastle kit in the wardrobe for this one.

But who cares! I'M GOING TO St JAMES' PARK FOR NEWCASTLE V CHELSEA THIS WEEKEND!!!

Waiting aside - there is good news!

Moving into the flat tonight! It's a funny sort of feeling - much akin to a first date really. Will she emerge with rollers in her hair? Will gregorian chants ring out from her bedroom just prior to bedtime? When is bedtime?

All will be revealed in a few hours.

For those who know London - click HERE to see where I'm at.

The frecking phone won't ring...

OK - so I'm not very good at waiting. Here I sit - looking at my mobile - checking the battery - checking the signal - looking for messages that are not there. All appears to be in order - apart from the fact that the bastard thing has not rung.

The guy from the hotgroup did say that there would be news in the next day or so, yesterday. So I'm waiting, badly.

Not much doing today

So I have had a play and sorted out some pictures. Mark is busy on eBay bidding on a digy camera for me as I type - so I am becoming a fully kitted out tourist, albeit slowly.

You'll have to forgive the random order of the pictures - they are a little back to front, can't be bothered reposting everything - but will know better for next time.

Having a quiet day - but I will email thehotgroup for progress later and hopefully have some news on that front tomorrow. Softball again tonight and moving into the flat tomorrow - otherwise a slow news day all around.

Here is Kathryn's form with blade in hand... Mark is the vic at this point - my punishment was to follow.

Frit

This is the result... I thought it might help me fit in at the footy....

Frit

They have named a cafe after me in Belgium. Remember Frit's cafe when I was about 9 (and rather gullible) Mum? It appears to have been franchised since!

Frit

Here I am in Belgium - go the kiwi wearing shorts, after all, it was at least 3 degrees!

Frit

My worthy hosts, Kathryn and Mark on the Sea France ferry.

Frit

A few pics from the weekend, here is me leaving Dover...

Frit

The Euro virgin is no more

Kathryn, Mark and I mounted the Saab express people mover on Saturday afternoon and headed down to Dover to catch a Sea France ferry across the channel. The white cliffs of Dover were, to be honest, under whelming at first. Then we were out to sea and looking back at them from a distance - then they were spectacular.

Click on this for an idea of what I mean if you haven't seen them.

Less than 2 hours later we were in St Oman. We had left our run quite late - but still found a dinky restaurant for dinner. I had an arrogant expectation that people the world over would be able to make out English - wrong....

Ordering dinner was a hoot. Mark was our resident Frenchy and took great pleasure in leaving me exposed on a number of occasions! But we got through it and had a very enjoyable meal and a few wines.

Chalk "eating snails in France" off the list of 'things to do' in Europe! If ever there was a case of something being famous for being famous - then eating snails is it. Tasteless gritty buggers they were - no wonder they were drowned in garlic butter. The only thing I learnt was that the earth of our good planet tastes the same the world over.

A few nightcaps at a local, and we called it a (very good) night. The next morning we returned to the Saab (conveniently parked right by the main entrance to the local church as hundreds of people made their way in) and headed up to Belgium.

Chalk "eating mussels in Belgium" of the 'things to do in Europe' list as well. The difference to snails being, that these were stunning. Tiny little mussels - but texture and taste was divine.

Post lunch we headed down to Dunkirk - and got completely broad sided by a cycle race and could not find the bloody beach! So we settled for a fairly sombre wonder through a cemetery. I found the British Mercantile Navy graves from WW1 and had a few moments. It wasn't an aweful, shocking or pictorially moving kind of an experience - but in its own way, it still spoke, quietly, in rather forlorn tones. I'll definitely return to Dunkirk to see the beaches and spend a lot more time - so keep the European experience duster of the board on that one.

Back to Blighty and those cliffs, with Mark sat next to me, happy to spit ball about how those returning from Dunkirk must have felt when they saw them back in 1940.

So that was my European debut - and it was brilliant - so much more to follow...

Frit, of fixed abode!

After 2 weeks of lovely hospitality at Mark and Kathryn's, and successfully using my years of experience of being the youngest (sleeping quite happily on the floor), I have found lodgings of my own.

I'll be moving into a flat at Hamstead Heath on Wednesday with Scarlett. She is the sister of one of the first people I met over here, Matt - a friend of K & M's. Lovely 2 bedroom place with great outdoors for summer barbies!! My fears of a grey indoor existence appear to be unfounded!

Very pleased to have that sorted, and Scarlett (aka 'Buzz' - when I find out why I'll tell you - if appropriate....) is lovely. So very happy.

And Mum - it is of suitable pedigree for you to stay at come the summer!

Well - 'sacred blue' indeed

I'm afraid that that is just about the extent of my grasp of the French language - even after a quick trip to France this weekend.

I have just got back from a flying visit to France and Belguim. However, am absolutely knackered - so will post a full update on the trip tomorrow - needless to say my first foray into a non-English speaking country was an experience. A fantastic one at that.

They say you come to London to use it as a base to see Europe - they are right. Having just watched the Saturday lunchtime game of footy on the box at Kathryn and Mark's, laid out on the couch feeling a touch seedy, we thought it may be nice to go to France for dinner, so we did! More to follow...

Back in Hudson colours!!

Panic not - I'm not going to be working for them! I got roped into a game of softball for Hudson last night at Regents Park. Regents Park was huge, with pasty POM's kicking footballs - everywhere!

It was good fun and I managed to fly the flag OK - hitting is all about anger after all. Had a few pints with the team afterwards - nice to meet a few more locals. One girl is looking for a flat at the moment as well - so will see what happens there.

The first place I interviewed at called back today and I am going back in to see them tomorrow. This is the job that was always the first preference - so here's hoping that pans out.

Still waiting to hear from Brother Chilcott to confirm Ireland, and given our history at organising things, I think I might be arriving with a Christmas card in tow. Time to get shite together Hornsby and get up there!!

Time to do the traveller thing

I got a message from Brother Chilcott last night, and after a couple of interviews yesterday, I am in a bit of a holding pattern on the job front. So I think I will head up to Ireland and visit the big fella.

I am going to check out the flat in Swiss Cottage tomorrow night - and if I can get that squared away (and wash my smalls!!) - I'll try to book flights for next week. A quick scan on the world wide interweb reveals fares for under £50 return!

I'll see if I can borrow Mark and Kathryn's digy camera and post a few photo's as well.

Mr Topper

Thinking that it would be unseemly to spary my hair around someone else's bathroom - I decided to head down to the local barber to get the standard number one. I went down to Camden Town and found "Mr Topper" - £6 seemed reasonable - so I headed inside.

There was an old man hunched over in a chair near the entrance - very nice of Mr Topper to let him in out of the cold I thought. I went to sit down and the old man stirred, with a tired and rather limp wave of his arm he indicated that I had missed my mark and directed me to 'the chair'. Ye gods, this was Mr Topper.

'Number one thanks' I said, 'I'll give you a half' he replied. Fair enough - by that stage he had clippers in hand and I was not about to argue. He proceeded with one shaking hand holding my head - I wasn't sure whether this was for my benefit or his. Then I had to slide down in the chair so he could reach the top of my head.

All had gone without incident and I was looking forward to beating a hasty retreat when he drew what I had hoped was a comb. Not so lucky, he flicked open an old fashion shaving blade. 'Hold still' he advised... In two words was uttered the most redundant sentence of all time.

Lou & Burrage, I will say it once

Congratulations Chelsea. I watched the game against Bolton with a well blue Chelsea boy - so Marc - I had both ears full of Chelsea banter don't you worry.

Nice to see super Frankie score the goals that won them the title.

Any unhinged billionaire interested in buying Newcastle - email fritpaher@hotmail.com.

Getting sorted

Sorry not to have any news more exciting - but like an old nana - I am busy getting my shite together before getting too adventurous. Have an interview with Centrica tomorrow - but not so keen on that as it a six month contract (good), paying plenty (v good), based in Windsor (not so flash).

Not so flash - particularly given that I think I have sorted myself a flat in the Swiss Cottage area - handy to Camden and Elliot in Islington. I met 'Buzz' (Charlotte) threw Mark and Kathryn - she seems lovely, owns the place, and sharing with one other sounds as good as it gets over here. Looking through the flatmate ads was funny - if I could pronounce the name at the bottom of the ad - I figured it was a go'er. There weren't to many go'ers...

Anyways - hoping that this week I get a couple of mundane details confirmed so that I can get on with the real Europey stuff.

Otherwise - all is well. However, I do fear the Heathrow injection could soon become a frightening reality. 10kg at the boarder they tell me - and I think they were right.