first couple of days

We're here!

Leaving mebourne was a bit sad, but exciting! We got a bit lost at sydney and adopted a motto of 'follow the hotties' to the international terminal - 6 aussie guys with bintang singlets and rippling biceps who were obviously off to bali - wouldn't have looked out of place at the edgy hahaha. (to my dwarves, I went to make a hickey joke then realised no-one would get it...) flight to singapore was fine, made better by the fact that our captain was called 'Captain England' - no joke. He gave his welcome and we all squealed. It's fate.

BUT I no longer think hell is a burning pit of flames...it is a 14 hour plane trip to heathrow with a fat man in front and behind you, who reclines his seat ridiculously far back and smells bad.
Mmmm long haul flights. Poor Yve.
But the high point was definitely the plane letters - they were so beautiful guys, I cried multiple times! Thankyou!

So after melbourne to sydney (saw the opera house and bridge as we landed for the first time!), sydney to singapore then singapore to london, we finally arrived. after the very long queue through immigration, and me nearly shitting my pants because my visa was in my other passport and the guy took AGES sending me through ('sorry miss, you're going to have to return to australia...') we got picked up by Martin, the groundskeeper, at around 6am - thats commitment, driving out that early! It was cold, dark and wet..and has pretty much stayed the same since. Yay English weather.
We had brekky, which was so weird as our body clocks were telling us it was dinnertime, then had to force ourselves to stay awake. Sam and Martin (the other Martin) welcomed us and we had a long chat about everything really - they're lovely and friendly, and their son Owen is nearly one year old and completely adorable. I got all clucky and carried him around as we walked around the school - I think I've gone into baby withdrawal, I suddenly have no cousins to hold! We got a short tour of High Wycombe then went grocery shopping with a £100 budget, as we don't get meals until school opens. We were very healthy...with 3 vegetarians and a diabetic, there was never going to be any frozen pizza or party pies haha.

This morning, after going to bed at 7pm the night before (I didn't hold on that long, I was in bed by 6...), we went down to sort out phones and groceries that we had forgotten to pick up the day before. We went shoe shopping (and I DIDN'T buy anything - I am not my mother yet! love you mum) Smirnoff was on special, so naturally I grabbed that haha. Bought a cheap phone and SIM, and the internet is FINALLY working so we can start looking at places to go in our first week off, which is in february I think?

Also, Caitlin and I saw a squirrel and got very very excited. Cutest things ever!

The school is so pretty. Sam told me that this was the inspiration for Mallory Towers, which I read constantly when I was little, so I'm doubly impressed. We're in Highlands (one of the boarding houses) at the moment, which is ok but I can't wait to leave and move into a proper room...living out of a suitcase sucks, especially when you're as messy as me. I also snore like an old man, so basically I'm the worst roomate ever. The previous gaps have left heaps and heaps of lonely planet guides and other useful things like coats...thankyou!!

We're off to London tomorrow for NYE and general touristy things for a couple of days, then start work after that. I looked at a West End brochure and just about died with joy...if I go missing this year, that's where you'll find me. The Royal Ballet is doing Giselle, '39 steps' and the 'Glass Menagerie' is playing and Les Miserables has tickets from £20. theatre nerd alert.

I haven't set up skype yet, but as soon as I do I'll let you all know. Want to hear your voices. Hope you're all having fun in the warm Australian sun! Forecast for NYE in london is 6 degrees - balmy! :)

I'm planning on updating this blog about once a week? we'll see how I go with that!

G xx