London Days 1-3
Staying with my cousin in a South London town called Earlsfield. Its very pleasant and village-like. I had a proper English welcome when I arrived - grey clouds and light rain at like 4 in the afternoon.
These are my random observationsover the last approximately 45 hours or so.
* The summer weather is quite plesant.
* You can spot tourists and ex-pats because they wear sunglasses. For some reason, the English don't wear em. Possibly because they want to experience this thing called "colour" before summer drains away.
* English Lads walk and drive around without their shirts on. Ergo, this behaviour is not localised in Bondi. Difference is that they're not bright pink here, just a ghastly reflective white. If I was meaner I'd call it a pallor. I wonder which came first though. Bondi or the Lads?
* The reason that no one talks to each other on he train is no one has anything worth saying. Just eavesdrop on a few conversation between people who know each other. Tedious. Enough material to inspire Becket forever.
* It seems the problems of the invading middle class, gentrification of working class suburbs and concomittant rising rents are occupying the collective anxiety of Londoners. This is no different than Sydney, except that in Sydney rent used to be cheap and still is (relatively).
* They serve Forsters on tap. I saw it. People drink that dishwater? There are also adds for XXXX Larger here. MAkes me wonder what crap the British are exporting to us that they don't really want. Besides all the Brits I work with. Cough.
* They have such a strong theatre scene here that directories of plays are sorted by location then theatre. Wow. We should be so lucky to have theatres that actually run more than one play at one time.
* Nobody has ever heard of a flat white. If you drink at a cafe, you ask for a long black and warm milk on the side. This is the continental way. I have now decided I will continue to ask for a flat white and invent an exotic story of what actually a flat white is. I am convinced this will charm any cute female baristas who may be in the vicinity of such a speech.*
* There are some good throw-ups on the railway lines.
* For anyone who cares, I just had lunch with Christy - an old friend who has been living in London for twenty months. She says hi. Well, I assume she does. She said it to me.
* There are lots of parks and commons about. I'm talking like suburbs with parks that run for moils (miles) in like multiple - multiple - directions. Its nice. Pity their grass is like grey from the drought. HAHAHA NOW THEY KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE LIVING IN AN ARID COUNTRY HAHAHAH SUCKERS SERVES YOU RIGHT FOR SHIPPING US OUT OT THE COLONIES BASTARDS.
(Current flat white theory is that its a special albino bean collected from the mountains of somewhere obscure that is then crushed to extract the special coffee juice which they then dry to make the white coffee powder)
These are my random observationsover the last approximately 45 hours or so.
* The summer weather is quite plesant.
* You can spot tourists and ex-pats because they wear sunglasses. For some reason, the English don't wear em. Possibly because they want to experience this thing called "colour" before summer drains away.
* English Lads walk and drive around without their shirts on. Ergo, this behaviour is not localised in Bondi. Difference is that they're not bright pink here, just a ghastly reflective white. If I was meaner I'd call it a pallor. I wonder which came first though. Bondi or the Lads?
* The reason that no one talks to each other on he train is no one has anything worth saying. Just eavesdrop on a few conversation between people who know each other. Tedious. Enough material to inspire Becket forever.
* It seems the problems of the invading middle class, gentrification of working class suburbs and concomittant rising rents are occupying the collective anxiety of Londoners. This is no different than Sydney, except that in Sydney rent used to be cheap and still is (relatively).
* They serve Forsters on tap. I saw it. People drink that dishwater? There are also adds for XXXX Larger here. MAkes me wonder what crap the British are exporting to us that they don't really want. Besides all the Brits I work with. Cough.
* They have such a strong theatre scene here that directories of plays are sorted by location then theatre. Wow. We should be so lucky to have theatres that actually run more than one play at one time.
* Nobody has ever heard of a flat white. If you drink at a cafe, you ask for a long black and warm milk on the side. This is the continental way. I have now decided I will continue to ask for a flat white and invent an exotic story of what actually a flat white is. I am convinced this will charm any cute female baristas who may be in the vicinity of such a speech.*
* There are some good throw-ups on the railway lines.
* For anyone who cares, I just had lunch with Christy - an old friend who has been living in London for twenty months. She says hi. Well, I assume she does. She said it to me.
* There are lots of parks and commons about. I'm talking like suburbs with parks that run for moils (miles) in like multiple - multiple - directions. Its nice. Pity their grass is like grey from the drought. HAHAHA NOW THEY KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE LIVING IN AN ARID COUNTRY HAHAHAH SUCKERS SERVES YOU RIGHT FOR SHIPPING US OUT OT THE COLONIES BASTARDS.
(Current flat white theory is that its a special albino bean collected from the mountains of somewhere obscure that is then crushed to extract the special coffee juice which they then dry to make the white coffee powder)
posted by stu willis at
2:46 am
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