LONDON SUBWAY BOOTCAMP....IN PRACTICE FOR THE AMAZING RACE?? (I HOPE!!)

On our last Contemporary Scholars night together, myself and some other scholars went to see "Mama Mia"...how we LOVED it!!  At the end there was joyous singing and dancing and hugging people we didnt even know....we nearly did a Tom Cruise and jumped up and down on the seats!! If ever you get the chance to see a live show at London West End...please do..... its an amazing experience, there is something about the theatre in London...tonight I am going to see my all time ever favourite live show..."Les Miserables" (I got great seats at less than half price.. 30 pounds...bargain)......a message to the blokes out there...if you want brownie points with your partner take them to Mama Mia...and even be outrageous and sing and dance at the end, bet you cant not do it!!!  I was with Canadian, American and NZ scholars and I jived my best for Australia, kinda think the Canadian may have had the best groovy moves though (Go Brenda!!)

(Les Miserable...I read the book about 20 years ago, it was so profound and about the goodness in people...poor Rhys I used to wake him up at night and read out passages from the book, it is so beautifully written...."To love another person is to see the face of God" V.Hugo...Les Miserables)

Anyway...the morning after Mama Mia, the group sadly went their own ways and I made my way to the Farmers Club where I was staying for the night (and coming back for the last 2 nights before coming home).  A couple of Scholars who were staying at the Farmers Club offered to wait for me and come over here together but in my wisdom (and need to blog and repack my bags) I decided I would make my way over via the tube....OH MY GOODNESS.....my bags weigh about 30kg +15kg = 45kg in total (needless to say some is being posted home prior to me flying back as excess luggage is $75/kg...yikes!!).

45kg, that is a quarter of a full wool bale, and if you have ever travelled the subway...there are a million people,million stairs and no lifts...so I lugged 45kg up and down stairs to get here, found the other scholars at the lounge bar, flopped down in the lounge chairs exhausted...reconciled myself to the fact I had got across London for 9 pound by taking the subway...only to find they had taken a taxi and it had cost them only 6 pounds each!!!!

So those who know how much I love the Amazing Race, have heard me talk about it all the time, have sat through my training sessions where I show you Amazing Race episodes etc will know that is called a "road block" in the race...a mightly roadblock at that!!!  Go me!!!

The Farmers club is divine and we have been so lucky to have been given a membership for the year (worth approx 300 pounds) and it is like a home away from home and it is so friendly, I went to the bar the other night and had a great chat with some UK vets, I dont like travelling alone so its good I can go and find like minded people for a chat (and an english pimms!!)


View from my room at the Farmers club...

Next post...about travelling to York and visiting a UK scholar, who I am then travelling to Peterborough for a Precision Ag expo, to see the latest and greatest in technology in the UK, so an interesting journey towards my research....there has been nearly 900 blog views in the 12 days I have been here, I really sincerely thankyou all so much for your interest in the blog, I am trying to pick out the highlights to write about, there are many other experiences I have not written about but will share with you over a wine or meal, its all such a wonderful experience, and the friends we have made will be friends for life....I am going to sign off til next blog about York and PA with  some ABBA lyrics, dedicated to the fab men in our lives and the very brave ones who will go to Mama Mia...

Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance

(Quiz....which ABBA song?? Jennie C I can hear you singing it!!!)



Groovy hey...just wish I could remember how I got this effect?1?!!