No Rest for the Wicked...

Yet another marginally late post here, due in part to exhaustion, but mostly in an attempt to hang on to as much of the afterglow of another action packed week of excitement!

With another mundane week at work to get through, the first activity on Wednesday evening was to visit the shop that was used as the location for Black Books, just a few blocks from Sally's work. After a short walk through Bloomsbury, we arrived across the street from the shop.

Black Books.

The following evening saw Sally and I leaving work a touch early to go to the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park. A four day festival with a line up the Big Day Out would kill for (as most of the 829 festivals over here have), we had tickets for the first day, predominantly for me to see Queens of the Stone Age and The White Stripes. We managed to get there in time to also see The Thrills, with time for dinner before QOTSA started. Unfortunately QOTSA were a little disappointing, I think this was mainly due to their music requiring quite refined sound levels that a festival just can't provide. Thankfully the rain held off for the redeemers. The White Stripes came on and played a blinding set, showing just how comfortable they are on stage. It was an awesome gig, and as I write this I am excited to have their new album, Icky Thump, playing in the background.

The White Stripes playing at O2.

Friday saw an early start to get me to Paddington train station to meet my work mates. Today was an office trip to the Eden Project in Cornwall. The Eden Project is basically a 'biodome' set up to educate people about plants and stuff. I'm still reasonably vague about the point of it, but it is a pretty amazing thing. Built in a dead china clay quarry, it contains thousands of plants, a big amphiteatre, a visitor centre and the biomes. Yes biomes, not biodomes, I think Pauly Shore must still own the copyright to the word "biodome"...

Anyway, it was very interesting to see, but the tropical biome that we had a tour around, was essentially the same as the conservatory in Adelaide next to the botanic gardens. Also, it was a four and a half hour train ride in each direction to get there, so it was full day of travelling for 3 hours at the place.

Saturday brought much busyness and excitement, firstly packing in the morning, then rushing across town to arrive at our new home! Work is providing accomodation for me here, and they've done very well for me. Sally and I are staying in a one bedroom semi-serviced apartment just off of Piccadilly Circus. So basically we're living in the absolute heart of London. As we were walking to check the place out, we wandered through Leicester Square and saw that it was the Shrek 3 premiere, there was a crowd who started screaming, and then we heard over the loudspeaker "Mr Antonio Banderas"! Of course with us moving into Piccadilly, the question you're all asking is "But what about Sally's place in Paddington?" Fortuitously, one of Sally's friends needs somewhere to stay for a few months before moving to Shanghai, so Lisa is looking after Sally's place while we make the most of all that Piccadilly has to offer.


After a brief couple of hours setting the place up, we had to start getting ready for one of the best birthday presents I've ever received. Sally had gotten tickets for us to go and see Muse play the newly completed Wembley Stadium. It was sold out. 90 000 people. Huge. With enough support acts to make it a mini festival (Rodriguez Y Gabriella, Dirty Pretty Things and The Streets), it was the first concert to sell out the stadium. And they were doing it all again the following night, the second concert to sell out the stadium... Needless to say, it was absoutely amazing. Muse are possibly the best live band in the world, and this was easily the best concert I've ever been to. From the incredible lighting, the pyrotechnics, the acrobats hanging from balloons to the undeniable talent of the band, this was a show for the ages. We took something like 100 photos and I videoed two full songs, unfortunately the vids are quite large, so I don't know how I can show you them! Anyway, here are some pics;

You know it's a good show when there's a beer tanker!

Obviously with 90 000 people packed into a stadium, a concert finishing at 11 and the last tubes running at midnight, getting home was a bit of an effort. Eventually though, we squeezed onto the last tube to the city and made it home safe and sound.


Sunday was slightly more sedate, although no less good. After a relaxed morning, collecting some remaining items from Paddington, we made our way to The Wolseley to take part in the great English tradtion of afternoon tea. The Wolseley is a beautiful restaurant in a restored Wolseley car showroom just by the Ritz. Scones with jam and clotted cream, little sandwiches and wonderful pastries made our afternoon an absolute delight, a wonderful sojourn on a Sunday.

The Wolseley.

So that rounds up another week here in London. All that is left to do is to give you the link to my wonderful map of things.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108781270355512035411.000001130555522820954&z=13&om=1

So that's it! Hope everyone's well and enjoying themselves, I know I am!!