Shopping Frenzy

A busy day today. Went to Brizzle to do the christmas shopping. That's Bristol to the rest of you.

I never thought I'd say it but It's a really nice place to go now. Lovely shops, cool market stalls and plenty of places to eat. It's changed a bit since I was a kid when it was pretty grim. I guess that's what you call gentrification, but Bristol seems to have done it with out the gay boys and girls being involved.

The new centrepiece of the city centre is a place called Cabot Centre which is a massive new shopping mall. The difference between this one and the ones in Oz is that Cabot is mostly outside so you don't feel like you are in a completely fake environment. There's loads of cool shops too as well as the usual high street suspects. When we got there it was really quiet and I thought it was going to be great but by 11 am it was absolutely heaving with people. However not as bad as it should be only 3 days before Christmas. I think the GFC has really had a huge influence here. There may be lots of people in town but there are no queues at the checkouts in the shops. My theory for this is that we are all completely brainwashed into shopping as a leisure activity and still go to the shops even if we've got no money to spend. It's a bit weird but there you go. So even though I was ready to kill everyone when walking in the street, when I went in the shops it was relatively quiet.

The christmas decorations in the city were pretty cool too:

GIANT REINDEER! How cool is that, they were pretty substantial steel things too so I'd be interested if they get their moneys worth and use then again next year.

I did actually get all my xmas shopping done too. In one day! I think I deserve an award for that. I saw loads of really nice stuff I want to buy for myself too, but I'll go back down in after Xmas when it's all cheaper in the sales.

So a successful day and worth the drive down the motorway in snow, ice and fog so thick I couldn't see the car in front. Three things amaze me about driving here. One is how fast everyone drives, the speed limit of 70 mph seems to be purely a suggestion and the cops don't seem to stop anyone unless they are driving like complete idiots. The second is how polite and considerate all the other drivers are. They let you pull out, change lanes to let you overtake slow moving trucks and generally seem much more aware of what is going on around them. It'll be a shock to go back to Perth drivers. The third thing is how unbelievably dirty your car gets. I've had the hire car for two days and you can barely tell that it's a Corsa what with all the salt, dirt and grime on it. But seeing as it's a hire car I never have to worry about the dirt on it.

I'm off now to watch a BBC4 Documentary about Oliver Postgate. The man was a god. Well to a certain generation of British people at least. If you don't know who he was then you need a kicking (or are foreign in some way) but he was responsible for The Clangers, Bag Puss, Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog to name a few. A true god of my childhood.

I'll let you know what it's like.

Deep and Crisp

Ahh, jet-lag. Been awake since 4am and I'll tell you now there is not much to watch on the TV at that time of the day. Even with Sky and it's 500 channels it still just shows pretty much ads and reality television shows. It has given me chance to catch up on the ads and realise that it is so much cheaper here than Oz at the moment. Every shop is offering at least 50% off stuff in the run up to Christmas. Just bonkers.

So I got back at 3 yesterday after a fairly uneventful flight from Singapore, apart from the fact that it was 14 hours instead of 12 because of the winter jet stream. And that is a long time in a plane, even in the front end. And especially when you get on and there is a three month old baby sitting in the seats across the aisle. I had visions of 14 hours of screaming but he was absolutely beautiful, not one grizzle the entire way. He did however affect the service on the flight as all the cabin crew were totally smitten with him and were fighting to take him off his parents hands while they ate. It seems to be a Singapore Airlines thing that they love babies. That might be something to consider for all my friends who are currently squeezing/squeezed out sprogs.

The food was pretty good and will be shown for your delectation (except the stuff I forgot to get pics of due to time zone and sleep deprivation caused confusion):

Granola

Huge suspicious sausage (I think they should have put the tomato the other way up to lessen the suspiciousness)

Wagyu beef

Créme brulée

Not bad all in all but it's still just really airline food, but with better cutlery. Even metal knives now for some reason. Obviously we no longer need to be afraid of international terrorists wielding butter knives on planes.

Got back to Heathrow and was pleasantly surprised to see that T3 has had a face lift, no longer are the lights hanging from the ceiling. You got to be careful which immigration queue you choose though. Just cause it says British citizens it doesn't mean they will be able to read the signs or speak enough English to communicate with the Immigration Officer. At least I got through quicker than all the poor "Other Nationalities" queue. That was a nightmare. If you ever travel through UK airports with a non-EU citizen make sure you got a book to read while they stand in their queue.

I managed to stay conscious till about 9pm then had to crash but I slept pretty well and woke up to this outside the window:

It's not deep, but it is crisp and even. Actually it's incredibly slippery. I'd sort of forgotten that ice is so treacherous. Looks like I'm going to have to relearn about driving in the snow pretty quick when I get the hire car today.

Better buy the extra insurance.

Arrival

I'm here. I'm knackered. I'm dehydrated. I'm cold.

More tomorrow.

Half way Henry

First leg done, a mere 5 hours. Now for the fun bit - 14 hours on a plane. Good job there's lots to watch on the entertainment system thingy. I think I'll start with Public Enemies, then maybe UP then the original Time Machine. That's at least 5 hours out the way.

Sitting in Changi now (the airport not the prison) listening to the appalling sub-Kenny G sax heavy Christmas music. There's no need.

Right, off for some more security screening and a very long sit down.

Told you I'd be bored

That didn't take long did it. Already bored at an airport. And what an airport to be bored at.

Perth International... the correct superlative escapes me. Most lame perhaps? Most like an international airport you'd expect to find in a little hick town in the middle of nowhere? I think that's the one.

Sorry I should be kinder but it's just a bit sad when you get to the airport and the check in desks aren't yet open, half the shops are shut and the duty free section seems to sell mostly canned abalone and Australian flag coated neck pillows.

I can however say that all the staff I've been in contact with this evening have been really lovely. Polite, friendly and helpful. Amazing. I can't say the same about the check-in chick at the next counter though, she was spitting venom at some poor Japanese business man.

I always wonder why there are passport and immigration checks when you are leaving a country. What are they for? Surely if you're leaving it's not really a problem for the country you're leaving? Do they stop illegal immigrants at the border and say "sorry but you have to stay now until we decide to deport you"? It's all a bit weird. I suppose if you're on the lookout for a Great Train Robber then you can nab 'em at the border but surely it would be easier to let them leave and have another country deal with the problem when they try to enter? Just a suggestion. It'd save a fortune on border agents and retractable queuing guides.

So I'm now in the fancy-schmantzy lounge waiting for the flight. Actually as this is Perth, not that fancy or schmantzy. If there was a contest for most impossibly uncomfortable chairs then this place is in with a chance. I think they are left over from some CIA experiment in torture. See what I mean?

I have also had the most disgusting cup of machine made coffee of my entire life. And I remember MaxPak. It was sort of thick and gritty. Like it was made with powdered milk that they forgot to mix with enough water. Very strange. Still mustn't grumble at least there's no Christmas music playing in here.

I'll just sit here for the next two hours watching Sky News with the sound three seconds out of sync with the pictures.

Tune in for an update from Singapore. With airline food pictures just for Tim.

Off We Go Again

So I'm packed and ready to go. Back to the old country for Christmas. Almost certainly a white one too at this rate, just hoping that I don't get stuck at Heathrow in the snow.

Anyway this is just to say the blog will reactivate now I'm off and got things to talk about.

Check back later, when I'm bored at an airport.