A Month Ago...
...I was settling in, being shown around, finding my way. Now we have a couch, and are officially 'a bit settled in'. You're probably reading on Facebook now, anyway. Hi, if you're new to Lollography, whether it be via Blogger or the 'book. I've been terribly slack, despite promises ranging from weekly postings to daily video logs. None have been done. I have, however, kept a bit of a written journal about my person as I get lost on numerous tram-rides across my new city. I wrote this just over a month ago, after being shown the delights of St Kilda, and my first visit to an Australian pub.

"The first Melbourne pub I ever went in to... St Kilda - Josh used to hang out there a lot but that was more than a while ago. The Birthday Party, Cosmic Psychos, all played there (and both were kicked out). It has been such a hot day. Walked for most of it. Walked everywhere to no where, a little sunburned, swam in his parents pool, had some lunch before heading to Ikea, but just feeling anxious and claustrophobic inside. Home for the briefest shower to cool off. More walking. Walked all the way from Windsor to St K.

It's full of backpackers. Students. Hookers. Drunks. It's Koh San Road, or Leicester Square, from what I've seen so far. I'm still a little jetlagged, everything looks confusing and ridiculous. After such a hot day, the famous 'Cool Change' has brought a sticky humid 'storm' - a few spatters of rain and the distant rumble of almost-thunder, and the type of forked lightning I love and which reappears later in my dreams.

We walk a little further along, so I can stand by the sea for the first time since Brighton. It smells different from any sea air I have ever smelt before. A crisper, more refined scent than we had in Brighton even on stormy nights like this, or even any Mediterranean seasides I've visited.

We pass the freakish grin of the Luna Park, its mouth revealing the greying stormy sky, and just across the road we finally reach the pub. We're starving and sweaty and damp from raindrops that half-evaporate in the heat so that our skin itches and tingles. We climb the steps. The air, already thick as pea soup, now needs wading through and feels like beer, in gas form. It fills my lungs, my hair, my pores.

I'm not that keen on the menu. He fancies a burger. We leave.

OK...
I saw LA. I skimmed through Sydney. Now it seems I live, for now, in Melbourne. Settling in, weather generally excellent as summer breezes into the fake early autumn brought on by the drought, killing the trees, making the leaves dry up and crisp under my flip flops as I mooch around the city leaving a trail of resumes in my path...

Our place is nice, but still couchless, so not yet a home in any light. We do have internet now though, so that helps. I look a little less silly sitting on the only comfy chair in the house now that there is something to do on the desk that it faces.

I'm the brownest I may have ever been. I should wear more suncream. I'm a lady of many freckles, after all. Desperately seeking employment. Babysat today from 7am. Ouch. My head is sore and my jeans are crusting up nicely from a spattering of mashed banana. An interesting way to get to know ones boyfriends family.

The more I read Quentin Bell's diaries and recollections from Charleston, the sadder I get about money, bills, creativity, inspiration. I have some here, and would give anything to not have to worry about paying for the past, or wasting ideas by answering phones or typing reports. This week I'll buy paints though, and we almost have enough jewelery and cake recipes for a market stall.

Life is good. I have The Boy here, which was really the only point. Melbourne is Leeds, I seem to be finding. Only drier, and with a slightly more unusual arts 'scene'. Last weekend we went to the Peninsula, and I felt like I was in Australia.

Fame at last...?

My photos have been in newspapers. They've been in books. They have been in exhibitions, and even had an exhibition all to themselves. Yes, I am great. However, all of these things occured before the wonders of the K750i. Not only has this marvelous phone allowed me to start snapping panoramas without the need for tripods, rotators, irritating work collegues etc... but it has allowed me to have one of my favourite Brighton photies selected for display on the Sony Ericsson/Martin Parr gallery. Along with everyone else who is snapping away with this lovely little phone.

In short, I wouldn't mind winnind a print or two of his, since he stood on my bag after a lecture he gave at what was then the nmpft.

So basically, your homework for today is:

1. Go to the K750 gallery website
2. Select Europe/UK and enter
3. Click on the post-it note that says "COMPETITION WINNERS"
4. Click "GALLERY" and scroll along (currently two clicks of the flashy arrow) until you find my snap
5. Vote for me!! :)
6. Wait for me to recieve lovely prizes, which I will sell on ebay and use the cash to buy you all lovely thank you gifts.

And how lovely that a photo of my beloved but temporary seaside home was selected, when I am visiting on the morrow... Chips ahoy :)

ps. VOTE FOR ME

Living in a map-arial world...

Firstly, an apology for that awful title (just in the event of anyone realising what I was at least attempting...)

So a week from now I will be sleepy, confused and disorientated somewhere (hopefully) in downtown L.A. I finished work on Friday, which, amoung other things, has finally given me the littlest beginings of that long awaited burst of excitement. And I got some lovely presents and card-based notes. Thank you ex-worky folk.

I'm a nervous flier. And let's face it, I'm hardly just jetting off for a holiday am I? So I'm a little worked up and anxious and with the weird breathing and the only-eating-rice-cakes... so to put my mind at ease, I have turned to lovely lovely maps for comfort.

To begin with, out of curiosity, and boredom as work wound down, I started airport-hunting on google earth. How marvelous. Having an advanced idea of what each airport will look like as I come in to land is remarkably comforting. And the arial snaps are so good to look at. Little white bird-like creatures that have come in to rest and feed for a while at these concrete micro-cities covered in markings that track their migratory patterns.

The first - Heathrow. Practically a city of tiny white birds, with feeding tubes supplying them with a stream of people to fill its belly before it flies away and spits them out into some other faraway feeding-tabe. Sydney airport (no, these aren't in order of my itinerary - just the order that let the pictures all fit on nicely). Two adjacent runways that jut out into the ocean. I'd be nervous about this, except my Love and others have assured me it is quite normal to expect to die when coming in to land in this fashion. Melbourne airport. My final destination. Humble and small, yet I can assure you if you can be bothered to look this up on the latest release of google earth you can zoom in so close you can practically watch the in-flight movie. Along the bottom is LA, with some take-off action on the runway.

OK ok so I've been a bit of a geek the last couple of days. Anyway, what better way to spend my final days of London-based work than a panorama assignment at the top of the GLA building at sunset on a gorgeous crisp winters day, with Tower Bridge below and the river rolling by, followed by a visit with P to the London maps exhibition at the British Library. Both absolutely perfect ways to see off a city that just refuses to stop being my home, however hard I may (regularly) try to leave.

Enough of this nonsense. Since 2000, I have lived in London, Loughborough, Cambridge, Leeds, Bradford, back to London, Brighton, back to London again, and from next week, Melbourne. What's your map?

Not Bloody Likely...

Be Gentle With Me. No, I am not at tonights rescheduled TBLLT shindig tonight. Instead I pushed myself harder than ever in the pool and finished my swim in record time. And now can't walk.

Also,

Merry Australia Day one and all.

I may still be 16 days away from heading to the merry ol' land of Oz, but I wish each and every one of you sincerest G'days, and hope that Father Australia brings you everything you asked him for.

(My Love, if you are by any chance reading, please please take no offence at my mockery of your beloved Leader, or of Australian White Supremecy Day*)

To celebrate this great and holy day, I would like to share with you 2 of the best Aussie-themed treats I could think of. Sam and Sim, this first one is particularly for you.

In the first ever episode of the Mighty Boosh, Fossil arranges an illegal boxing match to see a man fight a kangaroo. The result is of course Vince persuading Howard that he can win against Killeroo. It's special. I give you the whole episode in all its glory. Enjoy.

Secondly, how could I not. It's the Australian National Anthem. Well not really, but just a bunch of my favourite Welshman singing that little song that isn't really about anything much at all, but has the word "Australia" in it. A lot. From Glasto '03.*Please note: I know little about the origins of Australia Day, because all the government information just says about how great it is to have "achieved so much since 1788", and I just wonder about all the stuff that happened before then. You know, to the people who actually come from there in the first place... like the bloke from Killeroo who says "His balls. Grab his balls mate...Christ you're thick"