back to the norm... although it's not really norm

so... have arrived back in sydney from the holiday back home.

I had a lovely rest of my time in Melbourne, the wedding was AMAZING... congratulations Kristal and Justin! (photos to come methinks... when i get off my butt and get them up here).
so, i visited Raol and Katrina in Albury for a few days, and it was lovely to see them. then i went to Canberra to visit my grandparents and met up with a few friends. Alex (from aust, but my travelling buddee in the UK) drove me home from canberra and then i went to Young with jono to see tim and lauren.

then came back to sydney, jumped straight back into the casual teaching which has been great and started catching up with old friends. oh gee, it's nice to be back.

Today, i am just at my mum's work, helping out by manning the office so that she can see clients and i can answer the phones. it's a nice day, not too busy so i can do my own things, but also help out. And what sort of things would i be doing besides studying Real Estate for mum, but also booking my new years trip to New Zealand and also trying to get some paperwork from the UK finalised so i can get more money...

well, back to the real estate course i think.
hope you are all well!
xx

so... I'm back in Aus and the adventure continues!

well, i arrived back at sydney, ummm, a week and a bit ago. Mum, Dad, Jordan and Mel met me at the airport... was good to see the family there!!! I had some rellies and a few other friends over for a bbq that mum kindly organised for me. It was great to see everyone who came. thanks for making the effort! it means a lot to me. (just realised i didn't take any photos that day... very unlike me!) so sorry, i can't put them up!

and the sun was out... couldn't have asked for a better day.
the next day, i had to wash and pack as on the tuesday i was on a plane to adelaide to see Michaelmichael my friend michael (ooohhhh) and FINALLY meet his lovely girlfriend. they have only been going out for 7 years. so it was about time. that was a great time too. and i got to meet up with a friend from uni... sucks she lives so far away, but that's life... flying may be bad for the environment, but it helps me stay in touch with people.

and now... well, now i am in Pakenham, Melbourne. It is great here. I decided to come back to Aus because my friend Kristal is getting married... then she asked me to be in the bridal party, so i am really excited to be back here to support her in this time. I have met her fiance justin and think he is great for kristal. i am staying at their house at the moment, just chilling and helping out for the wedding where possible... it's so nice to see kristal again after over 3 years. and so i'm back in aus, finding my way back to sydney eventually and just seeing what life throws my way from there.. it's pretty exciting at the moment. although it kinda hit me that i can do anything... so that's cool, but also a bit scary... where do i start looking... haha, i'll figure it out!

tomorrow i'm going into the centre to catch up with another friend i met in chile, danjamin. (kristal, mmmfm and i all met in chile)... good times, good times. and then well, it's kitchen teas and other fun things over the weekend. i can't believe the wedding is getting so close... WHOA.

anyways, that's all from me for the moment... i havne't proofread this, so hopefully it makes some sense...

love you all
xx


kris and a crocodile... ooooohhh
jade, me and kris... shopping for her wedding... well, wasting time, pretending to shop...
lian and the pigs... you have to see the pigs in the laide
me and dikko (mmmfm ooooh) in the bush...

righty-oh and that's me done...

konichiwa

me with a mo

ok, so i don't know how to spell it.

but i am in tokyo for 3/4 days inbetween London and Sydney. I arrived at 9:00am and had no accommodation booked and no money... and then my cash card and credit card wouldn't work in the machine... luckily i had some aussie dollars tucked away in my wallet for when i got home... and the tourist office at the airport booked me a bed in a hostel in Asakusa Tokyo. It looks nice enough and has free internet.

I am sooo tired and worn out, and have a cold verging on flu... so i think an afternoon nap and a brief walk of this area are on the cards for this afternoon. i don't want to be sick when i get back to aus...

ummm... i have now left a fantastic house with all lovely housemates in london and am sad for that, but extremely happy to see what life throws my way now...

Ciara from church gave me a most wonderful farewell present, a video of most of the dearest people to me at church... i watched it at the airport and i think they had to close Heathrow T5 for the floods of tears... haha.

well, i'm going to put a few photos up that i keep promising and never delivering... but sorrym, my brain isn't working too well.
and actually, my phone doesn't work here... so if you want to reach me, e-mail is the best.

cheers,
love youse all
deev
xx

ben and laura from church
me and amit with a london telephone box

two visions of london... thames and changing of the guards

almost on the closing stretch...

so,
1 day left of spain for this time in my life...
send off boxes
1 trip left with rach (so excited)
leave london,
japan,
sydney...

oh my goodness... i am really i don´t know... overwhelmed, excited, scared, looking forward to what´s in store...

i have written some thoughts down about my travels in a book for me to transfer onto my blog, and of course it is locked in my bag in a locker, so it will have to be done after. sorry.

and today... wander around barcelona for one last day, enjoying the rain (and hopefully not swimming through the streets like i did yesterday) and soaking in the city for what it is... LOVE IT (but i think you all know my thoughts about spain)

anyways, off i go i suppose.
later
lots of love and hugs
besos y abrazos...
xoxoxoxoxox
xoxoxoxoxox
xoxoxoxoxox

whoops

ok... so i haven´t written anything since lima...

well, i went travelling with jen in france for 1 week. a few days in paris... love that city.... a few days in limoges with clement (thanks for having us clem!!!) where jen bought me a lovely pair of porcelaine earrings... she has collected limoges porcelaine since she was 8 years old. and then onto a farm just outside toulouse where we were spoilt with fresh farm produce for eating... WOW is all i can say.

then back to london where i said bye to jen, alex, andy and mandy and then moped around the house pretending that life was not happening as i had to pack it all up and put it into boxes... now this should have been easy as i love putting things in boxes (especially people) but it was hard... cos i had to sort through 3 years of my life and decide what was worth keeping... and face a lot of stuff that i had been realising about myself over the last little while.

so... then onto spain... first stop barcelona where i could not get the smile off my face because i went in the water at the beach for i think the first time this year (thanks for taking me there José)... oh my goodness... it was so lovely. and the sun was shining... i spent a few days wandering around just enjoying the sun. and then pete (a guy from my mission team to lima) and eliot were in barca, so i spent some time with them and went out for eliot´s b´day.

then had a bit of an emotional time as i was packing up my stuff to leave José´s place to go travelling by myself for the next little while... it realy struck me how 'alone´one can feel... and i started thinking 'what am i doing with my life? i am happy here'. but i really want to go back to australia... and i do feel my time here is finished for the moment... i'm looking forward to a relaxing time in aus and then seeing what life is going to bring me. it's just going to be really hard to leave the things i have grown to love in london (and the people) behind.

anyways... that moment was gone and i was on the train to granada to see my friend Rocio. and she took me on 2 day trips out of granada and i had a lovely time catching up with her... trying to practice my poor spanish and her practicing her english. i love granada because if you drink, you get dinner for free with tapas... AMAZING!!!!

sorry, this is brief, but running out of internet time... and need to figure out what on earth i am going to do tomorrow... wanted to go to cadiz, but can´t find any accommodation... do i wing it, or go somewhere else??

from granada, an unplanned trip to ronda, cos i could, a beautiful city on a mountain with a great canyon in the middle. here i got chatting to denis, a homeless english guy and he ended up buying me a drink... haha, the things you end up doing when you travel alone.

then onto algeciras where i went to girbraltar and then today i went to morocco.. another impromtu visit... just cos i could. here i had some dude say, ahhhh... aussie... let me take you around. so i spent most of the day with a tour guide for free... i said i couldn´t pay and he said it didn´t matter and just walked with me... a bit freaky, but ended up ok!! (haha, sorry mum).

on the way back from morocco, the passport control guy was shaking his head at my passport and saying ´mucho viajes´ 'you travel much' to which i replied 'poco' 'a little'... he just laughed at me...

and so now i am in algeciras... trying to decide what to do tomorrow, and wishing i had someone to travel with... i have a good book my ex-housemate amy gave me, but there´s only so much reading one can do... so thought i would update this briefly to let you know a bit about what´'s been going on for me kinda.... sorry it´s been a while...

love to you all... just over a month til i am back in aus... and just under 2 months til kristals big day... (so cant wait!!!)

xx
xx
xxxxxxxxx
besos y abrazos

deev is...

really enjoying stuff in Lima.

we have done lots with kids in poorer areas including running a 6hr kids program on david (shepherd boy,with goliath,as king) put together in half an hour... today doing more kids stuff.

the team is working well together and it is such a blessing to work with Margaret, Sharon and others and the locals over here in Peru. it´s great that we have a whole world apart, a language barrier, but the same God who loves us all... and that has brought us all together. (praise Him.)

anyways,i´mrunning late now... whoops...
later!

love you all
deev
xx

lima

hey all,
i´m here in lima with a group of people from my church and it has been great. such a different world to that what I am used to, but it is amazing... i woould love to come back here for a little while at some point in my life... who knows

anyways, umm, we´ve arrived safely. the group is great. kate and charlie are our leaders and the team is me, steph and gavin (married), pete, ros, philippa and verity. we all have different abilities and strengths.

we have pretty much just been hanging around with a lady margared and helping her out in the work she does here with different churches... amazing. a lady of inspiration. it is great to see that God is a God all over the world and is the same, even in a city that is totally different. and He loves everyone!

anyways, not too much time, i don´t have many stories, but i will try and get to the computer again in a few days to update and tell at least 1 story.

hasta luego, (chau)
muchos besos y abrazos
davina
xx

2nd may long weekend, may mayhem and june joviality

hi hi... well, today it is a glorious day, and i should be tidying my room (of course, but i am not) and I am just catching up on a bit of life before i go out to Mark's pub to see a music night and have a catch up. Looking forward to it... haven't been to a music night there... just the trivia which i LOVE.

so... the last almost 2 months at a glance...

concerts:
the waifs,
the swell season (oh my goodness... these guys are amaxing!)
passion band
radiohead

plays:
into the hoods
the mousetrap
cinderella
andy's performance

other exciting stuff:
camping in croyde,
exploring devon and cornwall with alex
cultural night at the TATE with mandy and nina
dinner with tami
ascot!!! (so glad i went)

and next week, my aunty will be coming to visit which i am really excited about, although i only have 3 1/2 weeks left of school and then my life as i know it changes... but i am very excited. and sooooo excited to be going home. I will miss england, but i can't wait to be refreshed in aus. arrive sydney october 19th... hurrah and then get to visit kristal in melbourne.

but before then, a few more adventures and hurrahs to have before i leave the motherland and head back to that sunny island.

hope you are all well.
love
deev
xx

the 1st may long weekend

welcome to my attempts to be more regular at filling people in with my life... haha. i don't even know if that many people read this any more...

well, as i sit at the computer, waiting to skype my brother for a catch up (have tried a few other friends, but no-one seems available.. grrrr), i think, how else can i waste 20mins at midnight... and tidying my room just doesn't really seem like a fun option... i don't have any photos (what's new??!!) but i do have some ramblings, so here we go...

it's a long weekend, so whilst i should be in bed at this time on a sunday, i don't feel the need to be. weather is forecast to rain tomorrow as i catch up with pip and woody and their lovely daughters...oh yeah, it rained this weekend last year aswell... of course. haha. but to be fair, i remember the weather in sydney being not that exciting when i left (granted it was the middle of winter) and at least here it is light till 9:00pm now... awesome!

i had a lovely day in the park yesterday with rach, alex and nina with the sun shining and having nothing better to do than sit in it. then we went to go to alex's housemates party, but we couldn't get into the pub with our bags (of picnic rugs), our soft drink and my bottle of vodka... at least in london you can drink alcohol in the parks without getting arrested, so yesterday was a very lovely civilised picnic with wine and vodka in hyde park... thanks girlies! had a great day.

today i went to street caf, they've just set up a sunday one in the city. and i loved it. i am really enjoying working with the guys. they aren't all homeless, but most of them are or have been at some stage and just want a bit of food and 'company'. for some that just means sitting down in a safe area with others around them but not interacting. it will be sad to leave these guys, but i have heard of a similar community back in syd called rebecca's community, so i might look into it.
don't really know what i am going to do when i get back home, but have a whole heap of areas to look into which is really exciting. also, don't know how long i will stay around for, but that is cool too. i'm learning quite a lot about myself over here and will enjoy continuing to grow back in aus but in a different way i am sure.

oh and this evening schelle and i went to christina's baptism. it was really nice to support christina in her public declaration of following christ. it was great to experience another church in london.

well, i think that is my time almost finished before i can ring my bro... night night... i'll try and write more regularly, but don't hold your breath!

love to you all
xx

italy, excitement and old age

ok, well, i am back to school after a lovely holiday in italy and i have really enjoyed getting tired from doing absolutely nothing and then falling asleep during the day to the rest of the italian/tourist world passing by beneath my open window. actually, it happened a few too many times. maybe i should eat some more meat. i'll look into that.

so, i don't really know where to start telling you all about my italian adventure. i love italy, but spain really does still have the place in my heart! haha. (no mum and val, no spanish boys as such, but i just love the language, the culture, the country, the people,... ... ...)

so, arrive home on thursday and the sun was shining... and on friday as i sat procrastinating my school work that i had to do on my last day of holidays, the clouds were out in full force and the wind was howling... reminded me of italy! ha. I am really sorry if the tenses change throughout this blog entry, i'm just going to type as it comes to me instead of trying to make it make sense (as usual, i'm sure you are all used to it by now and i started it a week ago, ha, estoy flojo)

anyways... the sun finally decided to come out on my last day in italy (venice) and i was able to sit in a park on the grand canal and wait for my bus... a beautiful day, very different from 3 days before when i was in verona, certain i was going to freeze to death or drown! see, i didn't bring many warm clothes with me because italy is meant to be warm, and i accidently left my umbrella in como where it had been pouring with rain and i didn't remember until i was half-way to verona with my friend oscar and he realised he didn't have his umbrella either...GREAT. although he did have a poncho. so there we were, quite a sight, two people running through the streets of verona under a poncho with no preripheral vision and having to 'cambio' frequently because our arms were getting tired from holding it up. we get a few laughs and had a few ourselves (especially when we tried to go around opposite sides of a pole... whoops). anyways... i'll get back to verona later... to start with roma!

so, it's saturday the 5th april and an early start to the day. I am in the taxi with schelle and we are both going to heathrow to get in separate planes to rome... hooray! it was easy to find the hostel and there we met rach and i changed into my skirt because the sun was shining... HURRAH!!! (apparently today it was snowing in london). If only i was to know this would be the last chance i would have to wear my skirt. so the 3 lovely ladies wandering the streets of rome enjoying the sun and the amazing history and feel that the city has to offer us. we saw a church with lots of monk bones, an interesting display, and wellust wandered. we went to the spanish steps where we met up with nathan and his friend amanda and then went off to meet tami and gabby in piazza navona for the first of many delicious coffees.

Back to the hostel to change and get ready for take 1 of birthday celebrations... the aussie time zone. We met up with nathan and amanda and went out for dinner, and then a lovely gelato, but didn't end up going out... we're nanna's now. haha. so to bed.

wake up to be 25... HURRAH! so old! (but still the youngest in the room =p) We has some breakfast and went to visit the colosseum. WOW... HUGE, old, amazing. (ok, so i could use better words, but my literacy level has decreased since being away. I would recommend going here if you go to Rome. actually, i preferred the palatine hill, but it is all close together. And so old... especially to think that the buildings in Aus are how old??!!! So, had a birthday lunch and said goodbye to tami... bye ybe!!! and had to give her back her jacket. it was quite cold today. oh well, i can always buy a jumper or find some italian boy to keep me warm! (kidding mum and val!) oh, thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes... i had a great day (well few days) i like the whole go away for your birthday thing... righty-oh... some more exploring and eating and then time to say goodbye to schelle. then there was me, rach and gabs. we met up with nathan and amanda again for birthday dinner take 2 and again had quite an early night.

rach and i went to st peters to go up to the top today, but the line was huge... mental note... go earlier next time. so we gave up and met gabby for lunch. after lunch, bye bye to rach and gabby and i explored the streets once again, this time by choosing our direction by which street had more sun! haha. and then bye bye to gabby... then there was one.
so, the next day i try my luck at st peters again before going off to florence. BINGO! 8:30am, not too many visitors. i went into the top of the church and curved my way upto the roof. (wouldn't want to be too tall, even i had to twist my body to get through). it's definitely an amazing church, but not my favourite. After the top, i explored the immense inside and spent some quiet time with/before God and by the time i was leaving, crowds of people were coming in... i think i chose a good time to go. so, definitely recommend if you go to GO EARLY! now... off to florence. ahhh, the rain is out again! hurrah!

and the hostel i ask at has no vacancies... whoops. maybe i should have booked ahead... next time! but they are lovely and show me a place around the corner who does have vacancies and a few lovely americans to chat to in my room. yay. catch up with nathan (amanda is sick) and just wander the streets and go out for a lovely meal (should have had florence beef, but didn't, oh well). i think i like the feel of florence better than rome, but it also is a little bit polluted. tomorrow nathan and amanda are off to slovenia and i am off to pisa and lucca.

I have heard that pisa isn't that great, but i actually quite enjoyed it, although maybe it was just because the sun was almost shining and it wasn't freezing cold. i decided to climb the leaning tower and you could actually feel the lean as you went... i didn't really expect that. it was pretty cool. and i loved the architecture of the whole area there... and it is all marble... that i did not realise. Another lovely coffee and then onto Lucca. i think i would have liked lucca if it wasn't raining the whole time. a lovely city to get lost in and always find new piazza's or a place to hide from the rain and have dinner and then another place to have a gelato crepe (for example). I got back to the hostel just before it poured down. and was going to go out to explore the town by night, but the weather had a different agenda for me... remind me why i did not bring my raincoat??

Now... onto the cinque terre (5 lands, fishing villages over the coast). I have heard that this place is just absolutely amazing, although i'm sure everyone who has told me this has gone in the summer. ha, but actually, i do like it here. I tried to book at the hostel, but they don't take bookings under a week in advance, so wander through and try my luck at a walk-in. €40/pppn... WHAT??? hmmm, do i take this or try my luck at the next village? i'll take it... i don't want to wander around in the rain... what, another room for €20?? SCORE! i'll take it! Do i walk around these 5 villages this afternoon or spend a whole day tomorrow? Today, I'll read and wash and walk the coastal route tomorrow. The next day it rained... and rained... and rained. Maybe i should have walked yesterday... oh well. I caught the train between the villages and looked around a little. I then walked a paved part of the walk and went back. by evening, the rain stopped, so i walked from Varnazza to Corneglia. and it was AMAZING... well done everyone for telling me to come here. off to dinner. i walked into a restaurant just because there were aussie accents coming out the door. there seem to be so many aussie parent aged people travelling through italy... there you go mum and dad, for retirement!?!?

Then... onto Milano... shopping?? fashion?? And i didn't even bring my nice clothes or high-heels. Oh well... I'll meet oscar and find out it's ok to wear jeans. haha. so, meet oscar (who schelle and i met in sweden with some of his friends on a night-train... long journeys, cards... instant friendships... haha)my guide for the next few days. We went to drop my bag at the station but the lockers were full... oh well... no passa nada... it's fun to walk around the versace, dolce&gabana & tag shops with your backpack on. At least the sun is out! Around the city and to the duomo. this place looks amazing from the outside, and I wonder what it looks like from the top... oh, no bag drops here... ok, so, up the stairs with my pack on. it was a bit of a laugh as i couldn't move up the stairs if others were coming down, and it was a common staircase for up&down. but so worth it. WOW!!! the view from the top was FABULOUS!!! i love it! possibly my most favourite cathedral, the view is great, the architecture is great, everything is great! A lovely place to pause from the world (actually, there are lots of places like this in italy, and i love that!). It reminds me a little of the sagrada famillia in barcelona. now, out of the sun... shame, wander more of milan and catch the train to Como where Oscar lives/studies and onto a party for one of his housemates.

i get called mexican as i tried to speak to spanish and had holes in my socks but actually, i was not doing so well. here i am in italy trying to speak spanish with oscar and his peruvian housemate (and failing), as they speaks spanish, italian and english fluently (cabrones!). Well, at least i was able to teach them a new word... plug. no wonder they don't know what it is... they don't have one.

and my first mexican dish in italy... it looks like... ummmm ummmm.... mud??? (or fondly called chicken poo.) it's a chilly chocolate chicken dish and is actually quite tasty. haha. then some apperitivos and off to a party party. a great night with some uni of milan international students from all walks of life. Eating... drinking... and being merry.

next day, the sun was out again... hurrah! and was just spent relaxing and wandering around the lake wondering what it would be like living in the lazy life with the hills, the lake, the amazing scenery and just enjoying the sun... well, until it clouded over, of course.

And tonight, a peruvian dinner with housemates and some more of their uni friends for Renzo's (oscar's housemates) birthday party. -14degrees celsius (renzo's argument against poverty. so we all need to get together and knit woolen socks and send them to the kids there. don't worry renzo, i'll take some socks over when i go).

So, what else to do?? i know, let's go up to the tower/castle and walk through some of the hills?? oh yeah, that's right... IT'S POURING AGAIN! HURRAH! OF COURSE! so what better to do than watch Ocean's 13 on dvd. it's the whole oceans 11, bellagio, lake como like. hey, that works with me! and i haven't seen it yet, so why not?? I need to get out of the house though, so we go and pick up the train tickets to verona and almost freeze and drown getting the tickets. an early night as the train to verona is at 6:30am... that time shouldn't exist on holidays!

so, back to milano and onto verona... oh, train delayed... hehe. I could have been sleeping. oh well, onto fair verona. In Fair Verona we lay our scene... and it rains. i don't think this is how it started for shakespeare, but this is how it started for me. so... we get our 'umbrella' (poncho) and start wandering the streets to juliet's tomb and for a coffee and a sit for a while to give the rain a chance to stop. the rain didn't take it's chance, but we sat at the arena (a mini colosseum) and onwards to juliet's house. and of course a rub of her right breast for good luck. onto a defrost in a a department store where there are more aussie accents (of middle-aged people). and, lucky i rubbed juliet's breast cos THE RAIN STOPPED!!! HURRAH! time for a packed lunch picnic with tortilla chips and beer on the lovely river. now i am starting to enjoy verona more as i am not freezing my butt off and drowned anymore. wander around a bit more and enjoy a dry verona and off to have a GREAT thick hot chocolate... the best i have had in a long time. and onto the train to venice.

when oscar and i met on a train, schelle and i taught him and his friends a card game. so, now that we are on another train trip, i thought it fitting to teach oscar another card game. I'll have to think of another one for the next train trip... whenever that will be.

So... my first experience of venice was by night, and trying to find a hotel at 9:30pm. we managed, so no sleeping in the station for us. hurrah. then wander around the maze of streets that is venice. i am liking venice, although not my favourite place in the world. next day, oscar is back to como to go back to uni (well for one day until he scoots off to granada) and i wander around venice in the sun. well, at least 2 hrs of sun and then of course it clouds over and begins to rain. ha. stupid unpredictable weather. but i found a free vivaldi museum with violins and other stringed/wooden instruments in it. and suprise suprise, when i got out, the sun was shining. a little more wandering, an afternoon nap and then venice by night take 2 - solo.

this time i was propositioneda few times whilst wandering, but i must say, i was never hassled. i don't know if anyone can answer this, but when i went back to st marks, the water was rising from the ground... is this a cleaning method for all the bird poo, or was it flooding from all the rain? hmmm, well, i didn't hang around to find out. back to my hotel to retire to my room and watch an american murder mystery in italian. and an early nights sleep so i could wake up early and explore venice for the last day of my birthday adventure.

ok, so didn't get up early, but that is cool. had my nicest continental breakfast so far this trip (with another great coffee) and read in a park by the grand canal in the glorious sunshine waiting for the ryanair bus. and then my trip was over.

so... highlights of italy...
the coffee, palatine hill, lake como, duomos at florence and milan, and generally just wandering and 'being'.

the annoyances, actually, nothing! i just should have packed my thermals and raincoat. would i go back there?? ummm, maybe one day and explore the south but who knows... as i said, spain still has my heart, so explore more of there first.

and so the photos... ummm... maybe use your imagination to see where you think they are and who is in them!!! haha.


i love my coffee... ha
the lovers walk. and the love locks. apparently people write their names on padlocks and put them in romantic areas... locked in love forever, ahhh, how romanticthe rain...

oh, and since coming back, rach had a bbq in 62MG, it was great. although i am glad i don't still live there, it was nice to go back! doing well rach. and then a lovely birthday lunch for alex. happy birthday alex! my friends from aus the woods are over with 2 kiddies one whom i've never met and one i met once, so looking forward to spending some time with them over the next few weeks too.

righty-oh... off i go! but it has been nice filling you all in with my extrememly long winded ramblings of my last few weeks.

love to you all!
xx
xx
xx

i'm getting bad at this...

so, i promised some photos... and they will come... I am just being lazy. I had a 'night in' tonight, which has been lovely. Watched 7 years in tibet with my new housemate kim and had a list of things to do, like update this little fella.. but alas, did not.

although, i did look for some stuff for when my aunty comes... and also booked a ferry from Holyhead to Dublin for the easter weekend... so now i have a car hired, 3 lovely ladies to go travelling with and also a ferry to get us across to Ireland. We plan to go and explore the Northern part.

hopefully one day i'll get off my butt and get some photos up here... sorry that i haven't yet!

but i am going well. handed in my resignation now!! that means i'll be kicked out of the country soon after july. haha. so defo home by november. and maybe even a blog entrance before then.

haha

later!
xx

guten tag aus Berlin

(sorry if the title is not correct... i don't actually know any german, except for montag uhm acht heur. hello, ich heiße waldolf... waldolf bauer, ich bin neu hier etc...[spelling??])

Well, i have now spent 2 days wandering the streets of berlin taking in the sights and enjoying what the city has to show me. I arrived on tuesday evening and walked into the hostel to meet 1 peruvia, 1 italian, 1 american and 4 spanish who were all talking about religion and philosophy until the early hours of the morning... WELCOME TO BERLIN??

wednesday i wandered through the city on a free walking tour and learned a bit about Hitler and also the East/West divide... yesterday I just wandered myself the whole day and explored the East side gallery (part of the wall that was given to artists to paint on) and then back to checkpoint charlie and the museum of terrorism and then gave up and came home after too many hours of wandering. my roommate is a dj and invited me to go to watch him spin, but i had a pretty huge headache... so maybe tonight... as it is my last night here. I am really enjoying this place... definitely one of the highlights of europe.

oh, and yesterday after i had a really cheap and lovely lunch some guy came up to me to ask me if i knew about the situations with the banks... and if i wanted to give a donation to his cause yadda yadda yadda.... and then i said, well, i'm not from here and then he asked to give me a sheet in german... well, not speaking or reading german, i decided to say, I'm not going to read it, save the trees or give it to someone else who can and will read it. then he said, oh, so i care about the trees, but not about the economic welfare of the world and then gave me a huge lecture about how i am selfish and that i will get what i deserve and that i am a cold hearted b#tch... yeah, ummm, thanks dude... that's going to want to make me read up more about your cause...

oh, and then i went to buy some fruit and my camera cord got caught on a sign in the supermarket, and i heard it fall, but i didn't click (and the area was pretty dodgy and had a sort of roma feel about it...) so i kept walking and luckily a man ran after me and gave it back to me... (praise God). then a security guard saw him do that and said he is a roma... you understand... and don't forget that... random... but I am very lucky being in that area 1)that i wasn't pickpocketed and 2) that something that fell out of my pocket was actually given back to me... I think i was being looked after!!

and so, today, hopefully go on another walking tour and go to the riechstag... which means that I should get going... but i have had a great time here and just really enjoy soaking up the atmosphere and thinking about all the past and where berlin has come from and now is...

righty-oh... hope you are all well... I'll be back in london on sunday... and have a list of people a mile long who i would like to phone... so, you might be one of them!! haha... and if not, please don't be offended!!!

love to you all!
deev
xx


oh, thanks tami for having me and schelle stay with you in Oslo, and taking us on a lovely cross-country skiing tour! I will write up about that in my next blog entry and add some lovely photos from berlin and my norway adventure.
=p
and found out that rach is moving into 62MG funtimes... my first room in London. haha... that means I can still use my old (now her new) backyard in summer... bring it on!!!! congrats rach... i hope your times there are as good as mine were!!! oh memories... haha

february fun times...

well hello hello to you all... i'm sat on my couch in my loungeroom with charlie and the chocolate factory running and all of us (and two friends )being very sociable on our laptops... haha... it's quite fun.

i was going to tell you all about all the great things that i have been up to, but i am not going too because i am too tired... (might be the glasses of red wine i had with dinner with rach). we had brie on steak with rice and a few veggies, followed up by maltesers for dessert.... see mum, i am looking after myself!!! and i'm not even having healthy choice meals.

righty-oh, just touching base, don't even know if anyone still reads this... but i am still alive and kicking, going to norway on friday for the weekend and then to berlin... should be quite exciting

anyways, bed for me soon.
love to youse all
deev
xx

p.s. val and grandma, i go to spain because i am learning the language and love the country! no other reason!!!!!
=p

helloooooo helloooooo, it's been a while

so, mum has been bugging me (hi mum!) to update my blog. my computer seems to crash everytime i try to update it with photos, they don't want to be loaded... so let's see what i end up with this time.

it's a friday night and i am just watching gordon ramsay on the tv... mouth watering. i went to a body combat class at the gym, lots of fun and so am now bumming on the couch thinking about what sort of things i should be doing... the washing is in... my room is almost tidy and i am love love loving my house.

can't wait for tomorrow... it will be my first time to the walkabout since i have lived around the corner from it.. very exciting. and will be making sushi with some friends before i go out... yay!

ok, i have probably said this before, but i am aware i overuse 3 dots, but that is fine, i love them, hopefully you don't have an issue with that... haha.

ummm, my photos go backwards, starting with schelle and my christmas and new years adventures, and then back... i spose you have to just scroll down to see what else is there. it will probably be really badly set out, but please just deal with it.




our lovely chocolate bars... i'd like some plopp please??; the lovely flavoured cider; me and schelle in stockholm for a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

snow angel in Kiruna; our bakery we went past 4 times until it was open (the coffee was good); me with snowflakes on my eyelashes and cheekhairs...

ooooooh, the ice hotel and the ice-bar... our ice-cocktails... very lovely, you can even eat the glass


dogsled rides; skidoo rides; and boat rides?? (well, the view from out boat hostel)


our apartment in kiruna; schelle asleep on the night train (our first view of snow); the crazy art work at the ice-hotel; more awesome art in the ice-hotel; me and schelle on christmas eve on the ferry... MERRY CHRISTMAS! (i sang karaoke that night... first time, and i loved it. so going to a karaoke bar in london!; schelle with her new friends in the dutyfree shop on the boat.



ummm, interesting sign.... we're looking for a...; the awesomely tall housey things in stockholm...; tadaaaaaaa, our little room on out boat... this will make a great christmas eve venue for watching lots of mTV
some arty photos from different places around tallinn in estonia. i really enjoyed tallinn... our first port of call on our trip... really beautiful city. recommend it for a visit!

rach, me and schelle at their birthday celebrations (thanks for letting me borrow the skirt schelle!)

schelle and me drinking celebratory cocktails... yummy... good venue guys; some of the yummy shots; ryan and schelle, 1/2 the happy other end of pennard rd crew
and below, rach, schelle and mandy, 3 very lovely ladies.

the other photos here are my visit to the german christmas markets. i had a ball. me and jana drinking our gluvine; jana with the markets; muenster and it's christmas tree; duesseldorf; me and lots of gingerbread... yummmmmmmmmm




and as promised... some photos of oxford. rach and schelle at the alice sweet shop. and the two lovely ladies in the rabbit room in the eagle and child pub (where great writers used to meet)

the lovely old streets of london and ummmm.... schelle wearing all of her birthday presents, pj pants, belt, bangles...

chris' 'housewarming' and the awesome dancepad!!! suprise! (i think chris schelle and i took about 15 photos with different expressions.... haha, what are we like?!?) and me, helen and mark (sure that's for movember) eating at one of my favourite restaurants abeeno too. (the abeeno original is around the corner, but i still haven't been there)



some photos from poland... a cafe; the watch out for bumpinchers? sign?? oh, watch out for pickpockets... i get it., auswitz, me deciding what to eat from a newspaper in a 'traditional' polish restaurant; schelle and i with out new haircuts; and a lovely teahouse... very quaint.

the loos at auswitz, they could only go 2 times a day... imagine it in the snow...


and the Natural History Museum ice-skating... it's still really cool to go skating outside... this was with my cluster group at church.


here are some of the concerts... the powderfinger ticket; rach, schelle, me and chris at powderfinger; the fray tickets; the roof at my favourite venue, royal albert hall; andy, ryan, me, amit, schelle and chris at crowded house.

i haven't put up photos from the spicegirls concert, but i only went there on wednesday night, so they are still in my camera.

but hopefully this will keep some of you going until i am able to think properly and maybe write a bit more about what i am actually doing instead of just writing explanations of photos...

enjoy!
love you all
deev
xx