Sunday 21 March 2010

Don't forget the elephants

Hopefully by the time you read this we'll be somewhere between Australia and England, way above the clouds.
Before that, though, there are a few things to fill you in on...
Back at the beginning of the month it was my birthday (I won't say how old!) and we both had the day off. We spent the day in the city, pottering around, and then in the evening Dan surprised me with tickets to see the musical Wicked. For those of you who don't know, it tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz before she turned wicked. I have always absolutely loved musicals, so this was a real treat. The show opened on Broadway to rave reviews, and I can see why. The scenery was fantastic and I couldn't stop singing the songs afterwards. If I had to say one negative thing it would be that the accents were a bit weird! Australian actors trying to do an English accent and sounding kind of Irish/American was quite amusing! That's just me being picky though, because on the whole it was fab.

Last week involved more music, although very different to the twee songs of Wicked! We went to see Massive Attack at the Opera House. Well, I say 'at' the Opera House, but it was actually on the forecourt outside. The stage was set up opposite the main entrance and we all sat on the steps.
 Sydney has the best skyline of all the cities I've visited and made a very dramatic backdrop for the show. And what a show it was! With strobe lights and pumping bass, my eyes and ears felt well and truly worn-out by the end. Dan is a huge fan and particularly enjoyed Angel and Unfinished Sympathy, his two favourite songs. I really liked Teardrop and the graphics that went with it. At this point I should mention that the concert was made even sweeter by the fact we managed to wangle some very cheap tickets by 'pulling a fast one'!! I won't go into the details but we basically managed to save $100... everyone loves a bargain!
Dan and I worked our last shift at the gelato and yogurt shops yesterday. I still find it hard to believe that we were lucky enough to get virtually the same type of job within a few yards of each other. Both my bosses (Fotini et al) and Dan's bosses (Carmen and Michael) were very kind, saying that we would be very much missed. I was thoroughly spoilt, as they bought me a gorgeous handbag as a leaving present. I will definitely miss all the people that I worked with but we both agree that it is time to move on and try something new. The whole point of this year's adventure is to see and experience as many different places as possible and we won't achieve that if we stay in Newtown for the whole time!
Packing has been an absolute nightmare! I cannot believe how much we have accumulated in just five months. The biggest drama involved a big wooden lamp. I honestly think we needed our heads examining the day that we bought that thing, as we really didn't consider how we were going to get it home. In the end we decided to ship it back to the UK, which will take three months! We spent ages wrapping it up so I hope it arrives in one piece...
 As for the Blog title, that is a reference to our decorative string of elephants that we had hanging in our room. Because we are so used to them I was worried we would overlook them, hence the fact Dan kept saying 'don't forget the elephants'. You'll be pleased to know they are now safely tucked into Dan's suitcase.
Farewell Newtown and all the crazy people that come with it and hello Barnstaple (and all the crazy people that come with it!! Only joking, I've missed you all really!)

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