Geoff & Chris in the UK     Letters & Photos: Previous Next

UK News 21 July 2003

I start working at Shoosmiths tomorrow, will tell you all about it next time!

Finally, some recent photos for you to enjoy!

Summer is in full swing, forecast 32 degrees tomorrow. Walking around town yesterday reminded me of my two days in Bangkok - really sweltering. The weather report on UK TV gives a pollen warning each day - whereas NZ has a 'number of minutes sunburn warning'. The locals are really surprised to hear this difference. The UV light is quite low here, resulting in a large number of sun tanning 'studios' in the suburbs. For £25 you can get spray painted with brown dye (not sure its 'brown dye'!!...paint?), to simulate a suntan! Apparently it lasts several weeks and is quite convincing. The low amount of UV means that PVC plastic is the favoured building material for doors and windows. Probably 70% of all homes have these plastic windows, which must have great advantages when it's frosty outside (eg less condensation).

Sorry to hear of NZ shivering - Peter & Brian sent us a chilling photo of their Waikato property covered in a heavy frost. Wally & Bev have retreated to their spa pool, and the Tervits are hastening their move to the sunny Bay of Plenty.

George has been unwell again, we're so grateful that Claire is there several days a week, traveling from Swindon to be with him. We go over about three times a week to cook him a meal, mow the lawn and do what we can for him. That will be more difficult once I'm working in the city. Perhaps Chris will drive from her work to George's and I will get a bus from the city to George's.

Seems like I've caught a flu or something, been sick for over a week now,
I just don't have immunity to UK bugs. Now on my 3rd day of antibiotics,
I hate taking them, but I've got to clear this up soon!

We miss the NZ hot pools already, perhaps that will be another incentive
for us to join a health club/gym here - a spa pool will be mighty tempting
in the middle of a Birmingham winter!

Glad to see that Britomart is finally open, but it must have been nauseating to see John Banks gloating about his role in it. It is his mouth that should be "bolted down with araldite". Hope the trains are busy. Brits laugh when I tell them there are only two passenger trains per day from Auckland to Wellington. By comparison, the New Street rail station in central Birmingham is so busy, that they have having to shut the door at times to prevent more people coming in! It was designed for 600 train departures per day, and it currently running over 1000!

Wednesday
Both home sick, slumped to a new low by watching a very old episode of Shortland Street on TV (not me - Geoff!), and had microwaved spotted dick for pudding. It really surprises me that UK television are paying for Shortland Street, or maybe it is a reciprocal deal, whereby NZ gets some quality British programmes in return. We have videotaped the documentary around Sir Peter Blake's murder, but haven't watched it yet.

Went back to the very grotty social welfare offices in Sparkbrook, queued again for a National Insurance number, to be told there is a 4 week delay before I can be interviewed. They assure me that my pay won't be affected by my not having a number yet. The irony is that asylum seekers can get one immediately, but not me! 

Friday
Went to the Martin Curtis concert at The Boggery. He is a musician from NZ. We yelled Kia Ora! He did not sound as good as when we saw him in Hamilton - perhaps its because he didn't sing all the same songs and we were both tired)

Saturday 
We went to a fireworks concert at Cannon Hill Park, next to the Edgbaston Cricket Ground and the BBC Pebble Mill studios (home of the Archers)- view it here. Quite horrified at the high proportion of people smoking, came away suffering the effects of passive smoking, despite the concert being in the open air! Oddest sight, adults buying large plastic dummies with flashing lights, to suck & walk around with...

I was fascinated by the people sitting around us and spent most of my time people watching . On the left were two fairly average white brummy families with reasonably well behaved children - in front a group of young people - 20s/ - who sat facing us - not the concert and some marijuana and drank whisky all evening - they were quiet though - too stoned to do much else! - to the right was very large lady squeezed tightly into a wire chair - she looked very uncomfortable which probably explained her sour face and why she did not see to be enjoying herself much. To the back was a very large and dysfunctional family Mum, Dad and Mum in law. Dad was very drunk and was singing 'Roll out the Barrel' when the concert was playing Handel's Water music! - the children argued, hurled abuse and generally caused mayhem while the parents and the mum - in - law swore at them all night. Next to this family was very refined and nicely spoken, glossy black Jamaican family.

Next time we go to an event like this, we will take our NZ flag and hoist it, to see what the reaction is! Of the food available at the concert, instead of a Hangi there was a caravan serving Caribbean food. We chose a roast pork and stuffing sandwich. Weird way of making hamburgers here - they don't toast the buns, so it's untoasted bread rolls. Any often the eggs are those reconstituted ones, which look like a long sausage, with a long yolk inside.

Sunday
Went into central Birmingham, having promised Chris for months that I would take her to the 'Jewellery Quarter', walked over a mile there, and found it was all closed. Chris had high anticipation of being bought some gold, got ploughmans sandwiches instead from the Marks and Spencers food hall.... Swelteringly hot, must have been 29 degrees (feeling really sorry for everyone in NZ shivering in the snow and rain...). Caught the new tram back into town, only 60 pence for the trip (they run every 10 minutes). To escape the heat, we went to a picture theatre at 3:40pm to see 'Whale Rider', the NZ movie that is earning some many awards and accolades. It was good, but not as great as the hype had suggested. This photo is from our own whale adventure - about 8 years ago at Te Mata on the Coromandel Peninsular, we helped in the rescue of a 7 metre Minke whale - a wonderful experience that we will never forget.

Motorists in Surrey have been spraying the undersides of their cars with aftershave in an effort to deter suburban foxes which are chewing through brake cables during the night. So that explains why I like to nibble Geoffs ears!!

I'm in newspaper heaven here (much to Chris's consternation - he will spend all morning - every morning, reading every page even the footnotes! - not sure how he will handle real life work!!). Yesterday's Sunday Times was a wopping 414 pages (including three colour supplements)

Not surprisingly, there are many excellent BBC radio and TV programmes. A fascinating on on BBC radio 4 was called 'taking the piss out of London', which told of how human urine was barrelled up and sold to factories for dying fabric, and other things. Depending on how your computer is set up, you may be able to listen to it here... http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml (requires the RealPlayer program). Heard again the wonderful (sad) story of 'Spoonface Weinberg', a child's monologue of her cancer. Highly recommended, I asked the Hamilton Public Library to get a copy in stock and they did!

Max told me about a US shopping mall that wanted to discourage teenagers from hanging around the mall entrances. Their solution was to play unfashionable music like Bing Crosby and installing yellow lights that cause acne blemishes to really show up. Now in Birmingham, one shopping centre has felt the need to install blue lights in the public toilets. Their purpose: to make it difficult/impossible for drug addicts to find their veins, in order to dissuade heroin addicts from injecting there...sad eh?

Haley Westenra seems to be in the UK news quite a lot, she has done so well, not surprisingly being called 'the new Charlotte Church'. Charlotte has bloomed into a big bad girl,  rebellious, stroppy (good on yer girl - go for it!!). Haven't heard her sing for a long time, but she's making the most of the celebrity circuit.

I've had fun producing the birthday invitation for my Dad's 80th birthday. It was designed to look like a Court Summons, quite official looking. Caused quite a few laughs! We're feeling really guilty that we can't be in Auckland for the party, but it's just not possible, due to work commitments.

Chris is feeling old in the bones, and having lots of pain in hands and legs and has been told by the doctor to do more exercise, but when will we get time for that on top of everything else we're trying to do?! Perhaps we'll go to the Monday night Pilates lessons.

I have now developed a  taste for the UK knickers - no, not literally! - But I have to say there is not a knicker line in sight anywhere!! I have learnt about 'strings', thongs, 'low rise', ' high rise', high cut' etc etc. Can never manage to buy anything tho - there is so much choice it takes me weeks to make up my mind and when I go to get it - its gone. 

Also went in H&M to the sale and while there witnessed a stand up fight between two women - it was very nasty and I was scared , they hit each other, pulled clothes and hair and swore very loudly. .

Good to see NZ UK relations are at an all time high (?!) with Helen Clarke giving Tony Blair a good snog yesterday. Is he trying to give her a piece of his apple?......

This morning there has been a train full of Guinness beer come off the rails. I'm sure there's a good joke in there somewhere...

Lots more news to come in the next newsletter, about my new job, the digital camera I have bought and the Royal Air Tattoo...

Next time I'll get Chris to write a story about the fun her family had with Ray's pet birds, including his pet owl which slept in his bedroom drawer, which kept the family awake at night with it's hooting! And Rob's gerbil.

Cheers,
Geoff & Chris

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