women’s march

I attended the Women’s March on London on Saturday 21 January, in solidarity with women and girls, and men and boys, all around the world, as a response to Trump’s Presidency.

I’d never attended such an event before and was overwhelmed with emotions throughout the day. I felt belonging, pride, frustration… but more than anything, I felt like an all-conquering, strong, fierce woman.

Trump has shown us what kind of President he wants to be – a self-serving, bully. So I post these images now, because we need to be reminded that the march may be over, but real battle has only just begun, and together we are a force to be reckoned with.

 

Camera: Olympus OMD EM5

Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

Edits: VSCO (on iPad)

brockley market

I love markets, and food markets in particular. So when I found out that there was an award winning food market near me (seriously, less than a 30 minute walk), I had to go there.

What I discovered was amazing local produce, a lovely community vibe and food trucks – so you can grab your weekly shop and a spot of lunch!

If you live in South East London, particularly near Greenwich or Lewisham, then I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Brockley Market one Saturday. You can grab meat, fish, cheese, veg, even wine and potted plants. And you can feel good knowing that you are supporting local producers and the environment.

 

Camera: Olympus OMD EM5

Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

Edits: VSCO (on iPad)

british bacon is better

I remember my first English breakfast sausage so vividly. It was 2003, I was staying with a family in the English countryside and was given a sausage butty (English slang word for sandwich/roll) for breakfast. It was unlike anything I’d ever eaten and it was amazing. All these years later, now that I live in London, I realise that it isn’t just breakfast sausages, it is all items pig-related that the British do so well.

You might think that this is an odd post, but I feel that much time is devoted to just how terrible English coffee is. So why not focus on something that is truly wonderful.

Now let’s just take boutique farmers and specialist deli’s off the table. I am comparing your average supermarket bought bacon. Is there any reason for this noticeable difference or is it just my vitamin D deficient body craving bacon? (Ha, I jest. I’ve actually seen more sunlight here in London than I have in Melbourne. Thank you unemployment.)

Apparently, according to a quick Google search (which mostly resulted in English people living in Australia complaining about Australian bacon), the meat is cured differently. In the same posts, I also noticed that the English-Australians were complaining about our sausages. So it seems that the Brits take their bacon and their pigs a bit more seriously – see http://www.englishbreakfastsociety.com/back-bacon.html . (There is also a lot of debate about British vs American bacon, but I won’t get into that.)

Though the best bacon I have had was from a farm in country Victoria (Australia), on the whole, the British bacon is better.

Now how to resist eating it all the time…

moving to london

An Aussie living in London… it’s certainly not a new story or a path less travelled. For many Australians it seems to be a rite of passage, a journey to take before settling down back home. So there are no surprises here, I’m Just Another F*cking Australian (aka JAFA, and yes I have stolen this from Kiwis – much like Aussies have claimed everything good to have come out of NZ).

While spending too much time on the tube and soaking up every minute of sun when it shines, a number of thoughts have struck me (and they haven’t gone away). Why are all the supermarket vegetables wrapped in plastic? Where can you buy Minties? Why is recycling less prevalent here? The list goes on.

I’ve been living in London for just over a month and my initial musings are…

• London is a city made up of lots of towns/boroughs (more like Sydney than Melbourne). Each area has its own culture or sub-culture and there are invisible geographical lines that some people won’t cross.
• A lot of Londoners are grumpy or in a rush or both. But I’m sure there are friendly ones out there, I just haven’t met them yet.
• It is an expensive place to live. Sometimes I could swap the pound symbol with a dollar and the price would be the same back home. But it’s ok, because it’s London.
• The sun does shine in London, but it is exactly like Melbourne – don’t count on it staying that way. It is very possible that you will get four seasons in one day, and always carry an umbrella.
• It is a big city, but don’t be lulled into always catching the tube. Often it is quicker to walk, and walking around London is pretty nice.

I miss my friends and family, and being unemployed is draining my soul, but this has definitely been the best decision of my life.

xx

borough market

I would love to use this blog as a way of keeping you all up-to-date with our travels, but I don’t think it’ll be very up-to-date afterall. I have no good excuses, I am just terribly slack. Instead, just think of it as an electronic, impersonal postcard that may take weeks or months to reach you (sounds great, right?).

Anyways, I will try to post some pics from our European escapades soon, but for now, here are some of my favourite snaps from London’s Borough Market.

  

If you love food you will love Borough Market. Everything tastes (and smells) so good. It is a feast for all the senses. It will definitely be a regular destination for me once I’m settled in London.

Camera: Olympus OMD EM5

Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

Edits: VSCO (on iPad)

 

the beginning of something beautiful

It has happened! I am in London, and yes, I am planning to live here. But not just yet. Firstly, I need to travel Europe and enjoy unemployment.

This blog is predominantly about photographs, but I will also be sharing tidbits about my travels and adventures. So I hope you enjoy it.

So far, we have managed to explore London a little (we know we’ve only just scratched the surface) and we’ve briefly visited Portugal. I think it’s safe to say that we are both pretty happy with our decision and can see ourselves living here.

But tomorrow we are off to Paris to start our big European adventures. I’m hoping we’ll be gone for a few months, but we’re playing it by ear. So until next time… au revoir!