Pub Golf update

Come and play pub golf! Full details here.

My Visa has come through!!!!!

On Thursday my visa came through, so the Australian Government is happy for me to come to their country for a year. As someone said in the pub last night - they're taking pretty much anyone at the moment.

Next I've got to buy my flight, via Singapore. Woohoo!

Keith James sings the songs of Nick Drake

Tonight I went to see Keith James with Rowena. Keith was brilliant, with excellent guitar playing style, and a perfect singing voice for the material. The bassist, Rick Foot(?), was fantastic too, getting some wonderful harmonics and sounds from the bass. It was an intimate, friendly little gig in the Ritzy, in one of the screens oddly. Keith talked extensively about Nick Drake and his experience of the phenomenon that's arisen since his death. It was a lovely evening and perfect for getting over the hangover.

Christmas party

Friday night was the work Christmas Party in Balham. The Bedford's ballroom was dressed up beautifully for the evening, the wine flowed in large amounts, everyone dressed up and had an excellent time. Delicious food, an entertaining comedian (who didn't get the attention he deserved) and more wine. And some more wine. I don't remember much of the end of the evening. I met Anna today though and she said that everyone headed back to Andrew's place and carried on until 5am. A good time was almost certainly had by all.

Do unto others

My brother emailed me last night - he has a friend in London who has arrived expecting to be looked after by a man (presumably British), and the guy didn't show. Bastard. So she's now stuck in a foriegn country where she knows no one. My brother thought I might be able to introduce her to a few folks, so she's coming along to this monthly drink we're trying to set up among the Grantham people. They're a lovely bunch (you're a lovely bunch, Grantham people) and I'm sure she'll find a friend among them (assuming anyone else turns up) and go from there.

It occured to me that I'm putting myself in a very similar position of trust in March - I don't know more than one person in Sydney, and only a handful of people in Australia. If my friend doesn't show (I trust my friend implicitly, I have no fear of a no-show, but what-ifs sometimes make for sensible cautions and preparations to avoid them) I could be alone, thousands of miles from anyone I know. Still, I'm sure that won't happen, and in the unlikely event that it does, at least the weather will be better than London in early December.

Getting drunk with Granny

On Saturday my grandmother turned 82. My immediate family (Mum, Dad, Kirsty and Adam, Ben and myself - Luke is in Canada), my aunt Verity and a selection of her children (Peter, Alice and Hannah), Nichola and Phil and two of theirs (Jabez and Edward - Sam is in San Francisco), Guy and Laura all made it out. We had some excellent Thai food and plenty of wine, and a generally great time. I told my grandmother she should have birthdays every year (we had all got together two years previously, but not last year), and she said I had a blasted cheek, as I wouldn't be around for the next one.