Hello

Hey!!

You know there haven't been many e-mails from you, but they tend to rock up at the right time when they do get here! It's now after midnight and I've been talking to Erin for the past two hours.

It's likely that in the next couple of days you'll get a letter arrive in your post box. I can't help myself sometimes. Indeed how I'm feeling now is vastly different to how I was feeling when I wrote the letter, that said I'm yet to question if I made the right choice or not. I know at some stage I will, but now is not the time.

This afternoon at around 4:40 I was in the dining room having just started my afternoon K2 shift. I had one of those moments that comes right out of the blue and so unexpected it left me speechless and kinda feeling like I'm not sure where to look. I was opening the window or something and turn around to find 50 odd year old Chef Maria standing there with half her jacket off, bra and boob and all complaining about the pain in her shoulder and showing me the needle marks they'd put in!! I tell you I could have fallen over. This isn't aimed at you but if people are going to start making a habit of doing this, I want a bit of notice!!

My biggest issue right now is that I've had very little contact with anyone from home in the past three weeks. Aside from you and my mother, I've received one e-mail and a text message. I feel so disconnected. This was one of my fears coming here, reaching a point where it's like I have dropped off the face of the planet and don't exist. In my letter (the long one) I say something about this being the biggest form of self isolation I've put myself through. To be honest, it feels like I hit the nail dead on the head.

I'm not expecting weekly e-mails from people, I know they all have a life. But I'd say that about 90% of people that told me I had to stay in contact with I haven't heard from since I left. It really sucks.

That aside I am having a good time. Our current session is a whole of three people. We've other guests in too, but it means I may end up going to see We Will Rock You again tomorrow night...well I guess technically it's tonight...but tomorrow I am off and I'm going on a London walk (like what we did but during the day) and on Wednesday Ruth, Erin and I are going out to Hampton Court Palace for the day.

Oh and guess what? The WalkAbout is screening the AFL Grand Final, live so it's on at like 5am in the morning!!! I'm working that day, but I'm trying to see if I can switch shifts with Monique so I can get an 8:45am shift start. Which means if the stream starts at 5am I have until 8am to see it all, should be over in three hours right? Mind you I could be pushing my luck, it's the first day of the World Board and apparently this place runs like the army while it's on. We'll see. I might go talk to Janet.

I have three days off again this month by default. I'm thinking of going up to Birmingham to stay with Ruth (who came to the TRS function in feb?) as she's now back in the UK and called me the other night. She's bringing her brownies to Pax Lodge in Feb to stay!! But yeah, other than that, no major plans.

And as for my bonsai plant, I think it's dead. Well maybe not dead. Maybe it's supposed to look like it does. I water it and feed it that stuff Sally got so maybe I'm just not talking nice enough to it. Perhaps it keeps hearing me swear under my breath. That's another thing I've been doing more of lately.

Oh I brought a CD the other day and the song from kill Bill is on there!!

I was talking to a lady on the Tube the other day who had a Siamese cat with her!! A little bit darker than Candy, but sounded exactly the same!! She's actually moving back to Sydney so had to send the cat first as it had to go through quarantine and all. I looked in the box and smiled. I miss cat's in general here. No one to sit on my lap and pur or chase my finger or cover my clothes in hair...

Right I should be off because I need sleep and I've probably just stolen your lunch break again. Sorry. Just remember, we used to spend hours yakking all the time. I can't do that now. So I have to somehow compensate this way. It's not the same, but you know...

Okay I'm going! Take care and hope the broken nose gets fixed!
Rachael :-)