Greetings from Up North!

Hello to all!!

Well I can't believe its been nearly a month since I wrote, but then when you look at how quickly time goes by here then I suppose its not all that surprising! The bad part is that I am having a hard time trying to figure out what I've told you and what I haven't!! So I'll just go for a recap of the year thus far and see how we go.

I spent the better part of January feeling about as great as a seasick passenger crossing Bass Straight in mid July! While the vampire doctors took blood, it came back all clear and everything was hunky dory. Or so it would seem. While I know part of what I have been feeling is physical (pretty much had no energy and felt like crap! Slept lots too...), I would have to be a fool if I tried to tell myself it wasn't an emotional thing as well. However, slowly but surely I am getting there. It sometimes feels like the bad days are out weighing the good ones, yet I am sure that's just a figment of my imagination!!

January also brought the return of an old and dear face to Pax Lodge. Yes, Ruth returned! It was a lovely couple of days and I got out of the building and perhaps got to relive memories and moments I feel I miss so much. Its odd to think I can now miss things about London too, Melbourne is one thing, but London? Either way I got out to Speakers Corner again and Covent Garden. Spent a couple of hours wandering around Camden and caught up on news and photos and videos from home (for both of us). Ruth had brought a video of her girls at camp and well since I had my girls on video too (thanks Mick and Vic!) I had to show them off too!!

Hmm for those a little lost there, my aunt and uncle did a home video and sent it over for Christmas. Had all the animals and a drive into the city on it, saw the streets of Broady (one can miss that!) and even my car! But yes, they did a visit to my Guide Unit one night which by the time it came onto the screen I was bawling my eyes out. While being at a World Centre is great and all, and dealing with people on literally a global level, I miss the day to day thing. The guiding on a local level, my little unit. I miss the interaction with the girls. Sometimes life at Pax gets too complex and I'd give anything to go back to making paper mache piggy banks...

January also found me celebrate my first Australia Day overseas! Have to admit, it was only the second time in history where I'd started drinking during daylight hours! The other involved tequila shots...but Louise and I (yay another aussie) headed into central London to the Shaftsbury Ave Walk About. I couldn't believe how packed it was!! I have some great photos of me and my beer and a cool Fosters hat, plus the first meat pie I'd had in like 8 months! It tasted sooooo good!! Lots of drunk Australians, plenty from Melbourne, hardly any from the ACT. Five different TV screens with five different sports playing. I am amazing at just how many aussies there are in this city and that was only going to one place!!

Other random things in January included getting on a Webcam in Covent Garden with Sally to wave to her mum in South Africa while talking to her on the phone, getting a photo with a bunch of Bikies which reminded me of Hells Angels (yeah not making a habit of that either!), celebrating lots of birthdays and one of the worst things to happen was the Senior Staff doing a 28 day detox. It was pure hell and I didn't even do it!! No I guess more than anything I just became tired of the complaining. I mean come on guys, self inflicted! Because of this we had some very interesting cakes for birthdays one of which could have double for a dry skin/corn scrubber type thing. It was horrible! An important moment was finally getting my new credit card to arrive in the mail!! Mate I tell you I haven't used it in an ATM since I got it!! I am terrified to!

Have seen a couple of movies too. If I remember rightly I mentioned the Gay Cowboy Movie (Brokeback Mountain) but have since seen Rumour Has It and Memoirs of a Geisha which I really enjoyed. And yes I cried! Shanna laughed at me...Also read a few more good books. The thing I like about it being so cold outside (and I mean cold) is that I want to stay inside and curl up with a book or two!

The part of the new year has in true Pax Lodge style seen people come and go. We had our Long Term Resident Kat leave us, which initially was a great thing, but as crazy as it sounds, I actually miss having her around. Another recent departure (and literally within the past few days) was Eri, the HA from Japan. There's no one here to make funny noises or get really confused when we all talk at the same time! In essence she was the last of my HAs to leave. I am it now which is kind of sad when you consider how things are now. New arrivals found a new Long Term Resident from New Zealand arrive. Also two more HAs to add to the mix. Rachel from Maine, USA and Tricia from Sydney, NSW. Yep that's right, the aussies are invading Pax Lodge! Actually poor Heather today looked really confused, between Tricia and I we had the typical humour flying around which if you don't understand, can confuse the hell out of you.

I also went to see a stage show called Stomp. While the concept was interesting and the way it was presented quite smart, I don't ever want to see it again! An hour and a half of sound effects made by people on stage just doesn't cut it. My brain needs a story or something to focus on, not noise!! As I said, it was good, but no need to see it again! On the subject of shows, one of the ladies next door (well she's Doreen's boss so that makes her important!) has a brownie group who were in a pantomime. A few of us went out a few Friday's back to see it. A tiny little church hall with minimal heating and really bad acting is what we got!! It was cute and all, but it was the longest three hours of my life!! The best part about that night was walking to Finchley while it was snowing lightly, a whole new magical experience, especially since it was dark.

Work wise the office is still the office really. I went and did a two day Access course which I really enjoyed, both on the brain level and the stomach level. Good food! Actually it was nice to in a sense go to work and leave the building. While some would consider living where you work a convenience, I long for the days of the rush hour drive home or the squished public transport commute. I felt so good to have to be out at a certain time to get a certain bus and be somewhere by a certain time. To be able to leave the building at lunch. To mix with other people. Then try fight for a seat coming home and being delayed because of traffic. You don't realise how much you miss that.

Oh how could I forget the most exciting news of all! Actually, some of you might be terrified at the thought. But Pax had a brush with crime! Ha! Well technically the two people actually tried to break into the Bureau but they still came in our back garden and shifted the view of our CCTV camera and spent like 12 minutes on the property and even came down near the doors of Pax Lodge! It was all so exciting, you should have seen us all crowded in Doreen's Office looking at the footage. The police and everything got involved. So yours truly ended up sitting there and going through all the footage and writing down what they did at what time and got taken next door into the recording studio to see Glen and see their security cameras (they are sooo cool) and well, just generally felt a little bit of a buzz of excitement, just like being back in reception of a squad! Pathetic I know, but still exciting.

KFC down the road burnt down or exploded or something. For a while there (for Monique's benefit) we thought about how Kumar was doing....

Last Sunday I ended up working because we had a huge International Adventure Day!! We were expecting 90 odd people, 78 of which were kids! Most people who were sane would say no when asked to sacrifice a day off to work, nope not me!! Ha! Aww mate I tell you, it was great fun! In the end we ended up with maybe 50 kids or so come, but it was still the biggest International Day I'd seen in my time. It was a bit of a shock to the new HAs too. Actually in general I think everything is a bit of a shock to them! I had to laugh, yesterday Shanna over flowed the bath on the first floor! She forgot about turning the tap on and it flooded the little bathroom and the water came down through the roof into reception!! Goodness Me!

One thing I continuously say to you guys that I like about Pax Lodge is the change in the team. Like a huge Big Brother psychology experiment. HA wise I'm not sure we've got a functioning team. I know that sounds really horrible. But it almost seems like they are operating as individuals rather than a team. We have some very strong personalities. What I find most amusing, perhaps that's not the right word, is that several of them have said to me they came here expecting a family type of feeling and its not like that at all. Up until now I would have disagreed. Yet recently its like it has lost the family feel. More than anything its probably just a phase and probably because we have got a pretty green group of HAs. So in that sense you'd still think the rest of the staff are okay. But as far as I can tell, that too has changed, Erin and I used to come up with theories all the time. The one we always anticipated but never occurred was Pax Lodge Imploding on Itself. Right now I feel like that is not far off happening. Everyone seems really agitated and pissed off a lot more. I find that the Pax Lodge I once knew and loved isn't here any more.

Hmmm I've done a lot of complaining haven't I? That and things I miss or things which aren't the same. Maybe right now I am just in limbo. Stuck between wanting to leave but not wanting to go back to Australia just yet. Perhaps I just don't know what I want! Or perhaps I just haven't adapted to the changes here as well as I thought I had. Who knows. What I am looking forward to is the summer and more sunshine and many more adventures. I hope. I am also looking forward to Thinking Day and Pax Lodge's 15th Anniversary in March. There are some big celebrations ahead. I also look forward to seeing old friends and faces. Ruths (both of them!), Kacey, Erin, Kathy and Kate. And anyone else who wants to come and visit!!

Actually I had Mandy Fitzpatric's sister come and visit me yesterday! That was kinda cool! So my Guide people, if you could pass on my thanks and regards to Mandy that would be great.
For now I have talked far too long. I really should go.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the summer as hot as it seems to be. Please stay safe and take care, drop me a line sometime!!

Your Aussie over here,
Rachael :-)