Just so you guys know

Hi there Everyone.

Well what a hairy day it has been. For those of you who haven't read the paper or listened to the radio or seen the TV or heard about it any other way, we had a terrorist hit in London this morning. And yeah, it's a little scary. Actually I'll admit it, it's a lot scary.

But the bottom line is I am okay. I worked today so I was safely here at Pax Lodge but tomorrow is a day off and I planned to get out early...now though I think I might stay here and clean my room.... We had a session start yesterday, thus the 50 odd Americans we have here at the moment all headed out for out trips with some of our staff just after 8:30, all of which had to use the Tube System. Thankfully, we're all okay, some of the girls are quite shaken up about it. Under the circumstances, that's understandable. The phone's have been ringing non stop. The one concern we do have at the moment is for a father and daughter who have been staying here the past few days and left just after 8am to get the Tube out to Heathrow. Currently we don't know if they made their flight or not, but I'm sure they are okay.

Pretty much at the moment they're saying there were three Tube explosions and one on a bus. My mobile had been going haywire for the past five or six hours with sms from home but the mobile networks here are jammed at the moment so I'm unable to contact anyone! Well I called mum and a couple others, but I can't call everyone!! So I just wanted to let you know I am okay. As I said earlier, a little shaken, but okay.

Old Street and Kings Cross are both on the Northern line, indeed Kings Cross is just down the road from here. We've had sirens going literally all morning. The entire Tube System was shut down as were all the bus services so currently there is no public transport system operating in London. Everyone is being told not to go anywhere and there is like live coverage on one of the channels. So the TV is constantly streaming all this stuff and some of the images are pretty horrible. Even people who were on the Tube or in the stations talking about body parts and what not just being everywhere. They were talking to one guy and he had me in tears, he was actually on the next carriage to one of the trains that went off at Edgeware Road and he was talking about smoke and people panicing and breaking windows to get oxygen and people preying. It must have been so horrific.

But I have dwelled too much on this already and right now I just want to put it at the back of my mind (I know that's harsh, but it's not a nice feeling to be in amongst it all). It's been bad enough battling a touch of homesickness as it is, this isn't helping! Have been on the go since about 8am this morning, I was supposed to have four hours off this arvo, but come 1:30 were were still trying to sort everything out and then I've just kinda been floating to make sure everyone is okay and now when I am done here, I'll float for another half hour then work until 9pm tonight. Yay!! In the office mind you, I'm scared I'm going to get lots of calls.

Basically been flat out working the past couple of days, had some thinglike 17 rooms to clean yesterday and 51 beds to make, all this was done by 12;30 and we started at 7am! Primarily it was Erin and I, but at about 10:30 we had Ruth and Jung-Hwa (who had been vacuuming) come and help us make beds. Phew! It took three attempts over about a span of two hours to go to bed last night! We ended up (after being side tracked for the second time) going for a walk down to Hagan Das(spelling?) to get Ice cream and ended up sitting in there talking about different customs and marriage and age gaps and the number of wives and all sorts about all our various different countries. The ice cream was fantastic too!

Tomorrow and Saturday sees me on my two days off. Monique and I were going to go and see Chicago on Saturday night and stop for a drink on the way home (hey its a good weekend this weekend!) but she has to work and won't finish until 7:30-8pm and the show would have already started. Sunday night sees Monique and I out for Snakebites at theWalk About and Tuesday night I somehow scored an outing with Program (in the evening) and thus get to go and see We Will Rock You!!!! I sooooo cannot wait!! But yes, not too sure what I am going to do with my two days off, it'll depend on just how much of the transport system wants to be up and running. I suppose I could pack a picnic and go for a wander around the Heath and have some nice lunch in the non existent sunshine. It has been overcast and drizzling since last night (yes we walked in the drizzle to get ice-cream...).

All that said my main aim was to make contact and let you all know that for the most part I am fine. Other than the small burns I have on my hands (and tender points and bruises) I'm good! My hands (and feet!) just aren't used to all this work! Not when there is steam and water and iron presses involved!! That said, all is going fine. I have a bit of a routine happening which was one of the things I wanted to get laid down very early on in the piece.

Personal Notes:

Julie: I need your address! I know the street name, but can't remember what number or postcode! Okay okay, so I wasn't as organised as I thought I was....

Kathy: My posters arrived today, THANK YOU! They're even laminated. I am so spoiled. And thank you for the badges, they'll come in quite handy! Thank you Thank you Thank you

Ruth: When do you fly back to the UK?? Ayes Rock would have been simply Amazing!!

Andrea & Crasher: Guys...I opened my envelope thingie last night...oh my gosh!! Thank you soooo much!! I loved it all! I just need to figure out how to turn the sound off on the little Keno game, I mean if it's annoying me, it surely will be annoying everyone else! And 'the photo'...I can remember the day we did that!! Its one freaky photo and a good theory! I saw it and just burst out laughing!!

That just about does it for another chapter at this end!

Hope this finds you all well and safe, take care and until next time,

Rachael :-)