Radjeworks: Record breaking, Shorts, Wimbledon and Swan-whispering

June has been the best month I've had in London so far. Although the people are famously grumpy (and worryingly proud to have that characteristic...) the sunshine has rendered them unable to hold back the occasional grudging smile. This could be in large part due to the vast hordes of attractive tourists who have come to spy the Jubilee, Wimbledon and the beginning of Olympic stuff. Euro 2012 has made the pubs lively places even during the week, and the spirit of South West London has been one of eagerness and cheerfulness. My body is confused into thinking it is on a summer holiday, because the weather down here is consistantly miles better than back home in Fife. It for this reason that I have invested in a few news pairs of shorts and some smashing t-shirts and sports clothes.

Fashion show? Fashion show!

Brown and Blue "Machine"

Green and Blue - "Power"

Red and Red - "Elmer"

Short sleeved - "Sport Blade"


Long sleeved - "Nitro Storm"

That was definitely needed. My peely-wally legs might actually get a bit of a tan if I keep up the cycling. With so many sunny weekends in June I've made the most of my travels. This weekend I'm taking an afternoon cycle through Richmond park and following the Thames to Kingston and beyond, if I can be bothered to go further. I know it's lovely down by Hampton Court, but I lost my bloomin' earphones so I can't keep up with my audiobook as I go. I have the horrific character trait of almsot never being able to focus on just one thing at a time.

You might have noticed in the fashion show pictures that I had some flags on my whiteboard. Here is a close-up.

Extra points if you can name the flag on the left without using Google.

There are the holidays I have coming up :). I can't wait! At the end of this month I'll be heading home to my Cousin Megan's wedding. What a bizarre but fantastic occasion; the first our our generation in our family to get married. The women have been going wedding mental (much as they'd like to pretend they detest the huge splurge of cash involved) and the outfits have been picked out for the men. I've set a bit of a fashion statement with my graduation clothes last year. Black shirts and socks, red crevats. Gonna look swish! Norway in the middle of August will be my real proper holiday. I mentioned it in a previous post, but now that things are actually booked up I'm getting itchy feet. I still haven't decided whether, or how much, to say about it to the Norwegian folks. On the one hand, I would love to see them all again. On the other hand, I know for sure that the combination of issues arising from a failed romance and my depressed ranting during my first weeks in London have sort of alienated them. I could either take this as a completely separate "James" experience, or I could try and push it as a way to reconnect. Pushing generally sucks, and I'm not sure I'm any more ready to rekindle things than they are. Definitely keen to, but ready? Ach, who knows.

The Netherlands is a rather more simple concept! Flora invited me to come and stay with her when she goes home in September before her move to Japan, of all places, in October. With a true citizen of the world spirit, she is going to meet up and stay with her brilliant boyfriend Steve, and work together at a research facility on a smaller island. Okinawa, maybe? Or am I just trying to brutally smash together syllables I recall from war movies and Dragon Ball Z? One pressing question is: To get baked or not to get baked? I've never had any real desire to try cannabis, as the culture of users here is about as appealing as becoming a teenage goth. Sitting in a smokey student flat with people with too much hair and one too many hoodies, talking too much about what they are doing because it's illegal... Meh. Now take the scene of walking into a cafe in Rotterdam with a good book under your arm, talking with the jovial elderly gentleman and his strongly accented English about the best type of "sizzlin' doobie" for your particular needs. Strolling outside on a warm summer's day, and heading out to a park to sit by a tree. Or even better, going home and slapping that stuff into a couple pancakes. It gets taken away from the world of mild and childish crime, to an experience contained within a smashing holiday, with a good friend and a welcoming family. Hmmm.

The last country I will be visiting in October sometime. It's been too long since I saw Ieva, and with her welcome I cannot wait to go and see a new place in the world. I know very little about the country, which I hope to change after my trip :). So happy to be getting so much travel, and to be spending most of it with friends.

So, I have had a busy couple of weeks! Last weekend, Rock choir (which I belong to) decided to attempt to beat a guiness world record. All indications suggest that we have succeeded in doing so, but the Guiness people have to do their checks to make sure. If we have managed it though, I'll be in the book for 2012! How brilliant is that :D. Pictures of it if it happens. The record was for the largest simultaneous song and dance routine in multiple venues. 9000+ of us gathered across Britain in various venues to sing "When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams and Mel C. A pretty good song, all in all. The London rock choirs were singing right beside the bloomin' tower of London! Some gig! I got a lovely old lady to take a video of us singing Mr Blue Sky after the record attempt. We were supposed to be shoved off fairly quickly, but we'd drawn such a crowd and made everyone so cheerful that the Beefeaters let us stay another half hour and just sing a random pick. Here are some pictures and the youtube link. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00QAJczGLJk

Which costume do you prefer?

Tower Bridge, and the head of the Beefeaters.

That weekend was special for more than one reason though. I invited another PhD student, Fan, to stay with me whilst she was visiting London for some training. She stays up in Norwich where she works and collects data, but for some reason is associated with Roehampton. She started at the same time as me and has always been kind to me, even during my initial bursts of stress. So to repay her, I put her up. We had an absolutely brilliant time, having lunch at Wagamamas on the south bank, visiting Wimbledon to go and see Men in Black 3 and have a KFC. We got on so well and she was just such an all-round awesome person that I hope she comes to stay again. Here is a picture of her in Southfields.

It isn't often I get to make Chinese-jokes to a real Chinese person!

This week was off to a really pleasant start when Mum was in town for the first time since March with her work. I met her after finishing at the office for the day. Hammersmith...great shops, quite a nice place. People are dicks. We got shoved around and tutted at without end whenever we were walking about. I reckon I'm lucky to have ended up in a much more mellow location. Judging it on so few experiences isn't particularly logical, but bugger Hammersmith and its face.

Off she goes, pretty in pink to Heathrow. Bye Mum, see you in July!

Wimbledon has well and truly hit, with my local tube station (Southfields) being the nearest to the courts. It has been done up to look like a tennis court itself. How cozy :).

Which a sweet touch!

After arriving home from Hammersmith, I discovered Jess getting ready to leave for a festival in Belgium. Her Australian friends had left their stuff in her room whilst they went off to go to a Wimbledon match, here is the result! 7 people!! They know how to travel...

Jess, happy that she hadn't been in bed when her friends dropped off their stuff.

With summer pumping light and heat into the earth, the little street-gardens of some of the residents of my block have been flourishing. Remember, these are just grassy pavements that they have dug up and tended to. Such a great thing to do :).

The vegetables planted by an Asian lady. I got the chance to tell her I thought what she had done was wonderful.

The old man in the building across from mine must have a lot of pride for what he has accomplished. This would jsut be dry earth and weeds were it not for him.

Later in the week, I took my regular trip to Wimbledon for choir, but this time I went in an old fahsioned bus, serving the tennis! I also went to my weekly tennis lesson and asked Sophie, our trainer, to snap some shots.

It didn't take Oyster cards...

After 2 hours of this, the cycle home goes a lot slower.

This weekend got off to a great start with the roch choir party, where I got to know fellow memebrs of my choir that I usually don't speak to, with them beign in the alto or soprano sections on the other side of the hall. Really nice folks, and a good way to loosen u. Jim, the choir leader, did the live music with his dad on drums and his brother on guitar. Family friendly!

You know you're talented if you know how to work a double keyboard.

Yesterday, I spent some time with another PhD student called Marit. She just moved to Southfields so I decided to show her some of the sights, mainly focussing on Wimbledon common, but ending up in a trip to Wimbledon and finally dinner in the Olive Tree; an Italian Restaurant down near the tube station.