Australia vs the Queen's English

Sun 5th of March

Had my first run in with the local constabulary today riding to Church. I’ve been mainly going to St Andrews the Great which is right in the main heart of Cambridge shops. The road in from where I’m staying turns into a one way street, just before the church. I knew it was wrong but on a pushie…wondering how strict on bikes the bobbies would be . Anyway I soon found out. One stepped out from the footpath, stood in my way with his hand held high blowing his whistle. I had to break hard not to knock him over. The first thing he said was ‘I’m glad your brakes worked’. So was I. Although it would have been a bit funny. He then told me it was a one way street. I apologised, best not to argue with the law. Then he told me that the man they had apprehended had just been arrested for the same offence. I think he was pulling my leg. The fellow they had in custody I’d seen around quite a bit and had him pegged already as a drug dealer. Anyway, I walked the rest of the way to church, I’m not sure how repentant I was…this poem came to mind…

This is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were
in the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

William Carlos Williams

Mon 6th of March Uneventful day really… Therefore I shall take the time to lay out a schedule for the next week or two.

Fri 10th - 13th Mountain Biking in Wales

Tues 14th - 17th Hopefully finishing off most of the work on Herod Antipasta major essay. Should be tasty.

Sat 18th - 20th Heading to London to visit the Queen. No not really, she rang to catch up but I put her off. Visiting Amanda Paterson from Orange instead.

Sun 20th - 26th West Sussex phonetics, Spanish learning starts.

28th Fly out of London for Malaga, Spain. Hopefully meeting Brett and Ruth at the airport and driving to Cabra to settle into life in a southern Spanish village.

Tues 7th March oh just remembered have been watching 24. Didn’t get a chance to see it in 2002 so have been hard at it. Most free nights have watched an episode or two or three. I think we are up to 7.00 PM. A friend of the Powell’s comes over on Tuesday nights to watch West Wing episodes or other such things. I’d never heard of it but apparently it was big.

We had a funny discussion about the differences in language between Australian English and the Queens. Over here they call pants trousers. Pants in England are undies. Anyway Liffie, the friend who comes over was relating a funny interview that an Australian conducted over here with a famous female celloist. She was saying that she found it hard to play the cello in a skirt. To which the Australian male interviewer said, ‘Why don’t you wear pants?’ To which everyone burst out in outrageous fits of laughter and the celloist blushed.

Helen then told of a funny incident with an Australian accountant who had just started at Richard’s work. The boss had them over for supper. The Aussie fellows wife got into a conversation with his boss about the weekends. She said ‘Andrew loves nothing more than to get around on the weekend in a pair of thongs’ to which the boss quickly broke off the conversation excusing himself to get a drink. Over here a thong is a G-String…

Wed 8th March Hit the wall with essay. Have read too much and am procrastinating before I write. This is a bad time in the process for me…

Thur 9th March Have broken through the wall, and am writing. Not sure how far I’ll get would like to get most of it done before the weekend and tidy up all the work next week.