Originally posted from London as a single page, this update was split into multiple parts (see related articles) for the sake of reducing the loading time due to the images involved…

On the music scene, Kylie Minogue has released another song here that is doing well in the charts and is appropriately called “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” because, well, it’s in my bloody head and I can’t get it out. Grr! It does seem to be doing well though, mainly because, and I make no apologies to my UK friends here, the UK music scene (as perceived through our fortnight’s listening on BBC Radio One and the commercial channels) is manure. It’s a mixture of angry noise and talentless hacks attempting to be gainfully employed in the music industry and, sadly, they get airplay. Then again, Destiny’s Child is getting airplay here as well, and they are definitely the ultimate talentless hacks, so perhaps it is just modern music that is bad? Perhaps we’re just getting old and cranky and perceive new music the way our parents do (ie: angry noise)?….*grin*

Off to France tomorrow to dine on frog legs. Well, okay, probably not. I did tuck into snails while in Spain and they were not too bad, to be honest. Frog legs though - not too sure yet. Doubt they will be within the budget of the traveller anyway. One delightfully amusing expense that seems to have just reared it’s head is the fact that my electric shaver has decided to die a mere 10 years after the warranty expired. What sort of deal is that? Sheesh. You’d think it was was old or something…

Now we have to play the fun and games of buying a new one with the appropriate cord since we’re in a foreign land with different shaped power plugs…*sigh* Naturally, the most irritating thing is that I’ve finally gotten used to being clean-shaven after a few years of failed attempts at growing facial hair, so now, just when I can grow it all I want, it irritates me. I blame it all on Diana of course, since, well, I have to blame someone, don’t I?….*grin*

Oh, by the way, the guards at Buckingham Palace are big wimps. We went there today to see the Changing Of The Guard, and there was a light drizzle in the air. More of a fog than a drizzle, since none of us had the hoods of our jackets on, but what did the Beefeaters do? Stayed indoors and didn’t come out to get wet. It’s apparently cancelled in the event of “very bad weather” but really, what we saw today was “English Standard Weather”. So we saw a lot of tourists like us staring at one another, wondering why, if we could all be out there, the Beefeaters could not. In short, dear Queen Lizzie, if you are reading this, get out there with a stick and make ‘em do the ceremony every day so us poor tourists don’t miss out.

Until next time, viva le deep fried pizza!

Categories: Travel, Odyssey 2001