Top Ten

There are so many great things about living in London (or on the borders of) that we thought we'd compile a list of our favourites so far. And the good news is there aren't too many dislikes (except crowds!).

1. Alcohol being readily available in supermarkets, newsagents, corner shops etc. And for once it's actually cheaper to buy bottled wine than cask. Given that the Aussie's consume more alcohol per head than any other country (or so the English news said), we could learn a few things from the Brits.
2. With the booze flowing freely, it's great that nobody has to drive. The buses are frequent enough that it isn't really a hassle not having a car.
3. Home and Away and Neighbours are screened twice a day.
4. Shopping! Cheap clothes, cheap books, cheap foods. Note: only cheap if spending pounds.
5. Football. This has been Mike's only contribution so far, and truth be told I'd be more inclined to put it on the 'Things I Hate About London' list. Let's just say there's no shortage of sports coverage in the news. Having said this I almost feel a little bad when foreigners comment about Australian teams and I haven't a clue what or who they're talking about. For a split second last week I thought about taking an interest in rugby.
6. Eddie's newsagency. This is our local newsagent/corner shop/bottle shop and it's run by the friendliest little Indian man in Ilford. Sometimes Mrs Eddie works there too and we're already very loyal customers. Always try to top up our oyster cards (used on the tube) and mobiles, and buy papers from there even though we can get them from Tesco.
7. Not to get stuck on the alcohol theme, but pubs being on every corner is incredibly handy (just in case you need a loo or something).
8. Cheap musicals. The current list consists of; Dirty Dancing, Chicago, Grease, Buddy, Cabaret, Footloose, Fame, Monty Python's Spamalot, Mama Mia and the Lion King. The good news is we've ticked We Will Rock You off the list.
9. Commuting. Yes, you've read it right. I'm currently travelling out of London in the morning so generally speaking I'm heading in the opposite direction to the crowd. This means I get a seat and can relax for the journey. I'm spending 2-3 hours a day and get to catch up on podcasts, do a couple of Sudukos or read a magazine or book. The only slightly disappointing things is that I can't read for too long or I start to feel a little motion sick.
10. The internet. Although this last one isn't specific to London, it makes life easier in term of living abroad. We're on Skype now, we can email family, download Hinchy's podcast (currently my fave), check Aus news to read about things like Andrew John's incident which I didn't even see on any UK news. I think it'd be different if we couldn't call home as often, or had to wait for letters.

So that's our favourite stuff so far. We've also learnt lots too. Like keep an umbrella in your handbag, along with antibacterial wipes. I can't believe how dirty our hands feel after catching a bus or tube. Another thing we've found is that you come to accept and not worry when an Arabian looking guy with a backpack gets on a bus. Muslims, Indians, Lebanese etc are everywhere. That said, I got off my first train this week. I could handle the race, backpack, but the rocking, sweating and chanting was too much. I've discovered how incredibly untalented I am at identifying accents, I completely missed an Aussie accent today and have accused South Africans of being Kiwi's and Germans.

Kind of a pointless post, but that's our frame of mind after nearly a month. We're well and having a good time, although we miss Murphy!

Edited to add: I know it's a top 10 list, but Mini's and 3 wheel cars should be on the list! We 'mini-spot' everywhere we go.