London is expensive.

So, though I'm having a great time, money is disappearing quickly. Even without the horrible conversion rate (it's about 2 US dollars to a pound), things are just way more expensive here. I don't understand it...salaries here are pretty bad, so how do people survive? I'll let you know when I figure out the mystery. I bring all this up because while Shelly's here, we've been spending our time doing "touristy" stuff, and paying to do it. On Thursday we're going to Paris for a couple of days...and it's costing us each about $150 USD (80 pounds) to take a train there and back. It's a 2 1/2 hour ride. And that's the cheap student rate at the cheapest time. Vultures.

Well, on to better topics...

Shelly, Anne and I went to Stonehenge the other day, it was very cold. It was really cool, though! Those rocks have been there for 5000 years. And they were rolled there from a couple hundred miles away. And nobody knows why. Crazy.

We've also been going into the city to visit, and see the various tourist sites. Tomorrow we're going to take one of those double deck tour buses and sit on the the top. Yay. The weather hasn't been that great (it was raining last time we went, as you can see below), so we've been hanging out around locally. Hopefully it doesn't rain tomorrow.

Sally went to Scotland for the new year, she's with Jessie, Robert and Lynsey in Tiree. If I haven't told you about Tiree, it's the little island that my dad grew up on off the west coast. It has about 700 residents, very flat, really quaint. I went there a couple of years ago, and all the old people knew who I was. Tripped me out. Well, Sally's there right now and enjoying herself. They had a big dance, or ceilidhs (pronounced "kayli"), on New Year's Eve for Hogmanay. Hogmanay is the Scottish tradition...well, you can read about it here.

Lastly, I won't be able to watch the Trojans beat the Longhorns in the Rose Bowl. We don't have the channel it's on...and I can't go anywhere to watch it because it's at midnight. I am very bummed. If any of you want to record it for me, it'd be much appreciated.

I hope you all had a great New Years!!! Some images for your enjoyment and scrutiny:

With a Royal Guard and his horse at the Royal Guard Parade.

How English can you get? Phone booth, post box, lamp post, quaint street in Farnham...

In the park of Farnham castle, walking the path which goes from behind our house to town, about a 20 min. walk...

Lastly...Shelly in a phone booth with a real thatched roof cottage. (Or, as the Trogdor song goes...THATCHED ROOF COTTAGEEEESSSS...THATCHED ROOF COTTAGEEEESSSS.)