My Mum (Kim) and younger brother (Jared) touched down in London last night after I shouted them both over from home for Mum's 50th (back in March) and Jared's 20th/21st (July last and next). We spent the day walking throughout central London from one side to the other, taking the piss as we went. I didn't bother taking any photos because, well, I live here, and this website has seen it all before :) This Saturday we fly out to Amsterdam for the start of a three-week gallivant around Europe (also my shout). Yeehaw!

A group of us went to see The Lion King in London's Lyceum Theatre tonight (which was built in 1834). Usual story: strictly no photography, but Aaron takes no notice ;) For someone who's not really big on musicals I must say it was a bloody good show, although at almost three hours long it did drag on a bit!

So I started with a Nikon (second-hand) and that crapped out after a year, I then went to an Olympus which lasted three years and also crapped out, then came another Olympus which crapped out while I was in Santorini last week after just 14 months, and now I've bought this dinky-looking thing - a Canon PowerShot D10 (another £300 down the drain). Looks a bit girly doesn't it, but unfortunately to change that aqua-coloured panel to something more masculine involves forking out £100 for the 'accessory pack' which includes various coloured panels - the bastards! My Olympus is in for repair or (hopefully) replacement, but nothing happens too quickly in this country and I'm paranoid about missing some good fodder for this website. This thing is waterproof down to 10 metres (sweet), and after playing around with it for an hour it appears to be worth every penny, but time will tell.

It's bloody reassuring when flying with British Airways to actually see your luggage make it on the flight, because those useless bastards have the worst record of any carrier for losing it!

Anyway, as I mentioned on Friday I spent the weekend in Rome with Katie (kind of a belated birthday present too since she wasn't here for that, cheers ;) I left London on a pretty decent English day...

...and landed two hours later in this. When we left London the English pilot said the weather in Rome was "perfect" - if this is what the English call perfect I'd hate to see what they call "jolly unpleasant" weather.

I'm not going to show nor say a lot here since I was only just here two weeks ago with my Mum and bro and am still sorting those photos out to put up here, but in a nutshell we went for a bloody good wander...

Chilled out in the Villa Borghese...

I had a big chocolate milkshake (I like those)...

Katie made friends with a stray cat (one of many in Rome, cared for by the city and private charities)...

She also tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain (because that's what you do)...

And I high-fived the Pope. Good times ;)

My mate Chris (black t-shirt, fingering Karl's face) turned umm something, 27 I think, earlier in the week. Time for a piss-up!

Chris tried out the "It's my birthday" pickup line...

...which didn't appear to work.

So he tried it on another random - top marks for effort ;)

Katie told Karl a story, but Katie's stories always include irrelevant detail and detours, and Karl fell asleep.

We were at Swedish pub in Soho called Garlic and Shots. They do some pretty funky shots, including a fucking awful garlic vodka shot (as the name of the pub would suggest) that sticks around on your breath for a while - no wonder Chris couldn't pull ;)

After we'd had enough of that place we tried to nick off with an empty cycle-taxi hahaha, but Gemma struggled to get away with Matt, Katie and I in the back and we got caught - never mind.

Normally I wouldn't bother to put this up, but it seemed relevant considering the video I put up yesterday. In that video (above) I was very nearly collected on my bike by some dumb bitch in a car who cut straight out in front of me without even looking (I'm stunned at how often that happens - both drivers and pedestrians just off with the ferries). That same thing happened this morning to the poor bastard lying on the road, except he did get collected, and collected pretty good by the look of it. This is Harrow Road, a real fucker of a road at the best of times because it's extremely busy, far too narrow for a main road, very bendy, and there are copious side-streets with cars cutting in and out of them at dangerous speeds at the first sign of a break in traffic (no matter how small). I try to avoid it where possible, and was only on it this morning to pick something up from a shop along here before work.

I threw the bike on the train after work on Friday night for the 4.5-hour trip north, and shit it was the weirdest train journey I've ever had! The train was destined for dirty old Glasgow (with stops at several places including Edinburgh en route). A couple rows ahead of where I was sitting were two guys sitting on opposite sides of the carriage (easily recognisable as Glaswegian, and as it turned out were brothers), the wife and child of one of the brothers (even they probably don't know which one), and the mother of the brothers. An hour after leaving London I had my headphones in and was semi-snoozing when I started hearing some sort of commotion in front of me. Long story short, two Asian fellas had got on the train north of London, and one had said under his breath to the other "I hate the Scottish accent!". Well, one of the Glaswegian brothers heard that, and proceeded to verbally rip the shit out of these guys! "Next station mate, I'm draggin' you oof this fook'n train and I'ma fook'n do yer!" (times about 100, with various other words to that effect). Meanwhile the mother is telling him to sit down and shut up, and then the train conductor came storming down, sent the Asians to another coach, and had the police meet us at the next station for a word hahaha! An hour or so later, I had the headphones back in, and starting hearing yet more commotion. I don't know how it started, but the Glaswegian brothers had suddenly turned on each other hahaha! "Mate I promise yer, I promise yer, when we get to Queen Street [central Glasgow] I'm fook'n put'n you doon! I promise yer, yer a fook'n dead man pal!", and all while the mother's shouting "Sit doon, shuddup! Sit doon, shuddup!" hahaha! I was absolutely dying to take some photos of them all but I know what would've happened ;) Anyway, that went on for no less than about 15 minutes, then suddenly the brother with the wife punched the other brother pretty damn hard in the ribs, and the mother went off her tits, and the conductor came charging back, and the cops got involved again, and oh geez it was good to be heading back to Scotland! (I lived here for two years in case anyone isn't aware of that, and I do rather miss it, despite some of the dropkicks that infest it.)

Anyway, I was just here for the weekend to catch up with some chums I hadn't seen in over a year and clock up some miles on the bike. Above is Princes Street Gardens and Scott Monument as seen from The Mound, and looking up at Old Town on the right - simply beautiful! It sure makes London look like a right shithole! Oh by the way, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and home to just under 800,000.

Princes Street (one of the major central thoroughfares and Edinburgh's main shopping street) is currently a mess as tram tracks are being laid down (apparently the whole Edinburgh Trams project has stalled since I left, as they're well over budget and well behind schedule).

Castle Street looking up towards Edinburgh Castle.

New Town, just north of Princes Street (my old hood :)

When I got out on the bike Saturday morning I'd forgotten just much I hate riding on these fucking cobbled streets hahaha! They're all over central Edinburgh, and are few and far between in London.

The quality of Scotland's roads in general is actually pretty crap :)

I clocked up over 70kms during the day, starting at the Union Canal. Just over a year ago I biked all the way through to Glasgow along this (and the Forth & Clyde Canal which it meets half way) for what turned out to be a bloody gruelling and muddy ride - details here!

Part way along the Union Canal I got off it and switched onto the Water of Leith track. I used to bike along this a lot, and I'm sure you can see why.

Edinburgh is full of walking / cycle paths, which is something London is not but really needs to be!

The Meadows, a massive public park just south of the city centre. This is a great spot to chill out on a nice day.

The Royal Mile at dusk, a succession of streets that form the main thoroughfare of Old Town between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace (the Queen's official residence when the old girl's in town).

I'm really not a fan of bagpipes, but I'd be lying if I said I don't miss hearing them in Edinburgh.

Not the first time this has happened, a bloody bird letting one loose on me. The train back to London tonight was very uneventful compared to the one up here, much to my disappointment. Anyway if you ever get the opportunity, go see Edinburgh.

Katie, myself, and a couple other chums ventured into the east end of London tonight to see New Zealand duo Pitch Black live - nice! Pitch Black have been around for about 12 years, and have spent most of the last nine touring all over the world (what a life!). Back in the day I remember their music as being fairly ambient with a bit of dub thrown in there as well, but their recent stuff is more thumping electro. For those of you who know Salmonella Dub (and if you don't then you should), Paddy (the dude on the right with the orange hair) is a producer for the group.

I'd say most of the crowd were Kiwis, with a few exceptions though like this guy - dancing like a retard who's just shit his pants...

...and this guy who sat on the couch at the back and surfed the net on his phone.

If you're a chick, or you're a man with bitch-titties, follow the sign in the middle ;)

After punishing my ears Thursday night at Pitch Black (above), they got punished twice as hard last night / this morning. I had a mate in town from Glasgow and we ended up in fabric until the wee small hours. I was here just a few months ago, and I banged on plenty about the sound system in that place so I'll just say that if you're in London during a weekend and deafness doesn't worry you too much then go to fabric! The chick on the left was busking just round the corner by going nuts with the hula hoops; I guess the rent won't pay itself. Amazing sounds or not, the music was pretty crap last night I've gotta say. Unfortunately the DJ's all seem to cater for the drug-fucked portion of the patrons (which I think is most of them) and not for anyone else just wanting to hear some decent live tunes! There was some excitement though when we were both pretty sure that dude on the seat was dead hehe. He hadn't moved in ages, his chest didn't seem to be moving either, and even shaking him didn't work! I found a pulse on his neck though so all was good, and then his mates turned up and sat all over him until he eventually came round hahaha! So yes, fabric, deafening audio, crap music, and full of druggies (some of whmo may or may not be dead) - make sure you go! ;) What's that ringing noise?