Back in action

Hi everyone!

Well, we now have proof of just how inferior Australian internet providers are. On Thursday at lunchtime I called up a teleco company and put in an order for broadband to be connected at our house. I was told that it would probably take about 6 days (note: days, not working days) to connect, and I later received a text message confirming this time frame.

However, at 9am the next morning I received another text message informing me that our broadband was now connected. And it was. That's less than 24 hours connection time, which is something that I guarantee no Australian internet company could match.

Further, we are paying 12.50 GBP/month for our internet, which includes unlimited (!) downloads, and up to 8meg download speed. Wow, so impressed.

So we have been in (totally legal) download heaven, catching up on all of our shows. It's absolutely fantastic.

In other news, the most important news of the trip, Max arrives on Wednesday morning! Yahoo! We bought him a new basket, some food bowls, a new collar and lead (just in case his didn't make the whole trip through from Australia), and a stylish fawn mackintosh with a tartan wool lining. We stopped short of getting him some faux seude boots, but if the cold, wet pavements are really not to Max's liking that could be a Christmas present. Although, frankly, he doesn't deserve any more presents ever considering the cost of importing him.

Collecting Max requires both of us to head down to London, though luckily G was due to be there anyway for work. I have the duty of catching the tube nearly out to Heathrow, getting a cab from Hatton Cross station to the Animal Reception Centre, picking up the dog, getting a cab back to Hatton Cross, escorting Max on the tube to Kings Cross, then walking to Euston Station where we are getting the long distance train back to Edinburgh. It will certainly be an experience to travel with Max on the tube, the train and through the streets of London. Here's hoping he doesn't mouth off to too many passers-by.

Anyhow, we're able to import Max because we have moved into our own house. It's great to have our own place again, though it's half the size of our house back in Australia. This is, though, the norm here as people don't have the same sense of space as Australians do (although it's nowhere near as close as in Germany - we haven't had to "accidentally" step backwards onto the toes of people queueing right on our heels). Anyhow, our house is a converted cottage, next to the Water of Leith, and in the shadows of the Murrayfield Stadium. This is excellent, as we both follow rugby with a passion second to none.

This is the outside of our house:

I tried to upload more photos, but Blogger won't let me. You'll just have to wait for them sometime in the future.

Anyway, tomorrow I have a job interview so I'm crossing my fingers for that and am off to do some research on the higher education sector in Scotland. Wish me luck!