I'm going to need a holiday after my UK trip

I've always known a lot of people. I'm not saying I'm popular, more I've been around—in the career sense—and met nice people worth keeping hold of after I've moved on from each job. This always means birthdays etc are big 50-plus people parties, sometimes in two locations (where I'm from, in Wiltshire and in London, where I know most people). So now, faced with 3 weeks back in the UK next month to catch up with family and friends, I'm having to plan this trip like a military operation. Thoughts of giving myself reasonable amounts of rest time to prevent burnout have long since gone out the window and somehow, despite my vow to only see the people who really matter, those 3 weeks in my Filofax are the biggest, multi-coloured, scribbled-out-then-written-over-again, circled, highlighted mess I've ever seen. And I like things neat!
To give you an idea, during this trip I have the wedding of a very dear friend in Wales, a baby god daughter to meet for the first time in Norfolk, an entire house worth of my worldly belongings to remove from a storage unit (and decide what to sell/chuck/store at Dad's/ship back to Oz), a big party in London, and quality time with my Dad, only sibling and other family to contend with. And that's before I see most of my friends. Phew!
All of this I am looking forward to immensely (apart from the dealing with my belongings part) but it is also instilling a kind of panic in me. Because even though I think I have enough days left to see all the people who matter, the realisation that I might only get to see each person once—twice at best—is already disappointing.
What I'm grateful for however is that I obviously have a lot of very special UK people in my life. And I already have a good few on this side of the globe as well. Can't say luckier than that...

Russell Brand on Jade Goody

Russell Brand blogged about Jade Goody today and it was an interesting post; honest, good natured, sensible, not overly sentimental and from someone who actually knew her, if only a bit. If you've been following this, I'd recommend you read it because it's real.
It made me consider a couple of things:
1. That I lost my mum to cancer, like Bobby and Freddie, when I was three years old, and how terribly sad that is for them; and
2. It is really not such a terrible thing that the general public took to this mere mortal. After all, she never did anyone any harm. She was just a nice, normal, working class girl done good. So what if she wasn't the cleverest? She was certainly entertaining.
As Russell sensibly points out: "One of the charges often levelled at Jade was that she was just a normal girl with no trade or practiced skills. Well people didn’t care and our heroes are not prescribed to us, we have the right to choose them and the people chose Jade. Fame has long been bequeathed by virtue of wealth and birth and this was the first generation where it was democratically distributed by that most lowbrow of modern phenomena – Reality Television. She was a person who, I think due to her class always had the propensity to irk people. When Big Brother 3 made her famous she was vilified in the paper and bullied in the house but through her spirit she won people back round and became a kind of Primark Princess with perfumes and fitness videos and endless media coverage – because people were interested in her. They remain interested."
For all his silliness, he's a smart guy.

Home news

Living on the other side of the world these days, it's always nice to see a bit of home news on the telly. NOT. Most of the UK news to hit these shores since I've been here has been about the dire state of the economy. Fair enough. That's big. But when something non-economic filters through you'd hope it'd be heart-warming, or quaintly English, or make me wish I was home. But no, it's this kid (above); Britain's youngest father at 13 years old, or so he thought. Turns out his 15 year-old baby mamma was sleeping with a variety of teenagers and a DNA test has proved this little guy—who would have been 12 at the time of conception—is not. Doesn't change the fact he was having sex—shudder—at the age of 12. He's 4ft tall, damn it!
The UK has a horrible rep as teenage pregnancy capital of Europe. Not only that, but a court made a ruling after the media initially went mental, that there should be no more reporting on this case, including the DNA results. Well guess what? The Mirror just went ahead and put it on their front page anyway! There's something else we have a bad rep for in the UK: our tabloids.
So there's no nostalgia and homesickness for me today. I'm just glad I met a Royal earlier in the week (did I mention I met the Queen's grandson?!) and had my British moment then.

Today I met my first Royal

Today I met the Queen's eldest and least well known grandson Peter Phillips, at an Australian British Chamber of Commerce Grand Prix lunch. How funny is that? I meet my first Royal on the other side of the world! 

When I was introduced to him I was sure he looked familiar and was wracking my brains as to where I'd seen him before. When my friend told me I had been chatting to, and shaking hands with, the Queen's grandson (son of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips and tenth in line to the throne), I said: "Ooooooohhhhh, that's it!"

He was thoroughly normal and pleasant. I have always thought his sister Zara was about the coolest thing to happen to the Royal Family—apart from the deliciously badly behaved Harry—and she always comes across as very grounded and modern. So it was really no surprise to find that this 30-something was so very unassuming and nice. Here he is pictured with his wife Autumn Kelly, being the first of the Queen's grandchildren to get married last year. Aaaw....

I've come over all British!

RIP Jade Goody

It's been reported by the BBC today that Jade died in the early hours of (UK) Mother's Day. How awful, whoever and whatever the circumstances, for someone so young, with two young sons, to die. I hope those little boys are well looked after.

I've been trying to avoid this hysteria/morbid fascination (what some media have described as our fascination with 'death porn') over a Big Brother 'star' who I do not know. But aside from it being really sad, this situation raises a lot of interesting questions about our society. I fully expect there to be some kind of national mourning in the UK like there was with Princess Diana (although not on the same scale) with people who didn't know her but felt like they did, turning up at her funeral to pay their respects. As sad as it is, I don't really understand that.

The media will of course go crazy, with every conceivable angle of the funeral and the boys' future scrutinised. Now I live in a country without tabloids as trashy as ours (which I won't pretend I didn't read from time to time in the UK, being a fan of celebrity gossip) I'm really starting to think the UK media is quite unique in the extent of its intrusion into people's private lives (and in this case we all know Jade invited it) and how we lap it up. I've not seen anything anywhere near like it in the year I've lived in Australia.

So here's what I thought of lovely Jade, who I of course didn't know, but saw more than enough of on TV and in magazines. She was happy and positive in the face of an awful situation, she looked out for her sons above anything else, she seemed thrilled to have married Jack, whatever your views on him, and she raised awareness of cervical cancer.

If you're one of those many Jade fans, why not make a donation to cervical cancer charity Jo's Trust in her memory?

How I 'cope' with the beach

So we all know I'm a bit of an English rose when it comes to the sun and the beach. I don't want skin cancer or the lobster pink look, so I slather on the factor 30 and try to keep in the shade. Today, I went to the beach in Rose Bay with my good friend Amanda. This is what we constructed, out of two golf umbrellas, to keep us out of the sun. You have to ask, what am I doing in this country?! Loving it! I came home with sand everywhere and one sunburnt (missed a bit!) shoulder but it was a good day!

Countdown to my return to the Motherland!

It's 20 days until I board the plane back to Blighty and I'm very excited. Apart from all the lovely family and friends I can't wait to see, there are a few things I am really looking forward to seeing/eating/experiencing again.

These include:

• Prawn cocktail crisps


• Proper English pubs


• The Queen's finest Royal Mail red letterboxes


• Stamps with the Queen on them (this is getting very patriotic, isn't it?)


• Underground stations


• Topshop, Whittards , Boots, Superdrug and WH Smith


• Fish and chips wrapped in paper and covered in VINEGAR


• The house where I grew up, which I've never been away from for this long


• The beautiful village of Heddington


• Trafalgar Square


• Big Ben


• BBC TV shows


• The Sunday Times Style magazine


• Marks and Spencers, especially the food!


• Heathrow Airport


• Black cabs
  
• Oxford Street, especially Selfridges

And most of all I am going to be devastated to see every High Street lacking a Woolworths. It was a British institution!

It makes you ashamed to be British

Still on the Jade issue, tonight I watched all the footage of her wedding and TV interviews on YouTube. Whatever your views on Jade, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel very sad about this whole situation, and whether you like her or not, she is a human being going through something devastating and choosing to do so in the public eye. Or so you would think. I read some quite frankly disgusting comments posted on those videos and have seen similar abuse on Facebook fan pages where the majority of people have left messages of support. Whatever your views on Jade, she is a human being who has not done anyone any harm and who has dealt with her terminal illness with admirable positivity and courage. To make nasty comments about an innocent 27-year-old mother who is dying through no fault of her own, is inexcusable. It actually makes me quite embarrassed to come from the same country as the kind of small-minded, disgusting people who are waging this hate campaign. If you don't like her, don't read about her or go to websites with the intention of being abusive. It makes me sick.

It's SO not OK!

It gets worse. The copy of OK! I picked up in Oz is different to the UK version which went one further. The UK edition was a black-bordered "official tribute issue 1981-2009" with the strapline "In loving memory". Publishers Northern and Shell have released a statement defending their actions and apparently Jade's family are alright with it. That's okay then. No it isn't! She is still alive! I don't care if she's made hundreds of thousands of pounds from this magazine which will go to her poor children, that's her choice. I don't care if Jade's mum thinks it's ok. And defending this action by saying this issue was a celebration of her "amazing life" is lame too. With all due respect, Jade is a reality TV star who was more likely being ridiculed by the press than admired until she became terminally ill. There's no doubt she is a lovely person but she isn't Mother Theresa. And she isn't dead either. It's all so wrong...

OK! The ultimate in bad taste

A few people have disagreed with my comments on the media's treatment of UK Big Brother star Jade Goody, supporting her choice to invite the media to film/photograph/report on her terminal illness and to use this as a way of making money for her young sons. Fair enough. But I was appalled to see the latest issue of OK magazine, full of tributes to a woman who is still alive. Subheads include: "A life cut tragically short" and the cover says: "Inside Jade's sad final days." 

Hello? She isn't dead yet! So desperate are they to be the first to run a tribute to Jade that they haven't even had the courtesy to wait until she passes away. Nice.

Am I getting old?

When I was young (snort!) I remember looking forward to the weekend because it meant going out drinking, seeing my friends and doing stuff that was more fun than study or work. These days, my working week is so busy—and not in a bad way—that I count down the days to the weekend because it's my chance to recharge the batteries, get a pedicure, watch movies and (and this is my favourite new word since moving to Oz) chillax. Two weekends ago I even found myself having a mid-afternoon nanna nap on a Saturday! In general, I relish those rare nights in when there's no socialising, dinner or training session in my diary. Is this a sign of old age? On the plus side, I do think it's a very good thing to make time for yourself; time to be selfishly antisocial and time to do absolutely nothing.

Damn you, Russell!

So my friends and I went to see Russell Brand last night. We had great seats, but five rows from the front. Mr Brand was on fire. I laughed non-stop for more than an hour and a half. I even caught myself slapping my thigh with enthusiasm. The man is a genius where comedy is concerned, buzzing with energy, skipping around the stage at the Enmore, all skinny and crazy-haired. I was hoping that—reference previous post—I wouldn't find him attractive in real life. But oh no, it was worse! And I wasn't the only one. I saw queues of women re-doing their make-up in the toilets after the gig, ready to queue up and wait for something to be signed. And the rest. I get the feeling when Russell said something along the lines of: "If you're looking at me thinking he's all famous and stuff and I'm probably not good enough, don't! You probably are," he wasn't joking. But I'm far too cool, and too old, for that starstruck hanging around after a show lark, so it was home and to bed (alone) for me. My last thought is this: how does (as my friend rightly pointed out) Russell Brand make being an absolute so-n-so so very endearing? The answer is charm, and he's got it by the bucketload. It seems the Aussies are really taking to him—in no small part because of his appearance on Rove—which is a testament to their sense of humour. Almost as good as the Brits'!

What is it about Russell Brand?!

I really shouldn't fancy this man. My type is clean cut with no facial hair, at least 6ft, definitely NOT skinny, well educated, well spoken and with good manners (but a sexy bad side is a must, a la Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones. Grrr.). What a surprise to find I am currently single!

So, going back to the original point and trying not to get distracted by thoughts of Hugh, nevertheless lovely Russell is not my kind of man. At all. He has ridiculous hair and a funny voice, wears copious amounts of eyeliner and is way too skinny but there's just SOMETHING sexy about him and I'm actually quite annoyed that I have been sucked in. Maybe it's because he is hilariously funny and we all know the girls love that. But that hair?! Come on... Seems I'm not the only one to see it, what with him having been awarded Shagger of the Year (By whom, I have no idea!) the last three years running.

I'm going to see Russell at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Tuesday night and, having just seen him on Rove, I am more excited than ever. If you tweet, then follow him at twitter.com/rustyrockets

Today's blog is sponsored by Emirates

Hello business class! Oh, how the other half live!
Today I had the pleasure of a rare jolly from work; a press trip to Auckland in New Zealand, courtesy of Emirates. I was picked up in a chauffeur-driven car at 6.30am (not so good) and taken to the airport, where I passed quickly through check-in, what with being business class 'n all. Then a comfortable flight to Auckland, French champagne (hideously expensive in Oz), yummy brunch, excellent cabin crew and a good film. At the other end we were taken to the Villa Maria winery for some fabulous food courtesy of the chef at Auckland's top restaurant and matching (and even better than the food) wines. Delightful! That was topped off by getting to see my friend Jo, former colleague from Newham who now works for Tourism Auckland. Small world.
Then it was back to the airport for a tour of a new A380 before anyone else got on it, which was interesting in itself, having the run of a big empty plane! Then back to the lovely Emirates lounge for more food and general swanking around before boarding the plane again. The problem is, ungrateful as this sounds, once you've seen first class (particularly Emirates' new A380 first class which has showers and everything!), business class doesn't quite cut it! But of course, it does really!
Back at Sydney Airport, my chauffeur was waiting to whisk me home, a very tired, but very happy girl who enjoyed seeing how the other half live. Note to self: must work on finding rich husband!

Cafes, bars, shops and lots of style!

Here' s a photo of my friend Caroline and I in fab Melbourne restaurant The Press Club where we had some great Greek food. So what else do I love about my new favourite city? Well, it's the whole vibe of the thing! The shops (like Christine) are amazing and way better than those in Sydney. There's a cafe culture that's very Parisian and the place has a very European look and feel about it. It's more relaxed and, as my friend Laura rightly pointed out, you don't see many "orange stick insects with ironed blonde hair extensions" in Melbourne! Everyone's very stylish in a unique and less try-hard way and I like it. The bars (like The Supper Club and 1806) are amazing and all hidden behind nondescript doors, down dingey alleyways that you'd never visit unless someone told you where they were. And even the seriously cool ones are relaxed and friendly and people don't look you up and down to check out what you're wearing or who you're with. It's very...well..comfortable. I don't think I've ever gone somewhere for the first time and so quickly thought: "I could live here!" And once you've moved from London to Sydney, moving to Melbourne is nothing! I'm not ready to leave my friends and my job just yet, but it's definitely in my three-year plan, probably a lot sooner than three years! Watch this space! If you're coming to visit me from the UK, don't assume I'll be in New South Wales forever...

I'm in love!

I'm back from a packed weekend in Melbourne and I have some very exciting news to share with you all: I have fallen in love! No, not with a man (don't be silly!) but with Melbourne itself; a wonderful place where I would happily have stayed exploring for many more days, even if I was really in need of a sleep in my own bed (which is precisely what I should be doing now and not writing this!).
The Melbourne/Sydney rivalry is well known but they're such different cities, I think a straight comparison is impossible. Suffice to say though, most people who have been to both will quickly establish whether they're more more suited to one or the other and I, my friends, am most definitely supposed to be a Melbourne girl!
My Sydney life is fantastic and I've been lucky enough to meet some truly lovely people who I will not say goodbye to lightly. Plus, Sydney is probably one of the most amazing cities to live in the world. It's iconic, it has the harbour bridge and the opera house, spectacular beaches, hot weather and great jobs. I still get overwhelmed when I cross the bridge and look across the water (or indeed, from my balcony!) to the opera house, and I always feel just a little bit like I'm on holiday here (see previous rambling on how great life is in general).
But here's the thing: a lot of the things that people think are best about Sydney, I don't take advantage of. I don't go to the beach, I stay out of the sun and I don't like it when it gets too hot. You may indeed ask yourself why I'm in Australia at all! I'm not that sure either but it sure beats the UK! The other thing is, until I went to Melbourne for the first time this weekend, I had no idea how very 'me' it was and now I can't help but compare one to the other. More tomorrow...

I'm off to Melbourne

After work today I'm doing a couple of firsts: my first ever domestic flight and my first trip to Victoria. I am finally off to visit Melbourne, a city I've been dying to see since I got to Australia a year ago. I think I'm going to LOVE it. I'll let you know!

What the tweet?

Has twitter taken off in the UK too or is Australia, for once, ahead of the game? Everyone's starting to use social media to market their business over here and, as editor of a business magazine, and someone who wants to plug her mag's website, I had to give it a go. I'm still a bit twitter retarded but I'm getting there. I think. It's worth it just to follow Russell Brand's hilarious updates if you ask me. (Incidentally, I am seeing him live at a small theatre in Sydney later this month. Can't wait!) And Stephen Fry's worth following too.

Anyway, if you're tweeting, you can follow me if you like. twitter.com/jenbishopsydney

Social media really is changing the way the world works...

Does it help to be called Max if you work in PR?

Today's UK/Aus comparison: Max Markson and Max Clifford. The former is arguably Sydney's number one celebrity agent and the latter is London's. Which begs the question: does it help to be called Max if you want to make it big in PR?

Markson was representing both Hanson and Capper, mentioned in my previous Call this politics? post. While Clifford is representing the terminally ill UK Big Brother star (also mentioned in a previous post), Jade Goody.

Both obviously doing a good job then... :)

My other blog

I also have a much more sensible, but not neccessarily boring, blog at dynamicbusiness.com if you're at all interested...

Isn't it time for Jade to have a private life?

I have read with great sadness about former UK Big Brother star Jade Goody's battle with terminal cancer over the last few weeks, and as it becomes increasingly clear that the end is in sight, I'm finding it even more disturbing to read about it and see photos of her being wheeled into hospital in pain and distress. I also know enough about the British tabloids to understand that this will be the biggest story they'll be interested in right now; above the global financial crisis, a terrorist attack in Pakistan and anything political (unless it involves sex or scandal). I've also read that Jade wants to make as much money as possible for her young boys before she dies so they'll be well looked after, but really, doesn't there come a point where a bit of privacy and dignity is called for? This is not reality TV, this is real life. This is a young woman with two young sons who has a matter of weeks to live. It is incredibly sad and to have it splashed all over the front pages of the papers every day does seem rather morbid and in bad taste. I should note this is not an anti-tabloid rant. I'm well aware that Jade is working with the paps and journos and making money out of all the exposure. But shouldn't she want to draw a line somewhere?
A great deal of awareness of cervical cancer and the importance of smear/pap tests has been raised as a result of Jade's illness which is of course a positive, but so sad that something so tragic had to happen to someone high profile (who at the end of the day, was plucked from obscurity into the Big Brother House) for that to happen. I have always been a fan of Jade, however ridiculous and stupid she sometimes is. She is harmless, good fun and entertaining. I especially liked her stylish transformation from blondie to slimmed-down version with the cute brunette bob. And I hope, when the time comes, people will remember that Jade and her shrieking laugh and not bald Jade looking in pain, being pushed in a wheelchair.

Call this politics?!

This is more for the benefit of those of you back home, as everyone in Australia is already either laughing at or outraged by the current political 'battle' in the Queensland State Government. For the uneducated, Queensland is where Brisbane and the Gold Coast are and its residents don't have the best rep in terms of being classy or refined (I know several exceptions, before you turn on me, QLD friends!). Hence this photo isn't doing that reputation any favours. This guy is former Aussie Rules footballer Warwick Capper, who is fighting it out for the Beaudesert seat against Pauline Hanson, a former federal MP who last night had a complete meltdown on national television when a journalist dared to ask her a difficult question about electoral funding.

That's what's making the headlines, but I find Warwick much more amusing. Not only is he sponsored by men's magazine Zoo, which is allegedly paying for the bikini girls, he calls himself Australia's answer to Paris Hilton. I won't even start on the fact that Hanson once said Australia was in danger of being "overrun by Asians". Yes seriously, in this century, in a democratic, civilised country. And you thought UK political scandal was bad?

Not surprisingly, Liberal National Party candidate Aidan McLindon is expected to win the seat.

On Marmite

So here it is, the thing I miss most about the UK after all these months: my beloved Marmite. Don't get me wrong, I still consume Marmite but not with such regularity because one of those teeny tiny jars of it costs me about AU $12 over here. Luckily, some of my friends back home are still kind enough to send me supplies and (when Customs let it through) I'm ever so grateful. The problem is though, since Marmite 'cleverly' released its squeezy version, people opt to send me that instead of the good old-fashioned glass jar version because airmail ain't cheap. But it just isn't the same, it's too runny!

Which brings me to my next point. Marmite is not the same as, or even vaguely similar to, your Australian Vegemite. Marmite has a consistency like treacle and is almost black and very very shiny (it's a thing of glossy beauty) whereas Vegemite (which, although inferior, isn't so bad) is brown in colour, has a consistency like butter and is nowhere near as shiny, or as salty for that matter. So, while I can live without most things (notice things, not people) from the UK, I will never give up my Marmite. Just look at its old-school design! That branding hasn't changed in years and that yellow and red logo is almost as iconically British to me as red telephone boxes and the Union Jack. God Save Marmite!

If anyone wants to send me a jar (plastic or glass), you only have to ask for my address.

Why I really shouldn't be a whingeing Pom

I'm off work sick today. The less said about the preceding sleepless night and associated tummy troubles, the better. But sitting here on the sofa feeling sorry for myself I have realised something: I really don't have a lot to feel sorry about. I say this because I'm looking out through my open balcony doors at a beautiful sunny day and a priceless view of Sydney Harbour, the bridge, the opera house, etc (not showing off, merely commenting, honest!). You don't get much more iconic or well known a cityscape. I normally miss this morning sunshine because I am either inside my air-conditioned office or sleeping in at the weekend. It has a lovely yellow goldness about it that you just don't get very often in the Motherland. But speaking of good old Blighty, I also feel very lucky because in just 5 weeks I'll be heading home for a visit; not just 3 long weeks off work but a chance to spend time with my lovely dad and sister (the latter who I haven't seen since I left and am seriously missing now: cue tears at Heathrow!) and my many wonderful friends. I'm not sure how I'll control my excitement and fidgeting on the plane!

What with it having been my one-year anniversary of living here at the weekend, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching about my decision to come here, quickly followed by my decision to stay longer than the originally intended 12 months (and seriously, I didn't see that coming!). Living on the other side of the world from your family isn't easy, but I'm not going to pretend that living here in Australia is anywhere near a hardship. I love my job, my new Aussie friends, my flat, my more positive, laidback attitude and...um...the weather!

So what have been the biggest things of note since I moved Down Under?

1. I am now a total exercise and healthy eating convert. Sadly this doesn't mean I am suddenly skinny with thin thighs (never gonna happen without surgery!) but I am healthier, stronger, capable of running 14km (about 10 miles) non-stop, more toned and have a great way of getting rid of stress and anxiety and boosting my mood.

2. I have found a job I love (90% of the time) with a boss and team who trust and support my decisions and colleagues who are also, in the main, great friends.

3. I have had visits from many Pommy friends (Sarah and Chris, Dad, Ruth, Dean and the entire Valler fam, Lucy, Cousin Rob, and others).

4. Despite not being in the same country I've been asked to be godmother to beautiful baby Genevieve (aka Vivi) which I'm delighted about. I shall of course strive to be a great role model of adventurous, sassy, career girl living on other side of globe!

5. I live in a beautiful city with great weather (although more rain than I imagined) where I always feel a little bit like I'm on holiday.

Now I just need to find a husband ;)

I can't finish this ramble without a big shout out and thank you to my good friend Laura and her hubby Mark who, when they let me crash at their place for two whole months, made it a lot easier for me to settle into Sydney life and not have to rush into taking jobs I didn't really want. And also to Matt, who helped me be a better drinker ;)