Random Traveller Hello and welcome to the long discourse on Rhiannon’s Adventures So Far, that I finally made myself sit down and write because of the impending DOOM that is called Manufacturer Default. My little baby is a lovely shiny white Macbook that I’ve decided to name Poodle. This is because its main function is to be pretty. However I will soon have to send it off to some unloving ruffians who will beat it and tell it not to keep randomly shutting down on me.

After the tomatoes and the cold James and I took our leave and one headed north, the other south. I ended up in Oviedo the capital of Asturias, which is one of the provinces on the northern seaboard. I have to say it is the prettiest city I have ever seen. I’m told this is because Prince Felipe lives here, the son of Spain’s King. The head Sister of this shelter I’m currently in suggested gardening as a possible job. I can understand why. I think immaculate hedgerows, fountains and bushes shaped like bounding puppies is the Asturian approach to solving its unemployment problem.

My first few days here were spent window-shopping. It’s a University town so almost all the shops are in my demographic and the prices so tempting. The French tell me that the fashion here is way out of date, but that still means it’s two years ahead of Australia.

I like the way they organise bar hopping here. Every bar bribes you with free drinks to come inside, you spend half an hour on the dance floor, then step outside and walk 5 metres for your next free drink.

I learnt a new drinking game that I am forcing everyone to partake in when I get home. You need little plastic cups the size of small whiskey glasses, some jugs of cheap wine mixed with cola and a few coins (one per 3 or 4 people). The rules are simple, spread out the coins around the table, you have to bounce the coin into your glass then you can drink it and pass the coin. If the next coin catches you, you have to drink every drink on the table. We played with 13 people, that’s a lot of penalty shots. I’m told this is the game all the students play here before going to the clubs.

Well, just as I was settling in to Oviedo, found an apartment etc. James SMSs from somewhere with monkeys to say: Look monkeys! and Oh, you know those travel plans we had for two months time? Could we move them to next week?