Rebekah Lucy Loves Lou & Jeff

When I moved to London I arrived to a pre-packed family, really. I was lucky that many of my braver Lower Hutt friends had gone before me - so when I rocked up it was relatively easy. Lots of familiar faces, lots of couches and beds to sleep in (most notably Annalies' bed - shout outs where shout outs are due 'n all.)

Louise and Jeffrey / Lou and Jeff / my London Mum and Dad had been here for two and a half years by the time I arrived so they were old hands at this London life. Tomorrow, they leave London and the rest of us behind for exciting new chapters back in Aotearoa. The feeling is hard to put in to words - I'm due for a holiday home early next year so I know I'll see them soon, and I know (well, I think I know) I'll live back in New Zealand again one day too - but the people you knew and loved back home become about 9000% more important when you're over here doing this thing together. At least that's the way it feels to me, but I suppose I have always tended to the emotional and / or dramatic end of the human spectrum and 9000% might not be mathematically accurate.

The point is that I will miss them very much (hi guys, I will miss you very much). To Lou and Jeff - thank you for hosting my first memorable London house drinks... memorable in large part because I managed to get locked in at Ani's house and be (un)fashionably later than late. Thank you for letting me sleep on your couch in exchange for chicken and beer. Lou, thank you for enduring Cocoon 2011 with me, Ani and Nat - not least of all for risking your life down a backstreet alley (but Bonnie Tyler hey? What a reward!). Remember the bus ride to Club de Fromage for New Years Eve? Neither do I, but we'll always have the photos. Thank you for coming to Liverpool with me to celebrate my 29th birthday. Cypress Hill. That was a good'un. Britney? Less so. Thank you for driving me to Download to see Metallica perform The Effing Black Album - and thank you for holding my drink while I screamed my head off on the fairground ride. I'll always remember World Cup Victory, Rise Against at the Brixton Academy, "Could be someone making some prison wine? Anyone missing their socks?", Jeff's penchant for napping in the middle of the party, Snoop at Lovebox, Lower Hutt Girls Middlesbrough Mish (eating all the pinwheels inside of greater London and going the wrong way up a one way street anyone?), the Olympics Opening Ceremony (especially the queue which stretched on for all eternity), "Hellooooooo, I'm Jeffrey.", Rhys Darby, Steinlager Pure and a free Tim Tam, Jimmy Barnes, and Soundgarden in the rain, all of the cartwheels, cupcakes on a boat, shouty renditions of Forgot About Dre, and watching Michelle cut up One-Armed Lou's roast chicken.Thank you for all of the laughs, the party after the party after the party, and for not posting the video evidence of me and Ani dancing (looning) to Biffy Clyro. Oh, and thank you for making me feel tall (jokes) (sort of).

Mum and Dad innit. <3.

I'm not really sure what we'll do without you. What would McCormick do? Well, he'd find it interesting as Lou well knows. But the rest of us will probably be a bit sad to be honest.

Love you both. Say hi to the Hutt for me. See you soon. X