Hi everyone,

Firstly let me just say....... YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!!! I have checked out the bulletin board (yes.. don't think I'm not CONSTANTLY lurking in there)and I've seen what you are doing with regards to requesting I KNEW I LOVED YOU both with your local radio stations and with MTV et al... YOU ARE MACHINES!!!! I especially love the Savage Garden Armed Forces... very very impressive.. (and very scary).. I'm telling you if I was the person on the receiving end of your emails, I would be afraid (extremely afraid!).

Anyway... I just wanted to let you know that I'm impressed with your dedication to Savage Garden.

Back to the matter at hand...

Last time we spoke it was 5.00am on the morning of the MTV Awards and I was still wide awake. Well, the MTV awards have come and no doubt you all saw them on television. Darren didn't go in an official capacity, he just went along for a bit of fun. I, unfortunately, did not go to the awards (due to the much lamented lack of celebrity status that I enjoy), but Darren went for most oft he show (he slipped out before the end to join myself and some friends for dinner) and looked marvellous in his Prada suit. Which.. let me tell you..had it's own little share of tragedy. He had just received the suit from Nina his stylist, and I had to send the pants off to be hemmed (because that's what organised, efficient PA's do for their employers). Feeling exceedingly smug with myself (because the pants arrived back... ON TIME...from the drycleaners).. I made the fatal error of not looking at them prior to the aforementioned, rather important, music industry event. So, you can imagine my dismay when Darren pulled the pants out of the plastic wrapping(while I sat, proudly by, smile glued to my face, safe in the knowledge that I had succeeded in my one task for the day).. only to find a crease... sharper than anything your Grandfather used to wear... ironed straight down the centre of these $2,000 lycra pants!!!

We let out a collective scream and rushed for the iron!! I offered my services to Darren and said I would DEFINITELY be able to get the crease out because I'm an EXPERT ironer.. but of course he had lost ALL FAITH IN MY ABILITY... so I had to sit miserably by and watch him, standing there in his jacket, shirt, tie, socks and underpants to try and eradicate the offending crease while his management and publicist paced the foyer downstairs waiting for him. That is just one example of the high powered stress we go through on a daily basis here in the Savage Garden camp.

After that mishap, we were well and truly ready for the Sony Music party at Ruby Foo's straight after the awards (I was allowed to go to this, which was very fortunate otherwise I would have had nothing to brag to my friends at home about) and Darren spent the evening dancing with Nina (while I stood around taking digital photos for your viewing pleasure....constantly and unselfishly thinking of you guys.. yes..that's right!!)

Okay...... Darren is sitting beside me.. I'm in the kitchen of his new house in San Francisco.. he has just bought out the homeware section at Macy's (I've captured a photo of all the boxes for you, because it really does need to be seen to be believed) and he is insisting on constantly cooking... always cooking...... lots and lots of NEW and INTERESTING dishes.... (Oh my goodness.. how many more dishes can Darren create that involve lettuce and a baked chicken breast? How many more times do I need to be subjected to his crappy running commentary directed at the imaginary studio audience on his IMAGINARY television cooking show!!) Anyway.. I digress... he is really annoying me because he is looking over my shoulder and saying to me 'make sure this update is a long one, Leonie'. Okay.. okay.. but in order to do this, I have decided that he needs to contribute. Hope you agree... because I'm about to put him on.....

"Hey space cadets. Man does she need some SLEEP! Look....I am indeed cooking. Last night I had a dinner party with some friends and I actually cooked my first ever roast turkey. Sounds charming but it involved giblets and stuff and basically constantly reminded me why I was a vegetarian all those years. But I had some very expert help (phone calls to Australia to my Mum, Leonie's Mum and a friend in L.A)...but finally it worked. Took about a hundred years to cook..but it was wonderful. Ok...I'm just going to ramble on now. I've decided that you are all the most wonderfully supportive and incredibly loyal fans in the universe.

Some of you are obsessed with my hair. That's cool.

Um..you know the photo on the front page? I heard whispers of "Darren's too this or that"...it's me folks.It's the style of photo shoot with did with Stephane Sedanoui..one of my fave photographers in the WORLD....it's intentionally very surreal and actually involves very LITTLE makeup despite public opinion. It's mostly lighting. You'll see more from the shoot over the next few months I guess. I'm really rambling aren't I? I think I basically wanted everyone to know that I really really dig you........and you make me feel happy even when I'm sad! I must go. Leonie is threatening to use my BRAND NEW cappuccino machine before I've even touched it....so bye for now..."

Great.. I get my computer back and Darren gets to make me a cappuccino.

So.. basically since the MTV awards we have been in San Francisco having a break. Or so we believed until we realised what it takes to move into a new apartment. Darren ordered all of his furniture about a month ago, but he still doesn't have the majority of it (Trees are being felled as we speak to build it). At the moment there are only a few chairs, a table, beds and a lounge. Thankfully, (and every day I wake up feeling giddy about this piece of good fortune), Darren HAS got his Darth Vader telephone unpacked.. and it proudly sits on the kitchen bench.

Aside from the moving, Darren spent a day in the studio to record a remake of George Michael's LAST CHRISTMAS for the Rosie O'Donnell Christmas Album (titled A VERY ROSIE CHRISTMAS). The decision to be a part of the album was an easy one for him when he found out that it was for Rosie and that all the proceeds were going to aid children's charities (although, the fact that Elmo is also contributing the the record was the REAL clincher for him!).

You may be wondering what Daniel has been up to. Well... I have to tell you.. I was wondering the same thing myself for a while there!! I was ringing him and emailing him and ALL I was receiving in return were a few throw away, taunting little messages (ie. periodically he would call and leave me with one word...'Hi'.... and, as if that weren't enought, he would just as periodically email me a one word message ....'Hi'). My calls to him were in vain and I was about to come to you, the fans, to post a bulletin seeking the whereabouts of Daniel.. that most reclusive of pop stars. But, just as I was about to carry out my threat he rang (.... ..... to speak with Darren) and I just sat by, patiently waiting for my turn to speak to him. When that time came I was so BUSY telling him all about MY life.. that I completely forgot to ask him about his!!!! So.... I really have no idea what he has been up to this week. So, I thought, just to make the update a little more spicy and interesting for you.. I'd just make up my own story.

Well, Daniel has had an exciting couple of weeks, filled with wild and crazy misadventures.. not least of all was the hostage situation he became a victim of when a marauding band of pirates boarded his boat while he was taking a leisurely cruise down the Brisbane River. Daniel tried so hard in vain to escape because they were keeping him from his one true secret passion (ie. his phone conversations with me). His pleas fell on deaf ears, however, and it was only when he explained to them the importance of my website updates that they took pity on him and immediately released him so that he could rush to the nearest pay phone to call yours truly....

.... and it is at this point that the dream bubble above my head bursts and I wake up out of my delusional state.....

Yes.. that's right.. even I don't have the power to get Daniel to rush to a pay phone (as strange and astonishing as that may seem to all of you).

The GOOD NEWS IS.. that's I'm going to be with both of them again on the 6th October when Daniel flies to meet us in San Francisco so that we can fly together to New York. I may even try and get them both to post a message to you from the plane. You understand how trapped they will feel on an airplane with just my computer and I there to harass them!!

The next trip is going to be a relatively long one (.. did anybody mention the phrase 'international jetsetting'???) after New York we head to Italy, then the UK.. then France, Denmark and other parts of Europe, before we trek across to Japan, then Australia then back to America again in time for the release of the album on 9th November!! The full band will be joining Darren and Daniel on the road and they will be performing live, in front of an audience, for the first time together since the tour. I will undoubtedly keep you updated from the road and as soon as we know which tv and radio programs they are going to be appearing on, I will let you know.

Also.. one other little secret I thought I'd let you in on.. the next issue of the Official Savage Garden Fanzine contains a lot of great info that is not available anywhere yet... which includes the COMPLETE SET OF LYRICS to every song on AFFIRMATION. The fanzine is the only place that the lyrics are available prior to the album release.. so that is something for all you fanzine members to look forward to. You'll know all the words before you even hear the music!

Right.. exhaustion has set in. As usual I'm typing this at some ridiculous hour of the morning and it's time for me to hit the sack.

Lastly..... I'm going to TRY to send the latest photos with this update and if you are very lucky they will be there when you open the update. But..hey. . you know me and computers. So if they are not here, just hang tight,they will be here as soon as humanly possible.

See you later!
Leonie