On Monday I was lucky enough to have Toni (one of my lovely Topdeckers) come to crash for a week. It was nice to have some girl company in a house full of boys - which many don't really speak English. It was also good for someone to come and check out the hole in my ceiling and analyse my next move. After chatting to the landlord (once he got back from holidays) I decided it might be best for me to start looking for somewhere a bit more...sturdy... to live. The landlord seemed to think that the hole in the ceiling was from a past flood of the bathroom and nothing to do with the fact that there was (and still is) a constant leak of water from the bathroom. "leftover dampness" is what he called it. "Gross" is what I called it. The leak is currently dripping onto a power board/microwave whenever someone has a shower. Once I pointed that out to him he told me that he will just plaster over the hole but not for a few weeks until he can get his mate who is a plasterer to do it.
At that point I was like 'Riiiiiiiiight' time to bail. So thankfully I had Toni here to help me make light of the situation and cheer me up as I was still depressed over my crap Topshop job and my falling down house. Later that day we kept hearing the door slam and we realised that the latch wasn't working on the front door. So basically all you had to do was to come along and push it open - either that or the wind blew it open. The landlord heard it slamming so came over with a screwdriver and wiggled it before saying ' all fixed' and leaving again. Yeah well it wasn't fixed - it kept doing it pretty much all arvo and then again some of the day on Tuesday.
We basically just bummed all day before heading off on a walk of Wimbledon Common. The common isn't too far away from my house but I wasn't 100% sure how to get there. After a quick look on google maps (How did I ever live without it?) I realised it wasn't too far away if we just short cut through the park. Possibly my worst idea ever. We ended up getting there... just 40 minutes after we were supposed to. However we got a good view of the Wimbledon Tennis Arena and checked out all the pretty houses and fancy cars in the area. Note to self: Find a rich sugar daddy and make him buy me a house in Wimbledon. They were beautiful!
That night we wandered down to a local pub and had a meal with a friend of Toni's from home. It is always good to meet new people and suss out another pub in the area. The pub called 'the Park Tavern' had a really nice beer garden out the back so we sat in what was left of the sun and chatted away. They were all Kiwi's too so once again I was the token Aussie. I still haven't really met any new English friends but I'm working on it!
No matter where you are in the world it seems that there is always a tight-arse Tuesdays at the movies. We made the most of this by checking out Step Up 3d with Leanne. After spending a whole week with her and then the next week not seeing her I was lacking in Leanne dates. It was good to have a quick catch up and do something fun and cheap like seeing a movie while munching on lollies. I have been really good since I have been back and not eating massive amounts of junk food nibblies but I have recently discovered these caramel bite thingy's. Its only going to go downhill from here I think. But oh well! you can't not eat junk food at the movies!
During this week I was lucky enough to have a visitor from home. Ash had come over and was about to embark on his big Europe trip so it was my turn to play tour guide of London. I was such a fraud! Luckily he wasn't paying me because I didn't really know much about where to take him. In fact he knew more from his guidebook then I really knew. We met at Kings Cross where he was staying and made our way to Picadilly Circus. From here we walked down to Trafalgar Square and then along the strand so he could check out some of the sights. We crossed the river so he could see the London Eye and Big Ben before we settled down and grabbed a meal and a beer. I was trying to find a cosy English traditional pub but of course everywhere I turned I couldn't find one. Clearly I haven't explored enough pubs for this to happen - seriously! I am in Britain and couldn't find a pub! Something has gone wrong somewhere.
After a good catch up over a drink we headed back over the river to St Paul's Cathedral where we decided to go in and check it out. It was 9.50 pounds to get in which I though was a bit exxy for a cathedral visit but that was until I got inside. Wow. Just Wow. I don't mean to brag but after trekking my way across Europe I have seen some mean cathedrals but this one was by far the prettiest and the best. Inside the artwork was just amazing and the place was just gigantic. We headed up the stairs (around 500) via the Whispering Gallery up to the top to get 360 degree views of the city. Luckily it was a sunny day and Ash managed to score a few good piccies. I was silly enough to have no battery on my camera - I must have lost my touristy touch once I unpacked my backpack.
That night I was heading out to dinner with my Topdeck crew as two more members had arrived and settled in London. We met at a bar serving two for one cocktails and caught up with Sean and Clare and heard all their travel stories. It was so good to see them again after running into them at Pamplona and its nice to have an addition to the crew. The lucky ducks had managed to score themselves a place to live and Clare had even found a job! As I was still unemployed and living in a falling down mess I was extremely jealous!
After a few cocktails we headed down to a Greek place that had been recommended by a friend. It was a tiny restaurant run by a old Greek man where there is no menu. You just pay 9.50 pounds and they keep bringing food out to you. We had probably about five courses all up. We had pickled veggies, olives and chillies on a plate, spinach and cheese puffs, cheesy pasta and pasta salad and then about seven different dips with bread. That was just the entrée! Then we got given tabouleh, cous cous and lamb (which just fell right off the bone), tuna and chicken for mains. Then for desert we got Greek yoghurt drizzled in honey. We were completely stuffed! Taking into consideration all the wine/beer we had drunk it seemed weird that we were able to walk (not roll) out of that place.
I love Topdeck catch ups they are so much fun! Its so good to have a group of friends already in London that I can hang out and go out drinking with and know that its going to be fun. We had a great time eating and chatting and even discussed regular 'family dinners' every few weeks. We also planned our first 'family holiday' to Scotland for the long weekend in a couple of weeks time. After the restaurant we headed to another bar down the road for a quick drink where I had one of those small world moments. Of all the bars in London I walk into one where someone I had met a few months ago travelling was working. So that's about the third time something like that has happened. Watch this space because I am sure there will be more.
On Thursday morning I woke up feeling slightly hungover to the sound of my phone ringing. I got a call from a recruitment agency setting me up with an interview for Friday and some shifts for Topshop. So I headed off to the dreaded place. It wasn't so bad this time. I think because I had had a few days in between and was put in the sort room (not the dungeon) with a friendly temp time passed pretty quickly.
Friday was the big interview day. As I headed into town I think I prayed to every possible person you can pray to that I would 'just please get this job'. It was for an Administration position at the Nursing and Midwifery Council of the UK which wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I spent 3 years studying Communications but it would be a steady pay check and a means to start living the London lifestyle. Plus it would mean I could commit more money to rent and therefore get a nicer place. After a quick informal chat with two of the managers there I was offered the job on the spot! Hurrah! I can't tell you the feeling of having that weight lifted off my shoulders! I literally skipped once I got out onto the street. Not enough to freak out other pedestrians but just a little because I had butterflies everywhere. I then spent about 50 million pounds in phone credit telling nearly everyone I knew before calling the recruitment agency trying to get out of my Topshop shift. Unfortunately I had to go in and work as I could not give them 24 hours notice but I didn't mind because it meant it would be the last time I was working there. I could go back to a normal oblivious shopper! Whoooop! So after a quick change at home I headed back into Topshop for my final shift.
Don't worry - I still managed to celebrate my job getting. After my shift at Topshop I met up with Ash and had a few celebratory drinks starting with a Margarita. It was good to be out with a mate celebrating but since I was exhausted from working and lack of sleep due to interview nerves I had to hit the hay pretty early. I was sad to say goodbye to Ash but glad to know I will be seeing him in November when he is back. It is his 21st birthday when he is here again so I have the next few months to explore the place and plan something epic. He is doing some of the same Busabout route as me so hopefully I instilled some wisdom about the places and he has a great time. If you want to check out his travel blog http://3monthswithagingerbreadman.blogspot.com/.
Saturday morning was another semi-hungover morning after those Margaritas and several other drinks. Luckily we got a bit of a sleep in before heading to the Portobello Road markets with Leanne, Sean and Clare. I'm not sure how to describe how packed this place was. It was a miserable rainy cold day and yet the streets were FILLED jam packed with people. It was a fun atmosphere but actually looking at the stalls without ramming 6 people was completely impossible. We had a slow wander down the road, checked out Notting Hill and grabbed a famous cupcake from Hummingbird Bakery. We basically just mosied around checking out the shops and the crowd for a couple of hours before grabbing lunch (yummm falafel wrap) and heading back to the tube station.
Since I ACTUALLY had a reason to by clothes since I needed work clothes we headed to Westfield at Shepards Bush. It is the biggest shopping centre in Europe and it is insane. We walked in and on the first level there is Louis and Chanel everywhere. There is also a champagne bar in the middle of the isle so you can just drink some bubbly while you watch people shop. I don't know about you guys but at my local shopping centre at home in the middle of the isle are lolly stalls and phone case suppliers. It was an absolute mission to get around this place or even find the stores that sell clothes cheap enough for me to buy. Which was probably a good thing as I could have gotten out of hand (so much built up shopping time inside me!) and I would have blown all my cash.
It was a fun day out but after awhile the crowds just got too much. I was still exhausted from my dodgy sleep and repeated hangovers so it was time to head home. After a bit of quiet time at home before Toni arrived I was ready and raring to go to a house party down the road. Everyone came by my place beforehand to have a few pre drinks and check out the hole in my roof (what an attraction!). The landlord had replaced the carpet and given us a new couch and chairs during the week which was nice an all but ummm could he maybe fix the hole in the roof? It was nice to have somewhere sort of clean and nice for my friends to sit. Next house will definitely have a good living area!
So after getting a bit tipsy on our pre drinks we wandered down the road to Sam & Lance's place (Toni's friends from NZ that we had dinner with). They live about 10 min walk away so we didn't have to stress too much about stumbling home. On the way we picked up 3 bottles of wine for 10 pounds (after already demolishing one) so we were ready and raring to party. We got there just as they were hitting the pinyata for one of the house mates birthday. After a few quick intros we were given the guided tour of the house (which was pretty similar to mine without the holes) before settling into the living room and embarking on drinking games. Two bottles of red wine later we were more then a little tipsy and we headed home. It was a fun place to be but since we were the randoms who had never met the birthday girl it felt like a good time to bail. On the way home we dropped Leanne off at the busstop where she promptly sat almost on top of the girl sitting there even though there was a whole bench free. I laughed so hard I was crying. The poor girl must have thought I was mental but when Leanne was like "Whoops! Personal Space!" seemed the funniest thing in the world to drunken me. In fact I laughed all the way home and when I woke up in the morning and I am still giggling about it now. Its probably not at all funny to you guys reading but just try and imagine.
Sunday was moving day! Not for me (not quite yet anyway) but for Toni who was shifting into her new place. We grabbed her stuff from mine and Leannes place and dumped it at her new one before heading down the road to Nando's as me and Leanne were hung over (oh dear yes again) and in need of some fatty food. After filling up our tummys yet again we had a wander along the area right near Clapham Junction. There were lots of cute cafes and restaurants and a couple of shops and I thought to myself 'Hmm this is my kinda scene' so I am thinking of looking at places around that area. That afternoon I had a viewing at a place at Wimbledon which was only one tube stop down from me. It was a nice place and the girls were really friendly but I didn't get a 'omg I have to live here' feeling and I was a little bit nervous about rushing into a place again. I have a couple of weeks left on this months rent so I am not homeless quite yet so I think I will see what I can find. Although I know its the best way to do it I am not looking forward to a week or so of trawling through gumtree and checking out places. It will be worth it when I find the ideal flat!
That pretty much sums up my week. I promise to be better with my blogging in the near future but my excuse was all my hangovers! haha not really just spend most of my time online checking out places to live!
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