Underground, Overground...

I thought I would just check back on my other posts before writing this one (so no duplications) and my little heart sank for myself when I realised that past me, already fatigued from the house viewing merry-go-round, would still have almost another month of trawling before she struck gold.

But, at last, I am happy to report that I have found the mythical golden fleece, the unicorn, the gold at the end of the rainbow which is a room! Bigger than an sheet of A4, structurally holding it's own, in the *actual* area it was advertised in, with a bunch of house-trained adults AND for not-too-far-over my original budget. I felt like high-fiving everyone I walked past once I had won the room. And believe me, i'm not exaggerating. I won that room, like a prize in a TV show.

To say that the process was similar to a job interview is really not far off. By the time this room came up, I was a pro. The pre-selected search alert for anything roughly meeting my criteria 'pinged' onto my phone at some point around 10am. By 10:15 I had messaged, highlighting my availability for everytime outside my physical working hours. By the afternoon a date was set - the following evening. I nervously prepped after work, remembered my manners, my questions, and headed over. Upon looking around I realised this house was a rare find. I needed to let them know I was keen. I innocently enquired "how many more are coming to view?" to which she replied "Well, 500 asked."

Let's just stop and think about this for a minute. FIVE HUNDRED. That would fill a gig venue! It's 10 buses worth of people. And hopefully highlights just how crazy the London rental market is. Luckily for me I made it to the 'second round' - meeting the other housemates. There were 4 candidates on the shortlist, and the date was set for the Sunday. After much debate about protocol, etiquette and what exactly counted as bribery and was I desperate enough to resort to that?; I decided that yes, I was, and did in fact resort to taking over lemon meringue cupcakes to meet the housemates. And for me, that seemed to be enough to wing it, because the same evening they asked me if I wanted the room.

Finally!!! An end to the craziness that is spending your evenings making polite chit chat with total strangers as they show you around their home, either at warp-speed because they have 50 others to get through in the same night, or agonisingly slowly, offering you tea and life stories when all you want to do is get the hell out. Towards the end I felt that I was being picky, that I needed to stop looking for places with a bath, or kitchen workspace, and just go with what comes. But actually, i'm really glad that I found somewhere I was prepared to make small compromises for, and that I didn't settle. To any of you still looking - a good place does exist, so keep the faith! :)

Anyway, i've waffled on enough about that. I shall hopefully be able to provide more details next time (although the title of this post is a pretty big hint!).

In between looking through the homes of London, I have found time to pose like a tourist at Kings Cross Platform 9 and 3/4:

Get a snap of my time spent as an extra on a film set (interesting, but v. boring after the first 30 mins):

Reunite with a mix of non-London friends when they travelled up to Wembley Park to compete in a badly organised, sweaty (but lot of fun!) Color Run race:

I've also started to find some of London's sweet spots. The secret bits which tourists don't get to, because they are too busy jumping on and off tubes and clogging up the pavements taking photos, such as this sweet little mini park, only 4 mins from Covent Garden!

I have also had some really good 'oh god i'm such a tourist' moments; including this photo when I realised that in order to get to a meeting I had to WALK DOWN THE MALL. The Mall is the way to Buckingham Palace, AKA the Queen's house, AKA the bit of London everyone knows. I tried to keep my shit together, and act nonchalant, but eventually excitement took over and I snuck a quick snap:

Finally, I thought i'd finish up with some good foodie bits of interest. After viewing a pretty sad maisonette in Earlsfield, I was dejectedly trudging back to the station hot, tired and hungry when I stumbled across this little beauty:

It could have been mine! As a vintage enthusiast foodie called Mel, this was a joyous find. I didn't venture in, but I will be doing so in the near future. Watch this space for a Melfoodreports, coming soon. And in the same theme, as part of the 'Seriously Mel you need to start making friends' kick up the butt I gave myself the other day; this Monday I went to a new run club event, which then went to a great place in Holborn called 'My Old Dutch' for cheap pancakes. The restaurant only sells pancakes and waffles, and I ordered a yummy one called 'The Aspragus' - which was a savoury affair covered in mushroom, red onion, spinach and cheese. Delicious.

I doubt i'll get too much done over the next 2 weeks or so, as I will be busy packing, paperworking, and trying to make the most of my time in Surbiton before heading off. With a bit of luck, my next post will come to you from the new location, and I can fill you in with my exploring tales!

Mel :)

Homeless and house hunting!

Lovely people, I can hardly believe this week marks my 7th week in London!

When I first started to think about moving I couldn't really see this far ahead - I think I was scared to in case I was back at home in Reading, or living here and hating it. However I can officially say that so far, life is going well in London.

As a quick update, from the last time we spoke:

I'm still going to the Nike shop in Covent Garden, only now I go for a run/fitness drill combo which is altogether a little tamer than the unisex running class. It's run by, and attended by, ladies only, which makes me feel better. As an added bonus we visit a new London landmark each week! I would highly recommend trying to check one of these out, if you are new to London. Great way to meet people, keep fit and see the sights for free.

The house hunt still continues. I don't know if you are familiar with Battle Royale or The Hunger Games, but trying to find a houseshare in London is a similar concept. I feel like i'm doing battle with every other human to secure a bed space (paying obscenely for the privilege, I might add.) I figured that the cost alone of living in London would mean you at least weren't scrapping around for places, but I thought wrong. Looking for somewhere to live has become my full-time occupation (other than work of course). Each morning I psych myself up to the daily grind of obsessively checking spareroom.co.uk to see if there are any 'hits' to my ad, or if something meets my search list. Then you have to hope they make contact (or respond to you if you ask). It's not just a 'hey, when are you free to view?' either - oh no! That would be far too simple. No, instead you have to submit a dating-profile-esque description of yourself, trying to convince them you are the absolutely best candidate (aka PAYING housemate) to fill the room. Then, and only then, do you get the honour of what is sometimes only a 10 minute slot, to view the house, ask questions and see potential housemates before the next one is in and you are back out on the mat wondering what just happened. The fun doesn't stop there either, because then you get to wait and see if you are the 'chosen one.' This, of course, is assuming that the room matched it's description, was in the right area, and wasn't subject to very deceptive photography which made a shoebox look like a palace.

Frazzled, me? Ok, I know I haven't really sold that. But seriously, it's tough out there. The best advice I can give is to know what your areas are, you price is, and your non-negotiables, and then cross your fingers and enter the battle zone. Perhaps with a colander for a hat*. Good luck, brave warrior.

*Don't actually wear a colander to a house viewing. These things are tough enough, don't give them an extra reason to vote against you.

I've spent the last 3 or 4 weeks looking, and i've been to about 5 houses. Some have been a little indulgent with their upselling, while others have just been close but no cigar. But I won't be defeated! Luckily I don't have a definite date to get out by - i'm staying with amazing friends who have made the move a whole lot less stressful by putting me up. However, I would quite like to be out of their hair now, and making it on my own.

So - in terms of other specific London things, I have been out and about trying to enjoy the capital as much as i can. I've seen great sunsets on Waterloo bridge across the Thames, i've eaten at lots of lovely restaurants and cafe's, i've eaten been for drinks on a boat-pub! (literally - a pub on a boat). I also got the chance to go to a fashion exhibition with a friend, and tick off some touristy bits (platform 9 and three-quarters at Kings Cross, i'm looking at you). When I knew I was leaving behind my hometown I asked people who had moved to new places what their best advice was, and a lot of people said 'just embrace it' - so i've tried to do that, and for the most part that has really paid off. It can be easy, both in a familiar and a new place, to just want to retreat and not do anything - it takes more effort to be sociable and go out - but the rewards are worth it. So, since I have been here, I have tried to say 'YES!' to more things. So far this has included going on a friend date with a girl I met on spareroom, meeting other ladies at the run club, being an extra on a film set (true story - they needed someone in fifties clothes to be part of the background) and many more. It goes without saying that you do need to apply a level of common sense before agreeing to anything, but on the whole I think it helps you to get out there in a new city.

Some specific London advice to help with this that I wish i'd known before arriving is - check out meetup.co.uk - it has really specific networks so you can find other people that share your interests. Also, TimeOut is a magazine they hand out free in London - every 2 weeks i think? This tells you what is coming up to do in London, for free, or for cheap, and where all the gigs/theatre dates are. These are amazingly useful, definitely try and get your hands on the mag, but if not they have a FB page/website/app. Similarly, SkintLondon and Londonist are similar and have apps/websites - always worth a look to see what might be going on in the coming week you can get involved in.

I also feel like i'm settling in at work more. I'm no longer the new girl (whoop!) and am becoming more part of the furniture. I'm also slowly learning my way around certain areas (namely the places i'm off viewing houses in, due to going so many times!) but also where the good shops are, the best sandwiches etc. Having said this, I do still have some stuff to learn. Whilst trying to get to Wembley for the Color Run with friends (it was great, would recommend if you don't mind looking like an Andy Warhol painting in progress) - i couldn't get through a tube barrier because my Oyster card wasn't working. "But I topped it up this morning!" I said to the lady. However she insisted that it had no money on. By the time I sadly trudged off to the machine to top it up (again) - certain they were scamming me, my friend had come back through the barrier. "Did you tap it again on the screen to transfer the money onto it earlier?" He asked in innocence. "No - did I need to?" I replied. "Ah, balls. Yes, you did. Now you have to pay all over again." - HOW ANNOYING. So, basically, once you have paid to top up your oyster card, it doesn't actually *top up* unless you press it against the button again. So, I ended up paying £20 for just £10 worth of credit. "It's a mistake you only make once" my friend tried to console me with. What I didn't have the heart to tell him, however, was that i d topped my oyster up about a week before too - without tapping the screen. So, perhaps for me it's a mistake I needed to make twice. :) At least I can tell you, and stop you from following in my footsteps!

So....that's about all i've ben getting up to so far. At the moment i'm very much 'eat, sleep, house-hunt, repeat', so my life is reduced to a small window of time between coming home from house viewings and going to bed.

Hopefully next time I come on to post, I will a) not have given up completely on finding a house-share, b) might actually have somewhere new to call my pad, and c) have some life back to go and enjoy.

:) Mel

Waterloo Sunsets

Second week down! 

Time is truly flying in London. Already i'm getting the hang of this commute, and beginning to see different places in London.

I decided to go to a running club this week, and picked the Nike shop in Covent Garden. I had hoped it would be a fairly sedate affair, but instead it was how iimagine a zombie apocalypse would be played out; ducking and diving commuters and tourists in a frenzied attempt not to lose sight of the Nike pacer, especially as I didn't know which bridges we were looking out for! 

We saw some lovely sights though, including the Savoy hotel and the really cool Milennium bridge:

I walked back over it a day or two later so I could really take it in, the architecture is really nice. 

This week I also went on a sunny stroll along the Southbank. It's a real liquorice allsorts type place; fancy wine bars next to chicken shops and a skatepark/graffiti area; all set against the backdrop of an art space. Very cool though, it feels quite European:

In other exciting news, i'm officially London now, as I got me one of these:

This is the key to getting anywhere in "the City". Its basically a plastic travelcard that you just have to tap on buses and tubes. I don't know how it *actually* works, but i like to think it's special magic. Special London magic! 

Last weekend I had a lovely surprise too, as my old friend Claire came to visit me in Kingston. It's only a walk away from where I am, so I strolled down and we enjoyed a great day of gossiping and shopping in equal measure. She even treated me to a birthday lunch, in an awesome fifties diner where I had the closest thing to a SpongeBob Squarepants Krabby Patty you'll ever see! 

Isn't it amazing?! So delicious. I hope I get to go back there one day! 

It was a good haul for me; I spent the gift card I got when I left my old job on a flamingo print dress. Then I carried on the theme by buying some work pumps with flamingos too! 

I definitely feel a summer theme coming on. 

As i've been home alone for a bit, on Easter Friday I decided to go and be among people for a while. I'm staying with friends temporarily, so need to start scouting out areas for me to live in. I decided to check out Clapham. It was recommended to me a few times and was fairly close.

Finding places to live in London is harder than it sounds! You need to factor in location, proximity to work (ie how long will your commute be) and then what method of transport you want to use for work (car, bike, bus, feet, tube, train etc). Then how close to a station/stop you will be, before finally looking at things in the vicinity and then room, housemates etc. not forgetting budget! Essentially, good bloody luck. I figure you write down what you want, then cross these out and write what you NEED, and then prioritise from there. If you can get half you are probably doing alright.

Anyway, so i had a little stroll around. I actually quite liked it, although the Common (patch of grass) which gets raved about in Clapham, is basically just that. A patch of grass. However, with not many people having gardens, or any greenery whatsoever, in London, it is quite a big deal. 

Coming from somewhere where parks are fairly bog standard, I can't believe this  is so fantastic; however I definitely need green spaces and fresh air wherever I go, so Clapham is definitely an option. It also scored bonus points for having a Waitrose, a place which sold veggie sandwiches, and a shop full of fruit-printed dresses. 

Watch this space for more Locationwatch reports over the coming weeks as I also have Wimbledon, Putney, Islington and Ealing in my sights. 

:) 

London, calling

Today marks the end of my first working week in London. 

Hooray, I made it! 

On the first day I walked across Waterloo bridge to work and my goodness, the view of London from the river is really something. All the places I thought were so spread out when you visit by tube are actually all just next to each other, hanging out. 

This was one of the pics I got on my first day: 

I've been lucky to have mostly sunny days too, although it has been quite blowy at times. 

The first week at the new job has been very daunting, to say the least. So much to read, learn and be inducted on, and there is a big culture difference between new and old workplaces. But London itself is more than making up for that. 

Apart from a first day "what have I done?!" which almost gave me a panic attack crossing back over the aforementioned bridge, the rest of the time I have just been walking and looking around.

I feel like such a tourist, but i've never really explored London before, so i want to make the most of it now. I've indulged a little and bought an item of food each day this week; from falafel to wraps to a burger and a frozen custard dessert:

 

From a place called Shake Shack in the main piazza of Covent Garden (and it was worth every penny!) 

So far I have seen lots and lots of touristy bits, even just in the first 4 days, including: 

- Big Ben (probably my favourite because it's so shiny!)

- Houses of Parliament

- Downing Street

- The Cenotaph

- Nelson's Column

- The famous "fourth plinth" (currently home to a giant blue cockerel!)

- The Savoy Hotel

- The London Eye

And hopefully i'll see many more as the weeks go by. 

I've also learnt a few things from my first week as a London fresher, these are:

No-one else talks on the bus

Every single street is crowded ALL THE TIME

Everywhere seems to sell food (and lots of veggie choices too, hooray)

If you want to use transport you need an oyster card

Walking is usually quicker, most of the time.

I still feel very "new" here and I want to make the most of it, before It turns me into a people-and-life hating commuter; so I will be getting snap-happy over the next few weeks and trying to check out as much as i can. 

Wish me luck! 

Xx

Pack it up, pack it in

Let me begin! 

Just kidding. 

After a lovely break away in the Alps for some snowboarding fun times, I had to come back and face reality. Reality has involved packing my room up, saying goodbye to everyone (cue lots of meals out) and one final boozy night in Reading. 

I was very lucky to have a fab leaving do at work, and will miss them all a lot. I was given a "leaving London" kit from them; complete with hand gel, bubble bath and emergency wine :D

I then had to do the final house clear. Unfortunately this was the morning after the boozy leaving party the night before. The mothership was on hand for packing assistance and transport across to the new pad.

Before leaving I did take a couple of photos of my (now not mine!) room: 

Poor barren room! 

We then had a hangover-busting time moving all of my belongings out of the car and up the stairs into my new pad, lovingly loaned on a temporary basis by some very lovely friends of mine.

After a long evening, i managed to end up with this: 

Ta-da! 

Next stop is the First Day at the job, and first day being Tiny Fish in the Big Pond. Wish me luck! 

Pack up..

"Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag.."

This week everything became real. I reached the point of no return! Contracts got signed, pictures came off the wall and life (as I know it) got packed into little boxes and sealed with tape.

This little pad which has been my haven for the last 2-ish years will be no longer. I'm amazed i've crammed so much stuff into it during that time. One of my friends is nicknamed the Goldfish, due to her ability to expand to fit the available space, and I think I probably deserve the same title.

Observe:

The day of reckoning came on Saturday when little Florence (the Fiat) had to channel her inner van and cart as much stuff as she could carry across the Berkshire boundary and into Sunny Surrey.

Florence pretending to be a big car:

The journey there was fine, and a great opportunity for me to listen to an album my friend passed along to me (Billie Jo and Norah Jones - For everly). I dropped everything off, and for one of the last times I was able to retreat back to Reading under the watchful eye of a vivid pink sunset.

Now that the moving process is underway, interestingly I feel a lot calmer. It is certainly true for me, that the anticipation of something tends to be far worse than pulling up the big girl pants and just getting on with it.

So yeah! The move is on, only a week snowboarding in France separates me from the big smoke...

London (technically Surrey) - i'll see you on the other side..

Second post, second thoughts

I've promised myself to give up negativity for Lent (despite being an atheist, but still..) - but with an impending BIG CHANGE coming this is proving pretty difficult.

At times I get quite excited about all the things I can do in London which aren't possible in Reading - the shopping, the food, the culture etc. But on days like today, the overwhelming levels of change just become paralysing and I find it hard to comprehend what is soon to happen.

A lot of this, i know, stems from being younger. Before you feel sorry for me, don't. I have the same, sad divorced story a lot of others have. In fact, my story is a lot better than others. Both my parents are happily re-married and I now have 2 sets of very stable parents. I never really encountered poverty, and I know it could have been so much worse. But the fact remains that I have grown into a fairly intelligent women who still freaks out at the first sound of a raised voice, and finds it very hard/nigh on impossible to cope with change, far less be the instigator of it.

One of the plus points of growing up is that you get to narrate your story. Your parents don't have to do it for you anymore. So I know that I get to change how this story gets told. I don't mind being the girl that stays in Reading because it's what has been best - but I know that i'm the girl that stays in Reading because i'm scared to do anything else. And I don't want to get to 60 and look back with regret at chances I could have taken.

So the bold steps have been taken, but these little hang-ups from my childhood still haunt me. This is the final apron string - the exorcism of the demons. If I can prove to myself I can make it there, i will know forever that i can make it anywhere (a la Alicia Keys and Jay-Z - those philosophers), and this mentality will help me no end.

It's very frustrating as I fluctuate from adult excitement about the potential - to a feeling, from somewhere deep, that the whole thing is bad, bad, bad.

Another factor which I have been aware of is how my brain will deal with the changes. For the most part, i'm a optimist that believes in karma, second chances, and one love. I guess i'm a bit of a hippy. :) But I do have my moments. We all do, and that's part of making us human. The last really dark time I had was over 2 years ago, following a break-up. Prior to that I had had a couple of 'episodes.' So I figure it's just part of my ebb and flow. But I do know it gets worse at times of big change or stress. I know it's fairly normal - but it is quite scary to feel like you are a slave to your own mind.

I don't tend to be very rational. I believe things will never get better, and that i've brought them onto myself. Eventually I weather it and it passes. But this could take anything from a week to over six months. No promises. I'm hoping that by being aware of it, and blogging, and being gentle on myself, I will have prepared myself well enough.

"You can't stop the waves from coming, but you can choose which one to surf." - Anon.

I'd best start waxing down the board! :)

And this is how it starts...

"And this is how it starts..."
 -  'Sex', The 1975

My life tends to be narrated by an internal music player which always knows the right songs for each moment! I was wondering how to get this going and those very lyrics started playing in my head.

I should introduce myself. My name is Mel. I wanted to start this blog as i've recently made quite a big decision to move to London.

Yes, the City! The big smoke, the Capital, LDN...the big one. I'm sure even for an experienced mover London presents quite a challenge - however i've never moved. That's a tiny lie, I have moved a couple of times. I moved from my childhood home into a new home with my mum, and then into another home also with my mum, and then into a friends flat temporarily, and then into my current residence ON MY OWN (..okay, with other people - but not parents). That makes it sound like I should be some sort of moving pro - but what i've failed to mention is that none of these houses were outside a 2-mile radius. Aaah, not so ballsy now, are we?

That's right - in 26 and 11 months I have never lived outside of a 2-mile circle. I'd like to be able to say that wasn't deliberate, but it totally was. I should be part of some sort of Settled Anonymous group: 'Hi, my name's Mel, and I can't move.'

Anyway - the long and short of it is that until I was 20 I didn't really have much opportunity to move as I was trying to sort my life out. Once i'd done that, and university was on the cards, I had options to move (London or Guildford - I know right, so far away)......buuuut I didn't do it. I chose to tell people it was a financial decision - I was saving more money by being at home, yadda yadda. Everyone thought I was being terribly sensible. But the truth of the matter is that I was terrified of leaving. I've learnt over the years that I really quite like being settled, knowing exactly what is going to happen and when, and not having any surprises. That's not to say I don't like new adventures and activities, just not in my home life.

So...that takes us to 24 years old. I did my whole degree from home (involving a 2-hour commute - EACH WAY). Very conveniently (as I had no plans to move) - I found a job only a 30min drive away from home. Bonus! No moving going on here, nope. So I got stuck in at work and carried on commuting. I did eventually (with a fair bit of pushing) move out of home, but only 2 miles down the road. Where I have lived comfortably in the same room, same house, for almost 2 years now.

And that brings us here. I love my job, and I love my colleagues (and as we have deduced thus far, i'm not too prone to itchy feet). BUT i'm watching friends move, get promotions, settle down etc. and i'm beginning to see that none of this is happening to me. Of course, this isn't because i'm terribly unlucky - but because if I'm not going to change anything, nothing will change. With this in mind I applied for a job in London - not fully expecting to get even an interview - but lo and behold, i'm hired!

How this fits into my 'plan' i'm not quite sure. I have always harboured dreams of living a bohemian lifestyle in Cornwall (St.Ives if you must know) - working enough to live and surfing as often as I can, and generally lounging about eating pasties with perfectly sun-bleached hair (in this fantasy I've also somehow gained a good-looking husband, two blonde kids and a perfectly tanned and toned figure. Also a dog. Sometimes more dogs than kids, depends on the mood.)

I had tempered this with moving to Bristol - close enough to surf but still likely to have jobs more ambitious than selling ice-cream. London is not close to surf. But it does have jobs, so swings and roundabouts.

Anyway, i'm getting distracted. LONDON! So here it goes. The big adventure. The big move. I'm still convinced as soon as I try to leave Reading hailstorms and wind will appear in a Truman-esque episode as I get closer and closer to the Berkshire border - but i'm sure the final drive will actually be quite uneventful.

This is the final cutting of the apron-string. Like pulling a manky old plaster from a hairy arm - I know it has to happen, and I know i'll be better for doing it, but I also know the process is going to sting and there will be that moment where you try to convince yourself you can either keep the plaster on forever, or peel it off r-e-a-l-l-y slowly. But you can't.

I'm very lucky. My new job is central; leaving me with all options open for locations to live. I also have friends who can put me up in the beginning - taking any pressure off. I have friends who live nearby and I will probably know people already there. So in terms of a softy, softly approach - this is about as good as it gets.

I just need to really do this justice by learning as much as i can from the job, and throwing myself into a new location. So this blog is here to make sure I do things in London so I have something to write about, and is also something I can use to keep me sane in the inevitable 'what have I done?!' moments that I know will arise, and are probably very normal.

Signing off,

Tiny Fish (location soon to be: Big Pond!)

x