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 :)