Well, isn’t that always the way of it?! Nothing happens for the longest time and I have absolutely zero to write about on this blog, then BOOM! Everything happens at once, and I’m left playing catch up.
The first thing to announce is that Marco and I are now the proud renters of our VERY OWN LONDON APARTMENT!!!! A studio apartment it’s true, but none the less every inch of it is ours and we share it with no one. After such a long time in a freezing cold, damp, shabby house in East Ham where we shared 1 bathroom between 7 people (including an infant), it’s deliciously luxurious to have our own space (though not all that much of it!). Additionally, it’s beautifully furnished and HEATED! A big step up from East Ham, where we had to rug up in our winter jackets every time we wanted to venture away from the bar heater in our bedroom.
Forgive me for being house proud, but the below is a photograph of our new abode. Pretty, isn’t it? We are lucky enough to have a little back patio area as well, and though it’s empty at the moment I have big plans for a herb garden and some flowering pot plants. I never had much of a green thumb in Brisbane (not for want of trying; most of my plants just died slow and bedraggled deaths, no matter how much I watered and fertilised), but perhaps I’ll have better luck here.
But I digress. I was talking about how pretty our lovely little flat is. It may not be new or modern, but it’s light and airy and in a lovely neighbourhood in Zone 2 in the North West with a beautiful small cathedral at the end of our street. To put this in perspective, at our old place in East Ham we had a collection of hobos and junkies that lived under our back steps, and nothing at the end of our street but an impressive selection of 99-pence stores, and joint-smoking, hoodie-wearing hooligans. So we are delighted beyond measure with our little home.
We celebrated our first week in our new place by playing host to our very first London house guest Alex, an American student we met while travelling in Colombia. We had a great time showing him around our London, and his visit culminated in a big day where we hired a car and went and visited Stonehenge and the nearby towns of Bath and Salisbury. It was the first time Marco had seen any of these places either, so it was a very worthwhile outing – particularly as we were blessed with weather that was BEYOND SENSATIONAL.
The other major change to our situation from the last time I wrote is that... drumroll please.... I NOW HAVE A JOB!!!! Not in a publishing company it’s true, but never the less a proper, grown-up job where I get to wear nice clothes and sit at a desk all day, instead of wearing an apron and washing dishes (not to mention ruining my nails). I’m working at the London School of Economics, helping process applicants for their summer school. It’s a nice job with lovely people, and there’s plenty of interesting things to do to pass the time each day. It feels satisfying to be part of the rush of people that swarm through the tube stations every morning, each with a purpose, a place to be, and a plan for the day. Also, the one downside to being in our own place is that there’s no one to share the rent with, so having the extra income coming in has definitely eased the financial strain of being sole rent payers.
And so, as we approach the 4-month mark here in London, I have to say I’m feeling fairly satisfied with where we’re at. We’ve got our own flat, we’ve both got jobs, and we’re gradually beginning to do those frighteningly grown-up things that, although they’re nothing remarkable or impressive on their own, combine to represent a definite re-entry into the world of reality – of work, routine and schedule. Things like buying an ironing-board, and signing up for Sainsbury’s discount cards. The days of living out of backpacks, being constantly on the move and never spending more than a night or two in any one place are well and truly behind us.
Does this make me sad? Yes, I can’t deny it does. But only in part, because I am also remembering the countless things that are wonderful about being settled and grounded. For one, not having to share dormitories with strangers (many of whom smell, or snore, or both). For another, being able to cook our own food and having vaguely predictable bowel-movements again, instead of swinging, pendulum-like, between tremendous diarrhoea and total constipation. Also, it is difficult to feel bored or monotonous in a city like London. There is so much activity, so much bustle and haste that the streets burst with vitality. If I’m feeling lonely, all I have to do is take the tube to Westminster or Tower Hill or anywhere in the West End... I hear every language under the sun, and I know that every person in the thronging crowds has their own story. Then, before I know it, the energy of the city buoys me up again and I find I’m ready and raring to go.
In short, I don’t think monotony is going to be a problem.
Love Jenny xo
