I can’t believe it’s mid October already!

I’ve been trying to finish a Camden post with pictures the last few days but the internet just does not want to load the pictures.  I’ll keep trying but in the meantime I thought I’d check in and give a little update.  So, I really can’t believe it’s mid October already! It’s just occurred to me that datewise I’m two days away from my two month anniversary in London. 

I’m still looking for work but hopeful that the right thing will come along eventually. I am hoping it’ll come along sooner rather than later.  Not because I’m particularly concerned about my unemployed status but because I’d like to be doing something again and it’ll help me figure out how much time I have to go somewhere interesting at Christmas/New years.

I’m also still moving. This weekend I’m moving house again but I’m staying in the same postcode. The new place will make home number four since I arrived in London. And I don’t see it as a long term option because I may have to move when I eventually start working again. 

All that said, I’ve been enjoying being back in London and I don’t want to come back to Australia anytime soon. I don’t think my chances of getting another job are any better there and I don’t want to give up on my adventure either.

Weekend travel in the Capital

Welcome to weekend travel in a city of roughly 7 million people (and don’t forget the tourists).  Some of whom may actually want to travel by tube without having to change lines three times or catch multiple replacement buses.

The forecast for this weekend:

• Bakerloo – Good Service
• Central – Part closure
• Circle - Good Service
• District – Part closure
• Hammersmith and City – Part closure
• Jubilee – Part closure
• Metropolitan – Part closure
• Northern – Good Service
• Piccadilly – Good Service
• Victoria – Planned closure
• Waterloo and City – Planned closure

Note this doesn’t take into account station closures for refurbishment or anything else that might go wrong in the mean time (I  mean, there’s a whole other day till these planned closures start).  It’s a good thing I’m going to spend most of Saturday walking through London – here’s hoping the Bakerloo will still be going to get me back to the south side of the river, because after that it’s rail replacement buses all the way.

Greetings from the Southside

Well, I’ve moved accommodation two weekends in a row now and have ended up south of the river.  It’s thrown my posting off because I’ve spent more time on, admittedly important, things like finding accommodation and looking for work.  I’m liking the new place, though I’ve only been here a few days but it’s close to the river (the Thames that is) and it’s nice to be living in a house/unit again instead of hostel like accommodation.  Having to take keys or swipe card with me everywhere even inside the building was getting a bit wearing. And when I’m done with this other stuff, I’ll pop up a few more photos of stuff that’s actually interesting.

I just bought me a piece of the internet

…and I am thanking the internet gods for pay as you go mobile broadband access.  Although I had free access in my current accommodation, it wasn’t really working and I’ll be moving about to places without wireless – so it was time to get that sorted. I would post some pictures now but I have to go do exciting things like travel to the Globe Theatre and watch a production of As you like it.  Tough I know.

I’m still here

… just in case you were wondering.  I have heaps more photos to post but I took a couple of days off because I was too busy (or lazy) to put more up.  The uploading is not a quick process.  And now the wireless is a bit patchy, so I’ll be lucky to post this without reconnecting to the network half a dozen times. 

More photos soon - I promise!

I’m in London!!!!

So the flight was very long, but not as bad as I thought it would be.  I’ve arrived my accommodation here in London no troubles and have even made a trip to the shops to buy some food.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat it as I have a horrible headache but will see how I feel later.  I watched lots of movies and tv shows while on the plane but there wasn’t much else to do. If it had been any longer I would have run out of stuff to watch that I was actually interested in seeing. My bags are definitely too heavy, I haven’t adjusted to carrying around a laptop yet.  It’s quite heavy when in its bag. I will have to look into other portage methods.

It’s strange being out, wandering around London because it feels alien at the moment but there was a time that it didn’t. I’m sure I’ll get back there again soon enough. Tomorrow I have to go out shopping and start connecting up essentials such as a mobile. And sorry Mum but I haven’t had any shaky moments yet. It’s exciting being here again (although I really need a nap).

Helloooo from Singapore

Well I arrived a bit ahead of schedule in Singapore for my roughly three hour stopover.  I may have mentioned this previously but I do like Singapore airport.  Free internet terminals and wifi is soooo very civilised.  It’s all good so far and I have to head to the boarding gate soon for the very long flight to London.  Here’s hoping for no rain till I’m safely ensconced in my accommodation

EDIT: I’m now stuck in the departure lounge and don’t even have the bottle of water I purchased in the terminal.  I’d forgotten about this since last time. Here the security checks happen right before you board, so even if you’ve purchased items after passing through customs and immigration you have to give them up if they don’t meet the security requirements. I understand that security is important but I’m thirsty and it would have been nice to have a bottle of water on my 13.5 hour flight   And I’m probably thirsty because it’s warm here and, I’m not ashamed to admit, I had a double cheeseburger and fries from Hungry Jacks (known everywhere else as Burger King) for breakfast.  It was good.

Leaving…on a jet plane

Actually I don’t know if they count as jets but I’m definitely hopping on a plane tonight bound for the UK (and that’s a totally daggy old song to reference).  Haven’t quite finished packing yet.  The logistics of fitting even a small portion of my life into a 60L backpack are beyond me.  I’m concerned I’ll leave something important behind.  And it’s not like it’s a quick trip back to pick it up if I do.  I’ve spent the last three weeks packing, unpacking and sorting my belongings.  I’ve gotten rid of lots of things I didn’t want to but what use are they to me on the other side of the world…I don’t doubt I’ll have to go through it again at some point in the future and be appalled I kept so much crap. And in all my belongings you’d think I already had an electrical adaptor for the UK but apparently not.  I found one for just about every other region and some generic double adaptors but not one fit UK sockets.  I had to make a trip to the shops this morning so that I can charge the laptop and camera while I’m there.

However, I can see that this great purge of my belongings is for a good cause.  I’m looking forward to finally being back in London (and the UK in general) and have planned a few trips down memory lane over the next few weeks. I’m really interested in seeing how things have changed in the area I used to live and in seeing how much I’ve forgotten. I also have a rough list in my head of things that I didn’t see last time, that I’ll try and make time for this go round. As for updates, the place I’m staying in London is meant to have wifi access and I’m taking my laptop so the updates will continue with a slightly more British flair.

Last day at work today!

Apologies for the lack of posts this week but it’s been an interesting time.  Getting ready to leave somewhere has its ups and downs.  I’ve been going through all my piles of stuff at work, which is making me think I should have had a spring clean a little bit sooner.  I’ve baked a few things this week though, so I might get around to posting the recipes sometime soon.

I finally bought my ticket!

I finally psyched myself up to pick a date to travel to the UK and went and bought my ticket.  I was finding it difficult to choose a particular date as it was all quite arbitrary and I didn’t want to pick the wrong date.  Whatever, now I have a date and will have to stick to it.  I’ll be arriving in London in mid August, just in time to see out the British summer which is apparently about as warm as our winter. Every time I look at a website with a weather forecast, it always seems to be raining, drizzling, with showers, or chance of showers or some such indicator of imminent precipitation.  I’m only  just beginning to understand the truly numerous words that can be used to describe rain.