Moved and (almost) settled

Well, we are now living in Barnsbury in our lovely new flat. We've been there just about 2 weeks now. The move went really well - can definitely recommend man with a van to do the job. They weren't the cheapest, but were very friendly, efficient and careful, and were English-speaking to boot (always reassuring)! We managed one truckload, plus a short extra trip to the storage depot, and had everything moved within 4 hours, which is brilliant.

So the last 2 weeks have been spent shopping, and sorting stuff in the flat. There were a few hitches (and still are in some cases) with things not quite working as they should, but we're hopefully getting on top of them. Poor Ben has learned to cope without TV and internet... and that's saying something! Importantly, our washing machine just got fixed so we can start assailing our mountain of dirty clothes (which won't be helped much by our trip to Amsterdam this weekend). We've done the department store/kitchen shopping trip, and the home/gardening equipment shopping trip, now all that's left is a furniture shopping trip (you guessed it, Ikea). We had an abortive attempt last weekend, but didn't have all the measurements we needed (d'oh!) so it will have to wait till next weekend.

The housewarming invite has gone out... if any overseas friends are in London on Saturday 1st December, please let me know! The theme is fridge magnets (I am indulging a long-held wish of mine)! Hopefully we'll end up with a fridge completely covered in them. :)

I'm not providing photos of the new flat yet, as there are still boxes of things everywhere. When we get our furniture, and everything's been put away, and it's all pretty-like, I promise you some snaps!

It's a really nice flat, and I'm really happy with it and in it. I think Ben is too. :)

Moves, and more moves

Gee has it been that long since I wrote a blog entry? Tut, tut. I didn't mean for it to be so long between posts. But as you'll soon hear, things have been fairly demanding lately.

Firstly I finally left my beloved Stoke Newington at the end of September :( It was kind of emotional, especially as Lorraine and I had developed an attachment. But I'll be going back periodically, to collect mail, get my hair cut, and catch up with Lorraine. Ben and Jon helped me move half of my stuff (as well as some of theirs) into storage, and the other half into their place in Borough. Eleanor (Jon's gf) had moved in a few days before, so I'm sure the boys had a lot to get used to in a short space of time! Given that they'd not had a cleaner in the entire year they've been here, and aren't the cleaning types, one of the first things Eleanor and I did was to give the flat a good clean. (We're still waiting for the boys to clean the oven and the toilet, 3 weeks later). Despite that, it's been really great living under the same roof as my Benjy, and seeing him every night :) It's also been nice sharing a place with Jon and Eleanor - they're good mates and we always have great conversations.

Ben and I move into our new place in Barnsbury next weekend. I can't believe my month in Borough is almost up! We're very excited though... it's going to be so much fun to finally have our own place and furnish it and sort stuff. (I love sorting stuff, in case anyone was wondering... I've mildly considered becoming a professional 'sorter' at times). We're having our housewarming on December 1st. Invite is pending.

So, one move down, one to go. Almost. Because in the meantime, my workplace has moved too! Yes, Flow Interactive now have a new (and not fully finished) office in Clerkenwell - a much more 'happening' suburb than Highbury & Islington - not nearly so residential, and much closer to central bars, restaurants and the CBD or "City" as it's called here.

So needless to say, getting used to new routines has been the theme of the month. Add to that a crazy work schedule, travelling with the mobile lab, fitting in physio appointments and you have one tired and run-down Mimi. I developed a cold last week but it seems to be disappearing, which is good. 'Cos I sure as hell can't afford any time off work at the moment!

You'll be pleased to hear my wrist is improving... it's no longer swollen and the mobility is much greater since I started physio. I'm not very disciplined at doing my exercises, but it's getting there nevertheless. I'm even going back to football on Monday, after a too-long absence - yay! Not in goal, though.. I doubt I'll be doing that for some months. Just on the pitch, in my old defence position. Let's see if I even remember how to play! ;)

For those more spiritually inclined, I have discovered Sonia Choquette and in doing so have found the next step in my personal development. I've also started seeing a homeopath and am trying to go 'alternative' wherever I can. So, all looking good on that front.

Right now I'm just really looking forward to moving into the new place, and settling into a proper routine. Unsurprisingly, I've been feeling a bit unsettled and all over the shop lately, and I just want a bit of regularity in my life. Fortunately, it's not far away :)

One last, but important, piece of news: my dear friend Zoe and her hubby Alasdair have moved to the UK! They're living in Bishop's Stortford, halfway between London and Cambridge (where their respective jobs are based). We caught up last weekend, and it was great. It's so good to know a good friend from home is just a short train ride away...

We got the flat!!!

Ok, I guess this needs some introduction.

Ben and I have been wanting to move in together for a while now but things like holidays and football injuries and date-coordinating with flatmates kept moving the dates later and later in the year.

But finally, a couple of weeks ago we started on the seemingly huge and daunting task of flat-hunting. We booked up the calendar with viewing dates and potential move dates, and started scouring the web and whoring ourselves out to estate agents. We weren't enjoying it much, and my current project hasn't made it easy for me to ring agents etc. so Ben was doing a lot of the calling around.

Anyway, on Saturday we sneakily double-booked to see a flat in Barnsbury and we really liked it! It was on a nice quiet circular street with a park in the middle, and it had a garden, loads of storage space, high ceilings and a few quirky features like lowered kitchen and bathroom. We went to see it again a couple of hours later, this time armed with a designer tape measure (we were in Islington and desperate - don't ask Ben how much it cost!). This time we were triple booked and the other people viewing it were making 'ooh I like it' noises so Ben and I ran outside and quickly called the agent to put an offer on it. Needless to say the property market in London is very competitive at the moment!

We had to wait in suspense all weekend because the agent couldn't get through to the landlord to confirm the offer. So this morning, while I was taking notes in yet another corporate interview, I noticed a text message and thought 'Omigod, it's from Ben, about the flat!' I had to concentrate really hard to keep focused on my work. When I finally read the message and it said "House is ours!!!" I was just so happy and relieved. Yayyyy! :)

Only minor negative is that the flat becomes available on the 24th of October and I promised my landlady (and flatmate) Lorraine I'd be out of here by the end of September. Besides, she's already lined up a new tenant. D'oh! So, I'll have to share Ben's room again for 3 weeks. Given that Ben's flatemate and his girlfriend will also be living there at the time it should be a nice little squeeze! But it will be well worth it. I'm already itching to get our new place all nice and shiny clean for our move! (I know, I have issues)

So, there will be a housewarming party, most likely in November. I'm warning you now - all invited will have to bring a fridge magnet. The more unusual and interesting the better. So you can start shopping for one now!