Friday Meet Up, Brixton and sunny days!

Well what a fantastic response to my first posting and thank you to all of you who took the time to reply or to keep in touch with me.  I must say at this point, the whole point of this blog is for me to keep a record of my time in London; my thoughts, experiences and anything else I want to throw in the pot.However, you too have to do your bit.  If, you just decide to read my blog to be bloody nosy, without any intention of keeping in touch with me then I will restrict your access.  Now you may think I am being mean, but let's roll the tape back a bit shall we.

When I moved into Rose Cottage I was so happy.  It was far away from Stoke but near enough if I needed it.  I know you all have your own families, friends, work etc but I guess naively I thought that maybe, just maybe, now and then one or two of you would have called over one night for dinner, or pop in for a cuppa.  It never happened.  Like I say, I know we are all busy, busy people but I never saw a soul and when Andy moved to London last April, it bought it home to me how alone I was.  I have no family (well my Aunt who lives in Kent).  People invited me to go and see them and I know many of you would just expect me to call over.  But that was the problem; going into any part of the City was a problem for me; I was continually looking over my shoulder - sad but true.  Even my little Meet Up group I attended then had someone who I believe join who worked with JF (Jelly Fish) so I did not feel comfortable attending those events.  I don't mind being on my own, I mean I get on a plane and go around the world on my own lol; but feeling that you cannot go out, that is another thing.  So that is one of the main reasons I am here.  I go to Bangkok and I come alive; I am on my own but I get things done.  In fact, when I returned to Bangkok this year I met people again there where there were people in Stoke I hadn't seen within that year.  Hopefully, London will treat me the same way and it will let me be alive.  So please keep in touch. Don't let me be the one who has to ring or mail first all the time.  Communication is a two way street. Drop me an email tell me about what you have been up too - this blog has to be a two-way thing or it is not going to work.

OK rant over, but you know me I would rather be honest.  So yesterday I went to Brixton on the bus ........... how exciting was that.  OMG Brixton is amazing.  It is so full of life, culture, food and amazing people.   The sun was shining and the music was playing.  There were loads of markets stalls selling the most colourful and interesting stuff imaginable.  Karen's bargain of the day: a bowl, yes bowl, of fennel for a pound lol.  I did ask the very southern guy if he would split the bowl for half fennel half parsnips and he said he couldn't which is fine I said don't worry I will cook with them.  Then he threw a couple of parsnips in the bag anyway and said 'There you go darling' lol.  It is just so nice being 'home'.

I got back to the flat around five and did nothing all evening, caught up on some TV.  The flat is beginning to feel like home now.  Both Andy and I have been 'ill' since we moved.  He has put it down to 'Freshers Flu' and I think he is right.  But hey ho just get on with it.  I forgot to mention that on Friday night I went to my first Meet Up in London.  It was just off Trafalgar Square and it was a Reiki share.  I thought it was just what I needed.  It certainly was.  It really was a peaceful and relaxing evening.  Afterwards, a few were going for a coffee but to be perfectly honest I was exhausted (it has been a long, long week both physically and emotionally).  So I walked along the Strand, as I did many, many years ago when I first left school and worked in London.  The city comes alive at night in a different way.  I really must stop walking around with a stupid smile on my face lol. But I still really cannot believe that this is now my home.  Andy told me to put an app on my phone called City Mapper and it gives you routes on how to get places.  It is great.  So it told me where and what bus I needed, how long it was until the next one come along and how much it cost.  How cool is that?  

I walked up to Somerset House and caught the bus.  Over Waterloo Bridge and I could see the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.  It is so ironic as when I used to work in London, this was my backdrop every day and here, cough, a few years, cough, later, cough, it is once again the backdrop to my life.  I really have gone round in a huge circle.  I have joined a couple of Meet Up groups since arriving and will endeavour to tap into them as much as I can.

I have spent this morning (Sunday) surfing for jobs and there are half a dozen I like the look of - but I know something will come along. Job application filling in tomorrow then I am off to the Buddhist Centre tomorrow evening.  So it is all, slowly coming together, but I have had a word with myself and told myself that I have to give it time and that I can't do everything at once; it still is early days.  But I really could do with wining the lottery lol.

Be happy!