New Adventures .......... Honey, I'm home!

Week One - Wetley Rocks to London

Well here it is, by popular demand a blog of my time in London.  So where shall I start?  I guess the big move ........

Well Good Friday arrived and it took us only an hour to load up the van, in the torrential rain, that should have been an omen.  All we had to do was put my mattress in last, on the top of all my other worldly goods.  I tell you, the Thais have the right thing; just take with you through life what you can carry and nothing else.  Then we tried to lock the said van and the bloody thing would not lock.  So there are all my memories, valuables and life in a van that will not lock.  Now those of you who know Wetley Rocks will know that it is probably going to be safe, however that is not the  point is it.  So what did we do? We decided to go, there and then to London a day earlier.  

Firstly we had to put the mattress in the van.  Now Andy, love him, can not be described as lofty and I am rather stumpy to say the least.  So there we are, out side, in the rain, with a king size mattress trying to lift it into the bloody van that still is not locking.  At one point I had the bloody thing balanced on my head.  Then it happened ....... I dropped it.  Not only did I drop it but I dropped it into a muddy puddle ................... of course I did.  So needless to say the mattress is still in Wetley Rocks waiting to be disposed of.  The council wanted to charge me £35 to get rid of the damn thing.  Any of you who think it expensive down south take note.  It cost me £17.50 here to get rid of this mattress and I now have a brand new mattress that I am slowly getting used too.

So we were off; a day earlier.  I put my iPod on and sobbed and sobbed.  It was my own faulty.  I made a playlist of songs that mean something to me and hit the shuffle button and that was it.  Andy (Thelma) drove like his life depended on it; and I (Louise) sobbed and sobbed.  By the time we got to Uttoxeter I had a word with myself and was ok.  So there we were, bombing down the M1, me clutching my beautiful lamp and Andy driving like a true trucker.

We made good time and the final 10 miles took over an hour .................. welcome to London! But it did not matter, I was on my way. Stephen (Fry) the SatNav took as into London a very stupid way, I was so disappointed with him, he is normally very good.  However, we went over Westminster Bridge, pass Big Ben and then we were soon at the flat.

It was still raining and Andy had rung/texted a few of his friends to see if they could come and help us move too many boxes and still too much stuff, up the three, yes three, flights of stairs to the flat. Do you know, it never ceases to amaze me how kind people can be.  Three of his friends, plus one of their friends, turned up to help.  People who I have never ever met before, but by the time we had moved in, I felt like I had known them forever.  I was just so thankful for their kindness.

So the best part of the Easter weekend was consumed by Andy and I playing Jenga.  As many of you know, over the past four years I have gone from a four bedroom detached house, to a two bedroom cottage and now to either, depending who I am talking too, a two bedroom penthouse apartment or a two bedroom third floor flat ............... you can decide.  And still I have too much stuff and too much alcohol!

The boxes we emptied, the furniture we moved around you wouldn't believe it.  We were both dreading sorting out the kitchen.  We both like to cook but I mean do we really need 40 knives, ten frying pans, two microwaves, two kettles etc.  But we sorted it out, as we always do, we both compromised and I am please to say that we now have such a beautiful flat. Some of his friends have been round since and it filled my heart with joy when I heard them say that it was so lovely and homely now.  My room is my room and Andy's room is his room.  But the rest we share and rub along and it feels good, it feels real good.

Sunday we went out to lunch (a late one) to the Vauxhall Gardens which is a wonderful place:  http://www.teahousetheatre.co.uk so me and I would love to work there, well actually I would like to own it.  Whilst we were munching away a guy come up to me, asking if he could have the spare chair.  When I looked up to say sure, it was Roy from Corrie lol.  So funny.  After lunch, Andy went his way and I went mine.  We have both said that we will do things together but we need to have our own lives too.

It was a beautiful afternoon and I walked from Vauxhall Bridge along the Thames to London Bridge.  I could not stop smiling and I am not ashamed to admit it, I had to pinch myself several times (and have done since) to think that this is now my home.  Once at London Bridge I popped into the chapel at Guy's Hospital.  Some of you may know that this place is very dear to my heart.  My dear old Dad passed away at Guy's hospital (and this now my local hospital - crazy) and I used to sit for hours in the chapel when he was poorly.  So I went again to light a candle for him: one from me and one from my Auntie Pat (his sister).  Then I walked home.

So what else is new.  City life is COMPLETELY different.   I did not realise how homesick I must have been.  Every guy sounds like my Dad lol.  I have been called darling so many times and not a duck in sight.  I got so excited when I went to the take away next door as there was rock and chips on the menu.  I have not seen rock on the menu in a chip shop for 24 years lol (Rock is a catfish type of fish, quite strong in taste but really lovely).  I asked the guy if he had gravy and peas and guess what?  Nope!  Welcome home.  Anyway I had a chat with him and his wife and every time I walk by now he waves ....... see spreading my sparkle :)  Everyone is really chatty and I just love the diversity of it all.  I can walk across the road and go through about ten different countries just by walking the path: Bolivian food, Chinese, Italian, American, Tesco lol it is crazy.  I am sitting at the table typing this and my view is of the Shard.  I will never get tired at looking at that magnificent building. 

Today I have registered with a Doctor's surgery, that was so far removed from the very white, mainly middle class surgery at Baddeley Green.  I am now in a multi cultural practice in Central London lol.  I have half registered with a Dentist and Lynette the receptionist there was a scream.  I stood chatting to her for ages. I went to Borough Market to get some delicious mushroom pate and ended up talking to a guy called Liam (he was selling bags and I forgot to take mine) about the decline of the third sector.  He told me to keep shining my light lol.  Dad, if you can hear me, that little light I have over my head is shining bright at the moment.  I am meeting them all :)

So there will be pictures, when I have figured out how to transfer them from my iPhone to my laptop, so apologies for that.  So what are my observations about City living?  Well in no particular order, here we are:

• Being a vegetarian is really not a problem at all.  Everywhere carters for a vegetarian.  The little take away downstairs has over ten vegetarian dishes. I cannot tell you what a refreshing change this makes when you ask/order vegetarian and no one looks at you as if you have just dropped in from outer space!
• Everyone walks around with two bags of shopping.  There are no more nipping to the supermarket; I don't have car.  You see people carrying just two bags of shopping at time.  Also, some of the smaller supermarkets only have very small car parks - there is no point.  Not everyone drives in the City.
• You can walk half a mile and hear 25 different languages; see food for sale that you have no idea what it is or what the hell you would do with it lol.
• You walk everywhere.  So I now have a snazzy pair of black trainers.  I could have done with one of the lads at Werrington to advice me in the trainer shop; I didn't have a clue.  When I was at WR my FitBit was set to 5000 steps a day.  It is now 16:00 and it reads 10223 already!  Walking and coupled with coming up three flights of stairs means I better loose some bloody weight.  I mean I can only carry two bags of food at a time lol.
• Work will get in the way of having a good time!  Even more so here!
• I still have too much 'stuff'!  I mean, what the hell do we buy it all for.  So think next time before you go and buy something ........ do you really, really want/need it?
• The 48 stairs to and from the flat will, eventually, become my friends!
• A plane goes over the flat every 30 seconds.  Why and where is everyone going? So many people up in the air at anyone time - crazy!
• Living in London as as far remove from living in WR as you could ever get.  I have spoken to more people in a week here, than I ever saw/spoke to when I was living on my own at WR in a year!  I am being serious.  So many interesting people.
• No one has called me duck - I'm back to being called darling :)
• You can get around ten different varieties of tofu - I mean tofu!  I have seen more papayas here than I have ever seen lol even in Bangkok.
• I have a local Buddhist centre about a 15 minute walk.  It is lovely there and I will certainly be using it.
• I will need my neck put in a brace before long.  It is swerving left to right all the bloody time.  Far, far, far too many gorgeous men to look and smile at .................. and quite a few smile back ;)
• The city never sleeps.  There are police/ambulance sirens going off all the time.  Buses come every 2 minutes (bit like the gorgeous men lol).  The traffic is relentless and I just love it.  The city is alive; it makes me feel alive.
• You see bikes stored on balconies.

I feel free.  I have not once looked over my shoulder and I cannot tell you how great that alone feels.

So this is the first posting.  I will post regularly. Sorry there are no pictures yet, I will figure it out.  I still have to smile and pinch myself to believe that me, yes me, are living in Central London.  But I have learnt that I need to be around people.  The City fuels me and gives me life and that is something that apart from when I am travelling, I have been lacking.  So essential for going out in London:

Good trainers/walking shoes
A bag for shopping/stuff
iPod - everyone is listening to something 
Phone - everyone is looking at one
Sunglasses (got to look cool lol)
Oyster Card

So tonight is my first Meet Up. So I will probably get the bus there (you see more) and get the tube back.  It is to meet others and to receive some Reiki healing ........ I feel like I could do with some.

OK my friends.  Well I hope you like this first post of what will be many. However, it is still nice to hear from people.  I do miss my chats with many of you, so please, please call me sometime - I can always call you back.

So let's go and spread some sparkle ..............................

Much love.

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