AwkwardInk

17.3.07
MARKET FUN

So I'm trying to enjoy my last few weekends in South London. After a great night's sleep I headed out for a jog around clapham common, before meeting Neleh at Borough markets. I havn't been there in months. I was quite obsessed for a while, going every weekend at one stage to get my fix of the best tofu in town. Putting some time in between visits certainly reinvigrated my excitement for the market whirlwind of temptation and overspending once more.
Being hungry also helps with the enthusiasm that one must have to approach the overwhelming crowd, with anything other than total frustration and despair. As I stood waiting for Helen to come meet me, I was assaulted by the aroma of bbq and paella being served from an outdoor grill to a long line of hungry people prepared to wait some time to get some hot food into their empty bellies. I felt quite faint with longing and not at all satisfied by a small sample of savoury crepe that I was offered on my way to the meeting place.
Once Helen arrived it was all business. We quickly dove into the stalls and emerged a short time later with bags overflowing with booty. These included bargain cherry tomatoes (£1 a bowl), bargain avocados (£1 for 5), Clean Bean Fresh Tofu, Rhubarb (to make some crumble tomorrow), grapes, fancy chanterelle mushrooms, savoy cabbage (to make a simple version of Colcannon which I watched being made on tele this morning to celebrate St Pat's day), a small fillet of salmon for dinner, a vegetarian roll with mango chutney for lunch, and a chocolate and vanilla eclair which Helen and I shared whilst looking out over the Thames from a park bench.
Dinner made up of some of the above ingrediants was delicious. And it really does make such a nice change to have ample time and energy to cook a decent meal for oneself, without the weekday rush.
The sun peeked out for a short while this afternoon, enhancing the market expereience, although there is a cold change forecast for tomorrow, possibly leading to snow on tuesday! EEK!

11.3.07
SUNNY SUNNY DAYS

The sun shone down from the sky today! Halleluja!
I packed up a picnic lunch and headed to Hampstead Heath with my friend Helen Leyton. Since exploring the city via my flat searching quest, I was inspired to get out of the house and see some of what the city has to offer. It was lovely to hang out in the sunshine and eat our packed picnic. Overlooking the city view, we sat down and did some sketching. Which was great! I was even pounced on by an over excited brown puppy. Thanks to the fresh air and vigourous walking I am all worn out and ready for bed!

10.3.07
WEEKEND OF TOO MUCH STUFF

So it turns out that all of my fellow Australian housemates are leaving the UK at the beginning of April. I've loved living in this flat in Clapham South. Living with friends has definately been a great experience and I'll be sorry to see them go. But all good things must come to an end.
I spent most of last weekend flat hunting. But I also went crazy and organised quite a few social events around my flat hunting as well.
The flat hunting has been quite time consuming because I've been looking all over london. I've been here long enough to know the areas I want to avoid, but not being tied to any one area has meant that I can go where ever the fates take me. It has been really nice in fact. The city is so incredibly large and so diverse. I've been around west hampstead, archway and belsize park. As well as Balham and around Clapham South. I feel like I am at a place in my life where all of my experiences mean that I know what I'm looking for and I am more confidant than ever that I will recognise it when I see it.
I saw 8 places this week and I was offered a place on thursday night. YAY! It is great. A beautiful house in Queen's Park right near the tube, with some nice people. I ended up staying for about an hour and a half!!! We just chatted about everything and I slowly met all of the housemates, who had kinda been avoiding having to meet every person coming to see the place.
So I am super dooper excited about moving to a new area. I feel like it will be a change that will inspire me to get out and about more and live a slightly different life. I think it is a really healthy thing to do after a year of living the same life. Ain't London grand?
I still have some minor anxieties about it....but I think it's just the commitment-a-phobe in me.
Everyone in the house is obsessed with food and cooking. I explained my crack like addiction to cheese and they seemed to understand. Another plus is the garden where they grow vegetables. I can't wait for summer now!

In between flat hunting, I headed out for a cream tea experience at Sketch near oxford street. It has the most amazing website, and the actual place is very cool as well. The toilets are these crazy egg like pods. The parlour where we ate our afternoon tea was amazingly decorated as well. I enjoyed my scones and fresh mint tea immensley.


I left there fully caloried up, to go meet Helen and Ben for dinner in Herne Hill. I got a ride in their car. Which was a lovely experience, reminding me of the normalcy of home life. They instructed me in the secret to eating vietnamese rice paper rolls. And we headed out side att 11pm to watch the lunar eclipse with some friends of theirs from downstairs. There were binoculars at hand, and a clear clear sky (which was remarkably well timed for the usually cloudy London).

Sunday had me out and about, getting lost at inapproriate times and running around the streets of clapham south an balham trying to find adresses of flats to view. I made it into the Odeon Cinema in Covent Garden by the skin of my teeth to watch Notes from Iwo Jima with Maya.
The film was heart breakingly beautiful. And a lot more down to earth than the thin red line, which seemed to be trying to make art out of it's wartime subject matter. But both films possess a great sense of silence and anticipation before the inevitable battles. I related to one the of the japanese soliders, who looked about 16, but was really much older than his appearance. I'd just come from a flat viewing where I was asked if I could afford the rent. Not because I looked dishevelled or poor. But rather just young! The women who had enquired was shocked when she found out I was 28. Well, I'm shocked by those numbers as well I guess!

Overall, a very busy week, but luckily a sucessful one. I knew I would be lucky when my horoscope for this month said that if I was looking to move I would find a beautiful sunny home.