Busy day

This evening I am quite exhausted, but I think I can look back with satisfaction. The week is not yet over, and I have managed to secure a new home and furnish it. That's a pretty good achievement. *cheers*

Book I bought today for Pandora

Today began happily with a long phone call home. Don't think I don't miss you all - I certainly do, and it was great to talk to Evan this morning. Then I set out on a highly planned operation: moving a suitcase of Stuff to St Pan's. I had a route researched and planned, using buses and trains; which - if all went well - would involve only one short flight of steps downwards. All went reasonably well - if it were not for one out-of-order lift, my scheme would have been perfect. Still, I made it, and delivered said Stuff to the new apartment.

Then it was a long walk to the health club for a gym session with my trainer. By the time I got there, a little late, I had already had a vigorous cardio warm-up, rushing down Shaftsbury Avenue and the Kingsway to The Strand. Dan (my trainer) suggested using "a Boris Bike" - a reference to the the bike hire ranks around the city, Boris being the Mayor of London. This I will investigate in due course. The gym session was quite hard, but I think Dan and I are going to get on well. It seems he is a dancer, and in fact worked for seven years in a London show.

Carefully obscuring Student No in case any bad guys want
 to surreptitiously imitate a philosophy student

Pausing briefly for lunch, I powered on. A visit to the Australia shop in Maiden Lane produced a can of passionfruit pulp (I am delegated the task of making a pavlova tomorrow). Then on to Birkbeck, where I finally managed to obtain my student card. So now I am an official card-carrying student! I can get discounts!

I then walked back to St Pan's (I estimate I'd covered about 8 or 10 kms by this stage), unpacked the suitcase and relaxed for a while. I took some photos, which I've just posted on Facebook. Around 5 pm I - rather foolishly - decided to take the tube a mere three stops to Oxford Circus to visit the department store. I thus found myself in major peak hour London crowds. The experience was not one I wish to repeat often. Nevertheless, I did find what I was looking for at John Lewis (which is, it seems, 'where everyone shops') - namely, decent towels, coathangers and some wedges to keep those big old original doors in the flat open. And then back again on the equally - if not more - crowded tube with my bags. I sent Kyle a message saying that I would be late home to Earlsfield - there was no way I was going out in that lot again until the numbers had dispersed a bit.

But eventually I made it home, and enjoyed another nice evening en casa. It has been wonderful to stay here at Earlsfield, and I am so grateful to my good friends for their hospitality. Thanks, Kyle, Kaiser and Greta (and Andrew, in absentia). Oh... and I must mention that I did go today to a shop called Peyton and Byrne, on the concourse at St Pancras, as recommended by Jocelyn. I bought a delicious loaf and some apple pie, Jocelyn. Wonderful stuff.

Tomorrow I am going to chill out. And make a pavlova.

The new flat, St Pancras Chambers, Euston Road, London