Thursday, September 16, 2010

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

3 comments:

  1. So it's pAyton, not pEyton as I thought, well, there you are. Glad you enjoyed the fare, though. Said Oliver Payton is a resaurateur and a judge on the Great British Menu series which of course you wouldn't know about as you never watch TV. On that subject, where is the plasma screen going to fit in your new apartment?

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  2. They let you use your own photo for the student card! Better than the usual mug shot, but I'm surprised.

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  3. No Jocelyn - you're right - it's pEyton. I will immediately correct this, so that my non-television-watching doesn't show.

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