emchi.co.uk

This week’s observations:

• I still miss Somerset.  There’s something calming about being “home”.  The lush green trees, the atmosphere is different.  It’s like a little bubble, nothing outside matters. 
• Manners cost nothing.  So why did I have someone say ’scuse me, then barge straight past me without giving me chance to move or saying “please”.  All this in Marlborough no less.
• Our garden gets closer to a jungle with every day that passes.
• I like watching the puppy sleep.  She looks so cute with each different position she wiggles into.  It can’t be comfortable but I can’t help myself.
• I keep thinking of really good things to write about when I’m driving, or cooking or well anything that is not conducive to having a pen and paper to hand. 
• I’m fed up of adverts for Bingo… They’re all a little, chavy. 
• I’m caught in a bit of a head spin about religion following a very strange conversation with my best friend and her boyfriend.  I’m unable to reconcile things at the moment.
• There’s got to be something slightly wrong about a good salacious scent.  Like fresh coffee beans or new perfume.

Do I dare to feel relieved that I’ve got an answer to a question that’s had me stressed for over a week? No, because something could still go horribly wrong and I’ll be back where I started over a week ago. I’ll post more information to my cryptic situation in the next few days when I know things are actually going to happen and I’m not just imagining it.

In other news, I have a proper job (not the Somerset variety of “praper jaab”). One that pays monthly and all that. I’m really pleased as I’ve been working there for almost a month and I’m really enjoying the people and the frenetic pace of life. I’m doing something and I can see something happening at the end of it. My colleagues are as bonkers as me and it’s great.

The things suffering would be money as usual, having an impact on going to a hen party this weekend which doesn’t look like will happen as it would be a choice of the wedding or a choice of the hen party. Still R is off on Holiday this Friday for a week so I’ll be up to lots of TV surfing and vegging. Ah… OK maybe I’ll be catching up on two weeks worth of coursework I haven’t had chance to do out of sheer stress. That and going to Goodwood. I would share my photography with you but it’s too hilarious for words.

I hate it when my hand gets forced. I had this great 5 year plan. Pay off my debts this year, in part because a large part of my inheritance would do that. Then find a good job and save like mad for the next 5 years. Then buy a house, in Somerset, away from the rat race, and home.

Now today we get an email from our landlord saying he’s thinking about selling our lovely flat and do we want to buy it at a discounted rate? Now I love this flat, it’s HUGE, it’s handy for the station, it’s reasonably priced and it seem like a homey kind of place.

Do we want to buy? A simple question you would think but it’s brought up all kinds of questions I can’t answer. Here are just some of them:

Can we get a mortgage?
Can we afford it?
Is it going to go on at a price comparable to the others that have sold to near to us?
Do we want to buy a flat?
Do we want to stay in London?

If we stay then it’s a rental investment property as it’s not worth what we think is going to be put on for, so we can hardly do it up and sell it at a profit. This road is full of houses, BIG houses, houses that got for £700 - £800k, and it’s surrounded by 1930’s semis and then a council estate.

If we don’t buy this flat then we have the stress of moving, which with our now increased furniture collection is going to be painful to move, if the doctor’s prognosis is correct then heavy lifting for me is out as I’ll get too breathless to do it. It took ages to find this place and it’s a bargain for the size we’ve got. It’s close to the station. It’s close to Canary Wharf. It’s close to Brands Hatch. It’s close to town.

Do we buy now or do we carry on renting?
Do we up sticks and move out of town now rather than in 5 years?
Do we want a dog or a cat?

My head REALLY hurts now. So many questions, so few answers.

Trains Flippin’ Late… that’s what that should stand for. Sheesh… There are five ways to get to my office… this morning none were really an option, should have turned around, and gone back to bed.

Instead I walked all the way to one station furthest from the station only to find no trains were running, so I thought I’d walk back to the tube station nearer the mainline station, yeah nice one, severe delays… sheesh!! I managed to get a train eventually and became yet another sardine.

A Bus wasn’t an option due to a strike, I wasn’t about to walk, I don’t own a bike and my car was at home… talk about saga!!

Coming home wasn’t much better. It’s days like today (and yes, I did get shouted at, twice), that make me crave the open roads of Somerset and a warm cosy home down there. Can anyone really blame me?

Well I was out and about this weekend. Went to visit my dad in lovely Somerset. Firstly big mention for the hotel we stayed at. The Devonshire Arms which was stunning, check out the photos. The room had a funky 70’s retro theme going on. The bed was amazing, furnished simply by Ikea, the linen was soft and it was all very cosy. The food was lovely, decevingly small portions that filled you up faster than you could imagine, excellent beer selection and speedy service with a smile. In the middle of nowhere with views out across somerset. A beautiful floodlight church chimed the hour from 6 but in a non obtrusive way. Was amazing.

We took a day trip to Boscastle, which is where my dad was born and took a walk up to the Queens Head, the farthest point, quite high up, along slate lined banks and got blown to death in the fresh breeze. The village is showing excellent signs of recovery. My dad’s family owns the Cobwebb in the village and I can recommend a great selection of food, all made fresh from local produce. The drive down there was a bit of a winding one, over Dartmoor, which was still dusted with snow in places, very cold but breathtaking if not barren scenery. Amazing.

Sunday we took a trip to RNAS Yeovilton - Fleet Air Arm museum, where we went on Concorde (002) the one used for testing purposes. Talk about cramped and enclosed conditions. Pretty cool though. Really interesting bits of information about the Falklands war and Kamikazi Japanese fighter pilots.

Anyway a needed break and great to see my dad as usual :o)

It would appear I’ve been tagged by the lovely spacesilver

Four jobs you’ve had in your life: (think more 400 as I’m a contractor)
Pizza Slut… I mean Pizza Hut Waitress / chef… yes I did put chili’s in wankers pizza’s
Helldesk person… yes there often was a case of PEBKAC (problem exists between keyboard and chair for the un-initated)
Shop Girl - WH Smith anyone
Web Change Manager - up hill struggle anyone?

Four movies you could watch over and over:
Weird Science - “Gimme the keys… I’ll drive”
Replacement Killers - “Meg Coburn? Never heard of her”
51st State - “Let me get this straight… bollocks is bad… but the dogs bollocks is cool?”
Layer Cake - Non quoteable, but damn… Daniel Craig!!

Four Places I’ve lived:
Taunton - oh how I miss Somerset
Canterbury - too many French tourists
Newham - In the ghettoooooo (Cartman People)
Mottingham - not bad, but it’s hardly Monaco

Four TV Shows you love to watch:
Lost - WHEN is the next series on over here
CSI - LV or Miami… hurry up next week
ER - Why oh why is Noah Wyle not in it anymore
Scrubs - Sorry, Dr Cox is my idol!

Four Places You’ve been on Holiday:
South of France
South of France
All over Europe
South of France (are you seeing a pattern here?)

Blogs you visit daily:
Spacesilver
Someguyonajourney
Random Acts of Reality - it’s addictive
Bignoseduglyguy

Four Favourite Foods:
Mexican - home made enchilladas
Lentil Soup (well almost any soups)
Roast Lamb
Nigella’s Chocolate cake

Four Places You’d Rather Be:
Monaco
Chamonix
Taunton
Paris

Albums You Can’t Live Without:
Sasha & Digweed - Northern Exposure Vol II Disc 1
My Driving Tunes CD I made - Including She Sells Sanctury by the Cult and My Favourite Game by The Cardigans
The Space Brothers
Godskitchen - Worldwide CD1

Four Cars You’ve Owned / Borrowed / Nicked:
VW Polo Mark 1 - first car… never again
Peugeot 106 - First brand new car… lacked oomf
Clio Sport 172 - Va Va Vooom… although it’s loosing it’s appeal
Honda Civic Type R with too many engine mods to mention - not mine but did get to take it to Sainsburys on Sunday, and damn I love the looks I get when I rev the engine… just don’t tell the owner.

Four Beautiful People to be Tagged:
I’ll tag ‘em but who’ll respond… anyway Spacey got to them first!!
Ok BNUG

Well the weekend was rather interesting… ok it was excellent, company was fantastic, frenetic, shocking, amusing. Spending Saturday trying to avoid all the traffic / people going towards Wimbledon / Live 8 / Hed Kandi thing in the park… what to do… go to Camden!!

Eating dim sum, drinking lemonade, wandering around stalls, buying glass jewelry (again), incense, getting a piercing… happy summer days. Pear Cider (OI you lot before you say anything about me being from Somerset and drinking cider… it was Swedish Pear Cider, very nice but could see it was about to give me indegestion so stuck to one).

Going onto dinner in this looney place on Drury lane called Sarastro, totally bonkers Opera theme going on, with opera boxes as booths to eat in, a mad accordian / guitar band that would not go away. Oh and I think I forgot to mention the pornesque murals in the ladies and gents… (photos to follow).

Feel so relaxed I’m tired… urgh. either more coffee required or something stronger. Toodles.

For those of you who don’t know, I split with my boyfriend / fiance of 7 years at the start of December. It wasn’t (and still isn’t) exactly easy and reasonably painful for both parties. So I’ve been staying with a whole host of friends all over the place. So flat hunting, mmmm, great fun. Not knowing a good place to live in London I’ve been looking all over the place which has been a bit of an eye opener to someone who grew up in Somerset and has been living in Kent for the last 7 years. I’m sure I’m going to get flame bait for this paragraph… but what can a girl do.

Why do the details given often differ from what the actual property is. Its not the easiest thing in the world to find places. Things going well I hope but you never can tell really.

Anyway, what with work, the holiday period and everything thats been happening, I’m tired, drained and in need of a pick me up. I’m contemplating the new permanent Architecture collection at the V&A which has piqued my interest.

Right best be off as there’s a sofa somewhere with my name off it.

Jeesh, they would block this website when I am in desperate need of interest at work… typical really, oh well n’er mind. It’s so dead at work because well its just that time of year. I’m off to sunny Somerset tomorrow to see my best buds and my dad. I’m looking forward to a leisurely drive down there, loud music, great roads, relaxation is THE name of the game!

I even went as far as cleaning the car, polishing the windows, vacuming the carpets and well generally sprucing her up a bit. Got to find some music to listen to now. Wish me well :o)

*yawn* week off, and now I’m back, wish I was still off, I’d like to be in Cornwall or Somerset like BNUG is. Instead we had a few days in Amsterdam. Was ok, but it’s not my most favourite place to go in the whole world.

It started out as a minor mess, as we got down to the Eurotunnel port type place, only to find that as we were queing up that there was a problem with our train, then it was delayed, then it was cancelled, then we were supposed to be going on the next one. It was a fiasco that made us run an hour late heading towards Amsterdam. Fortunatly my lovely dad had provided us with directions and didn’t get lost until we tried to find the Hotel, simply because the Hotel didn’t give us directions and their map didn’t say which junction we needed to extract ourselves from.

Driving up through France and then Belgium we were reminded of the daft things people in mainland Europe stick to the backs of their cars. Great big emblem stickers, all artsy and like but it looks hillarious. They also like sitting in the outside lane for no reason whatsoever. Most fun when you’re trying to get somewhere in a hurry.

There was also the comic incidents of wandering around places muttering “ish toight” ala Goldmember from Austin Powers (I knew we shouldn’t have watched that film before we went on holiday). I remembered why I don’t really like Amsterdam. There aren’t really any decent shops to wander around and do the window shopping thing, a bit like Paris. Oh to go back there would be wonderful right now.

Anyway, the hotel was nice, the people were polite and getting around was really easy. Other than that, I can’t think of anything all that memorable to tell you all.

On a lighter note, the cricket was wicked… go England!