a hunting we will go

Flat hunting that is. L2 and I are moving out of our above italian restaurant flat that we share with S and A and moving into our own place at the end of February.

We just don't know where that is yet!

London is very confusing when flat hunting. You only have to give one month notice before you move out and often landlords won't post a free flat until the tenant is long gone. Which means, most flats are available to rent 'immediately' and saying you want to wait till the end of February is a ridiculous suggestion.

So now, we've had to give notice on our old place (we agreed to two months), but we don't have a place to live in yet. We're going all out next week with viewings on Monday, Tuesday and hopefully Wednesday night. This is far too stressful to hunt for a place than it should be.

Also, most flats are managed by agencies. So you only go through an agency, pay them an £100/£150 to draw up contract papers (that look like your eight year old could forge) and an extra monthly fee. Appears they have got a lucrative idea.

The only plus, apparently it is becoming a 'rental' market so L2 and I should be able to bargain to pay a bit less to live in Battersea (our top choice), Abbeville Village or Clapham. Let's see if that is what really happens!

the best laid plans

whatever we plan, Life gets in the way. L2 was unable to make it to switzerland (too much work!) and I was unable to go to the Canary Islands (again too much work) along with fears to hound money at this present time from all parties! So maybe this means two weeks in Italy this year (a very hopeful pipe dream!)

However, at the spur of the moment L2 and I with friends are going surfing on the coast of England. We're going to be cold, it's definitely going to be rainy and I don't think wetsuits will cut it. It's a four hour drive from London to Cornwall on a good day, let alone a Friday night so I'm hoping others have some good tunes or the BBC delivers and puts Jonathon Ross tv show on the radio tonight. His three month suspension is finally over and he decided to come back.

I can't wait till the end of the day! Update: English weather has gotten in the way. We've had to postpone the trip to next weekend or the following one because of severe high winds. High winds = high surf = very dangerous for very novice surfers like me! A little sad but at least it wasn't completely cancelled.

let out some steam

Thanks to this been-seen article, I'm dreaming of train travel today.

I'm in love with a non-pressurised environment that won't wreak havoc on my system, the gentle rocking that puts me to sleep and the fact that this travel won't add to my ever increasing carbon emissions.

Perhaps the south of france by high speed train is a necessary trip this summer?

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lazy heat

due to some recent health issues, I had to cancel my ski trip in a week.

L2 has decided to do back country in Switzerland in February instead and my roommate proposed to go somewhere warm to make me feel better. Thoughts turned to North Africa but Tunisia is only 15 degrees in February and Egypt isn't safe enough to travel. So we looked a little to the west and are now planning to go to the Canary Islands.

I'm voting for Lanzarote, but we'll see.

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