Friday 29th May

Well I'm home - much better journey coming back, a lot smoother! But alas I've picked up a bad cold, which I presume I got on the flight up there, & I've been coughing and sneezing and wheezing since yesterday afternoon. This used to happen to me when I lived there before - you've no immunity to the Scottish bugs, and by the time you've acclimatised to them and you go back down south, you've lost whatever immunity to those that you used to have!

Anyhow I will tell you about the flat that I found, but when I've got it all securely tightened up and the deal done so to speak. I don't like catching chickens before they're well and truly hatched! But it's a nice little place in a lovely spot, and I'm very hopeful that it all will go according to plan. Fingers crossed!
I had a great time on Weds, when I met up with old tutors at uni, and was frankly slightly overwhelmed by how nice everyone was to me! Then over to J & P's for dinner, which was great, and they've got a totally fabulous flat. Really gorgeous.
Anyhow yes I know this is all very dull, because it's got no details, etc etc, but you'll just have to wait until it's all done and dusted. I have got photo's, but I'm too sniffy & sneezy to get them downloaded and primped up to publish yet - and frankly I've got my doubts about how it'll all turn out - remember it rained three days out of four! I'm off now, back to veg out in front of the tv or get myself an early night. I'm exhausted I've got to say!

Tuesday 26th May

Well here I am in Glasgow, doing battle with my little notebook computer. When I bought it in the shop they promised me it was a normal sized keyboard, and for the most part it is, but the wretched side keys are in just the "\" keeps getting in the way!
Well getting up here was certainly fast. As my normal means of getting here is the train, it had a certain blink and you miss it quality to it, once I'd got past the unbelievable tension of getting off the ground. It was a very small plane, and the take off felt like it was near vertical, but in reality - ie, out of the window, was somewhat less so. That didn't stop me from jerking like a baby at every single jerk and toss of the turbulence, and yep, I did feel the wheels going up and down. I thought I'd only been up there for fifteen minutes, and the captain's saying if you look out of the window now you'll see the Lake District, (one of my fave parts of the world!) and then suddenly we were landing. Extraordinary. Needless to say it was raining, and today I've been soaked three times. I kid you not. It felt like every time I put my head out of doors the heavens opened, but it can't have been that deliberately organised. Clearly it was simply accidental, but it felt like - am I absolutely sure about this???!
Anyhow, I went to see the little flat that I've been "watching" on the web for the past three weeks. Amazing place, really huge, vast place with enormous storage cupboards etc. But, and isn't there always some buts, anyhow the first but was that the kitchen had barely a cupboard in it, and nothing but bare boards on the floor, and secondly, and premier but of the lot, the carpet in the living room was either sticky with vileness, or (and my personal front runner) sopping wet with damp. You could never take the amount of books I've got into a place like that, and get out with them intact within what, a week? Shame because it's a great little flat, and the rent was unbelievable (coming from Bristol that is) but I'm going to have to give that one a miss. But I did like the area, and I'm going back there tomorrow to have a better look around, and a good look at the local letting agents shop. Very quiet streets, lots of greenery and trees, even a local recycling centre, including a clothing drop off point, combined with a bright and lively high street, and a very good bus service. Can't ask for more really can you? It is a bit far from the university, and I guess that's something I need to think about, but with the transport the way it is, I'm not so sure that's a real disadvantage. They do very good combined bus and rail tickets up here, and it's a reasonably quick whizz into town.
Ah well, I need an early night, I'm exhausted after trekking around most of the day. Catch you later!

20th May 09 - The big move part I!

Well I've left work and I've been spending the past few days de-junking. Right now I'm in the midst of absolute chaos, and somewhat worried about the big bookshelf unit which now has stuff on the top two shelves, yet the one's below are now denuded of the video's they used to hold. And dear God, the dust. I used to think this place was actually quite clean..! It's all been hiding behind the video's and books...
Jo is going to take me to a bootsale before the move proper. This now means I'm sort of sorting as I go, one pile for stuff that I'm keeping, various boxes for stuff going to the boot, and large black sacks of stuff that's going to the dump. Abbs is coming at the weekend to run me there, and then we're rewarding ourselves with a trip to the cinema. We thought we might take in Star Trek. Well ok, I've persuaded Abbs she'd like to see Star Trek. But I hear it's a very good film, so this may not be the disaster it could be - she's not a big ST fan. As for myself this unexpected leisure (ok, de-junking!) has allowed me to sit down with a cup of tea and watch the re-runs of the original series on Sci Fi, at about 5 every day. I don't care how uncool it is, you've just got to love old Kirky babes and the gang doing their thing. At least I do.
Today is the first sunny day since before the weekend - we've had a few spots of rain, but otherwise it looks like a very nice day out there. Pity I'm stuck in here with all this junk. Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the living room table, and the little cupboards under the bay window. These things are a wonderful set of 'cubes' Mum & Dad bought back in the sixties, and I 'inherited' them a good while back now. Love 'em to death I'm afraid, despite all the slight oddities about them - they're veneered in some sort of white plastic, and they're pretty heavy when you lift them, but they're a lot of fun. Because they're just small cubes about 2 feet square you can arrange them in any fashion you like, so they're very versatile. But as I say, the veneer is lifting off a bit at the corner, so you have to be careful with them. I've got a basic one, one with a shelf, and two with doors. It's the ones with the doors that I fear. God knows what I've stuffed in there over the years.. I know one is full of paperwork. Uh-oh..!

Thursday 14th May

Ah well, I thought this day would never come - but it's nearly over! Today I left my job, voluntarily, in the middle of this huge recession - but it's all planned. Shortly I will fly - yep, fly to Glasgow, to look for somewhere to live, then come back, organise it all, move, and start the hunt for work. I feel a touch anxious about it all, but I'm pleased that I've reached the point where I get started on all of this. But my God, such an awesome day! I can't describe how I felt when I was going round the office saying goodbye to people - I'd left it a bit late and there were a few that had gone already, which was a shame and I'm sorry I missed you! But all day I've been feeling really almost overwhelmed by the whole leaving thing. I don't think I could put it into words verbally to communicate to people, I mean this is the place I've been going to and from at all hours of the day and night for more than the last five years. These people have been part of my family, so to speak, my sisters. And like all families we spat from time to time, but what's new? Who is ever entirely happy in the circumstances of their work? I count myself luckier than most that I've worked with people I've loved, and the work that I did was both interesting and made a difference to people's lives. You can't say better than that.
Anyhow, on to new things. Well sort of, I've got a leaving do to get through first...! Best take a packet of tissues with me I think!!!!

Tuesday 5th May

Well for May it's rather cold and dull and overcast out there. I thought we were supposed to be having a 'barbeque' summer - clearly it's not started yet.
Anyhow, I'm working my notice at work now, and I've got my place at Uni, all confirmed and everything. I feel like I've gone mad on the internet, checking flats for rent, contacting letting agents, booking hotels, booking flights, going absolutely crazy getting photographic id for the plane.. madness has descended on my head. On top of this I've also been booking the local bowling hall for a works related leaving do! Yep, I know you're not supposed to do it yourself, but I live closest and I've done it before for another night out so I sort of know my way about their system.
Anyhow I haven't really time to go in to any of this in detail so to speak - but at the same time I need to be able to go Yay, it's all coming together!!!!