Well, I'm five days into the new contract and while the work looks interesting enough, I'm in that annoying state of limbo that always occurs at the beginning of any contract, in that nothing is ready for me to take over yet, so I'm reading up on the things I'm going to be working on, and meanwhile itching to get my hands on some proper work.

The drive to work on Monday mornings is horrendous. According to the local paper, the A14 is going to gridlocked by the year 2014. Have I got news for them! It's already happening as far as I can tell... It's 74 miles and it took me two hours. It took about the same amount of time to get home on Friday last week too, so I guess it's not going to improve any time soon.

On the positive side, I have found somewhere to live, and paperwork permitting, I'll be moving on on December 17th. It's in the somewhat unreal Belvedere and it's a five minute walk from the office, and the railway station is about 10 minutes on foot. It's also right opposite the cinema, so I won't be bored. Oh, and there's a swimming pool and a gym on the premises. The price is ridiculous, but so, it seems, are all housing options in Cambridge. And at least there the concierge will organise everything from my dry cleaning to the rental of a private jet (!) should I require one! I'm sure that will come in useful... Now all I have to do is make sure that the deposit is in place in time, and wait for the various checks to be carried out by the agents.

Anyway, whatever else it means, it will certainly mean an end to living on supermarket ready meals microwaved in the oven at work and sandwiches made on Sunday and kept cool in the boot of my car...

Tags: cambridge, housing, work

It's fair to say that the move went pretty smoothly, though one or two things are broken - nothing critical as far as I can tell. The only really bad breakage I've still to investigate. I have a number of paintings and photographs, nicely framed, and all wrapped up in layers of bubble wrap and plastic. Three out of four of them are fine, but the fourth one isn't. When I picked it up in the unit, there was a tinkling noise, and the next thing I knew, there was a lump at the bottom of the packet. I haven't actually opened it up yet - I shall do so tonight, carefully! I'd also like to know where the dowelling connectors for the small wine rack have gone, and also what's happened to the fourth castor and the last two supports for a storage unit for the office... oh, and two of the legs for my bed! And annoyingly there's no trace of my tools (I think they're still at Mum and Dad's), so I was missing the all-important Allen key for rebuilding what few bits of furniture I actually have here now. And the hammer, which would be useful for putting up picture hooks (of which I possess a vast number), and the tape measure for checking out the spaces in the kitchen where the fridge, freezer, washing machine and dishwasher need to fit.

And of course I'm now discovering the things I have too many of. How about three kettles, two irons, and about a million coffee mugs? Also, four video recorders (one Belgian, one French so they can't be tuned to any TV channels here; the frequencies don't work), three DVD players, and two TVs that are so old they don't have SCART sockets... It was a pleasant surprise to find that the old DVD player (which will play through the Video Recorder and thence to the TV) will work with the home cinema system, and even more of a pleasant surprise to discover that the stereo system has survived five years in storage and still works a treat. However, the things that aren't working are the TV aerial (something seems to be amiss there) and the water heater. The former isn't critical (though I'd like to get it sorted sooner or later), whereas I think the latter is... I can shower at the gym, but only if I know I have to. This morning I didn't know.

Actually, I think I'm broken too. EVerything hurts more than everything else, from the crick in my neck, to the muscles holding my back together. Damn it, even my fingertips hurt today! And as for my lower back, don't lets go there.

The trouble is, even though I say I'll never move again, I know it's not true. For one thing, this is only rented property, and thus a short term solution while Lynne and I decide where we want/need to buy. For another, Mig and Stef plan on selling the bungalow some time in 2006, provided the developer who is planning to build a block of new flats on the old woodyard gets planning permission. They the plan to buy one of the new flats as an investment, and to do that they need to sell the bungalow. All I will say is I'll be putting a couple of thousand pounds aside from the deposit to pay professionals to pack and move everything! That, however, is an issue for another year.

EDITED TO ALLOW ME TO RANT! Why don't Ikea sell things online in the UK? Bastards! Means I'll have to go to Nottingham tomorrow if I want to buy some bookshelves. Very funny!

Tags: furniture, housing, ikea, moving, packing

I'm in temporary accomodation right now; and very nice it is too... Azalea Annexe is too twee a name for me, but it's in the middle of an old forest, in pretty much the middle of nowhere, and is very well equipped (TV, video, payphone - which is good because my dialup to AOL is a free call), a very smart kitchen and shower room, and it's about half an hour from the office. The permanent accomodation issue is also solved. Lynne and I got up early on Saturday and trekked off into the countryside and looked at some very nice houses, but nothing that was really right, so then we decided, as we weren't far from Silverstone, we'd give Mig and Steffie a call and go and see their new baby. I told Mig I was house-hunting, and he asked if I wanted to rent their bungalow... They had a very nice bungalow in Silverstone village, but moved out when they bought a bigger place for the kids (they have two boys now). They kept the bungalow and rented it out. Their tenants are about to move out,. because they couldn;t afford it - despite having a contract through till June. So, as of February I have agreed to rent the bungalow, and will be living in Silverstone village, which should surprise a few people.

Anyway, tomorrow is the start of the new permanent job, so I should probably try and get some sleep. And now that I have dial-up access that isn't inconveniencing anyone else, I'll get back to feedback and comments... And my own writing, though tomorrow evening I may also wander round to the gym in Aylesbury and join up again. I like Cannons, because they always have swimming pools, and they also seem to be very friendly. Time to actually try and get fit!

So, forgive me for the lack of comments over the last couple of weeks. I should be back to regular LJ life now!

Tags: housing, work

To think I thought I'd have time to catch up and get things done... And by the way, could you all stop being so creative while I try and catch up?

It doesn't help that I still feel half-dead with this stupid cold (I'm not even going to consider the possibility that after 9 days and with all the symptoms involved, it could have been flu - I don't have time for flu so it can't be flu) but I'm packed and ready to hit the road tomorrow morning. I have appointments with two lots of estate agents tomorrow, and another two on Saturday, to look at rental properties all round the Aylesbury area, though more in the direction of Buckingham and Silverstone really, rather than Aylesbury itself. I've just booked a two week stay in a short-term/holiday flat in the area, starting on Sunday, so at least I have a place to sleep/eat/gibber in panic for the interim, while I try and get the rental thing sorted out.

I don't know if I'll be able to get on line at all for the next couple of weeks, but I'll stagger in at weekends at least, so don't anyone panic if you don't hear from me in the meantime. I know I promised feedback, and it is sitting on the laptop, waiting for me to post it, but I somehow can't imagine I'll be able to complete it till Sunday. We're going out tonight (Mum and Dad are taking me to dinner as an early birthday treat, despite the fact that Dad tends to think restaurants are a dreadful waste of money - Mum says as I did all the cooking over Christmas and New Year, and as I'm coming up to my birthday, and starting my new job, I deserve a treat and he's not to complain about the cost!), and I'll also be out on Saturday night at Sabor do Brasil, for the first time this year but no doubt not the last. And next week it's the first Girls' Night Out I've been able to get to in over a year, and on Wednesday Lynne's treating me to dinner. The following Saturday we have tickets to see Ian McKellen in a frock (otherwise known as Aladdin, at the Old Vic) so it seems to be all go... When am I supposed to find time to go to work?

Meanwhile, feel free to send me the stuff you want to get beta-ed, and I'll do my best. It may just be restricted by online access, but trust me, I'm still here! I'm just a bit fraught.

Tags: housing, work

Just to reassure everyone, I'm not dead. The dreaded headcold flattened me for a couple of days, which is pretty standard for me. It's on the way out now, and I can just about breathe again, which is a plus.

Anyway, I've not been anywhere or done anything for the last few days, so I've not really had lot to say. I have put everything everyone has written into the Memories section though, and will be posting comments and feedback tomorrow. I've spent the greater part of today trawling websites for places to rent around darkest Buckinghamshire, so at least I feel as if I'm getting somewhere with the hunt for a temporary new home. The HR department were about as much use as I expected ("I live in Slough so I can't help"), so I'm dealing with it through my own contacts and friends. It's so reassuring to know that HR departments the world over serve no discernible useful purpose whatsoever, isn't it?

Oh, and I had another shouting match with the removal people today. When I asked why they didn't call me last Thursday as promised, the moron on the other end of the line informed me it was Christmas. Yes, and that being the case, why did he promise to call me when he knew he had no intention of being in the office?

Tags: health, housing, removal men
Current Mood: hoarse

I have a place to live! Yes! It was lovely, big and airy, only one bedroom, but that's a big room with a walk in wardrobe. A large kitchen, with dishwasher, washing machine, massive great fridge with a cold water dispenser, you name it really. The balcony looks south, the garden is a series of old terraces and there's a jacuzzi out there too. The living room is massive, complete with a dining table, two huge sofas, and an awful of of space. I'm looking forward to moving in, and I'm not going to bother looking anywhere else.

And now I'm going to settle down to follow Le Mans... damn Finn's just moved up a place and he's now 3rd... I'm almost glad I'm not there!

Tags: housing, racing

Ah, a Saturday that doesn't involve F3 or early mornings. Of course, the weekend provides other things to fret about, most notably the Le Mans 24 Hours, which means I really need to tune in to Radio Le Mans soon. At least I won't be fretting about it too much this evening - I've a party to go to, on the beach at Juan-les-Pins, at the Oasis Plage, which I'm told is very pleasant. However, I'm in two minds about this, because the other guests are all from work, and while they're likable enough, this really isn't my sort of thing, especially as most of them are bringing friends or partners or family or whatever. And I have no one here that I can go with (not that that is a problem, though it does mean I need to be careful who I end up sitting with, if I actually want to have a conversation over dinner). On the other hand, it might be fun and at least I won't have to cook dinner tonight.

This lunchtime the new apartment hunt continues. There's a very nice place (judging by the website photos) over towards Mougins, and it's right on my budget limit, but it does have two bedrooms, and seems to be well-equipped, nicely furnished, and 10 minutes closer to the office. If it looks as good in reality, then I suspect I'll say yes immediately and be done with looking any further. And it's near the fabulous restaurant we had lunch in last Wednesday l'Amandier de Mougins, which has to be the best lunch I've had outside of le Manoir au Quatre Saisons, a couple of years ago, and has the most perfect pair of terraces, one on each level, overlooking the hills.

Tags: housing, racing, restaurants
Current Mood: calm
Current Music: Home Truths on Radio 4

So far I've had someone call me up and offer me a 2-bedroom house at 2,220 euros a month, and another e-mailed me with a 1-bedroom place at 1,600 euros (around 1,100 pounds sterling) a week! What planet do these people come from? Why do they seem to think I'm a millionaire on holiday? I'm not - I'm a working writer and I'm not paid that sort of money!

Tags: housing
Current Mood: stunned