This was the day I...

pushed my way onto the tube!

I can't believe I did this, but my lovely friend Jen noticed how brusquely I walked onto the tube at Victoria, I may have had a few glasses of wine by then but seemingly there was a spot of barging! And not letting others off! How rude.

Surely I'm not losing the country bumpkin quality I had come to love?!

Battersea Park cont...

My word, that Bulsari Salmon is just delicious!

Now, where was I. Yes, I wanted to note what a wonderful park and space Battersea Park is. On Monday, Chris and I played tennis together as the sun was setting, the sky went pink over the Battersea Power Station chimneys and then the huge moon rose over the top. Oh, I did lose the tennis, but I'll have my day!

And a few months ago we went for a walk along the Thames in the park and back through the bandstand road and it was just beautiful. The leaves starting to turn, the warm late summer air, and a gentle dusky light setting over the city. Beautiful - somehow French.

There's so many users too, dog walkers, cyclists, tennis players, power prammers (don't ask!), children's football leagues, Thrive garden therapy. It's a wonderful place.

And whilst I'm on about the park, I'm reading a book bought from Il Molinos (love that place) called Battersea Park Road to Enlightenment written by local writer, and it's brilliant, there's so many local references I recognise. And the park seems to hold it all together.

Battersea Park...

Is a brilliant place (even took my Grannie and Dad down to the Thames for a wee walk the other week - she came to see the flat and kindly brought houseplant, which I've since managed to dehydrate to the point that the leaves are falling off in the mere hint of a draught)

Anyway, I digress.

BUZZZ. Got to shoot the most amazing curry take away has just arrived - arriva Holy Cow!

Back soon

The plugged-in generation

Morning.

Just got into work. Perfected the two bus route journey in. Now the morning's semi-panicked alertness of when to get off, how does the one way system work, why am I at Elephant and Castle? why is the bus stop of out action, where is the next one?! series of regurgating questions have lost some of their edge with the developing confidence that comes with knowing where you are (most of the time) in relation to anywhere else.

So yeah, now that's sorted boredom has started to creep in. Arriva La I-Pod!
This was a very kind gift from Chris, though not one that was specifically requested, more of a lovely surprise. Woo, how do these work then?

Also, having noticed the dominance of people with head phones that have zoned out of reality and thinking this was a bit disturbing. Like drone worker bees on auto-pilot going through the motions of the daily trudge not engaging with anything going on around them but physically there. not quite right is it.

So that said, this morning, I became one of them.

There I was top deck, with seat, twiddling thumbs.

Into my bag I go and pull out my IPod. (I have had this since christmas and it's now september with moving etc, getting to grips with this device hasn't really been on my radar). Anyhow, this is the moment.

I've learnt how to charge it. Chris has downloaded tunes to it - watch and learn Arnold. And joy of joys, and this is where it is really going to come into it's own for me... there's a Stephen Fry Podgram which I downloaded at the weekend.

Woooooooooooo.

It was wonderful. It cuts out some of the noise of the bus (and other peoples IPod music!) and over the airwaves came Stephen Fry's gentle, soothing, deep voice. I was slightly surprised it should even work!

There's also 3 games on it and a RHCP video making of Dani California (there's a little but perfectly formed TV screen too!!!) Options to download TV and radio podcasts. Imagine that, selected R4 programmes, music, learn languages, current affairs...

A whole new world has opened up. Plug me in.

Therapy for a wannabe blogger

This was supposed to be a fantastic personal diatribe of experiences, opinions and musings, I'd thought about this blooming blog for so long that I'd written at least 10 posts just thinking of things it would be good to document and put out there.

Now, 6 months in. Two posts. That is so crap Georgina. I expected so much more of you!

There's been times since when discussing with friends that I've said, ooh, that would be good for the blog, and then not got round to posting. And then I've been half hearted and not felt that I'm in a creative, witty mood.

So reflecting then, it's OK not to consistently post humorous, intelligent and entertaining missives. The odd one can be lame. And that's ok. And they don't need to be daily.

I also got hung up about the fact that anyone could read it, I had an attack of shyness. Which makes no sense at all. I'd also not blogged for so long I couldn't remember how to 'log on' and had to be shown. Which was a little crushing given my earlier announcements of my blogging future. But I'm putting a brave face on that. I need to be brave because the person showing me has been swept away with me talking about the wonders of blogs he's got totally into it and is keeping running diary using gmap to measure distances. This would be Chris.

So two weeks away from London on holiday to very beautiful but very wet Northumberland (yeay that the Olympics were on! And caught the last ever Richard & Judy on C4!) and I'm back. Invigorated.

Running

So here's the thing. Having noticed the proliferation of joggers in London at all hours of the day - there's always one! And quietly vowed to myself not to feel under pressure to join this motivated smug group, so much so that the sight of runners grew mildly irritating, surely these people have some lazy in front of the telly time they should be catching up on?! There's also a breed with back packs, which is not for the extra burn and weight I was told but actually containing thier wirk clothes, for indeed in the morning that is where they are headed.

Well, this morning I blew all of that out the water. I went for a run. Aided most ably out the door by Marie and Chris we headed into Battersea Park at 7pm. It felt good! I am smug!

I am also unfit which should mean more running needed from me.

Ready or not... here I come

Testing, testing. One, two, three...
Ok, so 21st century here I come.
Followed easy instructions courtesy of Google and co. So far so good.
In the immortal words of the Scissor Scissors...

TA DAH!
The 'All change please, all change' blog has landed! After much deliberation and avoidance tactics (too much wine bringing on an unsurmountable level to apathy towards this idea) I've done it!

Just getting over the unexpected smugness that I'm now feeling now I've gone 'blog-live', I should get to the 'idea'. Well, here's the deal. I moved 300miles south from Newcastle to London at the beginning of April and having lived in Newcastle for the past 12 years it hit me how institutionalised I was in the ways of Newcastle life and how different things are in London. This blog therefore, is to document some of my honest thoughts and musings about London life by an adopted Geordie (I do have justifiable credentials for this label before this title is derided!) who has left the North East and going all out to embrace all our capital city that is London.

Do join me along the way, there'll be stories and pictures to keep you entertained but mostly an insight into this new world as experienced by Georgina Arnold...

All change please, all change.