11/16/10

Turnham Green with a little lingering fog.
This park is just yards from our flat.  

     I can not wait to get out this hotel and start setting up house.  These beds are so hard and uncomfortable and the pillows are like bricks.  No wonder we are waking up tired and groggy.  I am also planning which meals I want to cook first although the few kitchen items I packed won't be arriving till our boxes get shipped over.  I will have to get creative or just eat raw carrots and apples.
     Sean and I headed into Chiswick to run some more errands and sign the final papers.  It was such a lovely train ride in.  There was a heavy fog over the rooftops and everything seemed so still and silent.  The sun was somewhere behind that fog which created an interesting sort of light and atmosphere, ghostly and calm.  Our first thing on the to-do list was to visit the bank and set up a new bank account.  Sean needed a stack of documentation in order to get just the basic of basic accounts.  An hour later we were heading out to the cell phone store next door.  Since we are new to the country, with no credit, no bank statements, etc,  we couldn't get a plan but instead had to opt for the pay as you go option. These are the little things that we just didn't think of before we came here.  It feels like we're starting from scratch here but things could be way worse!
     Oh! So I have a new phone! I probably won't be making calls back home but I can text and email! Holy moly fancy stuff for me. And did I mention the phone is hot pink?  I really didn't mind not having a phone but it will put Sean's mind at ease knowing that I have it handy.  I don't know the phone number though,  I have to figure it out and memorize it.
     Sean and I headed into a pub for a late lunch and were pleasantly surprised when we walked in.  THIS was the James' Gate of Chiswick!!! Fireplaces, big comfy couches, a patio, darts, and a menu with nachos.  It was such a great find and quite cheap.  We drank some beer, Sean worked on his laptop via the free internet, and I tried to figure out my phone all while cozied up to one of the fireplaces.  It also looked like this pub had free music every now and then which may be fun to check out.
     After lunch we met up with Lindsay to hear about the news on the flat.  She had the final paperwork for us  that included a list of all the things the landlord would put in the apartment for us.  We got most of the things we asked for including a "king" sized bed, two dressers, desk and chair,  kitchen table, futon and some small armchairs.  We also had a wish list with a few things like curtains and area rugs but those things got denied.  Oh well! We got the big stuff and it will be fun picking out the odds and end items.  I am very curious to see what these things will look like and I'm praying that the bed is a bit more comfortable than the hotel one.  If it's not, then I'm already planning on things to do to make it nice and soft.  Nothing is worse than a poor night's sleep. Our move in date is this Saturday but Sean will be out of town for work so I will meet with Lindsay, get the keys, and make sure everything is in order.  I think the first thing I'm going to try is the washing machine.  After a week of living out of suitcases I'm ready to do a load or two!!  Sean has been itching too to get his space for work set up.  So once we get the keys I think things will move quickly.  We also discovered that there is a tube stop and grocery store VERY close to our flat.

This is the odd little nook in the corner of the
master bedroom.  Not sure what
 we're going to do with it. 

     We headed back to Putney for dinner at the hotel and to start looking into setting up things like internet and a phone line for the flat.  Sean was hoping to have internet ready to go over the weekend but we were quite shocked when we were told it may be two weeks till someone could come down and set it up for us. Yikes!  But at least we're getting even closer now!!!! I can't wait to drag our suitcases across the river, do laundry and have a cup of tea!