It is the first day of Wimbledon, so obviously it is raining. Woo!

I survived meeting Ian's mother, despite her attempts to drown me in alcohol and her general Northern Irish way of not stopping talking ever, we managed to get along. Belfast hasn't changed much - it still rains there, too! I got to have my Clements steamers (the real reason for going), as well as a few moments in the Botanic Gardens hothouse and wandering through Queen's by night.

Then followed a lazy time in (even wetter) Dublin, drinking overpriced whisky, eating Boxty and champ, and wandering around the area just off St Stephen's Green, where we were staying, with me going on about the fabulousness Georgian houses and front doors. Our hotel was in one of said houses, we had an enormous room on the first floor and Ian was rather taken with having so much space between his head and the ceiling.

So apart from the rain, the tourist horror of Dublin, me having forgotten how grey and depressing Dublin is (I am not a fan, really), and Ian having discovered that I don't like going up, coming down or turning corners in planes, it was a good weekend.

On Wednesday I went along to some random student dance theatre thing in Dalston, the production was interesting but the best bit was all the Turkish restaurants; I got take away pide for the way home and completely confused the heck out of the guy at the oven by asking for everything in Turkish (along with refusing to consult the menu , the way it should be done).

On Saturday I got up at six and met Bela at Waterloo, where we took a train to Southampton and then out to Netley. We walked through the park, down along Southampton water and then up the River Hamble and across some fields and a little farm to Botley and the train back to London. The weather was perfect. Where I slipped up was deciding that it would be a good day to break in my new walking boots. Very bad blisters! I took some pictures on my phone, a few of them are here.

Ian came round with his friend Chris yesterday evening (we seem to be in the period of 'you must meet all my friends') for dinner and Monopoly. Good stuff. They left at a ridiculous hour this morning for Stansted and a plane to Germany. My brother has gone to France, so it's just me, the sofa, and last year's Wimbledon replays.

* posted by nat 4:31 PM

Thursday, June 15, 2006

I have joined the ranks of the sort-of-employed (how depressing!) being a part-time freelance analyst. Being freelance means another run in with the tax people - the Inland Revenue are constantly demanding money off me as it is, so they'll enjoy me telling them I'm still a full-time student and they can, yet again, expect no money from me. They seem worried that I might not get a full pension if I don't give them lots of money. I have a whole folderful of their letter insisting I voluntarily write them cheques, and I intend to continue to studiously ignore them.

I got out of work reasonably early on Tuesday and met Ian and we wandered round a gallery or two in the Tate Modern as well as having lunch at Nando's at London Bridge - the restaurant is right under the railway bridge, and we sat by the window looking directly out onto the river. The Thames is not the prettiest river, but the intention for it to look nice was there.

My dissertation is also beginning to look like something that has a thesis. My supervisor seems finally to be very excited about it (her words) and has sent me away with some reading to do, that comes in rather lovely slim books. Hurrah! This enables me to put off wading through the World Bank reports, which are obviously evil.

Hmm, what else happened this week? Oh yes, I went to the disability services student consultation, and had a wonderful time complaining about the library (dis)services and the fire doors; and having the cathartic experience of meeting other people who were moaning about similar things. I got a £10 book token for moaning at them. Which was nice.

I am sitting at Ian's now being played a recording of him at work. It is mildly unnerving having him reel off long lists of letters and numbers out of the speakers while he is faffing around in the next room.

Up at stupid o'clock tomorrow to go to Belfast. Whee! Argh!

* posted by nat 10:55 PM

I am at work!!!

and, um, blogging. As you do on your second day anywhere.

It's nice though, I can see St Paul's cathedral out the window.

More later, if I have time... off to Belfast tomorrow morning early. (Meeting boyfriend's mother. Eeek. Also having steamers in Clements. Rah.)

* posted by nat 1:59 PM

Friday, June 09, 2006

I stood on the station platform on Wednesday morning and the trees were raining little bits of fluff. It looked pretty, and felt hellish.

SOAS was having an Open Day, so there were little musical concerts going on in various foyers, and a fire alarm - the concert just moved outside and carried on.

In the evening there was one of the first decently orange sunsets I have seen this year, and V and I had 2-for-1 cocktails in Giraffe, then wandered along the South Bank as far as More London, where a big screen had been rigged up and they showed Brief Encounter. It is always quite a different experience to see a film you are used to watching at home on TV on a large screen, and different again to see it with several hundred people. The over-plummy accents were a great cause for amusement, and we laughed in not all the right places, and at the end we all applauded. I wailed shamelessly, because's it's Brief Enounter and of course you have to cry at the end!

* posted by nat 10:30 AM

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Today is a really good day if you like the number six.

Today I decided to try not eating very much. I ate:
A banana
Two toasted muffins and egg mayonnaise (but the mayo was light and I only put in one dollop!) with cucumber
One chocolate soya pudding
One piece of salt liquorice
Two timtams
Another chocolate soya pudding
Bowl of mini shredded wheat with a handful of raisins.

I am not sure if this counts as successful or not. I rather think not - but in my defence I have spent the day reading UN reports.

* posted by nat 11:23 PM

Monday, June 05, 2006

Perhaps I should have wailed about the weather sooner - finally some sun has turned up and I have come to the conclusion that I really need to go on a crash diet to get into my summer clothes. So it's lettuce all the way from here on in.

Anyhow, with the sun comes hay fever - it's either that or a cold, or I'm allergic to English summers (I know which one I think it is) - so my head feels like it has swollen to twice its normal size and I am sneezing all over the place. Ian went out and hunted down Benadryl for me, which in its one-a-day format keeps me dozy but functioning for about 8 of said hours. Useful.

The DHL man, today, has obviously forged my signature on the drop off form, as I found my package left on the front doorstep upon my return from town. About time too.

Warmer weather does not appear to have cheered me up. Oh well.

* posted by nat 7:32 PM

Friday, June 02, 2006

Right, girls. Who is coming to Switzerland with me?

Honestly, I'd do it just to get away from the flags fluttering on every third car.

I am annoyed with DHL, who claimed to have attempted to deliver my parcel from Amazon today, but I wasn't in. Given I hadn't left the house all day, this is blatantly not true. Not so much as a note left in my letterbox either. Online tracking seems to bear no actual resemblance of what is actually going on.

Once I had that piece of information, I went up to town and Ian and I had dinner near London Bridge, then did a trek zigzagging over bridges up to Charing Cross, and I have just got home. It is possibly attempting to get warmer. I wish it would, I might cheer up a bit then.

* posted by nat 11:39 PM