033, holborn grind, 211115

I had a bit of me-time today whilst waiting for someone at Holborn and remembered this little cafe round the corner from Holborn tube station. Considering today was one of the coldest days I've ever felt in my life (no exaggeration), I thought I would treat myself to something warm.

I was surprised to find myself with only a few others in this cafe on an otherwise busy street. Nonetheless I was greeted by a cheerful kiwi and ordered my long black. With only so much seating, I opted for a high top looking out onto the streets watching people covered from head to toe walk by and witnessing a skateboarder stack it (ouch) while trying out a move.

Love is the drug.

There's a small selection of pastries and baked goods on offer as well as salads and sandwiches (on a quiet Saturday, I can't imagine them cooking up a storm), enough to fill you up and keep you satisfied. Whilst quiet, the cafe was full of activity from the whirs of the coffee machine to general chit-chat amongst customers. I felt like I could just sit here all day and people-watch but there were things to do and people to see.

My coffee was strong enough but lacked crema and was slightly sour on my first sip. The milk took a bit of the edge off but otherwise I didn't mind it considering I was just trying to get the chill out of my bones (no, seriously, it was really cold).

I would come back if I was in the area and needed a little pick-me-up if I hadn't seen anything else along the way.

Mood: Cold (it's not a mood but that's about all I can think about right now...)
Candy Crush Soda level: 497

Living in London

So I may have started slacking already, my bad. Please bear with me as I try to find the right words to summarise the past 3 months...

• There's a lot to do and a lot to explore: Museums (for a rainy day), day-trips and parks (for sunny days) and markets (everyday!)
• We've already become a local. Big Ben? Pshh. Trafalgar Square? Been there. Tower Bridge? Done that. Red telephone booth and red double decker bus? Next!

Yawn!

• But I miss the sun and blue skies. At first I thought we brought Sydney over with us (the photo above was taken on our first day!), but I don't think we've had many other days like that in while. Boo.
• Things are expensive! The £ no longer freaks me out, but does (mostly) everything need to be so expensive?? Our first week was all "Oh that's not too bad! Hold on, multiply that by two... Ok, nevermind."
• Finding an apartment was a full-time job in itself. We arrived just as uni was starting so not only were we competing with other working professionals; we were also being bullied by them rich uni students. It took us approximately 4 weeks before finding a place that ticked the majority of our criteria and even then we weren't sure whether we were going to get it.
• Places like this exist:

  

  Yes, that is a slide. Yes, it says £3,500 per week. Yes, it is awesome!!!
  Can I just rent it until the novelty wears off?

• Coffee is everywhere but good coffee is hard to find. Ok, maybe I exaggerate cos the one down the road isn't that bad. Having said that, our tea cupboard at home is starting to grow.
• Funemployment isn't so much fun anymore :( More on that later...
• The markets are amazing. You've got your regular supermarkets but with a market open everyday right outside your door, you can't really go back.

Variety, freshness and colour!

• You get to disconnect on the tube. For those that like to catch up with friends or read the news online on their way to work, bahahaha jokes on you - there's no reception. I can't even tell people I'm running late cos they'll just receive it when I get there. Late for a date? Oh well, blame it on the toob! (Positives: I've memorised the entire Central line.)

I'm really enjoying my time here. We've made new friends and caught up with old, seen some amazing architecture (hello, Cambridge!), discovered so much from museums (yay free entry) and walking tours (yay also free), and learnt much more about myself than I would have otherwise. It's also great to be doing all of this with my partner in crime.

You beaut: Cambridge 2015 - King's College.

Next post will be sooner rather than later (I hope!), over and out.

intermission

Hey there,

How's it going?

I won't be the first nor last to tell you that having a blog is an easy task. Which is why it has been a total of 3 years for my intermission without actually thinking I would get back into it. So why return?

Just as I thought I was getting into the swing of things here in Sydney; great office job, spending Saturdays being a barista and enjoying all the coffees Sydney had to offer. In a few months' time I will packing up and moving to London with the bf.

There, I said it. It's the internet, it's practically set in stone.

Without trying to sound dramatic, I figured this is a pretty big, scary, risky and bold move considering the luxuries I've grown accustomed to here in Sydney. But I'm a big believer in taking opportunities when they arise, because they might not come around as often as you'd like. Sometimes you just have to see where things take you no matter how nervous and unstable you feel because the more confident that you are, the less willing you are to step out of that comfort zone.

Which is how we come full circle back to why I've also decided to start posting again. I don't want to remember these moments eating, drinking and travelling as distant memories - I want to write them down and relive them through my words and photographs. I may not be a novelist or professional photographer but I'll do my best and hope that you'll join us on our exciting exploration into this new chapter. :)

Onwards we go!