New Digs

What a difference a day makes, as the saying goes, although in this case, it's a week.

My car was collected today for repair. I thought for sure the garage had forgotten about me and fixing the rear taillight, but I got a call on Friday to let me know that the car would be picked up today to finally be repaired. I requested a courtesy car and got a brand new little Nissan Micra. Nice, zippy little car. No idea how long I'll have it, but as none of this is costing me anything, it doesn't really matter.

I've just settled into a new space, where I've committed to be for six months. It's not as cosy or colourful as my room in the Forest, but it's all what you make it and as I've only been here about 3 hours, this is its current state. The landlady is clearing out a cupboard for me in the kitchen, and a small space in the fridge (which is slightly larger than bar size anyway, typical of English kitchens), so I'll have a bit more room when my dishes and food items are tucked away elsewhere. Despite moving only from one room to another, it would appear I have too much stuff. It seems I'll have to spend time decluttering, which is not a bad thing at all.

I have only one wardrobe and a small one at that (the door on the right). The other door holds the boiler/water heater so is of no use to me. I do have the spaces on the top of the built ins, however, although I'll stick with just putting my plants there, as I don't know how sturdy they are. I have a small storage dresser and that's about it right now. I'll be making another run to the Forest on the weekend and will be bringing back another storage unit with me, but I don't want to get carried away.

The pros:

1) 5-minute commute to work!!
2) free time again - to read, stay up a bit later, go for a walk...
3) reasonable rent - £450 p/m, which is only £50 more than I was paying my cousin. Plus I'm saving over £300 a month in gas, so really a win-win there.
4) Close to a gym & a library!
5) I have a new place to explore!
6) I'm feeling a bit more independent, even though it's not a full flat of my own (which is not doable on the salary I'm currently making)

Cons:

1) No cousin company!
2) No cat!
3) No full house access
4) No New Forest
5) I have to make my own dinner (:P)
6) the mattress is hard...I'll be collecting my foam topper this weekend.

I can't really make a thorough list either way until I've been here a few weeks and seen how things go. The walls are thin and I can hear neighbours, I overlook the rear of the building and as we're in flats situated over businesses, it could get noisy at stupid o'clock. 

Still, here I am. Let's see where we go from here...