New Purchase of the Day

Well today I had to go across town to North Bridge to Argos...got to love Argos I'll tell you. I have been looking for a clothes airer and Argos had just the model I was after and a great price too. When I arrived to pick it up it was a little bigger than I thought it would have been and it was a bit of a mission to get it back to the flat, but after 2 buses and about 30mins of unpacking and assembling this is the final product.

Four more sleeps for me

I only have 4 more days until I'm leaving NZ and heading for the UK to join Helen. I have a one night stay in a Los Angeles airport hotel, to get some sleep, then onwards to Heathrow.

I've packed one bag already. It's bulging and overweight at around 26kg. I doubt the other will be any better once packed. I'll leave that a few days yet.

First night in our new home.

Tonight is the first night I am here at the new flat. I have spent most of the day shopping, off to Ikea for kitchen stuff, duvet and pillow. Then I had to wash the new duvet cover and pillow cases, just as well the new washing machines is also a drier. While that was all washing I headed off to Tesco's to do some shopping, there is a Tesco's about 15 mins walk from here which is rather handy, although there is going to be a brand new ASDA opening up down in Leith next month, which will be even better, and it is even on our bus route. Anyway after a really long busy day I was able to sit down and relax to a beautiful sunset. I even had a bottle of wine and a cork screw but no glass, typical!!!....so it was a drink of water out of the bottle instead.

Shes getting a little chilly

Well I thought this might give you all a bit of a laugh. The evenings are beginning to get cold now, well cold for me anyway. This is me all rugged up sitting in bed writing up this blog...hope you have manage to get yourself off the floor from all that laughing. And no I haven't changed my religion

The New Flat....I have started to move in.

Well after the letting agents fecking things up yesterday and me not getting the keys to the flat until 4.30 last night and we didn't finish the inspection until gone 6.30!!!! I have spent today moving. Just as well the interview I had planned for today has been pushed out to the end of the week.
I decided that because I have all the time in the world today I would just bus my stuff over in suite case loads, you know I arrived with two suitcases so how long would it take right...ha more than two suitcases now!!!! and I will still be moving stuff tomorrow.
I have taken a few photos of the new place, and you will have to excuse the master bedroom photos, I have my stuff still all over the place, need to get some draw liners tomorrow before putting stuff in the draws...anyway we will start with the front door, well the view of the hallway into the spare bedroom from the front door

Below is the lounge, to the left we have french doors that open up, pics of the view to come at the end.

This is a photo of the dinning table/computerdesk lounge and dinning are all one room.

This is one of the hallway from the lounge/dinning room through to the master bedroom

This is a couple of pic of the kitchen and one of me in my new kitchen...no man oven here, but it is a good size kitchen and has a washing machine with built in dryer....no dish washer so Mike will be back on dishes when he arrives :o)


This is the main bathroom, real weird though a brand new place and no shower not even over the bath in the main bathroom, but hay if any of you come to stay we have a shower in the ensuite.

This is the spare room, or as my mother likes to think her room as she will probably be the first person to use it when she arrives in November.


and now the Master bedroom, not a bad size considering, in fact the whole flat is a great size. Sorry for the mess, and once I have purchased a duvet and some pillows I will take a better shot of it all, have the duvet cover and pillow cases but still need to make that trip to Ikea tomorrow to get that stuff the inners amongst other things.


This is the ensuite with shower and a pretty good size shower too. And the water pressure is great!!!!


The flat also comes with a storage room, could almost be a study if they had put power points in there, and a cupboard at the front door to put the vac and jackets etc...all in all good size and it is so warm compared to were I have been staying you can tell this place has double glazing and insulation.
And finally the view from the french doors, there is no balcony just a railing at the doors



And for those of you who are interested, this was actually taken for Mike’s benefit, he wanted to know what TV cabling we had, they were good enough to install this plate that just explained it all for him

A Day in the Lake District

Today I decided I would take a trip out of Scotland for a change, after being in the Edinburgh for 6 weeks why not, after all that is why we have moved here, to take a look at this beautiful land.
One of the main train lines that goes from Edinburgh to Manchester goes through the Lake District, so I decide I would go to Oxenholme and Kendal for the day on the train. I left Edinburgh Waverley at 8.40 this morning and arrived in Oxenholme around 11am. The weather on my arrival was not as good as I had hoped, and as you can see from the below it was a little overcast.



Kendal is about 4km from Oxenholme, so I decided it would be a nice walk in the fresh country air, and not long after I started out the sun came out and the day turned into a beautiful summers day, it was great.
On the way into the Town Centre I walked of the River Kent, the two below photos I took from the bridge just sets the picture of the town, it is just how I remember the Lake District just beautiful and relaxing, I could have sat by the river all day.


I couldn't believe how clear the water was in the River, you could see to the bottom.

The Town Centre was full of people doing there weekend shopping along with visitors as well I would expect, much like myself, looking for that last summers day before the sun loses its heat for the winter.

By mid afternoon it was time to head back to Edinburgh, the below shot is a little blurred as I took it from the train window, but the landscape of the Lake District are just to wonderful not to try and get another shot in.

New Flat Confirmed

I posted a couple of weeks back some photos of a flat I was looking at , well all got confirmed today that we have a lease starting next Tuesday. More photos to come once I am all moved in.
The flat is in a great location, only 25min walk from Princes Street down Leith Walk.

Autumn has started here in Edinburgh

Friday I spent the day out and about, I had a few things to do and last of all I had an appointment to look at some flats, but by mid afternoon it had got really cold, to the point that I had to return to my current flat and put some warmer clothes on....Yes Autumn has arrived real quick. I guess being that much futher north it is expected to be rather cold. The funiest thing was that when I was reading a friends blog Marrisa had written something similar, that spring has arrived at home, Spring Has Sprung. So while trees are turning here flowers are beginngin to bloom at home, guess I just need to wait 6 months through the snow to see the spring here, it seen 15+ years since I have had a spring in the UK man I will look forward to that.

My NI Number has arrived

Well in record time my NI number has arrived in the post and I am now ready to get a job.... I just need to find a company that want my skills :o)..... on the job front things have been a little slower than I had thought they would be with people on summer holidays etc. However this week most people are back at work, kids are back at school so people are getting back in to the swing of things...so fingers crossed.

My new Granny Trolley

Well today I finally gave in and purchased a shopping trolley... yeah sad I know, but I am at a point were I can't carry everything in bags and with the buses, these things are really handy especially when it is raining and you have to use an umbrella. Anyway I purchased from Ikea, the best store in the world. I still don't understand why they are not in New Zealand, they have made it to Australia but not New Zealand....anyway here is a photo.

Possible new flat

I have found Mike and I a new flat to move into. I haven't put the deposit down yet so it isn't confirmed, but here are a few photos of the place. The internal photos are from a website but the outside ones I took. It is a two bedroom flat, has an ensuite off the master bedroom, has a lounge and dinning room together, separate kitchen, entry way with hallway and a box room (storage room), and is brand new. It is just off Leith Walk, on Pilrig for those of you who know the area.