new jobs, daffodils and hungary: spring is coming

Spring is in the air this week, and i like it. The last couple of weeks have been sort of yucky and mean for me so i am welcoming the changing season with open arms, especially as it means these great things....

• Daffodils. Daffodils seemingly grow wild in london... and are just (pardon the pun) springing up everywhere i wander. it's lovely and awesome and i cannot understand why they are then sold in stores for £3 a bunch... weird.
• i have a NEW JOB! so, today i resigned from my job. it was so very scary and exciting. the last time i resigned from a job was in 2006 and my boss was a mean man who'd once called me a 'silver spooned, blue blooded fascist' (?!) so... it was a lot more scary and horrible dealing with him. Today my boss was a lovely mix of sad yet congratulatory, which was lovely... i'm very excited!
• Easter. I am heading to budapest for easter this year with my friend Christy, and I envisage our trip to be a lot of bike riding along the Danube, eating pastries, drinking giant beers and then lounging around playing chess in giant pools. Like this.

Yes.

I think Budapest (and spring for that matter...) and I are going to get along well.

xoxo

(top image from walkkonthewildside.tumblr.com)

riding a bike in london

On the weekend i bought a new bike! (well, a second hand bike) and today (after a false start yesterday which involved me crying on the footpath cause i couldn't work my lock) i rode my bike to work for the first time!

it was amazing.

i live about 4kms from my work, down a huge, scary, busy, bus-filled street called Bishopsgate. To add scariness factor, there's also a shitload of road works going on there (to be ready to impress the world for olympic times no doubt).
But never fear, when I got onto the big scary road, there was a huge bunch of savvy cyclists heading in the same direction and i sort of joined a gang. like a fun bunch of cycling comrades, joined together against the scary buses and evil pedestrians (how quickly one's alliances change, eh?)

In London, cyclists are allowed to go right to the very front of the queue at traffic lights... a rule i've always hated from a bus/cab perspective cause they take so long to get moving when it turns green... but, in my new life as a cyclist in a cycling gang, it's the greatest thing ever. The whole gang met at each traffic light and then we'd set off again together: the girl in the green coat and the mulberry bag in her basket, the man wearing a helmet, the man wearing a suit on a Boris Bike, the man with the speedy racer bike who was the fastest off the blocks each time. Yep, we were a sweet gang. Along the way, some dropped off, some were added but it was such a fun, quick, nice way to get to work. win.

My new bike is the best thing about this week. I'm almost looking forward to work tomorrow so i can join a cycling gang again.

London spring cycling is going to be awesome.

xx

crime fighting in shoreditch: an interview with alex

Today, my housemate Alex witnessed a crime! so, naturally, i asked her a few questions to get the scoop on being an everyday crime fighting hero...

Emily: Hello Alex, I hear you witnessed a crime today! Gosh! Can you tell us about it?? 

Alex 'crime fighter' Humphry: Well, I was walking into the drycleaners and this group of ppl came roaring down Shoreditch High St - i think the robbers were at the front and some chasers behind. I then heard one yell - down here - and they all turned into our little lane. Great. They are probably hiding in our bins. Then there were about three cop cars doing laps of the blocks around here with their sirens on. All very exciting! But scary! Hold on to your handbags girls!!

E: wow! What were you doing at the drycleaners on a Friday morning? Don't you have a job? 

A: I live in Shoreditch. Of course I don't have a job. That is sooooo conventional.

E: Oh. So what happened next!? Did you give chase? Did you call the police? Were you an everyday hero??! 

A: Sorry I'm going to have to suspend this interview as I am off to have my fringe trimmed. 

*** A long time later...***

A: As I was saying... there were a lot of witnesses so I didn't bother. Don't want to get in the bad books of the gangs around here anyway....

E: Yes, that's prob very wise. Do you have any other advice do you have out there for other young unemployed ladies interested in a life of crime fighting? 

A: Well, before my recent trip to Morocco, my dad gave me some great advice which was 'cover up and don't eyeball the men'

E: I think there's something we can all learn from that, yes... Thanks for your time Alex.

A: My pleasure, happy to give back to the community

xx