Things to know about flat-hunting in Cornwall

The last couple of days have been an improvement on my disastrous arrival. I have met up with a couple of friends who live in Penzance and seen a few properties in the St Ives area. I have a few viewings on Monday in both Penzance and Newquay but it’s all going down to the […]

Flat-hunting in Penzance

I am in a hotel in Penzance, looking out over the pretty harbour on a calm, sunny evening. But it’s been a stressful 24 hours. Flying Ryanair is enough to raise anyone’s blood pressure at the best of times, but our plane was not able to land in Newquay last night because of bad weather […]

Can I handle Newquay in the summer?

Another slight panic. People keep warning me against staying in Newquay during the summer. In a way, though, now that I’ve settled on Newquay in my mind it is going to take more to change it than it would have done a month ago! I do get ‘attached’ to ideas in that way.
Basically, I am […]

Leaving London

I will miss London, I am sure. I will miss Hampstead Heath and all the London parks. I will miss the little ‘villages’ within the city - Marylebone, Brondesbury, Hampstead, Ladbroke Grove, Clerkenwell and so on. My route along the Regent’s Canal to work. The restaurants on Charlotte Street, the pubs along the South Bank. […]

Life by the sea

I’ve really enjoyed my time in Cornwall and I think this might be the change, the therapy that I need. Everyone was friendly and laid back, and it’s catching! Usually I am quite uptight around people but this weekend I really enjoyed chatting with people in shops, cafes, taxis and so on, asking their advice […]

Greetings from Fistral Beach, Cornwall

I’ve started my trip in Newquay, which is not quite the ‘English Ibiza’ I thought it would be. Then again, it’s only April!
There are some things to recommend Newquay. Plenty of high street shops, surfing/skating outlets etc, so it scores high for local amenities. Nice beaches and decent surfing. It feels relatively lively and urban, […]

Is it ridiculous?

I haven’t posted for a while, partly because I have had a mental block about what to write. A lot of my friends see what I am doing as an extended summer holiday or a career break, just taking some time off. I must have explained things that way. But I am thinking about this […]

Charity shops

I have started taking clothes, books, odds and ends to charity shops. As I don’t have a car, it’ll take me many trips to trundle everything down.
Charity shops are getting ever more sophisticated in their operations. My local PDSA shop offers free collections from your home with their own branded pink sack, and when you […]

Sold my records today

The record shops I used to go digging in years ago in Camden, Islington and the like have all closed down. The surviving stores mostly huddle together on Berwick Street.
I didn’t get much for my little vinyl collection, but they are off my hands and maybe they’ll find a nice new home. My records are […]

Where to live

I’ve had some good tips from the guys over at Mansized about the Cornwall idea. They are a supportive bunch generally and have been wishing me luck.
I have started telling people in my life what my plans are. I have been quite surprised at the reactions. I thought that some people would be sceptical or […]

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