Journals

Rochelle's Big OE

August 2004

Wednesday 4 August

I've been so busy! I started my new job at Hackney legal services on Monday and my induction comprised of being shown my desk and my filing cabinet... and that was it! I've got three weeks of work to have done by yesterday and I am currently running on adrenelin alone! Not sure yet whether leaving Havering for this was the right decision...

Still, I am really enjoying the 28 minute door-to-door walk to work, down some residential streets and through London Fields. It's a very nice way to start the day, especially as the tube is the last place I want to be in the current 30degree, humid weather that we are having.

I finished my week at Havering in a bit of a bluster too, as I hurried to finish my handover notes and leave my files in good order (shame I didn't get the same at Hackney!). The movie of the week was Fahrenheit 9/11, which I thought was excellent and would highly recommend you go and see.

Thursday night I met Suse, Toni, Rochelle C and others at the Tattershall Castle, a boat/pub at Embankment. What I'd planned to be a quiet drink after work turned into a big night out dancing, laughing and drinking. And finding particular hilarity in some random guy who passed out on the pavement after running ahead of us. Unfortunately for him he had been having a pee and kind of forgot to zip himself up again. Rochelle got the photos...

Friday night was my leaving drinks and a few of us met for a drink at Romford's finest, Bar Mango. My biggest fan, a social services team manager, Abe, even came! After a meal at Nandos, Eram and I met Barnaby in town for a bit of clubbing.

I had a fairly quiet weekend, doing a fair bit of sleeping, checking out Victoria Park and an unnamed park around the block. On Saturday night I had a really nice night at Justine's flat where she had organised a sushi night. We had a great little factory line for making the sushi and I must say, I could be a good sushi chef! On Sunday I made it to Columbia Road Flower Market again and got some great flowers to fill the flat with.

And I made muffins last night!

Monday 9 August 2004

Today my little swiss sister Mounia and her friend Patti have arrived to stay. I've been so looking forward to their arrival. I've taken the day off tomorrow to do some touristy activities - the Tower of London, the London Eye and the London Dungeon are on the itinerary for the day. After a week of hot, sunny weather, it has typically decided to turn miserable this week - still just as hot and humid as before, but now there's thunder storms to make things more interesting.

The rest of last week sped by at work too. I was certainly operating on adrenalin as I tried to get three weeks of work (more, really) up-to-date. On Thursday I had the fun of dealing with an emergency protection order application at 4:30pm. I certainly earned the beer I had when I got to the Embankment for a drink with Toni and co. Like last week we had a great night out, ending in a boogie at the Walkabout again.

On Saturday we went to Cambridge for the day. It was a glorious day and I really enjoyed looking around Cambridge, learning about the colleges and punting on the river. Megan and I were pretty good at it I must say, although I wasn't really dressed for it in my dress and I think a few picnicers on the bank got more than they'd bargained for when I bent over!

Other than that I had a quiet weekend. Friday night I spent in watching the final of Big Brother. Nadia won! Yay! On Sunday it was just too hot and once I'd got back from the flower market (the flowers have already wiltered), I had no more energy so slept on the couch, with the fan blowing on me, for about three hours! I was up in time to join Mikey and his friends at the George though and we had a great night drinking and laughing the night away. And so nice to just walk home afterwards.

The rest of August went something like this...

Week 33
Mon 9 My sister Mounia arrives in London
Tue 10 Day off - visit London Dungeon and Tower of London
Wed 11 Drinks at flat & curry with friends in Brick Lane, with Mounia
Thu 12 Theatre with Mounia and Paty - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Fri 13 To Paris with Megan

Week 34
Fri 20 Suse's leaving drinks
Sat 21 School Disco with Megan & co
Sun 22 Pimms or pints with Mikey & co

Week 35
Tue 24 Drinks with friend
Wed 25 Cinema with Eram
Thu 26 Girls' night out at the Porterhouse, with Toni & co
Fri 27 Go to Scotland - Haggis tour

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