Flatmates

When I first moved to London flatmates were an adjustment. I went from having my own house, with lots of space to sharing small London flats (some very small) with others that I didn't know. I've learned a lot over the past 4 years and come to appreciated my flatmates who make up my family here in London. It is nice to come home to a house full of people.

All in all I've shared space with 12 other people over the years. Some were dossers, those that stay temporarily on your coach while looking for their own place. All of whom I have stayed in touch with (minus the crazies). 

One thing learned is it isn't always easy to vet out the crazies in meeting someone for 20 minutes, about the length of a flatmate interview.  Another is, it can be a harder to flatshare with someone who owns the flat, you never feel on equal footing or that you have a say in how the flat is set up.  Over all it is best to stay flexible when it comes to common areas, be respectful of your flatmates, pay your bills on time, buy your share of toilet roll, and do your share of the cleaning.

Tweasel, it doesn't feel like home without my kitty around.

Camden Flat "Family Night Out"

Part of the fun is learning about another contries culture, and traditions, and sharing your own Olympic Hockey - Go Canada!

Girls night out

Some flatmates are temporary, aka dossers. 

Current and past flatmates.

My current flatmate and lovely boyfriend.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone. I shall be blogging again shortly. At the moment things are a bit hectic flat-hunting which is always a challenge and all consuming in London. This time I am looking for a whole flat to share with my boyfriend (and my kitty) which is exciting.  Fingers crossed something perfect will come up fast so I can get back to doing other things.

It has been interesting deciding on the location because we work on opposite sides of London from each other and nowhere near central London we have been out for walks in areas to see what they are like, so I've been able to see some new parts of London which I always like.

While I knew rentals are pretty crazy in London right now with more people looking than places available because of people not being able to afford to buy.  Still I was put in a bit of a tail spin yesterday after viewing a flat that was advertised as a 1 double bedroom (to be a double bedroom you must be able to fit a double bed in it).  The ad for this flat as it turns out used a photo of the upstairs living room, which as it turns out is double the size of the one in the apartment available.  The "bedroom" was an alcove in the hall that lead to the bathroom with a double bed in it, a hall my boyfriend had to turn to fit through the doorway no less, and no window! This is not a room in my world.  It was quite shocking!