Let them eat cake...

Hello *waves*

Yes, I'm still around, just not much happening and not much energy or time for writing recently.

This last week or so I feel like I've made the transition from feeling like I'm just visiting here to actually living here feeling, Japan has felt distant almost like a holiday. I put this down to the whole flat searching and friends visiting that I've been doing recently.

I've managed to get myself a nice flat- actually a maisonette, in a beautiful Edwardian red brick house in the nice posh area of Newcastle called Jesmond. Its really close to the swimming pool there and tennis club, so hopefully that will prod me into going and getting rid of the bulge from all the cake that I keep eating in work. It seems that we eat cake A LOT here. Lab meeting= cake, birthday=cake, someone walked by Marks and Spencer coming into work=cake.

Anyway, back to the apartment, it really was a lucky turn of events. A PI (head of a research group in Sciency speech) is friends with my soon to be landlords and told me about this place. I had some other flats to see which I'd found through agencies. I had appointments to see those last weekend, but the Friday before I popped up at lunchtime to see this one. It really is a beautiful house- Huge living room, probably the size of my apartment in Sapporo. Dining room with a huge granite slab for a dining table. The only thing similar to Japan is kitchen which is small and compact, although filled with lovely appliances, including a dish washer.

The landlords and really nice and laid back and with no fee's or even a deposit, it really was almost a no-brainer. The other places through the agencies wanted over 2 and half months upfront (not just a Japan thing obviously!).

So in a couple of weeks I'll be out of my slightly studenty staff accomodation which is costing me an arm and a leg and into a beautiful old house fully furnished. I think cakes maybe in order here