A week of activities

Hi Anna!

I have been trying to fill up my week with lots of different activities and this blog is an accumulation of everything since Wednesday so it will be a super post!

Wednesday
 I went to see Cinderella in opera but was sorely disappointed  because the prince was played by a female. I also went with friends from my birthday picnic and we actually ended up doing a lot of chatting and eating rather than watching the opera.

Jarod organised a lot of food for us!

Sharing the chocolates and birthday calories

Cinderella

The horses that I thought were real until I saw the human bodies

Thursday
I didn't work so I went for a stroll and spent the half the day on Parliament Hill reading.

Sometimes I do smile when I read...

Friday
I had no work again so I went on a long walk to Camden. It is interesting how the walk from Hampstead changes from leafy lined streets to gum spotted streets. Along the way I came upon a store selling Melissa shoes and I couldn't resist getting these gorgeous flats to wear to work and are perfect if it rains! It took me a while to decide what colours to get but I settled for the safer option and easy to match for work. They smell really good and I have to confess that I can't stop sniffing them! It's like a sweet bubblegum scent. I went on the Melissa website and found that there are several others that I like. Oh dear me.

Aren't they adorable? Very tempted to go back and get the pink pair!

Later on the afternoon, a friend that I had I met in Sri Lanka was passing through London so I took her around to Hampstead Heath to see Ken Wood houseand Parliament Hill. It was a tiring day because of all the walking plus the sun was out in full force and I could feel myself getting slightly burnt.

Kanchana and Ken Wood house where a scene of Notting Hill was filmed

By the time it was 6pm, I was tempted to cancel a mingle session organised by one of my teaching agencies. It was all the way in Putney which is south and takes about an hour to get there by tube plus I was exhausted from the day's activities. Eventually I went and found myself in a huge ballroom of people that were also with the teaching agency. The deal I made to myself and in all other similar situations, was that I had to get myself a drink and stay for at least half an hour and if I wanted to go back after that then it was OK. With a glass of wine in hand I started talking to these two girls but they didn't seem too friendly and I could feel the awkward cricket chirping sounds in the distance so I made a quick side step and looked for my next targets haha! Luckily one of the girls that worked for the agency started talking to me. Thank goodness I eventually managed to mingle and met these lovely girls and we spent the night chatting away.

Efa  (Irish), Crystal (Aussie), Christina (Irish) and myself in our free t shirts

We swapped numbers and may meet again next weekend. There were many teachers and teaching assistants there and I couldn't believe how young everyone was! Crystal turned 22 today!

Getting home was another story in itself. Christina and I got absolutely lost and our thought processes were slightly altered thanks to the free drinks. With the tube closed by midnight, we had to catch a bus with no idea how to get back home. We both live in totally different directions and we had to split up and I was left to find my own way back. After 2 hours, 3 bus changes and directions received from helpful strangers by the stops, I finally got home! Talk about relief! 

As if that wasn't enough excitement, today I went to a networking walking tour event  that consisted of 3 hours of walking following an old train line through the woodlands with strangers.  It was raining the whole time and my mini brolly certainly didn't stop my hair and clothes from getting wet. By the time I got home my runners were absolutely soaked.

On a rainy walking tour

Passing by, the views we saw walking the ghost train line.

Our final destination.The view from Alexandra Palace

Finally we reached our finishing point. Sharon and I. She is 47 but incredibly fit! We were all lagging behind her.

I definitely had fun being outdoors despite the rain and I found myself engaged in some interesting conversations. In fact, I might try out a new activity but will keep this under wraps until I have done it! I am sure it will raise a few eyebrows. I also became inspired to draw again and tomorrow I plan to get my sketch book out and do a few still life drawings in one of the many museums in London.