Post 3 - Jordans, BN2

Yes that is a Brighton post code. Already a week in to my university year I decided I needed a break! In hindsight it was a pretty silly thing to do but I had an amazing time at it. My best mate Jordan had moved down a few weeks before and I thought I'd best let him settle in to uni life before I go and visit so seemed like perfect timing. I got there a few days before his housewarming party so I could catch up with a few friends that lived nearby as well and by Friday the rest of the gang turned up. We'd had previous experiences of the "lads on tour" mentality when the boys came to visit me up north while i was at uni up there - things are always more eventful when you travel a bit out of the way and it was no different down by the seaside.

The time of the party was upon us and it was lovely to meet Jordans new friends and flatmates. He lived with a lovely bunch and they'd taken to him which I was pleased to see and bieng second years they had already settled in to the uni life. Lily, one of the girls Jordan lived with had a mature student on her course that had been at the party and  I spent a lot of time talking to him and his plus one. As the night progressed Lily had explained to me in a drunken haze that the older guy I was talking to was actually at the party with a woman he was having an affair with! Fair play to him I thought and cracked open another can.

The party went on for a few more days, God knows how we find the energy sometimes. It was nearing the end of our stay and as we were tidying up my old housemate reminded me that we'd promised to get matching tattoos the night before. Now I'm not sure if I agreed to it bieng a good idea the next day - to get out of cleaning or still a little intoxicated but I agreed to it and before we caught our train back we hit the tattooist. We explained our ideas to him and the rest of the guys at the place were laughing there heads off - "428" the door number of the flat we used to share. Only live once I suppose.

James getting inked

Me, placed in my bed for a few days

Team photo down by the beach

Post 2 - Megans, E3

Firstly, you may be wondering why I'm still in the same post code as my old place. That's because Megan lives round the corner from me and it was the only place I could get to at short notice, and she nicely let me stay at hers for a few days till I made arrangements with her. To be honest I didn't envisage my big adventure to start more or less a stones throw from my house but I wasn't really complaining. It was a lovely encounter, we watched Sin City the first night as it was getting pretty late and we both had uni the next day. I got about my days there as if nothing had really changed, I was still getting the same busses to uni and essentially, not a lot really did. Of course I was down a few belongings but nothing I couldn't live without. I'd met Megan randomly - literally on the street, as my mate was talking to one of hers. She said she recognised me and asked if I lived around her area and turns out we were neighbours and have been friends since. 

The second night I stayed and we talked about where I was planning to go, and it turned out I didn't really have a solid plan. I kind of wanted to had down to eastern europe and turkey to begin with and end up in america eventually but other than that I didn't have much of a plan. "So you haven't really thought this throughhave you" Megan barks at me. "Not really" I tell her "but that's part of the beauty I suppose. I dunno maybe one day I'll wake up and decide I wana go to quebec. Nothing really stopping me is there!?" She lectures me on how I should be a bit more specific than that while she stirred intently in to that nights dinner.

Round the back of Mile end Co-operative. 

 

Luckily for me Megan was a keen freeganist and we both knew the area quite well so we hit the local mini markets in search of food thrown away that day. In the past we've had a fair bits of luck, from Innocent smoothies to strawberry and champagne cake but very often these endeavours can be hit and miss. Thankfully today was a good day and we came home and ate the fruits of our labour, a bit of pasta, some sausages and loads of veg. 50% of the worlds food is wasted from its original source all the way to its transition to the dinner table. Depending on how fussy an eater you are there is lots to be found and it's a brilliant to save money and ultimately the planet. I let Megan take over the cooking duties and very soon our freegan dinner is served. Hope all my stays around London can cook as well as Megan.

Dinners up!

Post 1 - Moving out, E3

So i'm sitting in my empty room, finally finished removing the last of the blue tac from my posters and pictures and taking in that these will be the last moments spent here. I've moved out of a few places over the years and it's still not easy to let go of the memories attached to the four walls where your head lay rest. I only made the decision to was move out earlier today so it was all still a bit of a whirlwind for me. Luckily for me I didn't really need to give any notice as I'd been renting off of my flatmates Sians' dad and even though I offered to stay a few weeks till they found someone new to move in Big Sean said I could leave whenever I felt it. Big Sean is my housemate Sians dad (well ex-housemate now), I always found it funny her parents decided to name her that.

Anyway, later that day I did what I'd vaguely planned to do for the preceeding weeks, gave most of my clothes, laptop and other nit bits to charity and threw out old photos and other bits and peices, which was incredibly hard as I consider myself bit of a hoarder. I love keeping things like old bus passes from Zagreb or a picture my mate drew of me when we were pissed but I thought if I got it over and done with quickly and and close mindedly it would be a bit less painful. I was eventually left with just about enough possesions to squeeze in to a hiking bag, down to a pair of trainers, two pairs of jeans, 5 t-shirts a few sweatshirts and a denim jacket. In the side compartments were my charger and toiletries and on the other side a towel. This is what I'll be living out for the next few years of my life. Pretty surprising and to an extent striking how much you really dont need when you think about it.  Just before I left to stay at my friend Megans place for a few days I called up Sian to my room to thank her for the last year - it had been truly amazing living in that flat above the barber shop in the East end and I made my way out, the first step of my adventure had begun.

Me and a few mates the night before I left. another alcohol fuelled night at the flat, scant disgregard for the fact that booze and roof ledges don't go well together and totally unaware I would be moving out less than 24 hours later.