Life in Golders Green

We're settling into a routine at last - Golders Green is a very nice area. Our street reminds me of Victoria Ave: lots of big houses and trees. And as you can see from the picture, we can't really fault the view from our window, a far cry from where most of our friends are staying. We have a month to figure out where we want to live next, but I think we may now be looking for something with a comparable outlook.

Anna has just had her first week at work. It's been quite tiring for her - we're not used to getting up early! Not to mention the long subway rides on either end of her day, plus the heat. Yuck.

I have a job now too. I got a couple of offers, which was very nice, though I had a tough decision to make - choosing between £ and the chance to work within the film industry. Obviously I had to take the industry job (in-house lawyer), so I look forward to seeing how it goes. I don't start for another couple of weeks though, and despite looking, it doesn't appear that I will be able to get any temp work in the meanwhile.

Never mind, I shall enjoy seeing a bit more of London before starting. The acclimitisation continues - some times I feel almost as if I am back home, but then I'll find myself in Piccadilly Circus, another world entirely. I do get homesick, but the other day I stumbled across William Blake and Daniel de Foe's graves while travelling to a job interview, exactly the kind of life experiences we came here for.

I went to the Prince Charles Theatre on Friday - films for £1! - and finally saw the adaptation of Alan Moore's V for Vendetta. I was pleasantly surprised - they haven't buggered this one up! It was also wonderfully resonant to watch the film in the heart of London, where the story is set. On the way home I passed the Old Bailey, which is blown up at the start of the film. Neat!

Anna and I also had a nice big walk around Hampstead Heath on the weekend. It's very beautiful, and just the tonic for homesick kiwis - trees, bushwalks, fields, birds - but also foreign in its own way. We saw people swimming and fishing in duckweed-covered ponds, visited the Stone of Free Speech and spotted some rabbits and a squirrel. Finding a fox is our new holy grail!