I feel that I should update the name of my blog. My exile continues and for at least another year I will be working and living down South. Admittedly, I work in a very niche industry where job vacancies are extremely scarce, and mostly found within a 50 mile radius from London. It’s a double whammy situation, as the rents and property prices here in Hertfordshire are disproportionately high while the rental market back home got so damaged during the pandemic that apartments just like my humble one cost less than £600 per month to rent. Similar accommodation here is at least twice as expensive.

Still, I am not complaining, and while it’s a less than perfect scenario I am trying to focus on the positives. I am working in my area of expertise. I live in a very nice place with a friendly housemate and her lovely dog. London is 45 min away by train and I made a promise to myself to visit its every single attraction and museum including Shrek’s Adventure 😉 I will keep exploring what is on my doorstep. I have already booked a long weekend in London, an early May bank holiday in Windsor, and an Easter break in Norwich. On top of this, I am flying to Krakow at least twice this year, and I will finally visit post-Covid Ireland, which I have sorely missed. This is going to be an exciting and successful year. I have already left my comfort zone (last year I was totally against letting my flat to a stranger and relocating for the sake of a job) and it only did me good. The only way is forward, they say.

I am more and more in love in London and I simply can’t get enough of it, although I can’t envisage living there permanently (never say never!):

I may be hundreds of miles away from my beloved mountains and lakes but there are still brilliant photography opportunities virtually minutes away from my ‘home from home’:

Having already been to the British Museum a few times (still loads more to see) last weekend I headed to V&A, where I spent a good 5 hours or so. The photography section was being refurbished, however I found the landscape paintings very inspiring. There is a Beatrix Potter exhibition coming soon too:

LPOTY exhibition recently came to Liverpool St station and the photographs shown were of superb quality. I must buy a book! In the meantime I got myself a Krakow guide in English and I feel a bit like Hermione taking Muggle studies, haha 🙂

All being well, in 2.5 weeks I’ll be on a plane for the first time since Xmas 2020. I will try to visit a few places I’ve never seen like Schindler’s former factory and perhaps go for a day trip from Krakow, weather and Covid restrictions permitting. That would be my first holiday this year. Many more to come 🙂