Day 9 - London

January 9th 2013

Ooh, today's is black and white, fancy.

So this evening I was out and about in London. Yup, that's right, on a school night. I'm often crazy like that. Well, when I say often, I mean never. My bed is far too important to me. Sleeping is generally the high point of my day.

But today I had two reasons to be out in London. Both reasons are very special people.

The first is a wonderful girl called Kylie. I lived with Kylie in my last year of uni, and I'm not quite sure what I'd have done without her. She was a true friend, and I feel I will be forever in her debt for her being so wonderful to me when I really needed that someone to be wonderful to me.

This evening I saw Kylie for the first time in a long time, a far too long a time. As soon as I could get out of school I high-tailed it to St. Paul's to meet her. As it turned out, my tail needn't have been so high, and I had time for a sandwich, coffee, and a bit of David Mitchell on my kindle before I met her. After missing each other at first, we found each other and made our way to a pub for a glass of wine and a long overdue catch up. I knew I missed her, but this wine and chat made me think how much I had enjoyed living with her! I will soon coerce her into a night with further wine and movies and/or chinese (definitely and) alongside much much more chat which will make me happy.

Because the universe is not a big fan of me, Kylie had to leave fairly swiftly to get back home. Because I had tricked the universe, I was able to leave Kylie and meet Nichola near Oxford Circus, woop! We met, walking towards each other whilst speaking on the phone, and only hung up when we were about a foot apart. That's true love.

Our way was wended to an O'Neill's for a shared bottle of wine (plus a banoffee pie and something involving ricotta for Nich) and some greatly needed chat. Nich's beau Ben appeared for short while, and I had that fun moment of seeing him and thinking "hey he looks like that guy I know". I enjoy those moments. I enjoyed a similar one once when something I had sent it was read out on a radio show, and I thought "Hey, Steph Murphy, that's like my name!" It's the little things.

After the bottle of wine was finished we headed back to Ealing and the North Star, and met another friend, Tom. Tom is another Medway person I didn't know until moving to Ealing. What is furtherly mad (yes, furtherly is a word. No, not one in a dictionary) is that his dad was in the same primary school class as my Auntie Kate, his grandmother watched over them as a dinner lady, and my grandma watched over them as their headmistress. Whaaaaaat.

A further glass of wine was drunk, and Nich and I made our way back to the flat. I managed to add the photo before midnight, result.

I love living in London, and the fact such views are not beyond my reach. Look at all those people, all the hustle and bustle, and yet right there is St. Paul's. Man alive. I have met and chatted to so many friends tonight, due in no small part to living in one of the most amazing cities in the world. It's not the prettiest, or most romantic, or remotely the coolest. But I love it. It's busy and it's historic and it's beautiful in its own way. London Underground was 150 years old today. It might not always work perfectly, it is definitely always expensive, it generally smells weird, and I can guarantee cramped conditions, but it has transported me to some wonderful people and places. Thanks old chum. Also, I've just put £20 on my Oyster, so you better give me something good.

Until tomorrow,

Stephie

xxx