Sleepover In A Student House

I've had such fun the last two days. Hard work, but lots of fun too. I've been in London helping H to pack up her flat ready to move to a new one before the next semester at uni.

We travelled down by Oxford Tube, which is basically a coach. It's air conditioned so it's very comfortable. It took us right through the centre of London, past Marble Arch, down Buckingham Palace Road and then along Baker Street. Yay we got to see all the touristy bits I haven't seen for ages.

Then we got the train from Victoria Station which has a great atmosphere. I travelled from there the first time I ever went to Paris with friends when I was a bit younger than H. It's a lively bustling station with connections that end up on the Continent. Well it used to, not sure if it does now. It was before the Euro tunnel and every time I go there, I just get that excited travelling adventure vibe, all over again.

We dropped off our luggage, then went to explore the shops around about. The flat is in Streatham Hill, Lambeth, which has a really lovely cosmopolitan vibe with lots of interesting shops, like a lovely Polish deli, vintage and second hand shops, and an amazing charity bookshop. It has a massive collection of second hand books, Cd's, Lp's, Dvd's and games. The atmosphere is chilled with music playing and a nice big old inviting wicker sofa, dotted with cosy cushions.

I almost bought a really old Oscar Wilde tome. It was dusty and worn with that old book smell. It had an 1920's inscription to the person it was bought for and huge text in a contemporary looking font that I just loved. I was going to buy it, but I knew I would cut it up to do something with and it was in the section that said 'books to keep'...... so I couldn't do it. H bought some books off next years reading list and some for leisure and a copy of 'The G0-Between' by L.P.Hartley for me. It was really sweet of her. I'd seen it in the window and she knew I wanted it.

We had an evening and following day of hard work ahead and needed to eat, so we decide to have an indulgent supper at Slurp. Which is a Japanese, Chinese and Tai restaurant. So we eventually got the Japanese meal we were both missing.

H had the House Ramen broth which contained chicken, roast duck, boiled egg, prawn, to-fu, menma, wahami, seasonal greens and spring onion.Then she persuaded me to try the Salmon Teriyaki Bento Box.

The box contained sunomono salad (which is basically seaweed and cucumber,) rice with black sesame seed, chicken gyoza, vegetable sushi rolls, and a huge grilled salmon steak in Teriyaki sauce that had a yummy crunchy outside with tasty sauce and moist centre, lovely.... but massive.....but I managed to finish it with a little help from H and lots of Jasmine Tea and H took half of her Ramen home...the portions are so big.....
After a bit of sorting out and meeting up with some of her flat mates......sleepover in a student house.....how much fun is that!.....In such a lovely big old house. A bit of a lie in, and then Tuesday morning scrounging for boxes in the shops off all the friendly local shopkeepers. Packing and cleaning. Before being collected by 'A,' packing up the car and saying goodbye to H as her friends arrived to sweep her off to the South of France....ooh I wish......

Should be drawing and got tons of washing to do, and the cars still not unpacked....best go.....