The next chapter ... 2008 update!

Hello everyone! Well, I have decided to continue with my blog now I’m back in London just to keep family and friends updated on what I’ve been doing, as well as share a few pictures from time to time, so I hope you enjoy my first 2008 blog!

To continue where I left off in my ‘final blog’ from my 2007 South American adventures, I arrived back in London in January and have quickly settled back into life again, and it’s really hard to believe that I’ve been back 3 months already! I’ve really enjoyed catching up with everyone since I’ve been back and visiting all my favourite places in London again.

Back at work
Well I am back at work at PricewaterhouseCoopers again (will I ever leave?), however I have quite a different role, so I am really enjoying the new challenges and, in a strange and quirky way, I’m actually really enjoying being back in the work environment! Don’t worry, I really haven’t changed, it’s maybe just that work is a bit of a novelty for me after a year on the road!

Back in Maidavale... after being a very classy ‘dosser’
I was intent on only living back in my favourite area in London, Maidavale and so I was very happy to find the perfect mansion block apartment on Lauderdale Road! I share with a kiwi (Rae) and an aussie (Jo), so we have a great little antipodean household! But I have a great sunny room and I’ve quickly settled back into my old stomping ground.

Prior to finding my flat, I was graciously hosted by a number of my friends, so special thanks to Julie and Chris, Benny and Karen and Vettie and Dom for putting up with me and my flat hunting efforts for a few weeks each! I was very lucky to be a very well-kept ‘dosser’ as all my friends have fantastic 2 bed room places and so I even had the luxury of my own room!

Enjoying 20:20 vision ... going under the laser was the best decision I ever made!
Well after years of being rather blind and thinking about laser surgery ... I finally took the plunge and it has been the best decision I ever made! I now actually have one line better than 20:20 vision and it has been pretty life-changing being able to see without the hindrance of glasses or contacts. So it has been nearly 2 months now since I went under the laser and I have only praise for the process!

Although I definitely couldn’t have done it without Benny, who kindly offered to drive me all the way out of London to the hospital for my operation, looked after me following the operation (when I wasn’t allowed to open my eyes for a day), he sat at home with me listening to the radio on a Saturday night and was my medication nurse with all the drops I needed on the first day! But I suppose he was able to laugh at the ridiculous ski-type goggles I had to wear on the first day, so at least I was entertaining even without being able to open my eyes. But waking up on the Sunday morning and having perfect vision was something I’ll never forget!

And ... I'm off travelling again!

New York New York
Well I was lucky to jet over to New York for work not long after I was back ... (ok, so maybe my job hasn’t changed too much from before I left in terms of great travel opportunities!). So it was fantastic to be able to catch up with Tessa for the weekend, as well as have a very big night out on the town with Tamara, Patricks and Vickers. I had a great weekend, going to the Guggenheim museum, Central Park and the rest
of the time doing a lot of wining and dining, something Tessa and I do very well!!

Girl’s weekend in the country...
Having been away for a year, I was long overdue for another ‘chick’s weekend’ with my girl friends from college, so it was great to head out of London to a quaint little cottage with Vettie, Sal and Jules for a few days. We had great weather on Saturday morning so we made the most of it with a walk in the countryside and a pub lunch although it did involve getting lost a few times and tramping through mud, but it was great to be out and about. We even stumbled across this random office chair that was perched halfway up a tree that I of course had to climb up and have a photo on, we can only assume it is for bird shooting but can’t be sure! As the rain set in late on the Saturday afternoon, we settled into our little cottage with a few bottles of wine, a jigsaw puzzle (Jules led the team on this and persevered to the end despite there being some missing pieces!) and a few classic movies (Grease, Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice!) Could you get anymore girlie? All in all a great weekend and was a great way to recharge the batteries.

Easter in Poland - Auschwitz, Pork and Sunshine!
I have wanted to go to Poland for many years, so Alex and I decided to head there for the 4 day Easter break to make the most of the time. We enjoyed spending time in both Krakow and Warsaw and experiencing the Polish Easter celebration. We had some great weather while we were there, which even required me getting my sunglasses out! Then on the final day there was beautiful soft snow as we were leaving, so all in all it was perfect weather. I think though I’ve eaten enough pork to last me a lifetime as not only is it the speciality, but often the only thing on the menu!

We also did the obligatory visit to what remains of the Auschwitz concentration camp on Easter Saturday, along with throngs of other tourists. It was even more confronting than what I expected walking inside a gas chamber, seeing the stark landscape surrounded by barbed wire and standing on the train tracks where the ‘selection’ process took place. I really recommend a visit here if you’re in Europe.

Addicted to Salsa!
I have really been getting into the salsa back in London, trying to get to classes twice a week and I must say I’m now a bit of a salsa addict. I even recently went to Amsterdam for a salsa congress which involved dancing pretty much all weekend, it was hard work but I loved every minute of it. Special mention to Andy, who thankfully survived the ‘lifts’ class, not once but twice, requiring him to lift me for pretty much 2 hours!! Mammoth effort - haha!

Anyway, I will sign off my first blog here as it seems I’ve left it a bit long and have too much to update you on! My next blog will include an amazing trip to India (with work!) and New York again, so I can’t wait to publish the photos from there.

Hope you’re all well, please keep in touch and let me know what you’re up to,

Tamara xx

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