oh no!

---

so apparently that flat was really nice - so nice that someone else took it about an hour before I was meant to go see it. so I took the afternoon off work to see it thinking that i would not have to take time off again. Now i have to go in tomorrow and ask for a long lunch break and to leave early on wednesday. I just don't understand how they get away with only having viewings 9-5 weekdays, surely the want renters to have jobs. but both of those flats seem nice so if they don't get snatched away then that should be done with this week. it is a shame though as i think the one i was going to today was probably perfect - i was only the third person scheduled to see it since it went on the market so it must have been the first person to see it who took it!

oh well.

I did start work today and it was a bit of a mess. they didn't have my desk ready and none of the people i am going to work for were in, though they don't seem to know who i will be working for. they are currently short by 4 PAs for various reasons and they can't seem to decide who i will be taking over. but it is a much nicer bunch than before it seems, and a completely different department in another part of the building so it is fairly different. But I am now going to be sharing an office with the girl i used to sit across from as she has transferred into this department now and she is really nice. i just hope they will let me have a little time for these flat viewings.

On a happier note, Simon and I went to the Taste festival on Sunday. They are holding them in 5 different cities throughout the summer and edinburgh was the first one. It was just in the meadows which is right across the street and we walked past it on thursday so we looked into it and it was a really cool event. they have about a dozen top local restaurants there each serving three sample size dishes, with some doing them as starter, main, dessert and others just doing whatever they want. There were also local bars and clubs set up serving drinks and then also shops/venders giving samples of their wares and selling things like cheese, wine, knives that cut cans etc. and even girls walking around giving out free flowers to promote a local florist. there was also a tent where famous local chefs were giving demonstrations (including the youngest chef ever to get a michelin star - who happens to be from edinburgh), a tent for bear classes, a tent for whiskey tasting and food matching, and a farmers market with demonstrations and lectures all day. you had to pay for entry because of all the free stuff and then you bought coupons to use to buy the food and drinks, which were relatively cheap, but we brought our own water so we only had free drinks. We tried several different restaurants, and our favorites were the one restaurant represented which we had actually been to: David Bann (a vegetarian place) and the indian food. We did stay for the whole five hours it was open as well. so all-in-all a good use of our time and money even if it was a lot of both.

Just toward the end we happen to get a text from a friend of ours who was wandering around the meadows looking for something to do before he had to catch a bus home, so we got to see him briefly. but, true to form, the weather took a turn for the worse and so we went our seperate ways. The one upshot to the rain being that the sun would not trick me into staying up way too late (it doesn't set until about 10 - we are already at about 18 hours of sun a day), but then the sun decided to come out at about 8. ugh. it is nice to have so much time in the sun though, after work it is still light for hours and once I adjust to going to bed at sunset it is really nice to have light for so long. especially when i remember that it will reverse in the winter and i will be begging for sun.

so there are a few things that are going on. hopefully i will be able to report that simon and i have a flat soon.

Claire

---