It's spring I tell ya, I have photos to prove it!

Because yesterday’s post was more of a rant, I’ve decided to write a proper update today :)

As always happens this time of year, I’m feeling more and more refreshed by the lighter mornings. I like the comfort of darkness, but the light is so invigorating! I walk in to work and it takes me roughly 50 minutes. Being able to see the sun, for at least parts of my journey, is wonderful. Last weekend SMP and I walked around and saw crocuses of various colours spring up around the Meadows. I snapped a shot of one for you! :)

We also went to see a small exhibit at the National Library of Scotland. It was a little commemorative piece on Scott’s South Pole expedition. It’s free to go on and have a look, follow this link for more info: http://www.nls.uk/news. 

A Shakespeare exhibit followed on after this, so SMP and I had a look here too. It was about Shakespeare through the ages, and I think I was most amused by the magnetic board with lots of fridge magnet words on it that you could re-arrange in to Shakespearian style quotes. My sentence obviously included villainous, lusty harlots or something like that, hehe. In my defence, I don’t think SMP’s sentence was much better! :P

Yesterday I went through to Glasgow to view a flat. From my previous post, you can all see how wonderfully (or not :P) that went, so I won’t go in to that aspect further. What I will say is that we did an awful lot of walking. Miles and miles and miles. After the flat viewing SMP and I decided to indulge in a McDonald’s meal. Here I also picked up a free magazine about events happening in Glasgow in the coming months. There are so many wonderful things happening! One of the things that struck me was an experimental library. Part of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, selected works by 50 artists will be available to borrow at the Mitchell Library from late April to early May. The idea is that art shouldn’t just be available in galleries. I think this is a brilliant idea and am hoping SMP and I will be settled enough by then to give this a go! For more information about the festival in general, please see their website: http://www.glasgowinternational.org/. Wear sunglasses, as it has a bright neon green background! :P For information specifically about the Art Lending Library, go here: http://www.glasgowinternational.org/index.php/events/view/art_lending_library/. 

Another fascinating event is No Meal is Complete Without Conversation. It’s odd and interesting, but I think they explain themselves better than I can, so visit their site! http://www.glasgowinternational.org/index.php/events/view/open_glasgow_no_meal_is_complete_without_conversation/. 

While walking around town SMP and I came across an Antique Fair at Kelvin Hall. Apparently there’s one held here every month, and I immediately went in to nesting mode. “We should go!” I announced, and we did! :) It’s £1 to get in, a small price I feel. Don’t get me wrong, the majority of it was a bit naf and musty. Also, I know Blu-Ray is apparently da bomb, but I don’t think DVDs can be classified as antiques just yet! But in between some of the car boot sale items were some gems. A beautiful set of 2 decanters in a stand, each with a small silver (or silver plated) placard, one for Whisky, the other for Gin = £15! Bargain! Another gentleman had properly antique Victorian era silverware, and the prices were in the triple digit regions, beyond my limits at this time! There were also swords, funny little instruments and paraphernalia. I think I shall be returning once I’ve got a home to decorate again!

We also went to a “Vintage Market” just off Buchanan Street, and I was very disappointed. It was more the Basement of Homemade Earrings & Soap, with the occasional old T-shirt strewn about. Nothing was what I would call vintage, but SMP and I did enjoy a homemade cupcake made with Oreos, nom nom nom!

I also managed to snap a wonderful shot of Buchanan Street on my phone. We started the day with sun, but then it snowed and then there was more sun and then more snow! When the snow left the street was wet and it reflected the pale light:

I’m not saying it’s a great photo, by all accounts it’s overexposed, but I like it and the effect of the shiny street! :) I love Buchanan Street for it's beautiful architecture and it's giant metal peacock perched on one of the buildings!

SMP also showed me The Lighthouse (http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Visitors/TheLighthouse/). This is down a bit of a dark alleyway, so I was hesitant, but it really is lovely! One of their current exhibits is about community culture, specifically surrounding Britain’s High Streets. It was a lovely display, and it also tipped its hat to Copenhagen and its promotion of the bicycle as a means of inner city transport! It made me think about the changing role of exhibits, and if the display of information and fact can be labelled as art. I think in this instance it definitely can! Another of their floors is permanently dedicated to Rennie Mackintosh, a Glaswegian architect. From this floor you can also go up to a viewing tower. From here I shot some pictures of Glasgow’s city centre skyline:

It's definitely a different sight than Edinburgh's skyline! :)

Despite the fact that it snowed, I think Spring is definitely around the corner and there will be much to do! Back in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Lectures start tomorrow! I’m going to the talk on women in astronomy, and I’m sure it’ll be very interesting (and give me yet another thing to go on about! :P). 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

The Pitfalls of Flat-Hunting

This post isn't as thoughtful and cerebral as I'd like, but I had to share my recent experience!

Flat hunting can be an interesting process. I suppose there are some usual pitfalls, like someone got there before you and the flat is gone before you even viewed it. Or maybe the reality didn’t really match the promises made by the pictures and the description. 

What happened today was a new one on me. Let me tell you a story, dearest readers!

We arrived to The Flat a bit early. I noted some rust on the gate, and how maybe that particular front door wouldn’t be my first choice as a property-owner. The agent arrived on time and opens the doors and finds an activated alarm for which he doesn’t have a de-activation code. “Go on in” he says, looking for his phone for a quick call to the landlord. During the blaring alarm Significant Man Person (SMP) and I have a quick wander, trying to ignore the smell of old person’s flat. Old person’s decor is less easy to escape, but it wasn’t a deal breaker by any means. The kitchen was small-ish, and had an under-the-counter fridge. This is advertised as a two bedroomed property, and I am of the opinion that a halfling fridge is inappropriate in a rental flat for two people. I start to feel not impressed. There’s a room just off the kitchen. At first I think “Ooh, second living room!” but then a dread feeling rises. This is the main bedroom. There are only two other rooms left unseen, the bathroom and the “second” bedroom. While this is an odd layout, I wouldn’t have been overly bothered if it hadn’t been for the fact that SMP and I would have to walk THROUGH the bedroom to get to the kitchen. There is no other access to the kitchen than this supposed “bedroom”. I’ve heard of en-suite bathrooms, but an en-suite kitchen is a bit too much, even for a food-lover like me. 

Okay, so it wasn’t a great flat, I can live with that, but what happened next turned me off completely. Back in the living room the “Property Manager” starts rattling on about how this is gonna go really quickly and they only have 20 properties to let our because, wow, it’s going so fast, you have to get in there, if you like it you can secure it with £250, bla bla bla. Two voices resonate in my head, simultaneously. The first one is The Voice of Arrogance, querying in a sarcastic tone “Is this actually happening?” (usually indicated by me raising my right eyebrow). The second is The Voice of Attitude, and this one is going “Bitch, please” (and is usually accompanied by a raised left eyebrow). Mr Property Manager is trying to stress me in to giving him my hard-earned money! I would like to point out that the property has been listed since the 2nd of February. Oh yeah, Mr Hot Shot, it’s right FLYING off the rack, this ‘un. Please, don’t insult me. I’ve been to more viewings that you’ve had girlfriends, your spiel isn’t going to work on me, especially not since they’re asking £695 a month for it. He asks what else SMP and I are looking for. I advise that we’re looking for 2 bedrooms, unfurnished, around this price range. He offers to show us another flat around the corner, and we agree. Again the spiel begins. “Actually”, he tells us, “there’s a girl flying in from Ireland with the money on Monday, but I told her it’s first come first served, bla bla bla”. He shows us in. It’s a nice flat, nice location, good sun, nice sized rooms, but again, the small fridge. Then it comes; it’s furnished. Hang on a minute, did you not hear me before, Mr Property Manager? And AGAIN with the rush “Yeah, this girl from Ireland, she’s coming in at 9 on Monday morning, but if you want it, just text me, or call me and I’ll meet you in town and get the £250 holding fee”. He even handed me his business card and said he’d call me later. Wow, desperate much?

This is the most appalling behaviour I’ve witnessed in a while. I am NOT forking out my cash for a property I don’t love, or at least like a LOT. And for the second one, come on dude, don’t be nasty! The property went up yesterday, Friday, and there’s someone coming to see it, ready to pay you cash-in-hand on the following Monday. That’s no less than excellent and you’re still trying to rent it ONE day earlier, seriously? You said so yourself that the flat wouldn’t be available to live in until early March, so what's the point?!

A landlord/letting agency duo are not doing me a favour by letting me live in a house, it’s a service that I pay quite dearly for. What happened today has put me off that letting agency entirely. I wish I had the backbone and sass to tell Mr Property Manager where he can stuff his hard sell!

On a more positive note, I have high hopes for another flat closer to town, their staff are lovely and un-pretentious on the phone!

This is really more a rant than a proper blog post, I shall write something less rage-filled in a few days! Thanks for reading and feel free to share tales of doom when viewing flats or houses for sale or rent! :)