Bit of a snow and life stops

Ohmy, almost a whole month passed since we last wrote anything. Time really flies when you are having fun, doesn't it?

Fun? Is this your definition of fun. Holy moly. I would better go off and find another friend who at least drinks sometimes.

I do drink! Remember that lovely pear cider Eili bought? I've got some of that and it is the best alcoholic drink I've ever had.

Sure. 4,5% and you got drunk and fall asleep just after half-a-bottle.

We went to the sea too, that was fun!

It was fcking cold, windy and half deserted. I got no idea what Eili likes so much about the sea. It's just a big tank of salty water. I like Ark better anyway, he likes coffee and warmth.

Yup, Ark has arrived too last Friday, it was such a day!

Hahaha, yeah, we have seen them running to catch the bus. The Victoria station in London is big indeed, but how couldn't they find each other. That was comical how she was running up and down totally panicking there.

She was tired, so was he. He was fighting with the stupid German flat owners and she was helping to her friend with the financials for two days before that. Leave them alone, ok?

Whoa, look at that, what happened with Lina, she's totally frustrated. Hasn't got enough cake?

Sssh, she's panicing about the car!

Heh, I can believe that. They've got a car and she will drive it, that's enough for everyone to panic. Just for your information: no way I'm sitting in that car when it's moving. Absolutely no way.

Not even if we go around to explore, instead of sitting in the window all day?

Forget it. Prefer watching the snowfall sitting in the wet, cold window than risking my life in that car.

The closest thing to home

So, we are finally in Bristol, got our room, packed away everything and listening to the rain. Perfect time to start broadcasting again.


Time has passed since we have last written anything, but the end of December/start of January was uneventful: vacationing at full speed while watching Battlestar Galactica...

Man, that was awful, I don't get it how could they watch 7-8 hours of it daily. And you Albert! Traitor!

... I was saying Battlestar Galactica, cooking, eating and not thinking about the whole "yaywearemovingtoanothercountry" thing. After Bonn we spent a couple of days in London when we didn't see too much of her was just running around, to and from banks, shops.

I didn't even understand what was happening.

Why doesn't that strike me as a surprise?

But now we are in Bristol already, arrived yesterday and we even got a new friend, Polly.


Geez, how many new friends are we going to get? First Lina, now Polly. I already feel like in a zoo.

I like Polly. She's huge and warm. And warm is nice.

I don't even remember what the word warm means. This house is like a fridge.

Well yeah. So about heating here: the heating (and warm water) isn't on all day, only a couple of hours in the morning and then some in the evening. We actually tried to fix that, unfortunately no success so far.


During the day the house gets cold and all you can do is drink mugs and mugs of hot tea, dress up really warm, wrap yourself up in a blanket and hope not to freeze.

I'm so afraid she will catch cold like this. Or the flu. Or pneumonia. Or..

Stop it, will ya? She'll be fine. I'm more worried about us.


Well John, you can also try to hug the kettle:)

Aye, lucky I'm not hooman size.

But the house and the room is pretty nice.

And cold. As: COLD.

Stop whining, we will get over this. Look at Eili: she's trying to keep her spirits up, taking care of exams and job centres and Hungarian tax authorities while she could sit down and whine about being alone like her toothbrush in the bathroom.


So keep up guys and keep your hands warm: she really needs us now.

We have got a fan!

Look guys what a fellow guildie of Eili's and Ark's made. It's gingerbread us!


Does it count as cannibalism if I'd like to eat myself??

Christmas in pictures

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Lazy chaps, mince pies and hammocks

It's your fault.

Most certainly it is not.

Yes, it is.

Not that you don't like sitting in the cooomfy hammock and relax, do you?


Guys, guys, guys would you stop that please? We are here to tell everyone what happened in the last two weeks, not to argue about who's fault is that we got lazy. So who starts?

Albert.

Why always me?

Guys!

Oookey, I'll do it then. So we were in London and then when they decided to move to Bristol we went there and then flew to Bonn. And she didn't buy us any ice cream at the airport. Content now?


Nah, not really.

Sorry, been reading back where did we stop writing. So on Sunday-Monday (14-15th) we went to Bristol to scout. It was very very tiring but interesting, I've never seen seagulls before.

Especially not in a city centre.

I liked Bristol, it seems a fun, and above all a safe city. And people were nice. And there is even a street called Christmas Stairs!


It isn't too big nor too small, but the buses are...hm what would be the right word for it..?

Terrible? Outrageous? Totally crap?

Nah. John, you have to admit it isn't that bad.

I am not admitting anything.

Yes, they are late sometimes, or too early...

..never in time...

...but they are pretty clean and the drivers were helpful. And there are Starbucks with mince pie!

Ohh mince pie. I miss mince pie.

I don't.

So back to the storytelling: we were staying in a Youth Hostel, with a Christmas tree and loaaads of people. I've never slept in bunk bed before, just wish he picked the top bed, not the boring lower one.


We could have fallen down if we'd slept up there!

We also walked an awful lot in the two days: looking for a room isn't that simple and Bristol's size combined with the unreliable bus times plus weekend timetables made it even harder. We have checked out some rooms.

Nah, let me talk about this Albert, because I'm sure you would try to put a nicer face on the whole roomfinding matter. So we started to go around on Sunday afternoon checking out double rooms wich we found on the net (easyroommates.com is a cool site btw). The first was at the city border, just by the river. One bus goes there every half an hour. The room was terrible.

It wasn't.

It was a bit crowded.

A bit? Basically there was a double bed in it and you could stack 2 persons in and it would have been full. And we would have lived with two chinese girls we could hardly understand what they were saying for christ's sake!

Ok, ok, you are partly right, it wasn't the right room for us.

The next one was nice though.

Yeah, I still think they fucked it up pretty nicely not choosing that. I mean brand new kitchen with a dishwasher! A nice, big, bright room! A fair bathroom! And all around the clock heating and hot water. They made a terrible, terrible mistake!

Naah, she's right John. That room might have been nicer, but it does matter who do you live with. And Gemma seems a nice girl. With such a beautiful name!

So after John's dreamroom we have seen another one, doesn't even worth to mention, and another on next day with a nice landlord. But the winner was the very last one....
.....I still think it's a mistake.....

...just at the border of the city, near to a huge park with a river. The room is ok, not great but ok. The 31 yo landlady is renting one room out of three. She's living in (mistake mistake) and smokes, so smoking is permitted in the conservatory.


He really should stop smoking, I totally disagree with choosing an accomodation to make him smoke easier.

The main reason they decided on the favour of this one is the owner: she and Gemma laughed a lot in that 40 minutes she was there and she said:

"Maybe the other room is greater but you migt live there with jerks. The people you live with are more important."

Well, you have to admit, she is right.

I just hope Gemma won't turn out to be a serial killer. Lina would be devastated, ehehee.

John, is this the christmas spirit?

It's not christmas yet. I can still be nasty for a day. Or two.

So, we'd found a room then got back to London for a couple of days, sent all the translations and documents what were needed to be sent and headed to Bonn to spend Christmas here.

Yeah....with the drunken bear and his stupid stories.

Nose deep into srs bizns

I still think it's a very very bad idea to give her a driving license!

But she's already got one John.

Yes, but that was Hungarian. This is going to be British! Does left side driving tell you anything? I surely won't set my foot on the streets once she starts to drive here.

They were talking about getting some driving lessons, didn't they? I think it should be fine.

Also, she said they need to license for the bank account what I don't really understand. Why do you need to drive to be able to put your money into the bank?

You can have a gas bill too, hehehe, but sure they don't have one! Why would they? If you have just arrived to London you can't open a bank account! You need to prove your address with a driving licence. Or a gas bill. Guys maybe we could forge some gas bills and sell them on the black market for the new arrivals?

Anyway I'm really happy the DVLA actually got her documents and even sent back her ID card so fast, just in 4 days.


And she has already enrolled to that CIMA thing too...

Yeah, another risky action on her side. She as a qualified accountant..hahaha I don't see that happening any time soon.

Why? She's qualified in Hungary..

Yes m'dear but this is England...

And luckily lot of things are easier here than back home. And some others are way more complicated. I kind of like this informal system they use here for ID and authentication. It's based on trust and trust is a good thing.

Until you get betrayed of course.

Look at the bright side: they accept her translation as certified as long as someone else signed it, stating that is the truthful version of the original. You couldn't really pull that off in Hungary, could you?


Naaah, there you need a couple of stamps, seals, fancy translation by a state monopoly and pay loaaaads of HUF for it.

Ok guys, you go back to the transcripts translation.


I'll help her find a room. I'm already so excited about the Sunday-Monday trip to Bristol. Ayayayayy so many things can go wrong.


Lina, you better get a nice, warm and sunny one, with a pool. And palm trees. And half naked Princess Renis.

Pfff John, dream on. You'll have to be happy with internet in the room and normal flatmates. Oh geez, what if one of them is a pervert? Or a serial killer? This won't be easy, won't be easy at all.

Adventures!

So here we are, just ready to leave to our first City visit. John is not excited at all (or at least he claims not to be) but I'm soo eager to go and see London!

It's just a city Albert, what's the big deal? Loads of hoomans around.

And toy shops, let's not forget the toy shops! I hope they will get us to see some of the toys here.

Us three before leaving

The first toy shop we visited

Just look at the time!

That's very deep, look out!

Ok, so I'm confused. Where do we want to go now?

I'm not scared of horses. Or funny hats.

Toy Heaven!

They must be really bored sitting there all day.

All sitting tired in Hamley's coffee shop.

It was such a tiring day, all this "Look left and right" in totally wrong places, walking around a lot, hunting for presents and trying to find our way. I'm glad She and He could keep up with us!
They did look tired too, not doing anything for a whole day after the trip! And He is leaving us on Monday, going back to Mr. Bear's place.

But the good news is they at last (again!) decided about where to move.

John, you have to admit, it's a tough decision to make! And I like Bristol.

You have never been there. What if it's full of serial toy bunny killers?

Don't worry I'll look after you guys!

Ange Lina

Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys! We got a new friend! She's snuck on the plane in a red wrapping paper and by the time we got here we already befriended each other.

Well, you did. I didn't even meet her, she had the privilege to travel first bag and not in the handbag like me.

John, please let's not start that discussion again...

Hey everyone, I'm Lina, a Guardian Angel responsible for everyone here. I already see it won't be an easy task! He smokes! She's clumsy! John is sarcastic and gets lost every day and Albert doesn't see any danger around! What if we get lost while in the city? What if we fall on the stairs? This big place is so perilous!

Candies and keys - arriving to London

John, I'm sorry to say but it's all your fault.

PHmmhhppf. How on earth would it be my fault? She was a jerk.

John! You were the one who decided to go around in the bag exploring because you thought she's hidden the christmas candy on the bottom.

And there it was indeed! I was right!

Yeah but you missed all the journey this way. You might have stolen some candies but I've seen the plane, London from above in the night, the airport.

Blahblahblahblah....Man, she was stoopid enough to forget the keys in her pocket and had to run back to meet her sister and get re-checked at the airport. Removing her boots twice! I'm sure She hated it, ehee ehhe.

Now you are just being mean.

Whatever. I'd rather go and try to fix the camera so we can post some pictures than continuning this conversation here.

Yes, yes lets go. Also, Dear Readers we are going to have a surprise guest blogger soon (As soon as John finds a way to fix the camera.)

Moving, mess and pralines

Wooho, big day!

Yeah, of course it's big. The flat just got too small with all these people around here. It was so nice and quiet until now.

I like them! Her sis is preeeeetty and the fiancée is funny. And all the interesting stuff they brought with them! Hey look at that! A TeeeeeeVeeeeee!


It isn't working. And look at the mess. We just can't move around at all, can we? And look at the jungle they made of our favourite place!


John, I'm more worried about She and her packing. Sitting in that suitcase isn't too comfy.


Bah, don't worry, She wouldn't dare to put us there. We might even travel in her pocket, now that would be exciting. Anyway, lets talk about how are we going to sneak into the kitchen in this mess to eat up all the pralines our new flatmates brought?

Pssst, John! I've checked, the kitchen is all cleaned up by now and the chocolate is hidden on the top cupboard: we can just climb up the chair, then jump to the drawers, use the windowsill to get to the toaster, climb the microwave and eat up all we find!

Hic sunt dracones

False Fact No1: The recruitment agencies are to help you.

The recruitment agencies claim that all they want to do is to assist you in finding your dream job, the one you are the best for. They will consult you and advise you and herd your jobseeking sheep into a safe port of employment.


That's a bit of a mixed picture there John. Literally.

That's all wrong. The employment agencies want to earn profit, like the Ferengies.

Yes, we are definitely watching too much Star Trek DS9 nowadays.

All they care about is the money money money what they receive from the employer. They are called Client, you are called jobseeker. If they think you are even a small, tiny, itsy-bitsy, wee, little risk of making the Client discontent with your CV being presented you suddenly simply don't exist. You don't get any feedback from them. Nothing. Nada. Niente.

False Fact No2: The recruitment agencies are aware of the current Europen Union members and regulations.

This is how agencies seem to think: everything what lies further than The Isles is like "Here be dragons".


Hungary (and Poland) is a vicious far-far away country where higher education and work is not existant. In that place, where dragons rule you eat chocolates at work all day, don't have any responsability and naturally not one dragon talks English so they can't give you a valid reference. Face it: outside the UK there is no life. At all.

False Fact No3: Whoever goes to work for a recruitment company likes to work with people.

Just like teachers. Ever had a terrible terrible teacher who hated kids and found them the major obstacle in doing their work well? Most of the recruitment agents don't like to be directly contacted or bothered with applications. Send your CV and they will read it. Or not. You don't have UK experience? Oh well, tough luck buddy.

False Fact No4: All the agencies are rude.

Nah, there are some nice ones actually. But they don't give a shit about you either, they just communicate it nicely.

Moral of the story: if you have seen the same advert from 5 different agencies on the main job sites go to the local newspaper's online version and will find the company's ad with the same text and apply there. You have way more chance to get any feedback.

John, this wasn't a story. And that's no moral either.

Princess business

I feel so sorry for the comfy coach and armchair She sold this weekend. I know there is no place for it now, that Her sister moves in with that even more comfy and soft and luvly coach, but I still miss the old one. We sat there so many times with John.

I hated the flowers. It was girly. And ugly. And John doesn't have time for fuglies.

I know they liked it too, at least they liked to sit on them. She regret selling it so cheap especially that we know who bought it.

Hahaha, ok, that's hilarious. I mean Princess Reni! And her footmen!

Shh, let me tell the story: so, many people wanted to get their hands on the comfy sofa but the fastest girl was Princess Reni. Surely it isn't her real name, but on the community site she does have this nick and even advertise it. Also she works for a model agency


Yeah sure, model agency...

and has all kind of photos on her user page. And she didn't come to get the sofa but sent two footmen of hers to pack and carry and drive.

Well, to tell the truth I wouldn't mind being sold to that princess....ehhe...ehhe.

Is this thing on at all?

I'm so proud that She asked us to broadcast about Their moving! We can write all about it and She said if we do it well we can continue after arriving to London!

Yeah but of course She hasn't got the time just running around all day then sits down and whines, isn't She? It's far, no sun, always rainy, no work, yay what are we going to do blahbla blah... Or cries. Or laughs. She gives me headache. I think she's getting crazy, shouldn't we call the ambulance?

Sshhh, don't be nasty! He just went away after They already packed half of the flat, we have seen the boxes, didn't we? We surely are going now! So exciting, we are moving to the UK next Wednesday!John is of course all sceptical but I'm sure we will enjoy ourselves, UK is such a great place. I mean in a country where the shops are full of Cadbury Cream Eggs at Easter must be a good one. Also I trust Him and Her: they really care about us, no way we would end up in a bad place.

If you say so...I'm still not convinced! They have eaten all that Truff...el..le..t thing They got from Their friends without leaving us any, didn't They?

Albert of course thinks everything is just fine. But after packing and taking away half of the boxes and stuff He got his big red suitcase (a.k.a. valigia) and vanished today evening. I think it's suspicious at least. Maybe He went to blow up that UK place.

He must have gotten back to that place where that Old Bear is and where we generally sit with the books and the weird fan. I still don't really understand this whole thing They call moving. Does it mean we will all live together? No more flying to and fro, sometimes to the Bear place where He talks that ugly language, then back to Her where we can finally move all around?

Well, They move together smartie. That means They want to do all that weird things They do together....

Yeah, like those moon shaped cookies we saw yesterday! I wouldn't mind Them doing that every day!... and got bored with all that sitting on airplanes (I tell you, hoomans just shouldn't fly, leave that for ducks) and honestly, I got bored with that old bear. He's half deaf and all he can talk about is some puppenwagen whatever that is. Also I heard that She got fired, that's why they are moving. Wouldn't wonder if it turned out that She messed up something really badly.

Naaah, you know that isn't true!
Anyway I'm getting tired. Again, how many sleeps till we move?

9 if we go to bed now.