London Photography - Now on Etsy!

Just a quick blog post to let you know that I’ve now started selling some of my photography on Etsy.

A mixture of photo from different parts of London. From the swans in Regent’s Park to the view of St Paul’s from One New Change.

Take a look here: http://etsy.me/1oU1O9V

Discovering the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

This week, Pete and I went to visit Stratford and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. As it has just opened to the public and is a DLR ride away from our flat, we wanted to go and see the legacy that has been left by the Olympic’s in 2012.

This massive new area of redevelopment has the potential to be a great space for the future. The buildings left by the Olympic games are stunning. I love the Aquatics Centre and Velodrome, both are two standout pieces of architecture.

At the moment, the park feels very unnerving, everything is planned to perfection and there is not much activity. Once the areas of the park settle into their surroundings and the people move into the new flats next to the park, it could be a great place to be. Once all the areas of the park are open and you can wander along the river and canals, it will be great place to visit on a sunny Summer afternoon in London.

Enjoy the photos on Flickr: http://bit.ly/RzFqGv

An afternoon in Blackheath

It’s been a lovely Bank Holiday weekend so far! After a yummy experimental breakfast (recipe for which is here) this morning, Pete and I headed for a wander around Blackheath. This beautiful village tucked away was superb on this sunny spring day.

We explored the shops and then headed for the hills to find a spire that we had seen. This led us to a beautiful private residential street with an array eclectic house.

Enjoy and see more photos here on my Tumblr

London Adventure - Spring is here!

I love this time of year.

As the days become just a little longer and the cold chill of winter becomes a distant memory, the sun starts to shine and London becomes a glorious city.

To celebrate the sunshine, Pete and I headed out for a stroll around London town and ended up in Regents Park. As it was my birthday recently, it was time to get to grips with my new toy, the Panasonic GF6 camera.

Check out a few of the photos below.

You can view the complete set here: http://bit.ly/1ieih69

Exploring London - KERB Saturday

I was introduced to KERB last year when I visited one of their monthly markets at UCLU with some of my workmates, it was great to find out that there was an organisation bringing together the best foodie stalls in London. (Their markets happen at different locations around London, so check out their site to find our year nearest.) I had been planning to visit their market at the Gherkin, but was gutted to see that the City of London had closed it down (Check out this article for more details).

Over the summer, KERB have been holding a series of weekend markets and a couple of weekends ago, Pete and I headed to the last KERB Saturday event at Granary Square near Kings Cross.

The square itself is worthy of a visit if you are in the area, especially as it currently is wrapped in a stunning art installation by Swiss artist Felice Varini and houses some great coffee shops, restaurants and the University of the Arts London (Central Saint Martins).

When we arrived, the square was filled with a huge variety of stalls and vans to please any foodie and a big crowd of people who were stuffing their faces with the great food on offer. After wandering around, trying to decide what to eat, we settled for a devilled pork roll from the guys at What the Dickens? and washed it down with two gin cocktails as it was the weekend. Both feeling rather full, we started to stroll around the square itself and explore the Granary Square site. The whole development is massive and it’s amazing to see it change so much since I was last here in 2012 when I did my evening photography course at University of the Arts London (Central St. Martins).



As we started to crave something sweet, we head back for more food and settled on two delicious coffees from Beanstalk Coffee and hot doughnut bits covered in cinnamon sugar, chocolate sauce and crushed Oreos from the team at You Doughnut! I can’t really explain how orgasmic they were! After munching on our sweet treats and watching the world go by, we both left the event with a huge grin on our faces and stomachs full of food.

If you are a foodie, I would suggest following KERB to see what events they are up to. Or if you are at a loose end one weekend, head up to Kings Cross and explore the area.

Bring on more KERB Saturdays!

Steve

Tips for starting your first home

Phase 1 of my life in the flat will be drawing to a close very soon. After being here on my own for nearly 6 months, it’s time welcome Pete into my home and let the place become our home. I do love living on my own, but I am looking forward to having someone to come home to every (most) nights.

Before the flat takes on the radical transformation from being a home for one into a home for two, I thought it would be worth reflecting on what I did to make this place my home.

Buying a new build has had it’s ups and downs. Downs being lots of little problems that need to be fixed and little things getting rectified by the original builders. Not to mention the massive problems I (and other residents) have been having with the communal hot water system. The system has had some massive problems over the last 6 months. These problems though are to be expected with a new build. Hopefully everything will be fixed and all residents can get on with their everyday lives.

On the up side, I’ve got a huge blank canvas to stamp my identity on. I’ve always loved looking at interior design and used to spend loads of time flicking through the Ikea catalogue as soon as it hit my parents doormat. I used to watch Changing Rooms, Home Front (both versions) and Grand Designs to be inspired by what I could achieve. So, when this blank canvas got handed to me I had to take a step back and make sure that all of my ideas didn’t come spilling out at once. 

I’ve dreamed of this from a very young age as my parents refused to let me decorate my childhood and teenage bedrooms. When I was 15 and I ended up with a dark blue and yellow bedroom (I blame the late 90’s). This has made me very cautious about doing anything too drastic in my new flat.

But, I know for some this can be a bit of a daunting task, so here are a few tips that have helped me along the way.

1 - Keep everything simple

The furniture I chose was very clean, simple and relatively inexpensive. Doing this means that everything you chose can go with it. I’ve always loved a vintage look, but doing a style like this is expensive and takes time to find the right pieces. Once you start on a very stylised path, you can’t really go back. The only strong pattern I have is on the curtains in the living room and cushions on the sofa, which means that I can change it when I need to.

2 - Pick an accent colour

Even before I moved in I knew that the key colour in my flat was going to be green. Once I knew this, I built the rest of the flat around it. Choosing very simple furniture to go with it. My sofa is green, I have a green rug, tea towels, green lamp shades in the hall, green bedspread and even a green watering can. By only using it on a few things means that If you don’t like it after a few years you can always change it. That is also the good thing about Ikea sofas, you can always buy new covers.

3 - Don’t put anything on the walls

This pains Pete, but I haven’t hung any of my pictures on the wall yet. In most new builds they say not to decorate or put things on the walls for the first year. This is so you let the building settle and can get the builder to fix things if cracks appear. I also know that as soon as I put in the first nail, that’s it. I have lots of things leant against walls (very Carrie Bradshaw in her apartment in Sex and City) and am prone to move paintings around until I have decided on the perfect location.

4 - Let things develop and leave space

When I put together my first furniture list I tried to include everything I could. I would've needed a huge budget to buy everything I wanted. So, I sat down and took non essential items off the list and I’m so glad that I did. I have consciously left myself space in rooms, and a few extra pennies, to buy more furniture if and when I need it. Also, if I change my mind and start moving things around, it won’t be an issue.

5 - Treat it as your home, not a show home

It’s great to flick through a magazine and see beautiful homes. But, most of the time they look very soulless. Don’t be afraid to put up and show what you want. It’s your home and no one else's. For me, this means that I have my Daleks, Lego figures and Superman figures on show. I haven’t hidden them away. Make sure you have space to show your stuff.

So just to show you what I’ve done, here are a few pictures of my flat. The before and after. A few spaces, such as the hall and the 2nd bedroom are still in development. This will happen over time. Phase 2 (as I like to call it) is already planned so I will show you more when it happens.

What advice do you have? Have you just moved into your first place. Tell me more in the comments below.

Greenwich I am in you...

It’s very weird to think that I’ve nearly been in my new flat for a month now. Time has totally flown by and I expect that that next time I blink, it will be 6 months from now. It’s been great showing people around! I promise that I will share some pictures when I have sorted stuff out. My favourite comment so far when I’ve shown people around is that is looks like an a page in the Ikea catalogue!

Anyway, with all of the unpacking (nearly) done, the next step is really to discover more about the place that I will call home for many years. It’s time to find the best bar, best pub, best places for a romantic dinner and the best place to take the parents for Sunday lunch, that’s if I don’t attempt to cook it myself.

For me though, I know this area quite well and it holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Greenwich with a couple of friends about 3 years ago. It was the first place I lived in London and an area that I felt so comfortable in. I did love living in Brixton and I would recommend the area to anyone, but Greenwich really had my heart.

One of things I always do when I move somewhere new is start following local blogs and Twitter accounts to really get up to speed with the area. If you are moving somewhere new, I would totally suggest doing the same.

Here are a couple of blogs I’ve started following:
The Greenwich Phantom - http://www.thegreenwichphantom.co.uk/
853 - http://853blog.com/
The Blackheath Bugle - http://blackheathbugle.wordpress.com/

Here is a Twitter featuring Greenwich and surrounding area Twitter account, which I will be adding to over time:
https://twitter.com/originalsteve/greenwich/

Do you live in Greenwich and know some more blogs I should follow? Drop me a note at @originalsteve or post a comment below.

Looking forward to sharing more of my adventures with you soon.

My first flat, Shared Ownership advice...

This is what it's going to be...

The last few weeks have been a pretty amazing for me, if you have read my #deartuesday post you would have seen that I got my mortgage offer. (if you haven't read it yet, check it out here http://bit.ly/UagO47). I've been waiting for over a month for this information now. But, it finally means that I can make progress on my new flat.

In my life I really didn't think that I would ever be able to buy a flat, as you need at least a 20% deposit to get a mortgage, which is a huge amount of money. I never thought that I had been earning enough money to live in London, save some money and pay off the debts that I built up as a student. So buying a flat had always been out of the question.

In July last year I was speaking to my mum about my housing situation. I was living in a shared flat, which firstly was being sold by my landlady and secondly I had a housemate who was going through a few issues that were affecting all of us. I had always wanted to live in my own place and on my own for a while. You know the feeling when you just want a place where you can wander around in your pants, watch the TV you want to watch and do the cleaning when you want to. 

My mum suggested that I take a look at the Shared Ownership scheme, where first time buyers can buy a certain percentage of a property and the rest of the property is owned by a Housing Association. You pay for the mortgage on the percentage you own and pay rent to the Housing Association who owns the rest of the property. For these type of properties you usually only need a 5% - 15% deposit on the section of the property you own. Which it an easier sum of money to save compared to the usual 20%. It would mean that I could have my own place where I could settle down. No one but me could sell the place from under my feet and the money I was spending was not going just going into someone’s pocket, but helping me up the property ladder.

It sounded too good to be true, but I took a look and found that I could get a brand new/newly built flat with a small amount of savings and at an affordable monthly rate. If I decided just to rent on my own, I would be looking at spending at least £1500 a month, but with this, I would be paying much less on a mortgage and rent. The places available usually are in upcoming areas of London and come with a few restrictions, but if you are happy to put up with that, you are all sorted.

So that was it, I visited a few places and somewhere affordable and in a location I was happy with. It was time to save for the deposit, so I moved back in the parents and the rest is history.

If I’ve got you thinking about doing the same, here are my tips to get you on your way:

1. Register with First Steps London (or look here to find your nearest place) and take a look at the properties available

2. Look at the different areas and work out how much you can afford to spend on rent/mortgage every month. Also add about £300 on top for bills, just in case. I made an excel document to track my outgoings and work it out. It was really useful!

3. Look at the required deposits and work out how much you have or can save on what you are on. Also, add on £4000 to the required deposit for legal fees, mortgage costs and for kitting out your new home

4. Take a look at a few places. Get a feel for what is available. Ask lots of questions, the housing association and developers are happy to help

5. Get your finances in order. Reduce your overdraft and pay off any loans or credit cards. The Housing Association and mortage company will look at your finances thoroughly. Most schemes will ask you to speak to a Financial Advisor, which is usually free until you get a mortgage. Again, ask lots of questions and don't be scared to tell them the truth. They want to help you

6. If you find a place you like, find out what the process is and how long it will take. Sometimes you might have to buy off a plan if the place isn't built yet.

7. Ask your friends or family for a good Solicitor. Ask them lots of questions. I was lucky one of my close family relations is a Solicitor. 

8. Lastly, be prepared for extra and hidden costs. This could be ground rent or additional money for other things. Even though this is 'affordable housing' people are looking to make money from you.

Keep following this blog to see what happens next and how the move goes! If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below.

Cheers,
Steve

My week of ponders - W/C 14th May 2012

• I really want to find out more about the art of tea drinking. We now live in a coffee dominated culture and I am fascinated by this ancient past time…anyone got any ideas?
• My pet hate of the week is seeing people walking down the street, still wearing their headphones and trying to talk to their friends…no you can't multi task…it is just rude!
• This would be awesome if it was in London - http://tnw.co/M1bgnT
• Google search - just got a little bit better:  http://on.mash.to/KT1epS
• This is going to become very useful if it actually comes out - http://bit.ly/J79Rcu
• Congratulations to Mark Zuckerberg on becoming a billionaire and getting married! http://on.mash.to/KqkwhC 
• Thats The Hunger Games finished - what a great book! Right, time to download the next
• What a quiet months for good films…fingers crossed for Prometheus!
• Yay for a new drunk kitchen!

These are just a few thoughts that have crossed my mind this week and are no way meant to offend. If you want to discuss these further or want to make your opinion heard, please drop a comment below. 


Thanks! 
Originalsteve

Make Summer Amazing

This week has been glorious, let's just hope that this is the weather will be back in time for summer?!

But, even if the weather is bad, I want to make this summer amazing and I need your help!

I want to pull together a playlist of great summer songs. You know what I mean, those songs that make your want to dance around and throw your hands in the air, that song that makes you smile on your morning commute or that song that would make your evening BBQ absolutely perfect.

Please get involved by adding your tracks to my collaborative Spotify playlist >>> Make Summer Amazing. Why not get your friends involved too, so please share the playlist!

Go on, spread the summer love and #makesummeramazing

Goodbye Greenwich - Top things to do in Greenwich!

 Royal Naval College - Greenwich

Sadly, after exactly a year in this great part of London, it is time for me to wave goodbye as I head to pastures new and start the next adventure. It is amazing to think that Greenwich is in London; people forget that it is only a 10 minute train ride from London Bridge. It features in a big part in London's history and is the place where time begins. The buildings are magnificent and the place has almost had a village feel. For me, it has been a great place to live and (if I could ever afford it) I would love to come back and live here again. Anyway, as I wave goodbye and shed a little tear, I thought I would share what I think are the best bits of Greenwich.


Greenwich Market. Map
Quite a small when compared to some of the markets around London, but it holds some amazing delights. Especially the food section of the Market - it seems like every nationality is represented! For around £5, you can get a brilliant lunch to take away and eat in the park. My favourite has always been the Nigerian chicken stew with bean bread. IT IS AMAZING.

Greenwich Park - Greenwich

Greenwich Park. Map
One if London's most beautiful parks at any time of day. Head up to the top of the hill to find some amazing views of Canary Wharf and the city. Stroll through the windy paths, find yourself at the hidden Rose gardens and find the first bath in London! I used to run here on Spring mornings, chill and stroll through at the weekends or even go back on a summers evening to see the laser showing you where time begins. Also, have a look at the Queens House! It's stunning!


The Royal Observatory. Map
Situated in Greenwich park is this little free attraction. Wonder around and find out more about time! Also, book tickets and go to the plantetarium, it is the only one in London!

Royal Naval College - Greenwich

Royal Naval College. Map
The buildings are magnificent. I often used to buy food in the market and bring it here to enjoy in the sun. Have a look at the painted hall and head over to the chapel. Or even just sit there and watch the Thames go by on a summers day.

Painted Hall - Greenwich

The Greenwich Union. Map
One of my favourite pubs! A very chilled and relaxed atmosphere, it serves it's own brews and does an amazing Sunday roast. It is tucked away from the main part of Greenwich, but worth a visit!

So if you ever find yourself with a free weekend, just jump on a train and go a visit Greenwich!

Give it a little wave from me. :)

Great little place: Brick Lane.

I have been to Brick Lane a couple of times before, but to be honest, it was quite a blur. About 3 years ago I went to the Truman Brewery for an awards ceremony, ended up getting a little tiddly and the last thing I can remember was being in one of the Indian restaurants at 2am drinking with some people.

The second visit was 2 years ago. A friend of mine worked near there and I met him for dinner. We haggled our way into one of the Indian restaurants along the lane and had a great meal.

But, it was time to take another look. With a sober head on and some great company, Saturday was the time to go and explore this area in the daylight.

A couple of people had said to be that it was a great place to visit, especially as it has a buzzing market according to different web reports, but these markets are only open on Sunday. Even though this was the case, my partner in crime and I, thought we would take a look.

Stepping off the train at Shoreditch High street, you realise you are entering a cultural hub of the cool and trendy. After a bit of wandering around in the wrong direction (nearly heading to Hackney) we found ourselves at the north end of Brick Lane.This place is urban cool at it’s best!

Vintage and branded fashion boutiques line this end of the street, as you wonder down, you are greeted by the old Truman Brewery, a vast brick building, housing some great shops, bars and gallery's.

With our tummies rumbling, we headed to the Big Chill Bar for a diet busting burger and chips. I have to say this bar was great,with friendly staff and good priced food.

As you carry on down the lane, you find yourself in the curry district. Each restaurant trying to persuade you to eat there. It was quite cool.

We came away feeling like we had been on a great adventure.

I will defiantly be heading back there sometime soon and if you get a chance to go, go. Even if the market is not on, go and have a wander.

Always good to find a great little place!

So, the cafe around the corner from my house has just re opened after a 2 month refit.

I had only been in once before on the way to work before it closed. It was small, but did coffee and greasy spoon style breakies.

But after if 2months away, Baba's (near Greenwich station) is back with more space and a new lick of paint. A big full English (sausage, egg, bacon, beans, mushroom, toast and bubble&squeak) WITH COFFEE, will only set you back £5.50! Bargain!

I think I know where I will be going for my weekend hangover cure! :)

Places to visit...British Library

I needed to get some work done on #deartuesday so I headed here.

It's a great place to vist, some cool exhibitions and an extraordinary building.

I went for the free wifi, work space and coffee. It's a busy place, full of students doing the same thing as me. But I found a place to set up shop.

I would recommend going if you need a bit of space and some where new to work. Wifi is quite slow due to the amount of people using it but it's nice not to bs in the office right?

I ♥ Greenwich Park...

An amazing autmnal day in one of London's most beautiful parks!

What could be a better place to eat delicious food from Greenwich Market on a Sunday lunchtime with my boyfriend?

3 reasons why I miss London..

As many of you who follow me on Twitter know, I have spent the last week and a half on jury service. Following my tweets through the boredom of waiting around to be called, and the joys of finding out I wasn’t needed for 4 days! Whatever anyone says, it’s not the greatest time of your life. There are plenty more things I would like to do than sit around in a waiting room for 2 weeks.

In order for me to enjoy this joyless life experience, I’ve had to come home to my parents house in order to serve. Yes, before you say it, it has been nice to see them and hang out with my brother and sister. But, all in all I miss London!
Here are 3 reasons why...

1 - Public transport and walking. 
Yeah, I know this seems a bit of a weird one. I am lucky to have the luxury of a car when I’m at home, but driving can sometimes take it’s toll. I’m not exactly in a remote area, but the transport isn’t great, so you have to drive everywhere! Yeah I get from A-B quicker, but you have to concentrate. Sometimes it’s nice just to day dream on the train or even take that stroll in the rain through Carnaby Street. Petrol and parking can be expensive!

2 - Good Coffee. 
For me, the best place to get a coffee is to drive into town, even then it’s just another one of those chain places. Working in Soho, there are good number of good independent coffee places to go, try and use their wifi. All in walking distance of my office....maybe I’m just a little spoilt in London...

3 - Saying “I know that great little place”.
When I was 18, the town where I’m from had a great little night life. I would spend most weekends on a Thursday/Friday/Saturday night out on the town with my friends. Now, when meeting up with local friends, I have to pause before answering the question, thinking...’Is that pub still open?’, ‘Do they actually do good food?’ Most of the time you get stuck in chain places as they're the only safe places.

I hope it’s not coming across that I’m having a rant, I feel very privileged to have a job and live in the great city. It’s a place I’m still exploring every weekend and I don’t expect to know it for many years to come. I also hope that I’m not coming across like one of those Daily Mail journalists who moved out of London to life in the country and moan constantly about not living in London.

Some times it’s the little things I miss...but hopefully I will be home in the mother city soon, if I don’t get a case that lasts 3 weeks!

Getting stuck in London...

What do you do? It's 3:30 am, you've had an awesome night, a few drinks and have spent the last 3 hours dancing to some cheesy music. Really enjoying the Spice Girls medley the DJ played...oh wait, maybe that’s just me...

Anyway, your a useful London person and you iPhone is full of apps. The tubes have stopped running and you know the only way home is a night bus or a cab. Checking your London Bus app you realise that its going to take you about 2 hours and 3 changes to get home. Do you really want to risk getting a bus to Elephant and Castle at 3:30am and knowing you are going to have to use your iPhone...muggers are going to love you.

So you think about how much you have spent that night and chat to your companion about what to do next... I don't want to spend 2 hours on a night bus and I've got enough to half a Taxi home, but can only really afford £15. Your companion, who can see your a little bit stressed pulls over the nearest cab...How much is a cab to Greenwich from here mate? £50 the cabbie replies and drives off. You're stuck...

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago, it had been a great night out. My bf and I had travelled to Clapham for a friends leaving do, he was off to Australia and we had spent the night in the Two Brewers. We were wishing my friend good luck on his travels, having a bit of a boogie and hanging out some of our new Twitter mates who also were there. We had an awesome night! Yes the Spice Girls bit was true too, I forgot how many words I remembered from there medley of hits! It made me want to dig out my albums...but I resisted when I got home.

Anyway, I was really stuck. I really didn't want to have to be waiting for a bus at Elephant and Castle or even New Cross at that time in the morning, I didn't want to become a statistic. That cabbie was definitley taking the piss as well, I mean £50...what was he thinking we were, a pair of mugs!

Luckily I remembered something I had read during the week. Being a bit of a Twitter addict (as you know) and being really interested in the local services using Twitter to benefit the community I had read about a London cab service, @Tweetalondoncab. I had followed the service during the week after reading an article in the Guardian and thought I would give it a go, even though it was 3am and I was in the middle of Clapham. All you have to do is follow the service and send them a DM with your request. So I did...

After thinking all hope was lost and constantly refreshing the Twitter app on my iPhone I got a message saying that a cab was on it’s way and that it would be £25...genius I thought, this has even saved me a little bit of money.  For safety they tweeted me the cab number plate, colour and the cab drivers name. It's too easy in London to get done by a mini cab service that I didn't want to risk it.

5 minutes later, our cabbie turned up, we jumped in and had a really nice journey back to Greenwich. He was a lovely driver, very happy, chatty and even more happy to talk about the service. It was strange in London to find a cabbie who actually wants to talk to you and be friendly, we were really lucky.

Arriving into Greenwich, he capped the price off at £25 and even dropped us to the door!

So, the next time you are stuck in a strange part of London and you don’t want to jump on that scary night bus, tweet a London cab! :)