On our way home from the city centre one day, we bumped into Craig & Amy Jenkins as we were getting off the tube at Wimbledon Park. They were in a huge rush, so we only got to say hi as they boarded the carriage! We arranged to meet them for drinks as they lived literally 10 mins away from where we were staying at Richard's. After slipping and sliding on the ice in the complete opposite direction, we made our way to the Fox & Hound Pub in Wimbledon Town. We only got there after Craig asked a local for directions! The local happened to use the pub as the landmark for the centre of the small town! It was good to escape the cold as it had been snowing quite heavily for the previous two days! Craig & Amy each had a mulled wine, whilst I had a beer and Zoe enjoyed her favourite strawberry flavoured cider. It was good to finally speak to someone in the exact smae position as us! Craig and Amy are recently married and left Australia to settle in London immediately after their honeymoon in Vietnam! Craig is an accountant and Amy is in marketing. It was good to hear their perspective on life in London and what tips they had heard and tricks they had learned.

What a difference a week can make! After a week of struggling, we found our new London home at 58B Ferndale Rd Clapham North SW4 7SF. We were just about to throw in the towel one night before deciding to call one more potential set of roommates. We arranged an inspection and liked what we saw! The kitchen was small, yet tidy, the livingroom was great and our bedroom was amazing for London standards! We loved it! The roommates were great too! Richard & Mel are a Kiwi/Canadian couple and Nathan & Janelle are Aussies. After viewing the place, we immediately messaged them to say we'll take the place if they accept us! They did and told us that the rent would be 156 pounds per week. This would include Sky & broadband, council tax and water. Gas & Electricity work on a prepay system.

They were so welcoming, that they even invited us to Janelle's birthday party at the Duke of Windsor which is a pub up the road. Many shots of Goldslager and a few beers later, Zoe and I had missed the last tube back to Wimbledon. We were invited to sleep on the couch as a "try before you buy" On the way home, we had a snowfight, but we made it home in one piece. We were scheduled to move in on the 9th Dec.

That morning when we woke up, our heads hurt and we were a bit confused as to where we were. We soon realised and before we knew it, we were on another train to Twickenham to watch the Springboks vs Barbarians with Keagan. The Springboks were demolished, but it was a dream come true to watch a game at Twickenham.

Zoe was offered a phone interview with a large telecommunications company called Cable & Wireless. Her job would involve designing & developing all the training material for the company's staff. The company has offices worldwide and is listed on the FTSE 250. We danced around as soon as we found out that she progressed through the round! Our dance slowed to a stop when we were told she had a face to face interview scheduled for 2 days time. In that time, she had to give a 15 minute presentation on her strategy for the role. This went off without a hitch! They loved her and she was hired! She even negotiated increased pay from what she had originally requested, private health, discounted gym and a range of other benefits.

In the meantime, Alice from Robert Walters contacted me to say that Barclays Wealth would like to meet me for an interview. I was so happy! I practised thoroughly for the interview and prepared for all behavioural/competency based questions. I arrived 15 mins early at the Barclays Building at Canary Wharf. I was dwarfed by hundreds of monster buildings. I definitely didn't need a map to find Barclays. I just needed to look up and follow the sign on the gigantic building. I was greeted by a doorman and walked down a long, red carpet before putting my bag through a security scanner. I was then handed a buzzer and told that it would buzz when they were ready for me! After 15 mins, I brought it to the attention of reception that my buzzer did not seem to be working! I was escorted to the 30th floor to find Hadley Simons (Head of Credit Operations = Europe) had been waiting for me. Not my fault, but it wasn't a good start! I was drilled during the interview and nearly walked out because he would challenge my answers so much! I left the interview extremely interested in the company & the role, but I couldn't gauge his response. Two days later after an anxious wait, I found out that it was positive! They wanted me on their team!

Zoe and I celebrated. Our misfortune was turned on its head this week. To top it all off, we saw the Hoff star as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at Wimbledon Theatre this evening. We were joined by Craig, Amy, Bec and Daisy!

Even better than that, my parents gave Zoe and I the best Christmas gift ever! They are flying us to Bali to spend Christmas with them! I can't wait! Will be so good to see them again!