My continued absence from here has been due to our flat-hunting, which was entirely depressing for a while as we found an awesome place and were later completely screwed over by the owner - who didn't reply to our application through the estate agent for a week, to then decide she was going to rent it out to someone who had never seen it but only wanted it for a couple of months because she was undecided about whether she wanted to sell it or not (dumbass, does she even know what a recession is? the flat is going to be worth even less by the time this tenant moves out...). But well, we were quite disappointed for a couple of days, and kept looking, until we found a lovely place which is 10 minutes from our college (so we can walk down whenever we feel like it to see out friends), in an awesome Victorian building... Look!

The photos don't actually do it justice. The kitchen and the living room (which are both in the image above) are actually all one gigantic room, which is going to be our living room/dining room/study, and on top of that there's a very decent sized bedroom (big enough to have a big wardrobe to fit all of our clothes, a double bed, and a big chest of drawers). It's a basement flat but the windows are actually all level with the ground (no limited view), and all you can see are the trees and greenery outside the house. It is oh so pretty!
It also comes unfurnished, as you can see from the pictures, which means we'll have to buy tons of furniture. We have a few things (a couple of small side tables, a two-seater sofa, a tv bench, and a cute small office drawer unit), but definitely not enough for a flat! So a big trip to Ikea will be on the cards... I've spent the last three days planning everything, and I feel like I should make an inspiration board of the kind of look I'm thinking of at the moment...
We're also not moving in until the 2nd of October, when I come back from India We're moving out of here on the 7th of September, and I'm leaving on the 11th - we'll stay with friends for those few days, and then M (who is already working for a consultancy here in Oxford) will stay with people for the duration of my trip to India. I feel guilty about making him live out of a suitcase, but he'll pretty busy with work and it also means we'll be saving some money on rent.
So yes, it is official, we're staying in Oxford for at least another year. This means that after spending the weekend setting up our new flat when I come back from India, I will be looking for work - most likely temping, at least initially.
It feels all very grown up - but it's going to be so much fun! I can't wait to have my own space (a real flat, not one we rent off our college!) to play with. I cannot wait for October to come (it's not like the weather is going to be that much worse anyway... This summer, as usual, has been pretty rubbish in rainy England).
Now I need to vegetate on the sofa for a bit, because I've been feeling like I'm coming down with the flu all day. Sigh.