Observations on the Winch'

Winchester et al
Originally uploaded by ambroseneville.

So, as promised, this blog post turns to my new city of residence (for the next year, at least), Winchester.

I've now been here for a few weeks, and feel that I've mostly settled-in, although I have spent an inordinate amount of time sitting on trains between here and various places (London, Portsmouth, Littlehampton), due to rehearsal or gig commitments, so I still haven't spent *that* much time in my new flat. Don't worry though, I have been at least a bit productive in the time that I have had at home - I completed Batman Begins on the Gamecube the other night whilst eating my way through a big bag of monkey nuts.

The building I'm living in is pretty spectacular (pictured above) and I have a spacious studio flat within it, which has a fair whack of storage to accommodate all of my equipment and boxes full of stuff I've not sorted through for a few years. Something tells me that when we get married, I'm going to have to lose a lot of my old copies of Sound on Sound.

The time I have had so far in Winchester has been pretty good. I like the city a lot, and I work right in the city centre, which means that Naomi and I are able to meet for lunch most days of the week, which breaks up the working day pleasingly. On top of that, I am within 15-minute walking distance of work in the mornings, which is really convenient, and gives me the excuse for a brief exercise each morning and evening. The road that I walk down to work has two notable features. One is that it ends at the Rail Station and the Railway Inn (Winchester's most notable live music venue). I've not yet been to the Railway for a gig because the majority of bands they have put on while I've been here appear to have been of a pretty unremarkable standard (I'm judging this, by the collection of truly horrendous band names I've seen advertised). but I do intend to head down as soon as I see something decent chalked-up on their blackboard. The second thing I've noticed about Stockbridge Road is that there are loads of unsecured wireless networks. It's a Wardriver's dream. However, now I no longer have a laptop (I took a refund after PC World failed to bother to fix my iBook over a 10-week period!), I guess it's not so important for me. But still cool. I'm very much of the belief that people should share out their broadband, as long as noone is abusing it.

The tourist season in Winchester is just starting to take off, and they've been running this big Da Vinci Code cash-in exhibition at the Cathedral, so I can see there's going to be a lot of people traffic in and out of the centre this Summer. Today won't be quite so busy, because it's freezing and has been raining cats and dogs, but that's not been the norm. Actually, getting outside for an hour or so each day in the sunlight has been pretty welcomed over the last four weeks; it really helps to keep my concentration going through the working day.

The new job is going reasonably well. I'm a little nervous that there won't be anything for me to do once the real incumbent of my post returns from her maternity leave, but as always I think that'll be in the lap of the gods. While I'm here I'll do my damndest to make a good impression, anyway.