It seems that something positive happened about my flat... finally.

We (me and my husband) have re-defined our flat-search strategy. After all the trouble with (non-existent) flats to rent, someone recommended an ad webpage spareroom.co.uk to us. (This website is exactly what it says it is: a place where people find flatmates.) I spend maybe 8 hrs searching for ads and responding, I responded to about 1000 ads, and I got exactly two responses: one negative and one positive. The positive one is a flat with two bedrooms and two bathrooms near the city center, with two occupants in one of the rooms - a couple. Available on Oct 18, so exactly the date I need.

Perfect match? We'll see tomorrow when I go to have a look there.

Honestly, I am panicking little bit less now, and breathing little bit more. Yes, nothing is sure at this moment, and maybe it'll be a disaster tomorrow, but it's at least something. Cross your fingers for me if you can.

Apart from this, I finally allowed myself to do some funny things (probably consequence of the relief...). I decided to have a very British meal today: something you can only put into microwave oven and that's that! I selected 'slow cooked beef ragu and fettucine pasta', 'with real grana padano', 'truly irresistible'. I bought it (£3.5, can you imagine?), brought it home, figured out how to operate the microwave oven (not so easy! We have never had one at home, so I have close to no experience), followed the instructions, and finally enjoyed my meal.

Finally it was not bad at all. There was real meat! (I am not sure this is very healthy though. I am probably not going to do this every day.)

I also found a shop where they sell bottled beer which is of UK origin. (Finally!) In the weeks to follow, I will no doubt have all of them, one at a time. :-)

I also went for a walk around the city. I know already maybe 10 streets - I consider this a success - so I wanted to go somewhere I've never been before. Well, and I like water, so I identified the closest water I could find, and went there. I did not expect much, just something dirty and possibly also inaccessible. Well, I was surprised.

First, I entered 'gay village'. This appears to be a place full of gay bars etc., with rainbow flags everywhere. Good!

Then, I went under a small bridge and discovered a very nice pathway just along the canal. It appeared to end in ca 200 m, but I've decided to go to have a look anyway. It did not end, it just disappeared under another bridge, and a house. When I came to that point, I realized why it looked as an end: because there is lock. Which of course makes a 2 m difference between 'before the lock' and 'after the lock'.

OK, I went under the building (carefully; I am a bit paranoid and do not want to be killed in some stupid way such as being thrown into not very clean water by a psycho) and then further down the canal - and the further I went, the more fancy the place became! Bars, restaurants, nice buildings. It all ended with this - and it really looks like that in reality. The right bridge and the central one are for Metrolink (this is how they call trams here, funny Manchester people). And there are houseboats and fishermen, and fancy houses, and nice places.

I did not want to go back the same way, so I went along river Irwell instead. There are many, many posh places around this river, and a beautiful suspension bridge. (I like suspension bridges. A lot.) And I have finally understood why everyone wants to live in Salford (which is not exactly Manchester, but very close to it, posh, with rents usually higher than in the city centre).

One last remark. I have bought milk today, in a funny plastic container. (Wink for all present or past pre-exam students: guess what, there is a closure for a bottle provided! I immediately recognized it.) We usually wrap milk in tetrapak in the Czech Republic, because the milk is then edible for longer time. Well, whatever, one of the things I'd have to give up is milk in tetrapak. The British people measure in very interesting units, and so I got 1 pint of milk, which equals 568 ml. Isn't it time to leave this silly funny imperial system and use normal units instead?