Address
175 Castelnau (Road)
Barnes
SW13 9ER

An email from Tanya - Wednesday 11th February 2004
The Flat....
Tamara rang and said that she wanted to talk to me.
She had been looking at places to move and found a nice one but wanted a second opinion.
It is a three story house owned by a couple.
You walk in the front door and up stairs to their apartment which is completely separate from us.
On the floor that you walk in the front door on, there are two bedrooms and and a bathroom.
You go down stairs and there are two more bedrooms and another bathroom and the kitchen and dining room and a door out to the garden.
I will still be sharing a room (with Tamara) but it is bigger than the one I am in.
The bathrooms - there is two baths - YAY!
Our room has two single beds, a desk, a fridge and a TV as well as cupboards.
The kitchen is about the same size as the one we have at the hostel for 100 people - and this one is used by just 8 girls.
The kitchen also has a dishwasher and there is a washing machine for us to use free of charge.
There is a landline phone which we can receive calls on and make calls on using a phone card.
The cost of £70 a week inclusive of all bills so there is nothing else to pay but that - no electricity, gas, phone etc.
The deposit is £150.
It is a saving of £14 a week plus about £10-£15 on washing each week.
An extra £100 in my account will be nice.
They want a minimum stay of six months and if we go before then we are responsible for advsertising costs.
It is at Hammersmith...still on the Green Line and we take a bus ride of about 2 minutes from the train station - in the day time and summer we will be able to walk it!
It is really close to the Thames.
Tamara is going away for a month in April so I will have the place to myself while she is away.
One of the reasons I hadn't moved out is because most places want bond of four weeks and a month rent in advance and I just couldn't afford it and travel too.
Also I don't particularly want to be on a lease and have that responsibility!
This way it is cheaper and I am in a nicer place!
I know I will miss the hostel (mainly the people ) but it is only two stops from Earls Court and if I take the tube to work I have to go via Earls Court...
I think it will be faster to take a bus though which will be nice - and cheaper.
My bed is available on 29th February and my rent is paid up to 1st March so it is perfect.
Tamara is moving in this weekend and I will be giving her my deposit to take over with her.
I will probably move on Sunday 29th February.

a map of the area in which Tanya will be living - plus an aerial photo!!!

snowing in the evening (two photos)--- and the next morning (two photos)

her home (two photos) and her room/window

her bed and her room-mate Tamara's bed

desk and wardrobe--- fridge and television

looking towards the bathroom and towards the kitchen and conservatory

the kitchen and conservatory

from the outside---and the inside

looking out through the windows and roof (three photos)

Holy Trinity Church which is across the road (two photos)

daffodils in the front garden (two photos) - April 2004

An email from Tanya - Thursday 21st October 2004
Tamara and I have made some some changes to our room - we had the big desk taken out
So I am going out at lunch time to buy a few things to make it nice - not much but just a couple of things - a light maybe

An email from Tanya - Tuesday 22nd February 2005
Snowing!!!
Happy four degrees day!
That's what the top temperature is meant to be today - and it was just one when I cycled to work today!!
My toes were frozen when I got here but now I compare coldness to Loch Ness and it is almost tropical!!
Riding through Kensington Gardens past the Palace was lovely - there was snow all over the ground
The roads are all treated in Central London so there was no snow on the roads at all
It snowed on me a little bit when I got to work and it is just so pretty
Got some house photos of us all running around last night
and there is meant to be the heaviest snow this afternoon

Tanya, Tamara, Michelle and Renea in the snow (three photos)

An email from Tanya - Tuesday 1st March 2005
Can you believe that it is March already - where has this year gone?
I moved to this house twelve months ago today and Tamara and I reminiced about this last night.
One year together and we don't hate each other!

An email from Tanya - Wednesday 9th March 2005
I just got a call from home and all the electricity is off so the heating is off and there are girls two girls sicker than me and Tamara is home and they can't do anything!!
The landlords are back Saturday but I can't get hold of the emergency contacts and it is just poo!
I'm pretty sure it's a fuse but it's hard to work out on the phone - the girls aren't very technical

An email from Tanya - Thursday 14th April 2005
---A beautiful gold-Topaz bracelet
I received a very nice present on Saturday 12th March 2005!!
A beautiful gold-Topaz bracelet
From my landlords
It was lovely and surprising
They said that a valuation for me to keep was on it's way and it arrived this week
And believe me I nearly fell off my chair when I saw what it was worth - $??? Australian dollars!! (see the valuation below!!)
They have been away on holidays and I have been "looking after the house"
And there had been a few problems!!!
I had a such a hard time with heating and hot water and washing machine problems and hassles with the cleaners etc and it is really really nice to be appreciated with such a lovely present
And by complete accident - it is my birth stone!!
I asked them whether they picked it because of that but didn't and that they just thought I would like it
Tanya

The bracelet (two photos)

......and here is the valuation!!!

An email from Tanya - Monday 25th April 2005