Hmm, I've been far too slack about updating this - I blame the fact that I have a new job, new home and a whole new city and county to explore! Some readers may remember that, when I left Aus, I hoped to find work in energy/greenhouse management, live somewhere gorgeous and historic and outside London, and maybe get stuck into some live music stuff. So far, I'm three from three!!
After 7 weeks, I finally feel like I'm finding my feet in the new job - I'm working for a government-funded NGO providing energy efficiency advice to companies. For the energy geeks, there are some major differences between Aus and the UK - their power, being part nuclear, only produces about 1/3 as much greenhouse gas as in Victoria and natural gas is nowhere near as commonly used as heating oil. The usage profile is different too - where heating and cooling takes up about 35% of energy use in an Aussie home, here in chilly Britain it's a massive 60%! Massive energy price hikes (some companies have seen their gas bill treble in 2 years) mean that energy saving measures pay for themselves faster. And inexplicably, there's way more interest in wind and solar power than at home. Who'da thunk it?! My big challenge though will be to get my head around co-generation (they call it Combined Heat and Power, or CHP, here)
There's the usual bureaucratic joy, and the occasional mad manager, but the lads and lasses I work with are hilarious fun, good for a pint (or five) after work, and have made me feel most welcome. Plus, having a job that is very strictly 9am-5.30pm (with an hour at the pub for lunch) means I can have a life...
Oxford also apparently has an amazing live music scene, which I must get into. Not only is this Radiohead territory, but apparently it's also renowned for folk stuff, which is also close to my heart. If only one knew where to find it... there are apparently a couple of hundred pubs in Oxford, and it will take some time to check them all out...
I'm eating out a lot. Oxford is wickedly good for cheap ethnic food - my street boasts spanish, italian, polish, japanese, chinese, and indonesian, as well as a choice selection of at least 7 pubs within a 3 minute walk from my door!
The history of this place is phenomenal too, and I'm dying to get myself into Oxford Castle, Christ Church, Blackwell's Books (spread over 5 storeys!) and the Bodleian library, just for starters! More about THAT soon.....
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