First Week on the Job

   

Well, I made it through my first week of training at Abel & Cole, and it actually went really well. The people are super nice, which makes all the difference. Steven says that I've become a nut about all things healthy and organic, but it's hard not to argue with their basic tenet of growing food naturally, treating the farmers well, and making the produce available to lots of people for somewhat reasonable prices and always with a smile. Those prices will be more than somewhat reasonable for me, with my staff discount; and I was impressed with my first weekly bag of goodies. Plus, they have an on-site chef who makes gourmet lunches for us, for just £1.10 per day! The bike ride is pretty easy, although I definitely need to install a bike basket soon, and I can't say that I'm looking forward to the rainy weather commute. But I did it year-round in Seattle, so I suppose I'll brave it here.

I'm training with five other newbies, and they are all quite young (no one under 31yrs), which makes life rather interesting. It's fun to have conversations with them about their boyfriends/girlfriends, their time at Uni., their adventures during their gap years, how it is to live with their parents again, etc. And they are all worried about London rent and expenses, which makes me all the more grateful to Robert and Susan for renting us this house at the "mate rate." The whole experience is just so different to my norm, and the novelty is lots of fun, so far. There are certainly plenty of older folks at work, too, so I don't feel totally out of place; there's even a woman from Ohio! Anyway, I'll report more as I learn more (and there is a lot to learn on the job), but all is going well so far.

We also now have a new favorite local pub, which is only a 15-minute walk from the house. It's called the Tooting Tram and Social Club, and it's just that- a converted tram shed with 50' ceilings and gorgeous chandeliers. There are comfy leather couches and funky old arm chairs, an impressive wood bar, old brick walls, and a welcoming vibe. We watched the England match there last Friday night, and will definitely return.