We made it to Glesga, a farewell with Kate and an anxious start.

As I write this sunshine is pushing through the blinds of my new flat – the bright rays marking the floor with glowing lines. Eliot the cat, who has taken to the different surroundings like a duck to water, is on the windowsill grooming himself and occasionally looks up at the birds congregated on the ledge outside. Darwin is wandering around the living room meowing and calling. We’re a few days in now and he’s only just found his voice. The 7 hour trip in a noisy van spooked him considerably but I think he’s finally coming to terms with the much larger rooms and new sounds from the building.

We made it to Glasgow.

The past two weeks have been a blur – so hectic and busy. My housemate initially headed up to the Scottish city in search of our new abode and found one almost instantly, the contract signed and keys exchanged within days. Packing up the flat in Cardiff was quite a task and due to budget constraints we decided to leave all our furniture behind – even then it was a tight squeeze in the hired van. Amidst all of this I was preparing for my final gig in Cardiff which, as it turned out, was also my last night in Cardiff. I had decided to put together a Kate Bush celebration night with some of my musical friends. The gig was a lovely farewell, we actually had an audience, the music was great and everybody who mattered was there.

The trip up north was happily uneventful and we reached Glasgow as the sun was setting. My new home is located on the second floor of a red-brick tenement building near Alexandra Park in the East End of Glasgow. If you know anything about tenement buildings you’ll know that the second floor is up a copious amount of stairs – needless to say after emptying the van my body didn’t like me very much but we managed it and then passed out on the mattress we’d brought with us.

Glasgow has been my home for a week now and I’m not quite settled in just yet. In fact my anxiety levels are super high right now. I feel like I don’t belong anywhere which is just my nerves talking. The thought of going outside by myself fills me with dread – all my fears seem to be amplified right now but I know these feelings will pass. It’s been a big move, a big change in such a short space of time. I need to allow myself the space and time to get used to it and not be so hard on myself.

We’re having to nab furniture from folks where we can. Managed to grab a free bookshelf from a lovely Canadian lady who, as it turns out, is friends with a band I really like from the city. So far most of the people we’ve met have been lovely. The Glaswegian accent is a lot stronger than I remember from my previous visits, takes a bit of concentration to follow conversations – this probably adds to some of my anxiety. I get incredibly embarrassed if I’m unable to understand what people are saying. Perhaps it’s an English thing – the embarrassment and shame of having to ask someone to repeat what they’ve said especially if it’s accent related.

I am happy to be here. I am excited. The settling in nerves will pass I’m sure.