Freedom

Last week I was plagued by illness. The common cold really is cruel! Not only did I lose my appetite, and want to just stay in bed all week, but it also meant I had to spend half of my budget on cold&flu tablets!! On Monday I missed my lecture, I had come down with a cold on Saturday, and overslept Monday morning much to my disgust, as I actually enjoy my Monday lectures! Unfortunately I couldn't stay in bed all day after this happened though, as I had to go into Uni and hand in an Essay that was due that day, so I also used this time to make a trip to the Pharmacy to get some flu tablets...where much to my shock and horror the pharmacist suggested some at a price of £4.99!!!! I think she saw the look of horror on my face and so suggested some cheaper ones at £3.99. I only wanted them for the night time tablets to help me sleep, so after paying for them and going home, I discovered that I had paid £3.99 for only 4 night time tablets, and 12 day time tablets!!!!! And seeing as you have to take 2 a night, they only lasted 2 nights! They did actually work though, as my cold had cleared by Friday and had instead turned into a cough....whenever I have a cough I always wish I was young enough to have 'Tixylix' again...mmmm yummy.

Being holed up inside the house all week not wanting to brave the cold and rain, and only venturing out for lectures, I've felt very trapped. I've been feeling claustrophobic for a while now, maybe it's because this is the longest time I've gone without going back to Perth, for the past 3 and a half years. I just always feel suffocated when I'm back here...even when I do spend all day outside, I still feel suffocated and claustrophobic. Yesterday I realized how much I'm looking forward to getting back to Perth in 5 weeks....I long for the freedom to do what I want when I want, to not have to worry or stress about everyday life. Just to be able to run down to the beach and feel as though I'm sitting at the end of the world...as though at that point in time, nothing else matters. I've always found that as soon as I sat down on the sand and looked out at Rotto and the huge expanse of ocean beyond, I feel all the weight on my shoulders lifting, all my cares and worries disappearing. I can't wait to be able to feel that again! I miss being able to go there and feel it whenever I want. It frustrates and angers me to feel so trapped here, in this huge city, knowing that wherever I go, my worries follow me. I'm a different person when I'm in London, and I hate that person. I want to be me again....to feel alive again, instead of feeling as though I'm just another number in the system, trapped with no way of escaping. I really hope that one day I can move back there, and although I've tried really hard to make a good life for myself over here, I don't think I will ever be completely happy and content with my life until I am back in Perth for good. Despite what everyone says about Perth being too small and there being 'more to do' in London, it really depends on what you choose to do. And at least in Aus there's thousands of miles of open space around it to escape to, beautiful scenery, and the most relaxed way of life you'll ever live. I just long to feel free again. There's no place like Perth.

After expressing my thoughts, lets move on to this week's budget. You may have noticed that I haven't been shopping in supermarkets....that's because the nearest one is a 45minute walk each way...and I haven't had the motivation to walk there, do the shopping, and then walk all the way back...with the shopping...yet. I will obviously have to pretty soon, but it's just so cold! I have a reading week next week so I'll be back home for the week, so I might put that £10 on my oyster card so I get cheap bus fares instead of it being £2 each way! That way I won't have to walk back in the cold with heavy shopping bags. I have a horrible feeling I'm going to have to do this at some point though...so I'm just getting myself motivated for it!

I've had a much healthier week this week, and I've also been taking multi-vitamins every day.

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Budget:

55p - Cornflour - Costcutter

£1.85 - Lasagne Sauce - Costcutter

48p - Bananas - Costcutter

£1 - 2L Milk - Martins

£3.99 - Sudafed night&day flu tablets - Brunel Phramacy
= £7.87

My mum also sent me back to Uni with a couple of yoghurts from her fridge that needed eating up as she had too many.

Diet:

Monday:
Brunch: Yoghurt and Banana
Dinner - Homemade Lasagne: Mince, stock cube, lasagne sheets, garlic puree, tinned tomatoes, lasagne sauce, and half an onion.
Snacks - 2 Jammie Dodgers

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cereal - Blueberry wheats with milk
Lunch - Milk, Banana and blueberry (frozen blueberries) smoothie (homemade) 
Dinner - Leftover Lasagne from last night
Snacks - None

Wednesday:
Brunch - Cereal - Blueberry wheats with milk

Dinner - Pizza
Snacks - Apple (Last one leftover from the other week...they last ages!) and a yoghurt

Thursday:
Breakfast - Cereal - Blueberry Wheats with milk
Lunch - Pitta bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Dinner - Rice and Chicken with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and peas.
Snacks - Yoghurt and a banana

Friday:
Breakfast - Cereal - Porridge

Lunch - Cup a soup

Dinner - At home.

Snacks - None