If you are one of those people that need absolute quietness when they want to sleep then London is not the place for you. London is always buzzing and the closer you live to a main street or high street as they call them here, the worse the noise level. There is nothing you can possibly do about it. One thing that does stop some of the noise is double glazed windows.

We use to stay on a very busy high street where we had to endure the milkman in the early mornings with his bottles hitting against each other as he made his way down the street or the garbage truck not giving a damn about whoever they wake up. It just occurred to me that we live in a better area now, the street is still as busy but at least I can hear the sound of silence ring in my ears every now and then. You will miss that noise when it is not there anymore, was quite hard adjusting from the other place that was so noisy to this flat.

Something tells me we should add another page on here about what to look out for when choosing your new home in London. There are a few things you’ll thanks us for when making the final decisions as we had a lot of those lessons to learn ourselves.

It is quite alarming to hear about people around me being victims of fraud or identity fraud. The world is not a safe place anymore, people trying to steal from one another without thinking about their consequences. Why would they? They have no idea who you really are; all they care about is taking everything you own.

If you withdraw money from an ATM in Southern Africa, you will need to step into a stall so that nobody can watch over your shoulder when you type in your personal pin number. I have seen none of that in the United Kingdom. Most ATM’s in the United Kingdom is just what they call, a hole in the wall. It is really what it is, a hole in the wall connected to a computer that dispenses money. Some times there are no CCTV cameras around and no protection from prying eyes.

Like I have said, fraud is becoming a big crime in the United Kingdom and anyone can become a victim. You do not need to become a victim if you become more vigilant by holding your hand over your other hand while typing in your personal pin number or by looking around you to see who is watching you. I personally always inspect the ATM before sticking in my debit card to withdraw money. Don’t become a victim by being “stupid” and not protecting your assets.

Look at the two photos of an ATM machine in the United Kingdom. The first image is what an ATM should look like; the second image is the altered machine. We wouldn’t know the difference if people did not put the word out there. Now I ask of you, please be more careful when it comes to trusting people especially when it comes to your finances.

It amazes me how quickly time seems to fly these days or have we become too busy to notice it? Either way, it is that time of the year again where we all pretend to be Irish and drink until the sun comes up, well, some of us. St Patrick’s Day is not just celebrated in the United Kingdom; countries around the world have now made it their own and drink to the occasion even though they have no idea why it is being celebrated in the first instance. St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on Sunday the 16^th of March 2008.

As always, the St Patrick’s Day festivities are going to be big in London this Sunday with a planned parade and festival. People from all cultures in London will eat, drink and be merry all day long. Some brave enough to dress up for the occasion. The St Patrick’s Day parade will start at noon (12) at Hyde Park Corner all the way to Whitehall Place, quite a walk but would be entertaining and fun. If you are not planning on drinking with the crowds then join in the parade as we’ve only ever heard good things about it.

Not up for the parade? Why not go to the St Patrick’s Day Festivals instead? The festival is being celebrated in Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square. You can enjoy a great day out listening to music, meeting new people, fun, food an crafts. This is an event not to be missed in London!