Back in Manhattan - and settling in

I’ve been back in New York for two days and three nights and have achieved the following:

Thursday: So shattered by Geneva trip & NY journey that beat jetlag & wake at eminently sensible 8.30am. Play on internets until 11am. Sleep until 2pm. Rearrange room. Shower. Faff. Plan to run errands. Fail to run errands.

Finally leave house at 7pm. Go to Soho House reception to pick up video camera. Only two blocks away from apt so just about within capabilities. Buy $17 of fruit & veg at local stall to kickstart regimen minceur. Return home. Do not return home as distracted by sign reading manicure/pedicure $20 two seconds from front door. Return home with orange toes and shell pink fingers. Attempt to watch CSI:NY on Hulu. Fall asleep at 10pm.

Friday: Wake at 0430hrs. Play on internets until 9am. Sleep until 2pm. Write blog. Rearrange room. Shower. Faff. Plan to run errands. Fail to run errands. Speak to sister on Skype and watch the dog hunting for me under sofa on webcam. Finally leave house at 4pm with large empty suitcase to collect essential supplies from Chelsea storage container (Heinz Baked Beans, wine, duvet, scented candles, Champagne, kitchen knives, unsuitable footwear, linen, cosmetics).

Upgrade to large container with shelving unit as fed up with shoe collection falling on head when door is opened. Spend many hours unpacking, sorting & transferring possessions to hand trucks and wheeling through labyrinthine corridors. At bottom of container discover results of recent catastrophic flood (caused by employee incompetence). Box of love letters & entire bag of winter clothes (furs, cashmere, leather gloves, cocktail dresses, woollen day dresses, silk lingerie, Wolfords) sopping. Think about weeping. Sort through wet clothes. Finally leave storage container facility in town car at 830pm with plastic sacks of wet clothes & four cases essential supplies.

Spend 30 minutes hauling plastic sacks & essential supplies up five flights of stairs. Work out that this is equivalent of 25 flights at 25kgs a time. Flatmate returns from LA. Offers to buy supper. Immediately ignore sacks of damp clothes, trowel on foundation in attempt to disguise communal jet lag and walk to dinner at Barbuto underneath Industria SuperStudio.

Lovely outside table, animated conversation & stellar people watching over Prosecco, gnocchi with asparagus & peas. Italian version of pot au chocolat (two spoons). Home. Drape damp clothes around apartment. Collapse at 1230am.