A Practical Post (and Other Things)

A foggy day in London-town.....

Actually, did you know that London rarely has fog? Times like this in early morning are somewhat common, but almost never during the day. Drizzly, yes. Smoggy, yes. But neither of those make for such a pretty song, now do they?

And They Said it Wouldn't Last...

As of yesterday, we have officially been on English soil for 2 months now! Its kind of crazy to think about how much has happened, how much we've learned, seen, changed. But in other ways, nothing has changed. It's like any other move: settling back into your normal life and routines. The places and details may change, but the general life stays the same: relationships, conflicts, growth, tiredness, good days, bad days, movie nights, dinners out, leftovers in the fridge... you know, life.

I thought I'd write out a few things about practical life in London. When I was planning to move, I tried to be as over-prepared as possible (blame my mom for that gene!), and I Googled "life in London" over and over looking for info. So now that I'm actually living here, I thought I'd write about some of the practical daily differences, before I adjust and consider them normal. Maybe someone else can benefit from my learning.

The Tube, etc.

So, first thing: everything takes longer. Yes, it's London, and in some ways, life moves fast. If you sit and watch, people rush past, busses whizz by, planes fly overhead, and tubes move silently beneath the surface. But in actuality, getting anywhere takes forever. I live in Islington, which is a central borough convenient for getting about. I also have an app (CityMapper) that is brilliant for finding my way. I type in an address, and it gives me options for busses, tubes, walking, cycling, taxi, catapult, or jetpack, (yep, its cool), along with the travel time, charges involved, and calories burned (equivalent to .6 packs of pork scratchings, or something similar). :-) I love this app. But still, it takes a while. Example: Greenwich is only 11 miles away, but it takes at least an hour to get there by public transport. Tubes are fast, yes; but they stop a lot. Imagine if you drove across town and stopped at every gas station you passed. Yep. Slow. So I keep underestimating my errands. It'll get me in trouble someday.

Shopping

Also, shops here are different. In America, we have Walmart and Target, where you walk in, buy everything you need, and leave. Not in London. In the city, everything is specialized. You have the hardware store (DIY shop, as its called), the clothing shop, the pharmacy, the grocer, the shoe shop, the electrics shop.

So your short shopping list: band-aids (plasters), socks, a lightbulb, and milk... is four separate stops. :-P It takes some walking.

Oh, and you get keys made at the cobbler. Don't ask me why.

Second-hand Living
You can get second-hand items, which I like, as most of my home has always been furnished by Goodwill and Craigslist. They have charity shops (thrift stores), such as Marie Curie and Oxfam,  but they're pricier than most Goodwills.
Online, Gumtree is like the English Craigslist (Craigslist is available, but filled with a lot more junk and inappropriate content). We keep the search field local, but still, pick-up is hard without a big car. People give you funny looks when you carry a dining table down the sidewalk, or wheel a sofa on a trolley (dolly) for half a mile.
And getting a taxi that could fit this armchair (which was admittedly, out of our region) may or may not have doubled its original selling price. :-p Good thing it started out cheap!

My poor husband is a trooper with all my online shopping shenanigans, but I figure we'll eventually run out of room..... right? 

I'm learning and adjusting, and I think someday I'll get the hang of it. After all, its only been 2 months.

Miscellaneous-ness

Yes Mom, I know that's not a word.

So, I thought I'd just catch ya'll up on the little things I see along daily life that I haven't made into full posts. My poor husband has to deal with my people- watching obsession and play along when I suddenly pull him in and whisper "Holy Cow! Did you see that grandma?! She was wearing 4-inch platform heels!" (No joke, btw. Couldn't catch a picture (yes, I tried), but a 65 year old was wearing skinnies, a shrunken leather jacket, and 4 inch platforms. It was weird.)

Anyhoo.... so begins the post of random shots and the stories that accompany them. *Some of them have been posted on Instagram, but for some reason, my Instagram won't share with Facebook, so I'm putting them here till I figure out how to fix that.

This is a fruit/veg stand just a few blocks from our flat. Though this one is especially packed, places like this are all over the place, with prices comparable to most of the supermarkets. I just love these colors that brighten the city streets.

I still catch myself marveling at the fact that this is my city now. This is where I live. So thankful for the opportunity God has given us!

So this bag was across from me on the tube. I love Asian fashion accessories and their translations. Select quotes from this bag include "Fragrantly Memories", "Haughty Hearing Girl", and "I used to think/ I had the answeet. To everythink/ The dream is sweet."

Classic

So there's a restaurant nearby called The Breakfast Club that supposedly has amazing American-style pancakes. The changing board out front always features something punny and hilarious. The other side of this board featured a great chalk drawing of Pierce Brosnan and the name "Fry Another Day". Last month was Bruce Willis and "Fry Hard". Check out the artist's work on Twitter (I don't have an account either, but its still worth flipping through!) It's pretty much awesome.

This was anchored at Greenwich. I know nothing about it but in the words of Finding Nemo "That's a big butt."

Oh sweet caffeinated mornings!

Most English-folk don't have a drip coffee pot like the Americans do. They'll do K-cups, French Press, or just go out for coffee. In our house, we have 3 modes of coffee making: french press, stovetop espresso maker, and turkish coffee pot. Yes, we're well caffeinated.

However, we're starting to use up the Prelock Blueberry Farm coffee we brought with us, so we need to find another supplier. The hubs wants to learn to roast it himself. I'll keep you posted on that endeavor.

The Borough Market tops my list of London must-sees, for foodies, or anyone who just likes to eat anything whatsoever. You can get anything here- and it all looks amazing! Someday I'll do an entire post on the market. But for today, this 3 foot wok of paella will have to suffice. :-)

Oh my goodness. Have I mentioned London has amazing food?! Boulangeries, Patisseries, and Cafes line the streets and display these sumptuous treats: colorful mounds of meringues, rich Victorian cakes filled with clotted cream and jam, cupcakes with equal parts frosting and cake... in tasty combinations of fruits, florals, and spices. It's pretty much a waistline's worst enemy.  

My sweet hubby and me!

Behind us is Leeds Castle- billed as the "Loveliest Castle in the World". Though is was quite nice, the £21 entry fee puts a sting in the loveliness. However, a day walking gardens with my love is always lovely. Thanks for sharing this adventure with me, sweetheart. There's no one else I'd rather share it with!

The Cotswolds

I apologize for the hiatus, but I have a good excuse--really! My aunt Jen has been to visit, and she took me on a whirlwind tour of the Cotswolds. Well, maybe whirlwind isn't the right term....

The Cotswolds are a lovely region in Englands eastern border. They are a group of small villages and towns that span about 50 miles. Though each has its own unique appeal, the quaint serenity of the region is what attracts visitors from around the world. Jen and I traveled through the northern part of the Cotswolds, walking over 20 miles in the 3 days we were there. We visited Moreton-in-Marsh, Bourton-on-the-Hill, Bourton-on-the-Water, Upper and Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Chipping Campden. The weather, scenery, food along the way, and of course, the company, was excellent!

For more pics, check out my Facebook page!

The churchyards were so lovely and full of stories. My dad always loved to walk around old churchyards, and I guess its a family thing, as my aunt and I both made it a regular stop.

This field was harvested within the afternoon. Our trip back found the field half-reaped already.

 The mill at Lower Slaughter was perfectly picturesque!

Gild ALL the Things!

So, yesterday I bought a can of gold spray paint. Yeah, I may have a problem!

The peacock/floral prints were the inspiration, and I just had to keep going with it!

... and yes, that is a birch stick in the corner by the lamp. Apparently, I also have a thing for sticks. 

Our "Right Now" Home

What a lovely night.... sitting in my living room with my husband, book in hand (well, he has a book in hand. I have the laptop in hand right now.), listening to Bach while the open window blows a cool breeze through the flat. Not a bad life if you ask me.

I've been asked several times how the rough London weather is treating me, and actually, I've been very lucky. The last two and a half weeks have been lovely. I think today is the first day we had cloud cover all day long. Otherwise, it's been sunny for at least the afternoon every day. Even today was right at 70˚F- though tonight's forecast gets us down to 50˚ (not sure I'm ready for that). My English friends say not to get used to it- that winter won't disappoint. I'll have weeks without sun at some point in the next year; but for now, I'm basking in the sun while I can. Maybe I'll blog more when I don't want to go outside (So that's why England produced such great writers--they had nothing better to do! In the words of the great Gru... 'Lightbulb'.)

I've also been asked for some pictures of the flat we're staying in, and with this post, I oblige. However, a bit of explanation. We are blessed to live in a flat adjacent to the church. The flats themselves are quite old, but ours was renovated in the last couple months to prepare for our arrival. There is a flat on the 2nd floor (the 3rd floor to Americans- English have the ground floor, and start counting with the 2nd level. Yeah- still confusing for me) that just began renovations. When that finishes, we'll move up there (it has a bit more room), and our current flat will be occupied by the youth paster who arrives on scene in a few weeks. It's all very exciting, and we are so grateful for all the work people have put in to make us feel at home here. It's been a blessing.

So we're here, for now. It'll probably be only two months, but we want to be as at home as we're able, while still leaving flexibility for the future. The following is where we are right now.

The front door comes into the living room, where my hubby has borrowed a mid-century chair we found in the church basement. I plan to hack those Ikea Lack tables soon! We look out on the street, and though its residential, it still takes some getting used to the fact that people's heads float by all day, eighteen inches from your living room.

We love our kitchen! So grateful to have a gas stove, though the oven is similar to a convection oven, which is taking some adjusting, as is the fact that the dial (like our house thermostat) is in Centigrade. And yes, that is a washing machine in our kitchen. Space is tight, so washers go in the kitchen or bathroom (which you can see in the back), and most flats don't have a dryer. So I block the pedestrians view with our laundry twice a week! :-) 

And last is our bedroom, which is currently what needs the most work. Its the smallest room in the house, and with the bed on one wall, and the other taken up by wardrobes (no closets in Europe), I'm still trying to figure out what to do in here. Plaster walls mean I oughtn't fill the walls with nails as I did in my old apartments (I think there were 28 holes in the hall alone when I moved out of Bloomington!). Suggestions are appreciated.

So, yeah that's my home. My favorite blogger, The Nester, talks about how weird it was putting up pictures of her home for the world to see, and I understand that a bit now. But she's brilliant, and her house is awesome, so maybe posting pictures will light a fire to do something awesome and creative for the next post. One can hope.

Granary Square

The first week is a success! Not only have we avoided oncoming traffic from the 'wrong' direction, but we've actually managed to get a few things accomplished. Our church, St. Giles Christian Mission, hosted their Holiday Bible Club (VBS to my American friends), and we loved helping out with that. Thanks to Ikea and Gumtree (the UK's more-popular form of Craigslist), we've managed to furnish much of our apartment. We've done some grocery shopping, and I already have the first batch of bread rising as we speak. Not too bad for just over a week, if I do say so myself! There have definitely been a few sanctifying conversations (read: conflicts) through the week, but God is blessing, and overall the week has been a joy!

One of the highlights was a walk to Granary Square at Kings Cross with some of our church family.  The City took an old grain processing factory, repurposed it for the part of the College of Art and Design, and used the open space between it and the canal for a public fountain/play area. The kids had so much fun- and I think the adults did too!

The caravan by Regents Canal

Not sure who was terrorizing who!

By the way- did you notice the art building in the background? With a aluminum leaf over part of the brick, it reflects the sky and looks like a slash through part of the building. So cool!

Love this little cutie!

Not everyone had such a great time.... but the rest of us did!

First Impressions

Sadly, I don't yet have pictures to load up for this first post- though I promise to supply many pictures in the future. I'm afraid I've spent the first couple days in London quite a bit more jet-lagged than I'd hoped. (My apologies to all those who had to interpret my incoherent sentences, already impaired with my American accent and worsened by my lack of sleep.) However, I've already managed to learn a few important things about English life that I thought I'd pass along.

1. Learning to drive on the other side of the road is hard... not that I've tried it yet, but I've started walking across the street, and that's already proving difficult. Look right first... no,left, no, right.... see what I mean?
2. Words are different... more than just 'lift' and 'loo'. LOTS of words, and phrases, and expressions. We've already found ourselves saying things considered, well, at least inappropriate, if not downright offensive. Thank goodness for kind hearts who know what we mean. Fortunately, the word I've had to adapt to the most is 'biscuit', or the American cookie... thankful to be getting lots of practice with that word.
3. Oh- and pronunciations make a difference. There are more dialects in London than in the whole of the US- seriously! Kind of like how in the south 'mirror' is only one syllable....
4. There is so much food here! Some people told us that English food could be bland, and perhaps the older country food was at some point, but here in London- it's amazing! Within a 10 minute walk we have Indian, Chinese, Thai, English, French, Italian, McDonalds, Vietnamese... it's pretty overwhelming to walk down the street when you're hungry! Which leads me to.....
5. You walk a TON! I haven't even toured London, and already I'm seeing a major lifestyle change. Just about everything you'd need is within a mile or two, but you walk to all of it! Yes- there is a great public transport system with tube stops every 1/2 mile, and bus stops on every corner. But seriously, if you can save two bucks, *excuse me*, two quid by just walking 10 minutes, its worth it. You get out, get exercise, get fresh air, see everything along the way, and people watch (my fave!). However, you also quickly realize that the shoes you wore in America all day at your desk and through Walmart don't stand up well to a couple miles of concrete and stone sidewalks . :-P Yep... definitely rethinking my shoe collection.

Much to learn in the next three years. Can't wait!