Autumn Adventures (Hint: It includes a high-flying sofa)

Its a beautiful autumn day today. I went for a walk this morning and took the shortcut through the park, noticing the rows of pillars and doorsteps shaded by colored trees, while falling leaves blow across streets still wet from last nights rain. It's everything I imagined autumn in London would be. My husband brought me to such a nice city. Isn't he magnanimous? I love his beneficence!

On a more.... exciting note, we've moved! Our flat is (almost) finished, and we've made the transition from ground floor to top floor- which is so exciting! They still have to finish up some fixtures and a few other details, but for the most part, we're settling in and finding landing spots for everything we own. Its so nice to be here- knowing that we're here for a while, making a home.

But... not everything went up easily. We had a few large pieces that couldn't make it up the narrow stairwell. The only alternative? The window. Yep. Three stories up. For reference, see below.

That would be Aaron hanging halfway over the roof (you can't see Matt behind anchoring the rope.) Richard and I are hanging out the windows, trying to finagle it into the right window.

A few people totally freaked out when they saw it. One girl walked right under it with headphones on, oblivious to our warnings and the danger she was in. :-)

Our neighbors moved their car, which was probably wise. But in the end, there was no major damage done. So all in all, things went pretty well, I'd say.

Extra Credit Opportunity

So last night, we went up to check the progress on our soon-to-be flat (which, by the way, is looking fantastic and making me all excited and stuff!), and looked out the window to this sky.
Seriously gorgeous!

In other news, I saw this video last weekend. Its fast, so turn up your sound and hang on, but CGP Grey does an awesome job explaining the differences between the United Kington, Great Britain, England, and all the hullabaloo that confuses us Yanks.

And, if you're really going for the bonus extra credit, or just a geography nut, here's another of his videos on the difference between The Netherlands and Holland, which makes the UK drama look rather staid.

You're welcome. :-)

Ramblings and Such

While my friends across the pond are experiencing the angst of a government shut-down, we're waiting with anticipation for the completion of our upstairs flat. Today the painters arrived, signaling the transition from building to finishing! We're so excited to really settle in, and I can't wait to show you all the process. I've taken some pics along the way, so perhaps I can post a timeline when its finished!

In the meantime, here are some shots of our last few weeks.

Our sleepy Saturday morning. Breakfast casserole & french press coffee are always a good way to start out the day!

Last night, the hubby got a hankering for some prawn crackers (or shrimp chips!) If you've not had them before, they look like little glass discs (see the bag in the foreground), and when you put them in hot oil, they *poof* up and look like colorful, bendy, fishy, styrofoam, which is basically what they taste like. (Though he'd probably argue with me on that one!)

Last week, another Auntie stopped by for a few days. I'm loving all these family visits! We took a few hours and visited the Columbia Road Flower Market. It was jam-packed, shoulder-to-shoulder scuffle down a crowded quarter mile, whilst vendors yell out their sales, competing for buyers attention. I'm convinced the two men competing to sell orchids are actually brothers out-bidding each other to make twice the profit! ;-) (But I won't spill their secret!)
We picked up a lovely bouquet of drying hydrangea. This is it, a week after purchase, drying out, but keeping its color beautifully. And I'm so excited to have a plant I can't kill, as its already officially dead!

Auntie and I went to Buckingham to try to see the Changing of the Guard. We arrived a half hour early to find crowds already lined up at the gate. We pushed in, and got glimpses and peeks, but watched most of it through the raised iPhones in front of us. Basically, if you come to visit me and want to see the changing of the guard, we'll plan to pack a breakfast and be there all morning. :-P Still fun to say I've done it, kinda sorta.

Browsing the Southbank Book Market under Waterloo Bridge.

Kensington Palace, past home of Princess Diana, and current home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. (I'd say Wills and Kate, but apparently, that's not 'proper'.) We were surprised they didn't come out to say hi and give us a tour, but they did just have a baby, so I suppose we ought to cut them some slack.

I was told a certain aunt of mine loved/loves Princess Diana, so we made sure to stop by the memorial fountain.

Rather puny if you ask me, but Auntie said the queen was pretty peeved at Di for divorcing Charles, so I guess this fountain is all she got.

Crocus plants (crocuses?) (crucusi?) pop up throughout London's parks, showering the ground in a carpet of purple. It's an unexpected punch of color in the usual shades of autumn.

Loving our time in London, and praising God for his continual blessings, both little and big!

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.