Our Own Home - REALLY?

John and I are thrilled to say - WE FINALLY HAVE A HOME!

It has been a L-O-N-G haul. (It literally took 3 months.)

On our fifth (yes FIFTH!) round of negotiations, paperwork, deposits, contracts, lawyers, delays, AWOL landlords, etc., we finally found a landlord that has integrity and stood by his/her word. (I will hold my tongue and not say another word about our negative experiences with multiple UK landlords/property owners.)

So, I will talk about our new home.

We love it!

Lest We Forget

Remembrance Day is on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. It is to commemorate Armistice Day and the end of WWI.

This year, the 100th Anniversary of the start of WW1, the Tower of London was home to a phenomenal tribute.

Ceramic poppies, one for each of the 888,246 soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth countries killed in war, were installed over the grounds to pay remembrance. (The Commonwealth countries included are Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore and India.)

The Lord Mayor's Show

The Lord Mayor's Show begins with an early morning barge procession down the Thames River. Not wanting to miss a thing, I dragged John and some friends along, extra early, to make sure we could get there ahead of all the people.

"All the people", on the Westminster bridge, at 8:30am, turned out to be - us. I am quite sure I will never hear the end of that.

So, we had breakfast, wandered around Borough Markets, and savoured some mulled wine before heading over the Thames River to St Paul's Cathedral to stake our spot for the land parade.

This year marked the 799th Anniversary of The Lord Mayor's Show in London. (As we would say, "this is not their first rodeo.")

Clapham Junction

I found this character in Clapham Junction. 

A couple of people were taking pictures. So I screwed up my courage, swallowed my self esteem and asked if I could too. 

S/He said yes, but I had to pay "a couple of quid", and, that I needed to pay in advance because it would be too hard to chase me with high heels on. 

I didn't know what to say. 

So I rummaged in my purse and tried to carry on a "normal conversation". 

Its funny, usually the cell phone takes good pictures, but this one is blurry. 

Maybe it was because during my "normal conversation" I asked him/her if s/he lived in Clapham Junction, and s/he said "No. Not unless you have a bedroom for me"! 

GASP! 

What do you say to that?!?!?

House Hunting - I can't believe it!

I can't believe it!

I found out a couple of hours before receiving the keys to "our" new place, that we will NOT be getting the keys, and that we will NOT be moving.

And the reason? Because the landlord, despite accepting a substantial deposit, SOLD the house on Friday.

So, after living in Jolly Ol' England for 10 weeks, looking at countless properties, giving deposits and grinding through paperwork on three homes, they have all fallen through, at the last minute, and we still do not have a place to call home.

Please, tell me when the glamour and excitement of being an expat and living in London begins.

Borough Market

Borough Market is a fantastic find.

I like to think that it is a great little secret.

But, somehow, I suspect that millions of others have been there before me.

Weekend in Brussels

One of the joys of living in London (actually, anywhere in Europe), is that "everything is so close".

Our first trip abroad was to Brussels.

St Pancras Station is the start of the two hour Eurostar train ride from London, under the English Channel, to Brussels. 

 

I love this station - huge, old and historical combined with modern touches.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium, home to the UN and NATO. It would be safe to describe it as a very international city.

I will not embarrass myself or pretend to be a tour guide director or expert. So here are a couple of highlights for me....

The Town Hall is a beautiful stately building.

Now, take a closer look and notice the lack of symmetry.

Over the course of years that it took to build it there were several contractors, that, neglected to confer with each other. A legacy example of poor communication.