Mistletoe and Wine

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. and feeling like Christmas ought to. With the mulled wine on the brew, the Christmas lights sparkling early in the day as the day goes from grey to black. It is how Christmas is meant to be. Growing up in the southern hemisphere where it wouldn't get dark til 10pm, and the kids would have to stay up late to enjoy the Christmas lights and actually sing carols by candlelight, it seems strange that I identify so much with Christmas here. 
It's normal to have a roast dinner without being baked ourselves in the forty degree heat. Celsius, not Fahrenheit. Not a salad in sight, and no ice-cream. Hot roast potatoes straight from the oven, with hot minted peas and lashings of gravy. Warmed Christmas pudding with warm brandy custard.  And not feeling so uncomfortable from the heat, just by eating far too much. 
The one thing I will miss this year, is being able to make the lemon meringue pie which my grandmother used to make. Instead of doing a traditional family Christmas this year, we've opted to spend our Christmas dinner at one of the local pubs. Where we get waited on and we can walk off some of the three course meal getting home.  We'll start with the traditional Gilbert/Webb morning croissants and champagne of course. That goes without saying. We've purchased a wee little ham, so Boxing Day will still feel a bit like Boxing Day with our left over ham sandwiches. 
The English really do know how to celebrate Christmas, and the light shows on around town have been impressive. In the city and some of the boroughs and towns, turning a corner in a street can catch your breath. My favourite this year, of what I've seen so far, would have to be a tie between Carnaby St and Bond St.   
                             

Leicester Square has put a carnival in the centre of the square, which looks fabulous and has the most magical feeling. London feels special. It may be overcast and drizzly, but it has the most amazing celebratory vibe which I've ever come across over Christmas before. It's Bright and happy. Two words I would not ordinarily put in the same sentence with London. But it's exactly how I feel it is.  And we're loving it. 

  

 

Covent Garden has also got into the swing of things... literally and had a beautiful display of lights and attractions. We didn't get kissed under the mistletoe, but there's still time for that.

Hearing the kids laughing and playing on the Lego train made me smile. As much as I love Christmas, they wills always love it that little bit more. Seeing the kids faces when they see the lights, or the carousel or train for the first time is special.

 The faces are pure joy and excitement and that's what Christmas is about. The happiness and joy of the children. Being with the people you love, and respecting the world we live in. 

It's been fabulous having Sasha here as well. Having that connection to home has been so great, and not being left alone at home whilst Tony works has been great. Playing tour guide instead of tourist is fun. Although to start with, it's just been local while I've got over my first bout of the flu. It took six weeks. And, after not having had one for a few years, knocked me for six. But luckily enough it's come good, and we're able to start exploring the larger parts of London and beyond. 

A trip to Cornwall for New Years has been planned last minute. And the place we're staying were amazing to accommodate us within 10 days of heading down there. Tony and I stayed at St Benet's Abbey when we were there in April, and didn't want to leave. So we're very much looking forward to being able to go back.

The weather has been very mild, but we've had a couple of cool days where we've had to rug up. And it's not just us needing the extra layers. You will see a lot of the four legged Londoners wearing their jackets and hoodies too.  

So that's us for this year. We hope you all have the most amazing of Christmases and we wish you all the happiest of New Years. May 2016 be the best year ever for you all. 
Arohanui.
Jodi

Streets of history

Sorry for the delay in posting, folks. Things have been a little crazy the last couple of weeks, and I've either had far too much to say, or nothing of note to report. Well, not really nothing. Just nothing I feel can be shared.
I walk. I walk everywhere. And when I can't walk anymore I jump on a bus or train. But for the most part, I walk. From home to the shops and back. From home to the station and then around the city. For someone who walking has never been much of a past time, I'm surprised with what I'm achieving. And every day I get home and wish our boxes had arrived, since my proper walking shoes and runners are in said boxes (sent from Australia a few weeks ago).
This walking lark is amazing. I see so much of London, and stop to wonder, half the time of what took place over the years in this amazing city and the other half of the time which road to take next (or just stop to take a photo or two).

It's the little things which amuse me. But I loved this.
  This is not far from London Wall, and I found it entertaining. It's not much of a street, but all the same it exists and is not just a comedy series in my eyes anymore. 

The more I walk around London, the more it impresses me. I've fallen in love with this city all over again. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is busy and a crazy pace of life. But that's the key here. It's life. It's somewhere to live, enjoy and experience. And being that much older this time round, I really do have a new found respect for this city which I didn't have last time. I'm always looking up. Which has caused a couple of trips already, with the uneven pavements and cobbled streets. But again, I don't complain about these, instead I wonder how many more people have walked those pavements and cobbles, and how many more will after me. 

This city has a vibrancy which never ceases to amaze me. Walking around in London city proper today (London city is only a small square mile where Westminster City makes up the rest of central London), I was amazed by the growth which is still going on in the city. You wouldn't believe there was a Financial Crisis in recent times. Or maybe you would. The amount of building works in the city and around the rest of London is substantial. It's a city coming back. A city which was swallowed into the grip of financial devastation. A city which, one would have thought, would take years to bounce back from the somewhat irreparable damage done to it by the Global Financial Crisis. Yet it has, and does. There are cranes or temporary walls every corner you turn in London. The usual skyline is dotted with these cranes climbing out of the ashes.
Someone asked me how London was after the Paris attacks a couple of weeks ago. I can honestly say, it didn't seem all that different. There was a noticeable difference in police presence around London, but everyone seemed to go about their business the same. London did show it's support of Paris and France throughout the city. 

So my days have been taken up by wandering around the city, if I can make myself get in there. Some days I will go  for a walk around our area. I have managed to explore a few of the neighbouring suburbs. Each one a little different to the next.
My day's start with breakfast, then a couple of hours of job search and applications are done. Then I head down to the coffee shop and have my morning coffee. I go for a wander around Ealing where I pick something up for dinner (don't get me started on the size of our fridge. Tiny comes to mind) and for my lunch. The supermarkets and some of the shops will do a lunch meal for £3. This is made up of a sandwich, drink and snack. I love this deal. I then come back home do another round of job searching, and head out for the afternoon to do more exploring. I don't know how I'm going to cope when I finally get a job. I figure I may as well do as much whilst I can. 
 So that's it from me for now. 
I'll try and write again with less gap. There's also bound to be a guest appearance by someone in the coming days. 
I hope you are all well. 
Hugs
J