A highlight of our stay so far was definitely last weekend in London with our old friends Rachel and Kieron. Dylan and Sam had a ball playing with their new friends Olivia (3) and Louis (1) in their gorgeous Clapham house, which had plenty of room for all of us.
The excitement in the boys’ eyes when we finally reached London and started seeing red buses, black cabs and underground signs, was overwhelming. I also enjoyed the familiarity of it all – we drove by many favourite haunts from our previous life, which made me realise just how much had changed for us since then.
We managed to catch a double decker bus (twice), a tube and a black cab during the weekend, which for Dylan was the equivalent of spotting the big five on safari. The boys got to see Trafalgar Square, where there are no longer any pigeons to feed, but Dylan climbed the lion statues. We also spotted Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye, and the Christmas shopping frenzy of Covent Garden. I was also allowed almost an hour of solo shopping, while Jason, Dylan and a sleeping Sam hung out in Starbucks. In that short time I managed to buy a LOT at Zara, plus new boots and some Christmas presents for Jason. I was a woman on a mission, barging my way through the crowds to get to my favourite stores as quickly as possible…
Clapham was a great base for our family – the kids enjoyed the playground in the common, and it was easy to catch a bus or tube, walk to the shops and delis. The weather was very mild and sunny (much warmer than the midlands!) and even the cherry blossoms were confusedly trying to flower. I was astounded by how much more expensive life in London was though – Derby has not really been much of an adjustment in terms of cost of living. After discussing housing and childcare and kids party costs with Rachel, and realizing that our takeaway Indian meal for 4 people cost over £50 ($125), I felt rather relieved we were not trying to maintain our standard of living in the capital.
We enjoyed Olivia's 3rd birthday party at a local creche, where more mulled wine and cava was drunk than fruit juice - always a good sign for a kids party! (yes, yes, the kids were drinking the juices only) We were also able to meet the divine Lily, just 2 weeks old, at Georgi and James’ flat on our way home. I fear we may have overwhelmed the new parents with our boisterous little boys, but I did enjoy a lovely newborn cuddle and we are looking forward to spending some more time with them all both here in the countryside and back in London.
As I type, it is already Christmas Day in Australia. I wish you all a wonderful, joyous day, and hope that at least it stops raining! We will be enjoying our Christmas Lunch in the conservatory, looking out at all the sheep, with the log fire crackling. Wish me luck with the turkey in the Aga – Jason bought me a booklet of Handy Aga Christmas Tips so we shall see how it goes!
The excitement in the boys’ eyes when we finally reached London and started seeing red buses, black cabs and underground signs, was overwhelming. I also enjoyed the familiarity of it all – we drove by many favourite haunts from our previous life, which made me realise just how much had changed for us since then.
We managed to catch a double decker bus (twice), a tube and a black cab during the weekend, which for Dylan was the equivalent of spotting the big five on safari. The boys got to see Trafalgar Square, where there are no longer any pigeons to feed, but Dylan climbed the lion statues. We also spotted Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye, and the Christmas shopping frenzy of Covent Garden. I was also allowed almost an hour of solo shopping, while Jason, Dylan and a sleeping Sam hung out in Starbucks. In that short time I managed to buy a LOT at Zara, plus new boots and some Christmas presents for Jason. I was a woman on a mission, barging my way through the crowds to get to my favourite stores as quickly as possible…
Clapham was a great base for our family – the kids enjoyed the playground in the common, and it was easy to catch a bus or tube, walk to the shops and delis. The weather was very mild and sunny (much warmer than the midlands!) and even the cherry blossoms were confusedly trying to flower. I was astounded by how much more expensive life in London was though – Derby has not really been much of an adjustment in terms of cost of living. After discussing housing and childcare and kids party costs with Rachel, and realizing that our takeaway Indian meal for 4 people cost over £50 ($125), I felt rather relieved we were not trying to maintain our standard of living in the capital.
We enjoyed Olivia's 3rd birthday party at a local creche, where more mulled wine and cava was drunk than fruit juice - always a good sign for a kids party! (yes, yes, the kids were drinking the juices only) We were also able to meet the divine Lily, just 2 weeks old, at Georgi and James’ flat on our way home. I fear we may have overwhelmed the new parents with our boisterous little boys, but I did enjoy a lovely newborn cuddle and we are looking forward to spending some more time with them all both here in the countryside and back in London.
As I type, it is already Christmas Day in Australia. I wish you all a wonderful, joyous day, and hope that at least it stops raining! We will be enjoying our Christmas Lunch in the conservatory, looking out at all the sheep, with the log fire crackling. Wish me luck with the turkey in the Aga – Jason bought me a booklet of Handy Aga Christmas Tips so we shall see how it goes!
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