(quick update from the future 2022-10-17)

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Hello again!

We’ve been taking it nice and slow, enjoying the prospect of having a home base for the next few months. Our suitcases are unpacked and stowed away, and we’ve shuffled things around to make room for our various knickknacks.

Our flat is on a pretty busy street right across from a metro stop, sandwiched in by some really upscale neighborhoods. There’s a lot of noise and traffic (at all hours), but we’re just a stone’s throw from Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park so it balances out. The location and the amenities within the apt itself check all the boxes, but I think K would have preferred some place a little quieter.

It’s been really nice to have our kitchen essentials unpacked as well - we’ve been enjoying having some home cooked meals now that we have a more complete kitchen (gas stovetop woot!). I love a good grocery shop visit - seeing what’s available, the different marketing quirks, and comparing freshness/quality. There are about ten groceries in a few block radius, so no shortage of options!

My favorite find so far is these big old brown beauties -

eggs2

The tagline “fabulous eggs by fabulous birds” gets me good.

eggs1



On Sunday, I took my first stroll through Kensington Gardens on the way to a home goods store to grab some other essentials. I only walked down one of the main thoroughfares, but the scale of the park and the feel of the city is really starting to sink in. Tons of people walking and biking, dogs chasing squirrels, a big ol’ pond full of all sorts of birds, Kensington Palace with its statue of Queen Victoria and a garden dedicated to Princess Diana.

I took another stroll around the neighborhood on Monday and found some excellent ninja turtle art:

tmnt

And made a friend!

straymeow



Our first adventure around the pond was a lot of fun! We spotted some swan butts:

swanbutt

And thanks to my bird expert parents, identified these funny little Coots

coots

Sleepy swan:

sleepyswan


We lucked out and found an open bench where we sat and read for a few minutes. An older couple was feeding the birds just down the way.

feeding-birds1

I didn’t catch a picture but they also had a remote controlled boat that they zipped around for a few minutes. The lady was super nice and gave K the lowdown on what feed she had and where to buy it. Just after this picture the swan nearly got into her bag - she was getting absolutely swarmed :p

feeding-birds

And I made another friend!

friend



We stopped in for a pint before heading home and ran across this incredible old pizza hut window art:

pizzahut1

pizzahut2



All in all it was an excellent day! Missy V even graced me with a brief cuddle session before bed.

sleepymv


Thanks for reading - until next time!