Walk home

Here is a view on one of the streets I walk on the way home...

London Fog

Waiting for the morning train in the fog...

Melancholy Sunday

It was a pretty day out - but I really miss my family. Not much fun here without them.

Glorious Day in Surbiton & Kingston

Today I explored a bit to see what is around the house we will be living in. It was a little chilly - but the sun was shining. So I first took a walk to the new house. I found the Queen's Promenade at the end of the street - a walkway along the River Thames from Surbiton to Kingston. Here are a few sights I saw on my stroll along the promenade.
The buildings in the background are Kingston.
Captain of the little boat - he saluted me after I took the picture.
The Riverside Cafe - halfway between Surbiton & Kingston
I think this is a female rowing team practicing.
Across the river.
Pretty Houseboat
Once I made it into Kingston, I walked along this canal to get the Market Square:
Today there was a French Market in the square. I bought all my fruits and vegetables for the week along with some cheese.
After I had a fresh Lemonsugar Crepe made, I found a pretty little spot in the courtyard of All Saints Church to eat. I love the flowers in the trees and the fallen petals on the walkway.
The Street performers were out in force today. I took some video - but I cannot seem to download it correctly. I will see what I can do in the next few days.

A House!

We made an offer on a rental house today and it was accepted. Looks like we will be moving in in Mid June. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like.


Front of the house.


Street view - just beyond the big trees is the Thames River.


The kitchen


The Reception Room


Back garden

I cannot wait for Richard and the girls to get here!

Weekend results

The weekend was great. Great weather, great sleep, great conversations and pictures from Texas.
See Richard's blog: http://richard-livestrong.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-to-do-on-rainy-saturday.html

I also got a good deal accomplished from my planned list.

I did grocery shop after coffee - and after I slept in until noon - which was great!
I did get to the book store and got a few new books.
I did hang up all my clothes from Houston.
I did look for a house and set up several showings for this week.
I did look for a job for Richard and found a few for him to apply to.
I did meditate.
I did start the laundry.
I only wrote 82 life goals though - I guess I will have to finish that next weekend.

On my way to the bookstore, I saw another street performer - actually there were several, but I thought you might enjoy this one the most. I tried uploading the video - but it was taking forever - so here is a picture instead.



On my way home from the bookstore, I found this monument right in the middle of Kingston off to the side of a business building. It is the Coronation Stone and was used in the coronation of several kings in the 10th century. I am not sure how it was used but - Cool.

Here's a link to learn more about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_coronation_stone

Weekend ambition

So I am back in London and facing a weekend alone. To be honest, I hate being alone. Therefore, I either veg out on the sofa watching endless TV or I go shopping. But this weekend I am going to try to be creative and industrious. Here's my plan:

Go grocery shopping - after coffee of course.
Hang up all of my clothes from Houston.
Write 101 life goals - starting with - Write 101 life goals.
If the weather permits - run.
Do the laundry.
Look for a house.
Mend a few clothes.
Buy a few new books to read.
Meditate.
Search for jobs for Richard.

That ought to fill up my weekend. I will let you know how it goes.

Hope your weekend is creative and industrious too.

Public Transportation

Today was a fun day on public transportation in London. On the way in from Surbiton, the train stopped 3 different times due to delays in other stations (it was supposed to be a non-stop train). Then, on the way home, the tube was suspended for about 20 minutes on the way to the train station. I just got more reading done - so it was o-k by me.

Not much else exciting happened today - the weather was gray and misty - and I did make it home before dark and that is always nice.

I will try to be more exciting over the weekend.

Back in London again

What a great holiday! I am so grateful that I was able to see all of my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and in-laws while I was in Houston, along with my Mom and Mother-in-law. It was so great to talk with everyone and give them all hugs. I wish I had taken more pictures.

Most of all, I loved the time I was able to spend with Richard, Amber and Alexa. We are all so ready to be a normal family again. In just a little under 2 months the girls will be here. Hopefully, Richard will be able to come over then too.

The next few weeks I will be house hunting. I will let you know how it goes.

On my way to Texas

Sorry for the lack of information lately. I have been exceedingly busy at work - even on the weekend - in preparation for my trip to Houston tomorrow. I cannot wait to see everyone!!!!!!!

Street Performers

One of the things I really like about London are the street performers. They are very unassuming and usually pretty good. I especially like the ones that play in the halls of the tube stations. The acoustics are really nice. I have seen and heard performers on guitar, violin, clarinet, saxophone, flute, keyboard, bagpipes(and they always wear a kilt to play the bagpipes), accordion and harp. I have also heard singers of opera, standards and folk music. It makes me smile every time.

Here is a clip of a street performer I saw in Kingston last weekend. He is singing an Elton John song - but it is hard to hear in the video. It reminds me of a movie - guess which one.